Happy Birthday To Fliss...

And I thought I had it bad...

Yesterday (as of about 30 minutes ago) was my sister's birthday. The big two-one. yeah, without me even realising it, my innocent little sister with her b*witched albums and her sponsored dances and her crash bandicoot games and her secret diaries and suchlike, has without me even realising it, made the jump to full fledged adulthood, and as of yesterday, is a genuine real Twenty-One years old.

Christ, that's a scary thought. Obviously I'm generalising, but it feels like the last major thing I remember with my Sis is me trying to play some rally game (i still have it, I'm too lazy to find the disc) while she and her friend practiced for the fundraising dance in ASDA.
Next thing I know, she's going to University, not only that, but she's not even new there, she's carving her way through a university course, and her 21st has crept up on every single damn person in the world, especially me.

Which royally sucks. It seems no one has got her a god-damn thing. I haven't, to my parents it was just another day, my brother might have, I don't know. I've tried to mitigate it by promising something nice for christmas, but I can't even guarantee that.

I've got sick of unemployment, I applied for that scootay job. I got called in for an interview with a dude called Simon - and I think it went pretty well - he's a biker, so am I, he's ex RAF, I'm ex TA, he's a photographer, so am I, okay so I'm not looking to move in with him but there's nothing wrong with sharing your future boss's interests.

Anyway I got called back for an "observation" thingie - I go and look at life in the restaurant and see if it's for me. At the end, I get asked if I like it, I lie, and I get the job.

No, the place hasn't changed since I used to be there, and it used to be a second home last time, I used to be one of the regular staff, and I have a long if somewhat chequered history with that place. It's good to be back doing something that I remember doing :).

So now I'm waiting to find out if I have got myself a temporary christmas job.

So wht else have I been doing? Well, I've been continuing work on my dad's xmas pressie, (it's a lot of bloody work!!) and I've been trying to review bad technology. Yes folks, I've been trying to review the mustek DV4000 mini camcorder, but ultimately failed due to my review being 13 minutes, where youtube only allows 10 minutes.

Still. My nephew managed to go to Disney on Ice last night, and I spose for an ickle four year old, it must have been an awesome experience. I knew nothing about it until about 2 hours before my family were due to set off, but I managed to demand that my mum buy him a slush puppy should the opportunity arise, and sure enough he got one.

He came back last night, with a huge grin, a slush puppy cup in the shape of Nemo, he loved it, I've never seen him so happy.

It was brilliant. I just hope I can make the little guy's christmas. He's told me what he wants enough times, I just hope I can get it for him :).

and since I'm missing the obligatory music video links I'll stick them here.

Here: Nightwish's new vocalist spreads her wings. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdZn7k5rZLQ

And of course, you have to read the misheard lyrics :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWd6j5rphtg

But apart from this nightwish happiness, it seems CoF have released another album without me noticing (rectified now), and it seems to me that at this late hour, their angry screamings are in fact much more mature than their previous offerings, with a lot more emotional depth.

Yes, angry Suffolk based satanic [or not] screamers, Cradle of Filth have released a new album, "Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder" (The life and crimes of Gilles de Rais), a thematic studio album based on the life, (more the crimes actually) of Gilles de Rais, a gentleman who was once a proud French soldier, before succumbing to the dark side of the force (er, more accurately, sodomy, torture, serial killing and satanism).

Now normally neue Arbeit would kill off any mention of serial killing, on the grounds that it's not in keeping with the family model. Torture would be regarded as an infringement of the human rights (or inhuman, as the case increasingly seems to be, these days) of the subject, serial killing would be a stain on the mark of the local police (funny that this album should come from an Ipswich band, I notice with some wry amusement)... As for Satanism? Well we can't have that can we? That's just un-islamic!!!

Anyway I found myself surprised by the difference between the previous batch of angry satanic god hating musical rants, and this latest batch of angry satanic god hating musical rants.

Now before all you so-called hardcore satanists get your fishnets in a twist, I love this album. I've loved previous CoF albums, Thornography perhaps more than Nymphetamine, but this one seems to have all the emotional depth and maturity of nymphetamine with all the energy and general screaminess of Thornography.

Doug Bradley, of Hellraiser fame also makes his presence felt in this album, having also done the narration for Thornography, Midian and Nymphetamine. Also joining the CoF ensemble is the new face, Martin Škaroupka, who, happily, is as talented as the previous guy, Adrian Erlanddson.

Still, give the album a try, you can get one of the tunes here :).

I'm very very tired now, night!