2001: A Space Odyssey

Unashamed Confession Time
The above-name film is one of my all-time favourites, and I'm lucky enough to have seen it on the big screen on re-release.  I can't remember how many times I've seen it - a lot - and it never gets old.
     "Why is the sad old duffer going on about a film that's nearly fifty years old?" I hear you quibble, you unpleasant lot.  Because this triggered my fond reminiscence:

"Newspad"?  Get outta here!

     I've no idea what a Newspad is, nor do I care to take the time to even Google about it.  But hey!  That's a shot of astronaut Dave Bowman scoffing space-age food, taken from "2001".
     Sadly the International Space Station is but a fraction of the size of the monster we see spinning into shot in the film, and PanAm went bust a long time ago, so they'll never run a space shuttle <makes sad face>, nor are there any female leads.  Shades of "X The Unknown", eh?
     Critics have said it's a cold and unemotional fillum, although Conrad disagrees with this, as the opening shot of Earth from behind the Moon makes the hairs on his neck stand up*.  And nobody will ever listen to "Also Spracht Zarathustra" without immediately recalling 2001.

Interesting poster

     Well now, allow me to go check on the Banana Bread and I'll be right back.

And The Coincidence Hydra Bites Your Humble Scribe's Ass Once Again
Yes by Jove, Michael Gove.  This sort of thing seems to be occurring with alarming frequency; really, Universe, can't you just send a postcard instead?
     Okay, here goes.  I was trying to find a crossword clue generator that would solve an especially tricky Cryptic Clue - I do hope you weren't thinking it was a regular crossword clue I'd gotten stuck on**! - and one of the answers was "Ross" - enlarged as an American seamstress, Elizabeth Ross, tasked by George Washington with stitching the first American flag in the throes of the Revolution.  Conrad, not especially up on the events of this turbulent event, had never heard of her before and confidently expected never to again.
     Wrong!

"Gnashing it's mandibles, the Hydra sank those very same into <NSFW>"

     What am I doing twenty minutes later but watching "Person Of Interest", where one of the aliases used by a member of the Vigilance organisation is - Elizabeth Ross.
     Creepy, eh?  Of course I'm - DON'T SNEAK UP ON ME FROM BEHIND LIKE THAT!!!

I Quite Approve
Conrad understands that you have to move on and embrace change, which is why he's stopped posting about incomprehensible "Suggested Posts"; you can only squeeze so much comedic juice out of a lemon.
     So, I am happy to post this screenshot:

I do, indeed, quite approve

     I'm not sure that the actual Serge Prokofieff is posting this, given that he's long dead, although perhaps he's a revenant, kept alive by the sinister scientific secrets of the Sinisters -
     - sorry, where was I?  Oh, yes.  A very nice musical clip, and I now realise what this particular piece of music is.  Ironically it used to be the theme tune for American football on Channel Four back in the day.  Herein a link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljOMXgfflRI

     It is indeed an atmospheric and sombre piece, not at all what you'd expect of a love story, but old Serge was a Russian and they do "Gloomy" better than any other folks.

I Couldn't Have Done This Yesterday
Probably rather risky attempting it today, frankly, given the sun, wind, rain, thunder and hail we've had in the past hour.  Allow me to show you a jowly middle-aged man sunning himself on a bench:

My happy face

     This is from Good Friday, which lived up to it's name.  Bright and sunny and warm, three qualities rarely encountered in the UK simultaneously.  I'd have drowned doing this yesterday.
     British weather - guaranteed ice-breaker!

Dan's Birthday
Esteemed chum Daniel C.*** is away working in Japan, and before he left he utterly befuddled your modest artisan by asking him a question in Japanese.  Given that Conrad's grasp of Japanese extends to "Manga", "Domo Arigato" and "Banzai!" it's no surprise he was befuddled.  And of those three words he does know, that third one is probably deemed not politically correct any longer.

Nothing to do with Dan's birthday.  
Sorry, Dan.

     Anyway, Facebook reminded me that it's his birthday today, so I sent the following:

                    Otanjōbiomedetōgozaim

     Which is Japanese for "Happy Birthday", except it's missed off the ending, kind of like today's bl


*  Maybe it's only us camouflaged alien spies?
** Mister Hand would like to apologise for this crossword snobbery
*** No last names here.