Stretching before running

One of the annoying things about web development, is having to learn completely new paradigms every now and again. I’m all for improving my skills and being more efficient in my work, but when i have to halt to have to learn a whole new separate thing, it grinds my gears a bit. The idea … Continue reading “Stretching before running”

One of the annoying things about web development, is having to learn completely new paradigms every now and again. I’m all for improving my skills and being more efficient in my work, but when i have to halt to have to learn a whole new separate thing, it grinds my gears a bit.

The idea I’m talking about today is something called Elasticsearch. Yet another data access methodology and one that I’ve never had to mess with before. Don’t get me wrong I’m not hating on the technology, I would simply rather not have to learn this whole new way of searching data.

I’m easily confused.

On a more positive note i have started taking steps towards actually building my first online product / service which i think could be very handy for a lot, if not all, bloggers. It’s something I built for myself and thought about how others could benefit from it too.

Stay tuned for more info as it develops.

Tonight I’ve been enrolled into a run up the canal by my lady. Although i felt a sudden drive for it this morning, that has since passed after my tiring over one of the most boring tutorial videos I’ve ever watched – about the aforementioned Elasticsearch. I’m sure she won’t let me shirk my running responsibilities and I’ll be jogging round the block in no time.

A quarrel of rooks and first world war pigeons

Where most people tend to enjoy the sun’s hot rays on days like today, i tend to get a little bit crabby. My girlfriend refers to me as a Honey Badger. It’s not intentional, i simply am not one for heat. I’d rather be colder than warm. This year however we have bought some sun … Continue reading “A quarrel of rooks and first world war pigeons”

Where most people tend to enjoy the sun’s hot rays on days like today, i tend to get a little bit crabby. My girlfriend refers to me as a Honey Badger. It’s not intentional, i simply am not one for heat. I’d rather be colder than warm.

This year however we have bought some sun lotion, so as not to have a repeat of my horrific ordeal of extreme sun burn last year.

We thought we’d go for a quiet afternoon at Middleton Hall today, however hundreds of other people had the same idea. Turns out there was a plant fair on, which meant my lady was in her element.

After being allowed 2 entry tickets for 1 due to our lack of physical money, we took a wander through the hall on the way to the fair. En route we wound up talking to a nice elderly man who was running a nice display of World war one memorabilia. Now i was in my element.

I find the subject of World war one both interesting and humbling. The man had lots of interesting information about the articles he had bought with him including a spiked item designed to puncture horses hooves on the battlefield​. Pretty brutal. Other interesting information included the other animals used during the first world war – including pigeons. In fact they even created a medal specifically for them – the Dickin Medal – which 32 of them were presented with.

After meaning to do it for a long while, we also finally joined the R.S.P.B. Down at the Middleton wildlife reservation a helpful lady helped us join for just £7 a month. It’s feels nice to be giving something back.

Apparently also otters are now on the incline – no longer as endangered as they once were. So that’s good news. We didn’t spot any however. I guess they’re all tucked away in their homes.

A day in the sun and a hamster in transit

Today we were hit by a surprise bout of heat and sunshine so i did something i haven’t done in a long time – sat out in a garden in a recliner chair. I’d forgotten how nice it is to actually have a garden. I thought this was well deserved as we had been on … Continue reading “A day in the sun and a hamster in transit”

Today we were hit by a surprise bout of heat and sunshine so i did something i haven’t done in a long time – sat out in a garden in a recliner chair.

I’d forgotten how nice it is to actually have a garden.

I thought this was well deserved as we had been on the go all day up to that point. This included me moving a load of my stuff to my lady’s for my week stay. Included in the move was Moomin, our little hamster.

Moomin hasn’t been well recently but today, rolling around in his ball in the garden, seemed to cheer him up. If you have a hamster you should get him / her out when you can and let them explore. There’s nothing Moomin enjoys more than running around freely in the living room; exploring the furthest reaches of his home.

I read an article this morning about a guy who blogged every day for a year and how it had accustomed him to noticing more of the smaller things in life. I have decided to try the same – this is actually my third day in a row so far so that’s good.

Some days the posts may be mundane while other days may have items of interest. However i will endeavour to find some nuggets of interest in those days that tend to be rinse and repeat, i.e. work days.

All the best,

Dave.

No hay Scofield. There is no Scofield.

Mulholland Drive is a dream i often like to get lost in. It is one of my top five films and is a film where i am happy to be led into the darkness of David Lynch’s genius. A friend of mine and me were lucky enough to get tickets to the first showing of … Continue reading “No hay Scofield. There is no Scofield.”

Mulholland Drive is a dream i often like to get lost in. It is one of my top five films and is a film where i am happy to be led into the darkness of David Lynch’s genius.

