Sometimes I write my thoughts down.

Every time you close your eyes...

2007-03-15T11:35:00.000Z

Last night Al and myself went up to London Village to celebrate his birthday in the honourable presence of Arcade Fire (look, Al, no definite article! :p) at Brixton Academy.

Supporting was Patrick Wolf, whom I'd heard of but didn't know all that much about. His voice reminded me of Jarvis Cocker, and his music isn't a million miles away either, except with more violins (his lead violinist made all sorts of crazy guitarry noises), but the man himself is a lot more of a spectacle -- some might say too much of one. He came onstage in a medieval nobleman's jacket thing, a shirt and skinny tie, braces, and unnervingly short shorts, with glitter both in his hair and on his legs. Various of these items were shed during his set (thankfully not the shorts!). I quite liked his music, and he's clearly got presence, but he came across as being possibly a little too outrageous for his own good... but maybe that's just the stuffy English male in me talking :)

The Fire themselves were as awesome as we'd been led to believe. Even more so than on record, each of their songs builds into an overwhelming wall of noise... but instead of being created by 3 guys with guitars turned up to 11, the 10 musicians each contribute a small amount to the whole. Three or four of them constantly changed instruments and stage positions, and at different times there was a double bass, a church organ, a hurdy-gurdy, a xylophone, an accordion... all sorts. The only downside was that between songs there needed to be a couple of minutes' gap while they prepared for the next song, during which the cheering would, understandably, gradually subside... but instead of bantering with the audience in these gaps, the lead singer tended to admonish us for not being loud enough. Maybe they're just used to crazy North Americans :p During the songs was a different matter, though -- there was some full-on jumping, moshing and crowd-surfing going on, especially towards the end when "Power Out" and "Rebellion" were played back-to-back!

All in all, a fantastic evening. Cheers, Al! Chal.

They are all noblemen who have gone wrong.

2007-03-13T12:51:00.000Z

I really must write a bit about Pirates of Penzance before the experience fades, but this post is going to have to be written fragmentally, in odd moments, as I'm ridiculously busy this week. So much for recovery! I even for-went (forgoed?) my planned evening off yesterday to go to the pub quiz... but we did come second, so it was worth it.

So, anyway, this weekend just gone saw the first, and quite possibly only, sightings of the PGD on stage (not counting the usual high school nonsense, that is). It wasn't as scary an experience as I feared it might be, but then I did spend a lot of the time hiding at the back! Also, the audience is in darkness, of course, so although you're aware of them, it's only dimly... and perhaps most importantly, you can't make out their faces. And as a chorus member, I always had chorus-mates nearby for support. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and I'm extremely glad I stuck with it, so I guess thanks go to Jon and Dave for dragging me along in the first place!

The show itself went better than I think some of us were expecting ... in fact, it couldn't have gone much better at all. Almost-full-houses every night (apart from the matinee, which was a little bit pointless!), good audience reactions, principals all on top form, and all the "veterans" said it was one of the best LOpSoc shows for ages. Whoop!

The final night was utterly crazy. After the show, which finished at around 10pm, we had to immediately clear out the entire stage and set, and put everything away in various locations around campus. All that took the best part of four hours... only then did we finally get to party. Myself and James (who had very kindly come to support me, as had Rae the evening before) took a detour back to my flat to get booze, where my housemate Bob and friends were just about to conk out after their own evening shenanigans. This was gone 2am. If we'd sat down at that point, it would've been all over; but we resisted, and headed back out into the night, to the after-show party. And there we stayed, all night, getting steadily drunker, sleepier and sillier; which was, of course, excellent fun!

I now really must try to stop making Gilbert & Sullivan-based responses to anything anyone says....

(Pic courtesy of my Dad -- thanks, Dad!)

A pair of ducks, a pair of ducks, a most ingenious pair of ducks

2007-02-26T19:47:00.000Z

Phew! What a weekend. Up at normal worky time on Saturday morning for an all-day rehearsal, by the end of which I was swaying about from tiredness and my throat ached. I'd previously agreed to go along to the final night of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown that evening, and at the time all I really wanted to do was have a nap... but I'm glad I went along because it was damn good. It's basically a series of set-pieces based on the Peanuts comic strips, with a few musical numbers mixed in. All very random, but very funny. After that, I finally went to bed. Sunday I had a bit of a lie-in before heading off to help with set-building for the show. This involved lots of noisy power tools, which was aces, obviously, but again pretty tiring! As my boss is off ill today, I've rewarded myself by not doing terribly much.

Going back a bit now, Thursday was pretty cool, too. Myself, Bob and his office-mates went to see The Science Of Sleep, the new film from Michel Gondry (who directed the excellent Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind). Science Of Sleep is a lot less mainstream, and I'm not sure I quite liked how it ended, but it's very imaginative and the animation sequences are fabulous. It's one of those films where you've just got to go along with it and not worry too much. Anyway, on the way back, we walk past a bar called The Platform Tavern. I mention to Bob that I've never been in there and really must sometime because it looks interesting... and we slow down and glance at each other, then towards the bar, then back at each other...

A thoroughly enjoyable couple of pints and a folk band later, we continue on our way home. A little later we pass The Red Lion, which claims to be the oldest pub in Southampton. "I've never been in here either", say I. So we do. It wasn't quite as fun, and my beer tasted distinctly off, but it's a grand old building -- you can just imagine the medieval revelry -- and they had a pet parrot too!

Finally I should just mention Kombat Opera Presents, a new series for Sunday evenings on BBC2, nicely sandwiched between Top Gear and MOTD2. Bob demanded we watch it, and it was ace. It's from the same people who did Jerry Springer: The Opera, and each week they spoof a different TV show in the style of an opera. Last night it was The Apprentice, with John Thompson as Sir Alan Sugar (he doesn't sing though, unfortunately!). Very silly, in the best possible way.

Children of the sun, see your time has just begun

2007-02-22T00:01:00.000Z

Myself and Bob have just finished watching the final episode of possibly the best kids' cartoon series ever made, The Mysterious Cities Of Gold, which my brother gave me on DVD(*) for Christmas. It was one of the few programmes from the 80s that really stuck in my mind... not coherently, just a few odd images (mostly the golden condor, obv) and a sense that it was something out of the ordinary. It was definitely worth seeing again -- clunky lost-in-translation dialogue, dodgy synth soundtrack and all. And the best part was, the DVD included footage of Philip Schofield presenting the final epsiode from the Broom Cupboard on Children's BBC and singing along to the end credits! How ace is that. How shall we entertain ourselves post-Hollyoaks now? We might have to start talking to each other or something. Imagine that. :p

* unofficial, of course... no commercial English-language version has ever been licensed!

Chinese New Year

2007-02-19T12:51:00.000Z

On Sunday morning, myself and Bob wandered into town to see the Chinese New Year celebrations. As he says on his blog, we saw first of all a "junior" dragon dance, done (and done well!) by kids; then some martial arts displays, lion and unicorn dances, and finally a huge, 120ft-long dragon that eventually escaped out of the Civic Centre and down the high street!

Unfortunately, after the first dance, the batteries in my camera ran out. I had some spares, but due to me being a thicko and not realising that rechargeables don't come fully charged, they didn't work. Arse. Fortunately, Bob took a load more (here).

(and yes, I realise that neither of the kids are Chinese...)

Meet me on my vast verandah, my sweet untouched Miranda

2007-02-11T12:21:00.000Z

Well, hello there. I'm a little bored. I have been most of this weekend, to be honest... it's been a bit of a nothingy one. I suppose I shouldn't complain; my "school nights" have been rather fun recently, what with pub quizzes, rehearsals (8th to 10th of March, people... put it in your diaries :p), playing with Flickr's geotagging system (check it out, Flickr types; it's pretty awesome) and seeing bands. Unfortunately, on the down-side, my laptop is very unwell -- both the keyboard and mouse have decided they can't be arsed responding anymore. In the meantime I've taken my work laptop home instead.

Back to the bands, though: on Wednesday myself and Al saw the Bluetones and partied like it was 1996. I was a big fan of theirs back in the day (hell, I still am!), so I was pleased to see they've still got it, both as a live act and as songwriters -- their new stuff, while nothing spectacular, is still very catchy and hook-laden. Mark Morriss seemed a bit annoyed with the crowd's lack of enthusiasm, though!

Then on Friday, and on a whim really (although to be fair some people I knew were going anyway) I saw the fantastic Decemberists. I knew very little about them before the gig, and it was the first time in ages that I felt I'd "discovered" a great new band. They have shades of the Arcade Fire, Belle and Sebastian and Sufjan Stevens, among others; but a little less serious then the first and a little louder than either of the latter two. Live, in addition to the usual guitars and keyboards, they use an accordion, a double bass, a violin, and even a hurdy-gurdy, which I'd heard of but never seen before. Check 'em out if you've not come across them... and if you have, why didn't you tell me? :p

I woke up on Saturday morning feeling slightly dull-headed but fairly relaxed, and thought I'd put the radio on. But hang on -- where have all the Radio 4 Saturday morning/lunchtime comedy panel shows gone?! It was all politics and documentaries... interesting stuff, I'm sure, but I was in the mood for something a little more light-hearted. So what's good to listen to on weekend mornings these days, radio-wise? Cheers!

Ooh, I've just been invited along to the pub for a Sunday roast. Things are looking up!

Ramblin' Man

2007-02-06T00:15:00.000Z

On Sunday, as it was a nice day, I went for a walk in the New Forest. And very nice it was too, as ever. However, doing this particular walk (4½ miles through woods and somewhat muddy fields following the Lymington River from Brockenhurst down to, er, Lymington) meant that I have now walked a connected path all the way from Bournemouth to the other side of Winchester - over 50 miles in total. Over two or three years, I mean, and not always in the same direction; but still.

I've been going for walks around the area ever since I moved down here, but was only last year that it occurred to me to try to link them up. When I thought about it, I'd done most of it already without even trying, primarily because I have to get the train and walk between stations. The most obvious gap was between Ashurst and my house, which would mean walking along busy roads through Totton and Millbrook (lovely! not) ... or getting the ferry across from Hythe. Much nicer. The walk I did on Sunday I left til last as it looked to have a few too many roads and not enough forest for my liking; but it, too, turned out to be very pleasant. Click the map for Flickr pics :)

Küba

2007-02-04T17:08:00.000Z

Last weekend Bob posted about Küba, an art installation currently on show at the Guildhall. To repeat what he already said, it consists of forty TV sets, each showing a different resident of the eponymous Istanbul ghetto telling their life story and giving an idea of what it's like to live there. This Saturday I decided to go myself. Aside from the fascinating stories, often shocking and all so openly told, what made the installation interesting was the fact that it is located in one of the old courtrooms, and the TV sets sit atop the original furnishings. It was quite a strange feeling to enter an empty room, especially such a formal one, and hear the constant murmurs of conversation all around you.

Anyway, apparently the old courtroom had not been open to the public in some time, and since it was an interesting room, I asked the invigilator if I could take a few pictures. He not only said I could, he also told me that there was a viewing gallery upstairs, and would I like him to ask the security guard to take me up there? The security guard agreed, and it would've been rude to turn him down, so up we went. He was very nice and chatty (glad of someone to talk to, I guess!), and said what a shame it was that the room hardly gets used these days. He also pointed out a rather cool feature, which was that the dock is accessed exclusively by a flight of stairs from the police station, conveniently located directly below!

L-R: The judge's chair; the dock (click pics for Flickr link)

Snowboarding!

2007-01-14T18:20:00.000Z

Well, I'm back! And happily (if slightly unexcitingly for the rest of you, I suppose) in one piece :)

We left Southampton at 3am last Saturday, and about 13 hours later (including a 3-hour coach trip from Geneva airport) we arrived in Tignes. It's basically a small, self-contained tourist village -- just hotels, bars, restaurants and ski equipment shops. It's nice enough in its own way, I suppose, but the thick covering of snow made it a bit more special. At one point around Christmas time, it was touch-and-go whether there'd be enough of it to go round, but luckily the white stuff had arrived by the time we did!

Because it's winter, the days are short, so you need to be out early to make the most of your time. The lifts open at 9am and close at 4:30pm. Hardcore types can party until 5am or whenever if they wish, but I don't think we stayed up much past 11pm all week. We slept a lot in the early evening, too -- it's pretty knackering stuff. Our non-'boarding life was fairly dull, in fact: mostly sleeping, eating, drinking and playing "shithead".

For the first 3 mornings, us n00bs had lessons. Some picked it up quicker than others, but I think 3 lessons is about right for anyone, for snowboarding at least. It's just long enough to be shown the most critical part: how to turn. Once you've mastered that, you can go just about anywhere in the resort (though some slopes are much trickier than others, of course!). I found it pretty tough, I have to admit. You have to get used to the idea of putting your weight forward as you're going downhill, when your instinct is to lean back, i.e. uphill. I spent most of Tues and Wed going down the n00b-slope again and again, falling repeatedly on my arse, face and arms, and getting pretty fed up. Thankfully, the others had a bit of an off-day on Wed, too, so we decided to take the afternoon off and take the funicular up to the highest part of the resort, at the base of La Grande Motte, at which point you're over 11,000ft up! It was damned windy, but great fun.

The next day, I did what I probably should've done a day or so earlier -- come down a proper piste with the other guys. Although it was just the same level of difficulty as the one I'd been struggling on all week, it was longer and less repetitive, with some steeper and some shallower parts; and being out of the valley, the scenery was absolutely magnificent. And suddenly I found myself being able to turn. Not expertly, and not on the steep bits (there's a more basic technique you can use for coming down these); but with much more confidence and consistency -- and it was a real buzz. From starting to feel like I just wanted to come home, I realised why people love skiing and 'boarding so much. I'd love to do it again. The only question is whether I try skiing next time, or stick to what I (sort of) know! It was good to go in such a large group, too, as it allowed those of similar ability to stick together and do their own thing.

Anyway, click the pic below for photos! (log in if you're a friend, I've made pics of people private)

A belated "happy new year!" to all...

2007-01-05T11:02:00.000Z

...although 2007 hasn't been too promising so far. I've just had one of my worst weeks ever what with being sniffly and bunged-up and worky-stressy and being winded and rained on and whatnot. Plus I had to come back to work the day after Boxing Day, as I said before; and as soon as I'm back from skiing, a week from now, I'll have yet another load of work to get going on, marked "urgent". Gah!

