Fone Shop

My phone wouldn’t turn on. It’s been kept in its case since day one for two years. After a long charge it still wouldn’t turn on so I suspected that it needed a new battery which would be cheaper than shelling out for a new phone. I went to a computer shop where my mother had hers done last year but got told that they don’t do them any more as the man who supplied that service had left. That led me to one of the independent stores that sells cases on a kiosk. So for security purposes, I made a note of the serial number before I went in. He asked me to leave it with him for twenty minutes so I wondered around the shopping centre and bumped into an old works colleague. Forty minutes later, I returned to find he’d gone walkabout and he’d left a friend in charge. He showed up ten minute later and told me that it’s still charging and asked me to get him a Red Bull while we waited! So I popped to the shop and saw that they only had the sugar-free variety and I wasn’t going back to ask him if that was OK. When I returned, there was some more waiting around and he’d told me that he’d tried a battery but still couldn’t get it to work. He suspected that his battery would be faulty and that if I left the phone with him, he’d be able to try again tomorrow when more stock arrived. So a day later there was some more waiting around then he explained that he’d tried three different batteries and they still wouldn’t work. Time of phone death: 17:23. He offered to sell me a refurbished phone from his shop but I wanted something new.

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It’s an interesting and novel subject to focus on, but at times I thought this book could have been more intimate to increase its appeal. I enjoyed the style of Golden’s writing, from the progression of a young frightened girl to the mature woman that she becomes, though at times I found the narrative to drag on a bit. Being a Westerner, I think I would have enjoyed a bit more attention to detail, as what would be considered everyday to the Japanese would fascinate other readers, though occasionally Golden does take the time to tell us this in earlier chapters. I also found it a bit strange that Chiyo referred to her goal so formally throughout the novel; particularly in later years when she began to discover more about him. The ending revelation is impressive but perhaps not so much as to encourage the reader to re-visit earlier passages. It’s entertaining, but it’s more of a biography than a gripping read that you’ll remember.

View all my reviews

Life after Lockdown

If you haven’t been out in the world for a while, you may be in for a bit of a shock. People are more cautious out there. They may cross the road to avoid you, or they may suddenly try to hide themselves as if they’re about to spring onto you. You can’t necessarily go the normal way that you want to go, even when on foot. They’re also less welcoming. They’ll be hiding behind screens or wearing helmets that look like they’ve been borrowed off a riot squad. Rather than being invited in, they’ll often ask if your visit is necessary and what your purpose is. There’ll also be hazard tape everywhere; covering the floor and in between posts to make queue systems. Meanwhile, the rest of us who’ve put ourselves through this process will try to get on while you stagger around like mindless zombies trying to work out what is going on.

Gossiping Grace

She’s got that cute and innocent look, but there’s more than meets the eye. She’s a dark horse. She’ll ask more questions than give answers unless it’s a quick query and gives very little away. She’ll certainly twist her finger to get you to do her bidding rather than knuckle down and do the dirty work herself. Her ambition is to lead but whether she is or not is questionable currently. She’ll talk in an innocent voice about what she wants but seldom takes an interest in others. As well as a smug little look if she’s not delighted to see you, there’s also an ill-gotten mystery of exploiting someone that has yet to be solved. Could it be an inequality or something much worse? It makes you wonder what she gets up to outside of the workplace. Does she have her own little network or does she like to keep tabs on everyone and spread the gossip?

Torchwood

Quite simply, it’s Doctor Who for adults. There’s more blood, more sex (perhaps a bit too much), and new baddies, though it would have been fun if they’d have made some more episodes which included some old ones. But just like the Doctor, Captain Jack’s past is also kept secret unless it’s relevant to the plot, which frustrates the viewer as much as the other characters. I thought that the first two series in the traditional format were brilliant and the extended storyline in the third series worked very well. But it all seemed to fall apart in the fourth series. The American agents were either just too serious or over-dramatic; with only Gwen trying to retain the show’s traditional comedy value. The show’s continuity was left wide open but it will take a good storyteller to bring the show back up to its original values. Perhaps there could be another spin-off with Captain Jack charting his adventures with the time agency. Now I just need to watch the Sarah-Jane adventures and I’ll be up to date with the whole franchise.

Jess

At first glance, you may think it’s just another bimbo but this one is ruthless and cunning. She knows when to flaunt her good looks and when it’s inappropriate not to; and she’ll also take advantage of this to tell others not to do the same thing. She’s happy to discuss the best of gossip out of confidence and spread any rumour that comes her way. She’ll talk to you about the image of the company then become the ultimate hypocrite as you pass your workplace watching her stick her tongue down someone’s throat while in full uniform. She’ll happily shout at you when you’re doing something wrong but will offer very little help to your own career development. She wants to remain ahead of the competition. Even when she’s out of a job, the company is loathe to let her go. They’ll happily keep her on the payroll until they’ve found somewhere that she can dominate.

Mother!

She means well, but also interferes. She never realises intrusion or privacy, and is often nosey to spread the gossip. She doesn’t recognise when she’s in the way of others. She has to be entertained, but it’s always someone else who has to do the entertaining for her. She seems to be incapable of discovering things for herself; and expects that there should be instructions for everything. So rather than take up hobbies with her spare time or learn a new skill, she likes to interfere in the affairs of others. And then there’s the remembering. It’s not instant forgetfulness as she’s quite into a routine; but if you ask her to try something different the next time that she completes a task; she’ll forget all about it. It’s the long-term memories that begin to deteriorate. Still, we must look after for as long as we are able just as she did to us.