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| 3 weeks or so without a post... |
[13 Dec 2009|09:38pm] |
So this has what has occurred in my life - with pictures to boot!;
Fri 27th, my dad, myself and two folks we have known for years through piping played at the Loretto club as part of their St Andrews night. Was looking like being a good wee night but I left shortly after playing as I was up early the next day. They gave us £20 each too, I was doing it for nothing!
Saturday and Sunday were spent bag-packing at Braehead. The other side of all the great times I have with the pipe band that I speak about here also have a financial side, that being a pipe band is really expensive to run! It is our hobby at the end of the day so to get the good you sometimes have to put in some graft. But I still enjoyed it for what it was, a wee 2 days out meeting people who were mostly very nice. On the Saturday night myself and Andrew (aye he's in the band now) popped in to the Green Oak for a pint. As leaving the barmaid asked us to play a tune. This happened;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9ttbhD4Jmk
We got 2 free drinks and £13 from a whip-round. We dumped that in to the band funds...but kept the drink naturally.
Saturday 5th - Again, fund raising with the band. This time we started outside Braehead during the day in the bitter cold. At night we had arranged to go around pubs in Glasgow's West End. My group did the Islay, The Snaffle Bit and the Park bar. A good few drinks were had after it. Also this was Andrew's first real drinking session with the band which meant I had someone to take me home which is handy! Here is us in our matching uniforms (my mum insisted on getting this picture)
Last Thursday was Paramore! Had spent the whole week in work listening to nothing but them and You Me At Six. And it was superb. It has backed up my view on the SECC that I got at Lily Allen, they have really improved the venue. The band were awesome too! Sadly there was no way they could play every song I would have wanted to hear but I did know every one they did.
(Chrissy took this, who was right at the front)
Team Paramore 2009
Yesterday - Myself and Laura spent the day in Glasgow (well I spent an additional hour waiting on her at Central station!) going around some shops. Next time you are in Glasgow...you HAVE to go to Hanley's in St Enoch Centre. That is the best shop...ever!!!
I was after clothes for the couple of upcoming Christmas shindigs I have (work, uni, pipe band etc). Got some jeans, couple of jumpers and a jacket. I paid £20 on a jumper that has a shirt bit at the top! Is this in fashion? I don't know but I love the idea! I look smart but am nowhere near as self concious as usual! My new jacket is my favouritist thing ever! So warm! We then got food in a pub called Lauders. Place was jumping but a guy I know from the Morton forum was just leaving so we got his seats! :-D Then seen Where The Wild Things Are which was a pretty decent flick. Was surprised by it. We then explored George Square and then came home.
At the Christmas tree...with my new jacket on :-D
Today I got the last of my Christmas presents. A coffee maker for my mum and dad. I had to gamble that no one would be awake when I came in (despite it being 12 in the afternoon) and legged it up stairs with it and wrapped it. Sorted.
The upcoming festive period is busy busy busy for me. Work night out on Wednesday, going to see Dave and the band play Slanj on Friday, Uni day/night out on Saturday, die Sunday, then off from Christmas eve through to the 4th.
Gonna be fun!
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[26 Nov 2009|05:41pm] |
I hadn't been to the SECC since Green Day on their American idiot tour a couple of years back.
My memory of this is that New Found Glory had the worst sound mix I have ever heard. All kick drum, a tiny bit of bass, lots of vocals and if you squinted your ears you could maybe pick up some lead guitar. Green Day's sound was better but still very bass dominated and bouncing around the hall like nobodies business.
In fact I hadn't really heard a band sound good at the SECC ever when I stopped and thought about it. Incubus when I was 15 was about as close as I could get to remember a decent sound.
So I was a bit worried going to Lily Allen last night for this. But props were it is due, the SECC must have listened to the complains and reputation it had as a concert arena as the sound was perfect. Every instrument could be heard clear with none going over the top and no sound bouncing around. It wasn't far off the kind of sound you would maybe get from the back of the Academy. I was very impressed, and this bodes well for Paramore 2 weeks today!
