fire and forget

2008. Completed my first year at CNET UK, moved from Forest Hill to Clapham Common, did more travelling than in my entire life before, broke up with my girlfriend, and said things like this…

CES Las Vegas

Facebook says Rich has just been choppered out to the Grand Canyon.10:16 PM Jan 6th, 2008

Rich had breakfast at Denny’s, Las Vegas Boulevard, and dinner at the chippie on Devonshire Road. 7:17 PM Jan 9th, 2008

All Tomorrow’s Parties

ATP! After a bloody tortuous journey, I’m in Butlins, I’ve got a beer in my hand, couldn’t be happier 6:29 PM May 16th, 2008

They let us in&out with glasses, & our chalet is twenty yards away-are you thinking what I’m thinking?7:56 PM May 16th, 2008

Facebook says Rich is having an absolute fucking blast at ATfuckingP. 5:49 PM May 17th, 2008

Saul Williams is a BizarroWorld Bowie, a glam-hop fly dog backed by psychotronic ‘frobots 4:31 PM May 17th, 2008

it’s 50/50 between having a great day and just curling up into a ball and whimpering somewhere 2:44 PM May 18th, 2008

Battles are kind of like Adam Ant being raped by Marilyn Manson - only 15x more fun 2:21 AM May 18th, 2008

Southland Tales is Terry Gilliam and Warren Ellis’ Marx Bros porno in the City of Lost Children 10:11 PM May 21st, 2008… May be a jodorowskyesque gothoperapocalypse, but it does have a certain demented symmetry 11:13 PM May 21st, 2008

Facebook says Rich has just got two free Crunchies from the vending machine for the price of one! Jackanackanory! 5:25 PM May 23rd, 2008 from twitterfeed

Rich salutes the Feast, king of choc-ices. 9:42 PM Jun 21st, 2008

Facebook says Rich has run out of things to do on his day off. Another wank? 5:19 PM Jul 24th, 2008

Epson trip to Hong Kong, China and Japan

Rich is just nipping out to China. Back later. 12:44 AM Aug 20th, 2008

Rich is towering 42 stories over Tokyo. Like Godzilla in brothel creepers. 11:45 AM Aug 22nd, 2008

There are upsides to being ill: any day without trousers can’t be all bad 5:27 PM Oct 9th, 2008

Force Quit means Force Quit, like right now. Why does End Task mean keep acting the twat for another ten minutes? 3:56 PM Oct 14th, 2008

Apparently, being Icelandic in May was pretty brilliant: http://bit.ly/1j0vae 1:08 PM Oct 15th, 2008

Well I never: The Japanese invaded Alaska in 1942: http://bit.ly/I07cR 1:31 PM Oct 17th, 2008

Wolverine healing factor? Mario mushrooms? Bollocks. Nothing beats the healing power of a Frank’s lasagna and chips carbopocalypse 5:45 PM Oct 17th, 2008

You know you’re reaching a certain age when the conversation can segue entirely seamlessly from hard drugs to soft furnishings 6:40 PM Oct 20th, 2008

Apparently in the US they say “Liquor and beer/have no fear”. I’m getting this tattooed on my nutsack 1:12 PM Oct 23rd, 2008

Today I have used the phrases “sex-grenade” and “stabbing himself with his own todger” on the site. Truly, I am a serious writer 5:16 PM Oct 23rd, 2008

Twitter does not have to be reciprocal. You do not have to follow me if you think I am a tedious arse - and vice versa. That is all. 6:25 PM Oct 24th, 2008

Story idea: WAX is a washed-up cop- WAYNE is a going-nowhere stoner. Apart, they’re trouble. Together, they are: WAX & WAYNE! Da-der-derr!! 11:25 PM Oct 26th, 2008

If it gets any colder in the office, we’ll have to eat the huskies. 2:25 PM Nov 3rd, 2008

“Granddad, what were you doing when Obama was elected?” “Yeaaahhh… I was watching Crank” 10:26 AM Nov 5th, 2008

defenestration (dē-ˌfe-nə-ˈstrā-shən) n. throwing of a person or thing out of a window 3:39 PM Nov 7th, 2008

defrienestration (dē-ˌfre-nə-ˈstrā-shən) n. removing a friend from your profile on a social network3:41 PM Nov 7th, 2008

@CupCate S’OK, I’ll slip you the answers: 1.Cricket 2.Bangers’n'mash 3.Jeremy Kyle 4.Old Compton St 5.Paying over the odds for everything 11:17 AM Nov 19th, 2008 from web in reply to CupCate: Have just found out I have to pay £700 to extend my Visa, as well as taking a test on life in the UK. Thanks Home Office!!!!!!

