Countdown

No, not the rather good four part comic, with Captain Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise NCC1701-E that leads into JJ Abrams rather good Star Trek movie. Although feel free to check that out - available now as a graphic novel.
I was thinking more of more generic wibbly wobbly timey wimey shit.
Isn't everything we do a constant countdown to something?
At the moment I have several.
One week and a few days til my Halloween party this year for my online Doctor Who chums. Although it has to be said, DW is a very small part of our friendship, it was really just a way of introduction. (And that new logo, thoughts? I love it)
After that I will then be running up to and planning the trip to London to see La Cage, courtesy of the lovely Sue, where I will again be meeting some online chums. Also need to do the main bulk of Project X that weekend. Can say no more about that.
Then there is the works Xmas do up in Manchester in December. Which I am expanding to encompass into a weekend to hang out with Robb, which will be fully awesome.
Which leaves mere weeks to get Christmas done and dusted. And somewhere in all this is three more Doctor Who specials to end the Tenth Doctors era (plus appearances in SJA, online/red button adventure Dreamland and an alleged Children in Need spesh).
The the year begins all over again with public holidays to sort out, birthdays to roll around once more ... but of course, the big one ... the one I am already on a countdown for and have been since my wedding was over......
Today marks 1 year and 4 days til the next big trip to Florida.
369 days, 8856 hours, 531,360 minutes .. give or take ....

But the one thing that occurred to me as part of a training day we had on Friday. All these times and dates, a set of rules we follow to make life easier - because we choose to.
What if you chose not to accept time as it is widely known? Why not say sod it. I am going to have a three month year, with 42 days in each month, 27.5 hours in each day and that's how I am living my life.
Granted, holding down a 'regular' job might be an issue, but if you manage to get yourself into some kind of e-commerce, what limits you?
I remember a customer when I worked in Cineworld in Stevenage who came and sat in the cafe to meet his friends to see a film. When i asked him what showing they were going to, he didn't know. He had no set time to meet them, because they were all people who do not subscribe to the clock as laid out. They don't follow time, but just believe that if they make rough plans, and the event is meant to be, they will all be there at the same time at some point.
He sat there for most of my shift and stayed when I went home and Bev came in.
What an amazing way to live your life. You have to be incredibly brave or incredibly stupid to manage it - and you could argue that the two aren't poles apart.
Plus incredibly rich or really not give a shit about money, I suspect.

Oh and the chap? Apparently, over the course of the evening, his chums did show up and they caught the film they were wanting to see. How cool is that?

A Question of Pride

This weekend sees Cardiff and Manchester go head to head with their Pride festivals.

A bad idea from the off.

Manchester has acts like Alphabeat, Little Boots, Bananarama, Human League, Peter Andre .... and thats realy only a small selection of whats on offer.

What does Cardiff have?
Ianto off off Torchwoods rock band, Blazin Squad & the Musical Theatre troupe from the Copthorne Hotel.
Fucking hell.
They'd be better off ploughing the money into decent public transport to Manchester for the weekend.
I find this so typical of Cardiff though. It wants so hard to be this amazing centre of culture and excellence, but nobody actually wants to do the hard work to get it there. So our shops still close at 8 or 10. No bars or clubs go all night. You cant get a decent bite to eat much after 9 most days. And you have no hope of decent festival of any kind.
If you talk to most of the people round here, they'd love it - but nobody wants to put their back out to make it happen.
Dont suppose the good people of Manchester fancy coming down and showing us how its done?

Budget Barbie Camper

Saturday was the day we went to see Priscilla The Musical in London. It was a wedding gift from some good friends of ours.
Id been feeling rough since weds, but was damned if I was missing it, so just went and sweated a lot.
And so glad I did. Its AWESOME
Not only do they manage all the costume and make up changes, but they really do have the bus on stage ... and it moves!
All the ABBA references are changed to Kylie, including the priceless moment when Jason Donovan says 'Quite fancied Scott myself' ... genius casting.
Its quite a lovely touch that when singing as narrative, the actors perform, when the characters prance around in women's clothing mouthing the words to other peoples songs, three heavenly Divas fly down from the sky and sing for them.
And a Kylie medley!
Go ... you'll have a blast! Its just been extended to February with the current cast.
Just watch you don't get hit by a ping pong ball.................

