The Taking of Pelham 123

Received a wee parcel from Amazon this morning... The Taking of Pelham 123.
 
It's one of my fave films - a dark tragicomic cop thriller starring Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam & Hector Elizondo.
 
Set in the mid 70s in a gritty, cynical New York City... it has an intelligent plot & one of the best soundtracks ever (imho) - in fact the first 40 secs is my current ringtone on my iPhone.
 
I think the film has been remade... which is a disaster. I haven't seen the remake & don't really want to... I'm content with original.
 
Why can't Hollywood just leave stuff alone & create new films instead of tarnishing the memory of classic films?
 
But the again... they only remake the classics... so maybe it's a compliment?! Who knows?
 
Check it out... add it to your netflix or whatever... and enjoy!
 
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...fade out again!

Everytime I watch this video and hear this song... I go "wow". True genius.

PM on twitter & flickr (part 2)

Sao Paolo, originally uploaded by Downing Street.

A southern district of Sao Paolo at night, 26 March 2009;

Now this is a nice pic! I wonder if my PM actually took the pic? I doubt it... but imagine if he did. Imagine if we, the voting public, had that kind of access to the PM. This is why I love social media.

PM on twitter & flickr

Gordon Brown views Pele's shirt, originally uploaded by Downing Street.

"The PM and former Brazil captain Socrates look at the glass-encased shirt of Brazilian football legend Pele at the Museum of Football in Sao Paolo, 26 March 2009;"

I like the fact that I can follow the exploits of my PM via the Downing Street twitter feed and view pics of said exploits in flickr.

OK so he's not my friend on facebook... nor has he connected with me on LinkedIn... or friendfeed... but, hey, I figure he's kind of busy... doing stuff like viewing Pele's shirt on a trip to Sao Paolo, Brazil;

What a job... to do all the PM's social media. I think that would be fun.

This is cool :: "omg posters" & Shephard Fairey's Bad Brains poster

One of my fave blogs of the last wee while is omg posters :: they focus primarily on screenprinted posters but they do cover toys and other goodies.

The above poster by Shephard Fairey caught my eye because it features one of my fave hardcore bands :: Bad Brains. I think the poster captures their energy very nicely.

Alistair & Laura (85/365)

It was a real pleasure to meet up with Alistair & Laura (aka @takebrokenme) for a beverage at lunchtime today. It's good to know they are both doing well in their own unique ways.
 
Good times!
 
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Loving me some... 13 Songs

"13 songs" by Fugazi is one of my fave albums. One from my youth that still stands up as pure genius. Made up of their first two EPs :: Fugazi & Margin Walker :: it is truly awesome, imho.
 
Sonically wonderful with chunky guitars, great choppy beats & a unique 2 vocalist style... I love it.
 
I also love their Punk Rock DIY ethos & independent spirit... I found it inspiring back in the day & it still inspires me today.
 
I would well recommend this album from the bass intro of "waiting room" to the finally throws of "promises" it is one album that consistently delivers in it's unique & powerful style.
 
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Pics from last weekend...

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

I thought I'd share the pics from last weekend - we had a great time: enjoyed being in the country and in a rural town... picked up some goodies in the charity shops... consumed tea and cake in a wee cookshop/coffeeshop space... good times!

I thought I'd also showcase flickrslidr - a fab wee doohickey that enables me to embed my flickr set into the ol' nanolog. We take so many photos that end up exiled on harddrives or on flickr... flickrslidr frees your pics and gives them a chance to be seen by a wider audience.

New (to me) threads... and some thoughts on thrift stores

One of the reasons why Peebles was such a success on Saturday was the "old fashioned" high street with individual shops, pubs, cafes etc. There are an abundance of charity shops there which may be off putting for some... but not for me... I love the hunt.

Pretty much the first shop I went in to I struck gold - I picked up a pair of super beat up pair of Levi's 501s and a Ralph Lauren polo shirt.

The jeans fit lovely... after I cut them down a few inches... and are broken in nicely. They are quite grimey with a couple of paint marks (well at least I hope its paint) and a bit of wear but they aren't threadbare or ripped.

The RL polo is a vibrant and a rather unusual shade of turquoise. The shirt itself is nearly brand new. It is my first introduction to RL and I have to say the quality is good!

I paid £5.50 and £3 respectively. Bargain.

Afterwards, Olly and I got talking about Charity Shops. Our fear is that with the rise of really cheap shops like Primark... folks wont buy second hand... they wont need to, afterall, because for the same price they can buy new from the trendy cheap shops.

I'm not a snob... but I know I will never find the quality of product in a shop like Primark that I found on Saturday. I don't own a pair of Primark jeans to compare them with the 501s... but I do have one of their polos & it is nice albeit not as nice as the RL.

This is one way the Charity Shops can compete - the provision of quality items. This is, however, wholly dependent on the generousity of the public. This could be problematic for these shops. What will happen when the cheap clothes get handed in... will anyone in their right minds buy a tee or jeans second hand for the same price as they could brand new? I really doubt it.

However, in addition to quality... where the Charity Shops can really compete is through the intangible value of surprise. I am never surprised in Primark... but I am more often than not surprised in a Charity Shop. I never expected to find a sweetly worn in pair of 501s or a great condition RL polo... to be honest I wasn't even looking too hard. Same thing goes for the time I found a fab pair of Levi's carpenter jeans a while back... or the North Face jacket... or the majority of the No1 Ladies Detective Agency book series.

I think thats whats missing on the High Street... if such a place still exists? Surprise. I know what I'll find in ASDA or M&S or Topman... well maybe not Topman... but you know what I mean.

This is where small independent retailers and Charity Shops can compete with the monoliths - quality items that surprise the consumer... and give back in some way.

Maybe, as consumers, if we demanded more quality and sought to be surprised more often then things may start to change. Who knows?

At the end of the day... I like my new threads.

Loving me some... Drink Me chai

Those of you who read the ol' nanolog regularly will be familiar with my almost obsessive-compulsive love of tea & coffee. I like rooibos... earl grey... sumatran & old brown java coffee blends... gingerbread lattes at Christmas time... and chai lattes all the year through.

I especially love me some chai latte!

On Saturday... as we headed out on a run... we stopped into ASDA to pick up dried milk. For some reason Olly likes the stuff and it certainly reduces any hassle when out and about. I waited in the car with the we'ans. When she came back to the car she produced a tub of Drink Me chai.

I was and am so chuffed. It is the real mccoy. Its the chai they serve in Caffe Nero... the coffeehouse where I am most fond of a cheeky wee chai. For about the price of one chai there... you can get a tub that will make quite a few for home or garden consumption... or, if you are a likeminded soul, consumption in the car at the base of Tinto.

Well recommended! Add it to your shopping list... if you like that sort of thing.