IMPORTANT NEWS

Here.

Sweet, sweet snow.

Today so far:

06:30- Yawn, swear, shower.
06:50- Coffee, toast, cigarette.
07:00- Shirt, tie, shiver.
07:15- Phonecall to say school’s closed. Snow Day.
07:20- Bed.

The day's my oyster!

I think being greeted by shock snow of a morning is one of the lovliest things possible (Check here for evidence).

In other news, things are okay. Been teaching Geography, History, a bit of IT, been working at BT in the evenings... I regret now ever moaning about not being busy, the days are reaaaally long at the moment and I'm dead on my feet half the time, but this is what needs to be done.

Will post over the weekend.

Marko
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PS- George Best, right? Now, I'm no football fan, but the news really does need to sort itself out. As I write, the telly's on in the background saying that Best's in his final hours. They were saying that last night. They also said it a fortnight ago. I remember the same sort of thing going on with Yasser Arafat and Pope John Paul II. Is it too much to ask to wait until someone's actually dead before reporting their demise? I know I'd be livid if people went around talking about my last minutes before I'd actually croaked, for all anyone knows the fucker could be back down the pub by lunchtime- after all, stranger things have happened.

RIP Eddie Guerrero

1967-2005

A Quickie.

Went to see Hamlet at the New Theatre last weekend. Verdict: bizarre casting, an over-long second half but still Hamlet so still enjoyable. BT has been an ordeal, re-training has been difficult to stomach, but the supply work is still coming in- I'm working in Merthyr tomorrow and Thursday. I've had some really encouraging news from the school where I did my first placement, in that the Drama teacher there is leaving and wants me to have dibs on her job for awhile. I await further news from her with baited breath. I'm shocked to say I've been sticking to the gym programme with Anthony. The day after our first session I couldn't believe the pain I was in, I literally couldn't lift my arms without agony, but that was a few weeks ago and it's gotten a lot easier. I'm even starting to see some results. As I said earlier, I'm teaching tomorrow so I'm losing the beard, but I want this photo to serve as a tribute to the beardiest I've ever been- it itched, but I loved it and I look forward to breaking the record next chance I get:

"Hawkmen! DIIIIVE!"

December's nearly here. My favourite month. I hope everyone's well.
Marko
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Reasons I love being a nerd #4035

This is fantastic. Yesterday I went along to a booksigning by Russell T Davies in Waterstones on the Hayes in Cardiff. He was signing copies of Doctor Who- The Shooting Scripts, so I went along and got in line. As you could expect there were a few muppets who'd come along in costume, but for the most part it was a far less tragic affair than I'd expected. I got talking to some other fans in the queue, picked up some interesting info about filming locations and such, and enjoyed the atmosphere a lot. RTD was an absolute gent- he was happy to pose for pics (clicky) and I was over the moon when he laughed at the dedication I requested (clickety). There was a real, live Dalek in the foyer (clickaroonie) which was exterminating a lot of people, but luckily I got away before it could disintegrate me.
In other news- it's a bit of a shitter, but as of tomorrow I start part-time work at the BT call centre in Cardiff. I'll be doing evenings, which will keep me free to do supply teaching as and when it comes in. The pay from teaching has been fine so far, it's just not been anywhere near frequent enough to give me the regular income I'm depending on to keep paying rent while Laura studies, so although lame it's just a means to an end, and better the devil you know etc etc. Also tomorrow night I start going to the gym with my brother Anthony who you met a few updates ago. He wants to lose some bulk and I'd like to get a bit of definition (ooh, get me) so it's a good idea for both of us. No doubt it'll be a different story tomorrow night when I'm aching and being a big pussy, but for now at least it sounds good.
Finally, the first in a semi-regular feature here on my blog- Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you- BEARDWATCH!

30/10/05- Quite Beardy.
All the best everyone- more soon.
Marko
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Nice weekend, that.

Spent it in Aber and got up to lots. Went for a nice meal and to the pub, played Pictionary, saw Rob and Kara, suffered cat-induced asphyxia and got myself into a bit of a state. Some pics- Deano protests against "camp" allegations. James seems disgusted at my Pictionary skills. Old Gregg is The Adjudicator. Harri with a glint in her eye and a cloud in her mouth. If any of you should come across a copy of Bizarre magazine on your travels, there's a reader of this blog somewhere in the first half of the magazine. Prizes awarded to whoever names him/her. Finally, everyone do me a favour- touch the screen below and whisper the mantra "good luck Rob J" three times:

Thanks very much. See you soon.
Marko
x

Look!

