Friday night is also curry night...

A bit of a surreal start to the night as Dr Prog arrived to find me (as I am wont to do) wandering around in T-Shirt and underpants.

Phil (Dr Prog) is just back from a well-earned break spent with his wife, Jacquie, near a lake somewhere in Europe. Rather embarrassingly (but not as embarrassing as my underpanted attire) he cannot recall the name of the lake (they flew to Geneva if that’s any help, but no, it wasn’t Lake Geneva…). A good time was had by all though – no TV, no computer, just relaxation, walking, sun and the lake. Great.

Phil was here to collect our old computer screen which we’re giving him in exchange for a to-be-arranged slap up feed round at his and Jacquie’s. His own screen has died the death of a thousand screens and now sits motionless (and light-less) in the middle of his living-room floor, no doubt being kicked at regular intervals...

Whilst I help Phil out to his car with the screen, now dressed in T-Shirt, underpants and a fine pair of black Chelsea Boots (hey – it was raining or I would’ve worn my slippers), a strange man has arrived at the front door and is invited in by Anne to carry out a survey on our newspaper reading habits.

Whilst he taps on his laptop and asks Anne questions which she responds to on a keypad, I continue to wander around in my pants, spouting “we don’t read the papers” to which Anne’s response was “I do”. Then I remembered she gets the Edinburgh Evening News every day. The man is unphased by the presence of middle aged man wandering around in his pants....

I retreat to the kitchen with the phone and order an Indian Takeaway to be delivered and then head upstairs to the computer, leaving Anne to it with her survey. I’m surfing for more CDs on e-bay but find nothing. I go back downstairs when the Indian arrives and we watch Eastie. Then a gardening show comes on – this is Anne’s passion but it holds no huge interest for me and so I head back upstairs.

I am facing a lack of storage for the ever increasing pile of CDs I’m buying and burning and so, while I was up in the attic getting the screen for Phil I brought down, in rather a dangerous fashion, an old blue Ikea CD unit which takes around 120 or so CDs.

This should give me some breathing space – and there’s another one up there, though it's a rather unappealing yellow and there's probably no more space for it in the "music room". I fill the blue one with some classical discs freeing up some space in the main “CD Wall” for more recent purchases.

Then it's back down for a cup of tea and to watch, “The Karen Dunbar Show” - funnier than I’ve seen her for a while, especially the strange cabaret duo rehearsing Kelisha’s “Milkshake” song in their converted transit in a Motorway service station.

A repeat of “Grumpy Old Men” has them discussing the nanny state. I too am a grumpy old man and of course agree with almost every sentiment expressed. The nanny state doesn’t want to help you, it just wants to appear to help you whilst really just stopping you from being an individual. “Fuck Off”, as one of the aging contributors put it, quite succinctly I thought….

Then “Have I Got News For You” hosted by Des Lynam who, at one point alluded to having slept with the Queen in 1987??? A good jibe at that arse Geldof too, pointing out re his call to schoolkids to play truant to come to Edinburgh to protest about G8 (which is happening about bloody 50 miles from Edinburgh – why don’t they just have video conferencing and give all the money saved on security etc to Africa??)..anyway Geldof said “what’s more important? Two days of Geometry or doing something you’ll remember for the rest of your life?” – he maybe doesn’t realise no-one actually sits doing geometry all day at school – maybe 40 minutes of geometry then some French, some history etc etc.

Perhaps if Bob spent a bit more time in Africa ensuring that the billions of aid which is sent there year in, year out by governments and ordinary citizens donating to charity actually made it to the people who need it, rather than being siphoned off by admin and dictators and despots, we wouldn’t have to suffer his stupid pop concerts and the ridiculous pish he continues to mouth off at any opportunity (despite always wanting us not to forget he’s a “musician and artist” and not a charity guru).

Finally, “Tonight with Jonathon Ross”. Fern Britten was no great shakes but proved a sexual foil to JR’s more outrageous comments. Motley Crue were hilarious and amazingly enough, even managed to get a member of the audience to bear her breasts to the camera! Quite extraordinary…while Jane Fonda was stateswomanlike, discussing her autobiography.

Live music from Coldplay who performed their single, then a track from their last album and, finally, one from the new album, out Monday. For the record, I think they are very good indeed. Chris Martin managed to fit in impersonations into two of the three songs, of the Crazy Frog, who beat them to the number one single slot this week…

And now I’m back upstairs writing up the blog and it’s 2:15. I noticed Norman Lamont (a local song-writer who shares my birthday) has added my blog to his as a link – so I’ve now added the blogs I read regularly, Norman's, Jim Park’s, Impossible Songs’ and Richard Herring’s, to my links. I encourage you to check them out.

As I type, I’m listening to another Medeski Martin & Wood CD, “Notes From The Underground” which arrived today via e-bay and the Talk Talk CD I received earlier this week – all great stuff….