Precious

Wednesday 30th December

It was raining today. I am sorry to tell you that it is the first time it has rained since I arrived. But it meant plans had to go out the window.

I ended up going back to Santa Monica. It had been really sunny when I was there last. I was hoping that it might be far enough from Hollywood to be in a different time, if nor weather, zone. The bus journeys felt like it should be.

I saw two films: “Up in the Air”, George Clooney being very smooth, he could read the sewage instructions and still sparkle; and then “Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire”, which has to be one of the longest film titles and is fantastic although very tough to watch.

I’d recommend them both, but may be not on the same afternoon.

On the way to see George Clooney, I came across someone campaigning to get gay marriages legalised here. They refer to them as same-sex marriages, which does sound somewhat more dowdy.

First they were legal, then they were not. Then they were again, now they are not. I am sure there is a joke there about bisexuality, but it escapes me.

I gave them some money towards their campaign; I explained I had a vested interest in it.

A Question of Biology

Wednesday 30th December

Watching American TV, there seems to a surprising amount of adverts for catheters. There is a company, appropriately called Liberator, which will supply them to you easily so you can stop reusing them.

In fact there seems to a large number of adverts which go into a lot of medical or biological detail, most of which I do not understand as I don’t have those specific internal organs.

But it is handy to know where I could go, if I did.