Half the year in review.

Okay the two posts before this are from the middle of June and the end of October respectively, and this one is being posted on the last day of the year.

That is some bad storytelling. . . . . so I have some apologising to do. I don't know how much really applies as most of the people who see this know the full story but I'm going to pretend there are more people who read this than those who subscribe (though there is one subscriber who I don't think I know in the 'verse!) and explain for those hypothetical readers.

1. First of all I was always told "Don't post bad news ". . . no one wants to hear it and I'll be honest I don't like writing it sooo there. I had to wait till I new how it ended. I had a bit of trouble job wise and was very nervous about it. (Don't worry it all ends well I promise) At start of July we got told that there would be a restructuring of the company I worked for and that there would have to be some layoffs. My team was to be affected with nearly half the positions being reduced. We all had to re-interview for our positions (I hate interviews) and for a week or two I wasn't sure if I wanted to apply for it. I was only there on a fixed term contract and had no major obligations financially whereas several of the team had just gotten mortgages or were planning weddings (or in one case both) so I felt they could do without the extra competition.

But I was convinced by several of my colleagues to make the attempt, that way if I was successful I would at least have the option of saying no. So I applied and I interviewed and I was nervous for a good couple of weeks till I found out one way or the other. Unfortunately by the end of August I found out I wouldn't have the option. (Again it all works out ok) I didn't get to keep my role but in my defence everyone I was interviewing against was doing the same job but for much longer so I don't feel too bad. So I'd have to look for a new job. I had a few other things (Conventions mainly . . . some travel) to deal with before my contract ran out so I wasn't going to focus on that till November. Then at the start of October positions were advertised for the Parent company of the one I work for and these would just have to be applied for, no interview required yay! So I applied and had to wait another few days before I finally got word back but I got it so Yaaaaaaaaay!

I'm doing the same job just in a different office and it works out handier in a lot of ways. Last 3 words on the matter: Life is Good!

2. Life is what happens in between: yeah so things got very hectic for me between July and November with a couple of conventions to hit, another trip to the states and the building of a Robot Model.

Starting with the conventions, I was the Staff Manager for Gaelcon this year so I was responsible for recruiting staff and organising the chain gangs . . . I mean, sweat shops . . . no that's not it . . . ah yes I have it now, Production Parties required before the actual con. Also as one of the Committee for the con I did my best to make it to other cons and promote Gaelcon were I could. To that end I was at, Warpcon, Leprecon, Emeraldcitycomicon, Itzacon, Dragon*Con, Confess and Octocon talking up Gaelcon, collecting items for the Charity Auction and in general trying to make people see Gaelcon as the place of Awesomness that it is. In fact I spent most of Confess and Octocon folding flyers for Gaelcon and only got to play one or two games at both cons.

I think it in the end it paid off as this years Gaelcon was fantastic. The new venue was great, the games seemed to get great reviews (I didn't get round to actually playing though I still had a blast) in general people seemed to be having a lot of fun which is pretty much the only reason we do it. So I call it a success. My staff (Yes they're mine . . . . you can't have them!) were just fantastic to the point that I didn't need to flog a single one of them. (which did disappoint one or two of them) I had walked around for the convention with a Nerf gun in one hand and a whip in the other. (Remember where there's a will there's a way . . . where there's a whip there's a quicker way) So if you guys are reading this . . . . and I know at least 3 of you do . . . . . once again a Big Huge THANK YOU!! Also some thanks to those of you who weren't staff, but still did throw in for the heavy lifting, entertainment of guests, etc etc you know who you are (unless you suffer form Multiple Personality Disorder, in which case you won't) but thanks again.

Now on to my Trip State Side.

Those of you who have read this regularly (back when I posted regularly) would recall my posts on my Triple Threat Trip . . .. if you haven't go search the older posts for April and read them. . .. go do it now! seriously, I'll wait till you get back.

ok you all caught up? Good! Any way after all the excitement of EmeraldCityComiCon (Loves it sooo much) I spent a lot of time looking at photos of other cons on Jennie Breeden's site (www.thedevilspanties.com finish reading this then go check out her site . . . that's an order!) and after a while I got the crazy notion to make my way out to another Con she'd be at. It would be a little saner as It'd be a trip just to the con and back no other side trips or the possibility of getting arrested like last time (See I bet if you didn't read the older posts your curious now aren't you . . . go quick, I'll be here when you get back) so looking at the list of cons she was going to attend, I decided to go to Dragon*Con. It looked like the most fun . . . I don't know why . . . maybe it was the Kabuki twins . . . maybe it was Dragon*Con Goddess . . . . it might have been the KiltBlowings. (What's a KiltBlowing you say . . . well it's pretty self explanitory, you take a guy in a kilt add a cute girl with a leafblower . . . . . you know what Jennie has drawn several diagrams that do it better justice, once again goto www.thedevilspanties.com and check them out. just finish reading this first 'kay!)

So I bought a ticket for the Con, booked flights and a hotel . . . oh yeah then I asked for time off work for it (Thanks Chief) and started my countdown till September. During one of my chats with Nazu I mentioned I was going to go to Dragon*Con and she said she'd try make it down as well . . . . so it was going to be twice as awesome as I had originally thought. In preperation for the trip I made sure to pick up lots of Chocolate to bring with me (Re-Affirming my name as the Irish Candyman!) and had to empty part of my planned case to make room. So I had packed the essentials, you know Kilts, Candy, Sketchbooks and just had enough room to pack some Tshirts and socks. Once I got to Atlanta I was really glad I was going to be Kilted for the entire weekend . . . . Atlanta is hot! I had no idea it was as far south as it is. Nazu and my flights were within an hour of each other so I waited till she landed and we got a Taxi together to the Hotel.

At the con we got to meet lots and lots of cool people, first off my quest was to find Jennie and then I proceeded to locate Aaron Williams (www.nodwick.com www.ps238.com) and Sohmer and Lar ( www.leasticoulddo.com www.lfgcomic.com ). Once I got that out of my system we then actually explored the hotels and went cosplay spotting. (Photos to follow I promise) We found Waldo (I just turned around and there he was), a gender bender Steam Punk X-men and so many Mandlorians we could have invaded the Empire. Our days at the con were basically get to the con hotels, look at the pretty till about 6, grab a taxi back to the hotel we were staying in and grab some food, maybe a quick shower and then another taxi back to the Marriot for the Kiltblowings.

I'm not going to go into major detail on these . .. just google Dragon*Con Kiltblowing and you'll find sooo much documented evidence of the proceedings. Also remember how I said there was less chance of being arrested . . . weeeeeeell Sunday did have a cop involved. (Here' Jennies version of the story . .. http://jenniebreeden.livejournal.com/20860.html ) That's her story and I'm sticking to it. Nazu and I were the ones doing the show that kept the crowds entertained wile Jennie was talking her wait out of Jail.

