Couldnt resist...

:-)
Me and my ma









And you know that film Total Recall? Where Kuato turns out to be that guy in the other guy's chest? Apparently I was the model for him.....

Memory Lane part deux

My mum and dad sent me a load of slides to scan in and convert to jpegs. I have done a few and here is a lo-res one for your delight. Its me and my mum in 1968. Isn't she BEAUTIFUL? If I was them I would have taken me back.
To make it fair, here's my dad (in improbable wellies) and me in the snow circa 1968.

Memory Lane

Today the builders cut all the cables to our office. It was a NIGHTMARE but a very boring technical nightmare to everyone NOT in our office, so instead here is a picture of my street in 1963.
The door above the smallest kid's head is my front door. I wasn't even alive then!
Apart from the lack of cars, and that nice lamp, its pretty much the same. Only its in colour these days.

Deconstruction

The building in which I work is a three story "managed business centre", which means there are loads of different businesses in there, and they have a shared reception and post people and a cafe and all that kind of jazz. Except it isn't now as the owners are turning it into flats and have turfed everyone out. Except US.
My company has firm links with the management and we provide services for lots of their OTHER businesses as well, so they deemed it prudent to keep us where they knew where we were, ie in the building. We are moving to the ground floor in August, into a new office (the ground floor is going to be us, their accounts department and a cafe/bar thing). In the mean time though the building is being demolished around me and as we are on floor one and floors two and three barely have WALLS anymore, its a risky business.
See this? See that black hole at the end? My office is beyond there....

See this? This was painted on the wall outside my office on Monday morning. To keep the builders from trying to smash it down apparently, but I must admit I came over all "The Village" when I saw it....

Snak Attack

I have managed to get through a whole day forgetting to buy cat food. This NEVER usually happens. Before I go any further, the cats had chicken breast for breakfast, and smoked ham and cat biscuits and a bit of tuna for tea, but I was anxious that there was nothing for their supper. And for some unknown reason, I forgot right up until 9.50pm and the shop shuts at 10.00pm and I had a glass of cider so I couldn't drive.Ok, its only round the corner, BUT I had just come out of the bath and was mid way through an MSN messenger chat with my ma, and I had to rustle up some clothes and quick. The result? Bag lady from planet grebo-hell. Rob Zombie would have run away from me.
1 x Rancid zip up hoodie, four sizes too big for me. 1 x pair of brown pants, three sizes too long for me. 1 x pair denim, backless slip on gardening shoes. Hair? Scrunched back on top of the head and held up with a cable tie...Oh, and one eye full of mascara, the other all clean ( I am fair and dont HAVE visible eyelashes normally).
Anyway, I made the shop and the pretty Asian eleven year girl old serving didn't bat an eye lid, not even when I spotted the Mexican Cheese and Chilli flavour potato skins. Mmmmmmmm. 10 bags of THOSE thankyou very much.
On the way home a man crossed the road to avoid me. Result!!!!

Evenin' All

My rear light is broken. I noticed it in Cost Co's car park, where we went today. For those of you who dont know what Cost Co IS, its a members only "buy loads of stuff in bulk like Mayonnaise in buckets" place. I have sellotaped it up but I dont know how it happened. Mr next door but one works for a scrapyard so he is going to look out for a replacement for me.
Last night we went to the pictures to see The League of Gentlemen film, and it was very dark, very weird and very funny. There were only about 6 people in the whole place and we had a really good time. I would be interested to know what (if anything) you American people people make of The League fo Gentlemen. Do you get it over there?
http://www.leagueofgentlemen.co.uk/newopen.shtml
I got a new pc chez Faery Towers and its very very very good. Natch, I got it through work, and therefore cheaporama, but I cannot describe how mega brilliant it is.
Bit of a drought on the gigging front at the moment, and no football now the season has finished, so I am hoping for some interesting weekends. Not this weekend though. The white van man's van developed a dead starter motor so that had to be replaced, at stupid cost. I don't mind though. I am a happy camper simply messing about at home, pottering about, doing nothing that has any purpose. I have never been the sort of person that feels the need to DO stuff at the weekend just because its thought that you should do constructive, day out, educational things in your spare time. Give me a garden to doss about in, some books to read, a kitchen to burn things in, some nice wine and the internet and that makes me happy. One of these days I may turn into a normal person. Just not yet.

