UK Watercooler 35: I'm Goin' Back To NYC, I Do Believe I've Had Enough

...no, not really. Though I do have to say I'm tempted after spending the day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art looking at Renaissance Italian pr0nography.

Also... WTF at what they have done to LIC? I got off the 7 and crossed the road on autopilot, and it was a good thing I did coz I DO NOT RECOGNISE WHAT THEY HAS DONE TO MAH NEIGHBOURHOOD!??!?!? Half my block is now a condo. There's a Faux Foods at the end of my block. We are overrun with YUPPIE SCUM.

However, there is now the best Japanese restaurant in the WORLD on my street. (BANY Fusion Foods) You lose some, you win some.

What's up back in the UK?

I know, I know, I started this waaaayyy too late for UK people to even post to. But, you know.

Frost. Woolies has gone and Zavvi may be following it.

I'm here, another 13 hour day at school, picking up chinese on the way home as I have run out of stew.

As they warned this is drinking from the firehose.

What does drinking from the firehose mean?

Too much too quickly?

I really need to stop looking at classical pr0n. No more pans or satyrs for me. And also no more Potter videos for me. I thought I was over this. I guess I'm not. I just spent an hour showing Kaliflwr a selection of Potter's gayest outfits. She says he transcends all known levels of gayness.

(I think it was the billowy sleeved gold ... thing that did it.)

((Also, there is a shop that sells sparkly gold velvet pillowcases. Do you think I need these? I know they will not *actually* attract passing Potters.))

mmmm, Chinese. But Asian Fusion is where it's at in LIC.

A real eye-opener was seeing all those religious paintings in the Tate Gallery (London), and realising it's all pron as well! Godesses lactating, etc.....

LIC has changed a bunch since I first went there in 2001.

I'm rather enjoying this whole studying thing. I actually have stuff to do every hour of every day, which is not like being a tech support monkey.

Frost. Woolies has gone and Zavvi may be following it.

― Pfunkboy Formerly Known As... (Herman G. Neuname), Wednesday, January 14, 2009 12:51 AM (17 hours ago) Bookmar

So good news basically (apart from the redundancies obviously).

Damnit america, you froze my beard solid on my way to scholl this morning.

whoa

We have 11f with wind chill down to -2 today.

^swimsuit weather in MN.

Hello there. It's not frozen in England any more; just rather dull and grey

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3435/3198607167_e920e876f6_b.jpg

Ooh, nice.

I have a photo I'd like to post but I'm not sure if Kate would approve

(she will be able to guess the one I mean)

I am back.

Man, it SNOWED!!!! while I was there. I miss snow so much. I miss NYC so much. I'm really really fighting the desire to move back, please tell me that would be a BAD idea. There's no jobs there, either. Spent WAY more money than I planned and now desperately skint.

However... a new gold standard for carrot cake has now been set.

Amy's Bakery on Bleecker Street. I was never allowed to go there when I lived in NYC as they were Tomcat's main competitor. But MAN, that was the best carrot cake I've ever had. It was so succulent and moist and the icing was so lovely and slightly sour in the best possible way and it made me so high I floated back to Union Square.

If you mean the pic of the giant floating silver ball in Bristol, FP, yeah, sure, go ahead and post that.

I need to go through my cameras (yes, my dad gave me a new one) and my sketchbook to see what needs to be posted from my trip.

Tell me good things about being back in Britain to make me feel good about living here again. Though, actually... I was so relieved to get home that I practically kissed the immigration officer at Gatwick because hers was the first English accent I'd heard in nearly a month.

Welcome back!

Welcome back, can you say that when you aren't there?

As you know, I love new york, but I also love London, two greatest cities on the planet. I'm also growing to love pittsburgh, although this might be being in the university and being surrounded by frighteningly clever and talented people. School for geeks and nerds that also has the US's best drama programme. I have already had thoughts along the lines of, if I do a Phd, I'll never have to leave.

New York vs London, I find New York politer and more exciting, but it is the politeness of detente and the excitement of unfamiliarity. It's a hard choice.

NYC politer? Are we talking about the same city? Friendlier, I'd give it - but politer, no.

It felt like such a relief to get back to somewhere "real" after two weeks in California. The kind of... aggressive friendliness of Cali drove me insane. It just seemed so faked. People in NYC just seemed so much more genuine. Like... they're so cranky and cynical most of the time, that if they actually smile at you or are nice to you, it's because they mean it?

Yeah, cali is a bit much, if you go up to WA you get the same level of politeness but it seems a whole heap more genuine.

NYC has this kind of politeness that is all that is keeping the city from descending into civil war, London is just plain rude. NYC is way friendlier too.

I'm excited to see photos and sketches, btw.

Most of the photos just didn't turn out, because I was learning how to use the camera and really pushing the "film" (seeing if digital cameras can do low-light like film - answer is, no they can't.)

Also, because I'm just plain a shit photographer.

Plus, well, for some reason there are 80,000 photos of naked greek statues and dive bars I used to drink in when I was younger. Which is interesting to no one but me. The colours will probably go all wrong as soon as they are out of photoshop. :-(

I think this is actually my favourite photo... just a shopfront on Broadway, but I just really like the lighting on it.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3513/3205936471_93b901a2e1_o.jpg

Nice, I like the rainbow effect on the columns.

Today I have to deal with my post (more bills I can't pay... and argh, stupid council I am not looking forward to seeing how they answered my complaint) and sign on. BAH. Why did I come back? Oh yeah, because I ran out of time and I ran out of money.

Welcome home Kate

Welcome back to the UK. You are now officially dole scum again. Hurrah.

I had to ring from a freaking payphone because Gracefield Gardens are so utterly USELESS.

And I still have to fill out the council tax benefit forms, but can't do that until I have proof of being dole scum, which I won't have until Thursday. Sigh.

Oh yeah, maybe I should update my C.V. and pester some headhunters.

Hello there

I think the advice on our council tax benefit forms said: fill it in straight away; and if you don't have the evidence right then, supply it later. But I'm not sure how well the system works, to be honest.

Here's that photo

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3426/3193082571_cd41aefa70.jpg

That is a very good photo. And I'm not saying that coz I'm in it, I like it as a photo, it's hard to work out what's going on if you're not familiar with what/where it is.

Mmm - I've never thought of it that way, because I'm so used to seeing both the thing itself and pictures of it.

I went biking in the snow yesterday, it was wonderful.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3312/3207320654_6be86f634f.jpg

I really like the disjointed reflections in that photo.

I have a photo of A&A at that globe, however as I don't file them undere any other method other than "month of download" I dunno where it is. It'll be on this laptop tho.

it's hard to work out what's going on

I know what's going on. You're smudging the ruddy orb young lady. Step away from the globe.

NOOOOOOO I WILL NOT STEP AWAY FROM THE ORB, I LOVE THE ORB, I WANTS TO BE ONE WITH IT!!!

(It is full of stars - no, really it *is* full of stars, for reals! It's a planetarium!)

yeah, we did it! wow!!

It's such a *good* science museum! It was the right mix of interactive and informative, of learning and fun.

Yeah, spent a good day there, actually pleased to hear it's still going! The eword was it was just abot to close when we were there.

They also had a "Alice in Wonderland" theme on at the time, which pleased Alice, obv.

Stupid jet lag. When is the sun ever going to turn up? I've been awake since 5am, dammit!

it's INAUGURATION DAY!!!!!!1!1!

squeeeeeeeeeeee

squeeeeeeeeeeee indeed! what time is it on TV?

I have a new TV arriving on Saturday, a Panasonic 32" LCD one. Which will be great after having to subsist with an ancient Sony CRT portable one for so long.

So, inauguration and new TV to look forward to, and I need things to look forward to now because I have shingles! Arghhh! I look like I have been in a fight and it is quite painful, especially if I change facial expression. I have to keep checking to make sure I don't get it on the surface of my eye coz then I need to report to the eye hospital.

~5pm GMT

Jesus, shingles?!

yep. Thank you Herpes zoster virus. You give me chicken pox in 1983, lie dormant inside me for almost 26 years and now....this.

Aw, man, the shingles SUCKS. So sorry to hear that, hope it clears up soon.'

I do not have TV so I have been looking at inauguration pics in newspapers. Except newspapers are making me cross with all the bank bailout hoohah. I spent too much in NYC, can I has bailout pls?

God, I want a nap - I want a nap so badly, but I'm scared of f*cking up my anti-jet lag routine. How soon after flying does one get over jet lag properly so can one go back to one's habitual mid-afternoon naps?

If you are strict with it you should be back on schedule in 4 or five days.

Shingles, ouch, can you fill the bath with camomile lotion?

I think I will be in class when the moment hits, I wonder if I might be permitted a jig in the aisle. (it's a B-School course and they have a laptops closed policy in the Business school so I can't hang at the back and watch it with the sound off).

Laptops closed policy? WTF? How is this supposed to prepare you for business?

I'm only on my third day so I suppose it is hitting me hardest now - though usually I find the second day the hardest. Meh.

Though I have nibbles from headhunters now, which is a good thing. Yes, yes, yes, I want to work in Croydon. That would be so convenient.

I'm making a big Chinese dinner to celebrate today; we'll be eating homemade dumplings as the man gets sworn in.

Oh man, get well soon Mark, that sounds most unpleasant.

Love the ORB (...a huge ever-growing pulsating brain that rules from the centre of the watercooler...). Is that at the place that used to be the Exploratory? One day I will stop just going through Bristol in a hurry for flights and actually visit some places.

I think business school have, in recent years, had a problem with people trading and managing their portfolios when they are meant to be listening to the man in the front.

Croydon would be most convenient. Hope you get a job soon.

I am currently trying to swing a summer internship in portugal, I think this would be most beneficial.

Argh, the building owner is asking again about the freehold. Right now, I can barely afford to buy lunch, the freehold is out of the question. What to doooooo?

Is that at the place that used to be the Exploratory?

Er, possibly - it's called Explore @-Bristol now, on Anchor Road.

Do you know what this thread hasn't had in a while? Yup, that's right...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3199/3031307181_f537c21500.jpg

A hottt ginger.

And while I'm at it...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/3001826152_73d03f1391.jpg

swoony swoony swoon swoon. OK, I'll shut up now. I'm so bored today and too tired to do anything and can't get motivated.

http://bp0.blogger.com/_XYWcMpVAbQY/R-bHhoWOiNI/AAAAAAAAAek/dVG4LsVOUI0/s400/IMG_2217a.JPG
http://newyork.seriouseats.com/images/20080818soutine.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Gingerbread_men.jpg

uuuuuhhhhhhhhh...

DROOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLSSSS

Now that is some hotttttt ginger I could really do with as I've got no food in the house and no money to go shopping.

and now just for Kate
http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/food/carrot-cake.jpg

http://www.vollmersbakery.com/images/_DSC0006B_8in%20Carrot%20Cake_web.jpg

http://www.tablefare.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/carrot_cake_whole.jpg

infact Kate just drool at your leisure
http://images.google.co.uk/images?gbv=2&hl=en&safe=off&q=carrot+cake&btnG=Search+Images

I has an interview on Monday! That was quick.

Kerr's posts are making me hungry.

No interviews on the table for me right now, but plenty of application forms to fill in. What is it with companies who still insist on handwritten application forms?

Oh yeah - I unpacked today. And remembered to take a photo of THE BEST SHOES IN THE WORLD - gold and blue paisley trainers. Oh yes. Only on Haight Street...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3518/3212634845_51ccea50b6_o.jpg

ow my eyes

Wow, they are something special.

Haha, wow.

Kaet, do you remember we have tickets for LOTP on the 18th Feb?

Yes, I remember! Looking forward to it! (Though we will have to hide from the band now.)

BTW, I like your landscapes from the trip.

Oh yeah, your pictures on flickr are excellent, I should've said.

We can buy disguises from the shops in North Laine before the gig if you like!

Thanks, guys.

Ha ha ha, disguises... how can we disguise ourselves in Brighton? Dress as Regency Dandys down to take the waters?

Actually I am going to wear my TRAINERS and my new annoyingly bright blue shirt with the synth on it, and my ridiculous blue and purple and silver sparkley jacket that I got at the Goodwill on Haight Street. All at once. Just because D told me not to. And it's the one place I'd get away with dressing like that. And no one would recognise me because I would just blend in with the audience.

Oh god, I got all bouncy because D came over, but the jet leg just hit me in a wave and now I want to die. When will this end?

Why have I been awake for an hour at this time in the morning? My body seems to have forgotten how to sleep. And this is killing me, as sleep is my favourite thing in the world. Bah! What on earth shall I do today?

Go back to sleep? ;)

If that were physically possible, I'd have done it.

Bake some gingerbread men?

My oven remains broken. And I don't have the money to get it fixed. God, life is fucking depressing.

Some mystery person has sent us Claire Keegan's collection of short stories, Antartica with no note or anything. The return address is London, NW4. Weird.

Mysterious!

We're wracking our brains trying to figure it out. It seems, from the packaging and label, that someone ordered it online from one of Amazon's 'other sellers'. But it would have to be someone who knows both of our last names, and our address. (But the address is written 27-37 _____ St., which is technically our building's address, instead of 29 _____ St., our apartment's address.)

Our leading theory is a not-that-close friend who we went to the theatre with a few months ago--we bought the tickets and so her ticket may have our address on it.

mysterious but nice!!!

OK, I've just made a really embarrassing MP3 request on the Cookie group. Please please please, I can't tell you what it's for, but could someone please find me an MP3 of Golden Skans by Klaxons?

It's for a big super-secret (right now) project that will all become clear late next week.

OOH, EMSK, WE ARE THANKING YOUSE!!!!

