Writer's Block

Previous Weight: 20 stone, 12.5 pounds. New Weight: 20 stone, 12 pounds . Weight Loss: 0.5 pounds . Total 2015 Weight Loss: 5 pounds . I was convinced that I was staring down the barrel of another 4 pound gain this week, so to have lost anything at all is a considerable surprise. In the past week, I have eaten (amongst other things) 2 Krispy Kreme doughnuts, 3 packaged sandwiches, a whoopie pie (the most troublingly named of all the cakes), 2 scones with jam and creme, 6 waffles, 6 pancakes and a not unconsiderable amount of burgers and steak. I would not be surprised if there was some sort of hangover to next week's weigh in. But this seems to demonstrate precisely how much progress I could be making if I genuinely applied myself. In other news, England avoided what looked like yet another narrow defeat to Italy courtesy of a cracking strike from outside the area by Andros Townsend. An improved second half performance will no doubt prove to be another false dawn in t...

I mostly spent today gearing up for my final accountancy exam on Wednesday. It would be terrific to get it out of the way so I can focus on the next phase, whatever that might involve. But it's a different format to the other exams and I need to successfully demonstrate that I know how to use a computerised accounting system that I'm still getting to grips with. It's stressing me out a bit but as a friend of mine always says, "Stressed is just desserts spelled backwards". That saying doesn't help in any meaningful way with the alleviation of stress. But it's vaguely relevant. In any event, it's probably not a maxim I should take to heart. One of the reasons I'd quite like to get it out of the way and move on is that I've not been going to the gym enough recently or focusing on my diet as much as I should. I expect to post another significant gain tomorrow which might completely erode any progress I've made since the start of the year. My ...

Last night I went to the Royal Albert Hall for the first time to see Frank Turner headline the last of this year's gigs in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. The arena standing at the Royal Albert Hall is actually relatively small, with the stage closer than you would anticipate. But if you look to your left or right, you see 6 tiers of seating and standing areas. The effect from the floor is that the gig seems both curiously intimate and unfathomably vast. Opening the show with a 15 minute set was singer-songwriter Will Varley. Despite the short stage time, it's a memorable set with Varley's strong vocals commanding the arena. He's something of a protest singer, ending with an almost comedic song featuring David Cameron, Nick Clegg, the GameBoy Advance and a promise of riches from a faraway prince. Intriguing enough to warrant further investigation, I reckon. I was aware of Idlewild's position in the indie rock pantheon but unfamiliar with their music. Their set ...

Last night, I headed to The Garage in Highbury to see Hidden In Plain View. The band were formally on Drive Thru Records, a label whose output I followed religiously during my teenage years. Having broken up in 2007, the New Jersey post-hardcore/pop-punkers have reunited for a tenth anniversary tour of their debut full length "Life In Dreaming". Opening band Doubt say it's their first ever London show and it shows. The Medway rockers seem to lack a clear identity at this point in time. The highlight of their set is a competent if unspectacular cover of Jimmy Eat World's "Bleed American". I suspect it's still very much early days for them. Next up come Alvarez Kings from Rotherham, who play indie rock reminiscent of the likes of Kings of Leon. They know how to craft an anthem and it's not difficult to imagine these songs filling larger rooms than the 600 capacity Garage. Very promising. We were then treated to 45 minutes of William Beckett playi...

As I said, last night I went to see Still Alice. I can't remember the last time that a film had such a large impact on me. The story concerns 50 year old Dr Alice Howland, who works at Columbia University as a professor of linguistics. We discover that she's a woman with the ambition to have it all who succeeded, with an impressive academic career and a strong family unit. After spells of forgetfulness, she sees a neurologist who later informs her that she has early onset Alzheimers Disease. Julianne Moore won Best Actress at the Oscars last month for this role and it could not feasibly have gone to anyone else. I'm not very good at describing why I think certain acting performances are strong. Here, it's because I believe entirely in Howland's character, the depth of her anguish and her battle to retain her sense of self. At one point she informs her husband (Alec Baldwin) that she wishes she had cancer and we entirely understand why. Cancer would not entail th...

I passed my penultimate accountancy exam with what I was informed was something like a 98% mark. The dream of starting a new career is therefore still on. At least until Wednesday when I have my final assessment based on computerised accounts which is something of a different kettle of fish. But the past three months have pretty much been building up to this moment, so it would be a good idea not to balls it up. Hopefully I can resuming job searching with a few more options available to me. After my triumph, I headed to the Stratford Westfield Vue to see Still Alice which I shall review in tomorrow's blog. Just the 17 screens there, seemingly in keeping with the sheer vastness of the place. Shopping in the real world doesn't hold much appeal to me but it's an undeniably impressive facility. Post regeneration, it's a stark contrast from the occasion a few years ago when I did a gig at the Theatre Royal and died on my hole. Returned for the final half hour of England ...

I spent four hours holed up in Bromley Library (Central, I believe they call it) this afternoon. 67 questions on control accounts and the banking system later, I am a gibbering wreck. But I have prepared for tomorrow's exam about as much as I realistically can. Fingers crossed that will be enough. Subject to success, I will have a fun weekend in prospect, with pop-punk/post hardcore merchants Hidden In Plain View playing The Garage on Saturday and a first trip to the Royal Albert Hall for Frank Turner on Sunday. Turner has just released a typically rousing life affirming new song entitled "Get Better" that I shall look forward to hearing on the Sabbath. EDIT (03/10): Frank Turner subsequently released "Positive Songs For Negative People", which I have reviewed elsewhere on this blog. It was kept off the top spot in the UK albun charts only by Dr Dre's new album, which gives you some idea of how far Mr Turner has come. He was also very helpful when I emai...