Aw. Schweeeeeet!

Last summer I was on cygnet-watch at the ecology park near Chris's place.

This year, I discovered yesterday, two families of Canada Geese have settled just round the corner from me, and are already raising their goslings. I could only get one picture today, but I thought I'd share it (click for a larger version):

11:17 PM | comment (0)

The Day After

Been to see The Day After Tomorrow this evening, and generally speaking enjoyed it, though if I'd gone in expecting serious science or political insight I'd have been disappointed.

Though if I'd gone to see a Roland Emmerich film expecting either of those I'd need my head read.

The effects are great, the set-pieces (especially the tornado destruction of Los Angeles) amazing, and the performances not at all bad. They mercifully keep the romantic subplots to a minimum, and even the little kid with cancer isn't overdone.

The points where various places are hit by the super cells (which instantly lower the temperature by massive amounts) are well done (especially the first time, when some aircraft are hit by one), though the utterly stupid notion that people can outrun their descent is taken to a laughable extreme.

Good entertaining fun though, in a mindless way. And there's nothing wrong with that.

11:55 PM | comment (0)

Bristol

Ages ago, Alison and I were thinking about treating ourselves to a night in a swanky hotel over this holiday weekend, and given that there was a comic convention in Bristol which Carlos and co were encouraging me to attend, at one point a night at the Bristol Hotel Du Vin was the idea. TYpically, we left it so late to try and book that the only room available was way *way* out of the price range, so a last minute decision on Thursday led to me booking possibly the only two remaining train seats heading out of Paddington this morning (something to do with some football match or other happening in Cardiff).

Pleasant day - I managed an hour with Carlos, Alice, and James (all mentioned in postings passim), and met a few other people from Millarworld for the first time.

We'd booked lunch at the HDV, which was very cool indeed, and as we were finishing up, a terrible choice had to be made: whether to go out and explore the all-revamped dockside area of town or settle in huge comfy sofas with another bottle of wine for an hour.

I suspect you can guess which option won.

We did eventually manage to stir ourselves sufficiently for a bit of a wander, during which we met this classic woman who was selling her home-made organic vegan sugar-free flapjack on one of the bridges. Apparently I'm not the only person who's ever pondered whether she includes any 'extra' ingredients in said produce. She doesn't by the way, and makes and sells them to help with her bills. Good flapjack in fact.

Anyway, after failing to lure the geeks from their comic convention panels (or one of the geeks from his bed), we took a leisurely walk back to the station and headed home. In many ways it wasn't that much of a day out (we didn't do a huge amount, and what we did was a bit self-indulgent), but in others it was very pleasant indeed.

10:20 PM | comment (0)

Bruv

Somewhat against my better judgement, I watched the 'housemates-enter-the-house' programme that kicked off Big Brother 5 this evening, and oh dear oh dear oh dear.

Could Channel 4 be working any harder to create artificial conflict in an effort to avoid a re-run of the blandfest that was last year's extravaganza?

The first two people in were a screaming queen who hates asylum seekers and a former asylum seeker who hates homosexuals. Subtle minds are clearly at work here.

Add in to the mix the man who spent the evening in a thong, the man who thinks he's the smartest person they've ever had on the programme because he got four A grades at A level, the other gay man who is apparently irresistable to straight men (which is fortunate, because he's entriely resistable to at least this gay one), the radical feminist lesbian (who's called Kitten by the way: Ooooh - *radical*), the token would-be glamour model, the token black man, and a transsexual, and you can really see that a *lot* of thought went into this year's contestant selection.

11:50 PM | comment (4)

'Sleb Again

Stopping off for a swifty after work with Dave (and don't think I haven't realised how I could practically have that set up as a standard posting opening line), my recent roll of celeb-spotting continued apace, with none other than Hywel Bennett sitting quietly in the corner.

Considering I can't remember the last time I saw a celeb before this recent run, it's all getting a bit odd recently.

11:03 PM | comment (0)

Best?

I suppose I should deal with this at some point.

Dave has asked me to be his Best Man.

I'm *incredibly* touched by the invitation, especially because his natural choice for the role would obviously be Mike.

But having accepted the responsibility, I'm now faced with the challenge of organising a stag do for a man whose stated preference is for fine wine and food, rather than beer and whores.

What, oh what, is a rather out-of-his-depth queen to do??

11:14 PM | comment (11)

Well This Is New

I just got round to checking out the Labour Party leaflet that was on the mat when I got home, and to my not-inconsiderable surprise, I found leaflets for two other parties actually inside the Labour one. The UK Independence Party and the English Democrats (who I'd never heard of, but who are a fresh new democratic party, apparently) seem to have purchased ad space inside the Labour puff piece the way music clubs buy inserts in the Radio Times.

I think this is deeply weird.

11:07 PM | comment (0)

I Suppose I Should Comment

I forgot to mention the official announcement regarding the new Doctor Who companion.

This is one bit of casting that had certainly been doing the rounds, even though the BBC had said that no decisions were made when her name was being linked with the show.

