i've finished!

Finished my last exam yesterday so that's my degree done! Three years of hard work over and done with and hopefully a good degree to show for it. I think I did reasonably well and will find out sometime in June. Got the flat until the end of June and then the eurotrip end of june/beginning of July. Bring on the summer!

well well well

It's been a loooong time since I last posted but I hit the milestone of handing in my final year dissertation today so I thought I'd celebrate....by posting about it. Well, I would have celebrated but first of all I'm shattered, and secondly I still have the small matter of 3 exams to go...THIS month. But I'm still happy. Kind of want to get this whole university thing out of the way. It's been the best 4 years of my life but the course has dragged on it'll be good to get it over and done with. One thing I would say that if anyone is thinking about doing a degree in history, research research research. Make sure you know what areas of study your university covers and check the modules. Its a sad fact that in my final year, out of 18 modules, I have only truly enjoyed 2 of them but not point reminiscing! I've got google analytics set up on this account which is a great tool for anyone interested as it lets me know how many people check my blog, where there from and most importantly of all...what browser they are using! But anyway, when I start getting emails telling me I'm getting more than 10 hits a day I know this only means one thing; the baseball season is upon us. I've resubscribed to mlb.tv and I'm ready to go. My dissertation has forced me to neglect the season a bit but I am well aware the Mets are doing averagely as usual and even though to Red Sox are picking it up a bit, it looks like they are on the setting for another disappointing season. Go Sox! Hopefully after my exams I'm going to be able to watch more and more games because at the moment the time difference is a pain and I am looking forward to the prospect. Well, it's been a brief post but to be honest, not a huge amount has changed in my life since my last one. One thing that is going to be happening in July is something that I've always wanted to do is that I am going on a mini road trip around Europe for a couple of weeks but that's for another post. Hopefully I'll post again sooner rather than later. Wish me luck!

Song of the day: Now, I have been listening to music pretty much non stop for the last few days whilst doing my dissertation so I thought I'd post one of the songs I'd played the most. Nizlopi are most famous for their JCB song which whilst good, is nothing on their other music. Dwelling in relative obscurity after their one hit wonder, I think Nizlopi are a really underappreciated and underrated band and this is one of my favorite songs. They've recently announced that the band has split, but the music will always be good.

lots

Well, it’s been a very long time since I last posted; not just in time but with what has happened. To be honest, my life doesn’t move that fast and not that much usually gets done day to day but over the last one and a half months I can name at least a few big things that have happened. I finished my exams, I put together my computer, I got my exam results and I booked a holiday. Add to that the fact that I’ve moved out of my old house and into my new flat I’ve been fairly busy. The funny thing is, I haven’t really been busy. I’ve still been able to do what I want and not be rushed off my feet. I suppose it’s been the odd day that I’ve been busy, and the rest I have just been living how I like to – at my own pace. Beware; this is going to be a long post.

When I left you last time I was halfway through my exams anxiously waiting for them to be over firstly because summer was on its way, and secondly because there was a computer ready to be built. My exams went as I expected. I didn’t do amazingly well, but I didn’t work amazingly hard so coming away with a solid 2:1 wasn’t a surprise or a disappointment; it just was and I am happy with it. The day I finished my exams I went to task on all those boxes on my chest of drawers and put together my first ever computer with the help of a few instructional videos on YouTube but mostly with a bit of intuition that unsurprisingly led to the computer not booting up on my first try. After all the effort I had put in and all the cuts on my hands and sore knees from kneeling for hours, I was naturally disappointed so I left it a night and then the next day I took it all apart and rebuilt it from scratch and it worked! For a self-professed geek, it had taken a long time for me to do but I finally had a top notch computer all to myself and was proudly able to say I had researched, bought, and built it all myself. It’s just over a month later and it’s still working beautifully and I have encountered very few problems with it. It’s great! It’s an experience that I would recommend to anyone and would say that nobody should be daunted by putting together their own computer. It is cheaper, lasts longer, and overall better than anything you will buy and there is a great community online in forums that will be happy to answer any and all questions a budding n00b has to ask.

