Today I was meant to find out where I'd be working, go there and get filled in the project details and me my new co-workers.
Today what I actually did was wait. Nothing else. Just wait. Reallly realllly boring.
Y'see I came in and laid claim to my "hot desk" and waited for the person in charge of scheduling to contact me as I had been instructed. After 30 minutes of this I grew tired and took it upon myself to contact this scheduling person, her phone was busy. 15 minutes later I manage to get through.
She is surprised to hear from me. This is not a good start. She says she will try and find out why I wasn't put in touch with the right people yesterday and get me sorted.. half an hour later she calls me back and tells me that I am going to be working for one of their insurance clients. however the manager she ususally deals with there is in a meeting until after lunch but she will arrange a contact for me then.
I abandon my now useless "hot desk" and go hang out in the canteen where a couple of the other newbies are in a similar state of limbo. however by 2 o clock they have all gone their merry way and I was still in limbo. So I call her and get her voice mail. I leave a message asking her to page me if she hears anything. I try to call her an hour later. Her line is busy. I finally get through to her at 3.30 and she answers the phone like she never heard of me in her life.
I ask her if there was any progess and she says no.
She then tells me to contact this guy myself.
I am at this point somewhat dubious that she has even tried contacting him.
anyways she gives me a name. I ask for a number she says get it from reception.
At this point I am almost certain she ain't tried to contact him.
she hangs up.
I have no idea who this guy is. I am assuming it is the manager she was trying to contact.
So I get the number from reception and try calling him.I get his voicemail.
I leave a message with my mobile number on it.
I wait. some more.
One of the girls who had previously been in limbo came down for a tea break with some of her new colleagues . show off ;)
anyways I get chatting to them and explain my situation. Really nice folks. they tell me to go home. I concede that this is a bloody marvellous idea. It is 4 o clock and even if I did get a call back by the time I actually got there and got introduced to people I'd not have time to blink 'fore hometime.
So I dawdle a little longer.I Leave another voicemail telling the guy he can contact me anytime this evening and that I'd really like to have this sorted for tomorrow morning.
then I go to reception and they give me the guys mobile number and inform me that he is indeed a project manager in RSA.
and I go home. still in frickin' limbo. what a waste of a day.
I'm afraid I don't hold much with HR. I haven't had good experiences with em so far.
I'm sure there are talented and helpfult HR folks out there ( I actually know one, but not on a work basis) and maybe I just been unlucky with the places I worked so far. Maybe this Lady was having a bad day. she had been out the day before and she did sound a little hoarse or something and she seemed to be in a lot of meetings.. Still I'm sure she could have delegated so I'm not sure I buy that.
Anyhow thats enough moaning from me. The good news is that the accenture staff I have chatted to have told me that RSA is a good place to be based some real nice folks there. Also I think a couple more newbies are based there too. So I'm sure It'll all be good tomorrow.
touch wood.
As an aside. I don't feel so good these days. I think its the change in routine + stress. hopefully I'll settle down when the work starts.
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Monday, July 26, 2004
"This is the first day... of my last days"
..Well the first day of my new job anyways.
Today was induction day. Me and eleven (only 2 of whom would be working on the same project...) other newbies were sat in a room and had an array of people attack us with powerpoint slides. And The company HR squad dazzled us with their professionalism. we all got funky 'induction' folders. ( aside: I always think induction sounds way too much like Injection for my liking).
We had everything from useful stuff like how to fill out your timesheets to standard stuff like their various policies(holidays, disciplinary procesdures and stuff) to absolutely useless stuff like what the company branding is (their font and layout for presentations and stuff.).
Todays blog entry is brought to you by the word stuff. Apparently.
Anyhow its great we learned all about the great perks and stuff. they got insurance, assurance, shares,pensions, credit cards, cheap travel,masseuse, laundry service and even a service where you order a meal and they give you a home cooked meal to take home with you and pretend you're a great chef to all your friends..
At lunch we were assigned to some folks we would be working with. This was the bit where you found out what you would be doing over the next while. I found out I would most likely be working on a forestry project. but not tomorrow or the day after. in fact the guy I talked to seemed to think I would know when I was starting. So 4 o clock rolled around and I still didn't know who I was working for or where I'd be doing it. ( My situation was further confused by the fact that I had been called last wednesday to inform me I would be working on an insurance project.)
Turns out the person who's job it is to schedule us newbies work is away today so I won't find out till tomorrow. In the mean time I've been told to commandeer a desk and wait and see. Yipes. Still I'm not as bad as the guy who found out today that he is going to manila tomorrow!
he didn't know where exactly he'd be working either.
To top it all off I wasn't feeling the best. Very hard to pretend to be listening to the recommended colours to use in presentations when your stomach is doing cartwheels.
Still thats the worst bit done (maybe) . I'll feel better once I get my hands dirty.
Today was induction day. Me and eleven (only 2 of whom would be working on the same project...) other newbies were sat in a room and had an array of people attack us with powerpoint slides. And The company HR squad dazzled us with their professionalism. we all got funky 'induction' folders. ( aside: I always think induction sounds way too much like Injection for my liking).
We had everything from useful stuff like how to fill out your timesheets to standard stuff like their various policies(holidays, disciplinary procesdures and stuff) to absolutely useless stuff like what the company branding is (their font and layout for presentations and stuff.).
Todays blog entry is brought to you by the word stuff. Apparently.
Anyhow its great we learned all about the great perks and stuff. they got insurance, assurance, shares,pensions, credit cards, cheap travel,masseuse, laundry service and even a service where you order a meal and they give you a home cooked meal to take home with you and pretend you're a great chef to all your friends..
At lunch we were assigned to some folks we would be working with. This was the bit where you found out what you would be doing over the next while. I found out I would most likely be working on a forestry project. but not tomorrow or the day after. in fact the guy I talked to seemed to think I would know when I was starting. So 4 o clock rolled around and I still didn't know who I was working for or where I'd be doing it. ( My situation was further confused by the fact that I had been called last wednesday to inform me I would be working on an insurance project.)
