A long overdue update - brace yourself!!!

Ok. It's been a year and a half since my last update, and although i would like to tell all you avid readers (ha ha!) that a lot has happened that is quite far from the truth. Apart from fighting plaque and inventing mineral water the following events have occurred during this rollercoaster time period.

Last summer was spent attending various musical events such as Sonar festival in Barcelona. The trip was attaneded by 2 of my very good friends Jimmy and Graeme, sample pic of some raving below. MAAASSSSIIIVVVVEEEE!! or something like that. Strange that the turning on the oven dance never took off, i think maybe it was due to the lengthy time spent waiting for the imaginary dish to cook led to its downfall. What was i talking about?

Barely had the liver and brain had chance to recover than Ibiza was on the calendar. This time Mr Thomas was the accompaniment (is that a word?). Pretty good holiday n all, more raving, oooooooo i like raving!, beach lazing, tapas eating, treso watching and pool swimming was had. Don't really have any pics of this holiday, which is probably indicative of my general state for that week.

Next event of notice was the exodus of 2 Golden Lane housemates, namely Mr Joseph Cotter and Maximillian McLoughlin. Now, this would normally be deemed a crisis, as house hunting is not one of my favorite tasks, hence the dark years in Brunswick Road in my fire trap of a broom cupboard room, and lack of lighting in the bathroom. Action was needed!

Step up Mr Julian Thackery and the sibling Kean himself (see http://www.thatsnonsensetalk.blogspot.com/). Another year in the Lane was secured!!

Right, for those of you who have been paying attention (who am i kidding, no one is going to read this pap!), you will no doubt be aware that we are approaching the autumn 2006 period. This is generally a quiet period in my life as the nights draw in and the days get colder. The process of hermitisation generally occurs and i bed in for the winter. This year was no different, however a work trip to India made things a little more varied and a holiday to Spain and Morrocco over the new year period with the Esteban was the perfect tonic.

The work trip was pretty good, Delhi is nice but incredibly busy and hectic. Didn't get too much time to see stuff as was working all day but was nice working with the Indians as normal, especially as they always agree with you no matter what you say!. Crazy guys!

The trip to Spain and Morocco was also cool, spent some time with the Esteban family in Ceuta and was fed till i almost burst. Show me the lomo!! and Chorizo and Queso etc etc etc. Then we went off to the Rif mountains in Morocco and chilled in the medina. Nice countryside but the ol moroccans can be a little pushy, also no alcohol allowed! Also found out that goats eat the rubbish there, surely that can't be a satisfying meal?

Gandi memorial in Delhi

A mosque in Delhi - 3rd largest in the world apparently

although i could have been told it was made of haloumi

and i would have taken it as fact.

Ceuta! Tiny town on mainland Africa but belonging to Spain

Wonkey donkey? No, i tactually has very good posture, shut up.

Right this pretty much leads me up to New Years Eve i believe, which was spent in the best pub in Brighton. Yep that's right the Lion n Lobster. Woooohoooo. I don't dare to think how much money i have spent in this place but i think i should have my own seat there.

The Lion and Lobster - the greatest pub on earth?

Kean in the Esteban's fur coat - he does not remember this

Next event, skiing. Venue, Serre Chevalier. Attendees, 13 crazy welsh guys. Really good holiday, with some really funny guys and some great snow. Tried boarding this time as well, but had to go back to ski's as the board is really odd, it doesn't feel natural to have your feet fixed in one position.
Mountain scape innit - yes it is
Another mountain scape. Check ya bad self!


What's he grinning about?! Probably the fact that he is a winner
with what looks like a tiny ear. Are they really that small?

So, skiing was awesome, and apart from a strange jolly to Spain that was very much derided by my flatmates and probably rightly so, not much was happening in the life of the A Lan Man. Roll on summer. Hold the phone it's here, and you know what that means, another trip to IBZ (that's right Juler that is all i do!), bbbbbbrrrrrrrrppppppppppp!

Once again the J man was in attendance, but some more peeps were in tow this time. Kezza was making his way to the white isle along with some lovely accountant people. On the agenda this time was deffo Manumission and a 20 hour stint in Space. Groove armada were pulling the strings up on the decks and we were pulling the gurning faces on the floor.

No idea who that girl is!

That night was really the pits, b'dum tissssss!

Its yellow and uts a tube, what more do you need, a crap

pair of sunnies from a stranger that's what

Manumission
Is it me or does Kean look like the happiest man alive?

After the knackering week in Ibiza much rest was needed, but 'No!' the world of GIS does not allow you to rest, polygons must be digitised and maps perused! Therefore much of the summer was spent in front of the computer or meeting with various data bods and attending conferences. I did however get to wear a tux!

Now, many of you i am sure have heard of the super band 'Bastion', and i am sure you were all aware of thier european tour in August, if so you will know that i attended their festival gig in Ireland, out in the middle of the country with nothing but muddy fields and crazy jungle fuelled Irish peeps. Had it stopped raining once over the course of the 4 days i was there i might be raving more about this festival. However after getting soaked on numerous occasions, my tent getting flooded, the car getting stuck in a field and various ill people on the agenda the trip was not quite what i had imagined. At one point i think me and my friend Cat were actually sleeping in a lake, good stuff!Bastion were immense on stage though and you can't beat dancing to 808 state (remember them?)!

The rest of August drifted by with a whimper with more tennis and cricket being played, basically loads of sport to make up for the horrendous drought i was experiencing! A London to Brighton bike ride was also completed and a sore ass sustained for several days, damn the Iron horse!

The September birthday month and coming up to date this October numerous events have been going on including a boat trip on the thames, going to see Soulwax and much rugby orientated pub going.

So that brings you up to date. Bored? Yer, don't blame you, but don't be disuaded from checking in next month for some more Alan based stories that you will instantly forget and probably not care about anyway.

Bye bye readers!