Spent the evening watching episodes three through seven of the first series of the ‘Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin’. I watched the first two last night after I’d sat through the second HP movie. I was feeling in need of particularly mind numbing entertainment last night… that was after I had got rid of some Year 9 stress through shopping therapy. DVD’s really are ridiculously cheap these days, aren’t they? Or at least some of them are. I got a copy of ‘Basquiat’ for six quid. Result!

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Reggie Perrin again. I hadn’t seen it for years. Someone should do a remake with Reggie as a high school teacher.

Watched the Tour prologue this evening after a ride myself. Didn’t go far, just dashed around the Shute/Thorverton/Stoke Hill 30k route. My legs felt like wood so I took it fairly easy. Still managed an hour and five minutes, which was a surprise really. Watched all the Tour riders and marvelled at the speed they can average. I know 7 and half kilometres is essentially a sprint, but still, to average around 50km/h is awesome. Whilst watching it I remembered Robin’s suggestion that he and I write separate pieces about cycling versus soccer. Well Robin, mine is ready! How’s yours coming along?

I wonder if you can get repro jerseys for the new Bianchi team? I used to have one of the classic old light blue and white ones. In fact it might still be in an old suitcase here somewhere. Not that it would fit me, but whatever. I think I also have a photo of me wearing it when I was 18 or so, holding a half pint glass in Jon’s kitchen. Nope, can’t find it. It must be on my PC.

Tried to write some reviews this morning, the results of which are in the ‘I Blame The Teachers’ article. It’s shite, and never was a title more apt. Don’t read it. Instead read John Carney’s ace piece on New York Noise. Inspirational stuff.

Similarly inspirational is much of the new issue of Careless Talk Costs Lives. Reading it made me realise how lacking my stuff has been of late. Lifeless and pointless… Ho hum. I read through my reviews column in the new issue and asked myself if I would want to hear those records if I’d just read it blind, and I had to admit I wouldn’t. Not really.

Listening to the Matinee 50 compilation this evening, and boy, it really IS wonderful. Every one a winner. Even the groups I don’t normally like come up trumps, both in covering someone else, and in their songs being covered. Marvellous stuff.

Hopefully tomorrow I will get my act together and do a decent ride, maybe out to Trusham and the place of fallen leaves. Haven’t been out there in ages. And haven’t read the book in a couple of years. Maybe I should dig it out again. I also need to write that Wild Swans review, watch the Tour, the GP and watch and review that Felt DVD (although I guess that could wait a few days). I should also write something on the Finisterre movie…

Tomorrow, tomorrow.

Just a day away.

posted by duke harringay at 10:25 PM

The Zombies’ ‘She’s Not There’ is rampaging around in my head this morning. Silly really, but there you go. It just leapt in there as I was making breakfast, listening to Radio 4 (that’s the BBC station not the band) and wondering if Mulder was ever going to eat any of his food.

Really tired. Wish I had taken the advice that C texted all the way from Australia that I should take a sickie. Haven’t had a day off in ages…

Finished HP 5 last night. It’s just okay. Maybe not even that. Can’t say I really enjoyed it, more that it was simply a pleasant enough diversion from Other Things. Was quite glad that S copped it too because HP’s infatuation with him really was becoming tiresome. And what was that Cho thing about? Never went anywhere at all, just kind of floated in and out, another mildly diverting element in a mildly entertaining tale. Maybe it all just goes to show that being fifteen really does suck shit, as ole Copey once said. (Actually it probably wasn’t 15, but heh, whatever).

And when does that Wild Swans CD come out?
posted by duke harringay at 3:15 PM

Just about had enough of school. Just about at the stage where I want to tell them to stuff their GCSE photography course up their arse.

You know there’s a crap joke that always goes about in schools, that they’d be great places if it wasn’t for all the kids. It’s a crap joke because actually it’s all wrong: schools would be great places if there weren’t so many stupid adults and so much fucking bureaucracy getting in the way.

Are other, ‘real’ jobs like this? Probably… such is the nature of ‘work’ and the human beast, after all. Oh well.

I can’t even look forward to the end of term and the onset of the holidays yet (three weeks away now) because whilst it’s a count down to freedom, it’s also a countdown that says ‘the equipment I need still hasn’t been ordered…’

So I try to switch off. Try to let it roll over me. But it’s hard. Maybe I care too much? Imagine that! Me actually giving a shit. Ha ha.

Sethe was saying in her blog how no-one she knows coughs with a ‘hem-hem’ (anyone who’s been reading the new HP book will know what she’s on about). She’s right of course. And isn’t the whole book rather wearisome? Isn’t the vast majority of it all a load of woolly padding, just words for the sake of it, just to make it another ‘big book’? Isn’t that why the first three are so much more enjoyable? And isn’t this one just a bit too full of Harry being a stroppy teenager, having headaches a lot and everyone telling him he really ought to tell Dumbledore about it… ? Because when it boils down to it, that’s exactly what the first 500 or so pages are. I mean, it’s been a pleasant enough diversion, sure, but still… Maybe, of course, I am just getting too old and bored by the whole thing now. And anyway, where’s the next Lemony Snicket when you need it?

posted by duke harringay at 7:53 PM