Should Probably Mention ...

... I got married at the beginning of the month.
Twas fully awesome and the best day of my life to date. Its well documented in pictures over at Facebook, but I haven't really spoken to anyone about how it felt - my internal ramblings etc.

Thanks to Rach, I was rocking a be-awesome blue suit and Union Jack All Stars.
We'd had rain forecast all week and it pissed down hard all night leading up to it - but 2 hours before the ceremony the skies cleared and it was the most amazing beautiful day.

Dan had been whisked away to his mate David's, so that we wouldn't see each other before the ceremony. I arrived with about 20 minutes to go and hid round the side of the building with Rich, Shane & Mark. Upon entering City Hall, a not un-attractive man asked where I was going. 'I'm getting married' I explained - 'Oh Hi Paul' he said - he knew who I was - small detail but really impressed me! I had to go off into a separate room first and talk legal shit with the registrar, then had my Mum walk me in. I hadn't told her - so it was a nice surprise for her on the day. We had chosen that I make an entrance to one version of the Bridal Dancing Queen from Muriel's Wedding.

I wasn't really nervous to speak of, but did feel incredibly self conscious at first. But as soon as you see how amazingly happy everyone looks for you, that dissipates rapidly. As we faced the front and went through the ceremony, I was vaguely aware that a person was kind of off to my side and in front, taking pictures, but it was only about halfway through I realised it was our friend Emma!

We had rings to exchange and had chosen from the sets of vows they give you. Ours did have a line about faithful after all the love and cherishy stuff - and you could almost hear the silent giggle from our friends who know we have an open affair, but it was all good. Until I had a fit of laughter during one set of my vows. It was seriously taking every last bit of concentration to not howl aloud. And then I had to just look into Dan's eyes while he said his version. Which is when I lost the plot and started shaking violently with suppressed laughter. Suppose it was kind of nerves, kind of just so immensely overjoyed and relieved and happy to be there, doing this mad thing.
Which is what put Dan off .... causing him to get my name wrong. If you watch the video, I slap his arm for it. I am not overfond of my middle name at the best of times, so him putting it first and calling me Charles Paul Robinson -well that just made me want to laugh even more.

Our dear friends Nick & Robb did a brilliant reading from Tales of the City for us, and then while we and our witnesses signed the legal stuff, we had an edited version of For Good from Wicked playing, and we left to the other version of Bridal Dancing Queen.

It was fucking ace.

And if you follow Torchwood Children of Earth - there is a bit .. in day 4 .... where as they evacuate Thames House, You see Jack in a corridor shouting while lights flash and sirens wail - he is stood outside the room we got married in!!!

The sun held for us as we posed for photos with everyone outside in the gardens. Awesome.
We went down to Cardiff Bay for a Chinese buffet. Be-awesome
Then went to Terra Nova to kill time until the evening - stupidly hot. I thought I was going to melt.
The evening was then a private room in a pub in Cardiff. We did a cutting of cake thing but generally mingled and chatted to all our came along. Twas fantastic.

Its also massively humbling, having so many people just be there, for you. All day my mind was racing with a mix of 'why the hell are they all dressing up and coming out just for us?' & feeling like I had just stepped off five consecutive rides on Nemesis at Alton Towers. It was a 10 hour massive adrenalin rush.

But it was brilliant.

Ceremony part 1
Ceremony part 2

Set Photons to Stun...

How mad is this?

And Star Trek rocks. Fact.

Breeding Permission

After reading an article today about a 24 year old who is feeding her 9 month old triplets junk food, (by chewing it first of course, because that makes it ok), young Peter and I decided that you should have to complete a questionnaire to be allowed to breed.
Feel free to pass this to your local AM/MP/Frog Breeding Society.

From: Peter
Sent: 28 April 2009 10:17
To: Paul Robinson
Subject: RE: Some people really should be allowed to breed...

Basic tests should be in place and a license granted.

