Life Without Toast - Sibling Rivalry

I would've said hammered myself, but "bounced" is an accurate description.

Posted by Matt at 8:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

(Woohoo!) So yesterday was my 2nd driving test (yeah I failed the last one due to total panic after I fooked up the reversing around a corner). It went great, I totally love myself now, driving around the streets without my L(oser) plates, looking groovy!

Embarrassingly enough for myself I cried when he told me that I had passed, I tend to do that a lot when I get good news, he was a lovely dude my tester, some country chap, he went and got me a tissue and all, and then piped up as I was walking out the door ?don?t be driving like a lunatic now? ? gas?

Go me anyway, I rock ass officially! (and here are some pics to prove it s?there!!)

Posted by Babs at 1:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (20) | TrackBacks (0)

[UPDATE: I am now 32. Although actually I'm 29.]

Posted by Matt at 10:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

This is for Turlough, of turloughrynne.com and this picture on my wall fame.

Dude, I just came across this. That's pretty cool! How cool would be if your name meant that (although I am, of course, the "gift of the Lord God Yahu").

And then I came across this. "The effect of the frequent flooding in the turloughs is to alter profoundly the character of the vegetation". :-)

Anyone else got an interesting meaning for their given name?

Posted by Matt at 9:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

So I was looking at Claire's photos of Knocknasink in Co. Wicklow (very Lord-Of-The-Rings-ey), and she points out that new-ish feature where you can add a map to a photo page, pointing out where the picture was taken. I zoomed in on the map and found that the satellite photos of the area (a fairly remote place) were really good, and they're supplied by Yahoo Maps.

See, I've been checking Google Maps and Google Earth's satellite imagery of North Dublin, to see if you can see my Mam and Dad's house, in Garristown, on them. Basically, you can't. When you go to Google Maps/Earth and look at most of North Dublin, it looks like this:

Posted by Matt at 2:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBacks (0)

By Polyphonic Spree:

[via]

Posted by Matt at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Nikki's gone away for a week and a half. To Fargo, North Dakota, of all places. Yes, THAT Fargo. The one from the Coen Brothers film. She's doing something for Microsoft involving merging several different software programs into one (Microsoft having bought several different software companies that do the same thing).

It's weird, y'know. When we started going out, she was involved in moving some MS call centre from Reno, Nevada to Dublin. She was away a LOT (in Reno), but it was happening from when we started seeing each other, so it was like, normal.

Now, she hasn't been away working on a project for over two years. We haven't been apart for this long during that whole time. It's a bit weird, but knowing we won't see each other again until Thursday week, makes me feel all sad (I'm a big sap, I know). I mean, I know we'll talk on the phone, IM, email each other (and she'll almost definitely comment on this post in the morning (or afternoon, my time), but it's still not the same as chatting over dinner, and it's definitely not the same as sleeping beside her at night.

What's wrong with me?! It must be this love thing, I still haven't quite got my head around the swings from euphoria to utter dejection that can come about during the normal course of a committed relationship. And I better get used to it, as she's going to Singapore for a few days at the start of next month, and then back to Fargo again a few days after that, for Pete's sake.

[ps Love you Nikki, xoxoxo]

Posted by Matt at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Posted by Matt at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the toy I always, always wanted, ever since I was a nipper.

Also: Best. Favicon. Ever. Seriously. Check it out. This is the LEGO shop one, the one on the main site is red. Genius.

Also (part ii): LEGO BATMAN! :-)

</inner child>
</geek>

Posted by Matt at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (15) | TrackBacks (0)

Photoblogging...

Legendary.

Posted by Matt at 10:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Surprise! We're back. Fasten your seat-belts, put in your earplugs, tighten your bicycle clips and otherwise prepare yourselves for the rockin'est hour of the Life Without Toast 'Cast yet, with also some mellow tunes thrown in so as to not be too scary.

Click on the ticket to download the show, or press that nice little blue "play" button to listen in a streaming stylee.

If you subscribed to it via iTunes or another audio feed-reader, you should already have it, or it'll download itself next time you open iTunes.

If you haven't already subscribed, why not? It's quite good you know, and subscribing means you're almost guaranteed to never miss an episode. To subscribe put www.lifewithouttoast.com/Lifewithouttoastcast.xml in to iTunes into "advanced>subscribe to podcast", or if you use another feedreader the same address will work there too, if your feedreader is any good.

Happy listening!

