Thursday, 26 November 2009
HOLLYWOOD DOLL rehearsal
Had an awesome Hollywood Doll rehearsal tonight. Things went really well and the new songs are taking shape very nicely. The search is now on for a new rhythm guitarist to complete the line up and things are really going to take off. I can't wait to start moving things forward.
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Hard day, Nandos and working (late)
It was a long hard day today. So much going and lots of frustration starting to boil over. It reached the stage where one of my colleagues sent out an incendiary email that was unnecessary and ended up pissing everyone off! It did simmer down but left a bad taste in the mouth. Such are the dangers of working in a high priority squeezed deadline environment I guess.
Things has settled down by the end of the day and I hopped on the train and tube to go to North Greenwich to meet Toni. After picking me up we went to Nandos with Aaron and Jade and had a lovely meal before enjoying the delights of Asda!
When we got back to Toni's she shot off to Nick's with Aaron to pick up some of their stuff. While they were gone I logged on to work and started looking into some problems for one of our clients. Don't ask why, it just felt right to do it :o)
After working for about 1.5 hours it was time for snuggles :o)
Things has settled down by the end of the day and I hopped on the train and tube to go to North Greenwich to meet Toni. After picking me up we went to Nandos with Aaron and Jade and had a lovely meal before enjoying the delights of Asda!
When we got back to Toni's she shot off to Nick's with Aaron to pick up some of their stuff. While they were gone I logged on to work and started looking into some problems for one of our clients. Don't ask why, it just felt right to do it :o)
After working for about 1.5 hours it was time for snuggles :o)
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
The next pandemic!
A friend of mine went to a dinner party last night, where her and other guests enjoyed copious amounts of alcohol. She awoke this morning not feeling well, with what could be described as flu-like symptoms; headache, nausea, chills, sore eyes, etc.
From the results of some initial testing, she has unfortunately tested positive for what experts are now calling Wine Flu. This debilitating condition is very serious - and it appears this is not an isolated case.
Reports are flooding in from all around the country of others diagnosed with Wine Flu. To anyone that starts to exhibit the aforementioned tell-tale signs, experts are recommending a cup of tea and a bit of a lie down.
However, should your condition worsen, you should immediately hire a DVD and take some Ibuprofen (Ibuprofen seems to be the only drug available that has been proven to help combat this unusual type of flu). Others are reporting a McDonald's Happy Meal can also help in some cases. If not, then further application of the original liquid, in similar quantities to the original dose, has been shown to do the trick.
Wine Flu does not need to be life threatening and, if treated early, can be eradicated within a 24-48 hour period.
Cheers!
NOTE
If you find you are complaining a lot, it may be that it has mutated into Whine Flu. This is particularly common in men and can quickly spread to their partners where the symptoms are detected as a serious case of eye-rolling.
From the results of some initial testing, she has unfortunately tested positive for what experts are now calling Wine Flu. This debilitating condition is very serious - and it appears this is not an isolated case.
Reports are flooding in from all around the country of others diagnosed with Wine Flu. To anyone that starts to exhibit the aforementioned tell-tale signs, experts are recommending a cup of tea and a bit of a lie down.
However, should your condition worsen, you should immediately hire a DVD and take some Ibuprofen (Ibuprofen seems to be the only drug available that has been proven to help combat this unusual type of flu). Others are reporting a McDonald's Happy Meal can also help in some cases. If not, then further application of the original liquid, in similar quantities to the original dose, has been shown to do the trick.
Wine Flu does not need to be life threatening and, if treated early, can be eradicated within a 24-48 hour period.
Cheers!
NOTE
If you find you are complaining a lot, it may be that it has mutated into Whine Flu. This is particularly common in men and can quickly spread to their partners where the symptoms are detected as a serious case of eye-rolling.
A snooze too far.....
....bed was nice this morning...
Had a really good sleep and felt very refreshed this morning.
Only problem was that I hit snooze lots and ended up getting up a bit late. Was only 10 minutes late for work but it was a close call!
Less hitting snooze tomorrow methinks!
Had a really good sleep and felt very refreshed this morning.
Only problem was that I hit snooze lots and ended up getting up a bit late. Was only 10 minutes late for work but it was a close call!
Less hitting snooze tomorrow methinks!
Monday, 23 November 2009
Chilling and an early night
Today was a very stressful and frustrating day which was essentially wasted. Had a problem running a script on a client database that has never been a problem before and I ended up going round in circles all day. By the time I got home I was shattered.
