Afternoon Tea: A possible cure for P.H.D. (Post Holiday Depression)

As I write this, I've been sat at home watching Sky Sports News in my boxers long enough for the same news stories to come around twice. It's just gone half past 11 and I'm still yet to achieve anything in the day (assuming that eating a bite-size Pepperami doesn't count), and to be quite honest, this makes me a bit depressed. You see, for the past 3 weeks I have been on a coach trip around Europe, seeing some of the most fantastic sites ever, and meeting some of the most amazing people that anyone could've wished for. Usually, by half past 11, we'd have had a walking tour around Berlin, or we'd have been round Vatican City, or perhaps to see the Louvre in Paris, whereas my day so far consists of waking up about 10am, checking Facebook and attempting to watch mindless television. I say 'attempting' because I'm currently finding it very difficult to watch anything on TV, purely because the majority of it is, like I said, mindless. Before the trip, I had watched every episode of Big Brother (don't judge me, please), but now, I can't watch it because it's too boring. I'm not complaining though, it's probably a good thing.

Myself and Matt were getting increasingly depressed yesterday, and so decided to go for a random drive to, in his words, "somewhere remotely European". Now, I don't know if you've ever been to Hull, but finding such place close by would actually involve crossing the channel to France, again, and as much as I would've loved to do that, it probably would've been a bit impractical considering my tea was at 7pm and it was already 3pm. So anyway, we drove off into the countryside, expecting (or rather, hoping) to find Jungfrau or any kind of mountainous scenery round every corner. Naturally, we were disappointed on each occasion, and instead had to settle for the complete and utter flatness that surrounds Hull. (Note: This is by no means a bad thing, it's just not what we wanted to see at that time). To make matters worse, we were listening, intentionally, to songs that reminded us of being on the PARTY BUS! and ones that made us feel even more depressed ('No Woman, No Cry' was almost a real tearjerker). Thankfully, I held back the tears and managed to get us safely to a quaint little pub where we stopped for afternoon tea and a scone. Incredibly European, I know, but nevertheless, it momentarily made us un-depressed. A good result I'd say.

To be fair, the scones were REALLY good, as you can tell from Matt's chuftness.

I was going to go into detail about the trip, and do the clichéd 'favourite moments' thing. I did start like that but after 3 paragraphs we hadn't even got into Dover yet and plus, I'd probably end up jumping off the Humber Bridge from clinical depression if I had to relive all the amazingly good moments. (For anyone who doesn't know, the Humber Bridge is probably Hull's most famous landmark (alongside The Deep, 'the world's only submarium', woo!) and also a cheap and simple form of suicide). Anyway, on a lighter note, I would have to say that the past 3 weeks were the best 3 weeks of my life, and the whole thing was undoubtedly the 'Trip of a Lifetime'. It will definitely be very, very hard to ever beat it.

Same again next year then, guys?

Spotify Playlist Duel

Myself and Sam were talking about our often differing musical taste the other day, and we came up with the idea of having a Play(list)-Off. The idea is simple; we both create a 40 track playlist on Spotify which would typify our musical taste (more or less). We'd then send the playlist to each other, listen to all the songs, write a blog about our experiences, and hopefully come out the back of the 'experiment' with a broader view into the world of music, (or in Sam's case, lose the tag of being the kid who listens only to 1980s 'Cheese Rock' bands, such as Journey, Boston and Rainbow). I'll run through each track one-by-one and tell you all what I think of them. If you do have Spotify, click on the song names and it will take you to the song! Technology, eh! Anyway, here goes...

Hash Pipe - Weezer: One of only four Weezer songs I'm aware of. Not too bad, but probably is a bit out-of-date now.

Knights of Cydonia (Live) - Muse: I can't play this song on Guitar Hero III very well, so for that reason, I'm not that much of a fan. Muse are, in my opinion, an average band at the best of times with a few good songs.

Don't Stop Believin' - Journey: What a surprise. Sam says he put this song in as a joke, but somehow I don't believe him. To be fair to Journey, it isn't a bad song, but there's a time and a place for them. I haven't actually worked out when this time or where this place is yet though. It even gets annoying in a nightclub when drunk, which says it all really.

Lonely Train - Black Stone Cherry: Saw these support Nickelback, and they were alright actually. Not usually a fan of this kind of music but this and 'Blind Man' are good tracks.

