tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36329172009-05-02T21:55:05.322ZA 32 year old Englishman learns Danish, amongst other things.Richardnoreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-88062560204532688562008-12-19T01:15:00.001Z2008-12-19T01:17:41.723Z

A word on this whole "Hallelujah" nonsense. I was privileged to meet Jeff Buckley. By most other accounts, and certainly in my experience, he was at ease with people who liked his music, and wanted to share the music he liked with others. In the course of a five minute conversation with him, he recommended three bands he thought I might like, from the wildly obscure to the very popular. He

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-1140033945135471992006-02-15T19:05:00.000Z2006-02-15T20:09:29.130Z

Having noticed that I blog once every six months, and then only under duress, Tom has sent me another one of those meme things.Four thingsFour jobs I've had in my life:Library AssistantSachet PackerWood SanderMarketing Product ManagerThese are actually the only four jobs I have had, except that the last one has involved a number of nominal promotions. And indeed, a number of nominal promotions.

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-1089066468026713032004-07-05T22:21:00.000Z2006-01-07T23:28:19.726Z

I'm back, o readers. I have always been a huge fan of Alistair Cooke, despite his rather dubious politics. The last ever Letter from America is online now at the BBC website, and rather bizarrely it's about comics. If the internet is a broadcast medium, then you could do worse than follow this example.

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-1127663886555056732005-09-25T15:58:00.000Z2005-09-26T13:05:22.276Z

I said to K this morning that I still couldn't quite believe we'd won the Ashes. You didn't, she said, they're still playing in hell. I refrained from saying that that was exactly where we seemed to be playing Australia in the 1990s. Yesterday I put all of my newspaper clippings in a scrapbook with, to borrow from Gideon Haigh, all the concentration of a small boy over a complicated jigsaw. It

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-1124826579369860652005-08-23T19:49:00.000Z2005-08-23T19:49:39.373Z

Prebends Bridge, Durham. August 2005. (Courtesy H.J. Thomas) 

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-1124826392264922672005-08-23T19:46:00.000Z2005-08-23T19:46:32.266Z

The Happy Couple. Morpeth, August 2005 

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-1124826295843055192005-08-23T19:44:00.000Z2005-08-23T19:44:55.846Z

Hello Tom! Silver Street, Durham, August 2005 

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-1116709363059711462005-05-21T21:02:00.000Z2005-05-21T21:02:43.086Z

Kriegersvej, Aarhus. February 2005. 

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-1116679796885256552005-05-21T12:41:00.000Z2005-05-21T15:13:45.593Z

A musical baton.Total volume of music files on my computer: 47GB.The last CD I bought was: D.I. Go Pop by Disco InfernoSong playing right now: The Elements by Tom LehrerFive songs I listen to a lot, or that mean a lot to me:1. A Year in Song: Mary Margaret O'Hara2. The Viaduct: Bill Wells and Katrina Mitchell3. MBV Arkestra: Primal Scream4. Temporary Like Achilles: Bob Dylan5. Blanket Roll Blues:

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-1116681973601436892005-05-21T13:26:00.000Z2005-05-21T13:26:13.606Z

Durham in the Autumn, from Prebends Bridge. 

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-893746082003-02-19T16:16:00.000Z2004-03-02T16:30:24.700Z

About a month ago I went on a pub crawl. It was a lot of fun.

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-877271822003-01-20T13:58:00.000Z2003-01-20T14:01:39.000Z

Quoth Brian Potter: 'I want to speak to the organist, not the monkey grinder'. Tee hee! I love Phoenix Nights. Nick and I saw the 'TV's Roy Walker' episode quite by chance and just fell in love with it instantly. I bought the DVD last week. My boss is particularly fond of: 'There's your problem- discarded fag.' 'I knew it, Bloody puff's burnt me club down.' The Radio Times is right, it should be

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-861680902002-12-17T15:07:00.000Z2002-12-17T15:07:21.820Z

Blogger ate my last three posts, so I'm not going to write much. Just to say that if anyone is feeling particularly flush, I'd like an 10GB iPod for Christmas, please. Or a lovely Pure Evoke 1, which my mother is getting for christmas and with which I have fallen in love. My xmas bonus this year will be going towards the purchase of an eMac- then I will be able to BLOG FROM HOME. Look on my

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-833548812002-10-22T15:30:00.000Z2002-10-28T12:03:05.000Z

