Caledonia Dreamin’

Word from Hal Duncan that he and Chris Kelso are editing an anthology of strange fiction inspired by Scots words. I love the idea. Because to me Scots is more than a provincial dialect or a style of 18th century poetry that’s trotted out with the tartan and the haggis on Burns’ night. Scots is […]

Watenaccio

I asked a friend the other week: “How would you feel if you were told your team would win a major European trophy, but that they’d be remembered – even despised – throughout the continent as the most negative team ever to do so, your name synonymous with defensiveness for a generation or more to […]

It’s a Farrago, I tell you

In the world of online fiction zines, Farrago’s Wainscot has established itself as among the most chic, oblique and unique. Their regular selection of literary short stories is always worth dipping into, and if that weren’t enough they have this little bundle of extras that goes by the name of Behind The Wainscot. In the […]

Gutted

So, despite all my tactics the game went exactly as I expected it to. Now, I have to think up diversionary tactics for the next year until the World Cup qualifiers get under way. At least we’ll have an easier set of opponents next time round. Time to get back to the novel I think!

Diversionary Tactics (4)

God Bless M. In the end we didn’t resort to Children In Need. Our usual Friday night combination got us to through without thinking much about anything: Sofa, Wine, Scrabble, Assorted Telly, Random Chat. That the last of these involved the new series of The Mighty Boosh was a special bonus. Anyway, Diversions over. The […]

Diversionary Tactics (3)

These attempts are getting less and less successful. At least the latest episode of Heroes kept me distracted. I liked the switch to five years in the future, after the bomb and everything’s changed. I’m saving this week’s Jericho til tonight, so last night I fired up EQ for a couple of hour of good […]

Coming Down The Road

I’ve got an earworm. You know, a tune that keeps popping into your head and won’t go away? This one, it’s the one that goes “We’ll be coming, we’ll be coming, we’ll be coming down the road…” Aye, coming down the road. Five days to go, and the tension’s already getting to me. By Friday […]

It’s not often you know what you’ll be doing seven years in the future

…but in the summer of 2014 I rather imagine I’ll be strolling down to Kelvingrove to watch the bowls, or heading out to Hampden to catch the athletics, or perhaps even scoping out the swimming at Tollcross. Commonwealth Games, blimey!

To those who wait…

…and we’ve waited a heck of a long time. OH. FUCK. AYE. No wait, it’s even better in French.

Visions Of The Future

Courtesy of the ever-eclectic Boing-Boing, I’m totally charmed by these 1910 French lithographs depicting life in the year 2000. Probably my favourites are these marvelous armoured bicycles and this uncanny prediction of Mad Max or perhaps Death Race 2000. Wonder if those clever, clairvoyant Frenchies have managed to predict the result of tonight’s footie game […]