Paradise Circus

Cool Services of 2006!

2007-01-04T21:11:00.000Z

In 2006, a friend of mine convinced me that viral marketing is more important than any endorsement from Jonathan Ross, if you are trying to sell your product or promote your business to the masses. The theory is that if you heard something for the first time on the radio or on TV today, chances are that the same information is already half way around the world on the internet, decisions have already been made as to whether it's "good" or "bad" and as such, the same information is probably now just "old news".

As far as I'm concerned though, Jonathan Ross can sleep easy and feel free earn every part of his £18 million contract from the BBC. I will always need someone to sift through the crap and present a single dose of "what's new" preferably on a Friday night when I can wash it down with a bucket of ice cold Kriek. For me, the internet will always be a service provider, a way to save time or an educational resource. Here are some of the best sites discovered in 2006:

1. Shoot, the on-line gardening resource and care calendar (courtesy of a great Christmas present from Lando C). Based in the UK too, which is super helpful.

2. allTunes. Legal? Illegal? Who knows? Great value? Absolutely.

3. In-the-spirit - a decent cocktail recipe website, at long last.

4. del.icio.us - a social bookmarks manager for all those cool websites you want to go back to.

5. LOVEFiLM - the UK's no.1 on-line DVD rental company. Great if you are on the hunt of films of yesteryear. So far we've enjoyed some real classics - Breakfast at Tiffany's, Easy Rider, Man on the Moon, as well as movies I missed because our old local village video store only stocked the big names. At last I was able to see Rushmore, Beyond the Sea, The Libertine, etc.

Cool Stuff of 2006!

2007-01-02T19:20:00.000Z

With the fireworks that brought in 2007 still ringing in my ears, it's a reminder to update this thing with all the best bits of 2006.

In 2006, I discovered:

1. Belle-Vue Kriek

2. The New Sushi Aisle at Tescos stocking Yutaka products

3. BlueQ, with heaps of groovy cool stuff. For Christmas, I was lucky enough to receive the cutest and tastiest lip-balm ever.

4. Family Guy

With the business really going nuts this year, both Lando C and I fell way off the music scene this year, only making one or two gigs and barely getting five minutes to tune into BBC 6 music. Nevertheless, I still made time for:

1. Rodrigo y Gabriela - the best gig of the year, nay! Decade!!!
2. The Raconteurs - a unthinkable but workable collaboration.
3. The Beatles new Love Album
4. Leicester's finest - Kasabian
5. The Vines, live at the Rescue Rooms, Nottingham.
6. Vetiver
7. Dan Sartain
8. Richard Hawley

Lando C cried like a little boy when he heard:

1. Wolfmother

There, there boy. Rock is back!

Menu For Lando C

2006-08-16T22:57:00.000+01:00

Here is Friday night's menu for Lando C to try and give him a better weekend than his birthday which kinda ended with him talking to God down the big white telephone. And I know how much Lando C dislikes conversing with the Man.

Wasabi Sesame Tuna Recipe

1/4 cup soy sauce
3 teaspoons wasabi paste
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
12 ounces ahi tuna steaks, 3/4 to 1-inch thick (2 steaks)
1/4 cup sesame seeds

In a shallow dish, combine the soy sauce, wasabi paste and cracked black pepper; mix well. Add the tuna and turn until thoroughly coated on both sides.
Let sit for 10 minutes or plan ahead and let marinate overnight in a zipper bag or foodsaver bag.

Coat a pan with nonstick cooking spray and preheat over high heat. Place the sesame seeds in another shallow dish, add the tuna and turn to coat completely.

Grill the tuna for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until browned or cooked to desired doneness. Slice thinly and serve with rice or stir fry.

Remember fish cooks fast and will be dry and chewy if overcooked.

Recent Reviews

"This came out fabulously! I live in a tiny NYC apartment, so no grilling for me, but I fried my tuna in dark sesame oil, which turned out just great. I served it with extra wasabi on the side and pickled ginger. — Feb 26, 2006"

That's a relief! I don't really do grilling either.

Carlton Cole

2006-08-16T22:39:00.000+01:00

Carlton Cole

This is blues guitar legend Carlton Cole as a youth before he went blind.

I don't know who took this picture but it is a fine example of '70s cool.

Like A Red Rag To A Bull

2006-08-15T13:03:00.000+01:00

Like A Red Rag To A Bull

Yep, this made my day. Raise those stakes Donna! You can do-eeeeet!

Massively Educational!

2006-08-13T20:38:00.000+01:00

Spicy Lentil Soup

2006-08-13T11:36:00.000+01:00

I found a good recipe for Spicy Lentil Soup after being completely blown away by the soup I had at Dub Tournae made by the Happy Pear company. I had to adapt it a little because we have no cardamom but I did have an aubergine that needed using up. It tastes great - although I am expecting one long trip to Windy City this evening!

INGREDIENTS:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped red onion
salt and pepper to taste
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups frozen chopped spinach
2 cups dry red lentils
2 cups water
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon curry powder

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, and cook the onion until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in tomatoes, spinach, and lentils, and pour in water. Season with basil, cardamom, cumin, cayenne pepper, and curry powder. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender.

Transfer the soup to a blender (or use a hand held blender), and blend until smooth before serving.

Edamame

2006-08-12T19:24:00.000+01:00

Further to eating bowls and bowls of wonderful Black Bean Edamame at Chino Latino's, I want to be able to grow my own Edamame. It's impossible to get seeds in the UK. I wonder if I can import them from Canada? Thompson Morgan seed specialists seems to have some but I am not sure how suitable the Ustie variety is for Edamame.

Maybe I should also read 'The Soybean Grow and Cookbook' by R.G Whisker and P Dixon as recommended by this handy website.

Also it's worth visiting these other seed sites, Chiltern Seeds and the Organic Gardening Catalogue.

Next stop, Alfalfa beans and Pea shoots!

Oyster Soup

2006-08-12T19:11:00.000+01:00

We have fresh fish delivered to our house now every 10 weeks. At last someone came to our front door selling something I was interested in! Unfortunately, Lando C returned from our trip to Hayling Island with the Norovirus so the dozen fresh oysters I ordered were in danger of going to waste.

Thankfully I was able to make this soup which kept me in meals for about 3 days:

Oyster Soup with Fresh & Smoked Oysters

Ingredients:

16 fresh Oysters, and their liquid
7 oz Smoked Oysters, well rinsed in cold water, gently patted dry
6 slices Bacon, cut into thin strips
1 large Onion, dice into fine pieces
1 large Leek, white part only, sliced thin
1 large Red Potato, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup Whipping cream
4 cup Milk
1/2 cup bottled Clam Juice
4 cups packed young Spinach Leaves
1/2 tsp Salt
freshly ground White Pepper

Directions:

Cook the bacon in a 3-quart pot over medium high heat until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the onion and leek and cook until softened, about 4 minutes, stirring often. Add the potato, cream, milk and clam juice and bring to boil. Simmer, uncovered, until potato is just short of cooked, about 8 minutes. Add the spinach and fresh and smoked oysters. Cook just until fresh oysters are cooked, about 1 minute. Add additional clam juice if needed for consistency. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Serve oyster soup in shallow serving bowls with fresh bread or your favorite soup crackers. Makes 8 cups.

Six Months In A Nutshell

2006-08-12T17:59:00.000+01:00

It's gonna be a pretty large nutshell. Probably from an avocado or big mango or something.

I have been able to keep up the Flickr account (only just!) but generally it's been so manic, I have had very little time to sit back and reflect.

To illustrate just how manic it's got round here, in the last six months, I've:

1) Bought a house with Lando C and moved in
2) Acquired a rescue dog called Penn
3) Held a Canada Day party
4) Watched Lando C have a seizure and third degree heart block
5) Wasted three days at the worst ever Blues Festival
6) Retired from competitive ultimate
7) Been inspired by a trip to Dublin to give up eating meat
8) Planted a vegetable garden
9) Replaced the bathroom from hell
10) Enjoyed the new Superman movie
11) Visited and experienced Wonderful Copenhagen

South Park Us

2006-02-14T13:11:00.000Z

South Park You

In the Kitchen

2006-02-07T20:03:00.000Z

It was actually sunny today - for at least for a couple of hours or so. I took the opportunity to take the camera out and saw this lost balloon caught in bushes at the end of our street. You could just see it peeking out through the trees. I wonder who lost it and where did they let go? Was it far away from here? Who gave it to them?

I cooked some home-made soup today using the duck stock I made a couple of weeks back and the left over beer-can chicken. It ended up a little weird and very dark, but overall pretty tasty. I think the problems came when I mixed what could have been a great traditional chicken, broccoli and mushroom soup with a Thai-style chicken, coriander, lime, garlic and chili soup. More confusion than fusion.

Here's my next cooking project.

Cup cakes!

Peas Are The New Beans

2006-01-29T12:01:00.000Z

© Bob and Roberta Smith

Saw this on Flickr courtesy of rsinghabout. I had no idea that the government had such an interesting and varied art collection. Wouldn't mind getting in on one of the Open House events. As rsinghabout says "I can safely say that this picture is unlikely to end up in John Prescott's office."

100th Post - January '06 Highlights

2006-01-22T15:19:00.000Z

The main highlights of the new year so far include finally discovering a house to buy which actually has a garden larger than the size of the small facial mole on my right cheek and the welcome return of Battlestar Gallactica and ER. But even better than all of those things combined is that Call Centre Confidential is back online! As someone commented on the triumphant return of Wrapstar - "That hold music was the worst. Seems like I've been on hold for months".

tunes to remember january '06

The Decemberists - Picaresque

Architecture In Helsinki - In Case We Die

flicks to remember january '06 - (and probably some from earlier that I'd forgot too!

The Life and Death of Peter Sellers ****
King Kong ****
Wedding Crashers **
Unleashed (Danny the Dog) ***
A Very Long Engagement *****
Mr and Mrs Smith **
XXX2 - The Next Level *
Madagascar ***
Assault on Precinct 13 ***
Hide and Seek ***
Hostage ****
Hitch ***
Kingdom of Heaven ****

*****woh! ****brainfood ***popcorn **braindead *two hours of my life - wasted

books to remember january '06

The Character of Rain - Amelie Nothomb

Fear and Trembling - Amelie Nothomb

2006 Is Moving!

2006-01-22T14:10:00.000Z

At last Lando C and I have found a house to buy and our offer accepted! Not that we've looked much but after visiting the 7th place, I knew the first one we'd seen this week was the one for us. It's in Long Eaton, was built in 1938 and has some really interesting and traditional features.

We got the 3 bedrooms and a garage we were after, and had the additional bonuses of a dining room, brand new kitchen, garden shed and small soundproof workshop/den at the end of the garden to set the drums up in (now named the Grotski). It has original floorboards in many of the rooms and the pagoda on the front patio has hops growing on it during the summer - just divine!

View from the patio.

The guy who owns the house now is going to leave a heap of furniture and bits and bobs he doesn't want to take with him. Check out the strawberry planters!

The Grotski - complete with veggie patch, hidden away from main garden.

Other side of the patio. Lando C says "yeah!" to hops.

One side of the kitchen.

Living room complete with traditional fireplace and wooden floors. Cosy.

Cool Stuff of 2005

2005-12-31T16:11:00.000Z

With the willpower of a 20-a-day smoker without the habit, I am not keen on New Year's resolutions. For me they tend to make it about as far as lunch-time on day two and before I know it I'm stuffing my face with guacamole and washing it down with some cheap white Muscadet. Sure - this year I would like to lose about a stone in weight, I would like to find more time for myself and I would like to become better at Ultimate. But they are all "likes" and not "must-haves" so the resolution plan is flawed. It all sounded a bit to "Bridgety" for my liking anyway.

