Tag Archives: spring

Dark Days

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Once again I’ve shoehorned a song title into my post title, this time from one of my favourite bands, Coal Chamber. Go and listen to it.

Anyway, this update is much more literal than you might have guessed, I’m not about to go on a downer. I’m talking about how very dark every day seems to be at the moment. It’s still too early in the year for daylight before I wake up, and I’m still getting home from work at around the same time as the light’s all-but-gone. On top of that it’s been so cloudy and dingy for so long now that even the days are half as bright as they could be, it’s like living in something out of the Lord of the Rings. Except we don’t get any cool orcs or anything wandering around town.

There have been a couple of glimmers of Spring; this weekend just gone was a prime example. It was fine and sunny and for the first time in ages I felt proper warmth from the sun, but me being me, that made me instantly long for a Saturday in the garden with the barbecue. I’ve got photos from last year with us all having one in April, so I just have to keep telling myself that it’s only (*quickly counts on calendar) twelve or so weeks. God, now that I look at that number it seems like an awful long way away. Ever the optimist though, I’ve got a sunrise/sunset application on my phone and it’s telling me that by the end of the month sunrise will be before eight am and sunset after ten past five in the evening. That’s more like it!

Soon my pretty, soon

Until then, I’m filling my time playing games and getting back into training properly. Games-wise I’m *still* plugging away at Battlefield Bad Company 2 (I’ve not enjoyed an online game as much as this one in a very long time) and I also picked up a random game in a fit of ‘I’ve-got-to-have-something-different-to-play’ spontaneity and bought Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom. I’d not really heard anything about it, but it had a nice colourful box and what looked like a big, friendly troll on the cover. Oh how times have changed, it’s not so long ago I’d have pored over reviews for ages before buying anything… Luckily I backed a winner, it’s a great game full of character, great graphics and a lovely story. It’s a third person adventure, along the lines of the later Zelda games, replete with ‘save the world from darkness’ storyline. If you’re into those ‘get a new power, use it to access new areas, kill big bosses’ type of games I’d recommend it wholeheartedly.

Training’s going pretty well at the moment, but I’m really suffering the after-effects of the festive break. Having eaten enough to have sustained me if I’d chosen to sleep for the next six months I put on weight which hasn’t helped, but my brain seems to be suffering too. In the first couple of lessons I went back to I felt like I could barely remember anything, but oddly when I took my own class for the first time this year it all came back to me, and every bit of terminology came to me first time. The brain will come back with time, and the weight’s also being taken care of (more on that in a later post), so I’m feeling very motivated at the moment to progress and work towards my potential Senior first dan grading this year.

Let Freedom Ring With A Shotgun Blast

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Machine Head are playing in Plymouth tomorrow night and I’m going to see them! I can’t tell you how excited I am, I’ve loved this band for a long time now, ever since the first time I heard the double bass drumming on Davidian (where this post’s title comes from), and this will probably be the only time I’ll have a chance to see them this close to home. I’m going up with a friend who shares the same love of very loud, very heavy and very excellent music, and despite having to work the next day, I already know how awesome it’s going to be.

I’m still in the hire car I was given after mine was written off a couple of weeks ago, and while it’s nice to drive a swanky brand new car around, I know that I won’t be buying a new Astra in the forseeable future. There’s something I don’t really like about it, something I can’t really put my finger on. Maybe it’s a combination of little things, like the way the indicators don’t click down into position; you have to press it down once to indicate left, then the arm resets back to the middle while the lights stay flashing. I’m tall and from my seating position it’s almost impossible to see the dashboard lights telling me if they’re on or off, and with music on I can’t hear it either, which means I have to duck and peer through the steering wheel to see if I’m still indicating… not good. The windscreen wipers work in a similar fashion, it’s a small niggle, but it makes the driving experience that little bit more annoying. The Focus we just bought though, despite being 8 years old, is brilliant, I really enjoy driving it.

No new games to speak of, I’m tightening the reins for the time being, I’ve got loads to be going on with and a bank balance which seems to be freefalling toward the end of the month. There’s another big squad training session this wednesday with an eye on the European Champs in April, and I’m looking forward to trying to smarten up my competition forms and sparring again. Plus it’s always good to mix with the guys from the other clubs.

On top of all of that, it’s sunny and beginning to feel like Spring! The sunshine on  the beach yesterday was actually warm! Can you imagine!

Vampires Beware!

