No Snow.... but it's definitely Christmas

Hilarious times with the Managing Director

I can’t believe I have been writing these things for over two years. I know that this years posts have been a little low on the ground but to be honest that because there has been so much going on and I’m so busy each day at work that I just haven’t had the time, lol. New years resolution for 2012 – Try to keep a bit more on top of this and actually do more reviews on things rather than keep it as diary the whole time.
I actually had a chance to look back through a lot of my old posts, it was quite fun to read back to when we were making the offer on our place and then all the bits after it. It wasn’t so fun realising that I was getting a feeling of growing old as my 26th birthday approached when I am now well into being 27. Hopefully the internet will not explode when we are taken over by robots (it’s going to happen, have you not seen Terminator??) , that way in years to come I will be able to look back at these posts and all the old bits I did of travelling (they were on Facebook in a group I did when I went away -http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7361182921 but aren’t anymore) I just had a look and ALL of the old diary things I did on there are gone! How annoying. Luckily I have all of the American travelling ones in a book but I will have to search out my Australian ones. If anyone has them in their emails, as I sent them to people via email too, please let me know (this is where Im hoping my mum still has them somewhere). Anyway, onto to recent things.

Boy Genius and a Cheeky Little Monkey
On Saturday just gone we headed over to my Auntie Kath / Uncle Jons for a pre-Christmas gathering that happens every year. Unfortunately we couldn’t make last years due to the snow we had causing havoc on the roads, but this year was fine weather wise so off we went. As always it was great seeing everyone, Dylan and Mia were on form as usual and Dylan showed me his reading skills…. Unreal! He started school a few months back and is already able to read pretty much properly. When he gave me the Christmas card from him and Mia, he read it to me!! Amazing. Apparently he is the only one in his class on a certain set of books and even then there is nobody on the set below, he is steaming ahead… brilliant. He is asking what words mean and things now too – although I was stumped on one word, he asked what derby meant, as in ‘destruction derby’ as it said it on a game on my phone, I honestly didn’t know how to explain that one, haha. Mia was just hilarious again too. She was doing this thing that whenever she did something that was funny or cheeky, she would laugh in this funny way and double over holding her tummy, it was cracking us up. She is really mischievous as well, trying to grab every chocolate she could after some small gifts had been given out. I can’t wait to see them both again on Christmas day and give them all of their pressies.

Football With The Fam
One massive thing happening over Christmas is that during the day on Christmas eve, we have managed to arrange a proper football match that is a once in a lifetime occurrence. It has been sorted that for one day only, there is going to be a family football team made up of uncles, cousins, sons, brothers all from my dad’s side of the family. The fact that we have enough of us to field a full 11-a-side team doesn’t surprise me, it’s just incredible that we will all be on the same team from teenagers through to uncles in their 60’s. It’s going to be incredible and we are all crazily excited about it the game. It’s going to be recorded and my cousin Andy will have his wife Amy there taking photos too….. I can’t wait. I don’t think any of us will care too much about the result as this hasn’t happened before and probably won’t happen again with this group of people, Immense! I will let you know how it goes. The team photo will be something to keep hold of for sure.

Head On Collision With The Managing Director
We had our work Christmas do a couple of weeks back in Milton Keynes which was pretty smart. It was at this big marquee and all decked out in 20’s theme which was cool. There was some entertainment  and nice food but the highlight of the night was the bumper cars they had. They weren’t your usual carnival bumper cars where you have to all go in a circle and not really crash into each other, they were do whatever you want in whatever direction you want bumper cars which was mental. There were people driving all over the place and smashing into you from all angles. The best part was catching our managing directors eye while he was at the other end of the floor and heading straight at each other with our arms in the air waiting for the smash. It was just hilarious to do this with people that we have to be serious and work like for 99% of the time we usually see them. Fun night!

I haven’t seen any new movies lately so there is nothing to give my thoughts on there…. We have been watching more Scrubs which still makes me chuckle, only on Season 6 so have to see if that continues. We have been to Yo Sushi a lot over the last month or two, that place is just amazing. It’s that one where the food goes around on a belt between all the tables and you just take what you want. If there are things you want that aren’t going round or if you want hot things like soup or rice you order it and it comes really quickly. All the food is put on coloured plates/bowls which relates to the cost of that dish so its all tallied up at the end and nice and easy. Plus the food is always lovely in there too. I recommend ‘Prawn Korokke’ which is like a croquet potato with mini prawns in it cooked to order and its delicious. It’s not all sushi though so don’t let that put you off. KFC have a new burger out called the Supercharger which will need to be getting in my belly ASAP! Lol.

Other than that I’m going to leave it there for now. Have an awesome Christmas, don’t eat too much…. I will probably write another review of the year like I did last year between now and 2012 so until then, take it easy….

G

Fireworks, Christmas and Tattoos

The Tattoo Machine

Ooops, I completely missed writing a post in November… In all fairness December has snuck up out of nowhere and it’s now time to start opening those little cardboard windows each morning and start the day with some chocolate, haha. Yes I am talking about advent calendars and yes I know I’m 27 but I think that they are brilliant. I am a huge child inside, and outside a lot of the time, so why can’t I have an advent calendar?? I even bought Lara one as she hasn’t had one since she was about 11, but now she can enjoy the childishness with me too, haha. Anyway I digress…..

Turkeys Are Panicking

Well I didn’t really go off subject too much there as this is a Christmassy part – we can all be in the festive mood now as it is December. It really gets on my nerves when I see Christmas stuff in shops and hear the songs on the radio as early as bloody October.. really…. really… do one! I absolutely love Christmas but it should be a December thing ONLY! Lol. This year looks like it’s going to be a pretty manic one as per usual, but I’m looking forward to it. Usually I have a real problem thinking of something to ask for as I have always been the type of person who doesn’t ask for stuff just for the sake of it. I like to get things because I need them so on every birthday and Christmas I am a nightmare to buy for. This year is a little different though… remember in my last blog I wrote that I might be getting a new tattoo? Well I went out with my mate Sean a couple of weeks back and booked myself in for a day session (yes it’s gonna be a good one) in February of next year. Tattoos aren’t cheap so all I am asking for this year is money towards the tattoo please. I have sent some ideas off to the artist and am really excited to get sat down and inked! But yeah, other than that I can’t wait for this Christmas with everyone all over the place, I even get dinner at my mums on Christmas Day with my niece and nephew so it should be epic!

