It's A Kind Of Magic

Sometimes even I struggle for inspiration to write a blog. To be honest I've had writers block since I got back from London. Emma therefore did the last real entry and I have just chipped in with an old blog and a list of things I like. I don't know what it is but I can't get motivated or any inspiration. I think it could be because I am being creative and all that jazz in my job and I'm having to work dead hard too. There is only so much thinking your bonce can do before it explodes! My novel 'Manhole' has also slowed down from the previous flurry of activity. Don't get me wrong, it's still brilliant and I'm still tweaking it to comedy perfection. The nights of writing thousands of words in a mad frenzy has stopped for the time being though. Most evenings I am a bit too tired and all I want to do is to lie on the sofa cuddled up to the wife, whilst watching another hilarious episode of 'Everyone Loves Raymond'. I am sure though both the blog and 'Manhole' will bounce back to former glories soon. Having got this far with my book there is no way I am giving up on it. I prefer to read rather than write at the moment. I am currently reading 'Andrew Marr's History of Britain'. I know most of the stuff he covers. I remember it all from my History A-level, but I enjoy his take on it. If you are interested in modern british history you could do a lot worse than read this. It's a dead good effort so far.

So anyway, back to this blog. I am really making myself write this so it's like pulling teeth. It won't be that funny but even Tony Hancock had his off days. Actually that is over-egging the pudding somewhat as Tony Hancock killed himself. That must of been a very off day for him eh? There is no chance of me doing that, at least not on purpose. I have no doubt I could absent mindedly walk out in front of a truck, but I hope I don't as life is pretty good all told. I hate this not being able to write thing though. Normally I can just write loads of gubbins in minutes, and I find it hard to stop. Just like having a pringles crisp in fact.

I like being back in L.A. It's a bit bonkers to think that we are almost half way through our time here. We really need to see more of the West Coast before time goes completely. We do have a long weekend trip planned to San Francisco in a couple of weeks, and I hope we get to go to Alcatraz as I reckon that will be dead interesting. And we are also thinking of spending Christmas in Vegas. How cool would that be? It would be something different for sure. I also want us to go on a few crazy road trips while we remain here too.

We went for lunch in Venice on Saturday with Mark and Cerise. That was very nice indeed. We went to a place with a poncey name that I forget. It was very good though and I had a delicious bowl of brown rice (it was nicer than it sounds. It had lots of gubbins in it). I also had a cheeky couple of glasses of wine in the afternoon. It went right to my head. I don't drink much these days really, especially now I'm in training for the LA marathon next year. You have to enjoy a cheeky glass of wine every now and then though.

I have become a bit obssesed with working out readers. Not in a giving myself a six pack sense, but just with getting fit. If I don't go the gym for a couple of days I get quite itchy. I have a strict training program for the marathon in March so I have to take it seriously. I am now eleven stone and twelve pounds. I haven't been under twelve stone since Emma and I went to Sicily four years or so ago. This was the holiday where I went too crazy on pasta, pizza and ice cream (it was the best food I have ever had. Ever. I didn't have one bad meal, the whole place was a dream. I also had lots to drink too. I loved that holiday). I came back half a stone heavier and I thought I would never see below twelve stone again. I was at my heaviest ever weight at the start of the year. I was thirteen stone, and I was a bit cross with myself. I did a lot of running back then too, and went to the gym a fair bit but my diet wasn't the best when Emma wasn't cooking. And I drank too much beer I think. Now though, I am fighting fit and able again. I'm back to a 32" waist jean and my little beer belly has almost gone. I really, really hope I don't get back to old habits when I come home in six months. It's so difficult though not to sit in and do nothing when it’s always such rubbish weather outside. That is Engerland for you, which I love really.

Sorry for boring you all with my fitness stories. Someone boasting that they go to the gym a lot is almost as bad as someone telling you that they have had sex. Unless it’s with someone interesting or there is some scandal involved then you don't really want to know. I really don't have much else to entertain you with though. Emma and I are very happy, and there isn't much else to say really. Luckily this will change soon as after a short break our barrage of visitors has started again. We can tell you stories about that and what we got up to with them. And not only that we are off to San Fran (as the kids call it) very soon. We will be sure to entertain you all with our stories, and I'll get Emma to take lots of pictures too. She has a nice camera and as such she snaps away like the paparazzi would if Princess Di, The Queen Of Hearts, rose from the grave.

Oooh... I just forgot. The Saturday before last Emma and I went to a magic show and it was brilliant. There is a place called 'Magicopolis' in Santa Monica which Emma found on the interweb. On their list of good reviews it had David Bowie saying it was great. That was enough for me so I booked up tickets for us. We got there and enjoyed a wine or two in the bar. The barman was also a magician and he did some tricks for Emma and I. He loved our accents and our crazy English ways and he thought we were great. He told us that he was having an aftershow magic and comedy show and that we were invited. So we went to that too.

Before that though we watched the magic show proper. Not only was it really cool old skool magic, with card tricks, levitation and escapology but it also had David Bowies autograph on the wall. It was brilliant. Afterwards we went to the aftershow which went on until late. We watched our new friend Eric putting on a bar cabaret type show. He was good but one of the acts he booked was terrible. This fellas act was to dress as a lady and to dance to some music while saying "feel the rhythm". After that he told some jokes from a book, said 'feel the rhythm' again a few times and that was that. He was ruddy rubbish. It was a skill night though and Emma and I walked back home a little tipsy but full of the joys of magic.

That's it until next week. Until you come here again may the joys of life be yours,
Marc x