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Ding!

Final day on HMS President

Back from long work road trip. Heavenly.

(With awesome new JamBox in background too!)

Just had my first delivery from http://www.beerbods.co.uk/ – an
interesting beer delivered every week.

Looking fwd to trying out that Milk Stout.

I started reading the second in this series of memoirs at a friend’s house. It was so effortlessly entertaining, I thought I ought to read the first one before going any further.

Such is/was our exposure to Clive James as a talking head on TV, it’s hard not to imagine him half squinting, half smiling, narrating as you read.

The book covers his life until he reaches London and has too much childhood memories for me (kinda inevitable I suppose), but it has enough poignant insights and humour to make for an enjoyable diversion. I read most of it on a pair I long flights and that seemed quite appropriate.

Thomas Heatherwick on seeing his Olympic torch lit

Wonder if Bono hand writes a note with every CD order

One of my things is to know nothing about a book, film etc. so that I
can experience the work without prejudice and have the story revealed
to me as the author intended.

Occasionally, this brings up wonderful surprises. When I saw the
Matrix, I was stunned by the unexpected twists and turns. And of
course the Sixth Sense is so much more enthralling if you don’t
know… well, you know.

Reading Flann O’Brien’s The Third Policeman fits into the stunner
category. SPOILER ALERT. it begins as a regular, rural murder thriller
but soon turns into a trippy, bizarre, wonderful fantasy that is by
turns Paul Auster, Charles Dickens and Lewis Carroll.

Reading the publisher’s notes at the end, I’m reminded that the book
appears fleetingly in the TV series Lost. Now there’s a perfect fit.

The Queen has rock-solid genes, so I reckon the recent Diamond Jubilee
won’t be the last.

But look at the list of upcoming anniversary names. All boring.

I propose an alternative list:

70th Feta
80th Plutonium
90th Kryptonite
100th Di-lithium Crystal

We look on times gone by and are shocked at how things that would be
outrageous today were ok then – airing racist attitudes, smoking in
front of kids, drinking and driving etc.

I often wonder what things are socially acceptable today will shock
future generations. Some starters:

Dressage
– making horses dancing a sport

Home aquariums
– building tiny fish tanks into furniture as a novelty. Generally not
respecting living creatures because they’re small/mute

Separate Paralympics
– I bet both Olympics will come together and it will seem strange
they were ever apart

Red hair prejudice
– making fun of ‘gingers’

Mental health generally
– calling people nutters, people having to keep common issues secret
for fear of exclusion etc.

I love the mod-influenced logo of the Bradley Wiggins foundation

As Mo Farah wins 5,000m gold. Wonderful.

A few picks from our amazing trip to the Olympic Stadium. The whole thing was a fantastic tribute to modern, multicultural Britain. I’m an adopted Londoner, having lived here for nearly 25 years, and I’ve never been more proud of my city. 

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How awesome is this!? (thanks Fliss)

North Greenwich Arena. 30 mins to go.

One advantage of being based on a ship moored on the Thames’ Victoria Embankment is a first-rate view of anything that happens on the river. This was particularly special.

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