Celebrities seen and spoken to: soo many people nowhere near enough time, Jennie B, Aaron Williams, Lar DeSouza & Ryan Sohmer (These people are Celebrities to me if you disagree then get off my blog I don't want you here . . . . go on, get! .. .. ..





have they gone? ok I'll continue Patrick Stewart (He signed a picture for Nazu and said Hi to us. 3 seconds of interaction that'll be sear into our Psyches for all time!) Doug Bradley, Malcolm McDowell, Mary McDonnell, Dirk Benedict, Barry Bostwick, Claudia Black, Felicia Day, und so weiter . . . Every one was great and so nice, expecially Claudia Black for not being weirded out when I offered her candie that I pulled out of my Kilt. Made my day.

On Monday Nazu had to go back home . . . :(, I was seriously bummed walking around on my own at the con but I did make the best of it. I was somewhat envolved in a prank that some of the forumites played on Jennie at her stall. (I did feel guilty when she referred to me as the "sane and responsible part of the forum") so I made up for it by helping her pack up.
That's 2 cons in a row that I got to hand with Jennie afterwards (Makes me feel special . . . . and tingly down there.) and then after all was said and done I went back to my hotel room . . . . alone. (That's the awwww moment right there, if you didn't go awww you're heartless!)

And that's all I'm going to post right now. In the Morning which will be my start to the New Year I'll finish the rest.

And why the hell not!?!!!

4 JD’s and a Wedding Part 2

So I finally get around to updating and finishing off my last story. Apologies but things got a little hectic in work over the last few months. One bonus is that I have since been talking with the Lads and they’re ok with me using their names so no more Friend or my other friend. The Groom is Gogz and the Bestman is Dave, that’ll make it easier to both write and read.

Anyway where had I left off . . . ah yes after we finally got back to our hotel rooms we managed to clean up and head back out to the Hotel Napoleon for a Pre-Wedding meal, a chance for those that were there to get to know each other or at least be able to recognise everyone else on the day. I have to give major Kudos to the Hotel and Staff for accommodating us as it was a pretty last minute thing to be organised and most places would have been hard pressed to have to cook up 24 meals to be served all at once. Dave, empathising due to his years working behind the Bar back in Dublin, threw in to help as much as he could taking orders from everyone and reducing down the amount of different dishes being ordered and soon everything got sorted. There were still a few rounds of drink before they started serving but that only helped ensure there was a good atmosphere going when we were all seated.

In my opinion, though I’m sure there will be those that would disagree with me, the meal was lovely. I had Lasagne with some vegetables and it was really nice, piping hot and a slightly sweet aftertaste. I loved it. After the meal we stayed in the Hotel Lounge and had a few more drinks before we started to make out preparations to head back to our Hotel. Gogz and his Fiancée spent about a half hour in a secluded corner, as Gogz would be staying in Dave’s room that night and Dave’s Girlfriend would be staying with the Bride. Once everything was sorted, bags had been brought along farewells said; Gogz, Dave and Myself went on our merry way back to the Hotel Torino.

Back at our Hotel we had a few Beers, found out who could throw their cigarette butt the furthest (Dave) and talked for a couple hours before crashing before the big day. The next morning I got up and went back to the Hotel Napoleon to pick up the shirts and boutonnières from the Bride’s room. I headed back to the hotel and had a quick breakfast before we went out to do a quick bit of siteseeing. After a quick discussion we decided to try for the Crypt of the Capuchins again. So a quick stroll later and we were back at the Piazza Del Berbini and from there straight up to the crypt which was very cool. Ok I can understand if you’re thinking that’s creepy or morbid but the sheer creativity of the different tombs was astounding. There were winged skulls, a grim reaper, a winged hourglass and a clock face all made completely of different types bones.

Once we had our fill of the crypts we made our way down to the Trevi Fountain (The right one this time) which was very cool to see. I realised once we were there that I didn’t actually know what the fountain looked like, it was just one of those things you always hear about when you say you’re going to Rome. It’s huge, it’s built into the side of a building and it’s packed with people. Tradition states if you throw a coin into the fountain you will return to Rome . . . we didn’t get close enough to throw a coin in, it was that busy, but I’m swearing now I will go back . . . oh yes I will go back!

From there we tried to make our way to the Pantheon but it was a public holiday and there were parades on and air displays and hundreds of people blocking the route we were going to take so we just got some Gelotti and headed back towards the hotel. And we would have pretty much gone straight back to the hotel except we passed this Pub.










Druid’s Rock! Yes they do! First off we were looking to have a pint, secondly it was an Irish pub and if one and two weren’t enough the kicker for me was they had Getafix in their logo! I love Asterix, for most of the trip I was walking around quoting Obelix in my head “These Romans are crazy” We had a quick drink and then went straight back to our rooms to get ready. We had the photographer meet us there to do a few quick shots of us getting ready and a few shots in the hotel once we were done before he headed off to get photos of the girls.

The Car picked us up from the hotel and brought us to the Church San Silvestro. So at last we are on to the Wedding. It’s a beautiful ceremony, the church was fantastic the décor was amazing and they did everything they could to make it a special day. As they have so many weddings they don’t do a rehearsal, the Priest just prompts as needed. Everyone looked amazing but was outshone completely by the Bride. She looked so beautiful lit up by the Sun as she entered the Church I’m sure people choked up.











It was fairy fast paced and soon enough we were whisked away for some photos. The Bride and Groom were taken to the Trevi Fountain first whilst the Bridesmaids, Parents of the Couple and the Bestman and Myself, were taken straight to the Spanish Steps. It was an amazing view, such a mix of various Architectures and scenery, which is so hard to describe. I tried there, as Gogz’s parents are both Blind, and I couldn’t do it justice with it in front of me so I’m not going to be able to now. Once the Bride and Groom arrived we took some lovely shots and then headed back to the Hotel.

The reception afterwards was so much fun, we had a small section of the hotel as it was a small wedding party. Roughly 7 tables with 8 people each, a dancing area and a Jazz quartet playing in one corner. There was a lot of fun to be had that night, Drink was flowing, music was playing and the food was fantastic. Instead of a Traditional Wedding cake they had gotten a giant Profiterole. It was divine . . . . it was all I could do not to Garfield it.














After the meal we had the speeches, which were fun and in some cases a little revealing. For example we revealed how we kept Gogz calm and relaxed before the Wedding. We had a Straight Jacket. I had picked one up in that fetish shop while were out the day before, I wanted it for a costume idea for Halloween (Pictures of that soon) and since we had it we’d have some fun at his expense.













The rest of the night was spent drinking, dancing and in some cases comparing Tattoos. I spent a lot of time talking with the Bride’s younger sister, for which I got a fair bit of stick over from the Family at the Irish reception but more on that later, and at the end of the reception a few of us tried to make our way to the Trevi Fountain to see it at night. Though the numbers whittled down to just the Bride’s Sister and myself. So we made our way back to my Hotel first so I could drop off the Jacket (Straight that is) and then head on to the fountain.

At least that was the plan unfortunately once we got back to my hotel I found myself getting a little turned around and having trouble finding the streets we needed on the map. I’m going to blame this on the fact that my contacts were drying out . . . . . and maybe just maybe the JD’s I’d been drinking didn’t help. . . . but my excuse will still be the contacts. So after nearly getting lost after 2 blocks I reckoned it was safer just to walk her back to her Hotel and call it a night. Which is what we did. I left her at the lobby of her hotel and walked back to mine. That’s it, end of the night.

