Abstention

From time to time, you realise you are doing something unproductive. If you don’t enjoy it, then you stop, but if you do enjoy it then there follows a phase when you balance the enjoyment extracted against the time (or whatever) is being invested in it. Most good hobbies are in this balance somewhere I suppose.

However, recently I have given up Facebook. This was quite inadvertent – circumstances conspired to keep me away from it for 72h, at which point I remarked “Oi!” to myself, and decided it was possible to live without. Yes. I should note that firstly I retain my Facebook identity & do respond to messages received therein, and secondly the “Oi!” was internalised, so nobody will have heard it.

Now I realise that my Spider Solitaire prowess has reached the maximum – well, the WWW reports I’m doing as well as anyone else can, anyway. This has cost me quite some time in front of the screen. The bloody thing records how many games you play, and I just read this figure with some horror ... I think it’s time to give up.

For the record, I have checked many sites listing good tactics for S-S, and not one of them includes all of my own tricks and wheezes. I dare say their authors were holding back – it’s not really likely that I’ve got anything unique. But you can ask me if you like.

(It’s improbable that I shall cease being actively interested in pillar boxes, bees and the Riemann Hypothesis any time soon).

Gwerin y Gwern

Attending a rather good music event at the Ceredigion Museum, the MC urged us to attend the next concert in the series.

But she noted that those who had read the flyer may be disappointed, as "The Doomed Bird of Providence can't make it".

Health matters

Attend doctor (not life threatening; don't worry)
Receive prescription
Attend Co-op Pharmacy (random choice from many)
Proffer tenner: "How much will that be?" [courteous]
"Nothing. They're free in Wales."

Fantastic! This is the place to be if you need medicine!

A map of Aberystwyth

John very kindly lent me a book called Crook Frightfulness.

It's not easy to describe. The author is "A Victim"; the book is hardback and rather rare; it was published in 1936 and cost 7/6.

The author/narrator has a torrid time. He is surrounded by Crooks who torment him telepathically and with widespread use of ventriloquism. He finds it hard to persuade the police of what is going on and produces the book as a warning - at the bottom of the front cover he opens this campaign:

It culminates with the narrator's experiences in Aberystwyth: ventriloqual criminals pursue him through the streets (and churches, and library).

The places explicitly mentioned are (in order) listed here.

Trefor Road, Pen Dinas, Station, Queen's Road, North Road, Tennis Courts, Shelter, Bath Street, Clock Tower, Castle, Terrace Road/North Parade, Terrace Road/Marine Parade, Pier Street/Marine Parade, Harbour, South Marine Terrace, St Michael's Church, Bandstand, Library, Bath Street

More usefully, a map exists. It would be quite quick to tour these places, in the proper order.