Running for presents down a manhole.

I would like to apologize dear reader for not posting a ‘classic’ blog on Friday. To be honest I forgot amongst a barrage of other stuff but I shall attempt to upload some old jazz later this week. Anyway, onto this weeks musings and pontification. Time waits for no man. Not even little old me.

I was thirty two last Wednesday. This is quite a dull birthday as it’s not much different to thirty one. It’s still early thirties but not old enough to say that you are half way through your life (which you essentially are when you get to thirty five). I know the average age to live now is seventy eight but I think for men it’s a bit lower than that. And in a lot of cases the years where you are seventy and over are a bit rubbish. That’s when things stop working and you wet yourself. So the way I see it is that I’m now only three years off being half way through my ‘active’ life. This is totally bonkers as I still feel as if I’m twelve. I started to think about things like life after death, baby Jesus and all that jazz the day before my birthday. It made my head hurt so I had a Diet Sprite and watched another episode of top sitcom ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’.

On my birthday itself I had to be up with the larks at six in the morning. I was filming some acetastic viral videos at work and needed to be in early. There was enough time to open my cards and presents though, and to have some breakfast with my ace wife. I got taken out for sushi at lunchtime with Charissa. Promo Eric and David ‘Crabtree’ Crabtree also came along. They are part of the cool gang at the channel so it’s good to go to lunch with these cats. In the evening I was too tired to do much but Emma made me a lovely dinner and I had a cheeky couple of glasses of wine. Emma also got us some delicious cakes from Sprinkles, which is a top cake shop that all the celebs go to. Once again the wife of dreams treated me like a birthday king. I fell asleep quite early though such was the hardship of the day and having to do some work. Some would say that work isn’t watching some people filming the chucking of a dummy down the stairs but I disagree.

Luckily it was Independence Day weekend which meant we got to leave work early at 1pm on Thursday. The Emster and I enjoyed celebrating that the American’s got rid of us from their shores. We saw some acetastic fireworks at the LA Galaxy game (which we lost but Mr. Beckham scored), watched the Santa Monica parade, did some shopping and I spent my birthday money. I got three new t-shirts, two pairs of jeans, three pairs of new pants, three pairs of socks, three plain t-shirts that I wear under v-necks or shirts, one new short sleeved shirt, two new running tops, two new pairs of running shorts, three new pairs of running socks and a new pair of running shoes. I did really well and I am a very lucky boy.

I will say though that buying shirts has proved a problem. In every store I go too they are too long. I like them to come just below my belt, not all the way past my private area. Why can’t the Americans make shirts the right length?

It may sound silly but I am dead happy with my new gym gear. As I go to the gym about four times a week its good to make an effort. Gone are the days when I wore a manky t-shirt and some rubbish shorts. I now have stuff that makes me look the bomb and is designed to keep me cool too. I sweat quite a bit when I’m going bonkers on the running machine so a cotton t-shirt doesn’t cut the mustard. I have lost almost a stone since I have come to the states and I have never felt healthier. This is a jolly good thing! And I have also found the best chain ever. Forget ‘Starbucks’, over here we have ‘Jamba Juice’. Essentially it’s a fruit smoothie version of Starbucks. They taste ace and they also fire whatever vitamins you want in them too. I got some added ‘Vitamin B’ in my drink yesterday whilst the Emster went for ‘Calcium’ I think.

Anyway, I digress. We also went for a lovely dinner with Mark and Cerise. We want to a cool bar first called Hidden (as it was tucked away. Clever eh?), then a dead good restaurant, ‘Via Veneto’. The food was amazing and my crab salad as a starter was chuffin’ sublime. We all got quite tispy, apart from Cerise who was driving. But not too tipsy that I didn’t appreciate the food which was Italian cooking at its best. I think it’s co-owned by that Warren dude who was in Duran Duran back in the nineties (before the Taylor brothers came back) for all you fact fans.

On a final note I am indulging my creative bent of an evening! I wasn’t going to mention to anyone (in case it doesn’t happen) but I am writing a novel. I then decided today that I shouldn't hide it. Surely I should be writing about its gestation and formulation in this blog? If it’s rubbish or I don’t finish it (which is a massive possibility) then so what? There is nothing wrong in giving things a try. And if to does come to fruition then this blog can take you through the process. So far I have done a good few thousand words of ‘Manhole’. It’s ace fun writing a book. And the good thing is that I’ve spent three years or so working out the plot in my head. I know exactly what happens and what the characters do and all that gubbins. It’s all about a man who falls down a manhole and ends up in another world. Or at least that’s what you think it’s about. The main premise of the book isn’t really the main premise at all. And therein lies the genius of it. 

I think writing this blog has prepared me quite well for my novel. Hopefully it will be put up for some kind of blog award soon. If not I will be most cross. It has photos and everything these days. And I did the new logo myself in microsoft paint. I know some of you thought I had paid an agency to do it, but it took me ten minutes one lunch time. It shows that Roy Castle was right when he said dedication was what you need. 

Marc x

p.s. thank you to everyone who got me a birthday card, sent me a birthday email, wrote a birthday facebook message etc etc. I am not really a fan of my birthday but I certainly appreciated all of this. Thank you very much.

p.p.s. What a great finale to Doctor Who. And what a series, the best ever? It is certainly the highest ever rated series and the most popular with the public with regard to audience appreciation figures. I will miss Catherine Tate heaps, the greatest ever Doctor Who companion? I think so…