Trials And Tribulations Of TGSM

2011-10-23T13:38:00.001-07:00

Chernobyl Blog

2011-08-20T15:38:00.001-07:00

Its been a very long time since I've blogged. Just lost track.

Right straight to it....
Nothing really happened till i was boarding the plane, during check-in i scanned for fellow Brits or British passports, didn't see any till walking down the gate, so started a conversation.....

His name is Ian, hes a senior examiner, lives in Kiev and has done for ten years. He answered a few questions i had and it turned out he was sitting in the seat opposite me. We had quite a good chat and he offered to sort me out a lift to my hotel, cheap.

The flight went well and i had my first taste of airline food (Ive always flown budget airlines before, so never experienced it) and to be honest I've had worse from take aways. We were late arriving, so customs was slow as a plane of Turks had arrived before us. took around an hour to finally get outside....

This was the first pic i took over there. Welcome to Kiev

Ian's driver drove this beat up estate car, complete with wonky wheel and an oil leak seeping into the air con haha. Anyway, it saved me 220 hryvnia, so Thank you Ian, if you ever see this, i appreciate the help and advice you gave me!

It was around 8.30pm when i got to my hotel (Hotel Rus). I went straight up to my room and unpacked. The hotel was very smart, my room was basic but functional (the soviet way).

I had a wash, got changed and went out for a stroll. Even though it was overcast, it was still 28 degrees out. I went to a nearby bar and had a few drinks. Kiev isn't really tourist friendly, i felt abit out of my depths (Ive travelled a fair bit, but this was the first time solo, in a place with a Cyrillic alphabet).

I ended up ordering room service and getting an early night, ready for my trip to Chernobyl.

-------

I decided to set my phone alarm and set up an automatic room call, which turned out to be a horrific noise! So i was woken suddenly wondering what the hell was going on.
Got changed and headed towards Hotel Kozatsky, on Independence Square, ready for the 9am pick up. It was pissing it down.

I joined the group, paid and was checked off the list. Onto the bus and a 2 hour drive to the exclusion zone. They played a DVD about the accident, which was very interesting. There were around 12 people in the group, 3 English, 6 Scandinavians and a few Russians.

When we got the to first check point, we had our passports checked. The armed guards made it feel more real. Into the 30km Zone we went....

We went to this small town, for our briefing and a short history lesson of the area.
Here's our guide talking about the radiation spread:

On the way out we saw this memorial to the brave firemen who were first on the sceen, not realizing what the dangers were at the time:

Then onto Chernobyl and Pripyat...

This is the sign for the town of Chernobyl, which is a few miles south of the Reactor. Around 4000 people live in the zone, mainly scientists and military personnel. There are some natives, who didnt move when the reactor blew, many are still as healthy as those out of the zone.

We stopped off shortly at a shop in the town. Apart from the occaisional car, there was no-one but us there.

First radiation signs:

Ground reading of 7.83 roentgens an hour, about a half mile away from reactor number 4. The typical exposure a human gets a year is about 23 microroentgens per hour.

In the red forest, near-by, it reached 500 roentgens an hour! We decided to stay on the bus there.

Mugshot of myself outside of Pripyat:

First glimpse of the town trapped in 1986:

People wearnt evacuated straight away, infact it was a long time till the government said there was a danger, so when they did get the people out, they had to leave most of their belongings behind. They were allowed back to get some things, as long as it wasnt contaminated.

We first visited the secondary school, it was eerie walking around this place, the silence and atmosphere was just unreal. We had to watch out for broken glass, hanging wires and trip hazards. There was very little radiation inside as it had all its windows closed during the exposure. There was still the days work on the chalkboard, kids schoolwork around the desks and various projects 25 years on.

Gas masks, thousands of them, as it was still the cold war era.

Walking around on my own, i kept coming across other people in the group, not a word said, just aknowledgement.

Someones film has survived....i wonder if the people in the pictures survived?

25 year old pickled peppers:

Then onto the gymnasium:

This pool was still in use by the staff of the zone up until 2000.

Now the ''amusement'' park....

It was built for the May celebrations, but never used, as the accident happened in April.

The reading around here was 7.16 roentgens an hour.

A quick visit to the theatre and the town parade, then onto lunch at the military canteen, 1/2 a mile from the reactor.
Getting scanned on the way in:

Borscht soup, chicken in some kind of batter, rice, veg and a salad. Pancakes for dessert.

I was joined on my table by a fellow brit and a guy from Japan (didnt get either of their names), both travelling solo.

Finished lunch and headed to the Number 4 Reactor, the epi-center of the disaster.

Quick stop at the rail bridge to see the giant catfish:

Another mug-shot:

It was so unreal to be there.

That was the end of the tour, i slept most of the way back.

Back in Kiev, had a wander round.

The Olympic stadium:

Then went back to my hotel, for some more room service, a bath and sleep.

View from my hotel:

Up early the next day, pack, wash and get a taxi to the airport. On my way out of the hotel i find out my bank had blocked my card, so no gifts or vodka :( I had just enough for the taxi and a pint at the airport.

What i left:

What i came home to:

The end.

It was an interesting trip to say the least, i learnt alot out there.

Right now...

2011-05-02T13:08:00.000-07:00

S'all Good :)

Got me girl,
Got me bike,
Got me money.

Sorted.

How could i forget!!!

2011-03-10T14:01:00.000-08:00

Bottom Center :)

Take the two....

2011-03-10T08:12:00.001-08:00

Lets try again.

There we go, my cert in that. I finish my NVQ tomorrow, so ill be able to put that up with it :)

Got some more vinyl today, including two of my favorite albums.

Dirty Acres, double LP, gatefold.

When life gives you lemons, paint that shit gold. Double LP, sadly not gate fold.

Also a few singles:

That is all :) Think ive taken up enough bandwith on here :)

2011-03-05T11:15:00.000-08:00

YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Its a saturday night and im actually at home, but rather than go out and socialize (hahaha) im here blogging. Pft like ive got people to meet round here.

