" Literary " Leanings

I’m reading an interesting book at the moment entitled -The Secret Life of a Teenage Punk Rocker , and a few years ago I read a similar one about a guy in a rock band who was around at that time too , and this inspired me to put my own life story down on to a floppy disc.

The problem being it was created , I think on Win 96 , and won’t run on modern computers , which I found to my absolute horror a few days ago, and led me to search our office high and low for a machine of that spec’.

Do I work in a museum – no far from it - although I’ve got an old IBM 286 DOS
machine sat in cupboard in my office , which with its green screen is probably the stone age equivalent of modern computers :)

I was originally given this IBM years ago and literally told to fix it up to one of our electronic rigs , as the new computer age was upon us , but the problem was -
so was the enlightened era of computer gaming :)

This immediately caused a problem , in which a large portion of the minute memory capacity was now taken up by the delights of - Pacman , Defender and Space Invaders :) , and certainly not the works program it was supposed to be running.

On reflection , I think we probably spent more time getting the games to run than anything else in those days , and were constantly bailed out by a friend of mine called Mikey Ramchip , during the many conflicts and computer crashes we caused …..
……………….wooops…………….. :).

Ok enough ancient history and back to the start - both these books are excellent so if you want a flavour of life and amateur music making in the late 70’s / early 80’s England - try ‘em .

Snappy Happy

You see - I have put my time to good use being out on site for the past week- hence the nu photo .

I’ve been looking for a field of poppies for ages to take some photo’s of without success , so you can imagine my delight at stumbling across this particular one,
and Dominion of Red seemed to fit the photograph well , as it was certainly a blazing counterpoint in the middle of the normally - uniform, brown countryside .


Now - even if I only had my box brownie with me , this came out quiet well , if I do say so myself , and to be honest if nothing else it does prove one thing - you really do not need an uber expensive camera to take half decent shots .

Some of you may have noticed as a rule I do not take photographs of people , and this is because in the past , I find them un interesting , and yes maybe – predictable

Saying this - a friend of mine works in a large department store , she’s a tall , long dark haired and very pale goth gal , and I’m going to try and persuade her to pose in a massive room filled with mannequins , I’m not sure what form this will take but the idea sounds good to me ……………and yes she keeps her clothes on……… :)



Rosetti’s Ravishing Redheads


Try saying that when your drunk :)

Ok what about –

…………………..ouch my back !!! , the gal in the boat , pomegranate scowl or even ……..head in a bowl ………………………!!!!

Yes I’m talking about The Pre Raphaelites – yet again :)

I suppose this is the only real “classical art” I actually like , but in that era it was considered revolutionary and not classical at all , due to its style and subjects more than anything , which totally broke with all convention at the time.

I do appreciate other offerings, like the various Rennaisance schools , but If left to my own devices I prefer more off the wall stuff abstract and minimalist stuff , although I am always open to new things – so please enlighten me :)

I was talking about an Italian group of artists called The Futurists a few weeks ago , and I was trying to find out about what I thought was one of their pieces entitled - Before the Parachute Opens - with no success , but it has just struck me if the title is correct , it will probably be in Italian , and hence my lack of success :)

So off to babel fish - I think :)

Dominion of Red

Racing Again

Top Gear the U.K. motoring program always have ridiculous races between different vehicles , and tonight’s offering was a 1948 Jaguar Vs a 1948 Vincent motorcycle , Vs a train - which was incidentally , built in my home county last year .

No competition I hear you think the modern train is going to win as it is, and I quote
…………….. “ the newest train, currently in service in the U.K. “ ……………….

Now I’ve got to say at this point - it’s a steam train ……………………………….
….and no we havn’t re – invented steam as some kind of magical fuel that will propel the train at speed reaching a Bullet Train …its honestly steam powered , as in Victorian England - steam ……………..yes ……………:)

So now that’s relegated to third place :) , what have we got left ???


Well the Jaguar was the fastest car of the time and so was the Vincent , so little to choose there then , well except the X factors of the idiotic presenters in each vehicle- that is .

Obnoxious loud mouth - Jeremy Clarkson was on the train and relegated to shovelling coal , smug as ever - James May was driving the Jag , and The Hamster was riding the bike , when he could get it started – that was :)

To cut to the chase - the Vincent was actually nick named The Snarling Beast it’s a shame it was a small furry animal that was riding it , as it came last , well no it didn’t really finish , due to him having to keep stopping , as the crash helmet was squashing his nice hair do :) .

