can you tell I've just worked out how to embed videos on the blog?
I saw Justice at Roskilde and he played this twice and I loved him for it. Of course, at the time I had no idea whatsoever that it was him who actually did the tune.... d'oh.
Monday, January 29, 2007
I want your soul
My flatmate/very good friend (which is the higher on the scale? I'm never sure) Helen and I have agreed, enthused by "Jools' Hootenany"-watching, to make a different compilation CD every month this year, encompassing a different genre.
This month (i.e. due on Thursday), it's Soul. My knowledge of which stretches to having heard of Al Green and having snogged a girl whilst "Let's get it on" played in the background in the student union 9 years ago. No doubt someone with a better knowledge of music will inform me that Marvin Gaye didn't actually sing soul music anyway.
Which is where I need your help! Some might call it cheating, I call it research, in the same way my research for my finals resulted in Caroline, Sheena and Claire giving me all their notes for the exam the next day (thanks ladies, you'll never know how much I appreciated it).
If you have one, two or 20 favourite soul songs, please let me know so that I can make Helen a kick ass cd to start off the year.
Thanks!
This month (i.e. due on Thursday), it's Soul. My knowledge of which stretches to having heard of Al Green and having snogged a girl whilst "Let's get it on" played in the background in the student union 9 years ago. No doubt someone with a better knowledge of music will inform me that Marvin Gaye didn't actually sing soul music anyway.
Which is where I need your help! Some might call it cheating, I call it research, in the same way my research for my finals resulted in Caroline, Sheena and Claire giving me all their notes for the exam the next day (thanks ladies, you'll never know how much I appreciated it).
If you have one, two or 20 favourite soul songs, please let me know so that I can make Helen a kick ass cd to start off the year.
Thanks!
Sunday, January 28, 2007
They're renovating the pub at the end of my street
I don't know if it's to re-open it or to lease it out as empty space, but I'm praying it's the former and it's a decent pub. It's been empty since I moved in but word has it it wasn't all bad (http://www.urban75.org/brixton/bars/two-woodcocks.html). Come summer I could be in heaven - the park at one end of the street and my local boozer at the other. If I remember to bring enough cash back home with me I'll never need to visit Brixton proper again
Friday, January 26, 2007
bah humbug
Some prick called Simon who had a "Sperminator" t-shirt won it instead. Although I remember Murray saying he brought me one back from NYC so might have to see if he still has it....
I've just been mentioned on Radio 1!
oh god how you pass the time whilst having a quiet night in....
listening to Annie Mac, uber-foxy DJ who also has the best show on the radio in my opinion (listen again on radio one's website!); she has a competition to win an "I love New York" t-shirt for anyone who texts in with the worst t-shirt they own...
I divulged my fetching black one, bought from a mail order catalogue at the age of 15... Black, with a picture of Barney Rubble on it dressed in jeans and a leather jacket, with "Rubble without a cause" emblazoned in huge yellow letters down the side....
I was a cool kid, obviously. Anyway, seemed to tickle Miss Mac's fancy, and I am now "in the running" for the prize apparently.....
listening to Annie Mac, uber-foxy DJ who also has the best show on the radio in my opinion (listen again on radio one's website!); she has a competition to win an "I love New York" t-shirt for anyone who texts in with the worst t-shirt they own...
I divulged my fetching black one, bought from a mail order catalogue at the age of 15... Black, with a picture of Barney Rubble on it dressed in jeans and a leather jacket, with "Rubble without a cause" emblazoned in huge yellow letters down the side....
I was a cool kid, obviously. Anyway, seemed to tickle Miss Mac's fancy, and I am now "in the running" for the prize apparently.....
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Link to all my photos
if you can't get enough of my photography, here's the link to the whole set.....
Poland photos
Can imagine it might while away a couple of minutes on a Thursday afternoon.....
Regarding the photos below, I'll just put the details here, as I can't get it to format right when I mix pictures and text. Unfortunately not as many of J and me as I would have liked - one of the hazards of there only being two of us....
They're a bit out of sync due to my inability to blog, but from left to right, top to bottom:
1) The pier at Sopot. Very long.
