smollensky's

I've been flittering around the City and Canary Wharf the last few days. I managed to arrange to meet a friend for a couple of drinks in Smollensky's whilst in Canada Square. We both know the area well and I'd suggested meeting at the flying saucer and the alternative suggestion was Reuter's Square and although we both knew each others' suggestions approximately, neither of us were quite sure.

Smollensky's is a good alternative landmark, next to 'the clocks' which just about everyone knows (12 clocks in a circle on poles).

Of course we had the 'duh' moments when we realised the saucer was the big blue one in the middle of the area by the HSBC and Citicorp buildings and the Reuters Square is the the one with the Reuters ticker and the big TV screen with Reuters news. Hmm.

Smollensky's tables were empty when I arrived and the music was gentle in the background. A couple of drinks later it was bangin' as everyone piled out of the nearby skyscrapers for a quick drink after work.

Then today I was meeting a couple of other folk at a coffee bar in the City, although I noticed as I walked past the Royal Exchange and the Bank of England, that an Angel in a suit with silver leggings was hanging around, presumably to hear the latest about the RBS rights issue.

pooped?

Now that the Brown era is almost at an end, we can start to speculate about the replacement.

Turning up in the USA on Titan air because BA couldn't supply a plane and then being bumped in priority by the Pope didn't start Gordon's day well.

Having George Bush's advisors forgetting to mention that the main action would be in Washington, rather than New York doesn't sound like an accident.

Then being stood up by Mbeki, the South African president, can't have boosted self esteem. And needing his appearance on the Simon Cowell show explained to a nation that still thinks Blair is the PM. Not so good.

But still better than the emerging commentary about 'Mr Bean visits the US'. Oh dear.

To top it all, the not-fired Chancellor Darling referring in rather high profile speeches to the need for the UK Government to sharpen its ideas. Cripes. Maybe Darling has done a deal with someone to stay in a position after the next leadership change.

So will the next era be the undefinable Miliband's? or maybe simply Balls? And I see Tony Blair is popping into the USA next week, after Gordon and the Pope have left.

difficult to fathom

Yikes, I got tagged by starlet and its kind of astrological.

If you are reading this, consider yourself tagged!

TAGGING RULES:
1. Mention the person who tagged you and create a link back to them.
2. Copy-paste the traits for all the twelve months (see below).
3. Pick your month of birth.
4. Highlight the traits that apply to you.
5. Tag some people and let them know by visiting their blogs and leaving them a comment.
6. Let the person who tagged you know when yours is up!


(my Wednesday version below, Thursday might be different)
NOVEMBER: Has a lot of ideas. Difficult to fathom. Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.


The Twelve Months

The Twelve Months
JANUARY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people’s flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very stubborn and money cautious.

FEBRUARY: Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizes dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.

MARCH: Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.

APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people’s problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.

MAY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High spirited. Spendthrift.

JUNE: Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.

JULY: Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.

AUGUST: Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.

SEPTEMBER: Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people’s mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.

OCTOBER: Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to take things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn’t pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.

NOVEMBER: Has a lot of ideas. Difficult to fathom. Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.

DECEMBER: Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

Harry Potter cloned

Spookily, truth can be stranger than fiction. Even Harry Potter fiction. A mere couple of weeks after my spoof April Fool's story about a pretend Harry Potter book, there is now a genuine case and Joanne Rowling has been in court in New York asserting her rights to the Harry Potter properties.

Someone created a web site index to Harry's world and recently decided to publish it as a guide book. JK Rowling had a similar idea to create 'glossary/index' but as a work for charity.

The book at the centre of the case was for commercial gain. I happen to think that someone merely copying the index to Rowling's work is rather shabby and looking for holes in copyright law. Fair enough when fans do this kind of thing for no commercial gain, but a commercial work does raise interesting ethical questions.

The case is still running; we shall have to wait to see the outcome.

penny

A few of us decided to grab a bite to eat after a late finish in the office. We formed an orderly convoy and steered ourselves towards a rather agreeable restaurant in a large stately home, complete with spa and golf course.

The dinner was stylishly presented and we all chatted for around three hours until cars arrived to whisk some of our number away to a nearby hotel. I was heading for home, ready for an early start the next morning.

sizzle

This Sunday I woke up here. Another fairly hectic weekend which started innocently enough waiting for a train in a sleepy little train station somewhere called Riddleswick in deepest Surrey.

I'd driven to the train station and was waiting on the platform, expecting Thomas the Tank engine to show up at any moment. In the end a sleek twelve coach mainline service arrived and our larger group then headed back to the car.

