We won a Bafta.

For this.
http://www.beam.tv/beamreel/XqjyRydNPX
http://www.bafta.org/awards/television-craft/visual-effects,743,BA.html
The only shot I did in this edit is the vomiting rock dude.
I did four more in the actual episode.
I'd be more of a smug cunt about it but I didn't go to the awards (a whole lot of people that had no right to went instead because our boss had a brief lapse of shit-for-brained-ness for a while which I am still smarting over) and its shared between about 30 of us which makes it seem less exciting.
Pre-nominations they had e-mailed and said they had put forward two things we worked on, and the other was a show I was a lead on but for whatever reason it didn't get nominated in the end.
I would have been more excited if that had gone through.
Oh well.
Still.
I guess its pretty good.

Beirut @ the Forum.

So on Friday I went to see Beirut again. Myself, Lyndall and Papa Carter got there just as the supporting band were finishing, which I was quite pleased about cause I thought they sounded a bit arse.
To say I was excited would be a hella understatement. The forum was really rammed, as I guess the popularity of Beirut has sky rocketed since I saw them for the first time over 2 years ago.
I kind of wondered how things might have changed, seeing as back then it was all quite fresh and prior to Zacks, lets break up the band, I can't handle the pressure freak out.
They eventually emerged on stage to a massive roar from the crowd. The band looked really different. Gone was the crowded stage of at least 20 musicians of various shapes and sizes gathered from around the world. In their place, 5 people, who looked like 'A+' music school students who Zach had picked up at the local university.
So they began. Starting off with 'Nantes' which was awesome..............But.
But. But. But. Stupid But. Stupid annoying But.
The Music school guys seemed to lack the energy of the original band and maybe seemed to play more by the numbers instead of looking passionate about anything. And the sound was all over the place. The kick drum was drowning out everything, except Zacks voice. (luckily) Also Zack, looked depressed and unsure of himself. His voice however was still strong. As Lyndall pointed out though, he looked sad, and it seemed like there is something so tragic about him. Like he is going to die young somehow. Which if I am honest is quite an attractive quality in one of your favourite musicians.
However. The crowd absolutely loved it. Every song was greeted with the kind of cheers you expect at the end of a concert. And it was an amazing atmosphere to be in. Everyone was singing along. People had their hands in the air....and thankfully, the sound got better. And even more thankfully Zack got better as did the band.
It was about halfway thru and he made a slight hick up on the uke. He looked super pissed at himself, but as soon as he realized that even though everyone saw it they were all still cheering louder and louder with each song, he seemed to relax and really get into it.
People cheered so loudly in fact that they did two encores.
From that point this became, for me, the best gig I have ever been to. The whole stage loosened up and it was awesome.
Highlights for me? Zach playing 'The penalty' by himself with just the uke was probably equal highest with, 'Scenic World' and 'Sunday Smile'.
They played one of the his Real People songs as well, and it sounded heaps better being a live band and not his badly produced electronic shit.
I know I can appear cynacal sometimes,(ha) but I sure as hell wasn't this night. I didn't drink anything. I danced. I sang along. And I may have even wept a little. I guess my earlier post about Beirut being my everytime/every situation music and not having any strings attached was a lie. They got me through a really hard time last year and it was hard not to get emotional about seeing it live.
I'm a big fucking girl.
Heres a video of Sunday Smile from the night. People singing along. Sweet.

And

And

And

Reverse super hero/Super heroes dealing with crime in London.

I have spent most of the late half of my twenties in a bodily state of disrepair.
A combination of drinking too much, working an absolute shit load and going out to all night parties made my interest of looking after myself close to zero.
I looked normal enough to the untrained observer. Not fat or anything I mean.
This state is what I like to refer to as "the Reverse Super Hero"
This means that your costume or outfit makes you look like a normal person from the outside, but as soon as you strip off, you look like the skinny-fat, (combo skinny arms and legs with a pot belly) nerdy, computer welding, compositor geek you are. Add to that mix a pasty-ness that is unheard of in NZ and you have a lethal combination of shitness.
Its the antithesis of Clark Kent, who tries to look normal but really he is Super awesome.
I tried to look normal but really I was shit.
Anyway I have been going to the gym for a while now so things are looking up I guess. Although I can't say I'll ever be one of those "oh theres a bit of sun I'm gonna get my top off" guys.
And I don't think I'll ever be fully rid of my slight stomach bulge because I like eating and beer too much. Fuck giving up that. I'm just trying not to turn into John Goodman.
"Hey look.....Its a fat funny guy. How you going fatso? Say something funny fatty fats fat fatso."
Anyway.
I was also recently thinking about crime in London. It all seems to be little fuckwits that are under 16 doing all the stabbing/murdering and stealing. Where does this put your average crime-fighting-vigilante hero?
I mean Batman couldn't just go out and beat the shit out of kids could he?
It'd be a PR nightmare. Even if he was saving someones life after some of these little fuckwits were trying to stab them to death he'd get in trouble. I can see the headline now.
"Batman beats the shit out of five children"
With quotes from the kids parents saying stuff like.
"My little Petey was just standing there playing Knifeseys when this crazed maniac dressed as a bat swung down and punched him and his friends in the face. He is such a good boy and this happens. Whats the world coming too?"
I fear that this means that even if a science experiment is going horrible wrong right now and giving some mild mannered scientist the power to fight evil, he is never gonna do it.
He like me realizes that he'll just end up killing little fuckwit kids.
No superheros for us then.