Thursday 24 February 2011 0 comments

8th Period: It's OK, But Just This Once!

More ramblings:

Cemeteries/Graves

So, when I walk Treacle, we usually go through the cemetery - I love cemeteries.  There's something so peaceful and serene about them.  In a way, something so reassuring - I don't know why.  However, I was walking through one night when something caught my eye, and I just had to go over and investigate.  This picture is of the grave that I had seen.  Now, it was for a stillborn child, and I can't possibly imagine the pain of losing a child in such a way, but I just thought this was a little excessive (apologies if it's your child's grave) and not something that I would expect to find in a cemetery.  I think it would be okay perhaps without all the lights, but that's just my opinion.  I find the solace of cemeteries perfect for thinking and just being. I used to go and sit in there on a night just to think and sort things out in my mind.  A little weird maybe, but it helped.

Food

Last week I went to two different places for dinner - on Tuesday I went to Little Tokyo, which is a Japanese (shock!) restaurant, and quite possibly my favourite in Leeds.  I always have the same thing - a mango duck bento box followed by lychee ice cream - and it was delicious, although trying to eat the last few grains of rice with chopsticks when it's designed like this is hard.  So, for those of you in Leeds, even if you don't think you like Japanese food, I recommend checking it out.  It's behind House of Fraser on Central Road and does takeaway - here is a menu (although it could be slightly out of date now, but the majority of the items are still available) - http://www.take-a-way.co.uk/menu/693/Little+Tokyo/

On Wednesday I went to Brio's in Colton.  I've been to both the one in The Light and this one a couple of times before, and have always enjoyed it.  This time I went with my auntie.  There were meant to be three of us going for a late Christmas dinner thing, but the other person from our office couldn't make it, so the two of us decided to go, and the three of us would have a Christmas dinner at a later date.

I had bruschetta with parma ham and parmesan on it to start - it was delicious, although perhaps too much parmesan (the parma ham rolls were filled with it) as it is quite an overpowering cheese in the quantity that it was served in comparison with the quantity of the other ingredients on the plate.  For my main I had a chicken and beetroot salad thing, which it turned out I had actually had before and not realised - I enjoyed it the second time around too, and it was very filling.  There wasn't enough room for desert!

On Sunday I went to Frankie and Benny's and had a Manhattan double stack burger - it was sooooo nice, I really enjoyed it, and I had the best banoffee sundae.  I love anything banoffee, and it was the perfect ending to the meal.  Slightly sickly, but I would have eaten it again!

Steelers game

After Frankie and Benny's we went to the Sheffield Arena to watch the Sheffield Steelers beat the Cardiff Devils and it was so good to see them play again.  It makes me miss the days when we used to go to every single home game and quite a few away games.  It's a shame it's so far away really, because if I lived closer, I would certainly go more often.





In the programme for the game was a page talking about a "legends" game that is going to happen in August, where they've been trying to get old players back for a game against the Cardiff Devils "legends" to celebrate our 20th anniversary and Cardiff's 25th anniversary.  Me and Christine decided that we were going to go, even if Brian couldn't.  It will be great if they can get some of the old players back and be able to see them play again!
Monday 14 February 2011 0 comments

Happy Valentine's Day

So, I don't understand the need for Valentine's Day.  It's just some bullshit holiday that is an excuse for card manufacturers to make more money, and shops to sell red, heart themed crap in the hopes that some sucker will buy it so they can make a profit.  I realise all you skeptics out there will think I'm only saying this because I'm single, but I honestly think if you need a day of the year to remind you that you need to tell your loved one that you love them and think they're special, then there's something wrong with your relationship.  You should love and cherish them every single day of the year.  What would happen if on February 13th your loved one died and you never got to Valentine's Day?  Wouldn't you rather have told them how much you cared and loved them instead of waiting?  Just saying.
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My List

So, as usual, it's been a while since I last blogged, but hey, that's life.  Not necessarily too busy to blog, just can't be arsed sometimes!  So, think I'll do a couple of blogs on a couple of things!

