Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Twister

Seems like my dopey finger problem may be just related to twisting and such in bed resulting in compressing nerves and some such medical jargon in combination with the wallpaper stripping.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

HandyDan

I've never been quite the handymen that Val and Earl (Earl is on the right, Val is on the left) proven to be for the population of Perfection. I've done a fair bit of painting, yard clearances, mild demolition (sheds and walls) and general gardening work. However, I thought I had worked out any kinks there might be in my technique. I may have been wrong.

It seems that my wallpaper removal and painting may have had a more permanent effect than I was expecting. The last 2 weeks or so I've been waking up with my litte finger on my right hand curled up and try as I might I can't unfold it. I have to use my other hand to do it manually(yes, I can see the funny part of referring to something that you do with your hand as manual). It is as if it has locked up, that or the wiring is shot.

I've got an aunt who has suffered considerably since her late 30s with arthritis, so I'm somewhat concerned; as rated on the Mitty Concerned scale where 'somewhat' is higher than 'mildly' but not as high as 'a good bit'. From my light net reading, it seems arthritis is like a weakness or condition that you are prone to that get triggered or released due to a trauma in the joint. I'm going consult with one of those quackery folks and see if this is just a mild dose of hypochondria.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

My eye ate a fly.


As I was biking in this tomorrow, I was in collision with some flying thingy. Well, collision is a strong word to use when the other objective is a gnat compared to yourself. In fact is could have been a gnat.

Anyhow, my eye closed on it and in the ensuing struggle it seems my eye may have devoured it, well there appeared to be wriggling after I had stopped and I couldn't find or pull any bits out. Later on, the phrase that came to be me as a minor poetic phrase was 'My eye ate a fly', said with a lilting southern (as in American south) accent it sounds kinda fun.

Not a patch on the 'I ate a bug' from young Ms. Tam on our left. There again, I'm no Whedon.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

my wee band

There is a concept I heard Jim Kerr of the Simple Minds put forth one day on afternon tv (many years ago) about the dangers of what he termed 'my wee band'. Basically, you discover a band that you really like and proceed to talk about them endlessly, buy all their stuff and promote them to all your mates. However, if they actually have the bad grace to become successful you start moaning about how they've sold out, that their new stuff isn't as good as their original material. The idea Jim was driving at was this was all a form of selfish toss. When the band were yours alone they were shiny and great but when they came to belong to everyone they were cheap and nasty. A generous confident person who values the work will be glad the band's work has found a wider audience, while a more insecure and selfish person wants the pretty thing just for themselves. Yet they do want everyone to know how fabulous the thing they and they alone have is! It can only ever end in tears before bedtime

In slightly different vein, while living the land of 'pan I discovered the joys of a CD library in Maebashi. You could borrow CDs much like books 2 weeks at a time. This offer included new releases and it wasn't long before I was taping to beat the band like the cute Kerryman I am. One band whose album I recorded at the time but had not heard of was this '24 years of Hunger' by Eg and Alice. The album quickly became one of my favourites but try as I might I've never been able to get it new on CD in order to give some reward to those who created it. And that is a real, real pity. I urge poeple to look out for it for themselves. It really is a divine piece of work. And I'm going to root it out and give it a good old listen now that I've got my tape collection back.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

And not a nana in sight!

Album art is a lost art some might say due to the smaller area to work with on CD covers as compared to LPs and rightly so judging by these examples!

Thursday, August 10, 2006

I too have lost this love

but I should make the effort to renew the relationship that was so important to me when I was a wee laddie. I'm a library brat after all.

All Hail King Puck

I'd not seen this before but you can follow all the day's action here...quite a good idea really. 6pm is the coronation time today. Thanks to MCC for the link. Tomorrow is the Fair Day and Saturday the Scattering Day.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Behold the witch

blade...ok wallpaper-blade is probably more accurate. I made it using a standard scrapper and painting pad with extension joined by mystical drafting tape which allows me to wet the high, hard to reach parts of the wallpaper and then flip it over and scrape them.

