Truck Stop: About stuff I like.
Things I like in general...
I wrote this in 2000. It's not been updated since so take it as an old document.
As of the 10th of August, this page is nearly finished but don't
expect to see a complete web page yet!.
I have finally given in and written a page about stuff I like. Since it has
taken me about six years to do this you probably can't expect much in the
way of coherence. Like the rest of the site I will just chuck it all in
together and see how it comes out. I doubt it will tell you that much about
me, there's a few wrong things in here deliberately and a few things missed
out - I guess I can never get over being a security consultant!
I know pages like this are sad and nobody ever reads them but I am bored.
Anyway, next time people ask me what sort of music I like, or what my
favourite film is, I can just point them here so in the long run it saves
me having to think which is an excellent thing.
It is unlikely there will be much consistency on this page, different
sections will get a different approach. I like lists sometimes, I like
straight prose sometimes so I guess they will just mingle.
Books:
I can't really be bothered to put them in order so the following are a
pretty random selection, along with some occasional narrative. I am not
going to point you at Amazon or anything to try and make a few extra
cents, to be honest their affiliate scheme must be one of the crappest
in the business and anyway, their "one click ordering" case was just
plain silly. If you want to buy books, go to
http://www.abebooks.com/ instead.
Non-fiction:
- The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara.
Technically this should count as fiction but I think it's generally
granted that the sources are good enough to count it as a dramatisation
of fact. It is an account of the battle of Gettysburg but also a very good
account of the time that the battle was set in. It explains what the American
Civil War was about in a way that undoubtably isn't explained in American
school History, it explains the British involvement in the war and in that
era of history in a way I never realised was the case and most of all
it describes an incredible war. This book is required reading at
Westpoint which says a lot.
- Cassandra at His Funniest and Finest.
In my opinion, the finest columnist to have ever written for a newspaper.
I suspect I picked up a lot of my writing style from him, or maybe I just
like to think that...
- Clarkson on Cars, by Jeremy Clarkson.
The man has become a bit of a cult figure and with it has become overly
pompous and tedious. However, his early writings are excellent and he is
actually a very good writer. Well worth a read.
- Any of the Henry Root books.
He has produced quite a few now, and all are wonderful. He spends his life
writing seemingly innocent but usually heavily pisstaking letters to
Authority figures and then collecting the letters and the replies in books.
- Soul of a New Machine, by Tracy Kidder.
This is the book that moved me from electronics to computers. It is a
book that in reality should be tediously boring. A team of engineers
from Data General are trying to build a new 32 bit computer to compete
with the VAX and it is the story of them. Kidder does a very good job
of making the book fun, readable and quite exciting. Considering I had
no idea what a VAX was when I first read this and I have been a VAX systems
manager now for over 10 years it was an interesting one to re-read.
- Lt. Col. Oreste Pinto's Spycatcher books.
One of my heros, the finest interrogator ever. Caught more spies in WW2
than anyone. These are real life stories which makes them all the more
interesting but at the same time you can't really help being amazed by
Pinto... Well, I can't anyway.
- Liar's Poker & Money Culture, both by Michael Lewis.
Liar's Poker is the story of how Lewis made his millions on Wall
Street and in London and is basically the story of the trading
frenzy of the 80's, the creation of the junk bond and other
such odd things. Money culture is a collection of essays about
money and the people who make and lose it, it is well worth a
read and quite worrying in parts.
- Anything by Bill Bryson.
A "travel writer" but one who writes from a very personal perspective.
He's become very popular but that's probably because he's good. Notes
From a Small Island is very insightful about the British and the
followup from the Americas equally interesting.
- Masters & Johnston, Suzie Bright and DSM IV.
Well, they are just fun!
Fiction:
Ummmm, this one isn't easy. My favourite fiction author is
Martin Millar
by a long way. Dreams of Sex and Stagediving and Milk, Suplhate and Alby
Starvation being my favourites. I am trying to talk him into writing a book
about Lara Croft and Fairys but he hasn't done so yet.
