Another week begins

Mondays
Bloody, blummin' Mondays.
The longest possible point from the weekend to come..
Grim.

Still, today went quickly and I managed to get a lot of work done which is impressive for any other day of the week, and bordering on fucking miraculous this early in the week.

And, thankfully, its the beginning of my last full week in work for a bit as next week I am buggering of out of this cold, damp, horrible climate to Cyprus for a week.. And I'll be away from work for a week too which is always a bonus.
Not sure just how much better the weather will be when we actually get there but as long as I see a bit of sun I know it will do me the world of good. At the moment I tend to leave home in the dark and arrive back home in twilight.. I feel like a bit of a cave dweller as it's been so long since I felt the sun on my face. Christ I know why lots of animals hibernate for the winter. I mean, come on, in the autumn you start gathering food (well I could fill the car up with lots of tinned stuff from that new, spangly Tesco's they've just opened down the road from me), find a mate (check) and then shack up and don't leave the house for three to four months and only venture out when you don't require two pairs of undergarments to stop your knackers from deep freezing.
Sounds idyllic.
We humans pat ourselves on the back for all the things we've achieved, but you have to give it to the animal kingdom for keeping it simple and keeping it real, don't you?
Anyway, four more sleeps until the weekend - yay!

Hang on a minute

Beofre Christmas, Sky One started showing the new series of Battlestar Galactica. Now I was immediately cynical about this new show, mainly because I liked the late seventies series so much (well the first series of it anyway. When they actually found Earth, and after Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict (you know, Face from the A-Team) pissed off it all got a bit silly and well, erm, shit). So I was very wary.

I was made even more wary by the fact that it was made clear that some of the new Cylons could be present in human form (something I thought, incorrectly I might add, had more to do with CG budget limitations than plot - the new Cylon Centurions are CG by the way, and are fairly fucking cool - if they could just say "By your command" just once though, they'd be fucking awesome!!).

So thinking this would be the equivalent of "The Phantom Menace" versus "A New Hope" I sat down to watch the series with a cynical eye, and little or no optimism of me enjoying this new series.

Oh how wrong I was.

And admittedly it has taken me a while to admit that I was wrong, I'll try and tell you that it's because I've been too busy to properly update this blog as it became apparent that this new series actually did kick ass, but the truth is that I'm a stubborn, pig-headed old fool!

The human-looking cylons have brought about a brooding paranoia, since the news spread about this new form of cylon, every human survivor of the cylon massacre has been eyeing each other with suspicion: "Are you human, or are you a cylon spy?".
This has been added to by the fact that some of the cylon agents have been programmed to not even know that they are cylons, so some not even just suspect others but begin to question their own thoughts and motives - clever stuff.
Then we have the power struggle between the democracy that's left after the twelve colonies have been blown to shit, and the military lead by Commander Adama on the last remaining Battlestar.
Then there's real problems facing the fleet fleeing a strong military force: like dwindling water supplies, dwindling fuel supplies (with fuel refineries being mercilessly defended by wave after wave of Cylon ships) and the lack of skilled fighter pilots to defend the last survivors of the human race.
It's all good!
Throw into the mix a good load of Space-Opera battle action and you really are onto a taut drama which just happens to be set in space.

So, anyway, on Monday we had the series finalé, and a major fucking twist and cliff-hanger.

"Fuck!" thought I. "When is the new series gonna be screened."

So off onto the source of all pornography and knowledge: The Internet, and specifically what looked like the most likely Battlestar Galactica site, the SciFi.Com Battlestar Microsite. Imagine my surprise, therefore when I found out that they'd only just seen Epsiode 3 of the first series.

Huh?
We've just seen the end of the series?

What

The

Fuck?

It took a visit to the Sky One Battlestar site to confirm that I had not actually dreamt watching this entire series (warning this episode guide contains MAJOR spoilers if you ever intend to watch this series. And seeing as Sky could well flog it to one of the terrestrial channels in the future, or it might just be repeated on Sky One Mix, there's still a chance for you to see it).

So we got an American series before the States?
Wow!

Of course this means I'll probably have to wait for fucking ever to see if (MAJOR FUCKING SPOILER DELETED BY SERVER), I mean who could have seen that coming? How can they take it forward from there?

