This weekend, I was supposed to attend the Montrose Music Festival. I didn’t.

I’d been looking forward to it for months and months. Even on Friday, I was planning on what bands I wanted to see. I have no idea what happened, but by the time I got up and got ready on Saturday morning, I didn’t want to go any more and that was it. Maybe it was the thought of the crowds, or the general loudness? It’s completely out of character because I love live music (and music in general). The one thing I am gutted about is that subsequently, I didn’t get to see my friends

Instead, I packed a rucksack, got the dog and headed to the beach/reserve. I stayed there for at least 3 hours, taking pictures, enjoying the sunshine and walking barefoot along the shoreline, letting the cool North Sea lap over my feet. Very relaxing.

  

Yesterday evening, I decided that I wanted to try and install both ColdFusion and XAMPP on my MacBook, to try to get them working in conjunction with each other. I hit a few stumbling blocks along the way which were frustrating so I thought I’d write a quick guide so others could also attempt to install them. Before you start, there’s one thing to keep in mind (and it may seem a bit obvious), but you must have administrator rights as you will need to enter the password during the installation process.

Right, first things first, you’ll need to download a copy of XAMPP OS X and ColdFusion 9 (I’m a student so I use the developer edition). I’m aware that OS X does come with it’s own version of Apache however, I always used XAMPP on Windows and I wanted to continue with it.

1. Install XAMPP in the usual way- it’s really just a case of hitting next. If in doubt, follow the instructions on the XAMPP website

2. Now onto ColdFusion. Download the developer edition, unzip it and click on the installer.

3. The installer should load. Again at this stage, it’s a case of clicking “ok” and “next” to accept terms and conditions.

4. When prompted for a serial number (which you won’t have), check the box which says you are using the developer edition.

5. Then on the next screen, select the server configuration option. After that, you will be asked whether you already have a version of ColdFusion running on your machine. For an easy(ish) install ensure you don’t have an old version lurking about.

6. You will then be asked where you would like to install ColdFusion. Choose whatever you like but I found it easier to leave the default path- “/Applications/ColdFusion9″.

7. After this, you will need to configure the connector. Enter the details below:

• Web Server: Apache

• Config. Dir: /Applications/xampp/etc

• Dir and file name of server binary: /Applications/xampp/xamppfiles/bin/httpd

• Dir and file name of server control script: /Applications/xampp/xamppfiles/bin/apachectl

8. Hit next. You will then be asked where you would like to place the CFIDE folder. I put mine in /Applications/xampp/xamppfiles/htdocs but had an issue where the file permissions didn’t allow me to write anything to the directory. Set the file permissions to read and write. You can do this by navigating to the appropriate folder in Finder, right clicking on it, choosing “Get Info” and editing the “Sharing and Permissions” option which is towards the bottom of the screen.

9. Once you’ve done this, you will be prompted to enter an administrator password for the CFIDE.

10. The next screen asks if you want to set a password for RDS. Off the top of my head, I’m not really sure what that is (can’t even remember if the installer explains it) but I just ignored it and didn’t set a password. After this, it should install.

Ideally, the ColdFusion administration login should then appear, prompting you for the password you previously created. On entering it, the install should complete and bam, everything should work. If it does, then great, go get a cup of tea. if it doesn’t, get a cup of tea anyway- you’re going to be sitting in front of your computer for a little longer.

In my case, whenever i tried to open a .cfm file, my browser tried to save it, meaning that it didn’t know how to render it into a webpage. “Easy fix” I thought. If something like this happens, you may need to tell Apache it’s ok and that these files can be opened. Navigate to /Applications/xampp/xamppfiles/etc/httpd.conf. Make a back-up of this file just in case anything goes horribly, horribly wrong. Find the line that says DirectoryIndex and has something like index.php index.html beside it. Add index.cfm. This may solve your problem (if you’re having a problem that is).

I then decided to check out the ColdFusion connector log which can be found at /Applications/ColdFusion9/ConnectorInstall0.txt. In here, I discovered the connector hadn’t been created!

To recreate it, go to /Applications/ColdFusion9/ColdFusion Launcher. Hit the Webserver Connector Utility and enter the same information as provided in step 7. You will need to hit Advanced to enter all the info. The only checkbox which you must tick is the one which says to configure the webserver for ColdFusion9 applications. Once you hit ok, your httpd.conf file for XAMPP will have been edited. At around line 500 or so, you will see code which says something like-

# JRun Settings
LoadModule jrun_module /Applications/ColdFusion9/runtime/lib/wsconfig/1/mod_jrun22.so

Don’t worry, this is good. Try and start Apache in the XAMPP control panel. Bet it still doesn’t work? Bet it comes up with an error saying that it cannot load mod_jrun22.so into the server (or something like that). Chances are, ColdFusion is still trying to use the wrong type of connector. I don’t know why it does it- it’s annoying. Anyway, the right version of the connector is sitting on your computer- you’re almost there….

