Top Games of 2018

2018 has been a bit of a twisty turny year for the industry. From the sad news of Tell Tale Games closing down to reading about IGN firing one of their reviewers for plagiarism, there's never been a dull moment on my news feed. In terms of games though, its been pretty steady if occasionally unremarkable. In some cases you have to look a little bit harder to find some true gems, especially since 2018 marks the year when Battle-Royale games exploded in popularity with Fortnite leading the charge. So in the spirit of a Battle-Royale, it felt apt to whittle down and rank the best games of 2018 until only ten were left standing - here is that list:

10. Overcooked 2

I put the original game on my best of 2016 list and this sequel serves up more of a good thing. Up to four players take charge of a restaurant as you collectively cook and prepare orders. While it starts off friendly enough, the kitchen inevitably falls into chaos as chopping boards teleport around the workplace, ingredients fall into lava and your girlfriend drops a completed dish into a swamp. Friendships will be tested since communication and cooperation are the only means you and your team-mates can rely on if you want to successfully get through the 40+ levels. If you were a fan of the first then its an easy recommendation, but with an easier difficulty level overall I could argue this one is better suited to newcomers. Either way, get some friends round, get a few beers in and boot this game up and you're guaranteed to have a good time.

9. Donut County

If a more charming game than Donut County came out this year then I'd like to see it.The concept is irresistibly daft: You play as a hole that goes around eating things, the more you eat the bigger you get, so you'll start off nibbling on sticks and flower pots before you start devouring barnyards and airplane hangers. It would be horrific if it weren't for the happy-go-lucky tone of the game which keeps your conscious clear while you separate a families to sate the hole. Beyond this though, the game has an almost meditative quality since it's simply relaxing to clean the screen of objects and messiness. Like any good doughnut, the game is short but sweet and its hard to resist going back for another helping.  


8. Guacamelee 2

 The Luchador Juan returns in this brawling metroid-vania. Instead of whips and axes you'll be doing suplexes and uppercuts to get through hoards of the undead in order to save the 'Mexiverse.' Yes, the game's story is written with it's tongue buried deep in its cheek, but the demanding gameplay is no joke. Combat sections can be as tough as they are flashy and dimension hopping platforming will challenge even veterans of the genre. Guacamelee 2 doesn't shake things up enough to feel like a truly great sequel, but if you liked the first game then there's a lot to love here. 


7. GRIS

An elegant puzzle-platformer with a truly gentle level of difficulty, GRIS puts an emphasis on the player journey. The gameplay and story are intentionally minimalist but you will feel a real sense of flow and purpose as you accompany the nameless singer on her journey to bring colour back to a monochrome world. The music and the artwork are the things that'll really keep you pushing forward through this gorgeous world. Every new zone is stunning and the game has a wonderful habit of surprising you with it's wonder every ten minutes. The world is a beautiful place, and GRIS is all about reconnecting with that truth.



6. Octopath Traveler

 

A delight for the eyes and ears, this RPG centres around the tales of 8 distinct characters as they learn about their place in the world. While it lacks a cohesive story that involves all the characters, the combat is what keeps me coming back. Each character has their own class and the innovative 'break system' gives each battle a compelling tug-of-war rhythm, once you've mastered the combat it becomes remarkably rewarding. If you've got an old school RPG itch that has gone for years unscratched, then this is just the ticket.

5. The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit

The game is a playable day-in-the-life of Chris, a young boy who believes he has superpowers. While Chris loves to indulge in his fantasy world, the reality of his life is truly painful. An alcoholic Father and an uprooted school-life are just some of the tragedies Chirs has had to endure, and by exploring Chris' household you may begin to understand why he's chosen a life of escapism. It's impressive just how easily the game taps into themes of innocence and imagination and it may very well remind you of your own childhood and the make-believe games you used to play on a lazy Saturday morning. What makes this experience even more impressive is its price tag of nothing. You can download and play this game for free right now.


4. Super Smash Bros Ultimate

Boasting a roster of 76 fighters, it makes all those photo-shopped 'dream character select screens' from the Internets golden days look modest. Everyone really is here in the biggest Smash Bros game ever and this comprehensive installment offers the most polished gameplay in the entire series. Between fighting (online and off), completing challenges and playing through the all new 'World of Light' adventure mode, there is an overwhelming amount of content here. With even more fighters promised in the future, this one is sure to keep multiplayer fans happy for a very long time. 


3. Celeste

I hasn't been since Super Meat Boy that I've sworn so loudly while playings 2D platformer. As Madeline, you are blindly determined to climb Celeste mountain, even though an old lady warns you that bizarre things occur to those who try scale it. As Madeline learns about herself, so too will you discover how far you are willing to push yourself to complete some fiendishly difficult platforming sections alongside ever evolving game mechanics that'll engage your brain and challenge your thumbs in all the right ways...

Also her best friend is called Theo, so I may be a little biased with this one.

2. Florence

Even as I'm writing this, it's a little difficult for me to fathom putting a mobile game so high on this list, but after a lot of reflection it does more than enough to earn such a high spot here. You join a young woman called Florence who is stuck in a monotonous daily routine, pretty quickly though she starts to develop a crush on a local busker and both of their lives start to change rapidly. All of Florence's story and gameplay is expressed through simple tap and swipe motions - you'll assemble puzzle pieces to hold small talk or shake around polaroid pictures to develop holiday memories. While simplistic, its the message that each action conveys that really drives the experience home since each chapter of the game is paired with an emotional truth, some will warm and others will break your heart. The fact it can be played on your phone means it's genuinely accessibility and its universal themes of love and loss means that is truly a game that anyone can play an appreciate.

1. God of War

This is a story about a Father and Son. Sure you get to decapitate some demons along the way, but the game never loses sight of that core relationship which grows organically across the adventure. You travel across a wildrenss steeping in Norse mythology to spread your wife's ashes atop the highest mountain in all the realms, but even this seemingly innocuous task is fraught with peril and has attracted the likes of malicious Norse Gods. It's also a game which is greater than the sum of it's parts, the combat is good but not great and the upgrade system doesn't feel immediately impactful, but none of that manages to tarnish the heart of this remarkable game. Brutal, cinematic and powerful it's my pick for the best of the year.

Famous Faces and Other Games

For the last time this Christmas I returned to Newbury for a one-off day to spend a bit of time with Mum's side of the family. Its the biannual get together where I see several members of my extended family and eat a buffet lunch which comprised of Dad's great coronation chicken and some petite cheeses, although if you ask some folks I apparently cut the brie totally wrong. Nevertheless we all had a good time playing a smattering of party games like name game, catch phrases and the infamous favourite: famous faces. The turnout was a bit smaller this year round, but as a result the event didn't feel cramped, nor did the games feel bloated with players. It turned out to be a really good mix this year and spirits were notably higher all round.

Spicy Countryside

After setting Rebecca's sat nav to Welsh mode (awful accent not included) we headed west to soak up the countryside. Rebecca got a new pair of walking boots she wanted to break in so we visited a Tower and some Roman baths as part of our Cadw membership - gotta make the most of it before it expires next month.

Seeing as I wasn't the one driving for three hours, I opted to do some cooking and rustled up a pad Thai. Usually that's Rebecca's signature dish but I added a few little spins to it. Mostly I rubbed in some chilli salt into the chicken and added a few dashes of sriracha for good measure. Hot sauce is definitely my new thing for 2019.

Happy Feet

Don't know why we were so busy at work today, guess its that funny period between Christmas and New Year were people are milling about, you would have thought people would have the decency to do that at home. At least I got to put my new work shoes through their paces and they are a total life saver. A college moaned about how their feet were hurting just as we finished and I just smiled a knowing smile as I though about my happy little toes tucked into a new shoe. Today also technically marks my last working day for 2018 since I'm not on shift again until New Year's Day, I got some small plans in between though so I won't be twiddling my thumbs too much.

