Have finally settled down after a busy wee week. As much as I enjoyed the Franz Ferdinand concert, it resulted in me not getting to bed until 1am, and I had to get up for a 4am flight to London. While that was among the worst wake-up calls I’ve ever had to go through, the 3 days in London (well, Surrey to be specific) was a good mix of work training and time spent in the pubs with a couple of friends whom I had been recently working with back in Fife.
Visited the town of New Lanark last weekend, a World Heritage Site that was once the home of Britain’s largest cotton-spinning complex. Robert Owen, the manger of the mill in the 1800’s, was a bit of a utopian and as such provided his workers with housing, nurseries, adult education, sick pay and my personal favourite – the social centre named the “New Institute for the Formation of Character”. This type of care for the workers during this time was quite unprecedented, and New Lanark was considered a model social experiment throughout Europe. After the mill closed, the place had fallen into disrepair but has recently been restored as a series of museums which captures the old way of life, combined with modern housing built into the old buildings. Definitely a place worth seeing and spending a lazy Sunday in. The village is also in close proximity to the Falls of Clyde and an adjoining nature reserve. The reserve contains a pair of peregrine falcons, and we were quite lucky to spot them both through the help of a ranger and his trusty telescope. Very impressive, and I definitely got the impression they were not birds to be messed with.
How you know you’ve become more British: Indian curries and sausage suppers are the takeaway of choice. Forget pizza or street meat. Oh, and you use the term “takeaway”.
Saturday, April 17, 2004
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Take Me Out
Many of you by now have heard the buzz about Glasgow's Franz Ferdinand, one of the more refreshingly original rock bands to emerge for ages. I mean, who'd of thought rock music could be so danceable? We somehow managed to get tickets to their homecoming gig at a mere £8 by being incredibly on the ball and buying right after they announced it. The ticket touts were asking for up to £40 by the time the sold out show arrived.
Normally I would go on about how good the show was and all the rest of it, but this time I can prove it! BBC Radio 1 was at the gig and aired it live. Better yet, the BBC website has put the show online. If you fancy giving the show a listen, click here. Trust me, it was bloody brilliant.
Many of you by now have heard the buzz about Glasgow's Franz Ferdinand, one of the more refreshingly original rock bands to emerge for ages. I mean, who'd of thought rock music could be so danceable? We somehow managed to get tickets to their homecoming gig at a mere £8 by being incredibly on the ball and buying right after they announced it. The ticket touts were asking for up to £40 by the time the sold out show arrived.
Normally I would go on about how good the show was and all the rest of it, but this time I can prove it! BBC Radio 1 was at the gig and aired it live. Better yet, the BBC website has put the show online. If you fancy giving the show a listen, click here. Trust me, it was bloody brilliant.
Friday, April 09, 2004
Wicked and Weird
When I first started to write this thing that has become H&MS, I always said I’d try to keep the music and movie feedback to a minimum. However, this entry will contain nothing but, so my apologies in advance.
First up, the Buck 65 concert I saw a few weekends back. We caught him at one of my favourite music venues, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, a smaller venue which has hosted many well-known bands over the years on their way to bigger things. Oasis was famously signed after being spotted at King Tut’s by a record exec back in the early 90’s. Anyway, for the uninitiated Buck 65 is from Nova Scotia and categorised as a hip hop artist but I think it would be more accurate to say his music is poetry recited to a mix of country and hip hop beats. Our friends over at the Juno Awards clearly had no idea how to categorise him either, as he recently won the Juno for best Alternative Album of the Year (for Talkin’ Honky Blues, a truly excellent album). If the term "alternative" was vague back in the 90’s, what is it supposed to represent now? But I digress. His music is superb, and his songs tell the tales of various characters with the vividness of the best short stories. The cleverness of the lyrics rank up there with Morrissey in my esteem. And most importantly, his live show is incredible. I believe back in Canada, he tours with a band but oversees he is a one-man show (as he called it, “three-star karaoke”). The man can certainly engage the crowd - the anecdotes and the banter were just fantastic. Highly recommended, album and live show both.
Last night we caught New York’s Scissor Sisters at the Barrowlands. I guess they could be best summed up as a cross between 70’s Elton John, the Bee Gees and the Village People. The camp factor was high, but the fact of the matter was that the songs were solid and incredibly sing-able. They clearly know how to entertain (though the crowd was so adoring they could do no wrong) and they genuinely appeared to be having a good time on stage which is always infectious. They also do a cracking cover of Comfortably Numb which makes the Pink Floyd version seem so deadly dull.