Note there was no "Scene Missing".

And why the hell not?!!

4 JD's and a Wedding. Part 1

So last weekend I travelled to Rome to take part in my GM's Wedding . . . I had to I failed my dodge roll. I'm kidding of course. As they both are some my closest friends so there was no way I would miss it and when I was asked to be a Groomsman I was extremely honoured. I flew out on sunday morning into Ciampino Airport and got a Taxi straight to the hotel I'd be staying. Unfortunately the Giro de Italia was running so there were a lot of diversions but the driver did make every effort to get us there as quick as possible.

Once I got to the hotel I checked in straight away and tried to make contact with my friends who were there already. The happy couple were there since the day before, but when I got through to them they were already out with a native guide that worked with my GM. And unfortunately I had know Idea where anything was as we couldn't access the map we had done up online. So I decided to wait for the Bestman and his Girlfriend to arrive, they were staying in the same hotel. Since they were flying with AerLingus they were flying into Da Vinci Airport and would have to get a train to Rome. I ended up watching Italian dubbed Baywatch and KnightRider and napped for a bit.

Eventually my GM made plans with me for Dinner and we went out to find a restuarant. We ended up in a nice little place that did Pizza and Pasta, I had a Pizza with sausage and Potato . . . yes I said Potato. After the Dinner they had to head back to their Hotel as their son was tired but fortunately the Bestman was just heading in to meet with us, so we ended up looking for a bar that was still open. And that was a challenge in itself but finally we found a place called Mad Jacks. It had everything we were looking for. . . a Guinness sign above the door which was still open. After a couple of Rounds we headed home but with a couple of Souvenier glasses.

The next day I headed over to the Hotel Napoleon to pick up the Grooms suit as he was going to stay with us that night and the Bestmans Girlfriend would stay with the Bride to keep her company. When I arrived there, the Brides Family were just getting in so I got to hang with them for awhile which was fun. I then returned to my Hotel just as the Best Man and his Girlfriend had finall gotten up and were ready to go exploring. We walked as far as the Colosseum and were contemplating trying to go inside as we couldn't see any admissions signs when a girl came up to us asking if we were english speakers, when we said yes she told us about the tour she worked for. It was a good pitch, she explained the prices €12 admittance & €10 for the tour which was the last one of the day, The tour itself would be from a fluent english speaking native who had visual aids to help people get an idea of the past view, they also threw in another tour around the ruins of Rome which would be done after the Colosseum tour and for these reasons it was definitely value for money but there was one more thing to tip the scales in her favour . . . we would be able to skip the queue which was 45 mins long at that point. Sold to the Lady with the American accent. She really should just have started with that one.

The Tour was great it pointed out a lot of facts that weren't readily available inside the Colosseum (and there was plenty of info and signs everywhere). We were walked around by the Guide who was Italian but had great english and he had no problem pointing out the more gruesome details and morbid facts. And then when his part was concluded we had a half hour before the second tour to walk around for ourselves and take photos and the like. Actually here are some from the Colosseum showing the reconstructed Arena and the Gate of the Dead.

Before you ask I dont know who the girl in the first photo is but she was too cute to crop out. . . as mentioned before in previous posts, I am a Skeeve . . . don't Judge me!

Due to Time constraints we didn't opt for the second tour. We were on a mission . . . to find a Bone Church. The Best Man and his Girlfriend had heard about a Cappuchin Crypt which was below Santa Maria della Immacolata Concezione so we decided to try get to see that. Along the way we stopped for a brief bit in a fetish shop . . .


]-----------------------------------------[

Scene Missing

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. . . After navigating our way to the crypt we arrived just before it was due to close, so we figured they'd come back later (I was flying home the morning after the wedding) and we made our way back to the hotel. At one point I could see a huge fountain down a street that I had mistakenly thought was the Trevi Fountain ( I couldn't think of the name of it to find it on the map) so we took a detour to have a closer look. It was in fact The Fountain of the Naids at the Piazza della Republica. It was a fantastic area, the fountain was amazing and the spray from the water meant you felt cool and refreshed. On our was around the fountain we saw a church across the way that we decided to stick our heads into. After a few minutes of looking around in hushed reverence we left as they closed the church for the day.

And I shall continue from here tomorrow.

And why the hell not!?!

An Escort . . .Me?

So a couple of weeks ago I was asked by a friend to help out at a fashion show in aid of the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. Now the cause is a great one and I would do pretty much anything I can to help out a friend, so I agreed to fairly quickly.

My friend was asked as the shop we're getting our suits from for his wedding were donating the use of their dresses. Since I showed up in my utilikilt for my fitting I made an impression and they asked him to see if I’d show off their formal Kilt ware and escort one of the models in the show. A chance to wear a kilt and walk around with a beautiful woman, I told him I’d have to think about . . . for a second! He gave me the details for the night which I made a note of for later.

The night of the show came around and I headed straight from work out to Balbriggan to meet him at the Hotel. After a ride on the LUAS and a quick train ride I made my way to his house as the show was going to be later than we had originally been told. So I got to hang out with his Fiancé and himself for around an hour, talking about the upcoming Wedding and the other things going on in their lives at the moment.

We made our way from his house to the shop to get changed for the Show, and that’s when things started to go wrong. First off once we got into the shop the owner had one look at me and said the formal Kilt they had gotten sent over wouldn’t fit. The one they got in must have been for a midget. The shoes were a size 6 and the jacket sleeves stopped at my elbows. I wouldn’t even risk trying the Kilt on, for fear of castrating myself.

Then we were told that the organisers of the show just wanted to have us standing of to the side of the stage and not really involved at. Also instead of a section of the show featuring all the bridal dresses they only wanted to use her Debs dresses. This was quickly shot down as the Owner pulled the organisers aside and made it clear that the shop was called Balbriggan “Bridal” and she was doing them a favour by giving the use of the dresses.

When we first got there I had performed a quick scan of the models and called dibs on one of the girls who I liked the most. Strictly speaking I really didn't need to since he's engaged and getting married in a fortnight and all but I still followed protocol and declared it, granted I knew nothing would come of it as they all looked like they’d only date guys that looked like a shaved monkey after being kicked through a TopShop.

Anyway we went into the main hall to speak with his Parents and get a quick drink before we were needed. One JD & Coke and a Pint later and we get called to the back to sort out the running order. In the end they had three of the Models in the Brides Dresses and we were to escort them onto the stage flick out their trains as they went on to the stage and escort them back once they had finished.

Of the three Models wearing the Brides Dresses one of them was the girl I had called dibs on. Straight away I was thinking “Bonus!” The organiser says to me (pointing to one of the other Models) “You take her up first, then your friend can take her up (pointing to the one I had called Dibs on) and then you can come back and take me up. All I could think was “But I called Dibs!?”

