Monday, August 22, 2005

Ben Fong Torres

Alcohol! I miss thee.

I've just realised that it's been far too long since a got blind drunk, offended lots of people, and threw up somewhere uncomfortable. Like a volkswagon. This must be corrected!

I think Greenbelt shall be the place! Heading down tomorrow morn to the Mighty 'Nham, and shall be meeting up with Tom Stroud (guy I lived with in Cheltenham, brother of Sarah Nicholson), which will be lovely. I told him he had to cook us tea, which he has obliged to do so, then the drinking shall begin. Maybe working in a pub has reminded me what a wonderful pastime drinking is. And also, I've started drinking Guinness for the first time in years, and I forgot how lovely the stuff is.

Music! Yay!

Got talking to one of the regulars tonight about music; he yarned about tremendous gigs he went to in the sixties (The Byrds, Dylan, Hendrix). Was cool. Good to talk to someone in the pub about something I can properly contribute to. He's in a band, plays guitar, is 51. Hippies never die! They just become accountants (I don't think he is though...). It was particularly dead this evening (I was only doing 5-8pm). I put on 'Tangled Up In Blue' and '100 Years From Now' by Dylan and The Byrds respectively (via jukebox).

Must go and pack......

Friday, August 19, 2005

Don't you know that I work hard? Don't you know that I play hard?

I find it hard to know where to direct my energy and enthusiasm, of which I have a lot. So then I end up expending it unwisely.

I'm enjoying doing this Myers-Briggs personality stuff.

I have lots of ideas for things to do - projects, business ideas, jobs I'd like etc, but I flit from one to the next and I don't know which one I should invest in. I don't have strong pragmatic skills, am very disorganised etc.

I really enjoyed doing Cripple Creek the other night, and would love to that for a living. See what I mean? Not very practical. It was fun. fun. fun.

Maybe I could be a country music DJ? Hmmm, small market me thinks.

This book (Do What You Are) has given me a lot more confidence in my personality and I feel all I need to do is choose something. That's the hardest thing really.

I realise I need to have lots of contact with people, especially when coming up with ideas, trying to instigate them etc.

All this feeling is a bit too much. I'm gonna go have a lie down.

Friday, August 12, 2005

...and we'll see you all again in 1974!

I've been reading a bit of this myers-briggs personality book ('Do What You Are') which Mary is borrowing from Abigail. It's very interesting. I'm an INFP - basically a head in the clouds idealist with no pragmatic instinct whatsoever. Hurrah! I always suspected it. Full of good ideas which I never finish, always keeping my options open and generally a bit clueless when it comes to getting down to the details.

The cricket is great! The third test was probably the best I've witnessed, and yesterday, Vaughny hit the ball all over the park. Beautiful. I still doubt that we'll win the Series, but it's gonna be close at least.

I'm finding it hard to write today. Friday feeling. Looking forward to the opening weekend of the Premiership - Newcastle are away at Arsenal on Sunday, and we'll probably get slaughtered but hey, I don't expect too much this season, it's just a relief to have the football back.

Went down to All Bar One for Matt and Jo Parkins' leaving do last night. It was good to see Matt off, who's become one of our football watching regulars over the last year. I'm really excited for them both and a bit jealous. I've wanted to do a tour of America for the last few years, and we've been talking about it again recently. One idea, given that we ain't got much money, was to save up to go to Austin for South By Southwest in April, which would be amazing, then do the cross country tour the following year. Gives us something to save up for and look forward to. Who fancies joinnig us? (for South by Southwest)

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

It's ok William, I've seen the future and this all works out reasonably well...

1. Firstly, I'm not convinced by this silly numbering system that everyone is adopting (spearheaded by Pissy Hugh). It seems a little too efficient and organised. But then I guess it just says something about the way different people like to comunicate (a need for clarity and structure [tsk]).

2. I watched Spanglish, which qualifies for possibly the worst film title ever, but is actually quite a good film (Sandler rules). The Mexican lead is very beautiful (and a superb actress), and it contains many a good performance. I feel like this is another film (along with In Good Company) which people might think I'm a little deluded for liking, but seriously, it is excellently written and quite moving (could do with about twenty minutes chopped of it, but hey, so do most films). But then maybe I'm just getting more and more sentimental and my taste is going down hill (don't quote me on that).

3. I went for a run yesterday for the first time in years, in an attempt to up my fitness and stamina for football on Saturdays (I was nearly sick last week). It was very enjoyable and reminded me how much I used to love it (despite getting stitch on the final leg). It makes you feel like a better person when you get back, and when you're actually runnning you go completely blank and think about nothing but your next step. It's wonderful. A cleansing experience perhaps (as well as a sweaty one).

4. I really want to be a postman. Well, at least my fantasy of it. I went for a recruitment day on Friday for a job at the Delivery Office off Lydgate Lane. Had some numeracy and sorting tests, then an interview, which went well, but not amazing. There were ten people there for the same job, so I was figuring out which ones would be in the running for it. I reckon I'm in the top three. But anyway, they rang me yesterday to check if my back was still a problem (I had to disclose any medical problems - strained a muscle in my back last month), and I told them it wasn't. I'd start at 7am and finish at 1pm, which would be great; could get some writing done in the afternoon (or sleep). Which reminds me...

5. I'm enjoying my writing at the moment. Have had two good days and seem to be finally shaking off some of my silly pretensions (though I'm sure there's still a few more skins to shed). It's fun, and guilt free, which is a miracle for me; not many things don’t have a healthy dose of morose guilt heaped on top.

6. Despite being unemployed (well, I’m working a few shifts at the Tavern, but really…), I feel very happy. Hang on, did I just say ‘despite’? That doesn’t make any sense. It’s something you’re not really allowed to enjoy, and I am not allowing myself to enjoy it too much, because my wife is working very hard and providing for us both, and this is not something I want to continue for very long (I don’t mean her providing, that’s fine, just the whole me being a sponge thing I don’t think I could cope with for a prolonged period; I think it might do something for my self-esteem and I want things to be fair between us). But despite all the issues and guilt and other shit you have to ignore for a few seconds (not permanently. Hmmm, do I justify myself too much? Surely that’s the point of paretheses), I feel contented for the first time in a long time.

7. I think this is clearly my longest ever post. Well done to anyone who got through it all. You have my eternal respect.