Heh time for another song with silly lyrics I think. I say silly, because from personal experience opposites most defnately do not attract. I also have a hard time believing that any two people as opposite as the pair in this song are, would ever be compatible. Maybe I'm being too cynical, but the couple in this song (in my opinion) would spend their entire time arguing. Course all that anger and passion could make for a tempestous relationship I suppose.
Opposites Attract by Paula Abdul
Baby seems we never ever agree
You like the movies
And I like T.V.
I take thing serious
And you take 'em light
I go to bed early
And I party all night
Our friends are sayin'
We ain't gonna last
Cuz I move slowly
And baby I'm fast
I like it quiet
And I love to shout
But when we get together
It just all works out
I take--2 steps forward
I take--2 steps back
We come together
Cuz opposites attract
And you know--it ain't fiction
Just a natural fact
We come together
Cuz opposites attract
Who'd a thought we could be lovers
She makes the bed
And he steals the covers
She likes it neat
And he makes a mess
I take it easy
Baby I get obsessed
She's got the money
And he's always broke
I don't like cigarettes
And I like to smoke
Things in common
There just ain't a one
But when we get together
We have nothin' but fun
I take--2 steps forward
I take--2 steps back
We come together
Cuz opposites attract
And you know--it ain't fiction
Just a natural fact
We come together
Cuz opposites attract
I take--2 steps forward
I take--2 steps back
We come together
Cuz opposites attract
And you know--it ain't fiction
Just a natural fact
We come together
Cuz opposites attract
Baby ain't it somethin'
How we lasted this long
You and me
Provin' everyone wrong
Don't think we'll ever
Get our differences patched
Don't really matter
Cuz we're perfectly matched
I take--2 steps forward
I take--2 steps back
We come together
Cuz opposites attract
And you know--it ain't fiction
Just a natural fact
We come together
Cuz opposites attract
I take--2 steps forward
I take--2 steps back
We come together
Cuz opposites attract
And you know--it ain't fiction
Just a natural fact
We come together
Cuz opposites attract
Friday, December 01, 2006
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Lies Of Light: A Book Review
The backlog pile of these reviews is slowly but surely decreasing. Lies of Light by Phillip Athans is a Forgotten Realms novel and the second book in The Watercourse Trilogy, which details one visionary's attempt to build a canal that would link the Sea of Fallen Stars (the landlocked Inner Sea of Faerun) to the Lake of Steam (which then connects into the various outer seas & oceans). The canal would forever alter trade routes, and so for every group/nation that wants to see it built, there's another that doesn't... and many of those who don't are prepared to do anything to stop it being finished.
As with the previous book in the trilogy (Whisper of Waves), each chapter (of which there are many, 68 in all in a book 308 pages in length) is short and is also given a precise date. This is handy in keeping track of the story because the book covers several years worth of events (though nowhere near as many as the first book did).
The book follows Ivar Devorast as he works on his canal, aided by his dwarf stonemason friends Hrothgar & Vrengarl, and then later by the alchemist Surero whose experiments in smokepower, produce amazing results. Unfortunately for Devorast, back in the nearby city-state of Innarlith change is in the air. The Red Wizard Marek Rymut doesn't want the canal built, as he makes a tidy sum of money using magic to shift goods and people from one sea to the other. To that extent he engineers a coup, replacing the Ransar (ruler of the city) who supported & funded the canal project, with one who views it as a huge waste of money and resources.
Undeterred by the sudden lack of funding coming from Innarlith (and not really surprised by it either), Devorast has already secured alternate sources of funding from foreign governments & agencies who are eager to have a shipping route to the outer seas. With the money come men too, and with the explosive power of Surero's smokepowder to boot, if anything the canal is now being built faster than before.
While a power struggle over the canal goes on, Willem's star rises in society whilst he slides into despair, having already been promoted beyond his ability, his sham of a marriage to the beautiful (and haunted) Phyrea (who actually desires Devorast), loses him the woman he truly loves. And all the while the genasi senator Pristoleph rises to power, unnoticed and unchecked.
The book is filled with genuinely interesting characters, even the ones you will despise (and if you're anything like me, then both Willem Korvan and Marek Rymut will be high on that list!) are fascinating to read about. There are many plot threads interweaving, spread over years of time and I am very interested to see how Mr. Athans is going to resolve all of this in the third and final book Scream Of Stone which is out in June 2007.
I'm going to award this book 4/5. It is a good read, but not quite as good as the first part I felt, in large because it is the middle part of the story and so there is no real beginning or ending to the tale, just a lot of plots continuing. There is very little resolution to anything in this book, and the parts where it seem like something is being resolved, really only serve to spur another plot element onwards. One thing is certain though, I really hope that Devorast gets to finish his canal, but I get the feeling that this trilogy isn't going to have a happy ending.
As with the previous book in the trilogy (Whisper of Waves), each chapter (of which there are many, 68 in all in a book 308 pages in length) is short and is also given a precise date. This is handy in keeping track of the story because the book covers several years worth of events (though nowhere near as many as the first book did).
The book follows Ivar Devorast as he works on his canal, aided by his dwarf stonemason friends Hrothgar & Vrengarl, and then later by the alchemist Surero whose experiments in smokepower, produce amazing results. Unfortunately for Devorast, back in the nearby city-state of Innarlith change is in the air. The Red Wizard Marek Rymut doesn't want the canal built, as he makes a tidy sum of money using magic to shift goods and people from one sea to the other. To that extent he engineers a coup, replacing the Ransar (ruler of the city) who supported & funded the canal project, with one who views it as a huge waste of money and resources.
Undeterred by the sudden lack of funding coming from Innarlith (and not really surprised by it either), Devorast has already secured alternate sources of funding from foreign governments & agencies who are eager to have a shipping route to the outer seas. With the money come men too, and with the explosive power of Surero's smokepowder to boot, if anything the canal is now being built faster than before.
While a power struggle over the canal goes on, Willem's star rises in society whilst he slides into despair, having already been promoted beyond his ability, his sham of a marriage to the beautiful (and haunted) Phyrea (who actually desires Devorast), loses him the woman he truly loves. And all the while the genasi senator Pristoleph rises to power, unnoticed and unchecked.
The book is filled with genuinely interesting characters, even the ones you will despise (and if you're anything like me, then both Willem Korvan and Marek Rymut will be high on that list!) are fascinating to read about. There are many plot threads interweaving, spread over years of time and I am very interested to see how Mr. Athans is going to resolve all of this in the third and final book Scream Of Stone which is out in June 2007.
I'm going to award this book 4/5. It is a good read, but not quite as good as the first part I felt, in large because it is the middle part of the story and so there is no real beginning or ending to the tale, just a lot of plots continuing. There is very little resolution to anything in this book, and the parts where it seem like something is being resolved, really only serve to spur another plot element onwards. One thing is certain though, I really hope that Devorast gets to finish his canal, but I get the feeling that this trilogy isn't going to have a happy ending.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Shadowbred: A Book Review
Jumping the queue a bit is a book that I just finished reading in the early hours of this morning. Shadowbred by Paul S. Kemp is a Forgotten Realms novel, and it is the first book of The Twilight War trilogy. The book is a direct sequel to Mr. Kemp's earlier novels Shadow's Witness and the Erevis Cale trilogy (Twilight Falling, Dawn Of Night and Midnight's Mask), and is set about a year after the end of the trilogy in the Year of Lightning Storms (1374DR). As you can see I've read and reviewed all of the authors previous books featuring his main character, so I apologise in advance if any bias rears its head in this review.
The book opens with a chapter showing just what Erevis Cale has been doing since defeating the Sojourner, in the year since those events. In essence he has retired to the country, living a simple life in a cottage with the woman Varra who he rescued from Skullport. Still as the opening chapter shows, old habits die hard, and Cale made a promise to his late friend Jak Fleet to try and be a hero, so at night when his lady sleeps, he has been shadow-walking around the area, battling monsters and villains. Try as he might, Cale cannot deny what he is.
Elsewhere the Shadovar (residents of the sinister city of Shade) are scheming, having spent the couple years since their return to Faerun futiley trying to ressurect their long dead empire. Resigning themselves to defeat on that front, they put into motion plans to gain themselves a new empire... beginning with Sembia, a decadent nation of allied city states, ruled by merchants. and in a land where money and profit rule, corruption is never far behind.
Using lies, hidden agents and murder, the Shadovar easily manipulate Sembia into civil war, a war where they, unseen, will control both forces, allowing them to weaken Sembia to the point where a takeover by their own forces is easy, and perhaps even desired on the part of a war-weary populace. A very clever bit of writing, and not at all dissimilar to the essential plotline of the Sith's manipulations in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
Drawn into this growing chaos by his old ties to the Uskevren family of Selgaunt, and by the desires of his god Mask, who he has shunned for the past year, Cale immediatly begins to realise that something is terribly wrong in Sembia. To say more than that would be to spoil what is one of the best written books I've read this year... and I've read a LOT of good books this year!
There are some truly awesome sequences to read about in this book, such as a night fight between a hundred armed and dangerous men on horseback and Cale, the first amongst the Chosen of Mask, a priest and assassin. Or the meeting in a dirty alleyway between Cale and his God who is "slumming it". Other characters make a welcome return too, both Magadon Kest who has a very personal struggle to overcome, and though we are kept waiting for him, Mask's number two man, Drasek Riven, Cale's proverbial partner in crime is here too, changed in some ways, but still a bona fide bastard when he needs to be!
The Shadovar are truly nasty villains, evil, scheming, a bit oily at times, but the power these men command is never in doubt in the way they carry themselves, the way they speak. They are epic villains and they behave as such, without ever coming across as being pompous. Unsurprisingly I award this book my highest marks, 5/5 and I'm now eagerly waiting for the second book in the trilogy... bit of a bummer then that it's not out until August 2007!!
The book opens with a chapter showing just what Erevis Cale has been doing since defeating the Sojourner, in the year since those events. In essence he has retired to the country, living a simple life in a cottage with the woman Varra who he rescued from Skullport. Still as the opening chapter shows, old habits die hard, and Cale made a promise to his late friend Jak Fleet to try and be a hero, so at night when his lady sleeps, he has been shadow-walking around the area, battling monsters and villains. Try as he might, Cale cannot deny what he is.
Elsewhere the Shadovar (residents of the sinister city of Shade) are scheming, having spent the couple years since their return to Faerun futiley trying to ressurect their long dead empire. Resigning themselves to defeat on that front, they put into motion plans to gain themselves a new empire... beginning with Sembia, a decadent nation of allied city states, ruled by merchants. and in a land where money and profit rule, corruption is never far behind.
Using lies, hidden agents and murder, the Shadovar easily manipulate Sembia into civil war, a war where they, unseen, will control both forces, allowing them to weaken Sembia to the point where a takeover by their own forces is easy, and perhaps even desired on the part of a war-weary populace. A very clever bit of writing, and not at all dissimilar to the essential plotline of the Sith's manipulations in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
Drawn into this growing chaos by his old ties to the Uskevren family of Selgaunt, and by the desires of his god Mask, who he has shunned for the past year, Cale immediatly begins to realise that something is terribly wrong in Sembia. To say more than that would be to spoil what is one of the best written books I've read this year... and I've read a LOT of good books this year!
There are some truly awesome sequences to read about in this book, such as a night fight between a hundred armed and dangerous men on horseback and Cale, the first amongst the Chosen of Mask, a priest and assassin. Or the meeting in a dirty alleyway between Cale and his God who is "slumming it". Other characters make a welcome return too, both Magadon Kest who has a very personal struggle to overcome, and though we are kept waiting for him, Mask's number two man, Drasek Riven, Cale's proverbial partner in crime is here too, changed in some ways, but still a bona fide bastard when he needs to be!
The Shadovar are truly nasty villains, evil, scheming, a bit oily at times, but the power these men command is never in doubt in the way they carry themselves, the way they speak. They are epic villains and they behave as such, without ever coming across as being pompous. Unsurprisingly I award this book my highest marks, 5/5 and I'm now eagerly waiting for the second book in the trilogy... bit of a bummer then that it's not out until August 2007!!
Saturday, November 25, 2006
The Sea Devil's Eye: A Book Review
Right, I am now on holiday for the next week, so no more work making cream cakes for a few days, which means I can (hopefully) crack into the frankly hideous backlog I have of things to type up. Like the reviews of the last five novels I've read, all of which are piled up (neatly) at one side of my desk awaiting my attention. So without further waffle from me, let's make a start.
The Sea Devil's Eye by Mel Odom is a Forgotten Realms novel and the final part of the Threat From The Sea Trilogy, which details a war waged on the coastal realm sof Faerun by an alliance of evil undersea creatures (primarily the sahuagin), led by the villainous & mysterious Iakhovas. The book begins a couple months after the events of the previous book (Under Fallen Stars), and also after the short story One Who Swims With Sekolah (also by Mel Odom) which is included in the anthology Realms of the Deep.
We join the narrative as Pacys the elderly human bard is watching the sea elves fight (and lose) a desperate battle with the sahuagin at the site of the Sharksbane Wall, which has just been shattered (as detailed in the short story I mentioned). There he and Khlinat bear witness to the fury of the long imprisoned sahuagin, now freed from behind the wall to terrorise the Inner Sea for the first time in centuries.
Jherek meanwhile is still trying to recover an item he lost from the pirate Vurgrom, accompanied by the paladin Glawinn, the pirate Azla and the lady mage Sabyna. He is growing as a man, maturing, each of his companions (but primarily Glawinn) helping him to become what he needs to be, as all of them can feel the pull of destiny attached to him. This scares Sabyna, she is already confused over her feelings for him, and can't understand why he seems to keep her at arms length, even while obviously having strong feelings for her.
Elsewhere, the malenti priestess Laaqueel serves Iakhovas, but she is troubled having heard another voice calling to her, and not that of her God. This other voice speaks calmly, gently and shows her the truths that her master would keep from her, that Iakhovas is not what he appears to be.
To say any more than that would be to spoil the plot of what is a really gripping tale. I found myself always eager to find out what happened next. If I have a complaint, it would be the same one I've seen voiced on many other revies of this book, and that is that the finale is rushed. I feel another 40-50 pages would have made for a better book. As it is after 3 books of plots, slow and steady character growth, romance, and much derring-do, the main villain is disposed of in a really short fight. Also the big reveal of what he actually is, was a bit of a let down (especially since the front cover completely gives it away!).
All in all, I'm going to give this book 4/5. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and some of the characters I would very much like to read further stories about (particularly Glawinn, who is one of the best written paladins I've come across in any novel).
The Sea Devil's Eye by Mel Odom is a Forgotten Realms novel and the final part of the Threat From The Sea Trilogy, which details a war waged on the coastal realm sof Faerun by an alliance of evil undersea creatures (primarily the sahuagin), led by the villainous & mysterious Iakhovas. The book begins a couple months after the events of the previous book (Under Fallen Stars), and also after the short story One Who Swims With Sekolah (also by Mel Odom) which is included in the anthology Realms of the Deep.
We join the narrative as Pacys the elderly human bard is watching the sea elves fight (and lose) a desperate battle with the sahuagin at the site of the Sharksbane Wall, which has just been shattered (as detailed in the short story I mentioned). There he and Khlinat bear witness to the fury of the long imprisoned sahuagin, now freed from behind the wall to terrorise the Inner Sea for the first time in centuries.
Jherek meanwhile is still trying to recover an item he lost from the pirate Vurgrom, accompanied by the paladin Glawinn, the pirate Azla and the lady mage Sabyna. He is growing as a man, maturing, each of his companions (but primarily Glawinn) helping him to become what he needs to be, as all of them can feel the pull of destiny attached to him. This scares Sabyna, she is already confused over her feelings for him, and can't understand why he seems to keep her at arms length, even while obviously having strong feelings for her.
Elsewhere, the malenti priestess Laaqueel serves Iakhovas, but she is troubled having heard another voice calling to her, and not that of her God. This other voice speaks calmly, gently and shows her the truths that her master would keep from her, that Iakhovas is not what he appears to be.
To say any more than that would be to spoil the plot of what is a really gripping tale. I found myself always eager to find out what happened next. If I have a complaint, it would be the same one I've seen voiced on many other revies of this book, and that is that the finale is rushed. I feel another 40-50 pages would have made for a better book. As it is after 3 books of plots, slow and steady character growth, romance, and much derring-do, the main villain is disposed of in a really short fight. Also the big reveal of what he actually is, was a bit of a let down (especially since the front cover completely gives it away!).
