Thursday 30 September 2010
Thursday: Indepenent TV Review
The Independent newspaper has published a review of new US TV series coming to the UK soon. Mentioned are Terriers and Rubicon, two of my personal favourites.
Tuesday 28 September 2010
The Henry Rollins Show
With having access to Freeview at the moment, which I don't normally, I've been watching The Henry Rollins Show on Film24. It's a hoot and I'd recommend it to anyone.
Terriers
A rather peculiar show on FX at the moment is Terriers. This is about two guys, one a former cop and the other a thief he gave a break to once, forming a detective agency and solving crimes. It sounds formulaic, but it's not. Sometimes the cases end badly, sometimes there's fallout from the cases that don't. They're not licensed, which adds further complications. It's been created by Shawn Ryan, who was behind The Shield. There's just something a bit different about the show which makes it worth watching.
Terriers
A rather peculiar show on FX at the moment is Terriers. This is about two guys, one a former cop and the other a thief he gave a break to once, forming a detective agency and solving crimes. It sounds formulaic, but it's not. Sometimes the cases end badly, sometimes there's fallout from the cases that don't. They're not licensed, which adds further complications. It's been created by Shawn Ryan, who was behind The Shield. There's just something a bit different about the show which makes it worth watching.
Tuesday: Hunter S. Thompson
Earlier this year, Matt lent me a copy of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson. I'd tried to read it before, but never quite finished it and I think the reason is that it seems to finish about two thirds the way through and then sort of trails off, or, more likely, comes unstuck. It's an entertaining enough read though, and Thompson, like Oscar Wilde, is very quotable.
I've recently bought a copy of Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, when he followed George McGovern in his vain attempt at the presidency of the U.S. against Richard Nixon.
Nixon eventually resigned after the Watergate scandal in 1974 which was all about a break in at the Democratic headquarters in the Watergate building in Washington DC, part of a dirty tricks campaign against McGovern.
Thompson's book has been referred to by one of the Democrat organizers as "the least factual and most accurate" account of what happened and is quite a bit more substantial that his previous work, about 1" thick.
I've recently bought a copy of Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, when he followed George McGovern in his vain attempt at the presidency of the U.S. against Richard Nixon.
Nixon eventually resigned after the Watergate scandal in 1974 which was all about a break in at the Democratic headquarters in the Watergate building in Washington DC, part of a dirty tricks campaign against McGovern.
Thompson's book has been referred to by one of the Democrat organizers as "the least factual and most accurate" account of what happened and is quite a bit more substantial that his previous work, about 1" thick.
Sunday 26 September 2010
Sunday: All Our Working Lives
In the 1980's there was a TV Documentary series called All Our Working Lives. The programes concern the history of various industries, chemicals, the aircraft industry, electronics, etc. BBC4 have updated the series and the program today was on the cotton industry in Lancashire, a story of decline and fall, with almost no industry left today.
My grandmother was a spinner in one of the smaller mills in Bury until she retired at 65. I was taken into the mill when she retired and I was about four or five. The spinning machines towered above like some kind of metal canyon. It was so noisy that all the women could lip-read.
My grandmother was a spinner in one of the smaller mills in Bury until she retired at 65. I was taken into the mill when she retired and I was about four or five. The spinning machines towered above like some kind of metal canyon. It was so noisy that all the women could lip-read.
Tuesday 21 September 2010
Tuesday: It's the 70's all over again
Hawaii Five-O
CBS have remade Hawaii Five-O. I've got some Yes LP's but I haven't got any flared jeans...
CBS have remade Hawaii Five-O. I've got some Yes LP's but I haven't got any flared jeans...
Sunday 19 September 2010
Sunday: Bikes and Punk; Alan
Alan
I've tried to write about this before, but it's difficult.
Alan is my maternal uncle, and we've always got along well. He's very gregarious and always well dressed: I've never seen him wear jeans or trainers, always good slacks and leather shoes, a shirt.
About fifteen years ago he had a nervous breakdown and was hospitalised. He recovered and has been okay since until about six weeks ago when he started behaving oddly, the old problems coming back, and he was hospitalised again about two weeks ago. I've been spending the last two weeks zipping up and down the M11 and M6 to go and see him. He's in a pleasant enough ward, low security, and seems to be recovering slowly, three steps forward, two steps back.
Hollywood Doll at the NCC Custom Bike Show
On a lighter note, I went to see Keith (a.k.a. K.T. Glitz) and his band, Hollywood Doll, at the NCC Custom Bike Show. It always seems a bit weird to use the phrases "old-fashioned" and "punk band" together, but that's what came to mind, and jolly good they were too, playing with gusto and skill. It reminded me a bit of the B52's.
I took some photo's of the event, and some of the rather classy bikes on display.
Mad Men
I've been watching back-to-back episodes of the first three seasons of AMC's Mad Men, all about advertising executives in 1960's New York. It's surprisingly engaging and deservedly won umpteen Emmy's and Golden Globe's.
I've tried to write about this before, but it's difficult.
Alan is my maternal uncle, and we've always got along well. He's very gregarious and always well dressed: I've never seen him wear jeans or trainers, always good slacks and leather shoes, a shirt.
About fifteen years ago he had a nervous breakdown and was hospitalised. He recovered and has been okay since until about six weeks ago when he started behaving oddly, the old problems coming back, and he was hospitalised again about two weeks ago. I've been spending the last two weeks zipping up and down the M11 and M6 to go and see him. He's in a pleasant enough ward, low security, and seems to be recovering slowly, three steps forward, two steps back.
Hollywood Doll at the NCC Custom Bike Show
On a lighter note, I went to see Keith (a.k.a. K.T. Glitz) and his band, Hollywood Doll, at the NCC Custom Bike Show. It always seems a bit weird to use the phrases "old-fashioned" and "punk band" together, but that's what came to mind, and jolly good they were too, playing with gusto and skill. It reminded me a bit of the B52's.
I took some photo's of the event, and some of the rather classy bikes on display.
Mad Men
I've been watching back-to-back episodes of the first three seasons of AMC's Mad Men, all about advertising executives in 1960's New York. It's surprisingly engaging and deservedly won umpteen Emmy's and Golden Globe's.
Friday 10 September 2010
Friday: Jobs and Job Centre
Jobs
I'm not going to say anything much about job interviews at the moment as it's at a fragile point in the development and I don't want to jinx it. I will say that taking along some of my work, as requested by the client, did have a positive affect, so fingers crossed.
Job Centre
The last but one time I signed on, I was told to attend a little seminar called a Back To Work session. A group of us all arrived a bit earlier than normal (usually 1:30PM but this was at 11:30AM), were shown into a room and given a little presentation about finding work, as well as given an expensive looking little handout. Basically, this was a shot across the bows about reviewing our achievements so far, which will take place in about a months' time in October. There is also an oportunity to gain, through a free training course, a fork-lift truck licence. This is aimed at warehouse work, of which there is rather a lot in Basildon, as we were told.
I'm not going to say anything much about job interviews at the moment as it's at a fragile point in the development and I don't want to jinx it. I will say that taking along some of my work, as requested by the client, did have a positive affect, so fingers crossed.
Job Centre
The last but one time I signed on, I was told to attend a little seminar called a Back To Work session. A group of us all arrived a bit earlier than normal (usually 1:30PM but this was at 11:30AM), were shown into a room and given a little presentation about finding work, as well as given an expensive looking little handout. Basically, this was a shot across the bows about reviewing our achievements so far, which will take place in about a months' time in October. There is also an oportunity to gain, through a free training course, a fork-lift truck licence. This is aimed at warehouse work, of which there is rather a lot in Basildon, as we were told.
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