On Thursday 23rd February, I found a spider in the studio during my show. I captured it, and it was up to listeners whether we release or kill the spider. The majority vote was to release it, so then listeners had to vote for which local area they wanted me to dump the spider in. Watch to find out where we left it...

The list below is still in progress, if you gave an answer (or still wish to) it will be updated on here shortly!

1 - OneRepublic, "1 Thing" (Amerie), "One Love" (Bob Marley), "1 2 3" (Gloria Estefan)

2 - U2, 2Unlimited, Boys II Men, "2 become 1" (Spice Girls), "2 Tribes" (Frankie Goes To Hollywood), "Two Little Boys" (Rolf Harris)

3 - Three Dog Night, Three Degrees, 3oh3, "3" (Britney Spears), "3 Words" (Cheryl Cole), "3 Times a Lady" (Lionel Richie)

4 - 4 Non Blondes, Four Tops, "Four Minute Warning" (Mark Owen)

5 - Five, Maroon 5, Jackson 5, Dave Clark 5,  "5,6,7,8" (Steps)

6 - Electric 6, Sixpence None The Richer, "5,6,7,8" (Steps)

7 - S Club 7, Seven Seas of Rhye, "5,6,7,8" (Steps)

8 - S Club 8, "5,6,7,8" (Steps)

9 - "9 to 5" (Dolly Parton), "Cloud 9" (Puddle of Mudd), "Cloud Number 9" (Bryan Adams)

10 - 10CC, "Big Ten Inch Record" (Aerosmith)

11 - "Eleven O'Clock Tick Tock" (U2)

12 - D12, "12 days of Xmas", "12th of Never" (Johnny Mathis)

13 - "Thirteen Women" (Bill Haley), "Number 13 Baby" (The Pixies), "Thirteen" (Johnny Cash)

14 - "Fourteen Years" (Guns and Roses)

15 - "Fifteen" (Taylor Swift), "Fifteen Minutes" (The Strokes)

16 - "Only Sixteen" (Sam Cooke), "16 Going on 17" (Julie Andrews), "Sweet Sixteen" (Neil Sedaka)

17 - Heaven 17, East 17, "Seventeen" (Sex Pistols)

18 - "18 Yellow Roses" (Bobby Darin), "18th Avenue" (Cat Stevens)

19 - "Nineteen" (Paul Hardcastle)

20 - Matchbox 20, "20 Miles" (Chubby Checker)

21 - "21 Seconds" (So Solid Crew)

22 - "22" (Lily Allen), "Catch 22" (Pink)

23 - "23 Lies" (Death In Vegas), "23" (Jimmy Eat World)

24 - "24 Hours from Tulsa" (Gene Pitney)

25 - "25 to Life" (Eminem), "25" (Chicago), "25 Miles" (Edwin Starr)

26 - "26" (Chingy)

27 - "27" (Biffy Clyro), "27" (Fall Out Boy)

28 - "28" (Steppenwolf)

29 - "Highway 29" (Bruce Springsteen)

30 - 30 Seconds to Mars

31 - "31 Minutes to Take Off" (Mike Posner)

32 - "32 Ways To Make You Smile" (Backseat Goodbye)

33 - "33" (Smashing Pumpkins)

34 - "No. 34" (Dave Matthews Band)

35 - "Rainy Day Woman #12 & 35" (Bob Dylan)

36 - "36" (System of a Down)

37 - "37 Stitches" (Drowning Pool)

38 - "38 Years Old" (Tragically Hip)

39 - "39" (Queen)

40 - UB40, "40" (U2), "40 ft" (Franz Ferdinand)

41 - Sum41

42 - Level 42

43 - "Hymn 43" (Jethro Tull)

44 -

45 -

46 -

47 -

48 - "48 Hours" (The Clash)

49 -

50 - 50 Cent, "50 Ways to Leave your Lover" (Paul Simon)

51 - "Area 51" (Charlatans)

52 - B52s

53 -

54 -

55 -

56 -

57 -

58 -

59 - "59th Bridge Street Song" (Simon & Garfunkel)

60 -

61 -

62 -

63 -

64 - "When I'm 64" (Beatles)

65 -

66 -

67 -

68 -

69 - "Summer of '69" (Bryan Adams)

70 -

Thanks to Mala Papachan, who sent me her quirky song "Conegetitus" (I think that's right!) - a song about a woman's journey home, which is delayed by roadworks and traffic cones.  Google the "Traffic Cone Song" or look at her YouTube Channel (search for her name) for further details.

