Plastic Carrier Bag

I've had an interesting few days - wonder what's in my carrier bag this evening? O look, there's a ...

Magazine

Invited by Don and challenged by Dawn I attended the opening night of David Hoyle's new weekly show, Magazine, on Tuesday. It appears to be themed around a magazine so this week's theme was fashion, next week is politics, and so on. The place was heaving - he draws a crowd. It was a fun evening which I greatly enjoyed although having to go out one door and in another just to get to the bar was a bit strange. It was nice walking in and seeing familiar faces, bumping into Wendy Retro (who didn't enjoy The Dresden Dolls show) and seeing Justin Bond who Don happily ligged with (is 'ligged' the word?) chatting about his Broadway show.

As the show went on it started to become familiar - or at least the style became more familiar. I don't think I've seen him before so I don't know whether I've caught him but not remembered or the style is just a generic comic-thing, I don't know. At least David gave Dawn a free plug for 'Tranny Hag' (that girl needs a marketing strategy or to at least wear her own bright pink badge).

Highlight of the night must be Dawn's flabby belly test at which the loser was Don. I think the right people won, don't you Ms Right Nasty?

Old Folks Home ...

... otherwise known as my doctor's surgery. As a diabeatnik I get a 'flu jab to ward off the dreaded nasties (it plays havoc with one's blood glucose dontcha know) and that was this afternoon. In I walk to be greeted by a Derby and Joan Club scenario of oldies all sitting round in coats and hats, a table cloth on the plain table in the middle of the room and a plate of biscuits laid out with orange juice and glasses - a veritable party. 'Eh?' was my first reaction. My second was, 'O well, good job I brought a book'. Luckily I was called in to see the nurse straight away, a small needle rammed into my left arm and told 'that's it'. Thanks. And out I went. Only later did I wonder why my nurse was dressed in black...

'80s Compilations

I have a few '70s compilation CDs (OK, for 'few' read 'lots') but no '80s compilations. This evening I was looking at them again in HMV and they seem to be full of songs I don't recognise by bands I don't recognise, songs and bands I don't like or songs and bands I already have on albums.

Then it hit me. Compilations generally include the hits of the years in question and by the late '70s I was an album rather than a singles kid. The charts were important to me in the '70s so I know the songs on compilations. By the late '70s/early '80s I was no longer interested in the charts so I tended to have the singles I liked on albums from the bands in question. That seems reasonable to me.

Donkeys' Years

Went to see a play tonight with Christopher - yes, that's right, a play, no songs or anything like that at all, just people on the stage and words, lots of words. O and banging doors, lots of banging doors. It was all quite fun and I enjoyed being in the youngest 10% of the audience for a change (there was a definite demographic thing going on in the theatre tonight).

There was also an age thing going on on the stage since the play is about a group of graduates who go back to their generic Oxbridge college for the 25th anniversary reunion having not seen each other for about that time (apart from some of them going to a particular wedding). They're all in their mid-40s and well on in their careers - a minister, a clergyman, a civil servant, a doctor, a tabloid journo, etc. And the tale unravels of their get-together, the reunion dinner, the drunken evening and the morning after when it all comes home to roost.

The play occasionally showed it's age but it resonated with me. I'm the same age as the characters and I went back to my college four years ago for the first time on 20 years (it took me 20 years to take a 2 hour train journey) so I recognised all those, 'it's still the same' feelings and comments. The Government minister in the play is a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education in the department I work for, so that was strange, and even stranger that the civil servant worked for the same department. The author certainly got the relationship between those two characters very wrong! I enjoyed the play even though I was left wondering where Brian Rix was in the second half! No doubt a full, more critical, review will be provided by Chris.

Weller - Hit Parade

I've been getting more music and the album I'm currenty listening to is 'Hit Parade', the new (and first) compliation of Paul Weller's work over the last 30 years, from The Jam, through The Style Council to his solo stuff of the last 15 years. It's available in various formats, including a 4xCD box set but I just got the single album with 23 tracks. The tracks aren't in chronological order and that actually enhances listening pleasure - his style is consistent and it works. I'm loving it. I was never a big Jam fan but give the man credit for still being around, still producing new material and still being influential. It's a nice track selection too. Give it a try.

Going Postal

I've fallen a bit behind with my Terry Pratchet reading but I'm thoroughly enjoying 'Going Postal', the third latest Discworld book (two others have been published since this one which is why I'm falling behind). It introduces mainly new characters, which is nice, and, more importantly, it makes me chuckle. If you see me chuckling on the tube or a train then please don't distrurb me, at least for another few days. Thank you.

Mmmm.... I think that's it, nothing else at the bottom of the carrier bag ...