Walk Idiot Walk - The Hives: Nice bass line, but that's about it.

No Brains - Sum 41: Upbeat and foot-tapping, although I do find that a lot of Sum 41's songs sound fairly similar.

Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden: Probably my least favourite song on the playlist. Yes, even behind Journey. It's slow, there's no kick to it and it's fairly forgettable. In fact, I can't even remember how it goes.

My Own Worst Enemy - Lit: Never heard of these before, but this isn't a bad song. Sounds a bit like Good Charlotte, or any other American Alternative Rock band for that matter.

Cheer Up - Reel Big Fish: I need to thank Sam for reminding me about Reel Big Fish because I keep meaning to listen to them more, but keep forgetting. I will definitely listen more now though. Really good, upbeat song.

1979 - The Smashing Pumpkins: It's weird; I didn't expect Smashing Pumpkins to sound like this. I expected them to be a bit more heavy I think, so automatically didn't give the song much hope. I like the layering, and it's quite a good song to be fair.

Sell Out - Reel Big Fish: One of my favourite songs on the playlist, reiterating the fact I need to listen to them more!

Papercut - Linkin Park: I've only really heard the songs they do with Jay-Z but this isn't that bad really. Might have to give them a bit more of a listen.

Cochise - Audioslave: Don't particularly like the dark introduction. Guitar riff is good though. I can see why Sam likes this song; it's very 70s influenced. However, it is fairly forgettable.

Heart-Shaped Box - Nirvana: Quite a classic.

Even Flow - Pearl Jam: Another average song off Guitar Hero. Chorus is ok though.

You're Gonna Go Far, Kid - The Offspring: Once again, I was surprised by this song. I thought The Offspring were heavier than this. This could be an anomaly in their back-catalogue though I suppose. Even so, I do quite like it.

Just a Girl - No Doubt: Gwen Stefani is attractive, in a bit of a weird way though. It depends what day it is as well, sometimes she looks a bit rough. Anyway, back to the song: it's upbeat and foot-tapping. Sam can obviously relate to the lyrics; "Late at night I'm just a girl, guess I'm some kind of freak, 'cause they all sit and stare, with their eyes".

The Hell Song - Sum 41: Haven't we already had this song? Oh no, my mistake. To be fair though, it isn't that bad. It does have a good chorus.

Once & For All - Foo Fighters: I don't want to offend Sam too much by disliking this song, because he worships the Foos almost as much as Nickelback, but I have to say, it is a bit boring. Needs a bit of a kick as well, it seems a bit slow. There's another two Foo Fighters songs on the playlist so my opinion may change. We shall see!

My Direction - Sum 41: Same old, same old, I'm afraid! I don't dislike it though.

3's and 7's - Queens of the Stone Age: Yet again, a song off Guitar Hero. I'm starting to see a pattern. It's a good song though, and the guitar riff is class. I don't know enough of the band to form an overall opinion though.

Walkie Talkie Man - Steriogram: A bit of a messy arrangement I think. One of the weaker songs on the playlist.

Real World - The All-American Rejects: Quite a good, upbeat song, but it is fairly generic. The chorus is catchy, and the lyrics are simple enough to remember, which is a good thing.

All My Best Friends Are Metalheads - Less Than Jake: As with Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake are another band that I need to listen to more of, so once again, thank you Sam for reminding me about them!

Superman - Stereophonics: Not entirely sure why Sam put Stereophonics on his playlist, as he already knows I'm a big fan. He says it was so I knew he liked them too, but I already knew that. Anyway, this is a good song, although they do have a lot of better songs.

Country Girl - Primal Scream: I think the 'Scream' part of their name made me think Primal Scream were something they weren't. I once again expected something heavier. I need to stop making assumptions. I have heard this song before, but I didn't realise they sung it.

DOA - Foo Fighters: This is better than the other Foo Fighters song I heard earlier, but I still don't know what the fuss is all about.

Pistol Grip Pump - Rage Against The Machine: Way too repetitive; there's only so many times you can say "Pistol Grip Pump" in a song, and they have overdone quite spectacularly it in this song.

Hysteria - Muse: Good bass line; I might try and learn it. As with the first Muse track though, it is an average song.

City Hall / Malibu Nights - Tenacious D: I already like the D, but Sam says he put it in so we could reminisce about our trip to see Nickelback in Sheffield (we played it in Sam's car as we were on the Ouse bridge I believe). They are the kings of comedic rock, without a doubt.

