Putting on the Glitz (hopefully)

Saw a reposted bulletin on The Spazz today about a singer looking for musicians, including a bass player, to form a glam/punk band. Obviously this caught my attention and so K.T.Glitz sprung to life and got in touch with him to find out what its all about. Obviously I have no idea if this will go anywhere or even if I'll get an audition but the Trash Queen Lollipop Shock is suddenly getting very excited at the thought of making music again!

Spoke to mum

Spoke to mum just to see how she was today. She is a lot better than she was on Friday thats for sure. She is off to the registrar tomorrow to register nanny's death and then she is going to start work on the funeral arrangements for nanny. I did tell her that Sam had hinted that he might want to go.

New office

As expected the morning was taken up moving all our stuff from downstairs to our new open plan office upstairs and then setting everything up. All went relatively smoothly and so it looks like it's business as usual tomorrow (with the exception of a lunchtime curry).

My new desk


My new desk again


Pete is either scared or about to give me the finger


Mike B playing peekaboo


Nick taking a quick "break"


Not quite finished yet!

I've sacrficied the goat...........

...........not a bizarre satanic ritual as you might be thinking but rather I have am now clean shaven and have sacrificed my goatee for a while (just to see what its like without it again!

Blaze 3 Capitals 2

Oh well, that's the Capitals out of the play offs thanks to a 4 - 2 aggregate win for Coventry Blaze. It was always a tall order for them to be able to get past the Blaze but after yesterdays 0 - 1 loss I had hoped that they might salvage something. It can't have helped that they were missing Dino Bauba and Mike Stutzel but that's life.

Now all I have to do is decide who to support at the play off weekend, my decision was made even hard by the fact that Nottingham Panthers also got knocked out tonight.

Think it might have to be Cardiff Devils

Lounging around, eating and sleeping

That's what the weekend is all about!
Had an incredibly lazy day today. We got up about 10-ish, had some breakfast and watched a Fast Show DVD and then crashed out for a few hours! After our snooze we then set about the important task of getting rid of our roots with a splendid dose of hair colour!

Capitals 0 Blaze 1 play off webcast

We watched the Capitals v Blaze webcast tonight hoping that the Capitals would take a good strong win tonight into tomorrows game in Coventry so that they could make it to the play off weekend in Nottingham.

Unfortunately the Capitals ended up losing 0 - 1 (a reasonable result against the Blaze) but they also suffered the loss of forward Mike Stutzel who took a nasty eye injury from a Blaze stick and although he was released from hospital he was told not to play tomorrow as the injury will heal 100% but might not if it sustained further damage.

So long, farewell.........

... auf wiedersehen goodbye!

Dropped Sam off at the school this morning for his departure to the USA for a week of snowboarding with the school. He was really excited about it and I am sure he'll have a fantastic time.

It will be much quieter (and a little less smelly) without him around for a week!

Here he is in his snazzy William de Ferrers "Ski Trip 08" sweatshirt ready for the off:

Goodby nanny, love you

Mum phoned in tears tonight to inform me that nanny had passed away. Thankfully it was painless and while she slept. Mum was there as the home had called her in (obviously suspecting that nanny didn't have long left).

Although I was expecting it it was not news that I was ready for at that moment in time. I felt a sudden pull at my heart, masses of emotion welling up, painful reminders of Sharon being taken from me and then there was a calm, as if nanny and Sharon were with me telling me it was alright, and that everything was fine.

It was really hard telling Sam and he was in tears (and I had to tell Sophie over the phone as she was away). I'm so glad that Toni was there to support me as it would have been even harder otherwise.



I'm going to miss you nanny (as are Sophie and Sam), we all have many happy memories to look back on.

Getting ready for a chilled weekend.

Once I was home from work Sam and I tidied up the house and we made sure that he had everything that he needed for his trip away. I made dinner so it was ready for when Toni arrive, which was a novelty as she usually makes dinner. After that we went to Asda when bought Sam the final essentials (lots of pants and socks).

Lazy day getting ready for the move

It was a lazy day at work today. Got in at the usual time and started to crack on and then it was decided that we were going to down tools and start preparing for our move upstairs. Made a nice break and then we got to leave early too as all our machines were packed away. Most of Monday will be a write off too :o)

I want Toni's new boots

*stomp stomp harumph*
I want Toni's new New Rock boots, they are lovely.



Haven't bought new shoes for ages, perhaps it is time to shop again!

