Wednesday, February 28, 2007

It's all about the music, take three

First I wrote a post aboutMadame xPod. Then I followed it up posting about the vibrating iPod accessory, the OhMiBod. And now...

A couple of steps further we go WIRELESS. Meet the Talk2Me.

'Talk2Me is a wireless audio reactive rabbit-style vibrator. Audio is modulated for tactile feel and transmitted wirelessly! That’s right- no wires.

Bass and treble are divided so you can feel the difference between the strong pumping bass and the tickle of the treble. Use it as a standard vibe or with your favorite song, your lover’s voice, a podcast, or your boyfriend’s video game.

Talk2Me comes with a standard audio cable to plug the small transmitter into any audio source.


It even has an EQ control. Visit the website just to see the flash pic of how the bass and treble vibrations are split.

Monday, February 26, 2007

On Something Australian #2

The fantastic blogger Kate and I have had a few conversations about Tim Tams. I noticed that Dive had to ask what they were, so I thought my lastest installment on Australiana should be dedicated to them.



How to even start to describe a Tim Tam? I guess they're basically a cream biscuit covered in chocolate. The biscuits themselves are a light chocolate and the cream filling is a buttery chocolate combination. The whole thing is covered in plain chocolate.

I turned to the Arnott's website for a better description:


Tim Tam biscuits first hit supermarket shelves in 1964. They were named after a horse that won the Kentucky Derby in 1958. A member of the Arnott family, Ross Arnott, attended the race day and decided ‘Tim Tam’ was the perfect name for his new biscuit. The chocolate used to make Tim Tam biscuits has been specially developed by Arnott’s to give a slightly caramel taste. The cream flavour is a delicate mixture of vanilla, butter and chocolate that complements the biscuit base and the chocolate. It’s this unique cream which sets Tim Tam apart from any other chocolate biscuit.

There are
[currently] 8 delicious varieties of Tim Tam biscuits:
Tim Tam Original, Tim Tam Chewy Caramel, Tim Tam Double Coat, Tim Tam Dark, Tim Tam Love Potions Double Chocolate and Raspberry, Tim Tam Love Potions Chocolate Mud, Tim Tam Love Potions Sticky Vanilla Toffee, Tim Tam Latte.




Over the years, the standard Tim Tam range has expanded from the Original (and best, I believe) to include Chewy Caramel, Classic Dark and Double Coat. Then there's the special release flavours - currently the love potions range. There was a period where you get Tia Maria or Kahlua flavoured Tim Tams, and a while back they did Chilli flavoured ones...



For me the ultimate indulgence is the "Tim Tam Slam". You bite off both ends, dip one end into a cup of coffee and suck through the other end. The coffee flowing through the biscuit dissolves everything into a sticky gooey mess which you have to quickly shove in your mouth to avoid wasting. It's fantastic. Here's a video of Natalie Imbruglia showing Graham Norton how to do a slam, also known as the Tim Tam Explosion.



But then there is an area I have yet to explore...


The Monday Melee

And it's time for TheMonday Melee yet again.

1. The Misanthtropic: Name something you absolutely hate.
Knowing I haven't done a good job. I've spent all morning fighting to keep on top of things and just haven't been able to. I put it down to bad prioritisation and I'm pretty sure the boss isn't happy.

2. The Meretricious: Expose something or someone that’s phony, fraudulent or bogus.
The Smurfs. I used to love the show. So I randomly looked it up on YouTube and it's boring. And stupid.

3. The Malcontent: Name something you’re unhappy with.
My cat, for waking me up at 4:40am by digging the Sushi Nori out of my cupboard and having a merry party trying to get the stuff out of the packet. I don't care that I left the door on the cupboard ajar. What's worse is that if she actually does get into the stuff she just gorges until she vomits. Like a teenager with alcohol.

4. The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name it if you can.
Myself, for (yesterday) finally getting the entire house cleaned in one hit. Usually it's a process of room by room over a couple of days and then start over, but now I can treat myself to a couple of days of no hassle.