Navigate to Applications/ColdFusion9/runtime/lib/ and copy and paste the wsconfig.jar to your desktop. Open it using the archiving utility and there should be a folder called “connectors”. Inside this, there is one called “apache”. Open it. Here’s all the correct connectors. If you are using a MacBook Pro, choose the intel-macosx folder. Within that, there’s a prebuilt folder and finally inside it, here are the appropriate files! Copy the mod_jrun22.so file. Put the file into the /Applications/ColdFusion9/runtime/lib/wsconfig/1/mod_jrun22.so directory, overwriting the old one. Try starting Apache now. It should work. At this stage, you should then be able to complete the installation by following the steps for the CFIDE login in your browser.

So, XAMPP and ColdFusion will be able to work in harmony with each other. Cool, huh? It’s ok, you can thank me later

A guide which was particularly helpful at the early stages can be found at the following link- How I installed ColdFusion 8 on Mac OS X by Renaun Erickson

  

Well folks, the rumours you’ve heard are true.  I have indeed purchased a 13″ Macbook Pro.  You know what?  I friggin’ love it.

Since 2007, I’d been using a Dell Inspiron 1501 which I wasn’t especially happy with overall.  I had problems from the beginning: when I tried to connect to a wireless network in Windows Vista, I was presented with the Blue Screen of Death.  That’s something that shouldn’t have happened.  In addition to this, it seemed that the laptop (with 2GB of RAM and a dual-core processor) was incapable of running Netbeans and iTunes at the same time.  That’s something my old Acer from 2004 can *still* do.  Also, the sound was rubbish and the graphics driver caused a problem in that it constantly polled the keyboard, stealing focus and making anything you were typing lag.

Exasperated, I spent hours on the phone with tech support, culminating with me almost having a total meltdown (they are the most frustrating people to talk to).  After being passed to 4 different people, I got even more angry (not like me) and stated that if they didn’t send me a copy of Windows XP, I’d effectively bought a very expensive paperweight.  That seemed to do the trick.  Even after I installed XP, the computer still had problems, particularly with the keyboard stealing focus and entering a mysterious keypress once per second.  No one really knows what’s going on with that but there are many other Inspiron users with the same experience.

Anyway, enough of the old and on to the new!  So yes, I now have my MacBook Pro.  I’ll admit, I was a little nervous about getting it, wondering if I’d like it,  Mac OS X is totally new to me- I’ve been a Windows user since 1998/1999 so I thought it would be a major, scary change for me.  As it turns out, it’s not that much of a change.  OS X is very easy to use and makes the installation of programs simple.  It’s got a great GUI and I’ve found it pretty easy to navigate.  I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to use all the programs I use on Windows.  Again, that seem to be a bit of a myth- I’m quite happily using the majority of the same programs.

I have to make a quick mention of the way the MacBook is designed.  The multi-touch touchpad- two fingers to scroll, move fingers towards/away from each other to zoom in/out, touch the bottom right of the touchpad to right click.  All very nice.  The backlit keyboard is very cool too- sometimes I like to work with the main light off and the aquarium light on.  Now I won’t have to strain my eyes to see what I’m doing.  Oh, and the battery life- hours and hours and hours.  I’ve said it before and i’ll say it again: I love it!

So it sounds like I’m an Apple fangirl.  Let the jibes begin now

  

On Saturday evening, I attended the Yellow’s On The Broom festival held on Sillyflatts farm, on the outskirts of the small town of Inverbervie. Recently, I’ve had a lot on my plate so I hadn’t seen 2 of my closest friends in at least 2 months. Saturday was the first day of my holidays after finishing uni so the festival seemed like a good opportunity to catch up with each other.

Before I go any further, I’ll quickly explain the meaning of the “Yellow’s On The Broom”. I believe the festival takes it’s name from the song of the same title by Adam McNaughtan (but I could be wrong). Basically, this time of year is when the yellow flowers are appearing on the broom bushes. If there’s another story behind the name of this festival then let me know.

