Flying off the rail!

OK Im on slight rant mode, but who wouldn't be. 


While using a Portsmouth Harbour - Waterloo ticket today that I purchased on Mega Train, I decided to change at Guildford to shave 45 minutes off of my journey, (rather than going to Waterloo then back on myself for Epsom (my final destination). I made my way through the barrier at Guildford station to buy my ticket to Epsom, but -oh no - some middle aged sap with a dire lack of excitement in her life thought that I deserved a £33.80 fine for doing so.


Oh and contest, I did!!


After realising I was getting no where with this imbosile I paid the money and got on my next train - again, with another valid ticket and a severely bruised pride.


Since getting back to Epsom I've been on the phone to National Rail and Megabus who have both said this shouldn't have happened. But guess what, the woman sick on power didn't give me a receipt for my fine, meaning a) there's no proof I was given a fine, and b) there's no way that I can contest it.


Thank you very much National Rail, for the shit customer service, rude staff, lack of seats, astronomical prices (and rising), lack of security on late night trains, and for your general air of Great British arrogance.


This country is going to fucking pot.

SITES FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE DATING AND MUSIC STUFF.

Ever thought, "Fuck me, I like music, where am I ever going to find someone else who likes music?" You have? Look no further. 

When you think of internet dating, what comes to mind? Lonely forty somethings looking for someone to do soduku with, who will also reassure them that they've still got a cracking rack? Well scrap that my impressionable friend, because all kinds of musicians and indie scenesters are jumping on the bandwagon (nothing new there then). 

Dating sites like MusicDating.com and tastebuds.fm (a sister site to lastfm – in case your simple mind failed to connect the two), are paving the desperate path for love-starved music fans. With an estimated 15 million singletons in the UK by 2011, the industry is going to be worth a mind-numbing £1 billion. It's no coincidence then that so many music dating websites are popping up and becoming noticed all of a sudden. There's seven options to choose from just on the first page of google.

So do people actually use these sites your asking? You weren't? Well I'll tell you anyway. Yes, they do. There are no statictics available for music dating solely, as the trend is so recent (we like to be the first to tell you about these things, dontchya know?). MusicDating.com have however divulged to us that they have almost 2000 weekly newsletter subscribers, with the average site-user being male and 32 years old.  

There are music dating sites for general music fans as well as for more niche followers. Bluegrassdating.com offers hearty companionship to country fans whilst classicalpartners.com matches you over your love of a Bach Chorale or two. Whilst researching we even found sites especially for Vampire obsessives and STD carriers – Gonorrhea anyone?

Overall, these sites are focusing on matching couples through their taste in bands. Taste.fm simply asks you to click on a band name, for a screen to come up with other scenesters – sorry members – who also consider themselves scenesters – sorry, fans – in your area. Once you've found someone you like the look of, you can send a high five or a wink to get the attention of your future wife/husband/fuck buddy. For those f you are are more traditional, you can send them a message too, with actual words. 

And apparently the system works. Steve and Nina met on MusicDating.com through a shared love for Belle and Sebastian. As the site explains, “Steve from the UK managed to get a job in the US near to where Nina lived, they started going to gigs together, fell in love and have been together ever since..” Bucket, please?

Forgetting the slushy stories, a huge 17% of couples who whined “I do” last year like Steve and Nina actually met on generic dating websites.

With huge success rates, it looks like music dating is only going to get bigger and – sigh – more mainstream. What with musicians pouring their hearts out on lonely hearts style ads, what will become of the music industry itself? Are we going to be bombarded with more lovesongs about 'Indie Cindy'?Sex, drugs and rock and roll will be a thing of the past. With one in five people currently in a relationship with someone they met on a dating site, we can expect a serious u-turn towards love, viagra and rock ballads. Watch out for a Meatloaf reunion. No seriously, that guy can deafen you for life.

Journalists are always meant to coin the name of a new trend when they write about it. But we couldn't be asked to think of one. So we're going for the people-who-like-music-and-are-also-looking-to-get-soooooome trend.