The Watch – Part 212:

(Tom’s perspective)

Well, I guess there’s only one way to find out whether they are any good and that is to go exploring.

From what I can tell from this distance the house has been abandoned for some years, and when I gradually got nearer, more and more of the house’s features appeared. The door’s paint is peeling of, revealing the aged wood underneath. The paint on the window frames are also meeting the same fate. The grass in the front garden hasn’t been cut for just as long as the house has been abandoned, the many weeds were allowed to flourish, some were growing up the side of the house.

Within the long grass, empty drink cans, packet of crisps, and other bits of litter where people decided to throw into the garden instead of putting it in a bin laid between the blades. If it has one, I can only imagine what the back garden looks like. Probably worse. The gate separating me from the broken garden path from losing the war against the weeds was rusty and its hinges barely stayed together. I was afraid that the slightest touch or movement would send it crumbling to the ground, but when I lifted the latch, it swung open freely without problem, coming to a rest against a large tuff of grass.

If I were in a horror film, this would be the house to stay away from. It would be the most haunted house in the street, full of tortured ghosts that make sure all the residents in the surrounding area can hear their screams and rampages throughout the night. It wouldn’t be a horror film if at least two or more people decided to go exploring. One person has to be a strong sceptic that gets proven wrong by the end of the film, one of them has to be a strong believer, and if there are more than two, one of them has to be either very scared or the comic relief in the film. They would be the one who receives all the jump scares and they would overreact in some dramatic way. And the final quarter of the film would feature the main characters battling against the ghosts. Usually, the characters would survive the night and walk away with only their memories and experiences making them stronger than they were before entering the house.

When I had reached the end of the garden path, I sidestepped and peered through the window. It was a classic scene of dust and dirt and mould and darkness. The smell of rotten wood was strong. I don’t believe in ghosts. I guess that’s why I can enjoy horror films as much as I do, because I treat it as pure fiction and nothing else, where as some people would say that there is every possibility of it happening in real life. It wasn’t until a couple of years later when I discovered that there is .

a fair few horror films that are based on true stories. That did chance my entire perspective on those films, but when it comes to ghosts, even though the text at the beginning says that it’s all based on a true story, I don’t believe it. And that’s why I’m not scared about entering this place. If there are ghosts in here, then they won’t be able to hurt me. Only the living can hurt me. Well, unless it’s a poltergeist – which there is no such thing – then that would be a whole different ball game.

Well, I had better venture inside. Obviously the door is going to be locked, so I had better go in through the window. However, that looks rather unstable, so I would have to extremely carefully. The only thing I’m weary of is this collapsing under my weight as I climb up.

What’s underneath the window? The last thing that I want is to land on something painful. I look inside and see nothing but a heap of dust. That’ll do.

Placing my hand on the window frame, the aged wood breaks under my palms. I could feel the splinters trying to dig their way into my hand, so I brush the wood away and try again. This time, the wood breaks, but in such a way that I don’t have to worry about getting splinters.

‘One. Two. And a three,’ and I heave myself up, lifting my leg up at the same time. My foot landed on the frame, allowing me to push myself up even more, but then I found myself in an unexpected awkward position. Then I found my upper body weight starting to take over. I tried to keep myself upright, but I was too far gone and I went head over heels as I toppled through the window, landing on my back on the dust, kicking it up into the air, blurring my vision and making me cough. Swiping the dust away with my hands, the air becomes clean once more and I am able to breathe normally again.

However, as I was twisting my body around to stand up, I unintentionally kicked a load of dust into the air once more, forcing me to swipe at the air once more. This may be a bit too dusty to stay the night in. I don’t have a torch, but luckily, I don’t need one as the sun’s rays filtered through the dust and lit up the area. I could see the rays slowly disappearing as the sun set below the horizon.

This house has two floors but I’m unable to see the stairs where I’m standing, but the kitchen is to my right and the living room is to my left. The hallway to the back door is right in front of me… and there’s a figure standing behind it…

TO BE CONTINUED…

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

NEW BOOK

Next month I will be releasing a new book - my second book overall, "The Watch - Book 1". It'll be released on Kindle and as a physical copy. My main two reasons for doing so are to widen my audience: I love the story I've developed on this blog and I feel it's time to extend my horizon as much as I can. My other main reason is because I want to hold one in my hands.

