AAARGH! Etc. (plus Rory)

https://download.yousendit.com/ZW9ES3dtcWZrWS9IRGc9PQ

That's the link for "Going To My Hometown" by Rory, from the Cowtown bootleg -- but you only have six days, instead of your usual seven, because i couldn't post yesterday. My computer probs continue....

Everything seemed ok, so maybe this is a new problem? I dunno, but Windows Explorer keeps crashing and the only way to solve it has been to reboot. It's apparently my DivX player that's been causing the crashes, so i have just uninstalled it (although an online forum i looked at suggested that i might have a trojan). (I tried to run Ad-Aware last night but it stalled.)

My next computer will run Linux, this Windows nonsense is giving me (even more) grey hair.

Watched "Burn After Reading" last night (for the 3rd or 4th time). Love that film!

Quote of the day: “Dinner at the Huntercombes possessed only two dramatic features: the wine was a farce and the food a tragedy” -- Anthony Powell.

Here's the link to Rory's "Pistol Slapper Blues" from Cowtown: https://download.yousendit.com/ZW9DQ3Q5OW4rV3pIRGc9PQ

I think i finally have all my computer problems -- or, at least, the one i mentioned in my last post -- sorted out. I ran System Restore and the file associations returned to normal. Unfortunately, it also disabled my anti-virus program (grr, grr) and i had to uninstall and re-install it, which took up a good part of my leisure time on Monday afternoon. Frustrating, but it's done, and now i can try to get caught up on reading all my spam.

At least i had time to watch a film last night, for the first time in weeks. It wasn't bad

Happy Sunday!

Spike Milligan quote of the day: It was a perfect marriage. She didn't want to and he couldn't.

Here's the link to today's Rorysong, "Too Much Alcohol" from the Cowtown bootleg: https://download.yousendit.com/YkxMa3NTeFU3N0FLSkE9PQ

What a miserable day. No, weather-wise it's a beautiful day, warm, sunny, no snow, no meteorological horrors of any kind; no, 'twas cybernautically miserable.

My CD burning software (Nero) would no longer burn CDs. I spent the morning troubleshooting, uninstalling, re-installing, un-re-installing, cleaning up the registry to get rid of leftovers and then downloading some new software (which i haven't tried yet). All time lost that could have been better spent surfing for music and porn.

And then i went to the pub for a three-course liquid breakfast, so you'll get no more sense out of me today

Winter Is Icumen In (Plus Rory)

Here's the link for Rory Gallagher's "Handy Man" : https://download.yousendit.com/YkxMUWVoSU9OMUNGa1E9PQ

We had the first snow of the season two days ago, very light, it melted as soon as it landed. It snowed again last night -- still very light, but i awoke this morning to a fine dusting and some of it still remains. God, i hate winter.

And i'm including this photograph for no other reason than the fact that i love it.

You Want Fries With That?

As some of my regular readers will know, I – for my sins – make my living as a cook. And if I say so myself, I’m pretty good at it: I have the touch. But I was thinking a while ago about the restaurant biz, and trying to determine, from the kitchen’s viewpoint, what is the best time of day to go to restaurant?

Right at opening time is no good: the kitchen is usually scrambling to get everything ready, and it’s impossible to give your meal the attention it deserves. Believe me, in every kitchen in the world, the diner who shows up right at opening time is resented.

Lunch-time is out, the kitchen is too busy to give your meal the attention it deserves.

After lunch? Well … no. The kitchen is busy cleaning up after lunch and trying to get ready for supper.

The supper rush? Don’t be silly, the kitchen is ‘way too busy.

After supper? Well, no, clean-up is well underway and the intrusion of customers into the scenario is actively resented.

So that, you might think, pretty much leaves closing time. Forget it. Everyone’s tired, they all want to go home (or to hit the bars) and, in every kitchen in the world, the customer who shows up right at closing time is resented.

Stay home, cook your own food, it’s probably healthier anyway, and … send me all your money because if this catches on I’ll be out of work!

Here’s the link for today’s Rorysong, “Laundromat” from the Cowtown bootleg: https://download.yousendit.com/YkxKZFhtcWYwZ2wzZUE9PQ.. Remember, the link is only valid for seven days.

And here, at the request of my beautiful girl Cate, is the video for The Cure’s “The Love Cats.”

Today's Rorysong

Today's Robertson Davies quotation: "Authors like cats because they are such quiet, lovable, wise creatures, and cats like authors for the same reasons."

I meant to post the link for Rory's "Hands Off" yesterday but my Internet connection was playing silly buggers. It's here: https://download.yousendit.com/YkxMa3ZKMHc3bUNGa1E9PQ but now you only have six days to grab it. Better act fast!

Chantal Kreviazuk

Robertson Davies Quote Of The Day: "He came of a generation to which any girl, before she is married, is a kind of unexploded bomb." (Tempest-Tost, 1951)

Anyway, i just bought Chantal's new CD, "Plain Jane." (I'd much rather buy an actual physical CD than download, but so much of the stuff i want is unobtainable through my friendly local dealer.)* I do like her music. I love her voice, she has a gift for melody and she's been around for long enough that professionalism shines through. This is delicious stuff.

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* I've probably told the story of my attempt to buy Jack Bruce's CD "Spirit" via my FLD: he said he could get it, i ordered it, 4 months later it still hadn't arrived and so i reluctantly downloaded it. The next week it arrived at my FLD's. This sort of nonsense must be as frustrating for him as it is for me and it goes a long way towards explaining why the record labels are in such trouble.