The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery is an amazing book. If more
people read and took notice of this, I suspect life would be a lot
happier for them all. Whilst we are on this one, I'd like to add Peter
Pan (J.M. Barrie), Never Ending Story (Michael Ende) and The Wizard of Oz
(L. Frank Baum) - All in book form, forget the movies on these ones.
I like quite a bit
of horror, Brian Lumley's first vampire series was good and I have to admit
to liking Anne Rice's vampire series too. Stephen King used to be good though
he went through a weird phase of writing about authors that was a bit weird.
Tom Sharpe is an amazing author, everything he has written has had me in
fits of giggles; the South African ones are just lovely. Jerome K Jerome's
"3 men" books (3 Men In a Boat and 3 Men On a Bummel) must be over 100
years old now but seem to be as insightful as they ever were.
Tom Clancy is good, though I am convinced he still works for the CIA in
public relations. Patriot games and the follow ups have probably done more
good in clearing the CIA's name and making them look like the good guys than
anything else ever would have. I like Agatha Christie and probably strangely
lots of kids thrillers such as the Three Investigators, the Hardy Boys and
(ok, so it's sad!) Enid Blyton's various series. I like Forsyth, Ludlum and
Maclean, but they all write too much to keep up. Robert Harris is brilliant,
so far he's done Fatherland, Enigma and Archangel each one superb. I suspect
he's actually in my top 3 authors. I have never read anything else by Terrence
Strong but if you see it and are in anyway interested in either bomb disposal
or the Irish situation then read The Tick Tock Man. Thomas Harris (no relation
to Robert, I assume) with his Silence of the Lambs books is also worth reading,
the books are better than the films (psychiatrically) as well.
Ummm, some others... Conan Doyle, I like... John Wyndam I like. Sue Townsend,
I have to admit, I ususually find amusing oh, and I like the Larson "Far Side"
cartoons and whoever writes Bloom County too. Aaaah, and don't forget Peanuts!
John Hegley's poetry is jolly oh, and I also like Ben Elton's books for some
reason!
Another sad admission... I love "books for women temps to read on trains".
Bridget Jones Diary got me started on these, Catherine Alliot's books
made me decide to try others and Freya North's books made me decide that
some of these "crappy women's books" were actually really good and really
well written. I can't see me ever quite reading a Mills and Boone but I
have read a Black Lace book once because it was written by a friend.
I don't much like Science Fiction but there are a few I have read and
have liked. Harry Harrison's stuff is usually good, especially the Stainless
Steel Rat. Asimov, I like pretty much all of, same with Arthur C Clarke.
Fredrick Pohl I like but I think he's more political than SF anyway. I
keep meaning to find the "Unorthadox Engineer" book I half read once but
I can't remember who it's by now.
I am bored of prose now, so have a list of various others I do really like.
- Oliver - Dickens
- The Secret Agent - Conrad
- The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks (though I was never too impressed with
everything else of his)
- Smilla's Feeling for Snow.
- Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.
- Harper Lee - To Kill a mockingbird.
Films:
Order in this one means nothing, I just popped down what I thought of.
