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I can't believe you said this Bev. I dunno, seems like a fair statement

Feliz aniversário! All the best. Hope you have a good'un.

All very impressive.

When I lived right on the east coast we had one Boxing Day completely snowed in. Drifts about 10 foot high too. About 3 years ago the river outside of our house (the one above) froze. That was at about minus 13 deg C. Other than that, not much at all. We are lucky in this part of the UK.

Forgive my ignorance, but what does this phrase mean? Sorry, punctuation error. We've had the lot. Thunder, lightning, sun, hail and BIG snowflakes. Nothing in comparison to what you guys suffer from.

This morning at about 11:45. It started at 5am! We've had thunder the lot! It's not too cold though, about 3deg C.

But at least you get some picturesque shots. and my little boy exploring

Next up is 'Before Sunset', which should be interesting as it's been about 10 years since I saw its precursor, 'Before Sunrise', when it was shown at a small indie cinema over here. Small segments of the film still stick in my mind; something about Vienesse cemetaries, and bookshops/recordshops ???? I remember how hot Julie Delpy was

Just finished 'Adaptation'. Very good, very clever-clever, too obviously so at times; "the last thing I want is to throw in drug running and a car chase"..yeah, yeah, what do you get . However, I'm worried about how far they can take this genre (even though there haven't been many films made in this way) without rehashing the same elements from past movies.

Or the mushy peas they make you eat with your fish and chips! (I'm a Southerner who's been doing missionary work in the North since 1978). Aaah , Bless you kind one. It's needed.

Gary, you've moved!!!! BTW notice how many UK members are on now:hehe:

Well Sal, I have friends around here who commute to London. They may not work a full week (ie. 5/6 days) but they get work done on the train from York. The countryside around the Vale of York is beautiful and the journey in on InterCity takes about 2 hours on an average day. Be prepared for delays now and again though. Depending upon how flexible your employer is, you may find a big commute is the way to go; making full use of your 'Southern' salary against the cost of 'Northern' living. B-)

How about '90's middling-inoffensive-soft-rock dross. Meaning David Gray, The Lighthouse Family , Alanis Morrishit, Seal and so on. Ditto on the Nu-Metal stuff; no-one did it like Rage Against The Machine first did.

How about a move to the 'sticks' around Hemel Hempstead or Sunbury? You have to give up the cosmopolitan surroundings of the city, transport, culture and many other things, but you can buy yourself a nice car, live in a fairly quaint little village with a good pub and score with some country maid . Worth considering. I've always felt that living anywhere 'down south' would be a serious downgrade for me unless I was living and working in central London, and a nice bit to boot; the satellite towns surrounding London can seem busy, soul-less and depressing. And the roads are shocking. If you can stump up the rent for a bijou London apartment, do it. Your quality of life will be great. And remember if you're commuting out from London you will be travelling 'against' the flow of traffic, whether that be by rail or road. Good luck if you do take the plunge. BTW what are the chances of 'recovering' your present lifestyle like if, having spent a year or two renting (with no equity) in London, you then return to Chicago?Keep us informed.

I didn't hear Seven Days... but caught them live (on radio and TV) so I won't comment on that album and their 'evolution' (between the Live 95 album and Susie Soho, there was a definite development I think), but having listened last night and now, this morning, to their latest, I know exactly what you mean. All the elements, and very nice elements they are, are there. The repeated little riffs by bass and piano are present. The 'light and shade': tick another box. Almost as if they're playing the same tunes at some points during the album. Good. But not taking their collective talents far enough down the path they intended to walk.

You lucky so-and-so! My nearest Borders has reduced the size of it's jazz section by more than 75% over thelast two years. I used to find some good discs there but last night I was stunned by the choice. OK if you want to buy Proper Box compilations or 20 copies of The Very Best Of Lee Ritenour

I wouldn't know. Never happened to me before.

DoItDoItDoItDoItDoItDoItDoItDoItDoItDoIt.

My wife just bought me the latest EST album, Viaticum (ACT)

Needn't worry, we've found it here. And it's all in one parcel. Phew....

Not a she'll, or so I've been told. mmm..wasn't sure

BTW, Radiohead, without any doubt whatsoever.

BEV!!!! Then again, she'll (??) only say Fairport Convention

errr...financially

Well it's the only Bird I have on Verve, so, it'll do the trick.