Six Month Review

At Imbolc I posted an entry assessing the year ahead. It wasn’t a very positive outlook. We’ve just passed the Summer Solstice so I thought it appropriate to have a mid-year review. I’m afraid that my negative comments in February were not without foundation and the year has really only gone downhill since then.

Only a week or so after that entry, my very excellent grandfather on my mum’s side, Jack Besley Arter passed away, aged 99 years. It hit me fairly hard, even though he had been ill for a long time and we all knew that it was coming.

The decision was made to relocate back to Yorkshire, to be near my family, but progress on that has been very slow so far, thanks to the heel-dragging of insurance companies, mortgage lenders and so on. I have had no luck job hunting and feel very disheartened about that right now, although things look better on that front for my OH.

And this morning my paternal grandmother, Barbara Lyne passed away after a fairly rapid decline in the last couple of months. I was more prepared this time and I went through a period of grief when I first learned how ill she was a few weeks ago. I had automatic negative thoughts about my inability to make her proud of me, my failures as a grand daughter and so on. Talks with my dad helped me to come to grips with my feelings and memories of my relationship with her and I understand much better now that I had never been close to her because my dad wasn’t close with her. I can accept that anything I perceived as a lack of interest in me on her part was largely down to the generation gap and absolutely nothing personal. I am much better equipped to cope with her passing, now that I have worked out my feelings about our relationship.

My thoughts go out to those she leaves behind; my great aunt Connie and my one remaining grandparent, granddad Jim. They will struggle now, I think and I can only send them my best wishes and hope that their remaining years will not be too lonely. My parents, aunt and cousins are all on hand to help over the coming weeks and months, although I know my aunt will grieve badly too.

I wonder if that is the end of the difficult period. I hope that the remainder of 2008 is more positive. I have significant life changes to throw myself into, I have to grab control of my life again and make the most of these next few months to ensure that I get all I want from life. It’s in my hands, not the gods’.

Something in the air?

Gig - The New Root - Saturday 31st May 2008 - The Croft

Maybe there was something in the air at last night's New Root gig. Waiting in the bar before the bands started, Dave told me he was feeling nervous. Fresh from the band's second UK tour and having performed countless times by now, this was a little surprising. He explained the feeling he had that in Bristol there is more expectation from the crowd than when they play in other parts of the country where they are still relatively unknown.

I can certainly see how after a string of performances around the country to smaller audiences who have no idea what to expect from TNR, a packed gig at The Croft could have that effect on experienced performers. There may well be a high level of expectation from their Bristol fan base, however, I explained to him, their loyal fans will enjoy the show tremendously no matter how well they feel they have performed afterwards.

TNR's material is so exceptional now, after an extended period of creativity that has brought a richness and depth to their set quite beyond their youth. Well, it stands on its own. And Trish performs with such natural, but understated charisma that they very rarely need to be concerned about pleasing the audience. A few technical problems or the odd lapse in cohesiveness will largely go unnoticed by the crowd, or if they do notice, they likely won't care.

I can only speak for myself, but generally I care less about a perfectly polished performance from a band and more about how they engage with the audience and how their material sounds live. These are two things that TNR manage every time I see them.

But there was something even more potent about last night's gig. I came away feeling incredibly emotional. Songs I have heard a dozen times or more moved me in new ways, Crazy had me in tears and Sick of Me fired me up almost to combustion! It hit me as we were congratulating them on an awesome show and heading home afterwards that Andy and I may not be able to see TNR as regularly as we're used to soon. Though their tours are taking them to Sheffield and Hull these days, so I'm sure we will see them in Yorkshire and I don't doubt that we will visit Bristol occasionally when they have big gigs here, but our special place at the front of the crowd won't be ours any more.

More than this, of course is how much I will miss two very dear friends of almost ten years when we move away. With ex-Root bassist Craigos moving to London this certainly feels like the end of an era. My hope is that these moves will open up exciting new doors for TNR with the opportunities for more touring and the fans we can introduce from our new locations. Those that we have introduced in Bristol will undoubtedly continue to attend the gigs without us and there are whole other groups of friends, old and those yet to be made, just waiting to be inspired by this incredible band.

What's Happening?

