tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63105112011-12-07T23:21:48.294Z...mine do little else. A collection of my random thoughts, ideas, inspirations, rants... whatever else. And now - a review of every UK Queen single!!!!Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.comBlogger781100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-28914503321643349532008-04-09T20:58:00.000Z2008-04-09T20:59:24.727Z

PLEASE NOTE: For the millions (ahem) that read this, Wandering Thoughts is now at:wanderthoughts.wordpress.com. Not here. This page will never be updated again. Probably. Byeeee!!!

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-38844560956028229852008-03-22T21:24:00.002Z2008-03-22T21:31:21.695Z

Possibly for the first time ever, I feel about Easter Sunday like I do Christmas Day - very excited, and not wanting it rush by and me miss it. Why? I don't know, really. I don't think it's about getting chocolate eggs (you'll be relieved to know). For some reason, the idea of resurrection means a lot to me at the moment; there's definitely parts of my life where resurrection is needed: what

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-33827712519957928362008-03-19T21:45:00.000Z2008-03-19T21:46:27.405Z

The triumph of economics over anything else, especially a sense of community.

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-10377388323808031072008-03-18T09:30:00.001Z2008-03-18T09:31:54.137Z

Mmmm... Tunnocks...

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-58368383862013882582008-03-16T21:17:00.002Z2008-03-16T21:30:39.271Z

So, what to make of part 1 of "The Passion"? Actually, I enjoyed it. It was told well: Jesus' relationship with the disciples (them wanting to follow but not really 100% sure what he's on about) seemed to mirror the picture in the Gospels (especially Mark) and Jesus' humorous introduction of James and John was good. James Nesbitt made a good Pilate. And it was good to have the 3 points of

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-45158597117544802362008-03-14T07:03:00.002Z2008-03-14T07:09:35.213Z

Well, there's been a lot of (mainly positive) noise about this - a new telling of the Passion Week story. Best of all, it's on prime time BBC1!! And, from the trailers, it looks quite interesting: full of life and chaos (which I bet Jerusalem was), hopefully adding something different to the telling of the story. The idea of telling it from three different viewpoints looks interesting: we (

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-10936296486767249852008-03-12T21:47:00.005Z2008-03-12T21:52:01.415Z

3 pounds sterling is all I have left of the £50 birthday I was given. Most of it has gone on useful things ("Gathering for worship", the BU worship patterns and prayers book and a book on preaching), as well as one less useful thing (SimCity on Nintendo DS).So what can I do with the rest (was going to say "spend the rest on" there, but it may not necessarily involve spending it). Any ideas (

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-60952320835295769552008-03-12T21:47:00.001Z2008-03-12T21:47:46.168Z

29 (so perilously close to 30!)Tired.

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-14090376506540568902008-03-11T21:49:00.002Z2008-03-12T21:52:50.820Z

...or something. Anyway, Sheffield Wednesday have actually won two games on the trot and stuff. And Leicester City, who were immediately above us, had the decency to lose as well. All this may (may) mean that we're no longer in the relegation zone!!!Until we lose the next time, of course.Interestingly, I've been reading some of my old posts on this and noticed I actually managed to say

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-22198365291057028172008-03-11T21:15:00.003Z2008-03-11T21:19:29.442Z

... back after a goodly length of time! Anyways, what's been happening? Well, I am now a number of things:A part-time civil servant, because...A trainee Baptist minister at Northern Baptist College;A Dad, to Amy who is now, er, 16 months old and walking around like crazy, mainly into things she shouldn't. Tired, after she's given us two rotten nights' sleep on the trot...So that's me, now!Anyway

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-30640006673674433032007-07-03T20:41:00.000Z2007-07-03T20:41:29.595Z

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Stressed Spaniards smash up hotelQuite possibly the best thing ever, ever, ever.

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1158000695000148712006-09-11T18:35:00.000Z2006-09-11T18:51:35.026Z

A bit weird today... it's the 5th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and... well... nothing, really. No silence at work, no memorials (as far as I'm aware) in Sheffield - just a normal day, kind of. Of course, for thousands, possibly more, of people, this can't ever be "a normal day" - and whatever you think of the politics surely you have to have sympathy for those who mourn for those they lost

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1155658142582719622006-08-15T16:08:00.000Z2006-08-15T16:10:11.450Z

I've tried to change them to use Blogger's very own system - so this is a trial run to see if it's worked or not...So if you've put comments on previously and they now no longer show up, I am really sorry - it's not deliberate, honest!!