As for movies, I finally managed to see the final piece of Lucas Belvaux’s Trilogie. The individual films (titled in the UK as One, Two, and Three) are a suspense, comedic farce, and drama respectively and can each be viewed as individual films in their own right. However, the twist is that each film takes place during the same week in Grenoble, France and the main characters of one film are the minor characters of the others. And each film contains scenes from the other two films, but when viewed in the context of the film you are watching take on a completely different slant. It’s only after seeing all three films that you fully understand the motivations of the characters and the story as a whole. What you think is going on after one film will not be what you think after seeing the entire trilogy. An absolutely brilliant vision, and well worth committing the time to.
When I first started to write this thing that has become H&MS, I always said I’d try to keep the music and movie feedback to a minimum. However, this entry will contain nothing but, so my apologies in advance.
First up, the Buck 65 concert I saw a few weekends back. We caught him at one of my favourite music venues, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, a smaller venue which has hosted many well-known bands over the years on their way to bigger things. Oasis was famously signed after being spotted at King Tut’s by a record exec back in the early 90’s. Anyway, for the uninitiated Buck 65 is from Nova Scotia and categorised as a hip hop artist but I think it would be more accurate to say his music is poetry recited to a mix of country and hip hop beats. Our friends over at the Juno Awards clearly had no idea how to categorise him either, as he recently won the Juno for best Alternative Album of the Year (for Talkin’ Honky Blues, a truly excellent album). If the term "alternative" was vague back in the 90’s, what is it supposed to represent now? But I digress. His music is superb, and his songs tell the tales of various characters with the vividness of the best short stories. The cleverness of the lyrics rank up there with Morrissey in my esteem. And most importantly, his live show is incredible. I believe back in Canada, he tours with a band but oversees he is a one-man show (as he called it, “three-star karaoke”). The man can certainly engage the crowd - the anecdotes and the banter were just fantastic. Highly recommended, album and live show both.
Last night we caught New York’s Scissor Sisters at the Barrowlands. I guess they could be best summed up as a cross between 70’s Elton John, the Bee Gees and the Village People. The camp factor was high, but the fact of the matter was that the songs were solid and incredibly sing-able. They clearly know how to entertain (though the crowd was so adoring they could do no wrong) and they genuinely appeared to be having a good time on stage which is always infectious. They also do a cracking cover of Comfortably Numb which makes the Pink Floyd version seem so deadly dull.
As for movies, I finally managed to see the final piece of Lucas Belvaux’s Trilogie. The individual films (titled in the UK as One, Two, and Three) are a suspense, comedic farce, and drama respectively and can each be viewed as individual films in their own right. However, the twist is that each film takes place during the same week in Grenoble, France and the main characters of one film are the minor characters of the others. And each film contains scenes from the other two films, but when viewed in the context of the film you are watching take on a completely different slant. It’s only after seeing all three films that you fully understand the motivations of the characters and the story as a whole. What you think is going on after one film will not be what you think after seeing the entire trilogy. An absolutely brilliant vision, and well worth committing the time to.
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
It’s A Funny Thing About Live Comedy…
I’ve always loved going out for the evening to see live music, or theatre, or cinema. In each case I’ve made a point of getting tickets for performances I’d like to see.
For some reason though, I’ve not made a point to see stand-up comedy. Furthermore, I really don’t know anything about the scene, and can only name a handful of performers based upon hype they receive from the odd magazine article I’ve read.
And I don’t know why that is. I’ve seen the odd show here and there over the last several years and have more often than not enjoyed it.
I certainly wasn’t in any hurry to book any tickets for this year’s Glasgow International Comedy Festival. Luckily, Fiona picked up a few tickets for a bloke called Dara O’Briain, an Irish comedian who didn’t have an act per se. It was more banter with the crowd and the odd anecdote, and it was bloody hilarious. Gut-wrenchingly pee-your-pants funny. When you can make sectarian and Old Firm football jokes (emotive subjects both!) in the heart of Glasgow and get the laughs, you know you’re good.
Live comedy - something else on which I can spend my evenings and money methinks!
I’ve always loved going out for the evening to see live music, or theatre, or cinema. In each case I’ve made a point of getting tickets for performances I’d like to see.
For some reason though, I’ve not made a point to see stand-up comedy. Furthermore, I really don’t know anything about the scene, and can only name a handful of performers based upon hype they receive from the odd magazine article I’ve read.
And I don’t know why that is. I’ve seen the odd show here and there over the last several years and have more often than not enjoyed it.
I certainly wasn’t in any hurry to book any tickets for this year’s Glasgow International Comedy Festival. Luckily, Fiona picked up a few tickets for a bloke called Dara O’Briain, an Irish comedian who didn’t have an act per se. It was more banter with the crowd and the odd anecdote, and it was bloody hilarious. Gut-wrenchingly pee-your-pants funny. When you can make sectarian and Old Firm football jokes (emotive subjects both!) in the heart of Glasgow and get the laughs, you know you’re good.
Live comedy - something else on which I can spend my evenings and money methinks!