Anyway I was wrong and if you get a chance to see this then do it! You'll not be disappointed.

It took you to make me see the light

If you go to nin.com these days there's a really cool "Access" section where Trent post replies to fans' questions..
It gets updated with the sporadic regularity normally associated with a certain blog site (ahem!), but is "words from the horses mouth" as it were, so is a great place to cut through all the shite and rumour one often finds doing the rounds on the internet and the music press..
The latest update made me realise just how fucking much I am looking forward to seeing NIN live again:

"Question Submitted by Buddy:
Who is in the band, and why? Why has it seemed so difficult to find the
right people?

Response from Trent:
The lineup is now complete and correct: Alessandro Cortini, Jerome
Dillon, Aaron North and Jeordie White. I am very excited about this and we
fucking sound great. I've been saying I've wanted this incarnation of the
band to be a departure and now it truly is.

Alessandro fit in immediately, but we looked all over for the right
guitarist. In retrospect, I believe we were looking for someone to fill
Robin's shoes. When Aaron walked through the door he pissed on Robin's
shoes and kicked them out the door where they belong - effectively closing a
chapter. A great chapter, but one that is in the past. This is a new
entity that feels very fresh and vital.

We are preparing to destroy you."

Does this mean that we may be treated to renditions of "March of the Pigs", "Gave up" and "Wish" that are gonna be even more brutal than we witnessed at the Brixton Academy on 1st December 1999??

Fuck.
I hope so.

And I keep telling myself.. "I'm not getting too close to the front, I am after all getting on a bit"

Think pinion was only halfway through before that resolve went out the window last time!

joy! joy! joy!


Watching the hole it used to be mine
Just watching it burn in my steady systematic decline
Of the trust I will betray
Give it to me I throw it away
After everything I’ve done I hate myself for what I’ve become


To coin a phrase, "Fuck yeah!"

America, Fuck Yeah

Dunno how I overlooked this earlier in the week, but it's worth a mention now because, even though I've just found out that I'll be traveling to Cardiff next month, it's a fucking slow news day really..

Anyhoo - where was I.

Oh yeah, one thing I forgot to mention was that we went to see Team America : World Police over the weekend..
Now movies can show us many things, they can be uplifting spiritually, they can move us, they can educate us, they can show us life on other worlds, allow us to walk with great inspirational people who have helped shape and mould the way we think and the world we live in..

..this is not such a movie..

It's puerile, sick, controversial at best and downright wrong at worst

..and it's fucking hilarious..

Like the South Park movie it going to offend pretty much everyone in some places, and it's also a great spoof of those overly pompous action flicks (Pearl Harbor, Armageddon, you known that kind of crap) and there are some truly great songs in there (the main theme tune is annoyingly catchy, we've been singing it in the office all day!)

It only takes a camera to change her mind..

Tenuous link (just a weak fucking attempt to get another lyric in as a title) but, you know what, weak (but not powerless) as it is I'm gonna go with it..

Someone should just drag me away when there's a camera around in a fucking nightclub. Particularly those cruel bastards who take pictures of blatantly pissed people and then whack 'em on the internet. Cunts, the lot of them. The next time I see anyone doing this, I shall have stern words with them (although the likelihood is I'll just gurn like a twat and get my face on yet another website).
Christ on a bike, I cannot even remember posing for this (that's not good is it? Could be senility of course, then again might be the binge drinking).

That's it.. my life from now on is going to be one big, continuous detox.

But I watched it way too long, It was pulling me down

Hmph..

Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays

I wanna shoo

oooOOOOoooooOOOoooot

the whole day down

Lacking the necessary inspiration to really write anything at the moment, thanks to PJ and Sean for keeping the lyrics game going anyway

