Splinters In T.I.M.E

Wedding photographer...

2012-02-29T23:09:00.000Z

... is now sorted! Toni and I had a really good meeting with a local photographer last night and we have decided that he pressed all the right buttons and will be just what we need.

Slowly but surely everything is coming together nicely. Still so much to arrange and sort out but I am already getting very excited about the whole thing!

Hygenist, new bag and Orpheum rehearsal

2012-02-28T23:21:00.000Z

This morning started in a less than pleasant way with my latest visit to the Hygenist. This is not a trip that I enjoy but for once I got praised for how good my teeth were which was a very pleasant surprise. I just have to keep up the good work now!

Following on from this good news I collected my stuff from home as the postman arrived and I was delighted to find that I has new bag! New bag is good!

Finally I have the perfect sized bag for my requirement that is functional in every way I could have hoped! YAY!

After a busy day at work full of more madness it was off for some light relief at The Unicorn in Kentish Town with a nice JD & diet coke. Orpheum business followed by a rehearsal at Zed One. Overall it wasn't bad although it wasn't great for me as I started to develop a migraine part way through so I struggled a bit. All is going well though I am pleased to report.

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Girly stuff and time out with friends

2012-02-26T23:49:00.000Z

Toni and I spent part of the morning being a bit girly. There was a bit more waxing followed by some plucking of the eyebrows. It's all good :o)

We then headed to Coffee Town with Sam for breakfast and then did a little shopping. Have to admit I did turn a few heads. I don't think Eltham was ready for a trans KT walking around in cropped leggings and tights :o) Oh well, they'll have to get used to the idea *grin*

In the afternoon Toni and drove off to North London to go and visit our friends Caz Mumin and Darren Tite. We had an awesome time. There was lovely good at Kervan's followed by ice cream back at their's. We even managed a little shopping at a fantastic Turkish shop nearby. The rest of the evening was made up of 80s music videos, drinking tea and coffee, chatting and a guest appearance from Darren Law too. We even survived the attention of five cats too without having to resort to anti-histamines. It was a wonderful escape for the evening but as with all good things it had to come to an end and we headed back home. We'll definitely be back for more shopping and Kervan's and also offering a return of hospitality back this way.

Breakfast, tidying up, iCade fenzy, kebabs and Fawlty Towers

2012-02-25T23:39:00.000Z

Breakfast today came courtesy of the lovely Coffee Town. We spend far too much time and money in there but it is SO nice!

When we returned home Toni went to bed as she wasn't feeling well. Sam and I tidied up the house and then had a session on my new iCade unit. Downloaded loads of games to play including an awesome compatible version of Pacman along with various other ZX Spectrum "classics". The iCade is totally amazing and Temple Run also came into it's own when plated on it. Such an awesome present!!!!

Toni returned to the land of the living later on and we enjoyed a nice kebab and had some light relief courtesy of Fawlty Towers. It was a great way to end the day!

Rammstein @ The O2

2012-02-24T23:49:00.000Z

Toni and I hit The O2 tonight to see Deathstars and Rammstein. We started off with a meal in Wagamama's before hitting the merchandise stand and spending and not inconsiderable amount on T-Shirts.

DEATHSTARS
We got into our seats not long after Deathstars started their set. They were good although the sound was a bit ropey and they didn't really have long enough to play.

See all the DEATHSTARS pics here: https://picasaweb.google.com/104946465990175774467/240212DeathstarsTheO2

RAMMSTEIN
As the bridge started to descend and the steam and sparks started to fly it was one of those WOW moments!

What then followed was an amazing set of Rammstein classics spanning their 10 year career.

See all the RAMMSTEIN pics here: https://picasaweb.google.com/104946465990175774467/240212RammsteinTheO2

An absolutely brilliant night, two great bands and a fantastic show!

Awesome birthday present: iCade!

2012-02-23T23:56:00.000Z

Today was my birthday and I had a wonderful day! So lovely to get such a lovely set of messages on Facebook, loads of cards and the most amazing present.

Toni (and all the rest of the family) bought me an iCade. What is an iCade you ask? It's a wooden cabinet shaped like an arcade machine with joystick and buttons that is compatible with my iPad. Have started off with Atari classics and my next stop will be ZX Spectrum Elite classics! It is such a cool present, totally amazing. A throwback to my yoof and the trigger of much nerdgasms!

Finished the day off with an amazing meal of chicken, rabbit, cheese sauce and wedges followed by chocolate cake and Gu puddings! All this washed down with a healthy dose of Airplane!

Off to A&E with Sam

2012-02-22T23:54:00.000Z

.... today was definitely a day of the "didn't plan to do this" variety.

Had to leave work early to rush back home so that Toni and I could take Sam to hospital as he was having trouble putting pressure on his knee. Lots of waiting, x-rays, more waiting resulted in a verdict of ligament damage in the knee, a brace and crutches!

CD proofs and Orpheum rehearsal

2012-02-21T10:54:00.000Z

Band meeting in The Unicorn tonight went very well. Lots of important things were discussed and we got to see the proofs of the Treason EP cover as well. They look fabulous. It is very exciting to be in a band that actually has a product. Next stop is finding live gigs!

Rehearsal went really well and we are starting to sound very polished. Next stop will be working on stagecraft and interaction to put the final touches to our "show". Exciting stuff!

Elimination Chamber, wedding invites, more waxing!

2012-02-20T23:55:00.000Z

Busy day at work although dull as hell. Have a few more days of monotony before I can get back on to the exciting stuff again!

Got home and we all sat down to watch WWE's Elimination Chamber PPV. This was actually better than some of the recent events although it is a shame that half the show seems to now be made up of catch up video clips or new promotional montages that means they can reduce the actual amount of in ring action. Hopefully they'll not be doing that come Wrestlemania time!

Toni and I prepared a load of wedding invites to be posted and handed out this week. It's all getting quite exciting now that we have actually reached the stage of inviting people!

I finished the evening with a continuation of the waxing. It's all going rather well and not much left to do now. Toni seems to quite enjoy doing it too, maybe she just like inflicting pain on me LOL. Don't know why I didn't start doing this years ago as it is amazing! Can't wait until it's all finished and then it will be quite easy to maintain.

Coffee Town, Man Flu, TV catch up and waxing

2012-02-19T22:59:00.002Z

Late breakfast/lunch was provided courtesy of Coffee Town in Eltham! All hail the Burger Tall Town with cheese and extra bacon accompanied by chips and a bucket of tea!

Popped into Sainsburys for some provisions and some drugs for Sam's illness. We bought some of this for him just because it made us laugh

The smell was disgusting but it tasted quite nice!

TV catch up time as we watched latest Vampire Diaries and then watched the end of Warehouse 13 again so Toni could be up to speed with it.

The evening was also spent with me having a bit of a waxing! OUCH was the word but the results were amazing and so much better than shaving!

Meal at Ziyafet then shopping!

2012-02-18T22:04:00.000Z

Today was pre-birthday meal day.
Toni, Sam, Aaron, Jade, Leanne, Antony, Shivaani, Indie, Jamie, Bob and I went to Ziyafet in Eltham for a Turkish meal. We had a lovely time and some fantastic food. It was nice to get out, chill out and relax in a restaurant and not feel rushed.

I got an early birthday present from Leanne and Antony: Hello Kitty card, bottle of JD and some Hello Kitty tattoo transfers from Shivaani, most pleasing! *grin*

Indie tried to ween herself on a lemon which was SO funny!

After the meal it was shopping time with Toni, Jade, Sam and I hitting Eltham High Street. Jade and Sam got bored and headed back but Toni and I pressed on regardless. Superdrug was the downfall for us as we ended up spending a LOT on some lovely beauty products! Life is good when you can buy products to share!

The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing @ The Bowery

2012-02-17T23:53:00.000Z

Toni and I met up after work to hit town to go to The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing's album launch party. We started off with some food at Wagamama's before heading to The Bowery on New Oxford Street.

Punks of the steam variety @ The Bowery:

AXIS MUNDI
This band were amazing. Acid trip samples and beats along with emo screamo rock and metal. The combination of the two was superb! Like being at a rock gig while standing in the middle of a field in Wiltshire back in the 90s! So much energy and fantastic songs! A definite must see!

See all the AXIS MUNDI pics here: https://picasaweb.google.com/104946465990175774467/170212AxisMundiTheBowery

Here's a video of The Limitations Of Thinking Things Are Real:

Interval comedy and poetry was provided by (I'll change this when I can remember). He was a very funny man with some great gags and poems.

THE MEN THAT WILL NOT BE BLAMED FOR NOTHING
We've seem them before and we'll see them again! This band are firing on all cylinders with a great blend of steampunk style and substance and punk and metal songs mashed up with comedy. Another fantastic night from them and I can't wait for the new album to come out.

Nice to get out to a gig again and this was a real stormer!

Orpheum release Treason EP on 12th March

2012-02-16T23:45:00.000Z

It's been a while coming but Orpheum are pleased to announce that their debut EP, Treason, will be released on 12th March. The Treason EP can be ordered as a CD or download and costs just £3. The first 10 orders of the CD version will get some surprise extras, including a signed photo of the band. Orders can be placed using PayPal on the Orpheum web store: www.orpheum.co/store

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T23:12:00.000Z

Happy Valentine's Day to my gorgeous fiancé Toni!

I love you so very very much!

We exchanged some wonderful gifts today. I gave Toni a Myth & Magic Garden Of Delight figurine and something naughty and I received a lovely painting of Whitby Abbey and a fabulous new dress. I have to say that as a trans person it is pretty damn amazing to have someone buy you a dress for Valentine's Day!

Orpheum band meeting and rehearsal

2012-02-13T23:33:00.000Z

Tonight Orpheum met up for a band meeting and rehearsal. Everything is almost in place now for our EP release. More details on this will be available very shortly! I can't wait to get the release out there, it's been a while coming and hopefully it will be well received.

Rehearsal went really well and things are tightening up nicely. Only a few minor things to work on now and we'll be completely ready to hit the road!

Underworld: Awakening 3D

2012-02-12T21:52:00.000Z

Toni, Jade, Sam and I ventured off to Greenwich to the Odeon cinema to see Underworld: Awakening 3D.