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See that big bright thing outside? That’s the sun that is! It’s been out and about for the last few days now and it’s about time too. Spring is actually here now, I’m sure of it. I’ve had a load of daffodils in the living room brightening things up for the last week and there’s nothing more spring-like than a big vase of bright yellow daffs. The best thing is that it’s so warm too; there’s been some sunshine over winter but it’s never been warm enough to sit outside in a t-shirt in and enjoy. I tried doing just that over the weekend but this cold is still lingering and I’m doing my damnedest to stop it turning into a chest infection.

It’d be nice to be able to say the extension is going up as quickly as the grass in the front garden, but in truth progress has been slow. This is mostly through no fault of the builders, it’s Building Controls  who are holding things up. They seem to change their mind as to what they want as often as they change their socks, so most of the time at the moment is spent waiting around for them to come back and tell the builders they can actually do some work again. On the plus side, there’s no more hole digging. The foundations are in, the sewerage pipes encased and blockwork has started to go up. ‘Going up’ is entirely relative at the moment though, as they’re still below what will be ground level, but up is up and I’m happy. All that’s left for us to do now is to order the flooring for the house and trundle back up to Bristol to pick up the kitchen. I’m still hopeful that by my birthday we’ll actually have a house to put it all in.

Extension Progress

Extension Progress

Our Tang Soo Do club held the first grading of the new year on Sunday, and while I wasn’t grading I still turned up and pulled my  dobok on in support. I was really glad to not be grading thanks to being ill, but I still did my bit by helping out with some il soo sik dae ryun and ho sin sool, and held boards for the kyok pa (breaking). I got a meaty kick in the hand during the breaking which wasn’t much fun, as well as embarrassing myself. The re-breakable plastic boards (which actually take a much stronger and more accurate strike to break than a piece of pine) can be set to a normal break, or a half break for the kids. I had to try to reset one for a half break so decided to just break it on my knee. WHAM – no break – these things are tougher than I remember! To save any more blushing I give in an extra-strong whack on my knee…. and the same thing happened. Oh dear. Looking back I should’ve just played it like I was showing the guys who’ve never had to break before how tough the boards are, instead of what was probably turning red and laughing. Everyone passed during what was quite a tough grading, and for a while I was a bit disappointed that I wasn’t doing it too. Only for a very short while though, I’m not stupid.

We had a big group lesson afterward with all the guys from Falmouth who came across to grade, which packed the dojang. It’s always good to get everyone together to train though, we did some enjoyable takedown work and in a bit of a break from the norm we did some traditional Korean wrestling. There’re not many times where being one of the biggest guys in the club is an advantage; this was one of them.

All that remains for today is what to get for lunch to take to the park and eat, it’s far too nice to stay in :) .

Cross Everything!

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I had a phone call from my current boss on Tuesday to tell me that a job has opened up in our parent company, one which I’d be well suited to. I got my application straight in and yesterday got an email confirming that I have an interview this Friday at 10am! The job I’m going for carries the rather grandiose title of ‘Systems Specialist’, and I know I can do it, and do it well. So I’d ask anyone out there reading to keep everything crossed for me.

On Tuesday I learned the true horror of wearing a heavyweight dobok, and to my surprise it wasn’t the weight and thickness that was the problem. The problem lies in having a ‘tie-up’ trousers, trousers which look like clown trousers on me. I did them up as best I could, but by halfway through the warm-up I was already having to hold them up with one hand as I ran. The fear of exposing myself hideously to all and sundry meant I couldn’t concentrate too well during sparring as each bounce and kick sent them a little further south… I’ve ordered some replacements in a smaller size today so hopefully they’ll be here in time for tomorrow’s lesson. They’d be much better with something like side tie strings. Here’s hoping the postal service is better than it’s proven to be lately.

The sun’s definitely out now and I’m starting to get filled with the joys of Spring, I can’t wait until the clocks go forward at the end of the week. Barbecue season will begin in earnest. I’m supposed to be doing something to the back garden to make it hospitable for guests in the summer and went to look at decking the other day (I know, I know), I managed to make it home without wood though. I’m really looking forward to summer now, I think I might take a trip up to see some of the other writers and the arcades in London in June or something, I’ve not been up there for ages. Seni first though, I can’t wait! I also have a competition to attend in May, I’m loving the fighting now, and really feel like I’m getting close to being ready to win some :D . Raaaa I feel fired up now! If I get that job, win some fights and manage to keep my trousers on for five minutes…

Look.
Out.
Universe!

Here’s a tune to leave you with, a bit of a classic, I hope you enjoy it and it makes your working days a bit more bearable.

Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart
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