As for the gig itself. Calum and myself walked out shocked. Obviously we like her music so of course we would like the show but actually how good not only her but the band (the drummer was phenomenal) were. They played every song I hoped they would except Alfie and that is always a sign of me enjoying a gig. I thought it was excellet and I would certainly go see her again. I'd go as far as to say I reckon - while maybe not loving it - someone who only knew her singles but didn't really care for listening to a whole album would have really enjoyed it too.
...I'll never make a gig reviewer reading that back!
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| Puggs' Winter Tickler |
[19 Nov 2009|03:34pm] |
Decided today I would attempt to make home made soup after seeing broccoli reduced in tesco.
So I'm calling it Puggs' Winter Tickler - Will warm even your coldest bits :-)
So basically what I went with was;
1 cauliflower
1/2 broccoli
1 carrot
1 onion
3x Knorr Vegetable Stock Pots
Put all these into a pot big enough for them and fill with boiled water
I then added ground black pepper and garlic powder.
Basically boil until vegetables are soft, should look something like this:
Then pop it in the blender until the big vegetable bits are gone, and put back in to the bowl for a wee heat, should now look like this
I also purposely left some big veg bits in the pot while the rest was blendering just so it had some big chunks too.
Then...serve (reading the tele optional)
The garlic powder and pepper can be altered for however you like it but I put in a good load of each, especially the power.
I'm oddly chuffed with that! It tasted sublime!
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| Wick |
[17 Nov 2009|06:27pm] |
I was going to do a big post summing the weekend just there up.
But instead I have decided this will do;
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| Start with a quote |
[01 Nov 2009|11:08am] |
Jeff Fischer - The cops always go to the boyfriend with the van. That's profiling, and that's wrong.
Stan Smith - That's the price you pay for the sweet pleasure of van ownership.
So for those of you who do not know, myself and Mick Clocherty (Ruth's wee brother for those still not sure) have been flat hunting. Only had 2 viewings so far. First one was a non-starter but the second one was unreal.
It was a 1 minute walk from Pollokshields West station, which in-turn is 5 minutes in to the centre of Glasgow (and is a 1.6 mile walk from door to central station). We had got there early so went a walk around the area. The place was amazing. Very quiet, big houses and seemed like an utterly peaceful place to live.
The flat itself was outstanding! Can't really describe it or that but we both felt it was ideal. So much so that upon leaving Mick turned to me and went "...so what's the catch?" and all I could do was shrug and smile.
A quick talk - 3 seconds I think - and we decided we wanted it. He phoned the office who told us to pop in and put down a hold-deposit. So we got back to central, I got my share of the deposit and left him so I could go back to work. I phoned him about 15 minutess later, he was in the pub killing time as the women in the office said she would have to check with the landlady as she may not be keen on a student.
I call back 5 minutes later and it's bad news. She didn't want a student. Not just any student, she didn't want a Glasgow Caley one. Strathclyde or Glasgow would probably have been fine!
At first in work I kind of laughed it all off, as it does seem silly. But now I am quite annoyed about it. The women has made one massive assumption based on the fact someone is a student and also where they study. Mick works 20 hours a week on top of going to uni, and I work 35 hours a week, am out at least 3 week nights of the week and - minus the bagpipes - am about as quiet as you would hope for. We both have reputations for being piss-heads when we want to be but we actually can be mature and responsible when we need to be...stop laughing Ruth! :-P
We had also decided well in advance of us getting a flat that the place was somewhere to live and would never be a party flat (sorry Ruth, no flat warming when we eventually find somewhere). Sure folks could come around now and then, and people could crash but numbers for either of these would be limited and noise levels etc would be watched. We don't want/need the hassle of parties, pissing neighbours off and ending up with a wrecked flat. It seems that that idea - although fine with some and I am not dissing them for it - just does not interest us.
