2011 — 28 February: Monday
Before I know it1 another day is already well under way, and there's some pleasant big band jazz on Radio 3 and a late supper croissant to be snacked on before it's totally stale. But I'd better get me some of that sleep stuff as I'm predicting a trip over to the care-home in a few hours. Bills to be paid, chocolates to be delivered. Maybe I shall even mention selling the house she's already forgotten?
G'night.
There's much to be said...
... in favour of the restorative properties of a good night's sleep. Even if the day that follows is dull, grey, and looks a bit drizzly. An overnight email from Carol in her little village of Croton on the banks of the Hudson recounts the local "shock and awe" shenanigans there involving attempts to legalise bow-hunting as a method of dealing with Westchester County's "plague" of deer. She's in danger of living in a cross between "The Deer Hunter" and "Deliverance" if you ask me. (And that's a pair of films I will gladly pay never to watch.)
And the lady on Radio 3 has just (09:40) informed me that Albinoni's "Adagio" isn't by Albinoni (18th Century) but by a much more recent chap yclept Giazotto. And, since Mr Wikipedia confirms this, I suppose it must be true.
Breakfast!
I note that the Oscars have (as ever) not been bestowed on the worthiest recipients. Still, there's always Charlie Brooker's "syncing feelings" to cheer a chap up. I liked one of the comments: "I bet the Cylons started out as Apple Macbooks". And it's hard to disagree with his assessment of iTunes, too... "a hideous binary turd that transforms the sparkling world of music and entertainment into a stark, unintuitive spreadsheet".
Virus zapped
The care-home is officially a norovirus-free zone and back to its happy, bustling state. (I jest, about the last bit.) Still, there's a celebratory pack of double cream chocolate peppermints now joining her stash on her windowsill. I popped in on Mike and blagged a free cuppa on the way back. Lunch has been lunched and I found Mr Postie had dropped off that nice, fat biography of Robert Heinlein for me to sink into, plus a couple of DVDs...
The grey drizzle outside, and the low temperature, doesn't exactly entice me to go out. It's 15:24 and I'm a bit fed up with winter weather.
My little giant iPod...
... by which I mean my 24" iMac, of course, is now once again located adjacent to the "hi-fi" end of the living room where its DVI output has a fighting chance of getting to the plasma screen.2 It would have an even better chance if only I could find the puerto mini-DVI thingie I acquired for my "ordenador Mac" nearly four years ago :-)
Meanwhile, the little Class D amplifier I use just to drive my electrostatic headphones is neatly relocated at the "PC" end where the iMac used to sit. That way I can use the surprisingly high-quality analogue audio output from BlackBeast should I not want to blast it out from the main speakers. (Though I can't really think of many situations in which I can't simply turn up the wick and play my music just as loudly as I wish.)
It's 22:11 and I've earned my next cuppa.