Weird Dreams, John Scott, Ellen Mellor and Nick Cave - - #Oktoberfest #28 - Coffee and TV - Blur

I've just woken up for a sort of weir dream. My friend the excellent comedian John Scott was emailing me songs from the new Nick Cave album "Ghosteen", the title reminiscent of "Ghostkin" a novel by my friend Ellen Mellor , any way John was emailing me three songs at a time and Nick Cave was sending me similar stuff from John Scott. The only thing to trigger this dream is that John has said how goof the album is and the title reminds me of Ellen's book. For a dera this was fairly normal apart from the fact that the only emails I get are spam and demands for money of to renew my web domains.

So that's the dream and now on to #Oktoberfest and I hadn't really thought of any new drink related songs so have to fall back on a reserve which is "Coffee and TV" by Blur  so really I need to get a few more on the list as there is still a week to go in October although that has just reminded me of "Cigarettes and Alcohol" by Oasis so that is not the worst song to include in the sequence, so I am OK for another post.

Imperfect - #Oktoberfest #27 - Marguerita Time - Status Quo

Sometimes solutions to problems are not always what you want them to be, but they are always what you need them to be, otherwise they wont be a solution.  Two weeks ago I needed a certain bus but it didn't turn up (it did but five minutes early and I watched as it went by my house) so I had to take a different bus which meant I was dropped off a lot further from the train station than I needed to be to catch my train, meaning I had to walk faster and further than I intended and while this was not the solution I had planned this was the only solution possible given the circumstances as I was on a fixed ticket on the train.

Similarly for #Oktoberfest the song "Marguerita Time" came to mind and  I thought it was a probably decent Jimmy Buffet song . It isn't . I'd got it wrong. "Marguerita Time" is a fairly bland Status Quo song which I wouldn't use as part of the sequence but I know if I don't it's nag away at me until the then of October. Status Quo are responsible for a lot of good stuff, and I have a triple vinyl tin which is rather excellent.

The song I'd mixed it up with was "Margaritaville" which, despite a few clever lyrics, is awfully bland. My favourite song by Jimmy Buffet is the really excellent "Volcano" which unless it's a cocktail wont get into the sequence. Anyway you can listen and tell me my evaluation is right or wrong or whatever this Wednesday morning.

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Hunger - #Oktoberfest #26 - Randolph's Tango - Thin Lizzy

Several times over the last year or two or maybe even longer I've been hit by a weird hunger. Normally when you are hungry you need to eat and fill your stomach and that satisfies the hunger. This is different, I am unable to eat something to fill me me up, and it's like the hunger is coming from my arms , legs and the whole of my body except my tummy, it's a little like low blood sugar and maybe that is what it is. It happened very intensely yesterday morning and usually a bacon sandwich would sort out a morning hunger but when you can't face a sandwich then what's left , maybe a mars bar?

I used to love a Full English Breakfast but these days it's not something that holds a huge attraction for me.

I don't know if the hunger I mentioned is a result of my diabetes or age, and it is not a huge problem as yesterday it was sorted with some fruit and porridge when I got into work, but it is something that is, in my opinion , and inconvenient annoyance.

So onto #Oktoberfest and should I or shouldn't I, yes I will. We'll go for "Randolph's Tango" by Thin Lizzy, I know the Tango refers to a dance but if you say Tango to anyone they'll think of a can of fizzy Orange first won't they? I've also referenced Tango in previous posts which you can check out here, although I've realised it was just my last Thin Lizzy post, so I need to track down more Tango related stuff.

Nothing To Say - #Oktoberfest #25 - Whiskey In The Jar - The Dubliners

I keep toying with the idea of doing a one or two word blog post just to see if anyone notices or not as they are all robots (I know they are not because although I am virtually unfollowed, and I'm not sure what benefit following gives the follower in the case of this blog, friends leave comments about posts on Facebook) but in 2010 I was on holiday in Oswaldkirk and posted this. It had a link to a to photos from the holiday but , really, thirty words, but the cat picture is good and the photograph link has some decent stuff on there from my point of view.

So anyway it's Monday morning and I don't have much to say after a weekend of Football disappointment in which Preston North End lost to a goal in the 98th minute (though Reading are a real bogey team for us) , Newcastle lost to Chelsea (that was not unexpected, the fact it was only 1-0 was), Liverpool's juggernaut was finally unexpectedly stopped by a misfiring Manchester United but the were not beaten (and I love Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Jurgen Klopp) and Ayr (Fiona's team)  were unexpectedly beaten by Dunfermline (who are my friend Scott's team so that was good for him).

