My favourite social media channel is Twitter.
I love Twitter.
I've had it for a long time and have used it almost everyday since - not only to Tweet, but to follow events, friends and news. I prefer the format compared to many others, and the apps that I use to read it and interact with it are what makes it such a great service - I use Tweetbot on my iPhone to tweet, only recently having to use the horrendous Twitter webpage thanks to a failure of my 3G and Wifi at work.
I have talked about it a lot of the past few years. I even gave it up cold turkey a few months ago after losing my patience with idiots on it. I culled 100 people I followed and resolved to use it a lot less, and since then I have rarely posting on it but I am still there, reading and consuming. I read Twitter a lot more now I don't Tweet as often.
I was suspended from Twitter once, and it was confusing and annoying, partly because I liked it but also because I had no idea what I'd done to have my access removed. I even drew a troll to my blog because of this due to my complaining, which was fun.
I have also talked about the requirement for companies to use it well and how it can be used for good (and bad). It's a great tool. And how it democratises us excites me a lot.
But I am worried that a company owns it. Unlike email, phone calls or texts, a company actually owns the service, which is why I think an open source version, point-to-point, would be a great replacement. Kind of like a BitTorrent version of Twitter, where it's not stored on their servers but stored on everyone elses computers and stuff. It's an idea I've had for a while.
But yeah, Twitter's the best. Instragram after that, and Facebook? Slowly becoming the worst place online thanks to endless spamming of likes, adverts and my friends vacating it.
@sheeldz
Thursday, May 09, 2013
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
My First Job
My first job was until 2011 also the one where I had been for the longest. I went for several interviews with various shops over the summer between 5th and 6th year - Sainsbury's knocked me back and my first interview with The Link was also knocked back, but then I had a second interview and I was hired as a backroom staff member; essentially, I earned a lot less and no commission compared to the sales colleagues, which was fine.
Oh yeah, remember The Link? No? Well they used to sell mobile phones! I loved it. Turns out, there is no adverts on Youtube, which probably means that it never existed., eh?
Working in the shop chronicled some of my favourite times; it was the first time I had a drink, went to a club on expenses, worked night shift, and essentially had the most fun. It is probably the most fun I've ever had - I still have two of my closest friends from those days.
Also, in the end I started to make money! After earning £165 a month I later ended up earning a lot more thanks to commission and various other incentives that looking back I actually feel bad about exploiting. A lot of my friends are surprised when they find that I used to sell phones and when I think about it so am I - I have never been ruthless enough to shove shit phones at people who didn't want them or need them.
Oh, I can't talk about The Link without mentioning my assistant managers. I only had two main managers during my time there but an almost endless stream of assistant managers. Some of which were cool but a few... were infamous. I can't name them here for fear of slander or them finding it (the internet is less anonymous than it used to be) but for the few that do know, being called bingo was one major episode.
My favourite story from the Link days though starts with a damaged phone. A customer came in with a Motorola V220 that wasn't working. Normal procedure would have us go down stairs and check the phone to make sure they weren't trying to send something back that was not failed. We used to had out phones as most customer's phones had to go back to our repair team to get diagnosed. So, I go down stairs and find my manager mopping the floor. I had this habit of throwing phones up and down in my hand, probably a nervous tick. But anyway, but I was standing talking to my manager about the customer's situation. I remember a bit about this, but I think it was because the time between them buying it and the time for quick returns was basically up the day before. As we chatted, I threw the phone up and missed it, and it fell straight into a bucket of soapy water.
I actually had doubled over in laughter, with my manager falling over wiping tears from his face. We had to compose ourselves quickly, and I plain faced took a brand new phone to the customer and swapped it all out. So for them, it was amazing customer service - for me, it was a major moment of fun.
So yeah, loved working there and was very sad to leave. But I had to.
Now, if you want to read more funny stories, have a look at my Rock Steady series, the reason I started blogging.
Oh yeah, remember The Link? No? Well they used to sell mobile phones! I loved it. Turns out, there is no adverts on Youtube, which probably means that it never existed., eh?
Working in the shop chronicled some of my favourite times; it was the first time I had a drink, went to a club on expenses, worked night shift, and essentially had the most fun. It is probably the most fun I've ever had - I still have two of my closest friends from those days.