5. The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.
I'm proud to be a total dag.

6. The Make-Believe: Name something you wish for.
A cold beer to magically appear at the end of a long day.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Exactly.

Just because I'm proud of it

I cooked dinner for a friend (also kind of my boss at the moment) tonight. I think she thought I was going to bring takeaway around but instead I brought a couple of saucepans with dinner ready-cooked. Ahh, Armidale. Less than ten minutes end to end. Got to love the place for something.

So anyway, just because I'm proud of it... I cooked up the self-titled wonder spirals of chicken, seaweed and shiitake mushroom served with a semi-cooked salad of bean vermicelli, toasted sesame seed and green vegetable.

The spiral thing has got to be the closet to a signature dish that I come. Basically... you butterfly a chicken breast and put whatever you feel like in the middle. I've done the classic feta and olive combo to chilli (not for me, I'm a spice weenie) to straight mint served with an orange sauce. Then you roll the whole thing up, bake it, and then slice it up. It makes cool spirals for presentation and infuses the whole thing with flavour.

And the conversation that makes me really proud...
Friend/boss: "Where'd you get the recipe?"
Vic: "I made it up."
Friend/boss: "Bitch."

What is happening in my roof

A chain reaction is occurring above my bathroom, in fact I believe that it is directly above the shower. My senses will not let me determine exactly the source of this occurrence, as the urge to vomit is a little more overpowering than the urge for clarification.

This chain reaction is produced by a combination of elements, the main two being warm, balmy weather and a death in the household. That's right. This is what happens when you lob a couple of baits into the roof for vermin. I don't own a ladder, I just poked the manhole cover aside a lobbed a few blocks of Bromakil up there like grenades - accompanied with the cry of "DIE FUCKERS!"



It worked.

Hence the chain reaction. There are two gases that I've been looking up online that I believe to be present in my bathroom at this point in time.



pu·tres·cine (pyū-trĕs'ēn)
n.
A crystalline, slightly poisonous, colorless, foul-smelling ptomaine produced by the decarboxylation of ornithine, especially in decaying animal tissue.




ca·dav·er·ine (kə-dăv'ə-rēn')
n.
A syrupy, colorless, fuming ptomaine formed by the carboxylation of lysine by bacteria in decaying animal flesh.


Signs of this process were evident yesterday and continue today due to the following factors:
1. I had a hangover yesterday and the urge to vomit in the presence of the aforementioned gases was rather magnified.
2. As I mentioned before with regard to the Bromakil grenade lobbing incident that started this whole process, I don't own a ladder, so how the hell do I get up there?
3. Shouldn't the real estate be doing this? What the hell am I paying rent for? They'll get a call tomorrow morning (not being weekend anymore then) and cop it.

So I've got time to observe. What leads me to chemical descriptions is the question (still unanswered) of why do we identify the odour of decomposition as sweet? I was thinking of how to describe it here and the first thing that came to mind was sickly sweet. I find it interesting that something so foul can pop up on that side of the taste radar.

And if putrescine is slightly poisonous, is that a factor in the urge to vomit?

Probably the most disturbing thing is that in my searching I tried typing Why do dead things smell sweet? and the top result was a woman telling her dog that...
Evangelists don't roll in dead things.

Friday, February 23, 2007

Guitar Party Tricks


For those of you who can't watch the YouTube (sorry Dive) here's brief idea: Harmonics being played with the nose and tongue, and five people playing one guitar all at once. Worth a watch!

Also worth checking out on YouTube is Andy McKee. The pieces I've seen him do involve two hand tapping on an acoustic guitar, as well as incorporating a tapped drum beat. It's amazing to think about the melody and rhythm parts interlocking and have both represented so well.

I was intrigued by Andy McKee's style and decided that since I've never really freed up my right arm enough to tap the body of the guitar while I'm playing, I might as well have a go and learn now. It can only be good for me! So I was mucking around yesterday with the idea while a student was about to arrive. He walked in to me bashing out a basic rock beat on the guitar body with my right hand and tapping out Smoke on the Water with my left. Raised eyebrows.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

And all this time I thought I was Vic!

