Matt’s Journal

Is Summer Coming?

Posted by Matt under Marriage, Update, Wedding

This year, unlike any other year I can remember, has been the most unpredictable weather wise. We had a good spell of sunshine and high temperatures in April/May time but since then the weather has been warm but mostly wet.

Just last weekend we saw high temperatures and I must admit I thought it was Summer starting to kick into gear, the pollen levels were high and even I started to get a dose the itchy eyes, something that hasn’t troubled me in the past. As a result of this, I have been waking up earlier than usual in the mornings with a tight chest, a result of hayfever playing on my childhood-asthma tainted lungs.

I have inhalers which keep it in check, it’s the sheer annoyance of waking up and having to fool your body back into sleeping another few hours that frustrates me.

The wedding is now under four weeks away and I am hoping of all the days it has been sunny, that particular Monday is one of them. I think there will be nothing better than sunlight streaming through the stained-glass windows and making our reception venue look spectacular.

So, c’mon weather, sort your bleedin’ life out!

Feature Updates

Posted by Matt under Angry, Blogging, Happy, Tech, Update

You may have already noticed that I have rolled out a few feature updates. Let me tell you a bit about them.

1. OpenID Support

OpenID is an open standard that lets you sign in to other sites on the Web using little more than your personal URL. This means less usernames and passwords to remember and less time spent signing up for new sites. The plugin installed on m4tt.net allows commenters to use their OpenID to assure their identity as the author of the comment. It will also provide a framework for future OpenID-based services as OpenID functionality and it’s user base increases.

For example:

2. Post Rating

This plugin will allow users to vote for blog content on m4tt.net. It will allow me to gauge what readers of the blog are enjoying and also show in my sidebar what people are rating the highest for people like yourself to see. To use this feature, look at the bottom of any post on this blog and a rating bar should be visible for you to use.

Thanks to honest_ape for the inspiration.

3. RSS Updates

Some readers of this blog have had problems subscribing to my Feedburner RSS feeds. In order to allow people to syndicate with this blog and read my content in an RSS reader but not use the Feedburner URL, please bookmark or syndicate the following URL: http://www.m4tt.net/feed/atom/

Thats about it really! Any suggestions or comments, please do leave them using the forms provided.

It’s Been A While But Never Fear For I Am Back

Posted by Matt under Tech, Update

Sorry for the lack of updates, it’s just pure laziness on my part. After coming back from my holiday, I have been holed up at work, tapping away like a monkey at my keyboard.

Updates are sparse on this occasion, Katie has a new job and is now working as a Regional Sales Manager in Basildon so watch out if you find yourself booking an appointment for anything pub/club/restaurant/etc related. Other than that, the wedding is now three months away and we are working furiously on getting the finalised photographer and all that guff.

I have signed up to Twitter. Pownce (which I signed up for first) as a service is very similar but the ability to see the Public Timelime was the killer function for me, people seeing your tweets and being able to reply to them meant Twitter just edged my interest. Pownce has an Adobe Air application that allows you to post and to update but Twitter again edges this feature set too. I have been using Digbsy, an instant messaging app that allows you to integrate Gmail, Hotmail, Facebook, Gtalk, MSN, AIM and of course Twitter. You get updates on your desktop with a nice looking, unobtrusive notification which has led me to bin my Firefox extensions for email and Pidgin for my instant messaging….it’s that good.

Ok, that’s enough rambing, I’ll be updating more now.

The London Banquet

Posted by Matt under Happy, Update, Videos

This weekend I was treated to a fantastic weekend in London. Getting a bag together and driving up the well connected A13, myself and Katie ventured to a nice travel inn not far from Tower Bridge.

Once we had unpacked, had a bit of rest and relaxation, we showered and headed to St Katherine’s Dock looking for a bar or bistro where we could sup a few drinks and wait for the evenings festivities to commence. The evenings festivities were a journey back into the Medieval era for a banquet with King Henry VIII himself.

When we arrived, we were led down into this lowly lit cellar and seated at a long wooden table. We had our choice of unlimited White and Red wine and a flagon of ale, with cast iron plates for your bowls and plates. As the entertainment started, the King and Queen were led out, as were their courtiers, the first course was laid out with a pot of soup that we all had to drink straight from the bowl.

