Hey folks,

The West Midlands PHP User Group (PHPWM) is having a social event for anyone who uses, or is interested in learning more about, PHP. It’ll be hosted at the Little Lark pub, down in Studley. As usual, there is also a Facebook Event! See you there (if I make it myself… work deadlines are a biatch :().

PS Sorry for the late notice. I’ve been on holiday for the past couple of weeks and I’m still in that post-holiday depression.

*cough* *cough* woah… it’s a little dusty around here. Time to brush off the cobwebs and get a brand new year rolling! I hope you all had a great Christmas and a happy new year!

Nick Booth is organising a Birmingham Bloggers meetup TOMORROW (that’s Thursday, January 10, 2008. Sorry for the short notice!). It will be held down at the Kitchen Garden Cafe (see map below) from 5:30pm onwards. A few people can’t make it that early, but the event should last for a good few hours at least. Unfortunately Thursdays are bad for me, so I won’t be able to attend this one, but hopefully the next one as I’d like to be able to put faces to some of the names I keep reading on the Birmingham blogsphere.

PS There’s also an official facebook event so you can RSVP!

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How many people reading this enjoy people watching? Nobody really realises just how multicultural Birmingham is, or how great its sphere of influence is.

Sitting at the Green Room (Opposite the Hippodrome) you will see a range of people going past, doing different things. International tourists, exploring the city, national tourists, looking for a place to enjoy the sun. It’s a perfect place to go to for inspiration, and each person going past tells a story. The place itself is laid back and relaxed, probably something to do with the mellow yellow walls.

If you’re meeting someone who’s not from around here, it’s a perfect base to start. In front of the green room you have culture, to the left you have the village (the pub on the corner is a great place to go no matter what your sexuality, it’s laid back too), to the right you have the Maharajah, voted the best indian restaurant – by Indians! Behind you have the Arcadian, which needs no introduction, and behind that you have the Bull Ring! It’s a very underestimated place.

La Tasca, the Spanish tapas restaurant chain, is doing an “each as much as you like” for £10 dealie (as opposed to “all you CAN eat”? Mr Creosote?). I spoke to the one on Broad Street and they confirmed they are taking part in the offer, from Sunday to Thursday.

Recently that new burger joint in Brindleyplace, the Gourmet Burger Company, had to change it’s name to the Handmade Burger Company (HBC) which, to me, sounds somewhat less upmarket than “Gourmet”. I did a quick search for “Gourmet Burger Company” and found the “Gourmet Burger Kitchen” (GBK). Just take a look at the menu. If you’ve been to the HBC in Birmingham then you’ll notice some striking similarities…!

Now the two restaurants have quite different colour themes, so I’m thinking that they’re not run by the same people. Also, the GBK has several locations in the south of the country, whereas AFAIK the HBC only has the one location in Birmingham. Perhaps the owner of the HBC has visited the GBK and decided to copy the idea, but further north? Or am I just coming up with crackpot conspiracy theories to fill the void around here? What do you think?

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A few weeks ago, me and my boyfriend went to Cannon Hill Park for a picnic. It was when it was realllllly hot, so I smelled very strongly of coconut (yuk!), a necessary evil when the factor 30 has to be brought out. It was really quite busy, partly because it was a lovely day, but also because there was a fun fair taking place at one end (the opposite end to the cricket ground; it was near the entrance by the Nature Centre). I meant to take pictures of the fair, but by the time we left I needed the loo, so the priority was to Get Home Quick.

Anyway, more food and drink related CHP goodness. Is anyone going to A Taste of Birmingham? We got free tickets through my boyfriend’s work, haven’t decided what day we are going yet, but I am always up for a free day out. I’ll definitely remember to take photos, I am hoping they have portaloos.

The other day I finally got around to visiting the new Gourmet Burger Company which has recently opened in Brindleyplace right next to the mainline canal (in the space formerly occupied by The Pitstop… good riddance to that!).

Overall verdict: A bit pricey, but worth a visit if you like a good burger.
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