Take photos - Check

Redesign blog - Check

Watch Daily Show vids online - Check

Play internet games... *cracks knuckles* righto...

Obviously I had to check my camera was working ok after Usk (quite rightly) pointed out a deviation in the last picture.

I HAD to take photos....

It's a little damp today...

WARNING: This post may be exceedingly boring for people not bothered about photography

Only ordered this Wednesday night, was chuffed it came today

If you want the precise description it's a Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO DG Macro Canon Fit...

All I care is it's a funky zoom lens and was stupidly cheap compared to the others but there's minimal, if any, loss in quality, got rated really highly in a lot of places

Oh and it came with a lens hood and case too which I think was good.

I've been playing and am really happy with it

It has a macro mode:

Testing at 75:

Testing at 300:

I'm chuffed with it, specially considering the image sharpness at 300 as it was handheld not on a tripod!

Right... NOW I'm going to be a good boy and properly save up for new bits for my camera.

Arriving at work this early means I have to get the train/walk up amongst the various Exeter College and Uni students.

Now, it must be said that the one student might have been ill-advised (especially in what felt around freezing temp) to wear a skirt that was the clothing equivalent of an elastoplast on a severed finger stump, it covers what needs covering but only just.

It might also have been better if the lady in the tight jeans had simply held her bag to reorganise it rather than putting it on the floor repeatedly and bending over to flash the world that lacy whale tail that shouts thong.

However, there was still no excuse for the 3 male students behind to suddenly point out to the world they had the combined intellect of Pete Docherty... after a lobotomy.

I wonder if their seeming similarity to the Three Stooges (well, Two Stooges and one Chuckle Brother to be exact) lulled them into thinking they also had the humour potential.

Therefore we got...

Braindead 1: "Woohoo beautiful!"
Braindead 2: "Which one?"
BD1: "Her!"
BD3: "There's lots of hers!"

There were also numerous whistles, catcalls, comments about "bringing bits over here" and then for some inexplicable reason noises that veered between animal noises and 'singing'... although I use that word loosely.

Now, I'm not adverse to rude comments etc, I'm certainly not a prude (shush you) but really, do you really think walking along doing that to random women you don't know constitutes classy behaviour?

Do you really think it raises your mating stock?

Or do you simply not realise it just serves to make you look like complete twonks (although there are suggestions God got there first...) and generally lower the stock of males worldwide?

Although thankfully at least you wont be breeding any time soon...

...totally, totally unmotivated.

Life is a mish-mash of the illogical, the unatainable and the unsure.

I know for a fact right now I'd rather be out taking photos yet I have neither the knowledge or the ability to be able to make photography a money making exercise. In fact quite the opposite...

I'm feeling ripped in a variety of directions and yet it never feels like I'm getting anywhere.

I know I shouldn't moan, too many people do crap jobs, have no money to have any kind of hobby, feel even more trapped than I do... but hey, that's life, even the rich and powerful have complaints to make so why can't I?

So, I had a day off today because I worked on Saturday. As the weather was largely good I took a bus into Newton Abbot and after a walk around town a bit I took a wander to somewhere with retro memories, good and bad, Bradley Park.

The good is that we used to take Chloe there and she loved it, it's very dog friendly... the bad is that it used to be the site of one of the most regular cross country runs nature rambles.

It is lovely though, I spent hours exploring and obviously snapping. 252 photos became 134 which became just over 90 to be uploaded to Flickr.

You only have to deal with 10

Finally... this was random luck... think I should sell it to ASDA's marketing department?

Captured this walking home from work... wonder what they serve in a pub with a halo?

Right, after a little debate below about the manifestation of Dionysus, God of Alcohol here's a pic...

definitely not Juzzy...

Didn't sleep well last night, it was blowing a right hoolie round here and kept me up, I even went and got one of my mp3 players and some big headphones, played some chillout music for a bit.

Ah well, up and at em as they say, it seems to have worked wonders as it's bright sunshine and blue sky as far as the eye can see... so I suppose it isn't ALL bad...

So, now he's retired Tiny Tiger Tim Henman (Come on, Tim!) has come out with his worries about betting hurting tennis.

Former world number four Henman (Come on, Tim!) told BBC One's Inside Sport he has heard on the grapevine of players being asked to influence the outcome of matches.

"I personally have never experienced it but, listening to the players talking, it seems it goes on," said the Briton (Come on, Tim!). "I obviously wasn't the right material."