Missing Christmas

While I know Christmas Day has been and gone, it didn't truly feel like Christmas was over until I left my parents and my Grandparents this evening. Grandma Margaret came back home with us last night and it's always nice to catch up with her especially. I bumped into her early this morning and we made a cup of tea together and that was a nice moment. With a heavy heart I bid farewell to everyone and it got me thinking about the holidays overall. In the whole run up to Christmas I didn't even remotely feel like celebrating, but now that its over my heart ached for just a little bit longer with my family. A chance to play games with Louis, help Mum with the jigsaw or do a bit of cooking with Dad, all these things came and went in the blink of an eye. I'm already looking forward to next year just so I can do all those things again.

Boxing Day 2018

Most of today was spent in the car heading to and from our Uncle and Auntie's house to meet up with the other half of the family. After eating nothing but gravy-soaked meats recently, they dished up a dinner that really hit the spot in the form of a nice curry! Not a traditional Boxing Day dinner but I was so ready to dig into something with a bit of spice. I got gifted even more items for my ever-growing Christmas hamper: more coffer, chocolate and hot sauces to take home with me - 2019 is looking like the year where I finally invite chilli sauce into my life as a permanent resident.

Happy Christmas 2018!

Here we are again, another Christmas Day. Decidedly a bit more of a quiet affair this year as it was only Mum, Dad, Louis and Granny Sue round to share the festivities with. It was relaxing to take everything down a gear though and just camp out by the fire watching Dad's Army and snippets of The Muppets Christmas Carol.

In particular, the food my parents rustles up this year was really superb. I mean they always do a good job, but today everything tasted so good, from the glazed gammon for breakfast, down to the cranberry sauce with the turkey. I certainly got my fill anyway, although now that I think about it, I could have gone for thirds on Christmas pudding.

Present wise, I got a swanky electric toothbrush (because I'm an adult now) followed by a good little travel coffee cup and a lot if Vietnamese goodies. Also got a copy of Codename Pictures which I managed to get the whole family involved with - happy to say it went down well too! All the gifts I gave out were hits too, I got Dad a whetstone to sharpen his kitchen knives and Mum got a collection of wooden Nordic Elves which she proudly displayed almost immediately, and not just to humour me.

It crazy to think about not only how quickly the day came to an end, but also how quickly Christmas has come back round again this year. Feels like only yesterday I was wishing my family a Merry Christmas as I toddled off to bed, its been quite a busy year for me in many ways but I feel so privileged to be able to spend some quality time with my family.

To everyone reading, I hope you got the Christmas you were hoping for and that the day didn't go too quickly before you got a chance to show the people closest to you how much they mean to you. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve 2018

Literally, never felt jollier at the start of work today. All three of us on shift were greeting people with genuinely warm smiles, offering seasons greetings and wishing them a Merry Christmas as they left. It was going to be a quiet day today so if we pace out the cheer, they day will be lovely. Then we got monstrous busy and that cheer evaporated immediately.

Just about managed to push through the day though and I ran home to hop on a train back to Newbury. Got back just in time for the Christmas party and a big old glass of mulled wine. Feeling super festive now and ready for the big day tomorrow. Can't wait for a big slap up meal and some quality time on the sofa.

Skinny Latte Man

Guess I should cone out and say it, I haven't been feeling even remotely Christmassy this year. After the roaring success of last years 'Quest for Christmas' I thought I could rest on my laurels and the seasons cheer would flow through me effortlessly. In reality, I feel as festive as a tea bag. That was until about lunchtime today at work...

One of our most frequent regulars is a chap we've dubbed 'Skinny Latte Man'. He popped in today, ordered his usual and a college went off to give him his coffee, she returned holding a rather large present and a glum look in her face. After chatting with him, she discovered that he comes in often because he used to come in all the time with a good friend, who sadly died of cancer earlier in the year. Coming to Coffee #1 is his own little way of staying close to that friend and reminding himself of all the good times they spent together. The present he offered was to thank all of us for being consistently warm, friendly and accommodating whenever he comes in. He got us a box of Milk Tray and its fair to say that none of us were expecting a present like that, and this particular act really touched me. While I know that Christmas is the season of giving, this moment reminded me that Christmas is a chance for all of us to be the best possible version of ourselves and to offer thanks to one another for all the good times shared throughout the year. That spark for the goodness of the human spirit returned to me for the first time this December after that humbling act, so much so that I even found myself involuntarily singing Christmas songs while washing up. Thank you Skinny Latte Man, I'm now even more eager to get home and spend some quality time with my family this year.

Chris-SMASH Once Again

Got up bright and early to go to work today, initially I was dreading it but it turned out to be a really good day. There was a real sense of synergy within the team at work and that was refreshing and a little invigorating. Ran home from work so I could hop in the car with Rebecca to head home to Newbury for a whistle stop tour (literally had time for a haircut and a coffee) before tripping out to Reading to participate in 'Su-Beer ChrisSMASH Bros' our friend's Smash Bros tournament. Probably was one if the best Smash events I've been to with that lot, the games were hype and the energy levels were incredibly high. Walked out holding the trophy (retained my title!) And now I'm on the midnight express home to Bristol.

Been a long old day, but I'm immensely glad I made the effort to make the trip all the way out and back again. Got to see Mark and Dan again for the last time before Christmas so I got to wish them a merry one, that pair have recently shown to me the importance of our friendship and that's something I truly value - hope they both have a very Merry Christmas!

Prezzies Done and Dusted

And with that, all my Christmas shopping is done. Went out with Louis and Rachel to pick up presents for the last few people on our lists and boy is it a liberating feeling. Even though my cold was in full force this morning, I've felt myself getting better throughout the day - a big cheese on toast lunch probably had something to do with that.

Got a big day ahead of me tomorrow, got to open up the coffee shop early doors, then I'm headed to Newbury for our Smash Bros tournament... And coming back to Bristol in the same night - ready for it!

Suffering Onna Sofa

I can't remember the last time I had as bad a nights sleep as I had last night. My nose was bunged and my eyes were watering for ages so my breathing pattern was all over the place, I got to 1am without sleep so I got up to have a little walk about the living room before trying again to get back in bed. Another hour went by, still not asleep. I got up again, sat down on the sofa and closed my eyes. Next thing I know I hear Rebecca calling my name as she find me in my pants huddled up on the sofa with a throw over me - not my best look by any means, but at least I got some kip.

The cold got progressively worse while I was at work and all I wanted to do was cuddle up on the sofa under the Christmas tree. Thankfully, that's exactly what I got to do once I got home and Rebecca and I even exchanged gifts, I got a lovely navy suit jacket which I actually cannot wait to wear. Going to look very swish at the next function I'm heading too!

For now though, I must do battle with sleep once more, I'm so shattered after last night I should just conk right out, but I guess we'll see...

Christmas Cold

Felt a little bit cruddy as I walked into work, I chalked it up to simply feeling just a bit homesick around Christmas, but then about halfway through the day I literally felt my throat go from normal to sore in about 60 seconds. Then I started sneezing. Then my eyes started watering. Think I've got a Christmas cold.

To combat the naffness in my sinuses I invited Louis and Rachel round for a super mini Christmas thing with a half roast for dinner followed by plenty of Smash Brothers. Louis brought with him a recommendation for some Christmas jazz to play during social events and the moment he left I begun downloading the soundtrack to A Charlie Brown's Christmas - just what I've been looking for this year!

Hole in my Shoe

The Young Ones popularised the track Hole In My Shoe and it was all I could hear in my head while I walked into work, mostly because I was experiencing the lyrics in a very literal sense as my shoe was indeed letting in water. I wrung my sock out once I got to work and the water was jet black, I very nearly nipped into the nearest charity shop to buy another dry sock to wear on shift.

