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8月11日 Summer Breaks...Time flies when you're having fun...doesn't it?
And once again,i take a break from MSN Spaces...and when i return to it,it's all changed!
Do i like it? Hmm...i don't know,although this new thing of different backround and text colour is kinda fun...artistic almost!
But there,i've amused myself enough,back to normality
 As Master Aaron commented on,its been since June that i last updated 'Breaks'...and i seriously had no idea that that amount of time had flown past. Have i filled the time constructively...probably not,although that should have been the case lol. Bugger it,roll on the list,see what's been going on...
1) Me,myself and Irene...well,not Irene,but as in 'How am i?',im pretty good. I've been off work for the last 2 weeks,summer shutdown! For all the faults i could pick i the company,this is one of the saving graces,a good break in the middle of the year. I kinda feel like i've earned it,getting into my new role as Forktruck driver was taxing at times,a lot to keep an eye on,so i have loved waking up in the morning,and thinking "what do i have to do today? hmm...nothing,lay in!" And so,i have...
But,i've also been pretty active,i've been out most days,visiting people,catching up,and its been great. A highlight was visiting some people i haven't seen in about 4 odd years! I used to work with the guy,John,and as these things happen,we lost contact. But,he saw my miniatures in White dwarf the other month,left a message with the Cambridge store,and then,for a weekend,i spent some time with him,another mate i hadn't seen for the same amount of time,Phil,and his budding family. I thought it'd be a bit weird at first,but we took off like we hadn't been apart really,was great! It was John's little lads 5th birthday on the sunday,so was invited to a BBQ for that,generally chilling and watching people break one another on the bouncy castle! Good food,good people,good time. In exchange,i did a few painting tutorials,they are both hobbyists getting back into it,and i kick started his girlfriend into the hobby also,so i like to think i was inspiring...
2) Another thing i've started quite earnestly,is playing Pool. I've dabbled a few times when out with mates before,but we're all as useless as one another,and i never thought about it seriously as something i'd like to do. till the other Thursday night,i went out with some of the older crew from the store,and i didnt realise that Scott used to play in a team,and is damned good. He went about the table like he was ronnie o' Sullivan,and it was good to watch...not so good to get 7 balled by him,but inspiring nonetheless.He started giving my pointers,and suddenly,i was potting balls! I have this knack of hitting difficult ones and good safety shots (watching all that Snooker paying off there!) but if the ball was right over the pocket,i'd miss it ..and i had no idea why...probably complacency or something,thinking it was an easy shot etc...but,now i rather like the game. We played again this week,and i think i will enjoy improving.It's better with good mates and a beer!
3) Finally started a new sculpting project!! It's been nearly a year since i picked up tool and putty on a serious intention,and i was dubious about how it would go... i assumed the long break would mean i'd have to brush up on a few bits,but,i started well...and carried on well! I surprised myself,i didn't have any concept art drawn up,just a vague idea in my head,so i just went with that.So far,so good! Had a good response,and even a pretty exciting 'project' mentioned to me,although that's way off in the future.Does make me think i can do something with this skill though! I used an armature from Reaper Miniatures as a base,the pre-sculpted basic human dolly is very iseful,but other than that,i've done everything from scratch,and features my first face at the 30mm scale,and i think it's ok! If i can finish him,and paint him,i may well enter him in the Golden Demon competition in September,i think i could get a Finalist with him at the least,and that would be great in the hard fought category that is Fantasy Single Miniature.I still have to get seriously into the painting side of things for golden Demon..which is slightly worrying,i've had time and not used it as constructively as i might have...too much going out..whoops. Still,it wouldn't be Games Day without the last minute painting before the event!! Haha...
4) Quiet on the tune front,i've contented myself with buying albums,listening to what A-List Djs are playing,seeing what i like and dont. I do this quite often,thinking "if it's good enough for sasha,its good enough for me". I listen to quite a few different styles,so end up with a eclectic collection,and then enjoy finding ways to put them together. It's something i've recently passed onto Padawan Chris,he was visiting a couple of weeks ago,and he had his first go! He likes his tunes,so i thought he'd find it interesting...he did,has had another go since,and is now on about getting his own equipment and so on,which i think is awesome! Me,inspiring? Never... Still,will be fun i think!
5) Drawing continues to go well,ive had a few more to do over the holiday,so a steady stream of things to do.Still quite surprising to me,but also happy for the opportunities..never know where it might end up. There's also a drawing competition at Games Day,and apparently,no title,meaning i can draw anything from the backrounds of Games Workshop....that should be fun,will give that a go too i think!
6) New 'Tune of the Moment' up,excellent selection,if i do say so myself... and yes,im still reading 'Faith and Fire'!! I started it a while ago,but kinda ground to a halt with it...then got distracted,i read the awesome autobiography of Mick Foley AGAIN,and that kept me amused for a while...now,im back onto the Battle Sisters book,and i have a new leash of life on it,has got very interesting,so guess i needed the break from the slow start! Bit of a bugger,is tempting me to start a new army of the 'Nuns with guns'...they are awesome...but have other ideas elsewhere too,which isn't helping! Curse my imagination and the people that fuel it... Actually,no,i love it,cheers peeps! I should curse my amazing (ly crap) willpower...need to learn to stick with one thing at a time!
This will never happen.
But worth a thought.
That's it for now i think,a reasonable update,i hope to keep on top of things a bit better from now on!
Love,Peace and Grease
 6月23日 Gently Shifting People...WOW..By the Gods (yes,all of them,no discriminating)...it's been over a month since i updated 'Breaks'...Time flies and all that malarky!
I'm very surprised it has to be said. I didn't realise i'd filled my time so constructively,so as to not get round to filling this here Blog box with what can only be described as 'drivel'. There again,i say that,and people still read it...at least it's in coherent English...
Now..a recent visitor ( hey Kev ) suggested i get back to writing along the lines of something sensible,a collection of my thoughts and feelings based on a particular subject,rather then my usual ( and highly original..not ) 'list' idea,a simple and easy way for me to relate recent activities.Why did i start doing it...well,i thought it would be a nice way to lay things out,and it would help me also,as,when i read it all back,i might remember something else. It would then be far easier to type 'Number...( whichever ) on the end of what i'd already written,rather than,remember something when i'm almost done with the biggest essay in the world,and then trying to find a relative spot for said item. MSN would then happily lose all my hard work anyway! Sounds sad i know,but i am a rambler in my thoughts,it's rare i don't get distracted half way through any project,be it housework,or painting a new figure. I am,as they say,rather random.
This isn't to say i can't talk for England on a given subject! Oh no,get me on something i know about,and am passionate about,then i can stand all day with like minded people,till the cows have come home,seen me STILL loitering,talking,and walked off again,moo-ing with despair...
Now,when i went back to reply to Mr Kevin's Blog ( a superb read i must add ),i noticed one of the main themes in his writing was about friends,both people he knew in person,and ones from the Internet. This got my attention,it's an extremely interesting concept,bearing in mind how many of us have the Internet these days,and all these chat rooms,forums and messenger services mean that we're constantly meeting new people on all sorts of levels. It got me musing on the people i knew,the hows,whys,wheres and whens of our meetings,be it on the many computer related stuffs,or in actual contact.
My thoughts took me right back to school,Secondary school in particular.I see this time and place as where the most growing up is done,you're all at that certain age,you all think you know everything,and,rather harshly,its probably the place where the most stereotyping happens. You know what i mean,the 'labelling' of people. For example,me.I was fairly short. I wore glasses. My mother took measures to make sure i always looked smart. I saw school as somewhere to learn,so did the work i was meant to. I was fairly quiet. So naturally,i was labelled a 'swot' or geek' by most people at the school. It didn't bother me really,it amused me that the people who called these names out in the halls were people who'd never even spoken to me properly,they had no clue who i was,what i was about..they simply heard it off of one of their friends,and decided that was me,a 'geek'. It's the old cliche,judged without a hearing.
It's something that can't be stopped,despite what anyone says. It's how things go,and for me,i found it an important lesson. See,it obviously wasn't just me that got picked on,there were others...i remember them all well,we were the group that formed due to not being 'in' with those considered popular. Pathetic but there you are. At the time,i could have been considered pretty bitter about it all,but,as i look back,i see what happened,and smile. Why? Because in those times of feeling left out,i met some amazing people,people i may never have spoken to otherwise,and,10 years on from school,i STILL talk to a lot of them. It's bullshit to say "oh,i'd never judge people by how they look " etc,i always thought i was pretty easy going,but when i look back at some of my mates,i do think if i'd been left to my own devices,i would never have said 'hi' to them.One girl was a Goth,one lad seemed a bit feminine in his ways,another lad's family had some real issues at home...you get the idea..we were all pretty individual for whatever reason.We all ended up as our own little group,and i tell you something,those 5 years in Secondary education were a lot of fun due to these people,and,whilst they might not read this,i'm saying it now,thankyou!
So..that's some history there.Already,at that point in my life,i'd met some long term friends. I say 'friends',because thats what they are...for the last 10 years,a few of them have stayed in contact,we've been out,helped each other through some times. I actually have 3 'groups' of people i know..in my head at least. 'Friends',those people that are really special,the ones that have helped you through those bad times,they've stuck around regardless. Then you have 'Mates',its almost like the collection of current people you hang around with,sounds a bit harsh maybe,but you may see my point.As you move home,or jobs,your setting and surroundings change,and so do the people you know...Finally,'Acquaintances',those people you do talk to,but are just sort of in the backround. That's just me of course,call me strange if you will...it's happened before!
I read once that in the average human life,you meet around 12,000 different people,and yet,only 10 or so of them will be around you for the duration. Strange to think isn't it? Already i have names in my head of people i knew,and havent seen or spoken to in a long time.Some for reasons we couldn't control,others because...well...we just didn't.
When school was over..it was time to make it on my own. College first,then employment. College was a real eye opener,away from the area i knew,the people i knew...and perhaps more significantly,away from my parents! True,i always went home every night,but i felt that whole 'different post code,they won't ever find out' feeling.It made me more daring i think,and therefore,perhaps made the real me come out more.It was a new start,no-one knows anyone else,no-one knows backrounds. So,you have the nervous silences at first,then after a little while,you all get comfortable,and then...the good times roll. My 2 years at college,i loved. I think i really developed as a person,and i realised i had this astute sense of humour,i could twist people's words well,and make the whole room erupt in laughter. It made me feel popular i suppose. A different kind of 'popular' though,i never went round telling people they were 'geeks'...
