Cycle Route

I had a day off today so took the bike out for a ride, along with my new phone, a Samsung Tocco Icon. I really need and wanted it for the camera, both for work and pleasure. Taking pictures of my walks and explorations is a real pleasure for me, as well as the only way I can remember what I've done. I also needed a phone with access to email, which the backup phone I've being using doesn't have.

I'm not sure if I chose the right one. I liked my old phone because it had a dedicated camera button on the side of the frame, whereas this uses the touch screen. We'll see how it goes but I wonder whether I should have gone with the Sony Ericsson Mix Walkman which had such a button. I just didn't take to the user interface on the Sony.

Here's some snaps from my journey today. I started by going to Kilburn to buy some secondhand army socks. Unfortunately the shop had closed down which is a shame. They were £2 a pair and last for ages. Essential on cold working days too. From Kilburn I went down through Maida Vale, across towards Westbourne Grove where I got onto the Grand Union Canal towpath. I followed the canal up to Willesden Junction, down through Acton to Chiswick and back up through Hammersmith to Shepherd's Bush.

 

 

 

An interesting building on the corner of the curiously named  Henchman Street

 

What the Frac?

Not since the Wire have I heard so many rave reviews about a TV series as I have about Battlestar Galactica. I've been putting off watching it, partly because I loved the original and partly because I didn't want to commit too much of my spare time. I finally gave in and started watching it a few days ago. I have hardly any clue what's going on. It's not unwatchable at all but it's not engaging me the way the original series did. I still vividly remember the storyline where Starbuck was stranded after a crash with a Cylon. I seem to remember a character who represented the Devil making an appearance, complete with the inevitable British accent. I was so absorbed by that show, looked forward to it every week. The new one just seems a bit all-over-the-place; with the sleazy figment of the doctors imagination, not knowing who's a bloody Cylon and who isn't, constant flashbacks to Caprica. I'm sure I'll get into it but it's not much above background noise so far.

Good Call

I decided to take in a couple of films tonight to while away the hours. I seem to have developed a tendency to have something playing in the background of my day almost constantly. I live alone at the moment which is part of it. I get the odd visitor which is great but I do miss having other people around. Still, the grass is always greener. I'm sure I'd miss the positives of solitude if they weren't there.

Enough about my sad life anyway. The first of my double bill was Margin Call. It's a film that follows the events at a major financial firm as it dawns on them that their numbers don't add up, obviously based on the financial crisis of 2008. The ensemble cast is great. Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany and Jeremy Irons for starters, although I couldn't really get a handle on the accent of the two British actors. I think it was supposed to be mid-Atlantic. Anyway, I really enjoyed it, despite the fact that not a lot actually happens.

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The second film was Easy A, a teen comedy

from 2010 starring Emma Stone. I thought it was pretty good, laughed out loud a few times. I literally lol-ed. I heard a kid outside Westfield once, responding to his friend's joke by saying 'lol', which I thought was funny/sad. Not funny enough to lol though. Anyway,  it wasn't a masterpiece but I found it entertaining. The protagonists embarrassingly liberal parents were a highlight. Particularly Patricia Clarkson as the mother. Emma Stone was good, even if I found her acting a little weird to watch. Her performance seemed ever-so-slightly forced and her facial expressions worrying somehow. Maybe it's me. There was just an unnatural quality to it that bothered me a bit. Not nearly enough to ruin the enjoyment of the film by the way.

History

I finished another book today, just thought I'd mention it. I found this for sale at the Northampton County Tip for next to nothing and it sat unread for a good while before I made the recent decision to either read or get rid of unread books on my bookshelf.

This was diverting enough but had it's problems. The author repeats the same kind of jokes over and over again for in excess of five hundred pages. For example, quoting a historical fact and referring to something modern: The Bank of England also issued banknotes, although each one had to be handwritten until 1725, which made for quite a queue at the cashier's window. Then there's the kind of opposite joke relating something modern to something historical, like the Normans seeing a road sign for Battle and deciding to fight the Battle of Hastings there. Most of the jokes work but repeating the formula incessantly gives the book an odd feel and might get on the nerves of other less forgiving readers. By the end of the book you're pretty much guessing the jokes before the set-up even arrives.

