Today's soundtrack: Various Artists - L.A. Confidential Soundtrack
The title of today's blog is one of the songs on today's soundtrack album, itself a soundtrack to one of my favourite films, L.A. Confidential. Johnny Mercer's song is as good a philosophy as any at the moment - accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative - yep, that's what I'm trying to do, Johnny!
And a bit of positive news as well - my meeting on Monday looks like it's going to result in me getting in front of someone who may be able to help me out on the job front. Don't want to say too much at the moment, but if this comes off, it would be possibly the perfect solution to my current woes. But very, very tentative at the moment and I'm not going to get my hopes too high - or say too much - until there's something more tangible to report. Fingers crossed anyway and apologies for being cryptic!
Following on from yesterday's post, the Spelt loaf is indeed very tasty, went down very well at lunchtime with some mayonnaise and cold meats. I assume the Honey & Sunflower loaf was also up to scratch, as half of it seems to have disappeared already....
I also finished Human Traces, which came together very nicely in the end. A very powerful last few chapters as well, set during and after First World War, as the main characters aged and reconciled themselves to their life and achievements. There was one particularly powerful passage towards the end that actually brought me to the brink of tears - that's powerful writing indeed.
Also read this month's edition of Word magazine, which comes with a startling cover photo that I'm not sure will have the magazine flying off the shelves in WH Smiths this month. The nation's favourite car insurance salesman is there in all his wrinkly glory! Good article though...
I saw Iggy and the Stooges at Glastonbury two years ago, when he instigated a massive stage invasion that he dealt with cleverly with a lot of charm - only to nearly break his neck slipping on the tons of mud that were now all over the stage! Great fun! I also saw him back in the '70s, with ex-Sex Pistol Glen Matlock on bass. "Little Iggy" nearly made an appearance that day, as I recall, although he did manage to keep the 'mouse in the house' on that occasion.
I think you know what I'm talking about here. Ahem.
I didn't get off to a good start with L.A. Confidential - the first time I watched it, was on a transatlantic flight on a video screen that must have been about two inches across. Suffice to say the plot was a little bit lost on me - I managed to confuse Russell Crowe and Kevin Spacey to the extent I thought they were one and the same - so was totally bemused when Russell Crowe's character was still alive and kicking after Kevin Spacey had been shot dead...
Eventually I saw the film on a decent sized screen and I loved it - some great performances from a great cast, wonderful period detail and a fantastic soundtrack. Chet Baker, Dino, Johnny Mercer - what's not to like? Sucker for a bit of croonin', me.
After dashing round for the last couple of days, I spent today at Waring Towers doing, it has to be said, very little indeed.
A bit of baking - another 'brick', this time made with 'spelt' flour (I bought a bag a while ago, just because the recipe book had a batch of recipes using this particular flour and I though I might have a go. Well, today, I got round to it. Spelt, a bit of Googling revealed, is a hybrid of wheat and goat-grass (whatever that is), originating in Central Europe. In breadmaking, it produces bread not unlike rye bread, but with a lighter, nuttier taste. It doesn't rise in the same way as normal wheat bread, even with the addition of a lot more yeast, so again it looks as though something's gone wrong with the loaf even though the recipe warns that the loaf will have a 'slightly sunken appearance'. No idea what it tastes like yet, although it smells pretty good. Mrs W will no doubt turn her nose up in disgust, so it'll be all mine to enjoy (or not....)
Safe in the knowledge Mrs W isn't going to be using the spelt loaf for her cutting-up, I thought I'd better bake another, which is cooking as I type. Honey and Sunflower, this one. Not sure about the honey - accurately measuring out honey by the tablespoon (and then transferring the measure into the baking bowl) is more miss than hit - but we'll see.
Then sorted the car insurance out. Pretty painless to do, using the same comparison sites we've used previously which have all the details already in place. Not so painless to pay for, though...
And did a bit of reading. I've been getting through 'Human Traces' by Sebastian Faulks for a while now and its been a bit of a slow burn, but a long session with the book and a pot of coffee this morning got me a good way through it. I have enjoyed quite a few of Faulks' books over the years, most notably 'Birdsong' which is one of my (and many other peoples) favourite novels.
Human Traces is set in the late 1800s, and is the story of two young men who both have a burning desire to understand the workings of the human mind and, in particular, the various mental illnesses that can afflict the mind. In the period covered by the book, the treatment of mental illness is coming to be seen as a branch of 'real' medicine rather than as at best, a poor relation or, at worst, a myth - mental illness essentially being untreatable.
The main characters meet as boys, developing their common vision whilst in their teens. The book traces their separate development, living and training in different countries, until they come together to build a practice in the Austrian Alps. As they mature, their interests, beliefs and philosophies diverge, introducing a key element of tension to the narrative. Their families become inextricably linked, both professionally and personally, adding further to the complexity that clouds and tests their common vision.
Reviews of the book have been mixed, the consensus being that the complex scientific expositions necessary to deal with the book's main subject matter get in the way of the actual story. I think there is some truth in that, although personally I find the two elements of the book equally interesting (if a touch challenging) on occasion. Still, 150 pages (of 600) still to go, so I'll reserve total judgment just yet. An interesting, if challenging, read.
If I'd started writing this an hour earlier, you would have had some AC/DC on the soundtrack - sorry! As it is, we're listening to Southport's finest, and specifically to their first album, which remarkably won the Mercury Music Award in 1998 ahead of Massive Attack'sMezzanine and The Verve's Urban Hymns. I've had the album for ages but rarely play it - it tends to wash over me and I find its faux-Americana vocals and stylings a bit rich for a bunch of Lancashirescallies (even if they are, allegedly, all good Evertonians). Interestingly, listening to it now, I'm hearing a lot of Kings of Leon in there and I'm thinking it deserves another chance.
This is Tijuana Lady, from Bring It On, being performed live in HMV in Liverpool - one of the very shops I visited when I was there yesterday!
Would have been good for The Searchers to come up on shuffle today, given the Day's title - but the title's got nothing to do with ageing Merseybeat bands and everything to do with today's major task - that of taking Mrs W into Liverpool for some treatment for her bad back - treatment that includes a combination of back massage and acupuncture! Yow!