This is a pic led blog tonight. First of my trip to Padstow:

Had a great time there, its a real nice village. Pubs are varied, The Shipwrights was my favorite, nice game of pool with the locals, some eccentrics there. Id avoid the Golden Lion, that was rough.

I ate SOOO much over them two(ish) days, 4 courses plus a bottle of wine a day (Y) then on monday night i went out for a steak and 4 pints. Not having to pay for anything was a plus haha. Made the most of it.

I tried crab, lobster, oyster, squid, razor clams, shrimps, prawns and some fish. Its still not my thing but atleast i tried. Sadly Rick didnt turn up. We were the only chefs on the course and it showed, as we were the first to finish all the time.

Next up, a few things ive bought :)

*Fuck sake i cant upload anything at the moment, ill carry this on another day

Pissing with a semi

2011-02-13T13:15:00.000-08:00

This is quite an early blog for me.

Video #1

Seeing Primus in July now :D £32 for a ticket though :/ But still its extremely rare they come over here. Just need Atmosphere + QOTSA to gig this year and ill be sorted haha.

Put down a deposit for one of these yesturday :) Should be on the road by the end of march, i cant wait. £2500 boom! Need to get my ''leathers'' (im actually getting textiles) soon. CBT is in March.

I saw this link on FB, i had forgotten about them and how good they actually were. Takes me back to my youth. I cant believe its 13 years ago when this was released. Getting old.

That is all.

Immortal Technique:

2011-02-10T10:35:00.000-08:00

''Look, let me make something abundantly clear for people that are so bereft of activities they feel like they gotta comment on mine. First of all being a vegetarian should never be associated with being a revolutionary or being open-minded, that's a dietary choice.

If someone wants to proliferate the type of ignorance we're supposed tobe fighting by thinking that, you're just fucking yourself. I don't go around promoting beef and poultry shoving it in people's faces. I don't castigate people for not eating steak sandwiches; and i would never diss someone for being a fucking broccoli-head, or living off of radishes, or eating grass or tofu.

I like a lot of vegan cuisine. But the illogicality of expecting everyone to adopt their particular idea of what being healthy is is just preposterous.
I've seen some of you herbivores and if you want to argue health, y'all need to eat some kind of supplement, because some of y'all are so skinny that it's disgusting; looking like the only hip-hop motherfuckers on schindler's list.

Being a malnutrition-ass got nothing to do with being revolutionary or being on-point. I'll be damned if i let somebody else push their agenda on me.
You know i don't eat pork, not because i'm a muslim, i just don't really like it, but i really willfuck a bird up. And fish is good when that shit is fresh.

It's like my nigga Vast Aire from Can Ox said; ''if you don't like the smell of burning meat, well then get the fuck off the planet''.
You know i don't criticize people for eating moss, then don't open your fucking mouth
about my food, man.

I like beef and broccoli motherfucker. Mind your god-damn business.''

QFT

March 24 is the 83rd day of the year

2011-02-08T17:54:00.000-08:00

PackFM's new album is epic

Hes supporting C-linguists on their tour. :)
Speaking of gigs, Primus are back on tour, so im going to see about going.

Ive added some blogs to the left side of the screen, please check em out, some creative stuff going on there.

Getting sized for my motorbike gear on thurs, looking forward to that. Want to get it all sorted by the end of march. Freeeeeedom.

These are getting shorter and shitter. I need to start drinking more, back then i could ramble on for ages.

2011-02-02T17:27:00.001-08:00

I had stuff to write here but i really cant recall what it was.

Watch this space/

Off to see Cunninlynguists ^^

2011-01-23T16:34:00.000-08:00

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D March 28th, 4 days after my birthday, gonna be epic.

Sadly my trip to Botswana isnt going to happen but i hope everything turns out okay for Kel and Laura :( Its unfair that it happened to her.

So now i have 10 days off and no-where to go, so i might go to Malta with dad again for a week then have a weekend in Amsterdam with jim (if he actually goes).

Ill finish this off another day.....

Witty title

2011-01-14T15:02:00.000-08:00

Had my diet reviewed at the gym yesturday, im now on 5 meals a day!! I have to eat a decent amount of food every 2 hours! And i dont think i can haha I think ill just increase what i eat for the 4 times a day.

Im now down to 4 pints a week :) Its been pretty easy, just needed the right frame of mind, also been clean since early Novemeber aswell, just dont see the point of it anymore, same old shit each time.

Still not sure where to go on holiday at the moment :/

My bass is at Daves getting a new preamp put in :( I WANNA PLAY IT!!! I got the chrome cover engraved on thurs too, dedicated to a special friend :)

Not much else really.....nearly done my NVQ.

''Im the talcum malcolm''

2011-01-11T16:37:00.000-08:00

Smart line. So is ''Im Todd Palin, i get dumb......pussy''. Haaaa insulting Sarah sneakily.

Well first post of the year...yeah! wooo!

Havnt got much to say to be honest. Im in a good place.

Something different

erry re-worked celebration of the Winter Solstice! May everyone's days be longer until the 22nd of June

2010-12-25T11:06:00.000-08:00

What an average day ^^

So anyway, had a great dinner, beef ect, today is all about self indulgence, hence ive eaten so much and allowed myself a few beers too.
Speaking of food, im being sent to the Rick Stein Seafood School in Cornwall for 2 days at the end of Feb :D Matt's paying for it and giving me some spending money, Martins coming aswell, the course costs £370ish.
To be honest i dont like seafood, but itll be a useful course, unless they make me eat stuff, then itll be a pukeful course mwhahah.

Cunninlynguists are dropping a new album next year, 2 days before my birthday. Theyre also touring in europe, so im excited aboot that. Hopefully QOTSA will annouce some date too, then ill be set.

I need a new book.

Wearing glasses is wierd, suppose im lucky cause i dont have to wear them 24/7, but when i first put them on it was like 'WHOA I CAN SEE'.

Chantals pic arrived the other day ^^ I need to take a pic of it in its new home soon.