Also, in the end I started to make money! After earning £165 a month I later ended up earning a lot more thanks to commission and various other incentives that looking back I actually feel bad about exploiting. A lot of my friends are surprised when they find that I used to sell phones and when I think about it so am I - I have never been ruthless enough to shove shit phones at people who didn't want them or need them.
Oh, I can't talk about The Link without mentioning my assistant managers. I only had two main managers during my time there but an almost endless stream of assistant managers. Some of which were cool but a few... were infamous. I can't name them here for fear of slander or them finding it (the internet is less anonymous than it used to be) but for the few that do know, being called bingo was one major episode.
My favourite story from the Link days though starts with a damaged phone. A customer came in with a Motorola V220 that wasn't working. Normal procedure would have us go down stairs and check the phone to make sure they weren't trying to send something back that was not failed. We used to had out phones as most customer's phones had to go back to our repair team to get diagnosed. So, I go down stairs and find my manager mopping the floor. I had this habit of throwing phones up and down in my hand, probably a nervous tick. But anyway, but I was standing talking to my manager about the customer's situation. I remember a bit about this, but I think it was because the time between them buying it and the time for quick returns was basically up the day before. As we chatted, I threw the phone up and missed it, and it fell straight into a bucket of soapy water.
I actually had doubled over in laughter, with my manager falling over wiping tears from his face. We had to compose ourselves quickly, and I plain faced took a brand new phone to the customer and swapped it all out. So for them, it was amazing customer service - for me, it was a major moment of fun.
So yeah, loved working there and was very sad to leave. But I had to.
Now, if you want to read more funny stories, have a look at my Rock Steady series, the reason I started blogging.
Tuesday, May 07, 2013
Pets (Revisited)
Everyday in May
I have blogged about having Pets before and then since I got a dog, I've posted about him a lot. Here's a run down of all the Uncle Frank posts.
Original Post about Pets pre-Frank from 2011 which explains my original aversion to dogs.
Uncle Frank
Say Hello to Uncle Frank where I introduce the idea of a puppy and has a shot of him at four weeks old.
Uncle Frank's First Four Weeks and which there is a detailed description of how hard and fun the whole thing has been since day 1.
Uncle Frank's Family Holiday - our first ever family holiday.
Uncle Frank and His Harness - a video of my young puppy battling his first ever harness.
Uncle Frank's New Tricks - a rundown of the then progress with his tricks and teaching him to obey me. He now understands "Do you need to go out?" and "Go and get the ball/snake/rope/bone/Kong".
Uncle Frank's Procedure - I agonised over giving him the chop in this post.
Locked Out - a favourite post of mine where I detail how I got locked out of my car whilst walking Frank.
Uncle Frank and His Names - a list of names Frank has at various points.
Frank's Life Through a Lens - photos of the dog from the past 10 months.
He's a great dog, and everyday I am very happy to have him in my life and share it with him.
I have blogged about having Pets before and then since I got a dog, I've posted about him a lot. Here's a run down of all the Uncle Frank posts.
Original Post about Pets pre-Frank from 2011 which explains my original aversion to dogs.
Uncle Frank
Say Hello to Uncle Frank where I introduce the idea of a puppy and has a shot of him at four weeks old.
Uncle Frank's First Four Weeks and which there is a detailed description of how hard and fun the whole thing has been since day 1.
Uncle Frank's Family Holiday - our first ever family holiday.
Uncle Frank and His Harness - a video of my young puppy battling his first ever harness.
Uncle Frank's New Tricks - a rundown of the then progress with his tricks and teaching him to obey me. He now understands "Do you need to go out?" and "Go and get the ball/snake/rope/bone/Kong".
Uncle Frank's Procedure - I agonised over giving him the chop in this post.
Locked Out - a favourite post of mine where I detail how I got locked out of my car whilst walking Frank.
Uncle Frank and His Names - a list of names Frank has at various points.
Frank's Life Through a Lens - photos of the dog from the past 10 months.
He's a great dog, and everyday I am very happy to have him in my life and share it with him.
