NeilConner.co.uk

I’m In a mood to write but I have no topic of interest to script on. Hmmm. I will just type away until something makes sense.

Ellie Goulding. I think I am actually falling in love with her. I cannot stop playing her music at the moment. ‘The Writer’ is an amazing track, along with a few others that are just unreal. I don’t know what I like about her sound so much, it might be her voice, the varied types of track that she throws down maybe. I really need to see her live this summer. I’ll be scanning the gig sites over July and August to make sure I can get some tickets quick time.

Football. So I dragged myself out of bed at 0600 on Sunday to get to one of the lads gaffs to watch the Champions League final. It had to be done, there is a serious lack of football in this country. I know that they are very rugby-orientated. I have missed regular exposure to the better game, shame that UTD couldn’t do the business over the Spanish. Oh well, in a couple months I’ll be watching the mighty Brighton in their new home of Falmer. Season ticket payments are dribbling out of the account and I cannot wait to get stuck into next season. It is a bit of a way off, it being the day before June. It is also going to feel even longer as there is no football this summer. I’ll have to play it more I think, to keep the dreams alive.

Championship Manager. It has surfaced again. I managed to get Brighton to the Premiership in two seasons and collected an FA Cup and a Community Shield in the process. Then the game wouldn’t advance further and crashed mid-october everytime I tried to play it. So I started a new season and have just got myself tucked into mid-table of the Championship. No silverware yet though.

New Zealand. I am bored of talking about it to be honest. It is nothing special. I wouldn’t live here permanently, unless I was in the middle of Auckland. However, I am off to the North Island again this weekend. A long weekend to be spent between Palmerston North and Wellington. On Saturday afternoon/evening we are off to watch the Hurricanes play the Lions in the Westpac Stadium. That should mix things up a bit ^_^ good times. Then we are working local for the week and heading back South just after next weekend. Tidy.

Cha-ching. I’ve just remembered that I have got paid today, which included a bit of back pay from expenses that I missed out on in early months of this trip. So this bumper pay slip will land me a Macbook Air when I get back and the remainder goes into the pot for the eventual house I get.

Buying a house. Something that I ideally would like to land before the end of the year, but I think it is going to be a 2012 venture. I do and I do not want to do it. It will be dead smart to have my own gaff but it is such a responsibility. The Apple product collection will have to come to a close. The car is going to be on it’s best behaviour and last for at least 5 odd years.

Tails. I unconditionally miss my car. She is tucked away in a garage in Wales. She hasn’t been cleaned or even touched since mid March. She will be receiving some much needed attention the first day that I have free. A complete dig out inside, outside and engine is the first task. Then the rims are coming off for a deep clean and some detailed adjustments to the brake callipers. I have ordered a couple little things for her whilst I have been looking through eBay, so they will have to be added. I also need to get her in for a service. I want my car!!

Summer. I am really looking forward to the summer this year. I have many miles to cover in the motor and I cannot wait to get started. The second week that I am back in the country I am off to a wedding, so that kicks things off. I have a lot of people to catch up with all over and a girl that needs some attention. I’ve been trying to think of how I am going to cram all my ideas into my time off. I want to get the camera out for a coupe things. I am looking at a couple festivals if the dates don’t conflict with work. I have Brighton games to get to. All whilst not getting down.
I have a bad habit of getting pretty depressed when I am on leave. I hate having nothing to do, so my plan is to keep busy for pretty much ever single second that I am about. Even if it means driving a couple hundred miles to make a weekend more bearable. It will happen. I am fed up of sitting at home and staring at the laptop screen in hope that something will pop up and request my presence at some event or meet. Not doing it this year. Going to max it up to the maximum max.

Re-org. I need to have a big overhaul of my possessions when I get home too. I need to have a big clear out of all the gash I have accumulated over the past year or so. I need the space. I also need to start moving stuff home in ready for my transfer later this year. I also need to have a clothes sort out, I’ve ordered a good wardrobe for the next few months I think. Can’t wait to get back and open it all. I’ve got to get my head into my work stuff too. I need to get rid of a huge amount of kit I have no need for anymore. Which also means that I need to get a few new things too. I have to have a think on what is required for the next couple years and start to prep things. It will save panicking nearer the time I guess.

Debt collection. I am owed so much money from different people. I should really start chasing it up. I think at the last count, I was owed a little over a grand. It would be nice to get some of that back maybe. I’ve become debt free again anyway, so at least I can chuck that monies towards the potential gaff. Some peeps that owe me are not much a problem, it is on good terms. There are a couple that have taken the moral high ground and have delayed repayment for 2-5 years. Not really acceptable anymore. Come on guys, you are taking the piss a little. It is not that much and it is not that difficult.

Health. The occasional drink seems to be doing good things to me. I have pretty much stopped the boozing since my episode a couple weeks back. I’ll have the social drink or 2 on occasion, but I have not been drunk since. I have even been on a couple nights out and not drunk at all, yet you still would have found me on the dance floor. I like driving so much that I would rather ferry the lads around than get mashed off my face and spunk a couple hundred quid on one night out. I’ve saved a good bit of cash by not getting on it and i feel better for it too. Regular gym sessions and the like have proven to have a recommended outcome. I feel better, faster and more alert. That and the high number of hours I have been sleeping recently. I think my body is catching up on 2 months of binging and late nights. Not a bad thing I guess. I’ll carry on with this me thinks, plus I’ll not want to leave Tails behind when I head to town. More excuses to get behind the wheel.

