Wimbledon is once again upon us, not that you'd know it though, as the entire country would rather watch a bunch of overpaid supposed 'athletes' run around in mostly failed attempts to kick a ball into a net. Now I may not be the biggest tennis fan in the world, I don't even really watch it at all, but I do appreciate it and can actually say that I once went to Wimbledon when I was in Year 4 at school. This evening saw tennis history made as USA's John Isner and France's Nicolas Mahut reached the tenth hour of their match on Court 18. In fact the match is still tied at 59 games each in the fifth and final set, and will continue into the third day tomorrow. I sat and watched the last hour of this and found it to be gripping, much more so than the England vs Slovenia football match that I sat through earlier this afternoon.
My Dad and two brothers are literally obsessed with football, so watching the World Cup is a no-brainer for them. But then my Mum and also Stacey seem to be under the impression that when England play it is 'essential viewing'. Stacey has even admitted to 'jumping on the bandwagon'. Why be so hypocritical though, why feel that those eleven 'men' on a field represent our country when they're only playing a bloody game? Why feel that you have to watch a sport that you find boring for the majority of each four year period?
The first two matches of England's World Cup campaign ended in draws and were said by all to be extremely boring games (I didn't really spot the difference). Today in their third and final, make or break group game England managed to just about squeeze out a shallow victory against Slovenia by winning 1-0. The country is now celebrating as if they have won the whole tournament and describing the win as being 'fantastic' and saying that the match was much more entertaining. The match was only more entertaining for the one second that somebody actually scored though, for the other 89 minutes it was exactly the same as the previous two matches with the players that apparently 'represent us all' looking overrated and overpaid as usual.
Basically what I guess I'm trying to say here is that I'd take a 10 hour excellant game of tennis between two real sportsman over a 90 minute game of football featuring overpaid whiny little bitches (see Rooney, W.) anyday! Rant over!
I wonder how many people will now call me unpatriotic...
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
Thursday, 10 June 2010
Return to Super Mario Galaxy
Just a forewarning to say that this may be the nerdiest blog I've written to date. Although I do promise that I will try to keep it as entertaining as possible for all!
Within the last couple of weeks, I read one of Jon Budworth's blogs over at i'll blog all over your face that discussed how great a recent game on Xbox and Playstation called 'RED DEAD REDEMPTION' was. Well in the last few days I've had the chance to play a game that is different in many ways, yet better in more ways. The game of which I speak is SUPER MARIO GALAXY 2! (See there Jon, this game deserves bold print as well as capital letters!) As of writing this game is set to be released tomorrow, but one of the perks of working for a particular chain of rental stores means that I get to rent games and films early.
Now, in the last so many years I have become much less of a gamer than I once was. I've always stuck loyal to Nintendo, even through the dark days of the Gamecube (although it must be said the Gamecube was awesome anyway), but I used to be a lot more into it than I am now. I guess with having jobs, studying for a degree and rediscovering my loves of both books and film, and doing the 'cool thing' in having a girlfriend (no offense sweety, love yah really ;-) ) videogames have taken a backseat in the car that is my life. Don't get me wrong I still play my Wii and DS, and admit to being a subscriber to ONM (Official Nintendo Magazine), it's just that I'm not always in the know anymore, and if, or actually, when customers ask me about games on Playstation and Xbox at work, I simply stare back at them blankly, smile and nod as I haven't the faintest idea of what they're talking about half of the time. The last several years of my life in videogames have consisted of the annual Smackdown and Madden NFL games, Mario Kart for each and every Nintendo console, Sonic and Sega Allstar racing (basically a Mario Kart clone), the Zelda franchise and Wii Sports. So I've basically played it safe with franchises that I know I like! The exceptions to the rule being Scribblenauts which if you don't own on DS yet you need to buy now, Professor Layton which again is a must on the DS, and Okami which is one of the best looking videogames I've ever laid eyes on.
So, as I've already established, while I enjoy a good videogame, especially a Nintendo made one, I haven't had as much time to play through as many as I used to. With that said, as well as my mostly relying on established franchises, back in 2007 when a game named Super Mario Galaxy was released, I made sure to get my copy on release date from my then employer, the late Woolies. Having grown up on a gaming diet of Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario 64, along with Super Mario Sunshine thrown in for good measure, Galaxy was an absolute must! I went into the game safe in the knowledge that I was in for a treat, having never experienced a bad Mario game, something which I don't think does, or ever will, exist, and having read the great reviews it had. Despite this, I never could have imagined how good it was to be and it was soon labelled as my favourite videogame of all of the times. It went unchallenged in its spot as the best until now.
Many wondered how Nintendo could improve on what was still arguably the most fun, and best visually looking, Wii adventure as it had near perfect scores across the critic boards. In their review of the new sequel Super Mario Galaxy 2, ONM ask if Nintendo could top perfection. The answer of course was yes, and in their longer magazine review, they described the first game as standing at the top of Mount Everest, while the sequel stood besides it wearing platform shoes to make it that little bit better. If right now, you're questioning the possible bias of a Nintendo magazine reviewing a Mario game, then head over to Metacritic where the overall score taken from reviews in media the world over are averaged out to give a true unbiased score and you should find that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the second highest rated game of all time!
Having now played the game myself, I can say that so far into the adventure, that it is certainly giving its predecessor a good old run for its money in claiming the top videogame spot in my heart. Nintendo have taken what was great about the first, added a couple of the features that worked well in New Super Mario Bros. such as the world navigation system and including a couple of almost 2D levels, and given us a truly great, fun and easy to pick-up experience. The addition of Yoshi is also a welcome one, as riding the little green dragon thing (in a non-sexual way of course) adds new challenges and types of level.
Not actually an image from the
game, I just find it both hilarious
and heartbreaking at the same time!
Within the last couple of weeks, I read one of Jon Budworth's blogs over at i'll blog all over your face that discussed how great a recent game on Xbox and Playstation called 'RED DEAD REDEMPTION' was. Well in the last few days I've had the chance to play a game that is different in many ways, yet better in more ways. The game of which I speak is SUPER MARIO GALAXY 2! (See there Jon, this game deserves bold print as well as capital letters!) As of writing this game is set to be released tomorrow, but one of the perks of working for a particular chain of rental stores means that I get to rent games and films early.
