tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52038942011-04-21T23:48:39.773ZThoughts from 30-Something LondonAndyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comBlogger581100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1120564155505253222005-07-05T11:46:00.000Z2005-07-05T11:49:15.510Z

One of the best articles I've seen yet on the own-goal the Make Poverty History campaign is about to score by focusing on the surface issues of increasing govenment aid and debt releief whilst ignoring the mechanics of how these issues may be delivered by the G8 nations.http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,5673,1521411,00.html

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1120497545178141142005-07-04T17:10:00.000Z2005-07-04T17:19:05.183Z

Short review of Live 8 London:Really Bad: Maria Carey, Paul McCartney, Pete Doherty, Coldplay (except with Ashcroft, which was Ok). Average: Elton, Travis, Razorlight, Joss Stone, Ms Dynamite. Good: U2, Velvet Revolver, REM, Snoop. Really Good: Keane, Madonna, Robbie, The Who, UB40. Unbelievable: Floyd.Good: having bars. Bad: not being able to take drinks into the gig.Great: getting a pass for

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1113391089800928852005-04-13T11:14:00.000Z2005-04-13T11:18:09.800Z

"When a candidate faces the voters he does not face men of sense; he faces amob of men whose chief distinguishing mark is the fact that they areincapable of weighing ideas - men whose whole thinking is done in terms ofemotion, and whose dominant emotion is dread of what they cannot understand.The odds are on the man who is the most devious and the most mediocre; theman who can most aptly disperse

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1098897640255733492004-10-27T17:11:00.000Z2004-10-27T17:20:40.256Z

John Peel OBE, RIP 30 Aug 1939 - 25 Oct 2004 "Teenage Dreams, so hard to beat..." What on Earth are we going to listen to now? ...........

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1089983311447512262004-07-16T12:48:00.000Z2004-07-16T13:21:32.686Z

Usual excuses, really busy, no computer at home, internet cafes rip my soul out through my toe cuticles, blag blah blah. How good does Blogger look since I last posted? Lovely. Profiles and everything!! Can't get my pic on there though, the only places I have with portraits have ridiculously long URLs. What's with a 68-char minimum? Must be some reason I guess. So much has been happening

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1085402511370311922004-05-24T12:09:00.000Z2004-05-24T12:41:51.370Z

I saw Suw of chocnvodka fame over the weekend at a Ska-B-Q at my place; she's doing great in the blogosphere at the moment, and she reminded me how long it's been since I last posted, and how much I miss it. Work is crazy busy and I still don't have an adequate home computer, so postings will continue to be sporadic at best for the moment, but I've got to keep my toe in, however minimally. Loads

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1080843365006772792004-04-01T18:16:00.000Z2004-04-01T18:19:38.450Z

Blimey, just read my last post. I was tired, bored and overly cynical that day! As you will have gathered by my lack of postings this year, it was the holiday and not the computer that won out. 4 days 5-star in Madeira, cost a fortune, a gratuitous outporing of cash, but f*ck it, I needed it badly, and I did get to start my new job when I got back. Loving work, loads more responsibility, loads

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1072715069855840682003-12-29T16:24:00.000Z2003-12-29T16:25:58.890Z

Christmas is drawing to a close, the New Year beckons, and I am exhausted, bored and deaf. I have DJed every night bar Christmas Day itself for about the last month (lost count to be honest), and my phone has been playing up terribly so I've been unable to speak to anyone outside of people asking me for Hip Hop/RnB in the last 5 days. I'm going stir crazy! Hopefully the Carphone Warehouse will

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1071768255663295172003-12-18T17:24:00.000Z2003-12-18T17:27:27.560Z

Big breath..... I GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How happy am I? A complete vindication of the last 10 years of my life. Now that's something you don't get every day. I start in January, and absolutely can't wait. Everyone I've met there seems really nice, and crazy-bonkers at the same time. I should fit right in! Oh, and I saw the international space station the other

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1071511113876570332003-12-15T17:58:00.000Z2003-12-15T18:39:09.920Z