Now I've never willingly let people stick needles into me, unless they are qualified physicians putting me to sleep before major (or even minor) surgery, no I'm not in any position to comment on the efficacy or otherwise of acupuncture as a treatment for back pain (or indeed any other sort of pain, but if it works for Mrs W, then it works for me.
The acupuncturist is based in the centre of Liverpool, just outside the new Liverpool One shopping centre I mentioned a few days ago. Now Mrs W is not the best of self-navigators, so I agreed to drive her into Liverpool and hang around while she was getting treated.
And why not? It's been a nice day weatherwise, I get out of the house and also get to see what this new part of Liverpool is all about. So I picked Mrs W up from work and we drove into town. Satnav instantly confused by the new road layout in the centre of Liverpool, so rather than fanny about trying to find my way round to the top of Hanover Street from the Pier Head, I just put the car straight into the Liverpool One car park. A very empty Liverpool One car park as it happens - where was everyone?
Exiting the car park, it turned out we'd actually pitched up just a few hundred yards from where we needed to be - good job, because Mrs W was walking like an OAP at this stage. I left her at the quack's and wandered back down to the main shopping area.
And pretty decent it is too. Anchored by a flagship John Lewis store, the newer part of the precinct has some interesting stores dotted around the place, in between the ubiquitous chains. A Lakeland that tempted me with some interesting cooking and baking kit, and a big music store (called Head?) that must have been a Zavvi up until very recently. I was very good though and managed to avoid temptation!
The precinct was very empty though, as my picture shows. This was taken at around midday, so it's not as if I was catching the place at its quietest - you'd expect it to be heaving. A sign of the times, or just because it's away from the main business area of Liverpool? Who knows.
The entrance to Liverpool One from Hanover Street has this set of framed sculptures in place. The plaque you can see at the base of the frame describes each of the individual sculptures and what they are intending to evoke. The pieces are not really my cup of tea, but I thought it was a brave and intelligent piece of work to put in such a place.
So post-treatment, a (slightly eased) Mrs W was returned to her place of work and I went shopping for tonight's tea. A nice one tonight, a prawn stir fry using some really fresh and tasty ingredients. To wit, raw king prawns, garlic, ginger, chilli, red pepper, pakchoi and spring onions, stirfried in sesame oil and seasoned with sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, lime and a hint of fish sauce, before being tossed with some cooked, medium egg noodles and dressed with fresh coriander.
Not sure if you are familiar with fish sauce, or nampla to give it its Thai name. It's made from fermented anchovies, and given that, smells as you might expect. A little goes a long way, shall we say. Happily, the smell dissipates on cooking, and it give a depth to the flavours in the dish. A bit like garlic, you may not like it individually but you'd miss it if it wasn't there.
Disappointed with the Smoggies' capitulation last night - with Hull almost begging to be relegated, it looks increasingly like Newcastle might escape this year. Drat! Also disappointed to see Preston knocked out of the playoffs - maybe next year? Let's see if Burnley can do anything tonight - be nice if they came up to the Premiership. Guaranteed six points there!
The Floyd on the soundtrack today - this is an 'audio rip' from the Live at Pompeii DVD using a nifty little piece of software called, remarkably, 'DVD Audio Ripper'. The concert, filmed in the old amphitheatre at Pompeii, captures Pink Floyd just on the cusp of becoming absolutely massive - ie just before the release of 'Dark Side of the Moon'. The rip is interesting because it also captures some dialogue with the group, not just the music, and includes early versions of tunes (and snatches of music) that found their way onto DSOTM. The centrepiece of the performance is a lovely version of 'Echoes', a side-long piece of music in its studio form that comes alive on the DVD.
Here's the first part of 'Echoes' from the DVD - the rest of the performance can be found close by on YouTube if you're interested.
Today's soundtrack: The Moody Blues - To Our Children's Children's Children
Well what a nice day - sun shining, and warm if a bit breezy. How to spend such a day? Well, I had another meeting with a recruitment consultant - this time in Leeds - so I spent most of the day on the M62 for my sins.
Hopefully worth it though. A sensible time for the meeting meant that I avoided the inevitable early morning logjam on the motorway, which was pretty clear (in my direction) both into and out of Yorkshire. Big jams in the other direction both journeys though - just a lucky day on the roads for me today.
And hopefully the luck will continue onto the job front after today's meeting. I've used this agency before when I've been recruiting and they've delivered the goods - and the feeling I got coming out of the meeting today was that this particular agency would be a touch more proactive than others. Now it doesn't matter how proactive they are, if there aren't any jobs out there - but I did get the impression they would push hard, and in the right direction. We talked around some very specific target firms and companies and, whilst there may not be specific roles to discuss with them, I'm sure they'll get my name out into the marketplace, to be picked up upon when the roles do start to appear.
So home, doors and windows flung open to get some fresh air in, breadmaker on and off to Middle Earth to slay a few more goblins, in between updating the blog and trawling the job sites. No need to worry about tea tonight - there's enough pasta bake from yesterday to keep us going tonight. That bolognese is the meal that just keeps giving!
I'm typing away to the sound of the Moodies, a bit of prog from 1969. It all sounds a bit whimsical and twee now, but in the early '70s the Moodies were up there with all the big 'album bands', mixing a bit of (awful 6th-form) poetry with sweeping soundscapes, Mellotron prominent. As with many of their albums (and many other albums at the time), To Our Children's Children's Children is a concept album, this concept loosely based around space travel (the 1969 moon landing being a key inspiration, apparently) and, somewhat unsurprisingly, the innocence of children.
No wonder we needed punk to sweep all this nonsense away!
Actually, that's a bit unfair - buried underneath all the bombast and orchestration there are some decent tunes trying to get out, but overall it is very much 'of it's time' and allowances have to be made.
So here they are in 1970. Very very dodgy haircuts and facial hair. Tie-dyed jeans! And a flute! How un-rock is that! And the audience are sitting cross-legged on the floor!
