w.atching the w.orld unw.ind

Today's lyric:
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"We were surprised when it caused all this rage
and they wouldn't let us take the stage
We knew we had a lot of what it takes
But we didn't get the lucky breaks
Now it's all such a great big fuss
and they all seem to copy just us
We never got reimbursed for the punks that were first."

The Tubes: "I was a punk before you were a punk"
From the album: "What do you want from live?

to all of my readers and referrers.

Not to those who come here looking for links to/pix of "old cnut", after I posted the bawdy lyrics to an old army song.

And it won't be a great start for the acquaintances of ours who lost their IVF-acquired baby girl to meningitis at the weekend.

But enjoy your celebrations, try to stay compos mentis during 2008 and be lucky!

Labels: HNYage

Today's lyric:
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"Hear the screams of Center 42
Loud enough to bust your brains out
The opposition's tongue is cut in two
Keep off the street 'cause you're in danger."

Rolling Stones: "Under cover of the night"

A tragic waste of an intelligent, beautiful and adored woman.

Whatever happened to peace on earth, goodwill to all men?

Religion? Political preferences? Desire for world domination?

Keep it. Have it all. My share too, if you want.

Just don't try to involve me in it..

Today's lyric:
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"Now it's coming to the end of the evening
The time when the ceiling sways and objects jerk out of place
Your eyelids heavy
You make your way down the yellow streets past rows and rows of houses
Curtains drawn tight against the cold night air
To a flight of stairs which lead to a room where a bed is waiting for you to lie down
Perhaps alone, perhaps not and go to sleep again."

Pulp: "Goodnight"

was - for me at least - an unusually sober(ish) one. It was only because of train delays that I didn't manage to roll home until 2:00 a.m. and when the alarm went off at 5:45, it was not a welcome sound.

Many zzzz's from stayed-up-later-than-they-should-have-on-a-school-day colleagues, methinks?

Labels: not hungoverage

Today's lyric:
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"This is the eye of the storm.
It's what men in stained raincoats pay for but in here it is pure.
Yeah. This is the end of the line.
I've seen the storyline played out so many times before."

Pulp: "This is hardcore"
From the album: "This is hardcore"

the less-than-one-year-old boiler packed up this morning.

It was gurgling like an empty belly and refusing to fire.

Needless to say, I was very happy. Not.

Especially when I found that our tame plumber (who installed it) is snowboarding in France.

But while I was en route to work and contemplating the size of the emergency bill to fix it, Mrs.D. donned coat and scarf, disconnected the frozen pipe outside, kick-started the boiler (which took a coindensate pee in relief) and we're back in the warm world.

What a woman!

Today's lyric:
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"Come down off your throne and leave your body alone.
Somebody must change.
You are the reason I've been waiting so long.
Somebody holds the key."

Eric Clapton/Steve Winwood: "Can't find my way home"
From the album: "Backtrackin'"

Grey. It's just grey out there.

It should be either bright, cold blue skies or white.

But it's just grey.

Labels: Climatology

Today's lyric:
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"Isn't life strange?
A turn of a page
A book without light
Unless with love we write?
To throw it away
To lose just a day
The quicksand of time."

The Moody Blues: "Isn't life strange"
From the album: "This is the Moody Blues"

I know, Witchy - bandwidth.

But...

Today's lyric:
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"You were handsome, you were pretty
Queen of New York City
When the band finished playing they howled out for more
Sinatra was swinging, all the drunks were singing
We kissed on a corner then danced through the night."

The Pogues: "Fairytale of New York"
From the album: "The Best Of The Pogues"

We didn't have a real Xmas tree last year, because we thought that a diet of pine needles wouldn't have been wonderful for the kittens' digestive systems.

So on Saturday we went back to where we'd bought our tree from, the year before, and the man was busy flogging. He gave us some spiel about there being an EU quota limit on the number of trees that could be chopped down. Anyone else heard that?