Here's what's been going on in my life:



And:

Although numbers were down this month due to exams for so many Anons, hopes are that June, July and August will be beyond EPIC. The $cientologists are getting visibly more touchy about these protests. They have reached the point of complaining to the police about every little thing in order to disrupt the protests. Unfortunately, the City of London police are pretty well under their control (see here), which makes the protests at Queen Victoria Street a bit risky (see the 2nd video above). Luckily the Met are much more hardy against corruption and bribery and give us a pretty loose leash at Tottenham Court Road.

See you 14th June: Operation Sea Arrrgh!

Demonstrating the Point

On 15th March, I took myself to London, somewhat spontaneously, in order to join the Anonymous protest against Scientology.

It was one of those things, I had been wondering about going for several weeks but not got it together to find out anything much about it. On the Wednesday beforehand I just decided to do it. And what's more, I went unmasked and alone.

I am so glad that I did though. I met an Anonymous person on the tube, unmistakable by the dark suit, red tie and gas mask on his face. Plus, he got out some posters with various recognisable slogans on them and held them for other passengers to see.

I approached him and asked if I could follow him as I didn't know where to go once getting off the train at Blackfriars. He offered me a spare mask from his bag and I took it, but as we walked to Queen Victoria Street I decided not to wear it. I just wasn't afraid of being identified. I had travelled by train from another city and figured it would be pretty hard for them to ID me just from a photo. But once I got there I decided to wrap my scarf around my face, simply so that I didn't stand out so much!

I got myself a spot at the barrier and watched the whole thing gather pace. A prize moment came when two mounted police came along the road and a chorus of "That's a horse! That's a cult!" sprang up. Another choice event was a double decker bus driving past with a dozen masked Anons in the back.

But in general, it was quiet and uneventful and I was reasonably glad when the protest picked up and set off to the next location. The ride on the underground was a sight to behold, hundreds of masked, sign weilding figures on the escalators and packed into the trains. I boarded with a lively bunch who had a stereo pumping out loud music and couldn't help grinning at the sight of this underground train packed tightly with dancing, chirpy people in party hats. What's more, none of the regular passengers seemed to mind!

It was at Tottenham Court Road that the atmosphere kicked up a notch... or twelve. The street was heaving, our side of the road completely packed so all pedestrian traffic had to cross over to get by. This did rather throw them into the path of the Scientologists stood outside to hand out leaflets of their own.

Every time someone took a leaflet from them, cheers of "Rip it up!" rang out from us and a few people took notice, ripping up the fliers, much to the annoyance of the poor souls dishing them out.

Since the last protest I have become much more engaged with the online discussions and am encouraged to see so much planning and committment from so many people. I am looking forward to going along on 12th April with friends this time and with signs and fliers of my own.

What do you want?

Good old B5. Asking the hard questions. This one seems easy at first, but really think about it, don't just say the first thing that pops into yur head. What do you really want from life?

Are you happy? Did you settle for something because your dreams seemed impossible to reach? If you could be anywhere and do anything, would you still be where you are now?

Some people reach for their dreams, and even if they have to struggle, they go on reaching, because if you don't extend your hand, how will you ever grasp that dream?

Some people don't reach out. For whatever reason, be it a loss of faith in themselves, or a loss of faith in the world, some people withdraw their hand and put their head down to get on with a "normal" life. But are those people ever really happy?

A New Year?

Or same old story?

On the plus side, Gordon Brown is showing signs of bowing to public pressure in pushing back the ID scam (er, I mean scheme, yeah right) by two years. On the down side, I am job hunting again.

In roleplaying news, our Werewolf: the Forsaken campaign, Echoes of the Past, has come to a pause on one heck of a high note. I am a little sad today as in last night's climactic game we had a huge and awesome battle, in which a much loved NPC was taken down and we go forward into 2008 not quite sure what is going to happen with the game.

Tomorrow is Imbolc, the festival of light. It is the first stirring of spring and newness, a time when we notice the days getting longer and a time for spring cleaning and celebrating the coming season of life and birth. I pause on the cusp of this day to wonder if 2008 will be any different to 2007. In the grand scheme of things, not much seems to have changed compared to this time last year. A month ago, as we entered this year I was full of hope and optimism for a fruitful year. Yet I find myself again looking for work and still promising myself that I will get in shape.

