Change The Record...

So, Tag got me some Mumford and Sons and Of Monsters and Men music, and I think they're both a great accompaniment to Frank (as much as I'm sure you'll hate to hear that).

My iPod has been playing the same playlist since Christmas, I think, and I know its time for a change. There are songs I know and wonder what the hell they're doing on the playlist, there are songs I skip instantly, and there's just no fusion between the melodies; I've got the fast passed Are You Gonna Be My Girl by Jet next to How To Save A Life by The Fray - it just doesn't work. 

I need multiple playlists, because I'm not satisfied with just listening to one artist all the time, and it gets tedious switching between different songs I'm in the mood for. It's weird. I'll probably just sit down and go through all my music again, and see what happens. And the same can be said for my playlist titled 'EPIC Writing' (the former one being called 'Goodness'), which is essentially a mixture of really epic soundtracks, video games, and just epic music. If I played it in my car as I drove I pictured myself going to slay dragons and having loads of adventures, though the screaming singing when you're alone in your car at times was awesome. And I mean that as in singing at the top of your voice and not the screamy music most gothic metal bands seem to enjoy.

There's an old voice in my head that's holding me back

Well tell her that I miss our little talks

Soon it will be over and buried with our past

We used to play outside when we were young

And full of life and full of love.

Some days I don't know if I am wrong or right

Your mind is playing tricks on you, my dear.

But anyway, moving on. I just checked up something Red was saying (a few times, the geek) about Age of Empires. I managed to skip the Empires games through my childhood, I had Age of Mythology, which I'm told was quite bad, though I enjoyed it very much with Arkantos and Ajax and Cherion - they all kicked Osiris' ass, and I do mean that. But I just checked on steam and the Age of Empires 2 HD is £14.99, though the none HD more cartoony version Age of Empires Online is actually free (what, what?) so I'm sure this whole Player vs. Player thing could go down in the near future if peeps want it to. 

Oooo! Let's LAN-Party it up! (hahahahaha)

It's Double Date Night tonight, and of course it's a double date! Tag and I have finally expressed our love for one and other, the Tostesterone filled afternoon saw to that, and Cherry, you can have Red, or Red, you can have Cherry (we don't mind the order). I had hoped you'd forgotten about the wine, but of course I'll bring it. It was gathering dust in my wine rack. Double-bill of the Returned time! The last two episodes! What are we going to fill Date Night with now?!

I hear Tag's got that sorted...

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...

The Crawl...

The Swingers and I went to watch The World's End the other day (Bacon Wednesdays) and throughout it, despite being wonderfully refreshed after spending the day with Cherry and Red drinking, eating, and shopping, I couldn't help but get the thirst desperado feeling only a man marooned in the desert gets as he stares at a glass of water he can't reach evaporating. I don't think it helped that the cinema itself was the same temperature as a desert, and the cornettos we had (kindly provided by Cherry) did not help the thirst. If you didn't know, The World's End is essentially (Hi Tag!) about a pub crawl. And if you want to know more you should probably go check out Red's blog here...

But it got me thinking, let's do a crawl of our own. I've not quite figured out the basics, but I think if everyone buys their own drinks it'll avoid arguing over who's round it is. Some generous souls might provide shots throughout (or halfway). And the ladies can drink their own girly drinks (or perhaps Gin and Tonics a la film?). Either way it's got to be the equivalent to a pint's content or whatever. But as for the circuit, I've been thinking about that too. And you know how much I love a good map...

View Larger Map

1. The Westgate

We'll start at the Westgate, not only an obvious starting point, as it is a few steps from our base (Pill and I's house), but also, symbolically, the doorway we all entered the real world and Cardiff from the West (i.e. Carmarthen, Big End, or Ponty).

2. The Gatekeeper

Obviously, as we enter the city, we need to pay the Gatekeeper, and where better to do this than at the home of the man himself?

3. The Queen's Vaults

And then, as we intend to get blind drunk, I think we should pay homage to our country's Royals, starting, obviously with the Queen herself. We should raid the vaults and wet the new Royal's head.

4. O'Neils

Moving swiftly to the Irish Quarter we'll show them what the Welsh are made of and finish our fourth drinks and walk out of there, heads held high, and arms linked in a River Dance.

5. The Prince of Wales

The second Royal to receive our blessing of the evening, the Prince of Wales, our Prince. He shall quench our thirsts and we shall move on.

6. The Great Western

Then we pay homage to the form of transport that carried most of us to this beautiful city. The Great Western, not only our main haunt, but the place we met.