- Dances With Wolves (i)
- Cliffhanger (i)
- Safe House (i)
- Last Action Hero (i)
- All the Karate Kid films, they are great for classic quotes but cheezey as hell.. Ace! (i)
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the film) (i)
- Grease (i)
- The Black Hole (i)
- The Star Trek Films with Captain Kirk blowing things up (i)
- Most Steven Segal films, even "Hard to Kill" (i)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (i)
- Field of Dreams (probably my favourite film) (i)
- Top Gun (i)
- Airwolf (i)
- Indiana Jones (all of them) (i)
- James Bond (again, all of them) (i)
- Mars Attacks (Tom Jones makes a wonderful world saving hero!) (i)
- Heat (top 5 one this one) (i)
- Ronin (i)
- Being There (another top 5) (i)
- Dougal and the Blue Cat (i)
- True Lies (i)
- First Blood (i)
- Silence of the Lambs (i)
- Analyze This (i)
- St Elmos Fire (i)
- Flatliners (i)
- Natural Born Killers (i)
- Batman (especially Batman and Robin for some reason!) (i)
- Michael (i)
- Apocalypse Now (i)
- The Name of the Rose (i)
- Nikita (i)
- The Assassin (US: Point of No Return) (i)
- The Untouchables (i)
- Highlander (i)
- Children of the Corn (i)
- The Wicker Man (Drool... Brit!) (i)
- The Crying Game (i)
- Dead Poets Society (i)
- Fisher King (i)
- Patch Adams (must be a top 5 or 10) (i)
- Muriel's Wedding (top 5!) (i)
- The Wedding Singer (i)
- Bride of Chucky (top 10, I admit, I love it) (i)
- Bram Stoker's Dracula (i)
- Wargames (i)
- Stand by Me (i)
- Ferris Bueller's Day Off (i)
- Seven (if only to watch Brad Pitt try and hold a pistol) (i)
- Day of the Woman (or I spit on your Grave) (i)
- The Lost Boys (i)
- South Park, the movie (i)
- Rugrats, the movie. (i)
- Wings of Desire (i)
- City of Angels (i)
- Columbo movies (spot the thought stream in those last ones?) (i)
- Leon (Have I run out of top 5's?) (i)
- The Fifth Element (i)
- Pink Floyd The Wall (i)
- Mummy (i)
- The Big Blue (i)
- Austin Powers (i)
- 8mm (i)
- Face Off (i)
- Taxi Driver (i)
- Angel Heart (i)
- The Italian Job (i)
- Men In Black (i)
- Tank Girl (well it's fun)(i)
- Friday the 13th, all of them (i)
- The Living Dead films (i)
- Halloween (all) (i)
- Nightmare on Elm Street (all) (i)
- Scream (all) (i)
- Scary Movie (i)
- The Exorcist (i)
- Red Sonja (i)
- Flesh and Blood (i)
- The Hitcher (i)
- Schindlers List (i)
- Cold Dog Soup (i)
- Booty Call (I have no idea why!)(i)
- Cavegirl Island (i)
- Bang! (i)
- Arlington Road (Odd ending for an American film). (i)
- Girl Interrupted. (i)
- M.A.S.H (i)
- Titanic (for the effects) (i)
- Independence Day (ditto) (i)
- The Mask of Zorro (i)
- Runaway Car (a must see!) (i)
- Spies like Us (i)
- Caddyshack and Caddyshack 2 (i)
- American Beauty (i)
- The Green Mile (i)
- American Ninja (ok, ok, don't ask, please!) (i)
- The Brylcreem Boys (you won't have heard of it, you must watch it) (i)
- Left Luggage (i)
- Heathers (i)
- Lucas (i)
- Beetlejuice (i)
- Edward Scissorhands (i)
- All the Alien Films (i)
- When the Wind Blows (i)
- Westworld (i)
- The Fog (i)
- Scary Movie 2 (blame the IRA, not me!)(i)
- Flatliners (i)
- One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (i)
- American Pie (i)
- Porky's (so I was young!) (i)
- Sliding Doors (do I have top 10 room still?) (i)
- Close to Eden (i)
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (i)
- Elizabeth (i)
- Fight Club (i)
- Mississipi Burning (i)
- Patriot Games (i)
- Crimson Tide (i)
- Shawshank Redemption (i)
- The Bone Collector (i)
- Metropolis (i)
- Fantasia (i)
- Uncle Buck (i)
- The Big Lebowski (i)
- Dogma (i)
- Shallow Grave (i)
- Shooting Fish (i)
- Lock Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels (i)
- The Full Monty (i)
- O Brother, Where Art Thou? (How about a top 15?) (i)
- Lawrence of Arabia (a top erm... 7 now?) (i)
- Tomb Raider (for the plotline, of course!) (i)
- Smilla's Feeling for Snow (also in books) (i)
- Cannibal The Musical (do I have room in the top 3?)
(i)
- Shrek! (i)
- The Princess Bride (i)
- When The Wind Blows (i)
- Threads (i)
- Amelie (i)
- Last Action Hero (i)
- XXX (i)
Telly programmes:
- Neighbours!
- Does Doug Know?