2007 was a great year for me, financially, socially and academically and I fear now that this year will only bring disappointments. But still, I mustn't let myself think that way, the only way is up, as they say.

Big thanks to Seagull Strange for linking to my blog from their website. They are playing on Saturday 16th February at the Cooler. Come and see them, it could change your life.

No More X-Factory!

The time has come, people to say "No!" to the string of X-Factory no-talent-one-Christmas-hit-wonders. There is a campaign in full swing to get this song by Malcom Middleton to the number one spot for xmas. The former Arab Strap member has released this fantastically rebellious little ditty, in the same vein as The Pogues feat. Kirsty MacColl Fairytale of New York.

Even if you have never bought a music download before, I urge you now to do so, even if just to say to future generations "We did not all worship Idle Telly!". Because that is what that show is, cheap TV made by people too lazy to create an original idea and spoonfeeding the population one version of what music can be.

Rebel, go crazy, spend 79p to send a message to Simon Cowell, future generations and the mass media of today.

Gigs - VNV Nation

Tuesday 11th December - Thekla Social, Bristol

I had never been to a gig at the Thekla before, so didn't really know what to expect from the venue. But I had high expectations from the band, having seen them earlier this year at Infest, where they blew my mind and gave my OH an epiphany regarding glow sticks!

The support act, Kloq, made a good go at warming up a tough crowd, who only reluctantly gathered around the stage and barely even tapped their feet along to the catchy synth rhythms. I enjoyed them, but confess I was impatient for the main attraction - VNV Nation.

My friends and I managed to get ourselves right up front as soon as Kloq left the stage and we waited as the crowd pressed in behind us. Glow sticks at the ready, the crowd broke into hysterics waiting for the band to come on stage. One girl off to our left kept screaming, and I mean, horror movie, lung-ripping screaming. The crowd began telling her to shut up, but every couple of minutes she would let out another great scream.

The audience were not disappointed when one of the first things Ronan said was to tell this girl to cut it out.

"It's funny... once. After that it's just annoying."

I had been struck on seeing VNV previously how funny Ronan is as a frontman. He engages the crowd with anecdotes and moments of wit to rival the best stand up comedians in Britain, but more than this he is an expert at getting the crowd involved. He encourages movement and singing along, he covers the stage thoroughly and being up front as we were, we were treated to regular grins from him as he towered right over us. At one point he saw me holding my camera up and made sure to pause long enough for me to get a clear photo of him.

VNV have produced some incredible tracks over the years. Anthemic dance tracks as well as heart-felt ballads and as at Infest, where they dedicated 'Illusion' to Sophie Lancaster, I was moved to tears during this powerful slow track from their latest album, Judgement.

A technical problem forced the band to leave the stage and the crowd waited patiently for the issue to be resolved. Great relief swept over us when the band returned to play another few songs and we were treated to a standard encore after that.

Knowing the latest album significantly better than when I last saw VNV certainly heightened my enjoyment of the gig, which is saying something. Exhausted though I was by the encore I couldn't help but dance with all the energy I could muster and I found myself the following day barely able to walk; my back was so sore!

A heck of a gig, here's hoping that VNV Nation return to Bristol often.

Gigs - Within Temptation

Birmingham Carling Academy

This was my third time at a WT gig. I have come to expect certain things.

1. A huge crowd
2. Epic sound
3. Brilliant charisma
4. To dance my arse off

I was not disappointed. I have mixed feelings about this venue. I have seen NIN there in the past and on both occasions I have had trouble getting to actually see the bands performing. The venue is simply too big for a standing only gig. The ground floor fills up very quickly and from about ten feet back from the stage all the way back to the bar there is no view. There is a balcony upstairs, but once there are about two rows at the railing someone of my height can see nothing.

On this occasion we took up position three rows back on the balcony for the support act, however, I couldn't see so found myself a comfy spot under the large plasma screen and watched the support act from there.

Once WT took the stage, however, I was not content to sit back and wandered off to find myself a better spot. I got lucky and managed to squeeze in by a pillar dead centre on the balcony, with a few rows in front of me but a little gap through people's heads afforded me an intermittent view! Andy joined me and we enjoyed the set from this position.

The thing that struck me about this gig was that it was evident that we were witnessing the tail end of the tour. When we saw them in Bristol in April the band were energetic, fresh and incredibly tight. That was lacking a little this time, Sharon took a good three songs to warm up properly and even then her voice wasn't as strong as I have heard it in the past.

