Too Hot? Hot Damn!

While we couldn't decide if I had taken Rebecca down and along Newbury high street, we did it anyway. I showed her the sights and the shops of my hometown and took a trip into a pub where they proudly serve Pieminister Pies so we had a very good lunch. We are definitely in the midst of a mini heatwave as I am quite genuinely sweating bullets as I write this, at 11pm. I am far, far too hot for the sun not to be up right now.

Bye Bye Stanfield

Mark told me the other day that he re-read my blog entry on the day we moved out of Frederica road about this time last year. He mentioned how nicely written it was and how it made him nostalgic about living together those many moons ago. Packing up my belongings for the last time in Stanfield road I thought again about what Mark said and I begun to wonder if I will have a similar fondness of Stanfield. 'Not really' I thought.

Outside of my housemates of course, they were all good fun. But when it came down to the house itself I couldn't really think of a redeeming quality. My room was pokey, the kitchen was perpetually dank and the whole house was faintly musty. Onward and upwards I suppose! Treading back into Frederica today, I took a moment to sink back into the living room and the sofas there and rediscovered how right that felt. September will be a literal homecoming.

Never Clean

The dreaded woodchip wall paper is no more. Dad and I attacked it with the steamer and thanks to the extra help we finished the job in record time. This gave me an opportunity to begin packing down the house I am currently living in before moving in the new house. A spider under the sink locked me away from some of the cleaning equipment, but luckily a lot of it was left out for me to use. Namely the bath cleaner which made this hellish fizz whenever it came into contact with grime. And considering our bathroom, it was fizzing a lot.

It's a bit of a shame really, the house I'm at currently has never looked clean. Even when I moved in it was noticeably mucky and I'm afraid that without some serious, men-with-vans-and-overalls help the house will just look tidy rather than clean. 

Bran Glue

Wall paper stripping solo went rather well. The wall I was working on was a lot tougher than the others, felt like the gluey paste stuff had really set in. Underneath the white wood-chip is this nasty, sticky brown card layer which reminds me oddly of bran flakes. Louis tweeted something a while back about how tacked on left-over bran flakes get on cereal bowls if you don't wash them up soon. 'You can make superglue out of this stuff' is a poorly paraphrased version. So yes, that was my day, scraping brown cereal-like bits of crap off a wall.

That and Game of Thrones. Started season two yesterday and I only have 2 more episodes of it to watch.

We need more Strippers

Didn't think I'd be back in Bournemouth so soon. Headed back into Frederica Road in order to do some wall paper stripping, unfortunately not the easy kind but the dreaded woodchip type. AKA, the wallpaper with nobbles in it. Dad and I had a stab are removing some of this nasty stuff a few years back and it took about a week to do a single room because its stuck on so badly. We checked internet forums on best ways to remove it and our top answer was 'move house.'

A more sensible recommendation suggested scoring the wallpaper and going over it with a steamer, this technique worked a treat after we got our steamer up and running. We hit a snag with out initial steaming/stripping unit so Mum had to drive around in search of more strippers. That will always be a fun sentence. We actually ploughed way ahead of our daily renovation goal due to how easily it all peeled off. I've been left here to do a bit more of the job tomorrow, with a bit of music I'm sure the job will fly by.

Five Thrones

My goal for the day was to go into town and buys some Craghopper type trousers. I wanted a pair for myself for a long while thanks to their double pocket feature so I can keep stuff zipped up if need be. That and Mum had a voucher for a shop on the highstreet that sold them so it was a win-win situation. Fashionably, these things are a train-wreck, but their functionality is excellent; something else to add to my runner's repertoire.

I realised that I completed my days goal a lot sooner than I anticipated, it wasn't even 11am once I'd returned home so I figured I should watch some more Game of Thrones. After I watched some I figured that I should watch some more. Five episodes later I discovered I'd finished Season 1 quite quickly. Mark would be proud.

