Social Icons - Lately

Today could be the start of knowing someone potentially famous.

A friend of mine (@DaveCostello83) has this band (@Social_Icons) who have been working themselves silly to make a name for themselves and, despite not seeing them live… yet (sorry, Dave), I can guaranteed that their self-penned track list is nothing short of amazing.

And it shows how hard they’ve worked because today sees the release of their debut single on iTunes and Amazon – Lately. Priced at under £1, it’s well worth grabbing and having a listen. “Lately” is a fantastic track (one of my favourites, I’m happy to say) and shows off the talent that’s in the band.

If you want to buy the track and make these guys big, click on the links below. They also have MySpace and Twitter pages if you want to get in touch and, of course, nothing is better than a live gig so, if you’re ever in the North West, make sure you look them up.

“Lately” on iTunes

“Lately” on Amazon (MP3)

Social Icons on MySpace

Social Icons on Twitter

Blog Themes

Apologies for yet another change in blog theme. I just can’t decide which one looks best and which one feels right when I post a blog.

I need a new theme.

Cinema, Pizza Hut & Nintendo Wii

Synchronising an iPhone is an ideal time to write a blog post, considering it takes so damn long. So, here goes…

… and it’s Monday again. The past couple of weeks since we got back to work after Christmas seem to have flown by. Already we’re into the third week back (well, four if you count “snow week”) and we’re looking forward to half term in a few more. I’m hoping the weeks stay as positive as last week but I have a feeling things may turn bad as we go through the term. We’ll soon see. I’m still happy after a really nice weekend.

My daughter came to stay with us and we had a weekend of cinema, pizza and Nintendo Wii.
The film we saw was Planet 51. Another brilliant computer-animated film following astronaut, Chuck Baker, as he tries to get back to Earth following a landing on an alien planet. Funny for most of the film and recommended to people of all ages. However, try and choose a cinema with some heating that works. The Empire cinema in Wigan failed to do this and we felt like we were watching Planet 51 on the set of Ice Age.

Next was Pizza Hut and our usual trick of taking some sort of voucher for some money off. It did the job and we were able to get a 3-course meal for 3 of us for under £30. I was very chuffed and also very stuffed :-).
After stuffing ourselves with pasta and all sorts of other Pizza Hut goodies, we headed home and started on the Nintendo Wii. Game of the day was MarioKart playing with my parents and sister over the Internet. For a girl of eight years, my daughter is quite good at this game. I expect she’ll be beating Dad fairly soon, no doubt.
To top off a great weekend, we found out that my girlfriend has become an Auntie. Happiness ensued.

Then work today.
Everything is suddenly brought crashing down when you realise everything you put off on Friday afternoon. OK, so I didn’t put anything off but I had a sneaky feeling I knew what was coming.
Servers were doing nasty things on Friday and I kind of left them to it to repair themselves over the weekend so I was expecting disaster when I walked in this morning. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case and all was well. That set the tone for the day. All was quiet. Hardly a single request so I was able to get on with paperwork and all sorts of other outstanding things.

Without disaster (even finishing on a successful job), the day ended and I headed home ready to be greeted by an apparently blocked toilet. Lovely. Nothing nasty in it, just water up to the brim. Brilliant.

So now, with toilet unblocked, tea eaten, cats fed, I’m sat blogging waiting for my iPhone to synchronise.

Neglecting Forums

I've noticed, whether it be due to time constraints or simple not being
bothered, that I've been neglecting a few of my regular haunts on various forums around the Internet. There were a few that I would post to regularly. Namely Edugeek for work related things (and a few social) and Digital Spy,primarily focussed on entertainment but a good bunch of people on there, most of which I'm now in contact with through Twitter.

From noticing this neglect, I've decided to start again, so to speak, with these two favourites.
Both sites have brilliant people as members and both sites have offered help either personal or professional over the time I've been a member of each.

I highly recommend both so, if you're not a member, go ahead and visit the links to the side of this blog and take a look. You'll probably make a lot of friends as I have.

So, off we go.
Prepare for an influx of regular posts and interaction.

Thinking (and remaining) positive

... and so to the end of another day.
This day being Tuesday; this particular Tuesday being the third one of
2010. Already.

I'm writing this while sat in my office at work and sending it to my blog via email because blogger.com is blocked by the Local Authority.
Their reason is that it contravenes their filtering guidelines and, according to the page that appears when you try and access the site, it's on their "web-based Social Networking" list.
It's only recently been blocked. Blogs have appeared on blogger.com since at least 2004 so it's not a new thing. It just seems that now, it contravenes their guidelines when it didn't before.

Facebook received the same fate not too long ago. Facebook, of course, is a little more risky than Blogger which is fair enough. However, it's come back again which means that, in the Local Authority's eyes, Facebook is safer and more acceptable than Blogger. Facebook is also, as it turns out, safer and more acceptable than various Modern Language websites, some software driver websites and some Geography website which are just a big "no no".

Anyway, enough ranting.
So far, this week has gone to plan and has actually been ok. Things have been done on the days I've wanted them to be done and have been completed and fairly successful. It's very strange for me to be feeling positive about the week this close to the middle. Yes, ok, so it's only the second day but I'm usually moaning by the end of Monday.
I think it's because I've had a few tasks that have lasted a while - meetings lasting close to two hours; video conferencing lasting a lunchtime - that have made yesterday and today go so well. There hasn't been room for things to go wrong. Tomorrow may be a different kettle of fish (what does that mean?!).

My diary for Wednesday isn't particularly full. Parents evening which
I'm no way involved with (why it's in my diary, I don't know) and a
software installation. Other than those things, a particularly normal
day with plenty of room for things to go pear-shaped. No, Paul, stop it. Think positive.
Pay Day - it's pay day tomorrow. There we go. Something to look forward to.So thinking positive and much forward planning makes a happy network manager.
I've designated Friday afternoons for reviewing the week that's gone and planning for the week again. I started that last week which I think is the reason this week has gone well so far. Keep going and all will be well.

Just hope teachers don't get in my way.