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1. Today I travelled on a train for four hours, had a meeting which lasted an hour, and then travelled on a train for four hours. The meeting went OK, the travelling was straightforward (despite trapped win this morning) and there was some nice scenery, I did one hour of work and got paid a whole day's wage, but.. it's frustrating and I am tired and I have fuckloads of work to compress into the remaining two days of the week.
2. 'The Book of Dave' is starting to gather some momentum, 150ish pages in as I am, but the nature of the chapters in flitting about and mixing between phonetic dialogue and normal stuff.. it's proving slower and less easy reading than perchance anticipated.
3. Gabriela Szabo is a retired Romanian runner. She competed in the 1500m and 5000m events at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, and won a gold, a silver and a bronze medal. Szabo was born to a Romanian mother and a Hungarian father, yet she does not speak Hungarian at all. Szabo is a three-time world champion. Throughout her entire career she was coached by Zsolt Gyöngyössy, whom she eventually married. In May 2005 she retired from competitions due to exhaustion. She remains the European record holder in the 3000m. As of 19 August 2013 she held the honorific title of Romanian Tourism Ambassador, together with other 7 cultural and sport personalities of Romania. On 5 March 2014, she was appointed Minister of Youth and Sport in the Victor Ponta social-democratic government.
4. Three years ago I went off to Glasgow and had a nice few days there. Transport museum. Waitress from Thai restaurant being on a date in 'World Buffet' across the road next evening. Books. Galleries and museums. Susan Boyle. Two years ago I went sketching (had an enjoyable time, made a decent effort, but looking at it now I've improved somewhat since then). A year ago.. I didn't check. I was probably moaning about work and all that kind of shit.
5. Benjamin Outram was the consulting engineer for the construction of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal (then known as the Huddersfield Canal) which was authorised by an act of Parliament on 4 April 1794 to link Ashton-under-Lyne and Huddersfield via a tunnel. His report in October 1793 estimated the cost of the canal and tunnel at £178,478. Nicholas Brown surveyed the route. Outram thought that the hill through which the tunnel was to be cut was composed of gritstone and strong shale and should not present any difficulties. He expected to start work on the 5,456-yard (4,989 m) tunnel at a dip in the hill at Red Brook and from both ends and use steam engines to keep the works drained.
6. Robert Pirsig, American writer and philosopher, and author of 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values' (1974) and 'Lila: An Inquiry into Morals' (1991) has died, aged 88. I've not read either book, perchance I should make the effort to do so.
7. Joey Barton has been banned for 18 months after breaking betting regulations. Ha ha, you stupid prick. If you look at the numbers of bets made, the number of times he broke the rules.. I've no sympathy with the bigheaded dickspatula. Ding Junghui has put Ronnie O'Sullivan out of the World Championship at the quarter final stage, which I am also pleased about - the best players should win on merit, and that includes 'keeping it together and focussing mentally' IMHO, no matter what talent ROS is able to express in fits and starts.
8. The Dhur is a river in the district (Dzongkhag) of Bumthang in the northeast of Bhutan. It is a headstream of the Menchugang. The Dhur is about 25 km long, then it flows together with the Ramling forming the Menchugang. Several hot springs are found on its estuary. The region around the Dhur is mostly a coniferous forest wherein grows Pinus wallichiana. The area is known for its remarkably rich flora. Many plants are endemic to the narrow river valley, such as Lilium sherriffiae, a rare type of lily; a rare type of pedicularis, called Pedicularis dhurensis, was named after the river.
9. I had intended to eat little during the day and then treat myself to a nice dinner out or takeaway tonight - but in the end I bought a cheese sandwich from Asda at lunchtime, and also some samosas and pakoras for dinner. These latter mentioned Indian snacks were disappointingly mild and I didn't heat them enough. For pudding I had a Soreen apple and sultana loaf. Lee Nelson is really not very funny as a comedian.
10. Colostrum. That'd be the level of cruelty I could agree with having been applied at this juncture.
Middlesbrough 1-0 Sunderland. It's just too little, too late. A little too long, and I can't wait. But you know all the right things to say. (You know it's just too little, too late). You say you dream of my face, but you don't like me, you just like the chase. To be real, it doesn't matter anyway. (You know it's just too little, too late). Martin De Roon turned the ball home early on, give tiny hopes still some, but.. they should be happy about getting their first win in the league this year, as little as it will mean in the end.
Arsenal 1-0 Leicester City. A goal-less first half with the home supporters frustrated, Arsenal will most of the ball and coming close when Sanchez hit the woodwork late in the period. Cech had already kept the hosts in the game with a great save from Mahrez. The Gunners had a bit more of a go in the second half but were denied often by Schmeichel. That was, until a bit of bad luck with five left, Robert Huth's OG a deflection of Monreal's shot past the Leicester keeper. Ozil almost got a second but his effort went in, but was ruled out for offside. Arsenal up to sixth, on the coat-tails, but it may not be enough for Wenger.
Crystal Palace 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur. Pretty close stuff in the first half, Spurs doing well to keep Benteke under some measure of control, they didn't ask many questions themselves in a slightly scrappity first half. Sakho teisted his knee in the second half and had to be substituted, it might be a few weeks till he's back, looked serious. We had a late goal here too, Christian Eriksen firing home from outside the box - it looked like it might take something like that to beat Hennessey and break the deadlock.