I've generally been pleasantly surprised by the positivity with which the news has been received, expecting a reaction based on her being a pop singer and the Chris Evans connection. I have no particular baggage regarding her, never having heard any of her songs, and not particularly caring who she married, but I did see her in The Miller's Tale last year and thought she did a great job.

That I also have significant faith in Russell T Davies helps too of course.

11:45 PM | comment (1)

Flowers....Bah!

Commuting on London Underground every day is soul-destroying enough, but this week, a whole new set of obstacles and annoyances have descended to plague those of us who commute through Chelsea.

Yes, it's the Flower Show. Which means that for the rest of the week, as it was this evening, my journey home will be blighted by sharing platforms and trains with hordes of braying nobs, tossers with folding chairs, and dodderers in pac-a-macs.

As you can probably tell, I'm thrilled beyond words by this development.

11:10 PM | comment (5)

Van Helsing

Been to the cinema for the first time in far too long this evening, finally to see Van Helsing. I think the best way that I can describe it is that it's exactly what you'd expect it to be, neither better nor worse. Hugh Jackman does a sterling job of being dashing and iconic, and Kate Beckinsale does a sterling job of wearing a corset.

The effects are curiously ropey in places, considering director Stephen Somers was so aware of having been ridiculed over The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns, but they mostly pass muster. The prologue, filmed in black and white and looking beautifully like a real old Universal horror movie, works especially well.

David Wenham does sterling work as the comedy sidekick, and most of the other performances are fine for what's needed of them. The only really odd note arises from the decision to have Richard Roxburgh play Dracula like Robert Helpmann essaying The Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

It's daft of course, but entertainingly so.

Cool trailers too: The Day After Tomorrow, the new Harry Potter, Spider-Man 2 and I, Robot, which I haven't heard much about in the way of buzz, but looks like what it is - A Will Smith Vehicle(™).

10:06 PM | comment (0)

Genius!

This has clearly been doing the rounds, but for anyone who hasn't seen it - this is XLab's entry on the perfect way to fold a t shirt.

It's unbelieveable. And it really works.

01:41 PM | comment (1)

I Don't Think So

Following on from the announcement of the Olympic shortlist for 2012 on Tuesday, yesterday's Metro ran a quick piece on the pros and cons of the remaining candidate cities.

While acknowledging that one of London's shortcomings is that 'everything costs a fortune', it's efforts to find things wrong with the other cities veer occasionally into the entirely surreal.

I give you: New York, where "...a beer costs the earth as does a meal."

I've never heard such rubbish in my life.

10:49 PM | comment (4)

Mr Carline

Chris has 'rebranded' his site after vaguely mumbling about it for ages. It's looking all cool in blue and grey, and he's no longer 'Post Retro' - now he's Out of Sorts.

Note to self - change link text on right.

07:59 AM | comment (1)

24 Degrees

That's what the forecast says the maximum temperature in London is going to be tomorrow.

How sweaty am I going to be?

11:01 PM | comment (0)

Non-Celeb Spotting

So after a few recent close encounters with minor celebs of one kind of another (see postings passim), the bubble had to burst sooner or later.

Tonight was the night - walking up the road from the office, the dull Scots one who left the Big Brother house voluntarily a couple of years ago cycled past.

10:33 PM | comment (5)

Inconsistent, Moi?

I know I've occasionally suggested a degree of ambivalence over the subject of gay marriage, based more on my general cynicism than anything;

But this does make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

12:15 AM | comment (1)

You Know You're A Sweaty Bastard....

....when you skate for an hour and then realise that the change of clothing in your rucksack is wet, becuase the sweat from your back has made it through your t shirt and the fabric of the rucksack itself.

You also know you're a sweaty bastard when the first thing you do on arriving at the friend's you're going to for supper is ask to use their shower.

11:05 PM | comment (0)

Still Alive

I am. I have a feeling I'll be a bit achey (but not breaky) tomorrow, but just at the moment I feel quite exhilarated at having done some exercise. I know tennis season looms, so I'll be getting back into that soon enough, but today was useful.

I own up to the fact that I was unutterably rubbish when it came to the organised skate (I reckon it was the dodgy road surface that did for me), but I got back in the saddle and had another crack back at the park and did okay.

It's a thing I need to build up for, clearly, but I certainly want to give it a try.

In factm if tennis comes back on Sunday mornings as it did last year, work permitting I could be playing tennis in the mornings and skating in the afternoons.

And by the way - I didn't fall over.

10:44 PM | comment (1)

Last Will

Just a quick note to say that if I die in the next six hours I'd like all my worldly belongings to be sold off and the income to be used to keep Dillon in the manner to which she's become accustomed.

Why might I expire? Because for the first time in about seven years I'm going skating this afternoon. Not on ice, on eight wheels.

Why do I let Dave talk me into these things?

12:02 PM | comment (1)

Going Postal

Wouldn't you think, given all the bad press that the Royal Mail has received recently that they'd be making at least a token effort towards accuracy and service?

