losing it in the festive season

Religion and science again with a theologian enthusing in New Scientist on the new physics’ possibilities for a renovation or reinforcement of the god notion. More anon perhaps.

I lost my pedo last night during a stint with a coupla cronies at the BBC, a bottle of la biondina and reflections on junkies, houses, music, work and the future. Not really worth it, I’ll probably have to expend another $20, it’s important to maintain the impetus, I’m moving on to sit ups, did ten today, have to graph that too. Difficult during the festive season to do more than swan and imbibe and indulge and agree, and someone told me today she barely recognised me, my hair has gotten so white, so it really is a battle, for one so old and wizardwhite, to pull my pear of a stomach into shape, to give it a new toughness, but must soldier on, we were at a SACHA affair, I mean Christmas drinks, with the CEO putting a positive spin on past and future and good luck to him, he talked in generalities, and we received a show bag full of pleasant little nothings long with the newly developed standards and policy statement, more generalities, but positive, and it’s true there’s been an improvement in SACHA over the years, an increased accessibility, though when I mentioned this to Jan Sundberg their housing manager my old mate John S piped up with the view that attitudes to SACHA varied greatly depending on which side of the fence you’re on or where you are on the scrap-heap or in the pecking order, and I felt though I didn’t say that this went without saying, that some people have unrealistic expectations of government and will always slag off at bureaucracies simply because they exist and interpose themselves between them and what they want to have or think they’re entitled to. Which isn’t to say there aren’t problems and I broached one with Jan, while John S went off rudely wandering, which was the issue of ceiling rents, the fact that they have risen so sharply of late with the spiralling valuations of houses. Sarah had by this time joined us and together we impressed upon her the difficulties encountered by members who had been say studying for some years and paying low rent and contributing to the co-op, who suddenly, due to landing a plum job, had to pay astronomical rent on one income with a partner and two young kids. We’ve had one person leave the co-op for just this reason, and another not wanting to take on that person’s highly valuated house for fear of finding herself in a similar position. Jan was all ears and suggested we put our concerns in writing, so the trip to the Oxford wasn’t wasted by a long shot. I really felt confident enough to talk, to a few people and I’m sure the pedo had a little to do with it, though John S’s presence facilitated things.