After Dinner Group Photo

There just wasn't much I could do with the original photo, so I made it black & white, added some grain & and a lens-flare. Sadly, Missy, Sean & George were unable to stay for this dinner, but everyone else did. This would be the last night on this trip that we were all together. So, our host graciously offered to take this one last group photo. Don't we all look happy? I suppose it could be the wine, scotch, chocolate & gourmet food euphoria we were all feeling; but I'm more inclined to believe that it was just that close to perfect. Larry & Denise Giesen, Kara, Ed, Kyle & Desiree Ford, Alison, Kelly, Joseph, Ginger & Marita Beth sitting on my lap in the centre. Of course what photo with me in it is complete without beer of some sort? So we have the bottles in the fore-ground to complete the shot. Original photo...Mostly unmodified: Composite Image: Aside from splitting KyleF right down the middle, it's a bit fun to see the two next to each other. Which do you prefer? As I mentioned earlier Arsenal lost yesterday. That keeps the Gunners squarely in 6th place with a hard road to climb to get into 4th place (minimum place to assure Champions League football next year). If we don't make that, I doubt that Henry will put pen to paper to ink his fate with the Arsenal. To top off that horrid display, we are riddled with injuries & suspensions right now. Our new kid playing at right back while Toure is on ANC duty & Lauren is out injured (possibly for the season, he sees the doc today) injured himself in the game. So, we had to put Flamini at right back. The kid's a mid-fielder and unused to playing back there. Nonetheless, he made good account of himself which is considerably more than I can say for Sol Campbell. Our normally stalwart centre-back was directly responsible for the 2 early goals against us and was replaced at half-time by yet another mid-fielder (we seem to have sprouted a whole arse-load of mid-fielders in the past year). Sol continued on out the door & actually left the ground about 15 minutes into the second half. Colour me cynical, but I see that as childish & unprofessional. Still, the gaffer is supporting his team and stated publically that although he hadn't given Sol permission to leave, he supported the player's right to do so as he was very "down & feeling guilty". So starting the second half we had 2 mid-fielders on the outside, and 2 youngsters in the centre. Yet, we only gifted them one more goal while poking two of our own into their net. Final score: 3 - 2 to the Hammers. Damn. Further up the island, yet one more dismal performance by the Magpies has left Souness without a job. I suppose it was just a matter of time. Shearer has been placed in the role of Assistant Caretaker and may very well take over as primary gaffer in the summer; that is if that bag of dung Eriksson doesn't flap his jaws into the position. At the same time, Southampton has stated that they will keep McCarthy at the helm even if Southampton does get relegated. I guess that's good for him, wot? Wastrel On! (Listening to: What Gives My Son? by Ned's Atomic Dustbin)

At Attention in Comic Book Colours

Arsenal went & cocked it up again. The team is self-destructing at a rapid pace and if they can't stop it, no amount of record-breaking goals is going to keep Thierry Henry at the Arsenal. Although Aston Villa did keep Chelsea at a draw and Blackburn (more accurately, ex-Gunner Bentley) showed ManU(re) just who's the dog's bollocks at Ewood Park.

Just fucking around with Paint Shop Pro to create this image.

Opened image, created a threshold layer set to 122 with Soft Light. Sort of a comic-book feel to it.

Wastrel On!

(Listening to: Desert Monsoon by Wolgemut)

