If you can't change yourself then change your world

[venta]

I don't feel like I've done a proper update in a while, and now everything's too long ago to be interesting.

However, in summary:

The Designated Hero of the Week for last week is leathellinandhearthfire. The Leathellin half of the heroism was by managing to snag a bunch of tickets for the Jools Holland "Summer Swing" concert in Kew Gardens. The Hearthfire half is for providing a stupendous picnic to munch on before, during and after said concert. When eight people arrive carrying their own bodyweight in wine, and someone warns you that this is only the nibbles which begin your five course picnic, you know you're in for a good evening - and that's even before a fourteen-or-so strong Big Band makes it on stage.

In order to recover from all that glamour, picnic, upmarketness and fireworks, I went to the Tin Pan Alley festival on Denmark Street on Sunday: one little stage in a very scruffy street full of equal parts of people, rubbish and blazing sunshine. The Unstrung were quite interesting, Steve Diggle was surprisingly dull (partly thanks to having the world's dullest drummer), Art Brut seemed OK, and The Subways were really quite good for a band which thinks two notes to a bassline would be an indulgence. The sound system was poor, though, so I'm not 100% sure what I thought of some of the bands.

Incidentally, [Poll #537044]

My discovery for this month is that BBC 6Music is fantastic. It is my new favourite thing. In particular, it has already introduced me to The Dresden Dolls - and you've got to like a band that describes itself as Brechtian Punk Cabaret. Anyone willing to navigate their oh-so-pretty but vaguely unusuable website can download four mp3s, which are well worth a listen in my opinion. Or if you're not willing to wrestle with the interface, go straight to the download page.

Last Easter, I broke my watch (terminally). About three weeks ago, I finally managed to get round to getting a new strap for my slightly posher watch. It's a nice watch, but it doesn't fit my very specific requirements of an everyday wristwatch. Still, it tells the time, which is good enough for now. Since I started wearing it, I've had an uncharacteristically large number of people asking me what the time is.

Accordingly:

[Poll #537045]


The remainder of this post is a local post for local people. Where local means lives in Oxford, lives near Oxford, has formerly lived in Oxford, has a vestigial interest in Oxford, or is bored enough to read any old drivel.

This evening, walking up Cowley Rd, I spied some interesting looking stencils on the wall in East Avenue. One was a picture surrounded by the words "US Justice ? UK Justice", and one was, er, I forget what it said exactly (something about "for the people?") and featured a row of people hanging as if from a gibbet. I'd kind of like to photograph them for my collection, but sadly they've both been half spray-painted over.

But you wouldn't got out and do just one stencil, would you ? No, of course not. So there must be others somewhere. So, your homework is to tell me if you see either of these (or any other interesting stencils that look new, really). OK ?

Further down Cowley Rd towards the Plane, around the time when the roadworks go crazy, there was a poster on the wall. It was one of those affairs with little tear-off strips which are usually posted to advertise rooms and so on.

All it said was:

"Turl Street: it would be better without that there" is eBay item number: 7338091392

Intrigued, I took one of the little strips. I can't help thinking that it wouldn't be better if Turl St wasn't there - getting to Lincoln would be a pain - but am willing to listen to reasoned argument. Besides, I very much approve of people auctioning opinions and rants on eBay.

"The roadworks on Abingdon Rd are really starting to piss me off." What am I bid for that fine opinion ? Anyone care to open the bidding ? All reasonable offers considered. Postage free.

Disappointingly, it's actually all quite serious. But wondering what it might be kept me entertained all the way home :)

Incidentally, the entry about the red car and the blue car was just to see how many people instantly thought of (and could quote!) the Milky Way advert. Being remembered by a reasonable proportion of the population is pretty good going for an advertising jingle which was broadcast around fifteen years ago. I don't believe many things have that much staying power (apart from, of course, the bloody Budget Windows advert, which probably noone reading this other than jiggery_pokery ever had the misfortune to encounter).

