Musical Foot Voodoo

Yes, I've Been Looking At "Empire"
     Still not entirely sure what "Musical Foot Voodoo" is, quite, but it sounds great, doesn't it?  And it explains so much about our world and where we sit in it.   Late in to work?  Because of Musical Foot Voodoo.  Balance of trade deficit?  To be laid fair and square at the - er - feet of Musical Foot Voodoo.  Too many eggs in the omelette?  It can only be Musical Foot Voodoo.  Lot of bad reality shows on television?  Lazy producers and studios making little effort to be creative.  Oh, and Musical Foot Voodoo as well, of course.

This actually came up when I Googled "Musical Foot Voodoo"

     I was thinking more along lines like this:

Definitely some Foot Voodoo going on here.  Plus, he's dancing, so it's Musical, too

Book Acquisitions
     The latest order from Naval & Military came in a rather large box, however most of it was packaging, honest, this is all that arrived:

     Conrad has already scanned the "Armoured Warfare" volume, at breakfast with a pot of tea.  Yes, most people would consider this to be "cruel and unusual punishment" but it really puts your humble scribe in a good mood.  Not all the photographs are rare, but the author does manage to put a different slant on those that have been seen before.
     Also acquired not 40 minutes ago is this volume:

     Not having his list to hand, Conrad wasn't sure if he already had it or not. What the heck, it was only £1.50 - and on perusing the List Of Books once I got home, it isn't on there.  Win-win all round*!

It Can Indeed Be Grim Up North. 
     Also Grey, Grimy and Gloomy, and if there's a word meaning "to rain incessantly all day long" that begins with a "g", you can add that to the list as well.  In my work environment the outer wall is composed completely of glass windows, that allow one to gaze out over Manchester's beating heart, so:

Car park, beating heart - easily confused

     A pallid, ash-grey, sodden and waterlogged heart of late, one has to say, down to one beat per minutes and a weak one at that.
     One hesitates to put the question but - have we already had our summer**?

Conrad - Wild Political Rebel!
     Wellllll, not really.  Conrad, as your average camouflaged alien spy, regards Hom. Sap's politics with bemused detachment.   Back home, you're told what to do, and you do it, or you go into the organ vats for recycling get told off.  So, by reading a novel written by the leading living American author - the "American" bit here is apparently significant - Conrad is seen to be thumbing his nose at The Establishment.  Who knew!
     Yes, yes, it is still "Against The Day".

Thousands of books. Every single one of them IS AMERICAN!
Start a rebellion - read a book

"Coronet Blue"
     Conrad hadn't heard of this television programme from the 1960's before this week; it was mentioned in a Wiki entry about the documentary series "The Invaders".  The premise of "Coronet Blue" is interesting: a man, Michael Alden, survives an assasination attempt but loses his memory and quotes two words when he returns to consciousness - "Coronet Blue".  He then tries to find out who he is - and why people are trying to kill him.

See?  The "O" is like a gunsight. Crazy symbolic Americans!

SPOILER ALERT


YES, REALLY SPOILER ALERT!


     The series was cancelled before reaching a conclusion but the creator explained that Michael Alden didn't really exist - he was actually a Russian spy, trained to imitate an American and part of a cell called "Coronet Blue".
     Yes, I know, I can tell what you're thinking***, "What is Conrad drivelling on about now?  A cult show from over 40 years ago?  Next he'll be telling us that "Star Treck" was a success."
     Well, take a look at the plot synopsis of a film featuring Liam Neeson - "Unknown".
     Now, if you've actually seen the film - are you having a "Coronet Blue" moment?

Liam Neeson.  Not the kind of chap to push in front of

Finally
     Conrad reverts to his usual trickery of having a cute animal photo.  In this case it is Edna, doing her rather subtle silent-begging routine.


*  Okay, "win-win if you have no mates, no social life, weird interests and a pet weasel"
** Yes, we probably have.  Hello autumn!
*** No, telepathy hasn't been invented.  But DARPA are working on it right now!