Nearly all packed

Spent time this evening packing up Sam's bag ready for his snowboarding trip to the USA this weekend. Thankfully just about everything he will need was washed and to hand (with the exception having to buy him some more socks and pants, I swear to god he must eat them or something).

Day trip to London & lil bit of stress

Well lucky old me!
Shelton informed me yesterday that his home electricity was going to be out for 4-5 today so he would have to be working from Tower 42 rather than home. As such he invited me to go to meet him and take Stuart along (our new QA guy) so they could be introduced. Made a nice relaxing day, couple of hours out of the office and a pub lunch too!

Went to the loo in the coffee shop at Tower 42 and couldn't but laugh when I saw the hand dryer, just had to take a photo!


When we got back to the office I had to prepare a build for one of our clients and as things progressed I got a bit stressed as it was clear that there was still a big pile of dingo's kidneys surrounding a clear way forward (although new system has improved things a bit). I am sure it will all get better given time.

Play Off fever is approaching!

Well this past weekend my beloved Edinburgh Capitals defied all their critics and grabbed the elusive 8th play off spot so now have an extended season. All they have to do is come out on top from two back to back games against league champions Coventry Blaze this coming weekend and they'll be on their way to the play off weekend at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham.

Speaking of which, I have now had it confirmed that I have tickets for Toni and I to attend the play off weekend, we have crash space waiting for us at Shaggy's and I have a half day next Friday (4th April) to get home and prepare.

If the Capitals make it then the weekend will be absolutely superb but even if they don't it will be a fantastic weekend of play off hockey and excessive alcohol intake!

Long day

It's been a really long day today. Don't know why but it just seemed to drag on and on and on. Work was busy and productive but time didn't fly by at all unfortunately.

Have to be honest I can't wait for the weekend even though I have no real plans as such, just want the working week to be over!

Good luck Sophie on your first day!

Good luck on your first day at work Sophie!
Hope everything goes well, you have a great time and make some new friends.

Happy 18th Birthday Zoë

Happy 18th Birthday Zoë

Hope you have a great day!

Love from Keith, Sophie and Sam!

Chilling and procrastination!

I put my strange dream to the back of my mind and then started the day slowly just chilling out and doing nothing much at all. Toni and Aaron were supposed to leave at 12:30 but neither of them wanted to leave and so managed to put it off for another 2.5 hours and left at 15:00.

I can't imagine what it must be like back in London for Aaron to not want to go back. I know Toni doesn't want to go because I am so fabulous so that is totally understandable LMFAO!

Spent the rest of the evening just pottering about doing nothing very much at all. It all seemed kind of empty once Toni and Aaron had gone home after such a great weekend.

Strange dream

Had a really strange dream last night.
I dreamt that we were kind of all living in the now but Sharon just suddenly appeared out of nowhere as if she had just gone on some sort of sabbatical. It felt really odd because I had to explain to her that she was no longer with us. She asked when the funeral was and I explained that it had already happened months ago.

I spoke to my friend Angie about it (as she was most likely to have had a similar dream) and her take on it was that it could be her way of trying to communicate with me. It's very unnerving as the following day you believe that they are still alive almost and you are not sure if its a dream or its actually happened.

She said that with me telling Sharon that she was dead could also be her way of letting me grieve and come to terms with it in my sub conscious. Angie also suggested that maybe Sharon just wanted to be close to me to let me know she is still around me.

I wasn't left with any bad feelings from the dream but it did kind of leave me feeling a little out of sorts for the rest of the day.

Gotham 9 at Camden Dingwalls

7 hours, 7 bands, NUFF SAID!

This was one hell of an extravaganza and a fantastic day.

Toni and I started our day with a trip to Soho to browse a few of the more lurid retail outlets for a giggle before heading off to our favourite Pizza Hut for our usual meal of a combo platter, nachos and Pepsi Max.

Toni and I on the tube:






The Gotham 9 line up:


Dyonisis:
Slow atmospheric style with lovely harmonic vocals. Shades of All About Eve from time to time. Not bad at all and this was only their second gig down amongst us scary southerners.





Razorblade Kisses:
I absolutely adore the image of this band. The whole Japanese visual kei style is wonderful. Toni thought that the girls couldn't sing and although you could deem this to be true it actually complimented the image in a bizarre way.





Novus UK:
Kind of dancey EBM light music. Nothing out of the ordinary although the singers wardrobe crisis was most amusing! The angle grinder made a fan visual (and had a lot of the poseurs running for it in fear of their hair!





