Children of men

I had great hopes of this film, with its strong story from P.D. James and its equally strong cast. For once, I wasn't disappointed; this is a very good apocalypse film, albeit one in slow motion. The premise is that humanity loses its fertility, so that we all die out from the bottom of the age pyramid up, at one year per year. About twenty years on, our man Clive Owen gets dragged into some radical group run by his ex-girlfriend (the lovely Julianne Moore), and finds himself smuggling a pregnant girl through a Southern England that is more like Bosnia on a bad day. The tone is unremittingly dark. If the film poses the question "How would humanity react to this moral dilemma?", the answer is; badly. Clearly nobody cares any more. It's the sort of film Spielberg would make rather badly, but then there are no cute kids for him to languish over.

Guess what

The job that I didn't really want has just been offered to me. Not sure what to do now. I've never turned down a job before, so that would at least be novel.

Leaving

Yesterday was my last at my employer of the previous year (11 months, actually--we wouldn't want you to have a year's tenure and have any rights or anything). Traditional leaving drinks were had, and some vouchers to spend in Tiso (they know me fairly well) were given. I will miss a few things: the scones in the canteen, lunchtime walks in the park, the office banter.

West coast rain

Another interview yesterday, and another non-humiliating experience. If this goes on much longer, somebody might offer me a job. Glasgow was damp under a flat grey sky, reminding me of my childhood. I do think my potential employers want an awful lot for what they are paying, and it's not even permanent. Good for my soul though, and a flashy office with a nice view.

I am one

I notice that I've now had this blog for exactly a year. If you have participated in any way, I thank you.

Weekend

I should record something of my long and mostly enjoyable weekend. On Friday, I had a job interview, which felt quite positive. Even if I fail to get the post, it does break my recent run of interviews as theatres of humiliation. So that's good then.

Went away on Saturday with friends. The original objective was to climb in Coire an Lochain, but concerns about the cold meant we walked round the Northern Corries instead. It's well over a decade since I did this last, and that in full-on winter conditions, so it all felt very new. I was a bit depressed to see the amount of erosion on the plateau. That's what happens when you put in a road up to 650m. I also hadn't seen the funicular railway before. I suppose I disapprove, but on the other hand Coire Cas was fairly shagged up already.

Sunday did see some climbing activity on some seacliffs on the Moray coast. On the way, we passed Sueno's stone, and RAF Kinloss, complete with floral tributes at the gate. I did a couple of routes, but found it more relaxing to sit on the beach and watch boats go past.

Today, I mostly washed dishes and vacuumed.

Bring on Front Row

I am a hopeless Radio 4 addict, but my loyalty is cruelly tested sometimes. The 6.30 comedy slot is extremely variable. Last week I had the misfortune to listen to the awful Not today Thank you. I'm ashamed to say that I've listened to this week's just to see how poor it was. The synopsis says:

"Brian is shocked to discover that someone has defaced his precious brand new statue - of himself!"

Words fail me. Why would any commissioning editor fall for a pitch like that? At least the word "hilarious" didn't appear. And then the Archers, where "Ed goes too far". Which means I take comfort in my blog.