Dai Vershun Ahead

A Tale of great warning

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 13:50:00 GMT

I have for you a tale to tell, a tale of woe and (moderate) suffering. A tale of destruction and violence... though not a soul died. Or as the americans like to say - No animal was injured in the making of this story! It is a tale of political machinations and dastardly deeds. For those of you who do not like such stories (those who do do not have to read this bit) I have to say now that it does have a happy ending!

It begins on a hot July evening, a young,beatiful (this is necessary or my death is imminent) wife is moving house alone as her husband is in a far away land earning a crust to support the family (and that is all he was paid, he did have a good time though). As she takes another heavy box into the flat she steals a depressing glance at the dire decoration that pervades the building. As she walks past the kitchen the feelings threaten to drag her into immobility. She forces her face away from the filthy, disgusting, ancient (it wasn't that bad actually but for dramatic liscence...(it was quite bad though)) furniture and cupboardry that is contained within this sorry looking space. She manages to continue with her work by forcing staring straight ahead. A haunting sensation of dread attemts to pull her eyes towards the terrible vista that she will have to live with, but through sheer stuborness (and she is very stubborn) she resists.

Fast forward to a time mere months after the moments we have been glimpsing and you see the same abode. A young, handsome man (yes, I know, more dramatic liscense, so sue me) is having a discussion with the same beautiful woman we saw earlier (this is her husband just in cse those who do know me might question the fact) about the dreaded room. We hear a brief snatch of dialogue,"and the oven doesn't even bloody work, I wanted pizza tonight." The coversation quietens as they come to an agreement and look lovingly into each others eyes. "We can afford it, just", they say almost together.

NB Just a quick reference to the handsome, young husband bit... Would you enjoy the story as much if he was a little wrinkly around the eyes and the hair was a little untidy, he is trying to grow it before baldness sets in. The beautiful wife bit is quite true (again necesary for the above stated reason). Just wait for the other main and incidental characters!

With the assistance of the attending family they search for a good builder (this is no easy task). Three were able to visit and provide what they consider to be an appropriate quote. One a grizled old man who taks a lot of sense, one a complete cowboy (I am amazed that he didn't come with chaps, a pair of pistols and a stetson) who was quite nice to begin with (but as we later found out was full of crap), the third was a local boy who would do it when he wasn't doing his full time job. The quotes are all noticably shocking. Their dilema is who to choose.

The atendant parents magically bring a solution, a group of Romanian builders who will do it for less than a grand. Magic of the highest order and how many cowboys do you know come from a financially chalenged part of europe!

Whilst all this has been happening, a number of visits to Ikea and Leroy Merlin are found to be desperately lacking. And yes we were ikead. Picture this, a day in december (no,no, no, this is a story not... that song), you arrive thinking kitchen and you leave thinking,"why did I buy that pot plant and plastic thingamygig holder?" The parents come along with their magic once again. A warehouse on the outskirts of Madrid, leaving us with a choice of bright red, or bright blue.

On this exciting cliffhanger I leave you to ponder, red or blue, and why no violence or destruction yet! But tough shit viewers the next installment comes soon...

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 15:43:54 GMT

Haiku² for fausteric
slowly release the feelings enabling them to learn how to manage
@

Created by Grahame

dating with a twist

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 15:40:19 GMT

If you check out the links in the below quiz thingy the second one links you to a site where you can meet singles with sexually transmitted diseases. How appealing does that sound!? I suppose at least you know.

hopefully legal

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 15:33:38 GMT

<td align="center"> fausteric --
[noun]:

An alien

'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com</td>

complaint

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 15:31:01 GMT

I have had an unofficial complaint, that is one from a non ljer. He actualy challenged me as to why I was not updating. Ther are two official reasons, one is that I have a myspace as well which I need to understand further to complete the decor. The other is that I am relying on my internet connection at work. I will be having a connection from home soon (wireless (6 meg), and as I have a laptop at home it actually makes sense). The time frame is hopefully a week or so. I am also in the process of renovating the new flat. The kitchen is in dire need of a nuclear assault and so is the bathroom but to a lesser degree. Normal service will resume soon and I promise to give high priority to lj as opposed to myspace, it may be prettier but it is not as simple to use and simplicity is much more equated to style than complexity so myspace definetly comes second in that way as well. Perhaps a good comparison would be the meat market disco and the sophisticated gentlemans club.

QUESTIONS FOR THE ENGLISH - AMERICANS [are not] WELCOME;

Thu, 07 Sep 2006 12:56:47 GMT

1]Do you prefer to drink PG tips or sainsburys own tea?

As I can’t drink coffee, I would have to say that I do and I drink both. It is easier to find PG Tips in Spain but I would probably not be able to tell the difference.

2]When was the last time you watched TOTP?

Two years ago or more but they don’t show it in Spain!

3] Have you ever been to a pub?

Do I have to answer this, I am 35 and as far as I know most people of my age have done this… at least once a week both since and before they were legally allowed to.

4] Have you ever drunk cider in a park?

Probably but I don’t actually remember, do graveyards count?

5] Have you ever customised you school uniform?

