I really love doing the close at The Bookshop when Sparky (the supervisor who taught me about heroin) is doing it. The 'close' is working the late shift until 9pm, when we shut up the shop.
Normally at about 7pm, when the afternoon has made its way into the evening, he'll change the music from the official playlist to something eclectic. Before you know it, we subtly become an independant bookshop. Although him and the other music guys have very original tastes, they're open to suggestions. We've played stuff from Asha Bhosle to Bjork to The Simpsons Sing The Blues, and the customers invariably dig it.
Today we had Yann Tiersen on (the guy who did the Amelie soundtrack), and it went down well. A guy came up to the info desk and asked what the 'twinkly twinkly' music was. He liked it. No, he didn't want the album, he just wanted to know what it was. A discernable change occurs when non-playlist music comes on. Everything loosens up.
The other day, after we'd played Arcade Fire and The Fratellis to death, someone had had enough and stopped Chasing Cars midway through. For a few moments there was silence, until something good came on. I can't remember what it was, but it was nice.
Wednesday 21 March 2007
Sunday 18 March 2007
Myplace or yours?
I have been going [insert social network here] nuts. For the last few hours I've been uploading photos, when I should be doing something far more constructive, like revise for my Theory Test.
I had a conversation with Drew (http://www.myspace.com/iloveyougoodbyemusic) the other day about them. We kind of ambled towards the conclusion that they enable you to construct and present the ideal personality of yourself to your friends. It's what you do - you find the absolute most best attractive pictures of yourself, and then you post these ones as well as others of you smashed and having a great time surrounded by people. This makes you cool.
If you were subversive (a good thing), you could post pictures of you being weird and lonely. This would, however, also make you cool as it would show you didn’t care about how you presented yourself. You see it’s a win win situation, (unlike the current situation Arsenal find themselves in). I suppose it’s all a bit circular really. I love how yours and other peoples’ interests change over time. So and so is no longer listening to Freddie Mercury. So and so has left the group “hummus is my life”. Drew said he’d create a page for himself, fill in all the required details, and then delete it. Wise man.
One problem with these social network jobbies is that they’re all essentially the same. Can you believe there’s no transgender category?! I can hear the collective gush of amazement...it’s incredible I know, especially in this day and age. Where’s my “winky” and “twinky” box? And what about political spectrums? Where’s my “left-leaning on personal liberty but right-leaning on private ownership” box? Hmm, it’s all a bit shifty if you ask me. And don’t get me started on ‘relationship status’. I’m sure people just cannot wait to tick that box that says ‘in a relationship’. If you were inclined, I mean really inclined, you could spend your time waiting, just waiting for people’s statuses to go from ‘in a relationship’ to ‘single’.
Of course, I don’t do that.
I had a conversation with Drew (http://www.myspace.com/iloveyougoodbyemusic) the other day about them. We kind of ambled towards the conclusion that they enable you to construct and present the ideal personality of yourself to your friends. It's what you do - you find the absolute most best attractive pictures of yourself, and then you post these ones as well as others of you smashed and having a great time surrounded by people. This makes you cool.
If you were subversive (a good thing), you could post pictures of you being weird and lonely. This would, however, also make you cool as it would show you didn’t care about how you presented yourself. You see it’s a win win situation, (unlike the current situation Arsenal find themselves in). I suppose it’s all a bit circular really. I love how yours and other peoples’ interests change over time. So and so is no longer listening to Freddie Mercury. So and so has left the group “hummus is my life”. Drew said he’d create a page for himself, fill in all the required details, and then delete it. Wise man.
One problem with these social network jobbies is that they’re all essentially the same. Can you believe there’s no transgender category?! I can hear the collective gush of amazement...it’s incredible I know, especially in this day and age. Where’s my “winky” and “twinky” box? And what about political spectrums? Where’s my “left-leaning on personal liberty but right-leaning on private ownership” box? Hmm, it’s all a bit shifty if you ask me. And don’t get me started on ‘relationship status’. I’m sure people just cannot wait to tick that box that says ‘in a relationship’. If you were inclined, I mean really inclined, you could spend your time waiting, just waiting for people’s statuses to go from ‘in a relationship’ to ‘single’.