So I walked out with the first Model, arm in arm left foot forward and all that. Helped her up the steps to the stage and flicked out her train and then escorted her back out of the hall; it went fairly smoothly and as we got back the next couple went out. She took off like a horse out of the gate and ran about five steps ahead of my friend both ways. He was a little put out but all I could think was “Well that's what you get!” And then I set of again with the final Bride. Once we were done we had another chat with his folks and then ran back into the shop to change before heading home. So all in all it was a good night, granted not everything went as planned but in the end I was hanging out with 15 Models,

And why the hell not!?!

My Gaming History 1

Since things are a little slow till the Wedding in Rome (not mine) I've to post some of the finer moments of Gaming Sessions I've played in. I have for the most part be playing games with the same circle of friends for 7 or 8 years. Mainly we have played White Wolf systems, Vampire and Mage, but we have also had a few games from d20, B.E.S.M., Marvel Universe RPG, amongst others. There were usually a few good moments in every session but occasionally there have been those moments that you can look fondly upon with a gleam in your eye and that warm feeling in cockles of you heart.

This story takes place during a Vampire Campaign were I was playing a Gangrel. I had spent a lot of time with the GM planning and creating a fairly well balanced Character, a decent history and a good plot hook for future games. One thing that came up during the process was the issue of the Gangrel Clan Flaw: They gain an animal feature every time they frenzy. This could be things such as wolf or bat like ears, cats eyes, claws or fangs, patches of fur, etc. On top of that for every 5 frenzies they lose a point from a social attribute. Given most Gangrel are prone to frenzy they can become patchwork monstrosities that are just as big a threath to the Masquerade as the Nosferatu or Tzimisce can be.

I had decided I didn't want to have to deal with this so I pumped up my conscience and willpower to give me as good a chance as possible. Now the GM didn't quite like this idea, he thought that was half the fun of being Gangrel, the chance to be a powerhouse, running on instinct not reason. When I told him I didn't want to frenzy he said he'd make me in fact not only would he make me frenzy, he'd make me want to frenzy. The game progress as I had expected given what I had went through with the GM. He had a solid idea of how he wanted the game to go and could improvise his way out of most situations we had trapped him with. It's the basic rule, no matter how many options you think you have presented to the party they'll still come up with something that not only is something you didn't think of but also buggers the rest of your plans. But he rolled with the punches and was able to keep the momentum of the game going, mainly this came from not using dice for combat resolution, instead he used Rock, Paper, Scissors.

As the game went on I had narrowly avoided a couple of Rötschreck Frenzies, due to fire or other stresses and thought I had everything well in hand. This is when the GM unleashed his plan. We had been sent to examine an underground base that was controlled by Sabbat Tremere . As we went through the base the leads we had proved fruitless and we were getting no where but slowly. As we went through the lower levels we entered rooms filled with corpses, dissected and partially dissected, of one or two clans mainly Gangrel. I announced to the party that I felt uncomfortable with the surroundings pointing to the gurneys. After two or three more rooms with more bodies but less parts therin we finally open a door which has a "Surgeon" "operating" on one of the bodies in front of us.

Straight away I say "I kill him!" to the protests of the rest of the party. They gave valid arguments like we needed the information and so on but I was determined to kill him. After about 5 minutes of out of character discussion I relent and say fine I won't kill him. But I turn to the GM and say "I reckon that'll require a frenzy roll." He smiled and said "Yes it would" and we did a quick check against each other. Just a quick point on using R,P,S as a resolution system. If you are using it make sure that you don't, as my GM did, always start with the same one. (His was scissors in case you're curious.) So we engaged, whilst I look away from the GM towards my friends, 1, 2, 3 and throw paper and smile and say "Oh dear I lose" and quickly and violently proceed to kill the "Doctor". The GM and myself were laughing maniacally as my character went on a half hour rampage through 5 War Szlachta and was eventually found clawing at a door. After a few minutes of reveling in the ramage I finally told the party how to immobilise me so we could move on safely. My memory of the rest of the game is vague compared to the lead up but it's safe to say we got through the rest of the compound and back to our base.

After the session the GM and I sat down to decide what animal feature I had gained. After a lot of discussion I managed to persuade the GM to allow me to take a social trait as opposed to physical one. We decided that my character would now have to circle the ground 3 times before sitting down, be it a just on the floor or even walking around the chair at meetings. The only condition the GM put on me was I had to Roleplay this. So at the first session after my frenzy I had said nothing to the rest of the party, but everytime we mentioned we were sitting I made a point of standing up turning around in a circle 3 time and then sitting back down. I think the first 2 times this went mostly unnoticed but on the 3rd time one of the guys copped it figured out why I was doing it and proceeded to fall out of his chair laughing.

What can I say I dedicated to my Roles,

And why the hell not!?!!

What happens in Prague goes on Blogspot. . .

So I was in Prague on the Weekend for a Friend's Stag Night. I had been moaning about it to some of my friends before hand as I was to miss two or three events that I really would have liked to have been able to make. And I must apologise to them because the weekend was fantastic.

We flew out on Friday and I love flying, if you've read the posts on the Triple Threat you'll already know this, and the flight itself was fairly smooth. We went by AerLingus and it was a short flight with no Movies that I was aware of . . . I can't say much as I read an Anne Rice novel that I picked up just before the gate in the Airport. It was Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana, the second in the trilogy and it was a good read that I reckon I finished with half an hour to spare.

Once we arrived we got to the hotel drop our gear and went straight out for food and a few drinks. And drink we did. After the exchange rate we were getting rounds for 7 people for €8. We had one of the locals join us for a bit and we had an interesting convertsation as he was fairly well on for the night when we got there, was drinking steady enough while we were talking and he kept switching back and forth between English and Czech when his english failed. Once we were done we headed back to the hotel, though not before I picked up a souvenier glass, and rested for what would be a busy day.

Saturday we woke and had breakfast in the hotel before heading out for some sightseeing. We went as far as Wenceslas Square and went for a tour around the National Museum which was very interesting. There was a good combination of historical, political, zoological & paleontology exhibits. It was hilarious to see one of the guys on the Stag turn around a corner of the stairwell and throw up the Horns because as he said "I see Skulls". After the Museum we travelled by Metro to see the area around Charles Bridge and meet up with the Stag's Father who had gone out on a tour by himself as he is visually impaired. He had contacted a group that provide assistance for the visually impaired before we flew out. His guide was a lovely girl named Eva who once hearing that we were mainly Metal heads on the Stag arrange for her Boyfreind to meet us and show us were the best clubs to go were.

We went for a meal with Eva & her boyfriend and some of the lads got to try Boar for the first time. I've had it several times before but this time I had it in a Goulash which was a first for me. After the meal we seperated and again and most of us went for a tour through the Museum of Torture Devices which was an eyeopener. Some of those pieces had us wincing in sympathy. Three floors of metal and wooden objects to cause pain and humiliation to criminals and free thinkers alike. Once we had finished with that we did a little shopping and then headed back to the hotel.

