You can smell it at night now - I was walking home from a friends house this week and the air was warm. That unmistakeable smell of warm car fumes, sea breeze, takeaways and people's gardens.
I think if the people who know me well could describe what I'm like in one word, that word would most certainly be 'fickle'. Plenty of ideas, some of them really good too, but they never seem to make it to fruition before I have a better idea in a completely different direction, and go off persuing that.
Yes, 'fickle' is most definately the appropriate word.
I'm going to try and counter this by setting myself a few short term goals, and trying to get them done within a set time limit. If I think of anything else along the way I can stick them on 'the list' and have a go in the next set of short term goals. If I can stick to that it'll mean I will actually get some shit done for once, rather than a little bit of everything.
So, the current list is thus:
> Clear my old house at Sunnyside Road and inform the landlords that we're leaving (!important!)
> Finish making a simple board game with card based gameplay modifiers
> Get Chris's t-shirt printed
> Train to be fit enough to do the 50/50 press-ups and sit-ups required for Para's entry
> Take the camera out and get another photo set for my Photobucket album.
Reckon that lot should be easy enough to do by 2 weeks from now, 5th of May. If anyone fancies a trip out somewhere with the old cameras, give me a shout. Likewise if you reckon you'll have time to help me prototype a simple board game :)
That's all for now. Will try and give a more general update later this week, god knows it's been a weird month.
"I regret to inform you that after reviewing your medical history..." - I didn't really need to read any further than this before I knew what it was going to say. The Army had turned me down, and when I read further into it the only thing stopping me was a technicality. Totally sucks. Apparently a migrane last year and a slightly low BMI (Body Mass Index) means I'm not eligable to reapply until October 2009.
All, however, is not lost...
On speaking to my local careers office I've got a good case to appeal. I need to see my doctor and get him to sign off that I'm ok now, and I need to get my BMI up. The latter of these is now complete, with my BMI riding above the required 18 mark. I had scheduled this to happen last week, but Tuesday saw the onset of this bloody chest infection which seems to be sweeping it's way through Crosby. It's not a good idea to do a BMI check or ask your doctor for a medical waiver, while coughing up snot.
-=-=-
Sign up woes aside, things are going pretty damn well. The training is hard, but worthwhile. The weight is starting to pile on, and generally I'm feeling physically better than I've felt in years.
All the old guard seem to have settled into a nice rythmn, with people settling down with partners and the amount of time spent in the pub dwindling to the lowest levels ever. Definately a good thing.
-=-=-
Not really got much more to say these days, other than I guess everyone is growing up a bit.
Probably time the next generation took the torch. God knows we had it long enough.
Many of you already know this, but I've handed in papers to join the Army. It's going to be a tough few weeks, and I've come to realise that I can be my own worst enemy when it comes to this kind of thing, so I've made some changes.
I now live with my parents again, even though I'm still paying for Sunnyside Road. This seems like the best way to stay out of trouble, and it stops me getting distracted by people knocking unexpectedly.
I'm training and have been for a fair few weeks now. So far I'm up to 10.5 stone, a much better weight than my previous 9.5 stone.
I'm not going out so much - definately not during the week and sometimes not at the weekends. Means less hangovers, and more energy! For the win.
Here's hoping this works out. Can't wait to go training with the forces. WOO HAR!
It's been a long couple of years - mainly good, but damn, quite the long.
I'm working the new super early shift of 8am till 4:30pm, and as a result I've been spending a lot of time hunched up on trains and buses, listening to my iPod and not seeing the sun. Dawn and dusk are my favourite times of night (especially in the summer) but recently I've rekindled my interest with getting outdoors.
It's so hard to say this without sounding like some pretencious prick, but I really love being out on the *street*. Those days spent with mates just grabbing some time down the beach and hunkering back at 2am, and spontaneously deciding to go explore that old church, or that building site, or taking pictures whilst trying to climb on bus stops.
Vandals, yeah some would say. We never really hurt anyone or stole anything, we were just adventuring.
Closest you can get to that these days is "Urban Exploration" - something I wanted to get into a while back but which died on it's arse the minute I found something more quickly entertaining, less cold and less dangerous to do. I can't help feeling I'm missing out on something though. Days starting to merge togetherbecause you're doing the same old shit day in day out, but you *know* there's a whole big world of adventure out there... just need to go grab it.
Gah. One thing is for sure - I need a hobby I can stick to. I need to get back to my roots, where I spent a considerable amount of my childhood and where I had the best times.
Ok - so I'm guessing Phil Collins didn't have the Wii in mind when he wrote the song, but damn it was appropriate. Jesus NEVER loses at Wii bowling. Never. Even when you get a complete n00b to play as him. *sigh*
The last weekend has been good - though to begin with I didn't think it would. After leaving Jess's party early (boo hoo, sorry hun!) I returned to Crosby, drank some wine and eventually hit the sack. Saturday came and went, and Sunday was shaping up to be pretty dull.
Then came 3 o'clock.
4 crates of Bavaria later and we've got a full party in swing, wayhey! Big shout out to all that came, was an excellent way to pass the time! Some moments which tickled me in particular:
Racing - Having a race from the back yard, to the computer desk, and back - and learning to fly by way of stair banisters.