2) A building in Sopot which has been built to look a bit like it's melted.
3) One of the massive churches in Gdansk, that caught fire a little while ago. Quite awe-inspiring as a burnt out husk.
4) J in the pub next to a slightly disturbing statue. If anyone can tell me the significance of an old man with a pair of boobs I'd be very grateful. The name of the bar was the "irish bar" (despite the lack of any irish tat inside) so I dunno if it's a literary reference
5) The restaurant J worked at whilst at uni
6) Statue of Neptune. Apparently there are 12 of them dotted around the city
7) J on Sopot pier
8) The shot she made me drink. Vodka, a layer of tabasco and then syrup at the bottom. Not half as unpleasant as it sounds
9) The arch leading from the river front to the street where J's restaurant is
10) The tower of the tallest church in Europe. See, it's big!
Poland photos
Can imagine it might while away a couple of minutes on a Thursday afternoon.....
Regarding the photos below, I'll just put the details here, as I can't get it to format right when I mix pictures and text. Unfortunately not as many of J and me as I would have liked - one of the hazards of there only being two of us....
They're a bit out of sync due to my inability to blog, but from left to right, top to bottom:
1) The pier at Sopot. Very long.
2) A building in Sopot which has been built to look a bit like it's melted.
3) One of the massive churches in Gdansk, that caught fire a little while ago. Quite awe-inspiring as a burnt out husk.
4) J in the pub next to a slightly disturbing statue. If anyone can tell me the significance of an old man with a pair of boobs I'd be very grateful. The name of the bar was the "irish bar" (despite the lack of any irish tat inside) so I dunno if it's a literary reference
5) The restaurant J worked at whilst at uni
6) Statue of Neptune. Apparently there are 12 of them dotted around the city
7) J on Sopot pier
8) The shot she made me drink. Vodka, a layer of tabasco and then syrup at the bottom. Not half as unpleasant as it sounds
9) The arch leading from the river front to the street where J's restaurant is
10) The tower of the tallest church in Europe. See, it's big!
Back from Poland
Yes, am back in the fair British Isles (well, not so fair actually - the weather today was more Polish than Gdansk) after a fantastic trip to Poland. Still a bit stunned by how good it was - even the dreaded "meet the parents" went amazingly well! Not only did I not vomit through vodka consumption with J's dad, I even managed to vaguely impress him as I lasted on the first night until 1.30am, despite having been up since 3 the previous morning. Hardcore, us Irish, dontcha know.
I did notice the odd funny thing though - such as the entire plane (bar me) applauding when we landed in Gdansk.... I just had a wistful/condescending smile on my face as I thought back to early holidays with my parents in the 80s, when plane travel was still novel enough for the Northern Irish contingent to do the same as we touched down in Malaga. It's kind of nice to do it - after all, a couple of blokes have just successfully made a big heavy lump of metal travel through the air and landed it safely hundreds of miles away without killing a couple of hundred people - they deserve applause! But then I suppose the London Underground drivers would start getting the hump if we didn't do it for them and go on strike, after which everyone would have to applaud when they got off, which would mean massive raucous whoopin' and a hollerin' at every station. But I digress.
Another weird thing is that you don't pay on the bus according to the length of your journey - you pay for the amount of time you're sat on it. At the beginning of your journey. Not great for a tourist, and probably not great if you don't happen to know exactly what the traffic situation is like before you leave the house.
Gdansk Old Town is really purdy though, as you'll see if you bother trawling through the photos I'll post a link to. Lots of pictures of pretty buildings and the pier at Sopot, which is a seaside town next to Gdansk. Apparently it's the longest in Europe. But then, allegedly the main church in Gdansk is the tallest in Europe, which seems a bit greedy. It is awfully high though.
The language barrier between me and the folks proved not to be an issue, thanks to Justyna's exemplary translation skills, her mum's English vocabulary which exactly correlated with the amount of alcohol consumed, and a hitherto unrealised talent of yours truly for wildly expressive facial expressions and body language. We bascially went out for a couple of drinks in the evenings, before coming back, eating huge amounts of Polish food, drinking vodka and having a great time into the wee small hours. And I don't think I put my foot in it once. Well, apart from the time in an attempt to get a point across I spoke two lines of German, which was met with a bit of an embarrassed silence. A life in the diplomatic corps does not beckon.
