Just Say Noam!

I’ve been ill. After xmas I came down with some sort of nasty flu thing which sapped my strength. What was worse – I’d already booked every Wednesday in January as leave, to use last year’s leave up. I thought I’d be able to use those days as a cycling opportunity. In the end I was glad to have the day off on the 4th to lay around in bed. As I recovered – I managed a short ride into Kent, followed by a longer one – all the way to Sevenoaks. Then I was worse again and laid around all day. I’m just getting my voice back – the ears still hurt – and if I spend too long in the cold my throat goes again, and I can hardly speak.

I have bought an MP3 player though. I’ve stuffed it with about 300 songs so far – Joy Division, Elvis Costello’s “Useless Beauty”, Placebo singles, some Bjork, The Rutles, History of Hip-Hop, a jazz compilation, ELO Greatest Hits, Iggy Pop, Glen Campbell, Lou Reed, Velvet Underground etc.

I’m embarking on a mission to digitise all my vinyl and cassettes. It’ll probably take a few years.

Went out with S. last night to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a slap up feast in a Polish restaurant. I had Hunter’s Stew, a massive quarter of duck, veggie side dishes, a slab of cheesecake, and flavoured vodka.

Watched the UK version of police, camera, action, which was complete wank. Idiots were theorising about the future of the motor-car – one plonker said it was turning into an “information platform”, and others claimed that the self driving car was nigh – except that it could never cope with the unexpected – like an animal running out in front of it. What will they do? Put up huge fences to keep us all off the public highway? Ban cyclists and pedestrians? Probably.

Which brings me back my favourite anti-establishment rant. ID cards are coming – compulsory cards now two years away. I’ll try to restrain myself from running off on this subject – for now.

Olympics – I’m in two minds about this scheme
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4712904.stm
which seems to have split the cycling activists. Sustrans are proposing it but the resources needed will almost certainly have massive impact on all other cycling related projects up till 2012. And since Sustrans have failed to discuss this with anyone else, LCC and CTC have naturally been cautious, or even sceptical, regarding this scheme. It’s a nice idea – especially the bridge at Rotherhithe – but if its that versus every other scheme intended to help commuter cyclists on the road, and schemes to improve road safety, then I’d have to decline.

Anyway - bye for now...