Oh good god no

Sorry but this is just one step too far, people. I've seen coats for dogs, I've seen all manner of squeaky toys for dogs ("Ooh it looks like a pork chop". Oh do fuck off), I've heard that some people will pay hundreds of pounds for a haircut for their precious canine..
But this is just fucking unbelievably stupid.
People who are this obsessive about their little doggy being all worried because they're stuck in fucking traffic need to be taken outside and shot.
No, seriously
For fucks sake.
It's a fucking dog.
Just a dog
Four paws and a tale.
No dog needs a fucking Vodafone contract.
The dog will be happy enough eating the sofa, shitting on the staircase or licking it's own testicles to be bothered to take the fucking call and the dog doesn't miss them that much anyway.
In fact, because his owners make the dog go to poncy boutiques to get stupid fucking haircuts and because it has to wear a coat that makes him look like he's wearing a dinner jacker (because it's so adorable, hee hee), the dog actually hates them. And one day (because, lest we forget, every dog has his day) the dog is finally going to snap and bite off his owner's pathetic, pouting faces in a slavering fury, matting his beautifully cut coat and getting blood all over his expensive doggy dinner jacket.
Now there's a good boy, sic 'em..

Hey pig piggy pig pig pig..

..all of my dreams came true
Well not all* - I didn't win the double rollover, my car didn't suddenly turn into a Ferrari overnight and no-one has greenlit "Paid Breaks" to be a multi-million pound Hollywood movie.. However I have found a new source of BitTorrents on the web and that was in the list of definite wants..

So I decided to find out finally, once and for all, the answer to the question:

The Streets - lyrical genius or is it just a load of poorly rhymed bollocks..?

Of course if the former were proved to be true then I'd be making a purchase in HMV (actually, fuck that, I'd never pay their prices but Music Zone might get a look in or failing that, Play.Com), and if the latter was the case well I could always free up the space on my hard drive.

You see some of the stuff I've heard from The Streets has been quite good ("Fit but you know it" and "Dry your eyes" being two examples), however when I first heard "Blinded by the lights" I did think that was an utter pile of festering shite with some of the dodgiest rhymes known to man..

So do you see my dilemma?
Is it genius or is it just a bit pants?
Is The Streets the musical equivalent of The Emperor's New Clothes?

So I have listened..
..and I have listened again..
..and you know what?

I'm still undecided.
Maybe the genius everyone speaks of is this ability to put a whole new form of apathy into the listener, so much so that they actually cannot form their own coherent opinion but end up buying the album anyway because it gets so much fucking airplay on the radio and it just kind of gets in your head..
Who knows?
Will try and give it another serious listening as I feel I cannot sit on the fence on this issue and feel compelled to decide one way or the other..
Until then, the truth is out there
(probably)



* -It's just a shameless attempt to get a Nine Inch Nails mention in this blog entry, have I mentioned that they're touring this March, don't you know?

Bugger

As many of you know all too well I am indeed a lazy fucker.
"Never put off til tomorrow what you can get away with not doing at all" should be written on my tombstone..

..and now I may have to change my signature at the bottom of this page (and on my email messages as those of you lucky enough to receive mails from me will know).

Bloody hell, what an effort..

Interviews

Without wanting to sound exactly like Swiss Tony, getting a new job is quite a lot like making love to a beautiful woman..

There's the interview, which is of course the fore-play, the probing questions, the slight sense of guilt, putting your mouth to good work, getting to know your way round, just seeing how things feel..
Which, if you're lucky (both depend quite heavily on your oral technique), there's the orgasmic feeling of signing the new contract of employment and giving your intention to leave to the tired old waste of time that used to occupy so much of your life..
Which just leaves the post-coital depression of actually having to turn up every day, always with the slight suspicion that it's not quite lived up to the initial promise and excitement..

But the interviews are always an exciting time, a chance to see how other companies work (and where they work) and find out what exciting markets they move in and work they undertake.

More NIN stuff

Although the pre-sale for the London Astoria Nine Inch Nails concerts has all sold out (within about ten minutes of the twenty four hours set aside) you can still get tickets here.

Interestingly enough, The NIN hotline (which is usually blummin' reliable, it has to be said) carries the following story:

"Always on the up-and-up, Blabbermouth is reporting an official European release date for With Teeth, coming from a Swedish Universal representative. As noted on Blabbermouth, European release dates from Universal tend to preceed US release dates by one day, which would mark the US release for With Teeth at May 3rd, 2005 -- which coincides with a blurb in a recent Entertainment Weekly, which was not published here because we were admittedly doubtful, and have enough rumors as it is.
Keep in mind, every single initial release date for a Nine Inch Nails release that I can remember has been pushed back, usually due to manufacturing flaws. But it's safe to say that this is a solid indicator of the time scale we're looking at, with a single probably arriving between now and May."