Wow school is busy, I have something almost every hour from 0715 to 2100 tomorrow. I need to pop next door and see if they can build me a robot that can do my eating and sleeping for me.

Wow, they really push Merkin students. I thought uni was supposed to be all about lying around drinking beer and being a waster.

Some good news from my mother on the church front... crossing my fingers it all works out.

I have to sign on this afternoon and I'm having a hard time getting motivated to get out of bed.

Today's YRB t-shirt of the day...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3442/3217880440_e0d62ac284_o.jpg

IT IS THE MOST SPACEROCK T-SHIRT EVER!!!

IT IS THE SPACE SHUTTLE DELIVERING A PAYLOAD OF A DRUM MACHINE TO A DJ-ING ASTRONAUT!!! HOW COOL IS THAT!?!?!?!??!?!!?/

...and as I wrote that, another headhunter rang.

Were they looking for Herbie?

I feel REEEEEAAAAALLLY dirty. One of the teenagers just posted a picture of his nipples to Flickr and I feel REALLY REALLY DIRTY for looking at it, but, like, no one posts pictures of their nipples to the internets unless they want people to look at them, so... but still! He's massively underage and I shouldn't be looking at that!

At least I figured out what has been waking me up at these ungodly hours.

IT IS MY STUPID UPSTAIRS NEIGHBOUR'S STUPID BOYFRIEND SNEAKING DOWN TO HAVE CIGARETTES AT UNGODLY TIMES OF THE MORNING AND SLAMMING THEIR FRONT DOOR ONLY FEET FROM MY HEAD WHEN HE DOES SO.

Ohmygod, worst. thing. ever. Following some random links from Dance_Is_Gay I accidentally wandered into MOMUSLASH.

Ow. Mine eyes. Mine poor eyes.

Blimey! Momus blog be bad enough, what can momuslash be like? (Don't answer that)

I'm getting cold shivers just thinking about it.

I backed out very quickly before I could actually see anything that disturbed me, but as far as I could figure out, it involved the eyepatched one getting it on with Franz Ferdinand. YEEKS. nonononononononoooo.

The internet is weirder than any of us could ever imagine.

Franz?

Oh, it's Burns Night soon, isn't it?

Yes, and I have my haggis already. (Actually, I have three of them, coz there was a sale, but I put two of them in the freezer.)

I have GOT to get off LiveJournal. It's just totally compulsive. I keep reading these things, peeking between my fingers, like NOOOO they are not gonna go there... wait, they just went there. I just found this three-way slash between Justice and Erol Alkan that was just... uuuuhhhhh... make it stop make it stop. No, wait, just a little bit more. ARGH. MINE EYES. It's like a carcrash, I can't look away.

Why is pr0nography just SO ADDICTIVE?!?!? MUST GET OUT OF BED AND DO LAUNDRY AND GO TO DOCTOR.

To be honest I've never found it very addictive. Maybe I'm just strange.

I wish the news would stop going on about the RECESSION already. We know we're in it. We know what the government is doing. We know what Cameron thinks of these plans. If I never here or read another OMG WE'RE FUCKED article from Robert Peston, Will Hutton, etc, etc it will be too soon. What the fuck am I supposed to do about it?

Of course it's not addictive to you, FP, you are not and have never been a teenage girl!

What I really hate, Ned, is every time I log onto my email to check the status of my job applications, I get these news stories about HOW MANY MORE JOBS HAVE BEEN MADE REDUNDANT TODAY. It's really not very happy-making to be trying to look for work, and see articles about how 3000 more people are made unemployed by this company or that company.

Stop throwing money at the banks, who are the people who lost the freaking money in the first place, and throw it at us people who have no money and need to pay our mortgages to stop them from defaulting and starting the vicious circle all over again.

I'm with you on all those news stories. "X number of people have lost their jobs" all the bloody time. There are a lot less job vacancies around now than there were three months ago, it feels, too.

It's these bastards who need to be kept on a leash.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jan/23/barclays-short-selling-hedge-fund

As I'm not depressed enough, I keep scratching at my wounds rereading all these financial crises articles. Gah. someone tell me this too will pass SOON. Please!

I was gonna say! I thought short selling was banned.

It was a time limited ban which expired a week or so ago.

WELL, BAN IT BACK!!!

Man am I glad I didn't get that job in a hedge fund that I was all interviewing for last year.

I'm not sure I understand why they didn't extent the ban.

Looking for a job in a recession is one of the more depressing tasks ever.

So we got *another* Claire Keegan book in the post today. This time there was a little receipt in the package, so I could see that the sender was my dad. Who is, for some reason, sending us Claire Keegan books.

I wonder if CMU does anything for burns night what with our founder being scottish and and us all being tartans wahey and that.

Does this make it more or less mysterious?

G00blar's claire keegan problem, not cmu wahey.

This is why I'm reading terrible slash and not looking for a job at all. It's too depressing.

Nothing came in my post today but a shoegaze comp to review, and a letter from my mortgage company saying my mortgage is going down by another £25 a month. Which is nice, but... I'm basically still fuX0red.

Yeah, CMU was founded by a relative of mine, so they ought to be dead Scottish and all, shouldn't they?

Those Barclays shortsellers make me wish that SUGGEST BAN worked IRL.

thanks to the lifted ban, KredietBank is now in deep shit. Kneehigh.
I would say: hurrah for gold being so high because we're worth more but noone comes to buy jewellery when it's as high as it is now. *sigh*

Yeah it's still mysterious, but more like an addition to the ever-growing mystery that is my father's behavior as he gets older. xposts obv

scottish things about CMU

founded by a scot
we are the tartans
our mascot is a scottie dog
Only place in the US you can major in bagpipes
School of Computer science banner is a red lion rampant of a field of green and tartan although on closer inspection it is a welsh dragon rotated through 90 degrees

This is just too depressing, I found out I'm even broker than I thought because not just did the pound sink so low against the dollar, but the hotel waited until after I got home to put teh charge through. ARGH.

I'm gonna go look at cheesey French DJs raping each other, that's far less depressing.

Only place in the US you can major in bagpipes

lies!

x-post. That doesn't surprise me at all. The Carnegies are the particularly SCOTTISH branch of the family.

apparently the college of fine arts had a burns supper last year so maybe I should wander through there and check for posters.

Good lord, it's true what they say about aging. Doctors and policemen get younger and younger.

My new doctor is, honestly, about 12. He is also the prettiest pointy-nosed ginger Scotsman I've seen in ages. This is not a good combination. It doesn't inspire me to tell him about my medical problems, that's for certain. It's the first time I've ever gone "ohmigod, are you old enough to be a doctor?" which was probably not very tactful as he insisted he was nearly the same age as me.

I don't know why they keep calling me in every few months. He was all "What can I do for you?" I shrugged and said "I don't know, you lot sent for me and told me to come in." They just want to check that the medication is still working and I'm still alive or something. How am I? Up and down. That's what it's like being bipolar, I don't expect it to change any time soon.

Sigh. I told him that I'd been getting ophthalmic migraines again, and he was all "yeah, that's a side effect of the meds" and that's that.

Well, I've just joined twitter. Will this ruin my life? Anyone else stupid enough to sign up for it?

Nope. I'v heard of it ut have no idea what it actually is. I don't have facebook either.

Been a busy week or sp running it, but the full results have now been announced on the not exactly 100% true metal poll have a quick look. Even if it's just to see the album artwork.

A quick list rundown from 100-1 is also Here

Some of these albums were available in cookie form last year..

Forsooth I am out-bearded.

I had no idea what you were talking about until I saw yr Flickr.

I have MASTERED the art of House Piano breaks and I have now succeeded in turning Nu Rave into Old Skool Rave.

Shoot me. Now.

SAw the Hackensaw boys last night great show in a great venue, they play for about 2 hours with no breaks, I have no idea how you bluegrass for that long, I have to get me an instrument here.

the secret, my dad says, is MOONSHINE.

God, I've been reading the Guardian in bed (as is Saturday tradition) and they have this whole pull out section GUIDE TO DATING and reading it is making me think that I should start DATING again which would obviously be a totally terrible idea, but it all somehow makes it look so easy and non-traumatic.

I think it's all just a giant advert for Soulmates.

"Find someone who likes what you like" yeah, right. There is no boy that likes what I like. Want one DDB who's a bit of a hippie with a secret goth shame but likes drum machines and vintage synths and art nouveau and megaliths - oh god I've just realised my ideal man is Julian Cope. Help me.

No, no, no, no. No dating for Kates.

Well, I've just joined twitter. Will this ruin my life? Anyone else stupid enough to sign up for it?

I'm stevienixed on there. I know fuckall about it. What is one supposed to do?

just say whatever you are doing RIGHT NOW. I'll add you!

YAY!

I need to finish reading the Guardian. It's not fair. The cover of the Weekend magazine is all about THE JOY OF GINGERS and then there's this pull-out section on dating. LIke, get me all exciting with the redhead pr0n and then tell me I should be dating. What are you trying to do to me? Get me to leave the flat or something?

I need to do a minor clean in order to make space for this band rehearsal thing this afternoon. And stop googling drum machines.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/music/newsid_7846000/7846920.stm

Alex was right, though!

James, who will again play with Blur when they reform for a series of gigs this summer, explained that he, Hirst and Strummer preferred forgotten indie band Murry The Hump to Coldplay.

half right?

I have never heard Murray the Hump, but I am quite certain they are better than Coldplay.

Insomnia, how I hate you...

Job interview, bah. I want to be writing rubbish squelchy music.

Morning. Today's my going-down-the-job-centre day.

Hi. Today's my calling-the-supposed-job-to-see-if-it's-still-on day.

Fingers crossed for all of us by the sound of things then. Although, my trips down the job centre tend to follow a set script now:

FP: "Hello"

Over-worked job centre clerk: "So your book says you've read the local papers and checked for jobs online every day?"

FP: "Yes"

OWJCC: "And you've applied for all the relevant jobs?"

FP: "Yes. But it's been very quiet this week."

OWJCC: "Yes. We know. Let's have a look on our system for you"

*click click click*

OWJCC: "No, we don't have any either. See you next time - hopefully not though!" *forced laughter*

ugh. that sounds just like I thought a job centre would be like.

Yeah, pretty much. I try to cheer myself up with the snobbish thought that at least I can hold up my end of the conversation better than the other customers.

And at least today Kim is off work and is going to take me out for a nice lunch afterwards. Hurrah!

That sounds like incentive enough.

holy shit the internet tells me there's not been a biography written on Carole King? I think I might have to write it.

It's too late.

(you see what I did there?)

*applause*

I won a cheap 60s japanese made electro acoustic mandolin on eBay looks very much like it would have been at home on the shelves of woolworths. Let's see if it was $120 well spent.

I am back from the Jobcentre. (Today is my signing on day, too) Yup. Guy looked at my booklet. "You've been looking for work as a computer programmer?" "Yup, just come back from a job interview this morning.." "OK, carry on then. Thanks. See ya."

Was pretty painless, actually. JUST GIVE ME THE MONEY.

Then I went to HMV to buy some dance CDs I'm too embarrassed to admit purchasing and accidentally saw Franz Ferdinand by mistake. They were OK - not as bad as I thought they'd be, but nothing to write home about. I didn't fancy the one you're supposed to fancy, I kinda fancied the chubby, slightly ginger, really Scottish looking one. Oops.

And! It turned out that the job I interviewed for was actually really REALLY interesting, not what I thought at all. It's a new department being created - I'm not sure if I can even talk about what it would be doing - kind of Millar-esque, actually, from the sounds of it.

It's quite weird, we had an interesting talk about it, because I said that one of the projects they'll be handling, I don't really agree with the politics of it, however, if they are going to go ahead and do it anyway, and someone *HAS* to look after the MI on it, I'd much rather it was someone like me, who is 100% accurate and painfully honest than the usual schlub programmers you get f*cking up something that important.

Does that sound really arrogant? I hope not. I hope it was kinda the right thing to say, but a data analyst is only ever as good as their data is clean and they are honest and accurate.

Just remember with the UK civil service you leave your politics at the door. But what you said sounds like the right attitude.

Yeah, if I get this job, I wouldn't allowed to stand for office, or even make public declarations about politics - not that I participate much in ILX political discussions anyway, but would that mean I couldn't make the occasional BORIS JOHNSON AARRRLGHGHKHKJHJKHKHJKHRRLJRLRKJ post? Surely not.

Why does Kate have a Glovebox and what is she going to do with it?

I'm getting really worried about my taste in music, it's going totally to pot. I very nearly bought "Donna Summer: the 12" Moroder Singles" for £7. Eeep.

Hello, all.

Kate, we all know the part of your libido that gets off on BJ (fnarr) cannot in itself cast a ballot, so crack on.

NEWS FLASH: I now have a working kitchen. Dinner will be served, even with the capola pans I have to make do with. Ed, can you recommend cheap/nice for an electric hob?

MOR0DER!!"£!

What is the Guardian saying about gingers? Are gingers IN now? Are overweight 30ish ginger women with facial scars the new look for '09? I am sure they are!

Good luck w/jobs, all. I need fewer of my friends and fellow internet mentalists to be unemployed so I don't feel so bad complaining about having to go to work. Or something.

Gingers are TOTALLY IN!!!! You are TOTALLY FASHION.

I can't really afford to take a chance on crap Donna Summer albums, even if they are Moroder produced, I know there's so much crap out there that I'm kind of lost at sea.

What I really want to know, thought, is...

WHAT TIME IS LUNCH?!?!?!

uh-huh uh-huh uh-huh mu mu mu mu etc.