So the women has made these assumptions which, and she doesn't know, turn out to be utterly incorrect. Mick even said the women at the office gave off the impression that this landlady was just being completely ridiculous and had always been very difficult.
But oh well, the search goes on! Just very annoying that.
...mind you I get described as a 'young professional' when we have to talk about who we are which makes me feel far too grown up, but in a good way for once!
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| Going underground |
[25 Oct 2009|08:26am] |
Things, as has been a recurring theme lately, have been going far too well. Just enjoying everything I am a part of. That even includes work. I say that, and I haven't been out on the piss in Greenock for at least 6 weeks...maybe there's a correlation? :-P
But aye, what has to be talked about will now be talked about; Subcrawl. What a day!
This was my 4th but easily my best! Everyone who had done 1+ crawls seemed to agree. I'll just bullet point the best bits;
- Ayr United Casuals on the rail replacement bus who got off in Glasgow and proceeded to just pish in the middle of the street
- Fat Boabs now being Hootenany's with the friendliest owners you'll ever meet
- Gormley 'knowing' where a biker bar was after we walked about 2 miles (original crawl pub closes) only to find it was shut!
- Finding Elton John Specs in a pub that then did the whole crawl with us, with someone wearing them.
- Meeting Stu's security guard at his work who basically looks like Chris Turk +15 years
- Group picture at Govan outside the pub, as is now the tradition!
- 'MA BOYS AN ENGINEER' from a women assuming we were all money grabbing privileged students which caused a riot resulting in Gormley throwing a chip roll in her mans face when he said something out of order (can't remember what)
- The wee old women, who was lovely, and saw this and came over telling us to leave them and they are not worth it. In the middle of Gormley explaining to her what happened she just cut-through him asking why he didn't have a jacket on
- Not being allowed to leave a Celtic leaning pub while and Orange Band marched past
- Sitting outside in Ashton Lane singing Green Fields of France and Don't Stop Me No
- Davey being the closest to spewing
- Being in a pub of basically us and a DJ so everyone getting up and dancing when he started his set
- Meeting another subcrawl and getting a massive group picture taken on the subway platform
- Getting bollocked off a subway guy for the noise we were making
- Making the last pub of the crawl
- Going back to Hootenany's to be (well I was anyway) hugged and kissed by the over the moon barmaid from that morning who seemed really proud that we had made it back
- Hootenany's being night and day from Fat Boabs and was mobbed and had a band on.
Epic! After this all the Greenock ones bar myself headed so they could be down for half 11. I hung back for a couple of drinks with those who live in Glasgow. I somehow managed to then navigate myself home. Including the bus to paisley then the train. I can remember bits but nothing more than a picture in my head at any time!
An interesting article about the Subcrawl say;
The current Subcrawl world records are believed to be: 43 people (number of people to begin a Subcrawl, set on 26 February 2002) 15 people (number of people to complete a Subcrawl (26 started), set on 23 June 2007 by the ) 6 people (number of people to complete a Subcrawl while dressed as pirates, set on 6 May 2006)
...there was 14 of us, who all started and finished! Bugger!
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[13 Oct 2009|01:23pm] |
Right so, not been much of an update in a while. So have one now!
Week and a half ago was Johnny's party. I had a great time. Nicely drunk amongst other things and seemed like a good crowd and good fun - as I have this great ability now to avoid and not get involved in arguments etc! I recommend it to everyone. Be the laissez-faire guy and you can't go wrong!
This Saturday I headed over to Edinburgh to hang out with the artist formerly known as Niblet who I've taken to calling Laura. A pub crawl in Edinburgh was the plan...and it is what we done. Fuelled only by my breakfast and a pack of quavers! A few highlights included; The Black Rose which was like if The Steamie and Solid Rock had a bastard child, Tron for Strawberry beer and lots of students and the last pub for the German darts team. Basically they let us sit at 2 spare seats and we got talking to them. They assumed we were a couple and - fearing she might get German-gang-raped if we told them the truth - Laura decided to go with this. They ended up apologising for the war after we apologised for someone wanting to batter one of them in a club the night before. They took a picture of us and I gave them my email address, if I get that picture sent it will be one for the ages! The night ended with us 2 stumbling about, her with my trainers on and me in my socks while she carried her heels, looking for a chinese only to suddenly discover it was about 20 past 2 in the morning and they would all actually be closed!