Clarkson albeit covered in soot and having to work for his living for once in his life , was still being his objectionable self . and you almost wished the crew didn’t tell him to hold on tight when going through Durham……… “as its rough”………

………………HUH !!!!...........the cheeky so and so’s :)

King Smug in his Jag won of course , but the sight of a dishevelled Clarkson - hot , sweaty and covered in soot staggering over the finish line only to be met with a smug comment had me laughing , and The Hamster……well was last seen at a hairdressers just off the A1 motorway receiving emergency – hair gel infusion - treatment………:)

No Hope

I notice my M.P. friends have now chosen yet another speaker for The House of Commons , using yet another complicated closed system of voting which will probably go on forever and ever and ever at the taxpayers expense :)

In my opinion - to renew any kind of public confidence - the new speaker needs to be beyond reproach and scrupulously clean , but the unbelievable thing is –
all the potential candidates for the speakers position have been involved in the expenses row , as are the majority of people who will actually vote for them !!!

So in essence we are replacing the corrupt with the corrupt , whilst using a system
of voting only the corrupt can participate in ………….marvellous ………..!!!

Saying that - there are a few M.P’s who were not implicated in this scandal , so I reckon one of them should become speaker , which will at least break the cycle of all those who are involved , voting for each other to try and return the status quo .

This of course hasn’t happened , and we have yet another idiot who seems to be pre occupied with stopping M.P’s shouting and behaving like spoilt children in The Commons , which is fine and well but I somehow think there are possibly more pressing matters……………………….


There is of course the usual empty talk of a committee being set up to look in to the whole expenses affair …………blah …..blah ……blah ……………..

Now here’s some thing for you –

Instead of the usual friendly faces armed with their pots of whitewash , appoint a panel of impartial taxpayers to sit and judge.

Me .........................I’d have my black hat out…………………:)

Waylaid

Well I expected a hard work out at the sports centre yesterday as I took a half day holiday , the problem was the first person I saw when I walked through the door was my friend Colin.

Now it was he who initially got me interested in Japan , and he was off there again in August ……………………… so 3 hrs later …………………………:)

Today I learnt I’m out on site for the next three weeks thus it may be difficult to put something on here every day due to the lack of access to a computer during the daytime , what with that and the fact after that I’m on holiday for three weeks after that .

However - I have got a few bits and pieces left , and I will be taking my camera with me so you may get the odd interesting photograph posted on here if nothing else , especially as I’ve promised a friend a framed canvass of a photograph of poppies , if I can find any to photograph that is, and borrow a macro lens for my SLR :, although the trusty box brownie may have to do .

The thing is all kind of things usually happen when your out and about , and a few years ago I took my camcorder with us , but that’s yet another story , and maybe an episode on Youtube - if I can transfer it from video to digital :),

Saying that my brownie has video capability – albeit Quicktime , so if anything interesting comes up you can guarantee the film will be rolling in one form or
another :)

......the uplands of the future ........

I’m not sure where this phrase comes from , but this is a place which probably suits me well , but unfortunately the past keep coming up , and this weekend was like a trip back in time………………..

Thus - with the bikes fully fuelled up it was time for riding…………1920’s style :).

Now on a modern bike you basically just “twist and go “ - bar changing gear , but old bikes have no electronics , brakes or lights for that matter :) ……so its all completely manual ……………………………

This of course made my own personal learning curve was the size of Mt Everest , as it was on live roads complete with impatient - 90 mph idiots on their mobile (cell) phones – marvellous :)

Pardon the lapse in to reminiscing - but this experience actually brought back the exhilaration of me riding my Suzuki on the road for the first time at the tender age of 17 . I knew the principle of riding but putting it in to practice was the key . Although saying this , it did differ slightly in the fact that , riding old bikes requires an absolute load of forethought, that you simply do not have to have when - driving or riding any kind of modern vehicle.

The show we were going to was a historic vehicle gathering , and by the time we had got there at our amazing top speed of 40mph , it was of course - absolutely throwing it down with rain , and we were met by the incredible sight of the local cricket team still playing on ………………mad dogs and Englishmen …………..huh :) ……
…………..and they were probably thinking the same about us :)

I’ll gloss over the intricacies of the show as I know they are of very limited if any , interest , on here ……………… but I will say we met some characters……………….
…….like the 11yr old lecturing Leo about steam engines ……and the fact I nearly bought a 1943 Chevy pick up ………may still ……:)


Moving on - Sunday was a trip to a historic vehicle run - this time on our modern Harley’s although Leo did mention entering on his Triumph next year…….we’ll see ….: ……and as for a certain other person on a Levi’s …….i think not …………:)


We always go to a place called Stanhope Ford , which as the name suggests is a ford through the river and which all the old vehicles pass through. I’m not sure if people gather here purely to see an old car stall in the river and its occupants have to get out and push , or an errant biker hitting a pothole and turning his bike in to a submarine :) but the crowds are always large - here .