Turns out the person who's job it is to schedule us newbies work is away today so I won't find out till tomorrow. In the mean time I've been told to commandeer a desk and wait and see. Yipes. Still I'm not as bad as the guy who found out today that he is going to manila tomorrow!
he didn't know where exactly he'd be working either.
To top it all off I wasn't feeling the best. Very hard to pretend to be listening to the recommended colours to use in presentations when your stomach is doing cartwheels.
Still thats the worst bit done (maybe) . I'll feel better once I get my hands dirty.
Friday, July 23, 2004
The last man.
Been reading Y: the last man on Dr. Devidents recommendation. The Quartermaster has kindly given me access to his significant graphic novel collection. Y, Fables, 100 bullets, hellblazer and the like. Y is pretty dang good, I have to say I'm hooked. calling the monkey Ampersand is a stroke of genius..
Just got me a new telly. Unfortunately It don't come with an aerial or a.v cable for hooking up to the cable connection. I think thats a bit odd but then it was v. cheap.
Met Mr.E for pints and a chat last night. Spoke at some length regarding the Dark Ages Vampire game they got going on. Have a mission to put together a character for the next session.. I got games coming outta my ass these days (metaphorically speaking) the Savage one has offered me a place in his D&D and there is an opening in next doors D&D too. I'm not sure how many games I'm actually gonna be able to play and still keep my job and my girlfriend and put together a convention on the other side of the country... should be fun finding out though ;)
Just got me a new telly. Unfortunately It don't come with an aerial or a.v cable for hooking up to the cable connection. I think thats a bit odd but then it was v. cheap.
Met Mr.E for pints and a chat last night. Spoke at some length regarding the Dark Ages Vampire game they got going on. Have a mission to put together a character for the next session.. I got games coming outta my ass these days (metaphorically speaking) the Savage one has offered me a place in his D&D and there is an opening in next doors D&D too. I'm not sure how many games I'm actually gonna be able to play and still keep my job and my girlfriend and put together a convention on the other side of the country... should be fun finding out though ;)
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
We Have Arrived
..Unpacked and everything. I am delighted with my new apartment. It has bizarre tardis-like properties. While it is only half of the ground floor of a house it still has enough space to store all the stuff I have accumulated from all the places I've lived in Sligo. And there is still loads of room.
I spent today picking up essential things like glasses,frying pans, suacepans,dishcloths and the like.
Took a spin on the LUAS from stephens green to ranelagh village. While it was nice to try it out Its not really practical to use it to get into or out of town for me. Stephens green is too far from work and the ranelagh stop is still a fair walk from my new place. And the bus runs from outside my driveway to o connell st.
I'm pretty much set up here now. My neighbours sorted me out with the wireless broadband ( thats right folks, this post is 'on the air' ) I got my hi fi set up and lo it is still good!
All I need now is my t.v. and I was pricing em today. Reckon I'll give the plasma screens a miss and pick up a standard 20" t.v on the cheap. I hardly ever watch anything but scrubs and d.v.ds any ways.
Strolling down grafton st. today was pretty neat. There's a great life about the place. Street performers and buskers and the massing throngs ( hehe missing thongs, sorry), Life is good!
*touches wood*
I spent today picking up essential things like glasses,frying pans, suacepans,dishcloths and the like.
Took a spin on the LUAS from stephens green to ranelagh village. While it was nice to try it out Its not really practical to use it to get into or out of town for me. Stephens green is too far from work and the ranelagh stop is still a fair walk from my new place. And the bus runs from outside my driveway to o connell st.
I'm pretty much set up here now. My neighbours sorted me out with the wireless broadband ( thats right folks, this post is 'on the air' ) I got my hi fi set up and lo it is still good!
All I need now is my t.v. and I was pricing em today. Reckon I'll give the plasma screens a miss and pick up a standard 20" t.v on the cheap. I hardly ever watch anything but scrubs and d.v.ds any ways.
Strolling down grafton st. today was pretty neat. There's a great life about the place. Street performers and buskers and the massing throngs ( hehe missing thongs, sorry), Life is good!
*touches wood*
Monday, July 19, 2004
Finis
Well thats the last of the work here in sligo. I'm bloody delighted.. One less thing to worry about! I'm gonna have a few celebratory pints tonight, then tomorrow I make my way back to my new home in the big smoke.
Yup, Am officially moved in now. Most of my stuff is in the new apartment and the rest will be migrating slowly of the next month or so. Everybody who has seen my place so far is quite impressed. I't'll be handy come Gaelcon when the Sligo crew come up .. there'll be plently of floor space between my place and the Quartermasters.
Speaking of games.. September is looming fast and still lots needs doing for the con. Lots of good intentions floating about at the moment ( not least from me) , this week will be 'kick in the ass' week again methinks.
I'm just looking at all the crap here and there ain't no way all the stuff I wanna bring this week is gonna fit in my rucksack.
heres my problem.
Laptop - must come. need. do work. have fun.
C.D.s. -rack of favourites. sickens me to leave em. but v. bulky.
Guitar - I been picking it up pretty much every day and strumming a few chords even slowly picking up radioheads High and Dry. If I leave it I might let it fall into disuse again....
D.V.D. player - probably can survive without for week (have no t.v at the moment anyways..)
still.. its v. shiny.
Random board games(hills rise wild and Talisman) - so far I brought no games to dublin barring my rpgs.. again can probably do without. next door have loads of games
Shoebox of important documents - bugger. I should really bring this. It wouldn't do for it to go astray.
Of course then there are the things that its just not possible to bring...
Computer Desk. 2 printers. and box of truly random things.
Oh well. I'll ponder it all over pints tonight. or not.