Still, New Years' Eve itself was fantastic. Last year it all went a bit pear-shaped and I ended up paying silly money for a ticket to a mediocre, half-empty club in Cheltenham (don't ask), but this year a number of old friends (including me!) gathered at a friend's house in the Docklands where we spent a very pleasant evening eating and drinking and catching up with each other's lives. And when we all came to, the first morning of 2007 was as bright, sunny and optimistic as the last evening of 2006 had been wet, windy and miserable. I walked back to Waterloo along the Thames feeling very content.

And early tomorrow morning (or late tonight, depending on how you see it), I'm off to the Alps with Al and various others, to lose my winter sports virginity. The stress of this week was almost making me wish I didn't have to bother so soon, but now I'm starting to look forward to it. I just hope I remember everything I need!

Big Chill and my week off

2005-08-21T18:03:00.000Z

First of all, I'd like to point out that I'm typing this in my bedroom at my flat, and will upload it using our brand spanking new broadband connection! Yay! We're still having some teething problems, namely MSN chucking us offline and our local network not working, but hey. Still pretty damn cool! Also damn cool is that by "us" I mean myself and Bob, as he has now moved in. It's going to be great :)

So last week was Seeing Lig And Courtney Week, which is always a pleasure. We kicked off with the Big Chill, which I felt more comfortable with this year, knowing what to expect. We sat on a picnic blanket, drank wine, ate all sorts of good food, and saw all sorts of bands and DJs, some good (Kate Rusby, Ukelele Orchestra and an a capella group I can't remember the name of), some less so (Lunz (sp?), anyone? ;-) Alex and Harry came along again, and we also had Ben and Ros. Lots of lovely people I don't see often enough :)

After a short interlude in Southampton to get the contract on my flat sorted, Lig, Courtney, James and myself could begin our week of adventure. A plan to hike a part of Offa's Dyke fell through in the end, but we did manage to go wine-tasting and visit the Stiperstones in Shropshire. This is the name given to a particular ridge in the hills of the Welsh borders which is purple from the heather and has many curious angular, light grey rocks - some in piles, some forming huge battlement-like structures, and some just getting in the way on the path! The ridge seems to be unique - the other hills around were green, with no more rocks than anywhere else. There are pictures here.

Also, we went to Alton Towers for the first time in years! Great fun, and we managed to get on all the big rides at least once. It was surprisingly quiet for a Friday in the summer holidays.

And finally:
Catholic professor attempts to prove existance of the Resurrection; only succeeds in proving his complete ignorance of the basics of probability.

REM in Hyde Park

2005-07-18T13:31:00.000Z

Well, I finally got to see one of my all-time favourite bands :D
It's been a good year for that, really - after seeing Idlewild, Ben Folds, Tori Amos and now REM, I can't think of any still-functioning bands that I'm particularly desparate to see. The Pixies, perhaps?

Or maybe REM again, because they were bloody fantastic!
Ben, Lucy and I met up in central London in the early afternoon and slowly meandered our way over to Hyde Park, stopping for food & drink on the way. We got there just in time for Idlewild's support set, and quickly realised that things were far from perfect (and this is without even mentioning the prospect of Feeder as the second support act! ;). As with Radiohead in Oxford's South Park a few years ago, there was a "gold" area in front of the stage for special ticket-holders, with the majority of ticket-holders kept behind another barrier further back. But whereas the Radiohead "gold" area was fairly small and didn't really detract from the experience, the one at REM was huge! Even stood as far forward as you could in the "standard" area, you were still miles from the stage and could only just make out who was who. Very disappointing. Lucy said afterwards that she almost started crying near the start of the set, because the show was so good but we couldn't experience it properly. I knew what she meant, but we also agreed that after the first few songs we got over it and just enjoyed ourselves.

Mike Stipe was on excellent form, doing crazy dances and jumping about the set. And his voice was superb. So many live acts are spoiled by the realisation that the singer can't actually sing, but Stipe's voice sounded just as powerful and controlled as it does on record. The sound in general was pretty good for an outdoor gig, and combined with crazy graphics and edited camerawork on the big screens made for a riveting experience. The only thing letting the side down early-on (apart from our distance from the stage) was the audience, who just stood there and occasionally clapped along but weren't really getting into it. There were a lot of older (for music fans, anyway) people there, so maybe that explains it.

By the end, though, it was just getting better and better. The crowd had loosened up, and as the encore progressed it became clear that the band were in a celebratory and quite possibly alcohol-enhanced mood. It was the last night of a year-long global tour, after all! Stipe became even more energetic, sitting atop Mike Mills' piano during "Nightswimming" (which Mills had already messed up at the start!) and ending it by stamping his feet on the keys. Then there was a lot of end-of-tour speeches (though oddly no reflections on the recent bombings, given Stipe's outspokenness against the Iraq war) and a couple more songs before some extremely protracted goodbyes and Stipe being carried offstage by his bandmates. Rock n' roll.

The evening ended with a lovely walk back to Waterloo through the parks, past Big Ben and over the Thames. A happy day :)

Setlist: Bad Day; What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?; The One I Love; Drive; The Outsiders; Sitting Still; Wanderlust; Animal; Leaving New York; Everybody Hurts; Electron Blue; Me In Honey; Electrolite; So Fast So Numb; E-Bow The Letter (with Patti Smith); Final Straw; Orange Crush; Walk Unafraid; Losing My Religion

Encore 1: Imitation Of Life; The Great Beyond; Nightswimming

Encore 2: It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine); I’m Gonna DJ; Man On The Moon

Glasto pics!!

2005-07-01T11:16:00.000Z

Online now at Flickr. Click below. The quality isn't too bad considering they're digitised images from a past-best-before-date disposable camera! Hopefully the other guys will upload theirs soon.

Yes, ok, ok, I'll blog about Glasto! Jeez! ;-)

2005-06-30T12:58:00.000Z

Hello all.

Well I suppose it would be rude of me not to write a bit about possibly my best weekend of 2005 so far!

My friends have already written loads about it and they overlap quite a bit, especially Pear Cider being far too tasty, Bright Eyes being unpleasantly wierd, the Killers being far better than Ben thought they'd be, and Jack White being utterly possessed by the spirit of the blues!

I also loved the Futureheads for their children's TV-style banter (in Geordie accents, plus one of them's called Barry so it reminded me of the Chuckle Brothers!) and was also impressed by the Kaiser Chiefs and the Zutons. Plus on Sunday night I stayed up to watch the sun rise at the Stone Circle, apparently one of the things you Must Do At Glastonbury :)

Read my friends' accounts here, here and here.

However, I think I must write more fully about an act we saw on the Sunday. It wasn't a band, more like performance art. Wandering around one of the Circus Fields we ended up in the Belle Epoque tent, where on stage was a man wearing full powder and blusher make-up, a ridiculous wig and a long, flowing magician-like gown. He overexaggerated his "actor's" voice, facial expressions and movements in a thoroughly comical way, and was apparently trying to persuade two complete strangers to kiss each other on stage. He was encouraging the audience to go "oooh", starting quietly but building into an orgasmic crescendo as the couple approached each other, accompanied by our rising to our feet and raising our arms in the air. Very silly. This is just to set the scene, by the way.

At first we were bemused, and wondered what the hell we were doing there, but he was very good at getting the audience on his side and participating, and it soon became quite fun. He got us to make suggestions as to what we could do, such as sing a song (Al suggested "The Sun Has Got Its Hat On", which was eventually taken up) or act like an animal (our suggestion of "badger" was sadly overruled by "ostrich"). This was all well and good, but before we knew what was happening, we were on our feet, acting like ostriches (hand looks to left, looks to right, jump forward a few steps whilst going "dik dik dik dik", and repeat) and then walking out of the tent into the field as a crowd of 100 or so. We then proceeded to surround innocent bystanders and sing to them or persuade them to take their shirts off or whatever. One poor guy was on the phone to his mum at the time, so we sang her happy birthday (even though it wasn't). It was quite a wonderful feeling to be part of "something" -- even though I guess it was really just the in-crowd, the mob, something I'm generally against. It was very surreal and funny though!

Going to collect my photos after work today. I've asked for them to be put on CD, so I'm intrigued to see how good they are. I'll post some tomorrow hopefully. One last thing: no, we didn't get flooded out, I'm sure you'll be relieved (or secretly disappointed ;-) to hear. We were on some of the highest ground (more by luck than judgment, but there you go!)

So yes, another excellent Glasto. See you there in 2007 hopefully!

Blog fatigue

2005-06-10T13:24:00.000Z

I haven't blogged for ages. Again. I'm just feeling very apathetic towards it at the moment. Also I've been quite busy at work and haven't really had the time. Ho hum.

Anyway, the list of Things Of Note In Pgd's Life runs as follows:

Went to Reading last weekend for my friend Rachel's 20th birthday. She'd just finished her 2nd year exams, too, so obviously the only sensible thing to do was to have an almightly piss-up. Her friends organised a not-so-secret birthday picnic (with only a couple of days to go, they let it slip - to her face!) in Henley-on-Thames, which is a beautiful place and so well-to-do that its charity shops are rumoured to stock designer clothes on a regular basis (Edit: and furthermore, I have just been informed, is the constituency of bumblingly affable Tory MP Boris Johnson. Hurrah!). In the evening we went to Reading Uni's student union club, which is huge and very very cool except for the fact that queueing for the bar is a nightmare. One bar only sold shots (i.e. no mixers), and whilst the queues were smaller, it did have the disadvantage of, well, persuading you to buy shots! The next day we spent happily wandering around the campus's huge areas of lakes, woodland and grasses, and then ambling in the general direction of the town and the train station, stopping regularly for liquid refreshment and once for Japanese noodles. Mmmm!
Some pics of all this can be found here.

This week has so far seen barbecues, a trip to Rhinos, a meal at an Indian restuarant paid for by my boss, and karaoke night at the Union. Tonight it will also take in a long-postponed gig by Ben Folds. Which is nice :)

One last thing: as some of you may know, my Mum has for a while now been researching our family history. She has now put her work online in the form of a series of chapters documenting local history, each drawing on the experiences of a different generation of the family. It's not finished yet, but please feel free to have a look around and make (constructive) comments! The site is here.

Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart...

2005-05-27T12:34:00.000Z

Just a quickie!

First of all: wow. What an amazing match. I remember saying back in March that "if you weren't absolutely gripped by [the] Chelsea-Barcelona game then you must be dead inside" ... well, Liverpool-Milan blew that one away. Such a range of emotions, the whole game changing in the blink of an eye, and finishing with a courageous and fully-deserved win on penalties (fully-deserved winners of the shootout, I mean. You can't really say who deserved to win the game, it was all so surreal!). Walking back home and hearing people shouting and singing all around put a huge smile on my face. It was a magical night; literally, in that you felt like you were in a bubble and that it wasn't quite real.

I'm actually off work today. Don't ask me why, I didn't ask for it. And no, I haven't been sacked before anyone asks. My work just has a couple of random days off every year. It's a lovely day, so I've been wandering aimlessly around the common taking pics. I will flickr some more soon, promise.

Finally, the very best of luck to anyone who's doing exams at the moment. See you on the other side! :)

Adventures with Flickr

2005-05-18T16:08:00.000Z

Right, well, everyone seems to be using Flickr for their online photos these days, so I've joined in. I've uploaded my pics from Cornwall last week. They are here. Enjoy :)

More pics will appear in due course!

Also, I recently treated myself to a gadget. It rocks!

The Über-Update!

2005-05-16T08:54:00.000Z

Well, it’s always heartening when you get badgered for not updating your blog for ages. So here, after an annoyingly long time (I’ve been very busy I’m afraid), is what I’ve been doing and thinking recently, presented in a handy bullet-point style. Hurrah!

- Poker and Politics night (5th May). After attending the Union’s fortnightly poker evening and being knocked out predictably but not wholly embarrassingly early, I joined Jon, Rob, Hannah, Rach & Hallam watching the general election coverage round Bob’s house. The BBC didn’t disappoint on the ludicrously overblown graphics front! I was pleased with the result, too – Labour remain in power but with a much-reduced majority, the people having clearly told them to watch their step from now on. Blair says he will listen; let’s hope he does. In particular, and much as I distrust him, George Galloway’s victory sends an un-ignorable anti-war message. Blair won’t try anything like that again in a hurry.
Keeping Al Happy Edit: Al was joint winner of the poker and got £90. Woo!

- Chemistry Ball (6th May). An amusing start to the evening as I arrive back from work to find I’d forgotten my keys and locked myself out. After an agonising wait for one of my housemates to turn up, I throw on my suit and leg it up the road to Jon’s, where our taxis are already waiting. Thereafter it was a pleasant but not particularly exciting evening. Always good to get suited up and ogle girls in posh dresses, though ;-)

- Generator (7th May). The Union’s new Saturday night indie event, complete with live bands. I thought I’d better check it out, as people had held mixed opinions. I can see why, too – it wasn’t awful, but it could’ve been better. In particular, the attendance was pitiful. There was a fair crowd for the headline band (a worthy but not-particularly-special Joy Division-esque crew by the name of The Editors), but afterwards people drifted off, leaving the dancefloor disappointingly sparse.

- Rock Lite (9th May). Take note, Union officials: this is how you run a rock/indie night! But then, maybe I’m slightly biased, seeing as my friends run it ;-) All the same, twas a damn good evening. Strongroom and Envy & Other Sins, the subject of a previous blog entry of mine, again teamed up to provide the live entertainment. I’d gone round telling all my friends to come and see E&OS as they were so good last time, and they were just as good this. Someone chuck them a contract, sharpish! The one downside to the evening: after the bands, Bob was left DJing till 2am, mostly just to us lot. He played a blinding set, and we were as enthusiastic as we could be, but it was a bit sad. I guess it’s just the coursework and revision season :-(

- Trip to Cornwall (10th to 13th May). My folks were spending the week on a caravan site by the sea in the middle of nowhere. How could I refuse? It was extremely windy, but I did get to re-visit the Eden Project (I last went in the summer of 2002 to see Beth Orton and Spiritualized with my good friends James and Maz) and go for a tramp along the cliff-top paths (not sure the tramp liked it, but he had it coming). Photos coming soon :-)

- Saturday Nexus (14th May). I love Indie Fridays at Nexus, but I’d not been to a Saturday rock/emo/punk/ska/metal night since the first year. Surprisingly perhaps, I really quite enjoyed it, though I suspect the good company had something to do with it. Thanks guys!

