After the last one a quiet weekend was probably what I needed (although maybe didn't want) I left Huddersfield just after 3pm on Friday afternoon hoping to get back early-ish so that I could pick up Joshua, the Megabus however had other ideas and it was past 10 by the time I got home. Still at least I got home unlike those poor people in Spain.
Saturday, Joshua and I head over to my sister's flat to sort out her dog, I really don't know why she keeps working all weekend when she knows the poor thing is stuck in on its own. Dog sorted we head into town for the Warwick Bar Summer Fete, lots of nice arty things to look at here, including a David Bowie installation set up by Leon. I am surprised to see him given that he was supposed to be at the Garden Festival and Nozstock but he apparently had returned just to set this up and then was heading off back to the festival(s).
We followed some signs that took us down the canal and into an art space by the Blues ground tha I'd not seen before where they were showing a collection of modified toys used by The Modified Toy Orchstra and Juneau Projects. Joshua was impressed.
Earlier on we had passed the Birmingham Beer Bash at The Bond which was in full flow, after jumping on the bus home and managing to get back before the heavens open I did wonder if Tim would have been cursing his luck at not going there and going camping instead, I have subsequently discovered that they came home early so my worry was unfounded.
The rest of the weekend was lazy, I spent too much time on the Interwebs, Joshua spent too much time playing with his iPod. Ah well it's good to do nothing sometimes and I did do some more of the online course I've been doing so it's not totally wasted. I am considering having one enforced computer free day.
I was supposed to meet Phil last night but he had to cancel because his Mom is unwell which means I've practically gone the whole week without beer (I'm not counting the two I had on Thursday night in Honley) which must be some sort of recent record.
Today has been pretty unproductive, I have been trying to do work but kept getting massively distracted, I even popped out for a bit in the hope that I cold get started when I came back but that didn't work. I'll try again later.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Butterflies
For some reason I have butterflies in my stomach. The same feeling you get when you are utterly in love with someone or when you are sitting outside an interview room waiting to be grilled by a panel of bosses about a job that you don't really want. I'm not sure why I have this feeling. As far as I know I am not about to be interviewed and I'm pretty sure that I'm not in love with anyone (lust maybe but that is different). I've had the sensation for several days now. Maybe I should go to the doctors.
This week has been one big comedown from Tramlines, I started drinking at 3pm on Friday with a very refreshing pint of cider and stopped about 4am on Monday. Very little sleep and what sleep I did have was not in the best places, floor, setttee, feet up in the air. Anyway, Monday night it was hot and sticky but that wasn't the reason I couldn't sleep, thoughts were appearing and disappearing into my head at the rate of knots and I couldn't relax. Tuesday night was no much better. It was Friday before I felt normal again.
Big weekend followed by big comedown. Maybe that's why I've got butterflies in my stomach.
This week has been one big comedown from Tramlines, I started drinking at 3pm on Friday with a very refreshing pint of cider and stopped about 4am on Monday. Very little sleep and what sleep I did have was not in the best places, floor, setttee, feet up in the air. Anyway, Monday night it was hot and sticky but that wasn't the reason I couldn't sleep, thoughts were appearing and disappearing into my head at the rate of knots and I couldn't relax. Tuesday night was no much better. It was Friday before I felt normal again.
Big weekend followed by big comedown. Maybe that's why I've got butterflies in my stomach.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Tramlines Sunday 2013
After about an hour of shuteye I am woken up by Gemma coming down
the stairs, she tries to burn herself by throwing hot water from a pan
into a jug into a cup in order to make coffee. I have a cold shower,
involuntarily, and am surprised to find that I have no hangover. Tim on
the other hand is dying and is rolling around the floor in pain and
complains everytime I make the slightest noise.
Neil's parents arrive to deliver birthday presents and a kettle and to tell Tim that his hair is rubbish but not quite as bad as his face. Neil's parent's leave and Louisa's take their place so that she can have a lift home, they don't stay for long as everyone is eager to get out and get back on the lash once more. Tim is still complaining about a hangover.
We arrive in town just in time to see the Everly Pregnant Brothers who do a clean version of their normal gig, I buy some beers, I am feeling great, Tim is lying on the floor moaning. Neil and Caitlin are not drinking today. The Pregnant Brothers finish and we decide to head down to see the 65DaysofStatic A/V installation at the Millennium Gallery which rather aptly has a video piece that uses Arab Strap's First Big Weekend as it central theme. Gemma orders a Jaipur, I have a Kolsch, Tim complains.
