Squish
Posted: Fri 11 April, 2014 Filed under: A428, Animals, Commuting, Domestic, Driving, People, Thoughts 3 Comments »Maybe I’m more aware of it this week, with Death of the Mau, but on my drive to and from work I’ve noticed a lot more dead animals by the roadside this week.
Uncommonly, the great majority seem to be badgers (of varying sizes and ages) which I always find very sad. At least these are on dual-carriageways, rather than the completely-intact bodies I sometimes see on the edge of other roads. (I’m never quite convinced that these aren’t actually from farmers/people gassing them, and using the roads as a convenient excuse/reason for dead badger, and disposal thereof. But I’m horrifically cynical)
In my opinion it’s always sad to see dead badgers – they’re awesome creatures – but particularly seeing younger ones depresses me.
I suppose it’s that time though, with semi-mature ones making way for new litters and exploring the world, and also post-winter-sleep. (I know they don’t ‘hibernate’ as such, but they certainly appear to slow down significantly over winter) All the same, you’d hope that a driver would notice a bloody big black-and-white creature lumbering across a dual-carriageway. (I know they don’t, because they have issues noticing other cars, let alone animals. But still, we can hope)
Mau Down
Posted: Wed 9 April, 2014 Filed under: Animals, Domestic 1 Comment »Back in October 2012, I added Cleo – an Egyptian Mau – to the household. She was an adoptee, where no-one had wanted her from the litter, so I ended up with her.
Yesterday I went out to get some fuel, and while doing so I got a call from a random stranger, which turned out to be from a local vets. Cleo had been found (by the person who drives the local pet ambulance, which is lucky) by the side of the road, having been hit by a car. She was alive at the time, but apparently died before she got to the vets.
From what I/we can tell, it was all pretty fast, so she wouldn’t have suffered. In some ways I’m sorry I wasn’t there – in others I’m quite glad I wasn’t. I’ve been present when putting a pet to sleep before, and it’s something I’d rather not repeat. (Of course I will when I have to, but still, it’s not a fun experience) Hearing the news from a stranger over the phone (she was obviously identified from her Microchip) was unpleasant, but I have to say that I think he was more upset than I was.
I am upset by it, but I’ve also been expecting it. I’ve seen her (and the Bengal) run across the road several times, and I know they both roam like demons, so to know it’s happened isn’t a massive surprise.
There’s paperwork to do – insurance etc. – but that’ll be handled tonight. In the meantime, I’ll also have to deal with a very change-averse Bengal, which will be a challenge in and of itself.
I don’t blame the (unknown) driver – I know the speed they dash out to cross the road, I know there’d be no chance to avoid them – although I do think it’s pretty shit to drive off and not even stop. I know, it’s not reportable etc., but when near a parade of less than ten houses, I might at least stop to let the inhabitants know. From the timescales, I was at home at the time, and must’ve just missed the people finding her.
I won’t be looking at getting a replacement (I’m happy to have just the two for the moment) and I won’t be getting back the body/ashes – both of which have always struck me as pretty gruesome, to be honest.
Anyway, it’s all a bit shit, but these things happen.
Notebooks
Posted: Tue 8 April, 2014 Filed under: Customer Services, Design, Domestic, Geeky, Reviews(ish), Stationery, Thoughts, Work-related 2 Comments »
One of my loves is – as sad as it sounds – stationery. Pens, Inks, and particularly note-pads of various types. I use them a lot in my work, taking notes, keeping track of ideas and projects. Well, that’s how I justify things, anyway.
Recently I’ve been getting savage temptations from a company called Bureau Direct, who have a huge range of everything I love using. I’ve been impressed by their service, their range, and the speed and efficiency of their service. Sadly, their weekly promotional email is like temptation itself.
The most recent addition to my collection arrived over the weekend – a pack of three limited-edition “Field Notes” notebooks called “Shelterwood“.
They’ve managed to get a fine layer of American Cherry wood as the cover – I have *no* idea how they’ve managed it, but they have. The covers are still flexible, but they’re a razor-thin laminate of ‘proper wood’. Naturally, all the covers are different (as you’d expect from wood) and they’re ace. The books aren’t as big as I’d thought they might be – about A6, I’d guess – but that’s fine, and makes them different from my normal notepad-size too.
It turns out that Field Notes do these limited editions on a regular basis – I suspect I may end up with more…
The Imposter
Posted: Mon 7 April, 2014 Filed under: Films, People, Reviews(ish), Seeing Films, Weirdness Leave a comment »Over the weekend, I finally watched The Imposter, a documentary about a man who impersonated Nicholas Barclay, an American teen who had disappeared four years previously.
It’s a fascinating – and very creepy – film, which would be dismissed as unrealistic and impossible if it were a fiction story/film.
The Imposter himself, Frédéric Bourdin is a very strange character, and (in my unprofessional opinion) probably about as much of a pure-bred psychopath as it’s possible to be. The family of Nicholas Barclay are also extremely strange – and yes, I know, editing etc. – and make you wonder just why a family would accept in a stranger that could not possibly be their child/relative.
I don’t know the full story – I doubt anyone ever will – but the documentary makes you think of alternatives, of options, and of coincidence. Maybe it was Bordin’s bad luck to pick Barclay as a person to impersonate – it certainly leads to a much bigger story, and a whole different set of possibilities.
Totally recommended, even if documentaries ‘aren’t normally your thing’
People Carriers
Posted: Fri 4 April, 2014 Filed under: 1BEM, BMW Drivers, Charm School, Commuting, Cynicism, Driving, Travel 1 Comment »As has been noted before on here, I do a fair amount of driving on any given week, mainly for commuting. It’s about 400-500 miles per week at the moment – although I’ve had greater mileages, and lesser ones.
One of the things I notice during those drives is how drivers do seem to group up, and that certain groups are infinitely worse than others. There’s always the usual culprits – BMWs, Audis, and White Vans, but there’s another one I notice more over time. MPVs, or people carriers.
I don’t know if it’s because BMW et al don’t actually do people carrier vehicles, but it does seem that MPV drivers are on a par with BMW drivers. In particular it seems that Citroen Xsara Picasso (now renamed the C4 Picasso, I think) are a breed of shit drivers. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve seen these vacuous bell-ends approach roundabouts in the wrong lanes, cut across lines of traffic, cruise across busy roundabouts, stick their cars into the flow of traffic, weave across multiple carriageways, and generally act like cunts.
So yes, welcome to the ‘shit drivers’ group.
- BMWs and Audis
- White Van drivers
- MPVs – and Picasso drivers in particular.