Chilled out with Sam, completed Uncharted 2 on the PS3 (serious result and such an awesome game), watched Friday Night Smackdown before hitting the pit for a much needed early night.
Chilled out with Sam, completed Uncharted 2 on the PS3 (serious result and such an awesome game), watched Friday Night Smackdown before hitting the pit for a much needed early night.
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:
Top weekly tracks:
Top weekly artists:
Overall top tracks:
Overall top artists:
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Chilling, Vampire Diaries, webcast
After a fun packed two days it was time to chill out and relax.
We got up late, went to Asda for provisions, and had a late lunch. Started playing catch up on the awesome Vampire Diaries TV series. It was really good and certainly widdles over the farce that is Twilight.
After 5 episodes of Vampire Diaries it was time to watch the Capitals almost through away victory in an exciting webcast with them coming out 8 - 7 winner after coughing up a 7 - 2 lead. It was edge of the seat stuff as the Blaze got closer and closer to equalizing.
We got up late, went to Asda for provisions, and had a late lunch. Started playing catch up on the awesome Vampire Diaries TV series. It was really good and certainly widdles over the farce that is Twilight.
After 5 episodes of Vampire Diaries it was time to watch the Capitals almost through away victory in an exciting webcast with them coming out 8 - 7 winner after coughing up a 7 - 2 lead. It was edge of the seat stuff as the Blaze got closer and closer to equalizing.
Saturday, 21 November 2009
Dragonforce @ Cliffs Pavilion
Gig time again as we headed off to sent and windy Southend to see Dragonforce at the Cliffs Pavilion.
GLAMOUR OF THE KILL
These up and coming stars put on a really good set. The were a bit emo/screamo but I have to admit that I did enjoy them. I fully expect them to be huge over the next year.
See all the GLAMOUR OF THE KILL pics here: 211109GlamourOfTheKillCliffsPavilion
SYLOSIS
These guys were a little noisy for Toni but I really liked them. Bit of old skool thrash/metalcore.
See all the SYLOSIS pics here: 211109SylosisCliffsPavilion
SABATON
These guys were totally amazing. They totally enjoyed being onstage and performing and were so appreciative of the cheers they were getting. We will definitely be going to see them again!
See all the SABATON pics here: 211109SabatonCliffsPavilion
DRAGONFORCE
Another great performance from these speed power metallers. Thankfully the audience weren't quite as frenzied as they were last time I saw them in London so I was able to stand near the front. As usual everything was perfect and how they manage to keep those blistering solos going all night whilst running around like maniacs I will never know. This was Aaron's first proper gig (and one of his fave bands too) and he loved it. Seasoned giggers Sam and Connor lapped it up too. It was a mad night with us getting soaked with water, beer, and Toni being accosted by a drunken Polish dude.
See all the DRAGONFORCE pics here: 211109DragonforceCliffsPavilion
The only downside of the night was getting back to the car and finding we had been issued a parking fine even though we were displaying a valid ticket. Needless to say a strongly worded letter (to the Telegraph LMFAO) will be in it's way!
GLAMOUR OF THE KILL
These up and coming stars put on a really good set. The were a bit emo/screamo but I have to admit that I did enjoy them. I fully expect them to be huge over the next year.
See all the GLAMOUR OF THE KILL pics here: 211109GlamourOfTheKillCliffsPavilion
SYLOSIS
These guys were a little noisy for Toni but I really liked them. Bit of old skool thrash/metalcore.
See all the SYLOSIS pics here: 211109SylosisCliffsPavilion
SABATON
These guys were totally amazing. They totally enjoyed being onstage and performing and were so appreciative of the cheers they were getting. We will definitely be going to see them again!
See all the SABATON pics here: 211109SabatonCliffsPavilion
DRAGONFORCE
Another great performance from these speed power metallers. Thankfully the audience weren't quite as frenzied as they were last time I saw them in London so I was able to stand near the front. As usual everything was perfect and how they manage to keep those blistering solos going all night whilst running around like maniacs I will never know. This was Aaron's first proper gig (and one of his fave bands too) and he loved it. Seasoned giggers Sam and Connor lapped it up too. It was a mad night with us getting soaked with water, beer, and Toni being accosted by a drunken Polish dude.
See all the DRAGONFORCE pics here: 211109DragonforceCliffsPavilion
The only downside of the night was getting back to the car and finding we had been issued a parking fine even though we were displaying a valid ticket. Needless to say a strongly worded letter (to the Telegraph LMFAO) will be in it's way!
