Rob's Blog

Mr Litvinenko and a feeling that’s a little bit like déja vu
29th Nov 2006 22:11

Sometimes something catches my attention on the news and hits me with a feeling that's a little bit like déja vu. But it's not déja vu... it's something else... At the moment there's a general public interest in the death of Alexander Litvinenko. Certainly this is in part because we're curious about the cloak-and-dagger plots that everyone hopes they'll find out about, and partly it's because we're all worried that we're going to find out we've been sprinkling polonium-210 on our cornflakes for the past few weeks. The former is wishful thinking. The later is paranoia. When the paranoia passes and the wishful thinking gets quashed by the realisation we'll never know the truth it'll stop being news. It'll just fade away and the vast majority of people will never hear the end of the story. That's the feeling that's like dejavu. It's a feeling that there's something really big going on, but the knowledge that the public doesn't really want a big story so it'll just fade away. We want to chase dreams and pander to paranoia and after that we'll stop being interested. I'm sure this feeling must be what drives reporters and newscasters across the world to do what they do... but it must also be what drives them to distraction... it's a rather paradoxical feeling. If déja vu is 'already seen' then this is something like 'already disappointed'... déja déçu. Déja déçu... I wonder if I could get it to catch on? ;)

Some light reading
14th Nov 2006 11:11

I've got another article running in A List Apart this week. It's called "In Defense of Difficult Clients", and it's only just this very moment gone up. Have a read if you're bored, it's semi-amusing. It also helps to answer that eternal and oft asked question: "So, urm, what exactly are you going to do with a philosophy degree Rob?" Me and Ga have also just finished working on the first release of "I want a website but I don't know where to start". That's now got a lovely big link on the front of the Fuelled on Coffee website.

Border defense
10th Nov 2006 22:11

I've just been standing outside in the cold having a quick cigarette break, and I could hear one of the cats (I think it was Cinders) getting involved in rather violent sounding fight. It made me realise that they've got rather a hard time of it really. There's so much garden territory to defend, and so many other animals roaming around the Somerset countryside, that the two of them must really be fighting a loosing battle. No wonder they seem to spend the whole day sleeping. They must be exhausted. The obvious solution would be to pull some of our troops our of Iraq and post them around the garden. I'm not saying they need to shoot to kill, but an M16 loaded with blanks would probably to wonders for Sooty and Cinders sleeping patterns.

Predictions… Results…
07th Nov 2006 01:11

For those of you who don't know (and I assume that's probably all of you) it's the Country Music Association awards in Nashville tonight. All those who wish to poke fun at country music should take note that the award ceremony is taking place in the “Gaylord Entertainment Center”. Go on. There's your joke right there. Have your giggle and then stop ridiculing my precious CMA's.

If I wanted to listen to the awards live I'd have to be tuned into Radio 2 between 1am and 4am. Now, I'm hardcore – but I'm not that hardcore.

My predictions (which I know you're all very interested in) are as follows:

• Entertainer of the Year – Brad Paisley Kenny Chesney
• Female Vocalist of the Year - Sara Evans Carrie Underwood
• Male Vocalist of the Year - Brad Paisley Keith Urban
• Horizon Award - Josh Turner Carrie Underwood
• Vocal Group of the Year - Rascal Flatts
• Vocal Duo of the Year -Big & Rich Brooks & Dunn
• Single of the Year - “Summertime” by Kenny Chesney "Believe" by Brooks & Dunn
• Musician of the Year - Jerry Douglas on the Dobro
• Album of the Year - “Time Well Wasted” by Brad Paisley
• Music Video of the Year - “8th of November” by Big & Rich "Believe" by Brooks & Dunn
• Musical Event of the Year - ... I'd have given my left arm to see Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton in Nashville.
• Song of the Year - “Jesus Take The Wheel” "Believe" by Brooks & Dunn

I'm going to be upset if Brad Paisley doesn't win at least 2 categories, and to be honest I'd be happy to see him take all 6 of his nominations (it's just that I don't think “When I get where I'm going” is a particularly good example of Brad at his best, so it just depends if he wins on Dolly Parton appeal).

If I'm honest... it's a pretty crap set of nominations this year... you can tell they're scraping at straws when Bon Jovi creeps back in there. Now I like Jon Bon as much as the next bloke (probably more so... there's a picture of me in a bandanna at a Bon Jovi concert in Wembley Stadium somewhere around here) but to calling him 'country' is like calling Gareth and Owen 'Scottish'. It's geographically close, but no cigar.