You Guys Are Awesome...

Here are two things that made me feel inadequate today. The first being a video of amazing people's amazing stunts. They aren't those of kindness or love or a type of selfless caring for one another in a world of turmoil but just acts of awesome...

And the second is a reminder that creative minds like myself can make awesome things too despite being physically or even mentally incapable of doing any of the stunts in the former video...

Both stand as a reminder for me, or more a sign, that no matter how low you get there are always highs, and no matter how good you get there's always a way to get better. Don't lose it if you think you've got it, and when you've got it, never stop making it better...

Carpe diem...

You Shall Be The Fellowship Of The Ring...

Last night I got to visit Middle Earth for the first time this year (this year) with some people I hadn't seen it before, and some I had and still would. We had pizza, and fizzy drinks, and chips and dips, with garlic bread and some flat bread (carb on carb on carb). I think we all regret that lack of balance. 

I am probably one of the worst people to watch the Lord of the Rings with because I quote, I sing, and I expend knowledge of Middle Earth, the general plot, and boring trivia, that I doubt anyone wanted to hear (sorry guys). I think I even amazed Red at certain points as she turned to me in the questioning manner and simply said 'and you haven't read the books?'

I suppose it is weird being so passionate and knowledgeable about something without foreknowledge of the base text everything is based on (everything!).

It was a brilliant evening, despite my Middle Earth lessons, Cherry and I spoke about Immortality and Elves and Prophecies, Tag got to know a lot more about Balrogs and Fatty Bolger, and Red and I secretly mouthed along to most of the movie (I saw you!). 

It is easily my favourite film of ever. And I look forward to including the Hobbit in it's watching schedule. Could you imagine the length on that? It would go on so long, we could commission a cinema to show them all extended for some sort of charity event. Oh my God, I'm getting tingles just thinking about the prospect. 

I think my favourite part of last night was when Sam found Frodo trying to leave without any of them and he nearly drowned himself. I made a promise, Mr Frodo, a promise. Don't you leave him Samwise. And I don't mean to, I don't mean to. We were all quiet and emotional at that point. Well definitely quiet. But it was a nice gesture towards the movie, that it's still so powerful it can make us shut up and nut up. 

If you want to know more about the History of Aragon's hertiage or what happened to Gollum between the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings then Born of Hope and The Hunt for Gollum is certainly for you. A pair of well paid, low budget, fan filmed, short movies for your viewing pleasure...

I will take it!

Carpe diem, mellon...

The EPIC Weekend...

It has been one EPIC weekend, and I mean that in the most awesome way possible. I would tag this as the most EPIC weekend, in fact, few days, I have ever had - and I've been to Disneyland and Venice (both very different experiences)...

Let me elaborate if you will. Thursday morning, I woke with a start, the excitement, the frozen toes, and very much the stiff back from sleeping on the floor of Tag and Cherry's Living Room for approximately 2-3 hours (not very comfortable = not very much sleep). I leapt out of bed, checking that no one was coming with me, and skillfully, and very stealthily climbed the stairs (like a panther), and then creepily opened Tag and Cherry's door to bound on them like a child at Christmas - although I'm sure it looked more like Gollum finding the Ring. Either way, we were all woken, presents were opened (as it was Tag's Birthday - YAY!) and we were on our way, 30 mins later than we thought we would be...

And then came the first blip. HB needed fuel, and once fuel was taken, Ducky and Pill wanted food, and then they had all forgotten the snacks in the house. Either way, it put those of us in the Fun-Ve, in a very poor mood with the others. We drove home and then back, storming onto the motorway (because Speed Limits are for Losers), rocking out to the Playlist - a roster of music so great and powerful, only the legendary dare listen and rock out to it for no less than 6 straight hours. And we did just that, over two car journeys. I gave HB directions like my father would normally do, they make sense to us - cross the bridge and turn north, pass Birmingham and follow the signs. Simple? The race was on. We were minutes behind one another, but the Fun-Ve won!

And then the wonders beheld us, queuing, queuing, and queuing (Monorail! - has that joke been done?), for the entrance to Alton Towers, before we got the car in, before we got to the park, before we could get into the park, before we got on any of the rides. Now, I know we're British and know how to queue, but bloody hell, the waiting time for almost all of the big rides was more than an hour, and we only had 6 hours there, there wasn't enough time!

Pill said to me afterwards that if we did it again, he would like to stay somewhere locally and do it over a weekend. Seems legit...

