robwoolford.com

So this week I’ve been seriously considering investing in an Xbox 360. I’ve always been a bit of a Sony-only gamer, but seeing as the Playstation 3 alone costs about as much as it would to travel South America for a month, I figure I’d better look at alternatives.

So I’m weighing up being 300 quid down vs hanging onto my Ps2 for a little while longer and just settling with my old games… then this trailer came out:

Wow.

I’m a sucker for Grand Theft Auto. Especially when its in Liberty City. It combines some of my favourite things - gaming, gratuitous violence, hip hop (on le radio), guns, more violence, new york and sight seeing without having to put in any effort at all. The scenery looks stunning and there’s rollercoasters \o/. I know they’re all cut-scenes but the in game graphics will surely be very close to whats in the trailer… and that’s just phenominal.

Microsoft, I’m in. Just give me a little time to stump up the cash.

Grand Theft Auto is out in October in case you were wondering (yes it is on my calendar, and no thats not sad).

P.S. There’s a better quality version of the trailer on the rockstar website. Google it. I can’t be arsed to find you a link.

24 (Season 6, Episode 15)
Dirt (Season 1, Episode 13)
Friday Night Lights (Season 1, Episode 20)
Lost (Season 3, Episode 14)
Prison Break (Season 2, Episode 21)
South Park (Season 11, Episode 4)

\o/ TV \o/

Currently powering through Season One of 24. Baeur is hard as nails.

I’m currently in the middle of writing a near-3,000 word essay due in Tuesday. I spent all of yesterday working on it, and today I’m completely demotivated. I woke up at 12 (which means I missed my 9am class) and I’ve done pretty much nothing since. Well, I say nothing, I’ve fixed an overdraft crisis by increasing it past -1,250 english stirling… and that’s never a good thing.

So I’m bored. And I’m sat here thinking that I probably post too many youtube videos on here. Maybe I should post another right now because it’s so easy - and I’ve got a long list of ones I want to post, like Brick Tamland from Anchorman, or Richard Pryor stand up or United’s 5-goal come back away to White Hard Lane a few years back. I want to put them all on here! But of course, then I’m not actually writing anything, and that was the whole point I started this whole gig. So from now on, no youtube vids, I’m actually gonna write stuff…

My writing is still as aimless as my recent lifestyle. Today I decided that I really need to get a job. Once the easter holidays are over I’m going to pepper the bars and pubs of Sunderland with applications. £1,500’s worth of debt and no regular source of income (other than government loans) will do that to you. Each time loans come in they’re only clearing my overdraft, so it’s time to finally admit that I need to work through my degree… and maybe then my free time will become a bit more meaningful.

At the moment I spend a few hours a day at university, stumble home, think about going to the gym, watch some TV from the net and then potter around my flat doing shit all. I’m thinking that if I’m working two nights a week then I’ll condense all that shit into five nights and I’ll have money to show for my time out of uni.

I want to spend a few months in America after University, but at the same time I don’t want to finish Uni and go straight into a dead end job saving for a few months. Getting a job now I’ll (hopefully) be a lot closer to where I want my bank balance to be come the end of uni.

CONCLUSION - I should be writing my essay. I post too many youtube vids. I don’t write enough. I’m shit with money. I need to get a job. Maybe then wasted free time will become meaningful. Maybe I’ll get motivated. And maybe, just maybe I’ll be able to save for future travelling. CONCLUSION OVER.

24 (Season 6, Episode 14)
Dirt (Season 1, Episode 12)
Friday Night Lights (Season 1, Episode 19)
Grey’s Anatomy (Season 3, Episode 19)
Lost (Season 3, Episode 13)
Prison Break (Season 2, Episode 20)
Scrubs (Season 6, Episode 14)
Smallville (Season 6, Episode 17)
South Park (Season 11, Episode 3)
Ugly Betty (Season 1, Episode 18)

I’ve added a few shows to the usual list this week… because I can. Prison Break was pretty good this week, Lost stays providing decent finales to otherwise boring episodes and Friday Night Lights was pretty average. Not really a fan of Ugly Betty, Grey’s Anatomy and Smallville but I figured someone else might be…

Enjoy!

It is of no use to you, but I went to see Ricky Gervais’ new stand-up tour last night, entitled Fame.

