quite decent

now then

once more i've watched a few films and (thus) fell compelled, if not obliged to post comment on them here. four (4) in total, look you see. although some of the more pedantic brigade might (and to a degree they are right) suggest i watched just three films and one (1) documentary. indeed i could well have been reading instead of watching movies, for i have a large pile of books which appears to get no smaller that i wish to read. yet the same is true of the number of videos (discs) what i have sat here. 

as usual indeed it is so that i have a pile of either celebrated classics of cinema sat here, or more recent (or modern) films which are generally praised. i have, however, elected to watch films that many would suggest are not quite so good. that said it was merrily so that most of them exceeded expectations, even if the bar was reasonably low. certainly, or at least i think this is true, all of the ones watched felt like a considerably less ("fewer") waste of time than the last three what i watched. 

yes that is just a "normal" picture rather than one taken with one of the "apps" i have on my tiresome phone with the (rather) poor camera welded to it. no, that isn't the order in what i gone done watched the films, and it's a bit of an accidental accident that the 4th one is what it is. nice accident, though. 

from what i can remember, though, the look (or comments) on each film comes along in the order what i did gone done watch them. and yes, outside of some "screenshots" (as well as one image taken from the screen, as it were), indeed it is so that using them "app" things seemed best. 

i started off this batch (i think) with one called Earth Alien. at least that's what it is called here in the UK, or 'England-land' as i am led to believe some in America refer to us as. my understanding is that this is one of them films what got different titles in different countries. as for what that other, alternate or perhaps original title was (or is), so far as i can tell it is Endangered Species. 

considering my (sole) motivation for tracking down and watching this film, it actually turned out pretty decent. the plot is some coppers hunting down a "mass killer", so to speak, as some chap with apparently super-human strength is going around shooting lots of people. it turns out that super-human translates as "other worldly", and there's a quasi space copper (more game ranger) also on the scene hunting them down. 

this film has many restraints, and all of them are financial. you can tell it was made on a budget that didn't quite match (or get close to) the ideas. worst of all is the "end reveal" of the alien, with either special effects or turn of the century (quite cheap) CGI being so awful that you kind of wished they had just left the alien looking rather human. and yet this was all very entertaining. 

can't really see the sense in lying about my reasons for seeking out this film. above is (i think) a still which i can "get away" with adding here. i happened to see a scene of very nice nudies on the internet, so worked out it was this film and decided yes, for a reasonably low cost off of the great virtual car boot venue of the internet i would have that video (disc) in my collection. on that note there are three (3) scenes of quite class nudies, all female and all most agreeable. 

exactly what made this film good? all involved appeared to strive to do the best they could with what was clearly a good script. mostly it's the acting which made Earth Alien a decent watch. in terms of the lead cast Eric Roberts out of Dark Knight, John Rhys-Davis out of (i think) Gandalf and Indiana Jones before they went bonkers and made him President Hulk in the most recent one and Arnold Vosloo out of the boss Hard Target were really good. sadly the lady above appeared only to be in the film to do that bit of nudies, but still. 

more or less it is so that Earth Alien (or Endangered Species) is sort of X-Files Does Predator 2, and yet it works. the acting and dialogue are all good, and the action scenes (in particular a hospital chase) were all rather well done. it is (remotely) possible i would have enjoyed this film without the nudies, but we shall never know. overall, 90 minutes of decent entertainment. 

further honesty (for i would not wish to be any other way) would be to say i only bought Terminator Woman off of the market (for about £1) because of the appalling cover art. i had every confidence that such a terrible cover would ensure this simply had to be one of the worst films ever made. no masterpiece, but oddly watchable. 

plot? something something something, really. i think it was all about some American coppers (maybe FBI) who happened to be martial arts / kung fu types taking some witness to South Africa to locate some stolen gold (or something), and then it all being about a rather unpleasant "mr big" style gangster and a people smuggling operation. note i watched the 90 minute version. i believe there's a variation of it called Thunderclap what runs north of 10 minutes longer and sounds like it has some decidedly unpleasant stuff in it. 

knowing that he is in to all of that kick boxing, martial arts and generally any sort of thing which allows him to grapple with men and get sweaty i asked Spiros if he was ever a disciple of any of the Sensei listed in the credits. as it turns out, no, but he did have some fascinating stories about them. sadly i cannot repeat them here as i would likely get sued for libel, or get my f*****g head kicked in off of at least one of them, irrespective of whether the tales were true or not. 

normally i would say i am not too bothered about "martial arts" films, except of course for them proper smart ones what had Bruce Lee in them. and some Jean Claude Van Damme ones, maybe some of the earlier Steven Seagal too. perhaps i was hasty in generally disregarding the genre, as this was, once again, rather decent. this was very much one of them films what you'd take a chance on renting on video in the mid to late 80s and get entertained by it for an hour and a half. might even rewind and watch again before you had to take it back to the shop. oh, the acting was in this instance f*****g awful and the script not up to much, but it was nonetheless compelling, if not engrossing, viewing thanks to a decent pace and the numerous action scenes being really well staged. sadly no nudies. 

also no nudies in The Fourth Kind but all the same i was interested enough in what i saw "online" to give it a go. for, in terms of coins, i think about £2 off one website or another. well, it didn't look like it would have nudies, but then again it has (had) Milla Jovovich in it, and there's always a chance of her disrobing in a film. but she didn't here. still, i saw a snippet on the internet, read comments of how people recalled being rather scared by it when watching it at a young age, so thought why not. 

once more i reference X Files, for this is indeed one of them "paranormal" or alien encounter things what came to be so popular to make with thanks to that (excellent) tv show. also it kind of capitalises on the craze for "found footage" films which, so far as i can recall, regained popularity after Blair Witch Project. none of them found footage films, including this one, ever came close to the disturbing darkness of Cannibal Holocaust; perhaps some tricks can only be pulled once. 

i think the best part of The Fourth Kind, other than really good performances by Ms Jovovich and the usually great Elias Koteas, is how convincingly the film believes itself to be in presenting "real" found footage from "real events". an unexpected, and very clever, twist was (perhaps i should have had a spoiler warning somewhere) was going full tilt "meta". as in you have Milla and Elias explain that they are actors recreating scenes and explaining why. not having any credits for the actors who(m) appeared in the supposedly found footage, nor the usual "this is a work of fiction" disclaimer, was kind of a nice touch to it. 

by no means was The Fourth Kind a bad film, it's just not a great one. perhaps in a cinema, and for that matter 16 odd years ago on release when this sort of thing was in vogue, it seemed better. possible a case of not ageing well, but as i didn't see it at the time no idea. as not even nudies being in it would have made me watch it again is, i suppose, all the review from my perspective you require. 

