The Clock (a Ghost Story)

Kerry listened to the carriage clock ticking in her darkened bedroom. The clock her mother proudly had above her fireplace, the one Dad bought for her on their silver wedding anniversary, the day before he died in his sleep. It was custom made, with a photo of them on their wedding day, behind the clock face, with their names engraved in the base.

Of all her mother’s possessions, it was the only thing she really wanted. A symbol of the love her parents had for each other. It still upset her that, in her will, her mother insisted that the clock be put in the coffin, along with Dad’s favourite tie and his glasses. Naturally, she told her brother that’s exactly what happened. Mark had no desire to see his Mum in the funeral home, all grey and still. He avoided seeing her when she was alive, so convincing him she had followed Mum’s request was easy. Kerry knew how much that clock meant to her parents and there was no way it was going to be destroyed when Mum was finally cremated.

It had been a lovely funeral though. Aunt Valerie cried throughout, as usual. Mark got drunk and hit someone in the pub. Apart from that, Mum would have been proud. Although Kerry hated the black shoes she felt obliged to wear; they were so uncomfortable. Removing them before bed was like an orgasm. Not that she remembered what they were.

Over two years of Kerry’s life had been taken by looking after her mother. Once the cancer took hold, there was little point in pretending to even have a life. She did her best, made her comfortable but it never felt enough. She quit work, even quit Richard (her last chance of a family, he said as they split up. Bastard.) However, Kerry had accepted her responsibility, and even felt that it brought her closer to her mother. Not forgetting that Dad would have wanted her to look after Mum, since he was not around to do it.

There was plenty of resentment, of course. Kerry wanted to kill her on a few occasions; when the soiled bed sheets needed cleaning AGAIN; when the wailing would not stop; when she just wanted to sit in the fucking garden but could not leave Mum alone. A pillow. That’s all she would have needed. Would have been so easy. Surely no-one would have blamed her.

The thoughts swirled in Kerry’s head over and over. Listening to the clock ticking, feeling her eyelids getting heavier. Thinking to herself: Tomorrow, would be the start of Kerry Mitchell’s second life. Job hunting, making contact with old friends, maybe even see if Richard was still single..? She even felt the tinge of a smile as she began to drift off.

“Kerry. You’ve ruined everything.”

Suddenly, Kerry’s eyes were anything but heavy. She sat bolt upright, scrambling for her phone, anything for a bit of light. The time was 1:03am (why did that time sound familiar?). She was home alone; hell, even the cat was outside. Did she imagine it? Was she dreaming? Was she half-asleep? Faint yet deep. It was a voice, it WAS.

The clock continued ticking, almost in rhythm with Kerry’s breathing.

Shining the little light from her phone around the room showed nothing. She expected to see nothing; her rational mind had kicked in now and, yes, obviously it was just in her mind. A little ‘jolt’ one gets just before sleep embraces for the night.

She turned her phone off, put it back on the pillow next to her, and laid down. Why was 1:03am bothering her? The answer was there, in her mind. Just out of sight. She sighed, and decided a glass of milk was in order.

She opened her bedroom door and made her way to the kitchen. It was a bit colder than usual, probably needed to stop being so tight and use the central heating once in a while. She smiled as she remembered the only argument her parents had, over the thermostat. Dad was never cold and Mum was never warm; perfect for each other, they used to say.

The thoughts of her parents, happy and alive, filled Kerry with more happiness than she had felt in a long time. She took the glass of freshly poured milk, took a sip and made her way back to bed.
As she entered the bedroom, she froze. 1:03am. That was the time of Mum’s death, 3 weeks ago to the day. How could she have forgotten? She turned and closed the door.

“Kerry. You’ve ruined everything.”

The glass of milk fell to the floor. That was no dream, no sleep related illusion. That was real. And behind her.

She turned around. She was still alone, the barest amount of light trickling through the curtains showed nothing. Her breathing was rapid, her heartbeat racing. She reached for the light switch and the room was instantly bathed in light.

Her logical mind was trying to tell her not to worry, there was a perfectly simple explanation. Just needed time to work out what it was, that’s all.  She sat on the bed, looking around. Was there a radio on? Next door’s television?

Minutes passed. She looked at her phone. Call someone? Like who? Anyone she called will be asleep and even the ones that did answer will just say “You’ve cremated your Mum today, your mind isn’t in a good place, blah, blah.” And they were probably right.

But still. That voice. So dark, so… Familiar.

She looked at the glass of milk on the floor. “Stupid bitch” she whispered quietly.

It was then she realised. The clock was silent. She stood up, and walked to the shelf. Picking it up, she let out a silent cry. The photo of her parents was gone.

“Kerry. You’ve ruined EVERYTHING.”  She turned quickly around.

“Dad?”

She knew the answer. It was him. Standing there, towering over her, looking so angry, so furious. His face contorted with rage.

“YOU’VE RUINED EVERYTHING!”

“Daddy? You… You’re dead. I… I… I don’t…”

“Your Mum asked you to do one thing for her. ONE THING. And you failed her! Now we can never be together again!”

Kerry was sobbing, “I don’t understand?”

His hand raised up, pointing. “That clock! That clock was supposed to be with your Mum forever! But you’re selfish! SELFISH!”

“Dad, I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

She closed her eyes and crumbled to the floor, feeling the tears fall down her cheeks. Clutching the clock to her chest, she felt him approach. She could not look. She would not look.
“You’ve ruined us. Are you happy? ARE YOU?”

“Daddy,” she cried out, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She could hear him breathing. Heavy, hard, wheezing: The breath of a smoker. The pungent smell of the cigarettes that she had almost forgotten; the cigarettes that killed him.

His voice was trembling, “Mark was always my favourite…” Then silence.

The clock started ticking again. She opened her eyes, her father was gone. She looked at the clock, the photo was back but now her Dad was missing from the picture. Just her Mum, in her wedding dress. And even though Kerry’s eyes were soaked with tears, as she stared at the picture, she could clearly see her Mum was crying. She stood up and put the clock back on the shelf, feeling more alone than ever. She walked to the door, picked up the glass of milk and closed the door behind her.

She never returned.

Film Review: The Amazing Spider-Man

8/10

Firstly, let me start this review by saying that it MIGHT be slightly affected by the cinematic experience I had while watching the film.  That's not saying it's a bad film, far from it but the circumstances surrounding my viewing of it are not ideal.

I had booked the day off, on the day of release (as I often do with films I want to see) because I enjoy a cinema that's not empty but not heaving either.  A midday non-weekend viewing is usually ideal for such things.  Plus it's often cheaper tickets.

