I tend to have found that even a year and a half after leaving the place, I have gravitated back to my place of university education, Loughborough, on a pretty regular basis. Once again this was demonstrated by a trip at the end of last week that has meant I swapped part of the week for pretty much the whole of my weekend. It’s 1.30am on a Sunday and I’ve just stopped working. Mike and Swan met me in The Bridge and we took off via car to the ‘Boro for what was billed as probably the last time we’ll do it, at least for a good while. Although student nights out are very funny, cheap and a good place to catch up, they are also not aimed at people who are no longer students. Most of the people we know are now gone, and over the two nights up there, we saw a handful of people we knew, but soon enough another generation will have passed completely through. It was good to make the most of the last crumbs of studenthood while it lasted though. I got back on Friday and went for a brief drink with Will who appears to be really enjoying his time on placement. On Saturday it was yet another Multipack meet up and Stu, Trev, Matt and myself graced Lloyd’s on Broad Street for a couple of hours. Aside from these few hours with friends, the rest of time has been firmly planted in front of reams of code. Of note, 24 Ways have been producing some really nice articles this year (on the most part) and the iPlayer has been updated (Stu – the question is, will I write about it…?). This whole Mac thing is getting easier every week. I've got quite a lot to think about in the coming days; it’s going to be a busy one.

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The Multipack site has been in need of some attention for a while, and although we often discuss it at meetings, not much ever seems to change – we’re all too busy to do anything about it.

It took most of Saturday, a pub lunch, plenty of peanuts, quavers, beer and diet coke, but we’ve made some in roads into the code side of things. Tasked with design, Gaz, Owen and myself got the basics nailed down pretty quickly, but the final design was a little less forthcoming.

Despite having the whole day to take photos, I totally forgot, so you’ll have to rely on everyone else. We were based up in the Custard Factory at the new offices of One Black Bear and spent a lot of time swimming in mac paraphernalia – there isn’t much else in there.

Anyway, there is progress, as yet not that tangible, but it’s a good start.

With regard to the rest of the weekend – I went for a drink with Jon and Rosie on Friday in a pub I didn’t know existed, then on Saturday bumped into another John back from university while getting onto the train.

I got asked to be in a TV documentary this week, but have turned it down. Such are the pressures of life on the famous and well-loved.

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So Sister Two is at university as of this week… how did that happen? Only ten minutes ago she was 4 or something. How quickly time flies.

I spent a good portion of this week in pubs (although not necesserily drinking). Jon and I went for a steak on Thursday to talk over a bit of business (and the steak really was a ridiculous size – mine nearly killed me; and you think I’m joking). Then on the Friday, Gwyz, Henry and I headed to Will’s new flat in Pedmore for his housewarming. I ended up cycling home on Will’s bike at 3am, but have no idea why.

Yesterday was Multipack September. A good little gathering at a place called The Old Joint Stock (where I will most certainly be visiting again) and another pub called The Old Contemptibles. It’s funny I’d not been to either before, but they’re one hell of an lot nicer than the Broad St boozers.

Attendance comprised of myself, Matt, Owen, Gareth, Ross and eventually Charles, and for the first time the subject of US politics raised it’s head during food – not a usual topic of conversation over the Multipack table, although then again, usually Gareth doesn’t compile a fully illustrated set of minutes in pink felttip.

Did I mention they were a good couple of pubs?

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Saturday brought with it the August Multipack and despite all my hopes of having something to show in terms of a new design for the site, events conspired against me and I didn’t manage to finish what I’d started. Hopefully this next month will prove more flexible on the weekends, but what with Devito coming back in the next couple of weeks, a photography trip on the horizon and one or two other things in the diary, I’m not sure it will.

I completely forgot to take any photos of the event, but did manage to capture the action of the beach volleyball going on in the torrential rain in Centenary Square.

I was surprised and delighted to spend 20 minutes this morning unwrapping a parcel I had forgotten about – a set of Harman/Kardon Soundsticks II that we’re one of the rewards of keeping a blog over the past few months. It’s nice to finally get rid of the big CD changer – though it’s done me good over the years, it’s a little overkill and the sound quality definitely isn’t as good as this.