Anywho, I managed to go on some Teacups, I followed my fearless leader into the fray of the Ripsaw (that was fun), killed some zombies with Cherry and Red, we all got a bit wet (though half the group noped-out), had some fish and chips, kept Red company and Flume, Flumed while we waited for the others to finish Nemesis, and then we Sonic Pinballed and waited on the lawns of the beautiful estate before spending an hour and a half in the car park before the next three hours home...

We stopped in a service station just outside Cardiff to swap cars, and Tag and I helped an old, frail man with a sense of humour. I felt good about myself, and believe it or not - I had one hell of a good time. Happy Birthday Tag! I hope it was a special day for you.

And that was just day 1. Day 2, involved a bit more of the normal life. Pill and I went food shopping. I exercised (you were curious as to what I did Red - here's the instructions), and then sat down for xbox updating (Pill was furious), and then decided to go out with Tag, Cherry, and Red again...we were much quieter this time, but we wanted to spend money - or that was the plan. I'm not a very good shopper it turns out. And then we bounced from bar to bar, trying to find 2-4-1 Cocktails, until a resounding yes was had for a Harvester suggestion. I didn't like the waiter, but the food was alright (free salad yo!). We parted ways early for Day 3 was dawning on us, and sleep was a rarity. 

Day 3, or Cardiff Comic Con arrived and I think we all managed mornings particularly well. I don't think anyone complained about being awake early or anything. We were all just excited to dress-up in sexy outfits and strut around town (yes, even I can do sexy apparently - I got checked out by three women and a man, none of whom I particularly found an attraction too but it was nice all the same). I was a little disappointed that there weren't many more photos of the entire group (or just the four of us) but hey, what you gonna do? Slow mo walks, and poses with Cardiff Monuments would have been awesome too, also hump-dancing. But it was Comic Con, I showed a bit of geek, but ultimately I didn't understand most of it. The Hobbit panel was my thing, the thing I really wanted to see, and I'm glad we could. Red Dwarf was funny, as it probably should have been, and I didn't really follow the Doctor Who one, I only knew K-9... 

Unfortunately, as stated earlier, shopping's not really my thing, so I only managed to buy one physical thing, a Portal Turret! (and I paid for Tag, Cherry, Red and I to get our portrait's done - that took forever, though I hope it looks awesome when we get it). We did hang around about an hour too long, but I wanted to find something and go 'ooo I need it now!' which I didn't. Oh well. We then all went to the pub, ate, walked Red home, then Tag and Cherry, and HB left on her own accord.

Today, Day 4, is going to be the day of rest. I plan on writing and reading mainly. Though best laid plans and all that. I don't think I need as much sleep as the rest of you. And some part of me silently hopes that Revs de Cuba might be on the cards for actual cocktails and a restful afternoon, napping, perhaps a four-way spooning session? - though I know it won't be. I've spent lots of money, lived a little, and had the best weekend so far. 

Thank You!

Carpe diem...

T-Minus 1 Day More!...

By this time tomorrow, we will either be almost there, or actually there. And I don't know if I want to do a day's work knowing that...

But where? I hear you ask dear read. Well, to Alton-freaking-Towers of course! It's Tag's birthday, and Red and I have to wake him up like they do in those Disney land commercials:

Okay, I'm being silly now but it's going to be awesomely cool. When we doing presents? I wrapped mine last night. I showed Red the damage, she laughed. Roadtrip, and music, and so many quote, references, vomit, food, more vomit, fast rides, excitement, good weather (possibly), water rides first (I'm Soaked!), then second roadtrip where we all fall asleep like they do at the end of movies (except the driver, obvs)...

Although, energy drinks, coffee, and amphetamines will be shooting through our veins so perhaps not...orgy?

We're going to do Alton Towers right, apparently we've got to go on Air, Hex, and the new one The Smiler (16 consecutive loops or something, first in the world). I'm not a rollercoaster person, and neither are a few of the other people going. It's going to be odd. 

Pedalows anyone?

I can imagine Pill and Ducky making their way through all the Food and Drinking places in the park. HB and DarkHorse might go check out the House and Grounds, Cherry will sit anywhere with a good book and look after the bags like a good mum, Red will go on all the Tea Cups and Pedalows with me, possibly a few carny stands too, and I will go on all the big rides with Tag (alphamale style)...

That paragraph isn't how things'll go, I swear. 