Still,that was the beginning i think. Then i got a job in a Games Workshop after leaving college,and again,new setting,new things learnt. New people in the store every day,then you had your regular hobbyists. It was brilliant for me. I'd learnt at college the old saying of "Everyone can be a friend,until proven otherwise" and i used that to my advantage.I was there a year,and in that time,i made a few more Friends,and had a lot of fun.
Then...i discovered the Internet. One of my best friends showed me Yahoo Messenger, how i used chat rooms,and how i could add people to a list so i could talk to them again if i wished. I was hooked. It was like magic when i talked to my first 'foreign' chatter. I remember some of that first conversation;
"Where are you from?"
"Germany"
"Get away!!"
Yeah,i spent some time in disbelief as people announced they were in America,Australia and even one girl from Bahrain.
This leads me onto current times i think. The girl in Bahrain,after initial chats,we realised we got on so well,and every weekend,i would hot foot it round to Edd's to steal his computer for a bit,and she was one i always talked to.Never a silence,the conversations just flowed like we'd met or something.We talked about serious issues and silly things.After 2 or so years of this,i came to the conclusion that here was someone in my 'Friends' list,she became like a little sister to me,and when we did eventually meet,we had a great time,and we still do.It's something i never dreamed of at school. Some say the Internet can be a dangerous way to meet people,and i would agree,you never know who's on the other end...but,if you both deal with it sensibly,it can work out.It means you both have to be genuine,you can't make things up,because obviously,if and when you do actually meet,theres a lot of explaining to do...
I was me. Jenan was herself,we met...and i think we'll be friends for the rest of our lives. I think she'd agree with me there too.
Now of course,i have an MSN Space,i've met people through this,they've been added to my Messenger..and so it goes again. I've met some truly astounding human beings because of MSN. I look at my list now,theres only 28 or so people on it,but i talk to each and every one of them. I don't just add people for the fun of it,i stick to my ethics,i will chat to them if i know we can get on,simple as. It works for me in life,so why not on the computer? It may be great to say "yeah,i got 100 people on my list",but when the conversaton goes along the lines of;
"hay,wot u uptoo?"
"not much"
"kool me eiver".. what is the point??
So,goes back to being genuine i think,be yourself. You get a far better group like that,as i realised some 10 years ago.What's even more superb,they're all fantastically different! I love it,and goes to show,doesnt matter where you're from,what age you are,what you do,if theres that spark,ANYBODY can be a friend. And if you meet them in person,so much the better.
All that ramble...guess it can be summarised by saying,however you meet people,be it at a mate's party,or in your favourite store,or on the Internet,be yourself. You'll reap the rewards of it sooner or later,i know i have,and i think it can be the same for everybody who thinks what i've just written out wasn't a load of boring old tosh.
As this is my MSN Space,and i've talked about people i know online,i'd like to say 'cheers' to my MSN crew,which consists entirely of at least 'Mates' ranked peeps,and a few 'Friends'...although,to be honest,i would say most are in between!
So,in no particular order,Tony,Ian,Abby,Alex,Nicola,Tabs,Becca,Caroline,Charlie,Cindy,Dan,John P,Grant,Jenan,Jon T,Alex M,Tammy,Chris P,Edd,Steve,Jon B,Rory,Amy,Stacey,Tracy and not least,Chris C...you're all amazing people,dont let anyone else tell you otherwise.
Essay over...I have no idea what i've just written,but if it strikes a chord,feel free to comment.
Love,Peace and Grease
Ben
 P.S. - 'Breaks' is one year old!! 5月17日 Come What May...Blimey...has taken me a record time to get round to updating this thing properly...you'd think that maybe,just maybe,i've been spending my time wisely and getting all sorts of useful things done,as an excuse not to have attended to 'Breaks' properly....but alas,this is probably not the case...although,as usual,a list of things going on will be following this introduction,so i will let you good peeps decide this one!
And so,we continue (sorry Mr Tong,im stealing that,but tough luck!)
1) Ok,first things first,the title..means diddly squat! I just noticed we're in May you see,and thought "how can i use that in a title"....trying to be clever and so on...although,it may indirectly link into something i say later,which WILL make me look a genius...if i hadn't already written that i've written it purely because i had no other ideas of note..doh..i will shut up...now!
2) What? No new facts??! No..Tis true...I deleted this feature,as i think i need something new with which to 'entertain' peeps (and myself!) .Not sure what yet,but i will get there eventually im sure,slow and steady and all that!
3) New 'Tune of the Moment' though,a right corker! I picked this up Saturday,and its wicked,will definately be taking it with me when i play that Barn Party (later this month woo).It's called "Cold Drink,Hot Girl",by one half of one of my favourite producers,Way Out West,Jody Wisternoff.Actually,another one i have been playing a lot has been "Shorty The Pimp" by Tayo and the Acid Rockers,not only a genius title (lol) but a fantastic Breaks track,will no doubt be taking 'Shorty' with me too!
4) Drawing wise,been a bit slow,i really ought to get on with some more,but motivation and energy have been spread elsewhere in other activities,so..woops there.No doubt i'll get a telling off by my new 'Art Manager'! Yes,i have a manager now...officially,or unofficially,im not totally sure,she says she is,so i'll take her word for it.'She' being a girl,who works in the canteen at work,called Suzie.Long term readers may remember i did some drawings just before Christmas for some people.Suzie was one of these people,and has recently took it upon herself to spread the word about my work! Bless her.I imagine she really liked what i had done for her.Anyway,not only had i got a few more drawings to do myself,Suzie has also secured me a few more.Seeing as shes in the canteen,its like the hub of the workplace,and so she has a greater reach than i do. Im all for it,and i thank her so much,but i wish sometimes she'd tell me whos shes spoken to!! The other morning,on the walk into work,i got stopped by the security guard at the gate,and there was me thinking "crap,i got those bits and pieces in my bag"...turns out,Suzie had told him about me and my doodles,and he was interested...phew! The idea of buying a diary and noting down all the jobs,deadlines and monies owed was mentioned by my 'manager',which i think is an awesome idea...i would have got there eventually on my own im sure,but,then again,maybe not...Im not sure wether its a joke or not,but Suzie keeps mentioning about 'wages'...i smile and nod back...i really ought to learn to read women better. Anyway,for now,thanks to Suzie,i have quite a list of drawings to do,mostly protraits,and i have also been asked to draw a fantasy piece by my mate Grant,who saw a recent doodle of mine,and thought it was good.He wants something similar for a tattoo design,and has basically given me free reign on details...if i apply myself,i could use this as a 'boredom' buster amongst all these other drawings.Speaking of which...this leads me nicely onto...
5) Painting...things were going so well! And then,i hit a wall...well,not an actual wall,but i do seem to have slowed to the sort of pace that,if i were racing a snail,he might now be thinking "hang on a minute,i could win this".Not good.So,in an effort to get going again with things,i recently tackled a random figure,a conversion made of some pieces i had lying around.I actually made it whilst watching the Snooker World Championship final (Congrats here (belated admittedly) to Graeme Dott,awesome to watch,deservedly Champion,and also Peter Ebdon,one of my favourite players,good fightback !!). I recently finished painting him,and i have to say,im quite pleased with him.In fact,if i dont have something for the category he can go in for the Golden Demons in September,i may well spruce him up a bit and enter him,just for shits and giggles..never know! Finalist maybe at least would be great,although i wont hold my breath...that category is one of the toughest to place in! Ahhh..Golden Demon,really ought to get back onto the 'Entries Bandwagon'! The ideas are good,just need to apply myself...I will get a picture up on here (via Photobucket) soon hopefully.
6) The Fantasy Football league at work draws to a close this week,and,after leading for MONTHS,im gutted to have dropped to third place.I blame Thierry Henry.Or,just to be annoying,Terry Hen-ry (sod the accent!).See,all was going well,then he didn't play so well,so me,not knowing anything about football (much anyway),decided to play the averages game,and dropped him in favour of a couple of other moderately well scoring players.Sounded like a plan,but then the GIT played really well,and got a few hat-tricks..and those that were in the know and had kept him,finally caught and overtook me..SODS! Ahhh well,tis only a game,and its why they call it gambling...£40 in,£100 out,so im up on the deal,but could have been £320 in winnings!! *Sigh* Oh well,theres next season i suppose..theres ALWAYS the next season...
7) Hmm..its my brother Matts birthday on Friday.
Right,i think thats me all done and dusted,i cant,at the moment,think of anything else i'd like to declare,so,i leave you with a couple of Blackadder quotes (seeing as i missed a few recently!).
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Blackadder: Let's try again. If I have two beans and then I add two more beans, what does that make?
Baldrick: Umm... a very small casserole? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blackadder: To you, Baldrick, the Renaissance was just something that happened to other people, wasn't it?
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Take care,
Love,Peace and Grease
 *Update*
OK,i have a picture of the boredom buster,as mentioned above!
See what you think...
Dirty big hammer...lol
Ben x 5月8日 Bloody MSN...I'm seriously considering putting 'Breaks' to sleep....
Not because i don't enjoy laying down some writing,or updating it etc...
Just,i'm STILL not allowed to add pictures...and its doing my head in lol
So im pondering deleting the ever faithful 'Breaks' and starting a new one,in the hope that i can add pictures,and who know,other new things too...
I'd still keep the other Space addy's though,dont wanna lose me pals !! And then i could go tell them the plan if they don't read this...
I will think on it some more.
Hope all is well,
Ben x
{Love,Peace and Grease} 4月28日 Art Adept...Ok,a proper update...as promised...im a good boy,me!
And a reasonably busy boy at that.
So...without further ado (do do),here's a round up of what i've been up to! You lucky people...
1) New 'Facts' are up,hmm,i know,very interesting lol
2) New 'Tune of the Mo' also,still experimenting away happily with tunes,old and new.Found this gem by DJ Nukem,will really fit into my idea of what im going to play at that barn party,so in the box it goes! Going to be a heavy box by the sounds of things ...
3) I finished that Ian Irvine book pretty quickly,as i thought i might! Great book,although a really vague sort of ending!! It kinda tailed off,and left me wondering what the hell happens next,or what the characters do in the situations they were left in...Of course,the sign of a good book,leaving you wanting more,but it can also be annoying !! Grrr...im hoping/assuming he's working away at something to take over from the loose ends.Until then,i'll fill my time reading random books,this time,a Black Library publication,about my favourite army GW do,the Sisters of Battle.I love the fluff and artwork,amazing,and i've been a huge fan since they first came about years and years ago.So,will see what interesting backround this yields...better not sully my impression of the girls !
4) Speaking of reading(and girls) ,i read this week that Kiera Knightley has been voted World's Sexiest Woman by FHM readers...Discuss.
