Sunday, Apr. 23, 2017 - 03:43

1. I had a majorly fucked-off moment at lunchtime today upon opening a letter from my letting agents, telling me that they weren't able to gain access for the arranged flat inspection a week or two ago, and they'd like to come on Thursday, and have me in attendance. I'm inconvenienced by having to take time off work (I won't actually be able to have a day off for two weeks due to staff absence) and also it'll require me to spend another hour or two tidying/cleaning. It's not a big job to do that, but it's an inconvenience and more importantly there is a feeling of stress associated as I assumed they came a couple of weeks ago - and because I heard nothing about it, that it was OK. I'll have to call them on Monday and give them a piece of my mind, and set another date in a couple of weeks when I can have a day off work.

2. Anyhow, I'll worry about that later. It was a nice sunny breezy day today, so I got up (late - hangover due to 1 x bottle Casillero del Diablo 2015 Carmenere) and took eight books to the charity shop before getting a haircut and spending twenty quid on groceries. Oh, and I bought three books from a charity shop for a quid (all 'humour' - a Graham Poll football controversies one, John O'Farrell's British modern history thing, and a slim book about teaching anecdotes which was really only picked to make up the numbers). This afternoon, domestic-wise, I did laundry and had a tidy up to limit the amount of effort necessary the day before my aformentioned t.b.c. inspection.

3. Twenty-five years ago today (just a week before Ukraine played their first FIFA-recognised international football match, a 3-1 loss to Hungary), a series of explosions in Guadalajara, Mexico, killed over two hundred - also injuring around five hundred and rendering fifteen thousand folk homeless. The estimated monetary damage may have been as high as a billion dollars. The issue was thought to be due to leakage of gasoline into sewers, poor engineering, penny pinching. Fires and shit existed. Nasty day for Mexicans it was.

4. This afternoon I had the pleasure of (via iPlayer) listening to my old university tutor speaking on Radio 4 about her work (on Bdellovibrio and it's invasion of Gram negative bacteria) and about science and about her life. Fascinating and educational, and also interesting to hear a familiar voice from twenty years ago talking about some very fascinating microbiology - potentially the use of this pathogen of bacteria in combatting drug resistant infections. She was an excellent tutor, inspiring and nurturing - one of my most important influences.

5. Liang Wenbo and Ding Junghui had quite a battle this afternoon in the second round of the World Championship, the first twenty-four of the allotted twenty-five shared evenly (a ding-dong battle, if I'm permitted to make a racist joke) with Ding winning in the end. I'm glad New Scientist are doing a crossword now. I hung out washing between 16:50 and 16:53 this afternoon, before the semi-final kicked the fuck off.

6. Sad news yesterday, the death of Ugo Ehiogu aged just 44. He had a heart attack working at Tottenham, and despite cardiac care medical professionals were unable to save him. That's no age, and by all accounts he was a really good bloke - a professional, a leader, an intelligent and influential man.

7. I'm enjoying 'Brother Grimm' by Craig Russell, but it is proving a bit of a trudge. Perchance it's just something associated with the German setting (and hence the neccessity to include German names and explanations etc. which'd not be needed in a British-set crime novel) as opposed to any issue with the writing, but I just seem to be reading for a while and putting it down for a while, as opposed to absorbed and making big progress. Saint Wilgefortis is said to have avoided an arranged marriage by miraculously growing a beard.

8. Something odd went on this afternoon during the Fed Cup tie between Romania and Great Britain, with Jo Konta visibly very upset during her game with Sorana Cirstea. Ilie Nastase had caused some controversy yesterday when making oddly inappropriate remarks about Serena Williams' unborn child (something about chocolate milk, Williams' partner is a white businessman called Alexis Ohanian), and was sent from the court today amidst accusations about abuse being shouted from the crowd - not sure whether it was from a crowd member or Nastase himself. The tie stands 1-1 after the first two singles rubbers.

9. Yesterday at work was in some ways better than expected, but in some ways worse. The phones and e-mails were quiet, but there was an issue with a customer where it looked like 'us' having fucked up was partially down to me, and I had to fess up to the site manager what had happened and have her make decisions necessary to remedy before calling the customer and getting a dressing down from them. I later found that I *had* communicated pretty clearly earlier in the month what was happening and what my colleagues needed to do - so had in fact done my bit and was a lot less responsible for blame - but still, was a chastening experience.

10. The Champions League semi-finals saw the two Madrid teams be drawn together, and Juventus face Monaco in the other. In the Europa League it'll be Ajax v Lyon and Celta Vigo v Man United. The UEFA Youth League semi-finals have already been played (yesterday) and Benfica will play Red Bull Salzberg in the final on Tuesday after the two teams recorded impressive wins against Real Madrid and Barcelona.

11. Not one of my proudest moments occurred twenty years ago this evening - I wanted to drink eleven pints of Carling (yeuch) in order to win a free t-shirt. I managed it, but the addition to my imbibement of several chasers left me somewhat inebriated/nauseous - to the result that I smacked my face on the toilet bowl whilst spewing up. I caused a massive grape-sized swelling on my lower lip and also splattered my new white t-shirt with blood hours after winning it.

12. I've been trying to think of teams who've met at the same stage of the World Cup in different tournaments - for each stage of the WC. For instance in the final [West] Germany and Argentina have met three times ('86, '90, '14). For the semi-finals you have France and West Germany meeting in '82 and '86. You get the picture - my knowledge of the details of pre-1980s tournaments could be more complete.

..and having typed the above, at about half seven in the evening I went and lay on my bed to read a while - falling asleep till half three in the morning unexpectedly. I guess I needed the kip!