Bloody Mary:
The singer had probably the best stage presence so far although the body armour just made him look like a transformer and the bondage tape on his fingers gave the impression of a limp Edward Scissorhands! Not great but entertaining.





Psyche:
Marc Almond style vocals over some sweet dancey tunes. Nothing special as far as the on stage image was concerned but great music and delivery.





Star Industry:
I love this band although they had to be seen as a big bunch of poseurs as they hit the stage in their sunglasses, having been setting up for ten minutes without them! Good music, Sisters style vocals with a heavy goth background. The cover of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy The Silence" was fantastic.





Gothminister:
What can I say. FUN FUN FUN. Great stage presence, very theatrical and didn't take themselves seriously at all. A great way to end the show!





See a full set of photos (there are LOTS) on my Picasa web albums:
Here: 230308Gotham9AtCamdenDingwalls

Carrying on from my PT theme there were a couple of "what not to wear" types there (didn't take photos of all of them)

Nice top but ditch the black bra and the bag my dear!:


Balloons aren't aren't goth and they get in the way of people behind you!:


Berets are NEVER good!:


I don't care if you are the singer of a band, your pants suck!:

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all my friends!
Hope you have a great day and don't eat too much chocolate!

Here's what I got for easter from Toni:

Argos, Tesco, View Askew!

Today was a definite do nothing day (well do as little as possible anyway)
Went into Chelmsford, picked up the missing piece of my CD rack so I can finally get a massive chunk of my bedroom floor back, Aaron got a new school bag (most expensive one in the shop) and then we hit Tesco to get some food in.

Rest of the day was spent doing not very much other than nibbling munchies and watching some View Askew classics, Mallrats and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back.

Sometimes it's good to have a nice lazy day!

Hedgehog at The Lodge

Mark and Sam picked up Toni and I and we set off for The Lodge to go and see Essex legends Hedgehog play.
It was an entertaining gig of some great rock classics (although I was tortured with far too much Led Zeppelin). A great night out and I'd definitely go and see them again.

Here's a few pics:

Sam and Toni are impressed by a big knob!


It's him again!


Mark!


Toni!


Hedgehog!

Housework!

Housework was the order of the day and a long overdue cleaning.
So I donned my little French maid's outfit (oooh you wish!) and off I went.
Hoovering, dusting, scrubbing, sweeping, laundry, you name it, I did it!
House was spotless by the time I had finished and had a lovely aroma thanks to the lovely incense sticks that I burned.

Toni kind of went "WOW" when she arrived with Aaron as I don't think she had ever seen the place look so tidy.

Four days off

Three cheers for the Easter holidays!
I now have a lovely four days off to relax (after I've done my chores and other important things). Off to see Hedgehog at The Lodge tomorrow night with Mark, Sam and Toni and then it's Gotham 9 in Camden on Sunday with Toni.
Lots of fun to be had and spend time with the kids too (and Toni is bringing Aaron again) and generally kick back and relax.

Dear Inland Revenue

Thank you very much for the large tax rebate that you have given me. Couldn't have come at a better time and will help very nicely!

Dennis blows me out again!

Hehehehhe, spoke to Dennis tonight and he's now blown me out for tomorrow night. If I hadn't known him for so long I'd probably be upset but it's just part of him. He also gets a double let off as he's going back to Darlington as Boney is coming over from the USA as his mum is ill. Dennis, Boney and I were all drinking reprobates back in the glam 80s in that London!

Stressed and upset

I've been a bit stressed and upset today. Had done something silly which I was letting get on top of me and it was driving me insane. Thankfully I have now shared this and so feel a little better that there is light at the end of the tunnel, still another obstacle to overcome but things don't seem as bad as they had done.

Big thank you to Toni for being there (on the end of an MSN chat) to support me and help me see that there is a way through it all :o)

It's been a funny sort of day

Been a weird day today. Not sure if its just because I was feeling a little worse for wear after last nights curry (not hungover, just sluggish). Although it was quite a productive day at work I felt slightly out of sorts and not quite with it.

On the plus side, bumped into Mark at Wickford station this morning and he has invited Toni and I along to The Lodge on Friday night to see Hedgehog with him and Sam. Should be a great laugh.

Blogs must be catching!

I have one, Toni got one, Sophie joined in and now Toni's daughter Jade has one as well :o)

You can read them all from the Trash Queen Lollipop Linkz section on the right hand side.

