Tag Archives: elvis presley

07/11/2013

In the arse end of nowhere

By hairygoose

I had a new Italian teacher last night, so that makes a total of two in two lessons.  Not that I am scaring them off but I have since figured out that it is one teacher for language, another teacher for hand gestures.

That aside, I also figured something else out today.  This morning over breakfast, I treated myself to a little Amy Winehouse from her time on Jools Holland.  Way back in 2004, she was quite sweet and innocent, tattoo free and a fuller figure – her voice, purely magical.  A couple of songs later and the year was 2006,  the tattoos started to appear, the weight dropping, that glazed unfocused stare and of course in the background the worthless shite of a boyfriend.

Then over lunch, I happened across a BeeGees in concert movie so I stuck that on and we got to talking about the two brothers that had died.  It then hit me – you can tell how old you are by how many dead artists you have in your music library. I bet everyone has a bit of Lou Reed right? Jimmi Hendrix, Beatles, Nirvana, Joplin, Marley,Presley,Bolan, Beastie Boys, Barry White,  they very quickly add up. I would like to tell you now just how many dead artists are in my library but fear of knowing the true figure stops me counting.

Of course, it got me thinking about Winehouse. Being a hard arse, I have little sympathy for her way of life but I do fully appreciate the staggering loss of talent when she departed. I also remember when Cobain decided to take his head off with a shot gun, I never understood why. I am sure that will remain eternally unanswered but then one night many years ago while in bed in Abbey Street I was listening to Radio 1, before it got shite.  Back in the day (at 44, I am old enough to use that phrase, not like some of the spotty teens on the streets)   the evening was filled with Bob Harris (deceased) Nicky Campbell and of course the late and very very great John Peel.  Peel was hosting a show on Cobain and finished off with words along the line of feeling like he could have helped, invited him into his house to be looked after and helped through their problems – and I can’t help but think Peel was right, better still, there are many of us that would have volunteered our services to help to keep such talent alive.

But enough of that crap

Lets talk about my friend Rupert – or ‘Poopie Pants’ as he is known in Portugal.  During a recent stay in England, I talked Poopie into doing the Park Run with me on saturday morning (thank you Horley for the tip off).  For those of you unfamiliar with the Park Run, it is a weekly event ran by volunteers across the UK and 7 other countries (including S.A. Lexa) where you can run a 5k track, be timed and have your times analysed and compared by world record times, age, sex etc.   While out on a run on the prior wednesday evening, I was accompanied by the aforementioned Poopie and as we got talking I suggested he do the Parkrun with me on Saturday.  He actually agreed, I was agast and he was regretful almost instantly.  Building up to the saturday, he started to look grumpy about doing it but I kept pushing him until at 9am on an autumnal Saturday morning, the flag was dropped and we were off.  My previous 3 runs had all been personal bests and I knew I would be pushing it if I were to to another.

I never of course, I posted my slowest time ever of 23:53 but was very impressed to see Poopie coming in around 1:15 seconds behind me as a first attempt.  Now I have to admit at the time it was a bit of an eye opener.  I run a lot and I was aware that I need to pick up my pace but seeing this fucker post a time like this with a complete lack of training gave me a kick in the nuts that I needed. I did take some comfort in the fact that despite all of his moaning and groaning about not being a competitive person before the event, he did actually really enjoy it.

Since then, I can see his Runkeeper times are very respectable and I have no doubt that Poopie will be busting his nuts to get a better time than me next time we go, so I am upping the ante and have pegged a 7km course here in Genoa to ‘train’ on for my next 5k.  First time out tonight was under 35 minutes with mild poo cramps toward the end but expect that time to tumble as I naturally get quicker and time my toilet drops to perfection

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15/10/2012

Purgatory, Pell Bridge & Las Vegas

By hairygoose

Elvis has definitely left the building!

