THE STORY SO FAR – Exams are looming and Ben needs to make some tough decisions about his future, not to mention his increasingly serious long-term relationship. And does he? Does he bollocks…

July 3rd 1999
Went to Sam’s for a barbeque but in the end, just grilled food indoors. Watched Crash [The original car crash grim sex drama]. A load of shite in my opinion.

July 4th 1999 Breeze Festival
Ok but poo bands really. Rosita were good as were Sugar Daddy and Bellatrix. Missed Bis though! Grr! E-17 headlined and were pelted with everything! HA HA

July 10th 1999 Mark [Clare’s uncle] and Louise’s Wedding
Clare looked beautiful as she left this morning, very Snow White. I went for the night do where her family and their friends were nice to me and we had a pop trivia quiz. [One bloke in particular wouldn’t let it go which got a bit heated and nearly came to blows over bloody Wham! Of all bands…]

July 11th 1999
I got a mobile phone! I got a mobile phone! Wherever I lay my phone that’s my home, I got a mobile phooooooooooooooooooone! An Orange Pay As You Go one too, thanks to a pub promotion [Ironically, my Dad didn’t want it as he felt they were unnecessary. He soon changed his tune - now he doesn’t even have a landline!]

July 12th 1999
Bought Ricky Martin (Livin’ La Vida Loca) – sad but I love it. Daz found out his new girlfriend who we thought was 17 is actually 27. I think she might be a man too (never met the poor bitch) [Nor did we ever – a lot of chinny reckon here I think] Clare went to her old school’s [I think it says “femday” – any ideas?] and won me a Rude Dog toy (as in the Dweebs! Class!)

July 17th 1999
Bought Belle and Sebastian’s “Tigermilk”. Fantastico. 9/10. Love it to pieces! [And indeed it remains my favourite album of all time]

July 19th 1999
Watched Star Wars Episode One. Was okay. [It bloody wasn't]

July 25th 1999
Went to Garden Centre where I saw snakes. Boo!

July 28th 1999
Got mega job / future lecture from Dad. Fucked off but deservedly. I NEED A JOB! Applied Our Price, Jack Fultons, Newsagents, Body Shop and In-Step.

[I don’t think it was deservedly. I was a lazy tosser who made no idea attempt to hide the fact. As for now…um…shut up…]

August 11th 1999

August 17th 1999
Clare sulked cos I went to town without her and I don’t know where she’s gone now. Bought new “A” LP. Played cards.

August 25th 1999
Got a job!!!! Walkers Leisure Bingo Hall. Start 27th Sept 1999 as general dogsbody / fuckhound [I initially went as a joke to fill their “Bingo Caller” position. Didn’t get it but the owner took a shine to me so gave me a job anyway. As for the rest we’ll get to it in time…]

August 26th 1999
Whittam brought a vid – Moyles and Mark and Lard. Stayed up til 3am watching! [He had UK Play with its myriad of cheap shows featuring Radio 1 disc jockeys. How exciting it was back then!]

August 30th 1999
Worked a karaoke night and sang Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Don’t Go Breaking My Heart with Sam. Will use my money to buy new Feeder and Divine Comedy albums!

September 1st 1999
Won £40 on the fruit machine so went to see 10 Things I Hate About You at the cinema. S’fine! 7/10 [WHAT? I consider this to be one of my favourite all-time flicks now so god knows why I gave it a One Life Left score.]

[Another large gap with little to no entries bar the oh so important “3 Colours Red split!!!!” on September 16th. Weird as the fortnight between the 10th and 24th my parents went on holiday leaving me in charge for the first time. Did well, made some money, had a surprise visit by my old school-friend Peter who’d gone to live in Newcastle and started an A-Level English course at the local college. Apparently none of this as worth mentioning…]

September 25th 1999
Went to Blackpool with all the money we’d made – went on the Big One [hated it], 2p machines, too many boozehounds, hiding from ‘nakes, Big Dipper [hated it], Odie [I won three Odie toys from a grabber machine], Waltzers, ace, Clare [loved it].

September 26th 1999
Start new job. Given absolutely no training and left doing the wrong jobs alone.

September 27th 1999
I hate my assistant manager Anne Marie. I hate this job. Half the staff seem to hate me too.

October 2nd 1999
Left job.

[Yeah, I lasted a week but it was a horrible job in which I was fucked about something rotten and treated like crap. I was so down my parents themselves actually told me to resign, which I promptly did that Saturday night. £3.60 an hour! The bingo hall shut down less than six months after I left and is now half of a Wetherspoons. Good fucking riddance.]

October 5th 1999
Futurama and Family Guy on Sky tonight! Cant wait!