You are Amelia Earhart





Adventurous and boundary breaking. You believe that you can do anything, and do not hesitate to take risks to achieve a big goal. You like to problem solve, when a problem comes up.


Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com


via Rootietoot at Because It's Personal.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

New student guitar piece

Well, I've finally started composing again. It isn't earth shattering stuff, but I want to do a heap of student pieces that look at different tecniques.

So this one is a fingerstyle blues type thing called Fishin' Trip. I bashed it out on the coast a couple of weeks ago, but have been procrastinating on doing a presentable copy. It keeps the right hand thumb steady on open bass strings, swapping to a melodic role and then settling back into driving bass notes again. It should have enough interest in it to push a student who is just starting out with this style of playing.

I'll aim to put something up regularly in the future, if only to prove to myself that I can keep at it.

So... If you download this piece, let me know. My email is on the second page of the sheet music, or just leave a comment. If you play it and have and coments/suggestions/criticisms definately let me know. If you're not into guitar and you've read this far anyway, cheers for sticking it out and just be happy that I'm actually getting my life into gear and doing something I'm proud of and want to do.

Monday, February 19, 2007

The Monday Melee

Welcome back to The Monday Melee, a project by fracas which has provided me with great relief the last couple of Mondays since I don't have to think of what to post.


1. The Misanthtropic: Name something you absolutely hate.
Poor spelling in newspapers. Such a publications should be setting an example.

2. The Meretricious: Expose something or someone that’s phony, fraudulent or bogus.The Centrelink government handout benefit system. I applied for a payment to help me get enrolled in Uni again and because I voluntarily left work I had to write a statement, subject to review, saying why I left my last job. The standard procedure is that if you cease work voluntarily, you have to wait for an eight-week period before you can receive a payment. If you get your arse sacked for being an incompetent idiot you can have money straight away. But if you have a good enough reason in your statement of why you left voluntarily they will waive the eight-week waiting period. What's really phony about all this? I wrote my statement over four weeks ago and had a phone interview about it on Friday just gone. All the phone interview meant was that they could proceed with reviewing my statement. Hello fuckers! The eight weeks will be over anyway. No need to waive it - it's gone already! [I can rant about Centrelink all day...]

3. The Malcontent: Name something you’re unhappy with.
The fact that I've not received a Centrelink payment yet, and have to tell them I don't need to receive a payment because I got my old fruit shop job back. No thanks to them.

4. The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name it if you can.
Kate and Dive, for commenting on virtually every post I've written. You're both amazing, and it makes my day to see your comments.

5. The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.
The tattoo on my shoulder. It's a statement of what I want to do and a constant reminder of my direction.

6. The Make-Believe: Name something you wish for.
Someone that I'm comfortable and relaxed around to give me a foot massage.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Two text messages and half a day later

Recieved 4am this morning:
I am really sorry. sorry for expecting u to be there no matter what. i have been such an ass. and it makes me sad to think that this is the first time i've realised it. i hope ur not to mad at me.

Recieved at 11:30am this morning, same author:
Sorry bout that. u know how i get when in drunk. i fully intend to stop harassing u. i would delete ur number so i couldn't send anymore random msg but i know it so that wouldn't work. anyways have a good weekend and yeah. good times.

Bugger it. No, don't delete my number. Don't tell me you didn't mean the first message because that was so nice to hear.

It's all about the music, take two

In an earlier post I wrote about Madame xPod, a somewhat tasteful adult photography site featuring women and iPods. Now I find what must be so good about the iPod...

This particular accessory, the OhMiBod, vibrates in different ways depending upon the music that you're listening to, and the intensity of the vibrations are adjustable using the volume dial. You can accessorise your OhMiBod with a pink garter belt and a pink soft-skin sleeve.

Guiness... Marmite?


I might be able to overcome the taste of Marmite to satisfy my curiosity, but I don't think they'll be available over here. There's only 300,000 jars available. At the Guiness Blog they say that the darker colour paste combined with the white lid are supposed to represent a pint of Guiness. Uhuh. I've never seen a pint that looks like a mini fishbowl.

Friday, February 16, 2007

Some things are just wrong.

