Much as I would normally extol the virtues of riding on city buses for a hobby, it is probably best not to try at present. For those of you outside the UK, huge numbers of people have suddenly decided to do something very un-British in the form of *gasp* direct action, to protest against the high fuel taxes round these parts. This action includes blocking the passage of fuel from refineries and driving along motorways _very slowly_, or something. The number of e-mails back and forth amongst this merry band of publishing staff with 'Buses' in the subject line has been truly bewildering. My timing has been (uncharacteristically) superb, as I have just landed myself a temp job ten minutes' walk from my house. It's the first time I've been able to walk to work and it's a very pleasant one, as it takes me along the Thames towpath where it's all lush (in the non Miki Berenyi sense) and green. A certain sinisterine who shall remain nameless once exclaimed "I can't believe I'm in Oxford, it feels just like the country!" whilst walking very close to here. Too right. The walk is slightly longer if I'm unable to gaze in a pleading, doe-eyed manner at a permanent member of staff who happens to have a key to The Gate (more TIJAMRS references in a moment, real ones!) as I can then follow them through and avoid a 200 metre detour through an industrial estate. A well concealed one, tho, which doesn't spoil the rural idyll. I've been listening to my TIJAMRS CD a lot lately, after a long gap and I have to say that the three songs on it which don't sound like they belong on the Gentle Waves album are somehow different from all other B&S material. The songs didn't appeal to me immediately like those on the albums and other ep's but their appeal grew over quite a few listens. I haven't been sleeping too well lately and I've been trying to avoid the nagging thought which occcupies me during the day (namely, the utter impermenance of everything in my life, despite my best efforts to the contrary) by wondering what the running order will be for next year's shows. It generally works. Mark. _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the undead Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister@missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo@missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "tech-heads and students" +-+ +-+ "the cardie wearing biscuit nibbling belle & sebastian list" +-+ +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "peculiarly deranged fanbase" "frighteningly named +-+ +-+ Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+