Switch it On

Julie is kind of devoted to Will Young and his new single Switch it On. The photo and the single are both clickable!
Will has diversity to sing across many musical genres and is now also acting as 'Bertie' in the film, Mrs Henderson Presents which stars Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins, set for UK release 25 November 2005.

Tag: music, Will Young

cuddly toy

This is a cuddly toy entry - I don't have time to do a proper post this evening.

The derivation of a cuddly toy post is the 'Generation Game' a TV programme hosted by Bruce Forsyth. In part of the game, the contestants had to remember lots of goodies on a conveyor belt. Every so often, a less valuable item (a cuddly toy) would appear on the belt.

Thursday Thirteen

13 things about rashbre

1. I live in the UK, near London, my satellite link in this blog shows where
2. My favourite ice cream is Phish food
3. My iPod has around 6700 songs loaded
4. I decided to learn to play guitar in August 2005
5. I am helping Christina Nott get started as a music artist
6. I am developing a coffee table photo album about Ybor City, Tampa, Florida
7. I only have 10 things in the 43 things list, but that's enough for now
8. I seldom watch TV in real time except news and some films
9. I have got my kicks on Route 66
10. I have backpacked around Europe as well spending time in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey
11. is my favourite number
12. Approximately one electrical item associated with me breaks every day
13. Our fridge never has enough milk

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. Leanne's Thirteen!
2. Utenzi’s Thirteen!
3. Crusty’s Thirteen!
4. Keb’s Thirteen!
5. MommaK’s Thirteen!
6. Sleeping Mommy’s Thirteen!
7. E’s Thirteen!
8. Interstellar Adventures
9. aetheria's gin soaked Thirteen
10. (leave your link in comments, I'll add you here!)

Get Leanne's Thursday Thirteen code here!
Thirteen things is all I ask for, and what do you get in return? Linkage! If you do it, leave a comment here and link me to your Thursday Thirteen. I will be sure to update my entry with links to yours, and then you can continue the chain if you like! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Tag: Thursday Thirteen

Tramping to Heidelberg

This morning I met Chris and we zoomed south to Heidelberg. This is a pretty town, with an imposing castle, a famous university and a hill where philosphers are said to have mused. It has a long and famous shopping street and during December has very picturesque Weinnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market).

We had things to do and people to see, so the day was a bit of a dash along the pretty hill flanked valley, with hardly a pause except for some well-deserved coffee in a little Konditorei.


Slightly different from Mark Twain's time in Heidelberg.He visited Heidelberg whilst trying to clear a writer's block in the midst of writing The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Prince and the Pauper.

In his book "A Tramp Abroad" he describes that he would walk across Europe on foot and in the course of this tramp to learn the German language and to perfect himself in Art. When he arrived in Heidelberg for a day, he found himself to stay for three months.

Interesting to note that Heidelberg translates as Huckelberry Mountain! So Chris and I were in famous footsteps, also including Alan Ginsburg, Goethe, and Alfred Lord Tennyson.

Tag: germany, deutschland, Mark Twain

Frankfurter fliegende Besuch

Had to make a flying visit to Frankfurt today.

The airport signage in Frankfurt Flughafen is slightly confusing and I was amused when I accidentally caused an entire planeload of passengers to follow me around a cafe kiosk AWAY from the airport exit instead of towards it.

I wondered if it was just my opinion about the signs and stumbled upon this airport review site(!), where signage and people getting lost does seem to be a feature!

Tag: germany, airport, travel

Theres a difference at McDonalds?

Reported over this weekend, McDonalds Japan have given Ronald a makeover. I'm pretty sure I saw this last year but in the interests of tomatoes, I've linked the TV advert to the picture. Click picture to view.

office discipline

Tsk Tsk, I was visiting the girl behind earlier and found these shocking scenes in her blog!

A cubicle only suitable for reflection;

A major outbreak of Post-It (R) (TM) (C) notes;

An ergonomically unsound keyboard position;

And a serious outbreak of cress, suggesting lack of attention by the keyboard disinfecting operative.

