2014 — 21 May: Wednesday
We're intending to squeeze in a shower-dodging walk1 this morning; probably wise, considering the 07:00 feather warcast I've just heard.
I've recently...
... re-watched (and very much enjoyed) all five of the "Twiglit" films and am also nearing the end of the final book in the saga. Again. I was pleased to learn by a spot of Interwebby research that the worldwide box-office takings now weigh in at the $3.3 billion level. I didn't see if that figure included disc sales and 'merchandise' but I conclude that authoress Stephenie Meyer, who also produced several of the films, is probably quite a rich lady by now.2
I was curious to find out if Meyer had done anything further with her partial draft of "Midnight Sun" — an interesting re-telling of the first book entirely from the viewpoint of, and inside the head of, the vampire Edward. I long ago found, read, and enjoyed the opening chapter of this and was dismayed (at the time) to learn that Meyer had been so upset by its premature 'release / leakage' that she'd put the entire project aside. Though I don't blame her I thought this a great pity, as it was a fascinating exercise.
It turns out (as I discovered yesterday evening — thank you, Wikipedia) her own mother had subsequently been instrumental in persuading her to allow quite a significant further chunk of the draft to be released "for the fans", and I downloaded and read that with great pleasure for a couple of hours. As with most things, I'm probably several years behind the rest of the TwiHard Universe, but what's the rush?
Breakfast beckons.
The skin on my shin...
... being particularly thin, I don't take kindly to nettles vigorously brushing up against me on the tow path. I expect a cuppa will take my mind off the tingling. The motorway was horribly clogged, but we spotted that in time and were able to divert to Route 'B'. And, although it's clouding over, there's been no rain as yet. Saw a couple of damsel flies; the first this year.
Kevin Ayers...
... was, until today, represented in my little music library by just over one hour's worth of tracks that appeared variously on either the sumptuous 5xCD retrospective box set "Harvest Festival", or the 3xCD Harvest anthology "A Breath of Fresh Air", or that rather strange but very engaging live concert "June 1, 1974" compilation featuring him, Eno, Nico, and John Cale. I decided it was time to fix this deficiency by getting another3 of the wonderful value "Original Albums" no-frills 'box' sets:
I'm intrigued to see that the most recent of these five albums (Dr Dream) was co-produced by (the excellent) Rupert Hine.
It's been a while, but...
... this prolific chap has recently produced a second volume of his memoirs:
How does he find the time?
Completing today's tales...
... of incoming entertainment, we have the new series from the lady who brought us the wonderful "Weeds" and — all the way from Australia (I hope my Oppo knows how to play Region 4 DVDS!) — the complete set (from 1977 and 1979) of a short-lived but fondly-remembered comedy from the BBC:
You hafta smile
Oh, good grief:
[To Keynes], the coming age of abundance, while welcome, would pose a new and in some ways even bigger challenge... The example offered by the idle rich was, he observed, "very depressing"; most of them had "failed disastrously" to find satisfying pastimes. In particular, he pointed to the "wives of the well-to-do classes" in the United States and England, who, "deprived by their wealth" of traditional occupations, like cooking, were "quite unable to find anything more amusing" to do.
I think I still prefer the Keynes anecdote regarding Eric Gill that was somehow unearthed by Fiona MacCarthy.
I've been sent...
... another email (from Aubree Ritter). This time she's inviting me to consider hosting an infographic on upward mobility in the US. I doubt my reader(s) would appreciate this any more than I did, and I still have no interest in receiving visitors as a "thank you". If it happens a third time, I shall assume her assurance "I do not have you on any mailing lists" means something different to her than it does to me...