Feeling a bit silly?

Click this image:



Sorry, it's Friday.

Ditching the pink

Yup, Stick Girl has had a bit of a make over as you can see.

So it's goodbye to the happy candyfloss pink. I think I miss it. But only a bit.

Not sure about all this darkness...although it does remind me of being stuck in a tube tunnel during a delay - ah the memories.

And look, there's me up at the top in the tube!

And the winner is [drum roll please] ...

Car Giant (smug man)!

Yes that's right, you (well all 12 of you) voted the smug Car Giant man more hated than Kerry Katona in her straight jacket - and let's face it, that's no easy contest.

It was neck and neck for a while, then Car Giant nipped ahead with an extra vote - and in the end won with 7 votes to 5.

Thanks for voting! More highly important polls coming soon.

The Bitter Stickgirl

No, not me!

There is in fact another bitter stick girl out there. She's pretty bitter:

"I have a low tolerance for Stupidity"


But does seem to have a more sentimental side too:

"I love my new microwave!"


More at www.bitterstickgirl.com. (Thanks to Tom for the link)

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

My Big Fat Greek Wedding was on last night. Great mindless comedy for a Monday, when your brain's still trying to get in gear after the weekend. And it also helps that quite often you can substitute the word 'Greek' for whatever ethnic group you come from and go 'hey, we do that too!' followed by a laugh and a little cringe.

(Although on the downside Joey Fatone from N'Sync is in it).



But just because it's one of those 'make me laugh, don't make me think' kinda movies, doesn't mean you can't find any pearls of wisdom in there:

Maria Portokalos to daughter Toula "Let me tell you something, Toula. The man is the head, but the woman is the neck. And she can turn the head any way she wants."

Well said!

Hurry, there's only one more day left...

...to answer London's burning question (see above).

Go on, take my poll, the nation needs to know!

Need a stress buster?

Behold:



Yesterday I was presented with the mighty USB Whack It by my lovely team at work, in an attempt to curb my tube rage. And it lights up too!

The perfect metaphor for human existance

So I popped into Tesco's today to grab some lunch and chose a delightful plastic-y tasting pasta salad. Coated in a mayonaise/herb/plastic dressing. But that's besides the point.

I got to the till to pay, and asked the lady behind the counter for a fork. To which she replied, 'No. But I can give you a spork?'

SPORK???

Is it a spoon, is it a fork? Well no, apparently it's a SPORK:


I'm not quite sure how I feel about all this spork business, but it seems like some people out there have been thinking long and hard about it.

I'll leave you with this thought:

"A spork is a perfect metaphor for human existance. It tries to function as both spoon and fork, and because of this dual nature, it fails miserably at both." www.spork.org

Hmm...!

'Tube Time' vs 'Real Time'

That right, it turns out that the tube does not run according to 'real time'. Nope, that would obviously be far too easy. Instead it follows it's own special, mysterious 'tube time'.

I read in the trusty London Lite yesterday that the times displayed on tube platforms (i.e. stating that the next train in 2 mins away - even though you've been waiting for 5) are actually - shock horror - INCORRECT. The bastads.



Actually that's not entirely true. When they say a train is 2 minutes away, it is in fact 2 minutes away. BUT that doesn't mean that it will get to you in 2 minutes.

The train might need to stop at station (as trains generally do) adding another few minutes to the time of arrival, it might be delayed, someone might have pulled the passenger alarm, a person might be under the train (who ARE these people???)

So even when you KNOW you've been waiting for 10 minutes, the display will STILL read that it's 2 minutes away. The evil, evil bastads.

TFL, I humph at you.

I Am Sam

Last night I caught the last hour of I Am Sam. It had me bawling like a baby (it might be worth mentioning at this point that I used to cry at Ricki Lake reunions too. Come on, reunited family members in front of a live tv audience with a more 'sensitive' version of the Ricki Lake soundtrack playing in the background - what's not to love?)



The film, in a nutshell, is about a mentally retarded man's (Sam) fight for the custody of his 7 year old daughter. The snippet I watched was both heart breaking and warming - and turned me into a quivering pile of jelly.

Imagine if I had watched the whole thing?

Scrubs - Guy Love

Last year I started getting into Scrubs - for no other reason other than it's repeated on practically every channel throughout the day.

And it's for precious moments like these that I love it:

The best films of all time...or just recently.

Just read an article by Ken Russell on 'The Best Films of All Time'. His were:

1. Metropolis
2. The Red Shoes
3. Citizen Kane
4. Gone With the Wind
5. La Strada
6. Fantasia
7. The 39 Steps
8. A Night at the Opera
9. La Belle et la Bete
10. Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion (!)

Having only been around a limited number of years (compared to good old Ken), my own list is probably better entitled 'The Best Films I've Watched Recently'. Although it doesn't have quite the same ring to it...

Anyhoo, here goes:

1. Requiem for a Dream
2. American Beauty
3. The House of Sand and Fog
4. A Time to Kill
5. A Beautiful Mind
6. Minority Report
7. Forest Gump
8. Identity
9. Romeo and Juliet
10. Reservoir Dogs

Requiem for a Dream is without a doubt the most powerful film I've ever seen. It's not the easiest to stomach, I've only been able to watch it about 3 or 4 times. It really does leave me quite traumatised!


