Beards, good or bad?

Posted in Work, Philosophy at Wed 24 May 2006 by Stavros

I’ve not done much since we last conversed. I grew some facial hair (ie I went a week without shaving). It looked rubbish, more scruffy Tennants Super drinker, than trendy pomegranate juice type, or indeed fluffy real ale/mudwater quaffer. Patchy too, twenty-seven and I’m incapable of growing a beard, rubbish effort. All the base components are present (sideburns, moustache and chinny-chin-chin bit), but they won’t meet. Unlike those bizarre über-PC kids in Captain Planet, they can’t combine their powers. Part of me is upset at the realisation that I can never naturally go to a fancy dress party as Geoff from Byker Grove, or that rather creepy bloke who presented Knightmare.

In other news, I’ve had a cold. Not a “stay in bed stocking up on Lemsip and cry off work” cold. Just snot. No headache, no fuzziness, no tiredness, no cough, no aches. Just snot. I couldn’t even justify a day or two off work, even though there was a Test match on. Just snot. I felt a bit cheated, a silver lining was that I remained fully pub fit through out. The only point to this annoying, lingering tiny little cold was I got through more tissues than at any time since I was 15. Maybe it was a corporate sponsored infection, “this pointless bout of snuffles is brought to you by Kleenex”.

I applied and failed to get a job in Aber, that deckchair attendent job is looking ever more tempting.

Also at work, I’ve apparently got to attend some pointless corporate “roadshow” (images of Mark Goodyer and Tiffany on a windswept promenade are sadly misleading). It’s in Birmingham at rush-hour o’clock, and I really need to get out of it. I can’t book a holiday because I’ve got the following week off (it is World Cup group stage after all, and I’m not about to miss South Korea versus Togo for anyone, no sir). I also can’t take the afternoon off on lieu time, it looks too obvious. I need a decent excuse, any ideas?

Laters,

Stavros.

It’s only Springtime

Posted in Music, Crown, Fulla at Tue 9 May 2006 by Stavros

We tend to be in a rush with seasons these days I reckon. Everyone seems to look to the extremeties of summer and winter. I’m proposing we just all hang on a minute there and enjoy Spring for what it is. Today was great, a moisture in the air from a night of rain, a warm westerly breeze, heavenly. The leaves on trees were a striking shade of translucent green, young and delicate. The birds were full of song. The girls were in shorter skirts. What a great time of year.

I enjoyed, or endured, quite an indulgent weekend. I got pretty spannered on Friday, then rinsed and repeated on Saturday. Saturday’s at the Crown get weird. This was the weirdest. Things seemed to be happening a touch randomly. Great night though, especially funny was Fulla’s fanclub of one lass in an ill-fitting shirt. Haven’t got much of a clue about what I found funny most of the night, but my sides felt a bit tender on Sunday morning through laughing so much.

Music time:
Well, I’m feeling it, so it has to be Saint Etienne’s “Spring“. A beautiful track from their 1991 debut album Foxbase Alpha.

This new band from LA are getting a few nice words written about them, and I can’t argue. They are The Little Ones, and this is “Cha Cha Cha“. You can hear a couple more tracks on their site. I recommend them both, I’ll let you know what the EP is like when it arrives. It’s definitely springtime music.

Lastly everyone’s favourite Eel Pie Islanders, Mystery Jets. They’re re-releasing “You Can’t Fool Me Dennis“. Another one for listening to while walking through a sunny glade or summat.

Stavros.