MONTY MONTY !
There is a leak out on ThePirateBay where you can download the latest Avril Lavigne album "Goodbye Lullaby", it's really good, I'm giving it a listen now, it's quite good. It doesn't come out 'till the 2nd of march (about the same time the new Apple © iPad © 2 ™ gets announced), but you can download it now and then buy it on the Apple iTunes Store when it comes out and nobody will mind, you can give it a listen on your Apple iPod Nano 6th Gen 16GB (pink).

There was a bloke on COme Dine With Me who had a castle, he lived in one, I don't think I would like to live in a castle, they're always so drafty and most of them are in forrests which is crap, plus they're haunted mostly. I think the only castle I would like to live in is maybe The Tower of London, is that would be easy to nip to the shops if I'm short of coca. Do you know anyone, personally, who lives in a castle? What do they think of it?

My dream is to own a property with two sets of stairs going to the same floors, that's a true sign of knowing you've made it.

Q: Tell me about the best day of your childhood.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 19:39, 99 replies, latest was 15 years ago)

I hope when you die they put your brain in a jar and hook it up to one of those tickertape teleprinter machines, I'd definitely come and visit you in a museum occasionally if they did that.

( Noeli overtheshoulderboulderholderthingstraplatchboobs, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 19:42, Reply)

It's a weird place, my bubble world I live in, but I like it.

( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 19:50, Reply)

^this

( girlinthehole, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 19:52, Reply)

I don't know anybody who lives in a castle
but I know one or two people who have one.

I remember loads of good days. Can't just pick one
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 19:43, Reply)

What do they do with it? where do they live?
I think if I owned a castle I would sale it to Foxtons or similar and get them to turn it into luxoury apartments. I'm thinking of stately homes toos on this one; what defines a castle? is it the ramparts? I wonder how someone becomes staff at one of these places.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 19:49, Reply)

they're a bit blue blood
castles aren't handy for living though.

Why would you want to destroy a great building for shitty apartments though?
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 19:51, Reply)

Ignoring the massive financial gain out of a property that is unusable for residential means....
... would it really be destroying it? I love conversions like that. If you're thinking of the great history involved, the history is in the memories, and rather than delapitation, you would be creating something where people can grow their families.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 19:54, Reply)

There are loads of great church conversions
I lived in one briefly, and my friend lived in one in Worcester. They're so much nicer than chocolate-block apartments, you know, where it's the same on every floor, stacked 10 high.
(berk, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 19:57, Reply)

Yup, deffo, they have so much character. Have you heard of "Property Gardians" (Monty, listen up to this one).
They get unused comercial property, normally stuff that's tied up in litigation, and rent it out to someone for a nominal fee (I've seen entire churchs in central london going for like £40/week inc bills). The idea is that you live there and vandals/squaters are discuridged. The downside is that normally it has a very short notice, a couple of weeks or soo.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:02, Reply)

History isn't about memories though
history is more than just the last eighty years. There's plenty of other places to build, why would you destroy something beautiful?
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 19:58, Reply)

History is all about the memories, and the stories. Without them it would be pure hard facts, and turning it so clinical would not do it justest.
It wouldn't destroy it at all, there are laws in place to make sure of that, it would bring it up to modern living standards (and beyond), create a life out of the building where otherwise they'd just be falling apart out of non-use.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:08, Reply)

Turning it into luxury apartments
is not keeping the spirit of the place alive. Restoring is different from turning it into rich people's pads.
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:13, Reply)

Surely it's better to preserve a disused or poorly maintained historical building
by turning it in to apartments, and keeping some of the character and history, than it is to just let it moulder and decay?
(berk, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:16, Reply)

Definitely not
turning it into apartments means basically trying to make as much money as possible. Developers will do anything possible and find every loophole to cut costs and ensure they make maximum profit.
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:20, Reply)

But nobody is going to restore it without an invested interest of some sort.
That interest could be that they are in love with the castle and would see it's restoration as the person's hobby/leggacy/whatever, and then the funding for the upkeep of it once the restoration has happened. The sort of finances involved could be crippling.

