... the IT man in LibraryLand
And a legion of excuses for lack of posting...
Shall one just briefly enumerate them: the endless work at work, the heat, a cranky and slightly under the weather Hulk, house hunting escapades, and a return to gaming.
So several weekends past saw myself, along with Salsa Girl and Hulk, attend a trio of swell soirees.
The first was Legion2's birthday bash for the gamer crowd, although disappointingly with no gaming occurring.
Despite that on us flaw a great time was had by all.
ElfBoy was there with Lil' Trucker running amok, as was Mr Magpie (no relation) with his little barrackers. Badger and Gavman were absent any spawn and Pirate Dave was at an inconvenient family do across town.
Salsa Girl and I ended the event by rushing off to inspect some potential property - our leaving causing the whole shindig to wrap up as it obviously couldn't sustain itself without our overwhelming presence.
From our inspection we made our way to FridgePower's self-organised surprise party. I think she fooled herself right up until the party began.
Hulk did not allow us to linger to long but one did manage to catch up with fridge herself as well as Judge Mingus and an unanticipated Zombie Monkey.
The next day was the traditional family party in honour of oneself and Legion2. The event was rather more niece and grand child focused than one really deserves for ones day of honour, but they are all so cute one can't really compete.
Well once again you are all updated on the happenings of the tales and once again I promise to keep to my weekly-ish publishing schedule so keep watching the skies for my next posting...
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Showing posts with label Mr Magpie (no relation). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mr Magpie (no relation). Show all posts
Birth days, Various
The past couple of weekends have been the domain of birthday celebration attendance for Salsa Girl and I.
Whereas the past couple of weeks have been the domain of rolling out new printers at work - the contrast is quite noticeable when Salsa Girl is not there escorting one through the event.
Anyway, the ageing celebrations kicked off with the early afternoon shindig for The Viking Hat GM and sprog. The usual suspects were there causing the usual mayhem - Exploding Ninja Pony, The Mad Magyar, and even Frenchy with his double daughter dance of destruction.
Fatherhood seems to have calmed down my Viking hatted friend as he was as subdued as a man suffering a heavy man-cold during the celebration. There was good food on offer - although bringing a plate oneself does seem to defeat the purpose of a free feed - still, I swapped a quiche for some chocolate cake so I know I came out ahead.
After that lovely reunion it was on to the big celebration for Mr Magpie (no relation). Fondly remembering the triumph that was his rain and alcohol soaked thirtieth I was all prepared for a big one. However it turned out to be more of a good conversation and child soaked affair. Of course Legion2 was in attendance as was Gavman and all found it quite enjoyable especially the fully over-catered buffet that was the evening repast.
Skipping forward a week we arrive at the afternoon celebration convened to celebrate Uncle Niece's second annum. The afternoon started sedately but by the end there were repeated games of Squash Uncle Phool occurring - an activity best not done at an occasion in which two different cakes and scones have been featured.
All in all a quite pleasant and Phill-fulling way to spend one's weekends.
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Whereas the past couple of weeks have been the domain of rolling out new printers at work - the contrast is quite noticeable when Salsa Girl is not there escorting one through the event.
Anyway, the ageing celebrations kicked off with the early afternoon shindig for The Viking Hat GM and sprog. The usual suspects were there causing the usual mayhem - Exploding Ninja Pony, The Mad Magyar, and even Frenchy with his double daughter dance of destruction.
Fatherhood seems to have calmed down my Viking hatted friend as he was as subdued as a man suffering a heavy man-cold during the celebration. There was good food on offer - although bringing a plate oneself does seem to defeat the purpose of a free feed - still, I swapped a quiche for some chocolate cake so I know I came out ahead.
After that lovely reunion it was on to the big celebration for Mr Magpie (no relation). Fondly remembering the triumph that was his rain and alcohol soaked thirtieth I was all prepared for a big one. However it turned out to be more of a good conversation and child soaked affair. Of course Legion2 was in attendance as was Gavman and all found it quite enjoyable especially the fully over-catered buffet that was the evening repast.
Skipping forward a week we arrive at the afternoon celebration convened to celebrate Uncle Niece's second annum. The afternoon started sedately but by the end there were repeated games of Squash Uncle Phool occurring - an activity best not done at an occasion in which two different cakes and scones have been featured.
All in all a quite pleasant and Phill-fulling way to spend one's weekends.
