Happy Halloweeny 

Spooky modernism by Pool

More and more I've been thinking of buying a few of these cheap patio chairs and cutting them up or melting them and sticking them together or just making an incredible toxic funeral pyre from them but I have to admit, it never occurred to me to make a skull chair. Chapeau, sirs, chapeau.

A Bridge Too Far

Millenium Bridge, originally uploaded by cjsceats.

Walked my dawgs off today. Absolutely beyond my means. Though by Google maps it only appears to have been 8 or 9 kilometers. I feel like I ran 10 KM. Twice. It started innocently enough. After a pleasant team meeting / breakfast then a post-meal perambulation up to Oxford Street for a coffee with work colleagues, I headed back to the hotel, then off to the Tate Modern for the Gerhard Richter retrospective.
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Piccadilly Circus 

Piccadilly Circus over 40 years later

I've been in London since Sunday morning and I've only really had a few moments of discomfort or awaking at odd hours (saying aloud, "Where am I? Where was I?") and now the week is almost over. Friday, if I'm lucky I'll get a quick trip to the Tate Modern and maybe the Design Museum. I've been part of some fascinating research that has taken me into more British homes than I've seen in over 30 years of coming here. The fact I've been before, seems to surprise most people, though I don't know why. That I can make appropriate references to the Two Ronnies, Wombles (though I think some colleagues here are actually too young for that), or Marks & Sparks liquorice seems to earn you a few easy points. Occasionally I'll mention Newfoundland without an ounce of recognition from the locals. Well done, Brits, you forced us to memorize your imperialism, though you've forgotten it yourself. I guess that is what being “Imperial” means.

The photo of Piccadilly above seems roughly the same angle as one my mother took some, oh I don't know, 45 or so years ago. Her's is accidentally underexposed and washed with what can only be described as Kodachrome blue. Odd, my iPhone app doesn't have a Kodachrome filters (though others do). It is strange that people will say, you should see... and then proceed to list all the famous sites I've seen before, though can hardly remember. See Parliament. See it? I've sat in the gallery during a debate about duck pond protection. Tower Bridge. Yup. Tower of London. Yup. Westminster. Yawn. Unfortunately, I find myself drawn to the shops (sheesh) more than the cultural spots. Which is not my usual thing. I'll try to broaden my scope on Friday and Saturday. There you go. A day and a half to take in London. I'm sure can be done. Maybe I should consult the New York Times or just amble on my own.

Right now I'm on my last legs, so I will shortly be on my back. Goodnight Piccadilly. Goodnight Leicester Square. Goodnight Covent Garden.

I am the Tin Man 

image via mubi.com

“I probably looked like a stroke victim at a physio session rather than a finely tuned athlete...”

Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous October day. The sort of days that we are running out of. If I was going to do it, this was my last chance. I'm talking about my semi-annual triumph of "umph" where I combine three activities into one protracted consumption of calories. The Tin Man. Not an Iron Man, but that's fine. I know The Tin Man as I call it, is a real event normally called a Sprint Triathlon but I still feel what I do isn't really the same. Swimming in a pool isn't the same as swimming in a crowd in open water. Stopping to change your shoes isn't the same as jumping off your bike and breaking into a sprint (which is painful I imagine). No, I swim 750 metres in my own lane in a comfy pool, then I bike 20 kilometres, then I change my kit and finish with a 5 kilometre run. This is the format of many charitable or introductory triathlons. The first time I tried it, it took me about 110 minutes. The second time I was closer to 105 minutes. The time I wanted to match or beat was 1 hour, 45 minutes. I haven't been swimming much lately so I thought it might be tough. Turns out, all of my times were bad individually, but it's not about individual times.
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Seen in September 

Aryton Senna, 1960-1994

I think I spent more time watching TV than I have all year despite not even owning one. Everything from Treme, Damages, Parks & Recreation, Modern Family, Community to old episodes of Larry Sanders on Netflix. I may have cut the cord but I can't quit it. Here's what I saw in between the new TV season.
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