You Must Be From Away

>This is broadband in New Zealand’s largest city.

The one where there was a two months (In words: TWO MONTHS) power outage in the CBD.

Slower than a 56k modem?

Hello?

>
Aaaaah!
The unknown historian graduate turns out to be my first cousin, once removed. (Why does he call me “Uncle”, then? That threw me off track for a bit)

He was somewhat dark vis a vis the picture – supposedly “not looking at his best”. The vanity of youth. Here’s a better one.

I’m pleased to report that he’s learning Russian. (Probably got his eye on one of these Slavic flossies) Doesn’t explain away the perceived need to write to me in the bloody language, but anyway. At least he sticks to normal letters – not this funny Cyrillic stuff.

Not many people know this, but the word Cyrillic has its root in Cyril (as in Cyril Knowles, the Tottenham player in the 1970s) and was adopted as the preferred alphabet after the appearance a hit song of the time, the lyrics of which are posted below

Хороший Кириллица,
Хороший один сын,
Хороший Кириллица,
Позволяет имеют другой*

Now, how many alphabets have songs written about them? Not many that I’m familiar with…..

*Nice one Cyrillic,
Nice one son,
Nice one Cyrillic,
Let’s have another one

>David Hockney
National Portrait Gallery
12 October 2006 – 21 January 2007
And we can’t get to see it.
Pisses me off massively, especially after being blown away – really blown away – by his exhibition at the Royal Academy a couple of years ago.
Here’s the link.

Go!

>

Nikon S3
Clumsy me
Upside down on a cushion
Off goes the flash
Could be gouache
To say it was art
Would be pushin’…..

it a bit.

>http://youtube.com/v/IWGVZZzix7M

So we’ve got a Japanese TV studio, a John Lennon look-alike (clutching what looks like an 8-string – but it’s really only 6 – Fender), a bird in a maternity smock with curlers in her hair and they’re singing the praises of Litteru Featu. (The bloke at least. The curlered bird seems a mite clueless about the whole deal. “Mmmm, Aaaah, Hai!” In awe, no less.)

All you need is for Bill Murray to wander in from Stage Left and it’s “Lost in Translation” deja vu.

And all we get is 2 minutes and 50 seconds of “Long Distance Love” – not even the complete song – but it’s exquisite.

Christ, I love this band.

What they did until 29 June 1979, at least. After that, they were “just another band from LA”.

Check out YouTube for more. And these guys for live concert mp3s

>I’m not sure this is the newest trend in landspam, but this picture turned up in the mail, unexpected and uncommented. I hadn’t done my good deed for the day that early, so I’m not sure what I’ve done to deserve it.

Fine looking lad, though. Obviously a budding academic. The cufflinks give him away as a historian, I’d say. Pom, too. Same backdrop as the Queen uses for her official portraits.

He looks vaguely familiar, but I’m buggered if I can put a finger on it…

Can someone jog my memory, perhaps?

>

A Hunter sqn in Aden

Sqn in bar till God knows when one night and a certain amount of damage/mild(?) high jinks ensued.

Next day, Sqn boss called into Stn Cdr and given huge roasting and told to sort his sqn out with major bollocking.

A bit later, Boss calls all into his office – with hats on -and gets them to stand to attention in front of him.

He then comes round the other side of the desk — puts on his hat — presses ‘play’ on the tape recorder and proceeds to accept a major bollocking (that he’d recorded) with his troops.

>I like books.

I enjoy reading, but it’s the tactile and visual experience that I really like.

And this is a very nice book.
It’s from Phaidon Press and is subtitled “New Perspectives in Photography”

The cover looks like the Periodic Table. (That much Ken Buckley taught me in 6th Form Chemistry at Westlake. Not much else, but at least that.)

But if you look closer, you’ll see that Dg isn’t the abbreviation for Daggonium but links to David Goldblatt.

And what you think is the atomic number is the page of his entry

Smart.

They should have won a design prize. Maybe they did.

He did, for sure.

>Only a matter of time before this one raised its ugly head…..

Take
1 faded MGB
2 cousins
1 Saturday afternoon
Gallons of cutting compound
2 power buffers
1 flying helmet
1 hard hat
1 floatation vest
1 RAF flying suit
1 “Take a German bird out tonight” t-shirt (Lufthansa’s advertising was witty back then…)
Copious amounts of alcohol

Light touch paper and retreat to a safe distance to observe amateur Dirty Raincoat Flashing and Rodin Thinking.

And we still think that we’re deluding ourselves when we dream that life was more fun back then….?