Sunday I had no hangover, a new developing theme with me which I'm enjoying because I did really mix my drinks the night before! Train home was fine, met Laura in Glasgow after her night out in Glasgow and jumped a train down. Went to Tesco, came home.
Last night was Kevin fucking Smith! Met Ruth after work for a Subway, went to the pub and met Laura. Then we met Julie and headed up. Floated about until Iain arrived, floated about a bit more then went in. It's hard to describe a Q and A and why it was so enjoyable but I utterly loved it. Had a sore jaw by the time it was done from smiling and laughing! It's not just the stories and that...but the way he tells them. You know he has told them a thousand times but they still sound fresh and with a lot of heart behind them! May have been my only chance to see him live and I'm glad I did!
Rest of the week is kinda quiet. Nothing on until Friday where I'm having a practice with Dave. Remember that Oxjam gig? Yeah well In fucked up majorly and can't play it. I got my dates wrong and am actually at Michael McIntyre. Feel very shite about that but Dave has managed to get a replacement (Jay - DNR drummer before me ironically) so I'm doing as much as I can to help get him ready so will be at practice running through the songs so he can see what I do.
I STILL STRONGLY URGE ANYONE WHO CONSIDERED GOING AFTER MY LJ ON IT TO STILL GO!
Saturday - Subcrawl. No talk, no prediction, just....can't wait :-D
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| Good cause gig! |
[01 Oct 2009|10:11pm] |
I rarely post major things about playing with Dave Hughes, but this one is different as it is for a very good cause.
...and also you may notice another name on this line-up FINALLY doing a solo set again!!!!
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Acoustic Riot at Oxjam
13th Note Club, 24th of October, all day from 3pm
Dave Hughes & The renegade folk punk band
Roscoe Vacant
El Bastardos
..
Judith Harron
Jimmy Richards
Billy Liar
Roberto Cassani
The moth and the mirror
Shambles Millar
It's part of the whole weekend Glasgow Oxjam Takeover, featuring over 100 bands all over the merchant city, raising money for Oxfam.
There have been 100 early bird weekend passes released today for the reduced price of £6, I say get them now before they sell out!
Can be bought from: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/60886
Once paid for, the ticket is then exchanged for a wrist band 2 weeks before hte event from Oxjam Music in Glasgow.
This. Will. Be Ace.
*******************
More on Oxjam here - http://www.oxfam.org.uk/get_involved/fundraise/oxjam/index.php?ito=2415&itc=0
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| Saturday |
[01 Oct 2009|01:18pm] |
Last Saturday was quite odd.
I was up at about 7, as I tend to do that a lot these days! Was in and out the town by 11 having went a wee walk after opening a savings account and going to Tesco.
Rest of the afternoon was spent fiddling with bagpipes and multi-tracking software for something I'm working on.
After this headed to Glasgow with Laura to play a gig. The gig was in Hutcheson Hall and had a Vivian Westwood stand. The place looked unreal and the people there were extremely posh.
...so imagine how the punk-folk genre fitted in. Let's just say we shortened the set! We did get free beer though and the other people playing were very nice.
After this us 2 headed back to Laura's were her folks were having a Mexican themed party. Even seen a middle aged man in a blindfold kiss another middle aged man's arse? I have! It was quite funny actually. They also played pinata with one which was utterly indestructible and took 3 guys kicking it to open it. Oh and one pished guy kept introducing himself to me!
The rest of the night was spent in Iain's room with himself, Laura and Julie...with me and Iain basically being gay for each other the whole time. I slightly disturbed myself. Also there was a film on called 'Batteries not Included' and no one could believe I had never heard of it. I checked it on Wikipedia on Sunday and I am still none the wiser to it!
