Weirdness

My life keeps taking weird turns.

I'm feeling much better after recently going through one of my dark patches (one of those inexplicable ones that hits me when everything is going well... the emotional equivalent of black ice on the road).

Of course, it did really help last week when I got to write those two reviews for Alt Mag. I can't wait 'til the mag goes to print (though I do realise that sometimes reviews get bumped to the next issue).

The past twenty-four have been pretty weird for me.

High point: getting to Camden in time to catch The Scare (completely against the odds, because I was running about 30 minutes late) play an incredible set. Then one of the members mentioned that the band were going to need a new bio sometime, and asked if I'd like to give it a try (since they really loved a review I wrote about them months ago). That was unexpected, but it did put a stupid smile on my face for the rest of the night.

Eventually I made it home, only to hear a horrible cracking, clanging, crashing sound come from somewhere in the maisonette. At the ungodly hour of half four in the morning.

I went to investigate and discovered that the ceiling above the front door (underneath the bathtub upstairs) had given way, dropping a pile of debris beneath it.

I cleaned up the debris, but what really bugged me was that my recent slide into neurosis, hypochondria and psychic paralysis (coupled with a couple of actual commitments) meant that I still hadn't finished painting the front door. In my exhausted state, I was concerned that if my Landlady found out that still wasn't finished, she would possibly have my head on a pike.

So starting at about 0530 AM (bearing in mind that I had been up since the previous morning) I set about laying on primers, undercoats, lacquers etc, sanding down the dry coats as I went. Bear in mind that as the front door dried I wasn't able to close it, so I basically had to stand guard over the front door for the whole day, even when I wasn't painting or sanding it.

Anyways, by the afternoon I finally laid on the first coat of Blue Gloss Enamel (probably a little thick, but I'll sand it down). I also called my landlady explaining the situation with the ceiling. My landlady, being the champ that she is, made all the necessary phone calls to arrange for someone to look at it tomorrow morning.

Neato.

I also entertained myself with domestic stuff like throwing clothes in the wash and the like, as well as reading some of the graphic novels I borrowed out of Homerton Library.

Now I'm exhausted.

I'm thinking sleep is a good idea.

Over and out.

-J

Hey All

Hey All,

Last night I was feeling pretty tired, so for the first time in months I actually spent a Saturday Night at home, went to bed at a decent hour and saw my own kitchen before noon.

This afternoon I think I head to the Devonshire Arms where there is some kind of Dresden Dolls themed event.

What else is news... the show I went to for free was a pretty cool way to spend the evening. It turned out to be some gay and lesbian night in Vauxhall which played a whole lot of 90s indie rock (the good kind). I got to meet a record producer who is the owner of the record label that my friend Rachel is now working for. He seemed like a pretty cool guy.

The band weren't bad, though I much prefer different stuff.

I spent the rest of the night crashing on Rachel's floor.

Saturday morning I took a wander through Homerton (Rachel's locale) and soon found the Homerton Public Library, where I read the third Preacher Trade Paperback (ie the one that they can't find anywhere in Newham or Waltham Forest). It's strange where you find the pieces of a puzzle. Anyways, Preacher is one of the comics that can lend weight to the argument that some comics can qualify as Literature (at times).

This is going to be an interesting week for me, since I've got a couple of shows coming, plus one or two interesting things coming. And I do need to sort out how I'm going to get to France to see the 'Hick.

Over and out,

-J

My strange gift...

My strange gift (one of them, at least) is to get into things for free without really trying to.

It doesn't work all the time. I've actually paid a lot of money to get into a lot of things.

But sometimes it really surprises me.

Like this week. Saturday I saw Celtic Frost for free by dint of writing a review of it. Then I got into Rock Cabaret for free because they weren't taking money at the desk when I arrived.

Tuesday I saw Mondo Generator for free, being another show to review.

And tonight I'm seeing another show for free because my friend Rachael now runs the label that they are on.

Neato!

In other news: the editor of Alternative Magazine seems to like the reviews I submitted, and I already have a friendship going with Regis, one of the Photographers on the magazine (I was effectively his scribbling wingman at the shows I reviewed). This is good.

In any case, I have to run.

Over and out.

J

Update:

Geez I've been bad blogging lately.

Okay, here's the headlines:

In addition to Celtic Frost (I'm just finishing the review now... which between you and me, I'm finding really hard), I also got offered a free pass to review Mondo Generator at the Underworld last night.

