Out In The Field In... Belgium

Last weekend, apart from visiting my family in Germany, I went to a festival called Groezrock. In Belgium. It sounds much more of a mission than it actually was, the Belgian/Dutch border is about 15 minutes drive from my parents house and the total driving time was about an hour. Which is why I didn't go for the whole camping-at-a-festival experience. Not that I mind doing that, I'm really looking forward be a filthy hippy for a long weekend this August when I go to Boomtown, but I was on my own and end of April is not the time you want to go camping anywhere in Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany or (god beware) the UK. It really could've been a degree or 10 warmer, the evening was cold even with 4 layers on.

Obviously the Belgians are aware of that and the general volatility of the weather, so all 4 stages and the merch/market areas were in massive circus tent shape things.

None of my friends could come along, so I opted for a festival light experience and only headed to Meerhout for the bands I actually wanted to see, thereby missing out on a lot of potentially interesting happenings (like Tim McIlrath doing an acoustic set with the Scorpios or The Aquabats) but all in all I think it was a good solution.

On Saturday I got to the festival around 6pm, trudged around for a bit to get my bearings, checked out the stages and the merch, then proceeded to accidentally bump into the bassist of the Aquabats while trying to avoid a tumble of drunk people. I had missed the Aquabats set (and, having checked them out on youtube I can't say I'm a fan) and therefore had no clue who I was talking to, otherwise I would've tried to be a bit more investigative in my questions. Instead we just chatted for a while about touring and stage fright and the awesomeness of hotel nights while waiting for Pennywise to come on stage. Chad was really nice and I was kinda sad when he said goodbye halfway through the set to head back to the VIP area. Oh, btw, he's a massive fangirl for Rocket From The Crypt, he actually ran onstage to get their setlist when they were done :)

The main reason I was there was RISE AGAINST, who took the stage at midnight. By that time I was second row from the barrier, which apart from being a bit squished was also nice and warm. What can I say, Rise Against just killed the main stage that night. They were AWESOME. Tim McIlrath's voice is just... I can't even... he makes my knees go weak (he's also seriously hot, which helps).

Sunday I got to the festival a bit earlier because THE USED were on at 7pm already. Their set was a bit of a weird one - the sound was seriously shite and it was a lot less busy in front of the stage than expected (I was right at the barrier and I had space). For some reason The Used seem to come across best when they're headlining in a small club, the times I've seen them on a big stage their chemistry seemed to be slightly off (only exception being Warped, but Warped isn't that big, really). They rocked, they always do, but I felt something was missing. I would also like to discuss Jepha's fashion choices at some point. Srsly, the man was wearing a light blue denim trousers and shirt and I'm really not sure what's going with his hair...

I stayed for Billy Talent, who were quite enjoyable, but left before Bad Religion came on.

All in all a really good weekend and it was great to see my family, but in regards to festivals I very much prefer the dance ones (less alcohol, more fluffy happy people - yes, I know it's the drugs, but still).

It's Life That Scares Me To Death

Wow, it's been quite a while since I last posted. I'd do a massive update, but I'm not entirely sure I remember everything that happened from end of Jan to now.

So, let's just start where we're at right now:

• I'm going to Germany for a long weekend end of this month, sneaking off to Belgium for Groezrock Festival on the weekend to see RISE AGAINST and THE USED. Excited? Fuck yeah! Currently it looks like I'll be on my own, but I'm sure I'll manage.
• I'm going to Toronto, Canada end of next month for two weeks. The plan is to visit (and hopefully stay) with Burner friends and maybe embark on a little 2 or 3 day trip to Montreal once I'm there. I haven't booked anything except my flight yet and I'm just a bit terrified that I'll get bored on my own and that no one wants to see me or have me on their couch. I'm pretty sure I'm wrong, but hey, that's my head.
• I've got my ticket for Boomtown for August. Again, friend are being awkward regarding their participation but I want to go and I'm sure someone will join me.
• I've also bought an early bird ticket for Warped UK (2 days, Ally Pally) and, hey, hooray, RISE AGAINST were announced as one of the headliners. It's gonna be amazing and I'm hoping my emo buddy finds the money to come along. Yay!