I wasn't sure what to expect after being slightly disappointed by Rise Of The Lycans. I was pleasantly surprised though as Awakening was really really good. The story was good with a nice twist on the whole Underworld landscape. It was great to see Kate Beckinsale return in the catsuit, corset and boots (oh how I wish I had the figure to pull that look off LOL). This time though Selene is hardcore with plenty of action, blood and gore and her taking on a very hard vengeful role.

I thoroughly enjoyed Underworld: Awakening 3D and thankfully they have left the door nicely open for a sequel which I am delighted about!

The only bad thing for me was the fact that it was in 3D. I've never really been a fan of 3D movies and although the technology is impressive I still find it just a bit too finicky and unnecessary for the cinema. It didn't take anything away from a great film though I just wish it had been in 2D. Hopefully this will happen with the sequel.

If you are a fan of the Underworld franchise then Awakening is definitely a must see!

Here's the trailer:

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Visiting SWF and seeing the babies & Fellowship Of The Ring

2012-02-11T23:15:00.000Z

Today we ventured back to SWF to go and see Sophie, Sam, Scarlett and Kenzie. We went over taking gifts for Scarlett's birthday which she loved.

Took the opportunity to grab some new photos of the monkeys

While there we took the opportunity to indulge in Rockit Pizza so that Toni could have a pizza for a change as they do a gluten free range. Completely stuffed we loaded up the car with various bits I wanted to take back and then headed back to Eltham with Sam.

One shopping trip to Asda later and we were earing doughnuts and watching the extended version of Fellowship Of The Ring on Blu-ray!

Monkey go Ugg, films and trans day

2012-02-10T23:50:00.000Z

As some of you are probably aware I am not really a fan of Ugg boots. They are a real fashion faux pas for me. Sadly there are a LOT of woman who find then acceptable to wear. It amused me greatly to see this monkey adorned with matching Ugg boot! How tasteful!

The day was spent taking drugs for my teeth, working out new ways to try and eat so I could get off of the liquid diet and also watching films. Three Musketeers, Roast Of David Hasselhof and Four Lions were my entertainment buddies.

In between these activities I also took the opportunity while I was at home to embrace my trans side. It was nice to kick back and wear what I wanted to wear. I am so lucky that Toni loves that side of me and actively encourages and supports me (and provides valuable advice/tips too!)

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Tooth fairies

2012-02-09T22:51:00.001Z

Today was not a particularly enjoyable day for me. I had a lovely 10am appointment at Queen Mary Hospital to have three tooth extractions. Had to go there as there was no way on this earth that I was going to have it down at the dentist under a local. Sedation is the only way for me!

Started badly when the hospital dentist told me that they would be doing it under a local. I politely told her that was NOT happening and that sedation was the reason that I was there. Thankfully this was not a problem.

We got off to a bad start when veins decided they weren't going to pay ball. Fortunately one of the nurses was very good and with a little time managed to get a vein up so they could get the tube in and begin sedation. It didn't take long for me to be away with the fairies. Two hours later I came round very groggy. Toni was there to take me home and remember all the instructions that were given. Just as well really as I didn't take any of it in.

The rest of the day was spent taking drugs, drinking tea and soup and watching stuff. I started off with Carry On Screaming and moved on to Lost Girl and watched the first couple of episodes of the first season. It's a good little show that I look forward to seeing more of.

The evening finished in comedy mode as I dragged out the old Chewing' The Fat DVDs.

I'm actually amazed how little discomfort I am feeling at the moment (unlike when I had my first ever extraction). Hopefully the healing will be quick and I won't suffer much at all through it.

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Frustrating and emotional day then Being Human

2012-02-07T23:52:00.001Z

Today was very frustrating. Things didn't start well with my usual train being cancelled which resulted in me having to board a packed Charing Cross on and then have the fun and games of changing at London Bridge which is always mega busy first thing on the morning.

Work continued in that manner for the rest of the day. Things that were supposed to have taken no more than half a day yesterday spilled over into today and ended up taking 200% more time than planned to do one job when the estimate was actually to do much more than that in the allotted time. Things are going to have to change on that front I can tell you.

The afternoon was then spent going round in circles and feeling like I was going nowhere. Sometimes you get a crafty little problem pop up that makes no real sense and takes ages to diagnose exactly what is happening. Fingers crossed we can get to the bottom of of tomorrow.

On the emotional front Toni was having a really bad day today. I feel so useless when she is hurting as I know I can't really do anything to help. Yes I can be there for her but I hate not being able to make it better. It makes me sad when she is upset as she means the world to me. She's been so strong through all that happens but today it all caught up with her :o)

We finished the day off watching the first episode of the 4th Being Human series. Wow is all I can say! A very bold kick off to the new season with some unexpected things happening. I can't wait to see how it all develops.

New beginnings

2012-02-06T11:20:00.001Z

Today was the start of new beginnings and it was successful on day one. We all woke up at 07:00 and were all up and dressed and downstairs for 07:30. We then all sat down and had breakfast together, this was a real first for a weekday. Having breakfast at all is a novelty!

Work was pretty busy and ended with our usual puppet show/yawn fest. Such a waste of time but I guess it makes management feel important.

Spent a lot of this evening writing letters to various bodies notifying them of name and address changes. I think I've just about covered them all but no doubt something will creep out of the woodwork over time.

In other news I received my new bank card in the name of Glitz! It pleases me much!

Finished the night off with more wedding stuff. We are now moving slowly forward with cake and photographic requirements.

Walking in the snow, wedding stuff and new regime

2012-02-05T22:14:00.001Z

Toni and I had a lovely walk in the snow today. It was very peaceful outside with so few people and virtually no traffic.

We stopped off in town and had a couple of pots of tea in Coffee Town before strolling back home again. I am really glad that we took the time to do this.

When we got back it was time to do some more wedding stuff, we are cooking with gas now with everything coming together quite nicely. Lots more ideas starting to flow and there is definitely a plan coming together!

Another interesting development is some lifestyle changes that we are about to make and implement to improve our general well being. The first really nice one was having a meal and NOT having the TV on. We had some background music on and enjoyed conversation while we ate. Definitely a marked improvement. Stage two is early nights and early mornings with breakfast now mandatory and not optional. That should make a real difference on getting through the day.

Lots more to come too, it's all excitement and go here!

Snowdrops keep falling on my head!

2012-02-04T23:25:00.000Z

I was a very happy bunny tonight as the snow finally arrived and started settling very nicely!

The wedding planners

2012-02-04T22:00:00.000Z

It was a very productive day on the wedding front. Venue is now booked and confirmed. Ceremony ideas are starting to form and take shape. Invitations are designed and ordered. Potential photographer has been contacted. Cake maker hopefully prepared to accept the challenge of gluten free cookery. Colours for bridesmaids now agreed. Still so much to do but we have we achieved a lot today!

More information will be revealed in due course ;o)

We has Kitty!

2012-02-03T23:11:00.000Z

Today Toni and I took a trip to Tottenham to go to Original Skin for me to go and get my next tattoo. After a bit of chill time with Caz Mumin I was called in to see Cilla North.

Cilla is a fantastic artist and very user friendly too an we had a great time whilst she was inking me with mucho laughter to be had.

So here it is, my fantastic new tattoo. I am VERY pleased with it!

Orpheum rehearsal, ants and grubs

2012-01-31T23:59:00.000Z

It was an awesome day on the Orpheum front today. The mixing of the final track of the EP is almost finished and then we'll be ready to prepare for launch. Artwork is all agreed and production and distribution is being finalised! To make it even better we have a couple of radio stations wanting to play us.

We started off with our usual per-rehearsal band meeting in The Unicorn. Fin brought snacks of the most unusual variety: toasted ants and grubs. The ants tasted a bit like bacon and weren't bad at all. The grubs were like pork scratchings but without the pork flavour!

I was the only one brave enough to try them there and then LOL

Rehearsal was really good and it will only take a few more before we can hit the road. It's not just about the songs now as we are working on stage craft as well as the set list.

It's all exciting stuff in the Orpheum world!

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Fun and games

2012-01-30T22:09:00.001Z

It was great fun at work today instigating my official name change with HR. there were so many people that thought I was joking, it was most amusing trying to explain to them that it is real and now my legal name!

I'm still working my way through the list of people that I need to contact but it does feel like I am getting there slowly. Saturday was really funny going in to the bank and being greeted with one name and coming out as Mr Glitz.

In other good news I have booked in for my next tattoo on Friday afternoon and today I received my shiny new iPhone 4S. Life is so good right now!

Call me Mister GLITZ

2012-01-27T10:30:00.000Z

Today was a very special day for me. Today was new me day as I said goodbye to my old self and legally became MR GLITZ. I have to say it feels good!

Can't wait to see the reactions of people at work as they have to get used to the change! Much confusion will be afoot methinks, nothing like mixing things up!

So, from now on please call me Mister GLITZ!

Saying farewell to Gail

2012-01-26T23:35:00.000Z

Today was a day we had all been dreading but everything went well as we said farewell to Gail and celebrated her life. The service was really nice and was very fitting. Afterwards friends and family went back to Leanne's to toast Gail and share stories and general chit chat. There was no room to move with so many people crammed in. It was a very fitting celebration.

Cheers Gail!You were a wonderful woman and will be greatly missed.

Tea Will Rock You

2012-01-24T23:44:00.000Z

We got some awesome mugs!
Tea Will Rock You

Minister For Equalities?.....

2012-01-24T18:06:00.000Z

....surely some mistake!

So, Theresa May is the Minister For Women & Equalities. Now that's an interesting appointment giving some of here political moves over the years. It's no wonder we live in such a prejudiced place with people like this responsible for making sure things are fair!

Here's a brief overview of some her outstanding views that make her such a fitting and appropriate appointment!

Last.FM listening post

2012-01-24T07:30:00.000Z

Here are the things I've been listening to this week

TOP ARTISTS

01 - Adam and the Ants
02 - Adam Ant
03 - Madonna
04 - Helloween
05 - Abney Park
06 - Gamma Ray
07 - The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing
08 - The Cog is Dead
09 - Deadly Nightshade Botanical Society
10 - Calatrilloz

TOP TRACKS

01 - Adam and the Ants – Never Trust a Man (With Egg on His Face)
02 - Adam Ant – Place in the Country [#][Demo Version]
03 - Abney Park – Under the Radar
04 - Madonna – Crazy for You
05 - Madonna – Into the Groove
06 - Helloween – Eagle Fly Free
07 - Adam and the Ants – The Human Beings
08 - Adam and the Ants – Catholic Day
09 - Adam and the Ants – The Idea
10 - Adam and the Ants – It Doesn't Matter

Mad At The World: TransGlitz ranting!