Yup, Am officially moved in now. Most of my stuff is in the new apartment and the rest will be migrating slowly of the next month or so. Everybody who has seen my place so far is quite impressed. I't'll be handy come Gaelcon when the Sligo crew come up .. there'll be plently of floor space between my place and the Quartermasters.
Speaking of games.. September is looming fast and still lots needs doing for the con. Lots of good intentions floating about at the moment ( not least from me) , this week will be 'kick in the ass' week again methinks.
I'm just looking at all the crap here and there ain't no way all the stuff I wanna bring this week is gonna fit in my rucksack.
heres my problem.
Laptop - must come. need. do work. have fun.
C.D.s. -rack of favourites. sickens me to leave em. but v. bulky.
Guitar - I been picking it up pretty much every day and strumming a few chords even slowly picking up radioheads High and Dry. If I leave it I might let it fall into disuse again....
D.V.D. player - probably can survive without for week (have no t.v at the moment anyways..)
still.. its v. shiny.
Random board games(hills rise wild and Talisman) - so far I brought no games to dublin barring my rpgs.. again can probably do without. next door have loads of games
Shoebox of important documents - bugger. I should really bring this. It wouldn't do for it to go astray.
Of course then there are the things that its just not possible to bring...
Computer Desk. 2 printers. and box of truly random things.
Oh well. I'll ponder it all over pints tonight. or not.
Friday, July 16, 2004
Spidey 2 comments.
I'm pleased to say I saw spider-man 2 last night and enjoyed it immensely.
It's a bloody solid film with great set pieces (the spidey/doc ock fight on the
clocktower/train was fantastic). Plenty of comic references (the Doc strange bit, a couple
of shots ripped striaght out of issues of the comic). Great SFX ( they've really cleaned up the
CGI spider-man). Evil Dead style camera shots and action. Some really funny scenes( the elevator is just surreal, but at the same time it could have come straight from a J M Strazynsci penned spidey issue.) and it leaves the door open for 4 villains for the next few movies. Also Kirsten Dunst is incredibly hot ;)
There were things that stop this from being a truly great movie. Some of the CGI isn't quite
up to scratch( some of the early Doc Ock shots are dubious), the dialogue lets the movie down in places, (Aunt Mays speech is notably long winded, perfect for the comic book but not so good on screen) and finally there is a touch of cheese in places...
Sam Raimi has time to improve though..Roll on the next three movies!
It's a bloody solid film with great set pieces (the spidey/doc ock fight on the
clocktower/train was fantastic). Plenty of comic references (the Doc strange bit, a couple
of shots ripped striaght out of issues of the comic). Great SFX ( they've really cleaned up the
CGI spider-man). Evil Dead style camera shots and action. Some really funny scenes( the elevator is just surreal, but at the same time it could have come straight from a J M Strazynsci penned spidey issue.) and it leaves the door open for 4 villains for the next few movies. Also Kirsten Dunst is incredibly hot ;)
There were things that stop this from being a truly great movie. Some of the CGI isn't quite
up to scratch( some of the early Doc Ock shots are dubious), the dialogue lets the movie down in places, (Aunt Mays speech is notably long winded, perfect for the comic book but not so good on screen) and finally there is a touch of cheese in places...
Sam Raimi has time to improve though..Roll on the next three movies!
Thursday, July 15, 2004
Nostalgia.
I'm moving my stuff to my new abode this weekend. So I was out in my moms place rummaging through the stuff I had archive out there to see what was worth keeping.
God I had a lot of crap.
-Past its sell by date lichen (formerly used as warhammer terrain).
-Birthday cards from when I was 16 (not yesterday I tell ya).
-A whole bunch of those cd's you get free with p.c magazines with loads of trial versions
of things. fine except they were from 1990...
-A whole bunch of old gig tickets that have seen betterdays. Prodigy point depot new years eves 95 and 96. Oasis in cork (supported by prodigy 96) and some other stuff.
(Odd little synchronistic thing here - or maybe I'm looking to hard- last post I mentioned I had seen liquid wheel back in the day.. turns out they supported the prodigy new years eve 95...)
Then I came across photographs. Forgot I even had these. I'm not the kind of person who keeps photo albums or anything but I had photos from my 21st in (what was) the Journeyman. Everyone looks so young (including me). I got pictures of college buddies I ain't seen in years, pictures of some folks I used to think better of and Xaosseed makes an appearance too! All seems like so long ago now.
Anyways I binned a bag o' junk, much overdue housekeeping. time to move on!
Tonight is likely my last night in the Clarence for ooh god only know how long. I been going there since I started college back in the days of (not planning to, but I always turned out ) ending up in Pulsar on a friday night getting hammered and dancing like a maniac.
But more important than anything else.. tonight I get to go see Spider-man 2 ! Woot (as the saying goes..)
;)
*EDIT*: Man Walks on Fucking Moon
*END EDIT*
God I had a lot of crap.
-Past its sell by date lichen (formerly used as warhammer terrain).
-Birthday cards from when I was 16 (not yesterday I tell ya).
-A whole bunch of those cd's you get free with p.c magazines with loads of trial versions
of things. fine except they were from 1990...
-A whole bunch of old gig tickets that have seen betterdays. Prodigy point depot new years eves 95 and 96. Oasis in cork (supported by prodigy 96) and some other stuff.
(Odd little synchronistic thing here - or maybe I'm looking to hard- last post I mentioned I had seen liquid wheel back in the day.. turns out they supported the prodigy new years eve 95...)
Then I came across photographs. Forgot I even had these. I'm not the kind of person who keeps photo albums or anything but I had photos from my 21st in (what was) the Journeyman. Everyone looks so young (including me). I got pictures of college buddies I ain't seen in years, pictures of some folks I used to think better of and Xaosseed makes an appearance too! All seems like so long ago now.
Anyways I binned a bag o' junk, much overdue housekeeping. time to move on!
Tonight is likely my last night in the Clarence for ooh god only know how long. I been going there since I started college back in the days of (not planning to, but I always turned out ) ending up in Pulsar on a friday night getting hammered and dancing like a maniac.
