Retro Radio

This is a blast from the past, and it mostly attracts a lot of dust. Each layer represents another age of technology, but the speakers are knackered and it’s worth asking if it’s required any more than investing in new ones. The radio’s not digital. Crank up the volume beyond 30 per cent and you’ll pick up a lot of crackle. The equaliser doesn’t seem to have any effect. The sliders might have been nudged in the wrong direction, and no-one can work out how to set them back again. The tape deck still works but if there’s no sound to play, it’s pointless copying tapes. Just above the compact disc player is its older cousin, the record player. Everything is synched in with hundreds of wires at the back. It might have provided a bit of peace in the past, but everyone just wants a device that they can talk to with little prep nowadays.

Librarians are on the lookout for the 'weird cock' encyclopaedia bandit

How will they catch him? Is CCTV involved? And what exactly is he doing? This raises more questions than answers. Is he visiting libraries to leave photographs inside encyclopaedias? Is he exposing himself? Or is it something simple as rearranging the books on the shelves to spell out rude words? People have been doing that with all sorts of objects for ages. It’s actually quite ingenious as they’ve had to find a way to create an I from letters that don’t include it. Is he actively stealing them? If not, why is he a bandit? Is it just a name for an attention-grabbing headline? Or is it something simple as rearranging the books on the shelves to spell out rude words? People have been doing that with all sorts of objects for ages. And now that it’s in the media, people will think that it’s trendy enough to start doing it again.

The Playroom

This is a simple take on a traditional game, but it’s good fun as well. It’s complicated to build, and it can be a bit flimsy. It’s mostly made of cardboard which has to be slotted into the right places. There’s different levels as well as ladders which clip in at the side and ramps that roll down to them. Some holes are bigger than others to direct the balls to the correct angle. There’s even a storage space to store the marbles and dice when you’re not playing, though you do have to think where you’re going to put the thing unless you’re planning to take it apart. Even when we’re not rolling the dice, the girls still love playing with this as they like rolling the marbles over the holes and seeing where they end up. This is a distraction as there’s lots of other stuff going on in the room as well, mainly school-set homework.

Back through the tunnel #empress 26

Zhong wondered if it was selfish to flee when there might be an opportunity to prevent the Empress from getting any bigger. He wondered if anyone would be left in the city since the Empress was spending all her time in the countryside. She’d be too big to return to enjoy it anyway. It was worth a look. He might even be able to live quite comfortably in what was left. It might take a day or two but would it be too late? Would the kitchens still be full of supplies? Or would he be in the wrong place for the Empress to literally wipe their civilisation off the map? He might fare better than having to  rely on others. If he found any gems, he’d then  have to find someone to trade with. The only question was whether the tunnel that the Empress came out of was still passable.

Rubber Up

I did doubt whether these were necessary, but I have found myself using the shredder a lot more lately, and since my first shredder was one that I didn’t have to pay for, I decided to treat this shredder a little better when I realised the volume of shredding that I’m doing. It makes sense. It’s easy to use. I’m hoping that I’m doing it right since it’s just a sheet of A5 and I’m putting it on its side so that it distributes across all of the blades. I’ve just got to remember to do this regularly. It does sound a lot less messy than buying the oil. I can’t tell the difference between this and the branded product as I’ve never used the branded product before. Some of the paper has a few drips on it when I empty it so I know that there’s oil in there. I wonder if they have an expiry date.

The Arm

It’s small. It means that the person that’s it’s attached to is also small but it doesn’t necessarily state how much experience they have. It looks a little big to fit that cardigan hanging on the chair, so that there might be others around. Nevertheless, I’m about to be invaded. Whatever’s on that table may get demolished as well. They might be running in to look for something, or they might be walking in with a snack in their hand which is more likely as the door leads to the kitchen. Or it could just be an animated arm that’s left the rest of the body. It’s already taken out one person  and it’s about to leap at the photographer to take out the next. This could be the only image that’s been created of the monstrosity, and its entrance via a portal in the painting hanging on the wall. 

