Welcome to the Wonderful World of Grey

It's not that I don't like autumn: Who doesn't love the changing of the leaves from green to gold? And it's not like I hate the winter either: Crisp frosty mornings, and Christmas-card dustings of snow, make me feel alive just as much as they do anyone else. I even enjoy a little occasional mist. And I certainly get spellbound by fallen leaves, picked up in an eddy, and spun and danced by the breeze.

It's just the darkness and the short days that get me down. I think - and I've been told this many times by friends and family - that I'm a bit SAD.

I'm fortunate to have a window seat at work. In the spring and summer it's a godsend. The sun comes through so brightly we had to tint the windows this summer to ensure our eyeballs didn't poach in our skulls. Unfortunately the tints have now come back to haunt us: They make an already dull and grey day even darker. There's nothing better than gazing out onto a dull and grey industrial estate, on a dull and grey Monday morning, to get you motivated and stoked-up for work.


The Wedding

Josstick and Enda tied the knot on Saturday. Great day - really enjoyed it. You'd expect everyone at an Irish wedding to be drunk, but the only person there who was apparently "dancing like a monkey" was me. No Danny Boy. No Riverdance. No fighting. They didn't even have Guinness on tap either!

I recovered at 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

I was in trouble for:

a) Embarrassing myself - being drunk, dancing like a monkey, and talking about Oxford United to Mickey Aiya Napa from Fox FM. I may or may not have called him a twat.
b) Snoring (after the wedding, not during).
c) Losing someone's jacket.
d) Phoning my brother and brother-in-law (from the Gentlemen's toilet) in a desperate bid to get a live update on the Slovakia v England match.

I also managed to drip hot sausage grease down my best tie, but my plan to switch it with someone else's - he was wearing the same tie - was foiled because he never took it off or went to the Gents on his own...

Highlight of the ceremony was hymn number two: Jerusalem, that stirring, patriotic English anthem... that the majority of the groom's Irish contingent refused to sing.


Julian Returns From Cyprus

Today's conversation between Jo and Nobby regarding Julian:

Jo - "He's a treasure isn't he."
Nob - "Oh yeah, he's a real treasure alright. He should be locked in a chest and buried six feet under on a desert island!"
Jo - "But what if a pirate discovered him and dug him up?!"
Nob - "With any luck the pirate would put the spade though his neck..."


Kefei and Chestor Experience The Welcome

I played magic in Oxford last Wednesday night.

A new set - "excitingly" entitled Onslaught (Yawn) - has just been released. Apparently even seasoned old hands like me are meant to get excited by a new set and get caught up in the buzz. I couldn't be more underwhelmed than if you poked me with a Rod of Underwhelming.

[Insert bad random magic joke]

Rod of Underwhelming
Artifact
Common
2 casting cost
Tap: Target player is underwhelmed by new cards - especially Rod of Underwhelming.
"It's a stick..."

Anyway, there were 17 guys there at the Donnington Arms pub, a reasonably impressive number of players for a midweek draft event. However, it transpired that 9 of them were only there to collect boxes of the new product from Rob and cleared off immediately on receiving the goods.

I can't understand this: They travel into Oxford, wait for an hour for the cards to turn up, are willing to pay over £100 for 2 boxes of cardboard junk, but don't actually want to PLAY the game they quite clearly love. It's bizarre.

The other thing about last night was the continued total lack of welcoming reception for new attendees at the group. Two Japanese guys (one with girlfriend in tow) turned up to play and were met by the usual Oxford Arena League greeting: Silence. They were ignored. Except by me. I yet again had to try and disprove the fact that the vast majority of UK magic players are boring runts with zero social skills.

As usual I failed ;)

I just hope I did enough to ensure they felt welcomed sufficiently to return in the future.

Won't be there this week though: England play Macedonia.