But more important than anything else.. tonight I get to go see Spider-man 2 ! Woot (as the saying goes..)
;)
*EDIT*: Man Walks on Fucking Moon
*END EDIT*
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Room 101.
This post is inspired by that (BBC?) show where celebs nominate things to be banished forever into room 101 . So without further ado my current list of things to be put in room 101.
Eric Idle is still alive! This sites pretty funny actually. especially that german song..
*EDIT*
I done gone an' fixed it Ma.
At least kinda. ye can now click the "Add Comment(NoSignIn)" Link to go
straight to the anonymous comment screen.
Or ye can click the "Add Comment(Sign In)" Link to go to the comment logon
bit.
I'm afraid giving ye usernames without a logon is beyond my capabilities at the moment.
*END EDIT*
- Ignorant people
- Bills
- Teletubbies/condescending kids t.v shows.
- MTV.
- Big Brother.
- that last clue in the irish times crossword
From that sour old teller at the bank who made little attempt to even mask her contempt for me to managers who won't take no for an answer to the shop assistant who , in a crowded coffeeshop at lunchtime insisted on taking the table with 4 seats and the big couch for her cup of tea while myself and my friend had to squeeze into a corner for our significantly more substantial meals ( o.k maybe I just wanted to sit in the couch still bloody inconsiderate though..)
Not people named bill, the kind that gets pushed through your door demanding your cash money...
These are making kids stupid. I'm sure of it. I bet there are studies to say as such.
Why don't they change the name to just TV, or better still Lousy T.V. there ain't nothing on there but jackass clones, reality t.v and fricking cribs.
How can they call this reality t.v. East-"I want to slash my wrists their lives are so depressing"-Enders is more realistic than this festering mole on the ass of television .
Seriously though Its so contrived, these people wouldn't spend two minutes around each other in "real life".
I could dedicate a post to this one but Its just not worth it.
Well If it weren't there I'd always finish it ;)
Eric Idle is still alive! This sites pretty funny actually. especially that german song..
*EDIT*
I done gone an' fixed it Ma.
At least kinda. ye can now click the "Add Comment(NoSignIn)" Link to go
straight to the anonymous comment screen.
Or ye can click the "Add Comment(Sign In)" Link to go to the comment logon
bit.
I'm afraid giving ye usernames without a logon is beyond my capabilities at the moment.
*END EDIT*
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
...And Exhale.
I must point out that bugger all sleep has been had over the weekend. and it ain't for the want of trying. Its because there are some people who are just too inconsiderate for words and morons, lots of morons. Anyways on with the recounting.
Sunday Morning
After packing away the tents and such we ventured to the main stage for breakfast and..
The Sawdoctors: Ridicule them you may, but these guys are great fun live and they have a bloody huge catalogue of stuff that you will know and sing along too. They certainly got the crowd going.
Daze: caught the end of the set. uninspiring.
Saucy Monky: feisty pop rock babes. Bloody talented pair of girls. I'd never heard of em before and wasn't convinced they were gonna be so good. The difference between them and Daze was massive.. I understand they're Irish though so I'm not sure what the story with the american accents was..
Turn: veterans of the Witnness festivals. Even with a brand spanking new bass player in tow and plagued by technical problems they guy were great. Cap'n Vane told me the lead singers voice was a bit flat on the day, but I couldn't tell. Even if he was it was still great.
Alphastates: formerly babelfish, wasn't too impressed last time I seen 'em. but they seem to have tightened up their act and were pretty entertaining.
Erin McKeown: Another discovery for me. Well talented. no band to back her up just her and her electric guitar. I'm probably gonna pick up her album. She's got kind of a PJ Harvey thing going on..
Pink: again I only caught one song , a cover of four non blondes "Whats up" pretty good it was too. Pink is one of the few MTV regulars that Actually has some talent.
Faithless: Caught Insomnia from the top of the Big wheel which was a bit mad. Another act that seemed to capture the attention of the crowd. I'm not a big fan but I really like "weapons of Mass destruction" which I was pleased to catch live too.
Bic Runga: Everyone I was there with loved bic runga. personally I'd buy Erin McKeowns album before hers, but I can see the appeal she is very good.
At this point I had to crash for a while a lack of sleep and miserable weather catching up on me so I missed Ash and Wu Tang Clan. The Wu sounded pretty good from the carpark though. When I finally managed to rally i went to see the end of
Muse: Caught the end of the set where they played the big singles. The seemed like a good show but Myself and Cap'n Vane got the impression we got the best of em. Again I'm
not a huge fan and I think there a bit of a one-trick band. Still what I did see impressed.
Basement Jaxx: Bloody great, Big big sound that you just have to dance to. They're really fun too. They played a mad mix of the White stripes "seven nation Army" and Nellys "In the club" . The hyperactive djs and the energy they get going is great.
Some twat climbed on top of the sound box and made an ass of himself mid way though the set somehow managing to take the attention of the crowd away from the main show for a few minutes. left oxegen to the sound of "Wheres your head at" fading into the background.
Darkness: Ok technically I didn't see em but we heard 'em on the radio in the car as were driving back. First off I think they are crap, rehashed big dumb rock sound that wasn't any good in the first place. However. I think that on the festival stage that sound comes into its own. Justin whatshisface seems to be a great showman to , lots of crowd interaction and joking around..
So that was the experience that was Oxegen. Really enjoyed it Overpriced beer and food, sleepless nights and and overwhelming number fo complete twats notwithstanding!
Now as far as my previous post regards comments goes. It seems that I was mistaken in my assumption that it is possible to post without a login. It ain't. That sucks.
however i'm happy to keep blogging away and if ye really must say summat ye can email me.
dave.mcgowan@NOSPAMgmail.com or the more persistant type can get a free account and use it to post.
i wouldn't bother if it was me though ;)
Sunday Morning
After packing away the tents and such we ventured to the main stage for breakfast and..