This new batch of 3D films that they've started to roll out are a fantastic idea.  I had my daughter staying with me this weekend so we decided to take her to go see it.  Now, I've never seen one of these new 3D films, I rarely have time to go to the cinema in general, but the quality was amazing!  Makes me want to buy one of those new 3D TVs that are due out later this year.  Then again, are we going to have to sit there in the front room looking like idiots with our 3D glasses on?  Not to mention, when you leave the cinema, your eyes do feel a bit funny from wearing those glasses for almost 2 hours straight.

I say 2 hours straight, it was more like an hour and a half for me.  My daughter Kallie, being only 6 years of age, didn't realise that sticky popcorn fingers and glasses don't really make a great combination, so I gave her mine while I  spent about half an hour polishing hers back to clarity.

Great film though, well worth seeing in 3D, and I reckon it's the best Shrek film since the first one.  Loads of little in-jokes that tie into the others, and a worthy finale to this movie franchise.

Spent the rest of the weekend at the zoo and the beach.  Not been to a beach since last summer and it was a fantastic day for it.  Kallie and her friend Abby decided to take it upon themselves to try and rid the beach of every single razorfish shell that they could find.  They weren't happy until they had enough shells to make it a struggle to carry.  Thankfully, when she went home on Sunday, she insisted on taking the shells with her!

She also took home her brand new "daddy badge" as she called it.  It's part of the new range of Revolution merchandise that is now available through the Revolution website.  Or just click here.  I gave her the badge and she was thrilled, bless her.

So here's a picture of Kal, sporting her new badge, along with a Rev coffee mug.

I thought I would start the new year off by devoting a few minutes of my rare spare time to writing some nonsense here on my blog.  I'll try and make it a New Years Resolution to blog more!

Hopefully the ridiculous amount of snow we’ve been getting hasn’t been causing you too many issues, but if it has, don’t forget at 96.2 The Revolution we’re looking for details on how the bad weather has been affecting you.  We want details and photo uploads please!  For further information, follow the Snowline 2010 links.

While I'm here, I wanted to share with you a fantastic ariel shot of the UK, thanks to the BBC for this image.

That’s it for now.  Hope you had a fantastic Christmas, and here’s to an even more fantastic 2010.

...impressed at how a drunken state may be just as good for you as yoga! 

Savasana
Position of total relaxation.

Balasana
Position that brings the sensation of peace and calm.

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
This position calms the brain and heals tired legs.

Marjayasana
Position stimulates the midirift area and the spinal comumn.

Halasana
Excelent for back pain and imsomnia.

Dolphin
Excelent for the shoulder area, thorax, legs, and arms.

Salambhasana
Great excersice to stimulate the lumbar area, legs, and arms.

Ananda Balasana
This position is great for masaging the hip area.

Malasana
This position, for ankles and back muscles.

Please drink responsibly!

....trying to think of a decent money making scheme!

Artist Barnaby Bradford's recent creations are causing a stir.  See what one man achieved with a couple of old figurines bought at local junk shops. 

After adding, hoodies, phones and other accessories, his created "Chavs" are fetching him about £8,000 a piece!

Why can't I think of something like that!!!

J.

....hoping nobody was hurt.

The evening of Thursday 19th March 2009 was an evening of hell for drivers heading Westbound on the M62.  As I write, they are still sat in roughly 17 miles of standing traffic.

The reason is a burned out Mini in the fast lane.  Clearly this was causing delays on the Eastbound side as people stopped to have a nosey, but as you can see from the picture below, it wasn't pretty...

This was the scene, shortly before fire crews arrived.  I could feel the heat as my car passed it.  Not sure what the Ford was doing there, but there was a lorry parked opposite on the hard shoulder, and a few onlookers stood nearby.

Fingers crossed everyone got away without injury.

J.

