Cakes Pastries and Soups

Walked home from work carrying back an ungodly amount of free food. Cakes, pastries and soups (the name of dream autobiography) were bundled into my bag and ready for me to snack on during my day off tomorrow. I'm going to finally finish writing my next video and hopefully get through a massive chunk of video editing with the intention of posting it early next week. I've actually done a lot of crunching to get this one out in a timely fashion, I noticed only today that I haven't played a video game all week!

Condensed Milk

To counter the slow day at work I brought in some condensed milk so we could all make some Vietnamese iced coffee. It's been ages since I bought a tin of that stuff, it always reminds me of Dad putting it on his porridge or this amusing bit from Winne the Pooh:

"Pooh always liked a little something at eleven o'clock in the morning, and he was very glad to see Rabbit getting out the plates and mugs; and when Rabbit said, 'Honey or condensed milk with your bread?' he was so excited that he said, 'Both,' and then, so as not to seem greedy, he added, 'But don't bother about the bread, please.'"

Makes me chuckle everytime.

As I mentioned earlier though, the day crawled along and it was in no way helped by the lovely weather outside that was taunting me with it's beauty. 'Come frolic with me' beckoned the Sun. 'I would, but there are so many Babycinos I have to make' said me. When it was finally quitting time I got to enjoy some lingering rays as I walked home. The hot air reminded me of warmer times and spending time outdoors again, I'm ready for Summer now, BBQ's, garden games and T-shirts, I want the whole shebang. I know I'm only setting myself up to fail by thinking of these things in February, but a man can dream.

Highstreet Hijinx

We were impossibly busy for a Tuesday morning, lot of new faces popping in too and none of us could figure out why we were so popular. Eventually an elderly couple revealed the secret to us, turns out two of the biggest coffee shops on the same highstreet were closed for maintenance works this morning, so naturally all the caffeine addicted local workers piled into our shop like zombies in need for some sweet, sweet nectar. Couldn't wait to go home as a result, mainly so I could get around to doing some more scripting for my next video - even after a long day at work I want to try and remain to be a busy bee.

3 Trucks

Just as I was gearing up to go out for work the worst possible thing happened as the fire alarm went off. All the flats begun slowly evacuating while I stood there clutching Rebecca's teddy bear (the only thing worth saving in our flat) waiting for the blaring alarm to turn off. I was stood outside with my distant neighbours for quite some time, eventually I was beginning to think the whole thing was a bit of a waste of time, then three fire trucks turned up. Waited around for some firemen to survey the scene, eventually they gave us the all clear and I could then crack on with my day. Still, it was a bit of a hairy encounter.

The rest of my day was comparatively normal, after finishing work though I met up with my old manager for drinks. Rebecca tagged along too so was all had a pretty lovely Monday night out. Learnt my lesson from last time and didn't drink too much either, which is just as well since I'm doing the early shift first thing tomorrow. Lend a small though to me whenever you wake up, 'cus I'll be awake at 4:55 tomorrow.

Rounding Up the Tidy Up

Kept up the whole de-cluttering thing this weekend and left it having done a lot more than I expected I'd get round to. Basically there is no random bags full of tat or pockets full of miscellaneous items, instead everything I've kept has been neatly collected into boxes and tucked away. The room itself looks clean now and ready to enjoy its new identity.

As a small follow up, I managed to collect a few video games I really had no love for (old freebie games that came bundled in with a second hand PlayStation 2 kinda games). Took them all down to the highstreet to trade them in and got £20 for the lot - I was just going to take them all to a charity shop but it was nice to reap some reward from my tidying efforts. Bought myself a new game there and then with that extra cash so I'm already smiling.

Childhood Distilled

Ran in the Newbury Parkrun with both Dad and Louis today, first time we'd all run together properly like that so it was pretty cool. I got a nice time too of around 31 minutes which was my usual standard - good to know I haven't gotten any worse over the years.

The mass clear-out of my bedroom followed the run and even Mum admitted I did a pretty good job. Went through several boxes full of old toys and odd bits and filled up two large bin bags full of stuff, gradually distilling my childhood into half of one box. I was being pretty ruthless overall, I noticed that every time I stopped to really think about something I'd start to have second thoughts, I begun artificially projecting nostalgia onto tat, but I powered through and feel all the better for it. Obviously there were some things that were a little harder to chuck out, some things did hold a place in my heart but I just have no need for them now. Got a little more to do tomorrow but I got through the majority of it this afternoon, got the stuffed toys to do tomorrow and that's going to be the hardest part.  