Hmm.. so it would appear that the London gigs will be some of the first chances for the masses to hear the new Nine Inch Nails material.. sounds groovy to me!

Walking in a winter wonderland..

Snow.
Again.
Yes, I know it's January and I shouldn't be surprised but I cannot be arsed with the winter weather at the moment. The car was covered with an inch and a half of snow which needed scraping off before I could start on my way to work. Then, of course, you get numpty's on the fecking motorway who quite literally shite themselves at seeing a bit of snow on the road and will not do over 60 miles an hour in the fast lane..
Sorry, I mean "overtaking" lane..
Whatever it's called they're still tossers.
Oh well not long until we escape to Cyprus for a week, I think a bit of Winter Sun is definitely required, recharge the batteries. It's really not healthy to live in a country where the weather is this grim I'm sure.

At least in the last 24 hours there has been a ray of sunshine shining brightly into the North West as we have tickets for the Nine Inch Nails gig in London on 31st March. Hurrah! And seeing as Trent is touring to promote the new album, could this possibly mean that we'll have "With Teeth" in the next couple of months???
Bugger me, I never thought it would be possible..

Anyway.. off to do that "work" thang - enjoy

Ja. Das Hokey-Kokey.

Well it was a fabulous birthday weekend (despite the footy result). Am so-o-o-o-o knackered from it all to be honest..
Will comment on all of it later but just had to recommend something.

My ickle sister (well she's not so ickle any more, she's nearly 23, but she'll always be ickle to me) bought me the Bill Bailey "Part Troll" DVD. Now the whole thing is really funny, but the killer, the thing that had me actually aching from laughing so much is the gem that pops up at the end.. Bill rolls out his Kraftwerk tribute band, Augenblik. All four are on stage, stony faced, dressed in suit and tie, mechanical movements - a perfect skit on the German Electronica band...

..and then they procede to do the Hokey-Kokey, in German, as Kraftwerk.

Lord knows I cannot do it justice here but see this DVD, I'm still giggling whenever I think of it..

p.s.
NINE INCH NAILS ARE IN LONDON FOR TWO GIGS IN THE ASTORIA IN MARCH!!!!
(Only UK Dates)
SHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTT!
Not seen Trent and the boys since 1999 - I MUST GET TO THIS GIG!

Calm before the..

Well it's Friday at last, it's taken bloody long enough to get here and at some points during this week I thought it wasn't going to bloody turn up at all (you can never trust Fridays, never turns up when it says it's going to and for fuck's sake never lend it a fiver, you'll never see it again). I am trying to mentally prepare myself for the debauchery this weekend will undoubtedly bring as I try and kill enough brain cells to prevent me dwelling on the fact that I'm older again. I sincerely hope my liver can cope with what I'm about to throw at it.
That's right folks, despite all the scary stories in the press and the nanny state government trying to stop this weekend I will be binge drinking

GASP!

THE HORROR!

"Somebody Stop Him!"

Mwwwaaaaahhaaaaahahahahahahahaaa!
You cannot stop me as I have a number of establishments that will be all too glad to sell me intoxicating liquids and an urge to purge sobriety from my being.
No doubt I might have a few regrets (temporarily) when tomorrow rolls around with its bleary bright lights, headaches and hacking cough -as, health freaks, as well as binge drinking I'll also be smoking "Ah Ahhhhhh.. Telling on you"- but fuck it.

So to summarise:

I'll be drinking.

I'll be smoking.

In fact, I'll be chain smoking.

Chain smoking and binge drinking.

Binge drinking and Chain smoking.

Fabulous.

But at least I'll be doing it socially, and there will plenty of sparkling and intellectual conversations (there normally are many deep discussions on philosophy, the arts and current affairs and no-one ever, ever calls anyone else "a bummer" in The Paramount).

Anyway.. updates may be fucking thin on the ground this weekend as a result.. If I'm up to typing I have failed.