I'm starting to be concerned that Comic-Con won't be all that, but I'm looking forward to seeing us all in costume and having photos. Hot'n'Sexy Fotos just one pic 99p. O-la-la...

Where was that going?!

In other news, work are sending me to Cambridge at the end of September to learn about Helicopters. I didn't know I needed to know more, but there you go. I'm getting nervous again, how the fuck do I get to Cambridge?!

But I'm sure I'll worry more about that when I know more about that. 

So, flavoured water, money for pizza, crisps and no dips for car journey (multi-pack), probably a sleeping bag required. If Christmas happens these'll be the sleeping arrangements too I imagine...

I want to continue writing, but I don't know what to say. I've been writing song lyrics recently, nothing I'm going to share with you - mainly because they're crap - and my real-world fiction, I had hoped to finish it before tomorrow, but that's not going to happen is it? So, Friday perhaps...

Either way, I'll post it up here, and then all we've got to wait for is Tag's RomCom...

Have a good couple of days, I know we will...

Carpe diem...

You're A Pansy...

The other day I twatted something I'm not ashamed to twat, but yesterday I sort of broke-down, which was something I was planning on not doing. The twat read:

Alone for the next four nights, come on. No breakdowns this time!

And I only managed two nights. God damn it I'm rubbish (I'm sure it'd be different if Pill were here though). My main thought process occurred during daily commitments and then they built up one on top of the other until Point 1. didn't equal Point 2. it equaled Point 48. and then the whole tower came tumbling down and shit had to happen or else. 

I even learned about the etiquette of pouring boiling water onto tea or coffee, and even that wasn't a distraction enough for me to send out the WhatsApp: 'Drinks?' request. 

Gladly, they all obliged and we hungout in the pub as per usu (is it with an 'e'? It's pronounced like 'huge' but without the 'h'), and talked about the weekend, the future, Frank Turner in concert (I don't even think I care about the prices), Christmas, and ultimately had fun. Much more fun than time spent at mine on Friday. We also learned a lot more about each other's past, Tag's inappropriate questions, Cherry and I swapped Grandparent situations, I got Cherry to slap me a few times, and Red told us sizes, whens, and who's (you hear that guys, we know. For shame)...

Tag told the barmaid that he'd see her Stormtroopers (euphemism intended) and she got very concerned. I agreed, as she had shown us her Stormtooper tattoos on either shoulder on a previous occasion at the establishment. She didn't seem to appreciate the comment, and we did have a different barmaid for the rest of the night (I wonder if that had anything to do with it). 

Either way, I'm very glad drinks happened. I couldn't actually remember when I had last had a drink - but it would have been for a workmate's birthday last weekend or so ago. It looks like I've managed to cut down on the booze, and I got a little drunk after only two. Not very drunk, just enough to make me talk better and become unable to stand a lot. Which made cooking my Stir-fry, when I got in, fun. There's still plenty for lunch and dinner, and look I'm all better.

I know I shouldn't do what I did. And I know I don't actually have anything in the world to worry about, actually that last bit's a little bit of a lie. Jobs, Money, Bills, they're all things to worry about, the state of the damp, have we left it too long to do anything about it, do I care enough, blah blah blah, and they're just a snippet of the worries that occur daily in my head. But like I was saying, I know I shouldn't worry, and I know I've gone weeks without seeing anyone, but hey - I'm glad you guys are there for me. 

Now I feel like I should name all the women I've fancied in the past just to keep with the trends, but I feel like my list would be wonderfully insignificant and boring, so I might not do that. Who knows...

Today is a brighter day, and I'm not going to have any problems. Stir-fry for dinner...

Carpe diem...

Luck's Got Nothing To Do With It...

I am a lucky man. I'm not the luckiest man in the world, but I'm not the most unfortunate either. I haven't won the lottery, I haven't got money, houses, yachts, holidays, Latin American democracies, or fame. But I am a lucky man.

And I think the main reason I feel like this is due to my friends. Some people say I have too many, others wonder how I have time for them all. Well the truth is, I don't. I do have to choose. Some days its you, and other days its you. That's the long and short of it. And I'm not writing this to be an arse, or to say that I've got more friends than you, nah, nah, nah. nah, NAH! I'm writing this to thank you all. 

Whether you've driven me to the ends of the earth, or you've downloaded my favourite movies and music, read everything I've almost ever written, or simply sat there and spent an afternoon with me. I've laughed with you all, cried with some of you, and made you all my special few. I've played sports, video games, board games, party games with almost all of you. I've danced, and sung, and enjoyed myself the entire time. 

