Fled for the station straight after work. Arrived in Bristol earlier than expected and set about a rather lacklustre translation of "The Gnomic Verses" - the originals were reputedly terse in tone - my version more so. Frustrating wait for a bus tests patience of all concerned. Disquietening news from the Halls of Learning regarding the esteemed Romanticist - suppose restlessness is part of the deal, but not great timing, is it? Back to Weston with time to spare. Visited the Brit and bumped into people. Nice to see some of them. Oddly reassuring to have such strange 'world-clash' episodes here, now. Wandered along the seafront - something I almost never do. Not ever sure what to think of this place. Confusion, disquiet and thunderstorms keep me awake.
RedHat 7.3 disks arrive, in the guise of Thread Linux (since RH are protecting their trademark more vociferously than previously, but retaining their Open Source stance). Upgraded one machine in my lunch hour, leaving GNOME 2 intact. Laptop took longer. Started fiddling with a kernel compile to get ACPI working. Dismal failure, due to forgetting what to do. Has it truly been that long? Weird being back at work. Was practically asleep yesterday after a stormy ride in from Temple Meads before work. Today, I'm just bored. Failing to read due to poor concentration and dismal weather.
Early walk into Burnham - a dismal and endlessly wet day showing no signs of brightening. Breakfast, then a series of bus journeys to Bath (since wandering around Clevedon in this weather would be pretty unpleasant). I've never been a great lover of Bath - always finding it somewhat snooty and starchy. However, today I saw another side to things, and found lots to like about the place. Wandered happily, did some unashamedly touristly things, perused some fine antiquarian booksellers, and ended up experiencing some of the City's better pubs - coincidentally drinking ale brewed in Burnham by Dennis Davey, the new mayor (whose face appeared in a paper we just happened to be reading en route). Weirdly, in a further coincidence - on spotting a branch of a record store I worked in thirteen years ago, I accidentally invoked the manager (who I'd not seen since that period of employment - lasting only a week!). Arrived back in Bristol very late, again feeling pretty rough. Slept incredibly well after walking miles.
Another early run to Burnham, followed by a walk into town, which ends up becoming an afternoon in The Crown. Saw lots of locals and ended up in a strange round-table discussion on the diachronic development of language - very pleasant, and probably horrible ill-informed, but it made a lot of sense at the time. Not feeling 100% well at present however, and I'm forced to retire earlier than I'd like. Tomorrow is my alternative Bank Holiday. Finished reading "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" - surprisingly entertaining, if contrived translation.
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.