The Witcher 1

Just had one of those rare evenings where I just couldn't put a game down until I finished it. The original Witcher game really surprised me. I first attempted playing it way back in 2012 and recall being drawn in by its characters and world building but somehow lost momentum with it and I was reluctant to re-learn the lore and sword-fighting techniques. As a result it has been sitting in my Steam library for a long old while. Now that the third  Witcher game has been released with rave reviews, I thought it was time to revisit this old chestnut and I feel foolish for not giving it a proper chance first time around.

This is the game I have been waiting for. The last game to have provided such a good experience was Bioshock Infinite, it's been two years since I've said 'Wow' about a game. Everyone says that the first Witcher game is also the worst, so I cannot wait to see what lies in store when I start the next one.

Let's get Medieval

Things are getting medieval here as I am starting to blaze through both Game of Thrones and the first Witcher game. Just really digging swords and muddy faces at the moment. To complete this fairytale existence, I enlisted myself to be in the Newbury carnival as a knight. It's more Holy Grail than anything else, but it could be a laugh.

Updated my CV as well today to include all the work experience I've been doing for Wildseed over the past few years and I've racked up some serious credits. With any luck, this should make me employable in the future and certainly make me a prime candidate for work experience.

Hotel Bookings

Felt like a bit more of a production assistant today as I had a loose end to tie up from working in the Wildseed offices: I had to book someone a hotel room. While this is something I've never really had to do, it wasn't scary. The company wants to streamline how quickly it can get your money in their pocket while doing a service, and I am eternally grateful for this since it makes my life easier; a real win-win situation.

Outside of bookings, I dabbled in another episode of Game of Thrones as I have declared watching it to be my Summer push, it was the same for The Wire last year and I want to crack through another HBO hit. Also so I can finally get into conversations with people about the show and not have to cover my ears everytime anyone starts discussing anything to do with the show.

Su-BEER Smash Bros

It's good to be back with my bro. We hit up a total gaming day, playing the new Don't Starve Together game which was a ton of fun. Then of course, Smash Bros. We are mostly training up for the event that Louis want to host called 'Su-BEER Smash Bros,' slightly in contrary to the name, drinking will not be mandatory, but the local tournament will be. Team games and singles will be fought for ultimate glory, to be honest, just looking at the banner Louis made gets me pumped:

In other news, the house is starting to get hot again. I'm sitting in my room and all I've done is sweat, I will certainly try to invest in a fan this year.

Friday, Doughnuts, Breaking Bad

Couldn't have asked for a better last day in the Wildseed offices. I just felt generally on top of everything and could do things very efficiently. A few days ago someone dropped a £5 note on the floor outside the office, I emailed the staff to ask who it belonged to with no response. Instead I used it to buy doughnuts for everyone in the office and they went down a storm.

Shortly after I said my goodbyes and everyone said I was welcome to swing back anytime, I'm glad I left a small impression on some really cool people. First thing Mark asked be to do once we got back home was to blitz through the last episodes of Breaking Bad together; even if it took us late into the night.

It made me recall when I first finished the show with Jamie last year at half midnight. Jamie and I shared the same experience together, that bitter sweet ending that leaves you speechless. Mark came down shortly after the end and asked if he could start watching the show with us. So we rewound to episode 1 and thus the cycle begun again with Mark and myself. That cycle finished tonight.

Finishing Breaking Bad again was a real treat, the highs really do hit hard, especially in the last few episodes. I always knew that Mark would really like the ending and turning to him as the credits begun to roll it was clear that he felt exactly like Jamie and I did those many months ago.

Working Tunes

Because I had such a chill work day I figured I could listen to a whole bunch of music while I was at my desk. Ploughed through about 5 albums and really got cracking I noticed. Luckily I was making and researching stuff for a spreadsheet so I could tune out and just enjoy my tunes while I did a very simple task. Tomorrow is my last day in the offices and its looking to be equally easy going, looking forward to going home now though and getting some Smash Bros training in with Louis before our big event.

Duck to go down in History

Laying cables was the name of the game today. Armed with cable ties and some clippers I got a chance to do my first proper cable tidy by tucking it behind other wires and winding it close to the walls. Felt like I was adding to the history of the building in a strange way since the Wildseed offices are based inside a renovated police station from the 70's. Still got that asbestos smell.

