Thursday 2nd of September, 2010
That there was no one standing at the bus stop at the time was merely luck.
Up later than I'd like.
The weather's very pleasant, though - that September trick of having a few days of nice weather before plunging us back into cold, wet and rainy.
I pop out for a sandwich and end up having a long chat to Tony and a neighbour, partly complaining about the usual subject. The neighbour, who has been studying at South Bank University, tells me how rubbish it is - essentially cram them in, take the fees and devil-take-the-hindmost, with overcrowded classrooms, inadequate timetabling and terrible mismanagement. This doesn't surprise me - as I point out, this was an organisation that allowed a building they wanted rid of to collapse onto a bus stop. That there was no one standing at the bus stop at the time was merely luck.
In the afternoon to Walker for a meeting. I like going to meetings occasionally as it makes me feel like a grown-up. Also deliver the job I did for Ben. Then Tesco to buy some bread, then home to make lentil-and-chorizo soup and wonder about video cameras.
Tuesday 31st of August, 2010
I might as well be a spaniel
Suprisingly productive day. I even seem to be writing a diary entry after almost two months.
Up a bit late, actually, then sit. Foot hurting a bit - not debilitating, but nagging, sort of like an aggressively sarcastic sidekick - and kneeling turns that up a bit. Still. After that breakfast, and then a lot of messages that someone was trying to send me last night come at the same time. It's quite difficult to work out a chronology, especially as many of them are duplicates, so I write a reply with my telephone number in it and wait.
Go off to the shopping centre to get money, thereby missing my visitors (who arrive by car, which I'd not been expecting), but eventually we meet up and have a nice cappucino and a chat at the Art Cafe, down the road. Good to speak in person, as technology hasn't been helping, really.
After that, I take the train to Kingston, to drop off my accounts. I usually do this very (almost too) late, so it feels very good to have done it now. They seem quite pleased to see me. I take such pleasure in officially being a good boy, I might as well be a spaniel.
Then back on the train and to Walker. I had two cups of coffee with breakfast, two at the cafe and one on the train, so I'm speeding quite a lot now. Some Maisy tweaks, and Ben briefs me on a job I can start tomorrow. Hooray.
Home quite late, dinner, playing guitar and a bit of research into the melodic minor, about which it's not possible to know too much. Or perhaps it is possible, but something I'm not currently in danger of doing.
Oh, and the toast. So goodbye August. You were cold and wet, and trying too hard to be September. September can now be itself.
Sunday 4th of July, 2010
I want to see the flying robot creatures
Up at 7:00-ish, sit, run, shower and to the supermarket. While I'm running, the sky is totally cloudless, which is nice. Back from the supermarket, make and have breakfast.
At 12-ish, go for a walk with H - Up to the Embankment, then along to the RFH. It's all very crowded now, interesting to compare with 7:30 this morning. I want to see the flying robot creatures, but they're doing special shows, and the next one is at 15:30, so.
H suggests a glass of sherry, so we walk over to Gordon's and spend a very pleasant hour or so sitting outside drinking a schooner of amontillado very slowly. In the theatre in the park there's a band attempting to begin. When we've finished our drinks we sneak over there to have a look. One guitarist is finding it impossible to tune (he appears not to have heard of electronic guitar tuners), and at full volume, the drummer is playing randomly and occasionally the other players make random noises as well. It really is quite horrible, and probably not supposed to be like that. I'm faintly curious to find out what they sound like, but not so much that I'm impelled to stay. Someone else wanders in and asks whether this is what it's supposed to sound like. I reply that it depends on whether you're a Wire subscriber or not.
Back to the RFH, where the robot show now appears to be 17:30, so we give up and go home.
Lunch, then I lie down for a bit, then finish off the fonts I've been doing, then dinner (lunch and dinner weren't that close together in real life), then watch The City of Lost Children on DVD.
