Christmas 2008

Just dropping in to wish you all a massively Merry Christmas!
Though the physical day has passed, let's not forget about it as fast as it came!

And as we also say, Beceлиx свят i Шacливoгo нoвoгo poкy!

Catch Up!

I decided to drop this blog post, since I have not posted anything in a rather long while!
I still have a music blog post saved in draft, but alas, I have no time to finish it, as I am meant to be packing like a lunatic for this holiday I am going on tomoz.
It's more or less a memorial trip, as we are all going in memory of Tato. :(
I hope for it to be enjoyable, and I hope to do some serious thinking about things without computers, mobile phones and the other numerous distractions of life.
It's only a few days, but it's going to be nice to totally relax without thinking of all the things I need to do, haven't done and should be doing.
I hope.

Anyway, what else is there to say?
I'm not ill anymore, though it did take an AGE to get over, and my appetite has been severely fucked, but who's counting?!
There is a nice covering of snow outside, and Christmas is fast approaching.
Though for some reason, it doesn't seem like it's right around the corner.
We go through months and months of Chrimbo adverts, so I believe I have become jaded with all of the hype.
I am not into the "buy!!!" and the "5 shopping days left to get what you want!!!!"
Christmas is and always has been a very spiritual time, and this is why I have this sense of disconnect.
My priorities are in different places.

Moving on, I have decided to include an ickle playlist of sorts that I have been listening to lately!

Geraldine - Glasvegas

The Thrill Of Thirty Seconds - Skint & Demoralised

She's Got Standards - The Rifles

Send Away The Tigers - Manic Street Preachers

Vision Of Heaven - Bloc Party

Saviours Of Jazz Ballet - Mew

Bring It On Down - Oasis

Berlin - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Nuevo American - Brazilian Girls

Free Me - Emma Bunton (? lol)

Hot 'N Cold - Katy Perry (I am really very embarrassed that I have been listening to this...forgive me!!)

Song 2 - Blur

Like It Too Much - Kaiser Chiefs

Outta Time - Oasis

Cloudy Room - The Twang

Downing Street Kindling - Larrikin Love

Tis all for now.
x

PS There are only a few day left to vote on the poll at the bottom!!!
I know that many of you don't have a say on the matter, but you see, it is a very important scientific study... :P

Sixteen "Facts"

Forgive me, for I have a music review draft saved here on blogger, but my brain is too gwushy to finish it off, as I had come down unexpectedly with a bout of rather intense food posioning.
Anyway, in an effort to divert my thoughts from the current unpleasant sensations, I found and completed this ickle 'tag blog' of sorts in which one is supposed to include sixteen random facts, musings, goals and other things of this nature in the list.
Some I have included are new, and others you may know if you are a devoted blog-reader/factoid whore.

1. I dislike the shape of mushrooms...they inspire hatred in my soul.

2. I make sound effects.

3. When all else fails, I break into accents of an assorted nature...it always works.

4. I enjoy being groped at gigs. It's all part of the experience!

5. I can swallow pills without water, and I trained myself to do so just in case I might be stranded on an island someplace.

6. The word 'log' makes me laugh.

7. I make it an effort to get people to say the word 'log' as many times as possible throughout the course of a day. Well, log or any other word I might feel like at the time.

8. I used to think that a piece of electrical machinery that resembled a large lollipop was the city's first defense for a possible giant attack, because as we know, giants love lollies.

9. Blokes in good bands are devilishly attractive. Yum yum.

10. I still think of the book titled "If I Had An Orange For A Bellybutton" to this day.

11. If it's one thing I have learned about sunglasses that are completely opaque, it's that people will do ANYTHING in front of you if they think you are sleeping.

12. I love professional wrestling. More people should watch it.

13. I find that most people criticise everything I do, regardless of the fact that it's not their business to begin with. It grates on my nerves.

14. I once almost choked on an oatmeal cream pie in a closet.

15. I used to know all the lyrics to the Phantom of the Opera when I was five.

16. I wish I had a watermelon.

If you so desire, you may repost with answers of your own!
:)
x

Quoteable Quotes

I have been wanting to post a few more QQ's on here, but wasn't arsed to do so until now.
There are only a few at mo, but I fort they were ace.
:D

"An optimist believes we live in the best of all possible worlds.
A pessimist fears this is true."

"One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries."

"There are lies, damn lies, and statistics."

Schopenhaven's Law of Entropy:
"If you put a spoonful of wine in a barrel full of sewage, you get sewage.
If you put a spoonful of sewage in a barrel full of wine, you get sewage."

"Posessions increase to fill the space available for their storage."

Non-Reciprocal Law of Expectation:
"Negative expectations yield negative results.
Positive expectations yield negative results."

"A drug is that substance, which when injected into a rat, will produce a scientific report."

Let Nothing Disturb You

I am not entirely sure what the name of this particular passage is, but I came across it the other day and loved it:

Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you.
All things are passing;
God never changes.
Patience overcomes all things.
He who possesses God
lacks nothing.
God alone is sufficient.
-St Teresa of Avila, 1515 - 1582

Savvy?

Just a quick update to you all (whomever you are and wherever you are!) to say that I have not been trying to neglect my blog, but rather I have been going out a bit too much, sleeping not enough and have a bit of a runny nose.
Therefore, I will get my arse on here in the next day or two and post something of substance!
I so despise posting ickle entires...they look oh-so cheap.

Mushy lovies for you all!
x

1234

As I took a peek at my blog tonight, I saw the hit counter had read 1234!
It won't read that now, but I did indeed see it.
:P

I promise for postings of a music-related nature coming up soon!

Sphinx
x

This Much I Know

I had come across this article the other day, and though it is somewhat recent, I love the content.
And since I am constantly attempting to curb my Noel Fielding obsession (attempting being the operative word la), it slakes my lust in a small way. :P
In case you haven't seen it already, without further adieu, I give thee:

This much I know
Noel Fielding, comedian, 35, London
Interview Eva Wiseman guardian.co.uk, Sunday May 25 2008 00.03 BST
The Observer, Sunday May 25 2008 Article history

Fame is a bit Nietzschean.
For everything good, something bad happens to you, so you have to sort of be careful.

My mum and dad are quite hippyish, so I'm pretty naive.
I take everyone at face value.

When you're famous you can't go to Topshop.
Even when I disguise myself in a moustache, baseball cap, sunglasses - the full Madonna kit - it doesn't work: my stupid face is too big.

The more people drink, the more they want from you.
At 9 o'clock people want a photo, at 10 o'clock they want you to write them an essay, and at 1 in the morning, they want you to speak to their nan, who named a dog after you - which is a true story.

Gay people are all like Superman.
You have to be quite strong to be gay - or to be different in any way. You build special muscles.

I'm strong, like a flea.
A really powerful flea.

The more glam you look and the more you believe your own hype, the more likely you are to get your head cut off.
I learned that when I saw a dragonfly being decapitated by ants.

Some people have a fear of being on stage.
I have a fear of coming off it.

Stand-up is like school.
When you're not very good, you're a supply teacher and the kids will run riot. Bill Hicks was a headmaster; I'm getting up to being maybe a part-time French teacher.

Trousers can never be too tight.
You have to go through a couple of days of pain, then everything stretches out.

I visited a friend in Leicester recently.
It was 4am, and we all ran round in a circle, six of us. It's the most fun I've had since I was seven. And I thought: it's not about drink, or drugs, or fancy clubs. It's about running around in your socks, changing direction! In a front room in Leicester.

There's not enough psychedelic stuff on TV.
I want the world to be a bit weirder than it is. I hate reality, so I hate reality TV. But I love Columbo.

We're attracted to dark stuff as human beings.
I know it's wrong, but I love guns.

When I was 14, I saw someone getting their face and wrists slashed with a knife in a pub in Catford.
Nobody lifted a finger. That's when I realised that violence wasn't funny. At all.

I never did that badly with women when I wasn't on telly, but it's a bit out of control now.
Women try it on with me more than I'm comfortable with. It's strange, because I think I look like a troll wearing a woman's wig backwards.

I'm a mischievous drunk.
I hate the kind of drunks that you have to run away from when you see that look in their eyes like they're planning to kill you and wear your skin as a leisure suit.

I like what Little Britain is doing, but when you get as popular as that, it becomes something else other than comedy, like bread or oranges or wallpaper.

With the Boosh we take something like a merman and give him a vagina and make him look a bit like Rick James and get him to play the funk. That's what we do.

It's important to keep the chain of influences going.
Someone you admire likes Bob Dylan, who likes Woody Guthrie... It's important, otherwise people just disappear.

I don't have back-to-front ram's legs, but I feel like I have.
All of my comedy stems from the fact that I feel like I'm half-man, half-animal. A man is funny, but a man with antlers is hilarious. And I'm going to see this experiment through to the end.

Ah, dear, dear Noel.
What a lovely soul.
x

You're just something to miss...

Felt like posting summat, though don't know exactly what I have to say.
These past couple of weeks have been rather up and down...I really don't know how to look at them tbh.
Things have been said and done to make me think things.
But of course, my inner doubts rule me into thinking that this could possibly be the most absurd thing on the face of the earth.
Why me and etc?
Meh.
Not to sound totally immature and high-schooly...it is more or less me waiting for the words, and if those words never come, then being content in waiting.
Not that anything I've said makes sense.


