The Bench Press

Days 24 - 49

2006-10-17T14:37:00.000+01:00

Sigh. I started this day to day posting idea with such motivation. I quickly realised it was a berluddy pain in the neck. One learns. So I will quickly sum up the remaining days and get this theme out the way. Let us move on.

I went on a media course in London where one speaker told us, "...don't join the media, this country needs doctors."
I got my degree result. Moving on quickly...
Spent all night sat with a friend next to a lake. The next day my friend then went to work, slightly drunk, smelling a little off, and with a crude male appendage drawn on his arm in biro.
The crude biro markings were nothing to do with me.
Emotionally left university for good.

Glad I've got all that out of the way. Weight off the shoulders.

Regards

Day 23: Graduation Ball

2006-06-04T23:59:00.000+01:00

Now 23 days since I finished my last exam. It's a shame the Graduation Ball had to be today, on a Sunday, but it turned out to be quite a pleasant day. Apologies to all purists but I attended the ball in jeans. Have a look at the photo and judge for yourself whether my clothing is appropriate.

The ball was held at Edgbaston's Botanical Gardens (not pictured) nearby the cricket ground, and for those less sociable, there were plenty of peacocks, parrots and plants to party with. The evening meal was adequate (wow, don't I sound picky), but I was disappointed in the absence of tea and mints afterwards.

Regards

Day 22: London

2006-06-03T22:57:00.000+01:00

London, oh how the bright lights beckon. Me and two friends boarded a Virgin (unfortunate use of words, sorry mum) towards the capital earlier today, the weather extremely hot and sticky. After wandering around aimlessly, we lounged in Hyde Park for a short while, then on to Portobello Road which on the one hand was pleasingly hip, but on the other, excruciatingly busy.

In the evening we ended up in Wapping where John Torrino (according to his name badge), the friendly tube station worker advised us that the Captain Kidd pub overlooking the Thames is the place to be. Apparantly his job is to stand at the tube station entrance, smoking. The Captain Kidd in Wapping is indeed a recommend if anyone happens to be in that part of the world.

The day ended with a trip to Brick Lane where we bought some crisps and a bag of Maltesers to share. Not really. We had a curry.

Regards

Day 21: Moseley

2006-06-02T18:57:00.000+01:00

Moseley again today. Me and a pal took a bus to the villiage and had a little wander. I bought some gym shoes from Oxfam, a nice white pair going by the name of "Aliph", although I have searched the internet in vain for any hint of this long defunct brand. We sat in a nice little cafe/bar which had a reassuring sign above the door - "These premises have a strictly no chavs policy". I need a tux for the Graduation Ball on Sunday, but alas, the one I spotted in Retro Bizarre was unachievable due to staff illness, an illness that had rendered the store closed for the day.

Regards

Day 20: Househunting

2006-06-01T19:54:00.000+01:00

Today, my possible future housemates - Butcher, Cryer, Otter and Crowe went for a search around Moseley. Moseley, Moseley, oh precious Moseley, the village of my tender heart's desire. Truly, there is no greater suburb of Birmingham than Moseley. Selly Oak, Erdington, Cofton Hackett have no appeal, have no claim on my aims as the fair air of Moseley. Furthermore, Ocean Colour Scene named an album after the place. The Jug of Ale, Bizarre retro clothing, the shisha lounge and trendy entrepreneurs walking around in flip-flops and SLRs, it's like the promised land.

Moseley Flickr page here.

The Moseley Society here.

Doesn't look as if we'll get a house there sadly.

Regards

Day 19: Zero 7 and JG

2006-05-31T23:50:00.000+01:00

Today I was supposed to be helping other final years organise the final Christian Union meeting of the year for Aston Students. It turns out they had enough helpers so instead I took the opportunity to see Zero 7 at Birmingham Academy with Brunt. Jose Gonzalez made an appearance with the band, and strummed along in his own low-key manner, finishing off with an excellent version of one of his album tracks, the name of which escapes me now. The name escapes me because, to be honest all his album tracks seem to merge into one. A big mellow soundscape, tracks indistinguishable from each other. Probably much spending a year in a Chinese prison, the days just combine and if the guards refuse you a clock or calendar, you get totally lost.

However, for a great Jose tune, this recent advert is one of the best (see below). I've watched the making-of, they really did send thousands of bouncy balls down a hill...such fun!