However, I made a mistake in not checking film times. If I had, I'd have seen the first showing was after 7pm rendering my day off unnecessary. Bollocks.  Secondly, I would now have to go to a later showing to ensure that screaming/chattering children would not be over running the place.  But the later the showing, the later I'd be home and getting to bed for work the next day.

A tangled web, indeed. Pun not intended.

The viewing I went to opened at 20:45, meaning a 21:15 film start time which was acceptable to me.  Not TOO late getting out of the cinema and with school the next day, no kids. HA!

How fucking wrong was I?

Some utter genius of a parent bought their 3 kids to the same showing, I guess their ages to be 4, 3 and 18 months.  And they sat right behind me.  Livid wouldn't accurately describe my feelings. Bringing actual toddlers to a night time showing of a 12A movie to be just smacks of bad parenting.  This was further proved when, during the scenes with the Lizard (more on that soon) the 18 month old SCREAMED out in horror and so had to be taken to the aisle and calmed down. Not once, but 5 times!  In the end, the mother stayed there until about 10 mins before the end of the film.  And all the while, the other two kids were chattering away behind me.

So yeah, a happy bunny I was not.

Rant over - now the film.

It was pretty good actually. Andrew Garfield was pitch perfect as Peter Parker (I apologise for the alliteration there) and Emma Stone was pretty as ever, and made a wonderful Gwen Stacy. In fact, she was so good, it makes me dread the next film as we all know how her story ends.

Praise must also go to Martin Sheen and Rhys Ifans who completely owned their roles. The one downside was Sally Field as Aunt May.  She just wasn't vulnerable enough, or old enough.  Aunt May is a frail, white haired lady.  Sally Field just didn't LOOK the part, but if you can look past that, her acting was excellent too.

The Lizard himself was very effective as a horror-based opponent for Spidey but I much prefer the way he's designed in the comics. He looks far too human in the film, and one of his main weapons (his bite) is missing. A missed opportunity, I think.

But the fight scenes are brilliant (with a completely genius Stan Lee cameo during one fight) and the Spiderman quips and insults are at long last reminiscent of the comic books as opposed to the Raimi versions which were largely missing.

Clearly the film is just the first of another trilogy, and the post-credits scene points to another Oscorp employee (Doc Ock? Mysterio? Electro? Vulture? Osborn himself?) being in the next film.

So I would absolutely recommend this film, even if you think the previous trilogy were perfect, this is just different enough to stand up without comparison, although if it was the very first Spider-man film ever, I think it would seem a lot, lot better.

And it was nice to see New York so completely rebuilt after the Avengers. :)

Eric Sykes

“Some people walk on stage and the audience warms to them. You can’t explain it, and you shouldn’t try. It's an arrogant assumption to say you ‘decide’ to become a comedian. The audience decides for you.” - Eric Sykes

Earlier today, the world lost a true icon of comedy.  An actual legend.

Eric Sykes passed away aged 89.

This is another nail in the coffin of my childhood.  Along with other comedians like Les Dawson, Morecambe and Wise, Tommy Cooper, Spike Milligan, Bob Monkhouse, and so on.  These were the people that I grew up laughing at.  Laughing with.

Eric was the last one.

I still treasure the memories of my Dad videoing 'The Plank' just so we could sit down and watch it together, knowing that we had a similar sense of humour.

All of Eric's comedy shows were favourites in our house, and Dad in particular could be found howling at the telly, whenever he was on.

The last thing I personally saw him in was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which (although brief) showed that he could do dramatic roles aswell (his turn as the creepy gardener in the film 'The Others' proved this too.)

But he will be forever remembered as a comedic genius.  And rightly so.

Rest in peace, Eric. The world has lost a great man, and wonderful comedian.

Thank you for the laughter.

Comedy is Taxing

"I'm spending a year dead, for tax purposes" - Douglas Adams

Well, this is a little cat amongst the pigeons.  Jimmy Carr is a tax dodger.  The man that has lampooned and roasted 'fat cat' bankers, the rich, the poor and everyone in between has been critiscised for being a hypocrite.

You'd have thought it was completely cut and dry.

It's not. I'm saying that Jimmy Carr is completely and totally in the right.  And, while writing, so is everyone else that's taking advantage of this loophole, including (allegedly) most of Take That.

Me defending Take That?  What the fuck??!

To me it's simple.  What Carr has done is legal. It's totally above board, and cleared by HMRC.  The problem lays in the fact that it IS legal.  Being frank, if I could pay less tax by doing something that was all above board, I'd be an idiot not to!  We all would. 

Is it wrong, morally?  Perhaps, as it seems like it's something that only benefits the rich, but in his position, how could you not do it?

Carr has come out now and apologised and said he's not doing it anymore, to his credit, but I for one wouldn't have complained if he'd said, "balls to the lot of you, I've done nothing wrong".  Because he'd be right.

If the loophole wasn't there, it wouldn't be an issue.  So don't hate the player, hate the game.

Film Review: Marvel's Avengers Assemble!

10/10

As many people know, my favourite film of all time is 'The Elephant Man'.  To me, it is cinematic perfection.  I've never seen a film, before or since, that has genuinely moved me (still the only film that's ever made me cry!) and I never ever believed that any film could come close to making me rethink my philosophy.

Until now.

As I alluded to in my previous blog, I've loved The Avengers since about 1985 so the chance of me not liking a film version would be small, but to say I was blown away by Marvel's Avengers Assemble would be like saying Siberia is a little bit nippy.  Almost from the very first scene, the film grabs you, demands your attention and refuses to let you go.  And you don't even notice.

The set up is perfect, and really you don't NEED to see any of the five previous films that lead up to it (although if you do, trust me it makes it much better.

For me, Captain America is more like himself than he was in his own movie.  Tony Stark is just sarcastic and wonderful, Thor is several kinds of awesome.  Mark Ruffalo is the best Bruce Banner ever (sorry to the fans of Bana, Norton and/or Bixby) and if he doesn't get his own Hulk film out of this then there's no justice in the world.  The other two Avengers (Black Widow and Hawkeye) are not treated as extras, as you might reasonably expect and in fact easily have about as much screen time and development as the rest.

As for SHIELD, Cobie Smulders is just smoking hot as Maria Hill and Clark Gregg continues his deadpan nothing-can-shock-me performance as Agent Coulson (and he will be missed in the future films) but Samuel L Jackson is still 'The Man' and couldn't be cooler if you dumped him in an ice bath.