I'm all for different perspectives. I'm all for pushing boundaries. This is why I love street art and contempory art in general. Just push the limits a bit further... and a bit more... until we can all approach life as art and view the world as a canvas.

Welcome to idealistic Vic. The one that walks around like tourist with her eyes wide open and thinking of all the possibilities for expression that exist around me. I have a personal policy when it comes to what I'd like to create and of course, since I mentioned it, I'll give the details. If I were to create art in this very public way it would have to be 1) bemusing or 2) funny. Hmm. What am I trying to say there? I don't want to create ineffectual art. I want to create art that either makes people think "What the? but that's pretty cool" or "that's so nice". I've written a few things around the place with those responses in my mind. Or just making people laugh. I guess that means I want to make a small, but positive impact on those who see it. Like smiling at people you don't know in the street.

Mostly.

Sometimes, not often, but it certainly happens, I'm a traditionalist. Down to the core. It's really odd things that I take this stance on, too. Classical guitars, for instance. I don't mind the cutaway, in fact I embrace the idea as sensible. But change the colour? It should be woodgrain. Dammit. Slapping paint on it destroys the tone but destroys the, I guess, the seriousness of the instrument. Yes it's appealing to kids. I don't care. You can get coloured violins, too. And flutes, clarinets, trumpets etc. I don't care. I think that it might help some kids with desire to practise and play - "I love my guitar, it's pink." - but to me that's the wrong reason. It should be about wanting to play, rather than wanting to touch the pretty pink thing.

And this is where I started on today's brainfart post. A pink car kit. The contents of the kit are listed here.

Tools are another thing that in my opinion should stay traditional colours. Again, because making them a pretty colour takes the seriousness away from them. I laugh every time I see a dusty purple backhoe. They look like they come out of a kid's cartoon. You want to do serious work in that? Hardy-frickin' ha.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Head Explosion

Due to a lack of proper sleep lately, my brain is fried. So I thought I'd post a pic of a head exploding and hit the sack. But Google Images served me this wonder instead:



They are available for $3000 each and are accompanied by a priceless (in the completely useless sense) rant on a page that appears not to have a link from the woman's poorly designed main site. The rant is worth a read and is located at http://www.poetsadiesworld.com/new_page_2.htm

And here's the disclaimer: I don't like taking a political stance because I don't feel that I possess enough information to do so. The pics are here because I like them - not because I'm being political.

Valentine's

Did I have some secret lover reveal themselves to me?
No.

Did I have some secret lover alert me their presence but not reveal themselves to me?
No again.

Did anyone say any thing about it at all, apart from "Oh yeah, it's Valentine's Day"?
No, frickin' hell no, and no again.

Did I wake up with a girl beside me who I had the chance to shag and decided not to?
Yes.


I believe that I might have induced some bad karma for the rest of the day with that one.

Nightmare movie challenge

Sassy has posed a challenge: Nightmare Movie. In Nightmare Movie, the players create the worst movie they can think of.

I suck monumentally at naming actors and celebrities in general, but I'll do my best.

Plot: An adaptation of a playstation game.
Director: I don't know much about who directed what. Um... the person responsible for Scream 3?
Leading Actor: Hugh Grant
Supporting Actor: Jean-Claude van Damme
Leading Actress: Nicole Kidman
Supporting Actress: Olivia Newton-John (remember Xanadu?)
Bit Players: Billy Crystal, old mate from the Naked Gun movies (I can't remember his name and can't be bothered googling it) and that kid from the Home Alone movies.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Some serious guitar bashing.

Here's Tommy Emmanuel playing Mombasa (with an extended percussion section).

And then there's what I think is the definitive delay piece - Initiation. This one has an intro that lasts until two thirds (at least) through. Live, the sound just pumps through you.

It's all in the name

Excerpt from a reply to an email I recieved from a colleague addressed to "Vicky"

...[blah, snip]...
And now for something completely different... I prefer to be called Vic, VB or plain Victoria if you want to be formal about it. Simple reason, picture me - do I really look like a Vicky type person?


But I'll settle for Groover.