Second trip this year to Las Vegas has left me wanting to go again.  It is a hot bed of every indulgence known to man, all in the middle of a desert.  For instance, while I was there I managed to have a quick thrash around a track in a Lamborghini Gallardo, followed by one of the best Double Whopper with cheese and bacon although I do think this was probably so good mainly due to the fact that I had waited for more than 4 months to eat it.

I am amazed at how much money people are happy to gamble away though.  We stayed at the MGM Grand and no matter what time we passed through the casino (that was strategically placed so you couldn’t avoid it) there was someone playing the slots, all day long, every day.  There was even one woman that sat at the same machine for hours, she was there when we went out and still there when we came back.

I do wonder what it was like in the seventies with Elvis playing live at Caesars Palace, I reckon a truly hedonistic time. Caesars is still there of course, maybe next time we will head there instead.  There is still so much to explore in Vegas – but be warned, take plenty of money with you, and I mean pleeeeenty!  I have yet to check my credit card transactions but I reckon that little 6 day excursion knocked a hole in 2000 USD

So, maybe after I finish with this boat, another trip to Vegas is on the cards???

Now, enough of that nonsense.  Today I entered my first running race.  I have spent a few months this year in Newport, Rhode Island.  Part of the landscape here is Pell Bridge. If you look at my photos for ‘America 2012’ you will see it there.  I have been wanting to run it or at least ride my bike over it ever since seeing it.  I thought it would be a good proving ground for a top speed run on my bike due to the gradient but my efforts in New York I think will be hard to beat until I get to Antigua and the run down from Shirley Heights. Anyway, I digress.  The bridge is closed to pedestrian traffic and cycles, only motor vehicles………..except on November 11th when they allow the people to reclaim it.

I paid my fees and entered the race http://www.pellbridgerun.com/  One glaringly obvious problem – we are leaving Newport at the end of October!  The flight back up is not cheap but I want to do this so much that I just don’t care.  It’s a quick 4 mile dash, that starts at 06:30, no doubt chilly and blowy at that time in the morning but I reckon I can dismiss that run in around 35 minutes and claim my finishers T shirt at the other end.

So, what is this purgatory I hear you ask? Well as Mr. Buckingham thought – it isn’t Scandinavia in the summer.  In Newport there is a hill called ‘Purgatory’. It’s not offensively steep but it is jolly long, the combination of length and incline makes it a fearsome challenge, even more so when I am almost 12 miles into my route when I reach the bottom of it. Of course, the challenge is not the bottom of the hill, it is the top – and with all good challenges it’s all about speed. Just before the crest of Purgatory, there is one of those radar devices that tells you your speed.  It’s quite a good one, it actually picks me out on my bike.  Tonight, I managed to hit 15mph at the top of Purgatory while still on the incline.  I am of course rather chuffed with my achievement but come Thursday, I will be trying my level best to squeeze 16mph out of the top of Purgatory.  I shall post my success.

Let me sign off tonight with a couple of items.  Firstly, Felix Baumgartner. Brave man indeed. To have stood on the edge of the capsule looking at the earth must have been an experience of a life time, but then to jump off – the mind boggles – where would we be without such pioneers?  Maybe some of you are still asking what his stunt may have done for the good of human kind? I am just thankful that nobody stopped him from doing it.

Abu Hamza – Has now left the country.  I have, for a long time been scratching my head in wonder as to why this fuck head has been able to stay in the UK for so long, feeding off the social benefits system while preaching his hatred for the country that supports him and claiming human rights breaches to prevent his extradition.  I often wondered why someone simply didn’t put a bullet in the back of his head and be done with the whole affair.  Now the Americans have him – let’s hope those Yanks are still gun happy with itchy trigger fingers and have the balls to do what the Brits should have done but were too big a bunch of fannies to do it – shoot the prick and stop wasting money on him.

And on that note, I shall retire for the evening, tomorrow I have my work cut out removing two PTO’s yet again.  This time, I do the work myself and get it right!  Can anyone tell me what the differences are between a Range Rover and a Range Rover Sport?

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