High up in the sky
I went to Belfast with LSD last weekend – the city has changed a lot since it used to appear on the news, but it still has some way to go. The various flags you see in any street are testimony to that. The scenery was amazing though. Eire is so green. We took a drive up the coast to Glenariff, which is spectacular and the waterfalls there are very impressive. LSD’s father and I took a hike down and I’ve got some pretty nice pictures that I will upload later. We also visited the shipyard where the Titanic was built. The funny thing is, it looks a lot smaller than I expected, but it had a very narrow hull. Judging by some of the cruise ships, they can be massively tall!
I’ve just seen a big passenger plane fly past escorted by a couple of fighters. Dunno who it was but it was pretty low, and not on the normal approach – possibly under the radar? Maybe Obama is in the country – the fighters were pretty damn close, and passenger jet looked like Air Force One… If Gordon Brown is in Dunfermline where his constituency is, that’d make sense. Interesting.
Tonight, I’m relaxing after a pretty heavy four days at work. What a wimp. I’m currently watching the Star Trek: DS9 episodes of the “Way of the Warrior”, and it’s one of the better ones. A Star Trek episode with Klingons is always worth watching. And Gowron has crazy eyes!
I’ve committed myself to a number of games at ORC in October and beyond. I’m running an eBranch game “Blood-dimmed tide”, the second Dark Heresy game of “Shadow on the Warp”, and a Cthulhutech game set in Tokyo with Tagers. Hopefully I’ve not over-committed myself, as I’m also considering relaunching Ashes of Freedom…
I’ve edited a few parts of the website and added a Coppermine gallery area. I’m planning to upload my various photos soon, along with the black-and-white pictures I took in Prague on my first trip. I’m kind of proud of them – they look sepia-toned. It’s going to take a little time, but I’ll get there. The host provider I have, Fuzioned.com, is brilliant – I’m able to create sub-domains and it’s a lot easier to maintain things.
Everythings changing
As many people know, I enjoy a drink. However, I’ve decided to restrict my intake to the weekends and Mondays. It’s too easy to start a bottle of wine and finish it. Plus, the skin on my hands appears to have an allergic reaction to the sulphites.
I’m off the first two weeks of May and I’m going to use the time to try and get some stuff done around the flat like the window frames. I’m definitely going to get someone in to do the work I think. I could do most of it, but there’s a couple of tricky bits, plus a beading. Either way, I need to varnish the woodwork around the frames, then paint the softwood panelling I plan to put in. At the end of the day, I’ll be doing some work on it whichever way I look at it.
Edinburgh is beautiful at the moment. Everything is in bloom and the weather is fantastic. The Bush Estate where I work looks amazing, and again I’m grateful for a job that gets me out of the city. It may be a long haul there and back again, but I think it’s worth it.
I’m planning to avoid the longer walk back from Morningside though. If I do, it’s going to be at a slower pace. My stomach seems to get upset by the journey. At first I thought it was because I wasn’t eating 5-a-day, but I know that’;s not the case. My upper body is getting more bulky too. I’ve not got a gut, it’s solid – although I plan to try and get more press-ups in.
I’ve made something of a landmark decision regarding Ashes of Freedom D&D campaign. I’m going to return it to a 3.5 setting, but with a few ideas from Star Wars Saga edition. I’m having trouble knuckling down though. I’ve decided to merge the two groups as things were becoming something of a challenge running on a weekly basis.
I’ve recently uploaded a lot of photos to my Facebook account. My trips to Tokyo, Prague, Rome, and Vancouver (and Newtonmore!) are all on there, along with some stuff from my college days, namely some old black-and-white pics. I only found some of them recently, but I forgot how many of them there were! Some are good, some are OK. The bad ones haven’t made it. I forgot that a lot of my old pics were taken with a 1-megapixel camera – that seems so retro now!
Survival of the unfittest
.. or unsteadiest!
I managed to get through the wedding with making too much of a twit of myself. Although I did manage to tread on Jane’s feet (the Bridesmaid). I believe that the whole sorry incident /waltz is going on YouTube soon. It’s safe to say I don’t do dancing – I can’t even do a simple waltz (back and forth in a circle? I managed the circle!). I had a good time meeting and greeting, and there weren’t too many cock-ups. Although I did resemble Borat in my suit, and made the mistake on mentioning it to Tommy the groom, who didn’t miss a chance. I was staying over in Currie, and I also had to race back to the flat to collect my shirt, after I forgot to put it in with the suit. The rings were a little tight I’m given to understand, but they fitted eventually
I was well and truly plastered when I got home that night – way too much Belhaven best and Rose wine! Speaking of getting plastered, WHAT a mess! The plasterers visited on Thursday, and managed to get globs of plaster everywhere. They got a lot of it on the tenement stairs, which I’ve cleaned tonight. Must be the first time in a decade that it’s been done, judging by the crap the mop picked up.