We were actually on the way to party, which was kicking off in the afternoon and then keeping going into the night. We'd decided to be there for the first part before heading into town for he evening. Last Sunday our barbecue was under 5cm of snow. This weekend it was possible to fire up a barbecue and start one of the rituals that reminds that spring is properly here.

Then back via the South Circ for an evening in town. We expected to be around Waterloo but somehow ended up in Lambeth drinking dusty Mexicans which kind of leads me to the view from the room. Great last night and amazing in the sunshine this morning, at least until the rain clouds arrived at about eleven o'clock.

I could see past Lambeth Bridge to Westminster Bridge in the distance, where there was a noticable absence of traffic. Sunday heralded the London Marathon and so there were plenty of road closures in the central area.

I could see the planes and helicopters buzzing overhead and realised that the end of the race was only about 15 minutes walk away, so what better than to take a look?

And as I walke dtowards the Mall, I started to spot evidence of the race, streets close, police, medics, venues turned over to after race parties and people walking around with the distinctive flora carrier bags, in some cases wearing their medals or the tee-shirts provided at the end, emblazoned with 'Finisher'. At the time I was around the finish, it was still the faster rnners coming through, maybe at around times of just over three hours, with many being filmed at the line by the Press, the regulation Elvis, Marilyn, gorillas and tu-tus, with just about everyone whooping with joy at the line. More pix here

spandy

rashbre central is mixing popular music today before partying later and has composed a practice lyric and snapped an accompanying cover art. Translations available upon request.

Crusin' 14 hours straight
snagged a rockstar parkin' spot.
Already wired to the moon
when I got myself s-cubed.

Then checked G Manifesto
whilst lookin' for the game.
Cracked ace with wire-cutters,
hooked to B L Smooth.

We playas saw that it was wicked;
smoked a blunt to the dome.
Attract some ship it hotties
then deet club time for us.

flexin, flexin, flexin, flexin.
Yeah
flexin, flexin, flexin, flexin.

Agreeably old-skool?

balance

Two or three blogs I read have all recently mentioned something about what and why they write and how they sometimes have ideas and other times it all goes blank.

A related question is whether writing about writing is part of the equation.

I say "anything goes" in a blog because, for each of us, its up to us to decide what we think is important, of interest or merely whimsical. Most days there will be something noteworthy, whether from a chance encounter with a van full of police, something on the telly, somewhere we've visited, what the politicians are doing, the latest groovy record from the Long Blondes and why Time Out's reviewer was wrong, whatever happened to cassette tapes or even whether its time to put fresh petrol in the mower now the grass has started to grow again.

Some say a proper blog should be mono-themed. "All about tote-bags" or similar. I'm sure this can help attract readers by the subject matter and even my dormant MIDI files site that I created one rainy day has clocked up four thousand hits without me ever adding any new content.

Single themes helps create limits and a type of community. For some people there's the comfort of rules, regulations and boundaries. Actually, for some there's the sheer genius of interpretation within a themed boundary. Checkout this week's Rick Astley pie chart, wonderbra yellow platform lines, Penrith's warning sign and IKEA furnished tube carriages.

I was going to post about adding videos to flickr today, but then I noticed the immediate phenomenon of new self appointed policemen operating on the site. There's already a community debate about whether or not flickr should even allow video to be added to its existing photography. Flickr have been clever though and already limit the video to 90 seconds, so its intended to be 'long photographs' and short artworks.

I innocently added a couple of snippets from my travels around London, to support the new London Video group, and as a consequence noticed the new regulators of the broader flickr video content. They seem to be patrolling to indicate in some cases that they don't approve of video additions to flickr. In other cases they've been adding their home made badges to videos which they thought had been edited or adapted in ways that they didn't think were appropriate to the new flickr ideas.

Personally, I'd rather give the site a chance to develop before applying the brakes in what can only be the first few days. I'm pretty sure the 90 second limit will stop much of the tv-download youtube content from being applied and it probably makes sense to give it a chance for people to experiment and find new styles.

I suppose its about living with the evolutions of the media and in much the way that film and vinyl have their role to play. Anyone that has tried to make videos knows how time consuming the editing can become, so there's a sort of self regulation to the amount of genuine home made content that can be added to flickr in any case.

So as I reflect on my picture from a few days ago of cops descending on some people on a street corner, I recognise there is a place for controls, but we have to be careful that the vigilance doesn't undermine the freedom.

sticky, but proud

First there were the great Jaffa Cake wars, between McVitie's and HM Government about whether the humble Jaffa Cake was a cake or a biscuit. Biscuits and cakes are considered necessities in UK law and are zero rated for tax.

