Tuesday, August 19, 2003
Seems like I've managed to develop asthma at the grand old age of 32. I failed a lung function test quite spectacularly yesterday and now have an inhaler and an appointment to see the doctor in three weeks. In other news...my mobile is buggering around (or is it Yahoo's wap site?) and my phone locks up and switches off when I thy and access my emails. So it's probably not worth anyone emailing of over the next couple of weeks. And we are setting of for hols in Cromer very soon!
Friday, August 15, 2003
Oops corrections to "Gigging For It" entry
U read my blog and has corrected me on the information I posted about Nigel Powell's former band .... I'll try and get my facts right in future!
So, just to clear up any confusion ...
"The Unbelievable Truth (an early nineties band that U was very keen
on, he ran the official website and followed them all over the place."
WRONG!!!
They dropped the definitive article after their debut single (Building,
Shifty Disco Feb '97).
So Unbelievable Truth were a late 90s band.
U had his own unofficial website - Nigel did the official one!
And U only saw them 22 times between 1st April 1998 (Chelmsford) and
Sept 16th September 2000 (Oxford)...!!!
Happy now?! :0)
So, just to clear up any confusion ...
"The Unbelievable Truth (an early nineties band that U was very keen
on, he ran the official website and followed them all over the place."
WRONG!!!
They dropped the definitive article after their debut single (Building,
Shifty Disco Feb '97).
So Unbelievable Truth were a late 90s band.
U had his own unofficial website - Nigel did the official one!
And U only saw them 22 times between 1st April 1998 (Chelmsford) and
Sept 16th September 2000 (Oxford)...!!!
Happy now?! :0)
Grrrr
People make me so mad sometimes. What should have been a good night out in Winchester turned into a bit of a disappointment because people have no damn respect.
There were four acts on at the pub we went to. The first, a young kid (well, about 17ish) called Dan, was pretty good, just a singer-songwriter with a guitar and he had a sweet voice. The pub was fairly empty when we arrived, but it fuilled up quickly - we grabbed the last two chairs and soon after the floor was littered with bodies. The second band, Geko, weren't bad - girl singer (slightly flat at times but otherwise okay), two guitars and drums - main problem was that the drums were far too loud and drowned everyone else out. Then the third band - Kung Fu Phinga Pik and the Lovestik - took to the stage and it became obvious that they were local and just about everyone there was there to support them - which was fine, because there was a very lively atmosphere. Shame their music didn't really do it justice. Some of the songs were okay, but they had a go at doing some strange Streets-esque acoustic rap that just didn't really come off, not least because the rapper rapped far too quickly. I think the lyrics were meant to be amusing but I could only catch the odd word here and there. U and I weren't too fussed about the music, and spent the evening messing around with the candles on the table, dipping our fingers in the hot wax and creating molten wax structures! So the music wasn't to our taste, but we respected the musicians, kept quiet while they performed and clapped politely.
Then came U's friend, Nigel, of the Sad Song Co. As soon as the previous band left the stage and he stood up there was a mass exodus from the pub - not because of him, but because they had obviously come to support the others and weren't going to stay. Unfortunately, not everyone left - because those that did stay talked and shrieked and laughed and generally drowned out poor Nigel and his bass player (Jason). We were sitting right near the front and it was a struggle to hear what he was singing - he kept asking for the mics to be turned up but the louder he was, the louder the idiots in the pub got. You could see he was getting really pissed off by now, and he said something along the lines of "Ah well, I'll just plough through the set list, I don't care." From what I could hear he was really good, far better than the previous three acts, but the kids in the pub (all fairly pissed and probably celebrating/commiserating A level results, but that's no excuse) just carried on making a dreadful noise. There were a groups of maybe a dozen people actually listening, and at the end Nigel said "Thank you (pointing at individuals)you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, erm, you, you and you .... and [two fingers] to the rest of you." Not a happy chappy, and justifiably so.
Anyway, we came away feeling fairly cheesed off with it all. We'd only gone to Winchester because we can't make his gig in Oxford tonight, we'd tolerated the second rate support acts and then hadn't been allowed to enjoy the headline band. Very annoying. Well done Nigel for doing your best under very difficult circumstances, and thank you very bloody much you idiots who ruined the evening.
Anyway, U bought the Sad Song Co cd so at least we'll be able to hear what he's like in peace and quiet.
