Fook me .... it's a rip roaring Friday...

...... bed bouncing SoD.....

stop what you are doing

crank up the volume

hit the play button

and sing a song about 

a quartz watch !

It's in the stars I tell ya......

... since I was a young boy with my first telescope I was always fascinated by the stars.....

As a young man, I even learned to [and have a certificate to prove it] navigate by the stars, I never was the next Vasco Da Gama, but I didn't get lost at sea either.....

And so now with the necessary financial means I invested in a moderately priced telescope..... except I haven't had chance to use it yet...not because of the weather but simply with pressure of work eating up my every waking [and sometimes non waking] hours with Rome next on the itinerary. 

However, at the weekend I was caught by a TV program about the formation of the universe, and a well made program it is too. Not too heavy but at the same time not treating me like a 5 year old. An informative guide to the mysteries of the universe.

What struck me so profoundly was, the juxtaposition of the daily news in the scheme of the universe.

How big is the universe ? Fucking ginormous .... that's how big.....

How important is man ? who knows.... but in the scheme of the universe quite small I think.....

However, in the news we have yet another example of a child taken from this life, seemingly by someone who is supposed to protect and nurture him...... This list is never ending, whether it be Daniel Pelka or perhaps the Philpott children ~ Jade, John, Jack, Jesse, Jayden, Duwayne...6 of them in one incident for christ's sake....but there are so many more.... baby P - Peter Connelly, or Victoria Climbie or any number of children taken from this life by the parents at war over a messy divorce....

But it's not just children, there is the senseless loss of a life in say Roger Pratt ..... but he is not a lone example......

In the world of these families, events profound beyond words....

It's not just loss of life that makes you question the mysteries of the universe ..... there is Sister Roxana Rodriguez who claims her unexpected child is a gift from god...... ach erm madam I think you will find it is a gift expunged from some blokes knob when he put it in your mary... naming him after a pope will not clear your rap sheet on this one....

Then there is meggings, soon to hit the fashion mainstream..... ach erm..... I've been wearing em for years....they're called long johns ......

What about the world of DLT ? did he think putting hands on boobs sans invite acceptable ? did he put hands on boobs sans invite ? but then thinking about it....what about the Halfords car adverts..... where the customers go over the top to offer thanks for the service.... in one of them, doesn't a male customer smack his lips full on the lips of the male Halfords operative ?..... now call me pedantic but isn't that actually classified as a sexual assault.... [I think Halford's will find that if they look it up, it can be classed as sexual assault.... and when I say look it up, I don't mean ask DLT]

So we take a step back to look at the wider world, then we step back a bit more so on and so forth.... then we look at the stars, then the Milky Way and finally we take a look at the universe.....

Our lives revolve around a very small axis in this planet. Our planet revolves around the sun, but the sun is one of around 300 billion suns in the Milky Way..... it is said that the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy are on a collision course, traveling towards each other at a really really fast speed, but not so fast, in that it will not happen for at least 4 billion years [assuming it does happen, not that I will be around to confirm one way or the other].

In the Andromeda galaxy it is reported there are 1 trillion suns, so already we are hitting some big numbers, but the Milky Way and Andromeda are only small galaxy in a cluster of billions more.... I accept there may be a bit of computer modelling by the boffins, but according to the 3 D model of the universe they have built up, one of the largest clusters of galaxies is measured at 1 billion light years in length..... that figure is quite frankly too big to compute in your head.

What it means is forget how big the Milky Way is, because actually it is tiny, if you could travel at the speed of light to travel from one end of this cluster to the other [and remember this is only one cluster of galaxies] it would take you 1 billion years to complete the journey..... Of course that is assuming you can travel at the speed of light, but if we assume that you reach a reasonable age of say 80 and start a couple of days out the womb.... the truth is, you won't even get out of the starting blocks, let alone complete the journey of more than 1 lifetime.....

I am beginning to think that maybe I'm gunna need a bigger telescope......

So when it comes down to it.... and watching this program, stepping back as far as we can, looking at this 3D model of the universe... not only could I not see the Milky Way, the earth was not even visible in a pixel.... and it makes my world in Suffolk seem quite insignificant indeed..... and me, not even a blink of an eye.....

As for a SoD ? well I was spoilt for choice..... Snow Patrol - 100 million suns , then there is Prefab Sprout - Andromeda Heights - David Bowie - Across the Universe.... the list goes on.... it could be a long list......

But instead I choose this one

Glen is damn near my spokesman

A gentle little ditty

from Glen and Marketa

When in Bruges don't do as the.....

... Irish do......don't throw yourself from a bell tower.... though a magnificent bell tower it is indeed.....

Worse still, if you did throw your self from a the bell tower, you run the risk of missing out on these wonderous specimens...

Although to be be honest, why in gawd's name would you want chocolate titties, beats me.....  people who go to a dinner party most likely take a box of fine chocolates..... imagine the look on your hosts face when you offer up these chocolates......... but that's Belgium for you.....

can you name a famous Belgium person ? and no not Poirot, he was not a real person...... 5 points to the person who said Eddie Merckx.... and 10 points to the person who said Bradley Wiggins.....

Bruges is a wonderful place and I learnt during my visit, that one of the first ever modern versions of a stock market appeared here... it was called the bourse.... which can also translates as ....... purse....