5) TV watching next.The World Snooker Championship has been on the last week,now into the Semi Finals,and i've been pretty much glued to it.Sad you might think,and im not even totally sure how i started watching it,although i do remember it was some years ago now.Anyway,there has been some cracking matches,and now down to just 4 players,one i expected,3 i didn't! Ronnie O'Sullivan is there,(although no easy route!),one of my faves,Peter Ebdon (surprising as he's had a crap season),Marco Fu (new territory for him,playing damned well at the moment though!)and Scotland's Graeme Dott (surprise outsider,though he did reach finals a couple of years ago).Ok,so no-one's that bothered i bet,but,this IS an update of what i've been up to...lol. Not sure who's going to win...but i think i'll cheer Ebdon on,the way he's played all tournament,he's on a roll,and although Ronnie's not looking on form at the moment,you can't ever count him out! Ok...so you cant count any of them out...bugger...lol All playing well,good to watch this tactical game being played by top peeps!
6) Now,the good stuff...i completed the first of the commission pieces this week! A guy at work asked me to draw his little girl (5 or 6 i think),and it was definately a challenge.As i've said before,i've not really had much truck drawing children,they have less facial lines to look at,and generally rounded features,so was tough to try and get her right.Add to that a cheeky little smile complete with dimples and i was bang in trouble lol.Still,gave it my best shot,and today was the showing...and he really liked it!! Seemed very impressed,and appreciative of the effort,so that was both of us happy.I showed him during t-break,and as you'd imagine,there was quite a few people in there..and as a result of the breaktime viewing,i think i've secured another commission piece!! WOO...so far,appear to be no shortage of pictures to do for people...but this is good!! Just to top that off,one of the drawings i have lined up,i previously thought he wanted it A3 (so about £50)..but turns out he meant A2!! so thats 2 big ones to do,but easily £200!! Maybe more,maybe less,i'll see how long it takes me etc!
7) SO..the BIGGER news...and also accounts for today's title! Regular readers may remember that last October,i went to Games Workshop's headquarters,for an interview,and photos of my work. Well,in the May edition of White Dwarf (Issue number 317!),its finally been printed up!! 3 pages of my miniatures,plus a written piece based on the interview...and i have to say,the lads at the studio have done an awesome job! The models photographed really well,and theres some close ups of bits too,which,although initially worrying, shows my painting is actually pretty smooth..so score there too!! Im so pleased with it all,and is an amazing achievement i think! Ok,so i don't like to blow my own trumpet,i know theres always better people,and things i can improve..but..i made it,and if i can only improve,im hoping it wont be the last time!
Thanks to all the peeps that have ever supported me in the hobby,wether they ever read this or not..just felt i ought to say something!
Next achievement would obviously be some sort of placing at the Golden Demons in September...which im working on!!
So,if you're in WH Smiths (or similar) at the weekend,wander to the hobby section,find the mag,(has a floating dude in green robes on the front) and flick to near the back...the article is entitled 'Art Adept' and have a quick flick!! Go on,you know you want to...
Enjoy the Bank Holiday,i know i will!
Love,Peace and Grease 4月23日 Short And Sweet...Hmm,busy busy at the moment...
Commission drawing.
Golden Demon ideas and painting.
Berating BT for being rubbish.
Being proud of 'padawan's recent endevours.
Work.
Consuming too many Digestive biscuits.
You know how it goes sometimes...
I'll update properly soon,promise!
Ben x 4月13日 New Paths...Greetings and salutations.
I have returned...not that i actually went anywhere,but has been a while since i updated this...indeed!
But,here i am,it's the Easter holidays peeps,and i for one am glad of the break from work,im off till tuesday now,which is a big score in my books,i just hope i can use the time reasonably creatively...
So...what have i been doing...i will relate this information...now.
1) New 'Facts of the week' ( or fortnight,however you wish to look at this!) done and dusted,so remember kids,being chased by an enraged Gorilla? Head for the water...
2) Current reading...finished the quite frankly awesome 'Grumpy Old Men' book,loved it,and agreed with most of its raised points,thus proving im probably somewhat older than my years...well,i can moan alot at least lol.I'm now on the final book in the Irvine series i started some time ago.So far,awesome reading,i like his style of writing alot,and the characters are nicely done...shouldn't last me too long i imagine! Speaking of Grumps,2 things,i will go more in depth about A.G.A at some point (at several peoples request) and also,new series starts Good Friday!! SCORE!
3) Another new tune up and being played everytime i have a bash! Im practising a lot at the moment,i really want to play a good set in May at my pal Charlie's birthday night.Have been pondering the set for a while,i know what Edd and Pooks play,mostly Breakbeat,and,whilst i love my Breaks,i think a whole night may be a bit boring...so im digging out some older stuff,and so currently looking at a dark Progressive mix,with an added smattering of dirty Breaks.Currently,experiments have been most rewarding,im finding out some great combo's,and realising some older stuff still sounds amazing mixed up in amongst the newer stuff...of course,i knew this i guess,but it's not until you actually play them that you realise...
4) Drawing...drawing...hmm,made a start on the first commission piece,a guy at work's little girl,aged 5 or so i think.Never attempted a child's portrait properly (there was a reasonable bash just before Christmas mind) and she's got a cheeky smile in the photo that i may struggle with,but at the moment,so far so good.There's no deadline,but i may try to finish it over this holiday...although,i can see this being a struggle...for 2 reasons...
5) Reason one...the current model im painting with regards to the Golden Demon's in September...at first,thought it was too ambitious and 'what the hell am i actually doing??' crept into my mind,and i genuinely thought this would be yet another model confined to the 'will get finished eventually' table/pile...but,one afternoon,i thought 'sod it,i'll give it a bash'...bearing in mind the awesome Tracy had sent me some thinners to use for such a project (on white undercoat eeek!) i thought it'd be rude not to carry on.So,i picked up a brush,stuck on an amzing CD,and off i went...i showed a select few the WIP pictures im taking,and comments ranged from 'sexy','Godly' and 'OMG YOU GIT'...all of which i consider good,and means maybe im not so far off the track as i thought! So i continued on,and it's now turned into one of those all consuming things,and quite frankly,im loving working on it now,which i think is possibly most important,as then i'll do a better job,and hopefully wow those judges come September.This is the plan,as im not pretty enough to seduce any of them,and im bang outta Chloroform...
6) Reason 2...Tracy again...aaah the legend that Tracy is...i will explain! Some time ago we were discussing models we liked the look of to paint up,and i mentioned that i had my eye on a load from a company called Reaper,a US based miniature company,in particular,the rather tasty female sculpts by ace German sculptor Werner Klocke.As it happens,Tracy knows the Reaper bunch very well,and said she'd sort me out a few off my list...turns out,she got me all of them!! Some 30 odd!! I was so amazed by this,pretty overwhelmed in fact.Im obviously paying for them,but the whole 'pay back as and when you can' thing is awesome,and i can't thank her enough for the trouble she went to,and the trust she has showed in me...Not only did she sort me out some beautiful models to paint,but also a decent varnish for the competition entries,AND some pre-made 'dollies',which are ace! For the uninitiated,'dollies' are the wire armatures that miniatures start out as,which is used to build the figure up around using the modeling putty.Having these very basic human anatomies will be excellent for my trying to learn more advanced sculpting techniques,and hopefully some sweet one off models by moi! Very exciting,as i may know some people (that i met at my parents anniversary party) that may be able to cast me some up,so who knows,my own miniature line anyone?!?! Who knows...
Once again,Tracy,thankyou so much,from me and 'Padawan' Chris!
7) On the 29th and 30th of May,i will heading off to Milton Keynes (Satan's layby!! For the Bailey fans!) for a huge convention thing called 'Collectamania'...I've never heard of this,but this is the 9th one apparently! Anything collectable,it will be there,so i can see this being extrememly expensive for the impulse buyer that i am...Also,random 'celebs' will be there,woo...lucky me...i can meet 'Josh' from 'Lost' if i really really want to...lol.Anyway,im meeting up with a guy called Chris (another one!) down there,met him here on the 'Net,and this will be a first time meeting,but i don't see any problems,a weekend of toys,beer and painting sounds damned good to me! Speaking of 'Mainia's'....
8) Wrestlemania 22 was amazing!! The 3rd i've ever watched,and so perhaps easy for it to be my favourite ever,but still,them people put on one hell of a show,and was well woth my staying up and the £14.95! And most of my predictions were right too,which was amusing lol.I wont go into it all,but my favourite 3 matches were
III) At number 3,Kane and Big Show beating Carlito and Chris Masters,this was the first match of the night,but classic Tag Team match.The young'uns tried,but got outwitted by the giants,and Kane chokeslammed Carlito to hell for the win.Sad i know,but i smiled all the way through this one,job's a good 'un.
II) Number 2,Shawn Michaels absolutely whooping the Chairman Vince McMahon! This one turned nasty quick,Vince trying everything that a chairman of multimillion dollar company can,but to no avail,told ya Michaels would win lol. Classic image of this match,Vince,metal dustbin over his head,lying on a table,Shawn leaping off a good 20 foot ladder with an elbow...i was like "Oh..My...goodness..." !! Crazy stuff,but,at Number ONE;
I) Edge and Mick Foley...wow...what a match!! Hardcore rules,meaning weapons allowed,no DQ...and with Foley's history,you knew it was going to be nasty.And it was! Edge really stepped up in this one,im not a fan of his,but i got a lot of respect for the way he went into this,and took everything Foley threw at him,and vice versa,Mick has been out of the game a while,but pulled out some amazing stuff.Funnily enough,this was a prediction i got wrong,Edge won this,but after the finishing sequence they went through,hats off to the pair of them...the bloody nutters that they are!!
You may be thinking "But Ben,you're such a Undertaker fan,im surprised this didn't win it for you!" and well,true,im AM a huge fan of the guy,but..his match weren't the best there that night,being honest.It had some great moments,like the "Air Deadman" moment of him leaping the top rope,clearing the casket and still hitting Mark Henry on the outside,and the fact he won the match meaning he's now 14 wins at Wrestlemaina to zero losses,which is incredible...But it wasn't the best of the evening,just my view!
Honourable mentions to the participants of the 6 man ladder match and Trish and Mickey in the Women's Championship match too,both on my 'good' list also.
I think this is me all updated for now,can't think of anything else at the moment...maybe something else during the holiday!
Have a good one peeps.
Love,Peace and Grease
 3月27日 A.G.A...*Updated!*Ok..been a while...guess i got all 'ranted' out lol.
Good to see opinions on my random insomnia fuelled words,thanks Kev,i will think on that,might come up with some more interesting themes to 'go off on one' on....if that makes ANY sense at all!
Right...back to the usual...