There were four acts on at the pub we went to. The first, a young kid (well, about 17ish) called Dan, was pretty good, just a singer-songwriter with a guitar and he had a sweet voice. The pub was fairly empty when we arrived, but it fuilled up quickly - we grabbed the last two chairs and soon after the floor was littered with bodies. The second band, Geko, weren't bad - girl singer (slightly flat at times but otherwise okay), two guitars and drums - main problem was that the drums were far too loud and drowned everyone else out. Then the third band - Kung Fu Phinga Pik and the Lovestik - took to the stage and it became obvious that they were local and just about everyone there was there to support them - which was fine, because there was a very lively atmosphere. Shame their music didn't really do it justice. Some of the songs were okay, but they had a go at doing some strange Streets-esque acoustic rap that just didn't really come off, not least because the rapper rapped far too quickly. I think the lyrics were meant to be amusing but I could only catch the odd word here and there. U and I weren't too fussed about the music, and spent the evening messing around with the candles on the table, dipping our fingers in the hot wax and creating molten wax structures! So the music wasn't to our taste, but we respected the musicians, kept quiet while they performed and clapped politely.
Then came U's friend, Nigel, of the Sad Song Co. As soon as the previous band left the stage and he stood up there was a mass exodus from the pub - not because of him, but because they had obviously come to support the others and weren't going to stay. Unfortunately, not everyone left - because those that did stay talked and shrieked and laughed and generally drowned out poor Nigel and his bass player (Jason). We were sitting right near the front and it was a struggle to hear what he was singing - he kept asking for the mics to be turned up but the louder he was, the louder the idiots in the pub got. You could see he was getting really pissed off by now, and he said something along the lines of "Ah well, I'll just plough through the set list, I don't care." From what I could hear he was really good, far better than the previous three acts, but the kids in the pub (all fairly pissed and probably celebrating/commiserating A level results, but that's no excuse) just carried on making a dreadful noise. There were a groups of maybe a dozen people actually listening, and at the end Nigel said "Thank you (pointing at individuals)you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, erm, you, you and you .... and [two fingers] to the rest of you." Not a happy chappy, and justifiably so.
Anyway, we came away feeling fairly cheesed off with it all. We'd only gone to Winchester because we can't make his gig in Oxford tonight, we'd tolerated the second rate support acts and then hadn't been allowed to enjoy the headline band. Very annoying. Well done Nigel for doing your best under very difficult circumstances, and thank you very bloody much you idiots who ruined the evening.
Anyway, U bought the Sad Song Co cd so at least we'll be able to hear what he's like in peace and quiet.
Thursday, August 14, 2003
Another one on the hit list?
I have to say I am totally cheesed off with what's going on at Chelsea. And this entry will probably turn into a complete rant.
NEWS JUST IN ....
"
FOOTBALL365
So now we're after ANOTHER player ... and yet another midfielder? What the hell is going on at Chelsea? Last season we came fourth, we were far more consistent than we have been for years, we pulled off some great results against the top teams and (with the exception of West Ham) managed to see off the minnows as well. And we didn't spend anything during the previous summer, it was all due to the development of the team, to letting the players stick together and get used to each other and actually work AS A TEAM rather than as a group of over-paid superstars.
It was a good season, a season all Chelsea supporters could be proud of, and one that showed we could be optimistic about times to come.
And then Roman bloody Abromovitch whatever the hell his name is came along and it's all gone crazy.
Now every season you have to buy a couple of players. And with Zola gone back to Italy (sad but predictable) and Ferrer retired, we did need to make a couple of purchases to fill the gaps. But Abromovitch is just flashing the cash, as far as I am concerned. It seems like he's got the money and he wants everyone to know it, so he's buying every available player just to make the point. Yet there doesn't seem to be a great deal of thought going in to who he actually signs.
We've ended up with about four new midfielders, plus the four or so that we already had . So who on earth is going to play? Do we stick Cole (a good signing, I grant you) and Lampard in the middle because they know each other so well already? But then what do we do with Veron (over rated, IMHO), and Duff (another valid acquisition) and Petit and Gronkjaer and Stanic and Zenden? They are all top quality international players - none of them are going to be happy sitting on the bench or playing for the reserves at Aldershot.
Then of course there are the defenders ... we now have players of the calibre of Bridge and Geremi, plus West Ham's Johnson. But what was wrong with the pairing of Terry and Desailly, with Melchiot/Gallas/Babayaro on the wings? Sure, we need a couple of spares in case of injuries, but it's going to be a nightmare for Ravioli to choose the best team AND keep everyone happy.
And at the same time we're relying solely on the fantastic Cudicini (best keeper in the league) to hold the fort in goal ... two new keepers bought, but one is out injured for the whole season and the other is, by all accounts, even worse than Bosnich. Hmm. And up front, the "pick two from three" combination of Hasselbaink/Gudjohnnsen/Forsell looks strong till one of them is injured, but what then? The signing of Mutu will take the pressure off there, if it goes through, but it seems that money has been spent in areas that don't really need it.
We'll see ... my main concern is that with so many new faces it's going to take a long time for any team to gel ... and to keep all the players happy there's going to have to be some regular rotation which is going to make it even harder. Abromovitch has made no promises, at least he knows the problems, but at the same time the fans are going to be baying for instant success as usual.