The day of my results was also the day I had been planning on booking my holiday. I was not going to book a holiday before to find out that I had failed an exam and would have to retake during my holiday and so waste loads of money, so I patiently waited all the while watching flight prices go up knowing that I would kick myself if I did have a retake but knowing deep down that there wasn’t really a chance. Doesn’t matter though because the holiday is booked, I am once again poor and I am off to Orlando once again this August looking forward to another great holiday.
The other main thing that has happened in this time is I have moved out of my old house, and moved into a nice new clean flat. It may be nice and clean, but it isn’t the other house and since that was the best place I have ever lived in, it does make me a bit sad to say goodbye to it (and pissed off at the effort it took to move out the mounds of stuff I have accumulated over the years) but all in all, I am excited for my next and last year of uni and I am looking forward to what the next year brings.

Long post over and done with. A fair bit has happened but it’s all still really the same. I just now have a new toy to play with, a new place to be lazy in, and a lot more time to kill. Same old.

I suppose I should pick the song I've listened to the most over the last few months so here it is:

exams, and waiting

I'm in the middle of exams at the moment, taking pretty much a full day off to compose myself even though I shouldn't. Need all the time to revise but I'll cram tomorrow. Halfway through; 2 down, 2 to go and i'm a bit more positive about it all this year which is strange considering everything counts and this year is worth 50% but I'm glad i'm laid back because I don't think I would suit the style that some other people take when going into exams - revising to death and looking drained and exhausted. I'd rather take it easy and let my potential to come to me, rather than forcing it. Hope it does me well!

On a side note, I am building myself a whole new computer and have bought all the parts to it, it just needs putting together. Getting really frustrated because I have promised to myself that I am not going to touch any pieces until my exams are over on Friday, but I just want to put it together. Argh. Well, the wait gives me time to look forward to it, and use it as a reward for finishing; but thats not really helping right now. Gonna document my putting it together next weekend on here with pictures and everything so here's hoping it goes well when it does happen. Wish me luck!

All the parts sitting on my chest of drawers:

A song I've been listening to a bit over the past few days:

with the PSN being down and all...

This last week I've had, and because I haven't really done anything meaningful, still have, a lot of work to do. Coincidentally, the Playstation Network has been down during this week giving me the opportunity to not be a slave to my PS3 and actually get some work done. Oh no, not only have I not done any work, I haven't really done anything. I really don't know what I've done with my week; at all. At least when the PSN is up and I'm playing on my PS3 I have something to show for it: be it progressing in Black Ops, winning in FIFA etc. This week, I have NOTHING to show for my procrastination. Zip. Kind of annoying. So really the solution is to do some work. But I know that's not going to happen. So please Sony, fix the PSN so I can actually have a reason to not do any work, rather than showing myself to be a lazy student who doesn't really care.

I haven't even really listened to music this week, listened to this a bit though.

home alone...not

I like being 'home alone'. Well, sort of. I like having a bit of time to myself so being in the house at uni when everyone else it at home is good. Of course I do get bored and at some point I'll start craving human attention and ring someone up. But, for a few days at least I can make do with the company of just myself, my laptop, and my ps3. So, that said, it's extra annoying when I'm here to be alone, and someone I live with has the audacity to stay in the house at the same time as me during the holidays, intruding on my me time. Nah, it's alright, but the thing is it doesn't change the way I act. I still stay in my room for hours on end, I still do all the same things I would do if I was completely alone, but I know someone is next door and it annoys me; don't know why...suppose it means I'm not 'home alone' anymore so I lose the freedom that gives me. Ah well, I guess I could be more sociable but to be honest, I don't really like people unless I'm in a mood where I have to, and right now, I don't have to, so here I am at my computer, effectively talking to myself. That's what I'm reduced to!