I am so hungry, I forgot to eat lunch.

Suzy, you won't want to hear this but ikea 365+ range is good for the cheap and decent pans. Otherwise hand around like a vulture and wait for someone to go out of business.

Kate, you realise from here if you turn left its a short road to jazz fusion and turn right you'll be in detroit with a 303.

It's your speakers. They have perverted me. I just want to listen to things with LOTS OF BASS to make the mattress shake. And if there's one thing that pretentious French dance duos are good at it's shaking the mattress.

(xposts)
That's fair, I would've held it in my paws for a good long time and then admitted that I only really (really) like "I Feel Love" and put it back again. But I have had "Son of my Father" in my head all week...

PS all for the 303 option combining with yr newly mastered ravey piano breaks and the old motorik bubblegum thing. This may be my idea of the perfect record. No jazz fusion though pls. (Well, mostly not, not yet anyway.)

I don't know whether to be delighted that it's hometime or pissed off that a sudden week-away deadline has appeared and I have managed to make 0 useful progress today, what with breaking things instead.

I need a way to get BASS from my speakers, as they offer no bass in 99% of positions in my room except in the one corner where there is enough bass for headaches, which is also not ideal.

Ed, if you find a place that does those griddles that are essential for fry-ups and hamburgers, let me know. I'm a month away from 365+.

I'm not even sure I know what jazz fusion is, but it sounds DREADFUL. Is that like a cross between Fusion and Acid Jazz? Worst genre idea ever!

I think I'm going to lock myself in the house for the next week and read the Illuminatus Trilogy and Foucault's Pendulum and write an acid bubblegum rave anthem about, um, homeland security. And hope they give me the job.

I'm mainly looking for the 8 minute extended version of I Feel Love which they used to put on at Kosmische every time one of the DJs needed a bathroom break. But I also love Love To Love You Baby. But I don't want to have to deal with Hot Stuff and Macarthur Park in order to get it.

I feel love is the greatest single ever. There's a cracking remix that sounds like its i feel love as done by robert fripp.

which might be what kate is talking about. I used to have the mp3. Was awesome.

I would have said woolies for a cheap good griddle, try Robert Dyas or Agros, or maybe down chapel market or riddley road.

I got mine in the itallian equivalent of a dollar store.

AAAALLLLL BOUND FOR MU-MU LAND!!!!

uh, wait, what were we talking about?

Agros? is that like a Ned/Chav version of Argos?

Maybe Julian Cope isn't my perfect man, maybe Bill Dummond is. Hrmmm.

Julian Cope likes his Doom/Stoner/Psychedelic/Drone/Caveman/Metal.

And you though I was out of character for enjoying Boris in the gym.

My job centre appointment was even quicker today - the clerk admitted that he was trying to do two people's work today, so barely had time for me to come in, sign the slip and leave.

Are they *supposed* to do anything else?

I've only ever been to Jobcentres in London, and they're utterly uninterested in actually finding you work. They just want you to get on with it.

Well, there's the whole take-you-through-what-you-did-this-fortnight bit, which got skipped.

They seem very uninterested here too, if you tell them the slightest bit of evidence that you've been doing some job-seeking yourself. I guess there are plenty of people who not only need a kick up the arse to get them to look for work, and also can't be arsed to lie about looking for work when they go to sign.

This is making interesting insomnia reading...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/magazine/25desire-t.html?_r=1&em

wow, you really are still on US time. I am considering pootling off to bed soon.

I just woke up! I went to bed at 10pm coz I couldnt' keep my eyes open!

I have never had this long-lasting jet lag before in my life. :-(

hmm, maybe tonight go to bed at six.

Eventually, you'll work yourself around the clock!

After five months the Job Centre told me to ring some cleaning firms who were looking for admin assistants, but one of them was never in and never rang me back, and the other took my CV and never rang me back.

I hate working in IT and don't feel I could get another IT job because computing skillz are out of date within months unless you spend all your spare time (what spare time?) polishing them, but once you've started on the IT ladder good luck getting a non-IT job, cz they all think you'll be off the next morning when someone throws crazy money at you to push some buttons or something. You know, the magic button you press when someone asks you for a database and then doesn't know what fields or front-end they want or who's going to use it.

(grumble)

I've never kept my IT skills up to date and still manage to find other IT jobs - I think it's more about being IT literate and being able to speak their lingo, they know how fast it changes. Learning is part of the job. I couldn't imagine going back to non-IT work at this point because I have become a geek.

Had another headhunter this morning. He asked me to fill out an 'interview sheet' that told him where I had already put in applications - and then asked me to keep the role he was putting me forward to 'under my hat.'

UM. You want my contacts but are not prepared to share yours? What, so you're going to ring the places I've interviewed and try to put one of your own people in there and maneuver me out of a job? I don't think so.

I am trying to get up the nerve to check my dating site mail.

Another headhunter. And then a giant BOX turned up at my door, special delivery. I haven't even opened it. I'm so rubbish.

Open the box.

Open the box.

Take the Money!

Oh, I know what it is, that's why I'm not in such a hurry to open it.

Also, I'm quite worried that it'll all be broken, which would suck.

tease

Alright, alright, I'll open the box. Shall I get my camera for the occasion, and liveblog it?

Right, where's my camera?

(xpost) Yes. I crave excitement.

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa299/yupko/LolCatRenderer2aspxtophopefullythey.com.jpg

MYSTERIOUS BOX, UNOPENED:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3419/3231560564_4626a22d3f_o.jpg

The seal is broken... can you tell what it is yet?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3262/3230722099_5d6e74ff15_o.jpg

Earthenware pot and kettle?

Not even close.

First layer contains... South African stinkwood vase, paperweight containing some of THE FEINBOS, a Victorian looking hatbox (or cake box? Hard to tell) and my Great Uncle MacGlashan's school exercise book - filled with stories which may have been written by him, or may have been written by my Great Grandmother, because there are two distinct handwritings in it. Oh, and a matchbox with some ickle, tiny playing cards in it!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/3231600054_ab7c883971_o.jpg

I was just about to guess all those things, dammmmn.

WHAT'S IN THE HAT BOX?!?!?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3392/3231618166_a84f39583c_o.jpg

My grandfather's medals, my grandmother's costume jewelry and gem eggs (lots of tiger eye, in case you'd forgotten our South African heritage) and most important of all - a silver cup measuring exactly A WEE DRAM.

Wow, that is beautiful.

I am sitting in the cafe in the business school, I like it here, they always have the 80s rock station on

I GOT TWO TICKETS TO PARADISE, TWO TICKETS TO PARADISE.

Another layer of the Mysterious Box contains... a blue vase of a kind of South African pottery that my dad told me the name of (Droste?) but I have forgotten. Another box of costume jewelry. My grandmother's confirmation certificate*, two wooden carvings of birds that one of my grandfather's students did for him when he was a school inspector in the Transkei, a glass specimen case (label on the back illegible) and a tin coronation tea box containing - and I kid you not - *actual* glass cats. Eep. (I always susected that branch of the family had no taste.) All on a tablecloth depicting various native South African plants.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3414/3230830477_7435d06ecf_o.jpg

*There is a story behind this, which I shall tell shortly...

Story: my family are full of notorious atheists and freethinkers. My father wasn't baptised until he got to boarding school, at which point, some noxious clergyman from The Wrong Religion (might have been Catholic, but I can't remember - could just have easily been Dutch Reformed aka Much Deformed) got his clutches on him, and was going to induct him into his particular religion - so my gran had to swoop in and get him baptised post-haste into the far more acceptable Church of England. However, the priest wouldn't do it unless *she* converted - so Gran and Dad marched up to the local C of E church, she got confirmed, he got baptised and his soul was safe was to carry on in gentle Anglican atheism.

LAST MYSTERIOUS BOX PHOTO...

Saving the best for last, the Mysterious Box contained, on its bottom layer... My grandmother's metronome (she was a concert grade pianist in her youth), a phial of Isle of Wight sands (apparently, I have family on the Isle of Wight that I've never found - but it's funny that these sands started in Britain, went to South Africa, then to California, only to end up back in Britain), a crystal ball, that jewelry case again and...

Now this is the coolest thing of all! Teach yourself !Xhosa records! !Xhosa is an African language with clicks and pops as part of its phonetic system. Also, it's very tonal, sentences are sung as much as spoken - and words or phrases can have different meanings depending on whether they're rising or falling - or even if they're spoken on an in-breath or an out-breath. It's a fascinating language, and I can't wait to hear these records!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3534/3230867061_4b2b7544e2_o.jpg

Now that was a wonderful waste of an afternoon for me - did you all enjoy that?

Yes!

Now what do I do with the rest of the day? I was going to do something but can't remember what it was...

sleep!

You'll be awake by 8, and might then crash at 12 or so!

!Xhosa records, awesome! I think I found an mp3 of a traditional Xhosa song about the dung beetle somewhere on the interwebs.

"Skryfboek" is a good word too.

"the Xhosa language famously has fifteen click sounds"

I don't think I can even make fifteen distinct mouth-clicks. But for the sake of my officemates I won't count them right now...

What if the vinyl crackles and you teach yourself some rude words by mistake?

This is all going to be part of the excitement! I can't do the clicks - at all. My mum can do them, because she was raised by a !Xhosa nursemaid. And my brother can kind of do them, but I'm useless.

Afrikaans just has the weirdest words - it's like medieval Dutch spelled all wrong. I wonder what the literal translation of Skryfboek is - it sounds like scratchbook or sketchbook.

I think I'm going to eat some curry and spend the rest of the day watching CRIME FIGHTING MATHEMATICIANS on Numb3rs.

Kate, did you see the paranoid metal detectors v. the archaeologists on Time Team?

Guessing "skryf" is just something to do with "write" (cf ecriver, schreiben, scribe), but I don't know Dutch of any variety.

There's a guy I talk to at my bus stop who has an accent I couldn't place for ages, seemed kind of Northern European but not quite, and eventually he said something about following the rugby and I realised he's probably South African, but it's not the SA accent I'm used to at all (though there are elements of it), so my best guess is it's a more Afrikaans-derived SA accent. (Hey, I'm in the sticks, we don't get many foreign accents of any variety out here)

Err... I was going somewhere with this, but I've forgotten where, and now it's pretty much hometime. At last...

sorry to jump in the middle here, and hello, but Ed! what kind of japanese mando?

missed Time Team. :-(

Hott mathematician is HOTTTTT (with exponential Ts)

I really really REEEEAAALLY feel like I'm being totally marketed to with this programme.

http://media.movieweb.com/news/02.2007/d_krumholtz.jpg

I wish actual maths geeks were half as sexy as this actor dude who plays him. Sigh.

It is a Rythmnline, hopefully this works as an image:

http://www.esellitny.com/ebay_photos/0109-00591/standard/0109-00591_003.JPG

I'd like a Morgan Monroe MMS-7 or Rickenbacker 5002 but this will do for now and might be quite fun.

the MMS-7 has possibly the prittiest finish ever applied to the front of a musical instrument:

http://www.morganmonroe.com/sites/www.morganmonroe.com/photos/Mandolins/MMS-7.jpg

and the rick 5002 is just cute

http://www.emando.com/images/builders/Rickenbacker/Rickenbacker_5002V58.jpg

i think i can id the actual manufacturer on that because of the pickup, will return w/info. very cool, btw, and if i'm right about the pickup that will sound great.

It was being sold by a consignment place and v. poorly described (called a Reythmnline in the description due to the curl on the 'R' I think) but I thought was worth a punt for less than $150 and it came in at $120.

Why didn't you take one of the instruments you already have, Ed? You are starting to accumulate.

I need to find a project to do today as I'm feeling discouraged and blah.

Also, it is raining which means I can't exercise which makes me feel even more blah.

And I have to get up and go to the shops to get milk. In the rain. Extra super blah.

Well, you win some, you lose some.

Dating site is being an absolute wash-out, but I've had two chase-ups from headhunters, both telling me I'm in a very strong position for the role.

I saw Paranoid Metal Detectorists Vs. Equally Paranoid Archaeologists on Time Team - it all seemed very strange and, er, paranoid. The site is somewhere along the River Derwent between Selby and York, I'm guessing; the Selby local rag was one of those thanked in the credits for providing press clippings, and that area has the sort of very, very sandy soil that they were digging through.

In fact, given the soil conditions, they were lucky to find a burial - in soil that sandy and acidic, you could easily lose a body entirely over 1000 years. "We came across indications of bone so we cleaned them up and found this (body)" said one archaeologist - they were *fucking* lucky, because in those conditions "indications" - dark shadows in the soil left by decomposed bone material - could be all that was left of the body; you clean them up a bit too energetically, your burial's gone to the spoil heap.

Got very stressed out over an application form yesterday that had to be filled out on paper, in handwriting. It took me about 20 goes to write out my personal statement without mistakes - I'm not exaggerating.

Ugh, I hate having to fill things out in longhand. I do have good handwriting, but... stress makes one make spelling errors that are really stupid.

Why was everyone so paranoid on Time Team? That's not like them!

The detectorers had found like 7000 coins over a decade and had split the proceeds equally with the landowner, selling all the Roman and Viking bits they'd found and their private market sales were higher than the estimations they were getting from the BM. So they were well-cast in the role of 'autodidacts who knew better'. The archeologists were not the usual TT crew because it was a SUPER SECRET DIG but they were crap because of this.

The internet is boring me today, Except for Potter dressing up as a 1920s sci fi film villain...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3428/3231977669_2e0c6e6470.jpg

Anyone seen Mitya around? You might need him here http://rolcats.wordpress.com/

Errrrr... that treads the fine line between hiliarious and just plain odd. I'll ask my brother if the translations are accurate.

