Informal Cake

Watching Bake-Off on Tuesday probably inspired the idea for me to bake a cake this afternoon. I made my classic coffee cake following Mary Berry's recipe, although when I finished it was looking a little more 'informal' than my previous attempts. The icing was just so runny! I went to cut a slither for a taste after letting it all set for a few hours, and the whole thing oozed all over the show. I've stuck it in the fridge overnight hoping that it'll be nice and firm for Friday lunchtime.

Together, Edith Finch, Dunkirk

After 6 long years of days about talking about literally swatting flies or over-boiling eggs on this blog, you know, the gripping features of everyday life, I actually think I have too much to share for one blog post. Stick with me though and I'll try and give it my best shot to squeeze it all in.

Probably the coolest bit first, the trailer for the film I worked on in July has landed. Didn't expect to see it this early actually, but the announcement came up in my inbox and I have to say, it's looking pretty good. Here's the official website with the trailer. Make sure to watch the video in the highest quality as possible, Mika was excellent on the camera and it shows.  

I also successfully edited my latest video review on my laptop. It all got a bit hairy at one point as it all froze just as I was about to export it, and I hadn't saved the project once. I couldn't believe my luck when I spotted the back-up folder Premiere automatically made. Anyway, without further delay, here is my latest video review for What Remains of Edith Finch, an excellent little PC game:

 

Also went out to see Dunkirk which I would compare most to United 93 in that they were both event driven films without a real central character. As such, Dunkirk already gives itself a bit of a glass ceiling in terms of how much you can really get involved and care about the action,. sure there are a lot of cool looking shots and insanely loud explosions, but without characters to back it up, there weren't any stakes to keep you invested in it all.

Speaking of those 'cool looking shots,' I felt like the whole film romanticised the event a little to much too. Everything was a little too 'period' and it occasionally looked like they were constantly looking for new and epic ways to shoot extras drowning to justify the IMAX cameras. It lost of lot the gritty-ness as a result and I found myself being taken away from the scene, rather than being immersed in it.

The slipping time-line thing it tries sounds really clever on paper, but in practise it doesn't add a whole lot to the piece outside expanding the existence of multiple mini stories. It feels like a bit of a missed opportunity as it seldom does anything of interest with the idea; Nolan used to be the master of this too.

In retrospect though, it's a film I did enjoy watching, but I don't enjoy the thought of having to re-watch it any-time soon. There's a ride at Thorpe Park called 'X No Way Out,' whenever you describe it to a friend it sounds like the best thing ever, but when they ask you to ride it with them again you always say you'd rather go on Inferno. Dunkirk is worth the experience for sure, but Nolan is capable of so much more.

Editing Nightmares

Woke up feeling a bit bogus, and that feeling stuck with me for the rest of the day. Really tried to go all out and edit together a new video but got stuck with multiple hurdles, despite being more prepped to edit a video than ever before. Spent most of the day trying to resolve the issues and ended up compromising and resorting to using my laptop to getting the job done which was far from ideal. I got so miffed at the situation I felt like I just had to step back from it all and continue tomorrow. So, with any luck I should be putting up a new video soon after being out of commission for ages.

Reb's Work Chums

Headed to Rebecca's old workplace of Foyles for a coffee and a browse. She got a chance to meet up again with all her old work chums which was nice, provisionally arranged a games night next weekend with them too so that's really nice.

Once we got back we advanced a little bit with Twin Peaks and chilled out, good use of a Bank Holiday.

Stranger Remarks

Its was a glorious day today. I know this because I passed by an especially happy dude on a bike who said 'Man, lovely day isn't it?' The fact that a stranger was so enamored by the weather he had to to blurt it out to the nearest passer just made me smile. Rebecca and I had a mini picnic and reading session in our nearby park to soak up the rays. Once we came back we prepped a roast dinner which was a big hit, both the chicken and the roasties came out twice as good as ever before. Like I said, it was a glorious day today.

Retail Park Funtime

Spent my Saturday at a nearby retail park, and aside from some dodgy looking seagulls, it was a surprisingly fun thing to do. Rebecca is in the market for a new laptop so we popped into PC World just so she could see some of the newer models. I dragged my feet a bit before heading in because I feel like those kind of shops almost prey on the technologically ignorant, but if you treat it as a showroom only then its all good.

We are also in the market for a new mattress so we headed into a handful of different shops, and each and every shop assistant saw how uncomfortable I was in putting my feet totally up on the beds - my whole life, I've never put my feet on a bed with shoes on so of course I'm not totally conditioned for that. Here's a shot of Rebecca trying out a bed while mocking the sequin pillows, frankly I don't blame her.