Now, in the last so many years I have become much less of a gamer than I once was. I've always stuck loyal to Nintendo, even through the dark days of the Gamecube (although it must be said the Gamecube was awesome anyway), but I used to be a lot more into it than I am now. I guess with having jobs, studying for a degree and rediscovering my loves of both books and film, and doing the 'cool thing' in having a girlfriend (no offense sweety, love yah really ;-) ) videogames have taken a backseat in the car that is my life. Don't get me wrong I still play my Wii and DS, and admit to being a subscriber to ONM (Official Nintendo Magazine), it's just that I'm not always in the know anymore, and if, or actually, when customers ask me about games on Playstation and Xbox at work, I simply stare back at them blankly, smile and nod as I haven't the faintest idea of what they're talking about half of the time. The last several years of my life in videogames have consisted of the annual Smackdown and Madden NFL games, Mario Kart for each and every Nintendo console, Sonic and Sega Allstar racing (basically a Mario Kart clone), the Zelda franchise and Wii Sports. So I've basically played it safe with franchises that I know I like! The exceptions to the rule being Scribblenauts which if you don't own on DS yet you need to buy now, Professor Layton which again is a must on the DS, and Okami which is one of the best looking videogames I've ever laid eyes on.
So, as I've already established, while I enjoy a good videogame, especially a Nintendo made one, I haven't had as much time to play through as many as I used to. With that said, as well as my mostly relying on established franchises, back in 2007 when a game named Super Mario Galaxy was released, I made sure to get my copy on release date from my then employer, the late Woolies. Having grown up on a gaming diet of Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario 64, along with Super Mario Sunshine thrown in for good measure, Galaxy was an absolute must! I went into the game safe in the knowledge that I was in for a treat, having never experienced a bad Mario game, something which I don't think does, or ever will, exist, and having read the great reviews it had. Despite this, I never could have imagined how good it was to be and it was soon labelled as my favourite videogame of all of the times. It went unchallenged in its spot as the best until now.
Many wondered how Nintendo could improve on what was still arguably the most fun, and best visually looking, Wii adventure as it had near perfect scores across the critic boards. In their review of the new sequel Super Mario Galaxy 2, ONM ask if Nintendo could top perfection. The answer of course was yes, and in their longer magazine review, they described the first game as standing at the top of Mount Everest, while the sequel stood besides it wearing platform shoes to make it that little bit better. If right now, you're questioning the possible bias of a Nintendo magazine reviewing a Mario game, then head over to Metacritic where the overall score taken from reviews in media the world over are averaged out to give a true unbiased score and you should find that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the second highest rated game of all time!
Having now played the game myself, I can say that so far into the adventure, that it is certainly giving its predecessor a good old run for its money in claiming the top videogame spot in my heart. Nintendo have taken what was great about the first, added a couple of the features that worked well in New Super Mario Bros. such as the world navigation system and including a couple of almost 2D levels, and given us a truly great, fun and easy to pick-up experience. The addition of Yoshi is also a welcome one, as riding the little green dragon thing (in a non-sexual way of course) adds new challenges and types of level.
Not actually an image from thegame, I just find it both hilarious
and heartbreaking at the same time!
I am thrilled that I have already had the chance to play the game before release. The child in me (again, non-sexual, it's a metaphor) was absolutely relishing it. I obtained the first 20 Power Stars, which for those of you not in the know, means that I completed 20 missions within the game. I basically beat the first two worlds, beating the Bowser (who is bigger than ever by the way) for the first time in the game as the last thing I got to do before having to return the game.... Oh yeah, that's right, it was only a rental and unfortunately I had to return it. It killed me having to check it back in at work tonight. A few minutes into the shift my colleagues found me rocking in a corner sobbing over it. 'Surely you'll be buying it tomorrow?' I hear you ask, but alas I can not, for my date of birth is once again nearly upon us, and as such will most likely receive it next week. Basically I've been banned from buying stuff until after my birthday by the laws of Stacey and my parents. I reckon one of them has definitely got it for me, and if they haven't, there will be a temper tantrum and tears on my 21st birthday!
It's probably for the best anyway, as I should be revising for an important exam I've got coming up in the next week rather than playing with Mario anyways!
It's probably for the best anyway, as I should be revising for an important exam I've got coming up in the next week rather than playing with Mario anyways!
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
A blog written late at night about stuff and things that I have done recently!
The first two days of June have already passed! Both were spent at work, although one was extremely busy and the other completely dead. The fact that we are now in June (the month of Kings if I do say so myself) means two things:
The weekend following Fozzy saw my parents going away for the weekend, leaving Stacey and me in charge of the household. This involved making sure my brothers stayed alive and taking care of the little sister. It was a weekend full of takeaways, Avatar, Guitar Hero, The Shining and Bluewater. As far as the guitar heroing goes, it turns out nobody can sing!
May then came to an end this past weekend, a super bonus three-day bank holiday weekend. I had work on the first two days of this weekend, although that didn't stop me from having a good time. On Saturday night, a few of us went out for leaving drinks, as our friend Tam is leaving us to go and work somewhere else. We had ourselves a good drinky-poo, strutted our stuff on the dance floor, and even got to see Jason's 'MILF'!
On Sunday night we went on a double date with fellow couple Nat and Chris. I had my first Prezzo experience (not quite Hard Rock, but the price we paid due to having a voucher can't be argued against), and from the meal we moved on to the cinema. Now you may at this time be wondering what movie we went to see. Well this was a date of sorts and the girls kind did have their say. I'm ashamed (and proud that I survived) to say ladies and gentlemen that I endured the second Sex and the City movie. It was terrible and I don't want to talk about it anymore... MOVING ON!
Monday was a day off, so like half of Kent seems to do on a Bank Holiday, we went to Hastings for some Fish 'n' Chips (Veggie Burger in Stacey's case - I know it's weird but I can't seem to change this!). After Stacey's sensible driving on the bumper cars, and both of us acting like complete wimps on the ghost train, we left Hastings for Rye and met my Uncle, Aunt and Cousin, who celebrated his 8th Birthday earlier in the month, for a couple of drinks at their caravan.
More did happen during the month, I just can't be bothered to try and remember and write it all down. I need to get out of the habit of writing these things late at night I guess. Although I can say that I have been cycling to and from work regularly and have even cycled the seven miles to Stacey's house and back! Anyways time to look forward as it is now June! I have in fact just thought of a third thing that being June means: It's nearly my birthday! I am going to become an official, proper type adult person this month as I hit the big 21. Let the celebrations begin!
Well, I hope you've enjoyed this blog as always. I'm going to bed now as it's getting quite late, I'm tired, and have a lot happening the next few nights. Tomorrow I'm off to the Globe theatre to see Macbeth, then on Friday it's Frankie Boyle at Hammersmith. Saturday night shall then be spent at work which will be dead due to the final of a particular talent show.
