Mark Watson the Comedian

30 comments

1. Posted by Kathryn on July 23, 2010

   Jaffa Cakes:

   My mother has stopped buying them because we used to eat a triple pack of 36 cakes in less than 48 hours. They always must be eaten in the same way (not that I’m slightly OCD)- all around the outside, then the chocolate off the top of the orange bit, then the sponge, then the orange. Or dunked in coffee. It works, I’ve tried it. In short- magic. I’m contemplating going out and buying some right now, even though it’s almost dinner time.

   Score: 9.7/10 (they lose .3 for the fleeting feeling of guilt after eating 6 in one go).

2. Posted by David Calder on July 23, 2010

   Jorvik Viking Centre (in York) – never been, so I can’t comment. Sorry.

   Jaffa Cakes (the biscuits) – Delicious. I have a special way of eating them compared to everyone else: I take a bite, chew, then swallow. I repeat this until the whole of the cake has been devoured. Mr Kipling should take note as you get more cakes for less packaging when buying in larger quantities. The 2- or 3-packs (can’t remember how many) seem to be all packaging and no product. The Serbians are HUGE fans of Jaffa Cakes. They’re available to buy everywhere and they come in a range of flavours including cherry and lime. 10/10 (for original orange flavour)

   Coronation Street (tv series) – like any soap opera I can dip into this at any time, become interested in the storylines over a couple of weeks or more and then just as easily stop watching it without feeling I’m missing anything. 4/10

   Bicycling (the mode of transportation) – I love cycling. I’ve just spent the last year touring round Europe on my bicycle. It was a fantastic experience. There is so much I could say about how wonderful the bike is as a means of transport. However, I’ll just use this opportunity to counter/agree with some of the claims made by others elsewhere in the comments:

   1. Cycling isn’t really dangerous. In fact the more people that cycle, the safer cycling becomes. This is worth a read: http://www.ctc.org.uk/resources/Campaigns/CTC_Safety_in_Numbers.pdf

   2. I agree that cyclists should stick to the rules of the road. There is an argument for setting off early at traffic lights (ie before they turn green) to avoid being swamped by traffic but I don’t agree with it personally.

   3. No such thing as road tax. It’s called Vehicle Excise Duty and it isn’t used to pay for the roads anyway. That comes from general taxation. And anway, why would you want to put people off cycling when it saves the country money: http://www.bikebiz.com/news/32292/Sustrans-puts-case-for-cycling-as-DfT-freezes-spending

   4. Cycling isn’t painful and doesn’t leave you hot and sweaty if you have the right bike and wear the right gear. Just ask these girls: http://www.flickr.com/photos/67276243@N00/4794305283/

   5. Helmets – a flimsy piece of polystyrene is not going to protect you when a car hits you. They’re only designed to protect you against the most minor of bumps to the head. You don’t wear a helmet while walking and yet you’re just as likely to get hit by a car when crossing the road as when cycling along it.

   6. Cars – yes they’re dangerous if they hit you and so the best way forward is proper, Dutch-style, segregated cycling infrastructure. Not painting a line down a pavement and calling it a bike lane – but proper bike lanes that are smooth as the road and have a proper beginning, middle and end. Just spend a week cycling in Netherlands to see what I mean!

   Oh, I could go on and I’ve probably alienated more people than I hope to attract to the world of cycling with my ranting, but I do consider myself both a motorist and a cyclist and I think the two can live in perfect harmony. Cycling is just the easiest way to get around.

3. Posted by Seamus on July 21, 2010

   Jaffa Cakes: They are cakes, it even says so in the name! Oh, and they go hard when they go stale, not soft like biscuits. Is that my second pedantic V.L.R. opening in a row? I think it is, leaving me just one left before I am taken away to be made slightly less obsessed with little details. Anyway, I like them. I used to like them even more, but I made the mistake of eating them in large quantities too often, so I now only enjoy them occasionally, but they are still lovely. I actually saw the packet enough that I can still remember an advertising thing they used to have. (Just to be clear, they came in small packs of three at my school canteen. I wasn’t eating proper sized packs every day.) It was a small note on the back, informing you that you could contact Jaffaholics Anonymous for free between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, on 0500 011 710. We tried it once. It was quite surreal. If anyone wants to try calling it to see if the number is still active, please inform me of the results. They’ve stopped printing it on them, to my knowledge, but who knows?