Friday, March 26, 2004
A Couple Of Things
Looks as though I will be remaining in my current job for a little longer yet. My contract has been renewed for the remainder of the year, with the option to resign for 2005 along with a work visa should I want to stay past my original visa duration. Decisions, decisions.
I will also shortly be moving flats in Glasgow. Fiona's brother and his wife have bought a new house, and rather than sell the flat they are living in they will be renting it out to us. A nicer flat, with new furniture and a reduced rent? Suits me. And the bonus is that it's also a tenement flat so it will still have the ambience of our current flat (something I absolutely adore).
And we've now paid for and picked up our T in the Park tickets for this year. Look at this line up already. And there are still many more artists to be announced. How excited am I? Very.
Looks as though I will be remaining in my current job for a little longer yet. My contract has been renewed for the remainder of the year, with the option to resign for 2005 along with a work visa should I want to stay past my original visa duration. Decisions, decisions.
I will also shortly be moving flats in Glasgow. Fiona's brother and his wife have bought a new house, and rather than sell the flat they are living in they will be renting it out to us. A nicer flat, with new furniture and a reduced rent? Suits me. And the bonus is that it's also a tenement flat so it will still have the ambience of our current flat (something I absolutely adore).
And we've now paid for and picked up our T in the Park tickets for this year. Look at this line up already. And there are still many more artists to be announced. How excited am I? Very.
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Nature’s Fury
I’ve heard it said many times before regarding Scottish weather: It’s so strange! Four seasons in four hours. Burning sunshine to howling blizzard in a blink of the eye.
While I have experienced some quirky weather in my stay thus far, it wasn’t until recently that I can fully appreciate just how fast weather can change, and just how dangerous these things can be if unprepared.
It had been decided that we would go for a walk in a valley about 20 miles north of Loch Lomond. The original plan was to climb one of Munros in the area, but the fog was quite heavy so it was decided to stick to flat land. It was spitting with rain off and on, but the forecast indicated good weather for later on in the day so we weren’t bothered. Near the beginning of the walk there was a mid-sized stream with a raised bit where you could cross. After that it was flat pastureland alongside a riverbank, under the looming company of 3000 ft. mountains and amongst the sheep. All in all quite picturesque.
About an hour and a half into the walk the rain started picking up. Then the wind. Then the rain turned to hail. Considering we had at least another two hours to go before we could complete the circuit, the decision was made to go back.
But back seemed to be a different place altogether. The rain and hail was now blowing directly in our faces so we could barely see where we were going. Within minutes the pastureland had turned into swamp. The wind was blowing so strongly that we could barely keep our bearings. Waterproof clothing can only keep so much water out – we were soon soaked through. The temperature plummeted and we were freezing cold. We eventually made it back to near the beginning of our walk where, much to our surprise, the former mid-sized stream that we had initially crossed had now become a swiftly moving river. The only way we were getting across was to take a plunge into the water and hope we could keep our footing.
I remember asking the clerk at the outdoors shop where I had bought my waterproof boots whether or not the top part of the boot was waterproof. She (cheekily) replied that the only water they couldn’t keep out was water that spills over the top. I experienced this first-hand as the river water spilled into my boots to soak the last part of me that was still dry.
We made it back to the car, and shortly thereafter to the pub where we sat like drowned rats in front of the fire nursing our pints (perhaps coffee would have been better?). Hardly near-death stuff, but as one of our party pointed out (and as a very experienced outdoorsman I take his words seriously), if we had been forced to be out there for much longer with the temperature and the damp, it wouldn’t have been long before hypothermia could have kicked in. What would have happened if someone had broken an ankle and couldn’t go on?
Just goes to show that even for simple day hikes, you just never know what the Scottish weather might throw at you. Lesson learned!
I’ve heard it said many times before regarding Scottish weather: It’s so strange! Four seasons in four hours. Burning sunshine to howling blizzard in a blink of the eye.
While I have experienced some quirky weather in my stay thus far, it wasn’t until recently that I can fully appreciate just how fast weather can change, and just how dangerous these things can be if unprepared.
It had been decided that we would go for a walk in a valley about 20 miles north of Loch Lomond. The original plan was to climb one of Munros in the area, but the fog was quite heavy so it was decided to stick to flat land. It was spitting with rain off and on, but the forecast indicated good weather for later on in the day so we weren’t bothered. Near the beginning of the walk there was a mid-sized stream with a raised bit where you could cross. After that it was flat pastureland alongside a riverbank, under the looming company of 3000 ft. mountains and amongst the sheep. All in all quite picturesque.
About an hour and a half into the walk the rain started picking up. Then the wind. Then the rain turned to hail. Considering we had at least another two hours to go before we could complete the circuit, the decision was made to go back.