Later peeps

Arse

Noticed a wee while back that the pressure on my nearside rear tyre was a bit down. So, dutifully, I went to the nearest air machine to remedy the situation. Air machines are so cool these days, you don't have to actually do anything, just simply enter which PSi you require and stick the old air nozzle onto the tyre and it will correctly inflate the tyre automatically - no squinting to try and read a tiny gauge on the handle or anything - brilliant.
Anyway, noticed over the weekend that the same tyre was again looking, whilst not exactly flat, a little saggy.
Bugger - it's a slow puncture.
Now I wasn't actually aware that you could repair punctures on car tyres (and, yes I know, I've been driving now for nearly thirteen years) I always considered the rights to puncture repair were held exclusively by those who cycle (sat there with their inner tubes in the washing up bowl trying to find where the leak was). So in the past, I've normally just replaced the tyre (usually the tread was fucked anyway, so it's not as if I've really lost out).
But it would appear that National Tyres (and probably others) will actually repair a puncture and therefore spare you the cost of actually replacing the tyre (its embarressing not knowing this, it's even more embarressing that it's your girlfriend who points it out to you).
So yesterday I popped along to National Tyres and told the bloke in reception that I thought I had a slow puncture (when in fact I knew I had a slow puncture, I'd refilled the tyre three times by now, but it's probably best not to admit that you've been driving around with it for so long now, is it?) and could he repair it for me?
"Yes", he said.
"Fantastic", thought I, "rather than seventy quid for a new tyre, I can pay a tenner for a puncture repair and all will be well with the world."
So reversed the car in, and within minutes the tyre was off and was being given a thorough inspection.
And then the National Tyres guy said: "Hmm"
"Hmm?"
"Yeah mate, it looks like you're gonna have to get a new tyre after all?"
"What? I mean, erm, really?"
"Yeah, it would appear there are two nails in your tyre, and we're only allowed to perform one repair per tyre"
At this point he held the tyre out to me and, lo and behold there were indeed two nails in there. I felt like asking if he performed both repairs at the same time then wouldn't that be a single repair, technically, but didn't want to look like a twat.
So to cut a rambling blog entry short I ended up paying for a new tyre after all - bugger me I didn't need that in January.
Can anyone lend me a fiver..?

This morning's tunes: "Violator" by Depeche Mode - fabulous!

Filthy

Is your computer screen filthy?
Have you been looking at smut on the internet all day?
Then why not try this unique screen cleaner?

More pointless internet sites

The game is simple, choose a character from TV or film and see if the computer can guess who you are by answering a load of yes and no questions..
Oh well, it killed five minutes for me

Hell hath no fury..

..but what a price to pay in order to find that out, eh?

Food glorious food

Lunch has finally sorted out my slight hangover sluggishness (and the shakes have gone too, thankfully).

Fernando Morientes looks to be on his way as Real agree a 6.3 million pound transfer, which has also given me a much improved outlook on the day too.

Am on a roll at the moment (not a bacon roll, despite the title of this entry), might have to buy a lottery ticket at this rate!

s'later

Hmph

Words fail me this morning I'm afraid..
I hit the hip flask (and it is a hip flask, it can tell you who's at what position in the singles and albums charts and offer fashion tips for the Spring) pretty heavily during the match last night and whilst I don't exactly have a hangover I feel a bit slow and shaky. This could, of course, be attributable to the onset of dementia (I am getting old this weekend after all), but I'm trying to remain optimistic and think of it of a sign of alcohol abuse..

At least the news that Fernando Morientes might be on the pitch for us on Saturday has raised my spirits a bit. It's been stupidly evident in recent matches that we need a decent striker who can find the back of the net, we're creating the chances, just not converting them into goals. The arrival of Morientes is gonna bugger up the Rafa Benitez song (sung to the melody of "La Bamba") though - where can we fit his name in?

What the..??

As a Nine Inch Nails fan I'm used to having to wait..
Let's face it the last album came out in 1999, so it's now over five years since we last got a new studio release..
"Closure" on DVD has been rumoured to be released for years now (I even had it on pre-order at one point a couple of years ago). In the Autumn of last year there was much excitement as on the official website there was news of an imminent release on DVD, and hell there was a trailer you could view - we're now told this could come out, perhaps, in March 2005.
This, however, takes the fucking biscuit
I'm trying to get hold of the 10 year anniversary edition of The Downward Spiral (on Super Audio CD). I've had this on pre-order for nearly two months now (originally it was supposed to be out this week!) and now look at the fucking delivery date. February! Why? This disc is out in the States for fuck's sake!
Patience, a virtue which is running fairly fucking thin, Trent, pull your fucking finger out!


