The Origins of SRACIG

So plenty of people have asked me where on earth my twitter name comes from so I thought I'd take this chance to explain since its quite a long story. Its not an anagram for 'Cigars' nor is it the initials for my tribal name (I don't even have a tribe so I really dont know where that suggestion came from...) Anyway, everyone who knows me (or is smart enough to actually look at the right hand side of the page), knows my name is Saad. It's a perfectly common Arab name... perfectly common in the Middle East (and increasing common in Heckmondwike where the Saad-count surpasses the number of people called Patrick). So as some people may know, Starbucks have started that happy little thing where they write your name on the drink before they serve it to you to make the whole, bitch-just-give-me-a-fucking-cup-of-coffee experience a lot more personal. Although when you have a name like mine you may feel that 'Saad' might be a bit of an ask so instead of annunciating all over the face of the poor woman behind the counter taking my order I thought I'd simplify things and tell her that my name was Craig. I dont really know why Craig, but it seemed like a perfectly common english name. Its like the 199th most popular first name in the world so what ever. Anyway, foolishly I went along with this thinking it would be A-OK but I didn't expect what would be waiting for me at the end of the drinks counter. They had some how managed to morph the name Craig in to Sracig with no adequate explanation. Seriously, I don't know how they messed that up, I could have been better off with Saad. Sure I'd get a 'Saeed' or a 'Sad' or even a 'Salad' but that's nowhere near as brutal as what they did to Craig. R.I.P Craig. Long Live SRACIG.

I was waiting for the bus...

Waiting at the stop awaiting the bus home and as two buses approached, I signalled mine as it was about to pass by. Luckily there was nobody waiting for my bus and I almost laughed spitefully at all those people waiting to get on the number 7 whilst I could just hop on freely to the 7A. A woman stood at the back of the queue for the 7 moves over and cuts across to where her bus was due to stop and approaches me and she says, 'Excuse me are you in the queue for the bus?' I said, 'No, I was just signalling it.' She replies with, 'You can't just arrive here and expect to be infront of all the other people here.' Firstly, it was clear that I was not getting her bus and also I would have happily let queueing people go infront of me. This is all made richer by the fact that she had literally just jumped the queue herself. So I politely informed her that I was merely signalling the bus that I was getting and there was no queue for it. Instead of just letting me be she smugly says, 'The bus always stops here, there is no need to signal it.' Now at this point it was clear that she was looking for an argument and at this point I had had enough. I know she expected some sort of infuriated response but what she didn't expect was what I'd ramble at her next. I have to note that I didn't rant but continued to speak to her in the calm, collected and polite tone that I had attempted to apease her with previously. "People like you are the reason I hate most things in the world. Instead of just letting people go about their daily lives you feel the need to provoke people and create arguments. Firstly, you need to get your priorities straight, you're waiting for a bus, just like me, just like everyone else. Secondly, I've just watched you push to the front of this queue so not only are you a sad little instigator but you're also a sad little hypocrite. Thirdly, if something so little as this bothers you so much you should really revaluate your life. So please, don't waste my time like this again because frankly if this is how you choose to spend your time, I'd prefer it if you didn't waste mine. Have a nice day.' I don't know where that came from nor did I feel as though I could go on but by some divine miracle the 7A pulled up infront of me and opened its doors. I don't think I heard a single sound from the woman as I boarded and frankly I never looked back to see her face but the silence alone told me that she had got the message. I was in a relatively good mood but she probably felt like she'd picked the worst day to say something to me. Perhaps I was a little too mean...

I forgot it was Monday...

There's a special place in hell for all those who think its acceptable to be happy on a Monday. 

How to enjoy Mondays 101

And on the third day...

... nothing happened. Just like the first and the second day. I'd hate to think what happens on the fourth day. God forbid nothing happens again. I don't really think I've ever felt as old as I did today. 17 isn't exactly wasting away yet I found myself in the middle of this years Christmas Fayre and felt so out of place. I guess granted, all these kids are only 2+ years younger than me but I've never felt that different amongst people older than me so I really had no idea. (I was running a stall, the small children had nothing to do with it, I swear) Something must have been in the water between 1996 and 1998 because there is something seriously wrong with that generation. I probably couldn't go in to any more detail other than making it blindingly obvious which people I'm specifically referring to so I'll probably leave it there. I should also mention as a consequence I've been coughing more glitter than that girl from Twilight after she's carried out the subservient act of satisfying her sparkly fairy vampire boyfriend...

Positive side though, while the bands on temporary hiatus, I've taken the chance to record a few little pieces myself. I've realised that no matter how good I think I am at something, I can always better myself. There's something about playing the rock 'n' roll/ blues that has an affect on me like no other genre. It's something you can express without words especially when words are hard to come by. So I took this chance for watching a few videos of other people generally just improvising on bass (check out Pudsy440 on YouTube, he's absolutely fantastic) and just picking up a few little riffs here and there to fill my stock library. Thats how music generally works. You learn a tonne of different stock signatures, chord structures etc then you just string them together, change the pitch, change the tempo and hey presto you have a song.

It's worrying how stress has been affecting people lately. I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't have an outlet. I just want to clarify that what many male deem as an 'outlet' is frankly gross and you should be ashamed of yourselves. Just ew. I've been low, seriously low at times but I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have anything to take it all out on. I don't really feel like I have anyone to talk to about these things and frankly I don't really think anyone else cares. I know that sounds like that bothers me but funnily enough it doesn't. I prefer being a bit more conservative not because I have to but because I want to. That said this detaches me from so many of my friends that just seem to know so much about each other. I always feel like the last person to know.