Dampness aside, My evening turned out to be a warming experience since we went out to visit friends for a Christmas get together. Got to eat a lot of beige food plus we got in a few rounds of Codewords which is always a good time.

Can't believed its a week until the big day now... Still got presents to buy!

Day of Two Extremes

Walking to work I was expecting a nice, quiet Monday to ease me back into things after some busy filming days, instead I was greeted to Hell on Earth. There was only two of us on shift too so we each had to do battle with a very constant feed of customers with no opportunity to clear tables - it was a bit of a mess. But right after midday, the crowds subsided and we were back to being a sleepy coffee shop.

The thought that got me through the day was knowing that Rebecca picked up the new cardigan I ordered from town, I fell in love with it the moment I tried it on, and now that I own it in the right size I'm even more chuffed with it. Think it'll be my look of 2019!

New and Old TV

Woke up forgetting that I bedded down in a hostel last night. For a brief moment the room felt totally alien to me, but then again the way the room was arranged and decorated looked like it was done by aliens. I travelled over to meet up with Rebecca and her parents for breakfast and later lunch before heading back home to Bristol. Rebecca's parents recently got a brand spanking new television so they donated their old one to us, and boy what a difference its made to our viewing experience! It was incredible watching The Apprentice final on it and I already can't wait to play plenty of games on it! Can take the old one back to Newbury again to put back in my old room.

12 Killers Day 2

Battled against the elements for most of today. First order of business was setting up a big old gazebo in case we needed to put kit underneath, a few hours later we packed it up again because the whole thing just got too damn wet. I kept morale up by prepping some more meals and making some fine coffee for several supporting actors that came in. Somehow managed to get through this shoot without being asked to be a background actor, even though I was ready to get into costume at a moments notice.

I'm tucked up again in the Air B&B, this time without Mark since he had to drive back to Newbury tonight. That guy doesn't get enough credit for all the hard work he puts into these shoots, he's a real good egg.

12 Killers Day 1

Rode on down via the 5am Megabus down to London (slept all the way, bloody dream trip) to work on yet another Wildseed shoot. Really got the chance to do a bit of everything too, mostly catering but I helped out everywhere else where I could. At the end of the day, Mark and I marched wearily to bed, although we had a bit of a Planes, Trains and Automobiles moment when we got to our Air B&B though as we noticed there was only one double bed. We've been through a lot Mark and I, but I don't think we've ever had to share a bed together until now.

The Cardinal of Cardigans

Went out on a total Christmas shopping bender with Rebecca today and I'm happy to say I've ticked most people off my list now. Most importantly though, I found my cardigan white whale while shopping in M&S, I've been looking for a navy jumper with buttons, pockets and a collar for what feels like all my life, at long last I found one and at a good price too! I daresay I never need to buy another jumper now since I have one for every social vibe now, don't quote me on that though, 6 months down the line I'll be pining for something else.

Cross about Croissants

Battled my way through the 6th day of work on the trot now, the closing down procedure is now burnt into my brain and I already can't wait to not dismantle an orange juicer tomorrow. One perk if closing the shop is getting a goodie bag full of cakes and pastries, seeing as our new manager is learning the ropes on how much stock we need to take out, I've been coming hone with a lot of treats. So much so that Rebecca had to have a little intervention and tell me to stop bring home croissants (very middle class thing to complain about). I was about to fight my corner, but when she pointed out we had nearly a dozen stale pastries sitting in the fridge I had a bit of a Gordon Ramsey Kitchen Nightmares moment where I had to swallow my pride.

Can't wait for breakfast tomorrow though!

Latte Artist

Figured that since I spend a fair amount of time making coffees, I might as well get the hang of creating some latte art. Over the years I've tries to watch YouTube videos on how to do it properly but I've yet to find a single one that's decent. They all just end with 'and its as easy as that!' While omitting the key techniques required to actually create latte art. One of my colleges happens to be pretty good at it however so she showed me the ropes. I'm happy to say I've got the heart (the easiest one) down pat now so its just a matter of time before I'm going nuts with what I can create.

Christmas Cheek

Been keeping Rebecca feeling chipper by being a bit cheeky while putting up our Christmas tree this evening. When I wasn't intentionally putting decorations in rubbish spots I was playing 'alternative' Christmas songs that really wound her up (best one was Tom Waits Christmas song). Her cold seems to be on the way out now so I think she's fair game for a bit of teasing. Out flat is looking rather festive now too, I didn't realise just how many unique tree decorations we've collected over the years now, the tree's got a bit of personality and isn't simply wearing a bunch of baubles.

The Weekend Crowd

Every moment it seemed like I was about to go on my break at work the queue picked up again. Been a while since I've worked a double weekend shift too and I can now say with confidence that I'm not a fan of the weekend crowd. I did get the chance to dive into the Sunday market that was going on nearby and I got myself a witty postcard for free! Felt a bit bad I didn't have 50p on me but the chap was just eager to share his wares I think.

Rebecca came back from Edinburgh tonight with an almighty cold. I know this because she keeps telling me how ill she is every 5 minutes. But its OK, I just keep acting sympathetic every time she tells me and that seems to comfort her - hopefully she'll feel better in the morning. Really hoping I don't catch this cold too...

Cog in the Coffee Machine

Muscled my way through a very long day at the coffee shop. There was a local rugby game going on which meant we were a little swept off our feet with customers... But at the same time we had too many staff members working too. It was a case of 'too many cooks' at the height of it all, sometimes I felt like a key team member, but other times I felt like a spare part.

Got home to see Louis and Rachel again, I think Louis just wanted to play some more Smash Brothers but it was still nice to see him. At the rate we're going, we should probably start to look for places where friendly tournaments are happening...

Smash Bros Ultimate

Got some butterflies in my stomach during my shift today, the kind that only an anticipated video game can give me. This time, it was perhaps one of my most desired games for the past few months: Smash Bros Ultimate. Once I finished work I hopped on a bus and ran into Game to pick up my copy and then ran back home to boot it up (can't remember the last time I ran so fast to play a game). But even with all the jogging, I waited for Louis to come round so we could experience the beginning hours of the game together, and what a hell of a great experience that's been. Unlocking characters left, right and centre, the game drip fed us entertainment and smiles. Nothing brings us together like Smash Bros.

Bath Christmas Market - The Redemption

Very early driving lesson was on the cards first thing this morning. It marked the first time I drove in the darkness and also against a fair bit of rain. Still felt that I did rather well though and it was a good lesson overall.

Tomorrow marks the day the new Super Smash Bros game comes out so I spent most of today counting down the hours. What made the time go by very quickly was a meet-up with Louis and Rachel to go out in the evening to Bath Christmas market. I heard reports that it was hell on Earth, but since we went late on a weekday it was a perfectly good level of people, I'd even say it was quite empty in places! Really glad we got a chance to see the market after being snubbed by it last year, felt really festive as I munched down on a wild boar burger and sipped a hot chocolate - we even got a little decoration for our tree!

Manager Meet Up and Goodbye

Had quite possibly, the quietest day at work I've ever encountered so far since being at the coffee shop. Between 1-3pm I think I only served 5 people, there were 4 of us working too and after we cleaned everything there was literally nothing else we could do aside from chat and drink coffee - I'm getting paid either way so I'm not complaining.

After closing up the shop we all hung out again at a nearby pub for our managers leaving party. It was the first kinda social event we all attended outside of work and it was nice to see everyone with a beer in them and a bit of Christmas cheer. I brought Pass the Pigs with me as a bit of a joke, but after I presented it everyone wanted a go! It went down remarkably well since everyone wanted a go and someone even brought their own copy of the game off Amazon there and then so they could play it later. After we put down the pigs, we presented our manager with a gift (a copy of Watchmen as recommended by me) and a card, he was smitten since he wasn't expecting anything at all.

