Pics here.

Hopefully the MJC stuff at least will be up later this evening. 

Then maybe I can get to the news stuff I want to talk about as well.

Sigh.

When I put some juggling photos on there AND mention it on rec.j I get a decent number of views.  EG The Scottish Juggling Con this year has around 300 views; Bath and Chocfest are both in the 200s.  This is about right.

But, for some reason I can’t fathom, the Lestival ones from this year shot up from around that number to a startling “929″ views as at time of writing.

Anyone any idea?

I was there a day later than I’d have liked what with screwing up my work diary somewhat.  No matter, I arrived just in time to bid DB farewell as he and others were off away to the Dutch convention.  Oh and I completely missed D as he’d zoomed off to drive a lorry containing 2 passengers to Nice for the Monaco GP.

Once set up I was there to sit and chill.  So I did.

It was probably the most necessary thing to do.  Work and life has been hectic so a half week or so of nothing was just the ticket.

Chatted to a goodly number of people, met new folk, chatted to pals, drank a bit, played games and napped.

Ate some decent grub too.  The cafe had started doing omnivorous stuff this year but I failed to have any as the one time I tried they’d run out before I got to the front of the queue.  The vegan thing I had was pretty good though so I’m not complaining.

The only food missing was that I didn’t get to the pub as per usual.

The weather was lovely with only one short burst of rain whilst I was there and that was whilst I was napping.

The show was very much a thrown together affair but that’s another thing that makes Bungay different.  (Belgian) Martin rocked as usual and Pretentious Ken made the tent laugh heartily.  A good evening followed by drunken games – Mandy and Alex deserve a mention for being so entertaining whilst a “bit tiddly”.

The drive home was a real pain though.  Lovely people to miss and it’s a long way.  Sigh.

Will miss it until next year.

Photos here.

• menaderings monkey juggler
• why wont gp refer to physio
• juggling conventions clurb
• ï¼­ï½%81ï½%8eï½%95ï½%85ï½%8cï½%81
• cos it just so couldn’t be
• what about germs
• have you ever shat yourself while passed out
• what do bulgaria do for fun
• did jasper get stabbed late at night at a party ?
• alby plastic 1/35
• therapies for hypercondriacs
• funny answer to what are your political views?
• sara jay juggles balls like a pro!

So number 1:  I did something very similar before [here] but here’s the new one:

1. Put your iTunes/iPod/MP3 player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag any friends who might enjoy doing the same as well as the person you got the note from.

1.What is your motto?
Surgical Savior – Jarboe

2.What do your friends think of you?
A Wake up of the Spring – Diko Iliev

3.What do you think about very often?
M.A.G.I.C Speed Ball – Teranoid+MC Natsack

4. What is 2+2?
B1937 x unknown – SETI

5.What do you think of your best friend?
In Taberna – Carl Orff

6.What do you think of the person you like?
Jungle Rock – The Fall

7. What is your life story?
Clay Man – SWANS

8.What do you want to be when you grow up?
ICQ Terror – MC Sharpnel

9.What do you think when you see the person you like?
Fleisch Blut Haut – Einstuerzende Neubauten

10.What do your parents think of you?
Massacre Rite – The Mbuti Singers

11.What will you dance to at your wedding?
Cold Water – Contagious Orgasm

12. What will they play at your funeral?
Love Isn’t Blind – KK Null & Ichiro Agata

13. What is your hobby/interest?
Powerpuff Gabberz – DJ Yousuke

14. What is your biggest secret?
Water Babies – William Orbit

15. What do you think of your friends?
Wrong Place, Right Time – The Fall

16. What’s the worst thing that could happen?
Taal Zaman – Transglobal Underground

17.How will you die?
Dancas Ocultas – Neia

18. What makes you laugh?
Darshan vs Luniz – DJ Dippa & B21

19.What makes you cry?
MKDSL – Poslednja Voznja

20. Will you ever get married?
Mummys – Blectum from Blechdom

21. What scares you the most?
Divine Death – Napalm Death

22. Does anyone like you?
Canto X – Andreas Ammer & FM Einheit

23. If you could go back in time, what would you change?
Rock of Gibraltar – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

24. What hurts right now?
Asche zu Asche – Rammstein

25. What is the one thing you regret?
Two Turntables and a Moog – Alec Empire

26. What will you post this as?
Basscadet – Autechre

——————————————————————————-

And onto meme 2 (courtesy of Lydia)

Go onto Google and use your first name in the following lines.  Write the first one that makes any sort of sense:

Q: Type in “[your name] needs” in the Google search.
“Alan needs a new pair of shorts – I probably do.”

Q: Type in “[your name] looks like” in Google search.
“Alan looks like someone who skinned some guy and is wearing the face.”