My birthday turned out well weird, but here I am, another year older I guess.
Halloween came and went with a bang, as threw a rather sucessful bash and even dressed up as a bag of jellybeans to boot.
Been a bit lonely I reckon, and a bit impatient as well.
Why impatient you might ask?

I guess it's because there are those times where things get to you more than others.
It just seems like I'm sitting here wasting away, waiting for things to happen.
And these things I am waiting for seem like they are right in my reach sometimes, and other times they seem like an impossible dream.
I know I shouldn't be discouraged, but am very frustrated at mo.
Whenever I try to communicate with people about my indecision in life, all I get is nagativity and opposition.
They tell me that I need to do things instead of sitting and talking about them.
The thing is that I don't just sit and talk about them.
I just don't know where to begin or even which direction to look in.
As I look back on things, I see that I have been relativley unsucessful in my endeavours.
This gives me an inherently defeatist attitude...of which I am well aware is not a positive thing.

But meh...if.

Artbitch

This post is really of no substance, but it is merely to tell people that I have my deviantART account up and running.
I have uploaded original artwork and photography, and some of it is even available for purchase if you so desire to have something pretty hanging in the front room.
And if not, you can still go and see all the pretty and swooshy colours that you might wish to have as a wallpaper on your desktop.
Whatever it may be, it's there!
The link is here and I have also posted it on my Link Love section to the right.

Cheers!
x

PS Tomoz is my birthday.
Woo!

My finger is on the button...

At this moment in time, I am sat in my cousin's flat rather alone, as I went spur of the moment to visit them.
I've got no wheels, so I must wait for right now.
I have taken the liberty to have a bop to a couple of tunes, as I so often do.
I do say that the Chems are treating me rather well. :D
Push The Button is an ace album!

I can't seem to shake this frustration I have currently.
I need to get to a gig and dance like a madman. (madwoman doesn't sound as smooth as madman)
I need to go on holiday. I need to do something worthwhile.
Before I explode.

Anyway, not much else to say...I would like to thank Ashley at likesounds.com for posting in my previous Oasis blog.
Check their site out...tis ace.

Right, am off for now.
That is unless I think of other things to randomly post.
x

Dig Out Your Soul

Oasis put out a new album titled "Dig Out Your Soul" as the follow up to the 2006 release of "Don't Believe the Truth."
Though I don't physically own it, I have been streaming it on myspace and imeem rather often.
I am no self-procliamed Oasis expert by any means, but what I notice on this album is more of an emphasis on the songwriting and the tracks that seem to have more of an acoustic edge.
Though I have yet to form an opinion on this album, I will say that it is a very solid collection of tunes, but there aren't as many instant Oasis classics.
That being said, a few of my favourite tunes on the album are "Bag It Up, The Turning, Waiting for the Rapture, Shock of the Lightning, To Be Where There's Life" and "Ain't Got Nothin'."
Those particular tracks have some classic Oasis vibe to them, and they've got potential to be crowd favourites as well.
It's defo worth a listen!!




1. Bag It Up
2. The Turning
3. Waiting for the Rapture
4. Shock of the Lightning
5. I'm Outta Time
6. (Get Off Your) High Horse Lady
7. Falling Down
8. To Be Where There's Life
9. Ain't Got Nothin'
10. The Nature of Reality
11. Soldier On

"Maher’s argument against faith laughable"

I had come across this review of Bill Maher's 'film' "Religulous" from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper, written by Ann Rodgers.
It's a very well written article:

""Religulous" has the theological depth of a religion documentary by a seventh-grade church dropout, which is exactly what filmmaker Bill Maher is.
He uses a more fundamentalist reading of scripture than most fundamentalists do. He doesn't even know the proper name of the New Testament book that he reviles as a threat to humanity. It's "Revalation" not "Revalations," and the vast majority of the world's Christians do not share the doomsday interpertation of it that Maher most fears. The vast majority of those who do have no desire to hasten the apocalypse.
The film is an alleged quest to find out if "religion is detrimental to the progress of humanity."
He concludes that it is, even though most of the believers he meets treat him with far more respect than he treats them. He makes no mention of any good ever done in the name of God, or the millions killed by Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot in the name of atheism.
His fears focus on scripture, but at no point does he interview an actual Bible scholar or theologian. The closest he comes is a Catholic priest who is also a Vatican astronomer and another whose job at a Vatican-related seminary is to translate terms such as "automated teller machine" into Latin.
Maher seems shocked that the Vatican sponsors scientific research, revealing his own ignorance. The Latin scholar may overstate some changes since Vatican II, but that may have been necessary because Maher seems to have missed the council entirely.
He explains that he was the product of a Catholic-Jewish marriage, which may tempt some rabbis to cite this film as evidence against intermarriage.
Maher thinks anti-Semitic stereotypes are funny, telling a bargain-hunting Pentecostal, "You shop like a Jew."
Few Jews have met any like those featured in the film, such as the rabbi who participated in Iran's conference of Holocaust deniers. Maher's thesis seems to be that the lunatic fringe of any religious group is that faith's truest expression.
A young Muslim woman was the only person permitted to give an intelligent response on camera to his questions about difficult scriptures. In this case it was a commans in the Quran to kill unbelievers. When she said the verse was about a specific situation in the sevemth century and did not apply today, Maher replied, "That's not how people read holy books."
But that is exactly how theologians and scripture scholars read them. Their job is to study the historical words, to find what something meant on the day it was written and try to work out how it applies to today. Sermons in evangelical churches are filled with references to life in the Roman Empire and the meaning of Greek verbs. The bestselling Bible in the United States is the "Archaeological Study Bible."
Dangerous distortions come from people who try to teach scripture without a background in history or ancient languages and literature. The guy who wrote "88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988" wasn't a theologian, he was a rocket scientist. Osama bin Laden isn't a theologian, he's a civil engineer.
Bill Maher isn't a theologian, he's a comedian.
There are intelligent arguments to be made against faith.
This is not one of them."


Bill Maher is a fool.
If I may be so crass.

You've been lying to me?

Well, it would appear that I lied.
I did not have a day of random postings, as I ended up doing other things.
I spent the evening putting things up on ebay (though I doubt if anyone will bid on it), messing about with photos, watching TNA wrestling (Christian Cage ftw!), enjoying some white wine mixed with cranberry juice (yum) and being in sub-arctic temperatures.
It is currently so frigid that my fingers are slightly numb.
Joking set aside.
It could be because I am sitting in only shorts and a t-shirt, but that is my attire year round.
But I do love the cold, so there are no complaints here!

Now enjoy some photos of Christian Cage:










If you haven't noticed, I am a huge wrestling fan, and have been my whole life.
Currently, my favourite is Christian Cage (^_^), as he is a mega wrestler.
I do have others that are ace as well.
Perhpas sometime I shall do a photo barrage!
x

What took you so long?

I'm sat here in the throes of technology.
Tis rather frustrating transferring files at the speed of butt.
I found an extra portable hard drive that I am going to use to back up the content on my laptop, as it's not backed up anywhere.
It's a Seagate FreeAgent and tis double cool.
It's got a capacity of 232GB, so not bad at all!
But when I checked what content was already on it, I saw that it was almost maxed out completely.
Yikes.
So I now have the task of cutting the files out the device and pasting them into the massive-capacity desktop.
The catch is that it's taking an AGE.
It has been taking about seven minutes on average to transfer only about 500MB worth of files at a time, and I'm going to have to deal with ones that are about 23GB in one go. :|
Currently, am transferring a file of 10GB and it says it's going to take 7 hours.
Please be false!!
These files I am dealing with are actually the complete contents of a custom-built Alienware laptop that was tricked-out like a movverlicker but had crashed.
We hacked the hard drives and extracted the files.
But here we are, dealing with these frustrating contents!
Oh dear, it says now 8 hours.........

Am trying to occupy myself during this daunting task by jamming to me iPod (which is still fucked and chooses what it wants to play most of the time) and have got me noise-cancelling Bose headphones on.
It offers some release of tension, as I despise technology playing up like it does so frequently.

In an effort to beautify my blog and to add some visual stimulation for my ghost readers, here are some photos of the tech bits I am currently a-using.
Apologies for the low resolution on some:

Seagate FreeAgent



Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones




Ancient runs-on-gasoline-has-no-colour-display-and-is-seldom-believed-to-exist iPod Third Generation




HP Media Center PC m7757c




HP w2207 LCD Display Screen




Logitech UltraVision Webcam (I don't actually have it on right now, but it's still there)




Woo! I am pleased to say that the transfer of 10GB is complete, and it didn't take 8 hours!
But my work here is not yet done...
Moving on to the next deliciously large file...
Today might be a day of random postings, as I have nowt much better to do but wait.
We shall see.
x

Trapped in the Closet

I have just spent the last five and a half hours in a closet.
Not just any old closet, mind...a closet the size of a pillbox that hasn't been properly tended to in a few years.
I know...I need to be flogged.

It's immensely difficult to maneuver in such a poorly-constructed closet, so I procrastinate as long as possible so as to avoid muscle cramps, stiff necks and avalanches of doom.
But today I was feeling rather tenacious, as a result of feeling like a waster prior to it.
I dove into the miniscule square of despair, into the old jumpers, plushies, handbags and cobwebs.
It was a dark and dismal journey I tell thee, definitely not for the weak of heart.
I managed to eradicate the out-of-date styles and funky items I have scarcely worn and replaced them with my clothes of mod, retro and indie nature that have not had a permanent home base unitl now.
But, we ran into a bit of a snag when I tried to accomodate my clothing into the space on the rack designated for them.
This particular area when stuffed to the brim would only be able to accomodate a large peanut.
Determined as I was, by some force from above, I managed to fit all of my clothes on the rack.
Mission accomplished.

