Soda Jerk

Tough one, that. In terms of actual legal entitlement, is the buyer of the card the winner, even if they've gifted the card? I'm sure there was a legal dispute over a gifted lottery ticket in the news a few years ago, and I think the buyer ended up getting the cash, but I might be misremembering it. I assume she's not going to get dragged through court for it anyway. and if she's going to get mardy about it because the ticket was an actual winner, she shouldn't have got it as a prize, because it was always a possibility it would be a winner. At this stage, I'd give her a grand maybe. £5k seems a bit much. But being new and fitting in is the difficult part. You don't want everyone in the office to hate you. Unless you just take the £40k and do a runner. It's too late now, but if it was me, and I'd won the top prize, I wouldn't have told anybody at work. I've always thought that if I won millions on the lottery, there are 3 people I'd tell, tops. And I'd not want them to tell anyone else. I definitely wouldn't be one of those clowns who goes national with it. What is the point of that?

Pigeons keep destroying the fairy lights pinned to the fence in my garden. Is there such a thing as Pigeon Repellent? The kind of thing that will just turn them into pigeon sludge as soon as they take one peck at the repellent? They're a right set of bastards. I used to feel a bit sorry for them in Aberdeen, they always got bullied by those mutant sized seagulls. But now I hope all pigeons get swallowed whole by seagulls.

Yeah. That was me. Let's fight. My beef is more with Amazon Logistics. Amazon have somehow put together their own courier service that is worse than Yodel ever was. They keep delivering my stuff to a similar address a mile down the road. It's a different post code, and a different street name. They both just have St Peter in the name. I have to keep going to the guys house to get it, and he's getting pissed off with me. But what can I do? I keep getting on Amazons case about my address. I even screenprinted Google maps of where I live and emailed it to them asking them to stick it on the packaging, so their shithead driver can find me. But it still gets sent to the wrong house. I have to get everything sent to the Amazon lockers now, and they're ages away. Recently, an Amazon driver knocked on my door and gave me a parcel. (They can find me when it's not for me!!). I wasn't expecting anything. I looked at the address and it was not for me. The address wasn't even similar. I have no idea why he was here. I told him where the street was. "Oh ok" he mumbles, and he leaves. The next day, the same driver comes back with the same parcel. I tell him again that it's not for here, and where the street is. He says "Can't you take it there?". I shit you not. A delivery man asked me to deliver a parcel for him. I said no and told him again where the street is. It's just down the road, right on the main road. He leaves again. About half an hour later, I go to take my recycling out. I open my garden gate. What is on the floor on the other side of the gate? The fucking parcel. I phone Amazon and told them that their shithead driver is shit. I ask them if the guy is going to come back and get the parcel. They say "No. you can just keep it". That was their solution. They don't even want to recover and redeliver it. I didn't keep it. I walked down the road and gave the woman her parcel, because I'm a great guy, much greater than Amazons customer service. Me > Amazon. The woman didn't seem very grateful though. I should have kept it. That crabby little shit.

I've read Black Coffee Blues. It's alright. Didn't make me want to buy the others, but not bad It's not particularly linear. It's just snippets of essays, or even just a line or two. A lot of it is nonsense.

Just had a quick look. There are scans and epub files of Get In The Van on Soulseek, if you're that way inclined.

Our Band Could Be Your Life https://www.amazon.co.uk/Our-Band-Could-Your-Life/dp/0316787531/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493129024&sr=1-1&keywords=our+band+could+be+your+life American Hardcore https://www.amazon.co.uk/American-Hardcore-Steven-Blush-x/dp/1932595899/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493129071&sr=1-1&keywords=american+hardcore You probably won't be able to get one for a reasonable price anymore, but Henry Rollins' Get In The Van is great too. There might be an ebook/scan of it knocking about. If you have even the slightest interest in NOFX, I'd highly recommend their recent book, Hepatitis Bathtub. Some pretty brutal tales about what the early LA punk scene was like, among other stuff. When you finish it, you'll be amazed that somehow they're not all dead. For UK Punk, I've not ready any books about the more mainstream '77 stuff, but this is a good read about the 1980-84 Anarcho Punk scene: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Day-Country-Died-History-1980-1984/dp/1604865164/ref=pd_sim_14_6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5XAAKCRHBX49RE7RG4ZT

The cyclists and the bike-theives should definitely go to war with one another. It's the only way.

