Update:

Hey all,

Elea arrived safe in London, emerging from baggage claim nearly an hour late.

Which is good, since I arrived at Heathrow nearly an hour late.

She's currently sleeping on the couch. Has been since we got back to Leytonstone just before midnight.

I went out to Strength Through Dreadnought myself, getting there incredibly late because of various SNAFUs.

When it turned out, I decided to come home rather than go to Sick and Twisted. I'll apologize to Alex sometime 'round the way.

Time to get a few hours of sleep.

4PM Elea and I head up to Birmingham, for fun and adventures with The Scare.

Over and out.

-Jason

Something interesting:

Gabe, the resident art genius at penny-arcade.com drew some fan art for a game that is coming out of X-Box 360 sometime called Gears of War.

So I looked at the Gears of War site ( http://gearsofwar.com ) and found a link to an interview with the game script writer here: http://gearsofwar.com

(I'm typing this in Safari, because I can't be bothered firing up firefox, ergo I can't do the neato HTML linking).

Anyways, it makes for an interesting read. I'm going to explore the Gears of War Behind the Scenes section to find what other stuff I can find in there.

Oddly enough, my current Tube Book is Starship Troopers by Robert A Heinlein. (I should be finishing Neverwhere, but it is took big to fit in my pocket: if the satchel stays home, so does it).

Elea arrives tomorrow night.

Over and out.

-J

Back in print:

Hey All,

Third post for the past 24, but I just remembered I have good news to share.

The new issue of Alternative Magazine has hit the stands. At least the stands at The Devonshire Arms, and a few other places.

And said issue does indeed contain the two reviews wot I wrote.

For those that want to read them, the question is do I scan the page and put it up here as an image file, or do I just wait a month and then put a link to the Alt Mag website.

I'll probably go with the former, once I get momentum going.

Back in Print. Yay.

Over and out,

-J

While I'm here:

The Neil Gaiman thing on Monday was super cool.

I did mean to go to the signing the next day, but I got caught up in Leytonstone and missed it.

Nevermind.

Over and out,

-J

I love cats

Here's some super-cute ones I found in a forum somewhere:

Adventures

Hey All,

Last night was fun.

Started off with the Aiden show, getting there at about half seven deliberately to avoid the crap emo support bands.

Downside: The Astoria was way too fucking hot (ventilation people! Seriously!) and full of creepy young emo-kids. Creepy young, SWEATY emo kids. I literally couldn't move without getting coated with somebody else's sweat.

And despite reports to the contrary it turned out that my press pass was still in my editor's name (thankfully the guestlist woman was cool about letting me through, it could have been a hassle otherwise).

Upside: when Aiden finally started, they put on a good show that made the oppressive heat and humidity almost bearable. Wil Francis is one hell of a showman, and the band as a whole rocked out nicely.

Next: Camden and the Devonshire Arms, where I got talking to some newlyweds from Detroit (honeymooning in Europe). The groom actually had a knowledge of old-school Australian bands (Radio Birdman, The Saints, Boys Next Door, Beasts of Bourbon etc) that I found impressive to say the least. I took them along to Antilight at Koko to see Queen Adreena play a fierce set.

The Swede was supposed to play a DJ set, but the club was closed early, so we took a bus to a club in Tufnell Park and chilled there.

After that I went by myself down to Angel to maybe hole up in Electrowerks until the tubes started running (my standard strategy when I'm otherwise facing the N8 home).

Instead I ran into Sonja and Tim (friends I haven't seen in months) outside, and wound up hanging with them by the canals and watching the urban wildlife go by (ducks, mice, squirrels, an oddly relaxed fox etc). There were barges on the canal, one of them pretty damn big.

Sometimes I think I'd like to live on a barge, but I've got a thing about needing Hot Showers, Broadband and Headroom. Actually, I suspect that a good barge will let you stand up straight, but the Hot Showers and non-negotiable.

As Slimes closed we doubled back and talked to all the people spilling out. Seeing all of them at once, instead of spread over a whole night, was like clubbing in fast forward.

Hmm. Speed Clubbing. Jason Runs to the Patents Office.

Hmm. Online Patents Office... Jason Runs Back to the Patents Office (someone probably already thought of it, though).

I tagged along with some friends to house in Walthamstow (somewhere in the vicinity of the William Morris Museum, which I always mean to check out) and we all played with kittens.

A bus took me back to Leytonstone, where I caught some much needed sleep.

Neato.

Just found out my sister is coming to London from New York next weekend. Should be a blast.

Tomorrow there's a Neil Gaiman Reading. Sweet.

Enough for now.

Over and out.

-J

Neil Gaiman

Hey All,

I bought a ticket to a Reading and Q&A with Neil Gaiman next monday.

Then the day after he's doing a signing at Forbidden Planet.

Having missed Neil Gaiman last time (mental note, insert link to me spitting the dummy a few months back), I am pretty happy to have this opportunity to see the man talk again.

It rained a bit today, so I'm hoping this Indian Summer is at an end.

Tomorrow night I am being sent to see a band from Seattle called Aiden, another review for Alt Mag.

This time I have to pretend to be my editor (because that is the name that the pass is under). Shouldn't be a hassle.

According to Thee Ed, the magazine is at the printers and should be hitting the streets soon. Neato. He told me he'd mail me a copy.

Also: my new battery for my laptop just arrived. Hopefully it is of the non-exploding variety. I'll wrap up the exploding one and send it back.

Anyways, I'm off.

Over and out.

-J

It had to happen sometime...

My two favourite clubs in London, being Strength Through Joy and Sick'n'Twisted are going to be on the same night this month (Friday 29th!).

