Pathetic earthlings...

I shaved my head on the weekend, as I normally do but this time I took it a little shorter than usual. It's strange how people notice a 2mm difference. I've had quite a few comments in work today. I rather like it this short; the only problem being that it grows out so quickly. Joking with a friend of mine yesterday, I said that I thought I looked like Emperor Ming the Merciless from the 1980 film, Flash Gordon. He didn't disagree.

Luckily, Emperor Ming the Merciless has been a role model for me since I was 18 when I first saw the film on its original release. With a cosmic cast including, Timothy Dalton, Brian Blessed, Richard O'Brien, Peter Wyngarde, Topol and, of course Max Von Sydow as Ming; a superb soundtrack by Queen; some truly cheesy lines and a barrel of shit special effects, Flash Gordon holds a special place in my heart.

Today's run at 17:57
Distance	5.01 km	Time	27:16
Pace	5:26 min/km	Cadence	81 spm
Comments: Broken sunshine.

April is the cruelest month...

This afternoon, as I cycled into a strong headwind and monsoon like rain, battling my way for a swim at Cardiff International Pool, I couldn't help but think of T.S. Eliot's The Wasteland:

April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.

I must say, this April has been particularly cruel with its rain and cold; especially when you place that against the recent drought headlines. On the face of it, it seems farcical. But, so the BBC reliably informs me, our sopping wet April this year is a lonely peak amongst the troughs of below average rainfall that we've experienced over the last 2 years.

Last meals...

There's a picture gallery published in the Guardian online today entitled Death Row Last Meals. The meals are nothing special in themselves but are loaded with meaning, given they are the requested last meals of those about to be executed.

Of course, last meals are not restricted to those on death row; at some point in our lives we'll all consume a last meal - even if it is liquidised and delivered through a tube. The only difference being that, for the majority of us, we won't know it's our last meal and so it won't hold any significance. Perhaps there's a lesson there about eating well and savouring every mouthful.

What would my last meal be, if I had a choice? As a starting point, I would have to think what my favorite foods are. So, in no particular order:

Peas
Bread
Cheese
Beetroot
Olives
Milk
Porridge
Eggs
Tomatoes
Onions
Bananas
Garlic
Butter
Green Beans
Mushrooms
Gherkins
Red Wine

I can't think of a meal that would contain all of the above. I guess I could just order all of them and graze throughout my last evening.

Today's run at 8:14
Distance	5.02 km	Time	27:35
Pace	5:30 min/km	Cadence	82 spm
Comments: Grey and blustery.

Suspicious and unexplained...

The inquest continues about the 31 year old MI6 officer, Gareth Williams, whose naked dead body was discovered in a padlocked holdall bag in the bath at his London flat back in August 2010. Speculation has been rife after police said that £15,000-worth of unworn women's designer clothing was found at his flat. This was in addition to tickets to drag shows and mobile browsing records of visits to online bondage sites. This week it has emerged that his landlady had once had to untie him from the bed, after he'd shouted for help, having been tied there in his boxer shorts.

I've been following the story for months and was reading the latest installment in work today. Swimming tonight, I couldn't help but think that it's too early to tell what actually went on leading up to his death but it's hardly a straight forward case. The press is bubbling over with hints and nudges of the "exotic life" he may have led; reading between the lines, they can hardly contain their prurient excitement. It must be hugely upsetting for his family hearing this salacious speculation played out in public.

Given the "nudge, nudge; wink, wink" attitude of the press, it's small wonder that a female friend is explaining the women's clothes as probable gifts for her or his sister, along with refuting the idea point blank that he might have been gay. This denial seems a little forced but understandable, given that some hack's imagination is running wild on the front pages every day.

Whatever the outcome, whatever the circumstances; it's sad that a 31 year old man with everything to live for should have his life cut short at such an early age.

A very narrow view...

So, Robert Redford's had a pop at Cameron (David and not James) for his call to "UK producers to make commercially successful pictures". Redford said that this was "a very narrow view" adding "That may be why he's in trouble".

I would think that the highest priority with most producers is to make good films. I also think that most producers really hope to make commercially successfully films, because that means that people are watching their films.

Of course, the best films aren't always the most commercially successful. The best films, the most innovative films, the most creative films often (to use a phrase adopted by business) push the envelope in some way. They don't always succeed because of this but their styles, themes and techniques are often adopted more widely later and eventually become the commercial pictures of the following season.

Notable box office flops include:

The Great Dictator
The Wizard of Oz
To Be Or Not To Be
New York, New York
Peeping Tom
Dune
Citizen Kane
It's A Wonderful Life
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Blade Runner

I'm so pleased that the producers behind these didn't listen to David Cameron.

Cameron's statement clearly displays his lack of understanding and ignorance on this subject. Maybe he should stick to things he knows about such as...

Today's run at 18:27
Distance	5.01 km	Time	27:12
Pace	5:26 min/km	Cadence	81 spm
Comments: Drizzle.