Cracking On, Smashing Goals

Last night I wrote up a little list of all the things I wanted to get done today and I'm happy to say that I smashed all of those goals. I walked to Wildseed so I had my own space to work and ended up developing a little concept running around my brain and I wrote up a news article for the website. Once home, I tided the flat and treated myself to an ASDA pasty which was better than it had any right to be. Brewed up some good coffee, did a bit more work then played games til Rebecca came home, this is the kind of day off I can only dream of having and with any luck tomorrow will be much the same.

If you want to see my new article you can click here. Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training is finally making a comeback and it looks pretty cool.

Embrace the Lazy

Remember yesterday when I said I said I couldn't wait to cook again with my new cast iron pan? Well this morning I found another excuse to do just that by frying up some bacon for breakfast. Served next to some creamy scrambled eggs and some freshly brewed pour-over coffee, it was a literal breakfast of champions. Today has been my first full day off in two weeks so I made sure to be a lazy as possible so I could feel the benefit. Rebecca, Mark and I all played some games in the morning and shortly after we went for a short walk once the rain died down. I had a staff meeting with Sick Critic this evening about how they wanted the website to move forward, basically they want more articles, guess I'd better get writing. Fortunately I have a few days off this week, very eager to start up again on some personal projects again.

Cast Iron and Coffee

After work Rebecca and I went out for not 1, but 3 house viewings. The first one we saw left an impression, especially since the chap who showed us around was a regular I serve at Coffee #1. He gave us a really lovely tour round and I offered to buy him a coffee next time he came in, I knew he was an estate agent so I felt like it was only a matter of time that I'd bump into him, but it still took me by surprise.

The labour of my cast iron seasoning finally came to fruition as I cooked my first ever batch of burgers in my Birthday pan and I can say confidently, and I know I say this regularly on this blog, these were the best burgers I've ever made. I knew the cast iron pan would give me an edge but I didn't expect the improvements to be so dramatic, got a really nice crust going on around the outside of the meat but the inside was still juicy and tender. Can't wait to cook more things in it now.

Holy Haluski

Felt like the whole of Bedminster just 'popped in for coffee and cake' at 9am today. I just couldn't believe how many people we served, literally the tiniest amount of rain coaxed them all into the cafe and it got to a point where some of our regulars couldn't find seats. We bossed the rush though, I remember when a frenzy like that would've flustered me but now I just take it as it comes.

Louis and Rachel swung by for a Bake Off catch up night, I made them my interpretation of haluski and Rebecca served up some homemade blueberry muffins - a really delightful meal! About halfway through the screening I got a message saying that the filming dates for an upcoming shoot have been dramatically changed so next week is a lot more free than I was expecting. Nice though, time to catch up on sleep and crack on with some more job applications and personal projects.

Pretty Pumpkin

Who's this handsome little fellow?

Someone ordered a pumpkin latte since it's the season for all things Autumnal, I thought I could try and give it a little personality so I tried my hand at making a grimacing pumpkin and for a first try, I'm pretty pleased with it. This is why they pay me the big bucks.

Once I left work I took the afternoon off to recuperate after a hectic work schedule. Tried my hand at seasoning my new cast iron pan too, I put two coatings on it and its just about to come out the oven, I can't wait to cook something in it now, maybe burgers, maybe gammon...

Schmoozer

Absolutely smashed the same cond day of filming. Everything went ridiculously smoothly and everyone was super grateful of all my hard work. I was even tasked with showing the work experience kid the ropes and he was very receptive to everything I taught him, think he had a good time too, problem was that we were all so on it there weren't many jobs we could give him outside of tea and coffee making.

Once we were wrapped I went to the pub with the crew and we had a mini wrap party. I found myself talking favourite movies and passion projects with this shoot's director and we got on really well. People all started to leave just as I had to dash off for the bus and now I'm belted up and en route home to Bristol. May have even bagged one more filming job next week with the same guys as a result of my schmoozing.