We've all had our ups and our downs, I know that my moods do swiftly change, week in and week out, but I'm glad you guys are always there for me. I'm glad in the knowledge, the security, the understanding that we're there for each other, not all the time, but when it matters most of all. 

And I really want to thank you for the decades, years, months, days, just time that we've spent together, and I hold you all in the high of highs. You are my family (and I know my mother will hate me saying that, but you're my family too) and I do actually love you all, old and new. You have completed my life so far, and I hope you continue to do so for decades to come.

Now, let's ignore that sentimental crap and watch this video of the Bennett's year so far (he's been busy)...

Carpe diem...

Winter is Coming, A-gain!...

Ba, ba, Ba, Ba, Ba, ba, Ba, Ba, Ba, ba, Ba, Ba, Baaaaaaaa...

That's enough of that right now. 

The Game of Thrones board game isn't actually that bad when you know how to play. But it did get a lot like Monopoly towards the end as it had gone on for six-hours and everyone bar the winners had given up on life. Well, I wouldn't go that far, but you know the point in Monopoly when you start giving up? The one where just one person seems to have all the money and no one else can possibly win, but you've got to go around giving away your money, mortgaging (Death Gripping - not a Star Wars reference at all but a bit of Latin for your ears. Mort = Death and Gage = Grip) your properties, and then going through the whole bankrupting process. You know you're going to lose. No one, apart from Banks and J.K. Rowling has gone from being bankrupt to being wealthy again.

But I digress...

We gathered in our humble abode, after Tag and I had finished watching Fast 5 and Fast 6. It was one hell of a Tostesterone filled afternoon. Epicness, Splosions!, and Vin Diesel. I can't wait for Fast 7 (the final one) and Red and Tag have said they'd come with me to go see it. So why didn't we see Fast 6 in the cinema? Could you imagine the Splosions! on the big screen. Plus the ultimate heroic thing of catapulting yourself off a car, after you've just blown up a tank, across a bridge to catch a woman in mid-air (Superman-style) only to land, bank first into another car's windscreen, and for the woman to be the only one in pain. 

And then Pizza, Drinking, and Game of Thrones happened. 

The guy in the shop said that the game would be very good if you have 3-6 dedicated players to play with. Little did he know, that we were not reading the Game of Thrones, but were huge fans of the TV-Series (save one of us), and that we were in no way dedicated to the rules of play, nor to the facts and figures involved in playing. Red had no idea what was going on. No of us knew how to play, the 32-page rule book and numerous internet videos sought to that, but she had the added lack of Game of Thrones knowledge.

Pill was Baratheon, DarkHorse lingered as Lanister, Tag was Tyrell (pretty, pretty flowers), Cherry was House Stark, Red was Martell, and I was the Greyjoys. So we set about explaining to Red everyone's relationships to each other.

'First of all you should know, Pill is a cunt, you can call him that, it's fine. And that Cherry, Tag, Red, and DarkHorse are all fucking Pill. Tag is fucking Pill's brother, Red is fucking Pill's other brother, Tag's sister is fucking Pill, Cherry's sister was fucking Pill, Pill's father used to sleep with DarkHorse's Daughter along with everyone else. DarkHorse's Daughter fucks DarkHorse's Son (or vice versa), and the Greyjoys like to fuck themselves. 

Simple enough for you?

Either way, we toasted, we drank, we ate a pizza the size of Pill, twice, and we played the hell out of that board game. It would have been much better if we played it quicker than we did. A 3-hour game would have been long enough I reckon, if we ever all play at once again.

Now I'm looking forward to Date Night Sunday with a double-bill of the Returned! (squee!) But can it possibly top the levels of awesomeness from my Tostesterone filled afternoon/evening? I'll let you know.

Carpe diem...

AWESOME FUN!...

Let's face it, I've had some pretty fun weekends, but last weekend took all the biscuits, ate all the pies, and generally stomped on that belief that life couldn't get much better...

And do you know why? Because I did something new, and I enjoy doing somethings new. I enjoy them very much, although there is the risk of disliking the new thing. For instance, I don't like high board diving, I've done it, and I don't like it - or falling in general for that matter. But last weekend, we the special chosen ones, ventured to the oldest pub in the Diff and sat in a stuffy upstairs room, paid to be there, and viewed a lovely acoustic concert put on just for us. 

