Monday, September 20, 2004      Currently wetting pants and Birthday Remix

OK. Just returned from HMV with a big bag of loot.

Not just 3 x Butterflies and Hurricanes singles (CD, DVD + 7"), the new The Music album and Blues Explosion's new single, but also the gold at the end of the geek's rainbow -- The Star Wars Trilogy DVD Box Set. And because its me buying them - its of course the HMV Exclusive Gold box with the half price Gold Box Set soundtracks. Of course it is you all say -- you'd expect nothing else..... and the sick thing is I believe I might have a Region 4 (Australian) box set back home waiting for my return.

So I'm sitting here just wetting myself, awaiting the 5:30pm departure.

And for God's sake -- its my birthday tomorrow, not today.........

Later that night....
While waiting for my birthday to arrive, I played around with the bonus stuff on the Muse Butterflies and Hurricanes CD single which allows you to remix their song with cool software - u-myx.

So download my Butterflies and Hurricanes NRG Remix.

Posted by Nick @ 1:08 pm      0 comments

Tuesday, September 14, 2004      Best. Weekend. Ever. [at least in London]

As I mentioned in my previous post the weekend that just past was the best I've had here in London. I went to the coastal town of Brighton, a little bigger than our (South Australia's) Brighton -- more like the size of Manly. We started after work getting picked up by my boss's mate, Chris, who drove us my bos, Tim, my friend Julia and me, down there. Now we dicked around dropping things off (to Chris' mums) getting a few travellers (Stella longneck - gold) and trying to peel Chris' brother out of bed to come along (he'd had a big night previous). We ended up at Brighton at around 10pm - its about a 1 1/2 - 2 hour drive based on where you leave from and the time of day; London traffic is pretty mental.

We dropped at another friend of my boss', Dawn, who was a friend he met in New Zealand. She was great, had a funky little house in Brighton about 50m from the beach. A quick beer there and some hounding phone calls from the other crowd that was meeting us at the club we were going to and we're moving. We get into the Honey Club to groove to some Hed Kandi DJs - we met up with the rest of the gang and grooved until 3am. This dancing doesn't beat a good game of basketball but it helps with a bit of fitness once in a while.

So we leave the club and start to wander the streets heading back to Dawn's, or at least in that direction. We run into three British girls, very drunk, just wandering up the road. The start some conversations and get to me and start chatting. Aaahh the only Australian in the immediate area (I had 5 English and an Irish with me) - so I coped it. Bad jokes about shrimps, kangaroos and the usual accent ribbing poured out, amongst the giggles of my mates alongside of me. So we followed these girls to a house party, met the owner of the house who knew no one he saw. We were there for maybe 3 minutes - so we headed back to Dawns, losing Chris in the meantime.

Back at Dawn's I'm in and out of consciousness (sleep not drunk) lying flat on the floor. The sofa gets unfolded and one of the party crashes out. The phone rings and Chris is telling us we've got the all clear to return to the party. I eye off the free side of the sofa bed and am out like a light -- it is 6am.

I awake at 8am, head to the beach (in all its pebbled glory - jeesh we're lucky at home), and find the rest of my group minus the dozer still on the sofa bed, on the beach rugged up and just chilling. We stick around there until the coffee shop within our sleep-deprived vision opens and scoff down coffees and toast (an inch thick by the way) for 90 minutes. So for the next 2 or 3 hours we chill out on the shore front wandering aimlessly, crashing out on the beach, throwing pebbles at seagulls (the poms don't like them either) and finally hitting another bar for a jug of Pimms.

We leave and I get home about 5 and crash out. My housemate Steve is in the exact same state when he arrives around 7 and we hit the lounge and watch Shawshank Redemption. Now this is the first time I've seen this film - much to everyone's gasps I can here - and it was pretty good. I really knew nothing about it so the twists I enjoyed; I didn't think it was the most fantastic film I'd ever seen (its not a DVD purchase which is my yard stick) but it was good for a lazy Staurday night.

I get a call from Tim (my boss) at about 10pm saying "you have to be free tomorrow". So I'm gearing up for work, but then am told myself and Julia (friend who came to Brighton) have been invited to Chris' (Brighton driver) Mum's place for a traditional Carribean meal. Shocked but smiling.

Sunday morning arrives, have bacon and eggs for breaky (housemate cooked and delivered) and I sit in bed on my laptop (just like now but with a shirt on) and chat on Messenger to Mum and Dad (with their new webcam) and my sister. Great to say hi, and especailly see Mum and Dad - first time basically in two months. Then I catch up online with a group of mates (Jim, Lex, Bart, Thommo, Kerri, Sal, Rob, Ursula) online who have all congregated at Cherry's (super party producer and fabulous girl) for a curry and a chat to there not-so-forgotten mate in London. It was a blast - three hours of people coming back and forth in front of a web cam chatting away like we were only a room apart. And of course the same stupid banter flew back and forth - man I miss you guys. I'm still waiting for all but one of you to email me with when I should meet you at Heathrow....