We next move to Cathedral outside there are some religious looking types banging bongos inside there is a man with a guitar being a boring acoustic guitar man, he murders 7 Nation Army. We all leave and after a little bit of indecision find ourselves in the Dada Bar where we are met by Daz, Jen, Lousia, Chris and Andrea once again. We stay for a few beers and for a short while whilst sat in a comfy armchair that I start to flag a little. Not to worry about that it is time for action.
Neil, Caitlin, Tim and myself walk down to the Peace Gardens to see Shangaan Electro reach 189 BPM with their South African electro jumpy very fast funk music. Tim announces for that he believes that Party Tim has returned. We drink some more beers hastily purchased from the Co-Op. There is now a B-Boy competition going on, it is all legs and arms flailing around, I don't get breakdancing. Halfway through the competition a rubbish R&B singer takes to the mic, Neil doesn't like this.
Tim hits me, for no reason, again, he is getting very hand nowadays, maybe he needs to go to anger management.
Somebody wins the breakin competition.
We are rejoined by the Gemma, Daz, Jen and Louisa who have been watching something else at the main stage that apparently wasn't very good. Neil and Caitlin head off back to Brum and decision is made for the rest of us to walk down to the Queen's Social, this is miles and miles and miles away and when we get there has a distinct lack of beer. It is also the hotter than a sauna inside, there are some bands on, one of them sounds like Dexys. Tim, Louisa and I spend most of the time outside where it is cooler, I consider going to the casino and putting all of my money on red, if I'd won I have doubled my money to £2.26, I don't take the risk. Louisa decides that everyone needs a belly for a pillow rather than a bosom.
The band that sound like Dexys finish, according to Gemma they are the best thing ever ever ever of ever, Daz even buys their record. There is no beer at all left now, nor any cider, nor anything else. We head off into the night...
Well as far as a garage anyway, I buy some beer and we walk up to the Harley whilst drinking it. I can't remember why we don't go in, maybe there is a queue or something but we jump into taxi with the intention of finishing the weekend. However we don't we get to Daz and Jen's where I am plied with rum and other beverages until after 4 in the morning.
Pints: 736
Hours on the Lash: 14+
Rum consumed: Nine bottles.
Neil's parents arrive to deliver birthday presents and a kettle and to tell Tim that his hair is rubbish but not quite as bad as his face. Neil's parent's leave and Louisa's take their place so that she can have a lift home, they don't stay for long as everyone is eager to get out and get back on the lash once more. Tim is still complaining about a hangover.
We arrive in town just in time to see the Everly Pregnant Brothers who do a clean version of their normal gig, I buy some beers, I am feeling great, Tim is lying on the floor moaning. Neil and Caitlin are not drinking today. The Pregnant Brothers finish and we decide to head down to see the 65DaysofStatic A/V installation at the Millennium Gallery which rather aptly has a video piece that uses Arab Strap's First Big Weekend as it central theme. Gemma orders a Jaipur, I have a Kolsch, Tim complains.
We next move to Cathedral outside there are some religious looking types banging bongos inside there is a man with a guitar being a boring acoustic guitar man, he murders 7 Nation Army. We all leave and after a little bit of indecision find ourselves in the Dada Bar where we are met by Daz, Jen, Lousia, Chris and Andrea once again. We stay for a few beers and for a short while whilst sat in a comfy armchair that I start to flag a little. Not to worry about that it is time for action.
Neil, Caitlin, Tim and myself walk down to the Peace Gardens to see Shangaan Electro reach 189 BPM with their South African electro jumpy very fast funk music. Tim announces for that he believes that Party Tim has returned. We drink some more beers hastily purchased from the Co-Op. There is now a B-Boy competition going on, it is all legs and arms flailing around, I don't get breakdancing. Halfway through the competition a rubbish R&B singer takes to the mic, Neil doesn't like this.
Tim hits me, for no reason, again, he is getting very hand nowadays, maybe he needs to go to anger management.
Somebody wins the breakin competition.
We are rejoined by the Gemma, Daz, Jen and Louisa who have been watching something else at the main stage that apparently wasn't very good. Neil and Caitlin head off back to Brum and decision is made for the rest of us to walk down to the Queen's Social, this is miles and miles and miles away and when we get there has a distinct lack of beer. It is also the hotter than a sauna inside, there are some bands on, one of them sounds like Dexys. Tim, Louisa and I spend most of the time outside where it is cooler, I consider going to the casino and putting all of my money on red, if I'd won I have doubled my money to £2.26, I don't take the risk. Louisa decides that everyone needs a belly for a pillow rather than a bosom.
