I’m currently playing Super Mario Galaxy, which is a gorgeous game to watch and play, Puzzlequest, which is an RPG meets a Bejewelled-style puzzle game, and the expansion version of Phantasy Star Universe.
I’m watching Heroes of course, the new series of Curb Your Enthusiasm (which is compulsory, it’s very good), the Mighty Boosh, and I’ve just watched my first episode of Flight of the Conchords, which I’d heard was a very marmite show, but I got it straight away, stupid in a great way.
As of 6pm this evening, all commercial television will stop in Britain. No Sky, Channel 4, ITV, Channel 5, NTL. BBC is now the only media which will be allowed to broadcast, and will be changing its schedules to a mainly news-based format. In addition, SMS texts will be shut down shortly, newspapers will be similarly limited, and for your safety, we are going to try and close down the internet as soon as possible.
Ridiculous idea? Not in Pakistan at the moment. Under the present regime, there is only state-run television now. The only other alternatives? Blogging and Youtube in the main. The internet is now the voice of the opposition there, as it has no route of speaking to people at all. See Chapati Mystery for one such example of what is going on there.
I’m just not qualified to comment on the political situation there at the moment, but the concept of virtually everything in terms of media being shut down, in any modern society, has amazed me this morning.
I’ve just been getting back into the swing of things after the holiday, and yes, I admit it, have been too lazy to write up the rest of New York. I will try and do it at some stage, it was just that we were busy relaxing and having fun, and I just felt like disconnecting properly after the first few days, so I did. Still very relaxed from it all. But I shouldn’t use that as an excuse not to write, so I will start up again.
Sunday 3pm
The world looks a whole lot better after a good sleep, several coffees, and a decent shower. I think I’ve about cleared back to human now. A good start today, we got up reasonably early, had breakfast, then headed for Central Park up 7th Avenue. The Manhattan streets are a bit of a surprise, hustle and bustle, sure, but not too hectic. Still seeing a Parisian side to it all.
Eighteen blocks up isn’t that much of a walk as it turns out, and certainly didn’t feel as far as the scale on the map suggested it might. We’ve been taking in the look, the feel, and certainly the smell of it all. Smell hits you everywhere, food, cars, and especially the sewers, which are astonishing when they hit your nosebuds full-tilt.
Once you get into Central Park, it only takes about a hundred yards to lose the city somewhat. It’s huge, beautiful and tranquil. Winding, shady, tree-lined paths lead out on many beautiful expanses of lawn. Lots of families playing, couples lounging, people enjoying leisurely strolls. Near the busier intersections of paths, you’ll get buskers, nothing too hectic, lots of gentle moody jazz. There is almost an enforced slow pace to it all. The one exception however is on the roads that wind through the park itself; whilst closed to traffic in the main, they are a constant flood of joggers, inline skaters and cyclists. As a side note here, I appear to be blending in well, I was asked three times to take photos for tourists. As another side note, I may clearly need to lose some weight.
Having drank the tranquility in, we then set off along 5th Avenue. This is shopping heaven, simply put. If you extracted every single clothing brandname that met the approval of Mrsfb from her mind, you would find that is was a shop directory for 5th Avenue. We’ve set aside Monday for shopping, so Mrsfb womanfully resisted the lure of Prada et al, and we pressed on to find somewhere for a snack.
We happened up St. Andrews Bar. This would appear to be your classic English pub in America, so it was a heady blend of bar and pub. We were served by an Irishman in a kilt (don’t ask, I don’t know either. Very friendly though) and settled down for a traditional English pint of Stella Artios, followed by a substantial brunch. Omlette with smoked salmon and soft cheese for Mrsfb, fried eggs with ‘Scottish bacon’ for myself. We were presented with ketchup, however I decided to take a bold English stance. “You haven’t got any Brown sauce”, I enquired. “Sure, we’re out of HP, but will Chefs do?”. In New York, on my bacon. I almost wiped away a tear of English pride. Good food, just what we needed after a few hours of walking.
For now we’ve retired back to the hotel, Mrsfb is having a little nap, and I’m writing this in the hotel bar whilst watching NASCAR on a large television. America is alright by me thus far.
Sunday 11pm
Tonight was Times Square. In the daytime, it’s slightly under-impressive, it seems a bit smaller than you thought it would be. In the evening however, it utterly comes alive. The signs glow, the screens scroll through endless implorations to watch and consume, hawkers hawk, generally your eyes are drawn permanently upwards. Religion has something to learn here, there are a few ideas someone could really use and exploit. Maybe I’ll have a go at running a religion soon. Some form of a consumerist religion for the UK?