So what was cool about 2005? Well it went so bloody fast...and that's kinda cool as a feat of physics. It does have a sickening downside though and that was I don't remember experiencing very much at all. I would like to compile a list of best TV shows, Movies, Books and Gigs of 2005 but the business seemed to consume everything in my life in 2005.

If I think long and hard enough, I do remember really enjoying (and in no particular order):

Top Radio Singles of 2005:

1. Interpol - Evil
2. Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #2 (laika)
3. Devendra Banhart - At The Hop
4. Maximo Park - The Coast Is Always Changing
5. Rufus Wainwright - The One You Love
6. The Fall - Clasp Hands
7. The Decemberists - Sixteen Military Wives

Top Albums of 2005:

1. Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel The Illinois

2. Funeral - Arcade Fire

3. Interpol - Antics

4. Elbow - Leaders of the Free World

5. The Decemberists - Picaresque

6. Little Barrie - We Are Little Barrie

7. The Eels - Blinking Lights and Other Revelations

Still missing:

1. The Doves - Some Cities

Top Movies of 2005:

1. Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
2. Batman Begins
3. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
4. War of the Worlds
5. Sin City
6. Anchorman - The Legend of Ron Burgundy
7. Sideways
8. Team America - World Police
9. Garden State
10. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou

Still missing:

1. Beyond the Sea
2. The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
3. King Kong

Top Gigs of 2005

They all managed to rock out and yet marginally disappoint at the same time. Apart from Brendan Benson who didn't even rock out. It was a lifetime achievement to see Bob Dylan and the Dears were great.

Oops...missed:

1. The Arcade Fire
2. The Doves
3. Interpol
4. Kaiser Chiefs
5. Thirteen Senses

Top TV of 2005

See 2004.

Top Books of 2005

Couldn't live without:

Gayla Trail - The You Grow Girl: The Groundbreaking Guide to Gardening

Douglas Coupland - Eleanor Rigby

In 2005 I was also into:

1. My new Canon 350D
2. Eating home-made Sashimi and living to tell the tale
3. Flickr
4. Visiting Las Vegas
5. Drinking Mojitos
6. Digging in the garden, drying herbs/chillis and recognising our potential for self-sufficiency

Darth Festivus

2005-12-31T15:53:00.000Z

Lando C and I went to my brother's yesterday for some pre-New Year festivities. We had some great Turkey Curry with Bombay Potatoes and many many beers. Later we watched (for the second time this week already) Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and then played Trivial Pursuits - Star Wars Edition. We finally finished at 3.3oam this morning, with Lando C as Darth Vader finally winning it (although it was a close game between him and my brother as Luke Skywalker).

Lando C then went on to have his usual crazy dreams - this time dreaming that I wanted to become a Sith Lord, called "Darth Festivus." Ha ha ha!!!!

See below what Lando C bought me back from Bremen in Germany recently. Salty!

Autumn 2005 Highlights

2005-11-17T19:28:00.000Z

Brr...It is so cold now that I think Winter is officially here. Not to mention a plethora of Christmas advertisements on TV. Time for Autumn highlights.

tunes to remember autumn '05

Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel The Illinois

Still my favourite album this year so far by at least a country mile.

Joseph Arthur - Our Shadows Will Remain

I gave this one another chance and pleh...I still don't know.

The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree

I haven't listened to this nearly enough yet. Must rip it to CD to play it in the car sometime.

flicks to remember autumn '05

I picked up a bargain at the video store the other day. Garden State on DVD ex-rental for just £2.50. A part of me feels bad knowing that Zach Braff won't see any royalties from my purchase, in a similar manner to the guilt I felt after I bought a second-hand copy of the Long Way Round from Ebay to later realise that profits from book sales went to Unicef.

books to remember autumn '05

Julian Palacios - Beck: Beautiful Monstrosity

During the autumn I was also into

Lots and lots of TV:

And re-runs of:

Oh dear...I really need to get a life.

Bob Dylan's Back

2005-11-17T17:19:00.000Z

Went to see Bob Dylan on Tuesday with Lando C at the Nottingham Ice Arena. I just visited his website now to remind myself what he looks like as he spent the whole of his set with his back to the complete right hand side of the venue. Only he could get away with that. Had that been Kelly Jones down there I may have been tempted to throw my pint at him.

The best part of the whole evening was an unexpected performance of Along the Watchtower for the encore. I was hoping for more of his old stuff but I didn't think he'd pull out that one. Magic.

Lately I've been playing a little more Ultimate. On Sunday, I finally accomplished my first ever full front layout without dropping the disc and without burying my knees into the ground first. About bloody time - it's not like I've been playing for nearly 4 years or anything! Oh the shame.

The weekend before last I took Bro and Ma to Abbey Park, Leicester for the fireworks, prior to which we had the most amazing Chinese meal in town for just £6.00 for 3 courses! That is cheaper than getting a takeaway. Certainly worth traveling down the motorway for.

I took a heap of pictures, most of which were blurry and chaotic. I like this one best - minimal and simplistic.

Starlight

2005-11-05T14:01:00.000Z

OK - so this was a bit of PS accident. Was going over the archives and found a picture I took of the lamp in the hallway some time last year. It was a bit dark and fusty so tried to up the light levels a bit. My big fat thumbs pressed the Invert button though and PS decided to poop this out. Cool.

Neil Young RIP...

2005-11-04T15:27:00.000Z

...in my dreams. That was a strange one. Last night I dreamt Lando C and I were stood in the kitchen listening to the radio. The news came on saying that Neil Young had died suddenly.

Lando C broke down uncontrollably in floods of tears. His reaction was beyond any emotional response I had ever seen from him before. I was confused about what made me upset the most; the surprise death of a legendary Canadian artist or Lando C's hysterical reaction to the news.

Mojito Dreams

2005-10-16T15:29:00.000+01:00

Been experimenting with Mojito recipes. I thought this one would be a dead cert but it didn't work out. After the first attempt, I swapped out the white sugar for brown sugar, added more mint leaves and it bit more rum but it still wasn't quite hitting the mark. I have made this drink really well before but can't remember how I did it.

Just Jotting...

2005-10-13T18:55:00.000+01:00

Feeling melancholy today for obvious reasons. Lando C has headed into Derby to watch a couple of local bands but I'm not feeling up for public displays of affection right now.

The night before last we went to see Brendan Benson at the Rescue Rooms. So here's a guy with talent, who writes beautifully crafted songs and genuine lyrics. But did he ever lack presence on stage? I was hoping for him to rock out in a Ben Folds or Ben Kweller type manner but there was nothing. No smiling, no laughing and certainly no engagement with the crowd. Just vacant possession.

Came across this wonderful creative piece about Intelligent Design in the The New Yorker Shouts & Murmurs section (courtesy of blimp).

On Sunday we went to see Serenity. It was everything Star Wars Episode I and II should have been. I love Sci-Fi.

Last Thursday, I saw a motorcyclist go over the handle-bars of his moving bike after his wheel hit a grease-patch on the road. He was coming the other way and landed a few metres from my car door, head first. Luckily he got up after a few seconds and then upchucked a couple of times. Close one.

Slinky-Spring in The Sky

2005-10-05T21:18:00.000+01:00

I wanted to remember why I hate flying but somehow it's OK. On the way back into Stansted from Pisa, we were held up in a queue circling above North London for what seemed like 20 minutes.

What made it all seem worth losing your life over was that I could see about 5 other planes in the queue, above and below us. They were following the same circular route, decending in a cork-screw pattern cleary visable by the light grey aeroplane fuel trails against a dark of the night. It was like we were all travelling down the coil of a giant slinky-spring in the sky.

Converse All Star Kills Zombie

2005-10-05T20:00:00.000+01:00

A dream. It was some time ago but didn't frighten me like it could have. I dreamt that there had been some world-wide catastrophe on the scale of Hurricane Katrina, but just everywhere. It must have been some time in the future because we had built robots to collect all of the dead bodies and bury them in giant holes in the ground.

The creepiness of this dream reached the next level when the robots, having the benefit of artificial intelligence realised that they could gain an independent energy source from processing the limbs of the dead bodies. The problem was all the dead bodies had been buried, so they captured some of the living and implanted them with a micro-chip that turned them into zombies. It was the job of the zombies to hijack the rest of us and turn us over to the robots, so they could swipe our limbs and steal our energy.

I went to my brothers house to hide from the zombies and be with my family. I managed to avoid several zombies on the way, as luckily it was night time and very dark outside. I also seemed to have in my possession two silver pistols with just a few bullets although I couldn't tell you where they had come from. We boarded up the house, although we knew they were coming. We were all very scared.

Eventually, the zombies descended on the house, prizing open doors and windows. We managed to back ourselves into one room, trying to survive but really knowing deep down the game was up. As one entered the room, I dived out in front with my two silver pistols blazing. I am not sure what happened next, but one of the bullets seemed to ricochet off the zombie and headed right back at me at speed. Quickly kicking my leg up, I kung fu'd my foot at the bullet and it rebounded off the sole of my Converse All Stars and hit the zombie right in the head.

And then I woke up.

Summer 2005 Highlights

2005-10-05T17:34:00.000+01:00

I have had absolutely no inclination to post over the summer whatsoever. I think I suffered a case of flickeritis. The soundtrack to my summer was pictures and not words. Maybe that's how the season's work? In the winter, it's dark and cold - not great conditions for taking photographs so my only other creative output is this. And in the summer, I don't want to be chained to a computer with my thoughts. Quicker to snap, upload and then head back outside into the sunshine for some more.

Best briefly summarise the summer though - for the benefit of my long-term memory or lack there of. Here are July-September 2005 Highlights:

tunes to remember summer '05

Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel The Illinois

This has been my album of the summer for sure. I won it on the Gideon Coe show on BBC 6 Music in the daily Paint Box Jury competition. I guessed correctly a Jesus Jones album cover and was rewarded with the Sufjan Stevens CD above along with The Subways - Young For Eternity (Q Magazine says "crackles with the cocky, hormonal exuberance of youth" - that quote made me laugh) and Joseph Arthur - Our Shadows Will Remain ("ooo. er. weird" - Me). I think I need to give Joseph Arthur's another go.

Back to Sufjan though - this album is magical and creepy all at the same time. One of the tracks is about a renown serial killer John Wayne Gacy Jr ("the clown that killed"), but you can't help adore it. So good, I wrote a review on emusic.

Little Barrie - We Are Little Barrie

Another download from emusic. Really fun to listen to, full of grooves. Sounds like it was recorded in my kitchen.

Foo Fighters - In Your Honor

I bought this for Lando C's birthday. Had me dreaming about Dave Grohl for weeks though. Like it.

flicks to remember summer '05

With Lando C working in London for the best part of two and a half months I've not been to the movies or seen many DVD's or films. I think watching films is an experience I enjoy sharing with someone else. Here's what I managed though:

The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (Quite possibly my favourite film of the year)
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Shall We Dance? (Japanese Original)
Summer of Sam
Batman Begins

books to remember summer '05

Julian Baggini - The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten: And Ninety Nine Other Thought Experiments

It's taking me a while to churn through this. Sometimes I don't have the state of mind to question the world.

Gayla Trail - The You Grow Girl: The Groundbreaking Guide to Gardening

Inspiration!!!

