2009 — 12 December: Saturday
A good night's sleep works wonders, except for a timely diary entry. No matter.
My sister-in-law in NZ has sent a picture of Big Bro's new batch of "baby boys". What can I say?
Five fresh-faced innocents, with two "yearlings" in the background, complete with Mr Footrot himself. Hasn't put me off my (vegetarian) breakfast. It's 10:32, the toothy twinges seem to be in retreat, and the sun is shining brightly. But that awful man Woss is still jabbering away on the BBC, so all's not quite perfect.
A mis-print?
I remember reading an unlikely-sounding statistic about the amount of IBM documentation (10 Jumbo jets worth?) being shipped (well, flown) across the Atlantic (about three decades ago) to a Scandinavian distribution centre. Today, according to Mr Hislop's little magazine, I learn that De La Rue lobbied the Foreign Office for a printing contract that led to 27 Jumbo jet-loads of new Iraqi bank-notes being shipped (well, flown) from Basingstoke to Baghdad two days before bombing began. That's a lot of dead trees leaving carbon footprints around the planet. Closer reading of the story (page 9) might shed further light. Good ol' Private Eye.
Since I first read Voyage of the 'Dawn Treader' (I'm thinking of the book of spells section, as it happens) many years ago I've been taken with the idea of books coming to life (one way or another). So this animation from NZ tickled me. Nice stuff.
Pot and kettle... dept.
This strikingly-attired young lad "has accused the government of treating religious faith as an 'eccentricity' practised by 'oddities'."
Well, at least the "religious" chunk of the BBC's web site has a small playpen for the atheists.
I've just realised it's two years since my "mock" driving test, and three since my Retirement dinner. Crikey! It's also time (13:27) for some lunch. Is that a re-heated crockpot I see before me? It had better be.
It was!
I've just had occasion to use the opposite of "distaff side" in an email, only to realise that I didn't know what it is. Google to the rescue. Turns out to be "spear side" though it also turns out that Truly Donovan1 suggested "datstaff side". A much better alternative!
Irresistible
I've been nibbling away at more of those Chuck Lorre "vanity cards". My favourite today has to be the open letter to the FCC. I think I may just have to acquire "Two and a Half Men". But it's just gone 18:00, feels rather cold out there, and my tum is pestering me for further input.
And now here's the BBC telling me that Tony Blair has finally admitted that the issue of the existence of Ws of MD was actually irrelevant to his opinion and attitude back in 2003. Personally, I think that makes him what some people might call a lying hypocrite, but that's just my own ill-informed opinion. After all, I've never met the chap, never voted for him, and never been swayed by his conversion to the outfit that has its imaginary friend's base in the Vatican. Hans Blick, meanwhile, is calling this a "fig leaf". I suppose one chap's Prime Minister is another chap's Western warmonger.
Must be the toothache typing. Good job there's no big red "launch Trident" button on my desk.