Trees, Grub and Games

Bought a Christmas Tree with Rebecca's parents and decorated it too - the first of may I'm sure this year. Smitten with our efforts, we basked in its glory for a a few moments before dashing off to Tooting to have a little Christmas dinner with a group of old Uni friends. They pulled out all the stops too, they went to a local butchers to get a joint of beef which was excellent, I'll be surprised if I eat a Christmas meal that'll top the one I just had! Just set up some sleeping bags on the floor after playing boardgames til midnight, reminds me of spending nights with friends at sleepovers, can't wait for breakfast though.

Mince Pie and a Coffee

Make way London, because I'm coming down for a long weekend! Rebecca and I have a full social calendar to stick to over the next few days, but we were a little weary from the journey, and we could only refuel via coffee and mince pies. Once we perked up a bit we headed out to see Rebecca Grandmother and I prepped myself for an evening of typing and writing while Rebecca went out to see White Lies with her Dad. We done good today, but it's just a warm up for the Christmas dinner/party we'll be attending tomorrow night.

Pamper Pizza

Had breakfast, made a cup of coffee then I sat down to a day of writing. It feels like ages since I've been able to commit to a day like this and I really made it count. I hit my desired word count and had time spare so I wasn't stressing - always a bonus. I closed down my laptop and headed out to meet Rebecca at Treefest, St Mary Redcliff's little Christmas tree showcase. We've made it our own tradition to go and visit the display every year, every time I go I'm glad I did. While the trees won't blow you away, there is something very humble and community minded about the whole event which taps into the nature of the season. Since we were out and about, we decided to treat ourselves to an impromptu restaurant visit for pizza, we're both headed to London tomorrow for social calls so we wanted to celebrate the end of the week a little early. We're both going to be busy bees in the leadup to Christmas so its nice to carve out a bit of time to pamper ourselves.

Celebrities in Gaming

Sat down and smashed the final cut of my latest video: Celebrities in Gaming. I've recently played a handful of games that include a lot of famous faces and that got me thinking about the subject. The video only really scratches the surface of the topic, but I stand by my points and I'm generally pleased with it, check it out below if you fancy.

More Muppets

Work, work, work. Once my morning shift was over I was back on my video edit, aiming to have it done tomorrow afternoon.

Once again, I dove into the comforting world weaved by the Muppets in their rendition of A Christmas Carol, Rebecca enjoyed it so much when we saw it that she fancied seeing it again. I think if someone was keeping a tally of 'films I've seen the most times' I wouldn't be surprised if this one came in the top ten. Its a staple part of my Christmas diet every year and it never fails to put a spring in my step as I march towards the big day on the 25th.

Ponderin' 'bout Prezzies

Waking up early is much easier when you're not the only one rolling out of bed. I cooked Rebecca some 7am porridge before we both headed off for some long working days. A few friends dropped into the cafe by chance so that brightened up the day, otherwise getting through the day felt like a bit of a mission. Thankfully I'm not actually working too much this week at the cafe so that'll give me a so breathing room to crack on with some other projects of mine. Sick Critic scored me a review code for a game I'm personally very excited for, and I'm getting to play it a little in advance to the general public which is a really cool feeling. I need to really commit some brain power to buying presents for Christmas this year too, I only have some murmurations of ideas right now, with any luck I'll have my 'present ideas' spreadsheet filled out in good time this year.

Scrooged

December is finally here, and with it, come tidings of merriment and joy. I wrapped up in a blanket and sat on the sofa with Rebecca for most of the day, enjoying some time off after a busy week in and around London. We eased into some festive fun in the evening though, I rustled up some 'Christmas Burgers' with brie and lashings of cranberry sauce. A warmed mince pie with custard was served as pudding, though Rebecca curdled her custard while warming it (yet another great reason why cold custard is the superior form). We then took a gamble on watching a Christmas film neither of us had ever seen: Scrooged. 

Though Bill Murray carried the movie, structurally it was all over the show. Some story threads were a little undercooked and it wasn't anywhere near as funny as I wanted it to be, despite all that though, it did eventually win me over. The design for the Ghost of Christmas Future was a real highlight and the rousing speech Murray's character delivers at the end thawed the cockles of my heart. It ain't a classic in my books, but it's sentiment was heartfelt even if the route there was a bit wobbly wobbly.