Left at about 2, not before Laura's mum gave me a wee trophy from their game prizes simply because I hugged her and wished her happy birthday!
I say an odd night, and I'm right...but it was fucking awesome too!
Oh and sidenote, took the new Paramore album from Iain's laptop, and that too is awesome! :-D
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| The following... |
[20 Sep 2009|04:16pm] |
...has been written because I explained it to Corky and Johnny and Corky thought for a minute and completely agreed, if that is not an endorsement then I don't know what is.
I would like to use this journal to talk about tits.
Now I know, me talking about breasts is not exactly breaking new ground - well maybe within the livejournal - but its a certain kind of tits that has been really bugging me lately.
It all kicked off in my mind because the girl that sits opposite me in work, who is quite nice I should add, is quite large. And I know that coming from me is a tad pot calling the kettle black but I'm going somewhere with this.
She has a really bad habbit of wearing tops that reveal a lot of cleavage. Now I know bigger girls will almost always have a bigger bust, that's a-given. But it seems to be a thing these days for larger chicks to really accent the fact the have big breasts by pushing them right up and bringing the neckline right down.
And the thing is they seem to get away with it. Guys can be notoriously shallow and will see a big set of breasts and stop and slever for a while without actually taking time to notice what is surrounding said breasts.
So it was because of having these in my eye-line at least 3/5 days of the week in work I have worked out the theory that both guys and girls in life should live by!
I call this: The Fat-tit Theory.
It is very very simple.
Girl - If when you put a bra on that brings your tits right up and makes your cleavage look huge and awesome, but your stomach goes other further than your breasts - you have fat tits.
Guy - If you see a chick who looks like she has rocking awesome tits but her stomach goes out further than her breasts - she has fat tits.
This isn't a hatred thing against anything or anyone from me I should add. It is about putting across false ideas. I see it on bebo all the time of lassies who are clearly quite overweight - as I know them - putting up pictures that always have their tits in them and they look rocking.
Bigger girls can be attractive quite easily...this I would never deny, but by going down the fat-tits route they are trying to distract from themselves on to something that is not real and gives off a false image. Not only does it show them in a bad light but also emphasises poor self-esteem as it projects an image of what they believe people will like and want to see when in reality (9 times out of 10...minus maybe copious amounts of booze) a nice face and personality is far more than enough!
PS - I don't think anyone who reads this journal comes under this banner (except me and Johnny), so please don't think you do :-)
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| First things first... |
[17 Sep 2009|01:09pm] |
Add this
http://www.bebo.com/HalloweenH1
And strongly consider going, as it is for a good cause and the more people = the better the night!
Went and saw (500) Days of Summer last night. Came out of it thinking it was a really nifty wee picture but now thinking it is absolutely superb. Something seems to have oddly struck a chord with me with it (and I don't mean Zooey Deschanel but jesus...she's the one!) which may skew my view on it but I still recommended it.
Took the day off work tomorrow and, along with Johnny and Corky, heading to Glasgow for about 3 to pub it up until heading to Stu and Liz's for their flatwarming. Should be a superb night!
Saturday out for the parents anniversary. Then maybe pub...dunno.
Sunday I have a gig with Dave Hughes at The Halt in Glasgow. If anyone fancies it it is free in so I can honestly say you might get your money's worth :-) If you do want to come drop me a wee text! Should be fun.
It's odd. A lot of people seem to be classing 2009 as quite a bad year in relation to others. Me? I think I'm in the midst of my most enjoyable year yet. I just seem to be doing a lot more of what I enjoy.
I'm also throwing myself well out my comfort zone in a lot of respect. I had been getting too cosy in my life, easily dismissing going out or going places or doing things for sitting in at my PC instead. Made a conscience effort a couple of months back to start agreeing to more things I wouldn't usually have done in the past. This upcoming weekend might actually be the testament to that as before I may have not bothered with the flat warming, most likely wouldn't have picked up drumming with Dave again and definitely would never have went out with the family for a meal.