The set was incredible with us being treated to a few older tracks as well as the usual hits from Mother Earth, The Silent Force and The Heart of Everything. Despite the end-of-tour feeling, it was a very good gig, full of great interaction with the crowd and a fantastic energy from the audience.

Next time we see them it will, hopefully be back in Bristol at a better sized venue. Here's hoping that they keep playing the smaller venues though and that their tour manager doesn't ditch those gigs.

Tonight: VNV Nation!

Getting a Point Across

I have observed, throughout my life, that when a person is unable to answer a question in a debate coherently, rationally and with due attention to previous discussion then they usually don't have much of a point to make. Either they don't understand the subject under discussion or they don't understand their own opinion on the matter.

Internet forums and message boards have made it possible for all manner of people to get involved in public debate that may not have had the chance were the internet not such a fantastic tool. People who have never been involved in a formal debate before are mixing with those who have. People who have never had to argue their opinion in a coherent manner before are mixing with those who have given their opinions careful consideration and discussed them openly many times.

I don't claim to be an expert at debate. I'm not. I represented my house in the school public debate competition once and not very well. I made a speech as part of mock-election week for the 1997 general election, which I enjoyed but my well thought out, pre-written and impassioned speech didn't go down too well with my a-political classmates.

On the rare occasions that I have gone up against those who are genuinely expert at debate (usually guys with quite forceful personalities) I have crumbled and utterly failed to get my own point across. Their arguments may be utterly abhorrant, they may only be arguing for the sake of it and not really because they believe the position they are putting across, but if they are well-practiced in the basic skills then I stand no chance.

But I, like many people, like talking about my own opinions and I do this on the internet with regularity. Mostly I find myself the superior debator, despite my lack of experience. I know some of the theory and I do give my opinions a lot of thought, therefore I often come to a debate well armed with my own, reasoned thoughts.

I do, however, tend to get passionate about the things I care about. And that gets in the way. I find myself falling out with people from time to time, simply because the discussion becomes personal.

But recently, I have been getting quite agitated by a long-running discussion because I have not become impassioned, I have remained balanced and rational throughout. However a couple of posters have taken my comments incredibly personally and have taken to slinging mud. No matter how upset I get in one of these discussions I never stoop to insults or "I know you are but what am I"- style arguing. If I get too involved, if I take offense I tend to withdraw and let the discussion go on without me.

I am farely knowledgable about this subject, it being one I have studied on my degree and in my leisure time. So it infuriates me when people come to the discussion just to throw insults and stamp their feet without any consideration for the rational, serious discussion taking place. They misunderstand, misquote and generally make themselves look silly and wind me up because I feel like I am doing a poor job of getting my point across.

But there is no rationalising with those people. They will never understand a point of view contrary to their own so I mustn't get stressed out about it. This blog entry serves as the venting of my frustration. Hopefully now I can get on with my life.

Gigs - The New Root

Allflaws/Red Vein/The New Root – 14th November 2007 – The Louisiana, Bristol

The night opened with rap-duo Allflaws, sadly not to this reviewer's taste. The second performance came from Red Vein, who provided a more inspiring set of lyrically and musically interesting tracks. They set the mood well for the main attraction; The New Root.

However, I find myself at a slight loss for words as I try to begin this review. What can I say that I have not said before? Am I a fool for having praised TNR so highly in the past? I ask that not because I have ever had any doubt that they deserved my praise, but because I find myself struggling to describe just how amazing they were on this occasion. Having given them such glowing reviews in the past there are very few more rungs on the ladder to go up to and in this case they really need more rungs.

I have always been a Rooter, I have always enjoyed their gigs; loved their songs, revelled in their performances and come away glowing with pride. But this night was different. This night they were headlining, they had a longer set and the biggest audience. There may have been nerves there, but I didn’t see them, all I saw was excitement and joy from the band. It was evident that they were enjoying themselves more than ever and that showed in their confidence and stage presence.

They opened their set with my old favourite, Cruel. This Rooter was overjoyed to see the return of this song to their set. It has been slightly rearranged, the acoustic guitar has been replaced with electric and Trish now plays the key part as well as singing, the whole song has a little more oomph than it did before, and it was always one of their more pounding songs, so that is saying something.