We basically sit on the grass , eat ice cream and watch both the modern and nostalgic world roll by , and in my case get sun burnt , and yes I’ve got the white stripe across my forehead where my baseball cap was on backwards - as per usual :)

Out of all the various vehicle and people in the run we were honoured by a cousin of the queen in his Bentley , which had apparently cost more money to restore than buying a new one !!! , we gave him the royal wave and surprisingly not the old - Agincourt salute , as he went by …………. paper Union Jack stuck to the back of his car ………….. flying in the breeze …………… :)


Apologies for the very edited versions of the above , as I’d be here all day , and as I say – limited interest :)

Guy Fawkes Syndrome- yet again

M.P’s in the U.K. regardless of what they may say , and removing expenses from the equation for the moment , have one of the best paid jobs in the country for what they actually do.

This includes gems like –

They have absolutely no obligation what so ever , unlike the rest of us , to actually go to “work” every day ……….think about it ……when your fighting your way through the traffic , struggling to make ends meet in a rubbish 9-5 job , five days a week..!!!.

The best - paid holidays in the country – bar none .

They are seemingly exempt from the laws of the land being goverened by vague voluntary codes, which make them , if it comes down to it, answerable only to themselves .

When they “retire” from political life they are given big pay offs at the expense of the taxpayer , to then slip in to a directors job in a sector which they “strangely “ had dealings with during their political career.

etc …etc…etc…..



With this in mind and moving to the question of expenses –

How ironic that the official lists of M.P’s expenses in the U.K. , which incidentally - they have been forced to publish due to a court order , are so heavily censored they would have never revealed any of the scurrilous claims in the first place………

……….. and hence we’d all be sailing along in ignorant bliss with “our” duck houses and sparkling clean - moats ………………………………….:)

You would have thought after the press had published some of the uncensored expenses details and the following public furore, the subsequent slaughter of the political scape goats !! , and of course the talk of reform and transparency , our intelligence wouldn’t be further insulted by the excuse that they were censored for so
called …………….. ………… “ security reasons “ ………….!!!

…………………… insert scream here …………………………..:) ………………


Politicians have been given chance after chance to clean their act up ,but instead they insist on feeding the public - excuses that children can see through , continue to censor their wrong doing behind a wall of official secrecy , and then of course there’s the empty talk …………………….

The recently announced, police investigation in to the above , rather like the cash for questions - affair will get absolutely nowhere , and to be honest - just smacks of window dressing to me . I reckon the only way you can get this lot to act like decent human beings is at the barrel of a metaphoric gun – think Magna Carta , or a similar type of document which is as legally binding – because the days of voluntary codes ….………………………….have long gone ……………

There is , as others have suggested, another way , and this involves re instating the monarchy as heads of the country , but I’m not really sure how this would work , although a Magna Carta in that particular situation would probably be a good idea
too :)

Twittering On

Now I don’t know what’s stranger –

The people who purposefully…??? …., put total stupidity on Twitter itself , or the radio D.J.’s who insist on bringing this to everybody’s attention over and over and over again…………in a vain attempt to be “hip , trendy and funny”…………….


………….. and now I’m just wondering where I stand – talking about it all - on here………………………

………………..errrrrrrrrrr………………………………..:)


Saying that - I do notice Twitter and other forms of modern communication have been invaluable in getting information on the current situation in Iran , re’ the protests over the presidential elections - out of the country , which like the Burma situation of last year would have been severely censored by the government in the not too distant past.

Nice to see modern technology being used against the authorities - for once :)


Riding the Range

Well it’s a bit of a vintage motorcycling weekend coming up :)

What with the trip to the local show on Saturday , taking - Leo’s 1919 Triumph and 1922 Levis, and of course on Sunday it’s the Beamish Reliability trial for pre 1963 bikes and cars , which we are thankfully not taking part in ……………

……………… well not to my knowledge :).

I’d probably be typing this from a hospital bed on Monday ……. otherwise :)

Now - It’s bad enough me switching from my own Harley to a mountain bike to my car - never mind anything else , and saying that , I think I’ve inadvertently developed three different styles to differentiate between them.

