In retrospect, one of the more apt turns of phrase that I've stumbled upon with regards to my ongoing relationship with music is 'chemical dependence'. While other people might claim to love music or find complete fulfilment in music I find the only reliable way to describe my need for music is that my brain needs it like it needs alcohol or heroin (or would need if I did heroin...). It's not good for me, it's highly destructive and it often reduces me to a trembling, incoherent wreck. But once you're in, there's no stopping and often one is overcome with a feeling of defensive indignation when people tell you that you should stop for your own good. 

Yes, um. I don't know what the point of that ramble was. I've been listening to 'One Way or Another' for the last 4 hours non-stop.

adam

IRIS by the Breeders

Four hours in the pot, one hour out 
It grows and I sleep standing up 
When Iris sleeps over 
What a book she'll write 
Oh last night 
Oh come on, nobody wants that 
Sister, sister, Oh... 
We tried hour by hour 
Hour by hour 
Hour by hour 

Four hours to daylight, four hours and then 
Pour water on me til I live again 
When Iris sleeps over 
It'll be alright 
All last night 
But come on, nobody wants that 
Sister, sister, oh... 
We tried hour by hour 
Hour by hour 
Hour by hour 

Ah, I think it was Sam Harris who wrote in Time or Newsweek or somesuch about how elitism in politics should be a Good Thing because after all we want elites everywhere else doing stuff for us why shouldn't our politicians be qualified? With respect to Sarah Palin, of course. I agreed with this, mostly, because yes I do believe running a country is necessarily a complex and difficult not to mention pivotal job and hence deserves qualified professionals. 

There is a difference however between the elite and the elitists and I find Sam Harris misses the point a little here : not even the hockey mums and Joe the Whatever want an incompetent in the White House. They didn't want someone who ignores the needs of the middle-class, and perhaps misguidedly rallied around Palin and her unfortunate populists. This doesn't invalidate populism, because it is possible to be elite (i.e. highly qualified) without being elitist (i.e. ignorant of the needs of the middle/lower classes). So Sam Harris' incredulous sniffle at the whole Palin saga was perhaps, a little too incredulous. I still think she was an idiot though.

adam

MOVIE REVIEWS

WALL.E - awesome.

Balls of Fury - silly.

Meet The Spartans - Gut-wrenchingly stupid.

Taiwan plus POP

So let's get the nail-biting-y suspense bits out of the way. I've been posted to 1st Guards, which is good/bad in equally gigantic parts, because I will absolutely DIE in the guards conversion course, but I guess the rapelling and swimming bits might be fun, as compared to ASLC which is to fun what Salman Rushdie is to fundamentalist muslims. I guess also I'd like to actually assume some real command instead of going to BMT, just because it sounds like an interesting thing to be doing. 

But, four weeks ago:   I flew off to taiwan for my finale exercise. It was 

--------------------------- OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT -------------------------------------

but mostly pretty fun, I quite enjoyed the R and R.  Following that, a gruelling week of nonstop parade rehearsals, each longer than the last, designed to grind down what little was left of our willpower and leave us reduced to a desolate, mushy mashed-potato like substance. POP came, it was alright although somebody cocked up the timing, we got our chevrons and fucked off right after we got our postings. So it's first guards, whoopee I guess I'll be at camp on monday then.

adam