Man Challenges - Foster and I taking part in the 'Who can do the most...' thing.Press up's he won, sit ups I won. The decider has yet to be determined...
Jesus - As mentioned, not losing a game when playing as Jesus. It was just impossible.
'BAG' - PadJe showing us his superhuman hearing by managing to pick out the word 'bag' through 3 bricks walls and 20 people.
Abi - Randomly visiting from the Leeds and bringing another like minded spirit into the mix; hello John!
Magic Chris - Mr Williams magically disappearing and reappearing all the friggin' time :)
Drink a Beer Competition - Family Guy inspired drinking hilarity.
Neighbourhood Watch - Meeting the new neighbours whilst drunk, half naked and smelling of beer.
Ah there was loads more - if you were there tag them into this, and if you weren't there then message me your damn number - I sent enough text messages yesterday to WiFi my balls :)
Ok - this is a long, and possibly offense to some, rant. It occured through a conversation I had with an opinionated individual. If you are easily offended, don't read. Also - I bear no ill will to people who believe in religion, you're entitled to your opinion and I'll never question that unless you try and force your opinion as fact.
With that said...
I hate it when people argue with you about a subject they don't understand. Even worse, I hate it when people then argue that YOU can't POSSIBLY know ANYTHING about what they're talking about, because you don't agree with THEIR stance.
Homosexuality and religion being a fucking big one which today I came across. I've met some characters who fully believe that homosexual's have 'an agenda'. What, like all gays are out there to achieve something in particular? Like it's some kind of movement? I find it incredible that these people don't even understand where the whole 'you cant be gay and Christian' thing comes from. And here it is:
"You shall not lie with a male as with a women; it is an abomination." (Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13).
Wow. That's it? Ok... now correct me if I'm wrong here, but isn't the first of the 10 commandments "Thou Shalt Not Kill"? Ok - bear with me here. After reading the above quote in Leviticus I totally understood why Christianity and homosexuality are considered mutually exclusive, however, I thought 'what the heck, lets take a further look through Leviticus, and through the rest of the bible's pertinent parts'.
I'm astounded that no-one has picked up on the fact that God, the big 'thing' itself, is an absolutely brutal deity. He COMMANDS that you shall not kill, and then COMMANDS that the Isralites commit genocide. What the fuck? And it doesn't just happen once, it happens again, and again, and again...
The reason why I'm ranting is that I like a theological discussion. What I hate is the fact that someone can tell me I'm wrong because I'm not gay and I'm not a Christian, and therefore I can't possibly know.
Fuck off. Just go away. If your agruement is that fucking weak that it can't survive a few very basic questions then just turn around and walk away. Don't bother trying to shout me down because it just makes you look even more bloody stupid.
And don't pick on my gay friends either accusing them of having an agenda - I'm pretty sure all religions have an agenda, and look where that got us. Iraq. Crusades. September 11th.
How about listening to the first commandment - your own fucking book. You dicks.
Summer is on the way - along withall the BBQ's, all night parties, impulsive actions and good times that summer brings. Quite frankly - I think we all need it. And it's going to be a good one.
As usual it seems that I tend to write just after a dark time. For me it's been a toss up between a fairly intriguing but complicated project (and the complete lack of time that comes with it) as well as a few failed relationships (some my fault, some not...) and a scary 6 weeks which I'd never wish on anyone.
Done the drinking phase. Done the angry phase. Done the blaming phase.
Feel a lot better.
/breathes out
SO now we've got incredible weather and a pretty damn interesting summer lined up. Creamfields is a go-er for me, but no other festivals this year with the project being in full steam around the May-August season. Definately going ahead with the purchase of a decent PA system, mixer, and a couple of these bad boys.
Marks and Spencers - Tropical Fruit Juice. This magical potion contains everything a person needs to recover from any alcohol related incident. I found this amazing substance through extensive trial and error. And I really do mean extensive.
Been a while since I've updated. Been a lot going on, but so little time or inclination to write it down. I'm currently residing with the parents, awaiting the response to a house application entered a meer 24 hours ago. I feel like I'm waiting for my exam results or something... I hope to go I pass otherwise everything I own is going to cost me another £200 in storage fee's, a Christmas period spent on the floor in my brother's room, and a whole lot of heartache when I begin the whole damn process again.
It's too early for New Year's resolutions, but to be honest I've never had much faith in them anyhow. If you're going to do something, just do it. Don't wait for a specific day because it really doesn't matter. Give up smoking now. Cut down on hydrogenated fats today. Exercise tonight, not tomorrow...
*sigh*
This new place is too good to be true - one of the main reasons I'm not getting my hopes up. Granite worktops, a fitted kitchen, nice carpets and a real nice garden - all located near Crosby and at the reasonable price of £700 a month. Hell, and the walls aren't made of cardboard like the last place (although St Lukes was still boss...)