But due to the stupid closet, I had scrapped my other plans for tonight.
Argh.

Booze and Bose Speakers

Felt like saying that I am greatly enjoying my Bose soundsystem at mo.
Bose has always been my favourite choice for my sound system needs, and I must say that I have been rather spoilt by them.
This partiular one was in a box for ages, and now it's properly hooked up to the computer.
The sound is liquid gold!
There are two surround units, a touch-sensitive volume controller with multiple jacks and a kicking subwoofer.



The quality is superb, and I haven't even gotten it up to maximum volume in fear that the walls will crumble!
I kid you not.

Am now playing a party bag of choons that I want to hear on such superior sound as well.
It has blown me two steps back!
If any of you are considering any such soundsystem, go for it. Now.
You will not regret it!

I would love to have a massive, massive house party right about now.
I greatly tire of attending parties and the like where they spin proper cheesy shizz on the speakers, if at all.
I would defo have a party if the people I knew were not so...disapproving of such things...to say the least.
Anyway, there would be frantic tuneage, gratuitious amounts of booze, drunken nuggets of wisdom...

Perhaps if I do have a party, I shall invite you.
:P
x

Stop Me on the Way Down

I know that I said I'd be back to promptly post a review and etc, and I realise that I have not yet done so.
I assure you that I don't do this too often...say I'm going to do something and not do it at all, but I have been extremely tired recently, due to gratutious amounts of partying.
I will get to posting the aforementioned items, I swear. Sometime...
You love it you slags...

Moving on, loads of things have happened since my last enrty.
It all involves weddings, drunken escapades, epic mate drama, causing riots at Mexican resturants, losing at tournaments of a game with the abhorrent name of "corn hole", hammered dentists, walk-a-thons, video game parties and living on an average of four hours of sleep.
It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it...

On the writing front, I've joined a literary website where I have uploaded some of my poems in hopes that some scout might see them and find a place for them.
I would love to be published!
I do have aspirations in writing.
If you can't tell at this point that I never take my writing cap off, simply read a couple of my posts and prepare to be textually assulted.
It is one of the essential supertheories I have about the dismal state of this particular blog.
But anyway, one of my goals is to write and have published a romantic comedy novel, and I would love to write a memoir of short stories and essays.
Perhaps this website could be a vehicle in doing this?
One never knows.

Right, in an effort to make up for my recent sub-par posts and seemingly empty promises, I shall post a list of the choons I have been listening to recently.
And possibly in the future, I shall make them downloadable, so as to attract potential readers that might be appreciative and comment.
Another story for another day...

1. Heartbeat - Late of the Pier
2. White Lies - The Dirty Secrets
3. Cavorting - The Courteeners
4. Human - The Killers
5. Never Miss A Beat - Kaiser Chiefs
6. Hurt Me Badly - Accidental Superhero
7. Strength in Numbers - The Music
8. The Tears - Robots in Disguise
9. Private Affair - The Virgins
10. She's A Weapon - Twisted Wheel
11. Aeons - The Presets
12. Start Again - Electric Soft Parade
13. Crawl - Kings of Leon
14. Propane Nightmares - Pendulum
15. Talons - Bloc Party
16. Something Is Not Right With Me - Cold War Kids
17. The Cycles - AutoVaughn
18. Lucio Starts Fires - Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong
19. Education Pt 2 - The Metros
20. Death - White Lies
21. That Kiss - The Courteeners
22. Sugarbaby - Morningwood
23. The Shock of the Lightning - Oasis
24. Artbitch - CSS

I might possibly add more as they come to me of course.

Laters.
x

Would you stop talking?

Alrighty...so am here and haven't posted for a bit.
This was partially due to the fact that there was a massive wind storm that knocked out the electricity for a day and the tinternet for two.
It's one thing to choose to not go on the internet, but another to not be allowed to.
I felt like some sort of 21st century freak clawing at cables and silicone.
But it was resolved (thank God) and we are back up and running.

What new has happened?
Oh!
Remember all the discrepencies from hmv.co.uk?
My last parcel finally arrived in the post! I was chuffed to bits and shall post a review soon(ish).
The Sunshine Underground are fucking quality and need to be heard!

I shall also post a new playlist of sorts (fuck the embedding, as I hate the thirty seconds garbage) with some new choons I've been having a listen to.
But for now, you must wait, my pretties...

Sphinx
x

Insight

I feel rather disconnected from my body today.
Partly because I am disappointed in myself for various reasons, and partly because of severe lack of sleep.
It's disconcerting really, knowing that lack of sleep causes so many health issues and shortens life spans.
Huzzah for this?
Thanking you, but no.

Anyway, I did have a very nice day yesterday.
It began leisurely, as I decided to give up on some of the things I was meant to do in the day and opted for the opposite side of the spectrum.

I went out with my bros to run some errands in the city.
We drove with the soundtrack of CSS, which is amazingly sexy.
It feels like night music should feel like.



Tracklisting:
1. CSS Suxxx
2. Patins
3. Alala
4. Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above
5. Artbitch
6. Fuckoff Is Not The Only Thing You Have To Show
7. Meetimg Paris Hilton
8. Off The Hook
9. Alcohol
10. Music Is My Hot Hot Sex
11. This Month, Day 10

I highly reccomend this record! It's amazing really.

Moving on, we stopped into a square of salvation which humans call a record store.
It's one of the only local ones left in the city, which is well depressing.
But this place is ace, as they carry a load of titles that the conglomerate chains refuse to for unknown reasons.
I had a list of things to search for, and strangely I found a lot of them.
This particular store also carries some imports, indie records and vinyls!
The last time I was there, I had picked up the Lib's Up The Bracket on vinyl, and it sounds fucking mega on the phonograph!
Anyway, the title I was looking for was Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division.
I've been on a hunt for years, as most places carry the greatest hits or don't even bother carrying Joy.
I did indeed find Unknown, but it was the deluxe collector's edition.
Seeing as am so skint, I asked the bloke behind the counter if they had the regular.
He said they hadn't had it in stock, but they could order it in for me.
He did say though, that the deluxe was worth it, as it features a live show recorded in '79 in the Factory, Manc.



Tracklisting:
1. Disorder
2. Day of the Lords
3. Candidate
4. Insight
5. New Dawn Fades
6. She's Lost Control
7. Shadowplay
8. Wilderness
9. Interzone
10. I Remember Nothing


If any of you that might be reading know anything about Joy Division, you would know that thay were a dynamite live band.
Really truly underrated.
The guy behind the counter said that he was all over Joy when they were on the scene, and he would follow them in magazines and buy bootlegs.
I'd be all over Joy as well, had I been alive at the time!
Ian Curtis was an amazing individual, and it really is a tragic life he led.
The guy also said that he has all the vinyls and albums.
I decided to scrap eating and got the deluxe edition instead. ;P
Apparently my bros were surprised that I was talking to the guy in the shop, as they said they were mean.
O.o

We left the little slice of heaven and went to a local farmer's market.
Picked some fresh veg and tasted some tasty things.
We then went to the grocer's for the essentials, and I was able to finally meet this man who is a refugee from Darfur.
Speaking with him for ten minutes was a life changing moment.
I can't really explain it, but this guy really just puts some things about life into perspective.
He really provided a welcome insight into the lives we live, and how things should be, but that we have to accept the way that they are.
It blew my mind.
I really could just sit and listen to him talk.
From the brief time that I met him, I can say that he is a philosopher of our time.
Man.

After that enlightening experience, we went for a quick sandwich and finished our shopping.
Driving home, we listened to CSS's new album Donkey, which is also dead cool!
The evening did putter out though, as we watched two films that were right tankers, but oh well.

It really was a welcome day, though.
:)
x

Dead Cells

We have all survived the LHC Experiment!
Though, on the negative side, we are now all in the matrix...

Muahahahahahahahahahahahaha....





Shit, are you still there?

It's the end of the world...as we know it?

Here I sit, in bed at 2AM.
I felt like posting something, despite the fact that I can hardly see from being so sleep deprived.
My arms are actually falling asleep (pun intended as well) as I am situated in a rather awkward position next to the cat.
I am pleased to inform you all (whomever you are) that my ISP has resumed their service to me, after I was told that they were to come tomoz and physically take the adapter out of the cable box.
I really don't understand why they play these games with me.
One would think that a small locally-owned ISP would be on top of things and friendly.
Not so.

The weather outside is getting very nice.
It's feeling more like fall, and I love this.
My birthday is fast approaching, and it just seems to me that the good things happen when it's this time of the year.
Holidays, birthdays, Christmas, gigs, new albums, creativity, temperature, etc...
Not to mention that I plan on concocting a holiday plan sometime soon........
*suspense*

I haven't really got too much to say.
But as I said before, I felt like posting.

Oh, supposedly there is to be a massive scientific event in Switzerland tonight/tomoz morning where they are using a LHC to search for the Higgs boson, which has yet to be observed.
It's finding would teach us more about the planet and the universe, and possibly about the existence of other dimensions.
Sounds ace, yes?
There is a catch, though:
It could create a black hole that would consequently destroy the planet.