Regards

Day 18: Pub Quiz

2006-05-30T23:32:00.000+01:00

Day 18 of my freedom, of which I am enjoying immensely, despite being another day closer to the dreaded degree result. Still no word of what will happen about the cancelled exam which is slightly worrying. Pub quiz again tonight resulting in a very respectable second place. Pictured is the quiz master himself, a pleasant cockney geezer.

Today England beat Hungary in a pre-World Cup friendly, the highlight of which was Steven Crouch's robot celebration see here:

Regards

Day 17: Actress and Bishop

2006-05-29T23:52:00.000+01:00

Tonight, me and Security decided to head down to a pub we'd heard good things about...the Actress and Bishop. Upstairs there was some excellent live music from a band we later discovered were called "Two", a power-rock twosome (plus session drummer) who deserved more than the handful of people there to see them. Check out their Myspace page here.

There were two other bands on the night who, to be painfully honest, were quite painful. A middle-aged cod-reggae/cod-blues outfit were then followed by youthful trio who spent an age tuning up and faffing about before launching into a terrible racket.

Regards

Day 16: Soundstation Festival

2006-05-28T23:41:00.000+01:00

Today, me and Brunt went along to Birmingham's newest festival, the Soundstation Festival, 10 hours of some of the most exciting acts today, Mr Scruff, Guillemots, Graham Coxon etc. Mr Scruff was the highlight. I've never known a DJ get the crowd going the way he did, every punter was moving to the beat like they just did not care! Other excitement came when I inhaled some laughing gas through a balloon, although the effects were debateable as I pulled little more than a wry smile. Check out Guillemots if you can, as a live act they are very interesting! I can only hope they are as good on record.

Regards

Day 15: Charity Shopping Trip

2006-05-27T21:36:00.000+01:00

Today James, Phil and I went on our traditional charity shop run to Erdington and Acocks Green, typical Birmingham suburbs. Then we finished off in Selly Oak for a quick glass of Coke. The picture is of me outside PDSA on Erdington High Street, below the actual room where Pink Floyd recorded part of their album Atom Heart Mother. Below is a list of all the lovely products we purchased:

Duffle coat: 99p
Blue Shirt: £1.50
Straw Trilby: £2.50
Watch: £1.50
Marquee Moon - Television LP: 50p
Year of the Cat - Al StewartLP: £1.99
Face Value - Phil Collins LP: 99p
Holland - Beach Boys LP: 50p
The Immaculate Collection - Madonna LP: 49p
Now 8 - Various LP: 49p
Innervisions - Stevie Wonder CD: £1.99
In Square Circle - Stevie Wonder CD: £1.99

Total: £15.43

Small cafe in Acocks Green.

Trying on sandals.

Day 14: T-shirt

2006-05-26T12:21:00.000+01:00

Apologies for the slightly crude language but I thought this was an interesting T-shirt. It did make me think about the amount of emphasis I place on image and brands rather than substance or meaning. The design comes from a company called Howies a Welsh clothing company which does it's best to make its' produce in an ethical and environmentally friendly way. Thanks to Matt for that.

Listened to another Tunng album today, much the same electro-folk nonsense, quite good though. Not good to listen to when ill however.

Regards

Day 13: Even iller

2006-05-25T17:59:00.000+01:00

I had about 10 hours sleep last night but when I woke up this morning, it felt like I had had about 2.

Today I've spent most of the day in bed trying to recover from what seems to be flu-like symptoms. Passing the time I have been watching Prison Break a new American drama in the same category of 24 and Lost. The story involves a bloke called Michael who cannot bear to see his innocent brother being put on death-row, so much so that gets himself arrested in order that he gets locked away in the same jail as his sibling. But it doesn't stop there, in order to plan an escape, Michael has the blueprint of the prison design tattooed all over his body. Furthermore, Mike turns out to be one of the structural engineers who designed the prison. Throw in some jail-break cliches, attractive prison nurses and meaningful flashbacks and Lost seems almost plausible.

Today I listened to "Mother's Daughter and Other Songs" by electro-folk outfit Tunng. As you may or may not know I am a big folk music fan and this album is the latest chapter in my modern folk quest. Once you get around all the electronic clicks and squelches, it's quite a good album. Song from the Black is especially haunting, perfect for listening to in a forest clearing at midnight.

