Bright Copper Kettles

Disused stations on London's Underground

Politically Incorrect Alphabet

25 Ways to Suppress the Truth

An Incomplete Mainfesto For Growth

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Stolen from Cheezy. Go there if you want to read how/why etc. If you think you might want to do this, go there NOW before reading my list.

1. Deftones
2. AFI
3. Tool
4. Incubus
5. Arcade Fire
6. The Blood Brothers
7. 7 Dials
8.The Mountain Goats
9. Red Hot Chili Peppers
10. Nirvana

1. What was the first song you ever heard by 6?
Love Rhymes with Hideous Car Wreck

2. What is your favourite album of 8?
The Sunset Tree

3. What is your favourite lyric of 5?
They say it fades if you let it,
love was made to forget it.
I carved your name across my eyelids,
you pray for rain I pray for blindness.

If you still want me, please forgive me,
the crown of love is fallen from me.
If you still want me, please forgive me,
because the spark is not within me.

4. How many times have you seen 4 live?
Twice

5. What is your favourite song by 7?
Oh. Track no 4 on the cd of the 7 dials tape that a friend made for me. Anyone know what a) the tape was called and b) what track no 4 was called? I think he is singing something like "listen to the freight train...I'm an emotional freight train" I think.

6. Is there a song of 3 that makes you sad?
No. Not "sad" as such.

7.What is your favourite lyric of 9?
I don't like them for their lyrics. But these resonate:

Sometimes I feel
Like I don't have a partner
Sometimes I feel
Like my only friend
Is the city I live in
The city of angels
Lonely as I am
Together we cry

8. What is your favourite song by 1?
Deathblow

9. How did you get into 8?
Friend played me one song and on the strength of that one song and because I had also heard of them I bought the entire album (The Sunset Tree) and was very very very well rewarded.

10. What is your favourite song by 4?
Idiot Box

11. How many times have you seen 1 live?
Never.

12. What is a good memory concerning 2?
Listening to their latest album (decemberunderground) continuously all weekend while I was stuck at work (and all of my 10 huors at work today). It made it being at work more bearable.

13. Is there a song by 2 that makes you sad?
This Time Imperfect
The Leaving Song Part II (everyone I know goes away in the end)

14. What is your favourite song of 6?
Love Rhymes with Hideous Car Wreck

15. How did you become a fan of 10?
I can't remember. Does anyone remember how they became a Nirvana fan. How could you not? It is was one of those inevitable things.
I heard the song (Smells Like Teen Spirit) bought the album (I'm good at just knowing what albums are good without ever having heard them) and that was it.
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“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

by Marianne Williamson from A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

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I have been struggling lately with the trusting myself. You know, trusting my intuition over and above everyone else's well-intentioned advice. It is hard because intellectually I agree with the advice, and the "facts" agree with the advice. It is also hard because looked at logically following my intuition will quite likely lead to me getting hurt, whereas the sensible advice focuses on protecting myself, which is very sensible really.

So it is nice when several random happenings reinforce the "trust yourself" message.

The latest being an email in my inbox saying "listen to you, not them"

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I have finally finished watching the last episode of the second series. How totally unexpected! I had been warned that everything changes, but I certainly hadn't expected this! And I am not easily surprised, especially by TV.

Hmmm.

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I was in a book shop yesterday. I really really should have stayed away. If I go into a bookshop I always leave with a book. A friend was with me and was saying things like "you don't need to buy the book, you can just come back and read it," or "you can just get it out of the library." She doesn't understand. She loves reading, but she doesn't love books. I love reading and books. Visitor books are OK, but I infinitely prefer family books (ie books that live with me). Besides, for some reason I never really read visitor books. Although, having said that, I don't always read the books I buy either. Nevermind. They have a good home and that is all that matters. Hopefully they don't feel neglected.

Does anyone else buy books because they feel sorry for them and/or want them to have a good home?

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I have finally gotten around to reacquiring blood sugar sex magik. About time. It must be one of my all time favourite albums. How come it is only my all time favourite albums that disappear into the void?

Tomorrow I will get out my bass and play along. It is one of the funnest albums to play bass along to.

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I am waiting for my program to crash. So. Here is a list of newish discoveries and some old favourites. Think of it as my desert island ipod. Why limit yourself to a cd? A cd can't even play itself.

Because I don't have forever, I will just stick to entire albums, not individual songs.