I was thinking of either going to see Morbid Angel at the Mean Fiddler, or seeing The Grates at the Metro, but a free show is a free show, and I want to take as many opportunities to get in print as possible. So I went to Mondo Generator.

The Mondo show was brilliant, if a little underattended (it is a Tuesday, after all, and the show wasn't brilliantly promoted). The funny thing was a high percentage of Australians were present, including a couple of Expats that I have met around the way.

Another funny thing was that the first band, a German outfit called Gods of Blitz who kicked absolute arse, featured a guitarist with a Radio Birdman tattoo on his elbow. It turns out that various classic Australian bands were really popular with a certain subset of people in Germany about ten years ago.

In any case, I have written and sent off the Mondo review, I'm currently trying to tweak the Celtic Frost review. Not knowing much about Celtic Frost, I am really not sure how to describe the show, but I think I might have got it.

Also, last night I was trying to reply to a Myspace from a friend, and accidently hit Forward instead of Reply (fat finger syndrome at work). The first name on the forward list just happened to be Organ magazine, at trashy freesheet that covers all manner off trippy stuff.

In any case, a staffer at Organ emailed me back wondering what my caper was. I sent a message back explaining that it was all an accident brought on by exhaustion. He emailed me later accepting my story but commenting that there were some good reviews linked off.

Nice. Another comment made by complete accident.

Anyways, I'm going to give the Celtic Frost review the once over, see if I can give it any more punch, and then send it off.

Over and out.

-J

Hey O!

Hey all,

I spent most of Sunday asleep, and most of today feeling pretty sick.

The blitzkrieg weekend I had seemed to take a toll on my immune system, but I am mending quickly.

The editor of Alternative Mag just sent me an email with the word limit for the Celtic Frost review: 160 Words.

I'm both relieved an terrified.

I could review the show in six words:

Slow, Dark, Heavy. Some fast bits.

But I don't think The Ed would like that.

So I've got to explain the show that I could explain in less than 10 words making sure that I don't go over 160.

Should be fun.

Over and out.

-J

Nothing quite runs to plan...

...But if you stand your ground, you might still succeed.

Or Jason Has an Interesting Saturday Night.

After sanding the door, I finally made it to the Venue while the main support were on, only to be blocked at the door by the two surly women in charge of the guestlist, who didn't believe my name was among those listed. I'd been told that I was in under my own name or Alternative Magazine. They couldn't find me (to be fair, there were 80 names on the list).

I called Phil (who had called me on my mobile earlier to brief me on some details) who told me to ask for Gary, the promotions manager. The Swiss Tour Manager was standing next to me, but he was less than helpful. And the doorstaff (both of them) refused to find the promotions manager.

I can understand that there are probably people who's raison d'etre it is to pretend that they are on guestlists for events, but I had been told it was sorted, and being treated in a fashion that at best can be described as offhand made it hard for me to maintain my polite exterior.

I was about to say 'Fine. I've got a job to do, and I don't have time to stand here arguing the toss, so I'll buy a ticket and then we'll sort this out later.' when one of the women actually managed to find my name in the list and instantly switched gears from surly to apologetic, and gave me the red guest pass, even going so far as to ask me if I needed a photo pass. I took their apology graciously, since the last thing I need to do is get offside with the gatekeepers (I'm sure when I've reviewed more shows, doorstaff will get to know me and it will all become little more than a nod and a wave), besides which, I really wanted to see Cryptopsy...

Who were just finishing their last song. Bollocks.

Still, I ran into various folk around the gig that I knew, picked their brains about the headliners and tried to find the best spot to enjoy the performance.

The show itself was pretty good, but the venue was pretty stifling, and having only had a limited amount of sleep, I wasn't as resistant to the cloying atmosphere as I normally would be. I'm going to get started on the first draft of my review of the show soon.

My editor was relieved that I got in okay. He's going to email me word length and bits and pieces.

Anyways, after the rest of my night just got weirder:

Northern Line to Camden to drop in on Tom from Tomera's birthday drinks. Was introduced to the editor of Ultimatemetal.com by the Tomera bassist Lee Barrett. Mostly ridiculous dancing to cheesy new wave anthems.

In the end I tarried a little too long a Tom's gathering, as well as underestimating how long it would take to get to my next destination. As a result I missed my friend's Aerial Act at Rock Cabaret, but at least I didn't have to pay to get in (which is lucky, since I'm not sure I was on the memberlist). I wasn't going to hang around in any case, the club wasn't my scene.

