For my old workmates in Llandudno, Kat and I will be staying at the Grand Hotel from about 6 tonight until 10 on Monday morning, so if you want to hook up, please give me a call. I'm pretty sure you all have my number but if you don't it's on my Facebook profile.

I've no idea what we're going to do while we're there but I'm sure it will be fun. If last night is anything to go by, Kat will spend her time fixing the hotel. The lass cannot even walk past something defective without getting enraged by it and breaking out the tools. Guess I should take my tools with me.

Last night was quite hilarious. From my Facebook update:

Kat is a leg-end. I just got trapped in my front room because of a dodgy door. Fixed inside 15 mins -- she's repositioned a doodlybob, realigned a barrel, hollowed out a thingumy and probably recalibrated GMT in the process. I *love* this lass. At least I can now get to bed!

Apparently I need a belt sander and a drill. She improvised and used my Swiss army knife. God knows how. I sat watching the TV after I had given her that and some WD40. There is nothing more emasculating than a lass fixing your house. In my view, it's like calling out the AA and a woman turning up and telling you that you have been negligent in the maintenance of your Burbeck sensor or some such other unintelligible guff. The only helpful thing I did was jimmy it open using an allan key that she pushed under the door so she could fix it. Anyway, the door works like a dream now although I have still no idea what she did. The words individually made sense but, together, I might as well have been reading Arabic. And quite frankly, do I need to? She's fixed every door downstairs over the last few months.

While we were arranging our trip to Wales the other night, we both came to the conclusion that we may have only known each other for a few months but it feels like we've known each other for years. We're complete polar opposites but we just really get along. I never understood the phrase "opposites attract" until I met Kat.

The Jennster and I are very similar. We like to remain out of sight for the most part. There was a rare, shocking moment last night when she got a tad gregarious but that is the first time I have seen her do that and it soon passed. I put it down to some chocolate induced endorphins.

Well peeps, I have work to do and then Kat and I will be hopping on the good foot (she has two, I have none) and doing the bad thing to Llandudno. Don't be too jealous that you're not spending the weekend by the sea with a gorgeous librarian! I will be back with you on Monday evening. In the meantime, I will try to keep FB updated by phone.

Have yourselves as good a time as I'm expecting, but leave the screwdrivers alone -- I know this is going to happen as soon as we arrive and I'll be sat in the lounge while Kat gets into some kind of freaky-deaky plumbing mode.

Kat and I are doing one tomorrow. We're off to Wales for the weekend, (Billy and Icky style for those that remember One Summer). The last time I had a rush of blood to the head like this I found myself living in Minneapolis. The worrying thing is we have actually talked quite seriously about doing a permanent bunk. She should not tease me like that.

I feel sorry for the Jennster because she will be working over the weekend so can't come with, but I've promised I will arrange something over my birthday weekend so we three can go back.

As some of you will know, my first job was in Llandudno so I know the place well. If all goes to plan, Kat and I will be waist high in the sea by about midnight tomorrow and eating Sunday lunch at the Queen Vic on Sunday.

Nothing is better for insomnia than a random middle of the night call that designs a random trip to Wales. As I said on Facebook, I reckon Babbles and I will be married by Sunday afternoon! We get on way too well. But I really do need to sort that pre-nup on my keyboard and guitar out first!

Also, a bit random, but it is early so I'm allowed to be random. Does anyone know what kind of leads I need to connect the keyboard and guitar to my Macbook? My newest one has has no mic line in so it would have to be jack plug to USB. I'll probably need a decent mic to USB too so Babbles can strut her vocal stuff. We have a great career ahead of us once I've worked out how to connect the toys to GarageBand. With Babbles' showmanship, voice and musical skills combined with my amateur techie mixing (and me prefering to be in the background), we're on a winner. Once that is done, we really will do one. You'll not see us for dust.

I just wish she'd stop shouting "left Jean, it's left" at me when she actually means my other left.

Nadolig Llawen and all that. I might even venture a 'droem di diem' (unsure of the spelling) but I'd get battered around the head with a large root vegetable. I'm really very excited about this. I just need to find a decent hotel now -- I guess I could call the Lindens and see whether the same people still run it.

Wish us luck in our nups! I'm sure I'll disappoint her for at least 30 seconds. :) JOKE Babbles!

If anyone has a job opening for one of the best project managers I've worked with, drop me an email, text or call. You will not regret it. She's bonzer.

Not much else has gone on I'm afraid. Very quiet weekend followed by a few busy days. I was awake at 04:30 this morning with ideas buzzing around my head. I thought those days were over. De riens.

The Jennster starts work on Saturday, Babbles had an interview today (I should call her and find out how it went) so alles gut (NB -- no umlaut Mrs A).

I should say that if anyone wants a jaded techie product manager/marketing guy/website designer on the cheap, you know the email address. Requirements involve evening meals with Bryony, occasional drinks and regular venal sinnage. JOKE!

Seriously though, if you know anyone who needs a Prince 2 PM, I know the perfect person for the job. I've never worked so well with a PM.

...just a couple of Donna and Richard's birthday bash:

I thought I'd share these just for posterity.

This is my old university crew. From left to right, it's the gorgeous Heidi, the gorgeous Annie, the utterly gorgeous Donna, Donna's husband Richard (who is still indignant about the fact that we never met at uni), moi, the utterly fantastic Phil and James.

call for radical deeds

I'm in a bit of a quandary. Work is not exactly peachy at the moment in that I am dealing with some cowboys who seem to think that process is a nice-to-have. I can understand that in small companies but you simply cannot get away with it in big companies.