Speaking of smells, there were some seriously good wafts coming from Mark's experimental duck recipe.

I called it 'peng-king duck' and Mark just pulled a face.

Spirited Away

There was a very small fire in Mark's kitchen. We just pulled something out of the oven and the greaseproof paper connected with a flame from the hob, after that we had a small moment of panic. Not because we could burn the house down, but because we could burn our dinner! Lucy makes these cracking filo pastry salmon wrap things and I'd be damned if they got a bit charred. Mark clearly shared my virtue and blotted out the fire with a bit of pluck. Certainly made my dinner a bit more eventful.

By far the coolest part of my day was going to see Spirited Away at an outdoor showing this evening. Some coworkers got there early and saved us front row seats (which was great because the venue was packed) so we sat down and watch the film as the sun went down. I'd forgotten just how much respect I have for Spirited Away, it really is a celebration of creativity married with stunning visuals and more so than ever before I felt like I just 'got' the movie. There is a real timeless quality to the film and it only gets better the older you get and I related more to the struggle of Chihiro. I saw a small part of myself in how I would have acted had I been separated from my parents at that age, the scene where she wanders through the streets that fill with shadows is reminicant of being abandoned in a supermarket; a terrifying prospect for a young child.

But then it feels so rewarding when we see her grow as a person, by the end of the film she is noticeably savvy and can carry herself confidently. The journey of Chihiro is the true reason for the staying power of the film and I think every member of the audience felt that once the credits started rolling. We applauded even if we had seen it a million times before because we collectivly knew that we had seen something great, and that we got to share that experience with each other.

Temporarily Misleading Email Subject

I'm back in Bristol and kicking back in the Wildseed offices. Took a fair bit of time to properly naily work today as I went document hunting for the most part. I basically have a massive spreadsheet with 50+ names on it which all need addresses, phone numbers and email addresses next to them. Luckily I had the resources to check in about 80% of them and now I'll probably be dreaming of filling out that spreadsheet.

That's if my ambitions were boring though when in reality I'll be thinking about something much cuter! As I went off on my lunchbreak I noticed an office email went out from a co-worker titled 'Hedgehogs.' I just assumed it was a collection of funny pictures but instead she was trying to sell some newly born hedgehogs. My heart was already pining for them, but my emotions reached a critical level when I noticed the pictures attached:

Words failed me. My bank account too, since these little guys didn't come cheap at £100 a pop. I guess Solomon the hedgehog will have to remain a worldly aspiration for my future.

Smash Announcement

Spent a majority of the day in anticipation of the new Smash Bros content announcement and was not dissapointed. Albeit I was ready one hour ahead of time and subjected myself to the live chat feed of Twitch TV, AKA where humour goes to die. But once the stream actually started I was very pleased with what was being shown, best of all, Louis and I got to play all of it today. Ready to bounce back into work again tomorrow for Wildseed, apparently I'll have a few techie jobs with Chris as he installs serves and other cable related bits, we'll see what fun is prepared for me tomorrow.

Braai

Re-started watching Game of Thrones for the second time now. I have finally seen the first episode without being drunk or too tired to care and I must say I quite enjoyed it. I'll most certainly be watching a lot more of it over the rest of the Summer. Otherwise I've been chilling with Louis and his girlfriend and just been playing games together with is always a lot of fun, the new Towerfall expansion is a lot of fun and with the promise of a lot of Smash Bros DLC coming out tomorrow (including all the leaked stuff) then tomorrow should be a good time as well.

Headed down to a South African Braai tonight, admittedly heading in I was a tad dubious as once we sat down the event was being treated like a quiz night. Typically I would be ok with that, but all the questions were themed around South Africa and you really needed an inside knowledge of the country to be able to answer any of the questions with a degree of confidence. Fortunately, the food more than made up for our inability to answer anything in the quiz. 3 Courses, many options and a steak that was far better than expected at such a small event. Really tasty food, I went up for seconds on nearly every course in fact, it certainly got me interested in South African cuisine anyway.