Flat Pack Fellow

If you roll with art department, chance are you're gonna be building IKEA flat packs, and I won the jackpot today since I got to make 4 of them. Then, once they were done in camera, I got to dismantle them and repack them, getting them all back in their respective boxes was the real challenge. Joking aside, the shoot went incredibly well today, really nice crew and we all worked our absolute socks off, can't wait for tomorrow now.

Link's Awakening Review

On the Megabus out of Bristol I really drew the short straw in where I chose to sit. I wanted to be up front for this trip just because its a bit nicer, but the seat I got didn't actually have a gap underneath for my feet to go under. No biggie I thought, I can muscle through it. There was no-one sat next to me so I was ensured a fairly comfy ride as long as no-one sits next to me after calling at our only other stop... Guess what happened next? Swathes of loud first years got on at Bristol UWE, clearly they were all from London heading home because the moment the coach set off and they were out of earshot of all their mates who came to wave them off they started badmouthing Bristol. Saying how rubbish their night out was and ending it by saying 'Can you imagine living here?!' I let it pass, I wasn't about to get into a tiff with a group I'd have to share a space with for the next three hours, but I was nearly pushed to breaking point when one of them asked around for headphones, when no one offered her a pair she proceeded to watch two episodes of Peaky Blinders through her phone speakers. I mean, come on.

Fortunately I'm tucked into Twickenham now and ready for my shooting days tomorrow. My review of Link's Awakening also got published on Sick Critic and I'm immensely proud of my first proper review for a small gaming outlet. Check it out here

My War Face

Prepped myself to go to war with the cafe customers today since it was a perfect storm of bad omens. Rainy weather, weekend, back to school, all signs pointed to a busy day. In reality though, the day dragged because it felt like no-one came in. My adrenaline was put to good use later in the day as I finished up my review for Link's Awakening, my editor is taking a look at it now and with any luck it'll go live on the website soon.

Rushin' for Reviews

Yesterday I (rather foolishly) opted to review a game for Sick Critic before looking at how busy my schedule would be next week. As a result, I figured that after an eight hour shift I should play and write a 1,000 word review for a game that only came out yesterday. By some miracle, I think I did it, I still need to proof-read and finish up the intro and conclusion, but I hit my word count and I'm fairly pleased with it. Luckily, the website went down this afternoon too so I actually have a legitimate excuse for not posting it in a timely manner, not that there is a strict deadline on this one, but sooner is always better. This'll be my first ever review for the website too, I tried to make it professional seeing as it'll be a portfolio piece down the line, I'm excited to put it out in the wild. 

Small Weston World

Took my first ever trip along to Weston Super Mare to work a cover shift in a different Coffee #1. Seeing as it was an all expenses paid trip to a holiday maker's paradise, I took the opportunity to walk around the pier on my lunch break and even dipped my feet in the ocean. I didn't go down to Bournemouth this year so this was the closest I got to visiting the seaside this Summer so I soaked it all in.

Funnily enough, one of the other team members of the cafe grew up in Newbury and even knew Louis from some house parties they went to together during his 6th form days. Small world it seems.

Things got even weirder though when a chap popped into the cafe and mentioned how he'd appeared recently on David Walliam's Instagram, here's the picture:

David Walliam's was in Weston Super Mare with an old uni friend of mine filming for a new show. Just feels a bit crazy how these coincidences kept rolling in today. I thought I'd arrive and leave Weston as a stranger, but I had more connections there than I was expecting. 

Not on My Watch

Man, I can't thank my colleague enough for swapping shifts with me today. I would've been a tired wreak this morning if I had to get up at 5am, instead I had a full night's sleep and had enough time to do a bit of shopping for Louis' Birthday presents and card. I ended up getting him Kingdomino and some very posh coffee which I custom grinded to suit his coffee maker - he was chuffed as chips with them too so that's a result.