I did notice the odd funny thing though - such as the entire plane (bar me) applauding when we landed in Gdansk.... I just had a wistful/condescending smile on my face as I thought back to early holidays with my parents in the 80s, when plane travel was still novel enough for the Northern Irish contingent to do the same as we touched down in Malaga. It's kind of nice to do it - after all, a couple of blokes have just successfully made a big heavy lump of metal travel through the air and landed it safely hundreds of miles away without killing a couple of hundred people - they deserve applause! But then I suppose the London Underground drivers would start getting the hump if we didn't do it for them and go on strike, after which everyone would have to applaud when they got off, which would mean massive raucous whoopin' and a hollerin' at every station. But I digress.
Another weird thing is that you don't pay on the bus according to the length of your journey - you pay for the amount of time you're sat on it. At the beginning of your journey. Not great for a tourist, and probably not great if you don't happen to know exactly what the traffic situation is like before you leave the house.
Gdansk Old Town is really purdy though, as you'll see if you bother trawling through the photos I'll post a link to. Lots of pictures of pretty buildings and the pier at Sopot, which is a seaside town next to Gdansk. Apparently it's the longest in Europe. But then, allegedly the main church in Gdansk is the tallest in Europe, which seems a bit greedy. It is awfully high though.
The language barrier between me and the folks proved not to be an issue, thanks to Justyna's exemplary translation skills, her mum's English vocabulary which exactly correlated with the amount of alcohol consumed, and a hitherto unrealised talent of yours truly for wildly expressive facial expressions and body language. We bascially went out for a couple of drinks in the evenings, before coming back, eating huge amounts of Polish food, drinking vodka and having a great time into the wee small hours. And I don't think I put my foot in it once. Well, apart from the time in an attempt to get a point across I spoke two lines of German, which was met with a bit of an embarrassed silence. A life in the diplomatic corps does not beckon.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Friday, January 19, 2007
I should really be in bed
given that I've got to get up in 4 hours to get the bus to the airport.... am starting to feel extremely nervous now!! goddamn my random act of caution-to-the-wind spontaneity. If it wasn't for that I'd be dribbling in the Albert around now having wasted another 30 quid sitting in the local pub on a Friday night, and looking forward to a Saturday of watching football focus whilst hungover before moping about and probably getting drunk again for the rest of the weekend.
Instead, I'm having to get up at some ungodly hour, fly to an exotic country I never thought I'd get to visit, to spend time with my lovely girlfriend in a beautiful city and I don't have to be back at work until Wednesday.
goddamn spontaneity....
Instead, I'm having to get up at some ungodly hour, fly to an exotic country I never thought I'd get to visit, to spend time with my lovely girlfriend in a beautiful city and I don't have to be back at work until Wednesday.
goddamn spontaneity....
Am I the only person that didn't notice the worst storm for 17 years?
Devastation across London. Public transport completely up the left. 100 Hyde Park trees uprooted. Walls collapsing, roofs taking off, and, sadly, people dying.
How did I miss it? I remember thinking "it's a bit blustery" yesterday morning on the way to work, and I got quite pissed off being delayed by half an hour this morning due to a non-existent District line, but overall, I have to say I didn't notice that there was a major storm taking place.
Hopefully when the nuclear apocalypse comes, I'll be equally blissfully unaware and sat in my flat watching Hollyoaks.
How did I miss it? I remember thinking "it's a bit blustery" yesterday morning on the way to work, and I got quite pissed off being delayed by half an hour this morning due to a non-existent District line, but overall, I have to say I didn't notice that there was a major storm taking place.
Hopefully when the nuclear apocalypse comes, I'll be equally blissfully unaware and sat in my flat watching Hollyoaks.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
I hate being behind with technology
I'm always the last person to get technology.
When I was a kid, I had a Spectrum when everyone else had C64s.