A surfeit of sporting entertainment today - the Catalan Grand Prix, overlapping with the Manchester derby, followed by Arsenal-Chelsea. Where was a boy to put his priorities? And would he have any say in what those priorities were, given the amount of footy already watched in the last week?
Happily, Mrs W is more than understanding when it comes to things like this, and this season has taken more than a passing interest in the Grands Prix.
And so we settled down, having just wolfed down a lovely lunch of scrambled egg and smoked salmon on toast made with yesterday's 'milk' loaf. Using organic, free-range eggs, and Alaskan smoked salmon from Asda (worth the trip for this alone - it's fab) with just a squeeze of lemon, it is fantastic, believe me.
This Grand Prix season is remaining as interesting as it started - although the other teams are doing their level best to catch up, Brawn continue to defy logic by maintaining, if not increasing, their technical advantage over the chasing pack. First corner mayhem, with firstly Barrichello stealing a march on Button to take the lead, then a coming together towards the rear of the chasing pack leading to a confetti of carbon fibre and the introduction - yet again - of the safety car.
And it was essentially within this period that the race was won and lost, with Button's engineers deciding to switch to a two-stop strategy in contrast with Barrichello's three-stopper. Despite Barrichello's early lead, he could not push hard enough to make up the time lost by the additional pitstop, and Button was able to take advantage. Coupled with his better use of the harder tyre compound, and the newly competitive Ferrari holding up Vettel in the Red Bull, it became really quite straightforward for the Englishman, who has now won four out of five and is beginning to look like a serious contender. At least for as long as the Brawn car can retain its technological advantage anyway!
And so over to Sky, for the conclusion of the Manchester derby. By the time I switched over, it was all over bar the shouting so let the game wash over me somewhat. Did enjoy Ronnie's hissy fit though - bless! Just about sews it all up for ManYoo now, and will leave Big Red potless for yet another season. Shame!
Mrs W had vacated the lounge by this stage, so I decided to cut my losses and pass on the third event of the day. Which turned out to be a shame, as it sounded like a fun game. Hopefully now Chelsea have secured third place, they'll switch off mentally now for the season - until just after the FA Cup final, anyway!
Leftovers for tea tonight - pasta bake made by combining the remains of the bolognese sauce from last week with some fusilli, topped with cheese sauce and breadcrumbs. Plenty left for tomorrow too!
Jimi on the soundtrack - this is the third disc of a four-disc box set (tastily held in a purple velvet case) comprising a number of alternate takes and live tracks from his brief but majestic career. Not a 'greatest hits' as such, but definitely not the scrapings of the barrel either.
You can't really go wrong with Jimi - the man was such a master of his instrument that there is beauty in virtually everything he recorded and while some of the live jams can get a bit self-indulgent, there are enough jaw-dropping moments to make up for this. Taken from us far too soon.
Often referred to erroneously as a 'wild man' of rock, this gentle man was capable of great beauty and sensitivity in his playing. Little Wing, performed here at the Winterland in San Francisco in 1968, is a classic example. No histrionics, not a note out of place.
Up early this morning, to bake the bread for lunch. Tried something different today, using milk instead of water in the loaf to see what sort of difference it made. Well, none really, in that the loaf was at least as good as every other loaf the breadmaker has churned out. It doesn't seem to matter what I do, the breadmaker is absolutely foolproof.
So come lunchtime, freshly baked bread sliced and buttered, Lincolnshire sausages cooked on the Formby, touch of brown sauce...it doesn't get much better!
Nicely stored then, it was off to Goodison for the Spurs game. A lack of fit fullbacks meant that Phil Neville started at right back, young Jack Rodwell coming into the defensive midfield position and Danny Gosling taking the place of the injured (or just rested?) Leon Osman. Spurs had their own injury problems with Aaron Lennon out.
Well it was all a bit 'end of term' today. Neither team seemed able to take the game by the scruff of the neck and clear-cut chances were at a premium. The game was not helped by an overly fussy and one-sided referee who constantly interrupted the flow of the game. So an ultimately inevitable nil-nil which (given results elsewhere) guaranteed 6th place and a European place through our league placing. And Villa's defeat at Fulham still gives us a realistic chance of 5th place.
Difficult to pick a man of the match, or even to criticise individual players, as they all played well in patches and no-one played particularly badly. Kudos to Tim Howard though, for breaking the club record for clean sheets in a Premiership season (16) with two games to go. And also to Jack Rodwell, who is beginning to look like a *real* footballer. This kid already looks extremely comfortable at this level and at only 17 will only get better. Let's just hope we can keep hold of him - unlike that other 17 year old who left a few seasons ago!
Nothing new to watch this evening, so we dug out one of our old favourites, 'Snatch', for a change. Now I know that Guy Richie is not flavour of the month anymore, but I still believe Snatch is an underrated gem of a film. Brad Pitt does a cracking job as Mickey, the 'pikey' boxer, absolutely nailing the accent, and Jason Statham is perfect in the role of 'Turkish', our hero - his air of what I can only describe as cagey bewilderment at the mayhem surrounding him is just spot on. As with all good films, the dialogue is eminently quotable and the soundtrack is perfect.
Speaking of soundtracks, today we've got one of my all-time favourite albums on the go, 'Juju', by the Banshees. Certainly their best album (although A Kiss in the Dreamhouse runs it close), it features one of my favourite guitarists of all time, John McGeoch, who had previously been with Magazine, another of my favourite bands. McGeoch was not a 'flash' guitarist, dealing in textures and effects rather than solos, but his style was perfect for the Banshees (and for Magazine previously). Sadly he died in 2004, far too young and too soon.
Here are Siouxie and the Banshees performing Spellbound from Juju, with McGeoch on guitar, back in 1981. Marvellous stuff.
Today's soundtrack: Go Home Productions - Pistol Whipped
Into Manchester this morning, to get the car sorted out with its MOT and to make the decision as to what I'm going to do with the thing at the end of the month. An early start, the intention being to have the MOT 'while I wait' and then get off and do other things. It didn't quite work out that way, for some reason the traffic was very light and I got to the garage about half an hour before testing would start.