And also, castles were made for the rich/well-to-do, it's exactly in keeping.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:20, Reply)

Their interest is money
do you think developers give a shit about keeping history intact? It's possible to restore and develop things into more functional usage and still keep features/history, but it's not cheap and so it doesn't happen
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:22, Reply)

Yes, definatly, to maximise profit.
You're right, history is a secondry consideration, but it still is one; why buy a castle, knock it down, and build appartments when you can just buy a field and do the same? The history (well, more so, the architecture), is a unique selling point that makes it a financially good thing... it's a possative catch-22.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:25, Reply)

we used to baby sit a castle every so often
they get lonely on their own.
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 19:44, Reply)

I can imagine with the LARPing stuff, castles would be awesome. Or quazar.

( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 19:50, Reply)

SUIT UP FOR LASER TAG

( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 19:54, Reply)

yeah, that was the deal we had
we could borrow it to play in in winter. Was pretty dramatic at night when we played vampire there too
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 19:55, Reply)

How many people go to the event? I'd quite like to go as a photographer.

( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 19:57, Reply)

that's how I started, photographing a local one
depends on the event - local ones used to be about 10, small events (weekends) are about 100-150, large events 4000 or so
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:01, Reply)

Woh', cool. That's a _lot_ of people.
I joined the Freemasons for a bit, which is the closest to LARPing I've ever been, it's all very very Zelda. In general, it's good fun, except I found there was to much pesudo-religion and bickering for my liking. I absolutly love the stuff I know though, when I walk around London I can see so much of it and I think "So many people walk past this but don't know what it means; but I do".

What sort of thing do you do when you go LARPing?
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:05, Reply)

:)
dress as an egyptian alchemist, fight baddies, get involved in politics, drink tea, bitch about things, drink bad concoctions of booze, sing songs, sleep very little
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:08, Reply)

Sounds fantastic actually.

( girlinthehole, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:09, Reply)

it really is
you just have to deal with the nerdery. If you can handle that and being cold and rained on, it's brilliant.

There may be a follow up to my larp dating coll3ctive entry from a guy I went out with who larped for the first time. He might show more of the bad side ;)
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:13, Reply)

There's a bad side?

( girlinthehole, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:14, Reply)

mud, rain, no sleep

( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:22, Reply)

Oh! I thought you meant something more naughty.

( girlinthehole, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:30, Reply)

apparently it's easy to pull at larp
...unless you're me :(
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:39, Reply)

How does the fighting work? Do you have coloured powder that you throw into the wind and yell something, then everyone else knows that is an enchantment spell and they come under your command?
Is there really baddys, or are they like people who have a different conflicting story where there is a fight, nobody is right, nobody is wrong, they're just at war with each other? Or are there deffo down-and-outright baddys?
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:14, Reply)

I would rather be a baddie than a goodie.
Decepticons were way cooler than Autobots, amirite?
(dozers, do fuck off ur a nob m8, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:17, Reply)

I love stories when there is no such thing as a baddie, that they're there through circamstance of some kind.

( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:21, Reply)

I read that as "Geordy" too and lol'd.

( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:21, Reply)

the one I do
fighting works on a hits based system (if you get hit a number of times on any location it becomes immobile)
Spells involve you shouting something specific and pointing at someeone and they respond by falling over or running away or something.

Usually you play your character and sometimes you get into fights with other characters. There are also people who play the monsters who are generally 'the baddies', zombies, daemons, innocent villagers who turn out to be daemons.

hope this helps
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:25, Reply)

I just cannot get my head around larping.

(dozers, do fuck off ur a nob m8, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:27, Reply)

ever played D&D
or computer games that are role play based? It's like that only with more ham acting
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:30, Reply)

of course I have
But larping is several levels of wrongness over playing Oblivion.
(dozers, do fuck off ur a nob m8, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:33, Reply)

There's worse things to be in life.
A train spotter for instance.
( girlinthehole, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:38, Reply)

or a Tory voter.

(dozers, do fuck off ur a nob m8, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:41, Reply)

I've met a Tory voter.
She's lovely. She doesn't eat babies and once rescued a cat from a tree.
( girlinthehole, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:43, Reply)

arsebollocks.
I loathe Tories. Utter selfishness on a ballot paper. And the callousness of Thatcher was fucking world class.

Testing out the poll tax on Scotland a year before England as punishment for not supporting her- totally unforgivable. Not to mention the hypocrisy of back to basics etc.

Turn my fucking stomach.
(dozers, do fuck off ur a nob m8, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:52, Reply)

I didn't say I've met Thatcher.

