BOOJUM!, as ever, exists outside the normal space-time continuum, and so would like to put forward a little light entertainment by the Moscow Balalaika Quartet, available via that most essential website Grooveshark; currently they are playing "Korobeiniki", thankfully an instrumental as Conrad's Russian is rusty as a twenty-year old wheelbarrow*, great stuff with accordion backing.
Last week it was Prokofiev with "Peter and the Wolf". Russia: good for more than vodka and grim novels about introverted murderers. Also the balalaika is a very pointy instrument and looks highly uncomfortable to play.
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| All edge and corners |
Now, Conrad has taken to trying to analyse why particular words pop into his consciousness every so often, which is a bit introverted if not a touch odd**, and is akin to pinning the tail on the donkey - rarely successful. However, today he was reviewing his timekeeping and sickness record whilst sticking a towel in his ears (it's okay, this was after a shower, not done on a whim on the 24 bus). "I'm not obstreperous", I proclaimed, quietly - you don't need to shout to talk to yourself.
'Now, where does that word come from?' was my next thought. We all know that it means to be noisy and uncontrollable, obviously - obviously! - so how was it derived?
Latin, guessed Conrad - correctly. The root is "Strepere", which means "to rattle", i.e. to make a noise
Here an aside: Simon Rattle. Italian ancestors? Conrad wonders ...
From this comes the Latin "Obstreperus", meaning "Noisy", from the early seventeenth century.
So. Conrad. Not obstreperous. A camouflaged alien spy, yes, but a quiet one.
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| The poster child for "Obstreperous" |
Moped
No great mystery about why this is in today's blog - Conrad saw one driving up Tandle Hill this morning and - remember, people, it is dangerous to allow Conrad musing-time - he immediately wondered where the name came from.
| This child moped. Close enough |
Well, it's a portmanteau word formed from "Mo-tor" and "Ped-al", since one of the most striking things about a moped was it daintly little pedals. Being a very lightweight form of motorcycle, the pedals were functional in making a fast start from standing still, and (in earlier models) helping to get up steep gradients.
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| John Duttine gets ready to prune the flowers Why is this here? May I gently remind you whose blog this is? |
Transient Lunar Phenomena
Hah! Yes I know why this cropped up - Conrad bewailed the loss of two followers on Twitter, deeming (and indeed damning) them to be mere "transients", and Hay Pesto! TLP came to mind.
What are they? The clue is in the title. They are observed effects on the lunar surface of a very short nature, and there is no agreed reason for their existence. Indeed, their very reality is debated. They may be optical effects caused by the Earth's atmosphere, meteor impacts, volcanic activity, charged particles or the Clangers banging their dustbin lids - nobody is certain. Or certain, yet. They might be all or none of these things***.
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| Watch out, Clangers! After Comet 67P, you're next! |
The Official History -
Of the First World War. This is an assembly of books that were compiled from the 1920's to the 1940's, and guess what - Conrad has the full set.
He has acquired them over about seven years, however, and read them, if he read them at all, in the sequence he bought them, which is not at all in chronological order.
So, as a challenge, Conrad is going to read them in sequence. Some he will read on the bus, some he will NOT, as they are original editions that need careful handling. Tread carefully, that collection is worth <cough cough> hundred pounds.
The first four volumes, top left, are actually mapcases. These are much rarer than the text volumes and Conrad rarely exposes the maps to either daylight or the touch of human skin - notionally one should wear inert rubber gloves when handing papers this old.
Next <Mister Hand intervenes to point out that life is of finite length and to move things on>
Top 10 Guitar Riffs
Ever one to pontificate on matters he knows little to nothing about, Conrad looked upon this chart with interest. Here it is:
Whole Lotta Love
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Led Zeppelin
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Sweet Child O'Mine
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Guns 'N' Roses
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Back in Black
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AC/DC
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Smoke On The Water
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Deep Purple
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Layla
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Derek and The Dominoes
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How Soon Is Now?
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The Smiths
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Down Down
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Status Quo
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Money For Nothing
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Dire Straits
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You Really Got Me
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The Kinks
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Money
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Pink Floyd
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Anyway, guitar riffs. No complaints about "Whole Lotta Love" although cliche would expect "Stairway to Heaven" there instead, so a refreshing change. "Sweet Child O'Mine", okay, I'll give you that. "Back in Black", ain't heard it, haven't got any AC/DC and they don't licence their music to streaming services so couldn't give a toss, really. "Smoke On The Water" - hmm, still prefer "Burn", thanks. "Layla", well, YES! No more comment needed. "How Soon Is Now?" nah, sorry, prefer "Reel Around The Fountain" and the version with Paul Carrack on organ, ta. "Down Down" - I was going to criticise this but actually for meathead metallic mallet power it does have charms. "Money for Nothing", can't really see it, sorry never been a big fan of the Struts. Nor of the Kinks, either, although I suppose this can stand as a keynote of 1960's pop, now take it and go away.
Despite being a long-time Pink Floyd fan, Conrad still never really saw the appeal of "Money", and feels "Eclipse" is better.
| Coral Reef. Close enough |
** Business as usual, then.
*** Except for the Clangers. They live in the Asteroid Belt, not on the Moon. Do keep up!
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