Another Christmas Over.

I hate my Birthday and Christmas and New Year. I am not just saying it. I mean it. To me these things all in the Winter months are reminders that I am just treading water in my life and getting older but without really achieving anything significant. Which is why I hate them. For Me Boxing day is worse though all the family want to get together and my cousins bang on about their exciting careers and holidays and jet setting and I just end up feeling depressed and useless and pretty worthless in my life. The one thing I asked for this year was to be left alone at Christmas time. It was a gift I was not to receive. The only thing I really wanted and the family will never give it to me. I even got stitched up at work and dropped right in it at work on Christmas Eve by my supposed work colleagues. All this makes me sound like a petulant teenager and not a middle aged man rapidly approaching 50 which is of course the true situation.

However not to put too big a downer on the whole thing I was given a couple of nice gifts which I really do appreciate. Back in the day the comic 2000AD was my weekly fix and while I did like Judge Dredd, I am sure there is an ISO cube waiting for anyone who says otherwise, for the first 27 editions of the comic I loved HARLEM HEROES! As we all know Dredd was not in issue one, he first appeared in issue 2, but the HEROES were! They only lasted 27 episodes but they were an underdog story and as a scrawny teenager I could identify with them. Not because they were athletes, I clearly was not. Nor because they were black negro Americans again I am not. But because they'd been handed the shitty end of the stick and as a youth so I felt had I. Anyway thanks mum for gifting the comic book collection to me for Crimbo. Yes I had to order it and take delivery and pay for it! (She has reimbursed me since!) But it was from her and it is appreciated. I had completely forgotten how badly drawn it was or how naff the dialogue, but still it did and no doubt still will hold a place in my heart.

The Max Brooks Zombie Survival guide which I must confess I had not actually read. Which is probably a surprise for a guy who plays zombie wargames to admit but none the less I have not as yet read it. It is now however on the pile of things to read so one step closer. On Saturday when I blog intend to talk about my plans for next year (at least as they pertain to wargames) and this will no doubt feature in those plans.

I also received two DVD box sets from my Sister (one for Christmas and one for my birthday). "Pacific" which I hope is like "Band of Brothers" I have never seen and while the war in the far east was never really my bag it will be of some interest. As a wargamer most things with some form of conflict will hold something for me.  So I am quite looking forward to it.

As hinted at above I was a wimpy kid! As a weedy nerdy four-eyed picked on and bullied kid at school of course I loved Blake's Seven. I am now terrified of opening the shrink wrap and watching the first series. There is no way it will live up to my memories. The costumes acting sets and scripts will look and feel old fashioned (and not in a good way). Jan Chappel whom as a kid I had such a crush on will no doubt fail to live up to my dreams and Villa Restal (my favourite) will not be as clever and witty as I remember. Still it will perhaps bring back some thoughts of my youth and the optimism I felt about the future (at the time).

Please don't wish me Happy birthday, it will just piss me off! I just need a couple of stress free days to recharge and I'll bounce back.

I'll do a happy optimistic post on Saturday.  All the best Clint.