Regards

Day 12: Paradise Centre

2006-05-24T17:19:00.000+01:00

Day 12 of my freedom, still no word about the lecturers strikes and how that will affect my degree. Today James, Stephen and I went walking around the most inappropriately named building in Birmingham - the Paradise Centre. For all normal human beings with even the smallest sense of beauty and justice in their blood, this building is an abomination. For me however the place holds a certain amount of charm for which a camera and a sense of humour is very important. My digital camera is broken so I bought a disposable camera and took a few shots (for some of my other pics see my Flickr page). I secretly hope they don't knock the place down although it could do with smartening up here and there.

Regards

Day 11: New Musical Direction

2006-05-23T23:18:00.000+01:00

Today me and my friend James took to the music practise room for a jam. We both intend to create ideas and sounds for about a year and then meet again in London 2007 to form a super-group. Hmmm. In today's Guardian there was a wildlife poster and we both noticed that some of the names of the funghi sounded like prog-rock bands: Crimson Waxcap, Velvet Brittlegill, Trumpet Chanterelle.

In the evening was the traditional pub-quiz at the Sacks. Much the same as last week happened unfortunately.

Regards

Day 10: Old Friend

2006-05-22T20:56:00.000+01:00

Day 10 of my freedom. Today I met up with an old friend, who, although from a fairly non-traditional background has recently undergone a renewed interest in his Islamic faith. He no longer listens to western music, has stopped swearing and tries to be the best person he can. When I met him we inevitably got into a religious discussion. He argued that the Qu'ran is true because of the science that can be found in its pages despite being written hundreds of years ago. He asked me if it was the same in the Bible. He also asked me where in the New Testament does Jesus claim to be the Son of God and therefore ask people to follow him. I answered the best I could, but have since found two useful pages for anyone who may come across these questions.

Science in the Bible.

Jesus the Son of God.

Of course whether or not there is science in the Bible hundreds of years before the science was "discovered", is secondary in comparison to whether or not Jesus was who he claimed he was.

I experienced a new piece of music again today, this time it was "the Warning" by electro outfit Hot Chip. In this 'Mylo' generation in which commercial dance has been floundering in nothingness for a while now, bands like Hot Chip thrive. While not as obviously as catchy as Mylo, the songs seems to have an added depth and intelligence which warrants multiple listens. Good stuff.

Regards

Day 9: Leeds Utd

2006-05-21T23:30:00.000+01:00

Well done to Watford who have earned the right to prop-up the Premiership next year instead of a below-par Leeds. Watched the game with a few mates this afternoon. Not much to shout about, Watford were the deserved winners, despite scoring some very lucky goals. Leeds will be back next season, up at the top of the old first division somewhere no doubt. Glum looking Leeds fans in the photo. It struck me during the game what terrible hair Shaun Derry has.

Went to an acoustic night at the Sacks of Potatoes tonight which turned out to be mixed bag. It was mainly students performing, the pick of the pile being a slightly nervous looking sonny-jim wearing an atrocious Burtons-like sweater. His voice belied his humble frame with some impressive vibrato and inspired me to listen to a bit of Jeff Buckley today. I've listened to it over and over but "Grace" is still a great album.

Regards

Day 8: The Da Vinci Code

2006-05-20T22:01:00.000+01:00

What would Jesus say to Dan Brown, author of the Da Vinci Code? The film is now out nationwide and doubtless many people, despite the poor reviews, will go out and see it. The film and book of the same name have caused controvercy throughout the world, but what would Jesus say? My church recently ran an event at which this question was answered, listen to it here. Not seen DVC, but tonight I saw an equally hyped film, MI:III. It was a good entertainment, but I fell asleep at the beginning so if anyone could let me know what happened that would be nice.

I listened to a new piece of music today as usual, "Our shadows will remain" by Joseph Arthur. First came across his music on an OC soundtrack CD and was impressed. I thought that particular song was a one-off but it appears not. This is a great album, full of emotive vocal harmonies. Seem to keep repeating track 2 over and over, so should really take a close look at the rest of the album.