Bang, Boom, Pow, Shadoooooom

This year on bonfire night my sister and Tom had a big party at their place. As usual Dylan and Mia were on top form and the food / spiced cider was amazing / horrible respectively, lol. It was originally planned that everyone was to bring their own fireworks along so that there would be a load to use but my dad had a great idea for everyone to club together so he could arrange to get some bigger and better display fireworks. All I can say is Bloody Hell!! We were actually all laughing in shock at how amazing the fireworks he had sorted out were. They wouldn’t have been out of place at local town fireworks displays and I mean that. There were some that were absolutely massive, one of them exploded and spanned about three houses in width! Mental. Haha. So yeah that was a great night. Dylan had another one of his epic moments doing some more dancing, this time to LMFAO being on the TV with their video for ‘Im Sexy and I know it’ – if you haven’t seen the video its complete comedy but what Dylan did had us all laughing again. Check it out - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ-HRvDMADI - Legend!

Massive Geeks

I’m still playing Gears of War 3 and loving it, every week they have weekend events where they change the set-up of game types for you to play online, which is a great way of keeping things fresh. Also in about a week or so they are releasing some downloadable content which will add about 4 hours of campaign story as a prequel to the whole series. Its genius that games can be developed and added to after completion all through online content. It’s scary to think what things will be like in 20 years time.
Lara is still playing LA Noire and loving it, haha. She has completed the main story and is going back to do a load of side missions or do better on the crime cases to up her profile. What massive geeks we are!

I still haven’t even debated getting FIFA 12, although this should give Joe a head start if we get a chance to play it as I usually school him at FIFA games, lol.

What Else….

Other than that I have next week off work which should be nice. I will probably try and get all of my Christmas shopping done and out of the way before the rush closer to the time. Lara and I are saving some money to try and have a nice holiday next year so we aren’t going to buy too much for each other this year. We have given each other some pretty awesome presents over the last year – Playstation 3 for Lara, Rammestien tickets for me etc – so it wont be too bad having a little break from splashing the cash!

I’m sure I will write again before Christmas and by that time I’m hoping to have seen some snow, yes it’s a bit chilly outside but it’s nowhere near too cold yet – I haven’t even worn a scarf!

I'm heading out on Chritsmas eve with the same guys as last year, you know the night we took the megaphone out and got chucked out of everywhere

So I hope everyone is well, let me know if you fancy a pint sometime.

Peace

G

Kids Throwing Shapes

Are we really at the end of October already? Let me just double check that on the calendar..... yep, it turns out that we actually are nearly five sixths of the way through 2011 and the summer seems a distant memory (if you can bring yourself to call it a summer). I wrote about halfway through September and since then lots has happened really. Lets see if I can remember this to be able to put into words.....

Am I Living With A Granny?
Simple answer, no.... no I'm not - but that doesn't stop me winding Lara up that she is older than me. Seems like her friends like doing it too - a quick check of her Facebook page around the 7th October will show a few messages from close friends wishing her a happy 30th / 31st / 32nd Birthday. She even got a card from one of her best friends, Stace, wishing her a happy 40th, haha (She was actually 28). Her birthday was on a Friday and I had secretly booked it off to surprise her as she had the day off too. I woke up, got dressed as if I was going to work and headed to the shop to grab the last little bits I needed to bring her lots of fresh fruit on a plate in bed and some juice. Then I got to give her all of her presents which is always nice. I bought her LA Noire for the PS3 which she loves and has spent many hours on, a Thomas Sabo charm and some other bits and bobs too. She was meeting her mum for a day out shopping (to get her iPad2) which I knew about so most of my day off was spent cleaning our place ready for people to come round the next day before we headed out. See, I can do nice things, haha. Lara is on Twitter too - she is @Laazarini7 on Twitter.

The Saturday night we headed out into Milton Keynes which was a laugh as always. Obviously ending up in the Disco room as Lara loves 90s music. A good night was had by all!

The Next Michael Jackson / Usher On The Dancefloor
A couple of weekends back there was a big surprise party for my Auntie Berns 50th birthday. It was another big family do and as always it was great to see people there. Katie, Tom, Dylan and Mia were there too which I always enjoy but tonight the kids were on Tom form. Mia was wandering around all over the place, playing with my cousins daughter Ella again and generally being a star (probably as she was eating the star decorations on the tables). Dylan was just being his usual legendary self, let me explain. As we all arrived Dylan had mentioned to Lara that he was looking forward to the music as his dance moves had been getting better. We thought this was just a bit of kid speak until we actually saw him busting some shapes later in the night. It all culminated in a lot of people dancing to Cotton Eye Joe and the song eventually turning into a circle around Dylan doing his thing! Words do not do it justice so luckily enough I had my iPhone camera rolling and you can see for yourself here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3LLJoA2jkw - Awesome.

The day after the party Katie, Tom and the clan met up with us at my mums house down in the New Forest for a home cooked pie by my mum (oh dear lord it was a good pie). We spent most of the day playing outside as it was a fairly nice day but its nice to be able to be an uncle and give them both back at the end of the day when I'm tired, lol.

You All Knew This Was Coming
I'm sure you have realised over the past year and a half that I have been a little bit excited for the Xbox game Gears of War 3 to come out. Well on the 20th September it did and I have basically lost countless hours of sleep staying up later than I normally would so I dont take over the TV too much when I'm playing it - Simply, it is Immense! There is just so much to do - Campaign (two different ways), Horde mode,  Beast mode which is kind of like a reverse Horde mode and then the multiplayer which is so varied as well. I have played through the whole campaign with my cousin Martin @MartinField which was brilliant and I have also played a bit with @Pazzatron who is the editor of www.culturedeluxe.com and who did a review for Gears 3 as well - http://www.culturedeluxe.com/video-game-review/gears-of-war-3/ so be sure to check that out. So I feel I must apologise to Lara for becoming a bit of a Gears widow lately, althoguh she cant complain too much as she has mammoth 5 hour stints on LA Noire sometimes, lol. But this game is AWESOME!! I have even decided against buying the latest FIFA game as I know I wouldn't play it. This deserves my 'photo of the blog'.

