Festival Fever

Funnily enough, this week is becoming quite amusing and enjoyable. It started off rather annoyingly for the usual reasons but as time has gone on, it is proving to be highly entertaining.

Firstly, come what may, I have my hobbies to fall back on to while away the hours. The evenings are getting longer, so I have more golfing options. I still enjoy improving my guitar playing and I have a plentiful supply of Homebrew.

In addition to that, there have been the joys of the Cheltenham festival for another year. Four days of racing fun at the greatest horse-racing meeting of them all.

I get to wrack my brains for potential winners and place a few very small-scale wagers. This includes daily phone-calls from my Dad in an effort to combine thoughts and racing opinions and form a strategy for the next day's 'assault' on the bookmakers. These phone-calls are an event in themselves as telephone silence is strictly maintained by my Dad for the most part of the year.

No luck with the gee-gees yet... "Oh Well!"

The “cérise sur le gateau” so to speak, has come via discovery of the existence of the “Couch By Couchwest” 2012 music festival (March 11-18). It is a fantastic concept and there are some really great musicians contributing to the week-long couch-fest.

I was enthused enough to submit a video of mine. It is a performance of a song I wrote, based on the music to SRV's “Cold Shot.” I was unemployed at the time and had only been playing the guitar for 18-months. Quite honestly, the video is pretty poor, but it is fun to contribute.

Other musicians are very good, by the way, so you should check them out.

http://couchbycouchwest.com/

Festival fever is fun!

20 Monday Moments

1. Holy crap! I look rough first thing on a Monday.
2. Traffic tailback. 8:45 am. Awesome way to start the week. The same thing happens every damn week.
3. This is sad: Grown adults getting giddy at the sight of supermarket-bought jam doughnuts.
4. Radio debate on same-sex marriages. (Not my words). Quote: “What I would say to the gays, is how could you possibly consummate your marriage with only half a set of the required equipment."
5. Jesus Christ, lad, you stink! How can you have such bad B.O? It's only Monday.
6. Radio debate: Motoring, elderly driving, driving tests. 24-year-old policeman described by another caller as, “Wet behind the ears.” (That was generous).
7. Blimey, there are some ugly people around.
8. Why the Hell are there notices placed in the Staff Toilets, containing detailed instructions as to how to wash your hands?
9. Hmm... she's quite nice.
10. I want to write a deep, dark, introspective blog today.
11. Better not. Keep that stuff to yourself, Liam.
12. How come when I was obsessed by road-cycling, I was an anomaly? Now, I've lost interest, most of my idols are dead and cycling is popular.
13. Most people are morons.
14. At my local club, golfers manage to play tired, hungover or even plain drunk. Tiger pulls out with a dodgy heel.
15. There he is again... Stupid prick! (I don't mean Tiger. I actually like Tiger).
16. I'll go and play golf later. Might have a beer while I'm out.
17. Shit! I spend a lot on booze... and I don't earn much.
18. I can't do this much longer. It has gone beyond boring.
19. “Do you like Superman?” (Yes) “Do you prefer Superman or Kent Clark?” … Kent Clark??? … Dickhead!!!
20. It looks like being one of those, “Pass me the hemlock” weeks.

Stir-Crazy

Strewth my strides, this is such maniacal boredom! It truly is insane. I have to get out and do something else.

I accept that boredom is a natural part of life and everybody has to put up with it at times. Generally, I avoid boredom by keeping myself busy and active pretty much from the minute I get up, to the minute I go to bed. Admittedly, not everything I do may be considered by everyone to be constructive or positive but at least it keeps me occupied, reasonably entertained and generally happy.

This boredom, however, is incessant, unrelenting and fundamentally unnecessary and quite frankly, it is getting my gander up!

Quite honestly, I could end up in an asylum if this continues much longer. Similarities could be drawn between this situation and Groundhog Day, airport waiting areas or even life in prison. There is definitely a sense of 'stir-crazy' to it all.

Furthermore, I am at my wit's end as to to how to liven things up. It is not really in my nature to shout at someone and it is a little unfair to start taking the mickey out of people. I might have to resort to sneaking in liquor.