And now for a guilty pleasure of mine:

I dont want to offend ya.....

2010-12-18T11:41:00.000-08:00

But i sure wanna put my thing in ya.

The vinyl of this album is the only thing on my Christmas list.

Had a half day today due to the snow. I hope i can still travel next week, i got shit to do, such as opticians, gym and the end of the christmas shopping. Just need to buy for Bro and Pa. Speaking of Pa, it looks like we're off to Malta again in March for a few weeks ^^, means no Amsterdam with Jim though, or i could do a week at both, not sure yet.

In the new year i still want to go to:
Prague with Nick
Pripyat to see the fallout zone from Chernobyl
Botswana to go visit Kellei and Laura =] (unless theyve moved to Oz by then =[)
Florida with Fatboy

Decisions, decisions.

Right im off to do something productive. Fuck y'all.

I Just.....

2010-12-07T18:42:00.000-08:00

Posted all my draft blogs id forgotten about. hahah on that mushroom one i was trippping balllllllls. Sadly there wasnt any this year :( The frost came too soon.

Make you feel that way.

2010-12-07T18:02:00.000-08:00

Im back! Well to be honest i never went, i just lost interest in this thing. A fair bit to catch up on from my last blog... well one before last.

Works going well, my butchery skills are improving and such, my NVQ will be done by March, to be honest im not getting much from it, but it'll be nice to have a qualification in something.

Finally got the bass of my dreams :D A 75RI Jazz bass!!! It involved a trip to Chelmsford by train (which was actually enjoyable) and parting with £750ish, but after 10 or so years of trying to get one, i finally have :)

I havnt had any dental work done in a while, they still havnt rang me back, but atleast my teeth are clean :) And ive stopped driving lessons till i can be assed to start again.

What else....

Oh Malta was so good! Stayed in St Pauls Bay, in Buggiba. Scuba diving was the highlight, being in the clear warm water, watching the fish swim by, beautiful.
Got a few job offers out there too which was nice, maybe one day ill look into it. Spending time with dad was better than i thought. Flights were good. Hotel was great, free breakfast and dinner, gym!!, tour guides, 6 person room on the top floor for us 2 haha jacuzi on the balcony (Y)

Valletta is an amazing city and Gozo was beautiful too. We went all over the island on various modes of transport. It was still t-shirt and shorts weather even though it was Nov :)

Loads pics: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=569114&id=820085104&l=3e95422c23

Hmm....

Gym is going great, ive put on alot of weight, but just wish i could get there more often. Tomorrow theyre upping my training :) Eating a meal every 3 hours is the hardest part, now ive been doing it for a while, if i miss a deadline i get REALLY hungry hahaha.

note to self: *need to book an eye test soon*

Well its now half 2, i suppose i best go. Its been nice updating myself on my own life. Although looking back over my older posts, im remembering stuff id forgotten. Which is a double edge sword, because theres things id rather forget, but i cant alter the past, shame i cant have that one superpower haha.

Wont be a real post without a video i guess:

i just.......

2010-08-30T17:27:00.001-07:00

bloggeded

I wonder what the future will bring..

2010-06-06T14:25:00.001-07:00

I cant believe its 2010 already, ive lived in 4 decades.....

I suppose not knowing is part of the fun of life.

If there's one thing you can say about mankind, there's nothing kind about man. - T. Waits

2010-05-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

Yo.

And to quote Eric B + Rakim:
It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you, without a strong rhyme to step to....

Ive just been too busy for you. Theres basically just 2 of us working full time at the moment and since my promotion ive just been grabbing the hours. Ive been good recently, havnt bought any bass gear or wasted much money, im saving for a surgical procedure to sort my mouth out =] Maybe then i wont be so depressed/lonely, cause even though people say 'looks arnt everything', theyre totally bullshitting you. If i had a decent smile, side swept fringe and peircings, i wouldnt be single for long.

What else is new..... got my driving lesson tomorrow, last one for a while, due to me not being bothered with getting it done (not much reason to now) and needing the money for above.

Im improving my mind and body, albeit im back on the beer heavily. Im studying/reading daily and work out every other day, which ontop of being on my feet for 10 hours 4 days a week im getting toned both physically and mentally.

I just need to break this web addiction.

Ive been reading a book on Tom Waits and its been okay so far, its explained alot of his songs and his life. An interesting man.

Got some more stuff to write one day.

To Do:

2010-04-24T03:29:00.000-07:00

Remember this place :)

Damsteram

2010-03-30T16:26:00.000-07:00

Well that was certainly a great break :) No phone, no net, no clock... wunderbar!

Hendrix reminds me of alot of good times

2010-03-01T16:17:00.000-08:00

We'd just hang out.....

Miss you Sammie.

/emotion.

\Normal me:
Driving lessons are going well. Ive been offered an NQV in cooking from the government. So yeah looking good.

Amsterdams booked. Going with Nick and Jim. Its going to be good, im going to see alot of of the city this time and hope to see some galleries/museams too. As much as Jim wants to, i am not going to spend all the time high, fuck that, ive grown out of that stage....

Since i gave up weed for someone, i havnt really missed it, infact ive enjoyed life without it, my mind is clearer, im not so anxious and antisocial. Its a shame Jim is wasting his life on it.

My other vices are still under control, no more than 3 coffees a day and i went about 5 days without a beer and have rejected a few offers for one.

Thats about it for now.

Cold :/

2010-02-11T15:11:00.000-08:00

Not sure why i like this song. It just has a positive vibe to it.

Ever since giving stuff up ive felt good most of the time, but every now and then i feel, numb? tired? Im not sure how to describe it, its almost a dull numbness in my head, like when youre coming down from a high. Unless this is how you're meant to feel? I dont know and it doesnt bother me really.

Ive been improving on guitar, and bar some solos, most of the stuff i know on bass is the same as the guitar lines, but in power chord form. Just need to be abit quicker.

