It's been so long since I did anything here. I've forgotten how to!
A lot has happened, which I'm sure will make it's way into various aspects of my blogging. I intend to add something to all of my Blogs over the next few days.

SOUL CITY Label Records

I have recently purchased a bundle of 45's on the SOUL CIT label. I have to confess to being a bit of a snob about records - (You see I do like originals) - However, I'm quite happy to have these in my collection, until such time as I find an original in good enough condition to replace it.

Now - With this bundle, I got quite a few duplicates. So I am selling those on some I am listing on Ebay - HERE

I'm also listing a few on Ebid to see if it really is a viable alternativeCrazy Jays Ebid Items

due to the lower commission - The prices on Ebid tend to be somewhat lower, so please feel free to compare both my listings, also, it would appear there is a lower likelihood of being outbid on items on Ebid (Not too many customers at the moment) - so that REALLY gives potential for bagging a bargain.

At last - An alternative to E-bay......Ebid!

Yes - There is an alternative to Ebay. BUT, Ebay still seems to have the lions share of the market. There are lots of SELLERS on Ebid, but the buyers seem to be firmly stuck in the mud the other side.

So WHY change? - For one thing, there are likely to be bargains to be had on Ebid.

Think about it. There is stuff to buy, and if YOU are the only bidder - Bingo...... Best price possible!!!

So - Go take a look. Keeping looking and more to the point. Keep bidding. If more buyers come over, so will more sellers!

Crazy Jays Ebid Items

At the moment, I'm only selling 1 item. But I intend to list more records soon.

The broken lock!

Time and time again, both me and my wife have to tell our boys to stop playing with the door. "Don't slam it!" - "Don't swing on the handle" - "Don't fight through it".... Well, I'm sure you get the picture.

I am worried for two reasons - First, one of them is going to get hurt. I accidentally trapped Ryans fingers in the door the other day, which I felt really bad about, but had the door been slammed on his fingers rather than just closed he could well have lost them or at least broken them rather than just been a bit bruised!

So, once again, I hear the front door go BANG, but didn't click shut,but no sound of tears, so nobody is hurt, but something must have been in the way to prevent it's closure. That somethign made itself quite clear when I opened the door to see the keys sticking out at a surprisingly jaunty angle. Gingerly I removed the front door key........I was right to be careful, but it did not good. What I actually removed was half a key. The other half of course was still stuck in the lock. Fortunately my father in law was round, and although I had managed to remove the door handle and gained access to the barrel, I didn't know how to release it. Between us we worked it out, but we were on a tight schedule, as the locksmiths was ony going to be open for another 15 minutes. No sooner was the barrel out, than I was in the car dashing doen to buy a new one. I was expecting the worst, so was pleasantly surprised to find that a new barrel was only just under £20 (I thought it would be between £30-£35).

I was told that lining the new lock up could be pretty tricky, but lady luck once more smiled on me, and it went in place with ease - Job done!

The CROW

I noticed that THE CROW was on TV, but it was late at night, so rather than stay up to watch it, I decided to record it to DVD. I didn't realise it was the fourth installment - Wicked Prayer??? or some such crappy title.

I've never seen a CROW film before, so perhaps seeing the fourth incarnation first was a bad move. Was the original one any good?

I am left with 2 thoughts:

1 - I wasted a valuable recordable DVD on this piece of trash.
2 - I will never get back the 2 hours of life that were wasted watching it. I could have stopped at any point I guess, to see if there was anything better on. Right from the very first scene I could see it was going to be a rubbish, waste of time movie....... I was right.

You may have guessed that I didn't care too much for this film.

The Artistic use of Geometry in the Real World

That's rather a grand title, for what is in essence a rather pointless observation I made the other day.
I had nevr noticed it before, but am sure that it is universal.

I used a public toilet, washed my hands (which is of course only right!), then went to use the hand drier. it was then that I discovered that the blower angle is perfectly positioned to blow the droplets of water off of your hands, straight down ontot he front of your trousers - right onto the crotch!

I came out loking as though I had shaken a little too vigourously, which I can assure you I had not.

Music
I went to a gig at THE MUSIC PALACE in Crouch End (London) at the weekend. Mainly to see a mate I have only ever met on the internet before - (He was on a short stopover in the UK, but normally resident in the US). That was cool.

