Spot the difference (ooh-ah ooh-ah, me hearties)

Believe it or not there are TEN differences between these two pictures. See if you can find them all.

Down, down in the basement/ We hear the sound of machines

Time for my quarterly post.

I looked in my diary today and to my surprise saw that next Friday bears the inscription "4pm Quatermass". I puzzled over this for a moment or two having no recollection of planning to watch Quatermass before suddenly realising that I'd actually written "4pm Quarter Final 1". My handwriting is obviously getting worse.

Otherwise however, things are good. To sum up...

i) I have become a bit of fan of David Lynch, having watched the entirety of Twin Peaks (and Fire Walk With Me). I am now trying to watch many of the films

ii) This has been halted somewhat by the football

iii) My favourite bit of punditry so far preceded the Angola/Mexico game, when the cigarette-smoking Mexican coach was being discussed. The commentator said; "Ricardo Lavolpe will of course be remembered long after the World Cup is over as he looks, and talks, and sounds .... like a pirate"

iv) I have been listening to Talking Heads a lot - I find it excellent car music

v) Despite continued funding, I am moving back from NI in mid August and will probably be moving to Lincolnshire or somewhere nearby. No job yet, but I am working on it...

Pip-pip.

Lest I be lost

Arrgh! I've heard rumours of a "crackdown" Don't pull the plug on me O Rambling one - I'm still alive. I'M STILL ALIVE! I missed the Sign Zone repeat of the final episonde of Life on Mars (thinking unthinkingly that Tuesday am happens after Tuesday night) - so I am stuck in limbo, still not allowed closure to the tale. It haunts my every waking moment and has prevented me from dedicating my time to my blog. Honest guv.

Anyway, saw a feature on explorers in the Independent on Sunday and was surprised by a picture of Nansen which reminded me of me (or Simon Pegg)

Whaddyareckon?
A friend claims I resemble "well-known Polish strategist Zabrowski"











But maybe I'd rather just think I look like this - go Nansen! Go! ...

...

Oh, and in other news, Grace is coming to stay to work for a couple of months - hooray! So you can't expect me to be updating every day...

Spring(steen) is sprung/ Frogspawn in the USA

Wintertime has gone and the summer won't be long,
the birds are singin in the trees...

Yes, those pretty daffodils are assuredly awakening, raising their tiny heads to the smiling sun - in fact, there's a hot sun beatin' on the black top and it's Springsteen time again! This morning I found my heart somewhat lifted - gone, my autumnal and wintry (some night say taseful) tastes, now my heart yearns for nothing more than loud, wedding-band rock.

Let's go!

CHORUS
Everybody's got a hungry heart
Everybody's got a hungry heart
Lay down your money and you play your part
Everybody's got a hungry heart

My 23rd post... hmmm

Hard to explain quite why I've been silent since Christmas time - probably just laziness (although I've just noticed this is my 23rd post - coincidence?).

Anyway, I have just (nearly) finished a week in which I was inspected at work but the week before that I was on half term in Tallinn which, as you Eurovision buffs will know, is the capital of Estonia. Fantastic place - stayed in the well-preserved, medieval olde towne (which was built in ancient times). It reminded me of those great towns in Final Fantasy IV (I'm sure at least one of you knows what I mean...) but I didn't find any treasure, eating and drinking were more interesting and I didn't once have to dress up as a guard or merchant.

On the last night I did some karaoke in a tiny bar. As it was the eve of a national holiday celebrating (the first) Estonian indepedence the owner brought out a bottle of local vodka which was passed round. Shortly after I fulfilled my dream and sang Like a Rolling Stone (the song, not in a manner similar to Keith Richards), the whole long snarling lot. To my surprise it went down well and I was encouraged to do another. After much thought I somewhat randomly chose CCR's classic Bad Moon Rising - as I was singing it I became very embarrased that its apocalyptic lyrics were not entirely appropriate to the local feelings of optimism and celebration. Still, I was not chased out of the bar.

Has anyone else been watching Life on Mars? I watched each episode except the penultimate one and then somehow missed the last 15 mins of the final episode - very irritating as I was quite hooked by it and now have to wait til April whien it is repeated in the Sign Zone in the middle of the night. Don't tell me how it ended - although I see there is to be a second series with the same characters so that tells you something...

Babble babble babble...

The season of good jeer

All is quiet out here in Blogland. I thought I'd break the silence and holler out my news.

My term has finished - last night was the office party - and I am returning back to Wiltshire tonight. I have been valiantly fighting a horrible cold for the last week so am looking forward to being able to sleep in, laze about, see my parents and have meals cooked for me!

I am mostly listening to Veneer by Jose Gonzalez - have you heard his stuff? I know every up-and-coming introspective guitarist is inaccurately hailed as 'The New Nick Drake', but for once such claims would seem slightly more justifiable - well, no that's rubbish he's not The New Drake but he is a damnably fine guitarist and songwriter. Listen...
i) Heartbeats
ii) Stay in the Shade
iii) Hints

Buy it here - go on, it's cheap and jolly good.

In other news, as it is the season of good jeer, I am, perhaps foolishly, growing a Goatee. It is looking slightly less rubbish than it did yesterday...

Ever a man of my word...

Having promised Tom a recording of these for some time (some stuff we did when he came to visit (about 3 months now :-S)), I finally got my arse into gear and worked out a way to send them (which doesn't even involve going outside to post them!)...

The quality isn't great - think I need new cables - but you get the idea.

The Maiden's classic Alexander The Great

A bit of Springsteen; Atlantic City (inspired by The Band)

and finally, a good old Irish folk tune which I heard a bloke singing in Dingle - The Rare Old Times.

All (c) Copyright 2005, Perrin/Whiting (oh and Harris, Springsteen & trad...)

Iron & Wine

Iron & Wine and Calexico are well worth listening to. I would encourage you all to buy their excellent albums (such as 'Our Endless Numbered Days' or 'Feast of Wire'). They have recently combined forces and a live set of their excellent album 'In the Reins' can be found here...

I dreamt of The Darkness

I recently purchased The Darkness's new album "One Way Ticket To Hell ... And Back". It has a very dodgy Meat Loaf-esque cover...

Anyway, I've listened to it quite a lot over the past 5 days, mainly in the car. Just this evening, however, I was listening to it while cooking and was surprised to suddenly recall that I the last time I'd heard the sublimely ridiculous 'Hazel Eyes' was last night in a dream (I think I was raving about it to my dad). This song, in case you have not yet had the pleasure, starts with the great line; 'I hail from the flat lands of East Anglia' and has obviously sunk deep into my psyche...

And the rest of the album? Well, it rocks but will probably not win over any new fans. It's not all hilarious and there are perhaps fewer firm classics than on Permission to Land. However, certain aspects delighted and continue to delight me -
i) the use of electric-sitar simulator for solo on One way Ticket
ii) the frankly epic Springsteen/Polecats/Zevon-esque 'Hunh!'which precedes a huge guitar solo on 'Dinner Lady Arms'
iii) the fact that, like the Trews, they have obviously learnt the lessons of these veritable Rock Giants
iv) oh and all the songs and solos and stupidity - great stuff

I was going to trawl their website for a sample but it seems to be down at the moment...

In other news:

- I now have new glasses which I see are called Maverick
- I have had people cussing me since I started wearing the glasses, saying I'm just so damn unpredictable. The old glasses, you see, made me look decidedly German - almost like an Ice Man.
- I've just decided to update more briefly and more often
- Yay, and it shall be done