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... The Wedding of Legion2 and The BrotherStealer
Yesterday was finally the big day where the BrotherStealer got her way and was wed to Legion2.
It was quite a hot day to be dressed as a penguin but thankfully the ceremony wasn't until early evening and it was outside with an evening breeze. Positioning for the ceremony could have been better with those in the party not getting married having to squint into the sun to see any of the action.
The only real pre-ceremony drama was removing the fur of The Tiger which while apparently impossible to vacuum out of the car comes off quite easily with the application of fancy clothes.
During the ceremony I had a moment of mild concern when the brides ring hid itself in the far corner of my pocket to avoid detection when I went to retrieve it as part of my starring role.
Photo taking time, although short, kept me from getting to the free predinner drinks for a while.
The venue was the right size for the hundred or so people with the outdoor decking with city views proving quite popular throughout the night.
Dinner was a lovely entree of duck followed by fish or something else which I didn't take note of as I was busy eating and being slightly nervous about my upcoming best man's speech.
A last minute switching of speech order saw me going first without the benefit of any father of the bride warm up. But of course it didn't matter - I killed them. Proving once again the value of a little practice and fine tuning. It was interesting though to see which parts proved most popular and which parts were only mildly entertaining to the audience.
Post speech saw me finally able to take advantage of the remaining food and booze before indulging in some serious dance floor antics at the behest of BestFriendSincePrep and Mrs StumpyRudolph. I think I've come away from the evening with a mild case of Khe Sanh circle shoulder.
All in all it was a good night - many of the usual suspects were present plus Handy Dad's very own Legion; Freeloading Mum sported an eraserhead-esque haircut; I had my first meeting with the spawn of Sir Clive Pitbull and also the spawn of Mr Magpie (no relation); BestFriendSincePrep failed to ply me with drinks so I was human today.
Speaking of today there was a free lunch organised for the official gloating over the loot - which was quite extensive. Most unusual present goes to the electric vegetable peeler.
Post lunch I headed over to once again fix Freeloading Mum's home computer and scored a free dinner for my troubles.
Tonight, after a short blackout delayed my scribing of the tales, I have been sweltering in the flat as we begin this run into a hot spell. I may have to press the air-conditioner into action tomorrow night as I've heard they are supposed to be good for dealing with heat issues.
It was quite a hot day to be dressed as a penguin but thankfully the ceremony wasn't until early evening and it was outside with an evening breeze. Positioning for the ceremony could have been better with those in the party not getting married having to squint into the sun to see any of the action.
The only real pre-ceremony drama was removing the fur of The Tiger which while apparently impossible to vacuum out of the car comes off quite easily with the application of fancy clothes.
During the ceremony I had a moment of mild concern when the brides ring hid itself in the far corner of my pocket to avoid detection when I went to retrieve it as part of my starring role.
Photo taking time, although short, kept me from getting to the free predinner drinks for a while.
The venue was the right size for the hundred or so people with the outdoor decking with city views proving quite popular throughout the night.
Dinner was a lovely entree of duck followed by fish or something else which I didn't take note of as I was busy eating and being slightly nervous about my upcoming best man's speech.
A last minute switching of speech order saw me going first without the benefit of any father of the bride warm up. But of course it didn't matter - I killed them. Proving once again the value of a little practice and fine tuning. It was interesting though to see which parts proved most popular and which parts were only mildly entertaining to the audience.
Post speech saw me finally able to take advantage of the remaining food and booze before indulging in some serious dance floor antics at the behest of BestFriendSincePrep and Mrs StumpyRudolph. I think I've come away from the evening with a mild case of Khe Sanh circle shoulder.
All in all it was a good night - many of the usual suspects were present plus Handy Dad's very own Legion; Freeloading Mum sported an eraserhead-esque haircut; I had my first meeting with the spawn of Sir Clive Pitbull and also the spawn of Mr Magpie (no relation); BestFriendSincePrep failed to ply me with drinks so I was human today.
Speaking of today there was a free lunch organised for the official gloating over the loot - which was quite extensive. Most unusual present goes to the electric vegetable peeler.
Post lunch I headed over to once again fix Freeloading Mum's home computer and scored a free dinner for my troubles.
Tonight, after a short blackout delayed my scribing of the tales, I have been sweltering in the flat as we begin this run into a hot spell. I may have to press the air-conditioner into action tomorrow night as I've heard they are supposed to be good for dealing with heat issues.