In keeping with the Birthday vibes, a lady called up the shop today asking if we had anymore Portuguese tarts for a Birthday treat, I told them I could bake some to order if they were popping in so we agreed a time and I set them up in the oven. They caught me in a real good mood too, I had a bit of change in my pocket so I pre-paid for the Birthday tart so I could give it away as a freebee, customer was over the moon when I presented it and I just stood and smiled. No-one has a bad Birthday on my watch.

Kicking Up the Running Game

Arrived on set bright and early to hear some slightly unfortunate news, the other Runner I was working alongside got mugged on her way into work. Luckily she wasn't hurt and nothing too serious was stolen but she was naturally pretty shook up and excused from work today. An opportunity to step up my game was handed to me and I accepted, effectively I did the job of two runners today and people were very appreciative. Felt good in myself too, I felt like I was on standby a lot yesterday but today flew by. Client was happy, shots looked great too so it went pretty well. I'm on the bus back home now, looking to get a bit of shut-eye, wrapped a little early too so fingers crossed, I'll be in my own bed before midnight.

Studio Fairies

Admittedly, I arrived on set a little early. This gave me ample time to grab a nice breakfast and a coffee before facing the day. First few hours was all set up and they flew by, I felt really on it too, especially since I bumped into a few people I'd shared jobs with before. Second half went a lot slower though since I was scrounging for jobs.Perks of working in a studio: you sometimes have some little 'Studio Faries' who silently swoop in to clear up any mess - that's usually my job though so it was a blessing and a curse. For a small bit I had the glamorous job of dusting the plastic plants, luckily it was time to wrap shortly after. Do it all again tomorrow!

MegaSlog

Worked the morning shift at work, served both Rachel and Rebecca at different points this morning too and seeing them both pop in put a smile on my face. I walked Rebecca round the harbour during her lunch break then I rushed home to pack for a London coach. Done this trip a lot recently and even though it was technically early, the trip still felt long. I'm getting a super early night, not because I've gotta be up at the crack of dawn, but because I know I'll need every ounce of sleep to push me to be my best. Got my first running gig in a while and intend to make a hell of a good first impression.

Escape the Wild West

Woke up on a sofa bed, had a croissant, then headed off to conquer an escape room. Mum arranged for the family plus girlfriends to do a Wild West themed locked in a room adventure, it was my first one of these and I gotta say it was a damn good time. We all managed to work together perfectly, escaping the room with 44 seconds left on the clock, we left feeling smug and with a new appreciation for each others puzzle solving skills.

Louis nursed a hangover for most of the afternoon buy mustered up enough energy to play some back garden Kubb. Tea, coffee and chatting ensued afterwards and before we knew it, it was time for us to head home to Bristol. Had a really nice weekend in Newbury enjoying the company of my family, it was great to get a bit of time off work to see them, especially since the next few weeks are going to be very busy for me.

Dancing in the Moonlight

Finished up a super short shift at work before heading to Newbury to enjoy the Newbury Beer Festival once again. In addition to drinking plenty of fine ales, the festival had a try ace up its sleeve: Toploader were performing at the end of the evening. We held tight well after the sun set so we could see them all perform live, though they are obviously best known for Dancing in the Moonlight, I gotta say, they have a better catalogue of music than I expected. We danced long into the night and headed to Rio's, a long standing favourite Burger place, for dinner. Good night out.

Plastic Spiders

Gosh, I don't actually remember going to sleep last night. I said goodnight to Rebecca, then my alarm went off. There was no time or space in between. Regardless, I felt well rested and ready to face the day. Apparently the cafe got kitted up with Halloween decorations after I left yesterday, I know this because I kept having to do double-takes on several plastic spiders dotted around the place. I moved all the sneaky ones just so I wouldn't jump out of my skin when I couldn't afford to - last thing I want to do is throw hot coffee on someone because I was fleaing from a toy spider.

I'm Newbury bound tomorrow for the annual Beer Festival, got a quick shift at work to finish beforehand but after that its smooth sailing on a hoppy, malty, boozy sea. Looking forward to seeing my family again, Rebecca always says how much she enjoys going away to Newbury since its so chill - I couldn't agree more.

