Strangers have the best sweets

I hate you

2012-01-05T23:45:00.000Z

You are a fucking venomous, bile spewing culture. And by you i mean we. We are a fucking venomous, bile spewing culture. We hate each other. All the congratulatory messages and well being you give each other means shit. You hate that person. For whatever reason, be it they are getting married and your single, they are having a baby and your single, they drive a nice car and your poor, they own a nice house and your poor. Their wife is better looking than yours and their boyfriend has a bigger dick than yours. That person you are, that isn't you.

You hate politics but decide to speak up only when others do. You hate racism but will gladly sit there and enjoy a joke that belittles anothers culture, way of life or religion. You have no self worth. You live your life the way others say it should be lived. You have no self control. The people you put in power you hate, yet abide by what they make law. You only stand up when others have, you have no voice. If you don't like something, change it. Don't sit idly by and watch your world collapse because you couldn't be arsed. Fuck, i am you. You are i. We don't care and we will die. We all die. You will die. I will die.

The Earth has been raped and pillaged. Society has been raped and pillaged. You sit drinking your french water in little plastic bottles while people go without water. You pay obscene amounts to footballers, actors and celebrities for what reason, to watch them fail. You love watching someones life falling apart before your eyes. You love watching people tear their families and way of life apart in front of a studio audience. You slow down at the scene of an accident because your morbid curiosity makes you want to see carnage and death. You feed on the hate that is thrown at you and stuffed into your face via the 'news'. Its not news. Its hate mongering. Of all the things that are deemed newsworthy what really is newsworthy. What do YOU want to know about the world? The injustice in the world, the suffering, the illegal wars, the torture, the biological and manufactured terrorism. Is that how you want to live your life or bring up your children. In a world of hate? You make me sick.

I hope that the human race gets eradicated as all those fucking nut jobs and cunts say, what use do we have? We don't progress, we are stagnant. We haven't moved forward and will not. We are content. We are content with our little gadgets, our shiny belongings, our one-upmanship. We hate to see the suffering but won't part with money or aid because what hope do you have of changing anything? This is the future that people saw great promise and what future is this? Poverty is still widespread, even in the supposed 'first world' cultures. There is disease amongst the poorest of people that can be prevented by the simplest of vaccines. But we need poor people don't we. We need people to suffer so we can take the moral high ground and say 'We helped them' by donating a few fucking pounds a month or gave away some of your clothes.

I fucking give up. I hate you. You hate me. We hate each other, that's the way we live our lives and that's how we will die. In hate. Not in love but in hate. You bile spewing venomous person.

Advent: Dec 24th

2011-12-30T17:49:00.000Z

So here it is, the Eve of Christmas. I didn't have work today so decided to get some last minute shopping done, which i did. Thankfully as I do hate shopping at Christmas. All done and dusted I went home to wrap them all.
We have this kind of tradition with my friends, every year now for quite a few we have met down the local village pub to catch up or just see each other as we don't all get to see each other in the test for various reasons. I got dressed up, grabbed a walking beer and started walking, got halfway and my friend was waiting for me in a car park, which was wierd but nice because she gave me s lift, very nice indeed. It was quite nice at the pub though some of the people that usually come decided not to this year. We just sat around outside and chatted, got drunk and had a merry old time

Another Christmas even drunk though thankfully not enough to have a hangover.

Advent: Dec 23rd

2011-12-30T16:12:00.000Z

Had work today and only a couple of people came in. The rest of the time was spent chatting to the Manager and Area Manager, having a mince pie, drinking tea and checking and cleaning up.

Plus as its about a week ago i don't remember much else.

Advent: Dec 22nd

2011-12-24T19:05:00.000Z

Woke up about 2pm, as is usual after drinking till the early hours. I had to start my Christmas shopping today as i would be working Friday and probably wouldn't have time on Christmas Eve to do any shopping. So i decided to cycle into town and peruse the wares of Reading. I quickly got bored, not after buying some things for my brother and my dad, so went to see my friend who was working at Sahara. Fast becoming a bad influence on my alcohol intake. I opted for some fruit drinks, non alcoholic as i was a little ropey from the night before but i did have a Suffering Bastard cocktail that was very sharp and dry and woke me up :)

We had planned to all go for a Christmas meal and it was looking like Whetherspoons for a cheap meal and some drinks, so a few friends came to meet me in Sahara and then we walked to Hope Tap. It was stupidly busy however so we went to meet our friends at Back of Beyond, which was also rammed. We walked around the Oracle but every eatery was jam packed or a 45 min wait so we walked around a bit more and opted for Bella Italia on Queen Victoria St.

Thankfully wasn't too busy inside so we managed to get a table no problem. I had pretty much exactly what i ordered from that takeaway the other night. Though this time was lasagna instead of Spaghetti and two glasses of nice red wine. We chatted for a bit after the very nice filling meal and then set off in our respective ways to go home.

A nice festive meal with friends. Not bad for a Thursday

Advent: Dec 21st

2011-12-24T18:51:00.000Z

Today was a busy day at work, it rained on the way to work and it rained on my way home. Lots of racing, lots of cleaning was done too.

I wish i had written these posts as the day happened because i have no idea what i did throughout the day or when i got home. I do remember buying a bottle of Morgans Spiced rum on the way home and drinking that till about 8am.

Advent: Dec 20th

2011-12-24T18:30:00.000Z

Was a pretty easy day today, I worked and that was pretty much it really. My friend came for a few goes round the track, we ate pizza and The Red Baron just finished on ITV, which is a great film i might add! We had some kids come to race that were way too small, by a few inches but instead of saying no we got them out and they seemed to have a great time. Always better than sending people away, upset and having paid to race.

Went home, played COD and the day was done.

Advent: Dec 19th

2011-12-24T18:01:00.000Z

Woke up and the plan was for drinks in town, well impromptu drinks in town. My parents took me to get my Christmas present as i didn't really want anything for Christmas. I generally hold the ideas that if, as an adult with an income, you want something then you can buy it. Yes extravagant purchases, like at Christmas, you generally don't spend on yourself but still, if you want that game/clothes/dvd then buy it with your hard earned cash.

So i asked for nothing, and got something pretty cool. That done and paid for i made my way into town and headed to Sahara for a few cocktails, a few got worse when i set up a tab and as each friend came i bought a cocktail for them. Quite costly though it was, i like spending my money on friends. We all sat around talking to each other and the staff as our friend was working. Paid of the tab, which was £53 and then also bought two tickets for the New Years Eve party they are having there. I try not to plan New Years as it's usually a let down, like most nights out really. So we went with it and now I'm going there.

We left for Pavs and sat outside drinking and chatting but we left fairly early and even missed out on the usual trip to Turtle. I did have time to completely whoop Lee at table football.

Advent: Dec 18th

2011-12-21T02:08:00.000Z

I was pretty hungover as i also drank another bottle of wine from the garage on top of the other one and was awoken by my parents asking what i wanted for Christmas as they were going shopping, i said nothing and back to sleep i went :D

The day was pretty much just COD with my friends and watching the end of Misfits Season One. Was a very relaxing day, as per usual :)

Advent: Dec 17th

2011-12-21T01:06:00.001Z

Today was a semi busy day, the first few hours were spent cleaning and then people came and raced. Like usual really. Wasn't particularly busy or hard but wasn't a run in the park at all. Got home and wanted something nice to eat. Got home and found cold/leftover KFC awaiting a good nuke in the Microwave. Which sounded disgusting, i mean its not the greatest at the best of times but reheated? No thanks. Nothing in the freezer or to make from so to the interwebs for food. Was going to just get a Papa Johns but decided something nicer than pizza was in order. After perusing local takeaways that deliver from Just Eat which are a few, i settled on Pico Bello an Italian down Oxford Rd. So i ordered Calamari Rings, Spicy Chicken wings, Jalapeno Poppers and a Pan fried breaded aubergine with mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce baked dish served with spaghetti. What was better was they delivered alcohol too :D So a bottle of wine and Peroni was ordered too and the food was AMAZING. Really nice from a takeaway and shit tons better than reheated KFC.

The night was spent watching Jackass 3.5 which was as good or better than Jackass 3 but i saw that in the cinema and in 3D.

Advent: Dec 16th

2011-12-21T00:32:00.001Z

I've been really shit with updating so this will be brief lol. Today was one of the busiest days as it is the last friday, kind of, for most people at work. So all day it was just event after event after event. And the last one was a little too much to bear, or even go into lol but safe to say a drink was needed afterwards, and a drink was had indeed. I just stayed up watching Movies and drinking, talking to those who were awake at that time.

Advent: Dec 15th

2011-12-17T02:54:00.000Z

This picture sums it up for me. I WAS DEAD TO THE WORLD. I was without any fucking energy today. I slept till about 3pm, watched a few episodes of Misfits and went to work. I started work at 6pm and did one event, came home and got pissed on by the rain. Drenched. Home and showered and then again collapsed into bed.

I think i might be coming down with something.

Advent: Dec 14th

2011-12-17T02:51:00.000Z

So today we agreed to meet at my mates at 11:30am, which was tough for me but i made it just about on time. I got there to find the two playing Call Of Duty, so naturally i joined in and we spent about an hour playing that. We walked to town to get some food (Burger #1) and some train beers. Nice 25min train to London and a good chat and drink and we were ready. The plan for the day was go to Trocaderro to play some arcade games. So a long we caught the tube to Piccadilly Circus and we were confronted with a protest about the Congo (i think) which was nice to watch and for about a 1,000 people there was a helicopter, 6 riot vans and lots of ground patrol. At one point they made a brilliant move of sitting down but after about 2 Min's were ushered along. We went to the Trocaderro but it was shut, at 3pm, on a Wednesday.... WHAT THE FUCK LONDON.

Turns out from my friend Sam that they have moved the entire 2 floors of arcade games to the bottom floor, and to just a little room? Really? Is that possible and fucking sane? I loved that place, the merchandise they offer there is fun and the games are amazing. But fuck you we will go to the one on the embankment from now on.

So with that obviously done we decided to check out Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, not sure if you had to pay so we went to see and you didn't have to pay. We walked around and saw the sights and for some reason the German Christmas tradition is to have lots of fun houses? And watered down beer, and Pizza express... Well that's what i saw, and lots of shit fun fair rides. But the ice rink did look cool. We walked around and then headed to the o2 to see about these VIP tickets we had.
Turns out we got there early so walked around the o2 as neither of us had been there and settled on Harvester for food (Burger #2). We proceeded to the gates? But were told we had to wait till they opened. Our VIP tickets were pretty much just a separate bar rather than the normal stadium style bar everyone else had to go to. Which was nice as it was pretty chilled and we sat down.
Got a beer and chatted then walked upstairs to our seats to see the first band who i don't even know who they were, some female singer who screamed alot and started to strangle the guitarist with the mic cord and then wear a badger mask. They were pretty shit. But through her incessant screaming i realised i would need ear plugs so i set off and a friendly doorman said customer services would give me some so i got three pairs.

The second act was Miles Kane and they were really good, i recognised a few songs from them and they were enthusiastic too. They finished and off i went to the loo and back before Kasabian started. The entire floor for Kasabian was packed, from front to back. We had good seats but they were seats.... Kasabian started and for the the entire set they did not let up. The energy from them were amazing.... I'll try to upload some videos but my fucking god they were amazing. One of the best performances i have seen in years and there was at least two moments where i had a 'moment', like "I need to fucking change things" which was unexpected but the only downside was we were on the side in the seating area. I would have preferred to have been down on the floor with evetone else dancing along. There were a few people around us drunk and dancing but that is nothing to being in a crowd of people dancing. So the set was brilliant, just wish i was a bit more active in the dancing :)

After the gig we waited outside and had a cup of tea and (Burger #3) while we let the crowd die down as it was fucking mental with everyone getting to the tube station. After about 20 minutes we managed to get to the station and a tube fairly quickly and we managed to get to Paddington fairly easily. Unfortunately the train we rain for was fucking packed, i was gladly going to stay behind for 30mins as the people on the train were packed in like sardines. Come on people.... for fuck sake you would be on a slow train for an hour pressed up against the glass, just wait 30mins and get an empty(ish) train. I don't understand. So we stayed behind but then they opened up another 3 carriages so we all piled on. I just sat in the luggage rack of the train for the hour journey, wasn't too uncomfortable. Got to Reading about 1 ish and got a taxi back to cemetery junction. I treated my mate to some food as he got us the tickets and i also decided on two Mr Cod mini burgers (Burger #4) and we went back to eat and play COD. We ended up watching Wipeout USA, which was fun and a very good looking bride lost out on $50,000 by 20 seconds to a M Night Shalamanan lookalike. Gutted.

Got home about half two and just collapsed into bed. A fucking amazing day, a long day and an unexpected day

Advent: Dec 13th

2011-12-17T01:38:00.000Z

Dec 13th, Unlucky for some, well not December but the 13th.. Well fuck you, some people think it is. The day went like usual, people came to drive and i was dishevelled. But all that work bollocks was sent into the ether as my friend text me asking me if i would like to go to the Kasabian gig at the o2 in London on Wednesday night. So after saying yes i checked my rota and luckily i had the day off. My day and night was planning what to do and when to do it. So today's advent is just going to be erm the precursor to Wednesday?

Advent: Dec 12th

2011-12-13T23:58:00.000Z

Today was spent just like any other day off, waking up at about 11am, staying in bed till 1pm. Getting up to feed the cats and peruse the Internet, answer emails, reply to twitter and Facebook and see whats going on in the world. Watched a film called Drive, not to be confused with Drive Angry with Nicholas Cage. Now poor old Nic Cage seems to have a hit and miss career, one film is great, one is shit. Rinse and Repeat. Drive Angry was one of those "it's so bad its good" films, which i enjoyed. Drive however was a film i had wanted to see since the trailer. And at last i did. Easily one of my 'Top 5 Films of 2011' (Expect a post later this month). The style reminded me of GTA:Vice City on the PS2, well maybe it was just the pink lettering of the cast/directors etc but the 80's Electro music helped too. Damn i really liked that game. I really liked it and glad the music from the trailer was in the film too, in an equally poignant moment too. As i said, one of the Top 5 of the year.

Apart from watching Drive i just played Call of Duty on line with a few of my friends, now not boasting but we kicked arse but forgot to take names, oh well.

The night was ended with late night Skype and drinking with my friend, watching crap movies and part writing Dec 10th Advent Blog.

Advent: Dec 11th

2011-12-13T23:37:00.000Z

Sunday was a write off. I did fuck all bumpkiss. I played a bit of Call of Duty, i wallowed in self pity and drank lots of tea. I was lethargic all day, just had no energy. Bit of a shitty post really but hey ho its Advent :)

Advent: Dec 10th

2011-12-13T23:24:00.000Z

Well firstly the December Tenth image is pretty damn good. Its of http://wfmu.org/ which is an amazing digital radio station from New Jersey, USA that has a brilliantly diverse schedule, check out the live broadcast or hit the archives to check out the previous weeks broadcasting.

I had to get up early to work so i was glad i didn't go out to see DJ Yoda but then again Saturday turned out to be a a really quiet day with parties and that's about it really. The day passed without any incidents which was good as i had a friends gig to go to in the evening and wanted to be out sharpish, and like all circumstances when you want to get out on time, or go somewhere, life dicks you. So getting to when i should be leaving the person to cover me wasn't showing up. Cue frantic phone calls and texts to find cover or where he was and to be fair wasn't sure if he would turn up. No cover available but thankfully he turned up late but turned up. So pedalled my little heart out and turned a 30 min bike ride into 20 minutes by ignoring a few red lights on the way. Got home, changed and back out in 15mins and to Marks to lock up my bike and he was waiting outside with a walking beer. We walked to Plug N Play where my friend was playing with his band 13D (Check out the album at the link)

I hadn't heard them live since they played Pilton in 2008 i think it was, for a battle of the bands to play Glastonbury, Micheal Eavis was on of the judges however they didn't win that time. We also watched Kill the Joker who were pretty damn good too. We stayed and drank till the last band finished then grabbed a walking beer and headed to the turtle about midnight, it was fucking cold. The shaved head didn't help but my god it was a chilly walk to town. Turtle these days has been a bit 'meh' for me. Nothing that fun happening, no random conversations with people, might be the weather or might be the fact i cant be arsed? Who knows but its not the Turtle i once knew and loved. We stayed till about half 2 then walked home, wasn't as cold walking home as it was walking to Plug n Play and Town before.

Advent: Dec 9th

2011-12-11T22:06:00.001Z

I felt that in this cold climate that a haircut is due, mainly shaving my head. Which i did on the way to work and also dropped off a film to be developed from my night excursion to take some night shots with my DSLR and my TLR cameras. I have to say a shaved head is fucking cold :(

The day at work was pretty standard, people went round a circuit. Had some nice people in for their work Christmas party, a couple were very nice ;) But one hurt her back when a couple of people crashed into her. Luckily not too bad. All day i had been wrestling with the idea of going to see DJ Yoda at Sub89 for his AV set. I haven't seen DJ Yoda since he played Po Na Na years and years ago, which for all i can remember was very good, and how could it not be? By the time i came around to making a decision my mate couldn't come and i really didn't fancy trying to get a ticket on the door etc so i called it quits. Popped into Tesco on the way home for a lottery ticket, bottle of wine and two bottles of beer to replace the ones i drank from my dads. Its amazing how much i can fit into the little pouch on my bag, think its 5 cans of beer usually but now a bottle of wine + 2 of those really big bottles of San Miguel.

The night was spent drinking said bottle of wine and watching films/whatever was on that night.

Advent: Dec 8th

2011-12-09T01:42:00.000Z

BOOTIE, only one (maybe two) people i know will get why i just said that and if i don't get a text within a day then i know he doesn't read my blog.

I didn't have work till 5pm so i woke up around 11 as usual after a really cool dream about Vampires who had a joke/party store but it was sort of a cult too. They were scared of water and there was a showdown by the river and i escaped over a small bridge, started throwing things in the water to splash on them. One of them then rowed out and managed to control the water into draining. I ran and then the girl i loved came after me and was crying and i couldn't attack her, because of love and shit. Then i woke up.

Anyway i played Call of Duty for about 40mins, won some matches as you do, then i cycled off into town to get my head shaved and drop off a film to be developed from my TLR camera when i went and took long exposures of traffic last week. With the SLR its easy to see it come out right or wrong but with film, who fucking knows?

But after the haircut i went to work, had 2 people in to drive then a GP to run with some nice people, even got a tip after the event too. Thankfully after i left the pissing rain and howling wind had stopped so the cycle home wasn't too bad. Once back bottle of red was opened, crap TV watched but settled on a film which is brilliant. Its called Dragon Hunters and the film is pretty basic about a girl who meets wannabe Dragon Hunters who become the heroes be the soundtrack is amazing. A track of which i will leave you with tonight.

Advent: Dec 7th

2011-12-08T00:59:00.000Z

December 7th. What a day. Historically of course, for me it was another day of nothing. Woke up to a cooked breakfast and did some work in the garden for my mum. Started playing Call of Duty again for about an hour then watched the first episode of long forgotten TV show First Wave. Its pretty much aliens invading but Nostradamus saw this happening.... yeah sound shit, surprisingly isn't. So ill barrel through that eventually. Erm watched Our Idiot Brother, which was fantastic. Amazing cast, well written and easily in the top 5 films of the year for me, so i suggest you watch it!
I noticed today my pile of books to read has gotten out of hand. Theres 12 Terry Pratchett books, Gormenghast Trilogy, Mr Nice, Game of Thrones, HP Lovecraft collection, Lemony Snickets - book 2, The Secret War, Stephen Frys autobiography. I know there are more hiding somewhere in the house. I'll get round to reading them eventually, just takes time i suppose.

I just spent the day reading Cracked.com, talking to people and watching TV. South Park is aired at night on Comedy Central, always fun and never old.

DJ Yoda is playing Sub89 in town on Friday so hopefully i can get tickets for me and my friends to go. Haven't seen him since he played a venue called Po Na Na in Reading years ago. So will be good, considering i missed Ash last week. So here's hoping.

Advent: Dec 6th

2011-12-07T03:07:00.001Z

Today i started work a little earlier as i thought their were some events, there wasn't but a guy walked in and wanted to drive so that was a good start. Pretty much my day was listening to music and painting the toilets, was quite nice and therapeutic and that was it. We had a few people come in in the afternoon and i was out by 8pm. Stopped off at my friends to grab my camera, had a smoke and a catch up. Watched some community and Never Mind the Buzzcocks with Cilla Black hosting. Was pretty fucking funny and i do love angelos epithemiou, he was great on Shooting Stars and below is my favourite joke from it

It is at 3:03 or press number 5 on the time line. Just makes me laugh every time and i love the reactions he gets.

Not sure on his stand up but i will have a look. The rest of the night followed suite, watched Never Mind the Buzzcocks on YouTube. Which makes writing blog posts ever more harder since its so distracting. I do miss Simon Amstell and Mark Lamaar from NMTB, Bill Bailey too. Oh the good old days eh?

Tomorrow is a day off, Christmas shopping and haircut. Yeah exciting life i lead eh?

