2010! My Review!

So, really! Where did 2010 go?


I mean, only 12 months ago, I was probably still hungover from Christmas Eve! This year was much more civilized! Great night and thank you so much to those who came along! Thank you! How quickly has time passed! 2010 has been another year of high expectations, but for me, I guess I didn't really know what to expect!

I love how we're creating traditions! I mean who'd have thought that hey?! And what a fantastic night to choose! Christmas Eve! I really hope in one way or another we keep that going! I know we're all so busy and living our own lives, but wow, what afew years run we've had! Some epic eve's!

I will never stop loving Christmas, I'm finding it's more difficult to hold onto the charms of it realising I'm getting older, having to more often than not work most of it and struggling to take the time out to savour it, but I do my best! If you can't be merry (And I know you know me, I don't mean drunk! I mean happy!) this time of year, then what excuse do you have?! haha

With new years just, well less than day away almost, what better time to see out the year in blog!

Can I just take a second to acknowledge for some reason itunes is playing me Kylie Minogue! What the hell. I need to fix this. Ok, fixed. Apple have some wonderful '12 days of xmas' app thing, a Kylie EP was one of the first 'gifts'. Didn't realise it would force it down my throat while I was quite enjoying a Reef album I've just been kindly gifted by my sis's BF Ben! Cheers Ben btw!

Anyway, randomness aborted. How about a recap! Alot of this is ground already covered really, I think not too far after christmas this year I got told I was eligible for shoulder surgery. As you know, that happened (Was only a little abit....ok, abit more....ok ok .... ALOT...scared before hand!) and went well! Still someway to go recovery, but it's good and it's not far off normal again!

Well, my kind of normal. I appreciate I do live a whole different kind of normal to you loyal fans at times! haha! 

Unfortunately, due to such surgery's there was no epic holiday to speak of this year, but I did have an amazing weekend in June seeing Green Day at wembley! Fantastic weekend all round, starting with England before they ruined our year, and finishing with an early train and a late coach! Great weekend!

No festivals this year though! I am gutted. I love a good festival.

I do remember a dark period during time off in July in which I became addicted to Table Tennis on the Wii. Seriously, it is addictive! It's ridiculous! I played the other day actually, I've reached a points total that keeps placing me against a 'champion' and has a whole like, erm new 'CHAMPION' style introduction music to the match, you know much more trumpet that anyone ever needs to hear. Not that I've anything against brass bands. Or Orchestras. Or classical musicians. Ah damn. Well look, you need to hear it, it's like a, erm, well, an, no, not an, definitely a, a, hmmm, is it a, a, well, a fanfare? That looks right to me.

Look, just come to my house, play damn table tennis with me, we'll reach the champion and you can make sense of this huge mess I just got myself into!

I think I went AWOL during the period between July and like, well, October! What on earth did I do during that time?! I missed Leeds fest, I didn't go camping, was I abducted?!

Oh! I forgot June! Christ, Toucan Riot's first gig! Wow, what an Epic night that was! Also my wonderful Sis's Birthday (R' Claire...I might start calling you that, Sorry... :)), and also my parents bdays! Who will soon become legends amongst Toucan Riot regulars, here's to Mum (Margaret Aka Marge to one or two of you :)) and Dad (Maurice!..Aka...where I get my drinking from! :))!

That was my year really up until October! Mucho's recovering from el'surgery'o and getting back to work and also driving again! I had to catch the fricking bus, and kids kept throwing bricks at it!

Anyway, so came October! At which point, I got introduced to the complexities of navigating my way to Sheffield with nothing but a communication crippled phone and an Andy! haha (Nick, should have listened to you!) What a great old school rock night! It really did take me back, I guess the old days at home with a busy Rios are long gone, but theirs hope, or at least we have an option for a weekend away! Which a week or so later led to Penny's epic house party, again in Sheffield. Who'd have thought Mr Sheard would be out dancing Dancing Andy! Epic. Really!

So the busy run upto Christmas began! Our time to shine! That is, us as Toucan Riot! Having only played one gig all the way back in June, we returned to a Bonfire night weekend to play our second ever gig! Boy, what a great night! Having taken so much time and me personally being responsible for us having such a long break due to my op, it was amazing to play again! The support was again, from family, friends, friends of friends, fantastic!

Next up, Keighley! Quite soon after too! End of the month! To me, this was the big one, playing somewhere I've/we've never played before, miles away from home, on a Friday night after work! Well, wow! Just wow!  You guys that have supported us so far, EPIC. For you guys that made that trek, thank you! Thank you so much!

Also, what an effort for the folks I shared a hotel with that night! We got snowed on, (I LOVE snow!) we got takeaway pizza delivered to the hotel (Andy fell alseep!) we left takeaway pizza in the room.......good, proper, rock 'n' roll times! I loved it!

All in all, a fantastic lead up to the Christmas Eve and Christmas Period I've had this year!

I think, If I have to summarise, this year to me has been about building for the future and stability! With a little bit of craziness thrown in for good measure! In building for the future, I refer to recovery from my ruined shoulder and also saving to ensure I have control of it! In stability I'm finding friendships new and old and a stable job!

Sure, theirs aspects of my life I'm looking to improve, and gaps in the jigsaw that is my life I'm looking to fill, but, theirs no reason not to be optimistic about the coming year! No regrets!

I'm slowly but surely learning that every minute of your life and every second you have with the people that are precious to you in your life are invaluable. No regrets, no hard feelings.

I hope I take confidence from this year, and I hope I go anywhere near half way towards the aims and targets I set myself for this coming year! I hope you all join me for the ride!

I sincerely hope you all have had a fantastic Christmas and have and make the most of what should be a fantastic new year!

Thanks for reading! I'll see you in 2011!

Dave!