I ride my mountain bike like a Japanese sports motorcycle – fast aggressive and
“ knee down” - according to a friend of mine , I ride my Harley consistently – what ever that means :) , and I drive my car like I’m riding a bike , according to Evil Don, but he didn’t say what type……………..probably Honda 90 …………… :)

I'm a.......WHAT....................

I’m not really in to nostalgia trips , but going to see Tesla the other night always gets me thinking about previous gigs , and today I was thinking about the last time I saw them back in “the good old days “……………………. :).

Now - with this in mind I had a look around to find an autographed album sleeve of theirs I had , and of course thought about how I got it in the first place ……:)

I always laugh about the 80’s , but musically it was quiet a good decade for rock , especially the mid part onwards as you had - glam , thrash and grunge , all existing side by side, and it was at this time I first started D.J.ing .

The City Hall was the main venue for bands to play in those days , and fellow D.J. - Geoff and myself went to see Tesla, who were a support band in those days , on the whim of a demo album we had recently got .

I think the gig must have been on a weekend , as we unusually went up at midday , had a pizza and wandered round the local record shop

We knew the guy who ran the record shop and asked if we could have an empty album sleeve off his wall for autographs - came out and round to the stage entrance of the City Hall , only to be met with the sight of Tesla getting off the tour bus :)

There were two or three other people getting autographs , and we got the full set minus the second guitarist .

We got talking to the band of course ,and I looked up and saw this guy walking down the street who looked and was acting strangely , so trying to be hip , cool and trendy in front of the band said……………………………………..

…………………. “ HEY……look at this asshole “ .

Only to be met with a stony silence …..well that is apart from Geoff whispering
“…………. it’s Tommy… f**king… Skeoch out of the band…………. “

…………….hence the missing autograph ……………………….

So I just walked up to him and said “Hi Tommy – can I have your autograph “.

I think he was actually shocked - I knew who he actually was , and according to Geoff the rest of the bands face were a complete pictures at this point , which turned to dismay , as I then ran off around the corner with my autographs tucked under my arm.

No wonder they haven’t toured round here for so long :)

One Piece at a Time

Most recent governments in the U.K. ….. and round the world ??? , have what we call “think tanks” which seem to be hidden out of sight in the various dark corners of this sceptic isle.

These “fine “ bodies of people , who - amongst other things , advise politicians on aspects of legislation .I’ve no doubt there as several psychologists working on these teams , who probably know through extensive research how far their government masters can go in relation to legislation , before there are mass complaints / protests by the populous .

I’m not a great conspiracy theorist , and I sometimes think we are landed with certain things because of sheer incompetence rather than design , but saying that , I can see a pattern over the last few years in this drip fed legislation , which is slowly but surely by design or not - curtailing all of our civil liberties.


A few examples of things we either have , or are being proposed in the U.K. , reads like the pages of a sci fi novel or a country under totalitarian , state control –


A police ran and maintained DNA data base .

24hr CCTV surveillance.

The introduction of identity cards..

The removal Habeas Corpus .

The beating and killing of unarmed protestors , and the shooting dead of unarmed
“ terrorist” suspects by the police , and to add insult to injury - the police investigates the police - in these particular cases.

Legislation – granting the police the authority the right to intern suspects without charge for months and if anyone spoke out against the government they'd potentially be arrested as "terrorists".

Proposed logging of all telephone calls , e- mail’s and access to websites , by all citizens .



………even one of these things would have been unthinkable a few years ago.

…………… but all of them ……………..!!!

Society , has itself got to at least partly accountable for this , and again I don’t want to get in to conspiracy theories , but successive governments are wholly responsible in the long term , by either design or incompetence , in allowing this steady slide in to ignorance by the populus ……………

…………..dumbed down …….asking no questions , other than ……………..

…………………who’s won ….Britain’s got Talent …….. !!!!! …………….

Even worse - you have the “its for your own good” - brigade , who are of course so “world wise “ that they loudly shout … “I’ve got nothing to hide “ ………….
………and in doing so - totally missing the point , well that is until ……………


…………..their own door is kicked down at 3am by armed authorities ………………

……….and they are held without trial ……….. indefinitely ………

.........because they have lost their ID card or have been mistaken for terrorists !!!…

……and if the trial ever comes up …they have no rights ……what so ever ………



Now is this really unthinkable or not - but to put it in perspective - I suggest its rather like the first time you heard about the introduction of ID cards being recommended a few years ago , and your own initial thoughts of…………..

……………….“they’ll never do that “……………


Wanna bet !!!!