Theres 2 gigs i want to go to and as usual, no-one to go with :/ R.A is playing in brighton for £7 a ticket!! SEVEN FUCKING QUID! And the Crooked Vultures tickets are sold out :( Josh Homme, JPJ and Grohl, what an epic superband. Also looks like im not going on holiday now, since no-ones avaliable.

On the plus side i booked my driving lesson. Woo!

Apparantly SP are getting back together, but we cant seem to get the ability to get further than word of mouth :/ Were free but travel is hard.

Alot of the QOTSA's music videos have a B-Movie feel to them.

God Loves Ugly

2010-01-27T15:56:00.000-08:00

Well its been,,,, well how ever long since my last blog and im impressed with myself.
I managed to do 2 whole days drink free and im down to 3 coffees a day. Even at work ive rarely stayed after for a drink. The only thing im slacking in is the exercise, but to be fair after a 10 hr shift i think ive done enough, then i deserve 2 days of rest ahaha.

My little timebomb.

Im addicted to Battlefield Bad Company haha its soooo good. Such big maps, so many guns, 90% of the map is destroyable, fun fun fun.

Pick up my bass tomorrow :) She'll be all fixed up and silky smooth to play.

Thatll do for a blog.

Past experiences have caused me to distrust many.

2010-01-21T15:10:00.000-08:00

I havnt got a day without drinking in about a year. The past month or so ive overdone it. So im going to see if i can cut it down. At the moment its about 15+ beers a week.
Lets see how it goes.

Also i have to get back into the fitness regeime, been a while since i could do 200 sit ups and run far, shit i could cycle to ashford in a few hours at one point.

R.I.P. STAFF SGT. JOHN A. THORBURN

2010-01-11T07:17:00.000-08:00

True story shit. This is one of the best verses ive ever heard @ 1.30:

Source http://masturbationstation.wordpress.com/2010/01/10/r-a-the-rugged-man-the-comfort-zone-in-toronto/ :

''People are screaming out songs for R.A. to perform. He refuses a couple, excuses a couple, and then, when the incessant requests for “Uncommon Valor” come about, he tells the DJ to cue it up. He stands in front of the stage as the beat drops.

I blink.

R.A. disappears.

I lose sight of him for a moment.

He reappears, head down, leaning on the DJ set-up.

Crying.

R.A. the fucking Rugged Man. Crying like a motherless child.

He wipes his tears and says:

“This song is a true story about my father, WHO PASSED AWAY YESTERDAY. And this is the first time I’m performing it since he passed away… call me a fag or whatever you want to call me.”

The thing was, TODAY is R.A. the Rugged Man’s BIRTHDAY.''

In the words of RA ''Cause in life: God take, God give''

This is going to be one of my longest blogs,,,,,

2010-01-07T06:49:00.000-08:00

Might aswell get straight to it.

Jon (my mates sisters boyfriend who ive only met twice), messaged me on facebook saying 'Dude lets get some beer and go to Jims', so i thought why not, it beats staying indoors all night. Jon had rang him and Jim said ''yeah thatll be cool, ill ring you back in abit'' (but never did :/)
So i put on a few layers, grab my money and phone and go.

Stopped off at the shop for some Guinnie'

Our train left at 5:45pm, i was expecting it to be abit awkward because we had never really met haha, but nah it was cool, we cracked open a can and headed for Sevenoaks.
We got there and had to wait, so we went to the offie for more supplies, another pack of Guinnie' and 16 cans of Carlsberg and a bottle of 'Vodka' (which turned out to be 22%, half the normal percentage. Went back to the station and cracked open another can. where somehow they lost our connecting train, so another beer and sit around the train arrives. We got on and yeah you can see where this is going....another beer.... 15 mins later we hadnt moved :/ so Jon went to see wa gwan.
Apparantly they ''lost'' the driver, they found him eventually and we were on the way.

Got off the train in Otford, opened another beer and started chatting to these random people.Next stop West Malling....

We stumbled off the train and made our way to jims, which is a 30min walk. Jon fell over 3 times in this distance hahah. Went to the kebab for a burger and picked up some more beer from the offie, Jon stacked it again, with burger in hand, so he scooped it back together (inc snow) and ate it haha.

Got to jims and saw no lights on....... Rang him, no answer, text him, no answer :/
So we hung around his for about 20 mins before we went 'fuck it' and started walking to town. We finally got hold of him and found out he was at his new gf's in maidstone and that hes trying to sort a lift for us (bullllllllshit).

We tried hitchiking hahah, yeah people are really going to pick up 2 drunk guys, one fully hooded and the other a skinhead, but staggering around. We had one woman lock her doors as she came upto the lights hahah.

My memory isnt too good for the rest of the journey, but heres what i recall:

*Stopping at an abandoned house and tring to break into it. Battering ramming the door to no avail.

*Trying to help this van driver get up a hill by pushing the van

*Stopping at a pub for a quick half and a sit down.

*Finding a car with a broken front wheel and the drive shaft hanging off, then stealing a cone and wearing it.

*Finding out the cone belongs to the cops (The 'Police' print on the base gave it away haha, they had gone past us about 5 times on this journey.

We got to town at some time, i really dont know. Finally got to Jims gfs place, where there was about 6 others; The twins Alan and Ant, this emo kid who was getting on my tit, his gf Roxy and Jims gf's daughter. We basically drank and wound up the emo kid (he just didnt have his own opionion on anything, and would agree with you and basically just bulllshited everything), hahah his gf was giving me and jon the eye, which made emo kid follow her everytime she came somewhere with us.

Played some CoD:MW2, pwned Alan and nearly beat Ant.

Finally crashed out about 3-4am on the floor, saw about 20mins of jim then he fucked off to bed. What a cunt.

Woke up about 9 to a load of noise and cold. Sue's (Jims gf) mate was having a baby on the floor above hahaha. The ambulance couldnt get out, up the hill so she had it on her bed (ewww). Then there was about 4 of these mothers in their dressing gowns walking into Sues place (none of them were lookers:() and started having a mothers meeting about shit. I just stayed in the kitchen watching the snow.

