Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Tabloid

The next few weeks are going to be interesting. Not just in a Worldly sense but much closer to home also.

I'll start with the easiest first: I've got my folks and younger brother coming over for a visit. I'm sure it will be fine, assuming they can cope with the heat. It's actually not as hot as it has been and I'm quite liking the temperature at the moment. But, its hovering around freezing at home!

Secondly, is the really rather momenteous moving of countries for my ol' mucker www.notinmidlothian.blogspot.com who will no longer be in Midlothian. A bold move to Canada beckons. Not only is it a move to another country but he will be losing his 'single' status. I'm sure there will be a posting solely for him and the love of his life to follow.

Thirdly, it seems that the entire free world is rooting for Obama. There can be no doubt that he has to win. Not necessarily because he could be a brillant President but merely to prevent another 4 years of Bush-lite policies. That said, he might well become a brillant President. That will be hard given the cock-up that has been the last 8 years of neo-con bollocks. You can't undo everything done by Bush and his cronies but he could make a start. There has been whispers of a landslide. First things first, just let him get enough votes to win. That's all that matters. Anything else would be a bonus. If the unthinkable does happen, then we get 4 years with a 70-odd year bloke who really likes fighting. And then this chick who really is a bit thick. I'm sure both are very nice people but to lead the 'free world', no. They would make Gordon Brown seem positively Churchillian.

Fourly, an announcement was in the offing from a certain Floridian. I wonder what it could be? My money might be on a dramatic return to some other non-Floridian place. But that is purely conjective!

And finally, could yours truly be having an interesting next few week. Perhaps.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

On why I like the kind of music I do.

Of course, music is a very personal thing. Or perhaps I'd better rephrase that to say 'music should be a very personal thing' because I kind of get the impression that it's not for some. It's more of a I want to be liked/cool/accepted 'choice' which is disappointing but hardly surprising. How else could you explain the likes of Aqua, Bob the Builder or other random, senseless crap being as popular as it has been.

If music is a considered a spectrum with metal, rick and 'traditional' guitar, bass and drum kit music at one end and perhaps drum and bass and more technology based music at the other and with 'pop' music at the centre of this spectrum, then I'm tending more towards the drum and bass end with electronic-based music being my area of interest. It's not always been - I could definitely say I was more into my rock and metal but music and musicial taste is not a static entity; rather, it should be an ever evolving 'thing' which goes in one direction for awhile but then can reverse and head in an oppsite direction over the course of time, with little side roads being formed.

I wouldn't say that I've abandoned rock and stuff. I just feel that there seem to be a limit to what can be achieved with only drum, bass and guitar. It's essentially been 50 years of this 'norm'. We've had countless different styles and was of making music with this template but can we honestly point to a new 'way' that we can say is 'unique' or 'ground-breaking'. Sadly, I don't think we can. Everything has been done before. Thats harsh but I don't think its an unreasonable thing to say. Metal has roots in the early 70's for example. Rock can be traced to the 60's, Indie can perhaps be traced to the 80's. Of course, variations have existed but even they have been based on 'something'. Perhaps the best time was the late 60's when bands were able to push back the boundaries and right claim it to be new and different because it hadn't been done before. Hendrix for example. Had anyone done that before? The Kinks with 'You really good me'. It could be argued that they 'invented' heavy metal with that song alone.

But, this is not about the limitations of that style. It's a celebration of a possible alternative. Technology is such that it is quite easy to make any sound that you might hear, however random or unusual and such sounds can be manipulated and morphed into anything. The 'choice' is there. Possiblities exist. Too many possibilites could be harmful though. It could produce crap or stuff that is unlistenable. But that is what is exciting. Choice and the possibilites of it all rather than being 'limited' by 'traditional' instruments. It's something different. It could be a morphing bassline in a song that pulses in and out which could not be replicated by someone without technology. And that's exciting.

Of course, in 5 years time all this might be obsolete but thats music and thats why we like it. Because something else turns up.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

stork

The lack of rain is something of a godsend as far as I am concerned. Can't be doing with it all. If I want to get wet, I'll either take a shower or head upto the pool where I am in control of it all.

However, we are allowed a certain relapse aren't we?

I did on Friday. For about 5 minutes, I did quite like 'rain'. But only for about 5minutes.

I was at this 'event' which was billed as an outdoor club with real live dj's and pa and lights but with a twist of the dance area being rained upon in the form of numerous sprinklers overhead 'raining' onto people below. I was slightly concerned by the mix of water and electricity. I'm sure Health and Safety might have had an issue with it all. I thought it was quite a novel idea.

The reality was something else. It was crap.

