Sunday, April 13, 2008

mid-slither

All I have done since I came in is use energy. I turnded on the computer, which is slowly, loudly rendering a movie uploadable. I put bread in the toaster, and I have boiled a kettle (must dash and make cuppa). I have now put the toaster on again, after which I will probably use some hot water in shaving. But it's all okay, because I went for a totally carbon-free bike ride, down to the Danubiana art gallery (as it turned out: -be, not -ben). Except... I picked some flowers. Okay, defenceless eco-vandal. And now I'm carbonally writing about it.

Ilona took my camera to Transylvania; since she does not arrive back until late this evening, I couldn't take said camera on my bike ride, but if I had, I would have shown pictures of:
  • a dog and its reflection gambolling along the bank of the canal
  • a roadkill snake, squished in mid-slither and sss-shaped but perfectly flat
  • (possibly) my bike chain against a background of the big machinery used to control the locks at the reservoir (thus proving that things which look similar can have different applications)

Even with a camera I couldn't have taken a picture of the special shit-squared sewage scent from the plant five minutes down the cycle path from my street, but I'm sure you have the means to imagine. Typical Bratislavan planning non-sense. Otherwise, the path is a good one, almost entirely intact with a minimum of potholes and several good watering holes along the way. And with Spring arriving in earnest in the last days, very well used this afternoon. Sadly, in contrast to its fine outoftown cycling, there is not a single bike rack in the centre of the city. I even asked a policeman. Maybe I'll write to the city government.

Last: I just finished reading With their backs to the world, by Asne Seierstad, about Serbian people, which was by turns depressing and more depressing, albeit with a few lighter moments. Entirely journalist, neither introduced nor concluded, just presented. I wish I'd read it before we wrote our Serbia report. The nutcases lead normal lives, and the superstars are frail and not 100% sympathetic. And Robert Mugabe does yoga every morning, and Vitler was a hedgetarian...

5 comments:

J Adamthwaite said...

You're good at photographs, so they'd probably have been good ones, but you wouldn't have got the word gambolling in there, nor the movement of the snake, so its nice that you didn't have your camera. I think.

goosefat101 said...

I would have prefered the pictures, although its nice to imagine pictures in your mind, its better to actually see them.

But then again I never ever take pictures of the things I want to because I don't have a digital camera and jens one is rubbish.

Actually if I did they'd probably be disapoiting as often as they perfectly captured the moment. Perhaps its best to assume your ones would have been dispointments. Then we don't greave for lost opportunities.

goosefat101 said...

my god that was a garbled comment

chris said...

As we are told by this film, the key to taking photos is to take A Lot of photos. Then unless you are very unlucky, you get some good ones in the bag.

Didn't one of themanamp's friends on facespace send him a digital camera, after he asked for one? (hee hee - if you type it wrong, alex becomes the man a mop...)

goosefat101 said...

yeah, but apparently it is crap, he's always moaning about it... or he did once anyway.

I can't remember why.