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
x

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
x

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
x

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
x

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
x

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
x

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!

The abyss gazes also into you.

Oh fuck, all I want to do is QUIT. The only thing I've ANY desire to do right now is to just. Fucking. QUIT. There's less than three weeks of teaching left, but I feel as though I never want to do another day, another lesson. It'd be a terrible and inexcusable shame to pack it in now, when the year is close to being over... But it'd almost be worth it just to be able to let this out in one totally self-destructive way or another. I am on the ground, a twenty-six year old man in front of a keyboard on the verge of tears. I know I'm the melodramatic sort, I know my language is full of hyperbole and I often come across at totally full of shit, but I'm being as cool and unemotional as I can right now and still, my confidence is in tatters, I'm tired, my head is spinning trying to keep track of all the things I'm supposedly shit at and I recieved another refusal letter in the post this morning. There is no incentive, no point, and little future left because if not this, then what? Where now? What the fuck am I going to do? I'm writing this as rhetoric, I'm getting it off my chest, these questions aren't intended to be answered. These are just feelings. This is my page. Turn it if you wish.
EDIT: I've been home for a few hours and I had to add to this post now that I've calmed down and straightened myself out a bit. It's not as bad as all that. I've come up with some changes to the lesson that went so badly today, I've got another application on it's way to me from a school in Bristol, It's the last week of term, things could be a shitload worse. And I am aware of the fact that I'm learning while all this trauma is going on- yes, my mentor isn't shy about letting me know when she think's something's shit, but my planning has improved, I've seen a lot of good teachers at work and I'll be as ready as I'll ever be come September (assuming there's a job and I don't yet fail- as seen above, when people told me about the stress they weren't fucking lying). Anyway, sorry for the rant. I'd delete it, but I don't want to start self-censorship as it goes against the point, don't you think? More tomorrow.

Ch-ch-ch Ha-ha-ha

Friday the 13th, then. Everything was in place for a shitty day at about 0600 this morning- had an assessed lesson fourth period (and we all know how they've been going), woke up feeling like dirt, dreading the lesson. Ironed a shirt, got my ass on the bus, things weren't looking good... But the F13 curse didn't work on ME today, no sir! Not only did the lesson go really well, through email and telephone conversations during the day I've sorted out my holiday to Amsterdam on the 23rd of June! That's like, six weeks away- my good friend Rob J and I (of whom I really must post more) have tickets booked to see the legendary rapper Sage Francis at the motherfuckin' Melkweg on the night of the 23rd, from there we're hoping to bag tickets for the Rockin' Park festival, where we'll see Queens of the Stone Age, Jimmy Eat World and my final, ultimate, dream-ticket band: Nine Inch Nails. Stick it up your bell-end, Jason, this Friday the 13th rocked. By the way, first person to explain the title of this thread wins a fantastic prize.

(NB: No actual prizes will be awarded)

Accidental magic

One of the coolest things about owning a digital camera is the freedom to snap and snap without worrying about print costs. The long and short of it is, if you keep snapping, eventually, totally by accident, you'll catch the most beautiful images without even trying. This is exactly what I mean. I was only twatting around, but that's one of the loveliest pictures I've ever taken.

Hmm.

I'm really fucking really disillusioned today. It seems as though the teacher I'm working with is slating every lesson I take- today, after a lesson I thought had gone really well, my teaching was called "boring" and the lesson I'd put together was ripped apart even though each pupil, from where I was standing (which was in the middle of them, actually teaching the lesson), was well into it- they asked loads of intelligent questions, all performed the task I gave them well, there was no real misbehaviour, I got through my lesson plan okay, only to have the entire thing ripped to shreds afterwards, just like always. Other teachers have commented positively on lessons I've taken, I've had some good results with some difficult groups, but officially I just get ripped up. I can't remember the last good thing she had to say about a lesson I've taken. Way back at the start of this placement, I remember her saying that her last student left really disillusioned and worn down, and I'm starting to see why. It feels like I'm working my tits off for fuck all. On the positive side, congratulations are in order to my brother Alan, who's just achieved QTS after years of learning on-the-job. Nice one, bro.

