Duncan Cookson

Dark Passenger

2012-01-23T01:33:00.003Z

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.

This Time it's Personal

2012-01-14T19:06:00.004Z

I've been using Tesco Holland Park for about five or six years. I live in the area and stop off there nearly every day. For the first few years that I shopped there I bought alcohol without being challenged, which isn't surprising because I am a 36 year old man. People always tell me I look younger than that, which actually bothers me a bit. My fear is that my youthful looks reflect an immaturity which embarrasses me. That being said I don't look 17, I don't even look 24 (in terms of a Think 25 policy).

All of a sudden, about a year ago, one of the staff members who'd previously sold me alcohol without problem started to ask me for ID. Since then she has challenged me every single time. Each time I would tell her my age or date of birth and she would relent without me having to produce any ID. None of the other members of staff have ever asked, in fact noone has asked me for ID for longer than I can remember. Today I got annoyed when she asked me yet again when trying to buy a Crabbies. Although thousands go through that store every day, I would expect her to remember a regular customer she challenged after the 4th or 5th time of asking. So I told her not to be stupid. One of the other staff on the till was laughing at the situation. She called the manager and he apologetically claimed that I couldn't be served because she didn't believe I was over 18. Her opinion seemingly having more weight than that of any other, including his. This was made all the more galling by virtue of having to watch a girl who was borderline, to say the least, being approved alcohol at one of the self-service tills, where I, a bearded man with greying hair, had to explain myself after a long day to a couple of clowns on the till. I had no ID so had to buy some beer down the road.

I can't explain this. The only thing I can come up with, without being too paranoid, is that she has a cultural problem identifying the age of Caucasians in the same way that I might with Oriental people. After all, she has no reference points in terms of work colleagues because I can't remember ever seeing a white person working there. It's an amazing coincidence, especially considering the more balanced ethnic make-up of staff at the Waitrose and Morrisons stores down the road, that the recruitment process hasn't thrown the occasional honky into the mix. It's almost like there's some kind of ethnic bias or something. Weird.

Anyway, it also has to be said that she has a few odd nervous ticks which might indicate some underlying issues. She mutters to herself and behaves in a slightly weird way, which is why I cut her some slack when she challenged me before. But I was tired and irritated and complained about it this time. Lets see if I hear back.

*UPDATE 15-01-11 They called me back today which is quite impressive customer service. They are forwarding my email to the store manager.

Eggs 4 Headz

2012-01-12T20:45:00.003Z

It seems that science has emphatically proved the health benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids. Unfortunately I hate fish. I think it tastes rotten and poisonous, which is strange because if it was so good for you then the human body should have evolved to like the taste of it. Mine doesn't so maybe I have a recessive taste gene or something. I'm also a vegetarian so even if I liked the taste of it I wouldn't eat it.

Unfortunately the evidence for the benefits is so overwhelming that, my life being what it is, I can do with all the nutritional help I can get. I tried vegan omega 3 supplements from algae but they also repeated a fishy taste like the conventional fish oil supplements. So I tried these eggs and they're delicious. I'm aware that the chickens are fed some fishy stuff to produce the dha-rich eggs, which has implications for a vegetarian purist, but I'm doing pretty well at sticking to the regime in most other ways. If I found out that vegetarianism was bad for me I'd stop; ultimately my health is more important.

Enthralled and Disappointed

2012-01-10T17:54:00.006Z

I heard about this show (Bored to Death) on the Too Beautiful to Live podcast and eventually checked it out. It's a sitcom featuring Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifianakis and Ted Danson in the main roles; all actors whose work I've enjoyed in the past. The situation for the comedy is that Schwartzman's character is a struggling writer who gets dumped by his girlfriend and decides to become a private detective. Zach Galifianakis plays his oddball friend and Ted Danson plays a father figure and head of a newspaper that employs him.

I really, really liked it. It has a gentle pace to it which I like, with clever lines and slapstick moments living easily side-by-side. The post title is a quote from the first episode, taken out of context, to illustrate my feelings about it. I was enthralled by the show and disappointed that it was cancelled after just three seasons. I didn't think that it was getting weaker and it saddens me to think a solid sitcom like this couldn't survive. Anyway, check it out.

Orange Revolution

2012-01-02T22:16:00.004Z

I finished a book, something to celebrate these days. It's a history of the Glorious Revolution, when the Catholic King James II was replaced with the Dutch stadtholder William and his wife Mary in 1688. It's a fascinating story and one not really covered by my history lessons at school.

Worried about a Catholic royal line, influential Protestants in England grew increasingly concerned about the pro-Catholic actions of James II. In Holland, the stadholder (head of state) William III was worried about the growing French threat and the potential loss of a Protestant ally. His wife was the daughter of James II and therefore was in the line of succession. Cutting a long story short, William invaded and was subsequently prounced joint-monarch with his wife.