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1155657805669069372006-08-15T16:01:00.000Z2006-08-15T16:03:25.683Z

The link to the website for the blog I mentioned in the last post is on the right, between the "World of Stuart" and "I believe in the BBC" links. For some reason, Blogger objected to putting the link into the post itself Hope this helps clarify things!Also, apologies to whoever posted a comment asking where the link was for not posting a reply direct - for someone reason, my computer objected

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1155070848348814762006-08-08T20:58:00.000Z2006-08-08T21:06:08.960Z

I'm the guy who started writing this, oooh, ages ago.You never know, I might get round to reviewing the next Queen song (Spread Your Wings, if you're interested).Anyways, before that momentous event, please enjoy the website belonging to my brother in law - the link is in the "Links" bit (it appears not to display correctly in this bit, for some inexplicable reason...).That is all for now.

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1123255946647428912005-08-05T15:26:00.000Z2005-08-05T15:32:26.653Z

Remember me? Normal Queen-related service will resume soon...Anyway, if you're a fan of 80s TV like me, then the half-hour from 3pm today was a fantastic moment (in a sad, anoraky kind of way). On BBC2, Country Cops was narrated by none other than John Craven......it gets better...Meanwhile, on ITV1, there was some programme about reincarnation presented by Phillip Schofield and with his

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1116535095327596102005-05-19T20:16:00.000Z2005-05-19T20:38:15.350Z

(Wow, 10th April... long time, huh)?These two could perhaps be the uber-Queen songs: they formed the climax of every Queen show from when they were released (and Rock You, in a speeded-up guise, was the start of them for many a year, too) and perhaps their two most iconic songs: it's difficult to listen to either of them without picturing Freddie strutting his stuff on a stadium stage. But how

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1113160690741778452005-04-10T18:50:00.000Z2005-04-10T19:18:10.746Z

If you're reading this, expecting me to slag off this show, then you're very much mistaken. This was a finely crafted tribute to Queen, featuring respected performers bringing new interpretations to some of Queen's classic and best-loved tunes, allowing us to fondly remember this giant of a rock group....is not a paragraph that could be used of this show. OK, I'm probably biased being a) a huge

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1113073031499310672005-04-09T19:43:00.000Z2005-04-09T18:57:11.500Z

If Queen ever did "rough and ready", then this was surely the best example of it. A 4-minute blast of pure rock that, for once, doesn't seem too bothered about making sure everything's perfectly mixed, that eschews 3-million overdubs for a simple blast of Brian's guitar. About time too.Brian apparently had the idea for the song in Tanzania on top of a mountain, watching the sun either rise or

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1112980212643557192005-04-08T17:54:00.000Z2005-04-08T17:10:12.646Z

At last! An update! (Said nobody)...Truth* is, it's taken me ages to work what I think of this song and even longer to work out what to write. It's not that I don't know it or anything, it's just that...I can't make up my mind what I like about it, or even if I do.With Bohemian Rhapsody it's easy to be bowled over by the ambition, scale, and grandeur of it all. With Tie Your Mother Down (

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1111696410793353332005-03-24T20:20:00.000Z2005-03-24T20:33:30.796Z

John Deacon's first Queen single (sorry Roger fans - still another 8 years before his first) couldn't be more different from either its immediate predecessor or, indeed, any of the songs that have come before it. After all the grand theatrics, heavy rock, double meanings of the first five singles, Queen's sixth is nothing more than a simple, straightforward love song. But it's none the worse

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1111649583156945102005-03-24T07:32:00.000Z2005-03-24T07:33:03.156Z

More reviews are definitely, certainly, undoubtedly, 100% coming up...Promise. Honestly. No, really!

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1111269200737701762005-03-19T21:15:00.000Z2005-03-19T21:53:20.743Z

How on earth do you review this? I mean now, that is. Perhaps when this was released (thirty years ago this year) it was a lot easier, before it went mega, spent umpteen weeks at number one, before Freddie died and the song practically entered mythology. Millions of words have been written about, even TV programmes made about it (that BBC2/BBC4 show with Richard E. Grant that was shown over

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1111220937578624682005-03-19T08:10:00.000Z2005-03-19T08:28:57.580Z

Every one who does something like this, be it magazine reviewer or whatever, seems to come up against the issue of the scoring system and how it should work. And, four singles in and just before we reach that song (which I'm already struggling with), it's probably time for me to do the same. Most reviews I've read are of computer/video games, rather than music (though I was a reader of Q

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1111170714330756062005-03-18T18:27:00.000Z2005-03-18T18:31:54.333Z

Just noticed that Popular has linked to me, which is very kind. Except they haven't. They've linked to this instead. Which is a completely different and, by the looks of things, somewhat defunct website about... something else. The dilemma is - do I tell him? Or would that seem arrogant (in case he did mean to link to that other site)? Who knows? Might just hope he sees this and notices...