I don’t remember well past the previous five years so unless someone who knows me does then your guess is as good as mine.

6] Have you ever spent over £10 a week topping up your mobile?

Rarely, I am on contract now but I consider the phone as a great device for passing on messages. If you really want to talk cafes or pubs are better.

7] Have you ever shopped at aldi/lidl/netto?

Lidl is good for few things but they are worth a look just in case. To be more specific, not for a big shop.

10] When did you start to go out clubbing?

16ish, when I was in college, bad mistake then, and bad mistake now. A strip club is a damn site more fun although a little more expensive. If you wish to drink go to a pub… If you wish to go deaf and dance go to a club (I don’t)

11] Have you ever laughed at kids with 'free lunch' meal tokens?

I don’t even know what you are talking about.
12] Do you call your mum by her first name?

Not to her face.

13] Have you ever shopped at New Look?

Isn’t that a girls shop?

14] How much are you willing to spend on a pair of shoes?

Boots, a hundred… shoes not more than forty!

15] Have you ever played a game of cricket?

Yes, and it may be slow but there is pain involved.

16] Did you like to play rounders at school?

No, bet there was little choice on the matter

17] Have you ever been made to do P.E in your underwear because you forgot you kit?

Not that I remember!

18] What's your favourite flavour of crisps?

A good prawn cocktail (some of the brands are just cheap and nasty)

19] Do you eat fish and chips regualry or have them wrapped in newspaper?

Not in the right country to do that sort of thig and even when I am they don’t use newspaper anymore.

20] What do you order from McDonalds?

Strawberry milk shakes, and if I have no choice which I usually don’t then I eat a quarterpounder with cheese.

21] Do you think £5.50 is a lot to go see a film at the pictures?

Depends on how comfortable the seats are.

22] Do you drive or own a car?

Yes and no, Yes I do drive a car (in fact several), but the normal one is owned by the ball and chain.

23] What did you do for your 'sweet 16th'?

Bad memory etc, etc, but going by my normal habits probably nothing.

24] What's your favoured alcholic drink?

Bitter, but bearing in mind where I am, ice cold lager in an ice cold glass will do.

25] What do you see when you look to the right?

Yellow, black and green.

26] What do you see when you look to the left?

Yellow, green, and pictures of demons from hell… such sweet little cherublike faces, AND MINDS OF PURE EVIL!!!!!

27] Are you friends with a chav?

Don’t have them here, just gits in tracky bottoms with post modern mullets and a penchant for tuning cars. Not too far off I suppose

29] Where would you class youself at school?

Freak, and not even one of those swotty ones.

30] Do you think we should bring back the £1 note?

Try washing a 1 pound coin and a 1 pound note and see what happens.

31] Do you think we should convert to the euro?

It would be a damn site less confusing and I wouldn’t have to worry about exchange rates. On the other hand the Euro notes do look like monopoly money.

32] Do you agree with the royal family?

I think Harry should be King, now that would be fun!

33] Have you ever been to london?

yes. Dirty, smelly place, wouldn’t want to live there.

34] Blackpool?

yes. Dirty, smelly, noisy place, wouldn’t want to live there.

35] Ireland or Scotland?

Yes to both. I used to live in Scotland and I may be returning to Ireland for six months.

36] Ever watched a football, rugby or a cricket match on TV or in real life?

Yes, but the football matcher ware Real Madrid (at the bernabau) and two out of the three matches were pants. They spent too much time checking their wallets and not enough time bothering to play. The rugby games, too many to mention and at all levels. And in the cricket, the horse won (ask lordeclipse)

37] How much do you get paid a month?

None of your damn business and not enough.

38] Do you listen to radio one?

Chris Moyles only

39] Do you have sky TV?

No, and I want it for the decent British TV, rugby and Top Gear.

40] Do you have a bulldog tattooed to your arm?

It is tattooed on your arm and no!

41] Do you say phrases like 'safe', 'innit', 'bloody', 'bugger' etc?

Bloody, yes, bugger, yes, but my current favourite is no worries.

42] Been in the channel tunnel?

Yes. Your ears pop a lot and the car train is very boring.

42] Been to the 'cheap man's' Disney World in france?

Went to the real one instead.

43] Where have you been on your school trips?

Wales (activity holiday), loved the archery. France, disliked the french (particularly that woan in the post office).

44] Do your parents have a school photo in their purse/wallet?

Hopefully not.

45] How many pairs of trousers do you own?

Unable to count from here, but at least 8 not including jeans.

46] ...and underwear?

Who counts their underwear?

47] Have you ever been to the bookies/made a bet?

About twice and I lost both times.

48] Where do you do your food shopping?

Which ever is closest, currently Al Campo.

49] Where is an average weekend spent?

Doing as little as possible.

50] ARE YOU PROUD TO BE BRITISH?

Yes, it is the only nationality that I have (I am Welsh as well but I’m not sure that it counts)

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 18:38:25 GMT

I was right my time did evaporate, I got up at 11am and found out that I had to catch the bus. My bus originaly said he would give me a lift to Corcaigh Airport. I left the house at 15:20 and the bus was leaving at 15:30. The next bus would be an hour later so I would have missed my plane. I am here in the UK so I mst have made it. I am now sweating more than I was in Spain and it was forty plus there. The world is now at peace for a while (until Leni arrives of course but I have a cunning plan. I have also had an offer to work in Ireland for 6 months, which is nice. And Leni is all for it, as we have just bought a house this is a big surprise.