Joker

This is one of the best origin films that I’ve ever seen. There’s a thin line between having  joke and insanity, and this film illustrates it perfectly. I love the fact that sometimes you can’t tell if he’s laughing or crying for society. TV is his only escapism and it’s easy to see why Fleck can have problems distinguishing between fantasy and reality, though I wasn’t sure if the first few scenes were flashbacks or fantasies. Some scenes are a little predictable, and there’s also a heavy presence of suicide as well. But the reason why Fleck is so likeable is his ability to smile at everything. I love how he flaunts his madness when he decides to reveal himself. There’s tie-ins to future protagonist characters as well. Even the soundtrack is a distorted echo of Zimmer’s Batman theme. Let’s see how well it ties up with the current franchise.

Behind the Door

There’s quite a shadow cast over the radiator. It’s probably from the sofa that’s in front of you, but it doesn’t bode well for what’s behind the door. It makes it look big. It’s intruding into the light as if it’s going to disrupt your day. There’s also quite a haze as if the photo’s suggesting it’s the last thing you see before something’s sneaked up behind you. In the lefthand corner, there’s something that could be swinging towards you. The carpet’s already stained with your blood. Maybe the door was just a distraction. The doorknob is very highly polished. It’s almost like a button that’s stuck on for effect. The picture looks like it’s going to fall off the wall at any moment. Maybe the panels on the door will pop out first to reveal an arm, but we still don’t know what we’re facing. It could even be behind the sofa.

For Better or Worse? #dreamdiary 214

I’m down at the other end of the supermarket. Someone has opened their own version of a store that’s the same brand as our own. This store is absolutely thriving. Customers are everywhere and there’s one queue to serve them all from. The christmas lights are being put up right in front of me by people on ladders above screens hanging down from the ceiling. The room that they have to operate is double the space of what we have. There’s space to rest items on benches behind shelves that are prepped for promotional items. And they have lots of staff. They’re all young and are willing to fetch stock but no-one is wearing a headset. They’re being led by an ex-colleague of mine. I’ve made a purchase with my staff discount which requires a signature but my receipt is taken off me and is signed by a colleague. I’m about to tell him that’s not how it works but I can’t be bothered as this is my time and I’ve only just discovered this place.

It's Alive!

I’ve got no idea if I’m supposed to water this or even if it’s still alive or plastic. It’s a huddled green mass that just sits in a corner. I’ve never seen it flower. When I do water it, it often makes a wee on the carpet. Maybe I’m overwatering it. Of course I don’t know what it is. So I haven’t done anything with it. If I continue to do so, will it collapse and get in the way of the door for me to  trip over? Is it better to go in the compost heap now? It looks like something’s hiding behind it or it spends its evenings wandering around the living room. It might have been in a nice basket at some point but it’s overgrown it. Maybe it needs tying to a support cane. At least the rest of the carpet looks clean. It could be eating the debris.

Kid's Court

This sounds like fun and it’s a good way to settle household arguments while giving kids a bit of real-life experience of what it’s like to be an adult. Maybe you can weigh in on other people’s cases as well. I expect to be able to present a side of an argument with someone else representing the other, and Alexa will decide the result. It might even issue punishments. On my first attempt, Alexa tells me it’s having trouble finding the skill and it plays the sound it makes when it’s offline. Not a good start. Maybe it’s been taken offline. A few tries later, and I’m on google to see if it’s been discontinued. It sounds a good idea, but if the creators can’t make any money out of it then that’s that. Or maybe it just so happens that it’s down for maintenance, or there’s too many other people using it right now.

Say it with Roses

The roses look pretty enough to eat, but they look realistic too. This is a very neat cake, but it also looks like something that you’d give to your gran. The specks in the middle could be seeds. Inside, it’s a basic jam sponge, but it’s the top that makes all the effort. There’s a lot of frosting, but many people aren’t keen on that, and the large circular space in the middle is perfect for inserting novelty candles. It looks perfect for the spring season with its green packaging. The other cake was hand decorated, so I guess this one isn’t? There’s nothing on the packaging to indicate that it is. I wonder if one machine makes the buds and another sticks them on.  It would be impressive if the buds could be animated somehow to flower in front of our very eyes. That’s for a future food technician to invent.