There is also always trust in the belief that it is all a means to an end and that there is a greater good, but realistically, it is 11:50 am on a Wednesday and this is my second rambling blog of the hour. I think I might make my fingers bleed, just so that I have something to focus on. It is either that or eat a pen-top. I could go really wild and do both.

Never mind.

I'll be on the golf-course by three.

Damn, it's raining!

Fighting the Gravitational Pull

Good day fellow bloggers! Happy Wednesday!

I am creating this blog-post essentially to fight off slumber. For the sake of professionalism, I will refrain from going into details as to why I am fighting the gravitational pull on my eyelids at 10:55 am. Suffice is to say that I am.

I have had a good time recently work-wise. That little stint appears to have come to an end. Nevertheless it was good while it lasted. It is once again time now to allow the winds of change to carry me along, as I return to my comfortable, albeit unpredictable limbo.

My social-life could be looking up. After the customary uncertainty and deliberation revolving around the new season at the golf club and pontificating as to whether to stump up the cash to allow me the privilege of being a member for another year, I have renewed my membership and I have set about immersing myself in the club culture, competitions and social activities.

I am actually really looking forward to it. My game is in pretty good shape and it will be good to meet up with and have a bit of banter with a variety of different people.

It looks like it is going to cost me a bloody fortune though. The annual subscription has been paid, but add to that weekly competition fees, social contributions, golfing insurance, reciprocal post-round beverages and suddenly I have unleashed a steady flow from my wallet and drain on my bank account.

Oh well, there is nothing like adopting a gung-ho attitude and diving right in. I have spent most of my life refraining from spending money – probably because I have never really had any. If there is one thing for certain, it is that this life is made for living. I am going to meet new people, improve my game and have some fun.

Cool! That did the trick. Almost time for my next lesson.

Yours Golfingly,

Happy Gilmore (aka. “The Bandit”)

Boring Monday

It has been a week or so since I last posted a blog. This one is not ground-breaking either, just the usual blend of musing, contemplating and general day-dreaming.

Actually, the blog for today is even more like a diary-entry than usual. Today is Monday, it is lunch-time and I have a few minutes to while away. So, I am tapping away.

As is often the case, my day could not have been planned in advance and I did not find out until 7:45 am that I was in fact working today and where indeed I would be working. Had I not received a phone-call containing such instructions, my day would have revolved around a visit to the garage, guitar and golf.

All the activities do in fact follow on from the events of the week-end. Saturday was a fairly relaxed day, whereby I got a few chores and errands done and out of the way early on and then settled down to the guitar, followed by a trip to my brother's house to watch the Six Nations Rugby and to enjoy a few drinks.

I woke early on Sunday with the mindset of not wasting the day. The weather was lovely, particularly for the time of year and I headed off to the golf course for an early tee-of time of shortly after 8 am.

I am a speedy golfer and had completed 18-holes by 10 o'clock. I was then invited to take part in the Sunday Social and so embarked on another nine-holes as a four-ball. The golf was followed by a pint and a chat and was all good fun and people headed off at around 1 pm.

Unfortunately, I was delayed slightly by the fact that the van would not start. The battery icon on the dashboard has been lit up for a week or so and I had noticed the juices seeming rather faint as I turn the engine over. However, I was hoping to ignore it for a couple of weeks when I intend to get the van serviced and MOT'd, in any case.

The problem was temporarily resolved by pushing the van into a position from which I could start rolling it down the hill and thus jump-start it. It worked like a charm and I got home.

I have a battery charger and have fully recharged the battery, so I was able to start the van again this morning. The warning symbol is still on, however, so there is clearly an underlying problem and I will have to sort it out. My limited vehicle knowledge suggests to me that it might well be a problem with the alternator.

Golfing-wise, I had sketchily arranged to play a round with someone today, if I was free. I took his phone-number so as to text him with my whereabouts and availability as it became known. However, I appear to have failed to save the details correctly in my phone, so I am unable to do so. I will try ringing the club and see if I can pass on a message.

That's about it, really. Hardly riveting. I will work the afternoon, head home via the garage, do weights and then settle into the evening.

All in all, a pretty boring Monday.

“La Gloire de Mon Père” et “Le Chateau de Ma Mère”

I watched some of “La Gloire de Mon Père” et “Le Chateau de Ma Mère” today. I love those films. I used to watch them when I was a teenager and studying for my GCSE's.