Yup. I'm nervous. Everything has to happen this week, and if it does it's the beginning of a new chapter and all that shaz. Friends and family alike have pointed out the many things I need to improve, otherwise I'll just remain in debt and unstable forever... but then again, who said dangerous was going to dull, ya know? :)
That'll do for now - I'll leave this with some picks of the place. I can't even take credit for finding it, as my good friend and new housemate Keith did the leg work in that department.
...
*sigh* - oh yeah. Assuming this all goes well? Cocktail party at my place ;) Finally get a chance to catch up with everyone since I've been... well... completely not around for anyone. Apologies if it appears that I've been ducking you, I've just been busy and extremely lazy :)
Autumn is the best smelling month there is. Coming out of work at 6:30ish and having the sky just verging on dark, with a cloudless horizon and frost in the air. You can taste it, and you know what it tastes of? Adventure.
Sadly it's an adventure I'm remembering these days rather than actually taking part in. I never really got into the whole outdoor scene, involving: scaling fences, going into places I shouldn't have been, avoiding the coastguard whilst trying to make a fire to get drunk by, skating until 2am in the morning, etc... It's one of my regrets. I've done all those things, but only at a taster level. Never really went there like a lot of people I know.
It's funny how time becomes a premium the older you get. You find yourself with more and more stuff to do, and less time to do the crazy shit you always loved to go find. It's also why text speak annoys the fuck out of me: if you're a kid then you've got time to talk properly for Christ's sake. Don't expect me to answer emails/texts when I have to spend time adding vowels to your message like a fucked up game of Wheel of Fortune.
But yeah. Time. Distinct lack of recently.
Coming months I've got to move house again. 6th time in 3 years I think, and this time I'm going to get it right. Electricity, gas, council, etc... will know I'm there from day 1. No dodging the issue, or letting them drag their heels on sorting things out their side, only to be landed with £700+ bills one on top of another. Fuckers.
I don't think I'm going to be out much in the run up to Christmas. Man, why did I change my name to "Danger" only to start leading a "Moderately Inquisitive" life? Heh. Well, guess that's something I need to figure out. In the mean time I decided to do a couple of things. First off, in a moment of downtime I made this:
(click me)
It's my first tag. I never had one before because I could never figure myself a style. Well - I'm happy with this one. I'll never get to use it but that doesn't matter. I've got one now, so that's another thing on the list to tick off.
Next on the list of things to do is start taking time to use my camera again. I've not thrown up any pics for bloody ages. Anita's party is going to be a good start so expect some fancy dress shennanigans. Oh - and this year I'm not going to try and chug champagne, thus spraying everyone via the nose.
That hurt.
*sigh*
That's all for now. There's more... loads more... but it can remain unsaid for the time being. Best for all really.
When working on any problem, one needs to start somewhere. I generally go through the above in that order (where applicable.) First, you work the number. Probability, profit, loss versus gain... It works for pretty much everything. How many friends will make/lose by the following action? How much money do I stand to make/lose if I do the following? What is the net effect of my actions?
It's mercenary, but it makes the world go round and keeps everyone sane. You let the numbers make the decision you don't want to make. It takes the accountability away from you and puts it into the hands of pure, unargueable logic. Which is the second in the process. Logic. And this all ties in quite nicely with common sense which comes straight from experience.
Then of course, sometimes intuition kicks in. Sometimes you just know it ain't right, even if the numbers add up. Something just feels out of kilter. Personally I put this down to the subconscious figuring out what the conscious has missed - a small discrepancy, a minor flaw, something you just wouldn't ordinarily notice but which just seems... out.
...
So where the hell am I going with this?
I've got some more decisions to make, and they aren't nice ones. Truth is, can't really see a way through the next couple of weeks without a couple of major changes. Last entry I wrote about stepping back and seeing where you are once in a while. Guess it was about time I actually followed my own advice.
So far the numbers add up. Pretty much know what I've got to do - mainly just to take some pressure off and get my shit together. Intuition - or a hunch -is telling me it's not going to be as clear cut as I hope it will be.
Hah.
Guess we'll see eh. In the mean time I'm going back to Excel. God bless Microsoft - they can make my decisions for me any day.
Everyone needs to clean house every now and again. Taking stock of your situation, its important to analyse what you need, what you want, and what (quite frankly) you shouldn't even be considering. Priorities basically.
Also - it's good to format you PC sometimes to clear the utter shite which builds up over the course of 3 years. SpyWare - I hate you.
The days are finally growing longer, something I'll be delving into in another blog. Right now I'm in a pretty weak situation with an upward trend on getting my life back on track. My loan ends in three payments, next month I'll have finished paying for my furniture, and on top of all that I'm living with the parents making renta whole lot cheaper. It's nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel, even if my bank manager is still shaking his head.
This weekend has been (on the whole) a pretty quiet one. Aside from a drinking incident on Friday night the focus has been on just getting things organised. My room finally has enough space for me to walk around the bed - which is always nice - and my reinstall of Windows has reaffirmed my belief that Linux is wank. 40 minutes round trip to a new operating system? Drivers on demand? Yes please. Kernel compile? Um... no thanks.
To cut this off before I ramble into nonsense - I've been off the scene for a little while, but give me a month or two and believe me, I'll be back. Only this time I won't be falling into the financial pitfalls of yester-year. Woot.