The Sawdoctors: Ridicule them you may, but these guys are great fun live and they have a bloody huge catalogue of stuff that you will know and sing along too. They certainly got the crowd going.
Daze: caught the end of the set. uninspiring.
Saucy Monky: feisty pop rock babes. Bloody talented pair of girls. I'd never heard of em before and wasn't convinced they were gonna be so good. The difference between them and Daze was massive.. I understand they're Irish though so I'm not sure what the story with the american accents was..
Turn: veterans of the Witnness festivals. Even with a brand spanking new bass player in tow and plagued by technical problems they guy were great. Cap'n Vane told me the lead singers voice was a bit flat on the day, but I couldn't tell. Even if he was it was still great.
Alphastates: formerly babelfish, wasn't too impressed last time I seen 'em. but they seem to have tightened up their act and were pretty entertaining.
Erin McKeown: Another discovery for me. Well talented. no band to back her up just her and her electric guitar. I'm probably gonna pick up her album. She's got kind of a PJ Harvey thing going on..
Pink: again I only caught one song , a cover of four non blondes "Whats up" pretty good it was too. Pink is one of the few MTV regulars that Actually has some talent.
Faithless: Caught Insomnia from the top of the Big wheel which was a bit mad. Another act that seemed to capture the attention of the crowd. I'm not a big fan but I really like "weapons of Mass destruction" which I was pleased to catch live too.
Bic Runga: Everyone I was there with loved bic runga. personally I'd buy Erin McKeowns album before hers, but I can see the appeal she is very good.
At this point I had to crash for a while a lack of sleep and miserable weather catching up on me so I missed Ash and Wu Tang Clan. The Wu sounded pretty good from the carpark though. When I finally managed to rally i went to see the end of
Muse: Caught the end of the set where they played the big singles. The seemed like a good show but Myself and Cap'n Vane got the impression we got the best of em. Again I'm
not a huge fan and I think there a bit of a one-trick band. Still what I did see impressed.
Basement Jaxx: Bloody great, Big big sound that you just have to dance to. They're really fun too. They played a mad mix of the White stripes "seven nation Army" and Nellys "In the club" . The hyperactive djs and the energy they get going is great.
Some twat climbed on top of the sound box and made an ass of himself mid way though the set somehow managing to take the attention of the crowd away from the main show for a few minutes. left oxegen to the sound of "Wheres your head at" fading into the background.
Darkness: Ok technically I didn't see em but we heard 'em on the radio in the car as were driving back. First off I think they are crap, rehashed big dumb rock sound that wasn't any good in the first place. However. I think that on the festival stage that sound comes into its own. Justin whatshisface seems to be a great showman to , lots of crowd interaction and joking around..
So that was the experience that was Oxegen. Really enjoyed it Overpriced beer and food, sleepless nights and and overwhelming number fo complete twats notwithstanding!
Now as far as my previous post regards comments goes. It seems that I was mistaken in my assumption that it is possible to post without a login. It ain't. That sucks.
however i'm happy to keep blogging away and if ye really must say summat ye can email me.
dave.mcgowan@NOSPAMgmail.com or the more persistant type can get a free account and use it to post.
i wouldn't bother if it was me though ;)
Breathe Deep..
So the weekend that was Oxegen/witnness. Bloody great. So heres what bands I seen and what I thought..
Saturday morning due to rain I found myself starting in the Green Room.
Stone Ocean: Not a great start, nothing mad new going on there but you had to
give the guys credit for their enthusiasm. A cover of outKasts "Hey Yeah" was
funny if not particularily good. complete with dancing "Babes".
God Is an Astronaut: Really good musicians. All instrumental stuff ( the guys didn't even introduce themselves or the songs.. letting the video wall do it all for em..) The melodys reminded me a little of nine inch nails. However these guys never give you a minute to catch your breath its heavy and loud. Each song is like a dirge built up to a crescendo then ending abruptly. Coupled with the harrowing imagery of holocaust victims and nuclear bombs it was pretty heavy for so early in the morning..
Automata: Discovered these guys last year at witnness. Bloody great. Some of the new songs they seemed to be less quirky than the old material, But thats a small complaint.
Again nice video show going on too.
liquid wheel: only saw a little of these guys while sheltering from the rain again in the Spirit dance arena. I heard these guys way way back in the day. they seem to have evolved a lot. Really nice funky dance music with real instruments and all.
Bell XI: Bloody great. Surreal Adam and eve apple head people walked on stage. Bloody great. If you haven't heard music in mouth, get it now.
The Things: again sheltering from the rain caught the tail end of the performance from these guys. The whole punk thing don't really do it for me. But as punk goes they seemed to be pretty good.
Buck 65: Still sheltering in the new band stage the american guy with a pair of decks comes on and does this crazy rapping thing. Really funny and talented. Does a weird song, rapping over an instrumental version of QOTS "no one knows". First new band find which is a tradition of witnness.
Snow Patrol: Started listening to these guys along the same time as bell XI and both albums have since got equal airplay. Their live show doesn't dissapoint, the guys really seemed to appreciate the crowd and played their hearts out.. however I had to leave early to catch the last half of ..
PJ Harvey: on the main stage, looking pretty damn good and sounding even better. Caught a couple of tracks from the last two albums. not sure if she played any of the older material but what she did play was great. oddly it was easy to get right up into the pit for her show.. bizarre. Reckon i'll go see her properly when she plays the olympia in september.
Orbital: One of the bands I HAD to see this year. they don't dissapoint. Great buzz going on in the packed green room tent. Fantastic version of The box (now with extra beats) and the brilliant "You Lot" from the new album. I went nuts to this. I stupidly left before the encore though in order to catch the
Chemical Brothers: the other band I had to see.. I ended up waiting in the bloody huge queue and even when I got in they hadn't come on stage. They didn't dissapoint when they made it on stage though. Opening up with "hey boy, hey girl" and following up with "Get yourself high" and either some kind of live fill or new material I couldn't tell. unfortunately the atmosphere in there was just thick with sweat and the smell of dope. I couldn't make it up to the front either and had to settle on a bit of dancing space halfways to the stage. And having danced myself into exhaustion I squeezed my way out of there.