Monday, February 12, 2007

On something Australian

Vegemite. Marmite and Promite are not an option. Not even close.

Vegemite on toast.

On crumpets. I have a friend who fills uses Vegemite on his crumpets like gap filler - he fills the holes right up and levels it off. That's a little too hardcore for me, but I like the philosophy.

Cheese and Vegemite sandwiches. Bakery chain Baker's Delight make a "Cheeseymite" scroll and I noticed yesterday (bringing on this post) that they now make a wholemeal version of the same idea.

Or just plain sandwiches. On really fresh white bread, cut into quarters and no crusts.

If I don't have bread - which is often, I don't use enough to justify buying a loaf - I opt for the cheese sandwich. Two slices of cheese with vegemite spread between. Sadly, this works particularly well with processed cheese. Kraft even made (I don't recall if they still do) Vegemite Singles - slices of processed cheese with a Vegemite flavour. I avoided these, but embraced the concept.

I use Vegemite as a beef stock booster.

My sister had it in her bottle as a child - some parenting fad that faded out before I was born. I think it's funny, though, to be literally raised on Vegemite.

And of course on Vita-Wheats. These incredibly hard and pretty damn boring biscuits have only one saving factor - you can load up the butter and Vegemite in between two of these suckers and press them together just to make little Vegemite worms come out the holes. You're still left with two boring hard biscuits, but the process is fun.

The Monday Melee

1. The Misanthtropic: Name something you absolutely hate.
Mice. Not in a girly "ew" way. Because the little bastards have invaded my living space, and it's just not on. This far, no further. Die suckers.

2. The Meretricious: Expose something or someone that’s phony, fraudulent or bogus.
The size of the pockets of pool tables in pubs. Close your eyes and bunt the ball in the general direction of a pocket and it's in. Five minutes later you're $2 down and it's game over and "Well that was quick. Want to play again?" It's a shameless rort, and takes some of the enjoyment out of a good pub game in the name of profit.

3. The Malcontent: Name something you’re unhappy with.
The man from the real estate, for charging $40 to come out and do pest control. What's so bad about that? He put two handfuls of mouse pellets out, one under the stove, one under the kitchen cupboards, and that was it. I went to the supermarket and spent $3.50 to get twice as much as he put out, because the little buggers have eaten all the lot he put out.

4. The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name it if you can.
The fantastic admin assistant at the primary school who made sure I knew where the female staff toilet was and what times to avoid using it.

5. The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.
I'm a groover. I'll move to almost anything.

6. The Make-Believe: Name something you wish for.
My application to be a volunteer at the Blues and Roots Festival to be accepted. 5 days of work as a volunteer within the Festival in exchange for seven hours of free range. I hope I'm in.

Quote of the Day

(belated entry for Friday)

- from a student who I taught a few years ago when he was in early primary school. I stopped teaching for a while, so he got in with another teacher, and then stopped lessons for a bit. I see his mother about the place fairly often and at the beginning of this year she organised for him to have lessons with me again. The first of these was Friday just gone.

So he comes in, sits down and tells me that he's had two other teachers.

"Alright. Cool." says me. "Who were your other teachers?"

[and here's the quote]
"I had Lloyd and another Vic."

Oh dear. Buddy, that was me. I stopped being a heifer with long hair and the poor kid couldn't make the connection.

Dieting Innovation!


The Anti-Eating Mouth Cage

Another damn quiz.

via Hedonistic Pleasureseeker I took this test to see if I could pick the difference between baby toys and sex toys.

9 out of 15.

Thursday, February 8, 2007

It's all about the music.


There is a niche for everything. It's all too appropriate to stumble across this concept when I've been talking/writing a lot about music and have been completely lacking in the love department. What is it? Madame xPod appears to be where women love their music. I gotta get me one of those.

Digging out the bad poetry.

Rich talked about discovering old poetry. And then Kate posted one of her poems. I'd still like to do a designated day for airing out the bad poetry, but until then, here's one. There's a bandwagon and I'm on it.

So yes, this one's terrible, but I was in love and in complete awe of the emotion. Isn't that about the only time poetry gets written? When you're in love or depressed? Or both?


