B.W.E. (Best Week Ever)

The pieces of the puzzle that is adult life really are starting to come together. Let's see, in the last week since I last wrote I've turned 22; celebrated said turning of age; spent a day at Thorpe Park; and been offered a full time, proper job! With all that said and done, I thank you for reading another epic instalment of this blog, goodnight folks....

...OK, I find myself wanting a little more detail as I know that some day I'll want to read back on this time.

Fist Pump, Fist Pump, Fist Pump

On the past weekend, Jason and myself joined forces to celebrate our upcoming birthdays with friends, as my 22nd was on the following Monday, while his 23rd was on the Tuesday. We spent a Saturday night out on the town, enjoying a pleasant meal with friends, before hitting a couple of bars. We ended up in a place called The Retreat, which was a small, yet lively little place that served drinks at high price and played music at a high volume. So, yes what I'm trying to say is that the drinks were a little expensive, but that the atmosphere made up for that. Now recently, the fist pump has made a bit of a comeback, largely due to the Youtube sensation that is Long Island Iced Z and the Ryder Revolution that is being felt the world over as a result. The hit internet show features a lot of of the simple to learn, difficult to master dance move, and we more than broke it out on Saturday night, baby! If I remember correctly, which is a little difficult for me to do (although not nearly as bad as it is for me to remember last year's messy birthday bash), it was Sam and myself that got the fist-pumping going, and before we knew it, everyone was joining the revolution, much the chagrin of Stacey who seems to detest the move for not good reason. We even noticed that other patrons of the bar were fist-pumping later in the evening.

Saturday night wasn't the only time over the last week that I was able to break out a fist pump or two though. On Tuesday, the day after my actual birthday, a group of us went to Thorpe Park. Stacey, Jason (the birthday boy), Tom and Jane accompanied me to the top UK attraction, and while there we managed to get a go on nearly every ride. Jane it turns out, being the annual pass holder that she is, is pretty much a Thorpe Park pro, a Thorpe Park veteran if ever there was one. As soon as we got into the park - after having been stopped and searched on the way in for the second time running - Jane marched us straight to Saw: The Ride following the most direct route. We were then amongst the first to ride Saw that day, meaning no ridiculously long queues! Result! As far as the fist-pumping goes, I managed to first break some out on Samurai - a ride that I had never before even contemplated letting go of the handlebars on before; it seems as if I've gotten used to it. X: No Way Out, was a great one to fist pump along on, as the backward roller coaster in the dark now comes complete with disco-techno music to complete the experience, meaning there was no way you couldn't fist pump your way around. And finally, I managed to get a go on Stealth. I hadn't before ridden that one, as for starters it last all of about 20 seconds, and the queue has always been a couple of hours, and secondly, I've been a little scared to be fired along the track that damn fast. Basically, for those not up on their Thorpe Park rides, on Stealth you get accelorated from 0-80mph in just 2.3 seconds, and go straight up in the air at a crazy incline, before shooting straight back down. The start of the ride was pretty scared, and as the countdown to launch began, I braced heavily, but as soon as we got going, I opened my eyes and fully embraced the rush of adrenaline. I mentioned above about how I was braver than usual on Samurai, fact is that it was a common theme throughout the day, as rides that had once got the blood rushing unlike anything else no longer seemed to do the trick quite as well as they once had. Stealth on the other hand brought the full-throttle speed, height, and thrill to return me to roller coaster nirvana. Even still, I managed to break out a fist pump right at the top of the ride, and on the trip back down to Earth. I was even screaming 'FIST PUMP' at the top of my lungs, so loudly that Jane and Tom in front had to try and turn around to find out what was up, as they thought that with the commotion that I was making, that maybe me or Stacey were hurt in some way. 

After getting completely worn out and tired at Thorpe Park, Stacey, Jason and me were only just getting out Tuesday started. Although it was Jason's actual birthday, we'd both celebrated ours on the weekend prior so that Tuesday night could be free for our friend Becky's 21st. To celebrate Becky's milestone, we went for a night out in Maidstone, and ended up in Envy, which was a very nice looking club, if a little dead what with it being a Tuesday night at all. Highlights include: fist-pumping in the middle of the group, and receiving a late birthday gift from Nat and Chris in the form of a hilarious to look at, funnier to drink from Booby-mug! We had a wicked time in Kent's County Town and it looked as if the birthday girl was having a ball. Meanwhile the birthday boy, Jason looked a little sullen on the night of his 23rd. Methinks it may have something to do with being a little lovesick... 

22

The Monday prior to Thorpe Park and Maidstone was as I already mentioned, my birthday. I turned 22 at 10:41am. To mark the day, Stacey treated me to one hell of a day out. We started it with our first ever visit to Madame Tussauds, and I was completely blown away by the Marvel section that they've added in, including the wondrous Marvel 4D adventure that makes use of the dome left behind by the old London Planetarium. Stacey had also booked tickets to the Sealife center, so after lunch we headed there and got to see all manner of sealife, including stingrays, jellyfish, starfish, penguins, and sharks. Some of the sights there were pretty breathtaking. Once we were finished with the Sealife Center, we headed next door to the London Film Museum which had various props from major movies, as well as exhibits of certain films and stars, and even featured a set from Star Wars. From there we headed to the Forbidden Planet store, where Stacey allowed me to get my geek on, and bought me a Dark Tower graphic novel, following which we went to the cinema in Leicester Square. We watched Bad Teacher which was pretty much what it said on the tin, it was pretty funny, but nothing spectacular. We then ended our day with a huge feast in Planet Hollywood, overlooked by yet more movie memorabilia. I enjoyed some sizzling fajitas, washed down by a Dark Knight cocktail. All in all, it's fair to say that Stacey provided me with a jam-packed birthday to go with what had been a fully-loaded few days. 

Wednesday was day booked off to rest, recover, and recuperate from the mayhem. We got up, feeling rather hungover and deflated at 11ish, and got ourselves around to watching the highly anticipated fifth season premiere of Dexter, after which I discovered that finally, after months and months of pain-staking job hunting, that I have a new full time, proper adult, careery-type job. I'm officially leaving the world of retail next week, and in a week and half will be embarking on my recruitment career. I can not wait. The hours promise to be long, and the work hard, but I'm up for the challenge. Recruitment has piqued my interest for a while now, and I feel that I'll do a terrific job of it. 

With that news, I'll leave it for now... Exciting times are ahead for sure. For now, I'm gonna continue to fist pump.... Woo Woo Woo - You Know It!