Tuesday night's alright for fighting....

Ooooo high drama and rock and roll!
The ACDC band did a gig last night and the singer declined as usual to get in the van with the rest of the band, but went on the train. By himself. To virtually the other side of the country. En route he indulged in all manner of legal and non legal chemicals, and by the time he arrived, he looked like a wizened little garden gnome, and made as much sense as one as well. He then proceeds to have a right go at t'other guitarist for most of the night and almost doesnt do the gig. And when he DOES, he abuses the audience and sounds dreadful and all together mucks things up.
So, after the gig, he has one last go at the poor guitarist and then slinks out of the door and off into the night. At which point the other guitarist snaps and goes legging it off after him. Now, the singer is five feet four or so, old and dreadfully unfit. And the guitarist is 6 feet two of professional sportsman. The outcome could have been pretty bad but the other guitarist obviously thought the same, and managed . to not do anything to him.
On the way home, we saw the (now EX) singer wobbling down the road by himself, miles from home and its all his own fault.
Sooooo, they are now singlerless, so if anyone knows a northwest England based Bon Scott impersonator, let me know!
I am on my holidays this week, and there were two more gigs earlier in the week, and some DIY and today is him indoors 40th, so he is getting spoiled a bit. He is keeping it low key (especially after yesterday!). We went to the pub for our dinner and we had two starters rather than a full meal, as we are going to the fantastic Nawaab tonight, and I am glad we only DID have starters because the portions were massive! Crushed new potatoes with bacon and cheese, and spicy wedges, breaded mushrooms and other little fiddly things. Mmmmmm.

Retail Therapy

Well, thanks for your "where are you"s!
To cheer my miserable self up (worried about the health of she that bore me) I took a trip to asos.com and bought some totally useless but wonderful things.
In particular this... http://www.asos.com/product.asp?sku=CACBP1249
Its great!
Last night saw me in Chester, doing my sound engineer thang, and rolling home at 4.00am.
Last Saturday saw me in Ellesmere Port doing the same thing and getting in even later....
All seems to be on the up and up on the mother front, so everyone think nice thoughts in her direction.
I have been doing a whole lot of reading as well recently, mostly the Miss Read Thrush Green books. Now, this seems a very strange choice of literature for one so rock as myself (!), but they are very immersing in a lose yourself in a different world kind of way. I like them.

Dark day so I will make light of it

Stuff happened today which I won't go into. So, on the frivolity side, I still have a black "Barry M" eyeshadow I bought in Kensington Market in 1989 and there is still some left and I still use it.
Me, him indoors and a mate of him indoors once got told to leave "the whole of South Kensington" by a policeman one dark night. Our crime? We had had a few and were singing a bit. Seems quite innocent these days.
I need cheering up.

This Ole House..is falling apart

On Wednesday the bathroom flooded. Which flooded the kitchen below. Well, not really flooded but unpleasant coloured water dripped through the ceiling. I had to call a plumber. I then had to sit with two saucepans, holding each in turn under the cascade of water that was jetting out from under the toilet, emptying them every 2 minutes and so on and so on. I didn't know where the stop cock was. Eventually I found it, and turned the water off. Noah and his ark went away. The problem was due to a little rubber thingy at the bottom of the toilet perishing. The cost? £160. Insane. I should have been a plumber.
Yesterday, Mr Sam heroically replaced the broken ball cock thingy in the cistern all by himself! This is the man who claims not to be able to actually DO any home improvements, but this was one problem that wasn't going to go away, and we certainly can't afford to get another plumber out!
As I type he is fitting a new bathroom carpet as well! Its green, like the bottom of the sea (he says). I wonder what else I can find for him to do, now he has revealed his true colours....

