New Year and all that

Well I'm back in London after spending Christmas in Liverpool with the parents. Sure it wasn't exactly a super exciting Christmas, but then a quiet one with the immediate family is often best. Especially with a heavy New Year's Eve coming up. We are having a bit of a party of sorts, and while I'm optimistic that it'll be a lot of fun, I'm also not sure how many people are coming along. Sure, the usual suspects will be there and we'll have a ball, but I was hoping to get some of the lesser-spotted friends around to add a bit of variety. I guess people don't understand R.S.V.P, even when you put the english translation with it. Nevermind eh.
After a bit of a rough weekend prior to christmas, which made me a little down over the holidays, I've started to cheer up a lot. Partially because I'm back to a normal routine and the usual freedoms associated with it, but also a post on a friend's website made me feel special, and for which I am very thankful.
I'm going to see if I can make some resolutions and actually keep to them this year. I figure they'll last a month or two, though I've included a cut-down on drinking which I doubt will last more than a fortnight, at least I'll try.

Well thats about it, I'll have more to say after New Year probably. For now I'm going to kick back and watch a DVD or something. Calm before the storm and all that.

Now Playing in iTunes: Am I Ever by The Lights

Pub Love

So yeah, life is a bit of a roller-coaster at present. I like the fact that I'm seeing more people outside of my house here in Fulham and that I'm meeting new people all the time. I'm also still falling into my usual holes that I dig for myself. But I suppose you can't change your life completely.

In other news, I'm really liking these new licensing laws. Socialising in pubs is now far more relaxed I feel. 11pm seemed like a silly time to close pubs, since it felt earlier than it actually was. Now if a bar closes at 12am or 1am, you feel like it is a good time to stop drinking since it is officially the next day. Thus making the 'mad dash for last orders' less important.
Something I've noticed from the pubs in West London that I've been to that have later hours now is, that come 11pm the bar still empties out. I was out last thursday with some friends at the Lloyds bar in FBDY (Fulham Broadway Station), the bar was busy as ever at around 10pm with the bar at least 3 people deep with people waiting for drinks. Then come 11pm, the bar emptied out and the atmosphere changed to a more relaxed chilled-out night.
My belief is that people who are going clubbing will still leave pubs at around 11pm to get into the club while they can, freeing the place up for those who just want a quieter night out.
Tom summed up another benefit as: "If you get 100 drunk chavs and kick them onto the street at once, you are going to have a fight."
Maybe this won't last and people will just get drunk every night and we will descend further into Rome-style self-indulgance leading to the fall of western society. But at least we'll be able to drink a toast to it's downfall at midnight down at the local.