Go with the flow Dudes and Dudettes

wierd

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 03:42:29 GMT

I am sitting here listening to Neil Sedaka and I am going home later on today. I know I have lots of time but I also know that the time will be swallowed by natural occurences. I have some goodbyes to say which I did not expect. I also recieved some goodbyes from some of the students on Sunday when they all went home. Some I had taught and some were just on my bus run. Wyomie is some one I ca't forget (comlete nutcase), I even stayed longer to go for a beer with Da Boss and Alvaro.

My flight leaves at 19:10 and I have a barbecue to go, with more strange people (goths). I sort of know them from lj but I want to meet them as people as I know that what you see here is not what you will see outside lj. I also have a proper goth disco (can you really call it a disco still?). Interested but not sure if I should go. I need some black trousers as I avoided bringing any to Ireland with me to avoid scaring off the students too much. Bearing in mind that I am now branded a "feaky" because I like heavy metal and play role games, this may not have been necessary. Seems to work for some.

I am looking forward to returning to one of my normalities. When Leni comes over that may be a little less free but as the wife has moved since I came to Ireland, and only she has the keys... perhaps my feelings of loss seem to come into perspective. Once we are home and I actually have a set of keys things may change.

As for the Neil Sedaka bit; my parents used to play a tape of his in the car all the time. This is one of my vague memories from those times. My boss was nagging about what I listen to (I don't like your cds, don't forget to remove them when you go, and we kept hearing "sweet caroline" from the down the street somewhere. I was downloading reggaeton for the school disco and I ended up downloading Sedaka as well.

Feel sort of good, sort of sad, and sort of excited. Life always throws up stuff so keep on your toes because not all of it is bad. Hope this ramble wasn't boring and no spelling corrections please.

Peace out dudes and dudettes. (yes, I am a little stoned... but perhaps your not, so up yours)

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 23:50:05 GMT

People Envy Your Compassion

You have a kind heart and an unusual empathy for all living creatures. You tend to absorb others' happiness and pain.
People envy your compassion, and more importantly, the connections it helps you build. And compassionate as you are, you feel for them.

What Do People Envy About You?

A compassionate dictator, how exactly does this work unless its a schitso thing.

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 23:44:46 GMT

Some of your friends have extremely strange opinions and habits.

This was one of the statements in a questionaire for lj. Now if you know me then you at least know two or three of my friends. If can say yes to both of those statements then you are probably one of my friends anyway and therefore you are definetly in the affirmative.

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 23:30:58 GMT

You Are 68% Sociopath

The good news is that you're devastatingly charming.
The bad news? You mostly use those charms for evil!

Are You A Sociopath?

68% sociopath, 82% evil and Superman. I am beginning to like this.

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 23:19:19 GMT

You Are Superman

Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
And pretty cute too. No wonder you're the most popular superhero ever!

What Superhero Are You?

A superman and 82% evil, cool. I get to be superman with a personality (stuff all this Clark Kent rubbish then).

for your entertainment

Sat, 22 Jul 2006 14:42:09 GMT

Here is the background for my metahuman "Mentor". I got bored of writing stories for Backgrounds so this one is in interview format. It was started about 6 months ago and I designed it for Time magazine or Hello or something similar. It was only completed this month and here it is for your reading pleasure. I hope you enjoy it.

The Playboy Psychologist

At 6’4”, with the build of a wrestler he is an imposing figure. At the age of 18 he was courted by the Argentinean rugby team. He comes from a well-respected family, who are known to be one of the richest in South America. He has houses throughout the world and spends much of his time in the air. He has been quoted as saying that he feels more at home in the airport lounge that any of his own.

This doesn’t sound like the background for a well-respected psychologist, but in the case of Alejandro Adolfo Umberto Magallanes Silva it happens to be true. In fact he left Cambridge at the tender age of 20 where he achieved first class honours and a masters in psychiatry. He then went on to study biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and anthropology with similar levels of success.

He chose to specialize in the controversial area of disassociated amnesia, and has gained a reputation in his field second to none. Alejandro has been an expert witness in many a court, and has been central to the successful completion of many a problematic case. There have been few papers published by him on his preferred field so his methods and completion rate are a mystery to others experts. Some have claimed him to be a fake and pushed him to prove his methods but he says that his cases speak for him.

One of the main mysteries for other psychologists, and psychiatrists, is the ridiculously low levels of medication used within his almost pure psychoanalytical approach. Alejandro has never been openly against the use of drugs in therapy, he claims to have little need for them. His personal level of success has not even been attained in any of his five clinics; they do come closer than anyone else though. His experienced staff are in awe of his abilities, and some have proclaimed a genius in his chosen career.

He rarely conducts interviews but Psychology Today has managed to procure an hour of his time. We met him at a hotel in central London the evening before a conference on Stockholm syndrome.