Last place we visited was a bit of a treat for me. While I was growing up, there was always one shop Mum and Dad would never take Louis and me, and now I know why. Toys R Us must be absolute torture to go around with your kids and its not worth the impending arguments about 'Why can't I have this toy?!' As a grown man though, I still felt a bit of its pull, but I had the will power to resist... Well almost.

At long last, I got myself a legit fidget spinner after my one from France broke, for the past 3 weeks its been my white whale, but I can now give up the hunt. I spun it the rest if the way his without regrets.

Pretty Woman

So I can at long last say that I have seen Pretty Woman, my Mum will finally accept me as one of her own. Rebecca and I went to Bristol Zoo for an open air showing of the film, which is a really cool way to watch any movie if you don't mind bringing your own chair or getting a bit chilly.

And there is Rebecca, thinking she's hilarious and getting in my picture - still you'll get a sense of the vibe there.

As for the film, it was OK. Didn't really have any strong opinions on it one way or the other. I liked it, but not enough to recommend it over other rom-coms.

Broadchurch S1 Complete

At long last, the covering letter is complete, and that freed me up to have a really nice evening in with Rebecca. Finished up the first series of Broadchurch which was pretty good, certainly worth a watch if your into crime dramas - I'm recommending it to all 1 if you who haven't seen it yet as I already feel a bit late to the party.

Planned our dinner for tomorrow too as its going to be a picnic at Bristol Zoo! We got tickets to an outdoor screening of Pretty Woman (a film I still haven't seen) and we wanted to bring some big nibbles along too. Hopefully we won't get glares for eating crisps too loudly, but I'll try my best to stick to the code.

C'mon Covering Letter

Covering letter is so, so close to going out now. Just doing one final pass on it and then its out of my life.

Rounded up a good crowd for playing Overwatch this evening. Haven't spoken to Dan in ages, and Sam even popped in for a round - he's just moved to Norway for his studies but he seems to have settled in just fine.

The Perfect Covering Letter

Found myself pondering over my covering letter for a few hours longer than I would have liked. Basically, I've found this job with a  position that sounds ideal for me, so I'm just trying to make sure the letter conveys everything I need it to. I want it to be perfect basically so it will probably take me a little while longer

After pontificating for ages, Rebecca called me up and asked if I wanted to head to the pub with some of her old work friends. Of course I said yes as it meant getting out of the house. Ended up having a swell time, I bought 'pass the pigs' with me, but we all had such a good chat I never needed to bust it out.

2017 Eclipse

Swanned down to Wildseed to help Mark out with a bit of voice recording for background chatter. Rebecca and I basically pretended to spot something nasty going on and start calling the police. I really got into it and it made a nice change of pace to a usual Monday. Plus Mark bought me lunch so that was cool.

Went up Brandon hill to get a look at the 'Partial Eclipse' the UK was due today, 'Partial' being the key word. Let's just say the yanks got the better end of the deal, as in Bristol, there was literally no-one looking out for it, there was no real buzz, and the eclipse was a bit of a let-down. Still cool to get out and say I tried to get involved though.

Salmon To Go

Hung out with Rebecca's folks and her Nan for the most part today while enjoying some cooked salmon as our Sunday Roast. Filled me up for the long ride back to Bristol, the whole way back I state red to make a mental check list for all the jobs I want to get done tomorrow. Got jobs to apply for, a newsletter article to finish, and an ADR session at Wildseed with Mark, busy but good day tomorrow I hope!

Plenty of Potatoes

Helped out setting up an prepping a potato salad for Rebecca's Mum's BBQ. Peeled around 40 potatoes and put a whole lotta chicken onto the grill, ended up with a real feast on our hands. Rebecca got a chance to see some of her old friends from school, one of which is headed basically to Amsterdam to finish her studies so it was a nice send off for her too.

Running Late for the Coach

After challenging Louis at one final round of Smash Brothers, I left sunny Bournemouth to coach it down to London. Mum was leaving it a bit late to drive me down to the station, but that didn't really matter so much since the coach was 45 minutes late. Plus I was 99% sure that I sat next to a low level drug dealer during the ride. Alarm bells started ringing once I notices he had two phones, both of which were ringing constantly and one was a burner. I've seen The Wire so I know what was going down. Got a bit of shut eye though and aside from a whiney kid behind me, the journey was painless. Tucked in Rebecca's comfy bed now and ready to sleep very well.

Cartoon Scripting

Booked my coach ticket down to London so I can meet up with Rebecca for her Mum's Birthday BBQ. Been a long time since I've caught a bus from Bournemouth station, can't say its ever strictly been a pleasure, but it will make me feel lime a student all over again as I wait for my coach to pull in.