hadn't ever heard of the last one i am going to comment on here (since i somehow forgot to include the fact that i recently finally got around to watching The Entity). saw it, and for clarification "it" is the documentary All Things Must Pass (being about Tower Records), on sale down at the market and figured it would at least have some points of interest for me. which it did, but not so many as you might think. 

essentially it's a "rise and fall" story, with the story being of Tower Records. just how big this record shop was is somewhat highlighted by it being known worldwide, yet didn't have all that a global range of stores. never, so far as i am aware, went to the London (innit) one. as would be the case with nearly all record stores, they had huge success right up to, give or take, the early 2000s. then internet, then free music, then all of a sudden the constant price increases for tapes (and discs) during the 90s came back to haunt them somewhat. well, no, not haunt, kill. 

despite the back of the box saying "it wasn't just the internet that killed Tower Records", actually yes it was. there really isn't enough of a story to that in itself to fill a 90 minute documentary. so it was indeed the archive footage which i found interesting, like for instance the image above, showing a display for Bowie's Tonight album being erected (so to speak) in a Japanese branch. 

mostly All Things Must Pass felt like a vanity piece to showcase how brilliant the founder was (he was, to be fair) and how much more excellent life was when we had record shops and a proper music industry (it was). the main points of interest (and this is pushing it) are that Dave Grohl once worked for them, Elton John liked shopping there and Bruce Springsteen "appreciated" them selling his records. nothing overtly insightful into the world of record shops. rather possible that High Fidelity was better at telling such a story. still, Tower Records did seem like it was quite class. 

yeah, sure, why not, another image of the best scene from Earth Alien above to close this out. indeed it would be quite true to say it was the best scene in any of these films (and one documentary) watched. cannot promise, but will try and include The Entity (as in the 80s Barbra Hershey one) when i next do a post on films. should you wish to know my thoughts, indeed it was decent. 

from all of these films i think the one lesson it would be class for present day film makers to take would be how the structure / pacing of Earth Alien and (to a lesser extent) Terminator Woman keep an audience entertained despite any budget (or script) limitations. having infinite resources to make films with these days does not mean you should use them all at once to make boring things. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

fleetwood bac

howdy pop pickers

and so no, that (or this) title is not a classical or traditional spelling faux pas off of me, look you see. i am indeed writing of Fleetwood Bac, being as they are a tribute to the rather similarly named Fleetwood Mac. yes, if you have just done a quick google and want a fast answer, for all is a rush these days, they are very good indeed. note that this will feature some poor quality images and videos. whereas words fail to capture exactly just how surprisingly sh!t the Samsung Galaxy A14 is for recording moments of a gig i am sure the below will showcase precisely that. 

how i came to go and see a Fleetwood Mac tribute band (or act) is kind of tricky to describe. essentially it was an on the fly, spur of the moment whim off of the back of another on the fly, spur of the moment whim. i happened to catch an ad for a Rolling Stones tribute band playing (very) near me, thought they sounded quite class and went why not. on purchasing a ticket for that one i saw the ad for this, thought about it for a bit, had speaks with Dad (who said go) and also i went sure, why not. 

very glad i did, too, as they were excellent. superb, if you like, or any variation on any such positive word, be it verb, adjective or anything like that. extremely well attended and mostly, to my surprise, by a rather young audience. i was rather watching the band than checking out who else was there, but if i had to estimate then some 20% - 25% of the others in attendance would have been half my age or south of that number. nice one, but more on that in a bit. 

what does one get for their ticket to see Fleetwood Bac, which was a coin cost of around £25(ish)? as good as two (2) hours of classic Fleetwood Mac songs, plus a (welcome) surprise solo divergence, split nicely into two roughly equal sets. more or less, as in just about, all solid gold bona fide finest songs by them, which does indeed mean very nearly all of Rumours. i think just three (maybe) songs off of playing that celebrated record in full. 

on that note, and to get some of the bad video out of the way, they began (or if you like commenced) in a most audacious way, hitting us with The Chain. 

presumably the "key" (as "trick" sounds cheap) to a good (great) tribute band is that they sound and to some extent look like the original act. they hit these targets very nicely, although the drummer (the Mick Fleetwood) was mostly hidden away for the show but was almost perfect. credit to the bass player (John McVie) for not only nailing the bass to The Chain perfectly, but also wearing the classic flat cap. let himself down a bit by declining to have that permanently stoned look Mr McVie is so famous for, but hey. 

for the lady doing (so to speak) Stevie Nicks, well, wow. what an astonishing voice, carrying all the iconic power of the original. she also could very clearly do all the moves of Ms Nicks perfectly, but declined to do them in full, for it is well known that doing so opens a portal to dark forces. i looked upon the absolute dude doing (very much that) Lindsey Buckingham with awe, admiration, jealousy and regret. this chap is living his very best life, wearing a class suit, having the massive hair, playing guitar like a man possessed and singing with an all encompassing passion. whereas i have precisely zero musical talent or ability, nonetheless i should have given myself over to a life of rock and roll. instead i am a sell out, and can only worship those so brave to do it. 

really reluctant to show off the next video, as it simply does not do justice to the restrained, quietly getting on with it absolute star of the show. please do not judge the performance on how bad it sounds on this video. 

 

thank you, thank you, thank you whatever cosmic events aligned or collided to lead me to making the decision to be in a venue where i could hear this incredible lady deliver a truly, wonderfully amazing homage to the great Christine McVie. it is likely there's not enough variations of excellence in the thesaurus to accurately describe how good she was. being able to be so close to someone performing classics like Songbird and You Make Loving Fun was one of those moments you are glad to be alive. 

younger audience members, then, of a (mostly) female persuasion (or identification, because of how it works in this century) but with the occasional male of similar age. often looking confused and clearly there to please the female companion. i was both delighted to see so many of this demographic and curious as to why. the answer was pretty much Stevie Nicks, and two (2) songs in particular. considering the infamous history of the song (it was dropped from Rumours but reinstated on "special editions") it was Sliver Springs that surprised me as being the one this gang went the wildest for. the other was the mentioned divergence to solo, for Ms Nicks' classic Edge Of Seventeen got a blistering blinding performance. sure, Gypsy got well received too, but them were the main ones. as far as i can work out, or have been able to grasp, it's something to do with "tik tok" (whatever that is) that they are so popular, but also some film or tv series appears to have been inspired by Silver Springs.  