After a short rest we headed out with our main objective being to go to "Hells Bells" for a night of Drink and Metal (Simples Tastes. lol.) Once we located the club we got a bite to eat in "Corleones", an Italian Restaurant just around the corner. The meal was fantastic, the portions were huge, the atmosphere was great and most importantly . . . the waitresses were cute. The only downside was we weren't in their section but they walked by enough.

We headed back to the club and managed to get a table close to the bar and speakers. The music was at a good level that we could hear the songs and still hear each other. The only downside was that the sound system was a laptop running winamp with a huge selection of tracks, which was cool, but the "DJ" would search randomly go through the list to find an Artist and then play an entire album straight. On the plus side it did mean you heard some of the tracks that weren't as big hits but the down side being if you didn't like the band you had a whole album to sit through. The decor was cool, they had what looked like duvets on the ceiling painted with album covers, protraits of KISS on the walls and a mural over the walls and doors for the toilets.

We drank, sang and chatted amongst some of the locals then went to the hotel to drop off the Stag's Father before heading back for some of the more traditional Stag night activities. From the hotel we got in a couple of Taxis and . . .

]-----------------------------------------[
Scene Missing
]-----------------------------------------[

. . . we fell onto the street at 06:30 to be called over by a street vendor with her Sirens call of "Breakfast". On sale were Keilbasa Hotdogs, Burgers & Chicken Burgers and of course Beer. One of the lads asked if it was ok to drink in the street and the vendor replied "Drinking in street is no Problem, Boxing in Street that Problem " [sic]. We went back to the hotel some walked some got a Taxi but either way it was a short enough trip. We slept past breakfast and checked out around 12:00, well most of us.

The hotel were nice enough to let us leave our bags with them so we could do a bit more sightseeing before a taxi back to the airport. Once we were there we kill some time with some "Pizza to Go" (The Spaceballs fans are laughing right now I guarantee it!) and then flew home I can't say much more about the flight home as I slept through most of it. That is a rare thing so I was really tired for that to happen, the last time I slept on a plane was on my first flight out to Seattle back in 2000 and even then it was only for when Tin Cup was playing. Costner films are better than NyQuil for me.

We landed to come back home to some typical Irish Weather. Rain, lots of it, coming straight down and kind of to the left. My final review of the stag was this: "This Stag was brought to you by the Letter 'A' for 'Awesome'!"

I think some of the lads are planning another trip over. . .

And why the hell not?!!

Last of the Triple Threat

So I'm back home now. I had no internet access in Buffalo so I didn't get a chance to blog at all.
I was over there to visit with family mostly so I won't go on too much about it and there won't be any photos. I arrived in Buffalo on Wednesday of last week at 22:20 to be met by my Dad and one of my cousins. As we were walking out I get told we're heading for a few drinks before we head home. (I'm sure my Dad's arm had to be twisted to agree to that) So we stopped off in a pub fairly close to where I'd be staying and had a few drinks.

The next day we did a bit of shopping in the Walden Galleria Mall and I had to stop myself from buying Rock Band 2 hardware. There were a lot of things I wanted but didn't think I could get them in my bag. In the end I bought my self a Transformers top (Decepticons Logo of course) in Hot Topic. We got home and chilled for a bit before going out to a restaurant for something to eat with a couple of cousins. It was a nice meal and there was entertainment with a guy performing Frank Sinatra classics as well as other songs.

On Friday we had a party at a housewarming and it was a great night. There was food and drink a plenty and we had a guitar brought along to have a small bit of a sing song. Unfortunately we hadn't brought our songbooks so we were limited to what we could play and sing. We did manage a few tunes both sung and with music, and then just sung and then we handed it over to the Americans who I think managed one complete song before the night was over. We had to leave earlier than I'd have liked but our ride had to get home to be up early in the morning. But I think I can safely say a good time was had by all.

Saturday started with a trip to the Flying Bison Brewery which was a fun trip and educational. I didn't sample anything myself as I don't drink Lagers or Ales but my Dad and Cousins had a great time. One of my Cousins bought a Half Gallon bottle known as a Growler (I still hear Lorraine Kelly every time thats mentioned) which had to be refilled before we left. When we got home we had some BBQ'd steaks for dinner which was lovely the Cousin who was cooking and myself had ours rare and everyone else had their's medium to well done. (So we got the biggest juiciest bits off the grill . . . Drool!) After dinner my Cousin and my Dad both fell asleep even though one of my other cousins had wanted to take us out for a few drinks that night.

Sunday was Easter Sunday and we had a late lunch with our Family before my folks had to head for their flight home. I saw them off from the house and then tried to make arrangements with more cousins for something to do but in the end they just dropped up to the house and we had a quiet night in watching TV. If you haven't seen or heard of it check out Breaking Bad because it's class. It has Hal from Malcolm in the Middle as a Chemistry Teacher / Cancer patient that starts cooking drugs to make sure his family is taken care of after he's gone. I only caught one episode but it was great! Also I passed around a book called the Virgin Project which is an illustrated collection of a load of peoples first sexual encounters. It is a great read and if you can pick one up I highly reccomend it. (www.thevirginproject.com). I picked up a copy for the Gaelcon Charity Auction so if you're there you should bid on it.

Monday was my day to fly home so I packed my bags and watched some TV till my ride came. I pretty much just went through security and got a snack to eat before boarding the plane at the Gate. There was one slight snag. As I headed towards the gate I realised I had left one of my carry ons at the check in desk. It was one of the items I had picked up for the charity auction and completely irreplaceable to me. To make matters worse I had no identification marked on it. I spoke to the girl at the gate and asked if she could contact the check in desk to see if it was still there but she just told me that I'd have to check myself with 5 minutes before the gate closed. Fortunately someone in Delta was doing a better job than I and noticed the pack after I left and had it sent to the Gate so before I had to run off through security one of the other girls at the gate asked what I had left behind and pulled it out from behind her. So a big thanks to Delta required here. If you want to know what was left behind go to Gaelcon this year.

The rest of the trip was smooth sailing. I flew into JFK. Had a dinner before my flight home, strolled through security and only had about a 30 minute wait at the gate. The flight itself was quick and I slept in short naps through out the flight missing most of Marley and Me but I did wae when for some reason they started playing Inkheart which looked really cool until they stopped it before the end because we had to land. So there's a little bit of closure outstanding.
I mean why start it if you won't have time to finish . . . really! I walked through customs with no hassel and was met in the Airport by my Mom. And that's it the last bit of my Triple Threat.

All in all it was great I had a lot of fun & Chaos and still was able to relax by the end.

Now I'm looing at hitting Dragon*Con in September.

And why the hell not?!

My run in with the fuzz!

I've travelled down to Biloxi, Mississippi to meet up with Nazo, a friend of mine I know only through the internet. We've been chatting through MSN, AIM, have written letters and had video chats so ther was only one thing left to do, actually meet. So when I decided I was going to the States again I knew I had to try work her in. It was a little out of the way but doable so I gave it a shot. After Seattle I flew to Gulfport/Biloxi Airport via Atlanta to meet up with her (That brings it up to 4 states I've been in during this trip). I had booked into a hotel as I had no idea what we were going to be able to do so I thought it would be a bit much to try Couchsurf if I might be bringing a friend back to hang out.