Ahh, internet cafe's, those bastions of the modern communication age. Having failed to retain my sanity in the characterless click-clack-cacophany that is EasyNet (basically warehouses with hundreds upon hundreds of broadband-connected machines in neat orange rows), I have found a nice one 10 minutes walk from my place with local art on the walls, music on the stereo, a comfy sofa area for taking

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1070562823840953482003-12-04T18:33:00.000Z2003-12-05T11:48:34.920Z

An interesting thing about people is, you think you know them, and then they go and do something really weird. Or, in the case of the guy I share an office with, just plain mean. He works for the company that lease the building, a company that were going to employ me this time last year. Unfortunately, due to funding problems, they were unable to take me on at that time, but as a gesture of

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-107037762248809722003-12-02T15:07:00.000Z2003-12-02T15:07:56.186Z

This last week or so has been an in-vitro study of the Art and Essence of Being Cool. It all started last Saturday at the Back To New York club night here in London, where Tom Tom Club were doing a rare DJ set. I hadn’t been there in a while, the last time having been to see Hooky and Barny from New Order DJ, which was brilliant. Somehow since then the club has become THE place to be scene. It

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1069426922921570992003-11-21T15:02:00.000Z2003-11-21T15:08:08.466Z

It's a good job I can blog sitting down, because my legs are killing me today, and my back aches terribly. The reason for this is that yesterday I, along with an estimated 200,000 fellow countrymen of all ages, professions, faiths and fortunes, took to the streets of London to voice our concern over the effect George Bush's policies are having on our world. Initially I was also there to express

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1069183588692099382003-11-18T19:26:00.000Z2003-11-18T19:31:45.716Z

I survived! Hurrah! Like Daniel I entered the lions' den, tamed the savage beasts and emerged triumphant and unscathed. Like David I squared-up to the giant Goliath, and with one simple stone brought about his utter demise. Like Theseus I found my way through the maze and slew the evil minotaur. OK, ok, so maybe DJing isn't quite so heroic, but to successfully balance the needs of the most

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1068747795015591672003-11-13T18:23:00.000Z2003-11-13T18:26:17.686Z

This may well be my last-but-one blog entry. It’s not that I want to stop blogging; on the contrary, I find it highly remedial. No, I fear that this Saturday, the 15th of November, 2003, I am going to be publicly lynched. Strung up by the neck until I am dead. Hung from the PA support bars in a basement club in South West London. Beaten to a pulp by a lusty mob of enraged punters. Chased from

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1068647077083045472003-11-12T14:24:00.000Z2003-11-12T15:46:04.186Z

I've had a bit of a blog-holiday recently, several reasons. First, restricted access to computer thanks to not being in the office very much. Second, with rather a lot going on it's been hard to find the time even when I did have access. And Third, my last post (Oct 22nd) was possibly the most accomplished piece of writing I've managed so far, and when most of it was lost between posting and

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1066823447158759012003-10-22T11:50:00.000Z2003-10-22T12:18:26.180Z

Woah, it really has been too long since I last posted. This is primarily due to an unprecedented increase in my workload. If only this was mirrored by a similar rise in financial reward then life would be mighty peachy!! I also just re-read my last post. Perhaps it's better that I did take a break! Haha. Where was my head that day? Still, a bit of inane creative writing every so often to ease the

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1065542180157158462003-10-07T15:56:00.000Z2003-10-07T15:56:19.546Z

I've been having a rather surreal debate with a new friend on Friendster about the nature of reciprocal giving and receiving, which recently (and without going into how it got there, which is intractably complicated) settled on the notion that people without hands were by definition unable to perform either action. I was unhappy with this conclusion, believing it to be deeply unfair on the

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1065464369350654292003-10-06T18:19:00.000Z2003-10-06T18:31:43.900Z

Last night the psychological illusionist Derren Brown played a game of Russion Roulette live on British television. During the hour-long show he whittled the 12,000 people who applied for the position of gun-loader and sole witness down to one fella, the one he felt he was most able to 'read'. This chap, James, then loaded a live round into one chamber of a .357 Magnum, sat behind a bullet-proof

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1065018620065625892003-10-01T14:30:00.000Z2003-10-01T15:07:21.296Z