 

after performing Edge Of Seventeen they said to "make it fair" they were going to do a Lindsey Buckingham solo song. i got really excited, optimistic and hopeful that they were going to do Holiday Road. sadly, or alas, no. it was Tusk what got done for this, with the disclaimer that it was "all Lindsey" as none of the rest of the band had any clue what it was. still, great to hear that one. 

on that note, yes the performance is all very much in character, as it were. there's a good deal of banter and fun, and if you are aware of the legends (the mythology) of the band then there's quite a few wonderful little comments made as the show goes on. no, i won't quote them here, it wouldn't be as entertaining. but worth seeing and yes, of course (mindful of the infamous Rumours creation process) cocaine very much gets a look in. 

undoubtedly you shall be relieved to learn that the above is the last bit of video here. quite surprisingly they didn't hold on to Don't Stop as the last track, but it was the last one on the second set before the encore. as rousing and as good a performance as you could wish for. forgot to mention, earlier in the set there is indeed a throwback to the 60s variation of Fleetwood Mac, but no not Albatross.

last song done, then, was Go Your Own Way. this was particularly ace, as it's (very much) on my a list of favourites. if one takes as a given that you can't have just one top tune off of them. here was the closest to disappointment, though, although that's harsh. one of the greatest parts of this song is Mick Fleetwood's drumming, be it the fills or the cheeky, catching you off-guard double taps towards the end. no, the drummer of Fleetwood Bac couldn't quite replicate it, but then there are very few drummers who would be able to get it perfect. rather an admirable go, though. 

every passing year does tend to make the lyrics to I'd Rather Jack off of Reynolds Girls seem all the more stupid. Fleetwood Bac are a celebration of a band with dynamics crazy enough to deliver some of the greatest music ever made, and my word do they honour that. it was a fantastic night out, even if my current medical plight prevents a couple of pints and so i wasn't quite loose enough to full tilt get my groove on (dance wise). should you get chance to see them, see them. 

yes, indeed they do have their own web page thing, so if you want to see some proper videos of them and check on where they will be playing, click here. 

next up shall (or will) be the Stones one, then. with most of the appeal of seeing them being that they appear to have gone with a Brian Jones type figure instead of a Ronnie Wood one. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

car wash variation

hello there

well, not all that much of a variation, look you see. i have just opted (if not elected) to use different sort of formats to record a relatively recent visit to a car wash facility. also some slight variation, i suppose, as the overwhelming majority of what you will see here (should you be all that bored you continue to read) was captured before going through the machine of vehicular cleanliness magic.

except, of course, for the first image (just below this paragraph, unless i f*** up the formatting), which is of the passenger side window during the whole washing process. to clarify, that's the left hand side window, if you are sat in the vehicle (facing forward, pedantic types). in some countries, specifically the ones where they drive on the incorrect side of the road, that wouldn't be the passenger side. not that you actually have to have a passenger when on travels, but there's a spot for them nonetheless. 

that is indeed an image captured in "psychedelic" mode, and if i say so myself (well, yes, write not say) it's not too bad a looking one. regular readers here will know well of my frustration that the psychedelic camera "app" what i gone done bought just isn't as interesting as i had hope. it is also a matter of fact that precisely none of the "apps" what i have procured are anywhere near as smart as the Commodore 64 one what went busted and works no more on any "updated" operating systems. 

in a peculiar twist of life (if not fate) i have been to a car wash a few times of late and not recorded it all. why, or why not? honestly i exhausted everything and anything one could say of a car wash several posts and a few years ago. i don't mind doing the odd one every now and then, for it gives me something to put up here (allowing me to flex my dwindling writing skills), but i just don't see the point, or if you will logic, of documenting every f*****g instance of me using a car wash. 

since there's a theoretical notion of it being summer (with, in fairness, moments of summer being present on select days) it appears quite a few people have opted to start using car wash facilities. hence me unusually having to wait my turn to have a go, and further hence me having the opportunity to document another vehicle using it. yes, in VHS mode, in the video above. bit of variation i suppose, or at the least a (presumably) welcome change from me just recording what happens when one is inside the washing machine thing. 

most likely, or probably, it is so that we, the people, just go to car washes like this as frequently in summer as we do other seasons. perhaps it feels like people use these things more often in summer because seasons change with the scenery, or something like that. it's not really a hardship to wait whilst someone else uses it, and indeed this is especially true of when i am on the paid verk clock to wait as long as it takes to get it done. as it happens the chap in front of me went for the full tilt deluxe version of the car wash, which i think costs a fragment south of £10 and sees you getting to experience the machinery what also "blow dries" the car (or other such vehicle). 

rounding this out (or off), then, is the above image in "thermal" mode. of all the "apps" what i have picked up in an effort to replace the Commodore 64 one i think this is my favourite, but still, nowhere near as quite class, is it? to illustrate what i mean do feel free to search this blog for posts of this nature in days gone by, when Commodore 64 mode was (mostly) use. or, you know, don't, if you are not particularly interested and yet for some reason are still reading this. 

actually i suppose there are a few things i could write of about the whole (if not entire) car wash facility phenomenon. one question would be as to if they "ecologically sound" to use. no idea at all, but if we go on the basis of anyone using any sort of vehicle with a motor in it is an enemy of mother nature, my guess would be probably not. far easier to answer is if car wash machines like this are "economic" to make use of. in my case, very much "yes" on that, since verk pays for it and also pays me for the time i take to make use of it. 

on the off chance i do think of something of interest to write on the subject, yes, perhaps there will be another post on the subject of car washes in the future. there are many instances of me doing so in the past already. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

inxs - listen like thieves

g'day pop pickers

well, the days of getting albums on their day of release appear to be long over. so too, i suppose, has been me (or moi) rushing to write of them as soon as possible after that day here, look you see. in this instance, though, it will be somewhere just south of the 40th anniversary of the day of release for this album, although yes admittedly it is a version of it released this year (2025). so, as the title gives every indication of this being about, eventually i got around to picking up the Listen Like Thieves record off of INXS. 

on learning that a 40th anniversary edition was coming out (i think via facebook ads, which seems to be the default way i get music news now, for better or worse) i was rather enthusiastically eager to get it. for a change this is not just for my pathological whim to purchase as many tapes (discs) as i can, but rather more likely out of if not nostalgia then straightforward sentimental hygiene. i knew that this album was home to one INXS song in particular, What You Need. which remains, to my knowledge, the biggest format music video i have ever seen. 

memories cloud and get confused, of course, but i can distinctly recall being a bit baffled, or surprised perhaps, at seeing a promo video for What You Need before films at the cinema in 1985. can't even find the specific (not pacific) version they showed now either; all i can find on "you tube" is some garish very heavily mid-80s MTV video for it. anyway, 12 (or so) year old me was somewhat ultimately impressed that a band - and one i had not heard of - were having a video shown before a film, innocently thinking it was a kind of honour rather than something paid for. considering i went to the cinema a lot in 1985 - for a start i saw A View To A Kill 4 times - i saw this video a lot. but no, it didn't occur to me to purchase either the single or the subsequent album. 