For now, here's my May 2010 soundtrack:
Fozzy - Let the Madness Begin
Fozzy - Under Blackened Skies
Fozzy - God Pounds His Nails
Fozzy - Enemy
Rich Ward - Running
Rich Ward - Immune
I know it's a Fozzy and Rich Ward dominated list, but I did meet them this month. Whereas Fozzy's music is quite heavy, I think all of you will be pleasantly surprised by Rich Ward's songs, so please do give them a listen, it'll be the best thing you'll hear all day! The links to those two songs take you to the Rich Ward website and from there you will need to select the songs!
Night everybody! Stay Tuned!
- That this year is rocketing by faster than the speed of light.
- That it is time to recap my May in blog form.
The weekend following Fozzy saw my parents going away for the weekend, leaving Stacey and me in charge of the household. This involved making sure my brothers stayed alive and taking care of the little sister. It was a weekend full of takeaways, Avatar, Guitar Hero, The Shining and Bluewater. As far as the guitar heroing goes, it turns out nobody can sing!
May then came to an end this past weekend, a super bonus three-day bank holiday weekend. I had work on the first two days of this weekend, although that didn't stop me from having a good time. On Saturday night, a few of us went out for leaving drinks, as our friend Tam is leaving us to go and work somewhere else. We had ourselves a good drinky-poo, strutted our stuff on the dance floor, and even got to see Jason's 'MILF'!
On Sunday night we went on a double date with fellow couple Nat and Chris. I had my first Prezzo experience (not quite Hard Rock, but the price we paid due to having a voucher can't be argued against), and from the meal we moved on to the cinema. Now you may at this time be wondering what movie we went to see. Well this was a date of sorts and the girls kind did have their say. I'm ashamed (and proud that I survived) to say ladies and gentlemen that I endured the second Sex and the City movie. It was terrible and I don't want to talk about it anymore... MOVING ON!
Monday was a day off, so like half of Kent seems to do on a Bank Holiday, we went to Hastings for some Fish 'n' Chips (Veggie Burger in Stacey's case - I know it's weird but I can't seem to change this!). After Stacey's sensible driving on the bumper cars, and both of us acting like complete wimps on the ghost train, we left Hastings for Rye and met my Uncle, Aunt and Cousin, who celebrated his 8th Birthday earlier in the month, for a couple of drinks at their caravan.
More did happen during the month, I just can't be bothered to try and remember and write it all down. I need to get out of the habit of writing these things late at night I guess. Although I can say that I have been cycling to and from work regularly and have even cycled the seven miles to Stacey's house and back! Anyways time to look forward as it is now June! I have in fact just thought of a third thing that being June means: It's nearly my birthday! I am going to become an official, proper type adult person this month as I hit the big 21. Let the celebrations begin!
Well, I hope you've enjoyed this blog as always. I'm going to bed now as it's getting quite late, I'm tired, and have a lot happening the next few nights. Tomorrow I'm off to the Globe theatre to see Macbeth, then on Friday it's Frankie Boyle at Hammersmith. Saturday night shall then be spent at work which will be dead due to the final of a particular talent show.
For now, here's my May 2010 soundtrack:
Fozzy - Let the Madness Begin
Fozzy - Under Blackened Skies
Fozzy - God Pounds His Nails
Fozzy - Enemy
Rich Ward - Running
Rich Ward - Immune
I know it's a Fozzy and Rich Ward dominated list, but I did meet them this month. Whereas Fozzy's music is quite heavy, I think all of you will be pleasantly surprised by Rich Ward's songs, so please do give them a listen, it'll be the best thing you'll hear all day! The links to those two songs take you to the Rich Ward website and from there you will need to select the songs!
Night everybody! Stay Tuned!
Sunday, 16 May 2010
'You should never meet your idols'
A saying I've heard mentioned both on television and from the people around me several times in the last couple of weeks is that 'You should never meet your heroes'. This is because doing so will ultimately lead to disappointment once you realise that they are not the perfect person that you have built them up to be in your head. The fact that I have heard this saying so much recently is somewhat ironic, for on Saturday 15th May (yesterday as I write this), I got to meet my idol.
Chris Jericho: Known the world over for being the first ever Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion (beating wrestling legends The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin in the same night to become so), he is also a best-selling author, actor and television presenter. Everything the man touches turns to gold as his catchphrase of being 'The best in the world at what he does' seems to be true. Aside from wrestling though, his second greatest accolade is that of being the lead singer of Fozzy, a band that he co-founded with guitar-playing songwriter Rich 'The Duke' Ward. Fozzy have produced four albums over the last decade and have a great cult following the world over.
Earlier this year when their next UK tour was announced I knew straight away that I was going to have to go to a London gig. I had previously been to three Fozzy gigs in London, one of which I won tickets to back in 2005. So for this fourth Fozzy show I dragged Stacey along (bless her, she doesn't get their kind of music) and arranged to meet up with old friends Michelle and Si. Tickets for the tour as a whole sold extremely well, with their Nottingham and Glasgow dates having to be moved to bigger venues. In London, however they were running two shows in the same day, a matinee and an evening gig. We bought tickets to the matinee gig, which unfortunately for the band didn't sell too well, as the people flocked to get tickets to the night show, and also because the matinee was right at the same time as the FA Cup Final.
The poor ticket sales for the matinee meant that a week before the concerts it was announced that anyone attending the matinee show would be welcomed into a special meet 'n' greet with the band after the show. This was some of the most exciting news I had ever received as I would be meeting one of my favourite bands, and Chris Jericho, the guy that I've grown up watching on TV every week!
The gig itself was great as expected. The venue, The Relentless Garage in Islington was actually rather small, and was smaller than past venues that I'd seen Fozzy perform at. Part of this though is due to the fact that The Astoria on Tottenham Court Road has been knocked down since I last saw them play. The venue only made it to half full, which in a way was great for us fans, as we could all get close, have room to breathe, and gave the whole gig a much more intimate feel. We were treated to three support acts, each one being better than the last. The first support act was a band named Nightvision, who started their set seeming as if they would be a decent metal band, however, by the end of their half hour set, every song had sounded identical to the last. Next up was Halcion Way all the way from Atlanta, Georgia. They were all middle-aged and looked as if they belonged in the late 1970s or early 1980s with hair longer than my sister's. To be fair they were pretty good and I particularly enjoyed a couple of their songs, one of which I remember being called Lonely Road. The final support act was a band who I think were from Liverpool. They were called The Jokers and were fronted by a man who looked and acted like Will Ferrell, while their bassist wore a joker mask throughout (we even saw him still wearing the mask during Fozzy's set). These guys were indeed no jokers when it came to music though as they blew the rest of the support acts away with their great stage presence and good indie sound.