Monday, May 06, 2013
Bank Holiday Fun
Everyday in May
Today's topic is "bank holiday fun", which essentially seems to suggest that I shouldn't be at work - but I am. I actually do most of my writing on breaks and at lunch whilst at work, finding it a soothing distraction from the endless battles with politics in the office and unwieldly syntax errors in Excel (that's actually a joke; I am a master of Excel and can make it dance in very complex ways at my bidding).
I don't do bank holidays. I get the days off in lieu and use them on other days of the year, which is my preferred option - I am not a fan of having a day off when everyone else is off and places are shut.
I actually really dislike bank holidays - they seem like such a hangover from an older age, where the world wasn't always connected, or on. For example - last month, Easter Weekend coincided with my car needing to be re-insured and re-taxed. It was the perfect example of the ridiculousness of a day where things are shut in this day and age - I couldn't tax my car without my new car insurance documents which were delayed by the postal service being shut, and neither could I tax my car over the phone because the DVLA was shut. Thanks to Royal Mail being closed, the DVLA being closed, and the delays that result from them, I was unable to legally drive my car for a week despite doing everything within my power to comply with the rules.
It rankled a lot.
I know I am being "bah humbug" about something that gives people time off work, something that is hypocritical when considered with what I wrote a few years ago. It just feels like a hangover for an age long gone.
Add to that my ignorance of most of the holidays (I actually have no understanding why May has a few bank holidays in the first place, and a read at a very dry Wikipedia page didn't really help my understanding) I really can't be doing with them. I'll take my days off on days the rest of you are at work and I'll go hillwalking, drinking tea, or visiting castles.
Today's topic is "bank holiday fun", which essentially seems to suggest that I shouldn't be at work - but I am. I actually do most of my writing on breaks and at lunch whilst at work, finding it a soothing distraction from the endless battles with politics in the office and unwieldly syntax errors in Excel (that's actually a joke; I am a master of Excel and can make it dance in very complex ways at my bidding).
I don't do bank holidays. I get the days off in lieu and use them on other days of the year, which is my preferred option - I am not a fan of having a day off when everyone else is off and places are shut.
I actually really dislike bank holidays - they seem like such a hangover from an older age, where the world wasn't always connected, or on. For example - last month, Easter Weekend coincided with my car needing to be re-insured and re-taxed. It was the perfect example of the ridiculousness of a day where things are shut in this day and age - I couldn't tax my car without my new car insurance documents which were delayed by the postal service being shut, and neither could I tax my car over the phone because the DVLA was shut. Thanks to Royal Mail being closed, the DVLA being closed, and the delays that result from them, I was unable to legally drive my car for a week despite doing everything within my power to comply with the rules.
It rankled a lot.
I know I am being "bah humbug" about something that gives people time off work, something that is hypocritical when considered with what I wrote a few years ago. It just feels like a hangover for an age long gone.
Add to that my ignorance of most of the holidays (I actually have no understanding why May has a few bank holidays in the first place, and a read at a very dry Wikipedia page didn't really help my understanding) I really can't be doing with them. I'll take my days off on days the rest of you are at work and I'll go hillwalking, drinking tea, or visiting castles.
Sunday, May 05, 2013
Fit and Healthy
Everyday in May
(I missed yesterday - sorry)
Getting fit an heathly is an on going thing for me. For too long I was ignorant of how food and lack of exercise would affect me, partly because I have one of those dreaded fast metabolisms. It wasn't until I moved to Texas and had a free for all on food where i realised the problem that I was about the have - I gained a fair chunk of weight.
To combat this I surrendered my car and walked to work to burn off a lot of the weight, and that continues now I am back in Glasgow, using the train and bus four days a week.
Walking is only part of it - I eat healthier too. Texas taught me that fresh food is hard to find - the meats in the supermarkets there were borderline dreadful. It also taught me how much I loved eating fresh food which now makes up 90% of what I eat. Almost never prepackaged, 100% fresh fruit and vegetables. It's amazing that I get to do that too.
But recently I have changed something - I have started working out. We picked up a bench and free wieghts and now I am entering week five of a twelve week programme that will give me a more defined and lean body, something that I have never had an interest in. Pretty amazing, right? It's already hooked me, and I have a wish to really push it.