Looking at the form we're going to have to fill out so that our (still unborn) little one will be able to remain in the UK as our dependant, there's this bit:

How did the dependant enter the United Kingdom?

• By air
• By sea
• By channel tunnel

Well, if that's not "Channel Tunnel"

(slap me)

HA HHAAHAHAHAHAHAH, OK, that is hilarious.

Do you automatically become a UK citizen if you're born here? Or do you have to be born to a UK citizen to count? That would be funny of J00nlar is a UK citizens but his or her parents aren't!

alas, if you're born in the uk to non-citizens, you do not automatically become a citizen. She'll be able to apply for citizenship if (and when) she's lived here for 10 years.

If I get the job I really want, I'm going to have to learn all this...

Oh man, what's wrong with me? I'm totally putting off replying to the bloke on the dating site that I really like, because, like, I'm trying to compose the *perfect* message. Well, mainly be *concise* and not go rambling on about Hawkwind live albums and stone circles. Now suddenly it feels like this... pressure of, like... aaahh wow.

So I'm dashing off quick replies to less immediately interesting blokes (who may be great blokes, I'm sure) and spending longer trying to come up with a nice email to this bloke, and he'll think I HAAAAAATE him or am less interested because I'm not replying as quickly and ARGH I'm overthinking this.

Totally FAILed at not babbling. Oh god.

Anyway, whatever. If someone were actually my "soul mate" (whatever that is supposed to mean) they would understand my babbling on about T.C. Lethbridge.

I cannot shake the feeling that I know him, or at least know of him, that he's a friend of a friend. He sent me his band's MySpace and we've just got too many MySpace Friends in common. Watch him be an ILX0r. Eep.

Was at http://www.braehead.co.uk/ and http://www.xscape.co.uk/snow/braehead/whats-inside/paradise-island-golf/ yesterday with my mum and dad, their friends from spain and their two kids. (the mother is english and both kids are fluent in english and spanish)

hahaha http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7857469.stm

I just ate the most massive haggis before rehearsal.

And now I want the most massive nap.

I think we are ready for this gig tomorrow. And if we are not... well, we are where we are!

Blind dating advice, please! I have forgotten how to do it. Krautrock-loving megalith-hunting bass-playing boy asked me to go for a drink. Eeeeeeep! (n.b. it is not Julian Cope. Honest.)

No one cares.

;________________;

Go!

Have a job interview in an hour. But they are going to phone me, so at least I don't have to get out of bed or get dressed or anything like that. Eeep. nervous and do not really know how to prepare - at least when it's a F2F interview, you're too concerned with travelling and getting there on time to worry about other stuff much.

So long as I don't start getting confused between job interviewing and blind dating. My whole life feels like a process of evaluation right now.

Half an hour now.

My stomach ache is back. Well, it's not really stomach ache, it's the lower right hand side of my abdomen, too low to be my actual stomach. I've had it for days - possibly even weeks. If it's not gone by Monday I'm going to have to go back and pester the doctor. Which I don't want to do because he's 12 and cute.

The job interview went OK, actually. It's scary how I've got good at job interviews again.

Job interviews are very much like riding a bike, in that you never forget how rather tha.... or maybe I should make some kind of gyroscope analogy.

I'm intrigued by the show, wish I could be there, you even got me to log into myspace for the first time in ages to find out what was going on.

E is arriving today and I am tracking her plane's progress with some degree of obsessiveness. The plane, although not her started in Amedahbad, has been to Bombay and is now showing that it has landed both on-time and 83 minutes late at heathrow. The last couple of days it has been 3 and 4 hours late which means she would miss the connection to Pittsburgh.

Who knew the internet would be so good at driving obsessive behaviour.

But you CAN forget how to ride a bike, as I am living proof!

(This is where Emsk chimes in and says I'VE SEEN YOU RIDE A BIKE!)

It's not about forgetting how, it's more about feeling confident with your abilities and your subject. Last time round, my confidence was shot. Now I feel like, if it's about Crystal, I know it inside and out, so I can be relaxed and friendly.

What, the internet fuelling obsessive behaviour? What, with its Flickrs and Twitters and MySpace and Facebook updates? NEVAR!!!!! I hope she makes her connection, though. Missing planes is awful.

(I just accidentally turned into Dana Scully in an email to Krautrock Boy. Oops! But that's OK, right? Dana Scully is, like, an international geek girl sex symbol, right? Eep.)

Even now, yep.

Even is no one else cares I have to post this because it made me laugh, a lot.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/1/29/1233222570407/Steve-Bells-If-...-29.01.-006.jpg

yes I know he wheels this joke out for every recession but it is still a good one.

so, sell dead dogs you aint got now, and buy them just before close of period, right?

I think you have o start on monday

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/cartoon/2009/jan/26/steve-bell-if-banking-crisis

I've never really *got* Steve Bell. And I find his drawing style rather irritating.

I, also, am proof it is possible to forget to ride a bike. Or rather, the last time I tried, I quickly realised I could cycle in straight lines but not round corners. This limited my cycling options somewhat.

How can you forget to ride a bike????

My procedural/kinetic memory is not particularly good. I often also forget things like, how to play certain guitar solos.

Kerr: by not riding a bike for years!

Eh, this job is very tiring and the hours are loooong. I am never on the interweb. It's a bit sucky, that aspect of it. Nice to actually have some money tho.

Two days ago I exercised my legal duty to pull the main fuse from someone's house because the wiring was so dangerous! Thrilling shit, eh. Pretty scary to see, actually.

PASH!!!! Lovely to see you. We have missed you.

Here we are at our gig, waiting for soundcheck...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3116/3239713440_706c6ef256_o.jpg

Good luck, wish I were there.

Ha ha, we have just played - I managed to actually get shots of us ONSTAGE while pretending to fiddle with my sampler...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3337/3239009735_705d836cef_o.jpg

HOW'S THAT FOR LIVEBLOGGING AT GIGS LIKE A FREAKING WILLIAMSBURG HIPSTER?!?!?

If you're concerned about audience members taking pics and blogging the gigs, what happens if the performers start doing it, too?

looks awesome fun

It was! It was really super-crowded, which was a bit... weird. Like, i actually had to kick people off the "stage" so I could sit down and play (it was in the upstairs room of a very busy pub). But we did just go into it with the idea of "let's just have a good time, no matter what."

We totally confused people. We played with 3 other really really blokey guitar bands (2 covers bands - one Clash covers band and an 80s covers band - who upset me a bit by playing a guitary guitary version of Ordinary World by Duran Duran -without synth, what are you thinking? - and a sort of Alternative band, who were good, very solid band, but a bit too blokey for me) and we were the only girls, and the only synth band. We felt a bit like Erasure playing with Status Quo! But, erm, all the boys stood there with their arms crossed, like "WTF?!?!?" while all the girls started grinning and jiggling about and then dancing up front.

All in all, yes, we are going to do it again! Certainly.

This may be a stupid question, but WTF is board 77 about? From the random threads that appear over here, it looks like it's like the Noize board but even *more* totally high school? Is that about it?

it's also secret http://cache.hyves-static.net/images/smilies/default/smiley_ninja.gif

Can we have our own secret board for Watercooler threads? In which case, erm, well... even less people would post to them than normal. Hrmmm.

Or, maybe if it's SECRET, *everyone* will want to join!

77 is curtis borad

After talking to my mum, and her telling me that my constant ache in the lower right side of abdomen might be APPENDICITIS, I looked it up on the web, and I have all the symptoms (including some rather unacceptable ones that would be better described on ILTMI) and now I'm really worried.

Should I wait for the doctor on Monday (because if it *is* appendicitis, it won't go away) or should I ring NHS direct and/or go to the hospital ASAP?

I wish I was good at this sort of thing, but I'm not. I would wait until Monday, but that's because I'm a lazy type. You should not be taking advice from me.

Dont be stupid.
Dont wait, phone NHS direct/and or hospital.
Waiting is bad if it is appendicitis incase it burst. Take no chances. You wuill just be ill with worry if you just wait.

Chances are it will be fine and you dont have it. but why take the chance?

NHS Direct says contact your doctor immediately or go to hospital because it could burst. But I don't want to go to the Emergency Room on a Saturday night, especially around here - it'll be full of drunks!

If it hasn't got any better by tomorrow morning I will go to hospital. Trying to remember which is nearest - St. George's or that big one round the back of Brixton... oh what is it called. Not as far as Dulwich. The 63 goes by it. (Or is it the 68?)

Kings College Hospital. Should I go there or St. George's? I think St. George's is closer. I can get the bus. If the G1 runs at weekends.

Go now

I also just realised that I have been eating cabbage and vegetarian haggis since Burns night, and it could just be gas. Will wait and see.

just like Vyvyan

Don't light a match

Anyway, it's moved from my right side to the left side, which means it's almost certainly not appendicitis as I have no appendix on my left side.

Have you seen ALIEN?

This morning I feel much better, and would have felt really really stupid had I gone to the hospital to be told that it was indigestion!

Back up and bouncing and writing slash... oh dear, this is a slight dilemma. Is it wrong to have got into a band because of the slash? Like... I kept reading slash that they would be involved with and thinking "hrmmmm" and so I got one of the albums - and discovered that I really really like it. Even though it's way outside the sort of music I would normally like.

So I'm wondering if I only gave it a chance because of the pr0n. Which isn't a very valid reason to get into music, is it?

But then again, I do actually enjoy the music, as music (even though it's not really what I would normally listen to.) And I'm not just listening to it in the hopes that they'll start touching each other up in the middle of their sets. (Though from the pictures, it looks like they have been known to do this. Oh, E, what you did for slash...)

Also... it is NOT an alien. I have visited no strange asteroids recently. Except No. 4.

Nah, I don't think it really matters why you get into something if you end up actually liking it for itself. It's only if you can tell that you're forcing yourself to add the 'liking the music' bit to the 'liking the pr0n' bit, because you feel guilty or want to add substance or something, that it gets problematic.

I'm not forcing myself to like it, it's just... oh, my secret dance shame.

It's blood snowing down here. I was going to walk to Brixton to have a drink with the novelist, but no way if it's snowing.

But snow is ace! We had snow here for a bit, think it's stopped now and hasn't yet settled. If it snows tomorrow I might wander down to the pier in my duffle and just watch it be all wintry.

I'm not twee, honest.

Aw, man, snow over the sea is the best thing ever! There's nothing twee about that! I wish I had a pier near me - not just for watching snow from but because I love piers. (Especially that one in Brighton because of the whooshy noise the sea makes on the pebbles by it.)

My dad still hasn't mail me all my pierpics from Cali.

I meant BLOODY SNOWING not blood snowing, which sounds like something awful. Like blood diamonds, blood snow - sounds like some kind of dodgy metaphor for drugs.

ha hahahahah ha my teenagers just made the best macro ever. They want me to write an orgy. Am I up for the challenge? I shouldn't be doing this, seriously. But...

http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/2008/11/16/128713368267454775.jpg

makes me laugh like a drain.

LOOOOOOOL.

OK, I've been CHALLENGED now. I'm going to have to do it - my HONOUR as a slash writer is at stake.

I am so deeply ashamed of myself, but...

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj259/sunjuju/justees/UNFUNFUNFUNF.jpg

THIS IS RELEVANT TO MY INTERESTS!!!!!

I've never done DJ slash before. (Wait, DJ Slash - isn't that an ILM poster? If not, it should be.)

Because someone else. please, explain what else could possibly be going on here...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v72/burning-wings/lolol-1.jpg

Appendicitis can flare up and disappear again in the space of a few hours. It can also manifest as a pain on either side of the body. I should know - I had it for years without realizing. Eventually I had to get taken by ambulance to hospital in the middle of the night to get an emergency appendectomy.

I bet the doctors office is closed this morning, so I couldn't go, even if I wanted to. Hurrah! I'm slightly relieved, to be honest. It's back a bit this morning, but probably just the cold.

Aaaaah, I am loving this snow so so soooo much.

Why are my photos not uploading? I've been trying for over an hour at this point! This is ridiculous.

it is because of the SNOW!!

oh my god i feel so naughty. at home! on a monday! eating breakfast! wearing clothes!

the rest of the world must be pissing itself as britain grinds to a halt due to like 15 cm of snow...

also, hello :)

ello, you!!!

Nah, this is proper snow. I've seen NYC grind to a halt over 6" of snow.

Plus, also, it's hit us worse because IT NEVER HAPPENS - places like Buffalo and Moscow have things in place to deal with it - snowploughs, roadsalters, stuff the clear the tracks. We've got nothing.

And I kinda like the way that the whole city has just... stopped.

I do actually think my Flickr upload had just... FROZEN (heh heh, fnar) - I'm gonna stop it and try uploading them individually.

There's no way to actually tell, once it's in process, if it's still moving. And I'm sorry, but it should not take an hour and a half to upload 6 pics of about 400k each, even on my connection.

I cancelled it and started again. Now it's moving.

Sunnyhill? More like SNOWYHILL, AMIRITE?!?!?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/3247167868_1e64257a71_o.jpg

Is that an giant faint MOON over fancy house/flats at the end, or a wisp of clouds or something?

I approve!

(We have snow but not enough to grind to a halt... yet. I suspect the walk to work would've been very pretty if I had been able to stop looking at the ground for long enough to notice, but since I started to slip twice I didn't dare)

oh i dunno. it's not like when i were a lass etc etc... used to be deep enough in our garden that i could crawl in and pretend it was an igloo.

Yeah, but that was Wales! This is London! Where you never get more than half a cm!