2012-01-20T23:59:00.000Z

I'm not just cross, I'm having a very angry dresser time at the moment. I am mad at the world. Positively raging!

This has been brooding all week but I just had to speak out as today is International Fetish Day.

International Fetish Day is a day supporting the BDSM community. The main purpose of International Fetish Day is to increase awareness and support of the fetish community, whilst also opposing the new law criminalising possession of "extreme pornography". It is also designed to encourage members of the community to be more open about their sexuality.

I hate the fact that we live in such a horribly prejudiced world where we cannot be who we want to be without fear. If I want to dress differently and look different then surely that is my right. I'm not hurting anybody or having an effect on anybody else so why can't I just be me?

As you are probably aware I like to dress up from time to time when I go out clubbing or to events. Usually this is all a little extravagant and not necessarily for daily use. I would however also like to be able to wear what I want every day, whether that be at home, out and about in town or going to work. I hate the fact that I have to think about whether or not I should do this or not. Why shouldn't I?

So many women have an amazing choice of clothes and shoes to wear out everyday, they can dress “a la femme” or “a l’homme” and nobody bats an eyelid really at what they are wearing (fashion police crises excepted of course). Why can’t that apply to everyone? Why can’t I wear a skirt out and about or to work, or wear girly shoes? What does the way I dress have to do with the way I function as a person or in my ability to do my job?

I would like to be able to dress in any casual style that I choose whether that be predominantly male, female or a combination of the two. Would I look any less smart at work if I applied that same principle to dressing business casual or even full business power dressing?

Methinks things need to change! Time to start instigating it from within! It might be little things here and there but I am tired of being (and feeling) trapped and suppressed by the prejudices of others and having to toe the line with what society sees as 'normal'.

Engaging Butterfly Mode, transformation entering transitioning phase.......

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First Orpheum rehearsal of 2012

2012-01-19T23:58:00.001Z

Today was the first Orpheum rehearsal of 2012. In accordance with tradition we met at The Unicorn for a catch up and a wee tipple. Erin presented us all with some Xmas presents which was lovely. Fin then showed us a mock up of our EP cover which looked pretty cool.

Suitably refreshed it was off to Zed One to see how much damage six weeks off had done us. Thankfully the answer was not much at all! Admittedly there was a little rust and a few things to brush up on but nothing really serious.

Two blasts through the set list and then we did a bit of work on a new song. I know I am biased but this one is shaping up really well and shows great promise. Should be some nice harmonies in there which I adore.

I made my way home feeling really excited and fired up for what 2012 might offer Orpheum!

If you haven't already please check out our website:
www.orpheum.co

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The Girl Who Played With Fire

2012-01-18T23:00:00.007Z

Tonight we moved onto the second part of the Millennium Trilogy, The Girl Who Played With Fire. As with The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo we watched the subtitled Swedish version rather than put up with bad dubbing. This was also an excellent film, great writing, direction and acting and to be honest the lack of English language took nothing away from it at all.It actual fills me with dread to think what the American "adaption" of Dragon is going to come out like now! I have a feeling I am going to be disappointed after seeing these.Can't wait to get on to the final part on Friday. After watching that I have a feeling we'll be moving on to The Killing, another foreign language series, this time in Danish!

Automation blues, travel hell and dragon tattoos

2012-01-17T23:56:00.000Z

Today highlighted why testing automation is not always the best thing in the world. With the latest cut of software our automation scripts were less than reliable. Almost a day was spent with two of us adding in resource and it just felt like we had wasted our time. That day could have spent actually testing rather than trying to maintain failing scripts. Automation, nein danke!

My frustration day was followed up by travel hell. Got on the train at Cannon Street only to be told that due to a points failure platforms one to three were out of action, there was only one way in and out of the station and our best bet was to take he first train to London Bridge. So we all got off the train and went to platform four where finding a space to squeeze into was a real challenge. London Bridge was rammed. I made two attempts to get trains to Mottingham and Eltham but failed as the crowds were so dense that the trains had left before I got there. Attempts at getting to Lewisham were aborted due to the sheer volume of people cramming on. In the end I managed to squeeze onto a train to Ladywell and had to be picked up by Toni. This was NOT the journey home that I had wanted or needed!

A lovely dinner and some TNA wrestling was then followed by a nice chill out and the 2008 Swedish version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I've not read the books yet but I really enjoyed this film. I also plan to go and see the 2011 remake to see how that compares.

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Going into Hyperdrive and tears

2012-01-16T23:00:00.023Z

Working day was OK today, nothing special and our Monday afternoon waste of time puppet show has resumed again which always takes the edge off of the day LOL. It's one of those meetings that nobody wants to be at, nobody wants to say anything and we have to listen to one person blowing hot air for 30 minutes plus.

When I got home I had to endure the tail end of Monty Python's Meaning Of Life. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike the film but I have seen it far too many times of late so I am just a bit numb to it. Saying that though, salmon moose and the following quote from the Grim Reaper always make me smile:"Shut up, you American. You Americans, all you do is talk, and talk, and say 'let me tell you something' and 'I just wanna say.' Well, you're dead now, so shut up."

Dinner was a gorgeous casserole that mum had given us to take back accompanied by stir fried cabbages, jacket potato and roasted squash. Yummy yum yum!

The rest of the evening entertainment was a few episodes of Nick Frost's sci-fi parody Hyperdrive:

This was then followed up by the last episode of My Transsexual Summer. I'm not too proud to admit that it was very emotional and made me cry!

Breakfast, Jimmy Spice, travelling back and transsexuals

2012-01-15T23:51:00.001Z

Had another good day with mum. We got up late and had a cuppa with bacon and scrambled eggs. Bad decision on my part as I'd forgotten that we were booked into Jimmy Spice at 13:30! Oh well LOL

We had a chill out before heading off to Jimmy's. Alongside the usual world cuisine buffet they had a carvery as well today. It was gorgeous roast pork and salmon. The only bad thing was that I didn't get to eat loads as I was still stuffed from breakfast!

The rest of the afternoon was spent chilling, drinking tea and reading. Sadly that time arrived when it was time to pack up and head off. We made good time getting back. It was lovely seeing mum again and it was good for Toni to be able to get away for a while and just relax and enjoy some time out.

More tea was accompanied by the first three episodes of My Transsexual Summer. It was such a fantastic programme and as you can imagine I could relate quite well to a few of the people in the show. We'll be watching the final part tomorrow night! I hope that it has raised some awareness of the transgender community and will start paving the way for more acceptance in the world at large.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

New rings, delightful tea and Il Moro Ristorante

2012-01-14T23:22:00.071Z

After a nice brunch mum, Toni and I ventured out into Stratford for a mooch around the shops. We started off with the market and discovered a beautiful jewellery store that sold gorgeous silver hand made designs. Mum treated Toni and I to a ring each as an engagement present and also got one for herself. Keep reading for the pics!

After the ring shopping we then went for a cuppa in a wonderful tea shop called the Real Tea Cafe. I did ask if there was unreal one too LOL! They the most amazing range of tea that I have ever seen anywhere. Mum had an Earl Grey while Toni and I had infusions, Red Berry Explosion for me and a citrus one for Toni. Out of this world is all I can say!

We then popped home for a chill before heading out for out evening meal. The plan had been to go to Lambs but as they were only prepared to let us stay for a short time we opted for Il Moro Ristorante as we didn't want to be rushed. It turned out to be a fantastic choice!

We started off with G&T and JD and ordered some wine.....

Then it was time to order some food!

Apertifs, shared between the three of us:

PANE FRESCO (v)
Selection of warm home-made fresh breads served with olive oil & balsamic vinegar

SALUMI E FORMAGGI
Italian salumi, pecorino, goats’ cheese, cherry tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, artichokes, pesto & olives for two to share

OMG, how nice was that and we weren't even on to the starters!

Starters, once again shared between us all:

GAMBERONI ALL’AGLIO
Sautéed king prawns, asparagus chilli & garlic butter, with toasted home-made bread

CALAMARI FRITTI
Lightly fried squid served with garlic mayonnaise & lemon (Toni had a non battered version of this, how cools it that?)

Main course, we all had this with salad or veg side dishes:

BISTECCA DI BUE
Grilled 10oz Rib eye steak on a bed of diced & roasted rosemary potatoes &cherry tomatoes

I have NEVER eaten a steak before that I was happy to take my time over but this as SO worth it. It was out of this world.

Pudding was a choice of ice cream and sorbet scoops! Never has so much been eaten by so few!

Wow, wow and wow again. Such a fantastic meal and no rush from the restaurant at all! If you are ever in Stratford upon Avon then please go to Il Moro Ristorante. They can be found online here: http://ilmoro.co.uk/

So finally I have to mention the rings again. They are all gorgeous. Here they are. Clockwise from the top (mum, me, Toni)

Steak and Stratford upon Avon

2012-01-13T23:59:00.000Z

A busy day at work was improved upon by a lovely piece of steak accompanied by potato wedges. Steak is always good and fixes most ailments LOL

After a lovely meal Toni and I hit the road and drove to Stratford upon Avon to see my mum for the weekend. We were greeted with wine and nibbles (including cockles and whelks) so we ended the day in a very relaxed way!

Visiting Karen, a welcome escape

2012-01-12T23:57:00.000Z

Toni and I went over to see Karen tonight as we hadn't seen her for a good few months. She made us a glorious fish pie for dinner which was delicious. Tea and conversation flowed.....

We even had late Xmas presents which were awesome and perfect for us!

What more could the Glizerati ask for?

Toni also got a fab bracelet

It was a light hearted evening and a nice escape for a few hours.

- Posted using BlogPress on my iPhone

He's back, let the blogging continue!

2012-01-11T23:20:00.000Z

Hello again one and all! Sorry I've been a bit quiet but as you can imagine the last week has been a little out of the ordinary! It all seems a little hazy and there is still so much to do while trying to balance emotions and support everyone. One day at a time is the rule at the moment. On the whole though everyone is hanging in there pretty well!