What I didn't know before I got there is that Nazo was still stationed on an Airforce base and because of the different phases they go through she wasn't allowed of base to meet up. So I had to be escorted by some of her wingmen onto the base before I could see her. This should have been grand but they had a warped sense of humour and decided to mess around about at the gate. We eventually got in and went to some tables to eat a pizza we had brought in and were about half way through when this Jeep with a pintle mount on the back of the flatbed pulls up with it's headlights on high beam right in our faces and two people get out. Because of the messing at the gate, security had called in to get us checked out. There I was sitting at a table getting the third degree off of a MP and a DOD civilian officer. I was a little nervous because the honest answer to my purpose of being there was to meet up with a 19 year old girl I had never met before that I only know through the internet and give her candies laced with alcohol. I think I could have only had a worse chance if I was waving a hankerchief and asking if it smelt like chloroform.

After a few minutes of questioning they seemed happy with the answers and left us to what was left of our meal. We had a bit of a laugh about it and probably about 30 mins later they had to escort me off as they had to get back to their barracks before curfew. I got back to the hotel and pretty much fell straight asleep. It was the first chance to get a decent nights sleep I had since I got here. When I woke up I got a quick breakfast and then weighed up my options for the day before meeting up with Nazo again at 5. The only things I knew about the surrounding area was there was a beach that wasn't open yet because of the devastation left behind by Catriona, a Casino right by the hotel or a hooters bar across the road. I ended up staying in my room blogging and chatting with friends as it was too hot outside for me. Irish skin does not fair too well in the sun and this was soo much stronger than what we get back home.

Once I got a text from Nazo to say she was finished with her class I grabbed a cab back to the Airforce base and again had to wait to be escorted on. At least this time I got to spend much more time with her. We just hung out on the base and helped one of her wingmen to make a meal. It was a little weird to be on the base, constantly getting little reminders of the rules they have to follow and the like. But when in Rome and all that. So basically the night was spent talking with any one who came by and eventually it was time for me to leave again. We walked back to the gate with one of her wingmen, she rang her Mom and put me onto her to say a few words as Gaeilge and I'll have to kill her for that. I have to say by the time we got to the gate I found myself extremely saddened to be leaving. It had me in a low mood till this morning, when I got to chat with one of the guys back home who had me laughing so bad it just put the whole day in a new light. I owe him for that.

So now I'm back in the Airport waiting to fly out to Buffalo to visit my relatives out there.
I'm going to finish off with a couple of pics of Nazo & her wingmen and one of Nazo & me.


And why the hellnot?!

Triple Threat Update.

Here some of the photos left from my Seattle leg of the Triple Threat.



One of the things I need to do is thank the girl I stayed with while I was in Seattle. She was a great host and made me feel so welcome. I really wish I had more time to hang with her instead of the flying visit. But it was a great time regardless. Once again my fondest thanks and regards go out to her.





These are shots of the Water Wall across from the Westlake centre. I managed to make it through with all my gear. I wasn't completely dry at the end but I didn't get soaked the hardest parts were the corners.



Here is a couple of shots of "The Mecca of Man Skirts" That's right I went to the Utilikilts Store. It was great to see all the types of Kilts they sell. Nick (pictured) managed to hook me up. Gods bless him.



















These are a few landscape shots I took during my wanders round.

1. The Space Needle.

2. The Paramount Cinema (Where I was Yojimbo back in the day).







And why the hell not?!

Emeraldcity . . . . . I left my heart there but also a lot of my wallet! Part 2

So there are still a couple of things I didn't get round to in the first post ( I know you're thinking how is that possible) but seriously there were a lot of things there. Not counting the panels which I didn't get around to attending, there were things like a gaming section (mainly card games), a kids section, and of course the 501st Legion had their own display.

In the gaming section the were a load of tables laid out for card games which also ended up being used as an overflow from the snack area. There were 2 stalls selling gaming supplies and one of the exhibitors had a couple of zombie themed game. One was a spin the wheel game. It was a $1 to try it and every spin won something. I gave it a shot and walked away with a Rare Plasticman Heroclix. The other game was a card with a code on it that you had to walk around and get letters from the exhibitors and guests name based on their location. But once you had the code cracked you had to scratch a section on the other side to see if you won. If you did you had a chance to enter a draw to win Zombie video games. Another thing they did was Zombie make up. I didn't try it out but some of the other attendees were walking aound after it and they looked awesome.

In the Kids area, which was a great thing for the parents, there was some table space for colouring, balloon modellers and other little entertainments for the little tykes. I think the fun part was watching the parents sort out whose turn it was to look after the kids whilst the other went around to see the guest and artists. And the 501st stand had a large group of members walking around and a great backdrop for photoshoot oppurtunities. I think they charged a fee which was to be donated to charity. There were some great characters and I think there might have been a scuffel between Ray Parks and Darth Vader. lol.

The one fun thing for me was dealing with some of the traders. A lot of them were offering services like framing or personalisation and I know they are there to make money but it does get annoying, the constant pestering, the scrutiney, the inevitable "Can I help you sir?" or "Are you okay there?" It was great to be able to say "well I'm from Ireland and I'm flying home so nooo!".

Here are a few random photos.









1. This is what happened after the cancelled Xena.


2. Steampunk is cool.


3. Wookiees got back.


4. Yes I'm a skeeve, don't judge.



And that's pretty much the con wrapped up for now, though there will be a few scattered memories that I'll post as they come back to me.


And why the hell not?!

Emeraldcity . . . . . I left my heart there but also a lot of my wallet! Part 1

So here is the more indepth report of my time at the Comicon.

I left the airport and grabbed a bus into the city. I was a tad early and had a few things to try pick up so I did a little nostalgic sightseeing. I went to a little sandwich place in the centre of the Public Market at Pike Place and I ordered one of their World Famous Meatloaf & Cheddar Sandwichs on 8 Grain Bread". This was a meal I haven't had in 9 years and the staff were quite impressed that I came back for more. I also stopped into the first Starbucks Cafe (The one were the logo is more realistic and you can see the Sirens Breasts. I couldn't make out which was non fat and which was half & half.



After that I went into the Westlake Centre were I used to hang out during lunch breaks from my job. I was looking to find a sweet the sold in a candystore there and try to pick a cell phone (Ref: Wo ist meine Handy?). In both stores they told me they didn't stock what I was looking for but to try the drugstore across the way. It was so weird when you're in a store that is specialised to what you are looking for but then they say no the drugstore has a better selection. So after a quick run to the food court to have a look at the Indian place me and my friend Paddy ate at religiously (Bombay Wala, you weren't open, what a shame because I could have murdered a Tikka Masala), I decided to head up to the Convention Centre.

Here is where I made my first mistake. I had no idea of the size of this Con. I arrived an hour before the doors were to open and this is were I ended up.












