It’s August, and all I can think about

…is the holiday.  Oh my god – so near and yet so far.  I just have to hang on until the first week of September – then I’m off.  Leaving all this behind to laze around on beaches in Antibes. Can hardly wait.

But, to business.  Everything very busy at the moment – hence the posting hiatus.  Trying to launch the new website at work and there appears to be some unspoken conspiracy to make it as difficult for me as possible.  Not sure what that is all about but you know, you can’t halt progress, and one must bash on regardless.

Things that distracted me from the horror of the website project today: Video ads in print media: http://bit.ly/1H2nav.  Amazing yet true – really reminds me of advertising in futuristic films, Bladerunner, Minority Report, Total Recall.  We’re just a hop, step and a jump away from ads tying to entice us to the off-world colonies! Maybe.

And then there was this: Patrick Moore discusses space rock http://bit.ly/GwmER.  Truly brilliant – perhaps someone could show Bowie how to sing…?

More bulletins when I have got a few seconds to spare, including the August hotlist…

July hot list

Everyone loves a list!

At the moment, I am fascinated by:

• Regression to the mean – just read lots about this in Bad Science by Ben Goldacre. Regression to the mean demystifies so many things that we are apt to imbue with unnecessary meaning. Reading the whole book made me think a lot about how (amongst other things), in school, when they are trying to teach you statistics, or any other form of maths, they don’t give you a context for it. I think I would have grasped the information a lot better if there was a context applied to it. For example, I vaguely remember learning about mode, median and mean*, but it means very little to me right now. My old maths teacher used to say things such as: ‘you have an unknown quantity of dolly mixtures in one pocket, and an unknown quanitity of mars bars in the other, using algebra, bla bla’ – how is that helpful? I didn’t even like dolly mixtures, and could only have conceivably ever fit one mars bar at a time into any of my pockets.
• The placebo effect – threw up more questions for me than answers – truly fascinating field of work. Again, much of this is in Bad Science, which is well worth a read, though it did leave me slightly depressed. Can something be done to stop the media from perverting the true course of science? Shouldn’t something be done?
• Moon, new film by Duncan Jones, starring Sam Rockwell – fabulous, beautiful, clever, well-acted, well-written; I can’t say enough good things about this film.
• Luke Wright’s poetry - especially ‘love pome’. Luke is quite simply brilliant.

*Supposedly simple explanation:

• The mode is the value that appears the most.
• The median is the middle value.
• The mean is the total of the numbers divided by how many numbers there are.

Actually, that last line about the mean isn’t really all that clear, is it? Or is it just me? I’m assuming, for ‘numbers’ you can substitute ‘factors’ depending on what you are trying to work out – quite possible I have misunderstood something here. Don’t worry, I don’t work in finance.

Some of my favourite quotes on art

‘Art is whatever you can get away with’ – Andy Warhol

‘Art for art’s sake, but money for christ’s sake’  – this was in a novel by David Lodge called Therapy, which is very funny.  I’m not sure whether the quote is Lodge’s, or if he is paraphrasing.  I like it a lot though, as someone invariably has to put a value on art for it to become successful; it has to become a commodity. 

So success is reductive in the sense that the artwork is a reduced to a product, to be marketed and sold.  I recently went to the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy, which was excellent, though it got me thinking about how the art gets valued.  I always love this exhibition because it is so varied every year, and there are so many different pieces to look at.  Last year, I saw a couple of paintings by Bill Jacklin, which I just fell in love with.  According to the little catalogue they give you to consult as you wander round, his paintings go for around £3k plus.  At the time, I thought, if I had the kind of money that allowed me to spend that kind of cash on art, I would love to invest in something so beautiful.  And yet, I also think, if art is only bought by wealthy private collectors, then that means it is hidden away, which is a bit sad.

Which comes back to the ‘product’ notion.  If it is just a product, then private owners can do whatever they like with their purchases (obviously), hmm.  Anyway, I did wonder how the art gets priced in an exhibition like that, as the prices do vary so wildly.  How do they come up with them?  How do you put a value on art?  I might have to investigate this and come back to it.  I wonder if there are any accepted guidelines on pricing, and what the factors are?  I assume that the artists charging the higher prices have agents, and I suppose they must broker deals with galleries, and there must be all sorts of commission and fees and so on. 

