XXX...

Before I build your hopes up, this is not a saucy erotic post - triple X is Roman numerals for thirty and that's how many years I have been upon this planet, for the other day was my 30th birthday!

I now feel qualified to use such statements as:
"You kids don't know you're born" and "When I was your age..." etc
Taking food supplements is now acceptable and I also feel it's compulsory to go "ahhh" everytime I sit down :)

Yup, you certainly do smell birthday cake and that's probably what you can smell below

My sister got me this fabulous massiiive cake and it was themed around music and beer! Spot on big sis :]

I was mainly celebrating my birthday while at Sheep Music (post coming next), which is an ideal location and I had a whole lot of fun and a host of gifts and cards bought for me, ranging from booze to cakes, books to money, clothes vouchers to gadgets.

I had loads of cards too, including my first ever e-card from Dakota!
Here's a run through of some funnies:

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Everyone at work receives a handmade custom signed-from-everyone card for their birthday and this was mine.
Hoorah for the design Helen!


My sister even got me this walking howling pet husky that now resides on my CD towers, keeping an eye out for any intruders... GROWL :)

Today, I'm Most Angry About: Realising I've permentantly lost all feeling on the left side of the toe that's next to my big toe on my left foot - Grrr!!!
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 5/10

Today's Top Tip: Dieters: Avoid that devilish temptation to nibble on a chocolate bar in the cupboard or fridge by not buying the f'ing thing in the first place!

Spray & Pray...

A couple of my friends were bought white water rafting experience tickets for Xmas, so a few weeks ago they decided to use them and add on a few liggers e.g. me :]

All kitted up and ready to go!
Why I look half the size of the others in this picture I'm not quite sure, although notice I'm the only one who has any slack meterial around the waist.
(Roy: stop holding in your stomach and pushing out your chest; you're not fooling anyone :0)

Having never done this before, I was quite nervous to start with, but after the first couple of rapids I was soon loving it

The second run down I opted to go in the front - it really is the place to be when doing this, but you do get maximum soakification

On the windowsill of the rafting place, I spotted this amazing coloured moth

The weather was dull the next day, so we went on a low-level walk

The path skirted all the way round a small mountain giving stunning views for minimum effort! RESULT :]


Bilberries were growing in abundance, so I was scoffing them on the way round


It's always the ones at the back that get eaten alive first ya know


Foxglove AKA Digitalis, although they look pretty analogue to me :]


Two jet fighters practicing a dogfight through the valleys
Woof, bark, growl, snarl... NO, not that kind of dog fight!


Spinning the camera while taking a shot gives a great effect


Top of a random tree



Bottom of a random tree


The walk ends at a large scenic lake


Lily pads on a rainy pond

Then the pub for tea...
So that's why it's called Red Snapper - wow!


...and to finish, a late night card / drinking session.
Maybe there's a decent hand at the bottom of my whiskey glass..? Nope! :[]

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Next, I'm off to do monitors for the main stage of 3-day festival in Wales called Sheep Music!

See ya all next week - Take care folks x

Today, I'm Most Angry About: Arriving at work this morning and realising I'd left my phone at home; especially after yesterday when I'd forgotten both my phone AND iPod! GRRR
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 3/10

Today's Top Tip: Single men: About this time of year, it's better to try and cop off with girls called Holly, Carol or Noelle; They are likely to have a birthday around Christmas, by which time (let's face it) the initial passion would have died down and you'd have probably split up, thereby saving money on Christmas AND birthday presents!

Dogs 'n Aeroplanes...

... "These are a few of my favourite things"

Although I'm not sure this combination works all that well?

Today, I'm Most Angry About: Flying a 45 minute Flight Simulator X mission in Hawaii and crashing on the landing due to crosswind and a short runway - Grrr gotta start again!
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 1.7/10

Today's Top Tip: Public toilet users: When you realise the person in the next cubicle is 'holding fire' until you leave, simply open and close your toilet door without actually leaving.
Their first plop can then be greeted with a huge cheer!!! :0)

Glastonbury...

