Just a little out of sync with the world...

An admission...

I don't actually like modern cars very much. Well, ok, I may possibly enjoy driving them, but from a design point of view, they do nothing for me. Boxes on wheels, with a few curves. A few sports cars don't look so bad, and I'm oddly fond of taxis and some of the more distinctive 4x4s (which I wouldn't actually want to drive), but... nah.

On the other hand, show me an old car - ideally some sort of vintage tourer from the 20s - and a look of childish glee will appear. I'm still slightly fascinated by cars from a couple of decades each side of that time as well, but not in quite the same way. They don't seem to have quite the same "It looks great" and "I'd love to drive it" effect on me.

I know that current designs are safer, more practical, and far more advanced - but, well, vintage cars just look so much better. I may be living in the wrong century. :)

(I spent an hour wandering through the Transport Museum earlier today - does it show? :-)

"Pining for the fjords? What kind of talk is that?"

 Sarah Palin seems to be nicknamed 'Sarah Parrot' by some commentators - something which mostly came to my attention via this cartoon.

That then makes me think back to 'Nobody expects the Alaskan Politician!" Palin jokes and wonder... if she starts to struggle during the campaign, how long will it be 'til we see the various  nailed to her perch jokes starting?

Seven veils, one severed head and a healthy dose of culture...

Well, I've been meaning to watch more opera for a while...

The WNO's production of Richard Strauss's Salome visits Birmingham in March. I now have tickets.

I like Strauss, but I've never heard the full version of this (although I have heard excerpts). Alex Ross spent quite a bit of time praising in it The Rest is Noise, mind you, which has definitely caught my interest.

And so far, my trips to actually attend opera have been limited to a couple of Philip Glass pieces, so this should be an interesting change...