Having worked in the music and clubbing industries for the best part of 10 years I have come to hold the view that the levels of resistance to the influence of alcohol displayed by the majority of my friends and colleagues is normal. Last night however, I was given a humourous, if somewhat shocking, reminder that those levels are in fact excessively high. At the last minute I was asked to DJ an

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1064411581743425252003-09-24T13:53:00.000Z2003-10-01T14:17:37.040Z

It was with great sadness that I read of the death on Monday of Hugo Young, in my opinion the greatest political commentator in my lifetime. Never allied to any political party, he wrote with an honesty, integrity and incisiveness that made him somewhat of an outsider in political circles, and all the more important for it, and to some degree inluenced my decision to try my hand at writing on

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1063380324481237402003-09-12T15:25:00.000Z2003-09-12T15:53:21.576Z

I must apologise in advance, because today's posting is going to be a major rant... Well, the report by the Parliamentary Intelligence Committee has been made public, and surprise surprise it pretty much exhonerates all parties of malicious wrongdoing. Surprising since the committee was appointed by Blair, worked behind closed doors, was made up of MPs, and reported directly to No.10, which

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1063202895675353252003-09-10T14:08:00.000Z2003-09-10T15:27:23.296Z

No posts for a little while, but there's a kinda reason for that. I wrote an opus on Monday, a work of near creative genius of which Milton, Shakespeare and Homer would have been proud, a work so comprehensive and insightful that the very fabric of space-time itself would have been shaken to it's deepest foundations. Upon reading it the reverberations within the human meta-consciousness would

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1062440099526267352003-09-01T18:14:00.000Z2003-09-01T19:27:52.963Z

So here's the rub. I now know for sure that my Guardian Angel, or whoever/whatever it is that's responsible for my not careering off the rails as I charge headlong through this ridiculous existence, has a great sense of humour, and rather alot of power. Rewind.... It's last Thursday, 7pm. I'm loading my records into the back of a cab, ready to be taken to Mango, the club at which I'm launching

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1061993110127245122003-08-27T14:05:00.000Z2003-08-27T14:14:02.946Z

All the obituaries today are full of the news that Wilfred Thesiger, the last of the great explorers, died yesterday aged 93. He was a man who revelled in new experiences, and loved to savour the sights, smells and sounds of Africa and the Middle East. He boldly went where no man had been before, and without the use of Enterprise-esque technologies to back him up; only traditional garb, local

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1061916448054773692003-08-26T16:47:00.000Z2003-08-26T16:47:28.060Z

Today I read a wonderful piece about a 47-year-old man who, totally blind since the age of 3, had his sight partially restored via pioneering stem-cell surgery. The piece was formed of extracts from his diary written between 2000, when he received treatment, and summer this year. It was inspirational on many different levels to read in his words how adjusting to sight has affected his life, and

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1061568759985910122003-08-22T16:12:00.000Z2003-08-22T16:21:19.483Z

Are you sitting down? Prepare for a minor shock: I really feel sorry for the government this week. Yup, there, I've said it. First time for everything I guess! At the end of last week the A-level results came out. Pass rates were up, with more people scoring A-C grades than ever before. Cue massive press criticism of the government's education policy, accompanied by a trumpetting of how they've

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1061223680861366912003-08-18T16:21:00.000Z2003-08-18T16:21:39.263Z

The weird thing about life is, just when you think you're on top of things, suddenly it all goes bonkers. The lesson I've learned over the course of the last week or so is never to be complacent about where you are, and never to resist when you're suddenly washed in new directions. Failure to observe these simple rules will result in grief of some kind, and you'll end up where you're meant to be

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1060790549963500192003-08-13T16:02:00.000Z2003-08-18T16:22:33.113Z

Well, I was right about one thing; I definately feel different today. Unfortunately it's different 'bad' not different 'good'. I'm in a filthy mood after a huge row with someone who I thought was a mate, but turned out to have a really quite nasty side. I'm usually quite a good judge of character, but I do have a tendency to be too open and trusting towards people, and occasionally that backfires

