Month: March 2015

It’s been a while …

Not many more of these to go and what a good album to start with – it’s The Wall by Pink Floyd. Ok, not the best album but it’s the last good one from their 70s era. There’s a bunch of classic songs here, like Another Brick In The Wall, Comfortably Numb and Goodbye Blue Sky. I’d recommend the movie adaptation with Bob Geldof as something reasonably worth watching.

Why am I not going nuts over this one ? Pink Floyd struggled somewhat as their band make up changed. 60s was wonderfully psychedelic with Syd Barrett. 70s was angry but tuneful with Roger Waters. 80s and onwards was dull and mediocre (although there is the occasional shining light on A Momentary Lapse Of Reason). This was their last great album. More later …

Sophie Ellis-Bextor caught my eye again with Strictly Come Dancing reminding me of how well she can sing. She’s in here with her latest album, Wanderlust. It’s a decent album, albeit lacking a little in inspiration. But still a good listen. Highlight for me here is The Deer And The Wolf.

Oh my – here’s a classic. It’s the original War Of The Worlds with such legends as Justin Hayward, Richard Burton, David Essex but although I really enjoy Forever Autumn and will happily sing along to Thunderchild, the highlight for me is Spirit Of Man for Beth’s (Julie Covington) vocals.

Up next is a couple of soundtracks from an old legend and its promising followup. I really need to continue the playthrough I started. It’s Wasteland and Wasteland 2 and the soundtracks are suitably atmospheric.

Did I mention classic vocals ? Here’s Enya with her debut album, Watermark. The highlight here will always be Orinoco Flow.

Another debut comes from The Ting Tings with We Started Nothing. I love this album, it’s bright pop with lots of punk thrown in too. She’s not the best singer, they’re not the best band but I still love ’em nonetheless. I regret missing out on seeing them last year (feeling too grotty) but I’ll hopefully catch them when they come back to Bristol. One highlight of many is Great DJ.

The classics keep coming – Frankie Goes To Hollywood had a burst of inspiration for Welcome To The Pleasuredome, the first half of which is excellent with tracks like the title track, Relax, Two Tribes, War with The Power Of Love being one of the closing tracks. Decent album but could have benefitted from losing some of the poorer tracks.

Kasabian aren’t the female pop/rock/indie vocalist band I’m usually interested in, so their albums must be good. They’re here for West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum and my highlight is Fire.

Barbra Streisand is one I borrowed from my dad, she’s here with What Matter’s Most. She’s an absolute legend of a singer and my highlight here is The Windmills Of Your Mind.

I got introduced to Aimee Mann by a good friend oh … too many years ago. Her W album is Whatever, decent album but I didn’t really pick out a highlight.

Arctic Monkeys have been quite prolific although I don’t think they’re as inspired now as when they came out with albums like Whatever People Say I Am, I’m Not. Great album, it sets a tone early and carries it through. They stand out cos they’re different. And this album finishes off wonderfully with A Certain Romance.

Snow Patrol are the opposite, they started a bit weak and definitely improved. Their W is When It’s Over We Still Have To Clear Up.

I’ve enjoyed listening to The White Stripes, they’re here with White Blood Cells, again not as inspired as albums like Elephant.

Oh dear … here comes a Christmas album – yep. I bought White Christmas. Moving swiftly on …

An oldie but a goodie, classic crooner’s Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game is a classic album with songs like the title track but followed up with good ones like Blue Hotel too. Well worth a listen.

Paul Weller’s Wild Wood is a decent album, although not a favourite. The title track is my highlight.

One of the best albums I have is Wish You Were Here from Pink Floyd. The tribute tracks here are outstanding. One of the strengths of the album is how the tracks link in to each other. Like the track Wish You Were Here starting up as someone changing the radio away from the previous track, jumping over several stations and finally finding a guitar playing. He then plays along to the guitar and off goes one of the best songs there is.

Last one …

And it’s a weird one. Look away now if easily frightened.

