Long time, lots of news, bit of a rant!

Hi there. It's been ages since I last posted here. So much has been happening and life has been speeding along at a rate of knotts.

The biggest news lately is that my job has changed. We all went through a worrying time at work, and had to apply for a job to stay with the company. After weeks of fretting and wondering what next year would bring if I was out of a job, I was successful and was offered a new job.

I will become Communications Assistant and that will present many new challenges. I am looking forward to it.

I've also been working away on my novel. When I went to Egypt a couple of months ago I went through a very productive and inspired period and wrote like a demon! Lots of new ideas and a brand new direction. I'm hoping to have it finished early next year.

Lots of things happening on the U2 front. Not all if it good though! Myself and my good friend Sue are already planning our concerts for next year's tour but it's not worked out as we'd hoped. There are no proper U2 shows in the UK. They are playing Glastonbury, but that's not a U2 show in the true sense. So no 360 dates in the UK.

More unbelievably, no Irish dates either!! How can they not? Many thought they would play Belfast (it's long overdue) and surely Dublin?! But no...

So Sue and I have had to venture to Europe and are seeing them in Frankfurt and Hanover in August.

And someone made a great point today. U2.com insisted that we all renew our membership (even if we had months left on the current one!) to get a code for presales for next year. But they did not tell us that there would be no "local" shows. So, many people hung on to their codes, waiting for UK dates to go on sale. And we hung on and on and on. Now they have told us, it is too late to buy for many other shows we might have considered - because they are sold out.

Now I love U2 to death and I won't let anyone who's not a fan slag them off. But I am entitled to. Their website takes money off many people who can ill-afford it. This trick is inexcusable! It's a side of U2 that I don't like - the "corporation". The guys themselves - as individuals - are wonderful (well, I can only really speak for Bono) but they really need to start looking at the practises that go on in their name. I will never accept the caveat that "they have people doing these things" because it is being done in their name and they profit extremely well from it.

Anyway. Enough of that. I've made my point :)

Other news us that Sue and I have booked a trip to Dublin for February!! Yay! So great to have a trip to our beloved city to look forward to.

Oh and on a final note, I have written this post from it iPod Touch using a new free application.

Let's see if it works!

Coming Full Circle - 360 Adventures!

I'm back from my 360 tour experiences. A little sad, a LOT nackered and VERY poor! But it's been a wonderful time. I've had so much fun and wish it didn't have to come to an end. But all good things do.

I will be blogging about it all but in the meantime you can check out The Crystal Gazer blog by using the link on this page. Sue is more organized than me and is already blogging.

In the meantime, here are some pics of our meeting with Bono on Saturday 15th August. We were lucky enough to catch him as he arrived for the soundcheck at 3.30ish (maybe it was 3:33 and the numbers had fallen off the clock face!)

It was a short but very sweet meeting. There were about 8 or 10 people there and myself, Sue, Julie and Dianne were at the end of the line. You could tell that Bono clocked us right away - that he recognized us - and he eventually made his way down to us. As he stood talking to the man next to me he reached out to take my hand and held on to it while he talked to the guy. Then he was in front of me and he asked how I was and we chatted, along with Sue, about the sound from last night's show (he thought there had been problems and he wanted our opinion). I told him that his voice had been superb (it had!) and he said "Yeah, I thought I had been singing well".

He wanted to know where our seats had been so we told him and he seemed pleased that we had not noticed any real problems with the sound. "Good," he said. "I was worried."

Here are the pics. The handsome grey haired guy in the pictures is Bono's security guy, Brian Murphy.

I will be musing on my feelings about the tour in the coming week. For fantastic reviews and write-ups of our travels though, please visit The Crystal Gazer.

Apologies

I haven't updated my blog in quite a while but I've been busy working on my book, so have not been lazy on the writing front. Also of course, my head has been full of U2 - looking forward to the tour and actually experiencing it for the first time in Nice last week.

