Saturday i did a DJ spot at The Northern Lights. It was a superb evening of good vibes with DJ Abo doing a spot as well. We grooved the place down with funky tunes and latin blasts. I also played some sexy sides such as a track from the VAMPYROS LESBOS soundtrack and Frank Zappa's "Willie the Pimp" from HOT RATS.

Ally came as well still fuming after the defeat of Arsenal at Sunderland (they lost 1-0). That will piss off somebody else over at VG too!

I also plugged in my laptop with some mp3's but the sound was quietter than expected and i had to tweak up the volume on the mixer.

We had quite a few lagers and fisols that evening.

Sunday i popped into the Evening Star for a "hair of the dog" beer.Well actually had a couple of a fine London Porter from the Red Squirrel Brewery.

Yesterday popped into Fine Records with some classical CD's for sale. haven't seen Julian for qwuite a long time. He gave me £40 for them which was quite fair i thought. I also mooched around Oxfam in Blatchington Road and bought some books including the hardback copy of "Sophie's World".

Today had a few beers at my local. A Belgian Valier Extra (6.5% ABV) ,then a Gwynt Y Dddraig Black Dragon Cider (7.2 %) nicknamed Karen after the unsmiling landlady of the pub.Finally an American Bear Republic Hot Rod Rye (8% ABV). Three strong ales to get you tipsy!!

So as heard this morning the greedy banks have won their case against unfair charges. I am very surprised that this has happened as i was expecting the decision to go against them. So what happens now?. I bet they will try to charge you for withdrawing from ATM's again. Also the fat cats still have not been punished for the bank crisis last year. They must be laughing all the way to the bank (pun intended!).

But now i am well imbibed with quality Porter becoming one of my favourites at my local bar.(the Evening Star) and reading a book by Charles Kell, and Steven Feld "Music Grooves" - ace book too!

Yo man full!

L came back from the Philippines on Monday evening. Had a good time there but has a cold as well with a barking cough.

Monday,Tuesday and Wednesday i posted off some more Discog sale items. A whole bunch of LP's and two singles to a guy in France. He went for some ofnthe improv jazz stuff i am selling.The rest were CD's to various far flung places. It is ticking over nicely.

My favourite kebab shop has now closed down. KEBAB EXPRESS is extinct, driven out by the Tesco Express store opposite in Queens Road.

GC and I had a coffee at Pret today. She was in between shifts on the buses handing out surveys on behqalf of Passenger Focus.

A quiet week really but at least Saturday i am doing the Northern Lights with a DJ gig. Screw the HA666 lot.

DJing at Northern Lights also on Dec 11th,Jan Ist,jan 30th and Feb 19th.

Some improv and free jazz funk stuff -

SUNDAY

Went to see the film HARRY BROWN down at the Odeon via the seefilmfirst website. A gritty British movie starring Michael Caine as an avenging vigilante against South London drug gangs who killed his chess playing friend. Unmissable.

TUESDAY

A night of yummy food with GC and her Italian student and two of the student's  friends. We had a pasta dish and salad washed down with red wine and Cava. Afterwards took two of the Italian students to the Evening Star for some fine quality beer. They had Hophead, and i had a Dark Star porter.

WEDNESDAY

Popped into Weatherspoon and had two and half pints of Carolous Ambro (8% ABV) , a delicious Belgian beer that is only £1.99 a pint.

Available from Wetherspoons in casks.
"This full-tasting, but deceptively drinkable, amber ale has a good fruitiness and a nice hop edge which tempers the caramellised malt. It is clean and precise, within an almost perfect balance of Challenger and Goldings hops.
The recipe has its origin in the 14th century. The present version is a little more heavy and contains more hops. The balance between the different malts, the fine hops and typical tastes of spices creates a perfect harmony between the powerful taste of brown beers and the freshness of the blond beers. This fresh aromatic and pithy light-brown drink can be served cool.

Right on!

TODAY

Posted off some LP's and CD's and one DVD from my Discogs site. Had anothe roder from a guy in France worth £90. Going well!

At last GC and i got our photos done for this Lewes based modeling agency.   We took them at her place midday today. Two photos each to be sent to this company for modeling clothes or advertising other things. It is nothing to do with glamour modeling, so we will not trampling on the heels of Kate Moss ... ha ha!

Anyway, i look really fine and handsome in them. I feel like flirting now.

Discogs has trickled to a bit of a dribble of late so i need to find something to reinvigorate these sales from the highs of a few weeks back. I think the discount offer i had on needs to be re-established as it was that which helped to boost sales.

Bonfire night was a bit quiet yesterday and i only heard a few bangs. Perhaps it is the recession which is keeping people from buying fireworks since normally most years you always get fireworks lit before the 5th or after it. Perhaps i might have spoken too soon.

Two compilations from Ash International -

Yesterday looking for something else at home i found some old TMA's (Tutor Marked Assignments) from some Open University courses i did at the beginning of the noughties. I found them in an old folder and it brought back memories of studying with other people who have become good friends,and others who i have lost contact with.

In 2001 i did the second foundation course The Enlightenment
In 2003 i did the History of Science
In 2003 i did the  course Art and Its Histories


Then in 2004 i was going to do another course but for some reason did not go through with it. Perhaps now is the time to restart this distant leearning.

I seem to be getting some pedantic plonkers ordering stuff from me recently. One from Spain who wanted two LPs and because i could not find one and thus refunded him for said LP and posted the other. He now wants a complete refund for both as the one i could not find was the main one he wanted. Then another geezer orders a DVD from me and because he is in the USA says that the postage is too expensive and wants to cancel. I offered my lowest price postage to appeae him and hope he will pay for this  DVD at this lower shipping cost.