- Jerry Springer
- Stargate (the later, more sarcastic ones)
- Pretty much any Jerry Springer type show
- Crown Court
- Grange Hill
- Some Dr Whos, though lots were boring
- Some Star Treks, though I have no idea which is which and what they are about
- Agua Na Boule, however you spell it
- The A-Team
- Airwolf
- Knight Rider
- Petrachelli
- Lou Grant
- Starsky & Hutch
- Streets of San Francisco
- Hill Street Blues
- Quincy
- The Rockford Files
- That bloke who I thought used to be in Manimal (but who wasn't because that
was Simon MacCorkindale and not Scott Backula, thank you very much Jodi who
made me correct this, mutter) who leaps around with his hologram called Al
(it seems it's called Quantum Leap)
- The Tweenies and Teletubbies
- Most crappy 911, 999, police stop, incredible shootout chasing rescue type things.
- Keeping up Appearances
- That thing with 2 teams where they try to be funny. Erm, Buzzcocks, that's it.
- Mrs Merton
- So Graham Norton
- Monkey
- Dukes of Hazzard
- The Fall Guy
- The 6 Million Dollar Man
- Zorro
- Columbo
Adverts:
- Budweiser: frogs and lizard and the big bottle in the desert one... Ummm, damn, and the one with the ant nest and the anteater.
- For mash gets smashed.
- Most Tango ones.
- Letsbuyit.com (I have no idea how they can afford them, they can't make a penny!)
- Super noodles
- The current "White Stuff" milk adverts and the old Humpferys Milk Adverts which I
still think were a conspiracy by the Milk Marketing Board to make kids steal milk
from doorsteps so that people would have to buy more. It certainly worked for me,
nicked milk tastes so much better than the school milk that was just about to be
stopped for ever anyway.
- Ikea - Chuck out your chintz then chuck out your partner
- Hamlet cigars
- Bounty, the stronger soaker upper...
- Carling Black Label
- Boddingtons
- Castlemain XXXX
- McDonalds (the Indian Takeaway pisstake and the money saver adverts)
- The John Smiths Man ones
- Egg Card ones
- Walkers Crisps (Ok, I admit it)
Cartoons:
- Rugrats
- Peanuts
- Scooby Doo
- Simpsons
- Futurama
- Pinky and the Brain (though I hate to admit it)
- Top Cat
- South Park
- Jamie and the Magic Torch
- Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings
- Dangermouse
Music:
As you have probably gathered, my tastes are weird, especially
musically so, rather than try and list things I will create what
would be on my perfect extra long CD.
- Don't like Mondays, Boomtown Rats
- Copperhead Road, Steve Earle
- Oh so quiet, Bjork
- Top of the World, Carpenters
- Be Sure to Wear Sunscreen, Baz Lurhmann
- Laughing Gnome, Bowie
- Burning Times, Cristy Moore
- Connection, Elastica
- Whats Up, Four None Blondes
- Jilted John, Jilted John
- Big Yellow Taxi, Joni Mitchell
- The Circle Game, Joni Mitchell
- Coward of the County, Kenny Rogers
- Suzanne, Leonard Cohen
- Grendel, Marillion
- Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep, Middle of the Road
- Elvis is Everywhere, Mojo Nixon
- From a Distance, Nancy Griffith
- The Charge, New Model Army
- Back in Baby's Arms, Patsy Cline
- Rock 'n Roll Nigger, Patti Smith
- Free Four, Pink Floyd
- Mother, Pink Floyd
- Beat on the Brat, Ramones
- King of the Road, Roger Miller
- Sunscreen, Baz Lurhmann
- Two little Boys, Rolf Harris
- Tie me Kangaroo Down, Rolf Harris
- Whispering Grass, Sandy Denny
- Friggin' in the Riggin, Sex Pistols
- My Way, Sex Pistols
- Silent Night, Simon and Garfunkle
- The Boxer, Simon and Garfunkle
- Wednesday Morning 3am, Simon and Garfunkle
- Babylons Burning, The Ruts
- The Highwayman, Willie Nelson & others
- Labelled with Love, Squeeze
- The Wild Ones, Suede
- If I were a Rich Man, Fiddler on the Roof
- Turkish Rondo, Mozart
- Baby Elephant Walk, Henry Mancini
- Harlem Nocturne, various, not sure what version yet
- I talk to the Trees, Paint your Wagon (Clint Eastwood)
- Nellie the Elephant, Toy Dolls
- Rawhide, Blues Brothers Band
- Camouflage, Stan Ridgeway
- Danse Russe, Swan Lake
- Theme from Swan Lake, Swan Lake
- Figaro, Barber of Seville
- Hebrew Slaves, Nabbuco
- Rhapsody on a theme by paganini, Rachmaninov
- Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, ACDC
- One Hand in my Pocket, Alanis Morrisette
- Freedom, Alice Cooper
- Only Women Bleed, Alice Cooper
- Copacabana, Barry Manilow (ok, I admit it, aliens made me do it!)
