more 3d sidewalk art

I can't remember where this picture is from, who did the artwork, or where it is, but l haven't put up any 3d artwork for a while, so l thought l would stick it up anyway (and forget about everything else).

toodle pip

the informers (2009) - gregor jordan

As The Informers was based on some Brett Easton Ellis short stories,  l thought it might turn out to be interesting, but l was sooooooooooooooo wrong about that.
It stood out as a bit of a stinker from the start, when there is an upmarket party full of annoying and unlikeable prats, then someone (unfortunately only one of them) gets knocked over by a car, and as they are flapping about dying, they reach up and wipe some blood on their friends face.
However...the blood wiped on the face and then shown a few seconds later are nowhere near in the same place. That is when the magical bullshit detector alarm bells went off in my head, and should really have hurled the idiot rabbit at the TV to prevent further nonesense, but l struggled valiantly on, as l was enjoying some of the music (gothy early 80's stuff), and thought it couldn't get any worse.
Then it went to a video shoot featuring a drug taking band, and l cracked and lost the will to live (and the idiot rabbit started flying towards the goggle box).
This film is is a right old turkey and no mistaking - don't waste any valuable milliseconds on it, as you will only live to regret it (if you don't kill yourself out of sheer boredom).
And if you do like it, piss off and stop reading this blog - l don't want your sort around.

toodle pip

washington beauty contest - 1922

And thinking about skewed ideas of beauty (see below), here are the winners of a beauty contest in Washington, 1922 (from Shorpy)..
Believe it or not, the one holding the larger trophy actually won.
What a rip off!!
If l was the other girl, l would have demanded a recount.


toodle pip

cleopatra - the great beauty

Pretty much everyone knows the story of Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor), Julius Caesar and Mark Antony (Richard Burton), and think that Cleopatra was a great beauty.
She may well have been as portrayed by Taylor, but not in reality, if these likenesses are anything to go by (a bust and a coin with Cleopatra's image).
I'd rather look at the bust, and saying that, preferably Taylor's.

toodle pip

a busy week and the romanzo criminale series

It's been a long and busy week with no peace for the wicked, as l have been slaving away, including all over Easter, and attending to lots of other matters.
I've been to parties (photo's at a later date) and had way too many trips to hospitals. l was there all this morning (Sunday) and am going again tomorrow morning, and probably tomorrow evening as well.
In the meantime, Kelly is now 16, Dazzer is now 40, myself and the FPO are struggling onwards towards 20, and everyone is being taken ill with hip transplants, infections, heart trouble (not mine), amputations and blood loss. This is however, other people who are ill, as l am still indestructible.

The footie has been great and then bloody awful.
United beat QPR and then City got beaten by Arsenal, thus opening up an 8 point gap, but then United lost against Wigan. Sanity has been restored with a victory over Aston Villa today, and the lead is now 5 points with five games left.

Also...
At long last l have got around to watching the first series of Romanzo Criminale (one episode after another in one block) and am now cursing myself for leaving it so long, as l really enjoyed it.
A criminal gang start from a humble kidnapping, and end up running the Rome underworld - all based on a true story.
It's Italian, subtitled, violent, slow in parts, based in the 70's, but outrageously well done.
Of course the leaders start getting more messed up as the power (and drugs) go to their heads (especially the crazed Lebanese), but that's only to be expected. I'm sure l would go the same way (as Fleetwood Mac nearly sang).
Now l have to dig out the film version and get my grubby little paws on series two.
There's always something else to do - it's neverending.

toodle pip

south park cookery show - crem fraiche

I don't watch South Park religiously these days, and it can definitely be a bit hit and miss, but when it is good, it is really, really good.
The episode myself and the FPO watched last night was one that will have us chuckling for years, even though the kids weren't in it that much (and Cartman is my favourite character).
Called 'Creme Fraiche' it starred Randy and Sharon (Stan's parents), who both become obsessed. Randy with cookery programmes and food, and Sharon with her Shake Weight.
It is an episode that is 100% aimed at adults, and it was hilarious, but pretty damn saucy.
Even though the Shake Weights are sexual anyway, this programme will have you looking at them in a different light altogether, and who would have thought that would be possible?.