What Else....
Other than the things above I am having a mind blank again, haha. I suppose brief points on things can be:

Work is overly manic at the moment which is good for business I suppose but it feels like I'm on overdrive from the second I walk through the door until the moment I leave.

You should check out another blog from one of my oldest friends Rob. Hes not actually old I have just known him for a long time..... He is @Bobmeister2K on Twitter and his blog is http://lethargicinvective.blogspot.com - I especially like the one about buying a house called 'Tard Rage 2' which I know we can all relate to.

I'm looking into the possibility of a new tattoo now too. Watch this space.

Take it easy
G

Twitter - @FuzzyCoyote

Another Baby Bump and Todd Ramsey

Where did that last month and a bit go to?? That flew by... I guess its cos work it overly manic at the moment so the days and nights seem to be blending together a bit. Haha. So whats new? Hmmmm, are we all sitting comfortably? Then let’s begin.

Aussie Partying
My cousin Tom came to stay with me for a weekend again, we had an awesome night out earlier in the year (I think I wrote about it) but had a lot to live up to this time around. On the Friday my mum drove him up so it was nice to have a catch up with her too. I cooked a really nice chicken meal so if you want to call me the next Gordon Ramsey you are quite welcome to, haha. The Saturday night we thought we would have a fairly quiet one at the dog racing in Henlow which was a laugh. I didn’t win a thing all night but Toms luck seemed to be in which was good. After that finished we headed home for what we thought would be a fairly quiet night. We got back to mine and Lara and a couple of her mates were there, so we ended up heading to Ampthill for a few drinks. Well I say a few, it was more of a continuous pour of whatever was in our hands at the time. Later that night we all headed back to ours where somehow we managed to end up playing the game of life, probably not to the correct rules or anything like that but it was hilarious. Kelly ended up winning by a long way and was happy as she had got herself a blue peg in her car which meant that her and Pat (her boyfriend who wasn’t there) were officially married. After that we called my aunt in Australia for a chat, which was class, and told her about how her son was now renamed Todd Ramsey! Tom is now back in Oz but when we meet up again the nights out will have a hell of a task living up to the two we had over here!

Unkie G
I’m going to be an uncle again!! Whoop Whoop. I have known for a little while but couldn’t say anything about it. My sister is due next year and I will have another niece or nephew to have a laugh with. I saw Dylan and Mia at my dads birthday meal and they are just such little legends. Mia is really getting a proper personality while she is wandering around now so that’s cool, and Dylan is just Dylan – if you don’t know what that means then let me elaborate. Dylan is the most awesome little lad in the history of the world. He just comes out with the most hilarious, and clever, comments. I wish I could write them all down and share them. An example of this is when my dad was opening his birthday card from Dylan and Mia and was reading it out. Dylan was saying ‘we wrote your card grandad’ and then my dad said as he was reading ‘To the best grandad in the world’ and Dylan said ‘Oh we didn’t write that bit’ haha. Genius. So yeah I am looking forward to being an uncle again.... hence todays blog photo of my niece Mia.

Review Time Peoples
Last time I said that I would be watching a couple of films over the coming weeks, well that’s just what I went and did. I saw The Inbetweeners Movie and Super 8…. Am I a man of my word or what??  So anyway, The Inbetweeners Movie was extremely funny. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it was hilarious as sometimes it was very slow and drawn out. What I would say is that there are a couple of incredibly funny moments in there, like the ones that have tears rolling down your face, which are worth seeing the movie for. Overall it was a fun time but I cant help thinking it could have been so much more. 6.5/10.
Next I saw Super 8 and this is a definite must see movie! - Especially if you are around my age. Don’t get me wrong, it will still be great if you are younger or older but it has a real throwback feel to movies that I saw while I was growing up which was a real bonus. I wrote a review for www.culturedeluxe.com for Super 8 so be sure to check it out and have a browse about the site as there is some great stuff going up recently. The link to the review is – http://www.culturedeluxe.com/movie-review/super-8/ - I’m quite proud of this one again J

That should just about do it for now, If I think of anything else maybe I will write a quick catch up. Oh, Kempston goal tally is now at 2, scored an absolute peach of a chip from about 20 yards out that I was happy as larry with.

Until next time

G

Kicking Kempston Goals and My Birthday

Rammestein - Can't wait for the concert!

So I’m already writing again, I think today will be a short one in comparison to the last couple as not a lot has been going on really – well, enough has been going on but not nearly as much as July, that was just manic.

And… We Are Off...

So the pre-season training is winding down now and we are into some friendly matches before the actual season starts in just over a week. It’s good to actually be playing games again and not just training like madmen as running with a ball is more enjoyable than running from one cone to another! I have played in a couple of games and we bagged a 4-2 win on Tuesday night which was good. I am now officially off the mark scoring wise for Kempston after getting a goal in Tuesdays game which is great. Although with the amount of chances I had I should have scored at least one more, oh well, something to improve on… I will have to try and keep track of how many goals I have scored this year as I never seem to do that.

And… I’m Older

Sunday just gone, 7^th August, was my birthday and saw my years of age tally roll upwards and onwards to the dizzy heights of 27. Now I know some will read this and go, ‘god I wish I could be turning 27 again’ (even Lara will as she is going to be older than that in a couple of months) but seriously, how in the blue hell have I just turned 27?? Seems like only last year that I was hanging out with mates at school, then college or travelling the world as a 23 year old – Where does the time go? Anyway, we had a BBQ at our place to celebrate and everything seemed to go really well. It was great to have friends and family up to our place rather than travelling around to see everyone. Even my mate Paul and his lady Rachel came over (Paul is from Yeovil and Rachel is from Newcastle so it was great to see them). I met Paul in Lanzarote when we would go on yearly trips with our family in our teens. We have always kept in touch and as good mates so it was great that they were able to come. The weather was really good for the day and despite losing my sight for an hour or so in the smoke of the BBQ I had such a great day. So a massive thank you to everyone who came with a special thanks to my aunt and uncle for bringing a Gazebo, loads of chairs, blankets and just general bits as it made things so much easier. Also I can’t forget Lara on this one who worked her little booty off to clean the house from top to bottom and just generally was a legend in the planning etc. Thank you all, I had an amazing day! (Martin @MartinField and Jenni @Jenniwheller thank you for Dirt 3, its addictive as hell!)