Louis and I got round to writing the first draft script for his new cartoon show. We had a legit good time writing it, and several moments had us howling with laughter. Really was amazing to get back in the saddle of writing scripts, even if I was just on the sidelines for this one, its great to be a part of the creative process.

Transforming Bournemouth

Hadn't been down to Bournemouth town centre in a while, but it was crazy to see how much had changed. The new cinema is enormous and the tourist trap of a hot air balloon had vanished. Even with all the changes, it was nice to get lunch at a constant favourite: South Coast Roast. Only ever had coffee there before, but the food was stellar.

Dabbled in making burgers again and knocked it out of the park thanks to a little help from a local butchers who hooked me up with some chuck steak mince. Cooked it out on the BBQ too and they went down a treat for the family.

Sonic Mania

Anyone who knows me knows that I love playing Mario games. I grew up playing his adventures and running around in his shoes, relishing every second. Anyone who really knows me however, knows that I loved Sonic the Hedgehog before I was even introduced to the Italian plumber.

Perhaps more than anything else, the games of Sonic the Hedgehog, and the Sega Megadrive as a whole, taps into my very earliest memories of playing video games in the attic with my Dad. Of all the games we owned then, Sonic was easily in my favourites and over the years I have found myself returning to his games over and over, each time rekindling warm memories of my very early years. And as cheesy as it sounds, those old Sonic games really do have a special place in my heart.

It was remarkable then, for Sonic Mania, a game released today, in 2017, to give me the same feeling as the Sonic classics. Its such a faithful and energetic reimagining of the Sonic games, its impossible not to get totally swept away if you have any fondness for the older games. I got up early to play this one, and I don't regret it at all. So perhaps I'm a little biased, but Sonic Mania had me smiling all the way through and brought back some of the long forgotten love I had for Sonic.

Winton is Memory Lane

Rebecca and I had a little mince around Winton highstreet, which has literally transformed to memory lane for us both. We pointed out our favourite take-aways and tried to remember all the shops that had now closed down, exchanging our experiences of our time there. Of course, no trip to Winston would be complete without popping into G&T's to admire the tat. I think I found the Holy Grail too:

While it's not the most tasteless gnome I've ever seen, the visual image of it just makes me cringe and chuckle at the same time. Who honestly thought this was a good idea, because I absolutely love it.


Rebecca had to shoot of back to Bristol, but I'm sticking around in Bournemouth for a spell longer though as its always nice to spend some holiday time with the fam.

Okja

Trekker down to Bournemouth and ended the night watching Okja, Netflix's proudest feature film to date. Its a film with a loaded environmental message about a Korean girl and her hybrid wonder pig, its being threatened to get taken away and she fights for it to come back home, rather than heading to the slaughterhouse.

On a bad day, I would probably say the film targeted the core Netflix audience of millenials from the beginning and was preachy for the sake of sounding intelligent. In reality, it didn't add anything new to the conversation of animal rights, gave a quick spit shine the subject.

Several character were also irritating and badly written. Jake Gyllenhaal, I love you man, but your character here was diabolical. At least he looked like he was having fun.

On a good day though, I would say the relationship between the girl and the pig did eventually win me over, but it took a long time for that to happen. Hard time really recommending this one unless it really sounds like your cuppa.

Harper's BBQ

Went over to the Harper's house for a mega chill birthday party / BBQ. Ended up having a few drinks while playing a bit of rounders - a game I haven't played in a fair few years. Since the Harper's are a friendly bunch, there was a decent crowd playing so it didn't matter so much when I was terrible at batting, which was all the time. Sung happy birthday and tucked into some amazing cake baked by Mikey's fiancé, perfect way to end a Saturday evening.

Back From Bagnol

After just over a week of eating baguettes and drinking wine, I have returned to the significantly colder country I call home, but what an amazing trip. I've been kayaking under the bridge on the 5 euro note, went 121 meters down into a gorgeous cave and made a delicious selection of macrons with a local baker. And all the while I got to hang out with the excellent Youth for Europe lot.

Today was my recovery day as I decided against sleeping on the final night and just decided to muscle through and sleep on the plane. Suffice to say, the tiredness caught up with me very quickly, but I'm feeling a lot fresher now than I did yesterday after we flew back.

I'll be doing a big old write up of the whole trip in the next week or so, plus I'm still waiting for people to dump their pictures onto Facebook for me to use. For now though, enjoy this one of me holding up a finished batch of macrons while my face wasn't quite ready for the photo.