GIGS

For me to recap... not to gloat. No, really.. ;)

May 21 Hilltop Hoods @ Islington Academy (ahh.. playing for my birthday much?!)
June 14 White Stripes/Queens Of The Stone Age @ Hyde Park
June 15 Faithless @ Hyde Park
June 17 Muse @ Wembley Stadium
June 24 EITHER Glastonbury or Hyde Park Calling
July 4 Justin @ Millenium Dome
July 8 Metallica @ Wembley Stadium
July 19 Benicassim Festival @ Valencia, Spain (The Hives, Iggy Pop, Arctic Monkeys)
Aug 17 V Festival @ Chelmsford (Foo Fighters, Killers, Basement Jaxx)
Aug 24 Reading Festival @ Reading (RHCP, NIN, Smashing Pumpkins)
Sept 28 Gwen Stefani @ Wembley Arena

And now I stop buying tickets. UNLESS Tool tour again (please god PLEASE) and that doesn't count.

Bye Carol and Rodders :(

Last night we had Carol and Rodder's farewell at The Bush (the funkiest bar ever!). There were soooo many people.. I can't believe they all knew them. Fantastic night - except for the fact that we all knew it'd be one of the last times we were gonna hang out with these guys. We put it to the back of our minds and enjoyed one of the best parties we've had in a long time!

Here some piccies (depicting the night as way less mongrel than it was - and most of these were taken around 5am this morning..)


The lovely Leah, just before leaving for Oz... here's hoping she comes back..


I love this little pixie
x


Awww Taaff's. It's so great to have another boy in our house!


My bubby! Leigh's the best roomy ever


"Rodders. Beer. Yes."


Our littlest Hobo!


Our resident ocker gal, Maree


WE RAWK


Cuddles!


Who are these mongrels?!

Ahh to be sure (Part 2)

A run down of last weekend events (as my guinness soaked brain cannot recall much without the pictures that Corey has).

Thurs 15th March
Az, Carol, Loz, Leah and I went and saw the filming of The Dame Edna Show! Was so weird being in a studio.. I never knew how TV worked. It's so different to what you see! Sigourney Weaver, Mischa Barton and Michael Bolton (YES we had to listen to him sing - UGH) were guests. Highly entertaining.

We drank in the line to get in (who puts an offy across the road from the National Film Theatre?!) and Carol and I (in our wisdom) decided we were going to continue with a traveller from Waterloo station, stopping in at The Edward. Lo and behold we ran into someone we knew (could Hammersmith be smaller?) and then there were three.

Robyn ended up at the Reddy - from which I made her whip home for an impromptu party where Carol, Robs, Me and Big Wave Dave stopped Aimee from sleeping for the next 3 hours. 4am and rather tipsy, it was time for bed.

Friday 16th March
Waking to Dave's alarm at 6am was unpleasant, to say the least. My head was vodka soaked and I decided to turn my half-day into a full day holiday. I laid in front of my window all morning catching the sun and trying to let the fresh air rejuvenate me. By 1pm we decided we need to harden the fuck up (what a phrase) and get into some Irish spirit (aka beers).

By 3pm all of us were on the way to the airport with our Hobo in tow (Aimee's new nickname... who the FUCK wears trackpants out of the house and to the airport?!). A few wines on the plane and we were ready to bounce back when we hit the ground. We checked into our trusty Hostel and ventured into town. After going from shitty dive to shitty dive we found the funkiest little bar down a side alley. Very grungey and there was a live band - result!! I fell in love with the bass player (as you do).. so energetic and loving the music. After Leigh and I left, Corey (unbeknowns to us) hooked us up with guest-list entry to their gig the next night. Double result!!

Saturday 17th March
We arose early and headed into town to stock up on Irish garb - if we were going to be tourists on their day of days, we were going to do it properly!! We spoke to a delightful woman in the cafe where we had breakfast who gave us the lowdown on where to get supplies and where the best bars were.

Back in our hostel we adorned all green jewellry and hair ties, plastered ourselves with shamrock tattoo's and planted our new hats (Irish flag viking hats with green plaits?!) on our heads and toddled to the parade.

The parade was somewhat lacking. Rather than greenness and leprechauns it was community members and school dance troupes hard-selling their causes. "Bugger this!" we thought and toddled off to The Old Oak. Our lovely confidante from the morning was right. This pub was heaving and the rugby was on every screen... time to find out where the craic was! Ireland beat Italy (wahoo!) then France spolied the party (controvertially so) by taking the Series trophy when they beat Scotland. We didn't sulk for long - time to dance! With our new Aussie friends from Clapham we danced to the live band until we could dance no more. It was time to make our way to The Savoy.