Now for something completely different.
What follows is two videos from YouTube. Both involve the types of dangerous thing I'd love to try, but have never quite managed to pluck up the courage (or have the stupidity) to go through with. Lets start with an example of what not to do:
THE ESCALATOR JUMP
Forgive me for saying - "What a dumbass." God, that had to hurt... but coming up now, everyone remembers that bonfire night party at Moorlane right? Well... check this out:
Life will never be dull. I resigned myself to the fact years ago, when every weekend brought a new adventure, and every night you went to bed wondering if someone had left the oven on. Or had forgot to lock the front door. Or had set fire to the spare furniture you didn't need when you were moving out.
This - I think - should be classed as a curse. Fans of Terry Pratchett will know this phrase: "May you live in interesting times." - Yeah, I think I've got that one covered.
So, when discussing this very same thought with Lucy I found out that she also has this hanging around her. She never needs to go looking for adventure, it just seems to find her. Now... imagine if you will what happens when two people with this kind of thing get together.
It started with drums:
It's around 10:45 at night. Sitting in Lucy's apartment and trying to relax from a pretty stressful week, we suddenly feel the floor reverberating. Thinking it was the neighbours at first, all was ignored... but then it got louder. Lots louder.
The first video above is what I captured as I put my phone over the balcony. A fucking big drum band weaving it's way through Liverpool on a Thursday night, heading for Concert Square. Gotta hand it to them, they were really in tune, and the music drummed up that "Lets go follow them and party!" kinda feeling you get.
But, in the end, we realised we needed a quiet night in. In the end it turned out we should have gone out. Would have made the night run a little easier...
2:00am
*knock knock*
I get out of bed and slide my jeans on - checking my watch it reads about 2 in the morning ish. I'm guessing, at this point, that the other guys have forgotten their keys since they'd gone the K, and I really wasn't expecting them to last the whole night. I reach for the light switch and it doesn't work. "Damn bulb" was my first thought, but then Lucy noticed her lamp wasn't on either.
I pold downstairs using my mobile phone, still fairly groggy from just being woken up. Getting to the door, I open it to find the corridor beyond in complete darkness. I mean real pitch black here. Additionally, there is no-one there. I step out and look left and right, though to be fair it's pretty pointless. I do, however, hear voices to my right - so trekking off half naked in that direction, I head for the noise.
Finally I bump into someone, and he utters the immortal words: "Got to get out mate, the building is on fire..."
When someone tells you this, you don't believe it straight away. I mean... this isn't a film, it's real life. This kinda shit doesn't happen in real life. Naturally I do what anyone does, and I ask him to repeat that. He does. It sinks in. No power? No fire alarm, and also it means that whatever the fire is, it's taken out the plant room. And the plant room entrance is situated on the only staircase out of the building, between the 1st and ground floor.
Time to get dressed and leg it then.
Lucy gets a rude awakening (sorry babe) and we scramble down the flat stairs - with me stupidly searching for my bag - and then we get our phones out and head off down the corridor. It really is *pitch black* and as we progress through the fire doors the place starts getting smokey. Then we reach the stairwell and it looks like someone has gone crazy with the dry ice. At this point it's pretty breathable, but you can taste that plasticy sensation at the back of your throat. Realising this is the only way out we grab hands and start taking the stairs two at a time, getting further and further into the acrid stuff.
Upon reaching the 2nd floor it's getting a bit much and we're both coughing a bit, so we dive out of a veranda door to the outside world for a few seconds. It's not a way out, but it's got fresh air. We get a couple of lung fulls, count to three and hold our breath, decending the last sections of stairs as fast as possible. Unfortunately there's a lot of stairs, and we both end up needed to breathe just as we pass the plant room, which the smoke is emerging from quite happily.
Finally, coughing and knackered, we reach the ground floor and take the last stairs in a leap, congregating with all the other people who are coming flying out the building. It's just like a film, with people tying stuff over their faces to keep from choking. All in all no-one was hurt, though a tramp was asleep in the car park below and had to be dragged out unconcious.
Best of all though - I got to do something never before attempted...
I've licked a fire engine. For real:
Here are some video's from the night too. First up, a scene from just after we got out. Fire crews turning up to save the day, and shit loads of drunk people wondering what the hell is going on. Class.
Firemen and General Scene:
And then I get to hold police tape up as the police car is coming and going from the scene - aren't I the model citizen eh?
Me being a good boy:
So there we have it. Non-scientific proof that two people who had 'eventful' lives should be careful. It seems to increase the chance of some crazy shit happening by a fair bit.
If I had one of these things right now, I'd be blowing a full blown concert on it:
Last week on Friday the BBC News posted a story about the Pope's recent visit to Germany, and some comments which he had made which upset the Muslim community. The comments, funnily enough, were about the ties between religion and violence, and how the two seem to always get thrown together when really they should be completely exclusive to each other. The comment which caused uproar basically spoke of Muhammed (Islamic prophet) and how he used 'the sword' to spread Islam through the world.
Or something like that.