it isn't so that many other who(m) may have seen the same video did either, for on initial release, and how is it that 1985 is 40 years ago, the album (in the UK at least) only got to 48 in the charts. quite odd, then, and respectful of just how big INXS went on to be, that someone somewhere has decided to commemorate an arbitrary anniversary of this album. but, my word, it's a jolly good thing they did, for it really is a class record. 

this album is a full tilt expression of exuberance. it's a record that the tape of should have been in many, many car stereos in summer, being played at the correct volume and spreading the spirit of sun, fun, life and loving it all. the expansive, atmospheric sonic landscape of the music is beautifully blessed on all but one of the tracks by the vocals of Michael Hutchence, a man who clearly knew he had a great rock and roll voice and was willing to be relatively patient for the world waking up to this. 

and yet a fair review, both right now in retrospect and, on reading up on reaction at the time, of this particular album is "nearly". what one is hearing here is a band so, so close to kicking down the door and screaming "we know what you like and we've got it". certainly that moment did happen, about two or so years after this, when no one could ignore (nor deny) the genius of Kick. 

reviews and such are there to be disagreed with, and there's one i saw of Listen Like Thieves which i would take to task. it suggests that all the lifting here is done by the opening three (3) tracks, being What You Need, Kiss The Dirt and the titular Listen Like Thieves (not necessarily in that order), with the remainder of the record not reaching the same level. not really true. as an album this has a wonderful, flowing structure and there really isn't a moment where you think "this was added to pad out the running length". maybe, ok, there's no specific moment, like on Kick with New Sensation or Devil Inside, where you go "how do i make this even louder", but then you should have it on at the correct volume anyway. 

usually the "bonus material" with re-issues like this are kind of nice but not essential. here they are extremely nice and if not exactly essential then at least of a nature likely to get more than one cursory play. i wish more "classic albums" would follow this pattern, if for no reason other than for the sake of completeness. you get (appreciating it's difficult to see the text in the picture) the 12" mixes of the two main singles plus the b-sides. the latter is often left out of releases like this. rounding this out is a set it seems the BBC gone done recorded of them live and in concert. it's not a bad live recording, sounding every now and then like it has had a bit of a "cosmetic touch up" in the studio, but yeah, the remixes and the b-sides are the win. 

right now i've got Kiss The Dirt on again. from what i recall i believe (or think) i first heard this one when it was included on the Need You Tonight 12", which i shall still have somewhere. oh i really do like the bass line on this one. and on all the other songs. and Michael's vocals. 

going on what i can find online this re-release has not improved the highest chart position for the album. at least not unless there's some special "re-release" chart which i didn't find. oh well. with some luck, though, there's people out there who shall chance on the album, give it a play and, i trust, very much like what they hear. 

be fair dinkum to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

joe cole derby league 2024 - 2025

ow do

so another football season is, with mercy, over. it has been a surprisingly turgid season, look you see, but then again also one punctuated by some moments of unexpected and impressive results. few, for instance, could have foreseen Liverpool's winning the title, Newcastle claiming the league cup with style and the frankly effortless way in which Arsenal swept aside Real Madrid. 

but results (or achievements) in any season are, of course, just distractions from the big one. it remains, most decidedly so, that the most desired, the most hotly contested title (sadly with no formal trophy) of any football season is to be crowned "winners" of the Joe Cole derby games. 

it is, of course, so that only four (4) clubs can actually win this particular title. they are the four teams which the legendary, celebrated Joe Cole represented with distinction. quite a few football sides, or rather the fans of them, like to make an awful lot of noise about how they are "big clubs", be it historically or presently. all well and good, and there's nothing wrong with taking pride in your team. but, that said, when you talk about a prestige club, an elite team, then you can't really call yourself that if Joe Cole has not worn your colours. 

how is it that Joe Cole has become such a monumental (if not pivotal) figure in the sport? mostly it's been foisted on us by a range of broadcasters, employing him to comment on matches of fluctuating importance, as if the public at large look at football and the only thing which comes to mind is the pertinence of the question "but what does Joe Cole think". 

let us not delay the matter any further. you want to know who rule supreme in the Joe Cole derby league this season (2024 - 2025) and here are the final standings. please note only FA Premier League games count, although throwing in the FA Cup games which were also Joe Cole derby matches would not have made all that much of a difference. 

bravo, then, Liverpool, who went and gone done won one of the most closely contested seasons ever for this particular honour. it was quite literally that one draw they managed which ensured they got to claim all the bragging rights one possibly could for being the "best team that Joe Cole represented". 

the big surprise here is, of course, that Chelsea have finished second. and a really, really close to Liverpool second too. famously Chelsea have had a couple of (by their recent standards) lean years, with few expecting them to push quite so hard for the Joe Cole trophy. some praise is due for their "do or do not" attitude here, with not a single draw in a Joe Cole derby match. 

of particular disappointment is the lack of challenge from Aston Villa. they are very much a team in the ascendancy presently, and to be honest they were my pick to be the Joe Cole team of the year this season. you would have to take it as a given that the pressure to perform in the Champions League meant something had to give, and so the focus drifted away from all things Joe Cole. with their prestige or elite (whichever you prefer) credentials cemented, maybe the 25-26 season will see them be crowned Joe Cole derby winners. 

right there above are all the results from all of the Premier League fixtured which are classified officially as being Joe Cole derby matches. you are very welcome to check i have the maths right for goals for and against, etc. pretty sure i have. 

disgrace is the only way to describe West Ham, alas. a favourite thing of all fans of every other team but West Ham is to have reason to say "careful what you wish for" to the Hammers fan base. oddly this season it has been that virtually every weekend has given some cause (if not excuse) to piously say it in their direction. from a safe distance, of course, for their firm are quite hard. considering the incumbent manager of West Ham also managed another team what Joe Cole represented, perhaps the 25-26 season will see the team give greater importance to at least having a go next time out. 

should for some reason you wish to see the results of previous Joe Cole derby leagues then i have reasonably good news for you, as this can be achieved by clicking here and indeed here. and with that, there's not much else one can say except to congratulate Liverpool on winning the double, with them claiming the "big one" and the Premier League title. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sunset fresh off of lynx under review

hello there

improbably this is, indeed, the second month in a row what i have gone done a post on some product or other off of lynx. this is entirely accidental, look you see, but also i cannot guarantee there won't be one next month. especially, as it happens, when aware of a simply dreadful rebranding they have done of what is, or perhaps was, their only truly decent product. 