So for the time being I'll just act like I'm home alone, without the walking around the house naked part I suppose.

Haven't really listened to too much music in the past few days, apart from the background music to FIFA, so I suppose I'll post the song from FIFA that seems to have played the most (I made the playlist myself). It's long, but it's a gem so hang in there:



PS: I uploaded my first gameplay commentary to youtube the other day and at the moment nobody (apart from me apparently) has viewed it. No idea how to make people watch it, or how to advertise it but hey, at least I'm out there now I guess...

CunninLynguists

Small post because I forgot to mention it in my other post.

I went to a gig on Wednesday: CunninLynguists at Thekla in Bristol. I've never been to a proper Hip-Hop gig (I've seen Snoop Dogg and Missy Elliot at Wireless, Dizzee Rascal at Reading etc.) and it was fucking amazing. Didn't expect it to be as good as it was. I only started listening to them a couple of weeks ago but they've really grown on me and the gig was the cherry on top of the cake. Would definitely recommend them.

I try to go to as many gigs as possible but half the time I miss people I would really like to see by simply being oblivious to whats going on where I live. I would recommend using last.fm because it groups together links to most of the gigs going on around you, and if you regularly scrobble then it will recommend what gigs you should go to. I keep mine really well updated and it helps so much in finding new gigs and new music. My events list isn't completely accurate, but it has most of the gigs i've been to.

This song was sick:



Some pictures from the gig:

Wow, I said a short post. Ah well.

"monster sesh at the gym mate, lats are burning"

First time at the gym for a proper workout, feel good. Dunno what aims to have when I go, but I ran 3km, rowed 1km and went on the cycling machine for 10 minutes. Worked out for about 40 minutes and i'm gonna aim to go every other day for about an hour in the future; and in the meantime, eat more healthy. It all starts now!

I'm glad I chose a cheap gym; not only cos I couldn't afford an expensive one anyway, but because there don't seem to be many posers there and as a gym novice, that's what I was worried about...but the people seem friendly. Then again, I haven't been into the weights room yet, but I don't plan on going in there for a few months; other plans before getting stacked.

So, this is the beginning of me becoming fit and healthy. Hopefully I will be able to look back at this post when i'm fitter and healthier (and even if i'm not, KFC does taste goood.)

Song for the day is a good running song as I found out today; first heard it in the film Bronson (which is awesome):



PS: MLB season started yesterday and MLB.TV is great, apart from its occasional bugs. Definately recommend it.

burial

Had a really good weekend, nice and relaxing. Which is weird, cos now i'm shattered. Got loads of work to do for Wednesday and I can't be bothered to do it, but I know it'll get done so i'm not gonna worry. Spent the time this afternoon doing something I haven't done in ages: just sitting down and listening to music. Don't seem to do it enough anymore.

Had a search around my library and decided I was going to listen to Burial because I don't listen to him enough anymore and miss it because I listened to him so much a couple of years ago driving across and around the country to visit people, sitting in my room for some time on my own and just relaxing without any worries. It's not sad music as some people might say it is, its calm music that just makes me forget about everything for a bit. So i'm glad i'm getting back into Burial and it just so happens that he's just released a new EP that i'm listening to; and its incredible.

This post is a bit short, and I know they're infrequent, but at the moment i'm happy with life, happy with how things are going, and I may be tired, but i'm relaxed. And whilst i'm listening to the music, I don't have to worry about anything.

Best song on the new EP:

How to get MLB.TV working on a UK (or non US/Canada) PS3

This is as much to remind me as to help others since it'll probably be only me reading it!

Basically, there are a lot of MLB.TV subscribers in the UK but a bit unfairly, the MLB.TV app is only available to US and Canadian PSN users. I figured there would be a way of getting around this and by fiddling around a bit, I managed to do it. So here it goes.