... The Gaming Buck's Night of Legion2
Before I get into the main event I have to mention that I scored another goal at soccer on Thursday night. Well, my team mate basically bounced his pass off me into the goal but I'm claiming it since I ran to be in good position. I'm now at 8 goals in 16 months so expect the next goal report on April 10th.
The Main Event
This Saturday we had the second Buck's Night event to celebrate Legion2's upcoming nuptials.
In the grand tradition of the Buck's Nights of Gavman, ArchEnemy, and ElfBoy it was an afternoon and evening of gaming.
The afternoon was a fast-play version of one of our card tournaments with Legion2, Mr Magpie (no relation), Gavman, MatrixMan, Elfboy, and myself taking part.
Mr Magpie (no relation) romped in unbeaten. The fast-play kind-of worked except for the highlight grudge-game between Legion2 and yours truly which went for an hour and a half in a huge stalemate and - in younger brother tantrum style - included Legion2 having a fit of table punching over an insignificant mistake when the game was fairly obviously going to be won by him in the next few minutes anyway.
With the addition of ArchEnemy, BestFriendSincePrep and Badger we switched to a movie trivia game whilst the footy was on tv in the background. Surprisingly few of the answers were Red Dawn.
Ooh I just though of a Caution (about time I had another one): Alcohol does not a quick trivia game make. Even if you do play in teams.
When asked something along the lines of "Who starred in the 1994 film xxx?" a slightly affected BestFriendSincePrep responded with "Is this a true or false question?"
Disgusted with the pies display of football Mr Magpie (no relation) left shortly after the end of trivia and ArchEnemy joined him.
We remaining seven began our final game of the evening - a seven knight game of Shadows Over Camelot. By a quirk of fate Legion2 was the secret traitor, although MatrixMan's beginner status and inebriation made his clumsy play seem quite suspicious. At the end of that game most of the evenings attendees departed.
Since it was still early - and to stay in the bucksish spirit - Legion2, Badger and I stayed up until 3am having philosophical discussion about the quality of recent content various visual entertainment delivery systems had displayed.
The Day After
After a much needed recovery rest - and a treasure hunt around my flat for beer bottles from the previous nights festivities - I attended a wedding rehearsal. It was mostly just an excuse to have some nibbles and bubbles in the park but I think a few important ceremonial things were sorted out while I was busy making sure the free dip didn't go to waste.
The Main Event
This Saturday we had the second Buck's Night event to celebrate Legion2's upcoming nuptials.
In the grand tradition of the Buck's Nights of Gavman, ArchEnemy, and ElfBoy it was an afternoon and evening of gaming.
The afternoon was a fast-play version of one of our card tournaments with Legion2, Mr Magpie (no relation), Gavman, MatrixMan, Elfboy, and myself taking part.
Mr Magpie (no relation) romped in unbeaten. The fast-play kind-of worked except for the highlight grudge-game between Legion2 and yours truly which went for an hour and a half in a huge stalemate and - in younger brother tantrum style - included Legion2 having a fit of table punching over an insignificant mistake when the game was fairly obviously going to be won by him in the next few minutes anyway.
With the addition of ArchEnemy, BestFriendSincePrep and Badger we switched to a movie trivia game whilst the footy was on tv in the background. Surprisingly few of the answers were Red Dawn.
Ooh I just though of a Caution (about time I had another one): Alcohol does not a quick trivia game make. Even if you do play in teams.
When asked something along the lines of "Who starred in the 1994 film xxx?" a slightly affected BestFriendSincePrep responded with "Is this a true or false question?"
Disgusted with the pies display of football Mr Magpie (no relation) left shortly after the end of trivia and ArchEnemy joined him.
We remaining seven began our final game of the evening - a seven knight game of Shadows Over Camelot. By a quirk of fate Legion2 was the secret traitor, although MatrixMan's beginner status and inebriation made his clumsy play seem quite suspicious. At the end of that game most of the evenings attendees departed.
Since it was still early - and to stay in the bucksish spirit - Legion2, Badger and I stayed up until 3am having philosophical discussion about the quality of recent content various visual entertainment delivery systems had displayed.
The Day After
After a much needed recovery rest - and a treasure hunt around my flat for beer bottles from the previous nights festivities - I attended a wedding rehearsal. It was mostly just an excuse to have some nibbles and bubbles in the park but I think a few important ceremonial things were sorted out while I was busy making sure the free dip didn't go to waste.
