6 January 2015 (Tuesday) - Various Rants

Yesterday I mentioned that I didn't hold out much hope for Sir BrickShithouse's chances in "Game of Thrones". He didn't make it to the end of this morning's episode, but in a surprise turn of events he lasted longer than the one who was supposed to be killing him. His protagonist, Sir Wielder-of-the-Pork-Sword, ended up with a burst head, which was messy.

As I drove to work I listened to the radio. There is tension in Germany as the Dresdenians (or whatever one calls a denizen of Dresden) are getting worried about the influx of immigrants. The woman interviewed on the radio this morning claimed that when she walks down her street she never hears native German being spoken; just various foreign languages.

Much the same as English in Ashford, then.

However Ashford (so far) isn't facing the rise of neo-Nazis and anti-Nazi rallies. But let's not be surprised when it happens all across Europe. Again. I can remember whinging about how crap history lessons were when I was at school, and the French teacher telling us that if we don't learn from the lessons of the past we will be doomed to repeat them.

How right he was.

There was also allegations being made about Prince Andrew and his friends having interfered with children. I suppose having persecuted everyone else in the public eye it was only a matter of time until the spotlight turned on the Royals. Interestingly those making the allegations were on the radio this morning claiming that the onus should be on the accused to prove their innocence; not on those making the allegations to come up with any proof of their misdemeanours.

This is what is entirely wrong with the whole child-abuse-allegation debacle. How is it now suddenly acceptable to make up a pack of lies which someone else then has to disprove from some great distance in time?

I've spent a little time trying to find out who was starring in pantomime in Hastings in 1972. There is no mention of it on the Internet; it might have been anyone. I have half a mind to claim that some now-rich celebrity played Mother Goose at Hastings White Rock Pavilion forty-three years ago and enticed me to his dressing room. Demonstrably it's a nice little earner.

I then had a strange geo-experience. Yesterday I replaced a geocache of mine. Stuck to a sign near Canterbury's Park and Ride, I'd had a message that it was missing. It was, so I replaced the lot. Yesterday evening I got a message that someone had found it, but that there was no paper log inside and that I needed to go put one in there. Shortly after that I got another message saying that this same someone had actually replaced the paper log himself.

So I went back this morning to have a look-see. Sure enough the cache was where I'd put it. And someone had replaced the paper log I'd printed off with their own scrap of paper.

So I'm left wondering why anyone would steal just the paper log and not the entire cache. And why someone else would ask me to replace the log when they'd already done so themselves.

I got to work; I did my bit. Despite the cold weather I blew my sax at lunch time. This week's homework is improvisation and jazzing up an otherwise dull tune. I'm not finding it easy.

With work done I came home. I found my nose and ear de-furrer had arriived. I was glad I'd not paid eighteen quid to get it from Morrisons; it was overpriced at four quid from eBay.

I then took "Furry Face ^TM" round the roads for a little walk. It was mostly uneventful apart from chasing a cat out from under a parked car. I wish he wouldn't; one day he's going to chase a cat into an oncoming car.

We then went to the Admiralty where the clans gathered. Sweeties were scoffed, and we watched the first episode of the new series of "The 100". It's been some time since I saw the first season of that (I say "saw" - "slept though" would be more accurate) so I really had no idea what was going on.

Once home I spent a few minutes in the garden with my binoculars trying to see the latest comet. Every year in January there is talk of a comet. All the experts always predict it will be brighter than a lighthouse. These so-called comets never amount to anything. Comet Lovejoy C/2014 Q2 looks set fair to be this year's disappointment. I spent fifteen minutes shivering in the garden with my trusty binoculars and I can assure my loyal readers that (contrary to popular opinion) it is not currently in the general vicinity of Orion. It might be in a week or so; personally I hope it is. But for now; forget it.

If there is a comet that can be seen with the naked eye by the layman over the next few weeks (or indeed ever in my lifetime) I will eat the astro club's raffle.