I've always found the history of the Monarchy fascinating, I did a big project on it in junior school and won a prize. I think. I spent hours on it. This particular episode is interesting for several reasons. In being handed the throne, William accepted an increase in the power of Parliament, which paved the way for the constitutional monarchy we have to this day. It could have prevented a Catholic royal line, but could also have prevented an English or British Republic. There was a Republican movement in England, not long after Cromwell, that could have used James II's unpopularity to overthrow the monarchy altogether.

Very interesting. Which is why this book didn't join the number of unfinished (or unread) books that occupy my bookshelf.

Arresting Development

2012-01-01T20:49:00.002Z

It seems that Obama has managed to do what Bush II never could, he's signed a bill into law that will allow him to detain anyone in the world, including US citizens, indefinitely and without trial. He apparently 'wanted' to veto it but didn't. So there it is. Change has come to America.

Read about it here. Other news sources are available.

Her?

2011-12-31T15:11:00.003Z

It seems to have become a Christmas tradition for me to watch the three seasons of Arrested Development over the festive period. Well, I've done it two years in a row now, maybe not a tradition just yet. Still, unless my social , family and romantic life improves dramatically over the next twelve months, I'm booking it in for next year too.

It comforts me. I was lucky enough to catch the series first time around on the BBC which meant I'd bonded with it before the ensuing hype got a chance to put me off. It's nice to have a surrogate family to spend time with during the Christmas period that is more predictable and less dysfunctional than my own. I'm aware how sad that is.

It's also hilarious, that kind of goes without saying. It must be the most quotable TV show of all time. I'm not going to pick a favourite because I can't. If you haven't seen it, you must...

I read about a project by Will Arnett and Mitchell Hurwitz (both Arrested Development alumni) called Running Wilde that had run on Fox in 2010. It's pretty funny but also flawed, and you can see why it was cancelled after just 13 episodes. That doesn't mean there aren't some great lines and things to take out of it but there are too many problems. It's kind of all over the place in terms of pace, structure and style. Peter Serafinowicz's character, for example, is one from a skit not a sitcom. In fact it's borderline weird and not in a good way. The whole thing's a little too wacky, a bit like Arrested Development when it started to lose its way, so when there are moments of supposed honesty or tenderness it just jarred. I think it needed the characters to be a little more real and maybe some different plot strands and a larger cast. Most of the actors do a decent job with what they're given, however, and I thought Stefania Owen, the actress who played the narrator Puddle (pictured above), was very good and could have a bright future. She had some great comic facial expressions in response to all the sillyness and good, natural comic timing too. So not bad but not a classic. It gave me some laughs and you can't say fairer than that.

Nut Boast

2011-12-25T16:58:00.002Z

The Christmas dinner is always a tricky one for vegetarians. Last year we went for a risotto which worked well but this year I wanted to have roasted vegetables involved. So I browsed around for a nut roast and found this one posted on the River Cottage website. I liked it because it seemed simple, without too many ingredients to buy, and featured the cashew, my joint-favourite nut, and the reliably delicious butternut squash. It was really nice. I used rosemary as a flavouring, instead of sage and nutmeg. There were some roasted vegetables on the side and an experiment with chinese-style broccoli cooked in coconut oil which was okay but not something I would do again. I didn't think the oriental flavours went perfectly with the rosemary flavour of the vegetables and nut roast. Still, my mum and lovely neighbour Åsa seemed to enjoy it and a pleasant evening was had by all. I should have taken a picture of the meal really. If you want to try a nut roast you could do a lot worse than this one.

King's Ginger

2011-12-23T15:13:00.002Z

I was working on St. James's Street this week and there was a posh wine shop opposite called Berry, Bros. & Rudd. I went in and they had a promotion for a liqueur called The King's Ginger. It was super delicious. It's more subtle than you'd expect, the ginger flavour balanced well with the other flavours. It cost about £20 for a 50cl bottle so not too dear for a Christmas treat. They also gave me a free empty wine crate to use as a veg box. Result.

Three Degrees of Funny

2011-10-21T09:55:00.003+01:00

So I listen to NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! every week. It's a panel news quiz and, like The Daily Show, is a lighthearted way to keep up with US-based news. The panellists are all really good and I googled one of them, Luke Burbank, who was introduced as having a podcast.

I was in the market for a new comedy podcast after Collins and Herring's falling out. I actually thought it was on the cards from the first time I heard them. Creative partnerships are hard to maintain, and, because the act was based on a lot of funny insults, usually at Collins' expense, someone was bound to get the hump sooner or later. I wouldn't have thought we'd see them in action together again but then if The Stone Roses can get back together...