   Anyway, the score. Well, seeing as they taste pretty good, allow me to be an annoying pedant, and had hidden adverts (which, unless it is subliminal, seems pretty pointless. Even then, I’m not sure how much evidence there actually is to support subliminal messaging, and it’s effects on your shopping habbits.), I think I’ll give them 8/10.

4. Posted by glamlovinkitty on July 21, 2010

   Jorvik Viking Centre (in York) – Very fond memories. In about 1985, I suppose it was, I went on a school weekend trip to York and this was one of the places we visited. I was 13 or 14 and on the bus down to York spotted a boy from my school I’d never seen before and remained obsessed with him for about three years (with the occasional nugget of success though mainly, as it happened, after I’d started to lose interest in him a bit). I spent most of the time in York, and in the viking centre, engineering opportunities to take photos of him. For nostalgic joy, the Viking Centre gets 10/10.

   Jaffa Cakes (the biscuits) – tasty, though too easily eaten. Maximum of two bites per cakey biscuit, so only a 5/10 for them. They should be the size of the original Wagon Wheels (from the 70s, not the teeny ones you get now).

   Coronation Street (tv series) – not seen it for about 15 years, but used to be an avid watcher as it was hilarious. A friend bought me an album of Corrie stars doing covers of 80s pop songs about 10 years ago, and it’s also hilarious. For the CD and the programme as I remember it, 7/10. No idea if its any good now though.

   Bicycling (the mode of transportation) – not for me. I dislike the feeling of being unbalanced and unprotected. Also, a lot of cyclists are massively annoying and think they have right of way at all colours of traffic light and on all roads, paths and pavements. A measly 2/10 for it and that’s only because it’s greener than driving.

5. Posted by Jon on July 21, 2010

   Jorvik Viking Centre (in York)
   It smells like the stairwell in a multi-storey car park on a Sunday morning. This is, apparently, intentional. 7/10 (for continuing to educate kids)

   Jaffa Cakes (the biscuits)
   The cakey bit is always stale. Also, the mere fact that my first opinion about a piece of delicious confectionary can be negative illustrates what a hideously overprivileged existence I have enjoyed so far. I don’t want cakes that make me feel guilty. 5/10

   Coronation Street (tv series)
   If I genuinely wanted to watch people living such wretched lives I’d go to the Jorvik Viking Centre, which may smell, but at least I wouldn’t have to endure the dismal theme tune. 2/10

   Bicycling (the mode of transportation)
   It’s a hoot when done recreationally (used to commute on one and hated it) but riding one with an engine is even more fun. Also, on a motorbike you get to wear leather rather than lycra and a helmet that makes you look like a power ranger rather than a mushroom. 7/10 (for services to motorbike invention)

6. Posted by Rachael on July 20, 2010

   cycling: I like that it doesn’t harm the enviroment and you don’t need a licence but it it tiring and the seat is not very comfortable. 5/10

7. Posted by Katy on July 19, 2010

   Finally some subjects that I feel I can comment on. I was going to comment on Absinthe in the last review but forgot.

   Jorvik Viking Centre (in York)

   I went to this years and years ago when we had foreign exchange students with us. All I remember was that it smelt but we all really enjoyed it. I love York generally (all of my dads family live there) and we used to go at least once a month, but it was only with school that I got to go to the touristy bits.

   Given that I dont totally remember it – 7/10

   Jaffa Cakes (the biscuits)

   I love jaffa cakes. I dont think I’ve ever met anyone that doesnt like them. I like mini jaffa cakes and have been known to eat so many I’m sick. People buy me big boxes of them at Xmas, so really they are encouraging me. I dont eat mine in a silly fashion as some do, I just chomp right on.

   9/10 (because you know, its got to out of this world for it to be 10/10)

   Coronation Street (tv series)

   I love all soaps. Its my guilty pleasure and something my apparently “more intelligent” housemate sniggers at all the time. I like them, I always have done. Corrie isnt my favourite, Im more of an Eastenders girl, but I like it all the same. Its more light hearted, but does have some of the stupidest story lines. Like John Stape pretending to be Colin Fishwick and getting a teaching job when hes banned after kidnapping Rosie Webster. Its fascinating stuff I tell you. But if I didnt have my soaps my evenings would lose their sense of time and I wouldnt know when to cook tea or anything.

