Tags: Booze

Crash & Burn… The Wingman Chronicles

Jun15
Published on: June 15, 2010
Categories: Friends, Goth
Comments: No Comments
 

I was talking to a friend recently, and for some reason I can not recall the conversation drifted to pulling, Helping friends pull, and things you can do. It was one of them weird conversations that just seem to jump from tangent to tangent with not visible pattern.

During this part of the conversation I pointed out that I’d never been any good at being a WingMan. In my mind, I see great ways to help the guy get the person he wants, there’s just some cosmic force that always takes my great plans and twists them slightly so they are doomed to fail. To prove my point I gave the following story as an example, and I’ve decided to share it with you dear reader.

I leaned against the wall enjoying the loud music that was blasting out from the several walls of speakers set about the room. I had a cold beer in my hand, and there was nothing I needed to be doing for a while, so I could take a minute to just enjoy the moment and the beer. An elbow banging into my side interrupted my contemplation of the girl dancing in front of me.  “WOW!” a voice said in time with the elbow. I looked at the guy standing next to me as he pointed across the dance floor to a rather cute goth girl dancing on her own on the opposite side to us. “WOW!” he said again, “Have you ever seen someone so awesome?”

I should really set the scene. It helps with the general idea of what happened, and how it all came about if I explain a few things first. I also think that the possibly high alcohol content in my blood may help my defence. “Well it can’t hurt right?

University exam season had just finished, and some friends of mine from Aberystwyth Uni were throwing a “end of exams, plus Triple Birthday Party!” Party. My last exam had been early that morning, and I’d shot straight from the exam down to Aberystwyth to help set up the room ready for the party.  We had got the use of a pub’s basement area for the night, It was a large room, with a dance floor, seating area, and chill out area. It was perfect for a student party.

I’d had a couple of cold beers with the DJ, as we set up his equipment, the speakers, and tested it all out. Its thirsty work you know, lugging about all that equipment, running out cables, getting it all set up just right. My main role of the evening was to be door man checking tickets at the start of the evening, then a bit of DJing to give the main DJ a break. (Beer Count: 2 pints during setup)

One of my friends, who was also one of the three people celebrating their birthday at the party had her sixteen year old brother up visiting for the party. It was his first time at such a party, since they came from a small welsh village, and as he’d met me a few times while I’d been visiting his sister, he was spending the evening hanging out with me. This was handy since he was too young to get served, I was getting him a drink in my round, then going to bar with his money for his round. (Beer Count: 5 or 6 pints). A couple of hours into the party, one of the other “Birthday People” and myself decided the ration of “hot girls” to everyone else was a bit on the low side and something needed doing about it. That something was a quick pub crawl around Aberystwyth handing out tickets to every cute, or interesting person we met on the way. (Beer Count: Well and truly unknown) . I’d not long got back to the party, got a round in and was enjoying my drink when my friends brother spotted the to quote “girl of his dreams“.

“She does look interesting. You want to meet her?” I grabbed his shoulder and dragged him with me across the dance floor, ignoring his mumbled objections and the rising tone of panic in his voice. She stopped dancing as I came to a stop in front of her, I introduced myself, my tongue tied companion, and asked her name. Introductions been done, I mentally took a step back and let him make his move. I waited, and waited, and slowly realised I may have to do more work in my self appointed role of WingMan!

‘ok, this is not going well’ I thought, and asked “Drinks?”. “err yes, err its my round I think, errr do you want a drink?” he nervously asked her, ‘YES!’ I shouted in my mind, ‘its a start, he’s offering her a drink’. I quickly asked what everyone wanted, and wandered off to the bar slowly to give them a chance to talk… When I returned with the drinks, they were just standing there not speaking ‘Rats! I need to do something’.

The something I decided to do was to relocate the three of us to some comfortable seats to the side of the dance floor where it was quieter and easier to talk. ‘WOW, that’s a brilliant idea’ I thought to myself in response to the suggestion my mind had just given me to help break the ice. “Hold my drink for a minute will you?” I asked her, “I’ll be right back”. I looked about for the guy I’d done the pub craw with, and wandered over to him. “Hi Dave, You got that purity test on you?”