Happy Tummy

St Nicks is basically the place to eat out in Bristol. Just so much good street food is sold there and for such a good price its hard to walk out without a smile on your face. Mark suggested getting a lasagne there but I was swayed by the English sausage stand and their very affordable double sausage sandwich which was an absolute knock-out.

Once I got back to the office though I begun to feel really tired, an emergency coffee even failed to perk me back up. I was certainly in a dangerous place as my eyes wouldn't stay open. Then a rumour of Krispy Kreme doughnuts in the office sprung up and so did my sense. Some of the new guys bought in 24 doughnuts to make a good first impression, and let me tell you, they definitely made some friends today.

Got back to Newbury later on today to celebrate my parents Wedding anniversary at a local pub with a big portion of fish and chips. Today really was food done right, I'm heading to bed now with a very happy tummy.

Jobs Worth Post Office

Day 2 at Wildseed Kids was spent mostly chasing up contracts for the crew. I got let off my leash a bit when I had to post a few letters and a parcel to Denmark on behalf of a co-worker. That called for a trip to the post office. Since I've nevervreally done international mailing before I had to stand in the que for a bit to ask for advise and the woman at the til was being a bit jobs worth with me. Apparently my letters didn't quite fit through their fake letterbox slots easily so I was charged a fair bit extra and then a load for the parcel. Then they wanted to know what was inside it and trued to charge me insurance for it, by golly it took a little while.

I returned the office hero though since I came back with ice lollies and choc ices for everyone after being given petty cash to do a treat round. Morale was high at 4pm in the office.

Espresso Black Magnum

Started up my first day at Wildseed helping out their 'kids' department with contracts and filing mostly today which was all pretty standard. They didn't have a whole lotbfor me to do today so I was turned over to Mark to give him a hand make a few phone calls which resulted in me making a massive are of myself in front of all his co-workers. Apparently I have a bigger workload tomorrow so I say 'bring it on!'

Next up comes the latest installment of the feature you are always waiting for: Theo Food Review. This time we look at the 'Espresso Black Magnum' ice cream. In short, no. I first saw the advert for these on a bus and vividly remember saying I really wanted to try one to whoever I was walking with at the time. So I three down the cash and bought myself one only to be sorely dissapointed by the flavour. Somehow it tasted too strongly of coffee, and this is coning from someone who drinks double espressos at breakfast time. Just a massive shame really because I was so down for a good magnum. 2/10 is my final rating, get a classic one instead.

Stanfield is no more

Waved farewell to my second year house today, while I will be back to clear the remaining 10% of my stuff, I have most definitely spent my last night there. Bittersweet moving out experience since while I was eager to leave the house purely based on how uninviting the kitchen always seemed, I will miss my housemates and my room. I did find it cosy in the end despite its small size.

Unpacked in Newbury and have already spent a fair bit of time just playing Smash Bros with Louis again. Found myself packing up again though so I could stay for a night with Mark down in Bristol since I got a bit of office work with Wildseed which I am quite looking forward to.

Packing Cheerleader

Rounding up the last few bits and pieces for packing now. Rebecca came over to be my mini cheerleader and keep me motivated for packing everything up as neat as possible. We took a small breaking in the evening to visit the beach one last time and then figured we came an awful long way into town so we treated ourselves to a Wagamama. I'm staring now at the big old pile of stuff to bundle into the car and having some doubts about space, but otherwise I think I'm just about there.

Summer Ball and Packing

Finished up my second year in style at the 2015 Bournemouth Summer Ball. I went along with my girlfriend and her housemates to a few pre-drinks before hand and I must say it did feel a little bit odd seeing every student walking up and down town in fancy dress and getting drunk at 2pm. Guess thats what you gotta do if you are attending the big Summer event. I didn't go last year but I got my first dose of a festival last night, piling into music tents and quaffing back pints from the beer stand. By far the best thing there was the free bumper cars though, we got a few rounds of that in before resigning ourselves to dancing the night away in the main music tent.

Sigma, the big headliners was all that anyone talked about. They have a couple of number 1 hit under their belt so they were meant to be the heavyweights of the Summer Ball. But they were unanimously underwhelming compared to the act that preceded them: Sunset Sons. These guys didn't just rock up with a mixing board and press play on some really obvious pop songs, these guys came with their drums and guitars and did it old school and played some live rock music for us. They blew everyone away too thanks to a real sense of energy from the performers, putting the big stars to shame too.

