Behemoth Burritos

Got a chance to make my behemoth burritos form my folks. We are talking black beans, rice, salsa, sour cream, mince, cheese and even home-made guacamole! Never made guac before but it was easy a pie and super rewarding too, its just mushing avacado and whatever else you want and it will always taste amazing. Its almost a shame that I won't be cooking tomorrow, really got into it all again and making something new every day, I almost got typecast for my meal choices while living in Bournemouth and would often eat the same meal back-to-back since I was cooking solo and that was the most cost effective thing to do. I've always enjoy cooking for others because it forces me to make an effort - and develop my skills. Maybe I'll get a few more chances over the coming weeks.

Chores to be Done

Got on board with a few more household chores seeing as I am currently living back at the homestead. Cleaning and tidying is one of them, so I strapped on my marigolds and dug into the kitchen and the bathrooms. The problem is with the house is that it is generally very clean, so its not hugely gratifying to maintain the status quo, but I did it anyway. Next up was a much more enjoyable task- cooking dinner! And my classic dish, puttanesca was on the menu. Although it tasted a little odd this time around, I blame the fact my folks have gotten increasingly lazy with garlic and are instead just buying garlic paste, which looks and smells like bad milk. I spooned a bit of it in there, but it has no potency whatsoever so the awesome taste of garlic was instead overshadowed by the tartness of the capers. A very middle class thing to moan about, but I want my meals to leave a good impression during my week as chef!

Watched the 3rd episode of Mark Cousins' The Story of Film: An Odyssey which is just as good as I remembered it. His episodes really are insightful and inspiring and really get you pumped to watch more films - a lot more was added onto my watchlist as a result.  

Finally, I committed to finishing off Shovel Knights Plague of Shadows DLC, which was astonishingly good, considering that it was free. Those guys really know what they are doing to evoke that feeling of Saturday morning gaming, while managing to tie in one of the most satisfyingly charming conclusions I have ever seen in a game, again, all this for free. Kicking myself for not finishing it sooner now.

Victoria

Sat down with Dad to watch Victoria, the talk of German film due to it's 'one take' filming philosophy, so everything that happens, occurs without the camera cutting at any point. It's technically very impressive as a result, Birdman also used this style (although not quite as hardcore) to good effect and as a technique, it really does keep you engaged. That said however, I discussed this with Dad post-film, I felt that without the 'one take-ness' of the film, it is otherwise unremarkable as the story is simplistic and the characters are fleshed out to the absolute minimum level where we can say that we care about them. I'm almost in two minds about it. On one hand, it is a huge technical achievement, and the filming style benefits the journey greatly as the audience are in for just as much as a ride as our protagonist - we see every moment in almost real time and I applaud the simplicity of the premise. That said, the film probably wouldn't exist without the restriction imposed upon filming because the story is ultimately only exciting for a first time viewing. Without the restriction they could have likely made a 'better' film (at least on an emotional level), but instead they decided to make an 'impressive' film. A unique design philosophy which pays off, at least somewhat here as it totally succeed in its goal of being a one-take wonder film; and no matter how you splice it, you gotta respect that.

Its almost the same issue with Gravity - both films are roller coasters and technical marvels, but under the hood, they are basic film that might not age well on repeated viewings. 

Fighting back the Hedges

Helped out with a bit of gardening late this morning alongside Granny Sue. Together, we attacked the hedgerows that go along our drive and, while on paper the work seemed quite dull, there is ultimately something quite satisfying about gardening and trimming hedges. A bit later I was up for cooking some schnitzels, and if I had learnt anything from my old housemates this year, it would be the importance of seasoning. Salt and pepper all over each schnitzel and the flavours were much more interesting as a result. While I know its nothing but a glorified pork nugget, they really do make for good dinners.

I'm the Chef

First day back was a day of tidying and unpacking for me. In doing so, I realised that when I move out next, I'll be bringing a lot less stuff with me. I just gotta condense it all down into the necessities in the future - PC, clothes and some knick-knacks.

Signed up to cook some meals over the course of the week for the family. I shot out my specialties and I hope I can deliver the goods. I offered to make my home-made burgers one night and my mega burritos another. It's fair to say that they are a little bit different to the meals that are typically eaten in this house, but with a little like, it will make for a nice change.