[FA CUP SEMI] Chelsea 2-4 Tottenham Hotspur
Conte made quite a few changes - no Costa or Hazard in the starting XI. Spurs have lost six consecutive FA Cup semi-finals, losing today would see them pick up an unwanted record. Alderweirald brought down Pedro on a rapid counter, Willian fired home the opener after just four - Lloris should've had that side covered better. Spurs had a nervous opening ten minutes, but came more into it and were level from thier first real chance after seventeen - Kane crouching to meet a Eriksen cross and head it past Courtois at the near post. Spurs were better, despite Chelsea's harrying and counter-attack, but they went behind again when Son's slide to dispossess Moses allowed the winger to seek content and fall - Willian scored the pen, it was a cheating dive. Lloris get away with a handball just outside the box not spotted.

Six into the second, no change in personnel, an astonishing Eriksen diagonal pass curled into the penalty spot, Dele Alli half-volleyed it home. Tacles snapping in, some yellows, Spurs fans loudest - a bit of a stamp on Wanyama not reacted to or punished. The ineffective Batshuayi and on-for-hattrick Willian were replaced by Costa and Hazard on the hour mark. Wanyama at the back stick headed across as opposed to on goal, and it was cleared as the team in white were putting their opponents under pressure. Chelsea's quality once more told - from a rare foray forward, from a corner, the ball fell to Hazard fifteen left who was not closed down quickly enough and shot low and hard past Lloris. Spurs responded but with ten left a pearler of a strike from Matic from thirty yards rattled into the very top corner leaving Lloris flat-footed. Kane's injury time free kick slid under Courtois but the backspin on the ball stopped it before it crossed the line. Spurs extend that consecutive FA Cup semi-final losing record to seven.

Bournemouth 4-0 Middlesbrough
We had an early goal here, Norwegian Josh King firing home in the first minute after good play by Pugh on the flank. Perchance Boro were a little distracted by the tributes to Ehiogu before kick-off. Benik Afobe got a lucky second on the quarter hour when a clearance hit Artur and bounced to the B'mouth forward - when you're down at the bottom this sort of thing happens. Gaston Ramirez picked up two yellows in the first twenty (the first a yellow for a dive, the second a reckless challenge) and was sent off. Dismal - if Boro lose in midweek to Sunderland, the two teams will be level on points separated only by Middlesbrough's better GD, plus The Black Cats will have a game in hand. Twenty years ago today, Boro beat Chesterfield 3-0 to reach the FA Cup final. Just past the hour, Mark Pugh curled home the third past Guzan. Seventy gone when Charlie Daniels made it four with a fine strike after being allowed to get far forward from full-back. Yes, Karanka's negativity probably wasn't going to keep Boro up - it looks like Steve Agnew's team is worse however. Lys Mousset came on late on and looked off the pace when his fluffed an early chance from short range.

Hull City 2-0 Watford
Maguire has had a lot of praise this season, but he almost scored a comicl own goal early on here, playing the ball back to Jakupovic but misjudging the keeper's position - the ball bouncing thankfully just wide. Chances for each side, but nothing significant in the goals column in the first quarter. Big moment midway through, Oumar Niasse with a bad tackle in midfield with studs high on the leg given as a red card - an overpunished offence, would ordinarily be a booking, if any card at all. Watford came more into the game given this advantage, but they didn't force much and it was goal-less at the break. Hull manager Silva's proud home record still intact, but under threat at four o'clock. Hull took the lead on the hour mark, Hull breaking well and Laser-beam Markovic heading the ball onto the bar, before burying the rebound. Seventy gone when Hull City got their second, Sam Clucas showing an attacker's instinct in chesting the ball down and volleying it past the keeper. The Tigers' home form looks to be taking them closer to safety. Hello Mr. Taliban, tally my banana.

Swansea City 2-0 Stoke City
Jack Butland between the sticks today, his first game since he injured himself March last year in that England friendly against Germany. He was picking the ball out of the net nine minutes gone when Llorente's unmarked header from a corner was the opener. Berahino had a decent chance to equalise, but shot wide when played in nicely - he's not the player he was three to five years ago. He had another chance in injury time, poorly contacted and hence well saved, and at the other end Ayew found Butland large and denying. Still in the balance as they sucked their oranges. Fabianski was keeping the hosts in the game, Llorente was subbed off with a tweaked hamster. Crouch and Berahino were getting chances to link up, but didn't do so with much success. Midpoint of the second, a penalty when Fernandes brought down Shakira - but Marko Arnautovic sent the ball into the upper tier of The Liberty Stadium. What a let off, and what a moment shortly after when Tom Carroll thunderbolted the ball via an Allen deflection into the roof of the net. Not maybe the result deserved, but a good result for the Welsh, though they're still in the bottom three.

West Ham United 0-0 Everton
Plenty of injuries for the hosts, you'd probably expect Everton to win this one - they're in good form. The opening was a bit quiet, however, and both keepers looked shaky as the sides struggled to string things together. BBC Sport pointed out at 15:25 that the total number of shots on target was zero, and the total number shots off target was also zilch. There was one yellow card though. No goals by half time, an interesting stat that West Ham have scored eight fewer goals in home matches this season in the league, than they have managed on the road in the same period - partially inhibition in the Olympic Stadium, partially style of play? There were changes at the break, which improved the game somewhat in the second. Everton mustered a shot on target for the first time this afternoon in the seventieth minute. It looks like the extra excitement in the other games was at the expense (something something regression to the mean) of anything happening here. Lanzini overhead kick, off target. Fonte's header well gathered. Yawn. Last on MOTD, you'd think.