While we had been on our pub crawl handing out tickets, we had made a side stop at a computer lab and printed out a couple of copies of the 500Q purity test for fun and games at the party. Now my mind’s suggestion had been to grab a copy of the test, and convince the girl to sit it. This should give information of how easy she was, what she had done, what she was willing to do, and create many openings for flirting. “What could go wrong?” What indeed.

A short while later, and she’s sat in between us sitting the test. She is not hiding her answers so its easy to see what she has done, not done, and willing to do. ‘USE IT AS AN OPENING’ I’m shouting in my mind to the lad on the other side of her, ‘YOU ARE MISSING A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY!!! DO SOMETHING’. I sigh, this is not working, so I try coughing and pointing to her results, I try miming what he should say to her.”So you never done that?” I ask, “Really? never”. I wiggle my eyebrows at him, and point at her with my eyes for him to offer to rectify the situation. ‘SIGH’.

A short time later as she was nearing the final few questions, I grew desperate. His window of opportunity was closing, and getting smaller and smaller. I had to act, and act fast. I leaned across the girl sliding under her arms so I could still see the paper she was using to mark her scores. With my head resting in her lap, I looked up at my friends brother, “You idiot. She’s almost finished and you’re missing your chance” He just growled at me, ‘Humm maybe he didn’t understand me, I’ll try again’ “Look, she’s just marked she’s never done that, its a perfect time to ask her about it, you could even offer to help her rectify the situation” He growled more. “Come one, the point of the purity test is to laugh at those with the highest score, and see how easy people are for the end of the night.” He looked at me with hate in his eyes. “Shit, you really never done that but want to?” I asked her in shock at her latest answer. She just patted me on the head. He muttered and looked away.

It was at that point I decided the situation was not going to get better with any amount of help, so I stopped helping. We laughed and joked about the test, and the questions for a bit. All the while with my friends brother just sulking, then I was called away to cover the music for a while, leaving them alone.  As I was playing some music, I spotted they were just sitting there not talking, then after a while she got up and walked off to dance. And that was the end of that.

Personally I think I created an unbelievable amount of once in a lifetime openings for the lad. But maybe I was wrong, and its truly just another example of my inability to play the role of the WingMan.


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Purple haze all in my brain, Lately things just don’t seem the same

Jan26
Published on: January 26, 2010
Categories: Family, Friends
Comments: 2 Comments
 

It’s a really small world you know. Even without the Interweb making it smaller and smaller every year. It used to be said that the “Human Web” covering the world meant that any person on the planet is at most just “Six degrees of Separation” from any other person on the planet.  This was in the early part of the 20th century. These days with the advent of the Interwebs and Social Networking, I believe that number is a lot smaller.

Q:Why are you muttering about this 6 degrees rubbish?

A:Hang on. Give me a minute, I’m getting to the point now. Sheesh! Everyone’s a critic!

Yesterday I was talking to my Niece (She’s about 12) and she was telling me about one of her mothers cool friends. Someone my Sister met a few years ago while she was running a pub in Wrexham, and became great friends with. So my Niece is telling me some story and says “you don’t know *GirlsName* but she’s great“  When she mentioned the Girls name I blinked, “*GirlsName*? Oh I know her, I’ve known her for many years!” Which made my Niece protest, there was no way I could have known this girl for years, since her mother has only known her for about 2 years.  So I told her a story from my past that she could use to prove I knew the Girl.

Since it brought back happy memories of days gone by, I thought I’d share it here.

It was many many years ago. (Something like 1999/2000, I forget exactly) and I was out on a pub crawl that started in Oswestry and ended up in Wrexham. There was three of us on the Pub Crawl, Myself, Ax & Kooper. We ended up in the “Kings Head”, where we bumped into *GirlsName* and her friend, and had a drink with them. When we got kicked out for making a mess.

I should stop my narration for a moment to point out something to those of you who were unlucky, and never got to drink in the “Kings”. Now this pub was a Dive. You know those pub’s where parents warn their daughters not to drink in? This one they warned their sons away from.  The plaster was falling off the walls, the seats were ripped and broken, everything was covered with layers of old cigarette smoke. And as for the carpets? A girlfriend of mine once kneeled on the floor to pick something up, and got severe ammonia burns on her knee/leg. This place was that bad. On the plus side, it had loads of pool tables guaranteeing you always got a game, the beer was cheep and it only played rock music. I mention this so you can understand the shame I felt for being kicked out “For making a mess”. Now back to the story.