I don't want to quote a Jim Carey film (or a Danny Wallace book if you ken'd it before then...which I did) but people should just say yes more...or in my case "fuck it, why not?". You may surprise yourself!
Oh and tonight I get to change the snares on my snare drum...this may actually qualify me as a drummer :-O
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[13 Sep 2009|04:28pm] |
What is it with people, that when giving a jacket of some sort that is fluorescent in colour turns them in to the worst kind of people ever - the jobsworth.
I was up at Pitlochry yesterday for their highland games. Was the bands last of the season and was a great day out as we were in party mode. Plus we also won grade 2 and were second in grade 1.
Now Pitlochry is a very touristy place. I've been before, it is nice but very touristy. So because of this it is...loaded with tourists.
So I'm standing near the entrance to the park, where there is a big queue of people waiting to get in. Then I overhear a conversation between an American Tourist Women (ATW) and a Fluorescent Jacketed Cunt (FJC) that went like this:
ATW - Excuse me but can I nip in and get a programme
FJC - You'll need to queue and pay in like everyone else
ATW - But there are 8 of us and we are leaving in two hours so it is not worth our time, we just want a souvenir
JFC - I'm sorry but everyone else has to queue then pay in so you will have to do the same
ATW - But that makes no sense, I'm not waiting 10 minutes and paying £6 for a programme
JCF - (the jobsworth conversation ender number 1) - Well I'm sorry but there is nothing else I can do
A bit dejected by it all I see the women walking away so I pass my pipes to a guy in the band, catch up to her and ask if she got a programme, having confirmed what I knew I then went back in (being in a band = no queuing and paying, win!) purchased her a programme, took it back out, she thanked me and gave me the money while I apologised to no end for the fuckwit she had encountered!
A guy in the band couldn't get over how fucked-off I ended up over the whole thing. Little things like that, that can be fixed with little effort, make my blood boil! Fuck the world problems, global warming, the recession, wars in Iraq etc...it's all out of my control. But if I can help someone right in front of me who has been upset due to a cunt with a fluorescent jacket I will make sure I try my best!
Other than that I had an outstanding day, barely got drunk as I only made the last train with 4 minutes to spare and ended up sleeping most of the way home as I had gotten up at 6.15am but had a great time
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[07 Sep 2009|01:23pm] |
Dear Diary,
Can I have weekends like that all the time please?
What a fooking weekend that was! I've been having epic weekends for a while now but I think that one may have topped them. Not necessarily for it being the best, but for how unexpectedly good it was.
I was apprehensive about Friday night a wee bit. 2 practices after 20 months of nothing is not the best prep for a gig. But Jesus didn't that go well? 1 song in and we were flying. By the time we were playing Aids and I knew I was going straight into the intro for Party I was well psyched and the big cheers when I started the intro filled my wee ego up something mental! The back and worth with Couper in the interlude with the crowd was outstanding! Is it a return to full yaG? I doubt it due to how busy we all are these days but I reckon it will become like a few gigs a year thing. A couple practices and do a gig, simple!
Lounged about Saturday then up to Glasgow for a gig with Dave. Laura came along for a night out which was good as I can sometimes end up floating about myself at these gigs. We hadn't practised at all since the last gig and Dave had flung in a new song and one I had never drummed. But again it went absolutely out of this world! I had had 4 pints before going on which loosened me right up as I tend to be quite apprehensive playing with Dave due to how little we practice. Got a lot of comments from the crowd on my drumming at the end and how it seemed to have stepped up a level to past gigs. The joy of feeling comfortable!
Split a half bottle of voddy with Laura on the last train down the road then ended up at hers til about 5am talking the power of shite to whoever would listen...poor Iain must be getting sick of me doing that to him :-P Sunday was a complete right-off but I hadn't had a quiet day to myself in a while so it was badly needed!