Fifteen minutes after The Jokers left the stage the lights went down as Queen's classic We Will Rock You began playing and Fozzy made their grand entrance, with Chris Jericho coming on last to a thunderous ovation. Their set featured a great mix of stuff from their new album (kicking off with the explosive Under Blackened Skies) and tracks from two of their past albums, Chasing the Grail and Happenstance. Their stage time was as expected after having seen Fozzy many times in the past, a good fun riot of a time, with the band making jokes and inciting the crowd to make noise and jump around between songs. Jericho even gave the crowd instructions to get involved with their track God Pounds His Nails.
When the show ended and the band left the stage, and the lights came up, we were left wondering if and how we got to meet them. After standing around for several minutes as the place cleared out, a security guard told everybody that it was time to leave. We headed out through the entrance way, past a door to a bar, where a girl gave us a picture of the band. We walked out of the venue and up the road until we realised that we must have been meant to meet them in the barroom. We turned around and went back, asking the bouncer on the door is we could get back in with our tickets to the show we had just seen. She let us through and we joined a queue to meet the band in the bar.
While in the queue, Michelle and Si were unfortunately mobbed by some drunken loony woman who wouldn't leave them alone. It even turned out that she came from near where they lived, and she kept telling them that they should keep in touch and meet up sometime. Stacey and I did what any good friends would do in an awkward situation such as this; we turned away, pretending we weren't with them, while snickering occasionally.
When we finally reached the front of the queue and made it through the door into the bar, we were told no autographs. We were basically to walk past and say 'hi' on our way out of the door. I decided that this wasn't good enough and the first band member that I happened to come across was musical genius Rich Ward. He was standing in front of the table that the rest of the band were sitting behind and was trying to shake hands with everybody he could. I approached him and gave him a hug, which he returned like an old friend. It was completely surreal, and he seemed genuinely pleased to be meeting fans and wanted to get involved. Despite venue staff trying to hurry everybody through I asked Rich if I could have a picture, to which he threw and arm around me and said 'Go for it!' Stacey took the picture as we posed together.
Rich 'The Duke' Ward poses with me
Chris Jericho: Known the world over for being the first ever Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion (beating wrestling legends The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin in the same night to become so), he is also a best-selling author, actor and television presenter. Everything the man touches turns to gold as his catchphrase of being 'The best in the world at what he does' seems to be true. Aside from wrestling though, his second greatest accolade is that of being the lead singer of Fozzy, a band that he co-founded with guitar-playing songwriter Rich 'The Duke' Ward. Fozzy have produced four albums over the last decade and have a great cult following the world over.
Earlier this year when their next UK tour was announced I knew straight away that I was going to have to go to a London gig. I had previously been to three Fozzy gigs in London, one of which I won tickets to back in 2005. So for this fourth Fozzy show I dragged Stacey along (bless her, she doesn't get their kind of music) and arranged to meet up with old friends Michelle and Si. Tickets for the tour as a whole sold extremely well, with their Nottingham and Glasgow dates having to be moved to bigger venues. In London, however they were running two shows in the same day, a matinee and an evening gig. We bought tickets to the matinee gig, which unfortunately for the band didn't sell too well, as the people flocked to get tickets to the night show, and also because the matinee was right at the same time as the FA Cup Final.
The poor ticket sales for the matinee meant that a week before the concerts it was announced that anyone attending the matinee show would be welcomed into a special meet 'n' greet with the band after the show. This was some of the most exciting news I had ever received as I would be meeting one of my favourite bands, and Chris Jericho, the guy that I've grown up watching on TV every week!
The gig itself was great as expected. The venue, The Relentless Garage in Islington was actually rather small, and was smaller than past venues that I'd seen Fozzy perform at. Part of this though is due to the fact that The Astoria on Tottenham Court Road has been knocked down since I last saw them play. The venue only made it to half full, which in a way was great for us fans, as we could all get close, have room to breathe, and gave the whole gig a much more intimate feel. We were treated to three support acts, each one being better than the last. The first support act was a band named Nightvision, who started their set seeming as if they would be a decent metal band, however, by the end of their half hour set, every song had sounded identical to the last. Next up was Halcion Way all the way from Atlanta, Georgia. They were all middle-aged and looked as if they belonged in the late 1970s or early 1980s with hair longer than my sister's. To be fair they were pretty good and I particularly enjoyed a couple of their songs, one of which I remember being called Lonely Road. The final support act was a band who I think were from Liverpool. They were called The Jokers and were fronted by a man who looked and acted like Will Ferrell, while their bassist wore a joker mask throughout (we even saw him still wearing the mask during Fozzy's set). These guys were indeed no jokers when it came to music though as they blew the rest of the support acts away with their great stage presence and good indie sound.
Fifteen minutes after The Jokers left the stage the lights went down as Queen's classic We Will Rock You began playing and Fozzy made their grand entrance, with Chris Jericho coming on last to a thunderous ovation. Their set featured a great mix of stuff from their new album (kicking off with the explosive Under Blackened Skies) and tracks from two of their past albums, Chasing the Grail and Happenstance. Their stage time was as expected after having seen Fozzy many times in the past, a good fun riot of a time, with the band making jokes and inciting the crowd to make noise and jump around between songs. Jericho even gave the crowd instructions to get involved with their track God Pounds His Nails.
When the show ended and the band left the stage, and the lights came up, we were left wondering if and how we got to meet them. After standing around for several minutes as the place cleared out, a security guard told everybody that it was time to leave. We headed out through the entrance way, past a door to a bar, where a girl gave us a picture of the band. We walked out of the venue and up the road until we realised that we must have been meant to meet them in the barroom. We turned around and went back, asking the bouncer on the door is we could get back in with our tickets to the show we had just seen. She let us through and we joined a queue to meet the band in the bar.
While in the queue, Michelle and Si were unfortunately mobbed by some drunken loony woman who wouldn't leave them alone. It even turned out that she came from near where they lived, and she kept telling them that they should keep in touch and meet up sometime. Stacey and I did what any good friends would do in an awkward situation such as this; we turned away, pretending we weren't with them, while snickering occasionally.