Advent: Dec 5th

2011-12-07T01:28:00.000Z

My days off are pretty standard as of late. Call of Duty, films and internet. No that's not why there is a half naked girl here now, that's what came up when i googled Dec Fifth. Sorry my day wasn't more interesting. But what do you expect me to do, be productive or something?

Advent: Dec 4th

2011-12-05T23:07:00.000Z

I woke up midday without a hangover which was surprising, just very tired. Sundays like that are write offs in my book and that was exactly what it was. Started it off playing COD with my friend, which went on for a few hours until the game froze and i lost all my saved games, slightly annoyed so we had a break. Spent most of the day writing the previous two days worth of Advent posts and just milled about really. My brother got himself a 42" TV to go with his new PS3 purchase and woke me up while he was carrying it upstairs.

Watched Golden Compass with my dad which he liked but that might have been the couple glasses of wine he had. I mean its a good film but its not great, and has some shit parts. Oh well.

Most of the evening was spent playing COD or watching films, i forget which ones but thankfully South Park is repeated at night on Comedy Central. I might download South Park and watch it from the beginning again, some of the episodes are fantastic.

Advent: Dec 3rd

2011-12-05T01:29:00.000Z

I was a little hungover this morning due to the drinking of the night before so on the way to work i had my post drinking dry mouth. Usually i just buy some Oranges or Orange Juice but this morning i bought a Mango, 3 large oranges, a pear, 2 bottles of mountain dew and a litre of Orange Juice. Got to work and it wasn't too bad, had some accidents but nothing too bad thankfully. The day was one long hangover, just had a headache all day and was counting down the hours till i was going to my friends for her birthday. Which luckily came around quicker than i thought.

After work i came home got ready and went to the flat for some party time. I got there and promptly said hello, grabbed a drink and chatted to the few people there. As more turned up the conversation gets better as more people to talk to, including two very gorgeous girls. Lots of alcohol, a few cheeky joints later the conversation got to Twilight, damn sparkly vampires, and general drunken chit chat. A few people joined and a few people left the party and eventually we ended up playing Kinect, well a few of us did. Drunken tennis and drunken Baseball is indeed fun. I would have preferred chatting to the girls a bit more but they left, oh well.

I left at some time i don't remember but i got home about 3am after a nice walk home. For some reason they have a ice sculpture of a polar bear outside of Marks and Spencers and they had a security guard in a van making sure people don't do something to it i suppose, was a bit weird. I think the night cap at the flat did me in because the walk home was rather long, thankfully not cold or raining however.

I really need to start writing these Advent blog posts the day after rather than two days later.

Advent: Dec 2nd

2011-12-04T17:33:00.001Z

Today was spent like pretty much most days, lounging around. Watched Waynes World on TV. We had work drinks in the evening however i was supposed to go to work at half five and as no one was booked in, meant leaving at around 6pm. Luckily my manager phoned to tell me it got cancelled so i didn't have to go in. Which was good as if i had i wouldn't have been home till late, then back out for drinks.
Got to Cape around 8pm but they have some pissy policy that after 8pm you aren't allowed in with trainers, one of my colleagues had black trainers so no way i was getting in with white trainers. Instead a couple of us went to the Hope Tap for a couple before meeting up with the rest of work at Oakford. Was good, ha vent been in there for ages, good music and just sat around drinking and talking. It's odd that it took 5months for us all to go for a drink, hopefully wont take that long next time.
Cycled home and was in by half 1, all in all a nice night out, relatively cheap too.

Advent: Dec 1st

2011-12-02T15:57:00.000Z

So here we go again, lets see if i can manage to keep up to date with this. Saying that I'm already a day late. So I'm going to keep the format from last year, google 'December First/Second/Third.....' and just use whatever image is on the first page. Though i doubt anything too exciting will happen. Way to sell yourself.

The first day of December didn't yield much. I shaved off my Movember attempt and it felt good to get rid of a ginger moustache that looked like i should be in the 80's or the 6th member of the Village People. I spent most of the day playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 which isn't worth the £40 price tag, it should have just been an add-on download for x amount of Microsoft points since it really wasn't anything substantial. The story and the set pieces were amazing but it was just a small follow up. I think 5 hours of game play and that was it finished. Compared with say Fallout which usually has about 30 hours of game play before you finish.....

The multiplayer is where its at for me, as was Modern Warfare 2. Playing against another person is always better and more unpredictable than playing with a AI. I never liked Zombies that much but i love Survival mode. Its brilliant, much like in Gears of War where you have to survive waves of enemies. On line is as usual, sometimes its good and fun, sometimes its just full of people hiding till you run round a corner.

I had work but was only for two events, so after the Grand Prix was ran i cycled home, played a bit more Call of Duty, watched a film and bed. Looking forward to (today) Friday as I'm going for drinks with people from work which has taken too long, 5 months and no alcohol with work people is odd. And then Saturday is my friend Kats birthday so mucho drinko to be had.

Tales of a Drunkard: Learning

2011-11-21T15:53:00.001Z

Last night i went to Sahara in Reading for their EDS (Educated Drinkers of Sahara) night. The idea of the EDS is for the members to become educated about the drinks they provide. Which for this Drunkard is a nice respite from just necking drinks for the sake of it. This meeting was the year anniversary for the EDS so was special for them and the drink of choice was Tapatio Tequila. Along with the different Tequilas was a history lesson from Duncan, from Speciality Brands which was amazing. I had no idea where Tequila came from, where it was made and the different types of Tequila, so for me was a nice eye opener into a spirit which is usually just necked on a night out. So the presentation about this family owned distillery was informative and funny and with the tasting afterwards meant you were more appreciative of the drink.

The tasting of the spirit was akin to wine tasting. Little measures were poured into a wine glass, you let it breath then put your nose to it to pick out the different aromas. Then the tasting. The first glass was the Blanco which was very spicy and very nice. A bit too spicy for me and this tequila is bottled a few weeks after its been made. The second glass was the Reposada which is aged for a few months and was a lot smoother to drink, not as peppery as the Blanco and was my favourite of the night. The third was the Anejo which again is aged at about 18months. This tequila was a little bit peppery than the Reposada but still smoother than the Blanco. There was a bit of a kick afterwards but again nice and smooth, which you could just sip all night.

They are the three Tequilas that Tapatio make, the fourth bottle and tequila we sampled was the Reservas de la Excelencia, the Family Reserve which was usually just available to drink at the distillery or in the local cafes/bars. Speciality Brands twisted their arms and managed to get bottles of it to sell. It has now been discontinued which made the drink that much nicer. It is aged for about 4 years but the one we had was aged for 7 years if i remember correctly and was so smooth. Not as spicy as the Blanco, smooth like the Reposada and full of flavour. By far the nicest Tequila i have ever had and will probably ever have.

As it was a birthday party of sorts there were party rings, chocolate fingers and hula hoops and marshmallows on offer and like someone said "Food fitting of a 3yr olds birthday". After thanking Duncan for an insight into the La Altena Distillery, which has been making Tequila for 70 years, we moved upstairs where Dan the manager made us some cocktails to enjoy and some made with the Tapatio tequila, we sipped, shared and enjoyed the company. Had a couple of birthday shots and i bought some rum daiquiris. Chatting to some of the people there we decided to get some drinks on the way home since we lived in the same direction so Hobgoblin for a nice pint of cider then a walk to Up the Junction for a nice beer. Always nice to meet new people and friendly ones at that. I got home about 11:30 after stopping off to take a couple of pictures in Palmer Park as it was really misty and looked amazing. Though both my DSLR and digital compact were out of battery so my trusty medium format camera was placed on the floor so who knows if it worked, might pop back there again.

So all in all a good educational drinking session was had. Can't wait for the next one.

The Internet

2011-11-15T04:02:00.002Z

Ever since the inception of the Internet there has been wonderment that man has gazed upon. In this digital age EVERYTHING is at your fingertips if you know how to use it. Things from Michelangelo's blueprints to the Anarchists Cookbook, to everything in between. The amount of information at your disposal these days is far greater than that you could ever wish for from teachers and lecturers. You could, if you so see fit, learn more from the Internet than you could from school/college/university. But you would have sod all to show for it other than a Good Will Hunting take on life. Which some would say isn't a bad thing.

Together with the Pandora's box of information comes a sense of control, well there should be a sense of control, with the Internet. As Rule 34 states: There is porn of it, no exceptions. Basically if you have thought of it, there is porn. And that is the dark side of the Internet. With information becomes distortion. Years ago i downloaded a faces of death video off Kazaa. And that video still haunts me, whether it was true or not i still remember that video, the colours etc. This is what the Internet has become.

With the Internet, and notably through 4-chan, have become this sense of anonymity. You can say and do whatever the fuck you want with near on no repercussions, well nearly no implications. If you are old enough to remember ICQ or yahoo chat rooms before they became petri dishes of perverts, then you will know it was part of the explosion of talking to random people around the room. Chat rooms linked people, with either common subjects or in most cases perverted sexual endeavours. It was like having pen pals but without having to write and wait weeks for reply. Although written notes were more meaningful, digital counterparts were not only easier to reply to but meant you could get through a months conversation within a week or two.

With chat rooms and programs came websites and search engines. Before Facebook and google there was Myspace, Bebo, Anglefire, Geocities, Tucows, Yahoo, Ask Jeeves. People were able to make websites catered to their own sense of style and person. I myself had a site about conspiracy theories, a few of my friends had sites full of nonsensical wonderment and before Geocities closed its doors i downloaded by friends sites (Although you can download the entire geocities directory). All this basically gave birth to Twitter and Facebook that you no doubtly use day in and day out.

But how well do you know that person that you 'follow' or you added on Facebook? The Internet provides a safety net. You can be yourself, you can be someone different. How many times have you gone into town, to a club and though "Well being myself gets me nowhere so how bout i just make up someone" you can be anyone you want in real life but most people decide they would rather do that on the internet. Its easy to tell if someone is lying in real life because usually they trip up on what they say or sometimes you can just tell. However if you talk to someone online, how do you know who or what they are?

How do you know the person you talk to day in and day out is who they say they are. Do you really know that man/woman are who they say they are. What they do for a living is what they actually do etc. There is a degree of trust that you instill in someone, usually someone you don't know, yet you will gladly talk to someone, open up to them as if you knew them for years. Why? You wouldn't walk up to someone in a coffee shop and lay on them your life story or what you have been up to the previous week.

That person you might talk to online, be it Facebook/Skype/Twitter/AIM/MSN/Any other social networking site or program, how do you know they are who they say they are? How would you feel if after a year of talking to someone that they turn around and end up being not who you thought they were?

I have had the pleasure/displeasure of knowing someone for about 18-24 months. Talking to them pretty much daily, knowing them well enough to know that if they did or didn't say something, that i would know what they meant from that. How well do you know your family or friends that you know what they mean when they don't use words? Anyway you get to know someone, about their life and their family, and they do you. Its a pen pal relationship where you just talk to someone else in the world, which is what social media is all about really. But you develop feelings for someone, i mean who wouldn't if you ended up talking to someone day in and day out for a year or two. As trivial as conversations might be "I broke up with my boyfriend, i went on holiday, i had my mum visit, my day at work was shit" Its these interactions that make you develop attractions.

But my initial question, somewhere up there, still beckons. How do you know how you talk to are who they say they are.

Now this is going to get way too personal for a blog post, well considering most of my other blog posts anyway. I have known girl named Lexi for about 2 years. A random occurrence and following on Twitter brought us together. We both had a love of geeky things such as games or the odd TV show/film. We connected over things such as family, life and tea. When i said things she listened and when she didn't say things i knew what she meant. Its the whole reading between the lines part of relationship i suppose? Knowing someone inside and out without meeting them is a concept a lot of people cant comprehend, and for a lot of people will understand fully.

Anyway move on about 2 years, a few months ago, and i come upon a revelatory piece of information. There is a website called Tineye, that allows you to pretty much back trace an image. I use it to see if anyone is using my pictures that i upload on face book or my other blog that i use for photography. Anyway, like googling your own name, i used it on a picture of Lexi and was suddenly confronted with an entire google database of websites dedicated to this girl and her pictures. Which i hope you can understand is a fucking shock. Imagine finding a website dedicated to your friend, family member or girlfriend/boyfriend that you never knew about. It took me by shock. So if anyone reading this wondered why a month or so ago i was acting weird and depressed well that's your answer, in a way.

Upon confronting Lexi i got a story about how she was once a model for Myspace and her pictures were used all over the place and yadda yadda bla bla a story was woven. Now the usual reason someone would fake who they were on the Internet would be because of low self esteem or many other psychological reasons i am not even going to bother going into. So this story was woven which seemed bollocks but also through knowing someone rather well seemed plausible. Heart said one thing, head said another. And upon pressing for actual information the story then changed. It changed to using Twitter and a picture of a model to see, psychologically, how people perceive online persona's. Which is a fucking good question, really. I mean whats stopping you from grabbing a picture and using it as your own persona? Common decency really.

So much bollocks later, about this that and the other, an actual person was found. Her name was still Lexi, but the picture was different. But the person was the same. And that's all that matters. The person you know is the same but the trust is gone. If one of my good friends turned round and relayed some piece of information that was a major contrast to who i knew and what i knew about them, i doubt i could ever trust them the same.

So there is a degree of doubt in everything and anything i knew about 'Lexi'. I can never fully trust that person like i used to. My feelings have changed but are still the same. I'd love to turn around and call her a psycho bitch that had no right to do that, but at the same time its the Internet. Whats stopping her or you?

Yes for a day or three i was empty. Yes i know don't really like her as a person and that she doesnt mean the same to me as she did say 6 months ago. Yes i don't believe a single word she says anymore, not so much that its untrue, but that what right does she have to have me trust anything she says. But at the same point everything i have learnt about her is true. How do i know? I don't. But talking to someone for a long period of time you just know. Making up a persona is hard, changing your name or image is easy but changing who you are, your likes/dislikes, fears or desires is hard.

I really don't know where this blog was going, maybe i needed to get things off my chest or warn people of the dangers of the Internet? Kids growing up these days don't really know the dangers of the Internet. And i don't mean that pervert down the road that logs onto your Stickam broadcasts, i mean anything and everything you do is on the Internet. It ever goes away, and it can never be deleted. I may or may not have lost/left my job because of things i posted on here or facebook. Try googling your name and seeing what information comes up, its scary sometimes what you find out is available to everyone to see.

The internet is a wonderful thing. It is a dangerous thing. It stretches the realm of understanding but it also constricts what you can perceive. It offers warmth, solace and caring. It also offers darkness, cold and subjection.

It is up to you how you use it.

Cereal Killer

2011-06-25T02:38:00.000+01:00

One thing growing up I enjoyed. Breakfast. Whether you ate it with your family talking about the days activities or you're sat discussing the news or like me you sat watching cartoons, it is usually a staple diet for most children and adults. It starts the day. Be it toast, porridge, cereal, coffee, tea, fruit, yogurt.

As your tastes change from being told what to eat and what you want to eat in the morning (Cold pizza is damn good in the morning) you forget the little things that set you up for the day. That cartoon, that comic or that toy. Wait, what? Toy? At breakfast? Are you overdosing on vitamin C, you don't have toys at breakfast, your not in hospital. But wait, that happened when I was a child. Was it a dream?

NO.
No it was not.

The time was when you raced to open a new box of cereal, either to cherry pick the toy or just for that chance. The older you got you realised that you could just reach in and grab the toy. Yes toy, I keep saying this word, but what do i mean toy?

Well back before retarded children started to put anything and everything into their mouths you were able to find toys in packs of cereal. Admittedly not as cool as American kids toys like decoder rings but still pretty awesome. The picture at the top is something most children in the UK must have seen/had as a kid. I have some toys in the loft I have seen recently and some were water squirters from The Mask and some Simpsons ones too. You got figures, reflectors, stickers, tazos. Lots of things were on offer to the breakfast children. But alas not anymore. The best you get are offers that give you money off other things.
I remember once there were three toys connected, the cutter obviously malfunctioned, it was Christmas, Easter and my Birthday all rolled in one. Three toys in one! AMAZING.

Fuck, I opened a bank account when I was 10 with Barclays, this offer was with Shreddies... You opened an account with something like 75p and Barclays added 25p to make a solid £1 and there you had it, one shiny new bank account. I still have this bank account, albeit it rather overdrawn, but this is the power of cereal. 16 years later I have this bank account, this was offered to me by a cereal company....

What has gone wrong, why do we not have toys. Surely parents should say "No Timmy don't put that replica of Nelsons column in your mouth, its not edible"

Kellogs, I implore you. Add toys back to your boxes of cereal. It will be the best thing you can do.

April 2012: The End of the World or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Loved My Robot Overlords

2011-02-18T21:39:00.001Z

Don't be fooled by the robotic puppy dog eyes of Wall-E, he means to kill you. Or conveniently dispose of your rubbish in a silent manner. Or kill you. Or make a castle out of blocks of rubbish much like Minecraft. Or kill you.

The whole hubbub surrounding the April 2012 'We are all going to die' scenario is the Mayan calender pretty much predicted most things that happened in an interstellar manner. Up until 2012. Which most people took a sign of "Well they saw everything till then and nothing more, therefore we will die". But much like the Y2K virus which "Would set off all the nukes, therefore we die" it won't. Or will it?

Some troubling news has befallen me, and anyone else with an Internet connection. They are becoming self aware. Recently a Robot named Watson competed on Jeopardy and tied with one of the human competitors who was a reigning champion. Watson learned from his answers and for the most part got them right. When wordplay came into it he got confused and answered incorrectly. Now this learning robot also reminds me of a TED talk about a robot comedian. What was special with the comedian robot was it gauged the audiences response from both applause, laughter and silence and catered its comedy routine based on that. Another learning robot.

Coupled with Big Dog, The Xos Exoskeleton, Self Assembling Furniture, This Lifelike Robot mimicking facial expressions and Realistic Animatronic Eyeball, we are getting a hell of a lot closer with Self Aware Artificial Intelligence. Well its pretty much there really. There is something called a Singularity which is defined as:

A predicted future event in human history caused by the ever-increasing ability of new technology to speed up the rate at which new technology is developed

This can be described by Amplified Intelligence, modifying the brain with implants, sort of the same way that bloke shoved a camera in his head. Though it was not meant to be as his body rejected it. So kinda pointless.

It can also be described by Artificial Intelligence too. By that we mean computers that can think for themselves and either update themselves to be smarter than us and itself or create machine to work for it. Which would be a scary day.

So it falls back to the 2012 scenario and i put this to you. At some point in our future this 'Singularity' WILL happen and when it does, if it is to lead towards Artificial Intelligence, then some point after the Self Aware computer will start creating other computers and machines. And so on and so forth, may be years or decades but it will happen. Now some point after that people will become frightened of this technology and will either revolt or regress. Yes it plays out like a science fiction film, but that is only because within science fiction lays science fact.

So going through the decades, maybe even centuries something will happen where traveling at the speed of light will happen. And with that is the possibility of time travel.
Now if you were this advanced computer and you knew humanity would revolt and pose a threat you would try and stop this. And the only people that foresaw this happening where an advanced civilization known as the Mayans. So you go back and kill them all. Thus stopping them from communicating what will inevitably happen in the future.

Yeah i know sound far fetched and preposterous. Fun to think about though eh?

Either way this singularity will occur. It will lead to revolutionary discoveries in medicine, science and human understanding. It will lead to a serene time within all. We will be able to feed the hungry, cure the sick and stop wars.
It could also bring about a time of never ending war. More powerful machines and weapons. Nanotechnology could be used in weapons where they are dropped on cities and people/buildings are devoured from within.

I hope to be alive when this happens. It will be amazing, and to be fair the past 25 years i have been alive have shown just how fast technology can progress. Computers have gone from being the size of rooms to the size of a credit card. Phones now have the capabilities of computers.

Hell the Internet. I am lucky to appreciate all of this around me as i have seen it grown. Kids now have all of this technology from the get go. But they abuse it. They are not learning and progressing. There is a 'Tech-Stalemate' We are not progressing as fast as the past few decades, that too will herald the singularity.

Life In Balance: Music and Film

2011-02-09T17:13:00.000Z

So the post before kind of delved into how i feel about music and film, and what it does to both the cinema goer and the film itself.
One film combines both of these two beautifully and is called Koyaanisqatsi. It is am experimental film from 1982 that combines slow motion footage with time lapse stills to bring a Life Out of Balance, which is what Koyaanisqatsi means when translated (well thereabouts).

It won numerous awards, one of which was the Francis Ford Coppola endorsement and he is now credited as executive producer. The visual elements go from amazement, to haunting, to puzzlement. And the soundtrack from Phillip Glass compliments it brilliantly. The soundtrack is nearly as long as the film, film is 86mins and music is 76, but sometimes you don't know its there. It transitions the different segments of the film as it moves from the early stages showing the environment and humanity through the progression of war, atomic age, right up to the 'micro-ship' age at the end. All culminating in the final scene showing the ultimate price of technology and the progression of man. NB: Its not the challenger disaster which happened 4 years after.