All in all, I'm going to give this book 4/5. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and some of the characters I would very much like to read further stories about (particularly Glawinn, who is one of the best written paladins I've come across in any novel).
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
A Leash
I bought a leash today on my way back from the cinema. I'd been meaning to get one for a while, and since my walk home took me past the Pets At Home store and they were open, I decided I might as well get it while I was in that part of town.
So I go in and they have a very nice range of pet leads in leather, cord, that horrid synthetic stuff and of course chain. Me being a Gorean, I go for the chain. 40" in length with a black leather handle and a snap fastening. A steal at £4.99.
I take it to the counter and the girl there rings it up and asks what kind of dog I have.
"Ohh I don't have a dog, it's for my kajira" I reply (even though I don't actually have a kajira as yet).
"Kah gee rah?" and a puzzled look is the reply I get as I'm typing in my pin number.
"Got a bit of paper and a pen?" I ask, and sure enough she produces such. I write down the word KAJIRA in capitals for her, slide it back to her and smile as I say "Look it up on Google. Good night" and taking my card and my newly bought leash, walk out of the store.
Sure wish I could be there to see her face if/when she does take my suggestion!
So I go in and they have a very nice range of pet leads in leather, cord, that horrid synthetic stuff and of course chain. Me being a Gorean, I go for the chain. 40" in length with a black leather handle and a snap fastening. A steal at £4.99.
I take it to the counter and the girl there rings it up and asks what kind of dog I have.
"Ohh I don't have a dog, it's for my kajira" I reply (even though I don't actually have a kajira as yet).
"Kah gee rah?" and a puzzled look is the reply I get as I'm typing in my pin number.
"Got a bit of paper and a pen?" I ask, and sure enough she produces such. I write down the word KAJIRA in capitals for her, slide it back to her and smile as I say "Look it up on Google. Good night" and taking my card and my newly bought leash, walk out of the store.
Sure wish I could be there to see her face if/when she does take my suggestion!
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Words Women Use
I saw this on a message board and I just had to repost it here. Enjoy:
FINE
This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.
FIVE MINUTES
If she is getting dressed, this is half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given 5 more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.
NOTHING
This is the calm before the storm. This means "something," and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with 'Nothing' usually end in "Fine"
GO AHEAD
This is a dare, not permission. Don't do it.
LOUD SIGH
This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A "Loud Sigh" means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over "Nothing"
THAT'S OKAY
This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can make to a man. "That's Okay" means that she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
THANKS
A woman is thanking you. Do not question it or faint. Just say "You're welcome."
WHATEVER
It's a woman's way of saying *!#@ YOU!
FINE
This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.
FIVE MINUTES
If she is getting dressed, this is half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given 5 more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.
NOTHING
This is the calm before the storm. This means "something," and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with 'Nothing' usually end in "Fine"
GO AHEAD
This is a dare, not permission. Don't do it.
LOUD SIGH
This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A "Loud Sigh" means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over "Nothing"
THAT'S OKAY
This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can make to a man. "That's Okay" means that she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
THANKS
A woman is thanking you. Do not question it or faint. Just say "You're welcome."
WHATEVER
It's a woman's way of saying *!#@ YOU!
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Writer's Block
AARRGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!
*puff, pant* Right I haven't exactly been writing a lot of late, mainly because my knack for figuring out how to write things seems to have deserted me. I have plenty of stuff to write about (I'm sat here with a small pile of novels in front of me needing reveiwing for starters), I just can't seem to find the motivation to do so of late. It's not that I'm bored of writing either, I love to write. I'm not bored of my blog either, I'm quite proud of my corner of the world wide web. so I don't know what is causing this general malaise of late, but I felt it important to at least put something here to explain the recent lack of posts.
Normal service will (hopefully) be shortly resumed.
*puff, pant* Right I haven't exactly been writing a lot of late, mainly because my knack for figuring out how to write things seems to have deserted me. I have plenty of stuff to write about (I'm sat here with a small pile of novels in front of me needing reveiwing for starters), I just can't seem to find the motivation to do so of late. It's not that I'm bored of writing either, I love to write. I'm not bored of my blog either, I'm quite proud of my corner of the world wide web. so I don't know what is causing this general malaise of late, but I felt it important to at least put something here to explain the recent lack of posts.
Normal service will (hopefully) be shortly resumed.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Looking Nice Again
So up until this evening if you went back through my blog it started looking a bit messy. Pictures missing (including the header picture), links not working or missing and generally the site looked untidy and half finished. Not so anymore, as I discovered Blogspot's neat "Republish Entire Blog" button. This has set every page in the blog now to the most recent standard, so the entire site looks as good as the front page. Now if only I could fix all the typo's that easily...
Sunday, October 29, 2006
There And Back Again
Today I've spent the past few hours in the city of Cardiff (capital city of Wales) visiting my relatives, something I'd not done in a few years. I went with my parents and my brother as a late addition to their trip (I was only asked yesterday if I had the day free), as Dad & Rhys were going up to watch a Rugby match and Mum was going to spend time first with Nan (her mother) and then after the other two returned from the match, to visit Grandma & Grampy (Dad's parents) for tea.
Since it's been a good couple years at least since I'd seen any of those relatives I eagerly agreed to join the trip, and so left the house at about 9:30am this morning to trek across town to my brothers flat, where we were to be picked up from by the parents at 10am. Sure enough they turned up on time, Mum sat in the back seat with their dog Shannon and so I grabbed the front seat next to Dad. The drive up was unevertful apart from noticing the new arrivals at the side of the motorway.
To explain: For years there was a large model camel at the end of a farmers field facing onto the motorway and it was there so long that it became something of a local landmark (so much so that when the farmer actually removed it to repair it, it made the local news as drivers had known to look out for it for years and could measure their remaining journey time from it!). So that started the trend. Then the district council added a huge piece of art in the shape of a wicker man... which got burned down by vandals, so they rebuilt it, doused it in flameproof stuff and put a moat around it to deter future burnings. So far this tactic has worked. The new arrival (for me at least as I'd not seen it before) was a large Tyrannosaurus Rex that has appeared to overlook the northbound side of the motorway, so that was amusing to see.
Anyway we got to Cardiff in time for lunch at Nan's. Now Mum had mentioned that there would be Clarks pies for lunch. There wasn't. This to me was a great shame, because as nice as the Chicken & Mushroom pies we had were, Clarks pies are on a level far above and beyond that of any other meat pie I've ever eaten. So when me & Mum took the dog for a walk a bit later on, I made sure to nip into the local store to get a couple of them, which are now in the fridge and will be my tea tomorrow night.
I napped on the sofa in Nan's for much of the afternoon, drifting in and out of consciousness. I guess I must have needed the sleep, though I'm not sure I want to know what I sounded like as apparently I scared the dog a few times. I have been told before that I growl in my sleep, so maybe the people who've told me that in the past weren't kidding after all!
Once Dad & Rhys returned it was off to see the Grandparents, where we enjoyed a nice picnic like tea of sandwiches, crisps and Grandma's ever fantastic trifle. Was sad to see that Grandma's arm is badly injured from a fall she took on holiday earlier this year, she holding it like it was a prosthesis and it showing about that level of movement. I really hope the doctors can sort that out for her soon. I wish I'd brought my digicam with me actually, as it has just occured to me that I have no photos of either of my Grandparents or my Nan for that matter.
The trip back was a blast from the past, driving in the dark now that the clocks have changed, it bringing back many memories of similar drives home in my youth, so I was quite quiet on the return trip. Dad was nice enough to swing past my house and drop me off pretty much on my doorstep, saving me a trek back across town. The pies are now in the fridge and I'm slurping a mug of coffee that has gone lukewarm (which doesn't bother me as I love coffee regardless of the temperature of the drink). It has been a good day.
Since it's been a good couple years at least since I'd seen any of those relatives I eagerly agreed to join the trip, and so left the house at about 9:30am this morning to trek across town to my brothers flat, where we were to be picked up from by the parents at 10am. Sure enough they turned up on time, Mum sat in the back seat with their dog Shannon and so I grabbed the front seat next to Dad. The drive up was unevertful apart from noticing the new arrivals at the side of the motorway.
To explain: For years there was a large model camel at the end of a farmers field facing onto the motorway and it was there so long that it became something of a local landmark (so much so that when the farmer actually removed it to repair it, it made the local news as drivers had known to look out for it for years and could measure their remaining journey time from it!). So that started the trend. Then the district council added a huge piece of art in the shape of a wicker man... which got burned down by vandals, so they rebuilt it, doused it in flameproof stuff and put a moat around it to deter future burnings. So far this tactic has worked. The new arrival (for me at least as I'd not seen it before) was a large Tyrannosaurus Rex that has appeared to overlook the northbound side of the motorway, so that was amusing to see.
Anyway we got to Cardiff in time for lunch at Nan's. Now Mum had mentioned that there would be Clarks pies for lunch. There wasn't. This to me was a great shame, because as nice as the Chicken & Mushroom pies we had were, Clarks pies are on a level far above and beyond that of any other meat pie I've ever eaten. So when me & Mum took the dog for a walk a bit later on, I made sure to nip into the local store to get a couple of them, which are now in the fridge and will be my tea tomorrow night.
I napped on the sofa in Nan's for much of the afternoon, drifting in and out of consciousness. I guess I must have needed the sleep, though I'm not sure I want to know what I sounded like as apparently I scared the dog a few times. I have been told before that I growl in my sleep, so maybe the people who've told me that in the past weren't kidding after all!
Once Dad & Rhys returned it was off to see the Grandparents, where we enjoyed a nice picnic like tea of sandwiches, crisps and Grandma's ever fantastic trifle. Was sad to see that Grandma's arm is badly injured from a fall she took on holiday earlier this year, she holding it like it was a prosthesis and it showing about that level of movement. I really hope the doctors can sort that out for her soon. I wish I'd brought my digicam with me actually, as it has just occured to me that I have no photos of either of my Grandparents or my Nan for that matter.
The trip back was a blast from the past, driving in the dark now that the clocks have changed, it bringing back many memories of similar drives home in my youth, so I was quite quiet on the return trip. Dad was nice enough to swing past my house and drop me off pretty much on my doorstep, saving me a trek back across town. The pies are now in the fridge and I'm slurping a mug of coffee that has gone lukewarm (which doesn't bother me as I love coffee regardless of the temperature of the drink). It has been a good day.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Evil Tony
So there was me this evening, curled up on the sofa downstairs in the lounge watching the newest episode of the BBC's new Robin Hood tv series when I feel a tap tap on one shoulder. This being a tactic of Tony when he wants my attention for some reason, I turned my head to look at him and it took every ounce of self control I have not to leap backwards out of my seat when I got a look at him. This is because Tony looked like this:
This is a photo that was taken a few minutes later, and in good lighting conditions, and it is still pretty scary looking. So you can likely imagine my expression when I looked at this rather hideous visage looming over me as I lay on the sofa!
I'm not entirely sure quite why Tony is dressed up as a member of the glam rock band Kiss tonight, but it being Halloween in just a few days and Gareth mentioning the Black Horse pub earlier (notorious for having edgy live bands play there), I'm going to guess he's gone to a gig of some sort. I can only imagine the looks he must have gotten walking through town looking like that!
As for me I spent my money on some suitable rock music to listen too, so I am writing this too the sound of Meatloaf's new album: Bat Out Of Hell III The Monster Is Loose. Certainly a fitting subtitle considering the creature this house has unleashed on Taunton tonight!
This is a photo that was taken a few minutes later, and in good lighting conditions, and it is still pretty scary looking. So you can likely imagine my expression when I looked at this rather hideous visage looming over me as I lay on the sofa!
I'm not entirely sure quite why Tony is dressed up as a member of the glam rock band Kiss tonight, but it being Halloween in just a few days and Gareth mentioning the Black Horse pub earlier (notorious for having edgy live bands play there), I'm going to guess he's gone to a gig of some sort. I can only imagine the looks he must have gotten walking through town looking like that!
As for me I spent my money on some suitable rock music to listen too, so I am writing this too the sound of Meatloaf's new album: Bat Out Of Hell III The Monster Is Loose. Certainly a fitting subtitle considering the creature this house has unleashed on Taunton tonight!
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Carnival Capers
Not that I got up to any capers mind you, I just stood and watched for a while. This evening Taunton had its annual carnival, an event that I'm not a fan of. Perhaps its being dragged down there as a kid by my prents to stand on a roadside and watch the floats and bands go by in the cold that soured me on the experience. that or it being roughly the same thing every year, so once you've seen it once, you're really missing all that much by skipping future perfomances.
Anyway, for whatever reason I've given the carnival a pretty wide berth for the last decade or so, and would have done so again tonight, only whilst talking to my friend Dan Shapter in work today, I came to the realisation that while I've seen it before, plenty of other people haven't. Such as most of the people reading this article. So I resolved to go down and watch it tonight and take my digicam with me to snap a few pics and post them here.
Well I went down and while I missed the first part of the carnival (cos it started at 7pm and I didn't get to the Market House to watch it go past there until about an hour later, because of watching the episode of Robin Hood that was on TV), I did watch the back half of the procession though and I took a load of photos... most of which have turned out crap. I took about 20 photos in all and out of that I have a grand total of two that are any good at all, so here they are:
As you can probably tell they are two halves of the same float. A shame really, as I would have preferred to have a couple different floats to show pics of, but if it has to be one, then I'm glad it was this one as it was big, loud, very bright and it looked stunning. I'll try and do a better Carnival report for next year.
Anyway, for whatever reason I've given the carnival a pretty wide berth for the last decade or so, and would have done so again tonight, only whilst talking to my friend Dan Shapter in work today, I came to the realisation that while I've seen it before, plenty of other people haven't. Such as most of the people reading this article. So I resolved to go down and watch it tonight and take my digicam with me to snap a few pics and post them here.
Well I went down and while I missed the first part of the carnival (cos it started at 7pm and I didn't get to the Market House to watch it go past there until about an hour later, because of watching the episode of Robin Hood that was on TV), I did watch the back half of the procession though and I took a load of photos... most of which have turned out crap. I took about 20 photos in all and out of that I have a grand total of two that are any good at all, so here they are:
As you can probably tell they are two halves of the same float. A shame really, as I would have preferred to have a couple different floats to show pics of, but if it has to be one, then I'm glad it was this one as it was big, loud, very bright and it looked stunning. I'll try and do a better Carnival report for next year.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Who's Leaving Who?
There is no special meaning for me to this song, in fact until I spotted it on www.allofmp3.com the other day whilst browsing compilations of 80's songs I had completely forgotten about it. Now that I think on it I actually used to own this track on 7" vinyl (and might still do so, as my old singles are presumably still in my parents attic where I packed them many moons ago). So anyway, in recognition of a fun song with a thumping disco beat, here are the lyrics to a song that I forgot, but am glad to have rediscovered.
Who's Leaving Who? by Hazell Dean
Here we are with goodbye in our eyes
Running out of reasons to try.
The leaves of change have fallen down
With both of us wondering why.
We're all alone but still it seems
We're thousands of miles apart.
The sands of time have shifted now
And the end is beginning to start.
And I don't know the answers
'Cause I don't know the questions
I'm just trying 'cause I don't even know -
Who's leaving who? Is it me? (Is it me?)
Is it you?
Do you think we could change if we knew?
Tell me who's leaving who?
Is there anything left we can do?
Can you tell me who's leaving who?
Talk to me.
Is there a chance, of working it out?
Heart to heart?
Can we go beyond our angry eyes
Before everything else falls apart?
And I don't know the answers
'Cause I don't know the questions
I'm just trying 'cause I don't even know -
Who's leaving who? Is it me? (Is it me?)
Is it you? . . .
And I don't know the answers
'Cause I don't know the questions
I'm just trying 'cause I don't even know
Who's leaving who? Is it me? (Is it me?)
Is it you? . . .
Who's Leaving Who? by Hazell Dean
Here we are with goodbye in our eyes
Running out of reasons to try.
The leaves of change have fallen down
With both of us wondering why.
We're all alone but still it seems
We're thousands of miles apart.
The sands of time have shifted now
And the end is beginning to start.
And I don't know the answers
'Cause I don't know the questions
I'm just trying 'cause I don't even know -
Who's leaving who? Is it me? (Is it me?)
Is it you?
Do you think we could change if we knew?
Tell me who's leaving who?
Is there anything left we can do?
Can you tell me who's leaving who?
Talk to me.
Is there a chance, of working it out?
Heart to heart?
Can we go beyond our angry eyes
Before everything else falls apart?
