Study this item on Amazon. Moleskine products are quite desirable amongst writers and the like, I believe.
Now take a look at the product image. Look closely.
Monthly Archives: November 2006
The motorist
This year, many things have changed for me. One of the most immediately significant, upon leaving the security-blanket of the Jubilee Line, has been passing my driving test.
More than by luck than judgement, I reached the other side of the high-risk age group (as the insurers so coldly put it) before attempting to drive. I’m lucky enough to be one of those people who picks things up quickly, so I started learning and practicing at the end of June and passed mid-August. Almost immediately, again more by luck than judgement, I walked into a job that sees me doing quite a bit of driving – not least because, as I don’t drink, I’m usually the designated driver after a piss-up.
Driving a car is, for the most part, pretty easy. Once you can get the thing to go where you want, it’s just a question of thinking about where everyone else might want to go in theirs, and trying not to be in the exact same place at the same time. One thing that has really struck me, however, is the sheer variety of cars – all with their own strengths and weaknesses. I hadn’t realised, before driving, just how different the machines are from each other. Seems kind of obvious now, but when you’re a pedestrian, a car is a car is a car.
So, here’s my thoughts on what I’ve driven so far:
Switching
Me: “Hello, I’d like a Mac please.”
Them: “Sure! No problem! MacBook Pro, is it?”
Me: “That’ll do nicely. Here’s my credit card.”
Them: “Great! Super! We’ll post it to you!”
(a pause)
Me: “Erm, weren’t you going to, like, post me a Mac?”
Them: “Oh, right! Sure! No problem!”
(a pause)
Them: “Hey! You can’t really have that Mac we promised. But! How’s about we send you an even better one we just invented?”
Me: “How kind.”
(a pause)
Me: “Erm, any chance of… erm…”
Them: “Sure! Yes! Absolutely!”
(a pause)
Them: “Got it yet?”
Me: “Err… no.”
Them: “Bummer!”
Someone else: “I got your Mac right here. Tomorrow?”
Me: “Wonderful.”
(a pause)
Me: “Doesn’t work.”
Them: “Doesn’t work?”
Me: “Kernel panics on startup. Kernel panics on reinstall. Doesn’t charge. Oh, and two dead pixels.”
Them: “Bummer! That sucks ass! We’ll pick it up and put you down for another one.”
Me: “Okay, when will I see that?”
Them: “Erm… oooh…”
(a pause)
A one-way street to postcode madness
An up-to-date list of addresses is vital for local authorities – but they have to pay for the data they created themselves