... The Rather Sedate Buck's Night of Legion2
Yesterday's big event was the Buck's night for Legion2.
However the day began with a suit fitting for myself so that I will be able to perform my best man duties in style. The effect of all that holiday feasting can be seen in the requirement for me to hire a Large size suit.
The main event began with bowling at the Strike bowling bar in the city. There were many attendees including: BestFriendSincePrep, the rest of the Legion, Badger, Spare Legion, Elfboy, Mr Magpie (no relation), the future brothers-in-law and several of Legion2's friends from work.
BestFriendSincePrep proved the enhancement effect of alcohol by going from last place in the first game to first in the second game after the addition of several performance enhancing elixirs. Some, like ElfBoy, decided that their prime objective was to beat me and didn't mind where they finished otherwise.
After the bowling it was a short, slightly staggering, walk to the evening venue - Mrs Parma's the home of micro brewery beers and hand-crafted parmas.
We were joined by Gavman and Matrixman as we began downing pints and picking our parmas from the menu of ten or so options. The popular choice was the Mexican parma washed down with the red ale.
The venue was wonderfully un-crowded and the noise/music level was low so there was lots of great conversation and witty repartee happening. BestFrienSincePrep attempted to inflict his brand of evil on me again but, since I had to buy my own drinks, he was unable to force his inhuman drinking pace upon my person.
Eventually the venue had the temerity to close at their closing time so we moved on.
I third and final stop for the evening was at the Charles Dickins where we watched an English soccer game or two while continuing to sample fine ales. Eventually just as Legion2 was starting to turn an interesting shade of green we decided to call it a night.
We Legion all hopped onto the next Nightrider bus and headed home. I did my best man duty and roused Legion2 at his stop and walked him to his door before heading home. Hmm, on second thought perhaps my best man duty would have been to let him sleep and wake up in Hurstbridge?
The worst thing I felt today was jetlag which caused me to sleep until mid-afternoon. I just can't shake my Svetlanaland sleeping patterns. I should be able to nap tomorrow at work since there not going to be much for me to do after six weeks away.
Today ended with a family birthdays dinner followed my another session of fixing Freeloading Mum's computer.
Well off to bed now so I'll be fresh as a daisy at work tomorrow.
However the day began with a suit fitting for myself so that I will be able to perform my best man duties in style. The effect of all that holiday feasting can be seen in the requirement for me to hire a Large size suit.
The main event began with bowling at the Strike bowling bar in the city. There were many attendees including: BestFriendSincePrep, the rest of the Legion, Badger, Spare Legion, Elfboy, Mr Magpie (no relation), the future brothers-in-law and several of Legion2's friends from work.
BestFriendSincePrep proved the enhancement effect of alcohol by going from last place in the first game to first in the second game after the addition of several performance enhancing elixirs. Some, like ElfBoy, decided that their prime objective was to beat me and didn't mind where they finished otherwise.
After the bowling it was a short, slightly staggering, walk to the evening venue - Mrs Parma's the home of micro brewery beers and hand-crafted parmas.
We were joined by Gavman and Matrixman as we began downing pints and picking our parmas from the menu of ten or so options. The popular choice was the Mexican parma washed down with the red ale.
The venue was wonderfully un-crowded and the noise/music level was low so there was lots of great conversation and witty repartee happening. BestFrienSincePrep attempted to inflict his brand of evil on me again but, since I had to buy my own drinks, he was unable to force his inhuman drinking pace upon my person.
Eventually the venue had the temerity to close at their closing time so we moved on.
I third and final stop for the evening was at the Charles Dickins where we watched an English soccer game or two while continuing to sample fine ales. Eventually just as Legion2 was starting to turn an interesting shade of green we decided to call it a night.
We Legion all hopped onto the next Nightrider bus and headed home. I did my best man duty and roused Legion2 at his stop and walked him to his door before heading home. Hmm, on second thought perhaps my best man duty would have been to let him sleep and wake up in Hurstbridge?
The worst thing I felt today was jetlag which caused me to sleep until mid-afternoon. I just can't shake my Svetlanaland sleeping patterns. I should be able to nap tomorrow at work since there not going to be much for me to do after six weeks away.
Today ended with a family birthdays dinner followed my another session of fixing Freeloading Mum's computer.
Well off to bed now so I'll be fresh as a daisy at work tomorrow.
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