When we arrived at the bottom of the farm road at about 7.30pm, we were greeted by 2 security guards who were standing next to big barrels full of daffodils. On showing our tickets, the 3 of us were each given one of these flowers which I thought was kinda cool (it’s the first time I’ve been to a music event where you get a flower on entry). Prior to entering the barn, we were wristbanded. While we were waiting in the quite, we couldn’t help but notice the acrobats climbing up and down the pole at the door- they slid down the pole so quickly that it looked like they might injure themselves. instead, they were able to stop themselves instantly before they hit the ground. Quite amazing. When we entered the barn, half of it was full of long benches and tables. We grabbed one at the far side of the room and watched the band that was onstage (not sure who they were). Soon after we sat down, 2 Polish Rastafarians appeared but they got thrown out because they were completely wasted when they arrived (they started chucking things at the performers which is not on).

Apparently, there was a local rumor going about that Status Quo were going to perform (which we all knew wasn’t true). In fact, the thought of them playing Inverbervie made me laugh. We did see a guy wearing a Quo t-shirt when we walked in though- goodness knows what he’d heard.

It was a really nice atmosphere inside- very laid back. There was a Native American dude randomly wandering around. Not quite sure what he was doing! We realised there were stalls and food out the back of the barn so we went for a wander out there too. In fact, they had a whole cafe set-up out there. One of my friends did a placement in France last year (and loved it) so she got quite excited when she found a stall selling crepes. I had one filled with Nutella. Yummy. I’ll also admit to getting quite excited when I found a stall selling hot chocolate, marshmallows and whipped cream (at a music festival- who would have thought?!). Anyway, on to the bands we saw-

The Moonzie Allstars
This band are a celtic folk rock group with a bit of salsa thrown in there for good measure who I thought were really good. At the beginning of their set, people were just getting warmed up and the dancefloor was empty, apart from this one kid who might have been around 5 years old. He sat down in the middle, just gazing up at the band with awe. They got the place going though, and by the end, there were a lot of people up dancing (not me, I can’t dance). At one point they even covered a Clash song. I think the best quote about them came from one of my friends: “I feel like I’m in Lord of the Rings…….but with guitars!”. I was pretty amazed that the band members kept changing positions- sometimes The lead guitarist would take over the drums etc.

The Dull Fudds
Ok, first off, what a fantastic name for a band, eh? Music-wise, they played upbeat, rocky music with a bit of flute in the mix. I liked them quite a lot too- they reminded me of The Juliet Dagger (who I’m betting no one has heard of) but not quite as heavy as them. I will say that during their set, there was someone (who shall remain nameless) giving it their all on the dancefloor. My friends and I couldn’t help but stare- it was like Kate Bush on steroids.

Also during their set, a bat flew into the barn which made some people squeal and duck for cover. The poor thing must have been all confused because of the noise. They don’t really bother me because we used to have them flying around outside my old house- I would stand and watch them at dusk when I was a kid. They are so fast! It landed on the wall behind us several times and it was so tiny. Eventually it took cover.

Manosanta
This was the band I like the best- they produced a great carnival type atmosphere. How to describe them? Like a combination of Latin, African and Spanish music, mixed with electric guitar. That doesn’t really do the group justice though. They really got the place going. I was sitting just to the left of the stage and was nearest the dude playing the keyboard- his hands were a blur! Really good- I was sad to see their set end.

After this, the acrobats came back and performed an act, hanging down from the roof of the barn on ropes, and jumping though hoops long with some very dramatic movement. Again, they were very impressive and it must have taken a lot of concentration, strength and skill to do what they were doing. Shortly after this we all began to feel a bit tired (well it was 12.15am), so we headed off before the final act Skerryvore made an appearance. There were more bands on the Sunday (including Donnie Monroe) but we just did the one night.

All in all, it was a great night and I’d like to go back next year. I’m actually wondering why I haven’t attended the festival before.

  

Last weekend, my friend Sarah and I headed off to Glasgow for another gig. The last time we were there, we saw the U2 360 tour. This time, we were off to see Michael.

We got the 10.15am train from Montrose and (eventually) found our seats. We ended up sitting at a table, in front of these 2 people who seemed thoroughly unimpressed that we were sitting in the seats opposite them. The train was almost full and there was no place to put our (large) bags, so we had to put them on the table. Halfway through the journey, the woman started shoving Sarah’s bag so she shoved it back. The woman was all like “I’m trying to put my magazine on the table!”, and was pretty damn rude about it. Cue us rolling our eyes.