Killiecrankie House Dinner

What better way to close out a spectacular week with friends & family then to have a fabulous gourmet dinner. Marita Beth & I had already been to Killiecrankie House & ingratiated ourselves with our host for the evening, Tim. Now, we got to bring our closest friends into the experience. The Killiecrankie House has, numerous times, won the coveted Wine Award as given by the Scottish Licensed Trade News and for good reason as Tim is an amazing sommelier. You can see in the photo that he has entranced both Joseph & Ginger and even Ed (who doesn't drink) look engaged. Tim taught us a great deal about not just wine, but food & life in Scotland. A thoroughly remarkeable & unforgettable dinner & evening. Back from California. 2 1/2 hour flight out. 45 minute presentation 45 minute lunch 2 1/2 hour fight back. Long fucking day! But, seemed to go well, as one of my audience members stated to my boss (who was present for the presentation), "his work saves my ass so many times." Validates my work. Makes me happy. Arsenal let two of their fringe players go yesterday at the midnight hour of the transfer window. Little step-over king Quincy Owusu-Abeyie left for Sparta while David Bentley, who's been on loan to Blackburn, made a non-surprising permanent move to the Rovers. Arsenal face West Ham in a couple of hours and after the bastards up the road Spurs lost to Fulham (at the death on a goal by Carlos Bocanegra) we can move to within 1 pt by trashing the Hammers. Meanwhile Jeremie Aliadiere returned from a loan spell only to immediately head out on yet another loan. Why don't we just sell the kid off? Wenger is hoping to get this TH14 saga behind us by urging Henry to "trust Arsenal" and go ahead and commit. Apparently Arsenal has placed a bid on the table that would keep Henry a Gunner for an additional five years at the tune of £100,000 per week. jeeezzuuus! Chelsea play Aston Villa ManCity get struggling Newcastle Portsmouth go against Bolton Blackburn get to strut their stuff against ManU(re) while Liverpool play to Birmingham Full docket for the day, let's hope the results play to the Arsenal favour. Wastrel On! (Listening to: Leaving Nancy by the Dubliners)

Queen's View

The Queen's View is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful views in the world. So, it being not far from Dunkeld, Marita Beth & I with Ginger, Larry & Denise took the B8090 to the Tay Forest Park and in specific, the Queen's View to take in this marvelous view. The Queen's View became a popular destination after Queen Victoria stopped over here on her way back to England on one of her regular visits to the Highlands. However, it seems to have borne the name for some time prior to her visit. In fact, current theory claims that the Queen's View is named after Robert the Bruce's wife, Isabelle. Well worth the stop over on our way to Killiecrankie House for dinner. Arsenal has been left holding only one final option for silver on the season; the Champions League is still to be played. Although, after losing 1 - nil to Bolton at the Reekbok on Saturday I've not got much faith that they'll fare any better against Real Madrid. One can hope. Martin Keown is apparently back in the fold in some coaching capacity or another. My hope is he'll teach these mid-field youngsters how to harass the opponent...and get away with it. We certainly need a much stronger presence in mid-field. Chelsea looks to be chasing Yaya Toure, Kolo's little brother. Step in Arsenal, let's show Chelsea how's it done and put the brothers on the same squad. Our new signing Manu Adebayor needs to grow up, or at least that's what his Togo coach is saying. Seems that he caused some demoralizing disputes at the ANC and his coach has been high-profile about commenting on how childish Adebayor is being. Perhaps Keown will get the boys balls to drop a bit. Now entry tomorrow. Off to Los Angeles for a work trip. Wastrel On! (Listening to: Sowing the Seeds of Love by Tears for Fears)

Mother & Child

Mother & Child statue at the Queen's View visitor centre in Perthshire. Although I don't recall any plaques or literature revealing the purpose or history of this piece of art, I have to include it because of it's lasting poignancy. I just find it beautiful. Stonehenge is cursed. But, we all knew that. Today is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Mozart. Go listen to some classy music. The Euro2008 draw was held yesterday, England looks to have escaped with a relatively easy path through facing Croatia, Russia, Israel, Estonia, Macedonia & Andorra. However Scotland didn't fare so well being grouped in with France, Italy, Ukraine, Lithuania, Georgia & the Faroe Islands. I expect we'll see yet another early outing for the Scottish National. Wales & the Republic of Ireland got paired together along with the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Cyprus & San Marion while Northern Ireland has to steer it's way through Sweden, Spain, Denmark, Latvia, Iceland & Liechtenstein. Up the Lions, I say. Robbie Fowler completed a shock transfer back to Liverpool today. I guess ManCity no longer wanted to pay £35,000 per week to a bench-rider. Not sure how Raffy is going to slot Fowler into the squad, but I guess it's of no real worry since Fowler's been used to benchsquatting. Of course, with over 120 goals for the Reds, he may prove to be an asset because frankly, as clownish as he may be, he does have a nose for the net. Arsenal have Bolton on the weekend at the Reebok in an FA Cup tie while they host West Ham on Wednesday next. For the FA Cup tie Wenger will be resting Henry, Gilberto & Lauren while Cesc is suspended & Ashley Cole & Cygan are injured. Hopefully we'll get some of that talent (Gilbert excluded) back in time to square them against the Hammers in mid-week. So, Bolton...watch out for that Van Persie kid, he's gonna be out to prove summat and will take your defence apart. In the meantime, Arsenal have offered Henry a 5-year deal to stay a Gunner so the ball is back to TH14 to put up or shut up. To blatantly steal words from one of my favourite blogs, "it's Friday, the day when beer after work is the only polite thing to do. " Wastrel On! (Listening to: Rockin' Years by Ricky Van Shelton with Dolly Parton)