Um... is it a little cruel to point out to you Tim (Come on, Tim!) that nobody ever needed to bribe you to lose a match...?

Watching the Davis Cup today I was struck by a thought, a touch of foresight.

The big news and celebration was we're now in the world group but it got me thinking, when we now play one of the best nations in the world WHO will play...?

We've obviously got the Murray Brothers but beyond that...? Two days ago Tim Henman *pauses for middle aged women in stupid union jack hats to stop screaming* and today some kid I'd barely heard of played the other matches, where have our local sportspeople gone?

In football we have some great players but an argument could be not enough and in most other sports... it seems ridiculously lacking. Tennis, rugby, cricket, athletics... we seem to have barely enough to make a team a lot of the time and I have an idea of a possible cause, PE lessons.

By the age of 12/13 I think every kid has an idea of which sport he'd want to play if they have one.

Despite this all through school PE lessons are a mishmash of various sports, in my unhappy few years of PE I did football, rugby, tennis, athletics, hockey, cricket, basketball, volleyball, badminton, table tennis, weights and would have ended up doing swimming if I could have.

I had friends who were good at sport, one was a superb rugby player, a couple were good footballers, one was a great high-jumper.

But none got anywhere. I think this has to do with the fact they still ended up doing all the different sports, they got no chance to specialise, the only chance they had was if they were rich enough or able to sacrifice enough to get endless sessions outside of school, but then... THEN they wouldn't have the time to do that all important homework that becomes all pervading as the years go on.

Course the opposite is also true, I skived out of most PE stuff, did NOTHING in others and only just lost weight when I got out of PE and could run around having a kickabout with mates...

I think for the good of the kids, and the good of English sport we need to look at letting people specialise, I might have been fitter as a kid if I'd had a kickabout or played basketball and my friends could have become good enough to make something of themselves in sport.

By the way, heard the new aftershave at Chelsea FC?

It's "The Special One" by U-Go Boss.

...in a real fukkit mood today.

Everything feels wrong and up against it.

Bah, mebbe I should just steer clear of the universe online when I'm like this...

I know, I know, I should really talk like a pirate... Imagine I'm one of those fancy dan pirates

I was in town today and saw a big book on sale "the guide to digital photography" and I have to admit I was tempted. Being fairly new to it all I'm trying to soak up knowledge like a sponge.

I'm learning ISO settings, lens types, aperture and shutter values etc...

But when I had a look it was one of those guide books about what to photograph and how...

You know the type... To get a portrait take it like THIS, do THIS, aim HERE...

Where's the fun in that? What would be the enjoyment of a thousand pictures almost totally alike barring the subject?

I find it hard to go along with the old things about subject placement, eyes being drawn along lines etc, etc, etc... If that happens then great but my view on it all is much the same as the old adage about art...

I don't know photography but I know what I like...

I don't want to be told what to take, where to take it and how it SHOULD look... then it's not MY photography anymore, it's THEIR photography taken through my lens.

I take my photos for me and for you... largely it's about memories and images for me but I do like to put a purdy pic up for you guys or my family for the simple fact it might bring a little colour and make someone smile.

I will never be a pro photographer, simple as that. I think photography needs to be individual, it's not about the PERFECT picture for me, simply about painting the image that was in my eye... That's why I rarely crop my photos, I just do some little adjustments to make it more like what the eye will see.

So, suffice to say I didn't buy the book...

Now here, have a couple of imperfect pictures of light through leaves, one natural light, one man made light...

Hope you don't mind me 'borrowin' pics Subs gave me the idea...

Tis the day of talkin pirate so it is!

One of ye scurvy lot pass me rum, a parrot and a wench with a star on her clog!

Tis party time!

Had a really long and bad day... Suffice to say I've only been home an hour or so...

So sorry if I haven't been catchin up too well

Not bad for just my second go at playing THIS

Course, will anyone believe I actually managed to fluke a score of 1234.5...

I was asked what caused the splashes in my previous post with the rainbow...

Well, twas this:

They say a picture speaks a thousand words...

Well, first the words, although not 1000, more like 720...

The light is first refracted as it enters the surface of a drop, reflected off the back of it, and again refracted as it leaves the drop.

The overall effect is that the incoming light is reflected back over a wide range of angles, with the most intense light at an angle of 40°–42°.