Next I met a nice couple at street level who by coincidence were heading to Angel to go to a completely different club, so the three of us shared a cab there and split the fare. The couple were north-londoners with literary aspirations and friendly natures. I accompanied the couple to their club, thought it was good, but stilleft in time to catch the start of the set by The Skeleton Family at Slimelight. They were pretty good. Nice to see a decent drummer in a Goth Band.

Rest of Slimelight: hanging with friends, watching Ren and Stimpy Cartoons and the like.

Tube home, breakfast at San Marino Cafe and back here.

Now, I think I will put up my feet for a little bit. Still stuff to do, but it can wait for a moment.

Over and out.

J

News:

Here's the news:

The Celtic Frost review is on.

I've done some reading about Celtic Frost today, in between sleeping.

Strength Through Dreadnought last night was brilliant, even if it did feel weird seeing familiar people in unfamiliar surroundings. Still, some good friends were there and I had a great time dancing between the two floors and seeing friends.

After the club closed at four I hung with a jazz saxophone player as we walked from London Bridge to Tottenham Court Road to get a sub. Interesting bloke, even if he does have some strong opinions.

Before I run off to review shows tonight I do intend to have the door sanded down, at least.

But I wanted to buy a dust mask, so that wasn't coughing up splinters all night. Christ knows that London is enough of a Bronchial Irritation as it is.

I'll tie a rag around my face and hope that nobody thinks I'm a 19th Century Western Outlaw.

Other stuff I'll be doing tonight:

Still may or may not see Tom from Tomera. I said I'd be there, so I should say hello.

I will also be heading to Rock Caberet to see a friend do ribbon show (Gus - think the think the Barmaid used to do upstairs at the Shamrock when it was really quiet, UK people, think of the BBC Promo with the three Gymnasts dancing on curtains). Mental note: pack some pinstripes and a half decent shirt, otherwise I sure as hell won't get in.

And later on I'll be heading to Slimelight to see some reunited 80s goth band that are playing a set at 2 AM.

Mental note:
will need my satchel and at least one notepad.

In between all of this stuff I still have one or two personal errands that need running, but they may keep til Monday.


Time to Leap into Action.

Over and out.

-J

Weird situations...

Hey all,

I volunteered again today, indirectly leading to my early evening being taken up with being paid to help assemble a terrible flat-packed wardrobe at some blokes house in Leyton.

He paid me £20 to do it, I couldn't say no.

I returned home about an hour ago, and just checked my email to find that the editor of Alternative Magazine wanted to know if I was available to review the Celtic Frost/Cryptopsy show tomorrow night at the Mean Fiddler.

That email came in at about half seven, so I'm hoping that in the two and a half hours since then he hasn't found someone else to write about it.

In any case, doing the review would mean that I would have to blow off Birthday Drinks with my pal Tom from Tomera (great London prog metal band), but I'm sure that he would understand. In fact, the plus one would probably make a great birthday present, if only it wouldn't be tearing him away from his own birthday gathering.

In any case, I need to have a shower (to wash the stench of crappy Italian pseudo Ikea off me) and then head out to Dreadnought vs Strength Through Joy (making sure that I have proper directions this time, so that I don't get totally lost like last time).

Tomorrow I paint!


(and possibly review)

Over and out.

J

of RSS and Podcasts

Hey all,

Something I was reminded of today was that getting broadband direct to my laptop meant that I could now download podcasts.

Neato.

It also has given me a curiousity about the whole RSS thing.

Granted, that would only really matter to me if it was absolutely necessary that I get all information from all sources all the time immediately (as opposed to being able to peruse in a leisurely fashion, as I do now), but it does still strike me as interesting.

As it happens, the Version 2.0 of Safari has inbuilt RSS support. But to run 2.0 I would need to get Tiger (or OS X.4), which would probably mean reformatting and reinstalling all my software. Which would be a palaver, since I think I did leave some important discs back in Brisbane.

Of course, this is the type of thing that would be easily solved if I had thought to partition my hard drive from the get go, but that's the kind of thing that never oocurs to the likes of me when it matters. Nope, I'm pretty much the king of 'Turn the Key and Go!", when it comes to computers, which is why I like Macs, and why I like being related to Gus.

I'm running out of food again, so it might be time for me to go out and get some.

Over and out.

-J

Aha!

Ha!

Remember yesterday when I was querying why I suddenly didn't have the option to code straight to HTML instead of having to have unsightly URLs all over my blog?

Turns out that Safari (ie the browser that ships with Mac OS X) is one of the browsers that doesn't support the wysiwig editor function.