First you need to get the MLB.TV app from the PS store. If you're on a UK PSN account, you won't be able to find it, so what you need to do is create a US account. This is pretty easy. Create a new PS user and then a new PSN account linked to a different email address. To fill in the name/address section just use this website: http://www.fakenamegenerator.com/ and make a US identity. Once the account is made, log into it and download the MLB.TV app. You need to go to the media button on the left hand side then navigate to the app. It's free and pretty small so it won't take long...and now the first step is done!

Next step is to link the app to your MLB.TV account. To do this, you need to go to the activate your ps3 part of the app and it will give you a code. When you try to go to the website to put in this code, an error will come up. Basically this is because the website knows that you are attempting to access from a UK IP address and it doesn't like it. So what you need to do is trick the website into thinking you are on a US IP address. To do this you need to use a program such as Hotspot Shield: http://hotspotshield.com/
Start up and connect with the program then use http://whatismyipaddress.com/ to find out what location your new IP address is. 90% of the time it will be a US address, but if it isn't, just disconnect and connect again until it is a US address.

Now you can go to the website http://ps3.com/mlbtv , navigate to 'Current subscribers activate your PS3' at the bottom, log in, and now you should be able to enter the code your PS3 gave you. The PS3 should now tell you that it is activated, and voila, it is all set up! You should be able to watch everything as if you were an American! (Don't forget to disconnect from the Hotspot Shield at the end unless you want to watch Hulu or something on your PC, because the connection won't be as fast or reliable as your proper internet connection. This does trick ANY website into thinking you are in the US so if you want to watch something that you can only watch in the US, Hotspot Shield will help. [Hotspot Shield will only effect the IP adress of your PC, not your PS3.])

Have fun!

been a while...

I know its been a while but i have some time to myself so its about time i posted something new. Went to a gig last night. Salem at Thekla. Eventually ended up going on my own but i don't mind, quite enjoy gigs on my own...don't have to think about anything else apart from the gig...can't really make a fool of myself! One thing that did get on my nerves though, I suppose because I was on my own and all I had to do was watch the gig/people watch, was some of the other people at the gig. I don't want to be seen as hipster, or an indie kid, or any of that, but I do see myself as a bit of a music connoisseur; i know a fair bit of music, and generally music that other people don't know much about, or even don't like. I've been listening to Salem for about 2 years now, even though they only released their first album in September and i've racked up quite a lot of plays from various EPs i've found on the internet. Of course i'm not their biggest fan in the world, but i'm a reasonable fan and i don't know why, but it annoys me when people turn up to the gig shouting "i love you Salem", "you make my life", "play redlights, redlights, redlights". I dunno, it just gets on my nerves. Why not just let them get on with the gig - its somewhere for people to go and enjoy music, not listen to your incessant screeching on how much you love a band you probably only found about last week because someone played you one song off their album. I'm not gonna say that gigs should be reserved to "proper" fans, but at least let the "proper" fans enjoy the music the way its meant to be heard, not with a chorus of stupid girls screaming in the background. If i wanted to listen to that i would go to a Justin Bieber concert! Going on my own lets me see the music the way i listen to it; on my own. And i want to feel that when i'm there. Maybe its because I'm getting a bit older, but things get on my nerves a lot more. Not to the extent where I don't enjoy things anymore, but they do hamper my enjoyment somewhat. Maybe I should just ignore it and get on with whatever i'm doing, but when i shell out money for something I've been looking forward to so much, I just wish it could be perfect i suppose.
On a sidenote, the gig was, minus the screaming girls, amazing. Far too short but I can understand that. It wasn't so much the music that made it amazing, it was seeing the previously secretive people who made the mysterious music that i've been listening to for 2 years in the flesh. I only hope that it doesnt make the music any less mysterious in the future.