That's a little sweetheart, innit?

Instead of freaking out, I look at it as nothing to fear.
If it works, then great. We have amazing discoveries.
If it doesn't, oh well.
If it doesn't make a black hole, yay...we can continue on our run.
If it does make a black hole and destroy us all, I have faith in God's mercy and compassion and we get the eternal reward early!
lol

Come tomorrow, I know that everything will be status quo and that we won't be wiped from existence.

Moving on from such dismal talk about the end of the world which seems rather cliche to speak of it occuring in terms such as those...

I realised that I hadn't said anything about my weekend.
It was ace, actually.
Saturday was my Mama's birthday, and she was invited to a dinner with her brother and sister. (my aunt and uncle, yes, though I feel rather estranged from them...more in another post, as I don't want to get into it right now)
We drove in (to my hometown, where I spend loads of time...tis about a two hour drive) with the dogs in the car, and went immediately to dinner.
Though I was sour on this arrangement, as they had called Mama up and said "We have reservations at 7..." when our cousins (whom are married and are as close to me as my own brothers) said they wanted to take her out.
Then we also got wind that Uncle H was going to be there with Aunty B.
These people I do not enjoy spending time with.
Like I said, now is not the time.

But this was also at a resturant that none of us had wanted to go to...
We got there with much undeeded drama, and had a very strange, tense and awkward dinner.
I just hoped for Mama to have a good time.

After this, we returned to our cousin's pad (which is my centre for crime when in the area) and tucked in for the night.
The next day was Sunday, and we all went to church.
After this was their fall picninc, which we attended.
But guess what...UH and AB showed up, despite the fact that they left our church...
Regardless of that, I had a nice time being outside, relaxing, listening to Ukrainian jams, talking and frollicing...
The picnic would down at about 8PM, to which we returned to HQ for a film and some pizza.
A very nice weekend indeed. :D

Though I have the insomniatic mindset to stay awake when I am rediculously tired, I must depart.

Hope you survive the Large Hardon Collider Experiment... :P
x

Internet Service Providings

So here I sit on the tinternet.
Nothing out of the ordinary, yes?
Yes.

But, my ISP has cut service to me.
It's their fault really, that they refuse to adhere to regular billing schedules.
Though does anyone realise that I am still using said providings?
This is due to the fact that I have a secret wireless network in addittion to the normal one the ISP knows of.
So they've cut service to one, but the other still functions!
FAIL.

I love it when I fuck with the system...

My Friend Jon (Fratelli)

Alright folks, here is the promised gig review post.
*excitement*
*party*

Got a bit of a late start for the evening (as was talking to someone important!!) though finally made it to the venue in good time.
I listened to Costello Music on the way there, so was well pumped!

I was a bit nervous about getting three tickets, as for some reason this particular gig had been announced for quite some time.
It was being sponsored by a gum company...though don't know why.
We managed to gain entry into the shockingly packed building.
I have been to this particular place four times, and I had never seen it so full!
It warmed my heart, in a way.
I went to the merch booth and picked up an ace Fratellis shirt and assumed the position of death.
Looking round, I noticed not only volume in terms of people, but cool people as well.
There was a bloke in a trilby (wearing it improperly lol) that kept staring at me to the point of where I fort I had summat on my face, and they were just generally looking like enjoying themselves that night.
It began in only a couple of minutes, and the support called Electric Touch played an amazing set.
The lead is from the North of England, though the band is based out of Austin, Texas.
From what I saw and heard, they have got potential.
This was a surprise, as am always wary of there being a well dodgy support...though these blokes didn't disappoint.
Check their myspace out for some choonage!

During their set however, I was having a right struggle with one of my fookin earplugs! It was getting rather frustrating, and after I had struggled for twenty minutes with it, I had felt a tap on my shoulder.
Trilby-incorrector Man had handed me a packet of new plugs.
Was very appreciative!
I even forgave him for his error in headwear... :P

After the Electic Touch finished, they went to the merch booth and were selling their albums. My bro went over and got one and their autographs.
Said they were top lads as well.
I would have gone over and said hello, but I was afraid of losing my position for the Fratellis.

Then a second support band came on, called the Airborne Toxic Event.
I saw a woman with a fiddle and I almost ran for the hills, as I don't really dig women in bands...despite the fact that I want to be in one...
They began playing and fackin blew me away!
They have a unique blend of progressive, post-punk and indie style.
The woman in the band I even fort was cool.
She came down into the crowd and danced with me at one point.
Their tunes have a palpable depth to them. The lead writes the lyrics, and one can just tell that they're from experience.
Their myspace is here.

After their set, they too went to the merch booth to say hello, and my other bro got the album autographed. He kissed the woman's hand as well.
Rock and roll...

Though finally the time came for the Fratellis!!
They played a blinding set of half-and-half tunes from both albums.
I defo think their songs sound better live too!
They have got really great stage prescence and energy.
The crowd was moshing and body surfing before we knew it.
I even got kicked in the face during Mistress Mabel...
I did go particularly mad during the choons off Costello Music! I too had done my fair share of causing the havoc...
They had played an encore as well!
They had finished with being extremely pleased at playing a great gig, and hopefully they shall return soon enough!

x

PS Apologies for the abrupt blog ending...perhaps I shall edit it later and add some photos for your viewing pleasure.
:D

Flathead

Tonight I am seeing the Fratellis at a gig.
It's a great venue and hopefully there will be a great crowd.
A full report when I recover!!

Sphinx
x

The Other Boleyn Fish

Last night I watched the eagerly-anticipated film, The Other Boleyn Girl.
The historical novel written by Phillippa Gregory was a fantastically brilliant read, in which her unique voice paints the past and makes it come alive in vivid detail.

When the film was released, I looked at it skeptically, as I didn't like the actresses they chose, nor did I think it was going to compare to the book.
But I decided to rent the film anyway, to see if it was indeed worth anything.

Though the costumes were ace, the film BLEW.
I do not reccomend it to anyone.
It drags on, there were several details that were changed, and they didn't need to be and they painted the two Boleyn girls with the wrong emphasis!

It makes me angry.
Read the novel.
End.

Jesus of Ruthenia

I haven't posted in a while...not like anyone cares, but oh well.

Anyway, this past weekend I went camping.
Funny thing was that I didn't even know I was going until two weeks prior to it, and I didn't even know what we were going to do at said place until the night before we were set to leave.
Apparently my family and I were going to go to a monestary for a sort of spiritual retreat type thing.
We were going to be camping with some people we know from another church and church events.
My cousin and his mate were also coming last-minute, so was chuffed about that.

We began the day early, and the night before we boarded the dogs (I feel bad doing that, as they seem to be sensitive poochies), and we were set to pick another girl up at yet another church.
Driving the the grounds didn't take too long, and when we got there, I noticed two large icons outside the entrance of ICXC and OY.
This excited me personally, as most of the time when we attend things like this, all of the people are Latin rite and have no clue about the East.
But this was going to be an entire event with Eastern people!
There is a difference, though.
I am Ukrainian-Greco Catholic.
My family immigrated from Ukraine and etc, and other Eastern churches have the same.
Such as Romanian and Bulgarian.
But back in the day, Ukraine was not officially a country, but rather an empire with different districts.
During that time, people immigrated to the states and they identified with their regions instead of a country that was not yet established.
It would be like saying that I am Southern when I live in the United States.

So they established a Byzantine church of the Americas if you will, which we call Ruthenian.
It has all of the same Liturgical traditions, but there is no heritagal tie involved.
They also have different chants and tones.

Let me just say that I can't fucking STAND their singing.
Apparently it has been a feud between Ukrainians and these Ruthenian-Ukrainians-in-denial.
It's just horrid!
It's like they lament everything in the slowest time signature known to man.

But don't get me wrong. I love them...just not their chants!

That being said, we went to the campground and set up our tent by the family we were meeting.
It brought back memories for me, as the last time I went camping with this particular tent, we were at World Youth Day Toronto in 2000.
(Which I will tell you about at some point, as that was brutal! lol)

The grounds were very nice and massive really!
It was set up in such a way where you could wind round and find little shrines and altars.
I got a schedule and saw that they had various Divine Liturgies throughout the day, also vespers, matins and akathists.
!!

How cool. No Masses and rosary recitation, but Liturgies and akathists!
We went for a little tour of the grounds, and went inside their religious goods store.
It was packed with Eastern items! (yes, I still could not fathom all of the Eastern-ness...)
I looked round and found a medal of OY (the Blessed Mother) which I will get blessed and put on the same chain with my cross, and as I was looking at their amazing icon selection, I found one particular icon that jumped out at me.
It was OY and ICXC (Jesus) in traditional format, but it is so very unique the way He is holding her face.
It stopped me in my tracks.
If I can scan it into the comp, I'll post a picture, as it is truly special.

Having gotten these, we then were going to attend a mini-lecture on the Eucharist, but unfortunately we missed it as we went to eat some lunch.
I really liked how things were very laid back and at everyone's own pace.
What we did was went back to the campground and relaxed.
We sat round and talked, some of them played some American football (bleurgh) and we just sat and waited until Divine Liturgy later on in the day.
The Liturgy was held outside, as was everything else, and I was pleased to see a high attendance of Eastern people, of whom were participating.
Though it was rather difficult for me, as the singing and chanting distracts me to such a degree in which I get angry.
I simply cannot sing with them.
And when I can't sing, I can't pray.
It's screws with everything.
But anyway, I managed to survive.

