Friday, November 10, 2006
Dangerous vegetables
November 10th. 11pm
I put the time at the top because, as you can see from the last blog, the time I write is completely different from the 'official ' time which might be standard eastern time.
Why did the colours of the Google letters change the other day? I am sure that the usual colours had gone and the letters were filled with bits of the union jack. When I mentioned this to someone and checked it the next day, they had reverted to normal. I should have made a print. I did not imagine this. The normal colours of the Google letters was a question on University Challenge a few weeks ago.
The obituary columns of the Guardian are one of the first things I read when I get the paper. I'm not sure if this is healthy of me or whether perhaps I shouldn't admit it. Its a bit like going to re-unions- not that I ever have ( I don't seem to get invited and I know I'm not the only survivor). I think I might go if invited, just to see how people look now, compare notes on how many stents or grafts or how many new joints have been inserted. But of course nowadays the obituaries are much more likely to be of those who have played a part in one's life. I have no idea who most of them are but its amazing how much some of them have packed into their life and I actually find them rather inspirational. Last year the death of Saul Bellow drove me to begin re-reading his novels after reading his obituary made me feel that I had not got as much from his novels as I should have when I was younger.( Apart from Augie March, this proved wrong.) Recently the death of Eric Newby was reported and although the reviews were rather critical of his later work, I never had anything but pleasure from reading his stuff. My favourite was 'The Last Grain Race'. One of my favourite sportsmen during my lifetime was Don Thompson who died on October 4th. He was a true amateur who won an Olympic gold medal for that very wierd looking event, the fifty kilometres walk. He trained for the race in his bathroom with various steam kettles to simulate the conditions he would encounter in Rome!
KevandJules suggest I should stick with Kinsey Millhone because there are going to be some exciting Hungarian snicky snacks coming up. I hope they come up soon. There isn't, so far, any tension or excitement but a rather dreary succession of interviews with potential witnesses . One of the witnesses has just been murdered as a result of Kinsey's investigation. She might have got something out of this witness had she not overslept as a result of too much bottled beer. I am guessing that one or two more will be slaughtered while Kinsey is having a Big Mac and a few more beers.
I was locked into the allotment site for the second time this week. I have decided that of all the weeds, the nettles are the most tiresome to clear out. I would discuss this with the sleepng partner if only he would waken. He is delegated to get the garlic that apparenly can or should be planted now. I read with alarm and some amusement that there is a body in the USA called the Lettuce Safety Initiative; alarm that lettuce is possibly dangerous and that we need such a body;
amusement that they are expanding to include spinach! ( NEJM Vol 355 ;19 ) Since I am on call for the weekend, I can't really do much at the allotment so I thought I would clear the perpetual spinach patch and the useless beetroots (plenty on top but nothing underneath!) at the house. I shall take additional care now that I know of its reputation. Anticipating a big weight loss this week.
I put the time at the top because, as you can see from the last blog, the time I write is completely different from the 'official ' time which might be standard eastern time.
Why did the colours of the Google letters change the other day? I am sure that the usual colours had gone and the letters were filled with bits of the union jack. When I mentioned this to someone and checked it the next day, they had reverted to normal. I should have made a print. I did not imagine this. The normal colours of the Google letters was a question on University Challenge a few weeks ago.
The obituary columns of the Guardian are one of the first things I read when I get the paper. I'm not sure if this is healthy of me or whether perhaps I shouldn't admit it. Its a bit like going to re-unions- not that I ever have ( I don't seem to get invited and I know I'm not the only survivor). I think I might go if invited, just to see how people look now, compare notes on how many stents or grafts or how many new joints have been inserted. But of course nowadays the obituaries are much more likely to be of those who have played a part in one's life. I have no idea who most of them are but its amazing how much some of them have packed into their life and I actually find them rather inspirational. Last year the death of Saul Bellow drove me to begin re-reading his novels after reading his obituary made me feel that I had not got as much from his novels as I should have when I was younger.( Apart from Augie March, this proved wrong.) Recently the death of Eric Newby was reported and although the reviews were rather critical of his later work, I never had anything but pleasure from reading his stuff. My favourite was 'The Last Grain Race'. One of my favourite sportsmen during my lifetime was Don Thompson who died on October 4th. He was a true amateur who won an Olympic gold medal for that very wierd looking event, the fifty kilometres walk. He trained for the race in his bathroom with various steam kettles to simulate the conditions he would encounter in Rome!
KevandJules suggest I should stick with Kinsey Millhone because there are going to be some exciting Hungarian snicky snacks coming up. I hope they come up soon. There isn't, so far, any tension or excitement but a rather dreary succession of interviews with potential witnesses . One of the witnesses has just been murdered as a result of Kinsey's investigation. She might have got something out of this witness had she not overslept as a result of too much bottled beer. I am guessing that one or two more will be slaughtered while Kinsey is having a Big Mac and a few more beers.
I was locked into the allotment site for the second time this week. I have decided that of all the weeds, the nettles are the most tiresome to clear out. I would discuss this with the sleepng partner if only he would waken. He is delegated to get the garlic that apparenly can or should be planted now. I read with alarm and some amusement that there is a body in the USA called the Lettuce Safety Initiative; alarm that lettuce is possibly dangerous and that we need such a body;
amusement that they are expanding to include spinach! ( NEJM Vol 355 ;19 ) Since I am on call for the weekend, I can't really do much at the allotment so I thought I would clear the perpetual spinach patch and the useless beetroots (plenty on top but nothing underneath!) at the house. I shall take additional care now that I know of its reputation. Anticipating a big weight loss this week.
# posted by Bob @ 3:05 pm 