And that’s it! The final diary entry from 1999 ends with a fizzle rather than a bang but then again did you expect anything else? In case you’re wondering, myself and Clare lasted another year before splitting up – just long enough for me to put off going to university, which was a terrible mistake. We remained friends for many years (as hard as it was for me) and I’m actually presently living in what used to be her house. Still, who wants to know that old shit when you can find out my Top 10 Albums of the Year 1999…!?!?

Tigermilk there. My favourite album ever. But not quite as good as 3 Colours Red or Feeder. I do genuinely still love all those albums so maybe they were the happiest days of my life after all. At the very least, they were the randiest. And now the bit you’ve all been waiting for – my in depth yearly self-assessment accounting figures…

Or maybe not…

It could’ve been a brilliant career…

I’ve always loved reading Peanuts, Charles M. Schulz’s classic comic depicting Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts Gang. One of my favorite characters is Schroeder, the precocious, piano-playing Beethoven worshipper, and Lucy’s unrequited love.

Schroeder’s connection to Beethoven always brought me immense joy, and not just because I count myself as one of the great composer’s fans. Beethoven and I share a birthday — December 16 — and just about every year, Peanuts and Schroeder mark the occasion.

You can understand my delight, then, when I read today’s comics and came upon this:

The countdown to my/Beethoven’s birthday has officially begun! But you probably already knew that.

Do you share your birthday with someone famous? Leave their names — and your gift ideas for me — in the comments.

This can’t be a trick because that’s something a whore does for money – or candy – but what gives Google?

As if the interweb didn’t confuse me enough already…proof that it is powered by mystical forces.

This will be my final post before the big journey to Denver. I can hardly believe we are leaving tomorrow! It seems like I have been waiting forever to see this day arrive. As I reflect back on the events of the past year, the hardest part for me to grasp has been the mixed messages, the conflicting viewpoints of medical professionals and our lack of forward movement. It has been so agonizing knowing I have long passed my fertile window, and yet, if there is still even a remote chance for me to carry a biological child, I am not taking full advantage of whatever options are still available to me.  It was so hard to sit still and be patient and do the painstaking research that ultimately led me to Dr. Schoolcraft at the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine. But the hard work has finally paid off, and tomorrow we are on our way!

 In exactly 48 hours, Glenn and I will sit across from Dr. Schoolcraft- one of the best fertility doctors in the country- and listen to what he has to say. After a highly detailed and lengthy diagnostic workup, we will learn important information about our bodies and understand better what reasonable options are still available for us. We will arrive at a concrete plan and gain momentum every day as we take action towards our final goal.  And, I truly believe deep inside my soul, there is a baby-our baby- waiting for us at the end of this journey.

It will not be an easy journey, and I am sure there will be many twists and turns and bumps in the road. I will have to endure uncomfortable procedures, ingest powerful medications, grow accustomed to stinging injections, forgo many daily pleasures (see previous post) and face whatever challenges head our way, regardless of how scary, or disappointing, or truly heartbreaking they might be. I must learn to relax and relinquish control, trust my doctor and maintain a positive attitude. I must be brave and philosophical as I remind myself that many times in life; things don’t work out as we plan.  When all is said and done and the final path is illuminated, I must accept the hand I am dealt and find comfort in knowing we did the very best we could.  I must forgive myself and my husband for the events of the past and find peace in the healing power of love. I must grab onto whatever joy is left and celebrate the many blessings that are still in front of me. I must find a way to become a mother in any way I still can.

I know somehow, some way, we will find our way through this maze of fertility challenges and emerge on the other side, closer and stronger than ever. One step at a time. One moment at a time. One day at a time. I will follow the lead of my brilliant doctor, and I will never again have to ask myself, what should have been, what would have been, if only I had tried?

We are off to Denver, and I could not be more ready for the challenge. All that is left to do now is pack our bags, travel light, breathe deep and enjoy the journey. On this journey towards motherhood, I hope to become a better woman- a strong and confident woman who stares fear in the face, shrugs her shoulders and then smiles and says, BRING IT ON!!!!!!

With my husband right beside me, I am ready to take this final leap into the vast unknown. The moment is almost here, and I cannot wait to get there. See you in Denver!!!!!!!!

This morning I prepped the boys’ lunches like normal: Matt got his pre-ordained chicken nuggets and Aidan his turkey sandwich.

Remembering the all-so important cheese for Aidan’s sandwich, I quickly went back to the fridge only to discover there was none to be found.

I frantically rummaged through the shelves for a moment to no avail.  Suffice to say if there was no cheese slice on the sandwich, I would have heard about it under no uncertain terms later that evening. 