And I don't know the answers
'Cause I don't know the questions
I'm just trying 'cause I don't even know -
Who's leaving who? Is it me? (Is it me?)
Is it you? . . .
And I don't know the answers
'Cause I don't know the questions
I'm just trying 'cause I don't even know
Who's leaving who? Is it me? (Is it me?)
Is it you? . . .
Under Fallen Stars: A Book Review
Oy I need to be less lazy when it comes to writing up these book reviews, as now I've got a backlog sat on my desk to type up. Under Fallen Stars by Mel Odom is a Forgotten Realms novel and the second book of the Threat From The Sea trilogy. The theme of this trilogy is a devastating war waged by the evil undersea creatures of Faerun (primarily the sahuagin) against the good undersea races and also the surface dwellers who sail on the oceans and live along the coastlines. This book follows on from where Rising Tide left off with the various characters all heading towards the port city of Baldur's Gate.
What follows is a spectacular night assault on the city by pirates, sahuagin and various sea monsters that devastates the cities bustling port and hard presses the cities famous Flaming fist soldiers to prevent more of the city going up in flames. Jherek is in the thick of the fighting, alongside his new friend, a dwarf with a pegleg by the name of Khlinat Ironeater. Also in town, searching for Jherek is the elderly bard Pacys, drawn there by the epic song he is chasing.
While the battle rages above, Iakhovas and Laaqueel slip into the city unnoticed, retreiving an item that has long been hidden in the sewers, he again spending the lives of her people to provide a distraction adding fuel to his priestesses doubts about the nature of her master. The battle is very well written and I enjoyed it immensely. The aftermath finds Khlinat injured and Jherek wandering the streets in search of a priest to tend to his friend. It is there that he again encounters Sabyna, the pretty ships mage he befriended in the first book, and together the pair are captured (along wth her ship, its captain and crew) by Vurgrom, a pirate in the employ of Iakhovas.
As Jherek and Sabyna are sailed away from the city, heading upriver at a considerable speed (thanks to a strange chair that she is strapped into which adds power to the ship. From a D&D DM/players point of view, it was nice to see a Spelljamming Helm in use), so Pacys finds Khlinat, the two striking up a friendship as the bard learns about Jherek from the dwarf, quickly getting over his despair at having missed/lost the lad he had been drawn too, reasoning that if his god had intended for him to meet Jherek then, then he would have and such a meeeting must be ordained for a later date.
Iakhovas meanwhile reveals what he took from beneath Baldur's Gate to a less than impressed Laaqueel, a ship in a bottle. But not just any ship, this is the Tarjana, a mudship capable of sailing through anything, and a floating fortress from which he intends to command the next phase of his war. Taking the bulk of his kingdoms warriors, Iakhovas opens a portal and brings them through it with him, Laaqueel and his ship to the Inner Sea of Faerun, a place that the undersea residents of it call Seros, and which everyone else calls The Sea of Fallen Stars. Here he rallies the sahuagin of that sea to his cause in a rousing finale to the book.
By the end of the book all the major players have made their way to The Sea of Fallen Stars, Sabyna accompanying Jherek when they finally get free of Vurgom's clutches, the pair travelling with a paladin of Lathander (God of the Dawn) by the name of Glawinn (arguably my favourite character in the series) to a port where they join the crew of Black Champion a ship under the command of the half-elf Captain Azla, she a fierce rival of Vurgom's who wants to find out what he is up to. Pacys and Khlinat arrive by another means, much to the astonishment of the Priests of Gond (God of Invention & Smithing) in Baldur's Gate.
This is a brilliantly written book, I loved reading it and I found myself flicking forward a couple pages each time I had to put it down to return to work at the end of a break just to get a glimpse of what was going to happen next. Unsurprisingly this book gets 5/5 from me.
What follows is a spectacular night assault on the city by pirates, sahuagin and various sea monsters that devastates the cities bustling port and hard presses the cities famous Flaming fist soldiers to prevent more of the city going up in flames. Jherek is in the thick of the fighting, alongside his new friend, a dwarf with a pegleg by the name of Khlinat Ironeater. Also in town, searching for Jherek is the elderly bard Pacys, drawn there by the epic song he is chasing.
While the battle rages above, Iakhovas and Laaqueel slip into the city unnoticed, retreiving an item that has long been hidden in the sewers, he again spending the lives of her people to provide a distraction adding fuel to his priestesses doubts about the nature of her master. The battle is very well written and I enjoyed it immensely. The aftermath finds Khlinat injured and Jherek wandering the streets in search of a priest to tend to his friend. It is there that he again encounters Sabyna, the pretty ships mage he befriended in the first book, and together the pair are captured (along wth her ship, its captain and crew) by Vurgrom, a pirate in the employ of Iakhovas.
As Jherek and Sabyna are sailed away from the city, heading upriver at a considerable speed (thanks to a strange chair that she is strapped into which adds power to the ship. From a D&D DM/players point of view, it was nice to see a Spelljamming Helm in use), so Pacys finds Khlinat, the two striking up a friendship as the bard learns about Jherek from the dwarf, quickly getting over his despair at having missed/lost the lad he had been drawn too, reasoning that if his god had intended for him to meet Jherek then, then he would have and such a meeeting must be ordained for a later date.
Iakhovas meanwhile reveals what he took from beneath Baldur's Gate to a less than impressed Laaqueel, a ship in a bottle. But not just any ship, this is the Tarjana, a mudship capable of sailing through anything, and a floating fortress from which he intends to command the next phase of his war. Taking the bulk of his kingdoms warriors, Iakhovas opens a portal and brings them through it with him, Laaqueel and his ship to the Inner Sea of Faerun, a place that the undersea residents of it call Seros, and which everyone else calls The Sea of Fallen Stars. Here he rallies the sahuagin of that sea to his cause in a rousing finale to the book.
By the end of the book all the major players have made their way to The Sea of Fallen Stars, Sabyna accompanying Jherek when they finally get free of Vurgom's clutches, the pair travelling with a paladin of Lathander (God of the Dawn) by the name of Glawinn (arguably my favourite character in the series) to a port where they join the crew of Black Champion a ship under the command of the half-elf Captain Azla, she a fierce rival of Vurgom's who wants to find out what he is up to. Pacys and Khlinat arrive by another means, much to the astonishment of the Priests of Gond (God of Invention & Smithing) in Baldur's Gate.
This is a brilliantly written book, I loved reading it and I found myself flicking forward a couple pages each time I had to put it down to return to work at the end of a break just to get a glimpse of what was going to happen next. Unsurprisingly this book gets 5/5 from me.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Drama On The Doorstep
So I'm sat in my room now, and every now and then I'm peering out the window to my right at the crowd on the pavement outside the house next door. Theres a good dozen people there right now, stood about, talking and gesturing in a variety of tones including a couple policemen. The cause for this happened about half an hour ago when some very drunks men staggered out of the Pen & Quill pub on the other side of my house and headed towards the half-sized coach parked outside the Westgate Inn a little way up the road.
All but two of them had a bottle of drink in hand, one instead carrying a crate of bottles of Bulmer's cider, the other for some bizarre reason carrying a wooden drawer (as if from a cabinet). What happened next was that the guy carrying the drawer wandered over to the front window of the house next door (which used to be a hairdressers salon downstairs but is currently being renovated)... and then put the drawer through the window. Quick as a flash the bloke with him grabbed him and hauled him off towards the coach.
About ten seconds later all hell broke loose when the people who live next door emerged and the shouting began, the drunks quite content to get on their coach and go, but my next-door neighbours were having none of it, immediately calling the Police and their daughter tok down the coaches details and registration plate. Cue a few of the more sober people on the coach getting off and a confrontation.
Looking out now the street has no cleared, presumably with my neighbours and the policemen having gotten payment (or more likely a promise to cover the cost of the repairs) out of the drunks. Good to see a situation that could easily have gotten ugly, resolved without recourse to violence, and for my part nice to have something to write about as it's been a bit of a dull week.
All but two of them had a bottle of drink in hand, one instead carrying a crate of bottles of Bulmer's cider, the other for some bizarre reason carrying a wooden drawer (as if from a cabinet). What happened next was that the guy carrying the drawer wandered over to the front window of the house next door (which used to be a hairdressers salon downstairs but is currently being renovated)... and then put the drawer through the window. Quick as a flash the bloke with him grabbed him and hauled him off towards the coach.
About ten seconds later all hell broke loose when the people who live next door emerged and the shouting began, the drunks quite content to get on their coach and go, but my next-door neighbours were having none of it, immediately calling the Police and their daughter tok down the coaches details and registration plate. Cue a few of the more sober people on the coach getting off and a confrontation.
Looking out now the street has no cleared, presumably with my neighbours and the policemen having gotten payment (or more likely a promise to cover the cost of the repairs) out of the drunks. Good to see a situation that could easily have gotten ugly, resolved without recourse to violence, and for my part nice to have something to write about as it's been a bit of a dull week.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Any Four For Five Pounds
The supermarket which I work in has the above deal permanently covering its range of bottled Real Ales. Prior to the store changing from a Safeway to a Morrisons, I think I'd maybe tried a couple varieties of ale. I'm fairly sure I tried a couple brands that tasted pretty yuck during the Rag Week at my University when the bar would get in 15 different barrels of ale. Once each was gone it was gone. You would get a stamp on your Ale Passport for each brand you tried, and if by some chance you were lucky/stubborn enough to try all 15 during the course of the week then you got a prize of some kind. I think I gave up after two, because I didn't have much money and I preferred to spend it on drink that was going to get me drunk and that I liked the taste of. I've likely also had a sip of one of my Dad's pints of one brand or another as a kid, but I can't remember the names of any of those apart from knowing that I've tried Old Speckled Hen at least once.
So getting back to the point, I was pretty unexperienced when it came to ale. And since most British pubs serve ale lukewarm from a barrel, the notion of trying any of it always dies the moment I enter a pub, and I opt for a nice cold pint of lager instead. But Morrisons stock a pretty good range of bottled ales from all over the country. And the shelf edge labels that detail the price of each bottle (invariably £1.59 each) also include some details about the taste of the drink itself, which is helpful in picking which brand/s to try. At 4 bottles for £5, and able to Pick N' Mix, I've slowly been working my way through the selection.
Whereas originally I'd just pick up 4 different brands and try each in turn (after suitably chilling them in the fridge for a few hours), nowadays I've found a few favourite types (most notably Waggle Dance, an ale brewed with 20% honey, so a cross between beer and mead, and very nice it is too). As a result of this I tend to get 1-2 that I haven't tried before and stick with what I know for the rest of the four.
I was planning to buy some alcohol today and 4 bottles of ale is usually a strong contender for my money. But not today. Today I was surprised and delighted to see that the same offer has now been copied to cover the £1.59 priced bottled ciders, including my recent favourite drink Strongbow Sirrus, a mild cider that is drunk poured over ice. I've never been a big cider drinker (it always used to make me sick), but I can drink Sirrus without any problems (even when mixing it with vodka), so I decided to try a couple other brands. Cue me buying 2 bottles of what I know (Sirrus) and 2 of what I don't (Bulmers and Scrumpy Jack).
I shall see how I go with these, and assuming I'm not violently ill as a result of drinking them, then I'll think about trying a couple other varieties in a few weeks. I've drunk the Bulmers already whilst watching TV earlier tonight and that was nice, nothing special though. Think I'll save the rest for tomorrow evening. Right now I'm going to head out to the pub... next door.
So getting back to the point, I was pretty unexperienced when it came to ale. And since most British pubs serve ale lukewarm from a barrel, the notion of trying any of it always dies the moment I enter a pub, and I opt for a nice cold pint of lager instead. But Morrisons stock a pretty good range of bottled ales from all over the country. And the shelf edge labels that detail the price of each bottle (invariably £1.59 each) also include some details about the taste of the drink itself, which is helpful in picking which brand/s to try. At 4 bottles for £5, and able to Pick N' Mix, I've slowly been working my way through the selection.
Whereas originally I'd just pick up 4 different brands and try each in turn (after suitably chilling them in the fridge for a few hours), nowadays I've found a few favourite types (most notably Waggle Dance, an ale brewed with 20% honey, so a cross between beer and mead, and very nice it is too). As a result of this I tend to get 1-2 that I haven't tried before and stick with what I know for the rest of the four.
I was planning to buy some alcohol today and 4 bottles of ale is usually a strong contender for my money. But not today. Today I was surprised and delighted to see that the same offer has now been copied to cover the £1.59 priced bottled ciders, including my recent favourite drink Strongbow Sirrus, a mild cider that is drunk poured over ice. I've never been a big cider drinker (it always used to make me sick), but I can drink Sirrus without any problems (even when mixing it with vodka), so I decided to try a couple other brands. Cue me buying 2 bottles of what I know (Sirrus) and 2 of what I don't (Bulmers and Scrumpy Jack).
I shall see how I go with these, and assuming I'm not violently ill as a result of drinking them, then I'll think about trying a couple other varieties in a few weeks. I've drunk the Bulmers already whilst watching TV earlier tonight and that was nice, nothing special though. Think I'll save the rest for tomorrow evening. Right now I'm going to head out to the pub... next door.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
A Horse Walks Into A Bar...
... and the Barman says "Why the long face?"
Yes I know it's a crap joke but it's the only title I could think of. As longtime readers of this blog will note, I have a fondness for posting weird animal articles, so here's another one, courtesy of the BBC News website. Gotta love a horse that has a fondness for John Smiths bitter (even though I can't stand the stuff myself).
Yes I know it's a crap joke but it's the only title I could think of. As longtime readers of this blog will note, I have a fondness for posting weird animal articles, so here's another one, courtesy of the BBC News website. Gotta love a horse that has a fondness for John Smiths bitter (even though I can't stand the stuff myself).
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Rising Tide: A Book Review
Finished this book over a week ago now (and in fact I have the second book in the Trilogy sat in front of me to review also as I write this), so about time I got this novel review written up. Rising Tide by Mel Odom is a Forgotten Realms novel and the first book of The Threat From the Sea Trilogy. Set a few years before the "present day" of the Realms (the year 1374DR currently), the Trilogy details a devastating war that is waged by the evil undersea races against both the peaceful undersea races and also the surface dwellers who dare to sail on the seas and live along the coastlines bordering those same seas.
The instigator of this great war is a mysterious villain by the name of Iakhovas. He is found in a comatose state in a sunken tomb by the malenti priestess Laaqueel. A malenti is a sahaugin born in the shape of their most hated enemies the sea elves. Most such cursed offspring are killed at birth, but some are kept as spies. Laaqueel is doubly cursed though, as her skin has the pale colouring of a surface dwelling elf, rather than the blue or green of a sea elf. It is because of her unique appearance though that she is able to infiltrate surface realms and learn from their libraries of One Who Swims With Sekolah. Sekolah is the Great Shark, the savage and uncaring god of the sahaugin race. Seeking out this legend, causes her to find Iakhovas and awaken him.
Iakhovas is very powerful, an accomplished sorceror who cloaks his true appearance in illusions at all times, appearing to the sahaugin as an impressive example of their own species. Laaqueel though sees him as a one eyed human, scared with runes etched into his skin. Though she rises to power at his side, and she revels in the strength he can bring her people, she has her doubts about her new master. It is through her eyes that we see the evil forces side of the war.
The other main character is Jherek, the bastard son of a ruthless pirate named Bloody Falkane. Branded with his fathers symbol on an arm, Jherek has spent his life since escaping his fathers ship hiding who he really is, knowing that the reward on members of Falkane's crew would cause pretty much anyone to turn him in should they see the mark. Raised by a fortuneteller who took him in, and the phantom Malorrie who haunted her house, he has lived by building ships and working as a sailor.
Fate really doesn't seem to smile on Jherek, one ill turn following another, but ever since the night when he dived from his fathers ship, whever he has been in danger, a voice has called to him with the words "Live, that you may serve". He doesn't know who it is that calls to him, or how he is meant to serve though. When his brand is discovered by the crew of the ship he is working on, he is forced to leave both the ship and then to the town of Velen where he grew up, the only place he has ever called home. He takes passage on another ship, where he befriends Sabyna, the ships pretty mage, who he always calls Lady, even when she tells him that she is no such thing.
Elsewhere, the great city of Waterdeep comes under devastating attack by thousands of sahaugin warriors and many great creatures of the deep, Iakhovas using the resulting carnage as a diversion to claim an item of power, one of many that he has agents in both the outer and inner seas of Faerun searching for. He is determined that all that once was his will be again, but his willingness to shed her peoples blood for the sake of his personal power adds fuel to Laaqueel's doubts, even as she clings to his rising star, sharing in the power he gathers about himself.
