book shops and the movement of time...

... not quite sure how, but whenever I step into a bookshop, time seems to pass at an alarming rate! I'm sure that I've only been there for 10 mins or so, but when I come out, I discover that over an hour has passed...

Waterstones have some of their great 3 for 2s on at the moment. I got:

Holes by Louis Schar
Girlfriend In A Coma by Douglas Coupland
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Tescopoly by Andrew Simms
Failed State by Noam Chomsky
As Used On The Famous Nelson Mandela by Mark Thomas

So that's my reading list for the next few months... now all I have to decide is which one to start first!

yay for Good Omens!

there's nothing like re-reading Good Omens when you're feeling sad about the future of the world. Yes, I still think we're all going to hell in a hand-cart, but now I find that thought quite funny!

when they came for me, there was no-one to speak out...

... a poetry professor in a small college in the Northeast decides to recycle old manuscripts and becomes an object of suspicion.

this is scary, and very sad - it just goes to show how the culture of fear that western governments and the media are peddling can only spiral downwards...

if we are fearful, we will elect them.
if we are fearful, we will buy papers.
if we are fearful, we can be controlled.


first seen on Bruce Schneier's blog.

no Mozart at the Proms...

...what is the world coming to? This evening they put all the details of the 07 season on the BBC Proms website but the only Mozart to feature is two weekday afternoon things... when they can find the time for loads of Elgar or Benjamin Britten - just not fair!

I have requested tickets for a few though - Prom 69 - Beethoven's Violin Concerto and Prom 52 - Handel and Purcell with the OAE look particularly fab!

you can request tickets here.

I am not alone!

thanks to Jude's recommendation, I am now a member a group on Facebook called "I judge you when you use poor grammar". One posting is transcript of an AIM conversation where a guy (Alex) is trying to explain some basic rules of grammar to someone. It contains the following exchange:

Anon: hey guess what
Anon: i got an acedemic award 2day
Alex: Did you spell "cat" correctly?
Anon: no
Alex: Well, at least you tried.

Genius - pure genius!

UPDATE: Sorry, just realised that the links only work if you're a member of facebook.

clever body...?

this time of year can be a challenge when it comes to deciding what to wear. The day may start off sunny, but will it last? Will I be too hot if I take a jacket to be on the safe side? Or too cold if I just go with a sun top?

well, my body has obviously thought this through and come up with a cunning solution...

to take away this dilemma, it has decided that I shall be too hot and too cold, all that the same time... yep - since Sunday, it's been hedging all bets on the weather and ensured that I get both options. Sweating whilst cold!

I've also been shaking quite a lot and not been able to hold more than half a thought in my head at once.

oh well... I assume this is one of those "two steps back" phases.

what's slightly more disconcerting is that my vocal chords seem to be getting worse again - so can everyone please "touch wood" that this doesn't turn back into full blown laryngitis again... I've had enough of that!


UPDATE (4.56am): Just seen this quote on my Google homepage:

When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers.
Oscar Wilde

mmm... I really kind of wish now that I hadn't been telling everyone that I dreamed of only needing 3 or 4 hours sleep a night (rather than the recent minimum of 12hrs)... logical conclusion of the quote - yup - you've got it: Insomnia! grrr.....

new obsession....

... I finally took Anna's advice and got hold of Season 1 of Babylon 5 (£9 on ebay!).

oh dear.

after only 4 episodes, I know that it's a new obsession. I'm going to have to get hold of all 5 series, and then get hold of lots of essays written about the series...