Here are five more tunes that stood out from my listening over the last week. Enjoy!
Presenting a new feature at the Virtual Hot Tub, my Songs of the Week. Each week, I will pick five songs that I’ve enjoyed listening to over the last seven days, and share them here for your enjoyment.
Now I listen to probably hundreds of songs in any one week, so choosing just five won’t be easy. Each track will have stood out for some reason or other – perhaps it was poignant, perhaps relating to something going on in my life. Most likely it will just be a proper banging tune that I’ve loved.
This is intended to be a regular weekly feature, but we’ll see how that goes. It’s not easy running this Virtual Hot Tub, you know.
Here’s the five for week ending 03/07/2016:
There you go – five killer tracks. No explanations necessary. Unless the multitudes of readers want to know why songs are chosen, then I’ll reconsider.
For now – keep rockin’.
I remember the glory days; back in the late 1980’s, when we used to be able to buy root beer in McDonald’s. We used to go skateboarding, and always choose root beer to accompany our meal if ever we went to Ronald’s.
But root beer proved too bizarre a taste for the staid British market, and soon enough it was impossible to buy any from Maccies. Around that time, I embarked on a long personal veto on visiting the burger clown (for several reasons, not just the drinks).
Eventually root beer started cropping up in some super markets, and with the arrival of American sweet shops cans of the stuff were available again. It was like repealing prohibition, but prices were high. 
Root beer is essentially a non-alcoholic (despite the name) fizzy drink. It’s never quite translated well over here, unlike many of it’s soda compatriots.
To be fair, it is something of an acquired taste. I’ve previously described root beer as tasting similar to Dandelion & Burdock with a whiff of Germolene. It’s often compared to mouthwash.
Yet I (and many of my friends) have developed a love of the sweet fizzy stuff. Perhaps it’s the thrill of the rare and exotic. More likely, it the fact that root beer was featured in US comics, films and TV – so just like Twinkies they became a part of a fascinating pop culture.
And don’t forget that classic British skate punk band The Stupids were known to refer to it (see “Root Beer Death” on the Van Stupid album).
Top of the crop is A&W Root Beer. I remember trying this for the first time on my trips to the USA some while ago. I probably tried a few different brands, but this is the only one I recall. This brew is smooth, not too fizzy and not too sweet. Unfortunately it’s usually only available at a premium price from specialist sweet shops. 
A cheaper option, also from a US sweet shop, was the Day’s root beer. This only came in at just under a quid. However, it’s not quite the quality drink that A&W offer.
Another choice is Carters Refreshing Root Beer. This can be purchased much more cheaply, in packs of six from your local Asda. However, this version is cloyingly sweet to the novice, and not as mellow a taste. Still, for the price and ease of purchase it’s worth checking out.
So there you have it: a synopsis of my love of root beer. An under appreciated and derided beverage, it beats a cup of tea any day. ‘Cos I hate tea, me.
It’s about time for some action in the Motors section. So here are a couple of photos I took at the recent Wales Comic Con in Wrexham.
First up is a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, which I’m guessing was in attendance due it’s appearance in Smokey and the Bandit. It’s an iconic car, and an old favourite of mine. Probably had a Matchbox toy of this one, long ago.
Then we have got Optimus Prime and Bumblebee from Transformers. Bumblebee is a very nice yellow Chevrolet Camaro. I’m not a huge Transformers fan, but seeing these vehicles was pretty cool.
Hope you enjoy the pics!
Pontiac Firebird
Apologies for any inaccuracies in my descriptions!
Forget using your super smart, internet enabled portable phone as a means of playing music. And forget iPods, too – sadly the swines at Apple have decided to sacrifice their master product, in order to concentrate on their vile mutant phone. My mate Greeny has a much better music playing machine than any of those.
Greeny has a jukebox.
The jukebox is named Florence. After Florence and the Machine, as she’s a machine, obviously. Florence stands proudly in the corner of the lounge, neither dominating the room or sitting back like a wall flower. But Florence has presence: when the lights are on and the tunes are spinning, you will be drawn magnetically to this wondrous device.