Anyway Luke Burbank. His podcast is called Too Beautiful To Live and it's good, gently humorous fun. He likes his funny little audio clips and one of them seemed like it was from a show so I googled the line of dailogue to see what it was. Turns out it was from an animated series called Archer and I made a mental note to check it out later. As I continued to listen to the podcast, something about it started to remind me of Dr Katz, a hilarious animated short from years ago. Maybe it was Burbank's style or sense of humour, I wasn't sure. In particular the character of Ben, Dr Katz's childish son, came to mind.

So then I investigated Archer. I love it by the way. It turns out that the main character is voiced by H. Jon Benjamin, who also did the character of Ben in Dr Katz. Maybe my subconscious recognised the voice from the audio clip which is why I kept thinking about the character, or maybe Burbank and Benjamin really do have similar styles. I thought it was interesting anyway. And Dr Katz was produced by a company from Burbank, California. Spooky.

Hail to the Cheese!

2011-10-10T14:24:00.001+01:00

So I'm a vegetarian. I'm not fanatical about it but I try to do the best I can. It's hard enough giving up bacon, roast chicken and the rest but when I found out Parmesan isn't kosher that was a slap in the face. So for a while I pretty much didn't eat it except occasionally when dining out or at friends when I wasn't going to make a fuss about it. But now, ladies and gentlemen, Sainsbury's has come to the rescue.

They've already got kudos from me for the Taste the Difference Multiseeded Loaf which is gorgeous bread. So now, at the other end of the scale, appears the Sainburys Basics Italian Hard Cheese. It looks like Parmesan, tastes like Parmesan (to my English palate anyway), grates like Parmesan...and it's vegetarian. Sweet.

Flashback

2011-09-22T20:57:00.004+01:00

I had an unpleasant eBay experience today. I wanted to get rid of an old DJ mixer that had been taken apart and never put back together. I took it apart to fix it about seven years ago after it had fallen down the stairs and lost a few buttons. Then I lost interest in the project, leaving it in a cupboard at my mum's until a few weeks ago when I collected it. Rather than throwing it away I thought I'd put it on eBay so that it wouldn't go to waste.

The post office at Shepherd's Bush is a nightmare, plus I didn't want to carry it all the way down there, so I listed it as collect only. Three days later it had sold for the grand total of £2.20, still a bonus considering I was going to throw it out. I got an email in the evening from the buyer saying he'd come round at 11am the next day. I wasn't working so I was pretty pleased about that, gave him all the instructions and went to bed.

The next morning, 11am came and went, no buyer. So after 45 minutes I called and, after taking a minute to realise who I was, he claimed he'd forgotten all about the email after a long day and he'd call me back in half an hour to rearrange. Half an hour came and went, no call. So after well over an hour I sent him a text saying I was going out and to contact me when he had a plan. He texted me back saying he was busy, could I post it? By this time I was getting annoyed. I texted him to say I'd post it for £20 given that it would be hassle and wasn't what we arranged. He didn't want to do that so he said he'd arrange a courier as soon as possible. I told him to make it as soon as possible because I was irritated that he hadn't met me or called me when he said I would.

That's when the trouble started. I got the full chav, both barrels, down the phone. I was a prick, no-one said that kind of thing to him. What's my problem, he had things to do, didn't give a shit about a £2.20 mixer, I was lucky he wasn't going to come down there etc etc. He didn't say bruv at any point, though, which was a blessing. Probably because he was from Dunstable. So that was the end of that. I also had things to do and didn't care about £2.20.

Here's why it's interesting to me. The reason the mixer had been neglected for so long was because I had become disillusioned with the club scene and was therefore never motivated to fix it. I got tired of the aggravation. I got tired of unreliable people whose lives centered around drugs and sex and who lurched from one drama to another. People with whom you never knew where you stood. So it's funny that in dragging out the mixer and trying to do the decent thing I got a reminder of what I'd been missing. Cosmic.

The mixer went into the electronics recycling bin on Portobello Road.

2011-09-13T00:04:00.001+01:00

I had a job today as an usher at a symposium hosted at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Center. It was called the Think Asia, Think Hong Kong symposium; essentially encouraging trade between the UK and Hong Kong. It was okay. I quite enjoyed the work, up until the last hour when I got annoyed at one of my supervisors. She hadn't shown up the previous day to take us through our roles and on the day I was waiting for her for a good forty-five minutes before she decided to turn up. Having realised she hadn't reserved the front row, she took me off door duty and made me turf everybody out of their seats on the front row while she looked on. Then when I'd finished doing her dirty work she stepped in to greet the VIPs. I didn't like that.

One of the VIPs was Jimmy Choo who was clearly nervous and gave an almost unintelligible talk. Still he stayed for a long time at the end to talk and press the flesh and have his photo taken which was great. I also buried the hatchet with my supervisor and survived the shock and embarrasment of having a friend from my past, who was clearly doing a lot better than I, show up at the talk. He was pretty gracious about the whole affair and it wasn't too awkward. Anwyay, interesting day and a great view from the top of the conference center.

