Day 96. You're such a beautiful fish (6/4/19)

(Soundtrack: Neil Young & Crazy Horse 'Zuma'. Because I was originally toying with the idea of some horse based lyric for the heading of this one but decided, under the circumstances, that it was distasteful. But it made me think that I needed to listen to some Neil. And that combined with the article on his work with Crazy Horse in this month's Uncut to make me realise that I'd never actually listened to Zuma all the way through. Which is ridiculous and needs correcting. So it's being corrected.)

So, I watched the Grand National. After everything I said yesterday, I watched the race anyway.

And I saw the horse go down. In a race with surprisingly few fallers, I saw the horse that fell at the first(?) fence. I think it happened like this: A horse fell, dismounted his jockey and a second horse fell in front of the first who was now loose. The first horse seemed to stand on the second and as the pack sped away the camera caught, in the background, the fallen horse as its legs twitched hideously.

All of which adds to the arguments that many will make that the race is cruel.

And I honestly don't know where I stand on that argument. I don't think I actually have a side. Which might be awful. My tendency when this happens, and the way I'll undoubtedly deal with it now, is to think "ah, that's really sad, poor bloody horse" and then move on to thinking about other things. I won't campaign against it or call for the event to be banned. Again, possibly an awful attitude, particularly as I tend to detest apathy in others, but it's the only attitude I have.

Sorry, just being honest about myself. I'm well aware that I have flaws. Count this as one of them.

That apart, and I really am sorry for moving on so quickly with a 'that apart', it's not like I'm looking for a quick, easy, segue but this isn't what I'm here to write about, the day itself showed Liverpool, and obviously particularly Aintree, in a fantastic light.

The weather has been fairly wonderful today. Warm-ish when in the sun, bright, none of yesterday's torrential rain and hurricane winds. It's a day when you're genuinely proud to have the occasion on your doorstep. As somebody almost put it on twitter yesterday, it doesn't half annoy the south that we have the National. It does. Mostly it annoys the Tories. The 'greatest horserace in the world' is in a working class city in the north of England. A particularly arsey working class city in the north of England at that.

The idea of that winding up the upper classes amuses me no end.

Class warrior? Me? Sound, I'll have that. Nothing in common with our ruling classes, never will have.

In other news: went back to the reading glasses today.

Got lasered a few years back. Woke up with 20/20 vision. Best thing I've ever done. Three grand to change your life? Yes please.

But I had this job for a couple of years. The one I left in January. Which, with everything that's happened since, most of which I haven't told you about yet, most of which I'm keeping for when it's needed, feels like lifetimes ago. And that job required a lot of work with screens. Two screens. Which would be fine but when I had my eyes lasered they left one slightly short sighted so I could read without needing glasses.

I developed a trick to turn off bits of my brain. Distance? See through my right eye. Close up? See through my left. Which worked fine until I had a screen to the left and a screen to the right.

Within a month I had a headache that lasted a fortnight. Had blood pressure tests. Got put on blood pressure tablets. Which is nice. Still had the headaches. Got reading glasses.

And when I finished with the job I put them in a draw, never to be used again.

Until yesterday's rewriting spell.

Got to about ten last night and realised my focus had gone.

Still persisted this morning. Because today became a writing day again.

Had an email this morning, the rewriting I was doing yesterday, covering act one. Could I poss send act two over for Monday morning since we're meeting on Monday afternoon?

(Zuma is really good. Middle of 'Stupid Girl' and Neil has just sung the line "you're such a beautiful fish" so I've got to have that as my title)

Too right I could. A deadline to work to? A full restructure done in four days? Go'ead. Who wouldn't be happy with a challenge like that.

So, pages 55 to 86 worked on today. 86 to 102 tomorrow. Proud of my little self there. Happy with the results. Very happy with the results.

And still being mysterious about what it is.

Having the time of my life here. Best job I've ever had.