- ‘Survival Sunday’ (15th May). As Ben said at half-time: “Well, I’ve survived so far!” ;-) Together with Bob, Manchester Jon and Al, we headed to the Mitre to await Saints’ fate. More on this in the post below.

Oh when the Saints…

2005-05-16T08:52:00.000Z

...go marching in...to the Championship...

Well, it was always going to be close, and in the end it just wasn’t to be. After 27 years in the top flight, my adopted club, Southampton, have been relegated.

It all started out rather well. An early Man Utd own-goal was followed a little later by goals against both Norwich and Crystal Palace, and at half-time, though Man U had equalised, we were still in pole position. Most of the drama was reserved for the second half, however. Man U and West Brom scored in quick succession, and from then on it got increasingly desperate. I feel I must apologise to Bob, in that he was the only one really affected by the result. The rest of us were disappointed but didn’t really share his pain as we possibly should. I guess it found me out as someone for whom football is a big interest, but not a passion.

What an occasion, though: a last-day four-way battle to the death, with only one winner. The closest relegation scrap in Premiership history, and it lived up to expectations. Unfortunately, in my opinion the worst possible result ensued. Apart from Southampton I have a soft spot for both Norwich, with their crazy lurid strip and Delia Smith, and Palace, with their consistently amusing manager Ian Dowie and a team that were bordering on the Championship relegation places half-way through last season. West Brom are just dull. I feel particularly bad for Liam and his fellow Canaries fans – from being in the (tediously proverbial) driving seat at the beginning of the day, they contrived to lose 6-0. Let’s be havin’ you lot back in a year’s time ;-)

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

2005-04-29T08:17:00.000Z

So, last night I went to see Hitch-hiker's Guide To The Galaxy. I've read the books several times over the years, and love them, but never heard the radio show or seen the TV series.

The film is absolutely superb, though :)
Al got there first this morning, and has already written a good long review, but I had to say something myself too!

Firstly, the casting is excellent. Martin Freeman reprises his put-upon Tim From The Office role and looks suitably bewildered as Arthur, Alan Rickman provides the despondent drawl of Marvin the Paranoid Android, and Jim Henson's Creature Workshop and the League Of Gentlemen combine forces to create the thoroughly unpleasant but comically officious Vogons.

There are many differences from the book, some more important than others. I always imagined Zaphod having two heads side-by-side, but in the film his second head pops out from under his chin (as a continuation of his first) when the more manic elements of his personality manifest themselves. (Otherwise, I have to say, Zaphod's charisma, hair, clothes and whiter-than-white cheesy grin are perfect.)

More important are the plot amendments - but don't worry, they were mostly the work of Douglas Adams himself, who always wanted a film version to be made. If the book were followed to the letter, I don't think the resulting film would have worked - certainly it would appeal to hardcore fans only. The actual film is tidier, with a nice neat Hollywood ending and with many of the book's verbal gags replaced with different visual ones, often quite Pythonesque in nature. The opening song is brilliantly cheesy, too.

Small quibbles: the speed of the plot is variable - sometimes it lurches about very quickly and without warning, possibly leaving the uninitiated bewildered; and sometimes it drags a bit (oddly, these places are often those where the book is followed the most closely - and this includes some of Stephen Fry's narrative asides, well-animated though they are). Also, I thought the planet maker Slartibartfast (played by Bill Nighy) was a bit dull (although the visual sequences inside the planet factory are pretty astounding!).

But anyway. To summarise: GO SEE! Now!

It's a Slightly Less Pointless Than Usual online questionnaire!

2005-04-27T09:18:00.000Z

Well, in that it's political, anyway.
I'm sure everyone has already seen the Political Compass - but here's a much simpler political questionnaire that focusses on the coming General Election.

As admitted on its main page, it does not cover all the issues, concentrating instead on those where the main parties differ most. Anyway, it would seem that I'm a loony leftie hippy Green first, closely followed by the Lib Dems, with Labour quite some way behind. In reality I'm certainly Green in some ways, and certainly Liberal in others, but probably not enough of either to swing my vote.

Who should I vote for?

Your expected outcome:

Labour

Your actual outcome:

	Labour 15
Conservative -20
	Liberal Democrat 57
UK Independence Party -24
	Green 59

You should vote: Green

The Green Party, which is of course strong on environmental issues, takes a strong position on welfare issues, but was firmly against the war in Iraq. Other key concerns are cannabis, where the party takes a liberal line, and foxhunting, which unsurprisingly the Greens are firmly against.

Take the test at Who Should You Vote For

Argh! A big long philosophical rant! Turn back while you still can!

2005-04-22T09:17:00.000Z

Following on from Bob's recent post about absolutism versus relativism - currently a hot topic following the pope-ification (what's the correct term here?) of avowed absolutist Benedict XVI - I would like to add my own nominal amount of US currency.

Yesterday the Guardian published an "in his own words" feature on various issues on religion, marriage, homosexuality, abortion and so on, most of which were regrettably predictable. The one that caught my eye, though, was the following quote:

"The church teaches that abortion or euthanasia is a grave sin... the Evangelium Vitae [a Vatican edict] states that there is a "grave and clear obligation to oppose them by conscientious objection ... In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting abortion or euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to take part in a propaganda campaign in favour of such a law or vote for it"."

In other words, if a state law exists that conflicts with Catholic dogma, then Catholics are obliged to disobey that law. This really surprised me. Clearly in the case of abortion or euthanasia there is no conflict - a good Catholic wouldn't want to make use of these laws anyway. But the implications of this are that Catholics are not obliged to obey state laws, and presumably would be obliged to condemn them wherever possible.

A similar situation may exist within Islam, in that some adherents claim to put their religion before their nationality, though I don't know whether this is a formal edict or not and so won't comment further. But my point is: by acting in this way, organised religions (whether of East or West) can become disruptive influences on society and democracy, and in my opinion this is precisely why religion should have no place on politics whatever. I would never vote for a politician that condemned or oppressed religious adherency - I am a liberal. But at the same time, to say that godless states and societies are corrosive and flawed is pretty hypocritical when you are actively encouraging your followers to corrode them.

Personal beliefs are fine - I believe people should be able to live how they like as long as it doesn't harm those around them. Also, at a personal level religion has got a lot going for it - all the Christians I know are gentle, kind people, and I love the peaceful atmosphere of churches. But absolutism is fundamentally incompatible with democracy. I guess it comes down to change. Change and progress are human, and therefore permanence and stasis are godly. But change is not only human, it is also natural, and nature is also presumed to be godly. I'm going to end up tying myself in philosophical knots if I'm not careful, so I think I'll stop there. I hope I've made at least some kind of intelligent point! ;)

Edit: Just realised that I've missed out something important! Where does the unchanging, godly authority for Catholic dogma come from? Nowhere in the Bible are issues such as euthanasia, contraception/abortion and homosexuality laid bare in an unambiguous, Ten Commandments type way (oh, and Leviticus, schmeviticus!). It's all down to interpretation, which can never be static.

We are the champignons!

2005-04-19T08:22:00.000Z

Ben, keeper of the Southampton Pub Quiz Diary, noticed that the Varsity was starting a pub quiz on Mondays, so we went and checked out the first night.

It's an unusual but good set-up: the winners of each round get £20, the overall winners get £50, and there are a couple of other bonus prizes like "best team name".

At the end of the first round (general knowledge) we thought we'd done really badly (and indeed we kinda had), but in fact we were joint first - whether this reflects on the average intelligence of Varsity's patrons I couldn't possibly say. In any case, we went on to win one of the rounds and the overall title, netting us £70. A good evening's work, all in all! :)

To celebrate, here is a picture of a BIG POTATO! (taken at a barbecue round at Ben's house in March - I think I mentioned it in passing at the time)

A trip to the Zoo!

2005-04-18T12:53:00.000Z

Click here for more photos!

So yesterday (Sunday) I went up to London to meet some family (and some family-to-be) and go to the Zoo, as described in my previous post. Things didn't start off well. We were meant to meet at the entrance at 11am, and sure enough at 11am prompt my bro texted me to say he'd arrived ("LONDON BABY! Yeah! I win" may have been his exact words). Unfortunately, I was still at Clapham Junction and Hannah and Crispin were "nearly there but a bit lost". I sympathised with them soon enough when I also got lost between the Tube station and the entrance and ended up in a random Camden council estate. Since Andy, my bro, is renowned for his lack of direction or geographical knowledge, it seemed just a tad unfair that he apparently found it so easy. Eventually, at about 12pm and nearer 1pm respectively, Hannah & Crispin and myself staggered in.

After that, however, it was great. A gorgeous day, good company and ALL teh animals. Granted, a lot of them were asleep or not to be seen (maybe Sunday is a day of rest in the animal kingdom, too), but we still saw a lot.

Best bits: the giraffes, penguin feeding time, the walk-through monkey enclosure, some not-particularly-large snakes swallowing mice whole (took them about 5 mins each), a snail bigger than your hand, and various odd-looking lizards. I particularly loved the elephant shrews, which are almost entirely round balls of fluff with little shrewy noses. Their legs seem too close together, adding to their rounded appearance but making you fearful of them falling head-over-heels! They were behind glass in quite a dark room so I couldn't take a photo, but here's one I found on t'internet. Sooo cute!

2005-04-15T08:49:00.000Z

It's funny how these things work. After posting my last, er, post, I read my friends' blogs to find Mary also lamenting her blog's lack of "seriousness", and Elly, chuffed with the response to her 'serious' post, proposing more of the same, only to find Rach stating a preference for posts about the simpler things in life. I guess it is a bit foolish to feel pressured by something like blogging - after all, in general I'm quite content knowing that certain people have more journalistic skill than me :)

Ponderings

2005-04-15T08:42:00.000Z

[NB This was written Thursday night]

Just got off the 'phone to my parents. I always end up feeling a bit down and frustrated after speaking to them, not because of any tension between us or anything, but because unsurprisingly they ask what I’ve been up to and what I’ve got planned, and the answer is always... well, not a lot really. Been to the pub, seen some bands, watched some films... going to Glastonbury... erm, anything I’ve missed? Thing is, day to day I don’t think of myself as having a particularly dull existence, but times like this do make me think. I know I’ve got to sort out my career – my current job just isn’t stimulating enough, India or no India – but what to do and where to go? Also, a proper summer holiday with friends wouldn’t go amiss.

Also, if my life were a bit more interesting it might make for more interesting blog entries. At the moment I’m quite content to let my friends be interesting for me: see Liam’s excellent Papal post, Bob’s thoughts on the General Election and Elly’s views on faith schools.

Ah well. Shouldn’t complain really. It’s Friday tomorrow, it’s been a fantastic week for English football clubs in Europe* (and while I’m on the subject, congratulations to Norwich on their thrashing of Man Utd last weekend – let’s be havin’ you indeed!), and the sun’s started coming out. It’s my friend Vicky’s birthday tomorrow, so I’m sure it’ll be a fun evening, and Sunday I’m off to London Zoo for the day with my brother, our cousin and her fiancé, so I’ll try to get loads of pics of the naminals!

* Friday morning edit: but not Newcastle, apparently, who despite being 2-0 up at one point, including one away goal, still contrived to lose 4-2. The fools.

2005-04-11T08:23:00.000Z

Haha! Friday night was one of those rare and very cool occasions when multiple groups of friends all end up at the same place, completely unplanned. The venue, of course, was Jesters. One of the people I bumped into was Lauren; here is her take on the evening ;)

Also: Glasto line-up has been released!

Idlewild!

2005-04-08T11:29:00.000Z

Argh! Bastard thing just lost my whole post!
*cries into keyboard*

It went something like this...

So, after a painfully uneventful week - come back soon, everyone! - last night I went to see Idlewild. A surprising number of AIM folk turned up - Bob, Mac, Mary, Nance, Lisa, plus a few others who I didn't know but who seemed cool. Plus Laurent, Elly and Nigel for good measure :) Went to 'Spoons first for a chat, which is always good.

The support act, Sons And Daughters, were, as their name might suggest, 2 guys and 2 girls (no idea if they're related!). They had a strange, indie rockabilly kind of sound - sort of like some of the Pixies' early, more drawn-out stuff, with simple, insistent White Stripes-esque rhythms (though with a more highly skilled drummer - sorry Meg!). A good, solid live sound, but one that would maybe sound a bit muted and repetitive on record.

Idlewild opened with a rousing Love Steals Us From Loneliness and proceeded to play what I considered to be a damn good set - plenty of material from their best 2 albums "Hope Is Important" and "100 Broken Windows", a couple of surprises (a lighters-in-the-air Bronze Medal and a slowed-down acoustic version of Self Healer from their first mini-album, "Captain") and a Neil Young cover in honour of the great man's birthday. The one disappointment for me, though, was that, ok, their more recent material is slower, smoother and more Snow Patrol mainstream, but they played their earlier stuff in the same way. In particular, during encore closer Everyone Says You're So Fragile Roddy sounded almost bored, and kept running his fingers through his hair as if putting any more effort in would ruin its style. Any rawk yelps and screams here or in songs like Film For The Future were out of the question too.

All in all, if you were a new fan you'd be pretty impressed, and I'm glad I finally got to see them, but I'm fully aware that I've missed their best days. Afterwards, no-one wanted to go to Lennons, but luckily Ben and Al were there waiting for me :)

Glastonbury!

2005-04-04T08:18:00.000Z

After a surreal Saturday night out, in which we ended up with pretty much our own private party in Jesters for Matt's birthday, I crashed over at Al's and we woke up early to bash at 'F5' and 'redial' buttons for a couple of hours. In the end we got through (on the webshite) after only 40mins or so. Al's confirmation e-mail came through later in the day, so the only question now is whether the fact that Al entered my postcode incorrectly will matter :)

I know Ben & Lucy got tickets, and I've just read Mary's blog so I know she's coming too, but what about the rest of you?

