Giveth with one hand, taketh away with the other

It was going to be such a sweet week. Bank Holiday Monday, closed Thursday for Polling Day. But then came the cause of this week's ulcer - Ofsted are making a flying visit on Tuesday and Wednesday, sending everyone into meltdown.

In other news... this weekend we saw this tower of brownies in Borough Market. It was hard to take this photo, as Claire said it was surrounded by a crowd of women worshipping it.

Birthday meme

via Prolix comes this birthday meme.

Go to Wikipedia. Type in your birth date (but not year). List three events that happened on your birthday. List two important birthdays and one interesting death. Post this in your journal.

21 July

Events
1865 - In the market square of Springfield, Missouri, Wild Bill Hickok shoots Dave Tutt dead in what is regarded as the first true western showdown.
1969 - Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin become the first men to walk on the Moon.
1987 - Guns N' Roses released their debut album Appetite For Destruction

Hmm, Wikipedia showing somewhat of an American bias here.

Birthdays
1899 - Ernest Hemingway, American writer, Nobel Prize laureate.
1911 - Marshall "Medium is the message"McLuhan, Canadian author.

I don't want to do a death, I much prefer to do a special day. Did you know that 21 July is Racial Harmony Day in Singapore? How nice. I'm kind of wondering how they go about implementing Racial Harmony Day though.

Dinosaur

My ipod is ailing. Every time I turn it on it makes an anguished face at me, like it's got appendicitis (really, I'm not hallucinating, look at this:-). It's only 6 months old.

I don't know what this means except it makes me want to jump up and down on it in stilletto-heeled boots, until it is in a million tiny silver shards on the floor. And that I seem to have lost the ability to walk anywhere without music. So it's back to the old school Discmann - yes, remember those? Only 1 CD (CD!) at a time. How quaint. You can't beat dinosaur technology.

I also feel a bit ashamed that my bag contains so much shiny expensive hardware these days and that I take it so much for granted. Maybe it's a lesson...

Free ice cream

No, really - it's Ben and Jerry's free cone day. I'm miles from the nearest Ben and Jerry's, so have one for me.

Some thoughts on Noo York

• Stopped taking pictures because I realised I wanted to take pictures of everything, as if by taking photos you could take the whole place back home with you, mad subway ranters, pretzel stands, pug dogs, (we couldn't get over how much New Yorkers like little yappy handbag type dogs) yellow cabs and all.

• I would like to kiss the barman in the East Village who asked for ID, and possibly even settle down and have kids with him, it made my year.

• We have cute accents.

But now arrives the Post Holiday Blues

Home

Subtle
Originally uploaded by Slaminsky.

Left brain behind. Should arrive some time tomorrow. In the meantime, look at this picture (taken by G, not me.)

Postcard

Having a lovely time. Don't want to come home.

PS: cruising at 35, 000 feet, looking through the Guardian magazine and reading an article on sexual mores in our times (as you do) when out jumped a familiar name from my link list - Destructor, you made me choke on my complimentary beer.

Amyl skins

Before we go... I know these links are not quality posting, but just... can't... stop... it....

Look at this! Anagram server!

Today's post has been brought to you by

Amyl Skins

Link My Ass

Slays Minks

Ma Sink Sly

Manly Kiss

Sam Slinky

We live in Brooklyn, baby

We live in Brooklyn, baby

Me and G, at least for the next week.

If I ask Ben nicely, maybe I can borrow his computer (with the strange and puzzling ergonomic keyboard). If not, see you soon.

Spell with Flickr

Hours of fun, via Metaatem

Red

I like red hair. Do not understand the prejudice against it, or why people call them Duracell and mock them by calling them 'gingers' with a soft g. In Spanish they are called pelirrojo, which is a very satisfying word to say. In fact when I see people with red hair in the street I have to stop myself staring at them like they're rock stars or something. I was gazing at a girl on the bus the other day with auburn hair which looked so pretty in the spring sunshine, when another girl got on the bus with long curly red hair down to her waist, it looked like a forest fire and was purely amazing.

It was then I decided, this, um, fetish should not go wasted, so I'm going to start a photography project. Just for the hell of it. And maybe put it on Flickr. Are you a redhead? Want to have your picture taken? Know a redhead? Send 'em my way. (Or I'll be reduced to taking snaps of people in the street, like some low-life paparazzi.)