Back to work today!
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| Yass! |
[04 Sep 2009|01:05pm] |
I have far too much to look forward to the now!
Tonight is the yaG gig!
Tomorrow I'm doing a gig with Dave.
Then over the next couple of months I have:
Last comp of the pipe band season at Pitlochry which we are only doing for a glorified end of season piss up!
More gigs with Dave
Bowling for Soup and Zebreahead (a pant-wetting lineup for me!) at the o2 Academy (hopefully they have changed the beer now!)
Kevin fucking Smith Q and A in Glasgow at the concert hall
Michael McIntyre front row seats at the SECC
Lily Allen at the SECC :-D
No one will be jealous of that line-up...except me! Yass!
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| The party returns... |
[24 Aug 2009|01:47pm] |
Get yours pussy hard or your cock wet! For it is upon us!!!
yaG Backwards!!!! - Live - 4th September
Slanj - With Donphobia and Transention
Free in!
Can't wait!
(now quick...how do our songs go?!)
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| Kill me |
[20 Aug 2009|06:35pm] |
Today was hell!
This afternoon the whole workforce went down to a hotel near by for the 'summer event'. I was warned!
Firstly, having paid their invoice I knew what was coming...and this was it: http://www.drumfun.co.uk/
Have a browse!
It was done by the main guy in the profiles bit (whom I now affectionately call drum-cunt!). I'm pretty sure he does a lot of drugs, jumped about and was way too over enthusiastic about everything. What did we do? Played with some egg shaker things in a beat and then done a thing with giant tubes, each having one. There were 5 different pitched sticks and you had one, and we got to make a group song thing. I was dying inside. Not even because I'm very rhythmical and can hit things in time - unlike most there - but just through how forced the whole sorry affair felt. The MD has a big grin on her face while everyone else is either hating it...or liking it far too much!
Once drum-cunt was done it was on to some group things. Basically getting taken out of your comfort zone, getting thrown in randomly with people you don't know, getting taken even further out of the comfort zone to do things and generally try and be a 'team player'. This consisted of most people sitting on the floor discussing things while I stood behind them listening (dodgy knee you see ;-) ) while they planned everything. In the end we had to present a short documentary acted by us about why the company is so good. I got in quick and managed to spend it holding signs...which I fucked up too! Had to sit through 6 of these things when I could have been sitting here at my desk eating my tea.
Amazingly my group won and we all got £10 M+S vouchers...a shop I think I use even less than Ann Summers.
Free food afterwards, but I'd had enough and jollied on back up to work to make my tea and post this.
I get why managers and that want these things to happen. To help create better teams, leading to better workforces leading to better work leading to better results. They eat this shite up. But the rest of us tend to hate this! Personally speaking I strongly dislike forced interaction. If I want to befriend someone I will...it is as simple as that, and I have done that in here already. If I don't want to befriend you, I wont.
The easiest way for this to go in future would be for the company to rent out a 120 capacity function sweet in a pub somewhere, give us the afternoon off and we all go there and mingle over a few drinks!
Oh and - some peoples jobs stop when they stop. The call centre guys, no problem, marketing, easy, sa Finance doesn't. We still get queries, invoices, bank recs etc etc etc. Taking us away for an afternoon was downright stupid as we now have a back-log. And personally, I think if a finance team in a company cannot be contacted on a Thursday afternoon then it doesn't put the company in a good light!
/over
...more on the other stupid things I have this past week at another date!
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| How to be a complete numpty! |
[17 Aug 2009|09:58pm] |
I'm halfway down the street to the train today, you know that 'point of no return' where if you went back you wouldn't make the train on time, and I realised all those things I bought last night at Tesco for lunch had been left on the kitchen work-top. Brilliant!
So I'm sitting on the train and thinking through my head what to do for lunch. I have money but I had stuff to do with the pipe band website during my lunch so didn't want to pop out for anything. I have some snack a jack popcorn and cuppa soup in my desk. That'll do.