There were families. There were lots of blokes. There were hardly any ladies. The lights went out at times. The rain stopped. Some of the sprinklers clogged up and didn't produce an even flow of water. The water that landed on the dancefloor didn't have anywhere to flow to and so stayed. It was like a big bath but without a plug. There was no alcohol either.

The first few minutes of being rained upon was something almost euphoric. Whoa! But after awhile, its not. You're drenched. You weigh a ton. The water stops you moving. And you get idiot who think it is funny to 'slide' on their bellies into people knocking them down /alas, they didn't knock me down because I'm hard and I would have whacked them, honest guv/. Then after you're stint in the rain, you're still soaking but as the water is cold, you become cold and that's crap. Even allowing for light clothes, it takes ages to dry off and you end up going home cold and wet and wishing you hadn't spent all that money to do what you could have done in the bath at home.

*note to self- no more novelity theme nights.

Monday, October 13, 2008

board

I don't get some things. I'm not 'thick' but I'm not dead clever. I do tend to listen to people and what they say and then make a rational inference from what they say.

Take our National Football Team Boss George Burley. Last week in the run up to the home game against Norway he essentially said that this game was a must win game. Now, to me that means that you really, really want to score more goals than the other team. If you score more goals, you win. That would then mean that you choose a team that might be again to go out and score more goals. It makes sense to me. You wouldn't play with 10 defenders if you needed to score goals?

So when the team was announced prior to kick off, I was surprised. It wasn't a very attacking team, even for a home game it wasn't a positive team. It didn't contain a single recognised striker which seemed to belie the Managers wish to go on and win the game. But, this being Scotland I let it pass. I resisted the temptation to call him up and ask him what he was playing at.

As the game wore on, it was clear that the starting 11 were not causing Norway many difficulties. McFadden is a great player but he is never a lone striker. He's not the kind of player to toil on his own. He's the kind of player that gets the ball and runs and defenders. And he scores goals when playing along a striker. He tolled all day but was surprisingly sub'd. He was not impressed and neither was I. He should have stayed on. In his place came to newcomers. Again, very surprising. Neither had scored an international goal and in fact neither can be called 'profilic' at club level. In a game we had to win he brings these 2 on, instead of a player who has scored 7 in 15 international games and could be considered prolific at club level. He was top goalscorer at 2 clubs in the same season for gods sake. To add insult to injury, one of the subs missed from 3 yards out. Open goal. The worst miss in the history of the revered navy blue. A shocking miss that had he simply allowed the ball to hit his shin, would have went in. It didn't and we didn't win.

I'm still in shock about that miss. My cat could have scored it. I could have farted it in.

The fall out continues. The prolific striker who was unused has now quit the national time because of the manager. I completely agree with him, I must say. It's got nothing to do with be unpatriotic or unwilling to play for your country and all to do with not agreeing with the manager and how he does things. We needed a goal. We had a goalscorer ready and waiting. The manager ignored him. The tactics and the personnel were wrong. Its as simple as that. We were a decent team and now we're not. What's changed? The manager. He's even come out and said that he only wants people who are commited. Sorry mate but you're wrong. I'd rather have a huffy player who's single minded enough to score goals. What wins games? Goals. Football isn't hard but people make it hard. Put the ball in the net. Play people who can stop them. Play people who can make and score them. And play your best players in there best position. Simple.

Needless to say, we're not going to the World Cup now. We might not even be 2nd in the group. Over to you Mr. Burley. I'll lend you my JCB.

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

run

/sigh/.

if you pay attention to any from of news media, you would think that the world was close to ending. it's all a bit of a nonsense. it's not going to end, yet you're bombarded with capitalism is over. people are losing jobs. prices are increases. the rainforests are disappearing. some ice shelf the size of mars has just broken off. 25, 000 species of bumfluff are at risk.

big deal. honestly. i couldn't care about all this 'spin'. tell me something nice. tell me something worthwhile.

could i care if 250Bn pounds has been wiped of the footsie. no. its all a meaningless value anyway. is there even that quanity of real, hard currency floating about to get 'wiped' out anyway? what i do care about is some ass /or asses/ have been asses and risked people money. these are the people - the faceless - that should get blasted to kingdom come. they are the ones who have risked your money. everything that you have ever worked your ass off for. is that right? is it fair? are they going to get away with it? of course. the uk government are nationalising the banks to the tune of some massive amount of what is essentially taxpayers money. thats right, your own money is being safeguarded...by your own money. where is all this extra money coming from? i'll tell you where is not going. on all the services that mr and mrs man-on-the-street needs. it has to come from somewhere. the uk government don't just have all that money lying around. some hospital will close, some bus route will cease, that child won't get his free healthy school meal.

those asses should get hung drawn and quartered for all that. they bloody well wouldn't do it again thats for sure. but will they? of course not. perhaps they'll lose their job but what the hell, they only got 10 million pounds last year. i'm sure they'll survive.

we need a revolution baby.

i think i lied. maybe i do care after all.