Massive Attack: Caught a little of this as I left from the dance stage. hymn of the big wheel was on and it stuck in my head for the rest of the weekend..
The Cure: Caught a little of these too. Friday I'm In Love was great but they didn't seem to be too Lively..
I'll give you a little breathing room here and then post day two...
Saturday morning due to rain I found myself starting in the Green Room.
Stone Ocean: Not a great start, nothing mad new going on there but you had to
give the guys credit for their enthusiasm. A cover of outKasts "Hey Yeah" was
funny if not particularily good. complete with dancing "Babes".
God Is an Astronaut: Really good musicians. All instrumental stuff ( the guys didn't even introduce themselves or the songs.. letting the video wall do it all for em..) The melodys reminded me a little of nine inch nails. However these guys never give you a minute to catch your breath its heavy and loud. Each song is like a dirge built up to a crescendo then ending abruptly. Coupled with the harrowing imagery of holocaust victims and nuclear bombs it was pretty heavy for so early in the morning..
Automata: Discovered these guys last year at witnness. Bloody great. Some of the new songs they seemed to be less quirky than the old material, But thats a small complaint.
Again nice video show going on too.
liquid wheel: only saw a little of these guys while sheltering from the rain again in the Spirit dance arena. I heard these guys way way back in the day. they seem to have evolved a lot. Really nice funky dance music with real instruments and all.
Bell XI: Bloody great. Surreal Adam and eve apple head people walked on stage. Bloody great. If you haven't heard music in mouth, get it now.
The Things: again sheltering from the rain caught the tail end of the performance from these guys. The whole punk thing don't really do it for me. But as punk goes they seemed to be pretty good.
Buck 65: Still sheltering in the new band stage the american guy with a pair of decks comes on and does this crazy rapping thing. Really funny and talented. Does a weird song, rapping over an instrumental version of QOTS "no one knows". First new band find which is a tradition of witnness.
Snow Patrol: Started listening to these guys along the same time as bell XI and both albums have since got equal airplay. Their live show doesn't dissapoint, the guys really seemed to appreciate the crowd and played their hearts out.. however I had to leave early to catch the last half of ..
PJ Harvey: on the main stage, looking pretty damn good and sounding even better. Caught a couple of tracks from the last two albums. not sure if she played any of the older material but what she did play was great. oddly it was easy to get right up into the pit for her show.. bizarre. Reckon i'll go see her properly when she plays the olympia in september.
Orbital: One of the bands I HAD to see this year. they don't dissapoint. Great buzz going on in the packed green room tent. Fantastic version of The box (now with extra beats) and the brilliant "You Lot" from the new album. I went nuts to this. I stupidly left before the encore though in order to catch the
Chemical Brothers: the other band I had to see.. I ended up waiting in the bloody huge queue and even when I got in they hadn't come on stage. They didn't dissapoint when they made it on stage though. Opening up with "hey boy, hey girl" and following up with "Get yourself high" and either some kind of live fill or new material I couldn't tell. unfortunately the atmosphere in there was just thick with sweat and the smell of dope. I couldn't make it up to the front either and had to settle on a bit of dancing space halfways to the stage. And having danced myself into exhaustion I squeezed my way out of there.
Massive Attack: Caught a little of this as I left from the dance stage. hymn of the big wheel was on and it stuck in my head for the rest of the weekend..
The Cure: Caught a little of these too. Friday I'm In Love was great but they didn't seem to be too Lively..
I'll give you a little breathing room here and then post day two...
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
"These are a hard working,Simple Folk. Y'know... Morons"
Two posts in one day.. bet you weren't expecting that.
Just been reading Dixies post over at the 'coven.
Its a tale of morons at the top. I can relate to this (admittedly my story is not as
exciting.. can't see the CIA kicking in my door anytime soon (and not just because I live in the west of Ireland)). Y'see I been involved in these rather large EU funded IT projects , a couple of 'em now. You'd imagine that with the kind of bigshots that attracts these people would be either technical gurus or frighteningly efficient managers.
Its true that there are a lot of technically skilled folks at these things. However the Project managers and project leads and whatever they call themselves.. There are a frightening number of people just not fit for the job they are doing..
I'll cite an example:
Firstly the cast of characters
The overall project manager ,lets call him MR.T (I pity the fool), is the guy who proposed the project and got it approved. This is his baby and ultimate responsibility falls to him.
A representative of one of the companies involved in d consortium .. responsible for a relatively small but important part of the project. we shall call him Bert.
Berts end of the project is encountering some difficulty and grumpy is complaining that he does not know what to do.
Mr.T is trying to find out what exactly grumpy can do. But is having a hard time getting Bert to be a little more forthcoming with possible solutions.
Mr.T (already slightly exasperated): Tell me what you can do for us. Help me to help you.
Bert(frowning and making funny noises): I told you already what it is that is my state, I ask you now what should I do?
Aside: I should explain. Being an europe wide project these guys are from various countries and all with varying grasps of the english language ( most seem to be some kind of headlock..)
Mr.T (More exasperated): You are not helping. I am asking you a question so I can know who to help you fix this problem.
Bert: I am already explaining what is the problem.
ASIDE: ETC ETC. ok I'm gonna skip on here. eventually MR.T changes tact.
Mr.T (really turning some quite interesting colours): I cannot help you then. We cannot help you. You must look to these problems yourself.
Bert(angry): Oh I see you would have blame me for how far behind is the project.
Mr.T: I never said this.
Bert(more angry and frustrated): Yes, You are you are trying to blame me for all this problems.