   In short: Corrie is good, but not as good as Eastenders, but better then Emmerdale (though that is getting better). 7.5/10

   Bicycling (the mode of transportation)

   I havent owned a bike for years. But this topic got me and my friend talking in the pub about when we first learnt to ride a bike and it brought back such lovely memories and I had tears in my eyes. Remember those Frosties things you could get to put on the spokes? And those jangly coloured things?!

   I have a static bike at home for exercising, but I wouldnt trust myself to go out on these dangerous London roads. I’d cycle to work (its not far) but they dont have showers and I’d be humming all day. I also have a scar on my ankle from getting my leg caught in the chain.

   7/10

8. Posted by amycool on July 19, 2010

   Jorvik Viking Centre (in York) – I first heard about this when I was in Year 5 and we were supposed to be going with school but unforseen circumstances meant that we couldn’t and we were all very sad. About 10 years later my boyfriend and I had a short break in York and the Viking Centre was top of my list.

   Waiting outside to go in was fun because everyone was American apart from us and I always love the way that Americans really appreciate our long history and sound fascinated by the tiniest facts. The people on the desk were unbelievably friendly and pointed out that students went in at a reduced rate (we hadn’t noticed) so we saved some money.

   At the beginning you have to sit in a room with a professor-stereotype pretending that you are all going back in time. I generally don’t like things like this, but it wasn’t too cringeworthy. Then the best bit is the ride itself. You move forward in time again, passing the people who lived in York. There are moving, talking characters and the smells are good too. When the ride is over there’s a mini-museum with people doing demonstrations and more American tourists shaking their heads in disbelief at mundane facts. You can write your name in runes and things like that and then you can spend ages in the shop buying things you don’t need but that are lots of fun.

   I imagine it would have been even better had I been a child but I thoroughly enjoyed it even as an adult.

   9/10

   Jaffa Cakes – Mmmmmmmmmm. I love Jaffa Cakes. I love the mini ones that come in orange pots (Alan Herd from Discovery Shed uses them a lot for mixing glue) and the normal sized ones, but not so much the cake bars. The only problem is that it’s too easy to finish a whole box and then feel bad. But that’s more down to my lack of self-control than their delicious cakes. I like biting around the edge, then eating the chocolate covered orange bit and finally the cake. The only way to improve them would be to make them bigger.

   9.5/10

   Coronation Street (tv series) – Despite being from the Manchester area, my house was always an Eastenders house. We did used to watch it during the Raquel years but I was never a fan. The stories are always too far-fetched, the scenery is horrible and the characters look so dowdy that it makes me feel depressed. I’m sure a lot of work goes into the show and I know lots of people love it, but I’m not generally a fan of soaps at the best of times and this is even less fun to watch than Hollyoaks (Neighbours being the best of the soaps).

   3/10

   Bicycling (the mode of transportation) – I never learnt to ride a bike. My Dad bought me one with stabilisers but he couldn’t be bothered taking them off so I just rode around leaning to one side. I got mocked quite a lot at school for not being able to ride one so when my brother bought one I tried to ride it. It turns out I have no balance. Not a jot. I’m sure I’ll attempt to ride a bike at some point in the future but I suspect I will be a non-bicyclist for the rest of my life. As for people I know with bikes, they seem to be forever changing the inner tube and getting knocked over by cars.

   2/10

9. Posted by Laura on July 16, 2010

   Technically, Jaffa Cakes are a cake. Apparently this was determined because when they go stale they harden (like cakes) rather than go soft (like biscuits). Factoid. Anyway, I fucking love them and have been known to eat a whole packet in one sitting. Out of fairness, I shall stick to giving it just the maximum of 10/10.

   I have never watched Coronation Street but the few clips I have seen make me want to die. On that basis, I give it a zero.

10. Posted by Amy on July 15, 2010

    Oooh, I was quoted twice in that blog (purple Chesney Hawkes lover that I am), thanks!

    Jorvik Centre – Been there a couple of times, we went on a residential trip to York with school when I was about 13. The ride is really informative (though I also remember some lads in my year messing about during the backwards bit, making their cart stop and us nearly crash into them), and there’s plenty of other bits to do too. Plus, if I remember correctly, you get to smell a Viking loo.