No Longer a Student

Truly was my final day as a student today. I packed up all my things and set sail back home to Newbury, never again to be living as a student. I'm going to miss that lifestyle a hell of a lot, but I guess its something I can gently replicate when I'm living away from my parents in the big wide world.

Mum was shocked at actually how clean the hose was when she arrived. She never quite believed all the stories about how hard I cleaned it, so going in with low expectations, she was certainly flabbergasted when she walked in. The extra cleaning only took a few extra hours and then we were on our way back. Hung out with Louis or a bit and coached him on how to play a Sonic game really well - my years of experience are finally paying off!

My First Vote

Did my duty as an 18+ UK citizen today and voted for the first time in my life. Previously I had been plain lazy about voting, admittedly though, I really wanted to have my say during last years general election but I didn't register correctly. Now though, I walked into that polling station with a keen swagger and dropped my polling card into something that looked suspiciously like a bin (the workers assured me it wasn't) and went home. Painless and kinda cool actually, first of many times I guess.

I really wanted to get some smug photo for the blog, but the polling station was really small and there were a lot of grumpy people nearby so I thought it was probably for the best I didn't take a naff selfie.

Lincoln Guest Blog

GUEST WRITER FAMS- ITS YA BOY LwIZZER FROM LONDINEOINE DUNOOOOW

NOW THIS IS A STORY ALL ABOUT HOW
WHAT THEOS SAYING DOWN IN BTOWN
AND I LIKE TO TAKE A MINUTE, JUST SIT AND READ
AND LWITTER GOON PREACH BOUT THEOS DEEDS.
(rap to fresh prince of Bel-air)

I got up early to watch Passion of Joan
but all the different versions got me in a moan  
with all the boys sleeping, I was all alone
so I got out the gloves, and I cleaned up the home
Took bins out - Fred still smelly though
pretty darn sure we got more bags the Bilbo

House part done- Joan still in limbo
I want the right version- but honestly I don't  know
went on the  web- for advice on reddit
some gezzer spat lines up, props and mad credit
Whacked on the telly to catch the footy
Portugal versing the dudes from Hungary
Ronaldo with a flick and a top bins header
watched it 6 times it got better and better  
I saw 6 goals, scored in the first hour
Lincoln missed them all, he was chilling in the shower.

Lincoln catching up on goals mid-shower

No luck with the film, no real conclusion
reddit did help but still no solution
Lincoln made a coffee chilled with ice
with caramel infusion- it was top notch nice
with that being said he negated the sugar
it was a first attempt, not bad for an amateur

After all that my  mates knocked on the door
we watched short films and played cod 4cant really beat that old skool duty 
multiplayer enjoyed with joy and purity
I won of course last minute kill
they might come again for a Mario thrill

Saw Alex`s film- it was  slick and funny
I would pay to see it- show me the money
Then I sent lynx a text- why you so gay
then I went to sleep on the pillow I lay


(Guns noises- brruuuuuuuuuuppppppppp    sound boi what up!!!!! what where do u know me from
you aint that dude, about a week ago- shout out stomzy roll safe what what what- )

Odds and Sods Sorted

My odds and sods day before leaving Bournemouth was highly successful. Woke up and saw Le Boucher an old school French film that I actual kinda dug. Had a very cool title sequence and after that I was hooked and in for this faintly Wicker man inspired thriller which was a real slow burn but was consistently engaging. I also had the best use of an elevator light I've ever seen in film - I don't say that often.

Otherwise I went back into uni to hand in my housemate's expenses claim, pay off my kit hiring fine from my grad film and buy a commemorative Bournemouth Uni hoodie... in the wrong size it turned out. Medium was a bit pokey and i only noticed this after I got home. I also noticed that I was never given a receipt for it, nor did it have a tag on it - they just know the price of hoodies there. Basically, I had no evidence to return the hoodie other than the fact it still smelt like new clothes. Fortunately, a sniff test was never necessary as they flat out exchanged it for a bigger one with zero fuss.

