Sunday, 14 January 2007

What a Final

I love sport, all sport, so long as it doesn't contain horses. I used to be a huge fan of darts when I was a teenager, I played the game (poorly) and back in the days when 8m people watch the World Championships on the BBC I really enjoyed the game. These days there are way to many other distractions in my life and darts now seems so '90s! so I don't watch it that often, however this year there have been two epic tournaments, the PDC World Championships and the BDO World Championships (don't ask). In the first Raymond Van Barneveld came from three sets down to beat Phil Taylor (probably the greatest darts player to ever live) by 7 sets to 6 with a tie-break dart in the final leg! And now, tonight, Martin Adams has just beaten Phil Nixon 7 sets to 6. In this case Adam's, (who believed he was destined never to win the title) was six sets to nothing ahead against the qualifer Nixon. Nixon won the next six and Adams finally clinched the trophy by winning the final set.

Even if you hate darts, if you like sport you'd love this. Utterly gripping and compelling stuff!

Posted by kevin at 10:10 PM in Personal

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Wednesday, 15 November 2006

Man on a Mission

Starbucks. Paris. Two words that don't normally go together. When I was here last there there were four Starbucks in the whole of Paris. Now there are 23 (and probably more by the time you read this). Can I find one? can I hell! It's not that I really want a Starbucks, it's just that now I know they're here I'm on a mission to get one. Apparently there's one in the Printemps store. So today I walked down Avenue Haussman, found Printemps, and asked an assistant who spoke English was there a Starbucks in the store. There is, but not that particular Printemps, it's the Printemps on l'Opera. So this evening I'm, walking to l'Opera to get my Starbucks (I hope)!

Posted by kevin at 11:10 AM in Personal

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Sunday, 12 November 2006

Arriving Somewhere

Today I'm in Paris. I left home at about 10:20 this morning; sat in Birmingham airport for two hours drinking coffee waiting to get my flight. I was hoping to buy a Playstation Portable but it turned out I was in the wrong terminal, Birmingham has two, and I was in the one with no restaurant and no shopping. Didn't get the trip off tothe best start!

I arrive in Paris and get to the hotel at about 5:30 local time. The hotel is right in the center of Paris, just off the Champs Elysee on rue Washington, it's actually called the "Hotel Champs Elysee". It's a typical Paris hotel (at least in my experience), they do breakfast in a small room that also doubles as a bar, and there's no dinner. My TV promises movies (in English) and a BBC channel, but I can't get either to work!

I get that normal arrival feeling, not loneliness, I like my own company, but rather isolation. This is always much worse in continental Europe than in the US. At least in the US I can talk to people, whereas here I can't. Even hearing English as I pass by people helps. After wandering around for about 30 minutes looking for somewhere to eat I settle on an 'African' restaurant, the 'Impala Lounge'. It takes 30 mins to find because when I'm on my own I'm hopeless at deciding where to eat. I know that wherever I go I will get have to sit with smokers (which I hate) and I won't be understood, so it's a matter of plucking up the courage to go in as much as anything else. It's also a matter of limiting where I eat. I know I'll be here for a few days, so if I see a nice looking restaurant I'll pass it by and go back there later in the week!

Posted by kevin at 11:10 AM in Personal

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Thursday, 9 November 2006

Hinglish

Excellent article[1] of the growth of 'Hinglish' - "a hybrid of English and south Asian languages, used both in Asia and the UK"

[1] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6122072.stm

Posted by kevin at 11:10 AM in Personal

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Wednesday, 8 November 2006

Well Done Southend

As my friends know I'm a Manchester United fan/supporter/follower/whatever you want to call somebody who doesn't go to see them very often. Last night United (top of the premiership) lost to Southend (bottom of the Championship) by a goal to nil and this wasn't a weak United team by any stretch. For many fans this would be upsetting but I must admit to smiling at the result. Sometimes it's good to see the underdog win.

Posted by kevin at 11:10 AM in Personal

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Monday, 4 September 2006

New Start

I couldn't let today go without an entry. About 9 years ago in September 1997 myself and three colleagues (Simon Horrell, Martin Gudgin and Steve Rodgers) went the the Microsft PDC in San Diego. As well as having a great time at the show, we also approached Mike Abercrombie and Don Box of (at the time) DevelopMentor with the idea of creating a Developmentor UK. After a few discussions and then technical interviews with Don, Chris Sells, Tim Ewald and Keith Brown, it was agreed to create DevelopMentor UK.

The doors of DevelopMentor UK opened in March 1998.

Over the years DevelopMentor has lost all of the people I listed above apart from myself, Simon and Mike Abercrombie, but for various reasons I've also decided that I can no longer work for DM full time. So three months ago I (along with Simon) gave DevelopMentor notice that I would be leaving. My notice period elapsed last Friday, so as of today I am no longer a DevelopMentor employee. Having said that I will still be contracted to DevelopMentor for the foreseeable future, so it's not a clean break, but still, after nine years today is a very strange day!

Posted by kevin at 10:38 AM in Personal

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Friday, 30 September 2005

A History Of Violence

On Tuesday this week I had dinner and watched the game with my brother and he told me he reads this blog, so this entry's for him (Hi Gareth!). We sat and talked about the things we usually talk about: Family; Football and Films. He mentioned A History of Violence which I'd seen previews of when I was in the US in July. Based on his recommendation and the reviews I'd seen today I went to see the film this evening and it is excellent.

It contains some graphic violence and sex. The characters are very realistic, Vigo Mortenson is superb and William Hurt has a great cameo. This is well worth seeing. Highly recommended!

Posted by kevin at 11:22 PM in Personal

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Sunday, 18 September 2005

Crash

Travelling back from LA I watched Crash on the little four inch sceen on the aircraft. I thought this was the one of the best films I've seen (although not everyone agrees looking at the comments on IMDB). It ceratinly made me question my attitudes and assumptions.

Highly recommended!

Posted by kevin at 5:29 PM in Personal

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