‘All art is quite useless’ Oscar Wilde

Bill Jacklin

Geekishly excited about this

Huzzah!  Have managed to start a WordPress blog – which I know is not thrilling in itself – but, bear with me.  I have also managed to transfer all the blog posts from my old blog, which was languishing in Blogger.  I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it, and I’m still not sure…but as I said, I am very excited about this new development.  I am a total geek. 

I’m also not sure about the URL, but everything else I tried was already taken, so I suppose this means the blog is no longer anonymous. Which means I’ll have to watch what I say from now on, I suppose…

Yet another good mood – these just keep on coming

Feeling absolutely fantastic right about now. Am drinking Prosecco with raspberries floating in it, and listening to a bit of old skool Fleetwood Mac, which is no doubt helping with the overall sense of well-being. Also, the weather is heavenly today, so it’s all good, baby. But – I have also been thinking, I seem to be a bit more zen at the moment anyway – what can have brought all this on? Who knows? Why question it and be suspicious of my own happiness?

So – to business. French class – going well. Think I may be turning into the student everyone else hates – it isn’t my fault, I am just starting to remember all the French I learned the first time around. Not that I am meaning to show off, or anything…
Driving – also going well…only 4 hours in. Switching gears appears to be something of an arcane art at the moment. No, grasshopper, you must not look upon the gearstick, one must grope blindly whilst keeping one’s eyes on the road and one’s other hand firmly on the steering wheel. Ok. Other no-nos: looking at your feet whilst driving, signalling before looking in the mirror, taking both hands off wheel in a panic whenever another vehicle is spied in the rear view mirror, etc. I will get there in the end. Feel very lucky because my instructor is brilliant – really laid back, and yet on my case all the time. Also, as Alice pointed out, I do not fancy him, which is apparently a bonus. Huge bonus to learning now that I am (ahem) older – I could not care less about making mistakes. Every time I cock up, I usually burst out laughing in an utterly shameless way. If other motorists can’t see the massive L plates and sign on top of the car, then frankly, they shouldn’t be on the road.
Bollywood dance class – will surely be spotted by talent scout any day now…

Right, off to listen to more Mac, Mamas and the Papas, Beach Boys, Bowie et al.

All shook up

Ooh – all conflicted about everything. Still in a good mood, but just a bit confused, I suppose. What do I want? What do any of us really want? OR. Or. Is it that I do really know what I want, but I am worried about the consequences? Hmmm.

Looking up

Things are. They are looking up. The sun is shining, off to French class tonight (have, of course, forgotten how to say ANYTHING in French, so it should be interesting to say the least), dance classes continue apace, new series of Family Guy started last night and I managed to get a reprieve from the root canal surgery. It’s all good baby.

Wednesday should be particularly good…will let you know.

Yoga etc

Went to yoga on Friday night – intensive hatha class. It is from 6 until 7, led by a lovely woman called Amanda. She just has this lovely energy and is a great teacher – it kind of seems like she isn’t pushing you too hard, but everyone still comes out of the class kind of shaky and wobbly. Because I am obsessed with trying to keep fit – in part due to body dysmorphic disorder/occasional low self-esteem/being a woman (how come an awareness of it doesn’t make it stop? Am about the same size as I have been for about 10 years in reality, but most of the time I am convinced I am fat. And if I was just a bit thinner, then of course my whole life would absolutley fucking perfect – I know it isn’t just me.)- and in part due to the fact that the endorphin hit I get after yoga or my dance class makes me feel so good and blissed out that I think I may be becoming addicted to it. Anyway, I must be pretty fit now as I even went to yoga this morning – that’s right, you heard me – this morning – that’s Sunday morning at 10.30 for an hour and a half hatha practice. The focus in the class this month is back bends.

