| To sum up |
[Dec. 30th, 2009|08:11 am] |
I had prepared, drafted and was all set to post an extremely self-pitying and emo LJ post. Then someone reminded me about the concept of wangst and I decided to junk it.
Instead, let me simply say this - Let's hope next year is a bit better, eh? |
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| Two new shiny black boxes. |
[Oct. 25th, 2009|11:36 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | In bed | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  cheerful | ] |
One small, one not so small.
This is for anyone not in the loop. Meaning the loop that is me, that is.
A while ago (months) my big bastard PS3 started acting up. This was just after I'd got a couple of funky new games for my birthday to boot. It started cutting out after half an hour's play, and then not coming back on again. It initially appeared to be an overheating problem but then darkened into most likely being a power supply problem. Repair would be needed. Fucksocks, said I.
I left it for a couple of weeks and then tested it before taking it to the shop. It worked fine, for three days in a row. So I pounced! Took the whole bastard thing, box, cables and all, down to HMV and traded it for a PS3 Slim. For £90. The RRP is £250. And they gave me Batman: Arkham Asylum for a fiver with it. Fucking Score, said I.
Skip ahead a couple of months and I was looking for a replacement smartphone. As comforting as another iphone would be, I was fed up of all it's incompatibility nonsense. I'm not a goddamn Apple user. Anyway, I lost faith in T-mobile when they knocked me back for a G2. Vodaphone's Blackberry Storm 2 isn't going to be out for another couple of months. So I went into the O2 shop, stood tall and triumphant and bellowed at them "GIVE ME A PALM PRE FOR FREE RIGHT NOW!" in my most I-know-what-I-want voice. And they did.
The Palm Pre is wee and shiny. It does most things the iphone does, most of them better. It's only 8Gb, but that should do me fine for now. I'm still working out a how to use a few of the features and it needs a couple of improvements that will probably come with software updates. But otherwise it's funky, it's neat and above all it's not Apple.
Here endeth this gadget-love session. |
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| Goth Dancing LOVE |
[Aug. 29th, 2009|03:09 pm] |
Wow. Just wow.
Quite apart from my in-built weakness for redheads, just wow. |
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| Bob's Fringe Adventure 2009 - Days Six & Seven |
[Aug. 22nd, 2009|02:14 pm] |
Holy Cats, Batman.
Mikelangelo & The Black Sea Gentlemen were every bit as fantastic as I had hoped. A brilliant performance, new songs and old favourites and a performance by each of the Gentlemen in turn. We were also clambered over by Mikelangelo as he did his usual climb through the audience during A Formidable Marinade. Add to that meeting a lovely and interesting american lassie in the queue outside and getting their new CD signed by the whole band, it was the best damn night of my Fringe Adventure thus far.
Last night, we saw Patti Plinko & Her Boy. Once again, a show that I was really looking forward to. Their music was every bit as good as I remember and I am still head-over-heels in love with Patti's voice. This year's show included a violinist accompanying Patti and The Boy, who complemented them very well. She also stomped about the stage as much as The Boy, which was highly entertaining. I also managed to get Patti's new CD signed by her, which left me with the biggest, daftest grin imaginable.
Tonight is the last night of my adventure, but I'm ending on a high. I'm going to see Amanda Palmer. Nuff said. |
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| Bob's Fringe Adventure 2009 - Day Five |
[Aug. 20th, 2009|01:48 pm] |
Last night's shows were pretty damn good, if I do say so myself.
First up were the Amateur Transplants. It was a very cosy show, with the audience sitting about on cushions and low seats strewn across the floor. The show itself was filled with Tom Lehrer style songs of short, sharp humour but with considerably more medical jokes and graphic descriptions of bodily functions. Good stuff.
Between shows, I found myself in a hideously mainstream pub called the Guildford Arms. Thankfully, they had some good beer on tap and some free jazz played by a full band (which gave me the impression of being in a speakeasy).
Next up was the Ministry of Burlesque Presents High Tease. The show involved male and female burlesque dancers, a dragon doing card tricks, a pair of highly energetic cabaret dancers and a "gentleman rapper" who used a banjo and received pronunciation. There was even a guest performance by Missy Malone. The host was a charmingly crass fellow, the type that the host of the Bongo Club Cabaret could only hope to emulate. All in all, it was a highly enjoyable show, one of the best cabaret/burlesque shows I've seen in a long time.
Tonight's show is one that I've been looking forward to for a long time. Mikelangelo & The Black Sea Gentlemen return with their new show and album Dead Men Tell A Thousand Tales. For an example of why I love them so, look after the cut for a clip of an earlier performance. Ooh, I can't wait.
