2011 — 9 February: Wednesday
Again, a relatively late1 start to the daily jotting. My excuse, of course, is the need to subordinate everything to the needs of "Patch Tuesday" on the two remaining Window(s) boxes. Interesting to see a patch to the IE9 beta. Still, plenty of time for a second cuppa to brew.
It looks2 damp and grey out there, despite the Debussy on BBC Radio 3 right now.
Now is the winter...
... made glorious summer. I've just been called by a terribly nice lady from Staples accounts department. She's noticed a couple of credit notes "sitting" on my account and asked if she should refund the £91 or so to my card. Jolly good idea, say I. Please do. This represents the cost of the two bookcases that they made several attempts to replace with unbroken ones, though none of these attempts succeeded. As opposed to the variety of credit notes (and threatening letters) that have been floating around during this not(e) very creditable saga.
Back from Soton
Big Bro has obviously spotted a couple of references to Bruce Dickinson and Iron Maiden somewhere in these jottings. He's sent me a nice photo of Bruce's little battle bus taken (if I read the EXIF file correctly) in Southend yesterday. Click the pic for that finny artwork:
Meanwhile, having popped into my (closing down) discount bookshop, followed by a brief(s) encounter in M&S (though no success with either new shoes or a new sleeveless quilted jacket), I wandered into Tesco and found a pair of Blu-rays, both of which had been recommended to me recently:
I'd been pondering the Ion Trewin bio in hardback, so to get it discounted as a paperback is all to the good. Alan Clark was an interesting rogue, and a delicious diarist. His younger brother Colin is actually the better writer, though. I submit as evidence his entertaining encounters with Marilyn Monroe in the summer of 1956 while working as a "gofer" on the set of Olivier's "The Prince and the Showgirl".
Lunch having been lunched, it's time to trot over to the care-home with another chocolate offering. [Pause] I'm guessing my car door repair is proving less straightforward. I've just been called to be given a tentative completion date of next Monday. This will mean yet more time getting horribly used to this elegant hybrid hire car, dammit.
Footprints in the Sands of Time
It's now 22:26 and there's a powerful clue here to the film I've just finished watching. Christopher Nolan is a remarkable chap. And today's Blu-ray has some fascinating extras, too. (Including, as an Easter Egg, a "chronologically normal" re-edit of the complete film.)
Dear Mama has yet to think of writing notes to herself as aides-memoires, let alone tattoos! I was reminded (powerfully) not only of her own short-term memory issues, but of an SF short story published in the April 1944 issue of "Astounding SF" by John Pierce: Invariant.
When Christa and I first tried to watch this film, we were both put-off by the graphic gore at the "start", so I simply filed it away. But I'd always intended to take another crack at it. I'm glad I did.