Sunday 27th of June, 2010
more living-room-esque
Up early for a Sunday and go for a run in the sunshine, which is nice (it's still not that hot at 8:00-ish), home, shower, then to the supermarket. Abortive attempt at a walk, though do watch the river for a bit.
In the afternoon and evening: Put translucent film on the kitchen window while the England v Germany match is on (England aren't very good, are they? It's a shame); lunch, then put translucent film on the living room window (technically they're the same room, but one window is kitchenier and the other is more living-room-esque), then have dinner and watch Argentina v Mexico, which is more like it, or, as H says, "proper football";
Then watch Stevie Wonder at Glastonbury on the TV.
Thursday 24th of June, 2010
now occupied by refugee stuff
Up at 6:00, sit, breakfast. No run today - don't want to strain my foot again.
Some dithering in the morning, mostly listening to the builders talking amongst themselves. I think they know I'm at home (I heard one say that a large filthy mark on the window should be cleaned off "while he's there", which suggests that if I was out they'd leave it), but I don't think they know I can hear everything they're saying. There seems to be one guy who knows what he's doing and a bunch of others that he has to explain everything to in minute detail. I don't know whether that's par for the course or not.
Some font work in the afternoon, with a break to watch the end of the endless tennis match.
In the evening watch Japan roundly defeat Denmark (quite exciting, actually), and then retire to the bedroom to do some bits and pieces and, finally, destroy the shelving (which also holds the computer, monitors, other monitors that are actually speakers and everything else. It takes about an hour to extricate, and the area of floor in the living room I cleared this morning is now occupied by refugee stuff from the bedroom. Such is the way, I suppose.
Wednesday 23rd of June, 2010
It's been mostly scraping so far, anyway.
Up, sit, breakfast, wave H off, run, shower, dress.
There are workmen outside on the scaffolding, which makes me at least moderately self-conscious. I'd like to think when all this is done, everything will be fine, but I worry, partly because I can hear their conversation and I heard one chap tell another chap "just mix it up like Polyfilla". Last time they were all Polish, so I avoided all that. Ho hum. It's been mostly scraping so far, anyway.
After lunch, rather than staring at the screen not sure what to do, I went for a walk - all the way to Oxford Street. I come back with three second-hand ties, a loofah mitt, a lemon, a lime and a pack of halloumi. I also saw the iPad for the first time, but there were too many people in the Apple Store to allow me to pick one up. Good thing too. Don't want to fall foul of TECHNOLUST.
Make dinner (I'd conjectured that as Prawns and Avocado was nice, and Halloumi and Avocado was nice, all three would be very nice. And I was right), then stumble upon the longest tennis match of all time. When we start watching it was already at nine hours, and we watch it for an hour.
Some small bits and pieces. Still not sure what to do with the thing I wasn't sure what to do with so I went for a walk. Perhaps that will necessitate another walk. Perhaps walking won't help.
I wonder if that tennis match will finish tomorrow.
Tuesday 22nd of June, 2010
why pass up an opportunity to take offence at the opinions of an inanimate object?
Up, sit, breakfast, wave H off to work, run, home, shower. The first run in a while - feels good, but also feels faster, and since I get home in about the same time as usual, can't be faster, really.
In the morning set to editing the stuff I recorded last week. However, the audio is too reverberant and hollow sounding (and distorts), and the video isn't of the quality I'd like it to be, partly because of the lighting. I realise that I'm going to have to do it again. Ho hum.
In the afternoon, I pay a cheque into the bank, and deliver Ben's microphone to him at Walker. While I'm there I chat to Viv and mention the need to re-record (among other things), which thankfully she's up for.
Walk home via the supermarket, where I stock up on supplies. The self-service check-out doesn't seem to like me, calling for help every time I put something in my rucksack.
(Actually it doesn't like the rucksack, but why pass up an opportunity to take offence at the opinions of an inanimate object?)
Home, cook, watch the football (rooting for Argentina versus Greece), then look at the other stuff I shot last week, about which I feel much better.