Posted by Matt at 4:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (21) | TrackBacks (0)

Photoblogging...

I'm lost for words.

Posted by Matt at 8:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Set laughter mode to "on". This is a video of me playing Zelda on the Wii, fighting on horseback with Moblins riding giant boars in the Eldin province. Blame Dan, he asked for it.

Seriously though, it's a really, really good game.

Posted by Matt at 3:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

Ok, for those of you unfamiliar with the mails I get from Babs, I suggest you look here and here, then read on. Or you could just dive right in...

Harro,

I am so dying maaaaaan, help me, not sick or anything, just dead bored and feel lethargic, its all your blempt just FYI, people can be so annoying at times, and bollocky work shite, I am off for loads of days 13 in total from tomorrow, perhaps I am having pre holiday blues or summat but I feel like running even though I am wearing high heels and a skirt, I feel weird in these shoes, they are sort of witchy, pointy toey and that, so I cannot run. The feckin sun is BAITING in on me and its making me feel funny. I am convinced its from the dodgy yogurt that you MADE me eat last night before conveniently not eating it yourself, I hope that you have some with you in worky for your lunch and that, yum yum, I am going to make brownies or cookies or something this week for yum treats. Oh Match, I feel so lazy and bizarre today, I am sitting on my own on my side of the desks cause Anto is off so its boring, its boring without Trishbags anyway, she feckin deserted me so she did, oh its 15 mins till lunchtime, yum, cant wait, have deadly gingery soup and other tasty delights like a pink (ponk) lady apple (fizzylicious) and then some bread roll with emmenthal and moutarde and a pear and a banano for my 3pm slump, sugar buzz maaaaaan but au naturel. So sleepy from this Jasus sun, am I going insane? My arms hurt too for some reason, must have been from making that pastry yesterday ? ahahahaha!!!

Love you xxx

Posted by Matt at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Via Dan, and only because he tagged me. The bugger.

Okay, so now I want to her what tracks QE and Calista come up with when they do it, coz this is me, tagging them.

Posted by Matt at 1:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

I just had to share this with people who might not be watching season 6 of 24.

Posted by Matt at 10:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

As per Babs' request, here's the amazing "No Freaking Out" sign, ideal for use in all offices or indeed any work-based environment.

I recommend printing it out, laminating it sticking it in every office and room in your workplace.

Posted by Matt at 3:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

So we had ?slipper? day in work yesterday, it was for charity, the Samaritans, we had to donate ?5 if we wanted to wear slippers in work for the day, nice idea, unless you are me and forget until 7.30 the evening before, and then have to drive to Dundrum* at high speed and then wander around looking for cool slippers, which I found, for the amazing sum of ?4 in Penney?s / Primark. (yay!) Also I managed to spend ?44 more than that on other jazz, including, yes, you have guessed it, more pants / knickers (which I needed!!!).

Anyway I got jeans and a dress, and pants and slippers all for under ?50 which makes me so happy. But I have shrank, and I don?t know how. The dress is smaller than usual and the jeans, well, I never tried them on but they are HUGE on me, now I am wearing them anyway, because they look intentionally slouchy and actually quite cool, but I will be getting the smaller ones too, and then there are the slippers, I was a size 6 / 39 forever, then a couple of years ago it changed to a 5, but the slippers that I bought are a ?small? / size 3-4 / 37-38, WTF??? I don?t know what?s happening, are the clothes / shoes just getting bigger or am I somehow shrinking?

Suggestions on a postcard please.

*Big shopping centre / mall, stays open till 9pm every day.

**I know, I look demented in the pic, we all got one taken in out slippers to highlight the ?relaxed? state of mind we were all in yesterday.

Posted by Babs at 12:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

It's hard to describe to someone who's never played a Zelda game just what it is that makes them the Best Games In The World™. It could be the rich stories, with tales of goddesses and darkness, heroes of legend rising through the ages, ancient prophesies and mysteries, and some dude in a green elf suit kicking ass and taking names. It could be the incredible puzzles, requiring lateral thinking and real attention to be paid at all stages of progress, lest you miss some vital clue. It might also be the epic scale of your quest, with it's vast world laid out before you, or that "what weapon or gizmo am I going to get next that will let me get to that place way over there" feeling, which makes opening every door and treasure chest an edge-of-your-seat experience.

But mostly, it's all of these things, and a whole lot more.

Posted by Matt at 1:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)