Today I am mostly...............

..... amazed by Tristan and friend's efforts!

Last week, we had an unusual call from a listener, claiming that he had set himself the challenge of listening to 96.2 The Revolution for 96.2 hours.  Embracing the loyalty and dedication of this guy, we played along and let him get on with it.

Every night he was there on MSN, chatting to us on the evening show, giving us an update on how long he had been listening.  To keep himself awake, he went out and built an igloo with his mates, and proceeded to write 96.2 in the snow....

Thinking it was quite good of him to write "96.2" in the snow where it looked like a car had been parked, I then proceeded to set him a challenge.  I did it tongue-in-cheek, and never expected it to be completed, but this guy obviously never gives up.  I told him to go away and write "96.2 The Revolution, Home of Steve Penk @ Breakfast" in the snow.

A day later, it was then I realised the scale of this guy's commitment, and the scale of his project!!.....

Totally amazing effort from Tristan and gang, I can only applaud your dedication!

Now... just got to think of some more stupid stuff for you to do...

That's it for now.

J ;-)

Today I am mostly...

... looking ahead.

On the 13th December last year, I was unfortunate enough to have to wave goodbye to my 20s and reluctantly welcome my 30s with open arms.  It was an odd experience really, not only due to being severely hung over due to the works xmas do the night before, but because my 20s had almost become like an old friend.  After 10 years of having that label, it is an odd thing to actually shake it off after a decade.

It was also quite amusing to see the amount of people I went to school with turning 30 either side of my birthdate.  The online social networking website Facebook is great for that, as it tells you when your friends' birthdays are approaching.  Watching the various status messages of people stressing and panicking that 30 was fast approaching them allowed me to see I was not alone.  Daniel Landregan, another of my school mates, shares the same birthday as me and was equally dreading the occasion.  Long gone are the days where we used to count down the days in the school playground together.

However, I made myself a few promises, and figured a few changes may have to be made. 

I decided that turning 30 was an official turning point into adulthood.  They say you become an adult at 18 or 21, but no you don't.  It's at 30 that you decide to think about growing up a bit, and taking more responsibility.  Also, I decided that "being more positive" should be on my list of things to change, which is why I decided to use it as a New Years Resolution.

The past 10 years have been a strange time, full of ups and downs, gains and losses, which is a main reason behind my mixed emotions about this milestone birthday.  So I've decided to embrace it, it's only a number, stuff it and look ahead!

The do was cool, my girlfriend Alex threw a party for me at our place, where extreme amounts of food and alcohol were made available and the night was an overall success.  Took loads of pictures on the night, but here's a brief selection of the people who weren't actually trying to hide their faces from the camera...

So now, I'm still watching the occasional school and college mate go through the same transition, and laugh as they stress out and moan about this impending doom they cannot change. 

My friend Pete turns 30 today, so Happy Birthday to you!  He's having his do on Saturday, as is Big Al, who turns the big 4 0 on Friday! 

So it's going to be a busy Saturday evening, do-hopping, but I'm sure I'll manage.  Sure, I'm getting older now, but thinking about it more positively I'm not too old to have fun, and don't forget, I'm more responsible. 

After all, I'm 30 now...

J.

Today I am mostly...

... thankful the snow hasn't beaten me!

Firstly, allow me to apologise for not blogging for a bit.  I've been busy! 
So I suppose, even though it is the 3rd February, I should wish you a Happy New Year.  Hope you had a good Christmas, and all that nonsense.

Anyway... clearly the first thing to do yesterday in the midst of our February blizzard was to resurrect "Snowy", after he died a horrible death 2 months ago, so here he is!...

Snowy lives again!

Then, the day got slightly more interesting. 
Last night on my way to the studio, there were several occasions where trashing my car seemed a distinct possibility.  What I found strange was the moron who beeped his horn at me when the back of my car accidentally swung over into his lane, as if I had done it intentionally.  That's the funny thing about driving on ice, you generally have less control, which I thought was something that all drivers understood!

The journey finally came to an end when I arrived around the corner from Rev Towers, and ended up doing a bit of a spin round, finishing up spread across the pathway leading to our car park, with my car unable to move due to being wedged in the snow...  which was nice.