That's a pub, at the top of the road - the White Lion. I don't know what that is! I don't think it was the moon, it was far too overcast. It's entirely possible that it's a giant lump of snow landed on my lens, as that kept happening, and throwing the focus off, as the camera would try to focus on the snow and not on the street.

Also, Emsk, I am guessing when you was a lass - YOU WERE SMALLER, SO OF COURSE SNOW SEEMED BIGGER.

NOW I AM GOING OUTSIDE TO PLAY!!!!!

yeah but dude it was higher than my head, when i was like six or seven or so. If you're half your adult height when you're three (learned this from trivial pursuit so may not be true) that's still a shitload deeper than not-quite-up-to-my-knees.

SNOW!

"Yes?"

http://www.shaunoakes.com/images/snow.jpg

Today is K's "due date", but that doesn't seem to mean anything. That baby seems mighty warm and comfortable in there.

Yeah, due dates are "merely a suggestion" - if the weather is bad outside, I don't blame J00niar for stayin' in!

I've been down to the Common - it's so lovely out there. There's just such a friendly atmosphere, people are laughing and talking and joking on the street - minimal traffic, everyone on foot, about 75% people smiling to 25% upset and miserable about travel/work/etc. Cut off from London, Streatham feels like a village today. Just walking to the park and back (to make Snow Angels, natch) I have been greeted by/greeted all kinds of neighbours I never even saw before, let alone spoke to.

I wish it could stay like this forever!

Except, erm, we'd all run out of food eventually.

we just made the most fucked up snowman i ever saw. it has a tooth made out of broken glass and a mohawk and one plastic eyeball and another eye that keeps falling out of its socket.

Ha ha ha, a bunch of Polish kids made the HUUUUGEST snowman I ever saw up on Streatham Common! The lower half of his body alone is the size of a small car!

Tak, to jest sneg!

Sounds like you London ppl have had more snow than we have had here in Oxford. We came into the office, but are off home in a few minutes. This is actually my first day back after two weeks of shingles-imposed quarantine.

Hope you are feeling better, and are over the shingles! That shit is nasty. HOrrible painful.

I have *got* to stop reading Justice slash. It's too much. I keep having to look up random French words on the interweb. The fact that they are SOOOOOO French makes it so much funnier.

LE FAP LE FAP LE FAP LE FAP!

There's hardly any snow out this way - a light sprinkling and that's it.

it's snowing again here, massive big fluffy flakes.

Cheers Kate, yep, over it - unfortunately, I still have spots tho so am having to go to great lengths to emphasise that no, I am NOT infectious. Next week my pub quiz team have our audition for Eggheads, wish me luck!

No Slavic linguistic pedants pointing out the lack of an accent on the 's' of "sneg" then????

Lots of predictable "worst snow since records began blowing in from Russia" -type meejah shit today.

Good luck!

I'm trying to find an online Franglais dictionary that can handle phrases like "suck my cock, you big hairy gay" but I'm not having much luck.

I wonder what would happen if I ran Gaydar through the google translator. I'm imagining it wouldn't be great.

Note to self: Coup de Foudre and Coup de Foutre mean RATHER different things.

'sous ma bîte' may come in useful

I have my mandolin, although the new strings I got for it are taking a while to settle, the nut is a bit tight on the G strings, I may need to send away for some nickel wound as these bronze wound are a bit fat.

when I was a kid I had a microscope / telescope combined, the size of a big pen (it even had a clip on it so you could clip it to a shirt pocket). Whenever it snowed I would always put it against the window to check that all snowflakes (i) had six sides (ii) were different.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/MarkGrout/aaHelp.jpg

RUYS??

(Scooby doo)

Suggestions for getting me motivated, to get off the internet, to stop reading slash, and go out and DOOO something, please?

I'm going to have to go and dig my exercise machine out of a snowdrift now, but I need motivational suggestions for when I get back!

It's just really reeeeeaaaaallly hard to get off the internets, when I keep finding things like THIS on it...

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj259/sunjuju/justees/2140394321_af3fa38f0d_o.jpg

(Warning: not actually pr0nographic, but uh... not entirely safe for work, either...)

Really? Nothing to motivate me?

Right, I'm just going to have to spent the whole day in bed writing slash, then, and it will be ALL YOUR FAULT, ILX!!!

Well, it looks like I'm through to a second round of interviews for one job. Hurrah! Except why does it have to be the one that's so bloody far away?

Fine, I'll talk to myself, then.

Congratulations, Kate! Maybe you can transfer to one of their closer locations, like Epsom, or somewhere.

How are you enjoying that secret cache of Manic Street Slash you just found on the interweb?

Fuck yeah, that is the hottest shit I've ever read. In fact, teenage Erol Alkan getting anally "desecrated" by Richey Manic, that has to be the most ::BOING!:: moment of my entire online life.

Do you think the snow has cleared enough to go to the launderette?

OH NOES NOT THE LAUNDERETTE!!!!!!

God I am so fucking bored.

how come i can't start a thread? because i don't post enough? :-(

I'd post more pics but I lost my damn cable.

Anyway, yesterday the kids had made a big snowman, but it got vandalised at around 10pm last night.

RUYS??

― emsk,

wtf you just said my husband's family name

Bah, boo hiss to snowmen getting vandalised.

Ruys? Where the hell did Ruys come from anyway? Where did Emsk go?

Sorry, I'm still having trouble getting my mind out of Erol Alkan's prostrate, erm, I may need to go take a power, I mean, read more fffffffffic. Oy vey. My goodness. BRB.

I'm assuming that RUYS was what A&A are spelling out in semaphore, even if the "Help" album is more "NUJV" according to Wikipedia.

i know, it was sort of totally apropos of nothing :-)

The V is wrong, granted, but that first one is definitely N.

AAAAAAHHHHH, OK, that makes sense.

Aren't there different dialects of Semaphore?

This is a good thing for me to investigate today to stop me from just bingeing on.. uuuhhh... oh, wow, that's GOT to hurt!

http://www.winterbourne.freeuk.com/semaphore.gif

If you make a mistake, signal E eight times.

That sounds like me this morning - EEEEEEEEP!

Personally I prefer this sort of semaphore:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3177/3024758220_478b197320.jpg

Do you really think you're going to distract me from gay DJ pr0n with pictures of... ooh, nice semaphore!

What the hell? I don't think *any* of the teenagers are online. Bah! No new slash for me.

The warning sign would be pornographic if it wasn't for that red slash across it. Honest.

I saw a band called Semaphore. They were OK. As in they were not my thing at all but I thoroughly enjoyed their set nonetheless.

But now I come to think of it my kind of semaphore is the Fridge album, I guess. But as long as nobody mentions mutex locking, it's all good.

(pointless work avoidance post)

ha, I went to find some semaphore sigs before, and found the official Semaphore website.

Yup, turned out it was for the band...

I'm so bored, I'm even bored with slash now. I'm so bored, I'm remixing Gaspard's hair. That's how bored I am.

WTF has happened to my taste in music recently? I'm going to have to tie myself down and force myself to listen to eight hours of Spacemen 3 and Stereolab to remind myself I AM A DIRTY DRONEROCK GIRL. FUCK ALL THIS DANCE MUSIC! THE HELL WITH FRENCH DISCO.

Except, err, maybe French Disko. Oh yeah! Which Switched On! was that on again?

Two, wasn't it?

Indeed, the Refried Ectoplasm.

I thought I would finally find out what the Cooler fuss was about by doing to see L0tP + Micachu in Oxford in a fortnight, and then I remember that I'm not here in a fortnight. Oh well...

It is indeed Refried Ectoplasm. I'm listening to it RIGHT NOW and feeling much more like myself. Except now I'm remixing Valentine and colouring it in pretty colours. THIS HAS GOT TO STOP.

Ah, I wish you could see them, Spacecadet! I was thinking about going to that show, but i've not got the money to go to all the shows I'd like to go to.

BA BA BAAA - do you realise it took me years to realise this song was actually in English, not French? I can never tell half the time, what language Stereolab are singing in.

It doesn't call for (???) withdrawal?

What's the ??? word?

It is snowing here and nothing has ground to a halt. I am trying to dredge my brain for what an eigenvalue is, other than then hanging out with eigenvectors and eigenvariables I have not got a clue. Time to get the hard maths books out. (although wikipedia is surprisingly good for hard maths).

EH? Quoi? Quoi? What do you mean by "(???) Withdrawl"

EIGENGALUE!??!?! I do not know what this is, but I like it. The price of eigs in China?

FURTHER PURE MATHS, HURRAH!!!

I have just listened to French Disko seven times in a row and it hasn't helped. Has not quenched my thirst for *real* French disco, not one jot. Argh.

LNR's Valentine is bloody hard to remix - why did she draw so many knobs on it? Yeah, coz it looks cool. But bloody hell.

"Though this world, essentially's an
unsafe place to be living
it doesn't call for ?? withdrawall...."

I already told you I have NO IDEA what Stereolab lyrics are! I never even got that far with it.

It's bad, I'm back on Midnight Juggernauts now. Really, I blame them for all this. They lulled me into a false sense of security with their capes, and I thought they were all PROG and shit, but noooooo, it was just a gateway drug to bad French disco.

Internet reports it as "total withdrawal" but I wouldn't guarantee that to be accurate.

They had it as "bubble withdrwal" for years!

What, on earth, is bubble withdrawal?

I mean, even by Stereolab standards, that's total nonsense.

Is it wrong to want this?

http://blog.wired.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/03/25/justice_5.jpg

(The belt buckle, that is, not the DDB.)

((It goes without saying that I want the DDB.))

Ah, phew, the teenagers are out of school and on the interweb.

GOD THAT SOUNDS TERRIBLE.

An eigenvalue is the scaler that lengthens a vector whilst keeping the direction constant.

Obvs.

FINALLY finished this bloody remix... I had no idea it would take so long. Stupid me deciding to gradient colour every single component of the massive synth from hell INDIVIDUALLY. But, eh, I quite like it.

LNR (who did the original artwork) is doing BW and Red screen prints, which I am completely excited to say. Bloody art school kids having access to that kind of technology! I want a screen press.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3400/3250799161_5b29b39508.jpg

Obviously the full size shows the detail a heck of a lot better, so clickee here...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/masonicboomk8/3250799161/sizes/o/

I want a cigarette after that - and I don't even smoke!

yes you are convex and I can prove it

http://i43.tinypic.com/30t2sf9.jpg

OOooh, pretty maths! I like!

I really don't feel like being awake. Why am I awake? I am bored with today already,

Laundry or shopping?

Aw man, I fell on Streatham High Street. I decided not to go to the big Sainsburys as I was nervous about getting across the common - then fell on my ass 2 blocks from my house. Damn.

Yay! Another interview! Apparently I am "the strongest candidate" so I have high hopes for this. I just wish it wasn't so far awaaaayyyyy...

Should I go to Sonic Cathedral tonight? Though I have no money, I haven't left the house in days...

Answers on a postcard, please.

I have to REMIND myself that it's really dronerock and shoegaze that I love, REALLY not dirty French electro.

I say yes to sonic cathedrals. If you go I'll draw you another pretty 3D mathematical shape.

Awwww, want another pretty 3D mathematical shape!!! (can you do an SHIMURA CURVE?!?!?)

However, Plan B have just written back for the first time IN MY LIFE and asked if I can rewrite my review to make it LONGER!!!!?!?!?!?

Apparently I'm getting lead review with this shoegaze comp. I'm trying to think of a way to work sodomy and Erol Alkan into the review. We shall see...

Yes! Success! "Ulrich Schnauss couldn't find a bangin' beat if Erol Alkan sodomised him with an 808" - I know it will get cut by the editors, but still. I did sneak it in. This happens every month, I try to sneak something ridiculous in, and they take it out again.

Ooh, school of 7 bells is playing here sunday.

GO SEE THEM GO SEE THEM - and tell Benjamin I said hello!

(Not going to SC, it's sold out, so I get to stay home and indulge in French electro sodomy.)

You need to include a tenori-on somewhere.

tenori-on pr0n, now there's a new one for me...

Will it really annoy people if I start posting pictures of Justice's giant wall of synth? It totally gives me the horn. LIke all synth porn.

tenori-pron...

stop that! New screen name time...

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH, fffffffffffff, just look at that thing.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1024/1094141572_330506f56a_o.jpg

I don't care if it's all for show, and they really play the entire set on these...

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1367/1093272263_d076c5d262_o.jpg

Just look at that synth. I want to have carnal knowledge of that synth.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3096/2923592748_a827f373fc_b.jpg

And yes, I do mean is a sick, disgusting, "strum myself to oblivion" kind of way. Even without the DDBs involved. I know half those components don't even actually do anything. I don't care.

Why can't I find a picture of The Simeon for comparison, when I want one?

Ah, here we go...

http://www.urbanhonking.com/greatestband/archives/silverapples1.gif

http://www.urbanhonking.com/greatestband/archives/Silverapplescolor.jpg

Wish these were a big bigger, though...

Actually, no, the Simeon PWNS Valentine, because, basically the Simeon PWNS pretty much every synth in the world.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3111/2594125956_032b711bfd_o.jpg

ohmigod, unless you got the T.O.N.T.O. involved, in which case...

AAAAHHHHHH, now that is a project. Write a slash fic between the Simeon, the T.O.N.T.O. and Valentine.

OMIGOD, I just came!

ffffffffffffffffffffff

I am mesmerised. I cannot stop watching this.

http://i38.tinypic.com/2n6mvn.gif

I know this makes them, like, the French electrohouse version of Tatu, but... uuuhhhh.... no wonder Matt DC hates them.

You know, I have FINALLY figured out where my poor taste in music is coming from.