Yeah, that Fubar page is just bike thefts and ruffians going around trying door handles in Northfield. I can't imagine other cities are much different. Everyone cycles down here in Bristol. Never seen such a busier city for cycling on these shores. Lots of huge lock-ups all over the city. You see a lot of folk walking to work carrying their saddle and front wheel. A handy tip for making your bike appear most unappealing to a potential bike thief. It inherently puts a bigger target on bikes that are unable to have their saddle and front wheel snapped off though. I'm sure the cyclists here manage to take sweet vengeance if they get their bike pinched. They're fucking animals around here, and pretty much own the place. You don't fuck with a Bristol cyclist. Walking to a gig on Friday night, a girl infront of me was walking with one foot in the cycle lane - the kind that is painted on the outer edge of the pavement. Cyclist zoomed by, stiff-armed her out of the way Road Rash style, and gave her a mouthful of expletives as he did it. It wasn't busy, there was room for the cyclist to go by without doing that. But that's not the point. It was the cyclist reminding the feeble pedestrian of the chain of command. She didn't even react. Probably realised the error of her ways for being anywhere near a cycle lane on foot. I've been screamed at for getting in the way of a cyclist who was bombing the wrong way down a one way hill, as if it was me in the wrong. I obviously was. What was I thinking? Anyone who has ever nicked a bike in Bristol is probably tied to a cinder block at the bottom of the canal.

I saw The Dirty Nil open for Flatliners and Menziners last night. I'd not heard them before. They might just be the best punk rock band I've ever seen live. Blew the other two off the stage. They have a new album out next week.

You're not too late. We're not there til August. Thanks for the info! Can you get travel passes at Amsterdam Airport? We get in at like 7am, but we can't check in til 3pm, so we were just going to get off the plane, head in to the city and start getting stuck in to all those hookers and drugs.

I can't understand what these grinders that are over £100 can do that the £40 Krups one doesn't. If it grinds, and it has adjustable coarseness, what else do it need? Grinders can get silly expensive.

He's NOT ALLOWED to say.

I find that to be the case, yes. The moisture is inside the bean, and isn't really released until it is ground. Though will probably dry out naturally, but I'd guess it's over a much longer period of time. I've got beans I got for Christmas that are still excellent when ground now. I do keep them in an airtight canister as well, though I have no idea if that makes a difference.

Ground coffee dries out super fast, even when air-tight. I hear about people putting coffee grounds in the freezer, to keep the moisture within the grounds. I've never done it before so I can't comments on how successful it is. Supermarket bought coffee grounds are already dried out, guaranteed. I grind with this, got it recently: https://www.johnlewis.com/krups-gvx2-expert-coffee-grinder/p230843325?sku=230843325&s_kwcid=2dx92700016967765382&tmad=c&tmcampid=2&gclid=CKfA6emnrNMCFUwq0wodtjIGbw&gclsrc=aw.ds It's great. Loud as fuck though, but I like being able to adjust the coarseness settings, then just press go. I can fill the kettle and clean out the cafetiere whilst it grinds. Before I got that, I used this for years: http://www.argos.co.uk/product/9349755?cmpid=GS001&_$ja=tsid:59157|cid:199888833|agid:17470845513|tid:aud-158518126633:pla-92280430713|crid:74692318713|nw:g|rnd:2564490505197945361|dvc:c|adp:1o1&gclid=CPmXsYiorNMCFQmdGwodK90H-w Half the price, but you can't adjust the grind. You just grind for longer if you want it finer. The compartment was pretty much the perfect amount for a cafetiere to make two large mugs of coffee though. Built like a tank, and much quieter, but you have to stand and hold the button down. Stop thinking and start grinding.

I've tried a few different contraptions in the last few years, and I still find just a regular cafetiere the best brew. Grind as you use. Always. The difference between freshly ground and pre-packed coffee grounds that have probably been ground for weeks before you use it is CRAZY. I've moved 500 miles south, but I still buy my beans mailorder from MacBeans. That place is the bomb.

And just the general "I can't even" can do one. You "can't even" what? Are you so bad at "adulting" that you can't finish sentences? Working at a college, the amount of times I overhear yoofs using the word "literally" when what they're saying is definitely not literal. It's nearly every sentence. These young 'uns don't speak right good.

Also, that Employed to Serve ditty is super. I've not heard them before. Now I'm going to go hear more.

The 23 tracker wasn't a real album, just a collection of b-sides and demos. I've never listened to it one sitting cos it's too damn long, and it did have lots of songs where it was clear why they didn't use them (because they weren't very good!) It did have half a dozen or so rippers though. The opening track, Lifers, is one of my favourites. Certified ripper.

new Flatliners record came out at weekend. Each passing record seems to be a demonstration of "look how fucking good I can sing". Quite right, too. Chris has got serious pipes. Bit janglier than previous ones. More of a rocker, and less punx is upped. There's some really great songs, but there's some that I'm sure I'll be skipping over on future listens. Seeing them a week on Friday. Hopefully they still UP THE PUNX.