I had a few difficulties regarding the front cover, I just couldn't get the dimensions right to match the size of the book I had chosen, but eventually I was able to figure it out and officially announce the book. I'm hoping for the release date of 19 October. 

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

1,000 Words: A Bright Rainbow

This is the brightest rainbow I've seen in a long while. This easily beats the rainbow I saw coming back from Brighton a few weeks ago. And the best part about it, the second rainbow is bright enough it can be clearly seen as well. Unfortunately, my camera wasn't able to make out all the colours, but I was able to make out each colour perfectly.


Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

Film of the Week: The Kingsman – The Golden Circle

Warning: Strong spoilers. Do not read if you haven’t watched the film.

I knew it would be hard to make a sequel that’s on par with the first Kingsman, but I’m pleased to say they came close. The film has had a lot of effort put into making it entertaining, and it certainly delivers. It’s the exact same style as the one before, so it’s gory, action-packed, and silly – and we see it all via creative camera angles that give the impression of shaky-cam, but are in fact still enough so you pay attention to everything that’s going on without missing a thing, keeping you hooked and entertained.

The first film was pure entertainment. It ramped up everything to eleven. Instead of expecting and assuming the sequel would disappoint, I had faith that the writer and director, Matthew Vaughn would make a film that’s just as awesome as the one before, and they did. My only criticism is that it was a little slow in the middle, and comparing that to the first where the entire film moved at the same pace throughout – fast and energetic – it was something that I had to get used to, but when it picked up the pace, we were right back in familiar territory.

The first hurdle I knew they had to tackle when making this whether they should attempt topping the church scene from the first movie. Nothing came close to beating that scene, nor did they do anything similar, and I’m glad they made that decision. This sequel isn’t about being better that the predecessor, but instead just to have fun and continue the story, which they did.

What shocked me the most about the film was how they killed Roxy, one of the main characters from the last film, off at the beginning of the film, and to be honest, I was expecting her to return right at the end. Eggsy would be in some danger and she would appear out of nowhere saving his live. That’s the clichéd way of doing things. We saw her leap off the bed, so obviously she was heading towards some escape route or safe place within the mansion. In a way, by killing Roxy off and making me/us believe that she might come back but ultimately doesn’t is a nice way of breaking that tradition. I would be delighted if she did return because of the unexpected nature of her death, but the fact that she doesn’t shows it is possible to break clichés and make a good film.

And of course, Mervin sacrificing himself was also unexpected, but fundamentally his character right down to the core. If they do make a third movie, he would be missed, mainly because his chemistry with everyone else was enjoyable to watch every single time he was on screen.

The big question was how Colin Firth would come back, whether it was a different character or who he played in the first movie. The answer was filled to the brim with science and, being with that identity of being a spoof of certain action movies, mainly the James Bond franchise, that answer starts to make more sense with that world, instead of something that you’re meant to believe is possible in the real world.

I can’t really talk about this movie without saying how awesome Elton John was in every scene he appeared in. Playing a fictionalised version of himself, it was hilarious, and he certainly takes one of the top scenes when he was doing a flying kick towards a henchman, making sure he steels a quick smile at the camera.

In conclusion, this film has the same atmosphere as the one before, and doesn’t change anything but instead expands on the already established world – which makes the overall film nether better or worse than the one before, but instead the same. It’s a whole bunch of fun.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

The Watch – Part 211:

(Tom’s perspective)

I have a feeling that my question was so weird that she said the first thing that came to mind just to get rid of me. I can’t see any empty house or building anywhere. Everywhere I look is either occupied or closed as it’s getting nearer to the end of the day.

Judging from the position of the sun, I’ve only got a couple of hours to go before it starts dropping below the horizon. I need to find a suitable place as soon I can. There are so many roads branching off this long road, which I’ve realised that I haven’t taken note of the name yet. I should do that next time I find a sign, which from the looks of it, should be just up ahead where another road connects to it from the right.

 As I was walking towards the road, a bus came from behind me and stopped at the bus stop just in front of me. It, too was going to Pogo Street. I didn’t take note of the destination the other bus was going to as I was more interested as to how it appeared the way it did. I should start paying attention more, I concluded.

I can feel a notable drop in temperature. And I’ve noticed that there are a lot more people than before.

‘Excuse me,’ I said to yet another random stranger.

‘Sure,’ he said, politely.

‘Do you have the time?’