Regards

Day 7: One Week

2006-05-19T18:19:00.000+01:00

It has now been one week since my last exam (which was cancelled). The University sent out an email the other which seemed to suggest that just coursework would be marked, but that the exam could also be resheduled any day! These are uncertain times, and events may conspire and circumstances may disrupt my future plans. A verse in the Bible I always read in these situations is from James chapter 4:

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you should say "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

It helps put things in perspective, very useful for post graduation ambitions. Today I am still ill (expectedly) so have been watching a few DVDs to chill out, including the wonderous Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, a spoof hospital-set horror series parodying 1980s television. I also applied for a media jobs event in London which looks interesting for possible employment, anything that doesn't involve sitting in an office all day infront of Excel Spreadsheets.

Music for today is "Love is Hell" by Ryan Adams. Thanks to inspiration from Tom, I thought I'd give the guy a listen. I don't regret the purchase and the track "My Blue Manhattan" is most pleasing. There's also the well-known "Wonderwall" cover which is very dreamy. I've heard a rumour that Ryan shares his birthday with the very closely named Bryan Adams, which would be very odd indeed.

Regards

Day 6: ill

2006-05-18T23:33:00.000+01:00

Noticed today that my friend Rory looks a lot like the lead singer of the Charlatans. I told him and his reply was "disgusting", so I take it he's not pleased. Today I woke up with a cold. It's the feeling we all dread. I hope my mum doesn't read this because she won't be best impressed. And of course she'll suspect it's my fault I have a cold, lack of sleep, not eating etc. She'll do the well-meaning 'mothering' thing. Bless. My 'dealer' supplied the latest episodes of Lost the other day so I was able to get my fix. Nearly up to date with America now and not to give too much away, it turns out the Island is all a dream inside the castaway's heads. I jest.

Music of the day is "Tweeze" by Slint. Not a well known band, but they're one of my favourites. I'd been meaning to get this album for a while and was not disappointed, full of string bending, jazz, rock, spoken word, noise. It's not for everyone but it's just right for me. Lovely.

Regards

Day 5: Arsenal

2006-05-17T22:32:00.000+01:00

Poor old Arsenal, I'm not a fan but you can't help but be disappointed for them, losing in the final of the Champions League tonight. Watched the game until Lehmann was sent-off. Call me a quitter but I thought I had better things to do than see the inevitable happen. Instead I finally sorted through all the Guardian newspapers under my window. I worked out there must have been about 138 separate issues piling up and creating a fire hazard. I'll definately be watching Leeds to the bitter end on Sunday however, come on lads!

Spent the other part of the day in Coffee Lounge with Panos (half Greek half Egyptian), Helene (half French half English) and Matt (One 16th Welsh, the rest - English). It was really good to catch up after exams as we'd hardly seen each other. Phil (100% English) would've been with us, but he was in bed. It was 2.30pm.

Forgot to listen to a new piece of music again yesterday, maybe I should do it every other day instead. Today I listened to "Van Lear Rose" by Loretta Lynn, an album from 2004 which was loved by the critics but not commercially successful in this country. Produced by Jack White, the songs are raw but very melodic and I'll definately be giving this more of a listen. It's country music, but in a good way trust me.

Regards

Day 4: Pub Quiz, Art and the BBC

2006-05-16T23:54:00.000+01:00

Found a news story today which was funny yet extremely painful. The story of a poor bloke who turned up at the BBC for an interview but ended up being interviewed live on air in a mix up. Follow the link here and watch the video. It's hard not to feel sorry for him.

Made a Tshirt today with an image of The Blue Nile's "Hats" album cover on the front. It's a hightly recommended album for anyone who likes haunting slow paced pop. Also bought the Bono edited special edition of the Independent today, not had a chance to read it yet, but the Damien Hirst designed front page is interesting.

On tuesday evening is the traditional Sacks of Potatoes pub quiz, and as usual our team "Exciting News" (named after the nick-name of one of our members) went on down. The questions really didn't go in our favour, and as we are an honest bunch, we don't reach for our mobiles whenever tricky questions come up. Subsequently we lost out to "Boz Boz" the team of my flatmates who are named after a fake drug from the satirical TV comedy Brass Eye. Cheats.

Earlier on was the University of Central England art exhibition that me and a couple of cronies decided to attend. With strong red wine in plastic cups, we chin-stroked through various creations including - a video of paint falling on the queen played backwards, a painting made entirely of dead bees, and a pile of rubbish in a bin bag in the corner. The last one turned out to have nothing to do with the exhibition at all, a fact which became clear as it was removed by a cleaner whilst we were staring at it.

