Plinxmas Vidvent Calendar - Day 5!

Hey guys.
Despite being in the early stages of the vidvent calendar, I have been asked to include a link to something specific that isn't a video. I should just refuse, right? How dare they try and subvert the Plinxmas tradition?!

However, the thing is, it's for charity and after all, 'tis the season to be jolly. So I'll do it, for the greater good. I'm an old hand at this though so there'll still be a video and what's more, I'll make it relevant.

Bah humbug, though.

I kid, obviously. I'm more than happy to help out with this kind of thing. So I'm hereby calling on any of you with the ability to get to London on Sunday to take part in the Santa Fun Run! It's a leisurely 5km run/jog/walk in the beautiful surroundings of Kensington gardens with a bunch of lovely people who all happen to be dressed in Santa costumes. I've done a couple of these before and they're always a good laugh.

But don't take my word for it, check out the promo; It even has a game! Santa Fun Run!

So there we go, a bunch of freely running Santas... Wait a minute, free running Santa?



Told you I could do it. See you tomorrow!

April: A Retrospective.

Hello there.
I didn't get much plinking done in April, perversely this seems to be because I had too much free time. I had a fair bit of time off work and I never really felt like it was the right time to sit down at my computer for a spell. Now things have returned to relative normalcy, I'm going to sum up the last few weeks in bullet point format.

> Running
> Portal 2
> Barbecues
> Thor
> PlayStation-induced Fury

Starting at the top, I did a run! Yes, another one. In Prague this time. It's a beautiful city and I had a great time. The run went OK, better than the last half-marathon anyway. Y'know, the one where I lost consciousness? Here's a victory snap:



Whee! Medals!

Then, a while later; Portal 2 descended from on high to bring me joy unrelenting. Well, not quite unrelenting but I'll get to that later. If you're unfamiliar with Portal 2, here's the trailer:



Having waited for it for so long, I was concerned it wouldn't live up to expectations but I needn't have worried. It's brilliant. If you play games, you've probably played it already or plan to do so soon and if you don't play games... Portal 2 has you covered there too.

It's clever, it's funny and... erm, I'm sure the co-operative mode is really good too... grumble mumble bloody PSN.

What's next? Ah yes, GRILLFESTS. Yeah, it's barbecue season and we kicked things off in sensational style by having one every bank holiday. I couldn't possibly consume any more charred flesh until, well the next barbecue on Monday. I hope you're chowing down similarly.

Another, less videogamey, event I had been anticipating for some time was the release of the movie adaptation of Thor. I love the character and had been watching trailers and looking at screenshots with increasing alarm. I really didn't want the movie to suck, and guess what? It doesn't! It's not any sort of breathtaking step forward for the genre but it was a nice slice of super-powered fun. They still missed a trick in not casting This Guy as the main man though.

AND in case you were wondering if I had totally jettisoned the plinx format for this post, never fear. Here's a surprisingly awesome promo game released on the Marvel website to coincide with the film release: Thor - Bring The Thunder. It's got charming, retro style and is surprisingly deep. Give it a go.

Things can't be uniformly great though. Something had to rock the applecart and tip over the boat. April's sunny skies were darkened not by a thunder god, but by... Sony.

Yeah, you've seen it on the news, the PlayStation Network or PSN is down. STILL. After an absence of over a week, I'm still waiting to play the supposedly excellent co-op mode in Portal 2. It's been infuriating as there aren't many occasions where I actually want to play online, then one comes along and I'm denied that right. I know it's very much a first-world problem but shut up, I want my fancy space toys!

So, to sum up. If April had to be represented by one image, it'd me of me taking a run up before hurling a mythical hammer fashioned from burnt meat through a set of portals right into the face of Sony president Howard Stringer.

It'd be nice if I had the talent to draw that, but I don't. Sorry!

See you next time.

Plinx Quickie.

Hiya,
I'm off to foreign lands tomorrow to participate in another half marathon because apparently I didn't learn my lesson last time.

So to tide you over, let's have a quickie.

How To Explain The Internet To A 19th Century Street Urchin: A Flowchart.

See you soon!

Running Joke.

Hmm, it's been a while, eh?
*sweeps blogwebs off*
Right, yes. Hello!

I'm pretty much just here to spam my sponsorship page. Like last year!
However, this time I am doing 2 runs so you should definitely sponsor me.

As before, they're for Help The Hospices. Please dig deep and I promise to run myself ragged.

Donate here: http://www.justgiving.com/tworunsholyheck

Ta.

Charidee.

Hello! I'm a force for all that is good and pure today. It feels good. If you want in on the good karma action, you should definitely take part in this:



Ah, wait. I saw that. You grimaced at the word 'run', right? Well no need! It's only 5km. ANYONE can manage 5km. Especially since you needn't run a single step. You can jog, walk, hop, crawl or moonwalk if you really fancy it. The important thing is that you do it... in a Santa costume.

Oh right, yes, that small detail. You do 5km in a Santa costume. What kind of fool would do that, you ask? This Kind!

Anyway, the details are here:
http://www.helpthehospices.org.uk/santa
You should really take part. It's a good cause and it'll be a fun day out, I promise.

But what if London is too far to go? Well then yeah, fair enough. You're excused.
EXCEPT NO WAIT, you can do the one that I'm doing! Yes, as per last year, I too will be running 5km in a Santa suit. Accompanied by friends, housemates, co-workers and even my dear old Mum. So come and join the fun. Details HERE.

But what if you're somewhere else in the UK? Well, You Figure It Out!

Come along, have fun. Get a freaking MEDAL!

What's Yellow And Runny?

I am!



Yeah, I may look a little bit goofy but that there is the look of a man victorious!
Another Great South Run in the bag. Managed to get a new personal best for running ten miles. Did it in 1 hour, 38 minutes. 7 minutes quicker than last year.

I also have raised somewhere between £250-£300 for Help The Hospices. So thanks to everyone who sponsored me!

Half A Snickers.

So yeah, I did the half marathon. Was a respectable time for a first timer like me. I'm so tired now but I think we're going to go out tonight and celebrate. I'm in the nicest hostel I have ever seen. It's great. I'll probably furnish you with some pictures when I get back. Hope you're getting on alright without me.

See you soon! I'm going to polish my medal some more.

PlinXmas Advent Calendar: Day 14!

Hello. Today, for reasons best known to myself, I decided to run 5km dressed as Santa Claus. I'm not totally nuts by the way. There were a couple of hundred other people doing it too!

Anyway, in case you don't believe me. Here is the proof!



This kind of behaviour is henceforth known as Christmasochism. Zing!

Run To The Hills.

Have you had your RDA of frustration? If not, boy do I have the game for you! I can't offer a better description of this game than the one that greets you as it starts so here it is:

You are Qwop, our small nation's sole representative at the Olympic Games.
Use the QWOP keys to move your legs.
Ideally you will run 100m...
...but our training program was under-funded.
Remember, it's not about whether you win or lose.

So there you have it. See how far you can get. Try and beat my masterful score of 4.6m.

QWOP!

Oh, in other news: Today I got an email from the guy who writes Dinosaur Comics and was quite starstruck!