‘Well, actually, time isn’t a thing that anyone can hold. It’s a thing that holds us in place. We must obey it otherwise it will get away from us and then we will never be able to catch up with it. We can try and fight against its will as much as we want, but in the end it will always win. It doesn’t wait for anyone or anything. Will we have the technology that is powerful enough to allow us to control it, send us into the past or the future, I don’t think so, but if we do then it certainly won’t be in our lifetime. It would be nice to travel in time at some point, but we must all accept that it’s not going to happen. Can you imagine how many potential opportunities will arise if we did have the ability to control time? Can you imagine the damage that we can cause if we do start controlling it? If we are given the necessary equipment to do whatever we want with time, then all our problems will disappear, but alas, that is not the case. But even if we are able to control it, we still won’t be able to hold it. It weaves between the very fabric of the universe itself; all we can do is jump from one stitch to another, or bend one stitch to fit our needs, but we mustn’t – we can’t – touch it.’

‘Er…’ I don’t know how to respond to that. That was not what I was expecting at all. ‘Um…’

‘I think the question you were meant to ask is do I have a device that humans have developed in order to accurately predict the passage of time so that we don’t get lost.

‘Um…’

He lifted up his arm so that his sleeve slid down his wrist, revealing the watch underneath.

‘It’s just gone five,’ he said.

‘Um… thank you,’ I said.

‘You’re welcome,’ he said, nodding his head before walking off.

Well, OK then. What the heck was all that about? At least I found out the time of day. Everything else that he said, I’m going to forget as I can’t remember it all anyway. I was so surprised with that response that I didn’t even fully take in what he said the first time round.

Anyway, back to finding where a suitable place to sleep for the night is. I thought about asking him where one was, but I didn’t want to as I won’t get the answer straight away. What I will get beforehand is anyone’s guess.

I had better get a move on as the sun is nearing the horizon. Is it me, or is the sun actually moving faster than the one back home? I could say yes because this is a different universe after all and there has to be some differences between the one I come from and this one, but at the same time I can say no because it’s only because I’m spending way more time doing very little in my search for a place to sleep for the night. Time’s getting away from me, and if I’m not careful it’ll be night time. Oh, heck, am I actually agreeing with that strange person’s words?

Another road, this time branching off to the left.

Because I was processing what that person said to me, I forgot to look at the sign telling me the name for this road I’m on now, and forgot to look at the name of the road that I passed back there. I’m not doing that well in trying to be more observant. Nearing the road, I made sure that I look at both signs.

‘Let’s see here,’ I said to myself as I looked up and read.

‘Long road,’ this road’s sign said. Well that’s rather predictable. I should have guessed that considering it was indeed a long road. Ok, so what’s the name for the other road?

‘Pogo Street.’ Oh. I found it. I look down the road and noticed that it ended with a dead end. I saw a bus reaching what appeared to be a roundabout, swinging around at a steady speed and heading towards me. As the bus passed me, it revealed something that I clearly wasn’t expecting. Two empty houses in a row. Even at this distance, it was clear to me that they were empty.

Pogo Street. The street that I found mildly amusing a few hours ago, wanted to find and then decided against it, so happens to be the street that I need at this very moment.

Well, OK, then.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

Jerry's Journal: Watching Ducks

Whilst at Needham lake, Jerry became interested in the ducks. If we didn't have to move, he would happily watch them all day.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

The Watch – Part 210:

(Tom’s perspective)

It feels good to feel good. I’m walking through the city once more, smiling for the first time since I got here. I have no worries and no responsibilities. I can use this time that I am away to relax and be myself. Ideally, I would like Sebastian to come and get me right away, but I know that won’t happen any time soon even if – paradoxically speaking – he will be here any second from now.

The sun’s high in the sky, the city’s busy and all the people are minding their own business. Maybe I should try and find Pogo Street again.

It then only occurred to me that when the sun goes down and the daylight is replaced by night, I won’t have anywhere to go to get some sleep. I can’t go to a hotel or a travel lodge, or even a bed and breakfast. The only option I have is to spend the night on the streets. But it’s going to get cold, especially in the middle of the night. I wouldn’t mind getting some kind of roof over my head for the nights that I’m going to be here.

I shouldn’t be complaining that I don’t have anywhere to stay. I should just accept that I am in my current position and move on. But if I could find some shelter, then I wouldn’t pass up on it. I need to refocus my attention to finding a suitable place to stay for my nights. If I could find that one place where I can stay each night instead of having to move from one place to another every night, then that would be perfect.