Moral Dilemna....

Is it right to lie and pretend to be a Catholic when applying for a job at a Catholic School? Would they start hitting me with loads of Christ-centric questioning? Could they sue me if I got the job, then got busted? Is my ticket to hell booked yet? I think I'm going to go for it.

yadiloh knaB

72 hours. Seventeen thousand words. My coursework is complete. The new NIN album is superb. I feel weird. nuf rof sknil kcilC.

What a lovely sunny day.

I just wish I didn't have to squint at it through a hangover. I'm in Aberystwyth this weekend, sequestering myself from distraction and ploughing on with my coursework in the most picturesque setting I know. The deadline is next Tuesday, so expect some disjointed stream-of-consciousness panicked ramblings between now and then. Other than that, things have been steaming along apace. Auditions are Thursday for the show I'm co-directing in school, now a totally contemporary and hard hitting look at drugz, and how they can, like, wreck your head grandma. It's gonna be totally nineties. Okay, off I go. Ooh, before I do leave, though, those lucky broadbanders who give a stuff should check out this spoilerliffic clip of next week's Doctor Who- Aaargh! Dalek!

Turn on, tune in...

... and fuck you. Look, you can't expect regular updates when I've got so much coursework on. I'm in the last two months of teaching practice now, the verdict is close and I genuinely haven't done anywhere near the amount of work I should've, so forgive the test-card and the feedback and the echo where an update should be, but you don't get called "sir" for nothing and I've got work to do, mo-FO. A quick update, though- year eight lessons have been lots of crazy fun this week as we're studying the holocaust. Cue Mr. Lewis, in character as a PERSECUTED JEW CALLED KARL, spending an hour at a time chatting about how I'd seen my wife shot before my eyes, how I had to work at gunpoint and how, despite the teachings of my father the Rabbi, I still hated the Germans with all my soul for the suffering they put me through. Fucking hilarious. Trying to keep a straight face while telling a room full of kids about how I weed over my best friend while we were in capitivity.... almost too much to bear. Other lessons are going basically okay, I just can't believe how quickly things are speeding by. I'm going back to Aberystwyth this weekend to have a few hours of solitude so I can hammer at my keyboard without fear of distraction, from myself or others. Now though, it's time for Marko's one-word film reviews, and this week it's The Ring 2. Here goes...*ahem*..... RUBBISH. I'm serious, it really was dull. Memo to Hollywood- WATER IS NOT SCARY, YOU FUCKS. BLOOD is scary. ZOMBIES are scary. AN ALIEN ORGANISM THAT PERFECTLY COPIES WHATEVER IT TOUCHES WHILE KILLING THE ORIGINAL TO AVOID DETECTION, that shit is scary. Some damp mouldy lass from out of the telly who makes your bath run crooked? Ce n'est pas effrayant! In short- fuck The Ring 2. Fuck Samara. Fuck cash-in remakes of quality J-horror! Long live Sadako! As you were, you fucks.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Normal service will be resumed shortly.

Brainlock

Quickest of quick updates-
I have too much work to do and am genuinely worried that I might not make it. I know that only action can slay the dragon of doubt, so that's why the updates are quick and sporadic.
Harri is a clever girl and has sussed out how to define her own background for her blog. I said she was clever, and absolutely not a nerd. Now she needs to teach me how to do it so i can Batman-up this page.
Remember my mentioning Aphex Twin earlier? If you've heard him and you're a fan, you'll love this- a die-hard fan has composed an acapella version of one of his tunes, Flim, and considering the fact that Aphex's stuff is so busy and dense, it's an absolutely crazy achievement and made me grin my face off.
I don't want to go back to school :(