++ NEWS FLASH ++
Trent has confirmed the new album "With Teeth" will be released before the second ice age commences - well thank fuck for that!

Motherfucker

Sorry, bad mood today...
Overslept - and, as I need to leave on time tonight to get to the match, I couldn't arrive at the office late which means I left the house without any breakfast, without doing my inhalers (which means I'll be coughing like a fucker all day) and - worst of all- without any coffee.
Arrrrggghhhh
I think I may have broken the landspeed record on the way in.. Well, that's an exaggeration, but I did get here fucking quickly, but I am sure I broke the World record for most usage of the word "fuck" between junction 26 and junction 21 of the M60.

People might say "Well it can't get any worse" but I reckon Tueday's just here to piss me off.

The Wizard of Ozz

The drive to work is a fairly tedious affair. Actually it's not, the M60 is chock-a-block with nutters, kamikaze pilots behind the wheels of their cars, lemmings with driving licenses.. They're all there, doing sixty in the outside lane or changing lanes right in front of you without indicating, swerving like motherfuckers. It's actually amazing that I get here in one piece, and to be honest if it wasn't for the fact that I'm still 85% asleep on the drive in, I'd probably be a nervous wreck by now (or in a body bag, one or the other).
However, it is tedious doing the same drive day in, day out and you need some good tunes to help you make it there with your sanity (or, in fairness, what's left of my sanity) intact. And also, because my generation has a short attention span I tend to have to change the CDs in the car on a regular basis. Now there seems to be a bit of a void in "new" music at the moment, so every now and then I have to go all retro and select a suitable blast from the past.
This morning was one of those mornings.
So before leaving the house this morning, I went to the CD archives and perused the titles within.. nothing inspired for a while until my eyes fell upon the title "Diary of a Madman".
I'd not heard that album for years, so I off I went to work with the CD in the player.
It's a shame that most people these days will only know the "comedy" Ozzy Osbourne all shaky, slurred and slow (indeed, they probably hadn't even heard of him until he became all TV friendly and his missus got on X-Factor), as he really was a great frontman. A really awful alcoholic and drug-abuser too.. but some of the songs he wrote were fabulous and "Diary" also has the genius Randy Rhoads on guitar too..
Anyway it was nice to go back to the early eighties this morning and remember Ozzy when he still had some musical credibility..

My apologies

It would appear I did Maff a dis-service as he has updated his blog only yesterday (have another plug as a way of an apology).

Has anyone else noticed that sometimes you have to hit "Refresh" like a gazillion times to get blogspot to give you the most recent posts. Buggers.

Middle age beckons

Cos today I bought coasters..
Sheesh..
Never did I think it would come to this..

It all started over Christmas when I thought that some sort of coffee table might be a good idea for the lounge. When you're a student having everyone place their cups/glasses/plates on the floor when not actively using them is all well and good.. but it's been a few years since I was a student

..indeed it's been a few too many fucking years since I was a student..

So I found a nice, cheap coffee table on the Argos website and set about constructing it last night.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but flat-packed furniture is supposed to be a challenge, right? It's the sort of thing we blokes secretly relish because, amongst all the swearing and losing our temper, patience and sense of humour it feels manly to be assembling wardrobes and tables and corner units and stuff. Is it quite as manly as walking into a forest, chopping down a large oak and whittling a chest of drawers using only a Swiss Army Knife? Well, no, perhaps not, but there is something about building shit that makes you feel good. I personally blame Mecano, or Lego for starting the trend in my formative years..

Anyhoo.. where was we?

Ahh yes.

So, yeah, I was really looking forward to some serious foul language (you can type fuck but it is so much more satisfying to shout it when you slip and the screwdriver takes off a top layer of skin right along your finger) but to my amazement (and, ultimately, my disappointment) said table was easily assembled within five minutes. Start to finish, a measly 300 seconds. That's pish. Now don't get me wrong the tables all good and lovely, but I feel like I've been robbed somehow. Robbed of annoyance and frustration and a chance to unleash the pent up anger that having to go back to work this week has planted deep within me.

