That snow excuse!

Well here we go again, the snow comes and the world falls apart!
Two weeks ago we were promised that they were all ready for it. As if!

The trains were delayed from the off although I guess I should be happy that I only ended getting in to work half an hour later than planned.

After work I trotted off to Cannon Street to get the train to Eltham to see Toni to be confronted by masses of people and indicator boards basically showing NO movement on the trains. I was about to give up hope and head off to Liverpool Street when an announcement was made that there was a train leaving soon that stopped at Mottingham. This must have been the first train in ages as it was absolutely jam packed and there were people just trying to get further down the line in an attempt to try and get home. Total madness.

How come we are so rubbish at dealing with snow even when we are expecting it? Never had problems like this in Germany!

Here are some pics from SWF this morning. Sadly I was out of the house before real daylight had appeared so the pics aren't the greatest.





See them all here: 301110SnowInSouthWoodhamFerrers#

Songwriting

Matt came round tonight for another productive session of songwriting for Hollywood Doll. The magic continued to flow as we knocked up another 2.5 songs to stick to our ever growing arsenal.

If only we were doing this for a living! One day it would nice to be doing this full time!


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Chilling, films, Chinese & Dogma

Nice chilled day, didn't get up until gone 12 which was a nice luxury.

We had breakfast and then watched The Spiderwick Chronicles followed by Legend Of The Bonenapper Dragon (a short sequel to How To Train Your Dragon). Both are very good kids films!

We then all headed back to Eltham and enjoyed a Chinese and watched the awesome Dogma. I never get bored of that film, it's so well written. It also kept me off of Facebook so I didn't have to put up with the constant stream of X Factor bullshit, RESULT!

Big day tomorrow as the new QA Manager starts so it will be interesting to see how things go on that front!


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Warhammer 40k, Merlin & X Factor free zone

Today it was time for another Warhammer 40K battle. It was 750 points each and we had:
Me: ELDAR
Sam: DEATH'S ANGELS
Aaron: ORKS
Gemima: TAU

Toni sadly opted out as she had work to plus was in pain. Sam was fielding his new army/codex that he wrote himself and despite initial fears they were quite balanced.

It was quite a close fought game with casualties happening all over the place and it was unclear who was going to win. After 5 turns the win went to Death's Angels but only based on points remaining. The winning order was:
1) Death's Angels
2) Eldar
3) Orks
4) Tau

Man of the match awards went to:
1) Death's Angels - Necromancer
2) Eldar - Wraithlord
3) Tau - Kroot
4) Orks- War Boss




After the battle we had yummy chilli and rice. Toni then dropped Sam off at The Oakland for work and then we settled down for a massive catch up of Merlin. Whilst being a little cheesy it us a fantastic series. Can't wait to get through Season 2 so that I can start on Season 3 which is apparently awesome.

I am proud to announce that I have not been corrupted by the X Factor bug and despite it being 'rock night' tonight I still refuse to watch something as crass as that. I find it staggering that so many of my friends are captivated and caught in it's thrall. Oh well, each to their own I suppose but it's no wonder the music industry is in such a mess!



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For those about to rock...........

.......consider using PVC pipes!

Hollywood Doll rehearsal

Awesome HOLLYWOOD DOLL rehearsal tonight. I love being in this band!

Brushed up on a few things in preparation for our upcoming gigs at The Hob and The Gaff in December and we are well on our way to completing a new song.

I also have to say a big WELL DONE to Marie for passing her driving test!

Upcoming gig dates are:

10/12/10 The Hob (Forest Hill, London)
14/12/10 The Gaff (London)

RIP Peter 'Sleazy' Christopherson (1955 - 2010)

I was shocked and saddened to hear that Peter Christopherson died today.

Only a month ago I'd seen him performing with Throbbing Gristle in London (my photo below).


My thoughts are with his friends and family.