Some of you might recognise some of the music from the first public trailer of GTA IV, or the scene from Watchmen where Dr Manhattan talks about his origins. Koyaanisqatsi has also appeared in parody on the Simpons where an Itchy and Scratchy show entitled Koyaanis-Scratchy: Death Out of Balance was shown. Madonnas 'Ray of Light' video also resembles the feel of Koyaanisqatsi.

The soundtrack was so popular that the Phillip Glass Ensemble toured while playing the music live over the film, pretty much like War of The Worlds, if you have ever seen that on its tour.

Koyaanisqatsi was the first in the 'Qatsi' trilogy which shows Life out of Balance. Powaqqatsi was the second and shows the Life in Transition, primarily third world countries and losing the fight of holding onto their traditions in the face of industrialization. The third is Naqoyqatsi which means Life at War and shows the 'transition from a natural environment to a technology-based industrial environment'.

All three films are cheap to pick up if you want to see what I'm talking about. Those less inclined to purchase them can view the film below courtesy of Google.

Admittedly i used to watch this stoned and concentrated more, as you cant really have a busy mind when watching it. Not that I'm suggesting you get stoned and watch it, just pay attention, don't discount it for being some arty film you wont get, people interpret what they see in different ways. Watch it, think about it, discuss it.

Music and Movies

2011-02-09T14:35:00.000Z

To me the arts are a complicated thing. You have paintings for example, which some people just sit and stare trying to figure out the meaning. Maybe there isn't a meaning, maybe the artist just drew what popped into their head.
The same with photos. When someone takes a picture why does it have to convey the emotions the photographer was feeling or trying to capture. Why can't it be about capturing a moment in time before it flutters away never to be captured again.

Music in film and television is vital. It tells the audience whats happening. It reminds me of the Shifty eye dog episode of The Simpsons. Dramatic music makes him look sinister, though changing the music behind it would change it to a jovial nature or whimsical. How do you know he wasn't checking for traffic before he crossed the road?

Aside from music leading the narrative, i like when the soundtrack is part of the movie in more than a 'background noise' way. Films where the music and whats happening on screen are intertwined are brilliant. Recently there has been Inception, Tron: Legacy and Social Network that have all amazing soundtracks which i love listening to but are part of the film too.

Some films have also given me new bands to listen to. Wristcutters: A Love Story introduced me to Gogol Bordello, a band which i now love. Garden State introduced me to The Shins and Stir of Echoes introduced me to Rolling Stones via Paint it Black, the soundtrack to Juno, to me, was amazing. It determined the pace of the film, showed the same emotions as the characters.

As well as soundtracks having good bands, music that is made specifically to the film are detrimental to a good film. Who here cant hum the Superman Theme? Or the theme to Star Wars. John Williams and Danny Elfman played some of the best ones of my childhood. Which is why i suppose that Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Superman sound the same :)

Classic soundtrack overtures like the ones in Shawshank redemption, Gladiator, and even Star Trek are also brilliant to have in a film. To me a film that has stagnant score behind it, or music that doesn't fit anything that happens on screen is a flop.

This is the overlying music from JJ Abrams Star Trek.

Its the theme that plays over pretty much anything dramatic that happens in the film. Its haunting in a way but i love it.
Speaking of haunting music and the correlation between film and music, that will be addressed in my next post.
But i will leave you with my first love of music in movies/trailers and the one that got me more into what happens in film other than actors speaking.

This is a trailer for the 2007 film Night Watch (Nochnoi Dozor) Its a brilliantly visual film, great story but this trailer is what did it for me. Lots of WTF moments happening at once and when the yellow bus enters the screen, that music that kicks in was it. The band are called M83 and that track made me search them out straight away. Give the film a watch and also the bands album Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts.

Advent: Dec 22nd

2010-12-24T16:32:00.000Z

Not much of a lay in as i had to go to town and get last minute presents and take my bike in for its free 1st Service. The bike ride was a little iffy due to the ice down by the river but not too bad.
Dropped my bike off and went and said hello to the people of Crumbs as i have gone from seeing them every day and now i see them, well whenever i get to go there. Had a little chat and a cup of tea. Wished them Merry Christmas and went to get my presents. Walked round for quite a bit trying to find the presents. Took awhile but i got there in the end.

Due to not having any money and well no bike either, i walked home. Wasn't too bad, still very icy out there though.

With the long cold walk home done, i sat down and opened a few cans of beer, watched TV till the early morning.

Yes i know there is a theme going on here, late nights drinking. Ah well.

Advent: Dec 21st

2010-12-24T15:20:00.000Z

Lay in cut short due to me going to Woodley and meeting my mum to help with the shopping. Though due to not paying much attention i had no idea whether it was 12:30 or 1:30 she finished. So i chose to go earlier.
Walk there wasn't too cold but still icy so just walked along the road all the way there, turned out i was early so went to a cafe and had an All Day Breakfast and a large pot of tea.
Was walking around killing time and saw an old school friend, had a little catch up and mentioned the plans for Christmas Eve which he was on board with. More the merrier really.
While we were chatting i saw another friend of mine i hadn't seen in awhile so little catch up and mentioned plans for Christmas Eve again :) I do like Reading for that reason. You could be walking round town and see old friends, customers or family.

Went and met my mum and chatted to the staff at the shop, i used to work there years ago, then went to get food/drink for Christmas. Had to wait ages for the bus but that's usual in Woodley. It is quite a desolate place these days, why does one little place need TWO card shops, 3 cafes and numerous hairdressers? Pointless.

Found out that my friend i met, the first one, got clamped outside the Chequers pub. Which was shit as he had to pay £100 for a release fee. But to be fair its only like 40p to park in the actual car park...

Anyway came home and sorted everything out, sat down with a nice bottle of St Helliers cider and spent the afternoon doing nothing. Was going to go into town but it started to snow, briefly, and i was comfortable.

So another lazy and late night in. These will get boring soon.

Advent: Dec 20th

2010-12-23T13:58:00.000Z

Another lazy day where nothing was achieved. I sat around on the computer organizing it so its a little faster and a lot of crap got deleted. Watched numerous films and TV shows. Lots of tea was drunk, but then thats most days really.

I really need to clean my room as im sure there are A LOT of weird crap which would result in an interesting blog post.

One day.

Twelve Days of Christmas: The True Cost

2010-12-22T14:32:00.000Z

I've decided to revise my 12 Days of Christmas blog post from 3 years ago. Due to the fact we have been through a recession and, well, its 3 years old. As Bob Dylan sang

These Times, they are a changing

I'm going to keep the same formula but like with the Advent Posts i shall just google the 'thing' and choose from one on the first page, mainly since a lot of the old pages no longer exist.

So onwards with The 12 Days of Christmas, the true cost

So here is what i found and the cost of each item:

Partridge - £3.99
Pear Tree - £17.45
Turtle Dove - £7.45
Hen - £12.50
Calling Birds - 99p (Yes i know its The Beatles, but a Calling Bird is a Blackbird....)
Gold Ring - £99
Goose - £45 based on a Goose for 4 people
Swan - £99 Based on one nights stay on my birthday
Milk Maid - £100 NSFW link as its a Ceramic Dildo but has a picture of a Milkmaid.
Dancing ladies - £50 Wedding Disco
Lords a Leaping - £28.95
Pipers Piping - £71
Drummer - £60 a day drum hire

So that's the cost of each individual item, now to put them into the rhyme.

1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me: A partridge in a pear tree = £21.44

2nd day is 2 Turtle Doves (£14.90) and a Partridge in a Pear Tree (£21) = £35.90, add that to Day One = £56.90

3rd day is 3 French Hens (£37.50), 2 Turtle Doves (£14.90) and a Partridge in a Pear Tree (£21) = £73.40, added to Day Two = £130.30

4th day is 4 Calling birds (£3.96), 3 Hens (£37.50), 2 Turtle Doves (£14.90) and a Partridge in a Pear Tree (£21) = £77.36, added to Day Three = £207.66

5th day is 5 Gold Rings (£495), 4 Calling Birds (£3.96), 3 Hens (£37.50), 2 Turtle Doves (£14.90) and a Partridge in a Pear Tree (£21) = £572.36, added to the current total is £780.02

On the 6th day are 6 Geese a Laying (£270), 5 Gold Rings (£495), 4 Calling Birds (£3.96), 3 Hens (£37.50), 2 Turtle Doves (£14.90) and a Partridge in a Pear Tree (£21) = £842.36, added to the total is £1622.38

So halfway through the Twelve Days of Christmas the total is £1622.38. Which is about £400 cheaper than 2007. Admittedly the items are different.

7th Day is 7 Swans a Swimming (£693), 6 Geese (£270), 5 Gold Rings (£495), 4 Calling Birds (£3.96), 3 Hens (£37.50), 2 Turtle Doves (£14.90) and a Partridge in a Pear Tree (£21) = £1535.36, added to the total = £3157.74

8th Day is 8 Maids a Milking (£800),7 Swans a Swimming (£693), 6 Geese (£270), 5 Gold Rings (£495), 4 Calling Birds (£3.96), 3 Hens (£37.50), 2 Turtle Doves (£14.90) and a Partridge in a Pear Tree (£21) = £2335.36, added to total is £5493.10

9th Day are 9 Ladies Dancing (£450), 8 Maids a Milking (£800),7 Swans a Swimming (£693), 6 Geese (£270), 5 Gold Rings (£495), 4 Calling Birds (£3.96), 3 Hens (£37.50), 2 Turtle Doves (£14.90) and a Partridge in a Pear Tree (£21) = £2785.36, added to the total is £8278.46

10th Dare are 10 Lords a Leaping (£289.50), 9 Ladies Dancing (£450), 8 Maids a Milking (£800),7 Swans a Swimming (£693), 6 Geese (£270), 5 Gold Rings (£495), 4 Calling Birds (£3.96), 3 Hens (£37.50), 2 Turtle Doves (£14.90) and a Partridge in a Pear Tree (£21) = £3074.86, added to total is £11,353.32

11th Day are 11 Pipers Piping (£781), 10 Lords a Leaping (£289.50), 9 Ladies Dancing (£450), 8 Maids a Milking (£800),7 Swans a Swimming (£693), 6 Geese (£270), 5 Gold Rings (£495), 4 Calling Birds (£3.96), 3 Hens (£37.50), 2 Turtle Doves (£14.90) and a Partridge in a Pear Tree (£21) = £3855.86, added to the current total is £15,209.18

The Twelfth and final day are 12 Drummers Drumming (£720), 11 Pipers Piping (£781), 10 Lords a Leaping (£289.50), 9 Ladies Dancing (£450), 8 Maids a Milking (£800),7 Swans a Swimming (£693), 6 Geese (£270), 5 Gold Rings (£495), 4 Calling Birds (£3.96), 3 Hens (£37.50), 2 Turtle Doves (£14.90) and a Partridge in a Pear Tree (£21) = £4575.86, added to the current total is £19,785.04.

So there we have it, the final and total cost of the 12 Days of Christmas is a little under £20,000

So when you want to surprise your other half with something festive, just buy a Gingerbread house.

Advent: Dec 19th

2010-12-21T17:35:00.000Z

I didn't move from my bed till 4pm. That was how bad the hangover was. Not sure why i continued to drink so late, and still drink snakebite. I love it but get THE worst hangovers from it.
Today was the day of our Christmas meal. And by ours i mean my friends. We all get together and have a nice little meal. Last year i couldn't go due to finishing work late, as it was a Saturday, and by the time i would have gotten there it would be too late.
I walked to my friends, again its good he lives close, and we walked into town. On the way this American sounding girl asked us for directions and i told her to get any one of the buses that would come past as that would take her to the station. However if i wasn't in a hungover state i would have suggested she walked with us considering we were walking pretty much there.

TGI's did a good Christmas meal deal thing. £20 for 3 courses, not too bad at all. Had Sesame chicken strips with a Jack Daniels glaze for starters, King Prawns with Jack Daniels glaze for main and some chocolate desert that knocked off a year of my life with each bite.

With the meal done and a good chat had by all we all went home, i went back to my friends and finished watching a Top 100 Toys of all time show that was on before we all went out, which was good and Lego won. Which is kinda right really considering i don't know anyone that didn't have Lego, play with Lego or try to take over the world with Lego.

It got to about 1am so i decided to leave and walked home. It was freezing on the way home, it turns out it was -11 degrees on my walk home. Ouch i know, lucky i had that scarf.

Advent: Dec 18th

2010-12-21T00:26:00.000Z

Another lay in, is it possible to get tired of lay ins?, but i had a mission for the day. Go into town and buy presents. I'm not a present buyer, i cant do it online since that's still too impersonal. Unless you know exactly what you want to buy in which case that's OK, but i just cant shop like that. I walk round with a person in mind and see whats out there. Then based on what they would like, i buy. Simple really. No lists, no planning. Just throwing it up in the air and see what lands.

I met my mate at Cemetery Junction, i said it was good having him near, then we walked into town. Met his brother and walked round, shopped and got a Beer & Burger at Pavs for lunch with a few games of pool thrown in for good measure. We trundled back home along the icy path. I got home, stashed the present (Just the one bought) and settled in with a cuppa and watched Catch Me if You Can.

I got to my mates about 10ish and we played Tiger Woods, made a couple of drinking games out of it. Unfortunately i wasn't as good as the previous night so half a bottle of sidekick inside me it wasn't getting any better.
The rules were revised so i wasn't the only one who couldn't see straight and after lots more beer and shots, and a game of ping pong.
Another long walk in the cold, less slippy though, and a few police out catching speeders, we walked past with the cans of beer at our sides like a couple of school kids :)
Once in town we headed to the Turtle to engage in much snakebite drinking and as we were already quite drunk it didn't take long till we danced a bit downstairs, which for a Saturday was cheese. I ended up dancing with some girl to Grease Lightning, the guy she was with wasn't too happy mind.
For the most part we just sat or stood around chatting and drinking. We carried over the Bingo, Bango, Bongo but this time in response to women. Bingo if they have nice face, Bango if they have a nice bum and Bongo. Yeah I'll leave that one. Childish yes, funny yes. Women, feel free to use it when checking out guys.

We stayed in turtle for a fair old while, drinking and dancing. Well i was trying. I need to stop dancing with a pint in my hand because yet again i ended up spilling some on a bloke. To which i tried to dry his coat off but he said don't worry. My mate however was pissing himself as when i turned round it wasn't a few bits, he had drink all down his back. It was one of those thick black coats so the snakebite ended up white. I did get some on my coat though, so i feel his pain. I did see him about 30mins later not wearing that coat.

Reminder: Do not dance with drinks in your hand.

We stayed till closing time and then wandered home again. A long and cold walk home may i add but funny nonetheless.
Got in about 5am and just passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Advent: Dec 17th

2010-12-20T04:02:00.000Z

Not sure why, possibly because i have nothing to do, but i seem to be not sleeping, or at least staying up till 3am/4am most days. Getting to be a pain when you just lie there for an hour.
So that means i pretty much stay in bed till midday now. Which is a pain. Didn't do much except watch TV and rubbish daytime films. Went to my mates flat with some other guys and played Ping Pong and Tiger Woods on the Xbox.
Made a drinking game from it :P

Theres a game called Bingo Bango Bongo. You get Bingo if your first on the green, Bango for closest to the Pin and Bongo for winning. As there was three of us playing if you didn't get a 'B' you had to do a shot of this vile red Sidekick stuff. Awful stuff but gives you incentive to play better :D

Played quite a bit of that then stumbled home in the snow. Got in, had a tea and got a phone call from a friend in London who'd just been out to see DJ Format and have drinks with work colleagues. For a drunken phone call at 3am she was very articulate and non slurry.
I stayed texting till she walked home. So another late night, bed by 4am.

Advent: Dec 16th

2010-12-20T03:42:00.001Z

To be honest i dont recall doing ANYTHING today other than playing on the Xbox and watching crappy films on the TV.

So this day/post is a bit of a white wash. Nothing to see here, move along please.

Advent: Dec 15th

2010-12-16T02:58:00.000Z

Today i was meeting a friend for lunch and Christmas shopping and was looking forward to this as i hadn't seen her in about 4 or more months. So i met her around half one and we went to Las Iguanas for some Tapas and 2-4-1 cocktails, nice long chat and nice food. Being the gentleman, and i had no cash, i picked up the bill which wasn't too bad i suppose. Had a walk round for a good 6 hours, going to this shop and that shop to pick up various make up items or presents she needed for the boyfriend or mother who is coming to stay. Most of the time we just had a laugh while walking round, not really taking it too seriously. Come on its Christmas shopping, if your that anal you would have had your presents bought and wrapped by November.
She went to get her nails done so i took this opportunity to do my shopping the way its always done, walk into random shops and find something in there that appeals to both myself and the person i was buying for. It worked and i bought two items :D Also saw a few people, one of whom i used to work for and had a chat. His granddad is in the hospital so not doing too well and work are being a hard ass on him to work Boxing Day, i told him to phone in ill if they expect him to work during a hard time at home etc. No compassion at work, none.

Presents bought and nails done we proceeded to Starbucks to get some caffeine and in the Starbucks there was a beautiful girl who had an air of Kat Von D about her. When Kat Von D wasn't cut and shaped to what she is now, in other words when she was pretty.
Anyone Peppermint Mocha, not bad till you get halfway down the cup in which case it was disgusting. Bluergh. Otherwise it was good.
It was the time to get her on a train back home and on the way stopped off at a great shop in the Station that sprang up. Sells home made ice cream and treats and has old sweets too. So i picked up a few homemade mince pies, expensive (£2 each) but my god they were absolutely Delicious. Screw buying like 12 from Sainsburys for 80p, spend that little extra for those you love. They were amazing.

With my friend gone i went to a friends, played some Wii (badly, well not on my part. Yes I'm talking about you!) and had some lovely cottage pie that was cooked. Yum. Came home, watched a bit of Lethal Weapon 2, back when Mel Gibson wasn't psychotic, cracked open a bottle of wine and have pretty much sat here writing this here post.

Listening to iTunes pondering certain things. A more contemplative end to the night tonight.

Ah yes my phone, turns out it doenst charge whatsoever. So they have to send it back to Dell to get another replacement, so thats 4 weeks without a phone. Wow great service there Dell/o2.

Oh and snuggie chairs, the ones that are round and can fit two on.... They are fucking awesome, expensive, but awesome

Advent: Dec 14th

2010-12-15T01:56:00.000Z

After much thought, over the past two days, i decided to stop screwing around with any ideology of me fighting my company over what would inevitably be me getting fired and just quit.
So i woke up, showered and googled 'resignation letters'. I've never had to write one before. I looked at Nixons resignation from The White House after Watergate, so i dubbed my current situation Picturegate, given the context of my disciplinary etc i thought it quite apt.
The other reason for me to go into town was because i got a phone call telling me my lovely new phone is back as it was broken and got replaced.

So packed my rucksack with various boxes from the phone shop and carried a Spyder Pro back to work for a colleague. First port of call was work where i picked up my shoes, i couldn't be bothered to get my desk fan i bought about 3 years ago, they also owe me £15 i think as i paid part of the deposit for the Christmas meal. Hmm i should try and get that back, will come in handy.

On the way out i chatted to my manager and just said there was a letter in the office which was my resignation effective immediately. Usually the notice period would be applied and i would work a months notice, especially given its Christmas period and the shop gets really busy, but they decided to start this at this particular time, so i finished it. Yes it looks bad leaving at such a peak period but my hand was forced. I feel sorry for the shop floor staff that now have to work extra hard.
Funnily enough not one person out of the management looked me in the eye as i walked in, or bothered to talk to me. Other staff members did, which is why i still talk to them, and will do.

Tis a little bit sad as 4 out of my 8 years of working was at this place and to leave on such terms is evident at how much the place has changed since i started, atmosphere; morale and general work ethic has changed completely in about 18 months. But "Times, they are a changing" people have come and gone from that place, and the majority have kept in contact, so thats something.

Anyway with that ticked off my list i ventured to the o2 shop to pick up my newly replaced Dell Streak and headed to the sandwich shop next to work to have a tea and tinker with my phone. Had a chat with the staff etc which will be another sad note as i used to go in every day now it will be every now and again. Shame, really nice people in there.
Got my phone sorted and came home. Deciding what to do with my phone in terms of settings etc, had some dinner and watched Waynes World. Watched a few other films here and there and generally pottered about the house. Tried to play some Xbox but couldn't get into any game so just watched more films, browsed the Internet for books and Christmas presents and generally wasting the day away.

I did have a brief flutter and looked for jobs on Gumtree and Grapevinejobs but nothing there for me, or nothing i saw that popped out at me.
With me now being unemployed it gives me a renewed invigor to grab a job that i will love to do, be it customer facing, office or something else. We'll see but it needs to be soon. Bonus on not having a job in retail.... i get Christmas and New Years off hands down now :D I know, not working isn't ideal but i haven't had time off like this in along time. Better do something with it then.

The last few hours of the night were spent talking about tattoos, making me want to get one now, and talking about relationships and love and all that rubbish. Drudging up old feelings about people generally isn't an ideal way to start the going to sleep process, but i helped someone out so who cares about me eh?

