And It’s Hello From Me

Posted on October 10, 2011 by paul

Damn you real life. Damn your black heart for getting in the way. *shakes angry fist at the sky* It has been ages since I have last written anything here. I’ve been busy. What with holidays, work, book reviews and everything else it life get quite cluttered. I’ve had a flurry of new followers on the Twitters and Facebook so I thought I might do a little introductory post/ Q&A thingee.

Who the Hell are you? Around most of Interweb I go by the name Pablo Cheesecake. You may be stunned to discover that this isn’t my real name (I know I was). You can call me Paul if you like. I live in a little house with my significant other, the redoubtable MadNad as well as two cats (Odin & Freya) and a tarantula called Athena. When I’m not here or at work I run a book review website called The Eloquent Page. Gives me the chance to read a lot which can only be a good thing no?

What can you expect from A Mid-Life Crisis? Well, to put it in a nutshell, basically this is my on-going experiment trying to upload my consciousness on the internet. I like the idea of opening my brain giving it a shake and seeing what falls out. To give you a rough idea of the sort of thing you’ll witness. In the past I’ve blogged about my quest for the perfect fish finger sandwich, my obsession with crappy movies and in one memorable instance I ranted while drunk about Tesco’s plastic bags.

How often will I post? Your guess is as good as mine chief. This is the nature of random. Could be tomorrow cold be next week. I have no idea.

Will there be swearing? Fuck yeah. Probably lots if I’m honest. If it is in my head then it will eventually find its way onto the blog.

So I think that covers just about everything for now. Are we all strapped in and ready for lift off? Good show, lets see where we end up shall we.

Till next time
Please remember to tip your waiters and waitresses

Pablo Cheesecake

Trolls, The New 52 and a Bake-a-thon

Posted on September 10, 2011 by paul

Pablo Cheesecake, Trollhunter

This morning Mrs Cheesecake and I went to the cinema and we saw the latest found footage movie, Trollhunter. I demand you go and see this film immediately. This Norwegian epic is such good fun. The scenery is breathtaking. The story was highly enjoyable and the trolls themselves are a sight to behold.

I enjoyed this so much I felt compelled to ask Mrs Cheesecake to help me recreate a scene from the film. If you have been lucky enough to see the film then I think you can agree that the result is spookily accurate.

Pablo Cheesecake – Troll Hunter

I would particularly like to draw your attention to the fact I am wearing my nice bright green socks (perhaps not obvious as the photo is quite small, click on the photo to em-biggen). My feet were freezing when we got to Norway this afternoon. Also worth pointing out my hair goes the same colour as the trolls when it needs to get re-dyed (sad but true).

I am slightly concerned that there is going to be an English language remake of this. That would be a damn shame. The Norwegian cast were pitch perfect and I really cant imagine this story working anywhere else in the world.

The New 52

I also dipped my toes back into the world of comics this week. After much pondering I decided to I pick up Swamp Thing and Animal Man from the new DC range. Both were rather good. It has been a long time (years) since I bought any comic and I have to admit I was sceptical but turns out I was wrong. I think I may have to pick up Green Lantern next week. How long will this rekindled love affair last? Only time will tell.

Cakeageddon

Mrs Cheesecake has found her own bliss this week. Today after we got back from town she made a huge rustic loaf of bread, an apple and blackberry pie, a red velvet cake? and roast lemon and herb chicken. Check out the Twitters for evidence of this epic feat. I am being totally spoiled by all this homemade cookery. It is epic. Even as I type now she is pottering around in the kitchen making a cream cheese frosting for the cake. I think my waistline may explode. At least I will die happy 🙂

I’m going to go and get some cake.

Cheerio

Cheesecake Away!

Hey, Hey Its Saturday

Posted on September 3, 2011 by paul

Of Fantasycon and Holidays

Not long to go now till a two week holiday topped of with a visit to Fantasycon 2011 in Brighton. This will be our third FCon but I’ve never been to Brighton before so I’m looking forward to visiting somewhere new. There are a number of book launches that sound exactly great. Roll on our long weekend at the seaside. Hopefully I’ll meet some of you there? I’ll be the one with the bright red hair. More on that nearer the time I think.