How about I use the fact that I’m hidden to my advantage. How risky would it be if I walked into a hotel, took one of those keycards and went to that room? Very risky. Too risky. Incredibly risky. I don’t know why I even suggested it. There is absolutely no way that I would be able to get away with that in a million years. If I were invisible I would be able to get away with that, but even then, once I’m asleep, there’s no way of predicting if anybody is going to enter the room, and they won’t be able to enter the room because the keycard is missing. That really has to be one of the worst ideas I’ve thought of. What a waste of time that was thinking that. I need to do better than that.

Being hidden is the best thing to be when you’re in this predicament and so I would like to remain that way. There has to be a certain place where I can go that won’t draw any unnecessary attention towards me.

Are there any abandoned buildings anywhere? I couldn’t see any as I was going about my walking, but there may be a couple here and there. Sure, it might be a bit dusty inside, but if I give it a quick once over, I might be able to stay there. There will be no heating, though. Well, I can worry about that later. First thing’s first: Find an abandoned building. Should I ask one of these people? I shouldn’t hurt as I did ask someone where the bank was. I’ve interacted with many people and still I haven’t been found. One more person wouldn’t hurt, surely.

‘Excuse me,’ I said, picking out a random stranger from the crowd. ‘Do you know of any buildings that need refurbishment around here?’ She looked at me as if I had just asked her the oddest question of the month, but she answered it anyway.

‘The only one I know of is quite the way over in that direction,’ she said, pointing in the direction of that long street I was standing on earlier.

‘Ok, thanks,’ I said, and she walked away, but not before given me one more look. Was that question too weird? I mean, will she think that question is weird enough to be told to the people she knows and they will spread, eventually spreading to enough people so that I will be recognised as the person who asked that really weird question? That’s probably a little bit too far-fetched to worry about. I should just carry on as normal.

Where did she say one was, in this direction? I started walking back the way I had just come from in search for a place for the night.

Nothing so far. Maybe it’s further along. I reach the beginning of the long street once more, looking out at the horizon where the street disappears under. I start walking down it and it didn’t take long before I reached the point where I stopped. A bus appeared beside me and hissed loudly, making me jump. I hate it when that happens.

The strangest part about all of this is the fact that I didn’t see a single bus before now. Only when I’m on this street do I see a bus. I turn around and see that it would have been hard for me not to see that bus. Maybe I wasn’t paying attention as much as I am now. I mean, both times I’ve walked down here, I was searching for something. No, actually, the first time I saw a bus, I wasn’t searching for anything. It was only when I saw a bus that I wanted to find something, which is Pogo Street. I’m scratching my head to figure out where that bus managed to slip under my radar as it is. It literally appeared out of nowhere. Well, not literally out of nowhere… Well, I am on a different planet, in a different universe… but still, out of nowhere is still a hard thing to do… I tell me what: Once I’ve found a suitable place to go for the night, I can then start figuring out how those buses can appear as they do. Sounds like a plan.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

Random Topic Generator: My Top 4 Quotes

Being a nerd, I have watched a tonne of TV and in certain episodes, a character says something that connects with me in various ways, whether it’s funny, intellectual, or gets me thinking. Today I would like to share with you my top 4 quotes and where they came from, and you may be surprised where one of them comes from, but it does fit my nerd personality.

Number 4: Friends – Series 3 – Episode 7: The One with the Racecar Bed

“How are you going to run after him with one leg shorter than the other?”

Spoken by Rachel Green’s father, Dr. Green when having an argument with Rachel about her complaining about one of her legs being shorter than the other, and how it’s Ross’s fault that she’s going. However, Ross defends himself by saying Rachel doesn’t listen, even when he tries to convince her to get renter’s insurance, which, of course, displeases Dr. Green. Ross and Dr. Green have never seen eye-to-eye until this episode when this line is spoken. From that moment on, their relationship does begin to change, but ever so slightly.

I understand that you may have been expecting something inspirational and why it connects to me personally, but instead it’s just a line that can’t be used anywhere other than the specific situation detailed in that scene. However, it’s spoken so casually and with intelligence, as well as in-keeping with Dr. Green’s personality. Sometimes a line can only be spoken by a certain character, and I believe no one else can pull off this line with the exact same wit – not even Chandler could. It’s also something that I know I would have said given the opportunity, and if there is one that crops up in the future, I will say it and see how people react. Upon first hearing, it did generate a massive laugh from me, and it still does.