Read more about this industrial legend here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Christopherson

Words from his X-TG bands mates here:
http://www.throbbing-gristle.com/tg/pmc-statement.html

Book of condolence here:
http://unklesleazy.tv/

6 new CD reviews on Glitzine.net

There are 6 new CD reviews up on Glitzine.net

CalatrilloZ - The Rise Of The Leviatan
Girls On Film - Pershore
Keel - Streets Of Rock N Roll
Rough Citizen - Echolocation
White Widdow - White Widdow
Wrapped In Plastic - Satan's Bakesale

Last.FM listening post

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

Top weekly tracks:


Top weekly artists:


Overall top tracks:


Overall top artists:

A decision has been made.....

Well the verdict was finally in! I was called into a meeting with PJ (the one that was postponed last night) and it was no surprise to hear that they have decided to off the QA Manager role to an external candidate who is starting on Monday. Not unexpected so no real disappointment from me as there could have been a worse decision *grin*

Had a good chat with PJ about various things and left the meeting with him feeling very upbeat. The rest of the day actually ended up feeling very positive and was actually fun. Hopefully this will continue. Based on some craziness that happened the QA team have decided to make a banner for the new boss saying "Check your sanity at the door, you won't be needing it here!" TROOF!

After work I shot off to Eltham to spend the night with Toni. We had a nice meal and watched the hilarious Hitch.

The only downside to the evening was hearing from Sophie that she had taken Kenzie to hospital as he was having trouble with his breathing. Sadly things were going slow so I have no idea what's happened. Will no doubt get a text in the night updating me.




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7 new CD reviews on Glitzine.net

There are 7 new CD reviews up on Glitzine.net
Buck Brothers - We Are Merely Filters
Casanatra - Split The Atom Again
Silent Disguise - Blueprints EP
Skam# - Killing Time EP
Therapy? - We're Here To The End
Weezer - Death To False Metal
Zeropunk - Zeropunk

Looong day, chill, Survivor Series

Today was a LOOOONG day! Got in at 08:05 and left at 18:20. They don't happen like that very often.

The day started very slowly and little painfully with lots aches in my joints. I managed to catch up with things after three days off sick last week but after a productive team meeting and some paracetamol to soothe the aches things then went crazy.

I got pulled into a conference call and WebEx to set up a system with one of our Linux gurus in the US. Sadly, something that was supposed to be relatively quick and easy turned out to be somewhat more challenging. The upshot was that I ended up leaving over an hour and a half later than usual. The most frustrating thing though was PJ wanted to speak to me (hopefully about the QA Manager role although he didn't specify what about) but he had to leave before I was done so now I will have to wait until tomorrow to find out what it was going to be about!

Had to dash straight out of the office as the train service to SWF is awful after 18:00 and made it to the train with a minute to spare and a bursting bladder. Thankfully my mind was occupied with talking to Mark Grimwood so the journey home wasn't as uncomfortable as I had feared it might be.

One toilet break later and then chill was the order of the night. Sam and I decided to slob it, ordered Pizza, and then settled down to enjoy the WWE Survivor Series.

Harry Popcorn And The Deadly Nandos Part 1

Oops I think I got that bit confuddled so let's start again!

Toni and I decided to get off our butts and do something today so we went to Nando's for a lovely Peri Peri tinged brunch before heading to the Odeon in North Greenwich to take in Harry Potter And The Deadly Hallows Part 1 complete with popcorn and chocolate. What was even better was that I had made enough points on my Odeon Premiere Card to get a free ticket!

I have to say I was quite impressed with the film especially as it was 145 minutes long but it didn't feel long at all. It did what it said on the tin though, ended in a logical place which left the viewer desperate to find out what happens next. I am by no means a Harry Potter fan but I have to admit that I am looking forward to when Part 2 comes out.

Following the film we then went back to Toni's and just chilled out and then finished the evening off with a naughty chinese (of the food variety you sickos!) :o)

Pretty Goth Theatre Festival @ The Fiddlers Elbow

After a morning of chilling and then pizza with Sam, Toni and I got our proper glad rags on and headed for London to attend the first Pretty Goth Theatre Festival at The Fiddlers Elbow in Kentish Town. This event was like a spin off from Dark Mills and was put on by our friend Luca from the band Calatrilloz.



Entry was free which was a bonus, we got a free CD each, and were treated to six bands, not bad at all!