After this, we went to dinner in the same place and enjoyed.
All the while my cousin's mate (who is actually good mates with me) was having a difficult time, as it's hard for him to get round easily, and there was a lot of walking.
Not to mention that it was inhumanly warm outside, and he had just had his galbladder removed.
We kept telling him not to come! But he didn't listen to us...

We were able to spend more time having fellowship by the tents until the Parastas began at the cemetery.
I did not wish to go to this, as it is too fresh with my Tato's death.
But even still I went against my will, and as I was doing so, the cranky mate decides to take a wizz in front of everyone.
Not only were there very young kids around, but the family we were with are somewhat traditional.
And this is also a religious retreat.
Yikes.
I ran out of there as the father of the family went to talk to him.
Now, I know that he is massively sensitive. And steeped in controversy.
Hence the running.
Apparently he wanted to engage in a fight with the man, but thank goodness he decided against it.
No one really needed his drama during this time!

We were at the parastas when we saw a parishioner from our parish (which was nice! someone from the other side of the mountains!).
We all walked together in the candlelight procession to the outside chapel to have an akathist.
Now this was nice.
I didn't have a problem singing the akathist, as their notes were hardly any different.
After this was done, my brothers, cousin and I attended an adult social...not really to socalise, but rather to get their free pizza...

The social was more a meeting for their youth group, and all they talked about was finances.
It was mega boring, but I had my pizza and couldn't complain.
As we were sitting there, some kid in the back got up to leave and tried to be very cool whilst doing so.
He saluted everyone and bowed, and as he walked out the door, he tripped and fell.
No one took any notice.
And for those reasons, it was one of the funniest moments EVER.
I began laughing so hard to the point of not knowing where I was.
I was trying not to disrupt the meeting, so it was incredibly difficult!
All four of us were laughing so hard that we had to leave...

We returned to the campground for what we call "the bonfire storytime."
Which is essentially a group of people seated round a fire (which incidentally we were not allowed to have at this particular ground) telling bits and pieces of a random story.
It is good fun really.
Let's just say that this particular one involved a storyline of LeBron James as the pope, Polish kobassa being very heavy, little men in cardboard pants, salt-block hats, decoys, marshmallows, air fresheners, Boston cream pies, Barack Obama being reincarnated as various things and swelling to epic proportions...

We went to bed in the tent (very cosy) and were awakened the next day by Liturgies being chanted (no comment) over the speakers.
We had a leisurely morning and afternoon, and we lazed about.
There were confessions going on, and then we went to a lecture on the Jesus Prayer (!).
At 4PM there was the biggest Liturgy of the weekend, in which their eparchs were present, which would be like us having our Patriarch present. (of which they have none, as they are directly under the Pope)
It was again outside, and I survived it once more.
What was very nice was that one of our priests concelebrated Liturgy, and I of course know him!
Also, the priest from our parish and his family came!
I was amazingly relieved to see them!
We spent the rest of the afternoon with them all, and had a little dinner party at the tents with everyone.

My bro found grass in his pie...another seriously amusing moment...
You had to be there then.

We played frisbee, chatted and etc.
Then it was time for another candlelit processesion, but we were set to leave that night, despite the fact that we all wanted to stay another night and actually could.
As they all went for it, we dismakkified the tent and packed up.

A nice time was had by all.
And we hope to go again next year, though we will be significantly better prepared.

And cheers to you if you've gotten through this entire post!
You deserve a rice krispy treat.
x

We all need One Month Off...

Right...instead of whinging on about myself, I am going to post a blog pertaining to the fact that Bloc Party has released some class new choons, and their third-studio album titled Intimacy is set to drop on the 28th October!
It was all very sudden...what with the Zane Lowe stunt they pulled a month or so ago back where they had this ominous countdown which subsequently led to the release of a new single and album details.
They had just done a webchat a few days ago via myspace (which I had missed) and since then they had released full details, and uploaded three new tracks in addittion to Mercury to their myspace player.



Go to their myspace to listen to Signs, Trojan Horse and One Month Off!
They're ace...really.
I can scarcely wait for their album!

Happy listenings.
x

She is rediculous...

I'm feeling rather defeatist right now.
Feels like air has been pushed out of my sails.
Sometimes I wonder if I'm wasting my time.
But then again, I wouldn't be where I am and have what I have if I wasn't supposed to...
And of course I only have dialogue with myself.
Fuck it.

On the Cusp of Unity

Today I went to Liturgy in an Orthodox parish. It felt good.
Well, let me rephrase that slightly:
It feels great that as a Ukrainian Greco-Catholic, I can attend Liturgies in Orthodox parishes, as we have the SAME Church traditions, teachings and Church Fathers.
But, I can also attend Masses in Latin churches, as we are in communion with Rome.
Though, as a Greco-Catholic, I would much rather attend Liturgy instead of a Latin-rite Mass...

One thing that does indeed bother me is the fact that we do not have unity yet with the Ukrainian Orthodox, and because of this, Greco-Catholics are not able to receive Eucharist.
But I know that this unity will happen...it feels as if we are on the cusp of unity.
And when it does, I will be inexplicably overjoyed.
We will then have total unity with the Latins and the Orthodox!

I am now off to laze round, watch some shite daytime telly and tuck in with a good book.
Peace
x

Beneath the noise...

Right...I am actually in bed at mo, clearly abusing this mobile blogging function.
I had just come to the conclusion that my blog is text-intensive.
It's loaded with the words I never cease to find, and I can see how this is unattractive to the casual blog reader.
Most surfers jump on, scroll through, look at pictures and vamoose if there is nothing that catches the eye.
The absence of any readers affirms the fact that my thoughts are seemingly unattractive in my textual onslaught of a blog.
But hey ho...I do post pretty pictures here and there, and it's your loss if you aren't reading anything...I guess.
I will say though, if there is anyone who does in some miniscule way enjoy my words, I implore you to post a comment.
Or the shoutbox in the corner that is well creepy works as well.
That is, if you can make it through the din and actually sit back reading my mental fragments.

Perhaps I should just begin posting multitudes of photos that have no relevance to my blog.
Then they might attract someone.

Chivalry

Well, I haven't got anything in particular to say, but I just feel like posting.
I'm just taking a slow day, still trying to get rid of this last bit of illness.
I've got Oxford Collapse on, I'm digging it, and I'm looking out my window into the grey day.
I notice for some reason that a whole load of people are having trees cut down.
I hate this. Why cut one down that's 100 years old simply to accomodate your new plan for landscaping?
Not to mention that there are heaps of construction vehicles whizzing here and there.
It's one thing to cut it down when it poses a hazzard to things, or if it's dead.
I just hope those are the reasons for this time.

Anyway, I'm rather fumed, as I have an ongoing issue that remains unresolved with hmv online.
I had ordered five parcels about two months ago.
Three arrived, and two have been lost.
This happens 60% of the time with hmv.co.uk, and I proceed with them through a replacement routine.
This always works, and I get my items.
For some reason, this isolated time they claim no liability as my postal code was not provided.
They then proceed to tell me that they will not issue a refund unless the items are returned to them.
What the fuck?!
If the items are returned none other.
So I'm sat here money down and no items.
I keep asking if I can provide the information they need and repeat the process.
The only response I receive is an automated one which explains nothing.
I've sent another correspondance today...we'll see how long it takes them to respond...five days?
And I've sent an e-mail to the post office asking them for assistance.
I would like a resolve!

Chivalry is dead.

This Scene Is Dead

Well people...after my fantastic mobile post of no content, I sit here now poised and ready to divulge the details of the WAS gig on Monday night.

Due to conflicting information on timing, my brother and I arrived what we thought was an hour and twenty minutes late for the support, but luckily we arrived just in time for Oxford Collapse.
Though I lost some minutes from the woman taking tickets who could not give correct change if her life depended on it, I walked into the micro-spec of a venue and went to the merchandise booth.
Much to my disbelief, none other than Keith Murray, lead vocals of We Are Scientists was standing behind the counter.
After blinking a few times, I mustered up all the courage I could to walk up to him and say "I just want to tell you...you're awesome."

Keith is center...and fit.
:p











Shock. Awe.
Such profound words.
This would be the second time that I had unexpectedly met someone at a gig and said something to the extent of "you're awesome."
How very forgettable.
Had I been given fair warning of the chance that I might meet him, I would have arranged some words to say that weren't knuckleheaded.
And also given the fact that I was stood three feet in front of him, I couldn't very well arrange said words as I was staring at him.

I retreated with a grin to regroup.
As I stood those three feet away, I could not understand how a place full of people set to see WAS didn't recognise their lead vocalist.
This never ceases to disgust me.
I saw only one other bloke who went up for a little chat.
After a few minutes, I decided I should go back and get a shirt that I eyed up before.
I went back up to Keith and spoke into his ear (yay!), asking him if he was indeed selling the merchandise.
He responded yes (really, how amazing is it that he is selling his own items!), but there was a conflicting issue with the correct size of shirt that I needed.
So, I made the split decision to pick up their album from this year "Brain Thrust Mastery" that I had gotten before it was released on digital format.
Since I love getting the physical album instead of having an ugly blank disc with Sharpie writing, I felt that this was a good move.
Not only did I buy it from Keith, but I asked him if he could autograph it for me!
He then graciously proceeded to open the plastic wrapping with a WAS badge and he signed the insert with a K!
Woooooo!