Happy Birthday Richard Green

Happy Birthday Richard
Hope you have a great day

Hugs

Keith
x

JBO curry night (tonight Matthew I'm going to be....)

...Julie!

Went to Chelmsford after work tonight to meet the James Bryan gang for a post training night curry.

Started off in the Nag's Head reading my Star Wars book drinking JD and diet coke before meeting everyone once their training session had ended. Met Tracy, Sandra, Bev, Claire, James and John at Tesco and we headed off to The Sitar. Lisa joined us once we had arrived and the feasting began!

When I offered James some money at the end he told me that for this company event I was Julie so I didn't have to pay anything. Lovely gesture from a wonderful man.

It was a great night and we all had a good laugh.

Have agreed to meet up with John soon to go drinking and clubbing!

Help, help.....

....there's been a terrible accident!

Just for Toni!
Just imagine!

Sophie visits the hospital again

Got a call from Shane this evening saying that Sophie had had another asthma attack and he was taking her to hospital. Seems she was OK although the first round of drugs didn't work but she has responded to the second set and she should be discharged later.

I really wish she would stop smoking, despite what she seems to think it just cannot help her!

The terminator rises again

Or is that the teethminator?
Sorry, bad jokes but I had to make them somewhere!

Took Sam to Orthoworld today where he was subjected to 45 minutes of treatment and now he looks like this:

Smile!


Red and black is cool but I would have chosen the purple!

Chieftains 5 Telford 6

Oh well that's another season over LOL
Once again Chieftains threw away a 3 - 0 lead to be beaten 5 - 6. Hadn't expected much from the game as it was a nothing one but it started off OK but neither team were really firing on all cylinders but towards the end it appeared that Telford really wanted the win more than Chelmsford who just seemed to ease off.
Roll on September when the Chieftains hockey season starts all over again.

In other news the Edinburgh Capitals lost 5 - 3 against Manchester Phoenix and Basingstoke Bison beat Coventry Blaze 4 - 1 so Capitals and Bison are now tied on points with the Capitals still in that sought after 8th place but Bison have one game in hand. It's going to be a close call as to which team makes the play offs and I really am not brave enough to call it at the moment.

Here's some end of season pics:

Toni, Sam & Aaron


Toni & I


Toni, me & Sam


Aaron, me & Sam


Aaron, me, Toni & Sam

Robots In Disguise defeat Tubeway Army

Oh what a headline, oh what a laugh.
Toni and I went to North Greenwich to see Gary Numan at the IndigO2 (inside the O2 Arena)

Toni enjoying a private joke!




Guess who!


Not sure what was going through my mind here!


Support band Robots In Disguise were really good. Loads of energy and some humour and they just seemed to be really enjoying themselves and trying to have a good time (and get the crowd going at the same time). It was really refreshing to see a support band act like that.







Gary Numan was not quite as I had expected him to be. This tour was supposed to be him playing the whole of the REPLICAS album. Unfortunately he deemed to update all the songs to some quasi industrial/NIN style din that didn't really do justice to some great songs. Mr Numan himself appeared to have turned into some pretentious rick "god" as he didn't speak a word until the end of the set and he threw the most ridiculous "rock shapes" that I have seen at a gig in a long time. I can think of cheesy 80s hair bands that would have cringed at some of his antics.

Now don't get me wrong, the music was OK but not what I expected as I had hoped for a note for note sound copy of the REPLICAS stuff but this industrial version isn't what I wanted to hear. The Numanodds (sorry, Numanoids) ate it up and were obviously ecstatic at seeing their hero again but it didn't quite cut it for me. I was gutted to hear such an awful version of Are Friends Electric? and the industrial version of Cars was just shocking.

I don't know if it was deliberate or not but the band just looked totally fucking miserable through the whole gig. It was a real shame as I would have thought they would have tried to make it look like they were enjoying themsleves

















Let me out of here!


Smile, I think Numan is watching!



Do androids ream of electric sheep? Who knows but it was clear that Numan's fan sheep loved every minute of it!

Did he bleach his hair especially for the gig?


Are Friends Electric? or is it just the Sheep?

Take it easy day

Spent the day doing bugger all. Watched lots of Red Dwarf DVDs and had some nice food and basically just chilled out before getting ready to go out for the evening. Had a quick catch up phone call with Dennis, all seems to be going OK with him at the moment and hopefully he'll be coming over next Friday some an evening of drink, DVDs and music.

Relaxing, stressing and an angry inch!

