2010 — 9 October: Saturday
Like I said,1 busy day. It's now 01:38 and I've just arrived home via a deliciously unbusy motorway. Nice meal and two excellent films, of markedly different genre: "Cemetery Junction" to leave you in a "feel good" mood, followed by "Harry Brown" to bring you crashing back down. Right... time for some more of that sleep stuff. G'night.
Somewhat later
I managed to miss most of "Sounds of the 60s" this morning (what with being a bit asleep having been reading the Phill Jupitus book for some time — there was a "3" at the start of the time display when I reluctantly switched off the bedside light). It's now rather grey out there at 10:21 and I have breakfast to contemplate and my next crockpot to stuff. I also learned yesterday that a chap who was in the office opposite mine on Day 1 of my IBM "career" died three days ago some six weeks after a ghastly stroke. I have to admit I think that is the best outcome given his post-stroke state. Grrr. Still, he had (I think) nearly two decades of retirement. I hesitate to look that far ahead in my own situation, particularly if the UK goes any significant distance further along what you could call the "Harry Brown" route.
As I was drifting back to wakefulness, I was also thinking of the fantastic attention paid to period detail in last night's other film. It was set in the summer of 1973 from which, it's fair to say, the UK has come a very long way indeed.
Trolleyology
I last encountered this nearly a year ago, but our moral philosophy department friends keep refining it. (Example.) I hadn't made the connection with German V1 trajectories.
Off their Trolleyology
This amazing story about double standards shows all too clearly why I wasn't cut out for life at, or anywhere near, the top of multinational IT business. Nor was I previously aware of the term "accent aigu".
For want of a nail...
... or, in my case, an unrotten Bramley cooker, my crockpottery prep was delayed while I whizzed out to get a fresh one. I still forgot I'd run out of cooking wine, but that's a minor detail. Now that it simmers gently, and I half-listen to the shouty people simmering much less gently on the entertaining repeat of "Any Questions", I can query Amazon's logic, though I admit their suggestion will still be on my "To buy" list:
We've noticed that customers who have purchased or rated "Laurel Canyon" have also purchased "The Kids Are All Right" on DVD... You can pre-order yours...
Not sure how you can have bought an unreleased title. But I enjoyed "Laurel Canyon" on a recent repeat viewing and have noted the talent of Lisa Cholodenko displayed elsewhere.
Rather later
The 19:00 pips pipped a few minutes ago. I'd better tuck into my pipping-hot pot of crock. Then I think I could tackle a dollop or two of "Boston Legal". Christa and I would sometimes allow ourselves four episodes in a single lump — shocking! Tomorrow's walking route has been chosen. And I've today received the next invoice from dear Mama's care-home. It's eased off somewhat as the "Primary Care Trust" weekly allowance has just caught up with her... this is shovelled straight across to the care-home without touching her bank account but "every little helps" as her forgotten husband used to say.
Earlier, I was skimming a section of Fred Hoyle's wonderful autobio, where he touched on the death of his parents, and the loss of his climbing companion to Alzheimer's. Not nice. KBO.
Early to bed, methinks. It's only 22:56 but I'm drooping fast. G'night.