    8/10 (loses a couple of marks for the loo)

    Jaffa Cakes – They’re just great. They taste lovely, and can be eaten on a diet, so you can pretend you’re not going to get fat eating them! Woo!

    10/10

    Coronation Street – Don’t really watch the soaps a lot, but Corrie’s usually ok, a bit more light-hearted than most… this is possibly not the most valuable insight.

    5/10

    Bicycling – Don’t do this very often due to being hugely unfit and living in Scotland where even towns are hilly (well anywhere I’ve lived has been anyway). It always reminds me of being a kid and cycling down to the local uni campus to have a picnic, or just to enjoy the lane we used to ride down (it was very ‘up-and-down’, so once you got to the top of the first bit it was pretty much free-wheeling the rest of the way).

    8/10 (for the memories)

11. Posted by K on July 15, 2010

    Jaffa cakes – 8/10 for yumilicious goodness, marks deducted for smallness & brand expense (go for own brands, tho they have a tendency to staleness).

    And just because it had to be done, may I present a link to Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs: The borderline between cakes and biscuits. No, really. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/vfoodmanual/vfood6260.htm I particularly like the bit where cakes “may be more often expected to be eaten with a fork”. Bless.

    Bicycling – 5/10. I’m all for it in principle, it just shouldn’t be attempted in inclement weather, or up hills. Or with cars / trucks on the same road. Therefore impractical for the lardy-arsed & exercise-shy (e.g. Me).

12. Posted by Rhian on July 15, 2010

    Jorvik Viking Centre (in York)
    Ever since it was featured on Blue Peter when it first opened I have wanted to visit, but I still haven’t made it. The draw for me was not only that you experienced the sights and sounds of the vikings but also the smells. No one else has mentioned this element though so I wonder if it is as enthralling as I imagine.

    A warning to planning to visit the JVC website – some Vikings will charge at you shouting and making lots of noise – turn the volume down if you don’t wish to be alarmed.

    No score as I haven’t visited (yet).

    Jaffa Cakes (the biscuits)
    Yum. I had some at work today – there was an offer on at the co-op – 100% free. Excellent. Slightly disappointed they have removed ‘as recommended by sport nutritionists’ from the packaging.
    8/10

    Coronation Street (tv series)
    Never seen it, feel absolutely no compulsion to change this. No score.

    Bicycling (the mode of transportation)
    As youngster me and my bike had lots of adventures, both fun and slightly scary. Nearly landed on some sheep flying (me on the bike, not the sheep) down a lakeland pass. Should have heeded the ‘dismount’ warnings. Got older, modest fitness levels declined, moved to Sheffield, too hilly for the bike to be of any use, end up a sweaty mess wherever you go. Bike in cellar. If I lived in York I would be off to the Jorvik Viking Centre on my bike whenever I had a spare moment.
    8/10 – still have many happy cycling memories.

13. Posted by Anji on July 15, 2010

    Nice blog:)

    Jaffa cakes – I used to love Jaffa cakes. They would be the food I took to parties. And many a box has seen me through a crisis and made the world a better place. Then I found out I’m wheat and dairy intolerant. My world ended with no more *real* Jaffa cakes to be had.
    Fantasticly people have come up with wheat and dairy free ones but they really do not meet the standards (sponge bit too hard, not enough orangey bit and just too small). I often walk past the shiny blue boxes and dream of one day eating a real Jaffa cake. 8/10 ( for the real ones only).

    Corrie – reminds me of my gran. She watches it all the time. I don’t. Can’t say why, I’m not a regular soap fan but if nothing else is on I’ll watch and feel like I’ve just caught up with a bunch of friends. 5/10

    Bikes – my dodgy knee really is useful. I spent many a day exploring around me on my bike growing up and really enjoyed it. I haven’t been on a bike that would actually get me somewhere in over 2 years. But have been considering it lately. Not sure I could ever ride to work or places as I’d need quite a while to recover. 7/10 for the memories

14. Posted by Ivan on July 15, 2010

    Jaffa Cakes (the biscuit/cake): 9/10. Here’s a fantastic recipe for jaffa cakes. Take 3 jaffa cakes and some squirty cream. Eat the sponge around the outside, and then peel off the flat disk of orange jelly from the remaining sponge circle. Eat one of the orange jelly disks (that bit is your treat for being so clever) and then pile up the components thus: sponge;cream;orange jelly disk; cream; sponge etc. Eat. Then it is 10/10

    Coronation Street (tv series): 3/10. You can recognise Corrie by its camera quality and relaxed dialogue. You also don’t like to watch it, because it never ends and makes you thirsty. Therefore when you are flicking channels, you never stop on ITV during Corrie hours. This is a scientific fact. Please take note.