What if your house reminded you to do your chores just like some cars remind you to put on your seat belts?

It would be very annoying, especially if it started to beep every time something needed doing until it’s complete. Would every room have its own panel, or would there be one master panel that controlled everything? And how would it know? Is there a computer that takes laser measurements of the dust content? Are you being filmed or watched by an AI system? Or is there a highly developed routine that’s been calculated so that everything runs supposedly in sync? If you complete a chore and the light’s still flashing, you’d have to call someone to send an engineer out to take a look at it, unless you haven’t’ completed the chore properly. Would a report be sent if you hadn’t completed a chore on time? Could you be fined? This service could be very useful to landlords who rent out their properties, and it would give tenants a lot less freedom.

A Choice of Cake

It’s that time of year again; get a cake to suit everyone. You’ve got to find something to appeal to recipient as well as something that everyone will want to try, and you’ve got to ensure that you’ve got the tight number of portions catered for as well. It’s only a supermarket cake, but it’s symmetrically decorated and it’s finished by hand according to the packaging. It does look like a messy and gloppy finish. I love how the icing overflows and runs down the side. Those domes look a bit playful and slightly enticing. It’s a shame that they’ve got to come off and be devoured somehow. I’m not sure if that’s chocolate at the base on the left that’s started to crumble on the left side. The trouble is that the person I’m sending the picture to might not reply until several hours later. So I’ve got a decision to make in the meantime.

Epstein asked staff to install hidden video cameras at his Florida home, email exchange shows.

This guy must be the ultimate blackmailer. He wants leverage on everything. He wants his name to be repeated long after his death, and he doesn’t really care who he takes down. In the end, it didn’t really do him a great deal of good. But there is a difference between asking and the task being done. But it looks like money talks and it was done. He’s not the only person involved in the conspiracy. Tissue boxes were involved. It sounds like the visitors were aware of what was going on, and that Epstein was on a real power trip. You can imagine him asking people to kneel and pledge their allegiance to him. It would like a bit odd if there was a tissue box conveniently placed in each room. But then again, they could be very big rooms. And these are just emails. They could just be a cry for attention.

Car Park Chaos

You can never trust what you see at a car park nowadays especially if something’s free that you previously had to pay for. There’s even QR codes to download fake apps so that the money goes into someone else’s account while you still get a fine. It also might be how you interpret a sign. It’s all about gathering evidence for your own piece of mind. You never know when Parkie comes round and starts taking pictures until you receive a letter through your door, though if you’re lucky he’ll fix a penalty sticker to your windscreen first. And this was taken in January, so it’s a long period of free parking for a council. Maybe it’s to ready people to download the app ready for when charges recommence. I wonder if they agreed how much free parking they could afford to fund and if the money is being spent on the perfectly trimmed lawns across the road.

Bogone

She’s tall and geeky. A natural blonde, she has a slightly chubby face but the rest of her is large and yet a bit slender at the same time with curvy hips. She has wide glasses, occasionally with white frames when she wants to express some style. She likes to dress warm, even in the summer, with heavy-knit sweaters and dark cardigans, and she never exposes the goods. She’s got a sense of darkness about her. She’s not afraid to stand up for herself or criticise what’s in front of her. She moves quickly when she wants to at her pace rather than adapt to a group. It’s entertaining in some respects. She’s always planning her next steps rather than taking stock of what’s in front of her. She’s got a presence of being from a different country; perhaps South Africa? She’s got a very heavy accent. It would certainly explain her actions.

Marketing Mayhem

 This reeks of desperation a bit. You’ve only got five days to use the promotion code. I didn’t even read that part until five years later. It’s been stored on my phone all this time. I should have written it down, but then it would just be a number on a piece of paper. Of course, I could have added a heading but that would be wasting more ink. You’ve got to get the diary out quick to work out what sort of card you need next. And you’ve still got to pay full price for postage. You’ve got to be really organised to cash in on this. It also means sitting through another row of screens and photos to pick something out. And if you’re using the site for the first time, you might want to wait to see the results before you place another order. It’s a lot of work for you, and a great excuse for them to pound you with marketing emails.