Six items crashed onto my mat this morning, and four of them were for other flats in the block. And when I got home last night the only thing that had been delivered was actually for someone in another block altogether.

Bonkers.

01:30 PM | comment (0)

There's Something About A Man In A Kilt....

....That grabs the attention.

I just got home from a night of foodage and drinkage out with Dave and Mike, and for the last part of the journey home I shared the doorway of the tube train with a man in a kilt (actually Scots, on his way home from a rugby dinner, Macintosh tartan and the full regalia to go with), and everyone was looking at him; men, women, gay, straight, it didn't matter. Everyone at some point cast a glance (or five) at him, sometimes covertly and sometimes overtly, but definitely in either case.

I'm of the school that believes a man in a kilt is inherently sexy anyway, and I confess to the occasional glance myself. And come on... a kilt-wearing rugby player? It's like all my Christmases came at once.

And of course for the first time in months I had neither my camera nor my phone with me to take a photo.

Not fair.

12:59 AM | comment (2)

Tales From The Tube (II)

While we were waiting at one of the station platforms, the driver switched on the PA system, but instead of talking to us, he was actually having a conversation with the line controller about the reason for the delay, its likely duration, whether it would be one of those progressive ones that holds you ever longer at each station, and generally trying to get a grasp of the situation "so I can keep my passengers informed".

Once he'd finished that conversation he addressed us and told us what the cause of the delay was, its likely duration, etc.

We were all killing ourselves laughing, but none of us could quite work out whether he'd done it deliberately or not.

10:47 PM | comment (0)

Tales From The Tube (I)

While stuck interminably on a train on the way home just now, I saw one of those brilliantly odd sites: a bloke in full sporty kit; shorts, gym shoes, t shirt, track suit top, with both badminton and squash raquets sticking out of his bag - sitting munching his way through a McDonalds monsterburger and large fries. I hope that drink was diet, that's all I can say.

10:42 PM | comment (1)

Been Meaning To Mention

I went and retrieved Dillon from Alison's on Sunday, after her brief holiday there for the last two weeks.

She's quite astonishing. Having settled in at Alison's in about the time it took me to unpack her bowls and toys, she proceeded to do exactly the same upon her return to mine. By the time I'd stashed the cat box back out of site, she was asleep under the table.

Of course, she then proceeded to decide she wanted to play at 2.30 in the morning, and from that point onwards I didn't really sleep until the alarm went off at 6 on Monday.

10:38 PM | comment (1)

So - That Epiphany

I'm not going to go into a lot of detail, because even after three years of blogging I have a hard time imagining that anyone's remotely interested in my personal stuff.

But a combination of things - the realisation that Chris is moving on, and has developed at least two potential new relationships during his global travels; the way I've kept turning people away before I had a chance to create something new of my own; the overwhelming sense I have that I don't deserve to be happy; loads of other things: All of this conspired to cause me to wake up to the fact (in a screamingly embarassing show of emotion in the middle of New York) that I've been sabotaging every chance I have of establishing a relationship and the potential happiness that it might offer because I've entirely convinced myself that I don't deserve it.

On some level, mostly but not entirely unconscious, I've made myself alone, because I've made myself believe that I should be.

And the epiphany is that this has to change.

I'm not saying I might not be alone in the future, but if I am it should be because of circumstance, not some weirdly masochistic sense that I have to be punished.

(So no, just to clarify, none of the suggestions people made were on the money. Though Chris's suggestion wins a prize for making me smile most.)

11:14 PM | comment (2)

The Will You'll Not Destroy

I'm the darkness in the light
I'm the leftness in the right
I'm the rightness in the wrong
I'm the shortness in the long
I'm the goodness in the bad
I'm the saneness in the mad
I'm the sadness in the joy
I'm the gin in the gin-soaked boy

Who am I?

Last track I listened to on the way home tonight.

Awesome.

10:42 PM | comment (2)

Good Words

"Garrulous" is a good word.

"perceptive" is also a good word.

I'm also thinking of "insoucient", "sinecure", "cynosure", and "intelligentsia".

Also, "inexpressible".

Loads more of course, but I'm not connecting properly right now.

10:26 PM | comment (0)

Breaking Some Silence

Yeah, I've been quiet since I got back, but I've been dealing with some very significant stuff personally (in the wake of the epiphany - I will get to it, honest), but also a stupidly busy time at work again. And I've realised that, (shock), writing up my life here has to take its turn. This blog is only a part of my life, and specifically, it's the bit which records everything else. Which means there has to be an everything else first (in both senses of the word).

BUt I've been out for some after work drinks with Dave, and I'm feeling a little garrulous, so there may be a few postings in a row here.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

10:11 PM | comment (1)

Waiter!

There's a frog in my salad.

07:52 PM | comment (0)

Epiphany In New York

I had a major moment of self-realisation last night.

Really.

Major.

I'm not sure where it leaves me, but I am sure it's in a very different place than I was in 24 hours ago.

I'm both pleased and a little bit freaked.

Almost certainly more to follow at some point.

03:32 AM | comment (5)