After this, I retreated once again to my slight haven, so as to not weird him out in any way, as clearly he was trusting the fact that no one knew what he looked like here.
This revolts me though, as WAS played GLASTO this year, and they are playing Leeds Fest! There are tens of thousands of people that attend these events!
And here in this lounge, he is safely hidden in front of everyone.
Oh well...their neglect becomes my ally!

I then stood on a slight high and watched the remainder of Oxford Collapse's set.
During one tune, Keith got on stage with them and sang along.
They were actually very good.
I picked up their newest album along with a couple dead cool sex-inducing WAS badges.

As we waited for WAS to come out, I looked round at the crowd, and to my severe dismay, I noticed that there were several large gaps where people should have been present in, and a horde of extreme attention-grapping posers.
I shook my head in disdain as I realised that this was not the sort of crowd they deserved.

When they did finally come on stage, they ripped it up with a set comprised mostly of tunes from Brain Thrust Mastery, and a few fucking classics from With Love And Squalour were tossed in.
To me, We Are Scientits are a great live band, and they have got great stage prescence and energy.
They did their usual cheeky commentary in between songs which was so clearly wasted on the thick crowd.
I got the drift that they were shegrined at the turn-out and the fact that they were apathetic.
It was almost palpable that they were slightly deflated.
Though I was avin' it and dancing along with the quality tunes, I felt sorry for them, as the crowd was rather patronising.
WAS even took a request from two rather dim women in the corner who didn't even realise that performers adhere to a schedule whilst playing a show, and it isn't the easiest thing to throw a song in on a whim.

When they finished their thirteen-song set, a whole pack of chavs began dancing in the same distacting and annoying fashion they were using during the show.
At that, I left rather revolted.
Though I had an amazing time...cancelling out the retards everywhere.
I just hope they return to the city one day, as most artists that receive such a lukewarm reception scarcely return for round two. :(
I left with my head held high, my autographed album copy and confidence in the fact that I am a true WAS fan...

I was able to replay it in my head that night, as I stayed outside until the wee hours of the morning watching a well cool meteor shower.

I are Scientist.
x

Mobile-ing

Alright everyone that may be reading this...though this isn't the We Are Scientists review blog I promised, I simply think it's dead cool that I am posting this entry from a mobile device.
Not to worry my pets, as when I get over this being neato, and when I get cracking tomoz, I do promise that WAS entry.
I won't give anything away now though...sorry.
You'll have to tune in to the same Bat channel at the same Bat time....

x

Lounges, pubs and clubs...oh my!

Tonight I seem to feel well enough to hit the We Are Scientists gig!
It's in a dead cool venue which I have never been to, but upon seeing pictures from their website, it looks rather intimate.
There are two support acts, one of which is Oxford Collapse (which I keep wanting to call Oxford Comma lol).
I had a bit of a listen to them earlier and they didn't sound half bad. We shall see how they are live!

I am just sat stunned thinking that such a quality band like WAS are forced to play such a miniscule venue.
There is another local venue in the area that I fort for sure they would play, but it's mid-sizedness seems too "big" for WAS's stature?
Where is the fairness?
Some complete and utter shit acts play that mid-sized venue, and the real quality is being pushed into what essentially is a lounge or a mini pub, fit for a small-time jazz maverick.
Oh well...I'm reaping the benefits of being so close.
A full gig-update when I recover.
:D

Sphinx
x

Vote?

I wonder why no one votes on my poll.
People come and people go, but if they just took a second out their day to speed-scroll to the bottom of this page, they would find my uber-fabbity poll.
And if each person would vote accordingly, I would continue to gather conclusive evidence about the effect of facial hair on today's world.

But with no participation, I am able to gather no results.
Please vote!
There have only been three votes I'm afraid.
I am unable to generate a full report.
:P

These Grey Days

This is a mini blog of love for Eight Legs, and their choon These Grey Days, of which I have been strangely obsessed with as of late.
I find it eerily relevant in my life.

I shall post the lyrics:

These Grey Days

I've been short of logic so
I'm passed out on the patio, this cold and stony floor
I've been here before 12 times
I'm slime and I've got one thing on my mind
It's on my mind

Well she would sit and talk to me
But that's not quite enough for me
I've sent a nasty text
To show I'm not impressed
She won't comply with the one thing on my mind
It's on my mind

I wish we hadn't changed
I wish we hadn’t kissed good bye to those old days
I wished we stayed the same
These grey days

I've been to a party so
I'm passed out on the patio outside of your back door
And I've been here before so many times
I'm slime and I've got one thing on my mind
It's on my mind.

Something in my brain
And that explains the way that I behave
I need not feel ashamed
These grey days


Here is the video, which in itself is awesome, as it's filming to me resonates with the fact that my sense of reality has been fucked up as well.



Enjoy
x

It's just a matter of time

Well, here I sit again, in the throes of illness.
Since this stupidity has come about, loads of things I had wanted to do I cancelled on.
One thing which is good is the fact that I skived out on a Vacation Bible School that I volunteered for...though not really volunteered for.
I really don't like kids, and every year the woman who organises it goes more and more overboard with things.
She assumes that I am going to be places.
To me, all the charity is gone when someone assumes your position before you were able to volunteer.
It drives me insane.
I had managed to avoid VBS for four years already, and I have to say I was extremely pleased.
Though this year, it seemed like I had no way out.
Enter illness.
*evil laugh*

Oh dear, I must minimise my evil laughing, as it is making me cough...
Anyway, I am really torn on the subject of VBS.

PROS

It is teaching kids about the Bible in some way, I'm sure

It's engaging the community, having kids participate and communicate with each other

Ultimately, it is faith-based

CONS

It's not an Eastern Catholic programme, and not even Catholic in any remote way. I feel that we should be teaching kids Eastern spirituality from early ages.

It gets convoluted. The activities I fear, will go in one ear and right out the other.

It's a very rushed and stressed atmosphere. I wouldn't like it if I were an atendee.

More planning and preperation goes into this stupid week than things that have been established for years, eg the Acolyte Convention, which is Eastern Catholic in nature, and has more depth and etc.

Whatever...I said I was torn.
Though I did attend the first night, I felt ill that entire time.
I have a suspicion that the people there think I am faking it.
Only because of the fact that I have managed to skive out them all now!
It's not good anyway, even if I were on antibiotics, to be round infants and toddlers.

Anyway, that stupid VBS thing cancelled out my plans for going to NYC to see Bloc Party!!
I am gutted.
Though it seemed mad from the word go, I still wanted to try and do it somehow.
Now, who knows if I'll ever fucking see Bloc Party... :(
Must keep positive!

Though now I am concerned as well, as We Are Scientists have a gig on August 11th, and I desperately want to feel well enough to attend that!
Especially since they are a quality band, it's a very small venue and they are touring with Kings of Leon this fall.
And ultimately, I will not see KoL at another gig, as they decided NOT to include any dates locally this time round for reasons unknown. Gutted about that too.
Imagine...seeing KoL AND WAS.
What a show!
Especially since KoL are mega live!!
Thooooough, I also found out that a date has been sceduled for the Fratellis in September!
If any one person comes between that date and I...I will put a move on them!
It's almost like it's too good to be true.
Gogol Bordello, Bloc Party/DIOYY?, WAS and the Fratellis.
Two down, two to go...
We shall see how my plans will hatch!

I'm losing my mind...

Well, after that posting barrage, I am not yet satisfied.
I still feel restless, and like I still have loads to say.
One problem...I don't know exactly what to say.
How's that for a fookin' contradiction?

Anyway, I feel a bit tripped out now when I look at my blog, as I have included all those colours. Don't get me wrong, as one of my mottos is "the more colours, the better" but I just want to be able to read the text without seeing coloured spots.
I blame this particular monitor I am using, as it's got a funky position and has "super clarity"...whatever that means.
Not to mention that I keep on hearing banging noises round, despite the fact that I am alone.
It's really beginning to weird me out.
Also, I have become addicted to my lozenges again. They have a cooling vapour action which numbs the back of my throat, making it easier to swallow. :D
I have also set the ringtone on my mobile to "Calm-a-llama down" which has been stuck in my head something wicked.

Calm a llama down
Calm a llama deep down in the ocean
Blue like a barnacle
Sitting in a tight place
Laughing like a monkey arm
Pulling like a China boy
Carraway carraway carraway!
Noise!
Boing chick-a-masala!
Boing chick-a-masala!
Ooooohhh
Tooth, tooth sswwoop!

Pressing forward...I reckon I could include a small list of a few choons I am having a listen to.