Wooooooooooooooooooooo! :)

P.S. I've just realised that I'm going to see Idlewild this Thursday. Snuck up on me a bit, that one :)
Anyone else going?

Doctor Who?

2005-03-27T14:06:00.000Z

So, I'm relaxing after a nice big Easter Sunday roast and a couple of glasses of wine :)

What did everyone think of the new Doctor Who last night? I have to admit to not having watched it when I was a kid, but from what I'd heard - and my parents agreed with this - the new series fairly accurately captures the spirit and feel of earlier series. I for one was thoroughly entertained, anyway. Hammy acting, pretty ludicrous storylines, but extremely imaginative without taking itself at all seriously. Plus added Billie, of course, which is no bad thing.

Just one thing: although Christopher Eccleston is wonderfully deadpan ("Lots of planets have a North!"), he looks less like an eccentric Doctor than he does an extra for the Matrix. Get kitted out in a crazy patterned scarf and tatty jacket, Chris, and you'll be spot on. Thinking about it, though, it just wouldn't suit him, would it...

Happy Easter!

2005-03-26T17:43:00.000Z

Back in Malvern for Easter weekend. I've had 2 great nights out already, both similar in some ways and very different in others.

Thursday night was a reasonably quiet evening with some good friends in a local pub (one that we've only recently found, incidentally, but that could well be our local for the forseeable future!). A guy called Bill was there, who apparently has been friends with my friend Rachael for most of their lives, yet I'd never even heard of him until now. Anyhow, he is in his first year of Uni and already a budding dance producer and DJ (on student radio for now, but has ambition). He's open minded about music, though, and is also partial to a bit of indie.

Then last night I went up to Brum for my friend Helen's 22nd. This was a much bigger affair, and other than Helen I only knew one other person there. Her boyfriend Ben, apart from his day job as a graphic designer, is... a budding dance DJ and producer. He also likes his indie, and is generally a good bloke, apart from some unfortunate Human Traffic-esque phrases ("Yeah, man..." "Mate!" "Sound!" "Happy days!").

I thus had similar conversations with both Bill and Ben :)

Anyway, we ended up at the Carling Academy, which on Friday nights hosts an indie club. I've been to the Academy a couple of times to see bands, and it turns out that on club nights it looks pretty much exactly the same - the DJ is at the front of the stage, and there are a few more tables and booths, but otherwise... It's a huge place, and it apparently very rarely gets full - which is great for not having to fight to get in, but which also means that it always seems a bit quiet, despite the fact that there must have been several hundred people in there. It was a good night though!

One other thing: both those nights were very well organised - Rachael phoned me about half 8 and we were in the pub just after 9, and Helen had told everyone to get to hers for 6, and after eating we left about half 7 and were in the pub just after 8. Both evenings were organised by women. What can this mean?!

Stayin' out for the summer; playing games in the rain...

2005-03-22T15:42:00.000Z

Well, wasn't it a lovely weekend, boys and girls?! It was so nice to be able to leave the house in just a t-shirt (plus trousers and shoes to be on the safe side!), especially since I only have about 3 jumpers/cardies but considerably more t-shirts ;-)
Friday night was Nexus, which is always a pleasure. Saturday, after re-attaching my face after all that dancing, I went to my first barbecue of the year, at Ben's house. Ben and Lucy found the biggest potato in the world, and I would post a picture of it if I hadn't temporarily mislaid my camera's USB cable. Arse. It was impressive, anyway. Then Sunday I went for my first curry since coming back from India, with Jon et al, and foolishly stayed up till about 1am playing Trivial Pursuits. Still, I did win :)

Trivia corner: What's the main connection between Aix-la-Chapelle and Aachen?
Answer: They're the same place.

I like this fact.

It's raining and blowing a gale out there at the moment. I do not like this fact.

I get along, just singing my song; people tell me I'm wrong...

2005-03-17T10:29:00.000Z

So last night was the first A/IM night at the Hobbit, the best pub in Southampton, if not the world (in my humble opinion!). Two bands played early in the evening. The first, Strongroom, were a fairly bog-standard indie band - pretty good for a free-entry pub gig, but nowt special.

The second band, however, were bloody brilliant. Named Envy And Other Sins, they first of all had dressed the stage in fairy lights and fibre optics, and dressed themselves in charity-shop jackets and an assortment of scarves, hats and flying goggles. If they turned out to be rubbish, this would be transparent gimmickry; but in fact their decorations reflected their music's spiky, bouncy, infectious nature. Good rhymes and witty lyrics (relatively speaking!), an excellent keyboardist, and seemingly without too big a sense of themselves. I'm not very good at describing sound, but a review on their website says "Think Supergrass with attitude, then add in irresistible drum rhythms, 80’s synth gone demented with age and smug guitar work... every track is spiced up with so many tack changes you barely get chance to catch your breath." I'd go along with that, pretty much. Look out for them, anyway.

All in all, it was a pretty good night. It was a shame that most folk left after the bands, leaving the A/IM guys to DJ mostly to us hangers-on, but I had some good musical discussions, including whether to say Kaiser Chiefs or Kaiser Chiefs and whether it's possible to compare Killswitch Engage with John Lee Hooker, and if so, who is best (I've not heard any KE, but with a name like that I doubt they're any good, though Tom disagrees). Also, Mary tells me she reads my blog. Hurrah! A big "hello!" to you :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2005-03-17T10:09:00.000Z

Or "Happy Drink Guinness And Celebrate Someone Else's Culture Day" as cynics would have it. I'm not sure how cynical I am about this. It's a fair point to ask why the English love to celebrate a foreign patron saint's day but not their own; but on the other hand, it's always nice to have something to celebrate. In India there are festivals every other week (though, granted, not everyone celebrates all of them, being associated with different races & religions), and I think it lifts people's spirits. So, as Al's MSN display name reads today: "Mine's a Guinness, ya fecker!"

Happy Birthday, Rock!

2005-03-15T09:26:00.000Z

This time last year saw the first indie/rock event at the Union, after months of petitions, angry emails and meetings with clueless Union officials who suggested booking Busted tribute bands and the like. Congratulations to all involved, most of all to A/IM's fearless leader, Bobface. It was also Al's 22nd birthday yesterday, which makes him 21 years older than Rock. In a sense. (And not The Rock, either. He has a pocket full of cheese and a garden full of trees, you know. Not that it matters...)

Having said that, I have to admit that last night was a bit of a disappointment. After the band (who were actually pretty good, and had a female singer with an incredible voice), A/IM had 1 hour of DJing before the RockSoc folk took over, so I was ready for a bit of dancing before going home. But the setlist was really uninspired, I thought: the same 3 or 4 ska-punk songs I've heard everywhere for the past 4 years or so, QOTSA's "No-One Knows", and I can't even remember much else. When Steph took over at about 20-to-midnight things started looking up, but by then I couldn't really be bothered.

I don't know, maybe it's just me, or maybe I'm missing the point, but I'd like to hear something a bit different: either more new songs I'm not familiar with but could come to love, or older songs that aren't dug up very often but make you smile to hear again. I don't want to criticise too much, because God knows how much effort the guys have put into it, but I just wanted to get that off my chest. Cheers!

Poker and Karaoke

2005-03-11T12:33:00.000Z

Not together, obviously. Although, having said that...
You'd have to sing "Ace Of Spades", I guess.

Anyway. Last night I went to the Union's fortnightly Poker Night. You pay £5 on the door, and sit down at one of 8 or so tables of 5 or 6 people, wherever you want (so you can start off with people you know). Then off you go (at Texas Hold'em). The organisers shouted for the blinds to be raised every 30mins or so, and as people started to drop out the organisers moved people around so that the number of people on each table remained respectable. Then when there are 10 or so left, they bring out the fancy cards and baize table for the Grand Finale :)
I got nowhere near that, of course, but I didn't do too badly. Once you're out you're free to wander around and see how your mates are doing. Al got the furthest, I think. On one of my hands I had next to no chips left so I went all in... luckily for me I had a pair of pocket aces so I survived a bit longer :)

After that, we wandered over to the main bar where a Karaoke Night was beginning to wind down. Two events on the same evening, one of which goes on until 1am. The state of the Union is definitely looking up this year. For number and variety of events, it's probably as good as it's been since my first year here (although obviously I don't go up there nearly as much these days!).

Al's Birthday Weekend of Fun will commence in approximately 4 hours' time. Hurrah!

Why football is better than Hollyoaks...

2005-03-09T09:04:00.000Z

(...coming from a Hollyoaks fan!)

Wow. I would just like to say to any football haters: if you weren't absolutely gripped by last night's Chelsea-Barcelona game then you must be dead inside. I don't think it calmed down for a second until Frank Lampard tried to hide the ball between himself and the corner flag in the 91st minute (it didn't work).

The trouble is, such games only occur a couple of times in a season, if that. The rest of the time, speaking for me at least, I watch football in the hope rather than the expectation that the game will be exciting. But you've got to watch, just in case. Of course, this applies more to a European match involving a top English team than to either the average Premership game or England international (where frequent ineptitude rather takes the gloss off the proceedings). But there's always the possibility of genuine, unexpected, unscripted excitement. Broadly speaking, then, I reckon sport is like the male equivalent of soaps and Big Brother... but as an occasional soap/BB watcher myself, and hardly the blokiest of blokes, I still say football is better.

Thank-you for your time :)

Oh, and if the game itself doesn't really interest you, like my female housemates last night, you can always laugh at the silly names. There's a Barca player named Xavi that the commentators insisted on pronouncing "Chavvy". And that's not even to mention Ronaldinho's face... ;)

Love is like a bottle of gin.

2005-03-07T16:22:00.000Z

I have had a sad yet somewhat liberating weekend. I had a very hard and upsetting decision to make, but I made it with the support and advice of my excellent friends; and having made the decision, I went through with it immediately. It was one of the toughest things I've ever had to do, but I feel relieved, and I'm positive it was the right decision. I feel more confident now about life and relationships possibly than ever. Thanks guys!

Before this turns into a LiveJournal entry, I'll move on! Ben gave me 4 CDs packed with goodness last week. The title of this post comes from a Magnetic Fields song that he gave me. It starts:

It makes you blind, it does you in
It makes you think you're pretty tough
It makes you prone to crime and sin
It makes you say things off the cuff

and ends:

Love is like a bottle of gin
But a bottle of gin is not like love.

I like gin. I also like the Magnetic Fields. I've also decided I really like the Cure. I bought their Best-Of yesterday. I don't know why everyone calls them "Goth" (apart from Robert Smith's ridiculous appearance!). They're basically 80s synth-pop, but in a good way.

Shit! I try to avoid writing like a LiveJournal, then ruin it by quoting song lyrics. Damnit. Anyway, on a lighter note: both Jesters on Friday and the house crawl (for the uninitiated: like a pub crawl, only with houses) were great fun. I wish I had internet access at home; then I could post ridiculous post-club blogs like Lauren's... ;)

Nearly Friday...

2005-03-03T09:35:00.000Z

Gah! This has been a bad week for computer spazziness. Earlier in the week my internet was down all morning (which didn't strictly speaking affect my work, but made me resentful ;) ... but this morning the network drive containing the statistical software is kaput! Ah well...

Last weekend was fun. I felt like a break from So'ton, so escaped to Bristol to see James. Hi, James! Bristol (well, the Clifton area anyway) is a lovely-looking place, and is good for interesting little cafes, bars and pubs (as I've possibly said before), but going out on a Saturday night is a bit of a nightmare. There are queues outside - or at least at the bar - everywhere, and if the bouncers don't like your shoes/sex ratio/face, you're not getting in. Maybe you get the same problems in Southampton and I just don't notice because I rarely go out into town, but even in 'posher' areas like Bedford Place I've rarely had a problem. Ah well. We eventually ended up in our fall-back, a sticky-floored studenty place similar to the Academy. 'Twas a fun night, but nothing special.

The First Song I've Heard On The Radio In A While That I'm Looking Forward To Hearing In An Indie Club Award goes to: Honest Mistake by The Bravery. If you haven't heard it, it sounds like a cross between The Killers and Franz Ferdinand, though God knows I'm hopeless at describing what bands sound like...

Edit: Arse. That drive's back online now. Better do some work, I guess...

2005-02-23T14:05:00.000Z

Hurrah for Worcestershire Sauce!

We drink it by the pint back home, you know...

This week's largely pointless online quiz...

2005-02-23T09:18:00.000Z

...as found by Elly, asks How Nerdy Are You?

A caution: it's overwhelmingly to do with computer and science nerdiness - if, like James, you know everything there is to know about LotR but not much about programming languages or the Periodic Table, you'll probably come out hippest of the hip ;)

My result: 76% scored higher (more nerdy), and 24% scored lower (less nerdy).

What does this mean? Your nerdiness is: Not nerdy, but definitely not hip.

Musical chairs

2005-02-21T09:51:00.000Z

I heard a couple of new singles by established bands recently which made me wonder...

Firstly, the new Coldplay single. It's pleasant enough, but not particularly noteworthy... except that in the verses Chris's voice is fairly low (for him) and there's a lot more patterned lead guitar and less of Jonny's trademark jangly riffs. It's almost as if, having written their comeback single, Chris now wants to actually become Embrace.

Then I heard the new Idlewild single. Driving indie guitars, a big yet understated chorus, and an overall feeling that it just wants to be your friend. It could almost be... *gasp* ... a scottish Coldplay. On this evidence, it looks like Bob's most feared NME prediction - that Idlewild's new material would "blow Coldplay out of the water" - may just come to pass.

The question is, who are the new Idlewild, if such a thing exists? (Not Embrace, clearly, though it would make an amusing new type of 'musical chairs'!)

I just hope the rest of Coldplay's new stuff is better, that's all. I had high hopes...