Got in from work to find that Toni had arrived and a lovely roast dinner was well underway (thanks to Sophie too who started things off). Aaron and Sam were both out swimming.

Chilled out in front of the TV watching some ice hockey and eating a lovely roast dinner.

Started stressing at 9 when we realised that neither of the boys had their phones with them and we had no idea what had happened to them as they weren't home. Went out on the car to try and find them and much to our relief Sophie called to say they were home. They both got a ticking off and were told they had to wash up once they had eaten their dinner.

We then settled down to start watching Hedwig & The Angry Inch on DVD which was quite amusing as it seemed to unsettle Aaron somewhat!

What f***ed version of Hello Kittie are you?

What f***ed version of Hello Kittie are you?

Take this quiz!

Well done Sophie

Sophie had an interview today and she starts work on 25th March at St John's Hospital in Chelmsford!
It's taken a while but she got there in the end!
Well done Sophie!

I just had to.....

*hehe*
Mike was taking some pictures of our whiteboards (as a backup for when we move) and for some reason I just had to do this...........

Tickets for Rufus Wainwright at Hampton Court

Just got tickets to see Rufus Wainwright at the Hampton Court Festival on 4th June.
First time ever that I actually got an advance ticket sales email and managed to get decent seats. Block C Row D, HELL YEAH!
Can't wait!

Took me a couple of hours to decide about it but am going with Toni. BIG step for me as those you who know me will be aware just how much of an emotional attachment Rufus is to me.

To find out more about the Hampton Court Festival go here:
www.hamptoncourtfestival.com

Cigarettes And Chocolate Milk!

Welcome to my broom cupboard!

Had to move office today as there is a new developer starting tomorrow.
Until we move upstairs to the larger office I am getting moved into the broom cupboard (and I'll be joined by my new junior Stuart on Monday).
Funny thing is it turned out after I had moved that the new developer is now not coming at all LOL
Not a lot of room in there at the moment as you can see:











Boo, it's me, Head of QA, surveying the scenery!

Congratulations Toni

Well done on getting through the job interview and getting an offer (and for getting the highest score they had ever had!)
Told you there wouldn't be a problem (although you knew that anyway)

Good luck with your interview Toni

Good luck with you interview this afternoon Toni!

A frog goes into a bank....

A frog goes into a bank and approaches the teller. He can see from her nameplate that her name is Patricia Whack.

"Miss Whack, I'd like to get a £30,000 loan to take a holiday."

Patty looks at the frog in disbelief and asks his name. The frog says his name is Kermit Jagger, his dad is Mick Jagger, and that it's okay, he knows the bank manager.

Patty explains that he will need to secure the loan with some collateral.

The frog says, "Sure. I have this," and produces a tiny porcelain elephant, about an inch tall, bright pink and perfectly formed.

Very confused, Patty explains that she'll have to consult with the bank manager and disappears into a back office.

She finds the manager and says, "There's a frog called Kermit Jagger out there who claims to know you and wants to borrow £30,000, and he wants to use this as collateral."

She holds up the tiny pink elephant, "I mean, what in the world is this?"

(you're gonna love this)








The bank manager looks back at her and says...

"It's a knick knack, Patty Whack, give the frog a loan, his old man's a Rolling Stone."

(You're singing it, aren't you? Yeah, I know you are.........)

Chieftains 3 Phantoms 4

This game wasn't a great one, entertaining in places but certainly not the performance of a team that was having one last ditch attempt at making the EPL play offs. Next week is the last game of the season so hopefully we'll go out with a bang.

Romford Raiders beat Slough Jets this afternoon so the Chieftains are now officially out of play off contention and the Raiders are through.

Up in Edinburgh it was a mixed back but the EIHL play off dream is still alive and well with them managing to grab a further two points taking them clear of Bison now (although Bison do have a game in hand but a much harder run).

Cooked breakfast and an angry inch!

We got up at a reasonable hour today (10:30-ish I think) and decided to just chill out downstairs.

I made a cooked breakfast for the four of us using the gorgeous German sausages that Toni had bought from Lidl. We then settled down to watch Hedwig And The Angry Inch and vegetate for that afternoon before heading off to Chelmsford for the ice hockey.

08/03/08 Vendetta Club!

Tonight marked the return of Vendetta at Evolution in Westcliff On Sea so we left Roger and co and headed home to get ready. Hazel picked us up and it was clubbing mania once again!