Happy Birthday To Me!

Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday dear meeeeeee
Happy birthday to me!

Dichotomy

or however you spell it...
I have developed an obsession with the Neil Diamond version of Chelsea Morning (Joni Mitchell).
Its GREAT. Help me.

Where's the feather then?

Ok guys. I told my mum and she believed me. I told him indoors and he went, hmm, yeah yeah, ok, let me tell you about how crap my boss is, so I am going to tell you all today's spooky story.
This morning I am driving along the motorway to work. Its darkish and pouring with rain and you can hardly see for the spray from trucks and things. I was in the middle lane, doing about 65mph, overtaking a lorry, when out of nowhere I hear a woman's voice say "isn't it dark? you would think they would put the motorway lights on wouldn't you? i'd get in the inside lane if I was you."
I was so surprised I actually looked to my left because I thought there was a woman in the car with me (no, I didnt stop to think how a woman could have GOT in my car...)Of course, there was no woman, but I was so freaked out I did indeed pull into the inside lane....and seconds later the car that would have been in front of me if I HADN'T pulled in ran right into the back of the car in front of him. If I had still been behind him, I would have run into the back of HIM and there would have been a bit of a nasty crash. But I didn't because I wasn't there because the woman told me not to be.
Work THAT one out.

Hi Guys

Well, its been a while. Life is that thing that happens when you are making plans. I have had a lot of life recently.
Truth is, I haven't been 100% on the emotional front. I blame it on all those full moons.
Nothing happened, I just felt a bit blahhhhh. Now I am coming out of it and getting back on track. Its rubbish really. I have my family, my health, my friends, a job, cheese in the fridge and wine in the bottle so I shouldn't feel so yuk, but thats female life I spose. Bet you wouldnt catch a man feeling like that!
SO, what have I been up to? More pretend band photography and sound stuff. An embarrassing video camera incident filled night (tip - never give a drunk woman in 5 inch heels a video camera to film your gig. She may take it to the toilet with her and forget to turn it off....nah, that didnt happen but it NEARLY did!)
Work rolls on in its usual indomitable, hectic fashion. I have been shouting a lot at work, but only in the direction of those that deserve it. Its a small team (eugh, I HATE that term) and everyone has their bit to do, so if you don't DO your bit, I shout. Its simple really.
My mum has had me a tad worried on the health front, so all think nice thoughts at her.
Mr Me has had it in the neck for the last coupla weeks, just for being a MAN, which isn't fair but understandable :-)
I taught myself to play some tunes on the guitar, I have NEARLY finished making a tank top (yes! a TANK TOP!)and on the whole its been a busy time, full of stuff and a muddled head.
A moment of clarity in bath this evening and I think I am back to normal. Sort of..

1 Very Blonde

Forget red - I did what I do best and bleached my hair. Now back to Marilyn Monroe brassiness.
Plus ca change, plus c'est la mem chose....

And its goodnight from him

Here's me and him indoors. In our usual pose.

Why I am not materialistic

Today we bought a van. Its an L reg (1994) Ford Courier and it cost the grand sum of £899.
The poor old Seat is consigned to the great breakers yard in the sky and we had to get new wheels for him indoors and as he carts about a lot of band gear (both OUR band and his other band) then a van makes sense. Its white, its old, and it is quite frankly great. It isn't new, it isn't top of the range, its a bit tatty, and I am sure it will be a good van for years to come.It has character. Thats what I look for. Character. I am not being all "i can afford the best and i want brand new" but I could JUST about have afforded brand new, but I didn't see the need to buy brand new when I could get a van that has been used to ferry a boys basketball team about and still has carpet in the back with footballs on and a Bart Simpson air freshener and a manual for a Ford Fiesta in the glove compartment. Its a van with a history, a van that has been used for things a van should have been used for. The heater works, the radio works, there are seats in the back, and I can drive it. Its got a long MOT and it just works and I love it. I suggested giving it a name. Him indoors said no, so I am calling it (him) Neville Staples. Although I will only call it that to myself.
It's very exciting really. A brand new van lurks outside! Until tomorrow we are a three car family! Jezebel (MY car) will be jealous.
I have always been a charity shop fanatic (thanks mum!) and a fiend for the second hand, and the feeling of carrying this on in a van is very rewarding.
Second hand rose......... :-)

