Christmas Lights in London: Carnaby Street

Christmas Lights in London: Carnaby Street, originally uploaded by hedgiecc.

Christmas is coming! Yippee!

Cildo Meireles

Never heard of this guy - but his retrospective at Tate Modern (until 11 January) is probably the most fun, and thought-provoking exhibition on in London at the moment.

A conceptualist, many of his works are physically interactive, which is quite charming, and intellectually challenging at the same time.

Gay reproductive advantage

Saw this via Gay Banker, a new scientific theory about why gayness never died out through natural evolution.

My little brain struggles to comprehend - but basically, it appears that the premise of the popular make-over tv programme, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, is now established scientific theory: a little bit of the gay makes you better with the laydeez.

Hmmm.

more moans: M&S dinner

I bought M&S’s ‘new’ Kerala King Prawn Curry (£3.99) for dinner last night. After another hectic week I fancied a curry on the sofa sat in front of Celebrity .

Out of the packet it looked very pretty - the prawns in their shells arranged on a bed of coconut curry flavoured with mangoes, mustard seeds and curry leaves. The prawns were delicious, and the curry tasted good, but was choc full of fibrous materials and deeply unripe, inedible mango - not good; in fact left uneaten.

Disappointing - definitely not recommended.

Friday moan: fighting fires

A nasty pattern is emerging at work. It goes something like this:

Colleague: * Fighting with customer. Will have my own way. Won’t communicate with colleagues. Ignore reality. Don’t admit problems. Deadline. Panic. *

* Explosion *

* hide from bosses *

“Hedgie! Hedgie! Help me! Fire! Fire! My pants are on fire!”

Hedgie: “Ok, I’ll get the bucket of water”

Colleague: “ NO! NOT the water!”

Hedgie: “At this point lots of water straight on the fire is the best solution. It won’t take a moment.”

Colleague: “ Stupid! You don’t understand! The situation is much more complex than that! I just can’t accept water!”

* burning *

“Ouch!”

Hedgie: “The water will save you”

Colleague: “Ok, use the water.”

* splash *

* fire goes out *

* Hedgie cleans up mess *

Colleague (to bosses): “Look what a brilliant job I’ve done!”


- and start again from the top.

sigh of relief

Good riddance!

I speak as a Pisces with Sagittarius rising, who has not enjoyed Pluto's presence overmuch. Maybe that's too much information!

Scrooge alert!

Every year someone pops up to have a whinge about Christmas cards, and this year it turns out to be a Bishop.

Well, sorry,your holiness, but I bought mine today. Now to get writing . . .

And in any event - the first ever Christmas card (invented by Henry Cole, the first director of the V&A), wasn't notably Christian in sentiment:





Oh the materialistic hedonism of those debauched Victorians! And quick! Get that child into care!!!

Lunch

Experimenting with new software here . . . hope this works!

Last Thursday I was in Victoria Station around lunchtime, and decided to try <A HREF=”http://www.wasabi.uk.com/“>Wasabi </A>for lunch. They have individually-wrapped sushi portions; quite a large and imaginative selection for a fast-food operation like this.

The staff were very cute and helpful, and the sushi was good - streets ahead of the supermarket stuff with stiff and nastily refrigerated rice.

at long last!

Been shopping!

Guess what I bought?

Here's a big clue:



Lovely new macBook. :-)

Yippee!

from the bosom of the ocean

It's ridiculously pleasing when a hoary old cliche, an urban myth, a tired old formula, actually steps into the light and is made flesh. In the course of my researches on the intermawebs, I came across this:



This, my friends, is one of those very deckchairs which are perpetually being rearranged on the deck of the Titanic.

The Delphic iPod

Saw this on Boz’s blog (he got via Vicus Scurra) a while ago, and couldn’t do it until I was technologically updated. It’s pretty fun to do, and as a commenter on Vicus’s blog said: “This meme is surprisingly accurate for such a primitive form of psychometric inquiry.”