Regards

Day 3: NYC Taxi Driver

2006-05-15T23:16:00.000+01:00

No gigs or graves today - got up incredibly late and caught up with some friends. Still got Matisyahu on constant repeat.

Must take the opportunity for a recommendation; stumbled across quite a decent blog a few weeks ago featuring the camerphone photos of a New York City taxi driver. The shots are absolutely enthralling and include very perceptive images of everything from architecture, graffitti, tramps, pedestrians and even road accidents. There are also one or two famous people here and there.

What makes the pictures all the more interesting is that nothing is revealed about them, what they mean, where they were taken etc, which adds to their mystery. Visit - here - to see the blog then follow the link to his profile to see lots more. Enjoy.

I forgot to listen to a 'new to my ears' piece of music yesterday but today I've been listening to "Just Another Diamond day" by Vashti Bunyan. Produced by Joe Boyd who worked with Nick Drake, the songs are very gentle - perfect for falling asleep to. Hopefully soon I'll actually listen to it all the way through without dropping off.

Regards

Day 2: The Charlatans

2006-05-14T23:09:00.000+01:00

Day 2 of the 49, how am I going to keep this up? Another tip-top 24 hours culminating in a free trip to Birmingham Academy to see the Charlatans. Do they rock? Affirmative, very much so. They've some real anthems under their Madchester belts, I underestimated this band and will no doubt part with some coins in exchange for a CD.

The support act (Misty's Big Adventure) were a whole new ball game, (that's if the ball game is a ball game played on Mars with lollipops and cats, doesn't contain any balls and isn't even a game). I can only describe them as a cross between the Zutons, the B-52s and the Mighty Boosh. They even had a designated dancer who was dressed in a boiler suit covered in big pink sponge hands. Quite.

As for the rest of the day, got no sleep the night before, so instead of going to the early service at my usual church, went to the 11am service at St. Martins in the Bull Ring. It was a pleasant, although slightly unchallenging service. There was a good quote from the preacher:

"God doesn't want to us to have barriers, walls or curtains, so if we've got any of those things, we aren't letting God use us to our full potential."

I considered removing my curtains but the lack of privacy would really be a disadvantage. I spent the early afternoon in The Coffee Lounge, which was described in 69 magazine as:

"Fast becoming the meeting place of DJs, artists and the City's fashion elite."

Not from where I'm sitting it's not; lots of sixth formers messing about and a couple of blokes who probably work in a hair-dressers.

Regards

Day 1: Nick Drake's Grave.

2006-05-13T20:26:00.000+01:00

The 49 days got off to a pleasant start today as me and a pal paid a visit to the grave of singer-songwriter Nick Drake in the sleepy English villiage of Tanworth-in-Arden. Compared to the buzz of Birmingham and the stress of exams, the serenity of the place was striking. After walking through the graveyard we decided to perch on a fence for a while and admire the countryside in the valley below. It was very peaceful and in subconscious agreement, we both sat in complete silence, soaking up the landscape around us.

Meanwhile back in student land, the lecturer's strike is gaining more publicity and there is the worrying news that some students may not graduate. After four years at Aston, that really would be a bit of a poor show. To say the least.

The music new to my ears today was "Youth", the new album from Matisyahu who is the unlikeliest of things: A Hassidic Jew who sings reggae. First impressions are good, the final track is particularly good. In fact it's brilliant. 8/10.

Regards

Freedom!...or is it?

2006-05-12T10:00:00.000+01:00

After 4 years, 1,460 days, 35,040 hours, 2,102,400 minutes and 126,144,000 seconds - I have finished University!

...Or have I? What was supposed to be my last exam this morning was cancelled due to the recent strikes. It's a strange sensation, I feel like I should be free, yet there is this niggling uncertainty - will I graduate? Will I get a lower mark? Will they reshedule this exam?

There's about 7 weeks to fill until the rent runs out on my residences (49 days to be exact) so I now challenge myself to do something constructive each day and I will document the next 7 weeks right here on the blog (and any further exams I may or may not take). Any summer activity suggestions, let me know.

I already have a few plans however - listen to a new piece of music I'm not familiar with every day, search through the backlog of Guardians that have built up under my window, visit Nick Drake's grave, apply for jobs, and fly to Zurich. I have plans! But do I?

See Matt Cryer who will also be documenting his final days of freedom.

...but will he?

Regards