Christmas Shopping

I may well be stating the obvious here, but never mind. Having just update my Amazon wish list, I felt I should point out that although Amazon's a useful place to list stuff, it's by no means the best place to buy stuff. I'd suggest using a price comparison website, such as Kelkoo, Pricerunner or Shopping.com to find a better price.

The trip to London on Saturday went reasonably well, even if the Natural History was a little more crowded than I'd hoped for, but it wasn't too bad for a half-term Saturday. I had a few quiet day with Nan, took a walk around Hall Place. I helped Carlos transport a "table top" board, too big for a car to carry, too heavy to manage alone. Jenny and Clive arrived with Amy on Monday, all slightly under the weather but it was still very nice to see them.

The Video Games Live Concert was great, starting with a music video of actors running through a city dressed as Ms. Pac-Man and the ghosts. Purple Tentacle deservedly won the costume competition (they even made a good attempt at moving like Purple Tentacle!). There were even two gaming competitions between pieces. The person who played Space Invaders was disappointing, ignoring the crowds calls to start a the sides. Frogger was played far better, with the two players, playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who went first, which rather threw the announcer at first.

Martin Leung, the "Video Games Pianist" was performing as part of the concert, starting with the Final Fantasy Fanfare (First tune played). The only disappointment was that SquareEnix wouldn't allow game footage to be shown on screen during the concert, (Microsoft, Nintendo and Disney didn't have the same nit-picking attitude, come on, it's free publicity). The final song played was "One Winged Angel" from Final Fantasy VII, which brought cheers and applause. The announcer suggested that we raise our mobile phones, DS's, PSPs, PDAs or i-Pods, as the modern equivalent of waving cigarette lighters during a rock concert. However he didn't expect someone to be waving their laptop. I returned to Nan's house tired, but very happy. I think I'll go to the next UK concert, if I can, it would be nice to go with someone (like my dear siblings (or any other relative), maybe?)

The return trip was slightly marred by the coach being delayed by 25min with no explanation given, and because of the lateness of the delay announcement, I wasn't able to have tea before getting on the coach. The coach actually arrived earlier than I had expected, considering the delay.

I have a busy little day today, signing on (done), appointment with support worker and house group in the evening, tomorrow I'll be going bowling with the Asperger group.

Today my sister Vanessa told me that she is pregnant with a baby boy!!!! She is 22 weeks pregnant. The baby is healthy, quite long and everything is fine. He's due for the 3rd of March. I'm so happy!!

She was hoping for a girl and she had chosen 2 girl names and none for the boy. Her husband Lorenzo wanted a boy and I know that my dad is quite happy too, having spent his whole life with 3 women!!!

This means Mark that now it's our responsibility to give the world some nice little girls!

Visiting People

I neglected to mention that we've managed to do a reasonable amount of visiting people over the summer. On the way back from Pembrokeshire we stayed the night with Nick and Ann in Swansea. Nice meal, courtesy of Ann, followed by a walk down Swansea beach to the cinema to see The Simpsons Movie.

Next day we headed off to Neath where we had lunch with James and Sonia (nice curry buffet type arrangement) before driving all the way back up to Manchester.

The following weekend we went to Nan's 80th birthday bash, visiting two sets of parents en route in Wolverhampton and Corby (Northamptonshire) respectively.

With a mere two weeks of summer holiday remaining to Emma, she set about preparing for the decoration of the dining room. We had a surprise visit from James Hall (formerly my housemate whilst at Sheffield uni, now resident in Cambridge, although his mum lives about half an hour away from us) during the second coat of the walls. As it was getting late, James and I got curry while Emma finished off the final wall. (I should point out that I did offer to finish the painting while Emma & James got curry!)

It's been really nice this summer to see so many people over the summer, and it was very pleasant spending some time with Emma (not teaching for a few weeks was a great help). Decorating's quite therapeutic, and I'm looking forward to trying it with a little less time pressure.

Long time, no blog

Long time, no blog

It appears that I've not blogged since I graduated. Since then I've managed to avoid getting soaked at outdoor theatre, but I did faint and fall in the sea, which was warmer but scarier (mostly for Emma who towed me back to shore - we were kayaking at the time).