They call you the playboy psychologist; do you consider this an appropriate nickname?

The name came after my university years. I was involved with a number of charities, many involved with victims of violent crime and it’s causes in South America. The press can be quite intrusive particularly in Spain and Latin America. They have a love of gossip based mainly around the native population. Bullfighters, singers, and actors get most of the attention but money is attractive to all especially old money. The likes of David Beckham have nothing to complain about. I have found that you can’t buy respect; there is no substitute for hard work.

With such a privileged background what prompted you to dedicate yourself to this profession?

It’s no secret that when I was a child my family were kidnapped in an attempt to extort money from my family. My parents were killed and I was found in a house outside Oxaca a week later in a catatonic state. I still suffer from the traumatic effects of the event. It is a little ironic that this is one of the few cases that I have been unable to bring to a satisfactory conclusion.

You come across as such a well-balanced individual, if it’s not too personal, what impact has it had on your life?

I suffer from insomnia and very occasional blackouts. Considering that I almost died of dehydration, I was in a catatonic state for a month, and I was in therapy for years, they are fairly mild. I still can’t remember the incident, well, I can remember the moment of capture and waking up in hospital. The rest is a complete blank.

Were the culprits caught?

There’s the mystery, they were all found dead at the scene, no one even knows how they died. I have seen the photographs; I identified the men who kidnapped us. I remember their emotionless expressions to this day. The police were investigating a number of other cases and thought that I could be of assistance. Alas all the men involved were dead their bodies spread around the central courtyard. Apparently I was found in the corner of an empty stable. If I had been in the courtyard with the others I wouldn’t be here now.

This incident is the main reason for my interest in disassociated amnesia, Stockholm syndrome, etc…

I thought that your specialisation was in disassociated amnesia?

It is, but as I have already said, it extends to all effects caused by such crimes. My greatest success has been with disassociated amnesia. I am currently studying profiling so that I can be of assistance in finding victims of the crimes, and also to try to get a greater understanding of the criminals involved.

To what do you attribute your success with this relatively controversial field?

To be honest I am unsure. I would have to call it a natural ability.

Can you be more specific?

I help people to unlock traumatic memories whilst controlling or minimising the corresponding negative emotions. This gives us the opportunity to run through what happened and to slowly release the feelings enabling them to learn how to manage the affected areas of their lives.

We do use pharmacological solutions in the long term as well, but by using hypnotherapy and other approaches within a safe environment. We can reduce the use of medication used by the individual once they become outpatients. This helps them in so many ways as they suffer less from side effects caused by the prescribed drugs.

I believe that you have recently started up your own charity, could you tell us more about it.

The charity has been going for a while now within South America and the poorer parts of North America. Its primary aim is to reduce crime by targeting the primary causes, drug addiction and the effects of poverty on the mental state. We look to provide people with the strength to choose the more positive options open to them thereby improving society that they live in. We are planning to open up P.A.C.C. (Proactive Action against Crime and its Causes) offices throughout the UK. The North American side of the operation is up and running and I am looking for professionals, trainee professionals, and volunteers to start up a British contingent. We will supply appropriate training for all those interested in assisting us in our endeavour, all they have to bring their hearts and their souls... and their bodies of course. All the details are available from the website or our London offices.

Does the charity take its methods from your own?

Yes, and it has the full backing of my clinics as well. I even have both drugs and methods in development designed at reducing the addiction levels of the replacements used currently. In some cases there is even a possibility of transferring the addiction to a commonly found substance such as fruit as a short term measure to allow the body to clean itself of the drugs. The longer term therapy can then be dealt with more easily.

Is it possible to transfer such a strong addiction?

According to our current results with certain people the answer is yes. The problem has always been that the substitute has been as addictive or more. Some people believe that the mind controls the body but old wisdom has told us that this is not always true. My research backs this up.

If possible, I would like to move on to your personal life. There has been much discussion of your relationships.

This is a constant, as I have already said, the lure of old money seems irresistible to the press. I do move in some of the higher profile circles as well. Some of them are friends, but it is also useful in a business sense. My profile brings in a certain breed of customer which in turn allows gives life to some of my other projects. They are certainly not a necessary evil. Mental health issues affect us all, money or no money. The service that I provide is for all and I am working hard to ensure that it is available for all. That may not sound polite but the value comes from the product and the quality as always is shown by the results in whatever you do. My results speak for themselves.

I can’t imagine that this has answered your question adequately.

Not really, to be more specific, you have been linked with a number of models and actresses in your time. There have even been rumours of marriage. You are such an eligible bachelor, why have you never been caught?

There have been many rumours but the answer is a fairly boring one. I am a workaholic. I apologise to all your readers but that is the simple truth. Yes, I have had relationships, but most of the reported sightings have been with friends of mine. The press need a story so they take what they see and apply what they want to see. There is nothing new in that and you either play their game or you ignore them. I choose the latter.

To delve further into your past, your fiancé Lydia Bosch, what happened to her was terrible… What effect has that had on you?

