Month: August 2004

Well, not wishing to state the obvious or anything – just to pre-empt the pedants, I *know* that they started drawing in on the 22nd of June! Bah… But anyway, it’s getting noticeable – where we had seemingly endless hours of brightness, now there’s a relentless twilight coming not long after tea-time. It’s all a bit disheartening, really.

But it’s not all bad! I’m hoping to get together with mates Mono & Matt (alliteration unintentional, I assure you!) for funky jam stuff this week. And if not, heads will roll. Or I’ll cry. Can you bear waiting for the teeth-grindingly suspenseful conclusion??? Thought not. 🙂

Did I tell you about the Melting Pot gig at the Purple Turtle in Camden? Yes, I believe I did – an eclectic mix of talented musos rocking the joint in no uncertain terms marked the birth of the totally inspired Truly Independent Promotions, with hopefully a bunch more to come. The review and the pics of the evening are over on that distant relative, happenins.co.uk. Go on, have a squint…

I’ve had queries about the Message Board, specifically why the #@%! is there a line through it instead of a live link? Well, it was taken advantage of by some perv who was promoting Russian mail-order brides or postal prostitution or some such – suffice it to say that in my untarnished purity I deleted the message board without reading their filth. (Kept their e-mail addresses, though… :D) In any case, the queries were sufficiently sparse to lead me to believe that not enough people care about it for me to bother reinstating it. So I won’t.

Well, summer may be (unofficially, but obviously!) on its last legs, but I’ve lots of travel plans starting to grow legs and walk about here. Beginning this weekend with a trip to see my lovely god-daughter on the borders of the Northern Wastes, followed swiftly by a trip to sunny Italy to see my old flatmate Anna. Ah yes, happenins veterans will recall that mad one-day whirlwind trip to Rome last December, but this will be a much more leisurely visit. Might give the Turin Shroud a miss, but I’m sure there’s plenty of other stuff to amuse me!

Just on a random side note: I really don’t expect that turd in the Renault Laguna who was tailgating me mercilessly at 85mph on the A21 the other day to visit this website, but if he does – yer an arse, mate! Someday you’ll be driving like the pillock you were the other day and the poor unfortunate in front of you will have an engine seizure or blowout or something that’ll make it too late for you to brake. Result: instant pileup. However good a driver you think you are, you’re not that good. And even if you are, it’s not very comforting for the person whose rear bumper you’re hugging with such dedication. Nuff said – rant over.

Well, I suppose I’d better do some work. After all, these little trips away have to be paid for somehow – and Mr MasterCard will be breathing down my neck very soon, I think… 🙁

Hoo-ahh! I love summer; the opportunities to get out and have a laff are an order of magnitude greater than during the winter. I mean, you can do some of the same stuff, but differently – in winter you can go out and party, but in summer you can go *outside* and party, and if you miss the last train home it’s not such a shivering horror waiting for the night bus.

And of course, there’s barbecues, outdoor activities, beer gardens, scantily-clad sun-worshippers, Hyde Park… Ah, summer in London is definitely worth the long winter wait! Although I suppose summer anywhere is worth the wait – with the possible exception of the Sahara… 🙂

And it’s much more fun to go out in the summertime; like this Wednesday (18th) when I’ll be out at the Melting Pot night in the Purple Turtle in Camden, my mate Ian B’s gig promotion debut; if the weather holds I’ll be out in a t-shirt. Now you couldn’t do that in November, couldja?! Back to the gig, though – it’s kicking off about 8pm, it’s a little late for flyers now, but come along regardless. It promises to be an outstanding event…

I’ve had a couple of fun-packed weekends, starting the one before last with soon-to-be-hitched mate Edd’s stag weekend. Down in deepest Sussex, close to Hailsham, we engaged in paintball for the afternoon, then went to the farm’s open-air swimming pool(!) and chilled with beers and farm-produced cider – cool! Camping and barbecue in the forest finished the night off – slightly earlier for me than I would have hoped, due to excessive cider consumption. Oh, but it was lovely!

Then last weekend I swung by mate Vix’s birthday barbecue for a brief hello (luv ya dahling, mwah, mwah), then ploughed on into Camden for what turned out to be a riotous evening with Alex & Mono – and this Brazilian bloke called Jesus we met randomly in the World’s End, but he disappeared early. That night culminated in a drunken climb to the top of Primrose Hill to admire the panoramic views of London by night; I was lamenting the fact that I didn’t have a camera with me, but that would have been foolish, really! 🙂

Been working my little nads off, which is why it amazes me that I get the time to go out and do all this stuff! I’m sure it’ll all catch up on me, but for the moment I’m having too much fun. I’ll rest when winter comes again, he he…

The GTi has had a couple more tweaks to replace a cam belt and cure an oil leak, also a tweak to the engine management system that’ll hopefully make it run better. So it’s in pretty good shape at the moment; it’s well-behaved on motorways and obscenely quick around town, and it’ll do me for a little while to come. It’ll be a more comfortable car in cooler weather, though, that’s for sure!

