It was nice to see 'The System' with Derren Brown tonight. It was originally aired a while ago, but at a key part of the show - explaining how the system works - there was a sound fault, so I was none the wiser! Actually, I could figure it out, but it still ruined the programme, so it was nice seeing it again this evening. What a shocker though, if you thought you'd borrowed thousands from loan companies to put on a nag, only for it to come last! Yikes! Actually it would have been SIX random wins in six races. Probably quite astronomically small odds of winning - I think they started the show with almost 8000 people, so 8000/1.

About the same odds as Gordon Brown surviving to fight the next general election - what? Who said that? I love the Leader. Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah LEA-DER! That's my Simpsons reference for the day. Good on Crewe for doing the right thing.

Good old Eurovision Song Contest. What an infinitely clownesque joke that whole charade is. I can't remember whether the USSR was ever in it, when it existed. But now it's split into 'the hundred and one Eurasians' it's a fix every year now - Russia tonight, quel surprise (is surprise a masculine or feminine noun? Can't remember). Maybe it's time for the Commonwealth Song Contest, where the UK wins every year. I'm sure Mugabe from Rhodesia would be happy to vote for us.

Well I got my heavy bass out today - a cheapo Fender Precision copy. Wow! Extremely weighty guitar but it's got an excellent sound. I'd forgotten I put light gauge Alembic strings on it. So I can bend the strings without almost amputating my fingers on that one. My other bass - ahem, another cheapo bass called Wesley that I bought off eBay - has heavy gauge, but is half the weight and a bit smaller (but with longer range on the fretboard). It's agony after an hour of bending the funk out of it! Ouch! I think I'll alternate between them, but aim to get hold of some medium strings for the Wesley - light gauges are 'soft' on my fingers, but need re-tuning after every ten minutes of bending and popping!

That's it for today. Laters...