( Black Sea Gentlemen lie beneath ) |
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| Bob's Fringe Adventure 2009 - Day Four |
[Aug. 19th, 2009|04:28 pm] |
Last night's shows turned out very well. The free show I saw at the Jekyll & Hyde was a surprisingly geeky fare called Rob Deb Vs Army of Dorkness. Rob Deb himself is a self-confessed uber-geek and pretty much his whole show was him rambling about conventions, Star Trek, Dungeons & Dragons and more. I probably got more out of it than most folk in the audience.
Next up was a cabaret show hosted by Ali McGregor, an Australian comedian and opera singer. Her show included some cracking cover versions played with an omnichord, an American comedian, a sketch-show group, a man with duct-tape on his face and a striptease by Ali's sleazy butler. Highly, hugely entertaining stuff. I picked up a CD at the end of it, signed by Ali herself.
Tonight, I'm out to see the Amateur Transplants and The Ministry of Burlesque's High Tease.
Onwards and upwards... |
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| Bob's Fringe Adventure 2009 - Day Three |
[Aug. 18th, 2009|04:14 pm] |
As always, being in Edinburgh at Fringe time gives me an incredible case of the Cosmic Horn. This is not necessarily a bad thing, just... inconvenient.
Anyway, back to the shows. Lucy Porter was every bit as entertaining as I expected. Her show this year had the theme of gold, so stories included her ultra-catholic family, Dubai, alchemists, King Midas and P Diddy. She also fed a member of the audience some gold leaf and gave away some ferrero rocher. Lucy is definitely one of my favourite comedians and I wasn't disappointed.
Tonight I'm going to try and catch some free comedy at the Jekyll & Hyde, followed by another cabaret show, this one staring someone called Ali McGregor. I decided to see it on a whim, so hopefully it should be a giggle. |
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| Bob's Fringe Adventure 2009 - Day Two |
[Aug. 17th, 2009|05:42 pm] |
That was a rather underwhelming start.
Abridged Fringe was entertaining enough. Turned out to only be two comedians, as the poet they'd booked didn't turn up. First was a fella called Henry Paker, who was reasonably funny, if a little amateur-ish. Next up was a lassie called Helen Arney, who did some amusing songs on a ukulele about love (and insects). I would be quite tempted to see her whole show.
The Bongo Club Cabaret had a different host than previous years, so no Baby Warhol. What a shame. Unfortunately this also meant no intro to Al Wilson's The Snake too. The new host looked a bit like a young David Tennant, if he was trying to get into My Chemical Romance. He also acted quite a lot like the host at the Restaurant at the End of The Universe.
The cabaret acts were much as I'd expected, a couple of comedians, a couple of burlesque acts and a couple of physical comedy acts. They were all entertaining, but nothing particularly stood out. Not bad, but not great.
Tonight I'm going to see Lucy Porter, who is one of my favourite comedians and is certain to cheer me up. I haven't decided whether I'm going to try and catch some free comedy or free music after, but we'll see. |
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| Bob's Fringe Adventure 2009 - Day One |
[Aug. 16th, 2009|04:48 pm] |
And so it begins...
Tonight, I'm going to try and drop by a pub called the Dragonfly, for a bit of free comedy. It's a thing called Abridged Fringe, and should involve a taster for a few acts on elsewhere.
Then, it's on to the Bongo Club for the Bongo Club Cabaret. As ever, it will involve a selection of music, comedy, burlesque... and Baby Warhol.
Wish me luck, comrades. |
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| Phone Troubles |
[Aug. 15th, 2009|07:15 pm] |
Well, I am now back in the land of Edinburgh. Tomorrow, my Fringe Adventure 2009 will begin. I will be reporting on my adventure through Facebook and LJ for the whole week.
I other news, I am having a bit of a problem with upgrading my mobile. My contract with O2 ends next Friday and I have no idea what will happen when it does. Nobody from O2 has been in any kind of contact to tell me if my phone will stop working, if the contract will automatically renew or anything.
I figured earlier this week that I would try switching over to a G2 with T-mobile. Unfortunately, not having my previous post code (and hence having an incomplete address history) caused me to get a knock-back on the credit check. Even if I get my old post code, the decision stays on their system for ten days, so I'll have to wait before I can try again.
Do I renew with O2 and give the T-mobile switch a miss for now, or do I cancel O2 and risk losing mobile access for an unspecified amount of time (and most likely my old number)?
Any suggestions? |
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| I have chocolate muffins hidden in my desk |
[Aug. 10th, 2009|05:59 pm] |
I finally managed to spend some more HMV vouchers today. Babylon 5 Series 1 and the Bourne films. Annoyingly enough, I now have £2 left on that card, which is not quite enough to get anything worthwhile, but too much to discard. I'll have to think about it.
My PS3 may not quite be dead. I went into G-Force at the weekend and checked with the fella in there. He said that they do repairs and it is within their scope to replace a faulty power supply. He did say that it was a fairly rare problem and he had a worry that it might be a motherboard problem (which they can't fix). That said, all the symptoms point toward a power supply fault (comparing with what happened with Clarence last year).