I had a superb rest in Dundee. Of course I didn't read any of the books I suggested I might, (apart from The Code Book, which I did indeed race through in one sitting on the way back) but I did gain many fantastic records from C____. Highlights include Why Me (Daniel Johnston Live in Berlin); an excellent Johnathan Richman album from 1985 (All through baseball he was loved and respected/Was there

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-836572552002-10-28T11:59:00.000Z2002-10-28T11:59:56.453Z

It is the 28th October and I can go and buy The Little Friend! Happy Birthday Me! I don't think my one man protest will have made much difference. At least the embargo-breaking seems to have been universal, so no-one will have gained extra market share- which means that breaking it has achieved very little. You could also question the wisdom of publishing a big novel at the end of October, when

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-835064292002-10-25T10:34:00.000Z2002-10-25T10:34:52.350Z

I am halfway through Genome. This morning I find myself idly searching for popular science books on 4m4zon. Reader, it is an affliction. I am consumed by these puffed up popinjays and their simplified explanations of the challenging scientific issues of the day. A cure might be to read a novel, but I am refusing to buy The Little Friend in W4t3r5t0|\|35 because they have broken the 28th October

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-827336922002-10-09T10:40:00.000Z2002-10-09T12:30:30.000Z

On holiday in Scotland next week, to visit A____ in Edinburgh and C____ in Dundee (I like underscoring like that, it makes me feel like Thomas DeQuincey- or James Hogg, even). Long train journeys await, so I am whittling down my lists of books and records to take. Here are the options: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Abridged version) by Edward 'do do do the funky'

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-825143172002-10-04T13:26:00.000Z2002-10-04T13:29:14.000Z

Went to see Små Ulykker last night. I do love the Danish language, with its mad sounds and bizarre inflections. It's like German gargled through sponge. It was pretty good all told- not as good as Festen but actually it's difficult to see the central conundrum working without Festen having been made. I can't really explain that fully without giving it away, but suffice to say, any doubt you

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-815479362002-09-13T10:43:00.000Z2002-09-13T10:43:45.306Z

The comic book periodic table. Now THIS is what the web is for. Click on the table to see a preposterous Stan Lee/ Stan Lee acolyte usage of any element. Note to self: Must try to post something vaguely serious at some stage in the future.

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-813603932002-09-09T16:12:00.000Z2002-09-09T16:14:04.000Z

I will not be linking that ananova story I found on a man who found a Jaffa Cake that looked like David Beckham, oh no. Instead I will link Too Many DJs, which, thanks to an unfortunate ordering mixup, I now have 2 copies of. Tell me why you deserve it most and it's yours. I have been enjoying it wholeheartedly- particularly Independent Woman/ Dreadlock Holiday and Cannonball/ I Wish. Now, if

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-810332082002-09-02T15:36:00.000Z2002-09-02T15:38:18.000Z

Arrrrgh! I was supposed to be linking this article via Aq. (again). I'm not that fond of Douglas Adams' novels but I larffed like a drane at this. I know what I did wrong now. Pesky inverted commas.

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-810330852002-09-02T15:33:00.000Z2002-09-02T15:33:36.620Z

I have returned from Denmark! I am very fat having eaten the European pastry surplus. I also went to Legoland which was absolutely brilliant. There was a model of Munich airport which I could have looked at for days. Yes we also went on all the rubbish rides and had to endure German moustaches but the miniland was definitely the best bit. Though we did play a computer game (Lego Friends) which

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-804783572002-08-20T15:39:00.000Z2002-08-20T15:39:30.016Z

Following Johnny Rocket's sterling effort at a minidisc comp which has been on my stereo non-stop, here is my retaliatory strike: I'd get him to swap our places.

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-801323192002-08-12T10:28:00.000Z2002-08-12T10:30:11.000Z

Ahem. HTML cock-up part 1(Stay tuned for part two with free binder). Now, what I meant to say was here's a Political Position Definer via Aquarius. But it obviously went a bit wrong, and now I can't edit it. I am a centrist by the way, because I gave random answers to some pretty vague questions.

Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632917.post-801320112002-08-12T10:10:00.000Z2002-08-12T10:10:44.536Z

Via the mighty Aquarius comes the Short Political Position Definer. I am a centrist, apparently- though the question are a bit vague, causing my answers to be too. I have won an auction at ebay. It was a bargain as well- £4 for a video of The Limey, my fave Soderbergh film and, in the words of my boss, a corker.

Richardnoreply@blogger.com