So I trotted off into the city centre and found a quiet Starbucks, settling down with a chocolate muffin and a cappuccino for some early morning contemplation. Well I thought it was going to be quiet, sat in the corner away from the other customers. However I hadn't allowed for the couple sat right at the far end of the cafe, a good fifty feet away. She was the smart business woman type, pinstriped suit, hair up, mobile phone and notepad. He was a scruffy bloke in his mid-50s, long hair but balding, overcoat and knackered Converse (but no tracky bottoms tucked in socks, Matt!). Surprisingly, he works in the fashion trade. I know this because he was extremely vocal about this. He managed to keep up an incessant (and one-sided) dialogue with his companion, mainly to do with the cut and colour of a number of dresses he was designing or selling. I'm not sure his companion managed to get a word in for around half an hour, until she made a call on her mobile - which was itself constantly interrupted by instructions and comments from our friend. Eventually he could stand it no more, taking the phone and continuing his tirade with the hapless person on the other end.
Certain candidate for a heart attack I feel, and the whole thing was actually quite diverting in a strange sort of way. Sadly, coffee drained, I had to get about my business, leaving the pair to continue their (rather one-sided) meeting.
Strolled around town for a while, browsing but not buying, too apprehensive about what the garage was going to sting me for to splash out on anything. In the end, my mobile rang and the news was much better than I'd feared - the car had passed the MOT...just - brakes were getting very worn and one tyre was close to the legal limit. A sigh of relief then - told the garage to change the brake pads and not to worry about the tyre (I'll worry about that when I absolutely have to).
So with the car MOT'd for the next twelve months, and with the brakes sorted, I'm going to buy out the lease and keep hold. If I need to sell, then I will, but in the meantime I'll retain my wheels (and my independence!)
Back home for the weekend then, with tonight's tea to worry about (tea rather than dinner - in Waring Towers we have breakfast, dinner and tea. Always have, always will. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is for posh people).
And supper is something you have before you go to bed. Probably in your dressing gown. It is definitely not something that people get invited round to!
So with some mince out of the freezer, what's it to be? Not Shepherd's pie I'm afraid Mark - we're having a chilli tonight.
But here's my recipe for Shepherd's pie anyway. Or Cottage pie. The distinction is marginal - basically the same recipe, but lamb mince in the first, beef mince in the second. I think the original source for my version is a MadhurJaffrey recipe, hence the hint of spice in the sauce, but I can't be sure.
Anyway. typically cavalier approach to quantities/measures etc, if you're any good you'll know what works for you.
Firstly the meat. Fry off a finely chopped onion or two in some olive oil until soft and beginning to brown. Add chilli powder to taste - enough to give it some bite, but not enough to blow your wig off, if you know what I mean. Add you meat, and continue frying until browned. Add your choice of vegetables - I tend to go with carrot and celery, and Mrs W would lynch me if mushrooms were not involved - and cook through. A bit of herbage would not go amiss either. Then add tomato puree, and then lots more tomatoey goodness - I would tend to add a carton of passata and/or a tin or two of chopped tomatoes - and a beef oxo for additional meatiness. Simmer for as long as you've got, reducing the liquid so you have a thick sauce - too runny and your potato won't sit happily on top.
While your meat is cooking, boil your spuds for the mashed potato topping, as you would for your normal mash recipe. The key thing for Paul's Shepherds pie though, is the addition of a healthy handful of grated cheese - a good mature Cheddar or some Red Leicester for me.
Transfer meat to a deep Pyrex dish or equivalent, and top with your mash. Use a fork to smooth out the mash. generating a lot of narrow ridges to crisp up in the oven. Sprinkle with a bit more grated cheese and stick in a ridiculously hot oven for twenty minutes or so for the topping to brown and crisp up (everything should be fully cooked when it goes in, so all you are doing is keeping it warm and browning the top, really).
Serve with something green and enjoy!
Almost makes me wish we weren't having a chilli now, but I do enjoy my chillis. Not going to give you the full recipe - but the 'secret' ingredient you absolutely must put in your chilli to make it really tasty and authentic? I didn't tell you this - but a teaspoon of cocoa powder stirred into the chilli for the last five minutes' cooking time will transform an average chilli into something monumental. Oh, and use cumin powder as well as chilli powder to give some depth and complexity to the flavour.
Today's soundtrack is a 'mash-up' of tunes produced by Mark Vidler, the man behind Go Home Productions. For those of you who aren't hip to the groove, 'mash-ups' are combinations of two or more existing tunes, to produce something that (hopefully) transcends the originals. Many mash-ups are pretty poor, but some are surprisingly good, and Go Home Productions are consistently better than most. Most are unlicensed (and therefore, technically, illegal) but some 'official' mash-ups have been released. Many, many more are downloadable from the producers' websites, including the Go Home Productions site here.
Today's soundtrack includes 'Ray of Gob', an inspired mash-up of Madonna's 'Ray of Light' and the Sex Pistols' Pretty Vacant'. Sounds unlikely? Well judge for yourself:
Had to get the old boiler seen to today. No, don't worry, Mrs W is fine - I'm talking about the one that sits in the airing cupboard (arf!). Nothing serious - just the annual service by British Gas. The service itself went fine - no problems with the system - but it was interesting emptying the airing cupboard of all the stuff in there so the engineer could do his job. In doing so, I found out that we have 26 towels in our airing cupboard. Now bear in mind that this is mostly a two person household, and that I am just talking hand and bath towels here - not teatowels, which are another thing entirely. Also, the bathroom, en-suite and downstairs loo all have their own full complement of towels in situ, and I am sure there are still more towels in spare bedrooms and draped over radiators.
So between the two of us - and being conservative - we must have over thirty towels in the house. Was it Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy that made the point about a towel being an essential piece of kit come the apocalypse? We'll be laughing, I tell you.
And whilst on the subject of laughing....just how funny was the football last night? The Chelsea game started sublimely, with one of the best goals I have ever seen - Essien's strike was perfection and a thing of great joy to behold. Following the goal, Barca had tons of possession without really threatening to do a great deal with it. Chelsea were content to give Barca that possession and break forward when the opportunity arose. When they did, they had a few penalty shouts ranging, admittedly, from the marginal to the stonewall. But no matter - they were winning and when Barca had a man sent off after a coming together with Anelka (a dodgy decision in itself) it was all looking pretty academic.