Finally, with one week to go until my Fringe Adventure 2009 begins, I read on Facebook that Patti Plinko has come down with a bad throat. However, the report is that she will only miss a couple of shows and will be back performing by the time I go though. Fingers and toes crossed for a speedy recovery.
Five days to go... |
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| Critical PS3 Failure |
[Aug. 5th, 2009|09:10 pm] |
Ok, after all my talk of exciting new video games, my PS3 has stopped working.
Two days in a row, it let me play for a couple of hours before just switching off and refusing to turn back on again. I figured that this must be caused by overheating.
Today, I got an add-on fan to plug in and moved the PS3 so it has plenty of room to breathe. However, all this is moot, as the bugger has refused to even switch on. Intro screen once, then nothing. Red light disappears when the on button is pushed, won't appear again unless the power is switched off and on again. Same thing happens every time.
I know that G-Force in Union Street do repairs. Guess I'll have to go and see what they think.
Fucksticks. |
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| Birthday Stuff and Nonsense |
[Aug. 4th, 2009|05:40 pm] |
Well, it's been a week since my birthday.
Having had a party several weeks ago and a night out the weekend before, my actual birthday was rather quiet. However, we did go to the Kevlingrove Art Gallery to see the Dr Who Exhibition. Pictures of this can be found on my Facebook.
As far as presents go, I got the Florence & the Machine album, Infamous and Red Faction Guerrilla for my PS3, the Dune trilogy, Last Watch and several bottles of booze. Good booze, too.
I still have some vouchers for Amazon, HMV and Marks & Sparks still to spend, about £20-£25 at each. Also, on the way is a box set of the Lord of The Rings Special Editions that was delayed in the post.
Not a bad haul. The video games have pleased me no end, as I am trying restrain myself from spending too much at the moment. But games are just so damn tempting... |
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| Resurrection |
[Aug. 1st, 2009|01:02 pm] |
| [ | music |
| | Florence & the Machine | ] |
Prior to my 2009 Fringe adventure later this month, I've decided it would be best if I resurrected my LJ.
By way of a quick update for anyone I haven't seen lately:
- Work continues as always, albeit with ever increasing bureaucracy and other absurdities. Turnover is high.
- This summer, I have found myself surprisingly poor. My spending habits continue unimpeded, of course.
- My personal life is becoming increasingly complicated.
- I'm still in the same flat, but most likely only for one more year. Then I will have to find somewhere bigger and cheaper.
- I've started smoking again.
That about sums it up. There's probably more, but I can probably chalk that up to simply being a bit emo most of the time.
More soon, I promise. |
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| Demonic Singing Fish |
[May. 20th, 2009|10:00 pm] |
Because not all of you are on Facebook, so not all of you will have seen it.
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| Animated Films Meme |
[May. 10th, 2009|01:07 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | In bed | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  lazy | ] |
I'm pretty much only doing this because I was looking for an excuse not to get out of bed.
X what you have seen.
O what you didn't finish/have seen sizable portions of
Bold what you loved
Strike through what you disliked/hated
Leave unchanged if neutral
( Animeme ) |
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| Reviewing the situation |
[Mar. 3rd, 2009|08:31 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  contemplative | ] |
Every so often, I get this song stuck in my head.
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| Dead Batteries and Sandwiches |
[Mar. 1st, 2009|05:45 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | The Bowl | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  accomplished | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Kylie - Can't Get You Outta My Head | ] |
Man, I just made the best goddamn sandwiches ever. Crusty white bread, sliced beef, smoked ham, cheese, tomato, iceberg lettuce and sun-dried tomato mayonnaise. Mmm, tasty.
When I was out on Friday night, I bumped into a friend who I hadn't seen in about three years. We used to work in Abbey together and I always regretted not keeping in contact. Well, thanks to that chance meeting on Sauchiehall Street, we now have each others' numbers again and are going to meet up next weekend for a night on the tiles. Funny how these things happen, isn't it.
However, John Lewis have managed to fuck me off a tad. I put my laptop in last week to have the battery replaced. It wasn't charging and would last all of five minutes when unplugged. Yesterday, I got it back with the battery replaced. Unfortunately, they don't seem to have managed that much. The battery is still not charging and a hardware scan still says that the battery is worn out and needs to be replaced. So, now I have to take it back in and find out if they even actually changed it. Idiots. |
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| Bloggers Block |
[Feb. 26th, 2009|10:11 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  exhausted | ] |
Gah. I want to write a rambling post about going to the gym three weeks in a row, but I'm too tired.
Work has been stupidly busy this week (for the first time in three months), so I am tired enough as it is.
Next week. Yeah, next week I'll post about my gym going and my workout and such.
...
What's that, Gamestation? You want me to spend more money on newly released PS3 games? Goddammit. |
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