Leave town (but take me with you)

Leave Town

Public transport

I'm going to see Idlewild at the Hexagon in Reading next friday, so i needed to get a train ticket to go there and come back on saturday. Virgin Trains, who i normally go with, have all of a sudden become really shit. Shitter than they were before, that is.
All they could offer were single fares, of about £30 each, and journeys that involved changing trains three or four times. Do you know the geography of England? Birmingham is about 110 miles from Reading, and the trains go straight through to London. This would normally involve no changes at all. What the bloody hel are they playing at?
So. I've rented a car. I've never done it before, but i am quite excited about it. A Class A Economy (Fiat Seicento or similar), no tape/cd player but as long as the radio picks up Radio 2 i'm alright.
I hope the car's red. My mum absolutely hates red cars.

Five strings

That last post maybe didn't sound right. I didn't mean i wasn't going to reveal anything to you, dear reader, but that i had been going on about this particular thing to people for ages and maybe it is time for me to grow up a little and get a grip.

I forgot to talk about what happened on thursday.
HM1 phoned me about 10pm, saying that he was around at IND's and that everyone was there. Excellent! i thought, everyone's there! It turned out that 'everyone' meant all of HM1's mates, and not GS, NZA, etc. Not that HM1's friends aren't all very nice, but i was expecting the others. They were all pissed as well when i got there, so i felt kind of out of place. Did a little 'un to join in.
Anyway, two of the people found a guitar, and we all sat round in the kitchen playing some tunes. Unfortunately, the D string was missing, so our range was somewhat limited. However, when a sleeping housemate was awokened, we had to take everyone back to ours, where i got a fully-stringed guitar and we commenced the fun! We remembered the rule - no Stairway!
When everyone went i was left with PND and IND falling asleep on my sofa. Sent them packing, went to bed, and then friday started.

The Green Eyed Monster

Went to another "Arty Birmingham" thing last night, and got taken outside and beaten to fuck by the Green Eyed Monster.
Sometimes i feel i say too much to people. In future, i resolve to keep things to myself, therefore eliminating any distress or alienation.
So there. I'll tell GS the whole story, so you can ask him.

Fallen

Right. Let’s start on Friday. GS, IND, PND, NZA and myself went to the local *private* park for a picnic. Friday was lovely and sunny, and we brought some wine to drink in the sun. And we took my frisbee. I have never had so much fun. Playing frisbee is the new sex.
When we left the park my memory starts getting hazy. Let’s just say that I think I had a wonderful, if very expensive, time. I made some new friends and ensured the friendship of the existing ones. My carpet was soaked when I woke up on Saturday morning, but nothing was broken, despite the continual avalanches of cd’s and books that kept occurring.
On Saturday I went to Reading to see Hermano’s new flat. Is very nice. Went into the town in the evening, and had the best time avoiding Tilehurst scum wanting to beat us up on the walk back to the flat.
An example of a typical conversation heard in Reading between 11.30pm and 2.30am: “I’m fucking pissed mate. Let’s grab a taxi back to Tilehurst and bash someone.” (Tilehurst is an area of Reading; a “suburb” if you will).
Went to my mum’s on Sunday, ate some Cauldron Foods sausages. I love being vegetarian.
Came home on Sunday.

'Return of the Mac' - coming soon

This makes me sick.
McDonalds, the world's most evil company (after Disney), are going to pay musicians to drop the words "Big Mac" into their songs.

Weekender #2

Hellllo.
Had a very long weekend involving frisbees, sunshine and many people in my room.
Will update when my fingers are working properly.
xxx

(untitled)

Met everyone in the pub made famous by Ocean Colour Scene after work yesterday. Sometimes i get in bad moods for no reason, and IND seemed to think i was angry at him. Which i wasn't. Sorry dude.
Afterwards, i went home and had something to eat, and then met most of them again in the pub across the road. Also met a guy who i used to live with, who i haven't seen for ages. He's off backpacking to Vietnam today, lucky blighter. I wonder who's looking after the cat.

Hooray! Four day weekend! Because i have tuesdays off to go to college it's a five day weekend for me. We've got a lovely picnic planned for tomorrow, provided it isn't raining or snowing. Shall update ye later about it.

Cutting hair?