But back seemed to be a different place altogether. The rain and hail was now blowing directly in our faces so we could barely see where we were going. Within minutes the pastureland had turned into swamp. The wind was blowing so strongly that we could barely keep our bearings. Waterproof clothing can only keep so much water out – we were soon soaked through. The temperature plummeted and we were freezing cold. We eventually made it back to near the beginning of our walk where, much to our surprise, the former mid-sized stream that we had initially crossed had now become a swiftly moving river. The only way we were getting across was to take a plunge into the water and hope we could keep our footing.
I remember asking the clerk at the outdoors shop where I had bought my waterproof boots whether or not the top part of the boot was waterproof. She (cheekily) replied that the only water they couldn’t keep out was water that spills over the top. I experienced this first-hand as the river water spilled into my boots to soak the last part of me that was still dry.
We made it back to the car, and shortly thereafter to the pub where we sat like drowned rats in front of the fire nursing our pints (perhaps coffee would have been better?). Hardly near-death stuff, but as one of our party pointed out (and as a very experienced outdoorsman I take his words seriously), if we had been forced to be out there for much longer with the temperature and the damp, it wouldn’t have been long before hypothermia could have kicked in. What would have happened if someone had broken an ankle and couldn’t go on?
Just goes to show that even for simple day hikes, you just never know what the Scottish weather might throw at you. Lesson learned!
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
“On ne joue pas avec la liberté”
Despite the drama that was last Monday, it was actually a brilliant long weekend away up to Glen Coe, in the (perhaps lazily named) village of Glencoe.
Glencoe plays a pretty significant role in Scottish history as it was the place where the 1692 Glen Coe Massacre took place. In a nutshell, the ruling monarch of the time, William III, had ordered that the MacDonald clan be punished for not giving an oath of loyalty to him by a certain date. The soldiers chosen to do the punishing were from another Highland clan, the Campbell’s. Due to a Highland tradition of providing hospitality to passing travellers, the MacDonald’s had innocently invited the passing soldiers into their homes. During the night, the Campbell clan ruthlessly slaughtered all MacDonald’s under 70. Over 300 years later, this still represents a sad chapter in Highland history. The story is still emotive today - the large monument to the MacDonald clan just down the street from our B&B was full of recently placed flowers and wreaths.
Glen Coe is also home to some of the most spectacular scenery in all of Scotland. Lush valleys, lochs, forests and mountains are all within a short walk of the village, and the only tough decision we had was deciding what we should do. On the first day we took a walk amongst the former grounds of one of the founders of the Hudson Bay Company. The story goes that after years building his fortune in Canada, he had taken his Native wife back to Scotland, and had planted the forest (which consists mainly of North American trees) in order to remind her of the home she had left behind. Though as the sign said, “unfortunately, despite being such a beautiful place, she was unhappy and the couple had to return to Canada”. I thought the sign sounded a bit bitter myself.
Day two was the big walk, an eight-hour epic from Glen Coe village, past the historic Clachaig Inn (a rustic old inn that has been there forever, with very tasty home brew) and to the Lost Valley, the place where Highland cattle rustlers used to hide their coos. Somehow we managed to misread the maps and ended up not going to the Lost Valley at all, but a completely different route which actually took us up over 3000ft to Stob Coire nan Lochan, one of the Munros of the region. Regardless, the views were absolutely stunning – especially as the day was perfectly sunny and clear.
And while much of Monday was taken up with the drama of the break-in, the day was more than salvaged by the Stereolab concert that night (the tickets being something else the thief hadn’t taken, thankfully!). I’d seen the band play before a few years ago in Toronto, so I knew they were as brilliant live as they were on disc. Sadly, Mary Hansen - one of the key members of the band who sang most of the harmonies - had been killed in a road accident since then. The band had vowed not to replace her, and sure enough rather than hire another vocalist they had brought in a musician who plays the French Horn in harmony with the vocals. It was a very clever effect that worked incredibly well. Overall, the ambience of Stereolab’s music was the perfect antidote to the drama of the day.
Despite the drama that was last Monday, it was actually a brilliant long weekend away up to Glen Coe, in the (perhaps lazily named) village of Glencoe.
Glencoe plays a pretty significant role in Scottish history as it was the place where the 1692 Glen Coe Massacre took place. In a nutshell, the ruling monarch of the time, William III, had ordered that the MacDonald clan be punished for not giving an oath of loyalty to him by a certain date. The soldiers chosen to do the punishing were from another Highland clan, the Campbell’s. Due to a Highland tradition of providing hospitality to passing travellers, the MacDonald’s had innocently invited the passing soldiers into their homes. During the night, the Campbell clan ruthlessly slaughtered all MacDonald’s under 70. Over 300 years later, this still represents a sad chapter in Highland history. The story is still emotive today - the large monument to the MacDonald clan just down the street from our B&B was full of recently placed flowers and wreaths.
