Contd... Thanks, Robbie, for the follow-up

Hang The Prophet This is an hilarious example of financial myopia.

Ripped To The T*ts I've never had much of an opinion on women body builders, really. I know a lot of men who spit and fume at the mention of 'ladybuilders' but I used to work the nightshift on a boring machine with a guy that was into getting big. He'd leave his magazines sitting around and, you know, you'd read the back of your fag packet a hundred times a night so those mags were great. This was in the days of the lovely Gladys Portugues, Rachael McLish and a few notable others. I thought they were lovely, which they were, but they were also pretty much naturally-attained muscle - kind of a turn on. In my book at any rate. But we've gone too far, haven't we? We've booted the living arse right out of the whole thing, male and female alike. Our unslakeable modern thirst for excess has turned bodybuilding, perhaps more than most sports, a sufferin' cartoon. Today, someone sent me this URL in an email. Go ahead, check it out - a catalogue of grotesqueries, all of whom, no doubt have put a lot of time into this look - often at the expense of their very femininity, it appears. Is it a body dysmorphic thing - the reverse of where anorexics see themselves as fat - maybe these ladies are driven by a recurring negative image in which they are over-feminine striplings? Either way, they'd have trouble getting a dance at the Barras. Just sayin' like.

David Gillanders Some great images of Glasgow and a few other locations here. Just remember to read the little "About the project" bit before you check out all the images. Amazing.

Doo, Doo Doo, Lookin' Out My Back Door The new digs - awesome. this is, no shit, taken from my back door though the 180 degree view of this is equally breathtaking from the kitchen sink, dining table or indeed the shower. We have a telescope and binoculars at hand at all times and the half-moon beach in the background in the second photo? It's Breaker Bay and we are here to tell you there's a rather spicy nudist/gay male scene down there that'd blind saint...

Obamanation Man, I know everyone in the Blogosphere today will be talking about it but Jesus H Christ, did you catch that victory speech from Barack Obama yesterday? It's a throwback to the days when being a politician wasn't just being a businessman - when you had to be able to speak. And by God can this man speak? I watched it twice and twice was in tears - of hope and gratitude that I live in a world in which something this good could happen. And my prior fears that some man-made catastrophe might befall Obama before he could seize the reins have been allayed. I mean, it's going to be sleeping with one eye open from now on for him, don't get me wrong, but the sight of those thousands of hopeful faces and the dawning realization that he has to have a helluvah lot of friends for this to ever even happen, make me think that putting him in peril would threaten some massive social disorder and chaos. That cheers me. Awesome stuff.

Unlikely Loveliness This evening, TSO is attending a function and taking a her first ever night out on her ow since Rory was born. Me and him have had some great laughs then his bath and bed routine as normal, only without a feed from his mammy at bedtime. He was having none of the bottle gubbins I tried to feed him, no sir, not a bar of it. So, in frustration as much as anything, I brought him out here and cranked the stereo up. The Guillemots' "Trains To Brazil" at first made him go "huh?" rather than "waaaaa". Then Patti Smith came on and I thought fuck, here we go again....but to my great surprise, "Horses," at full volume, knocked him right out! I was getting into it myself like, almost forgetting about the fact I had an unhappy boy on my hands, and maybe that movement attributed to Patti's narcoleptic effect but out he was, in two songs flat. It was the sweetest feeling having my son fall asleep in my arms, and knowing he already has a discerning taste for the good sounds in life. I could almost fall asleep myself now....