The band that sound like Dexys finish, according to Gemma they are the best thing ever ever ever of ever, Daz even buys their record. There is no beer at all left now, nor any cider, nor anything else. We head off into the night...
Well as far as a garage anyway, I buy some beer and we walk up to the Harley whilst drinking it. I can't remember why we don't go in, maybe there is a queue or something but we jump into taxi with the intention of finishing the weekend. However we don't we get to Daz and Jen's where I am plied with rum and other beverages until after 4 in the morning.
Pints: 736
Hours on the Lash: 14+
Rum consumed: Nine bottles.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Tramlines Saturday 2013
I was a little hungover when I woke up, so decided rather than flail
about on the floor it might be a good idea to lay on the bed I was
given. I was maybe there for thirty seconds when I heard Gemma coming
down the stairs and figured it might be time to get up. A couple of
black coffees and a full English at Gert's later and it was time for us
to be the first people in Hallamshire House for our first drink of the
day whilst we waited for the busker bus.
We got on the busker bus, there was no buskers and the bus driver didn't know where he was going. There was however a competition to win a holiday to Lanzarote if you took a picture of yourself on the busker bus. I still haven't had my winning tickets yet. Tim has promised to take me instead of Gemma if he wins.
Eventually the busker bus winds its way into town only to stop because one of the other passengers has asked the driver if he would wait for his mate who is in Nandos, amazingly he does. We get off and stand around waiting for the connecting busker bus which will take us to the Folk Forest. About half an hour later we figure that it's probably best to skip the Folk Forest and go and meet Caitlin in the pub next to the train station.
Gemma decides to start on the Jaipur, Tim and I on the otherhand are sensible and have a weak session beer. Tim is very excited about the arrival of Caitlin and is bouncing around the station looking for her. She arrives, we have another pint and head over to the Peace Gardens to watch people dancing really badly with flags to jazz music. Louisa, Andrea and Chris are already here, Chris is swigging bottles of Hobgoblin out of a carrier bag but the other two are claiming that they are never going to drink again.
Caitlin needs to buy a ticket so we make our way to the City Hall and sit on the steps drinking beer when a man comes out and tells us off and makes us move 10 yards right of were were sitting, not because we are drinking but because we are not drinking booze bought from in the City Hall. After a bit more sitting round we make our way inside to catch iLikeTrains, they are a bit iffy but nowhere near as bad as the horrible pint of Carlsberg that Gemma hands me, it is so bad that I have to leave it after about a fifth of a pint.
We all leave and wander out into the packed streets and over into the main stage area where we see some forgettable bands and drink some more beer and stand in big long queues for the loo and drink even more beer. My memory for the next few hours is a bit hazy due to us not eating enough (something that Tim and I said we wouldn't be doing) but Daz and Jen join us and we go to a place where there are people making shouty music, I am told by Jen's sister that I look like Alexei Sayle and Darren gets told off for shoplifiting CDs from the CD stand.
Our last but one stop of the night is Subway unfortunately, I needed a kebab!!!
We finally go to the Leadmill for some Red Stripe drinking, there is a shoegazing type band playing, they are OK. When they finish the indie disco starts, every third song is by the Arctic Monkeys. We are all pissed now, Caitlin attempts to kill me by shoving chopsticks up my nose and then Neil who is sober because he'd been photographing a wedding finally arrives.
It's late, we should probably go home, I am half tempted to go and see David Rodigan but know in the back of my mind that we'll not get in. Daz can hardly talk again. Gemma is dragged out the club by the scruff of her neck. Caitlin, Daz, Gemma and I pile into Neil's car. Gemma is complaining that she want's to stay out. Tim and Louisa pretend they are going off to go and get a taxi. Neil drives us to the wrong side of the city and then to Tim's house. Tim is not yet back, I ring him and he concocts some story about being a good Samaritan to a helpless lady but I know that he is really skanking to Sir David Ramjam Rodigan with Louisa. Ha ha.
I am quite tired now and want to go to bed but it is too hot upstairs and Daz is taking the spot on the floor. Tim and Louisa come back. Daz is ejected. It is 6am. I go to sleep....
