Saturday 25 April 2009

This morning I am awoken by the sound of a pile of books, DVDs and old Guardian Guides crashed to the floor. Looking at my watch it is only 6.20AM; this is far too early to be arising after an evening that went on far too late. Thankfully my plan to cut down and reduce on a hangover worked and up I only feel tired and not nursing a headache as well. Bonus.

Today I finally finish off watching the Sam Kinison documentary DVD and as suspected it is really bad. I thought I liked this guy but I guess not, he wasn’t so great after all.

Just before 9AM I head out to the post office to collect my Cuban cigars. I feel ashamed and embarrassed by the extravagance but they are a great treat and gesture of celebration at a time when I have something to celebrate.

The troublesome reality of having left my bankcards at work hits me as I check my pocket to discover I have six pounds and change. This means I am unable to go get my haircut today and it finds me scrapping around frantically searching for pin numbers for my various retired credit cards.

The sun is in, the sun is out – today cannot make its mind up.

Eventually I get down to East Gates to collect my parcel. While waiting I hope the contents is not too explicit on the package so that the people inside the post office think I am too indulgent. Why do I care what these people think? The sad thing is though, regardless I do. There is always this great musty smell attached to waiting in line at the post office although I think were I too have to suffer it for too long I might go insane.

I make the legendary mistake this morning of going grocery shopping while hungry. As the post office is close to a Tesco (Hythe) I head there instead of Asda this week in order to bring some kind of spark of diversity/change to my life.

It has been a while since I was last down this way. When I first moved up to Colchester into Bohemian Grove this was where I always got my groceries as well as regularly making trips to the place in evenings with various friends, most notably Bella.

The place has not changed much. If anything it now appears duller but otherwise a supermarket is a supermarket although this one does appear to lack the light and subsequent glow that Asda possesses. This branch is situated in an awkward part of town surrounding it is the university, one of the poorest and roughest parts of town, the run down quay area (being regenerated) and likewise a run down old area that would appear to house some kind of decadent poverty. As a result the patrons that frequent this site are mixed and amusing. There is a larger branch slightly further out of town that people seem to prefer. I would not say this shop is run down but it is hardly excelling but as a result of this it is easy to get parked.

I shop with caution with the fear that when I reach the checkout I may not possess the actual means to pay for my goods. Searching the aisles I come across few items of difference. For some reason I buy bacon cocktail sausages and BBQ cocktail sausages in some kind of 2 for £3 deal. Really though, does foodstuffs sound healthy? Or even real for that matter.

Eventually I nervously approach the checkout with my found credit card and dubious PIN number. When I am finished swiping all my items the bill comes to a round £25. Impressive. Luckily the PIN works and I am able to take home my groceries and not starve this weekend.

On the way home I have a drive around the quay area of Colchester (the Hythe) to see what is going on with the regeneration. This area has really changed over the past five or so years and some of the apartments look pretty nice but generally the area does still resemble too much of a wasteland in certain areas. Also the appeal of the place really suffers through a distinct lack of transport. With this in mind I check out the Hythe station (where the girl famously got her fake Ugg boot stuck in the rails and perished) and they have done nothing with. I remember a couple of years of standing on the platform while I went to youth training college just down the road. In theory I should now be recalling those years (93 to 95) with some kind of depressed echo but those were weird years for me any way (the formative ones) and despite the hellacious daily travel to a hellacious college it was also a period in which I was discovering great music, great books and great movies. Generally though driving around this area now is a very sobering experience. I try to work out what kind of person lives here and can only come to the conclusion that they are white middle aged and working class hardly at the top of the tree. Welcome to Colchester.

When I get home I am still hungry and with it I tear into bacon cocktail sausages. So what actually are these fucking things? I barely get the opportunity to wonder as I tear through the entire packet swiftly. I suspect there just might be some trans fats in these fuckers.

After eating I resume pottering around the apartment and doing some writing. I do both in some and unsuccessful doses.

Around midday bored I head back to bed, an early start at the weekend is always going to prove fatal.

When I re-emerge into the day I find myself taking in Elizabethtown while sitting at my desk trying to write and produce something. I have to give the movie credit; it’s a pretty decent one. Very Cameron Crowe.

After staggering around my apartment mentally trying to be productive, trying to write, trying to sort things out eventually I find myself flipping on Punisher Warzone. For some reason I am really excited about seeing this movie at the moment. I don’t know why all of a sudden Punisher fever has grabbed me but he did used to be my favourite comic book when growing up.

It is with astonishment that Jimmy McNulty turns up in such a b-movie as the villain. I really hope it was a good payday because it certainly has cost him a lot of cred in the process. Wayne Knight (Newman from Seinfeld) is the only other recognisable face in the piece and he comes off/away far better from the mess of a movie. I seem to be remember the first Punisher movie a year or so ago being passable (and the Dolph Lundgren one back in the day was great) but this is awful. It shocks me these days as to just how easily I am stunned (and almost offended) by movie violence. I guess if its schlock and unbelievable it is rendered impotent but still I hate the thought of people even seeing this shit and believing any part of it. I come away from it all unimpressed.

With my parents return to the country (and their apartment) now mere hours away I begin make the necessary trip to their gaff to tidy up. I get there around 6PM with the day almost over.

Thankfully in the end I haven’t actually made too much of a mess of their flat and quickly the job is done.

I play my last licks of Guitar Hero 4 on the Wii for the final time for the foreseeable future and the addition of “Kick Out The Jams” and “One Armed Scissor” are welcome songs to a still fairly tepid list.

As I potter around checking out my latest torrent downloads on their computer it becomes evident that this Saturday night isn’t going to reach any real heights, especially with My Best Friend’s Wedding playing out on the TV in the background.

I head to my apartment in the full knowledge that The Good Girl is on TV tonight and that is the way I sail the remainder of this Saturday night, although watching The Good Girl again something that turns out rewarding reminding me of the time/period when I first saw it (back in 2003) and how things in a way were better than they are now.

With that thought I fall asleep trying not to be morose.