- Yesterday, Beatles
- Eleanor Rigby, Beatles
- Ode to Joy, Beethoven
- Stand by Me, Ben King
- Wanted, Dead or Alive, Bon Jovi
- Minnie the Moocher, Cab Calloway
- Devil went down to Georgia, Charlie Daniels Band
- Ticky Ticky Time Bomb, Chumbawamba
- Tub Thumping, Chumbawamba
- American Pie, Don McLean
- The saxaphoney one, ah yea, Your Latest Trick, Dire Straits
- Preacher Man, Dusty Springfield
- Candle in the Wind, Elton John (though not after that crap he did for Di's funeral)
- The Final Countdown, Europe
- Killing me Softly, Fugees
- In the Mood, Glen Miller
- In the Hall of the Mountain King, Grieg
- Knocking on Heavens Door, Guns 'n Roses
- Cats in the Cradle, Harry Chapin
- I can see clearly now, Jimmy Cliff
- St Elmos Fire, John Parr
- Walk on the Wild Side, Lou Reed
- What a Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong
- Earth Song, Michael Jackson (I know, I know!)
- Beat It, Michael Jackson (better?)
- Someone in the Dark, Michael Jackson
- Don't Cry for me, Argentina, Madonna
- Every Sperm is Sacred, Monty Python
- Bright Side of Life, Monty Python
- The Lion Sleeps Tonight, Lion King version
- Requiem, all of it, Mozart
- Phantom of the Opera main theme, whoever
- 99 Luftballons, Nena
- Ride of the Valkyrie, Wagner
- Sitting on the Dock of the Bay, Otis Reading
- Rhythm of the Saints, Paul Simon
- Go West, Village People (or maybe Pet Shop Boys)
- YMCA, Village People
- On the Turning Away, Pink Floyd
- Fairytale of New York, Pogues
- Common People, Pulp
- Every Breath you take, Police
- I believe I can Fly, R Kelly (no comment, I like it!)
- Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen
- Give it Away, Red Hot Chilli Peppers
- Cotton Eye Joe, Rednex (only once a month though!)
- What's the Frequency Kenneth, REM (hate everything else)
- I'm Too Sexy, Right Said Fred
- Stay, Shakespeare's Sister
- All I wanna do, Sheryl Crow
- Nothing compares 2 u, Sinead O Connor
- 2 Become 1, Spice Girls (shudder)
- Luka, Suzanne Vega
- Tom's Diner, Suzanne Vega
- Take me to the River, Talking Heads
- Not Unusual, Tom Jones
- Horses, Tori Amos
- Fast Car, Tracy Chapman
- Rat in the Kitchen, UB40
- Still haven't found what I'm lookign for, U2
- Bitter Sweet Symphony, The Verve
- Brown Eyed Girl, Van Morrison
- Wake me up before you Go Go, Wham
- Last Christmas, Wham (oi, I like it!)
- The Marvelous Toy, various
- Never Met a Nice South African, Spitting Image
- Got to Pick a Pocket or two, Oliver
- Poisoning Pigeons in the Park, Tom Lehrer
- Mambo Number 5, Perez Prado
- Macarena, those old blokes
- We all stand together, Paul McCartney and the Frogs Chorus
- Me and Bobby McGee, either version will do
- Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz, Janis Joplin
- The Auctioneer, Leroy Van Dyke
- Kevin Bloody Wilson (well, everything, nearly!)