A signed photo of Adam West!
Cheers Tre.
Off to Aber for the first time in a few months on Friday, which'll be lovely.
Easy
Lewis

Drinking Strongbow with Mother Nature

Hi all. I'm writing this through a bit of a hangover- I spent a few hours last night at Bryn Bach park (Tredegar's only area of natural beauty), hanging around with my brother while he was night-fishing. Of course, "night-fishing" is a euphemism for "drinking cider", and after seven cans of The Bow I was hammered (and nearly took a dip in the lake, apparently). Still, as this blurry picture shows, it was a lovely picturesque night, and it felt good having a night of fresh air without the TV or PC in front of me. I recommend it heartily. More later in the week.
x

Adventures in Babysitting

Fantastic! Work seems to be coming my way, finally. Today I did some supply work in a nearby school which I shan't name, as it's at ground zero in the current South Wales e-coli shitstorm. It feels really, really good to get back into it- the longer I went without work, the more my self-confidence started slipping away and the less likely it was starting to look that I'd want to do it when the opportunity finally arose, but not to worry. It felt lovely being back in front of a class, and I've got more work tomorrow at the same school. After a conversation with my agency yesterday I've found that I was missing a certain form that I needed to fill out to register with the relevant body for Welsh teachers, that's now done and things are looking altogether more positive. It was fun teaching a few different subjects today- starting the day in a technology workshop (bandsaws, lathes and all) then relocating to an IT room then a physics lab was hilarious, especially during the times I'd quietly remind myself that I know fuck all about any of those subjects. Each teacher left lesson plans though, luckily, and the main challenge of the job was maintaining order in a roomful of children who've never clapped eyes on me before, let alone had a few beers and a reefer with me to see how decent I am. The first lesson this morning was a bit rough, a year-ten group on something called the "new start" programme (read: thick-as-fuck reprobates) who pretty much ripped me a new arse. The rest of the day was busy but pleasant enough, and most of the pupils got most of the work done, which is good enough for me (well, I got invited back so I can't have fucked up too badly, at least not yet). Funniest moment of the day? Pupil- "Had you' lip done 'ave you, Sir"? Me- "A while ago, yes". Pupil- "OHMYGOD Sir, you wasn't gothic, was you"? Kids, eh?! More soon.
Marko
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Hi, I'm Barry Scott....

And I'm here to tell you about Mark's Blog!
Hi all! It's been a long, eventful, stressful and (ultimately) cool few months since I last had the means to post. Let's sum-up what's been going on....
Well, first, there was the traumatic business of leaving Aberystwyth. After spending nearly a decade in the place I was really torn up having to finally kiss it goodbye. I knew it was necessary and unavoidable, but damn it really stung to look at my empty flat (formerly Harri's) with my life in boxes and bags. What made it even more difficult was the fact that I was moving back to Gwent, to the county I grew up in and, as a hot-headed youth, swore I'd never return to. Things felt weird to start with- the place hasn't changed a bit, I see old schoolfriends around the streets and it feels a little bit like some fucked-up timewarp where I've aged but no-one else has. I'm over the (lack of) culture shock now and I've settled back in, but it was very odd and quite upsetting for a while there. Laura's started her course, and is knee-deep in legalese every night, reading impenetrable law texts and memorising dense regulations and rules in preparation for her future in contract law- massive respect to her for driving back and forth Cardiff every day (just under an hour from here) and still having the stamina to read for hours each night.
Everything else has fallen into place piece by piece. I'm registered with two supply-teaching agencies, and start each morning sitting by the telephone waiting for work to come in. There's been nothing at all thus far, but as both the agencies and my brother have told me the first weeks of term are slow for supply teachers due to everyone being fresh after the holidays. My contacts at the agency have assured me that as term progresses work starts to come in regularly, and I've been told to prepare to be inundated as the weeks progress. Work can't come quick enough- I'm gagging to get back into a classroom, and the last thing I want is to have to get a non-educational job after the year I put into the PGCE. Having the sweet, sweet internet back is a boost- a big thanks to Wanadoo for pulling their e-thumbs out of their e-arseholes and switching this address on after a month of lies and diversionary tactics.
Some pics of the house- this was the scary emptiness that greeted us when we moved in, but when we got all our stuff in and built a bunch of furniture things started taking shape. I'll get some more pics of the finished place for a future update, but for now I'll nick off by saying it's nice to get back online and if you're reading still, you have my thanks.
Marko
PS: Odd little fact here- take a look at Barry Scott at the top of this post. Did you know that he doesn't exist? For reasons known only to the Cilit Bang corporation, "Barry Scott" is actually an actor called Neil Burgess, playing someone called Barry Scott. I mean, what the fuck? Why Barry Scott? Is the name supposed to mean something? It confuses the shit out of me why they'd invent a persona like that, then have him introduce himself by name as if we're supposed to know who he is.... I don't understand, and I'm certainly not buying Cilit Bang on the say-so of some weird-ass non-human Troy-McClure-style advertising crypto-personality. Anyway, laters.
x