    Bicycling (mode of transportation) 8/10. What fun it is to freewheel down a hill with the wind in your hair and your legs sticking out like some Geordie tyke with a chopper. Shame you have to go up the hill at the other end. (On a side point, I am totally addicted to the Tour de France, and they use bikes most of the time. So I’m a fan of bikes especially when someone else is doing the hard work.)

    Breaking other peoples’ records: 10001/10.

15. Posted by ChrisP on July 15, 2010

    Bicycling (The Hobby)

    I love bikes (mountain bikes, not road bikes). Really, love ‘em. I have just got back in from teaching my dad a few techniques and we’re still talking about the bike festival at the weekend. I personally love twisty technical singletrack, that’s what presses the buttons for me.

    I could write pages going on about what a wonderful sport it is and how great it is to be able to explore and enjoy sights and experiences that you could experience on nothing other than a mountain bike, and how it is one of the best things to be doing with your time for a number of reasons and how it is perfect, one way or another for everybody, even you, you cynic!

    It’s a sport that really does have something for everybody (there’s an ever increasing female representation too, with women specific bikes and clothing so it’s not just a male sport). But that wasn’t the question. I don’t cycle because it’s a “mode of transport”. Who wants to commute down an mountain anyway?

    As a commute/method of transport I don’t think it’s a realistic option just yet, for a number of reasons (I’m looking at doing a dissertation on this so I’m really trying to give the basics here), mainly due to the distances people live from work, the UK weather, and the danger that cyclists and drivers cause to each other. The reliance of countries such as the UK on the motor car must end and will end when the oil runs out (which it will) and the bike is a possible alternative, but drivers will not be demoted to the bike, it must be made more enticing first. Plus there are bigger social issues (as mentioned above) that need to be addressed for it to be made more realistic (or until teleportation is invented [ed. spell check tried to change that to 'deportation', could have made myself look very bad there!]). I do not commute. I get the bus or hop in the car. Bad Chris.

    The one thing I really hate is budget crappy bikes that are horrid to ride, give backache and make people go off the sport. Get a well built bike that suits your needs, good comfortable clothing and necessary protection, look after it, and it will look after you.

16. Posted by Paul on July 15, 2010

    Okay, I’m getting in (relatively) early on this review, because I posted my contribution to the last one too late for consideration (I think) and I wrote quite a lot. So I’m not making the same mistake again! I’ll also try to write a bit more concisely, just in case.

    Jorvik Viking Centre (in York) – I have been, but it was many many years ago. I remember it smelling like a farm. I’m disposed to assuming it didn’t fully grab the attention of my young mind, because when I last visited York a year or two ago I was easily put off going in by the long queues and whatever the admission cost happened to be. Also, I was on my own and didn’t want to be in a position of being forced to share, like on a ride at Alton Towers, the motorised cart. I don’t have a problem with people, I just wasn’t sure I wanted to share the experience of an indoor farm with strangers. 6/10.

    Jaffa Cakes (the biscuits) – are we talking about ‘pure’ jaffa cakes, i.e. the original McVities variety? Or can I include the sort of copies you find in budget supermarkets? I really like the version of jaffa cakes you can buy in Aldi – a very good balance between moist sponge, tasty chocolate and tangy citrus (feel like I’m getting a bit too Masterchef here…). Originals, sadly, I find too heavily sponge-biased, leading them to be quite dry and difficult to swallow. So: Aldi jaffa cakes 8/10, original jaffa cakes 3/10.