The Curse of the Brown Trousers

(Before reading this update it would be well worth your while to check out my last post to understand the ins and outs of my trouser trauma. Hmmm trouser trauma sounds rude. Please note this is not erection related in any way. Just in case you were worried.)

They have finally arrived and I’m wearing them right now as I type. They seem to be very comfortable. Will this change my entire wardrobe? I dont think so. I’m still reticent to move into the realms of corduroy for example. At the very least I have a new choice I suppose. Like I’ve said before I’m not a fashionista so change is always a bit traumatic. Baby steps eh people?

Walking Music

This morning I had some errands to attend to and I decided I would do them on foot. Nice to get a bit of exercise and all that. I also decided it would be a good idea to take along my iPhone so I could listen to some sounds along the way.

My musical tastes are at best described as eclectic but I have a confession to make. Most of the time when I walk along the street this is what is playing in my head anyway.

or this

I fear I may have revealed to much. Oops. Oh well, never mind.

New Blogger

Looks like Blogger has a had a bit of an update. I am liking some of the new features. Certainly this first attempt at using it has been stress free.

Anyway enough of this waffle

Till next our paths cross

Your servant

Pablo Cheesecake Esq.

Trousers, Tattoos and Terror

Posted on August 24, 2011 by paul

The Curious Case of the Brown Trousers

When it comes to fashion I am a bit of a one trick pony. I like black jeans or black combats, if I am feeling whimsical khaki green at a push. Last weekend, in a fit of pique, I decided I was going to break with tradition and try something new. In a moment of craziness I purchased a pair of brown trousers. They haven’t arrived yet but I have been fretting about them ever since. What possessed me into this random act of fashion rebellion? For years I have been comfortable with my style (or indeed lack there of). I am still genuinely unsure if I will be able to where these when they do show up. The last time a tried something different, a pair of beige combats as I recall, my young nephew threw up on me and them. (Pureed sweet potato if your curious. Turns out bright orange is not a great accent colour in this case). More on this as the story develops.

The Great Tattoo of the Deep

Last week Mrs Cheesecake got some new ink. She is now the proud owner of a wolf paw print on the back of her neck. Jolly good it looks to. I am once again jealous. She has a number of other ideas and I look forward to them appearing over the fullness of time. In all honesty my tattoos are a bit lame and I am going through a phase of being slightly embarrassed by their crapiness. This did make me think about remedying the situation and so I started looking for ideas. I want to really go for it. Something striking and memorable. Something that I will be proud to be seen with for the rest of my life. After much research I have come to the following conclusion. I want something similar to this.

Cthulhu tattoo design moch up by chrislazzer
Isn’t it stunning. I really, REALLY like this. Now we come to the problem. I was talking to the tattooist about getting a sleeve done and it takes quite a long time (well I suppose that is fair enough. I mean you’d want a good job wouldn’t you) but it also costs quite a bit. Hmmm I’m not the best at saving my pennies. Roughly we are talking about 20hrs work at around £70 an hour. Do the math. Not exactly cheap is it. Would anyone like a kidney? Can I interest you in a slightly used spleen? If an eccentric billionaire happens upon this post I wouldn’t say no to accepting your charity. I won’t do anything kinky in return though. Well not too kinky anyway.

A Cheesecake The Goes Bump in The Night

Over the last couple of years I have developed a rather strange habit. If I sit an watch a horror film before I go to bed I will almost always have a bad dream. This in turn leads to me waking up in a blind panic. For example when I watched the Japanese version of The Ring I woke up later that night screaming. As I am sure you can no doubt appreciate Mrs Cheesecake poor nerves were somewhat frayed by this experience. On another occasion I have woken up, confidently explained there is either (a) someone in the house or (b) at the window. After which I immediately fall back to sleep. Mrs Cheesecake is not a massive fan of that either. Probably the weirdest one of all was the night I shouted “HOOTERS!!!” in my sleep. In that particular instance I do still maintain I was having a dream about clowns. Sleep and the sub-concious mind are a real enigma and I am constantly perplexed by the whole thing. The outcome of this new habit – no horror before bedtime. Damn shame as part of me really enjoys a good horror movie.

