Monday, February 16, 2004
Oh, how did that happen?
I've somehow managed to not post for a week.
And now I can't think of anything to say. I've been pretty busy trying sort out various things, and have kept meaning to write them up properly, but I just haven't. So doing a brief précis of them:
- Last weekend [7/8th Feb] was in London at a short notice dinner party. Basically a small group of uni friends, fun, but not great fun. Being dragged to church the following morning didn't help, especially as it's a very zealous church (people treating the bible like a scientific literature, but making basic mistakes in their arguments didn't help).
- Mucho odd phone calls, at least one of which was to tell me I should be getting a letter, if they should decide to send a letter.
- Getting distracted by a book, although there were some parts that didn't quite work as well as they should. Good, but not stunning (which appears to be the consensus of the assorted reviews on amazon.
- Continuing to get distracted by another book, but in the part I'm reading, it appears to be doing the equivalent to War and Peace's whole Masonic thing (ie. A sub-plot that isn't going anywhere and leaves you thinking "and the point of this is...?"). But there's still a lot of book to go, so I'm guessing it'll pick up again.
- Trying to find a suitable fabric for Victorian furniture (pressganged anyone?). And there really is nothing out there, other than the tatty, twee or downright hideous. It also involved discovering why one lift in Southampton car park was empty. Unfortunately I only discovered it after I got in. The buttons require pounding to make them work and then the doors close with a shudder and an ominous thud. The lift started moving very slowly, shaking hard, whilst squealing as it made a grinding noise. It felt like the bottom corner was having an long running argument with the reinforced concrete lift shaft. Eventually it got to floor we parked on, and as we got out we became aware that the lift and the building had differing interpretations of the concept of vertical and of right angles [did someone drop it?].
- On the other hand I did get to worry an elderly woman by exploring a Smart car parked as a display in the atrium of the shopping centre. I'm not sure the shop behind her was too keen either on me managing to put the headlights on full beam. What? I'd got into the car to see what it's like, and they were about the only thing that would move without the key. Though apparently they only come as automatics, so I'm less keen. And as for the roadster or whatever it is, any car that embarrasses me as I try to get into it [1/2 a foot off the ground is not a natural seating position], is not really a good idea. And for a little car it's quite big (but I suppose that's to do with having to put your legs straight out in front of you).
- Trying to go swimming, only to have the power fail, and discover the hall doesn't have very much by way of daylight. And then the power coming rapidly back on, but having to sit on the poolside waiting to the floodlights to warm up again, for 20 minutes.
- And then there was being rung up by someone to say "Hi, I'm back in the country, and I'm catching the [20 minutes away] train from X, and we're going to Clapham". My responses consisted of why Clapham, it being a graduate ghetto, and full of the same chains you get everywhere [and if I'm going to Clapham, then I'd go and see my brother, except he's technically nearer Brixton], and thus not a great deal more exciting the slightly more local places. I also object to having to pay more money than I'd spend on drinks to get there, and then having to worry about getting infrequent trains. Oh, and I'm in the middle of supper, and X station is about 20 minutes away, and I'm not ready to go anywhere. So, um, have fun, and what are you doing tomorrow?
- Cue going round to another friend's house after lunch yesterday (and discovering she's about to become an estate agent). So sit and chat, and then somehow end up trying to drive another friend to a different station to get the quarter to train, and it's now five and twenty to, and we're in the mould-mobile (yep the car still leaks), and the station's about quarter of an hour away. So that'll be get there, and then go and wait for hour. But it gave us a chance to chat without having to be diplomatic (proto-estate agent's parents were about at her house), which was nice [in a "it actually was nice, I'm not being facetious" way].
Anyhoo, due to a lack of dull politicking stories I can make cynical and snide comments about, that'll have to be it for now.
I've somehow managed to not post for a week.
And now I can't think of anything to say. I've been pretty busy trying sort out various things, and have kept meaning to write them up properly, but I just haven't. So doing a brief précis of them:
- Last weekend [7/8th Feb] was in London at a short notice dinner party. Basically a small group of uni friends, fun, but not great fun. Being dragged to church the following morning didn't help, especially as it's a very zealous church (people treating the bible like a scientific literature, but making basic mistakes in their arguments didn't help).
- Mucho odd phone calls, at least one of which was to tell me I should be getting a letter, if they should decide to send a letter.
- Getting distracted by a book, although there were some parts that didn't quite work as well as they should. Good, but not stunning (which appears to be the consensus of the assorted reviews on amazon.
- Continuing to get distracted by another book, but in the part I'm reading, it appears to be doing the equivalent to War and Peace's whole Masonic thing (ie. A sub-plot that isn't going anywhere and leaves you thinking "and the point of this is...?"). But there's still a lot of book to go, so I'm guessing it'll pick up again.
- Trying to find a suitable fabric for Victorian furniture (pressganged anyone?). And there really is nothing out there, other than the tatty, twee or downright hideous. It also involved discovering why one lift in Southampton car park was empty. Unfortunately I only discovered it after I got in. The buttons require pounding to make them work and then the doors close with a shudder and an ominous thud. The lift started moving very slowly, shaking hard, whilst squealing as it made a grinding noise. It felt like the bottom corner was having an long running argument with the reinforced concrete lift shaft. Eventually it got to floor we parked on, and as we got out we became aware that the lift and the building had differing interpretations of the concept of vertical and of right angles [did someone drop it?].
- On the other hand I did get to worry an elderly woman by exploring a Smart car parked as a display in the atrium of the shopping centre. I'm not sure the shop behind her was too keen either on me managing to put the headlights on full beam. What? I'd got into the car to see what it's like, and they were about the only thing that would move without the key. Though apparently they only come as automatics, so I'm less keen. And as for the roadster or whatever it is, any car that embarrasses me as I try to get into it [1/2 a foot off the ground is not a natural seating position], is not really a good idea. And for a little car it's quite big (but I suppose that's to do with having to put your legs straight out in front of you).
- Trying to go swimming, only to have the power fail, and discover the hall doesn't have very much by way of daylight. And then the power coming rapidly back on, but having to sit on the poolside waiting to the floodlights to warm up again, for 20 minutes.
- And then there was being rung up by someone to say "Hi, I'm back in the country, and I'm catching the [20 minutes away] train from X, and we're going to Clapham". My responses consisted of why Clapham, it being a graduate ghetto, and full of the same chains you get everywhere [and if I'm going to Clapham, then I'd go and see my brother, except he's technically nearer Brixton], and thus not a great deal more exciting the slightly more local places. I also object to having to pay more money than I'd spend on drinks to get there, and then having to worry about getting infrequent trains. Oh, and I'm in the middle of supper, and X station is about 20 minutes away, and I'm not ready to go anywhere. So, um, have fun, and what are you doing tomorrow?
- Cue going round to another friend's house after lunch yesterday (and discovering she's about to become an estate agent). So sit and chat, and then somehow end up trying to drive another friend to a different station to get the quarter to train, and it's now five and twenty to, and we're in the mould-mobile (yep the car still leaks), and the station's about quarter of an hour away. So that'll be get there, and then go and wait for hour. But it gave us a chance to chat without having to be diplomatic (proto-estate agent's parents were about at her house), which was nice [in a "it actually was nice, I'm not being facetious" way].
Anyhoo, due to a lack of dull politicking stories I can make cynical and snide comments about, that'll have to be it for now.
