I was in London
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 ~ No comments yet
And there I met some people I know, and some I don’t know, and hobnobbed with celebrities (not really), and ate and drank and walked about a lot and even went and stood in a big black box that was very very dark indeed.
The main reason I was in London was to attend a book launch, at the Groucho club. You know, the ones celebrities (and as it turns out, non-celebrities) fall out of a lot. The book in question was Girl with a One Track Mind Exposed which is a most excellent, moving and filthy read. It also marks the second time I’ve been mentioned in a book (in the Acknowledgements no less!) which was something I only found out on Monday night at the launch itself and which I’ll happily confessed I’m hugely touched and honoured by.
The party was fun and after arriving a little later than others (and spoiling their moment) much free drink and merriment was had. Obligatory name dropping follows. I didn’t talk to either Ben Miller (of Armstrong & Miller), David Mitchell (of Mitchell & Webb), Jay Rayner (of Claire Rayner’s womb), or Heather Brooke (of that whole MP expense scandal (as in she worked on it, not was involved in it) at least I think it was her).
There may have been other celebrities/people who have been on TV there but I’m terrible with names. I’m pretty bad at keeping up with people at the best of times, this is something made a lot hard when said people are bloggers, so I hope my surprise at hearing that two bloggers whom I’ve read for many years are, completely unbeknownst to me, happily married was taken as exactly that. I really wasn’t kidding, I didn’t have a clue.
There is a tale involving David Mitchell but I’ll let the perpetrator tell it. I did feel a bit sorry for the parties involved, a bit. And as usual it was good to put names to faces, although I do now wish I’d been wearing a cravat…
Tuesday and I spent the day wandering random parts of London, stopping off for a quick perusal of a large steel box in the Tate Modern. I’m still very much in the learning phase of ‘art’ and perhaps I should’ve taken mike up on his offer of spending sometime wandering the Gorky exhibition. It was via Twitter that he realised we were both there at the same time, but I didn’t want to intrude on his day too much and I was also quite enjoying wandering about on my own .. another time though, I do badly need educated on that whole ‘art’ thing (hmmm, perhaps I should stop ‘quoting’ it like that for starters).
And then to the National Film Theatre bar where I spent a quite hour nursing sore feet and a large gin and tonic, and waited for a very random group of wonderful and most excellent people who I’m still amazed can be arsed to trawl to a somewhat hard to find bar just because I’ve said I’m there. It still baffles me somewhat and I console myself be remembering that they are all there to see everyone, and that I’m more than happy to be the catalyst for such an event, rather than the main attraction (god forbid!).
All in all a good couple of days in London, which was all down to the company I kept. You guys are fantastic.
Change of Venue
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 ~ No comments yet
Survived last nights party, just, and now I’m ready for more!
Having now had a look at the bar we had arranged to meet in, think it will be better in the National Film Theatre bar (the one round the back not the one facing the water). It’s only 2 mins from the previous suggestion but bit better atmosphere.
Hope to see you there, anytime after 5.
Hit and Run (and party)
Friday, March 5, 2010 ~ 3 comments so far
I must be getting old, life seems to be speeding up. I remember thinking, yesterday, that I should really post something here and I’ve only just realised that wasn’t yesterday it was Monday, which is four days ago.
Bad blogger!
Work (capital W) continues to suck a lot of my energy but I’m still enjoying it so that is far from a complaint. The other work (small w) is also starting to pile up so I’ve gone for a divide and conquer approach, also known as “they can chase me if they really want something done”.
Elsewhere life continues, and I can happily report that the new car is great. It’s very nice to drive and has a much better ride than the Civic had, I am missing the 2.2 litre turbodiesel though! I’m still getting to grips with all the voice commands mind you but that’s all part of the fun.
Speaking of fun, I will be launching myself in the general direction of London next week. I’ve been invited to a book launch party (what WILL I wear! Seriously, WHAT WILL I WEAR!!) on Monday, and I will be wandering the streets of said city on Tuesday (anything good I should visit?). I’m planning to be in the Royal Festival Hall bar on Tuesday evening from around 5.30pm and as I’d rather not sit there and drink alone I’d like to invite you all to come along and ply me with alcohol. That’d be great, thanks.
The Batmobile
Monday, March 1, 2010 ~ 9 comments so far
Also known as a Ford Fiesta Titanium, 1.6 TDCi, with Tech Pack (bluetooth, USB port, keyless entry and ignition) and Body Styling kit (front, rear and side skirts). Got about £3.5k off list price.