ANYWAY outlets yeah that stuff. I sat on the way to college thinking about the number of people I screwed over just because I hadn't let go of that one person. Everybody had been moving on around me and I hadn't even noticed until I stopped for a second and looked. Nothing is worse than regret and trust me, it hit me like butch lesbian after you'd complimented her boyfriend's purse. You know, I song write quite a bit. Well rather I used to. It used to be the only way I could have any kind of organised thought on what I was thinking or how I was feeling. I feel it's strange that even after all those who came after her, every song I'd ever written (all 10) were about her. To this day I haven't written any songs for or about any other girl. Oh boy, this is corny as hell. I'll probably do it one day. Not yet. Nows not the time. 22:46 is the time.

They dont make 'em like this anymore :'(((((

It's nearly Christmas...

Its funny how its 'nearly' Christmas. Its nine days away and it's 'nearly' Christmas. On a Monday, Friday feels like a life time away and thats only 5 days but no Christmas could not come soon enough. Every year I get excited. It's the build up to the holiday season which is the most exciting. The end result always ends up being a little underwhelming. That funnily enough is a metaphor for most things in my life and probably how many people would describe me *cough* I know, two posts in one day, I must be crazy. Anyway thought for the day, anyone find it strange how atheists celebrate Jesus's birthday? Everybody must have fucking loved Jesus. I mean, with his endless baskets of bread and his ability to cure any disease not to mention the fact he could walk on water. I guess nowadays I'd look at a guy that talented and think, 'Jesus, what a douche' although I probably wouldn't have used Jesus in that phrase for obvious reasons... Whether you believe that or not is all a matter of faith. I don't care what people believe in as long as they all have a personal reason to believe in it. I don't even care if that personal reason is relevant to me, I just want the person to have thought about it for themselves. We have the power to think for ourselves, why don't people use it? Why dont people ask themselves why they're here? Why don't people ask themselves if they really believe that there is or there isn't a God? Many people blindly follow their beliefs in the name of faith. The thing is faith for most people is being told Santa Clause exists and then holding on to that thought for the rest of their lives. My point is, how can so many theists and atheists think they know the answer when they've never really asked themselves the question?

Happy Birthday Santa!

Good thing you remembered me asking for your opinion, because I certainly didnt...

Its been over 2 months since I did my entry and admittedly Im pretty annoyed at myself for that. I guess I'd probably blame it on Twitter for being for source for all things I wish to rant about and that said there hasn't been all that annoying me. However, that doesn't mean everything's been peachy. I've had this entry saved and just sitting there before I could think of things to add to it or to see if people actually cared. So I act like I have a lot of problems but of course its all trivial and it all has to do with people that I deem stupid. And believe me there are A LOT of stupid people (some people think I'm elitist because I look down on stupid people... pfft don't know where they get that idea). To me, being stupid has nothing to do with being intelligent. I know that sounds like a direct contradiction and you're probably thinking I'm stupid now but no seriously, I think intelligence is intelligence and I know plenty of intelligent stupid people. Thats because what many intelligent people have in brains they lack in common sense and actually being people-people. I guess I have no room to talk on being good with people. I can be extremely awkward and antisocial at times (not to mention my jokes are terrible... not) but there are some people who have no idea how to act towards people in a socially acceptable manner. I'd go on about this but the rest goes without saying and you can probably see why things like this get on my metaphorical tits. Im struggling to think of things to complain about at this point and I guess I should stop complaining (until I find something to complain about).

I guess most people have seen on the news, the horrific events that took place in Newton, Connecticut in which 26 innocent people lost their lives. I don't usually comment on events like this solely because I'm lost for words for how sick and twisted an individual would have to be to do something like this. What kind of life must someone have to live to do something like that? What makes is worse much of the response by the media. In early reports the media were quick to flag up the name of the (wrongly) accused before even revealing the names of the victims. It's not the fact that initially they got the name wrong but rather they actually cared who was responsible before taking in to consideration those who fell victim to his actions. Those who went about their daily lives only to have them taken away from them. Because of this sensationalism, he'll be remembered for what he did and frankly thats exactly what he would have wanted. Who'll remember the names of the victims? What's worse is that the media quickly jumps to compare this to other events, the Colorado theatre shooting earlier this year or even Virginia Tech nearly two decades ago almost as if one shooting is worse than the other. Frankly though, the media aren't entirely to blame for this. We are. Its sad to think that these are the things most people want to know. Admit it, immediately after you hear the news that 26 people have been killed, you want to know who's responsible. Those 26 people are a statistic and you'll remember that, and you'll remember the name of the killer but you'll never remember the names of the victims. It disheartens me because I know that to be true in me and everyone else.

Anyway, it's taken me a while to get that off my chest and I know its dead serious and usually I'm not serious yadda yadda yadda but believe me it took me a while to have any words to say at all. I feel sorry for anyone who takes me seriously frankly. I celebrated the day I poached my first egg (seriously though its so difficult Im sure I cried the first few times). Poaching an egg is the first step to bridging that gap between the working and middle class and believe me that transition with *word that means fabulous but isn't actually fabulous because fabulous is the worst word ever to be created* Who even created the word fabulous? The living effigy of a fucking fruit cake, thats who. Speaking of cake, 'moist' is a terrible word too. Don't ever use it. It has the ability to make anyone with any kind of working reproductive organ feel extremely uncomfortable.