Witnessing the onslaught on Waterdeep is the elderly bard Pacys, a man who has wandered the highways and byways of Faerun for most of his seventy six years of age, reciting songs and tales, but who has yet to compose any great saga to pass to the world. He yearns to record a story that he will always be remembered for. A devout worshipper of Oghma (the God of Knowledge) he has heard tantalising hints of such a epic story/song for years now. When the attack comes, he feels the pull of destiny upon him, knowing that there is a greater story than just the attack, and that what he is seeing is merely one act of a far larger plan.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, it is a little slow in getting started, and Jherek doesn't really seem to do all that much. Still by the books end, all the various plot threads weave towards each other, for a fateful meeting in the next novel. Both Jherek and Laaqueel are very well written characters, both plagued by doubts for different reasons, both outcasts in their way. The battle scenes are engaging, and in Iakhovas we have a truly sinister villain, his motives and indeed his real identity kept secret, and his speech both powerful and condescending (he always refers to Laaqueel as "little malenti").
I'm going to award this book 4/5, as it is a very entertaining read, but it could have been better.
The instigator of this great war is a mysterious villain by the name of Iakhovas. He is found in a comatose state in a sunken tomb by the malenti priestess Laaqueel. A malenti is a sahaugin born in the shape of their most hated enemies the sea elves. Most such cursed offspring are killed at birth, but some are kept as spies. Laaqueel is doubly cursed though, as her skin has the pale colouring of a surface dwelling elf, rather than the blue or green of a sea elf. It is because of her unique appearance though that she is able to infiltrate surface realms and learn from their libraries of One Who Swims With Sekolah. Sekolah is the Great Shark, the savage and uncaring god of the sahaugin race. Seeking out this legend, causes her to find Iakhovas and awaken him.
Iakhovas is very powerful, an accomplished sorceror who cloaks his true appearance in illusions at all times, appearing to the sahaugin as an impressive example of their own species. Laaqueel though sees him as a one eyed human, scared with runes etched into his skin. Though she rises to power at his side, and she revels in the strength he can bring her people, she has her doubts about her new master. It is through her eyes that we see the evil forces side of the war.
The other main character is Jherek, the bastard son of a ruthless pirate named Bloody Falkane. Branded with his fathers symbol on an arm, Jherek has spent his life since escaping his fathers ship hiding who he really is, knowing that the reward on members of Falkane's crew would cause pretty much anyone to turn him in should they see the mark. Raised by a fortuneteller who took him in, and the phantom Malorrie who haunted her house, he has lived by building ships and working as a sailor.
Fate really doesn't seem to smile on Jherek, one ill turn following another, but ever since the night when he dived from his fathers ship, whever he has been in danger, a voice has called to him with the words "Live, that you may serve". He doesn't know who it is that calls to him, or how he is meant to serve though. When his brand is discovered by the crew of the ship he is working on, he is forced to leave both the ship and then to the town of Velen where he grew up, the only place he has ever called home. He takes passage on another ship, where he befriends Sabyna, the ships pretty mage, who he always calls Lady, even when she tells him that she is no such thing.
Elsewhere, the great city of Waterdeep comes under devastating attack by thousands of sahaugin warriors and many great creatures of the deep, Iakhovas using the resulting carnage as a diversion to claim an item of power, one of many that he has agents in both the outer and inner seas of Faerun searching for. He is determined that all that once was his will be again, but his willingness to shed her peoples blood for the sake of his personal power adds fuel to Laaqueel's doubts, even as she clings to his rising star, sharing in the power he gathers about himself.
Witnessing the onslaught on Waterdeep is the elderly bard Pacys, a man who has wandered the highways and byways of Faerun for most of his seventy six years of age, reciting songs and tales, but who has yet to compose any great saga to pass to the world. He yearns to record a story that he will always be remembered for. A devout worshipper of Oghma (the God of Knowledge) he has heard tantalising hints of such a epic story/song for years now. When the attack comes, he feels the pull of destiny upon him, knowing that there is a greater story than just the attack, and that what he is seeing is merely one act of a far larger plan.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, it is a little slow in getting started, and Jherek doesn't really seem to do all that much. Still by the books end, all the various plot threads weave towards each other, for a fateful meeting in the next novel. Both Jherek and Laaqueel are very well written characters, both plagued by doubts for different reasons, both outcasts in their way. The battle scenes are engaging, and in Iakhovas we have a truly sinister villain, his motives and indeed his real identity kept secret, and his speech both powerful and condescending (he always refers to Laaqueel as "little malenti").
I'm going to award this book 4/5, as it is a very entertaining read, but it could have been better.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Some New Links
I've added a bunch of new links to the sidebar today, as I like to have that section of the site representing the sites I most often visit on the internet.
Candlekeep is the best resource on the net for information regarding the Forgotten Realms D&D world of which I am so fond.
Amazon UK is my favourite place to shop for books and DVD's.
The Sweat Shop is a new store that sells individual D&D Miniature figures. I've recently foudn that these figures add a lot to the experience of running my Friday night games, so it is handy to have a store that sells them at a good price and gets them in the mail quickly. Plus it's a big help being able to buy specific figures rather than having to hope the figure I want is in a specific booster pack.
The Internet Movie Database is a huge resource of information of all kinds about just about any movie (and TV shows too for that matter) I can think of. This is where I get the quotes for the series of "Quotes From Three Movies" posts that I do.
Wizards of the Coast is the company that produces the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game (amongst many other things). When it comes to roleplaying books, I rarely buy products from anyone else.
Also I've changed the link to Celluloid Heroes as the writer of that blog moved to a new server. That's all for now, update complete. If you've not visited any of those sites before, I suggest giving them a try.
Candlekeep is the best resource on the net for information regarding the Forgotten Realms D&D world of which I am so fond.
Amazon UK is my favourite place to shop for books and DVD's.
The Sweat Shop is a new store that sells individual D&D Miniature figures. I've recently foudn that these figures add a lot to the experience of running my Friday night games, so it is handy to have a store that sells them at a good price and gets them in the mail quickly. Plus it's a big help being able to buy specific figures rather than having to hope the figure I want is in a specific booster pack.
The Internet Movie Database is a huge resource of information of all kinds about just about any movie (and TV shows too for that matter) I can think of. This is where I get the quotes for the series of "Quotes From Three Movies" posts that I do.
Wizards of the Coast is the company that produces the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game (amongst many other things). When it comes to roleplaying books, I rarely buy products from anyone else.
Also I've changed the link to Celluloid Heroes as the writer of that blog moved to a new server. That's all for now, update complete. If you've not visited any of those sites before, I suggest giving them a try.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Locked Out
I guess it had to happen eventually. Today for the first time since I've been living in my current home, I left the house without my keys. I was pretty quick to realise this, in fact I was stood outside (having just left the house), when I patted my pockets to check that I had what I needed on me. Wallet? Check! Delivery Slip from the Royal Mail? Check! Keys? Fuck, bugger, shit, damn etc etc!!
As you might have guessed I was heading out on a walk to go and fetch a parcel from the Royal Mail Sorting Office as it wouldn't fit through our letterbox. There are currently 5 parcels/packets which I am expecting, and this could have been any of them. So I made the best of a bad situation. Knowing that Gareth would be home around 4:30ish, and the time then being just before 3pm, I took a leisurely stroll through French Weir Park to the Sorting Office, and picked up my parcel. Which was tiny. Of all the parcels I am expecting, this was the smallest.
Having fetched that I headed to the flat of my good friend Richard Adams, figuring that he'd likely be in and wanting some place to hang out for an hour or two. So we chatted whilst he was installing the City of Villains game, and we watched a couple episodes of Futurama (a show that I adore), until it was time for me to head on home, via a quick stop in Morrisons to pick up a loaf of Tiger Bread, some Roule cheese and a can of Corned Beef.
Thankfully by the time I got home, Gareth had been home for some time and he was quick to answer the door (likely helped along by my continually knocking the door until he opened it. This may also have contibuted to the decidely frosty greeting I got!). So I got locked out earlier today, which is a stupid thing to do, but for it to have happened once in the over 2 years I've been living here now is, I think, a pretty good record. Certainly this was a lot less hassle than the time I locked myself out of my old flat on Priorswood Road... now that was trouble!
As you might have guessed I was heading out on a walk to go and fetch a parcel from the Royal Mail Sorting Office as it wouldn't fit through our letterbox. There are currently 5 parcels/packets which I am expecting, and this could have been any of them. So I made the best of a bad situation. Knowing that Gareth would be home around 4:30ish, and the time then being just before 3pm, I took a leisurely stroll through French Weir Park to the Sorting Office, and picked up my parcel. Which was tiny. Of all the parcels I am expecting, this was the smallest.
Having fetched that I headed to the flat of my good friend Richard Adams, figuring that he'd likely be in and wanting some place to hang out for an hour or two. So we chatted whilst he was installing the City of Villains game, and we watched a couple episodes of Futurama (a show that I adore), until it was time for me to head on home, via a quick stop in Morrisons to pick up a loaf of Tiger Bread, some Roule cheese and a can of Corned Beef.
Thankfully by the time I got home, Gareth had been home for some time and he was quick to answer the door (likely helped along by my continually knocking the door until he opened it. This may also have contibuted to the decidely frosty greeting I got!). So I got locked out earlier today, which is a stupid thing to do, but for it to have happened once in the over 2 years I've been living here now is, I think, a pretty good record. Certainly this was a lot less hassle than the time I locked myself out of my old flat on Priorswood Road... now that was trouble!
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Yarr!
Avast mateys, it be International Talk Like A Pirate Day! I might have forgotten all about this most grand of events a year ago, but not this time! So run up the Main Sail Jim Lad and let's set sail to plunder the Spanish Main! And don't ferget to feed Polly, she get's mighty irritable when ye don't, and I prefer me ear unpecked!
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Get The Fuck Out
I was introduced to this band by my old friend and next door neighbour Robert Tutill not long after we first moved to Taunton. He had already got me listening to the music of Guns 'N' Roses, and he brought around to our house a casette with both of Skid Rows albums taped onto it. Needless to say my Mum didn't like this loud aggressive music, so I loved it. I grew up on the angry music of this band and a handful of their contemporarys like Aerosmith, Meatloaf and Def Leppard. This is a song that the band got in trouble with concert venues for singing, the London Arena going as far as to issue the band with a warning against singing it... which the band tore up on stage and sang the song anyway!
Get The Fuck Out by Skid Row
Well your jokes ain't funny and there's nothin' you say that I wanna hear
The sound of the door slammin' your ass out is music to my ears
If I can't beat you then I m gonna beat you to a pulp
So can the TV rays and take my tonsil glaze right down your throat
You're standin' too close what the fuck's with you?
You ain't my old lady and you ain't a tattoo
No need to whimper no need to shout
This party's over so get the fuck out
Get the fuck out
Well I puke. I stink. Bitch get me a drink 'cause I m payin' for the room
I ain't buying you breakfast so keep your mouth busy and wrap your lips all around my attitude
Take a walk with me with your triple double D's and your 40 foot do
Why you walkin' funny?
You must have spent some time with the boys in the crew
You're standin' too close what the fuck's with you?
You ain't my old lady and you ain't a tattoo
No need to whimper no need to shout
This party's over so get the fuck out
Get the fuck out
The morning's comin' in and this is my bed
If I find you here when I wake up
The maid is gonna find me dead.
You're standin' to close what the fuck's with you
You ain't my old lady and you ain't a tattoo
No need to whimper no need to shout
This party's over so get the fuck out
Get the fuck out
Get the fuck out
Get the fuck out
Get The Fuck Out by Skid Row
Well your jokes ain't funny and there's nothin' you say that I wanna hear
The sound of the door slammin' your ass out is music to my ears
If I can't beat you then I m gonna beat you to a pulp
So can the TV rays and take my tonsil glaze right down your throat
You're standin' too close what the fuck's with you?
You ain't my old lady and you ain't a tattoo
No need to whimper no need to shout
This party's over so get the fuck out
Get the fuck out
Well I puke. I stink. Bitch get me a drink 'cause I m payin' for the room
I ain't buying you breakfast so keep your mouth busy and wrap your lips all around my attitude
Take a walk with me with your triple double D's and your 40 foot do
Why you walkin' funny?
You must have spent some time with the boys in the crew
You're standin' too close what the fuck's with you?
You ain't my old lady and you ain't a tattoo
No need to whimper no need to shout
This party's over so get the fuck out
Get the fuck out
The morning's comin' in and this is my bed
If I find you here when I wake up
The maid is gonna find me dead.
You're standin' to close what the fuck's with you
You ain't my old lady and you ain't a tattoo
No need to whimper no need to shout
This party's over so get the fuck out
Get the fuck out
Get the fuck out
Get the fuck out
Pub Lunch
I have today off work. This is a rare occurence, in fact I cannot remember the last time I had a Saturday off work, that wasn't due to me being off on holiday. Every Saturday lunchtime a bunch of my friends have for moths now been meeting up at Henry's pub in the High Street for a meal and a pint and to chat for an hour or so. I normally miss out on this, as while I have a lunch hour at work, there's no way I'm going to walk all the way up there, order a meal, have it arrive and get the time to enjoy eating it, plus get back to work i that hour. Ain't going to happen!
So it was nice to be able to be there today. I was the first to arrive too, though Gareth turned up a couple minutes later. We were also swiftly joined by my mate Derek Adams. The three of us got our drinks and Gareth and I ordered food and we went upstairs to sit. I had wanted a bottle of Strongbow Sirrus, a mild cider that I've become quite fond of recently. Unfortunately the pub has stopped stocking it, so I tried a bottle of Magner's cider instead. According to my brother this stuff sells like crazy at the warehouse he works at. After trying a bottle I can't see why, it doesn't taste of much at all. I was left very unimpressed.
For a meal Gareth ordered what he always orders (Gammon steak with chips and egg), and I went with my usual meal also (Giant Yorkshire Pudding filled with sausages, garden peas, mashed potato and gravy). I also tried a side order of mushrooms, but I don't think I'll bother with them again. I don't have the same meal because of lack of choice, Henry's has a very good menu with plenty of variety on it, I just know what I like and when I'm short on money I'd rather spend it on food tat I know I am going to enjoy.
We were eventually also joined by Tony and Craig, a smaller group than is usually present, but then both Dan and Richard were in work, whlst Jen and Matt are having a quiet weekend to themselves. We chatted about all sorts of things as usual, with no single topic dominating, though I think the LARP group that the others attended recently being cancelled was the longest we spent talking about anything. It was a nice lunch, made better by us having the upstairs to ourselves for the most part. I finally left not long after Gareth went back to work, as I wanted to browse around a few shops in town. Didn't buy anything (though I was tempted to get the Directors Cut of Hellboy for just £6.97 in Music Zone). All in all a nice way to spend some of the day.
So it was nice to be able to be there today. I was the first to arrive too, though Gareth turned up a couple minutes later. We were also swiftly joined by my mate Derek Adams. The three of us got our drinks and Gareth and I ordered food and we went upstairs to sit. I had wanted a bottle of Strongbow Sirrus, a mild cider that I've become quite fond of recently. Unfortunately the pub has stopped stocking it, so I tried a bottle of Magner's cider instead. According to my brother this stuff sells like crazy at the warehouse he works at. After trying a bottle I can't see why, it doesn't taste of much at all. I was left very unimpressed.
For a meal Gareth ordered what he always orders (Gammon steak with chips and egg), and I went with my usual meal also (Giant Yorkshire Pudding filled with sausages, garden peas, mashed potato and gravy). I also tried a side order of mushrooms, but I don't think I'll bother with them again. I don't have the same meal because of lack of choice, Henry's has a very good menu with plenty of variety on it, I just know what I like and when I'm short on money I'd rather spend it on food tat I know I am going to enjoy.
We were eventually also joined by Tony and Craig, a smaller group than is usually present, but then both Dan and Richard were in work, whlst Jen and Matt are having a quiet weekend to themselves. We chatted about all sorts of things as usual, with no single topic dominating, though I think the LARP group that the others attended recently being cancelled was the longest we spent talking about anything. It was a nice lunch, made better by us having the upstairs to ourselves for the most part. I finally left not long after Gareth went back to work, as I wanted to browse around a few shops in town. Didn't buy anything (though I was tempted to get the Directors Cut of Hellboy for just £6.97 in Music Zone). All in all a nice way to spend some of the day.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Faces Of Deception: A Book Review
I'm not entirely sure what it is about Elaine Cunningham's books that makes me not want to write reviews of them, but having recently finished The Dream Spheres by her I find myself uninterested in describing the book. At any rate I give it a 3/5 rating.
