saga
Topic: Stephen Says
Last night was a bit of a saga. I was able to meet up with my fellow Neurosis fan with ease at Woking station and we trained into Waterloo with ease and in good time, entered the tube system and headed to the northern line only to be told that someone had just jumped infront of the train at Camden Town and that the whole line was shut down.

We managed to cut diagonally across London and got to Euston where we were told that a bus could take us to Camden Town and then we'd have to catch a replacement bus service up to Kentish Town where the concert was being held. We waited for about 15 minutes only to notice a sign saying that due to industrial action our paticular bus wasn't running this weekend.

It was here that I embarassed myself and called a local Londoner, looking for transportation advice. I also received a call from work because someone had taken an overdos and the new staff member couldn't get hold of management (Little did he know that time the super-management team was stuck at Euston station trying desperately to get to a concert they were now 1/2 an hour late for) and my partner in this mess had lost his travel card so I was reduced to slipping it back to him once I'd enter/leave the tube and then wait around for the card to reset its self so that he could go through.

Crisis: Around this time I also lost one of my lovely Italian mitts.

We decided it would be easier if we took the train to Highbury/Islington and then caught the Silverlink to Kentish Town West but, when we got to Highbury, realized that we would need to buy another ticket for the Silverlink because, for some reason, the Silverlink is designed to gouge commuters even more. So we went back to Euston with a plan to catch a cab.

At this point, with the underground a complete mess, taxis were hard to come by and we waited a further 20 minutes until we could catch one and got to the concert an hour and a half late.

Luckily, we had only missed the 1st supporting act and the 2nd one was winding down. It was a New York metal act called Tastes Like Babies/ We Eat Babies/ Something Something Babies. They were pretty crap - to show how metal they were, the bassist 'forgot' what label they were on (yeah, right...) and the female vocalist strutted around downing shots that looked remarkably similar to Pepsi and, while dressed all metal with her grungy metal hair and grungy metal clothes and all her tattoos, she'd taken the time to shave her armpits. Not very metal if you ask me.

She embarassed herself at the end of Neurosis' set, diving into the audience and then pushing past us through the crowd being helped by someone while clutching her face. Hmm...

Anyway, Neurosis was really fantastic. Basically an hour of 3 men screaming at you while being bombarded by a wall of sound with no one in the audience dancing, just headbanging and shaking their fists in rythm to the music. Their video show was very cool but I only really started to get into the show when I stopped paying attention to the stage and just got wrapped up in the music.

Gratuitous video imbedded for you to taste the pleasure (Sorry for the cheezyness of it, though):



After the show, we left hoping that the tube was running again but of course it wasn't, so we picked up a couple of cans of beer and headed down to Camden Town to hopefully get on there, which we did and then packed into an overcrowded tube and were acosted by 4 very drunk Irish men who, upon discovering I was Canadian, broke out and sang the whole damn version of Blame Canada and then did a disturbingly good impression of South Park Canadians, floppy heads and all. Then they tried to sexually olest me and steal my scarf.

At Waterloo station, the trains were a mess but we got lucky with one and headed home. (Sorry, I'm getting tired of blogging so I'm going to wrap things up) My friend was going furher and would have had to have taken a replacement bus service but his wife was lovely as always and picked him up at Woking.

In conclusion, Great concert and public trasport here ess-you-see-kay sucks.

We're off to London again today to go to a textiles museum and see a very different concert to the one I was at last night. Bye.

...And just to be really obnoxious...
Now Playing: ...and you will know us by the trail of dead - So Divided
Topic: Stephen Says
I've just wrapped up my Christmas shopping and writing all my Christmas cards. When I get around to posting them, on the other hand, is another matter...

Still touching base
Not much blogging / not much going on, really. I, for one, have been counting down the days 'till annual leave. And low and behold it's here and what have I done? Gotten up at the usual time. Elisabth is sleeping in, thank God.

Last night she decided that we should open the bottle of champaign that our new eco-energy provider gave us for switching over to them to celebrate 7 days of slack. I supported her in this.

bleah. nothing else to say, really. We're going to take it easy today and then I'm off to London to get neurotic with Neurosis.

Exciting news that my excite other people and not just myself may be forthcoming.

Toucing Base 2
Now Playing: Nomeansno - Dance of the Headless Bourgeoisie
Topic: Stephen Says
I'm feeling pretty fulfilled today. Just got back from the Woking Mental Health Fair where we had the best display and, to be honest, if I may toot me & my collegues horns, were the most professional there. It was fun being corporate and networking and actually knowing a lot of the people at other stands nd knowing what I'm talking about even.

Wow. Working a steady job means that you network and know stuff.
Who'da guessed.

I feel very professional and managerial right now.
I also refrained from sticking a box on my head this year.
(Maturity!)
I might pop a picture up later if I get around to it.
(Though I probably won't.)