But as in 'Thor', the best acting was from Tom Hiddleston as Loki.  He displays such a believable performance, going from evil to humourous and everything inbetween.  His scene with Black Widow was one of the stand out moments (plus it had the phrase 'mewling quim' - 12a rating ahoy!) and his battle with Hulk was... Short but oh so memorable.

The final scenes are perhaps the best ever seen, certainly in a superhero film and possibly in any film.  This is what Transformers WISHES it could have been.  Some real fist pumping and 'Fuck yeah' moments but you never get lost in the visuals (which are stunning throughout).

And if you don't get chills when the Avengers form the famous circle (the one we've all seen in the trailers) then you might want to check your blood flow.

I have tried and tried to think of some negative points but the only ones I can think of is just the very minor disappointment that there didn't seem to be any 'hidden' gems in the film.  Would have loved a minor cameo from Agents Danvers or Morse (Ms Marvel and Mockingbird respectively) or maybe even tracking Bruce Banner while he's hiding out with his cousin Jennifer Walters.  But nothing like that, not even a mention of "We tried the Fantastic Four but they weren't even in this dimension".  Shame, but that is a churlish criticism at best.

So, is this now my favourite film ever?  No. But it's pretty damn close. The adult 'me' is telling me that The Elephant Man is still the best film I've ever seen. But the child 'me' insists it's The Avengers. Pfft, who wants to be a grown up at the cinema anyway?

Sod it, I'm going to see it again!


Oh, and Thanos.  THANOS!.  THANOS ON THE BIG SCREEN!!  Can this Avengers sequel just hurry up already??

Avengers Assemble!

And there came a day, a day unlike any other... when Earth's mightiest heroes found themselves united against a common threat... to fight the foes no single superhero could withstand... on that day, The Avengers were born.

Not blogged in an absolute age.  Totally my fault - just not really been inspired to talk!  However, in a few hours time I will be going to see a film that I have been waiting for my entire life (and sadly, that's not a lie).

The Avengers (or Avengers Assemble for us in the UK).

As many know, I'm a comic book aficionado/nerd and the one book that I've enjoyed from the start, and still do, is The Avengers.  The teamwork, relationships, the infighting, the battles... There was something that appealed to me about this team that made me want to read more.  X-Men?  Too angsty and talk about whiney...  Spider-Man?  Yeah, he was OK.  Fantastic Four?  Often good, occasionally great but not for me.

(And I can't stand DC comics. Deal with it.)

The Avengers were a group of heroes that banded together because they wanted to make the world a better place.  That appealed to me.  They were together because they were friends.  And the film will show this too (I'm sure - my next blog will be the review of the film)

So I have decided to list my 10 favourite Avengers storylines, in no particular order.

1) Operation: Galactic Storm

A no-brainer to pick this as the first on the list.  A fantastic space war that spanned 19 issues and yet didn't feel too long, or padded out.  Bob Harras' crossover masterpiece that even now I read from time to time.  Hasn't dated.

Good stuff: All the Avengers together!  Avengers avenging!
Bad stuff: Cap's team seemed a little weak/one dimensional *shrugs*
Legacy: The Kree have never been the same and it helped bring Carol Danvers back to Earth.

2) Korvac Saga

The first Avengers graphic novel I ever bought.  Was NOT disappointed.  Avengers stories that involve god-like enemies always seem to 'work', and other than the Fantastic Four, no other Marvel team ever really battled them.  (And even the FF only seemed to win after a never-before-seen gadget created on the spot by Mr Fantastic.)

Good stuff: The ambiguous ending.  Guardians of the Galaxy are always good to see.
Bad stuff: Moondragon. Still don't like her.
Legacy: The story is screaming out for a sequel, but Korvac hasn't been seen much since this story, which is a shame.

3) Under Siege

Heartbreaking.  Utterly devastating storyline that shows sometimes you don't need more power, you need more people.  This version of the Masters of Evil are, IMO the best.  They take the Avengers to the edge and throw them over.  The Mansion is destroyed and in many ways the team are never the same again.

Good stuff: Wasp! Jarvis! Hercules! Captain America breaks down!
Bad stuff: Where were the reserve Avengers??
Legacy: In part, leads to the first Avengers break-up. And let's not forget 'The Thunderbolts'

4) Lost in Space/Time

The only West Coast Avengers storyline in the list (that doesn't mean that I didn't love WCA but they only had 100 issues to play with...)  A carefully woven story that sounds confusing and convoluted but honestly is just a brilliant read.  Can't recommend it enough.

Good stuff: The plotting is masterful.  Hank Pym is back!  Moon Knight!
Bad stuff: The sexual abuse of Mockingbird. The art isn't great.
Legacy: Phantom Rider is still around, causing strife for Hawkeye and Mockingbird.

5) Procter and the Gatherers

A good old-fashioned slow burned.  Bob Harras' other masterpiece.  The way that Procter and his team of Gatherers appeared and gradually got stronger, got more menacing...  This is what I wanted from my Avengers book after about 50 issues of (let's be honest) mainly dreck.  And I want Procter back!

Good stuff: The slow burn.  The reveal of Procter's identity.
Bad stuff: Too many unanswered questions.
Legacy: Not much, sadly. Desperately needs to be looked at and re-used by a future writer.

6) Acts of Vengeance

Perhaps a surprise to people that know Marvel that I've included this crossover.  Wasn't popular at the time and is often overlooked but I would rather read this than Inferno or any of the so-called 'worthy' X-crossovers.  A mad idea that partly worked but probably needed some tighter plotting.

Good stuff: Unique idea, putting the Avengers into the centre of the Marvel Universe.
Bad stuff: The comedy issues of the Fantastic Four.  And Daredevil beats Ultron? WTF?
Legacy: Civil War and Dark Reign must have been inspired by the story.

7) Ultron Unlimited

I've always liked Ultron. Never saw him as a thread though which is essential if you're going to be a MAJOR villain. Busiek's greatest storyline moved Ultron from a minor villain to a world-class threat.  Fantastic, fist pumping stuff.

Good stuff: Ultron is now the bad-ass he always should have been.
Bad stuff: Slight moustache twirling villainy from Ultron at points.
Legacy: Ultron is now a universe-wide threat (see: Annihilation Conquest)

8) Avengers Forever

Arguably Busiek's finest hour.  Ties up loose ends and clarifies some of the more confusing storylines in the Avengers history.  Not recommended reading unless you're a REAL Avengers fan though.

Good stuff: Songbird! Great fun for Avengers historians.
Bad stuff: Not easy reading if you're new to comics.
Legacy: Every time there's a continuity glitch, the answer is - a Space Phantom.

