Tuesday 28 April 2009

Fame and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

Although I did not have an early evening sleep that I can remember and went to bed at a reasonable hour for me I could not sleep because of thinking about outstanding matters particularly the premature and preventable death of my aunt. It is out of my hands but I need to try and work out what my reaction will be to as many of the possible outcomes

I decided I was not going to sleep and got up and played some chess against the computer to take my mind off the subject. Since finding the game and deciding on achieving 101 games I have played about 1000 games but the statistics have not been recorded on screen for two reasons. First I did not commence to record all games until after the first 150 were completed and now in a misguided effort to switch between levels I successful obliterated all the records games of levels one and three but at least I can register now that on level three I played 242 games of which 205 were won,26 were drawn and significantly an atrocious and unacceptable number of 11 loses. At level two I am still showing 519 games played of which 482 were won, 32 drawn and only 5 lost.

I have worked slowly including cleaning the front room and hallway. Food as so far comprised a ham omelette and smoked salmon on toast with lashings of lemon. I have listened to football and the less said and slept and have commenced the sorting out of accumulated work with ten sets registered. I have watched the last part of Firefox with Clint Eastwood yet again and I had a preliminary look at the Radio Times for the next two weeks and the plethora of films and programmes I want to see all at the same time depending on mood and inclination, and will celebrate this Saturday of Christmas with a lager. I was about to have a Pizza or some fish cakes with beans when I remembered the Tex Mex purchased yesterday at Lydl with 24 pieces of garlic mushrooms, spices potato wedges, chicken wings and onion rings and it was best cooked from frozen for under 30mins and was yum yummy yum yum. However coupled with central heating surround warmth and the three tenors original with I have been there Luciano Pavarotti Torna Surriento but hope to go to Grenada Jose Carreras, El Lucevan E Stelle from Tosca Pacido Domingo: such power such beauty, such intensity, such gloriousness. This performance, the first at the tome oft eh World cup in that magical setting in Rome was dedicated to Pavarotti. Carreras is appearing at the Sage in February. It could be my only ever chance to hear a great tenor live. Tomorrow I will decide.

I then watched the film version of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, I have not read the Douglas Adams books. I never tired of re-watching the six half hour episodes TV series for they contain a splendid mixture of absurdity, the kind of wry humour which makes me laugh and a good story. I remember being tired when I watched the film in theatre which explains why I could not remember opening aspects of the film which was slanted towards the American and British audience which is a polite way of saying that the essentially British humour was dumped down. The great theosophical question which is at the root of the book and TV series is the meaning and purpose of life which involves the deep thought computer taking several billion years to consider the answer as 42 and then spend another odd billion years working out what the ultimate question should be and for this the human race is created by mice to live on earth and do the thinking. Unfortunately the Vogons to work for the President of the Universe over look the importance of the earth in this respect and demolish it as part of the creation of a new space superhighway. Although the plans were a available on a nearby planet system had earthlings found out how to space travel earlier, a bit like planning systems for new by-passes in the UK although since the Adams books everyone has become more sophisticated about the process although the planners and those making the applications have also become more clever at achieving their objective

The question I have is whether it was just accidental that the Home Secretary is to put to Parliament that the police should have the power to detain terrorist suspects for 42 days rather an the present 28 or the originally proposed 90 which was so heavily defeated on the last occasion it was put to Parliament. Was this a civil servant or political inspired moment of inspirational madness by someone who did not know the significance of 42? Or is it deliberate? Or a coincidence? The rational pick a different period of days would have been 45, half the original 90 but my money is on a civil servant who whispered at a briefing meeting who go for a 50% increase from four to six weeks and it was only when the politician or civil servant went home and told their teenage children of their bright idea or suggestion which a minister had taken up that they learnt of the Douglas Adams books, TV series and films. The film ends in such a way to have provided a sequel as Arthur Dent decided not to go back to the recreated earth back to its original condition just before the moment of its demolition in a new location, i.e. the one we presently know, thus explaining why many of believe we have experienced the same situation before, we have.

It was also a second, third , fourth , fifth, probably tenth viewing of Fame with Ms Cara who went on to have success with Flashdance. The success of the film is that for once is conveys the reality of a four year course combining performance arts and basic education with something of the reality of what happens afterwards, for every 50000 perhaps 500 making some kind of living with perhaps 50 a good living and 5 international success and wealth. The film also communicates that to be able to give any kind of performance which will be recognised one has to know the self. If you are not prepared to work very hard, to give of yourself without inhibition and to fail, regardless of your talent, then forget it and going into banking and stocks and shares, or learn to sell rice to the Chinese. I am not sure what Ms Cara gas done and for the others who did their post Fame international tour. Where are they know?

I listened to part of a brief Five Live chat about the latest alleged rape at a footballers party, this time the Man U Christmas Party. Opne caller explained that those arranging the party cancassed leading stores for beautiful young girls to willing to go and be photographed at such events which are notorious for getting drunk, perhaps some drugs and some sex. Self confident girls will know how to deal with such situations just as the Debs developed a simple code to pass on such he is a NSIT Not safe in a taxi. Both sides should expect casulties on and off the field of play. The office Christmas Party held on Friday or Monday si another such occasion, At the age of sixteen I was taken to the pub which Nestled into the seven story building which now houses the Ramdom House publishing company and was given several gin and oranges. I the felt distinctly unwell and was put in a darkened room where at one point although in no fit state other than to hope my head would stop spinning I was kissed by a married woman old enough to be my mother. On the way home I was sick in the toilets of a railway station and stayed so long trying to recover that I received a note under the door offering me some fun. It was the only time that I experienced a handover although not the only time that I became sick drunk. When at Ruskin I was invited to a dinner party of a private dining group of post graduate university staff who did not have a college. Each was expected to bring an interesting guts and my memory was of one who played jazz piano and who used ro runa few girls in Soho. I was expected to say what it was like to have gone to prison. It weas a great feat wih different wines after each course and afterwards I watched the others play billiards at the top of Nuffield tower. I was staying in digs arranged by the college with a lady who had been a female scout at Lady Margaret Hall and who knew every inch of her spotless cottage type terrace dwelling. I had once entertained a female friend to tea in my room when she was out, although the young lady called unexpectedly, we were on the same committee trying to persuade the Labour party not to join in the capitalist European community, and afterwards my lady quizzed about having a young lady in my room, not because of the possible immorality but because she had noticed the stiletto heel marks on the lino up to the first floor. I had told her about the dinner party invite and she had agreed not to lock up on ten understanding that I did so. I just about made it to the room before bringing up the excellent meal in the basin unable to reach the toilet in time, then spending time slowly getting rid with water. I got the same kindly disapproving look on both occasion. I can only recall being really drunk as opposed to merry on one subsequently occasion. It is good to sin now and again but only if you are able to write about it and publish.

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