Douglas Coupland - Eleanor Rigby

It took me a matter of days to read this book whilst traveling around Tuscany. It touched me (in a totally good way).

During the summer, I was also into

Growing things, taking cuttings of other things and ooooo - I bought a Holga on ebay. I also learned how to make Guacamole. This is the best recipe ever. It was like a summer of discovery.

I also had some old disposable cameras developed, some of which had been draw-bound for 5 years! Here is one of my favourites from a black and white disposable Kodak. This was taken nearly 3 years ago now and features Lando C and our old buddy Milos on the bed in a rather swanky London hotel. It was Milos' last night in the UK before heading back to Canada. The day before this his father had passed away unexpectedly.

About this picture - as ex-wife, Ange Bowie once said ""I never said they were having sex. They were just passed out drunk on the bed."

And finally, during summer '05 I visited

200 tourist points to me.

Droplet Domes

2005-08-18T18:05:00.000+01:00

Droplet Domes

Isn't it odd when you try to take a picture and it just doesn't seem to want to work. Then - you get a shot which shouldn't even be in focus because your camera is playing up and you end up with a nice surprise.

A Life Underwater

2005-08-08T21:20:00.000+01:00

My favourite movie of the year so far is The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. I loved it so much, even though we had to watch half on Friday night and half with hangover Saturday morning. A dead-pan performance by Bill Murray, the cut away ship tour, Portuguese accoustic Bowie covers, a very pregnant performance from Cate Blanchett and something creepy about Willem Dafoe's character Klaus all make for a flick unique. Wes Anderson is quickly becoming a favourite director.

Also loved Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Recipes to Remember - Courgettes and Mint

2005-07-28T13:05:00.000+01:00

Tried this on Wednesday. Made a mistake and bought Corriander instead of Parsley (psychological error - don't like Parsley) but it worked really well all the same.

Still No Popcorn...

2005-07-17T12:40:00.000+01:00

...but Flickr is very filling right now.

I've started a new pool called "Get The Message?" to collect "Any type of hand-written or hand-typed anonymous message or note or sign that makes you smile or just plain scared. The more hand-made, out of nowhere and abruptly personal the better."

Lately I've been thinking my photographs are becoming a little predictable and I've wanted to change direction to something a little more on the day-to-day documentary side. Nothing to serious, just taking pictures of quirky stuff that happens around here.

Day 1: Take That You Bastard.

The key to the new direction I guess is taking my camera everywhere. And it paid off. I'd been driving around all morning doing errands for the business and was wondering if I would head home on my first day empty handed. Then I spotted this car outside our storage facility in town. I couldn't believe it. I nearly wet myself laughing, snapped the shot and then got the hell out of there. And a new Flickr Pool was born.

Square Eyes

2005-07-15T10:58:00.000+01:00

Last night TV rocked at about 10.50pm on Channel 4. My University Town Hero Jarvis Cocker showed us what it takes to make the perfect Pop TV Show. Genius concept for a show harnessing the talent of unrefutable expert. Is there no end to this man's talents? Apparently not.

Test Card Gallery

2005-07-14T18:36:00.000+01:00

I came across this image on Flickr today. It took me back. Way back.

Then I discovered a BBC Test Cards gallery.

According to the website, Test Card C (Digitally remastered) as shown above was "immensely popular". That's wonderful, but with who I wonder? And how could you register your approval for such things?

Whilst I'm here - let's take a balanced view. Who remembers Widespread World of Rediffusion? I don't really, but my Grandma used to own Rediffusion Television set even into the early 1990's. Beautiful logo.

Out of Popcorn

2005-07-12T17:40:00.000+01:00

The garden is in really good shape at the moment although all the poppies have faded now to reveal explosive pods. That reminds me, I must remember to get some popcorn in. And while I'm at it - we need to get some bulk-buy teriyaki for the month of barbecues ahead.

June 2005 Highlights

2005-07-12T16:37:00.000+01:00

June was a strange month. The business was really busy at times with European Clubs 2005 getting ever nearer. I think Lando C and I were just gunning for July where we could learn to breathe again. Really June was all about Barbecue Wishing (the weather sucked), Badly Sprained Ankles, and a short stay at a really weird but very homely B&B in Eastbourne.

tunes to remember june '05

Elliot Smith - From a Basement Hill

I love this album. It is one long trip in a wist-wagon.

Kaiser Chiefs - Employment

Great one for the car this. Yelling "Ooooooooh!" at the traffic is very alleviating.

Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger

I was really hoping to love this album but was so disappointed pretty much instantly. I love "The Coast is Always Changing" especially as it has about 3 catchy riffs sandwiched together and the lyrics are genius. The other tracks though feature continually self-referencing storylines (it's all about "I" and "Me") that really started to grate me after the first two plays.

flicks to remember june '05

It's been a great month for movies. Sin City and Garden State are definitely up there on the Christmas DVD list.

books to remember june '05

Douglas Adams - A Trilogy in Five Parts

Flowers From The 1950's

2005-07-03T18:57:00.000+01:00

There is something about this photograph which makes me think about the 1950's. Maybe it's the vivid colours.

The Great Big Movie Review

2005-06-29T19:36:00.000+01:00

I've seen so many good movies lately. Sky Box Office did a deal showing two Walter Salles films for the price of one. Sadly, I barely made it through the Motorcycle Diaries without nodding off, although that wasn't because it was boring or anything. I was just knackered. I didn't even get to find out what the other film was. From what I did see though, the Motorcycle Diaries is beautifully filmed and Gael Garcia Bernal's amazing performance provides a memorable insight into the compassionate nature of the infamous Che Guevara.

Whilst Lando C was away, I finally got round to watching Pot Luck that had been lent to me by my neighbour months and months ago. I wasn't sure what to make of this one. I really enjoyed watching the interaction between the characters who all come to live in Barcelona from across Europe. It reminded me of Ultimate in many ways, the respect and tolerance for people from other nations running in parallel with the sustained belief that where you come from is best. I also enjoyed how the film was put together, some parts seemingly influenced by Jeunet and Caro. I did feel uncomfortable with the character "William" though, played by Kevin Bishop. His whole purpose in the movie was geared towards representing the British male as an ignorant, almost xenophobic, loud-mouthed, free-loader emphasised with a drunken vomit and piss in the street scene. And a great job he did too. Perhaps the whole character leaned too heavily on a cheap shot at a stereotype for my liking. Or maybe the representation was a little close to home.

Over the weekend, we watched three fantastic DVD's in an attempt to escape the real world but in a completely challenging and thought-provoking way. No guns, bombs, car chases, terrorists, JLo or drug wars here. The Aviator, Garden State and I Heart Huckabees took over instead and they were all brilliant. Since Titanic, I've (probably unfairly) given Leo a wide birth, but in The Aviator, I totally forgot about him as his portrayal of Howard Hughes was not only convincing but completely compelling.

As ever, I fell asleep during I Heart Huckabees and watched the second half the next night. I think that was a big mistake though because maybe, somehow, I missed the vital part of the movie which helps it all make sense in the end. However, I dig any film that tries to deal with existentialism in a totally humorous and straightforward manner without over doing it on the special effects and left-of-field plots. Maybe a second viewing is in order.

My favorite of the weekend was Zach Braff's Garden State. It reminded me of when Lando C goes home to Sault Ste. Marie every couple of years and how far removed he must feel from his friends and his parents who rarely, if ever, leave town. Apparently the movie is part-fiction and part-biographical which is marginally disturbing, especially as there is no obvious way to tell which part is which. I would like to think that Zach's real life hasn't been so tragic as this, although it is also wonderful to think that the nice parts may have really happened to him. Whatever the truth, he has come through the other side as the most talented young actor and director with many stories to tell representative of our lives and our generation. One for the Christmas list.

A Cycle of Gardening Misdemeanors

2005-06-28T18:51:00.000+01:00

I had a wonderful weekend just passed. Most of the time was spent avoiding the gym and playing in the garden. It's quite difficult tending to someone else's garden, not quite knowing what has been planted where and whether one pull too many will destroy an entire eco-system. A few months ago I pulled up a heap of silver ground creeper that had started to colonize most of the back garden to realise shortly afterwards that it kept down a far more deadly creeping weed which has now killed off everything in its path. I've tried to reset the balance again by pulling up the offending plant so we'll see what happens next.

Setting myself a budget of £30.00, I headed off on Sunday to the local nursery to get some low-cost plants that we could also take with us when we leave here in the Autumn. Luckily we have heaps of terracota pots left over from previous gardening failures so I didn't have to spend money containing what I had bought and Jo had some spare tiles lying around that could be made into steps on the empty muddy slope at the front.

Just 14p over budget, I was able to buy 5 different herbs (Basil, Dill, Chives, hot and spicy Taragon, Mint), a Limonium plant (reminds me of my trip to Arizona), an unknown flowering succulent (I may regret that one), a Strawberry Parfait Dianthus, four Scarlet Geraniums, six assorted Nicotina plants and a Penstemon Pensham called "Avon Belle". Oh and I also got a new hanging basket to replace Jo's that had weathered and disintegrated and some compost. It occurred to me afterwards that apart from the Penstemon, most of my choices represent a smorgersboard of delight for the slugs and snails in the garden and with the Nicontina plants they get a choice of smokes afterwards too. The cycle of empty terracota pots and gardening misdemeanors continues...

In the meantime, the Reticule website has been a fantastic resource for identifying the wild flowers growing on the garden. I still don't know what this one below is called though.

Get me some Wonka-Vite!

2005-06-22T12:57:00.000+01:00

Must go to the new Roald Dahl Museum at some point now that it has opened. From the website, it looks fascinating and the cafe looks intriguing. And another movie for the list - Tim Burton's recreation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory out in July I think. The Flash Site is beautiful and makes you want to head for the candy and be a kid again! Johnny Depp is so perfectly cast as Willy Wonka - the only actor I know who is totally hot but can completely creep me out at the same time. Also worth a visit is the Roald Dahl Offical Website brought to life with Quentin Blake Illustrations.

Completely unrelated - Julian Beever's 3D Pavement Drawings mess with your head. I particularly like:

and

Dick van Dyke eat your heart out!

Rivers of Profanity

2005-06-22T10:23:00.000+01:00

Ok, so I can still hear...just, but my ankle really is knackered. I certainly didn't see a "beer injury" coming out of last weeks activities but it certainly became a feature of it. It doesn't feel as bad as the Glastonbury (tournament not festival) injury but it is more colourful with lots of purple bruising about to turn a shade of nicotine yellow. For most of the week I tended to fall on my feet but by the end I was just plain falling over.

I was going to post up a photograph of the offending ankle but let's look at something more pleasant instead.

It's poppy madness in the garden at the moment, which is just as well because the flowers only last a day or two before all the petals drop off. Soon all that will be left is a haze of poppy skeletons with explosive heads bursting their seeds everywhere to continue their circle of existence.

So time for gig round up then. Ben Folds started the week of with an amazing set opened up for him by the brilliant and very honest Clem Snide. I most enjoyed Ben Fold's cover of Dr. Dre's "Bitches ain't shit" which you can see a version of courtesy of College Humor. As Lando C commented, "It was a river of profanity" set to the beautiful sound of a grand piano. Hilarious. I manage to get my mitts on some more gig memorabilia too (I hate that phrase - any suggestions?) stealing the set list from one of the roadies. I think I'm going to organise a set on Flickr for all my souvenir plectrums (plectri?), set lists, drumsticks etc.

U2 kicked off Tuesday. I had another one of those "being in the right place at the right time" moments when I saw a crowd of about 10 people legging it out of the stadium to a food enclosure.