When we finally reached the front of the queue and made it through the door into the bar, we were told no autographs. We were basically to walk past and say 'hi' on our way out of the door. I decided that this wasn't good enough and the first band member that I happened to come across was musical genius Rich Ward. He was standing in front of the table that the rest of the band were sitting behind and was trying to shake hands with everybody he could. I approached him and gave him a hug, which he returned like an old friend. It was completely surreal, and he seemed genuinely pleased to be meeting fans and wanted to get involved. Despite venue staff trying to hurry everybody through I asked Rich if I could have a picture, to which he threw and arm around me and said 'Go for it!' Stacey took the picture as we posed together.
Rich 'The Duke' Ward poses with meAfter shaking his hand and thanking him for the picture and signatures that he put upon my ticket and poster, I turn away from Rich to face the rest of the band who are behind a row of tables. I put my ticket and poster down on the table for them to sign as I shake hands with them and congratulate them on a great show, while they thank me for coming out. Unfortunately I couldn't get a photo taken with the other band members as a security guard began pushing me along. He was rushing us so much that I had to ask him to hold on as they were still signing my ticket.
From here I turn and reach the moment of truth. Time to meet Chris Jericho himself. I turn and stutter, trying to say 'Hi Chris'. Not only am I completely starstruck at this point, but also a little nervy at how pushy the venue security has been. I shake his hand as he signs my ticket and poster. I then pluck up the courage to ask him for a photo seeing as how this will most likely be my only shot to ever get one. He simply says that he doesn't think that we're allowed to do that, and says that 'we might get into trouble'. As he says this I have a complete moment of madness and every shy fibre of my being has seemingly disappeared. I say
'Rich took one with me' as I lean over the table, throw my arm around him and yell 'Stacey, take the picture!' She quickly takes it as I say thank you to Jericho, before we quickly leave the establishment. Michelle was also cheeky enough to get one taken with him by Si.
So there we have it, I met my idol. It certainly wasn't a bad experience, or in anyway disappointing. The simple fact of the matter was that it was too quick, as we were rushed through and out of the door within a matter a of seconds. Chris Jericho was a nice guy, who offered his hand out when we shook, and took the time to sign two items for me, only for me to completely invade his personal space and catch him off guard with a photo taken. If he even remembers me, he must think of me as being a proper nut job! I don't regret it one bit though, as I will probably never get the opportunity to meet him again, so picture proof was necessary according to the voices in my head at the time (although mainly for my sentimental keepsake). As for the rest of the band, they all seemed genuinely happy to try and mix with their fans, it was unfortunate that we were pushed past so quick. And Rich Ward is, simply put a top-class act!
I'll leave you now as this thing has been going on and on, and it's late! Until next time, here's my picture with Chris Jericho!
From here I turn and reach the moment of truth. Time to meet Chris Jericho himself. I turn and stutter, trying to say 'Hi Chris'. Not only am I completely starstruck at this point, but also a little nervy at how pushy the venue security has been. I shake his hand as he signs my ticket and poster. I then pluck up the courage to ask him for a photo seeing as how this will most likely be my only shot to ever get one. He simply says that he doesn't think that we're allowed to do that, and says that 'we might get into trouble'. As he says this I have a complete moment of madness and every shy fibre of my being has seemingly disappeared. I say
'Rich took one with me' as I lean over the table, throw my arm around him and yell 'Stacey, take the picture!' She quickly takes it as I say thank you to Jericho, before we quickly leave the establishment. Michelle was also cheeky enough to get one taken with him by Si.
So there we have it, I met my idol. It certainly wasn't a bad experience, or in anyway disappointing. The simple fact of the matter was that it was too quick, as we were rushed through and out of the door within a matter a of seconds. Chris Jericho was a nice guy, who offered his hand out when we shook, and took the time to sign two items for me, only for me to completely invade his personal space and catch him off guard with a photo taken. If he even remembers me, he must think of me as being a proper nut job! I don't regret it one bit though, as I will probably never get the opportunity to meet him again, so picture proof was necessary according to the voices in my head at the time (although mainly for my sentimental keepsake). As for the rest of the band, they all seemed genuinely happy to try and mix with their fans, it was unfortunate that we were pushed past so quick. And Rich Ward is, simply put a top-class act!
I'll leave you now as this thing has been going on and on, and it's late! Until next time, here's my picture with Chris Jericho!
Monday, 3 May 2010
Mayday! May day! It's been already?
Well this year certainly seems to be flying past. It is already May and as a result, April 2010 is now confined to being a part of history, much like March before it.
April was a pretty darn good month in my world! The highlight was most certainly the weekend that came halfway through the month, although I have already gone on and on and on about that in my last blog, so I'll stop blabbing on about it now by simply reinstating the fact that it truly was an awesome time. Nothing else of particular note happened in April, I simply just enjoyed life. I was introduced to was is most likely the girliest television show that I actually like in Glee (much love for Sue Sylvester), I finished reading Stephen King's latest epic Under the Dome (my new favourite novel), and read another pretty good thriller in Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island (The last page had me screaming in despair and I now await the arrival of the film on DVD). We also saw some good weather which brought with it the occasion to hold a couple of barbecues (the amount of meat that you can get for £5 in Iceland is amazing) and thanks to Jon Budworth's latest blog, which was by the way all over my face as it always is, I started playing The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks on my DS once again. I must say that I am thoroughly enjoying it, so thanks for your inspirational blogs Jon ;-) While on the topic of 'Zelda games' I am going to take this time to let the world know that Stacey is now a Zelda fan, as she is currently addicted to Spirit Tracks prequel Phantom Hourglass.
April ended in splendid fashion as Stacey became employed once again (congratulations once again sweety). As a result of these developments we went to see Iron Man 2 that night, a wicked action film that I loved from start to finish (the finish being the hidden scene after the end credits).
May is now upon us and is off to a flying start in its bid prove that it can improve upon April's success. Saturday, or May Day, was nothing special as I spent much of the day lounging around, only to have to go into work on Saturday night. Work was followed by a very brief drink, which ended the 'pinch-punch day' for May. Sunday was a day off and included a roast dinner cooked by Stacey's Grandma, a viewing of Toy Story and then a catch-up with some of my best friends. And here I find myself, sitting here on the 3rd May, which also happens to be the 3rd and final day of this bank holiday weekend. I'm pretty tired right now as Stacey and I spent today walking around London. More specifically around the Natural History Museum and along The Mall to see Buckingham Palace.