A few coffees later and we find out no trains or busses are running :/ but we managed to get a taxi about half way. Stopped off at work for a pint then staggered the 3 miles home.

So yeah, next time Jon says 'Dude lets go see Jim' he can fuck off! hahah. So after all them hours, walking, money, travelling, we saw Jim for about 2 hours.

Still, it was an experience, and Jon is a sound guy.

I just wanna sleep now. Ill add stuff as i remember it.

RA:

Last Blog Of The Decade.....

2009-12-31T03:47:00.001-08:00

As ill be working when the next one starts :/

Yes that is Paloma Faith.

Last Blog Of The Year?

2009-12-30T17:48:00.000-08:00

Oh well, time is linear to me, its just another day, hour, minute, second...

Yes thats Paloma Faith in the video, DlS+Sp helped get her heard.

2009-12-28T15:52:00.001-08:00

Need to expand my mind soon.

Beth Ditto Makes Me Feel Sick.

2009-12-22T15:44:00.000-08:00

It took me ages to find a video i wanted to post, and after all that ive posted it before so heres a different one:

Havnt thought what im going to write as usual, so it might be abit random.

To be honest i think of stuff to write, but then i think 'why the fuck am i writing all this?'. Whats the purpose.

Another new bass and a few other things on the way to me. these extra hours are nice.

Been gradually using twitter more, but with only 5 followers (only 3 i know) its not being used as much as it would do.

Sunday i stayed over Lisa's, it was nice to get away from home for once. She makes a great (drunken) chilli, 3 plates worth shows it and a bacon sarnie and a cuppa in the morning (Y).
Looking for gigs to go to on my birthday week off, so far theres:

Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip: KOKO LDN, 23/3/10
Tiger Lillies: Hastings, 27/03/10

hahah wow.

London was alright last week too, just being in a different enviroment. I shall travel around more in the new year, even though i have no-one to travel with haha, i shall create these memories solo.

Had today off to compensate having to work Christmas eve. I shouldve done more today but i couldnt really go anywhere due to the fucking snow. I could go on about the snow and cold but i wont. Sometimes i hate my non-negativity (oxymoron haha). But trying to see a positive or just plainly not looking for the negative has helped me in life. Removing negativity helps too.

What a fucking hippy haha. ''Mind expansion'' isnt all bad! You see things in different lights and learn to ''see'' more. Im sober right now.

Hmm i think that might do for now. Ive written more than i thought i would.

2009-11-26T15:51:00.000-08:00

Down :(

A A A AGA A A AGA

2009-11-25T17:03:00.000-08:00

Long time no post.

Just had a good day, was nice to get out of marden for once.

Dont really have much to say.

This week i have made:

2009-10-31T15:28:00.001-07:00

Pear and Ginger cheesecake + 12 poached Cinnamon and vanilla Pears.
2 2ft by 1 foot Choco brownies
24 Cappuchino Brulees
12 Gypsy Tarts
20 Lemon Possets
10 Lime Pannacottas
2 Litres of chocolate sauce

6 Lb Cajun/Indian Chicken
2Kg of Rarebit
1 Lb Onion salad
Tons of salad prep haha
13 Fishcakes
5 Lb New potatoes

5 Litre Curry Sauce
5 Ib Red Cabbage
4 Ib Savoy Cabbage

Probably more but its all blurreeeeeddddd.....

Id say about 250 odd meals cooked, 3 courses

After tomorrow ill have done 50+ hours in a week :)

....

2009-10-28T16:13:00.000-07:00

Well that was a fail. 30 mins of walking and only 1 shroom!!! And it wasnt even a right one.... :/

better luck tomorrow.

Im Going Picking Tomorrow :D

2009-10-27T18:29:00.001-07:00

Ive been waiting all year for this! And to celebrate, heres a trippy vid/////

I met a boy wearing Vans, 501s, and a
Dope Beastie t, nipple rings, and
New tattoos that claimed that he
Was OGT,
Back in '92,
From the first EP

And in between
Sips of Coke
He told me that
He thought
We were sellin' out,
Layin' down,
Suckin' up
To the man

Well now I've got some
Advice for you, little buddy
Before you point the finger
You should know that
I'm the man,

And if I'm the man,
Then you're the man, and
He's the man as well so you can
Point that fuckin' finger up your ass

All you know about me is what I've sold you,
Dumb fuck
I sold out long before you ever heard my name

I sold my soul to make a record,
Dip shit,
And you bought one

So I've got some
Advice for you, little buddy
Before you point your finger
You should know that
I'm the man,

If I'm the fuckin' man
Then you're the fuckin' man as well
So you can
Point that fuckin' finger up your ass

All you know about me is what I've sold you,
Dumb fuck
I sold out long before you ever heard my name

I sold my soul to make a record,
Dip shit,
And you bought one

All you read and
Wear or see and
Hear on TV
Is a product
Begging for your
Fatass dirty
Dollar

So...Shut up and

Buy my new record
Send more money
Fuck you, buddy

*****
My custom bass is coming along nicely and im getting a new cabinet soon too, all to go in my new music room :) Which i need to soundproof :/

*****

4 whole days off in Nov :) TRIP TRIP TRIP DECORATE TRIP EAT SLEEP TRIP DECORATE MOVE BASS SLEEP EAT DRINK DRINK TRIP repeat.

FUCKING GREAT GIG

2009-10-06T16:52:00.001-07:00

that is all.

2009-09-24T16:51:00.000-07:00

ive had enough of people fucking me around. usual bullshit.

2009-09-22T15:43:00.001-07:00

I drink to escape reality, then again what has reality given me??

Havnt been here for a while

2009-09-19T15:54:00.000-07:00

Latest find ^^ Scroobius knows how to flow. Dan has some original beats.

Cant be assed to write much tbh, cant be assed to do much either.

People are more burden than blessing. I want to know what life holds for me in the future.

I want to open my mind.

2009-08-28T06:49:00.001-07:00

ughhhh i think im coming down with something. I havnt been ill in years.

Bloody typical before my week off.

2009-08-22T05:47:00.000-07:00

how do i delete posts???

