Chillin' with Bob Dylan

Went to a wee party in Glasgow last night in honour of Dr Szu-Wei Chen (second from left, apron). Having just recently completed his PhD in popular music studies, you'd think that he might have at least a cursory knowledge of Bob Dylan. Nope. So the deal was that Wei would cook dinner and Matt (third from right, white shirt) would introduce him to Bob Dylan. The mix of Dylan lovers (Matt; Michael-John, far left) and Dylan haters (Mark, far right; Bill, far back) -- all of whom are serious music nerds -- made for a pretty peppy evening.

Brussels Sprouts

Bonjour blog readers. I've just returned from a beer-tasting, chocolate-chomping, waffle-wolfing, and frite-eating mission in Belgium. The fries and chocolate were pretty good, and Brussels itself was really interesting, but it was definitely the beer that I found most staggering (pun!). Those Trappist monks know a thing or two about brew!

Here I am at a Brussels flea market, probably missing my old glasses.

Some people think I look like Rick Moranis . . . Personally, I don't see it.

The impressive La Grand Place de Bruxelles / De Grote Markt van Brussel.

Mannekin-Pis ("little boy piss") in his Gay Pride outfit.

Brussles has a great musical instrument museum. Here's an Ondes Martenot, one of the first electronic instruments (1928).

Apparently Marx partied at La Grand Place.

Beltane Fire Festival

Here are some photos. Most are from the Beltane Fire Fest. Twelve-thousand people assemble up on Calton Hill here in Edinburgh to dance, drum, eat fire, and get pished. The Festival itself is a neopagan celebration of the death of winter. Or something.





Alison (flatmate) took this photo in a park at the foot of Arthur's Seat.