Just a last note, on the subject of birthday bashes: I realise it’s still very early, but put the 13th of November into your diaries as a strong possiblility for the epic multiple birthday event. More on this as it develops, but we’re looking at a West End venue… 😉

Must dash – lots to do, and…. (see title!)

I’ve been *totally* out of touch lately, haven’t I??? I’ve just been told off by my sister Jhone, and by the Right Honourable Benjamin Sefton Jenkins Esquire, resident of sunny Sydney, Australia, for not updating often enough – to the extent that they’ve actually communicated with me without any provocation! Wow…

Well, just to put all your minds at rest, I’ve been fine, if rather busy having a whale of a time generally! And obviously too busy to update the website – boo hoo! I’ve got so much to tell you, so gather round, my children, and I shall tell you such tales as will keep you quiet for another couple of weeks… 🙂

First off, get your diaries out! Wednesday the 18th of August should be made free, and the words Melting Pot at the Purple Turtle, Camden should be writ large in bold letters, that ye shall not forget. Kicking off at 8pm and going on till midnight, there’s a veritable smorgasbord of musical acts to satisfy your appetite. This is all courtesy of Truly Independent Promotions, the brainchild of Ian of Fastfood fame, who has turned his considerable talent and wacky outlook to promoting independent music. It promises to be a kickin’ evening, with bands and DJs and maybe the odd surprise – remember, you read it here first, and I fully expect to be purchased copious pints as a reward on the night. I’ll have flyers in the next few days, so drop me a line if you want some. SEE YOU THERE!!!

Speaking of musical shenanigans, I’ve been involved in drunken discussions with my main man Mono and his flatmate Matt, with a view to getting together and jamming out some old-school funk. Never shy of making a public spectacle of myself (I cite June’s Bartok event, for the short of memory!), I’m just gagging to get out there and jump on a stage and flex my bass-plucking fingers, so keep your beady eye on this page for info on that as it develops. If it develops, of course…. 🙂

More news: yet another mate has succumbed to the urge to wed! My mate Eddie White is tying the knot on the 23rd of August, no doubt breaking many hearts across South London in the meantime. It all starts with a ferocious stag event this weekend, so if I live through that I’ll be able to wish them well on the day! In the meantime, join me as I raise my glass to them (any excuse for a drink, to be honest!) – cheers!

Still skating sporadically, although I need a whole lot more practice before I get out on the streets of London for the Friday Night Skate – as evidenced by my last foray into Hyde Park with mates Shariff and Lina, when I undecorously wrapped myself around a lamp-post, resulting in a savage array of cuts and bruises the length of my arm! Quite colourful, as it goes. 🙂

And last week I paid my deposit for the one-year diploma course in hypnotherapy that I had to postpone last year – I start in January, if I don’t blow it out again… I’m well looking forward to it, although mate Ian (DAAAAAVE!) advised me not to tell girls this when I’m chatting to them – they’ll think that I’m messing with their heads, and they won’t get into anything with me! Hmmm, he could have a point…

I know it’s early, but I’m starting to have inklings of a plan for my birthday this year. Given that it’s my 35th, Gwyneth’s 30th, and (as I discovered the other night) Mono’s 25th (just a kid!), I’m thinking that it may be time to have the mother of all birthday bashes! Plans are vague at the moment, but I’m thinking maybe live music, drinkin’, dancin’, and a general late vibe of epic proportions – more on this as it develops…

Travel plans were looking very limited for me, especially given that this is the time of year that everyone flees the country to work on their skin tumours(!), but I’ve had plans develop themselves in the past week or so: Italy in September, Ireland in October, and France for Christmas. That’s a bit more like it! And next year has some monstrous (if tentative!) travel plans – fingers crossed that at least a fraction of them come to pass!

I think I’ll leave it there – always leave them wanting more, was the conventional wisdom when we played live. Although that kinda begs the question: if they don’t want any in the first place, should we not play at all?! Interesting point. And on that note, wanting more or thoroughly bored, I’ll love you and leave you.

Till the next ramble!