Mini Update Pre-Death Defying Flight and Other Musings

Hi all!  Just a quick one today!  Today is Sunday, tomorrow is the day I jet off to Rome for a work conference for three days.  Not going to have much time to see the actual Rome, instead I'm spending much of my time in a (thankfully air conditioned) hotel room listening to people talk about regulatory necessities for insurance company.  Riveting.   Thankfully, I've visited Rome previously, so I don't feel like I'm missing out.  I'm taking my camera, so expect a post with pictures soon!

Personally, I dislike flying, but can stomach them so long as I have a nice selection of books.  For this trip, I've gone with the Moviegoer by Walker Percy, NHS Plc and Shepperton Babylon (haven't got them to hand right now, but will update with authors in a later post).  Only one fiction this time.  NHS Plc is about the privatisation occurring within the NHS (which interests me, big leftie that I am) and Shepperton Babylon is a brief history and "what-ever-happened-to" regarding the early British silent film industry.  Hopefully they can distract me sufficiently so I can forget I'm in a big metal tube, eight miles high.  Anyway, if I don't make it back, I feel happy to say that, if I had the chance, I'd do most things differently - makes it more interesting the second time round.

Not much has been going on, not much seen in the way of films (my LoveFilm delivery seems to have got lost in the post somewhere).  I wanted to enjoy some war, Michael Caine and glorious Welsh baritone in Zulu, but the internet connect has been somewhat sketchy here as of late, so online streaming is impossible.  Had to settle for Brief Encounter on DVD while I ironed some shirts last minute - first time I've seen it.  Relationships are a funny thing aren't they?  Sure, we want to be treated with romance and lavished with attention by someone we love, but surely the whole point of a relationship is that these sort of actions can be turned down without feeling insecure about your partner leaving?  I do sympathise (to an extent, I'd like to stress) with Laura's husband.  I've been in his position, but with the unhappy conclusion of my lady leaving (she now lives 10 mins down the road with her Dr Harvey - though I have to say, if he seemed as nice as Trevor Howard, perhaps I wouldn't have minded so much).  But on the other hand, love is love, and storybook love doesn't come around much.  But what is the etiquette in this situation?  Nothing seems binding any more, so I personal feel very pressured into lavishing people with dinners and attention.  Trust is a difficult concept.

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Other Musings

I've just sat down to watch the Wimbledon finals.  Prediction - Nadal in four sets.

Jogging mixtape is still unfinished - my non-work laptop and I are having disagreements.

Jagr in Philly is such a tantalising prospect.

Ah well, time for a bit of last minute packing and exercise before I'm off to Rome via Heathrow via Richmond.  Radio silence in 5...4...3...