We must all take these transgressions seriously, and be vigilant to prevent them affecting other workplaces.

look out - you've been memed

I just got memed. Not sure about this really - needs a cocktail. Here's the deal:

1. Go into your archive.
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag some other people to do the same.

(fanfare) So my entry 23, sentence 5:
Write details of the time traveller convention with dates on a piece of acid-free paper, and slip into obscure books in academic libraries where they can be found in the distant future!

And the full entry is time travellers have been here before

So I'll tag Karsian, Panther Girl, Twisted Cinderalla, e and Utenzi, all of whom have dropped by and commented or emailed me over the last week or so.

No pressure, but you've each got a link anyway. Anyone else want to try? Don't wait to be tagged - volunteer in my comments below and I'll add you to the extra list here : kross-eyed kitty, honestyrain, Jean-Luc Picard, Webby's World, Andrea, aetheria, Pearl

And kenju for a nice blog-check!

Ka

Melanie's Ford Ka needs its annual checkover this week and so I need to spend time on Sunday preparing it for the MoT trip to the garage. Melanie calls it "Harvey", after the registration which starts RV.

constantly in a state of becoming

Dylan has been in my soundtrack for the last few weeks; when I recently stayed in SoHo I bought an album in Union Square and I just finished Bob Dylan's Chronicles autobiography. The UK media is ready to celebrate Dylan's portrait film by Martin Scorsese, and my co-incidental update prepares me for some interesting coverage.

No Direction Home is the Scorsese title including new rare footage. In the book, Dylan talks about the Gaslight Club, the areas around NYC's SoHo, Greenwich Village and West Village where he played and hung out and references Joan Baez, Dave Van Ronk and Allen Ginsberg.

I liked the beginning and end of his book a lot. The middle details Dylan's recording work in an enthusiast's way. The ends were more evocative, conveying the inner voice of Dylan. He makes good witness to his own life, candid and laconic.

There are some great book moments, like his description of his visit to Woody Guthrie's home, wading across a swamp, meeting a young Arlo Guthrie whilst trying to track down manuscripts of additional Guthrie songs. He ultimately returns empty handed. Fast forward to Billy Bragg and Wilco some 40 years later using those manuscripts for the Mermaid Avenue album. All of Dylan, Bragg and Wilco treating it as a pilgrimage.

Scorsese's film includes the famous performance from a militant Manchester Free Trade Hall, when a voice from the audience shouts "Judas!" Dylan leans into the microphone. "I don't believe you," he says and then after an electric pause - "You're a liar." As he blasts the Telecaster into "Rolling Stone" there is confusion, defiance and the start of another chapter.

Don't look back.

Tag: music, guitar, Bob Dylan

Breakfast in Mayfair

English Breakfast in Mayfair

Awakening in Mayfair, London I realised I'd arranged to meet Leon for breakfast in another part of town. A hack through Knightsbridge and way out west. So much for a breakfast in Mayfair.


Marilyn Breakfast in Mayfair

So which breakfast in Mayfair would you prefer?
croissant and black coffee
English Breakfast
Marilyn Breakfast
The full Monty
toast and marmelade
Miso soup
Danish
Anything with a good lay in
Teasmaid
no time for breakfast
Texas steak, eggs over easy, burritos, peppers and sour cream
Starbucks
Denny's


Tag: breakfast, london

the beat goes on

After the Elvis impersonator appeared I decided it was time to leave tonight's event.

I'm more of a Beatles person - you can't be both.

Tag: music, beatles

Mayfair evening

Mayfair tonight. Black tie required.

Parked in Park Lane (where else!?)

Tag: breakfast, london

when the levee breaks

An mp3 accompanies this post. It won't play automatically, but requires a click here to download.

On a Mac, this will immediately start playing in iTunes. On a PC, it varies according to the software player in use.

Do this by adding an mp3 to another internet shared file area. In my case it is http://homepage.mac.com/rashbre. I then embed a reference to the file into the blog.

The song is 'when the levee breaks I have no place to live'. Play it loud. The pictures link to donation sites.

Tag: katrina, levee

X ratted

No picture for this one.
Don't read this if squeamish.
Arriving back at my car, I noticed something on the roof, was it a cloth?
No - it was a dead rat.
And feathers.
And fur.
And lots of tiny scratch marks.
There had clearly been a fight to the death on the roof of my car between the rat and a bird.
The bird had won.