Edit: Ooh, an intriguing development! I don't think Coldplay even have a new single yet. So the question is, what did I hear? It was on Radio 1 over the weekend, possibly late Saturday morning, and was definitely Chris Martin singing. Was it an unreleased track, e.g. for charity or something? Or Chris singing on someone else's record? Or am I just going mad? Please help, people! :)

2005-02-21T09:11:00.000Z

Argh! Another frustrating weekend. Ok, so Friday was my own fault... by the time Bob confirmed he was off to Nexus I was starting on a bottle of wine and watching Nathan Barley, and decided it was too cold and too far. Looks like Bob had a good night, though... ;)
But I should really have made it to Rock the Hobbit on the Saturday. A big apology to Bob - it's not so much that I missed a day of fun with my friends (which I did), but that I wasn't able support a charitable event which a good friend had put a lot of effort into organising. There were reasons... but then there always seem to be reasons. I'm not going to say any more on here, but I am feeling a bit disillusioned...

On a lighter note, I saw Dodgeball yesterday and laughed lots. Very funny, if a little unsubtle. It always helps when there's a character in it who's thinks he's a pirate... he goes round wearing a bandana, a waistcoat and an ample-sleeved shirt and talks like he be a salty sea dog. Yarrr!

2005-02-18T09:12:00.000Z

I'd just like to say that Donkey Konga is possibly the best thing since sliced cheese :)

Also, Googlefight, as pointed out by Mac on his blog, is good for a laugh. 'Right' beats 'left' (nooo!), 'gay' beats 'straight', 'cheese' beats 'monkey' (just!). And 'evolution' beats 'revolution'. Because I evolve... I don't revolve.

Music Questionnaire!

2005-02-15T10:18:00.000Z

This has already been through Bob, Mac and Al, and now comes to me. Here we go...

What is the total amount of music files on your computer?
2.25GB, apparently. But I’m not really much of a music-on-computers type of person. Most of that is from albums that I’ve copied from friends, along with random tracks of my own that I’ve ripped in order to make compilations. But then I don’t use my (home) computer all that much, since I’m not on t’internet or anything.

The last CD you bought is?
The Killers – Hot Fuss. The first track is fantastic, and overall it’s a pretty damn fine album. Not sure whether I’ll still be listening to it in a year’s time, but at the moment it’s on heavy rotation.

What is the song you last listened to before typing this?
Kate Bush – Hounds Of Love. You know when a certain artist keeps coming to your attention, without you really noticing? Well, Kate Bush was doing that to me recently, so I bought a Best Of. Even putting aside Hounds and the wonderful Wuthering Heights, there’s some good stuff on it. However, there’s also one or two songs that are just too weird (or just not very good, depending on your perspective), the nadir being something that sounds kinda like a distorted Sun Arise by Rolf Harris, with Kate wailing in a rubbish Australian accent. Interesting stuff, anyway!

Write down 5 songs that you listen to a lot or mean a lot to you?
As well as being not much of a music-on-computers type of person, I’m also not much of one for playing individual songs – I tend to listen to albums in their entirety. However, there are certain songs that I’ll look forward to in an album, or that keep popping up on the internal jukebox. Here are five off the top of me ‘ead:

Flaming Lips: "Ego Tripping At The Gates Of Hell". I love the Lips. Not only do they write great tunes, but you can get almost as much pleasure as listening to them from reading their lyrics: "I was waiting on a moment, but the moment never came; all the billion other moments were just slipping all away..."

Björk: "Joga". I’ve only seen the video for this once, but every time I hear the song now I can see it in my head. I want to go to Iceland. One day...

Idlewild: "Everyone Says You’re So Fragile". It was a close one between this and "When I Argue I See Shapes", but "...Fragile" pops into my head every time I check my blog (its title is a line from it, in case you didn’t know. But you should ;). Both are just simple, catchy, rockin’ tunes, and they’re great.

The Smiths: "Ask". This is just a perfect guitar-pop song. Good tune, evocative lyrics, subtle but effective guitar. Plus, there’s nothing better than a happy-sounding song with dark undertones.

Ben Folds Five: "One Angry Dwarf And 200 Solemn Faces". My 'angry' song. "Song For The Dumped" isn’t bad either, but it's too specific and not as good a tune. Raaargh! Bash those keys, Ben!

Who are you going to pass this baton to (3 people)? and why?
Hmm, this is probably running out of steam a bit... Tell you what, if anyone reading this hasn’t done it yet and fancies it, then take it away! Free for all!

Knees Up, Mother Earth!

2005-02-14T13:26:00.000Z

Well, that was possibly the dullest weekend ever. I did see "I, Robot", however, and enjoyed it; though I was amused to see that it was only 'suggested by' Isaac Asimov's book. Having not read it myself, can anyone tell me just how tenuous the adaptation is?

I was also amused to read about Brentford's march into the 5th round of the FA Cup - a 1-0 victory over Hartlepool in which the winner was scored by a bloke named Rankin! It's all opening up for them, it would seem - they play Saints in the next round...

(if you don't know what I'm on about, you'll need to read this ludicrous but enjoyable book.)

Friday feeling

2005-02-11T14:21:00.000Z

I'm bored, and feel like I should post, but I haven't really got much to say.
Hmm. The two biggest British news stories of the past couple of days are both really dull and inconsequential; but they still irritate me, I'm ashamed to say.

1) The Brits. Ok, the Scissor Sisters opened it with a fantastic Jim Henson-y stage show complete with a singing house, but otherwise, meh. "Angels" by Robbie Williams the best song of the last 25 years? Pah. Joss Stone best 'urban' act? Give me a break. There are no urban areas in Devon*, and besides, if anything she's a soul act.

2) Charles & Camilla. Man and woman get married. Wahey. The only interest here is the amusement gained by watching the C of E try to decide whether cohabitation or a divorcee re-marrying was the bigger no-no. Who cares? Henry VIII did much worse. And the spectre of Di has inevitably returned: Camilla won't be known as Princess of Wales (although officially she will be), and some people are seriously suggesting that Charles shouldn't re-marry at all, so as to not dishonour Di's memory. Argh!

Ah well. I'm off to get drunk in a couple of hours. Have a good weekend everyone!

Edit: Idlewild tickets have arrived, yay!
Edit 2: Al has passed me the baton, and I shall complete it presently.

*yes, this is a comedy exaggeration. Well, an exaggeration, anyway.

Pancakes and Blogs

2005-02-09T10:30:00.000Z

Last night was extremely pleasant. Myself and 7 good friends, all the pancake batter and all the fillings. And Alan Partridge. And rum. I like evenings round friends' houses. Though it is amusingly ironic that Shrove Tuesday is meant to be about using up leftovers before Lent, whereas now everyone goes out specially to buy flour, milk, eggs and lemon :)

Then it was off to Lennons to imbibe imaginatively foul bottled drinks. At it's peak there were about 12 other people in the place, and it struck me how odd it is that the presence of a few more strangers in the same room can lift the mood of your group. Doesn't really matter who they are - it's just the fact you're not the odd ones out, I guess.

My good friend Liam wrote in an email this morning that it annoys him when people email and ask what he's been up to, but don't write about what they themselves have been up to. I am as guilty of this as anyone. I blame blogs. See, on the one hand, you may think that because of your methodically updated blog, everyone knows what you've been up to, so why repeat it in an email? However, not everyone have the opportunity or inclination to read blogs; and there's also (for me, anyway) the nagging aspiration to be interesting and noteworthy (and brief) rather than trivial, so you leave out a lot of the everyday stuff that your friends would actually like to hear about. I think I'm going to make a belated New Years resolution to contact my friends more often. You have been warned ;-)

Pete Doherty: he takes drugs, you know.

2005-02-07T13:23:00.000Z

Have these people really got nothing better to talk about? Every single day last week Pete featured large in at least one tabloid. You could play games of "Pete Bingo". And every day a columnist can be relied upon to tell us all just how much of a loser he is, complete with pictures of him looking off his face.

Yes, he is a shining example of why drugs are bad, kids, mmmkay? But for goodness' sake! It's the laziest of journalism, and he's being taken advantage of and being gawped at like a monkey in a cage. Leave the poor guy alone! And furthermore, if you want to be moralistic and denounce him as a junkie loser, then why provide graphic photos and descriptions of exactly how one takes drugs?! It's simultaneously saying "If you want to be cool like Pete, then here's how".

I imagine he, partly at least, quite likes all the publicity (he's not even "ex-Libertines singer" now, but "Kate Moss's boyfriend"), so maybe if everyone stopped banging on about him he'd wake up and realise what's he's doing. Maybe.

Oh, and whilst on the subject of tabloids, and inspired by Al's post this morning, why's everyone so down on 24h licences? Lots of places have late licences already, like the Hobbit, and I've never seen any trouble there. It'll just mean that non-clubbing types can stay out later in cozy locals, which is a good thing. Plus, as Al says, the vast majority of pubs won't be able to afford it anyway.

Monkey news!

2005-02-04T13:30:00.000Z

I've encountered a rash of monkey news stories recently.

Firstly, Woman given monkey ban (ok, so that was last year, but I only found the story recently)

Then yesterday: Bail for four over monkey thefts
and today: Row over Delhi's errant monkeys

"Our monkey correspondent, Marmoset Fitzgibbon, reports for us now..."

Beer in the evening

2005-02-03T09:30:00.000Z

Last night Ben, Lucy, Al and myself fancied a quiet night down the pub to catch up, as we hadn't seen each other in a while. But which pub? We decided we ought to try one we hadn't been to before, and after a couple of minutes on the Internet Ben discovered this ingenious website.

The team behind it try to visit as many of the pubs on the site as possible, and signed-up members can give ratings out of 10 like on Amazon or suggest a pub that doesn't appear.
It appears to be pretty comprehensive for Southampton (and indeed Worcestershire isn't so badly represented - I found pretty much all our haunts except the Wyche) - the trouble is at the moment that not enough people have given ratings.

Anyway, we ended up going to the South Western Arms, and you know what, it was really rather good.

Try it yourself - as Neil Buchanan used to say :)

Photos!

2005-02-01T09:25:00.000Z

If anyone is interested, I've uploaded some of my photos from India.

Oh, and a pinch and a punch for the first of the month ;)

What's going on in the world?!

2005-01-31T09:57:00.000Z

Apart from all the warmongering, paranoia and sensationalism, I mean.

This morning I heard the new Stereophonics single, and...

...well, it's not actually too bad! It sounds kinda Snow Patrol-y, and will hardly revolutionise music or anything, but it's the first of their songs since Bartender and the Thief to not make me want to throw the radio at the wall.

I'm confused.

Argh!

2005-01-31T09:47:00.000Z

I just tried the Music Recommendation quiz linked to on Lauren's site ...

and I came out as 67% Emo!

Noooooo!!! Shurely shome mishtake...

Emo & Screamo: 67%
Indie: 63%
Indie Rock: 54%
Ska: 46%
Punk and Pop Punk: 46%
Mainstream: 38%
Britpop: 38%
Industrial: 33%
Hardcore: 29%
Classic Rock: 29%
Country: 21%
Hip Hop and Rap: 13%

Back in the UK!

2005-01-31T09:29:00.000Z

Well, I'm back, and straight back to work too :(
Though it's not all bad, my boss is still away so I shouldn't get bothered much, and I have t'internet here so I can catch up on all t'gossip. No idea why I'm being Northern. I just feel like it. Sounds like you're all having fun, anyway :)

I wrote a couple more blog entries before I left but didn't get a chance to post them. I'm not going to now, I can't really be arsed and I'm sure you've all had quite enough of me blathering on by now. Reading some of them back: bloody hell I can be a verbose twat at times!

I must also apologise for not telling people I was going till the last minute ... I guess I kinda had some ridiculous notion of there being a "right time", which never actually came (I was going to on my birthday but the evening didn't quite end up how I'd expected it would). I'm sorry... please don't hate me! :)

I've decided I want my blog to be more like Bob's. Short, intelligent, to the point and funny, with lots of drinking involved :)

P.S. A note to my parents: you can stop reading this now. If you like. Please? ;)

Day Fifteen: Pune

2005-01-27T04:33:00.000Z

And so to my last point of call. Pune is a large, spacious, relatively modern city about 3 hours drive away from Mumbai (I’m not sure of the distance, but it’s not actually that far by crow – the time is due to heavy traffic and mountainous roads). It has an opera house, a multiplex cinema, shopping malls, 2 universities (well, a uni and a poly), a well-equipped teaching hospital (where I’m working) – yet remains very much Indian.

Caroline has pretty deep roots in India – her father was posted here with the army, and he became lifelong friends with an Indian comrade. It was largely down to these sorts of contacts that Southampton’s Indian research connections began in the first place. Anyway, on the evening of our arrival (last night) Caroline took me to have dinner with her father’s army friend, Col. Mohite. He is a fantastic character. He has just the manner of an old English gent – stubbornly old-fashioned and selectively deaf, but with a twinkle in the eye, a glass of scotch in the hand and many a story to tell. He even has the accent – kinda like the Major in Fawlty Towers – but he is Indian, and so also has a light-hearted disrespect for the British and their gardens and churches. His living room is decorated with all sorts of memorabilia, old books, photos, tiger skins and heads (I never realised how skilled an art taxidermy was – apparently they build wooden frames and sculpt incredibly accurate models around them to dress with the skin). When I happened to mention that I was from Malvern, and asked if he had heard of it ("they make water, you know..."), he replied "Well, it’s funny you should mention that..." and launched into a convoluted shaggy-dog tale about how he once ended up in Malvern staying with a friend-of-a-friend who worked at the College, ("but the day before I was due to leave, I met his daughters, so I ended up staying a little longer..."), and someone else from there (or possibly the same person) who later became a director of Rolls-Royce, or something… anyway, you get the picture.

Just as many of my Southampton colleagues and predecessors had visited India at one time or another and met all the people that I’ve been meeting, many of them also got taken to meet Col. Mohite too. I don’t think I’d fully appreciated what a long-standing tradition I’m following in by being sent over here. It’s like a big international family.

Day Fourteen: Mumbai

2005-01-25T05:44:00.000Z

Ooh look – I’ve been here exactly 2 weeks now! It seems a lot longer than 14 days, but in a good way. Having said that, I won’t really be sad to be coming home – it feels like it’s time. I don’t belong here. Ah, the old end-of-adventure conundrum.