We were mainly there to cheer on Cherry's Friend's Boyfriend, which we did. And then, as the evening went on, other bands started to appear, like wild pokemon, and entertain the hell out of us. If only there was a large room for dancing and not upsetting the band with your poor dance moves. Oh well. 

So we heard from Jack Barnett, Firewood Island, and Old Colours and they were all very very good. Tag and Cherry had to leave for a train about half way through though. But that left the drunk pair Red and I to enjoy the rest of the gig, and to then see another gig downstairs, wander over to Live Lounge for a dance, complain about the size of the bag she was carrying, contemplate seeing her boss in Pulse, walking to the Bay, getting Subway, trying to get into a rave tent, and then sitting in the moonlight getting blown about by a nice sea breeze. It was a good night out, and you don't get many nights out that start with a gig, so I'd be more than willing to try that again. 

I want to go proper dancing and clubbing again, but not in the crappy clubs. Payday is next week, possibilities and all that jazz!

Then on the Sunday, instead of Date Night, I had a shift that lasted 12hours until I was sent home purely because I had work in the morning. 2am is a funny time to be getting back from work, to say the least.

And Pill loved his present from me, and is now planning a Friday night in with Rocket Joes pizza (look it up), drink, and the Game of Thrones board game. Just to warn you.

The World's End is happening tomorrow, and I can't bloody wait. I'm sure it's been ages since Hot Fuzz, we need another cornetto, and I want to relive watching a WrightPeggFrost movie in the cinema, and rekindle some childhood memories (I'm not that old!)

Day off tomorrow, endless uncertainties to come. Bring it on... (Amandi!)

Carpe diem...

I'm A Bell End...

I like friends. I love all my friends, and I know that me being all sentimental and shit like that at the moment, means like I might miss out a lot of what I planned on saying about every single one of you. Because you're all wonderfully special and brilliant, and you've stuck by me even though I've started to become rather dickish, toolish, and quite frankly an arrogant arse. So, I just want to say thank you...

But yes, recently I've noticed yet another change to my overall personality (I swear if Pill read this he would call the men in white coats). It's not a very big change, but it has made an impact on a few things I say, that I doubt I would ever say again, or remember saying in the first place.

Confidence is a stupid thing in my hands. I'm quite sure of the words coming out of my mouth, and yet the people closest to me don't understand a single word, mainly because I've gone and got them in the wrong order, or they've gone and become some creepy pervy comment (usually accidentally). I know when I'm being creepy and I know when I'm not, so it sort of hurts when people don't understand that I'm not (you get me, blood?!)

For instance, the other night, when shopping in Tesco, Red and Cherry stopped in the middle of the aisle and I put my hands on Red's shoulders to try and move her and Cherry along. I would have done that if it was anyone of my friends stood in the middle of the aisle. As such, the action was perceived by some as the molesting gropes of a sinister swine. And the offer to carry Cherry to bed was yet sincere and found to be creepy. I don't know, I don't think I'll ever get this shindig right.

Cherry, Red and I sat in the Ponty Garden waiting for the rain, drinking in the two o'clock somewhere afternoon, and making light of the music on the boombox. We waiting for Tag to return from work, so we watched countless movies, and ate too much. When Tag appeared we replenished our stocks and continued to eat too much, not drink enough, and watch movies. I got an angry stare for offering to sleep on the sofa, to save the hassle of an inflatable bed, and that was that.

That next day we were driven to town to do our daily tasks, and I was to train to the Big End for Clareg's birthday get-together. It rained almost the entire way from the train station to his house, and since departing the train, I didn't see a single soul until I reached my destination. I almost took a picture, except I was concerned the zombies might have gotten me if I stopped.

Apparently World War Z, Man of Steel, and The Internship are very good.

I got to Clareg's, and was greeted with Cider (ma fav in a Chalice) and welcomed by a load of old faces. We spoke of life the universe and everything, and much merriment was had. I made plenty of bad jokes that some people laughed at. I met up with an old ex-friend of my sister, and pizza hut was had. And oh how I regret it. Two days of eating large quantities of crap. My body hates me.

Oh well. I got a lift to the station (thank you very much). I got called a bell end for booking the wrong week off work (to be fair, that was a bell end kinda thing to do). And I got back and to bed for about midnight, before waking at 5am, 6am, and finally 7am where I just had a shower.

I finish today at 5pm. If you fancy doing anything, but let me know, but other than that I'm looking forward to day off day (Wednesday) for sleepings. Hi TimTimmonie! (thank you for reading)...

Carpe diem...