Connie has mentioned to me a few times that as someone who did very little competetive sport as a child I have a lack of breaking through the pain barrier - almost giving up too soon. I've not had to do that before and weight lifting is teaching me to do so.
(I missed yesterday - sorry)
Getting fit an heathly is an on going thing for me. For too long I was ignorant of how food and lack of exercise would affect me, partly because I have one of those dreaded fast metabolisms. It wasn't until I moved to Texas and had a free for all on food where i realised the problem that I was about the have - I gained a fair chunk of weight.
To combat this I surrendered my car and walked to work to burn off a lot of the weight, and that continues now I am back in Glasgow, using the train and bus four days a week.
Walking is only part of it - I eat healthier too. Texas taught me that fresh food is hard to find - the meats in the supermarkets there were borderline dreadful. It also taught me how much I loved eating fresh food which now makes up 90% of what I eat. Almost never prepackaged, 100% fresh fruit and vegetables. It's amazing that I get to do that too.
But recently I have changed something - I have started working out. We picked up a bench and free wieghts and now I am entering week five of a twelve week programme that will give me a more defined and lean body, something that I have never had an interest in. Pretty amazing, right? It's already hooked me, and I have a wish to really push it.
Connie has mentioned to me a few times that as someone who did very little competetive sport as a child I have a lack of breaking through the pain barrier - almost giving up too soon. I've not had to do that before and weight lifting is teaching me to do so.
The Demolition of the Red Road Flats
Friday, May 03, 2013
A Day in my Life
Everyday in May
A Typical Day in My Life:
5.30am - Wake up. I have been using a new alarm clock that you can shake to send it to sleep, so that helps with the super early mornings.
6.00am - Get up. I then stumble blindly towards my towel and then into the shower. I spend about 10 to 15 minutes showering and then dry my hair and get dressed. Today is a work day, so I'll be wearing a shirt, slacks, a tie and a jumper probably. I over dress for work - some guys don't even wear a tie!
6.15am - Go and wake up the puppy. Recently he's been whining to get my attention as I change, but he sleeps downstairs and is normally very well behaved once I actually get near him. We go out side into the garden straight away and on some days we go on a 30 minute walk around the neighbourhood.
6.45am - Come back home and fed the dog. I then have a bowl of cereal as I read my phone - Twitter, Facebook, BBC News, my own blog's stats. The usual.
7.00am - Say good bye to Connie and put the dog back in his crate. I then grab my pre-made lunch and pop it into my bag and leave the house.
07.05am - This is the latest I can leave the house at to make the 07.25 train to Bellshill. The walk takes around 15 minutes and I like to get there just before the train does.
07.25am - Train leaves.
07.35am - Train arrives. I then wait 10 minutes for the bus to the business park.
08.00am - Arrive at work. My computer takes about 20 minutes to start up, so I pop my lunch in the fridge and then make a coffee. I have my own percolator and coffee in work as the machines are rubbish.
12.00pm - Lunchtime. Nothing fancy here.
1.00pm - Start "work" again.
5.00pm - Get the bus outside the office back to the train station. The train is at 5.23pm so there is plenty of time to get there.
5.50pm - Get home at this point and get change into my work out clothes.
6.00pm - Start workout. This is almost every day now, which is great. I am going to blog about it another time.
7.30pm - Our gym is in the garage, so we can take as long as we want. After the work out, we make dinner and then after that it's relaxation time!
10.00pm - Normally when I get ready for bed.
SLEEP!
And repeat.
A Typical Day in My Life:
5.30am - Wake up. I have been using a new alarm clock that you can shake to send it to sleep, so that helps with the super early mornings.
6.00am - Get up. I then stumble blindly towards my towel and then into the shower. I spend about 10 to 15 minutes showering and then dry my hair and get dressed. Today is a work day, so I'll be wearing a shirt, slacks, a tie and a jumper probably. I over dress for work - some guys don't even wear a tie!
6.15am - Go and wake up the puppy. Recently he's been whining to get my attention as I change, but he sleeps downstairs and is normally very well behaved once I actually get near him. We go out side into the garden straight away and on some days we go on a 30 minute walk around the neighbourhood.