Pops drunk: 15 million
Rums drunk: 0
Time boozing: Hours
We got on the busker bus, there was no buskers and the bus driver didn't know where he was going. There was however a competition to win a holiday to Lanzarote if you took a picture of yourself on the busker bus. I still haven't had my winning tickets yet. Tim has promised to take me instead of Gemma if he wins.
Eventually the busker bus winds its way into town only to stop because one of the other passengers has asked the driver if he would wait for his mate who is in Nandos, amazingly he does. We get off and stand around waiting for the connecting busker bus which will take us to the Folk Forest. About half an hour later we figure that it's probably best to skip the Folk Forest and go and meet Caitlin in the pub next to the train station.
Gemma decides to start on the Jaipur, Tim and I on the otherhand are sensible and have a weak session beer. Tim is very excited about the arrival of Caitlin and is bouncing around the station looking for her. She arrives, we have another pint and head over to the Peace Gardens to watch people dancing really badly with flags to jazz music. Louisa, Andrea and Chris are already here, Chris is swigging bottles of Hobgoblin out of a carrier bag but the other two are claiming that they are never going to drink again.
Caitlin needs to buy a ticket so we make our way to the City Hall and sit on the steps drinking beer when a man comes out and tells us off and makes us move 10 yards right of were were sitting, not because we are drinking but because we are not drinking booze bought from in the City Hall. After a bit more sitting round we make our way inside to catch iLikeTrains, they are a bit iffy but nowhere near as bad as the horrible pint of Carlsberg that Gemma hands me, it is so bad that I have to leave it after about a fifth of a pint.
We all leave and wander out into the packed streets and over into the main stage area where we see some forgettable bands and drink some more beer and stand in big long queues for the loo and drink even more beer. My memory for the next few hours is a bit hazy due to us not eating enough (something that Tim and I said we wouldn't be doing) but Daz and Jen join us and we go to a place where there are people making shouty music, I am told by Jen's sister that I look like Alexei Sayle and Darren gets told off for shoplifiting CDs from the CD stand.
Our last but one stop of the night is Subway unfortunately, I needed a kebab!!!
We finally go to the Leadmill for some Red Stripe drinking, there is a shoegazing type band playing, they are OK. When they finish the indie disco starts, every third song is by the Arctic Monkeys. We are all pissed now, Caitlin attempts to kill me by shoving chopsticks up my nose and then Neil who is sober because he'd been photographing a wedding finally arrives.
It's late, we should probably go home, I am half tempted to go and see David Rodigan but know in the back of my mind that we'll not get in. Daz can hardly talk again. Gemma is dragged out the club by the scruff of her neck. Caitlin, Daz, Gemma and I pile into Neil's car. Gemma is complaining that she want's to stay out. Tim and Louisa pretend they are going off to go and get a taxi. Neil drives us to the wrong side of the city and then to Tim's house. Tim is not yet back, I ring him and he concocts some story about being a good Samaritan to a helpless lady but I know that he is really skanking to Sir David Ramjam Rodigan with Louisa. Ha ha.
I am quite tired now and want to go to bed but it is too hot upstairs and Daz is taking the spot on the floor. Tim and Louisa come back. Daz is ejected. It is 6am. I go to sleep....
Pops drunk: 15 million
Rums drunk: 0
Time boozing: Hours
Friday, July 19, 2013
Tramlines Friday 2013
I took a day off and leisurely made my way up to Sheffield and went
straight to Tim and Gemma's house to find Tim beer in hand complaining
that Gemma had ruined his peaceful afternoon by making him meet her in
town to give her a ticket and some other bits an bobs. It wasn't really
any danger though we were in the pub by three. I had a refreshing pint
of cider and then the weekend went downhill from there. :)
After a bit of queuing to get our wristbands Gemma went off to do some stuff and Tim introduced me to a pub called the Black Bear which was full of old men and cost 10p a pint. Outside we got talking to two locals one was of the opinion that fifteen quid was far too much and that Tramlines was only about the money nowadays, his mate on the other hand thought it was amazingly cheap and that London was crap and was never going again after a copper told him off for drinking outside Victoria bus station at 8 in the morning.
Daz and Jen turned up, we quickly necked a couple more cheap pints and wandered down the hill to the Sheffield Tap. Tim bought me a pint of Reverend and the Makers which was rather nice a Bearded Theory only to discover it was £4.90 a pint, apparently because it was brewed in cask or something, apparently because they were taking the piss more like. They do dress their bouncers up to look like ticket inspectors though.