He’s been collecting 7 inch singles since he were a lad, has Greeny. Now Florence is a treasure trove packed full of delightful vinyl gems. There’s a wild variety of musical genres in Florence, spanning the decades. She’s regularly re-stocked and/or has the records switched out and replaced with others, keeping the music selection fresh and entrancing.
Florence holds around 84 records. Don’t forget that there’s a song on side A and B, so that’s a generous amount of music to enjoy.
It’s a lot of fun gathering around the jukebox in Greeny’s front room, with a few beers and spinning some records. I would love one of my own, one day – though they cost a few hundred quid, so it’s unlikely. I’m collecting a few cool 7 inch singles just in case, though…
Here’s a list of the records that are currently stocked inside Florence. Remember Greeny has to rotate the records, as he has far more than this! Which songs would you choose to play?
And if you’re interested, this jukebox is a Rowe AMI RI-3.
The tracks:
Repetitive, moi?
I love lists. These random playlists serve no purpose other than to remind me of music that’s buried away in my iTunes, waiting to be rediscovered. One song leads to another; one band creates a ripple effect leading to another needing to be heard again.
I was out on the longboard this time, on a beautiful sunny afternoon. I didn’t have long, however, before other commitments would tear me away. Here are a few songs chosen at random by my iPod as the skate soundtrack that day.
Well, two different Siouxsie and the Banshees tracks, from different albums, one after the other. Most strange. Great songs, though.
I remember really enjoying the Stones track; the Shirley Bassey number was a bit out of the blue. But then, random is what this game’s all about.
Till next time, groovers!
To Koutouki, Chester
Well Mrs Platinum Al and I deserved a night out, so we packed off the little ‘un to Grandma and Grandpa and headed off to Chester. A table was booked at a new restaurant in town called To Koutouki, and we were both very excited to try it out.
After years of proclaiming that Chester really needed a Greek restaurant, I was delighted to see, whilst on a recent shopping trip, that the miracle had happened. Sat at the end of Foregate Street, out of the blue, was To Koutouki – obviously a Greek Taverna, the blue chairs resting outside gave it away. 
On entering, we were shown to our table upstairs, where the Greek style decor added a real holiday ambience. Think blue chairs, Greek music and photos of the islands and you’re on you’re way…
We were given some very nice mixed olives and some iced water to begin with. Drinks were a fairly easy choice for us – the ever reliable Kourtaki retsina and a bottle of Mythos for me!
Service was friendly and very quick, it wasn’t long before our starters arrived. My good lady ordered saganaki – a fried cheese. I had a try and it was exquisite! My own starter was white bait, or maridaki, which was also excellent – a real Mediterranean style dish that reminded me of warmer climes! Though small, I chickened out of eating the whole of the fish at first – leaving the heads on the plate. The waiter advised me to gulp the lot down – which I did! No problem at all, give it a go!
The main courses were very soon with us, and we were in for a treat. My lovely companion had chosen kotopoulo kokkinisto, a delicious chicken caserole which was served with rice. I was allowed to have a try, and it was very, very good indeed. I’ve never had this meal before, and would definitely order it on a return visit.
For my own main, I chose one of my favourite dishes- pastitsio. This is a baked pasta dish, with beef mincemeat and bechamel sauce, served like a slice of lasagne, but less sloppy. I’ve had pastitsio in Greece, and the To Koutouki version was simply excellent. Cooked perfectly, I was very impressed as pastitsio isn’t always readily available when we visit our favourite tavernas in Parga, let alone Chester!
Finally, to finish off we chose some desserts. Mrs Platinum Al had portokalopita – a yoghurt cake with orange syrup (had a cheeky try, very nice). I ordered the classic baklava, with a little ice cream, which was fantastic. We both had a Metaxa brandy to bring things to a close.
To Koutouki was a great experience, excellent food and great service made a memorable meal and we can’t wait to visit again. This little taverna has managed to create an authentic Greek feel and welcome, with delicious food that demands a return visit. Highly recommended!