In all the mess of the pub, they had one object of pride and joy. A pool table with purple felt and balls that glowed under the overhead black lights. Now this evening no one was playing on this table, I was sitting on the end of it drink in hand, and *GirlsName* was sat next to me, and we were harmlessly flirting. (A bit tactless of me as two X’s were sat on a table in front of us).

The rest of our group were stood about, when one of the Barstaff notice someone had spilt their Pint all over the table. We of course all denied anything to do with it, and we would have got away with it as well, only Ax decided to speed up the proof we were innocent by standing in front of the BarStaff and holding up his empty hands said “It cant be us, look I don’t even have a drink!” Which only helped condemn us. Empty pint glass on table, beer everywhere, and a empty handed person standing next to it.  I would not mind but that night he was our designated driver, and not drinking.

So we were kicked out. *GirlsName*’s friend said they really had to leave as *GirlsName* had work early in the morning. So being the Gentlemen we were, We offered to walk them to the Bus station. Which went well at the start. Alas I have a really small boredom threshold. So when we started walking past a road that led to my Second Favourite pub at the time, I grabbed *GirsName* threw her over my shoulder and ran off with her to the Pub to continue drinking.  This action caused her friend to go mad, lots of raised voices, and a deal that we all have another drink, and our designated driver would give them a lift home, so all would be fine.

I’ll end the story there, Since the main two facts. 1)Getting kicked out of the Kings, and 2) Being thrown over my shoulder and kidnapped to a pub, should have been enough to prove to my niece that I’ve known *GirlsName* for many years.

Notes:

Today’s Post Title is from the classic “Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix. And was the first Song with Purple in its title that I thought off. The colour Purple plays an important part in all my memories of the aforementioned girl.

*GirlsName* is used because I do not like using Peoples IRL Names without first checking its OK with them.


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Weekend Wanderings

Aug18
Published on: August 18, 2009
Categories: Friends, LiveJournal
Comments: No Comments
 

This weekend was a throwback to the early days of this blog.  In fact before this blog even existed, back when the halls of livejournal echoed with the insane ramblings of the staff at the Insane Asylum, When “The Mentalist” was a code word for “I need Help” and not the name of a rather good TV show, When most solutions could be found after the call of “Quick! to the Venn Diagram”, way back when…..

I had an appointment to meet up with planetpete that was several months in the organising. Well The original meet up date had been several months ago, but due to one thing and another, and general crapness of blokes to organise things it had taken months to come to happen, but happen it did. The plan was simple. “Meet at a pub half way between his & mine at 8:30″.  The simple plans are often the best.

So I spend the afternoon being very productive, teaching my 11yr old niece to play Fable II for me and work as blacksmith/woodcutter to make me lots of money.  And at about 4ish get a text from MrAx saying he was up in the area for a one night flyover and was anything going on. “Hey, kill two birds with one stone!” So I dragged him along with me to the meeting (It helped he offered to drive so I could drink).

The night started interestingly. 1st We got lost. Well not really lost just diverted by a closed roundabout, then drove round in circles on the longest trip to cover the shortest distance as my directions were ignored. 2nd When we got to the pub, MrAx decided to drive into a low stone wall, breaking the top stone off. 3rd The original drinks we ordered were canceled as they barrel ran out (after barmaid had filled two pint glasses with foam).

Luckily things picked up from there. The replacement drinks were a very nice ale suggested by the nice barmaid. Planetpete and nellsworld turned up, and much random junk was talked, interrupted occasional by nellsworlds titters and exclamations of “Those cows are getting it On!“  More drinks followed, then it was time to say goodbye and head back into Wrexham for more drinks, and live music.

The Music was BAD, very very BAD. So the plans changed into a wander around the pubs of Wrexham trying to find one playing rock music. This was an impossible task, which did lead to one interesting moment as I bumped into my eldest nephew who was wandering about in bright red shorts, and a very yellow t-shirt on.  Who then spent ages trying to explain he was not dressed like that because he wanted to, but was out on his girlfriends 18th birthday night out and they were all dressed as lifeguards. I think he had been drinking lots, as he had already told me this plan earlier in the day when i saw him.

