Posts (page 2)

I've been stitching together some of the pictures I took on site at 'Global Gathering' using Hugin Panoramic Photo Stitching software. The pictures were all taken on the camera of my Nokia E71 probably not the best photographic device in the world, but OK and I've always got it with me. My 'proper' camera is a few years old now, so is a bit outdated, big and eats batteries. So I'm on the look out for a new half decent compact type thing that will be easy to carry about with me all the time.

A couple of the pictures I had to dick around with in Photoshop, as the original pictures suffered from heavy vignetting and Hugin had trouble compensating. Over all I'm quite pleased with the results, but I'll have to try harder.

The View from our Bunkabins one evening.

GloGa09a

Night lit by towerlights. Our Bunkabins are on the right of the picture. Global tent is the peaks in the distance.

GGNight1a

The Flying Club, Long Marston Airfield, despite the derelict look it appears to be still in use.

FlightClub1a

2 comments

After the show. If I'd taken the picture a few days earlier it would've had a big tent in the middle of it.

Gghuginshop

This one required the most malarky. I ran the images through Hugin twice with different exposure compenstaion settings, neither of which were brilliant. I loaded both into Photshop and overlaid each one, then adjusted the transparency of the images to combine them. I don't know if this is a recognised technique, but it worked to a certain extent and made the sky less stripey than it was.

I've added this to the 9-5 group because they were taken at work.

This is the concluding half of the last post, as I had such a great time I think it's worth telling.

I caught the bus to Brixton as advised by my drinking companions. I think it was probably one of the last busses of the evening, as it was quite full. I always forget about using the bus when I visit London, but should use it more often, as you get to see some of the scenery between destinations. The Tube has an almost magical or Sci-Fi feel for me, it's like the Star Trek matter transporters. You pop down a hole and some time later you pop up out of another hole and you're somewhere else. I think it's the fact that you don't see any of the sites between the two locations. It does fragment your internal map of the city into areas surrounding different tube stations though. I've been surprised in the past to find that some Tube Stations are only a short walk from each other. Travelling by bus gives you some idea how all the different parts relate to each other.

At Euston I find I've mis-read the timetable and the last train has left. This is not a problem as I'm in relaxed travelling for fun and for me mode. If I won the lottery I'd probably not be at home very much. The next problem is where to stay. I'm kind of tempted to just sit in the station all night and read my book whilst waiting for the first train of the day, but it seems a waste to be down in London and not spend more time there.

There is a Travel Lodge or some such chain hotel visible from the station across the square, so I trog over and enquire about rooms. it's full, but the receptionist is helpful and suggests a direction to walk to look for more hotels. I wander for about an hour, stopping at each hotel and enquiring about rooms, but they're all fully booked. This starts to get depressing. Eventually I'm advised by one receptionist that if I keep walking in the direction I'm going the hotels get more expensive and I should try The Royal National Hotel. What a mental place. It's massive and even at 01:30 or so in the morning it was noisy and active. It seemed to be full of Stag or Hen parties and every visiting foreign school party in London. They had a room though, which was all I needed.

Up and showered Saturday morning, if not bright and early, in plenty of time for my Full English Breakfast. The Restaurant I'd been told I needed to go to for breakfast was like a huge school canteen and just as noisy with all the people in it. The English Breakfast was self-service buffet style, excellent! Four rashers of bacon and Four sausages for me then, with a couple of fried eggs, tinned toms and beans. No black pudding though. The Spanish people at the next table looked a bit horrified at the English version of breakfast.

I don't have to rush back to Wolves, as I'm not working until 21:00, So I've got most of the day to spend on more wandering around London. I Check out and off out into Bloomsbury to find The British Museum. I love a good museum, but then I'm dull like that. I'm not even bothered with all the interpretation that museums seem to bother with now-a-days. I just like great big collection of interesting stuff to look at all under one roof. The Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford is probably my favourite Museum of all time, but The British Museum is a very close second.