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1111170348340008072005-03-18T18:06:00.000Z2005-03-18T18:26:42.026Z

This is a single in the wrong place. What I mean is, this fits much more closely with Keep Yourself Alive and Seven Seas of Rhye in terms of style etc. than it does with the two songs it sits between, both of which (the latter especially) take the group in all sorts of different directions than those explored so far in their singles. For this is a classic, early-Queen rocker. Does that sound

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1111090982441708742005-03-17T20:01:00.000Z2005-03-17T20:23:02.446Z

Queen's third album, Sheer Heart Attack, showed a group who'd really begun to hit their stride and this confidence, now combined with an almost invincible pop sensibility which had been only hinted at on their previous two albums, was at its best with Freddie's ode to a high-class call girl. Musically, this is a real change from the previous two singles, a break from the heavy, guitar-based rock

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1111044180539451782005-03-17T07:19:00.000Z2005-03-17T07:23:00.540Z

Oh yes - we have an honourable mention on Freaky Trigger, the home of Popular, the feature that inspired the Queen singles reviews. Might explain the sudden explosion in people coming to this humble site - thanks guys!!!!Read it here.

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1110926970595311902005-03-15T22:48:00.000Z2005-03-15T22:49:30.596Z

Just checked the site and the counter suddenly says 109!109!!!That's like 30-ish in a day!Cool...

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1110926786786219612005-03-15T22:36:00.000Z2005-03-15T22:46:26.790Z

Queen's second single, and Mercury's first, is much, much better than KYA. A brisk, fun blast of heavy rock that doesn't outstay its welcome (less than 3 minutes long), refuses to succumb to the leaden-footedness (if that's a word) that marred the group's early albums, this is really just good fun. Freddie's opening piano lifts the curtain (damn hard to play, that, actually) and we get a much

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1110835114854907242005-03-14T21:02:00.000Z2005-03-14T21:18:34.856Z

Queen's career didn't get off to the most auspicious of starts: two years passed between the line up that would seem them through the next twenty years (Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon) coming together and the release of this, their first single. This then subsequently failed to chart and their first album (imaginatively titled "Queen") also failed to set the charts.

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1110834079725982052005-03-14T20:55:00.000Z2005-03-14T21:01:19.726Z

Ahem. Yes, I am still alive and no, we've still not reached 100 viewers yet. We're hoping for it any day soon, but considering Wandering Thoughts has been going for over a year, this may be a long shot (especially as I reckon a fair few of those visitors have been, er, me). Anyway, I have had inspiration! It came from two sources: first of all, my deep, rather anoraky obsession with Queen and

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1100680494864229542004-11-17T08:34:00.000Z2004-11-17T08:34:54.863Z

BBC NEWS | UK | Leaders condemn 'Hassan murder'. What a terrible, terrible loss - someone who had given their life to helping the people of Iraq is now murdered. Even al-Zaqarwi had called for her release - what did the kidnappers feel they had to gain from this? This is such a stupid own goal on their part. Worse, this is an appalling tragedy; that someone who cared so much should be

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1100550816059396882004-11-15T20:33:00.000Z2004-11-15T20:33:36.060Z

Difficult to know what to make of this. On the one hand, I don't to be seen to be condoning people (especially high-profile) people lying about their conduct, or having affairs. However, Boris was sacked, not because he'd had an affair, but because Mr Howard believed he had been "less than franK" in his discussions about the allegations. This presumably means that Howard had some information

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1100205409335617632004-11-11T20:36:00.000Z2004-11-11T20:36:49.336Z

Look! You too can find out why no-one really likes you... or something like that. This was my result: Points: 45 You have been classified as "moderately annoying". Although this is nothing to be concerned about, our experts believe that there's still room for improvement. Some might disagree with that...

