Rate your year (2009)

So, in a potential precurser to an inevitable Rate your Decade thread how about you try rating your year?

I thought this would be easier than the decade seeing as a whole hell of a lot has changed for me in ten years and my memory's aweful so a shorter time span is probably better.

Just give a figure from 1-5 (1=poo, 5=big smileys) on your year overall, perhaps giving a little summary if ya feel like it.

To begin:

Smiler's Year: 4 overall

It'd been shaping out to have been a really crap one this year what with me being made redundant and not having solid work for 7/8 months but overall the positives have outweighed the negative. I got news late last week that one of my interviews hit the right buttons and I'll be starting my new job on the 4th January, so that's nice for Christmas; and of course the lovely FaerieRyn and I got married which was awesome!!!!!

Bit of an up and down one due to the no job finances but overall I think a 4 is good for the optimism aspect into 2010.

Also, How I Met Your Mother has been an odd and uniting highlight

What about you?

2009 Meet 1: The Pre-amble to UK meet

Right, what with Snugs and Poppa Moo returning to these hallowed web based shores I think it's high time to organise the first meet of '09 as sugested by Pixie... plus meets are fun and I've got five minutes before work starts.

Now, Pixie is away until the back end of Feb and as it'll take a month or two to organise judging by past records I shall open the bidding by proposing the following dates:

March 7th
March 21st
April 4th

Other dates for Ryn and I are awkward but feel free to suggest better ones for you and we can all squabble like kids

Location: Discuss. Fave meet sites have been Nottingham, Liverpool and London but should we perhaps spread the love?
Requirements: Good pubs, acceptable all round eateries (veggie etc), easy accesability (mainline trains/busses). Any more?

International Talk Like a Pirate Day London Pirate festival info

Howdy all,

One of my LARP buddies pointed me in this directions and I basically copied it for all to see here as ... well... we all know matazonians have a deep afinity with the pirate psyche. Anyone fancy dressing up as ninjas and going along???

__________________________
Ahoy me hearties...

On International Talk Like a Pirate Day this year (September 19th), not only can you talk like a pirate but you can dress, act and live like a pirate too.

The Rubadub Social Club and their sailor crew hook up with Mad Cap'n Tom the pirate behind the UK side of International Talk Like a Pirate Day to bring you the FIRST EVER London Pirate Festival.

Three whole days of pirate shenanigans in Londons West End and South Bank. For grown up pirates, pirate kids and grown up pirate kids. From the educational and historical to the downright silly. We bring you nautical cabaret, burlesque and comedy, a pirate boat party on the thames, family sleepovers and pirate fun days on the Golden Hinde plus carribbean run tasting with the Rum Ambassador, be a pirate fool with the brilliant actor and improvisation impressario Jonathan Kaye, rival pirate crew skurmishes and a secret end of festival party.

For all event tickets and to sign up for pirate alerts go to www.skiddle.com and search under London Pirate Festival or follow the ticket links.



Random pirates skirmishes
Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st September
Secret locations on the south bank
Kids skirmish 11am
Adult skurmishes 12pm and 4pm
FREE. Text PIRATE to 07903 080224 for your pirate team and locations
Join the Midnight Maurauders or the Crimson Crusaders as they battle it out in famous locations on the southbank. Get your blue or red scarf on and your plastic swords a'ready. This is random pirate flashmobbing mayhem at it's best!


Friday 19th September
International Talk Like a Pirate Day
FREE
Go about your normal business but talking like a pirate. Anywhere anytime me hearties.
If you want to find out more about talking like a pirate go to www.yarr.org.uk, www.talklikeapirate.com

Pirate performance spectacular
Friday 19th September Doors 7.30pm Show 8-10pm
The Soho Revue Bar, 11 Walkers Court, Brewer Street, W1F OED
£10 Advance, £15 Door, £8 for pirates and sailors
We launch the entertainment at London Pirate Festival with the Rubadub Social Club at The Soho Revue Bar. The fun-filled cabaret and burlesque show where we travel around the world and through decades by the power of our collective imagination. With Cap'n Meredith, inable seaman Lazlo Pearlman, twisted pirate queen Ruby Venezuela, songstress Divine Miss Em and exotic locations from burlesque, cabaret and comedy performers Mysti Vine, Stella Plumes, Chrys Columbine and Anil Desai. Dress up as pirates and sailors for ticket discounts and to play our pirates vs sailors game to win a bottle of rum.
TICKET SALES http://www.skiddle.com/events/11248366

Family sleepover on the Golden Hinde
Friday 19th to Sat 20th September2 5pm – 9.30am
Pickfords Wharf, Clink Street, London SE1 9DG
£45.00 per person (includes supper & breakfast)
An unforgettable Living History Experience. After an afternoon and evening of activities aboard the Golden Hinde, children and parents have the opportunity to sleep on the gundeck amongst the cannon. Actors tell scary stories at bedtime after a tasty dinner (vegetable stew and bread). A Tudor breakfast of bread and cheese is provided in the morning, followed by a snack of a doughnut and hot chocolate as you change back into your modern clothes and return to the 21st century!
TICKET SALES: http://www.skiddle.com/events/11248363