That is, until Iniesta popped up to equalise in the second minute of injury time. The away goal meant that Barca, not Chelsea, would now go through. And Chelsea didn't like that, one little bit. After a very optimistic penalty shout Michael Ballack ran fully 60 yards next to the referee, flapping his arms in his face like a demented pigeon. After the final whistle the referee (who had the temerity to come from Norway) was surrounded by Chelsea players, including DidierDrogba, who had lost all control...."A f*cking disgrace" he told the world via a conveniently pointed TV camera.
Better was to come. Back in the studio, Jamie Redknapp looked close to tears in the knowledge that cousin Frank would not be going to the final in Rome, harping on about the nationality of the referee as if this had any relevance at all, interrupting the only slightly less hysterical Gullit and Souness. Sky obviously gutted not to get their dream final.
All good, clean fun. And they did have a point, of sorts. Chelsea can count themselves unlucky not to have been awarded at least one penalty (although talk of four clear cut penalties is patently ridiculous) but rather than condemning the referee, Mr Drogbamight consider whether the chance he missed to make it two-nil was a greater or lesser 'disgrace' than the ref's performance. And reflect on the fact that he might get more penalties awarded if he did not go to ground like an extra in 'Platoon' at every opportunity...?
The only downside of course is that they will have had no distractions going into the FA Cup Final and we may get hit by a backlash. But still, it was fun while it lasted.
Out into the garden today, a-mowing and a-weeding and a-seeding. It's looking a little bit better after its feeding the other week, and I have surreptitiously moved the birdtable in the hope of repairing the wreckage underneath its usual site. Not sure I'll get away with that one though.
You're an awkward bunch, you lot. "Forget the recipes, give us guitar stories" says one. "Any fool can play a guitar now making a good pie is a real challenge !" says another. Anyway, I've had a request for a Shepherd's Pie recipe - with pictures. Now whilst I do a mean Shepherd's Pie (actually Cottage Pie, if we're being picky - although I have made composite pies in the past, combining beef and lamb mince in the pie) it's not on Waring Towers' menu in the near future so I can't provide pictures I'm afraid.
But watch this space - I've been blathering on for long enough already today - will provide said recipe when I've got less to say. You've no idea how tricky it is, trying to keep you lot entertained on a daily basis!
But it's worth waiting for, I promise.
New Order today, from their box set entitled 'Retro', a five disc collection that pulls together a range of live stuff, obscurities (including the theme music to 'Best and Marsh' on the telly) and greatest hits. As I type, I am listening to 'The Perfect Kiss', which might just be my favourite New Order track, especially in its extended version which includes an absolutely fantastic bass run played by Hooky and some ace synth drum banging and crashing.
And by the magic of YouTube, here it is, in all its glory. Love Hooky's first bit of bassage (39 seconds in), but the fun starts from around 7:30 through to the end, it going gloriously mad from around 8:50 (how high is he playing that bass?) with a funky run from top note to bottom note to finish. I can only dream....
Today's soundtrack: T. Rex - Rabbit Fighter: The Original Slider
"You need wheels if you wanna make deals
You need a tyre, if you wanna get higher
A man ain't a man with a ticket in his hand,
If you wanna getta girl - you need wheels"
So said The Merton Parkas back in 1979, and who am I to disagree? Although I would argue that more than one tyre might be a good idea. Two at least, plus spare, if we are talking Lambrettas here (as no doubt the Mertons were, given their faux-Mod outlook on life).
And yes, that is Mick Talbot, later of the Style Council, on keyboards (and his brother Danny on guitar and vocals, I believe)!
My dilemma today (and for a while now) has been what to do with my own wheels. The lease on my car is about to expire and I have a decision to make.
Do I:
buy out the lease by paying the final 'balloon' payment and keep the car?
walk away from the lease and buy a different car?
walk away from the lease and share Mrs W's car?
I don't know, and have been wavering for a while. Unfortunately I've got to make a decision - soon!
If I keep the car, then the final payment is actually not a bad price for the car in its current state and mileage - but to that cost, I have to add MOT, insurance and tax - all of which are also due imminently.
Spending the equivalent sum (or less) on a replacement will get me a car I know nothing about, and a long and tedious surf this morning proved I'd be getting a worse deal (pound for pound) than buying my own. And I'd still need to tax and insure it.
Either way, it's a chunk of cash out of the redundancy settlement I'd rather not be spending.
Can we get by with just one car? In the short term, probably. But inevitably it will tie one or other of us down and reduce our flexibility to do what we want to do - especially stuck out here in the sticks.
I'm not usually the most indecisive of individuals, but I really don't know what to do for best. A trawl through the lease paperwork today confirmed that I can't walk away completely scot-free - the MOT due this month is still my responsibility - so my current stance is to bear the cost of the MOT (happening this Friday) and see how I feel then.
Thoughts/advice gratefully received!
Out to my new Supermarket of choice today to do the weekly shop - again, a pretty painless experience done first thing in the morning, leaving the day clear for my fruitless search for a solution to the car conundrum. Still, the fridge and freezer are looking a lot healthier than they were yesterday!
Took my frustrations out on the bass guitar this afternoon (take note, Simon) and was pretty pleased with myself as well. What seems to work best for me is using iTunes with tab sites like these to find songs I know well to play along to - and I definitely nailed 'Teenage Kicks', 'With or Without You' and Joy Division's 'Day of the Lords' today.
Sore fingers now though.
Well my prediction of last night's outcome was spot on, and I enjoyed the match even though it was over as a fair contest after about ten minutes. Feel for the young kid who slipped over in the lead up to United's first goal, but the second and third goals were pure class.
The Fletcher sending off was interesting as it highlighted an aspect of the rules that has always puzzled me - there seems to be a consensus that if a defender plays the ball before the man, then there is no foul. And as Fletcher got a slight touch on the ball nanoseconds before he took out Fabregas, there was no foul, no penalty and no sending off.