Anyway, we made it to Glasgow by lunch time, headed to left luggage then went for a wander along Buchanan St. I gave into temptation and had a wee look around the Apple Store. That was a dangerous mistake to make. I think I’m going to be ordering a Macbook next week. After that, we met up with a couple of friends from high school for a catch-up (hadn’t seen them in 5 years) and headed to TGI Fridays for a bite to eat. If you’ve not been there, the mozzarella dippers are yummy

Following this, we hailed a cab to take us to our hotel. It’s impossible to get a train home to my part of the world late at night so we stayed at the Campanile Hotel, which was right next to the SECC. Doors didn’t open ’til 6.30pm so we had time to kill at the hotel. Sadly I had lots of coursework to do so had brought my laptop with me . I was quite excited about the gig so didn’t really get anything done at that point (I’d just like to point out, that Sarah was practically giddy by this point ).

We left the hotel knowing we had a short walk to the gig. It was a beautiful evening so we didn’t mind. We didn’t realise just how short the walk would be: the hotel was all of 2 minutes away from the SECC. After getting our bags checked (mwhaha no one noticed my camera), I went off to get a tour book. Yes they were expensive (£15!) but totally worth it. Just after 7pm we headed into hall 4 to find our seats. I have to say, the seats were great- 5th row, block AA.

At 7.30pm, the show started with the support act Naturally 7 appearing on stage. They’re an acapella beat-boxing band from NYC (check out their myspace page), who call their style of music “vocal play”. I’ve never seen anything quite like them before: they had no instruments at all and made all noises with their own voices. The dude who was doing the bass guitar parts was particularly good. They started with a cover of “In The Air Tonight” by Phil Collins and did a really good job. Very hard to believe there was no instruments involved. They left the stage at about 8.15pm and the countdown began….

At 8.30pm, the house lights went out and the big band started playing. It was all very dramatic: the stage lit only by the occasional flash of light, the curtain still in place, the odd glimpse of a silhouette. The curtains open and bam! There’s Michael Bublé.

Onto highlights of the evening-
The jokes. Turns out Mr Bublé is a funny guy. Lots of jokes throughout the evening, some at the expense of a man in the front row who had clearly been dragged there by his wife (well it was a predominantly female audience….I wonder why? )

Cry Me A River- this was the opening song. Very James Bondesque (youtube link)

Everything- just love this song

Georgia On My Mind- during this song, I could have just closed my eyes and soaked up the music. There was just something about the double bass during this song which I can’t quite put my finger on- very nice

Billie Jean/Twist and Shout- Michael Bublé covering Michael Jackson. It worked surprisingly well, plus it gave him a chance to show off his moves (that man can dance!). Following this, he launched into Twist and Shout which always gets a place going. What is it with that song by the way? Springsteen also covered it at Hampden last year.

Home- every concert has a moment that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. This was one of those moments. It’s a really pretty, but sad song and it just sounded fantastic with Michael, on a b-stage, singing in the crowd.

Heartache Tonight- I’m a fan of the Eagles so loved this

Haven’t Met you Yet- I think this was perhaps the song everyone was waiting to hear. Cue confetti falling from the roof and giant balloon ball things being kicked into the audience. I think I sang pretty loudly to this one.

Song For You- At the end of song, Michael sung without the microphone and managed to get the 10,000 people in the room to stay quiet. Pretty amazing if you ask me (see youtube.

The concert finished at about 10.15pm and we took the short walk back to the hotel. Sarah was rather disappointed- she never quite got the chance to propose to Michael. Back at the hotel, we were too hyper to sleep so yapped for a bit before I did a bit of work on the laptop (this was at 2am). On the Sunday, we were up early and back in the city centre to catch the train just after 9.30am. I was totally knackered and as a result, fell asleep just before Perth.

I had a brilliant time and really enjoyed the concert. Think I’ve fallen in love with Mr Bublé and hope he comes back to Scotland soon- I’ll be there.  I’ll leave you with a picture I took at the gig (the only decent one- my wee camera is crap!).

PS You think he’s kinda cute in pictures? Well, he’s gorgeous in real life

If you’re interested, here’s the setlist (I think this is right?)-

Cry Me A River
All Of me
At This Moment
Mack The Knife
Everything
Band Intro- Instrumental
World On A String
Best Of Me
Crazy Love
Georgia On My Mind
For Once In My Life
All I Do Is Dream Of You
Billie Jean/Twist and Shout
Save The Last Dance
Home
How Sweet It Is
Heartache Tonight
Haven’t Met You Yet
Feeling Good
Me & Mrs. Jones
Song For You