Recover post

Went for lunch with GS; we sat on the grass outside St Phillip's Cathedral and ate Pret a Manger sandwiches - i had egg and tomato and GS had cesar chicken. And we had chocolae brownies. The guy who served me in Pret a Manger was very nice and indeed brightened up my afternoon. He told me to have a nice day and gave me a thumbs-up. May go in there again.
This is fascinating for you, dear reader, is it not?

GS got some of his photos developed from ATP so we looked at them, and also some of a holiday GS went on where it seems he just walked up and down long roads.
A little rememberence for GS - your sticky tshirt! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Don't know why i'm laughing, it was all over my hands.

I've just split water all over my crotch (and it is water), so can't go anywhere til it dries. Dammit.

Bike-age

Oh, and i don't know what NZA or PND are doing tomorrow, but they don't strike me as folky-types who would enjoy the electronic musings of the folk rebel that is Jim Moray. But you never know.
I was supposed to go out for a quick half with PND tonight, but he's emailed me saying he can't, because Super Size Me is on tv tonight, and he's got to go somewhere beforehand. Fair enough.

Should be having lunch with GS tomorrow to discuss all that happened at ATP, and maybe fill in the gaps in each other's memories. Certainly mine needs filling in.

Lonesome

I am going to see Jim Moray tomorrow. On my own. I don't mind going to gigs on my own, cos it means i get there on time and don't fuck about for ages afterwards. I've seen at least three on my tod - Stiff Little Fingers, Inspiral Carpets and James Robert Morrison.
The SLF gig was good; just as the band walked on and started playing, the forty-year old punk standing next to me threw a glass of water at the stage and it went all over Jake Burns. The band stopped playing and Jake said "Right, if that happens again you've all wasted your money, cos i'm fucking off, the band are fucking off, and you can all fuck off home." Then they started playing again.
Also at that gig, before the band came on, there was some little punk ('punk' in the bad way) standing behind me who i overheard saying "everytime i'm at a gig there's always some tall twat standing in front of me." I turned round and told him to move then. Dickhead.

Anyway. GS, H and C are going away, and IND didn't reply to my text asking if he wanted to go. IND's got himself a girlfriend now, so will probably be wanting to spend time with her. Grrrrr.

Maybe i should get myself one of those. A girlfriend, not a grrrr.

All Tomorrow's Parties #2

ATP was brilliant. I had a lot of fun and saw some good bands. Can't remember everything but here's a list of the ones i can remember:

• Lydia Lunch
• Peaches
• Polly Harvey
• Olivia Tremor Control
• The Zombies
• Yoko Ono
• Magik Markers
• Youth Movie Soundtrack Strategies
• Money Mark & Kid Koala

I saw Youth Movie... at Truck last year, and i think their playing this year too. Money Mark & Kid Koala were really good, PND and me had a nice dance to them. The Zombies were very friendly and ended with God Gave Rock And Roll To You; danced to them as well. Can't remember a lot about Olivia... but i think there were a lot of them. Magik Markers were really good in a Babes In Toyland kind of way.

We went to the beach a couple of times. Here's GS and PND crashing after rolling down a dune:

All Tomorrow's Parties

Excellent, today is my last day at work until wednesday. I am going to leave lots of important things unfinished, and change the password on the computer so no-one can get on it to find anything, even if they log on as Administrator.


Here's what i've packed/am planning to pack for my three nights in Camber Sands Holiday Encampment:

two tshirts

one pair of socks

one towel

sunglasses

toothpaste and toothbrush

Can't see anything else coming in useful, especially not drink or drugs. Or train tickets or tickets to get into the place. Mind you, GS has those in his "cheese-panelled inner-sanctum", so at least they're safe.

Aitch

Me and H first met in the Jug of Ale, although we had been 'friends' on Friendster for a while. Are you on Friendster? I have about twenty 'friends', although half of them are cats or characters from On The Buses.
Anyway, it was at our first meeting in the Jug when we almost didn't become friends. It was something to do with Smokey Joe the travelling mule. H was asking stuff about him, and i was getting a little bored of it, i think. I seem to remember her asking another question, and i was like, quite loudly, "He's a fictional mule!!". Yes, harsh words were said by us both.
We have since wiped the slate clean and now we get on fabulously. We were reminising about it on saturday over white wine and pringles. Then we went to Moseley Bog with IND and i killed them both and buried them.

Oh, and it turns out the Annie Hall dvd was PND's. I still don't understand how it came to be in my possession though.

Weekender #3

Hello! I've had a very nice weekend, did you?

