On Neeps, Noodles and Nudity

Today marks the birthday of Robbie Burns, Scotland’s classic poet, and is meant to be marked by drinking whisky and eating a full meal of neeps, tatties and haggis (no maple syrup though).

However, I did nothing of the kind today, instead going for a Japanese noodle meal at the newly opened Wagamamas in Glasgow which seemed appropriate after finally seeing Lost In Translation at the cinema. This film was excellent on so many levels – acting, cinematography, soundtrack. The way the central theme of the film is explored but without a set story - events unfold with a natural rhythm all while portraying the sights and sounds of modern Tokyo. Where no questions are answered and nothing really changes, but you’re happy to have experienced what you’ve seen. Funny and sad all at the same time. The film felt very real to me with its scenes of hotel living. Despite the obvious cultural differences, there were many similarities that vividly recalled to me my time spent living in a hotel during the latter part of 2003. In short, a wonderful film that I would highly recommend.

Happy to report that our old friend the Naked Rambler finally made it to John O’Groats, after having to spend several months in jail for public indecency. Dude must have been seriously cold for those last few days – Northern Scotland is a cold place even for the clothed.

Had a chance to catch an excellent band, Croft No. 5, as part of Glasgow’s Celtic Connections festival. At their core, they are a traditional Celtic band but combined this sound with funky guitar and bass and even a rapper for a few songs. One of our friends works for the festival, and managed to get us VIP passes which allowed entry into the after-party at the Central Hotel (right above Central Station) where we were able to see a few more acts work their fiddle and accordian magic, including an excellent duo from Cape Breton.

Make the sweat drip out of every pore

My ears are ringing and my head is buzzing as I have now seen (finally!) The White Stripes in concert. Many of the things I’ve heard or read about the band are true. Meg is quite cute in person, Jack does wear tight trousers, and the two of them can in fact do more with one guitar and a drum kit than many bands can do a whole arsenal of instruments (and band members). And I don’t think you can really appreciate just what a guitar god Jack White really is until you see and hear him do his thing live. The band quite simply is pure rock n’ roll, and undeniably have that “it factor” as they’re so compelling to watch. Things almost took a turn for the worse during the encore when some stupid punter launched his shoe which then connected with Jack’s nose during “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself” (a Von Bondies fan perhaps?). But he shook it off, and after playing a few more songs he returned to finish “I Just Don’t Know…” – the crowd was simply rapturous with their applause. Rawk on, indeed!

The Hardest Button to Button

Another step towards maturity perhaps? This past Saturday saw us “entertain”, which is to say have another couple over for dinner and drinks. A definite alternative to the norm for me, and a good bit of fun it was. We brought out the ol’ bruschetta/potato wedges/Vietnamese-style chicken curry combo. High on the impress-the-guests scale and low on the difficulty-to-prepare scale.

I’m due to see The White Stripes in concert next weekend. And at long last too, following the broken finger incident last summer which saw them pull out of T in the Park. However, it now seems as though Jack White has been charged with assault which reportedly may prevent the band from coming to the UK this week. This band may prove to be as hard to catch as a connecting train from Edinburgh.

I recently rented the Shrek DVD. I’ve always thought the movie was great, and I was pleased to discover that the DVD layout and special features are fantastic. But with recent experience in mind I can now safely say that Mike Myers does a terrible Scottish accent. And on that same note, I can never take Mel Gibson in Braveheart seriously again now that I know how the accent should sound. And don’t get me started on Groundskeeper Willie.

I had a reminder this weekend why it can be so great living in Scotland. The day was crispy cool and sunny, and after a quick 20 minute drive we were out of the city and into the proper Scottish countryside (glens and lochs and sheep). The route on this day was Ballageich Hill, more of a hike than a climb with stunning views of the city and the surrounding mountains. There has been a bit of snow lately, and I could clearly see the snow covered peaks of Ben Lomond and the Sleeping Warrior which is found on the Isle of Arran. After a few hours of letting it all sink in, we then grabbed a pint at a small country pub (The Swan in the town of Eaglesham) which could have come directly out of a cliched Scottish movie. Old men with big sideburns and jimmy hats (minus the shocking red hair) sitting around drinking pints of McEwan’s and discussing football. Fantastic.

