Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Going native

It would seem that this has occurred. Today is not as hot as it has been of late (today's forecast high: 70°F/21°C) and so I'm moping around, complaining of it being cold, with long trousers, socks, and a tucked-in t-shirt. I'm even contemplating putting on a light sweater.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Interesting sports

One of the things Americans will often claim is that cricket is boring. This is almost always based on a lack of understanding. Yes, a cricket match can last for up to five full days, but that does not mean it's slow. It doesn't mean nothing's happening.

The other day, I was in a restaurant, and upon their multiple televisions there was a baseball match. Now that truly IS a boring sport; approximately every minute or more, one person would throw a ball at high speed, and then nothing would happen. Then they'd roll commercials, and when the game came back, nothing would happen. In the entire time we were there, there was maybe one burst of activity, which unseemly display was rapidly put down. I've never seen so many crowd shots.

In cricket, on the other hand, there is always something happening. One of the many reasons there was stiff resistance to the possibility of showing cricket on commercial channels rather than the BBC was concern that there was not going to be space to fit advert breaks. The same concern dogged Formula 1, but that's not considered at all important, and Bernie Ecclestone is addicted to money, and so that was swept under the rug, but cricket coverage was considered uncommercialisable for many years.

I beilieve that the major appeal of watching baseball is the opportunity it affords for drinking. You can "watch the game" with a constant dripfeed of beer, secure in the knowledge that should you slip into a coma, you won't miss anything, while your other half can't object because it's sports and you're supposed to be into sports. Baseball: not the national sport, the national coverup for getting drunk!

Monday, September 21, 2009

Getting something done...

So now, I've actually got something I can put on my resume. I'm volunteer tech crew with Actors' Ensemble of Berkeley, who are currently working on a production of As It Is in Heaven.

This'll mean a few more miles on the old brick, and some fun times. I'm very much looking forward to it.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Advanced notice

My birthday falls on the 26th of next month. I wish to emphasise at this point that gift-giving is entirely voluntary; if you don't want to, or don't have the money to, that's entirely OK by me. I have everything I need at the moment, so gifts are just a bonus.

With that said, if you do want to give me gifts, I maintain an Amazon wishlist. Receiving things from that list, and probably suggestions that Amazon throws when looking at the pages of things on that list, would be pleasant, so if you're feeling generous, that's a good place to start.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

A PSA to my Bay Area friends

Now would be a very good time to check and correct your tyre pressures. Rainy weather and bad inflation pressures are a nasty combo. If you're under, I have a nifty little electric pump that runs off the lighter socket, and anyone within a reasonable distance is welcome to borrow it!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Apparently I have green thumbs.

Last time I went to the Big Shop, I got some basil and chives to grow in the kitchen. The chives are as I expected, but the basil is... well. This is how things currently look:

Meestair Fawlty!

I'm wondering if I should repot it, remove the smaller seedlings, or what.It's not harvestable yet, but I'm very much looking forward to when it is...