A quick check of my Snap Map makes me look like the tourist I am and I'm heading off in the right direction. To get totally blown away by a Giant Plywood Sculpture in Bedford Square.

Plywood4

I didn't know it was there and would've perhaps detoured to have a look at it if I'd known, but coming across it by surprise made it all the more magical.

I arrived at the British Museum around 11:00 and it was already busy with a lot of rude foreign kids being shepherded about by teachers or tour guides. I was in there for around the next 5 hours.

The Museum was busy, especially all the famous Egyptian stuff, so I headed off to find some quieter parts. A Poster advertising an exhibition of shields from the Papua New Guinea regions caught my eye and is more interesting than it sounds, as they're still making (and using) them today, only the designs have changed a bit from the traditional ones.

Shield2

I said I'm not bothered by interpretation, that's not entirely true. I do like a good label on an exhibit. One of the shields had a design that indicated the person holding it was un-killable. This then acted as a challenge to the warriors of the opposing tribe. A sort of:
"Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough"
in pictorial form. Further on in the Museum I came across an, I think Celtic, it might've been Pictish, shield and was struck by the similarity in shape from the other side of the world and thousands of years apart. I suppose a shield is a shield and much like Convergent Evolution something designed to stop shit hitting you on one side of the world in a different time will resemble something designed to do the same thing in another time and place.

Shield5

One of the great things about visiting a museum by yourself is that you can explore the bits you want at your own pace, linger over the items that interest you the most and pass by those that don't bother you so much. Visiting with someone else is always a compromise between even two very close peoples tastes. With either one or the other of you being a little bit restless as the other pauses at something that fascinates them. The disadvantage is that when you find something you'd like to point out and go
"Wow! Just look at this."
there isn't anyone there to do that with. Things like this bizarre detail of a curiously sheepish looking creature on a piece of porcelain.

Creature

At least I've got a blog so I can share it when I get back.

The other thing, is that you tend to get photos that don't include you in them, unless you find some one you can ask. Luckily the steward in the room I had this picture taken was nice enough and understood what I was trying to achieve. I think I made his day, as he said he'd looked at the statue a lot and not noticed what you could do with it pictorially.

Nudeme

See museums can even be fun if you approach them with the right mental attitude. The Statue itself was from Mesopotamia (I think) and had an inscription on the back that said it had been erected for the enjoyment of the people of the town. Sort of like an Ancient Page 3 Girl maybe?

Speaking of Photographs. One of the rooms I visited had a case with Netsuke in that were very finely carved and detailed. Two in particular caught my eye, but try as I might I couldn't get a decent picture of them. Ok I was only using my phone camera, but I suspect that if I'd had my proper camera with me, which is a bit outdated now, I'd still not have been able to get a good picture. I made a note of them, thinking I'd look them up on the net when I got back. Somebody might've posted a picture of them I hoped. Guess what. The museum itself has posted pictures of them. There is an online searchable database of around one and a half million of the Museums objects, nearly 400,000 of which have at least one picture of them.
So check out the two Netsuke that had particularly caught my eye and I couldn't get a good picture of:

The first is an almost Heavy Metal/Goth style lizard on a Skull it's about an inch and a half tall in real life and is exactly defined by the word exquisite.

The second amused me as it was described as 'Long Legs Long Arms with an Octopus.' and is a humourous little figurine just over 5 inches tall. Look at how the carver has managed to depict the hairs on the belly, legs and arms of the two demons.

Four or Five hours of wandering around a museum makes for weary legs and sore feet, but a sit down with a restorative cup of tea whilst writing postcards in The Great Court revived me for the walk back to the Station. Where I caught a train back to Wolves and worked 'til three in the morning at the poxy Club night.