We had copies of both films on video-tape at home. The films had been recorded from the television and were in the original French, with English subtitles. The more I watched them and the better my French understanding became, I would prop things up in front of the screen so as to cover up the English, while not obscuring the picture.

I trust that all the hours I have spent doing that sort of thing have paid off over the years. I used to apply a similar method to reading books in other languages, or when watching news recordings or documentaries.

It is the way I have always worked. It is my mentality. I do the same thing now with guitar and I used to do the same thing when I was serious about cycling. I would train and train, constantly striving to get better, to push the limits. When the club ride was fifty-miles, I would do another twenty before and a further twenty-miles after. When we had a mid-week evening ride of thirty-five to forty-miles, I would do an additional fifty or sixty in the morning.

This 'mentality' explains one of those mental blocks I have when it comes to other people. I cannot understand why some people cannot adopt the same attitude and I fail to comprehend teaching strategies and methods. If you want to learn something, then just do it.

Success is achieved through desire, application and dedication. Don't be a 'douchebag,' give it time and concentrate.

Returning to Marcel Pagnol. I love those films. I love them for the language and I love them for the memories they stir, not only of France at the turn of the twentieth century but also of my own youth. The south of France is beautiful. The early 1900's setting is wonderful – there is a simplicity, an innocence and a natural charm.

It would be nice to live there.

Superbowl Sunday

Today's blog is simply to reflect on Superbowl Sunday. All in all, I had a fantastic experience and thoroughly enjoyed the event. It was helped by the fact that my own pre-game show involved Wales gaining a last-gasp victory over Ireland on the opening week-end of the 2012 Rugby Six Nations

Living in Wales, in the UK complicates matters a little when it comes to following US sports, due to a combination of the limited coverage and the time differences. Nevertheless, I particularly like the NFL and I have been a Green Bay Packers fan since I was a boy.

My habit during the regular season is to record the games that are aired overnight and I then watch them at my leisure and at a more civilized time.

When it comes to the play-offs, it is often something of an anti-climax as the TV coverage lessens and live games become scarce. There is always the “pièce de résistance” at the end of it all in the form of the Superbowl, but the quality of the game rarely lives up to the billing and inevitably fails to compete with the glitz, glamour and razzmatazz that engulf the occasion.

Each Superbowl Sunday, I face the same annual dilemma: Do I stay up into the early hours or do I keep to my normal routine, record the game, wait and watch it the next day?

Staying up is a feat if there is the likelihood of work on the Monday. However, whereas general UK apathy to the NFL makes hearing of the result during the regular season a non-issue, people have an unerring tendency to 'break the news' for a major sporting event and so the whole occasion can be spoilt.

Nevertheless, generally, I record the game and take my chances. I have done the 'night vigil' but I find I spend the whole time fighting to stay awake, so it all becomes too much of a chore.

Last night was different and it was due in no small part to my Twitter buddies. The fact that I generally follow people on Twitter based on my interests in sport and music and that most of those people are based in the United States meant that it was like being at some sort of party.

Everything revolved around the game, with comments and observations coming from all sorts of angles. Some were serious, some were humorous and others were just plain daft. I know that I certainly threw in a few ludicrous tweets just to stir things up a bit.

By the end, I had barely seen much of the game, having spent so much time engaged with and laughing at my Timeline. I was also playing around with the guitar and had enjoyed a few drinks earlier on, meaning that time flew by. Before I knew it, it was 03:30 AM and the Giants were World Champions.

On reflection, I hope nobody took any of my contribution the wrong way. It is never my intention to cause any ill-feeling. It is always difficult to be absolutely sure when communicating in 140 characters or less. I equally trust that my fellow Twitterers appreciate the efforts and interest of a Welshman stationed the other side of the 'Big Lake.'

It was not long before 04:00 AM when I got to bed and I was up again at 06:00 AM to get ready for work. I actually feel alright when all is considered. Admittedly, my reactions are definitely a little slow and I have forgotten to bring my wallet with me, but it was worth it.

Congratulations to the New York Giants – “Superbowl XLVI Winners” and “2012 World Champions!”

Roll on 2013 – #GoPackGo!