Real-life text message i received on Monday 21 March at 19:31 -
"Hi chick. Any chance of a trim b4 friday. If busy no problem. Sam will do it."

I have no idea.

Rosa

Saw a guy from The Murder of Rosa Luxemburg on the bus this morning. Well, he was wearing all black and had a black scarf covering half his face, so i reckon it was the guitarist.
"Freiheit ist immer Freiheit der Andersdenkenden."

The ancient mariner

I have used the washing machine. Well, i put it on this morning and quickly ran out of the house to go to work, so if the kitchen's flooded someone else can deal with it.

John Simpson

John Simpson rules
I first met John Simpson when i was about 2. It was in Zambia, something to do with Reuters (the news agency). I think my mum worked for them or something.
Fast forward a few hundred months, and the 2003 Birmingham Book Festival. Mr Simpson was giving a reading from his latest book, and my ex-girlfriend was working for the company that organised the events, so i was there helping out.
The reading was brilliant, all about his experiences in war-torn countries. Afterwards he signed books and chatted to the people that came; he must of been there for about three hours.
I went last, and casually mentioned the name of a man my mum told me to. His face brightened, and we chatted about Zambia for a bit.
This entry isn't funny, nor very informative. It's just to let you know that John Simpson is a lovely, lovely man.

Define: Microsoft

Outlook Express isn't working. How am i meant to respond to all the important emails i am bound to have received over the weekend? My boss is away today as well.
Must get fit. Perhaps jogging is the way forward, seeing as i live in one of the greenest and park-iest areas of the city.

Just won '8 Teeth To Eat You', a split ep by Cursive and Eastern Youth, on eBay. $9.50, which is £5.11. A fiver for a cd to be sent all the way from the USA, when in England (if you can find it) it would be about £12. Haven't heard Eastern Youth before, but Cursive fucking rock.
8 Teeth has Excerpts From Various Notes..., which is currently my iPod's favourite song.

Bands

Superchunk rock.


Cursive rock.


And Up Up Down Down rock.

Jesub loves me

Hi.
Did i say i went to Sugarfoot Stomp on thursday? Was alright, not many people and very loud.

HM2 broke the washing machine on friday. It was broken already, in that the on/off switch has been pushed inside the machine and we have to use the plug on the wall to turn it on. But now HM2 broke the door off. HM2 says it's still useable, and it has been used, but i'm not going to use it. So there.


Went to NZA's last night cos everyone's broke. Met GS in town; brought some delightful pecan and maple syrup danish types things which we ate on the bus journey. C was there when we got there. Had pizza and vodka.
Got up about 1030 and woke everyone up (not on purpoise. or purpose). Two bus journeys to get home: the first one didn't come for ages and was packed when it did. Got off it too early. Saw the second bus passing before i was at the stop, and upon arriving at the stop found it was a half-hourly service. So walked home, which was nice cos i enjoy walking, and it's quite a pretty walk. (I seem to be sounding really old.)


Idlewild tickets arrived too. Cool as.

Explain myself

The post below started this way: i was reading a blog by someone whose name involved the word "Irish". I'm not complaining about this person, as a person, or their blog, but the use of the word 'Irish'.
S/he was from Texas. Again, not a problem.
S/he had a list of things she wanted to do. One of them was "visit Ireland".
That is what i have a problem with. This person's from Texas, has never been to Ireland, yet calls themselves "Irish".
I might change my name to Loaded. Or Big Cock.

America for the Irish

Yesterday was St Patrick's Day. In Birmingham there's a large Irish community, so therefore, understandably, the celebrations are planned months in advance and are fairly big. I was in town last night and you couldn't move for big black and green Guinness hats.
The majority of the Birmingham Irish community were either born in Ireland or their parents were. So, they're Irish. However, if you're descended from someone who arrived in America from Ireland in 1852, you're not Irish. If your grandparents were born in America, you're not Irish. You're American.
To paraphrase Jack Osbourne, if you want to be Irish so much, why don't you move to a South Belfast council estate and see how great Ireland is.

(Incidently, my grandfather was born in County Cork (which is, in case you don't know, on the Southern coast of the Republic), and came to England during World War II (like, 1940). My father was born in England. I am English.)

