Misfits Mid-Life Crisis Adventures in East London (The NEXT Chapter).

Week 133 Saturday 31^st December 2016 until Friday 6^th January 2017.

“Happy New Year” to everyone reading, I won’t wish the others as there either still drunk or throwing up into a friends laps. What will 2017 bring; for me it will be the initial confusion when writing the date trying to remember to put 2017.

  All wrapped up towards the end of 2016.

Normally on New Year’s Eve I just veg out in front of the TV.  Until a few years ago the main gathering point in London was Trafalgar Square.  I went there in the 90s, I remember that everyone was very plastered even though drink was not allowed; one of my main memories is drinking blue Maddog 2020 from someone’s bottle.  Now days, the big celebration is by the Thames where you have to pay for the privilege of seeing a few fireworks.

 London’s fireworks as seen from Parliament Hill.

New Year’s Eve 2016 MOZ and I ventured out into the madness making our way to Parliament Hill a few miles north of the Thames.  I don’t own gloves, London has got very chilly recently so I used a pair of thick novelty bed socks/slippers, it was dark no one would notice.

 First SB of 2017, i’m still addicted. 

There are strict rules when travelling on London Transport.  These include never speak to fellow passenger, don’t ever make eye with anyone.  In fact it’s very important that you ignore everyone including a Underground official when there trying to help you.  New Year’s Eve is the one night when the rule book is thrown away.  There were carriages full of people partying, the drink was flowing there was a sense of community.  What was nice to see was how friends looked after each other; one woman in very sparkly eye make cradled a very drunk friend in a caring way.  A not so pleasant memory is the number of men who you saw urinating like a dog up against any piece of tube infrastructure.  Note to self; be careful where I put my bag or what I lean against.

 I need to look before i get on a train, i really don’t want to visit Upminster YET again (picture not taken by me).

Because we arrived in the big smoke early it was decided that a drink would be a good idea, our regular pub must have been one of the few that didn’t have a doorman, wasn’t busy and had not hiked up there prices.  New Year’s Eve brings out a lot of knobs (ref the above and other people).  The biggest I encountered sat near us and spoke very loudly and drunkenly to his friend (who never replied) about how he constantly comprised his life because of women, his attitude was appalling.  He then went on to explain how he didn’t mind spending 6 to 7 years training to be a dentist because he will in the end make millions.  Oh one last thing, I really felt for his mother as he said he would like to take her out for a drink so she would realise how tough his life is.  What a tough life.

 I don’t have many pics this week, a card from my niece to Aunty MOZ.

Once we arrived at Parliament Hill we following the crowds in the dark.  A group in front of had a man shouting “Oliver” this continued until someone replied “Oliver is dead”.  I can report that Oliver was still being searched for afterwards.  We were happy that we saw the fireworks all be it in the distance, at least we didn’t have to pay.

 Saw Rogue One, A Star Wars Story for the third time this week, in a Super Screen….

Even in the early hours of the New Year day people were still in good humour on the tube.  One woman was talking to anyone who would listen about how annoying it was that she kept getting pics of champagne corks on social media.  The poor woman next to her who was trying to have New Year chat with her mother ended up with having two conversations just to keep everyone happy.

 My time at M&S is coming to an end.

MOZ will remember New Year for a different reason, she wore boots for warmth.  But we didn’t realise the amount of walking up and down hills, on pavements and gravel tracks in and around the Heath.  By the time we got back to hers around 3am I think she will admit that she wasn’t walking it was more of a New Year mince.

 Cheers to the New Year.

It was still a good evening, a few drinks with my best friend and seeing fireworks.  I hope 2017 will be a Happy New Year.

 All the countries that this Blog was read during 2016.  In 2017 i want world domination.

In other news…..  

Sometimes the simplest things are the most joyful, this week I really enjoyed going to the local park in the cold and feeding squirrels with monkey nuts.

I did my first session on the tills at work.  I sat there smiling as two women argued about the fact that one felt the other had pushed in.  All that went through my head was “do you need a bag” or “have you got a loyalty card”.  Punches were not thrown and security didn’t muscle in.

Other….

I have been re watching a lot of Buffy over the holiday season.  As a result there are 2 Buffy references within this ramble (this doesn’t include the Buffy mention in the “what I have been watching” section) can you find them.

The Mid Life Crisis Conts……

This week I have mainly been watching:  “Britain Ancient Capital: Secrets Of Orkney”, (ep 1).  “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”, (Season 2, ep 9 to 22).  “Humans”, (Season 2, ep 8).  “James May The Reassembler”, (Season 2, ep 2).  “Jaws 2”, (1975).  “Jonathan Creek Daemons’ Roost”, (Crimbo 2016).  ”Mrs Browns Boys”, (Crimbo 2016, ep 2).  “Peter Cook And Dudley Moore, Missing Sketches”.  “Peter Pan Goes Wrong”.  “Planet Earth II”, (ep 6).  “Revolting”, (ep 1).  “Robot Wars: Battle of The Stars”, (ep 2).  “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”, (2016).  “Secret of Bones”, (ep 1).  “Sherlock”, (Season 4, ep 1).  “The Graham Norton Show”, (Season 20, ep 13, New Years Eve).  “The Real Marigold Hotel”, (ep 1).  “The Real Marigold On Tour”, (ep 1 & ep 2).  “Titanic The New Evidence”.  “Yellowstone, The Wildest Winter To Blazing Summer”, (ep 1 to 3).               

This week I have mainly been listening to:  “Iain Lee: TalkRADIO (Highlights)”, (23/12/16, 02/01, 03/01, 04/01, 05/01/17).  “Iain Lee: TalkRADIO (Live)”, (02/01, 03/01, 06/01/17).  ”LBC Podcast: Mystery Hour”, (05/01/17).   “LBC Podcast: Nick Abbot (Whole Show)”, (31/12/16, 01/01/17) “Scroobius Pip, Distraction Pieces”, (ep 66, 04/11/15,  ep 96, 03/05/16,  ep 131, 04/01/17).  “Soundtracking With Edith Bowman”, (ep 15, 11/11,  ep 16, 18/11/16,  ep 22, 01/01/17).  “Theres Podcast People”, (ep 9).  “Toby Hadoke’s Who’s Round”,(ep 129,  ep 130,  ep 131, 07/15)(ep 132,  ep 133,  ep 134,  ep 135, 08/15).  “Morrissey”, “Artic (Cuddle) Monkeys”,  “Suede”,  “The Libertines”, ”Beck”, “Dingos Ate My Baby”, “Ladyhawk”, “Bowie”, “Spinal Tap”, “Oasis”, “Ian Dury”, “Ash”.