Her breakdown, I assume, is what you are referring to. That haunted me for a long time. I blamed myself for not seeing anything earlier. It is true though that closeness sometimes blinds you to what is happening to those around you. I honestly never saw it coming. Her recovery was slow and difficult. I would normally have distanced myself from the treatment due to my feelings for her but her prognosis wasn’t good. I was requested to join the team by the case leader when it was clear that they were making no headway. I think that they were trying too hard. Too much effort sometimes is counter productive. Time is a vital aspect in the recovery process, be it long or short. Sometimes slow works better than fast and vice versa. This was all along time ago for me, but to be honest I learned the value of my work from this because it was so deeply personal. I have also learned the level of detachment needed to keep it real. I suppose this has had a great impact on my life, for better or worse I am unsure.

She has a pretty good quality of life now considering what she went through. And I have people ensuring that her life is kept as private as possible. I still see her regularly. I also oversee her care personally.

There are also rumours that you are Gay.

There are always rumours, if you don’t appear in public you are an addict or seriously ill. If you get drunk twice you are an alcoholic. If you go out in someone’s company you are a couple, and there is the possibility that you are hiding your true sexuality if you go out too much with too many girls. The Spanish and South American press are the worst and whichever way you do it you lose. They are all parasites though but this is their job I suppose. I used to get annoyed… then I used to laugh at it all. But now my priorities are fairly well sorted and what others say is somewhere near the bottom of that list. I now have lawyers to keep an eye on such things and act appropriately, they can be a little too eager at times though. I have the ultimate control of course.

I would like to thank you for giving such a rare interview and also for being so candid and open. I have delved a little way into your personal life.

Interviews are necessary every once in a while especially as I seem to be doing well on Celebdaq. I have to admit that I don’t enjoy them, but also honesty pays in spades especially when you your life is deemed as public property. It is one of the few times that I can put my side of the story to those who like to read this type of literature. I understand this and try to attend to it when I have time. Work takes up so much of my time that these opportunities are rare.

surprising survival

Sat, 22 Jul 2006 14:29:35 GMT

I have survived 3 weeks with 140 teens in Ireland, and 2 leaders, and one small child (eugh), and my boss and his wife. Now for the beers and looking for a flight home. My computer is now free of the any shit music which I have had to download for the disco. We finally rid ourselves of the lovely little teens on Sunday and my boss and I don't have to drive to Dublin which is a 6 hour one way drive and would probably mean being up for around 24 hours or longer. I don't really mind doing this and I am easily capable but the payback is becoming a bitch as I am getting older.

It has been interesting here though, I have seen IRA tombstones, learned that feck off is not actually that rude and has little to do with that word we associate it with in english english.The tombstones were for
the old IRA, an honourable army who changed around the 1960s into the bunch of criminals that they are today. They were supported through loyalty before then but when they changed this was enforced through fear. One girl disappeared after helping an injured British soldier.

I am officially a "freaky" according to my adolesentes. Once they discovered that I enjoy the heavier types of music and that I roleplay. Apparently teachers don't do this sort of thing, as for bus drivers I don't know. I guess that makes me at least vaguely human.

The entire opposite has occurred with fellow team members. The 16/7 incident is perhaps the culmination of my strangeness (according to them). My attitude and determination to not celebrate it in any way has been confused with shyness... or something. The fact that they were informed of this fact from the dreaded day of discovery is beside the point. It was explained numerous times and calmly and patiently and yet they ensured that cakes and presents were bought. Cakes are a big no-no and presents are only accepted from close family and friends. These are MY rules for MY birthday. How dare they decide to change my rules for my birthday, and then when I start being difficult they call me strange. This is on top of me eating when I am hungry (i.e. not necessarily with them) and being classed as mildly abnormal. Why should we eat when we are not hungry?. After 16/7 I think they have learned to leave well alone. The one thing I hate is the way this makes me feel. I have to be rude and feel guilty for upsetting them when their opinion has nothing to do with the decision that is to be made. This is a fight that I do not relish or want and do not expect to keep struggling to attain. I think the biggest threat that I have ever given out is that if a surprise party is organised I will not be there or will walk out. This was to my wife.

Apparently I am also a liar as I did not inform them of my birthday and that because I was born in the province of england I am english. I have discussed this in a previous entry and in brief will explain again. I was born in Corby, but have lived in many places and countries, but as my family come from Wales I am Welsh. I am also British. These two facts do not contradict themselves. My home is with my family... These places include my flat in Spain, my parent's house and the country of origin of my parents. The only one on this list that is in england is my parent's house.

I was sort of looking forward to being in an english speaking environment, but this has turned out to be untrue. I suppose it was a hopeful expectation because I was sharing a house with 5 Spanish people so when they went into business mode they spoke their native language. In their defence they were a good laugh despite the 16/7 incident. I am particularly individualistic (is that a word?) I suppose, and not exactly the easiest of people to get on with over such a concentrated period of time. Most of the leaders were female which was nice. Two were serious eye candy, one was too young. One was almost a point of obsession till I realised that she was the perfect development of a character I had played in a game. The personality was too similar and the look was so correct (non gamers may not understand this). The familiarity (for me) was surreal. The males of the species were nice as well and easy to get on with. I will stay on for a couple of days to go for some beers with those who do not leave on Sunday, should be fun. It will be boy's nights out as well which we have not really had so far. No offence girls but mixed sex nights are not exactly the same... I am sure you understand.

