Unless someone gets murdered in the next 24hours, there's a good chance that Danny Evans from the X-Factor will be our front page. Do you have any idea how depressed this makes me feel? Especially since the only way we can make this a lead is if we editorialise it – ie implore our readers to get behind the man who credits my driving instructor for getting him into music by buying him a Barry Manliow album ffs. I'm a hard news reporter – get me out of here!

Now technically I've had a good couple of days at work. By good I mean productive. This is only half a good thing. Being at work is like being on a treadmill atm. It's not about finding good stories but about finding stories that can be written now. And all our subs haven't even left yet. Usually I'd be running around like a headless chicken trying to find a decent lead, putting off my other leads until later but there's no time for putting off in the new order, even if I'm prepared to stay until midnight tomorrow.

In the Guardian today Alan Rusbridger (editor) bemoans the desperate state local papers are in atm and suggests we should try and get some of this mythical digital switchover surplus which is apparantly coming the way of the Beeb and Channel 4. Well it would be nice to be a properly funded organisation although that would just mean the shareholders and top bosses would take all the money. Today production was momentarily stopped by the discovery that the server was full up and nobody could save anything new to it. Later I had to go round the office to find someone with a cd drive in their computer so I could save some pics I'd sourced. This kind of thing happens all the time, and just makes me feel weary.

Good job then I had a great weekend. Dave's new night GRAVITY at the very cool Renaissance Gallery in Bethnal Green was wicked, you should all go to the next one, if only to have the pleasure of clubbing in a space with cunts all over the walls.

On Sat, and it;s only just occurred to me there's a connection with the last thought but now I've thought of it it's blatantly obvious, I went to Ally Pally for the best fireworks in London and got all emotional when the big ones went off. I love fireworks, I know they are wasteful and probably bad for the environment and pets hate them but they just appeal to the big kid in me (which to be fair is most of me) - The Pilot was highly amused at how excited I was by sparklers for example – I especially love the fireworks that shoot right up into the sky and explode and look as if they're going to fall all over you (yes I know, I'm milking it now). Green fireworks are the best, obviously.

Meanwhile, and also inpsired by the Grauniad, Charlie Brooker writes that with regard to Barack Obama he feels like he's watching a fantasy, or perhaps he's been in a coma for ten years and is looking at a Hollywoodisation of history with a heavily made-up Will Smith in the title role.

I have to agree, while it was all terrifically exciting at the time, now Barack is President Elect, it's all beginning to feel rather surreal. I read today that he is going to shut down Guantanamo Bay as soon as he takes office. This is an obvious, simple thing to do, which entirely agrees with his policies and but somehow seems unlikely, after so many years of Bush. What other entirely sensible pro-human rights things will he do? I don't think my brain can handle a socially responsible America, it's just too weird.

[	Where I'm lurking	|	the newsroom	]
[	Feeling...	|	hopeful	]

Anyone know anyone who's looking for a house?

We've got a lovely ground-floor room in a surprisingly cheap house bang slap in the middle of Hackney. There's a garden, currently a bit of jungle so gardeners welcome, nice living room with big TV and all the trimmings, bath, shower, wash maschine, central heating, double glazing, cellar, and fake wooden floors thoughout. Room available is a very light eggshell grey colour with two dark red panels in alcoves and has furniture but redecorating is fine. We're two lads, both artists and one lass, a reporter, all 28 - 32 and into music, art, films, pubs, clubs and gigs. We're pretty chilled out so long as the bills are paid and the washing up gets done. We have a cleaner who comes most weeks (£5 each) and makes all the communal areas nice, so none of us have to bother (or argue).
Parties are welcome but rare just because we've got really busy lives and you're more likely to see us recovering on the couch of a Sunday afternoon rather than carrying on after clubbing. We're also mostly sensible during the week because of work. We eat together sometimes and enjoy chilling with a beer in the front room but you do get the house to yourself fairly often, which is nice.
It's comfortable, homely and functional but everything's a bit old and a bit cluttered so don't bother if you want to live an IKEA life.
It was rented as an unfurnished basic house by a group of people, who've bought furniture and decorated which is why it's good value.
Bills are around £50 a month and we're sorry to say there's a rip-off agent referencing fee of £117 if you want to take the house. But they are good at getting things done.