The security guards outside were giving out yellow wristbands and I dived in for one. Lando C tried to hold me back saying "You don't even know what they are for...what are you doing!". "Are you kidding?" I asked. "Just get the bloody wristband and ask questions later!". It just so happened that these wristbands gave us access to the Ellipse pitt enclosure at the very front of the stage. Look forward in the enclosure and you will see Bono making his way towards you along a large catwalk. He is so close, you can touch his mullet. Look back from the enclosure and you will see 40,000 fans squished up against the main barriers behind you. They are so far away, you can hardly see them wanting to kill you.

Entry number two into the Paradise Circus: Best Kept Secrets 2005: How to really get into the Ellipse at a U2 Concert? Not this way. This way - When you see a crowd running together at a gig, you don't just let them pass you by, join them because they obviously know something you don't and you will really want to be in on it.

Greenday ended it all in explosive style. This gig was great but I am not sure I enjoyed it as much as the 70,000 people stood around me. After a while Billie Joe's "Come on England!" and "Waahay! Wayho" repeated in chant around the stadium started to wear a little thin. And when they started to cover "Shout" known mainly in the UK as a Lulu and hen night classic - I felt that I'd accidentally strolled into a Robbie Williams concert. Don't get me wrong, musically Greenday are right there right now, it's just that they have sold out a little on stage.

Entry number 3 into Paradise Circus: Best Kept Secrets 2005 - The Premier Inn, Furzton, Milton Keynes. If you are going to spend a small fortune on tickets to a gig at one of the UK's largest venues, why not go the whole hog and book a room at the nearest hotel by a lake within 5 minutes walk of the stadium. And when 35,000 cars try to leave Milton Keynes at the end of the event, don't be one of them stuck getting out. Head to the hotel bar, buy a beer and relax. Perfect!

Impending Deafness

2005-06-13T12:01:00.000+01:00

We have many appointments with amps of varying shapes and sizes this week and I look forward to my impending deafness and permanent ringing in the ears.

Tonight we're going to see Ben Folds at the Octagon, Sheffield. It's a rescheduled date from last year and I'm looking forward to reliving some old memories in my university town. Tomorrow night we go to see U2 in Manchester. This is a surprise gift from Lando C - who didn't take me to see them the last time he had tickets... At last his misdemeanors may be forgiven. No really, I am the luckiest girl in the world! That concert is going to be huge.

Finally, on Sunday we're going to see Greenday in Milton Keynes at some big festival of rock where no doubt drum kits (and ear drums) will be destroyed in their honour. We're staying at a hotel that night. I love staying at hotels.

Seeing all these bands made me think about the gigs I am missing this time round who I'd really like to see. Although I really appreciate my road trip ahead - it's always about what you can't have isn't it? A trip to Ebay may be in store, especially as we aren't going to T in the Park this year.

Here's the missed list:

Comic Book Cactus Juicer

2005-06-11T15:00:00.000+01:00

This is my latest great Ebay find. It cost about £2.20 and is made of wonderful moulded plastic in a matt finish. It's very kitsch.

Lando C thought I did a Sin City on this picture. We went to see the movie last night and it was awesome. Nearly as good as that other movie from this year.

Remarkable Roadside Vistas

2005-05-31T20:15:00.000+01:00

Roadside architecture rules!

(Thanks to interesting ideas)

(Thanks to I Like)

(Thanks to The Society of Commercial Archeology)

(Thanks to Agilitynut)

Chasing My Tail

2005-05-31T11:49:00.000+01:00

I am constantly running in circles at the moment, trying to catch up with one thing or another. Perhaps I should just learn to let it go, forget about it. It probably wasn't that important anyway.

Yesterday I spend the Bank Holiday with Mum (it's her birthday today) and Iain. I bought her a complete kit to make a hanging basket after failing to pick up a copy of Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company at Asda. It turned out to be a much better present in any case. We went out to lunch at the Hobby Horse and was tempted back to Iain's for home-made cookies, a DVD and Singapore Noodles. Divine!

We watched The Manchurian Candidate which was scored 8 out of 10 on the thrill-o-meter and reminded me of three or four movies all out recently mashed up together. Being a remake, I guess it was ahead of its time when it originally came out and many other film writers have been influenced by it since.

On Sunday night, Lando C and I finally got round to watching Sideways armed with a rather large glass of Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet. It was a great insight into my forthcoming years I think and made me want to head out to those California vineyards pronto.

Bargain of the weekend was The Royal Tenenbaums on DVD for £4.72 from the Blockbuster near Iain's place. I don't care what anyone else says - I love that movie! A trip to the big store also reminded me of the movies I need to rent (but that may not be available at our modest little village store).

When it comes out:

The Aviator

At the cinema I need to watch out for:

April and May 2005 Highlights

2005-05-30T19:46:00.000+01:00

I have just realised that in the mayhem of recent months, there hasn't been any highlights for April, and May is just about to end too! This chaotic lifestyle is the reason why this blog exists - so that I don't forget anything. And then what do I do? I forget to write in it. Well done me.

tunes to remember apr-may '05

Beck - Guero

flicks to remember apr-may '05

books to remember mar '05

Planet Simpson - Chris Turner

At Last - A Dream Illustrated...

2005-05-30T19:21:00.000+01:00

Thanks to Flip Flop Flyin' my dream is now illustrated for all to see. I (5'1") have been bitching at Lando C (6'2") about this for years. Thanks!

Image by Craig - Flip Flop Flyin'.

I Am Whole...Although a Little Less So Than Before.

2005-05-30T08:53:00.000+01:00

It's been just over a week since my epiphany and so far I've managed to keep up the gym and diet. I've managed to lose 2 pounds which is a good start and I actually played well on Saturday with some scores, an assist and some D's. We also won all of our games too, scoring some great upwind points proving that "he who wins the toss, wins the game" isn't necessarily true.

Bargain of the fortnight is from a local car boot sale in Gotham. We bought two tall-backed cast iron chairs with wittex (like wicker but a little more stringy) manufactured locally for £25.00 for the pair. They are beautiful. The lady selling them had to move into a smaller property and had bought them for £79.00 each. What a steal! I hope to post a picture up of one soon.

Oh - and a week last Saturday, we saw it. My life is now complete.

A Collection of Sets

2005-05-21T17:31:00.000+01:00

Following on from Sentimental Collections, I finally realised what it was that I did collect now and that is anything small that forms some kind of set. Maybe it is the familiarity of repetition or feeling of organisation or the fact that I can generally hold these things in my hands. Whatever the attraction is, I think there may be a slight addiction brewing.

Shock Tactics

2005-05-21T12:23:00.000+01:00

At last. The kick in the arse has arrived. And what a large arse it is.

Yesterday I saw some photographs taken last weekend at the tournament which have been published on our team group. I had no idea that I had become so fat. I mean really fat.

It's strange how you have no comprehension of what you really look like and how you appear to those around you. I knew I'd put on weight here and there but not this.

And I can see how it happened. You catch a glimpse of yourself in a shop window or in the bathroom mirror in the morning. And as soon as you see yourself, you automatically suck it in and straighten yourself without thinking. They say the camera never lies and never has that saying rang so true.

Above everything, the self-loathing, the shock and the realisation, I am just plainly embarrassed. Within 30 minutes of seeing them, I was in the gym for the first time in about 4 months.

About time.

On a lighter note - I love these butterfly collections (thanks to I Like).

1960s' Throw Back

2005-05-17T15:38:00.000+01:00

This is a photograph of an old vase I bought from a charity shop years ago. It's made of beautiful red glass with a wibbly rim and cut bottom (I think that may sound like something it shouldn't?). If you could climb inside, maybe it would teleport you back to the 1960s'.

I'm feeling in a creative mood which means I am going to get jack all work done today. S'pose that beats the bad mood I was in at the weekend.

I Love My Shoes

2005-05-17T15:34:00.000+01:00

I bought these the weekend before last. I love them!

Sentimental Collections

2005-05-12T15:17:00.000+01:00

I was lying in bed last night thinking about all the crap I used to collect as a kid. I think we all felt the need to collect something or another as a child - maybe to help us fit in and provide our friends with the perception that we had some kind of material wealth.

Here is a list of things I used to collect from what I can remember, none of which I still have today:

Novelty rubbers (that's erasers so some folk)
Badges and Broaches (that's pins to other folk)
Snails (the live slimy slugs with no housing problems)
Fossils
Stickers (particularly the cushion plastic ones filled with a layer of sponge normally with bobbing eyes)
Football Player Stickers
Smash Hits Pop Stickers
Garbage Pail Kids Stickers
Stationary Sets

That's all I could remember. What I used to love about them (not applicable to the snails and fossils I think) was the cool designs that you just can't get these days. I wish I still had some of my collections now but after the 3rd move as a teenager, I think they all ended up in a charity shop or just used up (not the novelty erasers were capable of rubbing out the lightest of pencil marks).

This Flickr site reminded me of what it is to collect stuff, the same stuff and similar but not quite the same stuff in mass quantities. Also from MassDistraction - Glow Stick Fun.

Space Cadet

2005-05-12T14:13:00.000+01:00

Feeling like the muppet version of a space cadet today. Fell over at practice last night and it seems to have shaken me up a bit.

Anyhow, here are some pictures I took in the garden yesterday. The top one reminds me of a tryphid, although I seem to have a lot of unknown tryphid style plants growing in it right now. The ones at the front have till the weekend to flower spectacularly and if they fail, they're out.

Thistle?

This one reminded me of John Travolta - all arms and attention seeking.

Let's play catch up then. On Bank Holiday Monday we went and played golf with Al after a quick BBQ. It was great to be doing something non-Ultimate related for a change and it has inspired me to do more activities that are different. That's the trouble when your job is also your hobby - it becomes difficult to do anything else. I scored a miserable 75 on the 9 hole main course near home, but it was fun nevertheless, especially in the thunder and lightning storm.

That night we went to see Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy. I really enjoyed it as it was both very similar to and very different from the book and the TV series, if that is possible. It was nicely eccentric in places and yes, let's dumb this down a bit - I loved the special effects. Just before the movie started, the Showcase was struck by lightening which knocked out most of the screens. We got free tickets for another movie of our choice afterwards, even though we weren't really affected. Bargain.

Next stop - Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

The Best Kept Secrets of Paradise Circus

2005-05-10T22:13:00.000+01:00

As well as the "Hall of Hate" (although there's not been much use for that recently) I think I'm going to compile a "Best Kept Secrets" list - just so that I don't forget the most amazing hidden away experiences we discover on our travels.

The weekend before last, Lando C and I needed to get a hotel for the night near Oxford. With it being Bank Holiday weekend in the Cotswolds though, it soon became an impossible task. We'd already scraped a top class Blue Audi backing out of a tiny but full B&B car park in Witney that was only accessible via a narrow tunnel too small for a Mini Cooper let alone our Big Red Van.

Just as we began to think it would be better to drive the 2 and a half hours back up the M40 to our own bed instead, we soon discovered a beautiful Inn hidden away just down the road in Hailey. We could see a courtyard surrounded by rooms from the ample car park outside the restaurant and it looked awesome.

To cut a long story short - there sadly weren't any rooms available here either. Well there would have been had a honeymoon couple not broken the bed in the superior room the night before. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to see Lando C in action, I offered up his DIY services to fix the bed so we didn't have to journey further. The owners (Kim-Marie and Rod) agreed and gave us a free night's accommodation in exchange for some of the big Canadian's handywork.

