Lexin

I’ve been a bit quiet recently; this isn’t because I’ve been busy, just that I’ve been idle. I’ve been commenting, but not posting.

Not working is still good; I’ve had a few wobbly days, but I’m always a bit wobbly between the middle of March and the beginning of May in any given year, because that’s when my father was suffering his final illness in 1997, and I seem to have some species of PTSD about the whole thing. I start off every day fine, and get progressively worse as the day passes, ending with being unable to sleep because of racing thoughts.

I just lie in bed and wait for the it to pass, which took ages last night at least partly due to the fact that we had high winds which seemed to make things worse. I was so restless Smokey gave up on me and went to sleep in the living room.

Good news

In good news, though, I’m going out tonight with my friend Dave to see The Enid at a venue called the Union Chapel. It’s a Congregationalist church in Islington which also doubles as a gig venue. Strange. I’m looking forward to it, because I haven’t seen The Enid since we went to see them in Birmingham a few years ago.

Other good news

In other good news, my ex-colleague from the former Employer of Doom, Anna Smith-Spark (@annalibitina on Twitter) got in touch. She’s been writing a novel called “The Court of the Broken Knives”, and has finally finished it. Almost immediately she started touting it around, and has found an agent.

I’m impressed but not astonished, Anna is a very intelligent person with plenty of enthusiasm, and I’d read the first part of the draft of the novel, and it’s good. It’s a bit dark for me, Anna writes what I believe is known as ‘grimdark’ and I tend to like the cuddly end of fantasy, but it is good.

She also suggested that she might like to go along to the Fantasy Convention due to be held in Nottingham in October, but didn’t want to go alone. So I, still sore about having missed out on Redemption in February due to that blasted cold, said I’d go with her. And we’re going – all booked and everything. Well, except for the cat sitter, which can wait a bit as I need to book my trip to Wales in August.

I suspect that the Fantasy Convention is almost entirely about books and I’m used to media conventions where the emphasis is on film and TV. So this should be an interesting comparison. Roll on October!

Can be found here: http://www.private-eye.co.uk/covers.php?showme=1293&

I nearly cracked a rib. Seriously.

Montana woman fights bear using courgette.

(For the puzzled across the Atlantic, a courgette is what we call a zucchini.)

Harvey Weinstein: "Roman Polanski is a man who cares deeply about his art and its place in this world. What happened to him on his incredible path is filled with tragedy, and most men would have collapsed. Instead, he became a great artist and continues to make great films. I was with him the day he won the Legion of Honour in France, which was a spectacular day. I remember the incredible love and affection that people have for him." From here .

Bollocks. Bollocks. Bollocks. Irrelevant bumlicking bollocks.

Roman Polanski is by his own admission a rapist who abused the trust of a 13-year-old girl. The judge in the case had no cause to be making an agreement with him whereby he got off with 40-odd days and latterly realised the fact, at which point Polanksi skipped.

I don't care how many good films he's made, he's a rapist and should be in jail.

There is a point where even I become an authoritarian and some things are just wrong. That Polanski's been swanning about Europe for the past thirty years before being arrested is one of them.