Anyhow, Friday morning I decided to visit the "Have Your Say" section on the BBC News site and post my own comment about the issue. As it stands today, 936 BBC users also commented on this particularly prickly issue: Throughout Friday and still going strong today (found here), my comment managed to be the third most recommended commentof the entire debate.
Third. Out of Nine hundred and thirty six. And that's 1191 votes too. Not bad, but there's a little more trumpet blowing to come...
You see, by this point I was pretty pleased with myself - the British internet news following community seemed to agree with my opinion, which is always a nice feeling when you're not only part of the crowd, but helping to voice it.
But then, it seems, the BBC decided to use my opinion in the main story (found here, and still with my comment indented): Right now my head is pretty big. I dream of journalistic trips to hotspots, or maybe leading a strong political movement, or... well, actually I'm pretty happy making next-gen computer games. Yeah... that'll do ;)
Chris (utterly full of himself, but lord knows something will happen this week to bring me down to earth.)
As many already know by now, I didn't particularly dig Leeds. In fact, I left early on the Friday, after turning up on the Thursday. Man, Leeds is a big city - I didn't realise just how busy the place is. Coming home in a pair of bike boots, with a military style coat on, and dragging a massive sports bag - yeah, I looked inconspicuous hehe.
Well - I've put that behind me. I've realised that I don't like big festivals, nor do I like big events. Soon at Chibuku there's some massively good drum and bass nights coming up - but while everyone else is thinking about Andy C, Futurebound and Pendulum, I'm thinking about 20 minute wait for a drink, not being able to dance because of the crush, and a mad search for a cab at the end of the night. Fuck that.
So. What's been going on eh?
Adam and I have moved out of St Lukes road now. I'm back with mother and father for the time being, but I'm looking at flats in town. The desire to move to town came from my lovely girlfriend who just moved in above Concert Square. Unfortunately when she was actually moving her stuff in the lift was broken, and while I wasn't there for that part I *did* turn up as her two housemates where moving *their* stuff in.
12 flights of stairs.
12.
With a TV at one point.
All in all though, now I've seen what living in town can be like I think I'd like to move there myself. It's... well... convenient.
The future right now is just sorting out my cash flow, learning to drive at some point and finding somewhere nice to live. I'm thinking of getting some more hobbies, like going out with my camera more. I dunno, I don't seem to be able to sit down and focus on any one thing right now. Will probably just ride out the storm and then think about stuff.
Leeds The biggest event of the year has arrived, and for once events haven't quite managed to keep me away - though it was looking hairy for a while. Yes, I'm *still* going to Leeds, but less than 24 hours from being camped I've still not sorted a tent, wellies, food, etc... Talk about impulsive organisation.
I think it's time for an update of the last few weeks - there's a lot going on and I've neglected to share all. Let us begin, first, with an excellent change in my life...
Status: In Relationship I have a girlfriend. It's been roughly 18 months since I last delved into the world of not being alone at night, calling someone just to say hello, or pondering aimless about what that 'someone' might be doing right now. Or now. Or maybe how about now?
Anyone who hasn't had the pleasure yet, please say a hello to the gorgeous Lucy: http://www.myspace.com/luciferia <- She fucking rocks.
In short - I'm happy :)
Moving House Initially I wasn't going to, but after taking a long hard look at my finances and how much of a dick I am with debt, I've decided to move out and consolidate. Haven't figured out where yet, and I've got 3-4 weeks to get that sorted. There are options sure, just haven't quite decided on one. Anyone want a lodger? :)
Selling Stuff Managed to sell quite a bit, but it's not all gone yet. Will be adding to the list a grappling hook, a combat vest and some misc. computery stuff in the next few days. I can't remember exactly *when* I thought being a ninja would be fun, but somewhere along the line I tried to make it a reality. I've got so much weird shit I need to get rid of it's stupid. Anyone want an anti-clockwise thread silencer for a 12mm barrel? Yeah. Thought not.
Old Video Dug out an old video I made after we moved out of Moorlane. As I said in my MySpace bulletin about it, it's pretty personal. Anyone who remembers that house will recognise the people, and they'll probably remember the amazing parties, blowing shit up, random encounters, fantastically good times, incredibly hard times, and the inevitable end which broke us all apart.
Still, it's nice to remember eh. Leave comments about stuff you recall, I like thinking back to those times...
What a weekend. What a bloody weekend. Ok - so we've got a problem on our hands. Well, I say *we* I mean *someone* has a problem on their hands, and if they're smart or it was an accident they'll do the right thing.
I'm going to cut to the chase here. I invited people back to our place after we had to leave Stu's (fantastic) party on Saturday. Within an hour of being there certain people had left, and along with them so had Adam's iPod Video and Neil's New Mobile
Either someone had accidently taken them (lets face it, we were all fucked that night...) or someone had stolen it. That person knows who they are because either they knew what they were doing, or they woke up with some free toys with no idea where they came from :)
I'm 99% sure who did it. I've now got eyewitness reports and all the time frames fit - but before I slate that persons name publicly I'm going to give them a chance to bring it back. If it was just a drunken mistake, meh - it happens and that's ok. I've done it myself :)
However... if it wasn't here's what going to happen:
Police- In order to claim on the insurance I need to get the police involved, and I'll be handing in the name of everyone who was there. I have no problems doing this.