ASIDE: Right this is where it gets surreal.
Mr.T: I would ask everyone to say if I am blaming Bert for these problems.
Mr.T ( to me): What do you think, David?
ASIDE: you read that right. to me. The guy is asking me to exonerate him from saying the other guy is a troublemaker. At this point I felt like I was in playschool again.
Me(way outta my depth and trying to be diplomatic): Umm I think that Bert obviously has some technical issues which we should try and resolve or find a work around between us..
Mr.T( not letting this go): And do you think I am blaming him for this problems?
Me ( Not liking having the attention focused on me at all): No.. I think we are wasting time though..
..and then their attentions turned elsewhere thank god. I get the impression that this kind of shit happens a lot though. All it takes is one person to behave irrationally.
Also I figured I'd mention don't be afraid to leave comments people. While I do enjoy hearing myself Clickety-clack, feedback would be good. Honestly If I didn't know ye were there (got a site tracker, remember?) I'd give up due to lack of interest ;)
Just been reading Dixies post over at the 'coven.
Its a tale of morons at the top. I can relate to this (admittedly my story is not as
exciting.. can't see the CIA kicking in my door anytime soon (and not just because I live in the west of Ireland)). Y'see I been involved in these rather large EU funded IT projects , a couple of 'em now. You'd imagine that with the kind of bigshots that attracts these people would be either technical gurus or frighteningly efficient managers.
Its true that there are a lot of technically skilled folks at these things. However the Project managers and project leads and whatever they call themselves.. There are a frightening number of people just not fit for the job they are doing..
I'll cite an example:
Firstly the cast of characters
The overall project manager ,lets call him MR.T (I pity the fool), is the guy who proposed the project and got it approved. This is his baby and ultimate responsibility falls to him.
A representative of one of the companies involved in d consortium .. responsible for a relatively small but important part of the project. we shall call him Bert.
Berts end of the project is encountering some difficulty and grumpy is complaining that he does not know what to do.
Mr.T is trying to find out what exactly grumpy can do. But is having a hard time getting Bert to be a little more forthcoming with possible solutions.
Mr.T (already slightly exasperated): Tell me what you can do for us. Help me to help you.
Bert(frowning and making funny noises): I told you already what it is that is my state, I ask you now what should I do?
Aside: I should explain. Being an europe wide project these guys are from various countries and all with varying grasps of the english language ( most seem to be some kind of headlock..)
Mr.T (More exasperated): You are not helping. I am asking you a question so I can know who to help you fix this problem.
Bert: I am already explaining what is the problem.
ASIDE: ETC ETC. ok I'm gonna skip on here. eventually MR.T changes tact.
Mr.T (really turning some quite interesting colours): I cannot help you then. We cannot help you. You must look to these problems yourself.
Bert(angry): Oh I see you would have blame me for how far behind is the project.
Mr.T: I never said this.
Bert(more angry and frustrated): Yes, You are you are trying to blame me for all this problems.
ASIDE: Right this is where it gets surreal.
Mr.T: I would ask everyone to say if I am blaming Bert for these problems.
Mr.T ( to me): What do you think, David?
ASIDE: you read that right. to me. The guy is asking me to exonerate him from saying the other guy is a troublemaker. At this point I felt like I was in playschool again.
Me(way outta my depth and trying to be diplomatic): Umm I think that Bert obviously has some technical issues which we should try and resolve or find a work around between us..
Mr.T( not letting this go): And do you think I am blaming him for this problems?
Me ( Not liking having the attention focused on me at all): No.. I think we are wasting time though..
..and then their attentions turned elsewhere thank god. I get the impression that this kind of shit happens a lot though. All it takes is one person to behave irrationally.
Also I figured I'd mention don't be afraid to leave comments people. While I do enjoy hearing myself Clickety-clack, feedback would be good. Honestly If I didn't know ye were there (got a site tracker, remember?) I'd give up due to lack of interest ;)
"It ain't the years honey, it's the mileage."
In case you don't know the above is a quote from Raiders of the lost ark
which was apparently ad-libbed by Harrison Ford.
Reason it springs to mind is cause tomorrow is my brothers 21st Birthday. Something
weird is going on 'cause last birthday I remember, he was only 18. Similarily I sure as
hell ain't meant to be 25. That just don't suit me. 21 suited me just fine. So whoever is
messing round with time, put it back the way ye found it;)
Just finished reading the Wee Free Men ( theres a little video of terry pratchett talking about the book on the linked page.)
Terry (or T.P as I like to call him. now) thinks its the best book he's ever written. I'm afraid I must disagree. Don't get me wrong its good, quite entertaining in fact, but Its no where near the heights of Gaurds,Guards, Hogfather,Reaper man or Wyrd Systers. Thankfully though its a lot better than Carpe Jugulum or the fifth elephant. If I had to rank It I'd put it somewhere between Thief of Time and umm.. lemmee see... oh yeah Pyramids (which I like and no-one else seems to.) In saying that I'm a little behind ( not having read monstrous regiment or hat full of sky (and still not having read maskerade or some of the older ones)) so I don't know how a few of the books fit into my scale.
Someone else has already created a best to worst list actually. oddly enough while Carpe Jugulum which I hate is near the bottom. Hogfather (which I think is one of the best) is the bottom.
Anyhow in keeping with the time creeping up on me theme I'm gonna steal a piece of trivia from Cap'n Vane. Michelangelo was 25 when he sculpted La Pieta. What have you done?
which was apparently ad-libbed by Harrison Ford.
Reason it springs to mind is cause tomorrow is my brothers 21st Birthday. Something
weird is going on 'cause last birthday I remember, he was only 18. Similarily I sure as
hell ain't meant to be 25. That just don't suit me. 21 suited me just fine. So whoever is
messing round with time, put it back the way ye found it;)
Just finished reading the Wee Free Men ( theres a little video of terry pratchett talking about the book on the linked page.)
