The end is nigh

Big JC says 'holler!'

zoooooooooom.... zooooooooom....

More photos from various things here http://www.flickr.com/photos/millhouseward/sets/72157622524402260/

Pics

Here are some more photos of my apartment and surrounding area, if you're interested.

I realise now my rubbish camera phone was set to lowest picture size. Oh well.




http://www.flickr.com/photos/millhouseward/sets/72157622024264991/

Incidentally, I'll be posting more photos in due course to my Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/millhouseward/

Sweet

The view two minutes from my apartment.

Any Portugal in a storm

Now then.

Long time, no post. Usually, my annual post would say something at this point like 'you haven't missed much', but for once that would not be entirely true.

Firstly, I qualified. No more exams ever. Nada. Zilch. Zip. Last exams were last September, found out I qualified shortly before Christmas and lived off the celebrity and fame for the ensuing 6 months. Fine scenes.

Second, I'm moving... to Lisbon. But then you knew that, didn't you? I'm all sorted from an IT point of view... Laptop with wireless, rediscovered my blog, got a twitter account (http://www.twitter.com/millhouseward), remembered I had a skype account, set up a flickr account. I just need to get that new digital camera I've been promising myself and I'm all set to go.

In other terms, I'm barely ready at all. I have an apartment* sorted, and bank account and such like. But the amount of packing done is shockingly small. As I type, it is Saturday evening. I meant to do a day's packing, but a morning's lie in and an afternoon's procrastination means I have done none. National Lampoon's Vacation has just started on TV and I have had designs on a takeaway pizza for this evening all day, so I can't imagine I'll get much done. Dah well. There is always tomorrow.

(Third, albeit minor, I fucked up with the Reading ticket I bought immediately after last year's festival. Long story, and all that, but ultimately Reading is always ona bank holiday and this year Outlook fucked up by recording the bank holiday as a week earlier than it actually is. So dickhead here went and arranged his entire move-to-Lisbon around this, only to find out when it was too late. Oh well, these things happen. In four weeks I'll be in a pasteleria eating pastais de nata and swigging superbock. I may even have a sardine or two. So what you gonna do?)

* Ah yes, my apartment. In the nice neighbourhood of Alcantara in Lisbon. Two bedrooms, very nice. No photos as of yet but ones will follow when I get there. Surrounded by cafes and bars, ten minutes walk from a river, some touristy things and a mate. Going to be a fine move, I think.

Until the next time...

MM

Another test

just ignore this

A test photo

Fin, the wonder dog

he's back

Yes. Tell a friend. Millhouse is back.

Facebook sucks. Blogs do not. If you are reading this, i hereby assert that you do not suck. a relief, i'm sure.

Nine months have passed. I could have posted in July to reiterate my last post - i failed an exam in april, but fortunately did pass one. I am resitting that in three weeks. Wish me luck.

Precious little else to report. Or at least I say that and no doubt the following stream-of-consciousness will prove otherwise:

- FC United got promoted again. It was very close - finished second by one poitn after being far behind all season. And we won the play-offs. We're now in the Unibond Prem - division 7 if you will

- Manchester United won the champions league and premier league. I watched it in the palace theatre in manchester with plenty of reds (including plenty of FC fans, it transpired). Fine scenes.

- I went to france for 9 days. France was good. I got sunburnt. We drank a restaurant out of 1664 (or 'seize' as those locals call it). Parlez vous.

- I went to reading festival. The toilets were disgusting, but the music was good. I've got my ticket for 2009 already. I liked rage against the machine. they were good. i also liked adam green, vampire weekend and metalli... only joking. Tenacious D were also good.

And that is about it.

After exams, I'm going to buy a boss loopstation. The XL-20 I think. Yes. That will do nicely.

Keep on not sucking.

schmecksams

jan, feb, mar are now going to be completely utter fucking shit and no mistake

yello

hello audience. both of you.

how's tricks? long time, no self indulgent waffle. i guess you noticed.

well, i see i've not posted properly for over half a year. so why post now? well, it's a rare night in with no booze or work or por... er, television in sight, so instead of having a kip, i'm at here listening to some tunes and updating my online persona.

not really much to add. honestly. let me think:

not really travelled much in last half-year. numerous stag dos mainly. daniels do in budapest. bradburys classy affair in newcastle.

and of course rob's in berlin, where i had the honour of being his best man. berlin rocks. i've been there 85 times now (well, three). it's ace. i'd quite like to live there. one day. maybe. of course, stag do's precede weddings and that meant i had to give a speech at rob's which went well, i think. i still mumble far more than i should. i consider this blog to be a digital version of mumbling for the 21st century.

otherwise, just been stuck in front of a fucking computer for the summer - either because some kind people people me to do so, or because i've been doing sad things like this. and facebook. curse that fetid social networking/data mining exercise. it takes up far too much of my time, it really does.

i did exams. i don't like exams. they are rubbish, but i did do some. i am awaiting some results next thurs. for the first time ever, this is the first ever possible chance that i could possibly just maybe qualify and thus get rid of the need to do exams for ever. i hate them with every fibre of my being, every sinew of my writing hand and every synapse of my brain. but i am nearly there. six years in, so not unaverage, just frustrating. we shall see.

2007's been weird, hardly been to any gigs. i really can't remember what the last one i went to was. had a minor flurry in may if memory serves, where i saw willy mason, ben kweller, pipettes, er, that's all i can remember. i'm sure someone will read this now and think "you were at ... with me, you uncaring 'friend', screw you".

ah, that would be smaje now i think about it - went to see maximo park in april, supported by art brut, who i liked.

as well as not going to many gigs (though i do have a ticket for reading 2008 already!!), i'm just out of touch with the "kids" anyway. hardly bought anything that was released in 2007. shocking. all the artists i enthuse about now are either cryogenically frozen (leonard cohen), dead (RIP FZ), or taking time out between tours to be racist (morrissey, alledgedly - only kidding moz, i know you didn't mean it really). finally completed the full complement of moz and Leonard cohen studio albums this year. only about forty more zappa records to go.

otherwise this year, finally started my much hoped for Half Man Half Biscuit collection. THey are ace. GOt the new saturday looks good to me albums and eps, i hope they tour the UK, i love them. I really do, it is almost love, i swear. the rentals have also reformed and touring the US, hope to see them here next year. please sir.

speaking of music, played my first ever 'gig' last weekend. luntstock. see luntstock.blogspot.com for more details, but basically: it was lunts 30th birthday, held in a hotel in his hometownship of flint/bagillt (north wales, wassup), me him mcevoy and lunt's talented drumming bro wowed the loyal fans (all thirty of them, liggers to the core i swear) in the latest incarnation of FWA (for the polite, Financiers with Attitude is the Backronym - what a word - for the rude, check out the series of Peep Show where Johnson makes his first appearance. SAfe to say, this band will steer clear of tangerines). it was ace. that blog will have videos and such like. you have been warned.

and on that bombshell. i'm off. tara