Phone Tracing - Now, there's a reason why people don't steal mobile phones anymore. Modern day phones send a small packet of data every 2 minutes to the nearest phone mast. This data is recorded for months now, due to the police's need to catch terrorists and organised crime members. The flip side of this is that, basically, the police can trace the phone's location. Even if it's off. Look it up.
Arrests - When the police catch up with this person they will be arrested. Remember that even throwing the phone away after reading about this will not help, as they do have the last 31 days worth of location information at hand.
Compensation - We go for compensation for breaking the trust of our house, and I'll make sure our lawyers push for maximum effect. Being drunk is an excuse to accidently take it, sure... but not returning the iPod and phone is criminal and we WILL take it as far as possible.
Then again, on the flip side this might be a misunderstanding, in which case I'm sorry to the person who is sitting there about to return them :)
Ok - I'm calling the police when I get home tonight and after done a full check to see if anything else is missing - the deadline is 8pm before I have to call them for insurance reasons. Please can anyone who was there please make sure others read this - if it's not returned (or if I haven't had a call explaining where it is) by 8pm then I'll be calling people personally to take their details for the police, including the suspect I believe responsible and the eyewitness reports.
Thanks
Chris
EDIT: Final sweep of the house reveals that the EOS camera bag and camera are missing too. Not sure if it's mine or Adam's yet, but we are PISSED OFF right about now. This one is going full force to the police, expect retribution.
The last part is finally being written. I've been wondering how best to approach this - it's still kinda fresh in my memory, and the telling really will have to be spot on. To be fair, that night we were all pretty fucked. My interpretation of the events may be a little... um... fuzzy.
*deep breathe*
Let us begin.
HEX - A ROOM WITH A VIEW Up to this point I was extremely reticent to think of this place as anything other than a dive. Lets be honest here, Birkenhead so far had proved to be a shithole compared to my cosy little Crosby. Full of scally pubs, barbed comments and dirty streets.
Hex changed that.
It was like walking through a portal into a magic cyber den - Yanni (who at this point I didn't know) had done an incredible job of getting the decor sorted. Jason, my work collegue who was also there, pointed various places where a recent fire had destroyed the place. They'd worked tirelessly to restore it and the effects were stunning.
Paying our £3 and venturing in I found the holy god of finds.
A Chase HQ arcade cabinet. Fuckin' WIN!
Not to be rude - I didn't have a go, but rather continued in with everyone and into the main arena. Yanni and co had decked the whole place out in cyber gear - the place positively GLOWED. They'd even got these crazy little things which hung from the ceiling and when you hit them, they lit up. A definate step in the right direction - I removed my coat whilst soaking in this plethora of colours, and made my way to the bar...
*lets add some drinks to the mix - £2.40 for a JD and coke? thank YOU barman...*
DRUNK, DISORIENTED AND EUPHORIC Drinks were cheap. VERY cheap. They were so cheap it should have been fucking illegal.
We've skipped now to about 1am. We've been dancing our hearts out on a little stage opposite the DJ booth, and are well and truely on our way to oblivion. Jenny is in a cage next to Yanni who is mixing in Voodoo People on his laptop - the crowd react and go *mental*, and for a second I scan my eyes across a sea of bodies, all writhing together as one continuous mechanism.
The experience was one of euphoria - seeing one room all together with the same idea, all in the same state of mind. Hell, the drink only accentuated this, and right at that moment I felt on top of the world. Truely, completely, euphoric.
This, however, led me to fall asleep. Yes, asleep. As in, I lay down on the stage, and zoned out. Jenny and Marie were hovering over me and prodding me occasionally, but it took me a good hour before I resurfaced. A good deal more sober too, but thankfully I was able to do something about that. ;)
NO REST FOR THE WICKED The night was drawing to a close. Jenny, Marie and I had exhausted all attempts to look good on the dancing pole (yes, the type strippers use) and Yanni (I think) slapped a track on which *completely* blindsided me. Massive Attack - Angel.
This track transformed the room. The fast and hard pace of trance became a slow rhythmic motion of people moving together in slow motion. Another incredible moment, and another triumph for the DJ.
But alas - the time was 2:55 and the last track was fading in. "Through the Loop" by Pendulum, a track with an evil build up, an evil overtone and a savage drop. I went crazy but the song wasn't as well known as I expected. But still, it *was* 3am nearly and people were tired, so I give them credit. Hell, I'd had a sleep after all.
The lights came on. The music faded out. The bar closed. The bouncers closed in.
Finally, the night had ended. A night of pure, unregulated dancing. No rules, no baggage, no problems. It was awesome - I'll be going every time I get the chance from now on. And, with that in mind, we left.
Me: "Hey Jen, AWESOME night! Can't believe I fell asleep back there, anything happen while I was out?" Jen: "Hehe, yeah was an amazing night! I had sex in the toilet!"
Not a great deal you can say to that.
BIRKENHEAD OR BEIRUT - YOU DECIDE
Remember my earlier comments about Birkenhead? At this point my opinion was purely based on guess work and looks. What follows cemented my opinion in stone for all time.
