Marc Chagall

Hello Apologies for my abscence, but I refuse to post just for the sake of posting. Not that anyones noticed I suppose........... The mooted new blog will not materialise(sounds of cheering). I'm hard pressed to come up with enough nonsense to fill two blogs, never mind three. Tonights subject is Marc Chagall. A Russian born painter who's work could be as dark and brooding as it could be frivolous and surreal. Many of his paintings also expressed his bottomless love for his wife Bella, and documented their idyllic courtship. Expressions of complete love for ones significant other don't come much more explicit than the painting shown above, which is called 'The Birthday'. In it, the male figure seemingly contorts and defies the laws of physics to make physical contact with his lover. This is a common motif in Chagalls paintings, flying or floating figures used to convey the sheer joy of being in love. Anyway, have a look at his work and read about the man here and here. Other matters; For the record, Partick Thistle recorded another victory at the weekend and went into second place in SFL division 2. Not that some of the grumpy cunts surrounding me at Firhill seemed to notice. I suppose they pays their cash and are entitled to abuse particular players before they even touch a ball, but it all becomes a bit soul crushing. A bit of joy in victory chaps, otherwise we just end up turning into a lower division version of those mirthless old firm pricks. We play teams off the park every so often, but on the whole, the games are tight and competitive, so I generally don't expect much more than one goal victories. Anyway, how was your weekend.....................?

Fuck The Football, Check That View

Greetings Just a short post to keep things rolling. Considering the best thing i've posted anywhere recently was a reply to something on A Mischief Of Magpies, you can probably understand the fairly low ebb i'm at at the moment. I'm thinking of a new blog, along the lines of personal heroes, though clairwils excellent "This Tickled Me" blog covers this area adequately. So, I'm thinking in terms of that typically bloke-centric notion of the sporting hero. Though i'll be doing most of the posting, I'm opening it up to the odd contributer, so let me know if you are interested. I'll let you know when I get around to it of course......Next few days or so. The image above is the view towards Glasgow City Centre from the back of The Jackie Husband stand at Firhill, and a rather fine one it is too. Pity it was too dark tonight or i'd quite happily have spent most of tonights game against Peterhead staring out across this wonderful skyline. It was that bad. A 3-1 defeat after a run of four victories, and a performance befitting a group of disorganised schoolboys. It was so bad in fact, that i'm convinced we'll hound Ayr United on saturday. That seems to be how football works. Bye!

Like Putting Your Head In The Total Perspective Vortex

"There Is Something Hugely Comforting About Realising You Are Just A Tiny Dot In A Vast Universe" (Claire Gemson, from an article in The Herald Weekend Living supplement about Steve Owens astronomy lectures at The Glasgow Science Centre.) For a lot of people, such a thought is utterly terrifying. As an atheist i've always felt fairly happy with the utterly mind buggering vastness of the universe. It leaves me with much the same serene reverie as our stargazing chum quoted above. Now, the idea that there might be such a thing as "God" out there................ That really gives me the creeps. One more thing before I go. To passers by and regular readers alike, pay a visit to clairwil and lend some support to the campaign to return the Vucaj family to Glasgow. They were deported with unecessary force some month and a half ago to the remote Albanian highlands to live in a village to which the children have no attatchment or understanding and especially in the case of the daughter, is an extremely dangerous place to be. They simply do not belong there, have no future there and in terms of human potential are wasting away when they could be contributing to the society they lived in for five years and in the case of the three children, spent their formative years in. Anyway, clairwil articulates it better than I ever could, so please, use the link.

To Springburn And Beyond................

Looks like Petershill Juniors have a new ground in the pipeline. Their old ground, though large for a Junior side is more than a little run down. This on the other paw is superb. This is how the ground looks just now. I somehow don't think the chap who wrote the piece would approve of the new proposals.... I would provide a link to the official site, but it's under construction just now, and seems to have been since 2004. Hmm! Instead, I shall give you this. Far more interesting. Aloha!

