March 2011 | Andy hmmm

Friday 18 March 2011

Right now I am having my second boxing fight

Well actually, right now I am pacing around the dressing room, shadow boxing and getting in the zone, ready to walk out for the co-headlining fight. I am also f*cking bricking it.

In case you haven't guessed, this post has been pre-written, and scheduled for when the fight starts. I am fighting a guy at my gym who is seen by me, and a lot of others as being the best boxer there in our weight class. 5 months ago I was eager to go against him, to show that I can be the best, but after sparring him more and more I think he can outbox me. I am most worried not about losing, but about being made to look shit in front of hundreds of people.

As your blog-reading people won't be there to see the fight, here is a video of me sparring 3 short rounds with him previously. I really hope I do much better than this in the actual fight.

Wish me luck.

Thursday 17 March 2011

Andy meets Brandi: My Memoirs, Part 3

On March 22nd 2010 I got talking to another blogger from Canada. On February 13th 2011 of the following year, after talking to her almost every day, she came to stay with me. Here is part 3 of my memoirs:

- Pointing out the BT Tower from every angle and location in and around Birmingham.

- Going ice skating and trying to push her over so I wouldn't be the first to fall. In the end I managed to!

- Losing at bowling.

- Going to Bourton-on-the-Water, walking around the village, and playing on the park. Looking at house prices and talking about how nice it would be if we lived there.

- Watching bad TV on a morning. Jeremy Kyle, Judge Judy, Wedding SOS, etc.

- Playing Scrabble together, and both putting down incorrect words. FAW!

- Getting girlfriend approval from my friends after going for Indian food.

- Going to the Safari Park, and feeding all the different animals. Getting the car rammed by African Wild Dogs, and scaring Brandi by rolling down the window when an angry looking Ostrich walked over.

- Looking out over Kinver from a church at the top of a hill, and silently thinking about what our future would be like, and the time spent apart.

- Going to the Crooked House Pub, and seeing an old couple that will be us in 50 years, sitting silent and not talking to each other.

- Went for a really nice Chinese meal, and convinced her to eat Duck Pancakes.

- Being hugged in bed when I was really sad about everything. Knowing that I never wanted to lose her.

- Playing Cranium together, being both on the same side and against each other.

- Telling her to blow the Playstation to make the DVD come out, then ejecting it using the controller when she did, then watching and laughing as she sat trying to blow it really hard until it came out.

- Knowing how much I had to treasure the last day and remember every minute.

- Taking Logan and Charlie to Clent to play football. While they were kicking the ball around me and Brandi watched the sun set, then had a 2 on 2 football game with them. She is better than most girls!

- Spending our last night staying up really late cuddling.

- Being really sad, driving her to the airport. Then tried to take my mind off it by playing Air Hockey, but Brandi knocked the puck under another machine before either of us scored a point.

- Staying with her until she had to go through security. Hugging for ages and telling her I loved her.

Ps. I love her

Tuesday 15 March 2011

Andy meets Brandi: My Memoirs, Part 2

On March 22nd 2010 I got talking to another blogger from Canada. On February 13th 2011 of the following year, after talking to her almost every day, she came to stay with me. Here is part two of my memoirs:

- Keep waking up with her being withholding, and the other side of the bed, but after a few nights (and telling her off) waking up wrapped together.

- Realising how good we are at cooking together. We made the best lasagna, risotto, nachos, bacon and egg sandwiches, triple-decker bacon-sausage-egg sandwiches, and leek and potato soup that I have ever eaten.

- Trying to annoy her by doing things like knocking her food out of her hand, and biting her Kitkat in an improper manner. Why hide who I am? ;)

- Trying to convince her I could beat up a bear, but not a cat.

- Planned a second main date of going to Bridgnorth, a nice village-town, looking at swans, and going on an old-style steam train. We eat a nice Cornish Pasty.

- Going around the Steam Train Museum, where Brandi kept touching things she shouldn't. We made shadow puppets in the film bit, and played on the park and had a race. This was the moment I realised I definitely wanted to be with her forever.

- Having a bed day, cuddling and watching TV, until 8pm when we played minigolf with friends and I came last.

- Making the accent VLog, and editing it, and it looking like Brandi just stared lovingly into my eyes for ages.

- Taking her on a Lord of the Rings Birmingham tour, and walking around the reservoir, and climbing a big fence to save time. Then playing on the wooden beams near the reservoir, trying to push each other off them.

- Getting a migraine and Brandi hugging me... though not as much as I'd like, especially after I had just bought her flowers.

- Loving every second together, even when we just sat around doing nothing.

- Going to Warwick Castle, doing rude poses with mannequins, watching knights battle, and getting told off by a woman trying to stay in character, for following Brandi into a staff only secret passage.

