Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[DaveShoelace]

Read any good books lately Teeks?

I've had this bias with books over the last few years of 'anything written before 2014 is outdated and irrelevant' and also that fiction is a waste of time, so to go against that bias I'm going to read stuff written 20 years ago or longer, and also read some of the classics of fiction, this is my current list of read/to read:

Somewhat embarrassingly I read Brave New World for the first time the other day and I've had more time than you. Main highlight was finding song titles and relatively recent cultural reference points from movies in the words too., decent enough yarn as well.

I was more impressed than entertained by Brave New World, that book was written in the 30s but I think he was spot on with predicting we would all end up consuming ourselves to death. 1984 I think is a masterpiece though (it often gets compared to BNW as the definitive dystopian book).

[nirvana]

Read any good books lately Teeks?

I've had this bias with books over the last few years of 'anything written before 2014 is outdated and irrelevant' and also that fiction is a waste of time, so to go against that bias I'm going to read stuff written 20 years ago or longer, and also read some of the classics of fiction, this is my current list of read/to read:

Somewhat embarrassingly I read Brave New World for the first time the other day and I've had more time than you. Main highlight was finding song titles and relatively recent cultural reference points from movies in the words too., decent enough yarn as well.

I was more impressed than entertained by Brave New World, that book was written in the 30s but I think he was spot on with predicting we would all end up consuming ourselves to death. 1984 I think is a masterpiece though (it often gets compared to BNW as the definitive dystopian book).

Yep, agree with yr view on this - added bonus to being impressed was feeling worthy too (for me anyway). I read 1984 at the height of the cold war and the bleakness, despair and darkness of the whole piece resonated hugely with me at the time and left a long lasting impression.

[hhyftrftdr]

I don't wanna get that ticker too excited but.....

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/london-tokyo-train-link-8400-mile-route-new-railway-trans-siberian-uk-japan-a7935961.html?cmpid=facebook-post

[tikay]

I saw this astonishing photograph on Paul Pitchford's Twitter feed.

It shows traffic leaving Miami on I-95, ahead of Hurricane Irma.

The authorities reversed the flow on the inbound side so that all lanes are available to traffic leaving Miami.

That's 18 lanes of traffic there. Not sure I'd like to be in that lot - imagine the queue for gas or a wee at Service Stations. And where are they all going?

[tikay]

A good week for the Royal Family, as Lady Cambridge announces she is with child. Perfectly wonderful news.

blonde possesses a few Royal haters, but the vast majority of blonde, & the UK, adore our Royals, & quite right too. The haters should think themselves lucky that Her Maj does not have them beheaded. She can you know, it's a crime to be a traitor, & anyway, they said as much on Blackadder.


 

Click to see full-size image.

[tikay]

Boy George started school, too.

It does not seem 5 minutes since Tips for tikay was betting on the colour of the unborn George's hair, & name. God Bless him.

Think he looks pretty cute here, & I loved the photo where he was shaking hands with his school teacher. I've met 20 & 30 year olds who have not yet learnt the value, benefit & manners of shaking hands upon first acquaintance of a stranger.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

[TightEnd]

meanwhile

geek out time

http://election-data.co.uk/how-many-passengers-go-through-our-train-stations

[tikay]

Whilst we are on the subject of astonishing photographs, how about this for a crackerjack? Mr Photoshop had no input either, it's the real deal.

Click to see full-size image.

What was going off? The tale of woe is here;



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Normandie






Only a few weeks earlier, the world's three largest Cruise Liners - SS Normandie, Queen Mary & Queen Elizabeth had all been berthed next to each other in New York, seemingly safe from Germany's bombs & U-Boats. Another extraordinary image.

Click to see full-size image.

[tikay]

meanwhile

geek out time

http://election-data.co.uk/how-many-passengers-go-through-our-train-stations

Good work Tighty, good work. More & more people love trains, see?

I wonder who put all that info together, & what he does in his spare time?

