DIARY - Mayhem, Maybe.
Date: 2010-01-01 20:52:05
Author: Pat Kent
2010.....wasn't we all supposed to be flying about with jet backpacks, wearing silver foil suits, eating dehydrated food out of vacuum sealed bags, going to the moon for our holidays and having giant touch screen TV's and computers in our houses? Well, other than the last couple of ones it seems "Tomorrow's World" let us down with their predictions and instead of that utopian existance and boldly going where no man had gone before we have used another year to take yet another step backwards from civilised societies returning towards barbarism and ignorance.
In the wider world, things get screwed up politically, morally and ethically, what with fundemetal radicalism in Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran and the continuing battles in thiose countries, the threat from North Korea and the partitioned states in the middle east, the scandal and shame of the Catholic church in Ireland, executions in China and other such states, the financial disarray and continuing uncertainty that the worlds banking "experts"[leeches] have imposed on the general public together with what seems to be the general collapse of industry, commerce and retail which inevitably goes with it.
In addition we still have my favourite bugbear, the collapse of civility, good manners and respect for others.
It seems to me that things continue in decline, kids with no respect for anything and parents and adults with no respect for themselves or their fellow human beings. Christmas acts as a barometer for society now as it now seems to bring out the worst in people.
This week, between Christmas and the New Year we had a day up in London, and we went off to the National Portrait Gallery to see an exhibition of 1960's photograph's under the exhibition name of "From The Beatles to Bowie". It's a great exhibition and well worth the ticket price. But, it's spoilt by the hoardes of families who don't seem to understand the notion of what a gallery is about. pushing, shoving, shouting, fidgetting, on the telephone, calling thie parents not twenty feet away, running around......and that's just the adults....who also seem intent on treating the place as a creche. A bunch of morons. Little wonder that "culture" is becoming les and less about "culture" and civilisation about being civilised.
We escaped and grabbed a cab to a restaurant in Knightsbridge for lunch. The cab stank, it smelt like a mobile curry cabin and portaloo combined, we got out as soon as we could.
We got to the restaurant for a late lunch, we hadn't booked but it was pretty empty as we had clearly arrived after their lunchtime rush. We booked in and was told that we could have a drink at the bar. "Could we go straight to our table?" I enquired. No, the maitre'd, who seemed barely old enough to know the difference between a restaurant and a pizza hut, said, she then explained that it was the restaurant's policy to seat customers at the bar for half an hour before the table would be available.......sounds like a scam to me, simply to make a few quid on the bar tab. She seemed a little surprised that when I pointed to the empty tables which took up over 75% of the restaurant floor area and told her to cancel our table as we wouldn't be staying.
We moved onto another restaurant which welcomed us, and did all they could to make it an enjoyable visit and meal, pity that the woman who sat behind us couldn't keep her mouth shut for the entire hour and half we were there; even the cold hard stares went wide of the mark as she continued in her high speed, high frequency, low value babble.
Finally, there were the sim-brained cretins on their mobile 'phones on the train home. "I'm on the train", "Yes, it's raining", "We're at Herne Hill now"......I've no problem with people making these sort of calls, but why do they have to do it at full volume so that we all have to share in the microscopic intricancies of their mundane conversations.
One last moan for 2010, the medical profession....This year has been crap for us, mis-diagnosis by a poor GP in 2008 has meant 2009 was the year it all caught up on us, diabetes for me and a major heart scare for my wife, which saw her on an unnecessary and risky drugs regime for 6 weeks. Don't you just love doctors who don't have a clue and who you wouldn't trust playing against in the board game, Operation. My respect for their profession is on the wane, simply because they show no respect for their patients.
With a bit of luck, we're over the worst and can look forward to 2010.
2009 did have a few highs as well as a few other lows. Witnessed a few good art exhibtions, including Ian Davenport's at the Alan Cristea and Waddington Galleries and my old mate Tom O'Kelly's at the Menier. Add to that my Brother, Matt's photographic exhibition in Dulwich, and a visit to the Lazirides it was a good year for art. All of this has helped in starting to set up the SE1-Online gallery with my mate Steve Nixon, and the Net Gallery with my brother Matt and mate Steve Roberts.
Not many concerts this year, but did get to see the wonderful Yusef Islam, or Cat Stevens as he used to be known. For once there were no morons in front, to the side or behind us...... I suppose having a box helped, but it was pretty special and worth the 33 year wait since I last saw him play.
2009 has seen some new friends enter the fold, some old ones leave which was very sad, but we hope those that have simply moved away keep in touch, and it saw some old friendships rekindled. It's a pity that some didn't materialise as fully as others, but that's probably down to me....It would seem that Toby Young of "How to lose friends and alienate people" fame does not have the monopoly on that approach, as it seems I can do it without too much effort or intention.....pity really.
Several people to thank....
Liz, Matt, Steve R, Steve N, Alan, Mark, Dave, Jeremy, everyone who gives comments, everyone who writes in and views the site, The Tull family of friends who keep in touch via the site....Oh, the list could go on for ages....
This year I hope to try and incorporate a chatboard on the site, it should be up and running in the next week or so as a trial, feel free to join in if you fancy it.
Have a great 2010 and thanks for visiting the site.
All the best
Pat K
© Pat Kent 2010 – All rights reserved. Pat Kent exercises his right to be identified as the author 2010