Bit Of A Dick Van Dyke Today

No! You Smutty-minded Rascals -
 - nothing rude.  It's just that he did play a sweep, and here is Conrad gathering together the remaindered bits and pieces left over from the creative process earlier in the week.  Time has been a bit tighter than usual - you do want to hear how BOOJUM! gets variously cobbled-together, stitched-up and smoothed-over, don't you?  You do?  Splendid!

The audience

     As I was saying, time has been a bit tight this week.  Overtime on Wednesday, and having to watch the Great British Bake Off*, and doing my pumpkin meant a late post.  Thursday I had to make Pumpkin Cheesecake**, and attend the Pub Quiz.  Friday was another late finish followed by drinkies followed by the weekly shop.  Today I was up with the dawn chorus - damn, those birds sound disgustingly happy that early in the day - and in work doing overtime, thus not getting home until late afternoon.  Then I chopped onions for what is going to be A Slightly Experimental Cottage Pie, and made an Avocado, Cannellini Bean and Mint salad.

The Creative Process made concrete

     Thus here we are at six o'clock.  But you can't rush genius!

Thomas Pynchon And Coincidence
Hoorah! I enthused after leaving the office this afternoon, for the Bookfinders stall was open and I got two books, one of them being the following:

There may be no crying in baseball, but there's an awful lot in 49 (ouch!)

     As I am sure you remember reading, Conrad read Pynchon's "The Crying Of Lot 49" earlier this year.  It is, compared to his other novels, quite short and linear - meaning that compared to practically every other author out there, it's complicated and strange; like liquorice tea - weird but good.  So I was both delighted and amused to get this explicatory volume.  
     First coincidence - the novel focusses heavily on the mythical "Tristero" organisation, whose emblem is a post horn and who evolved in the Middle Ages.  What font is the book set in?  "Trump Medieval".  
     Come on!  Did the editor and publisher sit down and cook that one up?  Really!
     Coincidence the second; as you also surely recall this week we had one of BOOJUM!'s occasional themed blogs, featuring "Kites", also mentioning "Simon Dupree and the Big Sound".  On page 28 of the above volume which group do they mention.  Yes, Simon and his mates.  I think we have to appeal to Phil on this one.  Phil?

"Pynchon is obviously an alien, Conrad.  AND YOU SHOULD KNOW!  Now, where did I leave my bottle of Pils?"

Today's Books
As mentioned above, Bookfinder was open this Saturday, and I really should have chastised my man there for not being open last week, but he was smoking those horrid smelly little cigars of his, so I didn't.
     Here you go:

An Indicative Tryptich

     I was especially pleased to get the "Greece and Rome at War" volume, author Peter Connolly (no relation), as I remember reading it in Manchester (Victoria) University Library about twenty years ago.  I was impressed but could never remember either the title or author, and now it resides in my hot, sweaty, excitable hands for a mere £4.

"Harum-Scarum"
Aha! Yes, today's etymological*** exploration of a word - two words in this case.  It sounds Latin, doesn't it?  Ha!  Fooled you - it isn't, although perhaps it is intended to look imposing and impressive.  It dates from 18th Century English, where "Hare" meant to harass and "Starum" came from "stare".
     Oh, sorry - what does it mean?  To behave in an irresponsible and silly manner, to misbehave childishly - probably the title of Justin Beaver's next album.

Procul Harum.  Close enough.
And don't mention them in the same breath as Justin Beaver.  Or there will be trouble.

The Kinkajou
Yes, I know, BOOJUM has sworn to ameliorate and promote unlovely or unliked animals that begin with the letter "W" but there's a limited number of those, so instead we will look at a creature that was obviously designed with the maximum "Awwww!" factor.

The Kinkajou's secret sin: flower-strangling

     Delightful little chap, isn't he?  Don't forget, though, that Nature is red in tooth and claw:

A kinkajou being a bit harum-scarum

See What I Mean?
I was pondering on Ugly Or Unappreciated Animals Beginning With "W" this morning at the bus stop, as  - well, see below - and the thought struck me: "Isn't there a type of fish called a "Wrasse"?"
     Yes.  Yes there is, and it can never be a BOOJUM! post, to wit:

One for the affishionadoes.

     It's not ugly or unappreciated.
     However, I can do a repeat article on the Weasel Shark.  You may, if you were on Facebook last night shortly before twelve, have seen the following bit of doggerel posted:

"Weasel Shark, Weasel Shark

It's bite's worse than it's bark

Since it can't bite at all

And for a shark, it's rather small.

Watch out, here comes the Weasel!

Got no hands, can't use an easel ^-"

I repeat once again, No! I don't know why it has the name "Weasel"

Have At It, Hermes
Hermes, the god of travel, has a bit of a spat going with Conrad.  I used to call him over traffic back when driving the Murder Mobile was a daily happening.  I have long since moved to public transport but old Hermy is a bit slow in catching on, and it's taken him this long to realise that the disrespectful mortal Conrad is on the bus.

A bust.  Close enough

  This was made apparent last week, when the 24 bus made to drive off to Shaw from the middle of Royton, instead of carrying on to within yards of the Mansion.  Only a hasty query from Conrad brought our bus back on course.  The bus driver laughed it off, but we know the real reason, eh?
     More evidence emerged today - early Saturday morning with very little traffic, no schoolkids and not many passengers either, yet both buses managed to be late.

A Tate Bust.  Close enough

* It's part of popular culture now.  Mary Hollywood and Paul Berry are so famous!
** Well, I didn't have to, but Anna would have been making sad puppy eyes otherwise.
*** No, it's not the study of insects!  Words and language.  Do keep up!
^ To the "Spiderman" cartoon theme