Something's Gone Horribly Right

 Egad, The Blog Is Popular Today!

As ever, this concerns Your Humble Scribe, because it means lawyers for First Bus are that much likelier to find out how they are scorned and scathed in these pages.  I haven't slagged off The Metro very much as I've hardly read a copy since mid-March, when working from home began (I get a copy on the bus).

     Benson, Arizona.  Art?

Like it says on the tin

     You may not know this, but documentary film-maker John Carpenter started off making an out-and-out science fiction film, "Dark Star", as his final student project.  With a beefed-up budget, it got a theatrical release.  One of the promotional taglines was "Bombed-out in space with a spaced-out bomb" - anyway, the signature theme song was "Benson, Arizona".  Which is all about an astronaut travelling about the galaxy, being affected by the relatavistic speeds he travels at, his sweetheart back home hitting old age whilst he remains young; and all done in a homely country-and-western style, which is rather incongruous.  Art?

O yeah, he did the music, too.  It was cheaper that way.

This is all a long pre-amble to Conrad's suddenly deciding yesteryon that he wanted to hear the song again, so once again Spotify to the rescue.  In fact, let's have the lyrics, too <heh heh one way to pad the word count>.

A million suns shine down

But I see only one

When I think I'm over you

I find I've just begun

The years move faster than the days

There's no warmth in the light

How I miss those desert skies

Your cool touch in the night

CHORUS:

Benson, Arizona, blew warm wind through your hair

My body flies the galaxy, my heart longs to be there

Benson, Arizona, the same stars in the sky

But they seemed so much kinder when we watched them, you and I

Now the years pull us apart

I'm young and now you're old

But you're still in my heart

And the memory won't grow cold

I dream of times and spaces

I left far behind

Where we spent our last few days

Benson's on my mind

      The idea of it being done C&W style was in keeping with Space Truckin' round the stars (to borrow a Deep Purple title).

Another Benson.  Possibly also from Arizona.

     

Conrad Is Amused!

As you know, Your Humble Scribe has a horrible sense of humour.  I remember once remarking to Bruce, long ago, that I was worried about having developed a horrible sense of humour.  "O no," replied Bruce.  "You've always been like that."

     Indeed!  So, when I saw that there was a Have Your Say comments section on the BBC's website, about someone called "Messy" leaving Barcker (spelling? I only glanced at it), my innate curiosity compelled a look.  

"It's MESSI, Conrad.  Messi.  Try and get it right."

     O  My.

     There were two kinds of comments: One; frothing hatred of the article, the journalist who wrote it and the BBC.  I only read ten pages in, so undoubtedly someone responded in ALL CAPS.  These people crop up whenever there's a HYS and seem to be living in denial, because they HATE HATE HATE the BBC (with it's 'woke leftie agenda') and yet cannot stop reading it's articles.

Looking a bit peeved there, mate.

     Two: those who pooh-pooh the article about him wanting to move, saying it's merely a power play, though they leave unsaid whom the player is.  Art?

     In case you can't read the small print here, let me explain that Barka want a transfer fee of £624 million for matey, and matey himself has a £480,000 wage weekly.  Weekly.  That's £25 million per year.  Eye-watering stuff!  Whoever thought kicking a pig's bladder around would generate such silly sums.

Eight On A Plate

Conrad apologises once again for that internet staple What I Ate And Why It's Fascinating.  Bear with me, for this is what I intend to eat.  Art?

Yesssssss!

     Marmite-flavoured peanut butter.  This lot only cost £6 when they normally retail for £20, because their Best By Date expired in July.  However, you should know by now that Conrad regards all such food safety conventions as a challenge, not a warning.  Besides, it's peanut butter.  It will keep until doomsday.

"The Star Fox" By Poul Anderson

Conrad has made an effort and gone back to this work, and is now almost 75% through it.  It concerns the efforts of an engineering enterpreneur to carry out piracy against aliens that Earth won't face up to.  The first third, which I remembered nothing of, is all about the political background and set up; the second section is set on the planet Struan (intentional anagram of "Saturn"?) and had the only bit I remembered.  Our protagonists are making a forced march across an old battlefield, abandoned for centuries, when some of the hardware comes back to life ...

A bit off-theme

     It does not end well for the character above.  Only the last third of the novel is actually about the privateer Star Fox waging a single-handed war against the Alerions.  Nor do I remember anything about this last part.  In my defence, it is a good forty years since last perused, and I find the political machinations just as interesting as atomic space combat.  That's middle-age for you.

This Will Make Sense On Facebook, Honest

"Ailerons".  Which comes from the French for "Little wing", making a refreshing change from Latin or Greek <hack spit>.  Art?

We explain a plane

     As you already recognised, ailerons control an aircraft's roll.  They operate in opposition; as the port aileron is raised, so the starboard one is lowered, causing the aircraft to roll.

Finally - 

I've used this one before, though it was ages ago and I very much doubt anyone who read this scrivel four years ago remembers it.  Art?

An Aeolian Harp

     This nifty little instrument is played by the wind and is named after the Greek god of wind, Aeolus (who has been busy in This Sceptred Isle of late).  Great for the musician who's too busy playing his theremin to be able to harp as well.  Or whatever the verb for harping is.

HAARP.  Close enough.

     And with that, we are done!