I know this has been a long post to read and a bit worthy with all the educational type links, but I'm trying to get over how Museums inspire the dilettante in  me to look stuff up when I get home. How the 'net has made it so much easier to find out a bit more about something that grabs your interest when you're out and about. I know all this is ancient history as far as bloggery goes, being news from a few weeks ago, but as I've been working away and then come back, and as I've bumped into people at home and they've asked where I've been and what I've been up to. The day and a bit I had meeting Netpals for a drink and mooching round London had been one of the highlights of the time. Now I think back I feel lucky as it feels like I had a small very pleasurable holiday.

Last Tuesday evening, the 7th, saw a colleague and myself heading down to our nations capital to get comfy in a hotel so that we we're ready to start work at 08:00 Wednesday morning in Hyde Park. The show had finished Sunday night, we were just there for the 'out'. So no glamour & no glory. They were paying us though, so what's the problem?

We arrived in time to have a couple of tasty beverages in The Sussex Arms. An OK-ish proper pub, but with a Juke Box that could do with turning down several notches.

Wednesday, saw us loading trucks all day and being asked if we could do Friday as well, because they'd had to stop work when the torrential rain had fallen Tuesday, so were a bit behind. Fine for me, but colleague had to get back for another gig on Friday. As the Sussex was so noisy we decided to try The Victoria which was in the other direction from the Hotel. You've got to give a pub called The Vic' a try if you're in Lahndahn haven't you. Kind of posh, with expensive food, but a good pub. The Fullers Discovery was lush though, and that's what kept us there.

Thursday was loading more trucks. At the end of the day colleague headed back up North, whilst I went back to the Hotel and a different room that was probably the smallest Hotel room in the whole of London. I only needed it to sleep and shower in though, and it was fine for that. This also left me on my tod for the evening. Not a problem I can amuse myself. I wasn't going to eat at the Vic' again. So after a shower and change of clothes, I went for a bit of a bimble towards Paddington Station. There were plenty of places that looked fine to eat in, but nothing that really grabbed me. The Burger King has closed in Wolves town centre and I do like a Burger King Burger every once in a while. So Burger King it was. I picked up a couple of Postcards and headed back to the Vic' for the Discovery and to write the cards WHilst a bunch of Yuppy style twats made a show of hemselves in the street outside the pub. Back to the Hotel and bed.

Replacement workmate was heading down from Wolves disgustingly early to meet me at the Hotel 07:30 Friday Morning and we were going to the Park from there. Off to the Park to Load yet more trucks, but YIPPEE! Finished by around 12:30 and still paid for the whole day. That meant I'd stop in London and meet up with Em' for a Birthday drink. If we'd been working all day I would've been knackered, smelly and not very good company, so would've headed back to Wolves.

I couldn't face walking across the vast expanse of Hyde Park to get to a Tube station. Hyde Park is Massive, even more so when you've spent the last couple of days on foot in it. So I hopped in the Car with my pal and headed out of town with him to get dropped off by a Tube station. I'd got my Oyster card and the whole afternoon free for a bit of Flânerie. That's a posh way of saying, bimbling about aimlessly, enjoying the sites and soaking up the atmosphere in a leisurely way, because you can, because you've got the free time and inclination.

I'd been dropped on The Edgeware Road by a pub called The Green man. I sat inside for a while, using my phone to access Facebook, to say Yes I was going to Em's Event and checking the location on Google maps. The internet - It's Ace. The Mobile Internet - WOW! How useful is it? I'm still kind of blown away by the whole living in the Future type thing that being able to get the internet on my phone does to me. OK I've not got a Hover Car and silver suit, but mobile Internet kind of makes up for that.

Once I'd sorted the evening out I took another pint and sat outside for a smoke. Edgware road has some interesting people wandering up and down it and the pub was opposite Paddington Green Police Station. I'd heard the name on the News, so it was interesting to be sitting opposite it. It's that sort of thing I love about wandering around London.

Eventually it was time to hit the Tube to Euston to check on train times. I'd looked on the Mobi' web, but wasn't convinced I knew what was going on. The Mobi' web does have it's limitations. So as I like the Tube (it's a novelty to me) I didn't mind travelling on it in nearly the Rush hour.