So yes, I’m back in Mumbai for a couple of days, in the same hotel as on my first night. I’m going to refine my previous statement about disliking Mumbai. In the context of India in general, it’s just a very big, crowded city – but a city of very defined extremes. Everywhere I’ve been has had big posh houses (and sometimes palaces) with people living under tarpaulins on the same street, but in Mumbai there are huge slums literally (I can’t use this word anymore without thinking of "Thierry Henry is quite literally on fire!" etc, but I really do mean 'literally') across the street from international banking headquarters. Yesterday evening we went for a bit of sightseeing, and went to see the biggest, swankiest, most venerable 5-star hotel in town, the "Taj Mahal" on the seafront. We went in and had a look around, open-mouthed. Eventually, as we were wandering around the corridors where the rooms are (chandeliers, wooden balconies etc) we were inevitably challenged and asked to leave; but my gosh is it opulent.

Earlier that day we had again gone out into the field, to 'community centres' underneath flyovers and down tiny narrow alleys with shambling 2-storey houses either side, but what struck me was not so much the desperate poverty as the fact that everyone was busy – sweeping and scrubbing their homes, preparing food, sewing blankets or cutting wood. They were making the best of things. Having said that, they are very much in need of decent sanitation and clean water.

Back at the hotel having dinner, Inga and me were discussing these inequalities, and also the gender inequalities that exist here. She was quite horrified at how lowly women’s status is – and having spoken to various Indian people about it I must agree with her. To start with, female children are thought of as a burden since they will inevitably leave the family and cannot then support them; there is also a large dowry to be paid when she gets married. And get married she will: marriages are arranged, mostly by matching on social class and comparing horoscopes, and can happen in the space of a few weeks. The mean age of marriage for women is around 20ish (I forget exactly); they then face not being able to have a career or get an education, and generally being subservient (depending on the nature of the husband, of course!). It seems like women are brought up to have lower self esteem (and possibly poorer health, since if food is scarce the best is often given to the sons), and are married off before they have a chance to realise what’s happening, thus perpetuating the whole thing. BUT: am I just being an arrogant whitey by looking at things this way (especially as we don't exactly have an equal society ourselves!)? Where’s the line between promoting a fair and equal society and eroding a whole culture and replacing it with free-market capitalism and Jerry Springer? Clearly there is a line, but it’s possibly one that international development bodies fail to spot in time, if indeed they’re looking in the first place.

Anyway, discuss. Liam in particular I expect will have some interesting things to say here!

Day Twelve (yes, I’ve missed some out!): Mahabaleshwar

2005-01-23T19:21:00.000Z

So, I haven’t blogged for a few days now. It’s partly that a lot of things no longer seem quite as novel as they did to begin with, so I don’t have as much urge to write huge essays on everything, and partly that with all the travelling and long days I’m just knackered and can’t be arsed!

Since I last wrote… well, firstly let me reassure you all that I’m fine after my bout of illness! The next day, after work, we were taken to Mysore art gallery and saw lots of interesting paintings of Mysorean kings and Hindu folklore, and also some Indian musical instruments and games. The next morning, at 6am sharp, we left by road back to Bangalore to catch a plane to Pune, and thence by road to Mahabaleshwar for the conference. This last part of the journey was spectacular. In contrast to the mainly flat area around Mysore and Vellore in the south, here we were among the northernmost reaches of the Western Ghats, and soon we were facing hairpin bends (which were not fun given the reckless manner of Indian driving!) and magnificent views. The lower slopes were fairly dry and barren, but as we neared Mahabaleshwar the hills were suddenly covered in a jungle of trees and shrubs. Around 4000ft above sea level, Mahabaleshwar is a former hill station, and one of the furthest south, so its favourable climate (it’s at least 10degrees cooler up here) has made it something of a tourist attraction. Caroline has family friends here, so knows it well, and has been saddened to see the jungled hilltops being cleared for hotels and resorts. Amusingly, the authorities have attempted to compensate for this by levying a ‘pollution tax’ (i.e. a toll) on vehicles using the roads around the town. This afternoon we went ‘sightseeing’, which involved about 4 or 5 vehicles ferrying 30 or so delegates around the narrow, twisting roads and stopping every now and then to disembark en masse to snap a temple or scenic view. Don’t get me wrong, the views were absolutely spectacular, but it just felt far too touristy and shallow. This place is far too nice for a conference, if you see what I mean – it’s a place to take in slowly and deeply.

So, the conference. I’ve yet to make my mind up about conferences. Yes, they’re an important part of academic life, and it’s always good to be able to present your own work, but there’s also an awful lot of triviality. To which I have contributed, of course – my talk hardly pushed back the boundaries of science – but I’m not sure I have enough enthusiasm for all the studies which simply confirm or slightly refine what we know already. Then there’s the people: on the one hand, it’s important and useful to ‘network’, but it does get tiring answering and reciprocating the same questions and making small talk. Or maybe that’s just me. Anyway, this evening was the last night and so we had the obligatory conference disco, at which it is obligatory for the young ’uns to sit around and laugh at their bosses who are extravagantly waving their limbs around to the beat and who almost certainly haven’t let their hair down like this since the last such event. They will then bounce over and insist you join them, which you decline, aghast, but follow soon afterwards as you realise you’re just being antisocial. Was there something similar to this at Durham, Bob? Apart from your boss not being there, of course.

So, conferences… they’re funny things.

Day Eight: Mysore

2005-01-19T06:56:00.000Z

Well, it had to happen eventually, I suppose. After a restless night I got up feeling rough as a badger’s bottom, and before long the diarrhoea and vomiting began. Does non-alcohol-induced vomiting count, Bob?! Anyway, since nothing else whatever of note happened to me today, let me tell you some more general stuff I’ve learned about India.
Firstly, as I’ve mentioned already, they do love their food! Like the French, they are immensely proud of their flavourful and varied cuisine, and they will shower their guests with all manner of dishes given the smallest excuse. The trouble is – and this is partly what my work is to do with – a lot of sugar and carbohydrate is consumed, and very little fresh fruit and vegetables, especially green leafy veg, so obesity and related health problems are on the rise. They will look at you with shock if you attempt to order tea or coffee without sugar!
Also, everyone I’ve met here has been very open and friendly, which I think stems in large part from the amount of socialising that goes on. Traditional large and/or extended families are still the norm, and the warm climate means that everyone is out and about until well into the evening. On the trains everyone immediately turns to their neighbour to ask fairly personal questions by our standards – marital status, number of children, job, reason for journey – and to share around any food that’s going. There also seems to be music everywhere, whether horns or pipes played by people as they walk around, or recorded music emanating from shops or temples. I’ve heard surprisingly little Western music – MTV hasn’t conquered the world just yet it seems (and the first time I did hear some Western pop, it was Ace of Base!).
I really must also mention here the fantastic and ridiculous auto-rickshaw. These contraptions are basically scooters, modified to have three wheels to seat passengers in the back and a hood over the top. They are extremely cheap and numerous, and probably extremely unsafe, especially in the traffic chaos of the city, but they are a great way to get about!

Day Seven: Mysore

2005-01-19T06:55:00.000Z

Tell me why I don’t like Mondays… The working day begins here at 8am sharp, and I worked pretty solidly right until 5pm. All the travelling, working and sightseeing is very tiring, and most nights so far I’ve been glad to be in bed by 11!
Straight after work (after being invited for a ‘cup of tea’ at the hospital director’s place, at which we were presented with enough rice and such like for a whole meal –Indians do like their food!) we were taken 15kms or so into the countryside to Brindavan Gardens. As we crossed the river Cauvery on our approach, the outline of an enormous castle wall appeared in middle-distance stretching out in both directions. This was, in fact, a dam, whose reservoir serves the entire city through the dry season. After parking the car, we walked back to the waters’ edge, where a long, narrow causeway crossed a lake at the dam’s foot. It was dark by this time, and the causeway was lit up by a string of little lights. There was also a large geyser-type fountain in the middle of the lake. On the far side lay ornamental gardens, with several levels leading up and away from the water. At far end of these gardens was a glade, with the dam wall along one side and surrounded by palm trees. Hundreds of people crowded around here to see, at the centre of the glade, the famous and spectacular Musical Fountain. Floodlit jets of water swayed and danced, looking almost like fireworks, in time to an Indian dance beat. People were cheering and clapping; it was like an enormous outdoor party. The only thing that annoyed me was that cameras, especially video-cameras, were strictly forbidden, so I have no photos – you’ll just have to take my word for it!

Day Six: Mysore

2005-01-19T06:52:00.000Z

Sunday, as in the UK, is a day of rest – which meant for us another day of whirlwind tourism. I guess this is what the average American would do: see as much as there is to see in the quickest time possible. It’s not relaxing at all, and it’s so hard to take everything in. We were met at 9am sharp by two social workers from the hospital we’ll be working at, with a mission to show us all the ‘must-see’ attractions of the city. First up: Chamundi Hills.
These reminded me of the Malverns – a group of rounded hills surrounded by plains on either side. The views were breathtaking, particularly of the city; a sea of green dotted with white, spread out at the base of the hill almost as far as the eye could see (which wasn’t actually too far, as the heat and dust created a haze). At the top was a Hindu temple similar to that at Vellore, surrounded by outbuildings, stalls and car-parks. After taking a look around, we descended on foot down some 300 steps to the Hills’ other main attraction – a large decorated statue of a bull, carved in stone but coloured a tarry black from oil deposited there by Hindu devotees (I’m not quite sure of the significance of this practice). I hadn’t really been able to get outside so far, so the hillside breeze and views were just what I needed.
Next up: Mysore Palace. As befits a palace, it is colossal, ornate, and surrounded by huge grounds, walls and gateways. It is, apparently, one of the largest and grandest of its kind in India. The most spectacular sight was a huge balcony overlooking a wide avenue leading out from the palace towards a massive entrance arch. In the time of the kings, huge processions of people and elephants would enter this way – it must have been quite a sight.
After lunch, we drove 14kms down the road to the fortress of Tipu Sultan, the leader of the local resistance to British forces in the ?16th century and known as ‘the Tiger of Mysore’. His summer palace has been converted into a museum of his life and times. The fort itself, situated on a large river island, offered disappointingly few sights to see, and most of it is now a surprisingly large village.
By this time it was late afternoon and time for a very well-earned break back at the hotel, before having a very pleasant evening meal at the family home of one of the researchers.

Day Five: Vellore to Mysore

2005-01-17T08:54:00.000Z

After previously sampling planes and cars, today was a day of trains. The journey from Vellore to Mysore took over 6 hours, including one change in Bangalore. The stations look much like they do anywhere in the world, really, except maybe for the red-jacketed porters carrying obscene amounts of luggage about, including several suitcases piled on top of their heads! The trains were extremely long, with 3 or 4 different ‘classes’, and were apparently fairly infrequent (once every 3 hours or so). Almost as soon as we set off, a man came through the carriages selling hot tea, followed swiftly by a hot coffee-seller. This set the tone for the journey, with every few minutes bringing yet another food- or drink-salesman – fruit juice; cakes; samosas; muffins; fizzy drinks – all shouting their product as they went. It struck me that you’d likely get bored rather quickly with walking up and down a train shouting “Tea!” for a living, but there you go…
Mysore is different again – very open and grand, with green spaces, wide avenues and roundabouts (which I hadn’t often seen up to now). It was the capital of one of the old Indian kingdoms, and so has a huge, magnificent palace at its heart. In the evening, we were met by Veena, one of the scientists working here and whom I had previously met in Southampton just before Christmas. Even though it was getting on for 8pm, we went shopping! Veena was very keen to get Inga kitted up with a sari, as Mysore is famous for its silk. The silk shops will happily take down any number of carefully folded fabrics and fling them open in front of you. Her choice, a shimmering green-and-gold fabric, will now get adjusted for collection in a couple of days’ time. We also wandered around the market, which was a wonderful experience. Everything was in abundance: fruit; herbs; roots; sweets; colours in general. It was also slightly unnerving, as all the stallholders shouted to you and thrust their produce in your face as you passed. I think this would happen to anyone, but we got it much worse as Westerners!

Day Four: Vellore

2005-01-17T08:52:00.000Z

Quite a frustrating day today. In the morning there was much discussion about the direction one of the projects should take, but it didn’t really involve me and I didn’t have much input. Nevertheless I was expected to be there, either paying attention or getting on with some other bits of work. I was itching to get outside and explore, but I had to remember that of course I am here to work! My colleague Inga is a research assistant and so was due to be shown around ‘in the field’ – i.e. meeting the townspeople participating in the study – and I was permitted to go along. Eventually, getting near 4pm, we set off. We drove down some back streets and right into the centre of the residential district, where we visited two families’ homes to discuss the study thus far (well, the others did anyway!). Both homes were small, but compact, practical and tidy. The only defined rooms were the entrance hall and the kitchen, with a smaller space between for prayer (the families were Hindu, so these spaces were liberally decorated with statues of gods and such like). The bedrooms were alcoves with curtains drawn across to separate them from the rest of the house. The floors were of stone or tiled; the walls were painted in single bright colours.
The other researchers then gave us a whirlwind tour of Vellore’s fort and temple, both many centuries old. Although very large and impressive, they are nothing particularly special for India – or in any case, not special enough for Vellore to be known for them. The imposing walls of the fort house various buildings including local government offices and a police training camp, as well as the temple. Annoyingly, our hosts were intent on driving us swiftly around the site, whereas I’d much rather have got out and strolled about – but then, again, I am at work, as are our hosts, and there are things to get done! But we did get to go into the temple, having removed our shoes and socks. Inside there was an outer courtyard surrounding an inner sanctum. The courtyard was brightly decorated, with various shrines to different Hindu gods on the way round. It was busy, too – it was the day of the harvest festival, and everyone was paying a visit. In the evening, for our last night, the whole team went round to the home of one of the senior scientists for a buffet meal.

Day Three: Vellore

2005-01-14T05:43:00.000Z

This was my first day spent all in the same place. It was, in fact, a day at the office. Not very exciting, but good to be settled. The office was at Vellore’s famous and prestigious Christian Medical College, located in the boulder-strewn hills above the town. Ironically, pretty much the only other thing Vellore is famous for is not being noteworthy for any other reason than its college and associated hospital. The hospital was founded by missionaries to serve what was then a fairly rural area, and the town has since grown up around it. The college campus is lovely – airy, colonial-style buildings standing in well-maintained gardens and grounds. The facilities are sparse, but clean and fairly modern. They have a dial-up Internet connection, so I was able to post some bloggery, but it is very slow so I won’t be uploading any pictures or anything else fancy!

