Dark Alex's Really Long Post Thread.

[Trevor]

His world will never be the same afterwards.

My niece is getting this: a South African classic.

[Alex]

1525 days left.

In 1525 the Swiss Anabaptist Movement is born when Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and about a dozen others baptize each other in the home of Manz's mother on Neustadt-Gasse, Zürich, breaking a thousand-year tradition of church-state union. Battle of Pavia: Spanish forces under Charles de Lannoy and the Marquis of Pescara defeat the French army, and capture Francis I of France, after his horse is wounded by Cesare Hercolani. While Francis is imprisoned in Madrid, the first attempts to form a Franco-Ottoman alliance with Suleiman the Magnificent against the Habsburg Empire are made. The last Aztec Emperor, Cuauhtémoc, is killed by Hernán Cortés.
In the German town of Memmingen, the pamphlet The Twelve Articles: The Just and Fundamental Articles of All the Peasantry and Tenants of Spiritual and Temporal Powers by Whom They Think Themselves Oppressed is published, the first human rights related document written in Europe. Albert, Duke of Prussia commits Prussian Homage. Battle of Frankenhausen: Insurgent peasants led by radical pastor Thomas Müntzer are defeated, ending the German Peasants' War in the Holy Roman Empire in which over 75,000 peasants have been killed. Martin Luther marries ex-nun Katharina von Bora. The painter Lucas Cranach the Elder is one of the witnesses. Henry VIII of England appoints his six-year old illegitimate son Henry FitzRoy Duke of Richmond and Somerset. Santa Marta, the first city in Colombia, is founded by Spanish conquistador Rodrigo de Bastidas. The first French ambassador to reach the Sublime Porte, Jean Frangipani, sets out for Constantinople. Mixco Viejo, capital of the Pocomam Maya State, falls to the Spanish conquistadores of Pedro de Alvarado (in modern-day Guatemala) after a three-month siege. European-brought diseases sweep through the Andes, killing thousands, including the Inca. The Bubonic plague spreads in southern France. William Tyndale's New Testament Bible translation into English is made (printed copies reach England in 1526). The Navarre witch trials (1525-26) begin. The Chinese Ministry of War under the Ming dynasty orders ships having more than one mast sailing along the southeast coast to be seized, investigated, and destroyed; this in an effort to curb piracy and limit private commercial trade abroad. The Age of Samael ends, and the Age of Gabriel begins, according to Johannes Trithemius.

Quite a busy year then.

[justme2013]

This is how Ash spent the day while you looked up all of that information

[Alex]

Decided to watch the first three episodes of Game of Thrones season last night. I hear lots of complaints about how dark everything was in the big battle, but to be honest, I liked the aesthetic. I won't discuss the whole who lives and dies stuff in case anyone who wants to see it hasn't yet, although I do think the opening tactics of the defenders suck great big donkey balls and a lot of lives were needlessly wasted.

Realised yesterday that I haven't seen a single advert for Endgame. I've watched the trailer for the movie, but only because I went and looked it up. Didn't actually see any for GoT either, it has all been word of mouth. Odd considering the number of movie websites I browse, you'd have thought I'd been bombarded with them. I guess Facebooks advertising tracking programs aren't all they are cracked up to be. Hmm, in a weeks time I'll be 45. Am I past the 50% mark of my life and have lived more days that I have left? Meh, never expected to make it this long so I am not worried. Every day is a bonus and well, I am loving life.

Except having to work for money, that kinda sucks lol.

Oh well, off I do, may you receive all you give out to the world back and more.

[Alex]

Was reading some of the stuff on Del Toro's treatment for At The Mountains Of Madness. Apparently, it wasn't really going to follow the story. Well, f**k that then. I want an actual film of the book, not what someone else would have written if it had been them doing it.

Was looking forward to this long weekend off work and spending it with Kristi and Ash. All my time off work this year is going to be taken up with visitors or us going on holiday to see Kristi's family, so I've been thinking how precious these few days together would be. Got home yesterday to be told that she'd invited my mum and sister up for my birthday. It isn't that I mind my family coming up to see us, I just wanted a few days with the three of us and had planned a few things for us to go do as a family. Oh well, I guess i'll just have to save them for another time.

Got a friend coming over from Denmark to visit along with her eldest (15 year old) son. I've warned her that I've dug out mine and Kristi's nerf guns and that she should bring one of her own. If she doesn't... well it is open season.

Bwah hah hah! She messaged me to say she is a 38 year old women with 3 children and isn't coming through customs with a bunch of nerf guns. More fool she!

[Alex]

Was the council elections in the English part of the UK last night. Looks like both Tory and Labour took a drubbing, although the Tories lost a lot more (last I saw it was something like the Tories had lost control of 410 councils while Labour were down 83), with the Liberal Democrats, independents and the Green's all gaining ground. The main parties are putting their losses down to how Brexit is being handled. Grass roots workers did not volunteer in the numbers they normally do, being afraid to go around to peoples houses and canvas for their candidates. Can't say I blame them there. I'd imagine there are a lot of MP's who are very aware that if a General Election was called there would be a lot of them out of a job right now.

And as much as I can normally call these things fairly accurately, I really can't decide who would win such an election. All sides seem to be equally detested and no one is providing any kind of recognisable leadership. The opposition should be tearing into the sitting government but seems to be content to just sit back and jeer, rather than coming out and saying "Hey, if we were in power this is what we would be doing!"