From: Paul Robinson
Sent: 28 April 2009 10:21
To: McHugh Peter
Subject: RE: Some people really should be allowed to breed...

And question one should be how to spell Findlay.............. (she has called her son Finlee)

Question two, how many people do you know that have been on Jeremy Kyle?

Question three: Henley's to you means:

A) A Regatta

B) A top brand of clothing innit

C) Something belonging to the lead singer of the Eagles.

Question four: Can you get pregnant if you do it standing up?

a) Yes

b) No

c) Yer but no but yer but no

Question five: Sex is better:

A) Romantically, at home, by candlelight

B) With the car door shut so the light goes off

C) Up against a tree, with an orderly queue formed

Question Seven: Is your mam

a) Also your Aunt

b) Under 40

c) A regular on crime watch

d) None of the Above

And thinking about the ability to actually raise kids....

Question 8: Nutrition is:

A) Essential for healthy bones

B) Not going large every time, and makes sure you get diet coke

C) Better than Old Trition.

Question 9: Engerland Engerland Engerland?

a) Engerland Engerland Engerland!

b) Awwww yeah man! Where are the [delete as appropriate] Scots/Welsh/Paddy bastards and we'll give them a going over?

c) Fuck off you yob

d) What?

Question 10: Doctor Who?

A) He's that tall skinny bloke, yeah?

B) A 904 year old Time Lord of Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous

C) Do I look queer?

Question 12: Do you pay attention to detail?

a) Yes

b) No

c) ____________________(please insert comment)

And we think that would about cover it. You'd need to score at least 12 to be allowed to breed.....

The more observant will have seen the logic in this.

Bad Paul

Ive been a bit shit with this of late, havent I?
Its all down to time, Proper Job and Other Jon don't leave a great deal of it you see. And what I do get, I then do my damnedest to actually have a life.
So all in brief.
Planet of the Dead. Camp Nonsense, but you know how I love my Doctor Who Camp Nonsense on a Bank Holiday. I actually got to see it a day early and on a big screen.
I know! How cool is that? They had a Dalek (meh) and a Cyberman (YAY).
A quick look at the pictures on my facebook page will tell you that I have also been out and about a bit.
A new quiz for Easter for my forum pals, a few trips out with various Squee's, Bad Wolf Bay, Paintball - and man I LOVED the paintball, there's the next Florida trip booked for October 2010, starting weight watchers, Who chasing ..... its all keeping me vitalised and in one piece mentally.

But lets discuss Who theory.
Herein may contain spoilery goodness, depending on your point of view.
I always said that 4 specials, would go thus:
Camp Nonsense (ting! 10 points for the Cub in the corner), Traditional scary monster story, Two Part Finale Balls to the wall fan wank apocalyptic extravaganza.
Looks like I may well be right, based on odd bits of filming that Ive caught and the Waters of Mars trailer. Speaking of Waters of Mars, which as is the case these days, is being referred to as WoM .... which if you say aloud, sounds like you are flexing a lightsabre .... I am predicting its going to be shown as part of Children in Need. Everyone, and I mean everyone else thinks I'm barking with that theory and for those people I have three words.
The Five Doctors.
And it looks pretty much entirely set in a Biodome on Mars - yet they filmed a snowy street scene outside Tree's flat in Feb ... the TARDIS arriving and Doctor, older lady MILF companion type and two youngsters and a WALL*E thing emerge ... and Ood Sigma. So guessing that's the end!
And for the finale, rumours of returning companions en masse again. Donna, Wilf, Syvlia, Sarah Jane and Luke all seen filming on location so far. Maybe sightings of John Simm .... but although we have seen plenty of new scenes filmed, we have also seen them back at a lot of previously used locations, leading to a little theorem of mine.
I think, as part of the shenanigans, the Doctor may be breaking the holiest of holy Time Lord rules and buggering about in his own timeline. Think Back to the Future part II, when Marty goes back to Hill Valley in 1955, and is running around trying not to bump into himself ..... lord knows how or why this occurs, but its a theory Ive had for a few months, and I'm not seeing too much that dissuades me from it yet.
We'll see over Christmas I suppose!