Dunkeld Cathedral on a June Day

Dunkeld Cathedral as taken from a bridge over the River Tay. Whilst Kelly, Joseph, Marita Beth & I returned to Dunkeld from a trip to the Birnam Oak, I stopped on the bridge to take a series of photos. This is my favourite of that batch. Although MB & I didn't go to the Cathedral, Kelly & Joseph did and reported that it is a lovely place. Tranquil in it's setting, I can't imagine a much more lovely place on earth. Not much to report on the footy front except that Ashely Cole lost his appeal to the FA on 'tapping up' charges and will have to pay his £75,000 fine...poor baby, that's a whole week's worth of wages. Allardyce & Neville have both been fined by the FA for poor sportsmanship, while Ronaldo is in trouble over in Spain for the same reason. Bunch of plonkers with their knickers knotted if you ask me. Wastrel On! (Listening to: Left Behind by Slipknot)

Birnam Oak

The Birnam Oak A quick visit to Dunkeld on the recommendation of our hotelier at Killiecrankie House revealed two gems rather than the one we were expecting. First, Dunkeld is a beautiful little town with a lot to offer the non-traditional tourist. Boot-sales, churches, river walking etc. rather than the over-the-top touristy bits in places such as Pitlochrie. Secondly, on the overside of the River Tay is the beautiful hamlet of Birnam. Sadly, due to my unique brand of selfishness, I had alienated myself, again, from so many of my friends during this little stopover. Hopefully those wounds I caused will someday heal over. Digression. Birnam is home to the Birnam Oak. The Birnam Oak, which is now supported by crutches is purported to be the last remaining tree of the Birnam Wood made famous by Shakespeare in his play Macbeth.

Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill shall come against him.

Malcom's forces did indeed bring Birnam Wood against Macbeth by cutting branches from the trees to disguise their movemement & number. Barring it's supposed history, the oak is spectacular in it's ageing beauty. It eminates a sense of majesty & power seldom found in nature. Truly marvelous & despite the bugs very much worth the walk.

Sven Gorn Eriksson has apparently been given leave to locate another job prior to his departure as coach of the England team. Wonderful, the crackpot screws up, decides to breach his contract 2 years early and the FA are allowing him to search for a job while trying to prepare "the best England team in decades" for the World Cup. Talk about a division of loyalties. I'm fervently against this whole thing and the FA are just proving to be a batch of ball-less wonders that don't have the bottle to handle a coach effectively. Kick his ass out on the street and bring in someone now to salvage the morale that might remain in the England squad. Bring in Curbishley or Allardyce, hell bring in O'Neill if you're going foreign, but do it now. Eriksson doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt, he's already held the job for 2 years longer than I'd have allowed. if only the FA would listen to me, wot. Arsenal won the game but lost the tie. Wigan's hero, Roberts, snuck a ball into the bag on the 120th minute of the game to give Wigan the tie on the away-goal rule. The aggregate score was 2-2, however Wigan scored 1 at home & 1 away while Arsenal only managed to score at home. Thus, the tie goes to Wigan and they proceed to the finals, while Arsenal must surely hang their heads in blistering shame.

Wastrel On!