The Wanderer Returns

Ok, i'm back. The Mischief has taken up a wee bit of my time, but ultimately i've just been a lazy old cunt. After a brilliant victory for Thistle yesterday and a , shall we say, "Interesting" ptfc.net forum night out in Munns Vaults, i've been a little distracted this weekend. Last I posted, I was regaling you all with tales of fox sightings. In hindsight, I feel it was a bad move to name the post Fuck Me! A Fox!!! Even with the exclamation marks its dangerously close to a rallying call to every bestiality fiend on the internet. Is anyone, like me, watching channel four's 100 sexiest moments bore show? Please, spare me all that "Isnt Last Tango In Paris sooo erotic?" crap. Buy fucking porn. Maybe i'm jaded but film and tv sex is just so dull, unerotic and twee I could fucking puke. Someone at the start of the show pompously opined that good cinema sex was erotic whilst porn was just gynaecological. Fuck you. Of course, Its all an excuse for the usual litany of mindless hacks, past it movie stars and nanocelebs like Tara Palmer Tompkinson to grab a hold of the passing porn bandwagon (Isnt Ron Jeremy brilliant!! I've seen Deep Throat you know....) and act all smug and knowing about the seedy world of sex on the screen. Or maybe i've no imagination and I should be locked up as the disgusting porn fiend I am.........................You decide, i'm too tired to care anymore. nightnight............

Fuck Me! A Fox!

Ambling home in the drizzle tonight from a night at the pub, I caught sight of something wonderful. It was on Woodlands Road, just at the Presbyterian church. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something much larger than just a scabby tomcat, and certainly more graceful than any stray mutt. At a distance and in the murky darkness I was about 98% sure it was a fox. It went up a cobbled alley, at which point I decided to follow at a respectful distance. It darted into the church grounds before I got near it, but I got an excellent, if fleeting view of this beast as it headed for a bit of privacy from half cut nosy bastards like me. We eyeballed at a distance of maybe 25-30 feet, through a fence before it made it's way into the foliage and out of sight. Needless to say I walked home with a big old grin and a feeling that the day had'nt been a total waste of time. In other news, I see Archies Bar on the corner of Wellington and Waterloo streets has burnt to a cinder. This was the venue for The Goat Club, who were kind eneough to allow me to perform every so often at their acoustic nights. No longer it would seem. I won't miss their rancid draft beer but I will miss the laid back atmosphere the place generated for customer and performer alike. Looks like I can't fall back on the benevolence of uncle Travis for my forays into live performance anymore........................Time to get out and do it properly.

Can You Have Too Many Blogs?

First of all, clairwils new All Star Tag Team Blog A Mischief Of Magpies is now well and truly up and running, featuring contributions from some of the sharpest and most articulate bloggers on the net..................and me. That's nothing. This months award for spreading yourself a little too thinly goes to Savanna whose slew of self prommotions on the comments section of this page should put us all to shame. She seems to have a blog for every occassion. Of course, I'm too scared to visit any of them. It's late now and I need to be turning in. Heres a prayer for NO FUCKING RAIN TOMORROW!!!!! You hear me up there? All this from an card carrying atheist. Pathetic!

I'm Falling Apart!!!!

A rare mid afternoon post today. Truth be told, it's best I do this, as I seem to be completely fucked by mid evening and lack the will to post even the most desultory thoughts, hence the lack of input in the last few days. I have discovered that there are not one but two people on the net posting under 'Notes Of A Dirty Young Man'. Draw Your Own Conclusions................ Other news is that my eyesight is perceptably getting worse. I now sit in the front rows at Firhill. Partly to get away from the mental cases at the back of the stand, but also because I can no longer identify players from such a distance. I had to leave a sandwich shop on friday simply because I couldnt read their menu board. I'm terrified at what my eye tests might reveal. My glasses can't get much thicker and still look good........ 'well sir, we feel you might be better served with our special range of white sticks.......................' Anyway, i'm off to try my new box of Twinnings 'Everyday' tea. Begone!!!

Bury My Heart At Taliesin West

Hey. Another night of tedium without a drink. I've stopped. It's just making me feel like shit. I've not been consuming vast amounts, but still far more than is healthy. I'm feeling pretty sluggish and depressed at the moment. It seems to descend on me when I get home from work. I've had worse. I wear the scars, physically and mentally of OTT drinking and i've decided to stop it before it escalates again. I'm ten years older and i'm not as able to handle it as I used to be. I've been trawling about for some Frank Lloyd Wright stuff on the net. I'm far from an expert on architecture, but FLW had something. Regarded as much as an artist as an architect by some, and I understand why. Aesthetic genius. His interiors are also something to behold. Here are his most recognisable designs. Just click right to go to the main page. Enjoy.

VOTE KEN CLARKE!!!!!!

There, that should get them rolling in........................... I see Jack Vettriano is getting a bit of a kicking just now. Sounds like a vendetta to me. Ok, so lacking imagination is an artistic crime in itself, and his paintings are naff but the actual compositions are his, even if the postures of the figures in his paintings came from a reference book. There are bigger and more critically lauded charlatans in the art world than Vettriano. Sad to mark the passing of Ronnie Barker. Fletcher and Arkwright will live on............ Finally, I found this. Hope you like it.

