{"id":141,"date":"2008-06-15T23:37:00","date_gmt":"2008-06-15T23:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rhyse.net\/blog\/?p=141"},"modified":"2015-01-30T00:01:48","modified_gmt":"2015-01-30T00:01:48","slug":"you-never-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rhyse.net\/blog\/?p=141","title":{"rendered":"You Never Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just when you thought I\u2019d managed to run out of song titles to use, I am back. Yes, this isn\u2019t April 1, and you haven\u2019t been rickrolled<\/a>, Almost Honest is back. It\u2019s incredible to think that it\u2019s already the exact halfway point of 2008, and I have neglected the humanoids for so long. Truth is there\u2019s been a mass shift in terms of online habits \u2013 least of all, mine. MySpace, like I predicted in my last blog entry, has jumped the shark<\/a> and Facebook<\/a> is the way to go, even outpacing MSN\/WLM<\/a> for usage in the past couple of months. However, every once in a while, just like an old girlfriend (so I\u2019m told\u2026) it\u2019s nice to meet up and remember old times. So here I am. I\u2019m in a unique predicament. Usually, I\u2019d look at my blog to remember what I\u2019ve done over the course of a year, but with no entries at all for six months, my memory is going to be patchy. You might want to boil the kettle for this.<\/p>\n

The last six months haven\u2019t been particularly exciting really. College has trundled along nicely. I\u2019m close to finishing the year with straight distinctions, which in my course is the best I can achieve. I\u2019m happy there, the group of people I\u2019m with is diverse and unique, and they are probably experiencing their first (and probably last) mention in a blog entry. It\u2019s been a bit difficult coming from Bridgend the last couple of months and all, having to deal with questions like \u201cDo you know anyone who has hung themselves?\u201d and \u201cAre you going to be next?\u201d (The answers to both are no, for those keeping score), but, that\u2019s the way it goes. It has been terribly sad and awful to see my hometown get absolutely slated in the national press. Yes, Bridgend is a shithole. We know. But its *my* shithole, and I\u2019m proud of who I am and where I am from. I posted on a Facebook group a while back that even had my parents saying \u201cBloody hell, that was impressive\u201d (because some kid tried to say something that I summed up in a neat fashion). There\u2019s not a lot else I can say about that other than what\u2019s already been said \u2013 kids, just don\u2019t do it. Think of who you\u2019ll leave behind before you do something as dumb and stupid as that, please.<\/p>\n

I dug up a blog entry I posted a while back<\/a> and as it turns out, I had aims for 2007. Let\u2019s take a look back at them.<\/p>\n

#1 To get into a Uni to read Computer Science.<\/p>\n

#2 To see as many as my favourite bands live as possible.<\/p>\n

#3 To make the Summer of 2007 better than the Summer of 2005.<\/p>\n

#4 To stay in a band for longer than 6 months and practices consistently.<\/p>\n

#5 To find someone who cares about me.<\/p>\n

Ahgahaha is all I can say. What a crock of shit. Let\u2019s see how it worked out. #1 didn\u2019t exactly work as planned. #2 was alright to be fair; I went to ProgPowerUK II which was AWESOME and saw Megadeth (again) and The Police, so that was pretty kool. In my post-Summer blog<\/a>, I said that the summer of 2007 I thought was inferior to the summer of 2005 for a combination of reasons (but I still listed my favourite moments anyway). I ended up stopping playing bass in 2007, so #4 was never gonna happen, and #5 was a total stretch of reality wasn\u2019t it. So all those who laughed at me for setting those goals can continue to belly laugh at my failure. Really, I don\u2019t mind. Guess how many aims I have for 2008? Dim.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been interesting to stay in Bridgend whilst everyone else I grew up with has gone away to Uni. I don\u2019t know if they all got the same kind of stick I got, but then again, I guess they had older people to deal with than I did. I\u2019ve learned a lot about myself in the past few months whilst all my good friends have gone to Uni. I\u2019ve certainly learned to value the opinions of some people above others. In a moment of reflection earlier today, I realised that it will be 10 years in July since I made what was a life-changing decision. That might be some ridiculous hyperbole, but it\u2019s true. If I hadn\u2019t switched schools back in Year 4, where would I be now? Would this blog exist? Would I like heavy metal? Would Man United have won the double? All serious questions humanoids.<\/p>\n