Russell Howard


I went to see him perform last Friday (the 4th) at the MEN in Manchester on his "Right Here, Right Now" tour.  I had seen him previously on his "Big Room and Belly Laughs" tour in December '09, when I thought he was absolutely hilarious.  This time round he was very funny, and I spent the entire 2 and a quarter hours laughing, but I couldn't help but think that it wasn't quite as funny as his previous show.  Whether it was just me or not, I don't know, but I couldn't help but think that there was something missing, some spark maybe, that would have just given it that extra pow!  Then again, pretty much all the material was fresh to me this time around, where as his previous show I had a lot of the jokes on Mock The Week or other shows he'd done, which kind of spoilt how much I enjoyed it.  Overall, it was a good show, and I would definitely go and see him again, and maybe next time I'll think he's even funnier.



Sports


There's only a couple of sports I really, truly love.  Those are rugby league and ice hockey.  Yesterday marked the day that the Leeds Rhinos 2011 started.  It was a shaky game, and a terrible first 55 minutes in terms of productivity.  We were throwing wild passes, the play wasn't flowing, and we weren't making any yards.  Combine that with getting NO calls from the referee, Steve Ganson, and that includes any potential 50/50 calls.  Now, we've never had much luck with the referees, because for some reason, none of them seem to like us.  Now probably every fan says that about the referees attitude towards their team, but for Leeds it really is true.  I have overhead people who aren't even big rugby fans say that certain referees will never give anything our way and that we are not liked.  Now, it doesn't bother me that we are not liked, I just wish that we got the same treatment as every other team in the league.  In yesterday's game, Brett Delaney got sin-binned for holding down after only ten minutes of play, yet not one of the Bradford team did, despite repeated warnings from Ganson, and then Patrick Ah Van nearly took Rob Burrow's head off with what can pretty much be summed up as a clothesline to the neck, and I couldn't even tell you if he was placed on report (I have since discovered it hasn't!), let alone sin-binned or sent off.  He then went on to score a try and a couple of conversions, despite the fact he should have gone for an early shower.  I just hope something is done, disciplinary wise, despite the fact he wasn't placed on report.  Despite the issues with performance and the officiating, we still went on to win the game 32-28 thanks to a penalty try in the dying minutes of the game after a strong fight back in the final 15-20 minutes.  I am so happy to have rugby back, it's just a shame that I have to wait until the 25th of this month until they're at home!

The New York Rangers played a depleted Pittsburgh Penguins team last night and they won, at last. It seems like so long ago that they won a game, but hopefully this is the start of something good!  They're maybe starting next season in Europe, and I hope they do, just so I can see them over here (I will be going to see them when I'm in New York as well). I love this sport and I love this team!  Some may think that it's crazy staying up until all hours to watch a team who play at least 3000+ miles away, but I think it's worth it.  I could watch the games at a later, more convenient, time, but I find that it's not quite the same as watching it live, even if it does mean I get more sleep!  Luckily last night's game was an afternoon one, meaning that it was on at 8pm here - perfect!

Leeds Town Hall/Aqua Preena


I went to a vintage fashion fair at Leeds Town Hall with Emma yesterday, and I had forgotten how beautiful it was inside. Naturally, I took a few pictures to demonstrate!









After we'd been around the vintage fashion fair (I didn't buy anything, Emma got a gorgeous compact mirror), we had brunch and then made our way towards Aqua Preena for a 'fish foot massage'.  The sensation when you first put your feet in the water is ridiculous.  As soon as your feet are in, the fish swarm them and they tickle!  After you get used to the sensation, it becomes relaxing and enjoyable, and after 15 minutes, when you take your feet out of the water and dry them, they're soft and smooth! I hate my feet (all feet, I just don't get the fascination with them), but I would definitely do this again!


 
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