Friday, 20 November 2009
Rock Of Ages Festival @ Bridgehouse 2
Toni, Aaron and I went to Canning Town to the Bridgehouse 2 to go and see some bands at the Rock Of Ages Festival. That in itself was a real challenge. We have been to Canning Town before to go to the Excel centre which is all very nice. Bridgehouse 2 was in the opposite direction in the middle of an industrial area that seemed to comprise of wreckage and breakers yards, razor wire and dark empty streets. It was the hardest venue to find, we went round the block once and almost gave up and went home.
When we finally located the elusive venue we exchanged tickets for wristbands and were asked which band we had come to see. Told the guy it was the one that had cancelled at which point he gave us free tickets to the Saturday and Sunday events. Ticket sales can't be going well if they are giving £120 away! Anyhoo..............
The venue was pretty small and 90% of the crowd seemed to be made up of band members and their entourage (and there were about 30 people there). The bands were good though.
TRASHTOWN THRILLERS
These guys were awesome. New York Dolls/Hanoi Rocks style glam punk, really energetic and put on a great show despite there being nobody there.
See all the Trashtown Thrillers pics here: 201109TrashtownThrillersRockOfAges
Check them out here: www.myspace.com/trashtownthrillers
CATO STREET CONSPIRACY
These guys took way to long to set up and I starting getting a little bit grumpy. The lead guitarist kept twiddling with his knobs when the sound was fine and I really started to not want to like them............
All that was forgotten though when they hit the stage, they were REALLY good.
Sounded a bit like a combination of Incubus, My Chemical Romance and Bullet For My Valentine delivering a very good emo/screamo sound. Technically they were excellent and the vocal and guitar harmonies were wonderful. Ended up buying all their CDs afterwards.
See all the Cato Street Conspiracy pics here: 201109CatoStreetConspiracyRockOfAges
Check them out here: www.myspace.com/catostreetconspiracy
KITTY HUDSON
We missed these guys at Witch Fest so it was nice to get a chance to see them. Good honest punky rock n roll with some good comic between song banter.
See all the Kitty Hudson pics here: 201109KittyHudsonRockOfAges
Check them out on here: www.myspace.com/kittyhudson
PSYCHO BABY did a no show so we didn't get to see them and unfortunately we didn't get to see KARN8 either as we had to leave to get back in time although we weren't overly impressed with the KARN8 singer shouting, "You'd better not be fucking leaving" to us and a couple of others. Strangely this was another of those events where smarter planning of stage times and change overs would have meant that all the bands could have been seen before last train mentality kicked in.
Overall what we saw was good, it was well worth the £7 that we paid for each ticket (as they were offering 55% discount codes) and getting free tickets for the other two days over the weekend was a result even though we probably won't end up using them.
When we finally located the elusive venue we exchanged tickets for wristbands and were asked which band we had come to see. Told the guy it was the one that had cancelled at which point he gave us free tickets to the Saturday and Sunday events. Ticket sales can't be going well if they are giving £120 away! Anyhoo..............
The venue was pretty small and 90% of the crowd seemed to be made up of band members and their entourage (and there were about 30 people there). The bands were good though.
TRASHTOWN THRILLERS
These guys were awesome. New York Dolls/Hanoi Rocks style glam punk, really energetic and put on a great show despite there being nobody there.
See all the Trashtown Thrillers pics here: 201109TrashtownThrillersRockOfAges
Check them out here: www.myspace.com/trashtownthrillers
CATO STREET CONSPIRACY
These guys took way to long to set up and I starting getting a little bit grumpy. The lead guitarist kept twiddling with his knobs when the sound was fine and I really started to not want to like them............
All that was forgotten though when they hit the stage, they were REALLY good.
Sounded a bit like a combination of Incubus, My Chemical Romance and Bullet For My Valentine delivering a very good emo/screamo sound. Technically they were excellent and the vocal and guitar harmonies were wonderful. Ended up buying all their CDs afterwards.
See all the Cato Street Conspiracy pics here: 201109CatoStreetConspiracyRockOfAges
Check them out here: www.myspace.com/catostreetconspiracy
KITTY HUDSON
We missed these guys at Witch Fest so it was nice to get a chance to see them. Good honest punky rock n roll with some good comic between song banter.