9) Dark Reign/Siege

The most up-to-date storyline in the list. The idea of an 'evil' leader of the Superhero community was genius and the man to do it was surprising.  Dr Doom?  Kang?  Red Skull?  No.  A Spider-man villain.  Yeah.

Good stuff: Some fantastic sub-plots, the Thunderbolts issues, and truly epic in scope.
Bad stuff: Far too big to remember everything.
Legacy: We'll see...  But the Asgardian subplot sort of lead into 'Fear Itself'.

10) Red Zone

The best story in Geoff John's short run.  The main villain was obvious from day one but the sheer amount of delicious evil involved, to do what he does... Brilliant.  And anyone that has Jack of Hearts in the team is OK by me.

Good stuff: The villain! Scarlet Witch! Great story.
Bad stuff: Shame the villain was signposted a few issues prior.
Legacy: Again, not much.  Might need to re-read it.

Also want to show some love for: The Kang Dynasty, Heroes Return, Dark Scarlet Witch Saga, The Kree/Skrull War, Fear Itself.

Feel free to comment if you've read any of these or want to suggest others I've overlooked.  But if you mention Larry Hama or Chuck Austen to me, expect bloodshed... :)

Dad

"I wasn't there that morning, when my father passed away.  I didn't get to tell him, all the things I had to say."  - "The Living Years" Mike & The Mechanics

Seven years ago, I was at work.  A normal day, up in the City; talking to customers on the phone, giving them the charm (as you do).  A very normal, ordinary day until about 9:30am: when I was told my Dad had to be rushed into hospital.

I immediately rushed out of the office and made the long, slow journey home.  It was, under normal circumstances, a rather fast journey, certainly faster than I expected.  However it felt like hours.  No-one was telling me anything.  My Dad was in hospital and no-one was giving me an update.

Eventually I got to the hospital, headed towards A&E.  I saw my family there, my two brothers, my Mum, my wife...   I knew, immediately, why my family were all outside, instead of being with Dad.  But I couldn't and wouldn't allow myself to admit it.  As I got closer, my wife approached me, crying.  She said "I'm sorry, he didn't make it".

And I cried.

I had lost my Dad.  He was more than a Dad, he was my best friend, my hero, my mentor, my guru, my inspiration...  And now he was gone.

Suddenly, I felt more alone than ever.  Yes, I was married, and had lots of family and friends, but at that moment, none of that mattered.

I went to Mum, who was sobbing and clearly had been for ages, and gave her a hug.  Told her we'd be OK.  My two brothers were also red-eyed.  Being the eldest of us three has always been a burden (one that I created, more than anything) so I felt it my responsibility to 'man-up' and take charge of things. 

We had to go back into the hospital to sign forms, then went home.  I got all the phone numbers of Dad's friends and work colleagues, gradually calling them all and telling them of his passing.

The rest of the day was a total blur.  I don't know if I even ate dinner.  Or even what time I went to bed.  I do know that we made sure Mum slept in our front room, so she wasn't alone.

I do know it was the hardest day of my life.

Why am I telling you all this?  No reason.  Dad's been gone for 7 years now, and I can honestly say that a day hasn't passed since then when I haven't thought about him.  And even now, all these years later, I miss him as much as I ever did.

Someone said today on Facebook:  "Some people in this life just leave.  Others leave gaps."  Dad, you left a gap in my heart that nothing can fill.  I wish you were here just one more minute so I could tell you just how much I love you and give you a hug.  You were the best Dad I could ever wish to have and you made all three of your sons very proud, decent members of society.

I will see you again someday, I know that.  Until then, I'll keep you in my memories and my soul.

Sleep well, Pops.  You earned your rest. x

All About Me!

"Getting to know you, getting to know all about you" - Anna (The King & I)

You know, I started writing this blog nearly 4 weeks ago.  I turned 36 at the end of July and I thought it would be a bit of a fun/lighthearted blog if I gave you all 36 'facts' about me that you might not know or maybe even care about.

Firstly, it was harder than it sounded.  Secondly I had a big distraction.  But now it's here and I'm done.  Remind me to never do this again...

36 Facts About Me!

1) I share a birthday with the following: Arnold Schwartzenegger, Daley Thompson, Kate Bush, Lisa Kudrow and Jimmy Anderson.  And I share it with the anniversary of England winning the world cup.

2) I am allergic to bananas.  And penicillin.

3) My favourite film is The Elephant Man and my favourite pop act is Pet Shop Boys.

4) I swear a lot.  Far more than is healthy...

5) My biggest fear is open water, ever since I nearly drowned when I was 10.  Even now, I hate putting my head under water (even a shower can make me panic).

6) My first ever job was a chef.  Hence my love of cooking.

7) The first car I ever drove after I passed my driving test was a Rover 600.  Company car.  Lovely.

8) I have two middle names, Stuart and George.  Named after my Grandfathers.  However, I was only meant to have ‘George’ as a middle name, as family tradition, but that would have made my initials ‘KGB’ and in the mid-70’s, that would NOT have been good…  So my parents added another middle name.

9) The first record I ever bought was ‘Hi Ho Silver’ by Jim Diamond and I have a horrid feeling that the first album I ever bought was by Chas n Dave…

10) The first song I ever performed solo at a karaoke was ‘Monster Mash’.

11) I’m still a big kid at heart, as I love seeing all the new Lego kits and other toys, wishing I could play with them without looking like a twat.

12) I’ve never been further abroad than France.  I’ve been all across Britain (and even the Channel Islands) but my ambition is to visit America and New York in particular.

13) I love my food (no really!) and I’m always up for trying new things.  Especially food from other countries.  Earlier this year I even had authentic Ethiopian lamb.

14) I chose the online ID of ‘Khaos’ back in 2000 when my life was literally chaotic, with living in London, Bristol, Cardiff and driving hundreds of miles, etc.  And I put the K in because of my real name.

15) I have a certified IQ of 136 which puts me in the top 6% of the world.

16) My best subjects at school were Computer Studies and Maths.  My favourite was Law.  Fascinating subject.

17) I’m not the biggest sports fan on the planet, and rarely watch it on the television, but I support Liverpool FC and Surrey CCC.

18) I don’t have any tattoos or piercings, and never will BUT if I were forced to, I’d have a lion or dragon tattoo, on my arm.

19) My DREAM job would either be a West End musical singer (Javert would be the role I’d KILL for) or a comedy writer.

20) I am a geek too.  I love some Sci-fi (not Star Trek, urgh) and I still read the occasional comic book (not Batman, urgh).

21) My favourite names are Bret (for a boy) and Kaitlyn (for a girl).