And… I’m Going Rocking

Rammestein had announced that they would be doing a show next year at the O2 so naturally I wanted to go. Unfortunately the tickets sold out in minutes and I had been looking with my friend Sean into getting hold of some as this would be a show not to be missed. For those that don’t know, Rammestein are a German rock band who are known as one of the best live shows around. They use pyrotechnics and loads of props and have just an amazing stage presence so I really wanted to see this. They sing in German which I do not speak at all but I have sing along to some of the songs I know which is strange, lol. Anyway, after a little treasure hunt Lara had set up on the morning of my birthday, I found out that she had managed to get me tickets to the gig which was AMAZING. So yeah, I cant wait for that and thought I would make them the photo of the blog this time as it is just that awesome. Bring on the rocking! Thank you Lara!   Its also worth a quick look at this thing someone did with Lego to one of their songs, its hilarious - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxUZUnRwH7s 

And… Other Odd Bits

Other than that there hasn’t been much going on lately really. I have written two more small things for www.culturedeluxe.com which you should check out. They are only little things about two movie trailers that have been released recently but have a look and have a browse around the site too. In Time - http://www.culturedeluxe.com/2011/08/on-screen/on-screen-trailer-park/in-time/ and the other one for The Darkest Hour - http://www.culturedeluxe.com/2011/08/on-screen/on-screen-trailer-park/the-darkest-hour/

Have a look see.

I am hoping to see a couple of films over the next week or so, Super 8 by JJ Abrams which I have been looking forward to all year and also The Inbetweeners Movie which has the potential to be hilarious. So maybe I will write my thoughts on those next time. Also, I keep meaning to film a little video on my phone with my cousin Matt (@TheTilley) for a bit of a laugh, something like a sketch so maybe I will get around to that at some point too. Haha. For now, I shall leave you to get on with the rest of your day.

Take it easy

G

Stags, Weddings & Birthdays!!

Matts Stag Do - July 2011

Look at that, two blogs in a month.... this is getting back to how I used to be. lol. Well July has been one hectic month and I'm hoping August will be a little bit calmer. (Apart from my birthday weekend of course). So where do we begin....

Boiling, Brilliant Bournemouth!
Well the first weekend of July started out with my cousin Matts stag do down in Bournemouth (This Blogs feature photo). I headed down on the Friday night straight from work (taking 4 hours in the bloody traffic) to start the events. We headed straight out and found a pub to toast the young man losing his freedom in a few weeks time. Long story short, we headed to a few bars and clubs and had a great first night.. Up early the next day to head to the beach as we didn't have any activities planned out which in a way was well suited to where we were. The sun was shining and in the morning the beach was empty so we played some beach football and rugby between us. As the day went on it became busier and busier until we all twigged there seemed to be cheerleaders everywhere??  Turns out there was a big championship on down there on the Saturday and they were all chilling on the beach between their turns. Result! The rest of the day was spent tanning and playing Mini Golf in the park which was a great laugh. I came second (damn you uncle Les!). In the evening we headed out to the Walkabout to watch the David Haye fight, unfortunately we all know how that went but I can see why people try so hard to go to boxing matches now. Even in a pub the atmosphere was something I have only experienced at big football matches before. We all had loads to drink and a BBQ out on the terrace before and while it was going on which was a plus point. After the fight we were off to more bars and clubs ending up with Tyler (one of the other guys) and I getting in about 5am once everywhere shut! Great company, great weekend. On a side note, I had a collapsing bed propped up with a door in the hotel we stayed in, it was nuts! What a mess.

Baby Birthdays
The weekend after the stag do there was a BBQ for my cousin Dan and Helens little girl Ella for her 1st Birthday which was really good. Lots of people I hadn't seen in a while and some good food. Thinking about it, BBQ food really is right up there with the best of them. It was great to see Ella and my niece Mia playing together as well. They were making noises at each other and stuff which was really cute. Matt and I also played some twister with Dylan which was hilarious.

The weekend after that it was the turn of my niece Mia to turn 1 so we all gathered again for another great BBQ. Ella was there again and it seemed like they were having a good chat in 1 year old language about what they had been up to that week. We even played pin the tail on the donkey which was such a laugh as the only child playing was Dylan, the rest of us were far too old. Congratulations to Helen who is pin the tail on the donkey champion 2011.  Another great day for a 1st birthday!

Not Quite So Baby Birthdays
The day after Mias birthday Lara and I headed to Watford for her godfather Tony 60th birthday do. It was a good bash and all I can think about is the amazing little cakes that there were that you could eat in one bite. They are something that I need to look into further, haha. He also had a magician there who pulled out some great tricks. Another good day!

This weekend just gone had a wedding on the Saturday (Il get to that in a minute) but in keeping with the 60th section the Sunday was dedicated to my Uncle Des who turned 60. His children had arranged a surprise party at his favourite restaurant for him under the cover of a quiet family do - (The Forum in Shepperton, we have been going there for years and its amazing!). His face as he walked in to see lots of family and friends was brilliant. The food was great as always and they had a couple of guys playing Simon and Garfunkel songs all the way through which was really good. Des is one of those people that would do anything for anyone and is just an all-around top class guy so it was great to see people there for him to show what he means to them too. He has passed on a lot of advice to me over the years and it was great to be able to share a day like that with him, I know he loved it.