Trouble is, every time I think the word... Bruges ... in my head all I hear is.... it's like a fucking fairy tale, it's a fucking fairy tale town....... I spoke before about the significance of a sound track moment and looking at the bell tower, you cannot but appreciate the power of that scene.

If you have not seen the movie In Bruges, then for between £3-£5 you can pick up a copy at any suitable DvD outlet and despite the language, despite the violence, it is a movie of great [black] comedy, and redemption.....and at times it's like a fucking fairy tale.... a wonderful place to have a gay beer.....

And so whilst it does a great injustice to take the bell tower scene, and to see it in isolation, it is still worthy of a SoD

The problem with seeing the scene in isolation is that it takes out of context the significance of the imagery but...... in and amongst the act[s] of violence of the scene, there is also his consideration of the dropping of the coins and then his ultimate sacrifice with the final act of redemption...when you see the film for the first time and you see this scene, it takes your breath away so powerful is the message... I've seen the movie more times than I care to remember and more times than I care to remember my breath has been taken away......

On Raglan Road on an autumn day
I saw her first and knew
That her dark hair would weave a snare
That I might one day rue
I saw the danger and I passed
Along the enchanted way
And I said: 'Let grief, be a fallen leaf
At the dawning of the day

and the great thing is, I can't spoil the movie for you as there is no embedded code for the bell tower scene..... so trust me, spend not more than a fiver, buy the movie... and if after watching it, you think what a load of shite.....my breath was not taken away by the bell tower scene,
then write to me and I will email you a fiver back....

You know it's been a long week when.......

..... after a long day at the office, arriving home at gone half past 7, even though home is a mere 10 minute drive from the office....and rolling up on the drive, the lights are not on and there is definitely no one at home......  walking into the house,  you turn on the lights... and there's a bat in the kitchen....

How in gawd's name did a bat end up in the kitchen ? ...........

Have you ever tried getting a bat out of your kitchen ? ...... I was too startled to think about googling that one .... but there is a web page for it..... look 

There's a bat in my kitchen..... reminded me of a song..... but of course that was .... UB40 and there's a rat in me kitchen ......

Kind of odd really, as last night I had a very vivid memory of my dream and it included a large bat like creature... now of course it is merely nothing more than co-incidence but I sure as hell didn't expect to see the bat when I came home.... perhaps it has been a long week after all, and this is merely an extension of the dream .......

Anyway the simple answer to getting a bat out of your kitchen is easy...... open all the windows flap a piece of cardboard around, and the Bat will find it's way out......

Seems Bat's are having a rough time all over the place, Canada it's too cold..... Australia it's too hot...

Bat's are normally given lots of statutory protection but when you see them up close,

 beautiful creatures.......

 

{but please note this is not the actual bat de chef}

So for the SoD ?

why of course 

non other than Bauhaus

That's what I love about.......

...blogging.... I can write what shite I like, it doesn't matter...... it matters to no one but me..... I can  expunge the words from my head and who cares if anyone reading thinks...... utter bullocks ! Who knows maybe no one is reading anyway and then it matters not a bullock at all.


Why ?........ why ?....... because it is my bullocks and in my head, and that's all that counts......

That's what the internet world has allowed us to do..... impart utter bullocks without a care in the world...... so why is today more utter bullocks than most days.....

....because it's my birthday bullocks day....

I have nothing worth while to say, nothing that will change the world, nothing that can change the life of another, so there is only 1 thing worth doing.....

it is to share with the internet

my birthday bullocks 

SoD

~~~~~~

But if you have ever listened 

to some of my other SoD choices

I have to warn you this one
is up there with the best

~~~~~~

There is only one way to listen to this one

and that is full volume

standing up
{that's you standing up I mean}

and when I say full volume

only if you have a decent set of speakers
and when I say standing up
only if your swirl your arms and sing

~~~~~~~~

Ok here goes

you have been warned

this is as good as a loud song can be

so Fred let's feel just like you

You can shed tears that she is gone, 

or you can smile because she has lived. 

You can close your eyes and pray that she'll come back, 

or you can open your eyes and see all she's left. 

Your heart can be empty because you can't see her, 

or you can be full of the love you shared. 

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday, 

or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday. 

You can remember her only that she is gone, 

or you can cherish her memory and let it live on. 

You can cry and close your mind, 

be empty and turn your back. 

Or you can do what she'd want: 

smile, open your eyes, love and go on 

{David Harkins}

2014.... another day another dollar......

... so the madness of christmas and new year passes by once more....

I sort of understand why people get excited, but equally at times, I do wonder what in hell are people getting excited about...... seeing the ITV news report from New Year at Times Square and I was left wondering ..... what ? I like Times Square, but listening to the drivel......

Awesome man .... oh gosh so excited, glad I came.... I'm from South Africa, I'm South African.....

Shit, my morphing into a 18ct Gold, 100%, full throttle, miserable old bastard is complete ...... what's awesome ? why so excited ? ...... and from South Africa... so what ?

Just another day on planet earth ...... back to the hamster wheel..... another day another dollar....

but with music

each day is timeless

so my first 2014 SoD offering is 

the great Richard Hawley

he's hovered in the back ground for sometime

...............

he said the song is about seeking perfection

he says a waste of time......

it doesn't exist.......

who know's he might be right

but are we all not seeking something ?

I know I am