Filling in the gaps

I have been a combination of busy and can't be bothered recently! I have been reading, and knitting, and my band bought a PA (a pa SYSTEM, not a personal assistant. Although I would like one of those very much!)
DC79 did a couple more gigs, where I helped by being a very drunk sound engineer and falling asleep in the van on the way home.
I got my broadband upgraded to 2mb and went fully wireless at home. I saw a kid run out in front of a car in Morrisons and then watched the same kid hurl the most incredible language at the driver, and the kid couldn't have been more than 7. I would have run him over, but that's just me.
Its been snowing. I sold some more stuff on Ebay.
I got a bass guitar stand. Errmmm, I can't think of anything else!
Oh yes. Shall I dye my hair red? Tori Amos red. Mum, you can't answer this question because you will just say YES.

Time

I don't seem to be able to organise my free time all that well. I have all these great thoughts during the day, along the lines of "I will cook myself a nice tea (when him indoors and his truck are away) /play the Sims2/watch a film/knit a bit/read such and such" and then I get home and I have a glass of wine and eat cheese on toast and mooch about on the internet, have a bath (a bath for me takes about 2 hours, involving as it does candles, magazines, more wine, cheese, Planet Rock on the digital radio, a cat or two etc etc )and I don't DO any of the great things I thought of during the day. Then I get all "oooo I work too hard" (which is rubbish really) and feel guilty because I haven't done any of the good things I said I would.
But then the stuff I do instead IS good stuff in its own right, so maybe I AM good at organising myself.
I dunno, its like I have all this time and I waste it doing nothing especially, but then I LIKE doing my "especial nothingy things", so maybe its not a waste.
It comes down to housework. There is washing to be done. Him indoors can't even open the door of a washing machine, even after nearly 16 years of undomesticated bliss, and the hoover makes his asthma worse (he SAYS), and I just can't get excited about housework. It will all be there tomorrow to do all over again anyway, but I feel sometimes that I SHOULD do more.
Ours in a very very old house, and its slowly falling apart. And I can't afford to have most of it fixed, and most of the time I don't bother because its warm and dry (ish) and I don't live on a pavement, but sometimes I wish I lived in a mobile home somewhere near the sea, where cleaning up would take, oh, 10 minutes and I could shove the washing in a launderette and go to the pub until it was finished.
That's today's rant over.

Je Suis Un Rock Star

Friday night saw me and my guitar at the Thatched House in Stockport, 3rd on out of 4 bands, and we were very good. The last band on were not good at all, which makes me wonder why they got paid and we didn't. This was a general opinion held by everyone there, and not just mine! Hey ho.
Saturday night saw me and my guitar at the Lion in Castleford. Again, we were very good, even with a pa we had to cobble together from various bits and pieces of our own, as the venue didn't have a pa.
The journey there and back was a nightmare. I was wedged between speakers in sub zero temperatures for over two hours in total, and now I think I have frostbite.On the way home (at 1.30am in a frozen northern wasteland) I made our drummer take all the stuff he sticks in his bass drum OUT and then I wrapped it around myself and was slightly less than freezing, but only just. So I used my old standby trick of falling asleep till I got home.
This may explain why I have a very sore leg and arm today ;-(
I also emailed a couple of pictures of Felix looking nasty to www.mycathatesyou.com but they haven't appeared yet. She is very disappointed.So here is a nice one of her so she doesn't feel too bad..