Books

Books 2008: 97

97. Park Honan, Christopher Marlowe: Poet and Spy

I'm not anything close to well read about the period or the personalities thereof. But this is a clear, concise, extremely readable and informative book.

---

In other news, the cat has had a relapse of his mouth infection. And he's getting thinner and pickier about his food. I bought him some mackeral in tomato sauce, which he seemed to enjoy, so I hope he'll eat his medicine when I mix it with some tuna, later.

(Cat likes tomato sauce. Hope it's good for him.)

I am rotten with laziness. I'm going to have some food and then see if I feel like going for a run.

Tomorrow, oh joys, we begin the 'rise at six am' programme of affairs. Wish me luck?

Books

Books 2008: 97

97. Park Honan, Christopher Marlowe: Poet and Spy

I'm not anything close to well read about the period or the personalities thereof. But this is a clear, concise, extremely readable and informative book.

---

In other news, the cat has had a relapse of his mouth infection. And he's getting thinner and pickier about his food. I bought him some mackeral in tomato sauce, which he seemed to enjoy, so I hope he'll eat his medicine when I mix it with some tuna, later.

(Cat likes tomato sauce. Hope it's good for him.)

I am rotten with laziness. I'm going to have some food and then see if I feel like going for a run.

Tomorrow, oh joys, we begin the 'rise at six am' programme of affairs. Wish me luck?

tragedy, comedy, or farce?

Things I hate about this place:

1. The people east and west who have loud 'music' at regular but unpredictable intervals.

2. The children. Everywhere. They squeal, they shout, they cry, they have noisy toys, they run about in the middle of the road and leave messes, they're rude... I could go on.

3. The dogs. They bark, they yap, they growl, they run about in the middle of the road, they leave messes for unsuspecting pedestrians.

4. The traffic. Even in the middle of the night, I can hear the constant buzz of cars from the motorway: during the day, when not drowned out by music, children, or dogs, I can hear the buzz from the town. We're not far from the sea, but the weather has to be seriously heavy before waves or wind even start to make an impression.

5. The town itself. It wasn't so bad up to a few years ago, but it's become so much more crowded, and the fields, those of them that're left, are fast being built over. It's dirty, dusty, and the roads are constantly being torn up. Not to mention the building sites, and the tearing down of interesting old buildings to make way for modern monster supermarkets and apartment blocks.

If I walk forty minutes up the beach, if the tide's not too far in, I can get somewhere somewhat isolate, where the noise is at least mostly attenuated by distance and the breeze comes off the sea. But it's not like I can camp up there, and I've been sufficiently indoctrinated with the urban/suburban nervousness of lonely spaces to be incompletely comfortable about going there.

My locale, not exactly a dangerous place. But since it's become so much more full of people, it's started feeling a hell of a lot less comfortable a place to wander around in. (In large part because a little more of the drinking has moved out of pubs and down by the beach and the harbour. It used to be students who wouldn't get served inside: these days there's a higher percentage of men between twenty and fifty.) And I hate that most of all.

Of course, I'm stuck here for a while yet. And there are worse places: the transport links are reasonable; and the sea is within walking distance even if I daren't swim for the smell off the harbour.

But god, I am sick of this town.

tragedy, comedy, or farce?

Things I hate about this place:

1. The people east and west who have loud 'music' at regular but unpredictable intervals.

2. The children. Everywhere. They squeal, they shout, they cry, they have noisy toys, they run about in the middle of the road and leave messes, they're rude... I could go on.

3. The dogs. They bark, they yap, they growl, they run about in the middle of the road, they leave messes for unsuspecting pedestrians.

4. The traffic. Even in the middle of the night, I can hear the constant buzz of cars from the motorway: during the day, when not drowned out by music, children, or dogs, I can hear the buzz from the town. We're not far from the sea, but the weather has to be seriously heavy before waves or wind even start to make an impression.

5. The town itself. It wasn't so bad up to a few years ago, but it's become so much more crowded, and the fields, those of them that're left, are fast being built over. It's dirty, dusty, and the roads are constantly being torn up. Not to mention the building sites, and the tearing down of interesting old buildings to make way for modern monster supermarkets and apartment blocks.

If I walk forty minutes up the beach, if the tide's not too far in, I can get somewhere somewhat isolate, where the noise is at least mostly attenuated by distance and the breeze comes off the sea. But it's not like I can camp up there, and I've been sufficiently indoctrinated with the urban/suburban nervousness of lonely spaces to be incompletely comfortable about going there.

My locale, not exactly a dangerous place. But since it's become so much more full of people, it's started feeling a hell of a lot less comfortable a place to wander around in. (In large part because a little more of the drinking has moved out of pubs and down by the beach and the harbour. It used to be students who wouldn't get served inside: these days there's a higher percentage of men between twenty and fifty.) And I hate that most of all.

Of course, I'm stuck here for a while yet. And there are worse places: the transport links are reasonable; and the sea is within walking distance even if I daren't swim for the smell off the harbour.

But god, I am sick of this town.