On saturday H came round and we listened to music and stuff, and then invited IND over in order to go to Moseley Bog (which is where Tolkien used to play as a kid. Shame he didn't fall in). It was very nice, although a trifle muddy. Here's a pic:

We climbed a tree and everything. And stroked a dog.

Afterwards we stopped into PND's, then went to The Rainbow in Digbeth with NZA and C. Then we went back to PND's, left C there asleep on the sofa, and went to that Centre 13 place again, where another party was happening. I thought it was much better this time, the music was fantastic and i got the fear at no time. People did keep asking me for pills though. Which i didn't have.
I left about four i think, after spending ages trying to convince IND and PND to leave. I was literally falling asleep on the floor, so had to go.

When i woke up it was sunny. Now it's raining.
I also discovered a dvd of Annie Hall in my bag. No idea where it came from, but it's quite sticky and covered in tobacco (the cover, not the disc) so i'm guessing maybe at Centre 13 on the floor somewhere.

I ought to go out with my bag more often.

Sunflowers #1

Last saturday i planted a load of sunflowers into little pots. This is what they look like now:

I'm going to plant them out the front of the house. I shall keep thee updated on their growing.

Fitzbar's feet #2

G Strode

GS has gone to Manchester this weekend. I don't know what i'm going to do without him, even if he tells everyone my secrets.
Ol' GS didn't go to *wherever* last night; he sat at home in his chair listening to The Smiths.

Bryl

My hair looks super-good today. Look out ladies!

Ha! Went to a thing at a place yesterday, where this very blog was mentioned to me by someone, which is why i'm not saying what or where it was, although it will be more than obvious to them. I denied all knowledge, of course. Maybe they did a Google search for the name of the night and found it, or maybe someone (not looking at you, GS) told them about it. Hmm.
Anyway, i was only supposed to be there for an hour, as i only took £5 with me because of All Tomorrow's Parties next weekend and the need for money for that. Ended up staying til the end with PND and NZA, then got a taxi home.
I was wearing my glasses, and H told me that i looked like Indiana Jones when he's still a teacher before his adventuring. I've been told that before, and much prefer it to being told i look like Beckham. You may have noticed the piccy of Indy somewhere below.

Ah yes, the rental car!

It was a Vauxhall Agila, or something like that. No cd playa, but it had a tape playa so i enjoyed Surfa Rosa on the way there, and borrowed Controlled By Hatred / Feel Like Shit...De-ja Vu off Hermano for the way back. The looks i got, driving a silver old person's car listening to Suicidal Tendencies.
So. They took a £200 deposit off me when i got it, and then paid it back when i took the car back. Although, from looking at my account it seems they neglected to take the money from me, but did put it back in. Hooray! I'm maybe £200 better off!
Oh, and the driver's electric window didn't work, so i was driving about with an ashtray on my lap, which wasn't the most convenient place. I did pretty much 'rag' the car though, but i'm not saying how fast i went in it.

The Saddlers

Had to go to Walsall yesterday to Bescot Stadium (home of Walsall FC), because work had booked some of the conference rooms there for the stuff what we do. Was alright. For only the second time in my life i ran for public transport: i was at the ticket office in New Street buying my ticket when the loudspeaker informed me that the train was at the platform. So i ran for it.
The first time i ran for public transport was because the two people i was with were running for it; i'd have been happy to wait for the next one.
Anyway. The catering was alright - vegetable samosas and spring rolls, and cheese and pineapple sandwiches (what is it with the Midlands and cheese and pineapple? I've never experienced it anywhere except here). And coffee. Hmm, lots of coffee.
The thing finished at 2:30, so was back at home by 4pm. Sweet. Richard & Judy.

Start

Ha! Scared ya.

End

Hello.
Went to see Idlewild on friday and Joanna Newsom on sunday. Idlewild were good, the support (Sons and Daughters) were shit.
Ms Newsom was pretty as a picture. Supports were Six Organs of Admittance, who was really good, White Magic, who weren't, and Alisdair Roberts, who was quite funny in a scottish kind of way.

I really can't be bothered anymore.

Without MSG

I must've had some kind of impurity on my contact lens this morning cos my eye is still red and i think i'm going blind.
Changed the website again; well, not really changed but added some more stuff and am going to upload it tonight. Have you seen it? No, not many people have. I've decided to put all the drawings on the main bit and have Leave Town as the photographic side. But this may change again.

Creation

Individuals must be encouraged to express their imagination by giving them as much freedom as possible to germinate creative solutions to given problems. While many tools and techniques for encouraging creativity are to be found on the bookshelves, one of the most useful approaches is to avoid negative behaviour within the group, especially destructive statements such as:

I don't like it;

it is not practical;

it is not our job to change that;

it is not done in that way here; and

NO!!!

Hot dog.