(Listening To: The Coverville Podcast)

Peacock at the Palace

One of the first things a new visitor to Scone Palace will notice is the peacocks. Everywhere you look, each way you turn are peacocks. This particular day there were several peahens running about, too. So, obviously the cocks were strutting their stuff, and in a big way. This beautiful young stud was fanning and shaking for all he was worth, but to no avail. Eventually, the hens lost interest and moved away, but we tourists got quite the show. As noisy & as nasty as these birds are, an ostentation of them is quite the sight. On the footy front, that prat Sven Gorn Eriksson has finally admitted that he fucked up made a mistake or ten and will be abandoning his post as England Head Coach immediately after the World Cup. 'Bout time I say! Oh, and good riddance! He's been nothing but an embarassment for several years now. So now the FA get to try and find a new coach while launching a probe into potential bunging managers through the EPL. What a sorry situation. There are several names being bandied about for replacment coach with Curbishly (nah), McClaren (nope) and Allardyce (yep) leading the way for English nationals and Guus Huddink being the odds-on favourite to take the spot. Personally, since only English players can play on the damn team, leaving me out in the cold being American and all, I feel that only English coaches can coach the damn team. Makes sense to me. Arsenal are, at the moment, taking Wigan to task in their final bid for silverware this year. After the tepid performance on the weekend against Everton, Arsenal best have unknotted their knickers and brought a real team to the match. Else the Highbury faithful will turn the stadium into a library and Arsenal will leave this season & their stadium to chants of "boring, boring, Arsenal" or worse. However, it appears as though Arsene has figured this out and has pieced together a pretty potent starting XI in the likes of Henry, Reyes, Campbell, Lauren & Bergkamp while also handing nods to a couple of the new boys. Kerrea Gilbert, & Vassiriki Diaby line up beside Almunia, Hleb & that useless bag, Gilberto Silva. While Poom, Flamini, Pires & RVP sit the bench. It's a strong side, excepting Gilberto. Of course, with a penalty miss by Reyes on the 22nd minute, things could get all cock-eyed pretty quickly. Wastrel On! (Listening to: Regulate by Warren G & Nate Dogg)

Scone Palace

Scone Palace. To quote from scone-palace.net

Scone is a place that breathes history like nowhere else in Scotland. Today, in the 21st century, it is the home of the Earls of Mansfield, and a major attraction to visitors from all over the world. Fifteen hundred years ago, it was the capital of the Pictish kingdom and the centre of the ancient Celtic church. In the intervening centuries, it has been the seat of parliaments and the crowning place of Kings. It has housed the Stone of Destiny and been immortalised in Shakespeare's Macbeth.

I've been here a couple of times, and it never ceases to amaze me just how beautiful it is. Of course, like most of the palaces & houses in Scotland, taking photos inside is verboten, however there's nothing wrong with taking outside photos. This is one of the first days on our trip where we actually had sun. Warm enough that I was in shorts today and had relegated the hoody to the boot. Finally. Wastrel On! (Listening to: Nightfist - Chapter III by The Herman Spectre Legacy)

Everton 1 Arsenal 0

What? I don't know that I've beent his irritated or angry after watching a football match in a long time. Everton scored in the 13th (or so) minute and Arsenal was unable to secure a response. Hentry was off his game. Reyes, Ljungberg & Pires were anonymous, with the exception of Ljungberg's excellently saved shot in the 12th minute. Fabregas was a joy to watch throughout, but his youthful exuberance let him down in the end and he walked early to the showers after a straight red card. NEVER raise your hand to a fellow player on the pitch, your team or theirs. He knows that, Arsene knows that, EVERYone knows that. There's NO excuse, he deserved his red, he deserves to be fined. Campbell & Senderos were useless and occasionally scary at centre-back leaving the messes for Gilbert & Lauren to clean up. Gilbert, a teen-ager played remarkeably well and in my mind earned his spot on the team with his display today. Certainly a better player with more intelligent decisions than Hleb who replaced him or that idiot Gilberto in the centre. New signing Diaby who came on for Pires with 10 minutes left looks like he will eventually grow into those legs of his and become a solid player in mid-field. Certainly he's not afraid to get stuck-in and chase the ball. But he looked a bit out-of-sorts and out of place. But, what do you expect given only 10 minutes to prove your worth in the mighty Arsenal team. Bah!