Add to that the worry of a certain set of personal circumstances that I do not wish to go into detail on, and it's all a bit stressful.

Thankfully my big boss is a human being and takes these things very pragmatically. I'd like to think that were I in his position I would do the same.

I had started a resignation letter earlier in the day. I'm on three months notice so it would give me ample time to find something else. But he had already sensed that there was something deeper afoot and called. Once I had explained, he was more than supportive. He really is one of the better people on the planet. The letter is now filed so, Mrs A, you need not call me to chastise me about my recklessness. :)

'Tis all. I just thought I'd have a whinge about how stressed I am. I don't do stress. You may all cheer me now up by leaving jokes in the comments, or you could just extract the Michael as usual.

How not to spend a Saturday.

Yesterday I got up rather late to a Jennster in agony. We quickly made our way to the ER where she spent the day being poked, scanned and prodded. When she was finally allowed to come home, they had given her enough codeine to make a twenty ton mega-elephant stoned. Even on my wildest nights out of yesteryear, I was never that toasted. It was definitely a wheelchair job to get her to the car to go home, and it took Babbles in front and me behind to ensure she didn't take a nose-dive while climbing the steps up to the house.

These days my empathy buttons are muted but the last couple of days have had them at full alert. Watching Jenn yesterday was like a special kind of hell. You know when your mother used to say if I could take the pain for you, I would? Well that was exactly how I felt. There is nothing more distressing than seeing a dear friend is so much pain. That said, were I not allergic to codeine, I would have liked to have been in her shoes on the stonedness factor. Whenever I have had need for pain relief and I frantically shout that I am allergic to codeine and morphine, they magically come up with something that does the trick but leaves me so out of it I can never remember what its name is. I should ask my brilliant and gorgeous GP next time I see her.

Anyway, the good news is that the Jennster has slept all night, is still sleeping and has a prescription for omeprazole. Apparently it protects your stomach lining. She'll need that because we're off to the Tudor for lunch later!

In other news I have just watched the Victoria Derbyshire ( @vicderbyshire ) interview on News 24. It was with a chap with locked in syndrome and was about as gutting as it gets. To have all your mental faculties firing but none of your physical ones must be about as frustrating as it gets. Credit to Ms D though, she was an absolute pro. I tweeted her to congratulate on how well she handled it and she responded with a thanks. If I ever make it into journalism, I will aspire to be as engaged as Bryony, Victoria, Kate, PhilW etc.

Last thing. And this a rant. Rooney's goal yesterday was good. But it was no better than Berbatov's goal against Liverpool so why is the media all over it? There is already talk of goal of the season for Rooney's effort. I completely disagree. To be brutally honest, it will take more than an overhead kick for Wayne to win back the Utd faithful. And it will take more than 30 goals this season to win me over. The Berb is a far classier act. 'Tis all.

Güten Morgen meine kleine kartoffels

I actually can't even remember what a kartoffel is but let us not get pedantic.

I'm very pleased that it is the end of the week. I have just not felt the love at all. Work has been tiresome in that I haven't even managed any small victories. I like small victories because they tease you along. It's also been a bit of a bugger with one of my favorite people. I despise conflict with anyone so when it happens, for whatever reason, it tends to impact my sleep patterns. De riens, in a few hours I will be Tudoring,

Good news on the journo front though. While I will miss @Foggyon5 (Shelagh Fogarty) in the morning, @rachelburden (res ispa loquitur) is taking over so all is well with the world. Also @susannar100 (Susanna Reid) is back more regularly than she has been. Yes, I am a media whore.

I'm also a tad worried about Babbles. In fact, I'm a lot worried. As I have said before, she reminds me too much of someone and suffers from the same sense of pride combined with an innate self-confidence that will be her downfall. Her living arrangements are not to my liking at all but she feels she needs to prove a point. I hope it's not a sharp one.

In other news, the Jennster is a positive joy to live with, even though she keeps asking whether she can do things or go out. I don't know what has gone on in the past but if memory serves me correctly, adults can do whatever they like when they like. I might need to beat that into her.

Other than that there is nothing much to report from Kenny Towers.

Oooh, I'm wrong. There is. Dolly Parton at the MEN on September 11th. This time, it will not just be Debs and I. It will be Jennster, Babbles, Debs and I. Last time I had no-one who would go with me until Debs stepped up at the last minute. This time it will be a veritable crowd.

Okay, time to kick off the work day. Mañana.

The Vanquisher, the Jennster and I are sat here trying to make up excuses for not going somewhere which is meant to be a treat but is an absolute bind. These are what we have come up with so far...

-- I'm staying in washing my hair (mine -- lame, I know)

-- I'm teaching my fish how to swim (Jennster)

-- I'm teaching my ladybird how to fly (Jennster)

-- I'm taking some DVDs back (The Vanquisher)

-- I'm washing my fish (Jennster)

-- My snake broke its leg (Jennster)

-- Miss Marple is on (The Vanquisher)

-- The batteries on my keyboard are low (The Vanquisher)

-- The Tudor profits are down (Kenny)

-- The Co-op shuts at ten and I only have 60 cigs left (Kenny)

-- My Shop-mobility scooter isn't charged (Kenny)

-- I'll kick myself if I miss the Royal wedding (The Vanquisher)

-- Can't. Sorry. Walking my unicorn (Jennster)

-- I have no gnome-sitter that night (Kenny)

-- Thanks, but I have food at home (The Vanquisher)

Feel free to add to the list. Not *that* list. *This* list. Although the other list is fair game too.