Harsh Beauty
Thursday, February 25, 2010 ~ 2 comments so far
The snow has turned to slush, that most dreaded of underfoot conditions. Yet there are small patches of white clinging to the bushes and peppering the fields.
The morning light is cold and thin, leaving everything dull and flat.
Yet there is still a stark beauty at play, a clean harshness that I find attractive. It’s similar to those magazine shots of a white room, minimally decorated. It speaks of open places, clean slates, blank canvases.
It is a bit of a bugger to drive in though.
The need for speed
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 ~ 2 comments so far
How fast do you drive? At present I have a powerful car, which I admit I drive too fast. I like to think I’m pretty careful, I’m not doing 60mph past schools or anything, but if the road is clear, and conditions are good my right foot does tend to get quite heavy.
And I’m really not all that sorry about it. Irresponsible? Occasionally. Human? Undoubtedly. It’s not something I’m proud to admit but there you have it.
Part of the attraction is the thrill. There is a feeling of being alive that can be obtained which is similar to (but not as intense as) riding a rollercoaster, and isn’t that one of the things that defines us? Our drive towards emotion? It’s why people throw themselves down icy mountains on flimsy pieces of moulded glass fibre, or disappear into uncharted territories full of nasty beasties and big scary monsters, it’s all done in the name of emotion and that wonderful adrenalin rush that comes from pushing things to the edge of your control.
God, I sound like some hopped-up loony, driving at 100mph every chance I get. I’m not, honest. I top out about 90…
In all seriousness, being a responsible adult (stop laughing at the back!) means that there is a constant battle when these situations arise. The emotion-driven part of me strives for more, faster, higher, closer to the edge, the rational part of me senses the danger and the safety mechanisms kick in. Partly fear, partly self-preservation, it rails against adrenalin, and endorphin.
I know I’m not alone in this respect, that with middle-age approaching and the tendency for life to start to slow down kicking in, driving a car is sometimes the only place where such vicarious thrills can be saught. Perhaps I should’ve gotten into more outdoor based sports like caneoing which I enjoyed, I’m sure I would get a similar thrill, blasting down a fast flowing river. Man versus nature and all that.
Alas we all live in a society and as such need to obey the rules, which means being sensible, colouring between the lines, and following a set of principles.
Or you could bend the rules a little, occasionally let the urge to be silly take over, and slap bright dabs of your favourite colour wherever you damn well like.
After all, life is about living.
Second biggest purchase
Friday, February 19, 2010 ~ 5 comments so far
That’s my car. An ‘06 plate, Honda Civic 2.2TDi ES model. It’s a wonderful car to drive, with a very good engine and a good level of equipment. The reason I have a diesel is because of the high mileage we do, about 380 miles a week, and it was supposed to be cheaper in the long run and, well, it might’ve been but for one thing.
Being the ‘first’ of the new model Civic, it’s fair to say that the car has been plagued by a lot of small niggles. On average it’s been back at the garage about once every two months and whilst a lot of the work was carried out under warranty (and some was, I admit, my own fault as it’s the most powerful car I’ve ever owned and I did… er… ‘over’ drive it on occasion) it’s not out of warranty and the niggles keep on coming.
Time for a change then, but what?
I’m tempted to get a newer Civic, with the presumption that the niggles have been ironed out. Honda have a good reputation for build quality because they do change production to take account of these things, so it’s a reasonable bet that if I did get another Civic, it wouldn’t give me half as many problems as the current car has.
But with fuel prices continuing to bubble upwards, perhaps now is a good time to look at some of the ‘Eco’ cars. The VW Golf BlueMotion gets a good write up (better than the Prius or Focus) but is still quite pricey. The Honda Insight is a proper Hybrid (the BlueMotion is a diesel with ’smart’ technology to help boost MPG), which again makes it pricey and by GOD it’s ugly!
So I started looking at smaller cars. The Fiat 500 to begin with, which is super cute but just too small for the amount of travelling I do, I need something comfy. The Fiesta gets good reviews all over the place, and it’s looking like that might be the best option.
Ultimately, it’s about money. The monthly cost of ownership is key, and I’d like to lower my monthly payments as well as get a car that will help minimise ‘running costs’. Which brings me to the Kia Cee’d, which gets reasonable reviews, has a good level of equipment and has a seven year warranty. Seven years!
It’s a bloody minefield though and I’m still searching and comparing all sorts, with a reference copy of AutoExpress at my side. Perhaps that Skoda Octavia is the best bet after all?