Fortunately, the dairy gods smiled upon me and I discovered one last slice of pre-wrapped american on the lower shelf.  I lifted it up and proudly sang aloud “It’s the Final Cheese Slice” ala Europe’s “The Final Countdown.”

As I danced and sang back to the counter to slap the cheese onto the bread, I became all-too painfully aware of a pair of eyes watching me.  I turned and there was Matt.  He didn’t ask what I was doing.  He just stared.  And then, without a word, he walked away.

Yes, it seems my mashup of 80’s glam metal bands and processed american cheese food had been judged…and it had been judged unworthy.

tim s., you guys need to hire her as a windows evangelist NOW!  seriously… this girl is TOO cute!  ;)
this totally makes up for the millions microsoft spent on the lame seinfeld commercials!

and this commercial gets extra kudos for using one of the best songs of all time!

i’m a PC!!!  :D

Fet som fan? Eller vad skall man säga?

Europe är det minsann…

This lot are responsible for 83% of the whole in the Ozone layer...

What to do on my final night in the pore?

Well, the rather dishy Dave finally made good. After three weeks of no window, he had one tonight. And just like l’oreal, boy, was he worth the wait…

So, I faced a choice.

A date with a rather dishy hunk. Or, a night out drinking with Lady Muck and Precious, my office compadres for the last few weeks.

As you’d expect, I couldn’t drop my bitches for a bloke. That just isn’t the way we do things round my parts. So, mexican food, margaritas and tequila await, as my cabby whisks me to them on Dempsey Road.

Or as I finally learned how to converse with cabbies (dropping letters left right and centre), dennseeee roooaaa. Bi-lingual me. Singlish is but a breath away, lah?

Iain is on his way to sure fire pain tomorrow morning.

After celebrations of 13th and 19th of August – let’s start discussing The Final Countdown itself.

I will show you how many meanings can be find in just 16 lines of text, plus a few of chorus. I will be also glad for your comments and suggestions, from Europe and other fans who like The Final Countdown.

It is something like an assignment done on English literature classes – analysis and interpretation of a poem or a book.

Today I begin with the first line of The Final Countdown.

What can be left and in what circumstances ‘together’?

We can leave our country, or town, moving to a place which is regarded as better to live. We can leave our parents as a couple, moving to our own house. We are also leaving this world, dying, even if many are trying to ignore this truth. Today we have a good example – Senator Ted Kennedy is leaving us.

I would like to promote positive spirit of this song thus even if the lyrics of The Final Countdown can be seen both in positive and negative ways I will focus on the positive ones. There is too much negativism around us.

Each, and there are not all possible meanings mentioned, of them can be found in may particular situations every day in every country.

You probably know someone who is emigrating or that something is said about this issue on the radio or shown on TV. Everywhere there are people who ‘leave together’ their places in positive spirit. In most cases we can see the opposite, that we are forced to leave something and the future is not necessary better.

However, as we will see further, ‘leaving together’ means the beginning of something better.

Each, and there are not all possible meanings mentioned, of them can be found in may particular situations every day in every country.

You probably know someone who is emigrating or that something is said about this issue yet today Ted Kennedy’s death is one of most important topics  on the radio or shown on TV.

From/De: WBIE

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, TT Games, the LEGO Group, Harmonix and MTV Games Reveal LEGO® Rock Band™ for Nintendo DS™ Details

Invite Friends to Rock On-the-Go and Leave the Peripherals at Home!

BURBANK, Calif. –(Business Wire)– Aug 20, 2009 Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, TT Games, the LEGO Group, Harmonix and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B), are building an all-new handheld music gaming experience that lets fans of all ages “Build a Band and Rock the Universe” wherever and whenever they want with LEGO® Rock Band™ for Nintendo DS™. Published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, LEGO Rock Band for DS combines the LEGO style of humor with Rock Band gameplay to introduce a portable Rock Band experience that anyone can play without the need for peripherals to be purchased. The game also includes a multiplayer feature that allows up to four players to participate in local wireless multiplayer gameplay.

LEGO Rock Band for DS is developed by Backbone Entertainment, a Foundation 9 Entertainment studio, and will be compatible with the Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite and Nintendo DSi™. LEGO Rock Band for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Wii™ system is in development by TT Games in partnership with Harmonix. All versions are scheduled for release holiday 2009.

The DS version of LEGO Rock Band offers a journey to stardom that friends and families of all ages can enjoy as they rock out in local venues, stadiums and fantasy locations on Earth… and beyond! In a LEGO “build-and-play” gaming experience, players can customize their minifigure avatars to create their own individual LEGO Rock Band style. The game does not require any peripherals, as players can use the DS buttons or touchscreen to play any or all parts of a song: Bass, Guitar, Drums and Vocals. With dynamic track-switching and combo multipliers, the gameplay is accessible for young players, as well as deep and rewarding for even the most skillful of gamers.