Car maintenance. I know that I have mentioned it previously, but people do not look after their cars very well over here. If you can imagine a typical 10 minute drive you might make upon the British roads, for example, to Tesco. You see a very high number of relatively new cars, in a generally acceptable condition. You will see a couple motors that need to be sunk and a couple that deserve to be locked in a bomb proof garage for safekeeping. It is not the case in NZ. Yes there are the occasional tasty looking motor that has been kept to a high standard. However, the general rule of thumb when observing cars on the roads over here is this: it will probably have a dent in it somewhere, it will probably be no newer that 5 years old and will be in the dullest of conditions that you would think that the last earthquake shook the shit out of it. It is rare to find a car that is in a good or higher standard. I know that I am particular about my car and do clean it very often, but the cars over here are just left to rot it seems. Even those that appear to be spending time, outside of driving, with their cars. They tend not to do a very good job of doing whatever they think they are doing. It just doesn’t sit with me well.

Overseas data charges. This is something that has to be addressed and soon. I cannot use more than 50 Megs over seas, before O2 decide that I have spent enough money. Yes I can see the protective measures that are provided with this function, but I have a better idea. How about you just lower the cost of data overseas? It makes no difference to you if I connect on 3G in the UK or NZ really. Like really really. Since the WIFI in my accommodation has vanished, I have occasionally swiped myself into a couple roaming data sessions. I just want to be able to speak to a couple peoples and check my emails etc. Suddenly I land myself a monumental phone bill. Cheers. Long live free mobile data within the UK on iPhone.

Steam being lost. It appears that I am slowing down, plus I am really getting into this documentary about the Bismarck. 8x 15 inch guns. I want. ^_^
Good night peoples.
Conn.

Hummell Jacket

So, I got the WordPress app on the iPhone. Just generally playing about with it. Needed a pic, so this one is of a jacket I ordered the other day.

Ermmm yeah. Not much going on the last few days. Well there has been shed loads of stories to tell from the 4 day weekend I’ve just had, but I can’t be bothered to write them just now.

Night.

Just got to add a couple lines of text…

The post is too short, so the image overlaps onto the next post. Cheers WorPress.

Dum De Dum

That should do it…

That is fucking it. I am not doing these stupid things anymore. The things that I keep telling myself that I’ll ‘stop next time’ or start doing what I should have started a while back. Things like booze. After my last post, I went out and got monumentally fucked. I haven’t been that bad for a few years now, even during trips yo Queenstown and Auckland. I am one of those annoying people that can remember 100% of a boozy night out. Not the other night. I am not proud of the antics that the lads and I got up to. I was in a ridiculous state. NOT doing that again. Damn Alex being the master of shots. Plus I got a bit of a telling off and some words of advice from the young sister. Noted and will be acted upon.
Things that I am going to start doing more? The damn Gym. Need to stop putting it off. Need to get back into shape. Plus it’s a good reason to stop the booze. Getting that sorted.

Not much really going on here. Oh I was in a bit of a quake the other day. Was a 5.3 or something. Was awesome!! Actually could feel the room bend. MEGA! 
Ermmm. That’s about it really. What is coming up?
Might get a chance to take a couple days off, so I think me and Mac are going to look into going over to Sydney. Might as well if we can. I doubt I’ll come back to this part of the world so going to have a look into flights and stuff this week. Tidy.

Oh just thought of something that I also need to start doing again. Using my flamin’ camera. I have a £400 camera sat in my drawer and I have barely used it. Turn that around. Snap Snap.

I’ve been writing a letter this evening. It is quite a big deal. I hope that it does some good. I have a couple emails to write after this too, time to catch up with some peoples after my short disappearance over the last couple weeks. Something else that I will be turning around. Feels good. I just hope my head allows me to do it. I don’t want to slip back to Dec/Jan. Got to stay up. 2 months to go as of tomorrow, then it is back to reality.

Right lets get this sorted.
War. Conn. ^_^

For those of you that know what I am like when I ‘usually go away’. I don’t mind staying there longer, in fact I am usually the first person to ask to extended… even a month or more extra. But not out here. It wouldn’t be too bad if I HADN’T ALREADY PUT MY DEPOSIT DOWN FOR 2 WEEKS IN AMERICA. Arrgghhhh!!
It might be only a couple hundred quid but that is besides the point. Having another trip under my belt and the opportunity to earn a couple more qualifications looks good overall. An extra 2 weeks out here doesn’t mean shit. You are literally wasting my time. I’ve got a missus to get back to… My girl is currently trying to calm me down, bless. I do wonder why she puts up with me lol. My last 2 ‘extensions overseas’ were my doing and this time I had promised her that I wouldn’t do it again. I know it is not my fault but it doesn’t look good does it. FFS!!!