Terry (or T.P as I like to call him. now) thinks its the best book he's ever written. I'm afraid I must disagree. Don't get me wrong its good, quite entertaining in fact, but Its no where near the heights of Gaurds,Guards, Hogfather,Reaper man or Wyrd Systers. Thankfully though its a lot better than Carpe Jugulum or the fifth elephant. If I had to rank It I'd put it somewhere between Thief of Time and umm.. lemmee see... oh yeah Pyramids (which I like and no-one else seems to.) In saying that I'm a little behind ( not having read monstrous regiment or hat full of sky (and still not having read maskerade or some of the older ones)) so I don't know how a few of the books fit into my scale.
Someone else has already created a best to worst list actually. oddly enough while Carpe Jugulum which I hate is near the bottom. Hogfather (which I think is one of the best) is the bottom.
Anyhow in keeping with the time creeping up on me theme I'm gonna steal a piece of trivia from Cap'n Vane. Michelangelo was 25 when he sculpted La Pieta. What have you done?
Monday, July 05, 2004
Scoping out the big smoke.
Am in Dublin today, sorting out a few small details like rent and such. Had hoped to chat to the landlord(s) but turns out they are on holidays until friday. I'll be in Dublin on friday alright but only because of Oxegen, so I won't be meeting em then. Still I left my rent with the Quartermaster so that should be fine. I t would have been nice to get the key so I won't feel a bit cheeky turning up with all my stuff and asking em to let me in next time ;)
Its good not to be working today. Pottering around the big smoke, I notice the new luas lines will be running pretty damn close to my new apartment, which will be most convenient..
I'm hoping my new employers contact me before I have to start and let me know who I'm meant to report to on my first day.. that'll be pretty damn nervewracking if I just have to turn up cold. not that it won't be nervewracking as it is.
Its looking like the 21st will be my official moving up date.. gives me time to finish the last of my work, go out on the raz and say goodbye to the folks here and still have time to recover and set up my new place properly, shopping for essentials and stuff. And then go out on the raz with the folks here ;)
Anyhow. I'll cut myself short here. this is costing me after all.
Its good not to be working today. Pottering around the big smoke, I notice the new luas lines will be running pretty damn close to my new apartment, which will be most convenient..
I'm hoping my new employers contact me before I have to start and let me know who I'm meant to report to on my first day.. that'll be pretty damn nervewracking if I just have to turn up cold. not that it won't be nervewracking as it is.
Its looking like the 21st will be my official moving up date.. gives me time to finish the last of my work, go out on the raz and say goodbye to the folks here and still have time to recover and set up my new place properly, shopping for essentials and stuff. And then go out on the raz with the folks here ;)
Anyhow. I'll cut myself short here. this is costing me after all.
Thursday, July 01, 2004
Spider-man, Spider-man, does whatever a spider can.
I feel there ain't enough spider-man in my blog. So to make up for my careless neglect I give you the spidey blog!
I've just arrived back from lunch and a quick visit to sub culture here in Sligo (a comic store run by a mate of mine, where I get my spider-man fix.) A small pile waiting for me today.
The Amazing Spider-man, The Astonishing Spider-man, Venom and The Authority:more kev ( spot the odd one out). Having a local comic store has brought with it some problems. y'see in addition to the three spidey related titles above I also get the Spectacular spider-man, peter parker:spider-man and Marvel knights spider-man PLUS whatever one-offs get run and graphic novels sub culture gets in. oh and t-shirts. I am afraid to try and calculate my comic expenditures.
You may note the Ultimate Spider-man ain't in there. Tried it, didn't like it. What ya gonna do.
The new movie looks great, I believe its only 2 or three weeks away. Early reviews say things like best superhero movie ever. I liked the first movie. All right I'll admit I'm biased but the first time I saw it I was dissapointed. The Goblin outfit was lousy (looked like a power rangers reject) and William Dafoes acting was wasted behind that dumbass mask.
But on a second viewing I realised that the best parts of the movie were the ones without the superheroics, just like the comics . It's peter parker that is the compelling part, not spider-man. I gather they have kept that and expanded on it for this movie, pete struggling to maintain a meagre existance while moonlighting as spider-man. And with Alfred Molina on board as Doc Ock (and I gather he does a v. good job) and the spider man animation and such improved I think this could be the superhero movie against which all others shall be measured.
Just to compound the comic book nerd image I got going on here. It's not 'spiderman'
it's 'spider-man'.
I've just arrived back from lunch and a quick visit to sub culture here in Sligo (a comic store run by a mate of mine, where I get my spider-man fix.) A small pile waiting for me today.
The Amazing Spider-man, The Astonishing Spider-man, Venom and The Authority:more kev ( spot the odd one out). Having a local comic store has brought with it some problems. y'see in addition to the three spidey related titles above I also get the Spectacular spider-man, peter parker:spider-man and Marvel knights spider-man PLUS whatever one-offs get run and graphic novels sub culture gets in. oh and t-shirts. I am afraid to try and calculate my comic expenditures.
You may note the Ultimate Spider-man ain't in there. Tried it, didn't like it. What ya gonna do.
The new movie looks great, I believe its only 2 or three weeks away. Early reviews say things like best superhero movie ever. I liked the first movie. All right I'll admit I'm biased but the first time I saw it I was dissapointed. The Goblin outfit was lousy (looked like a power rangers reject) and William Dafoes acting was wasted behind that dumbass mask.
But on a second viewing I realised that the best parts of the movie were the ones without the superheroics, just like the comics . It's peter parker that is the compelling part, not spider-man. I gather they have kept that and expanded on it for this movie, pete struggling to maintain a meagre existance while moonlighting as spider-man. And with Alfred Molina on board as Doc Ock (and I gather he does a v. good job) and the spider man animation and such improved I think this could be the superhero movie against which all others shall be measured.
Just to compound the comic book nerd image I got going on here. It's not 'spiderman'
it's 'spider-man'.
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