I asked for an NES just before the Super NES came out
I asked for an Amiga just before the company went bust
I asked for a Game Gear when everyone else bought Gameboys (although to be fair, only the mighty Atari Lynx was better)
I got a playstation when the PS2 was launched.
See? I'm rubbish when it comes to being on top of trends.
This year, I unexpectedly got what can only be described as a "huge wodge" of cash for Christmas thanks to my overly generous family, and decided to finally treat myself to an ipod, albeit a few years behind the times. Of course, me being me, I have ended up spending the money, and am now sat getting intensely frustrated with the premium piece of late 20th century technology that is the minidisc player, as I try to get myself some tunes for the great trip into the unknown on Saturday.
Justyna's just texted to say her and her dad are getting stuck into the whiskey, no doubt practising for my ritual humiliation with the vodka on Saturday night. God help me.
"Kurwa".
When I was a kid, I had a Spectrum when everyone else had C64s.
I asked for an NES just before the Super NES came out
I asked for an Amiga just before the company went bust
I asked for a Game Gear when everyone else bought Gameboys (although to be fair, only the mighty Atari Lynx was better)
I got a playstation when the PS2 was launched.
See? I'm rubbish when it comes to being on top of trends.
This year, I unexpectedly got what can only be described as a "huge wodge" of cash for Christmas thanks to my overly generous family, and decided to finally treat myself to an ipod, albeit a few years behind the times. Of course, me being me, I have ended up spending the money, and am now sat getting intensely frustrated with the premium piece of late 20th century technology that is the minidisc player, as I try to get myself some tunes for the great trip into the unknown on Saturday.
Justyna's just texted to say her and her dad are getting stuck into the whiskey, no doubt practising for my ritual humiliation with the vodka on Saturday night. God help me.
"Kurwa".
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Bought a Polish phrasebook today
I'm f***ed.
Thought I could pick up at least a couple of words over the next few days. Of course I can!
Random sample of the "guide to pronunciation":
"The Polish consonants b, d, g, w and z are generally pronounced like the English b, d, g, v and z (me: "wow, that's easy to remember!"), but at the end of a word or when preceding certain letters, the pronunciation changes to: p, t, k, f and s respectively"
Me: so there's absolutely no rhyme or reason to it whatsoever.
They don't even tell you which letters cause the change! I'm shafted.
One phrase I have to learn:
nie mowie po polsku
(n-yeh moov-yeh po polskoo)
I don't speak Polish.
Thought I could pick up at least a couple of words over the next few days. Of course I can!
Random sample of the "guide to pronunciation":
"The Polish consonants b, d, g, w and z are generally pronounced like the English b, d, g, v and z (me: "wow, that's easy to remember!"), but at the end of a word or when preceding certain letters, the pronunciation changes to: p, t, k, f and s respectively"
Me: so there's absolutely no rhyme or reason to it whatsoever.
They don't even tell you which letters cause the change! I'm shafted.
One phrase I have to learn:
nie mowie po polsku
(n-yeh moov-yeh po polskoo)
I don't speak Polish.
Leap years
Did you know that, whilst leap years occur every four years, if they fall on the first year of a century (i.e. 2000, 1900), it is only a leap year if the number is divisible by four? So 2000 was, but 1900 wasn't.
Fascinating, eh?
Fascinating, eh?
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
New Year photies
Ah, New Year. 11 hours that swept past in the blink of an eye. All I really remember is standing in the living room of Pino and Stella's flat, feeling the floor pulsate underneath me. In the old days it took a set of Technics and a DJ with a bag full of records in order to have a party. Now it just needs a couple of blokes with their Ipods, to get 30 grown men and women singing along to "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen at the top of their voices.
What have we become....
Click here for the photos (they're not great)
What have we become....
Click here for the photos (they're not great)
O Moj Boze!
I'm going to Poland!!!
Yes, a new year, a new Tattie. I met my girlfriend on Sunday and she mentioned that next time she goes home, I should go too. I assumed she meant "next next time", as opposed to next week when she's heading back for 12 days. But no, she actually meant now.