So with that done, on to the next book, which I finished reading yesterday. Faces Of Deception by Troy Denning is a Forgotten Realms novel and the second in a quartet of stand-alone tales entitled Lost Empires. I'm not entirely sure why the book is in this set though, because unlike the other 3 books in the series, this one does not feature some secret from a past fallen kingdom. It is set in the present day of the Realms.
The main character of the book is Atreus Eleint, a human of noble birth whose mother had him cursed with ugliness to hide him from the families enemies during the civil strife that tore the nation of Tethyr apart not long after he was born. His family were all killed in the strife, but he (and his families considerable wealth) survived in the care of the Shieldbreaker clan of ogres, who were his families former bodyguards. With his frightfully ugly features, he blended in with the young of the clan and his life was thus spared. Now a grown man, Atreus has found that getting rid of the curse is proving to be very hard, even for a man of his means.
To this end he has essentially bought himself a place in the faithful of Sune Firehair, the Goddess of Beauty. While his money is more than welcome though, he is not and to this end the temple's priests give him a false vision, sending him on a near impossible quest to find the mystical/mythical valley of Langdarma and to bring back a vial of sparkling water from the Fountain of Infinite Grace. Do this they claim, and his looks would be restored to normal. Utterly convinced by the vision, he and his ogre bodyguard Yago set off at once.
The next chapter is set some five months later after the pair have travelled many hundreds of miles to the state of Edenvale, in an area of the Realms not actually on the map of the continent of Faerun (in fact I cannot for the life of me find any map of the area where Edenvale is located) called The Utter East. There they get a short and rather confusing audience with the geriatric queen who orders her troops to send the pair back home. Cue an escape sequence over rooftops and through alleyways, helped by a native named Rishi.
Rishi is a thoroughly unlikeable character. A liar and a thief, who exagerrates about everything. I despised him within a page of reading about him. And yet Atreus just keeps on making allowances for this worm, even when he catches him trying to steal from him on more than one occassion. Continuing with the plot, the trio (and another lying thief called Bharat who is an accomplice of Rishi) head into the wilds of the Yehimal Mountains, being pursued by the Queen's guards, in particular a patrol led by a captain named Naraka.
Seeking to lose them after a fight in which Bharat is killed (by Rishi!), the group head into a bitterly cold swamp, and there they run into a group of slavers led by a devil (literally) called Tarch. Amongst his captives is the lovely Seema, a woman of great beauty and strong pacifist ideals. When Atreus and Rishi have dealt with the guards and then the slavers, she joins the group in gratitude, though she continually claims that Langdarma doesn't exist. Not willing to take her word over that of a goddess, Atreus and his companions continue up into the mountains, now pursued by Tarch who wants Seema back as she will fetch a high price at market.
I'm not giving anything away to say that yes they do find Langdarma and that it isn't what they expect (certainly it is neither Rishi or Yago's idea of a paradise). The book is a frustrating read, as in places it is very philosophical on the nature of paradise, beauty, honour and such things. It makes you stop and think. None of the characters is entirely right or wrong (except Rishi who is just plain annoying all the way through), even Seema whose admonition against killing prevents the group for simply dealing with Tarch, they instead unwittingly leading a devil into paradise.
The books ending leaves a lot to be desired though, as it just simply ends. There is no resolution of any kind, and you are left wondering what happens next as the book finishes on a cliffhanger of sorts, yet there is no follow-up book to it. I'm going to award this book 2/5. While it is well written it doesn't feel like a Realms book at all, it doesn't fit in with the theme of Lost Empires, it has no ending (or at least no end that feels like an end), and in Rishi, it has arguably the single most annoying character I've ever had the displeasure to read about.
So with that done, on to the next book, which I finished reading yesterday. Faces Of Deception by Troy Denning is a Forgotten Realms novel and the second in a quartet of stand-alone tales entitled Lost Empires. I'm not entirely sure why the book is in this set though, because unlike the other 3 books in the series, this one does not feature some secret from a past fallen kingdom. It is set in the present day of the Realms.
The main character of the book is Atreus Eleint, a human of noble birth whose mother had him cursed with ugliness to hide him from the families enemies during the civil strife that tore the nation of Tethyr apart not long after he was born. His family were all killed in the strife, but he (and his families considerable wealth) survived in the care of the Shieldbreaker clan of ogres, who were his families former bodyguards. With his frightfully ugly features, he blended in with the young of the clan and his life was thus spared. Now a grown man, Atreus has found that getting rid of the curse is proving to be very hard, even for a man of his means.
To this end he has essentially bought himself a place in the faithful of Sune Firehair, the Goddess of Beauty. While his money is more than welcome though, he is not and to this end the temple's priests give him a false vision, sending him on a near impossible quest to find the mystical/mythical valley of Langdarma and to bring back a vial of sparkling water from the Fountain of Infinite Grace. Do this they claim, and his looks would be restored to normal. Utterly convinced by the vision, he and his ogre bodyguard Yago set off at once.
The next chapter is set some five months later after the pair have travelled many hundreds of miles to the state of Edenvale, in an area of the Realms not actually on the map of the continent of Faerun (in fact I cannot for the life of me find any map of the area where Edenvale is located) called The Utter East. There they get a short and rather confusing audience with the geriatric queen who orders her troops to send the pair back home. Cue an escape sequence over rooftops and through alleyways, helped by a native named Rishi.
Rishi is a thoroughly unlikeable character. A liar and a thief, who exagerrates about everything. I despised him within a page of reading about him. And yet Atreus just keeps on making allowances for this worm, even when he catches him trying to steal from him on more than one occassion. Continuing with the plot, the trio (and another lying thief called Bharat who is an accomplice of Rishi) head into the wilds of the Yehimal Mountains, being pursued by the Queen's guards, in particular a patrol led by a captain named Naraka.
Seeking to lose them after a fight in which Bharat is killed (by Rishi!), the group head into a bitterly cold swamp, and there they run into a group of slavers led by a devil (literally) called Tarch. Amongst his captives is the lovely Seema, a woman of great beauty and strong pacifist ideals. When Atreus and Rishi have dealt with the guards and then the slavers, she joins the group in gratitude, though she continually claims that Langdarma doesn't exist. Not willing to take her word over that of a goddess, Atreus and his companions continue up into the mountains, now pursued by Tarch who wants Seema back as she will fetch a high price at market.
I'm not giving anything away to say that yes they do find Langdarma and that it isn't what they expect (certainly it is neither Rishi or Yago's idea of a paradise). The book is a frustrating read, as in places it is very philosophical on the nature of paradise, beauty, honour and such things. It makes you stop and think. None of the characters is entirely right or wrong (except Rishi who is just plain annoying all the way through), even Seema whose admonition against killing prevents the group for simply dealing with Tarch, they instead unwittingly leading a devil into paradise.
The books ending leaves a lot to be desired though, as it just simply ends. There is no resolution of any kind, and you are left wondering what happens next as the book finishes on a cliffhanger of sorts, yet there is no follow-up book to it. I'm going to award this book 2/5. While it is well written it doesn't feel like a Realms book at all, it doesn't fit in with the theme of Lost Empires, it has no ending (or at least no end that feels like an end), and in Rishi, it has arguably the single most annoying character I've ever had the displeasure to read about.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Nap Attack
I finished work at 4:30pm today and after buying a bottle of Iced Tea from the store I work in, made my way home through the park. I don't really remember the walk home, but at some point just after 5pm I got home and sat at my computer for a bit. I can remember talking to Tony on MSN and telling him that he had one of those "You weren't in" notes from the Royal Mail waiting for him, and he saying that he'd drop by the Sorting Office on his way home to pick up whatever parcel it was.
I was tired and so I decided to take a nap. As I don't have work today, I didn't set my alarm and decided I'd just let my body decide when it had had enough sleep. I was a lot more tired than I thought it seems. I've just woken up after a NINE AND A HALF HOUR Nap!! So it's now gone 3am, I'm wide awake and couldn't sleep now if I tried (and I have). What to do, what to do?
I was tired and so I decided to take a nap. As I don't have work today, I didn't set my alarm and decided I'd just let my body decide when it had had enough sleep. I was a lot more tired than I thought it seems. I've just woken up after a NINE AND A HALF HOUR Nap!! So it's now gone 3am, I'm wide awake and couldn't sleep now if I tried (and I have). What to do, what to do?
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Bloodwalk: A Book Review
I finished this book a few days back, and I'm already halfway through the next novel on my reading pile, so about time I got this reveiw written up lest I end up with a backlog again! Bloodwalk by James P. Davis is a Forgotten Realms novel, and the second volume in the four book series entitled The Wizards. Each of the novels in this series is a stand alone tale, with the common theme being that each features a wizard as a central character. In this case the wizard in question is the main villain of the tale, a sorceress by the name of Morgynn who possesses truly frightening powers, her magic fueled by blood.
Morgynn's power stems from the death and rebirth she endured years before, having been killed by her own mother and her tribe, they fearful of the then girls natural talent for sorcery which they regarded as unnatural. Brought back to life by the cultists of a devil god named Gargauth, she first took her revenge on her mothers people and then travelled the Realms, being moved on from place to place until her wanderings bring her and her followers to the poorly defended lands of the Border Kingdoms.
Here she sets about raising an army of undead and fiendish creatures, using the power of an ancient ruined fortress/city to power a terrifying storm that will assist her forces in laying waste to the region. While she is a truly scary villain, Morgynn never strikes me as being a very clever one, she regards pretty much all of her followers as expendable and she is supremely arrogant, her anger usually getting the better of any common sense she might have. It is this failing that leads her to manipulate a wandering Ghostwalker to arrive in the region, hoping to use him to create false hope in the areas defenders.
What she hadn't counted on (but which should really have been pretty obvious if she'd thought about it), was that the Ghostwalker wouldn't just go away. The Ghostwalker is a travelling servant of Hoar, the God of Vengeance by the name of Quinsareth, a man seemingly without reason or purpose in his life save to go whereever he feels "called" too and set right the wrongs there, before moving on. I find it hard to believe that any villain would want such a character anywhere near their evil plans, as such a person simply screams "spanner in the works".
Adding to the regions problems are the seers of Savras, the God of Divination, who led by their frankly deluded High Oracle Sameska who espouse a policy of doing nothing to combat the evil growing in the nearby Qurth Forest (where Morgynn's forces are massing near the ruined citadel), because she believes that the Ghostwalker will save them, even though Quinsareth doesn't believe in prophecy or any higher calling save that of his God (and even then only because it gives him something to do).
All in all this is an odd book, and I'm not sure whether it works or not. It is without a doubt a lot darker in tone than most Realms novels, bordering on being almost Lovecraftian in parts. I think part of my problem with this book is that none of the characters seem all that focused on anything. Quinsareth exists but does little more, essentially he is empty inside. Morgynn has evil designs but no actual plan for acheiving them (at least not one that makes any actual sense, would be conquerors do not consider their armies to be expendable).
Overall I'm going to award this book a 3/5 rating. It is undeniably well written, and Mr. Davis writes really well, his description is brilliant, but the motives of his characters are in my opinion a mess. The book does end in such a way as to leave room for a sequel which would feature Quinsareth, though I'm not sure whether I'd be interested in reading another tale about a character who is essentially hollow.
Morgynn's power stems from the death and rebirth she endured years before, having been killed by her own mother and her tribe, they fearful of the then girls natural talent for sorcery which they regarded as unnatural. Brought back to life by the cultists of a devil god named Gargauth, she first took her revenge on her mothers people and then travelled the Realms, being moved on from place to place until her wanderings bring her and her followers to the poorly defended lands of the Border Kingdoms.
Here she sets about raising an army of undead and fiendish creatures, using the power of an ancient ruined fortress/city to power a terrifying storm that will assist her forces in laying waste to the region. While she is a truly scary villain, Morgynn never strikes me as being a very clever one, she regards pretty much all of her followers as expendable and she is supremely arrogant, her anger usually getting the better of any common sense she might have. It is this failing that leads her to manipulate a wandering Ghostwalker to arrive in the region, hoping to use him to create false hope in the areas defenders.
What she hadn't counted on (but which should really have been pretty obvious if she'd thought about it), was that the Ghostwalker wouldn't just go away. The Ghostwalker is a travelling servant of Hoar, the God of Vengeance by the name of Quinsareth, a man seemingly without reason or purpose in his life save to go whereever he feels "called" too and set right the wrongs there, before moving on. I find it hard to believe that any villain would want such a character anywhere near their evil plans, as such a person simply screams "spanner in the works".
Adding to the regions problems are the seers of Savras, the God of Divination, who led by their frankly deluded High Oracle Sameska who espouse a policy of doing nothing to combat the evil growing in the nearby Qurth Forest (where Morgynn's forces are massing near the ruined citadel), because she believes that the Ghostwalker will save them, even though Quinsareth doesn't believe in prophecy or any higher calling save that of his God (and even then only because it gives him something to do).
All in all this is an odd book, and I'm not sure whether it works or not. It is without a doubt a lot darker in tone than most Realms novels, bordering on being almost Lovecraftian in parts. I think part of my problem with this book is that none of the characters seem all that focused on anything. Quinsareth exists but does little more, essentially he is empty inside. Morgynn has evil designs but no actual plan for acheiving them (at least not one that makes any actual sense, would be conquerors do not consider their armies to be expendable).
Overall I'm going to award this book a 3/5 rating. It is undeniably well written, and Mr. Davis writes really well, his description is brilliant, but the motives of his characters are in my opinion a mess. The book does end in such a way as to leave room for a sequel which would feature Quinsareth, though I'm not sure whether I'd be interested in reading another tale about a character who is essentially hollow.
One Year On
So a year ago today I got the idea of starting a blog, after reading through my friend Nyssa's blog that she was writing at the time. I've since lost contact with her and she's not writing it anymore, but to my great surprise, one year on and here I am still going with mine. Frankly this kinda stuns me because while I am very good at starting things (or thinking of things to start) I'm usually pretty rubbish at carrying on with them (or actually starting them in a lot of cases, particularly when it comes to exercise regimes).
At the time of writing this I have 333 posts (including this one and 2 drafts waiting for me to complete & post them), so I've not managed to write every day like I originally intended. In fact the last couple weeks have seen very few posts, mostly owing to a bout of a weird sleepy sickness that has seen me drinking a truly criminal amount of coffee in order to stay awake for half the day. Still I am happy with how much I have gotten posted here so far. Oh yes, that is a definite so far there, because I've got no intention of ceasing to write this. I find writing here to be therapeutic.
So what have I gotten done in the past year then? I've finished my Rise of the Snakemen D&D (that's Dungeons & Dragons to those not in the know) campaign, which had run for nearly 2 years and is by far and away the most successful campaign I've ever run. So I'm quite proud of that, it says something when my players have enjoyed playing their characters so much that they all asked to continue with them rather than start a new campaign. I've sold off a load of old toys and books on ebay, the money from that though getting eaten up by bills that all seemed to arrive when they knew I had funds to pay them!
I took my first real holiday in 8 years, and the first ever where I went alone, which was a good experience overall. I've been conned at least twice and so a lesson I need to take on from that is that I need to be a bit less trusting in future. I have tried and tried and yet thus far failed to get myself a girlfriend, that is a work still in progress. I've put on weight.
I've made a few new friends and lost a sister. I was moved from my admin job which I liked back to the bakery. If anything I'm earning less now each week than I was when I started this blog, mainly owing to the lack of Sunday work. Despite having a New Years resolution to reduce the amount of debt I am in, I have if anything actually increased it, by restarting my bank loan back in June, meaning that I again have 5 years of monthly payments ahead of me, and my credit card remains maxed out.
All in all I think the past years bad experiences outweigh the good ones. I can but hope that the 06/07 blog year is going to be kinder to me than this past year has been. I will continue to document my existence (I don't consider it to be a life right now) here, both to amuse and entertain others and to help keep me this side of sane. Having a place to rant helps. Here's to the next twelve months.
At the time of writing this I have 333 posts (including this one and 2 drafts waiting for me to complete & post them), so I've not managed to write every day like I originally intended. In fact the last couple weeks have seen very few posts, mostly owing to a bout of a weird sleepy sickness that has seen me drinking a truly criminal amount of coffee in order to stay awake for half the day. Still I am happy with how much I have gotten posted here so far. Oh yes, that is a definite so far there, because I've got no intention of ceasing to write this. I find writing here to be therapeutic.