Snow Patrol

Bassist exits group
There comes a time when you reach your mid-twenties and realise that there is so much more to life than slow, sad songs played by men dressed in black. You realise that there is a whole world of wonder outside your bedroom, and that you have to embrace yourself and those around you and shout to the world: "I am happy to be here! I AM ME!!"
Anyway, so the bassist from Snow Patrol left, or was forced out (i didn't actually read the story). Wow. Snow Patrol are shit. This isn't the 90s anymore. Music has moved on since the days of cider and shoe-gazing. Get some balls, losers.

Self portrait day #2

Hot dog! Did i really write that stuff about myself? My favourite sandwich was going to change to crispbread with Philidelphia, except they all went soft and i didn't enjoy them at all. I'm still looking for uteruses or other body parts.

I had the urge to dig up the garden yesterday. Before the Dior Prefect (remember him?) moved in, we lived with a lovely girl who planted potatoes, peas and herbs in the garden. After she moved out, all the garden has seen is a load of rats and, strangely, a deflated football.
As summer is coming, what could be better than pushing your hands about in lovely cool soil and eating the results of your labour? (as long as the results of your labour aren't a steel bridge or a baby.)

Self portrait day

Hello if you've come from Self Portrait Day! Thanks for visiting. However, there was something of a mistake: i'm not from Chicago and i'm not a mum (I looked for a uterus on eBay but couldn't find one). I would like to go to Chicago though, what with Albini and all. My favourite sandwich is now banana with brown sugar. Or simply rolos wrapped in chocolate with rich chocolate icing.

Jmail

Just like you, i have had many, many Gmail accounts for ages now. However, i have been solidly faithful to the Yahoo one i've had for years. But, the other day i got an email from KT Tunstall, who is some new singing sensation (i say it was from her, but it's more likely to have been from her record company. All the emails i get from Natasha Bedingfield are actually from Nat though).
I've been very very careful with the yahoo address, making sure it doesn't go anywhere on the internet; obviously i haven't been careful enough.
Anyway, today i have started directing all emails to the brand-spanking-new Gmail account. I shall be interested to see if it's as good as claimed. I may even keep you informed.

howies have a load of new designs; even new pics on the site! My favourite's the Eat Your Own Shit. Or the classic Work Hard, Canoe Home.

Are we seeing this?

Are we seeing this? Or is it just my broken brain's invention of tension on this chaotic day. Are you seeing this? Or is it just me? If you want a piece of me you know where i live so you can come and give it and i'll come and get it.

Muscle, when will i see it?

Wouldn't it be easier if our thoughts had a BlogThis! button? It would mean i wouldn't spend the whole night trying to remember things that i can't be bothered to get up and write down. I thought of some wonderful things to write last night, but in the cold light of day they have gone. But i guess that's why they call it the blues.

Decide!

After a couple of years of pissing about and trying to decide what i want to do with the proliferation of domain names i seem to have acquired, i have come to a decision. I will no doubt shortly change my mind, but for now i am set. I'll fill you in later x

Britney Spears on Michael Jackson: "He needs someone to be like, 'OK, let's buck you up, let's give you a moustache, let's rough you up, let's go to a bar, let's get drunk and be a man."

My shoes waiting for the train.

Shake those windows

I'm going to elaborate on a couple of yesterday's ramblings.
One of Athlete's support bands were/are called Morning Runner or something. In another entry somewhere below I reveal that i'm from Reading, followed by a terribly funny sarcastic comment.
Steven Fretwell was also a support (band). He was also big bollocks.

Spent £120 that i haven't got last night on six tickets for gigs. Luckily only two are mine. I'm really getting back into live music. Was talking with Fitzbar about all the bands we just to see at RUSU when we were teenagers: Teenage Fanclub, Carter USM (hundreds of times), Kingmaker (Kingmaker!). First time we saw Kingmaker their support was Suede, and they were crap even then.
And all the Thunderbird beforehand. Oh, Thunderbird; responsible for so many bad, bad things.

Most favourite recent gig (except for Laura) was Beep Beep and The Faintat the Custard Factory, sometime at the end of last year. They were lovely people.

We got the style

Hello! I went out on friday to a local pub with IND, PND & NZA. Turned out be be quite a fraught, nervous night.

On saturday i went to Reading to see Fitzbar, for his stepdad's 50th birthday party. Was quite good. Ate a lot of gateau. Gateaux. Whatever. Afterwards we watched Layer Cake (which turned out much better than i anticipated) then went and slept on the sofa.