We had BT Infinity installed this morning that means we have some shit hot downloads going on (when we aren't caught up in server/router congestion). Uploads are a pretty good speed too. BT in getting it right first time shock!

In some astounding news I was sorting out getting my final bills for gas and electric for SWF and I had a bit of a shock. Firstly my final bill with e.on for my electricity was a meagre £35. Southern Electric have yet to calculate my finally bill but my account currently stands a whopping £700 in CREDIT! No matter how big my final bill with them turns out to be I have a feeling I'll be receiving a very nice refund!

On the subject of refunds, there was another one due today too. I went to Liverpool Street station to transfer my season ticket from SWF + London Zones 1-6 to Mottingham + London Zones 1-6. This was essentially a ticket downgrade which meant that there was money to come back. Sadly it won't be direct to me but goes to the company but at least it means my monthly season ticket loan payments will be reduced considerably which is most welcome.

Work is very busy at the moment but thankfully fairly frustration free which makes things so much easier! Just waiting on my manager completing my appraisal for 2011 (this was supposed to have been done by the end of 2011 but he has failed on that front!). I wonder how many more times I'll have to chase him LOL

Pleasant evening spent at home with Jodie (and Azalea) and Jade coming over for Chinese food and Harry Potter.

Blogging service has now returned to normal!

Gail Scott (03/10/49 - 05/01/12)

2012-01-05T22:33:00.002Z

Sadly, Gail Scott (Toni's mum) passed away in the early hours of this morning. You will be greatly missed Gail by all your family and friends.

Here's a brief trip down memory lane:

Rest in peace Gail.

Woolwich Town Hall and good deeds with nice rewards

2012-01-04T22:13:00.000Z

Toni and I went to Woolwich Town Hall today in the first step of wedding preparations. Apart from enjoying the usual council "efficiency" I was delighted to be in a such a beautiful building. One check with a security guard later and I was happily snapping away!

Whilst en route to the Town Hall I found a mobile phone in the road. Being the honest type I went through the address book and text a number called Dad and explained that I had found the phone and I could be contacted for it to be collected. A very happy man called me straight back and we arranged for him to pop over when I got home from work.

I was absolutely delighted when he turned up to collect the phone and presented me with a nice bottle if Pinot Grigio as a reward for being so honest. Chuffed? Yes I was!

Busy day, moving more stuff, phew and PC set up

2012-01-02T23:30:00.003Z

Today was another busy day! Toni and I headed back to SWF to pick up some more of my stuff including my desk and PC. It took a fair while to get everything taken apart and bagged up before we could cart it all back to Eltham. We had hoped that in moving more stuff out the elusive passports might have turned up but things were all negative on that front so it was looking like I would have to cancel two passports and then pay a further £150 to get the pair of them replaced!

We returned to Eltham and I started reconstructing my desk and PC. At the same time Toni decided to check in an old rucksack that she used to use for going back and forth between home and SWF and by some stroke of luck BOTH passports were there. Hurrah and PHEW! That was close and lucky I hadn't actually cancelled them!

I was delighted to get my PC up and running too, it's nice to have ones comforts with one! LOL

Ed popped round to pick up some stuff we were getting rid of for a boot fair and we had a cuppa and a catch up. He'll also be giving us some much appreciated assistance in carting some larger bits of furniture over from SWF.

Dinner was a mishmash of various bits from the fridge which was actually VERY nice and we chilled out watching Hitch before hitting the pit. It's been a great (but busy) start to 2012 and it's a real shame that I am back to work again tomorrow!

Garfunkels, mission accomplished and panic

2012-01-01T23:32:00.009Z

Today started late-ish with Toni, Gemima and I going to Garfunkel's for a late breakfast/lunch as there was nothing in the house.

On our return it was time to continue the mammoth task of tidying up the stuff that I had brought over. Am pleased to say that not only did we manage to get the Xmas decs away but we also managed to get everything that I had brought over from SWF put away somewhere (which also included a little extra clearing out). It was a definite mission accomplished.

At the end of the tidy up panic set in. While sorting through all my paperwork we realised that Toni didn't have Sam and my passports and neither were they in my files. We searched through everything but to no avail and despite getting Sophie and Sam to have a look in SWF the passports were nowhere to be found. Aaaargh!

Happy New Year!!!!!!

2012-01-01T00:01:00.005Z

Here we are in 2012. Life just seems to get better and better and this year is going to be amazing!

Happy New Year to all my family and friends...

Leanne & Antony's wedding

2011-12-31T16:00:00.000Z

Up early today to get ready and go to Leanne & Antony's wedding. The weather was good and we all met up in Sidcup at the Register Office. The ceremony was very sweet and it was nice to see it being light hearted and not too serious.

The ceremony followed by a lovely meal at Frogpool Manor Farm.

Last.FM 2011 Overall TOP 20 Charts

2011-12-31T07:30:00.001Z

As the weekly charts are still knackered I decided to do a post with my top listening habits on Last.FM for 2011.

So here it is:

TOP 20 ARTISTS:
01 - Nosferatu
02 - Cryogenica
03 - Devilish Presley
04 - Global Citizen
05 - The Sisters of Mercy
06 - Rome Burns
07 - Psychic TV
08 - Rufus Wainwright
09 - Rammstein
10 - Peppermint Creeps
11 - Midnight Configuration
12 - Inkubus Sukkubus
13 - Abney Park
14 - The Mission
15 - The Dolmen
16 - Deathstars
17 - The 69 Eyes
18 - Rhombus
19 - The Cog is Dead
20 - Blutengel

TOP 20 ALBUMS:
01 - Cryogenica – Re-Animation
02 - Cryogenica – I Have No Name
03 - Rome Burns – The Static Murmur
04 - The Cog is Dead – Steam Powered Stories
05 - Global Citizen – Master Stroke
06 - Global Citizen – Tea Time Expanded Limited Coll
07 - Nosferatu – The Prophecy
08 - Nosferatu – Rise
09 - Rome Burns – Non Specific Ghost Stories
10 - Global Citizen – Nil By Mouth
11 - Devilish Presley – Flesh Ride
12 - Nosferatu – Wonderland
13 - Nosferatu – Prince of Darkness
14 - Deadly Nightshade Botanical Society – Accoutrements & Oddities
15 - Devilish Presley – Memphisto
16 - Devilish Presley – Rust Garden
17 - Abney Park – Lost Horizons
18 - Rosetta Stone – On the Side of Angels
19 - Nosferatu – Lord Of The Flies
20 - Rhombus – Remembrance Day

Club Antichrist: Not New Year's Eve Party

2011-12-30T23:59:00.012Z

Dressing up is so much fun! Toni and I threw on the glad rags and headed out to Vauxhall for Club Antichrist's Not New Year's Eve Party.

We saw some great bands and acts, had a few drinks and a fair bit of dancing. Sadly we didn't stay all night due to New Year's Eve plans that required us being up early. We had a fantastic time though and can't wait for the next one!

Cursed travel, productive, wedding venue

2011-12-29T23:30:00.003Z

Second day back and the cursed travel continues. Yesterday was the fault of NXEA and today it was the turn of Southeastern. This time it was trains reversed from their usual schedule and then a packed station being serviced with a short train meaning that I couldn't get on and had to wait 15 minutes for the next one! Not as bad as yesterday but still fecking annoying nonetheless.

Work was very productive. 'Critical' project is almost complete now and was far less painful than I had feared it might be. Just the chaos of our Vancouver chums trying to implement our workflow next year to look forward to now! LOL

After work I rushed off to meet Toni so we could whizz off for a tour of a potential wedding venue. I'm not going to tell you anything here but we are both very excited about it! More will be revealed in 2012!

Home made turkey soup accompanied by Role Models and snuggling on the sofa finished the evening off very nicely!

First day back, stuff and El Bandito

2011-12-28T23:25:00.000Z

First day back at work today which commenced with a travel nightmare. Thanks for that NXEA!

The office was very quiet with only a skeleton crew in attendance which was odd. Fairly productive day though with good progress made on a 'critical' task.

Got home to find Toni knee deep in stuff! My stuff to be precise as she was frantically trying to make room for all of it (plus the car full outside).

As Toni had been slaving away all day, and we were child free, I decided we should go out for dinner. El Bandito was our venue of choice and we had a lovely two hours chatting about wedding plans and enjoying some gorgeous Tex Mex food.

Fullbellyitis kicked in on our return home so we had a quick look at wedding dresses and colour options before retiring for snuggles.

- Posted using BlogPress on my iPhone

Meet the family and more clearing up

2011-12-27T23:59:00.000Z

Today was meet the family day for Sophie. We commenced with a trip to Leanne's were she met Leanne, Shivaani, Bob and Pam. A quick catch up, cuppa and present opening was followed by us heading to Eltham to pick up some bits.

Our trip to Marks & Spencer brought us an unexpected surprise. A woman drove into the back of us we were leaving. Thankfully it was very slow speed so no damage appeared to be done just a little shock! We did take her details just in case though.

Once we had returned we started preparing food ready for our family meal later in the afternoon. Lots of yumminess was on offer and Sophie got to meet Jodie and Jamie. More presents were exchanged before we headed back to SWF.

We returned to SWF to find a slightly improved Sam although he was still suffering slightly but he did look a lot better which was great news.

The evening was taken up clearing out the wardrobe and under the bed and packing up more of my stuff to take back to Etham. The room looks really weird now. Still a fair bit of stuff left to pack up though >_<

- Posted using BlogPress on my iPhone

Boxing Day goodness and BIG NEWS!

2011-12-26T21:45:00.003Z

Good times continued today. We got up at a reasonable hour to find a much quieter house as Scarlett and Kenzie had been picked up to go to see Shane. Breakfast and Holiday On The Buses helped the morning pass.

This was my little Xmas indulgence. Turkey dripping on Boxing Day! HELL YEAH!

A slow pack and drive back to London for Toni, Sophie, Aaron, Gemima and I was followed by a nice sit down and cup of tea. We then popped over to see Gail for a while. In a break from Boxing Day tradition we didn't dine on Xmas left over food (we will be doing that tomorrow) we phoned for a kebab and sat down to watch The Corpse Bride and then The Nightmare Before Christmas. Nothing says Xmas like Tim Burton LOL

Oh yeah, the subject had BIG NEWS in it didn't it? Now, what was it again? Oh yes......

