Snowy day

Today it snowed and settled for the first time this winter. Typical that it would be the first day since November that I had to work at our second site which is a half hour walk from my house. Normally, I get a bus from the top of the road which stops outside work gates so even if it's chucking it down I barely get wet. It snowed the whole way from home to my destination.

Looking on the bright side, I got paid today which can't be bad. Now I need to look into how much money I can transfer from my Current Account to my ISA before April 4th. It would be fantastic if I could get up to my full quota of £3000 this year. Not that I have any idea what I'm saving for. It's not like I've got a high enough to get a mortgage or anything and I still don't have anyone I want to go travelling with :(

I went to see 'Meet the Fockers' with Cat on Wednesday night. It was quite a good evening out. Although the film wasn't laugh out loud all the way through it was still good fun. Cat reminded that we went to see 'Meet the Parents' together in Cardiff so it was a bit of a reunion trip too. The best thing was that it was free as I used the last two of the four free cinema tickets my Auntie and Uncle gave me the Christmas before last. We were just in time as they expired on Monday 28th. Now I want to go and see Sideways as my friend at work has told me it's very funny.

I was thinking about my taste in movies. When I was at my Cardiff bloke's place the other weekend I was annoying him by saying that I really like films like 'Four Weddings and a Funeral'. It's true that I like the Richard Curtis/Working Title movies but sappy, romantic comedies aren't my be all and end all. The other night I caught a bit of 'Loaded Weapon' on TV which reminded me how much I like really silly slapstick comedies too. I enjoy quite a few of the 'National Lampoons' films as well as old British slapstick films like 'The Early Bird' and the original 'Carry on...' films (before they started relying purely on smut for laughs). In general I like things which are well thought out and make me laugh. Cardiff bloke and I watched 'Goodfellas' which I'd never seen before. It was OK but I didn't really think it was all that special. I guess it's interesting because it's meant to be a true story but I didn't find it particularly exciting and I realised the twist way before the end. I didn't think the violence was particularly shocking either, although I guess it could have been edited for TV. The whole thing was an excuse for blokey to spout out movie trivia (ie. "that's Martin Scorsesee's mum" and "That's a famous really bad edit, did you see the cigar suddenly get shorter") which is always bad news as we get really competitive about trivia and I didn't know anything about 'Goodfellas'! Last time I was with him I told him that Dexter Fletcher really was a cockney (rather than an American) and I think he was quite impressed.

In other news my sister and her boyfriend have borrowed my parent's car and gone to Shrewsbury so he can have a suit fitting to be his former step dad's best man in a few weeks time. His family is so confusing, it's a good job ours is so simple or else we'd be completely stumped!

The 40 Worst Dance Records Ever (allegedly)

I took this list from the February 2005 issue of 'Mixmag' and I thought it was quite funny. The comments are my own, I haven't copied their comments.

40 - ATFC 'Bad Habit'

Hmmm. I quite like this, although I can understand that it could get quite annoying if you heard it often enough. I've got some good garage remixes of it on CD.


39 - Roger Sanchez 'Another Chance'

Can't remember this one. I've never really been very interested in house music so I only recognise the tacky, cheesy tracks which get played on Radio One!


38 - DJ Pied Piper 'Do you Really Like it?'

Oh dear. I like this. I can remember DJ Pied Piper being on CBBC on September the 11th and him and the CBBC presenters not really knowing what to do or say. I'm probably a disgrace to the entire dance music/garage music liking community for liking this track.


37 - The Shamen 'Ebeneezer Goode'

Oh dear again. I like this one too. It wasn't until very recently that I realised the drug connection, I must have been a very naive 12 year old when it was realeased in 1993! I certainly don't think it should be on a list of the worst dance tracks ever, personally, I'd have included LSI if I'd been forced to pick a Shamen track. Reminds me that I've been meaning to get hold of a copy of 'Boss Drum' for ages.


36 - Aphex Twin 'Digeridoo'

Nope, don't know this one. I like some Aphex Twin stuff though I couldn't name a single one of his tracks. It suprises me that my Cardiff bloke has an Aphex Twin CD amongst his collection of boring indie and tuneless American metal albums! Makes me think it must be full of expletives and references to violence!