So what have I gotten done in the past year then? I've finished my Rise of the Snakemen D&D (that's Dungeons & Dragons to those not in the know) campaign, which had run for nearly 2 years and is by far and away the most successful campaign I've ever run. So I'm quite proud of that, it says something when my players have enjoyed playing their characters so much that they all asked to continue with them rather than start a new campaign. I've sold off a load of old toys and books on ebay, the money from that though getting eaten up by bills that all seemed to arrive when they knew I had funds to pay them!
I took my first real holiday in 8 years, and the first ever where I went alone, which was a good experience overall. I've been conned at least twice and so a lesson I need to take on from that is that I need to be a bit less trusting in future. I have tried and tried and yet thus far failed to get myself a girlfriend, that is a work still in progress. I've put on weight.
I've made a few new friends and lost a sister. I was moved from my admin job which I liked back to the bakery. If anything I'm earning less now each week than I was when I started this blog, mainly owing to the lack of Sunday work. Despite having a New Years resolution to reduce the amount of debt I am in, I have if anything actually increased it, by restarting my bank loan back in June, meaning that I again have 5 years of monthly payments ahead of me, and my credit card remains maxed out.
All in all I think the past years bad experiences outweigh the good ones. I can but hope that the 06/07 blog year is going to be kinder to me than this past year has been. I will continue to document my existence (I don't consider it to be a life right now) here, both to amuse and entertain others and to help keep me this side of sane. Having a place to rant helps. Here's to the next twelve months.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
An Unusual Sight
This was the view from my window a short while ago. I was writing the previous post at the time which is why I didn't post the photo sooner. As I was writing I heard the clop clop sound of hooves, and looked out the window to see a trio of horse-drawn waggons being led past. As that was a very rare sight, I snatched up my digicam and snapped them, before they vanished from view. I thought I'd share the image with you.
I actually like genuine gypsies, they are a rare remnant of an ancient lifestyle, which was nearly wiped out by the Nazi's programme of extermination against them. It is the modern day bands of roving scum (sorry can't think of a better word for them) that are the New Age Travellers that I despise. I've only ever seen a couple gypsey waggons before today so to see three at the same time, and going past my window no less, was a real treat.
Last Sunday
I'm late in publishing this. I don't have any excuse for that beyond laziness though, I've just not really felt like writing in the blog for a while now. Still I have friends who want to read this, so I'm putting this here for their sake as much as mine. This is what I wrote on the sunday just gone, whilst watching (and sometimes participating) in their weapons practice:
As I write this I am sat in a field at the back end of Vivary Park (the one with the soccer goal and the overgrown rifle ranges), whilst listening to a classic rock tune by Bon Jovi (Blaze of Glory). I am here with a bunch of my best friends (and my brother), to watch them practise fighting with rubber weapons.
They all play in LARP (Live Action RolePlay) games over weekends away now and then (Tony is soon to join them in this hobby), and they want to hone their skills. So I'm sat here in the middle of the field, next to an impressive collection of rubber swords, daggers and spears, as they battle around me, my words written to the thuds of these weapons hitting against each other and also the people involved. Right now Tony, Gareth, Dan and my brother Rhys are here, but apparently some more are due to turn up soon.
Every now and then some other members of the public walk into the field, staying well clear of our madcap group and glancing oddly at us as they walk around the fields perimeter. I wonder whether the four dancing about hitting each other in furious melee, or the one sat quietly writing in their midst is perceived as the most unusual?
A little later on: They are done with the fighting for the moment. I'm now laying down watching as Dan is stood facing the other three, teaching them a few basic Kung-Fu moves, a sequence of hand positions he refers to as a kata. I can't hear a word any of them are saying, as I'm too close to the stereo Dan brought with him. I do catch a snippet of their conversations now and then whenever the song changes over though, plus I get the added hilarity of seeing one or all of them burst into laughter suddenly, without hearing the cause, which is actually quite funny to see in its own right!
A cold wind is blowing, the sun up above only rarely showing itself from behind a cover of clouds, which seem to be growing increasingly grey. Certainly it is darker now than when we arrived, and I get the feeling that rain won't be long in coming. I just looked up then to see all of the other four looking at me and grinning. Seems I missed out on a shared joke there.
Later still: Well Kung-Fu training came to an abrupt halt when my brother picked up a spear and attacked Dan with it. So Rhys and Gareth are trying out dual weapon fighting now, each of them using a sword and dagger. Meanwhile Dan is training Tony in the use of Nunchuks (of the non-rubber variety). Part of me is tempted to pick up a weapon and join in. However, I know my mates well enough to know that I'd likely get attacked by all of them should I do so. Still no sign of the others who were supposed to have been joining us.
Even later again: Dan is now running the others through the spear/staff fighting routine which I watched him teaching Gareth in this same field back on Wednesday afternoon. Needless to say the couple hours practice then is showing, as Gareth seems to be doing quite well in this lesson. Dan's tuition mostly focusing on Rhys it seems.
Yup, even later again: Well the grey clouds have blown over, looks like I was wrong about rain being imminent. I've had a couple battles with Gareth, putting my old fencing lessons at school to good use. Dan is now trying to phone up those who haven't turned up. Time I was heading off I think as I want to get to the cinema to watch "Snakes On A Plane" a bit later on.
Well that is what I penned while sat in the field. As I was leaving, the other two who were due to join the group finally turned up (Emil and his girlfriend Charlie. Not sure if I've spelt either of their names right there!). They didn't stay long though, as I ran into them and Rhys as I was walking through town a little bit later on, on my way to the cinema. It's been a good day all in all and as I don't seem to get much work on Sundays of late (which I'm not happy about), I'll likely tag along for future sessions.
As I write this I am sat in a field at the back end of Vivary Park (the one with the soccer goal and the overgrown rifle ranges), whilst listening to a classic rock tune by Bon Jovi (Blaze of Glory). I am here with a bunch of my best friends (and my brother), to watch them practise fighting with rubber weapons.
They all play in LARP (Live Action RolePlay) games over weekends away now and then (Tony is soon to join them in this hobby), and they want to hone their skills. So I'm sat here in the middle of the field, next to an impressive collection of rubber swords, daggers and spears, as they battle around me, my words written to the thuds of these weapons hitting against each other and also the people involved. Right now Tony, Gareth, Dan and my brother Rhys are here, but apparently some more are due to turn up soon.
Every now and then some other members of the public walk into the field, staying well clear of our madcap group and glancing oddly at us as they walk around the fields perimeter. I wonder whether the four dancing about hitting each other in furious melee, or the one sat quietly writing in their midst is perceived as the most unusual?
A little later on: They are done with the fighting for the moment. I'm now laying down watching as Dan is stood facing the other three, teaching them a few basic Kung-Fu moves, a sequence of hand positions he refers to as a kata. I can't hear a word any of them are saying, as I'm too close to the stereo Dan brought with him. I do catch a snippet of their conversations now and then whenever the song changes over though, plus I get the added hilarity of seeing one or all of them burst into laughter suddenly, without hearing the cause, which is actually quite funny to see in its own right!
A cold wind is blowing, the sun up above only rarely showing itself from behind a cover of clouds, which seem to be growing increasingly grey. Certainly it is darker now than when we arrived, and I get the feeling that rain won't be long in coming. I just looked up then to see all of the other four looking at me and grinning. Seems I missed out on a shared joke there.
Later still: Well Kung-Fu training came to an abrupt halt when my brother picked up a spear and attacked Dan with it. So Rhys and Gareth are trying out dual weapon fighting now, each of them using a sword and dagger. Meanwhile Dan is training Tony in the use of Nunchuks (of the non-rubber variety). Part of me is tempted to pick up a weapon and join in. However, I know my mates well enough to know that I'd likely get attacked by all of them should I do so. Still no sign of the others who were supposed to have been joining us.
Even later again: Dan is now running the others through the spear/staff fighting routine which I watched him teaching Gareth in this same field back on Wednesday afternoon. Needless to say the couple hours practice then is showing, as Gareth seems to be doing quite well in this lesson. Dan's tuition mostly focusing on Rhys it seems.
Yup, even later again: Well the grey clouds have blown over, looks like I was wrong about rain being imminent. I've had a couple battles with Gareth, putting my old fencing lessons at school to good use. Dan is now trying to phone up those who haven't turned up. Time I was heading off I think as I want to get to the cinema to watch "Snakes On A Plane" a bit later on.
Well that is what I penned while sat in the field. As I was leaving, the other two who were due to join the group finally turned up (Emil and his girlfriend Charlie. Not sure if I've spelt either of their names right there!). They didn't stay long though, as I ran into them and Rhys as I was walking through town a little bit later on, on my way to the cinema. It's been a good day all in all and as I don't seem to get much work on Sundays of late (which I'm not happy about), I'll likely tag along for future sessions.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Just Too Funny
Spotted this comic advertised on the Penny & Aggie webcomic page and just had to click the link and read it. As someone who loves these 80's comic book/cartoon characters, I just laughed out loud at the comics depiction of Copperhead, Cobra Commander, King Hsss and Serpentor. The only one I can't place is the character at the back of the first panel. I think he is the villain out of the old Conan the Adventurer cartoon, but I'll be damned if I can remember his name!
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Blackstaff: A Book Review
Well I was going to write up a book review for the trilogy I read while on holiday in Malta, but I can't be bothered. Suffice to say that I enjoyed reading the Starlight & Shadows Trilogy by Elaine Cunningham and I award it 4/5. So with that done, on to the book I finished earlier today. Blackstaff by Steven E. Schend is a Forgotten Realms novel and the first book in a quartet of stand alone novels entitled The Wizards, the focus for which should be obvious. The wizard in this case is Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun, one of the more powerful mages of the Realms.
The central premise of the book has Khelben's apprentice Tsarra Chaadren becoming bonded to her mentor via a spellcasting by another apprentice going horribly wrong. As a result of this, Tsarra is exposed to Khelben's memories and secrets which span nearly a millenium, he being far older than his current identity would have him appear to be. As frightening as some of those memories are, Tsarra quickly learns that Khelben has known that this would happen for a very long time.
Unable to be further than eight armspans from the great wizard, Tsarra is brought along as a plan many centuries in fruition starts to form. Khelben travels across the Realms gathering items and allies, all the while working to thwart the ambitions of a corrupt former student of his, now a deadly lich, who seeks to steal control of what the Blackstaff is up to, even though he doesn't really comprehend the full scope of the wizards ambitious undertaking.
Unused to having to explain himself, Khelben finds himself having to deal with Tsarra's anger at being left "out of the loop", and increasingly has to open up to the girl to explain what she sees in his memories which occasionally overwhelm her in the form of a vision. Too some of the things Khelben takes for granted are quite shocking to his apprentice, such as the "Dead Man's Walk", a chain of portals & caches at the sites of the graves of the identities Khelben has had over the centuries.
The story culminates in one of the best written spectacles I have seen in any book, a massive undertaking of magic, cast by many of the notable wizards (and even a few priests) of the Realms. To anyone who knows and loves the Realms as I do, names like Elminster, Alustriel & Laeral Silverhand, Maskar Wands, Malchor Harpell and Maaril the Dragonmage need no introduction. The book nicely touches on some plotlines long left unresolved (such as two of my favourite characters: Sememmon & Ashemmi) tying up some, and spinning others off in new and unforeseen directions.
It is clear to me that Mr. Schend really "gets" both the Realms and Khelben himself, hardly surprising given that he used to be a staff writer at TSR before they were bought out by Wizards of the Coast. At the end of this book I am left wanting more from the author, though this story is complete in an of itself, I am already eager to see what his next novel will cover. To me that is a sign both of a good writer and a good story well told, especially so since this is his first novel. This book gets top marks from me, 5/5. I can only hope the other books in The Wizards series live up to the promise of this first tome.
The central premise of the book has Khelben's apprentice Tsarra Chaadren becoming bonded to her mentor via a spellcasting by another apprentice going horribly wrong. As a result of this, Tsarra is exposed to Khelben's memories and secrets which span nearly a millenium, he being far older than his current identity would have him appear to be. As frightening as some of those memories are, Tsarra quickly learns that Khelben has known that this would happen for a very long time.
Unable to be further than eight armspans from the great wizard, Tsarra is brought along as a plan many centuries in fruition starts to form. Khelben travels across the Realms gathering items and allies, all the while working to thwart the ambitions of a corrupt former student of his, now a deadly lich, who seeks to steal control of what the Blackstaff is up to, even though he doesn't really comprehend the full scope of the wizards ambitious undertaking.
Unused to having to explain himself, Khelben finds himself having to deal with Tsarra's anger at being left "out of the loop", and increasingly has to open up to the girl to explain what she sees in his memories which occasionally overwhelm her in the form of a vision. Too some of the things Khelben takes for granted are quite shocking to his apprentice, such as the "Dead Man's Walk", a chain of portals & caches at the sites of the graves of the identities Khelben has had over the centuries.
The story culminates in one of the best written spectacles I have seen in any book, a massive undertaking of magic, cast by many of the notable wizards (and even a few priests) of the Realms. To anyone who knows and loves the Realms as I do, names like Elminster, Alustriel & Laeral Silverhand, Maskar Wands, Malchor Harpell and Maaril the Dragonmage need no introduction. The book nicely touches on some plotlines long left unresolved (such as two of my favourite characters: Sememmon & Ashemmi) tying up some, and spinning others off in new and unforeseen directions.
It is clear to me that Mr. Schend really "gets" both the Realms and Khelben himself, hardly surprising given that he used to be a staff writer at TSR before they were bought out by Wizards of the Coast. At the end of this book I am left wanting more from the author, though this story is complete in an of itself, I am already eager to see what his next novel will cover. To me that is a sign both of a good writer and a good story well told, especially so since this is his first novel. This book gets top marks from me, 5/5. I can only hope the other books in The Wizards series live up to the promise of this first tome.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Right Place, Wrong Time
I do like this song, and if you don't know it from the lyrics, then I'd ask if you've ever seen the frankly excellent movie Sahara. This is the song that plays over the opening credits, while the camera slowly pans around Dirk Pitt's cluttered office, panning over the many trophies and photos of his career. It is hard to describe the tune exactly, seems I can describe just about anything that I can see, but words often fail me when trying to detail what something sounds like. Still you can download the track for something like 10 pence at www.allofmp3.com so if you are curious, then it'll hardly set you back that much. If not, your loss!
Right Place, Wrong Time by Dr. John
I been in the right place
But it must have been the wrong time
I'd of said the right thing
But I must have used the wrong line
I been in the right trip
But I must have used the wrong car
My head was in a bad place
And I'm wondering what it's good for
I been the right place
But it must have been the wrong time
My head was in a place
But I'm having such a good time
I been running trying to get hung up in my mind
Got to give myself a little talking to this time
Just need a little brain salad surgery
Got to cure this insecurity
I been in the wrong place
But it must have been the right time
I been in the right place
But it must have been the wrong song
I been in the right vein
But it seems like the wrong arm
I been in the right world
But it seems wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong
Slipping, dodging, sneaking, creeping
Hiding out down the street
See my life shaking with every who I meet
Refried confusion is making itself clear
Wonder which way do I go to get on out of here
I been in the right place
But it must have been the wrong time
I'd have said the right thing
But I must have used the wrong line
I'd a took the right road
But I must have took a wrong turn
I would have made the right move
But I made it at the wrong time
I been on the right road
But I must have used the wrong car
My head was in a good place
And I wonder what it's bad for
Right Place, Wrong Time by Dr. John
I been in the right place
But it must have been the wrong time
I'd of said the right thing
But I must have used the wrong line
I been in the right trip
But I must have used the wrong car
My head was in a bad place
And I'm wondering what it's good for
I been the right place
But it must have been the wrong time
My head was in a place
But I'm having such a good time
I been running trying to get hung up in my mind
Got to give myself a little talking to this time
Just need a little brain salad surgery
Got to cure this insecurity
I been in the wrong place
But it must have been the right time
I been in the right place
But it must have been the wrong song
I been in the right vein
But it seems like the wrong arm
I been in the right world
But it seems wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong
Slipping, dodging, sneaking, creeping
Hiding out down the street
See my life shaking with every who I meet
Refried confusion is making itself clear
Wonder which way do I go to get on out of here
I been in the right place
But it must have been the wrong time
I'd have said the right thing
But I must have used the wrong line
I'd a took the right road
But I must have took a wrong turn
I would have made the right move
But I made it at the wrong time
I been on the right road
But I must have used the wrong car
My head was in a good place
And I wonder what it's bad for
Malta Diary - Day Eight (1/8/06)
3:10am - The alarm clock went off on time and I'm now up, washed and dressed. I've checked over the room and not found anything that I haven't packed, that I need to take with me. I've filled out the hotels questionaire and left it on the table for housekeeping to find. All that is left to do now and haul myself and my bags to the lobby, pay my bill, check out and wait for the bus to show up.
