Turkey curry

The Guardian 2012 music quiz

I had a go at the online quiz. I wasn't anticipating doing too well, but I wasn't ready for the disaster.

Three questions right. Out of twenty five. Must do better. That's absolutely appalling. No excuses. I had a total nightmare. Round about forty years ago, when the first job on a Wednesday was to run down to the newsagents and pick up that week's copies of NME and Sounds, I guess I'd've been playing off scratch, twenty four or a 100% twenty five.

The BBC softly softly sacking

Chris Patten to the then BBC director general George Entwistle:

“We are not urging you to go, but we are not urging you to stay.”

That's the way Chris. You told him. Told him good and proper. Sounds like Reggie's boss in an episode of The Rise and Fall...

“Do you know what a cliché is to me, George? A cliché is like a red rag to a bull to me and the others on the board, George. We are neither urging you to go, nor to stay, George. We are, you could say, resisting the urge to urge altogether. However, we are not urging you to do nothing. Doing nothing is not an option George. That's what got us in this state in the first place. We need urgent action. Whatever you do, and we are not urging you in any direction, you need to do it urgently, straight away. George...George...”

Even when football club boards give their managers a vote of confidence, the meaning is clear: “you're getting sacked in the morning” (as the song has it). “but we are not urging you to stay”? what does that mean, exactly? “Stay if you like, but us, we're just the custodians of the publicly-funded corporation and, like, dude, we just totally don't care, like we don't give one, okay, either way? So stay. Or like go. Whatever.”

Zombie Virus...

...on Mulholland Drive remains unwatched. This classic, recommended highly by both Billy Chainsaw and Dread Central, is just sitting there, begging to be watched, loved and appreciated. How much longer can such an unmissable, dazzling cinematic gem just lie there, still in the shrinkwrap?

Well, not too much linger, is the answer, because I'm desperate to find out just how bad it actually is.

Leftovers

We've had two lots of bubble and squeak. The classic: potato, sprouts and greens, salt and pepper; and the enhanced: with added mashed swede, stuffing and additional greens, and a beaten egg, part cooked in the pan, then grilled on top.

We've had turkey: curry (hot, spicy, lemon and coconutty, using the dark meat (come over to the dark side, young breast meat only people)), turkey sandwiches (mine were with gherkins, garlic butter and drizzled with chilli sauce (green jalapeño Tabasco)); and a Chinese-style turkey and vegetable soup.

There's enough for a couple more meals, then that's it, and the new year resolution, butchers only, no more no-welfare supermarket meat starts.

Crystal Castles

Listening to these today, the album (III). A full, deep, wash-over sound. First listen on the headphones will be interesting.