Anyway, as I said, I have nothing to say this morning, so without further ado we will continue #Oktoberfest with "Whiskey in The Jar" by The Dubliners. That's the third time this song has appeared on this sequence but it's a great song and all the versions I have shared are excellent and worth your listening time, and The Dubliners live take here is certainly livelier than the Thin Lizzy / The King takes

Dawn is breaking now so I may get a photo or two on my walk to work this morning.

By the way the blog visits has now passed 320K and although this most was meant to be short , it's more than 300 words (I think my average is about 250 words), so so much for nothing to say , whether it's worth reading is a different matter entirely.

Optical Delusion - #Oktoberfest #24 - Whiskey In The Jar - Thin Lizzy

After "Apricot Brandy" by Rhinoceros in #Oktoberfest that prompted me to remember "Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)" by Looking Glass which in my thoughts is a goddamned awful record though listening back the lyrics and sentiment are cheesily depressing and the melody is half OK but it ain't getting on this blog but you can listen by clicking through on the link.

Today I went out to hunt down some Quorn for a Vegan Cottage Pie and was unsuccessful, ironically the Co-Op had pre packed Quorn Cottage Pies and that was the sum total of their Quorn. Anyway I thought I saw this sizable worm thing wriggling on the pavement but it turned out to an unmoviving piece of stripy cable. I do find it amazing the number of people who swear they have seen something when there is a logical explanation if they actually think about it , but often people like to be happy in their delusions and nothing will move them from their belief in what they have seen

I remember a case of a scientist / ghost hunter who actually saw something but realised it was caused by an instrument running at a frequency that caused his eyes to see something that wasn't actually in front of him. It is always good to check things out.

I do see and hear loads of weird stuff but when I look at the whole picture I see the explanation for what I thought I saw.

So on the #Oktoberfest and we have to have , what in my opinion is the definitive version, of "Whiskey In The Jar" by Thin Lizzy. Just thinking on this , at a push maybe we could have "Randolph's Tango" as well, cos Tango is a drink isn't it? We will also have The Dubliners' take on "Whiskey In The Jar" before the sequence ends.

I wasn't sure that I could actually keep this up but with eleven more days to go I can see me seeing it out.

Hope you are having a fun Sunday.

Day of Rain - #Oktoberfest #23 - Apricot Brandy - Rhinoceros

Today is grey and rainy. It's strange you can spell grey as gray which as far as I know means exactly the same thing, so why have two separate spellings . It's the same with "despatch" and "dispatch"  although apparently the British prefer the prior version. The English language can be interesting and strange at times.

The song "Stone Fox Chase" by Area Code 615  (theme from The Old Grey Whistle Test) was playing somewhere today and I thought ah that's "Apricot Brandy" by Rhinoceros and would be great for the #Oktoberfest sequence. I was obviously wrong and can't think of any reason why I even know of "Apricot Brandy" by Rhinoceros but obviously I do. It was a one hit wonder so it's unlikely that I got into it from anything or through any friends but the title has stuck with me and it is a half decent riff.

So back to this rainy Sunday.

Philosophy - #Oktoberfest #22 - The Philosophers Song - Monty Python

What is philosophy? I've never really thought apart from that fact that it's something that clever and intelligent people do so not for me. Definitions of it include:

• The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline. 
• A theory or attitude that acts as a guiding principle for behaviour.
• "don't expect anything and you won't be disappointed, that's my philosophy"

So out of my league for consideration, my attention span is probably inadequate for pursuit of such thoughts and subjects.

I saw an advert relating to a Dementia Charity (follow the link to donate) and thought if that should happen to me , this blog is a diary that I can use to keep track about what has happened in my life. Last week I was at a work away day and forgot the names of three people I work with, I associated wrongs names with right initials with them and spoke to my doctor about it , but it seems Alzheimer's is much more fundamental than that, but something that steals your memories while leaving a functioning body and fairly worrying. My incident was just due to natural forgetfulness, so nothing major.

That is definite food to philosophize over, one would think, were I intelligent enough.

Ironically one of my favourite places in Newcastle is the Newcastle Literary and Philosophical Society which is housed in an amazing building and it's president is Alexander Armstrong and I am forever berating native Novocastrians who have never visited the place. It is both important historically and an amazing building and library and meeting place.

So this post really came about because of the #Oktoberfest sequence and although drink is not mentioned in the title, the incredibly clever "Philosopher's Song" sung by Australian Academics in the Monty Python sketch is based completed on the alcoholic consumption of historically notable philosophers so fits in well with the sequence. Listen, Learn and Enjoy.