There is a candle, me and an image of you.
A dim yellow pool to write by in this quiet opressiveness,
     - Or is it liberation?
and the never-expanding walls of this room.
     so often a confine

Lit candle, walls, me, image of you.
All the ponderous equations that could derive life itself are here
     - This defines me
yet the image of you becomes the ony solid form
     nothing else holds significance.

Darkness, me, and an image of you.

Lyrically Speaking

So the assignment is "List five lyrics and their significance to you"...

This is a difficult one. A lot of lyrics I more enjoy the way they are sung, rather than the actual words. But here goes, in no particular order.

1. Dam at Otter Creek - Live from Throwing Copper
when all that's left to do is
reflect on what's been done
this is where sadness breathes
the sadness of everyone

just like when the guys
built the dam at otter creek
and all the water backed up
deep enough to dive...


So this one is from teenagerdom. The song at the beginning of Throwing Copper that most people skip. But I think it says a lot about being on the edge of things.


2.Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall from Eye to the Telescope
...She fills up every corner like she's born in black and white
Makes you feel warmer when you're trying to remember
What you heard
She likes to leave you hanging on her word

Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see)
This is what I wanna be...


The recent car favourite - top of my lungs. Played with vigour after giving notice at the Wholesalers job in favour of teaching and being 100% musician.


3. Slide - Ani Difranco from Evolve
...after that she just followed her nose
and fate is not just whose cooking smells good
but which way the wind blows

she laid down in her party dress and never got up
needless to say she missed the party
she just got sad
then she got stuck

.....
cuz when i look at you i squint
you are that beautiful
and my pussy is a tractor
and this is a tractor pull
i'm haunted by my illicit, explicit dreams
and i can't really wake up
so i just drift in between
thinking the glass is half empty
and thinking it's not quite full...


I almost included the entire song.


4. Pigs on the Wing (Part One) - Pink Floyd from Animals
If you didn't care what happened to me,
And I didn't care for you,
We would zig zag our way through the boredom and pain
Occasionally glancing up through the rain.
Wondering which of the buggars to blame
And watching for pigs on the wing.


This is the entire song (well, part one any way).


5. Philosophy - Ben Folds Five from Whatever & Ever Amen
...Wont you look at me
Im crazy
But I get the job done
Yeah Im crazy
But I get the job done

Go ahead you can
Laugh all you want
I got my philosophy
Keeps my feet on the ground...


Also a hit from the years of teenagerdom. But it's one I revisit regularly, and it's a bit of a personal reminder just to be me.


Which brings me to....

This was such a difficult post to write. There's so many songs that when I listen to them, I think I love that line. But stuffed if I know what they are when I'm not hearing them. And there's lyrics that aren't particularly brilliant, but I love to just belt out at the top of my lungs. And there's the looking back over the post and thinking that maybe I should have included something else in favour of some of those choices. And it really depends upon the mood. And there's a teeny voice in my mind that says I'm going to judged as a tragic pop lush, but stuff it. I'm the person in the pub with the pool cue in hand, singing along to the jukebox.

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

It was a moment of weakness

Teaching, playing Big Band charts at the boys boarding school (nothing makes teenage redneck boys pick up their guitar-playing act better than being outplayed by a girl) and then getting plunged into the deep end with the City Band drum parts once again. Every week I hope that new drummer will turn up and stop me from havingto learn to play kit, allowing me to return to my Timpani/Auxiliary percussion role. Then I stop myself from hoping that way, because I think the deep end is the best way to learn in a lot of situations, and I'd be mad to miss this oppotunity. In an ideal world, there'd be someone about the same level as me and we could share the roles and learn together. Ha.

Anyway, I find it hard to get my right leg to operate the kick on anything but the beat. I've been tapping the beat with that for how many years? Now it has to be more independant. I can do it, but it's not automatic at all yet. Intellectually, I read all the music, follow the conductor and I can hear how it should go in my head as I read it. Just occasionally I'll be able to settle in and be comfortable, but then something'll go wrong, or we'll stop to fix something up. Anyway, it's stimulating and I'm learning in a suportive environment, which is why I love community music so much, however... I'm exhausted because it takes so much concentration.

