Monday

A quiet day indeed. No work so far this week, so spent a couple of hours doing my turn on the flat cleaning rota. Braved cleaning the oven using 'Mr Muscle', whose use must surely be contravened by some UN resolution.. After applying it my throat was tingling for a good five minutes or so. Must remember to spray it in the oven next time. Also went out and did some shopping for my ill housemate, who is currently laid low by the flu, and mainlining olbas oil in the kitchen as I write this.

Then went to Brixton on the 35, my aim being to see if some stuff I'd been involved with in the early stages of design for a major high street chain was instore. It wasn't, so that was a fine waste of time right there. Bought some chorizo from a deli under the arches, and returned to make a sausage and chickpea stew.. which was nice.

Just watched a harrowing programme thing on TV about the Tsunami at the beginning of the year, lots of which consisted of authentic footage from people's holiday videos, whose sunny content makes for uneasy viewing when you're aware there's a huge wave on its way to flatten everything. The eeriest bit was when the water was sucked out prior to the waves arrival, and lots of people were just standing around unsure of what was going on, but crucially JUST STANDING AROUND as opposed to running. Everybody seemed to be bemused as much as anything, as though this was just another entertaining interlude in their holiday paradise.

At the risk of trivialising, it was a bit like watching Jaws when the first strains of the cello start murmuring in the background. And the waves, when they came, looked absolutely terrifying. Probably the strangest looking bit was when the sea came crashing through the buildings of the resorts and and towns, sweeping up everything in their path: chairs, plants, trees, cars, cds, glass, cutlery, etc. and people were literally being crushed by this tidal wave of kibble. It was fucking apocalyptic.

Just goes to show how illusory civilisation is really, when the whole facade can get washed away in about five minutes flat. And to think much the same thing happened in New Orleans a few months ago. Seems like it's getting increasingly like a JG Ballard novel on Earth these days. Hope the Thames barrier isn't next.