I do not need this hassle.

Yesterday we had our monthly First Tuesday Lunch Club at La Tasca. It is quite a long time since we been there as their summer lunch menu was not as interesting as the tapas menu. Also, it is the first time for ages my brother coming42 been to our monthly lunches. It must be at least six months or more and this time we had newcomer Pam, a drinking buddy from the Evening Star pub.

We had loads of delicious tapas washed down with fine Rioja red wine.Mike generously supplied the vino.

Later on after watching EGGHEADS and and seeing the EGGHEADS beaten for the fourth time on the trot (this has never happened before) i popped into the pub for a few drinks and met the usual crowd such as Mike Lacey,Nick and Hugh. Surprisingly (well not so surprisingly) Pam was there as well. Hugh was being silly again and i guess he most have had a few already. Perhaps it was his day off from the comic shop.

I had two pints of Dark Star Porter (5.5 % ABV) and a mix of Hophead with Bear Island Racer X (a 3.8% ABV beer with an Ameican 7.8% ABV brew).

GC,Lesley and I are thinking off starting a pub quiz team and calling ourselves the Spanish Inquisition. We are all looking out for suitable venues.

After buying the books from Sandpiper i went home and listened to another Bill Fay CD plus two soundtrack albums,the excellent Taxi Driver and the music from Mulholland Drive.

Sunday morning,despite the awful weather, GC and I went to the Odeon to see the new Pixar film "UP". It was very good and very funny in place but with a hint of bittersweet sadness which made GC cry.

Afterwards we had a meal at Me Old China and then had coffee at Pret before departing our separate ways. I popped into Waterstones and then to Sandpiper Books and bought four £1 books from their back room.

"Like Young,Jazz,Pop,Youth and Middle Age" by Francis Davis
"Structuralism and Since, From Levi-Strauss to Derrida" edited by John Sturrock
"Introduction to Cultural Studies" (Ikon Books)
"Oliver Stone" by Stephen Lavington (Virgin Film Books)

Haven't bought any books for ages,so these will be avidly read over the next few weeks.

Two fine jazz albums - both original quality vinyl

Jimmy Smith "Respect" (Verve)



David Murray Octet "Ming" (Black Saint)

A Bill Fay CD, some Jap avant garde rock music and a classic slice of Balkan music from Ivan Papospv.

Just the usual mixed bunch of stuff i listen to.

Shamanistic brews is what i need to unlock the deep realms of the psyche especially after the debacle with the HA666 fiasco. Yo life is a btch sometimes. Need the weed of life and the elixir of hermetically contained nirvana. E gave the head rush of past and dropping it in a capsule of psychodrama delights. Peppered up life with the smoke of obfuscation and the brown goodies that free me from the chains of conformity.

Magical infestations of clarity is in the air.

I DO NOT BELIEVE IT!

With most of the market research companies i have worked for you only need to supply a photocopy of your passport to confirm that you can work in the UK. Had a letter from AECOM in St.Albans this morning asking me to present some documentation (such as a passport ) in person at their Redhill office before November 13th. They have had a photocopy of my passport when i worked for them a few months ago. If i don't visit their HR department then i will not be able to work for them again.

So i contacted them to see if they can guarantee work and that they pay me expenses to travel up to Redhill for this stupid wasting of my precious time. I have yet to hear from them.

So vexed was i that i popped into the Evening Star for a pint.

TV

A group of Portsmouth liberal democrat councillors were pitted against the Eggheads on Monday. When it came to the Politics round none of them knew when the Liberal party was formed. Unbelievable!

L has been in the Philippines for two weeks now and comes back on the 15th November. This has meant i have been able to watch all the TV i want,such as FLASH FORWARD,SURFACE,DEFYING GRAVITY and TRUE BLOD as well as documentaries and the excellent EGGHEADS.

SEA LIFE

This morning GC and i went to the Sea Life Centre in Brighton for a coffee and a sandwich (it was her mystery shop) and then we went to the gift shop there and bought two mugs and two fridge magnets.

Friday night i did my DJ gig at the Northern Lights. Busy and packed again for a Friday. Good appreciatibe crowd too.  Loads of beer and fisol drunk giving me a bit of  a hangover the following morning. Had free food as well, their famous Swedish Meatballs with a pea and corriander soup starter.

Saturday woke up late and did not do much all day. Read a book and listened to some persian classical music on the Nonesuuch Explorer label.Went to the Evening Star to have a hair of the dog beer.

However did well again on the Discogs site.The current disicount offfers seems to be working.

Sunday met Vile and Niklaus at the pub for a few beers. They had been to London yesterday and were feeling a little delicate.

Well nothing new there

Saw two films recently for free - "District 9" down at the Odeon and the latest Terry Gilliam movie "The Imaginarium Of Dr Parnassus" down at Cineworld in the Marina.  Enjoyed both films in different ways but neither would be ones i would want to pay good money for.


New series on BBC 2 looks quite interesting - "Defying Gravity" is about  a six year mission around the solar sytem in 2052. The premise is sound and the drama is good but will it evolve into something that will sustain my interest l depends on how quickly it develops. Venus is meant to be the first visit on this grand tour which i hope will be on the third episode next week.

Some jazzy stuff.

First off an LP i bought via Discogs from a guy called Gumbo. Name rang a bell and then he asked me if i was at the Byker Groove event once in Newcastle as he was playing polish and czech stuff. His avatarr name was Gumbo Ya Ya i think. It was May bank holiday a couple of years ago i went up there. I wonder if he still part of that VG+ set.




followed by a classic John Coltrane LP




and a slice of Sun Ra -