Party Up - DMX
Black Heart Queen - Gallows
Not A Crime - Gogol Bordello
Two Times - The Blakes
Hang Me Up To Dry - Cold War Kids
These Grey Days - Eight Legs
Crawl - Kings of Leon
Sex On Fire - Kings of Leon
Wonderlust King - Gogol Bordello
Driving Nowhere - Hadouken!
Lightning Blue Eyes - Secret Machines
La Nuit - Robots In Disguise
Spit It Out - IAMX
Disco Sheets - Wolf Parade
Tubthumping - Chumbawamba
King Christian - Mew
Cherry Red - The Groundhogs

A bit ickle.
Oh well.
I've run out of steam.
Either that, or I've had it. :|

The Prayer of the Servant of God Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky for Divine Wisdom

And now, one of my very favourite prayers...one that always gives me strength and direction whenever I read it.
It is from Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky...a truly amazing man and one of my heroes.
This humble man will one day be known amongst a larger population of people for all of the amazing works he continues to do through God's grace on this planet.
Metropolitan Andrey, pray for us.

The Prayer of the Servant of God Metroploitan Andrey Sheptytsky for Divine Wisdom

O Great and Almighty God, send down upon me from Your high and holy heavens and from the throne of Your holy glory, Your holy wisdom, that sits at Your side...

Grant me the wisdom of Your good pleasure so that in my life I may know how to desire fervently, seek wisely, acknowledge in truth and fulfill perfectly that which is pleasing to You, to the glory and honour of You holy Name, "to the praise of the glory of Your grace."

Grant me, O God, the wisdom of my state, so that I may do what You desire; grant that I may understand my obligations, grant me the wisdom of my duties, and grant that I may do them as they ought to be done and as is fitting of Your glory and for the benefit of my soul.

Grant me the wisdom of Your ways and the wisdom to walk the paths of Your holy will.

Grant me the wisdom of success and failure so that I would know how not to exalt myself in the former and not to be downcast in the latter.

Grant me the wisdom of joy and the wisdom of sadness; may I rejoice only in that which leads to You and be sad only in that which separates from You.

Grant me the wisdom of everything that passes and everything that lasts; may the first decrease in my sight, and the second grow.

Grant me the wisdom of work and the wisdom of rest; may work for You be luxury for me, and rest without You – fatigue.

Grant me the wisdom of a sincere and straight-forward intention, the wisdom of simplicity, the wisdom of sincerity. May my heart turn to You and seek You in all things all my life long.

Grant me the wisdom of obedience for Your law, for Your Church.

Grant me the wisdom of poverty, so that I would never value goods in any other way except according to their real worth.

Grant me the wisdom of chastity according to my state and vocation.

Grant me the wisdom of patience, the wisdom of humility, the wisdom of gladness and seriousness, the wisdom of the fear of the Lord; the wisdom of truthfulness and of good deeds; may I be patient with no complaining, humble without the least pretending, joyful without inordinate laughter, serious without severity; that I may fear You without the temptation to despair; that I may be truthful without the shadow of duplicity; may all my good deeds be free from self-complacence.

Grant me the wisdom to admonish my neighbour when necessary without exalting myself; grant that I may edify in word and deed without hypocrisy.

Grant me, O Lord, the wisdom of vigilance, attention and wariness; may no vain thought lead me astray.

Grant me the wisdom of nobleness; may I never be brought down by any impure and unworthy attachment.

Grant me the wisdom of what is right; may no selfish intention ever lead me away from the path of my duties.

Grant me the wisdom of courage and strength; may no storm overthrow me.

Grant me the wisdom of freedom; may no powerful passion ever enslave me.

Grant me the wisdom of the theological virtues and the moral virtues: faith, hope, love, prudence, devotion, temperance and fortitude.

Grant me, O Lord, the wisdom of the apostles, the wisdom of the martyrs; grant me a priestly and pastoral wisdom; grant me the wisdom of preachers and teachers; grant me the wisdom of those who administer the Holy Mysteries; grant me the Eucharistic wisdom and mystical wisdom – the wisdom of prayer and spiritual wisdom, and above all, O Lord, grant me the wisdom of sincere repentance, imperfect and perfect contrition; grant me the wisdom of to know myself in my weakness and malice; grant me the wisdom of mortification and fasting; grant me the wisdom of self-denial and self-sacrifice; grant me the wisdom of sacrifice, the wisdom of the Cross, the wisdom of Blood.

O God, grant me, finally, that wisdom which, in accord with Your holy purpose, leads to the unity of churches under one supreme pastor, the Universal Pontiff; grant me the wisdom to cherish the work of holy unity, to love it and to consecrate my life to it.

Grant me the wisdom of our Eastern rite, to hold it, to renew it and develop it. Grant me the wisdom of the Fathers of the holy Eastern Church and all the great ecclesiastical teachers.

Grant me the wisdom of Your great apostle, Paul, so that I would at least well understand his epistles, remember them and know how to explain them to Your people.

Grant me the wisdom of Your first Vicar that I may understand the designs of Your Divine Providence, which governs the Church through the Roman Pontiffs; grant me the wisdom of obedience to them and to the Universal Catholic Church; grant me the wisdom of church history and theology; grant me the wisdom that I and my people lack; grant me the wisdom of true satisfaction, true happiness. Amen.


May you, whomever is reading this, find divine wisdom through these words.
Sphinx
x

"Do It Anyway"

And now some words from Mother Teresa, as I am random that way.

The verses below reportedly were written on the wall of Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta, and are widely attributed to her.

Some sources say that the words below were written on the wall in Mother Teresa's own room. In any case, their association with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity has made them popular worldwide, expressing as they do, the spirit in which they lived their lives.

They seem to be based on a composition originally by Kent Keith, but much of the second half has been re-written in a more spiritual way.


"Do It Anyway"

People are often unreasonable, irrational and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Creat anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.



Sphinx
x

Sir Winston Churchill...the MAN

Though I could find many, many more brilliant quotes from Winsty, I can't be arsed at mo.
Though one thing is certain...there will be more to come in the future.

Included in the latest edition of this blog are some fantastic quotes from the genius of Sir Winston Churchill.
Sir Winston had a lovely way with his words, and it is expressed in a few chosen quotes:


"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject."

"I cannot pretend to feel impartial about colours. I rejoice with the brilliant ones and feel geniuenly sorry for the poor browns."

"I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals."

"It is a good this for an uneducated man to read books of quotations."

"For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else."

And lastly, a very important quote:
"A joke is a very serious thing."

Clever Insults!

Whilst we are on the topic of finding little quotes in places, this too is an entry from my myspace blog about some clever insults.
And after I post this entry, I shall include some amazing quotes from Sir Winston Churcill! ^_^

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire."
-- Winston Churchill

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries
with great pleasure."
-- Clarence Darrow

"He has never been known to use a word that might send a
reader to the dictionary."
-- William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it."
-- Groucho Marx

"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter
saying I approved of it."
-- Mark Twain

"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends."
-- Oscar Wilde

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new
play, bring a friend... if you have one."
-- George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second..... if there is
one."
-- Winston Churchill to Shaw, in response

"I feel so miserable without you, it's almost like having you here."
-- Stephen Bishop

"He is a self-made man and worships his creator."
-- John Bright

"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial."
-- Irvin S. Cobb

"He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness
in others."
-- Samuel Johnson

"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up."-- Paul Keating

"He had delusions of adequacy."
-- Walter Kerr

"Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?"
-- Mark Twain

"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork."
-- Mae West

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go."
-- Oscar Wilde

Who is your worst enemy?

What to write about tonight faithful and devoted blog-readers (wherever you are, and if you do indeed exist)?
Listlessness? Loneliness? Indecisiveness?
It all seems relevant at this point. It could be because of several reasons.
Firstly, if could be because I am ill at the moment, and feel rather useless.
Or it could be from the fact that I still haven't gotten a grapple on my life as it is.
Heck, it could be because I am having a listen to Can.

Whatever the reason, it doesn't change the lingering feeling of it all.
One does not wish to succumb to hopelessness, but sometimes it seems logical.
When this happens, I am sure to push the negativity away.
It never is a constructive thing to feel hopeless.
I have never been one to look at things in an inherently negative light, though I do get down sometimes.
I simply have to take a step back and look at things in a fresh light.
In certain cases, it takes more than a moment, but eventually I'll get there.

I engage in psychological warfare with myself far too often. It could be said that I am my own worst enemy!
The mind of a human being is such a fascinating place. It can take us to parts we never knew existed, and make us conjure things we never knew were possible.
Though it can also be our downfall.
Enter negativity, doubt and various other dubious states.

I came across a quote just now that I wish to include:
"Half the trouble and misery and pain people have is brought on by themselves. They either talk too much or not enough."

Food for thought.

Blogs: A History

Right...I must admit the truth once and for all:
I have been blogging about on myspace since 2005.
Though myspace isn't a 'blog' website, it does feature a bloging section, of which I utilise still to this day.

Today however, I realised that I hadn't posted there in a while, so I added a new post.
I shall include it in here after I finish writing this useless one, as I am trying to make this a completeist blog.
I will also back log my other blog and pull out some entries I think aren't total rubbish and I will include them here as well.
If no one reads them...who cares? We're in the same position we were in twenty minutes ago.

Anyway, I am feeling a bit irritated tonight, as am ill with what I believe is strep throat, I am really very lonely, in need of a meaningful conversation and freaking out with Can.
Though I know that I will conquer this virus with my own antibodies and white blood cells.
I refuse to see a doctor and take antibiotics!
All I need is some OJ and liberal amounts of garlic!
Guess what? I also feel better today.
Take that, false medical evaluations!

Think Locally...

Alright everyone...it has taken me a couple of days to recuperate from the complete and utter havoc that was Gogol Bordello on Saturday.