    Bicycling (the mode of transportation) – some time ago a man was featured in the local paper complaining about car drivers not treating him with enough respect on the road. What wound me up was that in the picture of him riding through traffic, he was doing so without a helmet on. If he wanted to be treated with proper respect then he should at least have been properly equipped, because doubtless the car driver would have been to blame had the man suffered a head injury in an accident. It’s a cumulation of little irritations like this that lead me to the conclusion that bicycles are fine as leisure tools, but not on the road. So as a mode of transportation – 2/10.

17. Posted by Aislinn on July 15, 2010

    Jaffa Cakes (the biscuits) – 10/10
    I was almost tempted to give them 10000/10 just to outdo the scores of less than about 8 but then thought that would be unfair. they are
    a) tasty
    b) featured in Spaced
    c) three of my favourite things (cake, jelly, chocolate) iall together
    d) entertaining to eat (full moon, half moon, total eclipse or bit by bit in a rather mechanical process)

    Bicycling (the mode of transportation) – 10/10
    The only faults with bicycles are CARS. Cars, and angry drivers. Bikes are brilliant – easy to use, cheap to maintain, good for the environment AND for your health. The only problems are ones that bikes didn’t ask for – having to cycle on the road can be quite dangerous, for instance, but that’s a law. And when there’s lots of traffic you can race the cars. They all zip ahead of you but then when you get to traffic lights you zip back past them again – it’s all very good fun!

18. Posted by Tom Beasley on July 15, 2010

    Jaffa Cakes (the biscuits) – These would be perfect without the orange bit. You bite into one and you’re enjoying the generic chocolate biscuit kind of taste, then the wave of orange slams you in the taste buds so hard that you forget that you once enjoyed eating it. 1/10

    Coronation Street (TV series) – As with all soaps, this gets a raw deal from those who aren’t middle-aged women. However, I don’t feel that it deserves the crap it gets from these people. It is thoroughly entertaining at times, balancing the more weighty storylines with some truly excellent comedic performances. Norris, for example, is the best character in any soap ever. 7/10

    Bicycling (the mode of transportation) – Well I actually can’t ride a bike, but I tried a few years ago. After several hours of tearing my legs to pieces by falling off, I gave up and I have no plans to try again. 0/10

19. Posted by Emily on July 15, 2010

    *Ahem* Didn’t accidentally click “Submit Comment” there at all… Anyway…

    Can be dangerous on the roads and there don’t seem to be enough cycling paths/lanes around. If someone gave me a bike tomorrow I’d happily use it at least when my parents go on walks and possibly to get around in general. Good exercise and good for the environment. 8/10

20. Posted by Emily on July 15, 2010

    Jorvik Viking Centre (in York) – I vaguely recall going here on a school trip once. I may have enjoyed most of it for all I know but I have two memories stuck in my mind that makes me dislike the place: They made me dress up in costume just because I was small enough to fit it which I absolutely hated and really did not want to do; They made us drink some weird orange juice thing (or at least tried to), as some replacement for the ale viking children used to drink, or something. We were supposed to drink it all and hold the mugs upside down over our heads to prove it. Now anyone who knows me knows I *hate* citrus and plain refused to drink it so I was told off. Similarly we were supposed to eat some pasty thing that I didn’t like and refused. All in all, not happy memories. I believe the place is good though so I suppose it deserves some credit. 5/10

    Jaffa Cakes (the biscuits) – again, citrus-based automatically lowering my score greatly. Admittedly I’ve never tried them so my score may be invalid but the concept behind them is weird, they look like the texture would be weird – are they cakes or are they biscuits? And did I mention the citrus element to them… But then they are apparently popular among those who don’t hate citrus so they can’t be all bad – for that 1/10

    Coronation Street (tv series) – no, no, no, no, no, no, no. OK so I’ve not seen much of it but it’s a soap set pretty much where my grandma grew up and she hated that fact, meaning my Mum hates it, and consequently it’s been drilled into me to hate it. Its only redeeming factor would be that my Mum had (really badly) paid extra work on it once so it has done us a tiny bit of good – 1/10

    Bicycling (the mode of transportation) – love it, wish I had a bike now. Not done much of it, and it took a long time to learn (in the end the 4/5 year old down the road had to teach 7 year old me, bad times). Can be dangerous on the roads and there don’t seem to be enough cy

21. Posted by Laura-B on July 15, 2010

    I had a terrifying experience at Jorvik when I was about 7. I went round in the little motorised carts (does it still have those) and was generally scared out of my wits by all the Viking mannequins. I’m still not sure I’m over it.