1) New 'Facts of the Week' all sorted and available for perusal! You love it lol
2) Finished the Clarkson book,very good indeed,and decided to go for something similar,so picked up the BBC Handbook that goes along with the quite frankly awesome 'Grumpy Old Men' program! How i loved that...still,started the book on the bus home,and scared even the normal 'nutter's that inhabit the number 14 with my cackling...
3) Bought some new tunes this week,has been a while for me to find anything i really liked since Christmas! Slow going...but...found some corkers! BUT,chief amongst my new loves,a track i found on a new album i got this week (by Floridian Dj Icey),by some faves of mine,the Drummattic Twins...its just...wow...i love it.Not everyone's taste i know,but,this is my Space lol so unlucky! Although,as i've said before,if you're an evil downloader,and fancy something twisted,see if you can find 'Feelin' Kinda Strange',jobs a good 'un!!
4) Was a brilliant week last week,managed to get 3 (yes,THREE!) drawing commissions,all in one day!! Initially,i had one lined up,and took my portfolio in to show him some examples,and over the course of the shift,a guy i work with took it upon himself to drum up some extra business for me!! Now,im not professional,so the prices i went for are probably quite low compared to what the higher levels are,but between the 3 drawings,im getting about £200...which can't be sniffed at at all.So guess i'll be busy there,huh?!
5) Painting...well,ups and downs!! I've ground to a bit of a halt on the Chaos,as myself and a couple of peeps have been talking about the Golden Demons in September,GW's premier painting competition!! This will be the first year i've entered properly,and have a few categories all sorted ideas wise already! Im very excited lol
In fact,i've started one already! Thanks to the invaluable help of Tracy and Becca for their advice,and to Mr Chris for the ideas conversations,invaluable!!
The level of entires is amazing,every year,the bar is raised again and again,some are just incredible pieces.I'm thinking realistically,and at the same optimistically.I'm aiming to maybe get final cut level,which is just below award level,if i can manage that,i'll be soo happy!! I think thats a good level to aim for.Of course,if i DO somehow manage a placing (Gold,silver and Bronze for each category),the Blog following tat day will be typed in Caps and probably say something like "WWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" lol (and that was a random Flair moment,for Stacy!! )
Another good thing,starting this early is probably good for me,as im bad for leaving things till the last minute,and im such a bloody perfectionist!! So,the plan,work away at some uber display entries,and in between,go back and do some Chaos stuff...I especially need to get the Marauders,and another Fury done at least,as there's still that Doubles tournament in June!! Dedication's what i need....lol
Thats it for the time being i think...i may later get round to whacking some photos on Photobucket,and adding the links on here at a later date.
Oh..by the way...A.G.A...Anger,Grumpiness,Acquiescence lol.Maybe i'll get into that next time!!
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Flashheart: Thanks, Bridesmaid. Like the beard. Gives me something to hang on to.
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Love,Peace and Grease
*Update*
As promised,an update!
7) My mate Charlie sent me a text this week,he lives down in Hunstanton,and in May,he's having a big party for his birthday...in a barn!! Yeah,score lol.He's asked me to go down and dj,which is awesome,but currently,the party goes from "7.30ish to whenever people pass out/fall asleep"..useful..meaning,as i was the only person he'd ask to playa possible 8+ hour set!! OUCH...so,not only am i helping to arrange a system to use,im rounding up some troops to play also.Edd's in,and maybe another mate of ours too,we'll find out at the weekend.Im already runnng a finger through some tunes,and i bet i buy some nice new ones before then too!!
8) Arty stuff! First up,my first whole model...on a white undercoat!! A big thing for me,as,up until now,i only ever worked on black...I'm very pleased with what ive done,its a whole different technique,but the patience was definately worth it! Im particularly pleased with the sword blade...
Opinions welcome!
Also,my second Manga drawing! Ok,the first one was rubbish,i was trying to recreate the bold ink and colour style of the Manga comics...in pencil...meh.Needless to say,it didn't work...so,as was suggested to me,i should change the idea so that it fitted my style.This i tried,along with also seeing if i could work some GW imagery into it...so,for your pleasure,my Manga Battle Sister!
See what you think....
9) This sunday,its WWE's biggest PPV of the year,Wrestlemania 22! Out of all the ones they show,this is the one i try to watch,as its always the best of the best (ok,i only seen 2 previously...but ho hum lol) and also,its the first PPV i watched when my good friend John got me into it (WM20) so this way,its a link to a memory there too..which is good.
Something i like to do,match predictions!! Just to see if im on the same page as their script writers lol So,for no real reason other than i can,here they are...
WWE Champion John Cena Vs Triple H = Tough one,Cena is renowned for never giving up,and always finding a way to win...Triple H,10 time World Champion,been there,done that...my call? Ack...I think Cena will win it,not sure how,just a feeling i have!
World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle Vs Randy Orton Vs Rey Mysterio = Olympic Gold medallist Angle...cocky,arrogant Randy 'the Legnd Killer' Orton...and a long over due title shot for Rey Rey...again,tough,and i hate to admit it,but i think Orton will win this...the man of destiny has the skills and the ego to pull it off.
Mr McMahon Vs Shawn Michaels (No holds barred) = The Chairman has done it again...picked on someone to the point a no dq match has been arranged...so,whilst he can have someone helping him,and weapons,i still say Michaels will win this.He's been in every situation going,this wont faze him much.If Hogan managed it a few years ago,Shawn definately can!
Money in the Bank ladder match = 3 athletes from RAW,3 from Smackdown,one ladder...and one case above the ring with a contract in it,for the one who collects it to get a title shot anytime they want in the next year! Competing are,Rob Van Dam,Ric Flair,Shelton Benjamin,Matt Hardy,Finlay and Lashley.Hmm,Flair is a 16 time champion,is 57...not sure he can manage it.I think Hardy,Finlay and RVD are in it due to their match experience...SO...Shelton or Lashley...Shelton is already Intercontinental Champion,so im going for my fave in the match Lashley! Although,as a side bet,Flair for story/emotional value,cant rule that out .
Edge Vs Mick Foley (Hardcore match) = Weapons + Mick Foley = mashed Edge.For all the talk going on from Edge,Foley is yet to have a crowning WM moment,and hes not getting any younger (bless) so...im going for Mick,i would anyway,not keen on Edge!
United States Champion Chris Benoit Vs JBL = Hmm,a technical wrestler against a brawler...Benoit won a best of 7 series from 3:0 down,i doubt he'll let go of this so easy,so he gets his arm raised for me,although it will be a fight,no question.
World Tag Team Champions Big Show and Kane Vs Carlito and Chris Masters = the 2 monsters against the 2 young ones,well,im gonna be biased on this,Kane is a fave of mine,and him and Big Show are the best tag team i've seen,so the big guys get my vote!
Women's Champion Trish Stratus Vs Mickie James = Hmm,well,not sure...Trish has held this belt well over a year now,for interest value,im gonna plump for the psycho Mickie.
Boogeyman Vs Booker T and Sharmell (Handicap match) = Hmm,for me,Boogeyman is just a novelty,hasnt shown any real skills,and Bookers wife Sharmell has helped him win matches in the past...Booker for me.
Torrie Wilson Vs Candice Michelle (Playboy Pillow Fight) = I see these purely as entertainment really,never anything much other than 2 girls in their pants and vest lol Ok,good if you're male i spose...ANYWAY,Torrie for me,more experienced,and has a score to settle...
AND FINALLY....the match i really want to see...
Undertaker Vs Mark Henry (Casket Match) = Currently,Taker has won at all 13 Wrestlemania's he's been a part of,his undefeated streak is amazing.But this will be a harsh one,although it's his speciality match,Henry is just so strong (World's Strongest Man,dead lifted 900 odd pounds i believe!) and has shown in the past he can hold his own with the Deadman...good he might be,but better people havent stopped the winning streak,i dont think Henry will either...im not biased in any way!! Yeah right...lol Taker for me,as always.
Right,im offski,enjoy the pictures and the extra ramblings,more soon.
Ben 3月16日 Rant...I can't sleep.
No idea why...maybe theres particularly vicious bed bugs today or something.
Whatever it is,it's caused me to get up...i've made a cup of tea...read the last few bits of the 'Clarkson' book (very good twas)...have some nice melodic tunes curtesy of Mr Howells...have admired my freshly finished first model on white undercoat...then what?
My gaze fell upon a newspaper i have lying around.It's Mondays.Not sure why i haven't thrown it out yet.I start to read it again...and got thinking on the main story,thus causing this amazingly random Blog.
In brief,according to this,British tourists injured in terrorist attacks abroad have been refused Government compensation...
Ok...know what they've been told to do instead? They've been advised to sue Osama Bin Laden.
Huh??!
SUE OSAMA BIN LADEN...eh?
How ridiculous is that.
I don't know much about him,to be honest,i don't pay much attention to the news in general,i've always got my nose into something else.Possibly makes me appear shallow or something,but thats how it is.I'm not ignorant,i just have things to do...
But i do have questions.For example,does he have any money? Presumably he has some...enough to buy himself a video recorder and some cassettes,so he can remind world leaders he's still about.Some might say "aaah,he must have pots of cash,look at all those people that work for him" Hmm,well,im guessing most of those are those religious zealot types,he's their leader,so what he says gets done.No need to pay them,just wave the Qu'ran in front of them,that should do it.
And presumably,you cant get C4 and ball bearings for free either...
Anyway,i digress,The main point of it is,where the hell is he? To sue someone you have to know where they are...he has no address,i assume no official bank balance,no lawyer...Osama,World Hide and Seek Champion.
I think its a bit out of order that the Government is refusing compensation for these victims.In fact,ALOT out of order.As Jeremy Clarkson says frequently in the book i've just read,everything seems to be measured by how many baby monitors they can buy with the Tax money we pay.I'm all for babies being looked after,but they don't need all of our money for it im sure.Cuts are being made all the time,so presumably they have that money too.For example,in my village journal i recieve through my door every month,the local council no longer has funds to maintain the pavement lights...so if they break,that's me,walking in the dark.
I'm sure there's a load of politics involved,from what i've read,officials are keeping tight lipped.But they aren't the ones who've been affected in the first person by these bombings.They haven't been injured by shrapnel.They haven't lost friends and family.I personally can only imagine what that must be like.Surely helping these people out financially is a small thing to do to help them out.
Suing Osama Bin Laden won't happen.If and when they find him,some over righteous (but well meaning) soldier is going to put a bullet between his eyes before they ask him how much money is stuffed in his matress.Having said that..these are trained professionals,maybe they won't shoot him straight away...but i really dont see this bloke having much in the way of assets.
Here's my suggestion.The Government and Councils should stop spending money on crap.Plain and simple.To give you an idea,things i've seen in and around Cambridge recently,a 4 foot Cycle path (useful) and,at the moment,my local Council are planting Daffodils just outside my home.
