0906.30 HORIZONS

It's the end of June and I have loads of things coming up on the horizon.

This week (Friday) is my 10th wedding anniversary, it's a date we've both been planning since just after we were married. Initially we planned to celebrate in Vegas (maybe even renewing our vows), then because of financial constraints we downgraded to a weekend in London, perhaps taking in a West End show. Now with it being upon us and the final reality check kicking in we have decided to go out for the evening to our favourite restaurant followed by getting hammered in Rotherham town centre (I'm just an old romantic).

Next week it's my eldest daughter's 13th birthday when she can officially take up the mantle of 'teenager' (something she's trained hard to be). We are in the process of organising a celebration for her for.

Next August will see our annual pilgrimage to Wales, something which will finally give me a chance to relax during what has become a stressful year.

0906.29 MICHAEL JACKSON

Unless you live in a cave you can't fail to have heard about the death of pop star Michael Jackson. It's had a huge effect on our lives here since Morticia is a HUGE fan and has been so since she was about 3 years old.

I did see him live in concert about 12 years ago at Don Valley Stadium and as a 'non-fan' really enjoyed the show. I'm getting fed up with the constant news feed on rolling news stations such as Sky News, how much longer can they waffle on for?

0906.14 READ ALL ABOUT IT

This week saw torrential rain in Sheffield causing havoc and giving everyone flashbacks to the devastating floods of 2007. Wednesday night and the rain suddenly came down, the shear volume meant that the drains couldn't cope. This lead to flash floods. Luckily the rain subsided and things improved later on.

As a result of all this I found myself (and a colleague) on the front page of the local newspaper the next day.

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I'd like to say well done to all the girls who did the Race for Life today in ais of Cancer Research. In particular my Morticia and Harlz. Morticia did the race knowing the consequences to her physical well being and did really well.

Congratulations to them both and a big thank you to all those who sponsored them both.

0906.13 DOWNGRADES

Next month I'm due for an upgrade with my mobile phone supplier, Three. I've checked their current range of handsets and to say I'm disappointed would be an understatement. The only handset that would technically be an 'upgrade' would be the Nokia N96. Morticia is due her upgrade at the same time and there is nothing I can see suitable for her.

It seems that '3' are throwing all their eggs into the Skype basket and ignoring the wider market place. Surely this is going to hurt them. I for one (and Morticia for 2) will be voting with our feet.

I am now faced with waiting out my contract so I can get something decent from one of the other networks. I'm fancying the HTC Magic Android phone on Vodafone at the moment. It's so frustrating!

0906.06 AMBASADOR SPOCK

Collectormania is something I've attended for some years now. When I heard Leonard Nimoy was one of the guests I knew I had to be there. Unfortunately I' d completely forgotten about it until Mr C text me this morning asking what time I wanted picking up. Luckily I'd not planned anything else so off we went accompanied by the 'other' Ian.

We arrived late (around lunchtime) which meant that all the queue tickets for Mr Nimoy had been handed out. My heart sank, all this way for nothing. There was no other guest that I wanted to meet so it seemed like I'd wasted my day. Still, I made the best of it, looking at the dealer stalls at all the merchandise that I'd probably buy if I was a single man (that's the sacrifice us marrieds make). We mealed at a nearby Asda (£2.80 for Cornish pasty, chips and a large Diet Coke!) and returned to the event to see if there was any chance of joining that queue.

The guy running Mr Nimoy's queue said that they may open up the queue at 16:00 if it had gone down significantly. At 15:50 it was announced that they would be issuing further tickets for the queue, we were stood next to the guy that said this so got some of the first tickets issued. We jumped straight into the line and shortly after this happened.....

Photography or videoing wasn't permitted but I wasn't going to be without my picture of 'authenticity' so I set my camera to record video whilst it was slung arround my neck.

It was only a few seconds but I shook his hand and we exchanged pleasantries. That was everything that I'd hoped for.

What an experience for any Star Trek fan!