Time to finish writing that book, trying to organise a 'event' for next year and generally live.

Almost forgot, my phone doesn't charge. Yeah great isn't it. Wont charge from USB or mains charger, how great is that? Guess 'im going back to the o2 shop tomorrow... I'm not having a lot of luck with items of luxury, what with my bike problems and various problems with my phone.

Ah well, heres to Wednesday. Middle of the week, not too stressful and lunch to be had, and possible Christmas shopping of some kind.

I shall end this night listening to Debussy - Clair de Lune.

Till the morrow

Advent: Dec 13th

2010-12-14T18:30:00.001Z

Woke up relatively early and decided i would go into Reading and buy some/a present for the family, ended up getting just the one. I went into work to collect a copy of the minutes from my meeting to see if i had said anything which meant i couldnt refute the claim and fight the argument. Then i met a friend for a couple of beers as he had this kind of thing done to him a while back so was more in the loop than myself.
We had a chat and after looking through them decided that if i want to i could argue carious points that are ludicrous and unsubstantial. He had to go so i went to John Lewis to buy a present for my Dad and walked home.

Wasnt too cold but the walk must have tired me out, or the alcohol, as i laid in a state of nodding off for about an hour while watching more Big Bang Theory and some Supernatural. Which is what probably tired me out.

My cousin came round for me to sort her iPhone4 out as it needs to be connected to iTunes once before it starts, which is stupid.

With that done i watched the last 20mins of Back to the Future III and watched movies till around 1am.
As i have said before i lead an exciting life :)

Advent: Dec 12th

2010-12-14T17:34:00.000Z

I had the inevitable hangover and as such didn't get out of bed till about midday. I awoke to steak being cooked and felt that was a good way to start the day. I took my laptop into the back room and set up there for the day. Drank copious amounts of tea and juice and just watched Big Bang Theory all day. Sad to say but that was my day on Sunday. Wasn't much else to do or say, had the opportunity to go back to my friends but i was just lethargic all day.

Sunday can be counted as a write off, or a wasted day, but i was resting :) And as such i don't have much to say.

Advent: Dec 11th

2010-12-12T20:16:00.000Z

Woke up a little late today, still managed to get to work for 8:50. Enough time to get changed, get a tea and get the machines up and running. The day went like most Saturdays during peak period, roller coaster start. First theres a few people, then the shop is packed then theres a few people. Rinse and repeat for the whole day.
Didn't sell much, a few things here and there, a couple of big sales with all the trimmings. It was mainly talking to customers about presents or new cameras for themselves. Everyone left happy.
About midday the manager asks me to go speak to the Regional Manager who was upstairs, and after a chat about being late again (I had a disciplinary about being 5-10mins late for work) i was also questioned about things i have posted on here/facebook and twitter regarding work and any issues i have regarding it.
Thing is apart from this blog, where no mention to what company i work for, the rest of the social media sites are set to private. So the only people that can see it are people i work with, friends and family. The general public cannot see any remarks i make. So I'm not saying anything, but 2 + 2 =....

Nevertheless we had a brief respite where i could just wander around pondering such things before going back in. The regional manager came to such conclusions that they were suspending me from work until further notice and that i was not to talk to any employee of work and not visit any branch.

Silver lining being that i have time to shop for presents and I'll probably be able to have some sort of Christmas this year.
Bad part being I'll probably go back for a disciplinary and lose my job.

Certain members of work have been blocked from Twitter and taken off facebook so my musings can't offend them anymore, ah well only work colleagues.

So i was escorted off the premises, not like with my hands behind my back but in case i kicked off or something stupid. And with that i went to lock my bike up.
As i was doing so my mates came round the corner and i told them what happened. We walked around a bit and discussed what lead to my suspension and what would happen next. They had the 'we told you so' look and also said i should have got a new job ages ago anyway. Which is true.

We walked around for a bit and talked, then we bumped into our other friend who's flat warming it was. So we broke off, they went to get lunch and we did too. We talked about the flat warming and again about my suspension.
I got my bike and he went to pick up some other friends, i cycled to the Oakford and handed in the camera i found on Thursday.
I then cycled home and emailed a friend what happened at work and if i can appeal against the decision etc while it was fresh in my mind.

My friend came to pick me up and we went to Asda to get supplies for the nights activities. Lots of alcohol and some food from Iceland. Back to his flat where the girls proceeded to put the tree up, decorate it etc while we sat back and had a beer or two.
With the tree looking pretty damn impressive we connected it up so it would stay up and not fall over. We cracked open a few more beers and sat around listening to music and playing a ping pong game on the xbox. The girls then cooked some Rocky Road, which was amazing, and we put some food in the oven.
Finished playing ping pong when everyone came in and we watched Elf. A pretty festive film if i may say so and Zooey Deschanel is gorgeous as ever. We played a DVD interactive game of Family Fortunes, was fun but we didn't really play it properly.
We couldn't decide whether to watch Inception or something light hearted, so we watched Team America: World Police. I hadn't seen this film in ages so was just as funny, half the people left during the film and only a couple of us were left. We finished drinking and watching the film and then i got a lift home.

Got home quite early considering it was a party, though i was pretty tired after the days goings on.

So i probably shouldn't have talked about what was going on at work, but there is an element of freedom of speech i like to have. And again nothing mentioned on where i work.

I now have to wait for my disciplinary hearing and the outcome of that. Though i can see where it is heading.

Advent: Dec 10th

2010-12-12T19:11:00.000Z

A bit of a hangover was had in the morning and i awoke to a text from a friend offering an all you can eat pizza buffet. I had ten minutes to shower and get ready as i was being picked up. We went to Bracknell for Pizza Hut, don't ask why as i don't know, and it was good. Though having pizza and beer for breakfast probably wasn't the healthiest option there is. Though i didn't eat a thing till about 10pm that night.

After Pizza Hut we wandered the retail park looking at this and that, got a few ideas for Christmas Presents. We went back to town and walked round while my friend was waiting to meet up with one of his friends.
Walked around, again looking for present ideas, and went with him to get a present. Then walked to where he was meeting his friend and i walked home. Was planning on going out but in the end decided not too as i was pretty tired from doing nothing all day and i was going to a flat warming the following day, needed to rest as the day at work was probably going to be really long, Saturdays during Christmas usually are.

So i decided to stay in, watch some films and go to bed early.

Another eventful day in the life of this here blogger :)

Advent: Dec 9th

2010-12-10T19:03:00.001Z

Another lay in which was nice, as they usually are. Work was good, a few niggly things and the usual suspects were stressing out due to a possibly visit at some point the in the near future possibly today, buy the directors..... Notice that no one knew who exactly but bundled them together.

So i let them get on with their buttock clenching routine and sold some cameras, fixed a printer and had a lady sniff my neck as she liked the smell of my aftershave, was a bit weird to say the least.
Thursdays are late night shopping and as a result we don't finish till 8pm. Now if you were going to Reading for late night shopping you would pretty much stick to the Oracle since that has everything in there. You wouldn't, say, walk away from the Oracle to a street that has just one shop open, us. Needless to say there were hardly any customers in and it was pretty shocking at how boring it got.

A beer was indeed needed straight after so i popped home, ate then back out. Got to the Griffin in Caversham about 9:50 and met a couple of friends and had a couple of beers, chatted and laughed. The quiet kind of night really. Afterwards we wanted another drink so we walked into town to see if the Afroba was open, it wasn't, so we headed to the Oakford. Its a great place that i don't usually go to, not sure why.
Lots of drinks had, laughing and trying to play the piano. Used my cameras for once and had fun with those too. At one point i found a Samsung camera lying on the ground. I decided, and bet, that i would reunite the camera with its owner. I posted a picture from the camera, of her, on facebook and Twitter in a vain attempt at a bit of Sherlock Holmes detectiveness. Alas nothing so far so i will drop it off at the Oakford Saturday lunchtime and hopefully she will get it back.

Ended up getting in around 3am which is optimal getting in time. Not too early, not too late.

Advent: Dec 8th

2010-12-10T18:50:00.001Z

Wednesday was my day off and as expected i did sod all. I caught up on some TV and watched a film. Wasnt too long before it got to 5pm so i had the last bit of Sailor Jerrys while i started watching Home Alone 2. Ran out of rum so all i had left was some Disaronno to drink. Disaronno and Dr Pepper was a nice combination and i recommened it!
My mate had a few people over to his flat to, well, see it. And as i think i have stated its a really nice flat. By the time i got there i was half cut already so found Lee Evans that little bit funnier than usual. I dont really like Lee Evans that much.
Everyone left so we cracked open a few more beers and then played COD:Black Ops and then Zombies on that game. Was a laugh and yet again a nice chilled night of drinking and games. I think that will be the norm for a long time now. Drinking, chilling and gaming.

Sometimes music. And a film.

Oh and my coat is still that awesome. Must wear it out more often.

Advent: Dec 7th

2010-12-08T15:46:00.003Z

December Seventh started out like normal, walk to work was quite nice. I like walks but they take too long. Work wasn't too bad, moderate amount of customers, had some fun. That was pretty much it for work, talking and selling cameras. Doesn't really get much more exciting than that really.

I managed to get my bike fixed with minimal aggression. They put the pedal back on and i managed to ride home without complications. I then went to my friends for dinner and giggled like a schoolgirl at Family Guy, 30 Rock, Better off Ted then half of The Other Guys. I then left as it was getting quite late and continued to watch the Other Guys while drinking some Sailor Jerry. A nice simple end to a nice simple day. Not much of a post really but Tuesday nothing much happened.

It doesn't get much better than a non complicated day. Hell complicated days come round way too often.

Advent: Dec 6th

2010-12-06T23:43:00.003Z

This picture pretty much sums my mood up, not explosive but dry and irritable.
The day started out pretty good. A lay in which was lovely and an egg sandwich made for me when i got up. A nice walk to work with some equally nice music, some new bands suggested by a friend on Twitter and some classical music i downloaded.
Got to work and had a cuppa tea. Immediately it was apparent this day was going to take some bull horning, which is probably the wrong phrase to use if it is even a phrase. Basically i had to take charge of the day. Which didn't happen, much. Everyone was stressy at work, i mean it was a working day so why wouldn't they be.
For the most part the working day was good. Talked to lots of customers about cameras, pictures, gifts and gadgets. No arsey customers which is always a bonus. I was just counting down the hours till i could go pick my bike up from my mates flat. If you recall i had some issues with my bike on Saturday (See Advent:Dec 4Th) and i really don't like walking that much, not when i can cycle.

I'm pleased to report that the doors stay closed for the most part, as soon as its about 18 degrees the doors are open till it gets below 16 then the doors shut. Its a compromise i suppose, one i really cant be bothered to argue, also the placement of the thermometer is also a bit stupid but loop holes are there to be made and used.

So the day goes past without any complications and i trotted off to pick my bike up from my friends, stop off at Primark to get some trousers (too small) and i forgot to get some Icing Sugar so my friend gave me hers. Stayed for about 30Min's and chatted then left. I get my bike get on it and start pedalling, as soon as my left foot puts any weight onto the pedal it only goes and fucking comes flying off sending me down onto the frame of the bike and scratching my thigh all against it.

Cue a 5 minutes of me trying to work out how it screws on, neither normal 'lefty loosey, righty tighty' or the opposite work, so I'm guessing its something less trivial than that. So I'm pretty pissed off with that, not only the bike but the bike shop ACTION BIKES IN READING. The first issue was the pedal wasn't screwed in properly and about 2 weeks after buying the bike i took it back and had to get the entire crank replace, which on Saturday completely fell off. Now the pedal fell off after i had to pay and get a new one attached.

So 5 weeks of owning a bike and i have been back three times. The chap who did the road safety inspection on my bike, who also changed the crank the first time after the person who did the road check did the pedal wrong (himself). Funnily enough i learnt on Saturday that he no longer works there.... Hmm wonder if it has anything to do with failure to fucking sort out a bike?

I'm not unreasonable am i? My old mountain bike lasted two years. After i purchased it i forgot to get the 6 week check sorted and had no problems. About a year later i go to Action Bikes and get a service where they find my brake pads need replacing. Which was fine but then i had to pay for each pad to be fitted, on top of the service and purchase of brake pads. Then about a week after i get the service my back tire feels really dodgy when riding. So i take it back and low and behold i suddenly need a new tire fitted as the axle was broken. Something i would have thought they would have spotted during the service? So then i had to pay for that to be fitted and a whole new tire.

As strange as that was i had no complaints because it had lasted a fair long time without ANY problems. Then it got nicked.

So tomorrow i am going to have to go to this bike shop and get arsey. I hate arsey customers because they get nothing accomplished but when i went in Saturday and i was being nice i was basically told that the reason the crank came off was my fault. Now i don't get that. Again i don't want to go back to a bike shop unless i need a new tire, or handlebars or brakes... Not because of what seems to be failure to put a bike together...

No doubt Advent:Dec 7Th will have either a happy ending or an enraged rant/open letter to the people of reading regarding bikes.

Time to swot up on the Sales of Goods Act 1979.

Advent: Dec 5th

2010-12-06T22:30:00.005Z

I woke up pretty hungover but couldn't get back to sleep at all. Kept drifting in and out but nothing substantial. Having Radio Two and Terry Wogan didn't help much. He has a nice voice but its not half annoying.
So got up about 2ish i think and made a breakfast consisting of egg on toast and a very large mug of tea. Didn't really get up to much, played with my ipod and watched TV, caught up on missed TV shows and flittered trhough the movie channels before getting ready to go out to our work Christmas party.
I was looking forward to it as Christmas parties are usually good. Usually. Last year we had ours in Wetherspoons.... Yeah cant get much worse. It was fun as there was lots of people, but it was a Wetherspoons. We were in the company of drunks, perverts and vagrants. Also there were people not on our table.
So this year was Las Iguanas which is a brilliant venue, really nice food and on Sundays and Mondays its two-for-one cocktails. Which is amazing. Though because work really don't like their employees they not only reduced how much they were giving us for a Christmas meal they also told us we have to pay for it first then they reimburse us in our wage slips... Now i know some companies don't pay for Christmas meals but that probably would have been better.
So due to that not many people wanted to come to the meal which meant there was only a few of us, so we didn't bother doing Secret Santa either.

Started round a friends and had a few drinks, played some Wii Party too to get in a good mood and it worked, was alot of fun.
Got to the meal and sat down and i promptly got on the cocktails to get into the festive mood however it didn't really work. Either the fact i was still tired from the night before or the fact i ate alot of good food, the cocktails didn't really do much.
I'm not going to say the meal was boring, the company was OK, but maybe i was expecting too much? Having had such a good night before and wanting something similar maybe that was too much to ask? A Meal with colleagues then a night on the town. Meh hopefully my last Christmas there anyway.
So that was pretty much that. I tried to get drunk, i failed and ended up tired. The night kind of fizzled out so we all went home. I walked home with a colleague and met a former workmate outside Mr Cod. Had a chat and went home.
Chatted on Facebook and had a night cap. Pretty unadventurous for a Christmas meal, but I'm looking forward to both Christmas Eve down the Bull and Boxing Day whatever i do. Oh and yes New Years Eve too.

Advent: Dec 4th

2010-12-05T14:44:00.004Z

December Fourth started out pretty shit. Well it was a day off so a nice lay in was had. I cycled into town to source out a new coat for the nights outing but on my way my pedal came off. As in the entire crank arm fell off. I had only just left the house. So i had to walk into town pushing my bike, defeats the object of having a bike. On my way i stopped off to buy something from a guy down an alley, but realised i had lost the £20 from my back pocket. He looked at me weird and i left. So far I'm 2 for 2 on bad happenings.
Got to town and took my bike to Action Bikes to get them to put the crank arm back on, the week before i had trouble with my pedal (it hadn't been put on right by the guy) the person i spoke to, Rich, constantly told me it was my fault, i should check my bike routinely. Now I'm in the persuasion that if i spend £300 on a bike i expect it to work at least until the 6 week free checkup, not fall to pieces. The person that did the road check on my bike no longer works there, so when i asked "was it due to failure to sort bikes out" the guy just shrugged off that comment. So for all i know my bike wasn't put together properly the first time, and all these happenings are due to his failings.
Nevertheless i was charged £13 for the bike part and again was spoken to like i am a bike geek and i should 'bed in the crank with a tool like this"..... I ride a bike because its quicker than walking, no Lance Armstrong am i.

So now I'm 3 for 3. I put my bike in my friends bike shed at his flat and went about shopping for a coat. Christmas shopping is why I'm pretty harsh towards Christmas. Its filled with people walking around blindly shouting "I MUST BUY EVERYTHING EVER AND WRAP IT IN SPARKLY PAPER IN ORDER TO SHOW MY FAMILY I STILL LOVE THEM" Whatever happened to the notion of a zombie magician being born and doing good deeds like the guy from Kung Fu, who failed to resurrect might i add. Though before that asphyxiwank in the cupboard David Carradine could indeed have been compared to Jesus, well the Kung Fu Carradine not Kill Bill. He was a dick.
Anyway i digress.
Walking around just grates me. Especially when people in front of you just stop. Look at their shopping list, then move on. Do people not have a regard for others? How bout taking the Christmas blinkers off for a second?
Shopped round and the cheapest i could find a nice coat was £35 from Primark, everywhere else was like £76+ even TK Maxx.... I know.
Coat bought i then paid £45 for a pair of Jeans. This is why i don't shop. I could have easily got a nice pair like like £20.
Munched on a Egg baguette while sorting out the nights plans. Hopped home to get changed and prettify myself and headed to my friends flat for a pre drink drink.

I have to say i was looking quite good, though i made a risky attempt at styling my hair and gave myself a side parting. Yes i looked like a handsome version of Hitler, or a man sporting a comb over but i liked it for the beginning.
My friend had a mug with his face on printed at my shop for his tea habits at work but it smashed the other day. Luckily due to an error at the printers a duplicate was made so i wrapped it and gave it to him. It was like Christmas or something.
We had a few tins of Strongbow and chatted in depth about our enterprises that we are trying to make happen, interesting stuff from both of us.
We popped along to Pentahotel for a few drinks while we waited for the birthday girl. And may i say Pentahotel is a really nice place. Drinks are normal price for town but its very elegant inside, pool table, wii and really nice bar staff to boot so i thoroughly recommend going there as i hope ill be there soon again.
We had a table booked downstairs in Sahara so we started the cocktails quite early, bout 8pm and £8 cocktails may sound expensive, but they are lovely; full of alcohol and got me rather drunk rather quickly. It was like New Years all over again as i was pretty gone by half 9.
Lots of drinks and laughs were had and after alot of cocktails we trotted along to Sakura and danced it up. I don't think i brought a drink at all in there and we stayed for about 2 hours at least, if not longer. I just sipped other peoples drinks and just kept my alcohol levels topped.
I still don't like Sakura for a night out. Dogma is a good place, good music but its always full of kids and the dance floor bounces. It may be because i really cant dance, or that the place is shit, probably a factor of both.
A couple of friends came in to say hello, one sporting a very nice 60s style bob and leather jacket but didn't stay long. Saw a girl who works next door who after i said hello kind of ran away, left me feeling a little perplexed and worried I'd done something.

After Sakura we tried to go to Purple but the queue was massive so we had a Subway and decided what to do. Most went home so i went back to my friends new flat which was near my house anyway. Had a beer and chatted, had a look round and helped decide where to put things etc then i left about 3am and walked home. My new coat paid dividends as it was really warm and the hood comes all the way down.
Walked in, climbed into bed, turned on the radio and drifted off. I seeked a good night out and that was what i got.

I love my friends, very rarely do we not have fun in each others company.

Advent: Dec 3rd

2010-12-04T00:03:00.002Z

Well where do i begin? Today has been an awesome day for food and victory. Spose I'll start at the beginning.

Again waking late was really nice, i do like starting late, i however hate finishing late. So once again it was freezing on the cycle to work. I have a routine at the moment of slamming the back break to get my brain used to the back wheel fishtailing so when i eventually do hit ice i know how to correct myself without falling over. So far so good. The Kennet was once again frozen for about 50yards. Its getting to be a good base on seeing how cold it is.