Glen Coe is also home to some of the most spectacular scenery in all of Scotland. Lush valleys, lochs, forests and mountains are all within a short walk of the village, and the only tough decision we had was deciding what we should do. On the first day we took a walk amongst the former grounds of one of the founders of the Hudson Bay Company. The story goes that after years building his fortune in Canada, he had taken his Native wife back to Scotland, and had planted the forest (which consists mainly of North American trees) in order to remind her of the home she had left behind. Though as the sign said, “unfortunately, despite being such a beautiful place, she was unhappy and the couple had to return to Canada”. I thought the sign sounded a bit bitter myself.
Day two was the big walk, an eight-hour epic from Glen Coe village, past the historic Clachaig Inn (a rustic old inn that has been there forever, with very tasty home brew) and to the Lost Valley, the place where Highland cattle rustlers used to hide their coos. Somehow we managed to misread the maps and ended up not going to the Lost Valley at all, but a completely different route which actually took us up over 3000ft to Stob Coire nan Lochan, one of the Munros of the region. Regardless, the views were absolutely stunning – especially as the day was perfectly sunny and clear.
And while much of Monday was taken up with the drama of the break-in, the day was more than salvaged by the Stereolab concert that night (the tickets being something else the thief hadn’t taken, thankfully!). I’d seen the band play before a few years ago in Toronto, so I knew they were as brilliant live as they were on disc. Sadly, Mary Hansen - one of the key members of the band who sang most of the harmonies - had been killed in a road accident since then. The band had vowed not to replace her, and sure enough rather than hire another vocalist they had brought in a musician who plays the French Horn in harmony with the vocals. It was a very clever effect that worked incredibly well. Overall, the ambience of Stereolab’s music was the perfect antidote to the drama of the day.
Sunday, March 07, 2004
Hail to the Thief (or, Climbing Up The Walls)
I’m sure Fiona’s 24th will rank amongst the more memorable of her birthdays. We had been away on a long weekend up to the beautiful Glen Coe region of mid-Western Scotland, and we were up early on the Monday so we could make the most out of the day before having to catch a coach back to Glasgow. When Fiona’s mobile rang early on, it was expected to be her family calling to wish her a happy birthday. Unfortunately, it turned out to be our letting agents who asked “sorry to bother you, but are you aware that your flat has been broken into?” Um, no actually.
At some point on Sunday, a neighbour had reported to the police that our back window was missing. A police officer had arrived on the scene to investigate, and concluded that it was likely an “unlawful entry” but couldn’t legally gain access to the flat without the permission of the tenants. After a bit of digging they finally managed to find the owner of the flat, then the letting agency who then contacted us. At this point nobody had any idea what had really happened, and we were still a good six hours from being able to get back to Glasgow. The worst part was definitely the unknown factor – was the flat trashed, fully cleaned out, or both? As much as one wants to avoid thinking about it, the brain forces you to speculate about things. Such as, “I can deal with losing CD’s but hope they didn’t take my passport, and if they did I’ll have to go to the embassy and…” Luckily, we were able to get the letting agency to give their keys to Fiona’s parents who would go over and inspect the flat. It took several hours before this all worked out, and after waiting several anxious hours we finally got the call Fiona’s father said people had definitely been in the flat, and that shelves and doors had been opened, but it didn’t seem too bad. We bombarded him questions – was this still there, did they take that? It seemed as though everything was still there!
We were able to get back to Glasgow by 3pm and finally saw the situation for ourselves. We live on the second floor, and it seemed as though the thief had climbed up the back drainpipe and had used tools to unscrew the bathroom window. We wandered around the flat and sure enough, stuff had been riffled through but it appeared that nothing had been taken. I’m still typing this from our home computer. Bank cards, passports, CDs, TV, mobile phone - everything was still there. When the police later arrived, they said we had been quite lucky. Usually if nothing is taken, the intruders would at least break things or leave “evidence” that they had been there (you can use your imagination on that one…). The worst that we had was the odd thing strewn about - the intruder(s) hadn’t even broken the window, they had set it down nicely on the bathroom floor. They had even moved the potted plant in the sill to one side, which I suppose was quite nice of them.
That all being said, it was hard to shake the sense of violation I felt towards my personal space. The thought of somebody walking around your place, going through all of your possessions and picking and choosing what they wanted really shook us up. We felt it necessary to do a serious bout of cleaning and laundry to get back the feeling that it was “our” flat. And then the “what-ifs” kicked in. What if we had been home? What if we were lucky only because they had been interrupted by noise from a neighbour? And now, a week later, it’s a case of moderate paranoia. At around 4am, a spoon from the pile of dishes fell over in the kitchen. We were both instantly awake, and I ran into the kitchen fully expecting (in a half-awake state) to confront somebody.