Notable events:

Birthdays. Took Emma to Knowsley Safari Park, which was nice. She fell in love with a bunny rabbit.

Holiday. Went camping in Pembrokeshire. I slept badly, was grumpy and fell in the sea. Walking round the coastal path was nice, and we bought a picture to put up in the lounge in anticipation of decoration. Never got round to going surfing.

Cursed decorating plans. The original plan was to do the bedroom, but there was (hopefully past tense, now that a roofer's been out) a very slight leak and it seemed pointless to decorate a room that could get water damage. Then we were going to do the office (remove foul woodchip wallpaper, fix a manky alcove, replaster and paint, build new desk all down one wall, etc.). This plan got thrown out when Emma's mum decided that we should take urgent deliver of a .......

Piano. The piano which Emma learnt to play on, and has lived (unplayed) at her mum's house was intended to be given to Emma when she had a permanent residence. The imminent arrival of said piano meant that we decorated the dining room, where it now lives. Emma's learning to play "Live and Let Die", whilst I'm learning to play.

Dining room. Our first attempt at decorating was a success, and (after much sanding of skirting boards (Emma), three coats of paint on the ceiling, two on the walls, two coats of gloss on the skirting & door, one coat on the radiator (still need to do the second) and a new carpet) the room looks great. Now we just need to chuck out all the bookcases that were in there before, and get some that work in there.

Potted Potter. All seven books in one hour. Same idea as the Reduced Shakespeare Company. Brilliant. We also saw Sandi Toksvig in the bar beforehand.

Pope Benedict is arriving at Loreto today for The Agora' of the young Catholics. Loreto is a Holy Shrine to the Virgin Mary and is also 20 minutes by car from my village. I often go there with my mum and before coming to England my friend Marghe dragged me there to confession and mass. In the past my village organised a pilgrimage to Loreto and I went once. We left at 2 in the morning and we arrived at Loreto at around 830. It was a great experience, tiring but worth doing.

Inside the Holy house, which is believed to be the house where the Virgin Mary was born and received the annunciation, people from all Italy and from all the world come to pray and ask for help. The house is small and always crowded with people. I'm always teary when I'm in there because I can feel the presence of Mary and God very strongly, and I feel it in all those people who are there, who come from afar to bring their pains and sufferings before the Virgin. It's a great place.

My dad, being a volunteer fireman, spent the last month in Loreto to set up the camp and tents and yesterday the rain and the wind blew them out.

This is one of the moment when I really really miss Italian TV. I will miss the mass tomorrow and all the coverage. I've just read on the web that this will be the first time the Pope will answer people's questions on TV. I'll ask my sister to record the mass but it won't be the same.

In my village there are lots of young Catholics from all Europe. They are sleeping in the gym, in the convent and some families offered their houses. My mum said that it's really nice to see all these young people around, they are really cheerful, they play music and sing all the time.

I can feel the energy and the emotions of this big event. I remembered watching the Mass of the World Youth Day in Rome (my sister was there together with some friends) and it was amazing the energy, the joy, the strength, the faith of all those people. It was amazing being able to watch the event on TV, participate and being unite with the people in Rome. I was really moved and teary throughout the celebration. It was a strong moment when I felt part of this big family.

This is quite interesting. I'm keen on seeing what charismatic Catholicism looks like.

Bishop Chris looks wells charismatic in his picture...

Beer!

The annual Mumbles Beer festival was on Thursday-Saturday this week, which Ann and I went to Thursday and Friday evening. It had gotten big enough that they actually held it in the same hall I graduated in a month ago.

They had a good selection of booze, even some cider and perry alongside all sorts of exciting rarities.

I sampled over the two nights:

Last Rights (Barley Wine, 11%)
Black Sabbath (Mild, 6%)
Honey Gold (Honey Ale, 4.2%)
Nut Brown (Brown Ale, 4.5%)
Missy Sippy (Bitter, 5.5%)
Blond Witch (Wheat Beer, 4.5%)
Battle of Rhuthun (Dark Bitter, 3.8%)
Cheddar Cider (Cider from 'Cheddar')
A Scrumpy I can't remember the name of...