- Brandi trying to grab my hand and make me touch a young girls bottom.

- Going to Stratford and seeing Shakespeare's home, then getting chips and sitting next to the river, watching two groups of youths that we had decided were the Montague's and Capulet's.

- Joking about us not being boyfriend and girlfriend, before one night finally asking her.

- Going on a 20 mile bike ride along the canals, including a nearly 2 mile, pitch black tunnel where a mysterious man emerged shortly after we did, even though I’m sure he wasn’t behind us. I was very impressed with how Brandi managed to suffer sitting on the really hard saddle for that long.

- Our first 'proper' night out in Mechu, and thinking that she is very fun to go out with.

- Recording our rap.

- Watching her getting ready to go out, and thinking how beautiful she looked.

Manners cost you nothing

They say manners cost nothing. Today I went into the corner shop that I have frequented since starting my new job. I buy average home made sandwiches for £2.40, made by the Indian couple who own it.

This sunny Monday morning, I walked in, flashing a cheery smile to the old woman at the till. She didn't smile back. I thought perhaps the sun was in her eyes, so I positioned myself better, and smiled again. She still didn't smile back. She was wearing glasses, perhaps they were old and her sight has since deteriorated. I walked closer to the till, trying hard to make it look like I am not going off-path too much. I smiled, this time bigger than the last two smiles put together. She looked back at me, with the face of a woman who just watched a child take a shit on her dog.

I immediately turned around and walked out. I will not give my custom to a person who will not even give me the courtesy of a cheery smile. I instead walked down the road to a different sandwich shop. I had heard about it, but hadn't ventured into it due to the menacing blue collar workers outside.

I was greeted by a rotund person, who was of course smiley (they all are), and by a menu where I could buy a bacon and egg sandwich for £1.95. I was cheeky and asked for sausage on there too, expecting an extra 40p. She asked if I wanted tea too. As I'm not made of money, I quickly said no, but the curvy saint insisted it was free. I was about to hand over £2.50, expecting little change, when she informed me that it was only £2. That is only 5p for a sausage. Amazing.

So, it is true that manners cost you nothing, unless you have none. Then it costs you my custom.

Sunday 13 March 2011

Andy meets Brandi: My Memoirs, Part 1

On March 22nd 2010 I got talking to another blogger from Canada. On February 13th 2011 of the following year, after talking to her almost every day, she came to stay with me. Here are my memoirs:

- Spending ages beforehand meticulously planning things we can do (thanks everybody for suggestions).

- Standing at the airport, getting more nervous with every second that passed. Listening to M83 (8 mins long) on repeat, wandering at the start of each listen if ‘this will be the one I first see her’.

- Waiting for an hour after the plane landed before asking the staff where the passengers were, only to be told there is no “white Caucasian” in the queue. Thankfully, seconds later she appeared.

- Thinking she looked stunning and wanting to kiss her when I first went over, but got too nervous to even make proper conversation.

- The first night, lying in bed watching Take Me Out. Desperately wanting to make a move, but not being able to. Eventually I made the move and we kissed.

- Making breakfast in bed for Valentines Day, and giving her a silver heart shaped box, with our names, the date, and 'England' engraved on it. She gave me a really nice card and mix-tape.

- For our Valentines 'first date', planning a day of going for a walk and Geocaching, hitting golf balls, and making fresh bread and sangria.

- Having our first photograph together at the driving range, where I was hitting them really far, and Brandi wasn't quite so good.

- Walking to Clent, carrying Brandi on my back across muddy parts. She kept slipping over regardless.

- Checking the GPS to see if we were near a Geocache, to find out we were almost on top of one. Brandi finding the Geocache that I had nearly given up hope on.

- Starting to walk home in the rain, only to see the very end of a rainbow, only meters from us.

- Falling asleep next to her on the evening, tired form all the walking. Waking up later than I wanted and rushing to make the bread and sangria.

- Failing again with the bread, by putting it in the oven, but forgetting to turn the oven on. We eventually eat the bread nearly at midnight.

- Having to go to work the next few days, being worried about what Brandi would think of the city, and worried about if she would find her way back okay.

- Brandi coming to watch me boxing, and being worried that I wasn't doing very well in front of her.

- Booking a sofa at the back of UKs oldest cinema to see the most depressing film, "Never Let Me Go". Ordering drinks and snacks using my phone while watching the film, and cuddling up.

- Going to the Glee Club to see comedians. Standing up at the end to find we had sat on a cardigan with sick on it. Not being able to get the smell away.

- Brandi meeting my work friends after my last day at Switch, and making a good impression.

- Going to some bars in Brindley Place, then walking along the canal to Mailbox and getting cocktails and meeting friends. Then drunkenly running along concrete posts, falling and going shoulder first into one of them.