In completely un-friend\/people related news, I made an outrageous purchase at the beginning of April. I now have a big black box sitting beneath my television screen. I went out and bought a PlayStation 3. So far, I don\u2019t regret it. It\u2019s been a lot of fun. I went out and bought GTA IV on launch night (yes, I\u2019m a sad nerd who queued for it, but got it cheaper than most anyway) and it was worth it. GTA IV is a class game, no doubt. I haven\u2019t played it nearly as much as I did Vice City (still best game I have ever played) and San Andreas, but that\u2019s been due to time and the fact I\u2019m not the social recluse now that I was back when those two games came out. I also own FIFA 08 and Burnout Paradise. The one thing that is pissing me off about the current generation of consoles is the lack of games for you to play with your mates. No, not your online ones. I mean actually over someone\u2019s house with a few beers. It seems like only the sports games are the ones that do it nowadays, which is a real shame. It doesn\u2019t bother me because I love sports games, in fact most of my console gaming selection are sports games, but a good beat-\u2018em-up or racing or shooting game is always a plus and ads some variety. Maybe there are and I\u2019m just not looking for them? Answers on a postcard please.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Time I touched on music, so if you think my taste is shit, start scrolling down a little bit.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s been a couple of really good albums released already this year, which I will of course elaborate on fully later in 2008 with my annual Album of the Year blog. This year it looks like being a close-run thing between Jon Oliva\u2019s Pain\u2019s new album<\/a> as well as Disturbed\u2019s new record<\/a>, both of which are nothing short of superb. Testament\u2019s new record<\/a> is also very very good, and I\u2019ve enjoyed new albums from Ayreon<\/a>, Opeth<\/a> and Sevendust<\/a>. My biggest disappointment so far is Circle II Circle\u2019s new album which is a big downgrade from their previous album, Burden of Truth<\/a><\/i>, which I thought was very very good. Weezer\u2019s new one<\/a> is growing on me too. Still some big albums potentially left to go. I haven\u2019t listened to Judas Priest\u2019s new one<\/a> yet, and I suspect Metallica might get around to releasing a new one<\/a> too. Still no sign of Chinese Democracy<\/a> either. I\u2019ve got into a few \u201cnew\u201d bands in the last few weeks, namely Extreme<\/a> and King\u2019s X<\/a>, both of whom are criminally underrated, almost as much as my Savatage are. Both Extreme and King\u2019s X have new CDs out this year and I will check them both out, and they are touring together too.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sport section\u2026scroll down if you like.<\/p>\n

Start with my double winning team. What a glorious night. The atmosphere in Tuskers\/Barracuda was electric for the Champions League final. Practically all United fans in the pews upstairs and the moment Anelka missed is one I will treasure for the rest of my life, as everyone around me went absolutely bonkers. I thought the drama of 1999 could not be topped, but I guess I was wrong. My heart couldn\u2019t cope with one more penalty. It was just incredible. What a night. Will we keep Ronaldo? I don\u2019t know. If we can get a good replacement, he can go to Real Madrid, but only if he wants to. I was not his biggest fan after the Rooney incident in the World Cup, and he did sign a five-year contract last year, so to leave now would be a massive insult to the club and the fans. Think we\u2019ll struggle without him? Maybe for a season or so, yes. But people said we wouldn\u2019t be able to replace Eric Cantona or David Beckham.<\/p>\n

Euro 2008 is now officially Euro Two Thousand and Great! What an AMAZING tournament it has been. The Netherlands\u2019 dominance of their group came as a surprise to me and surely they must be favourites at this stage. Croatia, my dark horses, look a good bet for at least the semis now they have to face Turkey. I have yet to see this Turkey-Czech Republic game, but I\u2019ve already heard it called an unbelievable game<\/a>. The Euros tend to be competitive early on than the World Cups because there are fewer teams, and I\u2019m happy with a 16-team set-up to be honest. Too many shit teams come in after that and it ruins the tournament I think. Germany were my original pick to win it, but I\u2019m not so sure about that now.<\/p>\n

Wales\u2019s Grand Slam was another magnificent night. I was fortunate to have tickets to the game where we lifted the trophy and it was just brilliant. This is the team when I used to go watch them with my Dad at the old National Stadium<\/a>, we were horrific. Wooden Spoon losses to Ireland<\/a> come to mind. My free advice to the WRU of signing Warren Gatland was brilliant. Maybe they should pay me? I do think that winning the Grand Slam is going to be a curse in the long run. We could win the Six Nations next season despite losing a game, yet people will reflect on that lost game and say that Gatland will go. Our performance on the South Africa tour was amicable and I think it proves if Gatland is allowed to see out is contract, we could be serious contenders in 2011 (four years later than I said we would be, but hey, can\u2019t win everything).<\/p>\n