To be honest the way that people now think in this country in conjunction with an incomprehensible, political system that is seemingly answerable to nobody but itself , and a seemingly - unregulated police force , there are very few if any - avenues , to try and stop the “onset of 1984”

I’ve said this before - manning the barricades with your AK47 isn’t an option in the U.K. , as we only get annoyed in this country and go on a killing spree if somebody jumps the queue in a shop or puts milk in the tea before the water !!! ………..

………………………….sad - but ultimately true :)

Paved with Nostalgia

The trip to London certainly start on the quiet side at 4.30 am on Saturday , but seeing as it was the Queens birthday , she decided to throw a bit of a noisy - birthday bash with all the pomp and circumstance of Trooping the Colour involved , and to finish off - had a good old fashioned fly by by the Red Arrows trailing red , white and blue smoke as they went…………………………..marvellous ………………………

Hmmmm ……………can we have all this happening in politically correct Britain and shouldn’t the authorities be informed , as it may offend some one……… :)
( sorry couldn’t resist )

In total contrast – it seemed to be the swinging 60’s again in Carnaby St , with mini be skirted young ladies running around , a band playing oldies from the back of a truck , the crowd singing - These Boots were Made for Walking , In a marvellous combination of broken - Spanish , German and French , around one of Boris Johnson’s aptly sited pianos, and of course – Mod’s sat on scooters , in fact - it was getting so bad - I was half expected the Rockers to appear round the corner on their Triumphs , and re enact for real - the battle of Brighton Beach * ……….

( * Gang fight between English youth groups – The Mods and Rockers at Brighton in the 1960’s )


Last - but not least – prepare to have blown apart the myth that us English are
prudes , as ……

…….HUNDREDS…..and yes you read that correctly…HUNDREDS of ……

………….TOTALLY….AND…. UTTERLY ……….. NAKED !!!!!……

………..people of both sex’s - decided to ride their bicycles down Oxford St in front of the masses ……..as mothers rushed to shield their delicate offspring’s eyes …….. ……….me I just laughed so hard ……… I forgot to take any photo’s …
……………………..WOOOOPS ….. :)


Tonight is yet another visit to musical - retro land , as I’m off to see American rock band - Tesla ……….. and this time it’s the 80’s …………heaven forbid :)










To end on a not so - nostalgic note - I was half tempted to go and see Oasis , last week, as I have been known to play the odd Oasis track when I D.J.:) , and I certainly love reading the entertaining, magazine interviews with the brothers grim , with their “let’s fight like a couple of old women” – style of interview :) .

The thing is - looking at the gangs of shaven headed “individuals” , who take their football shirts off twice a year - wandering around on the Sunday after the gig wearing…………………..GASP……………… Oasis t shirts !!! ( in their team colours – of course :) ) ….was anything to go by , I’m not sure whether the football crowd atmosphere would have really suited my own “sensibilities” :) .

This being probably because - I’d have to put a load of weight on , get a jail bird haircut , tattoo myself , reduce my I.Q. by several hundred points , and of course develop a deep - pathological hate for complete strangers ……..wearing different coloured shirts …………………

Sorry Noel - not worth the effort – mate ……………….:)

Pictorial Journey

Well its London tomorrow :)……….. but don’t expect any “top notch - arty photographs” as I’m not taking my SLR with me due to limited space , and instead I’m packing my trusty box brownie ( bb ) or Optio A30 compact …………..to you :)

I’m putting this camera down , rather unfairly here as it’s a really good piece of equipment with 10mp resolution and manual shooting capabilities , but unfortunately limited creative control ……..this is really making me sound like a snob …isn’t it :)

Anyway - as some of you may know , I bought the bb in Tokyo a few years ago , and consequently saved a fortune on something that wasn’t even released in the rest of the world at the time , and of course being a home market Japanese item , it has various little …………

………………errrrrrr………how can I put this……………errrrrrrrr…………….. ……………anomalies…….. on it……………………….,


………like the selectable , shutter noise options , which included the sound of a cat meowing , when you pressed the button to take a photograph………I kid you not :)

Now - anyone who knows me will have probably read my travelogs , but what I have decided to do for a laugh, and a bit of a project on Saturday , is to photograph the trip ……………. but from an abstract point of view ……….

I do admit - this will either be a load of visual gibberish or it will actually make
sense , ( probably the former :) ) , so if you see a maniac running around with a camera that meows , photographing odd things………….