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-106069581698601262003-08-12T13:43:00.000Z2003-08-12T13:43:36.826Z

It's official. Well not really, but I have finally come to accept it beyond any reasonable doubt. What is it I hear you cry? Simple: I officially have absolutely no willpower whatsoever. None. Last week's detox lasted until precisely Wednesday afternoon. That's not even 3 days. Come the weekend I was back to form again, utterly blooted, taking pills I shouldn't be taking and messing around with

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1060265158639224022003-08-07T14:05:00.000Z2003-08-07T14:05:58.573Z

If I hear the phrase "It's too hot" one more time I think there'll be murders. What is it about the English? I think our trains have in some strange way latched onto, and now reflect, the national psyche; no matter what the conditions, something's always wrong. In the winter the trains are delayed because of the wrong kind of snow. In the summer it's because the heat buckles the tracks. In Autumn

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1060011749701061262003-08-04T15:42:00.000Z2003-08-05T17:00:05.126Z

My goodness, I can't believe I'm sat in an office writing this when it's 33 degrees outside! Apparently Sunday was the start of a predicted two-week heatwave here in London - Laaaaverley! I spent it sat in Hyde Park watching assorted costumed lunatics hurl themselves into the Serpentine river aboard ludicrously-designed flying machines (a term best applied very loosely in this instance as it

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1059578163817858952003-07-30T15:16:00.000Z2003-07-30T15:16:03.800Z

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's official. I have now, today, at approximately 11.52am GMT, whilst in a cafe in Acton, West London, seen it all. Yup, the lot. There really is nothing else. I may as well pack up and head for the hills. For today I saw an info-mercial in the once-proud Guardian newspaper trumpeting the benifits of yoga. Yoga for dogs. Not content with dog fashion labels, dog hotels,

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1059491467661316622003-07-29T15:11:00.000Z2003-07-29T15:26:34.446Z

I know the music bit is usually at the end, but a nice coincidence has just brought it to the forefront of my thoughts, so today it's at the beginning. Ooh, the rebellion! The lead headline on the Blogger homepage today reads "...and in the Darkness Blog them", which in addition to being a rather cool twist on a well-known fantasy poem, is also the name of the artist I've been listening to all

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1059149822577129412003-07-25T16:17:00.000Z2003-07-25T16:22:43.966Z

Well, the weather has finally broken, and with it my health. For some bizarre reason over the last two weeks I have torn my intercostal muscles and pectoral muscles, severely bruised a toe, sustained extensive bruising to my forearms, had a cold, a fever, a chest infection and sprained fingers. I wouldn't mind so much, but it's so much nicer being ill when you have someone to pamper you. There's

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1058796629261948982003-07-21T14:10:00.000Z2003-07-21T14:10:29.243Z

Well, the server wasn't permitting, worse luck. I guess I'm going to have to bite the bullet and get broadband at home, which means updating the steam-powered leviathan that masquerades as a computer in my bedroom. I can actually hear the valves switching on and off as it valiantly struggles with complicated calculations and processing tasks, like opening Word. Being pretty ignorant when it comes

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1058284507879554782003-07-15T15:55:00.000Z2003-07-15T15:55:07.853Z

Internet's down in my office so I've only got a small window here at my training centre to get a couple of quick things down. A more comprehensive update will appear later in the week (server permitting) I promise. Excercise: DON'T DO It!!! If you've read my previous postings on this subject you'll be familiar with my attitude towards gyms and formally-scheduled work-outs of all types, but

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1057939402619934702003-07-11T16:03:00.000Z2003-07-11T16:03:22.540Z

The IMAX cinema. What a jip. Never been before, been told it's amazing, so when tickets for a special limited season of specially-rendered Matrix Reloaded screenings was announced I bought tickets straight away. Good seats too, K16 and K17, right slap bang in the middle just above centre. The weeks passed, excitement mounted, until finally the day arrived. That day was yesterday, the time was to

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-1057763791227850522003-07-09T15:16:00.000Z2003-07-09T15:16:31.240Z

