The Lair

So I step outside into the glorious 30c sunshine and I am as happy as a puppy. So what if it’s a heatwave? This is the age of global warming, of greenhouse gases, extreme sunshine and other things most unYorkish (not to mention unEnglish). Get used it, ya pasty faced Northerners.

I really do try not to leak the radiant beams of happiness leak out at the most uncustomary Northern European sensation of sunshine on skin. I also think people huffing and puffing and saying it’s too hot to work get a trifle annoyed when I display this much happiness. The cheery smile and automatic “nice weather, innit?” also seems to get to them, but I cannot imagine why. *innocence*. But anyway, onwards to the city to buy train tickets and the first leg of my journey towards a much hotter place. (No, not down there. Well, I hope not anyway. It’s warm enough here, thanks very much).

The visit to the city reminded me of why I avoid the place like an ancient Roman plague. It’s crowded, absolutely teeming with people and there is lots of traffic. Funny, I don’t mind traffic and crowds in Colombo but get all shirty and worked up when people numbers on Yorkish streets reaches oh .. about the same levels as a small sidestreet on a normal Colombo weekday. There is also (mentioned casually, in passing) much flesh on display. The fact that most of the exposed flesh is sported by teenagers and *shudder* even younger detracts considerably from the spectacle. That’s a high falutin’ way of describing my reaction; which really goes something like “*blink blink* Hmmm, not bad.” … pause while the probable age is determined. “Oh, gawd. She’s just a kid, dammit!”. Disappointment and a hasty aversion of eyes follows.

Anyway, a minor digression – the curse (or blessing, if you want to call it that) of Colombo strikes again. Nuptial photos (I didn’t know the people involved, so I wasn’t all that interested) appeared on a local aggregator site recently. Various people also posted photos to Flickr and sundry other quarters. I was happily oblivious to it all. Then Chickenbutt noticed that two of the photos had inadvertently caught someone we both knew in the background – near the steps of a church. So, during a social “how are you doing” IM conversation yesterday; I brought up the topic of a recent wedding. Yes, this person we both know did go to the wedding. And it also turns out that I also know the sister of the groom. Ye gods. 4 degrees of separation to anyone in Colombo. It’s still holding true.

And finally to the point, The Apprentice hasn’t started screening the latest seasons in the UK yet. Pity. I could have used a few tips; but the beloved tellybox has let me down, so I’m resorting to Dilbert instead.