The internet is back...

...after a month of it fading in and out, being as slow as a slow thing and not even working at all - it has returned.  It did take the engineer over 90 minutes to sort it but IT'S BACK!!!!  It is absolutely amazing how missed it is and how much a part of your life it really is - scary actually!!!

Anyways, what's been going on?!?!?!?!?!?!  Well, bits and bobs. 

I got to see the mighty Rammstein in concert last week.  A heavy metal/industrial German band who sing in their native tongue and have a wicked/disturbing (to some) sense of humour.  They also put on one hell of a live show full of explosions, flames and brilliant stage props.  This tour was all about their greatest hits and it was a non stop collection of class tracks pulled from their last 17 years in music.  Sonne, Mutter, Mein Herz Brennt, Amerika and Pussy were all highlights, but, in all honesty, there wasn't a single low light!!

After it was recommended to me by a friend, I watched 'Drive'.  Holy crap - what an a amazing film with a soundtrack as integrated and amazing as the film itself.  Starring Ryan Gosling as a loner who is part  stunt driver, part getaway driver for hire - this is essentially 'Shane' full of bouts of extreme violence, cool ass driving and a doomed love story.  Incredible film!!

It was also Oscars time in February and as is tradition, me and the missus stayed up with plates full of food and glasses full of drink and watched it from start to finish.  Happily, 'The Artist' won most of the main awards, and rightfully so.  Hosted by Billy Crystal, it also marked a return to form for the Oscars itself.

Music wise, I got the Immersion box sets of Pink Floyd's 'Wish You Were Here' and 'The Wall'.  Both amazingly packaged and both full of amazing extras.  'The Wall' especially with its 2 cd's worth of Roger Water's original demos and some band demos.

Writing, writing, writing!!!  I am very close to getting my book self published and work on my second book is coming along very nicely.  I have also started work on my third book and a short story about Zombies.  Still entering competitions and writing for websites, the writing is flowing.  In fact, included below is a new poem from my second book - enjoy!!

  

Sublime

Heavy eyes glaze over and finally succumb,

a lasting beat echoes from a tired heart,

and a sublime silence hangs in the air.

Coldness collapses across tired skin,

now nothing more than an empty shell,

its occupant free of life’s pretty asylum.

Time’s void sets in stone a sombre hum,

this shift in tone thick and sweet,

a kaleidoscope of charcoal emotions.

   And death welcomes a new friend,

a wild odyssey of belief begins,

odd times…and all.

And with that, until next time.