“Hear my voice in your head and think of me kindly”

One of things I always try and do at the beginning of a new year is send out an email to everybody in my address book in order to check in with friends new and old. Even with the convenience of electronic communication, it is quite amazing how lax one can become about keeping in touch.

The auto-responses from some web domain stating, “this email account is no longer active” are usually the saddest. This year I got back two of them, both from work colleagues of yesteryear. Without another means of contacting them, they officially join the list of people I’ll probably never be in touch with again.

However, this year I received some of the best pieces of news from a batch of folk. I was very happy to find out that my oldest friend in the world Lisa (in terms of how long I’ve known her, that is – I first met her at the age of 4) is getting married! Her future husband Randy unofficially lived with us when we were roommates back in Toronto and is a fantastic bloke. I wish them all the very best.

I also received three emails from former work colleagues from the infamous BrandEra stage of my working life. All have gone on to much better things, have married and have their first child. With the wonders of digital photography, I was able to see a picture of each of their new bundles of joy. I know people always say this, but each of them are extremely cute and adorable. A fourth colleague also announced that he too has a child on the way. I knew things would be better once we got out of that place!

And as always, it was great to hear the latest from the Ottawa group. The nostalgia was high on my end when I read the stories of their holiday get-togethers. I’m also happy to report that Mike and Drew appear to have returned to the world of blogging after a short sabbatical.

It also sounds like the Toronto group had an enjoyable holiday and are doing well. I see there is one serious freeze going on over there at the moment. Relatively speaking, it’s almost (as Steve put best) tropical in these parts at a respectable 10 degrees.

With upcoming weddings (three mates getting hitched this year), new jobs and homes and babies by the barrel full, it really has hit home that I and my peers have indeed hit a new stage in life. And so it goes!

Great Balls of Fire

Ah, New Year’s Eve. For some strange reason, this night always brings an air of expectation for huge amounts of partying and fun - and more often than not it ends up being most lame. Think of all the bad house parties or overpriced and overcrowded nightclubs.

So when the invite came to check out the Stonehaven Fireball Festival in Aberdeenshire, I thought – now this is something a bit different. The Herald newspaper summarises this festival as follows: “The traditional procession of 60 local men, swinging fireballs above their heads before hurling them into the sea”.

Stonehaven is a small town about 2 hours northwest of Glasgow, and just south of Aberdeen. The weather was unfortunately not very co-operative on Scotland’s east coast this night (snow, driving rain, high winds – the works) to the extent that Edinburgh’s famous Hogmanay celebrations were cancelled. But much to Stonehaven’s credit, the fireball procession went on. It was cold and I was quite damp, but I must admit it was a whole bunch of fun. Picture this: a small Scottish street with a reasonable number of spectators crammed alongside. You’ve got a bagpipe marching band, and then a great flare as the participants light up their fireballs. The “fireball” is a large mesh ball filled with timber and other flammable items attached to a chain which can be swung over the head. So to recap - we’ve got balls of fire swinging in the air, sparks flying everywhere, and bagpipes. We then all followed the procession down to the sea where the balls were flung into the deep. And then we got drunk. Now that’s what New Year’s should be all about!

We were also lucky enough to run into the local celebrity, Mark “Big Ball” Anderson, who reputedly has the biggest (fire)balls in town. They sure seemed big to my untrained eye.

So 2004 is here. Another cliché of the season comes in the form of New Year’s Resolutions. But they proved to be the incentive I needed to finally get on the shorts and hit the streets of Glasgow for my first jog in months. I feel like someone clubbed me in both of my legs and then punched me in the gut, which is probably my body’s way of saying that perhaps I’ve had my fair share of beer and holiday food delights. Point taken.

