On the Twiddling of Thumbs in General

On Gainful Employment

Hello again. It was all supposed to be going a little more right now. Sadly I must report that it is not a little more right.

For one thing I haven't been screaming, nay drolly droning, into empty cyberspace with any regularity.

In order to preserve identities and dignities and such, suffice to say that the contract I accepted, despite my concerns has proved far less reliable than I was concerned it might be.

This equates to a very poor contract, more easily identified as casual labour. I suggested to the agent through whom I obtained this role that I should be employed (and paid) on a consultancy basis.

The staff are like characters from a cross between a bad soap and The Office (with Ricky Gervais, I'm not au fait with the US version that starts screening here next week I think). I could deal with this, were it not for the fact that they could not (to use an English phrase which I am sure translates) organize a piss-up in a brewery.

I missed one day's work because the kit hadn't turned up. When I went to site I discover I could have worked on the existing kit.

Half-way through that installation, I discover, as a result of chasing down the office for information, that a server had not been ordered and no-one had the balls or the political will to pressure the supplier to bring the delivery forward.

Resulting in NoozeHound being without work for a week and a half.

There is also a severe irony: The management were disgruntled by my suggestion that my employers were not very professional. I kid you not.

On Sporting Endeavours
(of others of interest, not of NoozeHound)

When last referring to the sporting pursuits of my beloved Arsenal (and not indulging in online japery) I mentioned the AZ Alkmar game.

Between then and last night I have witnessed two frustrating draws. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for those with a more vested interest than myself.

The papers today and comment in general is of the new crop of wonderkids at Arsenal. Steve Sturridge and Lee Dixon shared the view that neither Arsenal or Liverpool had changed significantly from last season, Liverpool were a two-man team and Arsenal were still frail in defence.

I think Liverpool could quite easily have brought about another frustrating lost lead last night and were unlucky not to get a penalty. I thought the arm on Watt was good for a pen too though.

I don't want to sign up for the 'writing Arsenal off' camp by any means, but two teams in AZ and the Hammers, neither setting fire to tables, mugged us of what looked like comfortable victories.

I know damn well that higher-reaching teams will punish us much more severely should we take our collective feet of the pedal with such alarming regularity. Something the lot from down the road will gleefully take advantage of too I should imagine. That really would be full circle and proof that we haven't progressed.

On Cinematic Entertainment and Inconsistencies of Plot

Returning me to Up. In addition to marvelling at the handiwork that had gone into the visual representation of a corduroy (I think) jacket; beyond the tears I shed at the start (serioulsy) the immense indignation I felt during the climactic battle.

When we meet Carl Fredrickson, he goes to the movies as a small boy to see news-reel footage of his adventurer hero, Charles Muntz. When he finds him again 60-odd years later he is every bit as fit as Carl. Ignoring the fact that a septuagenarian might have trouble trevailing large airborne objects, it is harder to ignore that an octogenarian would be higly likely to experience far greater obstacles to performing dangerous stunts.

No-one batted an eye. Great movie nonetheless.

On Sacrilege and Inaporpriate Cover Versions

I'm sure she is a very nice lady and I really do have nothing against her.

I have analysed my dislike and come up emty-handed. I just couldn't quite like what she's released to date. I heard her latest release this week. Not happy.

This is one of my most super-dooper favourites:



I can see how some sycophant might flatter Florence and her machine that the vocal would lend itself to Florence's own particular vocal charms, producing this:



Not the version they play on Radio 1, no less wrong for all of that. No matter how many remixes, it will still be WRONG.

Welcome to the disappointment.

It's Been a Long Time Baby

Hello, it's me.

I haven't checked the visitor stats yet, but I have strong suspicion I am talking to myself.

You are (probably not) reading quite possibly the most highfaluting, high-tech, energy-hungry personal journal in the world.

After months of daily updates, I've not dropped by in almost a week.