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1099778439893832582004-11-06T22:00:00.000Z2004-11-06T22:00:39.893Z

Another train accident - it looks serious again (of course, all such accidents are serious, but this sounds like it's being treated very seriously indeed). Obviously, it's too early to say what's happened, the casualties, injuries etc. And deepest sympathies must go to the families of those who have died - hopefully, there won't be any more, although police are saying six people are still

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1099691568026135812004-11-05T21:44:00.000Z2004-11-05T21:52:48.026Z

'Tis fireworks night, so once again the length and breadth of the country sounds like a warzone. Although, there don't appear to have been many of those ones that sound like tactical nuclear missiles - at least not yet. Our party was at church (as ever), and I was largely in the kitchen, helping out with coffees, teas, orange juice etc (refreshments, in other words). And the parents are

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1099600891217112292004-11-04T20:36:00.000Z2004-11-04T20:41:31.216Z

Am on strike again tomorrow, the second time in my rather short working life. Tomorrow's strike is about the massive job cuts the government has decided to impose on us as "savings". The thing is, right, they claim (or claimed) that these massive job cuts (over 100,000) were to provide extra resources for front-line staff. However, the first round of cuts is to be in Job Centres and Social

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1099564844923232102004-11-04T10:35:00.000Z2004-11-04T10:40:44.923Z

... and, for some reason the world feels a slightly worse place. Not happy at all (they could at least have had the decency to make it unfair, or controversial, or something - can't they do anything right?)

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1094057433215603682004-09-01T16:50:00.000Z2004-09-01T16:50:33.216Z

Bit late, but somebody at last standing up for equality and, that supposed British concept, fair play. Just a personal observation about the whole "competitive sport at school" and how people want there to be winers and losers and people who complain about it are "PC". I was never any good at sports (still not) - and it hurts. At school, certainly for boys, sport is the thing to be good at -

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1093037836911609492004-08-20T21:37:00.000Z2004-08-20T21:37:16.910Z

Rant of the century...

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1092724821271479322004-08-17T06:40:00.000Z2004-08-17T06:40:21.270Z

BBC NEWS %7C Politics %7C Tory plan for cars in bus lanes The Conservatives once again presumably painting themselves as "the motorist's friend", ignoring the fact that the cost of motoring has in fact fallen by 4.8% between 1997 and 2003, whilst the cost of travelling by train has risen by 3% and the cost of travelling by bus has risen by 8%!!!! Which just puts the whingeing of some motorists

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1092522209415331032004-08-14T23:18:00.000Z2004-08-14T22:23:29.416Z

And I didn't even realise (although I did have to go bck to work after my 2 days off ill - does that count?) Little else to write, really (this could be the reason no one reads this...). Sheffield Wednesday won, again, that's twice in a row, which is some kind of record for us. We're eighth now - Coca Cola Championship here we come (hmmm...). Bought The Day Today on DVD recently - if you

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1092420217168229812004-08-13T18:03:00.000Z2004-08-13T18:03:37.166Z

WGR News: Kuju Wireless bringing Sensible Soccer, Cannon Fodder to mobile - corporate release OK, a little late I know. But that's going to be fantastic. Although, I do wonder how things like aftertouch etc. will work on a mobile... Plus, I bet it doesn't come out for my phone (a SonyEricsson T610, since you asked).

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1092342733533010022004-08-12T21:30:00.000Z2004-08-12T20:32:13.533Z

Meanwhile, the BBC Weather site gives the "current nearest observations" for Sheffield as sunny intervals. Bearing in mind that, a) it's half-9 and therefore dark and b) that's a cracking thunderstorm outside, I feel this is unlikely.

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1092342589965471622004-08-12T20:23:00.000Z2004-08-12T20:29:49.966Z

With a fairly bad asthma "do" - hoping to go back tomorrow, largely because we're having holes put in our kitchen wall (for an extractor fan, not some weird game we like to play every so often in the Smith household. Although you should see our dining room. Like a Swiss cheese...) Anyway this enforced absence has forced me, forced me to watch CBBC, or Children's BBC as we used to call it. And

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1092168507980863142004-08-10T20:08:00.000Z2004-08-10T20:09:56.640Z

So, Howard has spoken (courtesy BBC News). And for some truly fair-minded, reasonable, well-thought out comment, then see here. Sorry, it just annoys me,that's all. It's easy to lay the blame at the straw men of "Political correctness" etc., but in actual fact, crime has been falling for many years now - the longest recorded fall in crime. To say that "liberal do-gooders" want judges to hand

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1091737534547753712004-08-06T09:21:00.000Z2004-08-05T20:25:34.546Z

...that he'd post a bit more (like at all), wouldn't you? Well would't you? Anyway, apologies for not having published for just over four months (ahem!)... if anybody's watching, that is. I will, eventually,try to bring you back up to speed with what's been going on, but, for those fastwith the eye, here's the highlights:

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1081000054084230582004-04-03T13:47:00.000Z2004-04-03T13:51:14.920Z

This could be the maddest thing ever...

