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'My Corduroyed Life' - Mark A's Journal
True, February is a short month, but we’re already 1/6 of the way through 2005! Eek!
WORK
I’m still plodding along in my dullsville job. My workload is quite high at the moment due to me taking some time off and my colleagues making a big effort to do absolutely nothing to help me out. I am also still doing the overtime for Careers, and earning a nice little bit of extra money.
JOB HUNTING
I’ve hardly seem anything I’ve been even slightly interested in. There is an internal vacancy in Languages, but I’m unsure whether I want to commit to another sentence here. This job hunting lark really aint that easy, eh?
MONEY
Considering I’ve been away for two weekends, I have miraculously managed to have a few pence left at the end of the month. I have no idea how it’s happened ‘cos I don’t think I’ve been any more frugal than usual this month. How bizarre! I’m thinking about giving up drinking for a month to see how much it saves me money (but realistically, I doubt it’ll happen!).
LOVE LIFE
[insert mushy crap here] I am happy.
NINJA
Due to laziness and horrific busyness over the last month or so, I’ve only been able to make ninja once a week. It shows too: my techniques are weak, and my fitness level (I feel) has plummeted. Must do better.
HEALTH
I feel okay I guess, but as mentioned, I’m getting unfit. Must prevent beer belly! Must exercise. Ooooooh! Telly…
You get the picture.
BOOKS
The fourth A Series of Unfortunate Events book was as much fun as the previous ones, but I think I’m going to take a break from them for a while as they’re slightly samey (says the bloke who’s read 12 Discworld books). I’ve started A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson, and am enjoying that, but due to me now driving to work, I don’t tend to read as much. Something always has to give, don’t it?!
MUSICA
With my PC in a mess again, I’m back to CDs (bloody technology). I’ve won some mid-nineties indie from ebay for silly low prices which is fab. I’ve also won stuff by Aqua and Gloria Estefan. I realised a few months back that I’ll never be the cool innovator who discovers new bands before they get famous guy again. That kinda goes when you stop being a student and admit to yourself that you actually like the Eagles and The Police…
FILM
Um… Been to the cinema once this month and neglected my Screenselect too. Ah well…
Team America: World Police
America… Fuck Yeah! This was funny, clever and utterly hateful! The thing I loved about it was that they didn’t have an agenda and hated and ridiculed the left, the right and everyone else with equal vehemence! Poor Matt Damon [evil grin]. Can’t help thinking that Parker and Stone should have done South Park: The Movie 2 though.
***
I, Robot
Gripping stuff! I loved this film, and was thoroughly gripped throughout. Even the special effects were faultless (and I normally wince at dickie CGI). Its only small fault was its and unoriginal ending (I saw it in anime over 10 years ago).
****
The Grudge
This is another one of those ‘don’t watch it on your own’ Japanese horrors in the vein of Ringu that you scoff at, and then watch on your own and utterly wet yourself. SO dark, SO disturbing, SO spinechilling… SO good!
****
TELLY
Everything that I’ve watched telly wise has been on DVD (or video – remember them?!), but with the release of Doctor Who immanent, I am thinking that I might actually buy an aerial that costs more than a quid from a pound shop…
Quantum Leap - Season One
Another victim of nostalgia. I remember watching this and being utterly addicted in my early teens. Don’t get me wrong, it was perfectly watchable, but just not as good as I remembered. Scott Bakula is still dead fit though.
***
Prime Suspect – Series 4
Three shorter episodes of the wonderful Prime Suspect. The third one was particularly clever and enjoyable as it covered a copycat killer of the very first Prime Suspect.
****
Prime Suspect 5
Back to its original three hour format, and set in Manchester! This was dark and sinister and so very good! I found myself cheering and yelling at the telly!
*****
Dave Gorman’s Googlewhack Adventure
Doesn’t really fit under telly, but I hired it from Screenselect, so thought it worth a mention. This is the funny and silly monologue of a guy who romped all over the world meeting people who happened to be googlewhacks. Dave Gorman’s manic and shouty stand up style very much suits the story and it’s lovely that there’s a happy ending. Minor whinge is that if you’re read the book, you’ve heard most of the jokes though.
****
RPG AND GAMING
Not managed to play Havok for weeks now due to people (myself included) not being able to make Thursdays. However, as mentioned in the last blog: Ninja Oli did a standalone adventure involving genetic experimentation victims which was just creepy and frightening – wonderful stuff.
I flexed my DM muscles once again at the Madhouse Minicon for ‘The Midnight Cowboy roleplay, at midnight’. As I’m planning on reusing the scenario, I’m not going to ruin it for any potential players by chronicling it here. What I will say is that I was really pleased with how it went as I was trying a new system that I’d created myself and some unconventional/ new RP ideas, and they both worked! Hoorah!
Having invested in Munchkin Fu, I have managed to hook in two none geeks (Rob and me mate in Hull, Alf) into the joy that is daft card games. Mwahahahahaha! The world will soon be overrun by geeks and we shall rule the world!
BLOGGING & T’INTERNET
Blog wise, I’ve been somewhat limited for ideas recently, but at least I posted a few last month so that you know that I’m still alive.
Amusing stuff wise, I’ve found some delightful websites (Thanks to Crasi Andy, Ed, and Ninja Oli respectively for the links):
Amusing Llama Song.
The Order of The Stick - A geeky D&D satire.
Big Stick - Another geeky D&D satire.
BLOGROLL
Some are updated more regularly than others…
Alley Katt
Blurty Friends (a number of bloggers that I’ve met through blurty)
Bowch
fishmonger malarky
Fluff (inactive)
mcphee
Mojo (inactive)
Pixie
Prince Gaz
Shooting Parrots
ANYTHING ELSE INTERESTING?
My work put on an international party which I managed to drag Rob and some friends to. It was a fabulous success involving belly dancing, Angolan dancing, an amusing Chinese karaoke singer, and Arabic poetry. Got obscenely drunk and probably embarrassed myself, but I don’t give a monkeys!
I also went to Hull and Spiders again: always lots of fun! I got so very drunk on really not very much money.
And there was the Madhouse minicon that Mark Hayes and I organised in Blackpool. I had SO much fun, but I’m planning on giving that its own blog once I get some photos.
THE WHOLE MONTH IN A FEW WORDS
All things good… except work, job hunting, and the fact there aren’t enough hours in the day.
Have fun,
M x
Current music: America FUCK YEAH! Cominagaintosavethemotherfuckinday, yeah!.