but that shall be then, or maybe if and when, this is now. and right now, as the title suggests, this is all concerning a relatively (at time of writing) new fragrance what lynx (or axe in some parts of the world, unless they have "streamlined" and call it lynx everywhere) has gone done made. 

how is it that i came to encounter this new scent, fragrance or (if we are honest) monstrosity from lynx? recently i was away for a night, so as to enjoy the delights of Primal Scream live and in concert. for such trips i take my boss yet modest (as in small) sized Bowie bag what has a sort of Japanese style to it. taking one of them "roll on" deodorants instead of a fully fledged ozone-f****r aerosol can saves space to the extent that i do not need to make a choice between socks or boxer shorts. when shopping for one, quite aware that they usually reserve only their very worst fragrances for roll on products, i spotted this one and figured it could be no worse than the other roll on offerings. the traditional aerosol variation i bought was later, just to see if it really was that bad. 

giving a description of a scent in words is always quite tricky, for it relies on evoking memories of such in you, dear reader. but, go on, i shall give it a go. 

starting off where i did is, of course, with the roll on variation. what does it smell like? imagine, if you will, that you have bought a packet of discounted mince, one which was cheap anyway and was just moments if not minutes away from its expiry date. take that packet to the kind of beach where undesirables dwell, playing tinny, sh!tty music through a cheap bluetooth speaker and using disposable barbecue things, making certain all have a time as miserable as their own existence. bury that mince, facing the sun of course, in the sand. once the noxious gases have inflated the package to the point of bursting, take it out, mix it up with some putrid, repugnant eggs and fry it in a pan which has a dab of oil made from liquefied excrement of unknown provenance. that's not far off. 

oddly the spray on version has a discernibly different scent. which does make me wonder why, exactly, both have the same name, but let me not question the logic of lynx. this spray on one is slightly less worse than the roll on, but in the same sense as, say, it was only the one testicle a vicious dog ripped off rather than both of them. essentially it's like they took a delicate cherry blossom scent, mixed it with a touch of a confrontational rose fragrance then smothered all of that with bleach, disinfectant and all sorts of chemically unsound detergents to make the perfect thing to try and disguise the smell in a particularly rough brothel or similar house of ill repute. anyone you attract whilst wearing this is going to be (most decidedly) someone you would not wish to attract. 

them what make these things, these scents, lynx (or possibly axe) are clearly demented. surely it would be less ("fewer") effort to make a decent smelling one than spend all that time delivering these hideous things? even the name is odd. generally sunset comes at the end of a day, where's the fresh? maybe what it was they wished to do was to call it Sunset Now, so as to honour the band Heaven 17. anyone who knowingly and willingly makes this kind of smell is going to be a textbook fan of that band, believe you me. perhaps some licensing issue stopped them calling it that.  

yes, once again, as with all posts of this nature, i am (very much) aware than in no way am i the intended demographic, or market, for the products of lynx. these things are all meant for feral teenagers, to be worn to as to attract other feral teenagers for breeding purposes. my teenage days are long since gone and beyond the music, no, i wish not for them back. it's just that all other deodorants on the market here have a weird obsession with a musky sort of musk smell. lynx do too, just not as bad. which is saying something. 

unless it is so that my recent plight gets the upper hand and i fall then there is indeed every chance i shall experiment further with the vile stench that shall be the next good idea what lynx (axe) has. by the way, no, i did not try any of their "boutique" or "luxury" range from a year or so ago, as the price they asked for them was ridiculous, even by their usual standards. i cannot see it being so, but if any of this has been of some help to you, nice one!

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

three films

greetings

well, this is all pretty much what it says on the box. or, if you will, what it says in the title, look you see. i have of late watched 3 (three) films, and so have opted to add some comments here. no, actually, i have seen a few more than that, but all of these were gone done released this year (2025), so it in some way or other kind of makes sense (in a roundabout way) to clump them all together in one post. 

sadly, or alas, it also makes a degree of sense to have the three (3) of them together as they were not too good. underwhelming when not plain disappointing is an apt review of each of them, really. which means yes, you probably could skip reading of what i have to say (write) on each, as the crux of it is right there for you. on the off chance you are wondering which three films have such a review, well, thanks to my deft skills on ms paint here's an image of the posters for them. 

many thanks indeed to those of you still reading at least this bit after having observed my overview and, presumably, had a gander at the picture. for clarification, the three (3) films are Mickey 17, Death Of A Unicorn and Black Bag. the first 66% of which are ones i did wish to go to the cinema to see, but no more is it that i verk in that there London (innit) and there's no cinema near me what shows films such as this in walking distance. nearest closest would be a prohibitively expensive public transport route which would leave me with over a mile walk to get to it. should Warner, Paramount or what have you gift me a car then i guess i can resume going to the cinema to see their offerings, but for now the delights (or joys) of home video entertainment it is. 

they, the films, are shown in the order what i gone done watched them, and that seems like a sensible enough way to write of them. so, then, i start with Mickey 17, which i was disappointed not to have seen at the cinema. from late last year (2024) to early this (2025) i saw the trailer for it on other films watched at the movies, and it looked amazing. at least the first trailer they released did; the second one for it had me thinking maybe it wasn't going to be that great.

alas, the second trailer was (it turns out) a warning that should have been heeded. never, ever have i experienced such a disproportionate dynamic of excellent trailer to truly sh!t film as was the case with Mickey 17. just rubbish. i came close to switching off the video with about half an hour or so to go, and found myself wondering (as i watched) if i wouldn't at all have walked out on it had i made it to the cinema to see it. 

how or why is it so bad? i believe there was that mythical "studio interference" here, but it's likely they salvaged it. the film is quite close to being an incoherent mess, and the big problem is that it just doesn't know what sort of film it wants to be. no, actually, my thoughts on watching was that they, them what made it, simply didn't have the courage to stick with a genre, message, statement or sentiment. quite a jumbled up mixed bag in which nothing works. 

at times Mickey 17 wants to be a black comedy, at times it wants to be some metaphorical thing on why people risk their lives to flee one place for another, at times it wants to be a (reasonably) straight emotional drama, sometimes it just wants to be a pastiche of various politicians and/or religious leaders. not one of these gets done with any success. you soon get bored of trying to work out which president, politician or evangelist Mark Ruffalo is trying to do a parody of. normally at the very worst usually you can count on Robert Pattinson at least being watchable, but here your heart goes out to him, for he seems all to aware what he signed up for is not what he's having to do. truly an insipid, monumental waste of time, resources and everything. 