Ok,brighten the place up a bit.But,there were Daffodils there earlier this year,when the sun initially came out,so did the Daffies.But then,Mother Nature changed her mind,and she threw a load of freezing temperatures and frost at the poor flowers,and they kicked it.Unlucky.
So now they are replacing them.Do they REALLY need replacing? I might be a little biased here,im not a flower person.In the summer,the pollen plays havoc with my hayfever,so less flowers to me is only a good thing.Besides,if i want to see flowers,theres some beautiful (and sneeze inducing) displays in the Cambridge Parks.Some Daffodils don't really compare.
I have no idea how much it's costing to replace these plants,but i think it's safe to say,the money could easily be used for something better.If not pavement lighting,then certainly some poor unfortunates that really need some help.
If all the Councils saved a bit here and there,i bet it'd all mount up.
I've just realised this rant is biased towards the British victims.Can't forget the many people the world over that have been affected by terrorist actions.But possibly they have similar situations,with their government wasting the money on materialistic things.Maybe they just don't have any money.
I have no idea if any of this makes sense...no sleep and all that! Guess the main point is,what's the World coming to when we can't help out fellow human beings,who could use a hand,when we're out planting flowers?
If i'm wrong on something,please say so,or just comment with your thoughts.
That's my 10 pence worth.
Ben x 3月13日 Another Day,Another Year...I thought it was about time i did this properly,has been a while !!
Have been rather occupied in one way or another,and so here begins a evaluation of the last couple of weeks...
1) Currently off work,ill...probably a combination of the weather and being out in it quite a bit at work.Has resulted in usual 'cold' symptoms,although,i am male,so more like 'man-flu'!! Sod 'em.
2) Updated lists...New 'Tune of the Mo',i play BT's albums alot anyway,and especially whan im trying out new things (more on that later),so as it was,i returned right to the beginning of my collection,and broke out the man's first album...i find it so inspirational,and always seems to work wonders on me! For those that have seen WIP's of my current endevours,they might agree with me on this.Anyway,if you're into downloading (boo hiss lol) then check out 'Firewater'.Also,new 'Facts' too.
3) Painting...need to bring this up-to-date,so here 'tis.
*Chaos Army Project*
This month's purchases;
1 Box of Chaos Marauders - £18 = Think 'Conan the Barbarian' and you aren't far off! Big,muscled and armed with dirty great 2 handed flails,these aren't as good as the Warriors,but will be very useful nevertheless.Theres 16 in the box,i've started 8...the metal and the skin will take me forever lol.
1 Pack of Furies - £6 = Yep,another 2 of these winged beasties this month too.You need 5 for a minimum unit,and as i only had 4...also,once these and the Marauders are done,i have everything painted ready for the Conflict London Tournament in June! Huzzah.
Total spent this month = £24 (Remainder = £1 + last remainders = £2.50)
Hmm...£2.50 saved ...i have a plan for that,wait and see!
4) On Saturday,my parents had a party celebrating their 25th Wedding Anniversary.I actually think the official Anniversary is this coming weekend,but it was the only time they could book a hall.ANYWAY,i wasn't particularly looking forward to it,a room full of their friends and family...admittedly MY family too,but well,im not sure i have anything too much in common with them other than blood relation...I helped set up the disco,and then walked an Auntie and my Dad's dad to the hall,and i then reserved myself a seat at the back somewhere,with the plan to blend into the backround and not be bothered too much lol.Oh,and get a few drinks in...To start with,plan was working,then,after a while,i was being introduced to peeps as "our eldest" (guess there may have been pride in their voices,not sure) and pretty soon,i actually found myself talking to them.Wasn't the alcohol either,i found some genuinely great people to talk to,about all sorts of things,including drawing,about casting up my own miniatures (should i ever make some more,thanks Kelvin,top man!) and the costs of running a team in the Dutch Touring Car Championship!! Strange mix,but there you are lol.
The main reason i enjoyed it though,was that it was the happiest ive seen my mum in a long time.She's been through a lot in the last couple of years,and,with 2 wine spritzers in her (bless lol) she was up,talking,dancing,even joined in the Okie Cokie and a Conga!! I was pretty shocked by that lol.Crazy lady!
But,was worth it to see her beaming.
THEN...the horror...i got found out...
5) You see,yesterday,(sunday) was my birthday...hmm.I don't go in for them much anymore,i think after 21 the magic tends to disappear.Has for me anyway.All fun getting drunk and spending the next day in bed,but,well...doesn't seem like the fun it used to be anymore...I know some peeps i know might kick me for it,but these are the people that dont remember birthday's so...all fair i think! So,i wanted low profile,was counting on parents being too occupied,and my good mates forgetting as normal...BUT...mothers being the people that they are,she hadn't forgotten,and so,next thing i know,theres a 'happy birthday' themed tune being played,and a microphone was thrust upon me for a speech!! Curses...i thought the card was all i was going to get...
But you regular reader know by now,i can talk the hind legs of a donkey ( i mean,look at this Blog!) and so,i just went for it...using my natural way with words and charisma dontcha know lol.Went well actually,finished up with the 'thanking my parents'speech, and made my mother cry,so i consider that a job well done!
So...im 24...wonderful.
Many thanks to those that did remember though,special mentions go to ;
Sarah,aint seen you in a while,but appreciated the text,thanks x,John,you legend,your a great friend,thanks for the 'pressie',lets see how good we can get them looking,i reckon a possible GD entry there!,Alex,Padawan,Friend and occasional Little Sh*t lol Thanks for the pencils man,they are awesome,very thoughtful.Stacy,i know you have other issues you're probably thinking about,but thanks for the special shout out x,Nicola,you're an awesome girl,loving your painting at the mo...loving the cookies you baked me!! So many! lol Thanks,don't forget John next time though haha x.Chris,the 'business lunches' are always productive,too many ideas!! Slaying Chump will be a lot of fun i think,roll on September!
And of course,my family x.
6) Think that's mostly it...other than,totally inspired by Charlie,and egged on by Amy(and Charlie),i've been giving some Manga drawing a whirl!! Got one done last week,was ok i think for first goes,then,combined with the backround sounds of BT,this second one...oooh...i could really like doing this more!! Thanks to the comments by those who have seen the WIPs,it's been really useful to get your views,hopefully this new one will be done soon.And i may get it up on here..SOMEHOW...
7)Finally,not sure when it is,but i know you have been working hard for it,Tracy and Becca,good luck at the Atlanta GD!! Not that you'll need it !
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Blackadder: 'Yes, it is', not 'That it be'. You don't have to talk in that stupid voice to me. I'm not a tourist.
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Love,Peace and Grease 3月6日 Sod...*Updated*Yes...'sod'.
A lump of wet and soggy mud....or ..something
 Basically another busy week meaning i didn't get round to this updating malarky! Yeah.You still love me...
No fear.
I'll try and do it this week,as i have the Sorceress to *proudly* show off,which,with the Furies,was the February painting tasks for the 'Chaos Army Project'...got done a day late,but not bad considering i didn't get the parts till a few days before end of Feb...that and February is inconsiderate in the fact its about 3 days shorter than the other months..otherwise would have been done on time!!
Curses.
Also started this month's batch,more on that forthcoming,plus usual random stuff and updates!
Ok,im off to brutally hack into my knee...
Love,Peace and Grease
*Update*
Found myself free for a bit,so,as MSN is a biatch,and won't let me add photos anymore (thanks...not) then i'm doing it the sneaky way,and if you glance to the right,you'll see a new list...links take you to pictures on my Photobucket account...
Best i can do i think,enjoy them,and look,sneak look at the new Sorceress and Furies!!
Last month's painting dontcha know.
Ben x 2月25日 Seeing The Light...Ok,i'm back...you can all stop clapping and cheering now...lol
Alright...so no-one was...but i DID get some moaning,so i tear myself away from current projects and update this here Space...
SOOOO,onwards...
1) Finished reading 3rd book in the series by Ian Irvine,i have the 4th lined up...but also my pal Chris said he'd lend me a book by Jeremy Clarkson,which is VERY appealing,i love his humour,and also found a great place last week,full of second hand greatness...a book in a series i read in the past that i hadn't got..normally £6.99...bought for...50p!! Score...so i have that too if i want...think Clarkson may win it though,im in that sort of mood...
2) Aforementioned mood created by crappy 2 weeks at work,internal politics and all that caper...rather annoying to be honest,causing me a lot of frustration.Mostly due to the arguements about where im supposed to be...all ive been getting is "you're on the forktruck temporarily" from the line i was on,and "no no,who said it was temporary?" from the line im currently on...i have no idea where im headed,no-one has agreed anything,and im not sure if it's because im getting good at this current job or what.The other day..i actually considered running someone over to get taken off the truck,that'd solve a few problems!! Bit nasty i know...but i was angry...and people WILL walk out in front of me...well done...fools.Also,in a moment or rage,managed to bugger one of my fingers up...*frowns* Bit of a long story,but was one of those adrenalin fueled rage things,something i normally don't do,but it was Friday,and about 2 weeks accumulated annoyance was unleashed...oh well..lol
3) New 'Facts Of The Week'...Well done to Andy for noticing the duff one,surprised no-one else did..maybe no-one reads them...who knows..
4) The Chaos Army Project...well,still haven't got the parts for the remaining figure i need to do for this months quota...a bit worrying,as there's now only 3 days left of the month...oh dear...might not make it this time,but to be honest,im not too worried.Tomorrow (sunday) i get the parts,and intend to sit all day putting her together,and then if i really nail down,i can get her painted up in those 2 days..or at least,if i run over into March,it's no problem,wont be far off...and then back on track for the next batch of figures!
As i cant get photos on my Space still..i think i'll have to try it like this,here's the links from my Photobucket account,the parts of the Chaos army you haven't seen!
The remaining Warriors on foot...
The Knights...
And...'Konk',the familiar for my Sorceress!
Guess this is the way to do it for now...still,not so bad...
5) Oh yeah...new 'Tune of the Moment'...have been playing through some of my older CD collection,always good to do occasionally,and waded through the awesome Way Out West albums that i have,and i can't help but say,the first album 'Blue',stunning,love it muchly,some real gems on there,including 'Ajare' and the tune that seems to be included on all 'Dance Anthems' collections...'The Gift'.If you're into downloading,give 'The Gift' a whirl,trust me,im a doctor!
6) So...title explanation and the reason why i didn't really update last week...long story,make yourseld comfy!