Next stop on the 360 tour is Dublin on Friday. I will be taking my iPod with me on that trip and on subsequent ones to London and Glasgow, so I will be updating my blog with all my experiences more regularly.

For a fabulous account of my trip to Nice go to "The Crystal Gazer" blog (link on the side panel) to read Sue's brilliant write up. It was so great to be there with such a great friend. To experience something new and wonderful together. The U2 concert was just a part of it. A big part yes, but by no means all. I still haven't formulated my thoughts about the show properly and there was a lot to take in, but I feel that soon I will be able to put it all into words. The long wait for these shows was sometimes unbearable and turned out to be overwhelming for me. I didn't even realise that until now! The new album means a lot to me, and to hear some of it live was weirdly "quieting" for me. Not in a bad way. It's hard to explain, but I hope to as my "tour" progresses.

Until the weekend (which will be full of U2)....

Writing Prize - Yay me!!!

Today at work I learned that I won first prize in a review writing competition, set by the local college, who hold classes at our place of work. The competition was to write a review on anything... album, concert, book, film, restaurant etc. Now, whilst it was very tempting for me to stick to what I know and love (U2 of course) I decided to go with a restaurant review, and chose Gordon Ramsay at The London in NYC.

The review had to be 500 words or less, which is difficult, but I managed it. :)

The great thing about it all is that Keith, my hubby, entered the competition too, and he wrote a review of the album "The Wall" by Pink Floyd. I helped him a little bit by editing and he won first prize with me!!! They could not decide between us...

We had already decided to share the prize whoever won, so now we have £45 each to spend!

Here are the reviews. The Pink Floyd one is particularly interesting for me because it is fascinating to have something like that album explained. The theme behind it is something I had never even given a second thought. Thanks to Keith for a great insight!


Gordon Ramsay at the London Hotel, New York, NY

Whenever I think of Gordon Ramsay, I think of some hyper-active, spiky-haired creature, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, punching his palm and making wild gestures, expletives spewing out like fire from a dragon's mouth. So, going to his restaurant was a little daunting.

Expecting fireworks, we arrived at the London Hotel to find an understated, serene place. It was like the calm and peaceful eye of the storm that was Manhattan, and while that storm raged outside, inside we floated gently on a tranquil sea of music and hushed tones. The walls of the restaurant were pale oyster panels, and the tables had crisp white cloths.

We arrived early, but were courteously seated with no fuss. A waiter arrived and asked: "Would you like to join us in a glass of champagne?", which sounded like he was going to give us a free one, and join us in drinking it. I said yes, and when I saw the cost on the bill, I thought that perhaps the staff had all joined us in a glass, and we had paid for it!

Although Gordon does not actually work in the kitchens here, his personality and signature were all over every dish. The array of courses was mind-boggling. Tiny, delicious canapes, an 'amuse bouche', starter, main course, 'pre-dessert' and finally dessert. Hats off to any restaurant that gives you a dessert to prepare you for a dessert!

The food was a work of art (we photographed every dish!) and as every plate was presented and explained by the waiters, I thought of Gordon in the kitchen before the restaurant ever opened, showing his chefs exactly what to do. I thought of all the times I had seen him on the TV, screaming at a chef that a particular dish was not good enough to leave the kitchen - did not meet his standards. And I was grateful for that attention to detail.

The portions we had were not huge. The fact that we ate two lots of bread (which was delicious) and practically licked our plates clean (if no one had been around, I would have!) is testament to that. We even bought some Pringles on the way back to our hotel! But, as they say, size is not everything. The experience of being in a Gordon Ramsay restaurant was, for me, a dream come true. To experience fine dining at its very best and have the talent of a chef like Gordon behind it was worth every penny.

Since this visit was to celebrate our wedding anniversary, when our bill arrived we were presented with a mini sorbet with a candle in it, with a message written in chocolate! What a lovely touch.

I wrote thanking the restaurant on getting home, and by return came a lovely reply. Gordon passed on his best to me and my email was read at the morning team briefing at the restaurant. The perfect end to a wonderful experience.