As of today I have now officially moved to London and Toni and I (The Glitzerati) are now permanently residing under the same roof. HAPPY DAYS!!!!!!!!!! Watch out 2012 and beyond, we are coming to get you!!!!

Merry Glitzmas! A fantastic day!

2011-12-25T23:00:00.019Z

Merry Glitzmas everybody!

We had a fantastic day today. We weren't up too early and we kicked things off with the kids opening their stockings from Santa. To make the day last a bit longer we then had breakfast and Toni and I also made last minute dinner preparations.

After breakfast we watched Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas and then The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol.

Next up was the bit the kids had been waiting for, presents! Everyone had a good haul.

Xmas dinner was absolutely delicious and everyone was stuffed afterwards apart from poor old Sam who was ill and couldn't eat. He did at least manage to spend the day with us which was nice.

Muppet Christmas Carol and QI XL provided some evening viewing before we indulged in a bit of Little Big Planet 2. Then it was time for bet.

I was a fantastic Xmas and although I did feel sorry for Sam not being able to go to Livvy's due to being ill I have to admit I was delighted to have him with us instead.

Gemima Xmas leaves a surprise for Toni and I

2011-12-24T23:59:00.012Z

Toni and I were delighted to find that Gemima Xmas had visited just before she went to bed and left a surprise for us on our bed. Or special stocking flashed away and contained a Santa that looked a bit like Cthulhu, Hello Kitty stickers, chocolates of different varieties plus DIY crackers and special hats for each of us.

Early presents with Sam, his departure and early return

2011-12-23T23:00:00.001Z

Due to Sam having to plans to go and celebrate Yule with Livvy and family we decided to do our presents early with him so that we could all see each other unwrapping!

A Hello Kitty book for me:

An indoor garden for Toni:

An insult button for Sophie

And for Sam... a PS3 game, smellys, Kindle case, Jellyatrix, The Art Of War, Bugmann's drinking bottle and Games Workshop vouchers

It was strange doing the presents early but at least we got to share the moment with him which was nice.

Later in the evening he was picked up by Livvy and off he went. Unfortunately he returned a hour later looking grey and really early. Sadly he had been struck down with a lurgy and it was decided that he should return home but could go back if he got better.

The Dolmen - Winter Solstice

2011-12-22T09:05:00.000Z

Today I shall be listening to Winter Solstice by The Dolmen. A wonderful musical accompaniment for the time of year.

Happy Winter Solstice )O(

2011-12-22T05:30:00.001Z

Happy Winter Solstice to all my loved ones and friends

Chilling with my Glitzy Girl

2011-12-21T23:20:00.000Z

After a somewhat stressful day at work it was nice to come home to a child free zone and just chill out with my Glitzy Girl. Roast pork and roast veggies and just chatting and enjoying each other's company along with some hot chocolate made for a very nice way to end the day!

Sometimes it is just good to not do very much!

New movies coming up

2011-12-21T21:00:00.000Z

It's been a while since I did something like this so here we have some trailers for up and coming movies.

THE HOBBIT
Story should need no explanation and looking good!

THE RAVEN
Another take on Edgar Allan Poe's stories. This actually looks very interesting...

GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE
Not sure what this will really be like. The first film was OK, this could be alright too, we shall see

and finally, I really can't wait for this,,,,

UNDERWORLD AWAKENING
Kate Beckinsale is back and so is the PVC catsuit

Last.FM listening post

2011-12-21T07:30:00.000Z

Here's last week's top picks music lovers!

Top weekly tracks:

Top weekly artists:

Overall top tracks:

Overall top artists:

Day off and clearing out again!

2011-12-20T23:59:00.014Z

Today was a day off. Toni got up early and headed back to London and I dozed off again for a while. I did eventually get up and it was only half way through the morning.

It was a busy but productive day today. I continued my clearing out theme from Saturday and got loads of stuff chucked out and plenty more boxes packed up and ready to go. Sam assisted me which was a great help and loads was accomplished.

Had a brief time out in the afternoon and watched WWE Tables, Ladders & Chairs before resuming the battle. The only problem was that we ran out of boxes otherwise we would have kept going.

Sophie cooked a fabulous toad in the hole for dinner. It was her first attempt at making it and both Sam and I were most impressed. I'll be honest and say that I had feared the worst but she did us proud. Well done Sophie!

Well done Toni!

2011-12-19T23:00:00.002Z

A BIG well done to Toni. She received official confirmation today that the job interview was successful and she has been offered the job!

This is fantastic news and the timing is perfect for our plans for 2012 and beyond!

I met her after work and we headed back to SWF for a meal and a chillax followed by lovely snuggles!

Leanne's hen night

2011-12-18T23:59:00.027Z

After a manic day Toni and I headed back to Eltham and then got changed ready for Leanne's hen night. YES I was attending too as it is officially acknowledged that I am a big girl really!

There was a wonderfully rude cake that had been made but sadly it wasn't gluten free. There was only one part that Toni could actually eat:

It was a bit of a chuckle. Had a few drinks, met a load of new people and had a laugh. It was great fun grilling Leanne with questions and answers from Antony (her fiance) with forfeits for those she got wrong.

Forfeit number 1 was singing from the bonnet of her car!

Forfeit number two was knocking on a neighbours door, asking for a pair of boxer shorts and then wearing them:

The final forfeit was knocking on Kev's door and flashing him!

We had a great laugh and afterwards headed back to Toni's to chill out with a lovely kebab!

Operation clearout

2011-12-17T00:34:00.000Z

Today was a busy day. Toni and I started going through a load of my drawers and stuff and packed it all up ready for transporting back to her's as part of the move. VERY productive day with loads of stuff getting thrown away although it still feels like I have WAY too much stuff still. I am sure we'll squeeze it all in for now but I can't wait until we are ready to move into a much bigger place.

Drowning in paperwork!

2011-12-15T23:30:00.000Z

Another step towards operation moving out was achieved today as I attacked my paperwork. There is lots of old stuff that was no longer needed that had to be sorted out before I move. At one point I was up to my knees in the stuff!

Thankfully now it has all been removed but it still feels like I have too much. Why is it that no matter how hard I think I am working at downsizing my stuff it still feels like I haven't dented it? Ho hum, it's all getting there slowly and that's what matters.

Last.FM completely buggered!

2011-12-14T23:59:00.000Z

As some of you may have noticed my "Last.FM listening post" entries have not been displaying properly. This is not me messing up, it is because the Last.FM chart facility is currently completely buggered. It was supposed to have been fixed a while ago but they keep delaying things and there is no current ETA. It's a total pain in the bum as the charts is one of the best features they offer.

Fingers crossed that a resolution appears sometime soon otherwise I'll have to delete all my scheduled posts. They have assured us that when the fix is applied all the old charts will come back to life.

Watch this space!

Last.FM listening post

2011-12-14T07:30:00.000Z

Here's last week's top picks music lovers!

Top weekly tracks:

Top weekly artists:

Overall top tracks:

Overall top artists:

Busy morning off and Orpheum rehearsal fun

2011-12-12T23:59:00.000Z

I had the morning off today. With yesterday being so busy I had originally planned to just sleep but I ended up being busy again. Toni went to work and I moved the bathroom units back, did loads of washing, did the washing up, put a load of things away, generally tidied and also saved a picture from a fate worse than mould! Phew, hard work but much appreciated by Toni.

It was weird going back into work for the afternoon, it just felt wrong. I shall try to avoid taking a morning off in future.

After work it was off to The Unicorn pub for pre-rehearsal drinks and chat with the good folk of Orpheum. Rehearsal today was two run throughs of our 'set' whilst being filmed by two cameras, just to see how we are all starting to perform together. It went pretty well and I am sure we'll learn lots of lessons from the videos to help us fine tune things and improve.

Changing rooms.....

2011-12-11T23:30:00.000Z

It was a very busy day today. In preparation for me moving in at Xmas it was time for Toni and Aaron to switch rooms so that Toni and I have the bigger one (to make room for all my stuff). There was some grimness involved as I was tasked with cleaning up a load of mould that was caused by crap double glazing and Toni's agents still haven't got sorted. We took some pics first of the nastiness before I cleaned it all up.

It was a long old day but totally worth it as we now have a lovely room with space to fit some of my stuff in!

Unexpected but exciting news, unplanned family day out, Once Upon A Time

2011-12-10T23:59:00.029Z

This morning started in a very strange way. I received a phone call from my dad. As we are now in December I had assumed that it would be about meeting up at some point for Xmas. Turned out it was nothing of the sort.

The headline news is that I have another uncle that nobody knew anything about. Turns out he was born in 1938 (six years before dad) and was put up for adoption. Nobody in the family has every mentioned this or knew anything about it.We now know because Uncle Tom (insert cabin jokes here) decided to research his family and on discovering that he was adopted decided to put out a search to try and track down existing members of the family down his birth mother's side. As a result contact was made with dad and things are progressing for him to make contact.

It's all quite exciting although there are lots of questions that will remain unanswered as most of the family who might have been able to fill in the blanks have now passed on. It was one hell of a way to kickstart a Saturday morning!

After this exciting news Toni and I went into Eltham to meet Bob for coffee which then extended into breakfast/lunch. Nick and Gemima turned up as it's a regular place for them to go on a Saturday. Jade called and asked if she could come and join us. We then called Aaron and asked him to come up. Next thing we knew Antony came in to the shop with Indy and Shivaani (Leanne was trying on wedding dresses over the road). Leanne then popped in once she was done. After this mass meet up we went our separate ways only for a load of us to see each other again in Sainsburys (and we also bumped into Jamie and Iain).

After all the fun and games Toni, Jade and I went back to Toni's to chill out. I ordered chinese and we settled down and watch Once Upon A Time. It's a fairly new TV series that is actually really rather good. Well worth checking out.
Here's the trailer:

Orpheum recording and workshop

2011-12-09T23:59:00.008Z

After a week of hard practice it was off to Martine's tonight to lay down the bass track for Porcelain Doll. This song has been particularly challenging for me since I first joined the band so it has taken a lot of hard work to get it to a stage where I felt happy enough to record it.

Things started a little shakily but once Martine started motivating me with chocolate I relaxed and we finally got some good takes to allow us to complete the song. Just got to wait for the mixing process now and then we'll have all the tracks we need for our EP which will be coming out hopefully in early 2012.