Better late than DEAD

Hey-HEY! I really am enjoying the Easter hols, y'know, as you can probably tell from the lack of updates. Loads has been going on, and I'd post pictures if I hadn't left the lead for my camera at Gav's place. Later, maybe. So, I'm home for a few more days of blissful tapping away at the keyboard. Evening drinks, the seaside, no stress and my final two terms of student-teacherdom to look forward to. The only stress has been an imploded boiler (and a cold, smelly wait for the useless fucking lazy-ass plumber), a whole heap of coursework and wondering who to get pissed with next. A lovely visit from Harri started the holiday off, and since then the fun just hasn't fucking stopped. Caught up with my old compatriots Mia and Sarah who moved away to Bristol ages ago (another story for another update), had an accidental night on the old "illicits" (and that's all I'm saying) and now I'm just doing my best to get the work done before term starts. I'm dragging my feet a bit, but fuck it, doesn't everyone?
Check this shit out. Chris Cunningham is a genius, in the scariest possible way. The news that he and the mighty Aphex Twin are collaborating again on a film just excites the fuck out of me. If neither of these names mean anything to you, do me a favour and get the fuck off my blog, now. Still here? Good :)
Hasn't Doctor Who been fantastic so far?
Okay, I'm dry. Check yourself, don't wreck yourself.
Marko
x

Happy Easter

Hope everyone had a good weekend. Putting the clocks forward always completely ballses up that day for me, it's always later than you think and you end up doing something stupid- I missed the beginning of 24 and I don't even know why we do it. If we just sort of left the time alone, would anything really bad happen? No. It bloody wouldn't. So let's stop all this weird, arcane fucking-with-the-clock malarkey and leave the time as it is, all year round. Next time we have to do it I'm not going to bother, which means I'll spend half the year being an hour early for everything. That can't be bad, can it?

VITRIOL

It's the last day of term, which is fortunate as I don't have enough bus fare for another day. At 0630 this morning I was counting out two-pees to make the fare for a ONE-WAY bus journey to school. I've no idea how I'm getting home. No-one should have to count two-pees at that time of the morning, it's a fookin' disgrace. I really plan on enjoying the Easter break, I'm spending it in Aber unwinding, and Christ, am I wound up. A few lessons I've taken have been slated because of a lack of discipline, so I guess I need to sharpen up my shouting skills, I don't know. I'll update later and let you know how I got home.
Marko

Hello.

My name is Ichi. Odd, you might think, my knowing Mark's blogger account info and being able to manipulate a keyboard and use the interweb, but that's the sort of cat I am. I am also an evil cat. I am a cat that knows how to get what I want, and how to dispose of those that irk me. Take Marko, for instance. My place in this house once went uncontested- Gavo's love was mine and mine alone. I was played with by night and by day I had the run of the house. Now, no more. Since this Marko intruded upon my domain I find myself relegated, usurped, deposed from my lofty perch at Gav's right hand by this Marko, this hairy, noisy demon, this interloper, this infidel. But, as I say, I am a cat with powers. I secrete particles and I grow hairs which the heathen Marko is allergic to. Once already have I hospitalised this demon, and next time I shall make sure he doesn't return. Know this, friends of the demon, that soon I shall vanquish him and Gav will be mine once more. I bid you farewell.

Fighting fit

Shit, man! I had to take two days off sick this week- my allergy to Gav's fucking cat went insane and I needed hospital treatment. Am now on a course of steroids. I'm being fucking tested, I tells ya. Anyway, feelng fine now, back to school tomorrow. Took another session of the Arius group yesterday, then spent an absolutely gorgeous day with the absolutely gorgeous Harri in Cardiff while the rest of Wales was in the Millenium stadium. We just managed to miss the worst of the insane crowds and just sort of hung around the shops, and I'd like to take this moment to re-affirm my non-bandwagon jumper status by saying- I still don't like rugby, even if we're good at it now. A big "hello" to Rob J and Sianni, nice to see you both. A huge update on the former to come soon.
Word.

One word...

Haircut.

Aaaand relax.