See all the Kitty Hudson pics here: 201109KittyHudsonRockOfAges
Check them out on here: www.myspace.com/kittyhudson
PSYCHO BABY did a no show so we didn't get to see them and unfortunately we didn't get to see KARN8 either as we had to leave to get back in time although we weren't overly impressed with the KARN8 singer shouting, "You'd better not be fucking leaving" to us and a couple of others. Strangely this was another of those events where smarter planning of stage times and change overs would have meant that all the bands could have been seen before last train mentality kicked in.
Overall what we saw was good, it was well worth the £7 that we paid for each ticket (as they were offering 55% discount codes) and getting free tickets for the other two days over the weekend was a result even though we probably won't end up using them.
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Cryogenica @ O2 Academy
Off to the big smoke again tonight. Met Toni for dinner and then rushed off to the O2 Academy.
Cryogenica were due to be on stage at 19:25 (that in itself was a stupid idea!) and I arrived at 19:20. There were only 4 people in front of me in the queue so I figured I would have no problem getting in to see their whole set. WRONG! The first 3 people in the queue seemed to have turned up claiming they had bought tickets months ago but didn't have any proof to collect and the girl in the box office was SLOW. The first 3 ended up paying cash and at least the 4th person had all the details she needed to collect her tickets but I could hear that Cryogenica had already hit the stage as I collected my ticket.
Managed to get to the front of the stage just as the first song was ending and proceded to take photos as I have done there many times for the last 2 years. After photo number 3 I was told that I wasn't allowed to use a flash! Since when? I've been doing this for years and NEVER been told to turn the flash off! So this was now a crisis situation as I was testing a new camera which I had no idea how to optimise for taking pictures without the flash so I had to revert to my old trusty one but without the flash even those pictures weren't great.
It was a great set although the audience apathy didn't really help lift things and putting a band on so early was just plain crazy as most people hadn't even turned up!
Since the departure of Chris the sound is a lot darker and Jon and Carina commanded the stage well. Cryogenica should not have been the opening band tonight!
Anyway, here's a few pics:
See all the pics here: 191109CryogenicaO2Academy
Cryogenica were due to be on stage at 19:25 (that in itself was a stupid idea!) and I arrived at 19:20. There were only 4 people in front of me in the queue so I figured I would have no problem getting in to see their whole set. WRONG! The first 3 people in the queue seemed to have turned up claiming they had bought tickets months ago but didn't have any proof to collect and the girl in the box office was SLOW. The first 3 ended up paying cash and at least the 4th person had all the details she needed to collect her tickets but I could hear that Cryogenica had already hit the stage as I collected my ticket.
Managed to get to the front of the stage just as the first song was ending and proceded to take photos as I have done there many times for the last 2 years. After photo number 3 I was told that I wasn't allowed to use a flash! Since when? I've been doing this for years and NEVER been told to turn the flash off! So this was now a crisis situation as I was testing a new camera which I had no idea how to optimise for taking pictures without the flash so I had to revert to my old trusty one but without the flash even those pictures weren't great.
It was a great set although the audience apathy didn't really help lift things and putting a band on so early was just plain crazy as most people hadn't even turned up!
Since the departure of Chris the sound is a lot darker and Jon and Carina commanded the stage well. Cryogenica should not have been the opening band tonight!
Anyway, here's a few pics:
See all the pics here: 191109CryogenicaO2Academy
Dinner surprise
As Toni had been feeling a bit meh about the world last night I made a decision to have an impromptu dinner meet today. I was going to London to see Cryogenica so asked Toni to meet me at North Greenwich so that we could see each other for a short while before I had to rush off.
She was delighted to turn up at Nandos at the O2 with Gemima to find that dinner was already on the table. If might have only been about 40 minutes but it was nice to see her again and spend a little time
She was delighted to turn up at Nandos at the O2 with Gemima to find that dinner was already on the table. If might have only been about 40 minutes but it was nice to see her again and spend a little time
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Tekken 6 and wrasslin'
Had a chill out evening after a stressful day at work today.
Started off with a few rounds of Tekken 6, including actually beating Sam (well once anyway with an enhanced character but I was happy LOL)
Rounded off the day watching WWE RAW followed by TNA Impact and then the start of TNA Turning Point before having a few more sneaky goes on Tekken 6 and hitting the pit.
Started off with a few rounds of Tekken 6, including actually beating Sam (well once anyway with an enhanced character but I was happy LOL)
Rounded off the day watching WWE RAW followed by TNA Impact and then the start of TNA Turning Point before having a few more sneaky goes on Tekken 6 and hitting the pit.