And it can be used to flip burgers.... ok , maybe not.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Sports

A cracking game of football, there was some great fielding on display. The O'Se clan should be justly proud of the commitment and skill their lads showed. Not sure that we should be labelling Kieran Donaghy as 'Der Neu Bomber' but sure he seems grounded enough to live with the comparison. Sean O'Sullivan had a good game, and shouldn't feel that being replaced was any comment on his contribution. Gooch was quite good enough on the day but he is not 100% back to his best, 90% plus but there again Gooch's 60% would be enough for most county squads. Mike Frank's shooting wasn't quite up to his best but he did good link work, took responsibility and I feel he is getting back to his best. He is due a blinder and I'd love it see it against the Dubs in the final. I'll be honest and admit to some roaring and shouting at the telly when Donaghy scored. This win doesn't mean anything without an All-Ireland at the end of it. And while we may have the northern whoodoo off our backs for now, I wouldn't say that takes from Tyrone or Armagh's wins.

The slips against Cork this year will be a different matter.

And Palace started the season with a win too which was nice.

Monday, August 07, 2006

Interesting video outtakes.

You too could be as lovely as this young fetching example of woman. Actually, I have a female friend (yes, that would be you KC) who I've known to lose the gear stick of her brain. 'huh?!' Only when she's been overworked and very tired and perhaps had a few drinks.

Speaking of interesting video, our Respect friend is off again. It may not be very factly illuminating. but it makes for fun tv. Actually, the Sky correspondent should have asked gorgeous George to name the family.

Friday, August 04, 2006

Visual Entertainments

I caught the Chronicles of Riddick on the telly (via sky movies) and I have to admit I thought it was loads of fun. The CGI was used in the right places for the right reasons. Some nice scope and the action was tidily done. Actually, the CGI made me wonder if a movie or mini-series of Dan Simmons Hyperion books might be feasible in the near to medium future. A series like Dune would be my preference in order that less would be cut out from the story.

Pixar on the other hand may have jumped the shark. The Simpson's many moons ago took the mikey out of the trailer for Cars, with 'Cards' and while it may be that they changed some aspects of the movie as a result, I still can't past the deliberate cutesyness. Part of the difficulty with animation is that the technical excellence can overshadow or even compensate for some viewers for what is basically poor story telling and weak characters. And how could people miss the fact that it is a blatant rip-off of Doc Hollywood, which at least had a charming pig in it.

From someone else's posting. Cars
is everything the other flicks were, even more so. Every cheesy, corny, cliché elementis extruded and shaped according to Pixar’s determination to not stray too far from the known. Here they want to pretend they really give a fuck about all the hicks, rednecks, and ignorant unwashed masses that they hope will still drag their kids to this flick and buy them the oodles of merchandising on offer. It’s the kind of reflexive window into Pixar’s perspective on Americans themselves, and it wants them to celebrate how wonderful they are just for being who they are. Ah, the laziest form of self-adulation.

Fifty first dates, how is it that Adam Sandler can be such a pain and make such awful movies at times and then he does the occasional stuff which has real heart and is quite touching. I disagree with the ending though.

Eurotrip, Michelle tractenberg, say Mr. Harris would say Daddy likey, our Dawnie is all growed up and she is like 21 or something now so that's all ok right? Still it was somewhat surprising that this was a Dreamworks production and it does seem like Slovakia can't catch a break from a tourist promotion viewpoint.

Ghost-Dog - the way of the samurai
, didn't remember when watching it that it was a Jim Jarmusch movie, still I should have twigged. Interesting and enjoyable.

Then there is the girl next door. Or perhaps there isn't.

Go Kelly, go!

I was looking here one day a few months back and through a posting got to the Gleesonsphere (normally I hate The View and all its works, in part because I think it should take place in a pub) and then today it gives me this Goddess. And it rocks!

It is sort of a Friday thing.

and there appears to be more on the Sullivan show.