Two new tunes that have made me smile....

and "by the power of Grayskull" do I need it right now.

Here's the first, which is probably more predictable if you know me...

Tankus the Henge's "Smiling makes the day go quicker" (it's their MySpace site, check on the music player for the track... Thank to Mr Hunt for this suggestion)

....and then there's this... Neon Neon "I Lust U" and it's something I should not like..... but I do!

....and only because its funny.

Just how many dimensions does this world have? I'm not on about the current theory of the Universe, string mechanics or 'brain dimensions. I'm talking about the state of peoples minds and how we change at different rates in relation to others..... and on occasions chemical imbalances either prescription induced or recreational.

Talking of mad bastards and chemically induced states I'd just like to confirm that at this moment in time I have nothing against Simon. (Simon is a mate from another time (space and interface) that has in the last few weeks become a figment of my reality). In fact, I think he's a bit of a lord. No really, as I sit here soaking up a cocktail of Tramadol and Citalopram with a hint of Miles Hunt's "Note to self" filling the air with it's own "string vibrations" I can only admire Simon's current position within society and contributions made.

So, Simon, stop being a bit of a cock, no-one is taking sides (ok, I might be, or could that be paranoia?).

Come on, get ya finger out (no pun intended) and have some Brother Lee Love. I understand you have difficulty playing the guitar nowadays, although I'd doubt I'd notice any difference, but don't let that encourage me. You could always join in on all the other fine things us middle aged fat and baldy bastards would like to get up to but cant anymore.

After all, some of us will be dead soon.

Love, Light and Happiness (found printed on the arse end of life..... of course)

Massage with Vosene

Back to work:

Hmmm. I have to go back to work on Tuesday. Have To. I don't know anymore if its me or work that find those 8 hours so poisonous..... To be honest I do know. It's those people.
This last week I've found thoughts drifting to future confrontations with what can only be described as the cast from Sesame Street.

The often shouted response to my predicament is "find another job then".... and that's when the 25 years of working class pre-programming by the black suited bean counters bootstraps itself deep within my subconscious and I spew out another excuse not to get off my 3 buttocks and go do it....... procrastination? well, not completely, I have grown a beard and bought some Granola..... I may even end up smoking a pipe and start a leaflet campaign

It used to be a pleasure finding a problem. It meant I could do a better job, improve something, maybe even stop a potential catastrophe.... and always with the satisfaction of someone saying "Nice..... well done".

Now, finding a problem will more often than not result in a large lump in the corporate carpet and see the erection of a hanging jib in the car park and a cry from the ivory tower of "Release the dogs!"

The only way to survive this is to play them at their own game....... but I'm just not interested in this sideways move of priorities. I'm an Engineer not a political smoozer. I really don't need to gather evidence and work to their badly worded, contradicting rules just to prove they are awful people without soul, morals or a purpose other than themselves.

Is that admitting defeat? I guess to them it's a total victory, another thorn removed from their collective flanks.

Oh.... bollocks. Who am I kidding, this kinda stuff is gold to me. If it was all sweetness and light you'd be somewhere else reading other unfortunate blogs and I'd be deep in a world of self importance and smug satisfaction...... Hmmmm, yes, I'd much prefer to be sitting here gobbing off about some pointless shite I have no control over.

Rant over. I can feel my tramadol loosing its effect....... I must return to "Under the hammer" on BBC1....

Name that cover art

Do you think this image was the inspiration behind that Vinyl cover art?

Ardvreck Castle

Come on Goober, name that Single/Mini LP and band...... actually, if you know me then you already know that there's less than a handful of Bands it could be.... ok, perhaps just two then.... and it doesn't look like something shot in Birmingham....

Narrower than an IBM managers imagination.

Arse.

Horden Pit

Two miles south from Easington Colliery in Country Durham is Horden. Just another East Durham pit village. It's still there, in name. Changed beyond recognition... not particularly its layout and environs, but it's people.... and that goes for almost all of the east Durham pit villages.

Sometimes when I think of the people I grew up around, the community and its characters I can hardly believe it's all gone.

"The profit's too small for the black suited boys"

So, I found a documentary on the closure of Horden Pit in the mid 1980's. It gives a fairly good insight into what was lost...... and there was a lot to loose.

It's in 4 parts, the quality isn't too great and will probably only interest the northern contingent of this blog....... Here's the first part, other parts will be links under the video player.

Click here for Part 2

Click here for Part 3

Click here for Part 4

Are your whites as white as mine?

It's not the first time I've heard of this report. Apparently my old home town is the "whitest place in England and Wales"**

That's some claim. There were not a lot of different colours going on from what I remember.... The only black faces seen were from shift changes at the pit and "Love Thy Neighbour" on ITV. Since the early 90's and the closure of the pit that statement no longer applies......... and I'm too scared to watch Love They Neighbour just in case.....

So.... no blacks, no Irish, no Polish, no Asians, no Scottish, no Africans, no Welsh, no French, no Germans, no Inuit...... just us white, working class types..... with a fantastic Chinese Take Away.

Has being ethnically un-diverse made me a racist? Well, probably, but not in the context of your definition of a racist. Just because I can do maths and understand statistics and therefore wont go walking about in Hackney after dark dosent mean I'm racist, it simply means my god (at times) is the law of averages.

The long walk to school

** Just out of interest......... are ginger people counted in with the "whites" or "non whites"?

Demos

There's a bunch of demo's from the studio sessions I helped out on over here.

Below is some images I managed to grab and stuff into a small video. Identities have been emphasised to help locate perpetrators.