……………..either run away …………….or …………phone the police :)



Painting with Light

I saw this particular technique in a book I was reading a while ago , and it simply - consists of shining a lazer pointer on to a dark back ground , moving it around , and then photographing it with a SLR camera set on long exposure .

Now - currently in the U.K. there is a load of fuss about certain individuals using lazer pointers to “blind “ police helicopter crews , so I’d better buy one quick , as no doubt the “ sharp scissor”- brigade , will be demanding they are banned pretty soon , rather like the naturally occurring plants that produce nerve agents , or what about - fertilizer as it could be used in explosives , or maybe even - education as it means people can think for themselves………..heaven f***king forbid…………. :)


There is also concern over knife crime in the U.K, and the banning of such weapons.
The thing is if you want to look at it another way , all of us have got an absolute drawer full of lethal weapons sat in the kitchen , but I’m rather like the other 99.9999999% of the population , I do not want to go on a stabbing spree , crash police helicopters or indeed - kill people - using nerve agents and bombs.

Yes I do accept there are some out there who do , but were back to the authorities - attacking the symptom and not the cause – syndrome - here – aren’t we .


Anyway back to the art - I’m thinking of doing a masterpiece entitled …..

Crash the helicopter , whilst blowing up and poisoning the people , I have just stabbed …….…………………eat your heart out………….. Damien Hirst ………………….

………………..pickled sheep… !!! ……PAH ……..that’s for kids……… :)

Conflict of Ideals

The D- Day commemorations were taking place in France last weekend , and I was just wondering to myself , how both the need to both remember this and other events , and the fact that we are now strictly all Europeans – today - fit together in the modern world .

I can personally speak from both sides here , as I have relatives who both fought and died in the war , and I also currently , have very, very good friends from both Germany and Japan - thus I can see the need to commemorate , and also forget that era .

This - and the fact that the European elections , which also took place last week , had the lowest turn out – ever , and from a U.K. perspective the right wing - UKIP
( U.K. Independence Party ) , won the second highest amount of seats , which is ironic - standing in a European election as they want us to get out of The
European Union …………!!!.

Now your all thinking - what have the above got to do with each other ………….

Well it’s a historical fact that the right , gain more votes in times of social unrest and upheaval , like the current economic down turn has thrust upon us , thus the move towards the UKIP , and of course the racist BNP ( British National Party ) gaining two seats on the flimsy premise that they are ominously –
“ the party of the people “ - certainly point in that direction.


What people must remember is that it was the right wing teachings of the 1930’s that these modern political parties follow , which got us in the predicament of war in the first place, and with that thought in mind , I notice both the UKIP and BNP were using English - Second World War ideals and imagery in their own election campaigns.

The problem with using these so called “English Ideals” of the time , is that the original thinking behind them was totally and utterly against the right wing
regimes, and thus they simply cannot be twisted in to a modern patriotic context , as the UKIP and BNP are no doubt - trying to do - because of these historical fact .


On reflection , and back to the original point , I think because of all the surrounding circumstances - maybe the memorial services are a good thing after all , and as long as they can continue in a non blaming and sensitive - fashion towards both Germany and Japan - this will hopefully benefit us all by stopping us going down that terrible path - yet again - through a remembrance of that time.

tech noir

Ha …………… I was well and truly terminated at the weekend……………….

Yes I took my own advice and removed my brain , and must admit ……I was totally and utterly was blown away…………regardless of my initial scepticism of a few weeks ago.

. ( chomp – chomp …….the sound of me eating my own words :) )

Science fiction by definition , is certainly something that needs to be viewed on a cinema screen , especially the epic / action type , and without giving too much away for those who haven’t seen it yet ……………

………………………….watch out for the terminator motorcycles…….

………………………..oh yes ……………..and do they look good ….:)


Now with this in mind - there’s actually a real company in South Africa ??? , called Cyberdyne Systems , and after what I’ve read - I’m sure they wouldn’t appreciate yet another nutcase like me , ringing them up asking for a terminator bike …

……………..would they ………….:).

…………and any way - the good terminator rides a Harley :)


Ok …….enough off on a tangent stuff ……………


The Director - MCG as he is known , has added in a few homage’s to previous Terminator movies , and there is an element of Blade Runner in there too.

The effects and action are absolutely wild , and definitely make up for the plot in
parts / predictable twists……………………..and that’s all I’m saying :)

I reckon you should probably go and view this as a standalone - action sci fi movie - try not to include the storylines of the previous offerings too much ( homage’s aside ) , and you will certainly enjoy the roller coaster ride …………I did ……………:)

Look to It.................

