Camera Obscura - Underachievers Please Try Harder
Posted in SHOFT on Wednesday 29th October 2003 at 5:02pm
I knew I was asking for trouble re-subscribing to the Sinister List after all these years. I knew people would start recommending things which I'd have to go out and buy.
But I did, and they did, and this is a fantastic record. I have their previous record which was pretty good, but not particularly memorable (or more precisely, purchased at a time I don't really care to remember much of). This is wonderful, quiet, considered stuff. Not nearly as twee as people would have you believe. One song reminds me of Leonard Cohen, another of a 1950's balladeer.
Tragically, this record is a Spanish import - there isn't a UK version. Can't understand why. Perfect Winter music. Stffn needs to know about this record!
Chaotic day. Starts with a meeting with our IT suppliers, which is encouragingly positive regarding our needs for the forthcoming pile of work. Today was the closing date for school applications for next September, which led to a pretty hectic day all-in-all.
Arrived home just in time to see a delivery guy entering the gate. I've been attempting to get a parcel re-delivered to work all week, but it didn't work. They agreed to deliver it today, but not until after 4:45pm - since I arrived home at 4:50pm as the truck appeared I'm amazed they couldn't have made it earlier!
Parcel contained long awaited William Kent autobiography. First glance reveals a sizeable quotation from Gissing's "Thyrza" on the very first page.
Lately, I must confess that my childhood interest in British Motorways has been reawakened. Strangely, I never learned to drive - but still they hold an odd mystique. Probably because my Dad always avoided them whenever possible when I was young, giving them an exotic attraction. Found some interesting sites such as SABRE and CBRD which provide late comfort, by reassuring me I wasn't the only kid doodling obscure extensions to Motorways over old Road Atlases! The internet is a strangely reassuring place at times...
The new GtkFileChooser landed in CVS. Tried it out. So far it seems pretty solid, and a huge improvement. No doubt it won't be quite what some people want, but it appears to be scalable, extensible and flexible - three major improvements on the old model!
Playing catch-up at work. Ploughed through a pile of paperwork, which means I can start work on a whole new pile tomorrow! Managed to squeeze in writing a spec for some new software too, which is becoming desperately urgent!
Decided to pay a brief visit to Burnham tonight (parts of which close to my old house have for the past few days been subject to an armed siege!). Received some nice birthday presents, including Peter Ackroyd's 'Clerkenwell Tales'. Could happily have journeyed further by train - nice to be travelling, even such a short distance.
Lost::MikeGTN
I've had a home on the web for more years than I care to remember, and a few kind souls persuade me it's worth persisting with keeping it updated. This current incarnation of the site is centred around the blog posts which began back in 1999 as 'the daylog' and continued through my travels and tribulations during the following years.
I don't get out and about nearly as much these days, but I do try to record significant events and trips for posterity. You may also have arrived here by following the trail to my former music blog Songs Heard On Fast Trains. That content is preserved here too.