It was a bitter sweet event, no one had a single bad word to say about him and we were all happy he was moving on, but deep down we all wanted him to stay. In the time I worked with him I'd dare say that we became good friends and it was especially hard to say goodbye to him once we all left. If you're out there Mitch, know that you're a damn good egg and it's sad to see you go.

Not Quite a Panto

Once the working day was done Rebecca and I rushed home to head out to the glittering streets of downtown Bristol to go and see a play at The Old Vic, specifically A Christmas Carol. This particular production had a kinda Tim Burton / steam punk vibe to it which gave it a unique identity without losing sight of the main story. I asked Rebecca if it was a panto and she assured me it wasn't, moments later they were asking the audience to get up on stage. Bless this one little girl, they picked her out to play Tiny Tim and she did a smashing job, she spent most of the second half sitting in the wings because they needed to bring her back in every now and then but she was a good sport. Really enjoyed the show though thanks to some creative staging and some visually knock out moments.

Starting to feel the Christmas spirit a bit now. First thing we did after the play ended was buy a bottle of advocaat, which as we all know, pairs beautifully with a mince pie.

Manager Meet Up

Wrote up a little 'to do' list last night and I successfully followed it to the letter. The centerpiece was heading into town for some Christmas shopping, not only did I get some good bits and bobs, but also a calendar for next year and some Christmas tree decorations. In the evening U met up with my manager at work for some very casual drinks at the pub, was really great to hang out with him outside of work, sadly he's leaving us in a few days time and I really relished the opportunity to grab a drink with him.

StratLAN Day 4

Even though Mark was quite literally banging on my bunk bed to wake me up, I managed to sleep in until 11am this morning. So I dragged my weary bones back onto my desk for one final day of games, we were ready to stick on our PC's all day but Mark spotted a VR headset in the corner of one room. Since trying out VR, Mark and I have been desperate to play a game called Beat Saber, and today our wish was granted. It was a total revolution too, after I beat a challenging level I took of the headset and exclaimed 'That was so much fun!' I can't remember the last time I said that about a game.

A little while later, I packed down my desk and said farewell to Daniel as we hit the road. My feet and heart felt heavy after we announced we were leaving, its been a really amazing experience staying in the camper van and playing games with my close friends all day for a long weekend. In some ways, games are the ultimate rejection of reality and I feel that knowing that real life would rear its ugly head tomorrow made the prospect of leaving all the more difficult.

StartLAN Day 3

Committed to trying to involve myself a little more with the crowd here at StratLAN today and Mark and I managed to integrate neatly with some chaps sitting near us. Started off with a good old game of Worms Armageddon followed by several shooters and Golf With Your Friends. Our other goal was to go at it quite hard tonight too so we ended up playing board games until 4 in the morning! Did quite well I reckon.

Here's a handful of pics took by Mark and me of the event as promised. Got one of the campervan (I'm in the top bit that's all puffed out) really cosy camper.

And here's a few of some of the set ups in the dark, that's about 1/6th of the amount of people and computers at this event, blooming mental!

StratLAN Day 2

Woke up to a hell of a good view of the sun rising over the race course, it was practically beaming today, much to the chagrin of all the serious gamers here who wouldn't stand for even a smidgen of screen glare.

Spent the day playing a few more board games than expected which was a nice change of pace. Dan even cracked out the new Mario Party for some 4 player fun. I want to take a few more pictures tomorrow so I can make a little slideshow for Rebecca, make her chuckle at least.

Big shout out to Mark's BBQ beans too, kept my belly full and my lips tingling - just what I needed this afternoon to keep me going.

StratLAN Day 1

Somehow I spent most of my morning packing to get ready to head out to StratLAN. I hadn't packed down my PC for a long old while so I took it as an opportunity to hoover out my vents to get rid of some of the crap and dust that's accumulated over the years and boy, was there a lot of it!

Just about got everything sorted before Mark picked me up to head out, first stop was to pick up the camper van we're hiring out (I'm tucked up inside the roof of this thing right now for bed and I already want to live here for the rest of my life.) We stopped for a McDonalds en route but afterwards we stepped into what 16 year old me would have considered to be heaven. While a room full of avid gamers and players still makes me smile, I can already tell that when I walk in next morning the smell is only going to mature.

Buzzing for Camper Vans

Phonecalls from Mark came though while I was cooking dinner today, he was asking about what my movements were for tomorrow in preparation for StratLAN tomorrow. Bless him, he sounded like he was as excited as I was. Tomorrow we're heading off to pick up our camper van, it'll be our home for the next few nights and I already know Mark is eager to drive it.

Speaking of driving, I actually had a really good lesson today! Everything just felt right for a change which made for a nice change of pace, at a stretch I'd say it almost started to feel natural - that can only be a good sign.

Ready to not make Coffee

Got about halfway through my shift today and I just wanted to go home. Nothing in particular went badly (on the contrary, it was quite a good day) but when I saw the washing up starting to pile high and the steady stream of customers coming in I felt a claustrophobic tightness surround me - I can usually power through these moments but today started to get the better of me. Coming home felt incredibly relaxing, and to make things even better, Rebecca cooked an amazing risotto that really hit the spot. I'm not working again for a week or so since I booked holiday this weekend, I'm already starting to count down the hours.

Sorting Sticky Jobs

Powered through a bunch of little odd jobs that I only just got the chance to complete. I had a pending job application I wanted to work on so I got that done and dusted, which in turn put me in good stead to ask for some extra time off at work for Christmas and to help out on another Wildseed shoot. I sorted out my packing list for my LAN party too, did some finances and cooked a chicken pie for dinner. In the middle of it all I got a delivery from my favourite supplier of sticky black stuff: Gafftertape.com. Mark replaced a bit of my filming equipment and I thought I'd get some extra bits at the same time, so I picked up a rather fetching set of mini fluorescent tapes which make me look super pro. I'm all about the streamlined versatility factor on film shoots and now I've reached a new high... Or a new low if you ask my 'embarrassed for me' girlfriend.

Sunday Slouch

Rolled up some stuffing balls for the roast dinner we had with Rebecca's parents and they were all enamored with them. All I did was follow the instructions but they were pleased that I did that tiny extra bit, but it wasn't like I was too busy today anyway. Spent this Sunday drinking beer and sitting in Rebecca's parents sitting room, lazily watching BBC News and eating mince pies. Its the epitome of a Sunday slouch day and I was revealing in every second of it.

Once we got back to Bristol we watched the final episode of Louis Theroux's Altered States, most interesting part for me was seeing the credits roll and noticing I knew the director. Worked with him in September on an advert and he was a real good egg, nice to think that I'm at the stage where I'm eagerly watching credit sequences to see who I recognise.

Turkey Traveller

After a very slow day at work, I hopped on the Megabus to London (feels like I spent most of 2018 riding these things) to spend some time with Rebecca and her family. Stuffed my gob with a Christmas turkey ciabatta from work and that has actually seen me through most of the travelling this evening, it was like eating a roast dinner in a sandwich - it was glorious.

Closure - Dust Off

You know December is knocking once you've bought an advent calendar. Had to go for a maltesers one this time around as the only Cadbury calendars I saw rather oddly all had football stadiums on them? Wasn't very seasonal at all.

Louis was feeling the festive spirit though when I saw him this evening, we went through all the current Christmas adverts from all the big brands and ranked them. None of them felt especially remarkable this year, John Lewis' is well done but that's kinda their thing. Maybe something will crop up soon that'll blow me away.

I also got round to publishing my first 'Dust Off Review'. These are little writing challenges that I'm giving myself to keep myself occupied and to give my website a bit more content. My first one is on a game called Closure that I bought back in 2012 and I never properly played it until the other day. Link is right here if you want to check it out.