The Bird in the Hand, Hailey, Oxfordshire

Not only was the welcome warm but the room was also amazing. Whirlpool bath, king size bed, "Tea and Coffee Making Facilities". Lando C did a fab job reinforcing the effect of someone's elses night of passion.

And that night we ate like kings. I'd been dreaming of seafood and a fish dinner all day and had almost given up hope. To our surprise we were offered a platter of Oysters to start, the most incredible Dover Sole filleted at our table by the owner, and some kind of desert that I can't remember because by that time I'd drank way too much red wine. It was just divine!

Lando C and I wondered if we'd perhaps died in some freak accident involving a Blue Audi and we were wafting on another ethereal plane of existence where all your wildest dreams come true. We booked the room again that night so we could enjoy it all over again, minus the goose chase and woodwork.

Bird in the Hand, Hailey, Oxfordshire - you are the first to be inducted into the Paradise Circus Best Kept Secrets list. Well done!

It's Fixed - Sort Of...

2005-05-10T21:58:00.000+01:00

Tonight I managed to get the camera to work. Huzzah!!! It's not fixed or anything but some gentle tweaking and the display actually fired up. There have been a million and one missed opportunities of late and at last I feel like I am on the road to recovery.

I took this one tonight as Lando C cleaned the kitchen window so that our solar-powered-rotating-crystal-make-you-happy device could work through the grime. Our window cleaner hasn't been round for ages. I wonder where he's been?

Eating This Right Up!

2005-04-28T09:18:00.000+01:00

I am loving Googie (thanks to I Like). Check this out!

Check out the makers of The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy, visit the Museum, the Sirius Cybernetic Corporation, Universal Towels and Lunkwill & Fook. The end of the world has never been so exciting.

March 2005 Highlights

2005-04-26T18:27:00.000+01:00

Such a long time ago now...

tunes to remember mar '05

Funeral - Arcade Fire

Interpol - Antics

Elliot Smith - Elliot Smith

Devendra Banhart - Nino Roja

flicks to remember mar '05

books to remember mar '05

Fruits - Shoichi Aoki

In March, I was also into:

Suprise Easter Egg Hunts and Mix Tapes

Nearly 20 Days Since My Last Confession

2005-04-26T17:14:00.000+01:00

Blimey! It's been a while hasn't it? I've not even been on holiday or anything...

In 20 days, I have been to Dublin, Southampton and Aberdeen. I have laughed (a lot), I don't think I have cried (much) and I have aged (enormously). There has been another attempt to gain access to the property ladder and we've since have found a pad we both like to the north of the city. And my camera is broken so there will be few snaps for a while. That part makes be very sad.

This weekend we are heading to Oxford and that will be it then for two weeks. Huzzah! - because lets face it - I am utterly disc-sick and don't want to see another one for a while. We've scheduled in some golf on Bank Holiday Monday (with proper balls this time and not frisbees) and that will be my first proper day off from work since Sunday 6th March.

I am also hoping to buy a new camera and get the old one fixed, get a haircut and maybe see a band or two. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Let's just hope it's not the 5.54pm train to Nottingham.

Consistent Illogic

2005-04-07T00:11:00.000+01:00

Don't panic! It's here soon. In the meantime, re-live the best summer holiday you didn't spend with your mates. Whatever happened to Infocom?

Photo Friday Challenge - Hot

2005-04-06T23:27:00.000+01:00

Steamy windows. Getting close.

Thinking Too Much and Drinking Too Much

2005-04-06T22:11:00.000+01:00

Too much work. Grrr! The business is has taken over my life, not that I'm really complaining.

Ok, Ok. I confess, I am complaining just a bit.

The season started last weekend and as usual we worked through Friday night before heading down to Bristol in time for the first event. I managed to snatch two hours sleep before we left and a couple of nod and dribble moments in the car but that was not enough to prepare for two days of ironman ultimate and over-exposure to wind and sun. By the time it got to bedtime on Sunday night, I was all fever dreams, night sweats and heat stroke. At one point Lando C said I started talking gibberish and lashing out but all I can remember is thinking my hands had come off and all that was left were two stumps shaped like skin cones. Freaky stuff.

Not sure I'm back with it yet. There's been a few inconvenient panic attacks which drop by just as I'm about to drop off. And I woke up screaming again last night after seeing things in the bedroom that really were only in my imagination. I wonder if writing all this down will give me allow me to sleep in peace tonight. I'll report back on that tomorrow.

Call Centre Confidential has finally hung up. I did wonder where he would go and if life could continue without the Wrapster but thankfully I Like sniffed him out.

Easter Egg Hunt!

2005-03-26T17:05:00.000Z

I keep finding things! Yesterday I discovered a Lindt Lindor chocolate hidden behind the glass yard of ale on the shelf in the kitchen. A few moments later I discovered another hidden in the bottom of the fridge. After that I really started looking and have since found another 5 chocolates hidden around the house. OK - I shouldn't be looking as it isn't Easter Sunday just yet but I guess Lando C planted an Easter Egg hunt for me to keep me entertained while he is away. I can't stop smiling.

At the moment I am resisting the urge to go mad looking for chocolate but tomorrow I am going to tear this place apart!

In the meantime, feast your eyes on this chocolate crazyness courtesy of the Time Passages Nostalgia Company.

They have hundreds of wee things for sale as small items or job lots and searching their site is like an Easter Egg hunt of its own. My favourite finds include Action Jackson Surfing and Scuba Outfit, Different Beatles Toy Picture Rings and Restaurant/Diner Menu Special Advertising Cards.

Perfect Timing. Mix-Tapes RIP. Long Live the Digital Age

2005-03-20T18:27:00.000Z

I miss making Mix-Tapes. Trying to decide whether side A would have a different theme to side B and dropping your needle on the vinyl at that precise moment just before the safety tape ended and real recording began. Nothing felt more rewarding on a Saturday afternoon than rushing home from town after a visit to WHSmith with some TDK blank cassettes in tow. A packet of three had a different meaning to teenagers back then and pleasure could last for as long as 90 minutes.

Whilst there is no denying the convenience of the digital age for all amateur home-pirates, I wonder if any of the sentiment I felt as a teenager is now lost. These days you don't have to worry about timing your tracks to make sure they fit a 45 minute side (in fact, I struggle to think of enough tracks that sit well enough together to fill a 650mb CD). And that feeling of nervousness as you hovered over the pause button to avoid the stop-play-and-record clunk sound in between tracks is now confined to same cardboard box in the same junk room that I store my cassettes in.

Mix-Tapes took endless hours of dedication and patience and the results were thoroughly rewarding. And any taping session could be so easily spoiled by mistimed tracks, jumping vinyl, re-recorded moments and dirty tape heads. Good Mix-Tapes were a skill. Perfect Mix-Tapes were an art.

Do Mix-CD's require any of the labour or dedication we used to invest as teenagers? I am not sure, but where Mix-CD's do give me the warm and fuzzy's is why we still make them. Mix-Tapes we made for ourselves and made for our friends. They were a way of changing the format of an LP to fit inside our walkmans, or satisfy our constant need for a soundtrack to our lives. And we wanted to share them with our friends.

With the invention of MP3 players, iPods and computer file sharing, there are few reasons to cut CD's for ourselves anymore. The soundtrack to my life plays from my PC while I work and dropping a CD into my PC automatically produces every format I may possibly need. But I still make Mix-CDs and I love receiving them. They are a truly personal gift, they are made to be shared and can tell you so much about your friends without having to ask them a thing.

Last weekend I made a Mix-CD for Lando C to thank him for taking me to Las Vegas. It's called Welcome to Sushi in Las Vegas and covers everything I enjoy listening to right now. Here is the track listing:

Sashimi

1. The Von Blondies - c'mon c'mon
2. The Bravery - honest mistake
3. Interpol - evil
4. And you will know us by the trail of the dead -and the rest will follow
5. Brendan Benson - spit it out
6. Idlewild - love steals us from loneliness
7. Kasabian - cutt off
8. The Wedding Present - interstate 5
9. Arcade Fire - neighborhood #2 (laika)
10. Razorlight - the city

Sushi

1. I am Kloot - over my shoulder
2. kings of convenience - misread
3. Phantom Planet - california
4. Maximo Park - the coast is always changing
5. Rufus Wainwright - the one you love
6. Ambulance Ltd - stay where you are
7. Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - spanish dance troupe
8. Elliot Smith - st. ides heaven
9. Devendra Banhart - at the hop
10. 4Hero - les fleurs

Photo Friday Challenge - Glow

2005-03-18T08:58:00.000Z

This is my submission for Photo Friday. Even indoors Vegas has to Glow.

Taken inside the Monte Carlo Brew Pub. We sat at the bar for hours, drinking their in-house brews and eating buckets of shrimp. It doesn't get better than that does it?

This is what I call the real Monte Carlo Wheel of Fortune. Every one's a winner.

Reminiscing Will Have to Do...

2005-03-17T23:03:00.000Z

Today I feel pretty burnt out already and it's not been five minutes since our last holiday. I'm just going to have to get away with closing my eyes and drifting off to better places.

Whilst in Vegas, we stopped a couple of times at a convenience store just off the strip with a bar and casino tacked on to it - to pick up a few supplies and go for halfway-home pees. This was the kind of place that only the locals go to - a bit like Cheers meets Channel 4 Racing at the Kwik-Mart. The neon was moderate, it was dark and musty inside and had just one toilet for women. I liked it.

It was also the only place where I heard the Boss instead of the King.

In the corner of the women's toilet cubicle I spied this bin with a warning.

Imagine how close I had to get to take this picture! And I had to kneel on the cubicle floor too which thankfully you could have eaten your dinner off by comparison.

They say that repulsion is a learned behaviour that children develop over time and this bin signifies that be the truth. There is no way I would get closer to that bin than I had to and it wasn't the red warning sign putting me off. Lead a toddler to it though and you wouldn't have any trouble getting them to drink.

Chaved Out - Buy This!

2005-03-15T15:17:00.001Z

At the weekend, my neighbour lent me the coolest book. It's called Fruits by Shoichi Aoki and it depicts with vivid colour and vibrancy a dying art in style on the streets of Tokyo. Started from a fanzine created by Shoichi Aoki to document local street fashion, the photographs in this book are as humorous as the characters are inventive.

You can see some of the pictures at the Powerhouse Museum website. I wish I could pull off some of this stuff, although admittedly I'm far too old and not anywhere near svelte enough to dress up like any EGL (Elegant Gothic Lolita). It is inspiring though. I look forward to this:

Compare these bright young things to the dull baseball-cap and tracksuited up teenagers you see everywhere on the streets of every city in Britian these days. I guess the eighties shell-suit generation didn't waste any time producing their equally uninventive offspring did they? Seems like they have plenty to write about though.

Movie Mahem

2005-03-13T16:37:00.000Z

The films on the plane to Vegas were pretty poor - darn NWA. However, they did show Finding Neverland - the story of J.M. Barrie's friendship with a family who inspired him to create Peter Pan. It was wonderful and childlike and filled with adult sadness all at the same time. Just marvy.

This weekend has been a film-fest all in the name of relaxation. On Friday, we watched both the Bourne Supremacy and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, the first film having the best car chases, the latter having the best lines ("I'm gonna smash your face on that windshield, then I'm gonna call your mom, take her out for a nice seafood dinner and never call her again").

Last night we watched The Village which had an unusual concept and was creepy in places. I was marginally disappointed but did like it for its non-commercial horror flick elements. And apparently it had a $60 million budget! Man, that film was like a leaky bucket.