Here's the Beavis and Butt-Head promo it features in.
Hur Hur Hur (and a new series of theirs starts on 16th April - hurrah!!)




toodle pip

til, the rabbit with no ears

This is Til, a rabbit that was born in a zoo at Limbach-Oberfrohna with no ears. It looks outrageously cute and vulnerable, and the zoo publicised it's birth and played on the pity and cuteness angle to get some (probably much needed) publicity.
It was (probably - l'm guessing) named after Til Schweiger, who did the German comedy Keinohrhasen (No Ear Rabbits), which shows the Germans have a sense of humour (if my guesswork is correct).
All well and good, and nothing wrong with that at all.
Except........
One of the cameramen stood on it by mistake and killed it.
Yep, that is correct.
Dead.
Just think of how much grief that cameraman will get, and how bad he will be feeling.
Poor little bunny - l bet there were millions of homes and families that would have taken him in (including ours).

toodle pip

billy two hats (1974) - ted kotcheff

Starring Gregory Peck as 'Arch', a 'hoots mon, it's a braw bricht moonlicht nicht taenicht' Scottish outlaw and Desi Arnaz, Jr as his half breed mate (the Billy Two Hats of the title). They are pursued across the desert by Gifford, a mean old sheriff (Jack Warden), who can't understand why they are so close to one another, when they are not related. Peck's Scottish accent is pretty broad and kind of unbelievable coming from him, and Arnaz is better at acting when he is just being silent and moody, rather than trying to get the dialogue across convincingly (which he fails to do). Warden however, is excellent. Rugged, old, bitter and looking for retribution. There is also an appearance by four whisky loving Indians, Copeland, an old timer (David Huddleston) who helps the sheriff out (by shooting and wounding Peck), and (of course), there is a love interest (Sian Barbara Allen) for Arnaz. Superb (if you are into old school westerns).

toodle pip

muhammad ali and sammy davis jr

Sammy Davis Jr has got some boxing gloves on, but he had better be praying that Muhammad Ali doesn't put some on himself, as l know who my money would be on if it came to a bout of the old fisticuffs.
A clue - it wouldn't be on Sammy.
Richard Pryor has a routine where he talks about sparring with Ali for charity (or a press shot), and even though Pryor had done some boxing in the past, he said all he could see of Ali's gloves, was when they were moving away from his face after hitting him, as his jabs were so fast.
A bit like me back in the old days down at The Walkie.

toodle pip

the telegraphs ugliest buildings

Aldar headquarters building in Abu Dhab

Grand Lisboa Hotel in Macau

The National Library in Pristina, Kosovo

The National Library of Belarus in Minsk

I know l shouldn't be annoyed or exasperated by anything that is in The Telegraph (the right wing, Tory loving rag that it is), but their list of 'the ugliest buildings in the world' got to me, as there are plenty on the list that l actually like, such as the ones above. I also understand they are probably printing the list to get a reaction from the likes of me and some free publicity for the paper, but what the heck, they are still wrong.
Plus they're a bunch of narrow minded arses with no taste.

toodle pip

diet the ayds way

Bit of an unfortunate name they chose for a diet product.

toodle pip

the bluebird - charles bukowski

there's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out

but I'm too tough for him,
I say, stay in there,
I'm not going to let anybody see you.

there's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out
but I pour whiskey on him
and inhale cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders and the grocery clerks
never know that he's in there.

there's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say, stay down,
do you want to mess me up?
 you want to screw up the works?
you want to blow my book sales in Europe?

 there's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out
but I'm too clever,
 I only let him out at night sometimes when everybody's asleep.
I say, I know that you're there,
so don't be sad.
then I put him back,

but he's singing a little in there,
I haven't quite let him die
and we sleep together like that
with our secret pact
and it's nice enough to make a man weep,
but I don't weep,
do you?


 Another classic from the mighty pen of Charles Bukowski.
From in The Last Night of the Earth Poems and The Pleasure of The Damned.

toodle pip

van heusen ties - a man's world

Naturally l have a few ties kicking about the house, but l think l might have been buying the wrong sort, as they certainly don't have this affect on the FPO. Methinks it's time for some new ones, but who on earth would wear a shirt and tie in bed?.

toodle pip

philippine baby crocodiles

Ahh, they look kind of cute when they are born, but l wouldn't fancy bringing one of these up at home. They are Philippine baby Crocodiles, best left to get on with things by themselves, in the wild, and far away from me.