Wow, I only suggest new religions when I am really tired. I think I must be. I guess this is the proper jetlag then. Cool, I did come to America to experience new things.
Saturday 12am
Wow. In Manhattan, sat on a very nice enclosed balcony, figuring out quite what part of me is jetlagged, and what part is knackered. I think that was about 17 hours of travelling and queuing, all told. Not sure if this is the best time to do the math(s).
Good flight really, quite choppy for the second part of it, but we read and watched movies to distract us. Note to Richard Branson btw: Those screens on the backs of your seats become unwatchable as soon as someone reclines the seat in front of you. The movies I watched were mainly listened too, as all the actors essentially appeared to be shadowy puppets as soon as the chap in front of me got a little tired.
Shuttle bus into Manhattan itself was amazing, just working us into the city a little. Hustle, bustle, yadda *3. However more chilled than I expected. It looks really nice at night, odd pace to it all, almost looks Parisian. Big boulevards, people eating out on the streets (okay, sidewalks). And like the French, they drive with their horns here. Mirror, horn, signal, horn, maneuver, horn.
Tomorrow we do Central Park and Times Square. I get the camera out, and go to work. I may spend half the day in black and white. But I think it is now time to retire and pass out.
Okay, I said a few posts ago it had got cold. I was wrong. Now it’s got cold. Really cold. It’s still not October yet. This isn’t promising. I’d suggest buying shares in woolen mills.
Off to see Ska Cubano tonight. Should be a good gig, and it’s my first opportunity to see the new Oxford Academy (formerly the Zodiac, formerly The Venue). Looks good from the outside. Will report back soon.
We saw Run Fat Boy Run at the cinema this past Saturday, starring Simon Pegg. Not that great to be honest. Dylan Moran was alright in it. And there were a lot of Nike logos, which was annoying at first, but after about the 20,000th I grew into a state of tacit acceptance, and at about 30,000 I realised that it was in fact the greatest symbol in the history of mankind, and that life was all about the mantra “Just do it”. I’ve since sold all my possessions, bar of course my Nike trainers, and now live a life of simplicity devoted to the worship of the swoop. If I find where I can get Nike underpants, I’m going to get arrested a lot less now.
Speaking of mind control, I was rather disturbed by an advert for The Alpha course. This was a cinema full of young teenage kids (woooo. Actually they weren’t that bad, the ones next to us that I thought would be a pain actually tutted when some younger kids down the front talked a bit during the film). They’re not allowed to have ads for alcohol, or fags, or indeed many things shoved down their throats, so why should religion be allowed to sell itself to them? When they’re old enough, fine. Although I personally go to the cinema to have naked consumerism pushed to me, and I have no desire to instead have my moral values questioned instead. If I do, I’ll watch a good documentary on the sofa. Questioning morals should always be done in a familiar chair with a cup of tea.
So winter arrived yesterday, it got cold. Real cold. And then it’s sort of heating up now. Don’t know what season we are in now. Sumautrinter, I believe. I think I’m going to wrap up warm and wear shorts, makes as much sense as anything else.
Mrsfb’s brother was up to visit this weekend, had a nice time catching up with him. Not the most hectic of weekends, rather good. Managed to mess up my sleep cycle something chronic though, not quite back to it yet.
Have to get my bum in gear about sorting out things for going to New York. We have money, tickets, hotel and passports, so that’s kind of the important things covered, but there are plenty of other things to do as well. I intend to get a few things done tonight.
A nice surprise today, I am the 4th Graeme on Google UK, and the 21st on Google.com. Imagine being so highly rated within the world of your own name! I aim to improve, and am setting my sight on being the No.1 Graeme in the UK, and to try and break the top ten Graeme list for the world. Lofty and worthy goals I feel.
The other thing that has got me excited today is the announcement of a relatively cheap fabber. Desktop Factory have announced a $5000 3D printer (via TG Daily). A 3D printer (or fabber) prints objects, cutting and moulding plastic shapes. They could in time become home factories. One possibility is that you might be able to recycle materials, use them in a fabber, then make new objects you need, to a design you’ve downloaded from the internet, or made yourself. There is a long way to go, clearly, but seeing the basic means of production heading towards an affordable price is exciting for me.