the idea of Death Of A Unicorn amused me greatly. quite the quirky premise it had, which is "what if  a car hist an animal, but the animal turns out to be a mythical creature". again, for this is part of that 66% i mentioned, this was one what i saw the trailer for and was keen to see it at the cinema. glad, as it turns out, that i did not, for that premise was clearly the only idea they had. as in it seems the idea was people would be so taken with the concept that they would not care no story beyond the premise was given any sort of thought or attention. 

even allowing for the suspension of disbelief one would apply when watching a film (particularly in this genre) it's just ridiculous. hey, let's have a car hit a unicorn. fine. but in some woods near a wealthy and dying head of a pharmaceutical company? and have it that the blood of the unicorn magically heals him? just a bit too contrived. to be fair they seem aware of this as they go along, electing to just cover it with a few scenes that (ahem) pay (a poor) homage to Aliens and Jurassic Shed. 

oddly there's a redeeming feature to the film in two of the cast. the young lass in it, and the young lad, actually have decently written parts and are played well. for the main cast, however, not so much. it is so that Paul Rudd plays the exact same character he does in everything, that droopy, downbeat one that constantly looks like a puppy what has had its @r$e belted for some indiscretion. still, he is more tolerable in this than the other two proponents of it, the mildly bearable Chris Pratt and the totally, hopelessly f*****g awful Vince Vaughan. as for Richard E Grant, well, he's just embarrassingly bad, you want to cringe when he is on. things like Withnail & I and How To Get Ahead In Advertising feel a long way back. even Hudson Hawk. 

leave all the curiosity you have about Death Of A Unicorn as unresolved. no good can come from watching the movie itself, surely you can find better ways of spending one hundred minutes. 

i knew nothing about Black Bag except (possibly) hearing the title in passing, and so never really had any wish (or interest) in watching it. then a good friend asked for my opinion on it, which was their way of telling me to watch it and report back. so, i did. rather dull. 

my friend asked me to watch (it turns out) as the plot premise (or blurb) felt, to them, somewhat misleading. it very much is. the plot sounds quite class, with it involving a "spy catcher" possibly needing to catch his very own wife (also in the business), leading to a decision on which he loves more, her or his country. poster looks exciting, and everything suggested it would be a taunt, reasonably tense thriller. no, it is not this. 

quite early on there's a dinner scene (pictured here somewhere) that goes on and on and f*****g on. you start to think, or fear, that the entire film will be just the characters having a conversation. with mercy it moves on, but not to too much better. at the great risk of spoilers, the film is hugely flawed as it frequently contradicts its own logic - at once we are expected to believe that some of the characters are gifted, intelligent and good at their job, yet we are also supposed to accept they would fall for a really obvious ploy or trap. it just doesn't work. 

can't say i have seen all that many Michael Fassbender films, but here it seems like his brief was "do something a bit like a 60s Michael Caine, but more wooden" in Black Bag. there is indeed a school of thought that every acting job Michael Fassbender gets comes with the brief "act like X but wooden". poor Cate Blanchett here only seems to do things when someone remembers they hired her so they might as well get her to do a bit. admirably the rest of the cast do a superb job presenting accurately just how intolerable and full of themselves most Londoners are. quite an immediately forgettable film, and not one you should rush to see just to forget. 

right, that's that. may it be so i see a decent film in the not too distant future, then. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

just remember the days as long as the time that you keep

howzit

a particularly sad aspect of the demise of newspapers (and their end of days hovers, look you see) is no longer keeping cuttings or articles from them. it's all well and good everything being a free for all on the internet, but as i have said frequently we are tactile creatures. we keep hold of things because the sense, or to be honest feel, of them is as much part of the experience as the memories and what have you. 

this is all the more true with special announcements. sure, now, one can instantly use all sorts of internet stuff (apps, social media, what have you) to tell we, the people something of importance. whilst this is absolutely amazing, it adds to the rather disposable nature of the world. there's no sense of age or the importance of it no more. for example, you could be reading this one hundred or so years after i actually gone wrote it, but on a screen (or whatever you have in the future) it may well as have been written just moments before you read these very words. 

putting an announcement of some consequence in a newspaper was quite a thing. not as free and cheap as the internet to do, of course, but not that expensive. in an era before communicating with everyone everywhere all at once if you had something to say then you either phoned or sent letters to all the people you knew, or you popped a notice in the newspaper. 

weirdly it feels like it felt more personal to see an announcement in a newspaper rather than picking up on it off of some general email or social media post. yet i am aware that it has been some time since i gone done bought a newspaper as such. sure, i picked up those free ones when in that there London, and every now and then i am obliged to buy one to get a book at a lower price off of Tesco. for the latter usually the newspaper goes, unread, directly into recycling. 

indeed i am quite aware of the "irony" (more like hypocrisy) of me writing this on the internet, or what have you. still, with senses being eroded all the time in this peculiar century i don't understand and really don't care for, feel all that you can feel whilst you can.

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

greetings from a dead man

hello there

sorry for the somewhat (if not rather) dramatic title. likely the best, or most apt, phrase i could have used for this was a lyric i elected to use late last year (2024), which if you wish you can consider by clicking here, look you see. apologies also to those of you who recognise the literary quote used instead, and no, the quality of writing is unlikely to be anywhere as close. but, still. 

please note i neither profess nor claim to be "expert" in any of what you will read, if indeed you opt to continue reading. i am also very mindful of not wishing to preach to anyone, i am not going to get all holier than thou, evangelical (or even esoteric) about it all. just my account, for writing here would seem to be my catharsis in this world. take from all of this what you will, be it information, something to read on one of the few ad free websites left (unless they are sneaking them on and not giving me a cut) or what have you. 

where to begin is a question which normally (quite naturally) suggests at the beginning as an answer. it is, in this instance, not clear where it all commences. let me start at what feels the "business end" of it. for a change i am only going to add pictures later, so excuse me if the images that eventually get added don't quite match the text. as if they do usually. here we go.......

tuesday

a quite normal day, from what i can remember. things at verk were (without checking my diary) all pretty straightforward, nothing out of the ordinary. early evening, though, things went if not totes or completely f****d then a bit to shit. i had quite a dizzy spell. really strange one. was just sat watching the tele, and the whole world started tilting on its side, from left to right (if that is relevant). except not entirely, it got a few degrees, then seemed to repeat, again and again, all at a speed of many hundreds of miles per hour (or what have you). try to imagine (since DVDs and Blu Rays just pause) a visual thing of where a CD "sticks" and you just have a split second of the disc stuttering. 