The police response certainly didn’t give me much confidence in law enforcement either. After the first officer who came on the scene determined that we weren’t home, he attempted to determine the whereabouts of the occupiers – fair enough. But in the meantime, our back window was wide open and was left as such for a full day and half until we got home. What was stopping anybody else from hopping in and helping themselves? It also took over three phone calls to the police after we got back to get anybody to show up to file a proper report. It wasn’t until the Tuesday before we had anybody come by to do an investigation and check for fingerprints. Their conclusion - “looks like the thief wore gloves”. Well, duh. Thanks Sherlock. We did get a formal apology from the police a few days later, which was nice, but I felt that they really should have helped us as opposed to us having to make so many calls to get them to do their job.
My most recent thought on the matter was my most absurd. Did the thief not take anything because they were interrupted? Or did they just walk around and conclude that nothing was worth taking? Did they browse through my CDs and think, crap? Should I be grateful, or insulted?
In the end, I know these things happen and I hold no ill will whatsoever towards the flat or Glasgow or Scotland. And at the end of the day, it was certainly the best possible result of a bad situation!
I’m sure Fiona’s 24th will rank amongst the more memorable of her birthdays. We had been away on a long weekend up to the beautiful Glen Coe region of mid-Western Scotland, and we were up early on the Monday so we could make the most out of the day before having to catch a coach back to Glasgow. When Fiona’s mobile rang early on, it was expected to be her family calling to wish her a happy birthday. Unfortunately, it turned out to be our letting agents who asked “sorry to bother you, but are you aware that your flat has been broken into?” Um, no actually.
At some point on Sunday, a neighbour had reported to the police that our back window was missing. A police officer had arrived on the scene to investigate, and concluded that it was likely an “unlawful entry” but couldn’t legally gain access to the flat without the permission of the tenants. After a bit of digging they finally managed to find the owner of the flat, then the letting agency who then contacted us. At this point nobody had any idea what had really happened, and we were still a good six hours from being able to get back to Glasgow. The worst part was definitely the unknown factor – was the flat trashed, fully cleaned out, or both? As much as one wants to avoid thinking about it, the brain forces you to speculate about things. Such as, “I can deal with losing CD’s but hope they didn’t take my passport, and if they did I’ll have to go to the embassy and…” Luckily, we were able to get the letting agency to give their keys to Fiona’s parents who would go over and inspect the flat. It took several hours before this all worked out, and after waiting several anxious hours we finally got the call Fiona’s father said people had definitely been in the flat, and that shelves and doors had been opened, but it didn’t seem too bad. We bombarded him questions – was this still there, did they take that? It seemed as though everything was still there!
We were able to get back to Glasgow by 3pm and finally saw the situation for ourselves. We live on the second floor, and it seemed as though the thief had climbed up the back drainpipe and had used tools to unscrew the bathroom window. We wandered around the flat and sure enough, stuff had been riffled through but it appeared that nothing had been taken. I’m still typing this from our home computer. Bank cards, passports, CDs, TV, mobile phone - everything was still there. When the police later arrived, they said we had been quite lucky. Usually if nothing is taken, the intruders would at least break things or leave “evidence” that they had been there (you can use your imagination on that one…). The worst that we had was the odd thing strewn about - the intruder(s) hadn’t even broken the window, they had set it down nicely on the bathroom floor. They had even moved the potted plant in the sill to one side, which I suppose was quite nice of them.
That all being said, it was hard to shake the sense of violation I felt towards my personal space. The thought of somebody walking around your place, going through all of your possessions and picking and choosing what they wanted really shook us up. We felt it necessary to do a serious bout of cleaning and laundry to get back the feeling that it was “our” flat. And then the “what-ifs” kicked in. What if we had been home? What if we were lucky only because they had been interrupted by noise from a neighbour? And now, a week later, it’s a case of moderate paranoia. At around 4am, a spoon from the pile of dishes fell over in the kitchen. We were both instantly awake, and I ran into the kitchen fully expecting (in a half-awake state) to confront somebody.
The police response certainly didn’t give me much confidence in law enforcement either. After the first officer who came on the scene determined that we weren’t home, he attempted to determine the whereabouts of the occupiers – fair enough. But in the meantime, our back window was wide open and was left as such for a full day and half until we got home. What was stopping anybody else from hopping in and helping themselves? It also took over three phone calls to the police after we got back to get anybody to show up to file a proper report. It wasn’t until the Tuesday before we had anybody come by to do an investigation and check for fingerprints. Their conclusion - “looks like the thief wore gloves”. Well, duh. Thanks Sherlock. We did get a formal apology from the police a few days later, which was nice, but I felt that they really should have helped us as opposed to us having to make so many calls to get them to do their job.
My most recent thought on the matter was my most absurd. Did the thief not take anything because they were interrupted? Or did they just walk around and conclude that nothing was worth taking? Did they browse through my CDs and think, crap? Should I be grateful, or insulted?
In the end, I know these things happen and I hold no ill will whatsoever towards the flat or Glasgow or Scotland. And at the end of the day, it was certainly the best possible result of a bad situation!
