Friday 26 August 2011

it's the geeking weekend!

not that weekend's hold any real importance to me at all, i shall still have to be in work tomorrow morning for what will be my 6th day working in a row, having juggled days off around so that i can go to my girlfriend's cousin's wedding sangi dance on sunday and to a cricket match on monday

so how do we roll on a friday night?

we flick through the ikea catalogue before watching the rest of the Harry Potter film she fell asleep during on sunday, we then quickly pay a credit card bill and discuss home insurance before sticking on another Harry Potter film that she promptly falls asleep during.

leaving me to finish off reading the last couple of issues of Battle For The Cowl instead of having to watch the same film twice over


i'm not quite sure if i'll get the chance to complete a geeky trinity of Harry Potter, Batman and Doctor Who this weekend, as i've been informed that a friend is coming over for dinner and is insisting that we watch Sex and The City

so i have been given permission to hide away in the bedroom and read comics and i shall have to play ketchup after this Bank Holiday weekend's excitement, and for those that have missed it so far, there is a little web-exclusive prequel to the returning Doctor Who knocking around, which i shall stick

right

about

here



and no matter how emotional the mid-season finale or this prequel may be - i still can't help but wanna laugh out loud everytime i read that:

The Doctor will return in

Let's Kill Hitler

Thursday 25 August 2011

my list




there are a number of things in my life that i would like to do

occasionally i find it useful to make a list of the certain things that i want to achieve, and i know other people live their lives by constantly listing, i think i particularly find it fulfilling to cross through my list and slowly whittle it down to a short number og goals that have so far remained unobtainable

ok, so i know i bitch everytime NME decides to publish a list in it's magazine and that my last post was over a week ago, inching ever nearer to that two week mark, but those lazy gits actually get paid for bumping their heads together and sticking a bunch of things in numerical order, i merely try and jot down ever may be going through my mind, writing and updating in whatever free time my hectic life allows me

you've probably missed out on some real gems of blog posts that never were, simply cos i just wasn't able to get near a computer for long enough to communicate my ruminations..

which reminds me of something else i should probably add to the list..

this is what i want to do:


  • actually get my Riot Music EP completed
  • grow a proper beard
  • find a decent modern-looking blue sofa-bed for the spare bedroom
  • buy some frames and the blinds for the spare room
  • remember to actually properly look at the items on the pages of the ikea catalogue that i folded over so that i wouldn't forget
  • write up reviews/articles for the new EPs from Getaway and Twisted Hearts
  • try and blag my way into reviewing the autumn Crystal Fighters tour
  • and work on keeping Desperately Seeking Susan Boyle a little bit more frequently updated


of course there are tons more things i'll have to do, since i went to my cousins wedding last week instead of having time off for myself the upstairs floors need sweeping, but that was possibly getting far too mundane and pedantic to keep listing, oh and i should bring the wheely bins back up the drive this evening, but that would be stupid to give you each and every task and chore

i just wanted to let people know that i am still here

i am still writing (when i get the chance)

and i am still trying to get my house in order and inch slowly closer to having a complete looking (or at least updated) decor throughout

i'll refrain from using my blog as a noticeboard in the future

credit where it's due:

Monday 15 August 2011

before the memory fades




i still can't believe that a week ago Enfield was the heart of trouble kicking off as riots took over the capital for a second night, it felt bizarre and terrifying that this could be happening in my home town and that the few clips that were circulating on the news were of places that i walk past virtually on a daily basis, so familiar, yet so different, transformed by the presence of riot police and organised chaos

thankfully things seemed to have calmed down now, but last week, amidst all that was going on, i tore myself away from the computer screen and wrote a short poem on the feelings that had been stirred inside me, this week, as situations were looking worse, i began expanding on this idea, and on others, to produce a few pieces of music to reflect the times and the tension

this piece is still slightly unfinished, it needs a little more tweaking and polishing to get it up to scratch, but i wanted to put it out before the memories fade