But is this right? I'm not sure it is. I think that if 'taking the man' is a certain consequence of the tackle then a foul may be awarded irrespective of the touch on the ball. Happy to be proved wrong, but it is interesting that whilst the overwhelming opinion on the web today is that it was harsh, those few writers who actually know what they are talking about (ie professional or amateur referees) are at least admitting the possibility that the decision just might have been the right one...
Answers on a postcard please!
Hopefully tonight's game will be a bit more of a contest. And whilst the football purist in me would love to see Barcelona progress, self-interest tells me it would be far better for Chelsea to have a big distraction a few days before the FA Cup final. I suppose it's win-win for me, then....
T Rex on the soundtrack takes me way back, to the time in the early '70s when me and my mates first started getting interested in this pop music stuff - the very first album that any of us bought with our own money was 'Electric Warrior' by T. Rex, and they were our heroes of choice for, oh, weeks, before the next big thing came along. Rabbit Fighter is a disc of demos that came with the CD reissue of 'The Slider' the follow up to Electric Warrior, and the last album that we gave any attention to before dismissing Marc Bolan as 'teenybop' stuff, beneath our rapidly maturing and evolving taste for the heavy and the prog.
Of course, revisiting this stuff years later, you realise just how good (and genuinely groundbreaking) it was at the time.
Today's soundtrack: Carbon/Silicon - The Crackup Suite
Well, got the call I was expecting this afternoon - didn't get the job I was 'assessed for' on Friday - the job went (as I expected) to the guy who has been filling the role (successfully, by all accounts) on an interim basis for the last nine months or so. In most sectors, I'm sure the job would never have been advertised in the first place, but in this specific sector, they would have to be seen to be operating a fair and open recruitment process. And I'm sure they did - but I suspect it was always 'his to lose' and all things being equal, so long as he did not screw up badly on the day, he had to be favourite.
I don't mind that - I know what I would have done in their position - good luck to the lad. I'm just pleased to have made it through to the final three and at least, I hope, given them something to think about.
So onwards and upwards - we move on to the next opportunity and see where that gets us. Chin up lad!
Earlier in the day, I had the joy of signing on again. Not a problem really, but it's a chunk out of the day at an awkward time of the day - right after lunchtime, splitting the day in two. Still, it's half an hour once a fortnight, so not a massive imposition really. And it does act as a spur (as if I needed one!) to get myself out there and actively looking for the next role.
So this morning was spent doing the jobsite trawl. It doesn't take long really - the only thing that leapt out at me is an opportunity that I already know about and that I've submitted my CV for already. I'll tell you more about this one when I know a bit more myself!
My plans to get out into the garden again today have been thwarted by the continuing lousy weather...mind you, it can rain as much as it likes now, so long as it promises to dry up before the end of June, and stay dry until the end of July. I fancy a sunny festival season this year!
Read with interest the continuing developments in the Joey Barton saga. Now agreed, the boy is a nasty horrible toerag who I am glad didn't sign for Everton when that seemed a real possibility a few years ago, but I thought that whilst his tackle on Alonso was a shocker and deserved a red card, it was nothing like as bad as the Kevin Nolan tackle that ended Victor Anichibe's season back in February. So why did Newcastle not take a similar hard line with Nolan? One can only assume that 'things were said' between Barton and Shearer behind closed doors that had very little to do with the tackle and a lot to do with the current malaise that surrounds the Geordie club.
No doubt the boy has played his last game for them now - the question is, who would take a chance on him now? He has had so many 'last' chances, surely his only option is a new start overseas? A shame, because there's probably a better than average midfielder in there somewhere, but it's now impossible to separate the footballer from the man - and who would want a man like that in their squad?
Football again this evening, and writing before the ManYoo-Arsenal game, I'm hoping it will be a cracker tonight. ManYoo should, by rights, already be through but failed to take advantage of their dominance last week. I do fancy them to score tonight though - in which case Arsenal will need to score three - and I think that might be two more than they are capable of. An early Arsenal goal would make things very interesting though...
Interesting soundtrack today - Carbon/Silicon are the band formed by Mick Jones (formerly of The Clash) and Tony James (Generation X/SigueSigue Sputnik). They have released one 'official album (The Last Post, released last year) but prior to that, they put a lot of material for free download onto their website, including a full album (A.T.O.M.) and a number of EPs, of which 'The Crackup Suite' is one.
Jones and James have been mates for years, both being members of of semi-legendary punk collective 'London SS' before joining their respective punk bands, and sharing squats and flats over the years. I saw them live at Cornbury last year (my picture, opposite) and it's obvious just how much personal chemistry there is between the pair and just how much they are enjoying this stage of their careers - nothing to prove, enough money in the bank, churning stuff out for free as much for the love of it as anything else.
Oh, and Tony James is possibly the best dressed man in rock, if the natty suit he wore at Cornbury is anything to go by...
Anyway, judge for yourself - this is the video for 'The News', which opens their 'official' album.
The weather and a general case of Bank Holiday ennui combined to make this yet another lazy, lazy day.
Luckily, it was eMusic day in Waring Towers, so I had some buying to do. For those who don't know, eMusic is a download subscription service. For the princely sum of £14:99 a month, I get to download 75 individual tracks - works out at 20p per track, as compared to the 79p per track typically charged by iTunes.
So what's the catch? Well there is none, other than the selection of music on offer, which tends towards the obscure... although there is a huge selection on offer, you won't find many household names here. What you will find though, are a lot of obscure gems from new, up and coming bands, and some classics in some of the more 'esoteric' genres. It's cheap enough to take a punt on some unknown stuff and it's never really been a struggle for me to 'spend' my credits each month - although others with less eclectic (or less picky) tastes might struggle.
My 75 credits this month went on an Iggy Pop 4-album box set of live material culled from his 1977 tour of Europe, the latest album by Camera Obscura which has been getting very good reviews in the music press recently, the last album by Jeniferever ('Choose a Bright Morning'), a Swedish band in the Sigur Ros mould, and the new album by The Leisure Society, an American alt-country band that have again been getting very solid reviews in the press. Oh, and two early Elbow b-sides to round out the 75 selections.
So, seven albums and change for fifteen quid. Sounds like a deal to me.