So in order for me to keep on showing everyone what a power blogger I am (though as a code monkey I'm still not good enough to polish Gus' shoes), I had to go download Mozilla Firefox.

I have no idea whether i will start using Firefox for anything other than blogging, but we'll see how it all plays out. I'll probably do some research as to what Firefox is all about, anyway.

Over and out
-J

To My Surprise...

I managed to pull it together to go get myself and Emperor Ticket.

(I would upload a photo of said ticket, but I I take a photo with the flash the ticket glares, and if I turn the flash of the ticket blurs... guess I'll need to scan it if it's going up here).

Also:

Went to sign on and was told that I only need to show every fortnight, not every week. In any case, the folk there did print off some jobs that looked good (I had to turn down the MI5 stuff because I've only been here less than two years, not the nine years they require).

Also filled in an application for a part-time position at the Heart Foundation Place. I'll see how that plays out.

Random culture stuff:

http://blogs.theage.com.au/screenplay/archives/gaming_culture/002860.html

Anyways, after all the other stuff I finally made it to the Homewares store and bought all the stuff I'll need to paint the door.

Tomorrow I start painting it all. Hopefully I won't be spending too much time waiting around for paint to dry. I've got some books that want finishing in any case.

Over and out.

J

Emeperor tickets

Hey,

Looks like I'll have to hustlet into Oxford Circus early tomorrow to make sure that I can get an Emperor Ticket for the 28th of October. I would have done today, but it slipped my mind.

I'm making steps to paint the new front door that we have had put in out flat.

I just got the Cliff Notes on Door Painting from my Dad (someone whom I'm proud to say I can count on to be a pocket expert on pretty much anything).

I also used my broadband connection to download about 10megs worth of drum sounds. Some nice gabba kicks in there, some subby 909 sounds and various other bits and pieces. I had a quick listen to them all, but I'm going to have to go through with a pen and paper and pick out the best Horses for Courses sometime soon.

Something I forgot to mention (I think) was that I saw Terrorfakt (an NYC Powernoise/Industrial duo) at Slimes on Saturday, and they made me feel kind of inspired to lay down some noisy tracks. So I might do that.

Presently compiling a list of things that need to be done this week.

Over and out.

-J

Hey all

Hey,

I've been neglecting my blog.

Sorry folks.

I've been in a weird state of mind where I didn't feel like blogging.

Interesting thing I did today:

Explored the Spitafields Market.

Dense, sprawling and chaotic.

More blogging to come.

Over and out.

-J

Hey all

Hey,

Nothing much to report.

Except that I am having fun with my Hypochondria by picking diseases at random, looking them up on Wikipedia and discovering that my symptoms match exactly.

I guess a qualified doctor would say that Hypochondria and Wikipedia are heavily contra-indicated.

Also: watched The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean on BBC1 just before. Strangely good movie, even if it seems to be ridiculously historically inaccurate.

Enough of that.

There still doesn't seem to be the HTML button in the Blog Creation form. I might have to check if this is just a Safari thing (ie if said button is still there in Explorer).

In any case, enough of all this.

I'm going to bed.

Over and out.

J

Hey All

Hey everyone,

The Fratellis show was interesting. They aren't bad, even though I don't think I could survive on a sole diet.

I seem to be having a one of my bouts of Hypochondria.

In fact, I looked up Hypochondria on Wikipedia.org, and my symptoms match perfectly. I'm curious as to what that tells me.

I'm also curious as to why the option to switch between HTML and Plaintext doesn't seem to be on the Blogger site today, but that's not a huge concern.

On the way to the Fratellis show I found a ES magazine from last week where there was an article about how modern technology is actually hindering genius because the information overload is splitting attention in so many directions that it is near impossible for anyone to focus on stuff long enough for genius to occur.

It mentioned the idea of Flow Theory, the idea that truly great things only really happen in continuous flows of ideas. Have you ever been lost in something so much that you totally lose track of time. Suddenly you look up, and six or eight hours have passed? Flow theory at work.

I'm sure that I've had my moments of Flow Theory. Hunkering down in the library to make one of my weird techno compositions, messing with pictures in photoshop until I've got a million layers on top of each other, or lately, just typing until my fingers hurt.

Still, I always suspected that it was something more to do with lousy time management myself.

I am feeling proud, though... I am getting better at resisting the urge to check my mail when I really have to be out the door to get somewhere.

Speaking of Media Overload, I'm using Youtube to look at PWEI videos that I either haven't seen for years, or have never seen full stop. I'll have to see if they have ever released a DVD of their videos, since all the Youtube ones have been compressed to hell.