Q: Type in “[your name] says” in Google search.
“Comedian Alan says sorry from Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England ) in Business provided free by Find Articles.”

Q: Type in “[your name] wants” in Google search.
“Now Alan wants a jet boat.”

Q: Type in “[your name] does” in Google search.
“X Factor fake Alan does know his parents.”

Q: Type in “[your name] hates” in Google search.
“Alan HATES boardgames, hates them so much, that it made me wonder.”

Q: Type in “[your name] asks” in Google search.
“Sir Alan Asks Kylie To Do Apprentice for Charity.”

Q: Type in “[your name] goes” in Google search.
“With Brazilian Top Team members Alan Goes and Vitor Belfort both vociferously demanding rematches with Sakuraba, anti-Sakuraba feeling is rising in Brazil.”

Q: Type in “[your name] likes ” in Google search.
“Tyrannosaurus Alan likes big butts.”

Q: Type in “[your name] eats ” in Google search.
“Alan eats a huge salmon’s face.. teeth and skull and all.”

Q: Type in “[your name] wears ” in Google search.
“In Mesmer (1994) Alan wears long velvetty robes, has long hair, and works in a drafty office filled with potion bottles and other sorts of weird objects.”

Q: Type in “[your name] was arrested for” in Google Search.
“Alan was arrested for felony domestic violence after allegedly hitting his wife two times or more on her cheek with closed fist.”

They only seem to update when I edit or write something new.

But this trip was about getting some quality “sitting back and watching the world go by” time.

Not too many folk on the train either but I kept getting looked at by a bloke in a reflective jacket.  I think he was a guard of some sort.  When we pulled in at stations he stood up and had a look along the platform but didn’t do the checking tickets thing.

Just before Dumfries I stood up to get my stuff together and then sat down on a different seat with my bag ready to go.  This really made him stare.  Slightly creepy.

But he didn’t follow me off the train.

Nice meetings again with another lovely friend who would be my host for the next 3 nights.

The first plan was to get to the shop.  My pal is a surgeon and when we were in Morrisons we bumped into a guy who was due to go under her knife in a week or so’s time.  I’m not sure he was best assured by the trolley full of cat food and booze.  But we had a melon as well so that’s all right.

Back to her gorgeous place in the fields one side of the town.

We were planning a walk into town for a pub dinner but one of her pals phoned and invited us for dinner with her and her husband.  Grand!

So I got a rather impressive and very tasty german meal that day.  Was also v interesting sitting with 2 ortho surgeons and a radiologist.  Got me some useful medical info out of the encounter and hopefully held my own in some of the discussion.

Whilst sitting around my host decides to tell everyone there how weird I am for going for foreigners.  “Oh hee hee” they all went.  I should point out that the woman relating the story is partnered up with a Norwegian chap and the other listeners were an English man and his German wife.

Next day was another quiet one.  My host had gone off to “help mend a pelvis” so I was left chilling (literally) in the house with her cats and chickens and ducks.

Later we did the Dumfries sightseeing thing.  Didn’t last long but it’s a nice enough place.  Certainly much prettier than I expected.

I can’t remember much else about Friday so I’ll assume that that’s about it.  I do remember sitting in front of the woodburner of the evening reading and chatting and introducing her to the delights of “The Bugle” (once the News Quiz had finished).

I had intended to go back to Edinburgh on the Saturday to be able to catch my train home but I was (easily) persuaded to stay in Dumfries.  All I needed to do was travel to Carlisle and hop across to Newcastle to pick my train up there.  And a good plan it was.

And it left Saturday to do stuff.  So we had a little tour of Dumfries and its environs. Castle Douglas and Kirkcudbright were visited.  In fact Kirkcudbright was where me and K spent our first New Year’s eve as a couple.  I didn’t remember anything of the town though and was reasonably surprised to discover that it had docks and that.

Besides local towns we also sat in local cafes and bought stuff in little shops and looked at statues of hares and so on.  A very nice way to spend a day.  And I got to hear the word “demi-johns” quite a lot.

Another evening spent in front of the woodburner.  This time I thrashed her at Scrabble a couple of times as well as the reading and drinking and chatting.

And then I had to come home.

She very nicely gave me a lift to Carlisle.  My train only just made it to Newcastle on time which was handy as my ticket was for that specific train rather than a specific journey.

It did slightly confuse the conductor when she saw my ticket was from Edinburgh.  “But you got on at Newcastle”.

Safely home to find no burglary but also no food in the house.  So I’m starving today.

Stuff to remember:

• Don’t forget your razor.
• Scotland is very nice.
• People I know in Scotland are extremely lovely.
• It’s cold up there.
• Trains are variable.

Photos of stuff are up now too.