Drunken and Disorderly

Ok, so no I wasn't drunk and disordely exactly... well the disorderly part anyway.

Anyway, I haven't had the best of weekends. Our venutre into for money poker didn't exactly go to plan with too many people playing, with most not really being up to a level of being able to compenently play. I lost most of my money on a hand with two pairs, Ace Jack and a high card of 6. I got beat by an Ace Jack with a 7. What's the chances of that.

Anyway the Friday equalled it more than enough out to salvage the weekend. However, I ended up absolutely plastered (See picture) and eating pizza while sat in the middle of the road... not the smartest move I've ever made but meh, it was funny at the time.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting absolutely hammered at Luke's and hopefully I won't throw up this weekend...

I Passed!

Waahhooo! I passed my driving test yesterday! Unfortunately there was no celebration to be had last night since I was stuck working... same again tonight so I'll be heading out on Friday in order to make sure that I get absolutely hammered.

Hopefully it shouldn't be too long before I'm insured on a car and driving. My mum is due to take delivery of her brand new Punto Grande ActiveSport soon and surprisingly it's only going to cost me £400 for the year. Surprisingly because it's sport model and because I've only just qualified.

Either way, I'm still going to be doing my Pass Plus since I'll be driving back and too to Hull quite often so learning to drive at night and on motorways is crucial the way I see it.

Oh The Weather Outside Ain't Snowing...

Right, spank my bottom I've been a naughty boy and not posted for ages... but to be fair it's been Christmas, i've been spending valuable (and all to rare) time with Anita as well as spending a fair bit of it getting pissed, throwing up, getting even more plastered, forgetting what happened and then throwing up again... rinse and repeat. It's the Christmas (or Piss-tmas) season after all.

Anyway, an update...

1) I love Viva Pinata... I've been playing on this game when ever i've had the chance... well up until recently because...

2) I finally got a Wii... and ouch my arm hurts.

3) I've got more freelance work and best of all its regular. You can check out www.pocketgamer.co.uk and www.pocketpicks.co.uk for my work...

4) I still can't drive... I still can't afford to drive... I still haven't taken a re-sit...

Anyway, i've let you get back to skiving...

Christmas Party 2006

I think a very big thank you is in order for Jonnie Bryant and Big Boy Barry, aka Alex Varrey for last nights, well, what can only be described as a Roman feast. Okay, so it was Korean BBQ but that's not the point. The metaphor wouldn't work as well otherwise.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, we went out to Jin Korean Resaurant & BBQ in old London as part of what is becoming our annual games industry Christmas night out. We spent last years in Wagamama's near Regent Street, carrying on the well, slightly less than Christmassy theme.

Cue a three hour conveyour belt of food, food and more food. Sure we were stuffed by the end of it, and we couldn't even get drunk (oh, we drunk... Hell, we drank the place out of all their Korean and Japanese beer and half their Western stuff) but the sheer amount of food meant that our measly efforts amounted to nothing.

Well, nothing except one of the best nights out. Aside from meeting up with some of the great friends I already am lucky to have including Keri Allan, Ben Talbot, Luke Newcombe, Gareth Williams, Chris Easton and Emma Irving, I also got to meet Dan Griliopoulos and Alex Verrey, two people who I know I'm likely to become good friends with... I hope.

We also got treated first to a man whose love of food surpases even mine... Alex. I've been lucky to meet the people that I have in this industry, people who are genuinely selfless individuals who are more than happy to bend over backwards to help people get ahead in this industry. Luke, who I will never be able to pay for all the help, assistance, advice and opportunities he has offered me over the past two and a half years I've known him, it is literally because of him that I am where I am today; Keri, who constantly puts up my bad jokes, jokes which she's probably 15 times before i've dragged myself out of bed in time to get online for 9am and more than anything I always willing to take 5 minutes out her day to help me... Taking a whole day every week would be the least I could do to repay her; Gareth to whom I owe a massive amount to as well. Short of stature he might be but of willingness to give advice, support and help, he stands among giants (although it looks that way when he stands next to Luke anyway). Also a massive thankyou must be given to Jonnie who despite the fact that I still haven't managed to review Civilisation 4 and it's expansion pack because everytime I go on it to remind myself of what it is like, I get dragged down into the depths of its addiction, still fed me, and well also have been a great example of how games PR people should be. But Alex... Well, wait until the video goes up. He is easily one of the most welcoming, charismatic and friendly people who I have ever met. Although we only met for the first time last night, I could tell that we'd hopefully be working together in the future.I also have to say a big thanks to Dan Griliopoulos who Ben managed to drag out as well. Easily the person who I spoke to most last night, Dan just made me more determined to get a job on OXM360... Or at the very least do more freelance for them and go down to the office to a) meet up with Dan and Ben and b) show Gary my pristine condition 1991 and 1992 Sonic the Hedgehog yearbooks.Anyway, that's enough for today... I'l get the video and pictures up asap for your viewing pleasure...

Also checkout Ben's and Luke's blogs for their opinion of the night or check out my flikr account for more pictures...

Wow...