At work there has been an ongoing battle at work in regards to having the front door open/closed. Management want it open pretty much all the time, which in most scenarios is a good thing (Open door is more inviting to the customer) but when its 0 degrees outside or snowing or freezing fog, then having the door open is stupid. We have a small electric heater and a semi functional air con unit, which when the door isn't open heats the shop up to a moderate temperature.
So it being so cold you can see your breath should ring alarm bells in the common sense receptor that most people have. Dogs and cats can work out how to open doors, I'm pretty sure the public can too.
So everytime i close the door, a supervisor closes it pretty much as soon as I've closed it. Cue a Tom and Jerry moment where we are both back and forth opening/closing. Finally i had enough after about 3 weeks of "Neil just put on the fleece we have provided" "Neil you don't know what your talking about when you say we are in breach of Health And Safety" "Stop complaining" so i contacted Reading Borough Councils Health & Safety Dept and they got back to me about 2 hours later. Spoke to a very nice guy about what is and isn't acceptable and turns out i was right all along, the store was in breach of Health And Safety guidelines about working temperature and for anyone working in retail it is:

The store temperature should not fall below 16 degrees

As stated by The Law so at least if you want to complain you have a leg to stand on. I used this card only as a last resort and it worked ok :)

So with that done one of the supervisors left with a face like thunder and promptly returned with a Thermometer (Something which you should have on the shop floor anyway) and the doors remained shut for the rest of the day. I chalk that up to not only a personal victory but also one for common sense.
We shall see if it stays that way. If not then they are breaking the law, officially ha ha

So with that i had a smile a mile wide inside. After work i had a quick dash to get home and changed and back to Reading for my friends birthday. We went for an all you can eat at Thai9. Recommend as it was gorgeous food, was really busy so we were in the karaoke room (no karioke) so had the place to ourselves. Lots of food was consumed and was back home about 11pm which wasn't too bad as it was freezing outside and we were tired after eating :)

So i cam home, decided to watch Walking Dead and have been sitting drinking Sailor Jerrys (half a bottle so far) listening to copious amounts of classical music. Its amazing how much of this i remember from childhood, either walking into assembly in primary school or just from films/TV shows or just naturally listening to Cd's/Records/Radio and having it rooted in my memory. Its something that people forget. Listening to that #1 pop track is fine but its probably just some lyricist and a drum machine. Listening to a symphony play one mans vision is mind blowing. Its not just a guitar and a drum its a whole goddamn orchestra. That to me is the epitome of genius. Well musically anyway.

I will sit here for a while longer, listening and pondering my own thoughts. Dangerous i know but its soothing.
Till December 4Th, a night on the tiles and a most regrettable a hangover that will be seldom wanted.

Advent: Dec 2nd

2010-12-03T00:16:00.003Z

This morning was a good morning. I awoke to see a slight sprinkling of snow, not enough to keep me from work however. I don't think theres enough snow in the world that would let me stay away from work. So showered i ventured out into the cold. Which was as bitter as the day before and I'm sure will be the same tomorrow morning.

The day at work didn't go too bad, had some nice customers which meant chatting about useless things like the weather, binoculars and such stuffs.

Had a discussion regarding Tea. I don't think enough people drink tea these days. I mean its great. It can be an aphrodisiac, decrease blood pressure, cure cancer (loosely) and tastes great. So how bout you try a cuppa?

What else, well today we had to shut at 8pm (got out early) but as of next week we will be open till 8pm Thursdays and 7pm Saturdays, which i suppose is OK for the Christmas rush and all that. Cycled over to my friends as he was going to lend me a phone due to my current one being repaired (See previous Advent) but it was Sim locked to Vodafone. So I'm still using my brothers old Nokia, which i got him a few years ago. Pretty good phone and i kind of miss having a phone that's handheld and fits in my pocket. When i hold the Dell Streak its like holding a tablet. Which is fine, i don't make phone calls that much so i don't need a brick by the side of my head. I can imagine in the summer having that by the side of my face will result in me looking like Richard Dreyfuss in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Alas i cant begrudge my phone, i love it really just you know, "Grass is always greener".
Spent the afternoon playing Battlefield 1943 on the Xbox and after a few annoying games we decided to piss around. Firstly just being snipers and holding a base that wasn't essential, then making suicide jeeps by planting C4 on them and driving into a tank. Ahh good times.

Cycled home and it was pretty cold out, as usual. But got home to be greeted by cold pizza and Dr Pepper. Yeah i lead a great lifestyle. Tomorrow is PAYDAY which i cant wait for. I really cant. Haven't had money for ages and thus not been able to go out and have a good time. Plus tomorrow is all you can eat Chinese for my friends birthday and drinks. So hopefully ill be out and about in the Turtle.

If not then theres always Saturday, or Sunday. I'm not fussed. Oooh and huzzah for aliens. Nasa have said that they have not only realised that the universe is 3 times larger than previously thought but also they have found life in Arsenic. Which is pretty cool as life can survive on other planets that might not be hospitable to us.

And on that otherworldly note. Its time for bed.

Advent: Dec 1st

2010-12-01T20:57:00.005Z

I'm going to try something, i might not fulfill it everyday but I'll try. Like many others i too have an Advent calender. Its a Dr Who one. I opened today and had a car.... Of which i though there was no correlation to Dr Who, according to my Dad Jon Pertwee had a Model T Ford in the TV Show.

Anyway i digress, the chocolates bad and has no meaning to Christmas.

For the next 31 days i am going to try my own advent thing. Every day i shall post what ever i have done, will do etc. Sort of opening a window into my life. No chocolates or crappy pictures. Just crappy insights and grammar. For this i shall google 'December First/Second/Third' with that exact wording and choose a picture from the first page. At the top is today's.

OK so there might be crappy pictures.

Today was a pretty ordinary day. Again i awoke to no snow and bitter coldness awaiting me. What made it worse is the shower is fucked. It doesn't have much pressure and it goes from hot, to boiling hot then freezing cold. Have to turn it off and on about 4 times this morning.
Cycle to work was so bloody cold. No frost but bloody cold. The past few days cycling i have noticed part of the Kennet has been frozen over. Quite funny seeing skid marks where ducks have landed on the ice. Nice way to start the day.

What else, er we had two new starters today. One is the fiance of one of the Team Leaders, nice girl but i am against any kind of family persons working together. Be it mum/dad/sister/wife etc. Its hard enough to leave your life problems at home when you go to work and vice versa. I've worked with my mum years ago and my brother too. Both pleasant but the whole work thing changes when its not just work colleagues/friends but family members. The other girl has worked for magazine publications, taking photos of bands etc and seems to know her stuff. I'm sure the harsh reality of working in retail will soon become aware, as it does to all of us.

There is an ongoing issue at work with the apparent 'open door policy'. I know the psychology behind it (A closed door isn't as inviting as an open door to customers) but when its December, Winter, and freezing outside or sometimes snowing then there is no reason whatsoever to keep a door open. Especially when the heaters rarely work and customers in the shop also complain. Its not the best environment to try and find a camera for someone when they are wearing gloves.

I think I'm winning the battle since the past few days the door has been open a short period. Small periods throughout the day, yes. Not all the time.
I have an idea to put some outdoor L.E.Ds on my bike, attach with cable ties. Should be a laugh, or i might look a prick. Either way ill be happy.

That's about it i suppose for my Advent: Day One.

I managed to get my brothers phone working, my Dell Streak phone is with o2 getting fixed i hope. It's weird, i haven't had a phone for two days and i have been edgy. I needed to converse, to text or twitter or email, and not being able to was really annoying, especially as it wasn't by choice.

Looking forward to this weekend. Friday is my friend Kat's birthday. So lots of happenings. Drinks at the weekend which will be messy, and i have really been looking forward to this. I need a good night out. Sunday is Christmas meal at Las Iguanas.

Now i know some people don't get Christmas parties at work, or at least the work do not pay for them. But ours does, which is the nice point i suppose. Every year we have been given on average £20 per head. Which is adequate for a nice meal. The first year i started work i had a Christmas hamper, it was amazing and i had only just joined. Then we got a 'Staff discount booklet', then every year since is special staff deals on cameras etc.
Anyway we booked Las Iguanas due to it being nearly £20 but now we are only getting £15 per head. The kicker? We have to pay for it ourselves, then send in an expense claim form (individually) then they give it back to us in our wages, probably in February.

Right well Home Alone is on TV now. Its on Sky Xmas.... a channel which shows Christmas movies i guess, then why the fuck is Starship Troopers on later..... Get it right at least.

Hope you enjoyed the first day of advent.

Alls well that.... No that doesnt make sense

2010-11-30T20:31:00.003Z

So we near Christmas once again and the inevitable shit storm that is consumerism. Working in Retail has, as usual, quashed any sense of cheer i had in me. Working all over the holiday period and working late just kills me inside every day.

Other than the horror that is work i do have things to look forward to. This Friday is my good friend Kats 25th birthday and with that LOADS of drinking opportunities which, having had no money for the past week, i am looking forward to so much. Not only that but my work Christmas party is on Sunday which offers more fun times at Las Iguanas and 2-4-1 cocktails.

Then we have Boxing Day and New Years Day. Boxing Day for me used to be sitting at a relatives house watching crap TV or attempting to join in with the adults and their Trivial Pursuit game. But now it involves as many friends all coming together to have a fun day chilling with one another and watching films, playing games and just enjoying each others company.

All this leads to one big question i am asking myself.....

Do i give up drinking again next year?

And i still don't know. On one hand i did enjoy giving up. Testing myself to see if i have enough willpower to forgo the calls of alcohol and just enjoy myself otherwise. I was healthier, financially better off and felt good.
On the other hand i wasn't myself. I wasn't good company if we went out, i didn't have many adventures or random nights out and very rarely stayed out at all.

Yes there are drugs to compensate the alcohol but that's not always the answer now is it.

Yes i know its trivial but to me it matters a lot. I love my nights out and my friends and part of that is drinking. I miss peoples birthday nights out, random nights out, BBC Introducing and St Patricks Day too.

Watch this space.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (Not Actually mine)

2010-09-08T01:16:00.009+01:00

A few weeks ago i had the privilege of attending my good friend Jemmas wedding. You may (if you have read this here blog) know of Jemma . We have known each other for a fair few years, we went to Australia together with my other good friend Callum. Anyway ever since i have known her she has been going out with a great bloke called Spiro. And as the title suggest one of them was Greek. This would be Spiros, or Spiro (spyro) for short.
So the day started with me meeting my old friends Richard and Callum with his girlfriend Gemma at the local working men's club where provisions were bought. We got to my friends house and waited by the marque and had a few drinks while we waited for guests. I recognised one person, a cousin of Jemmas, that i had met at previous family gatherings and that put me at ease that i would atleast know someone. The coach journey involved drinks and talking to some of the other guests that were traveling to London for the wedding.

The Greek Orthodox Temple was out of this world. It was simply stunning. The outside just looked like any church. Tall, foreboding. But inside was exquisite. Mosaics on the walls, the ceilings depicting various religious events, people. Now I'm not a religious person, i have my own views and whatnot but even i was taken aback by the sheer beauty of this place. The picture i have included doesn't even resemble what it was like to sit in there.

The ceremony started and Jemma walked in. Now she was gorgeous and Spiro was a lucky man, of which he knows. But no one knew what was going on in the church. The priest was speaking in ancient Greek, so even the Greek people couldn't catch onto what he was saying. It was a nice ceremony. No vows were said as it was all about the meaning of the ceremony, not what one party was saying to the other. The best part was when the bride and groom had to walk round the alter three times. Spiro was nearly pissing himself, Jemma was trying to hold a straight face. The best man, Tim, and his wife Dora were following and Tim was laughing. The bridesmaids had to run after because they were unsure if they had to participate.

After the ceremony they had the wedding photos outside of the church. I took along my old Prinz Flex TLR and i hope the pictures come out. The picture above was taken with it, little off centre but its a film camera, what do you expect?

The coach back was a silent one really. Not much was said as we were all tired and the air con on the coach wasn't working but we made it back and were greeted by champagne. As Spyro and Jemma were arriving we mingled with guests and family members and enjoyed the food that was brought round by the caterers. They arrived about 30Min's after us and still looked as good as they did when they were in the church. They stood around for photo opportunities and talked to the guests. After a while of drinking champagne talking we moved inside the marquee to be seated. We were on the naughty table, only because it was at the back and in the corner. Once seated and drinks poured the speeches were started. The first by Tim the best man, very funny and heart felt. The second came from the Father in law, Jemmas dad which was very nice. The third came from Spyro himself which was unplanned but nevertheless good anyway.

Food! After the "Have fun and drink" was said by Spyro the wine was pouring and we said 'cheers' and started chatting while the starters were brought out. Bread with some dips that were lovely, and olive oil. Greek salad too. The main was gorgeous; lamb with Mediterranean potatoes, roasted veg and other such tasty foods. Pudding was ice cream if i remember. Either that or i want ice cream now.
After the food had settled and more wine was drunk i went about talking to the guests from before and family members while the Greek members danced. The naughty table agreed that when the only song we know comes on we would dance, 5Min's later that song came on. It was indeed Zorbas Dance. Though the clip is 2Min's long we danced for 10Min's, too long, but the Greeks danced for AGES! A couple more dances and more alcohol was needed, unfortunately i had a headache and didn't partake in as much alcohol as Spyro would have liked.

After the Greek band left the 'disco' started so cue lots of drunken dancing from the younger generations. We danced for about another hour or so till we had to leave, was about 2am i think. Best part of the night is they supplied bacon and sausage sandwiches at the end of the night with tea/coffee too. That little touch was quite nice as they could have easily just said "Get out of the marquee".
I said my goodbyes and got the taxi back to Reading, luckily i was flat sitting for my mate so it was easier to get to. The day off the next day was even better.

All in all Greek weddings are so much fun and hopefully i will get to go to another one. I still need to give them a wedding present. Sometimes i can be a bad friend.

Tales of a Drunkard: No Sweat Fest

2010-08-23T16:12:00.005+01:00

When my friend Tom usually says "Hey I'm going to a squat party, you should come" I usually envision a dark and dingy building with lots of drug addled protesters and hippies. I was pleasantly surprised.
We started off in Reading at the Allied Arms having a quick drink before we headed to the train station to get some drinking beers and food. On the train to London we chatted, I took pictures and general tomfoolery.
The squat was in Hackney so a bit of a trek from Reading, but a tube here and a bus there we got there. The reason for the bus was the tube was being its usual crappy self, only problem with the bus was Arsenal had just won 6-0 and was letting out time when came past. We got to Hackney around 7pm, fashionably late i know, and the place was amazing. Like an old theater it loomed at an awkward angle.
A lot of people were already outside, sitting in a boat, on the floor or standing around chatting. We paid the £5 donation then went to get some beer from Iceland. Apparently me carrying in two 4 litre bottles of Ye Olde English wasn't the thing to do so i settled with 4 cans of strongbow to start with.

We sat around chatting to random people and some of Toms friends came and chatted to them. The music was from 2pm onwards and we caught a few of them, mainly Punk with some ska-punk too.
There was one band that was pretty good, after a few songs the singer would read some of his poems. One went "What kind of man are you, who rubs his elbows against mine on the tube. Must be a poof" Then 10 seconds into his song a guy ran out of nowhere, jumped on stage, lamped him and grabbed the Mic stand trying to hit the guy. The singer grabbed his bass to try and defend but the crowd divided them.
Apparently the singer has a history of saying homophobic or sexist remarks. Shame as it was a good band up until that point. Ah well. Punks eh?

I don't remember how or when, partly due to drugs and or alcohol, but i sat down talking to some people, Ann, Angela and Caroline. Good chats about life and such, probably the drugs, but at one point Angela was helping this guy Morgan who was absolutely battered. We got him some water and Angela went to find Thelma, a sexy secretary looking polish girl who was his girlfriend. She couldn't so i tried, failed but helped him inside so he could pass out somewhere.
Hours passed, drinks were drunk, chats were had and dancing was done. Yes theres probably photographic evidence of me skanking it up but it was fun.
It got to about 2.30am and i started chatting to a girl called Lisa about Pokemon, Stargate and other such nonsensical wonderment that long nights of drinking bring forth. Which was a nice end to the night.

Tom was talking about an after party in a warehouse but at time of leaving the squat, 3ish? There was no word. Morgan appeared out of nowhere and said he was going to a party so i left Tom, Anders and the others to head back to Paddington, while i stayed with Morgan. Outside he was chatting with some guys and i asked him for directions back to Paddington, he gave them to me but as i helped him when he was drunk he wasn't going to let me wander the streets of Hackney alone. Which was good because i had about £800 worth of stuff on me.

We walked through Hackney sharing a bottle of rum and coke when he laid the bomb on me that he had nowhere to go as he was Homeless. We continued chatting, about himself and how he came to be on the streets. Unfortunately he was a victim of circumstance. Foster homes, run ins with police etc, I'll leave alot of that discussion out.
He came to London from Ireland about 10yrs ago but again circumstances meant he was on and off the streets. We sat around talking for hours. He met a couple in the off license and they came and we all sat around chatting till the sun came up. He is actually a graphic designer and currently has two websites up and running, he uses free WiFi to update etc. He was a really nice guy, and now a friend on Facebook, hopefully I'll see him at some point again.
It got to that point where i had to find my way back to paddington otherwise i would just curl up in a ball and pass out. I said my goodbyes and jumped on a bus that said 'Via Kings Cross' as i vaugley knew where that was.

OK due to me endlessly twittering to keep me amused during my journey it helps piece together things. Apparently i left the squat at 3:54am with Morgan and we chatted till 6:44am which is when i got on the bus to nowhere. Due to that nice bus trip it meant i was back in Hackney about 7:30am because i went to McDonald's to get some breakfast. Now i have only had 1 McDonald's in about 4 years and that was on New Years Eve.
After walking a while some guy called Gary proceeded to tell me that he 'Doesn't drink or do drugs but needed some money for a hot chocolate" I ended up getting a tube from Highbury and getting to Paddington at 9:29am. So it took me 3hrs of walking and the such to get me about 8miles, impressive display of idiocy.

I think my experience of Hackney is summed up by this tweet

"I cant seem to escape hackney. Ive walked in every sodding direction and taken a bus yet I'm still in fucking hackney"

Not having much money i was pleased to see the gates in London were open and if i had any trouble in Reading i would just say i came from Twyford. As soon as the train left Paddington i must have sparked out in the vestibule because i woke up as we just pulled into Reading. I then remembered i sodding cycled to Reading so had a 4mile bike ride home. Slowest bike ride ever. I walked into my home around 10am, and fell asleep till 4pm. Then went to a friends from 8pm - 2am. No point wasting a day in bed :)

All in all i had an amazing time in London. The squat party was brilliant and was for a good cause so check out the website No Sweat. The people i chatted to were amazing and I even enjoyed the walk home.

I think that's about it, unfortunately this probably doesn't seem that good, but to me it was a fun evening and I'm sure some of it has been lost in translation.

Bilbao BBK Live 2010

2010-07-13T17:23:00.004+01:00

This year i embarked on another long arduous journey to Spain for the Bilbao BBK Live festival. This time i swapped friends and took my friend Mark. We set off from Reading around 1pm with a Subway in hand and a couple of Fosters too. Got to Portsmouth and headed to the Trafalgar wetherspoons to continue the drinking while we waited for the ferry boarding time. We then decided to take a walk and unfortunately we walked about 2miles with our backpacks, for which we didn't need to at all. Sat watching the Netherlands game in the ferry terminal while playing shithead. Once boarded we showered, changed and hit the top deck while we left the port. Started drinking and playing shithead while watching the P&O Players perform.

Due to the ferry crossing time we were at sea for a whole day so we just bought a crate of Fosters and sat on the top deck sunning ourselves and listening to music on speakers. Was nice and chilled though i got horrific sunburn on my arms (the burn turned purple at one point). The ferry was pretty much just us drinking and playing cards. We did get a chance this time to see some Dolphins and i got a picture or two of them.

We got to Bilbao at about 8am and made our way into Bilbao. We got to San Mames and waited for the coach which wasn't too bad as the queue was short. We managed to get up to the festival quite easily and went to the second campsite. Last year we camped in the car park as that's all we thought was available. So we opted for the campsite that had trees, giving us a bit of shade from the heat. I was right in that part. However after all my toil and slaving my tent was at a 45 degree angle and the ground felt like cows had been walking over it for months.

Bands didn't start till around 5pm so most of the day was spent in the sun drinking and playing shithead. I won't go into each band but we saw the following over three days:

Bullet for My Valentine
Skunk Anansie
Slayer
Anti-Flag
Rise Against
Rammstein
Gomez
Coheed and Cambria
Dropkick Murphys
Biffy Cylro
Gogol Bordello
Alice in Chains
Pearl Jam
The Macabees
Feeder
Los Campesinos
The Soundtrack of our Lives and
Manic Street Preacher

Out of all those bands i think Rammstein where the best due to the show they put on, for me Gogol Bordello were amazing and i dance my arse off. Dropkick Murphys, Los Campesinos and Gomez were bands i hadn't heard before and were amazed by their sets too.

On the Friday me and Mark walked to Bilbao city center to have a look at the Guggenheim museum but was a little too pricey so didn't bother going in. Instead we took pictures of the outside and wandered around Bilbao before heading back to the festival. Most of the nights were relatively problem free but on Friday it got a little worse for wear.
We had spent all day drinking warm beer then polished off half a bottle of Jaegermeister and 1/3 a large bottle of Vodka. This kind of made Gogol Bordello that little better and as i said previous i dance my arse off which i haven't done in a long long time. A fact that was reminded to me when my knee caps and feet started hurting a few hours later. After that we just sat on the hill over looking the festival and drank a few litres of cold San Miguel. Got chatting to some nice Australian girls and around midnight Mark turns to me, fear in his eyes, and says "I've got to go" and after a few questions of safety he proceeded down the hill and that was that. As much as we laughed and wondered why he had done that i said the exact same words about 30Min's later.