The quest for a pub playing decent music, or no music at all failed, the plans changed to drinking at mine while watching “Lesbian Vampire Killers“..

Much reminiscing, old sk00l quotes and jokes, and mentions of old friends….

Final Words

So dear readers, consider the good old days of your life, and try to keep in touch with old friends.  Its easier to let friendships slip away in these busy days, but the effort in keeping them pays back a million times more.


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Free Beer!!!

Feb23
Published on: February 23, 2007
Comments: No Comments
 

A few off us popped to the pub after work for a quick drink before heading home. One of our directors came with us and got a round in with the loose change he could find…

Then after left, it was decided to have another round, which involved everyone hunting for cash when the cook who we had got to open the pub up for us decided he didn’t like his bosses that much and gave us a free round ;0)

Which increased when one of the blokes there wife and kids turned up…

Then a round of crisps…

You have to love freebies…..


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Weekend Review

Nov20
Published on: November 20, 2006
Comments: 18 Comments
 

Well I’ve not done a weekend review for a while, or any post really. So here goes, highlights from the weekend!
Friday
Went to see “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” Now i am not really a fan of Sacha Baron Cohen, and in honesty i was only going along with the majority vote. But i’m glad i did, because i enjoyed myself, been a while since i saw a film where i laughed out loud in the cinema. But maybe it was the beer :0)

Saturday
Well as normal the morning was spent training, bit of plinking, bit of thuding, bit of coffeejutsu, normal stuff really. Till the slight heart palputations bit when after picking up the bits I had not seen from my current grade the instructor asks “you ok with your grade now?” so we say “yes, just got to practice and master it now” where he says “you have a week?” MEEP!!!! luckily it was a slight mistake and i have the month i thought i had…

And some quiet drinks in the local village with some old school friends. Who did in fact look Old, they looked much older than me, they must have had a hard life?

Sunday
Nice relaxing day, mainly due to it being too cold and wet to do anything, or go anywhere, and I felt the oncoming of a cold… Well that was the plan, which failed miserably, when at 5pm i spotted one dog sat miserably on the drive and the other one wandering about on the road, After getting the dog in from the road, I discovered the reason the other dog had not escaped as well was during his attempt he’d got a large bramble branch wrapped up in his hair, locking his two back legs together with his tail.. Which meant a fight to try and free him, then a search about for the hole in the hedge they were using to escape, and a repair job in the freezing cold rain! Bloody dogs..


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Bristol Bierkeller

Nov05
Published on: November 5, 2006
Categories: Entertainment, LiveJournal
Comments: No Comments
 

Bristol Bierkeller

Interesting club, reminds me of a cross between Edwards No 8 (Birmingham) and the kings (Wrexham). Was a good night, well they served a passable snakebite & black, and you got a free shot with every pint, the music was acceptable, the crowd varied, and lacking in the chav element (always a bonus)…

Ok, there was a downside to the night, a two mile hike back at 3:30am in the frost and ice, after leaving the warmth of the club… But there is a theory of the “pleasure/pain syndrome”


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Sometimes Work Has Good Points

Jun29
Published on: June 29, 2006
Categories: LiveJournal, Weather, Work
Comments: No Comments
 

Woooo..

A Customer just came into the office with a bag of magnum ice creams for everyone in the office (Which was seriously needed as its so god darn hot!!) and a bottle of canadian vodka for me, to say thanks for my work on a project…

Tis good to be appreciated :0)
Tis even better to be appreciated with booze :0)

!nn!


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Weekend: Sun, Smashing & Sun Inn

May08
Published on: May 8, 2006
Categories: LiveJournal, Misc
Comments: No Comments
 

I think the summer is finally here, last weekend was great, Hot, Sunny, and just the right temperature, and just a small amount of rain on the Sunday evening. Then Monday was torrential rain, fog, storms, which looked to be continuing this morning. But no, The suns out, its hot (Damn hot in the office!!) and looks nice.

So updates and stuff.
The Weekend.
Saturday was spent helping to move some rubble, and help make a start removing a greenhouse, and the junk stored round the back of it. Including 2 cast iron, old style baths with the lion claw feet and such. I may be a lazy person, but on hot sunny day I sometimes enjoy doing a bit of physical work. Two things were learnt during this time.