There is of course, a spiritual side to yoga, which I assume is also doing me good. At the start of each session, you have to think of someone or something you would like to dedicate your practice to. It can be someone who you care about, someone who could do with a lift, etc. You can also dedicate your practice to someone you don’t like, someone you have had trouble with and so on. Back bends, we were told today, are all about forgiveness and letting go. Sometimes, when people are doing back bends, they get emotional, apparently because there is a kind of release. Whether this is the actual reason, or it’s just that you are being quiet, still and reflective, which is a total change of pace for me, I don’t know.  This happened to me today – I could feel myself starting to cry, but just about managed to hold it together. Was thinking about all the crap that bothers me, all the stuff that is just sitting on top of me, or, all the stuff that I am carrying round with me, weighing me down. And the constant state of alertness that I seem to be in. Could be to do with the job, but it is also everything else.

Suppose in particular, when Amanda said to think of someone who perhaps has upset you, or you have upset them, and to just take the time to let it go, I thought of two individuals, and I did think, I hope I can just let this go, today.

Then I thought – do I need this kind of crap when I am just trying to keep fit?  I don’t want therapy, I just wanted to increase my flexibility.  Give me Bollywood dance any day.

It’s good to have this space to ramble.

Watch out, there are protesters about

Apparently. My god, the fuss over G20 is insane. I work in Westminster, where there are no protests planned, and we were all told to ‘dress casually’, and that we could work from home today. Cue most people electing to do just that. I came in as I go completely stir crazy when I work from home, and besides, since I don’t work for a financial insitution, and am nowhere near the City, there is no risk whatsoever.

Suppose I will eat my words if it all kicks off and my building is inexplicably taken under siege, but, I have just managed a quick foray to Pret without incident, so fingers crossed. Well, I say without incident, but in fact, that isn’t strictly true. The staff at Pret have clearly received the Rolls Royce of customer service training; they’re almost too good, you know? They tread a very fine line between getting it just right and patronisingly insincere. Well, at my local branch, they are always practically falling over themselves to be super-duper nice to the extent that they sometimes trip up. The guy behind the counter welcomed me as if I was a long lost family friend; I have become accustomed to this effusiveness, but it does make for an awkward exchange. They ask you how you are – you reply in the standard format: ‘fine thanks’, then you have to ask them how they are, out of politeness – of course they’re doing fine – they are happy! They work at Pret, for god’s sake, and all this with the knowledge that the emphasis is on speed of service and people are waiting whilst this dance of pleasantries is played out. So, he then took my order in a prompt fashion, but then lost it completely and referred to the woman behind me as a gentleman. Clearly an honest mistake, but she didn’t take it very well. Then she spoke really fast, and tried to make a joke about how strong she wanted her coffee – the barista, flustered by the gender blunder, ended up serving her a skinny latte, when she had actually requested a rocket-fuel strength espresso. Imagine the horror and scenes of devastation if you will. I escaped with my life, a tall latte and a little packet of brown sugar. And a stirrer.

Will keep you posted on the siege situation.

Gaah

Just had passport photos done for driver’s licence. Now have complex re symmetry (or lack thereof) of face. Harsh, very harsh. New guidelines state that you cannot have any of your hair anywhere near your eyes (fair enough), or covering your ears (whaaaa? What on earth is all that about – since when do they identify you by your ears alone? Is there some new ear-recognition technology I am unaware of? Sheesh). So I had to pull my hair back into an unflattering pony tail, and remove my glasses. I should really have thought about this in advance. If I had, I would have worn my contact lenses. Once I removed my glasses, I couldn’t actually see what I looked like on the handy screen in the ‘Photo-Me’ booth. When not wearing glasses or contacts I tend to look a little lost. Resulting image makes me look a little sad, like I just received some bad news. Oh well.

As if it isn’t bad enough these days, with people putting unsanctioned photos of you up on facebook, now I have an unsanctioned photo going in a permanent id document. Re facebook, I know, I know I could de-tag – but that just makes you look vain! (Which, I know, I kind of am, for even thinking that way).

Anyway, must put all this aside and focus on the exciting prospect of me behind the wheel very soon. I have left it a little late, but honestly, when you move to London, as I did so many years ago now, it just doesn’t seem necessary, and it is so expensive to learn, so I kept putting it off. Has been one of my new year’s resolutions for about 10 years, so yay me – am finally taking some action. Lots of things on the list at the moment- driving, refresher French course, Bollywood dance classes (oh, don’t fret, more on this soon), yoga bunnydom, holiday etc etc. oh yeah, and the completed draft of the (potentially Oscar-winning) screenplay. Will keep you posted.