Robyn and I managed to get out, whilst the others got lost in the crowd somewhere. So, we found The Savoy and asked if we were on the list - we were! (as if!) but we all had to enter together. Problem. We all had to have ID. Problem. After a trek back to our rooms and a rummage for all passports we all, eventually, go inside. This place was MASSIVE (I later found out it's the biggest cinema in Ireland?) the band were playing the foyer and we were ready to rumble. They recognised Corey from the night before - despite him being WAY too drunk to be there! The rest of the night was pretty much a blur except for actually speaking with cute bass boy (aka Nick). He gave us his number in case they ever make it to London. Here's hoping! (Edit: They have since messaged me - we're going for pints over Easter - woo!!)

Sunday 18th March
4 hours later I woke up with Leigh at my feet. The night before we had decided that we'd top/tail as we were sharing a single bed and we didn't quite fit the night before (even funnier.. we were sharing the bottom of a bunk bed). I had no idea how I got 'home' I just knew I needed to get out of that stinkin room! (6 people in a 4x4 space is homely to say the least!). We dragged ourselves out into town by 10:30 and it was fecking COLD!! The temperature had dropped severely overnight and now we had a full day on our hands before flying back to London.

We settled into some cafe and let a few hours pass over breakfast. We had all god intentions of visiting the Blarney stone but at this point we all knew if we'd have hung over the edge of that castle the stone would've been in store for a lot more than that. We got the brilliant idea of finding a local cinema - so we spent the next 4 hours watching Charlotte's Web and Premonition - and all for the low price of 6 euros!

With much popcorn and frozen slushy in us we were ready to collect our bags and make our way to the airport, leaving Corey behind for one more day (and wondering how to transport the 2 stolen Cork river lifesavers we acquired the night before.

What a quaint little place - one I must visit again, perhaps on a less 'demanding' weekend!

(Photos to come shortly)

P.S. Following weekend discussions, this is where I'll be in October

Ahhh to be sure

First of many, many drunken photos to come. Ahhh, good times.
(I'm sure that woman thought so)

We love you Billy, yes we doooo

Haha Azza and I were a little excited today about Reading (I promise I won't mention it again... until tomorrow).

Here are our new lyrics to Disarm


"2 Portland is full of mongrels
Caught up in their villas
Trying to escape it
There wasted and retarded

Don't you try and take their lollies
They will eat you instead!"

I can see it now.

WoooOoOoOoO

*sings* Weeeee'reeee goooinggg to Reeeeaaadiiiiing


Now. Who wants to play the Roxanne drinking game?

Sump'ns up in da hood

The road I live on comes off Hammersmith Grove...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6452667.stm

Last night I got home about 7:30 no worries. Aimee gets home about 1.5 hours later all freaked out saying there was a guy lying on the street bleeding and there were police everywhere and she thought he was dead... she was freaked that they hadn't covered him up. Then this morning as I walked (well, tried to) to work all the streets within a kilometre radius had blue and white police tape up and cops on every corner stopping cars (and people in most cases) using the roads.

I'm a bit mad at myself. I didn't feel sad, scared or upset... I was more excited like thinking "where'd it happen??". Hmmm.

This fucking country

How can one of the biggest cities in the world be FULL of fucking morons and ridiculous rules that avoid common sense?? (Could it have something to do with being full of Britons?).

I try to change my address for tax purposes online - Do you think I can find a form, email or phone number to use? NO.

I ring my nearest doctor to register since we've moved (and of course, you can't just see any doctor in town, you MUST live within 5 km) - Do you think they can tell me when the next available appointment is? NO.

We've registered for Glastonbury ticket sales. Today the rules to buying tickets have been announced (after we pre-registered including sending photos in for ID?!) - Do you think we can pay with credit cards given the tickets are £160 each? NO.

6 months ago I emailed Ticketmaster to change my address so tickets I were expecting didn't go astray - Did I get an appropriate reaction from them? NO (Except for TODAY when I received a reply.... 6 MONTHS LATER)


Is it just me....?? ARRGGGHHHH!!!!

(rant over).

Bow down before the one you serve

(No, not a lifestyle choice, rather, a reflection on a performance)

Last night Az and I saw Nine Inch Nails @ Brixton. Two words. Fucking AMAZING!!!