Following Politics and Animals, Gervais now sets his sights on his own rise to Fame, and boy does he lap it up (walking onto his elaborate set/stage with a crown and cape on). The tour has set records for how fast it sold out in the UK and I was lucky enough to be 3rd row centre for tonight’s show in Sunderland. The first two rows were reserved for Gervais’ fan club members, so because of a contact at the theatre I got almost first dibs on the tickets! There were four tiers/floors at the theatre tonight and I felt pretty priveleged not to be in the nose bleed section, and believe me there were some pretty high seats!

It was a great show - if you’re a fan of Gervais’ previous stand up stuff then you’ll enjoy Fame. The usual jibes at obesity, religion and celebs are present. As are more controversial digs at cancer, aids and the third world… Gervais really sails close to the wind but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy every single joke going.

I now have an aching jaw.

:/

A month or two ago I couldn’t stand Lady Sovereign. Jay-Z signing her at Def Jam seemed like an absolute crime… but lately she’s starting to sway my opinion. You won’t see me at any of her shows or anything, and she’s still a chav, but she’s getting good beats now. This is a pretty strong single and video as far as UK female rappers go… oh hell, I don’t need to justify myself, I just like it…

I awoke from a mammoth St Patricks day to see this goal from yesterday’s Premiership games. Paul Robinson, Tottenham’s goalkeeper, scoring from just outside his own area. This simply shouldn’t happen. Such a shame for Ben Foster (Watford’s keeper) too because he’s had an awesome season so far, pushing Robinson for the England #1 spot but he’ll be remembered for a long time now as the guy who was beaten from just short of 100 metres by another keeper. And that’s bad. Foster’s defence didn’t do him any favours - number one rule of defending… DO NOT let the ball bounce.

It’s not Robinson’s first goal, as many will know. His first was an absolutely glorious header for scummy Leeds a few years back. And when I say glorious header, I mean “wow did a keeper just do that? outfield players don’t head a ball that good”…

Quality.

24 (Season 6, Episode 13)
Dirt (Season 1, Episode 11)
Lost (Season 3, Episode 12)

Another disappointing week in the TV world. Heroes has gone on a month long hiatus, Prison Break has disappeared this week… which means I’m without Heroes, Prison Break, Friday Night Lights, The O.C. (I can’t let it go) and Studio 60. I don’t even watch 24/Dirt… I just put them up here for mates. So I’m only watching Lost this week… it was a fantastic one for a change though!

New video from Fabolous’ upcoming album, “Diamonds in my Damn Chain” featuring Young Jeezy.

Lately I can’t help but feel I’m not progressing as much at Uni as I would like to. I’ve noticed that my degree has exposed this, and while I know I’m certainly going to learn more in life, I feel that my capacity at University has kind of come as far as its going to. It’s quite depressing really. It’s not to say that I’m not learning anything here, but I just don’t seem to be developing any academic instincts anymore… unlike at college or school…

My degree has encompassed so many things so far - radio, tv, journalism, film, screenwriting - and I’ve learned that I’m mediocre at best at all of those things. I’m yet to excel in any of those fields. My marks have been pretty reasonable, I’ve averaged a 2:1 in most subjects this year, and I got a lot of 1sts last year… but execellent academics should really be churning out 1sts for fun. That’s how its always been for me, and I feel like I’m going through the second year of University at a first year level. My dip in grades from 1sts last year to 2:1s this year would back that statement up. Not that I consider a 2:1 a bad grade, but lets face it if you really want to excel after your degree you need to walk out with the best one possible. I haven’t made the step up to 2nd year yet (8 months on).

I’ve toyed with the idea of being a sports journalist - but my writing style is far from developed. A friend of mine at the same level, of similar intelligence outside of uni, is already writing for local papers and lightyears ahead of me in that respect. Journalism might only be a side course for me, but I guess I’m starting to realise that I haven’t been commited enough to developing my eventual career.

Another friend of mine is a radio enthusiast - and not to discredit him, but his marks have only once surpassed mine despite doing virtually every assignment I have in the last 2 years, and he now holds a decent bearing in the university’s radio department. He had a show aired last year in the uni’s brief 2 week broadcast, and he has an administrative role when it goes to air this time. His extracurricular efforts and dedication have showed that marks really don’t count for that much.

I guess my ongoing degree has exposed my lack of motivation, ambition and expertise in any real subject area. I’m definitely not making the strides towards a career and a profession that my peers are. As far as my course goes I’m good at a lot but great at nothing… and that’s a really hard pill to swallow.

:/