Then I headed to Rebecca's old house to pick up a free Xbox 360. Rebecca's housemate didn't want it anymore so she offered it to me. And before Mum goes 'But you don't need anymore consoles' I rationally decided that I didn't need one either - I did however swipe her controllers which has saved me a lot of cash. A week ago I only had one PC controller, now I have 4! I bought the console back alongside 8 pretty good games and distributed them to my housemates who will get much better use out of them. Felt like Santa Claus in 2006 handing out those treats.

All in all, a successful day. I'll leave with a fun anecdote about yesterday's Game of Thrones episode. It was so good that Lincoln coundn't contain himself once it ended. He was howling and shrieking and generally going nuts about how good it was. He dashed off to go to the loo shortly after, but returned abruptly, stating. 'I couldn't do a poo because I just couldn't sit still thinking about how good that episode was!'

Deadpool

My attempt to go to bed early backfired somewhat last night as I had an exceptionally restless night. I kept waking up repeatedly and somehow woke up more exhausted than I would have liked. Regardless, today was my 'ticking off jobs' day, and I am happy to say that I handed in an expenses claim for my graduate film so I should be getting a bit of dollar back for that. I also saw Deadpool before my other housemates woke up and once again, I have to say that it is nice to get back into the swing of watching films again.

Deadpool was a rather enjoyable superhero film about a foul-mouthed mercenary who is out for revenge. While generally funny, It's jokes are very pop-culture heavy and are aging by the minute. That said, the personality of the characters do shine through the occasionally flat jokes. It's more serious side was also handled quite well and added another dimension typically absent from the other superhero films out there at the moment which was a little refreshing.

Rainy Days for Days

The weather in Bournemouth currently is really getting me down. Its effectively been 4 days of near non-stop rain, its deterring me from going out and doing the last bit of sight seeing I'll get a chance to do. I'd be so much more motivated to commit myself to doing my odds and sods jobs too - I'm going to pop into uni tomorrow to hand in an expenses claim which really shouldn't be a hassle as I have all the receipts I need to get a bit of cash back, but I hear they are extremely tight fisted with their money there. Here hoping I don't clash with a jobs worth.

Another Man Down

One more housemate left us today, we are now a three man house. We all helped Adolphus pack up his bags and tidy up alongside a very heart-felt goodbye. We ran alongside his friends car as they drove up the road and out of our lives. Having less people in the house is a good excuse to tidy up properly though as there are fewer people to mess it all up again, it will certainly take the next few days to whip it back into shape, today we did the kitchen and that place is sparkling now.

Camera Tutorial

After 3 years on the TV course, I can happily say that today was the day I taught myself how to use a broadcast quality camera. Adolphus rented out a Panasonic 371, the same camera we a expected to use in third year, but only a handful of people (those who volunteered to be camera specialists learnt) actually know how to use. Neither of us were experts and had no official teaching, but through YouTube videos and a manuals we marched through and I can happily say that we both know exactly how to use the camera - who would have thunk that we could learnt more independently in an hour than through a few months of teaching.

Begun the great house tidy as well now that peeps are beginning to move back home. We even headed to the pub for a last send-off with whoever was still in Bournemouth. Small group now, but it was cute to say our farewells once more.

I Just Wanted Food

There are bad dinners, and then there are bad dinners as I discovered earlier. Being the frugal soul that I am, Lincoln and I decided to eat only things that we could scavenge from the larder today. Everyone is moving out so food needs eating up was our reasoning. Luckily, this story doesn't include any stale food, but rather a lot of potatoes. We wanted to make chips out of them so I painstakingly hand cut each potato into fries and thought it would be wise to boil them before popping them in the over. Overcooked the hell out of them in the pot however, so instead I gave up the remaining good chips so Link could have a nice meal while I opted to make mash out of the remaining mush. Skin on mash ensued, and it was rather lumpy too. One thing could save it though: gravy! Screwed that one up too though as Lidl's gravy doesn't really like dissolving very much. So I had a lumpy bowl of mash with bitty gravy - think it's time I went out for the weekly shop.

Bye, Bye, Rebs (For Now)

Waved farewell to Rebecca as she piled onto the bus with more suitcases than she could carry - bless her socks. As I've been saying over the past week, more and more people are slowly filtering away from Bournemouth, I've still got a few of my housemates kicking around, but it will certainly be a little bit quieter without Rebecca down South. 

