Atrocity Road & Beyond

Lets go fly a kite

2008-04-13T18:55:00.004Z

Too long?

2008-04-01T23:05:00.002Z

...I wouldn't necessarily say that, but it's been a while.

I'll write something here soon, when I stop being a lazy, indecisive, unmotivated bum.

Awww, poor Sam!

2007-05-26T17:47:00.000Z

Well that was all very gushy wasn´t it!

Fuck it, it´s only 5 weeks! Big fat Bristol summer to look forward to!

Back to Bris...

2007-05-25T23:18:00.000Z

I've been here about 6 weeks now and something hit me a couple of weeks ago. Just how much I miss my friends. Looking back; I can't think how I didn't expect to miss them as much as I do or how I thought I could spend however many months here without them.

It's normality that I miss too. Not that I'm usually one for structure, but I miss the places I used to go out, the things I used to do (however limited and usually messy), and the sights and sounds of home. But mainly the people all those things were usually attached to.

I'm really glad I came out here. Panama's an amazing place, and when I get some time there are some beautiful places to visit and some once-in-a-lifetime things to do. It's just that working 8-6, 5 days a week doesn't leave you with loads of time to do those things. The language barrier doesn't help either. I'm picking Spanish up but it was never going to be quick enough to be having full conversations with people before about 6 months, and 6 months is a long time to go without properly meeting people or finding out about the city.

So that's it. On the 7th July, I fly home ready for an amazing summer of Ashton Court, Glade Festival, free parties and beer gardens. And the best thing is, there are some wicked people there to share it with.

2007-04-30T19:53:00.000Z

Appleton's V/X only £5 a bottle! God bless Panama!

Out of the hotel...

2007-04-28T19:18:00.000Z

I finally found somewhere to live! I moved in with a Panamanian guy called Fernando yesterday in Costa de Este, about a 10 minute can ride from Bella Vista, Marbella and the World Trade Centre where I´m working. It´s Fernando´s apartment, and I´m paying $175 a month for the smaller of the bedrooms. He´s only just moved in, so there´s no fridge, no cooker, not much furniture and no hot water, but it´s always hot here so who needs a hot shower?!

Fernando´s cool so having someone my age about is worth more than a swanky flat, and after living on City Road, I can handle most places!

Panama baby!

2007-04-17T02:54:00.000Z

So I arrived on Saturday night, at about 10pm local time which we thought was 3am. Turns out Panama doesn´t have daylight savings time, so it was really 4am. Seeing as I hadn´t slept before my flight, but managed to pass out for most of the two 7 and 5 hour flights I didn´t really notice!

The night before I left was fun, if a little worrying when I still hadn´t slept, and was a little messy, about an hour before my boss was supposed to turn up to pick me up at 7:45. The fact that Ali had fastened a chunky padlock, Oli´s leaving party style, to the back of my trousers; which I kept forgetting about didn´t help. The thought of turning up with my boss and Claire, the girl I work with, a little worse for wear and having to take my trousers off to get through security didn´t seem that appealing!

Things improved; for me at least, when my boss called to say that I´d have to get a taxi coz he´d had to put his dad in an ambulance. His dad was fine, except a busted knee, but it meant I got an hour or so at the airport to have a drink and a cigarette before meeting the two of them. The fact my voice had gone and I couldn´t speak properly was at least a talking point and if anything they seemed a little jealous that I´d been up all night having fun with my friends before I left.

So a pint and a rum and coke, and a sleeping tablet when I got on the plane meant the journey wasn´t too painful. Even losing my boarding pass for the Panama flight at Newark airport wasn´t too bad! The lady at check in just gave me a new one and I went through ready to fall asleep for another 5 hours.

When we arrived in Panama it was dark so you didn´t get much of an idea of what the place was like until you got outside the airport and the humidity was crazy. It was late at night, but I was sweating while I waited outside, having a cigarette, for my boss to sort out our hire car.

We drove around for a while looking for the hotel, which we eventually found, and checked in. Still not having had a chance to find out what Panama City was like, except countless skyscrapers making up a pretty dramatic skyline as we drove in, we wandered out on a little mission to explore the surroundings. We stopped at a little bar where we had a couple of beers and I bought some cigarettes, all of which were stupid cheap, before heading back to the hotel and falling asleep.