Well - I’m off to London next Saturday , but due to various commitments I’m unable to visit The Tate Modern this time around , to go see an exhibition by a school of artists called The Futurists , who’s work was brought to my attention by a friend of mine a while ago .

I’ll pass this information on to all who are interested by saying –

The Futurists were a school of - initially - Italian artists from about 1908 onwards , who - simply put - rejected the old for new , in their own , various art forms .

To be honest - the media itself is not pretty to look at in the conventional sense of the word , as it depicts - dynamics , power , movement and speed amongst others, and personally I would liken it to an industrial revolution - within the art world - itself .

Now - unfortunately the majority of this original group had Fascist leanings , and thus the manifesto which originally founded the movement , is in parts a true sign of the times , as for example it - glorifies war, has contempt for women and promotes the fight against morality and feminism !!!

Truly outmoded concepts - I do agree - but those aside , and purely from an art point of view , there are aspects of it which I certainly do subscribe to , and this, I think - ties in with my own various interests , and love of the future in its wonderful , unshaped glory :).

I simply cannot miss this very , very rare opportunity to go and view this collection all in one place , so I am definitely planning yet another visit to London next month

Talking of the future I went to see T4 at the weekend , but that’s for tomorrow ……

....operator please...............

Yesterday , our boss was complaining that - apparently - no one was answering their
phones .

Which was a bit of a sweeping statement , as what he really meant to say , was –
one person who we aptly call Slackpants, who is infamous for just sitting playing computer games and just letting it ring - wasn’t answering his !!!.

So today we now learn that Slackpants has now disappeared to an empty office to ….
……………….and yes you guessed it …………

……………avoid answering the phone…………………

So of course our resident maniac - Fat Al , went around putting all the office phones on to divert to this particular empty office , including Slackpant’s own phone , and of course …….………our bosses ……….too ………………….!!!




Doing it ………What !!!!!

It was ………….Do it Different Day …. …….yesterday…………………………

Now - for those not aware of what that is - it simply means going to work using a different form of transport , and my own previous history includes - a chauffer driven limousine and a “Blues Brothers Police Car - complete with megaphone :)

Which - as long term readers will know - purposely - takes the p*ss out of the
“one day a years greens” , who normally all drive the one mile to work , one person in one car – style , the other 364 days .

So with all this in mind and the fact I always try to go one better every time , what on earth did I have planned for this time , I hear you asking ……………………..

….how about a Bell Huey - helicopter gunship – maybe………………….


…The Batmobile driven by Superman …in a two for one , superhero deal. …….


…..a Sherman tank …….


……possibly an X Wing Fighter piloted by Indiana Jones ….in a bizarre Raiders’ / Star Wars , cross over movie, lovingly crafted in cardboard , especially for
youtube …………………


……or even a dog sled pulled by Lassie , Rin Tin Tin and Scooby Doo :)…



Well - no it was none of those ………………………..

……….errrrr……………..well ………….I must admit ……………………

……..I actually forgot that this event was on , or more likely knowing my colourful history - there was probably a total and utter , press blackout in my general area , by the powers that be……… :)


Which is probably just as well :) ………… although it does gives me a whole year to come up with next years “ brilliant “ ideas ………………………………..

Sralan

Now I must confess - one of the very , very few T.V. shows I regularly watch , other than the bikers soap opera - Sons of Anarchy ( yes really ) , is the U.K. edition of
The Apprentice.

This is simply because Sralan’s ( who is actually called Sir Alan Sugar , but all the candidates pronounce it so fast it comes out as Sralan as opposed to Sir Alan ) antics really , really crack me up , and if I ever got on that show , I’d be sitting laughing my head off all the flippin’ time…………………………..


Sralan ……………“…you lost me money …….. you did… ”………

Me………………HA HA HA HA HA ………………………..

Sralan …………“…your incompetent…….. you are… “………………

Me…………….HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA …………

Sralan……….. “…why shouldn’t I fire you ….then …….???………”

Me ……. HA HA HA HA HA HA…………… JUST DO IT …….…HA HA HA HA HA HA HA …………………HAHAHA…………….etc etc etc ….


Saying that , there was someone from my own part of the country on the show , and I’m not sure if it’s regional stereotyping , but I can see an awful lot of him in me …. except the loud mouth bit …. ……………honest :)

Yet another candidate , I’ve aptly entitled – Suk a lemon , called him a “dickhead” a while ago and then got him the boot a few weeks ago , so I’m definitely saying absolutely – nothing here :)

I’m just wondering if he regrets going on that show , as I’ve seen loads of total strangers go up to this guy in the street and shout right in to his face …………

…………………….….. “YOUR FIRED”…………. ………………………..