Now that was a lovely weekend. You all saw Laura in my last update, well we decided to spend the weekend together in a really nice hotel to de-stress a little bit. There's only a week and a half to go until Easter, but the little things are all starting to add up so some Rn'R was called for, and hugely appreciated. Had dinner in a very trendy (read: overpriced and full of wankers) restaurant, spent ages in the jacuzzi, generally a lovely relaxing time had by all. Of course it's only going to take three minutes of school tomorrow to competely destroy all that relaxation, but Easter is getting very close now so onward we go. I found a position vacant for a Drama teacher in Penglais school in mighty Aberystwyth this week- it sounds perfect, and I've already got my flat and friends in town, so fingers crossed for that, it'd be ideal. I'm sending off the form this week. In other news, I thought some pics might be nice- first of all, this is Gav, the reprobate who's been good enough to put me up for the term. Now, we've got a lot of previous, have me and Gavo. We shared a flat together first some six years ago when we were both in the middle of our respective degrees. We're very similar in a lot of ways, and I think that was the main problem last time- within months we'd both come within inches of failing our courses (Gav never did manage to pull it back), we'd spent pretty much all our money on mystical herbs and chemicals and we came close to pulling ourselves apart. There is some incredible video footage in existence, however, of us in some really shocking conditions, falling over, causing damage to ourselves and basically rewriting the rules of hedonism. It's some years later now, and we're both a bit better equipped to deal with things- Gav manages a local bookies and I'm almost a teacher, so the days of scaring the fuck out of coursemates friends while on vodka-skunk-and-valium binges are long gone. On weeknights, anyway :)
Hmm, what else.... well, you night remember me mentioning Harri80 on here- well, she's another incredible friend of mine from that era, who was fortunately able to see past the piss and pathos and stick around while I got my shit together. A massive plus to living here is that I see a lot more of her than I normally would since she moved to Cardiff about eight months ago. She (and her boyfriend Huw, who's a close friend as well) are a fantastic treat whenever they come around, and make things a lot more bearable. More on Harri as time goes by (keep checking her blog, and mention I sent you), but having her close at hand is just lovely. We're planning a trip to Castle fucking Bingo soon, which'll be a daft laugh, no doubt.
Christ, not sure how much I've typed and can't be arsed to spellcheck, so there's your fucking update you ungrateful fucks. To the two of you who sometimes read this- hope you had a good weekend, and I'll be back dead soon.
Marko
x

Bless!

Last night I was asked to front an hour's Drama workshop for the Arius group in Williamstown. Around fifteen of them, all between eight and thirteen. It was the most fun I've had in ages, despite the young age of the group making it a little nerve-wracking- I had no idea what to expect, whether they'd cry or shit themselves or whatever, turns out they were as good as gold, and some were quite talented to boot. I'm there again next week, can't wait. In other news: travel, planning, fourteen-hour days and poverty continues to chip away at my granite facade. My allergy to Gav's cat (called Ichi, fact-fans, after the ultra-violent titular character in the Takeshi Miike's 2001 Japanese shocker Ichi the Killer) continues to leave me breathless and bulbous. On paper, things should be pretty heartbreaking, but I still feel like things are going okay. I've taken some really nice classes as well as some utter shits, and that's just the way it is. Seeing Laura (my honey) later for the first time in three weeks as she's coming over on her way home from her open day in Cardiff. It's all happening, the future is finally arriving. 'Bout fucking time, and all.
Peace
Marko
(PS Watch Nathan Barley, 22:00, Fridays on C4. It's well Jackson.)

Was there ever a sweeter word...

... than "Friday"? Answers under this post, please.

It's like that (and that's the way it is).