22) I am related to former Prime Minister Edward Heath (my Nan’s cousin) and possibly to the ‘Great Train Robber’ Ronnie Biggs.

23) I was born and raised a Catholic but now, I follow no religion.  Safer that way.

24) If I had a dream ‘dinner party’ inviting 5 people dead or alive, I’d choose Eric Morecambe, Les Dawson, Jimmy Carr, Sarah Silverman and Lisa Lampanelli.

25) My favourite actor is Anthony Hopkins.  My favourite actress is Gillian Anderson.

26) I love dogs.  Hate cats.

27) Conspiracy theorists piss me off.  Seriously.

28) I read all 7 Harry Potter books in 6 weeks.

29) My shoe size is usually 11 (depends on the shoes)

30) My best quality is my sense of humour.  My worst is that I can be very introverted and moody sometimes…

31) I’ve often thought about going on Dragon’s Den for a couple of ideas I have, but I hate rejection.  Besides, I’m no entrepreneur.  So if someone wants to team up…?

32) I’ve been to hospital twice.  Once for heatstroke, when I was a baby and the other time for an infected ingrown toenail.

33) One of my interests is reliving kids TV shows and I love talking about them, reminiscing.

34) I consider myself a late bloomer in life, so many things I didn’t do for so long, with usually one of my younger brothers getting there first.

35) I don’t have a sweet tooth and can’t say I’m a massive fan of chocolate.

36) My signature dish to cook is steak diane, with jacket potato, stuffed mushroom, and grilled tomato.

Well, that's 36.  Is there anything you want to ask me that I haven't covered?  Use my Formspring account to ask me anonymous questions.  Be nice!

:)

Aftermath

"This world of ours... must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect."  - Dwight D Eisenhower

A couple of weeks on and things in Croydon are largely back to normal.  Other than House of Reeves looking more like Roman ruins and the acrid smell emanating from the area, it's business as usual.  Even the trams were back in service after 3 days of being out.  The buses were back shortly after. Gotta love the British.  "Carry on regardless" stiff upper lip indomitable people we are.

And don't forget the power of a cup of tea!

Naturally the riots are still the biggest topic of conversation in pubs, clubs, cafes and offices; probably will be for a while too.  But the tide is turning from "Where were you?" and "What were you doing?" to "Why did it happen?".

To me, it's obvious.  This was purely and simply greed and jealousy on a MASSIVE scale.  What triggered it was people seeing the vandalism and looting happening in Tottenham and Enfield, and thinking "I'll have some of that."  The riots were not about class, or status, or race, or religion.  People saw that others were stealing things with impunity, with the police seemingly unable or unwilling to take action.  All they had to do was get a group together, and let them get groups together, cause a ruckus and grab whatever they wanted.

And so they did.  All over London.  And Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol, Nottingham, Wolverhampton and Manchester, as well as small pockets elsewhere.

Whilst I can't comment on other areas, I can say what I've seen in Croydon.  The shops that were affected were almost all ones that stocked electric goods, jewellery, clothes and/or alcohol.  These gangs knew what they wanted.

But CAN they be generalised so easily?  I don't believe so.  These rioters/looters/scumbags clearly have come from all walks of life.  Some were just caught up in the thrill, some were professional criminals and everything in between.

When you can't accurately generalise, it becomes difficult to give reasons and find solutions.  It's not all people on benefits, nor is it just 'disaffected youth' or black kids, etc.  If you want to generalise them, use one word. Scum.

They didn't care about their communities.  They didn't care about making a statement.  They didn't care about the opinions of the government.  They saw an opportunity for getting free stuff and they took it.  They knew they outnumbered the police and they'd be helpless.

The only thing that would have stopped it is the 'robust' policing that was talked about (sadly, after the event) in Tottenham.  That would have shown the looters that they would be dealt with harshly.  Instead they saw the police holding back, while the looting just went ahead.  That's why so many looters were confident that they'd just get away with it.

Whilst I generally support the police and think they did a good job under the circumstances, they really only have themselves to blame after the G20 protests, etc.  They were clearly scared of being too heavy-handed and facing criticism from the public and ministers.

Government NEEDS to make a definite ruling about the difference between a protester and a rioter.  One should be policed, one should be stopped.  What that ruling should be, I don't know;  I'm not a politician.  (I know that's the coward's way out but so what...)

There's still plenty of anger in the country, and rightly so.  This was the darkest day for England, that I can remember.  Although deaths and casualties were surprisingly low, it was the sense of sheer evil in the streets, radiating off the news reports, from the pages of the newspapers.  And worse, it was OUR evil.  No blaming terrorists or dissidents.  These were OUR kids, OUR neighbours.  And we were helpless.

I'd like to think that even from this, some good can come out of it.  We've seen lots of community projects starting up, and a spirit that I can only imagine was similar to the 'wartime spirit' talked about by our grandparents.

There's no easy solution.  Part of me thinks that there will never be one.  And the danger of complacency slowly creeps back over us all.

I just hope I'm out of town if it happens again.

Croydons Worst Day

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" - Franklin D Roosevelt

Some time in the Summer of 1995 I was seeing a girl called Charlotte.  Lovely girl, half American, met through work.  She worked at weekends at a club called Bagleys up in King's Cross and she invited me along one Saturday night.  Good club, great atmosphere but, at 3am, her Dad came to pick her up.  She lived in Hemel Hempstead, so I got a kiss goodnight.  And I decided to go home, back to Croydon.

Now, I have NO idea if any of you know the area but it was, in a word, notorious.  (Granted, it's a lot better now.)  There I was, alone, walking the streets of King's Cross in the VERY early hours.  I saw one mugging, one guy getting beaten in a phone box, three prostitutes (I think they had an equivalent number of teeth each too) and more druggies and dealers than I've ever seen or since.  Waiting nearly 40 minutes for the night bus to get me to Trafalgar Square, so I could get the next night bus home only added to the anxiety.

I got in at about 5:30am.  And it was the scariest night of my life.

Until Monday night, 8th August 2011.

Two nights before that, the Tottenham riots took place.  The following night, more riots broke out in Enfield, as well as other little pockets around London.  Then came the Croydon riots.

I left work a bit earlier than usual, as I had heard of tension mounting across London.  I got home about 6:15.  There wasn't anything different about the journey, nor anything out of the ordinary about my street.  Shops and businesses had closed early, but that was more precautionary than anything.  Or so I thought.

About 7ish, my friend Terry sent me a photo of West Croydon.  The 'battle' had begun.

Also see here and here...