Yep. I own this album. And I thoroughly enjoy it. In fact, I may pick up Chas and Dave’s collection soon too. There – I said it. Oh this one’s a classic. Definitely English/Cornish cider swilling goodness. From The Combine Harvester Ooo-Arr-Ooo-Arr to I Am A Cider Drinker.

You haven’t lived if you haven’t heard this traditional brand of fun song.

And I’ll run off now to join the rest of you who are no doubt, running away screaming … (there’s a song for that too !)

The latest meme that’s going around at the moment is based around : “If you could impart some advice to your younger self, what would it be ?”

I’ve made my fair share of mistakes over the years. Sometimes I wish I could change the outcomes or the circumstances I waded into. Let’s see :

Pursuing extreme speed while walking – this really messed up my knees, pretty much finishing the job a bad tackle in rugby started. (Someone caught my ankle while I was at top speed, it twisted the leg, all the force went through the knee – ow)

Not really getting involved in the social side at school – I don’t really think I missed much here. I’d still have trouble keeping up with social small talk even if I had been more involved at school. Besides, I had the cricket scene to dive into.

Oh and a lot of that time spent on my own instead of in groups had me turning my imagination to engineeringy type things like : designing a remote control car. Programming on the computer. Building worlds for d and d. Trouble is, I didn’t write a lot of that down, so it’s faded into memory. But it was good to dive into those alternate realities. They’re shinier than this one.

Getting hurt – and getting hurt more. This is pure physical pain. After the knees, I hurt my back at 16 in my first year in the men’s team. Too much bowling. The year after, I tore a groin muscle that is my major I-Hurt today.

I hurt my shoulder at university. It was dislocated while playing badminton and the same injury tore the rotator cuff. That’s the muscles that hold the arm in the socket. That’s an 18 month injury and more recovery time after that. I was able to bowl again after resting it for that time but it’s worsened with disuse since. Oh well.

I have a lot of finger and hand injuries from the cricket too – I’ve broken a few fingers and had minor fractures on others. Due to the strange way I feel (or don’t feel) pain, I didn’t get those fingers checked out. No matter – I could still use them. It’s just strange things like the natural Vulcan salute and not so strange things like my wrists feeling like glass sometimes.

I regret passing on my third car. That’s the only one I truly have regrets passing on. The others were either not great cars or breaking down. The third car was a Vauxhall Belmont SRi, which had a magic combination of economy and power (it was from before catalytic convertors robbed both). We had a lot of work done on that car and it was pretty well sorted by the time I took it on from my mum. It didn’t have power steering, so my mum was really struggling to drive it. The replacement was a Rover 420, which was an absolute horror for reliability.

This is a list of regrets isn’t it ?

Just one more. Actually two.

I’ve been in two major relationships in my time, one at uni and one during my working days. I went into both for what I felt were the right reasons. Both ladies were pretty and more important, intelligent. Being able to hold that rational conversation about Stuff is key. And that’s having respect for the other person’s opinion too, also recognising that several opinions on a subject can be valid. When that happens, lovely debates ensue.

(Lots of Wall Of Text phone messages bounce between me and Cupid’s Gift – and it really brightens my mood and pulls out the smile when one comes in)

Yep. I went into those two major relationships for what I thought were the right reasons. However, it turned out that I was being used in both. One for my brain to help her through uni and to help out with the transport and other things. One to get her away from a domestic situation which was intolerable (too many people in one house). Good people (and I still get on well with the mum) – but too many in one place.

That kinda scared me off relationships for a while, not helped by the condition of my outsides. I’m hopeful that’s changing though. Even as an introvert, I like being around people and I’d like to be around one particular special person. (See Wall Of Text message comment !)

Really looking forward to Comic Con. And maybe the film Chappie too if we go see that.

So what message would I give to my younger self, given all the possible regrets I list above ?

Do it all again.

Don’t hesitate. If you see something you enjoy doing. DO IT.