The angle is independent of the size of the drop, but does depend on its refractive index.

The amount by which light is refracted depends upon its wavelength, and hence its colour.

Blue light (shorter wavelength) is refracted at a greater angle than red light, but because the area of the back of the droplet has a focal point inside the droplet, the spectrum crosses itself, and therefore the red light appears higher in the sky.

Even if I say so myself I prefer the picture...

It was overcast when I first got there and snapped off some pics but when I turned round I saw the sun was getting close to the edge of the couds so just stood around for a few minutes while it made it's way out...

Really glad I did...

My couple entries for La Spice's purple blogart compo...

A little bit of photoshoppery... you'll excuse me if it's photo's only...

And here is a photo, one purple paint job...

Thank you!

So, Subs Skyped me the new team UK icon (see her post HERE)

Funnily before she said about different coloured ones I was already on the Photoshop case...

(EDIT: hope the team don't mind me "borrowing" blogboy...)

So... the blogboy family...

"Team Blogboy"...

"Unwell Blogboy" For those "Blog isn't well" moments...

"Angry Blogboy", Warning, Spammers are in the house...

"Problem Solved" Blogboy.

And finally for Mr Mu those arrogant, grumpy complainers... "Rude Blogboy"!

Right, I'm bored and blogblocked so have a couple of little competitions spawned by a CD promo I got sent at work...

Six songs from adverts...

Six songs from TV shows...

But can anyone get all twelve EDIT: the ads/shows not the tunes... (I personally think the shows one is MUCH easier...)

I'm not feeling great this morning I must admit... which doesn't bode well when I'm popping into town... retail therapy anyone?

My problem is retail therapy tends to lean towards the... pricey.

Ah well... willpower may out!

Yes, a footy post, heaven forbid

Here's the deal, I'm sure the papers etc will now be filled about Steve McClaren's job being safe etc

Blah... Blah... Blah...

This wasn't tactical decisions made by an astute manager, this was pure luck.

If Beckham, Lampard, Neville and Rooney had been fit would Wright-Phillips, Barry, Richards or Heskey have played?

Of course not.

Be fair, McClaren has one single battle plan, never mind form, attitude or skill level, he has a big name 11 and that's who play.

It's just sheer luck for us that injuries etc meant we could actually play a team with heart, a team where Gerrard isn't being shackled by playing next to Lampard, a team with speed and desire, a team where the 'lesser' players show they have more of a part to play than backups.

Too bad McClaren will get credit...

Please be seated (I'm largely being serious here).

To whom it may concern (this is a multi-faith, multi-cultural sermon).

Allow us the willpower to ignore those who will not change, the strength to help those we think might and the wisdom to tell the difference.

Let us be thankful for those we have around us, the friends who build us up, the team who keep us going technically and, yes, the enemies that serve to prove to us our ethics are sound and our attitudes, although sometimes problematic, could be far worse.

Let us forever remember we are fallible, we do not know all the world holds and nobody is gifted the divine right to be respected if they do not earn it.

Let us remember a simple 'please' is worth a thousand threats, a simple 'thank you' costs nothing but earns so much and that courtesy and politeness should always be passed back to those who show it to us.

Let us remember youth does not necessarily bring a sharper mind just as age does not necessarily bring wisdom. Jobs, background, class and wealth mean nothing compared to what any person holds in their heart and soul.

Let us remember we all do bad things at times but the worst thing of all is to be reticent to pass on forgiveness, few of us do those things with evil intent.

Please kneel... Let us pray.

Our Loonies, Who art in blogworld,
(censored) be Thy Name.
Thy whinging come, Thy will be done
Or else legal threats will be given.
Give them this day their daily bitch,
And forgive them their beliefs,
As they fail to forgive those who believe against them.
Lead us not into frustration,
But deliver us from eejits,
For They are Whingers, the Moaners
and the Grumpers,
Forever and ever.

Old Men.

You may rise.

Thank you all for coming, a collection plate will be passed around.

So we can now hide our birthdays from friends etc.

Dunno about you but I think that's an admirably fast bit of recoding...

Anybody want to bet there'll be thanks from the complainers...

Anybody?

EDIT: The answer is *drumroll* arrogant posturing and the claiming of credit from the main grumpy old, oh so very old, bugger protagonist.

What a surprise... you, and you know who you are, should be ultimately ashamed of yourself.