At Euston I grabbed a Pasty and some information. I couldn't use my Oyster Card to get to Streatham, so I got a day tripper, or whatever they call the card and followed the instructions to get to Streatham. I was now travelling in the rush hour, but I kept my big bag out of the way, stuck to the right on the escalators and generally didn't get in the way of the busy busy Londonites. On the Tube I think I might've freaked a couple of lasses out by staring. Sorry. One had such an outrageously perfect complexion it looked like she'd been dipped in Nivea every night and fed on nothing but Evian. The other by contrast, was kind of Orange, but had the longest eyelashes I'd ever seen. The thing that made me stare was that they had some sort of lardy gunk on them. Not mascara, it looked almost like dried Araldite. Weird and fascinating enough to keep me staring rudely.

London Bridge Station and I was on the Overground (Is that the correct term?) to Streatham. Looking out the window and being amazed how much terrain there is in London. I'd love to have seen the landscape before all the buildings were built. At Streatham station I checked Google maps on my phone again. I'm not going to be wandering around a strange town with an expensive phone in my hand. So get bearings, look at street names on the map. REMEMBER street names and directions, then start walking as it's not far.

To my eye outlying bits of London have their similarities. Streatham high road and the Edgware road have things in common, the Ethnic grocery shops, the internet cafes and News agents, but there is a slightly different vibe. Kind of like seeing Cousins or Uncles. You can see that they're from the same family, but there is a difference.

I got to the The Pub in plenty of time and then the nerves began. If you've met anyone off the internet before, you'll probably have half an idea what I mean. Will you recognise them? Will they recognise you? Are you intruding on their 'real life' by being some weirdy that turns up from their 'virtual life'? What will their RL friends think about a netpal? Will they think it's strange that you're there? OK. You'll have read each others blogs over the course of years, that makes things easier. You do 'know' each other, but you won't know a thing about any of the none net people there.

Then a face you recognise, who's probably just as nervous as you, is smiling and walking up to you and saying.
"Hi. You got here all right then. Sorry I'm a bit late. My friends have got a table out the back, come and join us."
You get introduced to everyone and find that everybody there has met through the internet in some way, and they don't think it's strange you're here, and you have a cracking night out with some lovely people at a great pub, and too soon you've got to leave because of public transport. If you've never met up with someone you know off the net before, do it. You meet some of the best people.

The Locals tell me the best thing to do is get a bus to Brixton, then the tube to Euston, where I arrive to find I've missed the last train home. This wasn't a problem as I was half expecting it to happen.

That adventure is a tale for another time though. I've typed enough, and you're probably bored reading this by now.

If you had one day to spend $100,000 - and you had to spend it totally selfishly - what would you buy?

Drink and Drugs. Cases of spirits and/or Kilos of Cocaine. Neither of them go off. I'd either have a lifetimes supply for myself, or something I could sell later.

Obvious thing to do really.

Check out Balkan Beat Box. They've been keeping my ears amused for the last 24 hours or so.

...finding that you didn't have to go into work after all. Drinking a couple of cans and watching a talented artist draw pictures live on Her Ustream Channel.

I'm not sure how the technology works, but you get to see the part of her screen that she's drawing on and the drawing appears before your eyes. There is a chat box at the side for the watchers to chat, kibbutz, make suggestions and generally hang out. Kind of like spending the evening round someone's flat or in the pub, except you're all in different parts of the world.

Check out some of the pictures that were drawn last night:

• Rummy McGauger - A Drunken Pirate
  
• Back Ground Guy (BGG) - A voice in the background of her channel.
  
• Tekkyh - A viewer & her crush BGG.
  
• Arlington von Crumbenstein< - Another pirate./a>
  

Amazingly these were all 'drawn' digitally.

Back from Download site work on the 18th June. missing Billy Bragg, as I couldn't be arsed to leave the house and just wanted to shower, eat and drink. I'd agreed to work UFO on Friday, but realised I'd be battered from Download so got covered for that job.