Planned on using today as a recovery day but I woke up feeling remarkably refreshed, so I figured I should get down to the big pack up of my house. Got a fair bit done too, clothes, DVDs and Nerf guns are all packed now. Essentials really. The other half is waiting to be done tomorrow since I got called out to have a picnic with Rebecca and co. We played rounders in the park for the second time this week and while I haven't played in a fair old while, it is safe to say that I bossed it with some good hits and better catches. It was a little sad leaving Rebecca's house tonight as I figured that it would almost certainly be the last time I set foot in their home and do the walk between houses. They had such a cosy student house, I can even remember the day they moved in and thinking how nice it was there.   

Hanging

Rounded up the last few of my future housemates for a small viewing of our new home and they were smitten with it. It sparked several excited remarks about what we were going to do next year and how many films we were going to power through, it got as all really pumped for next September. To make matters even better, we all came over to mine just to hang out and play video games after the house viewing so we could get a glimpse of what our future hold for us. I'm still the best at Mario Kart but I expect to train the others up for some real competition.

I swung round to what was the unofficial last house party of the year for one final meet-up before the Summer which was really nice. It gave a good sense of closure to the year and I got a chance to wish everyone a happy break before waving them off.

If anything however, I perhaps enjoyed the night a little too much. Someone kept on pouring me large glasses of whiskey and this morning I felt like the plague. I ended up being very sick for the first half of today but once I got a Subway inside of me I bounced back. Never thought I would succumb to booze the morning after but it finally happened and I am already thinking 'never again.' In reality though, I have Summer Ball tomorrow so I know I'll be drinking again very soon, perhaps I'll be a bit more gentle then.

Pudding Polava

Rebecca and I both really like these cinnamon buns that Lidl do, so I figured I would try my hand at that romantic boyfriend thing and buy us each one for pudding tonight. Imagine my luck when I spotted that there were only two of them left in the entire shop, I snagged them up nice a quick, ain't nobody gonna take away my cinnamon bun! Arriving at the til I noticed that it was that special time of year again, the annual 'Theo forgets his money at the supermarket' event. This time though, there was sometime at stake: The sweet buns. I couldn't just put them back while I dashed off to get my wallet from home, someone was bound to take them.

For the sake of our pudding I plucked up the courage to ask the cashier if she could hold my basket for me and they were actually really cool with that. Guess it happens to a lot of people. It was a situation I expected to be really awkward but it was absolutely painless. Life tip there. A situation is only as awkward as you make it out to be.

The buns tasted like victory though, thanks for asking.

2nd Year 100% Over

Tanked my sound specialism lecture today big time. I finished our initial mix a fair bit ahead of schedule and our lecture asked 'Do you want to do Thursday's lecture today as well?' I figured i might as well because that saves me coming in again, so we mastered the mix and called it a day. I walked home and slowly realized that I am officially done for second year now. No other lectures or commitment left, just a few house parties and the Summer Ball left to go now and that's it for another year. How time flies. This year has gone miles quicker than the first which is a bit of a shame, only just really settled into my bedroom here...

Sounds of Offices

Just me in the sound room today. My course-mate texted me to say he was feeling ill so wasn't coming in so I got a one-on-one tuition session with the uni's sound specialist for tow hours which was really cool. We discussed how to add layers of environmental sounds in order to better sell a scene to an audience. In our example we had a man working in on office so we sourced about 8 different 'officy' sound effects like keyboard typing and air conditioning. Tomorrow I get a chance to mix them all together to hopefully make a convincing sounding scene and make a man at a desk feel and sound like a whole office block.

Getting home I re-started playing the original Witcher game. Since the third game recently came out with rave reviews I figured it was finally time to catch up and play the first two. The Witcher 1 is a bit of a mixed bag at the moment, while the world is wholly convincing and engaging, it feels like an absolute dinosaur to play. I'll stick it out for the sake of completing it though, things can only get better it seems.