Sleep Tight

El Diablo Cheesecake

Pablo Cheesecake vs The Summer Blockbusters of 2011

Posted on August 17, 2011 by paul

I’m an avid movie-goer. I love the experience of viewing entertainment on a screen so huge that it fills my entire field of vision. For me cinema is all about escapism. Tell me a story, entertain me, take me me away from trails and tribulations of real life for a short while. I was think about it earlier today and it seems that this summer all the big blockbusters are all essentially about exactly the same thing.

Please don’t keep us in suspense Pablo – tell us dammit .

Ok seeing as you asked so politely, and there was no swearing, I shall. This year’s crop of summer blockbusters are all about…….drum roll please…….. how fucking great America is.

Now I should stress before I go any further that I am a fan of the US of States and this is merely an cinematic observation on my part. That said everything your read here is true….probably.

Exhibit A – Captain America

Ok. I admit this was an obvious first choice. I also have to admit that in all honesty I can’t give this one too much of a hard time. It was wonderfully done and by the final credits I was ready to join The Howling Comandos myself. There is no doubt this was all about the flag waving rampant patriotism but it was done extremely well. Fuck it…bring on The Avengers!

Captain America yesterday

Exhibit B – Super 8

Another example of Americana done terribly well. Who better than J.J. Abrahams and Steven Spielberg to provide a big old slice of late 70s nostalgia. Everything is wonderfully observed and the performances from the young leads were pitch perfect. Every scene offers a glimpse of the American suburbs at their best. I don’t doubt this will become a bit of a classic.

Exhibit C – Cowboys and Aliens

Oh for fuck sake….Cowboys…… Do I have to spell it out to you?

and finally….. Transformers 3: Dark Side of the Moon

This is the one that really sent me a bit insane.

Michael Bay and his American tough guys chums, oh and Shia LeBeouf, kick the living crap out of giant robots with the assistance of other giant robots. It felt sort of like a two and half hour ad for signing up to the military. I can imagine Mr Bay sitting about in his Hollywood mansion pondering ideas and thinking ‘well we’ve had every branch of the US Forces in the first two films. How are we going to top that? I’ve got it. Lets throw fucking astronauts into the mix!’

I swear to God at one point, toward the end of the film, when everyone was wistfully looking around at all the devastation that had been caused to the streets of Chicago I thought that this was going to happen*

*I also have to admit a certain amount of disappointment when it didn’t.

Transformers 3 is firmly at number one on my list of the least subtle films of all time. On the plus side though all the explosions were all awfully pretty.

Till another time, most likely in the future.

I’m Pablo Cheesecake, you’re not.

Fuck Yeah!

Ka-Blogged!

Posted on August 6, 2011 by paul

A Treasure Trove

This afternoon Mrs Cheesecake and I were tidying out a room and I happened across an old box full of random comics. In amongst all of the regular Marvel and DC fare there were a number of independent titles that I had forgot I owned. Check these out

Fat Ninja Adolescent Radioactive

What can I say – I went through a phase when I was a younger that the weirder something was the more I was interested in it. The results I believe speak for themselves. There are others as well but things just get weirder and weirder so perhaps I’ll leave those for another time.

Captain America Fuck Yeah!

It would appear that there is a distinctly comic book related theme to this post. Tomorrow Mrs C and I are going to go and check out the latest Marvel movie offering. The trailer looked pretty cool. Chris Evans appears to be a good choice for the Cap. I have a sneaking suspicion that I will be jonesin for The Avengers at movie’s end. Lets see shall we.

I am The Law*

Last week I received Marshal Law: Fear and Loathing , as a late birthday gift. If you haven’t read this you should. This is a classic. Seek it out immediately. I demand you do this NOW!

Marshall Law

Seriously though this fucking rocks. It is well worth your time.

* Never mind Dredd this is the future policeman you should be worried about. Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill really do know their stuff.

To infinity and beyond!
Captain Cheesecake

Birthday Swag

Posted on July 24, 2011 by paul

Today is my birthday and I got lots of nice gifts. Here is what I got. (All of which I am totally chuffed with!)
To start with a few books

Heat Wave and Naked Heat from a new writer called Richard Castle. I predict great things.
Instinct by Jeremy Robinson
Jack Cloudie by Stephen Hunt
Outpost by Adam Baker

Then a rather classic graphic novel.

Marshal Law: Fear and Loathing by Pat Mills and Kevin O’Neill

Some nice quirky music

Gravelands by The King (an Elvis Presley impersonator who does Elvis covers of only dead musicians. Weird I know but it’s very cool. If you are familiar with Dread Zepplin then you will get the idea.)