Still, there are lots of interesting dinner party facts to take out of it and it's an easy read. I'll be giving it away though, not a keeper.

Argie Bargy

There's been a real increase in tensions between The UK and Argentina over The Falkland Islands recently. I'm no supporter of Britain's colonial past, quite the reverse. I think the first Falkland Conflict could have been avoided with better diplomacy but once Argentina invaded there was only one course of action Britain could take. The recent rhetoric by the Argentinians, however, seems to be bordering on the unhinged.

As far as I understand it Argentina's claim goes back to when the islands were considered a Spanish possession that should have come under Argentinian control after independence. This goes back to 1811. And yet Argentina continue to talk about Britain as a colonial aggressor, that Prince William will be wearing the "uniform of a conqueror" when he deploys there. There's a reason Argentinians speak Spanish, because it is a country that grew out of horrifying colonialism. If we follow their logic then 99% of the population should go back to Europe and the 1% of natives who survived the brutal genocide should get their country back. It's totally nuts. It's a made up argument just to try to bully Britain into leaving. The Falklanders have a right to self-determination without consideration to some nonsense claim dating back to before Argentina existed as a country.

Update 14-2-12 Well Sean Penn's intervention has changed everything. I'm being sarcastic but it is annoying. The rights of the Spanish colonialists to self-determination (leading to the creation of Argentina) is no different to that of the Falkland Islanders. Of course you could question the legitimacy of both from an anti-colonialist perspective but they are no different in principle. It's not as if The Falkland Islands is on Argentina's doorstep. The distance between the two territories is further than the distance from London to Paris. Which isn't to say some diplomatic compromises can't be made but ultimately the Argentinian position is about money and politics and not justice, so dialogue seems a little pointless.

A Film

I went to see The Artist today at The Coronet in Notting Hill. It's the first time I've been there which is incredible considering how long I've lived in the area. I wish I'd gone sooner, it's a lovely little place.

I'd heard a lot about the film before seeing it. I was prepared for it to be silent before going in so I didn't need the two signs warning punters there would be no spoken dialogue. Incredibly there are reports of people asking for refunds when they find out it's a silent film. Anyway, let's just say I'd been touched by the hype about the film and was half expecting it to blow my mind. It didn't. But it was a sweet, enjoyable film. The two leads were great, the dog even better, the story was clever and well thought out. I wish I'd been sitting a bit further back because I felt a bit confronted by the screen (the showing was sold out) but apart from that it was a very nice way to spend an evening with a couple of friends.

Dark Passenger

I've been working my way through back issues of Dexter, a crime series from the US. It's been going a while and initially I didn't think it was my kind of show. But with time on my hands, no-one around to share it with and wanting to take my mind of the world I thought I'd give it a try. Whether filling that hole with a subversive and gory experience like Dexter was wise is another question.

I've reached the end of Season 3 and I have slightly mixed feelings about it. It's absolutely brilliant but also incredibly dark when you sit down and think about what's going on. Is it worrying that I identify with Dexter Morgan, a serial killer, or is it just good writing? I even felt weirdly sinister as I took my binbags out today having seen Dexter using them to dispose of his victims.

The writing is very, very clever. I really liked the exploration of addiction in season 2, surpassed by some great episodes in season 3. To watch Dexter use the words of an obsessive, deranged murderer, describing her 'love' for her victim, to propose to his girlfriend was quite something. It might be a cliche to suggest it, but Dexter does serve as an effective metaphor for the dark passenger in all of us and the writing so far has been more than up to the task of exploring that in fascinating ways. The acting is great, the humour works well. I'm very impressed, but the intellectual subtlety of the thing is worrying.