Arsenal won and have moved up to fourth - for the time being, MoneyCiteh play later and could change that. ECL in the week and a game against AZ Alkmar.

The spell-checker in the editor has stopped functioning - which shows my typing up as quite as inaccurate as it is.

Shamefully, when I have been on the PC after work it has been attenting the most trivial of matters, aside from a little work stuff and some admin.

No copy-writing, no pre-selling, no articles, no lenses and no study.

I think I can understand the motivation that fuelled the gold fever and habitual criminality.

I have spent most of my spare hours either playing bejewelled or Mafia Wars. Not especially well either.

I do miss my studies and the web stuff I was learning, albeit without  reward. Still on zero all round for anyone who is interested.

If I could get a second stream of income up and running, not necessarily excessive, say something in the region of $2,000 a month, it would make my contracting life a great deal easier.

Mrs NoozeHound (who heaven help me is in the process of leaving full-time employment for the altrnative challenge of being a part-time teaching assistant) would probably be a lot more accepting of me contracting if there was steady alternative income. Still more pressure on poor old NoozeHound's earning capacity.

Well, there I have my motivation. It would be far more productive than gangster tripping or diamond-swapping. It would be more productive than writing a free unread blog too though, wouldn't it.


I've just checked and my lenses and article between them have nearly 80 views!

I think that's more than all of this blog combined.
Robert Bleasdale is a nom de plume by the way. There it's out the bag.

Welcome to the disappointment. 

Hot Transfer News! Look Who Arsenal are Scouting

I wasn't planning on another post quite so soon, but had to break my silence when I heard this, frankly amazing, news...

The gentleman pictured below, none other than Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger himself, coffers swelled by the sales to Moneybags City of Adebooyar and Kolo Toure, is on the look out for some prime Argentinian beef...

Arsenal insiders have said that the manager has his well-honed scouting system casting a venerable eye over a Barcelona player.


The player in question, the man Arsene Wenger is looking at to make a sparkling addition to the already immensely talented Arsenal team is none other than...

Yes! As a result of an inside source in the London footballing media and confirmed by an Arsenal insider, Messi is going to sign for Arsenal.

Go here for the full story.

Footballing world, consider yourselves rocked.

Joany...

             ...welcome to the disappointment. 

Thank Goodness for 3-D Specs

In a fit of generosity today, NoozeHound took NoozHoundette and Mrs NoozHound to see 'Up' in 3-D.

If you've been living in a cave or off-world for a while, try this...

First up (no pun intended), but immense kudos to the costume guy. If there even is such a thing, the small mail-man's drill shorts and Mr Fredrickson's jacket. Impressive work.

- This is the guy that thinks the best bit of Ratatouille is the writhing mass of rat bodies and the best bit of Monsters Inc. is the track race and door distribution scene.

Now I don't want to be giving any spoilers so I have to be careful.

I've seen several trailers but there were many surprises to me in the film and I would hate to deprive anyone from experiencing them for themselves. I don't think I'm giving too much away...

No. On second thought's I might be.

Just in case for some bizarre reason you have arrived here at 'Unfinished, Discoloured...' and you haven't seen 'Up' but intend to, I'll revist this topic in a week or so.

Be warned.

Suffice to say for the time being, that it was a good job it was dark and I had glasses on.

There's been no proper football.

I have been: 

• busy
• knackered
• distracted with Mafia Wars
• short of content.

My Sennheiser Earphones have a broken connection - I am very sad.

I have been neglecting you haven't I? 

I haven't been listening to much music either.

I have a toothache.

Welcome to the disappointment 

Clever, Clever, NoozeHound

You are in the presence of greatness.

NoozeHound, under another non-da-plume is rocking it as an expert author. I kid you not....

"Hello NoozeHound,

Your article, "That fing wot you wrote" - has been accepted and published on EzineArticles.com:
linkety.link.link

You've also earned Expert Author status: link=expert=NoozeHound 

Your article will appear on our high-traffic home page within 48 hours:linkety-link.link

Your article has also been sent to our exclusive EzineArticles RSS
Feed and to our proprietary EzineArticles Email Alert Members."