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Monday, 16 November 2009
SPiT LiKE THiS @ The Gaff
The title of this blog entry should be The Glitterati & SPiT LiKE THiS @ The Gaff but more on that later!
As tomorrow is our anniversary Toni and I decided that it would be good to do something to celebrate. Turned out that our friend SPiT LiKE THiS were doing a support slot with The Glitterati at The Gaff so we decided to go along to that.
We started out in our "usual" Pizza Hut on Tottenham Court Road.
And so, onto the bands...............
HELLCAT MOLLY
This was HELLCAT MOLLY's first gig and they were pretty good. Had a kind of old skool feel about them, reminded me a lot of old NWOBHM bands with a very blues rock feel (not to mention the NWOBHM style dress sense). They seemed to enjoy themselves and were very tight for a first gig.
Check them out here: www.myspace.com/hellcatmollyband
PERRY LANE SECT
These guys were a surprising addition to the bill as their alternative punk/grunge style was at odds with the rest of the line up. They were good though, very angsty and energetic with some pretty caustic lyrics. I would love to see them in a proper punk environment where the crowd were into this style of music.
Check them out here: http://www.myspace.com/perrylanesect
SPiT LiKE THiS
SPiT LiKE THiS = GOOD TIME! What more can I say. Seeing them again on Friday at Rock Of Ages and then at Hard Rock Hell in December, yes you could say we like them!
Check them out here: www.spitlikethis.com
THE GLITTERATI
This review should have finished off with The Glitterati's headline slot but we decided to leave. First reason was because we wanted to get exchange anniversary gifts and as Vikki Spit said, "go home and have anniversary sex"! The second reason was that various members of The Glitterati were incredibly rude/arrogant and rather than walk round the back of the crowd they continuously walked in front of those of us watching SPiT LiKE THiS something that neither of us were very impressed with. They are playing at Hard Rock Hell so we'll get a chance to see them then, am looking forward to seeing them.
As tomorrow is our anniversary Toni and I decided that it would be good to do something to celebrate. Turned out that our friend SPiT LiKE THiS were doing a support slot with The Glitterati at The Gaff so we decided to go along to that.
We started out in our "usual" Pizza Hut on Tottenham Court Road.
And so, onto the bands...............
HELLCAT MOLLY
This was HELLCAT MOLLY's first gig and they were pretty good. Had a kind of old skool feel about them, reminded me a lot of old NWOBHM bands with a very blues rock feel (not to mention the NWOBHM style dress sense). They seemed to enjoy themselves and were very tight for a first gig.
Check them out here: www.myspace.com/hellcatmollyband
PERRY LANE SECT
These guys were a surprising addition to the bill as their alternative punk/grunge style was at odds with the rest of the line up. They were good though, very angsty and energetic with some pretty caustic lyrics. I would love to see them in a proper punk environment where the crowd were into this style of music.
Check them out here: http://www.myspace.com/perrylanesect
SPiT LiKE THiS
SPiT LiKE THiS = GOOD TIME! What more can I say. Seeing them again on Friday at Rock Of Ages and then at Hard Rock Hell in December, yes you could say we like them!
Check them out here: www.spitlikethis.com
THE GLITTERATI
This review should have finished off with The Glitterati's headline slot but we decided to leave. First reason was because we wanted to get exchange anniversary gifts and as Vikki Spit said, "go home and have anniversary sex"! The second reason was that various members of The Glitterati were incredibly rude/arrogant and rather than walk round the back of the crowd they continuously walked in front of those of us watching SPiT LiKE THiS something that neither of us were very impressed with. They are playing at Hard Rock Hell so we'll get a chance to see them then, am looking forward to seeing them.
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:
Top weekly tracks:
Top weekly artists:
Overall top tracks:
Overall top artists:
Sunday, 15 November 2009
Little Scarlett wriggle bum
We went round to Shane's today to see Scarlett. She is so big now and is fully mobile and into everything, a right little handful!
It was so funny, not so long ago she would be content to sit on your lap and have cuddles but now she wants to be down on the floor and exploring LOL
What? Me?
Wriggling off of uncle Sam
Pat-a-cake with grandad!
It was so funny, not so long ago she would be content to sit on your lap and have cuddles but now she wants to be down on the floor and exploring LOL
What? Me?
Wriggling off of uncle Sam
Pat-a-cake with grandad!
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