Yesterday lunch met with keefybabe down the infamous Broadway Hotel (made famous by the Titch and Mouse Mafia slayings of the 1930s). keefybabe so wrapped up in his leather long coat and world of keef tunes he didn’t notice me as I jumped off the bus cheeky smile in hand. Seeing as it was about to rain we quickly dived inside.

Lunch was the order of the day, and I ordered a five bean burrito (which only had 4 beans, the supposed 5th was so closely related to the 3rd it was indistinguishable) and keefybabe had fish and chips (even though I explained carefully that it was against God it not being Friday). keefybabe wanted at first to use his Fish as a boomerang, such was its shape and apparent hardness, until I pointed out that the bar staff no longer put up with this sort of thing after the Australians were in last Tuesday week.

Caught up with the events in each others lives. I explained the hard mathematical equations that are driving me and Rach to move to Oldham soon. keefybabe expressed doubt, fear anger about whether he would ever get confirmation of his job (which he has now so he can find something else to be glum and compose Gothic Operas about). He told me that lindabird is liking the new job, but got into trouble with the instructor by suggesting that certain blocks and kicks could be done in a more modern way. Apparently the Sensi shouted “WE DON’T DO ANY OF THAT BRUCE LEE JEET KUNE DO CRAP HERE AT FUJITSU!”.

Then he accused me of liking the crap pop they were playing on the jukebox, so I switched to Sweeney mode and shouted at the top of my lungs “Shut it SLAG!”. Trembling and fearing a good slapping he then withdrew his slur upon my character and manfully admitted that he is resigned to never hearing the music he likes played in pubs EVER. So touched was I by this sad revelation that I spent the afternoon setting up

Campaign to have music Keef likes played in pubs!

I’ve taken advantage of the Bank Holiday to extend it to a week off. I’m not burnt out at work more befuddled with not enough determination to make any coherent sense of it. I’m going to spend today and tomorrow tieing up enough loose ends so when I return I can get my current projects done in the two weeks before I go on holiday to the Peak District with Rach for our wedding anniversary.

Having the week off will let me get my own personal writing projects done, as well as sorting out the attic. I need to clear at least half my stuff. The second computer and a bunch of old pc games and my videos have already found a home with my brother George. I’m also hoping to get some web design and FPS level design done, but this is dependant on how much tiding and writing I get done.

And this one is particularly silly

The Random Question Meme!

1. Stone Breaker
2. Paranoid Opioid
3. Is It That Way
4. Dirty Hands Empty Pockets (Already Gone)
5. Rise River Rise
6. Never Turns to More
7. Infinite War
8. So Much Left Behind
10. World on Fire
11. Crown of Thorns
12. In the Arms of God

This one’s been on the MP3 player for a couple of months now. Its a like a slow burning grass spliff that gradually gets you. Lots of surface impressions on the first couple of listens. Black Sabbath, Southern Rock, some catchy almost Metallica Ride the Lightning/Master of Muppets era rifts, and politically aware lyrics. Lots of separate elements floating in the air. Not bad for a bog standard Sabbath clone, and a nice one to nod off to on the train home. Then suddenly it clicked. All the elements came together and suddenly I have a molten metal classic on my hands. A collection of melodic but heavy as fuck songs which has a hypnotic quality to them. The political side the album suddenly changed from Americans whinging on about loss of their dream, to a full bloodied soundtrack to the apocalypse. Funny how I like my soundtracks to the apocalypse lately. This album after a listen or ten suddenly digged its claws in and refused to let go its that catchy.

Personal faves are the intense Infinite War, which is almost a modern update on Sabbath’s War Pigs, and In the Arms of God, which is an angry and crushing end to the album

Because this one is halfway decent and easier than talking to my work colleague:

1. Go here.
2. Pass it on.
my answers

…and I don’t mean that in a nasty way.

After the depression of last week the sun really is beginning to shine here in Newtland.

Its the polar opposite of last week.

Must say I’m enjoying it:)

In other news, we are reaching the light at the end of the tunnel on Rach’s Midwifery course. Her last assignment gets handed in tomorrow, and she’s done the lion share of work over the last couple of nights so its only proof reading tonight 🙂 After this its just being bored on her last placement for two weeks.

Met keefybabe and lindabird at the Broadway hotel, which is the only decent pub in this here neck of the woods, this lunch.

lindabird had been to Wakey to join a Agency who would put her forward for Fujistui (a highly respected martial arts programme in these er parts) and IBM ( a well known maker of Nuclear missiles “our brand is our name”).

keefybabe couldn’t stop droning on about his new Mac, and subverted many conversations. He forced me to return his cds at gunpoint (the End: Sounds of Disaster and Censor “Empire Holds Down”) to which I gleefully capitulated and pressed Mastodon “Leviathan” and Dilligenger Escape Project “Miss Machine” into his hot sticky paws.

Thoughts and conversation turned to breasts, with the awesome revelation that keefybabe is hypnotised by them. I revealed also that when ever I go out these days I go out in a plastic protective bubble which gentlely dissolves over night, leaving beer my only salvation to a world of shocking stupidity.

They ordered lunch, so I was able to hijack talk onto the wildly popular topics of Bunnies and smart linoleum floors. Munching burgers, but leaving the salad ( a move they will regret in more advanced years) they were only able to nod and make positive noises.

Despite manfully downing 2 pintslindabird was able to drive keefybabe back to his mirrored prison (aka work) and to my home of joy.

The cats celebrated my homecoming and promptly fell asleep.

Sorted out allot of mental issues I had with myself last night as poor Rachel hammered away at the her last assignment.

Especially good was the good soak in the bath, where for the first time in five years I felt as if I belonged in my skin and liked my age. Since I’ve turned 30 I’ve been guilty of looking back to some golden age back in the mid 90s when I was in my 20s considerably thinner, longer of hair (which didn’t have little streaks of grey in it). Working from home yesterday also did me good, since It gave me a rest and boosted my confidence.

I also in a spare hour finally finished the play test draft of my Monkey RPG, posted it to a private yahoo group for feedback. This was especially satisfying since I’ve been wittering on about it for the last 10 years, and is the first small step in getting it as a printed book. Pop over to d101games if you are interested in following my child’s progress.

Today I’m going to get my head down again and do allot of coding practice. I’ve got a project at work which needs me to do it in ASP.net/SQL server and I’ve been talking the talk for months. Now I have to walk the walk…especially since I most of the promotions at work need you to be able to web program using this combination.

So as the JCBs clank away outside finishing the Alex Beever college’s new car park, I’m popping of for a quick spot of brekky.