6.45am - Come back home and fed the dog. I then have a bowl of cereal as I read my phone - Twitter, Facebook, BBC News, my own blog's stats. The usual.
7.00am - Say good bye to Connie and put the dog back in his crate. I then grab my pre-made lunch and pop it into my bag and leave the house.
07.05am - This is the latest I can leave the house at to make the 07.25 train to Bellshill. The walk takes around 15 minutes and I like to get there just before the train does.
07.25am - Train leaves.
07.35am - Train arrives. I then wait 10 minutes for the bus to the business park.
08.00am - Arrive at work. My computer takes about 20 minutes to start up, so I pop my lunch in the fridge and then make a coffee. I have my own percolator and coffee in work as the machines are rubbish.
12.00pm - Lunchtime. Nothing fancy here.
1.00pm - Start "work" again.
5.00pm - Get the bus outside the office back to the train station. The train is at 5.23pm so there is plenty of time to get there.
5.50pm - Get home at this point and get change into my work out clothes.
6.00pm - Start workout. This is almost every day now, which is great. I am going to blog about it another time.
7.30pm - Our gym is in the garage, so we can take as long as we want. After the work out, we make dinner and then after that it's relaxation time!
10.00pm - Normally when I get ready for bed.
SLEEP!
And repeat.
Thursday, May 02, 2013
Spring is Here
Everyday in May
As you may already be aware, Autumn is my favourite time of the year (2008, 2009, 2010, 2012). Spring however is one of the seasons that many people wish away in hope of reaching summer sooner. As I haven't had a traditional summer holiday in years (I have never been a fan of sunning my self, partly down to my inherent ability to not sit still for any length of time, but also due to my fair complexion and low tolerance for the sun's UV rays) spring is just another part of the year that just happens.
But last year I changed things by going out walking every weekend, starting in April - Connie and I got our car last year and drove it into the hills and windy roads of Aberdeenshire, preparing ourselves for hillwalking. I always meant to blog our walks but that just never happened - but last year we managed a few rather impressive hills - Pressendye and Broom Hill in Tarland being a 18km double ascent that I am unlikely to forget.
This year (actually this weekend) we are starting that back up but with our puppy in tow - last year our hillwalks were punctuated with sighs of "I can't wait" when thinking about our then in-theory puppy, but now he's really here and ready to come with us, I can't wait.
So yeah, Spring now means the start of hillwalking season. And I couldn't be happier about that.
As you may already be aware, Autumn is my favourite time of the year (2008, 2009, 2010, 2012). Spring however is one of the seasons that many people wish away in hope of reaching summer sooner. As I haven't had a traditional summer holiday in years (I have never been a fan of sunning my self, partly down to my inherent ability to not sit still for any length of time, but also due to my fair complexion and low tolerance for the sun's UV rays) spring is just another part of the year that just happens.
But last year I changed things by going out walking every weekend, starting in April - Connie and I got our car last year and drove it into the hills and windy roads of Aberdeenshire, preparing ourselves for hillwalking. I always meant to blog our walks but that just never happened - but last year we managed a few rather impressive hills - Pressendye and Broom Hill in Tarland being a 18km double ascent that I am unlikely to forget.
This year (actually this weekend) we are starting that back up but with our puppy in tow - last year our hillwalks were punctuated with sighs of "I can't wait" when thinking about our then in-theory puppy, but now he's really here and ready to come with us, I can't wait.
 |
| A four month old Frank on his first ever hillwalk/hike up by Loch Lomond. |
So yeah, Spring now means the start of hillwalking season. And I couldn't be happier about that.
Wednesday, May 01, 2013
Boards of Canada: The New Album Dilemma
So, if you've been following me on Twitter for the past week or so, I probably have been insufferable, spouting incredulous messages about a new Boards of Canada album, some random numbers, and generally being excited like a little schoolboy, probably very similar to the way I was when I first found out that the computer game Sonic and Knuckles was coming out.
Yesterday the group announced what all fans have been waiting (in some instances, not so patiently) for: a new album. It's called Tomorrow's Harvest, will be release on the 10th of June and I have already made my pre-order.