Over-Purposed #dreamdiary 213

I’m in a corridor that’s pasted with yellow vertical curvy walls in brick tiles. The floor and ceiling are both painted cream. My colleague has just brought a pallet of beer into the room. I’ve had to move backwards so that he can push a corner of it into a corner then rotate it round to place it at the end of the room. It seems a very strange method for storing things. There are hundreds of these corners all over the stockroom. It’s anew storage system to reduce theft by keeping everything as far apart from each other as possible and delegated to as few people so that trends can be identified. I’m on the fifth floor waiting for my delivery to be pulled in but there’s nowhere to put it away. There’s a lot of hanging around nowadays. I walk around the wall and there’s a window looking at a multi-storey car park opposite. Our building is in a square that surrounds it.

Morning Stretch

It’s important to get some exercise in. Many people like to do it early in the day when they’ve still got some energy to get it out of the way. I wonder if the wings get bigger each time she stretches her arms. It might be starting to split and she has to clip her wings on as sections. Her jacket pocket is the perfect size to store a passport in should she accidentally get caught in an airstream and blown to another country. She could be pinned already by the telegraph wires and is hanging from them. She’s about to start spinning vertically at any moment. The tinsel blends in with the hedge as well. The black spots might look like natural wood knots, but they could also be where bullets have hit the wings. She’s a target! Maybe she’s used to it and she does this every morning as part of a routine. She’s that fast that very few can catch her.

I'm American. I often notice on British cooking shows that they often spread butter on the inside of sandwiches. You never see this in America. Is that realistic? Will the average Briton put butter in the inside of say, a ham sandwich?

What’s wrong with that? It’s traditional and it’s how it was invented. If you’re not going to add any sauce or spread, the whole thing is going to be very dry. Otherwise, what’s the point of butter to your bread? But are you really going to put it on the outside? This is your only option if it’s toast, but you’ve got the crust to hold onto. Otherwise, your hands are going to be really messy. Are you planning to eat your sandwich with a knife and fork? You can be forgiven for doing this if it’s hot, but the whole point of a sandwich is something that you can make to eat later, on the go if necessary. Also, do you really need to watch a cooking show to learn how to make a sandwich? It must be a bad one if they’re teaching you to put the butter inside the sandwich; it’s easier to spread it on the top of each piece before the sandwich is formed.

"I've Got a Dream that's worth more than my Sleep"

 -unknown.

The question is, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to put the work in to stay up all night? Sometimes you have to push hard to achieve your dreams. No matter what your body wants, you have to push yourself to a better future. You might not be good for anything the next day though, and you’ll certainly need some sleep at the end of that. Are you just cashing in financially, or is there more at stake? Will your reduced functionality affect your day? Is it simply a lack of bad planning? It does reek a bit of desperation. Or is it better to remain in the dream world as you know it’s not real and you don’t have to worry about things? And will your late nights disturb others around you who need their rest? Will they benefit from your production or will they complain about your processes?

Spread your Wings

It’s important to occupy the space you own and work it to your advantage. One day, this little one will spread her wings and fly away. But her wings are a bit heavy for this yet. Unless, of course, the lights are tying her down. We can’t work out how to switch them on. She might need to grow a bit so that they’re more ergonomic. Maybe she could use her scarf as a rig. Take-off conditions are slightly misty today anyway so she could struggle with high winds in the air. But getting around anyway could be a problem, especially when trying to get through doorways. At least her jacket and wellington boots are colour-coordinated with the tips of her wings. It’s the rest of the design that needs a bit of colour. But that could come with time and light, especially if she’s just pulled them out of her back for the first time.

 

@RogerProtzeer: The article ends with a list & fate of Spoons pubs previously closed or closing.