How great is that? Zero to Hero in no time at all. Well, you may recall just how long it has taken to get said article into publication andin fact what a hiatous effect it had on my new revamped blogging career. It brought it to an abrupt halt.

Not making millions yet though:

Do you know..? It strikes me, this is the exact opposite of the 'generic' marketing system ads:
Black text on white background - check. Proof of earnings - check. Demonstration of wealth - to follow! 

As you may recall I returned to the world of paid employment this week (rather than giving up my 'boring 9 to 5).

He (my marketing mentor) did warn me and  it is the first few days since my feeder article finally went live.

Work seems to be going quite well, which is nice, thank you for asking.

Twitter is broken. I was checking my 'junk' account on the back of the breaches of security and noticed some interesting new followers. I was half-expecting to go along to Twitter and perform another cull of saucily-named little minxes all curiously wishing me well and suggesting a money-making site in exactly the same language.

Worse; some god-botherer and his chum were tweeting and re-tweeting all over my stream.

No call for that is there?

One DM intrigued me a little, or played to my ego and vanity, at least. They had responded to my autoresponder and adder.

It looked like 'a  lady'. Her name was Stella, Stella Marconi. 'Could you mention us on your page?' 'she' asked.

 Chivalrous to the last, sucker for a sob-story, weakness for the ladydeez, I took the time to check them out.

I don't think this is Stella herself...



Well you can at least hear the vocals in this one. I don't not like it, but it sounds very raw and not quite what I would call polished.

Being brutal, I think a change in vocalist may be required or a change in style at least. The teenager in the bedroom sound isn't really doing it for me.

I hope they make it mega and stick a small line on the back of a ridiculously over-prived commemorative program for the sell-out Wembley gig saying...

"YOU WAS WRONG NOOZEHOUND, YOU W*NK*R!"

In the meantime...

                              ....welcome to the disappointment.

Suffering on a Sunday and The Joy of Six

Suffering on a Sunday

NoozeHound currentl;y sports a three-inch burn across his right arm. A cooking injury, no less.

This may amaze those of you who know me even slightly.

Mrs NoozeHound is attending the church harvest lunch. It's a bring and share affair. This year she decided she would like to take a big pot of Chilli. Not being remotely churchy myself is the surprising bit.

Now it's dificult to be exactly certain, but Mrs NoozeHound says she loves my Chilli. It is damned fine, though I say so myself, but let's face it, it's not the most demanding of things to cook (burnt arm aside).

She asked for 'my recipe' as "...it's always so nice." 

It was as she began cooking it, having had me assemble all of the spices and provide her with a shopping list after checking what we had in the house, that she dropped in the sentence that I have since suspected to be her real motive for 'loving my chilli'. 

Mrs NoozeHound, part-way through chopping the onions, and asking what she should do next, drops the immortal line..."You can make it for me if you like....?" 

Oh yes. I would have loved that.

As it is, I ended up stirring it more than she last night and this morning and t'was I that broke the chocolate into the bubbling cauldron this morning - after I had received my burn. Well, my suspicions are now firmly aroused.

Not that me cooking is especially unusual, particularly while I have been assessing my options and working on new strategies for employment - yeah, the out of work thing that I've been doing.

No doubt hearing how wonderful Mrs NoozeHound thinks my Chilli is you are dying to get the recipe.

Try this, the recipe gives a warm heat in the mouth but doesn’t punish your butt.

500g - Cheap beef steak - cut into small cubes

1 Green Pepper - chopped 1/2" squares

1 Red Pepper - chopped 1/2" squares

about an inch of Chipotle Chilli - finely chopped.