I'm also toying with the idea of going to Morocco in autumn and doing a long weekend in Barcelona with my mum. That's rock'n roll for you, ladies and gentlefolk. I looks like this year is going to be the year where I do stuff because I want to, even if I have to do it on my own. It wasn't planned like that, it just happened, but I'm confident I can wing it.

Other things that happened:

• My Chemical Romance decided to call it quits just when I was making friends in the bandom community.
• I've written 22 fics in slightly less than 12 months and most of them are pretty good. It's so amazing that people like what I write and actually encourage me to write more!
• The Used are just as silly and ridiculous as usual. Some things just don't change.

Ok, turns out writer's block also transfers to blog posting. This is not the most coherent or eloquent post ever, but my brain's fried from work and the words just don't come out right. *sigh*

Better luck next time, right?

My So-Called Life

I've been pretty busy this past week. Mostly in entirely good ways, although work's imploded on me, too, which is something I could have done without. It's all manageable.

So. It kicked off with a writing challenge and me actually making the deadline and delivering a pretty good fic. Turns out I can write to deadlines, even though it felt like I was squeezing words out of my brain at some point. Still, I delivered and people were happy.

The next day I met up with a friend from Canada and spent a lovely day with him exploring London and catching up. I've now got one more standing invite to come visit Toronto, which means I really have to get my act together AND GO sometime this year.

On Sunday I braved the snow and went to Bethnal Green to watch a friend of mine wrestle. Mexican Wrestle. Lucha Britannia it's called and it was pretty awesome.

Monday I helped another friend with a project on people with prescription glasses and 3D glasses. Spent a great evening brainstorming, eating tasty food and chatting. So great!

Tuesday I actually was home in the evening, mainly doing household stuff and getting myself organised for the rest of the week.

Wednesday I went to the National Television Awards courtesy of an agency who'd invited us to a suite in the O2. This meant free food and booze, so I ate way too much. I still don't recognize most of the British celebs, so the appeal of the evening was a bit lost on me. Didn't go to the afterparty because I didn't see the point and needed sleep.

Thursday I trekked into town after work to watch DJANGO UNCHAINED which was awesome. Tarantino's totally back on form.

Friday I met up with a friend for a massive catch-up and tasty, tasty (and insanely cheap) Thai food.

Yesterday was another friend's birthday, which meant food and the Rocky Horror Show. I've seen Rocky Horror before but never like this - Dr Frank N Furter was gorgeous and there was dancing and shout backs and everything awesome.

And today I went into town for a bit of shopping.

Next week's not going to be quite as busy, at least fun-wise. Work's probably not going to calm down for another month or so.

But all is good. Life is pretty awesome.

The Life Of... WHAT?!

That's what I felt like during most of the film...

This week's been relatively busy, considering it's January and my recent laziness.

Went to the movies on Wednesday with flatmate and some of her friends to watch Life Of Pi, because people have said it's a good film and it looked pretty shiny in the trailer. Looking back I should've known better to watch a film based on a book I wouldn't even consider reading because it sounded boring as fuck, but hey, you live and learn. And it's not entirely bad, really, just... well, it's not particularly good, either. It's very much in meh territory, which is not a good place to be for anything. It certainly is pretty, it even has moments of the Avatar-shiny, but mainly it's a rather huge pile of What The Fuck. I'm sure it's got a deeper meaning, it might be a philosophical exploration of whatever it is that philosophers explore, but to be honest, I really don't care. I didn't get it in the theatre and I didn't get it when I read the explanation of the ending on the internet. I'd make a really shitty philosopher, but to me philosophy is having an argument that no one can win because no one knows the answer which makes it pretty pointless to argue over in the first place.

So, 2 stars out of 5. I'm still disappointed the tiger didn't speak and/or eat the boy in the end. It would have greatly improved my experience.

On Friday I went out for drinkies with my flatmate and the neighbours. It was nice, I got out of the house and  collected some sociable points. Also found out that one of the guys spins staff and is not opposed to setting stuff on fire. There'll be FIRE in our backyard soon. I'm excited.