Comments

[zandev.livejournal.com]

I used to wear a watch, but after the strap broke for the second time I've not bothered to get it fixed.

I'm usually in range of another timepiece though, so I've not found it to be a problem.

[shrydar.livejournal.com]

My only watch is a snazzy Rado that I spent years looking forward to being able to afford, and finally picked up relatively cheaply in Istanbul. I wear it most days, (although I often don't get around to putting it on before I'm about to leave the house), despite it not really going with the rest of my attire.

I used to find it mildly annoying that it had neither a stopwatch nor an alarm, but my phone now does all that and more. I am usually near a computer, too. If I'm cycling or going to Yoga I'll rely on my phone for keeping track of time, as otherwise my watch would get sweaty or caught on things. The trip-computer on my bike has far too many modes for it's own good, and I'm still not confident that I can remember how to get to the time without accidently resetting the distance I've travelled that day.

I enjoy being able to answer when people ask what the time is, and have been known to ask others if I've forgotton to bring a timepiece with me.

[jiggery-pokery.livejournal.com]

I shall get my retribution - by reinfecting you with the earworm - through the method of PhonePosting my remembered interpretation of it so that all can share the pain.

[ringbark.livejournal.com]

I may be barking up the wrong tree, but I suppose that BW is some type of glass emporium. If that is the case, I must warn you that those of us on Merseyside had to put up with the abominable jingle:

St Helens Glass
Has the class!

Which is still better than the (amazingly, memorable) car dealer's

Unbeatable on Merseyside - Wadham Stringer Fordworld

which neither rhymed nor scanned nor had any internal rhythm to make it wholesome and good.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I know the breed - I can still remember the phone number for the defunct AFG Nissan garage in Darlington because I had it sung at me so many times.

An honourable mention as well to the Firestone tyres advert which managed to stick in my head after only one hearing on local radio in Queenstown, NZ.

[brrm.livejournal.com]

Not really Oxford-specific, but do you know about stencil_central? I'll assume you know about the stencils on Bear Lane and in the little passageway to the Turf? They've been there for quite a while.

(Sorry for cluttering up your comment notification - Omniweb and LJ's fancy comment deletion Javascript really don't seem to get on :) )

[triskellian]

I haven't worn a watch for years and years - I always have a phone, computer or car that'll tell me the time, but I more usually ask people I'm with what the time is (friends, that is, rather than stopping strangers in the street). I'm still impressed with myself that when I last bought a watch it occured to me to get a windup one, to avoid having to buy a new battery every time I wear it (once every couple of years or so).

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Doesn't seem to have attracted much bid interest just yet. Is the title derived from the comment made (while pointing at the stool) by everyone who sees the picture, do you think?

[venta.livejournal.com]

To be honest, I'm not sure it would be much better - I didn't think a right lot of the picture underneath, either :)

Watch the slow hand

[j4.livejournal.com]

I used to always wear a watch. Then my favourite watch broke, and then the one I bought to replace it broke, and I couldn't find another one that fulfilled my three criteria (clockwork, small, affordable) so I just stopped wearing one. And I had a clock on my phone which I could glance at easily, and there's a clock on my computer, and clocks at home, etc. etc.

Recently I've started wearing one again because the new house doesn't have clocks in the right places yet, and I have a phone which is more awkward to glance at for the time, and the second of the two watches mentioned above has mysteriously started working again (though it now gains about 10 minutes a day). It feels a bit weird, though, wearing it.

Oh, and I wear a watch at Glastonbury (one that doesn't matter, usually bought for a quid off the market) because I sometimes want to know what time it is and don't want to run my phone battery down. :)

Despite being right-handed, I wear my watch on my right wrist, and always have done.

Re: Watch the slow hand

[narenek.livejournal.com]

Despite being right-handed, I wear my watch on my right wrist, and always have done.

Ditto.

Re: Watch the slow hand

[venta.livejournal.com]

The right wrist is the right wrist to wear a watch on.