20th of June was 'The Saturdays' and a long day with a difficult load out, as it was a seated gig. Sunday and Monday off. I can't remember what I did, just sat at home going Engghhh I think.

Tuesday the 23rd Was an Evening with Joe Calzaghe Plus Sir Henry Cooper. Sport isn't my thing, especially not boxing, so i just did the load in and load out. Wednesday was 'Blur' who seemed to have all the lights in the world and another tough-ish load out, but a stonking atmosphere for the show and some old pals, working on the lamps and drum tech'ing.

Thursday 25th was 'Fleet Foxes' a nice surprise for me as I didn't know any of their tunes, but seeing part of the show meant I discovered a new band. The lampee was another old pal, but again what seemed like a difficult load out, especially considering that there was bugger all gear. I'm not sure if it was because I was tired, or the colleagues I was working with were being especially dense.

Friday 26th was Jimmy Carr upstairs and 'Pendulum' downstairs. I couldn't be bothered to sit through a comedians set and only wanted to have a neb at 'Pendulum' as I'm getting bored of hearing their tunes at the clubnights. I was impressed with the sound during the sound check and they had a top light show.

Saturday 27th Was 'Lenny Kravitz'. What a pile of arse, but I was up-rigging for the show, which I always enjoy, and a good pal had come down to ground rig for us. So it was a good day, we had a pint at dinner time, then went to see another pal who used to work for us, just to chew the fat and watch a bit of Glastonbury on his TV, before it was time to head back for the Load out.

Sunday 28th was another day sitting at home going Engghhh.

That brings us to Monday 29th, and 'The Dave Matthews Band'. Another day up-Rigging, with my pal grounding for us. For a mostly American touring crew, everyone I had to deal with were really nice. Though I heard that the runners had a bit of a 'mare with one of the production people. Sweated like a bastard dicking around putting the points in, then did dribs and drabs, 'til it was time to put the safeties on the PA. 31C in the roof. My head started leaking as soon as I got up there. More sweating and dripping on my specs'. That was around 14:00 and we were done 'til load out. So off to the nearest pub, for a cold Cider to replace essential bodily fluids, then off to 'The Bell' at Tong. One of the pubs they send us to eat at when we're working on the 'V Festival before catering has arrived, or after it's  gone off site. They do proper full on meals that make you feel you've had your moneys worth, rather than something expensive, with a fancy description on the menu, but that ultimately leaves you wishing you'd ordered two meals. A mixed grill for me.

After that we headed off to the Cosford RAF Museum to kill more time, we only had time to look at the 'planes in one of the buildings. I had Airfix models of some of them and seeing the real thing was great. You'd be surprised, how big some aircraft are, and also how small others are when you get to stand right next to them. By the time we'd bimbled about the one building, we didn't have time to look at the Cold war exhibition, which is housed in another spectacular, modern, asymmetric/weird shaped building. Something for another day then.

When we left, thunder was rumbling and the sky towards Wolves was that Purple heading to black colour of a proper thunderstorm. We didn't see any of it, but the road was wet and we passed through a couple of flooded sections, with popped man-hole covers and the smell of sewage.

We still had the evening to kill so popped back to the same pal from the other day to chew some more fat, until it was time to head back to work, via the chippy.

Caught a bit of DMB and the bits I heard were Jazzy/Santana-esque. I'm not sure I'll go out of my way looking for their music. Load out was sweet, with the temperature in the roof having dropped to only 30C, but with outrageous humidity from all the sweat that had risen off the punters below. More sweating, but a nice efficient load out.

Despite some of the nasty load outs a good week or so that I've enjoyed. Especially Monday, with the visit to the Aircraft Museum. A couple of days off. When I need to get some food in and do laundry stuff. Then it's on to working house tech' for the Methodist Conference on Thursday.

...and loaded on the trucks. Has basically been our brief for today. So the anti-climb is down, packed neatly & ready to use in Hyde Park. let's just hope the muppets can work out how to use our brilliant bit of carpentry.