Leaving Hex was a quick affair. Meeting with new people - Chaz, Lou, Ede, Mogsey, ... jesus loads of people lol. Apologies for not remembering names, but it wasn't the perfect time to start trying to remember anything. Anywho - we waited outside for Mogsey who, in the kindness of his heart, had invited us back to his flat just on the other side of Birkenhead.
Jen, Marie and I mumbled about it and decided to take up his offer, and maybe get a cab from there if we were feeling tired. We drunkenly began our walk off into the (now) dark sky, across the duel carriageway which nearly defeated us on the way there and into unknown territory. At 3:15am.
Mogsey and I got chatting, and soon we were ahead of the more drunken part of the group. In total there must have been about 10-15 of us in varying states of intoxication. With the group becoming seperated over about 30 yards or so, it was getting difficult to keep people together going the right direction.
And lets just face something here. We looked like we'd just walked out of a Star Trek convention, drunk, and painted neon. Might as well have the word *TARGET* written on our heads.
In fact.... Lets start another chapter here.
FIGHT OR FLIGHT At a basic level every human has an instinct. That instinct has, over years of refinement, kept us alive in times of danger. One of these instincts is called the "Fight or Flight" instinct, and basically means when confronted the mind will make a gut call on whether to run away or attack.
We crossed over a road leading into a car park - and with Mogsey and myself taking the lead we were the first to notice that behind the wall to our right were about 7-8 scallies of age 22-25 years. Now, at 3:30am this can be daunting, but we just put our heads down and ignored the chants, hoping they'd get bored.
Then Lou caught up. And then they shouted at Lou. Oh dear.
The group is now split up - Jenny, Mogsey, Lucy(I think?), Ryan, Marie and myself are all up ahead, and behind are the rest of the group. Might have the names wrong, but you get the picture. It sounds like a small war is going on - Lou is letting rip and Chaz is holding her own. The chavs are spoiling for a fight with the freaks, but another instinct seems to be at play here.
They won't hit a girl.
...
Guess who's up ahead? Yeah. The boys. Great.
That was the first time in my life someone had ever chased me up the road with a traffic cone. We sped up - not running, but not walking - and to our shame had to leave the other group behind. Mogsey had rung the police the minute trouble had erupted and was in constant contact. A riot van was on the way apparently. 10 minutes.
We didn't have 10 minutes.
Half running, half jogging - we made our way through Birkenhead. The second group just out of sight and the police due to arrive any second, we all waited in anticipation. Finally a yellow CCTV van came and we explained the dire situation. The police sped away and soon we saw the scallies running in the opposite direction that we'd gone, and our group caught up.
*phew* - I thought. That was close.
We carried on but then a Vauxhall Astra came SCREAMING out of nowhere, braking sharply to a halt across the road from me, about 10 yards away. Two BIG guys get out. The profile?
Skinhead. Dark clothing. Serious facial expression. Spoiling for a confrontation.
First thing I thought? Shit me, they dodged the coppers and got in the car to come after us... fight or flight time again... or... hang on... are those... is that... are they...?
Hand cuffs.
They're undercover.
Me: "Hey officer - how are you?" - remember, still BLADDERED at this point and have just been running too. PO: "We've heard reports of a disturbance, and needed to get a statement. Have any of you been hurt?" <He moves next to me> Me: "Not that I know of - anyone hurt?" The group says no, but some hair pulling happened. Nothing crazy. PO: "Fair enough. How about you sir - you injured at all?" He's looking directly at me. Something aint right here... Me: "No officer - I'm fine." PO: "Well, seems we have a situation here. One of the lads says you headbutted him."
At this point I can tell he doesn't believe it, I mean... take ONE look at me. Am I going to walk up to a group of scallies, headbutt one and live to tell the tail. Nu uh... He seems to have made the same conclusion, but this gets interesting...
Me: "Haha, no sir - I think you can see I'm not that kinda guy." Ede and Lou wander across the road to the officer's car - they are completely unaware of this... PO: "Well if you'd like to make a statement, we might have to take you to the station in order to sort this out..." This would be bad. Very bad. Strange territory in a strange police station? Hell no... oh god, are Ede and Lou getting it on on the back of that officers CAR?!? Me: "Um..." *stiffles giggle* "That shouldn't be necessary, I can prove I didn't headbutt him..." *giggle* PO: "How is that sir?" - he's looking at me funny now. Me: "Well, who's voice did you think it was on the call?" - trying REALLY hard not to laugh now, Lou and Ede are on the boot of a plain clothes policeman's car... PO: "Well that's all good sir, you can just go an... OI YOU TWO, GET OFF THE FUCKING CAR!"
Lou looks up and shouts "WHAT?! WHAT YA SAYIN' THERE?!" - we're in hysterics but at this point we just wanna go home. Mogsey and I gather the troops, see off the coppers and go the final few metres to his flat.
All in all, scraped through successfully.
MOGSEY IS A LEGEND A short one - Mogsey, your flat from what I can remember of it, is amazing. Spacious, no neighbours (your tunes were epic) and you yourself are a really cool geezer :D
Thanks for inviting us all back - had a good chill and dance. Marie was asleep at this point so Jenny and I decided to take her home in a cab, but I could have stayed there for days. You rock.