Once again we were treated like royalty by the Evolution staff and Cat and Steve who run the club thanks to our efforts in helping promote Vendetta. I just hope we can help it grow. Despite the low turn out it was a good night and Toni indulged in some Black Vodka (cos they had no rum) whilst I stayed on familiar territory with Mr Janiels!

I was full of beans and danced like a loon most of the night (which was pretty incredible considering I had just done Hanoi Rocks and Inferno and then been on the go for most of Saturday!

Toni ready to roll:


K.T.Glitz all corsetted up!:


Hazel:


Toni and K.T.Glitz:



See all the pictures here:
080308VendettaClub

The Devonshire Arms and Wagamamas

Once we got to Camden we went to The Devonshire Arms (now called the Hobgoblin) to meet some of Roger's other friends before we went on for a meal. Hair of the dog was the order of the day here!

Tasha:


Moonshayde:


Roger:


Roger's son & Anne:


Toni and I:


HELP ME! I'm, trapped inside a spoon:


See the rest of the photos here:
080308RogerSBirthdayTheDevWagaMama

Early to rise and off to Camden

We all got up around 11:30-ish and had a cup of tea and a chat and then headed back into town to continue Roger's birthday fun!
Oh what fun you can have on a tube train!

Tasha:


Roger:


Toni & I:


Gurning:



View the rest of the tube pics here:
080308RogerSBirthdayInToTown

Out of date, early to bed

After leaving Inferno at 03:30 we took a people carrier back to hers with Roger and two other friends, Helen and her partner. Had a cup of tea when we got home and then Tasha started a very bizarre conversation about how her out of date sleeping tablets were still working just fine. Things didn't improve when she moved on to out of date food (and tins of stuff) saying that it was all a ploy and didn't really mean anything and that it would all be still edible. Toni crashed out at this point beside me on the sofa and I wasn't far behind. We woke up and went to bed at 05:30, Helen had already gone up and Roger and Tasha went to bed at around 06:30

Inferno

Pumped after Hanoi Rocks and despite the crapness of Pizza Hut Toni and I headed out for Camden's Electric Ballroom to meet Roger and Tasha at Inferno.

Bumped into Robin and had a chin wag with him, was nice to meet up for a bit longer than our brief encounter at Club Antichrist last week.

We had a great time, lots of alcohol was consumed and lots of dancing was done!

Don't pull faces and try and outwit the camera, occasionally you get caught!:


I'm just too fabulous for you to take pictures of me


K.T.Glitz TAKE TWO!:

Pizza Hut sucks!

After the Hanoi gig Toni and I were starving and as we were about to head off to Inferno to meet Roger (as part of his 50th birthday weekend) we decided to stop by Pizza Hut to get some snackage before we started drinking, BIG mistake.

Things were bad enough when we had to wait 5 minutes to be seated (despite there being loads of free tables). We then had to wait what seemed like forever before we even placed our order (the usual Combo Platter and Nachos) amid the waitress constantly babbling apologies in pigeon english. The Combo Platter arrived which we started to tuck in to (well I did as most of the things were what I could eat but the Nachos were for Toni). It soon became clear that somehow the Nachos had NOT been ordered. It took another eternity before we got the waitress to come back and she once again mumbled some apologies and went and sent the order down (possibly again as from the look of the staff I am sure that they had come up from the kitchen but nobody knew what table they were for). When they arrived they were burnt, and lacking relish and cheese and tasted foul. Toni then proceeded to complain, we got the Nachos deducted from our bill and we paid and made a hasty exit.

Hanoi Rocks at the Astoria 2

Toni and I went to the Astoria 2 tonight to see glam rock legends Hanoi Rocks.
Support was from Soho Dolls who were quite entertaining despite the short set. It's just a shame they didn't to their cover version of Hanoi's Dead By Christmas. Not sure they were right as a warm up band for Hanoi but I enjoyed them.

In the break we had some entertainment in the form of two guys who were obviously trying to impress two very young girls. They were certainly old enough to have been their fathers (and had no hope in hell of actually pulling)!

Hanoi Rocks were incredible. Despite their age they are still firing on all cylinders. Perhaps disappointingly they played more of their newer material from the latest 3 albums rather than their classic back catalogue but that is just a small niggle of what was a fun packed, high energy performance from a band that have still got what it takes. They played "Don't You Ever Leave Me" (the song I used on my photo tribute) which thankfully just made me smile and think of Sharon watching me having fun (with her full approval) rather than bursting into tears like I had expected to do. "Up Around The Bend" finished the set with the place heaving and sweating but it was a great night.