February 2005 Highlights

2005-03-13T15:40:00.000Z

Quality, not quantity.

tunes to remember feb '05

Still addicted to January's stuff. Just add this.

The Invitation - 13 Senses

flicks to remember feb '05

Dodgeball

The Lady Killers

America's Sweethearts

Viva Las Vegas

books to remember feb '05

Again, still making my way through the John Peel book (darn hardbacks - you can't take them anywhere).

As I can't go on vacation without a novel, I grabbed that book which is said to be so terrible as to be "left on underground tube carriages everywhere."

Dan Brown - The Da Vinci Code

I read this addictive book cover to cover in a matter of days and I loved it. I don't care what other people say, I was actually worried about accidentally leaving this on public transport.

In February, I was also into:

Streetart and Stencil Graffiti

Rummaging through other people's unwanted items

Going to Vegas

In February, I hated being into (and since realise was a complete waste of time):

Cereal Diets

Kings of Collecting

2005-03-11T15:41:00.000Z

I am really enjoying being part of Flickr at the moment especially viewing people's collections. As mentioned on the group - and alongside Mark Dion and Swaptorium, there seems to be another King of Collecting and that's Tony.

I mean, how many Kinder Eggs does a man have to eat?

I am really loving Mark Dion's work at the moment. He did something similar to the Thames dig in New England. There are some wonderful finds there too. This is alongside John Pfahl's Extreme Horticulture exhibit at the David Winton Bell Gallery at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, displaying some vibrant and well-manicured garden photographs. A lot of his images can be seen here.

Mushiono Win at Women's All-Star Event

2005-03-11T15:17:00.000Z

Also - forgot to mention that my women's Ultimate team Mushiono won the Women's All-Star event last Saturday. It rained, it hailed, it snowed and boy, was it windy? Despite being the most unpractised team there, we managed to win all four games. My handling was all over the place, as was the disc when I let go each time but hey ho! fun nonetheless. Go Mushiono Go!

Trumpets From Montparnasse

2005-03-11T14:03:00.000Z

I was recently shocked (although it a totally good way) to hear The Lilac Time's - Trumpets from Montparnasse instrumental featured on the new Flora advertisements. I wonder how that all came about? After playing it to Lando C who hadn't heard it before, I checked the sleeve notes on The Lilac Time's first album where the track is from and discovered it is over 16 years old! It sounds as great now as it did then. Just wonderful.

Stephen Duffy has been busy lately that's for sure. Checked out The Devils website - a musical collaboration with Nick Rhodes. It seems Duffy does two styles of music which sit uncomfortably together, most likely because they are poles apart. I can leave the eighties-style electro-synth back where it belongs but his accoustic folk with The Lilac Time is timeless.

I'm slack on the blogging since coming back from Vegas. Work is so busy right now, I dare not get involved trawling t'internet because it all may just get out of hand. Maybe this weekend I'll get some me-time, although I also fancy getting some creative work done on the biz before the season starts.

Lando C started his new job this week and commented how 5 out of the 9 people who work there all have the same name as him. I mentioned that I always get a strange feeling when two people with the same name are in a room together. It's like my mind is telling me that those two people should feel a bond between each other by sharing the same name. It's weird because every so often, when I meet people with the same name as me, I don't feel any cosmic energy towards them whatsoever. They seem to suit their name and in my mind I feel totally nameless. He said that was something he felt too. I wonder if everyone does this?

Viva Las Vegas!

2005-03-06T19:04:00.000Z

I was hoping to get some bloggin' in while I was away but hey ho...the roulette table called. Las Vegas was amazing. What a great trip! It took 20 hours to get there and it's taking about 20 days to get over the jet lag but it was totally worth it. The best pictures from the trip are now on flickr including one from Lando C who should really get a flickr account of his own seeing as his pics are marvy.

Before we headed out west, Lando C and I took a brief trip to London to visit the Tate Modern gallery and visited our friend Gordon. Highlights of the Tate included the Mark Dion: Tate Thames Dig which was like rummaging through lost & found, and also drinking a delicious glass of Little Creatures whilst taking in a view over the Thames.

After gorging myself on a sushi platter at a little restaurant in Finsbury that night, Lando C, Gordon and I went to see retro-rock bandits Mountain where the drummer gave me his stick and I nicked a guitar pick. In the morning I taught Gordon's highly articulate three year old Oscar the word "slush".

Highlights of Las Vegas included even more sushi (sushi buffets for birthday girls are free!), gargling oyster shooters (not for the faint hearted), accumulating $300.00 worth of wins at various roulette tables, a great performance from Penn and Teller, getting freaked out by the Borg at the Star Trek Experience (geek that I am) and getting thrown upside down on a breath-taking roller-coaster around New York New York. There were a million other things that happened too but I can't remember right now. All I can remember is that it was good.

This was the most retro-vintage-vegas I could find:

Village Idiot or Rural Genius?

2005-02-20T13:25:00.000Z

This is my submission for this week's Photo Friday Challenge which is "Rural". It was taken in our village at the bus stop outside of the Church (now only open Sundays). It seems you can take grafitti out of the city but you can't the city out of the grafittist. What did I expect - an airbrushed combine harvester? I think it looks like Quentin Tarantino.

I am beginning to really love Stencil Graffiti. I'm starting to capture more and more of it to create a good set at Flickr. There are some good sites around now too including www.stencilgraffitti.com which supports Tristan Manco's book of examples published by Thames and Hudson. Stencil Revolution, "collectively reconstructing the urban canvas" is a fantastic resourse including online tutorials, artist profiles, gallery, stencil exchange, downloadable fonts and a forum.

January 2005 Highlights

2005-02-20T12:45:00.000Z

So that I don't forget anything, here's the January '05 Highlight Reel.

tunes to remember jan '05

No Cities Left - The Dears

Fabric Live 07 - John Peel

Rockrap - Aspects

Nebraska - Bruce Springsteen

flicks to remember jan '05

Team America: World Police

Colateral

The Hours

Elf

Chronicles of Riddick

Bowling for Morgan

books to remember jan '05

John Peel - A Life in Music

100% Cotton - T-Shirt Graphics

200% Cotton - T-Shirt Graphics

In January I was also into:
Reviewing retro-vintage Vegas and planning my forthcoming trip.
Flickr
Photo Friday
The Dears
Hall of Hate
Things Magazine

Wheaty Flakes of Goodness - Gone.

2005-02-20T12:37:00.000Z

It's officially over. The cereal diet is no more. Long live the cereal diet.
I lost 6lbs and 2½ inches in two weeks. Not bad, although I fear that the curry on Friday night and the one-off stop at the Hard Rock Cafe last night did a fine job on all my hard work. And I haven't even stepped foot in Las Vegas yet. Maybe North West airlines should consider chartering a separate plane for my return journey. I'm going to need at least two seats.

Finally finished Douglas Coupland's All Families are Psychotic. Not sure what I made of this one. I liked the characters but not so much the plot. Much preferred Girlfriend in a Coma, Miss Wyoming and Microserf's but it was entertaining nonetheless. Not having a great memory, especially for words rarely used in everyday language, I thought it would be interesting to corner the pages of Coupland's book that contained a word I didn't know or couldn't remember the meaning of. He also uses a lot of words out of normal context that throws me a bit e.g., "mobile sarcophagus" and "joyless stucco mayonnaise" but they don't count.

You're never too old to learn, so here we go:

Pg 116 - Milquetoast

n. One who has a meek, timid, unassertive nature.
n. A timid man or boy considered childish or unassertive

Pg 123 - Seropositivity

adj. Showing a positive reaction to a test on blood serum for a disease; exhibiting seroconversion.

(note: neither seropositivity or seroconversion come up in my UK dictionaries although seropositive is there. Must be a North America thing - will ask Lando C).

Pg 160 - Invective

n. Denunciatory or abusive language; vituperation.
n. Denunciatory or abusive expression or discourse.
adj. Of, relating to, or characterized by denunciatory or abusive language.

Pg 220 - Neophyte

n. A recent convert to a belief; a proselyte.
n. A beginner or novice: a neophyte at politics.
n. a) Roman Catholic Church. A newly ordained priest.
b) A novice of a religious order or congregation.
n. A plant that is found in an area where it had not been recorded previously

They say the best way to learn a new word is to use it. Can't see getting Milquetoast into any conversation but then perhaps I'm pronouncing it wrong in my mind. Invective is a goer.

Lesson over.

Blast through the Past

2005-02-13T21:20:00.000Z

I used to love listening to Talk Talk and collecting their back catalogue when I discovered them late in their career. I think it was their wispy orchestral manoeuvres and sentimental musings that burnt through the hedonistic music scene of the early nineties that I liked. Some of it was a bit dark and dated by the time I got to it but the artwork by James Marsh has stood the test of time.

The Cutter Gallery has a great collection of his work amongst other great artists such as David Cutter himself and Paul Slater. I particularly like the Fish and Crustaceans part of the gallery. Here's a Monty Pythonesque game for the 21st Century.

Lemmings was the first and the best game we ever got for our third home pc - the 486. And now you can play it in your browser! Wow!

Movie Update:

Today I watched The Ladykillers and unlike most of its critics I loved it. It took me about ten minutes to acclimatise to the accents and Tom Hanks perplexing performance but the black comedy was right on. Last week we watched Collateral where Tom Cruise plays an unusually scary character in his over-confident style as usual. I enjoyed it although it was complete popcorn. And finally last weekend everything just out was basically just out. There was nothing at the village video store worth watching or that we hadn't seen that had arrived in the last 3 months. We caught up with America's Sweethearts with my favourite John Cusack alongside Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones. It was written by and also starred Billy Crystal who had decided to reward himself with all the best one-liners. Good for him. It's not that bad.

The Dears at the Rescue Rooms

2005-02-13T18:58:00.000Z

Last Sunday Lando C and I went to a long awaited gig and despite the technical difficulties it was great. The Rescue Rooms is a terrible venue for short people so I battled my way to the front after a disappointing performance from another band I like - Ambulance Ltd (they should consider sacking their sound guy). When the lead guitarist from The Dears box of wah-wah tricks finally did gave up, the whole band did lose some of the power in their performance. It was fantastic though and I look forward to their next album.

Before we went to the gig, Lando C and I went to Wagamama's for some booster juices, health food and also to spot the famous person. Although we didn't spot any tennis stars or thespians from the Royal Theatre on this occasion, we did bump into a frisbee buddy. Waga also managed to clutch a gold customer service star from the jaws of the Hall of Hate after it was spotted that Lando C had finished his main course before our side dishes or my main course had arrived. I was too weak and withered to complain following three dull days on the cereal diet and I know that's how Waga works sometimes, but the manager kindly came over to apologise nevertheless and offered me my main course for free. Now that is customer service! Good job Wagamama! Read it and weep Ha! Ha! Bar.

Bottom of the Barrel

2005-02-13T18:02:00.000Z

A week last Saturday, I took a trip to West Bridgford centre to rummage around the three or four charity shops alongside all the other hopeful bargain hunters. I was looking for a cribbage board for Lando C and I as we had realised that watching the pegs race each other around the board is more exciting than counting gates of five on a piece of paper. Sadly I wasn't able to find one there but there are a few lovely ones on Ebay. I like this one and this one but I think they are beyond my budget.

Even though I didn't get what I went out for, I did find a couple of unusual bargains. It's amazing what you can find at the bottom of a forgotten box in a charity shop.