7. Duke of Wellington

Now for the man who helped provide us our freedoms from Europe. A toast to Wellington, and his generals, one of which resided in Carmarthen (hence Monument Hill).

8. The Borough

Then we toast to the Borough we now call home. The great city of Cardiff!

9. The Owain Glyndwr

But let us not forget our past. We are Welsh, we are free, and Owain Glyndwr cemented himself as the icon of our Welsh identity.

10. The Rummer Tavern

A place to remember that we are an island nation, and a great one at that. We shall never forget that Britannia Rules the Waves! 

11. The Goat Major

Our Army's Mascot, the great welsh buck, Royal, Deadly, and Completely Welsh. A toast to that glorious beast.

12. Dempseys

And finally we finish in the oldest establishment in town. The talk of Cardiff since 1720. We finish on the very foundations of a city, and celebrate our triumph with a lot of music and dancing.

How's that for a slice of fried gold? (should that question mark be there?)

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...

Writing A Bit...

I think you all know by now that I tend to write about what I know (which I know, isn't very much - oh be belittled himself again), and as such the world of Palurin came about. For those of you who don't know, Palurin is my fantasy realm where epic adventures happen to all my characters, and not all have happily-ever-afters. They're not that sort of story/plot/narrative. Something things happen to my characters to build them up, and make them seem more normal than fantastical, and somethings happen to them that need to happen to drive the story forward, and the inevitable end I foresee for them all. 

However, there is also one other aspect about my characters that most people don't know. They're all based on real people I know. Some characters I enjoy writing, and I don't get to speak with or see the person they're based on for a very long time, and other characters I don't really like writing even though I know the real person and I know they wouldn't do half the things their character does. But there is one thing I can assure you, you do have a character, and they are living in my world, the world I created when I was eight, and the one I occasionally visit, though not as often as I'd like, and you've only made it there because you're significant to me, or you used to be. I'm sure you can put the pieces together, I've even posted some of them to wearethewritingpeople.co.uk: Apprentice, Lamia, Culling, and Prey being just a few (guess who they're about if you can).

But something in the week got me thinking about a new character. So please bare with me, and let me know what you think. It is only a first draft after all...

Carpe diem...

‘From a seafaring shore, far in the stormy northern waves, a tyrant rides the white horses they say.’ The tavern was a quiet place. A storm raged outside, and all decent folk had retreated to their homes. The odd traveller had sought refuge in the tavern, but not many, and none of them cared to hear a story from a drunken sailor. Though, he had spiked the curiosity of the barmaid who wiped down the table next to him.

‘Do they now?’ she asked, standing upright again. The drunken man turned to face the maid he hadn’t seen before, and threw all his attention on her.

‘Yes they do. The Red Captain sailing his Crimson Tabby, a fearless vessel; plundered a thousand ships, and pillaged a hundred villages, the bane of Elledjhon himself.’

‘One ship the bane of an Empire?’ The maid pressed for more details, allowing the rag in her hand to drip freely on the floor and slowly dry.

‘Oh yes, the Red Captain and his crew, daringly defiant in the face of death. They’ve fought off a dozen ships, some of the Elledjhon’s fleet, and sank them all. No survivors.’

‘So how do you know any of this is there weren’t survivors?’ the girl was quick witted and saw a lie when she was told one. His bloodshot eyes darted from her elegant blue ones like an untouched pool of sapphires caught in the sunlight.

‘Well, some say don’t they?’ the sailor busied himself finishing his pint.

‘They’re just stories you mean?’

‘Stories I’ve heard!’ he raised his voice and slammed his glass down on the table. ‘Stories I’ve had to prepare myself for.’ He grabbed the barmaid by her petticoat and dragged her closer to him. He looked her square in the eyes, baring his yellowing teeth in a menacing grin. ‘The entire fifth fleet has been ordered to search the northern waters and to eliminate the Crimson Tabby, and kill that bastard of a Captain and his crew at all costs,’ he said through gritted teeth. ‘I am a crewman of the Strand, the flagship of the fifth, and I am scared.’ There was no fear in his eyes or voice, only distrust and fatigue. His grip didn’t loosen.

‘I’ve got to get back to work,’ she said innocently, but as she pulled away he pulled back. He moved his face closer to hers.