Carter USM

Carter USM: hooks to take your eye out. Housebricks in the pick’n'nix 9:48 PM Nov 22nd, 2008

Next LifeOnMars spin-off: some cunt off Hollyoaks goes to 1992. EMF beat him to death with a cricket bat and a 303. SOLD 8:31 PM Nov 22nd, 2008

And yes, I appreciate the irony of Twitter scraping my blog slating @ replies while in the middle of an @ conversation 12:00 PM Nov 26th, 2008

Have decided I want a tattoo of the swearing from Asterix: skull and crossbones+dagger+lightning bolt9:04 PM Nov 28th, 2008

Last night: bounce-punk of A, pedal-to-the-floor gonzo-rock of the Wildhearts. Tonight: Jarvis Cocker & Mary Margaret O’Hara… carolling? 6:02 PM Dec 11th, 2008

Notice secret service didn’t break speed records leaping in front of Bush. Honestly, who throws a shoe? 10:44 PM Dec 14th, 2008

Love stickers in gym: “Limited to 20 mins @ peak times”. If I’m on an exercise machine longer than 20 minutes it’s because I’ve died on it 1:13 PM Dec 17th, 2008

Tempted to spend 3 days living off champagne & sleeping on escalators in Westfield neonoptican as practise for CES 6:22 PM Dec 17th, 2008

Nailed by Internet commenter: I am not only a “sanctimonious nutter”, but also a “deranged far-left lunatic”. Hurray! http://bit.ly/jDu3 3:05 PM Dec 18th, 2008

Rich is giving up drinking for 1 year after CES. For reals this time. 3:57 PM Dec 30th, 2008

http://twitter.com/rich_trenholm

Just finished Barbarians at the Gate, by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar. It tells the story of the largest-ever Wall Street takeover deal, in which several billions of dollars were thrown at tobacco and food company RJR Nabisco. Although it takes a bit of wading through, it’s a fascinating study of the Mad Men-style thrusting young managers of the ’60s becoming the “greed is good” masters of the universe in the ’80s, told in an accessible and off-hand way.

What struck me — apart from the astronomical sums of money involved — was how the personalities of the men involved shaped the deal. You’d think that when people are dealing with companies and money on that scale, they’d be able to set aside their egos to do the most sensible thing. As highlighted when Linda Robinson, the PR guru and the only woman to play a major part in the fracas, intercedes after she decides that:

…the whole fight - the name-calling, the finger-pointing, everything - was getting out of control. There was no earthly reason Kravis couldn’t do this deal with Shearson and Salomon. There was every reason he should.

It was all about egos, Linda Robinson knew. She considered herself highly attuned to the ways of her swaggering Wall Street clients. As so often happened, Peter Cohen and Tommy Strauss and Henry Kravis had lost sight of their of their real objective, RJR Nabisco. Their disagreements had nothing to do with with shareholder values or fiduciary duties. It was a all a test of wills among an intensely competitive clique of macho, Park Avenue bullies… Each was determined to be King of the Sandbox.

The book was the basis of the first ever HBO TV movie, starring James Garner. Lovefilm, added.

The Beginnning Stages of… The Polyphonic Spree
Move Along All American Rejects
How To Operate With A Blown Mind Lo-Fidelity Allstars
Traffic And Weather Fountains of Wayne
Fresh Select compilation
Made In Britain Mojo compilation
The Winter Queen Boris Akunin
Luna Park Brett Easton Ellis
Barbarians At The Gate Bryan Burrough and John Helyar
JPod Douglas Coupland
Generation X Douglas Coupland