The treatment upon the band’s older material from newest band members Joel and Tony has brought a heavier, more edgy sound, more appropriate for moshing to than previous versions. And mosh we did. Regular Rooters took up position at the front and much vigorous dancing ensued throughout the set, with quiet pauses for Still Near and Crazy.

Other returning track Tell It Like It Is went down well as did their newest track with its irregular rhythms and slamming guitar. In a recent conversation with Dave and Trish Boothby, they said that they wanted to be able to take the audience on an emotional journey in their gigs and that certainly happened with this longer set. We were set up marvellously for the very emotive Crazy, drawing a tear from more than one audience member's eye and the set was brought to a fantastic climax with So Alive.

The Rooters weren’t going to let the band get away without playing crowd-pleaser My Truth, though and calls for an encore were, thankfully, given into by the venue, who gave the go ahead for another song.

Their would-be closing track says it all really, this gig made me feel so alive. I left the venue with friends, all bouncing merrily in the street, elated and exhausted at the same time from all the dancing. TNR have reached a new level in excellence. More confidence, I believe is the key, they pulled off a tight performance and were engaging to watch. As ever, I came away feeling very positive about the future success of the band.

Gigs - Kosheen

Andy & I have been going to a lot of gigs lately. At the nudging from a mate I am going to blog about them.

Wednesday 19th September - Kosheen - Bristol Carling Academy.

I have been a Kosheen fan for several years, since the 2nd album, Kokopelli came out and I was working at the Virgin Megastore. The band actually played there on my first day, but, having not heard of them at that point I didn't go to the gig. Afterwards everyone was talking about it and the Virgin Megastore radio station started playing Avalanche, the single at the time, with some regularity. I noticed the album creeping up the chart as I restocked it daily and realised I needed to get a copy myself - I loved the single so that was enough for me. I quickly learned that they were a Bristol band and they became a firm favourite of mine very quickly.

The band then went off to tour Eastern Europe, so I had to content myself with listening to the albums. My heart skipped a beat when I saw their gig at Aberystwyth Student Union appear on their tour dates list and I went about planning a bit of a reunion with my friends from uni there to coincide with the gig. Alas, people couldn't make it along and then the date disappeared off the list. Another opportunity lost.

I was eagerly anticipating their third album, Damage, but for whatever reason, all thoughts of them touring had slipped my mind. It didn't occur to me that they would be supporting the new album back at home... until I descovered that Darren Beal, one of the founding members of the band, would be mixing The New Root's next release. I quickly checked the tour dates and my heart leapt into my throat to see that they were playing Bristol in a few days time! I bought tickets immediately, not willing to miss another opportunity to see them.

I have to say, as impulse buys go, this was probably the best of my life. Although Andy wasn't feeling well and had to go and sit down after the two support bands finished, he wanted me to stay up front and enjoy the show. The support came in the form of Sub Line, a local band with some interesting tracks and Rochelle, an upbeat act with bouncy female vocals on a similar line to Republica. The vocals were a bit weak however, and the constant demands from the lead singer that we all dance were somewhat trying.

I was impatient for the main event and had been edging forward throughout the two support acts, managing to get myself a spot in the second row for Kosheen. After the typical build up, the crowd itching for the band to come on stage, Kosheen entered, beginning their set with the title track from their new album. From there they embarked on an impressive set; taking us back to the beginning with legendary tracks like Hide U and Hungry; through the highlights of Kokopelli: Avalanche, Crawling, Coming Home and Wish; and mixed with some great new tracks from Damage including Overkill and Guilty.

Sian worked the crowd as a pro, commanding the stage magnificently with a presence I don't think I have ever seen before. The crowd was fuelled with the energy and love coming from the band. Maybe because this was their homecoming gig, the first time they had played Bristol in several years, or maybe every set they play is like that, but the atmosphere was electric and very moving. There were screaming fans in tears from the love they felt for the music and musicians - something I haven't seen since my Boyzone days!

I got friendly with the woman I was stood next to and by the end we were dancing together with her friends and the other strangers around us. It was a shame that Andy had to pull back, as I would have loved to experience that with him, but it was interesting to be up at the front on my own. I feel like I bonded with the crowd more than I typically do at gigs, maybe that was the power of Kosheen more than anything.