In this post I embark upon my 7th voyage to the largest open-air festival in the WORLD
GLASTONBURY

I was working at the festival as a sound engineer and providing technical support.

Here's my 6-day virtual Tor... (Sorry, I couldn't resist)

I'm glad I took along my Mega-XL tripod to get this shot*
[* Actually half-inched from the Daily Telegraph:]

Walking down one of the many flag-lined entrances on my way in

Backstage of the Pyramid main stage

It's a very impressive temporary structure

My friend Stef stood next to his new and rather impressive sub-bass stacks for the Pyramid stage.
...and this was only 1 third of the subs used!!!
It sounded awesome :]

One of the many XTA processors being used across the entire site.
I'm part of the design team for these blue products and myself and another chap do the PC control software.
It's very rewarding to see our efforts being used to control all the speakers on the main stage.

And so it begins, day one
177,500 people in 900 acres of fields - the biggest Glastonbury EVER

A sea of punters going back to the horizon

A BBC cameraman panning to the left to avoid reflections off John's head; bottom left :0)

A shot from the stage into the crowd and back to FOH.
If I were performing up here, I would be cacking it!

Main stage engineers Spef and Simon at FOH

Friday afternoon and the rain really began on the Amy Winehouse set

I'm always grateful I can get out of the crowds and bad weather, take a seat and watch acts in the dry from FOH

Rain + 900 acres + 177,500 people = MUD... and lots of it

You get runny mud at first...

...then the 'orrible sticky mud, once it's been walked over for a while

A woman struggling to keep her balance

A bemused looking infant by the John Peel stage

Two very drunk Glastonbury 'Mud Monsters'

Glastonbury landowner Michael Eavis venturing out into the slop

My friend, the lovely 'expecting' Abby - Production coordinator from the Other stage.
She soon stopped smiling after this photo was taken, as she was informed it's her job to find fuel for Kate Moss's chauffeur, as he had ran out of diesel and couldn't get her off site! Oops

Sweet-toothed Andy will not let the weather get in the way of him and an ice cream.
Real cream, real hardcore!

The Pyramid stage at night

It was great fun to watch drunken / drugged people walking by and falling over in the mud; like this totally trollied girl who wandered in to a cafe we were in after falling over twice.

Wakey wakey Mr Silver Fox
Morning festival head... Bleh

The 'Dance Village' (dance music fields)


I was also helping in the large East dance tent.
I climbed the lighting tower to get this shot of the crowd below.



I was looking after the sound for Fatboy Slim on Friday night!!!

*Grin*

We had site wide noise levels to stick too though, so I was made to keep it down, which was a shame :`[

My friend Esme 'giving it large' to a band called Pendulum


Just a small crowd then! :P


I would never go to a big festival as a paying punter.
Imagine queuing in this mud and rain to go to the loo in the morning - and when you get there the toilet will be minging! Eww
I had access to proper flushing loos, hot showers and no queue! Luxury ;-)

Traffic warden performance artists booking an on-site vehicle :]
(Performance art freaks me out... really it does)

A huge scary looking thing I found

A cool spider's web chair outside a bar (pre mud)

The finalé.
The Who playing on the Pyramid stage on Sunday night.
After that, a load of us went backstage and drank free beer until the early hours and celebrated yet another Glastonbury completed.

Driving out Monday morning.
All that's left is lakes of mud and a few abandoned tents.

It then took 8 hours to get home :[]

Today, I'm Most Angry About: Realising I can't stop myself turning statements in rhetorical questions, can I? ...Agh, I've just done it again haven't I? ...Agh, and again! Grrr
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 5/10

Today's Top Tip: Marketing Managers: If you work for an un-environmentally friendly company, simply add a tiny green tree, flower or leaf to the company logo... That'll sort it!