Following the recording we did a workshop session with Erin, Andy and Fin and did some work on some work in progress tracks which was all very constructive and we have some amazing ideas coming through.

Last.FM listening post

2011-12-07T07:30:00.000Z

Here's last week's top picks music lovers!

Top weekly tracks:

Top weekly artists:

Overall top tracks:

Overall top artists:

Day off, joint account, thumbs up Marks & Spencer, into Insider event

2011-12-05T23:59:00.034Z

Today was a most welcome day off. Sometimes it is good to have a day off. Toni and I kicked things off with a visit to Nat West to setup a joint bank account ready for when I move in on 26th December. This was all very painless to do which was a pleasant surprise for a bank!

Next stop was Marks & Spencer to do some shopping. We picked up a few Xmas bits and then hit the food hall. The plan had just been to get some gluten free bread but then as we looked around we realised that Marks & Spencer had done something very strange. They had introduced massive amounts of gluten free products and not just tucked away in a "Free From" aisle but spread throughout the store. It was wonderful, so many things Toni would have struggled with were now gluten free: sausages, burgers, fish cakes, meatloaf etc etc. We ended up doing a weekly shop rather than just getting a few bits.

When we got home I sent Marks & Spencer a very long email praising them for such a fantastic range of gluten free products. How often do we feel compelled to write a letter of praise rather than complaint? LOL

In the afternoon I headed up to King's Cross to meet Dan Miller and the pair of us made our way to The BrickHouse in Brick Lane for the into Insider Windows Phone launch event (the end result of our trials of the Nokia Lumia 800).

Proceedings were kicked off with a beer and us having to dress up and pretend to be cold for a photo to try and win a holiday in Finland:

Alex James (of Blur) was the MC for the night.......

Along with a free bar and free curry all night we were treat to three musical sets.

ISABEL ROSE
Very pleasant and chilled, Isabel delivered some cool acoustic guitar with some sweet vocals

BEBE BLACK
Soulful, yet powerful, vocals against a piano backdrop, it was actually quite a remarkable set that was way too short.

CHIPPING NORTON ALL STARS
The musical event finished off with a mighty fine swing band. They were joined onstage by Nick Moran (of Lock, Stock fame). Great little set that got the crowd going and a few of us dancing.

The night was rounded off with DJ sets from Alex James and also Sophie Ellis Bextor, with her hubby Richard Jones (from The Feeling).

It was a fun event overall and I can't complain with getting a free phone, free drink, free food plus some celebs that I wouldn't normally get to see!

Busy doing nothing....

2011-12-04T22:00:00.000Z

...nothing the whole day through! Well, sort of anyway.

We were in no rush to get up and then went to Coffee Town in Eltham for a lovely breakfast. After then we just went back home and chilled out for the afternoon. One pick up of Gemima later and we then ventured to Toby Carvery in Bexleyheath for a yummy roast dinner. We then collected Aaron from Gail's and headed home. Toni knitted, I blogged, we drank tea and caught up with The Vampire Diaries.

Gotham XII @ O2 Academy

2011-12-03T23:30:00.003Z

It was with great sadness that we attended the last ever Gotham. We started with 9 and here we are at 12, or XII as this one was known.

We met up with Erin and Martine from Orpheum at various points during the day:

NESSUS RED
guitar driven industrial rock with a very Nine Inch Nails feel to them. A good band to kick off proceedings and it was a shame so few people were there to see them.
Finished off with Beginning Of The End by Nine Inch Nails which was a nice touch!

See all the NESSUS RED pics here: 031211NessusRedGothamXII

MALEFICENT
They're firing on all cylinders with a new rockier sound and are better for it. Newer stuff tips it's hat to Marilyn Manson. Feels like they are one step away from launching into the big time with a very polished and energetic performance. One costume change later and we could have been at a Lady Gaga gig!

See all the MALEFICENT pics here: 031211MaleficentGothamXII

LILYGUN
Hippy rock is alive and well but sadly marred by a guitar player who was just too loud on stage and drowned the rest of the band. It was a damn shame as I love Lilygun. That said the quality of the songs still managed to shine through and the crowd loved them.

See all the LILYGUN pics here:031211LilygunGothamXII

COLD IN BERLIN
If Joy Division met Siouxsie Sioux then this is what might happen! Very angry post punk performance that had a very arty edge to it. They would go down a storm on a bill with Dutch Order.

See all the COLD IN BERLIN pics here: 031211ColdInBerlinGothamXII

SPECIMEN
Wow, cheeky buggers stealing the night! These guys never fail to impress and tonight was no exception. I feel sorry for any band that has to follow Specimen as they really are something special!

See all the SPECIMEN pics here: 031211SpecimenGothamXII

DIARY OF DREAMS
These guys were OK but after Specimen anybody else was always going to be a disappointment for us Good strong songs but just not performance of the night for us.

See all the DIARY OF DREAMS pics here: 031211DiaryOfDreamsGothamXII

....and so that was it for the Gotham gigs. Frank Flag bows out of the series with a fantastic end to it all, well done sir and thank you for running these events over the years. They will be missed!

Productive day and Orpheum rehearsal

2011-12-02T23:59:00.000Z

Work was productive today which was good. I like productive days.

After work I headed to The Unicorn pub in Kentish Town to meet up with my fellow members of Orpheum for a pub meeting. We discussed all sorts of things including an EP release and merchandise and also plans for starting to tour next year. All very good stuff and exciting too!

Following the meeting we had a really good rehearsal. Lots of god stuff going on most of the songs are pretty much there now and only a few need to be tweaked before we'll be ready to hit the road. In the background we also have some new songs that are coming together nicely too.

Last.FM listening post

2011-11-30T07:30:00.000Z

Here's last week's top picks music lovers!

Top weekly tracks:

Top weekly artists:

Overall top tracks:

Overall top artists:

Meh day and nightmare journey home, steak and American Horror Story

2011-11-29T22:15:00.000Z

It was definitely one of those days today. Made my train by the skin of my teeth. The meh feeling definitely continued at work today. On the plus side it was still a fairly productive day and I managed to get lots done.

The journey home was a real nightmare. A slight delay turned into the train getting terminated at Wickford. There was a thirty minute wait for the next train which then got extended due to that one being delayed! The reason for all this chaos.... a guard didn't turn up! It could have taken a lot longer to get home so I guess I should be glad of that but it was still a pain in the butt!

Finally made it home to find a nice cup of tea waiting for me courtesy of Sam. Things got much better after that as Sam prepared me a very very nice dinner. Steak and chips, YES! Dinner was accompanied by Merlin.

Next up tonight I embarked on a new TV series, American Horror Story. I've read mixed views about it but I tout it was pretty good. It started very well with lots of potential hooks and twists to keep you engaged as the series progresses.

Here's a trailer for American Horror Story to whet your appetite....

Bad day, moving plans progressing, Misfits and The Walking Dead

2011-11-28T23:59:00.014Z

Well today got off to a bad start thanks to some signal problems at Lewisham which added an extra 30 minutes to my travel. I'll be honest and say that work wasn't that great either. Morale is pretty low all round which isn't good.

Back to SWF tonight and after dinner Sophie and I went round to see Charlotte (my landlady) to arrange for Sophie to take over the property when I move to London. So far so good and she will take over the property on 26th December and then I can start making the transition to London. Sam will stay with Sophie in the short term until Toni and I find a new property to move into in London.

Finished off the day catching up with Misfits and then the last two episodes of The Walking Dead. The second series had started to be a bit slow but it has suddenly got interesting again. Now I have to wait until next week, bugger!

Warhammer World

2011-11-27T22:40:00.000Z

Today was nerd day. Yes I am a nerd. My name is KT and I play Warhammer. So there! After breakfast we scooted off to Warhammer World to meet Shaggy and engage in a little 40K kill points goodness. Sadly Toni opted out of playing as she was still under the weather so she sent her time chilling out and drinking coffee in Bugman's Bar.

Sam and Aaron kicked off proceedings with a Dark Eldar v Orks encounter with the Dark Eldar coming out victorious.

Shaggy and I then went head to head with Necrons v Eldar. Sadly the Eldar started well but soon started to flag with the Necrons delivering a sound butt kicking by the end of the game.

We then enjoyed a very filling, and great value for money, meal in Bugman's bar before saying our goodbyes and heading back on the road to return down south.

Having played a lot of Fantasy recently it was nice to play a 40K game again and we have all resolved to try and play one of the systems at least one a month from now on. We are also planning on returning to Warhammer World early next year.

Darkend Festival @ Old Angel Inn

2011-11-26T23:59:00.060Z

Toni and I headed down to the Old Angel Inn tonight to go to the Darkend Festival. What we got for an outrageously low ticket price was four great bands and a great atmosphere. Sadly Toni was still a little under the weather so she wasn't as bouncy as usual but she still had a good time.

DYONISIS

A great set of old and new songs with their unique style and Nel sporting a lovely dress that lit up.

See all the DYONISIS pics here: 261111DyonisisDarkendFestival

LUPINE

It was great to finally get to see Lupine at last. Some old tracks saw the light of day and the new stuff is sounding amazing. Can't wait for the next album. Lemmy seemed to be having a great time up on stage and thumbs up to him for putting the event on. Trev Bamford (of Midnight Configuration) joined Lupine for the final number.

See all the LUPINE pics here: 261111LupineDarkendFestival

MIDNIGHT CONFIGURATION

History was made tonight as Midnight Configuration played their last ever gig. It was a good one too so if you missed this, you missed out! A good set of classic Midnight Configuration songs was delivered with Mr Bamford looking like he was having a ball on his final outing with MC. Not Toni's cup of tea but I loved them! And yes, they did manage to throw No Limit in there!

See all the MIDNIGHT CONFIGURATION pics here: 261111MidnightConfigurationDarkendFestival

INKUBUS SUKKUBUS
Another band that I was delighted to finally catch live as I have a habit of missing them wherever they play. Inkubus Sukkubus was really good with a great mix of old and new songs and some of their classics. Well worth waiting for and definitely one to watch again.

It was a cracking night and we really enjoyed ourslelves. Was nice to see DJ Wolfman and DJ Armand too.

Day off, packing and heading to Nottingham

2011-11-25T23:59:00.000Z

Had a lovely day off today, it was much needed! Opted out of a long sleep in favour of spending time with Sophie, Scarlett and Kenzie.