Mary King's Close

At some point in our day in Edinburgh, as we were walking the Royal Mile, we were accosted by sales hawkers in the guise of historical characters. They were dressed in typically bad 16-19th century costumes. However, they were hawking something that appealed to me: The Real Mary King's Close. See, anything remotely fortean or supernatural has always appealed to me and Auld Reekie is rife with Ghost Walks & the like. Here was my opportunity to do something that would appeal to my wife's love of history & my love of the supernatural. I shan't wax about the close itself, you can read about it by following the link above, but suffice it to say that it was worth every bit of the £6 per person. Photos are not, by the way, allowed during the tour, so typical of me, I hung back, turned off the flash and snuck surreptitious photos whene'er I could. No ghost, sadly, was to be had during our trip underground, but I intend to do it again, and one of these days the ghosts will find that a believer walks among them and come to visit me. At least that is my hope. Arsenal finally have completed the signing of Theo Walcott. He's sixteen, so obviously this is a future enhancement. I wouldn't be surprised to see the lad loaned back out to some team, such as Southampton. But it's a delight to see two Chelsea targets snub them to join the Gunners. A delight indeed. Been sick for two days, but back at work now..which means I have time to write. Wastrel On! (Listening to: Girl in Green by Blue Rodeo)

Deacon Brodie's Tavern

It intrigues me how the two characters in history most often associated with dual identies are both Scottish. Jekyll & Hyde is the invention of Robert Louis Stevenson while William Brodie was a popular & important member of Edinburgh society in the mid-to-late 18th Century. Brodie was a cabinet maker, a Deacon of the Wrights & Masons (a trade guild) , a juror and a city councillor. He was also a burglar. Using his daytime job of cabinetry to glean information about the security mechanisms of his clients (some of the wealthiest people in Edinburgh), he would make wax impressions of their keys and revisit them in the night. Eventually, Brodie became the victim and was captured in 1788 in the Netherlands. He was shipped back to Edinburgh for trial where he and his henchmen George Smith were both found guilty & hanged at the Tolbooth on October 1, 1788. Ironically, a gallows that Brodie had designed & funded the eyar before was used to render him lifeless. It is this amazing double-life that, rumour has it, inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to create & pen The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, one of the most enduring of all stories. Deacon Brodie's Tavern is a traditional style 2-storyed pub on the Royal Mile and a popular watering hole. Food can be had upstairs while the downstairs seemed to be reserved for the drinkers. A delightful place to visit and escape the rain, or sun, if you're on the Royal Mile. In other news, Thierry Henry has reportedly thrown his weight behind the signing of Theo Walcott, something I'd truly love to see. Walcott is 16 years of age and already playing regular football for Southampton's youth squad. His agent claims he will be the next Wayne Rooney, but that's what they said about Freddy who? Adu. He's too young to make that kind of claim, but apparently he's full of tricky, savvy & speed. I'd love to see Thierry & Theo play together. It would seem that Chelsea is also trying to pry this kid away from Southampton, but hopefully Theo has his head up & is watching Wayne Bridge & Wright-Phillips languish on the bench at Chelsea. Let's hope so. Wastrel On! (Listening to: Papa Was a Rolling Stone by the Temptations)

View of the Castle

Edinburgh Castle.
This is the view that many tourists don't get because they just simply don't get off the Royal Mile. We're standing on Prince's Street; more accurately, I'm standing on Prince's Street while Marita Beth is shopping for shoes. I've acquired the Scottish Strip and done with my shopping, but MB is just starting. So, I while away the time and amuse myself with photo-snapping. The weather was very misty, raining at times, prompting many an umbrella or slicker to come out. We have neither with us, but I'm dressed in a fabulous Cross of St. Andrew hoody that I picked up at the Glamis games early in the trip (one of my better buys) while Marita Beth has her hoody from Cairn O'Mohr.
Manchester United have lost their appeal against Ronaldo's dismissal on the weekend, which rules him out for the Burton Albion FA Cup replay tomorrow at Old Trafford. Personally, having seen the clumsy, retaliatory lunge he performed I think he should be banned for more than just one game, but so the jaffa cakes crumble, eh?That piece of shit Wayne Rooney is also ruled out, but I don't know why exactly. Meanwhile Arsenal claims that once Emirates -- HATE the name -- is finished, Arsenal will have the greatest take in gate receipts in the sporting world. Rubbish, I say, but I can't really comment because I don't know what the full value is when every ticket is sold. I do think, however, it would be hard-pressed to compete with the value of these indiotic NASCAR tracks when they're full. I mean, really, those friggin' tracks hold half a million people or more! Emirates -- HATE the name -- will hold only 60,000. Far cry.
That crazy wanker Swede, Sven Gorn has gone and put his foot in again. This time commenting to a sheikh (whom he just met) about the state of his team and the foibles of his current charges using such lovely, moral-boosting terms as "greedy," and "lazy." Saying also, while he was at it, that he'll quit if England win the World Cup (go on and quit, already!) and purchase Aston Villa ensconcing himself as the manager. Pogo Stick! What's he thinking railing on his players to some person he just met (who turns out to be a reporter undercover) and then telling existing EPL managers that he'll fire them as soon as he can. What a miserable, unbelievable, wanker man. Wastrel On! (Listening To: Sgt. Pepper's Loney Hearts Club Band by the Beatles)