It's Ed's SPEAKERS.

I've not had speakers with bass response like this for years, so of course I'm seeking out dance music because it's the best place to find KILLER BASS SOUNDS.

:-D

Haha.

I have been strumming the mandolin and learning about ethanol life cycle energy.

I bought the DVD so this is only going to get worse. :-D

Spring has come early, I see.

Argh, I'm hungover. Bleh.

Oh, I forgot to say - Je Suis Animal were great last night! We made them do an encore - they said they'd never been asked to do one before!

Halfway through A Cross The Universe, I just realised.

Justice = THE FRENCH MINISTRY.

Why did I never notice this before?

A few minutes in, Gaspard's Lemmy mustache just started merging with Al Jourgensen's and... now I've got Every Day Is Halloween stuck in my head, great.

ba ba bow oom ba ba bow oom ba ba bow oom ba ba

Plea end JSA to da 'burgh.

Sorry, they go back to Norway tomorrow! I'm thinking about going to see them at Goonite tonight, but I'm so fucking hungover, plus it's in bloody Stoke Newington.

I love the way the Norwegians pronounce French, it's so funny. "Juh Swees Ahnimal" - I heart them so much.

Argh, finally heard back from the Home Office job - I had given up on them, but they might want to interview me, too. I did kind of mention the other interview to the recruiter - not sure if that was a good idea or not. I'm honestly not trying to play the two companies off against one another - I'd much rather have the Home office job if it came down to it, but I've got to take what I can get right now.

Hope I didn't make a massive mistake with this. :-(

home office is going to be slower at recruiting but will be more secure if you get it, plus I'm assuming it's the croydon one.

I wish I'd been back home for this:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10257146@N05/3260335530/

Wow, that looks so gorgeous! (But that sky is totally 'Shopped!)

yes, it's in Croydon, which is an HOUR closer than the other place.

I would say they turned the saturation up which you can do from within flickr, but yeah, a little unreal.

Ha ha, Helen seems DETERMINED to ween me off prog and get me into dance music. She's now bombarding me with Soulwax remixes. Um.

I just want to rest mine ears and listen to Amon Duul and Goblin and shit.

Kate refused Goblin Cock yesterday....

http://www.myspace.com/goblincock

http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/funny-pictures-cat-and-owner-read-together.jpg

What on earth *is* happening to my taste in music?

I kind of took this on as a challenge, like, let's make music in a style that I know *nothing* about - I mean, honestly, I know more about Bluegrass than I do about disco. But I'm starting to get really... *worryingly* into it.

Though the problem is, the only person I've played it for (granted, it's D, and she knows even less than I do) says it sounds like everything else I've ever done.

Hrrrmmmm. Mother Sky or I Want More?

I think I Want More is more disco to start with, but Mother Sky will absolutely TRAUMATISE my krautrock loving friends *and* my shoegaze loving friends (coz of the Loop associations.)

I think I Want More would be more fun to sing, though. Heh. Heheheheheheheheheheh.

I have an internship interview on skype for a job in Berlin in 40 minutes, I'm rather excited it looks like a job I could, do well and learn a lot.

I'm old enough to remember Can on TopOfThePops!

I got the reissue picdisc, never did get round to playing it, that'd mean breaking the SEAL!!!!

Noooooooooo!

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/animals/images/primary/harp-seal-baby.jpg

Hi guys, I'm a father. (It's great!)

OMG OMG!!! CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU AND K!!!!!

ALL HAIL AND WELCOME TO BABY J00NLAR!!!!!

PINK CHAMPAGNE ALL ROUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hoorah!, Congratulations.

Thanks thanks thanks! Mama and baby are feeling fine, and life is good.

OMG!!!! I just a message from the teenagers!!!!

SAM HAS CHANGED HIS TROUSERS!!!!

This is the first time in about six months. I guess using the power of the interweb and getting his family on his case actually got results.

Congrats G00blar!

Is it normal, on Twitter, to get all kinds of weirdoes following you, that you don't even know who they are?

I'm not talking about stupid spam twitters, that I just block. I mean, just random people.

Oh god. The Teenagers want to drag me to a 6-hour Erol Alkan disco for my birthday.

Um... it is kinda near my house. But I can't dance for 6 hours at a time any more! I am OLD.

Yup, that sounds normal from what I've heard (re: twitter).

I guess you don't have to dance constantly for 6 hours. Um, you could take up smoking and hang out with the cool kids outside?

One of the Teenagers doesn't want to dance, she wants to hang around being snarky. Which sounds JUST MY KIND OF THING.

I can't believe I'm seriously considering this. But you're only 39 once. Or about 20 times, as I plan on being.

Are we still on for LOTP next Wednesday? What time should I come down? I want to beat the rush hour.

You know, I'd watch 14 hours of Hawkwind.

But can I take 6 hours of, essentially... Trash? I don't know.

I fucking hated Trash, but that was more to do with the dress code than the music policy.

I went to Catholic School. I don't do dress codes.

Yep, still on for LOTP. I still haven't actually listened to their album yet, hehehe. I'm not in uni at any point on the Wednesday, so you can head over any time; if you're not working you can come early and we can look at the pier etc. I do, however, have a class on the Thursday, so won't get as much time to be about then.

I think if you have someone to be snarky with you should be reasonably okay. Is it ludicrously expensive so you'd feel the need to stay there all 6 hours, or could you and partner-in-snark sneak off and do something else without feeling like it was a massive waste of time?

Oh, also, I was taught how to play some Hawkwind on the bass at the weekend. But I can't actually remember which song. It was fun, I was rubbish.

Yay, let's go to the Pier and listen to the pebbles go WHOOOOSH - I will pretty much head down when i wake up then. (Which is usually mid-morning so...)

It's not *that* much money. And if I got a gang of us, it would be fun - 2 teenagers - if I could get a couple of my more disco-friendly adult friends to go, it might be a laugh. It's in Vauxhall so it's easy enough to get home from. It's the kind of thing that would be really FUN with teenagers, because they wouldn't be so jaded and cynical about the whole thing, even if they were being snarky.

it's just really ... out of character for me to want to go to something like this. Which is all the more reason to do it! But then again, maybe my current electro-house obsession will be gone in 2 months and I'll just feel stupid.

Just need to make sure there's not a freaking dress code or I'm going in a suit. a TWEED suit.

Yeah, you should do it! And the tweed suit, too. If your obsession fades then at least you'll have memories of fun times.

Do you have my number? I'm usually up about half ten (bloody student that I am), but we've got loads of gigs on next week so I may be oversleeping and need a call. Are you getting the train? I can come meet you at the station, it's only 10 minutes from our flat.

I should still have your mob - will message you later just to make sure it's the right one.

Yeah, I'll probably come by train - it's not worth the discount to get stuck in traffic on the a23 - I *know* how often I see the busses stuck by my house.

Today it is very grey and raining, I want my clear crisp days back.

Oh, I get it. You mention pr0n in a tweet, you get spammed with junk followers. F*CK AWF!!!!

Not that kind of pr0n.

God, TFL's site is so stupid. It just doesn't think of the most obvious and intuitive things - such as the fact that even though there is no interchange between the tube and the overground at Elephant and Castle, it's a five minute walk - and MUCH easier and quicker than being diverted off to... like, London Bridge or somewhere. Sheesh.

This commute might not be as bad as I think - might be able to do it in just under an hour if the Elephant maneuver works.

I don't much like the Elephant Maneuver, at least not since that awful concept album about tree frogs.

Yeah, their early stuff was, like, waaaaaayyyyy better.

How's fatherhood, Goobs?

So so awesome! Like, fun! But very busy so must now go.

Wow!

There's now a shortcut through Clapham Junction to Shepherds Bush from Streatham Common, which totally supplants even the need for the Elephant maneuver! And makes the journey 45 minutes, and totally doable. So! That is a nice thing to know. I only just discovered it on the way back.

how did the interview go?

I am sure I have let you in on the West London Line secret before, although it never was that useful till they opened the shepherd's bush overground station last year.

Westfield is good for two things, Wood lane Hammersmith and City and Shepherds Bush overground.

Yeah, I didn't even notice the GIANT SHOPPING MALL until I was already on the platform. Bah. I like not shopping malls.

There's only one through train in the morning, that goes at, like 8am. But

Interview went OK, I think. It's hard to tell. They didn't totally laugh in my face or tell me to get lost. I tried to be a bit more "myself" than I would in a contract interview because, well, if I'm signing up for years of it, I need to know that I'm going to be understood/appreciated. So I did the best I could, and now I wait.

Is that streatham -> Cjunction or streatham to sbush.

Because I think they are every half an hour or 20 mins at c junction if you can get there without grief.

Also you can avoid getting zone one on your travel card by going that route so it would be cheaper. (you would still get zone 1 busses but not tube)

It's Streatham Common -> Shepherd's Bush!

But it happens once at 8am, and then not again until 10:30. But that would be SOOO convenient.

Streatham Hill -> Clapham -> Shep Bush -> Perivale not so convenient, but still better than going through the Elephant maneuver.

i have been holding up the circulus space ship. I think I missed the call to port-holes when I was moving. I got a hurry up from them and they now have me on-board.

What? What call to portholes?!?!?! I have heard nothing from them since sending my money!

check yr email, I'll forward you the one I got.

I think hippies are being disorganised.

Oh god, they sent it to the wrong email!

I forgot that the actual paypal account is attached to the guild of further art email, not my usual email. Just sent them through a rubbish photobooth jobbie because I couldn't find anything cool or fun.

Also, I think I need to go back to dating school because I no longer understand the etiquette. Sigh. Or maybe, I simply never did. Started a thread on ILTMI on all the ways it confuses me.

Ha ha, I have GOT to figure out how to make an animated GIF again... I've been making icons for the teenagers, and I want to make this one go back and forth between "later dudes" and "gay sex - BRB"

Heh hehehehehehehe heheh heh

<img src="http://p-userpic.livejournal.com/85393309/4821654";>

bah!

http://p-userpic.livejournal.com/85393309/4821654

I think you should get the teenagers to the your professors of dating school.

I have to take dating lessons from teenagers? What is the world coming to? All they do is sit around talking about gay sex!!!

http://p-userpic.livejournal.com/85394022/4821654

This makes me LOL so hard!

Oh god... I should go out tonight. My travelcard this morning cost me TEN POUNDS so I really feel like I shouldn't waste it. But I can't think of anything to do that doesn't cost MONEY.

Eeep! I keep getting offline as soon as I see guys I like are online on this silly site. Should I maybe not do that? I just don't want them to think I spend all day on it - because I actually try to spend as little time as possible there.

They might contact you if they know they will get an instant reply?

I don't want to reply instantly. I want to read and consider my response.

I sent this totally MAD email to X. and I see he has actually written back. If it's another one liner, I'm going to... I don't know.

Maybe i should pretend to be a gay man and pick up boys.

I'm feeling confused about race/ethnicity and I'm feeling confused about sexuality and I'm feeling confused about pretty much everything at the moment. These are the moments to stop reading ILX.

Oh. Now he wants *me* to buy *him* a subscription. Um, I don't think so, buddy.

hmmm

Yeah, I don't want no scrubs, a scrub is a guy that can't get no love from me.

Even if he is now changing his topic line to references to things I said in my email.

I am unemployed right now, this is *not* the time for me to be picking up deadbeat DDBs on the internets.

Do I *look* that desperate that I'm going to pay for a guy's account on a dating site?

Started a thread on ILTMI on all the ways it confuses me.

― Marylebone Flashrave (Masonic Boom), Wednesday, 11 February 2009 15:32 (7 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Where did it go?

I deleted it, because I didn't really feel like it was appropriate, sitting there with all these threads about, like, masturbating dogs and stuff.

Kate did you advertise on this bus?
http://i43.tinypic.com/350jkt5.jpg

I have never pulled at Sonic Cathedral. It is, like, the most sexless club in the world, ever. I've seen more action at Track and Field. DDBs are too interested in drugs to pursue sex.

Waaahhhhhh... I don't want to go on a stupid date tomorrow! I want to go to see a Goblin tribute band!

http://www.last.fm/event/897924

Well, actually, maybe I can use that as an excuse to leave the date if it's lame.

OK, i am not going to spend another day in bed, browsing on the internet. I'm simply not. What on earth can I do that doesn't cost money? Go to the library? Go to the park?

Go to a nice gallery?

I'm waiting to hear on an interview - well, not today, but tomorrow maybe.

If you're still having GIF trouble: the way I make an animated one is: do it in the Gimp. That lets you save a multi-layer image as a GIF with each layer as a frame of the animation; if you name your layers in the right format, it parses the layer name to get the display duration and disposal method of each frame.

Costs money to get a bus into town. I suppose I could try to walk to the Horniman, but it would probably be closed by the time I got there. :-(

I remembered how to animate GIFs in photoshop. Problem is, I never WRITE IT DOWN so every time I go to make another one, I have forgotten how to do it.

I wish I had the rest of this series to make a GIF from.

GURLFITE!!! GURLFITE!!!

http://b9.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/00738/98/71/738061789_l.jpg

Why does it take so long to hear about interviews?

My phone keeps beeping, but it's teenagers.

Reminder to self: STAY. OFF. ILM.

The people I'm waiting to hear from just called to ask if they can check my referees.

Good sign!

OK, yeah - if they actually get to the reference checking bit, then that is a good sign!