Then spent an hour or two running round Middle Earth slaying goblins and wolves, and bumping into hobbits wanting favours done. As you do. Reminds me of my goblin joke:
Bloke walking through the forest, comes across an ugly little fellow with green skin sat with his back against a tree trunk, bent forward at the waist with his head firmly embedded in his lap, hands behind his head.
"Ere", says our man. "Are you a goblin?"
"No", the reply comes. "I've just got a headache".
Eye thangyew.
No favours from Hull City, who managed to achieve something no other team has achieved for some time now - losing at Aston Villa, who leapfrog back above Everton into 5th place. All a bit academic at the top really, but Hull seem determined to relegate themselves despite the best efforts of the other teams at the bottom. While I would dearly love to see Newcastle relegated, I have a horrible feeling that the teams around them are all so bad that they will escape relegation by the skin of their teeth and subject us all to another season of absolute self-delusion. Ah well.
We finally finished off the second series of Dexter as well, all the loose ends being neatly tied up and leaving us waiting for the release of Season Three, which I think is currently being aired in the US. No spoilers, suffice it to say that our serial killer hero is free to carry on committing mass murder with impunity as someone else takes the blame for his misdemeanours to date. All good stuff, but leaves a DVD-sized gap to be filled by the ongoing CSI marathon, and by The Corner, a sort of prequel to The Wire that Son No 1 bought me for my birthday.
Soundtrack today comes from Idlewild and their 2007 album, 'Make Another World'. Idlewild are a Scottish indie band, singing from the same page as bands like Interpol and Editors - a kind of Joy Divisionesque gloomy post-punk with lots of minor chords, but with a lightness of touch and an ear for melody that sets them apart from a lot of other landfill indie bands. Definitely worth a listen if you like that sort of thing!
Here's 'A Ghost in the Arcade' from 2007 for your delectation...
Quiet day in today, mainly spent slouched in front of the telly watching the football. Firstly the Reading - Birmingham game, one of a series of games that would decide the final promotion/playoff places from the Championship. Birmingham eventually took it at a canter, confirming their automatic promotion and Reading's place in the playoffs. Elsewhere, it was nice to see both Preston and Burnley getting through to the playoffs - both clubs I have a lot of time for. Real football clubs, from real footballing towns with a long tradition and clubs that deserve a spell back in the big time.
At the other end of the table, it was a shame to see Norwich being relegated. I lived in Norwich for four years back in the '80s and went to Carrow Road a fair bit, so again have a soft spot for the club. Hopefully they'll be back up with the big(ger) boys again soon.
All of this was of course just a starter for the main event, Everton visiting Sunderland at the 'Stadium of Light' (who thought that was a good idea?) in a game that meant little for Everton other than an opportunity to reinforce a fifth/sixth place finish, but which was an important opportunity for Sunderland to get the points that would ease their relegation worries.
Despite there being so much more at stake for Sunderland, they lacked any degree of urgency and after a rather lacklustre first half that Everton probably edged, an early goal in the second half from the tireless and inventive Stephen Pienaar and a second from MarouaneFellaini turned the game into a stroll for Everton. A welcome three points that might just give us a second consecutive fifth place finish, and a matchwinning performance from Pienaar that might just have been his best game in an Everton shirt.
Busy with the breadmaker again today, my own inventiveness involving a 'Tomato Focaccia' loaf that incorporated passata, olives and sundried tomatoes into a standard bread mix. And very nice it was too, served alongside the evening's spaghetti bolognese. Not sure I'd fancy it toasted and spread with marmalade though....
Stayed up late to complete 'The Longest Journey' on the PC. A nice looking game but possibly a bit 'linear' for my tastes. Be interesting to see whether Dreamfall, the sequel, is an improvement and how well it builds on the original plot. Will let you know...
Elbow on the soundtrack today. I'm sure I've mentioned my absolute love for this band - albeit a love that crept up on me slowly. I'd had a couple of albums for a while and not really given them the attention they merited. It was really their performance at Latitude last year that made me realise what a fine, fine band they are and just how good their latest album (The Seldom Seen Kid) is.
Today we've got their first album, 'Asleep at the Back' on the go, and I'm still staggered I didn't realise immediately just how good an album this one is as well. Newborn, Powder Blue and Scattered Black and Whites are all immense tracks, but there's hardly a weak track on the album.
For some reason most of Elbow's back catalogue seems to be on permanent sale at ridiculously low prices at the moment - so I urge you to get out there and invest. You'll not go far wrong.
Here they are performing 'Newborn' at the Lowlands festival last year. Beautiful.
No, it's not a result, or even a bit of wishful thinking. Everton are finally getting round to opening a 'flagship' merchandise store in the City Centre - actually in the newly remodelled shopping area in the centre of Liverpool. I understand that the store will be called 'Everton 2' (the original megastore up by the ground being renamed 'Everton 1', you see). Those of you from the area will know that the new shopping centre has been renamed 'Liverpool One'.
So the address of the new megastore will be.....(drum roll)....
Everton 2, Liverpool One.
Do you see what they did there? I think that is genius.
Anyway, where were we? Let's get the soundtrack for the day out of the way as it follows on quite nicely from the above. I have no idea where I got the above album from, it must have come free with a magazine or something, but it's as good a freebie as you could hope for - basically a set of songs covered - or performed - by various artists from Liverpool. I'm currently listening to Ian McCulloch singing Leonard Cohen's 'Suzanne'. The album also includes Shack performing 'A House is Not a Motel' originally by Love, and the great Pete Wylie performs his own 'Heart as Big as Liverpool', one of my favourite songs about the city. Great stuff.
Living were we do, and working (when I do work!) for the most part in Manchester, I don't get into Liverpool as much as I used to - other than for the match, which is out of the city centre - but when I do go, I still get more of a buzz out of the city than just about any other. I don't want to over-romanticise it, but there is just something about Liverpool that I don't 'get' about Manchester, Leeds, or any other big equivalent northern city. Not sure what it is - it might be the river, it might be the Pier Head and the Three Graces - but Liverpool remains special to me.
I should go more often.