I'm very excited for the remaining 28 days of May, especially Saturday 15th, the date I get to see one of my favourite bands in the whole wide world Fozzy. I'm also planning to cycle a lot more after restoring an old bike in the last week of April and having once already attempted to cycle the 7 miles from my house to Stacey's.
Until next time, let me leave you with my incredibly lazy soundtrack to April 2010. All 2 tracks of it:
Fozzy - Broken Soul (I promise you that this one is not too heavy Pete)
Nickelback - Burn it to the Ground
Stay tuned! (Apologies for the overuse of brackets).
April was a pretty darn good month in my world! The highlight was most certainly the weekend that came halfway through the month, although I have already gone on and on and on about that in my last blog, so I'll stop blabbing on about it now by simply reinstating the fact that it truly was an awesome time. Nothing else of particular note happened in April, I simply just enjoyed life. I was introduced to was is most likely the girliest television show that I actually like in Glee (much love for Sue Sylvester), I finished reading Stephen King's latest epic Under the Dome (my new favourite novel), and read another pretty good thriller in Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island (The last page had me screaming in despair and I now await the arrival of the film on DVD). We also saw some good weather which brought with it the occasion to hold a couple of barbecues (the amount of meat that you can get for £5 in Iceland is amazing) and thanks to Jon Budworth's latest blog, which was by the way all over my face as it always is, I started playing The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks on my DS once again. I must say that I am thoroughly enjoying it, so thanks for your inspirational blogs Jon ;-) While on the topic of 'Zelda games' I am going to take this time to let the world know that Stacey is now a Zelda fan, as she is currently addicted to Spirit Tracks prequel Phantom Hourglass.
April ended in splendid fashion as Stacey became employed once again (congratulations once again sweety). As a result of these developments we went to see Iron Man 2 that night, a wicked action film that I loved from start to finish (the finish being the hidden scene after the end credits).
May is now upon us and is off to a flying start in its bid prove that it can improve upon April's success. Saturday, or May Day, was nothing special as I spent much of the day lounging around, only to have to go into work on Saturday night. Work was followed by a very brief drink, which ended the 'pinch-punch day' for May. Sunday was a day off and included a roast dinner cooked by Stacey's Grandma, a viewing of Toy Story and then a catch-up with some of my best friends. And here I find myself, sitting here on the 3rd May, which also happens to be the 3rd and final day of this bank holiday weekend. I'm pretty tired right now as Stacey and I spent today walking around London. More specifically around the Natural History Museum and along The Mall to see Buckingham Palace.
I'm very excited for the remaining 28 days of May, especially Saturday 15th, the date I get to see one of my favourite bands in the whole wide world Fozzy. I'm also planning to cycle a lot more after restoring an old bike in the last week of April and having once already attempted to cycle the 7 miles from my house to Stacey's.
Until next time, let me leave you with my incredibly lazy soundtrack to April 2010. All 2 tracks of it:
Fozzy - Broken Soul (I promise you that this one is not too heavy Pete)
Nickelback - Burn it to the Ground
Stay tuned! (Apologies for the overuse of brackets).
Thursday, 15 April 2010
That was the big weekend... and that was... AWESOME!
I've just woken up from a long sleep, a sleep that enabled me to recharge my batteries. After a busy night shift last night that involved a huge delivery, the weekend that I named 'My big weekend' seems like an age ago already. The reason for this weekend being a big one was that it was a weekend that I had been looking forward to for a long time, and one that was jam packed full of things to do and even spilled over into Monday and Tuesday.
The weekend began on Friday night as we went out to celebrate the coming of age of our friend Christopher. Chris turned 21 so we celebrated by going out clubbing and actually spending less than expected. I'm not really one for the nightclub scene and hate the ripoff prices on entry and drinks, but am all up for a good night. Well when Natty found some free entry vouchers on the club's website, we were on for a winner! Throw in drinks for £1.70 and we were golden! Due to the fact that my money went further than expected, I became rather merry and had a great night. The drink of the evening was Apple VK, I know a bit of a girlie drink, but that was because buying a VK allowed you to get a shot of Corky's for a pound, and this shot was served in a chocolate cup, meaning you down the shot, then get to eat some choccy!
We also managed to get the club relatively early, meaning that the club was virtually empty when we got there (it was full by the time we left) so we could grab ourselves the best table on offer. As there were no drinks allowed on the dance floor, most of the night was spent messing around at this slightly secluded table. Pete found it extra useful for taking a nap at!
Following on from this, I ended up back at Stacey's, and in the morning when we decided to awake, we set off up North. We arrived at Stacey's Uncle's house around mid-afternoon just in time to see the closing seconds of the Grand National. Her baby cousin Thomas is now one, and crawls everywhere, he's completely different from the baby we went up to visit a year ago. We had a nice evening that featured BBQ and drink, before Stacey and I retreated to our hotel for the night. We actually got to stay at a better hotel than the rest of Stacey's family, as her Mum had booked rooms for herself and Stacey's siblings at the same hotel as us originally, but for a week and a half earlier somehow. By the time she realised, she had a bill for the no-show of the date she had booked, and the night we wanted was all booked out. Therefore Stacey's family had to stay in a rough hotel in the wrong side of town (and were even woken by a fire alarm at 5am), while Stacey and I had the nice posh one as we booked correctly.
Sunday was little Tommy's naming ceremony, the reason for us travelling up. This was somewhat like a Christening, but without all of the religious nonsense. I must say that I wondered what it would actually be like beforehand, but that I was pleasantly surprised at how tasteful the whole event was. Little Tommy was allowed to crawl around and play with his toys happily, as his parents made promises to always look out for him, et cetera, and then present him and his name to everybody in attendance. Stacey's uncle even read out a cheeky and sweet poem that he had written about his relationship with his young son.
Sunday afternoon was then spent sitting in a posh hotel garden eating nibbles and chatting, before heading back down to the South. The journey back down took around four and a half hours... I hate long car journeys.
After some much needed sleep, I woke up feeling excitement on Monday as my friends Sam, Mike and I were off to the O2 arena to watch WWE's flagship television show Monday Night Raw, which featured the 90s icon David Hasselhoff as the special guest host. We travelled up early and went to see Kick Ass at the VUE cinema at the O2. First of all I must mention that the screen size at this cinema was immense. The biggest cinema screen I've ever seen, and the price of the tickets was still cheaper than our local Odeon! Kick Ass was one hell of a, well, kick ass film. It put a great twist on the superhero film, actually setting it in a more real world. There was also something so charming about an eleven year old girl saying the 'c' word. After the film, we went into the Brazilian restaurant Rodizio Rico for a bite to eat. Now this was an all you can eat experience in which you went up to get your salads and pastas and chips and deep fried bananas, while staff walked around with huge chunks of meat on skewers. You were given a card at the entrance which was green on one side and red on the other. If your card was facing green side up, the staff would slice off whichever meat they were carrying onto your plate. When you were full, you turned it to red. This was a great meal, the Brazilian style of food was absolutely delicious and I whole heartily recommend trying this at least once. It did fill us rather quickly though.