The local legend where I grew up was The Black Monk of Pontefract. Allegedly, a "demonic poltergeist" had possession over a house in Chequerfield, Pontefract in the late 60s, occupied by the Pritchard family. They even made an indie horror film about it. The Pritchard's named him Fred. He would allegedly tip the contents of the house upside down, bang on the walls and ceilings, and it is suggested he grabbed their daughter by the neck and pulled her up and down the stairs. My mum, who seems to be the centre of ghostly hokum, used to be a mobile hairdresser, and she'd do Mrs Pritchard's hair at her home, being an elderly lady at this point. She still lived in the same house, saying "He's not as bad as he used to be", and she lived there until she died. She had newspaper clippings of journalists coming to the house and 'experiencing' it. One of the clippings reported that a number of players from the local professional rugby team, Castleford, decided to all go and experience it together, because they're all big tough lads and they ain't afraid of no ghost, and they supposedly all ran away within a few minutes. It was in the paper, so it must be true, right? Ghosts? or FAKE NEWS? When Mrs Pritchard passed away, the house was bought by the folk making the film. Since making it, they've turned the house in to a ghost-hunters B&B. You can book a stay there, if you want: http://www.30eastdrive.com

The skeptic in me says so as well. Though I've never had that kind of sleep paralysis personally. It's normally the kind where I can't move at all, but nothing is moving me. Thankfully I've very rarely had it. Still, I want to believe. But I don't think I do. My mum claimed to have had all these experiences, but it always seemed to be when no one else was there.

I've never really seen or experienced anything first-hand, nothing completely convincing like movement or figures or anything like that, but my mum swore blind that a house we rented for a very short while was haunted. However, before my mum did claim this, I always felt that something about the house just felt a bit unsettling. I was 8 at the time, I came home from school shortly after we moved in, and my mum wasn't home. She'd left the front door open (it was a quiet cul de sac quite far out of the town) so I could go in when I got home. She'd never done that before. The phone was right by the front door. I went in and phoned my nan to see if she knew where my mum was. She said she didn't know but to just go in and watch TV or something til she got home. But, I just couldn't. I wasn't the sort of kid who was scared of the dark or being on my own or anything, but the house just didn't feel 'right'. I sat on the door step til my mum got home about half an hour later. Ghosts? Or me being a little wimp? Shortly after that, I woke up for school one morning. I had a little clock radio with the digital screen next to my bed. I woke up facing the clock radio, and I opened my eyes and saw the clock It said 6:30-something (I can't remember the exact minutes, let's say it said exactly 6:30). I closed my eyes for about a minute (or what felt like a minute). Opened them again, it said 7:31. Did it again, opened my eyes, it said 8:32. I then leapt out of bed thinking I'd slept in and was going to be late for school. Got dressed, went through to the kitchen. It wasn't even 7am. The hours and minutes were going up at the same time on my clock. Went back to check the clock, the hours were still at 8am, but the minutes were correct. Ghosts messing with my clock? Or a cheapo malfunctioning clock radio? I had that clock radio for another 10 years after that and it never happened again, though the radio part of it stopped working around that time. My mum claims to have seen lots of things in the house. Apparently figures of small children running across the hallway, but only when she was stood in one of the rooms coming off the hallway. It was a long hall with 3 bedrooms and a bathroom all down one side, and she said you only saw the kid run when you're in the bathroom or the bedrooms and looking at the open doorway, but not when you're actually in the hallway. I once thought I saw something like that, but it was as I had just woken up, so I chalked it up to tiredness. Towards the end of living there, she claims to have been shaken at the shoulders by something during the night for a few nights in a row, which then disappears as she wakes up. Ghosts? Or sleep paralysis? We finally moved out of that house after a weekend when I was at my dads, and my mum was there by herself. She claimed that she heard a loud smashing sound coming from the kitchen. As in, the sound of lots of things breaking all at once. Plates, bowls, glasses and whatnot. She claimed that she didn't even check what it was, but just ran out of the house. She came to pick me up, and then we sat in the car for 3 hours outside where my step dad worked until he finished. We drove home behind my step dad's car, and when we got back, he went in the house alone. After a few minutes, he came out and said the entire contents of one of the kitchen cupboards was on the kitchen floor. The cupboard door was open, but the cupboard itself was fine. It hadn't come off the wall. Ghosts? Or my mum not liking that house anymore and wanted out? My granddad had always been fascinated by ghosts and has always been desperate to see one, so he helped us move out. He was a builder and had a van. He brought everything from inside the house to the front door, and me and my mum put it in the van. My granddad didn't see anything unusual when he was in there and he thought my mum was being an idiot. I still don't know if I believe in ghosts. That house is always For Sale though.

I've never had it happen to me, but I am aware of it. They've had it coded in to the game for a number of years, and as you say, it has to be April 1st in both the game and in real life for it to happen. Do they still have the feature in the game where if it's November in the game and IRL, your regen players start to grow moustaches?

Pwned.