On sunday we drove to Bristol to Fitzbar's sister's house in order to go and see Athlete. Was really good. The band from Reading were pretty shit, but were much better than Steven Fretwell bollocks, who also supported. Athlete were brilliant. The bass player was cool. Bristol Academy's a really good venue.

Went back to Fitzbar's sister's where, as we found out looking for mugs at about one am, every kitchen cupboard door squeaks really loudly. The much fainted aggressive cat turned out quite amicable.

On monday drove back to Reading, went to my mum's, got a train back here, made a cup of coffee.

Lots of other stuff probably happened, but i'm exhausted. Here's a picture of Bristol Academy's sticky, sticky floor (i'm on the right).

Creamy surprise

Just come back from a meeting at a "public funding agency". I go there every month or so, and sit in a big board room saying nothing and taking notes. The meetings always go round and round in circles, always about how there's no training opportunities in the particular sector we're involved in, and how there's no money to pay for any training, or training this or training that.
I only go for the food. Most of the time it's crap, but sometimes they surprise me. Today, they had the usual cheese and sweetcorn sandwiches (wtf?), but also some kind of deli-wrap. I didn't have one, cos i was saving space for the sweet option - half a huge scone covered in cream. It almost didn't survive being wrapped in a napkin and carried back to the office. It didn't survive the office.

Have a nice weekend, mystery reader. I'm away til monday so we'll catch up in the week! Love you x

Laura Veirs (still)

Right, i'm going to start spelling her name properly.
Went to see her yesterday, was a bit late cos of IND. Missed most of Karl Blau, who played first. What we saw of him was really good.Then Gina Villalobos came on. Was alright. Nothing special.
Then Laura! She was brilliant, such an amazing singer. Karl Blau played guitar with her, and Steve Moore played keyboards and trombone. She was so cool. Played all me faves. When they finished the first time, it was me that started the clamouring for an encore by stamping me feet. They came back and played Jailhouse Fire and got us all to clap along. She said we "rocked", which we did.
Seeing Athlete on sunday, then ATP in April sometime.

Stats

Number of emails sent today: 5
Number of emails received: 0
Happiness quotient: 35
Bitterness quotient: 76

Did you see Look Around You on Monday? Mike from Spaced was walking around with a sign that said "Hot Jon". I've got a friend called Jon, and indeed he is hot.

Me & LV

If the student who i just passed on the steps out the front noticed me, i wasn't staring at you. It was you staring at me.

Going to see Laura Viers tonight. Well looking forward to it. Need to go food shopping first - need sugar; i stole a load of little sachets from college last night but they didn't even last to the bus stop. Is it possible to live on sugar alone? It might be worth trying - maybe i can get a grant for the research. And then a grant for the dentistry bills.

Squelching emo

My daughter likes Dashboard so get me one of those.

Our leader

WTF? Every home should have one.

Work/life balance #2

My contract at work runs out at the end of June. I know it seems a long time away, but i am becoming very despondent. Anyone want to offer me a job? Something cool, good pay, great benefits and holidays. Good looking colleagues.
I'm going to do my CV soon, so you can see what i have to offer. If you want me working for you (i'm great at everything) mail me for a copy of the cv. I'd love to work for you. Thanks!

Tommy Vance

Rest in peace, Tommy. Channel 5 light entertainment will never be the same.

BBC News

Work/life balance

I'm supposed to be giving a presentation at college on tuesday. A 20 minute presentation, followed by 10 minutes of questions. And then a 2,000 word essay to hand in one week later. Haven't even started it yet. I am also hard as nails.

H(eavy)M(etal)T

It was HMT's birthday on wednesday i think. IND and myself met GS and the NZA in the Gosta on the way to his house for a birthday party. The Gosta's quite odd. Very wood.
(This is going to be like a proper diary entry.)
I made HMT a birthday card with his face photoshopped onto the usual picture of Che Guevara; everyone signed it on the way.
I really like the group of people i've entrenched myself into. Very very very much.
The party was good. H and a friend came later on. HMT went a bit manic clearing up towards the end. IND was sick a couple of times, but hadn't been feeling well all day.

