kingandy | Friday's Child

Today I had to work an hour after home time. Well, I didn't have to, but I wanted to get it finished and I didn't think it would take that long. (They always do.) After absent-mindedly checking my friends page and email for the hundredth time, I figured it was time to focus. On went my James L Venable playlist - the City of Soundsville CD plus the PPG tracks from http://www.venablemusic.com. I have to say, it really helped immensely. I hammered away at that keyboard, aware of nothing save my work and the sound of Fuzzy Lumpkin's hectic banjo playing or Buttercup's kick-ass metal guitar riffs. And "MoJo and Girls Build", my favourite track from the movie (available on his site) - MoJo JoJo's theme, in the style of the Powerpuff Girls orchestral music, from the scene where the girls are naively doing MoJo's dirty work. Sinister yet sweepingly majestic and uplifting. Lovely. Many thanks to Mr Venable, plus (sorry) Windows Media Player for its ability to play everything in your library from a selected artist/album. Lifesaver.

Friday night is

pkgem's first birthday party (first of two, that is, not first ever) and I want to go. I was briefly enticed away by Chris Perry's offer of bad martial arts movies, but his plans have since changed to include Children Of Dune which I have no great desire to see. This does leave me with certain logistical problems.

My car is more or less safe to drive. I have been told that there is nothing there that will leave me stranded, though it will not pass even the most cursory inspection if involved in any police-related incident. So I'm going to risk driving it home to Manchester. But I don't want to tax it too much, so driving it thence to Bolton and back is not the best situation. Currently I am thinking of getting the train to Bolton and kipping over at some generous, kind, wonderful person's house. Then I will have to slip back to Manchester reasonably early on Saturday (probably before noon) so as to let the good Mr Perry into my house. We will then decide on some way to pass the afternoot^[1], possibly involving japes. Anyone who feels like accompanying me back to Manchester will of course be most welcome, I imagine the japes will involve DVDs. I recently acquired the Flight of the Navigator. (As a further thought, anyone who feels like coming to Manchester from Bolton and has a car will receive much love in return. Possibly hugs.)

Car situation, as touched on above. I plan to purchase a cheapo second-hand car some time next week. Before Friday, because I will be driving to somebody's wedding.

bacony! I will be unable to give you a lift to SoS this month! I think I've told you already but in case I haven't I just thought I'd mention it.

My budget for the new car is 5-600 pounds. A whole 200 pounds above last December's upper limit. I feel I have gone up in the world. I occasionally feel guilty about money, because I pester Katy about getting my money back off her and she's constantly teetering on the wrong edge of her overdraft while I'm trying not to let my balance drop below a certain positive integer. I tell myself that if I hadn't lent her the money she would have been a lot further below the negative, and it's my money I've earned it, but it still feels a bit avaricious. I think I will think of it this way: If I had all the money she owes me, I could put down a deposit on a house (or get surveys done or whatever). Then she could rent my spare room and I would charge her less rent than she is currently paying. So it is for her benefit really!

On a related note, isn't the human capacity for self-deception amazing?

[1] Typo for "afternoon", but I like it so it stays.