Noticing the Notice Board

Tasked myself with clearing out the community notice board at work, folks often come in to put up posters for local events or their new-age yoga classes for over 50's. One did catch my eye though, Bristol's Old Vic is showing a production called Steamed which is a retelling of a Christmas Carole which is all improvised alongside a steampunk flavour. Mentioned it to Rebecca and 15 minutes later we bought tickets. Guess I'm just a sucker for advertising.

Dust Offs

Although working the early shift means I have to brave the biting cold weather before the sun has even come up, it does mean that I get to go home at a reasonable hour. Rebecca is out tonight too so in theory I had the whole evening to do whatever I wanted! A horrible and familiar feeling started to form in the pit of my stomach once I got home though, it was the feeling of not knowing what to do with myself for the evening. After some deliberation, I decided to seize the opportunity and give myself a little writing task. For a while I've been mulling over the idea of doing some mini game reviews for my website (so written style only) and the other day I thought it would be cool to go through my game library and give some time to all the games I've never played, and boy there is a lot of them. I'm thinking of calling the segment 'Dust Off' or something similar and it's a great excuse to get me writing quick and easy pieces. I play a game for an hour or two and write a review in the same amount of time. It turned out to be rather successful too, I've already written one, just got to add some pictures and it's good to go! Felt my eyelids drooping though so I thought I'd get in bed before stumbling into a late night editing session.

Start Shortlisting

Its that time of year when I start consolidating my thoughts on what my favourite games of the year have been. I spent a bit if time today creating a shortlist and writing a short paragraph for some of them, still got some time before the year is out to get a few more great games in though.

In between thinking about games I squeezed in another driving lesson which went a bit meh. Still fiddling around with the maneuvers but I'll get there eventually.

Double Let Down

Got two bits of moderately disappointing news, firstly my new manager at work is going to be transferred to another shop outside of Bristol in 2 weeks time. Not only was he a good manager who helped bring the shop and the staff together, he was a total bro. I've been meaning to invite him to the pub sometime out of work hours just so we could have a good chin wag, looks like I'll have to invite him out sooner rather than later. After that Rebecca and I found out the guests we were expecting this evening had to cancel on us last minute which was a shame. We were both really ready to spend some quality time with them, plus we already brought all the ingredients to cook them dinner! All the more for us I guess.

Great Company and Great TV

Whipped up a batch of my, now signature apple and cinnamon porridge for Rebecca and me and that put us on the right track for another easy going but lovely day. We headed out to a friend's house for an afternoon of board games and cake, even got a cheeky can of Irn Bru while we were there (still not a fan). In recent times I felt like I'd graduated from the realm of traditional and familiar board games, but today proved that I still have a little soft spot for Cluedo. I've got in the habit of playing it like Mum used to, by constructing an elaborate spreadsheet of information to keep tabs on any new clues. After building up a solid base of Intel, I begun to march my character back to the centre of the board to make my big accusation to win the game, rolling a 1 meant I was 1 square away from victory after a friend beat me to the punch - I was livid since Mum's technique definitely works but there is still a big luck factor you need to consider which really holds the game back.

We returned home in the evening to settle into some remarkably good TV. Dynasties was up first, a David Attenborough nature documentary series and this episode was all about penguins. Generate speaking it was all familiar territory (if you've seen one penguin doc you've seen them all) but this one had a bit if an edge since it managed to capture a remarkable sequence where mother penguins and their young ones fall into a ravine, it turned a well worn bit of nature into something quite tense. Since I'm a sucker for Louis Theroux show we saw his new Altered State episode about assisted dying which was harrowing and thought provoking, one of the best things I've seen him in.

De-Stressing Rebecca

Rebecca's been feeling super stressed at work recently so we took this Saturday as an opportunity to melt away all her troubles. I started off by cooking up some pancakes for her which went down a treat. I did a whole bunch of little chores too like the laundry and the weekly shop so she could switch off for a little bit. In the evening we went out to Pizzarova and made our own delicious pizza as part of a mini date night, it was just nice to go out somewhere without thinking about cooking or washing up. We each had something to drink and by the end of the evening you'd never have guesses that Rebecca had been feeling stressed out - mission accomplished.

Explosive Internet

I know this is a totally unoriginal statement, but since the internet chap came in to install our faster internet it feels like we've stepped into the 21st century. At least it felt like that after we got through the massive ordeal that came with getting it set up today. Long story short, they changed the code to the building's internet cupboard without telling us so we had to go through a daisy chain of phone numbers until we finally got the right one. It's all good now through, I christened the WiFi by downloading a large game as tears of joy rolled down my cheeks as I marvelled at the new download speeds.

Managed to squeeze in a driving lesson today too which went rather well considering its been a little while since my last time on the road. Rebecca and I also headed up to a friends house to watch a proper firework display - first one I've seen all year! It was a local primary school event but the friend's garden conveniently backed right onto the field where the display was happening. What made me smile was just how many new types of fireworks I saw at this cute little event, there were ones that started flying slowly then they picked up speed dramatically and there were ones that exploded with a ring around them, they looked just like Saturn for a fleeting moment. Chuffed I got to finally see a firework display, they always manage to make me feel like a kid again, marvelling at something so loud and so pretty.

Flat Whites and Flatcaps

To give a sense of the kind of clientele that frequents the coffee shop at Thornbury : there was a M&S flatcap in the lost and found. Since I was I'm a cheeky mood, I felt like doing this.

The shift wasn't too hectic either which was nice, I was ready for a coffee-stained warzone but today was a very good level of busy. Mr internet is coming tomorrow to upgrade our service and I cannot wait, it'll hopefully be a real quality of life improvement for Rebecca and me - we might be able to watch Netflix in one room and play an online game in the other now!

Christmas Music Objector

Christmas music has already started playing at work to my chagrin. I'm fair game for a bit of festive cheer, but not in mid November. A customer seemed to echo my thoughts on the music and asked that it be turned down until it was barely audible as background music, I would have given him a high five but it felt unprofessional. I'm bound for Thornbury tomorrow now too, I'm dreading it if I'm being honest since its just so busy there. If there's a non-stop queue there for less than 4 solid hours they consider it to be a quiet day.

At least Rebecca's back home now! She's been away for days now and the flat and my facial hair has fallen into disarray, now I have to raise my standards again which I guess isn't a bad thing if it forces me to be a bit neater. Just nice to have some company at home too.

Carry on Cold

It was only halfway through wrestling a piece of white tack from a child's hand (he was threatening to eat it) that I realised that I had a ripping headache. This cold isn't going gracefully, like a bad guest at a house party it's insisting to stick around even after I started flickering the light switch on and off. With any lucky it will have cleared up  tomorrow, Rebecca is coming back home then and it would be great to greet her without a runny nose and a stuffy head.

La Strada

This cold I've got is holding in for dear life. I'm basically over the worst of it, but my ears are still rather blocked up, which isn't ideal for when I need to listen our to what coffees people want to order. My energy levels have also been totally sapped, once I got home I just collapsed in a heap and seriously considered having a nap - this is coming from a man who doesn't nap.

Since I was in a loliping mood, I put on another old movie this evening, this time it was La Strada, it's also the first Fellini film I've seen since he's probably the most famous director I hadn't engaged with until tonight. I ended up really enjoying this one, it was hard not to fall in love with Giulietta Masina's artichoke-like face and have your heart broken whenever she endured a hard knock. Perhaps I should give some other of Fellini's films a watch...

100 Years of Remembrance

Considering I was all by myself today I decided to go out and see Bristol's Remembrance Parade. I've been living here two years and this is the first time I've seen how Bristol do their ceremony, I got there a little earlier than most so I got a really good spot too, I turned around halfway through the proceedings and I noticed it was suddenly packed with people behind me. Fascinating to think that it was 100 years ago today that the Great War ended, I kept trying to put myself in the shoes of anyone back then who were thinking about the future - did they think 2018 would look like it does? It also dawned on me that this is perhaps the first parade where I have been a spectator, previously I was in the Scouts and marched alongside the armed forces, this time though I was a humble civilian.

