No don't worry, the subject line was overheard on a bus somewhere between the Gateshead Metro Centre and Hexham, just after Christmas.  Which reminds me of how long it is since I last posted.  All of the things that happened at the end of last year which mean little now but were significant at the time, like unexpectedly seeing my boss at a Stereolab gig.

R. Dean Taylor should count himself lucky.  He only had a ghost in his house.  On Saturday, I discovered that I have a *mouse* in mine.  Well, I didn't climb onto a chair clutching my skirt and shouting "Eek!" or anything, but it did give me enough of a fright to drop the plate I was drying at the time (having just washed up after dinner) and it fell onto the floor and smashed.  Now this experience led me to embark on a frenzy of cleaning; never has so much Cif been expended in a single afternoon.  It also means that when Mark C innocently enquires:
"How many of you can honestly say that.....
you've cleaned the INSIDE of your kitchen dustbin?
Huh?"

I'm afraid I have to answer in the affirmative.  And I still have a job, well, for the time being at least.  There is a battle going on upstairs between various members of the family which runs this firm (which has the same name as the second half of the company that makes Branston pickle, he adds cryptically) as to whether to float on the Stock Exchange or sell the company to someone else.  This is the company where one member of the clan died leaving all his millions to a rare-breeds sheep farm and we shudder every time we think of what was going to be our bonus providing a nice centrally-heated barn so that our ovine friends can chomp away at the contents of their Fortnum & Mason hampers in comfort.  If there's any consolation, it means I get to use the word "internecine" a lot. 

The only school and uni friend (he happened to be both) whom I have met up with, as opposed to just contacted, through "Friends Reunited" was working in Human Resources for enron, so everything is relative.  

Have a go at my quiz why don't you:
http://friendtest.com/viewquiz.php?account=marksquiz

Aren't these things marvellous?  I've done two so far, Ken's and Archel's.  I found Ken's vewy, vewy difficult and so wasn't surpised at the (ahem) modest score I attained.

Ernie Sanchez's list was *very* useful; well done Ernie!  So they've played the eponymous song live then?  I love B&S by B&S but it's so rarely talked about.  It's one of the songs I find myself singing to myself as I walk down the road.  I think Nine Eponymous Songs should be a game like Nine Famous Belgians.  You could argue about whether to allow "(Hey You) The Rocksteady Crew", on account of its brackety bits, much as people argue about whether or not Tin Tin, Hercule Poirot and Stella Artois are kosher members of Tribe 9FB.


Chris Perriman quoted from Revelation so I'm going to quote from Jeremiah.  Jeremiah 25:27, "The Lord your God says drink get drunk and vomit".

Stephen Toy (or is it Toy Stephen) wrote:

"Now,
through this exchange, we discovered epiphany. We
found the etymology for 'Ladybug' conjectured to be: 
'Probably from its seven spots being considered a
symbol of the seven sorrows of the Virgin Mary'."

and I thought "eh?" coz ladybugs (or ladybirds) can have have other numbers of spots too.  Lot of 'em have only two.  "Fly little bug, get right out of town-uh, use your transparent wings and fly away from here".  Blimey, it's ages since I've listened to "The Infotainment Scan".

Paul Healy wrote:
"also go to see Ballboy(strange friut at the spitz) on Friday"

and I certainly will.  Vermont are playing as well.  And Major somebody.  That's if he doesn't get posted.

Mark.



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