Of course, I don’t do that.
Monday 12 March 2007
Bonkers bouncy
A customer asked me if we sell "spacehoppers" at work yesterday. I mean that's just crazy talk.
Tuesday 6 March 2007
"mmm, you smell nice..."
Of the 5 things I had planned to do today, I managed to do 3 so am pleasantly surprised by my achievment. Today I have: got a new computer, booked a contact lens test and booked a driving lesson. I have failed to reply to an email, but I'll get on with doing that later.
Had a great time on Saturday night in a place called Inigo bar, which played Electro House (a movement for which I've been waiting a decade to finally arrive). Went out with the Seven Sisters girlies, all the way down in Sarf London. I miss them. They smell lovely. I too smell lovely, as a few people have commented on recently. While in Barca (or was it Amsterdam?...sometimes I don't know whether I'm coming or going) I bought some new aftershave at the Duty Free. I normally get a unisex one from Hermes (Eau d'Orange Verte), which I really really like (but it gives my mum a headache), but now I've moved on to their recent, more masculine one: Hermes Terre.
It's so hard to pick a perfume. Ideally you'd like to be presented with 15 glass vials, each with a different scent, and then pick the one that smells the best. But, of course, buying a perfume isn't just about what smells great. It's all about these extraneous things, such as the image of the fashion house, the shape of the bottle, the look of the advert for the thing, it's 'coolness'.
During my browsing experience, I immediately brushed past the YSLs, Ralph Laurens, and Versaces. I glanced at Armani. I wandered towards the Pradas, Burberrys and Chanels. Ooh, look there's Stella McCartney's. Oh, and don't you just adore Dior?
The very first aftershave I bought was Polo Sport by Ralph Lauren, I think I was about 16 at the time. It was all the rage, but looking back, it seems strange that everyone wore the same aftershave. This was especially true of deodorants; I remember the Lynx Africa fog in the changing rooms after rugby. But those post-pubescent years of underage drinking will always be recalled by that watery aroma of Polo Sport.
Between the ages of 18-21 I used to wear Issey Miyake, but so did everyone else. I remember being on a tube one time, and this woman lean over to her mate and say really loudly something along the lines of "Issey Miyake, someone's wearing Issey Miyake! Always Issey bleeding Miyake." I'm sure she wasn't referring to me...though I did use to douse myself in the stuff. Needless to say I dumped it shortly afterwards.
Which brings me on to Hermes Eau d'Orange Verte, my perfume of choice between the ages 22-24 (my golden age). I love this scent. It's vibrant, tangy, spicy, and comes in a lovely frosted green glass bottle. Plus it's Hermes, label of the famous scarf. Pronounced "ErrrMez". And it's unisex too, so you never quite know.
I think the time has come to put it to bed. Now I'm turning 25, I have to bring to an end my experimentations with my (perfume's) sexuality. Hermes Terre is now my scent. Sometimes you just move on. It'll be difficult I know, and they'll be some tough times ahead, but together...we can do it.
I'm not ditching the eyeliner though.
Had a great time on Saturday night in a place called Inigo bar, which played Electro House (a movement for which I've been waiting a decade to finally arrive). Went out with the Seven Sisters girlies, all the way down in Sarf London. I miss them. They smell lovely. I too smell lovely, as a few people have commented on recently. While in Barca (or was it Amsterdam?...sometimes I don't know whether I'm coming or going) I bought some new aftershave at the Duty Free. I normally get a unisex one from Hermes (Eau d'Orange Verte), which I really really like (but it gives my mum a headache), but now I've moved on to their recent, more masculine one: Hermes Terre.