I finally managed to get a load of CDs packed up ready for the big move with Scarlett assisting me, sort of! Unsurprisingly I ran out of boxes before I ran out of CDs to pack.

It was a good day and included reading stories, a trip to the shops as well as watching Bridesmaids.

Shower, food and packing was followed by waiting for Toni and Aaron to arrive. One caffeine shot later and we loaded up the car, stocked up on sweets and then hit the road and headed for the Holiday Inn in Nottingham town centre ready for a fun packed weekend.

Amazing what you find on Google!

2011-11-25T13:58:00.001Z

I did a search on Google today. It was for an old energy drink made by Virgin that I used to really like that I haven't seen in shops for a LONG time. Now we all know how Google image searches work, especially with safe mode off, so can you imagine the results that came back when I typed in PURPLE STIMULATOR!!!! Don't try this at home kids!

Virgin Purple Stimulator (try saying that with a straight face) was actually a very nice energy drink and wasn't as sweet or chemical as some of the beasts we have today. If anyone has seen it in a shop somewhere please let me know!

Testing Posterous with Blogger

2011-11-25T11:07:00.002Z

This is a test of Posterous to see how it fares with auto posting to my blogger account. I've been experiencing a problem with my iPad Blogger app which still hasn't been fixed yet so I'm looking for a work around while I am on the move.

The real question is whether or not it will cope with the autoposting of media or not.

So here goes, if this works some images will appear on my Blog. If not then the test has failed!

Nokia Lumia 800 - hardware, navigation & software

2011-11-24T23:06:00.000Z

Let's start with the tech spec so you know exactly what the Nokia Lumia 800 is all about. Please hang in there as its a bit long *grin*

3.7” ClearBlack AMOLED display with WVGA 800x480 resolution

16 million colours

Standby UI Windows keys integrated with display

Capacitive touch screen with pinch zoom

2.5D curved glass seamlessly integrated to unibody

Keys and input methods

Personalisation

Home screen tiles

Ring tones

Wallpaper

Changeable colour themes

Hardware

Power Management

BV-5JW Battery (embedded) 1450 mAh

Talk time (maximum):

GSM up to 13 h

WCDMA up to 9.5 h

Standby time (maximum):

GSM up to 265 h

WCDMA up to 335 h

Video playback time up to 6.5 h

Music playback time (maximum) up to 55 h

Browsing (WLAN, maximum) up to 6.5 h

Browsing (3G HSDPA, maximum) up to 4.5 h

Operation times may vary depending on radio access technology used, operator network configuration and usage.

Memory

512 MB program memory

16 GB internal user memory

25 GB Skydrive

Operating Frequency

GSM/EGSM 850/900/1800/1900

WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100 I/II/V

Data Network

WLAN IEEE802.11 b/g/n with 2.4 GHz

HSDPA CAT 10 14.4 Mbps, HSUPA CAT 6 5.76 Mbps

Requires data service. Data services may not be available in all networks. Data transmission speeds may be as high as HSDPA 14.4 Mbps, but may vary based upon network capabilities and other conditions. The establishment and continuation of a data connection depends on network availability, provider support and signal strength.

Connectivity

A-GPS

Accelerometer, proximity sensor, Magnetometer, ALS

WLAN IEEE802.11 b/g/n with 2.4GHz

USB 2.0 high-speed through micro USB connector

Bluetooth wireless technology 2.1

3.5 mm AHJ connector

The handset is gorgeous. It fits well in the hand and feels very solid and not flimsy like some of the new Android handsets. All the buttons are easy to reach and are very responsive. The screen is bright and clear and is also very responsive.

There are three things that will draw criticism on the Nokia Lumia 800:

1) the battery is sealed into the unit so there is no chance to replace it.

2) the USB port is hidden behind a cover (albeit with a nifty opening mechanism) but once it is opened it feels flimsy and I am sure that these will be snapping off once they start suffering the ardours of day to day battle use. Aesthetically pleasing yes but not practical.

3) the camera is particularly substandard for a new £450 smartphone. For an 8 megapixel camera the quality was very poor and the results were no better than my current iPhone 3GS. At least it has a flash though.

Software wise we have Windows Phone 7.5 which is very simple to use. There are essentially two screens to use. Tiles on the home page which can be ordered as you see fit and then a list of apps and function on the second page. There is no default ability to group apps, or move them to different pages. This is fine as long as you don't have a lot of apps. Due to just having the two pages navigation is really easy. Button wise at the bottom of the screen you have a back button, Windows home and search

Nokia Drive is a satnav app that is part of the OS which is handy as well as Microsofts phone offering of Office. Local Scout is one of my favourite OS apps as it finds your location and then reports back on local places to eat & drink, places to go and also shops. Marketplace takes you to the Microsoftt app store and App Highlights gives a handy reference to highly rated and recommedned apps. Oddly there was duplication with some of the default apps. Why do we need Bing Maps as well as Nokia Maps? Similarly with Zune and Nokia Music?

The model that I received also had a number of apps pre-installed, British Airways, Ministry Of Sound Radio, eBay and Sky News to kick things off. Needless to say the Marketplace contains lots of free and paid for apps with the catalogue growing every day.

Although of no use to me I guess one of the really nice apps for users of the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live is the Games app. You can hook up your Xbox Live profile so that you can see your animated avatar and interact with Live and other users too not to mention the games that are also available. This would be a major bonus if I was looking for a new phone and had an Xbox 360.

Overall though it's a thumbs up for the hardware and software.

Nokia Lumia 800 - contacts, email and social media

2011-11-23T20:23:00.001Z

Once you've added some accounts your contacts will be pulled in automatically. These are all aggregated in the People App. Duplicate entries can appear if the same people exist in different address books but these can be filtered out very simply by reducing the number of address books shown. Groups can be set up to keep logical contacts together, ie Work, Family etc.

Swipe left and you are given a live stream of updates from across all the social networks that you have configured. You can interact with the updates in this stream too. This is a very nice feature and saves having to install a third party app (which you can do of course). A swipe to the left and a list of all the contacts you have recently interacted with.

When you actually open up a contact, the usual detail is attached but if you have setup a social account like Facebook or Twitter then you also get options to interact via those services on a contact record, ie Post On A Wall.

Swipe left and all their latest social media activity will appear, based on what accounts you have set up for yourself. A further swipe to the left gives you the photos that your contact has shared across various social networks. The final left swipe shows any recent interaction you've had with your contact.

The contacts implementation is slick and intuitive and for me is the best thing about the Nokia Lumia 8 with Windows Phone.

When accounts are added Windows Phone also adds email Apps for those accounts and also starts downloading an initial set of emails. There is no default unified inbox and all email accounts are kept in separate tiles so you can't flip between accounts from one app. You can link inboxes manually which will create a unified inbox of sorts. Any linked accounts the have their app takes removed and a new Linked Inbox appears. Unlinking is fairly easy and reverse the process and reinstates tiles for unlinked accounts.

Default view is all in an inbox. Swipe left and you'll get Unread messages only. Swiping left again will give you Flagged messages with a further swipe revealing those that are Urgent. Sending emails is easy as is replying, forwarding and deleting.

I think the contact, email and social implementation is one of the best parts of Windows Phone with a fresh approach and simplicity. The fact that you don't actually have to install any social media apps is pretty cool although if you are a due hard user of Facebook or Twitter then I am sure the apps offer additional features and value add.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Last.FM listening post

2011-11-23T07:30:00.001Z

Apologies if these charts don't appear properly. There is a problem with Last.FM that I am waiting for them to fix.

Here's last week's top picks music lovers!

Top weekly tracks:

Top weekly artists:

Overall top tracks:

Overall top artists:

Nokia Lumia 800 - music and video

2011-11-22T23:45:00.002Z

First port of call today in my test drive of the Nokia Lumiere 800 phone is centred around music (and video).

Just like Apple's iPhone there is no ablity to simply plug into USB and drag and drop into a folder in Windows Explorer to manage music. Instead of iTunes we now get forced to install Microsoft's Zune software. At 100MB this wasn't a small download.

Zune is the only way to manage your phone from a machine especially if you want to import your own music. Setup was easy and once the necessary Windows Live information has been entered (or created) and various naming things set up we were sort of ready to go.

Once into Zune it was easy enough to import my music collection. Annoyingly it did take a couple of goes for my phone to show up in Zune. Getting songs onto the phone was a simple case of drag and drop onto a device icon and the import began immediately so there is no need to click a sync button. On the other hand if you change your mind you'll have to cancel the sync or delete from the phone.

Minor niggles aside, it was quick and easy to import music. The only downside is the fact that you have to use Zune at all. There is method to the madness however as, like iTunes, Zune will keep track of an backup your apps.

The Zune player is easy to use on both phone and PC. The quality of sound on the Nokia handset is very good. Just like the iTunes Genius system, the Zune player also has SmartDJ options. The controls are easy to use and tracks can be moved on or back using standard icons or swipe gestures. Pause, next and back icons appear on the lock screen to give easy access. Change the volume and once again the pause, next and back buttons appear.

You can access your music and videos, podcasts and radio via the Zune app. Needless to say you also get access to the Windows Live Marketplace to allow you to buy music should you so wish. Prices are comparable with iTunes and you can stream 30 second samples of songs before you buy. One downside of this is the integration with the player which means that you'll have to reload your current music to continue playing as it remembers your samples from the store which for me was quite irritating. It would have been better if the samples were just played in the store.

Also offered is the Zune Music Pass. A Spotify style affair that gives you unlimited music streaming to your phone, PC and Xbox 360. They offer a 14 day free trial and then it's £8.99 a month or £89.90 for a year after that.

Nokia have bundled up their own Nokia Music app too. This integrates with the Zune player and gives you access to your music content on the phone as well as a host of other features. There's Mix Radio (giving free access to genre related streamed playlists). Probably one of the best value adds on this phone however is the Gigs item. Click on this and the phone will pop off via GPS and report back with any gigs over the next couple of days in your immediate vacinity. Oddly the Nokia Music app has access to the Nokia MP3 Store, which requires a different account to the Windows Live Marketplace and doesn’t offer a sign up feature so I have no idea if that is any good or not as I don’t actually have a Nokia account. Not sure having two competing music stores on the same phone is a good idea myself and could get frightfully confusing if you forget what you bought where.