Dancing fool

Funniest email of yesterday:"Sometimes i really hate Music" - GS, Tuesday 5 April, 18:43

Everyone (well, not everyone) went to see Moving Units last night at the NME place somewhere in Snow Hill (?). I didn't, although i was promised there would be dancing, because i'm seeing Idlewild on friday and Joanna Newsom on sunday. I also didn't go because i'm broke.
But apparently Moving Units didn't play, so i didn't miss much, although they all went for a drinky somewhere instead (my friends, not Moving Units).
Have never heard Newsom before, although IND and C saw her last year (not together, well, it bloody better not have been) and Laura Veirs told everyone to go and see her when we saw her last month. She plays the harp, it seems. Will Oldham likes her too.

Tribute to N

N of The Pwincess Diaries recently talked about how great Post-It notes are.
I have recently taken a pack home from work, in order to leave annoying messages all over the house; for instance, one saying 'Bin' on the bin in the bathroom and one saying 'Not bin' on the top of the toilet, so the Dior Prefect might actually start using the bin instead of leaving his rediculously expensive empty bottles of shampoo on top of the toilet. Or the empty toilet rolls all over the floor and any place except the bin (i've spoken about his extravagent use of toilet paper, haven't i?).
Other notes i may leave include:

• Tea towels stay in the kitchen, not the lounge
• Do your own washing up
• How about buying some cleaning products?
• FTN is a shit channel
• Turn off the tv properly, not just on standby
• We all hate you (stuck on the underside of his pillow). Heh heh heh. That'll be funny.

City lights blur

I've got a new favourite band: Minus The Bear.
I do have the unnerving feeling that they're all probably about 18 though (ok, i know this isn't true), and are wildly talented at what they do. Oh, and a big thank you to Thee Shopkeeper for the introduction.

Centre 13

I found out something about where we were on saturday. Read it here (it's on icBirmingham so will take ages to load up).
Another thing i remembered about it - some bloke kept coming up to me telling me that i look like David Beckham. Which i don't. I actually quit a job once because the boss kept calling me 'Becks'. I also quit cos the boss was a dick.

Monday's fashion

So, what are you wearing today?
I have: tatty Dunlop Green Flash, dark San Fransiscan Levis, a black "Lords of Chaos, Berlin 1992" New Model Army tshirt, black short sleeved short and dark jumper. And contact lenses.
I thought i'd wear a lot of black today, although there is no reason for it.
Your turn...

Hello! It's been a lovely weekend, weatherwise. On friday i ventured into Streetly, somewhere in the wilds of northerly Birmingham, to go to GS's house. We had eggs thrown at us, but none hit (reminds me of the snowball incident). Think of it this way: the little twats had to go to the shop to buy those eggs. Imagine them in the shop, buying eggs to throw at people from a moving vehicle.Hermano and me had eggs thrown at us coming back from seeing Ipswich play Wolverhampton. One of them hit.

On saturday we had to go into town to buy train tickets to get to Rye for All Tomorrow's Parties (about three weeks i think). Afterwards me, GS and the NZA went and sat in Cannon Hill Park for three or four hours, with the occassional visit to H and C who were working in the Mac.
We had to buy a new frisbee cos mine was still round at IND's (from when he borrowed it to go to the Malverns and stopped in Kings Heath). Here's us:


In the evening we (NZA, IND, PND, C, H and (a new set of initials to confuse you) LJ) met a couple of friends (no initials) at a pub, then came back to mine, where HM1, girlfriend of HM1 and the Dior Prefect were still up. At some point it was decided to go to an allegedly illegal party. H and C didn't go, cos they're working today. When we arrived at the place, it turned out it wasn't the squat it was meant to be, but a local Islamic Education centre. It was fairly odd, the atmosphere seemed really bad to me. There were loads of pretty dodgy people around, and, according to PND, i got the fear.
IND thought someone had nicked his jacket, and was actually in tears over it. But then he found it where he had left it. He's a teacher so likes to 'have it large' during the holidays.

Left there about 6, left IND in there cos he was still dancing (in his jacket), and walked the short walk home with PND and NZA, constantly checking that we weren't being followed.

I've been wearing my sandels all day; well, since i got up. I can't wait for summer.
Speak soon x

I love Tom

I got Tea Toast & Turmoil by the mighty Smudge off eBay yesterday. I already have it on brown vinyl, but have no room to set up the record player. Record playa. Of course, i was listening to Smudge long before Dando and Ray, and Hermano will testify to this.


Here's a picture of me on the telephone, taking one of the many important calls i field each and every day. This particular call was from Adam Yee, who played bass in Smudge. I had asked him if he could play in my band, but he said no, what with living in Australia and all.