Food Quest Test
Greek Taverna “To Koutouki”, 112 Foregate Street, Chester CH1 1HB
01244 951725
The To Koutouki website is here.
The To Koutouki Facebook page is here.
It’s been a long while since I shared a random playlist with you.
I recently went out for a skate, split between riding my Mindless longboard and spending some time on a classic old school Santa Cruz Street Creep. Whilst skating around, I switched the iPod onto shuffle and these are the tunes I heard.
Not a bad selection by the iPod there.
Saturday 23rd April to Sunday 24th April 2016
Glyndwr University, Wrexham
OK – so as I mentioned last time, I ended up with quite a few photos from Wales Comic Con. Far too many for just one blog post. So here’s part 2, featuring the remainder of pictures that I took.
Not much in the way of text this time – most of it was covered in the previous instalment. Scroll down if you want to check that out.
So here you go – the second part of our adventures at Wales Comic Con in Wrexham… 
At last November’s Wales Comic Con, my trusty Canon camera suffered a sudden, unexpected demise. As a result, my recent photos have been taken on a little digital snappy camera and my phone. Not ideal. Now I don’t claim to be a great photographer, but a good camera has helped cover much of my inexperience. I hope you can forgive some of these less than awesome pics and enjoy some of the fun of the day.
My thanks again to anyone who allowed me to take their photo at Wales Comic Con. It’s really appreciated, and I hope you like the results.
Wales Comic Con was a real success yet again, in my opinion. An enjoyable welcoming atmosphere, with very friendly guests. I shared my last post on social media and the feedback was resoundingly positive, which was great.
So thanks again to all I encountered at Comic Con. Your warmth and positivity made this event a fantastic experience!
The Wales Comic Con website is here.
Saturday 23rd April to Sunday 24th April 2016
Glyndwr University, Wrexham
It was time for another fun family day out in Wrexham, for Wales Comic Con. Time to charge up the landspeeder and head over for more sci-fi shenanigans at Glyndwr University…
Following on from the success of last year’s events, Wales Comic Con is now spread over a whole weekend. This was a good move, as there seemed to be less crowds this year – without losing any of the welcoming spirit.
We headed over on the Sunday, and though the weather wasn’t as amazing as this time last year, it still managed to remain fairly decent. No matter, there were plenty of things to see and do, both inside and out, at the Con.
Although the guests weren’t of particular interest to me personally, it was nice to see a good amount of celebs in attendance. The celeb who I was most thrilled to see was none other than Justin Lee Collins, who I didn’t know was there. Most of the females in the vicinity seemed to be very taken with Jason “Aquaman” Momoa…
The amount of merchandise on sale appeared to be greater than previous, which was a bonus. We splashed out on a few items, namely a cuddly Harley Quinn doll, a Walking Dead mug and some (delicious) peanut butter fudge.
The highlight, as ever, were the Cosplayers – dressed as all manner of characters from every facet of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror that you could imagine. Yet again, the ingenuity and creativity on display was astonishing. I took load of photos, which you can see here. Despite my best camera having gone to the great Jessops in the sky, they mostly turned out OK.
So a big thank you to everyone who posed for a photo. Everyone was very friendly and happy to be photographed – they were all super stars!
Speaking of Cosplay, my daughter Eloise was dressed as Princess Leia again and looked fantastic! Quite a few people commented how great she looked, and asked for her photo!
This was also the first time I tentatively dipped my toes in the water of costuming at an event also. After having been chided by various people at Sci Fi Weekender for not dressing as Tony Stark, I decided to give it a go. I wore the same Black Sabbath that Tony wears in the film, and relied on my beard for the rest. It was OK and a couple of people knew who I was supposed to be. No one asked for my picture though…
I should also say that the staff seemed to be very helpful and efficient also.
All in all a grand day out for the Platinum Al family. Looking forward to more later in the year!
The Wales Comic Con website is here.
It turns out that I have loads of half decent photos from Wales Comic Con. Stay tuned for part 2 soon!
Platinum Al's Virtual Hot Tub 