As all my regular readers know,when i paint my miniatures,i ALWAYS work on a black undercoat,its the way i was initially taught,and have been trying to get good results on it for years now...indeed,all the figures in the galleries are on black,and im pretty proud of them,especially as soon (with any luck) they will be appearing in a UK edition of White Dwarf,GW's monthly mag...i can't wait to see what the lads at Hq have done there!
Anyway,i digress,i work on black...that's the thing.The other main alternative is a white basecoat,and it's something i dabbled wth a few times over the last few years at some point or other,and quite frankly,i hated it.I didn't know how to get solid coulrs on there,couldn't get and contrast and in some cases,couldn't get some colours to go on well! Basically,i sucked lol.What frustrated me was that ive seen some beautiful evidence that white CAN work,i mean,look at the miniatures in the Rackham range,you'll see what i mean..lovely colours,smooth as anything! Curses...
Up until last week,i wasn't too bothered with it...a little thought that floated across my mind occasionally,that's it...BUT then...i got into a conversation with Tracy,the wonderful lady behind the 'Works Of Heart' project.She paints exclusively on white,and we got into how it works,the techniques and equipment used etc.Here's an example of her work...just to give you an idea...(mature theme,if you're shy or a kid,don't look lol)
See..how nice is that?? On white too...meh...and yes...the Ben mentioned...would be me!
See,i was lucky enough to be able to watch 'Fire' grow over the weeks,and offer comments on it as Tracy went along,and that,coupled with the chats got me thinking about really giving a white basecoat a go...
SO..thats what i've been playing with! First go..RUBBISH..appaling..lol I tried something suggested to me by some peeps at the store,valid arguement,but quickly dismissed it,couldn't see it working at all.Second go,after studying the Rackham images,and a few tips off of Tracy and Becca,worked much nicer,and as i was so eager to get it done,i rushed it a bit,so werent as smooth as it could have been...and weren't enough contrast between light and dark either,so NOW...im on 3rd go..and so far,loving what ive done!!
It's really strange,on black,you work up from the darkest colours to the lightest...on white,you're trying to paint in the shadows,so its a case of progressive washes,layering the colours,like watercolour painting..on 3D! Problem is...im rubbish at 2D painting so wasn't sure,but i have been trying to make use of the hints and tips Tracy and Becca gave me,and right now,im really happy with what ive done.
Pictures soon hopefully,if i don't bugger it up!!
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Percy: Only this morning in the courtyard I saw a horse with two heads and two bodies.
Blackadder: Two horses standing next to each other? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enjoy the pictures,apologies if it's a mission,but MSN hates me!!
Love,Peace and Grease 2月20日 Inspired...Just a quick note to say..
Apologies for the lack of Blog this week,as im aware some people were perhaps expecting one...
I will hopefully get round to a box of random words at some point in the week...although don't hold your breath,a)you'll turn blue,and b) im damned inspired by current project!!
It's something completely different for me...first attempt,went oh so wrong,binned it...second attempt...looks ok...think i see what i did wrong...this current third attempt...bit early to say yet,but optimistic...
Maybe a prize for anyone who figures out what im doing lol
Tracy and Becky,if you read this,you're not allowed to guess,as you may well know...and that'd be cheating
 All will be explained...eventually.
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Blackadder: I've just been hearing about your work in Taunton. Imagine that - every single person in the village having an affair with the same duck.
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Love,Peace and Grease 2月10日 Bloody Tuesday...Meh...what a week!! Where'd it go?? I been rushing around like a headless chicken,and i still don't feel like i've acomplished anything...meh again! Work pretty much consumed my time,the 2 till 10 shift sucks a*se,especially as i don't then get up early enough in the morning to do anything useful lol.Self inflicted im sure,but im either tired from working hard (lol) or i need the beauty sleep...normally i'd plump for the latter,but this week has been hectic.I could bore you with the details,but to be honest,it's the weekend,and im not bringing my work home with me this time lol I'm just glad the week is over... ...all ready to do it again next week...yay... ANYWAY...onwards... 1) New backround! Not entirely sure why,guess i was bored one evening! I just decided to change it,and i quite like it... 2) New 'Tune of the Moment' up,this was on an album i bought this week,(on the one morning i did manage to get up on for shopping purposes lol),and i loved it straight away,so found it on the album sampler! This is a great way to get certain tracks sometimes,as they are often released on the same day.Anyway,top track by the Dirty Fours,nice one! 3) Also,new 'Facts of the Week' up too,all educational i tell you. 4) MSN continues to annoy me,it still won't let me add pictures!! I don't understand it...i was talking to Amy about it the other night,and she mentioned that when she first tried to add pictures after the update,it asked her wether or not she wanted to download a particular upgrade/thing so that she could continue adding pictures...but...i didn't get that...??!! So,open question to anyone that reads this,what's the deal here?? Did anyone else get asked to download this program,were you just able to carry on as normally you would,or are there other people out there suffering like i am lol.Ok,maybe 'suffering' is a strong word,but,you know what i mean...If someone can help me with this,please,i would be most grateful! 5) Painting...been slow this week,after my initial roll,i ground to a bit of a halt this week.Again,due to the late shift really,but,im ok with that,i haven't much to do for the project this month,indeed,on sunday,i plan to spend the day on the 4 Furies,and i think i may well get them done...if not,then very nearly! Then,it's just getting the parts to make my Sorceress... 6) Speaking of painting...Something that goes hand in hand with the painting and modelling,indeed,most would say that these things are just a half of the hobby,is the game itself.For those that don't know,the models collect together to make a playable force,using the rules and backrounds created by the peeps at Games Workshop.When i was younger,well,a few years ago,i avidly played the games,was very much into it...then,as long term readers will know,i decided to concentrate on the painting and sculpting aspects of the hobby,and i pretty much stopped gaming altogether...i think i played 2 games in the whole of last year!! So,last Sunday,was in the store,chatting to some peeps that will be attending a tournament in April,called 'Conflict'...indeed,it's in our capital city,so 'Conflict London' it is! They are running a doubles tournament,so one army,2 players,equal amounts of the force each.I was kind of just ear-wigging the conversation really,when a lad called Chris asked if i fancied going,teaming up with him...and i thought "why not??" So,in April,myself and Chris are going to see how we do! We've decided on the forces to use,i will be taking the current army project,my Chaos Warriors!! So,already getting a massive debut huh? Theres points for a few things,such as backround,painting,sportsmanship...we talked a few things through,and i think we have a good chance,i really do.Im really looking forward to it now,and all i can say is,thanks to Chris for asking,i was a bit surprised,but i think it'll be a lot of fun! And who knows,if we do well enough,we progress onto a bigger stage!! 7) Purely a fan based comment this,but huzzah,Undertaker has finally returned! And already in a title match,against the Olympic Gold medallist Kurt Angle...promises to be a good match! First though,has to make his way through the World's Strongest Man,Mark Henry...ouch.Yeah,i know,im sad...but it's good to see Mark Callaway back in action,and young Stacy informed me he has some new tattoos,of his daughter's names,on his neck..i will look out for those... 8)Today's title...nothing to do with actual blood...more my sentiment as to the coming 'celebration'...on Tuesday...the 14th...yep,Valentine's Day...meh...won't that be oodles of fun...not.Ok,so i ought to be honest,it's not like i ask anyone out or give a card to anyone either...but my excuse is,im actually pretty shy normally with things like that,im very much the pessimist...that doesn't help im sure,but occasionally i muster enough courage to express myself emotionally...i've been called cold hearted in the past,but im not,im just shy...not actually sure why i just came out with all that..lol.Oh well... Leaves me to say; ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Blackadder: As my tutor, old bubble face, used to say: "make love and be merry, for tomorrow you may catch some disgusting skin disease." Wise words...lol Love,Peace and Grease 2月3日 Rolling...Allo Allo!
A greeting to you peeps...and a classic comedy no less...lol
Hows everyone? All good i hope.
This week has not been bad at all.I know i moan about the 6am-2pm shift but,once im up,im fine...and then i have the whole afternoon to myself,which is great,means i can actually get things done!!
A few bits and pieces to mention,but first...
1) Hope everyone has enjoyed the FREEZING cold as much as i have...actually,im lying,it was not so good lol.This current position at work of Forktruck driver involves some yard work,bringing stillages and so on in,and by the Gods it was cold...brrr...through this,i appear to have gained a 'sniffle'...but,as a man,(male at least...),what i actually mean is 'pnuemonia'...
 There just hasn't been enough tissue in the world this week !!2) I've just noticed that,to the right of this update box,theres a "Did you know?" box...and top of that says "You don't have to be a novelist to keep a Space." I agree...it also should say "You need the patience of a Saint to put up with the constant fluff-ups"...
3) All the usual updates attended to,awesomeness (if ever there was such a word) from Adam Freeland,and of course,the normality that is the wierd and wacky 'Facts of the Week'...
4) Today (being the 3rd),it's "Setsubun"...the Japanese bean throwing festival!! Im not entirely sure if it has to be a certain type of bean,i think any will do...so in the spirit of this celebration,i may have to go the full distance and hurl a tin of baked beans at some poor unfortunate...and all with a clear conscience.
5) An equation for you...Steak flavoured McCoys (Crinkle Cut) + 2 Slices of Buttered Bread = a world beating sandwich.You know it makes sense.
6) Ok,so slightly 'bigger' topics...First up,work has been ok this week,still learning what needs to be done,making a few mistakes here and there,but what do you expect...Despite not knowing anyone on this shift,already im feeling 'accepted' as it were.Learning names,having a laugh with a few of them,one guy,Ali,has even got me involved in their lottery syndicate,which everyone seems to be a part of,so if that doesn't mean im now part of the team,i don't know what does!! I also recieved a nice compliment from one chap,saying "You're already way better than the other bloke"...yeah i know,dodgy grammar,but the jist of it is there lol.Whilst this is obviously a good thing,it went full circle when someone,(who either actually knows something or is making it up),mentioned that they don't train people up to do this job to let them go later on...especially if they do it well...bugger! I'm not sure i want to do it permanently...maybe i should run someone over *muses*
7) It's February...which means...i ought to have finished the initial purchases for the "Chaos Army Project"...so did i?...in answer...OH YES I DID !!
Well,a small white lie.On 31st of Jan,i finished off the last few bits on the Knights,and so it meant that the first £50 was pretty much done...2 things remained,i had yet to add the snow effect to any of the bases,and i still haven't decided on banner designs either,so at the moment,im leaving them blank till some ideas head my way.I got all the basing one Feb 1st,so a minor niggle,but ultimately,i got them finished,i actually managed to get them done,which has done heaps for my willpower!! Seeing them done,in front of me ,is awesome...it shows to myself i can do it if im suitably inspired by the figures,AND goes to show the doubters too lol.I'm sure there were a few...And so,new pictures of the completed first months work have been added to the existing gallery.Take a look,see what you think!
