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This, that, everything in between.

I typically get a five to six month reminder that I haven’t blogged across a multitude of platforms that aren’t this blog. Needless to say, it hasn’t that I’ve been up to nothing, more so that I just haven’t had the inclination or desire to write out a post. So for those of you who were eagerly F5’ing this page each day in the vague hope of an update, or even a wildly dreadful pun, you are at last in luck. [1]

[Edit: All my pretty nested lists didn’t work so you’ll have to make do with this ugly layout. Maybe it looks better in some RSS readers. Doubtful.]

As is the easiest way nowadays, I document my life with a series of iPhone photos. Unfortunately this is part of the reason why my blogging has been so lacklustre, because they go immediately on Twitter. [2]

So here’s a summary:

• Went to Copenhagen on a fact finding bubble tea/rice pudding/late January holiday mission
  • + Went to a restaurant called AOC. Very good.
  • + MadHatter Bubble Tea Emporium – Very helpful and friendly lady working there and of course some great bubble tea!
  • + The pub/karaoke bar we spent every day at until 6am. Good craic.
  • – Noma was full and Herman has shut down (!!!).
  • – Cold. Snow everywhere. Shock horror.
• Had a knee operation to remove pins from knee and ankle. The big metal rod remains but I think I’m recovered. Still have some issues around the break point. Also at some point I finally settled the hospital bill for $18k (was originally $73k). There was lots of back and forth between the hospital and was a pretty interesting/enlightening process in the end. Not one I’d particularly like to repeat though.

• Went to the Musselburgh races a few times and won/lost money.

Rahrahrahrah

• Went to Alton Towers including going on The Smiler which is a 2m30s rollercoaster with 14 inversions or something silly. It was very good and we didn’t have to queue at all, but it did take 20 minutes to walk through the queueing area. I can’t imagine waiting two hours to go on it. Nope.

It had its ups and downs.

• TheLipoFund came to visit a couple of times and we hung out and went up Arthurs Seat and drank etc.
• Went to Budapest in June. Had never been before.
  • + Attractive people everywhere
  • + Bumped into MonsterDong by complete chance (Aussie MTT player).
  • + Lots of good drinking.
  • + Did some sight seeing stuff but I can’t really remember what. Funicular was a bit of a buzzword.

Funicular bants. Banticular.

• + Onyx Restaurant. Very good.

Wasn’t Onyx a Pokémon? Are they allowed to call a restaurant that?

Care, they do not.

• + Had a Hello Kitty bubble tea.

Yep.

• – Had some really shitty rice pudding in a place called Sugar! I was really excited for this but unfortunately their rice tasted really funny and the flavours weren’t very good.

Nope.

• – Taxi drivers are mostly scammers (unsurprising). One good one was when we were pretty pissed and it was apparent to them, as we were going around a corner the meter jumped from 500 to 5000. We sarcastically made jokes about the magic button.
• A few summer BBQs and all day drinking affairs in the pub.
• Went to the Highland Show which had lots of animals.

Baa.

Moo.

• Vegas for two weeks.
  • – Five hours on runway followed by cancellation of flight leading to us missing a full day in Vegas.
  • + Texting the lads at 11am enquiring about where to watch whatever football was on that day. Getting a reply saying they are watching it at the Craps table. Going down and finding out they haven’t slept (I went to bed at 3am pretty hammered) and had continued drinking. Amazing scenes.
  • + Getting kicked out of NYNY piano bar.
  • + Getting let back into NYNY piano bar.
  • – Getting kicked out again.

This just about sums up my Vegas experience.

• – Playing tournies all day then busting.
• – Playing main event for four hours then busting.
• – Losing money/general homesickness.
• + Cabanas, Stoneys, Encore piano bar, restaurants, world cup mayhem, USA USA USA

Actually this sums it up better

• – USA losing to Belgium 🙁
• Martin Wishart at Loch Lomond. Very decent.

I dunno, some sort of avocado thing? It’s Wishart!

This wasn’t something I thought it was. So I don’t think it’s pork. Can’t remember.

Bloody Wishart.

• Saw this table tennis rally live at Commonwealth Games. Left after first set of English tosser fist pumping after EVERY SINGLE SHOT he won.
• Done lots of sailing. Completed RYA Keelboat levels 1, 2, 3. Ready to take on some bigger boats if I get a chance!
• Went to Max Silver’s stag do just outside of Dublin (and wedding coming up soon!). Had an awesome time, especially at bubble football (and drinking obviously).

It’s harder than it looks. And more cramped. Max has a gagging order on any of the other photos.

• Had a brief jaunt to Swansea for a pissup and visited the third best beach in Europe. The article is a lie. To construct an accurate list, simply go down to the Côte d’Azur, start at Menton and finish at St Tropez. There’s your list. Be careful not to stray too far initially into Italy.

YOU’RE A WIZARD NOW HARRY!

• Missed most of the festival fever in Edinburgh sadly. Had a couple of cracking nights out that made up for it though.

So that’s you up to date. If you made it through that you might want to just follow me on Twitter instead.

[1] Excluding a vague rant/observation about charities

[2] Yet to get my head around the follies of Instagram
The post “This, that, everything in between.” was first posted on Rupert Elder’s Blog.