Moshing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFqWc718JZs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_c5xwKIWs4

"How was the gig?" she asked as she arrived in the office.
"Fantastic" I said "But I'm a bit bruised this morning. I surprised myself by going down the front and getting involved in all that business."
"You mean moshing", she said
"I don't think so" said I.
A few seconds later
"What exactly is moshing?"
"It's where everyone jumps into each other..." she said
"Oh...yes...that's what it was." I replied. " I don't think it was called that in my day - I always thought moshing was something else."

Footnote: This is what wikipedia says on the subject.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosh

Hope

This is a photo of the goal Giggsy was going to score at Croke Park from a free kick in the last 5 minutes. It was going to take some of the misery out of a dismal game. It was going to give me something to gloat about to my mates who had left at half time. It was going to set up an exciting last 5 minutes in which anything could have happened.

But it didn't.

Twp Doolally
"How do you say dose in welsh?"
"What you mean like a dose of the clap?", I said
"No", said my mate, "he means stupid - thats what they say in Ireland."
My friend decided the best translation was "Twp doolally". Not one that I'd heard and doolally doesn't sound welsh at all.
The irishman loved it and spend the next hour in the pub saying twp doolally.
He told me with pride that he had learned to say "dose" in a large number of languages including polish and chinese.
I'm not sure whether or not he was lying.

Preference
"That's the sort of place I'd like to go for breakfast", he said "Except it's a lockmiths."

Dublin
Morning after the night before in a Dublin hostel. Squeezing into my Wales shirt. Sleep is hard to come by so we'll have to survive on banter. Showers are unisex and basic. I tried to maintain my dignity by keeping my small towel around me while I shaved. I said good morning to the woman in pyjamas who came in to use one of the showers.
After shaving I needed to dry my face. It'll only be a second I thought so I removed my towel and wipedthe soap off. Just at that moment another woman burst in.
"Sorry" I said, as I scrambled to cover myself up, "I'll be done in a second".
But she was gone.

Eggs is Eggs
I went into the Spar to get her a video her 'cos she's ill. They didn't have one she wanted so I bought her the pint of organic semi-skimmed she'd asked for. The I went across the road to the offie to buy the two cans of guinness which have become a traditional visiting gift for the friend I was to visit this evening. They sell guiness in the Spar but it's more expensive and I like to support the offie.
I put the cans and the milk on the counter as I got my money out.
"I had the milk when I came in" I said. He looked at it and nodded.
"You don't sell that kind of milk in here - organic - do you? " I said
"No" he replied.
He stared at the carton and asked
"Do you really think it's organic?"
"I don't know", I said "It's for the missis and she does".
"I'm not sure " he said "with all the fertilisers and things".
"It's got an organic mark on it" I said.
"The other day I tried some of those eggs - you know..."
"Free-range?" I said.
"Yes"
"They didn't taste any different to the ordinary ones".
"I think its more about how they treat the animals" I said as I left.

Funny noise
It was cold as we walked from the plastic recycling bins in the car park of the unmentionable supermarket. A man in a car said something to me.
"I can't hear you" I shouted.
He called me over with his hand.
"Can you hear a funny noise?" he said.
"No" I replied.
"OK" he said, " It must be my car - thanks".
"What did he say?" she said as we walked towards the store"
"He asked if I could here a funny noise"
"All I can here is the sound of a fan belt" she said.
"Oh yeah", said I.

