www.danlawrence.co.uk

Towards the end of the honeymoon (i’ll blog about that when i get more time) I was really looking forward to getting back and having an easy week before going back to work. I figured i’d do a few odd jobs, but didn’t anticipate exactly how much i’d end up doing.

So what have I done? Well …

• Sorted out all the wedding presents (no mean feat!)
• Bought and setup a nice new 32″ flat screen in living room
• Fitted wall bracket for microwave and stereo in kitchen
• Fitted a new light fitting in the living room
• Fitted a wall mirror in the downstairs toilet
• Fitted a new curtain pole and curtain holder thingys in dining room
• Fitted a new light fitting in kitchen
• Fitted a flat screen wall bracket in bedroom - the tv looks like its floating!

Am sure there is more stuff ….and there is even more to do aswell. Tiring as it has been, I have enjoyed it. DIY is very satisfying.

Back to work tomorrow night though!

A few weeks ago I was interviewed by the management at www.gpvwc.com

Why? well in 2000 I devised and setup the GPVWC (Grand Prix Virtual World Championship) and subsequently ran it until spring 2003. It was a pretty big success and at our peak, which incidentally was the time i pulled the plug, we had in excess of 600 members to the website alone.

The premise of ‘the league’ as I call it, was to provide an online F1 competition encompassing the Geoff Crammond series of Grand Prix games. We ran Grand Prix 3 and when it became available, Grand Prix 4. The rules mirrored F1 as close as possible and we went into massive detail on the team management side. It really was a big deal and I am proud to have started it and ran it for those few years.

I stopped as I was spending WAY to much time looking after the whole thing. I would sometimes spend 6-8 hours a day on it, which when coupled with a job, leaves you absolutely no life!

There was also a small contingent of ‘whingers’ who complained and caused a lot of trouble, which when you have poured your heart and soul into something, can be very demoralising and demotivating.

Anyway - when i pulled the plug the league did carry on under another guise. Other than suggesting the name for it (I don’t know if anyone actually realises that, but i did!) and handing over the rules to them, i had very little else to do with the online racing world.

Now the league is back, spearheaded by someone who used to race in the original incarnation, Will Ponissi. It was Will that interviewed me about the good old days ..and you can read that interview right here!

Well, we actually got married a few weeks ago now ..as you probably know.

What can I say? except that its really no different to beforehand. We were practically married anyway. It’s probably more different for Lucy as she has now changed her name. Of course I have a ring on my finger now aswell. Thats a little odd, and whilst I didn’t think I would take to it, its been on since the wedding day and feels kind of natural ..although I can’t seem to stop playing with it!

The day itself went really well. A friend had given me some advice in the weeks approaching the wedding. He said that every hour or so to step back and soak up the atmosphere, as before you know it, the whole thing is over. True to this, the whole day passed in an almighty blur.

The waiting in the church was the worst part of the day for me. It was absolutely horrendous.My heart was beating so hard that I could see the flower on my jacket beating with it! (or maybe that was the 3 Vodka & Red Bulls I had before I went in there?).

When Lucy walked into the church and I caught my first sight of her, I was at my most emotional. If there was a time during the wedding that I was going to blub, this was it. This surprised me as even though I thought I had an evens chance of being a big old woolly woofter, I thought it would be during the vows…. but I didn’t get a chance! (btw, i didn’t cry at all ..I’m well ‘ard!).

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For once I haven’t photographed too bad ….I am impressed enough to share the evidence!

Of course, I am still an ugly bastard, but still ..it ain’t too bad.

I wrote the majority of my speech last night whilst under the considerable influence of alcohol. I read it back this morning and cringed. Not because it was bad per se, but more that I doubt i’ll be able to pull it off! There are a few funny bits and I just can’t see me getting them right or delivering them confidently. That said, if I have had a few beers there may well be no stopping me.

As such, I have rejigged the speech slightly, added to and taken away a few bits and now have v2.0. Infact, I have v2.0 and v2.1

v2.0 is called ‘The Brave One!’ and v2.1 is called ‘The Not So Brave One!’. The latter, as its title suggests, is my cop out speech, with the bare minimum needed. The former is the full speech, complete with my own unique brand of wit.

I have no idea which I will use on the day!

……….but a blog post seems far far far more appealing!!

I have beer to inspire me, but I also have music. Music and beer is a great combination normally, but tonight the beer is just spurring me to really listen to the music. It also doesn’t help that that every track so far has been interesting enough to grab me

• Roger Waters – 4.30 AM (Apparently They Were Travelling Abroad)
• Kingmaker – In the Best Possible Taste (part 1)
• Kino – Letting Go
• My Morning Jacket – The Way That He Sings
• Travis – As You Are
• Jimmy Nail – Cowboy Dreams

Ok, well Jimmy Nail is a bit embarrasing. I do have 3 of his albums though! …….now thats a confession!

Now I really should get on with the speech……

Its all gone a bit quiet on the blogging front this week, I just haven’t had time, it’s been manic as manic can be as the wedding is now only a few (scary) days away.

My stag night was an experience! I wasn’t the most drunk by far and most people had headed off home by 12:30! I was still raring to go, but with so many people making tracks I got in a huff and went home with a 12″ ‘Mighty Meaty’ pizza to console myself with. At the time, a major letdown, but the lack of hangover the next day was very very welcome!

This week has been a bit of a blur so far as we have been darting around, left right and centre for meetings, final fittings, the wedding rehearsal etc.

The latter was this afternoon, and whilst Lucy was really nervous about it, I really didn’t mind. That was until we started reciting the vows to each other. The vicar wasn’t happy that I kept looking away from Lucy, but I had to ..it was just too damn real! It felt like we were getting married there and then, and I want to save those feelings for Saturday.

It was a little nerve wracking, and has served to well and truly get my nerves and anticipation rising by the hour.

There actually isn’t much left to do now. We have a cousin arriving tomorrow from London. They are staying with my sister, so we shall be visiting there at some point to say hello. I also have to pick up the suits from yeovil at some point either tomorrow or Friday. So it really is time to sit back, take stock ..and try not to shit myself too much!

I’ll admit it …I am starting to!