Wow... I just managed to catch the repeat of the X-Factor final and wow... She just outclassed Take That everywhere... It just makes you realise how good she is...

Anyway, I'll have a post later today about Friday night and also a video if you all behave yourselves.

Such a failure...

So I had my driving test last week and unfortunatley I failed. Granted the reason why I failed wasn't my fault since at a junction a Jaguar ahead of my hesitated at the lights and just as I went to move off the lights began to change to red. I was stuck over the line and so got a serious. Had the Jaguar not hesitated I would have gotten across fine however, while it was not my fault I got stuck over the line, my lack of judgement was... so yer, i'm not entirely blameless. Anyway, i'm not one to lie down and take it, I've already booked my retest...

It's been another busy week of editing video and preparing stuff although I finally got to let my hair down last night by going down to the new Wetherspoons. Arriving late for once (seriously, i'm usually one of the first there and would have been except for an error with a video on my part) I found everyone had ordered 20 minutes before me so was left with having to order a Panini... while they all tucked into steaks. Anyway, it wasn't a great night out because no-one really got drunk because of all the food we had ate... I get the feeling it's going to be one of those events that happens every one or two months. We'll probably do it again before Christmas when everyone is back but it just doesn't have the atmosphere (or cheap beer) that the Wine Bar does.

A mad weekend

Ok, so i've just about recovered from the weekend. Alas, no it wasn't excessive alcohol consumption although there was plenty of that... it was more the late nights followed by the early mornings that took it out of me.

Anyway, Friday as always was a great night. It was a pity Mike, Steph and of course Anita couldn't be down but we had a good time regardless. Dave, Tim and me all headed down the pub at about 6pm but because it took us 40 minutes to walk down we weren't the first to arrive... ok so we we're by like 2 minutes at most. Cue 5 hours of drinking and a slightly tipsy ending and you had the reicipe for a great night...oh just don't forget the cheeseburger and carton of apple juice that I devoured. And yes you read that right, I retired at 11pm, however, it was with good reason.

Saturday morning came (not that I particularly wanted it too (the morning, not the events that followed) and I soon found myself out of bed at the unearthly (well for me anyway) time of 6:40am. Cue shower, breakfast, dressed and a rush for the train and I was on my way down to Birmingham's NEC arena to cover Matchbox360's inaugral XL LAN (XL for Xbox Lan and Xtra Large.

I got down there and found myself in a surprising big queue... which I had to wait in... boo, but I'm not one to push and flaunt the fact I was there as a VIP Guest. Anyway, once I got in I scoped out the place and set up my equipment (camera and videocamera). I was soon snapping away and filming the action.

Unfortunately due to an unforeseen event, Luke couldn't make it down (well unfortuneate for me, not so much Luke since he owes me a drink), but I along with several other Matchbox360'ers got on with what we were there to do. Them, run it and me, document it.

You can check out the rest of the pictures on my Flickr account (there is 150+ of them) and i'll post up the video once it's edited and sorted, hopefully by Thursday/Friday at latest: it'd be up earlier but my DV cable is up in Ormskirk with Mike since he needed it to edit the latest episode of Herman Munch).

Unfortunately I had to leave at 6:20pm because a) by that time I was tired and b) i didn't fancy waiting at Crewe with over £1000 worth of video and photographic equipment for over an hour for the next coach (Runcorn station looks like it's being repaired) so off I went, and caught the coach back to Runcorn in time for 9pm and an early night.

Sunday rolled around an as usual, I was dragged into work and unusually shoved on Petrol. It wasn't long before I was back on Checkout though and supervising. 4pm rolled about and I had a driving lesson so I got out of work and then went for a lovely *argh... brain dead after 6 hours of boring supermarket work" (I will stick to the fact that I only still work there to keep a constant income coming in in addition to my freelance etc) drive which went surprisingly well... oh but I found out that Micra's don't like going at 70mph...when they manage to go that fast.

Anyway I got back and then it was off down to Cuddington for a pub meal for my Dad's 49th which was yesterday (27th) before eventually getting back in time for the works do.

I have never seen it so busy before... it was probably something to do with the offer of monetary prizes but meh, it was a good night. Unfortunately my university days are catching up with me and after 9 pints I was still stone sober and slightly gutted. Oh well, there is always next time... Either way... one of the busiest weekends i've had was over and to bed I crawled... well I crawled anyway... a lot of my friends went off for a bar crawl around Warrington till 5am on Monday...me? Too tired... oh well.

MySpace... Its MyAddiction

I've increasingly found myself login onto Myspace because i've been bored over the past few weeks and the more and more I do it the more and more I feel I am becoming addicted; but why?

I get the impression that as I go out more and more with my friends and find ourselves taking funny pictures (see opposite), and equally making more and more short movies that I can't help but log on to see whether new pictures that in my drunken stupor I may have forgotten about or just plain can't get enough of, the more and more I become addicted. It's not a bad addicition, not like becoming addicted to tabbaco, nicotine, beer, drugs or videogame forums, its still gripping that little part of my life.

Oh well, if its helping my social life which has perked up 10 fold in the past month, then it can't really be that bad of a thing...can it?