#236 a norwich blog

If I made up a word which currently returns no search results and then typed it into this here blog, how long would it take to show up in Google? Let’s find out (with an internal link for prosperity)… rungleflot!

While I’m in target audience mode, I may as well suggest taking the web design survey over at A List Apart. Hopefully the results will prove something that will be useful to mankind me.

Bonus link for making it this far. If you’ve ever sat in MacDonalds wishing that your burger looked like the glorious backlit photograph behind the counter, this is for you: Adverts vs Reality.

I just bought this, a Yamaha TZR 125! I took it out for a ride in some nearby car parks last night, and true to popular opinion I stalled it loads of times before I got it to move. When I did, it was awesome. Motor bikes are cool, end of. It has loads of quirks that seem to personify it, and matters such as finding neutral become an absolute art.

The skeptics might ask why a 23 year old with a full driving license wants a 125 motorbike with L plates on? Simple, it’s really good fun. I’d recommend it to anyone. Next step for me? DAS bike test in Norwich. If you do decide two wheels is for you, there is a great community of online bikers who will help you get started.

Saturday night (the 21st), a few cold beers and an evening with pay per view. The occasion? It was the first UFC in the UK since the last disaster in London when a riot broke out in the crowd. The verdict? It was awesome, the Manchester crowd were brilliant for the main events and Michael Bisping received tremendous support. He is fast shaping up to be a one to watch, with his energy and passion, he not only wins fights, but makes them breathtaking affairs. I hope he gets a shot in 2007 at the light heavy weight title which Liddell currently holds.

If anyone saw UFC 70, it had one of the best knock outs for ages. Cro Cop one of the worlds biggest hitters got knocked out emphatically by Gabriel Gonzaga in the first round. Cro Cop was knocked out on instantly and as he fell his foot twisted under him which was gross and left me and my mates cringing. Watch the knock out here It was a bit like when you play beat-em-ups and you finish the opponent with their own special move.

UFC has an awesome blog which will keep any fans up to date on the latest topics. Currently they are debating whether UFC will go world wide. It has rivals such as Pride but I think UFC has the better name and the better brand, they have innovated the most by shaping the rules to turn UFC from a thuggish no holds barred contest into something more digestible for the public with standards. The 5 minute rounds format proves just the right amount of time for the fighters and viewers alike.

I’m looking forward to Chuck Liddell vs Quinton Rampage now in UFC 71. I can’t wait, two big hitters and a revenge match for the champ Liddell. It should be great. Anyone have any opinions on who’s going to take this one? I think Rampage might upset the apple cart, even though I want Chuck to win.

I was always under the impression that PC World were a nightmare for returns. This is possibly based on something I heard from a friend of a friend a very long time ago, but people always remember bad experiences even when they were those of others.

Anyway, I bought a new router from them because my current one has become sentient and decides that I don’t always need wireless. I wouldn’t usually use PC World but they have the good-on-paper D-Link DSL-924 at a competitive price.

Medium-length story short, the new router’s admin software did not like Mac browsers. Back to the store, “this won’t work with my Mac”, refunded. I expected that to be much more difficult.

Voila, a positive customer service experience. Well done PC World, even though your TV adverts do suck.

Today on Copyblogger I read that Benjamin Franklin once said “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing“.

I intend to do neither, instead I’ll post a picture of my new Adidas Superstar Skate footwear, purchased from Norwich’s finest sneaker boutique. And no, they are not made of straw.

Flippancy aside, the Benjamin Franklin article is worth a read, as is most of Copyblogger.

For the first time in seven months of living in Norwich’s supposed red-light district, I was asked if I was “looking for business“. There was even the offer of something cheap as she only needed to earn twenty pounds. I didn’t ask.

Still, she opened with “hi” and a smile, which is more than I’ve ever had from a Lidl employee. I doubt she had any soup to sell though.

Excuse the Magic: The Gathering references, it’s my slight excitement about Future Sight spilling onto the blog.

This is a tin of Bulwark creamed tomato soup.

It costs about 13p from Lidl in Norwich, I’d assume that other Lidl stores sell it for a similar price. It might not be exactly 13p but it’s definitely less than 20p, what matters is that they more or less give it away.

Bulwark creamed tomato soup is exactly the sort of colour you would expect, a reddish orange. There’s no chance of mistaking it for a ‘proper’ tomato soup that costs £3.50 in a restaurant.

In retrospect I should have suppressed the flash for this shoot. It looks tasty good though!

Points are deducted for no ring pull, using a tin opener is so last century. However, for around a third of the price of Heinz, Bulwark creamed tomato soup is a great deal, it’s also quite effective in a bolognese when you run out of chopped tomatoes.

The bad news. It’s manufactured solely for Lidl, which means you have to shop there.

Apparently being paid more than most other supermarket employees makes manners optional, at least in Norwich stores. Lidl staff must have never watched He-man to learn the valuable lessons offered in the epilogues.

Overall: 7/10