The Second Tilley Wedding of 2011
As I mentioned above, on Saturday my cousin Matt got married to his lady Emma which was the second wedding involving a Tilley in the last couple of months after Stuart and Katie tied the knot. It was such a nice day weather wise which was good considering the amount of rain we have had lately. The reception was at a golf club near Thorpe Park and the meal was lush, I think I consumed about 20 meatballs in all, haha. Then I hit the jackpot with dessert, banoffie pie!! Not only did I get my serving but as Lara doesn't like banana I got to have double helpings, superb. The night was a great laugh and some of us even did a stupid 'Tonto' dance from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air which was fun even if it was a bit geeky. I will get a video of it onto YouTube and put a link right here ---- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3URO0rXVfY  So yeah another wedding that was thoroughly enjoyable with some great (and emotional) speeches.

On the subject of Tilley weddings, the next one is already planned and it is when my cousin Dan gets married to Helen next June. I have been given the honour of being best man so I can't wait for that one to roll around. That also means I get to plan the stag do so expect some fun stories coming from that one!

Other Bits
I saw Transformers 3 at the cinema the other week (alone actually as Lara was so against going, haha). It was actually very good, even though it was slightly long. Of course its transforming robots that fight each other and stuff but as long as there is a beginning / middle / end to a simple story in a film like that, all you need to do is turn off your brain and watch something extremely creative from a visual point of view. Its incredible the things people can create these days and this film showcased that very well indeed. I thoroughly enjoyed switching off from reality for two and a half hours and letting my inner child run free. Also, the main female character in it, Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley is beautiful, like proper lovely! Overall I would give it an 8/10.

I have joined a new team football wise. I now play for Kempston which is over near Bedford. It's a step up in standard so I'm looking forward to the challenge this season brings. The set up at the club is incredible as well which is great as a player. I will miss some of the lads from Ampthill Town but a couple of them have moved clubs with me which was good. The pre-season training was immense there, I dont think I have felt this fit since I was at under 18 level (unfortunately a long time ago, haha) but I'm hoping for good things so I will keep you posted.

Other than that I think that's about a good place to leave it for now.  I managed to get this out a few weeks after the last one so hopefully it wont be too long until the next one.

Peace
G

Another Catch Up as I've Been Crap!

I have really been poor at writing these this year, I will have to make a bit more of an effort in the upcoming months. So where to start on this one, I’m sure that quite a bit has happened since the last blog and I will see if I can tie it all together.

Run, Run and Run Some More
We have been doing the odd bits of training here and there since the beginning of June but started pre-season training properly last Saturday (25^th June) and I’m not gonna lie, it was not nice at all. We did some long jogs and then a couple of long sprints before some ball work so I was aching a bit the next day. Then we had another one on Tuesday where we were doing some hill running which made my legs feel a bit like jelly, lol. So hopefully the fitness will come soon for us lot.

Just Monkeying Around
A couple of weeks ago my cousin Tom from Oz came up to stay at ours for the weekend which was awesome. He is over doing a course for his flying and is in England for a few months so we wanted to make sure we hung out while he was here. We went to one of those Go Ape things (it was called Aerial Extreme but you know what I mean) and it was such a laugh, I recommend having a go on one if you haven’t already.  It was hard work in places and some of the things you do are quite scary but we had a good giggle. The one bad thing that happened was that I battered my ribs on this last big jump you do before you leave. I thought it would still have some tension in the rope once I landed but it caught be out by going completely loose and I fell ribs first into the fence – Here is the video, be kind and don’t laugh at me, haha. – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHNPdRhalZk.

Nottingham = Massive Let Down
Back in May my cousin Stewart got married which inevitably means there is an excuse for a bunch of friends and family to get together to drink excessive amounts of alcohol and party for a weekend on a Stag Do. This one was with a great bunch of lads and the paintballing / comedy club were brilliant but we went to Nottingham which I had heard so many good things about – Most of which were false, lol. We must have just been there on a real dull weekend as most places we went to were pretty much empty and it was like a ghost town most of the time, It was bizarre. One thing to come out of the weekend was Matt Tilley, Grand Hendy and myself doing the chicken wing challenge in Hooters on the Friday night. We ordered 150 chicken wings between the three of us and by the photo I have used for this blog, you can see there was a stupid amount of chicken involved! Needless to say we couldn’t polish them all off and we all felt rubbish for the rest of the night, haha.  All in all a great weekend in a rubbish place

On a side note to that the wedding was a really good day and I have just had another stag do (this weekend just gone actually) for one of Stewarts older brothers Matt (fellow chicken wing loony) – I shall probably write about the stag do and wedding in my next blog. It was bloody awesome!

Facebook – More Like Whingebook!
OK, I don’t usually moan too much about things I have previously praised but Facebook is really starting to piss me off at the moment. I am getting increasingly bored of reading peoples statuses that are purely there for attention rather than information. I mean, all this ‘post this status if you know someone with such and such problem’ or other general chain status are rather annoying. Then there is one that is there for no other reason than to take up space like ‘I love my hubby / wife’ or ‘I miss so and so’ – I mean I love my girlfriend but I tell HER that and not every gubbins on my friends list cos quite frankly, do they really need to know? The ones that really get me are the cryptic ones, you know, the ones that people post purely to get you to comment like ‘grrr Im gonna get you for this, I’m so annoyed, you know who you are’ or something like ‘some people should really watch what they are saying about people behind backs, what goes around comes around’. Those are the ones that people comment on saying ‘ah what’s up’ or ‘do you want to talk about it’ and then the person that wrote the status says ‘no, I don’t want to talk about it’ or ‘private message me’…..Why the hell bother in the first place then?? That type of crap is just plain annoying and needy. Lol. I’m sure that Facebook wasn’t designed for that tosh and I know I’m not the only one that thinks this sort of thing. I have even thought about deleting close friends just because they put this type of stuff up there a little too often, lol. That’s my little rant over on that one cos I don’t want to go on too much but please go easy on the attention seeking stuff, it just makes you look kind of needy…

Tweeting
Twitter is now becoming my favourite of the two social sites, well, definitely the most interesting anyway. I know it doesn’t have the scope that facebook does and Im still going to be using that as I would  as you can put photo albums and videos on easily along with the better social side of things but Twitter is just simple. Even Lara has come around to twitter recently and she seems to really like it too - follow her by the way @laazarini7 - I don’t know why I felt the need to write about that on here but I thought I would. Lol.