The Middle - Jimmy Eat World: Didn't realise this song was by Jimmy Eat World. It's quite good, albeit fairly generic again.

Bulls on Parade - Rage Against The Machine: Another song off Guitar Hero. I thought Spotify had got it wrong and that this was actually 'Killing in the Name', until Sam corrected me.

Everlong - Foo Fighters: Well written, but I'm just not a fan.

My Friends Over You - New Found Glory: Upbeat and foot-tapping. Probably won't be listening to these by choice though.

Mr. Writer - Stereophonics: Sam, you're preaching to the converted!

Whisky in the Jar - Thin Lizzy: Goes on way too long. Lost interest after about a minute.

Once - Pearl Jam: Weird introduction that doesn't really fit with the song. Very forgettable.

Longview - Green Day: I prefer Green Day's non-commericalised songs (i.e. not 'American Idiot'). Probably one of the best bass lines in recent years.

You Don't Know - Reel Big Fish: I haven't heard a bad song from Reel Big Fish yet. Very upbeat and very catchy.

Oxygen - Willy Mason: For some reason, I thought Willy Mason was a wrestler, but it turns out he's not. One of my favourite songs on the playlist, and a fitting way to end this 'experiment'.

So, there you have it. I've listened to, and given my opinion on 40 songs that apparently typified Sam's musical taste. I still think that he listens to an unhealthy amount of 80s rock, but according to his playlist, he likes at least 39 non-80s-cheese-rock songs (excluding Journey, which I still don't think was a joke by the way). Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake are the two stand-out picks I reckon, but there were also a few other good songs, and some songs that surprised me. However, I am still not a converted Foo Fighter, much to Sam's dismay I assume. I do think we could be onto something with this Playlist-off though, so if it does ever become international, Sam Axon and Alex Blackburne will gladly take 12.5% (each) of the earnings.

Animals

It may be a bit overdue, but I am back with another installment after over 3 months in the blogging wilderness. I do apologise for my unintentional and unplanned hiatus, but I've had loads of exams (one) and several assessments to do for University. I've finished everything and I'm back in Hull now so I thought I'd crack open a can of Emerge (a cheaper, more deadly version of Red Bull) and sit down to write a blog post.

Myself, Sam and Fozz are going to see Nickelback next week at Sheffield Arena. We've had the tickets a week or so, but since then I just cannot stop listening to them. The title of this post refers to possibly one of my favourite songs of all time, Animals. For those of you who haven't heard it, and have Spotify, here's the link...

http://open.spotify.com/track/6Bi7ug9F2eetHXDiAU2SBd

The lyrics are so, so good. Basically it's about a guy and a girl sneaking out and "gettin' busy" in the guy's car, only to be caught by the girl. Brilliant. Nickelback are, in my opinion, wrongly hated by many people (mainly those who base their views on 'How You Remind Me' and 'Hero', the Spiderman soundtrack). Give them a chance, you never know, you might enjoy them.

Since my last post, we've also booked a holiday for this summer; a 21-day coach trip round Europe, covering 9 countries, camping in a different place each night. I cannot wait.

Also, if you have Twitter, please feel free to follow me...

http://twitter.com/alexbrfc

Just a quick one

I hope you all haven't missed me too much since my last thrilling installment here, but I've been pre-occupied my my other blog (a football-based blog, 'Left Back in the Changing Room', which I set up for my Uni course). You can find it here:

http://leftbackinthechangingroom.wordpress.com/

I will be back soon with my usual array of quirky anecdotes and opinions which I know you, my adoring fans, love.

Thank you, and goodnight.

p.s. if you happened to have stumbled upon this blog for the first time, and this is the first post you've read, then I don't think I do have any 'adoring fans' just yet (not that I know of anyway. Incidentally, if you are an adoring fan, please message me). It was said kind of sarcastically; so I hope it hasn't put you off!

There's snow place like home!

Firstly, please excuse the terrible pun in the title. I just couldn't resist. So yes, this week's news has revolved around the adverse weather conditions we've had, with the majority of the country getting at least a light covering of the white stuff (that's snow, not milk). Personally, I'm not too keen on it though. I used to love it, but since I've got older, the novelty of it has worn off and now it's just annoying and causes havoc. Don't get me wrong, I used to like a good old-fashioned snowball fight as much as the next young whippersnapper, but not so much nowadays.