Number 3: Monk

“If you pay attention, you’d be worried, too.”

This one doesn’t come from one specific episode, but instead comes from the majority of all episodes, because it’s a line in the opening theme song, It’s a Jungle Out There, sung by Randy Newman. The theme song captures Monk’s personality and his viewpoint on the world around him. Monk is one of my most favourite shows of all time and I could spend hours writing why. I probably have twisted its meaning around a small bit, but from what I can interpret is: if you pay attention to the world as I am, you would be worrying the same as me. Everyone’s viewpoint is completely different to everyone else’s, and we all have our individual worries – and all we’re hoping for is for people to understand, as they are hoping for us to do.

I probably have twisted the meaning to breaking point and over thought what it actually meant – it is just a song lyric after all, but it got me thinking and that’s why it’s on this list.

Number 2: Rick and Morty – Series 2 – Episode 6: The Ricks Must Be Crazy

“And it certainly can’t be anyone WHOSE ENTIRE CULTURE POWERS MY BREAKLIGHTS!”

I did have only three quotes, but then I fell in love with Rick and Morty and watched the episode where this quote comes from and I couldn’t stop laughing upon first hearing it. On Wednesday, I spoke about why I love the episode, and spoke a little about why this quote resonates with me on many levels. It gets me thinking, is funny because it’s an incredible burn, and probably hasn’t even been uttered before, making it the most original sentence I’ve heard in such a long time.

Again, it’s not a quote that can be repeated in every day conversation, but it’s certainly one that has stuck around.

Number 1: Yu-Gi-Oh: The Movie

“But even eternity doesn’t last forever.”

You weren’t expecting this, were you? This line has probably been uttered in many different forms over the years, but the first variant I heard came from Yu-Gi-Oh: The Movie, and this has been sitting at the top for years.

To put some context to the quote, it was during the opening scene where the narrator was giving a brief introduction to the world of Yu-Gi-Oh. He was explaining how the pharaoh sealed himself away for all eternity to keep the dark game of shadow monsters from harming the world. Before skipping to present day, the narrator spoke this line, and it is, of course, completely true. The pharaoh was indeed intending to be sealed away for all eternity, and yet, five millennia later, he was released, thus bringing an end to all eternity.

This can be applied to so many other situations if used correctly. A variant of the line is the common expression – nothing lasts forever. Nothing – implying absolutely everything will eventually end – including eternity?

Across countless fictional works, there have been narratives where a character or a group of characters have been locked away for all eternity, only to be let out or they’ve escaped some years down the line. If they weren’t released at that specific time, then who’s to say they won’t be released, or they won’t escape at some point. Going by that logic, eternity could consist of just one day.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

TV Show of the Week: Rick and Morty – The Ricks Must Be Crazy

About 90% of everyone I know were pestering me to watch Rick and Morty. I knew it was a hugely popular show, about science, parallel universe hopping, and I am a massive nerd a heart and so I wasn’t worried about the show not resonating with me in any way. However, it still took a while before I got round to watching it, and when I did, I binged watched every episode. From the first episode right to the end of season 2, I was hooked. It was original, it was silly, it was smart and clever, and I’ve watched every episode twice.

With each episode being so different from the previous, it was hard to pick a favourite, and it still is. The first episode was my favourite until I watched the second, and that was my favourite only up to when I watched the third and that pattern continued throughout both seasons. It’s the only show in my long list of shows I’ve watched that I can say with complete confidence, every single episode is incredible. Not a single one missed any marks. Nevertheless, upon my second round of binge watching the show, there was one episode that stood out from the rest, The Ricks Must Be Crazy – a reference to the movie, The Gods Must Be Crazy. This episode sees Rick and Morty venture into their car battery where Rick has created an entire universe solely for the purpose of running his car. They have to enter because the battery is working and they discover the answer when the world Rick created was developing its own power supply/universe, which they also venture into, and discover that it, too, is also developing its own power supply/universe. This isn’t a review of the episode I just want to say why this episode is awesome.