After the exertions and stresses of Friday, we spent the day doing very little, actually. The day started with me feeling like something had crawled into my mouth and died...nothing at all to do with the previous night's bottle of red, I'm sure...so it took a gallon of coffee, a litre of Resolve and a lot of time to start feeling vaguely human again.
What really sorted me out was brunchtime though. Plans to have a quick sausage sandwich turned into a full-scale fry-up...bacon, sausage, double fried egg, hash browns, beans and fried bread...just what the doctor ordered!
Suitably regenerated, we drove off to see the parents, who were looking after my brother's dog, Alfie, while he and his family were away at a football tournament in Blackpool. Now I'm not a doggie person, and Alfie, although a perfectly well-tempered dog, does have a tendency to get overexcited and jumpy-uppy, which doesn't do it for Paul.
Mrs W, in contrast, was in her element, and happily fussed and played with Alfie while we were there, rolling round on the grass (that's Mrs W, not just the dog) in complete disregard for dignity and without a care in the world. And why not? It was good to see and Alfie now has a soulmate for life! Daft as each other, if you ask me.
Home, and enchiladas whilst watching a surprisingly good little film called 'The Children' - a British film about two (related) families celebrating a snowy Christmas together. Things take a turn for the worse when the kiddies start getting infected by some form of virus that turns the little darlings into psychopathic killers.....mayhem ensues....
I know, I know, but trust me, it had some genuinely creepy and shocking moments. Not Oscar material (obviously) but good fun for an hour or two.
Today's soundtrack: Cassandra Wilson - Blue Light Til Dawn
How did that happen?
Last time I looked, I was about 25, the kids were but a far-off twinkle and Everton were winning league titles! Where did the time go?
I'm not happy about this. Who do you complain to?
And at what point do you have to start acting like a fifty year old? Do I have to start wearing a shirt and tie (under a pullover, natch) at the weekend? Blazer and slacks? Do I start having to find merit in the musical works of The Mike Sammes Singers?
Bugger that. I shall continue to grow old disgracefully and embarrass my children. It's what they would want.
More on that later, no doubt. You all want to know how the interview went, don't you? Well, I don't know yet, but overall I was pretty pleased with my performance on the day.
So I turned up at the appointed place, 9:00 in the morning, appropriately suited and booted. Me and five other people cautiously eyeing each other up in the reception area. Amusingly, for an organisation that would make great play of its commitment to equality and diversity, it was six white, middle class men sat there for the day's entertainment.
The format of the day was basically as follows. Two exercises in the morning - a written paper, and a 'stakeholder interview' in front of a panel of three. Lunch, during which our performance in the morning would be assessed and the six of us would be whittled down to three, X-Factor stylee. Then for the remaining candidates, preparation and delivery of a presentation to a second panel of three, followed by a final interview by that panel.
Following introductions, my instant reaction was that there were two candidates I would have immediately backed to make the final three, leaving me competing with the rest for the last place in the final. So after the morning's work, I was pleased to see that it had panned out as I had hoped/expected - I did make the final three, along with the two initial 'favourites'.
I was 'first on' in the afternoon, given 45 minutes to prepare my presentation (paper and flipcharts - no Powerpoint...what's that all about?) and left alone to prepare. It was a relatively easy topic for me to address - the challenge was getting my presentation down to the allotted time. Eschewing the flipcharts, I went for a straight narrative presentation and, although I overran slightly, thought I did ok and got my main points across. The rest of the interview went well from my perspective, and I was out of the door and on my way home by three o'clock.
Did I do well? Yeah, I think I did. Did I do enough? Well I'll find out on Tuesday. Not holding my breath - I suspect it was there for one of the six candidates to lose...and I'd be surprised if he wasn't given the nod. If for whatever reason he wasn't the preferred candidate, I'd be disappointed not to get the job. But we'll see (and if the above sounds a bit cryptic, I'll explain more on Tuesday....)
After insisting to anyone who would listen that turning fifty (fifty! Jeez...!) was not a cause for celebration, and that surprise parties would be frowned upon, Mrs W and I had a quiet night in in the company of Mr Gin and Mr Tonic, with a Chinese takeaway and a bottle of red to follow. And, it being a Friday, a very dodgy film, enlivened only by the presence of Modest Mouse on the soundtrack which was a bit of a surprise.
(Modest Mouse - relatively obscure American indie band. The sort of band no-one over fifty should be listening to).
In keeping with my advanced years, we have some cool jazz on the soundtrack today. I don't actually know an awful lot about Cassandra Wilson, but the few albums I have of hers are ideal for those times when you just want something smooth and relaxing on in the background. That's not to say it's easy listening - it's not, the arrangements are sometimes complex and the vocals compelling - but it is music perfect for those contemplative moments last thing at night or first thing in the morning. Her choices of cover versions are sound - this album includes tracks by Joni, Van and Ann Peebles, amongst others - and her interpretations are interesting.
Here she is doing Neil Young's 'Harvest Moon'. Some lovely guitar work at the beginning of this piece as well.
"Less recipes and more bass-playing stories!" they demand. Well, I've been a bit tardy on both fronts really. But as far as the bass playing is going, it's not really something to brag about - yet! Still finding my way around the fretboard, and tinkering with riffs plundered from the internet. Great fun, though I won't be challenging Mark King for the Level 42 gig anytime soon. That Adam Clayton though, I could have him tomorrow.....
Oh, before I forget, thanks to all for your birthday wishes and 'good luck' comments for the interview - despite me being a grumpy old get, it really is much appreciated and good to know people are thinking of me...ta muchly all.
Also read this month's edition of Word magazine, which comes with a startling cover photo that I'm not sure will have the magazine flying off the shelves in WH Smiths this month. The nation's favourite car insurance salesman is there in all his wrinkly glory! Good article though...
instigated a massive stage invasion that he dealt with cleverly with a lot of charm - only to nearly break his neck slipping on the tons of mud that were now all over the stage! Great fun! I also saw him back in the '70s, with ex-Sex Pistol Glen Matlock on bass. "Little Iggy" nearly made an appearance that day, as I recall, although he did manage to keep the 'mouse in the house' on that occasion.