Movie Catch Up
I have hardly been to the cinema at all lately and then I went twice in two days which was cool. I saw The Hangover Part 2 first which was an extremely funny film even if it was a complete replica of the first one with a few details switched around. I think this is well worth a watch as it’s a bit darker than the first film which makes up for the story kind of following the same path.
Then the next night Joe came up for us to head out and watch X:Men – First Class. This was a very good movie indeed, in most ways. The story was really good and engaging, the characters involved all added to the story in some way (well there were a couple that were not really needed but you didn’t really notice much) and Kevin Bacon as the villain was brilliant, a proper old school baddie wanting to take over the world. This will probably lose a large audience as it’s a comic book movie at heart but it is a good film that should really be seen. Check this one out if you can.

Missing Download
A little note that I missed Download Festival this year which was a bit annoying as I really love that long weekend when I camp out and listen to a few days worth of rock music. To be fair, its not a cheap weekend and I couldn’t justify to myself spending hundreds of pounds when I am trying to save money for something like a holiday later in the year. It was a shame as Linkin Park and Pendulum were playing who I have seen before and they were both incredible. Linkin Park were part of the best day of my life back in 2007 at my first download festival so they had a lot to live up to in all honesty, lol. Maybe next year…..

More TV Stuff
You may remember I have mentioned a show called Summer Heights High before, an Australian mockumentary series by a guy called Chris Lilley where he plays all of the main characters. It is possibly the funniest series I have ever seen and he has just come out with a new one called Angry Boys, once again playing all the main characters. When you consider that one is a American Rap Star, one is an old female prison warden and there are identical twins in there too (very clever) you realise that this guy has some serious talent. Angry Boys in on the BBC iPlayer at the moment so check it out if you can.  
I am really into The Unit at the moment, coming to the end of season 3 of that now which is getting good. Although I know that season 4 was the final series so I shall be a little disappointed when that ends. I wonder what I can use to replace it? Answers on a postcard please.

This blog was a bit more substantial than the last one and I will leave it there for now.

Take Care

- G

Is It April Already??.....

I feel I must start this with an apology, I have written only one blog since the turn of the year and that was specifically about the cruise that Lara and I went on. I bet my loyal fans (hi again mum, and you Godders - I know you read this) are wondering what’s going on. Well I have no idea where to start as so much as happened really, cousins are engaged with weddings soon, I have a stag do on the horizon which I’m sure will be great, just loads! I suppose work should be where this story begins…..

Making My Monies

I started my new job back in January at a company called AC Flooring which so far is going really really well. It’s a lot closer to home so I don’t have to deal with the monotonous hour or more journey each way which rinsed my bank account for petrol money. Im working slightly longer hours but with the journey being so much shorter Im leaving later that I was before and getting back loads earlier too. To the delight of Lara’s brother Simon, Im an estimator….which he imagines as someone who just sits there chilling at a desk until someone says ‘how much will this cost’ and I can turn around and say ‘hmmm I estimate that it will cost this much… give me your money’ haha. I wish it was that easy, I never realised how complicated flooring actually is, theres so much to think about. The only drawback of this job is that wherever I go now I am noticing the flooring in places, like the type of carpet or the nosings (the bit on the front of a step) and thinking about it, which is a bit strange. But yeah, all in all going really well so far.

The 9 Second Finish

Football has been up and down this year, we went on a really good run of games without losing for a while but are in a bit of a dip at the moment, although just this weekend gone I scored the fastest goal I will ever score in my life. The other team kicked off, passed pack to their left-back and as he was passing across to another one of their defenders I took a chance that he would make a mistake, he did and I scored in what was a grand total of about 9 seconds of the game played!! Amazing. Although we didn’t score again in the game and ended up drawing 1-1 which was a bummer, but still.

TV Stuff

Lara and I are still watching Fringe, which is getting incredibly good at the moment. Its coming towards the end of season 3 and all starting to snowball into some fantastic stories again. We are also watching a show called The Event which is very good, I would recommend checking that one out if you can. I also started Lara up on Scrubs, which I loved back in the day. I used to watch loads of it with my cousin Ollie when I was living out in Oz which was cool. So we have started that from the beginning and it just cracks me up so Im glad she is enjoying that one.

Playing Computers Like A Kid

On the game front I have been playing Test Drive Unlimited 2 lately, it’s a pretty good game with some great racing around Hawaii and Ibiza which is decent. Things can get a bit repetitive sometimes though which is the only drawback I can find about it. There is really only one game I am waiting on this year though and that’s Gears of War 3. It was meant to come out in April but they pushed the release date back until Autumn time which is annoying. Other than that, not too much on the games side of things at the moment.

New Locations
One interesting thing is that both my mum and my sister have moved houses down to Wiltshire. They live about 30 odd minutes from each other and they both have such great places too. I popped down to see my mum a little while back and had an old school mums Sunday roast which was lush. I dived into my sisters to see everyone on the way back home too which was nice. Mia is such a cheeky monkey and she was smiling loads. I played parachute with Dylan which was fun too, Im sure we will be doing that again when I see him. Lol.

Im trying to think of some other stuff going on at the moment but im drawing up blanks…. I think its because after the cruise I am trying to save money to pay back my credit card so I haven’t really done too much, I haven’t even been to the cinema that often, well at all really. I saw that film ‘Paul’ which was very funny with Nick Frost and Simon Pegg but other than that I have been a billy boring bollocks and not done an awful lot. Easter is coming up soon though and I have some time off so there should be something to write about there, and as I said there was the stag do in a week or two that Im going on so that should be great.

I may as well leave it there for now, I know it wasn’t a major catch up on everything I have done but like I said, I haven’t really done too much….. so until next time. Bye Bye.