Sunday, February 15, 2004
Bingeing On Music
After a moderately slow start this year, I’ve jumped back into the pool of the music buying public with both feet. The result is seven new CD’s in about as many days. In no particular order:
Stereolab – Margerine Eclipse. An album that sounds much like the band’s last several albums, which is not a criticism. Stereolab is just so good at creating beautiful music that you almost start to take them for granted. Can’t wait to see them live in March.
LOTR:ROTK - Soundtrack. Very much a mood album, featuring the excellent movie score composed by Howard Shore. Many chills up the back of your neck moments as the music evokes some great memories from the film, notably “The End Of All Things”.
Franz Ferdinand. Debut album from the local boys who everybody seems to name-drop these days. And for good reason. The album does take a few listens to get into, but not because it isn’t immediately good. It’s just that the current single, Take Me Out, is just so bloody catchy (more-ish as the Scots would say) that you just want to keep playing the track over and over. But hey, there are another 10 excellent tracks on this album that continue to grow on me. Another band I can’t wait to see live, this time in April.
Snow Patrol – Final Straw. Another buzz band, originally from Northern Ireland but based in Glasgow so they have effectively been adopted as locals. A few excellent tracks, but overall a little too mid-90’s alt-rock for my tastes.
Lost In Translation – Soundtrack. An excellent album featuring the music from the excellent film. My Bloody Valentine may be gone, but Kevin Shields is doing his solo thing here with several great tracks. “Kaze Wo Atsumete” by Happy End is a real standout track as it encapsulates the movie perfectly (no surprise that it plays over the end credits). “Alone in Kyoto” by Air is also brilliant.
Air – Talkie Walkie. Speaking of everybody’s favourite French duo, they are in fine form with their latest. Simply a stunning listen that evokes visions of a visit to a French outpost on Mars. Gets my vote for dinner party album of 2004.
As Mike revealed to me this week, the Pixies have in fact been confirmed to be reunited and touring this year. Imagine my excitement to learn that they will also be coming to Scotland to play as part of the T in the Park festival this year? With The Darkness and David Bowie already confirmed, this year’s festival should be incredible. I’m already beginning to speculate as to who else might be playing. Weezer, Morrissey and Teenage Fanclub all have new albums out this summer after all…..
After a moderately slow start this year, I’ve jumped back into the pool of the music buying public with both feet. The result is seven new CD’s in about as many days. In no particular order:
Stereolab – Margerine Eclipse. An album that sounds much like the band’s last several albums, which is not a criticism. Stereolab is just so good at creating beautiful music that you almost start to take them for granted. Can’t wait to see them live in March.
LOTR:ROTK - Soundtrack. Very much a mood album, featuring the excellent movie score composed by Howard Shore. Many chills up the back of your neck moments as the music evokes some great memories from the film, notably “The End Of All Things”.
Franz Ferdinand. Debut album from the local boys who everybody seems to name-drop these days. And for good reason. The album does take a few listens to get into, but not because it isn’t immediately good. It’s just that the current single, Take Me Out, is just so bloody catchy (more-ish as the Scots would say) that you just want to keep playing the track over and over. But hey, there are another 10 excellent tracks on this album that continue to grow on me. Another band I can’t wait to see live, this time in April.
Snow Patrol – Final Straw. Another buzz band, originally from Northern Ireland but based in Glasgow so they have effectively been adopted as locals. A few excellent tracks, but overall a little too mid-90’s alt-rock for my tastes.
Lost In Translation – Soundtrack. An excellent album featuring the music from the excellent film. My Bloody Valentine may be gone, but Kevin Shields is doing his solo thing here with several great tracks. “Kaze Wo Atsumete” by Happy End is a real standout track as it encapsulates the movie perfectly (no surprise that it plays over the end credits). “Alone in Kyoto” by Air is also brilliant.
Air – Talkie Walkie. Speaking of everybody’s favourite French duo, they are in fine form with their latest. Simply a stunning listen that evokes visions of a visit to a French outpost on Mars. Gets my vote for dinner party album of 2004.
As Mike revealed to me this week, the Pixies have in fact been confirmed to be reunited and touring this year. Imagine my excitement to learn that they will also be coming to Scotland to play as part of the T in the Park festival this year? With The Darkness and David Bowie already confirmed, this year’s festival should be incredible. I’m already beginning to speculate as to who else might be playing. Weezer, Morrissey and Teenage Fanclub all have new albums out this summer after all…..
Sunday, February 08, 2004
One Year Later
Last Thursday marked my one-year anniversary in Scotland. I knew the date to be accurate, but I could scarcely believe how fast the time has gone by. I’m already beginning to see certain events from this time last year kick-off, such as the rugby Six Nations Cup and the TripTych music festival which is bringing a strong sense of deja-vu.