6:05am Malta International Airport - Well the bill came to 21Lm which is actually less than I thought it would be, so that was a relief. I had a relaxing (if somewhat hot and stuffy) ride in a big touring coach to the airport and I am now sat at Gate 8 in the Departure Lounge waiting to board Flight KM 5214 to Exeter. The flight is at 7am, so I've got a little while yet. I've bought a few items from the duty free shops, namely a big bag of Wine Gums (I love Wine Gums), and also a litre bottle of Blue Label Smirnoff Vodka which is 50% proof (the version you can buy in the UK is the same price but you only get 70cls and it is 45%).
I have also bought a better present for Mum than the candle I found, as she collects miniature model houses, I got her a Maltese Watchtower (as she doesn't have any castles or the like). There is quite a range of shops here and a Hard Rock Cafe too. Certainly a much better quality airport than Exeter, although Gatwick is far more impressive still.
11:00am Home - My good friend Richard Adams was waiting for me at Exeter Airport to give me a lift home, for which I am very grateful. It was good to see a familiar face. The drive home was relaxing, with only one odd occurence near the airport when for a minute at most we drove through torrential rain, which vanished as fast as it had appeared. Very strange. I'll leave the unpacking until later, as I have a couple parcels at the Sorting Office across town to go and collect.
All in all it has been a good week, and I now have a lot to think on. I want to go on holiday again and a lot sooner than the 8 year gap between this past week and the last time before that I had gone abroad (a weekend to Denmark in summer 1998). I think Malta was a good choice of vacation, and I'd be looking for something similar next time, a blend of sun and sightseeing. Somewhere like Crete or Italy...
6:05am Malta International Airport - Well the bill came to 21Lm which is actually less than I thought it would be, so that was a relief. I had a relaxing (if somewhat hot and stuffy) ride in a big touring coach to the airport and I am now sat at Gate 8 in the Departure Lounge waiting to board Flight KM 5214 to Exeter. The flight is at 7am, so I've got a little while yet. I've bought a few items from the duty free shops, namely a big bag of Wine Gums (I love Wine Gums), and also a litre bottle of Blue Label Smirnoff Vodka which is 50% proof (the version you can buy in the UK is the same price but you only get 70cls and it is 45%).
I have also bought a better present for Mum than the candle I found, as she collects miniature model houses, I got her a Maltese Watchtower (as she doesn't have any castles or the like). There is quite a range of shops here and a Hard Rock Cafe too. Certainly a much better quality airport than Exeter, although Gatwick is far more impressive still.
11:00am Home - My good friend Richard Adams was waiting for me at Exeter Airport to give me a lift home, for which I am very grateful. It was good to see a familiar face. The drive home was relaxing, with only one odd occurence near the airport when for a minute at most we drove through torrential rain, which vanished as fast as it had appeared. Very strange. I'll leave the unpacking until later, as I have a couple parcels at the Sorting Office across town to go and collect.
All in all it has been a good week, and I now have a lot to think on. I want to go on holiday again and a lot sooner than the 8 year gap between this past week and the last time before that I had gone abroad (a weekend to Denmark in summer 1998). I think Malta was a good choice of vacation, and I'd be looking for something similar next time, a blend of sun and sightseeing. Somewhere like Crete or Italy...
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Malta Diary - Day Seven (31/7/.06)
9:00am - I've allowed myself to sleep in late this morning (but not so late that I can't get breakfast). So it's off to Les Jardins to enjoy for the last time the incredible selection of breakfast foods availiable on their buffet. I've eaten very well this past week, think I'll go for cold meats, cheese and bread this morning.
10:20am - I've had breakfast and done some shopping. Bought a big bottle of cold water for the poolside, a couple big bottles of Kinnie to take home with me as well as a truly lovely candle which I think Mum might like. I've got to head to the pool now as the housekeeping lady is here.
2:35pm - I think that is enough pool for today. I'm tired from all the swimming and my brain aches from all the reading I've done as I've just finished the trilogy that I brought with me. So I've come back to my room to chill out for a while while watching music videos. Might take a nap thinking about it, seeing as I've got to get up at 3am tomorrow and I know myself well enough to know that I'll likely get no sleep tonight.
7:15pm - I feel fantastic after several hours of naptime. I'm about to head out to dinner now as I need food (didn't have much in the way of lunch) and then I'll visit the cyber cafe before coming back here and packing my things.
11:05pm - I'm watching Shakira shake her stuff on MTV as I write this. I had dinner at the Al Ponte at my favourite table again. Treated myself to a bottle of Rose Wine and I had the Irish Rib Eye Steak again. I was joined there not long after I'd finished my main course (and was trying to get the waitresses attention for the dessert menu) by Chris & Rachel. It was nice to have people to talk too for a while. Was a good evening all in all, and I chatted with them as I enjoyed a Fresh Sensation dessert (2 scoops of lemon sorbet, drizzled in Limoncello liqueor and raspbery coulis), a magical combination and only 1.25Lm!
I went to the cyber cafe for an hour or so, mostly spent reading webcomics and chatting to my friend Savanna. Time I got everything packed up and ready to go now though.
11:25pm - Well I was going to go to sleep once I was done packing, but just as I was turning off MTV on comes Live Guns 'N' Roses from one of their 1992 concerts. I slept earlier, so I think I'll stay up and watch this for a while. The alarm clock is set for 3am, everything is packed and I'm ready to go in the morning. Not looking forward to the room service bill though!
10:20am - I've had breakfast and done some shopping. Bought a big bottle of cold water for the poolside, a couple big bottles of Kinnie to take home with me as well as a truly lovely candle which I think Mum might like. I've got to head to the pool now as the housekeeping lady is here.
2:35pm - I think that is enough pool for today. I'm tired from all the swimming and my brain aches from all the reading I've done as I've just finished the trilogy that I brought with me. So I've come back to my room to chill out for a while while watching music videos. Might take a nap thinking about it, seeing as I've got to get up at 3am tomorrow and I know myself well enough to know that I'll likely get no sleep tonight.
7:15pm - I feel fantastic after several hours of naptime. I'm about to head out to dinner now as I need food (didn't have much in the way of lunch) and then I'll visit the cyber cafe before coming back here and packing my things.
11:05pm - I'm watching Shakira shake her stuff on MTV as I write this. I had dinner at the Al Ponte at my favourite table again. Treated myself to a bottle of Rose Wine and I had the Irish Rib Eye Steak again. I was joined there not long after I'd finished my main course (and was trying to get the waitresses attention for the dessert menu) by Chris & Rachel. It was nice to have people to talk too for a while. Was a good evening all in all, and I chatted with them as I enjoyed a Fresh Sensation dessert (2 scoops of lemon sorbet, drizzled in Limoncello liqueor and raspbery coulis), a magical combination and only 1.25Lm!
I went to the cyber cafe for an hour or so, mostly spent reading webcomics and chatting to my friend Savanna. Time I got everything packed up and ready to go now though.
11:25pm - Well I was going to go to sleep once I was done packing, but just as I was turning off MTV on comes Live Guns 'N' Roses from one of their 1992 concerts. I slept earlier, so I think I'll stay up and watch this for a while. The alarm clock is set for 3am, everything is packed and I'm ready to go in the morning. Not looking forward to the room service bill though!
Malta Diary - Day Six (30/7/06)
8:05am - Depression has abated a little, time for breakfast then going to stay by the pool for the day. I am tempted to take a boat trip around the islands tomorrow, as there is one that leaves at 11am and it was highly reccomended by a woman called Sheila who I was talking too last night in the Cocktail Lounge. It is also the same company that Charlotte was handing out flyers for earlier in the week.
2:35pm - Back from the pool for a bit. One problem I've found is that being on your own at a hotel where everyone is with someone else means you get stared at a LOT. I've never been one to stand in the limelight, so it frankly it is very annoying when I am trying to read my book in peace, and I can feel peoples eyes on me all of the time. So I've retreated to the solitude of my room for a while, and I will read some more out on the balcony.
6:25pm - A few more hours have slipped by at the poolside. Spent a while chatting to Chris and Rachel as they were interested in the islands history and I was keen to know about their year spent travelling around the world. I am back in my room now watching 25 Years of MTV on the Euro MTV channel. I can't understand a word the presenter says, or any of the adverts for that matter, but the music videos are all in english. I've just watched Eternal Flame by the Bangles and Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns 'N' Roses. Push It by Salt 'N' Pepa is on at the moment. I was about to head out for some dinner when I found this by channel surfing. Think I'll stay in and watch videos for a while longer as I'm not that hungry yet, and I do love 80's music.
11:50pm - Dinner (when I eventually grew tired of music videos) was at the Al Ponte. I've found a table I like there (#53 overlooking Mellieha Bay) and the food and service are both superb (as well as the prices). I had Garlic Bread for a starter followed by a main course of pasta (I've forgotten the dishes exact name but it was very nice) with a bottle of very cold white wine.
From there I headed to the cyber cafe and spent a half hour or so reading webcomics and chatting to a couple friends on MSN, before heading across the street to the Bar 120 where I remained for the next couple hours. Didn't drink so much this time, but because of the bottle of wine earlier still ended up pleasantly drunk. Very handy that the Bar 120 has a door at the back of it that leads into a room where the elevators to my floor are! Staggering distance indeed! Night World!
2:35pm - Back from the pool for a bit. One problem I've found is that being on your own at a hotel where everyone is with someone else means you get stared at a LOT. I've never been one to stand in the limelight, so it frankly it is very annoying when I am trying to read my book in peace, and I can feel peoples eyes on me all of the time. So I've retreated to the solitude of my room for a while, and I will read some more out on the balcony.
6:25pm - A few more hours have slipped by at the poolside. Spent a while chatting to Chris and Rachel as they were interested in the islands history and I was keen to know about their year spent travelling around the world. I am back in my room now watching 25 Years of MTV on the Euro MTV channel. I can't understand a word the presenter says, or any of the adverts for that matter, but the music videos are all in english. I've just watched Eternal Flame by the Bangles and Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns 'N' Roses. Push It by Salt 'N' Pepa is on at the moment. I was about to head out for some dinner when I found this by channel surfing. Think I'll stay in and watch videos for a while longer as I'm not that hungry yet, and I do love 80's music.
11:50pm - Dinner (when I eventually grew tired of music videos) was at the Al Ponte. I've found a table I like there (#53 overlooking Mellieha Bay) and the food and service are both superb (as well as the prices). I had Garlic Bread for a starter followed by a main course of pasta (I've forgotten the dishes exact name but it was very nice) with a bottle of very cold white wine.
From there I headed to the cyber cafe and spent a half hour or so reading webcomics and chatting to a couple friends on MSN, before heading across the street to the Bar 120 where I remained for the next couple hours. Didn't drink so much this time, but because of the bottle of wine earlier still ended up pleasantly drunk. Very handy that the Bar 120 has a door at the back of it that leads into a room where the elevators to my floor are! Staggering distance indeed! Night World!
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Malta Diary - Day Five (29/7/06)
9:00am - I've slept in later than I intended but not too late. I've got what I need to travel with me (Sun Lotion, Camera, USB cable for the camera in case I find a cyber cafe there, Rough Guide, Wallet, Sunglasses) so once I get some breakfast in me, I'll be off to the bus stop to catch a bus to Valletta. The #45 is the one I want... I think.
6:20pm - Valletta was brilliant, a very lovely city that is collectively a World Heritage Site (and rightly so!). I caught the #45 bus outside the hotel and was treated to a bone shaking trip that took about 50mins before we arrived at the gates to the ancient city. Maltese buses have high ceilings and powerful (AND LOUD) engines to get them up the insanely steep roads on parts of the island. Every bus also has some religious symbol in the window, fitting as the Maltese are some of the most pious people in the world.
A view from the top of the main gatehouse into Valletta of the terminal where buses to the city stop, and deposit visitors before the awesome fortified entrance!
Valletta was built to commemorate the the victory of the Knights of St. John in 1565 over the massive Turkish army that had attacked their base on Malta. The Ottoman Empire wished Malta conquered, as from its massive harbours the Knights were able to very effectively raid and pillage Turkish shipping. Had Malta fallen, Italy would almost certainly have been conquered and Rome itself would have fallen to the forces of Islam. For over three months the Knights fought a truly desperate siege against a force that outnumbered them at least 4 to 1.
A view from the other side of the main gatehouse, looking down into Freedom Square. The main road through the centre of Valletta (Triq Ir-Repubblika) can be seen leading off from the back of the square.
The Triq Ir-Repubblika which leads from Freedom Square all the way through the centre of Valletta to Fort St. Elmo at the far end of the peninsular which the city is built on.
First off I headed down the Triq Ir-Repubblika (Republic Street) and I visited the National Museum of Archeology which is housed in a former chapter house for the Knights. The entrance fee was 1Lm, and while the upstairs level was closed for refurbishment, I felt I got my money's worth from the exhibits on the ground floor. What I could view was fascinating, with items from many dig sites around the islands detailing the inhabitants in the Neolithic Age as well as some excellent models of the megalithic temple complexes that were built here at that time. Malta was home to the most advanced society of the Stone Age, and the islands have been occupied for more than 7000 years.
From there I made my way to the Grand Masters Palace and Armoury, but was dismayed to find that it was closed due to state business (it is also the Maltese House of Parliament). Deciding that the War Museum was a good next target, I set off through the very busy streets, stopping to buy a few gifts for family and friends. I think it was not long after that that a cannon went off. At least that is what it sounded like. I was maybe 100' from it when it went off, and I felt like I'd jumped out of my skin! The sudden near-deafening boom came from the next street over (Triq Il-Merkanti) where a very lively festival was taking place. Asking a shopkeeper I was told that it was a Saint's Day festival. Every five minutes for the next couple hours this BOOM went off, finally ending in a loud and furious salvo of a few dozen such explosions in quick succession. Needless to say the noise provided a suitable ambience while I browsed the exhibits in the War Museum, which detailed Malta's crucial role in World War 2.
A view from the Lower Barakka Gardens of the Siege Bell, a frankly huge bell that tolls once each day at noon as a reminder of the lives lost in World War 2. It was inaugurated in 1992 by Queen Elizabeth II.
From there I took a walk alongside the Grand Harbour, taking in the Lower and Upper Barakka Gardens and getting a true sense of the awesome fortifications that the Knights surrounded their new capital in. As a point of reference, in harbour was a 110,000 tonne cruise liner which stuck something like 10-12 stories out of the water. As massive as it was, the wall it was moored near towered over it. I sure wouldn't have wanted to attack this place with muskets and ladders that's for sure!
I was again disappointed after lunch when I tried to visit the Lascaris War Rooms (where the WW2 Battle for North Africa and the Mediterranean was directed from. The Invasion of Sicily was planned here by none other than General Dwight Eisenhower himself) as they had shut at 12:30pm. I wandered for a while then, taking a couple photos from the top of the cities main gatehouse, and eventually finding my way to the Siege Experience a very interesting 3D tour through the Great Siege of 1565, with audio provided by a box & headphones that were worn as as you toured through the themed rooms, each room triggering a new audio track to play. From there I wandered a bit more, before heading back to the bus stop.
Once back in Mellieha, I got changed and headed to the pool for an hour to read and swim. I also spent a fair bit of time chatting with Rachel (and briefly Chris before he headed off for a massage), the couple from near Exeter whose names I finally got! As the pool slipped fully into the shade, I headed back to my room to relax, write this entry and get changed before heading out to find a place to have dinner.
12:00am - I had dinner at Les Jardins, yet another expense on my room bill, but I didn't fancy walking around to find a restaurant after all the walking I'd done earlier today. chatted to my mate Dan Shapter on MSN for a bit and had a few drinks at the Cocktail Lounge, but the self doubt that plagues me has finally caught up with me, and as a result of that I spent a fair bit of the night in a state of depression which is not unusual for me. Hopefully I'll feel more cheery in the morning.