According to Wikipedia, Clint Mansell is nearly 43 years old. And a Scorpio. Figures.

Speaking of Scorpios, I think I'll drop Gus an email, see how he is doing.

Over and out.

-J

Another week is dawning.

Another new week.

Another seven days of challenges and opportunities.

Volunteering again.

Applying for more jobs.

Doing some more writing.

Seeing the Fratellis with a friend tomorrow.

Planning moves and the like.

Once more into the breach.

Over and out.

J

Finally Broadbanded

Hey All,

After many shenanigans and some wailing and gnashing of teeth, I'm actually broadbanded at my flat again.

I got up bright and early today to get the router package. But when I unpacked it all, I accidently unplugged the router before it was finished loading updates (d'oh! I didn't mean to, I just thought the plug would be much more practical in a different spot than the one I had already chosen).

In any case, I finished setting up before the helpdesk got around to taking me off hold (I think I'll contact the ombudmen about seeing if I can have that part of my bill stricken from the record, since they were sod all help (it only would be about two pounds, but the principle matters)).

Then I had to figure out why the damn thing wasn't loading etc.

Finally I figured out that the Ethernet Cable wasn't plugged in.

And the rest is history.

Hooray.

Now all I have to do is make sure that I don't just become a hopeless addict of Wikipedia and Youtube.

Still, I really didn't feel like I had any other option besides getting wired up again.

Carrying files to and from the net cafe was getting to be irritating at best and infuriating and obstructive at worst (ie when the files would corrupt on the USB Keys).

Sick and Twisted Tonight, Slimelight tomorrow and volunteering on Monday followed by seeing the Fratellis with a friend.

Not bad, I reckons.

Over and out.

J

Another thing...

Hey all,

On monday evening I found a copy of Generation Terrorists, the debut by the Manic Street Preachers in Virgin for under a fiver.

I also found Jet's album in a huge pile for £3.99, but let's face it, they deserve far worse.

Anyways, I threw it on yesterday when I was ironing stuff, and bugger me if it wasn't absolutely brilliant. The fact that songs from the album weren't all over the radio in Australia is another brick in the castle of Australian Music Media ineptitude (Triple J, don't look around, I'm looking straight at you).

The strange thing is, the album is sure as hell nothing like music now, and looking back, it was nothing like music then. It stands on its own in so many ways.

I remember an old school friend of mine taped me a copy of the Holy Bible years ago, and I listened to it and thought it was a strange beast. It was too hard rock to be indie, it was too clever to be hard rock.

Generation Terrorists is even stranger. It's supposed to be a punk record (it's punk like Earth vs The Wildhearts is Punk), but there are guitar solos everywhere. Not to mention pianos in places, really fucking intelligent concepts flying left right and centre and melodies to die for. James Dean Bradfield's voice makes me throw my arms to the heaven's and cry 'Why Can't I Sing Like That? Why could I never write tunes that good?'

Moreover, the album has a weird combination of edginess and naivety to it. It is brutally reminiscent of the feeling you get when you get out of the tightly regimented spaces of High School into university, and all the concepts they were afraid to tell you suddenly spring into the picture. Stuff like George Orwell being an Anarchist etc.

The strange thing is, I don't know if I'm going to be able to listen to the album in the near future without thinking, at least once, of the pretty Australian girl in the Alice Cooper shirt that I danced with to the Manic Street Preachers at the Rock Cabaret thing a few weeks ago (not the one that got her flatmate to shoot me down, the other one).

She seemed so cool, but she is probably already back in Australia.

Anyways, the album is on my Ipod now, and I can foresee it become great tube listening.

Over and out.

J

Hey All

Hey,

Went to Ministry last night. Despite having a gallery ticket, I somehow went throw the wrong door and wound up on the floor. My lifelong talent for falling through the cracks of carefully constructed systems comes in handy sometimes.

(though it is a real seahunt at others... like the first day of Grade Eight, not being able to figure out why I was in a room full of people speaking Japanese when I was sure I was down for French).

Anyways, the show was pretty damn good, though I think it was actually better when they headlined the Big Day Out all those years ago (when Al sprayed the crowd with red wine during So What and the mosh was so intense I thought I was literally going to die).

Maybe I've just had my face blown off so many times by SixFtHick, Dillinger Escape Plan, Nitzer Ebb and all those other bands in the running for the Best Live Band award that something I would have considered amazing ten years ago doesn't blow me away anymore.