We've started on the Larch Lap fencing that's used to disguise the Heras fencing in the VIP/Guest area & the Dressing room compound. We'll be continuing with that tomorrow.

During the meanwhile it's time for sleep.

...I'm back at home and I feel battered. Worked 'til 22:30 on Thursday night. Then back in at 07:30 Friday morning to be run ragged by the Artists liaison team making sure everything was looking good for the backstage area. Grabbed some dinner about 13:30, but had to eat and run. Messed around some more and finally had chance to stop properly for a break around 16:30 when we went on standby. Broke at 18:00, but catering didn't open for tea until 18:30.

As we weren't working the weekend at Download, my work colleague & bunkabin mate headed home as soon as possible to his Girlfriend and 'The Babby'*. This left me to mooch about, having a shower, putting some half decent clothes on, rather than work clothes and returning the buggy to production.

I then walked out to check the festival. Bumped into another pal who was working the Festival, just as 'Faith No More' came on stage. As I was watching from an oblique angle off Stage Right**. I could hear fine, but couldn't really see the stage properly, but I could see the video screens. As it looked like they'd got some good lights I said I was going to watch properly from the front. All I'd meant was moving round so I was more front on to the stage, but my pal said we could watch from the FOH*** position if I had the right pass. I had a better pass than her**** Mwahahaha.

The show looked and sounded great, but I find it difficult to watch a whole set and I wanted to have a look at 'Motley Crue' (I don't know how to add the superfluous Umlauts). They were terrible. So I headed over to the Jagermeister VIP viewing platform. As I'd bumped into an old mate earlier in the day and found out that he was working there. So I got to watch the end of 'Faith No More' drinking free Jagermeister and standing on a platform above the Hoi Palloi. I felt like some sort of Roman Emperor.

The main stage finished and I was thinking about heading to the VIP guest area, knowing it would be more disappointing than it sounds. As I'd been working 'site' I knew the best way to get there (because of the crowds at the entrance from the Arena) would be to go through the 'Tuborg Stage', which just happened to be the stage that the rest of our Company were working on and our friendly neighbourhood PA company were doing the sound on. They'd just finished, so I bimbled back to the ranch with them. For a few tasty beverages on their bus.

A bit later, the guys from our company finished on their stage and texted to say they were up for a drink, so it was over to their Van for a couple more.

I didn't have anything to do early, so I was up for another drink, but was aware they had to go to work, so left not long afterwards. Back to Bunkabin world and kip.

It was great not having to set an alarm.

I woke about 12:00 and felt really really bad. Worse than I should've felt from the amount I had to drink. I think the 12 hour days had caught up with me. By the time I'd dropped off the key for the bunkabin to the lads who were going to use it whilst I was away for the night it was 16:30.

I thought I was going to read some of my book on the shuttle bus to Derby***** and then the train back to Wolves. I couldn't summon up the mental energy to concentrate though. So just enjoyed the view. It was a great day and the journey from Derby to Birmingham goes through some superb looking countryside, until it gets near Birmingham.

Arrived back in Wolves and headed to work to dump my bags and make sure the club night was fired up. Then off to MuckDonalds as it's nearer than my favourite filthy kebab shop. Swift libation in a Pub, then into the clubnight until 03:00 in the morning.

I'm heading back to site tomorrow, well later today now. I'll hook up with a pal who's attending the festival, but they'll be no Rock and Roll excess. I've got to be firing on all cylinders at 08:00 Monday morning to start taking the nonsense out. We should be off site for Wednesday.

*A Wolverhampton term for small child.
**That's the Left of the Stage as you look at it. Stage directions are always given from the point of view of the person on the stage looking out at the audience.
***FOH = Front Of House. The mixing and lighting desk position.
****Remind me to explain why one pass can be better than another one some time.
*****The chippy opposite the Train Station in Derby is great. The greasy spoon next door to it is also good, though it was shut, but I've used it before.