Movies are the things my housemates and I wished we watched more of together so we are trying to cram as many in now as possible. In honour of Lincoln, the man who made a half an hour crime noir as his graduate project, I elected to show him The Secret in Their Eyes. I just knew it was up his alley, as soon as it finished we just walked away in silence while my third housemate tried to cheapen the ending by literally picking his nose loudly after walking in 15 minutes before the conclusion. Despite that distraction, I was astounded by how much more I saw in that film the third time around, the performances and the script are so dense, yet so tight, it was like watching it for the first time all over again.

Bye Rebecca's House!

Treated my housemates to a few episodes of Firefly early this morning and now they are hooked. Struggling to cone up with a good schedule to fit in all the remaining episodes before we all leave, but we will manage with what we got. Spending the last ever night at Rebecca's uni house tonight and I will miss the place probably more than she will - I'm sentimental about houses like that. Not gonna miss her kitchen though, pokey little place that, but its been a good home for her and it'll be weird to never set foot in this house again.

Two Year Anniversary

Bacon sandwiches are a great way to kick off your two year anniversary with your girlfriend. Spent the day with Rebecca watching Game of Thrones and heading into town to try out an Italian restaurant Trip Advisor recommended - had one of the best calzones there along with a very nice taste of Rebecca's tiramisu. We then hit up The Martian when we got back home and decidedly kinda liked it. Didn't set our world on fire, but it was very engaging and made for a good watch for two sci-fi lovers.

One more Summer Ball

Had a rocking time at my second, and last Summer Ball. Went along with Rebecca and my housemates to loudly enjoy our final big evening together by doing typical studenty things like riding bumper cars and dancing to house music. We got back super late and then spent the majority of today recovering. Later on though, the boys of Frederica all got together to have one last night all together. Since Simon made a surprise appearance, we thought we would honour the occasion with a pseudo kumbaya session around a laptop with several sad songs. Tears were shed by one or two of the lads.

Mini Golf Blunder

Took Rebecca out for a little activity day in Bournemouth Town Centre. It started off with a quick bit of clothes shopping, I bought myself some new sunglasses while Rebecca returned a dress, this was the warm up, shortly we headed into the main event: Mini Golf!

We each bet a small wager on the game to spice things up further, loser had to pay for the other persons drink at lunchtime. At first I tried to act coy, this should have been an easy win, but alas, my putting skills left something to be desired and Rebecca was victorious. We headed to the Cosy Club after for a tasty lunch and Rebs was treated with a berry smoothie; lucky girl.

Mentally preparing myself for Summer ball tomorrow. The prospect of getting drunk by mid-day is surprisingly uninviting, even as a ex-student. Just gonna go with the flow and enjoy my last social event in Bournemouth, its all I can do really.

Blade Runner Hate

Seeing as my housemates are slowly leaving, we are trying to get through our 'film bucket list.' Got through two of the today! My Neighbour Totoro and Blade Runner. The latter was almost unanimously hated by everyone that wasn't me, and I know from experience that trying to single handedly defend a film is one of the most thankless tasks out there. Rebs hated it more than the others which was a bit of a blow, hoping to patch things up over mini-golf tomorrow though.

The Bank Dick

Did something I'd never done before this morning: watch a W.C. Fields film. And boy was it the perfect exams of a time capsule. The Bank Dick has aged really crudely and the comedy was pretty light overall. I guess it went down a treat when it came out in 1940, but it pales in comparison to any of its contemporaries. Charlie Chaplin and Keaton rocked the silent age and Duck Soup is still a great talking comedy so I'm not really sure what the appeal is for this film. Need to read into it a bit more perhaps.

Waited up at the coach station to welcome Rebecca back into Bournemouth. We had a very easy going evening full if stir fry and Mario Kart. Going to be enjoying the company of Rebecca a bit more over the next week as she will be leaving for the summer very soon.

Left the Heating On

It was hot in Bournemouth today, uncomfortably hot. Woke up with a parched throat and a desperate need to shed my duvet. My housemate, in his infinite wisdom, decided to also leave the heating on all of last night so my room was like a sauna when I woke up, and even now, it hasn't properly cooled off.