Stranded

Anyway, if you were listening to the show last night, you would know all that.  Eventually, after the show last night, following several attempts to release my car from its snowy trap, 3rd gear and pedal to the floor did the job and got me free.  So I eventually made it home, despite almost crashing several times on the way back.  At least it made the journey home interesting.

Don't forget, we're keeping you up to date with all the latest info on the Revolution's SNOWLINE.  Keep checking back for updates on school closures and other relevant news.  Also, make sure you listen to Penky in the morning for all the latest travel news and SNOWLINE updates.

Sadly, "Snowy" didn't enjoy the second blast of snow we had last night...

Snowy sports his new snow-hat and various other deformities

That's it for now.

J.

...glad to return to some kind of normality, following the totally random day I had yesterday!

I was rolling over in bed, trying to wake myself up, when I heard my girlfriend's screams of joy from downstairs as she was leaving the house.  She was saying something about "outside" and "look" and a few other incoherent words.  I scrambled clumsily out of bed to look through the bedroom window.

It soon became apparent what she was talking about...

Awaking from my daze, my first thought was how great it looked.

My next thought was how the road situation would be!  Considering I'd seen the gritters doing the rounds of the area around 6pm the previous evening, it didn't seem to have made much difference.

As I was getting ready to leave the house, my girlfriend returned and announced there were no trains, buses or taxis coming in or going out of the area.  She was unable to make it to work, so I decided to give her a lift.

My first task was to find the car from underneath a mound of snow.  We cleaned it up best we could, but our efforts to leave proved futile...

The car ended up sliding around, blocking cars from behind us, as well as oncoming traffic!  After getting over the funny looks and frowns I was receiving, I managed to get some kind of control, and abandoned it at the bottom of the road.  There was no way it was going anywhere!

So...  we couldn't leave the area, and neither could anyone else by the look of it.  There were children everywhere on sledges, at 9am! 

We decided there was only one thing we could do with our day. 
In true festive manner, we wolfed down some christmas chocolates, guzzled some Irish coffee, and built a snowman!

Luckily, the snow subsided a little and I was able to get in for my evening show!

However, conditions are still bad today, and make sure you keep listening for updates on 96.2 The Revolution because we're being warned that there is possibly more on the way...

That's it for now.

J.

...laughing at the traffic matrix signs I saw this morning.

As I'm sure you probably noticed, we've been hit by some pretty thick fog this morning.  I managed to find my way to the car, realised I needed to de-ice it, then drive at about 5mph through the thick fog until I managed to find the motorway.  Upon reaching the slip road, I was very glad that the people who control the traffic matrix signs were on the ball...

Brilliant, thanks for that.

Might never have noticed.

J.

Today I am mostly...

...looking forward to Saturday, so I can try this out!

Basically, I've come across the X-Factor Drinking Game, which looks like a lot of fun, even if you're not a fan of the ITV entertainment show.  Get a few mates round, get the drinks in, and try this out....

THE X-FACTOR DRINKING GAME

Rule One - Knock back a shot of your favourite tipple every time you see a granny in the audience wearing a cheap T-shirt with a contestant's face plastered on the front.

Rule Two - Chug some beer each time Dermot or Simon claims it's the "toughest week yet" or "closest competition ever".

Rule Three - Knock back some vodka on each occasion Louis Walsh wobbles his head like the Churchill dog and tells a contestant: "You...should...be...in...the final!"

Rule Four - Knock back even more if any judge utters the words "sack your mentor" or "the song was too big for you".

Rule Five - Have two drinks when Simon makes a suggestive comment about Ruth Lorenzo's dress, boobs or what she's doing with the microphone.

Rule Six - Take a sip whenever you see Diana Vickers doing her 'wavy hands' dance.

Rule Seven - Drink once for every reference to Eoghan Quigg being "cute" and having "Irish charm".

Rule Eight - Have two shots for every contestant that discusses their "journey" or whenever any of them says: "If I don't up my game this week, I could be going home!"

Rule Nine - Make yourself a tasty cocktail whenever Simon or Dermot make an unsubtle comment about Louis's sexuality.

