Swap Bot Part Four

Welcome to a cloudy but warm South Manchester. The sun is hiding today behind white clouds that are covering Manchester like a blanket. We may see a little later and there is the threat of rain but it is still very warm.

Last week, the Clown (aka Boris Johnson) was found guilty of misleading parliament about his antics during the Covid-19 pandemic and threw a proper hissy fit in the style of Donald Trump. He saw the report before it was publicised and promptly resigned as an MP using all manner of Trumpian rhetoric – referring to a “kangaroo court”. 

So he is no longer an MP and I dearly hope that the lying sack of potatoes never comes back into the public eye. I doubt it because his ego is as big as the planet. 

But I am glad that he has been exposed as a lying, cheating incompetent buffoon has been out of his depth for decades. 

Good riddance you useless excuse for a man.

Here is a guy called James O'Brien telling everybody what he thinks of him in a far more eloquent way that I can - and his anger is there for all to see. It's worth watching if you have ten minutes spare.

Glad to have got that off my chest. 

Shall we answer some silly questions from Sunday Stealing? 

1) What is your favourite way to spend a lazy day?

If it’s a sunny day then I will probably go for a pleasant walk somewhere and have lunch is a café or pub and then stroll home and potter about, watch some TV, sit in the garden with a book – that kind of thing.

It it’s a miserable day then I will probably just do the same but not go for the pleasant walk. 

2) What do you look forward to every week?

I look forward to Thursday at around 3:30pm when I finish work for the week. 

3) Name three pet peeves you currently have.

I’ve tried my best to avoid politics and not rant about all things political that piss me off and I am improving. I am aware that I was letting the grumpy old man inside get the better of me, allowing him to get more airtime than he should have. So I have been trying to lock him away. But occasionally certain things bring him out – like Boris Johnson. 

However, I will mention politics as a pet peeve because it has the ability to bring out the worst in me. I will take a deep breath and say that Boris Johnson in particular is a pet peeve – including his allies like Jacob Rees-Mogg – because he has now been exposed as a liar and an incompetent buffoon who should never have been Prime Minister of the UK. His antics brought about Brexit and have made the UK the laughing stock of the world as well as doing their best to damage the economy. I shall stop there because I could write an entire tome on the subject.

Pet Peeve number 2? A recent one is Shiny Happy People. Not the REM song but those that they probably wrote the song about. Those people who are all over our TV set who constantly seem to be enjoying themselves despite everything that is going on. They laugh at their own jokes (which aren’t funny) and gush over famous people as if they are from another planet. As you can guess, I don’t watch such programs.

Pet Peeve Number 3? Work. When I retire I am considering starting a new blog or at least writing a series of blog posts about the exact reasons that work pisses me off and has done for quite a few years now. All I can say is that now is not the time and a lot of people I work with are amazing and talented people who I think are incredible and who feel the same way. But there are reasons why I just want to jack it all in – and I may reveal all in the future. 

4) If you were to win an all-expense paid vacation for two weeks to anywhere in the world, where would you choose to go? What are some of the things you would like to experience while you were there?

That’s a tough question. I really want to travel around the world but you can’t fit that in in two weeks. I think I would head to the Far East and travel to places like Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and of course Hong Kong. In Japan I want to go to Osaka and Hiroshma and I would like to experience Seoul and Taipei too. My last few days would be in Hong Kong and if you are going to pay for all expenses then I will stay in The Peninsular Hotel thank you very much.

5) What was one of your favourite toys as a kid? Did you save any special things from your childhood that you still have today?

I don’t have any toys that I used to have as a kid. I gave most of them away to my cousin who has since disposed of them all. I had a lot of toys but I loved anything that allowed me to create my own little story. I had quite a few action figures, toy soldiers, figures and vehicles from shows like Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet and I would create elaborate action stories using all manner of props. I simply got lost in the worlds I created. And I loved doing that. Part of me would like to do the same today – that imaginative child is still there. 

6) What is your favourite holiday? What is your least favourite holiday?

It is difficult to pick a favourite holiday but these are candidates:

Interrailing around Europe in 1985. 