The Purge

Got the day off today to do a bit more writing. I got about three-quarters of the way through my next video script when one of my favourite YouTubers posted a video on exactly the same topic I was about to discuss in mine. I thought I'd have to scrap my project completely but now that I've seen his video I know that we are talking about some very different things - I'm in the clear basically!  



Got back home to Newbury and after dinner I got a chance to see my 'new' bedroom. Mum and Dad have decked it out now as a bit of a guest room with new bed-sheets, a new sofa bed a new lamp and even a lick of paint. It looks really good actually and its inspired me to really tidy up all my gubbins. I'm doing a bit of a purge of my belongings this weekend, I'm going to do the whole Marie Kondo thing and ask myself if a possession sparks joy. I already started the clear-out and I'm eager to do more, want the room to look great.

Quickly Ticking

Had one of those working days where I got into a very weird mood and just started making rubbish jokes for myself to laugh at. This is ultimately what happens to anyone who worked in hospitality or customer service for long enough I guess, you just go a bit crazy. I was also excited by the prospect of not working again until Monday since I'll be headed back home to Newbury over the weekend which I'm really pumped for. Been looking forward to going home all weekend, and time has gone so quickly recently, this evening Rebecca and I went out for a small meal with friends and it just flew by. I was sat facing a ginormous clock and everytime I looked up to check it I was shocked to see just how quickly the time past - shame too because I was really enjoying the conversation and the beers.

Gear Swapper

Got another driving lesson under my belt and I'm generally feeling much more confident in the car now. Just being smarter with gear swapping overall and that makes me feel experienced. Afterwards I got cracking with some writing and got most of my next video down on paper, just needs a bit of refining and I'll be ready to start the technical side of things. Really committing to building up a portfolio of work that I'd be proud to share with people in the future so I want to slowly ramp up how quickly I work on videos, not just for the sake of quantity but a bit of self discipline and target setting would go a long way for me.

Not looking forward to the early start tomorrow but Rebecca has prepped me a nice lunch to take in so already I know tomorrow won't be so bad.

Happy Valentines Day 2019

Rebecca and I don't really go in for the whole Valentines Day thing, we used it as a good excuse to eat out at a delicious Greek take-away place and watch a film on the sofa. Since I'd never seen it the whole way through, Grease was on the cards. My previous exposure to the story came from watching my brother perform in the school Summer performance of the musical but this was the full fat version, complete with questionable sexual politics! When it all works, the music and visual pizazz still dazzles and impresses and its clear why its endured for so long, all the bits in-between though, not so much. Made for a cheeky little Valentines Day watch though, Rebecca was loving it anyway.

Curse of LAN

Yesterday I mentioned how I just about escaped the clutches of any nasty illnesses or vibes after coming back home from my LAN party, well today I think my adrenaline and lack of sleep finally caught up to me. I was pretty much dead to the world at work and I found myself clock watching a lot more than usual since I couldn't wait to get back home and crawl back into bed. I felt even more ropey once I finally got home and I relied heavily on Rebecca's sympathy to get me through the tough patch, turned out that I was just hungry all along though and my moaning was all for naught. Perked right up again after a big salad and once I get an early night under my belt I reckon I'll be right as rain again.

LANover

Stepping back into the cold, harsh reality of real life had an extra sting today. Yesterday I was flying high, defeating friends competitors at all my favourite games and winning gaming competitions left, right and centre. But today, I was just Theo, lowly barista. Speaking to some other folks from the weekend event softened the blow somewhat though, after a three day drinking and little sleep bender they are all suffering what they are affectionately calling a 'LANover'. I got off with just feeling a bit tired and a bit disenchanted with my humdrum routine. There's always more good times coming in the future though, I just got to make them count when they come my way.

The LAN Party is Over

It was only after I stirred up my instant porridge pot and downed a cup of coffee that I realised just how little sleep I got last night. The antics of the LAN party weekend started to wear me down, my attitude was always just one step ahead of my wearness but I felt it on the periphery for most of the day. When we did finally pack up to leave it felt like it was time to go. Several desks were now vacant and the entire group were running on fumes. It was time to go home and sleep in our own beds and not look at screens for many hours of the day.


Day's highlight came after playing a few more King of the Hill games. I inexplicably came 1st again and won yet another giant mouse mat so I thought I'd give it to Mark for being a general legend... That is until he accidentally managed to literally unplug the internet at the event - hell of a way to end a LAN party!