Left about three maybe. GS had left with H et al a bit earlier, and IND, NZA and me went back to IND's, cos his moody housemate was away, and carried on. I went to sleep on IND's bed (after having to make it first) at some point, and was woken at half two by IND going to bed. Was well sunny through the curtains. I tiptoed past a sleeping NZA to go home, turned away a charity collector on the doorstep and rang my mum to wish her a happy mother's day.

Met GS, H and friend later on for some food in a pub. We all were drinking *cola* or lemonade except GS, who's hard as nails.

Went round to see IND after the Simpsons, he'd just gotten up. Helped him find his phone and clear up, then reminisced.

Run

Hermano ran in the Reading Half Marathon today. He didn't know what place he got but did it in under two hours, and beat the Cheeky Girls. But not Gordon Ramsey. Three cheers for el Hermano.
I have my own reasons for hating Gordon Ramsey.

Laura Viers

Do you like her? Going to see her on wednesday with IND. Ought to be gooood. IND's only coming in exchange for me going with him to see some harpist, which i am also looking forward to immensely.

Drifters and rolos

Sounds like it's raining. One more picture:

Caramel shortcake?

Oooh, this one's lovely isn't it? Very brown. There's not a link bit on this one, so here's thee shop. I'm going to go food shopping there tomorrow. Going to buy Rolos and Pringles probably. And vodka for the party.
Pease out.

I smell cake

Obviously i've been playing about with the templates. Normally i wouldn't have a 'links' bit cos they tend to end up as big huge lists with i can't be bothered to go looking through. But thee shop's where i get all me groceries.

Eye five

Thought it was about time for some pictures. We're watching you.

Blank

Here's a list of bands i like, in case you're interested:
Superchunk, Cursive, Jim Moray, Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start, the unknown band (RIP), and Humidifier.

Reading

I'm going to Bristol on Sunday 13 to see Athlete with my friend Fitzbar. I'm not the biggest fan of the afore-mentioned band, but live music is generally always good.
One of the support bands are called Morning Runner. I googled them, and came up with this quote: "As one journalist said “It makes you proud to be from Reading when the likes of Morning Runner hit the headlines".
I'm from Reading.
However, it's going to take a lot more than some shite band (admittedly i haven't seen them yet) to make me proud of being from Reading.
Actually, i think i am proud of it. Putting Oscar Wilde in jail for being gay; being the birthplace of Kate Winslet, Kenneth Brannagh and Ricky Gervais; the sodden hell hole that is Reading Festival. Fuck it, Reading rocks.

Anyway, apparently this Morning Runner shite sound like a gutsier Keane. Now, i may not know a lot about music (this is, of course, a lie), but how could Keane possibly get any gutsier? Keane are the hardest rockin' band ever. I was on the bus once behind someone listening to Keane, and it was all i could do to stop myself ripping the walkman off their person and chucking it out the window.

Food miles

I stole all this from The Independent:

Environmental cost of farming: £1.1bn a year
If all farms were organic it would save £1.1bn a year. Removing pesticides from water supplies, for example, adds £250m a year to water bills. Other costs range from pollution to losses in soil and biodiversity, and costs in human and animal health, such as BSE and antibiotic resistance. Hidden costs of £1.5bn a year could be cut to £385m.

Environmental cost of food transport £2.1bn a year
28 per cent of road freight is food or produce; 1.6 billion tons are carried 149 billion ton-kilometres. 23 per cent more food than 20 years ago is on the roads and it is travelling 65 per cent further. Each person makes, on average, 221 shopping trips per year with an average length of 6.4km, up from 4km in 1985. £2.1bn could be saved if all food was locally sourced.

Hidden farming subsidy costs: up to £1bn
The average annual cost of agricultural subsidies paid by the UK taxpayer was £3.1bn with an extra £2bn in 2001-04 for the foot-and-mouth epidemic. Until 2004, agricultural subsidies mostly supported production that caused adverse environmental impacts. Some subsidies can improve the environment but without them, subsidies still total £2.9bn a year.

Anti-snow

Have so far spent most of the day on Penny Arcade. Some of the strips are very funny. Some of them are quite nerdy. Obviously i don't understand the nerdy ones.
Had a lovely email from H. I think maybe i should change his/her name, in case it's getting too obvious. Who knows. Who cares. Anyway, it cheered me up no end after a hard day at college.
I love Perry Barr at night.