PIGEONS Ok, the final stretch of the night. Jenny, Marie and I all jumped into a cab at 6:30am to go back to Liverpool. The plan was to drop Marie off at Sefton Park where she lives, then detour to Crosby.
After saying goodbyes to Marie, Jenny and I both noticed a weird looking stain on the windscreen of the cab... After asking what it was the cabbie replied:
"Pigeons mate - hit 'em all the time in the mornin' like this..."
Thinking nothing of it, Jenny and I returned to our semi-comatose state... drifting in and out of conciousness... until...
*BANG*
What. The. Fuck.
We hit a pigeon at like 70mph. Both of us freaked out quietly to ourselves. Drunk, tired, and not expecting it the pigeon had woken us up, and in the cold morning light it wasn't plesant. We chatted for a few minutes laughing about it, and then...
*BANG*
This time we saw it coming, and it horrified us. The mixure of fatigue, intoxication and disbelief finally got us, and it was just mental. It was just so WEIRD to be talking about something and then for it to happen right in front o...
*BANG*
Third pigeon. No way.
We sat in silence the rest of the way, and the relief was tangable when we pulled into my road. £20 back from Birkenhead, the night was finally over. We sat in mine for a bit, but bed called fast.
Our bodies finished and our heads confused, the night ended at precisely 7:54am for me. So long to an epic weekend.
Bearing in mind the previous few days, Saturday was always going to start off hard. I awoke in a futon on Anita's (old) bedroom floor - dazed, confused, hungover and sick. Anita's mum had woken me bring some stuff up for last night - a night I still can't really recall a great deal.
Hell, at least I could talk now rather than just grunt and moan. That's a plus.
Fully clothed I carried on sleeping until Margie, god bless her, woke everyone up :) We all piled onto Anita's bed and discussed the previous night's festivities - but soon time was catching up with me, and 1:30pm came. I had less than 7 hours to sort myself out and meet Jenny to go to Hex.
That was a really hard decision. The way I was, I shouldn't have gone anywhere to be fair. However, after promising for WEEKS that I'd come I didn't want to let her down yet again. I needed to suck it in, grab some breakfast and get my head into gear. Stop being a wuss and just get on with it.
It's the only way to learn.
Finally, I found my shoes, found my coat, found the door and then found my way home. A nice long 20 minute walk to clear my head.
S.O.R.N.
Those of you who own vehicles will recognise this accronym. It stands for "Statutory Off Road Notification". If you don't intend to tax a vehicle and have it garaged somewhere instead, you need to declare it off road. I've recently been fined for forgetting to do this, so with my head cleared from a hearty walk I thought "Fuck yeah, lets sort this out."
Anyone ever tried to phone the government? Every tried it hungover? It's like trying to nail jelly to a dart board. Difficult, and pointless in the first place. I was bounced around three seperate offices, and still haven't managed to figure out:
a> How to declare my bike off road,
b> How to pay the fucking fine,
c> Who to talk to in order to find out the above.
Cockends.
I gave up after about 45 minutes of mind boggling complexity, documenation numbers and vehicle details. Moving onto:
Lets go to Birkenhead
4 hours of sleep, a shower and a shave later, I'm running to the Birkey. I'm a couple of minutes late for meeting Jenny there, and in my haste I've also just ran headlong into some poor woman as I came round the corner of St Lukes Road.
"Sorry! In a rush! Hope you're ok!" - that's pretty much all I could say. Running was a daft idea in the first place considering the state of my stomach. And why the hell did I eat curry? Idiot.
Luckily my watch is running fast and Jenny is just up the road when I get there. She fills me in on her day, I tell her about my night, and we get the train to town. We pick up Marie at Central and then get onto the Wirral line - a scary place where everything is the same, but different.
Meh - enough of this. Time for HEX.
Journey to Hex
I've drunk shit loads of water by this point, and have finally found my energy reserves. We get off at Birkenhead Central and have to walk all over the place to find "Sunni", who is meeting us there. Afer passing the Indonesian fallus, we finally catch up with him being accosted by a group of women on a hen night, in pink with cowboy hats.
"Are you a girl?" shouts some little scally twat to Sunni. He's no more than 13 years old and riding his BMX at 9 o'clock in the middle of town. Hate these scrotes, especially since they're protected by law :(
A brief diversion to the "Swinging Arm" (and me losing a game of pool to this lady) we finally make a move to HEX, and in the process need to cross what looks like a derelict concrete wasteland, some fencing (which Jenny got stuck on lol) and a massive dual carriageway near the toll booths for the tunnel.
The place looks like a scene from Mad Max. Empty of cars, weeds choking the tarmac and a dark sense of forboding hanging around everything.
"This place has tunnels underneath it you know!" someone shouted. Tunnels under a nightclub? ... Curiouser and curiouser.
On approach to the club we see Chaz with her epic mohawk hanging outside. Hello's and introductions aside, we enter the venue...
...
(Argh - In work and ran out of time... will post rest when I get home...)
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