Once I got home I put on All Quiet on the Western Front, I read the book years ago and loved it so I don't know why I out off watching this one for so long because it was excellent. Considering it came out in 1930 too it was really pushing the envelope, the battle scenes were impressive, the tone and message was undiluted and it even had some shocking violence that I didn't expect to see from a classic Hollywood movie. Don't pass this one up like I did.

Widows

Had a proper little play date afternoon with Mark and Louis playing board games, drinking beers and just generally taking it easy - this marks the first day in a little while where I could really just switch off for a little bit and I already feel much more rested.

Louis suggested we all go out to see Widows in the evening and it turned out to be a film I wish I enjoyed more. On a technical level, it was pretty flawless, incredible performances, impressive camera work and a Hans Zimmerman score, but even with all that the film felt a little cold and distant at times. It sets up a good bunch of lead characters but somehow I didn't really care too much about their plight. Maybe some characters didn't get enough screen time, or maybe they needed a smidgeon more characterization. So a good, but not great film in my opinion, its like Oceans 8 meets Heat and now that I'm thinking about it, I just really want to rewatch Heat.

A Bit Early...

Despite feeling like a train has run me down, I got up bright and early so I could get into work for 8am. Once I walked in though my colleges all looked rather surprised, I started to worry at this point thinking I had done something wrong. Turns out the rota got shuffled and I was meant to come in at 11. My manager was very apologetic, got a free coffee out the deal at least and that kept me warm on the long trudge back home. Gave me plenty of time to think about how an extra hour or two in bed would've really refreshed me.

Rebecca's packing to head to Amsterdam for a Mother/Daughter holiday over the weekend so I'm prepping my next few days flying solo. Spoke to Mark and Louis and I might be having a lil Saturday for the boys which will be lush.

Gotta Keep on Trucking

Woke up in Newbury for a fleeting visit with my folks before Mark and I hit the road once again to drop off all the filming kit we used over the past few days. Had my standard cup of coffee with a Lemsip chaser as we reached Pinewood, we shed out camera and grip equipment and headed home to Bristol. Although it was only a few days, it felt like I'd been gone for weeks. It was amazing to come home and give Rebecca a big hug before collapsing on the sofa. I reckon my filming adrenaline is about to run out which means I'll be dead to the world for a spell, but I'll keep on trucking back at the coffee shop tomorrow - back to reality for me.

Souper Trouper

A few months back I bought a really great little torch to use on film sets and today I really got to put it through its paces. Cooked a big old vat of minestrone soup in near total darkness, but my new torch kept me going. We wrapped on this shoot just a bit after 11 tonight, very, very tired now and I reckon that everyone who worked on this project deserves a good rest.

Feeding an Army

One more day down, just about got it all in the can. We did a bunch of work with extras today, which meant I was making nearly double the usual amount of teas and coffees. In fact, I was generally stationed in the kitchen for most of the day. I cooked breakfast and lunch for the whole crew, I tell ya, if you ever want to get on someone's good side, make them hot food on a film set. Got out quite late but there was enough time for me to head out for a very quick drink to wish our production designer a happy birthday, heading to bed now though, need some kip for the final push tomorrow.

Paelle Guru

Back on set with the Wildseed gang which can only mean one thing... Being roped into being an extra! (I love it really) this time as a creepy chap in a suit wearing a burlap sack mask, its a 10/10 costume. With an hour until wrap I also found myself 'refreshing' a few portions of the paelle we had for lunch, it warmed up again quite well and everyone was dead chuffed with the extra food. Not as an early start tomorrow, might actually have a sort of lie in compared to this mornings 4am start.

Back on the Wildseed Road

Squeezed into a car brimming with snacks and filming equipment to join Mark and the Wildseed gang for another film shoot. I'm staying over at Mark's house tonight and just finished a great little board game session with his family. Early start tomorrow, just hope that the cold I may have coning doesn't get any worse but I got some lemsip just in case.

A Boozy Bristol Tour

Took our uni friend Max basically all around Bristol today, gave him a slightly more insider look at the city. We started off going along North Street and headed into Wapping Wharf before heading into St Nicks Market for a really, really delicious jerk chicken wrap. We did some shopping and grabbed a few beers before crashing back at home, we were all a little tipsy at this point so we nodded off while watching Paddington on Film4. Louis and Rachel turned up in the evening for a few board games and a nice little catch up. We did a hell of a lot for a Saturday and I think Max had a really good time experiencing Bristol in all its facets.

A Day in my Pants

Had a little day to myself where I sat in my pants, watched BoJack Horseman and generally pampered myself a little bit. Rebecca took me out to a tiny pasty shop round the corner from her work, I got a beef and Stilton pasty which was to die for - warmed my soul up a treat too. We have a uni friend staying with us for the weekend, still need to hash out what we want to do with him tomorrow, he's seen the Suspension Bridge and all the other touristy bits so we might just take him up North Street for brunch and a coffee.

I also heard back from the editing job I interviewed for a little while back and unfortunately it was not meant to be. They did send me a very lovely email saying that they passed on my CV and that I should keep in touch and I plan to do so. I just need to keep on keeping on.

A Thornbury in my Side

Rode the bus for an hour in order to work a cover shift up in Thornbury, where the store is big and the customers come in droves. Between 10 and 3 we had a queue, it literally didn't end and I'm not exaggerating. Left that shift with my soul feeling drained, luckily I've got all of tomorrow to do whatever I want, can't wait to kick back, put my feet up on the ottoman and decompress a little bit.

Happy Halloween 2018!

Feels like I've been waiting all my life the write the sentence 'I went to work dressed as a cowboy', and now I can say that with gusto. They let us dress up at work today and many of our regulars where chuffed that we made the effort. I got a few choice looks when I was walking home, but otherwise it was a pretty cool day at the shop.

This is one if the first years where I didn't have any real plans for Halloween. Rebecca went out in the evening for a work dinner so I just stayed at home. That's not to say I didn't observe some tradition!s Instead of apple bopping and eating doughnuts on elastic, I was drinking sticky toffee ale and eating an candy apple with a few spooky video games. I even carved a pumpkin, because its not Halloween until I fill my nostrils with the smell of pumpkin guts.

I took it easy this year, but I hope everyone else did something spooky or at the very least, ate a little more sugar today than they ought too.

Remembering Grim Fandango

Got up early so I could put my next video into the editing phase. I finished the script, recorded the voice over and cut the footage over the span of 12 hours, I crunched hard to push this one out on my day off and I'm proud to put it out into the world. Here is 'Remembering Grim Fandango'.

I wanted to take a slightly different and more personal approach with this video. I try to rationalise the impact the game has had on my life and explain why I think it should be remembered as one of the greats - hope you like the video.

Babyccinos are Worthless

Got into working forgetting that half term had started for some schools in Bristol, we were swept off our feet with customers as a result. Many of them naturally bought their kids along, and kids means your gonna back make a lot of babyccinos. AKA, the worst drink known to man. Kids just don't want to drink hot frothy milk, 90% of the time when I clear tables I collect babyccino cups that have barely been touched and I just shake my head thinking of the effort we go into making them for people. Stick to juice for your children next time people, I guarantee they'll enjoy it more.

About 80% done writing the script for my next video and I'm really happy with how its shaping up. I'm going to start editing tomorrow and with any luck, I'll be posting the video here within 24 hours.

Whole Lotta Lattes

Got swept off my feet with customers at work today. Between 10am and 11:30 I don't think we actually stopped serving people, I was making skinny cappuccinos, soya lattes and toasting teacakes solidly for the masses. It was a total relief once quitting time appeared on the horizon, I got out before I had to steam one more jug of milk.