The Art Project
I have got a little further with my novel. I'm now up to 20,000 words, and have a clear idea of the direction it is going in. It's no nearer completion though, but that's OK, because all those folks that were holding their breath for it's arrival will be well and truly dead by now, so there's no longer a need to rush.


Thought For The Day

Why put off till tommorow something that you can just as well put off till next week?

My Current Obsession
Ha ha ha ha........ Yes, things in this department have taken a most bizarre turn. I decided NOT to buy any new records this year, and have just about managed to stick with it. (I think I bought 2 or 3, but by my standards, that's doing pretty well.). However, I did fall into a most unexpected obsession. I bought a boardgame called Heroscape, then I started to design custom figures for it for a superhero version....Then before you know it, I have boxes and boxes and boxes of little plastic figures......I know i bought some, but this is ridiculous?????? I mean, have they been re-producing or something? Oh, and I bought some toy cars to go with them.....Then realised all of a sudden that I had once again drifted off the rails into some bizarre other world where sense and nonsense were seamlessly joined.

So. There you go. If you have not visited my blog before, welocme to the madness.

Testing HTML for E-bay listing

Photo Light Studio set up – 2 flash heads with case, and all accessories.

2 flash heads – (similar to Courtney / Bowens) The stronger has an output of 175 joules, the other has 115 joules. Both fire with a flash temperature of 5500k.
Each unit comes with stand, mains lead, reflector, protective lamp cap and white brolly. Full instructions for both units supplied.

Kit comes complete with carrying case for convenient travelling to on-site locations, and for easy storage. Also included are synch leads, a snoot – (for directional lighting.)

I am also offering a superb Shepherd Flash Meter under a separate listing – (You may already own a flash meter. If not, it is STRONGLY recommended to use one with this type of flash set up)


These were bought by myself new several years ago, whilst working in photographic retail. Trade price was about £500, Suggested retail I seem to recall was in the region of £750 - £800

I have sold off the majority of my non-digital photography equipment, and am now only using a digital compact camera which is not suitable for use with studio lighting, hence this sale.

The IMAGES below

The images below are partial instructions and specification sheets for the two units. If you cannot see any of the images, or require any further information please do not hesitate in contacting me. Also, if you are local to the Newbury or Basingstoke area, and would like to see these units, please contact me to arrange –

(I will NOT offer a buy it now price, but am starting the bidding off with a very low price, and NO reserve.)

- If these end at less than £400, you will have bought an absolute bargain!



I have sold off the majority of my non-digital photography equipment, and am now only using a digital compact camera which is not suitable for use with studio lighting, hence this sale.

The IMAGES below

The images below are the instruction and specification sheets for the two units. If you cannot see any of the images, or require any further information please do not hesitate in contacting me. Also, if you are local to the Newbury or Basingstoke area, and would like to see these units, please contact me to arrange – (I will NOT offer a buy it now price, but am starting the bidding off with a very low price, and NO reserve.)

I HATE DIY with a Passion - (BEWARE of toilet mouth syndrome!)

Yes. I really do. I hate, hate, hate DIY with the sort of passion, that is as strong as my equally passionate love for old records. anybody that knows me, knows that is pretty strong.

I dislike putting up shelves, building units and re-directing electrical stuff. I HATE messing about with pipes, and drains and anything else that is likely to (which invariably means WILL) make a bloody horrible mess if I get it ever so slightly wrong. This also usually means that the job entails getting somebody else in to 1 - Sort out the original job, and 2 - repair any damage caused by my initial efforts!

So - It was with some distress, that I was met with the words from Mrs Jayster "I would like to change the front room - I want to get rid of all the old skirting boards and put in new ones."

SHIT! - It looks like an easy job, but I've got a nasty feeling it will be far more difficult to get a decent result. This was partially confirmed by my father in-law, who leant me a mitre saw and said it was, a bit tricky! - And that coming from a very good builder!

The old skirting was built in at the time of the house build in the 1950's, and held in place with huge, square nails - Yes they were an absolute bastard to get out, and insisted on bringing out huge chunks of the wall as well. Good start!