I am sure they all have plans and whatnot, but none of them seem very coherent, well thought out or functional.

[Alex]

Just something I forgot to add to the last post. It is interesting that the parties that gained seats are ones that advocate a 2nd referendum.

[Alex]

Went up to Aberdeen today for the International Free Comic Book Day and because I wanted to see if I could drop some hints to Kristi about stuff to get me for my birthday. Part of the train line is down so we got a train so far, had to switch to a bus and then back to a train to finish the journey. This meant it took three hours to get to Aberdeen instead of an hour and a half. Couldn't find any of the stuff I really wanted for myself, but I did find some birthday and christmas presents for others.

Damn that sucked. Did get a couple of collections of Savage Sword of Conan comic strips and one of Kull the Conqueror, so the day wasn't a total loss, and we did pick up some DVD's.

Anyway, we'd to get on the bus going back and as the bus is driving along a car pulls out slowly in front of it and proceeds to go along the road just as slowly, forcing our driver to do an emergency stop on a duel carriageway (Kristi says the equivilent in the US is a four lane highway). The driver then later on comes to a dead stop suddenly in the overtaking lane forcing emergency stop number two (and I was amazed no one slammed into the back of the bus at this point). There was nothing on the road that would have caused the guy to make this kind of stop. Anyway, our driver moves into the other lane to get away from this guy when suddenly he decides to change lane too, and then stop his car again, so we have emergency stop number three. At this point our driver is on his hands free to the police giving him the guys registration number and telling him he is a suspected drunk driver. The guy got out of his car (risking being hit by oncoming traffic, and at this point I'd passed Ash over to Kristi incase I needed to run over and help the bus driver) and walked over to the bus starting to hit the drivers side window before getting back in his car. Fortunately he turned off the carriageway.

Anyway, gave the driver my contact details and said if he needed any witnesses I would be more than happy to provide a statement (sadly no one else on the bus made a similar offer).

[316zombie]

and there lies the biggest difference between america and the uk. stops 2 and 3 wouldn't have ever happened. the guy would have either been shot, crashed into, or dragged out of his car and beaten on by somebody who got off the bus. there's WAY too much traffic on a 4way and americans don't allow anyone but themselves to risk their lives or their time. everyone is in a rush and being late is a BIG taboo. and half the country carries a gun...

[316zombie]

i've been getting immersed in aussie politics the last year or so, i really need to catch up on the whole brexit thing...

[Alex]

and there lies the biggest difference between america and the uk. stops 2 and 3 wouldn't have ever happened. the guy would have either been shot, crashed into, or dragged out of his car and beaten on by somebody who got off the bus. there's WAY too much traffic on a 4way and americans don't allow anyone but themselves to risk their lives or their time. everyone is in a rush and being late is a BIG taboo. and half the country carries a gun...

Barri, remind me sometime to tell you about the guys on the road the last time we drove through Nevada some time. Unfortunately no one shot them or anything despite the number of crashes they nearly caused.

[Alex]

i've been getting immersed in aussie politics the last year or so, i really need to catch up on the whole brexit thing...

Honestly, don't waste your time. Its a huge mess.

[Alex]

So 45 today. Another year of sticking a middle finger up at the town I grew up in and had serious doubts I'd get out alive from. Found myself looking at my scars in the mirror this morning, the one running down the left side of my nose where the plastic surgeon rebuilt that side of my face, down to my left shoulder, then along my forearms. The thin line running across my chest (including through my left nipple and let me tell you that burned like helfire), the stab wound in my left hip and finally just below my right knee that ended my love of running (it wasn't the injury itself that stopped me running directly, but after 6 months of not running I just no longer wanted to make the effort to get back to where I'd been before and go through all the building up my leg muscles for off road long distances again).

Part of the reason I took my current job up was because I figured if I was going to have people try to kill me I might as well be paid for it. Mind you part of it was from getting bored being stabbed so I figured I'd try being shot at, bombed and gassed just for a bit of variety.

I've been given a dice tower in the shape of a dragon, an British airborne jeep, a collection of Abbot & Costello movies, Fallout boardgame, a Gary Numan double album, Starman (one of the films missing from my John Carpenter collection)  as well as £50 for my birthday and some beers. Must admit to being surprised by the Abbot & Costello films.

Anyway, we took a walk down the harbour and since it was a lovely day, we all had ice creams and sat at a picknick table. Watched the waves rolling in for a bit, took some photos and then headed back up the road. Kristi had cooked us Philly Cheese Steaks for my dinner (she asked what I wanted and for once I didn't reply "food" or in my more helpful moments "hot food". Of course she then asked what I wanted as sides, but I decided that since I had already made a decision that she could surprise me with the rest.

Ash is having a bath, and then we are going to watch Starman. I'll have a bath and prep my uniform for tomorrow, but that is all for later on.

Today has been a good day.

[Rev. Powell]

I've been given a dice tower in the shape of a dragon, an British airborne jeep, a collection of Abbot & Costello movies, Fallout boardgame, a Gary Numan double album, Starman (one of the films missing from my John Carpenter collection)  as well as £50 for my birthday and some beers. Must admit to being surprised by the Abbot & Costello films.

That's quite a haul. I'd be thrilled with the flying Jeep.

[316zombie]

i'm so glad you've had a good day! all i have to give is love, but know you have that, always!