Take a look at the video featuring the lovely Katie for an example:

As the night progressed, more and more events unfolded around us, as did the food. The ale slipped down and a good time was had. Check the next video for yet more fun:

Back To Normality

Posted by Matt under Family, Photos, Update

Here I am….back at work.

It’s nice to have a bit of routine back to my life actually, the Christmas and New Years celebrations have left me in a complete muddle as to what day of the week it was, all I knew was that today was the day I headed back to work.

I haven’t been posting much over Christmas, mostly because I doubted people would want to read what crap I got on Xmas Day or what I stuffed my face with ’til I was sick. I am posting now to change this

As you can see, I stayed at Katie’s for Christmas Day. There were lots of presents and alcohol and chocolate, many of which have probably contributed towards diabetes in later life! I ate the biggest dinner you could imagine and then drive myself and Katie over to my mums house, where we had our second Christmas Day.

Christmas at my mums was an even more laid back affair with us waiting for my stepfather to return from work (he is a policeman), we chatted, ate yet more chocolate and once my stepfather had returned, we opened and opened and opened.

The period between Christmas and New Year was that of relaxation, a small bit of sales shopping and a whole lot of eating more chocolate (can you see the trend here?!).

New Years was a good laugh, a few friends, Katie’s parents and obviously Katie and I headed over to Stambridge as detailled in the post below, a few pics from the night will give you an impression of what it was like:

I suppose with each new year, you have the Resolutions. Mine are:

• To get a new job.
• Furnish and make our new flat lovely.
• Get married and be a good husband.
• Start another new business.

God knows if I will complete any of them, but then again I completed all my last years one’s!

A Happy New Year to all people that read this blog, I hope 2008 is prosperous for all.

The Referee’s A W****r

Posted by Matt under General, Update

This weekend I was asked to referee a football match for the 2nd Team of my club. £30 would see me ref the whole 90 minutes in the freezing cold…….but I’ll come to that later.

On Friday night myself and Katie with friends; Lauren, Cheg and Graeme took to Southend for a chinese, knowing full well it was statistically the busiest night of the year for Christmas parties (some blond bird on GMTV told me this). We were lucky, we chose the place that myself and Katie held our Engagement Party and it was dead quiet, perhaps other people knew something we didnt (cats in the Egg Foo Yung?). After that, we ventured to a bar for a few Southern Comforts and then crashed out, staying up after 12am doesn’t feel as easy as it used too!

Saturday was a mixed bag, Katie had her piano re-tuned so we decided to head to the local music shop to purchase some piano song books…..and nothing else……I thought. Wandering in, we happened upon a family who were all musical genii (plural for geniuses?) who were strumming, beating, playing every instrument possible, I think it must have inspired Katie. Finding a few books with “I Will Always Love You” and “Tears In Heaven”, we ventured to the stringed section with lots of fantastic looking guitars.

A geeky looking bloke silently walks up to us and asks us for help; we kindly accept and get him to talk us through the guitars worth buying. He picks one up, plays it a little and tunes it, tells us thats the best for a beginner and plays a little ditty on it. He then proceeds to tell us he cant play guitar…..yeah and I don’t own a blog. The sales magic (or lack thereof) and Katie’s smiling little face persuaded me to give in and buy a guitar for both myself and Katie to learn, hopefully making our home a musical home when we eventually move in.

Sunday was of course Ref day. Arriving in all back, I went over to the pitch, received a ribbing from all my friends who played on the team that asked me to ref and waited for the opposing team to turn up….and waited and waited. Then struts over a coloured guy with a bunch of misfits behind him, 10 minutes late and grinning from ear to ear. We shake hands and attempt to get the match underway.

Little did I know they were a community team, full of migrants, ex-convicts and weird indiviudals. To be fair, they were completely fine bar a bald guy threatening to punch a guy from the home team and the extra fat goalkeeper who kept blaming the ball for his 3 yard kickouts. The game went smoothly, the home team winning 12-2 and my hands almost black with frostbite.

Later in the evening it was over to church again and singing carols, it’s a lovely church, but I must admit but it’s got it’s fair share of “different” people.