Surprisingly, I didn't find cutting the corners that difficult, and only made a couple of minor mistakes on smaller sections, which I was able to rectify with virtually no wastage - Hurrah!

I ended the first days work by sticking up 2 sections with Grip & Fill and a couple of small nails. The corners were not perfect, but not bad either. Mrs J was surprised that it had taken me so long to stick them in place, but happy when she realised that I had actually cut to shape and size all the other skirting boards

THEN..... Mrs Jayster suggested that while I get on and make the box section that covers the pipework, she would stick the other normal boards in place.

Now. If I thought that getting the skirting boards right was a bit of a bastard, it was nothing compared to the cunty cunt cunt of a job that making the box section was going to be. for one thing it is the longest wall, so my lengths of wood were too long to fit in my designated wood cutting room I also had to contend with cutting holes in exactly the right place to get the radiator pipes through, then cutting the hole in half to fit the pieces together, and similar cut outs for TV ariel and power leads.

Isn't the advancement of technology wonderful?????

Because Blogger has been upgraded, improved and all that other jargon,. I NOW have to log on twice, and cannot leave comments on other artists work from Illustration Friday.

What goes on???????


YES I AM PISSED OFF!!!!!!!

Jumping Frogs

We went to the fair last weekend. the boys went on lots of rides, eah costing a bloody fortune, but I'm not going to complain, we had a good time, and that's the main thing. I had a go on the Flipping Frogs onto the lilly pads thing. So did my wife, (She won a soft toy!) and my wife's freind also had a go, but like me, didn't win anything.

Anyway. The two ladies fired off first, and both were pathetic, the frogs barely left the catapult, plopping harmlessly just the other side of the counter - Not going anywhere near the spinny, carousel type device with the spalshing water fountain. I figured, that these catapults therefore needed a bit of a hefty whack with the rubber mallet, because surely the girls wouldn't have started with such a pathetic feeble hit, not BOTH of them!!

I was of course wrong!.......

I lined up, and brought the mallet down with a mighty smack. It is probably at this point I should issue the following warning:

Before bringing the mallet down onto the catapult, ensure that your non-hammer holding hand is not in line with either the trajectory of the mallet, or under the catapult.

I'm surprised that warning sign was not clearly displayed on the stall - Perhaps I ought to sue?

However, apart from hurting my fingers, I did manage to hit the catapult right on the button, with a fair amount of force. Had my suspicion that the catapults were fairly stiff been correct, then I'm sure it would have been a very good shot, landing right in the middle of the lilly pads. that was not to be the case though. the frog sailed through the air, to the far side of the stall, and hit a woman who was just setting up her own frogs.

My remaining shots were better!

Scary Duck..... You have a LOT to answer to!!!!

Well. Almost half a year has passed, and I have not updated my Blog. I was inspired to do so by reading Scary Duck's account of masturbation to order, and it reminded me of a rather unpleasant story of much muckiness that I feel compelled to share.I did however forget my user name and password since my last visit, and have had a bit of a job tracking it all down again.... But here I am.I guess I had better start at the beginning, always a good place to start, although whether it helps explain the story any I don’t know. I lived in a rented house with some fellow biker mates, conditions were almost bordering on squat, but not quite! Anyway, we had a bit of a dispute with somebody, and were seeking a form of unpleasant revenge. (I won't mention any names!)
Our form of revenge was to fill up a container, as best we could with a very specific male bodily fluid. that, then to be preserved for a period of months and deposited in aforementioned victims drink......

PLEASE NOTE. If you are weak of stomach, you have probably read too far already, and should STOP reading immediatley!

The plan was set in motion, and we took the container to our respective rooms in turn. Said container being a glass from our drinks cabinet. I was third in line, so by the time the glass got back downstairs to me, from my giggling house mates, it had a reasonable content. I took it upstairs, shut myself in my room, and started my important duty. Unfortunately, independent hand control went out of the window at the crucial moment, and the hand that was holding the glass in position had a sudden, unexpected spasm. the result of this spasm, was that the glass became momentarily unsupported. In an upright position, this may not have been so much of a problem.....BUT, at the acute angle I was holding it, combined with my weight on the bed, the glass tipped my way. And instead of me depositing my contents in the glass....Well I don't need to explain that bit.