This is a box of eight rubber stamps mounted on clear 4cm plastic cylinders representing British coins from about 1983-84. The only coin stamp with a date is the 20p piece with 1982 but the pound coin, also in the collection only came into circulation in 1983. This set also includes the ½ penny piece that went out of circulation after 1984 and the larger 50p, 10p and 5p pieces that were shrunk in the early 1990's. I think they may have been designed for teachers to devise monetary problems in school math lessons, but I don't remember ever seeing such things when I was a child. I like them though because they remind me of the era I grew up in. They were a bargain at 99p.

My other 99p bargain from the bottom of the box is this medium sized wooden flower press. I don't know how old it is but it's in good condition. I had hoped to find some flowers still in it when I opened it up although I am content with the used blotting papers instead. I already have a miniature flower press ideal for travelling but it has limited capacity and this one will help press some of the larger flowers in our garden.

Cereal Killer

2005-02-10T20:40:00.000Z

Where have I been for the past seven days? Last Thursday, I nursed a pretty severe beer injury - or should I say Banrock Station assault, all from drinking at home. I wasn't home alone but I may as well have been because the next day I felt a similar kind of embarrassment and self-loathing.

So, Thursday I vowed to give up the booze and go on that diet I've been wafting around the past month and a half. At least until Vegas (did I mention I'm going to Vegas?) when I can go on a feeding frenzy and not feel too bad about those extra pounds. So, the next day, Lando C and I started the Kelloggs Two Week Challenge even though I hate cereal and he doesn't need to lose any weight. He hasn't given up the booze like me - he feels that's a bit militant. I on the other hand am just about ready to kill someone.

So far I have gained two pounds and then lost two pounds. I've got one week and one day left to go and in the meantime I have to live with the fact that I can barely concentrate, I keep going deaf in one ear and I feel a nauseous buzzing sensation from time to time. I am debating whether the Kelloggs Two Week Challenge is going to make it into the Paradise Circus Hall of Hate but I should wait up for a few days and see if my body has any intention of giving any of itself up.

Political Knitting - An Act of Rebellion

2005-02-03T11:09:00.000Z

As reported in the Guardian yesterday, "If more people knitted, the world would be a more peaceful place." Sadly, I'll be off to Vegas when the Knit 2 Together exhibition opens at the Crafts Council Gallery, London N1, on February 24. In the meantime though, I can knit my own Purse Hand-Grenade with this easy to follow pattern.

Last night we watched one of the flicks I missed in the cinema from 2004 - Dodgeball. There wasn't as many one-liners as I'd hoped for but visually it was hilarious. I do now wonder if Justin Long is capable of having children anymore. The movie reminded me of Ultimate so much, the ADAA (UKUA? WFDA?UPA?), the random team names, how everyone gets excited about getting team shirts made and going to indoor practise in a stinky gymnasium. I would be suprised if Ultimate had been covered in Obscure Sports Quarterly.

Tonight we're going to the Broadway to see Sideways and catch a bit to eat in the Mezz.

Another Discovery!

2005-02-02T18:40:00.000Z

Not mine this time. It doesn't matter though! Fortune Cookie's street art gallery is a great find. She has some other cool stuff too!

Urban Art - Roadside Rose

2005-02-02T17:39:00.003Z

Today I was able to take the image I'd hoped to take at the weekend were it not for the Sunday lie-in calling me as usual. This metal rose is bolted to the railings at the bottom of Huntingdon Street outside the petrol station on the corner. I spotted it last week although it hides itself well from passers-by being fixed so close to the ground.

I've been wondering why it's there, thinking maybe it was a piece of uncommissioned urban art. I liked that idea, especially as I've been thinking of drawing together a series of photographs capturing random acts of art that seem to be pop up in urban areas, and then swiftly get removed by the council.

Now though, looking at it again and where it is situated, I think maybe it is a permanent wreath dedicated to someone caught in an accident at the pedestrian crossing there. There is another crossing a bit further down the road outside the ice-stadium that constantly has withered flowers tied with sellotape and string to the railings. It makes me feel sad every time I drive by them.

This roadside rose is a little bit rusty and looks really out of place, and whatever it is there for, it must be very personal to someone. I think it is quite beautiful. I've put a couple of other images which show its colours and how it is fixed to the railing at Flickr.

December Highlights

2005-01-30T17:21:00.000Z

So I figured that I'm not so adept at html or this blogging template to archive retrievable "flicks to remember", "tunes to remember" and "books to remember". The best way round this, although I've not thought it out very well, is to post a highlight reel at the end of every month so that I don't forget anything. So here's December's "...to remember"

tunes to remember dec '04

Free the Bees - The Bees

Up at the Lake - The Charlatans

Tis' the Season - Los Straightjackets

flicks to remember dec '04

Napoleon Dynamite

Hard Core Logo

House of Flying Daggers

books to remember dec '04

All Families Are Psychotic By Douglas Coupland

In December I was also into:

Reviewing the best bits and bobs of 2004

I Like

San Francisco Photos by Donald Kinney

Woolgathering

Chromasia

In the Garden

2005-01-30T13:36:00.000Z

It's so cold and damp in the garden at the moment. Perfect conditions for some winter fungi. Something is eating it although I am not sure whether it is birds or slugs.

Today, I have also thoroughly investigated Flickr looking for a way to upload my photographs online so everything can be viewed together instead of spread across archives. I've worked out a couple of galleries which I am semi-happy with, but could do with heaps more material. Saying that, I have maxed out this months upload allowance already. Oh well.

Wandering Around

2005-01-29T19:58:00.000Z

I've been taking my usual path through other people's publications and Making Happy makes me want to drag my lazy ass into gear. I think it is the words that she uses to punctuate her amazing pictures that I find inspiring. Her reference to photo studio pictures from the Mexican and her own photo studio story she tells really cheered me up and got me thinking.

I'm feeling a bit out of sorts today with my cough from December worse than ever. My lungs feel like they are full of water and my shoulders ache from tensing every 5 minutes. I even had to skip practise today which I feel bad about considering there aren't enough chicks for an indoor game of ultimate as it is.

Yesterday I spotted a photo opportunity near our storage facility. If I go into town early enough tomorrow morning maybe I can snatch it before the happy shoppers get there. It really was a diamond in the rough. Goodness knows who put it there - nuts, bolts and all.

Music to Warm the Cockles

2005-01-29T18:03:00.000Z

Yesterday I finally got round to listening to Protest, the mini-album released by the Dears in 2003, that I downloaded from emusic about two months ago. It was nothing like I expected although it did remind me of Dazzle Ships for some reason. Maybe that's because it is a little bit bleak and cold with a maritime feel about it. Perfect for a British winter's day but don't let that put you off.

On a warmer note, Emusic keeps going from strength to strength. There is some real obscure stuff on there mainly US-based from independent labels which is worth giving a go. And then to reward you for being a little bit daring, you'll find some new release mainstream stuff like Nick Cave & the Bad Seed's Abattoir Blues. All for less than the cost of a CD a month (and that's US prices, not UK prices). I'm still trawling though heaps of Frank Black albums which I've not yet had time to give the attention that they deserve.

Emusic is also a great resource for back catalogues. I look forward to listening to my freshly downloaded Elliot Smith album. I wish they would remove the licensing restrictions that have been applied to some of the British releases though, such at Belle and Sebastian.

Ooo - Just found lots of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. Warm those cockles because here comes the sun.

Transformers - Automobiles in Disguise

2005-01-26T19:48:00.000Z

I've been investigating the possibilities for Lando C and I in Vegas. Did I mention I am going to Vegas? Huzzah! Stumbled across Kitsch Tour USA which is apparently not all Kitsch as "One cannot live by kitsch alone."

Carhenge, Nebraska would certainly be on my list of places to visit although Frank gives quite a stern tourist warning about Sydney.

I would love to visit Nebraska since I've been listening to the Bruce Springsteen state titled album. This is possibly the most moving and spirited recordings I've ever listened to. The unusual part of the project is that it was recorded in his own home in 1981 on a 4-track recorder, with only an acoustic or electric guitar, harmonica and vocals. You can even hear the cars drive by outside. Although I'm inherently against vandalising classic recordings, track 6. State Trooper is just asking for a sympathetic remix.

That reminds me. I must give that Virtual DJ software another go - a heap of fun.

Carhenge reminded me of my favourite advertisement at the moment featuring a dance-master transformer robot Citroen C4. Even Napoleon couldn't bust those D-Kwon Dance Moves.

Back to the trip. We've nailed down Penn and Teller in Vegas that's for sure. Sadly Seinfeld won't be showing up until June. Hopefully we can catch him if and when he gets here. I am sure he'll be wanting to see us.

Where shall we go today?

2005-01-25T10:56:00.000Z

Ooo, yesterday's post was a little harsh. Deservedly so too I think, but need to calm that negative Karma. Oh, and Nottingham Panthers lost 2-1 on Saturday to the Coventry Blaze before I forget.

Sticking on the bad Karma trail, before I head for some light relief, I discovered the Kooks Museum site, housing kook ideas from all over the world. This vast cornucopia of forgotten, discredited and extreme ideas also includes a Hall of Hate among other interesting features. Also worth visiting is the Solution to the World Problem Exhibit, Schizophrenic Wing and Conspiracy Corridor.

Still not seen Supersize Me but thanks to Things Magazine, I have now seen its alter ego Bowling for Morgan. Like Fast Food Nation supressed my compulsion to eat at the Golden Arches, Scott Caswell has quenched my thirst to see the movie that made McDonald's spit chips.

Ooo and I forgot another thing. On Saturday night, coming back from a few JD's and some magnificant bar pizza after the game, our cab driver got busted by the rozzers. As soon as I saw the flashing blue lights reflecting on the partition glass in the black cab, I got this instant feeling of guilt - "oh my god, I'm being drunk driven". Then I swiftly realised that being drunk driven isn't a crime, but your cabbie taking a no left turn at the train station is. After 10 minutes, sitting in the back of the cab with no driver wondering what the hell was going on, the female cop popped her head through the window, explaining that we'd be off again in about two minutes but he'd been caught doing "something". JD spoke rather lose lipped (or was it me?), "for using his mobile whilst driving?".

And we continued our wait again, for another 15 minutes. It was worth it though, our cab fair home was half of what it usually is and soon there'll be one less lunatic on the road to worry about.

2005 Hall of Hate - Inductee No.1

2005-01-24T18:47:00.000Z

So here we go. Number 1, so far on the 2005 Hall of Hate is: The Ha! Ha! Bar, Weekday Cross, downtown Nottingham. Lando C and I went here on Saturday to grab some dinner in time for the Panthers Hockey Game. Didn't I just wish that I'd waited for the dog-burger at the Ice Stadium instead?

Mistake number one - just because there is a bright pink, nicely printed cocktail menu on each table, do not think that this means there is necessarily anyone behind the bar capable of making one. The poor guy ("Sorry - I'm new today, and they left me running this bar on this busy Saturday afternoon") had to get the Manager, who got round to making it about 15 minutes later and left it on the bar, despite saying they'd bring it over.

Mistake number two - just because there is a nicely designed A-board outside promoting the establishment as a Health Bar, supplemented by (again) bright pink printed flyers telling us to "Detox as we Dine", do not think that this necessarily means that you are entering a healthy environment full of punters still hooked on their New Years Resolution. If you can, try to find a clean table through the K2 pile of ashtrays, pint glasses and cigarette smoke. The "Ha! Ha! Health Bar". Yeah right. More like Smoke 'em if you got 'em.