How two weeks fly by...Monday morning, and back to work. I hope everybody had a great holiday, and here’s hoping for many a good time in 2004!

Vive la France!

Having now returned from France, I can safely report that les tabacs, croques monsieurs, Bougytel, moules frites, Zebda, Renaults and menus speciales are all still very much accounted for and thriving. Was it ever great to be back! All of the same sounds (a breathy “merci” and "au revoir"), tastes (non-refrigerated milk?), sights (that special way of tying a scarf), and smells (mais oui, les crottes de chiens) are exactly as I remember them from 2000, and I realise I still miss them so very much.

I spent 5 days of my Christmas holiday with Fiona and her family in a glorified cottage in the town of Tortefontaine, located in the region of Pas-de-Calais, literally a 10 minute walk from the border to Picardie. The place was fantasic, right in the middle of the French countryside and complete with wood burning stove and a patisserie just down the road. As I expected, there was much wine drunk (28 bottles among 6 of us, mostly red) and much cheese consumed (Munster, you still smell like les pieds des anges but taste divine).

And much to my pleasure, there was the chance to speak (and hear) the beautiful French language - at the fromagerie, the brasserie (the French café au lait still is the best caffeinated beverage I’ve yet to taste) and even with the local farmer. This chap is friendly with Fiona’s sister-in-law (her family owns the cottage), so we were invited over to his farmhouse to meet his family and have dessert with them. Not only were the desserts fantastic (including homemade tarte-au-pomme, oh la la) but so was the wine, cidre and the conversation. As only Fiona and I can speak French, we did most of the talking from the anglophone side which was a great opportunity to practice our vocabulary.

Another opportunity to speak the language came during a walk we took around town on Christmas Eve. We were outside the gates of an old monastery when we came across an old man lying on the grass beside the road. We couldn’t get a word out of him, and since it was cold and approaching evening we decided to go back to town to get help at the local pub. A few of the locals came back with us to the spot to check on the man who at this point was responding to our voices. The locals figured the best bet would be to call the local authorities, so they left to do so while us anglos were left to watch over him. I can safely say it was the most surreal conversation I’ve ever had with someone, and in French no less. Turns out our new friend was quite drunk and had decided to spend Christmas under the stars, and I don’t think he quite knew how to take me with my (as I was told) Quebecois accent and "formal" grammar. He seemed almost sad to go when the cops finally came and took him away – but I imagine that’s more to do with the fact he’d be spending the night locked up rather than because of my company.

We also managed to do some fantastic daytrips. One of the best was a visit to the town of Montreuil-sur-mer, a beautiful old medieval town, complete with walled ramparts that we were able to walk around. This is also the town where Jean Valjean (from Les Miserables) was Mayor before he was forced to do a runner. One pub even sold a Cosette Bier – and why not? We also managed to get down to Berck-sur-mer to walk on the beach and see La Manche (a.k.a the English Channel), to have a wee walk around Abbeville and to spend an afternoon in Amiens – the town with the largest Gothic building in France. The building was in fact a gorgeous cathedral built in the 1300's, and while I may have seen a few beautiful old gothic cathedrals in my day, this one still had the wow factor. The town itself was gorgeous, complete with Christmas markets, old half-timbered houses (a la Rouen) and scarved French women with little poodles.

This was certainly a most surreal Christmas, but one that was thoroughly enjoyable and one which flew by far too fast (as these things can do). I unfortunately gave my family the wrong phone number to reach me so I was unable to speak to them until I returned to Glasgow. A proper apology was most certainly due….but it does sound as though all is well with the Canadian Wilson’s. Trusting the rest of you also had a great Xmas time, and that the New Year’s experience works out for you. I’ve found that New Year’s tends to be the most overrated and annoying time of year, so I’ve decided to avoid all the hype and nightclubs to go up north to try something very different. But that surely is a story for when I return. As such – I wish you a Happy Hogmanay and look forward to making the next update in 2004 – cheers!