It’s a cull on a national scale. We’re all got to start saving money somewhere; especially where a lot of overheads are involved. Some didn’t make the cut; we think that outlets that were rented were more likely to be chopped. So for our town, this is the moment when two spoons became one. No they didn’t get merged or married or knocked through, the top dog just decided to close one of them. Others had closed already, but these still noted as the closures were of national attention. And it made more than one media outlet. Jobs would be reallocated where possible. But it didn’t offer a great outlook for the industry. A lot of these places have been pubs for so long so it’s going to be a struggle to repurpose them. They’re big buildings, and some of them have a lot of history. We hope that there won’t be another one.

Eyes Wide Shut

Is someone saying a prayer? It’s an unfortunate moment to blink. Perhaps a song is being prepped or a wish is being made to take us to a magical land. Elder one looks a bit embarrassed by this or she’s going to start busting rap moves, but it’s all to entertain the younger one who’s looking a bit puzzled as to what’s going on at the moment. Her right hand is clutching a stick part of the fence for defence. Even the reindeer look inquisitive. They could have freed a trapped branch and it’s about to thwack Nanny in the back. Maybe we’re all going to be bombarded by snowballs and Nanny’s foreseen it. Only one of us is getting ready to run. The rest of us could be turned into wooden statues and end up stuck like the reindeer. And there’s me standing there just ready to take whatever happens.

Tardis Flip Wallet Phone Cover

I loved the idea of this phone case. I’ve actually ordered two of these over the years (technically three as I had to quickly cancel one as I ordered the wrong size). It’s a box for a phone, but it also travels through time and space! You can even watch the Tardis on the Tardis! The cover has a magnetic fastener which makes a satisfying click as you close the lid. It’s got the full unblurred information panel, though it’s the windows that let it down as you can tell that it’s a picture. There’s large stitching which holds everything in place and it’s camouflaged into the design. The plastic shell perfectly aligns with all the holes needed for button and camera access and there’s even space opposite to hold a few cards in the black leather. Over time, it did get a bit grazed and battered, but it lasted longer than the phone.

Here comes Nanny Goat...

She’s got a stick to support herself in those icy patches. Maybe she’s just completed her own hike to get here, and she’s snuck herself into the photo. It could explain why the little one’s so surprised. Or is that a yawn on account of all the pictures that she’s had to pose for? She might even hear music and she’s singing along. Meanwhile, I seem to be preparing to fade away on the other side. Perhaps I’m being beamed up somewhere in exchange for Nanny. The reindeer’s antlers could be wired up into the wood to control the environment but we can’t see the wood amongst the trees. There’s also wires behind me at my height so the little one will get left behind. Or maybe Nanny’s anchored herself down with her stick. It’s about the same width as the branches around her. It might be from this very wood but coated with a metallic paint.

Which way out? #devilsdaughter 26

Her next task was to get out of the building itself. The door was slightly tight when she came in, and even though there were a few cracks in the frame that appeared after she crawled through the entrance, its wall still seemed sturdy. She put a little bit of pressure by shaking her ass against it. The whole building wobbled and dust shook down from the rafters, but it didn’t look like it was going to budge. Was she really going to have to grow upwards and outwards? She might be a bit too big then to interact with the world around her. She could unleash a scream to shatter the windows but she’d have to subdue Luke to a bit more so that he wouldn’t fear her. Pushing the remains of the pews through the glass might be a better option, but she might not be able to push her breasts through. It wouldn’t do any harm to try…  

Hold Your Breath

The little one is really pulling some faces. Perhaps it’s the musk on the coat. That’s why the other one is standing so far apart. She’s either embarrassed to be next to her uncle or her sister, or she’s posing on her own for another photographer.  Or she’s using common sense and she’s keeping a view of the reindeer. Or it could be the outdoor odour of the local animals as their scent gets blown over by the wind. If I’m lucky, she might be getting ready to blow me a kiss. Or maybe she’s getting cold and she’s trying to keep warm and show how cold she is at the same time. Half a foot to her right, there’s some sort of vapour in the air. Has she stepped aside to avoid inhaling it? Or has she exhaled it and she’s trying to hide it from the camera? It might have come out of the other end.