However, chocolate-covered biscuits are a luxury and subject to VAT at 17.5%. So back in the dark ages, McVities and HM Customs & Excise argued over whether the Jaffa Cake was a cake (no VAT) or a chocolate biscuit (lots of VAT).

The argument went to tribunal for resolution. McVities pulled a 12 inch Jaffa Cake out of the hat to prove cakiness over biscuityness.

BUT NOW

The same thing has happened in the multi year argument between Marks and Spencer and HMG about chocolate teacakes.

For anyone confused about chocolate teacakes, we are talking chocolate dome, marshmallow filling, optional red jam and a slightly crunchy base.

They have just been exempted from VAT in the same way that Jaffa Cakes were previously.

However, HMG's sly rearguard action is to say the VAT does not belong to Marks and Spencers, instead it belongs to the customers who paid it. I'm wondering whether to claim back my share of the £15million for some purchases I've made over the years.

BUT I'D BE CHEATING

And why would I be cheating? because there is really only one proper chocolate teacake.

The Tunnock.

It's the absolute overlord of the teacake domain. Tunnock teacakes don't have jam in them. They don't need jam. They have reached a pinnacle of marshmallow perfection inside the microthin crackly milk chocolate. Try putting one in the fridge before eating it. Miraculous.

Try the perforated Tunnock suction eating technique or the marshmallow popper (er, maybe too much detail).

Lets just say that these teacakes would be worth the VAT, if one had to pay it. Next time you visit a supermarket, look out for the top shelf yellow packaging and furtively score 6 or even 10 of these princely wonders.

You won't look back.

la fille sur la pont

Decided to go French this evening and watch a black and white movie. The one where the girl stands on a bridge ready to jump into the Seine, but is rescued by a cabaret knife thrower. A simple story, with expansive journeying across Europe, some scenes which pay respect to other movies and a stylishly lit black and white style.

Its a sort of comedy, where the power of two overcomes the bad luck of their individual lives. At one level the underlying story is one of two desparate people who become platonically successful when working the cabaret circuits and casinos of the Mediterranean.
The girl played by Vanessa Paradis (nowadays partner of Johnny Depp) agrees to become the Daniel Auteuil knife thrower's target. Much of the story is a two hander between them, with incidental encounters akin to a road movie.

There's a fair amount of edgey blindfolded and bound knife throwing in the movie and the girl Adele has a fair few other encounters with passing men as the storyline progresses.

Its an interesting essay into screenplay too, with Patrice Leconte's direction making quite simple scenes and words tell a story which I find quite captivating, with its poetic underpinning of destiny and making one's own luck.

Follow the sound of the crickets.

base optimism or economic with the facts?

I was passing the Bank of England in the City on Wednesday and noticed the news being filmed on the pavement. Interesting to hear a news outside broadcast in real life instead of from the television.

An ITN broadcaster was talking to camera about the gloomy IMF forecasts for the economy and the subsequent speculation whether or not there would be a further base rate cut Thursday. The rashbre central bet is another .25% reduction.

Our UK Chancellor Mr Darling says the UK's growth has been downrated less than everyone else and that is supposed to build our confidence.

When he goes on to say that UK economy could grow by up to 2.25% in 2008 and 2.75% the following year, he seems to be saying something at odds with the rest of the economists, who seem to be revising downward now to 1.6% for 2008.

Darling's statement predicts a range of 1.7%-2.25%, but the implication of the range and his statement of "optimism" are to direct thinking into to the 2%+ zone.

Of course it is great to have someone with such decisive visionary leadership skills managing our UK economy.

repeat offender

Back from seeing Jimmy Carr doing a stand-up comic show. I arrived about 2 minutes before the start, and as I hadn't arranged the tickets, I was somehow expecting it to be the guy from the Friday Night Project. Jimmy Carr made a quip about this very topic in the first few minutes.

Carr mixes smarm with smut and I think one of his previous tours was called Charm Offensive. This one is called Repeat Offender and in between some cracker humour there were pops at just about anything that would get spoken about in hushed tones in the back bar.

There was a huge amount of content, good ad-lib banter with the audience and a pretty swift response to the occasional heckle. It was entertaining enough and felt like a good evening out.

My sort of 'but' is that when I've seen Dylan Moran or Peter Kay do stand-up, they can use wit over political incorrectness to drive their humour. Jimmy Carr did a slew of excellent one-liner gags and a few slightly longer ones, but I found the reliance on pivoting his jokes around political incorrectness a little wearing.

Judging from the hoots of laughter from the audience, I suspect I was in the minority.