O’Malley Speaks

Big Brother has turned up again and my god it’s wearing thin. The controvertial decision to populate the Celebrity house with braying racist bullies rather back fired so this time they have returned to the tried and tested formula of moving in a bunch of self-obsessed dim-wits and fame-chasing simpletons. The twist is that they are all female; but what a monsterous selection they’ve managed to dredge up. If it doesn’t put me off Big Brother for good I’m just about sure its going to put me off women.

Erstwhile Bristol City Council colleague and political commentator Gez Smith has revealed a considerable talent as an art dealer. I have banged on previously about the merits of Banksy- Bristols urban art terrorist (here and here).

Gez was shrewd enough to invest 300 quid from his student loan in an early Banksy piece. The painting, entitled Riot Green, is about to be auctioned off by Sotherbys, with estimates pushing towards the hundred grand mark. Here’s Gez on Channel 4.

My sister has noticed I haven’t been blogging lately- as this is her only effective means to get a relatively accurate picture of my whereabouts/ activity/ state of mental health I feel a responsibility to post again. So, in summary;

Highlights from the Missing Months:
Cornamona at Easter
Herman Dune at the Thekla
Sunderland winning the Championship
JP supporting Big Monster Love in Dublin
Alison’s wedding

Lowlight from the Missing Months:
Didn’t win the Digital Challenge

Now everyone is back up to pace.

Things are a bit odd at the moment. The last few months have been pretty frantic as our little team have worked to construct the Connecting Bristol bid for the Governments Digital Challenge. Since our proposal was handed in and the final presentation delivered we have felt a bit becalmed in our windowless office at the Watershed. The closest I have come to this feeling before was after the last exam during my Finals. I had expected to be elated and energised but just felt empty and exhausted.

I have tried to shake off some of the enuui and listlessness by going off on holiday, first to Africa and then St Ives but it just hasn’t cracked it. There is this horrible nagging awareness that on tuesday next week the winner of the Challenge will be announced and nine of the ten finalists will instantly be transformed from potential victors into miserable losers. If you want to see how our Oscar’s smiles hold up you can watch the announcement webcast live from 12pm on 13 March.

Professor Boyd, discovered of Boydian Alignment and author of the highly respected and not at all trivial paper ‘The myth makers: archaeology in Doctor Who’, has rifled through his archive and dug up some pics of us from back in the day. He helpfully suggested a couple of captions- which I have chosen to ignore.

The last real work the Professor did, Hayonim Terrace 1989

I’ll pay for that tan one day

Stav and I have just returned from a hectic week travelling in Gambia and Senegal. It was intended to be a luxurious week of poolside relaxation but was principally spent crammed into the back of local taxi-vans bumping across the horiffic roads between remote spots across West Africa. Although it wasn’t the cocktails and coco-butter break I’d expected it turned out to be a fantastic and rewarding experience. I’m flipping knackered now though.

Photos are in the gallery.

H at the H factor has tagged me. I have to divulge 6 weird things you wouldn’t necessarily guess about me;

1. I used to be an archaeologist, and worked on the excavation of the worlds oldest domesticated dog skeleton on a site in Isreal in 1989.
2. I’ve got bionic eyes, well not bionic exactly but I did get them lazered on september 11th 2002. The process was pretty unpleasant (the smell of your eyeball burning is not easy to forget) but the results have been great.
3. My left nipple is pierced. That one tends to surprise people a lot as I don’t look like a nipple-piercing kinda guy.
4. Ten years ago I got deported from Australia and banned for 3 years for overstaying my welcome.
5. I have no lumbar curve to my spine after fracturing a vertibrae in a car crash
6. I have successfully crashed 3 Cambridge Balls (Trinity, Churchill and Wolfson) and got caught by the Porters crashing Corpus Ball with Sainty.

So there it is. I now tag you Jonny Fun and Bradlaw Skimp.

The Connecting Bristol Digital Challenge bid went in as required on friday and I couldn’t be prouder to have played a part in putting it together. There were hundreds of people involved and everyone did a first class job; particular recognition has to go to Dick and Steve leading the way, Jane producing the excellent video and Clare driving the website and design.

Not always right, not always nice, but definately the Greatest Of All Time. He was even hard enough to come to Jarra. Happy 65th.

The gratuitous bullying and racism in Celebrity Big Brother has been really bringing me down. I actually sent a complaint to OFCOM tonight. Now normally I wouldn’t post silly fripperies on the blog- you know me, but I have been feeling a bit down on my fellow humans lately, that is until I came across this little animation.

All of a sudden the world seems a more jolly, uplifting and simple place. Please lets vote Stan and Ollie into the Big Brother house.

P.S. I stuck twenty sheets on Face to win yesterday- I advise you to follow my lead while he is still at fours.