The Wall by Pink Floyd

Released in 1979, The Wall produced a number one hit single, a love it or hate it film, one of the most popular guitar solos of all time, and the death knell for the band that created it.

To go beyond The Wall you have to enter the mind of its creator, Roger Waters. The inspiration for the character known as Pink in The Wall is Waters himself. It is a musical autobiography.

The album opens with a soft melody representing a late summer evening in England. Seventeen seconds in, a crash of drums and guitars herald the start of the war. The track ends with the screaming dive-bomber releasing a bomb but instead of an explosion, we hear the cry of a baby. Waters was just five months old when his father was killed at Anzio in Italy during WWII.

The album then unwinds to reveal a troubled, fatherless childhood and an over-protective mother. Another Brick In The Wall (part two) tells of unhappy schooldays and a sadistic schoolmaster. Each traumatic experience is logged in his memory and forms "another brick in the wall". As he grows up, the threat of nuclear holocaust and experiences of the opposite sex all contribute to his mental instability. More bricks for the wall being built inside his troubled mind.

Further on, Pink is married and is a rock star touring America. Clever sound clips tell the story and link the songs. He finds out that his wife is being unfaithful when the international operator is connecting him to his home phone and a strange man answers and hangs up. In turmoil he brings a girl back to his hotel room but flies into a rage as she tries to seduce him. Realising that everybody close to him either hurts or exploits him, he resigns himself to a world of drug-induced isolation, safe in his hotel room flicking from channel to channel on the TV. The wall is complete and he is hiding behind it.

Alone, he reflects on his fate, the horrors of war and the pressure to perform. However, his managers need him for the concerts and won’t allow him any respite. They use drugs to revive him. Jolted from his stupor he resolves to become more aggressive towards the world that has hurt him and assumes a neo-Nazi persona to his fans, inciting racial hatred and violence.

The penultimate track is called "The Trial" as a judge hears evidence from his mother, his wife and the schoolmaster. His verdict is for Pink to be exposed to his fears and traumatic experiences, to confront them and recover as best he can. Finally the opening theme is reprised as those who really love him gather around him to aid his recovery.

The problem with any autobiography is that it is deeply individual and because of Waters' domineering manner during recording, divisions were created that were never healed. However, thirty years on it remains a remarkable piece of work from a remarkable man.

The "Magnificent" Stuedabakerbrown

I have discovered a new band... it's always great when you do that. They are called Stuedabakerbrown and they are from the borough of Monroe in NYC. Their music is influenced by the likes of U2 (good taste), Tom Petty and Coldplay. The singer has a killer voice!! Check them out here on youtube.

Here are two of my faves. The first is one of their own songs, A Time For Fire, and the second is a cover of Magnificent which is... well Magnificent! For the latter, please ignore the silly schoolboy video of the guitarist jumping around in his underpants (boys will be boys!!). Listen to it with your eyes closed, and preferably with headphones because the sound is kind of poor. But it's the only example of Magnificent that I can find.

Haven't seen you in quite a while....

... I was not down the hold just passing time though, LOL.

I have been banning myself from spending too much time doing things online. Why? Because my novel will not get written by itself. I needed to take myself away from distraction, so spent a few weeks just using my PC as a word processor rather than a tool to take me on wild journeys all over the place! It worked... kind of. I did some writing, but it's still nowhere near enough. Oh well, these things take time. And in the meantime it is time to do some blogging again.

It's 2009 - Do You Know Where Your Soul Is?

Bono sat in the "Op-Ed Guest Columnist" chair again at the New York times yesterday. Read his piece - and all the comments it provoked - here.

One thing is for sure. People love him. People hate him. But he always gets them talking.

Oh and I do wish people would get off the "Bono tax dodger" bandwagon! It is sooooo boring now. Whether Bono is dodging paying exorbitant taxes or not (and who would NOT try to dodge that?!) has no bearing on the work he does nor does it influence the poverty or otherwise of the countries he is trying to help.