Yesturday i thought of a really good title but now i have forgotten it. Ill probably remember it later tonight, but then itll be pointless.

2009-08-20T16:02:00.000-07:00

00:03 I have just ingested 3 spooons of mushroom honey, now we wait.....

Analyze and Interpret

2009-08-17T17:16:00.000-07:00

Today on the bus home i needed to piss so bad it hurt. Serves me right for my liquid lunch haha. Now thats out the way.

Im feeling quite euphoric and without any help from any drugs. Warm.

Chris Wolstenholme is an amazing bassist. Im trying to learn this track, so far im 2 bars into it. Its both a finger and mind workout.

I have nearly a grand in the bank, i just need to get my provisional filled in and sent off. Well ive filled it out, i just need to force myself to get my photo done :( I hate photos of myself.

Now this track,,,,,, bar the intro i cant play it :( And Chris even sings while playing this fast. cock.

But ill be damned if i dont wanna kiss you.....hard.

2009-08-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

Recently ive been reading alot of political based literature, (Live from death row) and about society (1984, Animal Farm and now We). Well i finally got round to watching Zeitgeist. Wow. What an eye opening documentary.

Theres 3 parts. The first is about religion, and how Christianity is based on the Egyptian deitie 'Horus', theres alot to it, but it basically shows how Christianity is a story, that there was no real Christ. They have examples of about 6 other 'Sons of God' who were born on Dec 25th, had 12 Deciples (or Brothers), died and was ressurected...ect ect.

Part 2 is how the government were the ones behind 9/11 and 7/7, so they could use these events to create a 'white flag policy', to basically take away many human rights and incite fear.

Some facts:

* The towers were designed to survive an impact from a plane.
* Aircraft fuel (Kerosene), doesnt burn at high enough temps to melt steel.
* The way the towers fell show obvious signs of a controlled demolition. Explosions going off underneath the collapse.
* People who survived the initial impact report explosions at the base, even before the first plane hits. And numerous reports from NYC firemen about hearing explosions during the rescue.
* A passport of the Iraqi 'suicide pilot' being found on ground zero, in perfect condition. So this somehow survived the impact? The fire? The collapse? Not only that, the guy who owns the passport is still alive, in Iraq. He was surprised to find this out.
* Pools of molten steel being at ground zero for days after the collapse, there was no materials involved (in the building and aircraft) which couldve caused this.
-Which leads to the traces of Thermite found at ground zero.
-The base supports were cut through perfectly, which only a substance like thermite could do
* Tower 7 also fell during this time, its a 30odd storey building, and it collapsed inwards (ala controlled explosion), even though nothing actually hit it???!!!
Hence not many people heard about tower 7.

The pentagon attack:

* All videos from the time of impact have been consficated by the CIA.
* There was no seats, luggage, bodies or plane wreckage at the crash site, there is no way it couldve burned to nothing.
* Hours after the impact, the CIA literally 'Covered up' any evidence, with tons of soil.
* The 'suicide pilot' of the plane couldnt even fly, his flight instructor said he wasnt fit to fly a 2 seater, let alone a commercial plane.
* There was a mass of street lights, electrical poles ect that this ''pilot'' would have had to missed to get the correct angle.

Now onto 7/7, the London bombings, ill keep this short. Examine the pictures of the bus/train and youll see the explosion came from beneath the vehicals, not from inside (Suicide bombers backpack theory).

The 3rd part of Zeitgeist covers economy. And how one private company 'The Federal Reserve' loans money to the US government (with interest), for the government to use. But the government cannot reply what they borrow, so time after time they are in more debt. Its the beginning of the World Banking System.

Anyway, check it out, itll open your mind to how powerful and currupt Governments are.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-594683847743189197

Now some music :)

Love the synth on this. Trying to replicate it on me bass.

I like this video, and not for the lesbianism. Its a very cleverly done video. My interpretation is the girl with dreads represents a drug, and the other girl is down without her.

I have enough pedals.... for now. :)
[IMG]http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p221/synplicity_7/001-8.jpg[/IMG]

And if you don't love me now, you will never love me again

2009-08-11T16:51:00.000-07:00

Im tired and achy, i had things to say but cant recall them.

This song bugged me for ages, Radio 2 use the bass interlude as a soundbite, and it took me ages to find the song :-/ Although in this vid its abit different from the studio version, but i cant find that anywhere on utube.

My mum likes Tom Waits, so i need to post one of his videos in celebration. Usually she doesnt like any of my music. Hes a master.

First it giveth, then it taketh away...

2009-08-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

Im tired and achy. I did have something to write in here, but i forgot what it was.

Another day another dollar.

2009-08-10T15:09:00.000-07:00

Today (around 3.30am) i finished Animal farm. Im not very good at reviews, but ill have a go. It was a good book, very cleverly written. Its short, but thats an advantage with it. The ending is abit odd though, it felt like a lose end.

I am tired. Early night tonight, long day tomorrow. Working with Lisa though :)

I need some new music, hopefully Chris will sort me out with something when he returns my memory stick. Ive discovered how good The Police are, some nice basslines sting plays, simple yet effective.

Ive rediscovered my liking of the dresden dolls.
This is so full of feeling and emotions, Brian puts it all into his drumming, the dynamics, timing and sheer emotion.

Theyre touring soon over here, but i doubt theres anyone who'd come :(

2009-08-09T03:13:00.000-07:00

fucking typical, 2nd to last componant and it goes wrong. ffs i even knew it was going to happen. i hate my life, im in such a bad mood, this is fucking typical for me.

fuck everything.

wiki wiki wow

2009-08-06T13:39:00.000-07:00

Just finished watching Resident Evil Extinction. ahahah i have no real comment for it, its an alright film, obviously abit tongue in cheek.

Bit at the end with the 2 Millas....wouldnt mind abit of that ;) Shame they didnt have Sienna in this one :(

Ive had a good day, spent most of it with Lisa and her boys Shane and Alex. I sorted out her pc (there wasnt anything wrong with it in the end), and then we went down the pub for lunch and a few drinks.... 6 hours later and im home.

