The Thirteenth Month of 2011... and Emma Long's New Years Party

As I get ever older and more jaded to the frolics of youth, it occurs to me that though everything in life changes, a remarkable amount of it remains the same, year after year. Such as it is with time. A week into 2012, and nothing yet would inform an ignorant hermit that it was more than the thirteenth month of 2011. Well. Maybe the extravagant fireworks.

Beth and Emma's dad as a
Stormtrooper. Sadly, this wasn't
 the droid he was looking for.

Not three days into this Olympic year, and I was waking up and switching on Top Gear in the mornings, Emma Long was using my home as a refuge from windy weather, I was walking down to Totton with Lewis Smith to buy flapjacks as well as talk about social philosophy, whilst Annie Bailey made an evening visit for fatty foods, a Doctor Who marathon and playful gossiping, before she makes her epic and exciting trip abroad to explore the world. Quite right too. I have even got busy continuing the filming and editing of Star Trek: Revolutions - Part Two, the next upcoming edition of my surprisingly popular Star Trek: Unity fan film series. Ian Pidgley spent the afternoon with me on Saturday filming more scenes - it is great fun. All of it. Always. But in terms of my daily routine, nothing new.

Vibrant colours were a reoccurring
theme. IDIC indeed...

I don't know what I was expecting in 2012. Indeed, today I returned to university for a morning to oversee the editing of last month's busking documentary and ended up attempting to cut a few rushes (and a video diary) together myself in vain, as everybody else seemed to be suffering from the exhaustion inherent with January Blues, and insisted we go shopping instead. I do love them. Nevertheless, I enjoy stability and the predictable. Besides the ebbs common with me when I'm in proto-romantic moods, I'm feeling at least mildly positive at the moment: brought on, not least, by an excellent finale to 2011!

Darth Vader turned up, but he
 won't get far holding his saber blade...

I went to Emma Long's house for a top secret New Years party with her family and friends, including Becky Carter, Beth Hobley and Emma Goodwin. Apparently, Emma's family had wanted to do a science-fiction themed box social for a while, and it was just brilliant. There was even a quiz and a character checklist to complete! Though I couldn't decide what to dress up as, opting for an Arthur Dent dressing gown/Jedi robe look on top of my Battlestar Galactica green jacket on top of a Starfleet uniform whilst wielding The Tenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver - just to cover all bases - the majority of the Long's guests had really put a great amount of effort in. Emma was stunning as a blue Na'vi creature from Avatar, Beth inadvertently turned the living room into a hay-filled stable with her Wizard of Oz scarecrow, Becky looked hot in green as Elphaba from Wicked (though it screamed Orion Slave Girl), whilst the amusing alcohol consumer of the night, Emma 'N00bers' Goodwin, created a "Silver Surfette" character, complete with card surfboard, in order to accommodate her gender. How selfish of her to be a girl.

Me and ma girls. The Doctor and his
 companions.

Other guests dressed up as characters such as Spock, Luigi from Mario, an Eleventh Doctor, Princess Leia, Einstein's Theory of Relativity (in humanoid form), Edward Sissorhands and Emma's sister Zoe was a terrific little Jawa from Star Wars. It was a hilarious menagerie of creatures (and made the franchise crossovers in my films look tame!). After sitting at home bored over New Years in 2010/11, albeit with my parents, it was really lovely to be among friends this time, dancing around in silly costumes and hugging lots. My thanks to the hosts. 

Drink long and prosper.

So, as it turns out, even when returning to the mundane and familiar constants of every day life, there is always something weird and wonderful to mark the interesting and memorable times in one's life.

Oh yeah, I saw The Iron Lady yesterday and Thatcher kept referring to herself in the third-person. Sorry, it rubbed off.

Hello 2012.