Black Armband Day
I see that Peter Ustinov has died. Sad, sad day.
I met him once, about fourteen years ago, and even though only brief, it left a lasting impression - he had a bearing and a manner (and of course a wit) that simply imposed themselves on one's senses in such a way that he filled all the available space.
I'd happily count him a personal hero, and the author of one of my favourite lines ever. On being asked to describe Toronto: "It's like New York, run by the Swiss."
Tales From The Hood (III)
As you may have noticed from the times on the two previous postings, I was up quite early this morning. This is partly because the clock change had The Fattest Cat In Christendom clawing at me for food even earlier than usual, but also because I was prowling the flat at all hours anyway for some reason. So while making myself hot chocolate at 5am, I glanced out of the kitchen window and was surprised by the number of lit windows I could see - I'm frequently up and about at all hours, but usually get the feeling that I'm the only one who is. Not so last night/this morning. I could see at least two parties still in full swing, and a couple sitting on the pavement across the way having the kind of snog that looked perilously like it was going to turn into full-on sex at any minute.
Thank god for hot chocolate, I say.
Don’t Stop To Ask
Now you've found a break to make at last
You've got to find a way
Say what you want to say
Breakout
And this is where I was going with the title of the previous posting. Am I the only one who's noticed that Swing Out Sister appear to be back?????
In fact, according to swingoutsister.com, "Swing Out Sister Returns Big For 2004". New album out next month it seems, though not in the UK yet, is Amazon is anything to go by.
I used to be very fond of SOS - I'm listening to their debut album it's better to travel (see - it all comes together) as I'm writing this. Cool stuff, though I haven't heard anything of their more recent work at all.
It’s Better To Travel
(I'm going somewhere with that subject line - bear with me 'til the next posting)
I had a kind of Passport To Pimlico moment yesterday, when it felt like some kind of cordon was in place to prevent anyone travelling in or out of my part of town. The Rotherhithe Tunnel is closed for 48 hours, there are big roadwork-caused road closures all over the area, most of Canary Wharf's roads were closed or diverted due to some of the construction going on over there, the Limehouse Link had something going on that closed several of the roads that access it, *and*, the Jubilee Line was suspended for its entire length for most of the day.
Getting anywhere beyond the end of my road was hell.
Tales From The Hood (II)
Jogging Man - Jogging Man emerges most evenings for his run. He looks terribly serious about it, properly kitted out and doing stretches and a bit of running on the spot before setting off down the road. I've occasionally noticed him coming back around an hour later.
However, one night last week when I was getting home off my usual schedule, I saw Jogging Man having already set off, heading down the road. But Jogging Man then veered towards the front door of one of the other blocks on the road, rang the bell, and was admitted with alacrity.
Clandestine assignation, do we think?
Best. Answer. Ever.
I've spent part of the day with an extended family, which includes two ten year old sisters. Their uncle has just brought them back a boomerang from his trip to Australia, and we went to the park to try it out.
One of the ten-year-olds has been told that boomerangs are used to kill animals when hunting, so becomes worried when her dad gets set to have the first throw of the thing.
"What if it comes back and kills him?" she asks her mother, fearfully hiding her face.
"Well I suppose he'll die", answers her mother, deadpan.
Who *Wouldn’t* Visit….
....a site called 'Logical Packets'?
I wish I'd thought of that one.
Doing My Bit
Never got round to mentioning that I was very diligent at the weekend, and while on a tube platform noted a bag which had been left behind by someone.
I duly alterted the nearest Tube employee, who thanked me for my diligence, put out a cal for the owner to come back, and for all I know evacuated the station after my train had pulled out.
I know we're in a dangerous world because of the consequences of bad decisions we mostly didn't take part in and don't agree with, and we've been here before for the same basic reasons.
But it doesn't take much to do your bit and report suspicious bags or parcels. To coin someone else's phrase, the life you save might be your own.
Tales From The Hood (I)
I don't know if I've mentioned before that without even consciously trying to be, I'm acutely aware of my neighbours. I live in a pretty residential part of town, with various flats facing mine from two directions (I'm on a corner), and by definition, mine facing them.
And many of my neighbours seem to be (or at least act as if they are) blissfully unaware of the fact. So I'm going to start telling you about them. Starting with:
The Woman I Thought Might Be Gert
I first became aware of TWITMBG at some point after I'd started reading Gert's blog, and after I'd got a sense of what she looks like, but before I knew where she lived (beyond a general 'South of the river' sense). So the woman whose kitchen I look down on became became something of a mythical fugure to me. I became convinced that the woman whose dining habits I was virtually familiar with was the same woman whose dining habits I was actually familiar with.
It's not her, of course - wrong location and now that I've met her, not really very like Gert at all, but for a while I thought that my well-developed small-world-syndrome had made the conceptual leap from real to virtual world. That would have been freaky.
I'm minded to write about her because she's in the kitchen at the moment.
She doesn't live alone, by the way. I'll mention her housemates once I've shared a few more of my neighbours with you.
The Answers
Sorry it's taken me a couple of days to get to this - The Prodigal has returned and I've been busy hearing about his travels.
Anyway:
Item One
"I found you now I know that it's true;
I was down on my luck from a lack of trying."
Dodgy - Found You
Item Two
"You need some common sense to plan ahead and
Stay in bed on a Monday morning."
The Candyskins - Monday Morning
Item Three
"I was making myself the usual cup of tea
When the doorbell strangely rang."
Dubstar - Not So Manic Now
Item Four
"Let's not do the wrong thing and I'll swear it might be fun
It's a long way down when all the knots we've tied have come undone"
Gin Blossoms - Follow You Down
Item Five
"Sometimes the sun shines on unkind people,
And some nights the spotlight's on shy people.
People like you."
Kenickie - I Would Fix You
Item Six
"Something's coming over me, I'm so dizzy I can't see.
Can't make out the forest for the trees."
(Two possible answers to this one - I have the original and the cover.)
Jane Wiedlin (Originally) or Joyrider (Cover) - Rush Hour
Item Seven
"Health insurance rip off lying FDA big bankers buying
Fake computer crashes dining"
New Radicals - You Get What You Give
Item Eight
"How can I help it if I think you're funny when you're mad
Tryin' hard not to smile though I feel bad"
Barenaked Ladies - One Week