On saturday afternoon, I began to get the pre-gig jitters that I normally experience.
It just hits me...the anticipation, the excitement, the rush of it all.
I began to wrangle everyone up as I changed into my outfit for the night.
It was nothing out the ordinary really, as the whole gypsy-punk thing is how I have dressed since I was very young.
I thank my Baba for passing this style onto me. :D
What I wore was a bright blue shirt saying "THE DAY" which is for our Ukrainian independence, and it has Ukraine on it with a massive Tryzub.
I then wore two belts, of which I merely threw on, black shorts that have buttons all over them and my Brazil shoes.
Though I was annoyed that my cousins were poking fun at me, I remembered that this is the way I like to dress, and that I was going to be avin' it tonight!
After some drama involving cats that nearly made us late, we eventually made it into the city to the House of Blues.
There was a line already, but for some reason the cousins felt it was prudent to eat.
After wasting time walking round to look for some food, we went to a dive pizza shop and had a slice.
Much to my prediction, as we returned to the HOB, the line was massive and stretching round the side of the building.
As we were in line, I noticed loads of people staring at my shirt, and my brother's as well, which read "UkraiNEON".
I noticed loads of Eastern European people around, though there were many posers too.
I reckon you can't have a good show without lame posers anyway. :P

Moving on...
We had seen part of the group that we were sort of with in line before, and they told us that they would meet us inside.
After gazing at them skeptically, I came to the conclusion that they hadn't been to many gigs before.

Once inside, we planted ourselves on the floor, about four people thick from the stage.
It began to fill, but we had no sight of the two other parties that would "meet us" inside.
I ran off and got a shirt for myself, and barely made it back to my place.
There were some well annoying people round me, two of which were seemingly genderless short people that had severe body odor.
I was beginning to wane in paitience, as the DJ that was playing was rubbish, and seemed to be playing for an AGE.
The crowd was already very drunk, and getting actually very violent towards said DJ, so when Gogol Bordello finally came out, there was one immense crush!
I got the wind knocked out of me, it seemed like all the oxygen had vanished from the room, the temperature went up to astronomical heights and it was such a force of people, moshing like there was no tomoz!
The crowd never stopped. Literally.
I got shoved, shuffled, groped...the works!
Gogol put on an INCREDIBLE performance, and they somehow kept their energy up for the nearly twenty songs they had played!
Eugene Hutz, lead vocals, is such an amazing performer. He had nearly finished a bottle of wine during the end of the set.
Not to mention that his pants were so low that I was having a party...lol.
There was bodysurfing, and loads of people got ejected.
I went particularly mad during the tracks of Ultimate, American Wedding, Immigrant Punk, Start Wearing Purple, Wonderlust King, Not A Crime, Think Locally, F'ck Globally, Mishto!, Tribal Connection, Sally and essentially every other song!
One thing is certain...they sound better live than they do on record!
Towards the end of the show, I saw one of my mates fly past and disappear again. At least he was enjoying himself, unlike my cousins.

Putting their dampening moods aside, I left there with scratches, my shoe had fallen apart, I was short of breath from being hit in the stomach multiple times, my pants were unlaced and I tasted of lager.
Such a messy, messy night.

My message for you all is:
Think Locally...Fuck Globally!

"Slavic Rivals Embroiled in Church Rift"

Also today, I came across this very disturbing news story.
When will Ukraine be able to stand alone and independently?


"MOSCOW — For many Russians, it is bad enough that Ukraine is pushing to join NATO and to eject the Russian Navy from its Black Sea port. But over the weekend, the confrontation over Ukraine’s attempts to shrug off Russian influence reached an even more emotional pitch — when the Ukrainian president sought to split his nation’s church from Moscow’s.

It was the latest round in an increasingly fraught tug of war over history, identity and power. The two governments have fought with many different political weapons — from Ukraine’s threat to join Russia’s cold war rivals to Russia’s ability to shut off the natural gas deliveries on which its neighbor depends. Both quickly made it clear that the struggle over the church — traditionally an institution closely entwined with state power — was at least as important.

On Saturday, President Viktor A. Yushchenko of Ukraine chose the 1,020th anniversary of the advent of Christianity in the Slavic kingdom that predated Ukraine and Russia — a date that each country claims as a founding event of its nationhood — to issue a plea for Ukraine’s Orthodox Christians to gain independence from the Russian Orthodox Church.

With Orthodox Church notables from around the world looking on, Mr. Yushchenko asked Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world’s 250 million Orthodox Christians, to bless the creation of an independent Ukrainian church — “a blessing,” he said on Saturday, “for a dream, for the truth, for a hope, for our state, for Ukraine.”

The Ukrainian president — who claims that pro-Russian opponents tried to kill him with poison that pockmarked his face — also snubbed the Russian Orthodox patriarch, Aleksy II, by giving him a businesslike handshake after warmly kissing Bartholomew on both cheeks.

During three days of solemn religious ceremonies, rock concerts and political brinkmanship in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, the power struggle was not resolved. Both sides declared victory, as Bartholomew stopped short of supporting or rejecting the independence movement, saying only that divisions in the church would have “problematic consequences for Ukraine’s future.”

But there was insulted pride and inflamed nationalism on both sides as well, and it was clear that it would be hard to resolve the dispute without causing a schism in the church, heating up ethnic tensions in Ukraine and deepening the division between Russia and Ukraine.

The possibility of a split in the church showed that behind the geopolitical bluster that the two countries have directed at each other since 1991 — when they each became independent after the fall of the Soviet Union — lies an identity crisis and a deep sense of loss.

Many Ukrainians believe that the Russian empire and later the Soviet Union robbed them of the chance to develop a national identity, while many Russians feel that Ukraine is now claiming as its own a land and history that belongs to them as well.

For Svetlana Dyomena, a nurse who prayed Tuesday at Yelokhovsky Cathedral in Moscow, the idea of an independent Ukrainian church immediately reminded her of her sadness over an independent Ukraine.

“How can Ukraine not be part of Russia?” she lamented after lighting a candle at the turquoise, golden-domed church, which was Moscow’s main practicing Orthodox cathedral under Soviet rule. “We have a common faith, a common history.”

Ms. Dyomena said it was less painful to see countries like Georgia seek to escape Moscow’s sphere of influence.

“Georgians, well, they were always from the Caucasus,” she said, referring to the restive mountainous region whose people have fought wars against Russian rulers for centuries. But Ukraine and Russia, she said, have “one language, one religion, even one cuisine.”

Ukrainians disagree. Russian was the language of government and education in Ukraine under the Soviet Union and Russian empire, and Ukrainians struggled to maintain their own language. They view the absorption of the Ukrainian state and church into Russia’s institutions under Peter the Great as an annexation that was not reversed until 1991.

“How can you live like neighbors when your neighbor says the house you live in is not your own house, but our common house?” said Bishop Yevstratiy, the spokesman for one of two Ukrainian breakaway churches, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kiev Patriarchate, which the Moscow Patriarchate has declared heretical.

Establishing an independent church is essential for Ukraine to consolidate its national identity and statehood, and it would probably happen eventually, said Alexey Malashenko, an expert on religion and society at the Carnegie Moscow Center.

“But for Russia it is also a tragedy,” he said. “I don’t know how they are going to agree.”

When Ukraine left the Soviet Union in 1991, the new nation took with it much that was dear to Russia.

The Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, won by Catherine the Great from the Turks for the Russian empire, was a vacation getaway for generations of Russian nobles and, later, for Soviet laborers. Its port, in Sevastopol, is still the home of the Russia’s Black Sea naval fleet. Odessa, an important shipping hub that is now part of Ukraine, is also the source of shared cultural touchstones, from its bawdy jokes to the famous shot of the baby carriage rolling down the steps in the classic Eisenstein film “Battleship Potemkin.”

Even historical tragedies are subject to the tug of war. There is a Ukrainian movement to convince the world that the famines that killed millions of Soviets during forced collectivization constituted a genocide aimed at ethnic Ukrainians — while many Russians object that their ancestors also starved after being stripped of their private land.

But the biggest prize is the inheritance of Kievan Rus, the kingdom that Prince Vladimir — Volodymyr to Ukrainians — converted to Christianity in the 10th century.

In Kiev, Aleksy II, the Russian patriarch, called it “the mother of Russian cities, a city from where Holy Orthodoxy began to spread through our land.”

Moscow church officials, who are close to the Kremlin, linked church unity to political efforts to maintain close ties among Slavic countries.

At a rock concert organized by the Moscow patriarchate, the popular rock band DDT performed alongside Metropolitan Kirill, a Moscow church spokesman who declared in a kind of ecclesiastical rap: “Russia, Ukraine, Belarus — that is Holy Rus! Holy Rus is invincibility!”

Shots were even fired on Saturday — though they were blanks. Ukraine on Tuesday delivered a formal complaint to Russia over the firing of blanks from Russian naval ships at Sevastopol to celebrate Russian Navy Day.

There is division within Ukraine over church independence. The idea is less popular in Ukraine’s mainly Russian-speaking, pro-Russian industrialized south and east than in the Ukrainian-speaking, Western-leaning part of the country west of the Dnieper River.

Aleksy II canceled a planned trip to Donetsk, a pro-Russian city, citing health reasons, but he was widely seen to be either trying to avoid stirring up conflict by rallying his supporters, or to be leaving early because the Ukrainian president did not show him enough respect."