My sheet and mattress were severely dampened as was my leg and left buttock. NOT Pleasant, especially armed with the knowledge that what I had just spilt on myself was not the product of my own loins!

We decided thereafter that each keeping our own deposits would be preferable, combining them only in the final stages. As it turned out, when the several months was over. The smell of our little collection was so ghastly, that we decided that whatever crime had been committed against us in the first place would never be serious enough to warrant this, so the idea was shelved and our weapon destroyed.

Jealousy is an UGLY word..

The Motorcycle Diary


.....But today I am indeed jealous! But, I'm happy on the other hand too.

Here is a picture of my old BSA..... Looks pretty cool! - that is not how it looked a couple of months ago though when I sold it. This would be a wonderful bike to own and ride. At least I know it has gone to a good home, and is being cherished in the way that it should......

.....This is how the bike left me. A bare, stripped frame, and everything else in various boxes and baskets. I've had it for years, and never got round to re-building it. Now I sort of regret it.... Especially as the weather has turned at last, and a ride to work would have been a joy.




Oh, well, maybe one day?

The Daily Grind

If you've been reading my BLOG for some time.....and have now realised that I'm back and contributing again but that's another story....

You may recall my horrendous attempts at ridding my garden of bind weed, and in the process destroying a lot of very well established shrubs!!! The patch of land that I obliterated was about 40 ft by 10ft - (and a bit more if truth be known!) we have decided to cut this back and turn it into an extension of the lawn, more play space for the boys.

First step I had to make was to bring the level down to the same as the lawn. I had to dig out about a foot of soil over the whole area to do this, and belive me, it may not sound a lot.... But it bloody well is! Now, I'm no gardening expert, as you have probably already established, and to me dirt is dirt. I didn't know that all the earth I had removed was top-soil, and that the crappy lighter brown stuff underneath is next to useless for growing on..... This, I was advised of, after I had wheeled umpteen tons of the stuff out of my garden and dumped it behind some trees. So, after wheeling it all away, I had to go back, sieve it, taking out all the stones, of which there are lots and lots, and bring it back again.

I have spent the day doing this, and have now sown a load of grass seed, pressed it, raked it, scattered on more to soil, and pressed it again - (only to discover that the topsoil is actually very sticky, and most of it ended up stuck to my shoes. Fortunatley I discovered this before I went back in the house, as that would have created a whole nother story!!!!!!)

I also watered it in, but had to do it with a watering can due to the hosepipe ban that is currently in force.




there.....Now wasn't that interesting?

PS -If you're here looking for my attempts at Illustration Friday. You need to look in The Little Shop Of Horrors.




The Art Project
You'll find this over in the Little Shop of Horrors.

Music
Currently back into 1950's! Rockabilly and Rock'n'Roll Jive.

The Motorcycle Diary

ALL motorcycles now SOLD. end of a chapter.....end of an ERA!

The Art Project
I'm considering taking up on the Illustration Friday thing. I've been doing a few ATCs - (Artist Trading Cards)... I must find something to do to get me out of this un-creative rut!

I am once again obsessed

My Current Obsession

I am working hard on this novel writing idea - as a result - (added to the fact that I have met so many of my old freinds over on MySpace), I am unlikely to update this Blog on a regular basis.

The novel currently stands at just over 4,500 words - So, a long way to go yet. But, it's taking shape, gradually.

I've enjoyed meeting everyone that I have here, and will of course make regularish visits to read through soem of the updates.

all the best to all

Jayster

Soul Legend passes away!

Music
I just read today that Soul legend Wilson Picket passed away - Very sad news indeed. He was probably one of the Soul names that EVERYBODY knows - whether into 60's music or not. - so close on the heels of Lou Rawls too!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4630184.stm

The Novel - The Soulville Project - and continuation of NY Resolutions.

Today’s post is going to be brief. Busy at work –with work….. also my other projects are blossoming, and starting to become time consuming.

1 – The Novel – I have now put over 2,000 words together, and although it is still mostly a load of old rubbish, it is starting to take shape.. Still a shed load of work to do, so don’t anybody hold their breath!

