Sunday, September 28, 2008

The alcohol loves you, while turning you blue

Soundtrack: Soul Train by Swansway; Pale Shelter by Tears for Fears; Party Fears Two by The Associates

It's been a superlative autumn weekend. Friday was blue, clear and warm, as was yesterday, so today we went to Eastbourne to soak up the remainder of the summer before the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness is upon us in earnest.

We went to some car boots sales on the way to the seaside, and I managed to pick up a knitted wine bottle cover (a poodle), something that I've always wanted: for all those disguising your wine bottle/keeping your wine warm needs.

Eastbourne is a depressing place. It seemed to have gone downhill somewhat since I was last there, about five or so years ago: the difference really was palpable. No idea what has caused this decline. The town used to have a kind of faded charm about it, but there was none of that this time.

It was great to see the sun, though. My pale face is pink again.

So, Fujiya and Miyagi, well that was a depressingly bad gig. We were so bored, they were just going through the motions, so we left early. What can you do, you have to try these things...the support were like an electro They Might Be Giants (in other words, wacky and shite). Jesus. On the plus side, I liked the venue.

Duke Spirit next week, thank god. I really hope Leila and the lads don't let me down (sure they won't). I'll have my dancing shoes on, for sure.

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Tuesday, September 23, 2008

And to those of you who think that life is just a game, do you like the part you’re playing?

Hmmm, it’s all beginning to ramp up. This week: two business meetings. Next week: three business meetings, on consecutive days (what idiot suggested those dates? Oh). Yet still I am seemingly unable to rouse myself from my state of semi-hibernation.

In an attempt to stop myself feeling like I’m dead from the neck up, I went out on Saturday night with my friends The Boy, The Bell (accompanied by pal Miss K) and Miss P. Duckie is such a superb night out. All night I had just a five minute break from dancing to go to the loo, and that was that. It’s just the best selection of music, as far as I’m concerned. It’s about 90% not camp, 10% camp, mostly classic pop, not much obscurity, which is perfect. Highlights:

Na Na Hey Hey kiss him goodbye by Bananarama (the Readers' Wifes favourite song ever)
Both Planet Claire and Song for a Future Generation by the B52s
Hounds of Love by Kate Bush (bien sur! Though I prefer Sat in your lap)
Angel Eyes and Virginia Plain by Roxy.
Devil Gate Drive by Suzi Quatro. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, fantastic.

There was more, but lists don't exactly make for thrilling reading, do they now. Anyway, I had such a marvellous time...I really need to do more of that sort of thing.

Yesterday in EAT on Regent Street, where I went for lunch with my colleague Miss King, they played Sweet Adeline by Elliott Smith. That’s a supremely melancholy choice when you’re eating Thai Butternut Squash Soup, and another reason to like said chain of eateries. Sample lyric: ‘Waiting for sedation to disconnect my head, or any situation where I’m better off than dead’. Chirpy.

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Friday, September 12, 2008

…now let’s have some fun!

Soundtrack: MGMT

Autumn’s here with a vengeance. While I like this time of year enormously, it tends to be better after we’ve had some hot, summery weather. The rain and drabness has been bringing my mood down. This weekend I struggled to do anything of import, instead finding myself glued to the sofa, staring balefully out of the window at the grey sky.

When I was a little girl, I used to do that for hours on at a time. I’d see an outline of a shape in the branches of a tree, and that would start me off: the only thing that would snap me out of my trance was one of my parents waving a hand in front of my face. It’s fair to say that I had a vivid internal life back then. To some extent, I still do.

I was also off work one day this week with what I can only describe as an attack of the sleepy boredoms.

Some things have happened:

- I bought tickets to see both Fujiya and Miyagi and Duke Spirit later this month. I'm looking forward to seeing both bands immensely.
- JJ came home with a PVR (hard drive TV recorder) on Friday night. The first thing I watched on this marvellous new box of tricks? The Mighty Boosh Band’s embarrassing performance of Eels on the Jonathan Ross show. Shoot me now, it was fucking awful. I think they may have reached critical mass (Fulcher, get out and save yourself!).
- I caved in and joined the dreaded OffYerFace Book, with a semi-assumed name. So far it’s alright and I am enjoying connecting up to some people I haven’t seen in a while. One in particular has I lost contact with about ten years ago and I'm so pleased to have found him...

It's become apparent that I've been sleepwalking along for weeks now. It's never been more apparent then when I've been contacting friends on FB and they've been asking me what I've been up to...the answer to that is, of course, naff all. Got to start living again...can't continue to just amble along like this. Need to start LIVING.

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Monday, September 01, 2008

No more pussyfooting

Soundtrack: Lightbulbs by Fujiya and Miyagi

Well, that was a week.

JJ went to Ireland to pay his last respects and I spent time trying to bring our flat up to habitable standards.

I went to see Fucked Up once more, and had a very pleasant evening in Filthy McNastys with Jezza.

My family finally arrived with me on Wednesday evening after an eventful journey (they got lost in Feltham, a place I have never been to before, so finding them was a bit of a work of art. We got there eventually).

Making two children under ten and a 75-year-old woman happy simultaneously was a pretty big ask. We went to Legoland (two-hour-queue-for-rides hell), shopping in Kingston (Build-a-Bear-Workshop hell), the London Eye (lots of waiting around), the Natural History Museum (pretty good, but too tired to properly enjoy). The one thing I managed to get right for everyone was a boat trip from Kingston to Hampton Court, which I didn't even go on. Perhaps it succeeded for precisely that reason.

The kids were great. I was a bit worried because they can be very naughty at home, where they're constantly competing against each other, as well as their baby brother, for their mum's attention. I shouldn't have worried: they worship JJ and whatever he says to them they take as law. He had them behaving like a pair of model children.

So it all turned out alright.

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