toodle pip

garden state (2004) - zak braff

Garden State is a pretty slow paced romantic film, featuring Zak Braff as Andrew Largeman, an aspiring actor who returns home for his mothers funeral, comes off his medication, and tries to live his life a bit, trying to make amends with his father in the process. He also meets some old friends and a gets himself a love interest (as they always do in these type of films). Not much else happens, apart from some drug taking, some heart to heart talks, and the regaining of his mothers bracelet. It passed some time this morning (allowing me to slowly wake up), and the soundtrack was pretty good (which won Braff an Emmy), but it's nothing special, unlike similar films such as 'The Graduate'.

toodle pip

the singing detective (2003) - keith gordon

No-where near as good as the British TV series starring Michael Gambon, The Singing Detective sees the setting transported to the USA, and the old crooner songs replaced by early Rock and Roll tunes. Robert Downey, Jr's performance is pretty impressive, but can't touch Gambon's original one. Mel Gibson is unrecognisable as Dr Gibbon, Katie Holmes plays the Joanne Whalley sexy nurse role (not as sexily), and that's all there is to say really. It was an effort that deviated a lot from the series, as the plot had to be condensed, but in reality, there is no comparison between them. The TV series is fantastic, but this was pretty boring for large segments. Downey Jr - good, the film itself - dull.

toodle pip

visiting joe in hospital (again) and the love crazed rabbit

As it was another glorious day full of the Great Lords sunshine today, l took up some stuff  for Joe, who has been admitted into James Cook hospital and had another hip replacement done, as there were complications with the first one.
I needed some fuel when l set off, but was amazed to see the queues  at the local garage. I had to wait a while to get served, and fuelled by the paranoia about strikes and shortages (see what l did there) , decided to put in extra diesel 'just in case'. Of course this also develops into a 'Catch 22' situation, and will probably cause shortages in the future, but what the fuck, l need the fuel anyway, and just got a little bit extra to save me queueing later on and make sure l can get to work (but not until next Tuesday afternoon).
Joe was his normal self (unsure if that is good or bad), in a private room, and is going to be kept in for 4 - 6 weeks.
Saw Robbo afterwards, got some wine for home, and watched some recorded stuff on the TV with the FPO (with the idiot rabbit finally crumbling and licking my nose at long last).
A loved crazed rabbit, a drunken FPO, Joe with his radio, and me on the computer. All is present and correct with the world.

toodle pip

flying like a bird

Jarno Smeets, a mechanical engineer from Holland can fly like a bird on this contraption it has taken him eight months to build.
Everybody will want one now.

 toodle pip

outside the wine bar at work

Life can be great. As part of my work duties, l ended up sitting outside my local pub (Hunters / The Wine Bar at Catterick) on a glorious day full of bright sunshine.
Bliss.
Later on, after finishing work, l resumed the sitting outside and drinking duties.
Keeping it sweet.

toodle pip

first aid course at darlington

I had to do an update training course for First Aid at the Blackwell Grange hotel in Darlington today (on a glorious summers day), which was all well and good, but l then had to go to work afterwards and do a sleepover. Still well and good, but l had only been at work for about 2 seconds, when l managed to cut myself with a broken glass in the sink. Trust me, work's not that bad, so it wasn't intentional, no matter what it looked like.
At least l knew how to bandage / plaster myself up afterwards (through the tears).

toodle pip

the mad men girls - set me free

Mad Men: Set Me Free from popculturepirate on Vimeo.

As Mad Men is now back (hurrah!), here's a video that must have taken ages putting together, thankfully, not by me. Even in my most boring and anal moments,  l'm not that sad, although l am pleased there are others out there in internet land who are.

toodle pip

out and about at colburn business park

During (and fulfilling) one of my many work duties, l went to Colburn Business Park today to pick somebody up. What a waste of time the place has been (so far). I would say about half of the buildings are empty, and there is not a lot of demand for some of the unoccupied spaces. Some are already being used by charity/do gooder organisations, and this all goes hand in hand with The Colburn Lodge pub being run down, sold, then left unused (probably so it can be knocked down sometime shortly in the future).
What a sad development for the area, as The Lodge is a landmark pub, and will definitely make money once the enterprise schemes (and the planned new building of houses) takes place.
In the meantime, the area is dead, the pub is boarded up, but it's still nice to drive around on a sunny day.

toodle pip