Nick Jordan

I went to see the new X-Men film with Jenny, Jenni and Sophia last night at the Cineworld in Shaftesbury Avenue. The special effects were, as always these days, superb but the story fell flat as far as I was concerned. They’d tried to introduce some plot twists but they felt contrived and I didn’t care enough about the characters for it all to matter. Still, it was good fun and a very enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours.

Afterwards we popped into Ed’s for a bite to eat, although I’d eaten enough nachos in the cinema to stop me from being hungry. I nibbled the odd chip and had a milkshake while the others ate. Then home to bed. A good evening.

Great article about Mark Brown, editor of One in Four magazine, a lifestyle magazine aimed at people with mental health issues. Although, as he says, a lot of what they publish is useful for everyone. This definitely looks to be an endeavour that’s worth supporting.

This afternoon Jenny, Jenni and I decided to take a trip to Hampton Court. We piled into Jenni’s car and set off not long after midday. It took a while to get there thanks to the traffic but we weren’t in a great hurry. When we got there we had a very enjoyable wander around in the sunshine, taking in the kitchens and tapestries in particular, as Jenny wanted to see them, and managing to fit in sandwiches and scones as well. It really was a very lovely day out, as the photo above will testify, so we also took a stroll around the grounds, stopping off for a game of Pooh Sticks. Jenni had never played before so it seems only right that she won.

We avoided the maze, which was probably wise. I remember getting quite lost in there as a child and I had no great wish to repeat the experience. When we decided we’d had enough we headed home for a meal and a rest. It wasn’t the Sunday we’d initially planned but it was none the worse for that.

Last night I brandished my new Unlimited Pass at the Cineworld cinema at Shaftesbury Avenue and saw ‘In the Loop’ with my friends Sophia and Paul. It’s rare for a film to make me laugh out loud but this one managed to do it all the way through. I noticed the others doing the same. If you’re not put off by a lot of swearing, go and see it.

Afterwards we had a very pleasant meal of pizza and wine. The wine wasn’t great but it was OK and it helped the evening along nicely. I really enjoy spending time with friends. After all, as we said last night, stuff can come and go but you don’t want your friends to.

OK, now I’ve got this site moved to a new host I can start blogging again properly. So last Tuesday my friend Jenni and I headed for the Underworld in Camden to see friends The Veil playing. Neither of us had seen them live before and I have to confess we were both suitably impressed. If Goth/Metal is your thing, give them a listen.

Once we were done there we headed over to Monto Water Rats to see The Quotes. Jenni had seen them before and had given me a copy of their album, which I really like. They were excellent live and a thoroughly good time was had, especially as we bumped into Ruth, who we’d met before at an SCA event.

An honourable mention also goes to Lux Lisbon, who were also on at Monto’s. Tight, poppy, good looking. Well worth seeing again.

Yesterday I moved this site to a new hosting company, which meant that this morning I have been able to upgrade to the latest version of Wordpress. At last! The relief is really quite amazing.

I was chatting with some people I met at a gig the other day and the subject of age came up. One of the other people said he reckoned he was easily the oldest person in the group and, when asked how old he was said he was 34. I’m 43. I love that man!

Back when I started this blog (in May 2000, I think) it was quite easy to see roughly how many people were reading it by simply looking at the site stats. In these days of RSS feeds and the like, though, it’s much more difficult. I know there aren’t as many people reading this as there used to be at one time, which is fine. I know it’s not that interesting. Besides, Facebook tends to be where links and other stuff are shared, at least for me and my friends.

As a result, I’ve been thinking about how this blog is used and what exactly it’s for. I haven’t come to any firm conclusions yet but I’d very much like to change the nature of what I post here. Facebook seems to me to be a better place for letting my friends know what I’ve been up to, so that type of post can probably go. I guess I’d like to reserve this space for when I have something a bit longer to write about, and which I feel might be of use or interest to the world at large. Expect, therefore, the frequency of posting to drop considerably.

If I know you and you’re not my friend on Facebook already, you’ll find a link to my profile in the sidebar.

Yesterday afternoon I re-dyed my hair. Not very interesting, except that I managed to get the dye all over the bath mat, prompting a remark this morning about the modern art I’ve created. Good job it was only a cheap mat and is easily replaceable. I’ll have a go at washing it but I don’t really hold out much hope. Maybe I should try flogging it as art – you never know.