A regular festival sofa goer

I spent most of this Saturday/Sunday morning watching Live 8 on BBC from the comfort of my sofa.

I also, spent most of the previous Saturday/Sunday morning watching Glastonbury 2005 on BBC from the comfort of my sofa.

I becoming a bit of a agoraphobic, festival sofa goer.

I've never been a big music person. I enjoy listening to music but don't follow bands or subscribe to any particular genre. I only went to my first concert a couple of years ago. Because of this, and my dislike of camping, I've never been too taken with the festival thing and this is probably the closest I'll come to attending one.

I was a little bored with the Glastonbury coverage. They focused on the main Pyramid stage for the majority of the time and the bands that played there all had a similar feel (Keane, Coldplay, Kaiser Chiefs).

Live 8 was much more interesting. Not only did you have a wider range of styles (although mainly white, western pop for which they were criticised) but you were constantly entertained by Jonathan Ross screwing up his links. Highlights included:

JR linking to Brian Wilson saying "Now we go over to Brian Wilson in Philadelphia, although having met him he probably doesn't know were he is". Then going to BW who was playing in Berlin.

JR referring to the live feed from the Big Screen in Manchester as Birmingham at least twice.

Class! Thanks Jonathan for putting the live in Live 8.

Buy Live Aid [1985] (DVD)@Amazon.co.uk

Happy Independence Day!

Happy holidays to all the crazy Americans I met, including: the mad woman on the train from Niagara to NY, the other crazy woman in the NY bar, the two crazy and young girls from Kingston Mines ... can you spot a pattern?

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, go and read my holiday blog about my trip to the US - My 2 Grand Adventure

I'm also going to use this other blog for my trip to Paris (and any further travels) next week. I guess that means I'll have to write-up my last day in the US and finish uploading my 700+ pictures ... DAMN.

Buy Independence Day (DVD)@Amazon.co.uk

Virtual G8

Virtual G8 

This is me at the virtual G8 rally. Go. Join up. Do the right thing.

Ectoplasmic Freeze Cannons

I found this while sorting through my stuff for eBay:



It was tucked in an old Real Ghostbusters annual. I was a big fan of Ghostbusters, both the film and the cartoon, and I must have designed this back in my creative youth.

Look at the detail! You could almost start construction.

Buy Ghostbusters (DVD)@Amazon.co.uk

Post-It Elvis

from Mental Hygiene

Isn't this AMAZING! A wall mosaic made from 2,500+ post-it notes. Head over to Mental Hygiene to find out how to make your own.

Now if I can just find someone at work to sign that requisition form...

Buy Elv1s: 30 #1 Hits (CD)@Amazon.co.uk

Chocolate Sunday Morning

How to Make:

1 part Brandy
1 part Baileys
1 part Tia Maria
Cola to fill.

How to make:

Add the spirits to a tall mixer glass, then add the cola.

It should react with the Baileys and foam up. The whole thing will look like brown foam with sludge at the bottom. It looks like someone's thrown up in the glass but tastes like chocolate; hence the name.

It might look horrible but it tastes really nice ... Honest.

I invented this cocktail by accident a couple of years ago. It costs about 8-quid in a bar. I used to buy it for peoples birthday drink, the girls would rarely drink it though ... sissies!

Final Countdown

Channel 4 Countdown presenter Richard 'Twice Nightly' Whiteley died on Sun. Student life will never be the same...

BBC News Obituary

Clearout!

I'm doing a bit of a life laundry to raise some money and make some room.

Why don't you take a look at my eBay site and see it there's anything you are interested in:

Mark's Great eBay Clearout

I'm listening dreaming.

I had a dream the other night that they had made another season of Frasier. However, Kelsey Grammer didn't want to appear so they replaced him with Lionel Blair!

And I didn't even have cheese before bed...

Buy a Fraiser (DVD)@Amazon.co.uk

Old iron, old iron ...

BBC News

Isn't this cool.

The a statue is built from the average WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) a person discards in their lifetime. WEEE Man is touring the country highlighting this waste problem. Find out more here.

It reminds me of the Iron Giant; one of my favorite books as a kid. I still haven't got round to watching the film.

Buy Iron Giant (DVD)@Amazon.co.uk

Good game, good game.

Learn how to cheat play better at some classic games in this BBC News article.

If you don't believe me, go ask the folks at Christie's...

Supertrooper

I just found a link to the Star Wars fan film Troops.

A brilliant SW spoof featuring Tatooine Stormtroopers in 'Cops' style documentary. I haven't seen this in years. An A+ short film, I just can't believe it's eight-years old.

If you've never seen it or, like me, haven't seen it in a while, go and view it now.

<wave of hand> This is the short film you're looking for.

Mange tout Rodney, mange tout.

