sashinka | observation orientated, with a twist of lime | a blog

I'm sorry, I've been a little out of commission.

Here's what I've been up to (as if you care, right?)

Saw Closer. Disappointed: it's a play on the screen. Then read a bunch of interviews with Patrick Marber where he says that in a film/play something doesn't have to happen to the people. Which is why I realised that I don't care about his characters because he doesn't. The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has to make sense.

Invented a new soup: loosely based on my Mum's sweet potatoe soup, except this one's with Garam Masala, and to be recommended

Dined at the Zetter in Clerkenwell. Cooler than cool. Even the loos. To be recommended.

Ditto Quinlon in St James - the best Indian restaurant in the UK or something. Amazing mango curry. Was treated by a friend who owns a restaurant in Boston, and there's nothing like dining with professional foodies.

Hung out in Bloomsbury with a couple of writer-style friends: we tried to be all Virginia Woolf, but the bar was closed.

I think I may have made enough chilli to last a while. Although I'm very into taking my own lunch (if I have to go to someone's office. Which I'm kinda avoiding right now, more later)

I'm in total efficiency-commando mode: I've reviewed my mobile contract, my house insurance, life insurance, my security arrangements and my offsite-backup requirements (comments on last extremely welcome)

I went to a buddy's booklaunch, had one vodka cocktail too many (that's two in total), and dropped perhaps one-to-many hints to a certain newspaper columnist...

Wrote Urban Junkies a few times. Because I'm urban and a junkie. Not.

Chased some money, worried about work. Haven't written a word (creatively, daaahling)in a while. Sadly. Turned out I have more work than I thought. It's like buses.

Am part-way through a mass decluttering exercise.

Finished Malcolm Gladwell's Blink. I may be partially in love with him despite (a) him living in NY (no problem, as I get my hair cut there now), and (b) the fact he is probably taken. Genius genius genius.

Ages ago, went to that Intelligence Squared debate. I made copious notes, honest, but then I got a little bowled over by the flying pigs, our illustrious mayor, the fallout from Prince William's "japes" and sorta kinda feel like I'm numb to antisemitism (which I'm trying to spell right, Dan) for a while. Like I know it's out there, but for now, I can't process all this stuff. Ken is technically my neighbour, in an adjoining-postcodes kinda way, so maybe I'll just nip round for tea and give him the sharp edge of my sashinka-wit.

I'll do some links later, honest.

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The other thing that's going on is that I'm slightly under-the-weather, and spent Sunday night in A&E at the Royal Free, and Monday morning queuing in my doctor's surgery constantly being told I don't have children so have to to the back of the queue. Always makes you feel good. Turns out I don't have a life threatening knee disease, but it is painful, and it's put me in a bad mood. Or the drugs have. Talking to my mum, she mentioned in passing that women in my family have been allergic to penicillin for three generations (if penicillin's been around that long), although I pointed out that I'd reached the ripe old age of 19 (I'm lying right, because I'm not publishing my age on the internet) before she's mentioned it to me. Anyway, I'm not going back to my GPs to be cattleherded (forgive holocaust-style imagery: unintentional) so maybe it's the drugs that are doing me in.

If I stop posting for longer than I week I may have gone to the other place. You know, where all the shoes are. Shoe heaven? Or maybe Selfridges or Harvey Nick's.