I first discovered Boards of Canada approximately a week after the release of the Trans Canada Highway EP, back in 2006. I'd just handed in my notice at The Link, and was about to embark on a 10 week placement at Jacobs engineering as a recently passed 3rd-year student at Chemical Engineering. I was still living with my parents, I was still a Scout leader, and hadn't even considered moving to Aberdeen or starting to blog. That would come in late 2006.
My life has moved on a lot since 2006, as has a lot of things. But as the years passed the likelihood of a new Boards of Canada album became less and less, and as time went on I decided that despite my wishes, they probably wouldn't release a new album any time soon.
And then, last Saturday, a 12'' LP was found, hidden unannounced amongst the Record Store Day finds in New York City, that hinted either at an elaborate hoax or something new - it broadcast a cryptic code like a Numbers Station. Then Warp Records confirmed it was legit. Then a second code appeared, then Radio 1 broadcast a third, NPR broadcast a fourth, and then before I knew it I was checking various fan forums hourly as the clues unraveled, before the fan forum I was viewing became part of the trail.
Then yesterday, the album was revealed. I was commuting during the reveal and found out by way of a random re-tweet by a Boards of Canada related Twitter account when I got home - I could scarcely believe that they'd finally done it.
Before reading further, if you haven't, read this post on Tones of Town about Boards of Canada as I explain what the mean to me and why I love them so. Then come back.
Are you back? Good. I now have a dilemma.
See, Boards of Canada are my current favourite artist. I grew to appreciate each release I acquired over a long period of time, only recently listening to their lost-complication BoC Maxima just this past week. I have both Old Tunes tapes downloaded and own each of their official releases (only owning one physically, Music Has the Right to Children, but I actually don't know where it is right now). I have made my peace with their back catalogue - I discovered it all out of sync, out of order, and now have pretty much fully formed opinions of how each release sits in my mind, and how they relate to each other.
Imagine a story that was finished - one that had an ending of sorts, and then being told there was a future book that expanded on the characters. If you'd made peace with their fate, knowing that there was a canonical version of the events after your ending it can shake it up a lot. An actual example of this is the sixth book in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy, And Another Thing, heroically written by Eion Colfer after Douglas Adam's untimely death. It didn't change the books I had read previously, but it certainly did change how I felt about the ending of Mostly Harmless.
Of course, music is very different to that of a book - there is no real narrative, besides that of the album it's self. But what of my narrative? I have had eight years to dissect all their work and how it fits in my head, and now there's going to be more. And the new work will never change how I feel about the albums right now, but might it change how I feel in the future? It could. My tastes are fluid (though, admittedly, much more stationary than before) and like my infatuation with The Smiths 5 years ago, Boards of Canada could fall out of favour (however unlikely).
Don't get me wrong, however - I am not not looking forward to new material - I actually have not been this excited for a new album by anyone in my life, I think (though my younger self was extremely excited about Oasis' Be Here Now) but I am suddenly wary. I never expected new material from the group and now there will be it changes things ever so slightly. Despite writing this, I don't think I can quite explain it fully - apprehension isn't the correct term, but it is a type of wariness.
I look forward to hearing the new album at any rate. How it changes my relationship with their early work I won't know until I have heard it.
Yesterday the group announced what all fans have been waiting (in some instances, not so patiently) for: a new album. It's called Tomorrow's Harvest, will be release on the 10th of June and I have already made my pre-order.
 |
| I never thought I'd ever see this day. |
My life has moved on a lot since 2006, as has a lot of things. But as the years passed the likelihood of a new Boards of Canada album became less and less, and as time went on I decided that despite my wishes, they probably wouldn't release a new album any time soon.
And then, last Saturday, a 12'' LP was found, hidden unannounced amongst the Record Store Day finds in New York City, that hinted either at an elaborate hoax or something new - it broadcast a cryptic code like a Numbers Station. Then Warp Records confirmed it was legit. Then a second code appeared, then Radio 1 broadcast a third, NPR broadcast a fourth, and then before I knew it I was checking various fan forums hourly as the clues unraveled, before the fan forum I was viewing became part of the trail.