And so, in a moment of weakness... I threw the entire budgetising, weight-watching fitness program out the window and instead of the planned fresh-made salad when I got home after rehearsals ...not only did I invest in two packets of the finest flavoured chips that I could find (that's crisps, to any limeys who can't translate), but I went through the McDonald's drive through as well. Mmmm. Deep fried goodness to match the brain-fry I'm experiencing.

From the listening lab...

Medeski, Scofield, Martin and Wood - Out Louder

In particular I'm enjoying Tequila and Chocolate for the fantastic free bass intro that leads into the groove. It's got this great latin feel. I'm a sucker for a good groove. That's why I love playing bass.

And I can't go past a title like Tootie Mama Is A Big Fine Thing, even though as a piece it's a little happy clappy, it gets me doing a goon dance every time I hear it. Complete with raised eyebrows for the responses in the call and response with the melody. This is typical of what I think of as Summer Music. I'm far more likely to listen to it in the summer with sun shining, when I'm warm and happy.

I believe that the music you listen to is often reflective of mood and optimism, which in turn are affected by the seasons. Of course there's a bucketload of other factors, but I'm not going there. Just look at the songs that are almost excessively major in their chord structure, and they're more likely to be popular in summer. Also songs that have a lot of space in them, i.e. not too many layers and actually valuing the use of silence, I see as Summer Music.

This isn't to say that I will only listen to certain types of music depending upon the season. I've got fairly eclectic taste for one thing, and there's also so many other factors. But I'm sticking to the Summer Music theory. Think about it. I think also that the music crave in the winter months is like the food I crave at that time of year - a little more stodgey. Heavier in texture, usually a bit more complex.

That's my story, anyway.

Yes, I finally used the scanner.

Found in Bristol: Nov. '05:


And in North Wales (near Llangollen somewhere). This sign says "Please take your litter home" and "Please do not feed the sheep."

I promised dive that one day I would get my bum into gear and post some pics of the Chihuly glass at Kew Gardens. Here's one. And yep, that's me - fifteen kilos heavier at that point and still with long hair.

And then just because I'm looking through UK photos, here's the foyer of Tate Modern at the time. What a great thing. This was like a world of giant sugar cubes. You could just walk around in it. They were stacked up the walls in some spots.

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

I wish I could take credit for this idea, but I can't. It's actually from the sketchbook section on the Banksy website. It's one of those things that just makes me smile and think: so true. It's been my desktop picture for some time.

Monday, February 5, 2007

What type of lesbian am I? test results

You scored as The Magic Earring Ken Dyke. You're tough, mysterious and extremely butch. But you love who you are and often consider it a compliment when someone thinks you're a male.

The Magic Earring Ken Dyke

55%

The Stud

45%

The Femme Fatale

40%

The Pretty-Boi Dyke

30%

The Surprise! Dyke

25%

The Granola Dyke

25%

The Little-Boy Dyke

25%

The Sprightly Elfin Femme

20%

The Quasi-Gothic Femme

15%

The Student Dyke

15%

The Bohemian Dyke

10%

The Vaginal-Reference-Making Dyke

0%

The Hipster Dyke

0%

What Type of Lesbian Are You? (Inspired by Curve Mag.)
created with QuizFarm.com

Monday Melee

Here it is, appearig for the first time on this blog, The Monday Melee, a project by fracas that's been adopted by a few others who I like reading - so I thought I should join in. Delayed by a week, but on the right day...

1. The Misanthtropic: Name something you absolutely hate.
Not being prepared. Yet I allow myself to be unprepared constantly.

2. The Meretricious: Expose something or someone that’s phony, fraudulent or bogus.
Insurance. At the stupid accident I was in/following I asked: "What do I need to do for an insurance claim?" Answer: "Oh, here's our policy number. Just get your smash repairs to send a quote." BULLSHIT! I have wad of forms arrive in the mail out of the blue asking me where exactly the accident took place (did someone tell me I needed to write down the fucking cross-streets?) and draw a picture. I just want to write in that box - imagine the arse end of a works truck poking out of a shop window. You'll get closer than anything I can draw.

