Journal Entries
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Back on the Bike
Posted Apr 29, 2005
I haven't tried the A19 yet, but I'm mobile again: Mr Ingham's insurer's finally forked over some compensation and I now have a very nice Specialized S-Works M5 to pedal about on.
[ear]
[ear}
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Latest reply: Apr 29, 2005
The Movie
Posted Apr 25, 2005
Having unexpectedly won tickets to an advance screening, I went to see it yesterday.
I rather liked it 
Having read Simo's rather crushing review, I was prepared for disappointment, and to be honest, I can see his point: a lot of the original dialogue that we all remember with love has been removed without anything being immediately apparent as a reason.
But what is left passes the required tests:
It is still funny
It is still HitchHikers
And with the new elements it works as a movie.
The makers have made the most of the medium for such scenes as touring The Earth II in the planet-forges of Magrathea, and the stunning Vogon constructor fleet with a highly credible demolition of The Earth I.
The casting is inspired: Stephen Fry handles the Guide entries with aplomb, Alan Rickman overcomes the considerable hurdle of not being Stephen Moore as Marvin: both left you wanting more. Sam Rockwell gives an interesting variation of Zaphod: there are echoes of the Secondary Phase plot in his reasons for acquiring a second head. Helen Mirren is similarly original as Deep Thought. Martin Freeman and Zooey Deschanel do sterling work as the leads and Malkovich's Humma Kavula is suitably dark, bitter and twisted. Best casting however, was Bill Nighy as Slartibartfast.
There are plenty of cameos, in-jokes and on-screen references, particularly on the Vogsphere: this is definitely one to get on DVD to get the full benefit of the work that has gone into it.
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Latest reply: Apr 25, 2005
The Joy of Hospital
Posted May 19, 2004
So, there I was, flat on my back on the A19...
The Ambulance arrived and, after assessing my condition, separated me from my backpack and smoothly transferred me to a stretcher. About this time a close screech of tortured tyre rubber announced that rubbernecking is not good for road safety, but fortunately, the only problem was a strange reluctance on the part of the stretcher to clamp into its proper place in the ambulance. Finally it engaged and the paramedic announced we were off to South Tyneside District Hospital.
I filed this information away at the time as I had absolutely no idea where that was.
At A&E I was surrounded by several nurses asking me questions, removing my clothes and determining that my spine was still largely in the shape and location that evolution intended. Once my wrist was identified as the main cause of concern, I was wheeled off to X-ray to find out how bad it was.
Oddly, the porter pushing my trolley seemed to be the only man in the place wearing a suit: scrubs, white coats or various uniforms seemed to do for everyone else: this may be a comment on the value of so-called "professional" attire.
After X-ray and having a plaster cast fitted I was told that my radial steloid was not only fractured, but also displaced, and that therefore, to avoid an early onset of arthritis and get full function back, I would need a plate inserting.
When I'd been moved up to ward 3, I relayed this information to the consultant who saw me. "I'm not interested in putting a plate in," he said. I was somewhat taken aback, never having considered that his interest might even be relevant, and started wondering what, if anything, my various medical friends might be able to do to assist. The replacement, lightweight resin cast that he ordered put on was an improvement though. By the next time I saw him, the next day, however, unarmed combat for what I considered proper treatment turned out to be unnecessary: now I definitely needed a screw putting in.
Unfortunately, they didn't have one the right size.
This was still the situation on the Friday and, as it wasn't going to arrive on Saturday, and they don't operate on Sundays, I might as well go home. My parents had come up, so we all decamped to Aunt Margaret's in Gateshead: the Hospital would phone when the screw arrived.
Monday: No screw
Tuesday: The X-ray machine in the operating theatre was broken
Wednesday: The machine was fixed, but all of yesterday's operations were backing up
Thursday: Some other people had managed to get themselves more banged-up than I was
Friday: "We can book you in next Thursday"
This changed to Tuesday, just as we were about to drive off to my parents' house in Marlow.
With some trepidation, I arrived at ward 4 08:00 Tuesday. Fairly soon I was being interrogated through the consent forms by the anaesthetist and at about 10, I was wheeled off to theatre. Some time later I woke up with my arm slung up by the side of the bed. A few slurps of water and the odd biscuit proved that my stomach wasn't about to put up with any contents for more than twenty minutes, but some anti-emetic seemed to deal with that.
By four, I was out of there....
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Latest reply: May 19, 2004
Newton's Third Law of Motion
Posted Mar 8, 2004
"Every action has an equal and opposite reaction."
A thought that seemed quite apposite last month as I bounced along the A19 in front of the Mitsubishi 4x4 that had just totalled the back half of my mountain bike, sending me on a ballistic trajectory in the meantime.
I had intended to continue straight on to the overpass; evidently someone wanting the slip road found the task of driving around, rather than through me beyond his capacity.
I saw the headlight beams to either side and hardly had time to think "Oh dear..." before I was looking at the sky and hearing hideous crunching noises...
Once I had come to rest, my first thought was that my back was history. It turned out OK, but the initial whiplash was very painful. The next concern was the road rash that had melted my lycra (later I had three doctors pronouncing it "Bad," "Very bad," "Oh, yes, very bad," in quick succession) and, as I discovered after probing the road rash, the slightly awry alignment of my right hand. That seemed to pop back into place easily enough, but turned out to be the most serious injury.
In that respect I was probably quite fortunate.
Also that one of the 4x4's occupants called the ambulance.
I'll recount my hospital adventures later, suffice to say I now have a screw holding my radial styloid together and my right hand in a cast.
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Latest reply: Mar 8, 2004
Newton's First Law of Motion
Posted Dec 9, 2003
"A body at rest or in a state of constant motion, shall remain at rest or in constant motion until acted on by an external force."
A classic demonstration of this Universal Truth was inadvertently provided by yours truly on a bus last Tuesday evening.
I was standing by the stairs on a double decker, awaiting my stop, when the car in front (didn't see if it actually WAS a Toyota) stopped rather abruptly. This caused the bus driver to apply his own brakes hard and quickly, whereon the bus also stopped, whereas I, in accordance with the dictates of Isaac Newton, didn't.
Not until I head-butted the windscreen, anyway. That at least was relatively soft, as it cracked quite dramatically. Unfortunately, the ticket machine that I flattened on the way appears to have wrought its revenge on my ribcage. I don't think I've actually broken anything, but I'm still feeling a tad delicate....
Discuss this Journal entry [3]
Latest reply: Dec 9, 2003
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Al Johnston
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