35 - Steve Lawler 'Rise In'

Don't know this one either. Absolutely no comment to make.


34 - Guru Josh 'Time for the Guru'

Think this was probably a bit before my time. Again, no comment to make.


33 - Jam Tronik 'Another Day in Paradise'

I agree with this choice. A truly terrible track, you can tell that without even listening to it, just by looking at the name of the artist! I quite liked the original Phil Collins version though. Have I completely lost my credibility now?


32 - Prodigy 'Baby's Got a Temper'

I agree with this one too. Definitely the worst Prodigy single ever realeased. I blame Natalie Appleton for ruining Liam's musical sense.


31 - Goldie Lookin' Chain 'Guns don't Kill People (Rappers Do)'

Not strictly a dance track in my opinion. Fits more in the category of novelty/ironic music (bit like the Mike Flowers Pops, remember them?!) Could think of worse 'pure' dance tracks which I'd have included. Think this is just an excuse for Mixmag to slag off Chris Moyles though.


30 - Jakatta 'My Vision'

Not sure about this one. Definitly not the most exciting track ever though. Again it's a bit house/trance for my tastes. I probably wouldn't turn over if it was played on the radio though.


29 - 2Unlimited 'No Limit'

Another track released in 1993 when I was in my first year of secondary school. I quite liked it then but I appreciated it more as 'pop' music than 'dance' music though. Now I appreciate it for it's nostalgia value. Definitely deserves to be in this list though, purely for the number of people it turned against dance music before they'd had a chance to experience the real thing. God! there was a 2Unlimited track called 'The Real Thing'. Anyway, in the brilliant cheerleading movie 'Bring it On' they are conned by a rogue chereographer into doing a routine to 'Are you Ready for This' which says it all really. Any dance band considered suitable to be used in the soundtrack for a mainstream Hollywood movie must be bad!


28 - Delerium 'Silence'

Another trance track, hence I don't know it. Who had the bright idea to call a track 'Silence' anyway!


27 - Bob Sinclar 'Gymtonic'

Truly awful. At last a truly awful tacky dance track which would make me change radio channel quicker than you could say "5,6,7,8 and back" has been included! Was in the charts forever as well.


26 - Jam & Spoon feat Plavka 'Right in the Night'

Don't remember this one, although I feel that I should. Again it was released in 1993. Must've been a particularly bad year for dance music!


25 - Shut up and Dance 'Raving I'm Raving'

Don't know this one either. The title doesn't bode well though!


24 - Oceanic 'Insanity'

Yet again I don't know this one. I'm coming up to some I do know though, promise!


23 - Robert Miles 'Children'

Ahhh, the first ever commercial trance track. Reminds me of going out with Ben (ie. bad memories of having my heart broken) as it was released around that time and he really liked it. A boring track and not the type of music I'm interested in. I think I would've included the trance remix of the X Files theme which was released at the same time in this list too if I was compiling it.


22 - Tall Paul 'Precious Heart'

Don't know this one. Although I saw Tall Paul play in Cardiff once and he probably played it.


21 - So Solid Crew 'Colder'

I don't remember this track but I have mixed feelings about So Solid which I will go into some other time. I really like '21 Seconds' and was shocked to see it included in a playlist of 'Worst Number 1s ever' on TMF the other day.


20 - Paul Oakenfold 'Starry Eyed Suprise'

Not a good track. What was the point in making a dance track you can't really dance to? Deserves a place in the list for pandering to commercialism.


19 - M Beat feat. General Levy 'Incredible'

One of the first jungle tracks I ever heard. Probably explains why I didn't really get into Jungle/D&B until five years after it.


18 - Doop 'Doop'

Reminds me of Ben dancing madly at many a post school play disco. A very tacky track but original at the same time. Probably deserves a place in this list along with 'Gonfi Gone' which for some reason has been left out!


17 - Paul Johnson 'Get Get Down'

Don't know this one.


16 - M People 'Movin' on up'

Would have counted this as 'pop' music rather than 'dance'. I like it though.


15 - Snap! 'Rhythm is a Dancer'

Now this choice I don't agree with. It's a classic! OK so the rap is tacky and pointless and it's a very commercial track but I still like it.


14 - Urban Cookie Collective 'The Key the Secret'

To be continued...