2014 — 13 March: Thursday
A somewhat misty start but we're intending to go on an extended daffodil hunt this morning.1 Meanwhile, recall that blank TextPad edit session that now pops up for me, completely unsolicited? If I just ignore it and proceed as in the past, the next TextPad session opened by my access to one of the web servers now behaves perfectly rather than going straight into a non-responding sulk that I have to clobber. How weird is that?
One further glimpse...
... of the incoming entertainment that arrived on Monday and I'll jolly nearly be all "catched-up":
That copy of Charley Varrick is a "proper" 16:9 aspect ratio release and replaces my original NTSC 4:3 DVD. It's a wonderful film from a horrifyingly / worryingly long time ago. Like me. Right. Time for a (gentle) bite of breakfast and the quick assembly of a small packed lunch. We're giving our usual mid-point pub (The Royal Oak, on Hooksway) a miss on this occasion.
Are you feeling lucky, punk planet?
Len mentioned this chap's book in the wake of a Planetarium lecture he attended last night. So I now know why the Greek goddess Nemesis was so-called. "Responsible for rebalancing undeserved good fortune" sounds like a soul-destroying job, but then I don't imagine such beings have souls in the first place. I guess it's not all milk and honey being a god. Though there are some perks, Scott Adams saw a downside in "God's Debris".
Blimey!
Though I admit I've recently stopped listening to Mark Kermode's BBC Radio 5 weekly lump of film criticism, I didn't ever expect to see his work described as "otiose"...
So what then is left for the thoughtful film critic to supply? The answers Kermode suggests are otiose. He argues that "the problem with many social media reviews is that they carry no weight because the people who write them have no track record, and therefore have nothing of value invested in their accuracy or honesty." Surely out of all the qualities possessed by a good critic — knowledge, experience, intelligence, humour, passion — the fact that he or she has a reputation is the least compelling reason to elevate them above the average movie-goer.
The two-DVD set of "Common as Muck" (Series #1) was waiting patiently for me on the front doorstep. Excellent programme. Our walk was delightful, though entailed 78 miles of driving for just over six miles of fresh air rambling. Bramdean is now open for single lane traffic, but mighty soggy still underfoot. The daffodils were not all we'd been given to believe. They need another week or so yet before they're "ripe".