the sensation passed after, well, i don't know how long. didn't feel like it was particularly long, perhaps just under a minute or so. in each instance. as in yes, this happened to me once or twice. once when i elected to step outside for a cigarette (sorry), which was in my mind likely to fix everything, and i sort of had to put a hand out and lean (or what have you) on a pillar or wall. ultimately i elected for a reasonably early night, took an anadin and went to bed. 

wednesday - sunday afternoon/early evening

on waking the morning after (the night before) i felt fine, and continued to do so as i went about al usual things of stuff. yes, when i was in control of a vehicle not long after morning rituals, including of course breakfast, i did wonder about the wisdom of doing so if another dizzy spell (for that is all i can think of to call it) hit. but everything felt fine. at this stage i must declare that i did indeed tell a good friend about what happened and they did urge me to consult medical advice as soon as possible. since it had all gone away, no, i did not. but i did (vaguely) promise them i would if it happened again. 

remaining time in this particular sub-headed section was fairly routine. i did verk stuff, which included a lovely day in Newcastle (why aye man), strolled around the market on saturday, listened to some quality music, took the train to see the boys and what not. a perfectly reasonable thing to say was as the days progressed the memory of the incident (or episode) soon ebbed away, fading from memory like it had never actually even happened. yes, an "ignore it and it will go away" thing. 

sunday evening

ha ha, no. this was when it all went right proper f****d, to be honest. once again i was just sat watching television (i do not believe anything more exciting than snooker) and it all kicked off again. except rather, or if you will very, different. the dizziness as i described it was back, but seemingly faster, and far more prolonged. like it was not ever going to stop spinning. 

i was getting to the kind of stage that could be compared to Sir Roger Moore in Moonraker, or if you prefer James Bond In Space, where he is in the "g-force" machine. my feeling was that i was going to go unconscious in a matter of moments, or otherwise pass out, or maybe (just maybe) since i am not sure what it is going to feel like, pass away, as in be demised. Monty Python parrot time. with all this considered and my mind not being able to grasp or focus on a single thing, i had a really, really good idea that standing up would mend this and make it all better.

as it happens, no. well, yes, i did (somehow) stand up, but was soon down again. with speed. did manage to knock over one of my ludicrous piles of tapes (discs, what have you) on the way down, but with mercy did not collide with any glass cabinets or anything either sharp or going to deliver a knock out blow. kind of laid there for a bit, then when it was clear i was going to be ill (nausea, or what have you) i somehow found the resolve to get to the bathroom to do so. i have no memory at all of how i did that, i just did. once there it was (brace yourself) an experience like i have not had before, for it was violent, relentless and like all within my body would soon be out. managed to get some water on my face, in particular my ridiculous (at least presently) beard, to make sure any of that last bit remained on me, and then made my way to bed. no, not entirely certain (forgive the theatrics or dramatics) that once i closed my eye that they would open again. cannot ever recall being quite so scared, yet my prevailing sense was calm, to be accepting of it. 

monday morning

yes it was indeed that eyes opened again. i woke up fairly early, pretty sure that i had slept throughout the night with no incident. the world was not all dizzy and spinning, but it most decidedly was not seeming all stable. i laid for a bit, wondering just what the f*** was going on. memories of the night before came to mind. i could somehow recall doing two key tests during it all, namely raising my arms straight above my head and placing my chin (or, yes, chins, if you don't like me and are of a disposition to be mean) on my chest. presumably this told me no, it was not a heart attack, it was not a stroke, and i can only guess that was why i elected "not to cause a fuss", not to call any medical professional and not to try and draw the attention of anyone to my plight. 

with the above in mind, and a vague memory of a vague promise, i decided that yes, i was going to need some sort of medical attention here. since i was reasonably functional, and what i at least hoped was the worst of it had passed, no i did not call the emergency number (999 here in the UK) straight away. recalling there was such, i managed to log in to the NHS "app" on my phone, discovering there are quite a few security layers on it. i did their "test" or questionnaire thing, describing my symptoms (or if you will plight) as best i could, so as to let the machine determine if i needed immediate medical assistance or if i could pop down to a doctor when i felt up to it. the big red letters at the end of this test informed me that i was to call 999 for an ambulance now. 

hopefully this is not too boring so far, for there is a while to go. but also yes, there was at least one cigarette (sorry) between that test answer and me actually calling. 

on calling 999 i got asked some more questions off of the operator. this was fine, i was not in panic mode. as is famously known our health service really has gone to sh!t, but i would not want them rushing an ambulance to me if others were in a worse state. wouldn't call this anything noble on my behalf, more the fear of guilt if something really bad happened to someone when the people who could assist were p!ssing about with me. i explained the tests i gone done, they had me look in the mirror to check i had not changed colour, or my face had collapsed. also had me check for marks on my body which are associated with meningitis. they asked if any part of my skin was unusually cold, and the answer was yes, my back was absolutely freezing. i was told an ambulance was on the way. 

presuming, or imagining, that the ambulance would not be there any time soon i did a couple of things. first off was to call my direct (verk) boss, intending to advise there was an issue and i would not be in today, or likely the week. got voicemail, and can half recall leaving a mostly incoherent message. not long after that i could remember that i had made an appointment with someone in respect of a verk related matter, which obviously i would not be able to honour. but of course, under the rules of the English way of doing things this seemed to be the very worst thing for me right then, so i sent a text message to three (3) colleagues, asking if one of them couldn't at all pick it up on my behalf, mentioning in passing that there had been a "bit of an incident" and the ambulance was on the way. 

merrily the ambulance arrived a good deal quicker (or faster) than i had anticipated, and soon there were three (3) lady paramedics in my bedroom as my (verk) phone went ballistic with concerned people wishing to have speaks with me and see what was going on. i did manage to have speaks with one or two, but it seemed more appropriate to let the paramedics do their thing. 

i have absolutely no concept of how long the paramedics were with me. certainly felt a while, but then time was distorted if not displaced. lots of questions, lots of tests is what i recall. they were quickly satisfied that no, it was neither stroke nor heart attack. presumably that particular bill due for smoking waits for another time. surprisingly the majority of the tests (taking as a given that they did not have a chest x-ray machine with them) were fine, although i do remember them saying (and me being a bit baffled by what the relevance was) that i had an "unusually high" blood sugar level. indeed, anyone still reading this will then now know the ending. 

they did all them heart and blood pressure and pulse (apparently i have one) tests. some of them, and i would think the heart ones, involved numerous white discs with blue tags being attached. quite a few, actually. every time i thought i had found and removed them all, no, a little while later i found another one. kindly the one paramedic warned me that they can be a bit painful to remove, and yes they did smart a bit (unless, in the words of my sister, it was just me being a usual big fanny). mindful of finding them over the course of the day and how they did indeed sting a bit when removed i was rather reluctant about searching for stray ones south of the belt, so to speak. 