Cats Are Funny

2011-08-19T23:59:00.000+01:00

They really are...this is Kenny's cat Lilly taking a break in her neighbour's garden...

Dreamy

2011-08-08T16:40:00.005+01:00

I finished this yesterday. It's called After Dark by Haruki Murakami, a Japanese author recommended to me by my friend Jesse. I picked it up in a charity shop in East Finchley for a measly amount and it turned out to be excellent value.

Okay there's not really a plot, it's not that kind of book. But it meanders here and there, following the experiences of various characters who find themselves out and about after the last train home. There's a metaphysical element, centred around a young woman in a long, deep sleep, one she doesn't seem to want to wake up from. It explores how the characters are to some extent trapped within their lives, alienated from the lives of others by their secrets, foibles or tragedies. It's well written in the sense that the prose stimulates the mind, with the musings of the various characters offering food for thought. Ultimately a mood piece.

Glory, Glory...

2011-08-07T17:32:00.006+01:00

I told myself I would follow less football this coming season but inevitably found myself checking the news about signings and watching the pre-season highlights on YouTube. Man Utd have been playing like Barcelona since losing to them in the Champions League final. I thought we won the Premiership last season without playing particularly well throughout much of it. In fact if Chelsea hadn't sacked Ray Wilkins and bought Torres they probably would have won it by a mile. But now, suddenly, United are playing at a new level. Traditionally slow starters, if we carry on with this form we could be in a very strong position by Christmas. Great goals today, great spirit, beautiful football.

Telly Addict

2011-08-06T15:34:00.008+01:00

I hardly watch TV but found myself slumped in front of it today and got some good value out of it. The first show I watched was called Total Wipeout, where members of the public try to complete a treacherous but heavily-padded assault course for a cash prize. I laughed all the way through it. They've managed to design the obstacles in such a way that the wipeouts have high comic value. You can see the balls on the left, no-one managed those and misjudgements led to all kind of hilarious face plants and other tumbles. I have to give a special mention to Geo Gemma, the cutest female contestant, who showed a heroic commitment to the game. All-in-all a funny show, good use of music and presented well by Hammond and Amanda, who compliment the uncoordinated antics on the assualt course with a string of terrible jokes and awkward interviews. L.M.A.O.

The next surprise was the film Watchmen, shown later that evening. I listen to Kermode's reviews on Radio 5 and he has a very low opinion of the director ('un film de Zack Snyder') and didn't like Watchmen either. But I enjoyed it. Maybe it was the low expectations I had going in, but I thought it was stylish and good fun. I really liked Rorschach's mask and Dr Manhatten was well depicted too, just to pick out a few little things.

Kermode isn't always on my wavelength when it comes to films. He can be deliberately contrary at times, at least in my opinion. Just look at the great review he gave the awful Star Trek. He doesn't really get comedies and holds too many films to the kind of intellectual standard that most of us couldn't care less about. Still, he's entertaining in his own way.

Shame

2011-08-04T00:43:00.000+01:00

Shame to see the Prince of Wales pub in Holland Park seems to be closed. I hardly went there I must admit, but it was a nice local feature on my walk to and from the tube. I went a couple of times and it seemed a place full of character.

Pulp Fiction

2011-07-28T00:24:00.002+01:00

I used to read a lot as a child, less so as an adult. I always think I should read more because it seems to be good for the brain. In fact I put my academic success at school largely down to a reading habit encouraged by my parents. I used to read a lot of airport novels by authors like Colin Forbes, Tom Clancy and the like. Clive Cussler was on that list. The other day I was in Homebase in Acton when I saw a stand of books available in return for a charitable donation. I noticed Clive Cussler's Medusa on there and bought it on a whim. I have to say I enjoyed reading it, cheesy though it most certainly is. A guilty pleasure, like the odd Steven Seagal film or Die Hard 4.0 which I admit to quite enjoying the other day. Nothing wrong with that right?

Kyoto Garden

2011-07-27T22:55:00.005+01:00

After five or six years living just a twenty minute walk away, I finally went to the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park today. Lovely. Very restful.

I also had a driving assessment today for a job up the road. It couldn't have gone much worse really. My lack of recent driving was always going to be a factor and so it proved as I made several mistakes along the way. I was so nervous, for example, that I initially mistook the rev counter for the speedometer and vica versa. They must have been the other way around on other vehicle(s) I drove. There was also a theory section that threw me a bit too. I wasn't expecting it to be as tough as it was. Now I have to wait a week or more to be told, most likely, that I haven't got the job. And it's the hope that gets you. The slim hope I might get it...nuts...