My heart sank.  Croydon was better than this.  We are a multi-cultural town/city and should not be at war with ourselves.  I rapidly discovered that this was never about race, or religion, or status, or class.

At 7:30-ish I hear shouts and screams, coming from my window.  I look out and see about half a dozen hooded people milling around Church Street tram stop.  It was about this time that the bus parked by the car park behind my flat had been attacked.  Argos had been broken into and looted, as had the jewellery store and Lidl.  Yes, Lidl.

A few minutes later, while keeping people updated via my Twitter account, the flat began shaking, and a noise like a heard of stampeding animals went past my window.  About 60-odd hooded people/youths were running past, carrying boxes, bottles, etc.  One young man stopped and shouted "Hang on, there's more of us than them.  There's more of us than them!  Come on!"

That was when I knew this was only going to get worse.  I went downstairs to the front room, being careful not to get seen, when an explosion went off, behind the flat.  I went to the kitchen to see smoke pouring out from what I thought was the car park, but turned out to be the 157 bus that had been abandoned.

Lots more whooping and hollering, so I went back upstairs to observe, where it was safer.  I had no idea at the time that they were attacking House of Reeves.  I went back to my laptop to Tweet and update people on Facebook.  Then more shouting.  I looked again, saw some thing burning next to the flats over the road.  I looked down and saw Riot police moving down outside my flat.  I was relieved.  Thinking it was either a bin or a car on fire I just thought this was surely coming to an end now.  I went back to the laptop, and watching Sky News.

Then even louder shouting.  Not only was it House of Reeves on fire it was clearly starting to burn fiercely.  Minutes later, I could see the unmistakeable flickering orange light in the sky.  Whatever was burning out the back could NOT be going that high, and so I looked out the window.  That's when I saw the fire leaping out, over the roofs of the opposite flats.

This was about 9pm-ish.

Seeing a local landmark burning, one that was mere seconds away from my flat, was distressing.  But worse was the fact that, selfishly, I realised that I and my property was in imminent danger.  Thankfully, some of my friends had seen the inferno and rushed to see if things were OK.  We decided to just get the hell out.  Knocking for the girl in the flat next door, (who is Russian and speaks VERY little English) and her 7 month old baby girl, we all rushed out of the block of flats, not even stopping to lock up.  Standing at the Tram stop, watching rioters and looters laughing, running amok, scared me.  I looked down the road to the blaze.  I saw a woman jumping from her upstairs flat, the riot police using their shields to cushion her landing.  That scene has become one of the iconic pictures of the riots.  I took this picture a few seconds after it happened.  (I know it's not clear, I have a cheap shit phone, I'm still not stooping low enough to steal one.)

Decided to seek refuge with friends in South Croydon, we walked off, past the smashed windows and debris of Argos, et al.

The atmosphere can only be described as 'evil'.  I can't compare it to anything else other than imagining you're in the middle of a zombie film, just putting your head down, moving on, hoping not to be noticed, yet feeling eyes on you at all times.   Suddenly a guy next to me checks his Blackberry phone and shouts 'Richer Sounds, South Croydon' and about 20 youths and adults, all wearing hoods or masks just run past us, down the road.

Once safe, I called as many people as I could, to apologise for just leaving Facebook and Twitter without much warning.  But no laptop and very little battery on my phone meant radio silence from me.  So I spent the rest of the night watching Sky News, watching Reeves burn down, watching London Road burning down and just hoping that things would calm down in the morning.

I think I got an hour of sleep, maybe two in total that night.  Told work that I wouldn't be going in, and to their credit they were fine about it, telling me that I was to concentrate on being safe, first and foremost.  But I had to go back to the flat, to get a change of clothes, my laptop, charger, and other bits.  Then I was going to my Brother's down in Godstone and seeing if it died down during the Tuesday.  While I was in my flat (which was under Police guard - and thankfully undamaged and not looted) I took a picture of the remains of the House of Reeves.

Obviously, the trouble seemed to have dissipated but the scars will remain.

In my next blog, I will give my thoughts on what happens, why it happened, if it'll happen again and what we as a community, as a society can do to stop it.

Film Review: Captain America

9/10

And that wraps up 2011 for me.  All the films I had been waiting for this year have been released and now I have to wait until 2012.  My wallet is grateful, if nothing else...

But what about Captain America?  It's the third and final Marvel film of the year and with the first two being both critically and financially successful, it probably had much more 'pressure' to do well.  Well so far, the signs are good.

And I have to say that I agree, largely, with all the positive reviews.

The film is exactly how I wanted a Captain America film to be.  Cap is the moral compass of the Marvel Universe and Chris Evans plays Steve Rogers absolutely perfectly.  Actually, I can't think of a single bad performance from anyone in the film.  Tommy Lee Jones is solid as General Chester Phillips (with the best one-liners too); Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter is tough, yet vulnerable and sexy; Toby Jones and Sebastian Stan are great in their small-ish roles.  The biggest props go to Hugo Weaving who plays the Red Skull and I look forward to seeing him again in the next Cap film.

There are some flaws, of course.  The way Bucky 'dies' is too soon after he's been found and, to me, the Cap/Bucky relationship is not as meaningful as it is in the comic.  (And if the Winter Soldier doesn't appear in Cap 3, I'll eat my own arse.)   The Howling Commandos are nothing more than spare parts; they deserve better.  Also the final fight between Cap and Skull just seems to stop out of nowhere, but the rest of the film more than makes up for it.

The fight sequences are brilliant, the special effects are spectacular, with Chris Evan's face being put on a little guy's body being the biggest highlight and, of course, THAT scene after the credits...

So out of the three Marvel films this year, I have to put Cap just behind Thor, but ahead of X-Men: First Class.

Just roll on May 2012 for THE AVENGERS.

(ps. Ironic that 'The First Avenger' is actually the last Avenger film to be made, before the big one. Heh.)

Film Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

9/10

Well folks, that's it.  The end.  No more Harry Potter, and if this is the last ever film in the series (and I bet it will be) then they've made sure it ended wonderfully.

That's not to say the film was without it's flaws.  It's not perfect but mainly they're due to what they've missed out from the book and to say that the film suffers for that is perhaps a bit churlish but it's my review so I'm allowed to nit-pick.

One glaring omission (for me) is how they failed to mention how Voldemort's name was cursed so that if they said it, it could lead the Death-Eaters straight to them.  And also Percy Weasley's sudden reappearance.  But, to be fair, if I hadn't read the books, these points (amongst others) would probably have gone over my head.