[hhyftrftdr]

C5 7pm tonight might be of mild interest to you.

It's not even celeb bb.

[tikay]

7pm tonight might be of mild interest to you.

It's not even celeb bb.

Percy is referring to "Britain's Greatest Bridges".

http://www.channel5.com/show/britains-greatest-bridges/

A really good series, spoilt for me only by the Presenter Rob Bell. I'm sure Rob is only doing what his Producer tells him, but he dumbs everything down. Pretty sure Rob would make an ideal Presenter for Crackerjack, or something similar aimed at pre-adolescents.

His previous series was also very interesting, about the London Underground, a fascinating subject that needs a lot to ruin it, but again, it was all dumbed down to a level that was exasperating.

Click to see full-size image.

[tikay]

I must have been playing golf about the same time as that bloke has been birding and I've never had a hole-in-one despite playing to a decent standard.

Having read that I feel that there's still hope that one day my golf ball will get it's major find.

Keep plugging away, Ralph, you'll do it eventually.

I've often thought that, if say, we were given an unlimited supply of attempts, anyone could hit a hole in one - eventually.

I think, if you had 1,000 attempts, back to back, one after the other, I'd back the Unders. Whereas if I had to attempt it, take the Overs on 10,000. I'd do it eventually though - almost anyone would.   

[tikay]

https://www.bulkpowders.co.uk/complete-greens.html?view=ppc&pid=3366&gclid=Cj0KCQjwoZTNBRCWARIsAOMZHmHNYa9B-1-KZn0jdIzZ2BkWo06vuWrz3Wpqgk2fbyCpsro3faSwkpkaAmKUEALw_wcB

Did you look at the ingredients in that stuff, Tom?

Spinach

Broccoli

Kale

Barley Grass

Wheatgrass

Watercress

Carrot

Yucca Root (no doubt tastes like it sounds)

Alfalfa Sprouts

Soy Sprouts

Kelp

Herbs

Thyme



Err, think I'll pass on that.

If anyone knows of any of these health powders that contain essence of burgers, chips, sticky buns & the like, let me know. 

[tikay]

Had a really lovely weekend.

Gill came down, & by way of a celebratory treat, we reversed roles. Usually, I arrange the surprise trips, book the train tickets, organise everything, but Gill insisted she wanted to do it this weekend, so she arranged a sort of magical mystery trip & I was kept in the dark.

Click to see full-size image.

I can read her like a book, though, so I knew exactly what she had planned - Afternoon Tea at The Wolseley, on Piccadilly.

And I was 100% right. Except it was not The Wolseley, it was The Café Royal, on Regent Street.

Was bloody lovely, too.

As we approached, we saw a whole fleet of shiny black Mercs, Rolls Royce's & Ferrarri's parked outside, chaueffeurs awaiting.

Inside, The Café Royal was everything I ever thought it would be, all glittering gold leaf & shiny mirrors. The Afternoon Tea was top notch. Fearfully expensive, obscenely so really, but it was an occasion, & worth every penny to me.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

The Menu had "O.W.B" embossed on the cover, & I made a twat of myself by asking the waitress what O.W.B. stood for. Anyone with the first idea would have known it stood for Oscar Wilde Bar, as Mr Wilde was famously associated with the Cafe Royal.

Click to see full-size image.

They had a piano player bloke, too, black chap with an attitudey trilby hat, & Gill had arranged for him to play a tune especially for me, at exactly the moment the waitress delivered this (below) to the table. 

The whole room watched, & then clapped, & I'm afraid I made a bit of a fool of myself, & got all emotional. I sort of imagined everyone looking at me & thinking "ahh, poor old sod piping his eye, lost his marbles, they do at that age you know". Not far wrong, I fancy.

Click to see full-size image.

[tikay]

Then, on Sunday, I was banned from the kitchen, then I was summoned downstairs & arrived to find all this.

More uncontrollable emotions. I swear I'm losing the plot, I never used to be that emosh.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.