Our new hero!

So a guy has had the brilliant idea of outsourcing his remote working job to China. Paying a sixth of his salary to an outsourcing company and spending his days lazing around doing nothing.

A prince among men.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21043693

I knew if we waited long enough someone would do our job for us...

Some guy has already written the Underachievers Manifesto. Saves us the bother.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/may/18/underachieving-column-change-life-oliver-burkeman

You should have seen the cover I wanted to print.

Our printer ran out of its black ink cartridge the other day. The colour ones are still full. One of the reasons I bought the printer in the first place is that you can replace the cartridges individually for each colour. We hardly ever use it so this is a bonus.

Anyway, I have a full set of spare cartridges for it, one of each colour. I bought them when we got the printer. I can't find them. I think they are in the printer box, which was recently transferred into the loft.

So I found on Amazon I could get a pack of 8 black cartridges for £5... so I ordered them. Easier than going into the loft right?

Now I will be able to print out the Smell the Glove album cover if I want.

BTW 18 months since last update, impressive huh?

EXAM!

So I did my first Exam since university yesterday, which was a bit odd. It was for the wine course I've been doing. It's been great fun, I've learnt loads and think I did ok on the exam. Didn't do amazingly (probably would have needed to work a bit harder!) and I think some of the exam questions were a bit against the spirit of what we'd learnt. 3 questions on Fino Sherry, really? Of course if I'd got them all right I'd have thought that was fine.

Don't get the results for ages, but if I pass (if I don't you won't hear about it that's for sure) I'll have an NVQ level 2 in wine. Oooooh. That's the vocational equivalent of a GCSE! I definitely didn't get a distinction (boo) but I hopefully got a merit.

What have I learnt? Loads about what wine is made where, especially in France. That trip to the French supermarket wine aisle might be a bit less daunting now. It also turns out I do actually like quite a lot of white wines. Sweet wines, which I definitely thought I would hate, can be absolutely amazing. I had previously enjoyed Tokaji in Hungary but turns out there are loads of sweet wines I like, and not just with desserts. Sweet wine and cheese works well. Like the classic Port and Stilton. Sweet German Auslese Riesling with cream cheese, was really good or even PX Sherry with Roquefort!

For Christmas dinner I can recommend an Australian fortified Muscat. eg. this Rutherglen from Oddbins, or this De Bortolli from Majestic. We've got the De Bortolli.

How to open a bottle of wine with your shoe

This is absolute genius. How to open a bottle of wine using only your shoe.

It's my wife's birthday today.

WTF? I've got a wife?!

I hate the term "foodies"

In many ways I guess I could be accused of having a lot of the attributes of a foody.

1. I have been to a farmers market and bought food there.
2. I have grown my own (pitifully small) amount of food.
3. I watch lots of cooking shows, and shout at the screen at the ineptness and retardedness of the contestants when they try and open a tin with a massive kitchen knife or serve cheap Asda smoked salmon to Raymond Blanc.
   
4. I read the Guardian.
5. I do a lot of cooking, and eating, and generally like food a lot.
6. And wine. And beer. And scrumpy. And recently whisky. And Gin. I'm becoming a drinky.
   

No wait, back to foodies. Yeah, I hate the term. Really, really hate it. Generally I hate the idea of people defining themselves with a single term as if your generalised assumptions based on that word are enough to define them.

I like people who are share a lot of the aspects of being a foody with foodies, but who don't describe themselves that way. People who can come round for food, drinks, cook for me, have a great time, share recipes, talk cooking tips. Slag off stupid reality cooking show contestants who serve Raymond Blanc a packet of cheap Asda smoked salmon. That's all fantastic.

But if someone comes up and says "oh yes, we're both huge foodies!" (and it's always a couple!) I just think, "oh fuck off." It's the smug bragging thing that you know is coming next. Not some friendly chat about food or eating, it's one of those competitive conversations where whatever you've done they've done it more or better or gone to a better restaurant or BEEN MORE TEDIOUS.

Having a dinner party tonight. They aren't dead Guardian, although hopefully the formal monstrosities you describe are.

Hoodies on the other hand, are legends. And I fancy a drinky.

And gutted "Blancety Blanc" couple went out of The Restaurant. :-(