Start a band and tour for fame and fortune on-the-go as either a one-man-band or with up to three friends using multi-player mode. Songs on the soundtrack include:

About TT Games

TT Games (www.ttgames.com) is the combined publishing and development group behind the hit games LEGO® Star Wars™, LEGO® Batman™: The Videogame, LEGO® Indiana Jones™: The Original Adventures and BIONICLE® Heroes. Incorporating renowned UK developer Traveller’s Tales, TT Games has a distinctive focus on console, handheld, mobile and PC games of the highest quality, aimed at young gamers and their families.

About the LEGO Group

The LEGO Group (www.LEGO.com) is a privately held, family-owned company, based in Billund, Denmark. It was founded in 1932 and today the group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of play materials for children. The company is committed to the development of children’s creative and imaginative abilities through its products, which can be purchased in more than 130 countries. Visit www.LEGO.com

About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.

About MTV Games

MTV Games is dedicated to creating, marketing and publishing high-quality, innovative interactive products that are relevant to the MTV audience and complement the core values of the MTV Networks brands.

About Harmonix Music Systems, Inc

Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., based in Cambridge, MA, and established in 1995, is the leading developer of groundbreaking music-oriented videogames. Harmonix was founded by Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy, who formed the company to invent new ways for non-musicians to experience the unique joy that comes from making music and have pioneered music and rhythm gaming in the US. For more information please visit www.harmonixmusic.com

About Backbone Entertainment

Backbone Entertainment, a Foundation 9 Entertainment Studio based in Emeryville, California, is a long-standing developer of original, classic, and re-imagined games for all major platforms. Established in 1992 with an early foundation in emulations, conversions, and handheld games, the studio then broadened its focus to develop games for consoles. Backbone Entertainment is a leading developer of downloadable titles for XBLA and PSN, and specializes in clever games based on original and popular gaming franchises. The studio is one of the most experienced developers in the industry, and has shipped over 230 titles across all platforms over the last sixteen years. For more information please visit www.backboneentertainment.com.

About Foundation 9 Entertainment

Foundation 9 Entertainment is the largest independent games developer in North America. The company has studios across North America, Europe and Asia, making it a development powerhouse, uniquely positioned to deliver quality games on all gaming platforms for all age groups. The company’s studios are masters in working with original and licensed properties and have collectively developed more than 600 titles since 1992, including more than 45 in 2008 alone. For more information, please visit: www.f9e.com.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Brick and the Knob configurations and the Minifigure are trademarks of the LEGO Group. © 2009 The LEGO Group © 2009 Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. Nintendo DS edition developed by Backbone, Microsoft Xbox 360 edition, Sony PlayStation 3 edition and Nintendo Wii edition developed by TT Games. Published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. Produced by TT Games under license from the LEGO Group. Harmonix, Rock Band and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., an MTV Networks company. MTV: Music Television, MTV Games and all related titles and logos are trademarks of MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc. LEGO, the LEGO logo and the Minifigure are trademarks of the LEGO Group. © 2009 The LEGO Group. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved. WBIE LOGO, WB SHIELD: ™ & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Backbone and the Backbone logo are trademarks of Backbone Entertainment, a Foundation 9 Entertainment company. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Let God bless You with health, joy, vitality, creativity;

Let He save Your voice – so You can rejoice us, coming to Europe’s  or Your solo gigs;

so we still will be listening to The Final Countdown and all other Your great songs.

Let Your lyrics and the wisdom comprised there be always appreciated and inspire many generations

Let Your son be Your successor in any way and Your wife the best support and treasure to the end of Your days.

Let all your dreams what you are still having, come true.

Thank You Joey for being my idol, inspiration and the author of both Your and Europe’s songs.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Now let’s have a look at the lyrics – from Joey Tempest’s point of view.

While I was listening to the interview on TV after the gig in “Spodek” Joey said, more or less ” I have written the lyrics in my parents’ kitchen when I visited them one day”. From Wikipedia we can also learn that the leader of Europe was inspired by David Bowie’s song “Space Oddity“.

Yet this blog is aimed to find other inspirations and interpretations. I myself have and had in the past at least 3, they were changing as my life was changing.

The Final Countdown is about movement to something better and progress, just get into the ship as the final countdown has started. That is the example of one outlined interpretation.

Yesterday I mentioned Joey Tempest’s contribution to The Final Countdown’s success.  Let’s focus on music today.