……………..which I’d be sick of after the third person , never mind the 3000th :)

Paradoxical

I saw an interesting comment recently , which said in a nutshell –
what would you do if you are able to tell a younger version of your self , certain things which would change their ( your ) life.

Sorry - I can just imagine trying to reason with a younger version of myself and trying to get them ( me ) to do something that is for their (my) own good , and been told ………….where to go ……………… in no uncertain terms :)

No seriously – This kind of thing and more importantly its implications , fascinates me , and I’d be interested to know if people would actually change things and why , but be warned - changing things can have consequences , as all your actions in the past have already had a counter reaction which you have dealt with , but putting a new factor in could end up in as a totally , unforeseen - situation ….. hence my title .


Science aside - I’m of the opinion that the majority of things turn out for the best as a rule , it may not seem like that at the time , but it usually is, and I think this particular thought taps in to the human psyche itself , touching upon the regrets which we all have , and its just human nature to try and alter that , after all :)

I reckon the question itself is as dead , lifeless and unchangeable as the past itself , hence I’d say I wouldn’t change a thing – yes really , we all make mistakes - some bigger than others and its all part of the human experience , and maybe there’s another version of me sat in a parallel world typing this a different reaction to the above ………………who can say……………. :)

Take a Number and Wait ...............

I like to try and cover as many topics on here as I can , and this includes the odd serious one for those who don’t really want to hear about my “off the wall” lifestyle , and this particular item has been in mind for a while.

Now these thoughts were renewed by a newspaper headline at the weekend , saying there is apparently several hundred U.K. citizens sat in the queue at a Swiss euthanasia clinic at the moment .


Typical flippin’ British …………….queuing up to die :)


Gallows humour aside………………….


Euthanasia now there’s a word – the right to die – with dignity ????

I must say , the fact that :- politicians , courts and law lords won’t even debate the subject in the U.K. , shows how totally and utterly contentious this topic is , but in reality , and as far as I can see the only people who are against this concept are usually religious based organizations that in reality - you have never - ever heard
of !!!

Death in our society is still a taboo subject , and as for pre meditated death well you can totally and utterly forget that particular one


Yes and here it comes – my own opinion :)

Personally - and this does NOT apply to anyone else , and has absolutely

………… NOTHING AT ALL………….. to do with suicide……………

I think euthanasia is a very unfortunate aspect of real life which is conveniently ignored , and as sensible , educated adults we need to throw off the outmoded concepts and at least debate it seriously , instead of either pretending it doesn’t exist or letting the authorities deflect the issue by hiding behind some non existent - moral code .

I always try to be master of my own life and nobody will take away my right to die with dignity , if I so choose , and If I ever get in a totally debilitating situation due to an accident / illness - due to my active lifestyle , I’d absolutely hate to be kept alive ??? - using artificial methods.

So now you know what I think , and yes you may have a different opinion and that’s your own prerogative in a free society , but no one has got the right to use the self same free society to try and take away my choice in this , or any other matter , because of their narrow minded beliefs.

GRRRRRR Corner ...............

A question – can I shout and swear today , as I’ve just discovered three particular bands I like are “touring” over here – Faith no More , Fishbone and Suicidal Tendencies.

Now I use the word tour very , very loosely here , as it consists of playing one gig at Download Festival in Donnington Park and another one in London !!!

Typical !!!



Sorted :)

Today’s question of political corruption in the U.K. can be sorted out using three simple steps -

1. Heads on Spikes
2. New Legislation.
3. Move on ……………

Easy as that :)



Nostalgia

I was over my friend Leo’s at the weekend delivering his gift from Atsu , and he mentioned an old motorcycle show at a nearby place.

He said was riding there on his 1919 Triumph and casually mentioned if I wanted to take the 1922 Levis ( pronounced Lehvis , and not like the jeans of the same name ) - I could.

I’ll mention at this point the oldest motorcycle I’ve ridden on the road as opposed to round and round his garden , is a 1976 Triumph , which is ultra modern compared to the Levis.

So the Levis is basically a bicycle with an engine , no front brake , push ( bump ) start , has all manual engine controls , oil burning - front and rear lamps, no stoplight or indicators , no suspension , hand change - crash gearbox , and of course a top speed of 40mph, which is probably good considering the bicycle tyres.

YE GODS !!!………….. I’d better start writing my will out ………..hadn’t I :)