Saturday saw me trekking to Liverpool Street for combined birthday funtimes and iceskating. The beginning turned out to be somewhat of a fail because I couldn't find the pub we were supposed to meet at, mainly because I didn't look up directions before leaving. It all turned out fine in the end, though, because I located the ice rink, I located my friends and with a leettle bit of delay (one hour or so) we actually made it onto the ice. After a bit of flailing I found my ice feet again (it's like riding a bike, once you know how to do it you're sorted) and skated around in circles for 45 minutes. There were drinks afterwards, and food, and lovely conversations and it was a really great day. 

I probably shouldn't have turned on my computer when I got home and started writing, but I've signed up for a challenge and have to write a fic by next Friday and I'm worried that I don't get it done and disappoint people. Suddenly it was 3 am and I was still wide awake. Yeah. So today's been a bit lazy and I'm doing my best to procrastinate instead of writing that fucking story. Which is why I'm writing this. Oops. 

I'll get going now, then.

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

This is the end of year review with the new year outlook. It's not much, but it's all you gonna get. Deal with it.



2012

I didn’t make it to the Electric Ballroom. I’m still trying, though #failboat

I went a bit crazy and really quite enjoyed it. I need more of that.

I found a way to channel my creativity. By writing gay porn. About inky boys in bands. Best idea EVER.

I published my first story on the internet. I keep publishing stories on the internet and PEOPLE ARE READING/LIKING THEM!

I re-discovered my love of music. I crushed. Hard.

I fell in love with The Used. I’m still in love with The Used. It’s a messy, dirty, downright slutty affair. It’s awesome.

I also developed a crush on My Chemical Romance. No one said I have to be monogamous in my band love.

Also, 30 Seconds To Mars. And Jared Leto.

I thought about sex an awful lot. I had quite a lot of it, too. I hope this trend continues.

I watched my first webcast. I listened to my first podcast. Wow.

\m/ punk rock \m/

I made my brain happy by doing things.

I went to France.

I watched really bad comedy. Like, really bad. Not the good bad. The bad bad.

My mind moved into the gutter. It’s still there and occasionally sends amusing postcards. I think it’s bought a house now.

I went to Glade and got epically trashed. Unexpectedly. Twice. I also had a really good time. Success!

I played games on South Bank. Yeah.

I saw The Used. 4 times. Can’t wait to see them again! Band love rules \m/

I went to Warped & saw loads of punk bands & it was awesome.

I went to a wedding. Had fun.

I bought a hula hoop. And then two small hula hoops. I totally suck at hula hoop but who cares. I’ve got hoops.

I didn’t set myself on fire. Hooray!


2013

I want to travel again – Malaysia, Canada, North-West of the USA – because I didn’t get away much in 2012. Burning Man happening this year would be AWESOME but unless there’s a miracle it probably won’t. I can’t afford doing it on my own and currently it doesn’t feel quite right to go this year, I can’t explain why.

I want to kiss, hug, fuck and play and who knows, even fall in love with someone reciprocates my feelings.

I want to grow as a writer. This means making an effort to write more, edit better and find a way to deal with those pesky cases of writer’s block. I like to think I get better with each fic I finish, I can see a progression in my own works and find myself analysing other people's work with a lot more scrutiny than before. I probably need to find a beta at some point...

I want to be happy, not all the time because that would be unrealistic, but when I look back at 2013 I want to be able to say without a doubt that this year was better than the last (which was rather good already, the bar’s set pretty high).

I terms of career I’m actually not sure what I want. Aiming for a promotion means putting in A LOT more effort (according to my ex-boss) and I don’t know if it’s worth it. I do want the money, I don’t necessarily want the extra responsibility and work. I can’t see a way out of the rat race at this point, which doesn’t mean I won’t continue looking for one.

I really should get my ass back into the Bikram Yoga studio again. It’s good for me. My body wants it, even if my lazy mind would rather sit on the sofa and surf the web.