Sunday afternoon comes by and I shower for the first time since Friday morning (smelly) and hop on the tube to Chris' Mum's place. Greeted at the pub across the road, down a few pints then off to the house. Julia and I are greeted with a hug and a kiss from the most friendly woman I've met in a long time. We're given drinks, sit and chat and move around, then sit down for the best home cooked meal. YUM! Lots of veges and some beautifully cooked beef in some awesome gravy. I was in food heaven. Scoffed too much and swaggered around to the reggae music filling the rooms in the house. It was just all so cool. You meet a guy on a Friday and on Sunday you're having dinner with his Mum - and I got the open invite. Chris needs to expect SMSes every few Saturdays -- So dinner on Sunday again Bro?

Another bonus is I saw some pounds I can call my own. Natwest has finally pulled their fingers out and sent me information, cards and access to my funds online. I'm just waiting for my PIN numbers and I'll be a real [london] boy! £500+ just sitting there wanting to be spent and another £1400+ on its way. Translating that into $AUS puts a bit of a smile on my face.

Work is keeping me busy. Very busy. Like extremely busy. 10-12 hour days, two clients about to launch, one being our biggest client (why did I get this one?) and the other probably being the fastest ever delivered client. Come end of September I'll either be a God or gone - lets aim for the first one. But I still need to learn to let go of my projects, be less hands on (but I'm very good with them!) and more of a delegator. Its a struggle for me, but I'm learning to wander the office making sure everyone gets what they need to get done, make sure the client is still talking to me and not yelling and keep my team moving along -- Kit Kats help here! The weekend looks potentially half filled with work, but I'm not fussed - I'll rest in October.

One last thing. I was called up by my close friend Diana today, for her to tell me her Grandmother passed away on Sunday.

You said I was so very tall, but I never missed you,
You were always such a big character for someone of such small stature.
And your heart was big with a grin to match.
You always looked up at me, smiling, ready for a kiss hello.
We'd sit, we'd eat, you talked and I listened,
And you always made me smile with your great stories of times gone past.
I shed a small tear for you today.
I will miss you but know you are happy alongside your husband once again.
Rest in peace Mrs Howard x x

My heart goes out to Diana, Sarah, Fulvia, Jim and the rest of the family who I send a big hug to.

Posted by Nick @ 11:22 pm      0 comments

Monday, September 13, 2004      Excuses and excitement

Had the best weekend I've had in London, but too tired to write about it - includes I have pounds now, Brighton, dancing, pebbles, Shawshank, bacon and eggs, webcam and workmates, and a traditional Jamaican home cooked meal by a mate's mum.

The Blues Explosion are touring London and have a new album out in 2 weeks. I'm so stoked.

The Star Wars DVDs come out in 10 days and I'm wetting myself.

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocense trailer. Best Keanu impression - Woah!

Its my birthday Tuesday week. Not too phased.


Posted by Nick @ 1:03 am      0 comments

Wednesday, September 01, 2004      Hail Apple, Medulla and Bourne Crap

OK. I don't like their computers, or their website but I definitely like their service. I sent off my iPOD for service (after I'd sucked all the songs off it) and it took less than a week to get it delivered back to work. Its a fresh new one, so thats grand as my old was scratched to buggery. I've just completed the re-upload of the songs and its all happening for a return to The Tube with Tunes.

More iPOD stuff -- iPODlounge have the coolest feature - how to get WMAs onto your iPOD. I tested with a Muse Remix I found at work [we have a HUGE MP3 server at work] and it was flawless. Such good news, and now I can pilfer works drive even more!

And i can even add my new CDs to my 'POD - Sing For Absolution Dutch 3-disc and Bjork Medulla. More Muse, and [wow] is Medulla cool or not. I got sucked in and bought the SACD version and the DVD version yesterday. Primarily the DVD was for the 45 minute doco on the disc and if I could get the tunes of it onto my hard drive I was going to take the SACD back. No such luck or patience. So I cooked a nice beef coconut curry and sat down and watched the doco before I listened to the album. Details how it was made, and how it is a vocal album - hardly any instruments. Its quite unique in its sounds - but I do believe you have to be a Bjork fan to truly enjoy it. It can be pretty odd at times. And Bjork has a number of guest vocals on the album - including Mike Patton from Faith No More and Tomahawk fame so thats really cool.

Saw Bourne Supremacy tonight. Actually meant to catch Chronicles of Riddick but got 20 past 9 mixed up with 20 to 9, so I went to watch Matt Damon as it was a flick I wanted to see. I am pretty tired because of the mix of drugs and sickness, but I actually must say that this movie was pretty weak as it had me dozing off slightly. It has a few good bits [which are all really short], another cool car chase, but thats about it. Very disappointed actually. It just seemed like a filler for the third film [which they must be making soon].

So I'm still sick, it can't decide whether its a throat, sinus or chest infection at the moment. I'm stuffed up, I've consitently got a headache and I'm coughing up some beuaties while on the phone to friends who shouldn't be hearing that happen! Sorry x. Lets hope it all improves as I heard rumours for a nice weekend [it getting colder in the mornings already] as I really want to play tourist again.

Posted by Nick @ 11:52 pm      0 comments