Gr8at: #ChandlerBing (RIP #MatthewPerry)

What tragic news about Matthew Perry (1969-2023), who sadly passed away at the age of 54. The American-Canadian actor had a hugely successful career, with two Emmy nominations for memorable roles in Ally MacBeal, The West Wing, The Good Wife, Scrubs, and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, as well as films like Fools Rush In and The Whole Nine Yards.

But it will always be for his role as wisecracking Chandler Bing in Friends that he will be most remembered for. Along with his five co-stars, Perry was an overnight sensation with audiences drawn to his wonderful portrayal of the self-effacing, sarcastic data processor with a heart of gold. Like so many of us, I grew up with Chandler, Monica, Joey, Rachel, Ross and Phoebe. Matthew Perry, you will be missed.

I’m glad we’re having a rehearsal dinner. I rarely practice my meals before I eat.

Monica: “Okay, I’ve got a leg, three breasts, and a wing.”
Chandler: “How do you find clothes that fit?”

Joey: “Oh, sorry, did I get ya?”
Chandler: “No, you didn’t get me. It’s an electric drill, if you get me, you kill me!”

Chandler: How can I dump this woman on Valentine’s day?
Joey: I don’t know. You dumped her on New Year’s.
Chandler: Oh, man. In my next life, I’m coming back as a toilet brush.

I think for us, kissing is pretty much like an opening act. I mean, it’s like the stand-up comedian you have to sit through before Pink Floyd comes out.”

Monica: “I think I’d be great in a war. I’d like, get all the medals.”
Chandler: “Before or after you’re executed by your own troops?”

Ross: “What are you doing tonight?”
Chandler: “Why, do you have a lecture?”
Ross: “No.”
Chandler: “Free as a bird, what’s up?”

Janice: What a small world!
Chandler: And yet I never run into Beyonce.

Gr8at: #LosCabos Mexico Part 2 (plus bonus photos)

Here’s the follow up to my recent post sharing the incredible beaches of Los Cabos which is situated on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. It’s made up of San Lucas and San Jose, with 20 miles between the two. Just an incredible place.

Line(s) of the Day #IsThisAnything

“The one movie ad I don’t get is, “If you only see one movie this year…” If you only see one one movie this year, why go at all? You obviously don’t like going to the movies. And going once a year is ridiculous pressure to put on a movie. You’re sitting there, “All right, this is it for the next 51 weekends. Better be good.“

As taken from the bestselling book Is this Anything? (2020) by New York comedian Jerry Seinfeld. The non-fiction book covers the legendary actor, writer and producer’s 45 years of observational humour, including many which were covered in his iconic sitcom Seinfeld.

Line(s) of the Day #Soul

Jerry: So what do you think you’ll do? How are you gonna spend your life?
Joe: I’m not sure. But I do know… I’m going to live every minute of it.

Richard Ayoade and Jamie Foxx in the fantasy comedy drama Soul (2020). Another Pixar classic, it tells of a man’s journey between Earth and the afterlife.

Line(s) of the Day #TheydoitwithMirrors

“Human nature, dear, is very much the same everywhere. It is more difficult to observe it closely in a city, that is all.“

As said by Jane Marple in the Agatha Christie novel They do it with Mirrors (1952). Originally published as Murder with Mirrors, it was one of the 12 Miss Marple novels published by “The Queen of Mystery”, who is the best-selling fiction writer ever, having sold over 2 billion copies of her books.

Gr8at: #LosCabos Mexico Part 1

For my birthday I thought I’d head to the beach. And why not go to one of the jewels in Mexico’s crowns, Los Cabos? It’s located in Baja California, and its gorgeous beaches are unsurprisingly popular with American visitors.

Photography: #DepecheMode

I’ve always been a big fan of Depeche Mode, the phenomenal electronic band from Basildon. They’ve been around since 1981, and their latest album Momento Mori was as great as ever. I was lucky enough to see them again at Twickenham stadium 10 years after the last time.

Line(s) of the Day #GranTurismo

Do you really think you’re going to take a kid who plays video games in their bedroom, and you’re going to strap them to a two-hundred-mile-an-hour rocket? It’ll tear them to pieces!

Jack Salter (David Harbour) in the sports film Gran Turismo (2023), which is based on the true story of a gamer who enters a competition to become a professional racing driver.

Line(s) of the Day #NoHungerinParadise

“Less than half of one per cent of boys who enter the academy structure at the age of 9 will make a first team appearance. More than three quarters are jettisoned between the ages of 13 and 16.

“The odds get no less intimidating the further a boy progresses. Almost 98 per cent of boys given a scholarship at the age of 16 are no longer in the top five tiers of the domestic game at the age of 18. A recent study revealed only 8 out of 400 players given a professional Premier League contact at 18 remained at the highest level by the time of their twenty-second birthday. Since only 180 of the 1.5 million boys who play organised youth football in England at any one time become Premier League pros, the success rate is 0.012 per cent.”

Taken from the book No Hunger in Paradise: The Players. The Journey. The Dream by Michael Calvin. It sets out to explain why so few make the grade, what the ones who do make it possess and the roles, both good and bad, of those who are involved in the process. I’d also recommend The Nowhere Men by the same writer, which tells of the role of scouts in football.