Photo a day 2012 (48/366) - anti-hunger

Photo taken at Darcy's, Princes Square, Glasgow.  A generously proportioned antipasti.

Photo a day 2012 (47/366) - the last thing you see before a fatal cat attack

Photo taken in my kitchen.  The boy must be hungry - attempting to use rock climbing techniques to scale the kitchen worktops.

Photo a day 2012 (46/366) - 1981 Gibson Victory Artist

Photo taken in my bedroom.  I know I've featured this bass before on these pages, but just look at it!  It's probably the prettiest bass I own.  I'm so glad I was able to rescue it.

Photo a day 2012 (45/366) - Shedio, Mk II

Photo taken from the top of the outside stairs.  Following on from my picture showing the water damage in the shedio, here is the first attempt to make it watertight - a layer of felt along the ridge.

Photo a day 2012 (44/366) - colourful tea

Photo taken in Union Square.  I just liked the look of this tea and the swirly patterns of the mesh bag.

Photo a day 2012 (43/366) - mmm, pie

Photo taken in my living room.  Mmm, pie.  No, I didn't make it - pie provided by M&S ;)

Photo a day 2012 (42/366) - a taste of capitalism

Photo taken at Starbucks, Union Square, Aberdeen.  A cup of coffee that I didn't have to make myself.  That is its raison d'être.

Moffat bass bash, videos emerge

I had a great time at the Moffat bass bash last weekend.  This was the fifth one I have attended and they keep getting better and better.

This year was probably the best one yet - a structured, organised "bassyokey" where we pick songs in advance then go up and take our turns with the house band.  A nerve-wracking experience, considering the audience was made up almost exclusively of bass players - most of whom have been playing for many more years than me.  It would be like a driving examiner conducting a driving test in a people carrier full of driving examiners.

Anyway, I chose to play the theme from the TV series "True Blood" - if you don't know it it's a song called "Bad Things" originally by Jace Everett.  I did OK, a couple of bloops but I held it together.  Due to nervousness I lapsed back into bad left hand habits (excessive movement, "any finger will do as long as you get there on time" sort of mentality) which irritated me because I've been trying to get that out of my system.

Anyway, have a video:

There was a vast collection of basses on show as ever.  I took a sweep of the room where most of them were:

I had a great time, already looking forward to the next one!

Photo a day 2012 (41/366) - ignoramus

Photo taken on Abbey Road, Aberdeen.  This is pig-ignorant parking at its best.  To the immediate left of the shot the road narrows significantly, so it's a stupid place to park anyway but blocking two people's doorways? It shouldn't really need to be spelled out but I've enlarged the relevant information that this motorist ignored.  Of course, if the owner of the car is also the owner of both these doorways then I retract the second point.

It was there all of yesterday and it's still here this morning.  Out of  interest, how long should you leave it before reporting it abandoned to the police?

Photo a day 2012 (40/366) - sprung a leak :(

Photo taken in the shedio.  Heavy rain last night and today we have this.  Oh dear.  Builder is coming to look at it tomorrow, I hope.

Photo a day 2012 (39/366) - guess the substance 2

Photo taken in my kitchen.  OK, same drill as previous pic - what is it?

Photo a day 2012 (38/366) - guess the substance 1

Photo taken in my kitchen.  I've been running low on stuff to photograph so I thought I'd play a wee game.  What is this?

Photo a day 2012 (37/366) - king of the castle

Photo taken in the dining room/storage area for junk.  Chico assessing his descent from the top of a vertically stored divan.

Photo a day 2012 (36/366) - bass bash!

Photo taken in the Old Well Theatre, Moffat.  Some of the basses belonging to me and my friend Rich.

Photo a day 2012 (35/366) - snowy road trip

Photo taken in the vicinity of Dundee.  On the way down to Moffat, the weather took a turn for the worst.  For 5 minutes.  Thank you, Scottish weather!

Photo a day 2012 (34/366) - boxed and bagged up

Photo taken in my bedroom.  Road trip to Moffat tomorrow for the fifth bass bash!  Getting pretty excited about it.  If it wasn't for the fact that all my shirts are still hanging up it kinda looks like I'm being kicked out of the house :)

Photo a day 2012 (33/366) - rescue mission

Photo taken at work.  This didn't look good at the start, but I was able to see the files via USB and so it's a case of lifting them off there as quickly as possible before the thing crumbles completely.

Photo a day 2012 (32/366) - practice makes perfect

Photo taken in my bedroom.  This is a Tascam MP-BT1 bass trainer.  For me it's an indispensable tool for learning songs as it can slow songs without altering the pitch, and can also change the pitch without changing the tempo.  It can EQ out the bass to a degree for playing along, and it can boost the bass so you can hear it above the rest of the music.  I use it for all my silent practice.