Christmas Wrap-Up

This will be the first Christmas I’ll not be spending in Canada, which is quite strange and sad for me. But at the same time, it is equally strange and exciting to be spending it in France. I haven't been back to France for a few years now, and am very much looking forward to the return. Ambitious plans include the consumption of copious amounts of red wine and cheese, walks in the country, dominoes and hopefully a small kir in a petite brasserie.

Last night I saw Return of the King, which was needless to say a thoroughly phenomenal movie. I really let myself be immersed in the moment to the point where 3 hours and 20 minutes seemed too short. Truth be told, there were a few blink back the tears (and pretend you have a bit of dirt in your eye) moments. Now it's sad to think that it is all over. I’ve looked forward to each of the movies in the trilogy for so long now that it's strange to think there are no more. Well, until they make The Hobbit anyway.

The Darkness didn’t quite get their Christmas #1 this year, but neither did any of the other favourites. Out of nowhere, the cover of Mad World by Gary Jules (as featured on the Donnie Darko soundtrack) received some serious airplay, and the single sold enough to get the coveted top spot. Despite the fact that it’s been out for well over a year. Fair enough.

I would like to wish all of you a very happy holiday season. And to my fellow Canadians, enjoy a cup of egg nog for me – I’ve looked everywhere for it in Glasgow and it’s simply nowhere to be found.

Merry Christmas #1

The UK appears to be the last place in the world where people seem to still care about the music singles chart. The only time I could imagine anybody considering buying a single would be if the song were clearly a one-hit wonder. If the single comes from a good album, why would you spend £3 for it when you could have the entire album for £10? Instantly, this ensures that any talented artist has negligible singles chart success. For example, despite the fact that The Thrills and Athlete have sold albums by the bucketload this year, they have had hardly any singles dent the Top 40. People own the album, why would they want the single? The result: a chart full of bubblegum pop and novelty garbage. Furthermore, why would you spend any money on one single when it is so easy to either download it (paid or otherwise) or arrange somebody else to burn it on CD for you? Since paid downloads aren’t included on the singles chart, the sale of only a few thousand singles across the entire UK could result in a number one.

Most people are quite aware of this fact. Single sales are down by as much as 30% from the previous year. The bands charting - by and large - do not represent the taste of the British music buying public. To quote The Smiths, they certainly say nothing to me about my life. Yet British institutions such as Top of the Pops and the Radio One Countdown still stubbornly stick by the dinosaur that is the official singles chart.

Even stranger is the Christmas #1 which is the best selling single for the week leading up to Christmas. The rumours of who might get this year’s Christmas #1 have been circulating since October. I’m told it’s more of a tradition rather than actually having any meaning. Regardless, the big race begins this week to determine who will get the coveted #1. I’m personally gunning for The Darkness and their retro 70’s -sleigh bells and falsetto and all - Christmas single. This band is the one exception to the rule – by in large they have accounted for a huge surge in 7” vinyl sales (of all things!) which has translated to solid singles chart success. Since their Christmas single does not appear on their excellent album, and I don’t have the hardware to properly download it, I just might end up picking up a single after all. I can join the ranks of a few silly thousands who buy a single this season. If nothing else, I’d help ensure the Pop Idol finalists don’t take the Yuletide crown.

Onto other things:
After weeks of bureaucratic shenanigans, I finally managed to get the paperwork through at work and now have access to my new flat in Inverkeithing, a town not far from my work in Rosyth. I can’t express how happy I am to leave the confines of a hotel to something that I can call my own. Though I will now have to pay for my own pints. I’d tell you more about Inverkeithing, but there really isn’t much to say. It doesn’t even register as a blurb in my Lonely Planet guide to Britain. I think there was a battle or something nearby though – I’ll get back to you.