So..this months purchases...well,we're down to £25 a month now for the foreseeable future,so as im doing a Chaos force,means i'll have even less to do a month, (the initial £50 didn't even net me 20 figures lol),so means i can get on and complete promised work for other peeps,ie the Works of Heart charity,and also Karishma's Knight...not forgotten!!
So,this month's purchases...not much to be honest,here's the breakdown;
Sorceress - (£6.50) = After scouring the GW site for a decent Sorcerer,i still hadn't found one i liked...so i decided to make my own,i do love unique characters!! I decided to make my Sorcerer female,giving a powerful role such as that of a wizard to a lady,which,to my mind,is greatness
 The army is all male ,looking at the available figures in the current range,so having a sexay girl will look awesome.I have a plan,and the bits i need come to £6.50 from Mail Order....saved some pennies,as orders sent to the shop are free!!Familiar - (FREE!!) = Familiars are little creatures that accompany characters,in some cases,they carry extra equipment,in others,provide a nuisance that distracts the enemy whom the character faces...In a wizards case,familiars are pretty great,either helping to store extra power or remembering a spell on behalf of the wizard..so really useful!! Normally one of these little guys (or girls ) is £1...hey big spender..lol...but on Tuesday,one of the lads at the store bought an Ogre model,and,as you may remember,they utilise little slaves known as 'Gnobblars' (for those that haven't seen,pictures of the Ogre i painted are in the 2005 Painting gallery).The Ogre model Dan bought came with a variety of the little fellas,and,to my joy,we discovered one that is holding a broken Chaos blade!! I instantly wanted it,he'd be perfect as a familar,as his pose look like he's trying to remember something lol (you will see in due course) and the blade was an automatic link to the army,i imagine he saw it,and just picked it up...like a magpie! In fact,i may even name him 'Magpie"...Anyway,Dan rather kindly gave it to me (as he has some 40 odd of them to do,unlucky lol) and so inspired was i,i already started painting him!! May well be up next week!
1 Chaos Warrior Sprue - (£6) = also from Mail Order,this gives me another 4 Warriors,with which i plan to crew the chariots im planning to get another month.the chariots come with crew,but they are older models,and,quite frankly,im not keen on them..so i will make my own using the new Warriors! Foresight and all that...
2 x packs of Furies - (£12) = Furies are winged demons available for an Undivided force.Admittedly not as great as the Chaos God specific ones,but they can fly,so can be used to attack annoying war machines or take down other small units.I just like 'em,they fit in with my theme well.2 packs gets me 4,not quite enough for a decent unit,but i can add to these as the months progess.
Total this month = £24.50 (50p saved for next month...wooo!!)
So that's what im working on for this month,not too much at all,but ho hum,small bits all come together to make big bits lol
That's it for now i think,take care peeps,
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Blackadder: Don't be absurd. Such activities are totally beyond my mother. My father only got anywhere with her because he told her it was a cure for diarrhoea.
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Love,Peace and Grease 1月27日 Learning Curve...Ok...First,an apology... As the peeps that visited may well have noticed,i didn't write anything wonderful or awe-inspiring last week...There again,im not sure who expects such things from me anyway! But,in case you were expecting something worthwhile from me,apologies,but i have a decent excuse...and one which im sure a lot of you have suffered yourselves! Basically,for whatever reason,MSN decided to have a field day,off it wandered,leaving me behind...Messenger wouldn't log on,and,as if in cahoots,my Internet Explorer also died...strangely,some of the items on my 'favourites' list opened...some didn't...For anyone who has read my past rambles or knows me personally,computers,what makes them and what happens to them is all completely alien to me,it goes right over my head... Fortunately,there are peeps who are ace on these befangled machines,and im a lucky chap to know a few of these people! I called my good friend Edd,he suggested a few things...mostly "leave it alone,see what happens" lol.So i did..and lo and behold,a couple of days later,full service was resumed! I have no idea what happened,but,oh well...who cares...haha SO...first things first. 1)All usual bits and pieces updated,so new 'Facts of the Week',new 'Tune of the Moment' and also i've started reading one of the book i got for Christmas,another in a series by Ian Irvine i started.I finished Pratchett's 'Thud!',and it was bloody good...just as i thought it would be. 2)Painting...the army project...weeeellll...hmm...i been slack the last 2 weeks,i've done a few bits and pieces,and to be fair,im nearly done with this first installment,i have a few more bits to do on the remaining 3 Warriors and 5 Knights,and HOPEFULLY,i'll get my head down this weekend,and finish them up!! I can't wait to get them done,they are looking good (in my humble opinion) and i've already pondered on upcoming months purchases...i have ideas,oh yes i do...you should know me by now!! 3)I mentioned in a Blog a couple of weeks ago,that i was already planning my Golden Demon painting competition entries,and i've made a few more doodles and chatted to some peeps about ideas.The competition is normally in late September,and yeah,i know its early days,but,as ive said before,if i don't start thinking about it now,i'll leave it and leave it...and then suddenly,it'll be September,and i'll have done naff all lol.If im to enter seriously for this first time,i nee to start now...so far i have 3 categories all thought out and drawn up...there are about 15 categories i think,something similar,so i could think about more...see what comesup in conversations! I'd show my ideas to you,but shhhhhh,it's secret ....for now... 4)Took some time out to watch 'Cosmic Jam',a Bill Bailey DVD,lent to me by my good pal Matt.It was recorded in 1996 i believe,and its the one i don't currently own...As expected,(im a big BB fan) ((crap,just realised that could mean Big Brother....of which im not a fan lol)),it was hilarious,well thought out and delivered as typical of the mighty Bill,and his musical performances are amazing.If you haven't seen any of his stuff,then i truly think you ought to get out there and watch some! Come on,you've seen him on 'Never mind the Buzzcocks',you know he's great... 5)This weeks title...'Learning Curve'...what's it all about? Well,it's one of the reasons i haven't got much painting done these last 2 weeks,(enough of the excuses...),here's how it went... At the moment,numbers of parts on the line i work on are going down for a while,so the 'management' (yep,in inverted comma's) decided to move people around a bit,get them filling in spaces elsewhere...fair enough i guess.I was asked to change shifts and drive a forktruck for the line...to which my answer was "sweet,im up for that!" It probably doesn't sound like an interesting job does it? To most people,it probably isnt..but,to me,it was just the change i needed.See,for the last year,i've been doing the same thing,day in,day out...for someone as creative as i am,it was becoming so tedious...so a change,ANY change,was most welcome!! I took my forktruck test a couple of years ago,im qualified up to 7.5 tonnes,so i can use the biggest truck they have...wooo...awesome im sure lol. Even though i don't drive,i found it pretty easy. And so the chance to sit down and chill for a few weeks,moving a few bits and pieces around seemed like an awesome idea to me.It meant doing 2 shifts in a row of lates (2 till 10pm,hence the not much painting) but i wasn't bothered,i know the line well,i thought even though i hadn't been on a truck for a year or so,i could cope pretty well...at least,so i thought... This Monday rolled around,they still hadn't sorted me out a key...good start! So finally got that sorted out,and i wandered over to where i thought i was meant to be...how wrong was i?? Nope,not on the line i know,but onto a completely different one...the BUSIEST one...joy...thanks a lot!! Its actually 3 lines,3 different parts,but all for the same customer.Not only do i have to keep changing the boxes at the end of the lines as and when they are full,i have to get loads ready for the lorries that come in,AND keep the lines all stocked up of the parts that go into making the final pieces...in all,theres just over 100 parts i have to keep an eye on...basically...not the easy ride i thought i was going to get...bugger... Probably sounds like im moaning...and you'd be right...once again im told one thing and i end up somewhere completely different...*sigh*.Well,it's not for ever...and now im a week into it,ive learnt a lot about how to keep it all running....it's just about possible for one guy to manage it.I actually have this theory that initially there was a driver for each bit,and over the years they've cut away at the man power,till eventually this poor sod had to evolve a routine that meant he could keep up...now im that poor sod,and evolving i am...Im still not 100% obviously,but im working it as a first come,first served basis lol Whoever gets my attention first,gets their bit sorted out first haha.Im ashamed to say i've swore at a few peeps for pestering me,but tough,you get dropped in the deep end,you either sink or swim... 6)I think i forgot this last time,but a welcome shout out goes to Andy,or Andy Aliens as i know him as! His Space "Stuff Central" was one of the first i ever read when starting out on this here jaunt,and so it seems right that finally i got round to adding him and his domain to the 'Cool Sites' list.Full of interesting links and his unique thoughts on life and its many quirks.Take a look,im sure he'll be pleased to see you. I think that's everything for the time being...hopefully something visual for you soon too!! It's been quiet on that front huh... Take care everyone, --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- King Richard: Blood! Death! War! Rumpy pumpy! Triumph! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Love,Peace and Grease
1月20日 Narked Off...Meh...
Had a few things to say....BUT...the computer is conspiring against me...
Over the last couple of days,MSN has been messing around,Messenger even went so far as to not log on at all...
Now,Messenger appears to be on,but now im having problems with web pages...SOD.
So...im too annoyed to write what i was going to...apologies...I will have a cuppa (maybe 2) and some biscuits,i may well return..IF this bloody thing lets me...
Ben 1月13日 The Only Constant Is Change...Well well well...another week gone..is it me,or does it seem to be going quickly already?? Maybe it's because i have so much in my head at the moment...
But first...
1)Happy Anniversary to 'Breaks'!! That's right folks,6000 hits old...bless.Another milestone happily wandered past...As ever,thanks to those who have visited,and those who have commented on my words and pictures! Onwards...
2)New "Facts of the Week" are up...isn't it easy to find things about Jose Mourinho?? He gets around...
3)A few welcomes to do now! And rather interestingly...all from Down Under! Yup,that's right,peeps from Australia...and great peeps too.The introductions;
Rory - As ive written before,Rory is a guy i met last year whilst he was here in England for a year.We got on great (i think!! I'm sure he'll correct me on this if im wrong...),a mutual interest in the GW hobby initially,but he joined us for nights out,and became one of the gang! He took a lot of stick,but always retorted well,and stood up for himself,which gained him even more respect! Now back in Oz,and off to Melbourne soon for Uni i believe,so keep up tp date with 'Baby Roo'!
Kevin - The Contemptuous Herald! A Blog i've recently been reading...and im pretty astounded by what i've found! Only 15,but an extremely mature look on all things.I highly recommend this,especially if you become bored of my drivel about hobby/music/other random topics! And if that wasn't enough...
