w/e 2020-03-07
Hi! How are you? … Fine thanks.
§ I was looking forward to the release of adult mom’s new album Driver, and on Friday it was released, and now I am liking it. It’s nice when things work out. Here’s a track from it:
In the olden days of 2019 I enjoyed watching them playing to a few dozen people clustered round an outdoor stage in the late afternoon drizzle. They were very good.
§ When we were replacing the roof of the log shed last week we ran out of special nails but now we have more. I’m pleased to report that in finishing the job nearly all of my nails went in straight. The two that bent I’m putting down to there being something “wrong” with that bit of wood. It’s technical, you probably wouldn’t understand.
In parallel with people who post questions to r/django or wherever starting, “I’m learning Django and I want to make Facebook…”, I’m confident that because I can (mostly) hammer nails straight I’m probably ready to self-build a house. I think that’s how this works.
§ When we go for walks round here we’ve usually stuck to the roads, which mark out the square-ish borders of groups of fields. Most of the footpaths, especially close to us, led from one road, across a field, to another road, so while it’s a nice change it’s not exactly exploring wild countryside.
Today we went a bit further afield and followed some footpaths that, while they still lead from one road, across fields, to another road, have a lot more fields in the middle bit. At a couple of points I was struck by how it felt exactly like aspects of playing a game like Uncharted or The Last of Us.
“The paths led us to this deserted-looking farm, where now? I can’t see any signs. It looks like maybe we’re supposed to go this way… no, doesn’t look like there’s anything in that corner. How about round the back of this barn? Hmm, just lots of old machinery, I don’t think there’s a path. Let’s try that first route again, it felt like we’re supposed to go that way… oh, yes! Now I can see it’s not a dead end but the hedge leads around to a hidden stile! OK, over here and then up ahead I think that’s a tiny bridge over a river…”
I’m sure that parents saying to kids, “Let’s go for a long walk, it’ll be just like one of your computer games!” has always been a 100% successful tactic that has never lead to disappointment.
§ When I was very young I was fascinated by the squeegees that window cleaners used. Apparently I was leading such an uneventful life that it seemed miraculous that this little device could make water disappear and leave behind spotless windows!
I never had ambitions to be a window cleaner — let’s be realistic — but part of me has always yearned, yes yearned, for a great squeegee. We’ve owned a couple of small ones before but they weren’t great. This cheap Addis kit, for example, is sort of adequate, except it’s all a bit flimsy, the pole is way too short for anything but the ground floor, and the sponge soon starts coming out of the washer.
However, now, more than forty years after I first saw a quality squeegee working its miracles, I am proud – no, humbled – to announce that we have taken delivery of a professional window cleaning squeegee by Unger, along with a washer, pole and bucket, and I have cleaned the windows.
Dreams can come true!
§ I think we’ll all be pleased when it’s possible to do stuff again and things like this aren’t one of the week’s big events.
§ We’ve been watching the final two seasons of Justified which continued to be very enjoyable. Sometimes there were almost too many people conspiring against, and double-crossing, each other to quite keep track of what was happening but it didn’t really matter – it was always a fun ride.
Obviously, I’ve become increasingly aware over recent years that lawmen-who-don’t-play-by-the-rules-just-to-get-the-job-done are, actually, problematic in real life. But still, it was fun?
§ We also watched Black Panther this weekend. Some time ago I decided superhero movies weren’t worth me spending £15 (or whatever) on at the cinema. But maybe they’re still worth me spending a couple of hours of my time sitting on my sofa?
I can see that if you like lots of fighting occasionally interrupted with exposition then Black Panther is certainly a well-done example of that kind of fairground ride. As with all the others, I just never cared what happened.
§ Most of the daffodils that started showing their faces have now gone back to bed for a while and that sounds like an excellent idea.