I know, I KNOW! Despite all that harping on about posting more regularly it's been an age since I last fed my thoughts into the information superhighway. Let's just say there's been alot of traffic on the slip-roads, and finding the time to write has been exceptionally hard recently, more so because of a new development in how my days are spent. More on that later. In the meantime, Note to self:

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-959771112003-06-24T11:09:00.000Z2003-06-24T11:09:35.886Z

How good is fishing!?! Despite only managing to get half an hour's sleep before heading off pre-dawn into the wilds of the Kent countryside I had an excellent time on Saturday. The weather was glorious, not a cloud in the sky and around 28 degrees (no idea what that is in that funny 'F' measurement you yanks use!), the lake was idyllic, and our swim (that's a technical term you know) was quiet

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-958681212003-06-20T16:53:00.000Z2003-06-20T16:53:13.973Z

Well, I did it! I finally bought a digital camera. And you know what? It wasn't all that painful after all! A trip up to the electronic-mile on Tottenham Court Road, into the shop with the biggest array of small shiny silver boxes, 20 minutes with the incredibly knowledgeable assistant there, the lightening of my wallet by 300 notes, and I'm all set to further burden the information superhighway

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-957885222003-06-18T12:51:00.000Z2003-06-18T12:51:45.650Z

Ok, I really need to get this together properly. This week-between-posts habit is really not acceptable! There ends up being so much I want to go through that I have to miss out on most of it. These are Blog entries, not novels!! I suppose it's really a question of willpower, a subject that has permeated my thoughts alot over the last 10 days or so. Mainly because of my lack of it, and

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-952878002003-06-04T15:43:00.000Z2003-06-04T16:02:13.000Z

I can't believe it's been a week since I last posted! It doesn't seem that long, although on reflection alot has happened in that time. A good wedding, a crap DJ set, a great DJ set, the scrapping of my car (I had to pay for the priviledge, worse luck), a picnic in the rain (gawd bless the British weather!), some good nights out, some not so, and rather strangely a veritable semester's worth of

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-949950882003-05-28T16:34:00.000Z2003-06-02T14:52:33.000Z

What a splendid afternoon I've had, playing an odd hybrid of volleyball and football in the park by my office with a couple of friends. It's a glorious, warm, sunny day today, and boy does the world look nicer in the sunshine! It was also nice to engage in a childish and fun activity with friends who, in couple of years, are going to be far too successful and busy to lower themselves to such

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-947327792003-05-22T11:59:00.000Z2003-05-22T11:59:39.063Z

Yesterday I learnt a valuable and interesting lesson regarding the evolution of people's attitude towards, and use of, the internet. The beauty of the web for me has always been two-fold; fast and easy access to non-mainstream information and opinion, and ease of communication. It was with some sense of irony therefore that I discovered that the more information and communication users have

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-944476762003-05-16T13:31:00.000Z2003-05-16T14:01:25.000Z

What is it about that strange between-worlds place of half sleep and half wakefulness that so often breeds moments of bizarre insight? This morning as I was stirring into consciousness, and for some unfathomable reason, the 50's sci-fi B-movie 'The Man With The X-Ray Eyes' popped into my head, and with it the unshakeable conviction that it was a metaphor for questing after knowledge. For those

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-940567552003-05-09T15:36:00.000Z2003-05-09T15:36:25.273Z

Too busy to post much today, but had to relay the news: Just found out that Salaam Pax is alive, well and still posting. Skimming through his account of the war from his bedroom in Baghdad it looks to be required reading. I'll go through it properly next week, as the weekend is going to be mental. Tune for today is Run DMC feat. Aerosmith 'Walk This Way', for no apparent reason.