1 carton of Tomato Juice

1 carton of Pasata (sieved tomatoes)

2 400g tins of chopped tomatoes

2 large onions - finely chopped

2 cloves garlic - finely chopped

2 stalks of celery – chopped

1 400g tin red kidney beans

4 pack 330ml bottles Mexican/American beer

2 - Beef Oxo cubes

1 dessert spoon generic Hot Chilli powder

1 dessert spoon generic Mild chilli powder

1 dessert spoon Cayenne Pepper

1 heaped teaspoon Paprika

1 heaped teaspoon Coriander

1 heaped teaspoon Cumin powder

1 good grind of black pepper

1 teaspoon sea salt

4 squares of Lindt 72% or 85% Dark chocolate - don't sub with Bourneville it's poor.

 - plus you can feed the rest to your lady.

Chilli is supposed to be a one pot dish.

Because I don’t have a pot wide enough and shallow enough I have to use a frying pan and a big pot.  Like that I know that the key ingredients have had their fry-up before setting them to boil/simmer.

I prefer to use cheap steak because it will go proper soft after the amount of cooking time and you don’t get the fat you do with mince – if you substitute for mince, try and scoop of the fat – it will ruin the dish.

Chop up the steak into loosely 2cm cubes.  Remove any fat/gristle.

Chop the onions, garlic , peppers and celery and chilli.

Now gently fry the meat so it’s brown all over, drain off any fat and spoon into the saucepan.

Now fry up the veggies for a few minutes to soften them up and bring out their flavours, schweet.

You’ll get the fragrance of that chilli come up now – cool huh?

Drain off with a perforated spoon and lob into the saucepan – make sure to get all of it.

Empty into the saucepan the two tins of tomatoes (you know to open the tins right?)

Give it a good stir.

Turn on the heat – high.

Drain the kidney beans and luzz em in – that brine is rank man.

Stirring the pot, empty in the carton of Pasata and the tomato juice.

Got to the fridge and get out two of the beers.

Open them, empty one into the saucepan.

Sip the other while putting in the Oxo and all of the seasoning, stirring constantly.

As it approaches the boil, watch out – the mutha will spit like a bitch and all that red stuff will proper stain your clothes guy.

Keep stirring, then reduce to the heat to really low.

Enjoy the beer – but leave the other two for enjoying with your meal – neat eh.

Go back every ten minutes or so and give it a good stir – you so don’t want it to stick and put a burnt flavour through the whole thing – that just sucks – trust me on that.

Do this for about 2 hours, stirring every so often.

The last stir, turn back up the heat to 3/4s.

Break the chocolate in and give it a good stir to it’s all proper moogled in.

Now taste it.

Don’t be doing no double-dipping – this is important – it’s gonna sit a while.

Does it need any minor adjustments?

Is it missing anything?

It should rise a sweat on your brow and be noticeably but not uncomfortably hot in your mouth.

Just right – Excellent.

Turn it off and cover it.  – Depending on the time of year, leave it on the stove or if you think that it might be to warm, put it in the fridge.

Leave it to sup up the flavours for 24 hours, eg cook it Friday evening, eat it Saturday evening.  

Worse cook it Saturday morning eat it Saturday night.

(You can eat it straight away, but it won’t be at it’s best and it seems a shame.)

When you're ready to eat, warm it up again. Slowly, stirring all the time.

Serve up in a bowl, sprinkle some mature cheddar on top and eat with a big chunk of fresh bread. I find Pain de Campaign goes really well, buttered or not.

Eat with a spoon and use the last bit of bread to wipe around the bowl.

Enjoy with a beer.

Afterwards, continue your Tex-Mex adventure with Margueritas or perhaps Tequila slammers.

Then some Acapulco Gold to Panama Red to round the evening off perfectly :)

The Joy of Six

This post was a game of two halves. I started it, hopped off to watch the football , then came back to finish. I was a little late leaving and when I found a working stream  the mighty Arsenal were already one-nil down.

