2011: A Quick Sum Up (Includes a Race)

As so we reach the end of another year. As always it's been a roller coaster of ups and downs and sideways and diagonals so I'll try and just do a few line's sum up for you.

Started off on the first day of the year getting back together together with my girlfriend on New Years day only to be broken up from her again September. But, what you'e got to remember is, to take life as it comes. If things are meant to be then they will be later on down the road even if it's not as soon as you'll like.

After January, I worked and played and can't remember much of it so, as is the rule, we must say it must have been good. In October I went to go see Alice Cooper and had so much fun my voice went on holiday for a day or two. When it recovered I went and met some new people who I'm now really close too and can't imagine being without and in December I met my current girlfriend and when up to Nottingham to go and see her. This is where my memory returns to me.

The most fun part of the day, other than meeting her of course (so I don't get punched), was coming home. You see, my friend had been to see a football game that was being played in town that day and he was going home by coach and I was going home by train. Race? Oh yes.

So was getting the 18:28 from Nottingham to St Pancras and my jouney should take around 3 hours to get to our end destination. Now you may be thinking the coach doesn't stand a chance. Now you would be right, but the coach left a whole hour before me. Infact at the time I as leaving the coach was already going past Birmingham. So I settled down the journey home and got a little update just before Luton that said the coach was 26 miles from London and they had had their rest stop. So it's starting to get close. Later I get an update saying the coach was going past Finsbury Park, that's two train stops from St Pancras.

At this point we were pretty much neck and neck. We I got off the train I ran through the station the mile long or so journey to the underground platform to get me across the city. Of course, you have no signal on the Underground so I had no idea where the cause was. When I got off at Vauxhall I found that I'd overtaken the coach as they were passing Victoria, just the over side of the river. It was here I found there was no train direct back to my destination so got on the next train to Clapham Junction. Then I had to negotiate my way around the timetables to find my train. I then got another update to say the coach was going past The Oval. I could practically see them. This is where the tension could heated. Every second became aminute and every minute became an hour. The train eventually arrived and when I got off at my destination I got an update saying they hit traffic. I'd won! Well makes a return journey more intresting you know.

So, Christmas, that time of year again where I go to church, have a few awkward conversations there and then go to my Grandparent's for Christmas dinner. The way it should be. Pigs in blankets, stuffing, turkey, piles of veg and exceptionally predictable bad Christmas cracker jokes. It's that one time of year where I get to be a real innocent in the moment kid and that will never change.

Boxing day we went to Reading to go to another family get together and it went quite well although I am completly done socialising for another 6 months or so. However the food made up for it. Just the best, most suculent pigs in blankets, turkey, sausage and smoked salmon. That on top of of all the nibbles and rice based dishes. I really didn't leave hungry although I used to be able to eat more until I took an arrow to the knee.

That's right. I have Skyrim now. Only about an hour into it or so but an hour is all you need. Not sure I'm completly addicted yet as I'm not dreaming about it but maybe as I become stronger it will become more addictive. Although one thing is clear is that it is a huge game with so many possibilities I've barely scratched the surface.

Well that's about it from me I think, I don't me I'm abou to die just finish the post. I'll be back in the new year with more grumbling and complaining and random thoughts for your delectation and annoyance. It's my birthday tomorrow and I have a meal tonight and tomorrow so I'm going to be full.

Have a Happy New Year everyone!!

Something "Amazing" I Found Out

Professor Brian Cox, or as every member of the female species refers to him "awwwwhhhhh", really has a great mind and can explain complex ideas simply using everyday household objects so mere mortals can understand the workings of the universe. Whilst being really good like this he is also rather repeatedly annoying because he describe almost everything as "amazing". That has to be said in his voice for it to really work. For example a normal phrase would go something like this: "The universe is big, immensely big, so big it's difficult to get your head around. And within that, are millions upon millions of galaxies with planets and stars whirling around in space and time. And it's amazing..."

Now I have to agree with him there, it is indeed amazing to be living in a universe of such complexity and we can understand with the power of maths and science how it all interacts. It's the not the use of the word, it's just that he uses it for literally everything. BBC Radio 4' "The Now Show" did a brilliant sketch to illustrate exactly the point I'm making here. Just go to You-Tub-E (say it like that, it's more fun) and search terms such as 'Brian Cox now show' or 'Brian Cox amazing' and you'll find it. It's worth the three minutes of you life trust me. Anyway enough of my rantings about one word said by one person.

VLC Media player. For those of you who don't know what it is, it's a piece of software that can play video or music files among others in that same way that iTunes or Windows Media Player does. Although one major difference is that VLC will actually play anything and everything. AVIs, MP3s, MKVs, children, DVDs, bananas, you name it and it can play it. At least that's what I thought up until last week. You see, after buying my 3D monitor and watching The Lion King 3D in full 1080p high definition I decided to make the move to Blu-ray and so I bought myself a Blu-ray drive along with the Jurassic Park Trilogy, Saw 3D and Drive Angry 3D. The 3D in both those fills I'm happy to report back is excellent and not gimmicky and really adds to the experience. So I plug in the drive and slip in Jurassic Park and open Windows Media Player only to find that it can't play. I didn't really expect it too so I open up trusty VLC and I was stunned to find that it couldn't play it either. I'd actually found something that VLC, with the worlds largest collection of codecs brought together in a simple program from out of chaos, coudln't play Blu-ray discs. It's amazing.