Excuse me now while I enjoy a glass of wine in out new decanter.
(Makes cheap wine taste less cheap.)
(Got it for 3.50 at a charity shop marked down from 7.50.)
(Which means it would probably retail for about 750 pounds.)
(But would be marked down to 350 pounds at a Debenham's blue cross sale.)

Okay, I really must go. I'm feeling full of myself so I shall go and irritate my wife and not you, gentle reader.

Woke up, got out of bed...
Mood:  lyrical
Now Playing: BBC4

Touching base:

On Monday Stephen came home from a sleep in and made a swede/potatoe cassarole & roasted parsnips. Yum. He had the day off on Tues. and bought a new CD/DVD rack, and today he's participating in a mental health exhibition in Woking, representing his charity.

Monday I had a driving lesson, Tues I worked and went to the YMCA, and today I'm working and a friend's coming over to play music with me.

Must go now.

Wishing all a good day.

Funky Time
Mood:  cool
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Yesterday I saw Dennis Rollins and the Bad Bones at Jazz Cafe with a friend from the Y.

Dennis Rollins

I had such a funky time..they were amazing...had a really positive vibe. I felt as happy as when dancing in mid-summer at tam tams. Sadly, the crowd was a bit stiff so there wasn't much dancing last night. But it gave me a chance to stare at the man-god playing the trumpet...wha-woo-wee-woo!

Anyway, must make my way to work...

Some Advice
Topic: Stephen Says
Never, never bite into a raw potato to prove your point.

(There's a reason why people cook potatos before we eat them.)

Soooooo,..
Now Playing: Rough Trade Indiepop vol.1
Topic: Stephen Says
Life is getting a little more back on track as I've had time to relax and Elisabeth has had time to have fun. We saw the Borat movie last night which actually is as funny as everyone makes it out to be. For the first time ever, we weren't the only people in the audience laughing and, in a weird twist of fate, we actually managed to randomly sit down in our assigned seats.

We hit our favorite Italian restaurant afterwards only to discover that they'd changed their menu and we couldn't get our deep-fried cheese any more. On the plus side, they were out of our favorite bottle of wine (Nero d'Avolo) and the host graciously gave us a better bottle of wine for the same price.

Anyway, off to do some shopping today and get all those vital little things that we've needed to buy over the last 2 weeks but haven't.

In the news this week, many of you may have heard that America has managed to start pulling its head out of its ass and has decided that it wants to try and regain some semblance of being a democracy again (As opposed to the neo-feudalist theocracy that it's been pushing over the last 6+ years). Anyway, if any of you mistakingly thought that this was a good thing, I encourage you to read Ted Rall's latest article so that you can get depressed all over again.

And finally, in the Look-at-Stephen-Snickering-into-his-Sleeve Dept., 46% of evangelicals think Clinton was as good a Christian, or better, than Bush.

Alrighty, I'm off to make breakfast and be a productive memeber of society. Wish me luck!

Finally Friday
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries

It's Friday morning. I've eaten a bowl of cereal, Stephen's still in bed. It's quarter to 8. I am feeling so unenergetic right now. It's either the box of Lindor chocolates I've been polishing off, or the fact that I'm tired and frustrated. Probably just a combination.

I feel some relief that the democrats swept up the the mid-term election. Even if they let us down, it's the prinicple at stake that counts. They are the lesser evil.

Stephen's not working today or tomorrow, so we'll finally have some time to chill out together.

That's about all I can muster.

L8R

Bleah
Topic: Stephen Says
I spent too many hours at the local hospital (St. Peter's) this evening. Amongst the people I saw come through:

- A fellow who looked like someone had taken a tire iron to his face - he was split open from forehead to chin and spouting/ drenched in the kind of blood that they never show in movies - a combination of bright red, maroon and black.

- Another guy wiped out on his motorcycle and dislocated his shoulder and bunged up his neck but got dischaged relatively easily.

- A middle-aged Asian man who had a mild epileptic fit (I mean seizure. Damn you heartless British terminology!) who got rushed to the hospital thanks to some over-anxious neighbours. 20 members of his immediate family showed up and it was all a bit of a joke.

There are too many elderly peope in hospitals which is depressing. What's also depressing is that I got fucked over by the crisis response team tonight and had to deal with things that were out of my remit. Ah well, as was said to me by my manager, "You've done what you did because you have a heart. If you stop doing what you're doing, you won't have a soul." Or something to that extent.

Being a good wife, Elisabeth bought me some booze to help unwind after what has probably been my most stressful day yet. Being attacked, threatened and bathing in poo & pee has nothing on how I feel today, though that's not to say that one or more of those things didn't happen.

It's weird how my brain now just goes into 'deal with it' mode and no matter how much I might want to avoid dealing with things because their so dreadful. When push comes to shove, my mind just shrugs and says 'well, you've got to deal with it so rock'n roll.' And I don't feel tense or stressed and I just do it.

The stress comes later.