Overall though, the music experience is mighty fine with good quality playback. Videos are also good although the size of the screen does make it’s use a little limited.

Nokia Lumia 800 with Windows Phone - initial thoughts

2011-11-21T22:59:00.001Z

After work today I went to Nokia House in Soho to go and pick my nice shiny new Nokia Lumia 800 with Windows Phone. After an hour of refreshments, setup and demonstrations I was let out into the wild to go and play with my new toy.

Although the phone will be available in black, cyan and magenta, the black model is the only one available at present.

I'll be reviewing this new phone over the next couple of weeks through my blog so expect lots of mini updates as I uncover new things. Will it break my love of all things Apple, is it a contender and what threat is it to Android phones? All this and more will be coming soon.

First impression is that it's a very slick device. If you have a Windows Live account, social networking is your thing and/or you are an Xbox 360 gamer then this phone will definitely appeal to you as these are two areas where it really comes alive. I'll be expanding on both of these areas once I've played with them more.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Lurgs, Hastings, Chinese food and films

2011-11-20T22:14:00.001Z

Woke up this morning and the cold was in full effect, barbed wire throat and cough, streaming eyes and blocked nose, deep joy!

After a quick breakfast Toni and I decided to go to Hastings, I figured the fresh air might do me some good as it was a nice day.

It's nice to see that Hastings never changes (apart from the cliffs which are slowly collapsing) and I was delighted to see the cliff lift still working.

Toni all smiley and yummy

KT feeling like shit and feeling it too

Nice to see the fisherman's huts still intact

We started off walking through the old town and discovered and amazing bookshop. It was wall to wall, and floor to ceiling books. There was hardly room to move in there but it was an amazing treasure trove of goodies. We walked away with five books and it was just as well we weren't spending longer in there as that could have been fatal.

Refreshment came courtesy of Costa Coffee and a chance to chill before stocking up on cold busting drug remedies in Boots. We then popped into Waterstones as they were having a Steampunk day. It was very nice to see this genre getting a push rather than languishing in the shadows of the Sci-fi and Fantasy section. As we had already bought a load of books our wallets were spared another bashing LOL. Our final shopping trip was a therapeutic hosiery session in Marks & Spencer which Toni and I both love doing. It's such a joy to be able to share this with her *grin*

Once back at Pam's we relaxed and watched Seven Years In Tibet. Somehow I had managed to not see this over the years so it was good to finally see it. I thought it was an excellent film and if you haven't seen it, you should.

Chinese food was ordered and then we watched a programme on short actors which was followed by The Station Agent. This starred short actor Peter Dinklage, of Game Of Thrones fame. It was an interesting film, quite different but really good. It's nice to be taken by surprise by a film and this one is definitely one to watch if you get a chance.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Rough day, Three, El Bandito & Bexhill On Sea

2011-11-18T23:05:00.001Z

It's been a bit of a rough old day. Last night I started coming down with mum's cold and sadly it was no better by the morning. Work was done on a healthy diet of fluids, throat lozengers and Heinz Cream Of Tomato Soup!

I managed to struggle through the day although I was somewhat sluggish and it was a great relief to reach the end of the day.

After work I popped in to a Three shop to pick up a Pay As You Go micro sim card. You'll find out why on Monday but it's all quite exciting,

I dragged myself back to Eltham and Toni and I packed up some stuff loaded up the car. Gemima went off with Nick for the weekend, Aaron went to Gail's and Toni and I went for dinner at El Bandito. Sadly we couldn't stay for long due to a massive booking that they had so suitably fed we then hit the road and headed out on the highway to visit Pam (Toni's nan) in Bexhill On Sea.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Happy Anniversary darling!

2011-11-17T01:16:00.001Z

Happy Anniversary to my darling Toni!
It's been four years today, a wonderful exciting four years!

Here's to many more!

Good couple of days off

2011-11-16T22:44:00.001Z

Had a good couple of days off. Was lovely having mum here even if it did feel a little crowded at times with babies running in all directions!

Had a chance to play some Uncharted 3 and also Portal 2. I finished reading Terry Pratchett's Snuff which is a damn good read, highly recommended. Even managed some bass practice in preparation for Orpheum recording. Still managed to not do a lot of the things that I want, and need, to but the time off was most welcome nonetheless.

Back to work tomorrow and no doubt the relaxed feeling I currently have will melt away quicker than a quick thing!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Last.FM listening post

2011-11-16T07:30:00.001Z

Here's last week's top picks music lovers!

Top weekly tracks:

Top weekly artists:

Overall top tracks:

Overall top artists:

Late work, if I only had a clone, Gemima's birthday meal & an old friend

2011-11-14T23:03:00.000Z

Had to work late tonight. This is a rare occurrence but due to a meeting overrunning I was behind on a tight deadline which left me making up time. Normally this would be no big deal but it was also a day when I needed to be getting on with things and leaving on time. Thankfully I made the deadline and the delivery was sent to the client and I even managed to make my evening meeting on time (just)

Today was one of those days where I wish I had a clone. Being in two places at one time and meeting everybody's expectations can be so damn difficult at times. Whatever decision I had made today would have left someone upset (as upsetting everyone was not an option!). Fingers crossed it's all OK by tomorrow!

So, decision having been made I met Toni, Aaron and Gemima at The Ladywell Tavern for Gemima's birthday meal. We had it there as Jade was working there tonight and had recommended the food. It was a good night (despite me feeling rotten about having to make a decision) and the food was indeed delicious.

A guy walked into the pub who looked like an old school friend. Toni wasn't sure if it was him or not so I looked him up on Facebook and the photo confirmed that it was him. I then took his mobile number from Facebook and sent him an anonymous text asking him where he was? We could see him at the bar looking a little puzzled. I then sent an additional text saying "Are you at the Ladywell Tavern". This clearly disturbed him slightly and he started looking around the pub to see if he recognised anyone. Toni and I were chuckling to each other and then he spotted us! Enter Andrew Mills, old school friend who neither of us have seen for 25 years! Turned out The Ladywell Tavern was his local. What a small world!

Weekend was most certainly NOT as planned!

2011-11-13T21:09:00.000Z

Well after an excellent Friday the weekend slowly unravelled itself :o(

Saturday started OK with mum and Sophie taking the kids out and then Toni, Sam and I shipping out to the lightbulb cafe for a big breakfast. We then came back and chilled and watched some Vampire Diaries until mum and Sophie returned.

Toni and I went and dyed out hair ready for heading to London for the Nosferatu gig. Just before we were about to go Toni had a call that meant that we had to cancel plans for going to the gig as there was a chance Nick might have to go to hospital and Gemima would need picking up. Toni also had to sleep off a couple of glasses of wine first so we ended up driving back to Eltham at 2am just in case she got another call in the night (Jade and her friend Lucy were on standby pending us getting back to London)!

After getting back to Eltham and making sure that everything was OK we managed to get a little sleep. Toni then got an early morning call from Gail saying that she needed to go to hospital. We quickly got dressed and then rushed over to Gail's and waited for the ambulance to arrive.

The rest of the day was spent at King's Hospital with Gail. Fortunately it didn't seem to be anything too serious and although they decided to keep her in for observations overnight we at least managed to leave knowing that she was settled and stable. As we'd not had a chance to eat we then headed to the O2 to grab some food at Franky and Bennie's. We were treated to hordes of Rhianna fans while we were there (as she was gigging that night). They were certainly interesting to watch if nothing else.

Suitably stuffed we then headed back to Toni's. The plan had been to attend the Sisters Of Mercy gig at The Roundhouse but sadly Toni was completely knackered and just wasn't up for it and I was flagging fast too so the decision was made to skip that which was a real bummer :o( I could have gone on my own but really didn't fancy it and despite last ditch efforts couldn't find anyone who wanted to come with me.

To pass the time while Toni slept I kept an eye on the Edinburgh Capitals v Belfast Giants score. That didn't really cheer me up much either with them losing 2 - 8!!!!

Ho hum, NOT a weekend that went well at all really (1 potential hospital case, 1 hospital case and 2 missed gigs) but I guess these things are sent to try us. Hopefully the universe might start smiling on us a little bit this week otherwise I think Toni's brain might just melt!

Wicca Moon, potential venue, steak, hospital and warm up Xmas dinner

2011-11-11T23:42:00.001Z

Today was the first of many days off that I will be taking off between now and New Year. Toni and I started the day with a trip to Wicca Moon to investigate hand fasting services. As fortune would have it they offer this themselves so it looks like we will be sorted on that front.

Next stop was a potential venue for the wedding next year. The place we went to was really nice and the grounds are gorgeous. We shall be starting discussions with them to see if they can help us with our requirements. I hope they can as it's a really nice place. Whilst there we met Jesus The Duck, he walks on water...

Turns out Jesus was a fraud and he was walking on a submerged plank!

We discovered a wonderful steak house too where Toni and I indulged. I was most impressed with the salt and pepper:

As is customary with steak we were provided with sharp knives. These however were something special, it was more Crocodile Dundee than steak knife!
Call that a knife?

The next part of the day wasn't so much fun as we had to go to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Toni had to have a scan which was most unpleasant for her and we have to wait a week for the results :o(

With the nastiness out of the way and one school run and child pick up later and Toni and I were whizzing off to SWF. We had to make a quick wine run to Asda and this really tickled me, 'well hung and meaty'

When we got back home we were treated to a warm up Xmas dinner which was delightful! Turkey, bacon, sausage, stuffing and roast potatoes and veggies, YUMMY! Great idea mum!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Dashing about, meeting mum and Orpheum rehearsal

2011-11-10T23:42:00.000Z

After a busy day it was time to go racing all over London!

First port of call was Arrivals at Victoria Coach Station where I met mum off of her coach. We then took the underground to Liverpool Street where I made sure mum was safely on a train to South Woodham Ferrers, with Sam meeting her at the other end.

Next it was back on the tube to North Greenwich to wait for Toni to drop off my bass guitar. I had to wait for a while so enjoyed myself watch all the Red Hot Chilli Peppers fans heading to the O2. Bass in hand it was into the underground again and off to Kentish Town To meet up with Orpheum.

We were 'treated' to some death metal while we chatted and had a drink before heading off to Zed One to rehearse.

Rehearsal went pretty well, lots of things to tighten up and work on but it's all coming together well. A new song got its first airing tonight which shows great promise. Lots more in the pipeline too!

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