Indigo

He wouldn't have to notify them that the questionnaire had any relation to breast-size. He could simply hand girl x a questionnaire and make a note of her breast-size from observation. Although you'd have to try and discern between what is indeed breast and what is simply tissue-paper.

Cereal is the jazz. Crunchy Nut, Raisin Wheats, Cheerios, Weetabix, Sugar Puffs, Weetos, Coco Pops, Frosties, Corn Pops... it's all good.

Throwing money at the public-sector does not equate to improvement. It's how such investment is co-ordinated that makes the difference. For example, the government have invested billions into trying to combat truancy in schools and yet truancy rates have continued to rise.

The entirety of Kid A.

I don't know what's worse: the review, or the fact that people are actually taking concern over such a thing.

Wednesday for me. I have two AS module exams this month; Maths on the 10th and Politics on the 11th. I've done some revision, but not nearly enough. This next ten days is going to be heavy. And then to add to my woes, I have the first draft of a piece of English Lit coursework due for the 18th, and I've yet to start it. What a nice, relaxing start to the year.

Belle & Sebastian - The Ritz, Manchester - January 29th Sigur Ros - Manchester Apollo - March 27th New Radiohead album and hopefully a UK tour Revolution full unveiling & launch DS Games (Animal Crossing, New Super Mario Bros etc.)

Yes, you really must go to Yellowstone. I went there with my family about five years ago, and while looking back, I was probably too young to properly appreciate the beauty of the place, it was still astounding.

I'm going seeing Belle & Sebastien in January, which should be fun. I can't help but admire how despite having such a simple and lo-fi approach to songwriting, they're so consistant in delivering engaging and entertaining music.

Agreed. They have a very original and diverse sound, with songs always brimming with energy. I have to say that The Moon and Antarctica is my favourite of their records. Each song evokes such a wide range of emotions; it's perfect for these cold, dark winter nights.

It amazes me how people take programmes such as these as if they are absolute historical and scientific fact. It's history jumbled together from a bunch of estimations. They don't know what lived 53 million years ago, they can only guess and assume.

REM at Old Trafford Cricket Ground on June 17th. It was my first time seeing the band, after two or so years of obsessive listening to all thirteen of their studio albums. Being such a fan, I expected a lot, and my expectations were surpassed. It was without a doubt one of the defining moments of my teenage years and probably my life. One particular highlight of the concert was when the band altered the set-list for the encore to include a song ("Leave") that me and my friend had been requesting for much of the concert (in between songs). I remember Michael made a remark something along the lines of "well, we decided to throw out the old set-list, and we've got this for you instead". I was so certain they weren't gonna play it (as whenever they'd played it previously they'd never put in their encore), that when they did, I was so surprised that it took me a few seconds to actually recognise it. It was like "wait a second, that drumbeat sounds oddly familiar.. wait, can it be?", and then I was in bliss.

Master Chief is pretty much the most generic videogame character of all time. Aside from that, and maybe Lara Croft, I suppose I can't really fault the list.

Nah, we just don't like to prolong Christmas. It's more fun that way, as it's much easier to get into the spirit, and in a way it's much less anticlimatical. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to understate the importance of Christmas or anything. I mean, I'm a Christian myself, and as such it is of particular significance for me because it symbolises so much. I guess that's at the root of my bitterness really. With all the commercialism of Christmas (and Easter), these festivals lose all their meaning to society, and that's something that I find quite saddening.

Ah I know, but you said you bought all your presents a month ago. That's like, October.

Sure, there's getting into the Christmas spirit, but then there's also getting sucked into what Christmas is steadily becoming - a masquerade for commercialism. If it wasn't for high-street stores starting their Christmas advertising so early every year, Christmas wouldn't even be on anyone's minds until at least December. We usually put the tree up on Christmas Eve, or the 23rd. And it's always a real tree; none of that fake plastic nonsense.

Damn, what is it with you people putting up Christmas decorations so early? There are 12 days of Christmas, not 30.

I disagree. Coupled with the ridiculous anti-terrorism legislation (that thankfully didn't get through the commons in its original form), ID cards is just one more step towards a police-state. They are currently used in Spain, and yet that didn't help prevent the Madrid bombings, therefore the argument that they will aid in preventing terrorism seems a little weak to me.

Yeah, me too. ^_^

Hey, don't worry about coming across as selfish or self-indulgent. It's only instinctive to worry about yourself in such hard times, and to be honest, you have every reason to do so. The passion and feeling conveyed in your writing (nevermind the situation you described) is enough to show anyone that this is not only something very serious, but something that has been truly disheartening for you. You may not be looking for sympathy, but you deserve it. All I can say is, don't let this make you lose faith in yourself, and certainly not your ambitions. Although your future may perhaps seem quiet uncertain and even empty now, better days do await you.

Stating "we are simply here by chance, and thats all" doesn't answer the question of "why is there a universe?", and thus does nothing to disprove the existence of a divine being. As Copleston once said, "If one refuses to even sit down at the chess board and make a move, one cannot, of course, be checkmated."

Why not buy a Japanese re-issue? They're much cheaper than the American-made ones, and are a similar quality too.

I can't say I know a whole lot about acoustic guitars, so I doubt I can help by recommending brands and stores or whatnot. I can definitely talk about myself as a guitarist though. ^_~ I've been playing guitar for a couple of years now, and I've found it a very fun and rewarding experience, particularly in regards to songwriting. It's hard now to remember a time when I didn't play, but looking back, it did take a lot of perseverance to get to the stage where I am now. Even then, at this stage, I wouldn't consider myself a technically good guitarist. Because I taught myself, my playing style is perhaps far from conventional, and as I say, technically probably not too great. But that doesn't bother me, since I never feel limited in my songwriting by my skill, and that's all that matters to me to be honest. I play a nice sonic-blue Fender CIJ Jazzmaster Re-Issue. Amp-wise, I currently just have a fairly mediocre Marshall job, but I hope to buy a Fender Twin Reverb when I have the money. I've managed to form a band, which has recently started to come together quite nicely. Hopefully we'll be able to play a few gigs soon, but being college students (myself without a job) we're kind of limited financially and consequently equipment-wise, which is frustrating.

I sincerely doubt that Brown will be as "perfect" as everyone seems to think. He's already made it clear that he plans to fulfill much of Blair's vision, so those expecting a complete shift in the direction of the party under Brown need to think again. You could argue that he's hardly been the best of chancellors either, having been lucky to inherit an economy in 1997 which was not only already in great shape, but steadily growing. He certainly won't have any easy time anyway, given the state with which the government seem to be spiralling into at the moment.

Here are my favourite bands: Arcade Fire Flaming Lips Godspeed You Black Emperor! Interpol Modest Mouse R.E.M. Radiohead Sigur Ros Smashing Pumpkins And what I've been listening to recently: Belle & Sebastien Bjork