Reward
I played badly at the open mic last night. During my first song - the one I was most confident about - I forgot the words of the third verse and messed up the chords. People talked loudly amongst themselves - I obviously didn't disturb them. They may have been turning away from me to cover their embarassment. The MC thanked me for getting up.
"Thank you for being crap you mean," I muttered to his partner who I was sharing a table with".
"You just need to practice more", she said in her frank way. I hated her frankness and wanted platitudes - but I knew she was right. Its always the reason - that or I've chosen the wrong song.
"I always prefer your own songs" said someone else. She always says that - but its quite nice.
I downed my pint and approached the bar. I wanted to get a free pint as consolation. I saw the landlord round the corner and moved along so he would see me and have to serve me. He had bought me a drink a few weeks ago and I hoped it had become a habit - as it is in many open mic sessions. He did come and serve me. I held out a fiver hoping he would decline it.
"That's £2.70" he said - taking the note.
I'm being punished - I thought - for fucking up.
People who perform badly have more need of a free drink than those who play well.

Preparations

I'm going to Dublin soon. I'm going to watch football. I'm going with 5 friends I went to school with. we first discussed it over a year ago and finally booked it before xmas. We're staying in a hostel in a room for 6. We often take a lot of emails to organise things - the more the merrier.) We have discussed what clothes to take.

At first I was trying to lose weight so I wouldn't look too fat in my Wales shirt. I am now resigned to the fact that I will.

Now I'm worrying about getting a cold and not being able to enjoy it.

Control
Its always a risk having access to a computer under the influence. Maybe I should find some way of locking myself out under such circumstances based on likelyhood that I'd forget the password - but I haven't. Anyway - I just thought I'd share with you that given the opportunity of a day to myself (no children or partners) I considered several options in terms of how to occupy "me time". I thought about various creative or recreational pursuits. these included reading, playing music, DIY, and shopping. In the end I plumped for drinking cheap cider and watching sport.- not much of a contest, I'm sure you'll agree.

By the way - as I'm writing this I've been interupted by a phone call from my mother in which I think I've been more genuinly supportive and interested than I usually am.

Also - in case you're thinking what a sad bastard I am - sitting there watching sport and drinking on his own - I'll have you know, I had breakfast with a friend this morning (The cafe has gone No Smoking. Remarkable!) and I was accompanied in my sport watching by another friend - (Non drinking).

I haven't done much housework this weekend - thought I did have a brief attempt at eradicating the brown thing in the toilet and eagerly re-seeded the lawn.

(I just paused to put wheat free pasta onto the boiling pan. It has been boiling for about 20 minutes. Watford are about to play Plymouth in the background))

Anyway - what I was going to tell you was that even though I have thrown caution to the wind with todays activities - even though I have abandoned all useful pursuits in the favour of substance fuelled oblivion - when I went upstairs just now - noticed that I had put all the bedding in the wash - so i put a clean duvet cover on my bed because I knew it would be hassle later.

Lunars and Llamas

I went to Devon this weekend. I saw some alpaca's. They looked like this.

They may have been llamas. We weren't quite sure

I also saw the lunar eclipse. My photo's aren't very good because:-

a. The moon is too far away

and

b. It wouldn't stay still.

Open Mic
So I ended up at the Chelsea again last night. I probably shouldn't have gone - and almost certainly shouldn't have played - being that I hadn't practiced and the atmosphere was drunken - bordering on hostile last time. But as usual I became a victim to my own ego and dragged my friend along there and allowed the charming host to charm me into getting up.
"There's always sapce for you", he said.
I should have got up straight away - it was noisy and no one was listening. My songs were quiet and wouldn't have disturbed them. But the host went upand wound them up a bit then put on this russian guy Igor. He was lively and they loved his russian singing. They're going to hate me I thought - better think of a joke to warm them up a bit.
"Hello" I said "That was great wasn't it", refering to the russian singer.
"Being from Cardiff I think its great that someone sung in Welsh on St Davids day".
Nothing
"We'll that was Igor - and this is the Eagles" I said, "Strumming the first few chords of Desperado.
"That's not welsh its Bob Dylan" said a pissed woman.
I wish I's thought of saying "Its neither" but I fumbled on with the song, badly, as she ranted
"Get off Taffy" and other things I can't remember.
I stopped the song half way through as I kept messing it up.
My other two songs were OK.
People talked amongst themselves.