Some people are bemoaning the final duel, saying that the book version is better.  Well, is it 'better' or just 'different'?  The books are one thing.  They are all brilliant and largely sacrosanct.  They are (I believe) all amongst the best selling books in history (of course the Bible is still in the lead - in the Fiction section at least).  But the films are just films.  Yes, they are 'based' on the book, but they are also perfectly good in their own right.  In fact, if the films were just on their own, without the books to compare them with, I'm sure they'd all be ranked a lot higher in many peoples opinions.

As it is, I thought the film was pretty brilliant.  It was funny, moving, thrilling, exciting, and wonderful.  I'd have loved to have seen more of the battle of Hogwarts and some of the acting was a bit... Lacking (Bonnie Wright, you're gorgeous but you're not going to win an Oscar).

But mostly, I think it's the knowledge that this was the last one, until the inevitable remakes in 20 years time, that makes this such as great, great film.

Thank you Harry, Hermione and Ron.

Thank you J K Rowling.

Thank you Warner Brothers.

Dreams Unfulfilled

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." - Harriet Tubman

So what did YOU want to be when you grew up?  Were you, like me, semi-guided by parental and grandparental career paths (bus driver/policeman/etc)?  Or perhaps, with youthful exuberance, angling for a career that could be adequately described as 'impossible' (astronaut/professional footballer)?

I've been thinking a lot lately about where my career is going. And I do really think, at the moment at least, that it isn't.  I'm existing.  I'm doing a good job, I'm sure about that (and if any of my colleagues are reading this and disagree, I'll sabotage your e-mails...)  How different would my life have been if I'd stuck at my A-levels?  It's not like I'm stupid, I've got a certificate from MENSA for heaven's sake!  (For those wondering, my IQ is 136 - apparently puts me in the top 6% of the world...)

(I'm using waaaay too many brackets in this blog, I've noticed...)

Anyway, my point is this: Am I doing what I dreamed I'd be doing?  No.  But then neither are most of us, if we're honest.  Life happens, mistakes happen, bad things happen.  And suddenly you're no longer the bright eyed 15 year old with the world at your feet, you're a mid-thirties desk-bound 9to5-er with no real prospects of going any higher.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not REALLY complaining.  I'm doing a lot better than many others, I earn enough to get by (just!) and above all else, at least I have a job.

Just recently though, I've allowed myself to dream about another life.  One that I never thought about until the last couple of years:

I'd LOVE to sing in a West End musical!!

No, seriously...

I love doing karaoke, when I can find the finances, and I've always loved singing songs from musicals (such as Phantom of the Opera).  But looking at You Tube performances, it has made me think "Yeah, I could do that!"   One role in particular I would love to have a go at is 'Javert' from Les Miserables.  His stand-out solo song is 'Stars' which I have done at karaoke, once or twice.  I would love to do it in a more professional setting, with the clothes, the props, and so on.

One of my best friends is a member of a local Am-Dram group and I'm sure, if I asked, he could at least get me an audition.  The problem is, however, there's a few people within that group who I despise.  And the feeling is mutual.  There's no way I could fit in there and I won't entertain the notion of trying.

I have been told of another semi-local group, from someone that works in my building but it's only semi-local if I had a car.  Which I don't.  So I reckon that's out too.

Something will come up, I'm sure of that, but I can only hope it's sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, let's get this database sorted out...

Is raising awareness EVER a bad thing?

"Awareness is empowering" - Rita Wilson

Confession time.  I'm absolutely SEETHING at this point.   I'll explain why shortly, but in the meantime, I want you to have a quick glance at the following links...

http://youtu.be/kUhm0nkw47Y

http://youtu.be/EwFUaVcleSk

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rett_syndrome

I ask you this very simple question.  Is it wrong to want to make people aware of a disease that most people won't have heard of (in this case Rett Syndrome)?  Is it wrong to love your child so much that you would do anything to find a cure, some respite for her suffering?

Some people would say "yes".

I have a vested interest in this.  The girl featured in the two YouTube videos I posted is the daughter of a very close friend of mine.  She won't mind me saying that she has been through some total crap in her time.  Bad as you can imagine.  But what she's going through now, no-one should have to go through.

I can't possibly explain the things that Melody has had to go through in the 4 years since she was born.  One of her more recent operations was to remove her bowels.  This is JUST to keep her alive, not to cure her.  At the moment, there IS no cure.  This little girl, who I bounced on my knee when she was a few months old, making her smile at me... 

So when Karina puts videos up of Melody's condition, in an effort to raise awareness and raise funds for Rett UK how can anyone criticise her for doing so?  Well, people can.  And have.

Two very spiteful people called Mr & Mrs E (that might be their initial, it might be their highest GCSE mark, only I know) complained to a local newspaper after they ran an article on Melody's videos getting bad press.  That link only has one of their comments on the thread.  Mr E wisely removed his after getting bombarded with complaints; Mrs E has never been wise, so has left hers to be viewed by all.

Allow me to explain.  This couple are nasty.  They are the type of people to bully and harass but somehow try to make it sound like THEY are the victims.  All the while they're happy to sit at home on benefits, pumping out kids (they're going to try for another one within two years, as I heard the 'delightful' Mrs E exclaim last weekend).

Oh yes, I know this couple.  They are the ones behind a campaign against me, accusing me of being a bully, yet they were the ones that helped set up a MySpace page slagging me and my family off, and more recently a Facebook page too, doing much the same.  They are the poison within Croydon and this is a step too far.

If they read this, I want them to understand one thing.  I don't like them.  Mr E is a pious, rat-faced, buck-toothed, vicious little wart who is a walking waste of precious oxygen.  Mrs E is a cock-juggling thundercunt.  And when they see their Facebook friends list dwindling over the next few days, I bet they will sit there and wonder why.

Cretins.

No-one should EVER be intimidated into stopping trying to help another person.  Moreso when it's a loved one and especially when it's a child.

I hope anyone that has read this will forgive my rant but it was therapeutic.  And if I've helped raise awareness of Rett Syndrome to others, then I'm glad.

Film Review: Hangover 2

Hangover 2


6.5/10

I loved the first Hangover.  Loved it.  One of my favourite comedies of recent years.  The intricate plotting of how they got from A to C (drunkenly via B) is marvellous.  And full of zingy one-liners.

So I was hopeful for the sequel.  However, when you watch it, you just realise that all they've done is basically clone the first film.  Sorry, but when you don't even try to top the film before then you're already on to a loser, in my opinion.

Yes there were some genuine laugh out loud moments, and I was grinning throughout a lot of the film but it was very much a case of deja vu.