When the truth is finally revealed, Rick and Zeep Zanflorp battle it out with the intent to get back to their own universe and destroy the other. Rick eventually overpowers Zeep and they return Rick and Morty escape the universe inside the battery. Rick doesn’t need to destroy the universe, however, because Zeep prevents that by making sure his world returns to the method of making energy they had before. At its core, this episode has a deep philosophical meaning and explores some hard questions, along with plenty of jokes and a sub-plot involving Rick’s ship keeping Summer safe despite her constant restrictions, and with one of the best lines I’ve ever heard, this episode will always be the episode I will always show to those who are new to the series.

But the main reason why this episode stood out over the rest is because of a single line spoken to Rick when yelling at Zeep across a canyon whilst they’re both trying to figure a way out of the universe after its creator destroyed himself upon realising the truth.

“And it certainly can’t be someone WHOSE ENTIRE CULTURE POWERS MY BREAKLIGHTS!”

There is so much depth to that one line and all of it hit at once upon hearing it for the first time. It’s funny, and one incredibly unique burn that would undoubtedly force anyone who’s in that situation question so many things – whilst sparking a heck of a lot of motivation to best their opponent. In any other context, it doesn’t make any sense, but it’s meaning can be placed pretty much everywhere if you use it correctly.

Thanks for reading
Antony Hudson
(TonyHadNouns)

The Watch – Part 209:

(Tom’s perspective)

For the first time since arriving here, I felt fine. I wasn’t perfect. I still felt lonely, nervous and scared, but other than that I was plainly and simply, fine.

My head is a lot clearer now. I can relax whilst walking because I have no more pain in my stomach or my throat. I can focus on things much better than before, yet I’m afraid to. I want to sit down and think about things properly, yet I just know that I’ll only end up repeating myself, and all of those thoughts are slowly becoming meaningless. The best thing I can do is keep moving forwards.

This world may look the same, but it is vastly different from the world I came from. My mind, despite being starved of energy, was trying to adjust, trying to contemplate as much as it could with what it had, and now that I’m feeling fine, it can do that a lot easier. Sure, it’s still mind-blowing to say the least that I’m actually proving the existence of parallel worlds. I am confirming, 100%, that parallel universes aren’t just a theory. And no one knows. All these people, not knowing who I am or where I came from, that’s the weirdest part about all of this. They simply do not know. Can you imagine what it would be like if they did? How sudden certain perspectives and theories and beliefs would go out of the window – change in an instant.

Is this what Sebastian first thought of when he first visited a parallel universe? Another thing that’s weird is all the time I was sitting at home, playing on my computer, lying in bed, Sebastian was somewhere out there, roaming, exploring, discovering new worlds, new universes and now I’m doing just that. And what is even weirder is that all the times we were in college, or walking down the street, or watching a film together, he was out there. For all I know, went back in time and visited his younger-self, maybe even met me… No, I would have remembered that, but my point still stands.  Except he was able to do that without worrying about getting trapped there. He had the watch. But that doesn’t stop me from roaming, exploring and discovering. I should treat this as if it’s a gift. How many people can say that they’ve visited a parallel universe? 3 people: Sebastian, Amy, and I.

So, is the conclusion to this that it’s a gift that I’m here, but at the same time it’s a curse because I have no way back until Sebastian comes and gets me? In the meantime, I’m stuck here, having to fend for myself, do whatever I can to keep going. This scenario reminds me of a game that I used to play back in high school. Sebastian and I still occasionally play it whenever we get a decent scenario. We used to play Would You Rather?

Would You Rather is a game where one of us pitches a scenario that starts off with one of us receiving an awesome gift of some sort, whether it’s a life-time supply of pizza, a million pounds, or some sort of superpowers. But there’s always a catch. There’s always something that must happen or something that we must do, or something that must change in order for us to receive said gift. For example, Sebastian and I were playing GT 5 one night, waiting for his parents to come home after a long two-week business trip, and completely out of the blue, Sebastian says.

‘Would you rather: You are a genius and do extremely well in all your tests and exams and any and every assignment you are given, but you can’t start studying for it until three-AM the night before no matter how big the assignment/project is.’ There was no context to it, just a random question that he plucked out of the air. So, I do what we always do when we are asked these sorts of questions, and that is get some certain clarifications.

‘If I’m a genius, would it matter if I didn’t study if I’m going to do really well anyway?’ I thought that was a valid question. Sebastian went silent for a minute or two as he thought about how best to respond to this and he said.

‘Alright, fair enough, you don’t have to study because you’re going to do really well anyway, but when you get an assignment, or an essay to write, or,’ he shrugged, ‘I don’t know; something to build, maybe – that still stands.’

