marramgrass

The Forth bridges, photographed from the dockside at Rosyth at the weekend.

This is my fourth summer in Edinburgh, and it’s still earlier on in the month of August than I’d normally manage my typical one show per year in the festival.

I remember many (something like six or seven, actually) years ago spotting this guy on a BBC show in Northern Ireland – might have been The Empire Laughs Back, but I’m honestly not sure – and would you believe I can still remember one of his gags from then? Something about the Irishman’s tendency to be proud of getting things cheap: “Bargain.” He’s popped up at the festival a couple of times in the last few years, and I’ve meant to go along but never managed it until Friday night.

His comedy is of a very gentle, observational variety, unusually (mostly) family-friendly for a modern stand-up – which is good, as it meant my wife relaxed and enjoyed the show, as well. And I can honestly say I haven’t laughed so hard for a full hour in years. The style actually puts me in mind more than a little of Eddie Izzard. Which also reminds me of something else:

During Eddie Izzard’s Circle tour, somebody wrote in to Watchdog complaining that they’d been at the end of his previous tour and the start of the new one, and the routine was almost identical and isn’t this a disgrace. (Izzard responded that he develops his routine during the tour, letting it eveolve from where the last one left off. But that’s by the by.) I’ve read a number of comments on the Fringe website and in other reviews that Jimeoin’s show is largely similar to the last one, but I wouldn’t know since this is the first one I’ve seen. But, it left me wondering: how come, if we go to see a band, we moan if we don’t know the songs, but if it’s a stand-up we complain about hearing old favourites? Just a thought…

Anyway, Jimeoin comes strongly recommended by me. So there you go.

It’s a fairly strong indicator that you should go to bed when you spend an hour after midnight trawling through perfectly fine PHP and MySQL code until you realise that the problem is being caused by a typo in another file.

So, goodnight.

1. Bean bags, consisting largely of volume, are unlikely to fit in your bin in one go.
2. When opening the bean bag, little polystyrene balls are likely to go everywhere. They flow. Like water. It’s very cool.
3. You are less likely to flood your living room with little polystyrene balls if you don’t try to pour from the bean bag into the bin-liner.
4. If you try to pick up a handful of little polystyrene balls, you won’t get very many at once.
5. Emptying a large bean bag by two pint measures takes a considerable amount of time, but is strangely relaxing.
6. It is best not to allow the puppy to jump into the hole you have made in the bean bag, at least not while it is still full of little polystyrene balls. It is, however, very amusing.
7. Having loaded the required number of bin-liners with little polystyrene balls, and tied them off, it is imperative that the puppy doesn’t get near them. Her claws are likely more durable than the bin-liners.
8. Vacuuming up the escaped little polystyrene balls is quite enjoyable, as they are light and can be sucked up from a considerable distance away.

[IMDb info.]

Oh, and beware: Here Be Spoliers.

Being slightly slower off the mark than usual, I made it to Spidey 2 last night. If you saw the first one, then you’ll have a pretty good idea of what to expect, although I’m certainly not saying that’s all bad – if it ain’t broke, etc.

The similarities in plot and action are many and obvious: to be a superhero or not, burning buildings, conflicted villains, and would you please just sort it out with MJ?

Actually, it’s the character stuff that makes the film. The action sequences show off just how good CGI is getting (compare the Matrix sequels’ disappointing ‘virtual actors’ with a couple in here that are much more like it – you can still tell, but that just means you can be impressed :-), but they are overshadowed by Peter Parker’s convincing inner turmoil, and especially by Alfred Molina’s bad guy.

Doc Ock is a brilliantly sympathetic character, pulling you along as the good man weakened by his ambition, and you’ll be glad of the little bit of redemption he’s allowed at the end.

It does take a little while to get past the similarities with the first film, but the rest is much stronger. We’re also set up for what could be a much more satisfying third installment, since a certain tension that has been going on for a distracting two whole movies is finally released

Go, enjoy.

This morning, a comment spammer wished me beautiful and obedient daughters. He also left me a couple of gags and a quote from a German theologian. I was tempted to leave some of them there for entertainment :-)

Time to investigate MTBlacklist, I suppose…

Last week at the Carberry Festival, I was impressed by an outfit by the name of Acquitted. I have a tendency to be very skeptical of Christian rock bands – there’s just so much crap out there, y’know? – but these boys were great. I can recommend their EP, Secure, too.

Their website lists all kinds of influences, but I’d probably place them firmly alongside Extreme (remember More Than Words, Holehearted, etc?). They’ve got that kind of loud, maybe slightly heavy, properly-rock-guitar-while-still-being-cheerful thing going on. Quite likeable, in other words.

David (singer-guitarist and youthworker in Falkirk) got on well with a pretty apathetic crowd, and the band didn’t seem too put-off that no-one got up off their seats until two songs before the end of the set. And the photos may or may not show it, but lead guitarist Andrew can do the rock poses with the best of them [spandex gag deleted].

(Those curtains at the back of the stage area don’t do anyone any favours, do they? David said to me they were looking for a new pic for the front page of their website, but I was able to assure him that none of the ones I took that night would be suitable…)

Apparently Benone Strand (or Magilligan Strand, depending on who you talk to?), on the north coast of Ireland, is the longest beach in Ireland. It stretches for something like seven miles from Castlerock to Magilligan, via Downhill and Benone. These are pics from our holiday last month, all taken on the beach at Downhill.

Several people have been pestering me for a while to check this out. Oh, the nostalgia. Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

Yawn.

That was a nice sleep. I think I’ve been lying here most of the morning. That was really good, but I could use getting out to the garden. Oh look, here comes Man-Owner to let me out. Hello, Man-Owner.

Wagwagwag.

Slobberslobber.

It’s so good to see you. Do you have any food on you? Man, I need to get outside. Where’s Lady-Owner? Is she still in bed? She spends a lot of time there when she’s working the night shift. Show me the garden, already! Oh. The bedroom door’s open just a little bit. If I push at it I can get in and see Lady-Owner. I want to give her a big slobbery kiss.

Scrabblescrabble.

Hello Lady-Owner. Are you happy to see me? I need to go. I’m really happy to see you. I think I’m going to explode. Wow. It’s great fun up here on the bed, jumping around and saying hello to lady-Owner, but I really need to pee. Hello, Lady-Owner! I need to pee. It’s good to see you.

Wagwagwag.

Hello. I need to pee. I love it up here on the bed. Got to pee! Did I wake you? That’s okay, it’s more fun to be awake. Oh look, a nice soft pillow. Hello. Pee. Fun. Pee.

Wag.

Pee.

Slobber.

Pee.

Pee.

Aaahh. That’s better…