Happy New Year listeners! Things are definitely looking up for me in 2018 and I hope you're the same. You can't change the past anyway so either accept it, embrace it or draw a line under it and get on with living your life.
That might sound like a pithy, throwaway line from a self-help website but I mean it. Looking back over the last few years I am shocked at the number of people I know that have passed away; and not as a result of old age. The death, in late 2017, of my Aunt really hammered things home for me and I decided that life was too short to hang around waiting for tomorrow. Watch this space for some changes coming soon. And don't worry; I'm not about to stop washing, grow my hair and move to a commune. Probably because I don't have any hair and I like being clean.
Rollins Band - Do It - https://youtu.be/8xSFi-Tn2_g
Christmas disturbs me. More and more, it has become about excess, greed, gluttony and money. It's an opportunity for retailers to maximise profits. It's the time when we feel compelled to give gifts to people we hardly know who really don't need another box of chocolates or a book about how to survive the apocalypse armed with only sellotape, string, matches and a tin of baked beans. I like getting presents. I like giving them too but there's a limit. This year DJ Declutr and I set a quite modest limit for the gifts we would give each other. We both gave, and received cool things that are definitely NOT headed straight for landfill. I guess you could say that we became more mindful about the whole thing. We also agreed with some family members that, you know what, we really didn't need gifts from them any more. Instead, we'd maybe donate to a charity instead. Sounds simple I know but these aren't always the easiest conversations to have. And in a country with an obesity epidemic, the tradition of eating so much over the Christmas and New Year break that your belt and wallet hurt is simply disgusting. Enjoy your food, eat some treats but maybe you don't need to have a third helping just to finish off the plate of turkey and ham. So, "what is Christmas about Rob?" I hear you ask. Well, for me it's about the opportunity to spend some time with family, to take stock of the year and to enjoy the company of those you might not see that often. Some members of my family will recognise that I'm far from perfect here and that's OK. Maybe I'll get better at it.
Warren Zevon - Down In The Mall - https://youtu.be/3XmfNyu1Hrw
The other day I took a deep breath and went into our garage. I then proceeded to fill the car full of books that I hadn't read in years but that I'd been holding onto. I kept a few for sentimental reasons (1982 World Cup Soccer Guide included) and took the rest to the Lifeline folks for their book fair. I did the same with my clothes and there's a very full charity bin out there now. It's amazing how much lighter you feel when you get rid of some clutter and also understand that it's got the potential to help someone else. I'd been holding onto the tons of cricket biographies and books I've had for over 30 years and I sincerely hope that a cricket tragic out there finds them at the book fair and enjoys them as much as I did all those years ago. What's interesting, and mildly frustrating, is that there is still a heap of stuff in that garage to be looked through. I'm sure that I want to keep my Scout shirt with all it's badges but other than looking at it once in a while I guess it lives in a box.
Belle & Sebastian - Wrapped Up In Books - https://youtu.be/iBU-MxydbWQ
Scouting for Girls - It's Not About You - https://youtu.be/LRdI1azB6_M
On Wednesday, I stood, with my guitar, in the bush and mimed to a song we recorded later last year. The funniest thing was Dylan, cameraman extraordinaire, asking me to play the guitar solo bits so that he could film them. They were improvised when we made the recording so I had no idea of what to do. I hope it looks good in the end and I'll be sure to let you all know when the song/clip gets a release.
Hole - Celebrity Skin (live) - https://youtu.be/aJcHejLOmKI
DJ Zedboots is about to head back to university. That makes me sad, happy and immensely proud all at once. She's about to start six weeks of placement working in an ambulance which sounds rather exciting to me. I'm looking forward to hearing the sanitised version of events as I don't cope well with blood! Amusingly enough, as a result of how their training programme is scheduled, she can give you morphine but not put your arm in a sling!
AC/DC - If You Want Blood (You've Got It) - https://youtu.be/6EWqTym2cQU
Let's talk about Star Wars. I'm a huge fan; let's put that out there before I start. I really like the original trilogy, can't stand The Phantom Menace, despise Attack of the Clones and think that Revenge of the Sith is not too bad. I certainly enjoyed The Force Awakens and I thought that Rogue One was close to the best film in the entire collection - but not quite. So, given all that, you will understand why I was excited to go and see The Last Jedi. There's a spoiler in here so skip this paragraph if you need to. I avoided watching the trailer and reading any reviews or commentary about the film and I'm glad I did so. First things first - I enjoyed it, DJ ZedBoots enjoyed it and DJ Declutr enjoyed it too. We all had a fine time even though the cinema (hello Palace Electric) was freezing cold. Colder than Hoth during a cold snap. Apparently, if you believe rabid fans on internet forums, there are plot holes and problems galore with the film. It must be sad not to just be able to enjoy a film for what it is. It was a decent science fiction film that told a story over a couple of hours that kept me engaged. It's fun, it's Star Wars. I agree that killing off Luke seems kind of dumb at this point of the story and I didn't think Carrie Fisher acted all that well. R2D2, C3PO and Chewbacca look to be the only major characters now remaining from the 1977 film. After Empire Strikes Back and A New Hope, The Last Jedi would tie for third alongside Rogue One when it comes to rating my favourites.
The Divinyls - Science Fiction - https://youtu.be/AiCv9F_GRBA
That'll do for now. Have a good weekend.
Rob
No comments:
Post a Comment