Graf

The works of a couple of my local area's graffiti makers have caught my eye recently. First, someone has been stickering over the WAIT light that appears when you press the button to cross the road. One says something along the lines of "you are good enough", another says "have courage". Isn't that sweet?

A somewhat more angst filled spraypaint-wielder, on the other hand, has painted "WHY?" on pavements on phoneboxes in bright red.

I'm waiting for someone to come along and add YOLO.

The Getty

Some snapshots. Third picture is a view over LA. Interesting to note that the city is big enough to have at least two big skyscraper filled downtowns. The gallery lends itself well to photos with stripped down palettes, so many areas of white and neutral.

Little Italy Farmer's Market

Or, equally possible; the farmers' market, since there may for all I know have been a veritable plurality of farmers in attendance.

But hold on there, I hear you cry, you haven't told us what you had for breakfast yet! We went here:

In a display of bold originality we requested bagels. I sipped some orange juice and paddled about on the pavement outside. The downtown skyscraper architecture gets broken up in this neighbourhood.

Reasonably interesting as far as blocks of flats go. There's even some colour - if I knew how to steal bikes and were the kind of person that steals another person's bike, then gosh-darn-it, I'd have stolen this bike.

We made a move over to Little Italy, or in my accent Li'l Italy, or in a Californian accent Liddle Iddaly. T sounds get abused. The market was in full swing and what a fine market it was. Maybe you'd like it, I don't know what you're in to. I sat in the shade, people-watched and ate my bagel. A walk down the street revealed this ocean view.

This was all yesterday, and that'll do for tonight.

Resolutions

No! Not the awesome album by Dave Hause. It's January! I've said it before and I'll say it again, new year's resolutions are a great way to achieve depression by mid-month, since mostly they're denials of something you enjoy or rely on.

So generally you'd be better of adding something to your life than taking it away. Mine this year is one word long, and although it's taken me a week to start I should be able to work up some momentum now.

I'm back in California after almost a month at home, and the sun is shining. It looks like this:

We went out for brunch; I had the remarkably healthy (from the top down,) hollandaise sauce, poached eggs, crab fishcakes, english muffins and a plate. The key feature of this particular eatery was the pot of crayola (other brands are available) wax crayons on each table, in tandem with paper tablecloths. This allowed me to tick the box next to my resolution: Draw. Sorry to leave you hanging there. We later stopped off at an art supply shop, so I'll be able to make more drawings.

Roller Derby

Roller derby is a badass sport. You can probably find accurate rules by googling it, and definitely more complete, but anyway: There are four blockers and one jammer from each team on the track (an oval). The jammer scores points for her team by overtaking the other team's blockers. Each set of blockers helps their jammer and hinders their opponents, using whatever hip-checks and shoulder-barges they feel like. (Use of the arms, legs, punching, kicking etc. are forbidden.)

It's played indoors in relatively low light, and they can skate impressively fast, which makes it supremely challenging to photograph. Enough whinging, I tried anyway and here are some results:

Bam.

Tape. Tattoo.

High speed cornering.

Jammer.

Food Diaries: Lucha Libre

A couple of weeks ago some friends took me to a Taco shop. I got very excited when we got there as it turned out to be Lucha Libre, as featured on the much admir'd Man vs. Food. As you can see, the decor is understated and minimal, with subtle Mexican wrestling influences. The Champion's table is only available to those who make a reservation.

I went for the California Surfin' Burrito (As Seen on TV!) which contains everything good; carne asada, prawns, french fries, cheese, avocado, salsa... I hope I'm not forgetting anything. I had to dig deep, but I found room in my hollow legs for the whole thing. I'll have to do some serious training if I'm to have any hope of taking on the Broken Yolk Cafe's Iron Man Challenge (a 12 egg omelette with lots of extras).

"Why not do it with some style?"

Seen and snapped by the Gliderport, where there are people flying, so why not time travel? There are also stunning sunsets over the Pacific.

Photography: Assignment 2

These are the un-photoshopped jpegs that my camera has probably meddled with a little, they're not the same as the RAW files. The assignment was two images, one very shallow depth of field, one deep. Enough pre-amble, here they are...

Balboa: The Botanical Bit

I think this is a wonderful building and it's filled to bursting with plants of many kinds. I visited the park shortly after arriving in San Diego, and will probably be returning a fair few times. In fact, we went back the day after this was taken...

Kitchen Diaries: Tagliatelle alla Romana

According to Theo Randall's book Pasta, tagliatelle alla romana is "a true classic you'll find in every trattoria in Rome." I hope to one day verify this by visiting a large enough sample of said eateries, but until then I'll take his word for it. He is, after all, an expert pasta chef. The sauce is made with red onion, chicken liver, and canned tomatoes, so it's easy and extremely cheap. My first attempt at the dish looks like this:

There were fewer people here for dinner than expected so there is now a vast bowlful sat on my kitchen worktop, causing me no end of angst as I fret that it will congeal into a vast starchy mush! I'll survive.

If it doesn't turn into a carbohydrate brick, it's breakfast, lunch and dinner tomorrow...

Sample of work for I-House application

Prints: shoes

Pinhole photography

Multiple portraits: Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Mixed media type: "O great creator, grant us one more hour to perfect our lives."

Bands I may well see at Glasto 2011

U2, Mumford & Sons, Fleet Foxes (missed their much talked-about set last time they played), The Naked and Famous, I Am Kloot, Newton Faulkner, Coldplay, Elbow, The Gaslight Anthem, Noah and the Whale, Laura Marling, Queens of the Stone Age, Eels, TV on the Radio, Bombay Bicycle Club, Cold War Kids, Everything Everything.

