The Black Chords were excellent on Friday night. I heartily endorse their product and/or service. I described them as Jeff Buckley fronting ColdPlay and everyone agreed with the Jeff Buckley analysis but couldn't hear/see the ColdPlay. But regardless, they are very good and are playing next on the 18th June at the Old Bar.
Saturday was a long day. Up way early, mission to Altona, spent 10 hours learning to ride a bike and I am pleased to say I am now fully licensed to kill myself on a self-propelled two-wheeled vehicle. I actually failed the test the first time and had to retake it but I did manage to kick the written component (I only flicked through the VicRoads Handbook, but my stupidly good memory saved the day). I am now allowed to purchase this:
Yamaha Virago 250
And Oh My Gawd! They are absolutely wicked! Opened with choreographed dance moves, finished with a Spanish rendition of It Hust Have Been Love (by Roxette*). Also saw Dane Certificate ... guy played guitar and drums at the same time (the snare was played with a pedal ... I actually think it was some electronics programmed to have snare and cymbal), with support from the most rock violinist ever.
Yesterday was fairly sedate. I was psychologically tested (helping my housemate's sister who is doing research into media violence), I went looking for some Western Films for my not-so-secret-project and ended up hiring The Seven Samurai and The Wild Bunch. We had a last-minute rehearsal for the gig and then I ate roast lamb and feel asleep quite early watching Samurai.
Oh, and we're playing tonight ... Brunswick Hotel from 9ish. Should be funny. I still haven't worked out what I am actually going to play in our new new song. It will be quite low-key and it's a school night, so no pressure and I will still love you if you stay at home and watch Big Brother Nominations and Desperate Housewives.
* The Look was one of the first singles I ever bought.
11 comments:
Toby, you could always have purchased it, but you're STLL not allowed to ride it... (i'm assuming you're on your Learners?)...
The very beautiful thing is that I AM allowed to ride it.
I can legally ride anything under 260cc.
Which is mental, but cool.
You can???? oohhhh ahhhhh.
So have you got a bike? Or are you getting one soon?
I am getting one in the next couple of weeks.
Scary! I can't beleive you can do some training and just jump on the road!
I can't decide whether to get something like a crappy postie bike or to go the 'whole hog' and get that Virago. You can't ride anything bigger until you've had your fuill license for 12 months, so that would be about 18 months away (including holding my L's for 6 months). And the Virago is cool because I will be able to eventually actually be able to travel with it, which is the whole point ... I will still be mostly cycling everywhere but I need to get out of the city occasionally.
But when I do get a bike, will be spending much time riding the back streets of the neighbourhood before I jump on the open road, so to speak.
I think that jumping the back streets ALOT is a VERY good idea. I agree though, I've always thought it quite odd that, although there is no real alternative, you have a few lessons and suddenly you're let loose on the roads by yourself on a bike. I know there are restrictions, but there's no way they'd let someone behind the wheel of a car by themselves on their Learners.
I think if it was me, I would lean towards getting a crappy postie bike just to start off with, so that should I happen to have a few scrapes (including just tipping the bike over, as I have done to my friend's bike just getting off it), all is not lost. Then, once I was perfectly confident, perhaps once I had my full licence, I'd get something more like the Virago... but that's just me.
Yeah, that's the conundrum.
But my balance is not too bad, which is probably cycling everywhere for the last 15 years. Trouble is Scooters and postie bikes other bikes are still pretty expensive ...
Ooh ooh get a scooter. Heh heh I'm such a girl.
I would still get something smaller and cheaper to start off with... or not. Oh I don't know. Good thing I'm not making that decision... yet.
Some of the Ramps photos are available here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hototogisu/sets/72157594154817717/
I shouldn't be fiddling with such things as I still have to finish one of my essays. Gargh. Do you have life insurance?
i'm less excited about the bike than the revelation about roxette. so good. isn't there something really eurovision about them? my first single was on VINYL. that's right - i was treated to a 7" of uptown girl, to go with my first album, the bizarrely titled sesame street fever. it had bert, ernie and the cookie monster dressed as the bee gees on the cover.
ah, good times...
No life insurance, but I have no dependents so that's not a big deal.
My Roxette single was also vinyl. I wonder what are they doing now?
A Virago? So, you're going to ride a "verbally abusive and angry woman"? Curiouser and curiouser - who names these damned machines?
Congrats on the license tho.
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