Absolutely the best Odds and Sods post in the World Ever! This Month! Part Two

Yeah another one of those mix and match posts I call odds and sods. 

Keen readers (those left) may have noticed I haven't mentioned the words "recruitment"  or "agency" for a while. Two reasons for this; it was boring me rigid whinging about the same thing all the time, and I've managed to get a job. Now when I say 'job' I mean that in the "any port in a storm' sense rather than the 'the next stage in my career'. The details of where and why aren't that important (trust me) although I now have first hand experience of the old saying "never go back'.

Another thing I haven't written about in ages is HMV. Why? Again I think I've discussed it through, and another progress report on its demise doesn't really add anything. Anyway the real action will take place after Christmas.

I was reading an article earlier on the BBC site about educational attainment in Northern Ireland. The gist of the piece is that NI's education system isn't as great as we are led to believe. The detail doesn't really interest me very much but one sentence just stuck me as good an example of "stating the fucking obvious" as I've ever seen. "There is a marked difference between highest and lowest performing students and a significant long tail of under achievement." claims a well regarded Prof. Now just roll that sentence around in your head for a moment. So there's a difference between the highest and the lowest. Cheers for pointing that out Prof. I'd never have worked that one out on my own.

My pursuit of SACD's has taken on a life of its own. The prices of the discs on ebay are little short of bewildering. I've seen Peter Gabriel's "So" for £79.99. I kinda kick myself now when I recall the mountains of these SACDs which Fopp in Cambridge had for sale. God knows what I was thinking about not buying them. There are bargains to be had - a new copy of the rare as hens teeth collectors SACD version of Depeche Mode's "Violator" was picked up for a £10. I couldn't believe I got it for so little. The guy in Head in Belfast was bemused when I told him the price second hand versions were going for. Although I think he was even more baffled by what SACD was. A week later I picked up an even rarer Can SACD in the same place for a fraction of the cost of one on ebay. Now? I've taken to trawling the second hand shops for them. Just in the off chance. The point is - they sound absolutely incredible so it is well worth the effort. "Violator" sounds like nothing else, and renders the CD version as unlistenable as MW radio. I described it elsewhere as being like someone wiping the Windolene from a dirty window. And it is. Only better than that.