Red head from Green Wing. He's not ugly.

Pros & cons

Bah

For reasons I won't bore you with, on Thursday I had a pissy, awful, shit, rubbish, shit day which culminated in me hiding in my resources cupboard crying like a pathetic girly (kids banging on the door, heart-breakingly, going Miss, Miss! Look at the card I made you! At least the kids like me.)

Came home and got on the internet and lo! There was my perfect job on a website. Apply online. Spend an hour doing all that tedious stuff (can you remember the dates when you were at school? Me neither.) Proactive, multi-tasking, self-motivated, etc etc etc... (If only you could be truthful on application forms. Mine would go something like Extremely slothful, champion daydreamer, easily bored.) Turn away for 2 seconds and it vanished off the screen. Gone, into the ether. Because it was on some kind of a timer. Bah. It was the icing on the cake.

Go on, tell me some good news.

Shoot Shoreditch

Damn, wish I hadn't missed this Shoot London day of photography, just down the road from me, looks like fun. Still there's another one in July at the Tate Modern. G, I call on you to join my team.

By popular demand

Naked ladies, kittens, knitting patterns (well, cross-stitch anyway.) I have no useful technical information for you. But here, have some Blondie.

Oh, and Breaking News - Naomi Campbell assaulted her house-keeper with a mobile phone. Allegedly.

Phew, I'm knackered. Going for a lie-down.





My favourite book cover ever.



Cross-stitch sampler pattern via Subversive Cross-stitch

250

This is my 250th post. 250! How can I have bullshitted on for 250 posts?

(And do I get a prize?)

But I am bothered about quality control here at Slaminsky. Help me to help you by participating in this reader survey (all 8 of you.) You can leave the number in the comments box, if you so desire.

1). There are not enough politics on Slaminsky.

2.) There are not enough current events on Slaminsky.

3.) There are not enough pictures of naked ladies on Slaminsky.

4.) There are not enough pictures of kittens on Slaminsky.

5.) There are way too many memes and not nearly enough scurrilous gossip about celebrities.

6.) Where are all the good music and video links?

7.) Where is the useful technical information?

8.) Where are the knitting patterns/cookery recipes?

9.) I came here looking for "French producers of panties" and now I feel cheated.

10.) Will you stop crapping on about school and do something interesting then come back and tell us about it?

Apology line

More interesting junk mail than your usual pizza leaflet through the door, I bring you the apology line.

Leave your apologies in the Slaminsky confessional. You'll feel a whole lot better, I guarantee it.

Propaganda

I found this ABC book in my classroom book corner, lord knows how it got there. It is pretty dodgy, not sure what to do with it.

Film tag

Tim tagged me with a favourite 10 films tag. Damn, Tim. You didn’t know how hard this was. See, I studied film (in fact, have an MA in it) but despite years of them trying to brainwash us with class acts like Stan Brakhage and Maya Deren, my taste in film is relentlessly down-market and lightweight. It makes me feel guilty. So I’m cheating and only doing three.

Carwash
Fairly free-wheeling, plotless day in the life of a carwash. For anyone who’s ever been bored at work. Featuring Richard Pryor as a greedy evangelist preacher, a platinum blonde wig-wearing prostitute hiding out in the toilets to escape the cab-driver she hasn’t paid, the fabulous Pointer Sisters, and Rose Royce on the soundtrack. And some perceptive social commentary – the disaffected youth who joins the Islamic fundamentalists, and Antonio Fargas has the best line as trannie Lindy; “Honey, I’m more man than you’ll ever be, and more woman than you’ll ever get.”

The Big Easy
Funny, sexy thriller set in New Orleans with a great Cajun soundtrack, which is really all about the chemistry between corrupt cop Dennis Quaid and uptight DA Ellen Barkin. Turns the usual noir storyline on its head - it's a rare film in which the woman is the real hero and moral compass. (Plus she’s called Anne, she must be cool.)

The Time Bandits
Best. Film. Ever. Visually breath-taking. Terry Gilliam is so gifted. Unlike most British films, this one is not ham-strung by the conventions of the theatre, it jumps through time and space with gleeful abandon. I love the anarchy of it.

Not tagging anyone, but if you like it, it's yours...