- They're coming to take me away, ha haa, Dr Demento
- That Christmas thing by Bing Crosby and David Bowie
- Blowin' in the Wind, Peter, Paul and Mary
- Amore, Dean Martin
Games:
I can't play computer games at all. I don't have the required mentality and I hate
losing to a computer. This means that this is actually a short and full and complete
list of games I like.
- MIST
- MUD (Essex)
- AberMUD (Soton)
- J K Greye's 3D Monster Maze
- Adventure
- Hunt the Wumpus
- Gyruss
- Moon Cresta
- Redneck Rampage
- Blackjack on my Palm Pilot
- Leisure Suit Larry
- Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy (adventure game)
- Assylum
- Day of the Tentacle
- Tomb Raider, though only for Lara, I can't play it.
- Boot Hill
- That one in fairgrounds where you shoot models of hillbillies
- Any penny/2p falls machine
Heros:
I am not sure I have many heros as such, but there are people I admire and
try and steal a bit of for myself
- Captain James T. Kirk: None of this modern intellectual Star Trek crap,
he just beamed in there, killed the aliens, shagged their women and went on
to another planet. What a man!
- Quincy (MD): Idealist and the 1st of the out and out TV swingers...
A different woman in every episode, sometimes more than one at once too.
what a chap.
- Petrachelli: Another idealist... The only TV lawyer I could ever really
have any respect for, he saves the rest of them from complete hatred.
- Columbo: Admittedly, fictional but still brilliant. Well ok, let's get
off the law and order side for a while...
- The Saint: No, not Val Kilmer in the film, the one in the books thanks.
- Raffles: The Gentleman Thief - Grand chap! And The Scarlet Pimpernel too.
- Lewis Armistead: A distant relation, the only Confederate General to
have a memorial at Gettysberg. He sounded quite deranged really.
- Lt. Col. Oreste Pinto: The original Spycatcher. Probably history's
greatest interrogator and probably never used a rubber hosepipe in his
life. If you can get them, his books are well worth reading.
- Zola Budd: Well I was madly in love with her in the 80's - She was
used by the press, dragged into politics and in the end, she really just
wanted to run and did it very well. An accidental hero maybe but a good one.
- Jonny Morris: He talked to Animals on telly, and they talked back. If
I was on TV, I would want to have his old job.
- Jonny Ball: Ok, maybe I would want to be Jonny Ball instead. Mind you
they are both pretty similar really.
- Rod Serling: The Grand Master of television. Well maybe Bellisario too
but Rod looks better and came first.
- The Colonel in Stargate SG1: He's rude, he's mostly insubordinate, he
has a nice line in sarcasm and he has a big gun. What more could you want?
- Stalin: An odd choice of hero, but you have to admit, he did have a way
of getting what he wanted!
- Maggie Thatcher: I probably shouldn't list her after Stalin but hey.
She knew her own mind and acted on it. Probably the last great British
leader we will ever see. I may not have liked her much but is that a
requirement of a hero?
Shops:
- Ikea
- Ikea
- Ikea
- Homebase
- Makro
- Harrods
- Tesco
- Barnet Gun Shop
- The Gadget Shop
- Innovations
- Moist
- Camden Lock Market (well ok, it's not a shop)
- Wal Mart (from a sociological viewpoint, honest!)
- Ikea
- Shops that sell tractors
- Weird military surplus shops
Food and drink:
- Fish, chips, peas and gravy, with a steak pudding on top
- Pies, chips, peas and gravy
- Roast beef dinners
- Roast lamb dinners
- Double egg, chips and sausages, bacon and black pudding... With toast
- Egg butties, preferably from Ainsleys
- McDonald's Quarter Pounders with cheese, plain with potato wedges
- Kentucky Fried Chicken
- Salty spicy ribs
- Beef jerky
- Poutine
- Tostas Mistas (apologies for Portuguese spelling)
- Ikea meatballs
- Lobster
- Rare fillet steaks
- Most steaks drowned in garlic butter
- Scraps
- British Rail Breakfast Brunch Muffins (no tomato though!)