What up? Yeah, I know updates are getting sporadic and yeah, I know this shit's like crack cocaine for alla y'all but shit Homes, I been bustin my ass so bad all the day that I just don'ts got tha time to be rappin' atcha like 24/7 an' shit. To translate- I know things have been patchy but that's not down to me being a slack bitch, it's my workload and my living situation.
To clarify: Last Friday (as you know if you've been keeping up) I moved in with my old buddy Gav, as he's closer to the school I'm working at and it's just a shitload more convenient (plus it's fucking miles away from my Mother, bless 'er). The convenience doesn't extend to my PC habits, however, as his computer's all busted up so I'm having to limit updates to a) times I'm free during school and b) times I don't have much pressing work to do. As you can imagine, this hardly ever happens, so suck it all up while you can, my children, for there isn't much to go 'round.
So, school- it's going really well (I think), I'm getting myself known and recognised around the school now, I'm remembering pupil's names (which is a battle in itself) and most of my lessons have gone swimmingly. The one or two that haven't have been torture, mind, but that seems to be the nature of the beast- when it goes well it's great (sort of like Michelle Pfieffer in Dangerous Minds) but when it goes badly it's just the worst job in the whole world (sort of like Captain Sisko in American History X). Once or twice I've felt the rage boiling up, and my voice is getting pretty quickly wrecked, but I'm getting a real sense of progress, which is exactly what I'm looking for.
In other news- I'm allergic to Gav's fucking cat, so I'm on Ventolin and Clarityn every night for supper. I'm actually missing my girlfriend (which is odd in itself, as I normally crave time away from her like a smackhead craves his horse). I hate six o' clock mornings. That's all we have time for, folks, so I'll holleratcha later and for Christ's sake keep it gangsta.
Marko
(P to tha S: I'm taking lots of photos at the mo, and there'll be a phat update this weekend, honest.)

Some days....

.. really do make you want to fuck it all off, this one being an example. Okay, some background to this shitter of a mood I'm in. Originally, I was going to be sent to a school in a town called Brynmawr, which is about four miles from where I'm living, and an utter breeze to get to. Score. At the last minute (and for reasons I'll go into another time) I got moved to this other school in this other place, Tonypandy which is (quick AA check ahoy) 25 miles away and an utter pain in the arse to transport myself to, not being a driver (I KNOW. MY OWN FAULT. FUCK OFF). See, school I'm handling okay, enjoying it in fact, but when I can't score a lift home (like today) it's a three hour train journey into Cardiff then another train into a town near mine, then a bus home. I arrived home like twenty minutes ago, three hours after the end of school. I'm freezing cold, angry, frustrated and on the verge of a shit-fit.
But, I'm finding this blog thing theraputic- rage.... subsiding... aaah.
I'm off to plan tomorrow's lessons, but first a little something I found this morning while on my way to meet my ride- someone had built a little snow-dude that looks exactly like a Japanese friend of mine, Kogepan:

My policy of always keeping my camera on me is working out nicely.
Laters
Marko

Tantalising prospect ahoy!

MarkFact #403 in a series of #20056- Despite having acted in many, many plays and a few TV shows, Mark has never gotten the chance to direct.
That seems about to change- in the next few weeks it looks as though I might actually get the chance to audition and co-direct a play in school! Fantastic news, and something I've long wanted to do. The play we're looking at producing is called Find Me, the story of a young girl with multiple personality disorder and the effect she has on her loved ones. It's quite a heavy piece, but there seem to be some talented kids at the school and I reckon it's got a chance of being really good. I've got some ideas of how to use sound to compound the feeling of (medical terminology coming up) losing one's shit, and if I'm allowed to run with it I think I'll have a lot of fun and- hey- learn lots too.
That, of course, is if I can pull off the rest of the school experience. Tomorrow I teach my first lesson proper at the school, and even though I've done it plenty of times before I've still got that lovely adrenalised feeling, that shaky uncertainty that comes with doing something new that you might just fuck right up. Cross your fingers for me dudes, I'll be back tomorrow.
(This post was brought to you by "Good Mourning" from Alkaline Trio).

"The way out is through".