As far as I'm concerned, any victories we do achieve are going to have been bought rather than earned, and that bothers me. I'd be far happier if we'd bought a player here and there and then built on the sound foundations we developed last season ... success this year is going to have a hollow ring to it for me. I won't go so far as to say I'd like to see Chelsea fail (well, actually, I have said that to a couple of people), but the display of money in the club now is, frankly, morally offensive, and I'm not having fun being a Chelsea Girl at the moment.
NEWS JUST IN ....
"
Real Madrid have announced they are starting disciplinary proceedings against Claude Makelele following the French midfielder's refusal to train with the team on Wednesday."
The 30-year-old's decision came amidst reports of a transfer swoop by big-spending Premiership side Chelsea.
Makelele's agent Marc Roger reportedly presented Madrid with a £7million offer for the midfielder from the Blues on Wednesday morning.
FOOTBALL365
So now we're after ANOTHER player ... and yet another midfielder? What the hell is going on at Chelsea? Last season we came fourth, we were far more consistent than we have been for years, we pulled off some great results against the top teams and (with the exception of West Ham) managed to see off the minnows as well. And we didn't spend anything during the previous summer, it was all due to the development of the team, to letting the players stick together and get used to each other and actually work AS A TEAM rather than as a group of over-paid superstars.
It was a good season, a season all Chelsea supporters could be proud of, and one that showed we could be optimistic about times to come.
And then Roman bloody Abromovitch whatever the hell his name is came along and it's all gone crazy.
Now every season you have to buy a couple of players. And with Zola gone back to Italy (sad but predictable) and Ferrer retired, we did need to make a couple of purchases to fill the gaps. But Abromovitch is just flashing the cash, as far as I am concerned. It seems like he's got the money and he wants everyone to know it, so he's buying every available player just to make the point. Yet there doesn't seem to be a great deal of thought going in to who he actually signs.
We've ended up with about four new midfielders, plus the four or so that we already had . So who on earth is going to play? Do we stick Cole (a good signing, I grant you) and Lampard in the middle because they know each other so well already? But then what do we do with Veron (over rated, IMHO), and Duff (another valid acquisition) and Petit and Gronkjaer and Stanic and Zenden? They are all top quality international players - none of them are going to be happy sitting on the bench or playing for the reserves at Aldershot.
Then of course there are the defenders ... we now have players of the calibre of Bridge and Geremi, plus West Ham's Johnson. But what was wrong with the pairing of Terry and Desailly, with Melchiot/Gallas/Babayaro on the wings? Sure, we need a couple of spares in case of injuries, but it's going to be a nightmare for Ravioli to choose the best team AND keep everyone happy.
And at the same time we're relying solely on the fantastic Cudicini (best keeper in the league) to hold the fort in goal ... two new keepers bought, but one is out injured for the whole season and the other is, by all accounts, even worse than Bosnich. Hmm. And up front, the "pick two from three" combination of Hasselbaink/Gudjohnnsen/Forsell looks strong till one of them is injured, but what then? The signing of Mutu will take the pressure off there, if it goes through, but it seems that money has been spent in areas that don't really need it.
We'll see ... my main concern is that with so many new faces it's going to take a long time for any team to gel ... and to keep all the players happy there's going to have to be some regular rotation which is going to make it even harder. Abromovitch has made no promises, at least he knows the problems, but at the same time the fans are going to be baying for instant success as usual.
As far as I'm concerned, any victories we do achieve are going to have been bought rather than earned, and that bothers me. I'd be far happier if we'd bought a player here and there and then built on the sound foundations we developed last season ... success this year is going to have a hollow ring to it for me. I won't go so far as to say I'd like to see Chelsea fail (well, actually, I have said that to a couple of people), but the display of money in the club now is, frankly, morally offensive, and I'm not having fun being a Chelsea Girl at the moment.
Gigging for it!
Last night we went to Northampton Soundhaus to see Snow Patrol, who really rocked. A friend of U's had got the tickets and is a big fan, but up till then I'd never heard of them. Bel thought she had, and said she thought they were an ambient dancy type group; U said they were like Gomez; U's friend described them as " '...a triumph of powerful ballads, pop, and the skewered [skewered?!] lo-fi' [according to this Drowned in Sound article]. I predict that a) Chelsea Girl will like them, and b) I will be disappointed because my expectations are too high."
And I did, and he wasn't.
For the first two or three tracks I wasn't impressed - they didn't seem anything special, and there are so many guitar indie rock groups around at the mo. But I quickly warmed to them and was bouncy along by the end. Their new (third) album The Final Straw is out now and there are some samples on their website … definitely one to watch. They were supported by Terra Diablo and Teer - both not bad but nothing to get excited about.
