A Bug's Life

At work, we have instant coffee in large tins. Some people think as we always need a spoon when we go in the tin, let's stick one in. Others think it's disgusting to have a spoon in the tin, that has been touched by lots of hands. Either way, as the tin gets moved around the spoon sinks and disappears under the coffee, and towards the end of the tin people say "Why are there three teaspoons in here?"

At work, they are building a new unit; the plan was always for four buildings but they started with three until they built up tenants/demand. They have spent a while working at the back on Building 1, flattening the waste ground, digging away - I was surprised when all that appeared was a car park. Now they have razed a large part of the existing car park, ready to put the new building in the row with the other three, and it all makes sense...

Driving gloves - what are they for? Warmth? Better grip? More cushioned grip? Style? Outmoded cultural convention? Do you wear them?

Books read (21-23)
The Mammoth Book of Cult Comics, Ed. Ilya (2014)
All You Need Is Kill, Hiroshi Sakurazaka (2004)
Player Piano, Kurt Vonnegut (1952)

Films watched (167-179) (2 at the cinema, 9 DVD, 2 tv)
Troll Hunter (rewatch)
Monsters (rewatch)
Harold and Maude
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Resident Evil: Extinction
Trading Places (rewatch)
Magic Mike
Rashomon
Goodfellas
The Hunt for Red October
Birdman
The Wolf of Wall Street
Demons

Gigs, comedy, clubs etc (36-37)
Dave Gorman (comedy, South Bank Centre, London)
Robin Ince (comedy, Bloomsbury Theatre, London)

Liked: Harold and Maude, Wolf of Wall Street, Birdman.

I used chipolatas, the marinade smells gorgeous while it's cooking, it's dead easy to cook sausages in the oven and not pay them any attention, it's gluten free and dairy free if you use gf sausages.

250g ready to eat dried apricots (I used super soft squidgy ones)
1 teaspoon mixed spice (I didn't have any and used a mulling spice sachet instead, mmm, orange and cloves)
1 tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce, or Worcestershire sauce)
2 teaspoons red thai curry paste
salt and pepper
300-400ml water

Cook all ingredients in a saucepan over a medium heat for about 20 mins till the apricots are soft. Start with 300ml water, add more if it reduces too much. Leave to cool then liquidise into a puree. I left some lumps in.

12-18 sausages or 20-30 chipolatas

Put sausages in an oven tray, brush with olive oil, slather in apricot puree. Marinade for up to 24 hours.

Cook sausages as per instructions in oven.

You now have a tray full of delicious sausages.

This morning I was going to do A, B and C.

I woke a bit late and got a new recipe for A. By the time I'd looked through recipes and ingredients, I realised if I was going to have a hope of finishing A I couldn't also do B. But if I was going to miss B I could then walk to C, it's a nice day. But I'd have to leave earlier, and I'm not dressed yet and haven't wrapped presents. Now I'm dressed but I haven't started A yet (which needs to chill for some hours) and I don't think there's time now unless I don't wrap presents. And as I have only belatedly decided to walk to C I have only belatedly put my iPod on to charge so it probably won't last the walk. If I'm walking I can bring wine instead of cola, but the only wine I have is fizzy and it wouldn't like a 4-mile yomp. If it will even fit in the bag with the presents. At least I won't have to carry my pudding (A) which I haven't made yet.

etcetera

This is why I have Lists.

EDIT: Where are my headphones? If I'd known I wouldn't be able to find my headphones I would have charged my phone instead of my iPod. Where is my other glove? Is it too late to walk to C yet?

Matilda the Big Hamster still isn't tame, for all her happy hand-related caperings at the pet shop. She doesn't freeze when she sees me, which is an improvement, but she won't be held, at least not by me. I let her out of the ball onto my lap this evening, but she leapt to the coffee table where we had a brief game of Grab The Hamster, which she won by jumping onto the floor. She had a minute of exploring beneath the coffee table, stretching her nose up to the bottom shelf like a Mighty Beast, while I willed her not to hide under a sofa or the tv unit or somewhere inaccessible. Her unerring instinct though led her to the most perfect hamster-sized nook, there's a half-depth CD shelf next to a bookcase and a hamster can just nip round the back and hide underneath. And a human can block it off with a tray - haha! I am more clever than a hamster. Then drag the coffee table and sofa around and position The Ball and a backup cardboard box so as to cut off escape routes. A little bit of patience and a quick hand with the ball lid and the hamster is safely resecured.

If the Mark Bould Solaris book that came through my door the other day was from Secret Santa, it is a fabulous gift and thank you very much! I am ashamed to say that I think I have only watched the George Clooney version, at least in the last 15 years, so this will give me an excuse to find and watch the original :-)

I was looking at my activity for the day and didn't remember doing much from 7:30 to 8 other than laundry.

Books read (19-20)
The Mirage, Matt Ruff (2012)
Mathematics of Life, Ian Stewart (2011)

Films watched (153-166) (6 at the cinema, 8 DVD)
Nightcrawler
Point Break
The Zero Theorem
In Fear
The Consequences of Love (rewatch)
Point Break (rewatch)
Leviathan
Interstellar
Snowpiercer
Interstellar (rewatch) (IMAX)
Michael Clayton (rewatch)
CFC Premieres
Milk
Vertigo

Gigs, comedy, clubs etc (33-35)
AK/DK Synths (gig, Electrowerkz, London)
Much AStew About Nothing (comedy, Leicester Square Theatre, London)
Siro-A (dance/performance, Leicester Square Theatre, London)

Liked: Nightcrawler, Point Break, Interstellar, Snowpiercer, Vertigo, Milk i.e. most of the films.
I'd not watched Vertigo before and got to see it in 70mm on big cinema screen. I do not argue with it being up at the top of best film lists.
I had no memory of watching Michael Clayton but I must have done - as scenes played out they were all so familiar I had definitely seen them, but at no point could I remember anything about what happened next.
CFC Premieres was my film premiere (along with all films made on Cambridgeshire Film Consortium courses that year) which I hope to write more about at some point but it is midnight now and time to sleep.

For the last few years, in the winter, Influenzanet have been running a flu survey. If you sign up they email you a link once a week to an influenza-like symptom survey, which helps track the spread of flu geographically and by demographic, and send you little reports on flu action in your area. A couple of years ago they included means of transport as well, but concluded that public transport is not much of an influence. If you want to help out this year you can register at http://flusurvey.org.uk

If you sign up and enter my Flusurvey username (bugshaw) I have a very small chance of winning a tablet (not a cold&flu tablet) or a cuddly virus. I have more chance of getting flu.

EDIT: This is a UK-based survey.