Anyway, free delivery meant we didn't have to ram the beast into the Mini, so we paid up for our carefully-selected* houseplant and left.

As dusk approached on Sunday, I began to wonder if we'd been fleeced, so took a trip to the mall. Our tree was indeed there, bagged and tagged along wiith several others, but no sign of delivery-type activity.

I collared a passing security guy who was locking up. "Nah mate, 'e ain't bin 'ere orl day."

I wrote my name on a piece of cardboard and rammed the beast into the Mini.

Hunter-gatherer, me.


* we rocked up and said "We'll have that one"

Labels: Xmas treeage

Today's lyric:
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"Kid my only kid
You look so small - you've gone so quiet?
I know you know what I'm about
I won't deny it
But you forgive though you don't understand
You've turned your head
You've dropped by hand."

The Pretenders: "Kid"
From the album: "The Best Of"

Many, many years ago, I remember watching a black-and-white tv drama which posed the situation (and here it was waaay ahead of its time) that in the future, procreation would be achievable by other than the usual method. (It was called "This is the Year of the Sex Olympics.")

Conventional 'pleasuring' was therefore largely redundant, so acts of copulation were performed - to an appropriate audience of 'sexless' men and women - by athletes, as a competitive sport. Not exactly combative, but 'gladiatorial' in its own way? And - because of the broadcasting guidelines of the day - all activity was of the 'noises off' type.

I was reminded of this drama by the book I've just finished (up over on the right, there) in which invited audiences pay to view the antics on a chav-ridden housing estate, removed from the action by being on the third floor of an overlooking high-rise block and peering voyeuristically down on the have-nots.

While in parts the book was funny, it was a chilling scenario and very reminiscent of the tv drama.

Anyone else remember it?

Enjoy your weekends, y'all.

Labels: Anecdotes

Today's lyric:
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"There are stars in the southern sky
And if ever you decide you should go
There is a taste of time sweet in honey
Down the Seven Bridges Road."

The Eagles: "Seven Bridges Road"
From the album: "The Eagles - Live"

On one of those mornings when I just wish I'd brought in the camera (and that the train would briefly halt) there was a cloud of steam which formed a silhouette of a head, laughing. It made me smile, anyway.

And the view upstream from London Bridge was quite spectacular, too.

Maybe tomorrow..

Update
The lovely weathergirl (whose Wardrobe department insist on sending her out in the primmest of kit?) said it was going to be foggy, so I camera'ed up to get a moody shot of Old Father Thames.

And we commuted through thick swathes of mist, only to arrive at a clear - but dull -London.

Labels: Commutage

Today's lyric:
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"Encumbered forever by desire and ambition
There's a hunger still unsatisfied
Our weary eyes still stray to the horizon
Though down this road we've been so many times."

Pink Floyd: "High Hopes"
From the album: "The Division Bell"

Attended the penultimate day's exhibition of Storm Thorgerson's Hipgnosis' Pink Floyd album art at Elms Lesters Paintings Gallery.

Having introduced myself to The Man at the Reception desk, I wandered around, lost in the beauty of the albums' artwork until I came across a still used for "High Hopes". I've always been intrigued by how the cape? was seemingly held aloft, and had assumed that it had been 'pegged out' to get the picture?

But no, Storm explained that it was a 60' piece of black cotton material on a windy field and - without computer wizardry - it 'flew' by itself.

"You can buy the print?" he offered. "I'd love to, but can't afford it" I mused back.

"How much is it up for?" he asked, from the desk. "300 quid" I reported back.

He eased himself from his seat and shuffled over to the picture. Then he called over one of his aides and told him it was over-priced by a hundred, for the size available.

"There you are" he told me, "I've just saved you 100 quid."

"It's still worth the three hundred" I replied, "but I still can't afford it."

So I agreed to buy Mind Over Matter (4) provided he signed it.

Which he did. With the inscription "To Mr.D. (should've bought a print).

And now I'm volunteering to proof read MOM(5) to avoid the spelling mistakes...

Labels: Stormage