Self Inflicted Jet Lag

I realised that I've recently been burning the candle at both ends through a series of early starts and late nights. After finishing work I actually wound up in bed moments after writing up another news article for a little nap. I seldom sleep during the day however so the whole experience really threw me and I effectively ended up giving myself jet lag since I lost the concept of time and felt groggier than I started.

I eventually nreturned to my senses and went for another house viewing for an unfurnished place which made for a nice change of pace. House hunting is hungry work though, so Rebecca and I popped into a nearby fish and chip place for quick grub. I'm going to bed again now, hopefully I'll get more than 5 hours sleep tonight.

Pride and Prejudice... Sort Of

Once a swift day of work was over, Rebecca and I headed to the Bristol Old Vic for the second time so I could finally make good in a Birthday present I got Rebecca well over a year ago: a paid trip to the theatre, the show: Pride and Prejudice... Sort Of. I've never properly engaged with any piece of P&P media so I didn't know the story, nor was I 100% certain a out what I was about to see, fortunately it didn't matter because the show was not only very forgiving to newcomers, it was jolly good. It was basically a witty retelling of the story, striking a tonal valence between Miranda and The Play That Went Wrong, plenty of big performances from a talented 6 woman cast with neat perfect comedic timing. Again, even though I personally wasn't familiar with the source material, that didn't keep the smile off my face.

I'm 26!

Cheekily woke up just a little ahead of my alarm because I wanted to savor every moment of this Birthday. Rebecca threw a suite of presents at me while I was still in bed, she got me some new pyjamas and a very nifty coffee brewer which I've had my eye on for some time. My folks sent over a pair of games I'd requested too, including a souped up version Rayman Legends, a game I got for my 20th Birthday and playing it again this morning brought back some fond memories.

In fact, playing games was kinda this morning's theme. In an ironic 'rejection of my age' (as Louis called it) I had a Saturday morning breakfast of sugary cereal and cartoons. After an easy morning Rebecca and I headed out for lunch and to the movies a bit later to see Bait, a great little Cornish film about a fisherman who is struggling to modernize with the world. It was in black and white, 4:3 and had entirely dubbed audio, normally that would make a film pretentious but there was more than enough substance here to make it come across as inspired - perfect Birthday watch.

In the evening I met up with Mark, Lucy, Jenny, Louis and Rachel for a BBQ in the park and to watch Bake-Off. I really did make the best out of every second of today, eeking out as much as possible for this Birthday that tipped me over into the other side of a quarter-century of life. Here's to an even richer and fuller year than the last.

Birthday Eve 2019

On the eve of my Birthday I thought I would do all the prep for the big day tomorrow. Trapsed up and down North Street for a butchers with a good deal on burger mince, on place wanted to sell me frozen meat for an extortionate price so I told them 'I'll think about it' and swiftly ran away. On a colleges recommendation I walked into another nearby place and left with 1.5kg of beef, my college also warned me that she couldn't understand a word that butcher says and I have to say, I agree with her.

So with the burger meat ready and the pickles ready to rock and roll, Rebecca and I popped into Asda to get the extra bits, our fridge is bursting at the seams now but I'm really looking forward to prepping a nice meal. I'm looking forward to tomorrow in general, got a good little day plan sorted and I can't wait to share it with Rebecca and everyone else who's close to me.

Breakfast Ninja

Snuck past our guests to retrieve my breakfast again this morning. Seeing as our living room was being occupied by 4 people I decided to head into work early so I could eat, drink coffee and chill out there before opening up. The day itself was unremarkable but I slowly lost my energy and my enthusiasm waned after lunch. Been thinking about going to bed all day and now that our guests have headed back to London, I'll have the whole of the flat to myself when I'm up early again tomorrow morning.

Bang!

Got introduced to a new board game called 'Bang' by a friend who's staying over this weekend. Kinda plays like a much more involved version if an old game called 'Hands Up', a card game Unused to play in family holidays during my childhood. Experience with that game has served me well since I won both times we played this new game, my smugness carried long into the evening as we introduced our friends to the best local pub we know in Bristol. They quickly fell in love with it like we did and a good time was had by all, especially after a few beers.