22. Posted by Misha on July 15, 2010

    Thankyou Megan, I am nothing if not a nerd.

    Jaffa cakes
    Tasty, orangey chocolatey goodness. But frankly disgusting to get stuck in the hair if dismembered. (although admittedly preferable to the chair that was thrown at me shortly after by the same boy). Also the eternal question, are they a cake or a biscuit? It was proved by how they go “off” but I can’t remember what was proved, and have never had a packet left long enough to go off. I really want one now though.
    10/10

    Bicycling
    Possibly one of the most painful ways to travel, leaves you hot and sweaty with lacerated ankles and incredible pain in the downstairs if you aren’t careful. Arguably such things can be avoided by being fit, wearing cycling shorts and covering your legs. But by that point it’s rather defeated the object, especially if you’re trying to bike to somewhere rather than for fun (an insane thing to do in my opinion).

    It is however a good thing to do for the environment, and will force you to get fit/develop thigh muscles/iron genitals. Sorry, I keep going on about that bit, but if you cycle 4 miles, then horse ride for an hour, then cycle back, well, you get the idea. I’ll shut up.

    5/5
    Ecofrinendly and good for you, but hurts.

23. Posted by Steph on July 15, 2010

    Jaffa Cakes (the biscuits) The best food to eat in free periods when I was at school. I used to go through whole packs in a single period. Great stuff. Without them we would never have had “HALF MOON…TOTAL ECLIPSE!” Moreover, you can eat all the chocolate and cakey stuff and get left with the orangey jelly stuff.
    9/10

    Coronation Street (tv series) I gave it up a few years ago and my life has substantially benefited from it’s omission. I no longer wanted to be corrupted by the doings of Mancunian evil folk (Richard Hillman still occasionally appears in my dreams).
    2/10

    Bicycling (the mode of transportation) THE BEST MODE OF TRANSPORT (bar the Penny Farthing). Cycling probably got me through my interview at the University of Birmingham where my interviewer and I just compared how much we bought all of our bike accessories for! Such as high visibility jackets, baskets, racks, helmets and bells. My acceptance letter even had an extra note on it saying that they hoped I would choose Bham and bring along my bike and violin! Cycling makes the world a better place, for instance no carbon emissions, a great way to exercise and we wouldn’t get to see Boris looking like this: http://bit.ly/9q80G8
    1,000,000/10

24. Posted by Phill on July 15, 2010

    JAFFA CAKES:
    I love Jaffa Cakes. They are the most awesome snack the world affords. (Well, maybe not the *most* awesome, but equal-most.) They’re not only tasty and more-ish, but they’re apparently low-calorie / low-fat too. Jaffa cakes are so awesome, I sometimes substitute my vegetables with them at dinnertime. In fact, sometimes I just substitute dinner for a whole pack of the tasty treats. They are also known to give superpowers. (Note: some of the above may be not true in the traditional sense of the word ‘true’).

    Rating: 10/10

    BICYLING:
    Had a paper round when I was younger, had to cycle round for it. It did help to keep me fit, but the bike was a pain in the arse, if I’m honest: seemed to be constantly going wrong and frankly not worth the hassle.

    That all said, I’m looking to get a bike again and go cycling for exercise – I don’t get out much and I think biking is a better form of exercise than walking (I do like walking, but there aren’t many places you can go if you only have limited time).

    Rating: 7/10

25. Posted by Alistair on July 15, 2010

    Jaffa Cakes as someone has already pointed out are not biscuits but cakes, McVities had a big court case about this as biscuits are liable for VAT whereas cakes are not so definatley cakes, this is also the reason when McVities had the “You have to go a long long way to find a better biscuit” jingle it went “You have to go a long long way to find a better jaffa cake” for the Jaffa Cake ad. Aparently at the court case they baked a giant Jaffa Cake to prove that it was a cake. Anyway Jaffa Cakes are great I just ate a whole pack. 10/10

26. Posted by JontyLarr on July 15, 2010

    Jaffa Cakes – I don’t get it. I just don’t get it. 2/10

    Coronation Street – As someone who generally holds 90% of pop culture in contempt, I ought to dislike Coronation Street. It is however, a guilty pleasure of mine, and my inability to leave something I’ve started, however bad it is, means I’ll be watching until this monstrous first season finally draws to a close. 7/10