I am starting to look forward to going home for a few weeks and then going home again to my new flat in Spain. Hopefully this time we can actually start to set up the online game. I also have a new character to create. I have sort of got the concept in my head but there are some aspects that need ironing out, should be easy. There is also a party to go to shortly after I arrive and I want to see one of the goth nights as well. Leni will not be arriving till August so I can let my hair down. I love her lots and look forward to her arrival but I also enjoy that "whatever" time as well. I also have some new icons too which is cool.

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 22:59:33 GMT

You Are 82% Evil

You're the most evil person you know.
The devil is even a little scared of you!

How Evil Are You?

Sweet little old me, impossible!

Facts

Sun, 16 Jul 2006 11:09:00 GMT

I am 35 today (according to my birth certificate). Personally I don't believe that I was actually born as I don't remember it. I also don't remember school and many other things. This to me is a major advantage. I personally believe that I am an artificial creation and that any memories were implanted.

I am a nice person (I bothered to help some poor drunk girl who could have been in trouble). The fact that no one else was doing much makes it rather disapointing as it could have looked like there was someone trying to attack her made can only make this worse.

I am 66% evil (this makes me happy). One of those stupid QnA things told me that it is true so it must be.

I have to failed to get past the whole of my "birthday" avoiding celebrations of any sort etirely (stuff from direct family doesn't count). This is the second year running and will not be the last as it now falls on my mother in laws saints day. This means that I will be forced to celebrate it for the rest of my life in some way shape or form. It also falls on my boss's daughter's birthday which means that even over here in Ireland I cannot escape the whole kerfuffle. He did offer a prostitute for the night, which I thought was quite generous.

MnM Geeks only

Fri, 14 Jul 2006 12:12:35 GMT

http://homepage.mac.com/unseelie/FileSharing1.html

This is the place to find a Mutants and Masterminds character generator. You will need to have excel, or possibly open office, though I have not tried this. I have heard that open office can do everything that the microsoft one can do, try it and if it doesn't leave a comment and I will change the details in this entry.

If this site dies then the excel file is called:

MnM-CB-issue20.1

It is easy to use and includes feats and powers from crooks, nocturnals and a couple of other source books. Hope this is of use to someone.

This is nothing to do with the artist Eminem.

That message was for those who actually have a life and not several, most of which exist only on paper. This is also not the sort of thing that I usually write so for something less minority pier group orientated please look at other entries in this journal.

Sat, 08 Jul 2006 23:52:56 GMT

I got tagged by dan_g. Slight delay in service but here it is

List 7 songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words or even if they're are not any good but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your live journal along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they're listening to in absolute random order.

1, wake up - RATM
2, soul man - blues brothers
3, gay bar - electric six
4 Sunshine of your love - Rockers HI-FI meets Ella Fitzgerald
5, Take a little piece of my heart - Janice Joplin
6, Drive My Car - the beatles
7, You can't hurry love - phil collins/the original as well

I tag:
cat_mistress
mattykinsthe2nd
taoist_goth
lordkhaine
psycho_isabella
dansprojector
hippymetaller

as for the ones not on my friends list (which is woefully short)... you are my "reach out and touch someone" randomised list. hope you don't mind.

borrowed from dan_g

Thu, 06 Jul 2006 23:28:21 GMT

imdb meme This looked interesting.

1. Go to imdb
2. Select "Titles" from the drop-down list in the search box in the upper left.
3. Type your username into the search.
4. Go to the list of films and find the first one that has a plot summary.
5. Copy and paste the last line of the plot summary into your journal.

Seems that I got about 7, the top three had plot descriptions and and all seemed to be foreign art housey movies, liked the end line of all so they are listed in order.

1, Soon the inn is full of desperate Jews, there is also an Austrian baroness on the run and an Hungarian hussar cut off from his unit.

2, The next day, Fox wins 500,000 marks in the lottery, and Max's friends suddenly become Fox's friends, especially Eugen, the heir to a bookbinding firm that's short of cash. Eugen's polish beguiles Fox, and the fleecing begins.

3, Lebrun puts the spotlight on the body of Becker with photographs resembling landscapes of a body which, by its constant mutations and history, left a mark on its century.

confused

Sat, 01 Jul 2006 17:02:38 GMT

Not entirely sure what I am doing here, but after a pain in the arse journey from Madrid to Dublin and then on to Kerry. I am happy to arrive. I apparently missed the importance of an email (which was in spanish) and had no flight when I arrived at the Barajas. Luckily the next flight was leaving at just before midnight and I had time to buy a ticket, check in and then pass through customs and if I was lucky find time to grab a beer ( and preferably drink it). Now you may think that I was safe and sound I had four hours to wait at Dublin for the flight desk to open, no worries.

Brief interlude for life affirming realisation
Proof that there is a god and that he does have a sense of humour: If you need to be in work early you find the traffic jam, you plan a barbecue, you know it will rain!