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1079796461341158822004-03-20T15:27:00.000Z2004-03-20T15:31:03.420Z

This is quite fantastic...

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1079731900662606092004-03-19T21:31:00.000Z2004-03-19T21:35:01.560Z

Anyway, sorry (if anybody's been watching) for the delays in postign anything at all. Will correct that... Had the most bizarre day at work today. Got in as normal at about 8:30 and everything seemed... well, normal. Then, Dave, my line manager, summoned me to go with him to "make a drink". Basically, to cut a long and exceedingly tedious story short, I'm starting a new job on Monday. Still

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1078389959953545452004-03-04T08:45:00.000Z2004-03-04T08:48:59.543Z

And it's superbly fast!

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1077368958455808532004-02-21T13:09:00.000Z2004-02-21T13:12:02.140Z

HARIBO ARE LETTING KIDS GO TO THEIR FACTORY - TO RUN THE PLACE!!!! It's wasted on them - this is so unfair!

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1077368639889780622004-02-21T13:03:00.000Z2004-02-21T13:06:43.640Z

These are the only European countries I have visited: create your personalized map of europe or write about it on the open travel guide Must get out more. Italy will be included after July when I go away with Joy and her parents, but it's looking a bit woeful at present.

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1077368531028363472004-02-21T13:02:00.000Z2004-02-21T13:04:54.810Z

Hey, look (a little late I know)! We're going to impose controls (possibly) on migrants from the 10 EU accession states, or so Blair has decided. Now, I've probably forgotten all I learnt about the EU during my student days (it was 3 years ago), but I didn't think they were allowed to do that. I thought that, as EU citizens (which they will be), they had the right to travel and to move and to

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1076965847144934582004-02-16T21:10:00.000Z2004-02-16T21:13:24.403Z

Tories deny 'slash and burn' policy Apparently, us civil servants are, mostly, pen-pushers and our "backroom" funds need to be pushed to the "front line". Now, I don't want to dispute the need for more money for essential "front line" staff such as teachers, nurses, doctors etc. We get enough work permit applications to know that there's a shortage of them. And I don't deny that there is

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1076965253677305612004-02-16T21:00:00.000Z2004-02-16T21:03:31.076Z

MSN bans pop-ups on global sites Now, when will the others follow suit?

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-107635916309008272004-02-09T20:39:00.000Z2004-02-09T20:41:50.233Z

OK, I'm failing quite miserably to keep this up to date like I said I would. Mind you, since apparently only three people have looked at this since 30 Janurary, I'm not sure it will bother too may people... Anyway, some things have happened since my last post, but not much. We've started a discipleship course at church called Masterlife, which has been very challenging, thought-provoking, but

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1075495396398702512004-01-30T20:43:00.000Z2004-01-30T20:45:29.903Z

Wow, what a week! The following things have all happened which have been pretty... eventful: Blair won the vote on top-up fees; Blair, and indeed the entire government, got an astonishing vindication in the Hutton report; It snowed just a little bit in Sheffield, thus bringing the entire city centre to a standstill, despite the fact that it had been forecast for weeks now; Greg Dyke, Gavyn

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1075494698745658812004-01-30T20:31:00.000Z2004-01-30T20:33:52.360Z

Have added stats now, courtesy of Sitemeter

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1075238212249325102004-01-27T21:16:00.000Z2004-01-27T21:19:01.873Z

Go on strike on Thursday at the wonderful Work Permits (UK) and indeed, throught the Home Office (of which we are but a small and humble part), Department for Work and Pensions and other places as well. The reason? A rather derisory 1.something% pay offer this year, which would take my pay to a little over £13k. From a little over £13k. Not very much at all (I forget the exact figures, but

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1075237232913491352004-01-27T21:00:00.000Z2004-01-27T21:21:28.280Z

Blair wins key top-up fees vote 316 votes to 311. Apparently, this was all about top-up fees, though seemed more like it was about Blair and his leadership. Why? Why did he make it into such a key, important test of his leadership, especially when in their 2001 election manifesto, Labour had promised not to introduce such a measure. Don't understand...

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1074981089304462472004-01-24T21:51:00.000Z2004-01-24T21:53:35.140Z

Always, always, always copy the entire code into the template, or it don't work. Just as I did... Learn from my mistake! Or laugh at it, either is fine...