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-939955472003-05-08T15:40:00.000Z2003-05-08T15:40:07.420Z

Rockbitch were the subject of a rather strange documentary last night. For those of you not familiar with the band, they consist of members of a lesbian / bisexual Wiccan commune based in France. They all live in a converted monastery with their manager 'Tony', and perform pagan sex-rites in order to find themselves, each other, and the Mother Goddess. Every so often they go on tour, where they

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-939241782003-05-07T13:00:00.000Z2003-05-07T13:06:31.000Z

Today's big news centres around a shake-up of the sentencing requirements of judges when it comes to the really nasty crimes: premeditated or sadistic murder, child abuse, terrorism, serial rape etc. The idea is to implement a regime under which life truly means life. Of course the pundits are going crazy on this one, it's such a delicate and volatile subject invoking calls to all those

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-938680242003-05-06T15:47:00.000Z2003-05-06T15:54:18.000Z

I've just finished reading 'The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat' by Oliver Sacks as part of a drive to rekindle some memories of my degree, and, nagging suspicions that I am showing early signs of almost all of the conditions exemplified by his case-studies aside, I am left with a rather puzzling connundrum. I can't decide whether the people who appear in his book (or indeed anyone

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-932485302003-04-25T16:48:00.000Z2003-04-25T16:48:58.350Z

It's Anzac day in West London and the rain is settling in for the evening. This is a Very Good Thing (tm), as it will restrict the numbers of stupidly drunk Antipodaean twenty-somethings staggering about the city streets. Where do they all come from? Is there anyone actually left in Australia and South Africa? I read somewhere recently that more Brits watch Neighbours than live in Australia. Not

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-931883762003-04-24T17:30:00.000Z2003-04-25T15:53:39.000Z

It's been a little while thanks to days filled with niggly things to do. So much has happened over the last week or so that's noteworthy, I don't know where to start! Probably best to keep things simple, so.... A moment's silence and reflection please in memory of the late great Nina Simone. A phenomenal singer, crusader, boundary-pusher and humanitarian. The world is a less colourfull place

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-925954832003-04-14T17:57:00.000Z2003-04-14T17:57:34.153Z

Please excuse any typos in today's dispatch; my fingers are still red-raw and bleeding from clawing my way back onto the wagon I fell off of with such a bump this weekend. How frighteningly smooth a journey it is from a one-off lunchtime celebratory glass of red on seeing an old friend for the first time to crawling into bed semi-conscious at 5am. Still, the Monkey** didn't visit during my sleep,

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-924402322003-04-11T17:44:00.000Z2003-04-11T17:49:08.000Z

Isn't it amazing how much better you feel about the world after a good spring clean? Why on earth should having a spotless flat for the first time in ages make any difference whatsoever to one's overall demeanor? How wonderful the mysteries of man! Is it just me, or is this SARS thing being blown way out of all proportion? According to the latest figures there are only 2416 confirmed cases

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-923608012003-04-10T14:21:00.000Z2003-04-10T19:32:31.000Z

As a newbie to blogging it gave me a huge buzz today to find that not only had someone read my blog, but they'd enjoyed it and taken the time to tell me so. So thanks Debby, and may I say your blog is really good. Great design too! With all the publicity surrounding the release of the movie 'How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days' (based on the rather amusing book by Michelle Alexander and Jeannie Long),

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-922233872003-04-08T14:44:00.000Z2003-04-08T14:44:15.700Z

This morning provided a rather intense 'There-but-for-the-grace-of-God' moment. Having virtually crawled to the tube station with a shocking cold in full swing, and feeling generally sorry for myself at the gross injustice of getting sick just as the weather takes a turn for the better, I plopped myself down in a corner seat of the train. Then I saw it; the article from yesterday's paper about

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-919218972003-04-03T16:35:00.000Z2003-04-03T16:57:37.000Z

What a wonderful thing it is when the clocks go back to Summertime, and particularly so when the weather is as good as it has been recently here in London. Anyone who suffers mild Seasonal Affective Disorder will appreciate the joy that comes with realising it's still sunny at 7pm!! The world looks less troubled, people happier, girls prettier, grass greener, cars shinier, and work less tiresome.

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203894.post-913625162003-03-25T19:36:00.000Z2003-04-08T17:23:53.000Z

Here goes, my first entry on my first blog. I guess this is more for my benefit than anyone else's, sort of a diary / creative outlet / place to let off steam / self-moderated one-man-forum. Who else better to argue with than oneself? Of course any comments will be appreciated, and correspondences entered into in good faith. I suppose it was the recent press coverage afforded to The Homeless

Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07874409285774991519noreply@blogger.com