Reading: The New Yorker
Music: Circle Jerks "When the Shit Hits the Fan"
TV/Movie: The Young Ones
Link o' the Day: The Young Ones at the BBC

Uf dah...

Well I just got some news, early this Monday morning, that is going to make this coming week just plain hell. I'm not at liberty to go into details in this forum, and fortunately the parties involved seem to be doing okay. I'll know more later in the day. But I'm sitting here thinking about the work to do over the next few days (outside of the day job, which is busy as well) and yeesh. It's no one's fault--just one of those things.

But it should work out. I may get a little manic as the week progresses, and I apologize to Pretty Maggie in advance. I'm gonna buy her a nice present when this week is over.

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In other news, I have recently learned that I may be editing an anthology for a small publishing company that is considering starting a fiction line. There are absolutely no details available on this yet. No information on budget, schedule, theme, or reading schedule. We're at the very opening of talks regarding it.

But I'm still kind of stoked.

I promise, when there are details to release--and this may still be a month or two away--I will post them here (among other places).

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It as a very nice, if busy, weekend. Lots of driving, but 'twas worth it. Friday night we went up 'round near Boston to see friends and associates. A bit of socialization as the spring season comes upon us. Getting out of the house after the long winter comes to an end.

Saturday we drove all the way to Choate in Wallingford, CT (2 hours down to the whitest town in Connecticut, 2 hours back to wonderfully diverse Providence) to see the band Gaelic Storm. They put on a great show and further proved they they know how to work a crowd--no matter what the crowd.

These guys have a fan base that ranges from 10 years to 100. Seriously. How many bands that aren't the Rolling Stones can make that claim?

For anyone who doesn't know, Gaelic Storm's music is based on Irish traditional, but is fused with a lot of World Music stylings. Their music goes from traditional tunes to their own compositions, and they really don't have any bad songs. They're also very dedicated and on tour more than they're at home. They're also a pretty hard drinking band, and because they were performing on what is essentially a high school campus, they found bottles of Poland Springs rather than glasses of Guiness onstage.

They sure looked confused. "Wassis? Foul tasting, 'tis"

Anyway, it was a good show, and well worth the drive. their new album comes out in a few months, and from what we've already heard of it, it should be another chart topper.

Sunday I hung out with my dad for a bit. We drove down to the beach and walked 'pon the shore for a time. He had written a number of very nice pieces that had to do with the shoreline. I'm going to have to find copies of those and post them someplace. He has stacks of papers with his and my writing. One of these days we're going to have to take a day to go through them all.

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Today's link drops by the BBC for a look at the 1982 "britcom" The Young Ones. I loved this show when it first appeared on MTV in the late 80s. I managed to get all 12 episodes on poor-quality video, which eventually degraded and disintegrated over the years, but is currently available on DVD. This site includes some video clips.

To say that this show reminds me of my college days is unfair, to my college, friends, and associates. To say it reminds me of my old college apartment is unfair to the show itself. Even the BBC has standards.

Enjoy!

--John