EVER ORCHID
Ever Orchid performed a simple set of what I would describe as shamanic art music. In some ways it reminded me of some early Psychic TV with some almost ritualistic vibes to it. Not everyone's cup of tea I expect but I quite enjoyed it.



See all the EVER ORCHID pics here: href="http://picasaweb.google.com/k.t.glitz/201110EverOrchidPrettyGothTheatreFestival" target="_blank">201110EverOrchidPrettyGothTheatreFestival


IMPRINT
We have seen IMPRINT at Dark Mills before and once again we were treated to a very dramatic performance. The opening number was superb with some very clever word play. If she had sung that 200 years ago she'd probably have been burned for heresy! Vocal style is mix of Tori Amos, Bjork with a little Alanis Morisette thrown in over a minimalist soundscape.




See all the IMPRINT pics here: 201110ImprintPrettyGothTheatreFestival


GLOBAL CITIZEN
The enigmatic Rich Mills puts in another blinding performance with GLOBAL CITIZEN. I think they've improved a lot since I first caught them at Dark Mills and I really liked them back then. The new songs were really strong and should help them move forwards in popularity.




See all the GLOBAL CITIZEN pics here: 201110GlobalCitizenPrettyGothTheatreFestival


CALATRILLOZ
It was great to finally get to see CALATRILLOZ inside as our past two meetings have been outside at Dark Mills. The set was superb, full of energy and dramatics.




See all the CALATRILLOZ pics here: 201110CalatrillozPrettyGothTheatreFestival


SECTION (3)
SECTION (3) are purveyors of fine "old school" guitar goth rock. Singer David Roca was having a blast all night although his colleagues could have treated the audience to a smile or two every now and then! The songs were good though and I look forward to seeing them again somewhere.




See all the Section (3) pics here: 201110Section3PrettyGothTheatreFestival


RAVENSCRY
Wow, RAVENSCRY were phenomenal. Not really goth as such but certainly some awesome femme metal. These guys really rocked the hell out of those that remained and they ended the night in spectacular fashion and looked totally delighted with the reaction they received.




See all the RAVENSCRY pics here: 201110RavenscryPrettyGothTheatreFestival

Recovered at last and a bit of alternative "normality"

After a miserable three days off of work really suffering with the lurgs I actually felt well enough to brave the world properly tonight.

Toni came over in the afternoon and just before Sam was due to start his evening shift we went into SWF and had fish and chips in the restaurant next to The Oakland Hotel where Sam works. Had a lovely meal and then did a little shopping in George.

Sam went off to work and Toni and I went back home and chilled for a while. We then decided to pop in to see Sam at work. As a novelty we dressed "normal" although I guess you could say it was "alternative" for us! What do you reckon?



The band that were on weren't that great so we left after one drink and a couple of numbers but it was nice to get out after being ill.

Happy Anniversary!

Toni and I have been together for three wonderful years today. It's amazing to think that something that started as true friendship and support could have transformed into something so fantastic.



You mean the world to me Toni and We've had an amazing journey together so far and I can't wait to see where L-if-E takes us next!

All my L-ov-E
Your gruffalo
KT
xxxxxxxxx

Meh, Smackdown, Walking Dead and Scott Pilgrim

Today went from slow to bad. The lurgy that has been running rampagin through Toni and Sam finally took hold of me today and I could feel myself rapidly deteriorating as the say went on.

By the end of the day I had tired, watery eyes, heavy sniffles and sneezing :o( Sam was still suffering and had taken today off of college.

Got home and we just chilled out, caught up with WWE Smackdown, the next instalment of The Walking Dead and then enjoyed the quirky but funny (and really rather good) Scott Pilgrim vs The World. A great film that comes highly recommended by me!

By the time it was bedtime I was pretty sure that work would not be an option for me tomorrow!

Last.FM listening post

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

Top weekly tracks:


Top weekly artists:


Overall top tracks:


Overall top artists:

Plague bearers, baths and snuggles

Toni and Sam were both really ill over the weekend having developed rather nasty colds. It was so bad that Sam had to miss college and stayed at Toni's today.