We spent Sunday having some breakfast and then splitting up to explore a little. I wandered down the coast road, Avenida Balboa, and heading into Caledonia; a beat up part of town with a long pedestrian road with loads of cheap shops selling clothes, electronics and textiles, before wandering back through the middle of the city towards the hotel. I stopped of in a beautiful park near the water and watched some guys play some basketball, if only to get out of the searing heat, before heading back to the hotel. My boss had decided the hotel wasn´t quite up to his standards, so he and Claire checked into the far swankier Mirimar Inter-Continental. Not quite being able to afford the extra 200 quid for the week, I stayed where I was; which was more than comfy enough for the week I´d be there.

We went out for dinner to the best Steak restaurant in Panama. I was a little worried as I still had to find somewhere to live with my remaining money. I needn´t have been. I had a massive rib-eye steak, and spanish sausages to start and we shared a nice bottle of wine, and it came to $30 each... about 15 quid. On my way home I worried myself when I bought another packet of cigarettes from a gas station, seeing as how quickly I´d smoked the last pack knowing they were only 1 pound fify. They were $1.60... about 80p. My chances of giving up seem to have dropped dramatically.

I woke up for work on Monday, having found out that we´d have to wear suits to work from now on, hoping it wouldn´t be too hot at 8 in the morning. I couldn´t have been more wrong and arrived at the World Trade Centre (still standing) sweating my arse off. After waiting around for my boss and Claire who were about half an hour late we had an ever exciting day at work.

My boss left early to sort out his things that had been shipped from the bahamas, taking Claire with him to translate and I stayed til about 6 finishing off some work. I wandered home, had a shower, and went off to explore some more. I went to a bar that i´d found in the rough guide which was dead but allowed me to practice my worringly non-existant spanish and headed off north where I walked and sweated around a few streets before finding a little open air bar where I stopped and had a beer or three. And a rum & coke :) which all in all came to $5. I´m worrying less about my money situation now and more about my health!

I´ll leave you with a photo-fit of me, courtesy of Dave that reminds me a little of James in Chicago. It may become reality if the humidity keeps up. And from what I´ve read it only gets worse, all the way through rainy season, which runs from now until January!!

Missing everyone badly,

Sam x

Bahama-rama!

2007-03-19T22:54:00.000Z

I got back from the Bahamas on Sunday. We worked pretty much non-stop the whole three weeks unfortunately but I got a couple of good shots. Made me realise I want a camera when I go away though. Was thinking about this badboy --> Sony DSC T50.

Anyway here are some pictures which prety much add up to all the tine I got outside! :(

Brighton rocks!

2007-02-01T13:08:00.000Z

Panamania!

2007-01-23T08:45:00.000Z

It's been confirmed! I'll be off in six months, to work and live in Panama City, Panama! The company is opening a new office out there, which will essentially be my office, as no-one else will be there most of the time!

I've been checking it out and it's a pretty cheap place to live, whilst being really vibrant, with loads to do. A five bedroom house just outside the city would cost about £250 a month, although I'm hoping for a penthouse apartment in the city. Or maybe not just yet!

Look out world...!

2007-01-10T21:06:00.000Z

So on Friday I got called into a meeting with my boss. It was his last day in the country before jetting back to the Bahamas where he lives. After the chat though, it seems he's not the only one that could be living in a tropical paradise!

In 3to 6 months, he's gonna need sometime to cover U.S timezones and so will need someone to move across the water to work. Looks like this someone's gonna be me!

He wasn't too specific but mentioned that learning Spanish may be a good move. He's looking at where would be relatively cheap to have me working from. South America would fit the bill, so I could be working from Columbia, Peru or Guyana (those being the closest to U.S time. Our biggest client is based in Chiacgo, so that could be another possibility! The third choice would be to move to the Bahamas where my boss lives and already has an office!

Now, this may not happen yet. I've just gotta home that all this U.S based work keeps coming in. If it does though, I'm not too bothered where I end up! Getting payed a UK salary and living most places will mean, my finances will finally take a step up, and I get to do the travelling I've been wanting to, while getting paid!

Seasons greetings!

2006-12-21T20:51:00.000Z

Tonight is Christmas Dinner, City Road style! I'm sure in other houses that means a takeaway pizza and an extra gram of wonky, but we've got a huge, home cooked, meal we're currently waiting to eat!

Bristol Breakcore

2006-12-14T17:25:00.000Z

Following on from the last post... Bristol boy Parasite; the man behind the Goatlab and Deathsucker records, has set up a blog to keep people abreast of all things breakcore in our fair city. Point your browser towards http://www.bristolbreakcore.com to find out more.