[taimatsu]

I used to wear a watch, but it broke and I can't afford a new one. (Not a nice enough one, anyway.) I use my phone or iPod; eventually I will have a watch again.

[ewx.livejournal.com]

I find watches uncomfortable to wear, so don't. Computers, phones and wall clocks are my usual way of getting the time but sometimes I have to practice the skill of surreptitiously reading the time off someone else's watch.

[metame.livejournal.com]

Watches: haven't worn one since Africa (and my one there was bought for a fiver or so in Camden market about 6 years previously). It did me proud (for an old, cheap watch) up until the final flights back from Jo'Burg. I was being a lot more relaxed about the amount of time left than Leathellin was which kinda made sense on character grounds and definitely made sense on 'my watch was out by an hour' grounds... All was fine in the end.

Stencils: One was a picture surrounded by the words "US Justice ? UK Justice", I think this one may be a K-K-Klan reference... and one was, er, I forget what it said exactly (something about "for the people?") and featured a row of people hanging as if from a gibbet. this is a visually cute one, but not really sure what it's pushing - it says 'Power to the People' and shows a line of people dangling and another person with a big flippy switch. In the US I'd guess it was anti-death penalty. In Oxford I suspect it was just a play on words too good to miss (and we've all had those, right?)

I'll keep an eye out for fresh ones but have only seen 'em on Cowley Rd, and it was a while back...

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

I think I should mention for completeness that whilst I do wear a watch, I don't own a mobile phone, which may bias the result.

[cardinalsin.livejournal.com]

I have a watch, but do not wear it because it has no batteries. This is the case approximately 50% of my life. The remaining 50% I do wear a watch.

[cardinalsin.livejournal.com]

Jingles-wise, Coldseal Windows used to have a horrendously sticky jingle involving what seemed to be singing farmers. Thank god they don't seem to exist in the South.

[lnr]

I stopped wearing a watch because it aggravated my very slight RSI symptoms due to being too tight. Then I lost weight and tried it again and a) it was now too loose and b) had ceased working. I haven't bothered since. I usually have my phone for the time, but if not I will ask someone if I need to know.

Red car/blue car: actually we were talking about that just the other day. Hell of a good advert.

[mr-tom.livejournal.com]

Watches: horrible

Turl: Should be closed to traffic at both ends. Walters++.

[(Anonymous)]

Venta & Jiggery Pokery, did you leave NE too soon to be driven made by "I love carpets, me!" or the ghastly Fraser who advertised his Dad's fitted kitchen firm?

[venta.livejournal.com]

Indeed no - but they weren't jingles, which was what I was talking about. Besides, I'm trying to forget them, stop reminding me!

:)

[onebyone.livejournal.com]

I currently own a working watch, Argos' cheapest, which I bought in order to go on holiday last year, because I was going to have to be on time for trains and planes without a phone. Haven't worn it much since. I probably need to know the time at most once or twice a day when I'm not near a clock, and using my phone for those occasions is less trouble than wearing a watch.

So, somewhere between "I have a phone/PDA" and "I never have to care".

The watch before my current one was a freebie which I acquired in about 2001 or so, and which stopped working at an unknown point between about June 2003 and September 2004. I think the watch before that was the one I had through university (hence acquired 1996 or earlier), and which spent a couple of years down the back of an armchair at Templars' with the alarm set to roughly 10.30 GMT.

[marjory.livejournal.com]

(apart from, of course, the bloody Budget Windows advert, which probably noone reading this other than jiggery_pokery ever had the misfortune to encounter).

D'you mean:

"See yourself through a Budget window
Come home through a Budget door
You'll know you've made
The right choice
No-one gives you more
Than Budget
Budget Windows!"

i.e. constantly on Radio Tees. We used to wander round the 6th form building singing it . I'll probably be humming it when I'm dying on a Geriatric Ward somewhere like HAL and his 'Daisy, Daisy'...