I picked up Rebecca from the train station and cooked her a mini roast dinner. She got caught up in a lot of train delays and the like so she was eager to get back and chill out. Bless her, she's so tuckered out that she's fallen right asleep while I'm writing this. I'll be joining her soon enough though since I'm opening the coffee shop first thing tomorrow - setting my alarm for 4:55!

Having a Hoot in Bath

Got up a little earlier again so I could get cracking on writing the script for my next video. I've found an interesting and faintly personal angle of approach for this one and I think it'll really pay off. In between writing though I took a trip down to Bath with Louis to meet up with Mum, Dad and Austin, a Chinese student who is staying with my parents for a spell. We took him to do all the touristy bits around Bath including the Crescent, the Circus and of course, the Roman baths. We were initially planning to take him to a bespoke English pub for lunch, but the weekend crowd meant we couldn't secure a table so a nearby sports bar filled the void. Hopefully he had a good time though, Louis and I certainly did, and I think you can see just how much fun Louis was having based on this picture. Makes me chuckle everytime.

Day of Excellence

Today was one of those rare days where I keep remembering just how good my day was. I'm currently working on my next video which will be centered around Grim Fandango, so I got up early to play it and capture a lot of game footage, I also iced the remaining cakes for my team meeting later on in the evening. Already my morning was packed, but I had to cram in a whole bunch of interview preparation whenever I could. I was extremely nervous before going in to meet them and I kept going over all the things I wanted to say to them over and over again in my head. When I finally got in to shake some hands I felt relaxed and ended up having one of the best interviews I think I've ever given. It helped that they really liked the showreel tape I made for them (they continuously and earnestly mentioned just how much they liked it) and once the formal part of the interview concluded, we all just had a nice chat for a few minutes about what we were watching on TV and the like. I walked out with a spring in my step because I knew in that interview I showed off the best possible version of myself and I think they really liked what they saw.

Once I got back home I finished Grim Fandango and got that warm fuzzy feeling that only Grim Fandango could provide, then I got ready to go out for the team meeting at Coffee #1. We had a super brief meeting about the new tea we were serving (China Breakfast in case you were wondering) and our new manager told us about some upcoming changes. Then he announced which team member managed to sell the most seasonal coffees this month, there was a table slapping drum roll, a bag of goodies was produced and placed in front of me. Turns out I upsold the most this month and for my sins I got a collection of local ales! After I was done being humbled we hung up the Halloween decorations and I carved a pumpkin in the shape of a coffee cup... which I am only just now regretting not taking a picture of.We headed to the pub afterwards for a very quick beer before I came home for a well deserved rest.

As I said at the beginning of this post, I found myself repeatedly thinking back to how good my day has been so far, and now that I've put it in writing here I can sit back and nod approvingly at my day one last time before I head to bed and hope tomorrow is just as good.

Bustling, Busy, Baking Evening

Finished up at work, launched straight into cooking dinner, followed by sending off another job application, followed by baking some cakes. Busy evening for me basically. By the time I started baking it was about half 9, in the periphery of my vision I started to notice the pots and pans beginning to stack up and that made me feel really claustrophobic. Rebecca is down in London over the weekend now too so while I could slightly relax my living standards, it was still very messy so I dove in a tidied that all up too. I'm ready for a bit of a lie in on my day off tomorrow now, I have a job interview going on at 12 tomorrow afternoon too so I'll probably spend the morning prepping for that. Afterwards though, I've got time for a little bit of relaxing.

Oversleeping = Nastyness

For the first few nights this week I'd been getting up very early and only really getting under six hours of sleep a night, this morning I got the opportunity to have a lie in and I think that made me oversleep. I felt really hazy, as if I had the mildest hangover ever and that made work go all the slower. I made a little checklist of all the things I want to do by this time next week and it looks like I've got a busy few days ahead of me, chief among them is my interview on Friday morning. I think I've got a really good shot at this one so I'd like it to go as well as possible, I've allocated plenty of time to prep for it, just need to go away and nail it now.

Bargain Bakes

The furthest we could take out baking efforts for our weekly Bake Off meetings was taking some of ASDA's custard tarts out if the oven for serving. Since it was patisserie week, and seeing as I have no idea where to even begin with one, I handed the reigns over to Rachel who prepped an amazing baked apple with brandy butter atop a meringue nest. I couldn't believe how tasty it was!

Rebecca couldn't sample the flavours tonight though since she's staring to come down with something, I've been trying to be a good boyfriend and get her tea and a hot water bottle. Hope she gets a little better tomorrow.

The University Challenge Look

For whatever reason my stomach felt really unsettled long into the working day. I think it was my digestive system still processing all the pig I ate yesterday seeing as I really didn't have much of an appetite until this evening - once dinner time rolled around I was right as rain. Rebecca was thrilled when she spotted University Challenge was on tonight, her approach to playing along was shouting out multiple answers to questions and hoping one was right. Every now and she'd get one right, then she'd shoot me a look as if she was the smartest person in the universe. Its a look of pride with an overbearing sense of smugness. I think we've all been guilty of throwing around that glance while watching University Challenge.

Eat, Love, Pork

Enjoyed a double-whammy wedding weekend back in Newbury. Last night was the reception party (a perfect excuse to wear a waistcoat if I ever heard one) we danced the night away with free pizza in one hand and open bar beer in the other - a great way to ring in the partnership of a family friend. Today was a kinda 'Wedding Boxing Day' kinda vibe, same wedding guests all dressed down and sitting in the sun with a hog roast. I'd never had a proper hog roast before and I don't know if I paced myself correctly, 8 hours later and I'm still full of pork. Feeling a little fragile now but I'll get an early night so I'm fit and ready to open up the coffee shop in the morning.

Guinness is my Favourite Coffee

Had the pleasure of dealing with a larey chap who drunkenly stumbled into the cafe. He insisted that we sold Guinness but I had to let him down on that front. I decided that killing him with kindness was the best approach and luckily the encounter fizzled out fairly quickly, but not before he aired his opinions on the coffee shop and its staff which I won't repeat here.

Took a trip up to visit Rebecca's friend tonight to watch some choice episodes of Supernatural - not my idea but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Finally had a good excuse to try out my tiramisu too! Turns out the whisked egg whites didn't do it any favours whatsoever though so I won't be repeating that trick. Still tastes great though, albeit with a funky consistency.

Dogs and Coffee

My evening board game shindig got cancelled tonight, by the sounds of things the host's house has been transformed into a den of plauge and lurgy. We narrowly avoided catching anything nasty tonight, and the event has been effectively postponed until tomorrow, this means that for one more night my tiramisu gets to mock me while it sits in the fridge, taunting me with its certain deliciousness. I legitimately pondered about whether I could take a small scoop of it out and smearing out the gap, but I decided against it because there's no such thing as the perfect crime.

I think I've become a bit delirious are I write this, I've been awake since 5am and all I've done is look at coffee beans and edit stock footage of dogs for a promo trailer I'm working on. 'All Work and No Play...' and well, you know the rest. Sleepy time I think.

Tirami-gloop?

A quiet old day at the coffee shop, meant I had some leftover energy to experiment a bit while making tiramisu this evening. In order to combat the usual runny consistently my recipe typically produces (Mum endearingly nicknamed that recipe 'Tirami-gloop') I put my new electric whisk to good use and folded in some beaten egg whites to give it a slightly more moussey quality. The final product was certainly a lot more voluminous, but the taste test will be held tomorrow night at Rebecca's book club turned board game night. Really hope it sets nicely overnight and impresses.

Stress Baking

Had one of those days where everything made me grumpy. I'm working on a showreel piece as part of my next job application which is moving along a bit slowly at the moment and I had a driving lesson which I thought I was going to ace but instead I mucked up a lot of little bits.