I never thought a joke thread about a funny throwaway comment on the album polls thread would get 200 posts. But i suppose the usual brigade who dont like threads turned up to ruin it. Last night the thread seemed friendlier and better.

http://ruletheweb.co.uk/b3ta/bus/HKLQPFHV/INTERNET%20IS%20TEH%20SUCK/ARE%20THE%20THINGS%20YOU%20SHOULD%20BE%20DOING/REALLY%20MORE%20BORING%20THAN%20THIS%3F/bus.jpg

HA HAHAHAHAHH HA HA HA HAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!

I HAVE ACTUALLY KILLED THAT THREAD WITH o_0

This makes me indescribably happy. My work is done.

I have about 1000x more fun and more inspiration talking to teenage girls about music than I do 90% of ILM.

Surprised they haven't discovered ILM. Do they know you post here?

Don't let them ever find ILM, it turn them into bitter, unsuccessful music journalists third-rate bloggers.

They could start a board for them: ILTG

hmm, on second thoughts...

My fingers are sore now from crossedness.

One of the teenagers was asking me what ILM was, after I had a rant about it. I just don't see them being that interested in it. It's not a very girl friendly place, after all. The testosterone on that board often drives me out, and I'm a middle aged woman with nerves of, well... right now I have 0% thick skin because I'm bored and my fingers are also sore from being crossed.

There's already an ILTG - it's called LiveJournal. Just you wait until Amber and Alice get LJ accounts!

It;s quitee funny at the mo:

There's this game on the wii where they tromp around some virtual town, and because they have the mic addon, they can meet up with friends. But their friends don't have the corresponding mic, so Amber shouts out something, and the character on screen stops and we wait for 30 secs for her friend to type in the reply.

(Of course, us parents are in a perpetual "mind yr lang" situation)

quiteeeeeeee...

My "E" key is in perpetual engagement mode, I type it once and it repeats when I'm not looking...

Heh heh. I sometimes tell the teenagers off for language - it's quite funny. But they think it's funny how I asterisks out all my swearwords when I talk to them.

I'm all... I don't care about the sex aspect of it, but it's LAZY, BAD AND SHOWS A POOR VOCABULARY!!!

I feel so weird when I get mumsy with them. Like, NO don't go on ILM, it will RUIN YOU for life.

But ha ha. LOTP's dad got one of them a photo pass for last night so I'm waiting to see her photos, feeling all proud and mumsy and shit.

I've got all these text messages from her last night going, basically, "fffffffffffffffffffff!!!!" I've had similar text messages from the whole gang, all week, as the band have been touring coz they know I'm not on the forum any more.

It really kinda makes me wish I'd had kids.

Why arent you on the forum?

and if ilm is too boyish, post more and get more girls on it to even it up?

I got banned by the forum by two teenage boys!

Ah well, just heard. Didn't get the job. Not a big loss - I mean, I was worried about the commute anyway, and it wasn't my ideal dream job or anything. The headhunter seems to think it was not the technical side, but more the personality thing. Which, fair enough, I don't want to work somewhere that I'm not going to fit in.

Kerr, you really don't get it, do you? If only the world worked that way, in terms of gender balance. I wish it did, but it doesn't.

I think maybe I'll get drunk or something.

Why did you get banned?

1) because I posted, for 30 seconds, at well past midnight, a picture of the Barberini Faun, featuring full frontal male nudity.
2) because the two teenage boys who ran the forum were totally threatened by me, jealous of the attention that I garnered, and were total twats who objected to things like, oh discussion of slash, fangirling, you know, normal teenage girl stuff.

I don't want to talk about it, already been pissed off about it last year, and if I start talking about it now, I'm just going to get upset when what I'm really upset about is being unemployed and not getting a stupid job I didn't even really want.

Kate did you like Babes In Toyland? I've been listening to them again for about the 1st time in 15 years.

I kinda regret selling their cds now

I'm gonna dig out my Pretty On The Inside vinyl out tonight if this continues.

There were OK, but I was more of a Hole fan at the time. Pretty On The Inside is a freaking POWERHOUSE of an album. I loved that record so damn much.

I'm gonna get drunk now.

Listening to this one http://www.twintone.com/projects/89183.html

That one was awesome - my housemate used to play it when we were on our periods at the same time, ha ha ha!

Oh dear, TMI.

I'm hitting the vodka already. And digging through slash archives.

Vodka and pr0n makes almost ANYTHING better.

Oh my, another of my album picks Lau Nau made //////////////shawty got poll poll poll poll poll poll poll (part II: 2008 ALBUMS)///////////////

I'M NOT GOING ON ILM AGAIN!!! EVAH!!!!

IT WAS BAD THE LAST TIME YOU MADE ME DO IT!!!!!!

IT WOULD BE WORSE NOW I'M GETTING DRUNK!!!!!!!!!!

AND YES I DO HAVE TO SHOUT AT YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I AM LISTENING TO JUSTICE (JOOOOOOOSTEEEEEEEECE) RIGHT NOW, AND I AM REALLY FUCKING ENJOYING IT, SO ILM CAN BITE MY FUCKING DICK!!!!

AND I DON'T EVEN HAVE A DICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kate's been bimbled

Eh?

Wha?

Who are MSTRKRFT and why are they having sex with Justice? I don't understand the young persons' music of today.

bimble talks on caps when drunk and stuff

Oh, I thought you mean, like, Bimble spammed ILM with random slash when drunk.

AESEOMSE.

Uh, whu?

AWESOME. Not whatever that is up there ^^^

Nah he's not as bad as that! I dont want to even think about goth slash fic

Track from the album i was talking about btw

How high should I bid?

It's a real vintaj promo photo from the '20's. I think it's from "The American Venus" (1926)

Wow, that's pretty hot!

I know! I just snagged this picture of Corinne Griffith <3<3<3 for 39 bucks. There's an upside to having a job that pays actual money, eh? I CAN AFFORD TO GO UP TO $500 FOR THE BROOKSIE PIC OMG OMG. Probably it'll go for four figures.

specially the close up on pic 2.

Norm!!!!!!!!!! Hello, how the hell are you?

That one in the bed ist just... GORGEOUS. I want a circular bed like that.

Filled with vodka and Justice.

I'm not really very happy ATM, for a variety of reasons, Kerr. I guess things'll get better at some point, though.

".. and when Justice is gone, there's always Vodka.."

(L.Anderson)

(xpost, sorry Pash)

And Cans and Brahms.

...AND VODKA FOR ALL!!!!

x-post yes, sorry. being a bit high spirited. And full of spirits as I am.

It is Friday after all.

It's Thursday?

Maybe my bid on a promo of Alice White on the set of "Showgirl in Hollywood" from Miss White's own personal collection (!) will be the winning one, eh.

What?!?!? I am missing a day.

Or wait, maybe I gained a day. It's Thursday?

What am I doing this drunked on a Thursday night?

Sorry to hear that Norman, hope things pick up for you.

FUCK ILX. FUCK PEOPLE. FUCK THE INTERNET. FUCK JOBS. FUCK HEADHUNTERS. FUCK INTERVIEWS. FUCK INTERNET DATING. FUCK IRL DATING. FUCK BAD TEMPERS. FUCK MUSIC. FUCK VODKA. FUCK BEING BROKE. FUCK NOT BEING ABLE TO AFFORD TO LEAVE THE HOUSE FOR DAYS. FUCK FRIENDS. FUCK ENEMIES. FUCK FUCKING FUCK FUCK FUCK GRRRR ARGH SMASH SMASH GRRRRRRR I WANT TO HIT THINGS.

I am so sick of everything right now I want to cry.

FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU, AND FUCK YOU, TOO.

and you over there? FUCK YOU AS WELL.

OK, I've got shedloads of press gift booty - Smarties, posh chocs etc. Kate, wanna me to come round with it 2mrw and we can continue into the Justice odyssey? Erm, you can pin pix of Erol Alkan on my back if you like?

I have one of those big tubes of smarties. My mum gave me it. They had forgotten to give me it at xmas (its a bit of a tradition that i get smarties and jelly tots at xmas) Wouldnt be xmas without that and an oor wullie/the broons annual.

this was a 2nd tube btw. I still had some for xmas.

I have to go on a stupid freaking stupid date with some freaking dude off the internet, and I don't even want to go, becuase even if he's hte nicest guy in the stupid world I'm feeling so discouraged and full of... BAH I hate the fucking world right now.

So I probabloy should cancel this date and watch Justice videos with you instead.

But then I'm gonna feel like I watsted £20 on not leaving the flat again and BAH ugh, I just spent 20 minutes crying in mine own toilet, I hate being drunk. Well, I hate being drunk byself, it's the worst feeling in the world.

I just listened to NY Excuse or NY LIpps or whatever the fuk the name of that remix is over nad over again, it's rally good for DRUNK ANGRY DRUNK GRRRR I AHTE THE FUCKING WORLD

LOOK HERE IS POTTER AS A WOMAN. A 40s FILM STAR WOMAN TO BE EXACT.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3417/3275560484_3b62331220_o.jpg

fuckin fuck fuck stupid potter stupid fucking mouth, stupid overbite.

EXCUSE ME?!?!?!?

EXCUUUUUUUUUUUUUSE ME?!?!?

I CAN SHOUT!!!!

My neighbours probably hate me right now.

there is still something wrong with his eye and it is FUCKNIG ME OFF. do not paint drunk. bad things will happen. i'm gonna look at this in the morning and go WTF HIS FACE IS ALL CROOKED, WHY DID AI DRAW A CROOKED FACE MANWOMAN?!?!?!

I CAN'T PAINT FOR FUCKING SHIT AND I HATE IT ALL. GRRRRRRRR.

you're gonna have one helluva hangover

ugh. Don't remind me.

I should seriously go to bed. I'd have thought i'd have pased out by now. :-(

you need the teenagers good influence

are you fucking kidding me?

they're typical teenagers then?

I fucking hate my life today.

I'm just feeling so TENSE right now.

I feel alright.

Sorry, but.

It's like I've been living in a kind of bubble since I got back from America, and now it's just burst and I've realised just what a *shit* position I'm in right now.

And I know this is just the bipolar thing, and I'll swing around in a little while, but fuck, it just hurts right now.

:-(

And people wonder why you lapse into alcoholism, when everyone loves you when you're stupid fun drunk, but no one wants to even notice you when you're depressed.

Start to feel like the dancing fucking bear again.

Aw, Kate. Hopefully we can have a good time next week, cheer you up a little by the sea? Not going to be online much over the weekend (in fact I have to be off out pretty much now), but will be thinking of you. Take care of yourself.

Next week. Yes. That is a good thing to look forward to and keep moving towards. Thank you for reminding me. I do have things I can get through this for.

Should I cancel this date tonight. I am really afraid of my mood right now.

I suppose so long as I don't drink... I need to get out of the fucking house, though. More than anything.

Yeah, doing stuff is usually, all in all, a good thing.

No, I just read his profile again, and reminded myself why I wanted to go out with him in the first place, and read Sunny Successor's bit of paper and I can do this.

But first I'm gonna have a really big comfort meal of mac and cheese to try and calm down/serotonin up.

Yum

Hawkwind front page & article in this month's Record Collector?

Kate, is it the guy you emailed me about, Mr X?

Ha ha, no, that's the loser who wanted me to buy HIM an account.

FAIL.

This is a Brutalism-loving horticulturalist.

(As in the architectural movement - I have no idea about anything else, fnar.)

OK, I just made a smutty joke about S&M. I think the mac n cheese has done the trick. Yay gooey pasta. Is there nothing it can't make better?

morning, should I work for uncle sam in DC telling him how much windmills cost?

Yes.

'Tis more hypothetical as they so far only have my resumé but they are unique in writing back to me for thanking me for applying.

I like the idea of a brutalism loving horticulturalist. I want to see the gardens.

fucking hell http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2233878.ece

he looks about 8!

dating tips http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/newsbeat/newsid_7887000/7887032.stm?lss

Happy Birthday emil.y!

Wait, is it emil.y's birthday? Damn! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Yes, Ed, you should make windmills for Uncle Sam.

Date with Brutalist Horticulturist was good, actually. He runs a modernist Glasshouse. This I'd like to see. Good date - we talked for hours straight, kept going on to other places. He's smart, he's sparky, he's interested in things (except maths, boo) and, erm, unless I've totally lost my boydar, he was kinda vibing off me a bit. During dinner, he was doing that rest chin on hand and cock head to side and look a bit stupid at you thing that Germaine Greer describes as being the thing that guys do when they want you. His hair is too short but he's got a very, *very* good nose. Highly pointed. Liked him. Would like to see again.

During dinner, he was doing that rest chin on hand and cock

Brucie?

Grrrrrrrrrrr. >:-(

Hey it's not my fault the next word appeared on the next line!

Oh shit, that reminded me! We met in the Tate bookshop - and they had that book on Riot Grrl that Suzy wrote a chapter in, so I picked it up and started reading it - the first page it just fell open to, randomly, there's a whole page about my old band!!!!!

I nearly fell over, I was so shocked. We were, apparently, the missing link between Kenickie (yay!) and the Pipettes (boo). LIke, I've never seen anyone actually analyse my lyrics on any kind of cultural level before, but the writer actually *got* it. It was quite... Wow. It was quite surreal and a bit of a headf*ck moment, but, like... pretty impressive thing to show my date, ha ha.

Haha would like to mention that old band refs were not inserted by me BUT BUT BUT everyone in the book knew the group.

Yay to good date!

He will probably not call again. It is the way of things. Even though he asked me if he could see me again. I am cynical. And this is my life.

he could surprise you, you never know. that would be nice yes?

It would be nice, yes. But I would probably fall out of my chair in surprise. Nice things don't tend to happen in my romantic life.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have just fallen out of my chair with surprise.

:-D

And now I am going to go and look at the link he just sent me to his brutalist gardenhouses.

nice!