- Baked potato with cheese and egg mayo
- Cheez Wizz, Easy Cheese, Dairylea, Primula, very mature cheddar and white stilton
- Pork Scratchings
- Nescafe
- Blue Mountain
- Earl Gray and Lady Gray
- Darjeeling
- Typhoo tea
- Orange Tango
- Nice vodkas, straight up, cold
- Nice whiskys, preferably cask strength, not cold
- Pussers Rum
- Bitters and Soda
- Reef
- Lemon Hooch
- Metz
- Properly made vodka martinis, no olive
- Proper fruit punch from the Caribbean
- Tagiatelli with cheesey sauces and ham
- Lindt dark chocolate, sometimes
- Tescos organic hot chocolate
- Weetabix
- Shreddies
- Hot weetabix on hot buttered toast
- Poached eggs on hot buttered toast
- Scampi and chips
- Mash butties
- Toast and marmite
- Toast and lemon curd
- Game soup
- Toast, done in the Portugese way
Favourite Eating or drinking places:
- Ikea
- Most BP Truck Stops
- Chicago Meatpackers (so what if it shut in the UK in 1993)
- Lancashire fish and chip shops
- Yorkshire fish and chip shops, sometimes...
- Cafe Ness
- Some little cafe in Montreal that does nice omlettes and poutine
- Lone Star (all you can eat lobster!)
- Pizza Express
- Kentucky Fried Chicken
- Starburger, sometimes and Wimpy, sometimes
- The burger van outside the big petfood place that doesn't poison you
- The burger van outside BT Eaton Court
- Thai Orchid in Oxford
- Little Chef, sometimes... Well, ok, rarely...
- Bryan's Chippy in Leeds
- Harry Ramsdens, but not the franchises!
- The Crypt in Oxford that shut down as well, bastards!
Ikea items:
- Just about everything except the cheapy crappy smelly stuff.
Cars and the like:
- Jaguar XJS, preferably with TWR modifications.
- Anything by Lotus (except maybe
Jon's one, I like a roof!)
- Audi S8/A8, but only the 4.2 Quattro
- Volvo 850 T5 or T5R
- Any Ferrari
- The Mercedes S500 and the big old Mercedes coupes
- The BMW 7 Series
- The Audi A8
- The Fiat Punto (ok, I like it, I don't know why!)
- The new Beetle in purple (I originally hated it, I really did)
- Land Rover, old series
- The Ford F-150 and above
- The Smart Car (don't ask!)
- Unimogs
- The Scorpion "tank"
- Bedford MK's
- Rover SDI's though only 3.5 litre V8's
- Bentley Continental R
- Jaguar XJR
- The Vauxhall Senator, new shape, 3.0 CDI
Stuff:
- Colour: Purple
- Pot noodle: Beef and tomato
- Knives: The Fairburn Skyes, Gerber, Benchmade, and Cold Steel
- Handguns: The SIG-Sauer P226, Baretta 92F, Browning High Power and
for prettiness the S&W Model 625
- Other guns: Any Gatling, Metal Storm and the Heckler & Koch MP5
- Motorway: The M10
- Cities: Paris, Lisbon, Oxford, York and maybe Bath
- Webpages: http://www.ebay.com/
and http://pageoftheday.com/
- Train journey: Either London to Leeds, 1st class or Leeds to Blackburn.
- Place in England: West Highlands.
- Canned drink: Vimto
- Rollercoaster: The Big Dipper (what else!?)
- World War 2 Warbirds: The Hurricane
- Martial Art: Definately Meikdo, then ummm, probably Jiu Jitsu or real Ninjitsu whetever that is
- Tractor: Ford, I think
- Sexual Position: A "Trucker's Salad" at Truckstop always wins.
- Lollipop flavour: Vimto
- Best 1st date: Supper at South Mimms Truckstop
- Mobile phone: The Nokia 6250, the Nokia 7110, even though they can't write user interfaces to save their lives! After that, the 6150.
- Cordial: Vimto
- McDonalds: Plain quarter pounder with cheese and potato wedges, please
- Minicomputer: The Prime 2250. It makes a beautiful kitchen surface.
- Knot: The Bowline, of course. What else? Maybe tied off with a figure 8
for good measure.
Michael Lawrie's 'Lorry' homepage. Email: lorry@lorry.org