6:20pm - Valletta was brilliant, a very lovely city that is collectively a World Heritage Site (and rightly so!). I caught the #45 bus outside the hotel and was treated to a bone shaking trip that took about 50mins before we arrived at the gates to the ancient city. Maltese buses have high ceilings and powerful (AND LOUD) engines to get them up the insanely steep roads on parts of the island. Every bus also has some religious symbol in the window, fitting as the Maltese are some of the most pious people in the world.
A view from the top of the main gatehouse into Valletta of the terminal where buses to the city stop, and deposit visitors before the awesome fortified entrance!Valletta was built to commemorate the the victory of the Knights of St. John in 1565 over the massive Turkish army that had attacked their base on Malta. The Ottoman Empire wished Malta conquered, as from its massive harbours the Knights were able to very effectively raid and pillage Turkish shipping. Had Malta fallen, Italy would almost certainly have been conquered and Rome itself would have fallen to the forces of Islam. For over three months the Knights fought a truly desperate siege against a force that outnumbered them at least 4 to 1.
A view from the other side of the main gatehouse, looking down into Freedom Square. The main road through the centre of Valletta (Triq Ir-Repubblika) can be seen leading off from the back of the square.
The Triq Ir-Repubblika which leads from Freedom Square all the way through the centre of Valletta to Fort St. Elmo at the far end of the peninsular which the city is built on.First off I headed down the Triq Ir-Repubblika (Republic Street) and I visited the National Museum of Archeology which is housed in a former chapter house for the Knights. The entrance fee was 1Lm, and while the upstairs level was closed for refurbishment, I felt I got my money's worth from the exhibits on the ground floor. What I could view was fascinating, with items from many dig sites around the islands detailing the inhabitants in the Neolithic Age as well as some excellent models of the megalithic temple complexes that were built here at that time. Malta was home to the most advanced society of the Stone Age, and the islands have been occupied for more than 7000 years.
From there I made my way to the Grand Masters Palace and Armoury, but was dismayed to find that it was closed due to state business (it is also the Maltese House of Parliament). Deciding that the War Museum was a good next target, I set off through the very busy streets, stopping to buy a few gifts for family and friends. I think it was not long after that that a cannon went off. At least that is what it sounded like. I was maybe 100' from it when it went off, and I felt like I'd jumped out of my skin! The sudden near-deafening boom came from the next street over (Triq Il-Merkanti) where a very lively festival was taking place. Asking a shopkeeper I was told that it was a Saint's Day festival. Every five minutes for the next couple hours this BOOM went off, finally ending in a loud and furious salvo of a few dozen such explosions in quick succession. Needless to say the noise provided a suitable ambience while I browsed the exhibits in the War Museum, which detailed Malta's crucial role in World War 2.
A view from the Lower Barakka Gardens of the Siege Bell, a frankly huge bell that tolls once each day at noon as a reminder of the lives lost in World War 2. It was inaugurated in 1992 by Queen Elizabeth II.From there I took a walk alongside the Grand Harbour, taking in the Lower and Upper Barakka Gardens and getting a true sense of the awesome fortifications that the Knights surrounded their new capital in. As a point of reference, in harbour was a 110,000 tonne cruise liner which stuck something like 10-12 stories out of the water. As massive as it was, the wall it was moored near towered over it. I sure wouldn't have wanted to attack this place with muskets and ladders that's for sure!
I was again disappointed after lunch when I tried to visit the Lascaris War Rooms (where the WW2 Battle for North Africa and the Mediterranean was directed from. The Invasion of Sicily was planned here by none other than General Dwight Eisenhower himself) as they had shut at 12:30pm. I wandered for a while then, taking a couple photos from the top of the cities main gatehouse, and eventually finding my way to the Siege Experience a very interesting 3D tour through the Great Siege of 1565, with audio provided by a box & headphones that were worn as as you toured through the themed rooms, each room triggering a new audio track to play. From there I wandered a bit more, before heading back to the bus stop.
Once back in Mellieha, I got changed and headed to the pool for an hour to read and swim. I also spent a fair bit of time chatting with Rachel (and briefly Chris before he headed off for a massage), the couple from near Exeter whose names I finally got! As the pool slipped fully into the shade, I headed back to my room to relax, write this entry and get changed before heading out to find a place to have dinner.
12:00am - I had dinner at Les Jardins, yet another expense on my room bill, but I didn't fancy walking around to find a restaurant after all the walking I'd done earlier today. chatted to my mate Dan Shapter on MSN for a bit and had a few drinks at the Cocktail Lounge, but the self doubt that plagues me has finally caught up with me, and as a result of that I spent a fair bit of the night in a state of depression which is not unusual for me. Hopefully I'll feel more cheery in the morning.
Malta Diary - Day Four (28/7/06)
9:35am - Well I went to the bar in the end, had a few drinks and thoroughly enjoyed myself singing along to 80's rock tunes. I've overslept now though, so need to head to Les Jardins for breakfast while they are still serving it!
12:05pm - I'm fed and have just picked up a bottle of cold water from the store across the road. Spent 2Lm on an internet voucher and have posted my first bday's worth of diary on the blog. Wrote up most of day two also and saved that to brief, as my time was about to run out. I was sat next to an italian bloke the whole time who was moaning about how slow the connection was on his PC. Mine was fine, but he was pissed because he couldn't access his bank account online. I managed to access my HSBC account without any problems. Guess he should switch to a better bank!
Pool now and I must remember to wear my sun hat when I'm sat reading as I have gotten sunburned on the top of my head now!
5:00pm - I've just spent the last few hours by the pool. As a result of having sunburn on my head, I decided to sit in the shade at the back of the poolside bar area. No-one else hardly sits in there anyway, and it was much cooler and more comfortable on the chairs there, than out on the sun loungers. I swam every now and then, but mostly I sat and read my book. I also got in a fair bit of women watching, particularly the exquisite brunette in a green bikini who was lounging nearby with her family. There are lots of very nice looking women here, a shame that they all seem to either be with their partners, their children or their parents. As near as I can tell, I'm the only single male in the hotel!
My eyes are stinging from the chlorine so I might well have a nap and then go out for an evening meal. I've also learned (much to my dismay) that there are no nightclubs or bars with dancefloors in Mellieha!
10:50pm - I've been sat out on the balcony for the past couple hours reading, after getting a truly wonderful dinner at the Al Ponte. Foccaccia for starters (very different from the foccaccia we are used too in the UK, which is quite a fluffy bread. This was flat and piled high with salad), and a sublime Irish Rib Eye Steak with chips (seasoned with paprika) and Gorgonzola sauce. Best meat I have ever eaten, the steak melted in my mouth . I might well have that again before coming home. Tomorrow I mean to catch an early bus to Valletta and go sight seeing. I'll take the camera as I can still get a few shots in its memory.
Got a letter from my travel rep who is called Amanda apparently. I've not seen hide nor hair of her yet. The letter contained leaving details (I need to be in the hotel lobby for 4am on Tuesday!) as well as a questionnaire, which can wait to be filled out. Sleep calls to me now.
12:05pm - I'm fed and have just picked up a bottle of cold water from the store across the road. Spent 2Lm on an internet voucher and have posted my first bday's worth of diary on the blog. Wrote up most of day two also and saved that to brief, as my time was about to run out. I was sat next to an italian bloke the whole time who was moaning about how slow the connection was on his PC. Mine was fine, but he was pissed because he couldn't access his bank account online. I managed to access my HSBC account without any problems. Guess he should switch to a better bank!
Pool now and I must remember to wear my sun hat when I'm sat reading as I have gotten sunburned on the top of my head now!
5:00pm - I've just spent the last few hours by the pool. As a result of having sunburn on my head, I decided to sit in the shade at the back of the poolside bar area. No-one else hardly sits in there anyway, and it was much cooler and more comfortable on the chairs there, than out on the sun loungers. I swam every now and then, but mostly I sat and read my book. I also got in a fair bit of women watching, particularly the exquisite brunette in a green bikini who was lounging nearby with her family. There are lots of very nice looking women here, a shame that they all seem to either be with their partners, their children or their parents. As near as I can tell, I'm the only single male in the hotel!
My eyes are stinging from the chlorine so I might well have a nap and then go out for an evening meal. I've also learned (much to my dismay) that there are no nightclubs or bars with dancefloors in Mellieha!
10:50pm - I've been sat out on the balcony for the past couple hours reading, after getting a truly wonderful dinner at the Al Ponte. Foccaccia for starters (very different from the foccaccia we are used too in the UK, which is quite a fluffy bread. This was flat and piled high with salad), and a sublime Irish Rib Eye Steak with chips (seasoned with paprika) and Gorgonzola sauce. Best meat I have ever eaten, the steak melted in my mouth . I might well have that again before coming home. Tomorrow I mean to catch an early bus to Valletta and go sight seeing. I'll take the camera as I can still get a few shots in its memory.
Got a letter from my travel rep who is called Amanda apparently. I've not seen hide nor hair of her yet. The letter contained leaving details (I need to be in the hotel lobby for 4am on Tuesday!) as well as a questionnaire, which can wait to be filled out. Sleep calls to me now.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Malta Diary - Day Three (27/7/06)
8:00am - I've not had a good nights sleep, a combination of the alcohol I drank last night, slight dehydration and the peanuts I ate doing nasty things to my innards. No more peanuts for me! Sat out here on the balcony it looks to be another glorious sunny day (this island may yet make me into a sun lover). The air raid shelter doesn't open until 9am, so I can take my time with breakfast. And with that in mind, off to Les Jardin I go.
9:50am - Just got back from the Bomb shelter (after a diversion to pick up a couple big bottles of cold water from the Home Made store). I was the first visitor to the shelter this morning (and the only one there at the time), which only served to add to the frankly chilling experience of walking along the roughly hewn tunnels with their uneven floors and ceilings and the tiny cubicle-like dugout rooms on either side of the main corridor. Adding to the sense of unease in the place were the audio recordings of children crying, bombs dropping and exploding and a priest reciting prayers. There were also numerous mannequins in period costume, which were very creepy. The full complex is over 500 metres in length, all of it dug by hand, but only the middle third is open to the public. Still what I saw was enough to leave a very vivid impression. I've been in the Underground Hospital in Jersey before now, but this was a far more evocative portrayal of wartime hardship.
Mellieha Church Complex. Much of the Bomb Shelter is dug out of the rock underneath these couple churches. Malta is the most devoutly catholic country in the world, and there are several examples from WW2 of bombs hitting churches and not exploding!
Malta was the heaviest bombed country in World War 2, with over 3,300 air raid alerts in the course of the four years that the island was bombed for (one February saw 283 alerts alone, more than 10 a day!). Over 17,000 tonnes of bombs were dropped on Malta by the Italian air force and the Luftwaffe, killing over 2000 people and destroying or damaging more than 55,000 buildings! No wonder the country as a whole was awarded the St. George Cross, the only nation ever to receive it (and they are VERY proud of that fact!) I'm in the mood for something more upbeat now after that, so I'm pool bound for the next few hours at least.
3:05pm - Just finished reading the first book I brought with me whilst sat out on my balcony with a couple ham & cheese sald rolls and a big bottle of cold Fanta. I've spent many hours by the pool today and will be heading back there in a little while. It's been fun watching & teaching a couple english kids. they started trying to copy me when I swim the pools width underwater, so I've been giving them a few pointers. The girl (Charmaine) has the general idea, but her brother is only swimming barely under the surface so he makes more splash than anything and cannot get further than half way across as a result.
I've also been chatting to a nice English couple who were on the same flight (and indeed the exact same holiday) as me. They only booked their holiday on Monday night, and I thought my booking was last minute! They are from near Exeter, but I forgot to ask what their names were!
8:40pm - Well a day has been duly spent by the pool, both swimming and reading. Had to leave there at 5pm as they were setting up for a BBQ with a live jazz band. The BBQ would have interested me, but not if I had to suffer a jazz band at the same time. So I headed back to my room, got changed and set out to get dinner. I fancied steak tonight but I couldn't find a good restaurant that does any steak that I wanted to eat. I did find one that did steak in a blue cheese and anchovy sauce though, which is arguably the most revolting sounding dish I've ever heard of. So I went into a small supermarket at the top of the hill intead and got myself a box of Oreo cookies (dipped in white chocolate no less) and a couple chicken and mushroom pies.
I've been sat on my balcony eating one of the pies and some of the cookies, whilst reading my second book for the past couple hours, my peace and quiet only disturbed every now and then by people heading down the lane underneath me towards Gorg Borg Olivier Street (where most of the restaurants and pubs are).
I ache from swimming so much today, so I've decided that a long soak in the bath would do me some good. A shame I didn't think to bring any of my muscle relaxant bubble bath with me really, but I'm sure plenty of hot water will do wonders none the less.
10:30pm - I had bathed and I was in bed for an early night, but it seems the Bar 120 (which is two floors down) has live music tonight, which I can clearly hear even with the balcony doors shut. It sounds like they are doing covers of classic rock tunes. Since it's not likely I can get to sleep with that noise going on, I'm half tempted to get dressed and go down there for a drink or two.
9:50am - Just got back from the Bomb shelter (after a diversion to pick up a couple big bottles of cold water from the Home Made store). I was the first visitor to the shelter this morning (and the only one there at the time), which only served to add to the frankly chilling experience of walking along the roughly hewn tunnels with their uneven floors and ceilings and the tiny cubicle-like dugout rooms on either side of the main corridor. Adding to the sense of unease in the place were the audio recordings of children crying, bombs dropping and exploding and a priest reciting prayers. There were also numerous mannequins in period costume, which were very creepy. The full complex is over 500 metres in length, all of it dug by hand, but only the middle third is open to the public. Still what I saw was enough to leave a very vivid impression. I've been in the Underground Hospital in Jersey before now, but this was a far more evocative portrayal of wartime hardship.
Mellieha Church Complex. Much of the Bomb Shelter is dug out of the rock underneath these couple churches. Malta is the most devoutly catholic country in the world, and there are several examples from WW2 of bombs hitting churches and not exploding!Malta was the heaviest bombed country in World War 2, with over 3,300 air raid alerts in the course of the four years that the island was bombed for (one February saw 283 alerts alone, more than 10 a day!). Over 17,000 tonnes of bombs were dropped on Malta by the Italian air force and the Luftwaffe, killing over 2000 people and destroying or damaging more than 55,000 buildings! No wonder the country as a whole was awarded the St. George Cross, the only nation ever to receive it (and they are VERY proud of that fact!) I'm in the mood for something more upbeat now after that, so I'm pool bound for the next few hours at least.
3:05pm - Just finished reading the first book I brought with me whilst sat out on my balcony with a couple ham & cheese sald rolls and a big bottle of cold Fanta. I've spent many hours by the pool today and will be heading back there in a little while. It's been fun watching & teaching a couple english kids. they started trying to copy me when I swim the pools width underwater, so I've been giving them a few pointers. The girl (Charmaine) has the general idea, but her brother is only swimming barely under the surface so he makes more splash than anything and cannot get further than half way across as a result.
I've also been chatting to a nice English couple who were on the same flight (and indeed the exact same holiday) as me. They only booked their holiday on Monday night, and I thought my booking was last minute! They are from near Exeter, but I forgot to ask what their names were!
8:40pm - Well a day has been duly spent by the pool, both swimming and reading. Had to leave there at 5pm as they were setting up for a BBQ with a live jazz band. The BBQ would have interested me, but not if I had to suffer a jazz band at the same time. So I headed back to my room, got changed and set out to get dinner. I fancied steak tonight but I couldn't find a good restaurant that does any steak that I wanted to eat. I did find one that did steak in a blue cheese and anchovy sauce though, which is arguably the most revolting sounding dish I've ever heard of. So I went into a small supermarket at the top of the hill intead and got myself a box of Oreo cookies (dipped in white chocolate no less) and a couple chicken and mushroom pies.
I've been sat on my balcony eating one of the pies and some of the cookies, whilst reading my second book for the past couple hours, my peace and quiet only disturbed every now and then by people heading down the lane underneath me towards Gorg Borg Olivier Street (where most of the restaurants and pubs are).
I ache from swimming so much today, so I've decided that a long soak in the bath would do me some good. A shame I didn't think to bring any of my muscle relaxant bubble bath with me really, but I'm sure plenty of hot water will do wonders none the less.
10:30pm - I had bathed and I was in bed for an early night, but it seems the Bar 120 (which is two floors down) has live music tonight, which I can clearly hear even with the balcony doors shut. It sounds like they are doing covers of classic rock tunes. Since it's not likely I can get to sleep with that noise going on, I'm half tempted to get dressed and go down there for a drink or two.
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