Spreading the lurve

And I thought I was being so clever offering tiny tidbits of musical enjoyment for my readers in the form of the music experience. It seems however that I have been outdone by the Dan the Man. You can stream/download entire shows for your own personal enjoyment.

I recommend it. In fact I recommend you read the site too.

5000 fishes rocking really really hard

So much has happened since I last updated. I applied for a great position with a company I would have sacrificed a limb to work for. In the end I didn't have to give up any of my appendages, I just had to beat 800 other people for one of the 10 positions that were up for grabs. I was confident, although not unrealistic (there were 800 other people applying for the same position).

But I got it. It was damn hard work. My CV was scrutinized. My leadership abilities (*cough*) were tested. And then I was subjected to 8 hours of tests, having to give presentations, business analysis, and finally an interview. I was exhausted but it was completely worth it when they called me the following evening to let me know I had been successful.

So on the 19th of September I start work for one of the top 5 companies in the UK, working on the second and third most popular brands (in their category) in the UK. It's an entry level position and I will have to spend a minimum of 18 months in it before they look to promote me, but it's EXACTLY where I want to be right now. Following on all the crap I endured after leaving Gallaher Tobacco Company it feels like the world has been set to rights again. In fact I'm far happier being here than I would ever have been with GTC.

The reward for working for a large, successful, company is perks. There are a couple I have. But this is the biggest. The car. I have my choice of car from the company, and these are the 3 I've narrowed it down to. The Alfa Romeo 147 Selespeed. The Audi A3 Sportback. And the new BMW 320i. They all have pro's and con's and I will probably only decide after having driven each one. They unfold as follows.

The Alfa is the least expensive of the lot. To the best of my knowledge the Selespeed model is available to me, which includes a grunty 2 litre engine, clutchless paddle-shift/tiptronic/fully automatic gearbox, Bose sounds system, leather seats, dual zone climate control. And pretty much everything else bar sat nav.

The Audi fits into the middle. I would probably choose the 2 litre TDI model as it comes standard with a load of things. I would get the S-line kit, dual zone climate control, Bose sound system, and half-leather seats. The 2 litre TDI w with S-line will also cost me a bit of money every month.

The BMW is the most expensive. While I expect that on the road it will be far better than its competitors I will most likely only have the bog standard model available to me. I may even have to spend £50 or so extra myself to drive it. I would get manual aircon, cloth seats and standard sound system. In other words nothing bar the actual car.

So I need to decide between driving a BMW (a marque which I have worshipped since my childhood). Spending some of my own money to drive an Audi with most of the bells and whistles I want. Or drive the Alfa, which will have everything I want, but I'm not sure how the drive quality will compare against it's German rivals (I've driven BMW and Audi previously but never Alfa). I also need to bear in mind that I spend 4 of 5 working days in my car and that it is for the most part my office, and as such needs to be comfortable.

We'll see come the test drives. I'm off for Dim Sum at Ping Pong this evening. Mmmmmm....

10'000'000 monkeys holding up guitars

All systems are go again. And to kick us off I've uploaded a new mid week 'music experience' track. How do you know when an album has achieved true greatness? When you can dust it off seven years after buying it and it still manages to hit all the same nerves it did when it was new. I've been listening to the album this weeks song comes from for the last 6 days on repeat in my car. It still rocks. It's an album that defined a mad, great, experimental, self defining period of my life. They're a band who have written some of the hookiest licks you will ever hear. They've covered great songs and made them great again. And they've recently released a new single. The track I chose isn't their most well know, but it's up there.

So put a grin on your pin and turn up the volume. This song will make you want to scrunch up your face and sing along.