Anyway, this has lead to the coaster purchasing incident.. Now my carpet will no longer be soaking any spillages, and due to the fact that wood isn't all that porous it became clear that coasters would no longer have to be the trappings of posh people, but I too would have to invite the coaster into my house. So I have four. They are quite funky - all frosted glass and with a nice geometric design on them, but at the end of the day I cannot feel I am selling out by having them..

Am I reading too much into this or are my wild, carefree days behind me now..?

Where have all the bloggers gone..?

Long time passing
Where have all the bloggers gone
Long time ago..

et cetera, et cetera..
No seriously.. I used to be amongst good company in the blog world, some of the finest minds in the country also used to chip in their two cents. They provided amusing insights, interesting places to visit on the internet and were a damn good read. Alas, however, their pages fall silent these days (now, I know I'm not often one to talk on the old "updating the blog" issue, but some of these delays are a tad ridiculous!).. So come back Dr Magnetic, PJ, Pedders and Maff.. Your words of wisdom are sorely missed..

On an unrelated note, am embarking on a new chapter in life tomorrow and am really excited about it (and, weirdly enough for me - possibly the most miserable bastard on blogspot I'm sure - happy too!).

NIN update

Thanks to those lovely people at the The NIN Hotline, just found this rather interesting Nine Inch Nails news..

"In this weeks issue of Kerrang, Trent talks briefly of his new band, confirming that Jeordie White and Jerome Dillon are on board, along with "newcomer guitarists Ralph Dieter and Alessandro Cortini". A Google search brough up an Alessandro Cortini in the LA area whom is likely the man mentioned in the article. Danny and Charlie are no longer part of Nine Inch Nails.

Kerrang gave an ETA on the album coming out as April/May on Nothing/Interscope. Kerrang, not Trent.

The CD is finished, and contains 12 tracks, and is more song-orientated than The Fragile, which was described in the article as "instrumental soundtracks for movies that haven't been filmed yet." Said Trent, "I wanted to hone my songwriting skills with melodies and hooks."

Our last insight this issue: Trent ditched the Bleedthrough name because "people were thinking about blood or a tampon commercial".

Kerrang promises a longer interview & article next week, so stay tuned."

Personally if I see this album before I'm 40 I'll be fucking amazed!

Oddest one yet

This has to be the oddest search request that has got someone to visit my site..
"Benylin Advert Extras"..???
What the fuck were they looking for..?

Desperately seeking inspiration

Welcome back gentle reader, to this all new and improved blog, fresh and spangly all ready for 2005..
Actually it's not changed at all..
Completely the same as last year..
Fuck all difference really..
Certainly the foul language and the regularity of updates isn't likely to get any fucking better.. but c'est la vie..

Sorry, but I'm feeling hassled..
It's a nice kind of hassle to have, I guess, but I feel under pressure all the same..
It's that question that I dread every year: "So, what do you want for your birthday?"

It's a fucking hard life when you have a birthday in January mainly for two reasons:

1) Everyone is skint, so no wild parties or gratuitous drinking sessions

2) You've just gone through the whole "So, what do you want for Christmas" rigmarole, where you racked your brains for ages and then ended up saying "fuck it, get me some socks" anyway and now they want more ideas...
..the human brain was not designed for such difficult tasks!!

Christ even Amazon and Play.Com are completely failing to inspire me, and because of point 1 above (everyone is skint) I don't feel like I can say "I'd quite like an iPod and a Ferrari please"
Because, despite the fucking foul language, I'm quite considerate like that..
Know what I mean?
So I welcome any suggestions (links or otherwise) to any suitable (or, knowing most of the people who frequent these pages, unsuitable) gift ideas for me, deciding what you want for your birthday is so much easier if you let other people do the thinking.. I need ideas before the 15th I guess (more if you require a strange import licence!!)

Not been near my PC in ages, real life has got in the way in the best kind of way, so no links or internet oddities to share with you guys for now..

Whilst searching for "birthday inspiration", I'll have a nose round and see what I can find..

Later peeps