Better late than never.....

I realised that, due in some part to Yahtzee being off to GDC two weeks ago, I have forgotten to post the last two vids published. So here they are:

27/02:



21/02:

The One Armed Man

Every now and then, the oddest, and most serious of days leaps upon you in fashions you never even expected.

Today was one such day and opened my eyes to many things.

As some of you will know, my sister Heather was departing on her sojourn across the world today, to return in no less than 2 years, if ever. I knew it was coming, and I was delighted for her given this was something she'd intimated she had wanted to do for a very long time.

Even given that time to prepare, even given my happiness and pride at her taking on the challenge, my mood was affected in ways I could not have forseen today. I was levelled with nostalgia, pummelled with the need to rehash the past, and driven to think of all the people whom I miss from my life these days - family or not.

As you might imagine, that hardly leaves one in a state of stratospheric happiness, nor, in my case, did it leave me solidly in a gutter somewhere. Instead, I was somewhere inbetween, sporting the bruises of a person who was neither wildly happy, nor unhappy; but of someone contemplative enough to recognise a number of mistakes, and to reprioritise some things that he had perhaps taken for granted.

I had planned to go to the airport with my other sisters and my brother-in-law to see Heather off, and this realisation simply made the determination to be there greater.

Seeing Heather off was harder than I had expected. I'm not good at the personal stuff face to face, I never have been, and I've gotten worse as the days of my life have passed. I don't suppose I appeared to anyone around me as if I was much impacted by my sisters departure, but I was. My sisters' subsequent reactions were enough to make me realise how much I was going to miss Heather, and how much the three of us still here would have to stick together in her absence.

Technically I only have two blood sisters, Lorraine and Heather, but for as long as I can remember Nancy has been there, and for me there is no distinction strong enough to convince me to think of Nance as anything less than family.

For me, myself and my sisters have always been like 4 people making up the parts of one person.

Lorraine is the temperance and the calm.
Nancy is the compassion and understanding.
Heather is the brains and the lover.
And I am the fire and the recklessness.

In some ways I feel a little like a person who just lost a part of his brain, or more closely an arm or a leg. I've been prepared for the operation for a long time, and still my body is in shock.

However, all that said, I would gladly give that arm for Heather to achieve what she wants to achieve. I'd give my entire being for any of them to get what they deserve from life. Heather was always the one who was going to do the brave things. The revolutionary and the free of heart and so, deep down, it doesn't surprise me that we have to say goodbye to her, even on a temporary basis.

To Heather, and to all of my sisters, I love you all dearly. You are my conscience, my strength, and my heart - without you I would be lost. With you, I can leap large buildings in a single leap.

Nietzsche says "Family love is messy, clinging, and of an annoying and repetitive pattern, like bad wallpaper".

I'll take that mess, annoyance and repetition any day of the week.

Trandimensional thingymagigery

Well I had hoped to make a couple of posts before this weekend, but really I've not got around to it.

Now before you have a pulminary embalism over it, remember I have actually had stuff to this week. Aside from being a member of The Great Unwashed (which is taxing work I tells ya), I've had to make a million phone calls (yes literally), prepare for an interview, assist my currently ill dad, tidy, hunt down that peeping tom of a squirrel who watches me dress in the mornings (I feel dirty!) and most importantly play games on my new computer.

So, as a result, I'm running out of time. I have to pop over again to my dads, both to pinch a perfectly sized suitcase and to check on him, go to Asda for some train goodies (cider mostly) and then dash off to get my haircut before going straight to the lodge to help out with the bar. Phew! I could really do with one of those transdimensional half life machines (I forget the name). That would help!

On top of all that, at 8:21 am tomorrow I'll be standing on a platform at Waverly waiting to get on a train to Manchester with some of the lodge boys to enjoy a Friday at another lodge and the rest of the weekend getting....well ear bleedingly drunk in all likelyhood. *takes breath*

I'll get back on Sunday afternoon but I have no idea what state I'll be in, so you might not hear form me until Monday. I will have a full report then before preparing for my interview on Tuesday.

THEN and only then, might you get the other things I was planning to blog about (which are tucked on my handy sidebar.

The Number 123

I was tagged by Gurn a week or so back, and now Annalee has also done so, so I should perhaps fall in line (pfft, like that'll ever happen).

The rules: -

1. Grab the nearest book (that is at least 123 pages long).
2. Open to page 123.
3. Go to the 5th sentence.
4. Type in the following 3 sentences.
5. Tag five people.

It's hard to say exactly what the closest book to me is, given that my bookshelf is less than 2 feet from my right arm, so I picked the first book from my shelf - The Human Mind.

"This is, of course, the feature of the brain that makes movies and TV possible - we don't see twenty-four frames a second flashing across the screen, but experience them as a harmonious whole. Consciousness is not an instantaneous experience - it takes time to build itself, and the brain covers up for its own time lag.