- Taking advantage of our first proper morning together, before taking Brandi to meet my parents and family for the first time. 50% of my parents really liked her, and all of my family.

Part two to come shortly.

Friday 11 March 2011

Andy & Brandi: Too Many Man

Nowadays I know quite a lot of Bloggers, and I think most of them don't hate me, which is great. One of the funniest of those bloggers is called Sara (Sara Swears A Lot). Each month she hosts a Karaoke competition (which you really should check out, 'tis very funny!).

Anyone who knows me will know that I am a terrible singer, but this doesn't stop me. Though recording myself singing on my own and putting it on the internet for all to laugh at is maybe a bit too much. Thankfully, I was able to convince Brandi to do it too. Since there is two of us, now you can feel free to laugh. I would like to say we were drunk when we sang and danced to this, since that would make me think it was more acceptable... but that would be a lie.

So here we are, with our completely Caucasian version of BBK - Too Many Man.

Thursday 10 March 2011

Birmingham vs Vancouver: The Accents

When me and Brandi (Kisekae) first met, we decided to do the accent VLog that seemed to be going around at the time. Some other bloggers I know had done it, such as on Lorraine's blog, Sara's blog, and Harley's blog, and they all seem to be saying words wrong, so I felt I should correct them ;).

Anyway, this is our accent VLog! It is the most prolonged video I have been in. I don't like my voice, so I will be sad if you insult it!!

Brandi is from Vancouver, and I am from Birmingham.

Sunday 6 March 2011

2011 So Far

My blog has been pretty bare over the last few weeks, but in reality a lot has happened. Actually, a lot has happened since the start of the year. People who actually read my blog may be interested to know that, unlike most bloggers, the more serious things that happen in my life, the less I write.

I will elaborate over the next few days/weeks, I may even go into personal details that I wouldn't have previously. I will see how I feel. In a nut shell:

- A messy break up with Melissa.
- Handing my notice in at Switch, and getting a difficult but career progressing job at a company.
- Meeting the most important person to me.
- My families, friends, and ex-girlfriends reaction to the above.
- The stress of starting a new job.
- Training for a really difficult boxing fight.
- Preparing for Brazil, and the money problems that surround it.

So far this last 3 months has been the most emotionally taxing of my life, as far as I can recall, but it has all been worth it.

Yesterday was a sad day

Switch: My Memoirs

On the 18th of March I worked my last day at Switch. I first joined Switch in August 2009, as my first 'post University job'.

I really enjoyed my time at Switch, and got on well with my team and co workers. Eventually I had to move on to try and further my career and get more money (in aim of getting a mortgage).

Here are some of my memoirs:

- My first bit of work being creating a new competition on a website.

- Going out with Switch people for the first time, everyone got a beer, but I decided to get a rum punch. The restaurant instantly ruined my image by putting a pink umbrella in it.

- Simon saying a man looked like Ian Wright, because he was wearing the same hat that he always wears on TV. I twisted it to make it sound racist. This was pretty much ongoing for the duration of my time there. Sorry Si!

- Joining the gym that some of the guys at Switch went to. The first time I had ever properly, regularly gone to the gym. At one point I actually hit nearly 13 stone, and mainly muscle!

- Getting a bonsai tree. Everyone was sure it had died, but then it suddenly sprouted. And then died.

- The Pi game. See who can find the longest, earliest string of numbers in the first million numbers of Pi. That sounds nerdier than it was.

- The Googlewack game. Seeing who could find the least results in a two, real word, Google search.

- "American Psycho? Was that set in London?" - Matt Burns, 2011.

- "The Amazon river? That's the one that goes though Egypt isn't it?" Simon Del Giudice, 2011.

- My questioning conversations with Jon, leading to the Twitter account 'Stuff Andy Asks'.

- Going to the great Bombay Bicycle Club gig.

- Upsetting everyone in the office by cooking pilchards on toast.

- The gambling month, seeing who can make the most profit with £25. Winning steadily, despite Simon having a week of making loads of money, before losing it all.

- Steve shouting "Andy, I think I just saw someone walk off with your bike". Me thinking he was joking at first, then running outside with Leon, to find some bald smack-head walking off down the road with my bike. I confronted him and he said sorry and walked off. Such a confusing moment.

- Bi-monthly morning MMA conversations with Matt. Convincing Leon that he will become an MMA fan.

- The birth of Famous Fit Female Friday.

- Christmas party, everyone discussing the age old question, a 4" penis in the bum for 5 minutes, or a 12" penis gently slid in once.

- Making Simon think Matt had sucked his chocolate egg while he was downstairs.

- The ongoing debate on quantity versus quality for the biscuit tin.

- The ongoing debate about what context 'verses' can be used in.

- The ongoing debate about tea/coffee quality.

Andy hmmm

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