Oh and to slam the door in my face, I’ve just worked out that it is longer than 2 weeks.. it’s 19 days. :@ Breathe Conner.

My typical remedy in these sorts of situations isn’t helping like it usually does. Maybe because my bottle of Dr Pepper is flat. Arrgghhh it’s all going wrong. hahah. Actually made myself LOL. Freak!!

Ok. A 5 minute interlude and a bit of a chuckle has taken me off the boil. I was planning to have a couple cheeky beers with the lads tonight, nothing heavy like but I don’t think I am in the mood now. I think instead… I am going to get completely wasted. Stand by for a seriously broken and wobbly Connman. Plus one of the lads had just got me a couple slabs of beer as payment for an incident that happened whilst we were all away. Boy done good.

I will post some constructive material the moro. I need to calm down before I get on it.

Laters Interwebnetpeoples.
A mildly annoyed Conn. >_<

I am here. Although I shouldn’t be really. I’ve been working out somewhere ‘remote’ without access to the web. I shouldn’t be online for a few days yet, but a fast ball back to my bed came up and here I am. Plus I have not had the ingredients to write something. I don’t mean that I have nothing to write… anyone can write about what they get up to. It’s just the lack of movement on my part. I could have happily written a fair few posts between my last entry and this trip that I’m engaged in at the moment, but I just didn’t want to overall.

So things are pretty good, I have some things that I want to say but I haven’t drunk enough just yet. For those that have seen me on it before, I cannot handle vodka. I can happily drink away for hours and generally be good on my feet and have a blinding night. Vodka on the other hand… Destroys me. This is what I am pouring into my throat right now. However I am in a pretty average mood so I hope for a better outcome to what usually happens. I think it comes down to a vodka related incident I was a participant of back in about 2007-8 ish. I decided, in a relatively pissed off mood, to get myself a 1.5 bottle of vodka. How cool was I? NOT! Feeling pretty down and under the theory that if I drink a mouthful of it followed by a mouthful of Dr Pepper, I’d have been alright. Nah. I got lost as to what one I was supposed to take next and ended up drinking the entire bottle near neat. Seconds later… it all came back up. I got mega depressed and looked like a fucking mess.
A recent event, a few weeks before I came out out to NZ saw me a little down. Again I decided, even though I knew it didn’t agree with me, that Vodka was the choice option for that evening. I had made the ratio very much in favour of the Vodka and then lost the only hand of the drinking game that I participated in. Skull it. Within a couple minutes I had realised what was coming, not just the contents of my stomach all over Dani and Tino’s gaff, but the emotional explosion that follows it. I broke down to a complete state. I have only been that bad once before and thankfully my sister walked the streets to find me late at night to sort me out. This time I let everything out to Dani, sat on the side of her bath ripping myself to shreds, along with her hand as I held it. Tino has one of the very best women a bloke could ask for, you are very lucky mate.
So I am sat here, drinking a crate of these Vodka mix cans I acquired off one of the boys. Blogging (obviously) and listening to the Streets. I have really got back into this after seeing Mike and Co in March. The new album is a win, shame it is the last.

Music. Something which varies in my ears. My taste in melodies is extremely vast. However, my current style is shifting again. I have had the last few months drenched in female vocals and sexy sounding bass lines from the likes of Deadmau5 and Skream. Things are on the slide at the moment. Skream is still rocking within my primary playlist but now it is alongside a good mix of… clears throat… Five Finger Death Punch, Streets, Anjunadeep, Chase & Status, Chemical Brothers, Slipknot, The Slew, Rise Against, Mumford & Sons, Metallica, Foals and Scratch Perverts. I know a few of them are quite commonly heard if you are in ‘Tails’ or if you walk past my room but overall, the shift is a lot heavier than usual. I wonder if that is the guys-I-am-working-with-in-Kiwi-land’s influence? Maybe. Or is it my general thoughts at the moment? I am a believer that you chose music subconsciously depending on how you feel at the time. If you are in a good mood.. the beats and singalong tracks pop up. Then when you are feeling down… suddenly you are listening to a much slower and calmer track that could be mistaken for depressing. 

Preparation. I know I have about 45-50 days left to enjoy the delights of New Zealand but I have already started planning little things. Things that I want to do, people I want to see and generally stuff to be getting on with whilst I get stuck into my summer. Should be pretty good if I can get on with it all.

BOOZY! My typing skills are still pretty good right now. I’m pretty pleased with myself. Got the girl on the phone, she’s just mentioned a wedding we went to a couple years back. The second mention of weddings this evening lol. I’ll admit that the first mention was by me… The fact that she is a fan of Amaretto now. Ideal woman… DING DING DING lol.
Anyway, it appears that the booze is putting its stamp on the content. Must concentrate more, but all I can here is ‘The Way of the Dodo’ haha. Tune.

…………………………………………..

So I took a break in proceedings, got distracted by my phone playing up. I’m back again.

Not to sure what I was on about or where I was going so I’ll leave it be. I had some things to say, but as mentioned previously ‘I haven’t drunk enough just yet’.

I might re-appear later after a few more cans.
Conn. ^_^