Found myself suckered into completing the final chapter of the Witcher games too. Blood and Wine marked the end of my time with Geralt, and it was a bittersweet send off. About a year ago I decided to give the first game a proper visit and I am immensely glad I did. It kick started my love for the character and the world and now its a little sad knowing that it is basically all over now. Need to get my hands on the second book now.

Game of Applications

The job hunt has officially begun. Updated my CV and covering letters to accommodate the extra bits of work experience I had done since last Summer and now it's looking more prestigious than ever. And speaking of prestigious, the first place I applied for is very worthy indeed. A course-mate shared a way to get in touch with the production company responsible for Game of Thrones and in the notice they are asking for quite a few roles to be filled - on of which was for a sound trainee. Fingers crossed for that one because it would be huge, not entirely expecting to get it but it's good to aim big at this stage, then work down.

Took a short spell away to hang out, once again, with the TV crowd, this time at a really pleasant BBQ/bonfire evening. It was the definition of chill. I took up responsibility of looking after the fire and we all just had a light boozer in the garden until the sun went down. Clothes reek of smoke now, but it was worth it for the chats and laughs we shared.

Farewell Simon

Tended to the upkeep of the house after our gathering the other day. It was still on the re-bound from the party the house suffered a few weeks ago, but I've done everything in my power to bring it back to order, mopping the floors was a good choice too as it had been sticky for ages.

Said a very tearful farewell to Simon today as well. I say tearful, we are men so we don't cry until it all sinks in hours later. I hugged him and waved him off, he remained shirtless the whole time in true Simon fashion, ever when his Mum loaded him into the car, he was just there in a pair of shorts and sandals. Such a geezer.

Beginnings of Departures

Now that we have had our TV awards night, People are tarting to drop like flies. We held a small celebration last night to mark the leaving of two other people from TV, their ain't kicking around til Summer Ball so they have already packed their bags. Bizarre to think that the crowd is slowly shrinking, it wasn't that long ago that we were all perfect strangers to one another, now its weird thinking of a future without them nearby. Simon is leaving tomorrow too, he was the first one to move in besides myself and it will definitely be sad to close the door on him.  

BATVA Awards

Attended the final award ceremony as a year group last night. It's probably the last time we will all see each other for gradation so it was a bittersweet event. I was nominated for several awards last night, and I am massively proud to say that by public vote, I won 'Best Sound' and 'Man of the Match' AKA: The Golden Boy. I was really touched by both of these, because way back in first year I felt like a little bit of an underdog. Because I didn't live in Halls, not a lot of people really knew me or hang out with me. Not to say I fought my way to the top like Rocky, but I'm so pleased that everyone appreciates my hard work and was there to cheer me on.

A small quote from Everybody's Wear Sunscreen flashed into my mind at some point last night as I looked around the bunch of incredibly talented people that surrounded me.

'For as the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young'


I knew that for some of us, it would be our last meeting, but each and every one of them has left a huge impression on me and I'm sure I'll be remembering them for the years to come.

Good job to whoever used this designing for our trophies - very cool.

 We danced the night away as a group and this morning, and even now, I am finding myself in agony from the amount of dancing I did. My legs and mind is shattered and its time for me to go to bed.

Playing in the Sun

While it sprung up on me, I was called up on a near final uni filming job: getting sound for a short film of all our lecturers saying goodbye to us. We have our award ceremony tomorrow evening and we all thought it would make for a nice ending/send-off for all of us. Fortunately, none of the lecturers said anything corny, in fact, most of them were quite funny and down to earth, looking forward to seeing the final piece tomorrow.

When filming was done though, I got to walk back through a very gloomy Bournemouth. It was so grey today! Below is Simon opting t stand in for a moody photo of how grim it was.

Well, Mum always said I should go play in the sun more often. Good thing the new Witcher Expansion pack hit my computer earlier today, spent the rest of my day roaming around the South of France inspired wonderland of that game, and it was bloody marvelous. Here's a snapshot of the sun-drenched world, notice how different it is to the Simon pic?