And that was the outer waiting area there was another one in the next room with even more people! In fairness to the con the lines moved fast and I'd say I was inside about 30 mins after the show started. Unfortunately most of the exclusives that were done for the Con were gone at that point. And even worse the freebies too. Though they were reloaded a couple of times I seemed to be queing for something else every time. As I was still carrying everything I brought with me I was a little worse for wear. Fortunately for me as I was handing some of the candies out Aaron Williams' lovely wife let me stow my back pack under their table. What a difference that made! Once I was able to stand upright again I was able to move around the Con with a smile on my face. As I was walking around handing candies and stuff, I was passing them out to the Artists and Guests I knew. But when I had done that I started handing them to people whos work I thought was cool or if they had a cool costume. A few people were a little wary of taking candy from a stranger (Though given there were wookiees, storm troopers and even a guy dressed as Mojo Jojo I wasn't anyway near the strangest) so I borrowed a line from a friend and told them all "Strangers have the best Candy".

And back to the "Legend of the Irish Candy Man", I had given out a few bits here and there and apparently the Guests had started telling each other about it. I know Scott Kurtz wanted to rub the Guinness items I had given him in Wil Weatons face (It's ok I had hooked Wil up too!). As I was getting a sketch done at the Penny Arcade booth I was talking to Mike and he was thanking me again for the goodybag I had left them. But as we were talking he let slip that there was a lot of talk about the stuff I handed out, using the term "Legend of the Irish Candy Man" (which to me sounds like a knock off horror movie title). While it's cool I made a mark it does mean I'm going to have to keep this up if I do anymore conventions in the States. ($30 worth of candies is not enough).

Whilst I was able to get anywhere near as many sketches as I would have liked (Though the ones I did kick Ass!!) I did get to watch a lot of the artist going through their requests lists and see how they creat such amazing work. My favourite was definitely Bruce Timm drawing Harley Quinn, that was fantastic. It was also good to see the artist stressing a little as they didn't want to mess up on a sketch (If they still get that way there's hope for me yet future posts may announce the long awaited launch of my own attempt at a webcomic). Besides hanging out around the Nodwick table I did spend a lot of time chatting with Jennie Breeden (The Devils Panties). I did manage to get a photo with her.

She wanted a couple taken to show that out boots matched so when Alina Pete (WereGeeks) was taking them I asked her to take one on my Camera. The result is to the left. It was great to hang out with here and I ended up learning about a lot of the background characters in the strip which I wouldn't have initially gotten. I even ended up chatting with her after the con as we were waiting in the convention centre lobby.


For about half of the first day at the con I was hunting down the Boys from BSG, Ray Park & Jewel Staite for different things and everytime I spoke with them I came away with the feeling that these people were genuinely, friendly people who loved to meet their fans (especially Ray Park, I lost track of the amount of times I was in his queue waiting to head somewhere else afterwards and he'd be talking to other fans for 5 -10 mins with the staff trying to get him to move on and keep the line moving. But still Top Bloke!) At one point Michael Hogun (Colonel Tigh) offered to get a drink with me later to find out more about Gaelcon. (Yes I was pimping the Con where I could).

The second day was pretty much more of the same, hunting people down for photos and autographs but I did have a little trouble with Grampa Hatey! Some of you know him some of you may not so there will be a post later to explain the history of that horny little puppet. Somehow he managed to escape from me two or three times. It took a bit of effort to track him down but if I managed to put myself in his mindset it usually did the trick.





I'm going wrap up for now as I'm about to board a plane to take me from Atlanta to Mississippi.
I'll conntinue the post when I get to me hotel.


And why the hell not?!

The End of Emeraldcitycomicon

I've just gotten out of the convention and brief as it was I'm going to have to say I had so much fun and definitelty have to do it again next year, so look out in March for news on that.

I'm going to be spending a couple of hours in the Airport before I take off on Part II of the Triple Threat and I'll do a much bigger post then. But for now I'm just going to list the few things that made the con for me.

1. Jewel Staite complimented me on my Utilikilt.

2. Apparently there is a Legend of the Irish Candy Man. (Someone elses words not mine and I'll explain it later)

3. Getting a deeper understanding of some of the comics I read religiously, there are a lot of references that went completely over my head but once it was pointed out I was like "How could I have missed that!"

More to come from Sea-Tac,

And why the hell not?!

Wo ist meine Handy?

This post is brought to you in association with Sea-Tac Airports free wifi hotspot. (Gods bless them)

I'm sitting in Seattle-Tacoma International Airport after traveling for 16 hours give or take and my deodorent is still holding (I'm extremely impressed). I'm killing time before I get a bus into the city to head to Emeraldcitycomicon! Really excited about this as I haven't been in Seattle for just under nine years. I lived here for three months as part of a course and I regard those months as the best time of my life whilst single. This trip (hereafter referred to as the Triple Threat) is a Birthday Present to myself that I decided to go on after my last trip to Buffalo. I was looking around to see what event were on in Seattle and discoverd to my great pleasure and surprise that Emeraldcitycomicon was happening the weekend of my birthday (this sunday) and thought to myself "Blimey I'm having that".

I'll get the chance to meet the people behind most of my favourite webcomics, comicbooks and some media Celebrities such as Ray Parks (Darth Maul, Toad & Snake Eyes), Mike Mignola (Hellboy though I shouldn't have to say that) Tahmoh Penikett, Aaron Douglas, & Michael Hogan (Helo, Chief Tyrol and Colonel Tigh respectively or as I'll refer to them later the Boys from BSG), Wil Wheaton (Known forever as Wesley Crusher but is also quite a renown blogger) and, probably the biggest one for me, Jewel Staite (Kaylee Frye in Firefly& Dr. Jennifer Keller in Stargate Atlantis actually if you didn't know who she was I don't want you reading my blog . . . . . . .I'm serious, Vamoose yah varmints!) She is so Shiney!

I've packed with me about $60 worth of assorted Guinness merchandise and chocolates as bribes. . . . . . . I mean gifts for some of the Guests and artists and I'm hoping to pick up a lot of swag at the con. I've brought along empty sketch pads to be filled but I honestly don't know if I'll have enough time for everyone I want to see. The con runs till 6 both Saturday & Sunday and after that I'm going to be crashing in a house I found through couchsurfing, I was lucky as it seems to be a busy weekend for most. Of all the requests I sent out I only got one positive reply, not that the negative ones were outright nos, mostly people were out of town or already had people over. One of them had said if she had known the Con was on She would have been going to that and I definitely could have stayed with her but alas she was heading away for the weekend. I'll be hoping to tell a bit more about the girl I'll be staying with by Monday.

Oh there will be a lot of photos on Monday. I'll be moving onto part 2 of the Triple Threat which is flying down to Biloxi to meet up with a friend of mine. So again I'll have time to kill so sorting my photos from the con and a bit of Blogging should do that nicely.

Ok I'm sure you'll agree I've rambled on for long enough, but in case you were wondering the title of this post is a reference to the fact that I accidentily left my Mobile in Ireland and I'm a little cut off without it. Thankfully I have most peoples numbers on a website because if I didn't I'm not 100% I could dial my home phone number nevermind anyone else. I should be able to get by without it.