India, Day 2: Mumbai to Vellore

2005-01-13T04:30:00.000Z

I’ve decided I don’t much like Mumbai. As we circled Bangalore on our approach to land, it looked so much nicer – proper houses with gardens; cricket pavilions; tree-lined avenues (strictly speaking, of course, that’s a tautology!) and a generally cleaner, more civilised character. This impression wasn’t much dented from ground level, either. My boss, Caroline, met us in Mumbai before our departure, and explained that most of that city is reclaimed land, and every monsoon season the whole place gets flooded out, which partly explained why it all looked so shabby. Also, Mumbai is the equivalent of Dick Whittington’s London, being a hub for trade & commerce, film (it’s the home of Bollywood) and talk centres, as well as being a major port. Each new group of hopeful migrants start off sleeping on the streets, then as they find work they can maybe afford a tent, and eventually a shack in a slum – as permanent structures, these are highly sought-after, and expensive due to Mumbai’s restricted land space.
Anyway, I’m returning to Mumbai later in the trip, so enough of that for now. After landing in Bangalore, Ragu, a colleague of Caroline’s, met us with a ‘proper’ cab (a modern-ish Toyota people-carrier thing) to take us on the 5-hour road trip to Vellore. We left the city down those tautologous tree-lined avenues, and although there were still roadside shacks in abundance, they looked… if not thriving, then at least not overly forlorn. The countryside started off completely flat, with numerous small villages which, whilst shabby and distinctly third-world, seemed contented. I had found something more like ‘real’ India, which I was glad about. (The driving was just as bad, though!)
After an hour or so, small round hills began to appear, together with stacks of enormous boulders. The whole landscape looked like God (or an Indian supreme being, I guess) had been playing marbles. It looked like it could be glacial moraine, but Caroline and Ragu both doubted this. It looked remarkable, at any rate. Even better than that, though, was when we stopped for tea at a roadside café and saw MONKEYS!! IN A TREE!! This made my day, as you can tell :D
Soon afterwards it began to get dark, so most of the remainder of the journey I couldn’t see much, especially since there were no street lights in the villages. Our hotel is nice, though, and having my boss around is comforting as she knows the place inside out and can answer all our silly questions. Tomorrow I’ll be starting work, which will also be comforting as I’ll know what I’m about...

India, Day One: Southampton to Mumbai

2005-01-13T04:27:00.000Z

It’s 9:20pm GMT, but it’s 2:45am here in my Mumbai hotel room. After a fairly uneventful 8 hour flight, during which I saw various films including Garden State, which I can heartily recommend (thank-you Al!), tolerated BA food, and learned that Spa is in fact an acronym for salus per aquam (‘health through water’), things got a lot more interesting, as you can imagine!
Firstly, it’s nice and warm at around 1am – around the mid-twenties. This probably means it’ll be quite uncomfortable during the day. Things smell different, too – sort of wheat-y I guess. Not unpleasant, just different. Outside the airport (even this late at night) there was a swarming crowd of people – reception parties, taxi drivers, would-be porters and so on. Luckily a man called Deepak was there to guide us through everything. There is a pre-pay taxi system operating from a booth on the way out. Apparently you shouldn’t use ‘normal’ street taxis. We paid at the booth and were given a ticket which showed us which taxi was ours, by the numberplate. Round the corner there was, literally, a field of taxis, all with their drivers dozing within. After Deepak had awoken our driver with a loud knock at the window, we were off on the craziest journey I think I’ve ever taken. The taxi was ancient and very noisy and slow, and there didn’t appear to be any rules of the road whatsoever. Although traffic lights were in abundance, everyone just seemed to slow down slightly and then carry on, whatever the colour of the light. There were also loads of speed-humps, even on the most major highways. Most of them aren’t painted, so you just have to know where they are or face ruining your suspension!
At first I was delighted by all the road-side shacks selling all manner of things, many of which seemed open (at 1am remember), with people standing outside around campfires. It reminded me somewhat of the Glastonbury festival. However, as I got used to this I could appreciate the squalor of a lot of these places. Everything seemed dirty and litter-strewn, with people sleeping out on the streets in abundance (at least it’s warm, I guess) and lots of (presumably) stray dogs. This may take a while longer to acclimatise to. Anyway, now I’m here I’m really excited to get to know the place. Unfortunately, my immediate itinerary is not kind. I’m off to bed now to catch 6 hours or so of sleep, then it’s off to the office to meet up with my boss, and then back to the airport again, for an internal flight to Bangalore. G’night!

My last day for a while...

2005-01-10T13:42:00.000Z

First of all, a big thank-you to everyone who came out to the Hobbit on Friday. It was great to have so many of my friends in the same place. I'm very lucky to know you all :)
Saturday was good in the end, too - at about 9pm, I texted a few people to find out what was going on, and two people replied saying they were off to Jesters, with completely different groups of people. I couldn't really refuse! Much gin was consumed.
So, yeah... last day in the office (well, this office, anyway) for a while. Just a few small things to finish off, but not too rushed; which is good, as I'm less likely to forget anything foolish. Like my work laptop, for instance. Or my name (less likely, but you never know...).

I am currently reading "Mutants" by Armand Marie Leroi. It's a fascinating book, and is actually focussed much more on genetics and foetal development than just on the bizarre. There is also lots of historical and biographical information, kind of like a Bill Bryson book. His thesis is that by analysing mutations and deformities we can learn a lot about how our bodies should 'normally' function. His style is informal, frequently witty and generally very easy to read.

It’s a Mini Adventure!

2005-01-07T13:30:00.000Z

Well, quite a big one actually. Because early next Tuesday morning, I’m off to India for just over 2 weeks for my work! No, really. I thought I would make it a surprise! My place of work, the MRC, has various long-standing associations with hospitals and research facilities in India, and a lot of my statistical work is on studies of groups of Indian people. I’ll arrive in Mumbai (Bombay) on Tuesday night, and then spend a few days in 5 different towns with different groups of colleagues. In one of these places, Mahabaleshwar, I’ll be attending a conference and giving a 10min presentation. Here’s a map showing all the places I’ll be going:
The tsunami disaster shouldn’t affect anything – India is a huge and immensely populous place and even Vellore and Pune in the southeast are well inland. My boss reckons that there won’t even be that many people I’ll meet who would have lost friends or family. I suppose it’s as if a catastrophe occurred on the other side of Europe – in the Balkans, say. Its proximity would shake you up, but it’d be unlikely to directly affect you. It’ll be interesting to see, anyway.
I’m still not quite got my head round it all... I’m being far too matter-of-fact about it, and I probably won’t quite believe I’m going until I’m there! I’ll almost certainly be pretty under-prepared, but hopefully after a few days I’ll have gotten used to it enough to start enjoying myself. I’ll be in fairly large towns and staying in fairly good hotels (not brilliant, though – it’s the public sector after all! I doubt I’ll be flying business class, either!), so I’m going to try and maintain a blog – I’ll try and write most days but maybe post a lot all at once when I get the chance.

Oh, and by the way - it's my birthday today! Woooo!

Happy New Year everyone!

2005-01-05T13:05:00.000Z

Welcome to my first post of 2005. I intended to post more over the holidays but somehow never quite got round to it. I think it felt too much like work... which is where I'm back at now, of course. Ah well.

Well, the holidays were fantastic. I got to see just about all my old friends (the ones still in the country, anyway), had some nice winter evenings sipping ales in warm pubs, and the family weren't too irritating either (bless 'em)! It was even a white Christmas in the Malverns:

Pretty much everyone is back in Southampton now - we had a good night in the Drummond on Monday, talking about politics, football, relationships, non-Euclidean geometry... you know, the usual... ;-)

If anyone I haven't mentioned this to is reading this: it's my birthday this Friday, and we're all going down the Hobbit for much drinking and frivolity. Join us. Especially if you don't know me. It would amuse me.

I've just finished reading "Last Tango in Aberystwyth" by Malcolm Pryce. Fantastic book; not sure about the ending though. I'll have to read the first one, and then possibly this one again...

It's Chriiiiiiiistmaaaaaas!!

2004-12-24T15:33:00.000Z

Well, hello there.
I realise I haven't posted in a while, but I've been worked into the ground recently and besides, nothing particularly exciting has happened to me! Apart from Jesters, which was (of course) fun. I'm back home now, happily doing nothing. But now I can tell you about it :)

I'm glad that all the classic Christmas songs are on the radio at the moment. I like the fact that they all reliably get rolled out every year. I see them as old friends; familiar faces. I know most of them are, strictly speaking, shit; but unlike most shit pop songs, you are guaranteed to only hear them one month a year. So let's hear it for Slade, Wizzard, The Waitresses and whoever it was that did "Stop The Cavalry". And Shane and Kirsty, obviously. And even East 17, if I'm honest. They're as much a part of Christmas these days as trees, presents and carols (in fact they are, in a sense, modern carols), and I for one kinda like it that way.

Paaaarty!

2004-12-13T17:10:00.000Z

On Saturday night I went up to Bristol for James's houseparty, in honour of the fact that in a couple of days he will be old. Err... older, sorry :)

He lives in Clifton, which is justly famous for its bridge but more generally is just a really pretty and interesting place to live. There are loads of small shops, cafes and bars that all have something enticing about them, and in some of the back streets you could almost imagine yourself to be in a small French town.

But back to the party. The theme for the evening was "Anti-Christmas". I was considering being the Easter Bunny but frankly that was going to be far too much trouble. Instead I found an anti-Santa hat, which you'll be able to see in the photos when I get round to uploading them. There was also a Santa-GW Bush (pretty damn evil!), a Nazi, and some sort of skull-wearing shaman-Santa get-up. And a devil and an angel (no clue there). And lots of others without costumes :)

I had a really good time. I drank all the drink, had lots of random conversations with strangers, stayed up till 5am, and had a suitably terrible hangover the next day. The house next door was full of students and they had a party on as well (theme: gothic book/cartoon characters, I think) so we went over there for a bit too.

I ended up arguing for ages with one guy who absolutely point-blank refused to accept that religious or spiritual people could be anything other than irrational, crazy or stupid. It'd be interesting to hear what you guys think here. I was brought up Christian (protestant) but have since developed a deep suspicion of organised religion. On the other hand, although I am a rational, scientifically-minded person, I do think it would be nice if there were someone or something out there, and I'm not averse to acknowledging a possible role for a God in science. Spiritualism and rationality are not mutually exclusive, and furthermore, surely it's as wrong to foist on people your opinion that no-one in their right mind should be spiritual as it is to foist religious dogma on them. Discuss :)
(NB I'm thinking here of general belief in an unseen deity - individual religious dos and don'ts such as homosexuality are a separate issue!)

Anyway, as I say, it was a great night, good to see everyone (though it would've been nice to see more of you - especially Dom and Maz!). I've uploaded some photos now: they are here. (I've named some photos with people I know in them; I'm shit at names so I can't remember anyone else's that I met there!)

Egogoogling.

2004-12-09T16:38:00.000Z

It's a fairly obvious idea, I guess, but I hadn't done it before. I refer to googling one's name.

I have some interesting namesakes - on the first page alone I am a mathematician or computer scientist at 3 different universities (which is odd, as I am one myself), a character in 6 Feet Under, a wedding photographer, a glaciologist, a missionary radio broadcaster, and "a son, a husband, a father whose life was abruptly taken from us by the crime of driving under the influence".

What I didn't find, however, was anything connected with me. Ah well...

Selfish Chap

2004-12-08T14:03:00.000Z

I was going to have a quiet evening in last night... watch a bit of football, maybe start thinking about Christmas presents (argh!)... just have some time to myself. But I got badgered into going out and having fun. Damn.

Me, Ben and Hannah went to the Joiners ("The best live music venue in Southampton by miles!"). The first band on, Alice and the Enemies, were a three-piece fronted by a spiky rock chick and sounded like PJ Harvey or Elastica. I really liked them. I bought their EP, although I haven't had time to listen to it yet.

Next were a band who looked vaguely similar (frontwoman with male guitarists & drummer) but sounded quite different. Over repetitive Placebo-esque guitar patterns, the singer wailed and screamed and writhed around on the stage. She looked and sounded quite, quite insane. They were only on for about 15mins or so. Ben really liked them... I found them bemusing to say the least. I can't remember their name.

The final act were different again, and really quite impressive. Three Johnny Rotten-a-like guitarists thrashed in unison over a fearsome drum machine, with punkish call-and-response vocals. The experience was a lot better than I'm making it sound, I promise you (although I wouldn't listen to them on record I don't think!). It was truly exhilarating. And just to add to the effect, they went by the arresting name of Selfish C*nt. On the gig posters they were just "Selfish -" with a blank space. On the one behind the bar, someone had filled in the gap with "Chap".

Hmm. I don't think I'll ever be a music journalist, reading that lot back. Ah well.

Return of the blog

2004-12-07T13:50:00.000Z

I've been reeeeeally quite busy over the past week. It's karma, I guess: over the previous 2 weeks I had hardly anything to do since my boss was away and other bits of work depended on people replying to emailed queries, which they were annoyingly reluctant to do.

I've been working with an Indian lady who is only in the country for 2 weeks and wants to get a paper completed by the time she leaves. I was rather apprehensive, as I'd been told beforehand that she was very traditional and hardworking, whereas I am an untidy slacker. But in fact she is very pleasant. One thing that is annoying, though, is that she uses quite an old version of the main computer package we use, and also favours copying results down on paper from the screen and then passing them on to a secretary to be typed up again. My first morning working with her consisted of her calling out numbers every 30secs or so, and me writing them down. I had become a scribe - it was very frustrating. Things have got better since, though, so never mind :)

Management bollocks-speak

2004-12-02T16:28:00.000Z

I just had a meeting with a senior scientist who I've been doing some work for. He also happens to be the boss of the whole Southampton unit. It's clearly gone to his head: his parting words were "we'll touch base on this soon". Gah!

Cor!

