SHE’S GOOD BAD BUT SHE’S NOT EVIL

Wednesday 16 January 2008

WMESB™: Four people on today. The driver sold the guy in front of me the wrong ticket but I couldn’t be bothered to tell either of them. Another girl got on at the Crematorium and complained that an earlier bus hadn’t appeared. Welcome to Stagecoach. Again, I just managed to catch a 55 and spent the first few minutes, as usual, unravelling the headphones of my mp3 player.

Despite my low mood, I’m cheered up somewhat by seeing my Top 5 Girl Group piece in today’s Scotsman. I shall be signing fish suppers wrapped in it over the next few days at your nearest Brattisani’s.

Yesterday, Yazz and Dingo (sitting in for Boogie and Jill) on Forth One were reading out texts and e-mails from people who had found things in their food. One person e-mailed to say that he’d once found a pencil in his burger. I contacted them to suggest he should put some HB sauce on it! The GLW said it made her day.

Last night I didn’t really achieve much and just flicked between the channels. I ended up watching Taggart, which I hadn’t seen for years, and quite enjoyed it. Well, okay you can hardly describe a show with a murder rate of 1 every 15 minutes as “enjoyable” but you know what I mean). Also watched “Shameless”, which really has gone off the boil somewhat. It’s still watchable but by the high standards of the first couple of series it’s gone right downhill.

I wrote to the Official Charts Company to try and find out the Top 20 selling Scottish singles of all-time (excluding Rod Stewart). I suspect they might want to charge for such information but if you don’t ask…(Stop Press: They couldn’t provide the details because accurate sales data between the 50s and 80s is difficult to get hold of. Still, he (Phil) was nice about it. I also asked about the top selling Scottish records, excluding Rod Stewart, and the Top 3 he gave me was Wet Wet Wet’s “Love Is All Around”, The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards’ “Amazing Grace” and Rod the Mod’s “Sailing”. What does that trio say about Scottish music?)

There’s a Valentine’s quiz at work on 13 February but my attempts to bring together a crack squad are being thwarted. The GLW, a banker for the celeb gossip/royal family/handbag questions, is unavailable for selection and my second choice is on holiday. It may well be a case of not playing at all, rather than play with a “lesser” squad. I’ve already insulted one of my colleagues by suggesting that she may not of the quiz quality I’m looking for. “You don’t choose to play with Ronaldo; Ronaldo chooses to play with you!” is what I might have said to her had she not stormed off in a strop!

Only half through January and the social calendar is building and my diary is filling. Naturally, the first thing to go into my new Collins 2008 diary is the remaining football fixtures and the big sporting events of the year. Names and addresses follow (after some thoughtful weeding of those I don’t see or speak to anymore) and then the tickets start being bought for shows. So far it’s “Dr. Doolittle” (with The Flickster) and “Eurobeat”, both at the King’s in Edinburgh. A trip down south for a christening has been abandoned as it’s been too short notice to do any wheeling and dealing and the costs, whichever way we go or travel, are prohibitive. We’re also off to see “The Black Watch” and Frankie Boyle and there’s a 50th birthday party (not mine thankfully) and a wedding. Throw in the Eurovision Song Contest, the Tour de France and Euro 2008 and you have a schedule filling up quite nicely thank you very much.