  1. Cast Iron Baths are very heavy! And two people can not carry them from round the back of a greenhouse, down a narrow path and get them into a high sided trailer.
  2. Cast Iron Baths are tough, and will withstand being smashed with hammers of various sizes, and use of lump hammer and coal chisel, but explode nicely when confronted by an idiot with a sledgehammer.

So after a day out in the sun, what better way to spend the evening than sitting in a beer garden drinking cold beer.

Sunday, what did I do Sunday? Err can’t remember, oh that was it, I spent the day in llangollen, checking out the large book shop, then a quick dinner down by the river, Then a walk up into the hills to sit and read while admiring the view.


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The Long Weekend

May02
Published on: May 2, 2006
Categories: Friends, Grades, LiveJournal
Comments: 4 Comments
 

Saturday was the wedding of Walesboy and Ammos, so it was a case of getting up, suited and booted, and off to a church in Connah’s Quay, near queensferry. The wedding had some novel extras, like the choir of knights templar’s, and the vicar with the monty pythen comedy limp. It was missing the cute, single, bridesmaids or guests that I believe should be mandatory at any wedding I go to, but otherwise it was a nice ceremony.

Then it was a quick trip to the pub for a couple of pints to waste time till the evening do, Lesson 1: If you go to a very busy bar during a football match where they are cued up several people deep for drinks, and you are wearing a suit you get every barmaid coming over to serve you.

Then there was the evening do, which went along the normal lines. Drink, buffet, dancing, where the dj played a minimum of decent tracks, and did his best to keep the dance floor empty for fire safety reasons. Lesson 2: Wedding dj’s have no taste in music. and so it went on till past the witching hour…
Sunday – after a lie in to recover from the night before, it was time to quickly grab some food, then off to the dojo for a shadow wrestling seminar, then grading day. And I was glad I had stayed off the booze the night before or I would never have passed, it was hard enough with the examiner having a different view of the moves than I had learnt. But I managed to pass, which was good…

After a quick stop off for my niece to show me how she could ride her bike without stabilisers (She had just learnt that morning how to) I went home to relax with a good book, and to watch the film “Cursed”. Interesting film but a bit too predictable.
Well after two lovely hot, sunny days when I was too busy to do anything, I was looking forward to the Monday. But alas it was not to be, it was a day of rain, hailstones, and coldness…

So I gave up on my original plans and went shopping instead, then continued my relaxing with a good book. Well the last month had been a very hectic one, with way too much stuff going on to the point some days were double if not treble booked. I am looking forward to having a rest this week…


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The Weekend.

Apr24
Published on: April 24, 2006
Categories: Friends, LiveJournal, Misc
Comments: No Comments
 

Saturday of the Stag

Well with plans finally discovered we all met up at the paintballing area at 12:30, so by 1 we were all geared up and ready to go. Ammunition was purchased, and guns loaded, and we set out for 6 games. Due to small numbers of people on the stag do, we played with the rest of the people there, and were randomly placed into teams based on odd/even numbers. It was a good day, with my team winning 3-nil over the 6 games. Unfortunately for the Stag he was on the other team, so lost :0)

I do kind of feel bad for him, since I was supposed to be on his team but switched sides so I had the chance of shooting him, and I did manage to clear out the fort on the “Capture the fort” Game, and I captured the flag on the last game of the day, even though I had run out of ammunition..

[A SHORT PAUSE IN THE STAG OCCURRED FOR THE STAG TO RECOVER AND TREAT HIS WOUNDS]

Then It was a meetup in a pub for some drinks before ending the night with a curry. Hopefully had a good night, to commiserate the end of his freedom… Then after a quick stop off to watch Doctor Who, it was time to return home.

The shoeing was post-poned till a time when it will not ruin the stags night.

Sunday of Sun
Sunday was very hot and sunny, The summer must be here at last. The downside of this was the light blaring through the curtains waking me up about 3 hours after I’d finally got to bed. So the chance of sleep gone for the day, I decided to go up the horseshoe pass for a coffee and to enjoy the view. Then continue down to cefn and a nice walk along the canal, and other such stuff to waste away the day in the sun.

Well just one more week left and this month is over, And I can have a relaxing month. with nothing planned. Just got 2 birthdays, a wedding, doctors appointment, 3 nights training, and a grading day left this month.


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