Photo a day 2012 (31/366) - h is for...

Photo taken in my car.  This is the only logo I want to see on any car of mine.  Until I win the lottery, that is ;)

Photo a day 2012 (30/366) - harbour at night

Photo taken out the living room window.  Believe it or not there is a ship leaving the harbour.  Thanks to the block of flats you can make out on the right of the picture, we lost our view :(

Photo a day 2012 (29/366) - tookay

Photo taken in my bedroom.  Couldn't really be bothered today, so have another bass.  Specifically a G&L Tribute L-2000.

Photo a day 2012 (28/366) - stella colada

Photo taken at The Office.  My friend Robert taking some good natured pint customisation in good spirits :)

Photo a day 2012 (27/366) - "DO NOT EAT"

Photo taken at work.  With new toys comes ... silica gel packets!  I've always wondered why the sage advice not to ingest the contents is always in quotation marks.  Maybe it is a quotable quote.

Photo a day 2012 (26/366) - bye bye QML

Photo taken outside Queen Mother Library, University of Aberdeen.  Judging by the fencing off and the Lawrie Demolition sign, I would say that it looks like time has been called on the old library.  The new library looms above the doomed building.

Photo a day 2012 (25/366) - if you value your leg, you'll feed me

Photo taken in my living room.  Chico is showing me how pleased he is to see me when I come home from work.  Or maybe he's letting me know what he thinks of my faffing around with a camera when I should be sorting out his dinner.

Photo a day 2012 (24/366) - 1981 Guild B402-A

Photo taken in my bedroom.  In the first of a series of gratuitous bass photos (yes, run out of inspiration already, eh?), this is a 1981 Guild B402-A.  One of only 335 made, which makes it the rarest of all my basses.

Photo a day 2012 (23/366) - tools of the trade

Photo taken in my living room.  Not feeling very inspired today.  These were lying around so I thought I'd line 'em up.  Yup, I'm a geek who plays games using dice other than six-sided.

Photo a day 2012 (22/366) - anti-perspirant aftermath

Photo taken in my bedroom.  I loved the sun shining through the window today, there was this amazing shaft of light with swirly patterns caused by the anti-perspirant in the air.  I wonder how much of the stuff actually lands on one's armpits.

Photo a day 2012 (21/366) - Nepalese nosh

Photo taken in my living room.  A tasty dish from the Gurkha Chef :)

Photo a day 2012 (20/366) - phone charger graveyard

Photo taken at home.  Hoarding at its worst - something like 8 chargers for phones that we don't even have any more.  Bye bye!

Photo a day 2012 (19/366) - your presence is tolerated

Photo taken in my house.  This is my cat, Chico - pre-feeding.  He appears to be not very impressed with my repeated attempts to photograph him.  Well, if you'd stop moving around for a few seconds then we wouldn't have these problems, would we? :)

Photo a day 2012 (18/366) - new bed

Photo taken in my bedroom.  Took most of this evening but we have a new bed now.  Another part of the home made ours.

Photo a day 2012 (17/366) - tea == hope

Photo taken in my living room.  One of my wife's highly stylish cushions.  Just learned today that the shop she bought it from has closed down.  Maybe the hope travels with the cushion.

Photo a day 2012 (16/366) - the new university library

Photo taken at the New Library, University of Aberdeen.  I'm not keen on it, but it makes for a pretty dramatic picture.

Photo a day 2012 (15/366) - ball of fur

Photo taken in my living room.  Central heating for your lap.

Photo a day 2012 (14/366) - nature slowly gaining upper hand

Photo taken on Palmerston Road, Aberdeen.  Right next to the relatively new and swish Union Square shopping centre you have this, it's another world.  I hope that in time this area will be redeveloped and used once again.

Photo a day 2012 (13/366) - sky on fire

Photo taken in Old Aberdeen.  Lovely sunset tonight.

Photo a day 2012 (12/366) - galileo!

Photo taken in my living room.  I really like Galileo thermometers, but Wikipedia informs me that they are technically thermoscopes, not thermometers.  Of course, Wikipedia does not help further enlightenment because thermoscope redirects to, guess what?  That's right - Galileo thermometer ;)

Photo a day 2012 (11/366) - sniffer cat

Photo taken in my living room.  Chico would really like to know what's in the box, or more accurately he would like the contents of said box removed so he can make a fort/bed out of it.

My first YouTube upload :)

Yes, I realise that YouTube has been around for several years now but last night I put up my first video - of course it's of me making a goon of myself on stage with the band.

Jayne was on camcorder duty, thanks darling!

Photo a day 2012 (10/366) - harbour lights

Photo taken on St. Fittick's Road, Torry.  Still playing with the camera settings - I haven't used it for years!