After a brief walk around the shops, a coolish beer, a tortilla bocadillo, and a relaxing dalliance with actually bothering to buy something in the non duty free shops on the way to the gates, I noticed that there were many spotty, posing teenagers with dumb T-shirts in bright colours with stupid slogans. There were also lots of Sasha Croft style backpacks ruined by the words Irish School and many more ultra cheap and tacky, nylon ones in even more lurid colours.

Second brief interlude
The best was the use of the word school but spelt like this "sChOOL". It is one of those dumb ideas that adults come up with in the belief that kids could actually think that the idea of education is cool in any way form of shape. The proof of this was on the front of the T-shirt, the name of the school was IFFY.

I finally arrived at the gate to find that the majority of the spotty geeks were sitting around in the area of the gate, my gate the one I would be leaving for my first visit to Ireland (albeit for work). The plane for Cork left carrying some of them but there was at least three quarters of a plane load left. I depressingly assumed that that they bound for Dublin on the same flight as me. At least I had the ones with the Sasha Croft rucksacks not the nylon army, and the iffy t-shirt crewe were nowhere in sight.

The plane was delayed, this I knew but as I had a wait the other side what was the point in worrying. I was more worried about the spotty gits posing and yaking loudly to their friends. I was even more worried that I would be sitting next to one (I didn't). On my arrival in Dublin I patiently and gently shoved my way through the veritable forest of the smelly, spotty, objects of hate (if you have read my journal you may know of my opinion of the spawn of hell) to collect my luggage. The experience of a new airport was exhausted within half an hour and the added weight of my educational burden, course books, vodka, and a small lump of something smokable in the lighter pocket of my jeans (these are the essential parts of a survival kit for teachers), proceeded to piss me off as I found my way to a seat and a cup of tea. I then went outside for a constitutional cigarette. and attempted to find a comfortable place to sit to read until the Aerarran flight desk opened. At 3 in the morning there are precious few shops open in any part of the airport.

The desk opened an after buying the next ticket I headed off to the gate allocated to my next flight. When the plane arrived I was sort of excited to see that it was a prop plane. If I crashed it could be said that I had died in an antique plane not some run of the mill passenger jet. I also forgot to mention that for the first time in my life I have experienced a boy racer pilot. He actually braked suddenly on reaching the runway and paused briefly before gunning the engine and blasting up the runway with all the accelerative muscle of... every other plane that I have ever been in. I couldn't hear the wheel spin because of the sound of the jet engines.

On arrival in Kerry, I walked all the way from the plane to the, all of 10 metres, and could see the truck with our luggage drive to the one baggage reclamation thingy, then waited for the suitcases to come round. It was one of about 10 and I could have probably taken it straight off the truck and saved someone a job. I am now at the house but after two hours sleep in the last 48 I am feeling distinctly stoned and I haven't even had a beer yet let alone a joint. The only problem with this picture is that my fellow workers are visiting and discussing serious stuff, like my possible duties, which I am attempting to understand and remember. This may be asking a little too much.

A possible rethink

Tue, 27 Jun 2006 13:50:26 GMT

After viewing recent pictures of the real lara croft I think he may need to loose the extra chin. I think some exercise is in order sashman.

Why do buses come in threes

Sat, 24 Jun 2006 10:52:29 GMT

I am going to ireland to work for a month, I am not entirely sure what I will be doing but who cares, I haven't been to ireland so it will be fun. Over the last couple of months I have been sent annoyingly jobs. Every time I have been given work to do, I have been given extra classes, thereby taking away any time that I have needed to complete the task! Then when it is completed the goal posts are changed again because what has been done is not suitable for the target market! AAAAAAAAARRRRGGH!!!!!!!!

As I have said I am going to ireland, at the same time we have just bought a new flat, and I will be leaving before we move in. I will also be visiting the uk for almost three weeks once I leave there. Leni will have the flat to herself for a month. I have to trust that my technophobe wife can put my computer together again, she has trouble working a digital watch (one of those cheap ones that you get free with cornflakes). I am also worried that she will start to decorate.

The worst of my worries is that she will be organising where everything goes. This is one of the rites of passage when you move into your new house, it is like putting butter on a cats paws to help settle it in. This is begining to scare me. I have this horrible feeling that I will walk into a disaster area, organised and tidy but just needing a complete reorganisation.

As for decoration, I have always been right about it, I said wardrobeas with curtains, no rug, not stupid toothbrush holders, No Wicker, NO WHITE!!!!! I almost fell out with my parents and Leni over what would and would not happen in my old flat. I even ended up buying shit furniture (a complete waste of money). I hated the stuff so much I gave it all a good kicking. The only addition my wife added was a WICKER DIVIDER. This made a small studio flat look even smaller, and it was WICKER. The only reason for this stuff to exist is as firelighters.