Scottish Architecture

I'm not sure what this building is. Nor am I sure what road runs on the bridge in front of it.
Thanks to IDG (an excellent photographer with a pro Flickr account - check it out) who informed me that this building is the Balmoral hotel ( a luxury hotel)- located just off Princes street Edinburgh - close to the Railway station. There are other photo examples of this building out there, like this one, but it doesn't have a description either. Do you know? I'd love to come back & edit this post some day soon with the proper information.
Added 17 January 2005: According to Nad, the "bridge goes over Waverly Station", while mrry adds that "the bridge in the foreground is North Bridge, which meets Prince's Street to the right of the picture."
Don't you LOVE the internet and social communities within it's confines?

Marita Beth & I, having completed lunch and sent Ginger, Larry & Denise on up to the castle, continued on our quest. Desperately seeking the Scottish National Team Football Strip, we trolled many of the kitschy shops that dot the Royal Mile. After way too many of them, we decided to pop off the Royal Mile & check the side streets looking for a sporting goods shop of some sort. Sometime after leaving the Royal Mile, we walked down the street/hill and around the corner to see this magnificent sight. It's magnificent, isn't it? Shortly after this photo, we stopped into a "Sports Bar" to ask the bartender & grab a pint. The barkeep was clueless, but luckily they had these stainless steel (yes, monitor, keyboard & mouse were all stainless-cased) computers set up all 'round the place with a free hi-speed connection. As long as we were eating or drinking, the surfing was free. So, we located a JJB Sports (the largest sporting goods conglomerate in the U.K. - the owner also happens to own Wigan, an English Premier League team), finished our respective pints (cider for her, pint of the 70 shilling for me (McEwan's I believe) and set out to finalize our adventure in the Edinburgh shopping district. Eventually we worked our way to JJB and purchased my Scottish Stip (I buy a national strip in each country I visit). While there we noticed a HUGE Arsenal poster advertising the fact that Arsenal were soon to release their new commemorative strip...but that's a story for a different (brilliant!) day.

Speaking of Arsenal, they thrashed Middlesborough over the weekend with a full 7 - 0 score. Henry got a hattrick while Hleb, Senderos, Pires & that useless bag of dung Gilberto each bagged one. 'Borough were outclassed, outgunned and it seemed their defence decided not to show at all. All this while ManCity stomped on ManU(re) 3-1 with Robbie Fowler, having not played since April of last year, putting the final nail in at the death. And then of course, Sunderland surprised everyone by scoring first in the Chelsea/Sunderland match at the 12th minute. If only they could have held on, but sadly, Crespo & someone else, probably Robben or Cole, put two in the bag sealing Sunderland's loss & pretty much assuring their relegation at the season's end. What a miserable season they're having. 7 - 0! Up the Arse!

Wastrel On! (Listening to: Eye in the Sky by Alan Parson's Project) & (Listening to: Drowning by Boiled in Lead)

Flagrant Disregard Mosaic

Flickr. Certainly the coolest photo-sharing site available. Right. Flagrant Disregard. Definitely the coolest photo-enhancing set of toys. Just tell it what you want from your Flickr. and it gets it, builds it, and displays it. Tres Magnifique. Wastrel On! (Listening To: Noisynight by Portastatic)