No way!

Leisuretown is back, from out of nowhere, after years in the ether. If you give a fuck about anything, go and read it all right now. Laura and I have found a house, and I've found work. We move to Ebbw Vale on the 20th of this month, and I start supply teaching in Merthyr a few weeks after. I'm currently at my brother's home in Tredegar, house-sitting for him while he's away on holiday, looking after his dogs and abusing his broadband and home-brew. My own PC imploded a fortnight ago (with a years worth of photos and music, motherfucker), hence the total lack of updates. The fact that I haven't updated, along with the reappearance of the aforementioned Leisuretown means that I can no longer justly claim this site to be the best on the internet. That's cool, though, the internet's a big place and there's no shame in second best. Back soon.

(P.S: Leisuretown)

Hello!

Remember me? A delay in posting just means I've had loads to do, so there's more to end up posting about, y'get meh? I've been snapping away and doing loads, and there's an update on the way if not tomorrow then certainly before the weekend. As a stopgap, here's the first picture released so far of David Tennant in character as the new Doctor Who:

Absolutely lovely!

Laters
Marko

Aaah, that's better.

Let's see if I can get through an entire post without being a sulky drunken wanker then, shall we? Shouldn't be a problem- it's been a really nice few days. First and foremost, on Friday night Laura and I went to the closing party for the BT call centre that we both used to work at (and where we first met, incidentally, when I began my calculated and cynical campaign of stealing her from her then-fiancee, HA). As anyone who's worked in a call centre will tell you, it's a fucking awful job. Anyone who's worked in one for four years will also attest that after awhile it really impacts on how you live your life- even now, a year after leaving the place, I can't hear a town name without instantly reciting the county it's in. Anyway, it was a far better night than anyone was predicting- caught up with lots of old workmates and had a pretty grand night. Laura was the most gorgeous girl by far, of course, for at least two reasons, hehe.
The weekend got even better with a night out with Harri and James, who were up for the weekend. It was a rare treat to see them both, and good to see that James has finally ditched the Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen look for a nice, manly crew-cut (LOL, ROFL, et fucking cetera*). Things didn't stop there, though- on Sunday, Laura and I were barbeque tourists, having been invited to two different houses for smoky, meaty treats in the sun. Both were a lot of fun, with Bez and her husband Pete being predictably lovely hosts at their home and with Colin having the king of all games consoles at his (by the way, if you want to see what Bez gave birth to a month ago, click here for severe and gratuitous cuteness). So, a no-messing fun-as-fuck weekend then. I'm having no joy on the job front, however, although I'm waiting on an application I put in to a school in Newport and am checking the net every day. I actually signed on this week because I'm broke as fuck- if I get no joy from the 'port I'll cast my net out and start looking for some non-teaching stuff, because we're moving to Cardiff at the end of next month and as much as I'd like 'em to, landlords don't tend to give out properties for free. See you next update!

(* photos taken without permission from http://Harri80.blogspot.com)

Truth

This is my blog, isn't it? This is my personal little bit of webspace, yes? This is the place to pour it out if I need to... isn't it? Okay then. Forget what the time says at the bottom of this post, it's 05:33 by my watch. I've been up all night drinking and thinking, and I keep coming back to the freaky-as-fuck fact that I'm terrified of the future. Petrified. My fear is holding me back. Fear. Of what? What the fuck am I scared of? What's stopping me from dropping the ballast and flying? Why can't I exist on my own? What's forcing me to cling to redundant relationships that suffocate my growth? Why do I still feel so fucking weak after I've proved myself stronger than I ever thought I could be? Click "publish" and be damned, Lewis.
EDIT: Let this be a lesson to you all- posting to the internet while drunk ruins lives

WTF???!?