Well, the school's every bit as rough as I thought it'd be, but I've done rough before and the staff all seem like lovely people, so that's alright. The drama teacher I'm working alongside is really something- full of energy, really enthusiastic and clearly knows her shit backwards. There's lots that I can learn (read: steal) from her, so that's another big plus. But... there are minuses, the biggest one being that no way can I carry on living in Tredegar. After a twenty minute walk (in the SNOW, thankyouverymuch) to get to my ride this morning (from a very affable and thoroughly pleasant Maths teacher) I was left without a lift home- cue a three hour, two-change train journey which got me home at 18:50 when school finishes at 1500. Fuck that noise- I'll have to stay behind some nights at school (I'll be directing a play, which I'm over the moon about), which means that a three-hour journey home just isn't an option. So... On Friday I'm moving (again) to Llanharan to stay with my buddy from the olden days of hardcore, the one and only Gavo Hughes. He's from the next town over to where the Drama teacher lives, and she's told me a lift in would be no trouble at all, so it makes perfect sense. Back into the jaws of madness, with six years hindsight and the will to do what's right. Like Trent said, "Nothing can stop me now". There's shitloads more I want to rant about (like, for instance, the smacked-up wanktub who nearly made me miss my connection earlier through trying to argue his way out of a fare), but I'm the tiredest I've ever, ever been so I'm wrapping it up there. Over the weekend I'll post a big long chapter with more history and some more photos, so make sure you stop by.
S'long!

Hi folks, come on in.

Hiya to everyone who's been arsed to check this out- I can't promise you scintillating content or life-changing prose, but what you can be certain of here is a blow-by-blow account of the life of a student Drama teacher as he fights his way through the system toward a professional qualification. The highs, the lows, the laughter and tears, everything I can be bothered to tell you about and just enough truth to not get me in any significant trouble. I've sort of wanted to get a blog together for ages now, but never thought that a)life would be interesting enough or b) that I'd keep it updated- ask most people who know me and they'll tell you I'm something of an impulsive character with dubious follow-through skills (read: a lazy bitch). Inspiration finally came from my good friend Harri80, who's kept her blog fruitful and tended to for ages now. Thank her on my behalf by paying her a visit at http://harri80.blogspot.com/.
Okay, the obligatory intro- I'm 26, I'm a Drama graduate and I'm from a town called Tredegar in South Wales. I've spent the past eight years in Aberystwyth, a gorgeous town on the coast that I probably would've ended up living in forever had I not kicked myself up the ass enough to start this PGCE- I'll spin some yarns from my time there in another chapter (there are plenty, trust me) but for now I'll skip to the part where I move to my home town, away from my girlfriend and best friends to work in my placement schools to kickstart the rest of my life. If you give a stuff, my interests are extreme music (some of my favourite bands at the moment are
Mastodon, Melt Banana, and the rapper Sage Francis), horror films from around the globe (and I mean real horror, fools, no remakes and no teeny-bopper bullshit like I Know What You Did Last Summer), stagecraft and acting (I've been in god-knows how many plays in my life, professional and amateur, and have managed to worm my way onto TV a few times) and general socialising. If anything's been my downfall in the past few years it's that I've had a little bit too much fun and spent too long smelling the roses- hopefully you'll get to know me better as this blog unfolds and you can draw your own conclusions.
So. As I write it's 18:05 on Sunday, Feb 16th, and tomorrow is my first day at Tonypandy Community College. Anyone who's ever started at a new place of work can relate to how I feel- I'm very, very nervous, about everything from what I'll be teaching to how it goes down with the pupils, to how the staff relate to me, to how I get to and from the place (I don't drive, y'see, so I'll be begging lifts back and forth daily from a fellow who also lives in Tredegar). In case you hadn't spotted it by now, this qualification means an awful lot to me. I'll keep you posted as to how things unfold.
If you stuck with me this far, you have my thanks as well as my respect. Here's your reward- a brand spanking new pic of me, taken not twenty minutes ago:

Cheers again for staying with me, and I'll talk at you again soon.
Mark.