It's a beautiful and devastating film - chances are you won't even like it. One reviewer described the experience like 'banging your head against a brick wall over and over again'.

But, I think everyone should watch it. At least once.

Happy Valentine's Day!

If you're stuck for what to send your valentine this year, check out vd.meish.org.

There's lots of lovely cards for you to choose from, like:



And if you're not feeling too loved up yet, here's a delighful love story to get you in the mood: the box of love

Spread the love people!

WARNING: the following images may cause distress to some viewers

Here's why you should avoid entering reality TV talent contests. Don't let this happen to you:

Kerry Katona: JUST PLAIN CRAZY

I am disturbed.

All I want is a peaceful journey to and from work every day (ha) - is that too much to ask? But recently, on every wall and round every corner on the Underground, I'm greeted with this:


Hideous!! It's the ad for her new reality tv show 'Crazy in Love' (they make it far too easy don't they?)

Give me Car Giant Man any day!

Chocolate Liqueur + Oreo = Yum

Not too long ago I popped into B@1 in Hammersmith on my home from work.

If you're ever in the area (especially during happy hour) make sure you pop in and sample their Vanilla Sandwich - a chocolate and vanilla cocktail garnished with an Oreo. YUM.

It looks a little bit like this:


Only SO much better.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

If you only read one book this year, make it 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' by Khaled Hosseini.


This is the best book I've read in a long time - maybe even ever?

It's so good that I nearly missed my stop on the tube a couple of times. And anything that can make me stay on that thing longer than necessary must be amazing.

...and just when you thought your Monday couldn't get any better...

Here he is:



Although I don't think this image quite conveys the full extent of his pouty smugness. Look out for him on the tube. And try not to hit the advert when you see it.

Smug Car Giant Man

I've searched high and low (Google image search) for a pic of the oh-so-annoying Car Giant ad that I saw waiting for my tube on the platform this morning.

But alas, it's not to be found.

Have you seen it? Smug man, complaining about 'the wife', wants to take 'the girlfriend' for a weekend in Paris 'tweet tweet'.

Argh. I think I'm going to add him as number 11 to my list (see below).

But let's face it, you suck smug man because you have to shop at Car Giant.

10 Things I Hate About You (the Tube)

Thought it was about time I put together my top ten pet hates of tube travelling (in no particular order).



1. People who do not move down the carriage - MOVE DOWN.

2. The announcement that there's 'a good service currently operating on all London Underground lines' even though you've been waiting 15 minutes for your train. (Don't forget to get your refund).

3. People who lean so much on their armrests so that they spill over into MY SEAT. Back off.

4. People who insist on reading, even when there is NO MORE ROOM. No, that's not a space for your paper, that's my FACE.

5. When the tube you're on terminates a few stops before your destination - the bastads.

6. People that put their bags in an empty seat. Seats are for bottoms, not your bag!

7. People who know you want to get off the jammed packed tube, but won't move out of the way, in fear that they won't be able to get back on - see how the tube drives people krazy? (Yes, krazy. With a k).

8. People that listen to their MP3 players so loud that the whole carriage can hear it - thanks for sharing, but your music is rubbish.

9. Happy people. The Tube is no place for you - SAVE YOURSELVES.

10. People who don't usually get on the tube during rush hour saying to their friend 'God I couldn't do this every day! Chuckle chuckle'.

Pancake day ponderings...

I love pancakes, they are probably one of my most favourite things to eat - thanks to good old Delia and her foolproof recipe.

But here's a puzzle, what's yummier?

a) Thick American style pancakes


or

b) Thin French style crepes


Don't let the images sway you!

Frozen Grand Central

Oh those Americans...



Now if that happened at Kings Cross St Pancras, none of our trusty British commuters would bat an eyelid, we're far too polite (if you don't believe me, I have evidence. So there).

Juno rocks!

Went to see Juno last night, and it was really good - not your average teen flick at all:



Ellen Page (Juno) definitely made the movie, and I hear she's up for an Oscar, as is the movie.

Juno rocks, plus she has a hamburger phone:

That's gotta count for something.

Diet Coke Plus ... vitamins?!

Indeed. Did you know that? I didn't.

I just saw an advert for it on tv yesterday. Whatever will these commercial giants think of next? Before you know it, there'll be fruit in your Happy Meal.

Oh wait. There is.

I guess with their sales plummeting, Coke had to think of something to get on our good side (especially after that whole Dasani episode which did them NO favours back in 2004. And let's not even get started on Coke Zero...)

Don't be fooled kids, they don't care about your health - it's all about the mula...

Baby on board

No no, I don't have a baby on board. But the other day I saw a pregnant woman getting off the tube wearing this:



Apparently TFL trialled these badges back in 2005, but it's the first time I've seen one. I think they're great!

So often people just ignore pregnant women on the tube and don't even offer them a seat - you know, the old 'look down, don't make eye contact, just keep looking down...'. Maybe this little badge will help?