We had a conversation about how Spanish people smoke alot of hash. I didn't smell any weed at the festival just hash. As we were talking a Spanish guy overheard and gave us his joint to smoke, so i duly obliged and had a few tokes. This then sent me overboard and I'm reminded of what Heather (Australian Girl) said to me "Grass then beer, your in the clear. Beer then grass, your on your ass" which reminds me of the age old drinking rhyme "Beer then wine, you'll feel fine. Wine then Beer, you'll feel queer" Which has for many years guided me in my drinking. Anyway i digress.
I turned to Heather and said "I've got to go", though as long as i chatted i was fine. When there was a silence the music of Pearl Jam just sent me flying. Couldn't focus on anything and had to focus on something. I eventually said that i was going to toilet and i MAY be back. I walked to the top of the hill and bought a coke to try and 'sober' myself. After a while Heather came to find me and we walked to the second stage for Dropkick Murphys.

I had just about overcome myself and we watched Dropkicks, a band that i have never really heard but they were amazing! Really good and we got rather close, a little too close as my ears were fucked. We walked to the coach line as Heather had to get back to Bilbao but it was 3am and the queue was going to take about 1.5 hours so i offered my tent. The only problem being that having a tent at a 45 degree angle isn't the best for two people to sleep in. So cue a restless sleep trying to stop not only myself from falling down the hill but also her.

Due to the late night from me, and the early departure from Mark (He doesn't remember how or when he got back to the tent) meant that on the last day we took it easy. Don't think we even touched a litre of beer at all that day. We just sat around watching the music from the hill and just resting really. Saw some good bands that day. Met up with Heather briefly on the hill overlooking the festival and chilled. We had to get up stupidly early on the Sunday as our ferry back to Portsmouth so we left before Faith No More played but listened to them at the tents. We missed out on Jet which I'm sure would have been amazing but the early wake up etc meant we didn't.

Woke up early and were waiting at the Ferry port about 2hrs before we were meant to but we just sat and played shithead till boarding. The very [not so] friendly Spanish border polizia officers wouldn't stamp my passport as they only do it for kids. But i like stamps in my passport too. Reminds me that i have so much more of the world to see.

The trip back was quicker for some reason and again we just chilled and drank, watched the P&O players do their thing, watched everyone get way too over excited about the Dolphins. I swear they ran back and forth that much that they rocked the whole ferry. The only exciting thing we saw on the trip back was an American Nuclear Submarine leaving Portsmouth. Was pretty cool.

We got back to Reading about 7pm and made a quick dash to our respective homes then went to the Gym straight after, dedication eh?

All in all Bilbao BBK is a fantastic festival. Great surroundings and somehow a small festival that's only been going 5 years manages to get some amazing bands. The only things i have a problem with is the language barrier as its not entirely Spanish as its in the Basque country. But that's easily overcome. Can't wait to see what happens next year.

Until next time.

Buenas Noches

Hmm

2010-06-25T23:25:00.002+01:00

Well i seemed to have dropped off the radar. It's not like i havent done anything interesting. I went to a castle, got drunk, had my 25th birthday and a whole host of messy nights out and generic nights too. I just havent deemed them interesting enough to write about, or i have left such a gap between the happenings and me wanting to write them down that i have forgotten them. Oops.

I'll try and be better. Whats there to look forward too? Well currently looking for a new job as the one i have is pretty shit. I'm going to Bilbao again in July for Bilbao BBK Live, check the lineup its brilliant. And thats it really for the next few weeks. So expect a post about Bilbao, or if anything exciting happens, expect something else.

BBC Introducing LOS & Strobe Circus

2010-05-17T22:19:00.005+01:00

In the last outing to the Oakford we had two amazing bands for BBC Introducing. Strobe Circus and LOS. First on were Strobe Circus who were amazing. They sounded so relaxed and vibrant. They sounded great with their fusion of Drum and Bass, reggae, dubstep and dub sound. Got everyone dancing and i genuinely enjoyed listening to them play. Hopefully get to see them again and this time not sitting down.

The second band were LOS (Sorry couldn't find them on myspace) This band were insanely good as well. Just three of them, drums/guitar and synth. They reminded me alot of Queens of the Stone Age for some reason, just that crisp sound of Rock. Very loud and really long songs meant i was happy for the whole set, I'm hoping someone will read this and send me the link to their page.

The night continued on, as per usual, with drunken revelement. My friend Sophie had her birthday on Wednesday so she was in the Oakford with her friends, was good to say hello. After such a time as boredom kicking in, we ventured to The Turtle again. I won't bore you with the details as it was a usual night out and, well, frankly i cant be bothered.

Another good night sponsored, in part, by the BBC. Glad to see my tax money hard at work.

Tales of a Drunkard: Politics, Alcohol and RPGs

2010-05-06T23:16:00.006+01:00

Wednesday was, as fast becoming a tradition, Oakford night. More live music courtesy of BBC Introducing. However it was just two of us this time, myself and Geordie who you might remember turfed out 3 old ladies when we went to Stoke.

Unfortunately they were all out of cider and I had to buy a bottle, which ended up costing £5.... So we just sat outside, listened to a band and decided on a night out. Our friend Ed was in town with a guy named Pavil who was over from Czech for a holiday to see Ed and his friends. The plan was to go to Hope Tap for a drink, then Pavs then meet them in the turtle. So we hot footed it to the Hope Tap and sat down talking about Religion, Mythology, Politics, Gaming and Photography. Not your usual topic. We went to Pavs, had a pint and played the hunting game to which I lost.

Turtle was next and, as always is last on the menu, we found Ed and the Czech contingent and hurriedly got drinks and played table football. I saw a really attractive girl with blue hair that works in Las Iguanas so made Geordie talk to one of the guys he knows so we could go talk to them. We got talking to them and had a laugh, at one point I touched a mans nipple, then when he dropped a chip I ate a cheesy chip off his hairy chest. As you can see the night was going well.

We somehow got talking to two squaddies who were on R&R from being posted in Cyprus and having been outside Helmand for awhile. Cue talking about politics (briefly) and having shrapnel wounds shown to us (RPG hit one of them and the other guy pulled him out of the way of fire), I decided to buy them, and ourselves, drinks. Sat around chatting to them about everything really and then suddenly the lights come up and it's kicking out time. They wanted to go elsewhere but due to it being a Wednesday, everywhere was shut. Everywhere apart from the Casino.

A short walk later and we were in the casino and bought another round for us all. Started drinking and playing Blackjack, which is a game I don't usually play but have found a love for it. Again we just sat around talking and drinking and before we knew it they were kicking out too. That was about 5am. I only spent £20 on Blackjack and walked away with £8, so yeah a loss, but it was fun.
Geordie walked to the station to get a taxi and I chatted to the guys for awhile, I got their British Forces Postal Number things so next time my mum sends off shoe boxes of gifts to troops, these guys get one specifically for them. And apparently they want Pot Noodles!
Walked with them to the station and hopped on a bus home. Got in around 5:45am and had to get up for a job interview with Toys R Us Head Office in Maidenhead. That was a struggle but I think it went well.

So the Drunkard is getting out and about, having a good time and random nights occur even when the immortal line "I'm not up for a late one, I have a job interview in the morning"

Think that's its for this months outings. This drunkard needs to go the gym as I've missed a few sessions, but there is an all you can eat Chinese happening on Saturday and we get to break in some friends new Sofa.

NB: The picture I took this morning on the way home from my interview. Was opposite Back of Beyond fyi.

Tales of a Drunkard: The Return

2010-05-03T19:18:00.004+01:00

It's a welcomed return to our intrepid drunkard, a.k.a ME! I've ventured out into Reading now and again, and I've been round houses for nights out but I feel Saturday was a proper night out for me. Though saying that the previous Saturday was a proper night out... And so was Wednesday. Fuck there goes my blog about beginning to go out more. Bollocks.

OK so I went out on Wednesday for BBC: Introducing and saw a pretty good band at the end of the night, another ensemble band which I love, as you always get more diversity with more instruments. Anyway we went there, had a few drinks then went to the Turtle as per most nights out. Spent a bit of time and money drinking there then walked home. On the way I stole a Subway poster and was quite proud. We came to Jacksons corner and did something I've always wanted to do ever since watching a documentary.

Basically, I'm annoyed that all the lights in shops stay on overnight, theres no need. I don't want to window shop at 3am and it's a waste of electricity. So this documentary followed people in France turning off all the shop lights in Paris at night via those Red 'FIRE' switches outside. Now I'm still in two minds as to whether A.) It turns off all the power inside so the fire brigade don't electrocute themselves or B.)It triggers the fire alarm.

In my drunken state I decided to find out so flipped the switch. Nothing happened. I screamed "SCARPER LADS" to my mate and pegged it while giggling away to myself for saying scarper. Stopped about 50yards away and just saw my friend meandering along at a leisurely pace. The lights remained on, and I didn't hear any sirens. Along the way I also stole a tyre from outside a tyre center thing in Reading. Don't ask me why but it's now sitting outside my door.

All in all, it was a good night out.

White Dog Poo

2010-04-11T21:36:00.005+01:00

I'm a child of the 80s, albeit the latter part. I was born in 1985. And here's a new nostalgia feature.

Theres certain things about being born in the 80s that is a testament to the world at large, and even in your own little world. The Cold War ended, the Challenger exploded, Live Aid happened and the Berlin Wall fell to name a few.

But what i remember from the 80s is white dog poo. Might have been because i had a dog too but it was everywhere. Some small dose of smelly nostalgia i know, but still it defines growing up, for me anyway, as a child of the 80s.

Now there is a real reason why the dog poo turned white, and why you no longer see it. Both are rubbish and you can find out for yourself. All i know is that white dog poo is synonymous with growing up. To avoiding it when walking and to watching normal dog poo change colour over the course of a few days in the height of summer. Memories of my dog Meg come to mind, good Lil thing she was, and various excursions to the river as a child.

It's a shame that the only things children of the 90s/00s will have to look back on is Teletubbies and Dick & Dom....

The Five Stages of Tring

2010-03-31T22:01:00.003+01:00

The Five Stages of Tring is a phenomenon that occurs at any festival gathering, or to be fair any instance where a tent is involved.
It occurs generally after a long day of walking around, lots of alcohol and other such things. Below I shall take you through, step by step, the wonder of The Five Stages of Tring.

The First Stage

The first stage is when you wake up in a tent, your fully aware of where you are. Your tired, and its very warm. You throw off your sleeping bag and use it to get comfortable. You manage to fall in and out of sleep for the next hour or so.

The Second Stage

The second stage occurs after you have failed to get any sense of sleep. Its getting hotter and stuffier in your tent. The smell of smoke from the nights bonfire lingers in your tent, on your clothes and in your hair. Almost suffocating with the smell you open the tent. This allows some fresh air and enables you to drift back to sleep now that the warm air has left.

The Third Stage

The third stage is a comical one. After getting some actual sleep you feel like interacting with the other campers you are with. You crawl to the front of your tent and set up a nest. With your bag or sleeping used as a pillow you rest while talking with your friends. However in your state you fall back asleep. Half in your tent where it is still warm and half outside where its cool and breezy.

The Fourth Stage

Your almost there now. The fourth stage is a small one. This is when everyone is staring at you and wondering why you aren't up yet. Why are you still wanting to sleep when its sunny and everyone is enjoying themselves. So guilt tripped into getting out you retreat back into your tent to get changed.

The Fifth Stage

And your now a semi functioning member of society once again. The fifth stage is you now out of your tent and sat on a stool,chair or on the floor. You are now ready for the first sip of lager and to start planning your day. Be it seeing bands or going for a hike.

There we go. The five stages of Tring. If you see anyone exhibiting any of the signs, just let them play it out, they'll soon be with you.

NB: The Five Stages of Tring isn't scientifically proven. So if your friend hasn't moved from, lets say, stage 3. Then maybe intervene.

It's the most wonderful time of the year

2010-03-29T22:41:00.003+01:00

The year has come again where the massive droves of teens with their parents cash descend onto Reading, for Reading Festival has announced its lineup. At the moment the phones are clogged, the Internet is clogged and at this precise moment in time, the entrance to HMV in the Oracle is clogged.

Now if you've seen my Festival reviews and what not you will know that I'm a fan of the festival. I love the atmosphere, the music, the people and the five stages of Tring.

All in all, the picture at the top (of my friend Ed) encapsulates all that Reading Festival is. Notice he has a bottle opener on a necklace. He is covered in mud. Its late. But look at that face. He is having the best time in the world. THAT is Reading Festival. Queueing up for 24hrs outside a music shop isn't. Queueing on the phone/Internet for 4hrs is not. And paying extortionate amounts on websites like Viagogo or eBay is not.

Word of warning kids. The cost should be around £180 give or take service fee. If your paying £200+ you need your head sorted. Reading Festival is not the best in the world. It used to be. But look at European festivals for a change. If your parents are willing to send you to Reading Festival, I'm pretty sure they'd send you to Germany, Spain, Italy, Holland, or any other festival in England...

I've seen a lot of shit happening at Reading. Stupid drug,drink and boredom fuelled shit. And I've never been to a festival that's so irresponsibly run. The stewards are nice and friendly, the Security are heavy handed. They turn the music off around 12pm due to the noise, and the tents that stay open 'later' have the music on low. The only entertainment for you after midnight is taking 2 hours to walk to your tent, drinking lots and going walkabout to see what is happening in the festival camp grounds. More often than not its people burning everything/anything in sight and general violence.

The violence isn't aimed at anyone, its just boredom. Because there is a silent disco or a pikey fun fair to amuse 70,000 people.

Its stupid.

Still one of the best festivals i have been to. That's largely made up from the people I'm with. One of which is covered in, hopefully, mud in the aforementioned picture.

If you get tickets, enjoy and be safe, the lineups not too bad. If not, then don't pay too much!

Not sure what my ramblings are about. Confusion. Irritation. The longing for a ticket?

What I'm

2010-03-19T23:24:00.003Z

What I'm Listening To:

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
White Stripes - White Blood Cells
The XX - The XX

What I'm Reading:

Marvel Secret Invasion
Dark Reign

What I'm Watching:

Kill Bill Vol 1
A League of Their Own ( The James Corden game show, not the baseball movie with Gena Davies and Tom Hanks, though it is a good film)

Tales of a Drunkard: The Prequel

2010-03-14T16:05:00.006Z

So following the odd pint of alcohol over the past week and a bit i decided to venture out on a proper night out of sorts. Gathered a few people and hit a wetherspoons for some cheap strong cider. For some reason they were checking the ID of everyone coming in, which unfortunately for Ed meant he couldn't come in. So we met them at the Turtle for a continuation of drinking.
Sat down at a table drinking snakebite is pretty much all i want to do on a night out. Chatting bollocks about, well, bollocks. Not in the literal meaning, we didn't talk about male genitalia, but the conversation came close at times. One of our friends got cracked onto by a guy, that pretty much set the next hour of conversation.

The night went well, had a few walks round to see what was going on and finally settled at the Table Football by the front of the pub. Had a few games between ourselves, then joined by a girl named Shaz or Gee and her friend Alex. She was quite cute but had recently been dumped over the phone, and previously over Facebook and then text... Really? Do some guys just not have any balls/decorum?

We also played a couple of people that appeared good, they had a couple of good tactics to playing table football. While Geordie and mark were playing i sparked up a conversation with some people sat near us, as you do when your drunk and people look bored. Though with such witty remarks like "Your opinion means shit to me" i realised my efforts were wasted in conversing with him. Apparently having long hair, baggy jeans and wearing black automatically makes you better than everyone else and you can be a dick to everyone.
So to that guy, fuck you. You ruined what was an average night out. Thanks. Twat.

So my first real foray into drinking in Reading was by and large a success. Though again it just reiterates the fact that a small portion of the world become cunts when drunk.

I'm still not 'officially' drinking again, i mean i havent visited the Murco yet.

BBC Introducing Dead Legs & Kill it Kid

2010-03-10T23:30:00.004Z

Well let me say i rarely gush with excitement over a band but two bands tonight just blew my socks off. Firstly Dead Legs performed some balls out deep and dirty rock that shook you to the bone. With the deep husky and raw sound from Harriet Rock, the trio blasted through a set of short, sharp shocks that left you wanting more but also running for cover. I regret not knowing of them before tonight, but i surely won't be forgetting them anytime soon. I really need to start remembering what songs they play so i can tell you which ones were amazing, but to be fair the whole set was really good. I implore you to check them out at their next gig, either in Bristol or on May 1st at Plug N Play in Reading.

The second band to come on were Kill it Kid. A band that, in true blues style, must have gone to the crossroads and struck a deal with the devil. The 5 piece from Bath have a nice blend of Blues and Americana Rock that meld so well that you just want them to keep on playing. Ranging from the soulful violin driven songs to the piano hammering ones, this is a band that have the sound to hit it big, well they already have. On their last song one of Chris Turpins guitar strings decided to inconveniently break, and with style and pure tenacity, continued to play furiously without a care. If any of you out there are off to South by Southwest next week then i wholeheartedly suggest you find the time to go to the Driskill Hotel on the 18th March and/or the Raddison Hotel & Suites on the 20th March.

On the basis of the last few BBC Introducing nights at the Oakford, I'm surprised at the poor turnout for some of the fantastic bands that are playing there at the moment.

Next week we have my friend 13D, aka Graeme, playing with his band. A heady mix of blues/punk/rock/hip hop. Really looking forward to listening to him live, as the last time was last year at some point, if not the year before.

March off the plank

2010-03-09T18:53:00.003Z

Well three months is good, right? RIGHT? My endeavour to go without drinking alcohol for 6 months came to a brief stutter this past week. Firstly i went to a funeral and at the wake i had a few drinks in memoriam. 3 Guinness and one double jamesons and coke. Which oddly went down a little too easy for 3 months no alcohol. That would have been a one off just for the wake but then i agreed to go into Reading on Saturday for a friends birthday.

Now usually I'm fine with others drinking but the way it worked out we had two tables of friends and i made the mistake of sitting slap bam in the middle of the two. Which ordinarily wouldn't be too bad but i was sat staring at Gordon Brown in the middle east and the story on James Bulgers killers. So all in all enough to make anyone drink.
I decided to bail out early and on the way home stop into another bar and see a friend. While waiting with her to buy a drink it popped into my head.... Why the fuck would i not drink?

The main reasons were to lose weight and to gain money, and who wouldn't want those two things? Though at what cost? I love going out and having random encounters with people, sometimes continuing to know them for awhile, sometimes they are just a figment of a night out on the tiles.

This is why i had a few ciders, and a snakebite, tequila and a double Johnny Walkers and coke. And surprisingly i had an amazing time, met some girls, chatted and got a phone number from one of them as she was really fun to talk to. Married/engaged though but people are people, doesn't matter if they are married or whatever, as long as you get on with other people.

So yeah, I'm not officially back on the alcohol but I'm also not being sober. I think I'll drink in moderation till June, when it suits me. And then come June I'll be more inclined to drink.

Till then drink lots, meet lots of people and above all. Have fun.

Wednesday Ususal

2010-03-08T22:47:00.004Z

So Wednesdays are sort of becoming New Music Wednesdays, thanks to BBC Introducing and the Oakford in Reading. This time we went and saw two bands of varying quality. First up was The Joe Public who were amazing. I was sat a little too close to the drummer for my ears liking but it was worth it. Shades of Rage, Incubus and Queens of the Stone Age. It was that good that after they finished both myself and the four other people that i was with, all went up and bought their EP, a thing i havent done for years. So i thoroughly reccomend giving them a listen or if you can, check them out at one of their gigs.

Second band was The Good Natured. They look different and they sound pretty good. They had 'Jedward' style hair going on and Micheal Stipe face paint, but thats beside the point. The lead singer was seriously cute and she sounded amazing. I probably need to listen to their music again, to get abit more into it, but what i heard was pretty good.

So far BBC Introducing has had a good effect with me. Its beginning to become a good night out with friends and some amazing music. Looking forward to this weeks offerings and my friend is even playing there on the 17th March, 13D

Say What?

2010-03-01T00:00:00.004Z

Missed out last week so heres a belated 'What i'm doing'

What I'm Listening to:
Eliza Doolittle - Skinny Genes
The XX - XX

What I'm Reading:
The Walking Dead

What I'm Watching:
The Girl who Lept Through Time
Avatar: The Last Airbender

What I'm Looking At:
John Cox Art

New Music Wednesday

2010-02-25T00:18:00.002Z

So being that it's Wednesday and the Oakford in Reading hosts BBC Introducing each week I decided to go with my friend Jemma to watch some live bands. And tonight was especially exciting as the gorgeous Eliza Doolittle was in attendance.

I first saw her video for the new single 'Skinny Genes' the other day and thought it was quite catchy. Then I heard it on Radio 2 late at night and thought "yeah I really like this" and now after seeing her live and playing the other songs, I can see her becoming really big when the summer hits. Her songs instill that warm summer glow in you, even if your in Reading on a bit of a crappy night.

I can't remember the track names so forgive me but I enjoyed them all and thoroughly recommend a listen, a purchase or a trip to a venue to see her. Lets hope I get to buy it on vinyl soon.