This summer seems intent on getting madder and madder- this week I won two VIP passes to the Tribal Gathering festival in Luton next weekend, in a prize draw on Radio One that i didn't even realise I'd entered! I don't really know what to expect or whether I want to go or not, but free VIP passes sounds too good to turn down... The line-up looks alright and it goes on until 0600 on the Sunday, so I'll have a mental time, no doubt... Looks like it's back on the crazy train next weekend, then! In other news, Orla Keighly addict and couture fetishist Harri is up this weekend, which'll be lovely as I haven't seen her since leaving Gav's. Things are pretty sweet really, eh?
Lewis
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Amsterdamage.

Wanna hear all about my holiday? I think you do. As anyone who's gone there will tell you, coming home from Amsterdam isn't a pleasant feeling. It's now Thursday, I got back on Monday and I'd still go back in an instant. Well, next year, eh? Okay, it's travelogue time. First, the airport. We had something like a five-hour wait to check in because we... wait a minute, I should first explain who "we" is.
This is Rob J, who you saw last a few updates ago. We were going to be going with his other half Kara, but it ended up with just the two of us. Anyway, a five hour wait at Birmingham airport means your fun is limited for a few hours (hence this sort of malarky), but we got there soon enough, fucking tired and grotty. See, fatigue isn't a luxury we could really afford, because that very night we had tickets for Grand Buffet and Sage Francis at the Melkweg, so we had to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed cuz we'd been looking forward to this one for months. No fucking worries, though- as soon as we got our smoke on and got to the club it was just uproar all the way. I've never been to such a superb, intimate venue- for hip-hop it was perfect, you could hear, see and feel everything. Grand Buffet were on first, and they were fucking awesome- like a two-man Beastie Boys, but with a sense of humour and a shitload more energy- these pictures give you some idea of the size of the venue- there's no zoom on them at all, and that was squeezed against the back wall. They're so damn blurry because the fuckers wouldn't ever, ever keep still- this was kinetic, high-energy rap, hilarious, well-observed lyrics and loads of audience participation and ass-shaking beats. The fact we'd been up for thirty-or-so hours meant shit at this point cuz we were buzzing like flies (cool note: Grand Buffet were hanging out after the show as well, Rob and I met them, got our shit signed and chatted for a while, which is a very cool way to handle yourself indeed- I want these guys to get huge, they fucking deserve it). Next up was Sage, who devastated the room (again, apologies for the shaky pics), with his Rasputin-style beard and gown, spitting fantastic tracks from A Healthy Distrust and making each member of the audience feel involved- no shit folks, this was a superb, underground and hardcore evening. Rob and I felt like hardcore soldiers, man, underground cross-planet travellers, soldiers in the truth army of beats, rhymes and life. Well, we were pretty fucked up by this point. A little word about where whe stayed. I've been to 'Dam each year since '01, and each time since '02 I've stayed here, the loveliest campsite in the whole world. No pressure, holidaymakers from all over the world, cheap, basic and clean cabins, really close to the tram terminal... perfection. What makes it for me, though, is the fact that it's right next to a half-pipe and a local graffiti spot- each year I've gone back the art has gotten better and better, and this year it was astounding- I mean, check this shit out. Intricate detail, wide, sprawling works, humour... Just superb, all of it. We had plans to see Nine Inch Nails later in the holiday, but we spent such a lot of time getting wrecked and boozing in as many places as possible that it never happened- I'll live. With_Teeth was pretty mediocre in retrospect, and the forty-minute train ride to the German border just didn't appeal.
The last few hours of the holiday were spent in the traditional all-out smoke-off, desperately nailing as much quality skunk as possible to get rid of it all before the plane- we succeeded, of course. So, here I am, back in blighty. I've got a few weeks of summer-school teaching lined up next month (thanks to a tip-off from the resouceful, helpful and generous Miss. Cope), but right now all I'm doing is taking stock and watching my tan fade. Same time next year, I think.
My thanks for reading this far, and here's a last holiday image for you:

Good times man, good fucking times.
Laters
Marko
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Hardcore Uproar

In a few hours I'm off on holiday, just thought I'd post some pics of last night, on the piss with some fellow teachers for the last time:

(not sure what I'm pointing at there^)

Me and the unstoppable John Sherringham

Ended up having a smoke with some total strangers. Love it.
I got a big, fat "A" grade for the coursework I was stressing over last month, and my tutor had some really nice things to say. I'm over the moon, in short, hangover or not.