Rule Ten - Help yourself to a large rum and coke if Cheryl breaks into tears during the final showdown.

Rule Eleven - Wash it down with a whiskey chaser if Simon teases: "I didn't like it.... I loved it!"

Rule Twelve - Down your entire drinks selection if Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue at any point dare to crack a smile or share a conversation with each other.

LEGAL BIT
96.2 The Revolution and Jay McCreary do not promote or encourage irresponsible drinking or alcohol abuse, and cannot be held responsible for anyone being daft enough to actually do all of the above!

That's it for now.

J.

Today, I am mostly...

... feeling like I am going to die.

I can't really complain too much, I should be grateful I've not got what Penky's got, but it doesn't stop you feeling miserable when every day this week seems to be a slow decline into the wonderful world of phlegm heaven. 

Monday was when it started.  The occasional blocked nose, and feeling drowsy.  Some kind listeners sent  me a few ideas as to how to rid myself of the symptoms, including something called Hot Toddy.  (More on that shortly.)

Tuesday was slightly worse, Wednesday I was completely unable to breath using my nose, and today (Thursday) I am about ready to collapse.  I'm aching all over, have a hell of a sore throat, and feel like I could sleep anywhere!  I know, I know, I'm a bloke, and we always get accused of exaggerating our illnesses, and maybe sometimes we do.  However, it's my illness, so I am entitled to moan!

There's a few hints and tips that the Office of Health Education have provided to help people protect themselves against getting colds or the flu.  But let's face it, if you're gonna get it, you're gonna get it aren't you!  There's no escaping it.

1) Wash Your Hands : Which is quite an obvious one I would have thought. 

2) Don't Cough or Sneeze Into Your Hands : They would rather we use a disposable tissue instead.  Good luck reaching for that in time.

3) Don't Touch Your Face : Which is rather hard not to do if your name is Diana Vickers.

4) Drink Plenty Of Fluids : I don't think alcohol counts unfortunately.  They mean water.  Then they go on to talk about dehydration and colours of urine, but it started to make me gag.

5) Take a Sauna : Which is all well and good if you know where there is one.  Apparently some German study in the 80s proved this to be a good method of keeping the flu bugs at bay.

6) Get Fresh Air :  Check this out.  You thought you were more likely to get colds or flu while you are out and about?  Nope.  Not unless you're sucking air directly out of people's faces, which is something you could probably be arrested for.  A regular dose of fresh air is apparently quite important, especially in cold weather when central heating or air-con dries you out and makes your body more vulnerable to cold and flu viruses.

7) Do Aerobic Exercise Regularly : Let's pretend we didn't see that one.

8) Eat Foods Containing Phytochemicals : Phy-what?

9) Eat Yogurt : Apparently this improves your chances of not catching colds by about 25%.  (As sponsored by Muller probably).

10) Don't Smoke : Or you'll have more than just colds and flu to worry about in later years.

11) Cut Alcohol Consumption : Tut, I suppose it had to be said.  Doesn't mean we have to cut it out all together.  Just don't neck 10 pints of Stella on a nightly basis.

12) Relax : If you have time.

So there you have it.  Stick by most of the above rules and you should be ok this winter.  Sadly, I found this list after it was already too late.  If, like me, you are already suffering from a snotty nose, sore throat and a severe case of man-flu, check out the recipe below, sent in by a kind listener...

HOT TODDY - The classic bedtime beverage!
(Over 18s Only!)

Ingredients

- 1 1/2 fluid oz whisky (gin or rum is ok if whisky 'aint your thing)
- 1 spoonful of honey (or 1 sugar lump)
- juice of half a lemon (or some lemon squash will do!)
- 2 cloves (optional)
- small stick of cinnamon (optional)

Directions

- Put all the ingredients into a heatproof mug and fill with boiling water.
- If preferred, serve in a strong tumbler when the drink has cooled a little so as not to break the glass.

There you have it.  I actually tried it on Tuesday morning, but did it the lazy way.  I made a lemsip and dropped a bit of whiskey into it.  Knocked me out for half an hour!  Considering mixing alcohol and paracetamol is never a good idea (which I only remembered after I downed it), please don't try that at home!

That's it for now.

J.