Tom Waits blows me away with his music on more levels than anyone else. The Tansads will forever be my favourite band, the soundtrack to a teenage summer when I could have taken on the world – my own personal Teenage Kicks.

But I don’t think I know a better live act than Flogging Molly.

That’s the fifth time I’ve seen them in a little under three years. And this time round, Bridget Regan was sadly, unable to play fiddle owing to injury (although she came on to play tin whistle a few times, so that was good – see previous comments about all female fiddle players being nigh-unbearably attractive), and the fiddle part was played by Bob Schmidt on banjo, which I like, but it just doesn’t grab me in the same way as a good, fast, fiddle sound does. So, with one of the most important parts of their music missing, I was, to be honest, set for a bit of a let-down. Still, one gig out of five not being up there, it’s hardly cause for complaint, is it?

They took the roof off the place.

I’ve seen bands play bigger gigs. I’ve been to gigs where the audience roared along with every word. I’ve seen gigs I never thought I’d get to see. There is still nothing on earth like the feeling in the crowd at a Flogging Molly gig. I’ve never seen a band keep so much of the crowd moving, with so much energy, for as long as they manage, ever damn time. Never seen anyone forge that connection with audience – a sense that that really, there is no divide between performers and audience – everyone present is there with the common goal of having a wild old time.

I could talk about the songs they played, but I don’t think it’d mean anything to more than half a dozen of you. Tonight wasn’t the best Flogging Molly gig I’ve ever seen (for those keeping score, that was the one I saw with both wmute and _fionnuala_ about 18 months ago), but I still don’t know if any other act I’ve seen has topped it for the sheer electric joy of a live gig. If you haven’t seen them live, you are missing out.

I got another new toy today.  (Yes, I know there is a new one coming.  Previews what I have seen suggest it will not be a huge upgrade, and I got a bit knocked off the price precisely because there is a new one coming.)

I think it is safe to say that after an hour or two of playing with it (really not doing much besides getting used to the basics of controlling it), that I am completely fucking delighted with it.  I think I can finally stop butting my head against “but my camera just won’t do X”.  Or course, I first have to learn to make this one do what I want, so I will now be forced to spend many, many weekends playing with it, and really getting to grips with all these exciting new manual settings.  So you’ll all have to excuse me for a while.  Pretend I’ve started a new relationship, and am in that “can’t spend enough time in each other’s company” stage.  It’s probably more or less accurate, although there are less fluids involved…

If you were a small web company, and clearly looking to get your feet under the table of a much larger media operation would you leave a huge glaring security hole in the first website you did for them?

No, I didn’t think so.

Still, it’s provided a little Friday afternoon amusment round here, once we fixed it.

I have just discovered the existence of the album “Mr T’s Commandments”, which includes the track “Mr T, Mr T (he was made for love)”. If any of you can furnish me with a digital copy of this (and the rest of the album), I will love you forever.

In other news, I have just discovered that a consultant that we are working with was responsible for the on-line PR for one of my favourite albums of last year (Nick Cave’s Abbatoir Blues/Lyre Of Orpheus double album). I think it says a lot about this consultant’s talent, that, as part of the target audience, and as someone who is on-line more-or-less 24/7, I saw well, absolutely no on-line PR for it at all. Did any of the rest of you?

But on the bright side, once their server comes back up, we’ll finally have a pope with an on-line fan club.  This sort of thing is so important.  And it proves that the church have clearly elected someone who is in touch with the needs of the faithful as they face the challenges of the 21st century.

Yeah, OK.  But at least he has an amusing-sounding name.

Still, with any luck he’ll only hang around long enough to drive the last few moderates out of the Vatican, and lock the Catholic church firmly on course for complete irrelevance within my lifetime, and then he’ll have the decency to snuff it, because really, the head of one of the world’s major religions having been a Hitler Youth member is about as black as I can take my humour.  (“Everyone else was doing it, and he didn’t like it very much” get him a pass as a weak and feeble human, and I’m not about to condemn Ratzinger for it.  But I think it really should have put him out of the running for “God’s representative on earth”.)

Right now, I am mostly thinking about stuffing my face with cake.  There are many reasons for this – cake is never far from my thoughts, after all – but chief among them is that annwfyn‘s post earlier today has reminded me that one of the London Things I have always meant to get around to doing is having afternoon tea at a posh hotel.  I like afternoon tea.  Scones and jam and cream are one of those things that reassure me that the world does make sense after all, especially if they’re accompanied by something nice to drink.  The fact that I can have them served to me by men in absurd outfits only makes it better.

Anyway: the Savoy seems to come recommended and costs 24 quid per head, for which, by the sound of it, they will feed you until you beg for mercy which is the sort of thing I like in a restaurant.

If I were to attempt to make a booking for a Saturday afternoon in the not-to-distant future, would anyone care to join me?

Bought the new Garbage album.  It hasn’t grabbed me in the same way that 2.0 and Beautiful Garbage did, but nor did their first album when I first heard it, and I love it now, so I suspect this one’ll be a grower.

There’s something wrong with me.  I’m  really enjoying using a treadmill again.

I wish this sore throat would fuck off.  It’s been about two weeks now, and really, it’s just not funny any more.

Am contemplating Slimelight at the weekend.  Can I get a show of hands from anyone planning on going, as a decision making aid?

Caught an episode of CSI: New York for the first time at the weekend.  It was OK, but I worry about the way they seem to be diluting the franchise like motherfuckers.  Also, surely the point of watching CSI is to watch Grissom do his Holmes-With-A-Heart routine?  (Also Jorja Fox…)

OK, perhaps worry is a little strong.  I mean, it’s not keep me up nights, or anything.

OK, wittering now.  Time for bed.  And CSI.

Somehow managed to miss the fact that Garbage are playing Brixton in June.  Don’t suppose anyone has (or knows someone who has) a spare ticket?

Of course, you may have to keep an eye on electricana for the results but this seems like a good way to get myself to take a few photos:

“Ever wanted to see something about my life? I have a digital camera, so request a picture. You can request anything you want–a picture of something in my house, in my life, at my work, in my neighborhood, anything. I will either post a picture that I already have, or I will take a new one.”

(Caught this one off reynardine, cheers.)

1. Remove head from arse before thinking.
2. Eat more fruit and veg.
3. Regular exercise is your friend.
4. A bit of fresh air now and again wouldn’t kill you, either.
5. Reminder: see item 1
6. Spend a bit more of your own time on webdev projects.  Make ’em clever ones.
7. More photos!
8. Don’t worry.  It’ll either happen, or it won’t.  There’s no point in tying yourself in knots.
9. Re-read 45 and The Te of Piglet.
10. Reminder: see item 1

Lest I be accused of being needlessly cryptic: I am aware of a downturn in my general mood over the last month or so, that doesn’t seem to be fucking off like I’d hoped it would.  This is, obviously, not on.  I refuse to be Tedious Whining Bastard Man, because that’s no fun for me, or anyone else.  So rather than set down what’s bothering me, which is just a terribly TWBM thing to do, I thought it’d be rather more constructive to set down what I propose to do about it, so’s I’ve got something to hit myself over the head with.

So, while I think of it: April looks alarmingly calm and social-life free, which is nice.  This means I have more weekends in which I can do something useful.  As, in fact, I’m going to go and do now.  See you all later.