Coming off the back of a rather large Saturday night I didn't think I was going to make it. However, by some miracle (including copious amounts of sun, fresh air and codeine) we were off to Richmond at around 4pm, refreshed (ish) and ready to have a few drinks with Dyl and his mates before the mission to Brixton (UGH and what a mission, but I can't be arsed recalling it as it was an absolute mare).

Do we look boverred?!

By the time we made it to Brixton it was heaving.. there were black leather jackets and long matted hair everywhere. We nestled ourselves up the back and got settled in with a pint and not long after they hit the stage. I have never seen a set up like it before, it was insane. Basically there was no main lighting for the show and as they played lighting rigs (positioned not very far from their heads) flashed. They also had huge light bulbs hanging above each of their heads and if they felt the need, which Jeordie did a hell of a lot, they had ropes to swing the lights around making the set look even madder. (Clearly, it's hard to describe but WELL worth going to see if the chance were available).

AMAAAAZING lighting

Half way through the set there was a mad drum piece.. I was watching the guy play thinking he was absolutely amazing and that his playing looked so familiar... turns out my suspicions were correct.. it was Josh Freese. As IF I was in the presence of two of my favourite musicians of all time on one stage. I was literally in heaven.

To add to that, while we were standing by the bar Az saw a tour shirt on the ground that people were stepping on and noone seemed to own. So, he points and goes 'Rez, you dropped your shirt!', I picked it up and noone batted an eyelid... so I ran to the merch stand, swapped it for a smaller (and cleaner) size! Bingo was his name-o!

They ended with Hurt and Head Like A Hole and the place went FRICKING MENTAL. It was brilliant. We walked away thoroughly content, complete with a new addition to our rock 'n roll hallway of fame (Trent, you'll look amazing on our walls) and ready for ROCK's NIN album launch in April. BRING IT ON!!

Edit:

Trent, after being mounted in our Rock 'n Roll Hallway of Fame (unfortunately we do only mean mount in the picture-hanging sense)

One fine day..

One of my favourite places in London, Borough Market.



National Maritime Museum/Royal Observatory




Try climbing this frickin mountain

Greenwich Meridian Timeline & clock






"Now I'm in the East! ... Now I'm in the West!" (It didn't get old at ALL)



You can see my work in the background!
Greenwich Markets

This almost made me want kids

Nothing's more fun than telling a guy in a chicken suit what to do

http://www.subservientchicken.com/

I'm alive!

Yesterday I had the best day. I felt special about being in London again.

The morning started with Carol and I walking from our house through Notting Hill, Kensington Palace Gardens and Hyde Park to get to work. Then at lunch I decided to try my hand at walking to Borough Markets - mmm!! After working here for over a year, I only just found out last week that you could walk there and back during a lunchtime.... and I got to walk across London Bridge to get there! (going past The Monument on the way).

It was a successful trip - I came back with presents for Carol... huge, organic tomatoes for our dinner, yum!! After work I met Carol, Azz, Dyl and some of their mates to check out Sir John Soane's Museum in Holborn (free between 6-9pm on the first Tues of every month). Despite waiting in the cold for 40 minutes, we were pretty happy to do something different for a change after work.. and it was so worth it. What a quirky little place!

We finished off the day by all trooping home and making one of our fave's... fajita's!! (complete with Borough Market vegies).

Perfect day.

Oh, and as I was getting ready for bed I was chatting with my temporary roommate Bridget (she found us on gumtree). She was thanking me for letting her stay and saying how much she loves our house and will be sad to go. I'm really glad I didn't judge her right off the bat and automatically think "Nah, let's find someone else", just because she was British and sounded a bit 'posh'. It's yet another reminder of how I have changed over this past year.

After only two weeks with us she wants to go to the Reddy on Friday night... who said I couldn't positively influence someone's life?!

Tengo que contar los puntos

The good (ha) people at Coca-Cola have outdone themselves yet AGAIN.

First they added lemon to Diet Coke. A few months later and we were given the almighty Diet Coke and lime! (followed by a brief period where it seemed it was gone forever... thankfully brought back by popular demand). And now I have been introduced to my new favourite drink Diet Coke with 'citrus zest'.

I'm sorry, but I'm excited! (it could be the copious amounts of caffeine and 'zest' in my body at the moment). Everyone try it immediately!


NB: This blog is in no way affilliated with Coca-Cola nor receives any payment for product placement (but would willingly accept it).