From there we had a few drinks at our favourite O2 bar, Thai Silk (makes me think of Chris every time) before heading into the arena for the show. We were sitting closer than ever for Monday's show, with seats on the arena floor. The problem with this though was that our view wasn't so great, especially since some kid two rows in front felt the need to hold up a sign for nearly the entirety of the show. The show itself was good, although not the best wrestling show we've been to. David Hasselhoff was a sure highlight as he first made an entrance in Kitt from Knightrider before reappearing later in the evening for a Baywatch Babes Swimsuit Tag Team Match. To watch this, which was hilarious, click here and then pause it at 0:22 and look to the right of the 'Hoff' sign in the crowd, as you'll see Mike and then me wearing my trilby hat with my hands raised taking a photo! The crowd was rather dead though, despite Sam, Mike and myself yelling our lungs out. The other major highlight of the night was upcoming star The Miz, who cut a great promo before going on to beat son of the British Bulldog, David Hart Smith.
Tuesday was back up to the O2 once again, this time with Stacey and Jason to see WWE's other shows Smackdown and reality type show NXT. The crowd was much more alive for this one and the show itself proved to be better. First of all NXT was filmed, a reality show in which eight wrestler wannabes compete with the prize being a WWE contract. It was no surprise here that fellow englishman Wade Barrett was the fan favourite. Smackdown was then one hell of a show that was main evented by a World Heavyweight title match, as new champion Jack Swagger defended his title against Edge and my personal favourite Chris Jericho. The crowd was split for this between Jericho and Edge, although it was Swagger (who was being cheered on by Stacey) that retained. CM Punk was also a highlight of the night, as he closed the show for us by wrestling in a dark match (non-televised match) with Rey Mysterio. Punk lost the match and then picked up the microphone to tell the fans how much he hated them. This caused a cheer to which he picked up the microphone again to clarify 'No really, I hate you guys!'
This all seems like a long while ago now after working an exhaustingly busy shift last night. Oh by the way Jon, Mr X came in last night and mentioned that he wants to invite me to his 21st birthday later this year, I'm sure you'll get an invite too!
The weekend began on Friday night as we went out to celebrate the coming of age of our friend Christopher. Chris turned 21 so we celebrated by going out clubbing and actually spending less than expected. I'm not really one for the nightclub scene and hate the ripoff prices on entry and drinks, but am all up for a good night. Well when Natty found some free entry vouchers on the club's website, we were on for a winner! Throw in drinks for £1.70 and we were golden! Due to the fact that my money went further than expected, I became rather merry and had a great night. The drink of the evening was Apple VK, I know a bit of a girlie drink, but that was because buying a VK allowed you to get a shot of Corky's for a pound, and this shot was served in a chocolate cup, meaning you down the shot, then get to eat some choccy!
We also managed to get the club relatively early, meaning that the club was virtually empty when we got there (it was full by the time we left) so we could grab ourselves the best table on offer. As there were no drinks allowed on the dance floor, most of the night was spent messing around at this slightly secluded table. Pete found it extra useful for taking a nap at!
Following on from this, I ended up back at Stacey's, and in the morning when we decided to awake, we set off up North. We arrived at Stacey's Uncle's house around mid-afternoon just in time to see the closing seconds of the Grand National. Her baby cousin Thomas is now one, and crawls everywhere, he's completely different from the baby we went up to visit a year ago. We had a nice evening that featured BBQ and drink, before Stacey and I retreated to our hotel for the night. We actually got to stay at a better hotel than the rest of Stacey's family, as her Mum had booked rooms for herself and Stacey's siblings at the same hotel as us originally, but for a week and a half earlier somehow. By the time she realised, she had a bill for the no-show of the date she had booked, and the night we wanted was all booked out. Therefore Stacey's family had to stay in a rough hotel in the wrong side of town (and were even woken by a fire alarm at 5am), while Stacey and I had the nice posh one as we booked correctly.
Sunday was little Tommy's naming ceremony, the reason for us travelling up. This was somewhat like a Christening, but without all of the religious nonsense. I must say that I wondered what it would actually be like beforehand, but that I was pleasantly surprised at how tasteful the whole event was. Little Tommy was allowed to crawl around and play with his toys happily, as his parents made promises to always look out for him, et cetera, and then present him and his name to everybody in attendance. Stacey's uncle even read out a cheeky and sweet poem that he had written about his relationship with his young son.
Sunday afternoon was then spent sitting in a posh hotel garden eating nibbles and chatting, before heading back down to the South. The journey back down took around four and a half hours... I hate long car journeys.
After some much needed sleep, I woke up feeling excitement on Monday as my friends Sam, Mike and I were off to the O2 arena to watch WWE's flagship television show Monday Night Raw, which featured the 90s icon David Hasselhoff as the special guest host. We travelled up early and went to see Kick Ass at the VUE cinema at the O2. First of all I must mention that the screen size at this cinema was immense. The biggest cinema screen I've ever seen, and the price of the tickets was still cheaper than our local Odeon! Kick Ass was one hell of a, well, kick ass film. It put a great twist on the superhero film, actually setting it in a more real world. There was also something so charming about an eleven year old girl saying the 'c' word. After the film, we went into the Brazilian restaurant Rodizio Rico for a bite to eat. Now this was an all you can eat experience in which you went up to get your salads and pastas and chips and deep fried bananas, while staff walked around with huge chunks of meat on skewers. You were given a card at the entrance which was green on one side and red on the other. If your card was facing green side up, the staff would slice off whichever meat they were carrying onto your plate. When you were full, you turned it to red. This was a great meal, the Brazilian style of food was absolutely delicious and I whole heartily recommend trying this at least once. It did fill us rather quickly though.