Oh shit, that reminded me! We met in the Tate bookshop - and they had that book on Riot Grrl that Suzy wrote a chapter in, so I picked it up and started reading it - the first page it just fell open to, randomly, there's a whole page about my old band!!!!!

Ooh, I think we've got a copy of that - I'll have to read it at some point.

sitting in the old shop, freezing cold, I'm doing the VAT for the last quarter's trading. It's really getting to me.

I mean, most of the last quarter's trading is just a big row of 0.00s, you know? Plus I get to type things into the excel spreadsheet as "last day of trading", which is, er....

It's a fucking bummer, that's what it is.

I hope it works out good & you have some fun, Kate.

That sounds a bit shit, Mr Pash. I've just been looking at my bank statement and household budget for the past few months; it is also something of a bummer.

VAT is done. I didn't have enough money left in the business acoount to pay it, so I had to stick my CC in the machine and pay some $$ in to cover the shortfall. Oh well, there goes 1/2 of next month's wages :-/

I packed in running the shop full-time at the end of November last year, and have been opening it on Saturdays only till last week to clear some of the stock. There's been a sort of pleasure in doing so, like running a little hobby business, w/o worrying about ordering stuff or paying bills or owt like that, but now that's over. I haven't opened up this Sat, just been doing some jobs. I need to clear the place, rewire it, get some work doen for fire certification, then we can see about renting the place out.

I feel so fucking sad, man, I can't really explain what it feels like for it to be over. It's like a little bereavement in a way.

I've had people in tears in the shop when I've told them I'm closing. A couple of suppliers in tears on the phone as well. I wish I could have kept it going, but doing the last 1/4s VAT and looking at the sales figures, it was just impossible. What can you do? Running a shop like this, in a town like this, it's just not viable. Perhaps if I was in Morpeth or Barnard Castle or Alnwick, some place out in the sticks, w/o ASDA, B&Q etc killking off all the local business, I could have managed, eh. What a massive fucking downer. At least I have a job and a marketable skill, I keep telling myself.

We try our hardest, here, to support the independent shops rather than the big chains. Especially stuff like hardware - if we need a screw, much better to walk up to the local hardware store 10 minutes away and get 10 for 20p or whatever it was the last time I went. We're careful about the food shopping too: we'd rather buy from the little Italian supermarket where we can, in case it's not there when we want something the supermarket don't stock (like dried porcini at a sensible price, or decent ready-made gnocci).

Ffffffing ophthalmic migraine aura, fuck you. I have stuff to do today, I can't be doing with this stupid giant glowing neon snake destroying my vision.

They are definitely getting more frequent - second ond I've had this hear. :-(

I do the same thing myself, it's often actually cheaper to do it that way I find. In this town, South Shields, it's impossible - all of the medium/large local retail businesses are gone. Over the last year, all of the long-standing local shops, including my own have closed down, all there is here now is ASDA, B&Q, Tesco etc. Shopping in those places is a pretty miserable experience, I think? I can remember when I was a kid, shopping with my mum, going from little shop to little shop was a pleasant social experience for people, now that's gone in a lot of places, people don't even have that choice anymore.

I think it's probably worse for independent shops in medium-sized towns than in small or large ones - at least, my experience is that medium-sized towns tend to have the fewest independent shops left in them, compared to the number of larger chains.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I see - Sunderland & South Shields, medium-sized towns are fucked for running a small retail business. Even Newcastle is pretty sketchy dfrom what I can see, there ins't much in the city centre that isn't a national chain. London, I guess is a unique case? If I were contemplating opening up a shop, well, I wouldn't, TBH.

People go for the cheapest option, which sadly, is always the big chain who bulk buys. Even music has gone that way, most people buy chart cds from Asda or Tesco now.

Newcastle does have one decent independent record shop, that I know of, near Haymarket metro. Which you could argue isn't really the city centre.

Glasgow has the best independent record shop in the country Monorailmusic.

Hamilton doesn't even have a record shop now, it closed 4/5 years ago? The independent one closed late 90s. Though it wasn't an indie shop as such (ie it didnt just cater to indie, it sold the big acts but the occasional less well known band,whatever label reps gave them for free I guess)

Now woolies is gone record shopping consists of whsmiths top 20 or asda/morrisons/sainsbury's

but if you want game/mobile phone/coffee shops marks n spencers and BHS ,Hamilton is your town.

Ah, phew, my vision is back.

You really do remind me that I should shop more locally, and not to go chain shops. For things like... well, art supplies, books, I totally shop locally. For CDs, I try to go to the independents, but HMV is so... well... comprehensive. But with groceries I always forget. And the stuff at Streatham Fruiterers isn't that expensive, and much nicer and fresher than Sainsburys but I always forget to walk to the extra 5 blocks up the hill to get it, and that sucks.

It *is* a bereavement, closing down a shop that you've worked in and on for so many years. I can't imagine how heart-wrenching it must be.

HMV is the least evil of major shops. But I only buy there if I cant get it elsewhere.
Living in London I suppose you have no reason to HAVE to shop in a chainstore. I'd love a decent sized HMV in Hamilton though. The one in Braehead was disappointing considering its a huge shopping mall.(Id still take it here rather than nothing) The one in the Plaza in East Kilbride used to be very good the few times I've been back in EK (I used to live there as a kid,back when the plaza was a lot smaller).

I just buy all my stuff straight from the band/label or small distros generally. The last 2 CD's I bought from HMV were overpriced (Racebannon and the Ltd Spz) but I just had to have them when I saw them rather than wait a week for an online order and there was nowhere else to get them. Had I been in Glasgow obviously I would've got them a lot cheaper from Monorailmusic or even Avalanche.

Chin up, Norman.

The shock of finding a Racebanon cd in a huge shopping mall meant I just had to have it. I figured if they sell this type of stuff there's more chance they keep getting in that kind of thing. Even if the staff don't have a clue. I asked about the Harvey Milk CD as I'm getting fed up waiting on the vinyl appearing and I was going to buy the CD if they had it. But the person serving me had never heard of them or the label and funniest of all Built To Spill were in the Metal section.

I have just written the WRONGEST thing I have ever written in my life. One of the Teenagers dared me to do it.

I just slashed one of Justice with their own synthesiser.

I just thought you should know that.

I shall now go and WASH MY BRANE. I feel really dirty.

http://www.myspace.com/helenandtheother

If anyone feels like friending my ridiculous Big Gay Disco project... (which I'm sure no one will, but just thought I'd put it out there.)

im going to bed, im tired. I'll check it tomorrow!

You will of course hate it, Kerr.

Why do I love this man? Why? WHY?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3525/3276426415_e3e1b1fec6_b.jpg

I love this man because they have "who has the biggest nipples?" competitions by covering each other in glitter:

http://www.prefixmag.com/features/late-of-the-pier/interview/25112/

Potter: We once broke down and we all measured the size of our nipples, and we did it in the gayest way in the world -- this is real -- we rubbed glitter on our nipples and then pressed paper against it and made like a glittery nipple chart, and surprisingly enough we’ve all got pretty much the same size nipples. It’s what we do when we fight as well.

AND I GOT THROWN OFF THEIR MESSAGEBOARD FOR TALKING ABOUT NIPPLES!??!?!?!?!?!?

Glitter nipples. I am now going to spend the rest of the day thinking about glitter nipples. And possibly draw Potter covered in glitter. Except glitter is actually INCREDIBLY hard to draw. I have tried.

but you are an expert in drawing nipples?

you know it.

Hell, I *sampled* Potter's nipples. Nipples are easy to draw.

But GLITTER is a different kettle of fish.

Glitter is difficult.

Maybe I can use photoshop lens flare like I did with Xavier. But you can't use too much of that or you lose the picture.

NIPPLES NIPPLES NIPPLES NIPPLES NIPPLES.

I'm also disappointed because Erol Alkan probably *would* make Helen burritos. :-(

A couple of friends of the mister (and of me too, I guess) have just had a baby and named it Erol. I am really having to fight the urge to inform them that my friend is currently writing freaky slash about the man they named their newborn child after, aaaaargh.

Did they actually name their child after *that* Erol? Oh good lord... ha haha, see, I find *that* weirder (naming your child after a DJ FFS!) than writing some pop stars getting blowjobs off each other. Ha ha.

ARGH ARHGARGHHGHGGHH I am so frustrated.

Do you remember that fine, that I paid BACK IN NOVEMBER, and then they lost the payment, and I had to go through this whole ringamarole of writing letters and complaining, until they finally sent me an apologetic letter going "oops, we found your payment" and all?

Well, I JUST GOT ANOTHER DEMAND FOR PAYMENT - FROM BLOODY BAILIFFS WHO SAY THEY'RE GOING TO COME ROUND MY HOUSE AND AUCTION OFF MY BELONGINGS - TO PAY A FINE I PAID LAST NOVEMBER!!!!

I'm so fucked off I can't even speak. I sent them a letter with a copy of the letter that says "oh yeah, we found your payment" and sent ANOTHER letter to Lambeth - and god, I've just wasted the ENTIRE afternoon writing letters and finding documentation and getting it copied and ARGH. It's so fucking unnecessary. They SAID in the last "oops, we lost your payment" letter that they would inform the court and get the thing stopped - and they clearly DIDN'T.

I don't know what to fucking do. I'm at the end of my tether on this - it's destroying my credit rating and for what? :-(((((((((

Gah, why are councils so useless at this. Seems like there is nothing they can do to stop the double-gloucester of doom from rolling down the hill no matter what you do to put it right.

I want to go and throw glasses through the windows of Lambeth Council at this point.

And I've just started following my first cleb on twitter. Ooh, I feel so.. so zeitgeist.

(n.b. it is not Stephen Fry.)

Grrrr, still annoyed. And now hungry. I gotta go make some burritos or something.

I though FMM was gonna come round for dinner but now she cannot and I am lonely and bored. :-(

And I gotta figure out what the Teenagers are doing tomorrow.

School Of Seven Bells are playing Glasgow I notice, as are Mono and Earth. Think I'll go see Earth at Nice N Sleazys.

The Louise Brooks still went for 355 dollars or something like that. I could have Afforded it! But I copped out, eh. I couldn't quite bring myself to lay out 250 quid on an old piece of paper. I got the Alice White still though. Which is cool because 1/it came from Alice's own personal collection and 2/ I recognise the movie scene it's from!

$355!!!! I don't think I've ever spent that much money on something that wasn't, like, a guitar or something. Wow.

Love my MIDI controller. Love love love. Semi-carnally.

http://twitpic.com/img/1ixe2-08280b274e7c79f82e2b029d287af22d.4999c300.jpg

nice jumper.

I'm amazed it went for less than $1000 TBH. The last LB promo photo (from "Diary of a Lost Girl") I saw went for more than 2500. I kind of wish I'd bid on this one. But, if I'd wound up shelling out 400 bucks or whatever, I'd probably be feeling like a complete idiot right now and wishing I hadn't~~~I'll stick w/Corinne & Norma & Colleen & Pola for now I think?

I have a friend who makes a living auctioning memorabilia on eBay so I'm not surprised that they can reach such prices.

I'm always surprised, especially when the auctions have enormous high quality scans of the prints in question!

Went and collected all the Teenagers. Took them to their hotel. But then they told me DAD of the Pier was thre, so I absented myself and told them "oh, you go to soundcheck, I need to get home coz I forgot my ticket" and I won't go back until the doors open. Eeeep.

I am not afraid of 20 year old boys, but I am afraid of their dads!

The dads would approve though?

Sam's dad HAAAAAAATES me coz we got in a bit of a row on the forum before I got kicked off.

Everyone hates me. I don't know why I'm going. I really only wanted to see the Teenagers and see how they were all doing, and make sure they got to the gig OK. Now I feel like giving one of them my balcony ticket and just not going.

FAIL.

FUCK ME.

THAT WAS FFFFFING BRILLIANT.

So Dad didn't turn up in the end, phew. I cut the queue with the Teenagers, and got just waved in downstairs, so we ended up down the front. OH god, I'm too old to go down the front.

And the best bit was not even Potter's cape. It wasn't even the NEW SONG. (which starts off like Flock of Seagulls and turns into I Am The Walrus as played by Yes) It was playing NAME THAT TUNE between the bands. It was all, like, fantastic prog and psych and stuff. I kept leaping up and down at every song - AAAAAHHHH, I Have Known Love! AAAAAAHHHHHH Spazz! AAAAAHHHHHHH I WANT MORE AND MORE AND MORE AND MORE AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH... IS THIS THE DEVIANTS?!??! NO, WAIT IT'S TOMORROW. NO WAIT, IT'S THE DEVIANTS?!?!??!?!?!? AAAAHHHHH NOW IT'S THIRD UNCLE, AAAAHHHHHH, HURDY GURDY FUCKING MAN!!!! THE MONKEES HEAD?!?!?!?!? That can't have been Curved Air - was it? FUCK ME WEIRD TURKISH PROG, THIS IS THE BEST EVER!!!!

The Teenagers actually thought I was having an aneurism or something at one point I was so happy at some psych nugget - was it Sailor? Can't remember.

Wow.

When I left, they were all going to hang out by the stage door. So not doing that. I didn't even do that sort of thing when I was 17. Nu-uh.

Oh god. I'm awake again. Feel like death. Gotta get up and go to Brighton and do it all over again.

I'm so not going to make it to Portsmouth now.

Yeah, I am washed, and dressed and I have eaten. Why am I not on a train to brighton?

Because I'm flickrstalking and looking at pictures of my obsessions.

Emil.y you gotta get online and tempt me with synth pr0n to get me down to Brighton.