Gemma arrived from wherever she had been and we made our way to a dungeon bar where there was some live drums and bass (guitar) music. It was OK but it didn't really have anywhere to progress to plus it was in a dungeon bar with crap beer and it was sunny outside. Our next choice was equally as average, more crap beer, more dinginess at more not particularly great music at O2.
Our next stop was at the Riverside, Chris, Louisa and her mum had joined us now and it was here that I started to feel a little bit tipsy, I think I may have had some cider, thankfully there was no cream cake like there had been the last time I was in this pub. After a brief stop we went to another pub whose name I forget, upstairs there was a Gypsy folky type thing going on but the room was so busy that we couldn't get in, it was a bit sweaty for that sort of thing, they sounded alright from the outside though.
Friday night was techno night, we piled off in search of the Hope Works and was led by Google Maps Tim with some other lost people down lots of dark alleys. Eventually we came across a massive queue so we knew we had come to the right place. Luckily there was only a massive queue because they hadn't let anyone in. We got in and the Red Stripe drinking began...
Jen didn't like the techno. She pulled a face. And then went home. The techno night strangely morphed into a 70s disco night and half the crowd (mostly those under 25) left but this made Louisa very happy. Oddly even though this happened and the club was half empty the bouncers weren't letting anyone else in. Tim accidentally dropped six cans on someones head. Gemma shouted "DON'T JUDGE MEEEEE!" when I said that she might be a bit inebriated. Daz could hardly talk. The DJ played lots of disco re-dits what I like. I drank lots of Red Stripe. Gemma and Daz somehow got themselves covered in white paint.
It was now about four o'clock in the morning(ish), we jumped in a taxi, through Daz out along the way and headed back to Tim and Gemma's. For some reason I slept on the floor instead of in the nice comfy bed.
Hours on the Pop: 13ish.
Pints drunk; 8+
Rums drunk: 0
After a bit of queuing to get our wristbands Gemma went off to do some stuff and Tim introduced me to a pub called the Black Bear which was full of old men and cost 10p a pint. Outside we got talking to two locals one was of the opinion that fifteen quid was far too much and that Tramlines was only about the money nowadays, his mate on the other hand thought it was amazingly cheap and that London was crap and was never going again after a copper told him off for drinking outside Victoria bus station at 8 in the morning.
Daz and Jen turned up, we quickly necked a couple more cheap pints and wandered down the hill to the Sheffield Tap. Tim bought me a pint of Reverend and the Makers which was rather nice a Bearded Theory only to discover it was £4.90 a pint, apparently because it was brewed in cask or something, apparently because they were taking the piss more like. They do dress their bouncers up to look like ticket inspectors though.
Gemma arrived from wherever she had been and we made our way to a dungeon bar where there was some live drums and bass (guitar) music. It was OK but it didn't really have anywhere to progress to plus it was in a dungeon bar with crap beer and it was sunny outside. Our next choice was equally as average, more crap beer, more dinginess at more not particularly great music at O2.
Our next stop was at the Riverside, Chris, Louisa and her mum had joined us now and it was here that I started to feel a little bit tipsy, I think I may have had some cider, thankfully there was no cream cake like there had been the last time I was in this pub. After a brief stop we went to another pub whose name I forget, upstairs there was a Gypsy folky type thing going on but the room was so busy that we couldn't get in, it was a bit sweaty for that sort of thing, they sounded alright from the outside though.
Friday night was techno night, we piled off in search of the Hope Works and was led by Google Maps Tim with some other lost people down lots of dark alleys. Eventually we came across a massive queue so we knew we had come to the right place. Luckily there was only a massive queue because they hadn't let anyone in. We got in and the Red Stripe drinking began...
Jen didn't like the techno. She pulled a face. And then went home. The techno night strangely morphed into a 70s disco night and half the crowd (mostly those under 25) left but this made Louisa very happy. Oddly even though this happened and the club was half empty the bouncers weren't letting anyone else in. Tim accidentally dropped six cans on someones head. Gemma shouted "DON'T JUDGE MEEEEE!" when I said that she might be a bit inebriated. Daz could hardly talk. The DJ played lots of disco re-dits what I like. I drank lots of Red Stripe. Gemma and Daz somehow got themselves covered in white paint.
It was now about four o'clock in the morning(ish), we jumped in a taxi, through Daz out along the way and headed back to Tim and Gemma's. For some reason I slept on the floor instead of in the nice comfy bed.
Hours on the Pop: 13ish.
Pints drunk; 8+
Rums drunk: 0
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