Finally a laptop sleeve from the good people at Burgerplex

Bit mad eh?
Anywho time for cake
Later People
Mr P Cheesecake
37yrs Old

A New Post About Things and Stuff

Posted on July 21, 2011 by paul

Pablo Cheesecake vs Himself

It was inevitable really. After years of moaning about everything else it was only a matter of time before I turned my attention to the worst offender of them all. The King of the Hill, El Numero Uno, The Big Kahuna, the Grand Fromage………me.

What could possibly cause all this full on self-loathing? Hmm…how best to put it….Since I turned thirty my body has been failing me on, what seems like, a regular basis.

The most recent trauma is a recurrence of my thyroid issues. Now for those blissfully ignorant of this particular gland the thyroid helps to regulate energy levels in your body. Mine, putting it as succinctly as possible, is fucked. I have been using medication for a few years now to help manage the problem. A while back my doctor suggested a reduction in my meds. Initially everything seemed fine and, as is the way with these things, I promptly forgot all about it.

Cut to last week. In the space of one day I feel asleep at my desk at work, then on the bus on the way home and for a third time at around 8pm. As soon as I sit down and I am not focusing on anything I start to drift off and then fall asleep.

The worst part, without doubt, is that this is causing problems with my reading. I am sure most of you are aware that I run The Eloquent Page. I like to keep it ticking over and try to post a couple of reviews a week. For me a couple of books of week is an easily achievable goal. Unfortunately my thyroid is causing me no end of grief. No matter how much I am glued to the latest novel I am reading if I get too comfortable and relax and then I start to fall asleep. It is making things difficult to keep to a regular posting schedule. I am going to try to keep going and hopefully the boffins can sort me out. I just feel terribly disappointed. Literally at the point where things are starting to pick up with the site and I am failing myself.

Sorry. I apologise. Please excuse the self-pity. I just needed to vent a bit. its just so fucking annoying. I feel fine but can’t stay awake. There are many people in the world that are way worse off than I am so I don’t really have any right to complain.

The Linear Nature of Time

Days and months zip by and on a much more upbeat note, it is my birthday this weekend. Has it really been a whole year? I’m looking forward to spending a nice day with Mrs Cheesecake. She has promised a slap up lunch, always a bonus, and I know she has a couple of surprise gifts hidden somewhere. When it comes to birthdays and Christmas I am still a big kid. I love opening gifts and enjoy the festiveness of it all. If I think about it I dont really care what age I am. Every year seems to bring new challenges but also new joys. I’m just aiming to be happy in my own skin. Not the loftiest of goals but a good one I think.

Of Hobbits and Caped Crusaders

The latest production diary for The Hobbit surfaced this morning. Once again I find myself swept up in all the excitement. Peter Jackson is entirely the right man for the job, as he has proved already with Bad Taste and Braindead. (If you haven’t seen either then seek them out immediately dammit! ) I think he did direct some other stuff but I am not sure what they are about.

Meanwhile Batman Live has finally started it’s tour. Mrs Cheesecake and I have tickets for when it arrives in Nottingham. If it is as good as Doctor Who Live was we should be in for a real treat. Nothing better than a public entertainment is there? I have high hopes. I’m also looking forward to the forthcoming DC reboot. I just need to decided what titles to spend my hard earned on.

The Woes of a Gadget Whore

I was complaining a while back that I had owned my shiny new iPhone 4 for a while and was yet to receive a phone call on it. Now don’t panic I’m not looking for your pity. I don’t get a great deal of phone calls full stop but that’s cool I contact my peoples via the social media and what not. I just wanted to relate the tale of what happened when I finally did get my first call.

Mrs Cheesecake rang to let me know she would be late. The phone started to vibrate (like the conscientious sod I am I tend to put it on silent. Which in itself is a shame as I have cracking ring-tone but I digress *see below*) Any way, I answered the phone with a flourishing swipe of my finger on the touchscreen.

“Hello” says I

….Not a peep in response

“Hello” again nothing.

Finally after about 30 seconds I remember that my headphones are plugged in to the phone but I am wearing them round my neck not on my ears. Turns out that once again, though I love my technology, I am the very definition of ‘a tool’.