Tag: yuk

One more cup of coffee for the road

Magnus, Bertand and I met early to make our way to Fiumicino and then split up to return to Stockholm, Paris and London.

A final Lavazza Italian coffee and then the hop, skip and a jump back to London

Tag: breakfast, coffee, italy

Roman Evening

We made our way back to the centre of Rome, past the huge Mussolini creation sometimes referred to as 'the Wedding cake' and on into the area of the Trevi Fountain.

Annalisa showed us the proper way to throw the coins over our shoulder, with our back to the fountain. One coin for a wish and three coins for marriage! The Trevi is an interesting tourist sight, so here is a special downloadable quicktime tour of the Fountain, grab the photo to move around it.

We wandered around with the early evening crowds and finally stopped at Al Presidente, a fine restaurant where we ate Roman Style dishes, including fagioli (thick Roman bean soup), Roman style pasta and lamb.

Tag: italy, rome

Rome

And so I travel to Rome, Italy.

Rome, starting from 509 BC ascended to become capital of an empire dominating the whole of the Mediterranean and across Europe as far as the United Kingdom.

Rome's city walls were built in about 270 AD but didn't stop the city being sacked in in the 400s. It was as a result of the constant wars around it in the 500s that Rome's Empire fell into total disrepair becoming nearly abandoned and desolate.

The Bishop of Rome (Pope) ascended to become one of the leading religious figures in the entire Byzantine Empire and effectively more powerful locally than either the remaining senators or local Byzantine officials.

So power in Rome devolved to the Pope and much of the remaining possessions of the senatorial aristocracy and the local Byzantine administration in Rome were absorbed by the Church.

The Vatican is nowadays a separate State, with its own "Swiss" guards,

Every day of the year, many visitors make their way to the Vatican City, Sistine Chapel, St Peters and the Citadel.

And then there's the secular pleasures of coins in the Trevi Fountain and the many delights for tourists on holiday.


Tag: italy, rome

I heard you being quiet

There is so much written about Tori Amos. Flashing between 2005's The Beekeeper and the January 1992 Little Earthquakes shows Tori Amos to have excellent and durable singer/songwriter qualities with emotive, raw and poignant songs spanning the entire period.



Years go by will I still be waiting
For somebody else to understand
Years go by if I'm stripped of my beauty
And the orange clouds raining in my head

Sometimes playing just piano, other times using dance track style drum and bass accompaniment, Tori creates a web to enthrall. In Scarlett's Walk, which toured post September 11 in the USA, as well as visiting us here in Europe, she is able to demonstrate the performance quality of her work

Years go by will I choke on my tears
Till finally there is nothing left
One more casualty
You know we're too
easy
easy
easy



If you have not checked Tori's work, click one of the
references in this entry.

There is a fuller version of this post with accompanying music and comments here. People reading this at work asked for a version without automatic music.

Tag: music, Tori Amos

two tyred

My car needed replacement tyres and the man in a van said he would arrive at 12:00 to check what was required. He actually arrived at 12:03, I showed him the car and he started work. At 12:17, he handed me back my car keys.

All done. Almost a pit stop. Can anyone beat 14 minutes outside of Formula 1?

you call that psychedelic?

Seeing the goat (below) also created a brief search for other psychedelia. Where better than the Avalon Ballroom? And check out those sandals. You know, you can still buy them.

goat hunt

So I looked at Edie Sedgwick's Photostream, where I spotted a Psychadelic Goat. An internet adventure loomed.

1) Why spell it with an A instead of an E?
2) Why in monochrome for something psychedelic?

A little exploration found ellen's sadly neglected website and a few musical tracks about getting ready for Finals. I wonder what happened next?

saxophone headgear

I was having a debate with Ray a few days ago about headgear for a saxophone player. We narrowed it to berets or trilbys. Then I remember seeing saxophone guy in London a couple of days ago and that I had captured him on the edge of a photo I took with my phone. With massive enlargement and general Photoshopping, I managed to make a little dot into this kinda arty photo shot.

The result... No hat!

Wanna hear some sax? Click here!

Tag: music, saxophone

dream gomi and F:F:F

Look carefully at this picture (or the bigger version) for one minute before you go to bed.

Have happy dreams.

Tag: dreams