In an attempt to reach a more sensible structure to my day whilst still incorporating my daily pool lengths, I arrived at the health club at 8.00am this morning only to discover my membership doesn’t start until 8.30am. I would have been annoyed had it not been for the fact nobody had yet touched the newspapers in the bar and with hardly anyone about I got a bit of solace before getting down to fitness. Which was nice.

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It has indeed been one week since I posted anything, and that wasn’t a resounding success as although Hamilton did get a podium, he didn’t win the thing. I won’t meddle in sport again.

Multipack yesterday was a decidedly petite affair, but Matt, Mark and myself had a good go at addressing the website issues and it was all very productive.

It’s been pretty full-on the past few days, and I’ve been really pushing to get a few projects flying. There’s still a list of things to do that goes off the end of the page (always annoying) and a pile of paperwork which I have to return to the bank.

There is also the added excitement of Mother having gone to Canada this week. She only left at 11am yesterday, but within 12 hours it had become perfectly apparent that the boys were left in charge as the evening meal wasn’t began until 10.30pm, and no shopping has been done. I don’t even want to know what state the house will be in by the end of the week.

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The last three days have presented me with some interesting opportunities. Not only have I been head-hunted for agency work for the whole of next week, I’ve also received a whole bundle of other creative briefs to mull over and an interesting proposition for the future. It’s all rather rosy.

In health-related news, I finally got to see the chiropractor and I’ve been feeling more vertical ever since. Apparently I needed to put some curve back in my spine, and was given the suggestion that I should do more breaststroke, which I always think is a superb idea.

The Multipack meeting happened in Birmingham yesterday, and so I only got to see odd parts of the rugby. From what I saw it looked like the same lacklustre performance we gave last week. No surprises there. Robinson and Wilkinson are in a class of their own.

We started off in Lloyds and ended up in a pub not too far from Snow Hill. Attendance was better than it might have been; weather being a limiting factor, but most people managed to brave the public transport and arrive in time for some food.

Next month the meeting comes to Stourbridge. If you’re reading this as web designer/developer/student/anyone with a vested interest in that stuff, please feel free to come along. Details here . It’s free, very informal and most of the time is spent discussing stuff over a pint.

If anyone is looking for a good album download/CD, I’m currently recommending Radio 1’s Live Lounge. There are some real gems in there (QOTSA, The Streets, The Automatic, Embrace, Orson and Arctic Monkeys’ tracks are the best of a great bunch).

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The first Multipack of 2007 was in Stafford, and despite the railway’s best effort to ensure there would be no trains going there (bus service instead) they accidentally let two services slip through the net, but it meant we all turned up an hour earlier than normal.

Happily, like all train journeys in England, there was no lack of excitement. Being there were no seats, I ended up standing in the cattle-market outside the toilet and had the immense pleasure of being the ‘door guardian’. Unfortunately for all of us, one man forgot to lock the door and flew out into the aisle to the entertainment of the entire carriage. We also had the Laurel and Hardy of the 12 year old eastern European world, who clearly list vandalism and ‘being a bit rowdy’ in their Who’s Who entry. After being told to jack it in several times by various passengers, the tone got distinctly more aggressive and I was quite glad to get of the train at Stafford. Fun fun.

Most of the usual faces showed, plus a couple of ‘rookies’, and we headed over to The Swan for beer, food and some intense discussion on attribute/element semantics and the iPhone. Later we moved to The Bear (handily close) and then another establishment (I didn’t catch the name) where we played pool until we decided to get food at Wetherspoon’s and make out way back on the station.

Ambitions for the Multipack this year are push the geek envelope, and there were plenty of discussions about getting the website in order, doing some membership pruning and organising some more events.

The train home consisted of approximately 70% drunks, and 10% police, which is always nice, and the journey climaxed at New Street with an arrest. If only life could be so exciting all the time.

In other news, I spent Friday evening scouring the web for good prices on flights to Delhi and Nepal. It should be a straight forward thing to do, but it isn’t, and comparing intercontinental flights on the net takes frickin’ ages. I think I’m nearly there though. I’m booked in for six pints of inoculations on Tuesday, and by the end of next week I’m going to look like an overused pin cushion. But it’ll all be worth it in the end.

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