Having had a weird day at work I went back to Eltham for a lovely meal. We then chilled out watching a Tim Minchin live DVD before before braving the freezing cold and driving back to SWF.

Sadly I also started to feel a little lurgified too so Toni made me have a hot bath (which I have to confess was very nice)

A minor indulgence of chips & cheese was followed be some lovely snuggles!

Happy Birthday Gemima

Happy Birthday Gemima

Dead plants going cheap in Asda

Dead plants going cheap in Asda

How cool is this?






I wonder if anyone bought them :o)

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Fish, American Pie & DIY

Went to Eltham tonight to see Toni. They say that all bad things cone in threes and it was certainly time for that today! Having experienced a sub-optimal decision being made at work I then got to the train station to find there were delays and then to cap it all off I drifted off and missed my stop! All fun an games LOL.

It was lovely to get to Toni's and have a big hug :o)

We had some lovely trout for dinner and watched American Pie 2. The rest of the evening was spent doing DIY building a wardrobe and corner desk as a surprise for Gemima.

Bedtime was delayed slightly as we stripped the bed and put on some lovely silky sheets. BLISS ;o)


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Hollywood Doll @ The Horn

Hollywood Doll descended on deepest darkest Romford tonight for the first "The Dolls House presents" event. On paper this was an awesome night, Hollywood Doll, Tres Calaveras and Trash Monroe all on one bill!



Sadly things didn't turn out quite as well as planned...........

All bands turned up as expected and we started setting things up. Tres Calaveras singer Sam's girlfriend went to buy a drink at the bar and the staff decided to ID her. She is 24 but only had her Australian provisional drivers licence with her. Sadly this was not good enough and she doesn't carry her passport with her she was asked to leave. Despite the best efforts of myself and other members of Tres Calaveras there was to be no bending of the rules. This meant that Tres Calaveras opted not to play so packed up their gear and headed home.

... and then the saga continued! A few friends arrived who were there to see everyone on the bill, especially Tres Calaveras! Not long after they also got asked for ID and were told they would have to leave. At this point Hollywood Doll and Trash Monroe got together and decided that if this continues we would just pack up and leave. Toni then arrived with Sam and Chris and the circle began again with Sam being asked for ID and his Chelmsford Coouncil ID card not being good enough it looked like he would have to go to! I was prepared to walk out at that point.

During all these shenanigans there had been a throwaway comment from a band member joking that we should trash the joint. This was sadly overhead by management of The Horn who then told us that they would let everybody stay and that the gig could continue if they received an apology. Another 15 odd minutes of talking finally resulted in an apology and the gig going ahead. Sadly Tres Calaveras were long gone by this point so we couldn't get them back. It was quite hard to muster up the enthusiasm as all the madness had taken from a really excited high to an unbelievable low. Thankfully we all overcame things and put on a good show. It was great to see Stuart Woodcock and Chris Jupp put in an appearance too!


HOLLYWOOD DOLL
This was an angry showing from us due to the sad events leading into the gig. The show did very much go on though and we put in a really good brash performance. Stabbed In The Back had it's second outing and seems to be working really well. It was good to see lots of people enjoying themselves.






See all the Hollywood Doll pics here: 101110HollywoodDollTheHorn


TRASH MONROE
Another fine performance from Trash Monroe. I love their sound and I love playing with them!




See all the Trash Monroe pics here: 101110TrashMonroeTheHorn


Despite fearing the worst when I spoke to the manager at the end of the night he said that he had enjoyed the bands and would be interested in doing it again, probably at a weekend, with all three bands being able to return. He also said that the promoter had admitted that he had failed to send me the terms and conditions of the venue so at least if we do go back there again we'll know what to do about ID and to warn people in advance!

6 new CD reviews on Glitzine.net

There are 6 new CD reviews up on Glitzine.net

Applespacebar - Songs You Might Like
Arcadia - Roy Philip Nohl
arK - Wild Untamed Imaginings
Baby Scream - Baby Scream
Black Page Turns - 2 Track Demo
Pilotlight - The Post War Musical

Last.FM listening post

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

Top weekly tracks:


Top weekly artists:


Overall top tracks:


Overall top artists: