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	Poles apart New Years Resolution #2 - stop accepting invitations for events I do not wish to attend I'm in an empty cinema, watching Pan's Labyrinth, which, frankly is good, but not up to the hype. But it is considerably more appealing than the alternative - across town the Stag has already kicked off, but I'm holed up here putting off the inevitable. But inevitable it is, so after a few, brief hours respite, I join the party; braced to drink my bodyweight in larger. Interspaced of course with the obligatory visit to the 'gentelmens club'. Showgirls it ain't. It's a dingy little basement establishment. Men crammed together on bench seats, thigh to thigh, being writhed at by some bored-looking Eastern Europeans - the lighting giving them a pallor to match their 'walking dead' demeanour. I don't, and have never got it. If the objective is to file the experience away for some later bout of 'self love' then this can hardly be enriched by having some fat bloke next to you shouting encouragement in your ear "go on my son!" Or perhaps it is. As with dogging and spit-roasting, it seems a peculiarly English disease, a desire to have sex in the presence of other men. I blame the public school system..... 4.2.07 21:50 Permalink / Comment Citizens and Kings - Royal Academy Left me curiously unmoved. There's some great paintings - Ingres's Napoleon is a study in sociopathy. David's secular icon The Death of Marat. Ingres again with his portrait of Bertin. But there is no unifying voice here. Beyond all the work being created within the time period, it genuinely has little to say about the Enlightenment. 8.2.07 22:44 Permalink / Comment For your listening pleasure Never one to let the grass grow, I have purchased my tickets for Camden Crawl - 19th April Dot to Dot - 27th May Summer Sundae - 10th Aug Leeds Carling - 24th Aug 9.2.07 19:33 Permalink / Comment The wine, the food, the glittering ballroom of London's finest hotel - it's enough to turn anyone's head. At this time of year, we all want to be wanted, desired. And I have quite the ardent suitor. Ok, so he's not cute, cute, but he's so funny. I may be hammered (I seem to have a self refilling wine glass), but I've read The Rules, I'm not letting him 'close the deal' on the first date. I see a bright future together for us, as he takes me to many, many sporting events and corporate smoozes like this one; before I let him get anywhere near pitching for the Stuff-u-Like account. As it happens, my current suppliers are also at the event. We exchange pleasantries over the reception drinks (despite them not bothering to invite me themselves), and then go in for dinner. Their table is far, far in the back; whilst my new beau has secured us a table right by the stage (trust me, this sort of thing matters...) The next morning my current suppliers email with an invite to an event next week. 9.2.07 22:25 Permalink / Comment Work life balance Monday was brutal: still tired after the stag do. I really couldn't face the rest of the week, so left at lunchtime on Tuesday, to get ready for the soirée that evening. Kept the laptop on, and moved a few emails around in the afternoon. Wednesday 'working from home', no sense going in to the office with a hangover. Thursday, babysitting - being on site whilst some people were being shown round the call centre: couple of handshakes, small-talk over lunch. Friday morning: irksome - I am more than a little passive aggressive in our team meeting teleconference; I'm happy enough to update the Board on progress, but justifying my existence to my peers, it's frankly demeaning! Friday afternoon - concerns about the weather, good excuse to skip off early, I'm home by 4. My boss calls (thankfully on my mobile) about my performance review - booked for Monday morning, for which I've done bugger all preparation, and was resigned to (horror of horrors) working the weekend on - to say that sadly he wont be able to make the meeting, could we reschedule - oh alright then... 9.2.07 22:40 Permalink / Comment That's when I reach for.... "No woman in the history of the world is having better sex than the sex she is having with him... in my head" High Fidelity/Rules of Attraction double feature at Chez Salaryman tonight..... 14.2.07 22:25 Permalink / Comment Brits 2007 - Oasis??? Outstanding Contribution to Music - Oasis Outstanding contribution to Sony's bottom line, absolutely. But in what alternate reality can they possible be described as having an outstanding contribution to music!??! To really judge their 'outstanding contribution' it's interesting to go back to the Blur vs Oasis spat; and compare the development of the two bands. Blur started off as baggy wannabes in the late 80's. They shifted musical direction, with influences from the Kinks; and became the driving force behind Britpop. Moving on again (under Coxon's influence), they borrowed from lo-fi and garage rock on the albums Blur and 13. Coxon left, continuing his brilliantly quirky solo work. Damon Albarn remained, but also continued alternative projects such as Gorillaz, Mali music, and most recently The Good, the Bad and the Queen. Each of these has been an excitingly different musical direction. Oasis on the other hand have been rehashing the same plodding blokepop for over a decade. Re-releasing Definitely Maybe in creatively diluted iterations. But their greatest crime is causing the rise of Blokepop - the turgid, pompous, stadium swill which any young man with a guitar seems to aspire to these days. There's a tart insult thrown at some girl groups - 'pram faced' (that they'd look better pushing a proto-chav round some council estate). I think equivalent epithet for Oasis etc would be 'bin-faced' (in that their image is better suited to hanging off the side of a refuse truck). It's the anonymous interchangibility of the bands; their lack of charisma, which irritates me. Is it Kaiser Chiefs, Athlete, Doves, Jet? Ask anyone in the Sainsbury's queue if they can name a band member from that CD nestling in their trolley amongst the ready meals; or even recognise a photograph. With their turgid riffs and plodding drum beats (is it me, or are they timesharing the same drummer) we're partying like it's 1995. None of those sexually ambivalent chord changes you find in art rock, this is the sort of easily familiar verse/chorus structure you can safely bellow drunkenly into your mates ear without the risk of looking gay. This is music you can like without fearing your girlfriend will ever ask you to dance. Oasis inspired those tiresome faux macho poltroons Kasabian - there can be no more damning indictment. 16.2.07 00:22 Permalink / Comment  [next page]