The Meme:

1. Put your music player on shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must put down the song name no matter what. (Hmm. I think we all cheated - - - I draw a veil - - -)


What would best describe your personality?
A Wolf at the Door (It Girl, Rag Doll) – Radiohead

Heh.

What do you like in a guy/girl?
Boss Drum – The Shamen

Yes sir.

How do you feel today?
Crying – Bjork

Nope.

What is your life’s purpose?
She Sun Shines - Cast

What is your motto?
Mouth’s Cradle – Bjork

WTF?????

What do your friends think of you?
Supernatural Superserious – R.E.M.


What do you think of your parents?
Walk Unafraid – R.E.M.

So true.

What do you think about very often?
Blue Pastures - James


What do you think of your best friend?
Mysterons - Portishead


What do you think of your crush?
In the Forest – The Coral


What is your life story?
River Deep, Mountain High – The Supremes


What do you want to be when you grow up?
A Moment with you? – George Michael


What do you think when you see your crush?
Winter Kills - Yazoo


What do your parents think of you?
Mysterious Ways – U2


How’s your love life?
Time to get away – LCD Soundsystem

Ipods have GODLIKE knowledge.


What will they play at your funeral?
Narcissus – Alanis Morissette

Bastards! I'll haunt them!


What will you dance to at your wedding?
Save a soul in every town – The Christians


What is your hobby/interest?
Electrolite – R.E.M.



What’s your biggest secret?
Glory Days – Bruce Springsteen


What do your think of your friends?
Viva la Vida - Coldplay


What song do you listen to when you are sad?
Slow Night, So Long – Kings of Leon


In love?
You are my sister – Antony & the Johnsons

Maybe that's what I'm doing wrong.


What song do you air guitar to?
Goin’ Back – Dusty Springfield


What should be your signature karaoke song?
Hunter - Portishead


What is your greatest desire?
Black Swan – Thom Yorke


What does next year have in store for you?
Cymbal Rush – Thom Yorke


What’s your outlook on life?
Hard to Beat – Hard-Fi


How will you die?
Anytime at all – Alison Moyet


Do people secretly lust after you?
Myxomatosis – Radiohead

I’ll take that as a no.


The best advice you will ever get?
I Want You – Madonna (featuring Massive Attack)

Flattering - ? -

The History of Me in Cocktails: No 3: - Today

God what a week. Work; home, money, life - hassles, crises, disasters. Culminated in a sleepless night last night; finally dropped off at @ 5am. Took the morning off and rolled into work at 12 noon, no less. Thank the Lord for relaxed bosses.

Bad bad boy. However, I was v. good all afternoon; really did quite a surprising amount of work. Believe me, I needed to.

But now I'm home and blogging while drunk.

I have long wished to make my very own Brandy Alexander, instead of buying Sainsbury's packaged version.. Apparently, it's derided as a classic "Prom Cocktail" - however, anything sweet and creamy rings my bell.

The flatmate also confessed to liking Brandy Alexanders, so I ordered in the ingredients according to Diffordsguide, especially Creme de Cacao White Liqueur.

They arrived today from Drinkon, but imagine my horror when I discovered we didn't have enough ice to do the cocktail shaker thing! Aargh!

However needs must when the devil drives; necessity is the mother of invention, etc etc. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you:

The Chocolate Gin & Tonic

or, a

Fizzy Alexander


Glass: Collins
Garnish: erm - whatever u can find - use yor imagination
Method: Pour ingredients into ice-filled glass (or in our case, glasses with 2 cubes each)

1.5 shot(s) Gin
.5 shot(s) Creme de Cacao White Liqueur
Top up with Tonic water

Cream instead of tonic water and shaken would give you an Alexander; hence my fizzy version. Honestly, it's lovely - looks exactly like a G&T, but with subtle chocolatey flavas - you can never get enough chocolate!


The History of Me in Cocktails: No.2

Yay!

Yep I'm pretty late but still very pleased and excited by the good news from across the ocean. Hooray for America and here's wishing President Obama all the best!

James Morrison's take on Sex on Fire

I love this. Well done James!

>

Kings of Leon's original video here.