ANYWAY, here’s my Best man’s speech in it’s glorious(?) entirety. I even managed to work in a quote from Stargate: it’s rule 4. One of Jack O’Neill’s best comments.
Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. My name is Bill Heron, and I’m the Best man. Before I begin my speech, I’d like to make sure that all the exits are clear – just in case I have to leave in a hurry, you understand!
I’ve known Tommy (or Tam as his friends call him, amongst other names..) since we were in primary school together. Bearing in mind all the dirt that I’ve got on him, I’m surprised he asked me to be Best man. However, I’m happy to be here and included in the proceedings.
Writing this speech has given me some difficulty. I’d actually planned to deliver the it in a similar manner to one of Tommy’s stories. However, time is short, and I’m sure we’d like to get on with the reception before nightfall.
Now then, Tommy, I know you said that what happened in Prague stays in Prague. You didn’t say anything about Edinburgh!
Folks, I’d like you to look at Tommy’s expression – like a rabbit caught in headlights – note this expression, I’ve seen it many times recently. Pure, abject terror. You might also see it a few times during this speech.
As it is mainly family here I’ll be keeping it clean, so the only other person about to experience gut-wrenching paralytic fear during this speech is me.
Anyway, I’m sure that many of you would be fascinated to know the details of what happened on the stag nights in Prague and Edinburgh. Unfortunately I cannot disclose any details, as I promised Tommy I’d keep things free of smut: so, the story about the Swedish Women’s volleyball team and the bowl of coleslaw is out. So is the one with the wetsuit and a bucket of soapy frogs. The less said about the butter incident the better.
Here’s a little bit of history: I was there right from the start when Tam and Susan first met. I think it was my birthday, but it was certainly in November and we were all in the pub…
No, he wasn’t drunk. However, one thing leads to another so they say.
I first got the impression that Susan was the right girl for Tommy when he and I went to Tokyo a few weeks later.
For Christmas that year, Susan bought Tommy a watch. As a result of this, Tommy decided to get her something nice. We visited a LOT of shops in an effort for him to find something really special. Three things stand out: a set of knives, a pair of handcuffs, and a pair of earrings.
If I recall correctly, one of those was for Tommy’s own use! (oh, there’s the look again!)
Either way, he was very discerning in his quest. It took him days to find the right pair and he agonised over it up till then. I’d never seen him behave like that before. He took almost as long choosing the earrings.
Anyway, Susan was somewhat grateful I’m led to understand!
Moving swiftly on.
By the way, Susan you look beautiful today – hopefully you won’t hit me too hard later.
As is customary I’d like to congratulate Jane the bridesmaid on a difficult job well done – who, like me, had the task of getting someone to be in the right place at the right time. Well done! My job was easier – we were in the pub around the corner.
I’m supposed to offer up some advice on married life. Unfortunately, I’m not really qualified to do so. Then again, maybe I am – it depends on your concepts of freedom and commitment I guess. By the way, Susan, you won’t need to get him whipped into shape. That’s already been done, as I’m sure you’re aware.
- A woman has the last word in any argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.
- Tommy, here’s a useful phrase from American law that you may find useful: “I cannot reply to that question on the grounds that it might incriminate me”.
- Women have shoes, gossip and shopping. Men have sci-fi, sport, and games. One gender cannot comprehend the other’s fascinations.
- We men speak our minds on relationship issues – that’s why we don’t say much!
After that character assassination, I’d like to pay tribute to Tommy’s dependability and steadfastness – I’ve actually got “stubborn git” written down here. He’s a good mate and someone that can be relied upon; one of his teachers called him “ready beck” at school. It might also because of his inability to shift any time before 11am, just like the cereal of the same name.
In closing, I’d like to take this moment to wish Susan the best of luck, sorry, the happy COUPLE the best of luck – the best of health – oh, and my apologies!
So now, without any further ado: Ladies and Gentlemen: to Tommy and Susan.
At least they’re still speaking to me…