Some 120 years later, Benjamin Libet at the University of Southern California became interested in this time lag."

I tag EVERYONE!

An otter chewing an electric fence...priceless!

This week Yahtzee shows his love for Nazi Germany....oh and he reviews Sim City Societies too.....

A gazillion daft questions...

I have succumbed to the pressure of G's blog.

Here ya are!



You're really upset. Who is the first person you call to vent?
Hmmm...I dont always vent, I'm a bit of a introspect, but if I do, its usually either Gurny or Annalee (poor buggers)

If you had to choose, would you rather be an alcoholic or a pothead?
Alcoholic

Who is the last person you hung out with?
Annalee, I do live with the woman after all.

How did you meet this person?
Through a bunch of old mates

Do you get along with guys or girls better?
Depends on the guy or girl - My intolerance of fools is equal regardless of sex

Have you ever fallen asleep upside down?
Um...no

Do you like shows like Forensic Files and Unsolved Mysteries?
Not overly...I'm a sucker for American political drama

Do you prefer to take showers at night or in the morning?
Morning - invigoration baby!

List 3 people you were best friends with in 6th grade:
Simon Darrie, Steven Hanley & Graham Nelson.

Who is the best person to cheer you up?
Me!

When you see people, do you critique how they look or act?
How they act, yes, how they look, no.

Who is the last person you added to your contacts list in your phone?
Not a scoob!

When is the last time you had pizza?
Last week round here with Annalee and The Gurn

How do you think you look right this moment?
Old and fat :)

If you had the chance to have your face put on a quarter, would you
What is this "quarter" you speak of...?

Heard any really great quotes lately?
"Your end is nigh sauna boy"

Do you think you have made a difference in anyone's life?
I'd like to think so, but inevitably there's a good chance the answer is no.

What is the last movie you saw in a theater?
National Treasure : Book of Secrets

Do you remember the name of your first school you ever went to?
Stenhouse Primary School

What do you think of people who have their name tattooed on them?
I wonder if they did it so they wouldn't forget it when they're drunk.

Is there a song that is driving you crazy because you dont know who sings it?
I know everything, didn't YOU know THAT?

What is the name of your siblings best friend?
Heather: Nancy. Nancy: Heather. Lorraine: Alison

What is the last spoken words you heard?
"Bye"

Last awkward moment?
I dont embarrass so I dont recall

Who do you find yourself crushing on currently?
Anyone on a busy bus

Ever found more than a dollar in a random place?
If I translate that to 50p, then yes. I once found 314 in change in the middle of a road, and £35 on a side of grass.

Name 1 thing that everyone knows about you.
I'm arrogant

When a friend walks out of your life, do you go after them or let them go?
It all depends on the circumstances. I have a better measure these days of who my true friends are.

Has anyone ever been more important to you than a family member?
Not more important, but as important, yes.

Last time you smiled?
About a minute ago - I'm a grinning idiot.

Would life be the same without alcohol?
Probably, but it wouldn't be any worse.

Would you go a month without washing your hair to save a loved one?
Not wash my hair...what?! Hmm..I'd have to think about that one.....pfft!

Would you cry if you found out you were pregnant?
I'd likely faint and thereafter realise where this belly came from.

Do you think your current pets will be alive ten years from now?
Rats dont live that long usually so not them, but I imagine Tori will still be around.

When was your last bubble bath?
When I was 4

Do you know anyone by the name of Dennis?
Only Mr Crane.

Where is your pet(s) right now?
Sasha is lying at my feet, Tori is off eating people's souls, and Cachel and Mox are sleeping in the living room.

Name five things you did yesterday?
Hit my head on the kitchen cupboard.
Reached "confident" in Uplink
Danced a merry dance
Fell over a cat
Robbed a hobo

What color phone do you have?
Silver and Black.

How many kids do you want to have?
Not sure if I want to have any or not.

What outfit do you have on at this exact moment?
A t-shirt and jeans - I'm THAT exciting

What color are your eyes?
Blue

What are you doing tomorrow?
Starting my Computeach course proper

Do you know someone who likes you?
I dont even like me!

Does a heartbreak feel as bad as it sounds?
Much, much worse

What color is your hair?
Naturally, white, but its black just now.

Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?
Nope

What is the closest blue object to you?
A six sided dice

Have you eaten popcorn in the past 48 hours?
No.

Do you have a lot of guy friends?
A few

When's the last time you were in handcuffs?
It was just that once, and I was oh so drunk.....

CoD Piece

This week Call of Duty 4 get the verbal ravaging it deserves by that satirical monster Yahtzee (with a generally unprecedented amount of ego massaging thrown in!).