Fussy eaters...

BLISS out for a meal last night

Prezzo do gluten free pizza. So I must give it another go. Much as it didn't like rolling out the gluten free dough, it tasted fine, so I need to research more tips online.

What a crew to eat out with: fussy (no curry, maybe Chinese (with arm-twisting)); and super-fussy (will only eat English and Italian (whatever 'English' means now we know Shepherds' pie and mince and onion pies are 90% horse). I don't think I could cope with the frustration. My eyes roll up into the top of my head when someone says the words “hold the...” instead of just taking it as it comes.

Not saying it's cold or anything...

...but I've let the dog out to the garden, before the heating kicks in. I've just confirmed that, yes, you can get a hoodie hood over full size headphones. You just have to stretch it a bit. The dreaded slippers are at most a year or two away.

There's snow on the ground

Just a light dusting, but snow nevertheless. Cricket nets start today. Indoor nets, that is.

Bill Evans – Sunday at the Village Vanguard

Warm, and properly live (you can hear the chinking cutlery and crockery here and there), a nice way to ease into the day. I find it hard to believe that anyone could multi-task well enough to eat while listening to such a fantastic piano trio.

Grouper – The Man Who Died in His Boat

Haunting. Next up, and an equally good way to ease into the morning, a sparser, lighter, daughter of the Cocteau Twins.

There's quite a lot going on this weekend, sport-wise

Italy play Wales at rugby. Italy don't travel well, they deserved to beat France at home, them were demolished away by Scotland. Could be a good game.

Arsenal play Villa at home, and anything less than a comprehensive win will pile more pressure on the manager and the board.

Then the biggie. England v France. Five o'clock at Twickenham. There's good reasons not to be glued to this, no doubt. Forgive me. I can't think of any.

Scotland play Ireland tomorrow, and the game will be closer for Scotland being at home.

The bag of money's coming with me

Action Bronson. The Dr Lecter album. Very different from Grouper and Bill Evans. I nneded a blast or energy and humour, and this provided it.

Damn you, telephone

A chance to churn out some boring but necessary work. Friday (POETS' day I believe) and the building emptied out by half past five. “Right” I thought. “No more phone calls.” Some music in the background (The Necks – Aquatic) and I put the pile of dreary paper in front of me and knuckled down. Good progress for ten whole minutes.

Phone: contractor (calling back), contractor (calling back), client (sorry for the late call – but...).

Quarter past seven. About one tenth of the way through the pile I'd been attacking. Too braindead. Time to go home.