The past year has certainly produced results that I would never have expected on that day I stepped off the plane into Glasgow International Airport. It has been a fantastic experience thus far and now that I am fully comfortable and feel like one of the locals (though with a foreign accent) I greatly look forward to the next year as well.
Last Sunday I attended one of the more fun concerts that I have ever been to when I saw La Bottine Souriante live as part of the finale to Celtic Connections. This Quebecois band was alive with rhythm, and it wasn’t long before I (along with the rest of the crowd) was clapping and toe-tapping away. What I found quite impressive was that there was no drummer per se. Several members of the band (either while playing guitar, banjo, or mandolin) sat on a chair and stomped out the beat with their feet. Combine that with a female dancer in skin-tight outfits slinking around the stage, a full brass section and four-part harmonies in French – well, a good night is to be had by all!
Saw two more excellent movies recently which is certainly getting me excited about cinema again.
I had just finished reading Touching The Void, the true story of two British climbers in the Peruvian Andes where, during the decent, everything goes very wrong. The book was an excellent read and I therefore was looking forward to the movie version which had recently opened in Glasgow. The film, done as a docu-drama (a dramatic recreation but with interviews of the real players and narrated by the author) was stunning with its dizzying camera angles and the way it really captured the mood of the situation. Despite knowing what happens, I was riveted to the screen and you could hear the collective gasps of the crowd during key scenes.
Much different but equally powerful was the film Belleville Rendez-vous, an animated French film about a Tour de France cyclist who is abducted by gangsters and the subsequent rescue attempt by his grandmother and loyal dog. It sounds absurd, but it was both funny and sad, and incredibly realistic despite the exaggerated drawings. Fantastic songs too – the theme song just won’t leave my head.
Last night Fiona and I had an incredibly fun time making dinner as we attempted to make home-made sushi using the kit that I received from back home for Christmas. Glasgow has an excellent Oriental grocery store where we got all the essential ingredients (seaweed, pickled ginger, sushi rice). After picking up our fish from the local grocery store, we got to it. And despite initial trepidation, it turned out to be quite straightforward. They looked almost like something you’d see at a restaurant, and they were delicious - combinations of avocado, cucumber, salmon, prawn and crab. Throw in some miso soup and green tea and it ends up as the most authentic sushi meal that I’ve had since arriving in the UK.
Last Thursday marked my one-year anniversary in Scotland. I knew the date to be accurate, but I could scarcely believe how fast the time has gone by. I’m already beginning to see certain events from this time last year kick-off, such as the rugby Six Nations Cup and the TripTych music festival which is bringing a strong sense of deja-vu.
The past year has certainly produced results that I would never have expected on that day I stepped off the plane into Glasgow International Airport. It has been a fantastic experience thus far and now that I am fully comfortable and feel like one of the locals (though with a foreign accent) I greatly look forward to the next year as well.
Last Sunday I attended one of the more fun concerts that I have ever been to when I saw La Bottine Souriante live as part of the finale to Celtic Connections. This Quebecois band was alive with rhythm, and it wasn’t long before I (along with the rest of the crowd) was clapping and toe-tapping away. What I found quite impressive was that there was no drummer per se. Several members of the band (either while playing guitar, banjo, or mandolin) sat on a chair and stomped out the beat with their feet. Combine that with a female dancer in skin-tight outfits slinking around the stage, a full brass section and four-part harmonies in French – well, a good night is to be had by all!
Saw two more excellent movies recently which is certainly getting me excited about cinema again.
I had just finished reading Touching The Void, the true story of two British climbers in the Peruvian Andes where, during the decent, everything goes very wrong. The book was an excellent read and I therefore was looking forward to the movie version which had recently opened in Glasgow. The film, done as a docu-drama (a dramatic recreation but with interviews of the real players and narrated by the author) was stunning with its dizzying camera angles and the way it really captured the mood of the situation. Despite knowing what happens, I was riveted to the screen and you could hear the collective gasps of the crowd during key scenes.
Much different but equally powerful was the film Belleville Rendez-vous, an animated French film about a Tour de France cyclist who is abducted by gangsters and the subsequent rescue attempt by his grandmother and loyal dog. It sounds absurd, but it was both funny and sad, and incredibly realistic despite the exaggerated drawings. Fantastic songs too – the theme song just won’t leave my head.
Last night Fiona and I had an incredibly fun time making dinner as we attempted to make home-made sushi using the kit that I received from back home for Christmas. Glasgow has an excellent Oriental grocery store where we got all the essential ingredients (seaweed, pickled ginger, sushi rice). After picking up our fish from the local grocery store, we got to it. And despite initial trepidation, it turned out to be quite straightforward. They looked almost like something you’d see at a restaurant, and they were delicious - combinations of avocado, cucumber, salmon, prawn and crab. Throw in some miso soup and green tea and it ends up as the most authentic sushi meal that I’ve had since arriving in the UK.
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