That was not my proposed script for this game and fortunately nor was it Arsenal's. When Tommy V's equaliser scorched in, I thought that was the sign that things were about to change in our favour.

Dunn must have been oblivious to this fact as he proceeded to score at the wrong end and we were a goal down again. It was a sucker-punch against the run of play.

My stream was slightly slow and it made it look like old Pathe footage but in glorious colour. What was even more apparent was Arsenal's slick passing and speed of movement. Robinson's goal was under a constant barrage and two minutes later Cesc played one of his killer defence-splitting passes and RVP drew us level again.

The onslaught continued and Arshavin gave us our first lead of the game ten minutes from half-time.

Second half saw Theo on for Rosicky who'd played well was unlucky not to get on the score sheet. Having seen Blackburn take the lead twice, while being dominant we still looked a bit shaky at the back and could have seen ourselves in the same position as them.

We needn't have worried. Captain Fantastic steps up and thumps one past Robinson. 4-2.
More sparkling movement and Theo gets his first goal bonus for many a moon.

Bendnter came on and was starting to really frustrate me. He kept running at the Blackburn defence only for them to relive him of the ball without too much trouble. Several times he set out on a beat everyone run, beating few or none. losing the ball and breaking up the attack.

I thought it would stay like this, then Bendtner ran across the edge of the box, got in front of goal and leathered it into the bottom-right corner, off the post and past Robinson once more.

The joy I reference above relates to the number of scorers rather than the number of goals. It was a hell of a performance today and I doubt for once second there was anything so scintillating to watch on the other side of town this afternoon.

Well, fat Sam,
- welcome to the disappointment.

Hot Stuff, Cold Comfort, Clever Ending

It occurred to me, immediately prior to commiting to blog, that I could probably separate this into three posts.

My next thought was that I could write one post and save the rest in document or draft form. Draft form, there's an idea...

For my similarly boom-bust affected chums and any other readers who find their October home bar equally decimated, I take great pleasure in bringing you some Credit-Crunch Cocktails.

NoozeHound's Drinks of Desperation


Turn out the cupboards, look for anything alocoholic to drink. After establishing all the bottles of Grenadine are not alcoholic and therefore of zero use without Tequila, grab the Boozey Blackcurrant and Nut Juice.
 




 (they look nothing like this)

•  Frankirstein's Monster

Bottle of 'Sisca - Creme de Cassis' bought on a crap trip to Calais with a demeted woman.
One bottle Frangelico, purchased because it was on a list of shooter requirements.
    
Try not to sniff the nut juice but pour about 50ml into a glass. Top off with the Creme de Cassis until it's tolerable. Don't breathe it in, the nut smell lingers.

• Cox's Crunch

Seek out aforementioned bottle of Frangelico. Pour about 50ml into a big wine glass. Drown with Apple Juice and quaff until slightly giddy. Again, don't breathe in, that nut stuff is vile.

•  Unfair Comparison

Go back to the woefully under-stocked drinks cabinet. Seek out the remaining half bottle of Triple Sec (left over from the Margueritas when you drank all the Tequila) and pour about 50ml into a large wine glass. Top off with Apple Juice until safe to drink. Neck quite quiggerly.

So long as you have consumed the mandatory bottle of wine, I can more or less guarantee any of the drinks listed above to get you more pissed, threaten heart-burn and not make you violently sick.


In other news, the interview went pretty well and NoozeHound returns to the world of gainful employment first thing Monday morning.

Realistically, money will be really good. I wish I could have cracked that internet millionaire thing though. 'Working from home' sure helped make sense of the child care requirement.

Sadly, no matter how much analysis I did, all of my 'niches' seemed to lie in extremely competition-rich areas, like food and sex and drugs and rock and roll.

Remember my 'speciality' that I thought I could get an ebook and small offline business from. I'm still working on that as my 'topic' for copy-writing 101.

Shortly to be returning to the role of wage slave;

welcome to the disappointment.