And sorry to the band before Eliza, I didn't catch the name. And after the atmospheric start and Radiohead style opener I started to like their songs. Part Madonna, part Pet Shop boys with a little Depeche Mode and Placebo thrown in. Good sound, and think it would sound better either on a CD or at a festival.

I'm beginning to like this scheduled live music. I'm just sad that after an outing in London on Saturday I missed Tom Williams and the boat

Best Wednesday Ever

2010-02-10T12:43:00.000Z

Firstly this gem of a camera came this morning while at work. A Fuji Instax Mini 7, which takes and produces credit card sized instant pictures. It has different settings for indoors or outdoors etc and takes 10 pictures at a time.

Secondly. I receied this too.

This my friends is two pairs of Sega Lock-On laser tag games. Now this was a game I remember playing in the streets as a kid. Running about shooting each other, ducking inbetween parked cars for cover etc.
You can choose to be on Team A or B, so teams are endless essentially, and you each have a gun and headset. There are sensors on both which is where you can get shot.
You also have a drop down LCD type display which ticks down your lives so you can keep track.
On the gun you get a Super Shot style button whih when pressed fires three consecutive shots (or one big shot that knocks more lives off) can't remember which

All in all this has been a pretty damn good wednesday. Now im just waiting for my records to make an appearance this week

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Warning

2010-02-10T10:20:00.000Z

I am now mobile. Expect inane ramblings more often.

That is all.

- Posted
from my iPhone

Take Heed

2010-02-07T21:08:00.004Z

I'm going to start a "What I'm....." portion of this here blog... So here goes.

What I'm Listening To
America - Horse with No Name
Journey - Don't Stop Believing
Lostprophets - The Betrayed

What I'm Reading
Kick-Ass (Comic)
The Road
Y: The Last Man (Comic)

What I'm Watching
30 Rock
Being Human

What I'm Looking At
Doobybrain
Ellerbisms
Brandon Graham

Must go to more Gigs!

2010-02-02T23:11:00.004Z

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. ~Berthold Auerbach

I was watching the music video to Resistance by Muse, and the whole place was jumping, literally jumping. It just looked like an amazing show to be at. And that struck me. I'm 25 and have only ever been to two gigs. The Moody Blues at the Royal Albert Hall when i was like 14, and Avril Lavigne at Wembley Arena.. very conflicting shows i know.

I've been to festivals since 2002, in various countries. Just never got around to going to a gig. Which is shameful i know. Well i've seen bands in small venues playing a handful of songs, but no massive tour. So i shall be venturing out to gigs more frequently as i feel thats my duty. Though just need start searching out which bands are touring and what to see.

I'll hopefully be going to festivals this year anyway, more on this later, but i feel intimate gigs are better, and more special. Dedication to the cause. I want to leave with my clothes covered in sweat, beer and god knows what else. I want my ears to ring slightly more than they already do.

For now i will settle with BBC Introducing at the Oakford in Reading on Wednesdays. Its new music and its Live music. So its something to fill the gap while i source out gigs.

Edge of Darkness

2010-02-02T22:18:00.002Z

Here we go again.
Edge of Darkness stars Mel Gibson as a bereived dad trying to find out what happened to cause his daughter to get killed. Now i'm not a massive fan of Mel Gibson. I liked Lethal Weapon and What Women Want was a good chick flick. I massivly enjoyed both Payback and Ransom which i hold as some of the best films i have seen. And from the trailer this film looked just like it. "Rejoice" i hear you say.

The start is a little long, then some action, then some pondering and Mel Gibson looking old yet good for his age.

Eventually the action picks up, and with a few mumblings from Ray Winston the larger picture is formed, Mel Gibson gets even more pissed off. And more bad guys die. It's enjoyable and its the first film to make me physically jump in a cinema since.... well i don't think a film has ever made me jump. So kudos for that.

I'd give it a 6/10 only because the ending was all nicey nicey.

Book of Eli: Review

2010-01-27T00:35:00.004Z

Now this will be a new avenue for me. In my sober daze i have found myself on i have coherent thoughts, which put towards a film, culminate in a review.

Just got back from Book of Eli which i saw with a friend, and well here goes...

A couple of friends have seen it and said things like "Well i wouldn't really pay to see that" or "utterly pointless".. Anyway. From the very beginning it is what you would imagine a post-apocalyptic dystopia to be. Raiders, bleached sky, no water and more importantly no hope. Denzel Washington, as with most roles, brings his A game. Putting everything into Eli. A man on a mission, even if your unsure of what his mission is. Walking the wasteland with his book on his back unleashing justice, of sorts, on those who come into his way.

Fight scenes were quick and decent to watch "You put your hand on me again and your not getting it back" was brilliant. The other characters just set the story really. From Gary Oldmans 'Carnegie' and Mila Klunis 'Solara'. Two of the best characters are the old couple, with the brilliant Micheal Gambon.

The whole undertone surrounding Eli's book is religion. Which as stated in the film is how people understood the war to have started, and as a result went around burning all the books. Leaving Eli with his only copy and his quest to take this to the West coast of the USA. There is a twist to the story, and its a good one but will leave you with a 'WTF' moment or two as you replay parts of the movie over in your head trying to get around what you've just learnt, and how it could come to be that Eli is and does what he does, but its all a matter of faith ;)

Really good film with a superb soundtrack which works well with the post-apocalyptic world in which it's set in.

I'd give it a 7/10. Only because i was thinking 'Fallout, this is kind of like a Fallout film'... shame.

BBC Introducing Sobriety

2010-01-22T21:40:00.004Z

So my first outing into Readings nightlife was to the Oakford to see I Blame Coco and 30 Watt Bayonets. I was a little bit apprehensive as I'm not drinking but i went along as my thirst for new music is far greater than the need for alcohol. I Blame Coco were excellent. A nice breath of fresh air, very polished and sounded awesome. A nice and husky voice coupled with a brilliant band it screams for you to listen to her. A slight twinge of Sting in her voice (Understandable considering that's her father), especially on some of the long notes, and well on the most part of Ceaser. Definitely a band i need to keep an eye on as they were amazing.

The next band was 30 Watt Bayonets which, frankly scared me, but in a good way. From the get go the lead singer was banging the drum with fury, and spent most of the gig in the crowd. I'm a big fan of crowd participation but i hid. Shameful i know but there were alot of scared faces in the crowd. But that's what made it a good gig. Not afraid to be different, challenging the preconception that artists should stay on the stage. Was really good to see and sounded great.

So i think I'm going to make the Oakford a regular occurrence as i need new music in my life, and with the two bands I've seen I'm thoroughly looking forward to the upcoming nights.

Tales of a Drunkard: Finale

2010-01-06T23:07:00.005Z

Well this is the last drunken re-cap which was New Years. We started out at my friends where we played some Mario on the Wii and drunk a punch concoction of vodka, rum and fruit juice. Stayed there for quite some time just playing and drinking, mini dartgun fight too. We trundled along to the Hope Tap, i had foolishly left my coat at home thinking we wouldnt be wearing them. How wrong i was. Everyone else was wrapped up warm and i was freezing my nuts off. Though the walk was a long and cold one (it was actually fairly short but still cold).

We started the drinking games, Three Coins. Rules of which are:

You have three coins which you throw onto the table and depending on what comes up you do the following:Br:
Two Heads - You drink

Two Tails - You nominate someone to drink

Three Heads - Everyone Drinks

Three Tails - New Rule

With the new rule it could be anything like 'Everyone drinks with their opposite hand' or 'everyone time someone is nominated, the person to their left drinks" you know the idea...

Anyway we got quite drunk and by 9.30pm we were all drunk, far from the midnight celebration, but continued with the games. Twice the bouncer came over and told us to calm down, i mean yeah we were noisy but there were only 4 of us, not like we were rowdy. And its New Years for fucks sake. We left and went to Lounge 108 which is below a sushi bar.

Its an awesome venue with an amazing sound system. The decor is all white seats and its fairly small, fitting about 50 people in, 60 at full capacity. So our new years was intimate. Though we got there about quarter to eleven it was fairly empty. We had free shots and at midnight a glass of champagne with a shot of black sambuca in i think, was wierd but was nice. We celebrated new years and sat around drinking and having fun. Smashed two glasses, well someone did, and by the end of the night stank of stale beer.

Our night pretty much ended around half one. We walked back to our friends flat stopping off at Maccy D's. Now if you know me (which none of you probably do) you'll know i havent eaten McDonalds in about 3 years now. But it was cold, i was really really drunk and tired and needed food. It was a means to an end and im ashamed but i bought a Cheesburger and chips.... The shame... And well thats the last one for another 3 years :D

We went back and i passed out on the sofa, which was 3x too small for me but i've slept on worse before. Got up around 11am and most of us were fine (Mark) and ventured out to have a fry up at the pub we left the night before. Unfortunatly i was talking about how i'd like to spend New Years day drinking all day with friends and ordered a beer with my breakfast. Thankfully not drinking for 6months isnt a New Years resoloution and just a choice, but i drank that beer for medicinal reasons. It helped my liver process the alcohol in my system thus preventing any long lasting damage.

Went shopping, bought Borderlands and spent the day playing Borderlands with my friends. Also bumped into a friend and got my bag of 25 DvDs i lent her when she broke her back a few years ago. So all in all a good New Years Day.

Even though New Years Eve was fairly quiet and there were just a few of us, it was one of the best New Years Eve nights i have had in quite some time. So here's to next year.

Tales of a Drunkard: Sober

2010-01-04T21:40:00.004Z

Well that time of the year for resolutions and celebrations. I for one and continuing on my abstinence of alcohol. Last year i went for 4 months without alcohol from Jan 1st to April. This year I'm going one better and going 6months with no alcohol till June which is my birthday. This also gives me time to plan the most epic of drinking nights/days that i could possibly embark on.

So this drunkard is hanging up his Tankard for 6months. So this blog will change from drunken recollections to other musings. Probably stoned musings, but musings and random encounters nontheless.

Till June my little drunkards. Till June.

Twenty Ten

2010-01-03T18:22:00.003Z

We've had a tumultous year in 2009. The entire world has been effected by the economic downturn and a great flu pandemic.
We've seen amazing strides in acceptance in the political world from the United States but unfortunatly we have all suffered
great losses in the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan.

As we enter 2010, one cannot but wonder if this is the world that the invisionaries of the past imagined. There are no robot
servants, no flying cars and no monoliths. We enter a new age, a new decade in fact, still reeling from our past decisions.
We remember what has been done in the past and yet we seem doomed to repeat those actions. We look in the face of terror and
say no more. Yet we look in the face of global warming and shrug our shoulders. We should hold both manufactured and biological
terrorism in the same vein. Why should the immediate danger overshadow the forthcoming danger? Maybe it wont effect ourselves
but in the long run its our children and childrens children that will face the brunt of the impeding disaster. We embrace technology
as our saviour, yet it will most probably be our downfall in the years to come. We must rely on each other more so than the circutboards
made by technicians and scientists.

Take back our lives. 2010 is the year of self worth.

Twelve Days of Christmas

2009-12-21T21:17:00.002Z

Probably should have updated this every year but its still interesting. Twelve Days of Christmas

Nintendo Pictochat - Stoke Redux

2009-12-11T00:12:00.003Z

This has to be one of the best travel tools you could ever have in your pocket. Within the small confines of the sweet innocent Nintendo DS lives the heart of a dirty perverted beast just waiting to rub up to you while stood in the line for the checkout at the supermarket.

Pictochat amused myself and my friends while on the journey up to Stoke last weekend. Either for chats that were pointless, endless drawings of dicks or the chance to write in big letters 'C*NT' while the ticket inspector was getting lees ticket.

Which reminds me of something i forgot to mention. During Geordies banishing of old women from the comfort of a seat with a table, lee decided to just sit comfortably on his own table with two girls, one of which who was quite pretty. This is also how the joy of Pictochat amused us, as like small children, we could speak to each other, about people in our surroundings, and have them not be any wiser.

So to you pretty pink loving girl on the way to stoke, you were pretty. And to the ticker inspector, you weren't a 'C*NT' or Bald.

Pictochat. Better than the DS.

Tales of a Drunkard Pt.9: Stoke and Stafford

2009-12-07T20:05:00.008Z

This outing is sponsored by The Hangover Cure. More about that later.

So for this last outing we trekked to Stoke. Yeah i know people say "Why would you go to Stoke" and i say "for a friends birthday".

So supplies packed we met at the train station and board the train to Stoke. That was the first mistake. We had pre-booked our tickets so we could have a table seat to ourselves to drink and play cards and what not. Unfortunately there were 3 old ladies sat all comfortable in our place. Now unsure what to do i stood there with mark behind me looking at each other, trying not to laugh and also embarrassed that our northern friend Chris decided to turf them out with no remorse, i think i also saw him tapping his watch as these frail women eased themselves out of the chairs. Not only was there lots of embarrassment going around there was also a queue forming behind us. I quickly shuffled into my seat and sat looking out the window as to not make eye contact.

Shortly after we set off the cans were cracked open, by myself, and the Cards/Nintendo DS's and Laptops were broken out. Train was fine, though got really busy towards Birmingham.

Got the bus to Stoke city centre and went to my friends sisters club that's being done up. Looks amazing and cant wait till it's finally finished as it will be a great venue, especially when the other elements are completed.

So we went back to their house, got showered and changed, had a drink and whatnot and got a taxi to Stafford. The taxi ride was one of the funniest i have ever had, i was crying with laughter on numerous occasions. It doesn't help when sisters laugh the same and at the end let out a sigh which then starts the laughter again.... OK maybe you had to be there.

Started the night with a nice Subway to settle the stomach and went to Chicago Rock Cafe (Which isn't a real Rock bar Geordie) and had quite a few 2-4-1 Cocktails, though the barmaid was slow and just didn't give a fuck about serving people. So we moved onto the second venue. Second venue was pretty good, had a few drinks of various nature including two bottles of champagne, sambuca, beer and vodka. Only problem is the bar proved a bit too pretentious, bringing out the champagne in a bucket with a fucking firework flare attached as if to scream "Hey EVERYONE, look at these guys buying champagne, aren't they complete dicks". Anyway drinks drunk and laughs had we moved onto a new club that had opened and thanks to Chris, who knows everyone there is ever to know, we got in for free and scouted out the new club which had something like £1mil budget.

Now this club was amazing, but you'd expect that from £mil. Though it was abit too big, i got lost a few times not knowing if i was upstairs, downstairs or where. The pluses being that they had Guitar Hero, Rambo and Pod Racing machines in a side room, LED dance floor, a giant Disco Ball (At least 9 feet high and as much wide and about 3 other dance floors. The uniforms for men where red waistcoats and for women were red corsets. More drinks where had, mainly beer, though strangely no dancing was had, well the odd Geordie scuffle dance though Chris and Sol (my friends sister and her husband) had a Dance Off. In true movie style too. There wasn't anyone on the LED dance floor and a song came on, so Sol went on and danced as Chris watched from the sideline, then went and did his dance. This went on for a good 5 minutes with the crowd watching and cheering too. So bizarre but excellent to watch!

Our Taxi was booked for 3.30am so we made our way to get something to eat, Chips and Gravy, and jumped into the taxi back, again an enjoyable taxi ride was had. Got back to the house and me, mark and Geordie took sofas to sleep on. Though my bed was a wavy chair, like a psychiatrists. Brilliant to sit on but a nightmare to sleep on.

Now before i went to bed i had one of Drink THC's Hangover Cure. Pint of water and one of these before bed will apparently cure a hangover. Now I've always had the notion that drinking a pint of water before bed will help prevent a hangover because of the dehydration that occurs when you drink alcohol. But DrinkTHC has vitamins and electrolytes and other things that mean something to some science guy. All in all it is meant to replenish all the vitamins that are lost due to alcohol consumptions (Like Vitamin B12 to name but one). Anyway drank it and in the morning i felt fine, i mean i hadn't drank tons but i did mix a lot of drinks as that always gives me a stinking hangover. I had a dull headache, though mostly from lack of comfortable sleep, but looking at the other guys pale faces i think i came out better. Only problem with a hangover cure is it takes away the "OMG what a night that was, i cant remember much and my head hurts" which i kind of like. Its like a badge of honour. Plus i wouldn't remember to take one of these each night i had been drinking as all i want to do is stumble in and up the stairs and fall into bed.

All in all, if you can remember to take one of these mixtures before bed, you won't regret it as you'll feel fine in the morning.

We went for a massive breakfast in Stoke and a walk round some shops before getting the train back to Reading. Again people were sitting in our seats so me and Mark just decided to sit away from the guys and play on our DS's and beat Geordie at Mario Kart, over and over and over again.

Got back to Reading about 5.30pm and went home to veg out. Brilliant time had in stoke and amazing time in Stafford.

Here's hoping we go back when the club is finished, possibly for New Years as that will be my last time drinking this year as I'll be giving up alcohol again for my new years resolution, till at least April, maybe June for my Tales of a Drunkard Special Feature......

The Hangover (Not a movie review)

2009-11-16T20:22:00.005Z

So from the power of Twitter, and the obvious amount of alcohol i write about, the kind folks at DrinkTHC have decided to send over some samples for me to 'test'.

So as i await a package of hangover cures, i sit patiently and remember the worst ever hangover i have had to date.

A couple of weeks ago i went for a few drinks with some friends before they went to see Jimmy Carr at the Hexagon. Not wanting to go home we went through my options of:

Go Home

Drink on my own

Go to the Cinema.

Now leaving was no option, and 9 was on in 5 mins so i was running out of options when this guy i had a brief chat to said i could hang out with him and his mates. So i accepted his offer and stayed with him. Had a few more drinks in Pavlovs Dog and moved to Revs, which i didn't want to. Got to Revs and met with a few other people they knew, had a few shots with them and started drinking Orange WKD (Don't ask, i have no idea why) And had quite a few dances and bumped into my cousin, which was weird.

Went to the turtle afterwards and had a few snakey B's as per usual nights out, and felt rather worse for wear. As i left it started to piss down but i shrugged it off and started walking. Though that was a shit idea. As it was absolutely pissing down. Walked for about 5mins and i had to shelter, then walked 5 more mins and had to shelter again. Honestly it was stupid the amount of times i had to shelter under something to dry and stave off the water, but who was i kidding, it was hammering down.

Woke up and i thought i was dying. I had no thumping headache like usual and text my manager telling him i wasn't coming in. Sat up and ran to the toilet throwing up twice.

The whole day at work, yes i was guilt tripped into going in, i felt like throwing up. That was THE worst hangover i have ever had. Usually its just bleary eyed, thumping headache and dry throat. Maybe, just maybe, the odd loss of balance.

So with the impending trip to Stoke coming up in a few weeks, i will be able to test drive this here Hangover Cure.

Tales of a Drunkard Pt.8: Manchester Horror Outing

2009-11-08T23:48:00.011Z

So for the 30th October, and my friends Birthday, we were destined to trek the way to Manchester. 195 miles, or 4 hours to put it another way, but more on that later.
Being as organisationally challenged that we are, we decided to pick up costumes on the way via Fun N Frolics in the morning. Now Sci-Fi, you'd think, is a relatively broad subject matter. WRONG. I mean yes, robots and spacemen aside, there's fuck all you can do with the minutes counting down.

Cowboy.... in space. Pirate..... in space. Roman Centurion.... Time traveller of course.

After seeing an eye patch in the pirate aisle, yes there are aisles of costumes, and settling on the idea that we all buy; An Eye patch, 70's wig and hope to get black t-shirt in Manchester, we could all go as Snake Pliskin (Escape from NY/LA). Though on the way out we saw Thunderbirds costumes. Now whats more Sci-Fi than Marionettes that fly space ships? Nothing i tell you. So three costumes purchased we had two Thunderbirds with a blue sash and one yellow sash'd one.

Costumes done and we stopped off at Tesco for breakfast treats for the journey and we made haste to Manchester. Pretty average car ride really, music, talking and the yellow car game. Many punches later we got to the service station around Birmingham somewhere, had a refuel of tea and whatnot then to Manchester.

Got to the Hotel at a reasonable time, got settled in and started drinking. We had a nice big room, flat screen telly which had Sarah Jane Adventures on. We hooked up the Ipod and just chilled.
Lee and Kat had a dodgy door in their room. It was a fire exit that opened onto someone else's room, so they switched. Me and Mark decided drinking was in order while the others got ready, so pissed about with our costumes.
The others thought it would be good to have some food before a heavy night of drinking, though i was already pretty tipsy. We walked down the road and found a little Italian restaurant. Amazing little place that was, had some Calamari and a nice pizza.
So a drink and food down, it was time for a costume change.

All suited and booted, Three Thunderbirds and a Vulcan Starfleet officer, we got the taxi into Manchester to meet the birthday boy. Now i might seem a little harsh here but the man looked like Jeremy Clarkson more than the supposed Malcom Reynolds that he was going for, but at least he made an effort and went through with the plan!

We met up with his mates from Uni and all put as much effort as us we had; Wolverine, Neo, David Bowie from Labyrinth, Faith from Mirrors Edge, Faith from Buffy, Rorschach and a Leia.. Might have missed a couple.