G

The World of the Open Sea

Right, I know it has been a long time since I have written anything, in fact I haven’t put anything up in 2011 so I know there is some catching up to do about my new job and stuff, but for now I wrote a little diary thing on my phone while I was on the cruise back in January and just haven’t had a chance to post it up yet. Here we go….

First day Lara, Laras dad Brian and I were up early for the flight to Barcelona, I hate flying so I wasn’t looking forward to that at all. But it was all worth it once we arrived on board the ship. The scale of everything was just incredible and after five minutes of wandering it was clear we wouldn’t be going hungry. There was all the food you could ever dream of, even a BBQ by the pool with amazing burgers. It was mainly a chill out day but in the evening we had our first taste of real food. We went to a steak house after having some kick ass cocktails in a martini bar. The food was incredible. There was a Casino on board and I knew that this was going to be the best and worst place on the boat. We had a fairly early night and boat started moving quite a bit as we were heading back and it made the nights sleep nice, kind of like rocking you to sleep as a kid. Freestyle Cruising is brilliant.

This was a day at sea now, we had some brekkie which had more choice than you thought possible. I settled for a freshly made omelette. We chilled out and played scrabble a couple of times in the day (how rock and roll). We played bingo and had a quiz as well, so all in all just a totally chilled day. That night Lara was excited as we were going for Tapanyaki. It was amazing, the food and the whole spectacle of watching them chuck things around in front of you. The only downfall was this knobhead American fella on our table who had a friend or buddy that had been everywhere and done everything. He was one of those annoying muppets that just doesn’t shut up and can better anything that anyone has ever done, haha. Onto the Casino again that night, Lara won $166 off $10 on slots and I won $100 playing blackjack and roulette. Brain unfortunately was not so lucky. Then a pretty early night for ready for our day in Rome tomorrow.

Up early for Rome. Headed out on the coach journey from the port to Rome which lasted about an hour, met our guide who was brilliant and knew everything, what was nice was that even though he had probably seen everything 100s of times he still seemed to enjoy it. We saw so many ancient monuments and ruins and it was such a beautiful city. Took some nice pictures by the Trevi fountain and threw in some money as you do. More ruins and then onto the Colosseum which was immense. It was Huge! This was one of my highlights as I had always wanted to see that, we even got to walk around inside which was amazing. After that some lunch then onto St Peters basilica which was incredible. Amazing how these were all built back in the day before machines. Inside one of the features in there was a dead pope in wax, which was odd. Had some authentic Italian pizza from a little shop which was yummy. Back to the ship for dinner at one of the ships main included restaurants, was very tasty and kicked the crap out of the lunch we were given on the excursion. Onto a bar for drinks and played a few card games followed by a bit more gambling where we each lost a little. Then came bed at the end of a long but very enjoyable day.

Our second full day at sea so we had a lay in. We got up for some food and as there was all you can eat ice cream I thought it would be rude not to have some for breakfast (which was lush). Sat in the Aloha lounge (main reception area) for a bit where there was an amazing pianist playing when you chill out. We found a shuffleboard thing which was a new experience for us all. Chilled out the rest of the day and played scrabble, Brian whooped us both. Played another quiz which would become the norm for us. In the evening we had the most amazing sushi and it was prepared right in front of us at the bar, we even had a few extra pieces of fish/squid/eel/octopus. Brilliant, although the Saki we had with it was a bugger! In the evening we danced to 70's music, well Brian and I did. Lara chilled like a Loooser. We all went to the casino Lara headed off but I stayed for a few hours extra and played for ages, only ended up that I had won $20 but that was worth the evening playing. I was hungry so I grabbed some food at the 24/7 place which is like an American diner with burgers and chicken wings. Sleep!

Today we are off to Athens! Not every day you can say that! Lol. We saw the Acropolis which was brilliant. It was right up on top of a big hill and it was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. I took some great pictures. We saw some amazing buildings driving around Athens that were just so great to look at. Also saw the stadium which was used for the first modern Olympic games which was something special as it was made of marble. Greece was nice. Back on the boat I wandered to have a snack, had a bit of pasta and meatballs on the back deck looking out over Athens! What a day so far. Ate at another one of the included restaurants where, as always, the food was brilliant. Had a fairly quiet evening, watched a magician who was very good (more on this fella later in the story). Did some mental things like turning 4 doves into a cat! Had another quick go in the casino before a fairly early night.

Izmir, Turkey for this day, they come thick and fast on a cruise, haha. We didn't go on any of the organised excursions but decided to do our own thing in the city. We headed out on a hop on, hop off bus where we toured around. It was really run down in places and sometimes different on each side of the road - I was saying to Lara how it was pretty looking right and then pretty crap looking left. We had a nice lunch on the end of a pier at what seemed to be the Turkish equivalent of the expensive part of London, posh shops and bars and even a metal scanner for you to walk through to get in! Back on the boat, another quiz and then Italian for dinner. As always, awesome! Then Brian and I were quite drunk buy gambled some more. I lost $40 then won $100 so was up for the night. Good times! I headed up to the club lounge bit and partied on until 3.30am as it’s a chill out day tomorrow. Had a dance and met some Canadians and English people, even a Spanish dude called Diego, lol.

Day at sea so having a nice relax, the sun is shining so everyone was outside by the pool and on the upper decks. There was live music going on around the pool which was cool. The views were really nice as you could look in all directions and see blue sky and endless sea. Played some more bingo and watched the sunset getting some great photos. Dinner at a French restaurant which had some of the nicest food yet! They even offered a second main course if we fancied and I had 2 desserts. Lol. Quiet night with a couple of drinks chilling out in a bar before a fairly early night as we are seeing the Pyramids in the morning, I'm so excited.

