Pub Quiz Avoidiz

Sorry For The Strained Rhyme -
    Only a little bit.  No pub quiz for Conrad and Darling Daughter tonight, as our quiz partners are off in India this week, a bit too far to commute from.  We decided against going as a duo because our knowledge of soap opera and sport is minimal.  Less than that, really.

Owl it from the rooftops

Antipodean Pantechnicon
  A.k.a. "Kiwi Bus", if you want succinct.  Yesterday I warned about Googling for "naked bus", because - there is actually such a company, operating in New Zealand, and some of their marketing exposed considerably more skin than you might expect in a sober, sensible, stolid advert about public transport

Not possible here in the UK.  Weather.  Wet. Windchill.  Old ladies.  Children.  None of which exist in NZ

I certainly wouldn't expect to see Naked Bus advertising on the bus posters that cross my vision here in Manchester.  Whatever is the world coming to?  Naked Bus!  Why, in my <Mr Hand intervenes once again to prevent death by dullness>

Naked bust.  Close enough

1602
     No, I don't mean two minutes past four!
     Here you go.  The Marvel comicbook graphic novel, yeah, graphic novel is what I meant, that's more serious and arty.

No the sequel is not Three Minutes Past Four!

The underlying conceit is that superheroes have arrived 350 years ahead of time, and part of the fun in "1602" for a person like Conrad is picking out the future echoes.  It's also taken ages for me to finish because there's a lot to it.  Plus, a lot of it is set in England, because that's where the superheroes are.  Yah boo sucks to superhero-less America!  The title pages are very nicely done mock-woodcuts - see above - that yea verily do conjuruth up the era, innit.

That's Quite Enough Of That!
     "That" being "Mobile Energy" - a polyp of British Gas.  I walked past one of their hoardings yesterday and was struck by the theme being promoted.  With "ME" you can manage your gas and electricity utilities "from anywhere".

Don't look at ME!

     Quite.
     A mobile phone application.
     Which allows you to manage your gas and electricity.
     Excuse me, I must have missed the focus group, the feedback sessions, the beta testing, all those sources that imply I simply ache, thirst and crave to - manage utilities on my mobile.
     I BLOODY HATE MOBILES!  I have as little as possible to do with the Digital Devilboxes as I can.  Now some advertising executive thinks this is a good idea?  They're being a bit coy.
     "On the toilet?  At a funeral?  Having a blood transfusion? Performing delicate neuro-surgery?  Defusing an IED?  Piloting a 747 on approach to Heathrow?  Splendid!  The ideal time to get your phone out and see how many therms you used up last night.  You know, when you used a single wax candle to heat up a teaspoon of gruel, in the closet under the stairs."

Tattooists ought not to indulge in ME whilst working. This man agrees

So - Tanks?
    Not quite, no.  What we have is a "Buffel".  This vehicle was the transport for South African Defence Force soldiers, who were expected to leap over the side as those metal plates crashed down, shouting ferocious war cries in the hope of scaring whoever was out there - the glass in the windows was so thick it wasn't possible to see clearly what was waiting for you.

"Buffel"  Afrikaans for "Fugly!"

If you read earlier blogs you will recall the Marmon-Harrington Armoured Car, also of South African heritage, and also an hideous looking vehicle.  We may have a theme developing here ...

Edna - This Blog's Biggest Asset
     Even though she is still very small!  Today she got chipped and pinned, and was spectacularly well-behaved.  She got taken out in the weekly market, and was spectacularly spoilt.  By the time Conrad got home she was quite bushed, hence a nice static photo for once:

"Follow this blog - or the puppy gets it!"