( girlinthehole, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:58, Reply)

doesn't matter.
Thatcher is the wank material for all modern Tories- her policies and views are still evoked as some kind of rightward golden age. I was a kid in Scotland when her policies came in- when she dies later this year it will be a fucking party for me and my peer group- that bitch and her troop of acolytes (in government now) are a bunch of selfish, self serving cunts. Not welcome round my house. Only a shade less unacceptable than Nick Griffin.
(dozers, do fuck off ur a nob m8, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:09, Reply)

It sounds like a good laugh really, esspechally when you know what you're doing.
Can you borrow costumes on your first go? What happens when you 'die', can you then go off to a tent/BBQ or do you have to lay down? Is there a lot of time by yourself, or is there some sort of buddy system?
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:28, Reply)

the weekend ones you can hang out with your mates all the time if you want
if you're unconscious you lie down until someone heals you. If you are dead dead you make a new character. There are lots of times for bbqs and arsing around, depending on how you play the game.

Usually you go with a group of mates, so n00bs borrow kit and follow people around until they get the hang of it
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:32, Reply)

A tiny castle might be cool
they don't normally come in two-up-two-down flavour though. Apparently I am related to some 19th century German baron, and he had a castle which the Nazis turned in to a lunatic asylum. True story.

Alt: I'm not sure, there isn't one that stands out. We went to Knowsley safari park once and fed the monkeys, and I got free ice cream.
(berk, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 19:56, Reply)

also, castles are always on hills

( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 19:56, Reply)

I live on a hill now
not in a castle though.
(berk, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 19:57, Reply)

same here
nice views, annoying in the snow and for walking home
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:03, Reply)

That's pretty cool.
One of my great aunts died in WW2 when a bomb fell on her head at this place (which was a loony bin at the time): bit.ly/hpTKE1 . My aunty had Electroshock treatment there too. The apartments now are stunning.... I was going to rent one but I found it was too long a walk to the local shops, and Ma' reffused on account of too much family history.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:11, Reply)

I can remember once as a teenager being very happy, which is a bit strange for me.
It was the early eighties and I'd just had a perm, one of the first in my school to get one. Not one of those mad Leo Sawyer type of perms but loose and flowing. I looked fab. It was the summer and we lived near a big park that we spent all our time at. I was hanging out at the park with my best mate and a group of boys from school spotted us and came to talk. One guy called Colin asked me if him and his mate could come back later to hang out with me and my friend. He wasn't much to look at and I wasn't interested but this was the first time a guy had shown an interest. I told him to pop round our flat later and gave him the address but being a teenage girl I was a bit naughty and gave him the right street name but the wrong flat number. Me and my mate peeped out of the window later as we saw them both wandering about trying to find the right flat. Oh how we laughed.
( girlinthehole, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:00, Reply)

=D

( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:22, Reply)

First and last time I've ever been a bi-atch.

( girlinthehole, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:28, Reply)

I almost did live in a castle.
But my parents decided at the last minute that it was too far away from any shops and schools, how shit is that?

I have many fine memories from my childhood, it's just far too hard to think of the best one.
(Herr Doktor Lemminge Is bored, so cheer me up!, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:11, Reply)

*waves* to the Doktor

( The Light in Chains don't touch the Pope's boner, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:50, Reply)

Castles.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_lYyptVKyw

Well, country houses, and no, this isn't a Blur link
( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:36, Reply)

Haha!

( girlinthehole, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:37, Reply)

I love Modern Toss.

(dozers, do fuck off ur a nob m8, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:42, Reply)

*cough*spiral staircase *cough*

(berk, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:50, Reply)

*cough* inspiral carpets *cough*

( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:55, Reply)

I've heard of them
link?
(berk, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:58, Reply)

Woo! go you.
*sings*

This is what it feels to be lonely
This is what it feels to be small
This is what it feels when your world means nothing at all.
( girlinthehole, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:58, Reply)

Have two links.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWT5-WaaAGM&feature=related

www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-fX0UbpZls
( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:59, Reply)

Youtube seems to be having a bit of a spaz, I've got no video
just audio. Ohhhhhh but it's this song. Yeah, I know this.
How was your curry?
(berk, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:04, Reply)

It was fantastic.
I did a chicken Pasanda, but I made it a bit warmer than you'd normally expect in a resturant.

It was lovely.

