Summer!

I’m writing this blog very merrily (perhaps with the help of a mixed fruit Kopparberg or three) today to celebrate having finished my last exam! I wanted to look back on what’s been a pretty awesome 8 months as well as looking ahead to what’s probably going to be the most epic summer of my life.

As this is the first blog of 2012, I should probably look at the resolutions I set in January of last year. Having dug up that post I found this sentence, ‘I hope when I look back on it, I can say that I used the next 6 months well and am now settled in to a lovely Pol & Phil course somewhere’. Obviously those months went pretty well with a strong showing at the World Series of Poker and World Championship of Online Poker, I had an amazing summer, making loads of new friends and I am indeed now settled in to a course that I’m really enjoying. Being able to look back and reflect on things like that really highlight just how lucky I’ve been in pretty much all my endeavours in the last few years.

2012 has already got off to a great start, with my brother tying the knot with my now sister-in-law Cat. They managed the enviable task of creating a wedding that was both really emotional and beautiful but also personalised and fun. I wish them both all the luck and happiness in the world, not that they’ll need any of either. The music has started even better than last year did, and that’s no small accomplishment. Already I’ve managed to see Above & Beyond, Armin van Buuren, Gareth Emery, Arty among countless others. A lovely little cherry on top was my friend Lizzie and I getting the chance to meet Sister Bliss from Faithless before her set at Ministry, who was really cool (and super hot).

Summer is looking absolutely rammed at the moment. I’m coming home on Friday (and heading straight to Ministry of Sound obviously), heading back up north the following weekend for my end of year ball, followed the next day by FullOnFerry in Leeds, a few weeks later I’m going to visit the lovely Louise Duffy at her house in Marbella (thanks so much Lou!) and the weekend after that I’m going to the Netherlands for Luminosity Beach Festival, and the weekend after THAT I’m heading to Vegas for 3 weeks for the world series. July and August hold Global Gathering and Creamfields respectively and I’m just in talks with friends about 4 days in Ibiza for closing parties in September as well as hopefully being able to get away for France to visit my Gran for a while. Pretty packed! Hopefully I’ll have some time to grind a bit of poker and will actually have some money when I come back to uni next year.

That’s about it from me. Thanks so much to you guys who take the time to read this when I (infrequently) update it. I’m sure I’ll be seeing many of you over summer so here’s to some good times.
Joe x