All play and no work

My week off work is speeding by faster or at least as fast as when I'm at work for half the day. By 'work' I mean work - as in things I do not for fun but for financial remuneration. Then there is my work by which I mean my work, my research, my writing, my teaching, my studies - things that I do for which I am paid but gladly do and resent being pulled away from by the other kind of work.

We've learned the very nasty twist to potato blight - the taters don't keep. Oh they look good - all shiny and white when cleaned up, innocently sitting in their hessian sacks looking perfectly ready to hibernate like well-behaved little taters until needed. But turn your back and they melt into a stinking oozy mess. It's unpleasant. The tomatoes are, alack the day, affected as well. We saved a bunch of green ones to try our hand at chutney or pickle only to find that they too melted away overnight. It's like gardening in hell. I can kind of picture how devastating it would be to rely on these fickle veggies for life and breath - carefully stacking them away only to find a black puddle of yuck in the larder a few weeks later. Evil evil blight.

Well, back to the intellectually, spiritually, if not financially (yet) rewarding WORK.

fear and loathing

So Sarah Palin believes that 'smaller democratic countries that are invaded by a large power' should receive an immediate smackdown from the US military might. This from an interview that was supposed to refute her lack of foreign policy experience. What it shows instead is a staggering lack of self-awareness of the less-glorious history of American military intervention.

Oh wait - democratic countries. Right. Because countries that aren't democratic - or aren't toeing the American line of 21st century economically-driven democracy (that implicitly benefits US market forces) - don't particularly require assistance - or whatever illegal occupation that might go on needs no comment.

This woman scares me.

But in other news, I've finally finished and submitted an article - ripped mercilessly from my thesis. Now I just wait to get it back with editor's marks nearly obliterating my poor text ...

Not even a pop

So the world didn't end when the Cern excellerator was turned on. Not even a blip in my electricity at home. Not that I'm disappointed - though I've never read the studies by the fellows who attempted to launch a lawsuit on behalf of EVERYTHING, claiming that turning the machine on was putting all life in serious danger. I'm curious who would have benefitted from the payout - of course, if they are right, I suppose the point is moot.

Since the world didn't end - and I should go back to long-term planning - I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't take advantage of the hysteria generated far from Leeds (clearly). It might have been a good laugh to host a 'Final Bang' party or similar - or make up (if not actually complete) one of those completely sentimental 'Bucket Lists' so popular with the kids (or at least old men) these days. Instead, I spent what could have been my last days on earth in much my usual routine - which meant the usual great deal of work avoiding my usual routine ... Someday I'm sure I will emerge from my chrysallis woven of procrastination, foot-dragging, and general laziness into the super-organised, efficient, and professional academic that I know is inside.

If I can be bothered ...

Oh grin, dear reader, I was mostly kidding.

small print

I spend enough time wandering about the internet at work - and enough of that time rummaging through Wikipedia, following my own inclination through interminable links. But was it common knowledge that Wikipedia 'English' is written in 'simple English'?

As opposed to 'difficult English'? 'The Queen's English'? Jargon? Business-speak?

Would anyone notice if it were in some other English?

What if it were poetry?