    Bicycling – As a concept fine, but keep them away from the road. The number of times I’ve seen cyclists almost cause horrific accidents, just by being there is unbelievable. Also, no road tax, no insurance, no consideration that I might actually be upset if I accidentally kill one when they rush through a red light. So, yeah I think cyclists annoy me more than bicycling. I tend to walk everywhere, but don’t shout about it, the way that cyclists do. Think you’ll find *I’M* the environmentally friendly one Cycly McCycle. 4/10

27. Posted by Sue on July 15, 2010

    Jorvik Viking Centre (in York) – I enjoyed it. But our visit was way back in 2004 so it may have changed since then. It was part of a trip to the UK where we did a lot of sightseeing so the whole trip is a bit of a blur. From what I remember there was a ride on tracks, inside a building that took you through the ages chronologically. And some displays of stuff like a small museum? And of course the opportunity to buy merchandise… oh and the kids did some brass rubbing… I think? Like I said, my memories a bit blurry, I think at the time I thought the building was tiny for the amount of stuff that seemed to be in it. 6/10

    Jaffa Cakes (the biscuits) – Very nice. Ticks all the boxes, cake, chocolate and orangeness. 10/10

    Coronation Street (tv series) We watch it on UKTV here in Aus, we’re up to the bit where Sally has cancer. I can take it or leave it, but my husband nearly always watches it, and I’m generally half-watching and on the lap-top at the same time. On the whole it’s not as irritating as Emmerdale and not as depressing as Eastenders. (Yes we have them all, one after the other thanks to UKTV). 6/10

    Bicycling (the mode of transportation) – I’ve not got on a bicycle since I learned to drive at the ripe old age of 34. Therefore I’ve not ridden for ten years. My son is really into bicycles, he won’t learn to drive and thinks cars are horrible polluting machines that cost too much money to buy, maintain and run. He has three bicycle; one mountain bike, one racer and one hybrid. He even did a short cycling/camping holiday this year.

    I remember cycling to work in my youth in the UK winter, through brown sludgy snow on the side of the road, with icicles on the outside of my scarf where my breath had condensed and frozen, but in Queensland the weather is mostly nice in winter, but very hot in summer. To sum up cycling is mostly good, most of the time, and the time when they are not is when the weather is not perfect for it. 8/10

28. Posted by Carl on July 15, 2010

    Good effort Megan!

    I cycle to work everyday and it makes me feel like I’m saving the world ever so slightly, however it’s made my hands a tad callusey.
    Intrensically rewarding 8/10
    Externally damaging 6/10

    Jaffa Cakes – I’m afraid to say I’d swap my entire family for just a lick of the orange disc inside. 9/10. I took one point off as they’re just not bloomin big enough.

29. Posted by Daniel on July 15, 2010

    Jaffa Cakes are delicious. 10/10

30. Posted by Katie D on July 15, 2010

    Jorvik Viking Centre (in York) – I’m assured that I went here when I was 3 and loved it until a mouse appeared in my buggy and I got out and never got back in it (at age 3, I probably should have been walking – or toddling – about surely!). Not sure I can blame Jorvik for the mouse, so I’ll say it was good. 7/10

    Jaffa Cakes (the biscuits) – not a biscuit, spongy and therefore a cake. Shouldn’t ever be in the biscuit aisle. I don’t drink tea but I can’t imagine someone dunking a Jaffa Cake in a mug of it. Anyway, I love Jaffa Cakes but I always eat them; sponge first, then chocolate then orangey tastyness last which makes me look like I have a disability of some kind. So I give them a 6.5/10.

    Coronation Street (tv series) – the last time I think I properly watched this was when Gail and her kids were driven into the canal, which I quite enjoyed but as I’ve not watched it sinse then it’s probably a good indicator that I’m just not bothered. Plus I’m a southener and daren’t cross the divide even by T.V 3/10

    Bicycling (the mode of transportation) – good for Centre Parcs/ anywhere that’s flat but for the lazy and unfit like myself it’s hard work in any other setting. 5/10 (Tandems on the other hand….far more awesome and would instantly achieve at least 20/10)