‘So I can be a genius, but I can’t start any assignment or project, not matter how big, until three-AM the night before?’ I asked to make sure that I understood what he was saying.

‘Yep,’ he said simply as he skidded his car around a sharp corner and overtaking me just before the final straight. He slammed on the accelerator and the car sped ahead. I was forced to slow down so that I wouldn’t get hit by his car as he did so and knock me off the track. I’m right behind him, but when it’s on the final straight, I might as well be on the other side of the track, but I can at least try to close the gap some more. We both crossed the line with milliseconds to spare.

‘I would accept that.’

‘You would? How come?’ he said, curiously.

‘Well, if I’m a genius, then I would know what I’m doing, so I wouldn’t be wasting my time trying to rush and understand it. Instead, I can take my time and complete it.’

‘I can see that,’ he said, thoughtfully, ‘but you are aware that it won’t matter how big the assignment or project is, right?’ he asked, just to make sure that I wanted to be final with my answer.

‘I am.’

‘Ok, then.’

And that was the end of that question. It’s a little thing we do to pass the time if we have nothing to do, or whenever we feel like it. And I’m in one of those scenarios.

It’s as if someone asked me, ‘would you rather: Travel to a parallel universe, but the universe is randomly chosen and you won’t have a way back until someone comes and gets you at any point in time?’ I probably would have said no, to begin with because of all the reasons of being detached from everybody and having no money bla, bla, bla.

Now, I’m not saying that this is all just a game to me, because it isn’t. But I’m here because of certain circumstances that can be comparable. Much like the question, it’s just a harmless question that obviously won’t come true any time soon, but because it has, it’s still harmless. No one has tried to get on the wrong side of me, and I haven’t tried to get on the wrong side of them – except when I took those six chocolate bars and that apple juice, but it’s safe to say that I am hidden by the fact that I shouldn’t be here… do I really have to keep repeating myself – so all in all, I should just embrace the fact that I’m here, enjoy that I am actually here in the first place, and just wait it out. Sebastian will come for me, but in the meantime, I’m just going to get on with it.

I refuse to say ‘what’s the worst thing that can happen?’

TO BE CONTINUED…

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

Jerry's Journal: Celebrating Grandad's 70th Birthday

Last Sunday Jerry went to Needham Lake to celebrate his Grandad's 70th Birthday. 

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

1,000 Words: Ducks and Swans at Needham Lake

On Sunday, my family and I went to Needham Lake after having a meal together. It's a very picturesque area, and is a perfect place for the ducks and the two swans to be because they'll get fed by visitors. 

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

Film of the Week: The Hitman’s Bodyguard

I don’t want to give up any spoilers, and so I’ll try and explain things but staying vague at the same time. It’s certainly something that you need to decide for yourself. I feel this review is meant to tell you how the film works, not necessarily the story.

The unexpected team up of Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson would, in theory, make one of the funniest comedy films of the year. The film is rated 15, so they can stretch their legs and hit the ground running, allowing them both to have fun. There are plenty of laughs and there are plenty of shocking moments, and there are plenty of exposition moments, however, The Hitman’s Bodyguard doesn’t juggle the three ingredients as well as it could have, giving the illusion that they’re stretching their legs, but are actually restricted by explaining everything, weaving through the shocking moments, and then finally getting to the jokes. Their chemistry is by far the strongest element, and there is so much more that can be done, but wasn’t achieved in this film.

It’s still an entertaining film, however, but that’s entirely because of their chemistry. It shines above all, and the story perfectly complimented that, but the way it was structured and told betrayed that.

Gary Oldman’s nails every role he has, and this is no exception. His character is the reason why there are shocking moments, but he doesn’t make the transition from shocking to the funny as clunky as it could have been. However, being a comedy film – it’s understandable that there would be a few scenes to keep the plot moving – the scenes were definitely not meant to be in a comedy, but instead in a serious political film, at least.

To sum up The Hitman’s Bodyguard, everyone’s performance was perfect and nailed their roles, making the funny scenes funny, the shocking scenes shocking, and the exposition scenes understandable. However, when put together in a film, they weren’t very coherent – it’s definitely a film that needed fine tuning. However, it is one that I would definitely watch again to see everyone’s chemistry. In other words, it just might be my guilty-pleasure film of the year.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)