And why the hell not?!

Secret Project Stage 2 in progress!

So to kick off I have to say I've really enjoyed playing the few bass lines I can remember on this so I really have to make sure I put everything back as I found it. (This may be difficult lol)

So here is my before picture
Isn't it lovely. Enough said!

Step 1: Unstring and remove the neck. This was fairly straight forward. No major worries. The strings came off without any hassle and I should be able to recycle them. The neck was fairly securely bolted on and took a bit of effort but it finally came off.

Step 2: Remove internal hardware.
This was not so straight forward.
Since there was no scratch plate I wan't able to remove everything intact. I had to cut a couple of wires which I'll have to solder once I'm putting everything back. I took notes and photos of which wire went where but we'll see how that works out.

Step 3: Sand till your hand cramps.
It took about 3 - 4 hours of hard, finger destroying sanding (and that was with a plam power sander) to remove the 6 -7 layers of varnish and paint (and that was just the front) to get to just above the wood. The back can wait till I get back from the states as I went through 5 of the sanding pads and have to buy more.
But that's it so far, at least now I'm commited to the project and going back is no easier than going forward!
More updates as they happen!

And why the hell not!?

Secret Projects under way!

I'm keeping this one under my hat until I have a bit more progress on it but what I can reveal is:

Stage 1: Aquire a guitar. Acheived.

Stage 2: Really Top Secret Part. Pending.

Stage 3: Legendary Result!! Pending.

As you can see from above Stage 1 has been accomplished.
I have two electrics at home already (1 is a Samick that I got for my 18th Birthday and has way too much sentimental value, the other is my Pride & Joy a B.C. Rich Warlock Platinum series with a Black Widow Headstock. If you don't speak guitar it safe to say it's Shiney!!!) but I don't want to risk fecking either of them up in case this goes horribly horribly wrong.

So I decided to buy a second hand guitar, but given that I have 2 already I chose to pick up a Bass (I've been meaning to start working on a few song ideas I had and I was looking at borrowing a friends Bass for this, so the old adage about birds ans stones comes to mind). I ended up in my favourite guitar store in the city just as it was closing looking at the few Basses that fit my few requirements (Solid body, no scratchguard, Bolt on neck). Luckily they had a band in doing an instore gig so they were taking their time closing up. Of the Basses I liked 1 had no price tag and the other was €300. Now if I was just buying a Bass that would have been grand but given that I'm going to be doing some work on this and it could all blow up in my face that was a bit much. I was looking more for something between €100 - €200.

So I start eyeing the one without a price (Thinking all the while "If you have to ask how much it is. . . . . . ."). Finally I risked it and asked the Guy behind the counter "How much?". He turns around to say it's second hand so €150 is that ok. I end up having to do that thing where inside I'm drancing with the Marching Band behind me but on the outside it's just "It'll do".
So I'm now the proud owner of a Ibenez Bass (the exact model is still to be identified but as I'm customising it it's not hugely important).

I brought it home stopping along the way to show my Friend as he plays Bass (It was one of his I was planning to borrow) and he was very pleased with the action on it. In fact I think he was a little reluctant to let it go as he doesn't know what I plan to do with it . . . . . . . . yet. My thinking is that a secret is between 2 people any more than that and it's gossip. But once I'm far enough along that I know it's a success I'll be posting more details and pictures as I progress, so stayed tuned if you want to know more and if not, why the hell not?

1 week in!

Okay so I'm in a mixed mood at the moment. The last few days had been cool, hectic and busy, but cool.
The weekend started with a minor hitch, I had planned to meet up with a friend, go to a meeting for a convention I'm on the comittee for and then go to a Birthday Party for a friend. When I woke up on Saturday and found out the meeting was moved 5 hours early due to the 6 Nations final (Ireland V Wales).

After a quick rejigging of my schedule I coated some treats in chocolate and got ready to head into town. I went straight into town for the meeting which was fairly productive and shared out some of the treats with the other comittee members (I say some . . . . . . .I was left with 4 and that was only because I had told them that some where for my friend). After the meeting ended I went to my friends apartment and dropped the remaining treats off with her. She was extremely pleased with them which means I have to make more at some point (It never ends!).

So when I finally got home I had to shower and change for the party. I met up with my friend whose birthday it was and her husband (who is one of my best friends) and we headed in to town (again) while he listened to the match on his radio. When we got to the bar the party was being held in, the match was fairly tight and coming to a close. We watched the end of it in the Bar on the big screen and the crowd went mad when the final whistle blew (a narrow victory for Ireland, but a win none the less).

The party was great, it had all the essentials, Friends, Drink, Music and some girl on girl action. We were there till closing and I was left with the Job of making sure my Friend got home okay (Her husband had left early and they live 5 doors down from me). After a brief detour to a drinklink, we got a taxi home. I think it was safe to say a good night was had by all.

Sunday was mainly a day of rest I managed to write a blurb for the convention website and did a small bit of graphic work but basically spent most of the day relaxing.

Monday I had a gaming session planned for after work (we're running a Dark Heresy game) but one of the Lads had his Girlfriend up from Cork so we ended up going for a drink and catching a movie (The Watchmen for a second time).

Tuesday was a mixed bag, again I had another gaming session, (Same system, Different group) after work and I had spent some time looking on a website to try blag a place to crash during my trip next month (See my next post for details on that). The website is called couchsurfing remember that name it might be useful some time. I put a few requests out on it and got one or two replies (All of them I'd like to let you stay but the house is full or I'm out of town). I'm not too concerned as I can get a hotel if I need to, I just want to save money so I can spend more at the convetnion I'll be attending over there.

So anyway before the gaming session kicked off a some of our mutual friends stopped in to pick something up off one of the other players. Along with them came the boyfriend of the friend I had to drop my treats out to (I don't like him, surprise sur-fecking-prise). I pretty much ignored him following the old adage if you've nothing nice to say, keep your mouth shut, but before they left he said his goodbyes to the other players and took the time to warn me off hang around his Girlfriend. It kind of put me off my game as I was thinking over and over was he serious or just taking the piss. I don't know if it was because of this or just the way the cosmos wanted it to play out but I rolled shite the whole night. The game was harsh for all playing most of us limped away from the mission dragging one of the other players. But we enjoyed ourselves immensely, granted we'll end up playing a lot more cautiously next time.


So in the end after all my ranting I'm left wondering "Does he see me as a threat? I don't think I've ever given him any reason to. Granted I care a lot for my friend but I'd never anything happen between us even if she were single. Or was he just trying to make a joke of it as he doesn't see me as a threat and if not why the hell not!!"

The Beginning......

So I've decided to write a blog. I hope, if nothing else, it at least makes sense. I can't promise much but I will try to update frequently if only sporadically.

In the next couple of weeks I have a fair bit of travelling so there'll be pics and stories from them. There will be con reports as I'll be at one or two conventions (comics & gaming) in the next few months. There'll also be concert & film reviews (be warned I have a very eclectic taste in Music) and maybe the occasional play.

That's it for now but just remember the best answer to "why?" is "why the hell not?!".