Incidentally, "whippersnapper" is a word I've never actually had to spell, and I actually had to Google it, just to check that I'd got it right. On the subject of words I've never had to spell, "Jiminy", the name of the anthropomorphic Cricket from 'Pinnochio', is another. Nobody is called "Jiminy" though. I mean, you hear about all these babies called "Jack" or "Thomas" or "Stan", but never "Jiminy". It's strange really; some names just never come back into fashion, although it's debatable that "Jiminy" was ever in fashion in the first place.

Going back to the snow, I remember once building an igloo in my back garden with a few friends. It really was amazing, and I definitely recommend the activity to you if it happens to snow again in the near future. All you need is one or two ice-cream boxes, plenty of snow, some good friends, determination and the will to succeed. Sorry for sounding like a cross between Winston Churchill and Neil Buchanan there by the way. So anyway, simply fill the ice-cream boxes up with snow and use them like bricks. It's fairly straightforward.

Once again I seemed to have gone off on a tangent, but to be fair I didn't really have a particular discourse in mind when I started writing this post. It could've been solely about snow, so count yourself lucky that I expressed my views on the name "Jiminy". Have fun building igloos, which I'm sure you will do, and I will be back sometime in the near future with another thrilling installment.

Ciao!

Guess who's back...

Yes, it's true. I have posted a new blog after my 6 week blogging exile over the Christmas holidays, which incidentally were good, albeit not as 'magical' as when I was a kid. For the record, I once again didn't get a Stretch Armstrong, but as I explained in the last post, I'm not too bothered about that now.

I didn't really make any New Years resolutions this year. Not that I usually do; I would like to tell you that I take the view that I don't have anything to give up or anything to do more often, but the truth is I actually like doing the stuff I'm doing now, so why should I stop? The only thing that could possibly class as a resolution is the fact that I've said to myself (and Loz) that I'm going to go to the gym more often, and even go running, just to get rid of the excess baggage from Christmas, caused by chocolate, sweets, mince pies and a fair bit of alcohol. It's not 'set in stone' as such, but hopefully I'll carry it through. I don't know how successful this new regime will be in the long run, but I've already been to the gym twice. So far, so good I think!

I'm not sure what else to write really. I only posted this to let you, my adhering fans, know that I am still alive and well, which I am. So yeah, I promise to write another enthralling chapter in my blog very soon, which will hopefully have more content and meaning than this one, in which I have actually started to ramble on and most probably bore you, so I will sign off shortly, and sweetly.

Bye.

Jim should've fixed it, because Santa definitely failed

Some of you may be wondering where I've been for the past 11 days. Some of you may not have been wondering this. For those who are interested, I've had so much Uni work to do that Blogging had to move down my list of priorities, behind the work itself, Football Manager and Nickelback's new album.

I'm finally feeling kind of Christmassy too. Due to my humongous work load, I haven't really been in the mood for it to be honest, but now that it's all over and done with I'm well up for it. However, I'm beginning to think that Santa isn't doing his job properly because I've had a Stretch Armstrong on my Christmas list for the past 10 years or so, and I still haven't got one. I mean, how good did he look on the adverts?! I was envious beyond belief of those "perfect" American kids who seemed to be having hours of fun with Mr. Armstrong, fighting crime and tying him up in knots. He seemed to stretch for miles too. Thing is though, I probably would've been let down by it if I had of received it as a gift, because let's face it, nothing is as good in real-life as it is in adverts. Here's proof...



Just look how happy they look, and how amazingly fun it looks to play with Stretch! I mean, who wouldn't want one of those really! As I said though, the likelihood is that after a long stretching session on Christmas Day, Mr. Armstrong would just be a long floppy mess the next day. This is why I believe it is better to have dreamt about all the good times I could've had with him, rather than had a couple of good days stretching. So yeah, I don't want a Stretch Armstrong anymore. I'm clearly over it.

Before I go, I was told a few weeks ago that Space Raiders, every British child's favourite crisps, known for their distinctive flavour, wacky shapes and most of all, the fact that they're only 10p, have gone up in price. They're now 15p, which for those without an A in GCSE Maths, is a whole 5p more than before! I'll leave you all now, for that ridiculous fact to sink in, and before you get too angry.