Riot Music EP: Track 1 (unfinished) by Hunchbakk

Tuesday 9 August 2011

#Enfield



what a horribly bizarre and scary night

i should be going to bed but i wanted to put into words exactly how i feel about everything that has been going on, sunday night onwards

my dad had been in touch with me about the tottenham riots, making sure i hadn't been out in london and trying to get home, and news of the devastation was horrendous, but that was tottenham

when i was home from camping i just busied myself, stuck the washing on, washed up my cooking kit and had a bloody good sort out around the house, it probably wasn't until about half 6 or 7 that i turned on my computer and logged into facebook

a shot from the flats above the shops was being posted around, a photo of a smashed police car soon cropped up



there was shock and concern, and as the night drew on and darkness fell it all melted into a large overwhelming blur as hours fell into each other whilst #Enfield was trending on twitter worldwide and all there was to do was keep refreshing social networking feeds and flick between BBC and Sky news' slender coverage as it rolled round and repeated itself


waking up to the cold light of day brought an uneasy calm and a restless mind, i cycled into town to survey the damage done, though most of the reported damage seemed to have been confined to twitter, none of Krispy Kremes, Cineworld or Nandos had gone up in flames the night prior and petrol bombs on the a10 were pure chinese whispers that were soon being passed off as fact

Enfield Town itself was bewilderingly serene, cordoned off as the town played host to plenty of curious visitors that were more confused by it all than shaken in anyway.  some premises faired better than others, ranging from a handfull of broken windows to full on looting from sports and electrical shops.

My work was still open, we suffered a broken window along our shop frontage but nothing else, as the sun beamed and people busied themselves it all felt slightly anti-climactic, friends dropped in as they passed by and a couple of pints sunk in The George beside a deserted one way system and police line all contributed to a strange buzz as people came to terms with what had happened

but as the afternoon drew on and grey clouds drew overhead, the atmosphere visibly changed, talk of offices recieving advice to evacuate prompted an ominous vibe that hung heavy in the air, more rumours were dispensed through the day that the same was expected tonight, or that it would be hitting Barnet and Waltham Cross, or Brookfield Farm and Brent Cross

again, rumour and false reports were rife on the way home, my best friend rang me to warn me of a vehicle on fire on Turkey Street just before i had made it that far, i proceeded with caution, but there was no truth in it at all


and i wanted to keep clear of it all this evening, i pulled up weeds in the garden and favoured Don't Tell The Bride over rolling news coverage of scuffles and fires in peckham, i put on a film to escape it all for a couple of hours, but sadly it was all still there, and worse than ever as curiosity got the better of me and i checked the news for a quick update

you don't need me to tell you what is going on all over london, and also in birmingham, i am purely sickened by it all, i'm not sure if there is anymore that needs to be said on the matter, and that is certainly all i will say for now

so as i finish typing this up, and prepare to power down, helicopters overhead and regular sirens wailing are still audible.

good night london, i'm praying for a better tomorrow tonight

Sunday 7 August 2011

Enfield and I

I am fiercely proud of my home town,
Enfield is part of who I am,
I am a part of Enfield,
And an attack on Enfield,
Is an attack on me.


As the tension mounts,
And ill feeling hangs heavy in the air,
I can't shake the involuntary feeling of excitement,
Mixing with sickness.


Tonight we make history together,
As I pray that everything historic,
Everything beautiful,
Everything and everyone I love,
Doesn't burn down to the ground.


It is all eyes on us tonight,
As we bunker down in our homes,
And make it a night to remember,
With our updates and our outrage,
Trending, reporting and cowering,
As the same four clips of footage,
Repeat over and over on Sky News.

Friday 5 August 2011

bug hunt

i'm at odds to think of myself as a massive nerd, certainly i display many geeky tendecies that have reared their heads as i have refused to grow up and instead found myself reading comics again

and although it may not be clear to everyone, there are in fact distinct differences between geeks and nerds

i have never attempted to be fluent in Klingon, nor am i a technical computer genius capable of hacking into FBI files for fun, but i am scared that i may be crossing a line this weekend

for on saturday, i shall be taking part in my first ever LARP event

yes, it does sound as if it may be the noise that a red-necked yokel would make in the affirmative, but it actually stands for Live Action Role Play for those of you that have never ever swung around a foam sword in defence of an imaginary realm

something like Dungeons and Dragons crossed with Battle re-enactments..

c'mon, think Role Models and the socially awkard Augie!  yeah, now you're on the right path



well, a couple of my mates are into this kinda thing, and as a lover of a little bit of home-made fancy dress i decided i would actually give this thing a go

i painted up a nerf maverick earlier this year, and have been having a fair crack at getting a second battle-ready without quite so much aid and guidance this time around

i've got my combat fatigues ready too

as instead of medieval, this weekend will have an alien theme as a small unit of us descend upon a not-so-far flung scout hall in the middle of nowhere, for a trade in bio-weapons which will no doubt go extremely awry and possibly feature a couple of gatecrashing xenomorphs



wish me luck