The biggest compliment I could possibly give the film is that if it wasn't for the fact there was a first Hangover film, then this would have been hilarious.  As it was, it felt like buying a DVD of a comedian, laughing hard, then when you see the comedian live on stage, telling the same jokes, it's somehow not as funny, yet you can't help feeling it SHOULD be.

A shame and a missed opportunity.

The 30-Day Song Challenge Part 3

(Link to Part 2)

Day 21 - A Song That You Listen to When You’re Happy

Pure 80s electropop cheese. Never fails to give me a good mood.

 

Day 22 - A Song That You Listen to When You’re Sad

My favourite Groban song and one that's guaranteed to bring a lump to the throat. Anyone that's lost a loved one will relate to the lyrics and Groban's powerful, yet soothing voice just adds to the emotion. Love it

 

Day 23 - A Song That You Want to Play at Your Wedding

Two birds with one stone. One of my favourite love songs AND it gives me an 80s fix. Always loved this song, always will...

 

Day 24 - A Song That You Want to Play at Your Funeral

The best instrumental I've ever heard bar none and despite the lack of lyrics, one of the most emotional songs too. I will genuinely put in my will that I want this song at my funeral. Because, yes, I will return...

 

Day 25 - A Song That Makes You Laugh

Gotta love Monty Python, and this song is hilarious. And all the diseases are real...

 

Day 26 - A Song That You Can Play on an Instrument

Well, I'm not proud of this. I really don't like Michael Jackson and never will but when I was much younger, I used to be able to play this one on a keyboard. Tomorrow's song will be better, promise!

 

Day 27 - A Song That You Wish You Could Play

My favourite instrument is the saxophone and so of course, I'd love to learn to play it, and is this the most famous Sax solo in pop music? It is to me...

 

Day 28 - A Song That Makes You Feel Guilty

OK, so no song makes me feel guilty, but this song is the closest you'll find.... Hahah.

 

Day 29 - A Song From Your Childhood

One of the first music videos I remember seeing, as I remember being quite traumatised at the women being trapped in those tubes, with the kids looking on...

 

Day 30 - Your Favourite Song at This Time Last Year

Damn I really hate 99% of what passes for 'music' nowadays, but this little tune, well, I still listen to it now. I love it.

Well, that's mine.  What's yours?

The 30-Day Song Challenge Part 2

(Link to Part 1)

Day 11 - A Song From Your Favourite Band

One of the BEST songs of the 80s and arguably their best song ever. Never ever gets old. Further evidence that nobody does 'cover' songs like the Pet Shop Boys.

 

Day 12 - A Song From a Band You Hate

Can't bring myself to listen to more than 5 seconds of this utter bilge. Was sorely spoilt for choice in this category, with all the rancid heavy metal crap that exists, but I chose these guys because in a fair fight, I KNOW I could kick the shit out of all of them.

 

Day 13 - A Song That is a Guilty Pleasure

I fully admit that G4 were/are my all time favourite X-Factor performers and I loved the hybrid pop/opera music they did. This song is my favourite of theirs...

 

Day 14 - A Song That No-one Would Expect You to Love

I don't know WHAT it is about the Sugababes (in their first few incarnations anyway) but they've consistently released good music and that's strange to me as I've never been a girl/boy-band fan. This song is just awesome sauce!

 

Day 15 - A Song That Describes You

Ever felt like like all the good things in life happen to other people and that as hard as you try, you always end up second best? Yes, me too. And that's why I chose this song.

 

Day 16 - A Song That You Used To Love But Now Hate

Now, I have to say there's no song I 'hate', that I used to love, if I hate a song, I always did. But I chose this song purely for the fact it's on EVERY bloody 80's compilation and it's become a bit 'meh' to me now.

 

Day 17 - A Song That You Hear Often on the Radio

Hear often? How about every poxy time I turn on Heart FM? If it's not being played when I switch it on, it'll be in two or three songs time. Gah! Enough now, plzkthx.

 

Day 18 - A Song That You Wish You Heard on the Radio

Oh I've waited for this!! Can you imagine a song like this being released nowadays? To think this was a top ten song in the eighties. And yes, I wish I had heard it on the radio. Would have been great to see how people react.

 

Day 19 - A Song From Your Favourite Album

My favourite album of all time is 'Very' by Pet Shop Boys and this is my fave song from the album. Enjoy!

 

Day 20 - A Song That You Listen To When You’re Angry

Oh yes. The perfect song to scream at the idiots that annoy you (and they know who they are).

 

Next up, Days 21 to 30. 

The 30-Day Song Challenge

Back in March/April I participated in a rather fun little 'game' on Facebook, where 30 days were devoted to 30 songs, each one with a particular meaning to you.

I thought at the time I should probably record my answers for posterity and to see if my mind changes as time goes on.

So I've gone through my Facebook history and pulled out all 30 songs and will list them here for your viewing pleasure.  And mine too.

Day 01 - Your Favourite Song

Well, it had to be.  Loved this song since forever and even now still gives me goosebumps.  Just brilliant.

 

Day 02 - Your Least Favourite Song

Ghastly, turgid, awful. The main reason I never go to a karaoke and hand in a 'blank slip' as I just KNOW this is the song I'll be given. 

 

Day 03 - A Song That Makes You Happy

Can't help but forget how crummy life is when I hear this song...

 

Day 04 - A Song That Makes You Sad

Real tearjerker of a song, about broken relationships, and let's be honest, we've all been there...

 

Day 05 - A Song That Reminds You Of Someone

Well, it's Dad, of course. Had this song at his funeral and the song is so appropriate for him because it's completely INappropriate. Miss you Pops. x

 

Day 06 - A Song That Reminds You of Somewhere

Everytime I hear this song, I'm instantly reminded of the few months in 2000 when I was working in Bristol and Cardiff and this song was ALWAYS on Radio 1 when I was driving around...

 

Day 07 - A Song that Reminds You of a Certain Event

This song always reminds me of being at a school concert watching Chris Green and Chris Bob-Amara doing a dance routine. Great memories...

 

Day 08 - A Song that You Know All The Words To

Decided not to use this for Day 15. Heheh.

 

Day 09 - A Song That You Can Dance To

HAHAHAHAHA. Just because it's a song I *CAN* dance to, doesn't mean I will... Oh and if the girl in the blue top and trousers with long dark hair is watching, call me. :-)

 

Day 10 - A Song That Makes You Fall Asleep

Beautiful, haunting, perfect for chilling out. Was torn between this and Vangelis, but I chose this because, well, to be fair, it won the coin toss. :)

 

Next up, Days 11 to 20.