* Here, for anyone that has gotten this far, is my current ring-tone*

Till my next rant.

Laters

The Caped Cheesecake

Absence Makes The Cheesecake Stronger

Posted on July 9, 2011 by paul

Normal Service will now be resumed…. again…..probably….

I haven’t posted anything new for ages. I noticed earlier in the week that I had only written one post for the whole of June. I not sure what is going on. Maybe my sub-conscious has actively taken a dislike to my blog? I’m not sure why. Perhaps I have just not felt the need to divulge any of my goings on? Weird non? I’m pretty sure that I did stuff during the month of June, Alt.Fiction springs to mind, but I just didn’t feel the need to write about it here.

(For those new to my Mid-Life Crisis. This blog is my stream of consciousness where I will talk about everything, well everything except books 🙂 You can go to The Eloquent Page for that. Here you will find everything from drunken rants about Tesco carrier bags to the hunt for the perfect fish finger sandwich and not forgetting my epic quest for the world’s greatest condiment. Essentially it is a big old rambling cathartic mess. Anyway back to the action. Sorry about the interruption. You should probably note I can’t promise that it won’t happen again.)

Pablo Cheesecake – How does your garden grow?

That’s a bloody good question. The vegetable garden continues to provided mixed results. Admittedly the wildly erratic British weather has a lot to do with it. I have discovered that I like to potter around in the garden. Turns out that growing stuff is a rather marvelous thing. I’ve gotten into the habit of checking every day just to see what has changed. Recently, for example, the potatoes have taken over while the sweetcorn shows a certain degree of tenacity. The good news is that I can confirm there is garlic! In fairness the vast majority of the credit lies squarely on the shoulders of Mrs Cheesecake. She is the green fingered one. I just like to enjoy the various comings and goings as the seasons change.

Hugh Grant and Phone Hacking

I watched Question Time last on Thursday, that in itself is a bit of a rarity, and was as impressed by Hugh Grant as I was distressed by the politicians that where on the panel with him. Its not often that I get drawn into politics but the current situation that is occurring the in UK makes my blood boil. First that it took place at all and secondly that all the botched cover ups and so called investigations that have happened afterwards. That and the fact the the ring leaders appear to be getting away with it Scot free is a damned outrage. They are a shower of teflon coated oily fuckers, all of them.

Another Year Older

I’ll be thirty seven years old in a couple of weeks. Have I matured any in the last twelve months? Thinking about it the quick answer is probably not. I continue to wander through life in a slightly befuddled and bemused fashion. Perhaps one day I will figure it all out. No doubt to be hit by a bus shortly thereafter. On a positive note at least I have passed the half way stage on my sit up challenge. 10600 situps done so far this year. 9400 left to got. No applause necessary. Tis but a trifle.

Blessed are the Cheese-Straw Makers

Today, while I wax lyrical on the interweb, Mrs Cheesecake has got her baking head on. So far she has made cheese straws, mini rosemary focaccia and a tomato, onion and thyme tart. We are of to a BBQ later and all these goodies are going with us. Fortunately I have had the opportunity to sample everything first. It’s all good.

and finally…..There and Back again

I just watched the second video blog from the filming of The Hobbit. Again there was a spike in my excitement levels for this project. Everything just looks so right. The days really can’t pass quick enough.

Till next time I remember that I have a blog

Stay Golden

Senor Pablo Cheesecake

A Week in the Life

Posted on June 10, 2011 by paul

This week I have been on holiday. I’ve been incredibly lazy but only because I’ve been in dire need for some down time. In my attempts to create a never ending stream of consciousness I have discovered some stuff that I never knew before. Without any further folderol I give you…..

Things I have learned this week

Bakewell pudding is not the same as Bakewell tart. Both however taste great.
X-Men First Class was
I am exceptionally good at giving directions that sound correct but are, in actual fact, shit.
Weather forecasting is a mugs game.
Lausanne is on my to-do list
So is Bruges
Great joy can be had from watching a garden grow (Sounds soft I know, but its true).
Ikea may be versed in the black arts. They make me desire objects I don’t need.
Hand cut chips can be a thing of rare beauty.
Managed to get to nearly 37 without ever seeing bees having sex and then stumbled upon it in the garden. That was truly un-expected.

Enough of this randomness
Laters Tatters