‘Won’t you comfort this sailor, ready to greet death at sea, before his last voyage?’ he forced his lips on hers. He tasted of rot and rum, like a back street dentist. She tried to raise a hand to him, but was stopped by his tanned forearm. There was barely any movement in the struggle, and no one noticed the commotion. All she needed to do was scream, but she didn’t. ‘You forget your place lass, it’s beneath a man.’

‘No sir, you’re wrong,’ she said calmly within his vice-like grip around her throat. Her rosen cheeks turned a redder shade. One arm clenched her fist, and his other started to fondle the folds of her dress.

She jolted, loosening his grip on her arm. Her hair, the shade of a sun sweetened cherry in the height of summer, swayed from its tidy bun until it dangled neatly by her shoulders. The movement was that of an instant, but the man ceased his actions. She had removed the dagger he kept upon his belt, and was pressing it against the soft flesh below his belt. She freed her arms and her dress, and stood above him. ‘You sir, are wrong.’ He looked at her confused. ‘It is you, who is beneath this woman.’ He flinched as she pressed the blade harder into his flesh until a little blood showed. ‘You have options, sir. You can run from here and join your fleet to die at sea, or I can kill you now. Either way, you die.’ She grinned a pleasant smile waiting for his response. It did not take long.

‘The fleet,’ he replied with a quivering voice. She removed the knife from his flesh and cleaned it on her petticoat. The man stood up, and wobbled. There was a thought tingling at the forefront of his mind, the barmaid could see it, working its way to his mouth. The man walked a few steps away from her before turning.

‘What makes you so sure that the fleet will fail?’ The woman sighed, facing him again. She threw the blade at the man and he fell backwards to the floor with a scream. The knife protruded from his right shoulder. The other travellers in the tavern took note of the next encounter. They were her witnesses. And none of them were heroic enough to intervene. The barmaid walked over the man who was shouting profanities at her. A sweat had come over him, and blood oozed onto the floor from his shoulder. She pressed a foot onto his right hand causing more screams and more terror.

‘I am so sure, because I shall take my ship, and my crew, and I shall eradicate the very existence of the fifth fleet from my waters. Understood?’ There was real fear in the man's eyes as he looked back at her. He saw her for who she was, he had seen death, he had seen the Red Captain.

Oh, Friday?...

Where you to, butt?

And here it is, the last day of my holiday, tomorrow's an official day-off and then it's back to a daily commitment, my next day off being Wednesday. Is this really how I'm living life at the moment, counting the days between free time? Everyone's got to make a living I suppose.

That reminds me, time to do the lottery...

Done, that was quick and easy. The EuroMillions are back down to an ordinary £13m, which, don't get me wrong, I'd be very grateful to win. Holidays all round! But it doesn't quite compare to last month's £121m. Holidays for half the country!

I don't know. Does that make me greedy, probably. I wonder what I'd do with all that money? Well the nearest and dearest will all be taken care of in one way or another. £100k to everyone I know? 130 people's lives changed? I don't think I know 130 people I'd want to give money to, so that's a weight lifted, more for me (yep, I'm greedy).

I'd buy a car well maybe not a car, but a vehicle of some kind, and it'll become a mascot and I'll drive it all over the world, Top Gear style. Tag and Cherry will get a house, Red wants a boat, and together we'll all go traveling, but have somewhere to stay. Maybe not.

I've been thinking about my 25th again (one year from now if you were thinking), and I think I'll set myself 12 challenges between the December 2013 and November 2014 to complete before I'm 25. Not like bucket list things, but sort of (I'm not dying, but who knows). Any suggestions? I'm thinking lose a considerable amount of weight (i.e. put a number to it for once), or write something unforgettable - they're both kinda rubbish aren't they? (VIN DIESEL)

Money would solve everything, but perhaps it won't. And then the party at the end of the challenges will be awesome. Hobbit Barn Dance Mark-II? Actual Hog Roast, Actual Barn, Actually in the middle of Winter? Perhaps that's not such a good idea. Also, I don't live in Barn country.

Today I will spend, buying things for costumes, and presents, and hopefully food. I may even end up in Big End this evening for the sixth time in a fortnight for TimTim's Birthday. Who knows?

All I want is nothing more

To hear you knocking at my door

'cause if I could see your face once more

I could die as a happy man I'm sure

(the copycat strikes again!)

Carpe diem...

Three Nights On The Trot...

From Sunday to Wednesday I spent time in the company of my nearest and dearest. We shopped, ate, and drank, and yet there was no proper dancing, drunkeness, or the inevitable orgy that should have followed. Oh well, that was how my holiday was spent, or at least the first four days of it. 