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1074980730720968532004-01-24T21:45:00.000Z2004-01-24T21:47:36.030Z

Let's try...

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1074980538381295592004-01-24T21:42:00.000Z2004-01-24T21:44:23.716Z

If anyone can help me out here, tell me why this thing is only showing the last post, minus links, archive, any other posts, I would be extremely grateful!!!!!

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1074633160492504242004-01-20T21:12:00.000Z2004-01-20T21:14:40.543Z

They seem to have vanished... HELP!!!!

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1074632832823119752004-01-20T21:07:00.000Z2004-01-20T21:09:12.950Z

This may not be the most interesting blog ever written...

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-107463259661809942004-01-20T21:03:00.000Z2004-01-20T21:05:16.793Z

Hey! Guess what? Sheffield Wednesday lost on Saturday... Big surprise, huh?! For those not in the know, Sheffield Wednesday are the football (as in proper football, as in played with the feet - "soccer" if you must) team I support through the good and the bad. Actually, the "good" bit may not be true. I'm one of those rubbish fans though who doesn't go to many games (on the not unreasonable

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1074547635182452582004-01-19T21:27:00.000Z2004-01-19T21:29:13.670Z

Don't know how I came upon this, but's a Filipino superheroine called Darna, a heroine who seems a bit different from the DC/Marvel duopoloy. It looks interesting - about a girl called Narda who is almost a channel for a super-powered alien called Darna. She's clearly huge in the Philipines. I can't understand the comic books, but hey! It makes a change from Supergirl/Wonder Woman etc. (

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1074354546611864322004-01-17T15:49:00.000Z2004-01-17T16:00:27.686Z

Apparently, there's a new Supergirl movie being made, or so it says here. Check out Peter David's response (him being the guy who writes/wrote the latest incarnation of the comic book). Will it be as good/bad (delete as appropriate) as the 1984 Helen Slater version? Who will play her? So many questions...

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1074290359843781722004-01-16T21:58:00.000Z2004-01-16T22:01:13.826Z

This time from Haloscan ... I'm probably going to be in soooo much trouble...

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1074288754998017532004-01-16T21:20:00.000Z2004-01-16T21:34:29.326Z

Work is hard at the moment. The managers on the team (or at least some of them) seem to be in the habit of creating more work for us. Everything little thing wrong with an application needs to be checked out, if even the slightest thing is wrong, it gets sifted as a "High-risk" application and goes up for management check. E.g. I had 6 linked applications for nurses to work in a particular

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1074286909333261662004-01-16T21:00:00.000Z2004-01-16T21:03:44.060Z

Try this for a bit of retro(ish) gaming action. By the way, if you're wondering what happened to the comments... I took them off, thinking (probably) wrongly that they were responsible for the lack of updates on the blog. Will get round to putting them back on, in the same way that I will get round to cancelling my old mobile contract etc...

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1074203905090401532004-01-15T21:57:00.000Z2004-01-15T22:00:17.716Z

Why won't the chuffing thing show my latest chuffing posts...? Don't understand...

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1074202927348583562004-01-15T21:37:00.000Z2004-01-15T21:44:00.360Z

Have just added comments from the nice peeps at enetation - here's hoping they work. Feel free to try them. Or I might cry, or something... Had bit of a strange experience at work today. Went to do some photocopying and, as I walked back to my desk, had pins and needles in my finger. No idea why, it just came on. Felt a bit flushed, but am now wondering if this was just hypocondria - I

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1074031457123835802004-01-13T22:03:00.000Z2004-01-13T22:06:07.780Z

In a few months' time, I will re-read the below entry and laugh at the pomposity and pretentiousness of it all...

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1074031327835678712004-01-13T21:40:00.000Z2004-01-13T22:03:58.530Z

So, "free speech" apparently means the ability to say what you want, no matter how racist, offensive, likely to incite hatred etc. it is, without impunity. As long as you're a well-paid TV daytime show host. And you're writing about Arabs. In the Sunday Express. Yes, I'm going to have my two new pence worth about Kilroy who wants his show back despite quite probably abusing his position, never

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310511.post-1073745448498219412004-01-10T14:32:00.000Z2004-01-10T14:37:45.316Z

Hello! Well, this is my first entry on my posh new blog which I will, will keep up to date. Honest. I really don't have anything interesting to say, but will be back when I do (actually, that will probably be never, so I'll be back with really dull things to say before then...)

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15683325066216322303noreply@blogger.com0