Saturday, January 28, 2006

Taxi Trip

I was covering a meeting with these people for the boss at short notice, so it meant getting a taxi across the city. Usually the drivers talk about nonsense. This one was different though. He said nothing until we were passing through the Gorbals. "It's a different place nowadays." He says, as we passed a block of new expensive flats, the like of which are popping up all over the city. "I suppose that's a brownfield site" He remarks as he points out the building work encroaching on one of the few areas of park. He goes on to tell me that they've named one of the streets after Benny Lynch, before providing a brief history of Benny, his glory, fame and his sad end. An alcoholic, he died penniless in the gutter. We pondered what the Gorbals must have been like in their infamous heyday.

Curious, I ended up having a virtual look at the Gorbals, which was fascinating. There's a virtual tour online, where you can see the regeneration of the area. The Social Work Area Team are based at Location 16.
posted by timesnewroman at 2:43 PM  

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Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Gangs of Four

Why Bother?

Google it seems has introduced a firewall that prevents (snigger) access to certain search topics in China. I think China's probably due a refund. Bring back this Gang of Four and get rid of the current capitalist leadership once and for all.

Meanwhile back in the world of treachery and centrist policy this Gang of Four are celebrating an anniversary of a grotesque orgy that became the whore birth-mother of New Labour. (With apologies to women prostitutes everywhere.) Well three of them are anyway. One down three to go.

Ah the heady days of when northern music was northern music and you could listen to this Gang of Four, as is Reidski's occasional whim.

(Someone once said In Prague sounded like them and that was before I had heard a note of their stuff.) more of that another day.
posted by timesnewroman at 7:13 AM  

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Saturday, January 21, 2006

I Am Spartacus

Better late than never I suppose

posted by timesnewroman at 1:41 PM  

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Friday, January 20, 2006

* a new winter coat and shoes for thewife

The boy said dad they're going to take us to task.

theboss said we're forming a task force. On account of the amount of work we have to do. We figured if we're going to be a task force we'll need nicknames. So an afternoon was spent devising them. Jimty started off with some suggestions but we realised quickly there are some rules in the giving of nicknames. Rule 1 is that they are given, you don't get to pick your own. Rule 2 is that they should be sort of ironic. So now our team consists of, in no particular order, Hannibal, How High? AK, Pondlife, Slim, Bashful and Lucky.

*she reads this you know, she'll be getting all excited now because she's not that familiar with Elvis.
posted by timesnewroman at 7:10 AM  

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Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Attention to detail

The apprentice, bless him, is a man diligent in the pursuit of accuracy and attention to the minutiae of our work. To such an extent, the most absurd hypothesis will be projected when assessing the quality and appropriateness of an organisation's policies, which he has cause to do now and again. This messianical zealotry is applied across the board, on Friday he produced a report and brought it to me for a meeting early on Monday morning, "just in case the computer network was down on Monday." Flippant me suggested that perhaps we should put it in a fireproof box in case the building burns down over the weekend. So you can imagine my surprise when arriving at work on Monday morning as a couple of Fire Engines arrive, flashing blue lights, sirens, the works, Firefighters as well which pleased Jem no end. Fortunately I hadn't developed ESP, it was merely a sprinkler problem. The apprentice though has clearly set his sights on retaining the employee of the month award having obtained it for turning up to check his email whilst on holiday. Methinks perhaps he's turning Japanese.
posted by timesnewroman at 7:10 AM  

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Sunday, January 15, 2006

Sounder Sleep

Following on from the That Swedish Place post, we went we saw, we borrowed van and we got a new bed. I told thewife that she could be the apprentice, whilst I dismantled the old bed and pu the new one together. She laughed and said "not apprentice, Supervisor!" She was right too. As I started to unscrew a bit of the old bed, which wouldn't budge, she told me to try the little Allan screw at the end. Came apart easily. I was no sooner back from the recycling centre after dunping the old bed and the packaging from the new bed, than the new bedding was on and the cat was ensconced upon it.

Of course my sound sleep may as much be to do with the fact that it's my month in the office wine menage, ya dancer! Wine rack full and none of your cheaper plonk either.

posted by timesnewroman at 11:02 AM  

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Saturday, January 14, 2006

My Dream, Your Nightmare

I had this crazy dream yesterday morning, where Kilmarnock beat Celtic 4 - 0 Today. It wasn't quite as vivid as Adrian Hayward's, nevertheless I'm wondering if it might be worth a trip to the bookies. They don't even quote 0-4 as a possibility at Ladbrokes although 0-3 is at 100/1. Why do you think that is?

posted by timesnewroman at 8:52 AM  

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Monday, January 09, 2006

The Essence of Scottishness

Icons A project aiming to define Englishness has just been launched with a number of to be expected nominations including a cup of tea and a red London Routemaster bus.

The project may extend to the nations that make up the UK. What will the Scottish Top 10 Icons look like?

In no particular order for your consideration I present the following:

Malt Whisky; Deep Fried Mars Bars; John McLean; Barr's Irn Bru; The Poetry of Robert Burns; Haggis - it has to be in there; The tweeness of tartan can be ignored I hope, as can bagpipes and heather. Any suggestions folks?
posted by timesnewroman at 8:06 PM  

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Sunday, January 08, 2006

That Swedish Place and the Curious Case of the Yellow Hair

We were going to have fish for dinner last night, and a starter of either oysters or mussels, whatever was in stock. Our local Tesco's supermarket is bloody big, but they don't always have much in the line of fish, and as we'd left it late to head off, I thought we'd better head for Glasgow. thewife thoroughly agreed with this idea, particularly as there's a branch of that Swedish place nearby and she'd been pottering about with a measuring tape earlier in the morning.