I also went to see the extended version of The Two Towers this weekend. If you’re a real fan of Tolkien’s books, it really is impossible to go back to the original once you’ve seen the extended version. Granted, the added scenes and lines may not be integral to the core plot per se, but it adds so much to the motivations and stories behind the characters and flushes out the history of Middle-earth without feeling like overkill. The flashback scene with Faramir and Boromir is worth it alone. I said it before, and will say it again: I am SO ready for Return of the King! 6 more days, precious.

An Extended Sunday

Long lies on a Sunday in Scotland can ensure you hardly see daylight. With the sun now beginning to set before 3pm, a sleep-in until noon represents less than three hours of sunlight. But now that I’m one year closer to 30, a heavy pub night on Saturday and the following sleep-in were the order of business.

My friend Steve informed me this week that he managed to obtain tickets to an advanced screening of Return of the King for the 15th. With my working away from the city, and a Christmas work party coming up, it is now likely that I won’t be seeing this film until at least the 20th. My envy towards Steven is great.

However, consolation came this Sunday morning as I searched the paper for movie listings for the afternoon. Turns out that one of the cinemas in Glasgow’s city centre was screening the extended version of Fellowship of the Ring. Needless to say, all other movie plans were put on hold. And was it ever brilliant to see this movie on the big screen again! In all its extended glory! It also turns out that they will be screening the extended version of The Two Towers next weekend. So not only do I not have to track the extended version down on DVD, but I can now see it in all its cinematic glory. I am now so psyched for ROTK it hurts.

As expected, Radiohead was excellent. They even played "Just" and "Fake Plastic Trees" this time. While their new material isn't as strong as some of their classics, it's made up for by Thom Yorke's crazy dance routine. Think epileptic seisures, but with rhythm.

Christmas shopping is nearly done, and all the packages that need to be sent overseas have been dropped off with Royal Mail. Which made me think – why is it that in Canada we get “mail” delivered by Canada Post whereas in the UK we get our “post” delivered by Royal Mail?

And only two more working weeks until the holidays. Due to the timing of Christmas, New Year’s and a Scottish bank holiday on the calendar, I end up getting a full two weeks off work. Which is honestly the best gift I could have asked for!

The Last Concert of 2003

It's been a busy year for live music, and after keeping my ear to the ground and pre-booking shows for up to 8 months in advance, I've finally come down to my final pair of tickets. And what a show to finish on - Radiohead at the S.E.C.C. in Glasgow. I have a very strange relationship with this band. I know their last few albums (Kid A, Amnesiac, Hail to the Thief) were critically acclaimed and all the rest of it, but seriously - does anybody really listen to them? They may be unique, but they don't exactly make for an enjoyable listen. I've always preferred their classic discs (OK Computer, The Bends) but that being said - Radiohead does rock live. I've seen them live twice now, and they have an amazing ability to reinterpret their material so that it really connects in front of an audience of thousands. I have no doubt the same will happen tonight - should be great.

I also treated myself to a new toy this weekend. Prices on DVD players have come down to the point where I felt I needed to get myself one. But when I saw that I could grab a Playstation 2 for a mere £85, I thought - hey! DVD's and video games! With my newly purchased hardware, I went out and rented a couple of great DVD's that I'd both recommend.

Happiness of the Katakuris - A truly off-the-wall Japanese film best described as Night of the Living Dead meets The Sound of Music. A family running a guesthouse confronts the mystery of dying guests by breaking out into song and dance routines. Fabulous.

Secretary - A nice boy meets girl story, with S&M. Despite the premise, a surprisingly touching story of two lost souls who find each other.

And speaking of toys, I now have access to an old PC that has been setup in my kitchen. It may be years old and crunch away every time you ask it do something, but it gives me access to the Internet. So goodbye Internet cafes, hello typing journal entries in pyjamas!