Photo a day 2012 (9/366) - just press play

Photo taken at work.  Yes, I did clean the area before I took this shot.  Aren't everyone's keyboards a bit filthy when you point a camera in the gaps?

Photo a day 2012 (8/366) - homebrew going down well

Photo taken in my living room.  Our homebrew has been a big success.  It was supposed to be lager, but it's ended up being a strange but very quaffable lager/ale amalgam.  No idea how strong it is.  We've managed to get through about half of it (we made the best part of 5 gallons) but I think we'll need some help if we're going to finish it before it goes cloudy/sour.  Any volunteers? ;)

Photo a day 2012 (7/366) - nostalgia

Photo taken in my bedroom.  I was having a trawl through some cupboards and found a few things from my past like my first digital camera (a Canon Powershot A40).  It's probably about 10 years old but still works, and still takes great pics.  I might use it to take some of these photos this year, it's got some pretty nifty features for its age, like manual shutter control (up to 15 seconds).  I see some long exposure shots in my future...

Also I recently discovered a recording of my second gig with Panda Eyes back in 2009 and was playing some of the songs on the bass I used most during my time with the band, ahh the memories :)

Photo a day 2012 (6/366) - dmesg devilment

Photo taken at my laptop.  Basically me in the process of trying to figure out why my MP3 bass trainer was not being recognised.  Despite some googling, it basically came good after a few connects and disconnects.  Oh well.

Photo a day 2012 (5/366) - Cosy

Photo taken in my living room.  This year's mild (so far) winter is our fault.  We froze our asses off for two winters then this year got a new boiler and a gas fire installed :)

Photo a day 2012 (4/366) - Storm damage

Photo taken near Meston Walk, Aberdeen.  This tree was damaged during high winds late last year.  The portion broke off and blocked the nearby road, such was the size of it.

Photo a day 2012 (3/366) - Elvis was here

Photo taken in Jayne's studio.  It's a Shure 55SH - a modern update of the "Elvis microphone".

Gig tipoff: Oxbow Lake Band, Scott Cruickshank Trio

When: Saturday 14th January 2012
Where: The Moorings, Trinity Quay, Aberdeen
Doors: 8pm
Tax: free before 8.45pm, £3 thereafter

New year, new gigs!  Come one and all to the home of pirates and peculiar beers and spirits to see us play the fair stage at the Moorings Bar!  We hope we will impress you as much as the drinks list will :)

First band on stage at 9pm, we'll be on at 10.

Photo a day 2012 (2/366) - A left hand view of practice

Photo taken in my bedroom.  For bass geeks out there, the bass is a 1979 Gibson RD Artist.  I was playing Alice Cooper's "School's Out" before and after the photo was taken if memory serves \m/ ;)

Photo a day 2012 (1/366) - A saltire, framed

Picture taken at Torry Battery, Aberdeen

Photo a day 2012

Happy new year everyone :)

This year I have decided to take on a wee challenge, to take a photograph a day for the whole of this year.  They probably won't be up to much as they'll predominantly be phone camera shots, but I'll try to make them interesting.  I realise this is the second of January but I did take one on New Year's Day, honest guv!

I'll get the first two up shortly, but I'm away to eat cheese and watch a film.

I wish you all the best for a happy and prosperous 2012.

Gigography for 2011

I was writing this (fairly short) list last week when all of a sudden we got asked to play a gig at 3pm on Monday for that night.  Glad I held off putting this up :)  I am now pretty confident that the gigging business will shut up shop for the festive season.

Chris and I @ Banff Castle, photo courtesy Kate James

06/08/11 - @Whinnyfold Fun Day with The Oxbow Lake Band.  Personnel: Me, Chris, Andy, Daryl.  Bass: Gibson IV
13/08/11 - @Cruden Bay Gala with The Oxbow Lake Band.  Personnel: Me, Chris, Andy, Daryl.  Bass: Guild B402-A
22/10/11 - @Banff Castle with The Oxbow Lake Band.  Personnel: Me, Chris, Andy, Daryl.  Bass: Gibson Victory Artist
29/10/11 - @City Cafe, Aberdeen with The Oxbow Lake Band.  Personnel: Me, Chris, Andy, Daryl, Al.  Bass: G&L Tribute L-2000
02/12/11 - @Cafe Drummond with The Oxbow Lake Band.  Personnel: Me, Chris, Andy, Daryl, Al.  Bass: Gibson RD Artist
19/12/11 - @The Lemon Tree with The Oxbow Lake Band.  Personnel: Me, Chris, Andy, Daryl, Al.  Bass: Gibson IV

Gig count now stands at 19.  Not exactly hard working, am I?