The song was based on an old keyboard riff that vocalist Joey Tempest wrote as early as 1981–82^, on a Korg Polysix keyboard he borrowed from keyboardist Mic Michaeli. Later the lyrics were added. That is the official truth, known from Wikipedia of other available sources.

However, as we can read further The Final Countdown had difficult way to be No1 track on Europe’s third album and to be a  single- and it was Joey Tempest who was fighting to release it. Previous Europe stuff was in hard rock climate and The Final Countdown sounded oddly – like from a different planet.

Later the world experienced the birth of new galaxy – Europe. Some stars within it died, other are still in the main sequence or white dwarfs. Soon we will see new stars. Yet The Final Countdown is the center and even if long after being on charts, still shining its own light. For those, born 10, 15 years after this explosion I can only tell you that it was comparable to this what happens with Michael Jackson’s hits after his death now. And even if Europe is not regarded as the largest and the brightest galaxy on the music market – The Final Countdown is shining with its own power not because of commerce but because of its own charisma.

Well… flights are booked. I now have a single specific date for departure… and it’s getting close.

Travel Itinerary:

8/29/09

- 10:40 AM (EST) DEPART: Cincinnatti

- 10:55 AM (CST) ARRIVE: Chicago, O’Hare Airport

- 12:40 PM (CST) DEPART: Chicago, O’Hare Airport

8/30/09

- 3:15 PM (local time) ARRIVE : Beijing

- 6:15 PM DEPART: Beijing

- 7:40 PM ARRIVE: Ji’nan

I’m pretty relieved to have this finally worked out. The total travel time amounts to something like 20+ hours. I’d rather not imagine just how tired and delirious I’ll be at the end of that last flight. All in all though, it looks like a pretty manageable flight pattern. Only 3 plane changes? I’ll take that- particularly when compared with other options which would have forced me to change airports in Shanghai (SERIOUSLY!?!). Now… on to packing.

In 3 day’s time Joey Tempest will celebrate his 46th birthday. Before this date, let’s have a look at his contribution to the success of The Final Countdown.

He is the author of lyrics, music and of course – he sings The Final countdown with Europe. Which of these three contributions put by Joey Tempest to the outstanding success of The Final Countdown – are the most important? What is your opinion?

Some people regard music as most important, others cannot see a good song without its wise lyrics. Yet the charisma of the performing band or singer- especially those who also composed, wrote the text – is tremendous.

The question is which of those three aspects – music, lyrics or performance – have and which are still having -biggest impact on The Final Countdown’s recognition and its place within Europe’s songs.

If there’s one indisputable fact about music I truly didn’t appreciate until recently, it’s that anything involving a ukulele is automatically awesome.

I had an idea that ukuleles might be awesome a few months ago, when I saw this video of a guy named Stuart from Edinburgh covering “The Final Countdown” using something he calls a “Baby Piano Kazoo Ukulele” or simply “kazookeylele”:

After watching this and making sure everyone I know had seen it, I moved on. I didn’t think about ukuleles for months, until my recent trip to Vancouver, where I encountered Ralph Shaw, the King of the Ukulele. He captured everybody’s imagination at Granville Island, with his hit songs from the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s. A particular favourite was “Chinese Laundry Blues”. Anyway, here’s his wonderful music video for “I Just Wish I Was In Love”:

After witnessing the King of the Ukulele in action, I understood the brilliance of the instrument. I decided I had to delve deeper into this heretofore unexplored world of awesome. Today, my friends, I believe I have discovered the pinnacle of the ukulele. I present to you the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain’s live performance of the theme song from Shaft live at the Cambridge Folk Festival. Enjoy:

There are some monments of “The Final countdown” which would be gloomy and boring if Ian’s thrilling drums weren’t taken into action.

As you remember this explosive ‘enterance’ after some chores of so famous “da-da-da-da” part. I have found four other ways on Twitter There is a second important moment – phamfares – and again this ‘thrilling enterence’.

Of course, lets not forget about the rest of the song – without Ian’s drums The Final Countdown would not exist at all – compare piano or any other versions available on youtube.

Happy Birthday Ian – all who visit my blog today are asked to leave their comment as a remark of birthday wishes for Ian. Thanks.

At midnight the 13th of August begins, Ian Haughland’s 45th birthday. He was born in  Storslett, Nordreisa, Norway and apart from Europe, he also played or collaborated with Baltimoore, Glenn Hughes, Brazen Abbot, Last Autumn’s Dream, and  Clockwise. He is living in Sigtuna, Sweden with his wife Marita and their three children..

So Happy Birthday, Ian