Then yesterday, the album was revealed. I was commuting during the reveal and found out by way of a random re-tweet by a Boards of Canada related Twitter account when I got home - I could scarcely believe that they'd finally done it.
Before reading further, if you haven't, read this post on Tones of Town about Boards of Canada as I explain what the mean to me and why I love them so. Then come back.
Are you back? Good. I now have a dilemma.
See, Boards of Canada are my current favourite artist. I grew to appreciate each release I acquired over a long period of time, only recently listening to their lost-complication BoC Maxima just this past week. I have both Old Tunes tapes downloaded and own each of their official releases (only owning one physically, Music Has the Right to Children, but I actually don't know where it is right now). I have made my peace with their back catalogue - I discovered it all out of sync, out of order, and now have pretty much fully formed opinions of how each release sits in my mind, and how they relate to each other.
Imagine a story that was finished - one that had an ending of sorts, and then being told there was a future book that expanded on the characters. If you'd made peace with their fate, knowing that there was a canonical version of the events after your ending it can shake it up a lot. An actual example of this is the sixth book in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy, And Another Thing, heroically written by Eion Colfer after Douglas Adam's untimely death. It didn't change the books I had read previously, but it certainly did change how I felt about the ending of Mostly Harmless.
Of course, music is very different to that of a book - there is no real narrative, besides that of the album it's self. But what of my narrative? I have had eight years to dissect all their work and how it fits in my head, and now there's going to be more. And the new work will never change how I feel about the albums right now, but might it change how I feel in the future? It could. My tastes are fluid (though, admittedly, much more stationary than before) and like my infatuation with The Smiths 5 years ago, Boards of Canada could fall out of favour (however unlikely).
Don't get me wrong, however - I am not not looking forward to new material - I actually have not been this excited for a new album by anyone in my life, I think (though my younger self was extremely excited about Oasis' Be Here Now) but I am suddenly wary. I never expected new material from the group and now there will be it changes things ever so slightly. Despite writing this, I don't think I can quite explain it fully - apprehension isn't the correct term, but it is a type of wariness.
I look forward to hearing the new album at any rate. How it changes my relationship with their early work I won't know until I have heard it.
"Five" Lines About Me
Everyday in May
My name is Mark and I am Scottish. I have lived a lot of my life in Glasgow, my home town, but I moved to Aberdeen after graduating from University in Chemical and Process Engineering, and lived there for a total of four years before moving back. In 2010 I moved to Houston, Texas for my work and lived there for a year. I have a wonderful fiancee, Connie, who checks I've mentioned her in each blog post, and a dog called Frank. I write to untangled my brain, and I draw maps, like music, and I am a former computer gamer.
This photo is one of my favourite photos I've ever taken. Here are my other photos:
My name is Mark and I am Scottish. I have lived a lot of my life in Glasgow, my home town, but I moved to Aberdeen after graduating from University in Chemical and Process Engineering, and lived there for a total of four years before moving back. In 2010 I moved to Houston, Texas for my work and lived there for a year. I have a wonderful fiancee, Connie, who checks I've mentioned her in each blog post, and a dog called Frank. I write to untangled my brain, and I draw maps, like music, and I am a former computer gamer.
This photo is one of my favourite photos I've ever taken. Here are my other photos:
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| An attempt at capturing the Grand Canyon, but understandably failing. |
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Everyday in May
I have noticed that this year has been a lean year for my lonely blog - only a few posts each month, which is shameful. But I've had a lot of stuff going on recently and... blah blah blah. Excuses! I said no more excuses. So, to help me, I've signed up to do the Everday in May blogging challenge, thanks to Holly and Rosalilium, who have a neat 31 day blogging thing that I'm going to try.
It's essentially Write in for Writing's Sake, but with blog posts. And everyday. But yeah, going to do it (try to do it).
It starts tomorrow, so yeah. That's cool.
A rule that I am enforcing is that despite knowing the upcoming day's topics in advance, I am going to only post whatever I decide to post or write on that specific day. And I don't imagine it will be the only posts I will put up, breaking my other rule of one post per day.
See you tomorrow.
It's essentially Write in for Writing's Sake, but with blog posts. And everyday. But yeah, going to do it (try to do it).