I can't recomment Kosheen highly enough. Their albums are beautifully produced and packed with haunting and anthemic tracks. But live... live they shine.

A Liberal Life

In his speech at the Lib Dem conference in Brighton this week, Sir Menzies Campbell gave an inspiring speech about the future of the party. Apathy and disillusionment are severe problems in Britain today and I know that many of you reading this email will be planning to dismiss what I say. "All politicians are the same", "all the parties are the same", "nothing will ever change" - I tell you what... with attitudes like that you're damn right! Things will never change if people continue to brush off the possibilities, if people give up on hope and ambition.

I am a Liberal Democrat because I believe that we, as a nation, deserve better. We deserve a free, fair and green country to live in and more than that... I believe that we can achieve it.

Ming concluded his speech with these words:

"I will lead this party into the next election with energy, ambition and determination. Because the stakes for this party have never been higher. And liberalism has never been needed more than it is today. So whenever people ask you: “Why vote Liberal Democrat?” tell them this:
We alone are prepared to break the cosy consensus of British politics and face up to the challenges confronting our society. To create a country that is free, fair and green.

[...]

Only we can achieve that free, fair and green society. Because only we believe in it – Only we will work for it – Only we will fight for it. The Liberal Democrats versus Labour and the Tories. Today, our party is not only the real alternative: It is the only alternative. Not two against one. But one against two."

To read the full speech go here.

Please don't dismiss me out of hand. Please don't hit "delete" without a second thought. Read what Ming has to say, think about what you can do to help. Even if that doesn't mean voting Lib Dem at the next election, tell your other friends what the Lib Dems have to say, tell people you meet that the political landscape needs to change and encourage people to vote with their feet. Literally. If there is an issue you care about, even just one issue, get out there and do something about it! Shout from the rooftops "No! I will not lie down and submit to this! I demand change!"

Thanks for reading. Now go do.

Google is funny

OK, so I am faffing instead of working (see "Thank You!" below) so I thought I would try the google name game.
How it works: You put "[your name] needs" into google and post the first ten results in your blog. I did this and the very first result was some other Holly doing the same thing!! Coincidentally she was the same age as me, interested in the same things and was also married. Spooky.

My results:

1. Welcome to the Addicted To Holly gallery. It is your #1 source for up to date pictures and it will fulfill all your visual Holly needs!

2. Holly needs home in Ridgeway, Ontario

3. Holly needs help in her Olympic efforts

4. Holly needs to go bak [sic] to neighbours

5. Holly needs a home

6. Holly needs a new home

(I'm beginning to spot a theme here)

7. Holly needs something

8. Holly needs to go to obedience and learn how to walk nicely on a leash because she does a lot of "drifting" from side to side investigating things

(Finally a laugh!)

9. Holly need motorcycle

10. Holly needs identification

:-/

Not as humourous as I was led to believe. Ah well, number 8 gave me a giggle.

Language

So, language usage changes over time. This is not a mystery, it is a mundane fact of life that everyone knows. Or at least, would if they stopped to think about it for a second and compared modern English to the thees and thous of days of yore.

So how come some people don't seem able to handle the idea that people in the modern world call themselves witches and that in the modern use of the word, witches do exist? Why are some people so detirmined to piss on other people's bonfires?

Thank you!

As you all know by now, I am terrible at getting my coursework done. I put it off until I almost crack under the pressure. I can't do this all on my own, I have help and I thought I would give credit where credit's due. So here are my top 10 procrastination websites!

10. Adult Fan Fiction
For those who missed it the first time I "came out": I write smutty Harry Potter fanfic. Here it is. I used to spend hours at a time reading other people's stuff on AFF, but I don't have time any more and a lot of my favourite authors have stopped writing. To be fair, so have I.

9. Home Office Watch
Essential viewing for any Brit. Informative and occasionally shocking.

8. Flickr
Mainly I check out my friends' photos, but it's good for a browse too. You can find pictures of anywhere in the world. Excellent for procrastination material.

7. Dave Gorman
I love Dave Gorman, he writes a fantastic blog, reluctantly!

6. The Lexicon
A fantastic site for losing yourself. Anything you can think of to do with Harry Potter is on here. Any little factoid from the books that you could want to know has been catalogued and numerous essays dissecting characters and events are there to entertain.