Travelling around the United States for a month in 1989, taking in places like Washington DC, New York, New Orleans, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Travelling around China in 1999 – the full trains, planes and automobiles experience in an incredible country, taking in Guanzhou, Chongqing, Xi’an, Beijing and Shanghai.

Working in Hong Kong for 3 months in 1999 (not really a holiday but I loved the place).

Travelling around Thailand in 2002 (ish). 

Travelling to Australia in 2005 taking in Cairns, Port Douglas, Brisbane and driving from there to Sydney over a week stopping off at various places like Byron Bay.

Traveling to Japan in 2013 taking in Tokyo, Hakone and Kyoto.

Travelling to Vietnam in 2017, taking in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.

I could go on and I have probably missed a few of them out. 

My least favourite holiday was a trip to Thailand (Koh Samui) when it rained almost every day – massive thunderstorms that flooded the streets. We spent a lot of time in the room and when we ventured out we had to avoid getting absolutely drenched. 

7) Have you ever met anyone famous? What concerts have you attended?

I have met one or two people who are in bands that are not that famous and I have seen quite a few famous people walking around places in the general public but not had the courage to talk to them. One day I will find that courage to talk to somebody famous – just to get a photo if nothing else. 

I have been to thousands of concerts. And seen most of my favourite bands. Here are some of the biggest artists I have seen:

A-ha, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Big Country, Black Sabbath, Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams, Cher, Deep Purple, Def Leppard, Devin Townsend (big to me anyway), Dio, Disturbed, Dream Theater, Europe, Extreme, Faith No More, Foo Fighters, Gary Moore, Gary Numan, Ian Gillan, Guns ’N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Joe Satriani, Judas Priest, Manic Street Preachers, Marilyn Manson, Meat Loaf, Megadeth, Metallica, Motörhead, Nightwish, Nine Inch Nails, The Offspring, Orchestral Manoevres in the Dark, Ozzy Osbourne, Queen, Queens of the Stone Age, Queensrÿche, Rammstein, Riverside (big to me anyway), Rush, Slash, Status Quo, Steven Wilson (big to me anyway), Whitesnake, Within Temptation

There are many more most of which you won’t have heard of.

I will add Porcupine Tree to that list in a couple of weeks and, believe it or not ABBA. Mrs PM and I are going to London on her birthday to see the new ABBA show in London with “Abbatars” of the real band:

8) Are there any expressions that people use that really annoy you? If so, what are they?

Where do I start? 

MUST 

NOT 

RANT

Okay. Here are a few examples of words and phrases that have been abused.

Journey: “We hope you join the company on our journey to excellence”.

Like: “I was, like, about to, like, tell him, like, that he was, like, out of order, like, but he wouldn’t, like, listen”.

System: “This soap is a complete cleaning system”.

Literally: “And it was, literally, a disaster”.

Distraction (used mainly by politicians): “This Boris Johnson business is just a distraction from the job that we were elected to do”.

I could go on  …

But I won’t. 

9) Do you like your name? Are you named after anyone? Is there a story how you got your name? Would you change it if you could? If so, what name would you give yourself?

I love my name. My name is not “Plastic”; it is Dave. 

I was almost called George after my father but thankfully my mother stepped in and objected. Gerge is my middle name, which is fine. 

I don’t think I would change it though but I might be tempted to invent a new Internet Persona called Max Power for a different blog. Don’t laugh – there is a footballer in England with that name.

10) It is said that it's the little things that make life worth living. Name five of those little things in your life.

The biggest things in my life are friends and family. They are a huge part of my life so given the nature of the question they don’t count.. As for little things …

My two cats, Ziggy and Star(dust). These little creatures keep me happy and both are quite happy to cuddle up next to me while I am sitting down. It feels nice. 

Music. I have access to a huge database of music thanks to Spotify and I can listen to music whenever and wherever I want to. It calms my mood and makes me feel positive. 

A pint of beer or a cup of tea. I love both. Tea keeps me sane during the day and in the evening (at weekends mostly) a pint singles the end of the working week. 

Comedy. I guess this means anything that can make me laugh. Laughter is the best medicine and I try to do it as often as I can. 

Sunrises and sunsets – I love a good sunrise and sunset and I have loads of photos of them, some of which are actually in Manchester believe it or not.