But then I remember, I have forgot my house keys. These have my desk key. Bugger, no lunch for me today. I can get by anyway. The coffee is nice.
Then, at Hillington it slowly hits me. I have one of the safe keys in my desk. We use the safe daily. No worries...another person in the team has a safe key... this other person in the team has their daughter starting her first day of school today, this other person is off today. Of fuck!
I get to work and first thing I ask, "do we need to use the safe today". And then I explain. It turns out we could have gotten by but everyone else would have had double work-loads the next day. I'm not gonna be that guy who fucks everyone over due to their own incompetence, especially on my 4th week in.
So I time it all. I left work at 5 past 12. Trained it home, met Chrissy at the West who brought my keys and trained it back up. Making it in again for about 2.15.
...stupid stupid stupid boy!
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[06 Aug 2009|06:07pm] |
Dave Hughe's new EP featuring the Renegade Folk Punk Band (or Folk Spunk as we call ourselves...or two of us do...maybe 3) including me on drums for the first 3 tracks is now done and out.
Can even download it free here http://www.davehughesmusic.co.uk/music.php
Don't expect outstanding musical talent, clean sounds or the usual stuff you'd want from a recording...cos that wouldn't be folk punk (plus it covers my own short comings in the drumming department). You will get a fun wee listen. Plus Jud's backing vocals are outstanding, which is worth it alone - and I'm not just saying that cos she will read this, they really are!!!
We're also doing a gig on Monday in Glasgow for a fiver. If anyone really wants to come gies a shout and I'll sort you out with tickets. The last track on the CD gives a good idea of how it all comes across live - minus the fact I'm not the drummer ;-)
Enjoy
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[04 Aug 2009|06:18pm] |
Well I felt best give this a good and proper wee update about how life is going, as I have kind of neglected it all lately.
First off, the job. It is going really well. I'm now at the stage where I am doing most of the stuff I should be doing. Anything I am unsure of all I need to do is ask. The people in the finance team are all really nice which is a bonus. There are only 8 of us, my last place was 30-odd (that's councils for you) so it is important to get one with them...good thing I'm a friendly wee soul.
As the place has a call centre (I got to listen in to some calls in my first day as a 'getting to know the company' type thing and honestly, I could never do call centre work. How anyone can is just beyond me! My idea of hell...but I guess a lot of people in the call centre would say the exact same about dealing with the company's invoices and what-not!
I also am able to kill time before pipe band here as the call centre is still open. And it has a micro, toaster etc so I even get to have a proper meal rather than something I have made in advance!
All in I am enjoying it!
Pipe band is still funsies too! Down to North Berwick this Saturday then the big one the next Saturday; World Pipe Band Champiobnships...really looking forward to it!
Also got a gig with Dave coming up and I spent Sunday there putting down drum tracks for a wholle-band EP. All I have heard so far is drum, bass and guitar so I am really excited to see how the final product somes out. Also got a gig next Monday which should be fun.
Other than that, not too much to say really. I have plans for the upcoming couple of months but until anything is concrete there is no point in really harkin on about it.
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| Highlights |
[30 Jul 2009|06:01pm] |
Ok recently has consisted of this:
Got 5th at the European pipe band championships (woo!)
Got blind drunk with Laura to the stage neither of us can remember leaving the pub (woo!)
Started my permanent job (woo!)
Like the job, where it's based and the people I'm working with (woo!)
Turned 23 (not so woo!).
Today's an odd one for me. Having your birthday in July always meant you were off school or uni. This is the first time in 23 years on this earth I have had to treat my birthday as any other day. I guess the good thing is that I am now at such an age of no importance that if I wasn't working I would have done very little anyway (coincidently I will be travelling to Belfast on my 24th, most likely be in Belfast on my 25th and most likely be travelling home from Belfast on my 26th...all due to the European Pipe Band championships, aye the ones down the battery, being there for the next three years!).
Life goes on I guess!
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