Oh, and I obviously want world peace and happy endings for all. That goes without saying. *throws glitter*

Xmas/NY roundup

Hey, I'm only a few days late *cough*

I went home for Christmas, as usual. The only acceptable excuse not to go would be that I've got a family of my own, and we know that's not gonna happen anytime soon. So off I went, the weather played nice (no fog, no snow), which meant I actually got home without any further problems apart from having to brave Heathrow at Christmas.

It really was the usual, I ate a lot, I slept a lot, I spent some time with the family and my brother's girlfriend. He intends to marry her and for some reason beyond my understanding thought I'd be right person to ask for suggestions on how to propose. I had to bite my tongue to ask why he wants to get married in the first place (well, I did ask in the end, it's because he wants to start a family and that's the "right" way to do it) and then proceeded to suggest that he just says "hey, wanna get married" and hands over the ring. Apparently that's not sufficiently romantic and a big deal enough. I think it's perfectly ok. Would be nice if it was on a beach or something, but kinda popping the question after a nice fuck would be acceptable as well. Just in case it ever comes up.

Fled back to London after 5 days with the folks, I've discovered that that's long enough for us to catch up  but short enough for them to not drive me crazy.

Which brings us to New Years and related celebrations. I spent the weekend not doing much, apart from writing and enjoying having the flat to myself (it was a bit too cold for naked flat time, but I had a quick run through for good measure). Went to a friend's party for the last day of the year/month, it was a big party and really rather nice. Apart from the part when I got a bit wasted and ended up snogging someone I'd been talking to on and off during the night. I really should know better. I really should know NOT to stick my tongue into someone's mouth/let someone stick their tongue in mine just because I feel like kissing someone at the time. Turns out he somehow (really don't know how) got the wrong idea and is now chasing me a little bit. Ahem.

Before I could cause any more damage I got dragged off to an afterparty, which merged with another afterparty shortly afterwards. There was an awful lot of snuggling and hugging and regrettably no more snogging (it's perfectly ok to snog my friends, they know me) and I ended up trudging back home around 6ish in the evening to faceplant gracefully collapse into my bed.

I had the next day off, which was spent mooching about being tired, and then had to go back to work for the last 2 days of the week. In hindsight I should've taken those off as well, but I didn't think that far and in the end it wasn't all that bad. Ok, it was that bad, but I survived.

Last weekend I went for a coffee with the downstairs neighbour, which at least got me out of the house and made her happy.

I've stopped wanting to kill people now, which means I've probably recovered from the NYE shenanigans.

Just in time to go to the movies tomorrow (Life Of Pi) and for drinks with the neighbours (this is becoming a habit) on Friday. There will be iceskating (aka me falling over on cold surfaces) on Saturday for a friend's birthday.

Hey, look at me, I'm sociable!

An Unexpectedly Good Movie

Went to see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey last night. In the IMAX (although the one in Wimbledon, which is not quite as amazing as the one in South Bank but has the advantage of only being a lot closer to where I live), in 3D.

It was pretty, so fucking pretty. I might've squeed an awful lot.

The landscapes were amazing, the Elf city and the goblin underground city (I can't remember the names, I suck at names) had me breathless, they were so detailed. In terms of eyecandy, this film absolutely wins.

Yes, it was long. 169 minutes of foreplay. Almost 3 hours of build up to the sequels. My ass actually went numb.

But FUCK it was pretty.

I've read the book, it's much easier to get through than the bloody 3 book road movie that is Lord Of The Rings, but it's been a while and I don't remember much detail and from what I gather Peter Jackson also added details from other Tolkien books that I haven't read, so I can't comment on how close the film is sticking to any of that, but I don't care, really.

It was just a really nice movie. 4.5 out of 5 stars, my hobbitses.

In case you're wondering who I went with, I've been getting a bit closer to the downstairs neighbours. We went out for drinks this week which was unexpectedly good and then we decided to go watch The Hobbit. Since Babs went back to Germany I've lost my movie buddy, my flatmate is a bit useless when it comes to taste in films (chick flicks, anyone?), but the guys downstairs seem to be up and interested, which is great.

I did miss a booty call while in the movies, so while I saw a great film, I didn't get laid.

You win some, you loose some.