ben griffiths
an insight into the mind of a genius

Archive for June, 2000

i seriously need to get a haircut :(

Thursday, June 29th, 2000

Not cause it’s too long or anything (it isnt very long at all) but it just feels so nasty on my skin. I’ve always had that complaint :(
Well today, what can be said, after the action packed yesterday, it was gonna be hard to beat that, and indeed it was, today was one of the most BORING days i have ever had :(
All i seem to have done each minute it constantly check my email or read the forums over and over again. I crave for more inetfx mail :(
One thing i did get more done with was oliver computer (remember i said i was doing it for the nokia), although i couln’t complete it as he didn’t give me his graphics card drivers.

So, lunch was a mserable affair sat in the network office, then to the cafe for an extra hour lunch where i had two slices of toast :) before back again to bore myself stupid :rolleyes:
ANyway, due to Cisco being yesterday (although i didn’t go) i decided to eat at my nans, which was actually really good as i ain’t been around there for a wednesday lunch since about november last year!!! As usual, grandad was playing the fool, although it was actually quite amusing.

One thing which was funny though: he has problems with his lungs (i think) which means he cannot eat a lot of salt. Now grandad was never one to follow orders, so shakes loads of it on any and i mean ANY meal. Of course this is bad for him, but he just don’t care.

Now, the funny thing is…. the salt cellar has been blocked for ages :D but he just hasn’t noticed so happily shakes away, meaning he will eat his food :lol: hehehehehe….

So i guess you could say i quite liked it around there, and when i got home there was even more good news. Cause i got a barclaycard, they have sent me this little free organiser :) and if i refer someone, i get a £10 m+s voucher… Mrs M… ? :D
So, the france portugal match eh? very controversual ending, although you can see it was a handball, man, when france won they kept like showing replays of the match… sod that! i want to see the portugese fans attacking the linesman :D
Oh, and tomorrow HMV have this massive sale on, the Godfather Trilogy is down from £45 to £5 so i am sending Tom up early to try and buy it for me :) hehehe :lol:

Well, now i must be off to enter my clients details into my new databank, so i can show it off tomorrow…. woop woop!

stressed seriously earlier, but am ok now :)

Wednesday, June 28th, 2000

What a day, have been the most stressed i have ever been in ages, but luckily all has been sorted out now.

Even though I went to sleep quite early last nite (about 11:30) i still woke up shit tired and not wanting to go anywhere, especially not work :P
Got ready really quickly and because the bike has been fixed up, i managed to get in on time. woo hoo!

Found out that 2020 are being real bastards about fixing some broken machines, cause basically they didn’t get the maintenence contract. Here’s how the story goes.

Last July, ADT were looking at getting a new computer provider, and going for 2020 Group. They provided a load of machines etc and all seemed to be well. However, the machines started to go wrong a lot, and then the maintenece was crap etc etc, so Zak decided ‘no we’ll use someone else’.

Right, so 2020 find out about this, and then become all friendly and the like, trying to win his mind back (as it were). However, he’s having none of it and this year, the contract goes to someone else. (June 1st this month).

Now, a machine (well 2) go down now, and seeing as they had 3 years onsite, we ring them up (2020 this is). NO, they are not onsite and need to be sent back. Bear in mind one of these is a server and this is NOT an option.

So we tell them this. ‘NO’ it was not onsite you had, so send them and we will fix them (yeah, like when??). We fetch out the invoice for when they were bought 3 years onsite - 8 hour response is says.

I ring them up (i hadn’t yet spoken to them) and talk to the head guy. Nonon, he says not onsite. I mention the invoice, ‘we even if they were, we have a week to do it’, i mention the 8 hour response, ‘i don’t believe this arrangement was made, can i see the invoice’.

Bloody cheek! calling me a liar basically! so anyway, we now await a response.

So that was most of the day, but in between there was quite a bit else going on, oh and why was i stressed?

Well, i have been waiting for some cheques from various people for a while, which have not yet arrived, and no word from them either. I then find out my email (company one) has been down since friday, so there may be loads of people that have been trying to get to me (this REALLY pissed me off).

Zak says Mark is coming in, so i cancel my lunch with cheryl, and rearrange with him (cause mark always pays and puts it as company expense :))

OK, to put it past me (email is sorted now) i go to lunch, with the intention of afterwards going to pay in my cheque i had been sent. I get to the cafe, and just want to check i have everything…

WHERE’S THE CHEQUE??!

I frantically look for it, but just cannot find it. I then leave my lunch and run back to college, NO i cannot find it.

Then it hits me, i sent a letter earlier, oh no, it had better not be in there?!? I rush to the postroom, and luckily the mail has not yet gone, find the letter and, hurrah! that was damn lucky!

Back to the cafe then (all sweaty :eek:) and then to the bank to pay it in, before browsing around putney for a bit (well about an hour actually :)).

Mark never showed so i had to pay :( however, make note of price and get a receipt….

