Being deaf

Well, for over the past week I have been deaf. Well I can still hear slightly, but with a 90 percent hearing loss as my ears are blocked. The pain of finally registering with a doctor, plus the incompitance of the A & E I went to is fustrating. Yesterday I thought to myself "oh I work in a hospital, why not go to A & E" now. I wait for 2 hours as you do, only for a 2 minute encounter with the GP who tells me "you need to go see your own GP". Well no shit, that is why I am seeing you! Gah the mind boggles. It was Iestyn's 3rd birthday on Monday, and I couldn't hear much of what he was saying to me. We had fun though, he enjoyed the Cars Duplo set I got him.

The one main advantage to being mostly deaf is that I get to avoid all the inane conversations on the tube. Trust me, you will be thankful for that one. The disadvantages fair outweigh that though. There is a constant ringing in my left ear that is surely torture in some form, I get to miss out on great music,  I keep on bumping into people as I can't hear them pass and my new favourite word is "what?".

Don Jupp's revenge

On Wednesday, Jupp Heynckes finally got his revenge. The FC Bayern manager finally got his revenge on Real Madrid, knocking them out of the Champions League. The same team where two players bought for near 150 euros couldn't score a penalty between them.  Back in 1998 he was Real Madrids coach when they won their first Champions League trophy in 32 years. The trophy that they always crave; and was sacked 6 days later for his troubles. That pales in comparison to the sackings of Del Bosque in '03 and Capello in '07. He still doesn't get the credit he deserves, with many stating the players coached themselves. The photo above proves the players admiration for the man named Osram and Don Jupp. This year he leads the FC Bayern players out for the final in Munich against Chelsea. This is the third time he has managed them, and his sacking in 1991 Uli Hoeness states is his biggest regret. He's provided a steady hand over Louis van Gaal's huge ego and defensive frailities, and hopefully will win in 3 weeks time. He often doesn't get the credit he deserves at both clubs, which is a testement to his unasuming character and lack of ego; his records in the CL over his club career reads: two semi finals, 2 finals only going out in '90 to AC Milan and '91 to Red Star Belgrade, two of the greatest club sides of any era. Tactically he is pretty astute preferring a passing game build around a strong central midfield, with plenty of width of the flanks.

Here's to one of football's nice guys.

P.S. Last time I did a football blog I fucked up pretty badly with the prediction. I won't make one for the final, I will just hope Bayern Win. a guy can dream right?

a quote

"Well, there are three things men can do with women: love them, suffer for them, or turn them into literature. I've had my share of success and failure at all three."

Stephen Stills gave this quote to Rolling Stone magazine in the early 70s, and it grabbed me when I first read it In this one quote, he shows how deeply someone can care for a woman, and experience three different and strong emotions for just one woman.

"You've got a friend in me"

"There's something happening here"

Stephen Stills is one of my favourite songwriters. I say that, because well at his peak during the late 60s till the mid 70s, he delivered guitar work and love song writing that was second to none. He started off as arguably the leader of the short lived but much influential Buffalo Springfield, and looked set for the better solo career than his bandmate Neil Young and it's not hard to see why. Gorgeous melodies, soulful vocals and sublime guitar playing. He wrote and sang lead on their only hit "For What it's Worth". At his peak he was the white Ray Charles.

When he joined forces with David Crosby and Graham Nash in '68, he referred to them as his harmony singers and he's not wrong, playing all the non strumming guitar, bass and keyboards parts on their landmark 1969 debut. In theory, the band shouldn't have worked. Still has an odd, gruff singing voice, Crosby has a poor rock and roll but gorgeous harmony voice and Nash sounds, well to be blunt a kid. Yet it worked. Crosby was used to singing the high parts in the Byrds, yet here he blended well with Stills' vocals. Yet the lyrics. Oh the lyrics. The opening on their debut "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" must go down as one of the best songs of the time. Stills has an unorthodox setting for the guitar. Most songs in popular music are set to EADGBE while for this, and many other Stills song it's set to EEEEBE. Check out the Woodstock performance for the proof.

Many critics, like Robert Christgau, dismiss Stills as a chauvinist but I think he has got it wrong. Still if anything puts women on a pedastal, constantly insecure in his songs and who thinks he is inferior. The songs where he seems to be full of it are just bluster. In "Change Partners", he seems to be wounded by the ladies dancing with others. Neil Young has actually said Stills is full of doubt and has low self confidence. Someone I can relate too. It's unfortanate he blew all his talent in coke binges. I saw him live in 2010, and while his voice is gone, his guitar playing was very good.


Oh yeah. and he also had kick ass side burns.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to one and all! I hope you all get what you wanted. Me? All I want is to gorge myself on all the finest crap sweet companies have to offer. I have mince pies, After Eights, Celebreations, Christmas cake, wine gums and a Kinder Santa all ready for the next days till I go back to work. I feel sorry for my belly already, but I will work it off.

Christmas always makes me think of those childhood ones that will never be replaced. The kind where you got a shitload of cool toys. I hate getting older :)

The great British tradition

So today I had the great British holiday tradition; the office Christmas party. It was pretty fun to be honest, I stayed for 6 1/2 hours as did most people, but more importantly I felt closer to my colleagues than I had in a long time. We laughed, danced and hugged. Good times :D When looking back over the pictures of it, for once I actually like what I see which more of a shock with short hair. Looking forward.