2 – Soulville – I have just received the first completed questionnaire, and although the responses do not help me in my original pursuit of knowledge regarding my own record collection – (a small and insignificant project, I think you’ll agree) – it has opened my eyes to a much wider issue. That being the interest and appreciation of music as a whole by the population from every genre, by a diverse audience from the youth of today, through to older, dedicated music specialists…… I haven’t explained that very well at all. Mainly because I am still thinking about it as I write, and the thoughts are spilling out onto the keyboard.

For the project to meet it’s criteria, I am going to have to enlist the aid of one or more National magazines, but more than that I cannot say at this stage – as and when anything progresses on this, I will of course post details.

I once had a dream about launching a record company…. I’ve done that – Then I had a dream about running a successful magazine, which I also achieved – THIS is my new dream – (that and the novel of course) – Both of which will be brought into reality in the fullness of time


Still clean shaven……So that part of my New Years Resoltion is still intact – ALSO – I have not bought nay new records. The Howard Peters single arrived safe and sound from Dubai today, and I’m still waiting for a single to arrive from America, which I actually bought in the summer last year – but events intervened to slow everything down – All’s going well though. Once that materializes – That Is It…..!!!!

Technology SO simple - A Two year old could use it!

The Daily Grind
Well – that’s all good and well, but is it something we really want?

We have just bought a new washing machine -I’m not going into all the ins and outs of that story, it’s already well documented over the past 3 months, being involved with the flooded kitchen floor and so forth! If you’ve been a regular reader of this Blog, you already know the background. Anyway, we have this new washing machine, and it’s wonderful. Things that I never thought would be clean again are indeed clean again!!!! – And it has technology so simple that even a two year old can use it. This is indeed true, as our ‘not quite’ two year old has proven on more than one occasion……. But is this simple technology something we really want? – It’s all very well, him being able to twiddle the knobs and turn it on, set the wash cycle, alter the heat settings and select whether the load consists of ultra dirty hard wearing denim, or very delicate woollens – (Even apparently mid cycle!). Now, that’s all good and well, but let’s be honest. How many 2 year olds do you know that really know that you should separate red underwear from white shirts. That mohair jumpers do not go in the same load as greasy, oil stained jeans, or even know that you can’t substitute Persil washing Powder for Ready Brek? – Not many would be my guess – so perhaps the next leap forward in technology should be - Technology so advanced, a Two year old CAN’T use it!

On a completley different subject, I started to write the book last night. I managed a good 1,000 words - All of which are shit.....Well, actually, the words themselves are OK, it's the way I've thrown them all together that needs work!

New Years Resolutions

Thought For The Day

1 – Try to stay clean shaven
2 – Cut down on record buying
3 – Write a short story or start a novel
4 – Be more tidy at home and at work

So I can’t stop smoking or drinking really, as I don’t do either…. OK so I drink a little, but hardly enough to make it a worthwhile resolution!. The resolutions I’m attempting are all going to be pretty hard for me to keep, but I will try. The idea of writing something is coming on stronger at the moment.

Last night I was unable to sleep until the early hours, due to the fact that words, paragraphs, even whole chapters were coming into my head, then drifting away to burst like soap bubbles in a spectactular flurry of nothingness. If only I had some sort of device that I could connect up to my head so that I could dictate my thoughts into a word document instead of writing, or even dictating. I lie in bed and everything comes together in a form that (at least ) I think is a perfectly worded storyline. My style of writing is much like my style of talking – some people like that, some don’t. I’ve certainly read books, proper published books that are more sloppily written – so we’ll see.

2- Record buying. OK, now here’s a toughie! – I am a true addict, and perhaps by admitting that then I’m halfway through the problem, even as I write this. I’m writing out a cheque for £25 for a record that I said I would buy before Christmas – (It’s OK, I haven’t welched on a deal. – I did say from the outset that I could not pay for it until after Christmas.) – BUT, I’m going to try to make that the last one for a while

IN OTHER NEWS

I need to change some of my BLOG. I’m no longer keeping the MOTORCYCLE DIARY, as I have sold the last of my ‘good’ bikes, and only have an old Honda 125 to get rid of now. I’m unlikely to do anything with regards to an ART PROJECT, unless I do manage to start writing more than a BLOG. I'm sure there are other changes as well - It is bound to evolve during the coming year. Perhaps if I'm giving up the record buying I can dedicate more time to the Blog and to MySpace. - We'll see.