A friend of mine and me were lucky enough to get tickets to the first showing of the newly-restored version of this film as part of Birmingham’s flatpack festival.

It was everything i imagined and hoped it would be. Key scenes were even more powerful on the big screen; Rebecca Del Rio’s a cappella version of Crying; the leading up the secret path; Betty’s audition with Woody Catz.

Not only was it immersive behind the screen, but so too was the crowd that i found myself fortunate to sit with. This was the first time in all my cinema-going history where i have taken part in a full-on applauding for the film in both it’s starting and finishing.

The trip back home proved annoying as my main route was closed and had to follow diversions for an extra half an hour. My arriving home at half twelve in the morning didn’t mark the end of my day however. You see, it was also the day of the Prison Break season 5 premiere and I wasn’t gonna miss this one for the world.

I enjoyed the new episode. Of course it didn’t have the wow factor that the revealing of the tattoos did at the end of season one’s premiere, but i guess it’s hard to recapture that. I wasn’t disappointed though. I enjoyed seeing the old characters back and look forward to seeing where their paths take them.

A lovely belated Mother’s Day outing

Today I took my mom to Middleton Hall for the afternoon and had a great time. After lunch in the small cafe, within the old stables, we ventured around the Hall itself and surrounding gardens. It’s amazing how much interesting history is right there on your doorstep. For example the Middleton estate was leased to … Continue reading “A lovely belated Mother’s Day outing”

Today I took my mom to Middleton Hall for the afternoon and had a great time. After lunch in the small cafe, within the old stables, we ventured around the Hall itself and surrounding gardens.

It’s amazing how much interesting history is right there on your doorstep. For example the Middleton estate was leased to the Knight’s Templar in 1185 by the owners at the time, the de Marmion family. Also one of the commanders at the largest naval battle of World War One, The Battle of Jutland, was from the Willoughby family. The Willoughby family owned the Middleton estate for about 500 years.

Those are just two snippets but you can find out more on their website. Also one of the ladies working there was very knowledgeable on the whole subject. She gave us loads of facts and figures but I can’t lie – there was simply too much to take in during one sitting. But very helpful nonetheless.

Ladyhawke live at O2 Institute, Birmingham

It was 6:35pm and I was stood fourth in line in the freezing cold winter. I was waiting for one of my most anticipated gigs of the year – Ladyhawke live at O2 Institute in Birmingham. This was the gig I’d been waiting for since late last year and I couldn’t quite believe it was finally here.

I had been to the O2 Institute before and so was aware of what to expect from the mid-sized venue, or so I thought. It turned out that the venue was in the lower level of the institute in a very intimately-sized bar. This was even better than I had expected.

As soon as I entered I emptied my bladder, got a coke and took my place front row, center of the all-standing crowd.

Support Band: Isle

I hadn’t heard of Isle before, but liked them as soon as I heard them play. They were just two guys – One on guitars / vocals / synth pads; the other on drums and backing vocals. They packed a lot of punch into their thirty minute support set and got the crowd revved up well for the main act. I kind of felt sorry for the front man when he asked if we “Manchester” were doing well. But he did soon apologize and was noticeably bashful over it.

Isle’s set was sometimes ethereal in sound, which often broke out into frantic, energetic bursts with powerful performances from both. Mixed in there were some effective uses of synthesizers and pads too.

Between the support set and the main act to come, we were treated to a thirty minute selection of Prince songs followed by “Fashion” by David Bowie. This only helped build up my anticipation of what was to come.

Main Act: Ladyhawke

When Pip and band walked out I couldn’t quite believe the wait was over. After listening to her music so much after only discovering her about 10 months previous, the moment was finally here. In fact I think it took about three songs until I could actually believe that Pip and band were actually stood there, about eight feet away, performing the songs I have come to love.

Some of the songs they performed came across heavier live than on the new album “Wild Things“. “Let It Roll” was one that stood out as sounding particularly heavier. This was specifically due to the heavier drum sound, which isn’t surprising considering I was within spitting distance of the bass drum. My only issue with standing so close, was that for me the drums tended to drown out Pip’s vocals a bit on some verses.

Pip came across as very reserved on stage, seeming almost shy at times. This only added to her endearing charm and when it came time to blast out the songs, which the whole band did with gusto, she soon opened up and didn’t disappoint.

I think my favorite song they performed was the title song from the new album “Wild Things”. This song, performed live right in front of me, gave me goosebumps just like I knew it would. It is by far my favorite song on the new album, and one of my top five of her’s overall, and she nailed it.

Although Ladyhawke are a band recognized worldwide, they still felt very much to be the kind of band you’d see at your local bar on a Friday night. They came across as a very down to earth band who weren’t afraid to perform within arms reach of their adoring fans. Each and every song was performed with precision and is a band I would definitely see on their next tour – albeit not so close to the drum kit next time.