When i get back, i have olivers machine to config for him, it;s great, if i put enough stuff on it, he’ll give me a phree 7110 :) (you know, the matrix phones). Didn’t manage to finish it, so will do it tomorrow.

Club is an uneventful as usual, except i find out its Yolandas last day tomorrow, hmmm, maybe i should get her something, i never really paid much attention to her before :( Oh well, Staines ain’t too far.

Mark turns up with the new digital cameras, so give him the receipt and demand he pays it :) Sweet, cause he says OK :) hurrah! :D
Finally, its checking mail, sorting out zaks machine, and generally just playing music until 8, when i realise i should have left at 5 :) whoops! :rolleyes:
Quick stop off on the way home to see cheryl and to apologise for not being there for lunch. She says she’s gonna start going to the gym and get a belly button ring. Hmmm, she just wants to pull and lot in ibiza, and you know what you need the energy for …. ;)
On the way home I manage to reach incredible speeds on my bike, but get home totally f*cked up and out of breath, although i managed just over 2 miles in under 6 mins (with hills and stoppages in between :P)

Check mail here, fulfil any requests and setup my new domain account, which basically takes me up to now, oh i do love to read the newsgroups (they take up so much time… woo hoo!)

So once again, its good nite and godbless :)

am recovering from cheryls present… almost there!

Tuesday, June 27th, 2000

first day going to college with me upgraded bike, which was lucky as i didn’t get going until about 10 to 9.

Normally, this would mean i would be late, but oh no, not today! i got in to college (yeah i know i should say work) in a minute 10 minutes, which is amazing. (bear in mind it used to take 20 mins minimum!! :D).

Cisco was still going on this week, but decided against it and just hung out in the network office talking to derrick about the next load of football matches :)
Day… internet, rest, internet, rest etc etc with my only bit of work being installing Windows 2000 on one of the new machines, the one which zak had forgotton the password to :lol:

Went down the bank after lunch to pay in a cheque and the money i had got from the hd yesterday, but also to get zak a chipmunk :D from mcdonalds.

Back at school, it was club time, so more internet and lazing about, woo hoo!

Heard this really cool song on the box - Freestyler by the Bomfunk MC’s, so just downloaded it from Audiofind, man it is a cool tune, nice bass :):D

Cheryl gave me a cuddly ‘Genga’ which i am dead pleased about, and have put it in pride of place next to Pikachu (i AM NOT TOO OLD FOR THAT!!!), he looks dead scary in the dark! hehehehehehe…..

Oh, good news, Jennifer Lopez has split with puffy (arogant bastard he is, HA! :P) so i am now back in with a chance. Zak keeps saying she is gay, but hey, i don’t care, i just hope she releases some pictures :) :) :) :lol:

Anyway, I don’t intend to stay on the computer too long today (which is why i am writing this now), so i will go off, maybe subscribe to FHM and get my free lopez book :P
So long people, sleep rox, i rox, hurrah! :P

feeling all nasty and sweaty at the mo, need a shower :)

Monday, June 26th, 2000

Heya all, so how has my weekend been then? Well, generally OK really, a bit lazy, but cost a lot of money :) i shall explain…..

Friday
Still had all the cd’s to make for the cisco course today, which means the machines are tied up for around 1 hour at a time, meaning i had lots of spare time :) Had to write Cheryl’s card during lunch as i was meeting her afterwards, oh yeah, its her Birthday today, now a (not so) innocent 19 year old possum :) As a treat (it’ll seem weird) she paid for ME to go to Nandos for lunch, which was really nice, but I had to explain I had not been able to get her present, so we would have to get it tomorrow (sat). She was OK about this, and even more extatic when I told her what it was….. She left at around 3:30 to go meet her work chums (yeah, she was out with them tonite) she keeps deserting me, i think she has found someone else :( (hehe, joking!!!!). Anyway, that just left me to go back to work, and then home to watch much tv :(
Saturday
Was supposed to get ready all early to go up tcr to get cheryl’s birthday present, which was hopefully one of those little MP3 Portable Players, but all did not go to plan, and we didn’t get up there until 2pm. (although a good point, my Tango Battery Powered Megaphone did arrive!) Took my old harddisk into the computer exchange to get money for the ‘player, and then went off to find one whilst it got checked (they check and test all hardware before buying it). We did go to the computer fair, paid £1 tio get in and left about 3 mins later!!! :D
Coudn’t do much else until i had got the cash from the exchange though, so went back, guess what, NO FLIPPIN CASH :( got really pissed off then and almost argued our heads off (with each other). However, decided what the fuck, lets get your present. We had seen it for £179 somewhere but couldnt remember where (cheryl was gonna pay £60 towards it) so we went looking.

Found it eventually (but wanted to barter it down, needed a plan), so i asked how much, £179 we were told, hmm we go, so it wasn’t here where it was, ‘what do you mean’ asks the store guy, ‘how much did you see it for?’ - ok, so do we, yeah :) ‘£170′ i say, the store guy thinks (he’s actually amazed), asks his mate, ‘how will you pay’ - ‘cash’ - ‘then OK’ he says!!