I'd never had a Barley Wine before, it was rather dangerous. Alongside these, I had small amounts of whatever Ann had, as well as other friends who we met there. Ann seemed to go more for the novelty name approach, while I was looking for types of beer rarely/never to be seen normally.

Among the more amusing ones were:

Son of a Bitch (Bitter, 6%)
Stairway to Heaven (Bitter, 5%)
Molly's Chocolate (Chocolate Stout, 4.2%)
Pink Panther (Speciality, 4.5%)
Dark Side of the Moose (Mild, 4.6%)
Old Slug (Porter, 4.5%)
Cheshire Cat (Golden Ale, 4%)

Perry was sampled as well and was quite nice. The whole thing was rather enjoyable and it was nice to see many people wearing 'Hobgoblin' T-shirts...

While we were there on the first day, there was a leaflet for a re-enactment society (gunpowder, so boring) but it did get me thinking it would be fun to join the Medieval re-enactment society in the university next year. We shall see...

Blackberry season is upon us and they're all over Swansea, particularly the coastal path. Ann and I went out one day and filled a litre container in the space of about 15mins. Will go out next time the weather is nice again.

Adrain and Emma popped in briefly on the way back from holiday which was nice. Went to see the Simpson's film (more and extended episode than film really) then we walked them up Wind Street and The Kingsway (Drunken hangout no.1 &2 on Friday/Saturday night).

Good news on money front, I have been given a Bursary from the university for half my tuition fees (~£1,500). Whee!

A few weeks ago I had a long talk with someone after the service, she asked me if I'd ever asked God to cure my Asperger's Syndrome. I thought about it and responded, "No, the Asperger's is part of who I am, would I be the same person, would I have learnt the same lessons and grown in faith in the same way?" I can't ever remember having asked for a "cure", just for God's support and strength to cope.

I mentioned my belief that I would still have Asperger's in Heaven but it wouldn't be a problem, no tiredness, headaches etc, but it could actually let me perceive God in a way that a "normal" person wouldn't. Also I thought wouldn't it be wonderful for the disabled to experience an extra joy when they meet God, the first thing that the blind see, the deaf hear would be the glory of God, the crippled leaping into His arms and so on. I believe that, even if Asperger's was intended as a curse by Satan, God can turn it into a blessing.

Monica got me an iPod for my birthday, which I've really been enjoying since. I understand that Emma may have just got one, and the other day, Luke was asking me how you found podcasts. I thought I'd blog about podcasts I've been enjoying.

In answer to Luke's question, I remembered that Jeff Miller reviewed some podcasts he had listened to here, so I just tried to find those articles and see what sounded interesting. They're here and here. The only other thing I know to do is to search iTunes podcast directory - so that's all I have to say about that.

From Jeff I started listening to Rosary Army, which sounds like a cult, but is actually quite a homely sort of show about life in general with a married Catholic couple, Rock Solid from Mark Shea, which is a kind of though-for-the-day deal, Catholic Answers Live which is a call-in show whose content varies from day to day though it tends towards the apologetic, The Cardinal Arinze podcast, by one of our cardinals, though unaccountably this guy with a strange accent always talks for a bit before conducting a sort of interview with the cardinal himself, The Saintcast, which is, as its name suggests, a podcast about the saints and Praystation Portable, which is a daily selection of readings and prayers, mostly from the psalms.

So that's plenty to be getting on with, but a few of those shows are part of a network called SPQN, who cross-promote each other, so I'm already listening to another amusing married couple on a show called Catholic in a Small Town (the theme tune is pretty catchy, which is disturbing, as it's country) and I daresay I'll try out a few more in time.

Pray As You Go is another one I've tried, which is a series of brief meditations on a passage from the gospel, but it's designed for daily use, and I can't update my iPod on Monica's computer so regularly as that. I believe it's in the Ignatian tradition. I seem to recall the word Jesuit being used in association with it.

It's not going to be so easy to find links for the other ones and it's close to bed-time, so I'll sum up briefly. I've recently subscribed to a few poetry podcasts, as poetry is something which always seems worthwhile, put is oddly difficult to fit into one's schedule though small. I forget what they're called.

The Guardian has several podcasts. I've subscribed to the music one, but I'm not sure whether I'll continue with it. It's hard to take pop music so seriously as they do.