We were up early for the trip out to the pyramids. It took three hours to get there but was well worth the drive as they were absolutely epic. We had a stop at the bottom of the big two and wandered around there for a while. We were taking loads of pictures and having to ignore some pushy sellers there too. We then went up to a high part of Giza to look down over all three pyramids which looked great with Giza in the background. We then drove down to view the Sphinx with the pyramids as the backdrop which was a real postcard picture. After the amazing time at the pyramids we drove through Giza have lunch on a boat on the Nile. The food was nice and the entertainment was really cool (having got back and watched An Idiot Abroad, Karl Pilkington went on the same Nile boat). It was just surreal to thing we were cruising down the Nile! After that a drive through Cairo to the Mosque. There were a lot of run down areas in Cairo, even people living in shacks in a cemetery, although a couple of them had satellite dishes which was odd! Onto the Mosque which was a first for me, we learnt a lot about the culture and the building itself was very nice too. Back on the bus for a visit to a Papyrus museum which had some nice art inside. Then back on the bus for the long drive home, I slept most of the way. In the evening back on the boat we were shattered so had dinner at one of the main restaurants (amazing as always) with the best dessert that I have had on the whole trip - a blueberry crumble, oh my god it was amazing. A couple of drinks and an early night as we were all shattered. A nice relaxing day by the pool tomorrow probably!

Started the day off with a bit of brunch as we woke up too late for brekkie, then did what anyone would do with the sun out in Egypt, chilled by the pool! Bliss! Ended up relaxing in a jacuzzi for 2 hours with a beer which was awesome. Got chatting to a nice couple from Maryland, US too. Heading to the Mexican/Tapas restaurant tonight which I'm sure will be decent. As I write this I'm watching the sunset off the port of Alexandria, taking some really nice photos. The Mexican food was excellent and better than we all thought it would be. Had a few games of cards then gambled a little. Well I say a little, I lost $100 and Lara lost $40 so it wasn't a good night. But we are only both down a little overall so it's not all doom and gloom. Lara and I went for a few drinks in the lounge upstairs where the DJ played either crap gangsta music or Spanish stuff, so not the best, but still a nice night. Another day on the open sea tomorrow so we will probably have another lazy one, what a hard life this is!

I was up fairly early and we had a nice big breakfast right at the back of the ship looking out to sea, nothing in all directions. A bit more scrabble, Brian keeps whooping us both again. Lara and I played some shuffleboard which was decent. Other than that it was mainly a chill out until the evening watching a show called Elements. The ships crew had been raving about this show all week so we thought we had better check it out although with the high praise they had been giving it we hoped it would live up to it. There was magic, dancing, acrobatics and just loads of other amazing stuff which made it one of the best shows I have seen! Fantastic! I almost wanted to go and watch the second showing later in the night. After that we headed up for some sushi for the second time this cruise, as before it was superb and we all left feeling extremely satisfied but also stuffed. I didn't gamble tonight but Lara had a little bash and made a small bit of money over the course of the night. Off to Malta tomorrow where I think we are doing our own thing rather than an organised tour so I'm looking forward to that.

I got up early to watch us dock as the port in Malta was very old-school apparently. It was very tight and I wouldn't have had the guts to drive the ship in there! We did our own thing getting on another hop on hop off bus. We visited a lovely little place with high buildings and narrow streets. It's looked like quite an old place and when we got to the back end of town there was views over Malta where you could see for miles. Back on the bus and Brian and I thought it would be really nice to sit on the top deck of the open top bus, bad idea. The rain started about a minute after we set off and didn't let up for quite a while. Lara went downstairs but it was so packed that Brian and I stayed up top and got soaked. It wasn't too bad though as it stopped after about 45 mins and we had great views of the drive through the Maltese countryside and ports. Back on the boat for a shower and a meet up for cake and coffee, brilliant. A great way to chill out after a wet, but enjoyable day off the ship in Malta. We had another go on the quiz, this one we WON! Whoop - Go us. After that Lara and Brian headed off to get ready/relax until we met for dinner but I stayed in the bar and had a few drinks. Then onto the steak house that we went to on the first night that we were here as we couldn’t leave without having some more of the most amazing beef around.

There was a party in the nightclub for an Ice White night that night. Almost everyone was dressed in White which was pretty cool. We were chilling at the bar and then we saw some of the cast from the elements show with the magicians as well. I caught his eye and asked for a photo. After that we chatted with them and they were really cool, he was saying that he does a lot of up close stuff which he can't really do in his show, luckily Lara had a pack of cards in her bag so he was doing tricks for us for ages! It was amazing. Not everyday you just chat to a magician and he busts out a load of tricks for you. It really made the night fun. We also talked with the acrobats from the show and Robert from the staff for a while too. What a night!

Our last day at sea.... Cry! Today was a very chilled out day. I sat in the hot tub for a couple of hours again which was cool. Had a wander round the ship and relaxed before meeting everyone for bingo, we were so close to winning but just pipped at the end. The final quiz after that and then onto the event of the evening, Tapanyaki for dinner. The food was simply amazing and, as before, the theatre of it being cooked in front of you is an added bonus. I will certainly miss the food from the ship! After dinner Lara and I wandered around the ship taking photos of all the bits about. I’m sad that this is coming to an end, it has been brilliant. The last hours were spent with a quiet drink and walking to see all the people that had made the holiday a little more special, one of the bar staff Chris 'Chizzle' from St Lucia who I had a great laugh with on board and Robert from the cruise staff who was from London and just great at what he does, brilliantly hilarious from the first to last moment. I am very sad that the end has now come. Flying home tomorrow will suck for sure!

I had never really contemplated a cruise before, and even leading up to this trip I didn't know what to expect. I can safely say that this has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Everything about it was beyond fantastic. The food on board was some of the best I have eaten anywhere, and when you take into account that I sampled food from all over the world from all cultures while I was travelling I feel I am able to say that with some conviction. There wad enough entertainment to have you busy almost 24/7 if you wanted to and if you just wanted to chill out there was plenty of other options. What is a massive draw for me, and will be again looking at future holidays, is that I have seen five countries in this trip and in all honesty being on the ship doesn't feel like travelling at all. All these places seemed to be coming right to your doorstep. Reading back over what I have written about this trip there has been lots of 'amazings' or 'brilliants' and I don’t want their value to decrease from over use. It really has been THAT good. For those of you that haven't experienced a cruise before I couldn't speak highly enough of my time over the past 12 days. I think this is something that everyone should experience. It was in summary - Incredible!