Hello Sir!
‘So that was Christmas’ which John Lennon failed to sing back in 1980.
I seemed to spend most of it on the M6, I did almost a 1000 miles in my car between Christmas Day and New Years Day. Then again it was important to see everybody, it’d be pretty tragic to spend Christmas Day in a pub with strangers.

*pause*

Anyway, I did…

1. Preston -> Telford
2. Telford -> Wolverhampton
3. Wolverhampton -> Telford
4. Telford -> Preston
5. Preston -> Telford
6. Telford -> Birmingham
7. Birmingham -> Telford
8. Telford -> Preston
9. Preston -> Fleetwood
10. Fleetwood -> Dumfries
11. Dumfries -> Fleetwood
12. Fleetwood -> Preston.

Poor car – so needs a wash. Touch wood I seem to have done it without getting a speeding ticket. Jesus, I’ve so cursed myself now.
It was cool though, I got some nice presents. That’s the most important thing about Christmas, what nice presents I get. The rest is just trimming. Marie got me some new trainers which was really sweet, I’ve hardly taken them off yet. Should have done in the bath though, Matey bubble bath is not good for them. She also got me Tony Hawks Underground which I’ve been playing constantly, though my fucking thumb hurts now. I should learn that pressing on harder has no effect. Ooh she got me lots of other stuff which, now I’ve started naming presents, I really shouldn’t miss out. I got some books, a white stripes lolly (so cool) and a giant ornamental fish (!). Oh and some ace t-shirts. There was other stuff as well, all great as expected.
Liam made me a T-shirt, it contains NOT ONE, but TWO nexus in-jokes. Yes, two! That’s double the value.
I’ve mentioned presents off other friends, bar Johnny H who got me some ice cubes with lights in. They are very swish.
Marie’s mum got me a hardbacked copy of Lord of the Rings, I’ve never actually read it so that excites me. I got a radio alarm off me ma n’ da which means I can now be woken up by Sarah Kennedys rather annoying poshness rather than the American retarded lady on my old alarm clock. Still it’s useful for Jonathon Ross on Saturdays. I got some vouchers as well which I’ve exchanged (plus some of my own money) for a rather expensive new car stereo. Still, it has DAB on it so I’ll be able to listen to Radio 6 or XFM in the car. *Excited*
I’m bored with the Christmas presents round-up now. I got a lot of cool stuff though.
Excursions into drunkenland came about on Christmas Eve where Dave did a drunken Franz Ferdinand dance for us and Christian punched me in the bollocks. Last Saturday we went to the warehouse for the first time in ages. I think everybody was staggeringly pissed by the end of it, apart from Dave the designated driver. Johnny H was fed tequila sunrises by Marie and ended the night by riding the bonnet of a taxi and attacking bus stops with a broom he’d stolen. He kissed me again but I’ll let him off as the bus stop attack was a revenge attack for the loss of my honour. A few years ago on the way back from a Brave Captain gig at the Adelphi, I tried to climb the bus stop and ended up falling off (I’m too fat) and cutting my hand. So thanks John for getting revenge for me. Liam was in drunken malevolent mood though he did thank the police for the work they do. Hee hee.
I didn’t seem to be in the best mood in the world – I think I’d drunk too much and too quickly.
Still, I got to dance to Franz Ferdinand. With Dave. On a dancefloor with nobody else on. Whilst being watched by over 50 people. At us. Dancing. In a really fey way.
Yay!
Fuck it, I don’t care, me and my friends are the best fey dancers in old London town and I challenge anyway to a ponce-off if they want to argue that fact.
So I’m back at work now, it’s been a bit odd this week. A guy I worked with for over four years was killed in a bus crash in South Africa over New Year. You don’t expect the top story on the national news to concern the death of someone you know, and hear people talk about him on your TV.
I won’t pretend we were best friends, we talked quite a lot when he worked here and we played football together – yet we never really got on. I think we wound each other up, it was probably the fault of both of us. Still, it was a shame and I never wanted any harm to come of him. His coffin was brought back into the country yesterday and it was brought via work. A few of us went outside to pay our respects as the coffin went past. God knows what his family must be going through, it must me horrendous.

Okay, well it’s a new year. 2002 was a great year for a few reasons but also horrible due to other things that happened. 2003 on the other hand was much better all round. It was my first year living with Marie, it’s been the most adventure packed year of my life and I did so much over the last 12 months. Excitingly it looks like that’ll continue, we already have a short holiday booked and several gigs to see.
Anyway 2003 was good for other reasons. Not work – obviously, yet as a group of friends I feel we’re all much more comfortable together. There isn’t a cloud hanging over nights out anymore – people usually enjoy themselves, there isn’t a crisis every night or the fear that something is going to blow up to ruin an evening. That’s really cool and shouldn’t be left unnoticed. We’ve all grown up, we realise our friends aren’t out to slag us off and nobody really throws a childish fit anymore when they feel like being a bit “rebellious”. It’s so nice not having to listen to ill-thought out sixth-form politics as well.
Dave summed it up when he said the other day that’d “we’d skimmed off the selfish and the evil”.

This keyboard is having a spaz.
Fuck off!
That’s better.

Oooh, guitar lessons start soon. That should be exciting.