Im very warm and abit tired now.

Todays song:

I love the second pre chorus where it all breaks into the heavier bit. A nice build up. Alex's Warwick sounds so warm and fat on this track.

IVE A HEADACHE

2009-08-05T15:45:00.000-07:00

Currently watching Resident Evil Apocalypse. Its a bad bad bad film really. But daammmnn Milla Jovovich and Sienna Guillory make it worthwhile

Millas natural beauty :)

And Siennas....everythiiiiiing haha

Alas i still have a headache, its from dehydration because of the heat.
I had a nice day out with the group, i really cba to type too much, my head hurts.

No song today.

had to blog this ish

2009-08-04T16:45:00.000-07:00

Shaun

shit wirong button

innit

i was telling a mate about moses the other day
00:40Chantal

noway!
00:40Shaun

yesway

i forgett the convo
00:40Chantal

oh
00:40Shaun

but he was mentioned
00:40Chantal

yaaaay moses
00:41Shaun

seen hm recentely
00:41Chantal

yeah, last week!!

oh!

omg!

fern came out to me today!

i feel alittle bit honored!!
00:41Shaun

:O:O
00:41Chantal

i'm the first friend she's come out to

^__^
00:41Shaun

whered u go?

00:42Chantal

.... as in...

she told me she was gay
00:42Shaun

oh

OH!!!

hahahaha

dammmn

mis read that ish

hhahaha
00:43Chantal

ish!!!

hahahahahah
00:43Shaun

ahahahhaa

damn man

dudett

hahaha

where to?
00:43Chantal

hahahhaajhaha!!!!!!
00:43Shaun

hahah
00:43Chantal

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Freeeeebeer

2009-08-04T14:25:00.000-07:00

They played QOTSA - Go with the flow on Radio 1 :) Made me day.

Im off round Lisa's on thurs to sort out her pc :) Shes forgiven me for missing her birthday. We were chattin about the first day i worked with her and how she taught me most of it. I cant believe its been 2.5 years already.

Todays track isssssss: Kasabian.

Another band who started out alt. but are now mainstream indie shit ala Kings of Leon (started off very blues and jazz orientated, now just play single chord progression shit) and QOTSA (Was more stoner/alt rock and wearnt afraid to be different).

Musical blog haha.

Im done.

I want something good to die for, to make it beautiful to live.

2009-08-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

Im craving Psilocybe semilanceata. Its nearly season and ive been a good boy this year (Y).
Sit and trip to this, good times :)

QOTSA lost it when Nick left.

I may watch the DVD in abit, i wanna watch Silent Hill, but i dont hahaha.

This was one of mine and Emilys songs :-/ Oh how the lyrics relate.

Love the freebird reference haha

Started reading animal farm, so far so good, its not a very long book, im aiming to finish it by midweek.

insert generic title here

2009-07-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

Im bored, therefore i eat. And ive ran outta beer -.-

-Wow it took me 2 hours to carry on from there hahha.

Im feeling abit guilty, i was meant to go to Lisa's birthday drink tonight, but alas no money until tomorrow when my cheque clears, so i let her son Shane know. And i just got a text from her saying 'no-one turned up, story of my life.' :( I think shes been drinking, so ill reply in the morning and apologize then.

Today i re-learnt 'Black Dog' by Zeppelin, so its todays video:

They dont make them like they used to. If i ever perform this live ill dedicate it to Lisa lol. If my maths are correct she was 4/5 when this was released.

I want to gig again. I have now stopped buying bass gear, so all that money is going towards driving. Money = Car = Band.

2009-07-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

I am bored, therefore im eating. Ive ran out of beer too -.-

I'm seeking a friend for the end of the world

2009-07-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

Euphoria Morning......Ive forgotten how beautiful this album is.

dont have anything to actually write today, well nothing i feel like writing.

brap.

Mmmmm new subwoofer and speakers

2009-07-27T06:26:00.000-07:00

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM the bass now goes. Although 17w still sounds tiny in comparision of the 300w my bass amp is.

This is why we created sub-woofers. Dubstep basslines.

Finished reading 'Live from death row' today, what an insite into the prejudiced US law system. Although the book may be outdated to todays standards, it still showed what life is like as an African-American going through the arrest, trial and subsequent life sentence.

Mumia himself had his sentence dropped from death, to life one day before he was set to be executed. Convicted and sentenced to death on the December 9, 1981 for the apparant murder of police officer Daniel Faulkner. Even with witness statements, various forms of evidence proving he was not the killer, he was still given this sentence.

He has served 28 years as an innocent man. Numurous re-trials and applications for re-trial and appeals have failed.

One day justice will be made.

Further reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumia_Abu-Jamal

http://www.freemumia.com/

Took his religion and painted it white...

2009-07-26T04:22:00.000-07:00

This week has gone so fast, thank *insert religeous anomaly here* that its payday today, im fucking broke. No more bass stuff till i reach a grand. I still wonder why i even write this.

I need to find someone who will design an extention for my tatts.

If anyone can sit through this track/vid without shedding just one tear, then theyre dead inside. Even ill admit to it.

The Europeans say us brits ''live to work, instead of working to live''. This is very true, well to an extent, theres still so many lazy fuckers around. So many of my friends that went to uni ''for a better career'' are now in major debt and jobless, the irony.

Ugh, im getting fed up with seeing his name all the fucking time. :-/

2009-07-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

Black

2009-07-05T18:32:00.001-07:00

such a powerful voice, so much emotion.....

Hey...oooh...
Sheets of empty canvas, untouched sheets of clay
Were laid spread out before me as her body once did.
All five horizons revolved around her soul
As the earth to the sun
Now the air I tasted and breathed has taken a turn
Ooh, and all I taught her was everything
Ooh, I know she gave me all that she wore
And now my bitter hands chafe beneath the clouds
Of what was everything?
Oh, the pictures have all been washed in black, tattooed everything...