In any case, The Electro Rose got to hang with Al Jourgensen afterwards, and I chilled in a North Camden Pub called Quinn's with a bunch of friends. By the end of the set I had been soaked in water and sweat (mostly other peoples, ugh!) so to stave off hypothermia I bought a Ministry Tour Shirt. At least I had a good excuse fro buying merch for once.

Other news:

My broadband is activated at BT HQ, but it isn't set up in my room yet, since I wasn't awake to collect the package (with the router and the drivers etc) yesterday. The British Mail folk left a card saying 'Special Delivery for Jason Logan' but I didn't find it today 'til half one... the depot closes at one... fuckers).

Anyways, I'll make sure that I've got it tomorrow.

Another story:

Yesterday I came down to the kitchen to discover my Swedish flatmate looking pretty ashen. Here's why: he works in the Jobcentre up at Stratford (not the one a Leytonstone), and that particular jobcentre is notorious for 'incidents'. Yesterday's incident was a drunk taking a dump in the middle of the jobcentre floor, stinking out the entire building, and shutting it down until it could be cleaned up, disinfected etc.

I've said it before, I'll say it again. With no reference to any race or creed intended, I have observed that London is full of savages. A good friend of mine put it this way 'In London you get the best of the best, and the worst of the worst.'

In any case, I'm starting to understand what was going through Earth Crisis' heads when they wrote 'Firestorm'.

I'm going home to plan my moves for the next 24 (my weekend has pretty much planned itself).

I'm thinking write reviews, skip (did the weights yesterday), write more reviews, write job applications, write another review and then go to bed.

Over and out.

J

Neato!

Hey All,

After doing Today and Yesteday at the Heart Foundation Charity Shop, I reckon that is enough volunteering for this week. Not to mention that I should probably finish off those reviews.

On the Volunteering Thing: It is going pretty well. Strangely, the powers that be at the shop seem to like my work/like having me around, so not only are they happy to have me as a volunteer, but they are also happily teaching me useful stuff like how to use the Cash Register and the EFTPOS equivalent system thingo.

Which is pretty damn good, in my opinion.

Random Weird Stuff: Riding home on the tube last night (I had gone into Soho 'cause I was bored etc), I discovered that written on a post-it note inside the back cover my copy of The Wasp Factory was the names and Email Addresses of the two top editorial staff for Dazed and Confused Magazine (a style magazine based in Hoxton).

How that came to be there, I will probably never find out, but it is one of those things that make a man wonder.

I just did a google on Dazed And Confused and found out that both the names have since moved on, but one of them was pretty notorious when she was in office.

Just browsing, I found this article:

http://chilled.cream.org/forums/kb.php?mode=article&k=313

Weirdness.

Also weird: I am starting to suspect that there might not be one but two art school retro betty's in Leytonstone. I saw one on Church Street yesterday (when I was running to the Post Office to mail off some job applications ahead of a shift at the BHF shop) with her hair pinned up, and what might be the other earlier tonight at Tesco, with a short blonde fringe. Bizarre.

By the by, I'm going to mention this once, and once only:

Date with a pretty redhead in Camden on this coming Saturday evening. Nice.

Completely different subject:

The Theatre of Tragedy Review is up on Morrigan's Pit.

Something for the Why Do I Bother file:

The goth picnic that I went to on Saturday afternoon was also attended by an irritating fifteen-year old with a lisp who tried to tell me that Gwen Stefani is almost fifty.

me: Uh... I'm pretty sure that she was about 29 when Tragic Kingdom broke in 1995. That means that she would be about 40 now.

her: I know her and Gavin Rothzzzdale. Shzve'zth nearly Fithzthdy.

me: but the number don't add up.

her: I KNOW HER! SHZZZHTE'ZZTH NEARLY FIFTHZZZDY!

I didn't think so. So I wikipdia'd Gwen today, and according to that she was born on October 3, 1969. Which, by my calculations, makes her about 37. True, performers often lie on their bios (Alex from Franz Ferdinand?) but they don't usually get away with it for over a decade. I don't think that Alex got away with it for a whole year.

Jason - One
Silly Lisping Namedropping Retard - Nil.

The weather is cooler again. Last night I was awoken by something that sounded like heavy rain coming through my wide open windows. That's when I realised it wasn't just the sound. Jump up and close the windows! D'oh.

Anyways, just in case that all made too much sense, I'm going to go home, have a steak and watch Lost.

This time tomorrow I should have Broadband (fingers crossed)

Over and out.

J