2004-11-30T19:12:00.001Z

Last night I went to Lennons to see some bands that are apparently described as "emo-core". As far as I'm aware, "emo" is short for "emotional hardcore"... so does that make last night's music "emotional hardcore-core"? What if there were an emo band of 4 siblings, 3 pretty girls and a bloke that no-one cares about, that added an Irish vibe to their sound? "Emo-Corr-core", anyone? Cor!

It was an interesting night, nevertheless. I love the word "nevertheless". It's just 3 random English words shoe-horned in together. A whole phrase, in fact. I think I shall start using the new word "ontheotherhand". Who's with me?!

Car Wars!

2004-11-29T09:11:00.000Z

Yesterday I was having lunch in the John Lewis cafe, which is on the top floor and has a huge curved window looking out onto the wonders of Southampton... shipping containers, docks and a row of warehouse-y superstore things. Anyway, I don't know about anyone else, but there's something hypnotic about watching cars coming and going round a busy car park. At one point, two cars both started to drive into the same space from opposite ends, so they were facing each other. One was a huge new Mondeo-type thing, one was an aging hatchback. Neither would back down. For about 10mins they both sat there, occasionally exchanging hand-gestures. The tension was palpable. Eventually the older car backed off and went and parked in a newly-available space a few feet away. The newer car finished parking (though not very well since the space had a huge bollard thing at the end... haha). Youngish guy & girlfriend got out of the older car and walked towards the shops; the guy first taking a detour to walk up to the other car's front window (presumably to give some friendly advice). The occupants of the newer car sit there... and sit there... and after another 10mins or so, drive off and out of the car park entirely! Did the guy unnerve them sufficiently that they felt their only option was to leg it out of there?! Who knows. Ah well, it kept me entertained for a while anyway.

Songs about cheese.

2004-11-25T18:02:00.000Z

So last night Ben, Lucy, Hannah, Al and myself went to the Talking Heads pub quiz. Ben, Lucy and I had gone along before and done ok, but we were up against far larger teams. But with 5 of us, it was ours for the taking. Sure enough, we led all the way through, and even got the tricky "connections" round (each answer contained a number descending from "ten" (table tennis) to "one" (Al Capone) -- very clever). With one round to go we were 2 points in front. We managed to stuff up the last round, though, and ended up in second place. The annoying thing was, though, that we lost to a team of just 2 people!! And they walked off with £10 each. Gah!

Epileptic Fridge Boy.

2004-11-25T17:55:00.000Z

So. In August, my girlfriend and I went to Paris for the weekend. On the way back, at Waterloo, after a long day's travelling and not enough food or sleep, I fainted. Except that apparently I also had some sort of mini-fit, and when I came round I was in an ambulance. They let me go after a few hours after ruling out obvious stuff (including diabetes - !!) and everything was fine. I put it down to just being knackered and obstinate (I'd felt faint for a few minutes beforehand, so I should've known what was coming), and forgot about it.

Just to be on the safe side, though, they booked me in to have an EEG (electroencephalogram, Scrabble fans! It means a brain scan) , which I had done yesterday morning. I didn't get to go inside a big machine thing like I thought, instead I just got 23 electrodes stuck to my head and was told to breathe heavily for 3mins and look at flashy lights and stuff. I then had to go and see a consultant, who hadn't actually seen the results of the EEG, since it had only just finished, which was a bit pointless. He also wanted to talk to my girlfriend, who couldn't get time off work. So he had very little to go on and wants me to go back in January, but in the meantime he's advised me not to drive. This vexes me. I see his point (if I black out I could cause a crash), but I'm sure there's nothing actually wrong with me. It's just a bloody good job I don't actually need to drive at the moment, I guess. "Grrrr" anyway, though.

Razorlight!!

2004-11-25T01:35:00.000Z

I went to see Razorlight last night, at Southampton Uni, and they rocked! Johnny, the singer, is such a ridiculously cocky bastard it's funny... kinda like Howlin' Pelle (of the Hives) at times, only completely serious. He even went crowd-surfing at the end -- this is at a few-hundred-capacity venue -- and still kept singing :)
Their songs aren't as good as Johnny clearly thinks they are (and neither are some of his hilariously cliched lyrics), so I wouldn't get their album I don't think, but live he's such a showman that it doesn't matter. Go see them if you get the chance.

Angry, angry face.

2004-11-22T09:37:00.000Z

This is an angry post. Recently I've felt myself getting angry (or, more accurately I suppose, frustrated) far more often and at really little things, which anyone who knows me would (hopefully) agree is not like me at all. I've known for some time that I'm getting angrier socio-politically, basically as a result of reading more and finding out how just unfair the world is and how irrational, ignorant and hypocritical many of it's leaders (and assorted powerful people) are. But over the weekend I got in over-large sulks at stuff like my girlfriend & I not going to the pub because she wasn't feeling well, my housemates hogging the bathroom and watching random telly when I came back from the quiz so preventing me from watching MOTD2, and my bus being late and being full of annoying kids this morning. These are silly, pointless things to be angry about. This worries me.

And it's a shame, too, because the highlight of my weekend was a lovely romantic dinner out to celebrate our 1 year anniversary. We went to a place called Wild Orchid (just off London Road, if anyone's interested), which was really quite posh but in the best possible way. Tasteful decor, nice and spread out, helpful and un-snooty staff, and mmm-mmm, delicious food. My starter was a wild mushroom salad... I'd never realised there were so many types of mushroom and with such different flavours. All in all, it was a really lovely evening :)

And it's Rock night at the union tonight and then Razorlight tomorrow! Yay!

Online survey fun fun fun!

2004-11-18T22:42:00.000Z

Bob and Lauren have both done this now, so as I haven't got much work to do this afternoon, I will do it too :)
I feel it is important to note that only the bold statements apply to me!!

01. I miss someone right now.
02. I don't watch much TV these days.
03. I love olives.
04. I love sleeping.
05. I own lots of books.
06. I wear glasses or contact lenses.
07. I love to play video games.
08. I've tried marijuana.
09. I've watched porn movies
10. I have been in a threesome.
11. I have been the psycho ex in a previous relationship.
12. I believe honesty is usually the best policy.
13. I have acne free skin.
14. I like and respect Al Sharpton. (don't know who he is)
15. I curse frequently.
16. I have changed a lot mentally over the past year.
17. I have a hobby.
18. I've been told I have a nice butt.
19. I carry my knife/razor everywhere with me.
20. I'm really, really smart.
21. I've never broken someone's bones.
22. I have a secret that I am ashamed to reveal.
23. I hate the rain.
24. I'm paranoid at times.
25. I would get plastic surgery if it were 100% safe, free of cost, and scar free.
26. I need money right now.
27. I love sushi.
28. I talk really, really fast. Sometimes, when nervous...
28. I have fresh breath in the morning.
30. I have semi-long hair
31. I have lost money in Las Vegas.
32. I have at least one brother and/or one sister.
33. I was born in a country outside of the U.S.
34. I shave my legs.
35. I have a twin.
37. I couldn't survive without Caller ID.
38. I like the way that I look.
39. I have lied to a good friend in the past 6 months.
40. I know how to do cornrows. (I don't even know what they are! )
41. I am usually pessimistic.
42. I have mood swings.
43. I think prostitution should be legalized. If regulated properly, maybe.
44. I think Britney Spears is hot.
45. I have cheated on a significant other.
46. I have a hidden talent.
47. I'm always hyper no matter how much sugar I have.
48. I think that I'm popular.
49. I am currently single.
50. I have kissed someone of the same sex. Not with tongues though!
51. I enjoy talking on the phone.
52. I practically live in sweatpants or PJ pants.
53. I love to shop.
54. I would rather shop than eat.
55. I would classify myself as ghetto. Eh?
56. I'm bourgie and have worn a sweater tied around my shoulders.
57. I'm obsessed with my LJ58. Again, eh?
58. I don't hate anyone.
59. I think I'm a pretty good dancer.
60. I don't think Mike Tyson raped Desiree Washington. Don't know, don't care
61. I'm completely embarrassed to be seen with my mother.
62. I have a cell phone. Well actually, it's a mobile phone ;)
63. I watch MTV on a daily basis
65. I have passed out drunk in the past 6 months.
66. I love drama.
67. I have never been in a real relationship before.
68. I've rejected someone before.
69. I currently have a crush on someone.
70. I have no idea what i want to do for the rest of my life.
71. I want to have children in the future.
72. I have changed a diaper before.
73. I've had the cops called on me before.
74. I bite my nails.
75. I am a member of the Tom Green fan club.
76. I'm not allergic to anything.
77. I have a lot to learn.
78. I have dated someone at least 10 years older or younger.
79. I plan on seeing Ice Cube's newest "Friday" movie. Hahaha!
80. I am very shy around the opposite sex sometimes. If I don't know them, yeah...
81. I'm online 24/7, even as an away message.
82. I have at least 5 away messages saved.
83. I have tried alcohol or drugs before.
84. I have made a move on a friend's significant other in the past.
85. I own the "South Park" movie.
86. I have avoided assignments at school or work to be on Xanga or Livejournal.
87. When I was a kid I played 'the birds and the bees' with a neighbor or chum.
88. I enjoy some country music.
89. I love my best friends.
90. I think that Pizza Hut has the best pizza.
91. I watch soap operas whenever I can.
92. I'm obsessive, anal retentive, and often a perfectionist.
93. I have used my sexuality to advance my career.
94. I love Michael Jackson, scandals and all.
95. I know all the words to Slick Rick's "Children's Story".
96. Halloween is awesome because you get free candy.
97. I watch Spongebob Squarepants and I like it.
98. I have dated a close friend's ex.
99. I'm happy as of this moment.

Help! I think I'm getting old... :-(

2004-11-16T16:58:00.000Z

Last night was an AIM DJ event at Lennons. I hadn't been to Lennons in faaaar too long, so I was looking forward to it all weekend. Unfortunately, tiredness, Monday-at-work-ness and, I suspect, ageing-ness, conspired to prevent me from really enjoying myself. I tried drinking lots (2 double G&Ts in the space of half-an-hour in the Union bar!) but that just made me tirederer, and the white rum in Lennons is really quite bad! Basically, I feel I must apologise to Bob et al, coz they were all great as usual and played some cracking tunes. In some way that I can't quite touch on, though, it just wasn't quite the same as it was a couple of years ago. Ah well. I think I'm feeling kinda like I'm in a bit of a rut at the moment. I'm sure it'll pass soon enough though.

In other news, this is quite possibly the best idea ever and should definitely be attempted over here! As Al said in response: "that should be a national service really... we can have people in Tesco pointing out to people picking up Pot Noodles that it isn't food, and someone standing by the "Welcome To Manchester" signs encouraging cars to turn around". (Why Manchester, I'm not quite sure ;-)

Good shit films vs shit shit films.

2004-11-10T17:28:00.000Z

Last night I watched Van Helsing. It was a huge pile of high-camp silliness, and I loved it. It got me thinking, though - what makes the difference between an enjoyably shit film and just an irredeemably shit film? VH is very flashy and full of ridiculously overdone special effects, and I guess is also helped by having a plot that resembles a Roman road and a background that everyone already knows. Some friends & myself once saw "Anaconda" at the cinema after a few pints. This is getting towards the realm of true shiteness, with a rubbish and illogical plot and dire special effects, along with the usual hammy acting and awkward dialogue. But we were pissed, so none of that mattered. It was just great fun - hence why I remember such an otherwise forgettable film. But the worst film I have ever seen, by quite some margin, was Manos: The Hands Of Fate, which featured in an episode of Mystery Science Theatre 3000. MST is a show that rejoices in bad films, but even its die-hard fans agreed that Manos was in a class of its own. (MST's fans, I mean. If Manos has any devotees I will eat ALL the hats.) It had no budget, but even allowing for that, everything about it was bad. The first 45mins were entertaining in an Anaconda-like way, but by the end we were praying heartfeltedly (is this a word? If not, it really should be) for it to stop.

Yes, I do write stuff here sometimes.

2004-11-09T16:56:00.000Z

Last week, my good friend Bob informed me, via the medium of his face, that he had found this sorry excuse for a blog. So I guess I'd better buck my ideas up!

Classic blog stuff: I had a pretty good weekend by all accounts. Friday night I drunk continuously from 5pm till 2am - first some Juicy Lucys and G&Ts in Clowns, followed by a couple of glasses of wine at home with my lovely girlfriend Carly, then out to Wetherspoons and finally the Nexus. 'Twas a most excellent night, and I suffered accordingly the next day. Saturday night we saw a quite astounding firework display at the Union. It truly was one of the best I have ever seen. Then we went to see The Grudge, which made you jump lots but I don't think would stand up to repeated viewing. Then Sunday night I went to the quiz at the Drummond. We came last, but won a booby prize of crisps or chocolate (it's never actually boobies, is it!), which dare I say is almost worth losing for... I was supposed to go to the Union for Rock Lite but didn't as I was too knackered and had a sore throat :-(

Stuff which might actually be termed "interesting": One interesting thing to come out of the whole Bush (*spit*) debacle is that it's causing people to step back and consider who we are and where we're going. Current opinion suggests that the US is becoming polarised to a degree unseen since the Civil War, with people (e.g. Simon Schama) labelling it "Worldly America vs Godly America" or "Science vs Religion". We have the strange situation where Islamic fundamentalists are denouncing Western culture as sinful and immoral, whilst the Christian fundamentalists are, in a way, also denouncing it (at least the socially progressive parts - those that don't actually affect their way of life). Add to this the fact that birth rates (or replacement rates) in secular parts of the world are generally far lower than in more religious parts, and, well... what will happen to us liberal, peaceful, progressive, scientifically-minded, secular folk?! It's an interesting thought, anyway. I think.

Another Loser Empties Head In Public Domain

2004-10-12T08:06:00.000Z

Quite a few of my friends now have blog accounts here, and annoyingly you need to register in order to leave comments on them. So I have. I then thought that, whilst I'm at it, I may as well actually do one of these myself. So I did and, evidently, this is it.

I have in fact started a blog before, late last year, but I only posted about 3 or 4 times before a lack of arsedness kicked in. I'd even forgotten about it entirely until Ben reminded me (I can't still can't remember my address or password, though!). I suspect the same thing will happen again. Which wouldn't be such a great loss.