An Ending.

Okay, so it's over then. I've been delaying writing here because I didn't want to give any glib, stupid responses to a really important two weeks that, by and large, I pretty much ballsed up. After getting back to Gav's afer Easter I was just pushing toward the finishing line- I got a really positive assessment from my visting tutor, I had a last rehearsal or two with the Heroin Lies crew and had a week to go when it got too much to deal with. Not just the course, but everything I've been pissed off with since it started- two buses and a lift every morning, feeling isolated, being tired, am I sounding like a whining little bitch? Not sure I care. It got too much. I missed most of the last week, and that's tantamount to flipping a finger at the department that I've been in for the last four months. I don't think I've done anything that'll stop me from passing, but I've certainly burned a bridge or two with my tutors at my placement school, which I am quite gutted about. It's nothing I'm going to go into here, but I enjoyed my time at that school and there are at least two reasons why the Drama department's as good as it is. Seriously, that school is pretty rough, but pupils who cause mad havoc in other lessons chill the fuck out in Drama, and have done for me as well as the established staff there. It's an ace example of a school that takes the subject seriously.
I've seen Batman Begins and Sin City by now, as well as
fucking Star Wars Episode III (three times, two in the cinema and once with gav on dodgyvision), and I feel really spoiled- I mean come on, look at the year we've had as media consumers- Nathan Barley (fuck you, Cook'd and Bomb'd, I loved it), an amazing new Doctor Who (both kisses at the end floored me), new Batman, Sin City, Star Wars, Hitchhikers... I don't know, hollow treats with soft centres maybe, but it's been a good year thus far.
I'm off now. I'll post before my holiday, but if anyone wants to post a casting idea for the role of The Joker in Batman Begins II I'd love to hear it. What'll they call it? Batman Carries On?

Unwinding.

So, that was half-term then. It feels so strange to think that I've got just two weeks to go of this course, two weeks of teaching before I leave Tonypandy, leave Gav's house and move on to the next step, whatever that may be. Another two jobs in the area have come up and been applied for, but to be honest I'm not half as worried as I have been about not walking straight into a teaching post- as the mighty Harri says, grabbing the first job in panic will just lead to despair in the long run, and I'd much rather get something else in the meantime (or even temp, for fuck's sake), if it means I can take my time and find a place that's right.
"But Mark", I hear no-one ask, "how did you spend your half-term"? Well, the highlight was spending three days with Rob and Kara at their new house in Llanfuck-knows outside Aberystwyth. They told me the location was remote, and Christ they weren't joking. Hayley and I spent ages looking for the place, although it was worth it- the surroundings are remote, yeah, but when this and this is the view from your bedroom window, stress becomes a memory. It was Rob's birthday, so there was a lot of drinking, horseplay and general fun, along with another old and really good friend of ours, Stotty (whose band Captain are well worth your listening time). Altogether a lovely week. I'm unwound and chilled, and I get to finally see the Sin City movie tomorrow, after refusing offers of bootlegs to wait for the whole cinematic experience. A fanboy's life is fraught with self-sacrifice and denial, but the payoff is always sweet indeed.

At ease.
x

'Bye Tatum!

I wish I had the intellects of Einstein and Hawking combined. I wish I had enough knowledge of physics and space-time to be able to answer the question: "why the fuck is this day dragging so badly"? There's nothing different about today, technically there's nothing's changed about the orbit of the Earth and the working of my chronometer, so why is it only second period when my insides tell me I've been here today for about a fortnight? Oh, wait, that's it- It's the last day of term. On another note, there's been another Drama student here for the last few weeks, and today's her last day so if you read this Tates- I honestly don't think I'd have hacked it these past weeks if you hadn't been around to lift my mood, so thanks for that and I hope the rest of your course goes superbly, which I'm sure it will. Bye!