January 2015 Back of the Net

04/01/2015

Went to see the Villa beat Blackpool 1-0 in the FA Cup third round. We were delighted with Teke's goal in the last three minutes, but the previous 87 was a bit dull and full of 'safe' playing. As Dad's mate Chris, a fellow Villan added; "These games should be entertaining." And that's true. We don't pay these footballers millions of pounds not to take risks. So what if we concede? It's worth it for the thrill of seeing a few belters in the back of the net, especially considering the price of match tickets these days.



22/01/15

When asked to describe a boring event in detail:

"I realised my clothes really needed washing, so I went downstairs, (the stairs were creaky), and put them in the wash. They only just about fit in, except the little blue washing capsule got caught in the window hole and I wondered whether or not I'd need to stop the machine to nudge it on its way. Fortunately, I did not.

Later on I went to the Dry Cleaners to dry my clothes and left it on for a good fifteen minutes, allowing me quarter of an hour of my life to read, with a purpose - Joyful! Safe to say, I got my washing done in the end, and had a nice and empty bag for the new week's dirty socks and boxers."

Other things that officially happened to me this month:
-Went Ice Skating, was terrifying at first, fell over twice but got used to it after a while.
-A woman got up an sang Fleetwood Mac's Dreams with me at an open mic (Buffallo Bar, Bournemouth)

My Talking Bookshelf:
-"Bit by bit the dead cigar would disappear, to reappear some hours later as a flat, slick mess, its essence extracted and mingled with Judge Taylor's digestive juices." - To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
-"I don't believe in guilty pleasures. If you fucking like something, like it." David Grohl, from Show Your Work! - Austin Kleon
-"With their whole being, with all their forces, gathered around their solitary, anxious, upward beating heart, they must learn to love." - Letters to a Young Poet - Rainer Maria Rilke
-"Alot of time I'm just making up music and singing nonsense, but there is a flavour to it; there's a certain emotional flavour and meaning going on that has to do with the sound of the instrument and the voice and the feeling." - Jackson Browne, from Songwriters on Songwriting by Paul Zollo

2014

2014 has been a shaky year for me personally, but one that I wouldn't change. It had its high, adventurous peaks; Getting a girlfriend, backpacking to Northern France for wine and cheese, getting a temporary job at a media company all on my own. So too did it have its troughs; Doing summer nights at Sainsbury's and nearly getting fired after the first week, losing my girlfriend to the mysteries of love (or probably just another guy), and being officially diagnosed with clinical depression.

I say its been shaky too in the physical sense- Since March our family home has been partly demolished and rebuilt by loud, rude, perverted builders. It's only recently been finished so the summer was spent living with my cantankerous grandfather who had an unhealthy obsession with switching lights off and re-using the same kitchenware; "I can't believe how many glasses you lot use" was a comment you wouldn't go a day without the pleasure of hearing."

Highlights of the year include;

• The shock on my friend's face as he leaned his head below the hand dryer in a public toilet. (Film shoot of short film The Clinch, watch here; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZJwh2hQZ6E)
• Playing SOAP WARS with my housemates whilst washing the dishes.
• Forming short-lasting alliances in games of laser-quest.
• Playing one of the Ugly Stepsister in Pantomime the Musical
• Getting pissed on red wine and cheese whilst back-packing in Northern France.
• Asking my radio show listeners on Lawson's Late Night Pint how they'd escape a gunman in the woods.

How's your 2014 been?