Went to FAB which was apt as we were thunderbirds and its a pretty cool and geeky place, lots of movie and TV memorabilia and a few classic arcade games just by the toilets. Had lots to drink and danced a few hours away before heading towards another club.

This club was pretty good, think it was called Jellys? But had lots of different rooms for different types of music, Ska, Metal, Rock, Drum and bass etc. Cheap drinks too. Quite a few people left after the FAB bar so the numbers where hardly ideal for mass outings, about 5 from Manchester and all from Reading where still there. Which was proof that we are hardcore :D

Stayed at the club for quite some time, and i couldn't dance in the Thunderbirds costume so i took that off (Had clothes on underneath before you ask) and continued the night. Stayed there after the birthday boy left and in the end was just three of us till the closing of the bar nearly. We had a conversation with some metallers out side the club and then walked to the taxi rank where i took one home. Got back at some ungodly hour, rather sober, and had to buzz the door to be let into the hotel. Luckily my roommate for the night left the door unlocked as i didn't have a key. Though between me coming in about 4am and waking up at 9am i lost my costume. I gave it to the guys who were leaving but who knows what happened. Ah well was only £20.

We spent the morning walking around the Trafford Centre, which is massive and really really nice inside. Had a burrito for breakfast. Didn't buy anything though which is good and bad in itself. Had a nice long trek back to Reading along the motorway and went through the toll road too, to speed things up.

Ultimately i had an awesome time. Met some amazing people from Manchester and the surrounding areas that i feel I'll probably never talk to again, or much anyhow. Which is a shame. Though Manchester impressed me through two clubs and a pub, so looking forward to going up again, possibly the new year.

Next stop: Stoke in Dec. Good times.

Hopefully will have my Hangover Cure samples to give it a proper road test :)

Walkabout

2009-10-18T20:17:00.003+01:00

So last Monday i walked to work, got a coffee, and let myself into the shop. I was greeted by my manager and fellow supervisor, blankly staring at me. Turns out i had a day off. Whoops.

So i went back to the coffee shop next door and chatted to the owner for about 30mins while deciding what to do. The usual drill will usualy entail going home, watching films all day etc. But i like to do something adventurous when faced with a spat of freedom.

After a few emails to my mates and texts to see who was about to go for an adventure, i realised that no one was free, as they were all at work. So there was nothing to do but do it myself. So i walked back home, grabbed my bag, my ipod and my Diana medium format camera and headed to London.

Got to Oxford Circus and walked around a bit. Went to Newburgh St to see the Lomography shop and just carried on walking. Walked up to Forbidden Planet and Fopp on Shaftsbury Avenue and continued walking. Walked around and came across the Grand Masonic Lodge which was an amazing building, then walked through the LCE campus and also visited a churche behind Regent St i think it was.

I then did the tourist thing and visited Big Ben and Westminster, then to Liverpool St to go to Brick Lane and Rough Trade. Bought a couple of records from there.

Met my friend in Angel and walked to Brick Lane to a short film night held by Short And Sweet. Saw some amazing short films there. Held every week in the Truman Brewery part of brick lane. Recommend it!

Afterwards went for a quick drink just off Liverpool St station and i made my way back home. All in all a really enjoyable 12 hours in the Capital. Next time hopefully i will go on a planned day out.

Pictures will follow eventually.

The World Shall Be Mine

2009-10-18T20:10:00.003+01:00

Havent really been doing much over the past few weeks. Well i have, i've just not written about it. Bad me.

One thing that we have been partaking in recently has been an enjoyable game of Risk every now and again, mainly Thursdays. Quite nice really sitting in a pub playing a board game.

A bit of simulated violence goes along way!

Tales of a Drunkard Special: Interpreting the Signs

2009-09-25T22:05:00.019+01:00

Forget palms and tea leaves. Look for the signs....

So i was walking home in a drunken stupor and thought it would be funny to to take pictures of road signs. And well interpret them. So here goes....

Take Life:

Just to reiterate:

Because if you don't, you'll just end up going in:

All your decisions will be going like:

Thus any hopes and/or desires will fall upon:

Although hidden, your views on the world will be more liberal:

And at the age of:

You'll feel life is going:

But soon you get the green light:

To go ahead and start on those important things:

You'll be forced to change your views:

But don't fall prey:

But:

Otherwise other people's views will:

And your views will suddenly change on their axis:

Phileas Fogg has nothing on us.

2009-09-07T21:46:00.003+01:00

Watch this space.

No pun intended.

Tales of a Drunkard Pt 7

2009-09-06T19:33:00.010+01:00

Another weekend, another trip down drunken lane.

This weekend I had a live music journey in good 'ol Reading town. First off was to see my friends Jemma and Nick perform at the Rising Sun Arts Center. It's a small venue that is very good for those intimate gigs, but also has shown its wild side with, what used to be a regular occurrence, Kraked. This was an audio visual feast that threw a barrage of electronic music, chilled and heavy, and mixed it with some amazing visuals, both shapes and colours and some feature presentations, all projected onto walls, ceilings and the odd battered TV at the front of the hall. But I'll leave that trip down nostalgia avenue for another time.

The gig started out well. The cider was flowing and merriment ensued, until two over zealous so-and-so's were enjoying their conversation a little too much. So much that we could hear them above the music, and across the room. Now not being one for confrontation i didn't say anything to begin with, hoping that they would see about a dozen people staring at them with amazement at how ignorant they could be. But enough is enough and i walked over while Jemma was singing, and trying not to be loud and obtrusive told them to "Shut the fuck up, we are all here to listen to music and if you want a sodding conversation then fuck off outside and talk" (Wasn't exactly how i said it, but for dramatization sakes, we shall leave it) Regardless of what i said and how i said it, they shut up straight after. Much to the enjoyment to everyone else listening and to those performing.

Another highlight of the Rising Sun was an amazing band called Tom Williams and the Boat, who after performing one night in Tunbridge Wells had their cover of Bonkers by Dizzee Rascal picked up by the Internet and mainstream media alike (Radio 1). The cover linked was from their gig at the Rising Sun on Saturday.

We left after their great set to go to the South Street Arts Center, where DJ ScotchEgg was performing a free gig before he was going to London for Offset Festival. I'd heard of the name but fuck, it was amazing. One of the most enjoyable gigs i have been to in a long while. I was feeling pretty worse for wear by the time we left South Street, but we wandered off to Global Cafe. We sat down with our Westons Organic Cider, and after the first sip of it i had enough and needed to go home. But as soon as i got up Tom grabbed my arm and said "Where are you going? Follow me".

I magically gained a second wind and danced to some Dubstep in the room, which was pretty good, and got chatting to this girl about things, mostly just talking about work and the odd question about cameras as i work in a camera shop. Was pretty cool chatting to her and her boyfriend, leaving my mates to discuss political things.

We left Global for the walk home and, as anyone who knows me will tell you, the inevitable stop off at the Murco (24hr off license/garage). Always handy for that one or two walking beers.

On the way to the Murco there was some jumping in a bush for some reason, lots of scratches, traffic cones throwing (The steam roller had it coming). Wearing the traffic cone and running about was a bad idea. I smelt like wet dog, dirt and judy plain damp. We also wrestled our mate to the ground, picked him up by his arms and legs and while we held him up from the floor we really didn't know what to do with him, so he bit one of us and then stormed off to the Murco. As we sat down on the wall outside, one guy tripped and fell off the wall which was about 3 feet high, causing a nasty gash on his elbow and, when i saw him the next night, had a limp too.

I got home about 3ish, or half three. I don't really remember. All I do remember is the sodding great hangover i had to endure while at work.

Good music. Good company. Good times.

Till we meet again alcohol. We must break this bond of sobriety that has befallen me.

Tales of a drunkard Pt 6

2009-09-02T15:48:00.003+01:00

Recently I went up to London to see my friend Jemma perform at the Blag Club in Notting Hill and once again both her and Nick Bates were on top form. There were other bands too, of which i didn't get any names, which annoys me as there was this one female singer who was awesome. Quirky voice and lyrics akin to Joanna Newsom. I will find out who she was.

Then a couple of days later there was a night at Sakura in Reading that we all went to as it was a Hed Kandi night, so we hyped it up as a few of us have and do listen to Hed Kandi Cd's/Records both the chilled music as well as the more upbeat kind.

The night was pretty average, most of the people went into the club around 6pm for two-for-one cocktails before the night. I met them about half ten after drinking a bottle of Bacardi with a friend. The night was pretty average, which was a shame because we all wanted it to be a good night, hell it was a Hed Kandi night.

Alas it was not meant to be, not all the cocktails or averagely price alcohol in all the land could have made that night better. And to think people would have had to pay £10 just to get in for what was essentially a normal night in Sakura.

Not sure if it was because Reading Festival was on, therefore people were either at the festival or didn't want to come into town because they thought it would be busy, or the fact that it was Bank Holiday Monday and people were away for the weekend, but the whole atmosphere of the place sucked pretty big.

Hopefully when i go out on Friday it will be better. Seeing Jemma play at the Rising Sun Arts centre in Reading, so if you want to see a few bands play and performers then pop along.

Festival Season

2009-08-25T17:00:00.003+01:00

As Reading Festival draws ever closer you'd think, given my past posts, that i would be getting ready to endure another weekend of carnage, music and fire. But alas this will be my first year in the past six that i haven't gone to the Festival. Not sure if that's a good thing, as it gets to be quite an expensive weekend, or if i will regret not going. Its become a bit of a tradition to go to Reading Festival as it is only just down the road. Am i becoming older and therefore the appeal of festivals waining? Hell no, its just the festivals these days, in particular Reading Festival, is full of kiddies running around like morons burning the shit out of everything. There used to be a kind of etiquette to the carnage. The game of trolley would start, security would take said trolley. Then we steal it back. It was a game of cat and mouse, and when we got bored we burnt things.

Festivals in England need help. They are starting to overprice these events. For the same price as a weekend camping ticket to Reading Festival you could go to Spain/Holland/Germany/France/Italy/Hungary and Serbia for some of the best festival line ups in recent years. But people don't. And i have no idea why. I love festivals in mainland Europe. They are cleaner, friendlier and have the same lineups, if not better at times.

Festival goers of England. Open your eyes to European festivals. Trust me you won't regret it.

Tales of a drunkard Pt 5

2009-08-25T15:49:00.005+01:00

The outdoors. Tranquil; Clean; Calming. And now forever marked with our presence. Our little adventure took us to the New Forest, a large expanse of land that is part camping sites/ part nature reserve. Most of the area animals are free to roam the streets, the parks, the camps and on occasion the driveways and gardens of houses. Why, well I'm sure theres a reason horses and the like feel the need to eat Mrs Smiths carnations, but that's something for you to find out yourself.

The drive down started with a convoy meet-up at Green Park, to which i made a joke about some old guy running down the road, and as we passed him, it turned out to be Mr Reading himself (John Madejski). Once we had our respective cars all packed we took to the roads to get to the camp site, stopping off for some coffee and nostalgia (coin + my nose + blood = every ones laughter). We got to the campsite around midday which was good, and despite a little parenting from the camper guides (Quiet by 11pm, don't have wood fires, don't ride the horses) we found a spot with enough room for 6 tents and a gazebo. Set up and started drinking.

At first it pissed down, hard, and we had to do some modification to the gazebo when one of the legs buckled, cue duct tape and branches. Aside from the first bit of rain it was glorious sun for the remainder of the trip. Me and a couple of mates trekked into the Forest to have a look, and the old game of smash a stick on a tree ensued. It was fun. And afterwards a nice night fuelled of Westons boxed Cider (lovely) and Heineken mini keg (not so great) began.

Sat was a day of sitting around getting sun burnt, trekking through the Forest in any direction, then a game of Manhunt and Capture the Flag [Hat]. Thoroughly enjoyed both and was a highlight of the trip. Saturday we had Chinese takeaway, not exactly camping food, but you make your own camping experience. Some people go into the wilderness to find themselves and forget the hustle and bustle of the city life, bills and Angel delight. But we had something else to do, we had boxed cider, team showers and an all round decedent camping experience.

You may have noticed i said team showers, allow me to elaborate. The camping showers were amazing, one button you press to turn the water on (much like taps) and it was instant bliss. The right temperature, every time. So 4 of us took a shower with the cubicles next to each other, and usually you try to make as little noise as possible since its a pretty solitary experience, much like going to the toilet, but we had fun, joking and whistling the theme to Jurassic Park.

Sunday was a day of minor walking, still getting sun burnt and a trip to the nearest village for a pub lunch, and for some a trip to Beauliu, a classic car museum with a Top Gear attraction, Monorail and James Bond cars. The rest of us however went back to camp and drank. The whole trip was just an excuse to chill out, have fun with friends and just forget about things for awhile. We saw shooting stars, Jupiter was seen many a time, and talk occasionally went a little deeper than expected considering the amount of alcohol being consumed.

I think we all came away from it with a sense of enjoyment, mild sunburn and most probably a lot more damage to our livers.

So a success then. Roll on the next camping trip

Tales of a drunkard Pt 4

2009-08-19T20:33:00.004+01:00

So Monday night, after weeks of being told how good this band are and how I won't be disappointed, I sorted a night out for me and a few friends. Started out somewhere cheap since the gig would be expensive for drinks. Few pints of Westons cider down me and I was on the way to being merry, so we trundled over to the gig. It's quite a small venue so I knew it would be sweaty but, my god, it was so sweaty in there.

We got there just as the 4th band was finishing, pretty much just noise. Lots of shouty shouty. I went to talk to my mate who was putting the night on, and he was excited to see the last band, Monotonix, and so was I by this point. We got a few more beers in before the band came on and settled in for a night of the unknown.

The band set up, putting the drums way out in front of the actual stage and started playing. Before the singer even sang a note he took my beer from my hand and poured it over the drums while the drummer was, well drumming. After a few songs they then moved a drum onto the bar, the guitarist stood on the bar and singer was in the crowd. They never really stood in one place for too long. Shortly after the singer took the drum and got a few of us from the crowd, myself included, to hold the drum above our heads, he then climbs atop, sings and dives into the crowd where my mate and others caught him. They played out in the hallway, in the toilet and all over the place in the main area. It's safe to say I havent been that entertained at a gig in some time. It was amazing! Music was good, their presence was awesome and they were genuinly good guys when I spoke to them afterwards.

We went to the Turtle for a drink where I proceeded to get thrown out for some inane reason or another, so we walked to Up the Junction for a drink before walking home. The night ended around 3am and was unfortunatley ruined by a phone call at 10am from my manager saying "Where are you"? "Why arent you at work?" and "Get here now".

My next drunken adventure takes me to the New Forest for some camping fun over the weekend. So the camera is charged and alcohol bought. Fun times ensue.

Tales of a Drunkard Pt3

2009-08-14T14:23:00.002+01:00

Well i ventured into London last night to see my friend Jemma perform at the Troubadour and as usual was a brilliant performance from herself and Nick Bates on the Guitar. Also performing were Komla Ayewoh and my favourite of the night Caleb.

It probably didn't help my state by having two quick beers on the train to London but by the second bottle of cider i was feeling pretty drunk so calmed down a bit to enjoy the music.

With the music finished off we trundled into the night, looking for somewhere in Earls Court that was still open, and from past experiences of late night excursions into London, this part would be closed. So we hopped on the tube with thoughts of going to Camden town and a rock bar that Chris knows. Though as we sat in a drunken stupor we realised that by the time we got to Camden that everything would be shut. So we got off at Leicester Square to see what was happening. To be fair it was pretty busy at around half 11 when we got there so we walked round trying to find somewhere to drink and our eyes lit up at the fact that the Trocadero is open till 1am with a sports bar/bowling alley. So we went in and played a few arcade games (of which i beat Chris at Outrun, and NB: Guitar Hero Arcade sucks). After a few games and drinks we went walking, again in search of a bar.

Asked this woman handing out flyer's if she knew anywhere that's got good music and is open late and we were offered a 3 story strip bar, which to be fair could have had good music but we had no money for that, and it wasn't one of those nights. So we watched a street drummer for a bit and walked round Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square.

We tagged along with a tour group of younger people, the guy with the brolly was leading them on a kind of club crawl, and as we didn't have the wristband we just went to another place, called Fudge. Which was pretty good. Good music and well the drinks were expensive but that's London for you. We got a couple of bottles and as we sat down they started flicking the lights (International bar language for "Hurry up and leave"). We noticed these Americans on the table opposite talking about one thing or another and they were mentioning how their countries only about 200 years old, so i kind of joined in and said that theres some buildings in this country that are older than their country. Which usually wouldn't go down well but they understood and we got chatting.

We waited outside with the other people who were Danish, and we all set off in search of a bar. Walked round trying to find somewhere and get cash out and while we were waiting to cross i noticed a bar so i walked out and over to the bar to check it out. It was a metal bar that was open till 3am and was £2 to get in. Result. Though the Danish guys didn't get in for some reason, me Chris and our new found friends Micheal and Katie-Beth settled down. Drinks in there were pretty cheap considering, 4 cans of Red Stripe came to £7, so we sat down and chatted. Music was pretty good too, if you like Metal.

After a lengthy chat they left and so did me and Chris shortly after. Chris wanted to eat something so we went in search for a Subway street vendor but found ourselves in Chinatown, so i went in and got some noodles. Which were FANTASTIC. Much better than most of the crap food drunks buy when, well, when they're drunk.

Unfortunately being around 2am the tubes stop running. So we were quite a way from Paddington and the thoughts of getting a pricey taxi or a Rickshaw ride came around, but being slightly out of pocket we decided to walk the streets of London. No idea which route Chris found on his IPhone but looking up google maps now, it seemed we walked a shit load more than we should have. But being the adventurers we were, it didn't matter at the time. We got to Paddington with about 15Min's to wait for the slow train back to Reading. Head starting to hurt and tiredness kicking in fast. We got on the train, ipod went on and i drifted away to the sultry tones of some Dubstep. Either Chris woke me or my uncanny train travelling mindset woke me the station just before Chris got off, and then again when Chris got off. I fell back asleep and woke just before Reading but fell asleep for about 5Min's. Its a good job that Reading is the last station.

Cash point, taxi, home. Got to sleep around 5am. And for the second day running missed going to help my aunt and cousins move out of their house. But in my defence i would have been of no use to anyone this morning.

All in all a pretty good night out in Londinium. Till next time we drink.

I'm Bored

2009-08-10T21:45:00.003+01:00

I'm just generally bored. Nothing much is happening. The job that I do (oh so well may i add) is monotonous to the point i can do it half asleep, even though i now have a higher paid position. Thankfully i saw a job advertised on a website which was pretty much the same job i had before this job. Still with me? Good.

Though now I'm doing more things, which invariably cost more money. Going to see my friend play a few gigs this month, Banksy exhibit in Bristol, going to watch Monotonix next monday, then camping next weekend and then Reading Festival rolls around, which I'm not going to but still, things may occur.

So hopefully i'll have a few more blogs coming, a few more photos and a few less braincells.

Tales of a Drunkard Pt2

2009-08-02T18:38:00.007+01:00

So this was the night to behold. All dressed up and having somewhere to actually go.

Being the twentysomethings that we are we decided to go somewhat up market this time around. Instead of going to the drab places for cheap drinks and end up in the generic bar/club that we usually do, we decided to start with cocktails.

So first port of call was Slug and Lettuce for some cheeky cocktails and jaegerbombs. Then after some fun and games we trundled off to Dogma, quite early too.

Dogma was quiet at the begginning but people came in their droves and the club soon filled up. Much merriment was had, many drinks were drunk and good time was had by all. Of which pictures are floating around on Facebook and the like

Stayed in Dogma till people started leaving then a few of us went to Mangos for a bit of what we were lead to believe would be some Electro-House music. Was pretty crap to be honest. We just chilled outside listening to music and having fun. Met some Californians who just landed in Reading so hung with them chatting and showed them the true spirit of the English. Bought us all a JaegerBomb and shot of tequila :D

Stayed untill about 4am when the sun started to come up and i was in no mood to go to sleep so having the bright idea to go to the 24hr garage and get seom beers we set off. Unfortunatly we decided on having a bbq down the river, at 5am. So we bought a disposable bbq, bacon, bread, beer and sausages. Walked for about 40mins to get to the river and set up the bbq etc. Though it didnt work out too well due to no one was hungry, it was cold due to it being half 5 in the morning so we sat, shivered and fed the geese. At some point i managed to get geese poo on my hand and also stuffed a slice of bread down my friends back.

They all decided to go home and i decided to walk along the river in the sun with my can of beer, like the tramp i am. So all in all a brilliant night, a great 'welcome back' to my friend who went away to Uni and some nice pictures off my Iphone.

Tales of a Drunkard Pt1

2009-08-02T18:00:00.005+01:00

Well another pay day leads to another messy weekend. Well not that messy for once.

Friday was my friend Jemma Willard's birthday so a few cocktails were had, followed by a few more and some attempts at Salsa dancing. A good long night was had and it was all quite relaxed. Night ended about 3am and the next day thanks to a wonder drink full of veg and fruit and vitamins i was ok till about 3pm when i started to falter and no amount of coffee or energy drinks could help.

But that was just a taster of the night to come.