Suggest the above if you don't fancy earning a cab fare home. If your flatmates are really as bad as you say then at least a spot of work/crashing their do will **** them off!

I'm doing something similar at a local Arts Centre that night. To be honest, I hate New Year's Eve and all the rot that goes with it, but it might still be worth asking round some of the pubs where you live. I'll spare you all the "it might lead to something" **** (that's what I got told about volunteering all them years ago and it hasn't), but if they're desperate for an extra hand on the night they might at least be willing to pay you in free "refreshments" and cab fare home...

The continued awfulness of Reading FC At this rate not even viagra will keep us up!

This ... especially the guest appearance by Boris Johnson near the end

I did my New Claim interview today. Advisor said nothing about UJM being mandatory, just pointed out it existed. Registered this afternoon, and it seemed to be advertising quite a few vacancies I'd already applied for elsewhere. Not impressed (but not exactly surprised either)

Ta. Landlord rang them yesterday. Unfortunately I used to work for Thames back in the late 90s and they were rubbish even then... Rang them, they claimed they'll have someone out. We'll see

Southern Gas and Thames Water. Southern Gas do some digging next door and break a water pipe. Thames Water dragging their feet about fixing it. In the meantime we've had no water for 24 hours.... not good!

Going two whole days in December without hearing a particular Slade song... Which is an achievement considering I had to play dodgems with all the Christmas shoppers in town. (Either that or I'm going deaf and couldn't hear it)

Nope, the coalition brought this one in. (Although I'm pretty sure they wish they could blame Labour for it)

The sun making a doomed, yet valiant attempt to make an appearance. Certainly makes a change from rain

Patronising so and sos at recruitment agencies... ... that's better!

jobhunting

I voted. Very nearly spoilt my card. Think it's a bit rich that a lot of money has been spent on something that hardly anyone is turning up to vote for, especially when we're constantly being told we don't have two pennies to rub together...

It's the insects I feel sorry for

Exactly. Also, this particular Poppy Fascist spends most of their days in town with his mates. Always with a can of Special Brew in their hand, and quite fond of trying to get spare change out of everyone else... Funny that!

The Reading "Poppy Fascists" Five or six years ago, these people didn't give a monkeys about the poppy, the RBL or anything it stood for. People who wouldn't last five minutes of what my Grandparents went through during WW2. I spotted one of these ********* in town in town yesterday giving somebody grief for not wearing a poppy. Who knows? Perhaps it was someone who's probably lost two or three already and can't afford to keep replacing them?

... Oops! Wrong thread [attempts to slink off quietly]

Finding out I'm going to be out of a job after next Friday. I was expecting to be let go at Xmas, but it's knowing that my boss probably knew round Thursday afternoon and got the agency to deliver the news this morning is what made me swear like a trooper Ho hum...

Probably

My trousers ripping at work this morning, as I was helping to fix someone's computer at work (Although the fact that a lot of people didn't seem to notice I had a big split down my inside leg for three whole hours made me smile)

Kelvin McKenzie demanding an apology from the Police over Hillsborough. That filthy bastard has got some brass neck

I'm not Andy Burnham's biggest fan but he deserves some thanks for doing something that many bigmouths in that so-called Labour government couldn't be bothered to do. This was an event that affected a lot of people regardless of which team they supported and it's still disgraceful that so much was covered up. I just hope this stays in the news for a little while, because there are a number of people involved in this who deserve everything that's coming to them...

There had been many warnings about Hillsborough for years, the moment the news came out that day, most football fans worked out that it was the Leppings Lane End where the deaths happened. The FA did nothing, South Yorkshire Police did nothing, Sheffield Wednesday's directors did nothing... It's about time somebody was brought to account

A republic wouldn't change a single thing, I'm afraid... Fingers crossed for your youngest

This made me swear earlier when I was watching the news... "The police have just arrived here to interview a possible witness to the french shootings today, they have asked us not to reveal her address..." Then the cameraman zooms back, revealing the number plates on the car and the very distinctive detached house. FFS!!