Andy - The Blatant Expositor...Kevin's twin brother!! Indeed...they say twins are very similar in most things,and in one case it's true here,this is another exceptionally mature piece of writing...and at the same time,as individual as if they weren't even related.Again,if you like reading well thought out prose,check out this too!!
So,hopefully these descriptions will get you having a look if you haven't already visited these Spaces,the Links are to the left in the 'Cool Sites' list...Lads,hope what i've written is ok,if not,as you said to me,let me know,i can ammend where necessary!
4)Thought i'd try a different coloured text (as if you hadn't noticed yet
 )...might be easier on the eyes than the white...5)Work continues on the Chaos army project,im well on the way to finishing this first batch for the end of January i think!! I'm about half-way finished with the remaining 3 Warriors and the 5 Knights.Im pleased with the progress so far,although doing the metal work on the armoured horses ground me down to a point where i had to stop for 2 days break! But,i got back on them,and now am rolling again.I want another rank for the Knights at some point,but after seeing how much work i had to do,i think i will leave them for a few months!!
6)Got round to some reading this week! Huzzah...I usually take a book to read at work,mostly for t-breaks,its a perfect way to chill if it's all going a bit Pete Tong...which it normally does lol. As the box to the right suggests,im reading 'Thud!' at the moment,a good start...no less than i expect from Pratchett.I also dug out a few reference books for my ponderings for this years Golden Demon competition...
7)Leading me onto this,in a vague kind of way...for my longer term readers,you will know that last year i attended GW's celebrated painting competition as a competitior,for the first time since i started the hobby some 9 years ago.It didn't quite go accordingly...i was busy sculpting that model for one of the main games on the day,and so didn't have the time to put anything specific together for what is possibly considered THE premiere painting competition in the world.I did enter,a couple of figures from the portfolio project i was doing,but one wasn't really good enough,and the one i thought i might have a chance with,suffered an unfortunate accident in the queue to get into the NEC...SO...not a great start!!
This week,i have been talking to various peeps that are involved in the hobby also,and one thing kept cropping up...starting entries early. Why? Well...the first reason being that thing i call 'time creep'...you think you have loads of time.."it's not till September blah"...but then suddenly,BAM...September is here,and what have you done? Nothing...Another reason,they know what im like lol. I'm easily distracted,and if i did leave it till quite late,theres every chance distractions would also mean i don't complete anything!
SO...I've been pondering ideas also this week,i have 2 categories settled ideas wise,another yet to decide...AND i also started a few concept doodles...
8)Speaking of drawings,i ALSO started another drawing...some peeps mentioned i hadn't offered anything new for a while,what with the comissions before Christmas,so...i started one...not sure when that'll get done,but you'll see it here when its ready!
Right,i'm done i think...quite an essay after the short update last week lol.Take care everyone,catch you all soon!
Parting words...
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Blackadder: Morris dancing is the most fatuous, tenth-rate entertainment ever devised by man. Forty effeminate blacksmiths waving bits of cloth they've just wiped their noses on. How it's still going on in this day and age I'll never know.
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Love,Peace and Grease 1月6日 Chaos Marching...Greetings fellow Spacers!
Hope everyone is well and dandy.
Have rather enjoyed the week so far,as im still not back at work,and everyone else is...mwuahahahaha...!!
Having said that,it'll probably be worse for me when i go back on the 13th,as i've had the extra time to lounge around,and i reckon those 'first day back blues' will hit me harder!! Oh well...broad shoulders and all that....
So,what have i been doing with my time? Nothing important as such,but i have have been beavering away on my painting,for the afore mentioned army project mentioned last Blog!
Firstly,i worked out this months purchases.The way its structured,the first month of collecting is £50 of figures,and then for the months that follow,its £25...a reasonable target to aim for after this initial big block of models! Well,i say that,for the army i've chosen,it's not so much!
Unintentional genius,some peeps doing this project also got 50 worth of toys and ended up with LOADS to do...unlucky!So,for my first purchases,the list;
1) 1 Hero character - £7 (Note,my one is a limited edition figure,so no longer available,but £7 is about the same price for the character figures available so a reasonable guideline i feel)
2) 1 box of Chaos Warriors - £18 (Originally thought there was 16 in this,but its just 12,so less than i thought...good,but at the same time,not so good...ho hum!)
3) 1 box of Chaos Knights - £25 (5 guys on horses,i reckon this is a steep price! But thats what it is...)
Total spent this month - £50.
So...didn't get so much lol But,as i haven't painted blocks of troops in a long time,i reckon this is ideal for me!
Waht have i done so far? Well,the Hero is done,you seen him already,but this week,i got the 9 Warriors on foot i was working on done! Huurah! Pictures of these are added to the newly labelled "Chaos Army Project" gallery.You can see the command group (Champion,Standard Bearer and Musician) and the rest of the guys,how they rank up,and how the Hero fits in the front rank too.I have 3 more of these to do,to make the 12,and then the 5 Knights.Not much to do before the end of January,but once im back at work,not sure how quickly i'll progress! Still,i took what i'd done into the store Tuesday night,and pretty much everyone was very surprised at my progess,i think a lot of peeps think i won't manage it lol BUT,im out to prove them wrong,so i hope i can keep my momentum going...
Comments on the work so far welcome,see what you think!
Not much i know,no wisdom or whatever...but,maybe something will hit me at a later date!
Oh yes,new 'Facts of the Week' up too!
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Blackadder: Let all men who go to don armour tomorrow remember to go before they don armour tomorrow.
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Love,Peace and Grease
P.S. - Im currently sticking the Knights together...they are a pain in the backside,and there's a piece missing...awesome... 1月2日 363 Days Till 2007...Well...that's the way i see it anyway lol Same old question,is the glass half full or half empty? Everyone else (Spacers in general) appear to have included '2006' in their titles,so i thought i'd be different! Although im sure other peeps have thought of this too...
ANYWAY...a rambling start...I think i've said this to everyone now,but in case i haven't,Happy New Year,hope it goes well for you,and so forth...
Right...NYE...as usual,completely unplanned,and a last minute affair by all accounts.But,i finally got somewhere to go,(see the end of the last entry) and so...that's where i went!
Got there ok,the buses wonderfully reliable (i laugh at Kyle), and seemed many peeps had already started the drinking...had a few to catch up,but then remembered,"im supposed to concentrate later,better slow down" lol
There were 3 of us playing,i hadn't met the other guys before,but as we had a bit in common (ie,playing tunes),got on well with them.They already had things set up,so i didnt have to do anything...which was nice! Sometimes you get places,and naff all has been done
So,we kicked the music off about 7-ish,a bit of RnB to get things moving,seemed to be a fave with the ladies at any rate...It's not really my thang,but each to their own,i can handle it,as they'd have to listen to my stuff later!!
Actually,he was pretty good i have to say,and i enjoyed watching what he was doing.Next up,a bit of US House...again,not quite dark enough for me,but it was a party,so it upped the levels nicely,and all the vocals and 'happy' riffs worked wonders.Again,another competent chap,played a damned good set,even i had a bit of a dance!! Not pleasant for peeps watching im sure,im a rubbish dancer...but oh well! He played past the midnight mark,often considered the coveted time to play,i think there's something cool about playing people into a New Year! He played up until just after 1am,then it was my turn...
...And i have to say,it went really well! As it happened,his last track finished with a piano solo bit,with no beats,so i was able to float the dark beginning of "Conditions" over the top of that,and instantly change the tone when it's dark beats kicked in.Was awesome to see peeps react to the change! Admittedly most were pretty drunk perhaps at this point,but hell,i'd like to think they liked what i was playing! I stuck pretty close to the list i'd made up,although i did change a few bits as i went along...that's what normally happens,impulse playing! Tune of the evening has to be the superb bootleg "Planet of the Phatbird",by Leftfield/Fatboy Slim.It's a few years old now,but it still kicks hard,and i used it to introduce my darker Breakbeats,again,which worked really well!
So,finally finished about 3.30am...i was knackered!! I was ready for sleep...but someone decided to break open one of their Christmas presents...Shot Chess! Similar to normall chess,but each piece is a shot glass,and as you take the pieces,you have to drink the shot.Now,i happen to think im pretty good at chess,and the offer of a game immeadiately roused my male pride,so i settled down to play...who won? No idea...i don't remember finishing the game,nor do i remember moving into a different room to sleep...maybe we called it quits...i do know one thing though,woke up around 1pm on the 1st,with a banging headache...unusual for me,and so leads me to this conclusion...Tequila...Shot Chess...don't.Ever.
 So now...we're in the new year.Did i make any resolutions? No..what's the point? No-one ever sticks to them lol.However,as the list i made last year shows,i do have aspirations as to what i'd like to achieve this year.And i already made a great start on one of them!
See,i often get moaned at by the lads at the GW store,that i don't ever stick to anything,i never play games...basically,i have rubbish willpower
And they'd be right...theres so many things i want to paint,army building is the least of my wants...BUT...New year,new attitude...i WILL paint an army,i know im capable,i WILL play games...i enjoyed this immensly when i was younger,and so i want to get back into it again...So,after much mooching on what force i'd like to collect,i settled on an evil army,the forces of Chaos! Huzzah,it's good to be bad! There are 4 'Gods' i could follow,but im going with an Undivided force,meaning that im not aligned with anyone in particular,im in it for me! I've also decided which of the 3 forces i want to do,the options being either Chaos Warriors,Beastmen or Daemons...i went with Warriors as i love the models,and they are pretty damned good basic troops! Theres a lot of options for them too...
So i hope to show the progression and my ideas of this fledgling project on this here Space,maybe get some feedback,and when i get round to some games,seeing how they (and me lol) perform.As i said earlier,i already got a good start,i finished the Hero that will lead my Warriors,and i currently have a small unit on the go,9 Warriors.
Pictures of my as yet un-named Hero are above.To reflect the neutral idea of the force,i've tried to stick to a limited pallete,yet use some of the techniques i learnt last year whilst doing them show pieces.I think the colours work well,but any comments are welcome,may be there are som ebetter ideas out there...
Of course,to break up the painting of the many Warriors i'll need (want lol),i will do some show pieces still too.I've been looking at some other companies figures,and found some fantastic ones! So i will hopefully be painting a few of them too.
So,that's it for now,to close,an idea inspired by Liz.She ends her Blogs with a 'Rule of Acquisition',which is awesome.So,i felt the need to share classic quotes from my favourite comedy of all time,'Blackadder'.I will pillage from all the episodes,so as to bring the best to you! Enjoy...
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Blackadder: If we lose, I'll be chopped into pieces. My arm'll end up in Essex, my torso in Norfolk and my genitalia stuck up a tree somewhere in Rutland. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Love,Peace and Grease |
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