How was the steak?
( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:09, Reply)

Pasanda is almonds isn't it?
I think that's the recipe I've got saved from Lighty. The steak was freaking awesome, cheers :)
(berk, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:14, Reply)

It does indeed have almonds in it.
How did you cook it? Rare? Medium?
( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:17, Reply)

Pfft
rare, of course. Any other way is heresy, especially with fillet.
(berk, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:21, Reply)

Good work!
Having any desert this evening?
( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:24, Reply)

Custard.
stop judging me!
(berk, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:25, Reply)

What are you having with your custard?

( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:26, Reply)

...I'm using a bowl and a spoon rather than drinking it out of the tub?

(berk, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:29, Reply)

Classy.
But no apple pie? No spotted dick? Why berk? Why?
( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:32, Reply)

Because I don't want apple pie or spotted dick
I want to drink custard straight out of the carton. But I'm being civilised.
There is ice cream in the machine at the minute though.
(berk, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:35, Reply)

So you are having custard to tide you over until your ice-cream is ready?

( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:40, Reply)

You've got to admire the woman.

( girlinthehole, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:42, Reply)

For being a massive bloater?

(berk, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:43, Reply)

loat end
( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:46, Reply)

Mean :(

(berk, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:48, Reply)

No, the ice cream won't be ready til tomorrow
I'm just having custard.
(berk, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:43, Reply)

What flavour ice-cream?

( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:46, Reply)

Hazelnut
best of all the flavours.
(berk, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:47, Reply)

I used to do that
now I try and avoid dessert too much.

I made Delia's Pork Stroganoff with Three Mustards Except I substituted smoked paprika and a little chili powder for the English mustard powder.

Served it with microwave egg noodles, totally delicious and enough for dinner tomorrow. Score!
( The Light in Chains don't touch the Pope's boner, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:49, Reply)

I did a stirfry where I made me own sweet chilli sauce.

( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 22:22, Reply)

I'm not a huge fan of Oriental food -
Chinese, Japanese, Thai - which is a pity really, as stir-frys are simple and quick and reasonably good for you if you don't use much oil and plenty of fresh vegetables.
( The Light in Chains don't touch the Pope's boner, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 22:31, Reply)

I grew up a few miles from Conisbrough Castle, does that count?

( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:54, Reply)

Only if we can include 'I grew up watching Roy Castle on Record Breakers'

( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 20:56, Reply)

yes it does.

(dozers, do fuck off ur a nob m8, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 21:04, Reply)

That's a bit weird
I spent my summers as a youth very close to Conisbrough Castle. My grandparents on my dad's side lived in Thrybrough (possibly spelt wrongly there - can't remember). It's weird because I keep meeting people throughout my life who've been to Conisborough castle, like my first neighbour in halls at uni, random blokes in pubs, people on holiday from Sheffield etc. MY first crush lived 2 miles from that castle. Good old Denise, where is she now? I lost a whole night of sleep over her and I didn't know why..
(Alfonso Bongo BELL AIRE HORSE EXTRAORDINAIRE, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 23:12, Reply)

I would eat this


And then afterwards I'd eat the burger as well.
( The Light in Chains don't touch the Pope's boner, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 22:02, Reply)

That's the Heart Attack grill, isn't it?

( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 22:09, Reply)

Well done for reading the backward writing on the window

( The Light in Chains don't touch the Pope's boner, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 22:17, Reply)

Haha, in all honesty I didn't!
It's the nurse outfit that made me think it
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 22:21, Reply)

Just looking at that makes me want to heave
the burger, rather than the child holding it.
(berk, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 22:26, Reply)

she bears a resemblance to my old landlady
this also makes me want to heave.
(Zoz prayed for twink on, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 22:29, Reply)

Sadly, I do not.
I live in an old mansion, and that's ace. But sadly, it's no castle!

Q: I'll be fickle, and say probably the day I got my Playstation.
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 22:08, Reply)

Best day of my childhood?
Being in the Alps aged 6-12 and skiing hard all day 8:30 'til 5, then eating steak-hache (burger without the bun) and proper french fries and hot chocolate then going to sleep in a wooden chalet bed having weird, exhillarating half-awake visions of thinking I'm still travelling down an endless snowy incline fast then getting the best night's sleep ever and looking forward to waking up to more skiing. And laughing at my dad and his mates staggering around drunk in the evenings on gluwein and whisky.

Any of those days. Mostly I hated my childhood however. And my entire adolescence was torture.
(Alfonso Bongo BELL AIRE HORSE EXTRAORDINAIRE, Sun 27 Feb 2011, 23:40, Reply)