And then because my taste is just that mainstream I'll get my much cooler mates to introduce me to all the more unusual stuff they love.

Scribble

I haven't done any drawing for months now. I used to draw all the time, making up characters and worlds to my heart's content. Usually complete rip-offs of existing ideas, but that's just the way it is.

But over time I got all self-concious and hung-up and neurotic about drawing.

A good friend gave me advice ages ago; be alone, put some music on and just draw. So tonight I followed it (at last).

I also set out with a simple purpose - to draw some rubbish. Some really awful drawings - a toddler could capture more accurate representations of objects, but accuracy wasn't the point - it worked to get me past that initial fear of ruining a perfectly good blank sheet of paper with a failed attempt at a portrait.

Inspiration, Motivation &c.

"There are two types of genius. Ordinary geniuses do great things, but they leave you room to believe that you could do the same if only you worked hard enough. Then there are magicians, and you can have no idea how they do it. Feynman was a magician." - Hans Bethe

Frank Turner, Live at Trof Cafe

I was lucky enough to catch the end of a solo set last night. It was free entry, with a collection for charity inside (£20 donation to make a request). The small crowd (of maybe 100-200) belted out every chorus, Frank going as far as to unplug his mic for a couple of songs during the encore. The PA turned out to be superfluous anyway, since he could out-sing us all.

Salford Quays

I took a trip to Imperial War Museum North in the company of two of my housemates today. The museum is excellent, intense, and portrays the stark reality of war without being overly harrowing. This was the best shot I managed to get as I snapped and walked, of some building over the water from the museum itself.

Sun and blue skies have been far more frequent in Manchester this autumn than people give the place credit for. We were going to have a look round the Lowry Gallery but decided to save it for another time.

A Gift From My Mother

She has this on a little card, I made a copy of it in my notebook. If you haven't read it before you may find it interesting, I don't know.

"Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labours and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy."

- Max Ehrmann

A Walk Around the Block

Yesterday, not a great photo, but a lovely view:

Muse at Wembley Stadium 11.09.10

Support: I Am Arrows, White Lies, Biffy Clyro.

I was eating an overpriced burger and drinking overpriced water while I Am Arrows were playing, and so am poorly qualified to comment on the quality of their performance.

White Lies showed a surprisingly high level of confidence for such a (relatively) small band on such a big stage. Almost half of the set was comprised of new material; presumably so that it is vaguely present in people's memories when it starts to show up on the radio.

Biffy Clyro were as tight as a miser's purse-strings, and thanks to autumn nights pulling in it was dark enough for their light show to have some real impact.

Muse were preceded by a mob, complete with placards and banners bearing lyric-slogans (viz. "They will not control us") and some general noise (klaxons, alerts &c.) over the PA. They opened with an exciting five-track combo of Uprising, Supermassive Black Hole, MK Ultra, Map of the Problematique, and an extended pogo-fest of much earlier hit, Bliss.


Sixth on the setlist, Guiding Light is a fairly average track; think Queen, or just "Invincible 2" (sequels rarely being better than the original). Clever deployment of huge ribbons of paper and shreds of ticker tape over the front of the crowd really brought it to life on this occasion though.

To make up for that dip, the band crescendoed into Hysteria and a little bit of AC/DC riffage, then Citizen Erased with a great guitar break in the middle. Nishe (an obscure and quiet b-side featuring slow bass riff and gentle drumming) cooled things off pleasantly, but while we were down there we got United States of Eurasia; a poor parody of the band's former bombastic heights.

The set maintained momentum through a combination of classics and using flashy bits of stage-craft during weaker new material. While frontman (Matt Bellamy) was at the piano they played Ruled By Secrecy and Feeling Good, then he dissappeared for a bit allowing drummer (Dominic Howard) and bassist (Chris Wolstenholme) to lay down MK Jam on a spinning podium that travelled out into the audience. Dom used four electric drums that light up on impact for this. Matt rejoined them on the same podium with his keytar for a rendition of Undisclosed Desires. The miniature stage rose up as it headed out into the audience (again) and one look over the side from the iconic frontman drew screams from thousands of throats.

Resistance, Starlight (one of Bellamy's finest vocal performances), and Unnatural Selection rounded off the main set.

The first encore was a potent pairing of Exogenesis (Part 1) - during which a UFO circled the crowd complete with dangling acrobat; unfortunately not as stylish as the heliospheres used in their first Wembley dates a few years ago, but impressive nonetheless - and the fan favourite hostage-situation-love-story Stockholm Syndrome.

Their final encore was about as epic as you'd have every right to expect, and we saw Matt return to the stage in a suit with a coating of red synchronized LEDs, which complemented the arpeggiated synth intro of Take A Bow. With an unusally small amount of fuzz factory generated white noise the trio launched into Plug in Baby (cue giant balloon eyeballs for the crowd to bounce back and forth before eventually popping in explosions of yet more ticker tape). Over two hours after it started, the spectacle rounded off with Knights of Cydonia, a finale made yet more grand (and Western) by the inclusion of their cover of Ennio Morricone's Man with a Harmonica.

I sat on the underground train back to my apartment, mind and body a complete wreck, and reflected on what a great show it was. I'd had my money's worth by the end of Biffy Clyro's set; Muse was a generous amount of icing on an already ample cake.

Monday Morning in Manchester

It's been a good morning, I would say productive, but really it's been the reverse. I've been throwing things away. Did a very light bit of exercise, then popped over to uni to pick up a piece of work that had been marked - 88% Oh yeah! Got groceries. All very mundane but that's what self-indulgent blogs are for.

This afternoon I'm going to nap (being a student = making your own schedule = naps are common) and revise, possibly in a cafe. An episode of House will almost undoubtedly get watched.