1. Low - The Great Destroyer
2. Raising The Fawn - The North Sea
3. The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree
4. The Mountain Goats - Tallahassee
5. Philip Glass - Solo Piano
6. Tool - Opiate
7. Tool - Undertow
8. Tool - Aenema
9. Maceo Parker - Life On Planet Groove
10. Leonard Cohen - Best Of
11. The National - Alligator
12. Queens of the Stone Age - Rated R
13. Queens of the Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf
14. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magick
15. Jeff Buckley - Grace
16. Guillemots - From the Cliffs
17. God Speed You Black Emperor! - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven
18. Red House Painters - Red House Painters
19. Def Leppard - Hysteria
20. Guns n Roses - Appetite For Destruction
21. Tegan and Sara - So Jealous
22. Nirvana - Nevermind
23. Nirvana - MTV Unplugged
24. Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
25. Smashing Pumpkins - Pisces Iscariot
26. Skid Row - Best Of
27. Inxs - Kick
28. Blondie - Best Of
29. Jacqueline du Pre - Best Of
30. Eagles of Death Metal - Peace Love Death Metal
31. Delays - You See Colours
32. Death From Above 1979 - Romance Bloody Romance
33. Death Cab For Cutie - Plans
34. Catherine Wheel - Adam & Eve
35. Soundgarden - Superunknown
36. Radiohead - The Bends
37. The Blood Brothers - Crimes
38. The Arcade Fire - Funeral
39. The Black Heart Procession - The Spell
40. The Black Heart Procession - Amore Del Tropico
41. Faith No More - The Real Thing
42. Blink 182 - Blink 182
43. Offspring - Smash
44. AFI - Decemberunderground
45. Deftones - Deftones
46. Deftones - White Pony
47. Incubus - Science
48. Incubus - Make Yourself
49. Supergroove - Traction
50. Garageland - Last Exit To Garageland
51. Explosions In The Sky - The Earth Is Not a Cold Place
52. Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
53. Goldfrapp - Black Cherry
54. Goldfrapp - Supernature
55. Jose Gonzalez - Veneer
56. Hot Chip - The Warning
57. Unkle - Neverland
58. The Legendary Shack Shakers - Panderlerium
59. Mazzy Star - So Tonight I Might See
60. Johnny Cash - American III: Solitary Man
61. Johnny Cash - American IV - The Man Comes Around
62. Nick Cave - Best Of
63. Thursday - A City By The Light Divided
64. Damian "Junior Gong" Marley - Welcome to Jamrock
65. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
66. The Von Bondies - Pawn Shoppe Heart
67. Sinch - Sinch
68. Sinch - Clearing the Channel
69. Pluto - Pipe Line Under The Ocean
70. NERD - Fly or Die
71. The Mars Volta - De-louse in the Comatorium
72. Mark Lannegan - Bubblegum
73. Mark Hollis - Mark Hollis
74. Marilyn Manson - Mechanical Animals
75. Future Stupid - Cannonfodder
76. Fly My Pretties - Live at Bats
77. Filter - Title of Record
78. Coheed & Cambria - Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV
79. Cat Stevens - Best Of
80. The Cars - Best Of
81. Cake - Fashion Nugget
82. Bloc Party - Slilent Alarm
83. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Bring the Flood
84. Portishead - Portishead
85. Massive Attack - Mezzanine
86. Alice in Chains - Dirt
87. Soundtrack - Romeo & Juliet
88. Soundtrack - Singles
89. Soundtrack - Natural Born Killers
90. Placebo - Without You I Am Nothing

OK. I'm sure I've missed some very important albums. Nevermind. My program hasn't crashed yet, but it has been running for as long as it has taken me to write this list. I'd better go see what is taking it so long...
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I am absolutely loving these two albums:

The Great Destroyer by Low

The Sunset Tree by The Mountain Goats

Perfectly heartbreaking. Both of them. Exquisite, intense, beautiful, wistful, accepting and sad. Somehow they make that hollowed out part of my soul deeper and more obvious. Somehow they make me feel emptier and more alive both at the same time. Perfect soundtracks for now.

Low is a slowcore/sadcore band. Minimal. Beautiful. I love their music, partly because it sounds like my music. Up until just recently I had only heard the odd song here and there, but a few weeks ago I bought their 2005 album The Great Destroyer. It is fantastic. Yes there are sad, slow parts. But there are also loud, happy, distorted parts. I love it because it resonates. It is beautiful, sad, distorted, dark, happy, delicate and intense. It sends shivers through me. It makes the stars seem closer. It makes me cry. Not many things can do that all that.

I am ashamed to admit I have ignored The Mountain Goats until a few weeks ago. I hadn't even heard one song. But The Sunset Tree is brilliant. Wow. Mostly acoustic. Lo-fi. Quirky. Almost folky but not. Singer-songwriter but better. And I can't explain it. And then there are the intelligent, quirky lyrics that say something. And beautiful melodies. And that X factor. Shivers. Smiles. Tears.

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How to Avoid Smalltalk. Yay! Just what I always wanted! I absolutely detest small talk. I'd rather look weird/strange/out of place than make small talk. I'd rather not talk to anyone than make small talk.

Developer's Guide to Surviving Meetings. I seem to have done quite well at avoiding meetings so far, but you never know when I may have to attend long pointless boring meetings. The guide is not just for developers. I am sure it would work for anyone who needs to stay sane in meetings.

My current technique is "Camouflage Sketching" except I don't camouflage it and I sketch/doodle when I am interested and listening as well as when I am bored. I listen and think and absorb information 100x better if I doodle pretty designs at the same time.

Oooh! Pretty designer barcodes!

Eubonic Code. I find this amusing. I guess I am geek.

And, last but definitely the opposite of least: Imagining the Tenth Dimension. String theory! Dimensions! Visualization! So exciting!!!! Yes. Very geek indeed.

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Well I haven't been eating much at all (not hungry, nausea etc) but when I do eat I have noticed these differences:

1) I eat a lot less than I used to (for no reason other than I don't feel like it)
2) I feel like eating different types of food. I have gone off sugar, chocolate, junk food, chips, cakes, biscuits etc. I have had to throw packets out because I opened them then didn't feel like finishing them. And this weekend I threw out a chocolate cake and i will probably end up throwing out half a pecan pie today or tomorrow. Instead I am eating what I would call "healthy and wholesome" food. I actually crave things like chick peas and wholegrain bread and porridge and salad and fish and nuts and fruit and vegetables. My favourite breakfast is porridge with fruit and herbs. My favourite lunch is salad and my favourite dinner is soup or some sort of vegetable/grain/salad invention. I still have to remind myself to eat red meat though.

It is very odd. I can't figure out why my food tastes have completely flipped for no apparent reason. Why?!!! And even I think my tastes are now quite weird. Here is my latest invented recipe which I love, but I suspect will be disgusting to everyone else:

Kumara, Chickpea and Tuna salad
Cook kumara and cut into pieces
Add chickpeas and tuna and a little mayo/yoghurt.
Experiment with adding various additional vegetables, herbs and nuts.
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