why

I suppose it should be my first post in which i say why i'm doing this blog but it wasn't so nows the time! I have always seen the idea of blogging as a bit self indulgent: a way of trying to prove to people how different you and your ideas are and how that makes you super cool - hipster i suppose. Now, i'd hate to think that i am now hipster in one way or another so that opinion has to change. Rather than thinking of blogging as a way of showing off, i see this as an experiment to see if i can say things that i wouldn't normally say to anyone else - but to myself. To be honest, this blog is self indulgent; of course it is, but there is no way that it could be regarded as showing off as in all fairness, for most of its life (probably a short life) it'll only be me reading it (likely to be its entirety. So, rather than it being a method to show off my ideas, it is simply a way for me to reflect upon my own ideas and see how much of an idiot (or genius) i really am.
Blogs that i have mostly encountered have been through stumbleupon of which i, along with many other people, am an addict. The blogs that make stumbleupon are, on the whole ones with USPs that keep other readers and i reading on, and if they are really interesting, they may even keep us coming back to. I don't believe for one second that at any time this blog will become one of those, but one can hope. I don't have anywhere near enough friends to have friends that have blogs with which to compare mine with but i hope that in time i can compare mine with other blogs that i will encounter in the future...so, in the hope of attracting some sort of comparison, my unique selling point is: "matt's song of the day!"™ © !!!11!!11!
What i am aiming to do with this blog is to write a sort of diary of my day to day thoughts on various things so i can look back and see what the hell i was thinking on 14th november 2010 when i'm 40 (yeah right). In all honesty, i do think my ideas and opinions are worthwhile and deserve to be aired (albeit to the faceless internet population who have not yet had the pleasure to see them yet) and that my views on various things: politics, current affairs, music, films, etc., are worth reading. So, in the coming days, weeks, and if i can be bothered, months, i will be sharing the thoughts that i have had on a particular day on something that i have seen, read, or come up with out of thin air and writing it down in the hope that someone other than me will read it and think: "wow, isn't that great and insightful. Isn't matt an interesting and intelligent person for thinking such a thing."

My first thought is therefore:




coming tomorrow. night

Song of the day:

First Post

Well, this is my first post so i better make it special eh? Well no, nothing that i'm going to say is that special because i don't really have anything special to say but to hell with it, it's my blog and i will say what i want; whether its excruciatingly boring or not. Anyway.....
Music:
I think about this a lot but i've never posted it down anywhere so here i go. Music to me is more than simply something to listen to: it's a diary, or a way to remember the past better than any other thing. Take tonight for example. I listened to 3 songs that reminded me vividly of different times in my life. Ok, my life hasnt been long so far (i've recently turned 21) but a huge collection of songs can chronicle my life pretty succinctly. There is nothing that links these songs in any way other than that they are 'my' songs. Now really, do you know any other 21 old who listen to Lady in Red by Chris De Burgh who can tell you exactly the first time they heard the song and why they remember it? (It was on a GCSE history trip to Belgium and I remember it because me and one of my best friends at the time changed the lyrics to badger in blue...long story). I've changed A LOT since then; i no longer keep in contact with the friend and i like to think i've matured a fair bit, but i still remember fondly the memories that that song bring and strangely, even if its been months since i last listened to the song, all of the lyrics.
I don't know why, but when i listen to a song that brings back memories, i always feel regret. I don't think its because i wish i was back in the time I first heard it, or that i wished i hadnt changed, i just wish that i had listened to that song every day so the past would never leave me or that i wouldnt never forget the lyrics to a song that i once listened to so much.
My girlfriend told me today that when she becomes a parent she wants to be a voice of wisdom when it comes to music for her children, and educate them in the music she grew up with. I'm not so naive to think that when the day comes when i'm a parent, if it ever happens, that the dubstep or electronica i listen to at the moment would be anything but a vague figment of the past, but i would like to know that whenever that day comes, i will be able to impart the knowledge of the songs that bring back fond memories now onto anyone who would care to listen and maybe create new memories to go along with old songs.

By the way, x-factor sucks.

Song of the day:



PS: Don't hate on the Burgh