Woo hoo! So we got it for £170 :D meaning I could let Cheryl off the saved £9, meaning she just put £50 in, instead of £60. She was dead happy with it, and it is a really nice player.

Went back to her house, to see if she would feel any better in wanting to go out, nope, her feet still hurt, so we ordered in a Chinese Takeaway. I must admit, i was a bit miffed, cause it meant i missed my monthly Camden (i ain’t been clubbing for about 3 weeks now :(:(:() but i couldnt really go and leave her. Left at about 11 and got home to watch lots of tv, sleep at about 2.30.

Sunday
TOday, woo hoo! Woke up at 10 (must be my earliest ever) but didn’t get up until about 10:45, cause i was watching the ‘Darling Buds Of May’ - mmm, catherine zeta jones :P Decided i would cycle up to tcr to get the money for the hd, so set off with my music happily banging along in my ear :)
Cool, i was happy (especially as my bike has had a complete refit, thnx mum!!) until i got to clapham common when the flipping batteries run out :( btw, clapham common is about 3 mins away :) but i couldn’t be bothered to go home.

Went the most insane route to tcr, going through Pimlico, Victoria, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square before I finally got there 1 HOUR later!! (it normally takes about 30 mins). ANyway, got the money for the HD so was happy and set off back.

Took a wrong turn again and ended up in Vauxhall. Decided i would go check out the Elephant and Castle (Seeing as i (hopefully) will be living/studying there next year) so cylced up there, took about 10 mins.

Also, i wanted to time it to Waterloo, so cycled there (carefully following the signs!) and then walked back, i was actually pretty happy as it only took a mere 11 minutes! This is good for next year, although for getting home, the tube is the much better option.

OK, so i was now back at the elephant, now to walk to vauxhall i thought. Bloody hell was that a mistake! Took a totally wrong turn and ended up in Waterloo (25 mins walk this time, so twisty!) Walked back for AGGGGESSS, until i found out where i was, i was miles out (well about 2) so got back on me bike, :P yeah i cheated!! hehehe, stopped off at the petrol station to get some donuts.

From Vauxhall, it was easy to get back, just a straight run, past the NTL building, Battersea DOgs Home, and then straight to Wandsworth roundabout before cheryls house.

Was quite tired, so watched the bill until 5 when the footie come on. Holland vs Portugal (me having £13 on Holland to win), WOW what a game! in the end it was 6-1 to holland! Klivert scoring 4 goals! hhhhooolllaaannddd!!

Marc and Mrs M came in during the game (i think) and it was quite amusing shouting through my Tango Megaphone for the rest of the night.

Had to leave at 8 cause Cheryl was out on the town again, and my dinner was ready. Got home, and was debating whether to put a bet in the France vs Spain match, but decided it was gonna be too close.

Man was the match good, France were winning 2-1 (only just) but at 89:34 (or summit) Spain had managed to get it back, well, they had a penalty. Rual steps up……. AND KICKS IT OVER?!?!? :D How can that happen, in the last minute a sign from god, and he squandered it?!?! Anyway, that was it, Spain were out (and if i had bet i would have won :()

Need to recharge my phone and minidisc now, plus quickly have a shower before i get shouted at. If i have forgotton anything, i will add it tomorrow, nite all!

another day of hell, another day of boredom…

Friday, June 23rd, 2000

Woke up today with a strange sense of, well, tiredness really :lol: but knowing that today would not be good.

Tried to get in to college/work quickly as there was a big Vektor conference going on…. 8 flipping people!?!? i needn’t have even bothered :( but i had to stay there all day to make sure things went ok.

Lunch was weird actually, you have no idea what it is like to sit in a staff room (now, remember i only left this place last year as a student) and chat with your old teachers about sex and stuff :eek: really, really odd!!! ;)
So mainly just sat up in my room surfing the internet for Beenz so i could try and get a free kingfisher voucher (’cause i want to buy Gengar :D), you need like 4500, and i have got, hmm, 650!! hahahahah :lol:

Also studying the new odds for the Euro 2000, i’m still deciding what to put money on. Perhaps France to beat Spain (hehe, sorry martika :P) which is evens, or the safe (and bad odds) Holland to beat Yugoslavia (I;m sure that dont exist no more?!), :D i got until saturday to decide.

Since I got that hard house minidisk, i have just been itching to get back into a club, i really wanna go to mind over matter on sat, but i don’t think cheryl is up for it.

shame, i’m sure she will love it, and if not, there’s loads of topless blokes she can stare at all nite! :lol:

Talking of cheryl, i should be writing her card now, but i am just too knackered, will do it tomorrow at college so she can have it lunchtime (the card that is :P)

Now i shall retire, and check my student loan form, oh i hope i get accomidation…. grrrrrr…. :lol: