OK maybe not. Actually those are all lies, but it’s fun at least. The truth is Metblogs is the largest network of locally focused blogs on the web, covering almost 60 cities around the world and we’re looking to add a few new bloggers/writters/authors to this fine site. If you wanna know more about us check out this wikipedia entry but it’s kinda boring so I won’t waste time repeating it all here again. If you wanna write for us, here’s the scoop:

• All author positions are volunteer. That means you don’t get paid.
• You must live in (or very near) the city you plan to write about.
• Anything you post must relate to the city somehow. That means you shouldn’t post a movie review, but talking about going to see a movie at a local theater is fine.
• There’s no requirement for how much you can or should write, but we ask that if we set you up as an author you make about 3 posts a week.
• You can post about things you love, you can post about things you hate. It’s entirely up to you

Additionally, because of our global network, there’s plenty of options for things you write to be read by people all over the world. Interested? Want more details? Post a comment and we’ll be in touch!

In a certain Birmingham City Centre Gym with a red company colour that shall not be named, I, the fastest longest swimmer at the gym, am constantly interrupted by guys with egos that fills the gap where their brain should be. They wait until I get to the edge, just before I tumble turn, before they are off, breast stroking their little hearts out – for one length. Others, wildly thrash about either in front of me or in the lane next to me.

You all know who you are, so if you feel like you need to prove yourself, at least use me to do that when you’re fast and fit enough! God!

It’s a twisted conception of how civilisation could turn out if (or when) this technology takes over. A civilisation that starts off as Utopia, but under a microscope is actually a dystopia. A giant Hotel California, which falls under the natural laws. Normally that’s a bad thing, but you can already see this happing in Birmingham. It’s like everyone falls out fo the world of the living dead every time the sun shines!

It was the rainy season (we don’t have winters and summers anymore). I was waiting on the bench while my friend Dina lit up (a cigarette, not herself). The cold went through me, and my coat didn’t help. It was dark and gloomy, and everywhere I looked, the faces of people just wanting to go home, not wanting to be bothered by the predators lurking around on the sides of New Street.

The Big Issue guy, who was given a hot beverage, threw it towards the bin after he finished. It didn’t quite land in the bin, but before it hit the ground, in came the hero. It was all in his eyes, headstrong but compassionate (he was also hot). In an instant he spotted the litter, picked it up before it touched the ground, put it in the bin and carried on.

He expected no recognition, he received no thanks and he confronted nobody. He carried on. I was completely inspired. I was completely taken aback and couldn’t believe what I saw. There really are good people in the world. Can more people learn to be like that man?

Well Gareth, I’m honored to be part of something that is so big, and still has potential. I’ve travelled to many places on the earth, wherever the FCO tells me not to go I love it more. I’ve lived in DUDLEY, where I grew up, but found the greatness that is birmingham starting 2003. I’ve moved to Birmingham, started off living in the City centre, which was great, but missed the colour green so I now live in Quinton.

Throughout my brummie life I’ve experienced all the extremes and everything in between, so, watch this space!

Well, well, well, Birmingham VS Manchester indeed. Gaz, you are obviously a pure Brummie! How could you pick on my home town of all towns for Birmingham to swallow up? But it’s so beautiful in Dudley too. Sure, it’s a strange way to get to it, sure enough even if you get a train you have to bus it anyway, and maybe it doesn’t even have a metro system….but it has a castle! And its own accent slash language!

Anyway sob stories aside, the rumours about Birmingham being joined to Manchester in the next 20 years are true. Birmingham City Council can confirm that the population is rapidly growing and is set to continue for a while yet. The Government, in order to try and bring business up north, wants Birmingham Joined to Manchester, including everything in between, to create a great Megalopolis. Wow. Think of what they will call it. New London? What will happen to the football teams!? Did anybody stop to consider this!???

If you think I’m joking, check the Birmingham city council’s website! They need people to redesign the infrastructure and everything…

Welcome, Jeevan!

And now back to our regular broadcast….

*silence*

A few weeks ago I received a letter from Sky announcing their latest offer for FREE broadband (as I’m already a Sky TV subscriber). At the time I was currently with NewNet, and although the service I’d received from them was flawless I decided I’d rather be a cheapskate and save £18 a month. What a mistake that was. I ordered Sky broadband at the start of September with the promise that it would be active by the 15th of that month. Come the 15th and my NewNet connection is still active and working. Around the 17th my NewNet connection went off, but nothing replaced it. A couple of days later I called Sky Broadband’s “Customer Support” who told me, in broken English, that my order was still awaiting provisioning. Then, a couple of days later, my phone line went dead completely!! I then called BT who could confirm that there was a fault with the line (duh! No dial tone is a pretty good sign that there’s a fault) but they couldn’t repair it until the end of the following week. Fast forward to now: the phone line has been repaired (as of last Friday), so I called Sky again to find out what’s going on and was told that my old order was still “pending cancellation” as, due to the fault with the line, my original order had to be re-placed, however they can’t place the new order until the old order’s status has changed from “pending” to “cancelled”! GAHHHHHHHHHH! Anyway… so that’s the reason for the silence around here. Yes, I can post entries from work, however I don’t feel comfortable doing so. it would be nice if we had some more bloggers around here… *hint hint*!

In summary: if you’re tempted by the latest offers for low-priced broadband from Sky, SAVE YOUR MONEY! Maybe the service will be good when / if it ever goes active, but until then my opinion of the whole deal remains low.