So a handful of elements came together to make me a bit grumpy, nothing a bit of fun baking can't fix is what I thought. For Danish week I made some traditional butter biscuits, the recipe called for the mixture to be piped so I splashed out and got a piping kit - I walked home dreaming of all the different ways I could use it. When it came to the actual act of piping though, the bag totally let me down. None of the provided nozzles were wide enough for my mixture and the bag just leaked greasy, buttery dough everywhere. Get what you pay for in ASDA I guess, I'll be heading in tomorrow for a full refund of £2.

The biscuits themselves came out looking dreadful but tasting very good. While my day was full of tiny uphill battles, at least I had something tasty to snack on by the end of it - a net gain I guess.

Auto Pilot Coffee Maker

I was sleepwalking through the day. I noticed that I don't even need to think very hard about what I have to do at work, its all become instinctive and reactionary for better and for worse. I can't wait for robots to take over the hospitality sector. I was dog-tired when I got back though, even now I can feel my eyelids trying to press together and take me into the land of nod. Luckily I have the day off tomorrow and I've got a massive amount of stuff to get through, including editing a video to further a job application.

Soggy 10K

Even though it was absolutely chucking it down with rain this morning, Rebecca, Rachel and I all went down to Greenham Common to cheer Dad and Louis on as they ran another 10K together. Louis seemed to think that the route was so muddy he could empathise with what troops experienced during Vietnam, I'll let you decide if that was hyperbole on his part. Here's a photo finish of the cheeky chappy regardless:

Both Dad and Louis did really well to run in that rain though, they should both be really proud of what they pushed through to get to the finish line.

The rest of the day was spent resting and watching School of Rock. Rebecca had never seen it before because Jack Black put her off. While he's a little less endearing than I remember, it made for the perfect Sunday watch before a slap up roast dinner. Back to reality tomorrow but I already have fond memories of this weekend.

Tully

Most of the day at Newbury was spent just sitting in the sofa, drinking coffee and taking it easy. Rebecca and I played some Mario Kart while Louis nursed his hangover, I think he's feeling a bit better now though, but he certainly wasn't feeling up to coming out on a 3 mile walk with the rest of the family. We took a stroll up around Hampstead Marshall, somewhere I've never been at it was a gorgeous slice of nature. Saw even more sheep, plus a mound where a castle supposedly stood many moons ago.

In the evening we somehow all decided on a movie, even after doing the whole 'infinite scrolling through Netflix' thing. Tully was our chosen film, a movie that depicts Motherhood like no other. Charlize Theron plays a disheveled husk of a woman who is just trying to keep her life together while anticipating the birth of her third child. Wary of the baby's impact on her wellbeing, her brother offers to pay for a night nanny to help lighten the load and we follow the relationship that blossoms between the mother and the nurse. It hit all the right notes for me, while it dealt with adult themes it always found a way to keep the tone light and manageable without sacrificing its message. The highlights were two montages that occur fairly early on in the film, especially one that focuses on tending to a crying baby in the middle of the night. Good stuff all round, a highly watchable indie film with something to say.

Coffee Mercenary

As part of my work I'll occasionally be asked to go and do some cover work in other Coffee #1 stores, and today marked my first shift outside my usual store. When I turned up the queue was out the door, there was washing up and crockery all over the floor. The already knackered looking girl on the til looked me dead in the eye and instead of introducing herself she gestured to the shop and said 'Its a catastrophe!' Turns out I arrived when the crowd hit critical mass and I spent the next hour solely doing the washing up and firefighting the mess - they were eternally grateful for all my help.

After muscling through that shift, Rebecca, Louis and I drove down to Newbury for an easy going weekend, think I need it after today.

Rom the Vacuous Spider

Faced my fear of spiders a little bit by going up against a rather spidery boss in Bloodborne. Rebecca was there the whole time in case my palms got too sweaty to fight and that really helped put me at ease. The whole thing wasn't too bad actually, but that doesn't mean I've conquered my phobia entirely... If you want to get a sense of the fight then I'd suggest googling 'Rom the Vacuous Spider' that'll give you a decent picture of the nastyness I had to endure.

I packed my bags for a weekend in Newbury, it'll be good to spend a bit more time with my family again and a good chance to recharge after a busy month for me.

Development Limbo

Been looking forward to a whole day to myself for some time now, but it absolutely whizzed by. The central part of the day was my driving lesson which went a bit better than my last one. Still having trouble getting the maneuvers right, but general driving seems fine now.

I spent the rest of my day planning concepts for my next video and I even started developing a small idea I have for a mini series, I've always enjoyed coming up with characters so I got to brainstorming for just a short while. I'm in a funny old position when it comes to doing stuff like this because I'm never too sure if it'll ever see the light of day so I consider it to be a bit of a waste if time, yet I really like doing it. I reckon I should do it more often and perhaps treat it more like practice.

Vegan Bakes

Despite the fact I woke up at 5am to get to work bright and early a customer still commented on the fact that I looked very chipper. Didn't feel it after I finished since my eyelids were drooping all over the show the moment I sat down. No time to rest though because I needed to make some vegan brownies in prep for this weeks Bake Off session with Louis and Rachel. Spent more time in Asda looking for the ingredients than I did actually baking - trying to find ground flaxseed at a good price was nigh-on impossible! Regardless of that though they came out really rather good, the highest praise you can give them is 'Wow, I wouldn't have guessed these were vegan!' Which is generally what everyone said after they had a bite so I reckon I did OK.

No Tips

Monday hit me hard. Couldn't bring myself to get out of bed and face the day and it took longer than usual to get into a groove at work. My mood was made a significantly worse after we noticed that our tip jar got stolen, its just a really crummy thing for someone to do. I just kept thinking about the calibre of person they must be to take chump change from us, the principle of the act saddened me more than the practicality of it.

I collapsed when I got home and watched Amy, the documentary about Amy Winehouse and it was pretty special. I'd never been the biggest fan if her music but the film made me appreciate what a talent she had and how several key players in her life took advantage of it. Once you got a sense of the bigger picture the events of her life just became more and more heartbreaking - its a true testament to the power of the documentary when I became so enraptured in a topic that previously didn't interest me. Really powerful and thought provoking stuff.

Sheep in the Cotswolds

My head was a little fuzzy from drinking last night, but that didn't stop me from cooking some mighty fine scrambled egg on toast. That gave me plenty of energy to attend part 2 of Pete's Birthday weekend, this time we drive up to the Cotswolds to go for a little walk around the countryside. I'd never walked through an open field with so many sheep in it!

Really lovely day for it too, we were out for just under two hours - just in time to order some food at the local pub before the kitchen closed. We were all famished after the walk and a nice roast filled me up for the rest if the day. I keep looming back on this afternoon and say to myself 'That was really cool.'

Pete's 30th

After what might have been the busiest day of work so far, I had one of the best nights out in Bristol so far. A mutual friend called Pete turned 30 tonight and we had the privilege of joining him for some birthday celebrations. Basically is culminated in a lot of drinking, but I met some really nice new people that shared my love for The Wire and introduced me to a whole new realm if appreciation for port. Had a really social evening overall and I'd but hard pressed to think of a better way to spend a Saturday evening.

My Spinach Puffs

Caught up on Bake-Off with Louis and Rachel tonight after my absence on Tuesday. I saw a recent episode of Binging with Banish where he remade the spinich puffs from the Emperor's New Groove so I thought I'd try my hand at his recipe.

While they may have ruptured a little bit its only because they were literally bursting with flavour. I've never cooked with shallots or dill before, and when you combine that with spinach, puff pasty and three types of cheese you know you have a tasty snack on your hands. Fun savour treat that went down a storm while we watched Bake Off.