It's so hard to pick a perfume. Ideally you'd like to be presented with 15 glass vials, each with a different scent, and then pick the one that smells the best. But, of course, buying a perfume isn't just about what smells great. It's all about these extraneous things, such as the image of the fashion house, the shape of the bottle, the look of the advert for the thing, it's 'coolness'.
During my browsing experience, I immediately brushed past the YSLs, Ralph Laurens, and Versaces. I glanced at Armani. I wandered towards the Pradas, Burberrys and Chanels. Ooh, look there's Stella McCartney's. Oh, and don't you just adore Dior?
The very first aftershave I bought was Polo Sport by Ralph Lauren, I think I was about 16 at the time. It was all the rage, but looking back, it seems strange that everyone wore the same aftershave. This was especially true of deodorants; I remember the Lynx Africa fog in the changing rooms after rugby. But those post-pubescent years of underage drinking will always be recalled by that watery aroma of Polo Sport.
Between the ages of 18-21 I used to wear Issey Miyake, but so did everyone else. I remember being on a tube one time, and this woman lean over to her mate and say really loudly something along the lines of "Issey Miyake, someone's wearing Issey Miyake! Always Issey bleeding Miyake." I'm sure she wasn't referring to me...though I did use to douse myself in the stuff. Needless to say I dumped it shortly afterwards.
Which brings me on to Hermes Eau d'Orange Verte, my perfume of choice between the ages 22-24 (my golden age). I love this scent. It's vibrant, tangy, spicy, and comes in a lovely frosted green glass bottle. Plus it's Hermes, label of the famous scarf. Pronounced "ErrrMez". And it's unisex too, so you never quite know.
I think the time has come to put it to bed. Now I'm turning 25, I have to bring to an end my experimentations with my (perfume's) sexuality. Hermes Terre is now my scent. Sometimes you just move on. It'll be difficult I know, and they'll be some tough times ahead, but together...we can do it.
I'm not ditching the eyeliner though.
Thursday 1 March 2007
Violently happy
I haven't posted in a couple of days, as, even though a lot of things seemed to have happened in the past 10 days, I've not been able to construct a decent narrative or any good jokes neither.
I got really really happy today at work, from a period between 8:39-8:41pm. I have no easy explanation for this, but Dazzler cottoned on to me, after I did a little dance at him from the top of the stairs. I think it was probably just one of my trademark Cancerian mood swings, but something rapturous erupted over me, and I've sat here for a few moments trying to figure out what it was. This, I cannot.
I think I've been bitten by the travel bug (known as Aviator flu). I'm considering flying out to Amsterdam on Monday to go out for a night out, and returning Tuesday morning. I can't really justify the expense, but, working it through in my head, I could quite realistically do the journey in 2 1/2 hours, door to door. I think I also want to go to the O2 Wireless Festival in London this year. I think I just have this urge to consume consume consume, much like Falstaff, or that 8 year old boy in the news. Have you seen him on his tramopoline?
I just want it to be summer when it'll be hot, and I can sit in a pub garden, and do the crossword.
I got really really happy today at work, from a period between 8:39-8:41pm. I have no easy explanation for this, but Dazzler cottoned on to me, after I did a little dance at him from the top of the stairs. I think it was probably just one of my trademark Cancerian mood swings, but something rapturous erupted over me, and I've sat here for a few moments trying to figure out what it was. This, I cannot.
I think I've been bitten by the travel bug (known as Aviator flu). I'm considering flying out to Amsterdam on Monday to go out for a night out, and returning Tuesday morning. I can't really justify the expense, but, working it through in my head, I could quite realistically do the journey in 2 1/2 hours, door to door. I think I also want to go to the O2 Wireless Festival in London this year. I think I just have this urge to consume consume consume, much like Falstaff, or that 8 year old boy in the news. Have you seen him on his tramopoline?
I just want it to be summer when it'll be hot, and I can sit in a pub garden, and do the crossword.
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