Sunday, I potted my Pumpkins, they're doing well, thank you for asking, and Cherry met with me to walk down to the Bay to meet Red. I carried 3kg of compost on my back from Poundland to Home in just over 7 mins. I'm EPIC!

Either way, we ventured out into the blistering sun and wondered down to the Bay. A very pleasant walk, and we came upon a Red, standing there in red (believe it or not) with a bow in her hair. We meeted and greeted and ventured further into the Bay for the reason we were there: The Food Festival. We traveled around for a while trying to find some cash points, but failed to do that and ended up in the new Spoons down there - its a very nice pub, and not at all Spoons like. There's so much glass and openness, and a kitchen you can see into! Not a bad place to find yourself after a 20 min walk. The ladies bought drinks and their cashback and we trounced about in the Festival. Free Samples and Tasters galore, mainly of cheese and wine, although a taster pot of Brownie, Strawberry, and Cream for a quid was nice. 

Pulled-Pork Rolls in hand we munched on the move and ended up at the Secret Beach, not such a secret, but lush nonetheless. I might go there tomorrow if I'm so inclined. We spent an hour or so there, bathing in the water and the sun, and cursing the tourists and their speedboats. SWERRN!

The day ended with a BBQ in the boot of Gloria and the group gathered around the telly for the Returned! I'm miffed that this week I can't join in in Date Night, due to daily commitments, which'll turn into nightly commitments for a day (that sounded dirty). However, I think they might hold off to have a Returned double bill for the following Sunday Date Night. Fingers crossed, I finish at 6pm.

The next morning, as we were still all there we went shopping for Cherry's Party. I treated everyone to Frankie and Bennie's Breakfast (she'll have a side of toast with that) and then to homes for showers and plant watering, and then to IKEA. Where we enjoyed our time discovering new ways to store things and finding out the Henry VIII was a Sex Hunter (true story). We returned to Ponty, with the spoils of war and set about food shopping, and then slobbing on the sofa for the rest of the evening.

Party day happened, the only real-ish lay-in I'll be having this week. I woke at 5ish with the urge to empty my bladder, and a rustling of noise upstairs. I rolled over and tried to ignore the pee warning. At about 7ish, I caved, and went, hoping not to wake the cat. 

SUCCESS! I even witnessed Red in the throws of musical laying down passion. Singing along under her breath, waving her arms, and all-in-all having a good time. She waved her good mornings, and I waved back. 

We set up for a party, cleaning and what-not, until eventual guests arrived. A party was had, BBQs were had, plans were made, and a child was present for most of it. Cherry even got a case of birthday madness as she forced us to play strip poker (Tag and I would have lost some clothes if it wasn't for the countdown), and then set about popping all her balloons at the early morning hours. 

Red slept on the sofa that evening as the spare bed had been annexed by a couple (HB and Mallard). She said she was glad of the company and we spoke for an hour or so. Don't forget to be awesome! It'll all work out in the end, and if it doesn't, then it's not the end.

Skipping Wednesday, as nothing of import happened, save for a long journey to Roath Park. I suggest we all go get ice creams and a peddalow on the lake sometime - who's with me? Thursday I spent doing absolutely nothing, and do you know what - that was really bloody tiring. I played Assassins Creed 2 while watching the final series of Fringe. And I've finished both now. What an odd thing that is. 

Fringe got me thinking, how do you say goodbye to your friends, if you know it's definitely the end? And what would happen if it did? I didn't like that train of thought, it reminded me of funerals and eulogies. 

I also, popped out to the Post Depo this morning, that trip took about an hour and a half. Walking around Cardiff is like walking around Venice, everything's so flat, you can just keep going. Or is that just me? Either way, I had a few packages to pick up. And I'm halfway to becoming a handsome looking cartographer. I need maps, and I need a coat or something (although it will be the height of summer).

I need a haircut, and probably not just a trim this time, maybe just a change of style. Perhaps I should stop caring about the scar and let people think that my barber is a bad hairdresser. I don't know. It's at a stupid looking length at the moment. Maybe I'll feel differently next month, who knows. 

And new in, Red's gone and sent away her Passport stuff, do I have enough holiday allowance left to go abroad? I certainly hope so. I'll have to figure it out I think. I bloody hope so. Otherwise it'll be next spring, and ain't no body got time for that.

...I used to think that I

Would never live past twenty five,

And when you think like that, each day

Is a gift if you survive...

Carpe diem...

P.S. When I'm 40...I'll let you finish that.