rock_dinosaur (original) (raw)
And another old classic
Monday, 11th November, 2024 | 12:20
Location: Edinburgh
Mood: 
amused
Right, I'd better get my boots on. I need to head down to the hospital shortly as I've an appointment for a pacemaker check at 2.15pm. I'll be glad to get that over with, but the sun's miraculously made an appearance in Edinburgh today and I'd rather have spent the afternoon wandering around town with my shades on!
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Beautiful, beautiful music
Monday, 11th November, 2024 | 12:13
Location: Edinburgh
Mood: calm
I'm just out of the bath a few minutes ago. I had music playing while I was in it, and this song came on. Marty Friedman is best-known as the lead guitarist in Megadeth during their classic era, but he released two solo albums of much more serene and melodic music. The album that includes this song was released a whole thirty years and three days ago. I must have played it thousands of times over the years, but I never get tired of hearing it.
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The High Street at night
Friday, 8th November, 2024 | 22:59
Location: Edinburgh
Mood: busy
A view up the High Street, Edinburgh, towards the Tron Kirk and St. Giles Cathedral in the evening of 8th November, 2024.
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Just something I've been wondering
Friday, 8th November, 2024 | 22:02
Location: Edinburgh
Mood: 
curious
Pantyhose isn't a word that's used in the UK; we think of pantyhose as being the American word for what are universally known here as tights. However, I recently saw someone saying they wore tights when they were younger and didn't start wearing pantyhose until they were older, as if the words referred to two different things. Maybe they just didn't realise that both words mean the same thing? Or maybe they do have different meanings that I've never been aware of? So I'm wondering:
Are tights and pantyhose the same thing?
Yes, they're different names for the same item.
No, tights and pantyhose are two different things.
If tights and pantyhose aren't the same thing, what's the difference between them? Can anyone explain?
[Update: this has certainly been a learning experience. Thanks, everyone! I'm glad I asked now.]
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Birthday wishes
Monday, 28th October, 2024 | 12:14
Location: Edinburgh
Mood: busy
I don't know if you're still here, 
velvetechos, but if you are, Happy Birthday! I hope you're having a most excellent day indeed!
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Cast thy votes!
Saturday, 26th October, 2024 | 19:01
Location: Edinburgh
Mood: busy
I've posted a couple of polls in the 
polloftheday community, here and here. I presume it's possible to view them and add your votes without joining the community, but if that's not the case, please let me know and I'll post direct links to the polls in this post.
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Web-site visitor map
Wednesday, 16th October, 2024 | 23:35
Location: Edinburgh
Mood: fed-up
I didn't think these things still worked, but I was clicking on my interests-list and nosing around on some old LiveJournal profiles earlier this evening, and I came across one that featured one of these maps. I've copied the code and pasted it onto my profile page. It remains to be seen if it'll actually record any visitors, and in view of the lack of activity on LiveJournal nowadays, I might have quite a long wait to find out. But we'll see.
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Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway 'Steam, Steel, Road & Rails' gala
Saturday, 12th October, 2024 | 21:43
Location: Edinburgh
Mood: 
tired
A free vintage bus service was provided between Linlithgow Station and Bo'ness for the Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway's Steam, Steel, Road & Rails gala on 12th October, 2024. While this made it a great deal easier to get to Bo'ness than would otherwise have been the case (the public service buses from Linlithgow are hopelessly slow and infrequent), the vintage bus turned out to be a bit less 'vintage' than I'd anticipated. It was a 1980s Leyland National 2 single-decker with ugly plastic interior panelling, a noisy engine, and seats that seem very spartan and dated now. However, the heating was effective and it felt pleasantly warm after I'd been standing at the bus stop in the cold and wet for twenty minutes. A feature of the Leyland National that I'd forgotten about and which will be unfamiliar to today's bus passengers is the two steps up to floor-level at the door. One advantage of this is that the windows are at lower level relative to the seats, giving a better view than on today's buses. However, there was no provision at all for disabled passengers or mothers with prams.
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Balfour Street Tram Stop
Friday, 27th September, 2024 | 18:01
Location: Edinburgh
Mood: busy
A view towards the foot of Leith Walk from the Balfour Street Tram Stop on 27th September, 2024.
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Sunshine and summer warmth finally reaches Edinburgh in the middle of September!
Tuesday, 17th September, 2024 | 14:58
Location: Edinburgh
Mood: tired
Would ye credit it? Far be it from me to complain, but WHAT THE BLOODY HELL is going on?
Right: I must desist from procrastinating forthwith, extract my arse from this chair and attempt to catch a few moments of that incredibly rare sunshine stuff!
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170 452 at Waverley Station
Tuesday, 10th September, 2024 | 23:42
Location: Edinburgh
Mood: busy
Adtranz Class 170 3-car DMU No. 170 452 stands at Platform 20 of Waverley Station, Edinburgh, prior to forming the 2G35 18:54 train to Glenrothes with Thornton on 10th September, 2024.
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Yet more lovely weather
Friday, 6th September, 2024 | 23:41
Location: Edinburgh
Mood: chilly
A view along Jeffrey Street, Edinburgh, on the dismal foggy day of 6th September, 2024.
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Compare and contrast...
Tuesday, 3rd September, 2024 | 22:28
Location: Edinburgh
Mood: busy
Sabre Dance by Love Sculpture, featuring Dave Edmunds on guitar, released on 22nd November, 1968. Dave Edmunds is evidently a phenomenal guitarist, yet is mostly known as a producer and minor player in the '70s pub rock scene.
...And the Toy Dolls' briefer but tighter version of Sabre Dance, from their album Wakey Wakey!, released in September 1989. Michael 'Olga' Algar is another phenomenal guitarist whose talent is totally wasted on a daft comedy band.
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Bus stoppinj!
Saturday, 31st August, 2024 | 21:03
Location: Edinburgh
Mood: 
hungry
This malfunctioning 'bus stopping' indicator on my bus back to town from Granton this afternoon immediately reminded me of this classic Monty Python sketch. See if you can guess why!
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The New Town on a beautiful day
Saturday, 31st August, 2024 | 18:43
Location: Edinburgh
Mood: busy
Edinburgh had the rare experience (for this year, at least) of a full day of beautiful sunshine on 31st August, 2024. I'm still not fit and well enough to walk far, but I needed to get some shopping and decided to go to a supermarket I hadn't been to for a few years (as it can't be reached directly by bus from my part of town): Morrison's at Granton. I boarded a Lothian Buses No. 9 at the foot of The Mound, and it took me on a tour through the New Town and the posher northern suburbs of Edinburgh. The city looked fabulous in the sunshine, and I found myself wondering once again how it was possible to create such a beautiful urban environment over two-hundred years ago when everything that's built now lacks natural proportion, form and detail, consists of a random jumble of cubes and rectangles, and could be situated in any city in the world. This massively affects everyone's quality-of-life, yet it's an issue that's never mentioned by the powers-that-be. Architects know best. We ordinary mortals aren't qualified to have an opinion on what's beautiful and what isn't. But I digress...
I took a few photos from the upper deck of the bus as it made its way to Granton. I'd have taken more, but the front seats of the bus kept being hogged by tourists!
The view forward from the upper deck of a No. 9 bus from Edinburgh University King's Buildings to Muirhouse at the junction of Hanover Street and George Street, Edinburgh, on 31st August, 2024. The statue is of King George IV, who visited the city in 1822.