Goatlab Radio

2006-12-05T21:13:00.000Z

Bit of a busy day posting today, but I couldn't resist pushing this online radio show; Goatlab Radio. Formed out of the new Bristol night; The Goatlab (" The GoatLab is a new club night dedicated to the art of goatrave, goatstep and goatcore, complimented by experiments in extreme visauls, crazed audio and all things goaty."), it's a wicked showcase of new breakcore, dubstep and experimental stuff mixed up with old eighties tunes, rock, jazz, reggae and loads more besides.

Pain in the neck

2006-12-05T16:04:00.001Z

This is my new piercing! got it done the other day at Pierced Up. Surprisingly it didn't really hurt, in fact was more of a rush when the needle went through. It's still a little tender but it's nice and clean and looking ok.

Looking forward to getting some more now! Maybe a couple more of these but different lengths, making a triangle kinda shape. Also thinking about something else, but I won't be putting any pictures of that up on the internet!

Ware-house? No, jungle & reggae!

2006-12-05T13:33:00.001Z

Excellent party at the weekend! It was our friend Haydn's birthday, so after work at about 3:30 I went back to the house to pick up my records and headed round the corner to a squat, lived in by four guys. Four guys called Monkey, Scooter, Igor and Igor. Yep... two Igors. I'm not sure how they know each other although they're both Russian. Haydn met Scooter at our house party a few weeks back and has been staying at the squat for the last little while, on and off. Maybe not such a good thing as it's not the most motivational place. I've seen some very nice squats around Bristol. Places you'd not think were a squat. This place could be nothing but a squat... graffiti all over the walls, barely any furniture and the obligatory sound-system playing acid techno day and night.

This party was ok. There were a few people I knew there and some of the music was ok. I was supposed to play a set for Haydn's birthday but the two Ukranians running the decks didn't seem to keen on the idea of me playing Jungle. Also, apparently Monkey & Scooter don't like jungle. They like techno, and lot's of it. I tried to persuade Scooter for a little while. I thought the offer of some Ketamine would have to work. He nearly buckled, but he kept his resolve and when a load of people turned up who'd been to Break!!! at the Blue Mountain, we all decided to head to Old Market for a P.R.A.N.K party.

Now this party was cool. It was getting light by the time we got there and as we walked into the warehouse they were playing some old Aphrodite tunes. The jungle rolled out for a bit before they dropped some classic reggae.

I was kind of past chatting by this point so just danced away, catching up with Danny and Sam now and again, and locking eyes with a girl I'd met a little earlier when we passed each other. Eventually me and Ash decided it was time to leave so started the walk home through Old Market, past Temple Meads and through St Pauls.

The P.R.A.N.K guys put on a good party. Lot's of friendly faces and good music... or maybe it was just the lack of Techno.

Art & Brass

2006-11-09T10:36:00.000Z

It's our late Halloween party this Saturday... more on that to come... and it's also Gener8r at Lakota on Friday night. A five room mashup of monumental proportions, this time made all the more special by the main room being filled with 44 Looney Bin bassbins. That's a stupid amount of speakers and a stupid amount of Sound! DMT reckoned they had the loudest rig at UK Tek and they only had 13 of the things in their stack. So, many reasons to go along to Lakota, but also many reasons to stay away. I'd quite like to enjoy our party from the start and I'm not going to do that if I stay awake all night on Friday!

So... alternative Friday night entertainment had to be found and it's looking like quite a good one. First off there's an art show that I'd been planning to check out anyway. Four local artists are putting on a show and there's a special showing this Friday. I know a little bit of their stuff, especially Ghostboy, who's kind of Banksyesque in his style. Motorboy's done some interesting stuff too, out of the visual field. He re-edited & re-scored Bladerunner & Eraserhead and is working on several re-workings of the Manga classic "Ghost in the Shell" with VJ Anyone. There's an after-party planned too, but I'll be off to fiddlers afterwards for...

An eight piece fusion of Ska, Funk and Dub. Having been booked at Monkey! Knife! Fight! twice, I've heard good things about these guys. Really looking forward to a change of pace for a Friday night, especially after a wicked night at Dubloaded last week, where The Bug and Loefah pounded the crowd with the immense bass weight!

Atrocity road

2006-10-19T15:14:00.000Z

This is a little panorama of the lovely City road from my front door. It may look quite inconspicuous, but the road's full of interesting goings on...