other worlds

Amnesty International events: speaker on - dreadful - conditions and some very brave people in the Congo. Regional Conference, reminder of others concerned about rights and abuses worldwide. Look at www.amnesty.org.uk.

Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

morning time blues?

Time to get going, an easy trip to work, unlike many people's commute.

Some thoughts on Reading

No, not the town west of London.

Trigger is "How to talk about books you haven't read" by Pierre Bayard, published in English by Granta (from the French, "Comment parler des livres que l'on n'a pas lus?").
Don't feel guilty that you haven't read everything! It's important to express yourself and write too, not just read other people's thoughts and expressions all the time.
Starts with the librarian in "The man without qualities", who deliberately doesn't read the books in his library because it would prejudice him and make his job impossible.
But he does read the contents pages and makes an assessment of the books to catalogue and shelve them appropriately. Yo man!
Goes via critics who are happy to make judgements on books without reading them, eg Paul Valery.
The comic pain of giving a talk on something you've read to people who think you're someone else (happens in Graham Greene's "The third man").
Wish I'd thought of all that earlier.
Don't feel guilty, don't be afraid of "culture". Come to think of it, that only puts other people off and makes the wary even warier of engaging with "intellectual stuff". A real problem in this country with its class divisions and prejudices and self-imposed cages which we must try to break - at least try.

Agrippina

Picture from http://www.barber.org.uk/ accessed 06/10/09.
Forget to post on this. 50th anniversary opera staging at Barber Institute (University of Birmingham). Handel's Agrippina, sort of I Claudius (if you remember that) meets the Aeneid meets Carry On Rome. Superb singing and orchestral accompaniment, lively drama - with some very up-front and revealing moments, a bit too revealing if you were sitting at the front as we were ... Nero in a G-string, could've have lived without that really, though my other half didn't seem to mind. On the other hand, Poppeia and the veils ...
Was a bit long though, half-hour or so shorter would've been welcome. But thanks to D.P. for the suggestion and tickets. Performance standard excellent.

On the road at home!

From my phone to the blog although I'm at home. Hmm.
Editing this on the laptop now though.

Canal Side

Out and About and some Folk Culture

Colum Sands at the Red Lion Folk Club - laid-back, fun and perceptive take on life in Ireland and on his travels. Lovely guy, nice evening.

Getting lost and asking for directions .. 'Am I on the right road for Cork?'
'You're on the right road .. but you've turned the wrong way!'

Much-missed Aunt, and an eccentric Uncle.
Mobile phones ... is anyone left at home?

Funeral wakes ... "Well, it could've been worse ..."