Mouse Mat Man

I set myself the goal of getting more involved in the community aspect of this LAN party, and I'm happy to say I achieved that. I sat in for a handful of 'King of the Hill' games where a competitor plays against a reigning champion to accumulate points, the chap with the most points at the end of the day gets a prize. Not only did I meet a few new people, my many, many hours of playing video games with friends has at long last been justified. I walked away today with more than double the 2nd place competitor and a brand new mouse mat worth £20! Did pretty well all things considered!

The Eagle has LANded

Got to my LAN party yesterday afternoon and I've been flat out gaming ever since. Mark and I joined in on a Towerfall tournament which we both naturally smashed, then Dan and I hopped into a Smash Bros tourney, which we also won quite hard in. Mass props to Dan actually, he played the best I've ever seen him play, made me look back fondly on our 30 hour gaming marathon playing Smash Bros and all the times we used to play as kids together - all that training finally paid off for those few moments of glory.

Spent a brief night at an Air B&B and now we are back to it, looking to see if I can join in with a few more community style games today and see where that takes me.

Down on the Direct

Last day at work before my gaming weekend was a pretty easy affair. Some folks came in and asked for milkshakes 60 seconds before we closed which was a nuisance, but apart from that it was smooth sailing. Got home, made eggs florentine and tuned into Nintendo's latest direct which had some mediocre highs and plentiful lows. All I really want is Banjo-Kazooie in Smash Bros to fufill my 20 year dream and when that news finally drops I can say my life is complete. Today was not that day but I will remain (foolishly) optimistic, after all, is there any other way I operate? 

Time to be Tired

Whipped up a mighty fine sandwich of gammon and the last of Dad's homemade chutney to get me through a very long shift. Though the day flew by, I still felt tired when the evening arrived on our doorstep. I think my recent illness is still taking it out of me slightly since my energy levels have been cut in half since last Friday - my mind wants to do plenty but my body feels heavy. Almost sounds like I need a holiday... good thing I'm going away for a long weekend to do nothing but play video games again in a few days time!

Return to the Citadel

Went out in the evening to catch up with a pair of friends we hadn't spent time with in yonks. In the months between our last meet up they adopted a rescue cat called Maggie who swiftly became Rebecca's all time favourite cat, and believe me when I say, tat it a highly contested top-spot. We played a little board game called Citadels which I hadn't seen in years, paying it again felt like a bit of a homecoming, and it was even sweeter when I won. 'Let's not wait so long to do this again' was the sentiment we all echoed by the eve's end, I think that making more of an effort to spend time with old friends is one of my silent New Year goals and with nights like this it reminds me why its important to make the effort.

Stonger Stomach

Enjoyed the sensation of feeling normal when I woke up, my stomach finally settled after a spell of sickness so I was back to eating bacon and scrambled eggs for a weekend breakfast. Also I got around to making my first ever batch of Yorkshire puddings for our roast dinner tonight. Followed Jamie Oliver's recipe and I was really chuffed with how they came out! Will certainly be making them again. Headed off a sweet recovery weekend by watching the BAFTAs which is always a great Sunday watch - lotta films I have to catch up on, Roma being first on my hitlist.

Sick Like a Dog

No blog last night on account for me being horrendously sick. I went through the whole day at work feeling A-OK, but the moment I stepped into Asda to do some shopping I knew I didn't feel quite right. The rest of last night was a bit of a blur, a steady cycle of being sick, falling asleep, being sick, falling asleep. I actually don't think I've been this ill in six years so the whole experience really knocked me back. Woke up today with a meager appetite still but overall much better, I took it easy for the whole day and that's already done me a power of good.

Much later on this evening we headed out to celebrate what we dubbed 'Rebecca's Second Birthday' as we got a chance to meet up with friends and go for drinks. Even though I wasn't feeling 100% it was a really lovely evening, hadn't seen Mark and Lucy properly since New Years so it was great to catch up with them. I shared a bowl of dirty fries with Rebecca too as my appetite gradually returned and they were just what the doctor ordered.

Just want to take this opportunity to also say how wonderful Rebecca has been during my illness. Her bedside manner was second to none and she had the patience of a saint, my recovery was made all the swifter thanks largely to her. 

Pace of the Day

Oddly calm at work today. We got rushed by mums first thing in the morning but afterward the shop just kinda coasted along in its own pleasant way. Rebecca was working from home today so I brought her back a flat white and read my new book for the rest of the afternoon. The pace of the entire day just seemed so relaxed, even after Rebecca's book club all had to suddenly arrive on our doorstep after another host had to cancel. I just squirreled myself away in the bedroom and played games with Louis, had a great time too.