Mistake number three - just because the menu claims to have taken inspiration from across the globe, conjuring up a mouth-watering winter menu in a microwave free zone, do not think that this necessarily means that your dinner wasn't already sitting on the side, overcooked and ready to be dished out in a matter of minutes. We managed to get a steak (wrestle with the gristle) burger, Tempura chilli onion rings with home-made tzatziki (don't you mean just "Onion Rings") and a Ha!Ha! Japanese platter, in less time than it took to serve our drinks. I will actually say that the fresh salmon coated with sesame seeds part of the platter was OK, but everything else had been nuked with natural ingredients and love, a week last Thursday.

Not once did any of the serving staff approach us to see if we were happy with our meal. Not once in the 45 minutes we were there did any staff clear away any plates/glasses or ashtrays from any of the tables. Too busy laughing in the kitchen I imagine.

And how much did this all cost. It was over £30.00.

We'd been had. I can't stop repeating in my head my buddy at the game whilst stuffing a delicious £2.95 Hot Dog down his throat, "The Ha! Ha! Bar - well the joke was on you!". And indeed it was.

Welcome Ha! Ha! You've made it! You are officially inducted to the Paradise Circus 2005 Hall of Hate. Well done.

Tell me why? I don't like Mondays.

2005-01-24T18:09:00.000Z

Today is apparently the most depressing day of the year, scientists have discovered. Righty-o-then. According to the formula 1/8W+(D-d) 3/8xTQ MxNA, we're all due to find the nearest bridge before midnight and hurl ourselves off it. And the radio stations have been going nuts getting us all to text or email in with (insert cheesy DJ tones here) "good day/bad day -how's it been for yooooouuuu?". Well Disco-Stu, I'd put money on it's you driving me to Trent Bridge with rocks in my pockets and not so much the men in white coats and a mathamatical formula.

Actually, so far this year there has been very little to whine about but this is where it starts. Here beginnith the 2005 Hall of Hate, compiled of experiences, establishments and people who have all gone out of their way to make it difficult for me this year or who have failed to live up to that which they promised on the menu. I'm going to see if it becomes inadvertantly a Top 100 Hall of Hate '05 instead, but we'll see how it goes. I'm a lover not a hater.

I Believe in the BBC

2005-01-22T15:14:00.000Z

There have been few movements in media history as important as the "I Believe in the BBC" campaign courtesy of Bloggerheads. Since the broadcast of "that" Today programme and the beating unleashed in the Hutton enquiry that followed, the future of the BBC nearly 12 months on, is still not cast in stone.

To be fair, I don't watch as much of Aunty Beeb as I did as a child, preferring the American imports that only Sky (and occasionally Channel 4) seem to be able too afford. However, when it comes to radio, the news, special interest shows and British comedy, only the Beeb consistently delivers.

Where would I be without 6 Music single handedly keeping the music scene alive? Who else has embraced the digital-age with dignity, educating us as we go. Who else constantly strives for unbiased journalism and news reporting that isn't geared around the next commercial break? Certainly not Sky or SkyNews, the Fox network, ITV, Virgin Radio...

For less than the cost of my monthly Pinot Grigio intake, I can be sure that when I switch on the TV or Radio, at some point in the near future, there will be something worth watching or listening to geared around my tastes, my lifestyle and my humour. And I know that I don't need to buy a packet of washing powder or endure yet another Blame Direct advertisement before I get there.

There's a Whole World Out There...

2005-01-21T13:12:00.000Z

...and it's doing it better than me.

Things Magazine is an online-resourse based on a publication of all things interesting "founded in 1994 by a group of writers and historians based at the Victoria & Albert Museum/Royal College of Art in the belief that objects can open up new ways of understanding the world". You could get lost for days.

I've recently joined the space-race to get myself a Gmail account although after viewing a provocative short film (via Things Magazine) on what might happen if Google gets too big for its boots, I now wonder if I'm just feeding the monster.

Being a flying phobe, I was pleased to read that air disasters are down although it's rather unnerving that the press don't want to make a big deal about it. Can't recall how I found this article.

Those wizards at Threadless.com have come up with a new twist to t-shirt design. DIY at OMG Clothing. No design experience required. My favourites so far are (and links they have inspired me to visit):

1. You're lucky I'm out of mind-bullets.

2. You Blog Like a Girl.

3. My boombox can beat up your ipod.

4. Oh Grandma. Put the knife down.

5. Someone's got a case of the Mondays.

6. Slower than the second coming of Jesus.

The Daily Trawl

2005-01-20T17:58:00.000Z

Here are some sites I visited recently that are worth a mention:

Help yourself to lost treasures from around the world at the Unclaimed Baggage Center.

Get lost for hours in a medley of pop-culture at Lileks, in particular the Institute of Official Cheer and Restaurant Postcards.

The John Peel Sweet Eating Game in memory of my celebrity Dad.

Retro-Vintage Vegas

2005-01-20T17:11:00.000Z

Nostalgia for Old Motels and other anthemic buildings. I probably won't see anything resembling this on my trip. Best to appreciate it now.

I'm Hip Hop Stoppin' Goin' to Las Vegas - Yeah!!!

2005-01-20T16:11:00.000Z

Lando C has announced my birthday present! Woohoo I'm going to Vegas!

We'll be staying just off the Strip itself at the Tuscany Suites and Casino, for a little bit of Italy in Vegas.

I can't wait to see famous landmarks such as the Bellagio Fountains, The Star Tek Experience, Eiffel Tower, Graceland Wedding Chapel, among a million other places.

Arizona rocked so hard last year, especially staying at the Camel Back Inn (the hotel that we would never be able to afford to stay at again) resort. This will be going all the way as Lando C won't have to work! Huzzah!

Celluloid Memory Lapse

2005-01-20T13:53:00.000Z

I've seen a few films since Christmas and I am worried that I am not going to be able to remember anything about them. It gets a bit annoying when agree to watch a film that you don't think you've seen and then discover halfway through that you have in fact seen it and oh, there you go, you've just realised that you know how it's all going to end. Grrr...

So in December, I watched House of Flying Daggers at the Broadway Cinema. I enjoyed the cinematography, choreography and costumes in similar vain to Croaching Tiger Hidden Dragon although I remember getting a little tired of the tooing and frowing between Mei, Jin and Leo towards the end. Incredible film though.

So far this January I have seen on DVD some real no-brainers and loved them all. Chronicles of Riddick featuring my celebrity mother, Judi Dench was a real surprise with some great one-liners from Vin Diesel. Despite the fact that I don't think it was filmed anywhere and relied heavily on CGI, it looked pretty real to me.

I had Saturday to myself and watched The Hours. This was a complex movie with much symbolism to watch out for (lots of breaking eggs into bowls, red artwork on walls and blue flowers - don't ask me what it means though). I very much related to the overall feeling of depression suffered by the women involved and their obligation to smile at all times. It was quite heavy going but worth the trip.

On Sunday Lando C and I ventured to the Showcase to see Team America: World Police. It's worth visiting the website for this movie, if not just the film itself. I also love the rating for this movie "Graphic, crude and sexual humor, violent images and strong language; all with puppets." That is all I need to say.

And last night, to completely fulfill my need for dumbed-down movies, I watched Elf. I have a real soft spot for Christmas movies and this one did it all for me. I especially liked the beginning credits which replicate the artwork in 1950s' children's books wonderfully. It's going into my list of favourite Christmas movies including It's a Wonderful Life and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Terrible Two's - Is This A Sign?

2005-01-16T16:45:00.000Z

This is the first time that I have participated in the Photo Friday Challenge.

Almost everywhere you turn in the city, there seems to be construction or preferably - regeneration - going on. Consequently, there are many blank canvases for graffiti artists around, although most of it is sadly wasted with repetitive dumb signatures or dumb racist slogans. So if you are a graffiti artist, and a good one - come to Nottingham!

I was a bit traumatised when I took this picture, as I had just pieced together a series of coincidences that had got me there.

Whilst cooking breakfast this morning, I broke two eggs, one right after the other. I rarely ever break an egg let alone two. Then checking the newspaper I'd bought earlier, it appeared that I had two copies of the same supplement. Imagine my horror as two large charicatured Barbra Streisand's stared up at me from the table. Finally, as I drove the big red van down town to take this picture, someone crashed into me which dealt their car a heavy blow and not so much as a scratch on mine (what a tank!). I then saw the same accident not two miles down the road from the one I'd just been involved in, featuring exactly the same model of car.

And the theme for this week's challenge is Signs! That's one long trip to Irony Corner. Or should that be Coincidence Corner?

Acclaimed Music

2005-01-14T11:16:00.000Z

This site is brilliant (thanks Lando C) - Acclaimed Music. Henrik Franzon has kindly compiled the best albums and singles for every year since 1956. Using statistical analysis (he's a Swedish statistician) and critics lists from all over the world, he has been able to write a computer program that defines the most recommended rock albums and singles of all time.

My favourite years in music are 1994, 1996, and 2001.

2004 is also looking good.

Attention to Detail

2005-01-10T13:54:00.000Z

I need to remember Lornix Photography (thanks to I Like). Lori Nix is an artist who bends the line between truth and illusion by photographing model scenes. Her work is inspired by disaster movies of the 1970s' and her life in Kansas. I particularly like Wasps for its vivid colours and depth of field. Her work displays such close attention to detail and patience for her art.

Yesterday I played my first outdoor game of Ultimate for the 2005 although I was more like a passenger on pitch than a player. The ground was nice and soft but the discs were cold and hard. I played reasonably well considering I am carrying 5 pounds of excess cheese and biscuits around my middle alone and the gusty conditions made me too nervous to play many upwind points. We won three out of four games which is irrelevant to me really but I am sure that it made playing more fun on a subconscious level.

Woolly Jumpers and Bare Feet

2005-01-08T15:26:00.000Z

On Wednesday I bravely attempted a yoga class at the gym. I've not been for ages (either yoga or the gym) and I was a little intimidated on entering the room as half the class were already bare foot and eagerly attempting semi-complex poses. This was seven minutes before the class was even due to start.

The yoga teacher, donned in an expertly hand-knitted blue woolly jumper and black baggy pants did well to put me a ease. I've been putting off going to the gym or any kind of fitness class since I foolishly renewed my membership in August, largely due to worrying about what other people think. What if I don't work out hard enough, will the gym staff see? Will Lando C think my face isn't red enough when I get home? Perhaps I won't lose any weight at all and everyone will think I go to the gym just to sit in the jacuzzi and relax.

Although I love yoga, I normally smirk at the yoghurt-knitting mentality of some of its teachers and followers. However, this guy clearly hadn't overdosed on organic muesli that morning and was making rational observations such as - "to compare yourself to others is an insult to your own intelligence." Yoga isn't about being able to successfully put your right knee behind your left ear or even admiring those that can. Too much fat on your bones or not, it's all about recognising your inner being before your outer being and this takes an entirely new strength most of us don't even realise we have.

I went home feeling two foot taller and fully relaxed, with a rare craving for some herbal tea. Maybe I'll get some muesli tomorrow...

Back to the Grindstone

2005-01-04T20:31:00.000Z

Back to work for 2005. It's been a quiet day really - not much email other than from those guys who insist that I need Cialis every ten minutes. If you're getting it this often, you can't possibly need any help. I wish Zen would take some performance enhancing drugs and get me a decent spam filter.

And what's even worse - Nigerian 419 Money Scammers are now visiting my business website and filling their crap into my online forms. I wonder if it's worth joining the baiting index - at least you feel like you're sticking one to them.

Ooo - just found a game that I sent to my friend Tony the Pickle a while ago. This is a great virtual-office doss for anyone who works from home.