January 2014

...and just like that, 2013 was gone. Aye, it really felt like it just went in a flash. Now it's that time of year where the high of the festive season is slowly replaced by the onset of normality and routine, and the realisation that the only thing that's changed is the two numbers at the end of the year.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy my New Year's Eve/Day though - me and my brother Chris had a small party at our place, complete with food, Scrabble, Rock Band, music, table football, and plenty of drinks. I did get a little tipsy but it didn't last. Chris, on the other hand...
We weren't alone, either - Chris' girlfriend and one of his friends popped round, but the best part was that I got to ring in the New Year not just with them, but with my lovely Nicole too. The past couple of years, I had to settle for a half-drunk Skype chat with her, but this time that wasn't necessary, and I'm glad we were able to be together properly for the occasion.

You can watch the New Year's Eve video here.

Nicole's visit - continued

My first week of 2014 was, to say the least, bittersweet - sweet because myself and Nicole spent more quality time together, but bitter because it wouldn't be long before she had to fly back to the States. We definitely made the most of the time we had left though - just like on Nicole's previous trip in 2012, we joined Chris and friends for a blast on the laser quasar at South Shields (Chris schooled us all that time), it was a lot of fun as always. We also paid one last visit to my family before we headed off for our last hurrah of the trip - a "romantic getaway" to the DoubleTree hotel at Newcastle Airport.
This was my second stay at the hotel, the first of course was in June, just before my most recent US trip (more about that later), and the hotel was just as good as it was then, our room was nice and comfy, with a shower, telly and fridge, and we both got the hotel's trademark free cookie each.
We headed to the Metrocentre in Gateshead to go and see a film, and it was on me, too - Frozen, the latest Disney film. Aye, it was cheesy to the max, with slushy romance and big musical numbers, and maybe the story could've had a little more clout to it especially as far as the character development goes - but the animation was very well done, and for the whole time we were watching the film, I just forgot about real life for a while. Any film that can do that, for me, is a good one. And it won't surprise you to hear that my favourite character from Frozen was Olaf, the snowman, though maybe I'm biased because I have my own snowman character. Much more important though is that it was the first time I'd ever had a date at the flicks, that I got to watch it with Nicky, and she enjoyed it too. That made it all the more special.
After Frozen, we checked out some of the shops in the Metro and saw all of the impressive Christmas decorations they had on display, before we hot-footed it back to the hotel to have a romantic meal for two at the Italian restaurant there - and funny enough, in a case of déja vu, we ended up having the same meal that I had there back in June, cheese pizza and garlic bread pizza, plus chips and orange juice. Because it was split between us, I managed to eat more or less all of my share this time, although it was still very filling of course. It was all just sweet too, me and Nicole having a meal together with the ambience of the restaurant. I didn't want the night to end, and neither did Nicole.
We finished up with some late night telly and some quality time, and it was quite late by the time we got to sleep - however, this was the only minus point of our stay at the hotel, much like the first time, I didn't get a lot of sleep, and neither did Nicole, because of a mix of this whirring noise that kept going on and off through the night, sleeping in a bed different than at home, and the anticipation of the next day.
We refreshed ourselves the next morning with a shower each and a nice breakfast at the restaurant, with cereal, coffee and croissants. It didn't seem like it was long until we had to check out and head over to the airport, knowing that the moment we were both dreading was fast approaching.
You don't need me to tell you that saying goodbye to someone you love always, always sucks - it was somewhat worse this time, because I ended up having to say goodbye to Nicole twice, because the first time she tried to go through to security, she got told that she needed a boarding pass printed off, so she had to go back to check-in and get one, which meant that we got to go through the goodbyes once more. Of course, I had to stick around and watch her plane fly off.
I was upset of course, but I don't think it really hit me until I got back home to my empty flat and realised that she wasn't there anymore. I was happy too, though - because the fortnight Nicole was here just made the festive season that more special than how it usually is, and I'm glad that we got to spend it together...and I know it won't be long before we see each other again.

You can watch all the videos from Nicole's visit here.

Now for the rest of this month - weather-wise, I was surprised that there was little to no snowfall in December, and this month's been the same. We normally have some snowfall round about now, so it seems very unusual. I've seen in the news and heard from Nicole about all the snowfall in the US though, it's almost as if the snow that was meant for the UK was dumped there instead, on top of the snowfall they normally get. I'm sure there'll be some snowfall here in February or March though - I haven't forgotten the "great Spring whiteout" of last year.
Same old story on the never-ending search for a job - I'm still looking and applying for them, and still jumping through the hoops that a certain place makes me do. I just want the day to come where I'm not under their thumb anymore.
Oh, that's right - Mark #27 has left the building. Me and Chris turned 28 on the 7th, and like we have done since our 20th birthday in 2006, we had our birthday bowling session at the Metrocentre, joined by Chris' girlfriend - without bragging too much, I destroyed them both. To everyone who wished us well, be it with a gift or a greeting, many thanks to you all. :)
There's also one small little thing I have to mention, which I hinted at before - I know it's not gonna be long till I see Nicole again, because I'm flying back over to Connecticut again in April, for 2 weeks, and it's thanks to Nicole and her parents, they chipped in half of the airfare as part of Nicole's birthday present (her birthday is on 23 April). Definitely looking forward to that, and to seeing her again.

I'll leave you with some slightly old but new music and some artwork - and on that note, I'll bid you all ciao for now and a Happy Chinese New Year...try not to horse around too much. ;)