From there we had a few drinks at our favourite O2 bar, Thai Silk (makes me think of Chris every time) before heading into the arena for the show. We were sitting closer than ever for Monday's show, with seats on the arena floor. The problem with this though was that our view wasn't so great, especially since some kid two rows in front felt the need to hold up a sign for nearly the entirety of the show. The show itself was good, although not the best wrestling show we've been to. David Hasselhoff was a sure highlight as he first made an entrance in Kitt from Knightrider before reappearing later in the evening for a Baywatch Babes Swimsuit Tag Team Match. To watch this, which was hilarious, click here and then pause it at 0:22 and look to the right of the 'Hoff' sign in the crowd, as you'll see Mike and then me wearing my trilby hat with my hands raised taking a photo! The crowd was rather dead though, despite Sam, Mike and myself yelling our lungs out. The other major highlight of the night was upcoming star The Miz, who cut a great promo before going on to beat son of the British Bulldog, David Hart Smith.
Tuesday was back up to the O2 once again, this time with Stacey and Jason to see WWE's other shows Smackdown and reality type show NXT. The crowd was much more alive for this one and the show itself proved to be better. First of all NXT was filmed, a reality show in which eight wrestler wannabes compete with the prize being a WWE contract. It was no surprise here that fellow englishman Wade Barrett was the fan favourite. Smackdown was then one hell of a show that was main evented by a World Heavyweight title match, as new champion Jack Swagger defended his title against Edge and my personal favourite Chris Jericho. The crowd was split for this between Jericho and Edge, although it was Swagger (who was being cheered on by Stacey) that retained. CM Punk was also a highlight of the night, as he closed the show for us by wrestling in a dark match (non-televised match) with Rey Mysterio. Punk lost the match and then picked up the microphone to tell the fans how much he hated them. This caused a cheer to which he picked up the microphone again to clarify 'No really, I hate you guys!'
This all seems like a long while ago now after working an exhaustingly busy shift last night. Oh by the way Jon, Mr X came in last night and mentioned that he wants to invite me to his 21st birthday later this year, I'm sure you'll get an invite too!
Thursday, 1 April 2010
April Fool's Day
Happy April Fool's Day to you all, my faithful blog readers! Another new month is dawning already, so let us take a looksie back at the month that was March 2010.
It doesn't seem like it has already been a month since I wrote the blog looking back at the dark and cold days of January and February. Just like that first day of March, today is a gloriously suntastic day. March was a rather mixed bag of fun little treats, with a couple of sour tricks. I had two assignments for my Open University courses due in on the same day which was a tad harsh, but target met nevertheless. Funny enough I scored exactly 75% on both essays, which I guess shows my brain was working at three quarters of its capacity that week. One of those essays I must also add, was helped along by the ever great Pete Town, who has just this month recovered from having his appendix removed, I suggest that you read his fantastic blog here as soon as you've finished reading this! Stacey and I also took out little day trip to France in the highlight of my month, although that has already had a whole blog dedicated to it, so I'll leave that there.
As I've advertised Pete, I'd like to take this time to also showcase my other favourite blog in the whole wide world: Mr. Jon Budworth's
It was the week following the France trip, which we like to call 'Very Bad Trip' (there you are, an inside joke for you regular readers), that things took a slight change in fortune. On the Tuesday, just before leaving work, Stacey was told that her company had gone under and was made redundant once again with immediate effect. The following day I walked into the school that I work at to start working, when the head mistress pulled me aside and took me to her office. It was then that she told me that I too was being made redundant. Fortunately I have managed to gain a few more hours back at the wonderful Blockbuster, and those two days were the only negative ones throughout the whole of March.
March also saw the younger of my two brothers turn fifteen. I would have said how strange it is that my baby brother is that old already, but the truth is that he's been taller than me since he was twelve, and my little sister fills the baby sibling role just fine, so who cares!
The month ended in good fashion, as over the last few days I have enjoyed the company of many old friends that have come back down to Kent for Easter, I have watched Wrestlemania, which as usual was a stellar show and I wrapped up my paid employment at the school yesterday, receiving one or two gifts in the process. April has already began in the right way, as Stacey has just heard that she has another interview lined up (fingers crossed), I have just been on a nice little shopping spree after spotting a couple of bargains online, and there is more than ever to look forward to this month.
I'll leave you now with my Soundtrack to March 2010
Fozzy - Martyr No More
Audioslave - Be Yourself
Soundtrack of Our Lives - Transcendental Suicide
Alien Ant Farm - Flesh and Bone
Lady Gaga - Telephone
Kevin Rudolph - I Made It
Stay tuned!
It doesn't seem like it has already been a month since I wrote the blog looking back at the dark and cold days of January and February. Just like that first day of March, today is a gloriously suntastic day. March was a rather mixed bag of fun little treats, with a couple of sour tricks. I had two assignments for my Open University courses due in on the same day which was a tad harsh, but target met nevertheless. Funny enough I scored exactly 75% on both essays, which I guess shows my brain was working at three quarters of its capacity that week. One of those essays I must also add, was helped along by the ever great Pete Town, who has just this month recovered from having his appendix removed, I suggest that you read his fantastic blog here as soon as you've finished reading this! Stacey and I also took out little day trip to France in the highlight of my month, although that has already had a whole blog dedicated to it, so I'll leave that there.
As I've advertised Pete, I'd like to take this time to also showcase my other favourite blog in the whole wide world: Mr. Jon Budworth's
It was the week following the France trip, which we like to call 'Very Bad Trip' (there you are, an inside joke for you regular readers), that things took a slight change in fortune. On the Tuesday, just before leaving work, Stacey was told that her company had gone under and was made redundant once again with immediate effect. The following day I walked into the school that I work at to start working, when the head mistress pulled me aside and took me to her office. It was then that she told me that I too was being made redundant. Fortunately I have managed to gain a few more hours back at the wonderful Blockbuster, and those two days were the only negative ones throughout the whole of March.
March also saw the younger of my two brothers turn fifteen. I would have said how strange it is that my baby brother is that old already, but the truth is that he's been taller than me since he was twelve, and my little sister fills the baby sibling role just fine, so who cares!
The month ended in good fashion, as over the last few days I have enjoyed the company of many old friends that have come back down to Kent for Easter, I have watched Wrestlemania, which as usual was a stellar show and I wrapped up my paid employment at the school yesterday, receiving one or two gifts in the process. April has already began in the right way, as Stacey has just heard that she has another interview lined up (fingers crossed), I have just been on a nice little shopping spree after spotting a couple of bargains online, and there is more than ever to look forward to this month.
I'll leave you now with my Soundtrack to March 2010
Fozzy - Martyr No More
Audioslave - Be Yourself
Soundtrack of Our Lives - Transcendental Suicide
Alien Ant Farm - Flesh and Bone
Lady Gaga - Telephone
Kevin Rudolph - I Made It
Stay tuned!
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