NA Sports paragraph\u2026I\u2019ll reserve judgement on Brett Favre<\/a>\u2019s retirement until August. I agree with my hero Mr. Tony<\/a>, come August, he might get the desire to slip on #4 again and play. Another season of rebuilding? Yes. We\u2019ll still be better than the Bears. The only team that I think is any good in the NFC North is the Vikings, but I think Adrian Peterson<\/a> will struggle to re-produce his rookie form after his splendid first season. Good call on saying the Packers would lose to the Giants in the NFC Finals, I must say\u2026. The Magic<\/a> got one round further than they did last year in the play-offs, which is good, but we are still probably two seasons away from being serious contenders in the East. The West is stupidly strong, and the only two teams better than us this year were the mighty Celtics and the Pistons, so there is a fighting chance of a Conference finals appearance next year, but that will depend on the moves that are made in the off-season\u2026 my Red Wings<\/a> are holders of the Stanley Cup<\/a> again<\/a>! Magnificent run, including the sweep of the Avalanche<\/a> (the rivalry is over now I\u2019m afraid), but the overwhelming feeling from everyone is that Pittsburgh<\/a> is in a similar situation to when the Edmonton Oilers<\/a> (lead by Gretzky<\/a>) took on the Islanders in 1983<\/a>. The Oilers dynasty was forged in that series despite losing it, because (I\u2019m told) you could tell they were going to be good. Five Stanley Cups by 1990? Yeah, just a fluke really. I think now we\u2019ll have the sucky season I\u2019ve been talking about, I don\u2019t fancy back-to-back cups simply because by the middle of next season half the team will need zimmer frames. At least they won\u2019t do a Fleury<\/a> did and fall as he walks onto the ice<\/a>. Hilarious moment.<\/p>\n

Oh, and mark my words, Kubica could win the F1 title this year. After all, Hamilton almost did the same. I did laugh when he ran into the back of Kimi. As much as I\u2019m a fan of his, it was hilarious for him to have a go at his Dad for crashing at 30 mph when he ploughed his McLaren into the back of a stationary (and legally stationary) Ferrari. What a hypocrite!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You can stop scrolling down NOW.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a fair bit coming up in my life soon I suppose. I turn 20 in October, which makes me feel quite old. I still remember my 10th<\/sup> birthday – it\u2019s just crazy how quickly life goes nowadays. I\u2019m just weeks away from another summer holiday, with lesser hopes than last year (so basically, if it\u2019s crap, I can\u2019t be disappointed like I was last year). I\u2019ll probably fill in the days with some overtime shifts in work, although I\u2019ve already heard that there\u2019s going to be a Tenby reunion trip which will be great. Plenty of action to cram into the holidays there kids, lemme tell ya. But let\u2019s just enjoy it.<\/p>\n

After that, there\u2019s the small matter of another Wembley trip. For both Man United and myself: United for the Community Shield against Portsmouth in August, and me for the NFL International Series in October. Should be a good laugh, more people going than the Wembley Six last time, so it has the potential to be a good laugh. Hopefully the action will be better than last time, as the game wasn\u2019t fantastic, but the Chargers and Saints are two explosive teams and it could be a really entertaining game. Even if not, playing Madden over Lewis\u2019s the night before will probably make up for it.<\/p>\n

So that\u2019s been another jolly jaunt through Edwardtopia and what\u2019s been going down. At the current rate, I would say see you all at Christmas, but if the moment strikes me, there might be another blog entry before then. I should hope so. Please comment this if you can. I really want to see if this was worth resurrecting. If not, then it\u2019s been fun (at times) to blog since December 2004 and I hope I didn\u2019t waste too much of your time. Get in touch with me in some way about this if you\u2019re really that bothered about it. Until the next time humanoids\u2026this has been me sounding off.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just when you thought I\u2019d managed to run out of song titles to use, I am back. Yes, this isn\u2019t April 1, and you haven\u2019t been rickrolled, Almost Honest is back. It\u2019s incredible to think that it\u2019s already the exact halfway point of 2008, and I have neglected the humanoids for so long. Truth is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[15],"class_list":["post-141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-personal","tag-me"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rhyse.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rhyse.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rhyse.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rhyse.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rhyse.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=141"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/rhyse.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":163,"href":"https:\/\/rhyse.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141\/revisions\/163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rhyse.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rhyse.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rhyse.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}