5. ROFL Cat
Side-splitting, hilarious pictures of cats! Funny every time you go back even if you've seen the images a dozen times already.

4. 20 Sided - The GM of the Rings
Hilarious comic strip of what might happen were D&D and Lord of the Rings to be reunited now. It's a long running strip, so there's a lot of content, but it's well worth catching up on as and when you have ten minutes.

3. The Rockstar Game
I love this game, I've been playing for years on and off. It is one of those things you can immerse yourself in to whatever level you wish. There have been times (between jobs!) when I have spent hours every day playing and writing on the roleplay forum. Because of how the system works, when I came back to the game recently after a seven month absence I didn't have to put many sessions in before I got a top 100 album!

2. MySpace
Obvious maybe, but true. I spend far too much time faffing here. Although not so much lately, it seems to have gone quiet in the last month or so. I dare say that will change though.

1. BBC Religion & Ethics
Ahh, my beloved religion forum. I am mostly found on the Pagan board. This community provides by far the most time away from my coursework (and job work these days!), I can while away hours chatting with people I have come to think of as friends. Alas, the site has come upon hard times, with the mods getting very strict about staying on-topic. But hopefully they will chill out again soon.

So that's my procrastination chart - a product of yet more procrastination!! Go ahead and check some of the sites out and say "hi" if you spot me in any of my guises!

Deadlines

Technically I have until the 29th for one and 31st for the other, but I have this week off work and am going away for the weekend, so I really need to get my two projects finished by Thursday. I've done bits and pieces of reading over the last week and a half, but nowhere near the required amount and forget any kind of plan or draft...

Two lots of research and 8000 words to write in four days. And yet here I am, sat watching CSI and writing a blog. What is wrong with me right now? Why am I not feeling the panic? I feel a little like I went past panic a couple of weeks ago, now I'm just sort of resigned to the idea that it's impossible.

I am going to do some research this afternoon, I really am - I've been saying that every day for the last week. I am going to need a miracle to pull this off though.

The best gig of my life?

A good question. I've seen a lot of bands live, some of the highlights have been Rammstein, Within Temptation, NIN, David Bowie, Terrorvision (back in the day!) and Queen (with Paul Rogers).

While all of these bands, with the possible exception of Terrorvision, are huge successes with legendary live shows and the kinds of artists you expect great things of, there is something about big venues and fancy light shows that makes you forget about what's really important... the music, and the chemistry between musicians and audience.

Terrorvision is in that list for the very reason that back when I followed them around Yorkshire playing pubs and small clubs they gave me my first taste of live music. They were accessible and created an amazing atmosphere in limited space with limited shiny resources.

The screaming, the palpitations and me being star-struck at any of those huge gigs you care to refer back to is not to be sniffed at. Gigs of that scale (David Bowie drew a crowd of over 100,000 at Glastonbury 2000) can be awe-inspiring and incredibly atmospheric (NIN). You can get up close too, within mere feet of your idols, the lead singer can make eye contact with you and make you feel like she's singing just to you (Sharon del Adel, WT). They can fill you with the trembles from the power and shock of the performance (Rammstein). They can send you home singing at the top of your lungs and desperate for more (Queen). These gigs and many more were each amazing for these very reasons and more besides.

But sometimes, like Terrorvision at the Harrogate Arms before they got big, a gig in the back room of a pub, with no more than 50 people in attendance can blow your mind. Just sometimes, the chemistry is just right between the band and the crowd. Sometimes, despite mistakes and having to restart the opening track due to amp-error, a band you've seen a couple of dozen times before can give you chills again. Sometimes a band you see for the first time can remind you what live music is really all about. It's not about the lights or the pyrotechnics. It's not about 100,000 people screaming and singing along. It's not about fainting from the crush and heat of the mosh pit or the charisma of the lead singer!

It's all about the music and the atmosphere. And you don't need tricks to create the atmosphere. You just need really, really good music, played with energy.

And that is what happened last night. The venue: The Croft. The music: The Sky is Blue, The New Root & Seagull Strange.