I spent a bit of time over the last week scoping out a subreddit so I could promote my latest video, I think I picked my moment to strike fairly well since I doubled my viewership within three hours. Dead chuffed with that.

Happy Birthday Rebecca 2019

Even through Rebecca was feeling a bit poorly for most of the day, I think we did enough to give her a lovely little Birthday. Started off strong with breakfast in bed followed by Moonrise Kingdom, I gave her my presents in the morning too and she was pretty chuffed with them all. Following a small lunch we headed up Park Street to tour a few bookshops and get a cake at Pinkmans. I volunteered to bring a rucksack on this outing and we each ended up buying a few books so my trip back was significantly heavier. Once we unloaded our books we headed out to Pho for a nice meal, Rebecca started to feel a bit unwell again towards the end of the meal but soon perked up again after I presented her with a surprise cake once we got back home.

Bless her, it must be so ropey to be poorly on your Birthday. I did the best I could to make sure today still felt special for her and hopefully she had a good one.

Tending the Poorly

Felt a bit sorry for myself heading into work this morning. Last night's beer was maturing in my stomach and my attitude was dampened by how little it felt like I slept last night. Having said that, if someone had told me first thing that Rebecca was the one who was going to be sick today I would have thought you were lying. But lo and behold, I spent most of my evening looking after Rebecca and rubbing her back while her face was stuck in a bucket. Bless her, its her Birthday tomorrow and with any luck, she'll be over the worst of it overnight.

Latte Art Competitor

Spent the morning to myself before heading out to that latte art competition. In short I faintly embarrassed myself for not being able to produce even a smidgen of good latte art, but I ended up getting goof marks overall for pouring a very tasty coffee. Didn't come dead last as a result so that's a win as far as I'm concerned! Afterwards I spent most of my evening in a pub drinking with my old manger which got boozier and boozier as the night went on. I'm back home now but I reckon I won't feel worse for wear until first thing in the morning - gonna drink loads of water and have a midnight snack before heading to bed!

Ginger Cake

Seeing as it was the last day Rebecca's parents were down for we went our regular walking route, which we have affectionately dubbed as 'the walk'. Basically we head up along the harbourside and back again, good opportunity to take in the fresh air, did me a power of good after drinking a fiar bit last night. Once Rebecca's parents left us we had a bit of the afternoon left to just chill out together before seeing Louis and Rachel for a lovely little cake and tea session. Rachel baked a really great ginger cake which really hit the spot, the whole meetup was an ideal way to end a busy week.

As a funny side note, I bumped into two separate regulars of our coffee shop today, I intentionally didn't show any signs of recognition, instead I just smiled to myself and mused about what a small world it can be. 

The Ivy

Got pretty lucky on shift, I was due to cover someone for most of the day but the snow meant their other engagement got cancelled. In turn I got to leave work the very second the queue started to snake its way out the door. I left quickly to join up with Rebecca and her parents to go on yet another magical mystery tour around Bristol. We did the ferry boat and the harbourside this time around followed by a very posh dinner at The Ivy. It's a little bit fancy there, but it was Rebecca's Birthday meal so we all prepped ourselves for a little treat. It was a very nice meal in fairness, but after all the courses were finished I suddenly felt exhausted, as if all the weeks work had finally caught up on me. Luckily I've go the day off tomorrow so I'll make sure to get some recharge time in at some point.

Playing the Parent

As promised, here's my latest video where I take a look at how parents are best represented in games. Just want to give a very quick acknowledgement to my own parents alongside the video, playing some of these games probably emulated 1% of the total stresses and hassles that came with bringing up me and my brother. I can empathise with their efforts as parents a little more thanks to these games and all I can say to them is thank you.

Outside of the publishing the video though my day was busy. The snow was endearing for a good portion of the morning, I left the flat at about 5:30 this morning so I got to appreciate a lot of pristine snow on my early walk. As soon as the schools were announced as closed I knew our shop was about to get rammed with people. And we did. We looked more like an Alpine bar than a cafe at one point with all the snow and woolly hats. I was very glad when my shift was finally over.

From one crowded space to another, Rebecca and I headed out to go see a live music show in town. One of her favourite bands White Lies were playing so we joined in with a mass gaggle of music fans to raise our hands and clap our hands. It was a pretty good show too, lotta good energy and good fans made it worthwhile, the band clearly appreciated our attendance too - it always feels good to be needed.