I'm going to Paris.

This will be the first trip since I went to the US for my birthday last year. I must admit I developed an itch for traveling then and I've finally saved up enough money and courage for another adventure.

It's only a short trip; four-days in Paris. I arrive on Bastille Day and will be staying in another hostel. Apart from the sights and sounds of the city, I plan to spend a day at Disneyland Paris.

I guess I'd better start practicing my Del Boy language skills ...

Buy a Only Fools and Horses DVD@Amazon.co.uk

One Happy Bat Geek

I saw Batman Begins last night and I nearly cried when it ended ...

4/5 - the best Batman film by far. Harsh, believable and scary. Batman (rather than just Bruce or the villains) works for the first time; he finally becomes the star and is both believable and effective. With a good balance of action, drama and wit it's as good as Spiderman (with which it shares a similar structure) only darker.

If you don't believe me, that's OK I'm not offended, check out the Empire review.

If you have no idea what I'm going on about, shame on you, go immediately to BBC News and read their history of the Batman films. Do Not Pass Go. Do Not collect £200.

Then go to DC Comics and discover the source ...

Circle of Cup Life

Save a Cup

There's something very Buddhist about vending machine cups being recycled into vending machine cup holders.

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Aside: Thinking about this I looked up the definition for reincarnation. According to traditional beliefs there are five classes of living being: god - human - animal - hungry ghost - denizen of hell. Hungry and a ghost! Man, that's just mean.

Grave News 3

In addition to my previous posts, here are a couple more celebrity epitaphs courtesy of an article in today's Daily Express:

Billy Wilder 1906-2002: I'm a writer but then nobody's perfect

Jack Lemmon 1925-2001: Jack Lemon in

As this is almost a regular feature now, I though I'd explain my interest...

Despite the creativity and wit of well chosen 'final words', I have a particular fondness for cemeteries. As a young lad, my Grandad and me would take his dog Bluey for a walk in his local cemetery; the only green space nearby. These fond memories and a sense of reverence found my like of cemeteries and mean that I think the 'people' who defile them are scum.

Of course this doesn't mean I'm not scared in cemeteries at night ... O-o-o-h! S-p-o-o-o-k-y!

See my vest ...

From BBC News Magazine

All together now ...
See my vest, see my vest, made from real gorilla chest.

Buy a Simpsons DVD@Amazon.co.uk

Star Wars Redux

So, I've seen Revenge of the Sith.

It's over. Well, if you don't count the TV plans.

So, final verdict? It was enjoyable; 3 out of 5.

I think the reason why I like the original trilogy so much as a kid it because I was a kid. They were genre-setting and evolutionary in film making/special effects term and they will always have a special place in my heart. The new films not so. I'm sure the kids who see them with feel the same way I did 20+ years ago. Which is fine, after all it's this new generation who the films were aimed at.

If you going SW cold-turkey is too much to handle, here are a couple of quick-fixes to tide you over:

• Keltech Strikes Back: see and listen to Darth mix the Imperial March like a master.
  
  
• Revenge of the Brick: EpIII Lego style. Don't forget to visit the screening room for the previous
  
  
• M&Ms Chocolate Mpire: see the true power of the Dark Chocolate side; product placement.

Or you could buy the original trilogy on DVD and re-live that childhood awe all-over again...

I said white GLOVES.

The Michael Jackson trial is over and the verdict is 'Not Guilty' on all 10 charges.

To be honest that's what I expected. I think MJ is eccentric, which isn't surprising considering his childhood in the spotlight, and probably needs some professional help but I never truly believed anything more sinister was going on.

His 'true' fans on the other hand ... there's the real danger to society. There was one woman the Sky News coverage focused on who released a white dove every time a not guilty verdict was announced. Why?

Buy Michheal Jackson - Number Ones (CD)@Amazon.co.uk

That T-Shirt thing

I've always has a thing for t-shirts. When I received the first wage for my 'before school job' as a kid, I spent the majority of it on t-shirts. Ashamedly, it was on WB character Ts. I know ... sorry.

More than just a piece of clothing; they are mobile works of art, social statements and public jokes. Now I buy funny Ts, Ts to reflect my interest and Ts to support the things that matter to me.

Over the past few months, I've even been dabbling with the idea of creating my own Ts. More on this later

Preshrunk.info is a blog recommends cool Ts that you can get over t'internet and associated gossip. Well worth a look.

I've mentioned T-Shirt Humor.com in a previous post. To which Dave Harty suggested T-Shirt Hell.com. Nasty/funny Ts, with a capital NASTY. Not for the PC-centric.

Threadless.com is a cool site for Ts with an interesting twist. You can submit designs, which if they receive enough votes are printed and put on sale - you get a cool $500 for your troubles. So, surf over and pick your favorites.