Mike Monroe:


Andy "AC" Christell & Mike Monroe:


Saxy!:


Conny Bloom & Mike Monroe:


Up Around The Bend!:


Full set of pictures can be found on my Picasa web albums here:
070308HanoiRocksAtTheAstoria2

JLU inaugural meeting

JLU (Jeff Lynne's Underpants) met for the first time tonight to shake our funky thang!
Actually to be fair there were only two of us as Rennie and Norman were fags and cried off! Dren and I had a bit of a jam and have picked a song to cover, Fatherland by Die Krupps. Dren and I drank some vodka and beer, ate worcester sauce crisps and then had coffee and vanilla cheesecake, not a bad way to start off JLU's existence!

You will have gathered that JLU is probably not going to be the official name of the band but it will do for now as a starting point! LMFAO

Fashion

When fashion is your passion
At first glance leaves a lasting impression
Paris catwalks, big small talk
The casting couch promise that’ll put you worse off

Every evening London’s receiving
A beat-machine man-made and so deceiving
We got the groove now
We'll show the world how
To wake this planet up with a new sound now

I'm into fashion just because of you
It ain't the flash man, it's down to attitude
I'm into fashion all because of you
I got new fashion just designed for you

Silk emerald islands
Diamonte high lands
A vogue sale scheme, just an empty day dream
Child labour out of favour
Fashion can have such a nasty flavour

I'm into fashion just because of you
It ain't the flash man, it's down to attitude
I'm into fashion all because of you
I got new fashion just for you

Hand me downs,
I wear my rags well
I mix, match and i make it gel
Just hand it down,
I'm breaking new ground
You'll always find me in a thrift store wheelin' around

I'm into fashion just because of you
It ain't the flash man, it's down to attitude
I'm into fashion all because of you
I got new fashion just for you

I'm into fashion 'cuz of you.

- Fashion (Hanoi Rocks)

Jobs ahoy!

Sophie said that she has applied for another four jobs and also has two more interviews lined up. Fingers crossed on that front.

On top of that, and Dennis' good news, Toni has an interview for a job on Tuesday which sounds right up her street and also brings new responsibilities plus training and development opportunities too. From the sound of it the job is as good as hers already! It's all happening in the job world!

Dungeons and Dragons creator dies

Sad to hear the news that Dungeons and Dragons creator E.Gary Gygax has passed away.
Many an hour/day were lovingly lost in my youth as I battled with a team of fellow adventurers in pursuit of treasure and slaying monsters en route.

D&D was definitely an incredibly huge part of my youth (along with many other Role Playing Games).

Now where did I leave that D20?

BBC News report on this is here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7278927.stm

LastFM listening post 05/03/08

My top weekly tracks:



My top weekly artists:

New job for Dennis

Got a text from Dennis this morning saying that he starts a new job tomorrow. The money is slightly better, its direct payment to his bank account (rather than a cheque) and he also gets holiday pay. Really pleased for him as I know he wasn't overly impressed with the place he is at just now, hope it all works out as he could do with a decent break.

Friday night blow out

Sara informed me tonight that she won't be able to make the Hanoi Rocks gig this Friday night :o(
We realised that everything we had agreed to do last August we have consistently failed to achieve, not a great track record LMFAO.
Have offered the ticket to Dennis instead so hopefully he'll be able to make it.

Executive Fashionista in residence!

*hehe*
Was talking my friend Kaz on MSN today and were discussing what outfit she should be wearing for a Friday night shindig, including a wee bit of eBay browsing.
It became very apparent that I LOVE helping advise my female counterparts in the area of fashion. So not only am I K.T.Glitz, mistress of the Trash Queen Lollipop Shock! but I am now an Executive Fashionista in residence, YAY!

Hello Kitty rockz

Ah me, here's some Hello Kitty stuff just because she rockz!

Goth Kitty


More Goth Kitty


I want this!


And this!

Update on nan

Spoke to mum and nan isn't really getting much better. Seems like her memory is starting to fade more and more. She has said that I should try and get to see her as soon as I can otherwise it might be a lot more traumatic for me if nan doesn't even remember who I am when I go. Will have to arrange some time off work (as weekends seem to be getting busier and busier). Am really nervous about going but know that I should do.

Found my keys!

Found my keys!
Didn't take long either thank god, they were tucked deep in the pocket of the leather jacket that I had worn to Hazel's on Saturday night. Stress over now YAY!