I can make it to both, but it will probably be a bit of a palaver+weird late night travelling (fortunately I think both are at opposite ends of Zone 1).

I think next month Strength Through Joy goes home to the Garage, which should put it on a Saturday again.

Enough about that.

Other stuff:

This just came to my attention:

An exhibit/exhibition in the British Science Museum of videogame history.

Nice.

The papers are predicting a late heatwave. It has already been too hot on the tubes and stuff. I think the yoyoing temperatures are playing havok with my internal thermostat.

I'll be okay.

Over and out.

Hey O

Hey,

The Satyricon show was so good that the review has practically written itself.

Had two friends come along with me to act as sounding boards.

After that went to Slimes and nearly passed out from what might have been Paris/London heat exhaustion (headache, pale, cool skin, feeling hot, dilated pupils). A friend thought I was having a bad reaction to ecstasy, which would be hard, since I don't touch any of that. Felt much better after they made me drink a litre and a half of water.

Tonight went to see Skindred at the Underworld.

Otherwise dealing with domestic stuff.

Over and out.

-Jason

colour me cheerful:

I got confirmation for the review for Satyricon tomorrow. Which is cool.

I also have two friends coming tomorrow, which is good. It means my plus one won't go to waste again.

Tomorrow I'm going to be returning library books and other chores.

Plus writing reviews of SixFtHick and doing a little research about Satyricon.

Other stuff:

Scott at VG Cats is a genius.

Also:

I might have mentioned this already, but I downloaded an update of iTunes, which reads a database encoded into CDs so that I don't have to spend ten minutes a piece typing out songtitles etc

Anyways, that's enough for now.

Over and out.

-J

Back from Paris...

Hey Everyone,

I got back from Paris Alive.

I even found places to sleep and people to hand with.

I've taken a shitload (pardon my french) of photos this trip, so I'll probably select the best ones and Flickr them. Either that or figure out a way to reduce them and flickr them all. Some of it is really nice buildings that I saw, some of it is interesting posters and stuff like that. Some of it is just stuff I thought was funny. Like all the Irish Pubs I saw in Paris. WTF?

I made friends with an Austrian girl, who actually told me that I now have a place I can stay if I want to go to Vienna. She spoke near perfect English, but no French, so she was actually impressed by the crappy French I could speak to people around the place.

Speaking of Speaking German, tonight I was speaking German to an Irish woman who spent nine years in Berlin, and she actually thought that I was German. Weird.

Phil from AltMag offered me the review for the Satyricon show on Saturday night. Nice. I replied as soon as I could, so I hope I get it.

Enough for now. I am exhausted.

Over and out.

-J

Paris Rocks

I'm in Paris.

Paris Rocks.

SixFt Hick Rocks.

Paris is hot but it still rocks.

I'm flying home tomorrow and working out what I will do til then.

I have a headache but Paris Still Rocks.

A full report on Paris when I get home (possibly after I come out of my Post Paris Coma).

Did I mention that Paris Rocks.

Over and out.

-J

Did I forget to mention...

... That late the other night I actually sorted out my ticket to Paris.

I'm flying over Tuesday Morning from Luton Airport.

Working out the best way to get to Luton Airport Now.

[Later...]

Okay, I just booked a seat on the easybus going to Luton from one street away from the Baker Street Tube Station.

That gives me time to take the tube to Baker Street, find the bus depot, ride the bus to Luton, check in etc and jump on the plane.

Might even give me time to find something interesting to read in the Airport bookshop, since any other reading material will be in my bag (I wonder if you're allowed to acrry books in your pocket? Probably best not to risk it, everyone is so jumpy right now).

Tonight I'm going to schlepp out to Kingston to see my pals ToMera at the Peel, since I'm probably still going to be in France when they play The Underworld on Wednesday Night.

Hopefully I'll get the journey and the timing right. Mental note: charge the iPod and leave early, just in case [Plugs in iPod and transfers in the Parkway disk I ripped the other night].

Now it's time for action.

Over and out.

-J

I suspect these tests are rubbish:

My Personality

Neuroticism	94
Extraversion	98
Openness To Experience	99
Agreeableness	28
Conscientiousness	41

Test Yourself Compare Yourself View Full Report MySpace Surveys, Bebo and MySpace Layouts by Pulseware Survey Software

Though it is probably right on the money calling me an extremely neurotic super extrovert.

-J

Hello Again.

Hey,

Haven't been home since Saturday Night.

I can't recall if I posted it, but I spent the late late hours of Friday night hanging with Alice and James watching Kate Bush and Danille Dax clips on Youtube. Finally got home at about 10 AM or something.

Saturday evening:

Met up with an English internet buddy who scalped me a spare Parkway Drive ticket, just in time for us to see Parkway blow the mighty Shai Hulud off the stage. Nice.

Onto Slimelight, where I ran into Alice and James again, plus Richard and a variety of other souls.

Met a Swedish graphic designer and wound up hanging with her in Stoke Newington until this morning.

Found out that Steve Irwin is dead when my mother called me last night. Crikey.

Right now I'm scouring the internet, gathering information as to whether I should catch the 'Hick in Munich (Bavaria) on Thursday or in Morlaix (in Brittany) on Friday.

I can get to Munich by 1740 hrs if I fly from Brussels, for the princely sum 9 Euros, give or take, if I fly Virgin. But getting to Brussels is the hard part. Hard and or expensive.

Figuring it out figuring it out figuring it out.

In any case, before I go anywhere I need to write the reviews about how vicious a live act The Scare are becoming, and how much Parkway had the fickle UK HC kids eating out of their hands.

Over and out (for now).

-J