The fast walking gave me sprinting muscles. And I do enjoy running Very Fast.
The cricket made me feel part of something. And I was very good at it, in all departments of the game. So although it’s left its mark, I enjoyed every second (well – apart from when it was freezing and raining!)
The relationships helped me learn vital lessons about life. And there were lots of good times there as well before they ended.
Being with that computer let me learn skills that are important for everything. Computer logic teaches problem solving. It also makes you assess exactly what’s going on, including the implied above the explicit.
(That helps decipher what our media tries to make us think too)
I didn’t get the grades I should have – but I got a job that lets me get involved with Very Cool Toys.

I’ve had a good life. So far. I’m hoping it improves and I hope I’ll be able to be that rock that improves a Pretty Lady’s life too.

So my advice to my younger self ? Again :

Don’t hesitate. Do what you enjoy. Perhaps prepare better. But – it was great the first time, do it all again.

Or there’s that. Cya !

I had some strange thoughts surface last night in the sawdust that makes up my brain …

The thoughts were popping up while I was watching England in the cricket. We were doing ok, if not spectacularly in the first half. We were batting and didn’t quite get enough runs to put enough pressure on the opposition. In the end, our bowlers were a bit too toothless to get the wickets that would have made the game anywhere near tight.

Strange thoughts ?

Seeing them run around the field and seeing how my arms and legs have improved (and continue to improve now I’m through the course of antibiotics) awoke thoughts of “Maybe I can play again ?”

Yep. I’m really close to being clear enough again to do running around type activities. I dunno how long it is since I’ve been able to say that.

So those crazy thoughts are starting to come out again. Perhaps I could play again this summer ? I wouldn’t want to be a full time player, I’d certainly not be playing in the longer games on the weekends.

The reality of it is though, that I’ve been past the point where I’m useful on the field. I can still run reasonably quickly (not tried that for a while actually) but my failing reactions are why I have the big doubts. Plus cricket is a much tougher game than it looks, if you slightly misfield, it hurts more than you think.

Case in point today – Herath got his hand to a ball hit back at him really firmly. He got a cut on his bowling finger, may well have broken the finger. That’ll be him out of the World Cup if it’s broken. My hands and fingers are covered in old injuries caused by slightly getting it wrong while fielding.

I would be forced into getting new glasses, although that’s been due for a few years now. And I should really go on a fitness regime to get my body into some kind of condition ready for the season.

I’m nowhere near perfect yet. There’s still damage that needs repairing. But … it is steadily repairing now. Good skin is becoming predominant again and it has that creamy smooth feeling that’s going to really annoy my boss when I rub at it next week. Not in a “worry at the damaged bits” rubbing, more an unaccustomed “wow that’s smooth” way. Hopefully it continues now that I’m off the antibiotics. Hopefully the nasties have all been cleared out. I still have an absolute tonne of the White Gunk (Fucibet) that has been a major help with sorting out the bad bits.

Coming back to cricket is a very daft thought though. When I tally up the current damage I get :

Sore left calf – it doesn’t like the walk in from the bus, especially when it’s cold. I suspect more use would help it but there is a little strain there.
Shoulder – bowling is still impossible and it’s still stiff. No power throwing for me …
Hips – still make me want to scream if I move my legs the wrong way.
Back – is still stiff. ALthough I suspect again, if I ran around it would free up.
General tiredness – hopefully this will come good as the days brighten and I catch up on sleep.

So yeah, I have that curious blend of feeling frisky and feeling old. There’s that feeling of knowing how much I enjoyed scampering around the closer areas in the cricket and wondering if I could still do a job there.

We’ll see.

Cross fingers that the bad stuff stays away this time. It’s been a long time coming …

PS Other news – my hearing’s back to perfect again ! Must have had an infection in there that’s got sorted out by the antibiotics. Hurrah – means I’ll be back to watching movies tonight. Let’s see … Divergent perhaps ahead of Insurgent coming to cinemas ?