The fist band, The Sky is Blue had some good material but their frequent need to retune and a slight lack of stage presence let them down. The New Root started their set in the manner that those of us who have seen them play a lot have become accustomed to, taking to the stage one by one as their intro track plays and that kick ass whammy riff from Dave leads them into their opening track, My Truth. It's always a good start, high energy, quality rock. Last night, however, there was a problem with Trish's amp and she had to stop the band, something that has never happened before. They handled it professionally and started up again quickly, taking the track from the top and playing it at a fantastic pace to get in their full set with now limited time. Sped up the song rocked even harder than ever!

The bulk of their set is made up of fairly new material, each song a new twist and emotional turn. I spotted my other half wiping away a tear at the end of "30 Years of Our Marriage" and "So Alive" always gives me chills. They finished the set with the re-vamped version of Tell Me, which I absolutely love to pieces and left the stage to massive applause and me literally bouncing off the walls. Despite the hiccup at the start, or maybe because of it, the set was exciting, entertaining and rocking. "That's the best they've played in a long time!" Was Andy's first comment, but he says that every time, testament to The New Root's constant improvement.

The friend we had with us, for whom this was only his second TNR experience was grinning like a loon and bouncing almost as much as me. Another happy fan. I didn't think the night could get any better. How good would a band have to be to follow that performance by TNR?! I have always liked Seagull Strange, but hadn't seen them live before. But as Trish said before the gig, "Live is better". And she was spot on.

It's easy to see why they are signed to a label. They have charisma oozing from every pore, their songs rock and they know how to interact with the crowd. After a couple of songs, the lead singer, Dan told us that due to there being a "fire hazard" at the back of the room, we all needed to move forwards. Obediently we did so, filling the few feet gap right in front of the stage and I think it was only once the crowd had moved that anyone twigged the ruse! From that moment on the front section of the audience loosened up, there was much dancing and jumping about, especially during "La La La Ley"! Andy dived from our spot at the side right into the middle to mosh with a fellow regular-Rooter and I got to jump about like a crazy person right at the front too.

Rapturous applause had them perform an encore and more dancing ensued. We left the gig hyper and feeling that something special had happened in that little room at the back of the Croft. We kept bursting into song all the way home and when we got back played songs from the gig at top volume, singing along and dancing around the house, probably to the deep annoyance of our neighbours! But that is the price you pay for great rock.

Jack Black stated that "One great rock show can change the world!" Well I don't think it did that this time, but this show reminded me about the point of live music and made me feel once again, as I did when I saw Terrorvision that first time, that everyone in the world has to hear these guys. If they don't, if people miss out on this, they will never know what live music is.

Deathly Hallows

I was right about R.A.B. I was right about Snape. I was wrong about so much else.

When I finally stop weeping and get some more sleep I will write a proper review (spoiler free, don't worry).

Nervous twitch

I had two assignments to complete this week. As of last Thursday I had done none of the reading for either essay. I had one due on Tuesday and one today. I got both in on time even with my regular roleplaying sessions on Monday and Thursday nights and going out Saturday night. It's the result of very, very hard work on my part, furious reading and note-taking followed by rapid typing to get all 4000 words total written, formatted and sent to my tutors.

I am unashamedly congratulating myself on this feat.

Speaking of congratulations... The reason I was out on Saturday night was to celebrate my new job! It's the best paid job I've ever had and the most responsibility and I am really excited about it. I start on the 30th, so with those two essays out of the way I have a week to kick back and enjoy myself - or more wisely, to make sure I get loads of coursework done as I will be back to having only the evenings and weekends in which to study once I start work!

So, it's Friday night and I am exhausted after a very tiring week (it has gone remarkably quickly though) but I cannot rest yet. I have one more thing to do... read Deathly Hallows. Andy and I will be heading to the bookshop before ten to queue for our copy, the shop opens at midnight for this, the last Harry Potter book. I will not sleep and possibly won't even cook (I'll make Andy fetch me food!) until I have devoured every last page. (It's alright, I'll do the same for him when I hand him the book to read right after I finish it!)

I got the last two finished within 24 hours doing this and they were of comparable length to this one (~600 pages). I am very excited, my knee is bouncing as I write this, causing the laptop to rock under my fingers. This time tomorrow I will know everything; if my suspicion of who RAB is is correct...Snape's true allegiance...who lives and who dies.

One question, what will I do with my life with no new Harry Potter to revolve around?