Monday, October 06, 2008

steps

Noel Gallagher (is that how you spell his last name?).

Like or dislike him, he has an opinion. And that is a good thing. Just reading an article about an interview he gave recently. Basically he was criticising 'celebs' including other bands... when they are asked about such-and-such the answer back is invariably 'They're amazing' or something like that. Case in point was 'What do you think of Amy Winehouse?' 'Oh, she's amazing!'

He's got a point though, hasn't he?

I mean that's all celebs or bands do. They say something positive which might not actually be the case. It's almost unheard of that someone will come out and say 'Nah, I thought their last album was a bit pants actually.' Or, 'Think he was talking a big pile of poo to be honest.'

To top it all off, he went on to say that he feels he says things that the majority of people are thinking which might or might not be true. He did say that he thinks global warming is f*cking brillant.

Right or wrong, Noel I salute you.

/By the way, your little brother is a bit thick./

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

attribution

mr. pf is quite liking:

1. sleep. its very nice but only when you are not lying awake waiting to go to sleep because that's bad and I don't like that. That will be in the 'not quite liking' section below along with the act of getting up and the associated act of having to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom; though, I like going back to bed after going to the bathroom in the middle of the night, so long as I am not lying awake waiting to go to sleep because that's bad and I don't like that.

2. the weather hahaha. It's not as humid and I can sunbathe without slipping off the sunlounger due to sweat.

3. that new Madonna single with Pharrel on it, though I'm not quite liking it after she starts sing because that spoils it. I wonder if there is a remixed version because I might quite like that better.

4. 3day working weeks. In fact, with the amount of holiday time I still have to take before the end of the year, I could theoretically so that. There's a thought.
5. Kitsune Boombox. Quite liking that surprisingly. A musical gem.

6. The fact that Ramadan is over. I can now be selfish and make tea and coffee in the office without caring who sees me. Surprisingly, my pen has not been falling off my desk as often as it has been, particularly around lunchtime. Think the floor has been fixed and is no longer wonky.

7. lists.

8. being bossy and blasting people for not knowing anything about teaching, but not to their face because its easier and more effective to do it electronically. And I'd wimp out otherwise.

9. chocolate digestives for dunking purposes. note to self: limit intake.
10. his friends. pretty much all of them but in different ways because they are all different and special and unique in their own different ways. Although, I don't quite like the fact that some of them don't contact me first or reply. again, that will be covered in the 'not quite liking' section below.

11. not really quite liking much else at the moment.

mr.pf is not quite liking:

1. his spelling. It's crap these days and if I'm not concentrating I can miss words out or just write the wrong one. Not liking that much. It could be that its just because of my typing style and getting ahead of myself. Or it could be because something neurological is happening that in someways is affecting how I process language. I really hope it is because of my typing. Really hoping.

2. oh yes, lying waiting to go to sleep. Not liking that much. It's boring and sometimes weird thoughts creep in and that is something that I'm not liking at times.
3. flies. they fly around and annoy me on my way to work in the morning. There are usually 4 general areas that one or more appear and buzz around my head. I somehow mistakenly managed to flag down a taxi the other day. All I was trying to do was get this fly away from my ears. Taxi driver wasn't impressed and probably thought I was mental which may or may not have something to do with part 1 above. Either way I think I might need to change my route to work.

4. replying or not. I'm not quite liking the fact that some people don't reply. I get abit offended by that. And paraniod. Well, not paranoid as such but worried that maybe the person that isn't replying doesn't like me anymore, which is a definite worry especially if the non-replier is female and quite nice. The non-replying to work related email is an even bigger 'not liking' thing. If it gets in the way of me not doing my job then thats a very, very big problem and I can't like that at all.Ever.

5. kind of related is the non-contacting of me first. kind of the same reasoning as above.
6. office tea, coffee and 'milk'. Not liking times 24.67. Might need to bring my own.

7. why i-tunes 'deletes' one of my Kitsune Boombox songs after playing it. weird.

8. my laptop. It's done really well upto now but I'm not liking that fact that it gets all hot and bothered and decides to stop. Please don't do that any time soon because this is turning into a post of monster proportions and I would not quite like to type it again. Also, the space bar ain't working too well. A definite tick in the not liking category.

9. not liking seeing a car crushed to half their original size, up-side down on the side of the road. Especially when you find out later that it is half its original size because the driver lost control, hit something and flipped over 3 times, killing the 3 people inside of it.

10. everything else i'm either 'quite liking' or have no real opinion about.