We went to Sainsbury's in Braehead first, ostensibly for a couple of bits of Sea Bass and some or Mussels and emerged about an our later and sixty quid lighter with a joint of Lamb. How thefuck did that happen? That's before we got to that Swedish place where thewife was checking out a bed. We can't afford a bed says I. I can says thewife. She has some kind of strange independent income of which I know nothing. I suspect its Mumsy though.

We have a look and they have a sale on and they don't have it in stock, nor would it fit in, or on the car, even if they did have it. They'll charge fifty quid to deliver it which is ridiculous. We could hire a van for half that. I'll need to check out how big my mate's estate car is. It might fit in that, even if we have to open the packaging to get it in.

I woke up this morning (No its not a blues song) and whilst in the bathroom, doing bathroomy things, I noticed that there was a yellowish patch at the front of my hair. On closer inspection, its not just my hair its on my head as well and it doesn't rub off! Its very noticeable as my hair is grey or distinguished silver nowadays. It was once a fiery red, but those days are long gone. Question is what is it and how the hell did it get there? Has thewife being playing some practical joke to get back at me for sneaking up on her Cato-like, from the Pink Panther and giving her a fright (keeps her on her toes)? No she hasn't, as it turns out, besides she has to go out with me tonight. I did drink a reasonable amount of wine last night, but I am quite positive I wasn't drunk enough to do anything stupid. Eventually thewife adopts her sleuth persona and asks if I switched the fire and lamp off in the living room before retiring. I did, I said. She then pronounces that in doing so I have brushed my head against the pollen from the vase of oriental lilies on the table next to the switch. "That may not come off as easily as you think" she says. I'm off to have a bath for however long it takes.

posted by timesnewroman at 3:07 PM  

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Friday, January 06, 2006

*Up Against The Wall Motherfuckers

Politicians, you can't live with them and you can't shoot them. Well not often in this country, although didn't some Liberal MP get attacked by a nutter with a Samurai Sword not so long ago? Yes in fact he did! (Google's amazing isn't it "Samurai Liberal MP" and Bob's yer uncle) Given Kennedy's current difficulties, its not surprising Liberals are wary around any kind of sharp blade. The really bizarre part of the whole affair though is that up until now his parliamentary colleagues have been well aware of Charlie's fondness for the odd dram. They've been happily covering it up for years, now its out there, they want shot of him. If anyone was under the illusion that Lib Dems were some sort of squeaky clean alternative to the mudslinging that was two party politics then its time to think again. They're obviously just another bunch of back stabbing bastard politicians.

What's with George Galloway. Wasn't he elected to represent people in Parliament as opposed to arse about as a TV celebrity? Is this another "Carnal Knowledge" moment or has he calculated the air-time he'll get and the numbers of viewers who would never watch a party political broadcast. Has he a) Shot himself in the Foot b) Pulled a Shrewd Propaganda Coup or c) Shamelessly promoted the Galloway Personality Cult? Text your answers to 555-555 *Calls are charged at your standard text rate + a premium mark up thank you.

*Rare Jefferson Airplane Bootleg - Lyrics from We Can Be Together.
posted by timesnewroman at 8:01 PM  

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Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Friendless

Where are you? Click the link and put a virtual pin in the map.
posted by timesnewroman at 11:57 AM  

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Monday, January 02, 2006

*Aye, Right!

Spot the difference

Having re-invented themselves with a shiny new face the Tories would now have us believe that they now give a shit about compassion, inequality and world poverty. The scary thing is some people are stupid enough to believe them.

thewife has been saying that Mumsy has been getting increasingly forgetful for some time now. I've always maintained that its to be expected given her age. The worry is that she often forgets her medication, therefore thewife has had to increase monitoring and prompting. Mumsy is quite capable otherwise. For the first time ever though, I realised how concerned thewife was, when during our New Year dinner, Mumsy commented that she hasn't seen "Old Mr. S around for some time. thewife explained that he had been dead for 20 years! When she remembered who her "new" neighbour was, things were fine although we are sure these memory lapses scare her as well.

New Year celebrations are getting increasingly quieter as we get older I find. Where once upon a time I would have been visiting numerous neighbours and friends from midnight onwards, before ending up at some party that would last well into the dawn of the next morning, the past few years have seen us take in the bells with Mumsy and then head off quietly for a few drinks with friends before getting home and going to bed, relatively sober. No parties every night for the duration of January, well okay not the whole month, but most of the first week for sure. Last night we had dinner, Steak Pie of course, with mumsy and came home, put slippers on and settled down to watch the telly. Tonight we are going to the Councillor's party, which often tends to be a focus for a diaspora to gather, tell exactly the same stories and possibly sing a few songs. I think I may make compilation CD just to enhance the proceeding somewhat as his Christie Moore CD can't really be played no-stop for 5 hours.

Finally some new year resolutions, since everybody else is making them. In no particular order:

Pick up the guitar more often and play the bloody thing.
Read many more books, regularly, not just binge reading.
Do more exercise. It is possible to walk in the rain.
Eat less and a bit more healthily, cut down on the Goose Fat, Butter and "Slice" (Squerr for the weegies out there and Lorne Sausage for everyone else)
Blog more regularly
Link to more blogs regardless if it looks like some communal love in

That's quite enough thank you.

Although I am considering a new look for the new year and will discuss with thewife whether to do that now or go for a walk. I suspect it'll be down to the weather and what's on telly.

* Teacher explaining about double negatives to a class of kids, says that when you put two negatives such as I never did nothing, it becomes a positive, whereas two positives never make a negative. Kid at the back says "Aye, right!"

posted by timesnewroman at 10:57 AM  

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