ultimately the considered and learned opinion of the paramedics was that i was, in some way, f****d, with that being my choice of phrase, but they could not say in what precise way. this is quite fair, they are there to immediately save lives, and whatever was going on was not (alas, for some) immediately likely to be fatal. so, they arranged a reasonably (fairly) urgent doctor appointment. 

off i went to the doctor, then. a few questions, some tests (and a comment about needing to address a build up of ear wax) and the conclusion, or diagnosis, that it was vertigo. indeed i have had the rather splendid U2 song of same name in my head ever since, and oddly no, i do not believe i have seen the famous Hitchcock film which also has the same name. pills were duly prescribed, but an appointment was made for the day after the next day (or if you like wednesday) for some blood tests. 

did i, or have i, had any further dizzy spells? or incidents of vertigo, as the current thinking (which i do not question) is that is what it is (perhaps was)? yes. on that monday afternoon, as i attempted to make toast, and then later on tuesday evening. since then, nothing, and long may it stay so. 

blimey that's a fair chunk what i gone done wrote and we are not even at the business end yet. well, we on the presumption of you, the people, still reading. perhaps i should have broken this all up into two posts, but then paragraphs exist for a reason. 

so, blood tests on the wednesday. i don't actually have too much to say on this one, as it was a fairly brief appointment. with all the will in the world there are only so many things which can be revealed instantly once blood has been drawn and "tested", however (i know not) that happens. so sure enough a nice nurse took some of my blood (possibly very nearly an armful) and wished me well for the remainder of the day, saying that the test results would likely be two or three days. 

quite a surprise, then, when i got a call (not unreasonably so but still) from my local medical practitioner place, advising me that i needed to be seen as a matter of urgency and i was due there at such and such a time that day. oh. right. proper f****d, then. my logic here would be that thing where Tom Hagen needed a drink before seeing Vito Corleone to tell him the tragic news of Sonny. if they were not going to tell me on the phone it must be rather serious. 

the first, and rather abrupt, question i got off of the (perfectly lovely) nurse was of why, exactly, i had not been treating my diabetes at all. after that sank in, i said because so far as i was aware i did not have diabetes (or was not diabetic), and that i had not been tested or checked for it. which led to a silence. people i have told this to get quite cross, but it would seem a doctor appointment i went to, that i cannot recall at all, a very Nigel Tufnell number of years ago indicated that i was indeed diabetic. no one mentioned this. i mean, i would certainly like to think i would have taken note. well, what's done is done, forward not backward, as the saying goes. doesn't it? 

little margin was given to absorb this as i was presented with the course of action required. the most immediate concern, the first battle which must be won, is to dramatically reduce my blood sugar level. it is, or was (hopefully past tense is correct) somewhat slightly yet noticeably over 100. yes i asked if that was bad and i was told it was bad, very bad. i am, then, on some hardcore pills to get that down. also my diet has changed somewhat to help this out. 

it turned out that this was not the only thing what the blood tests found was an issue, or was busted, or to continue a trend quite f****d. whereas i have always been of a view that anyone wishing to impersonate me has my hopes that they shall do a (considerably) better job, perhaps it would be ill advised to give the details of other diagnosis. but, as things stand, for now i am on medication for in excess of the two (2) matters already mentioned here. fair bit more. 

one thing i have always been aware of is that people who are on extensive, long term medication really do not like being so. when i speak to them, or have spoken, that's the part of whatever is wrong that gets them down, or plays on their mind. up to now (and yes this is early days, i appreciate) this hasn't really bothered me so much. i mean, sure, i am making all sorts of charts, notes and stickers for boxes so i know what to take when and if i have taken what i needed to when. the only bit kind of getting me down is the constant blood testing. 

for now (and i really hope this is short term) i am needing to do one of them blood test things, which i believe measure glucose, about 8 (eight) times a day. it's not really the pin prick and blood thing that's the issue, i think it's forever being on my mind that's the problem. remembering to do one before i eat breakfast, needing to do one two (2) hours after food and then also before meals, and before bedtime. appreciating in the grand scheme (etc) it's not all that much of an ask, still, it remains the one thing that i find rather troublesome. 

having thought about it, and me thinking prior to writing is another indicator of this new world, i suspect it is the recording of numbers. your blood sugar / glucose level is not supposed to be an absolute or constant, but i now keep thinking it is. so whilst getting it usually (mostly) within the range i am supposed to, i fret when it seems on the low or the high end of the range. this, too, shall pass. 

bearing in mind it is early days i am surprised how easily i have taken to the other dynamics of this new world (or life) i am in. the diet changes have actually been enjoyable. no way, i would have said, if someone told me that tea (dinner, posh) would be a chicken stir fry with a pear as pudding. never really took to apples, and bananas are a bit iffy. also the packet of pears i saw in the shop had a koala on it, so i figured they must be quite class. already i have got myself down to zero sugar in tea (!!) although one half of a teaspoon of sugar is certainly still going in coffee. for now. 

cigarettes? cigarettes. i had  been clutching to the notion that not one of the 5 (five) medical professionals what i saw during this week of interest had said, you know, quit. the sixth, however, did indeed advise me that this would (very much) be a conversation at my next appointment. oh. being fair my family and friends most enthusiastic about putting forward the idea of me quitting as a very good idea have, momentarily, said no, do not stop. well, cut down a lot, but not cease. one battle at a time, as mentioned. i think if i "just quit" (cold turkey) right now, with all this, well, physically and, perhaps of greater relevance psychologically, there would be a bit of resistance. yet i am aware that this is coming. 

now where do i go with all this? well, not all this, but this bit, writing it up in what i suppose is my quasi or de facto diary. if not dairy. a pause for this particular story, then, for i still have about a month or so (give or take) to fight the battle of blood sugar. once again i am not here to preach or what have you, take entirely from this what you will. some shall be happy i am here to write this, others will understandably be disappointed with the same. long have i known it so, long have i accepted that one really cannot please all. 

more shall follow as and when it happens, for what else would i write of. ultimately, i suppose, as i go ahead and meander to a conclusion here, i am on reflection glad to be here, and yes have been, on an emotional level at the sheer volume of care and concern spread my way. i feel it, i appreciate it and only now do i realise just how much i need it. perhaps i am not the cold, heartless soul i have been conditioned to accept as moi is. or something like that. 

just hope there's enough pictures and what have you (one bad video clip) for those of you who only really come here for that sort of thing.

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!