Also, much to Monica's disgust, I was subscribed to the Big Brother podcast, but I've just unsubscribed from that one. There is, I can safely say, less point in a Big Brother podcast than there is in the show.

So that's about it really. I like podcasts - they're free!

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Oh, I forgot about the Chris Moyles podcast, which is how I mostly listen to him these days, and cuts out all the rubbish music. I also subscribe to some programmes on Rai so that I can hear som real Italian as regularly as possible.

Also, the Radio Times reccomends podcasts. So that's another way of finding them.

Going to church regularly has really helped my social life, especially during the summer, yesterday I was invited to lunch and later went on to Exmouth beach for the afternoon. Sadly I got slightly sunburnt, (despite the suncream) but got the chance to paddle, which I've not been able to do for ages. I might have gone swimming, but there's a impressively strong current from the River Exe, I had to dig my feet in just to stay put, great fun

This afternoon, I'm going with the Asperger group to Exmouth beach again for a BBQ, so I'm looking forward to that, although I think I'll try to make more of an effort to stay out of the sun.

Update
I needn't have worried about the sun, we were half way down the path to the rocky part of Exmouth beach when a thunderstorm started, needless to say we all got a bit wet and it was decided that we would relocate to the Asperger group leader's house. Quite enjoyable and we all had dried out nicely before heading home.

One down, one to go...

Sorry to post just after you have Mark, but never mind.

Got back from a trip to Italy to go to the wedding of a former housemate of Ann. We got cheap plane tickets and flew over to Milan. Before heading to Como, where Shanti (the friend) lives, we headed for Cinque Terra, a coastal stretch containing 5 development protected towns connected by walking trails. The distance from one to the other was only 9km, but it took us about 5 hours due to all the ups and downs along the way. At the end, we rewarded ourselves with a swim in the sea, much to the relief of our feet.

In Milan, we stayed at a newly done B&B that the people living above Shanti had decided to open. Breakfast was plentiful and the people amusing. Various guests were already there, Titi from Belgium (although born in Hawaii and lived in Belgium), Karuna (Shanti's sister), Danni and Kirsten (Two girls that Shanti and Karuna grew up with in Swaziland) and some Canadians who I can't remember their names at the moment but one went to 6th Form College equivelent with Shanti.

One evening, we headed out to a village outside Como where Dominico (the groom) was born and met many of his friends at a pub there. They were an amusing bunch who 'speak very well english'. Pub was good, wide selection of beers, including many from Belgium.

Neil, you think French Ice Cream is good? Try Italian Gelato, it kicks its rear end rather fiercely.

The wedding itself was on Monday, but on the Saturday, there was another wedding at the same church (which you could see from Shanti's lounge) and so, inbetween putting Henna onto their hands and feet, the girls were trying to catch glances of what was going on.

The day itself was fortunately quite mild for an Italian summer, which I was glad of as my only particularly good smart shirt is dark red. The service itself only took about 45min, although there was a great deal of meeting and greeting before and after.

After the service and before the bride and groom had left, a heart with the couple's initials made from rice was formed outside the church doors. When the came out, friends picked them up and hurled them into the air three times (normally only the groom but the friends wanted to throw the bride afterwards).

The reception was in a villa about a kilometer down the road. Shanti and Dominico had wanted to row there but it was too windy and so rode in a car. The food was great.

At the end, all the guests were presented with some Jordan Almonds (which we had been eating the whole time there as Shanti had ordered an incredible amount of them, far, far too many).

I'd heard a lot about practical jokes which are apparently traditional. The two 'legendary' ones told to me were placing a tree trunk in front of the church doors, leaving a two person saw for the bride and groom to use to get in. The second was bricking up the front door of their house and leaving only a crowbar and a hammer for them to get in.

The jokes here were tame compared. Cups of water were placed all over the bedroom floor, water balloons in cupboards. Furniture placed together and then wrapped in clingfilm. Dominico had just lend the keys to his friends so no real damage was done due to trying to get in etc.

We headed to Milan a day early as out flight left early in the morning. We went to the Duomo, good view from up there.

I now feel prepared for next year. Mark and Monica, I warn you, the standard has be set high...