It starts tomorrow, so yeah. That's cool.
A rule that I am enforcing is that despite knowing the upcoming day's topics in advance, I am going to only post whatever I decide to post or write on that specific day. And I don't imagine it will be the only posts I will put up, breaking my other rule of one post per day.
See you tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Couch
In late 2009 Steven and I decided that we were going to move flat. We wanted an upgrade from the place that I'd been living since 2007, and we found a nice ground floor place with better equipped kitchen appliances and a massive shower room. The overall flat was a bit smaller, yes, but we were quite happy with the upgrade. Unfortunately the place was freezing, had damp problems, and when we ended the lease the landlord fucked us over completely and utterly. For the record, his name was Ryan Catto, so if he has Google Alerts set up he should find this post, Steven and I absolutely despise you.
That being said, that flat was the last place I lived in with a good couch. In Houston the couch was a single three seater that was barely big enough to lie out fully on, never mind snuggle. Snuggling is the prime criteria for my couches, and that couch was a bad one. But little did we know what was going to follow.
Upon returning to Aberdeen we found a great flat - good size for the price, and well equipped. Much smaller than previous places I lived, it was nice. But it too was cold and dark - the place had three windows in total. In comparison, when we moved to Glasgow our flat there was cheaper by quite a distance, was three times the size, and the living room had the same number of windows as our previous flat.
This Aberdeen flat had what, on the face of it, looked like a great couch - but for some unknown reason the three seater couch actually only sat two people thanks to two great big attached mini-cushions at the arms. This meant that there was less space than the couch actually had to offer. And they weren't able to be removed! What this mean was that it was a strictly one perso sitting couch, though Connie and I did make valiant efforts to get our snug on.
When moving to Glasgow we got a fabulously large new flat. The light was everywhere, the rooms were spacious and the windows were massive. A true Glasgow flat. We even had a dog! So yeah, pretty good upgrade.
Except the couches. These were two seaters, bought (probably) from Ikea or Asda, and were weak. Small, two seater, no snuggling room whatsoever. We bought a massive bean bag known as a Fat Boy to compensate, but greatly misjudged a) the effect two people and a puppy would have on it and b) Frank's overall neediness for sleeping on it.
Right so, we moved again. This time to a house that was unfurnished and... YES. We bought our own couch! It's a four seater that's 2.9m long. That is ample room for sitting. Lying. And snuggling. And now Frank has the beanbag for good.
All is right in the world.
That being said, that flat was the last place I lived in with a good couch. In Houston the couch was a single three seater that was barely big enough to lie out fully on, never mind snuggle. Snuggling is the prime criteria for my couches, and that couch was a bad one. But little did we know what was going to follow.
 |
| RIP this fucking couch. |
Upon returning to Aberdeen we found a great flat - good size for the price, and well equipped. Much smaller than previous places I lived, it was nice. But it too was cold and dark - the place had three windows in total. In comparison, when we moved to Glasgow our flat there was cheaper by quite a distance, was three times the size, and the living room had the same number of windows as our previous flat.
This Aberdeen flat had what, on the face of it, looked like a great couch - but for some unknown reason the three seater couch actually only sat two people thanks to two great big attached mini-cushions at the arms. This meant that there was less space than the couch actually had to offer. And they weren't able to be removed! What this mean was that it was a strictly one perso sitting couch, though Connie and I did make valiant efforts to get our snug on.
When moving to Glasgow we got a fabulously large new flat. The light was everywhere, the rooms were spacious and the windows were massive. A true Glasgow flat. We even had a dog! So yeah, pretty good upgrade.
Except the couches. These were two seaters, bought (probably) from Ikea or Asda, and were weak. Small, two seater, no snuggling room whatsoever. We bought a massive bean bag known as a Fat Boy to compensate, but greatly misjudged a) the effect two people and a puppy would have on it and b) Frank's overall neediness for sleeping on it.
Right so, we moved again. This time to a house that was unfurnished and... YES. We bought our own couch! It's a four seater that's 2.9m long. That is ample room for sitting. Lying. And snuggling. And now Frank has the beanbag for good.
All is right in the world.
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