3. The Malcontent: Name something you’re unhappy with.
The fact that I've run out of milk, and have only had one coffee this morning.

4. The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name it if you can.
My cat, for sleeping through most of the night and all the morning. Finally.

5. The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.
My brown eyes.
6. The Make-Believe: Name something you wish for.
A washing machine that wasn't busted and worth the price of another to fix.

Sunday, February 4, 2007

I love her to pieces, but enough already!

Dear Juno,

Let me start by saying I that I think you are the cutest animal alive. When you deign to sit on my lap and have me pat you I actually feel honoured. You've been my companion and my playmate through four different houses and several other cat companions and I wouldn't dream of life without you.

But why the hell have you decided now, after being my cat for more than two years, why is it just now that you have to wake me up to come to your food bowl with you in the morning? And why does this especially have to happen on weekends, where late nights are far more likely to have been had?

I know you're not a complete fan of the different brand of biscuits I'm feeding you, you've voiced your opinion loudly and often and I won't be buying that particular brand ever again. But I don't have to be there when you take your first mouthful in the morning. You're a big girl.

And why the hell do you refuse to sleep through the night? There was a time when you slept at my feet from the time I went to bed to the time I got up and did not move in between. Now you insist on skidding into the room, launching yourself at my bedside table and knocking all manner of crap onto the floor before coming onto the bed to clean yourself at god knows what hour.

I'm just not coping with the different behaviour you're showing right now, Juno. Is there something going on that I should know about? Are you all right? You're not in trouble are you?

Your loving owner,
Vic

Saturday, February 3, 2007

Saturday linkfest

So I'm drinking coffee, eating cold pizza and following links in eight different windows. I'm an impatient little snot, so if a page doesn't load straight away I just open a new window.

Today's linkfest takes the meandering direction of urban art, with the first direction being clean graffiti. This is like writing "Wash Me" on the back of cars. I came across two artists in particular who are scraping soot from exhausts off tunnel walls and things to create their images.



Firstly, there's Alexandre Orion's fantastic work on a tunnel in Sao Paulo, lining it with skulls. The article is here on BLDG BLOG.


Also found along the way is Leeds artist Paul Curtis aka Moose creating the question of whether it's illegal to clean up, creating art in the process. There's a little news article about it here.

So then I somehow find an a thing about this artist called Roadworth, who recieved a permit from the city of montreal to paint a bike path that stretches for about a kilometre. He says:

"The surreal feeling of spray painting the street with the aid of pilons provided by the City of Montreal while police cruisers passed by unblinkinglywas heightened by the presence of a growing group of on-lookers who soo turned the event into a bit of a street party, complete with beer and pizza."

Friday, February 2, 2007

My 'first' was

Just because Ms. Viragobrat from The Dyke Dispatch asked, or politely gave "the opportunity to be forthcoming"...

Okay, a girl from the all-girl boarding school I went to.

Thursday, February 1, 2007

Quote of the Day

Today marks the first day back for the term, teaching guitar at the local boy's boarding school. So far the list has one new student (organised/excited/officous mother?) and the rest are continuing from last year.

Today's quote comes courtesy of Newboy. He sits down, back straight and looking around the room like a meerkat. I chat to him a little to get to know a bit about him:

What year are you in, Newboy?
Year Six. [This makes him around 11-12 years old.]


And you're a boarder? What brings you here? [Note: I expect an answer here along the lines of... "my Mum and Dad both work overseas a lot", but...]
It's just something I've always been... drawn to.


So right about now I do a double take. A What the fuck? moment.

So, Newboy, what makes you interested in bass guitar?
Oh, I've played a bit of guitar before, and flute, and clarinet, and ... [lists a few others that honestly I can't remember clearly because of this next bit...] I just want to try a lot of different instruments before I commit to buying one.


Okay. Either I've got a potential billionaire investment marvel or he's a total fruitcake.
I'm a cynic, so I'll give him three weeks before he stops showing up.