Tonight we are off to Winchester to see The Sad Song Company. This is a solo project by Nigel Powell, who was in The Unbelievable Truth (an early nineties band that U was very keen on, he ran the official website and followed them all over the place. The singer was Andy Yorke, younger brother of a certain Thom "Radiohead" Yorke, both of whom U went to school with) and is the drummer with Dive Dive, who I've seen a couple of times and they are really great. I've no idea what his solo stuff is like, but apparently the songs reflect the name of the project and are rather sad. Will let you know!
We're staying at my place tonight so I can top up the cat's food and water, and hopefully find her alive and well. I've had all sorts of problems getting her to use the catflaps because she is just terrified of them, especially of the noise they make when they open. I left them propped up, one on a wellie boot and one on a wine bottle, and she did actually go through both of them into the garden before I came over here. I'm just hoping that she hasn't knocked over the supports and got stuck in the bit between the two doors - our "conservatory" - because it gets so hot out there. I really don't want to go home to find a mummified moggy!
And I did, and he wasn't.
For the first two or three tracks I wasn't impressed - they didn't seem anything special, and there are so many guitar indie rock groups around at the mo. But I quickly warmed to them and was bouncy along by the end. Their new (third) album The Final Straw is out now and there are some samples on their website … definitely one to watch. They were supported by Terra Diablo and Teer - both not bad but nothing to get excited about.
Tonight we are off to Winchester to see The Sad Song Company. This is a solo project by Nigel Powell, who was in The Unbelievable Truth (an early nineties band that U was very keen on, he ran the official website and followed them all over the place. The singer was Andy Yorke, younger brother of a certain Thom "Radiohead" Yorke, both of whom U went to school with) and is the drummer with Dive Dive, who I've seen a couple of times and they are really great. I've no idea what his solo stuff is like, but apparently the songs reflect the name of the project and are rather sad. Will let you know!
We're staying at my place tonight so I can top up the cat's food and water, and hopefully find her alive and well. I've had all sorts of problems getting her to use the catflaps because she is just terrified of them, especially of the noise they make when they open. I left them propped up, one on a wellie boot and one on a wine bottle, and she did actually go through both of them into the garden before I came over here. I'm just hoping that she hasn't knocked over the supports and got stuck in the bit between the two doors - our "conservatory" - because it gets so hot out there. I really don't want to go home to find a mummified moggy!
Monday, August 11, 2003
Flapping about
Starting to panic a bit .. I spent a couple of hours on Saturday fitting catflaps so that the cat can gome and go as she pleases when we are on holiday, but she is terrified of the things and won't go near them. So being the geek that I am, I started searching the Internet for advice and came across thiscatflap story, which didn't help me out of my predicament at all but did make me laugh. But then I realised which site this story was on ... John Mark Ministries - Assisting churches, pastors, leaders and their spouses ...WHY???:? Is this kind of thing recommended to vicars to use in their sermons? Now, I haven't been to church for a long long time, but if the sermons now are about things like this:
"After a few hours, a group of students approached me but, instead of helping, they removed my trousers and pants, painted my buttocks bright blue, and stuck a daffodil between my cheeks... No one tried to free me. In fact, I only got free after two days because a dog started licking my private parts and an old woman complained to the police."
... then I might just go along!
Sunday, August 10, 2003
What a load of rubbish!
Just updated the website ... reading through it I've realised that it's a load of rubbish anyway, but have decided to leave it up there, I've just changed a few odds and sods that were inaccurate. Ought to completely redo it really but I just can't be bothered!
Saturday, August 09, 2003
BookCrossing
Craze of the week in our house is BookCrossing. Basically it's a way of sharing your books with others and tracking where they go. You read a book, register and review it on the site and get a special ID number and URL for it. Then you either pass it on to a friend or leave it somewhere ... on a bus, in a cafe, on a park bench, anywhere really ... for someone to find, in the hope that they will follow the link and register that they've found it. Apparently only about 30% of the books resurface on the site, which seems a shame, but surely the more people that know about Bookcrossing, the better!
My only problem with the site is that I love all my books, even the ones I hate or have never read, and I'm reluctant to part with them. So the answer is to buy cheap duplicates in the charity shops and use them! Then you're helping others in two ways.
I left my first book in Stoke Park, Guildford this week and have a couple more to release next week ... it gave me a bit of a buzz, sad but true! Anyway, fingers crossed I'll get lucky and someone will give my books a good home!
Back to scratch
Owing to various technical hitches I've managed to screw up my old blog Blue is the Colour. Bugger, So I've decided to start from scratch, and include the remnants of my old website (all fiendishly out of date and will be changed when I get round to it!) and some new things (well, what I'm reading and listening to and a couple of links) and I promise I'll try and update this ... but then, I always do say that.
*sigh* We'll see!
*sigh* We'll see!
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