Too Tired To Type

This is what happens when you spend an evening drinking like a man with three heads. Anyway, like a child with a new toy, I shall link you to These Moments and Alans fine fishing trip report. Big Things be here Also, a link to Undiscovered Scotland. If you like mountains and stuff........... Anyway, off to bed and hopefully in better form tomorrow night

html: Fun For The Whole Family

Hi all Sunday came and went with barely a bye-your-leave and left me typing this nonsense. I did spend an infuriating hour wandering around the various Blogger sites in search of something remotely interesting. One site took my eye, but the rest of it was either in a foreign language or dull rubbish about basket ball or the banal lives of middle aged couples. I have also just spent an infuriating hour trying to work out how to put neat little one word links into the body of my blog with little or no success. I'll get it eventually, but intil I do......................... I've provided a link to Dan Allan's more often than not amusing site. Not that he needs the publicity, being a comedy writer and stand up of some repute. Also, a link to Lilly's site Supastar#1. Lilly seems to be having trouble getting her blog going, so a visit wouldnt go amiss, even if it's just to tell her to type in plain bleedin English so us old bastards can understand what she's saying. Besides, I found her lack of familiarity with ANYTHING in my profile quite charming. Anyway, go to clairwil to see the pictures of Giant Lobsters, Rams, Elephants, Beagles and Ned Kelly's. They're mighty fine. Go on then!!!!! The links are just over there you lazy sods>>> I've had eneough html bollocks for one night.

I remember when saturdays were really shite..........

Another slow weekend. Not complaining, just means i've less than usual to pass comment on. Just a couple of new links and a request for the human race in general to aquire some spatial awareness. In Sommerfield, Fopp and Peckhams today, I had to negotiate human roadblocks and mobile chicanes as the good citizens of the West End of Glasgow decided it was their duty to get in the way of your correspondent at every opportunity. I could and should have been in sunny Alloa today to watch Partick Thistle stick six past Alloa Athletic, but chose to sleep in to half one, float about the house then take a late afternoon promenade around the west end. Both would have been fine ways to spend my day, so i'm not too bothered.

Subbeuteo, Jock Stein and Broke Channel Islanders

I remember Subbeuteo. I got a set for christmas one year. Not from my parents either, a friend of the family got it for me. Whatever i'd asked for that year lay rusting in a corner i'm afraid. What has this got to do with anything I hear almost nobody ask...Well, taking a wander round Borders after work today, I stumbled upon the new Subbeuteo sets. They used to be works of art. Painted figurines on little lead ballasted bases. Now? A piece of laminated cardboard with the image of some overpaid hit and hope merchant from the Premiership. Imagination used to be a big part of the game, imagining that the scruffy Bradford City team you had was really Partick Thistle.....or somesuch. It's now just a cheap and tacky botch job aimed at a generation who could'nt give a fuck about such a concept as they all have video games that make Subbeuteo look utterly laughable. The moment I ditched Subbeuteo was the moment I discovered Sensible Soccer on the C64 back in 1989, so what chance has it got now with the latest generation of console footy games........................JUST LET IT DIE YOU BASTARDS!!!!!!! More footy related shenanigans...................Having watched the Ricky Tomlinson vehicle 'Mike Basset, Manager' last night and found the laughs to be few and far between, I have to hold my hand up and say that one of the few funny bits seems to have, according to the Daily Record, outraged a nation. The joke in question involved the elderly club chairman croaking after 'Wirral County' go a goal down after five seconds. As the old man slumps over in his seat, Tomlinson, as Basset exclaims "Bloody Hell, He's Done A Jock Stein On Me" I'm not going to justify the gag with some convoluted explanation, as i'd be the first to admit it was in bad taste. I did however laugh like a fool.... Look, if it annoys the overly precious and usually thick as shit average Scottish footy fan, then it's obviously done its job. Lastly, spare a thought for poor Steven who works alongside me. He's a decent chap, if rather prone to arcane speech ('Cool For Cats', 'Alright Dude') Anyway, he's broke as they come this weekend, and thats after being paid. At one point I was worried he'd jumped out of the rather large toilet window when he took an inordinately long comfort break. I'm not entirely sure he's joking when he says he's thinking of becoming a male escort. Ladies and Gents, I give you.................The Jersey Gigolo...... With that awful thought I shall leave you.