Old Tony briefly tried to stick his oar in with cries of "but that's far too soon! what about work?! you have to save for things like that!", but New Tony was having none of it. I cleared it with work today, decided that the Ipod (and new suit for work) can wait, and invested my mum's christmas present in a flight to Gdansk next Saturday.
Can't wait! Ok, so I've only been going out with Justyna for a couple of months, and now I have to meet her parents. But I can't speak any Polish! So even I won't be able to say the wrong thing! In fact, I could theoretically spend the whole of dinner making inappropriate comments about their daughter, and they wouldn't know! Of course - and let me make this crystal clear - I would never do such a thing........ I'll just sit there, nodding and smiling like the deaf mute idiot I have become.
The only thing that could prove an issue is the alleged Polish tendency to drink vodka with their meals. I don't know if this is the case, but clouding my excitement is the possibility that some kind of "spud-from-trainspotting" social faux pas may await me....
But for now, I am just plain excited. I love going to new countries, probably because I've not been to that many, and to be there with J is even better (of course, the fact she'll essentially have to do absolutely everything for me is by the by.... I'll at least try and learn how to say "two beers please"). Gdansk looks beautiful too.
It's gonna be fab - a perfect way to start what I think has the potential to be a very good year.
Yes, a new year, a new Tattie. I met my girlfriend on Sunday and she mentioned that next time she goes home, I should go too. I assumed she meant "next next time", as opposed to next week when she's heading back for 12 days. But no, she actually meant now.
Old Tony briefly tried to stick his oar in with cries of "but that's far too soon! what about work?! you have to save for things like that!", but New Tony was having none of it. I cleared it with work today, decided that the Ipod (and new suit for work) can wait, and invested my mum's christmas present in a flight to Gdansk next Saturday.
Can't wait! Ok, so I've only been going out with Justyna for a couple of months, and now I have to meet her parents. But I can't speak any Polish! So even I won't be able to say the wrong thing! In fact, I could theoretically spend the whole of dinner making inappropriate comments about their daughter, and they wouldn't know! Of course - and let me make this crystal clear - I would never do such a thing........ I'll just sit there, nodding and smiling like the deaf mute idiot I have become.
The only thing that could prove an issue is the alleged Polish tendency to drink vodka with their meals. I don't know if this is the case, but clouding my excitement is the possibility that some kind of "spud-from-trainspotting" social faux pas may await me....
But for now, I am just plain excited. I love going to new countries, probably because I've not been to that many, and to be there with J is even better (of course, the fact she'll essentially have to do absolutely everything for me is by the by.... I'll at least try and learn how to say "two beers please"). Gdansk looks beautiful too.
It's gonna be fab - a perfect way to start what I think has the potential to be a very good year.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Urban75.org
Ok, so I'm being really shit at posting stuff since Christmas - although judging by the distinct lack of visitors I'm not sure too many people are bothered!
Anyway, I was going to update everything today but have to run out in a little while to meet Jennie and Chris in the pub - they're house hunting in Herne Hill! On the other side of the park to us!!! Bring on the summer.
In the meantime, I've been meaning to post a link to this website for a while - it's great. Hopefully it will help those of you who are unfamiliar with Brixton understand why so many of us choose to live here - it's weird, I never wanted to move here especially, but now I'm here I find it increasingly hard to leave... Lack of money notwithstanding of course.
http://www.urban75.org/brixton/index.html
Anyway, I was going to update everything today but have to run out in a little while to meet Jennie and Chris in the pub - they're house hunting in Herne Hill! On the other side of the park to us!!! Bring on the summer.
In the meantime, I've been meaning to post a link to this website for a while - it's great. Hopefully it will help those of you who are unfamiliar with Brixton understand why so many of us choose to live here - it's weird, I never wanted to move here especially, but now I'm here I find it increasingly hard to leave... Lack of money notwithstanding of course.
http://www.urban75.org/brixton/index.html
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Hope everyone had a fun festive period
I know I should probably write lots about what I got up to but I'm not in the mood at the mo. The January blues strike early! I think I just need an early night....
Suffice to say, I had a lovely time, and now have the cough to prove it.
Suffice to say, I had a lovely time, and now have the cough to prove it.
Monday, January 01, 2007
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