Pirate families, kids and adult kids
Saturday 20 September ship open: 1-5pm
Sunday 21st September open 2.30-5pm
Pickfords Wharf, Clink Street, London SE1 9DG
£10 adults, £7 kids
Step aboard the Golden Hinde. Come and hear tales of pirates and buccaneers, join the treasure hunts to find the booty hidden on board, explore the five decks and captain’s cabin. Come dressed for the occasion - prizes for the best pirate costumes.
TICKETS SAT: http://www.skiddle.com/events/11248364
TICKETS SUN: http://www.skiddle.com/events/11248365

Pirate Fooling with Jonathan Kaye
Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st September 2pm
Meet outside The Golden Hinde, Pickfords Wharf, Clink Street, London SE1 9DG
£6
Join this performance and participating, improvising tomfoolery session with the famous Jonathan Kaye fooling you and everyone for the first time in a pirate stylie.
TICKETS SAT: http://www.skiddle.com/events/11248367
TICKETS SUN: http://www.skiddle.com/events/11248369

Rums of the Carribean Tasting
Saturday 20th September 4.30-7.30
Downstairs pirate bar, The Thamesside Inn, Pickfords Wharf, Clink Street, London SE1
£6 only including tasting of 10!! different rums
A very special pirate treat. Ian Burell, CEO of the Rum Experience shares his rum and his knowledge with you scurvies. Try 10 different carribean rums, learn about the making of them and the history of rum and pirates. Ian is a fascinating man and a great speaker. The perfect mood warmer upper for the Pirate Boat Party on Saturday night.
TICKETS: http://www.skiddle.com/events/11249411

Marauding pirates at sea
Saturday 20th September 8pm-12midnight The Thames
The Vicountess sails from Festival Pier near Waterloo at 8pm docking at Temple Pier at midnight.
£15
Join 180 other pirates for a riotous party on a boat on the Thames not at sea twas a fib. From Battersea to the Thames Barrior, fill your belly with grog, tackle some wenches, shiver you timbers and get those buckled shoes a'dancin to top tunes from DJ Barnacle Barnes and friends.
TICKET SALES: http://www.skiddle.com/events/11248650

Secret End of Festival party
Sunday 21st September 6pm to late
SECRET LOCATION.
Add your mobile number on booking and you'll receive a text with the location and ticket number. Keep the text to show on the door.
£6 for party
We send the First London Pirate Festival off with a bang, a whoosh and a hullabaloo at this end of festival party at a secret location in London town. There will be incredible pirate art, performance and dancing.
TICKETS: http://www.skiddle.com/events/11248374

Matt's back on the internet airwaves at Brooklandsfm.co.uk

Howdy all,

Following our successful broadcast earlier in the year Brooklands FM have started up again and will be broadcasting through to the end of the year. Even better, they’ve invited me back on the air! Woo hoo!!

I posted before here and here from the last broadcast and Mata could even vouch for the show not being all that bad

Either way it's back and better than ever now! Get involved, if your on the computer on Sunday, anywhere in the world there's no excuse!!!

I’m going to have shows every Sunday from now until the end of the year starting with 1 – 2.30pm in September, and then moving to 2.30 – 4pm for the rest of the run.

As with before, all you‘ll need to do is jump onto the website at www.brooklandsfm.co.uk, hit the ‘listen live’ button, receive the live stream, sit back and enjoy some middle of the road classics, covers and live tracks, to make you smile on a Sunday afternoon (help me puch the boat out a bit).

Alternatively just click here now.

We’ll be broadcasting 24 hours a day with live shows from 9am-6pm Mon-Sat and 10am-4pm on Sundays (the most important days). Why not listen in now?

You can email me/ the studio on studio@brooklandsfm.co.uk or call in on 01932 832 408.

Check it out,

Matt

More on Smiler on the air -

Howdy all,

Following on from my posts last week I thought I’d let you know that Brooklands FM have invited me back on the air! Woo hoo!!

With a mix from the best tracks of the last 50 years the Sunday Smile will be on live on the following dates:

Sunday 1 June – 1pm to 2.30pm
Sunday 8 June – 1pm to 2.30pm
Sunday 15 June – 1pm to 2.30pm

As with before, all you‘ll need to do is jump onto the website at www.brooklandsfm.co.uk, hit the ‘listen live’ button, receive the live stream, sit back and enjoy as I bring you a treat of a Sunday afternoon show. Why not listen in now? We’re a great bunch of people with some awesome shows live throughout the day and an automated service overnight.

Why not listen as you recover from this Saturday's game?

You can email me/ the studio on studio@brooklandsfm.co.uk or call 01932 832 408.

Cheers,

Matt