Vendetta Club on Saturday 8th March

It's coming round again, YAY!

Spiritwalker

Let it be beautiful when I sing the last song
I will give you even my body
Spiritwalker
Let all the children kiss the sun before they sing their last song
I will give you even my body
Spiritwalker

Let the sun shine on me when I sing the last song
I will give you even my body
Spiritwalker
Let all the children kiss the stars before they sing their last song
I will give you even my body
Spiritwalker

Spiritwalker...

Let all the children kiss the sun before they sing their last song
Let all the children kiss the sun before they sing their last song

I will have the whole world to make music with me

Spiritwalker...

Dreamwalker
Starwalker
Sunwalker
Spiritwalker
Spiritwalker

Dreamwalker
Starwalker
Sunwalker
Windwalker
Windwalker
Windwalker
Windwalker

Spirit, spirit, spirit...

- Spiritwalker (The Cult)

The Keeper Of The Seven Keys

You're the keeper of the seven keys
That lock up the seven seas

- excerpt from The Keeper Of The Seven Keys (Helloween)

He may well be the keeper but can I have mine back please! Spent ages this morning trying to find my door keys but to no avail. They must have been chucked down somewhere in the bedroom at the weekend but I can't find them at all. Guess I am going to be turning the place upside down tonight trying to locate them. It's like a comfort zone knowing that I have them and I feel incomplete with them missing LMFAO!

Chieftains 5 Jets 6 (after penalties)

Sam and I headed into town on the bus to watch the hockey, it's been a while since we have had to do that!

We decided to kill time in Starbucks where I caught him unawares:


Hockey wasn't great. First two periods were woeful with the scoreline ending 1 - 2 at the end of the first and then 3 - 4 at the end of the second. Chieftains just didn;t look like a team that were fighting for a play off spot. It looked like things were ready to kick off when the second period ended so we were hopeful for the third.

Third period was MUCH better with the Chieftains equalising (and a wonderful chant of FOUR, SKINNS for the Jets goalie) and then taking the score to 5 - 4 before conceding one more in the last minute to take the game to overtime. Despite the Jets outshooting the Chieftains by 8 shots to 1 on goal overtime ended a 5 - 5 draw and onto the nerve wracking penalty shoot out. Unfortunately Jets came out on top but the Chieftains played well and at least they got a point.

Someone was talking to Slough player Les Millie tonight and it seems that things could get interesting in Romford next Sunday! A few of us have decided that if the Chieftains lose on Saturday (effectively putting them out of the play off race) then we might all go to Romford instead to see if things kick off. Due to timing we could still make it back for half of the Chieftains game.

Here are a couple of silly pictures:
Our usual seats:


A view of the ice:



Capitals made it a four point weekend with a 3 - 4 overtime win against Basingstoke last night and a good 1 - 3 road win against league leaders Coventry Blaze. This now takes the Capitals into 8th place in the league and in with the chance of a play off spot (as long as they can keep it together and Basingstoke don't).

Another day of taking it easy

Woke up at a reasonable hour and started doing a bit of tidying up and laundry.
Toni had to leave by 11 as she was picking up Jade, Aaron and Gemima and taking them over to her nan's, where her much was as well so they could all spend Mother's Day together.

I managed to finally get Hazel's website finished, take a look here: www.hvphotography.co.uk

Sam and I watched some the second series of The Young Ones and had a late lunch before moving on to The Comic Strip Presents: Mr. Jolly Lives Next Door. After that it was time to get ready for the good old hockey game.

Lazy Saturday

Having got in at 08:30 it was time for some much needed sleep and a day of not doing very much. Toni had to go into Chelmsford to but some presents for Mother's Day so we headed in late afternoon. Just before we left there was a bit of a crisis with Nick and Aaron and Gemima that Toni had start sorting out. We did a little shopping and picked up some stuff for tea and then headed back home.

When we got back Hazel rang to see if we were still popping over tonight so we said we'd go around for about 20:00.

Settled down to a nice tex-mex style dinner and watched The Young Ones DVD. Toni popped upstairs to make a "quick" call to Nick which turned out to be a very long slog. I ended up crashing out on the sofa. Toni came downstairs just after nine so I text Hazel to see if she still wanted us which she did. Toni, Sam and I drove over with a bottle of wine for a short while but we left around 22:45 as we were all knackered, was nice to go and be social for a short while though.