So, in conclusion, She can't put technology together, she has no taste, and I am a better cook than she is. I will try to banish these thoughts from my mind till my return to sunny Spain

The Future of Lara Croft

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 14:58:37 GMT

I don't know if you have heard the news but Karima Adebibe is the new Lara Croft. After the success of the previous game, I think they should reconsider her marketing and following my last entry I have to decided to put my full support behind the campaign to replace this usurper with the true personification of the girl wonder. This I believe to be The Sashman. I am looking for good photos of the one and only to prove this and also the backing of those who are in agreement with me. I would find it very useful to boost the relevancy of the campaign if we could compile a list of similarities between said individuals. For example;

I Remember him liking nine inch nails and having a wanderlust (I find it dificult to track him down and in my book they are one in the same). He has a soft, sensitive side (did you know he plays the keyboard?) and a keen interest in things occult and arcane. and his hair has been as long as hers for more years than I care to mention.

I am looking for people willing to back this campaign before taking it to those in charge of the marketing before it is too late and we have to wait for the next game to come out which could be years depending on the popularity of it.

A message for the faithful

Sat, 25 Mar 2006 22:01:47 GMT

Not been here all month, bad habit to get into! I have had a few firsts though, we actually went straight into a bar, no discussion and only a short walk this time, had at least three drinks and I even enjoyed it. There were a couple of bands that were meant to be Ramones tributes, I think I actually recognised surfing bird. Good night!

My parents came to see me at last, we had a good time despite having a busy and difficult week. We watched the rugby and saw Real Madrid in their own stadium (they were shit and were lucky to get a draw). They liked the flat and I even managed to get nicely drunk in their company. We actually managed to pay for dinner for the whole family mainly due to a combination of quick reactions and preparation. We then got paid by my parents for the meal ( they left the money in the draw where we keep our petty cash) and were given the money which my parents gave Leni's parents for the tickets, bonus! We may have more visitors from old blighty soon as well.

I saw england lose again, and yes Ireland did deserve the win whatever you read. The bunch of boring bar stewards still have no imagination despite their size, they will never win the world cup next year. Wales were the only team that were robbed in the last games of the six nations, but as my dad says there were only five of the first string playing so good job lads. Bad luck on the result. As for Scotland those Italians are gonna do some real damage soon going by this six years championship.

I keep thinking of the names beginning with Bob, and the first one is always bobby crush. Worrying, but at least knowing it solves half the problem. How to solve it? I'm not entirely sure. I have finally heard Jasper Carrot's version of the Magic round about, not bad but not what I suspected it would be.

Not exactly the most imaginative blog but hey here's a joke:

En la final olimpica de rafting hay dos tipos sobre un puente que atraviesa el río. Pasa una canoa y los dos tipos se lían a insultos con los deportistas

¡¡¡Gilipollas!!! ¡¡¡Maricones!!!

Los de la canoa ni caso. Al cabo de un rato pasa otra canoa y vuelven los dos

¡¡Cabritos!! ¡¡¡Subid aquí si tenéis lo que hay que tener!!!

Los de la canoa, como los otros, ni caso. Al cabo de unos minutos pasa otra canoa y los del puente repiten

¡¡Hijos de perra!! ¡¡Nenazas!!

Los de la canoa miran para arriba cabreados y gritan:

¡Como subamos, os hacemos una cara nueva!

A esta los del puente dicen

¡¡Ésos son los nuestros!! ¡¡¡ESPAÑA!!! ¡¡¡ESPAÑA!!!

In Spanish of course, looks funny though from what I can understand, if anyone can translate it for me before my wife does leave it in comment below this please. A thought to leave you with, for all those that know him, Sashman in a Lara Croft outfit (does he have the cleavage?). Suggested the idea to cat-mistress, and she seemed to consider it as a possible for her hen night t-shirts. This I find a touch worrying but if she does I want a copy of it as evidence, and for blackmail.

Also, Bobby Crush has a website.

drink

Sun, 26 Feb 2006 21:33:37 GMT

I have heard that Spain is the party capital of Europe, I do not believe this to be true. I think I have only succeeded in getting drunk with my wife's parents and my boss. When I have been out for a "drink" I have ended up walking for 30 minutes stopping for a canya (less than half a pint) and then after 30 minutes of gossiping ( them not me) walking for another half an hour. They also debate whether to stop at each bar to buy a drink.

Now this may or may not be of interest to you but I stumbled upon a theory for this. I live in a country where there are many more bars per square inch than in the UK, or at least there appears to be, and they can open till 3am. I was walking around following my companions through Madrid thinking about the rugby as every good Welshman should, which brought my brain around to the idea of television and how good it would be to arrange to get it in Spain... and how expensive it would be and how crap most of the channels are. Then it hit me, "the satellite theory". Sky has 500 channels compared to normal TV but the percentage of shit that is is shown is unchanged and the amount of time that it takes to settle on one programme therefore increases exponentially.

Now compare where I used to live to where I live now and you will see the comparison. I lived in Basingstoke, some would call it a great place to leave from but I still have fond memories of the cinema seats which are the most comfortable I have ever had the pleasure to sit in. I now live in Madrid, a big bustling Spanish city famous for being the capital of said country. The comparison between the two places in bar count alone is probably comparable between satellite and terrestrial should at least be similar. I have been in some shit bars in both places and lots of average ones so the chances of finding a decent bar have exponentially increased.

The other possibility is that my wife's friends are a but bunch of lightwieghts who prefer to walk than drink... or that my dear wife has hatched a cunning plan to get me to exercise on a regular basis without me realising