I love snooker. I may not love Ronnie O'Sullivan and well John just beat Matthew. But I still love snooker.

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The Blessing is currently obsessed with murder. Her own. She wants to know if we would be sad if someone murdered her. I know, I know, its all my fault for letting her watch CSI. This morning, listening to Radio 2 (or radio poo as she likes to call it) we heard the news bulletin and a story about the arrest of a man for abducting a girl in Wrexham. The Blessing was all, "Its a girl that's been murdeted." I answer, "No, she went missing and is back and safe and well." "No, she was murdered in North Wales. The police are involved." My child, future journalist for The Daily Mail.

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So I am doing my morning commute. On the train. Reading. I get through about a novel a week. And this means I buy too many books. I own too many books and I am constantly needing new books. Speaking completely and tangently, does anyone know of who is cool and happening and worth reading in the Sci-Fi world these days? I need to think about buying books for the H for christmas and well, he liked the China Mieville I made him read. He liked Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrel. He is enjoying George RRRR Martin's song of fire and ice series and he now refers to Margaret Atwood as that female Sci-Fi writer. Anyone have a suggestion? At all? It could even be little know neglected classics. Yes, he loves the whole Star Trek/Battlestar Galactica thing too.

Anyway, I am currently reading Julian Barnes' Author and George. And enjoying it. But I particularly like a bit this morning,
"Wine Growers had Rioted in Beziers, where the Towb Hall had been Sacked and Burnt by the Peasants."

And I thought, plus ca change. 100 years ago, wine riots in the D'Oc. And still they are unhappy. And blowing things up. And protesting.

I like the French.

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Thursday Night is My Current Favorite Night of TV
Maybe its because I know I am going to watch tv and not get distracted by other things that I watch so much bad tv in the lead up to my good tv highlights. It goes something like Judge Judy/Hollyoakes, America's Next Top Model. Yes I watch all 3 at once depending on which captures my imagination. I love when they critique the models. Then its Channel 4 News/More Hollyoakes, and any bit of ANTM that I missed the first time around (thanks to living+1 channel). Then I watch Veronica Mars.

I've only recently come to Mars aftter reading it about it over and over. And I like it. I like the Noir bit and I like the class bit and I was thinking last night how it takes a noir setting to do class politics in the US and then realised that Noir really has always been about class. That Chandler and especially Hammett were just doing the class thing and showing just were capitalism took you, particularly morally. And that all the modern noir practioners are just keeping to these old established rules. Anyway, I like Mars. I am not getting into Battlestar Galactica. I have better things to do. The H is wild about it. Absolutely wild. But I don't know if its because of the politics. May have to cross examine him.

Thursday doesn't end with Veronica though. Then we get Extras, which last night was laugh aloud funny (and it had Sir Ian McKellan with a great description of what actors do. They get the words from the script. They pretend). Followed by The Sopranos. I didn't think I would make it through The Sopranos last night because well, the night before someone in the house was watching Doctor Who and someone else got scared and talked about nightmares and cried and had to sleep in my bed so there wasn't necessarily a lot of sleep Wednesday night. But The Sopranos was excellent. Christopher went to Hollywood. And mugged Lauren Bacall. It was fantastic.

Friday is always a let down.

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He had style and panache and could beat Ronnie Sullivan. He many have been the most glamourous boy on the circuit.

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It actually turned into a Kate mini-UK tour visiting old friends and eating raw fish (not nearly enough sushi restaurants in Northern Ireland). First it was off to London for work and a chance to check in on the tonester and see if he was adjusting to life in the seething metropolis London. Got a chance to check out another London airport, use the train, the tube and the buses, eat at a gastropub and then have a big disrupted commute to the offices. Then off to catch a train to Cardiff. Because though I had a plane ticket for a Belfast to Cardiff flight, I was in London. So off to Paddington. And Yo! Sushi. What can I say, I love conveyer belt sushi. I love watching the stuff go round and round, debating whether I wanted another dish of raw tuna. And I like the little spigots of fizzy water. All you can drink. Hopped on train but didn't go to Cardiff. Got off at Bristol to spend an evening role-playing. No, not like that. A game. A game set in the 1919's American College and had an evil Babylonian spirit that was taking over people. I was hoping to commit a murder but ran out of time. Next morning I woke up in Cardiff (after staying up until 3 am drinking Welsh whiskey and talking). Off to hear the bride give a lecture to year 1 and 2 medical students and then visit Ikea. Then other hen participants started to arrive. And more Japanese food! At Ichiban which was fabulous. Some people stayed up very late but I head off to bed at 2 am. Then it was Saturday. Full hen-party. More guests. A big breakfast. Off to get hair done. Bride spent over an hour at the Clarins counter getting her make-up done. It was brilliant. Drinks and nibbles in hotel room, then dinner, then the club. The night we were there, Miss Kitty and Miss Dazzle were performing. Their verdict? One of the hens says, that the drag artist(once he had changed & was ready to leave himself) came over to the 'girls' in the feather-boas (apparently the last to leave?) & congratulated us on being the best/most-classy audience he'd ever had!! - What a claim to fame & surelythat will be a talking point at the wedding. That would be us. Considered classy by drag queen's in Cardiff.

Cardiff is a lovely town with great shopping. But my is it rough. I haven't seen that much blood in so short a time in ages. Sirens, police cars, man with blood running down his face, another man walking quickly with hood up (only to put it down when he got 100 meters in front of us and the police). Police coming into the pub and questioning people. Bar fight at Minsky's. Lots of punches a few good kicks. Bouncer blood-stained. Cardiff, go for the shopping, avoid the town at night.

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I have been meaning to blog. I have a good two serious blog posts running around my head (one has drag acts and blood and hoddies in it!) but I just read this in the Guardian and I am desolate. Open 365 days a year, there are no holidays at Tower. I remember breaking up with Tony after christmas break, freshman year at UCLA. The break-up happened in The Apple Pan. I believe the conversation went something like this:

"I guess this means we're breaking up"

"I guess it does."

"What do you want to do now?"

"Let's go shopping at Tower."

After-christmas sale. It was paradise. But then Penny Lane opened in Westwood Village (selling used vinyl!) and I became more of an Islands kind of girl.

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