I'm sure the odds on which Reinford would make it big first gave Kyle something like 5/3 and me something like 10/1. (Kyle for theatre/acting, me for doing something not really even newsworthy but possibly amusing). Don't even want to think about what Glenn's odds would be.
Anyhow, turns out it was neither of the frontrunners. Way to go Reinford. Richards.
A reference in The New Yorker means you've made it in my book.
Talked about the London marathon last Sunday... well one guy is just finishing today. He's been running the whole thing in slow motion -- one step every 5 or 6 seconds. Sounds like the kind of bad idea that I'd come up with and then actually execute on just for the story.
The weather here has been fantastic ever since I've arrived really. Apparently London fog is a big lie.
One thing I'm impressed by on a daily basis is the bike-riding skills of my fellow Londoners. They navigate bus lanes and confusing intersections fearlessly, avoid pedestrians and taxis with confidence and ease. I'm scared for them -- these men and women dressed in suits and sundresses. But they ride on in perfectly straight lines, never minding the double-decker bus that trails their rear wheel by only a few feet.
And lots of them do so while also talking on their mobiles.
Remember overalls? Saw someone wearing a pair the other day. I remember when I wanted some. Thankfully my mom said no and instead made me a fashionable pinkish-red jumpsuit from some sort of parachute material, which I proudly wore on the first day of 6th grade.
I've taken to wearing dock shoes every Saturday. I think the fact that I've already developed an obscure, potentially alienating habit officially puts me on the fast track towards being a reclusive hermit.
In a few weeks I'm going to a financial symposium just north of London in the town of Hertfordshire.
The conference lasts two days, but the majority of one day seems to consist of "country pursuits". Wondering just what country pursuits consist of, I dug deeper and found the following event description:
Experience the thrill of the great outdoors with laser clay shooting, a quadathalon of shooting events and falconry within the grounds of The Grove.
So that should be fun.
The laser clay shooting sounds simple enough. I think that quadathalon is actually a misspelling of quadrathlon, meaning there will be four phases of shooting. Not sure what we'll be shooting, but I'm lobbying for The French.
As for falconry... if you're not familiar with it Wikipedia explains it as "an art or sport which involves the use of trained raptors (birds of prey) to hunt or pursue game for men."
It'll be a nice resume builder if nothing else.
Nearly ran with one on last night. That was close.
Also -- when did I start using both straps? I remember in middle school thinking that I would never be one to do that.
I did it again. First muffins, now the #17 bus.
As soon as I found out how superior buses were to the Underground in certain scenarios (getting to work in my case), I told everyone I knew. Granted here in London that's less than 10 people, but they probably each know 10 or more people and probably passed that bit of wisdom along.
Now I can't even get a seat on the bus, and yesterday one passed me by at the stop because the bus was at capacity. Exponential growth is a dangerous thing. I need to start keeping secrets.
It's going to be called "For the Birds" I think.
Currently it is 92 pages long (including a cover page).
Other measures: 17,837 words, 78,660 characters (average of 4.41 characters per word, so very readable), 1,592 paragraphs.
I'm going to try and finish it up this weekend and then I guess I'll start sending it around. Although I kind of don't want to because that's probably where it will end. But oh well.
If it does get made, these artists will feature on the soundtrack:
The Rapture (opening office party scene)
Ibrahim Ferrer[or]Mulatu Astatqe[or]Manu Chao (while Jane cooks dinner)
Broken Social Scene (while John cleans up after dinner, and when Jane takes Vicodin in the bathroom)
Richard Ashcroft (John plays it on guitar when Jane is high)
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton (when John is at the hospital)
My Morning Jacket (when John is depressed around town)
Jeff Tweedy (John plays on guitar)
Kings of Leon (when John goes to the office Christmas party)
Ratatat (also at Christmas party, probably while Brad is dancing)
Beirut (when John is on the plane)
Random Spanish music and probably some Seu Jorge (Bolivia scenes)
And then probably these guys at other times and during the rest of the movie:
Ryan Adams
Gillian Welch
Kate Havlevich
Apostle of Hustle
The Album Leaf
Arcade Fire
Wilco
Feist
The Go! Team
Sigur Ros
White Flight
Jose Gonzalez
Sufjan Stevens
Joy Division and/or Prince, depending on how things work out.