Midnight Mario Kart

I'm entertaining some visiting friends for the next few evening, they've only been here just over and hour and I've already cracked out my dissertation for a group reading session. Though I'm opening the cade early tomorrow morning, I could t resist a little bit of midnight Mario Kart - hopefully I won't be too tired in the morning.

Networking and Bowling

Gave a little presentation at Wildseed today all about Eyebrow Owl and my recent video making endeavors. Everyone who was hot desking in the office was encouraged to give a short presentation on what they were getting up to, several of them were animators developing their own web comics or short films so I didn't want to eat into the time of legitimately creative folks, but everyone was surprisingly receptive to my little speech. I basically sold myself as a chap who's really likes games so if they wanted to ever chat games with me I'd be well up for it and following that comment I made several new friends who were all equally into gaming. After a day at the office everyone was invited to go bowling so we all got to hang out further, turned into a really positive little networking event and I left their company feeling invigorated.

Community Hot Deskers

Worked at Wildseed today since I wanted to get the most out of my days off. I've gotten rather comfy there now, I bring in some freshly ground coffee and my Aeropress when I want a proper drink and otherwise I keep my head down and fingers on the keyboard. Ended up writing more than I was hoping to do today as a result which is always a nice place to be in. Furthermore, I got invited to go bowling with the other hot-deskers. At last, a sense of community and a workforce that actually want to hang out after work!

I'll be staying up late tonight to catch Nintendo's latest live stream event that'll no doubt be full of game announcements and other bits of info. Nice of them to roll out all this news mere days before my Birthday, just more stuff to be excited about I suppose.

Back 2 Bake Off

It used to be a sunny affair walking into work at 5:30 in the morning. Now the Winter hours are drawing in and the night shrouds the streets of Bedminster, concealing the weirdos that go jogging at crazy times of the morning. The cafe was busy once again, another nearby coffee place announced their espresso machine wasn't working today so I reckon we got some flow-in as a result of that. Finished work feeling shattered and in need of a pick me up, so I walked into my new favourite place to buy artisan coffee beans and enjoyed a damn fine brew once I got home.

No rest for the wicked though, moments after I took the final sip of coffee Nintendo announced a new Direct press conference for tomorrow evening and Sick Critic wanted someone to cover that story. I hopped on it sharpish, writing a quick piece that I was proud of. That left enough time in the afternoon to meet up with Rebecca for another house viewing and a swift dinner before Louis and Rachel headed round for the first of our 2019 Bake-Off Tuesday get-togethers. No time for home baking this week, but Asda did a good stand-in job for us. Bread week next time, might knock up a quick loaf for the occasion.  

What to Wish For?

Looked into cast iron pan care today after getting nuged by Dad for Birthday present ideas. I'm  currently drafting a small list, and it is very small since I don't have much clue about what I want/need this year. In recent years I've often tried to ask for things that would improve my quality of life in some small way, previously I got an electric toothbrush and that's been a real feather in my cap. No doubt I'll send a list through tomorrow once I've got everything on paper.

Did a little bit more writing today too, the website I do articles for are pushing for a spooky October and want everyone to plan something horror themed to write about so I'm thinking if doing a throwback review for Luigi's Mansion - good excuse to revisit that game at least and they'll get some good clicks.

Maybe Moroccan

Landed back at work for a busy Sunday morning. Rebecca and her parents dropped in to take advantage of my staff discount and to maybe see me too. Got to leave work a little early too which gave me time to help Rebecca cook dinner. Instead of having a classic roast dinner we cooked up a chicken with some couscous, kale, feta and peppers - made this pseudo Moroccan dish which was a nice change of pace.

Need to figure out a plan if action for next week. Got a few bits to crack on with tomorrow so I guess I'll go from there. I'm thinking of launching an Instagram account for Eyebrow Owl since that's where all the cool kids are at. Might get zero new traffic but its always good to try these things.