About Bath

I spent a cold, but lovely, afternoon in Bath, Somerset. The stunning 18th century Georgian town is home to beautiful architecture, a first century AD Roman bath, and a 19th century abbey cathedral. It's a lovely walking city (and the university boys were lovely to look at as well.) But sadly, the town is beset with the same bloody shops one finds on every high street in the UK. 18 years ago Kate and I spent a weekend in Bath, and I remember it full of interesting book, curio and antique shops, but no more, it seems. Photos can be found here.

Bath, Avon

Today I'm off to Bath for an afternoon of sightseeing and a stay in a nice hotel before a daylong workshop tomorrow for Agency. I've not been in 18 years and can't wait to try my new camera in a glorious place. Pictures soon.

But they're crepes...

Yesterday, Shrove Tuesday, was Pancake Day in the UK. They're not really pancakes (as Americans would know them). They're actually crèpes, but the English don't like to admit it. As a matter of fact, they get rather upset when one says 'Those ain't pancakes'. All day long they eat these crèpes, err, pancakes. It's a big thing here.

This pancake day custom goes back hundreds of years. 'Shriving' means being given penance - which everyone sought before Lent started. And, as it was the day before Lent, it was also the day they ate up any foods they weren't going to eat during Lent. Like meat and fat. Hence the French call it 'Fat Tuesday' or Mardi gras.

A few have observed that the rest of the world celebrates Mardi gras with carnival but we in the UK eat pancakes. They're an exciting lot, the English.

And now you know...

Does it whither...?

This weekend I watched Stephen Poliakoff's Perfect Strangers for the second time. It's a brilliant little telemovie starring Matthew MacFayden (that's Mr. Darcy in the movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, for you Americans) about a family of strangers gathering in a posh hotel to piece together their family tree. On thinking of the movie afterwards, however, I began to fixate on what our family tree might look like, and more personally, what future generations might think or say on seeing a branch end at my name. Would they wonder why? Wonder that I was emotionally unable? Impotent? Homosexual? Would it be an anomaly? I know I've at least two cousins potentially in the same position...

If I ever were to marry in the UK, would my staunchly middle America family dare to encrypt 'Brian Paul m. [man's name here]' into the geneaology? Or would it remain a graphical white space excising a story one would rather wasn't told? Poliakoff's point that the real connections and fissures in a family have no relation to a family tree is real enough, but who will live to tell the stories of my life...

About meditation...

People have been asking about meditation. I'm a novice, having only been meditating for a few months. I started before I left Agency. I wasn't sleeping well and wasn't coping with the stress of the unknown. It's been when stress (and fear) threaten to overwhelm and I'm grateful now that I started. I sleep much more soundly, and the thought of not knowing what's next isn't paralysing me. Ialso think it's one of the reasons I've been able to stay off the alcohol during February. But there's still so much more to learn. I have difficulty maintaining 'focus' during meditation. My mind is prone to wandering. And I'm still learning to maintain posture - I tend to slump after 15 minutes...

I found Wildmind online. The Real Media lessons are free and is a great way to 'try out' meditation to see if one is really interested. I've focused so far on the Mindfulness and Lovingkindness lessons.

Lately

Watching Balderdash and Piffle. The BBC challenges the Oxford English Dictionary's commentary on a whole list of interesting (albeit British) words.

Letting Paul McKenna change my life.

Reading Memories of my melancholy whores

Laughing and cringing at The thick of it.

Listening to Patti Lupone kick ass in the new recording of Sondheim's Sweeney Todd.

Not drinking during the month of February. Wish me luck.

I won

Last Friday the Euromillions Lottery had an estimated jackpot of 105 million pounds.

I won. £7.40, but I still won. Ok, I spent £16 on tickets, but anyway ...

To be blunt

Hell yes, I'm rolling my eyes. It's not that I dislike James Blunt, it's just that I find the song irksome, and all of the tales about this posh upbringing (and his shagging his way around Sloane Square) make him seem as authentic as a white boy in dreadlocks.

It's today

According to Cardiff University, today is the most depressing day of the year. Here's the formula:

1/8W+(D-d) 3/8xTQ MxNA
Where:
W: Weather
D: Debt
d: Money due in January pay
T: Time since Christmas
Q: Time since failed quit attempt
M: General motivational levels
NA: The need to take action

Of course, tomorrow night is Burns' Night so you've a reason for hitting the whiskey now.

2005 in cities

Inspired by John, my 2005 in cities:

Paris, France*
Prague, Czech Rep.
Berlin, Germany
Geneva, Switzerland
Bath, England
Strasbourg, France
San Francisco, CA
San Jose, CA

Hmm. Didn't travel much, did I?

This year: Reykjavik, Stockholm, Salzburg, St. Petersburg (I hope)