I take a walk outside
I'm surrounded by some kids at play
I can feel their laughter, so why do I sear
Oh, and twisted thoughts that spin round my head
I'm spinning, oh, I'm spinning
How quick the sun can, drop away
And now my bitter hands cradle broken glass
Of what was everything?
All the pictures have all been washed in black, tattooed everything...
All the love gone bad turned my world to black
Tattooed all I see, all that I am, all I'll be...yeah...

Uh huh...uh huh...ooh...
I know someday you'll have a beautiful life, I know you'll be a sun
In somebody else's sky, but why
Why, why can't it be, why can't it be mine

2009-07-02T14:55:00.000-07:00

Cuntinued from previous blog.,,,

Naw fuck it. Cant be assed.

People annoy me. I see so many hypocrisies too, i hate hypocrites.

Cynical is the best term for how i feel.

Today was a productive day, i was up at 5 (reverse hang over) considering how much i drank in them 12 hours yesturday. It was nice to see my sis, cuz, fatboy, claire and my bro.

Given up on Laura though, if she cant be bothered to contact me for months on end. So much for a close friend. They all leave in the end.

I hope Sami's well though. I would write more but eyes are watching.

I did some gardening today, finally had time to sit down and practice on my double bass.

why am i writing this? I don't care. I am a hypocrite in my own blog, since i find the idea of putting all your thoughts and feelings on the Internet a totally pointless activity. I suppose I'm just that bored.

Back to the system tomorrow. I want to work to live, not live to work. This country is backwards sometimes. Everyones rushing.

Im still going.....

nah cant be assed now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAVev8rVeKE

:-/

2009-06-21T13:58:00.000-07:00

I feel odd. I want to build bridges with previous people ive known and done wrong. But im not sure if i should. And why i feel like it all of a sudden.

Lets see how the week goes.

that took me an epic amount of time to remember my username then password.....

2008-12-07T10:58:00.000-08:00

then during all that i had to reset my gmail account password, during that i forgot my secret password question so had to try and remember that, which obviously i did.

What i have learnt this week:

er

Pink Floyd and Alabama 3 are awesome

A scanner darkly is a messed up film, but visually looks awesome.

Taxi Driver with DeNiro is an Epic film, although its not action packed like alot of todays movies, it captivated me, unlike alot of todays movies.

To Roll. Which im practicing regulary, which during its effects have led me back to this place.
haha ladge

ryan martinie is an epic bassist and highly underrated

Amazon and Cex is worse than crack.

I think my disliking of Christmas and all that it stands for grows each passing year - BAH HUMBUG! The money spent, the time wasted queing and buying/filling out/sending cards.

My blof (V1.3)

2008-02-27T16:57:00.000-08:00

Tripping on sunshine.

Tbh i should really be in bed, need to be up early to get into town and meet Laura for lunch, and get a few things while im there. For the next few weeks i have to stop spending money, :eek: spent way too much on bass gear so far this year. Need a new pc soon though, this ones nearly given up, urgh its so slow, and i still need to sort out my driving stuff. So much to do.

bold
Italic
bold italic

anyway. oops right, need to get started on jims strat 2moro again, a full repsray cause i cocked up the last one, which came out perfect, but then got dented :-/ and the cover up came out bad :(

Right time for bed. Tomorrow will be a day of drinking, bassing and work.

TGSM 01:10 28/2/08

My blof (V1.2)

2008-02-27T12:55:00.000-08:00

Well i went up and picked up my bass, shes a beaut. ^^

Left at 9.30am, was back in marden around 2.45, spending about 15 mins round Pauls house.
Today i bought a TU-2, so just need the 115 cab for my amp and my rig is complete. :)

RBG finally arrived today. Its alot different to 'lets get free', more about the music then the message.

Thats about it for now.

TGSM 21:04 27/2/08

My blof

2008-02-23T16:43:00.000-08:00

Well i havnt used it yet in a convo. :-/
t-minus 33 hours(?) till i pick up my new bass. gona have to take it to work though :-/
:-/
wonder what the 't' stands for...
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=t+minus+zero
well there you go.
HAHAHAAHa google image search 't minus', 3rd image! haha

t-minus 10 mins till bedtime.

TGSM 00:48 24/2/08

Pondering

2008-02-21T15:47:00.001-08:00

The second time today ive used that phase, i want to encorperate 'nipples north' in a conversation tomorrow, we'll see what happens.

At the moment im mentally straining myself to find a way to pick up my new bass fast,,,,,,, 80 odd miles is quite a distance, and i need to pick it up soon. Im gonna lose sleep over it tonight :(

but its a fucking bargain i tell yee.

I hope dave has deflated cause i dont want to cover any more of his shifts, and friday night is going to be busy, so we need everyone. Urgh so much to worry about.

TGSM 23:52 21/2/08

2008-02-18T16:34:00.000-08:00

test....failed

Some sort of update.

2008-02-18T15:39:00.001-08:00

I wonder if anyones actually checked this out?!

The life of a countryboy.

So, here i am, its 23:39, i have slight back ache and Hendrix is playing quietly through my speakers.

One day i will write about my life fully, it has had some interesting parts in it, i did try before actually, but it was a long thing to do.

Shaun says:
imm just typing what comes to mind
Shaun says:
its basically going to be a mindless drivel blog

there we go.

It will make sense, well to me it will, one day in the future ill look back at this and remember the moment. There has been a few moments in my life i truly recall, but i may recap them another day.

There we are

TGSM. 23:44 18/2/08

Welcome

2008-02-11T12:13:00.000-08:00

Ok, first ever blog thing, tbh i think its abit weird telling your life online, like who actually cares?
But im gonna give it a go and see how things turn out.

Now, where to start.....Right my name's Shaun, im 20, i got sent here by Cpt. Chants.
I live in the middle of no-where and spend most of my life either at work or on the pc, sounds pretty boring, and it can be, but i try and keep it entertaining by playing bass guitar (and spending way too much money on gear), hanging out with a few select friends (usually involves more 'gear').

I guess thats a beginning....