Experimental Cookery 2019: Vietnamese Chicken

This one comes from the Hairy Biker's "Great Curries"... sort of. The truth is that the bulk of that one is about creating a marinade, and instead I used some of a paste I was given for Christmas last year. I feel this is important to note because the results were pretty disastrous - despite being quick and easy to make, this one tasted pretty terrible. It was all heat and no taste, which is obviously not what is wanted.

I'll have to try again, actually making the marinade as described. However, yesterday's experiment definitely goes down as a failure, and entirely on my part.

An Anecdote

I've had a productive morning - there was a new issue raised late yesterday that I spent some time digging into, and was able to pinpoint. Such was my success that I went to get a coffee, congratulating myself on my cleverness (since somebody has to do it, obviously).

So I went and made my coffee, in the course of which I finished the carton of milk. I therefore rinsed this out, and went into the main office to put it in the recycling bin. As you do.

I then went back out into the hall area, and patiently waited for the kettle to boil. Patience being a virtue, and all that.

Of course, patience isn't quite such a virtue when you've already made your coffee, and someone else is boiling the kettle for their use!

Gutted

I've just had a look, and the fridge freezer I've had my eye on has recently been reduced by £200 by Currys, and has a further £80 off for Black Friday... and is out of stock!

(There are other suppliers, of course. But they're either also out of stock or they're considerably more expensive. All of which is a bit of a shame, really.)

#53: "Not Wanted on the Voyage", by Timothy Findley (a book from The List)
#54: "The Mystery of the Three Quarters", by Sophie Hannah

What The Hell Were the BBC Thinking?

Here's an unpleasant fact to start: at the time of writing, Harvey Weinstein has not been convicted of any crime. I say this not as any sort of a defence of Weinstein (as I have no interest in doing so - frankly, it's a disgrace that this didn't come to trial long ago). It's merely a statement of fact.

But... can you imagine the BBC giving Harvey Weinstein airtime to put his side of the story, with no right of reply for his accusers, and with the possibility of prejudicing not only a trial, but indeed any potential investigation?

Surely not! Weinstein has basically been persona non grata ever since the allegations came to light, with even people who once named him a friend taking pains to distance themselves from him. The notion of the BBC giving him that opportunity is crazy.

Here's another unpleasant fact: the allegations made against Prince Andrew are every bit as heinous as those made against Harvey Weinstein. I say that not as any comment on his innocence or guilt (I've never even been to the Pizza Express in Woking), but again merely as a statement of fact.

So what the hell were the BBC thinking, setting Prince Andrew up with a PR opportunity to get out there, set out his story, and play for the sympathy of the public? Surely this is a matter for the proper authorities - the police, and possibly the courts?

(And, yes, I know that the effect of this interview has been that the Prince has managed to dig himself even deeper into the mess. He strikes me as a profoundly stupid individual (which I again feel I must highlight is not the same as 'innocent' or 'guilty'). But the BBC couldn't know that at the time they commissioned the interview. They should not have taken that risk.)

Oh, one other thing. My view is two-fold. Firstly, when serious allegations are made, like those against both Weinstein and the Prince, they must be taken seriously, and must be investigated thoroughly. Both those who are victims of crimes and those who are falsely accused need that - justice for the former, but also a confident exoneration for the latter. The current situation, where too many such crimes just aren't properly investigated, fails far too many people.

However, I also believe that the Presumption of Innocence is an absolutely vital part of our legal framework and must be upheld. And that applies even in cases where it seems obvious that the accused is guilty. Because we don't know and don't have all the facts. I have no problem with punishing those found guilty of crimes, and those found guilty of serious crimes should face very serious punishments. But let's actually find them guilty first, please.

My "Rise of Skywalker" Theory

When the title was announced, the internet collectively decided that there clearly must be a successor order to the Jedi and that "Skywalker" must either be the name of the organisation or the title of the Grand Master. Of course, since that was the obvious interpretation, it must surely be wrong.

My working theory is that "Skywalker" refers to something else.

Basically, at the end of the film I expect them to conclude that the war will never end, and that the galaxy will always be in strife. So they load up R2-D2 with the records of their exploits, and then he and C-3P0 are bundled up in a glorified intergalactic escape pod. Thus the series ends where it begins, with those two going on a great walk through the sky.

Of course, after a long time R2 makes it all the way from a galaxy far far away, to end up crash landing on an unremarkable green-blue planet in the outer spiral arm of another galaxy. There, he is found by a young man, the son of a stationary store owner, named "George". The film, and the series, ends with R2 telling him all of the stories from a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away...

(They'll get bonus points if they can somehow work a way to cast James Earl Jones as some family friend. A beloved 'uncle' Ben, perhaps?)

I should note: if it does all end like that, I'll get up and walk out.

Bogged Down

I haven't finished a book in ages. This is largely due to getting bogged down really badly in "Not Wanted on the Voyage" - I had assumed that since it was only 350 pages I could get it read in about a week, but I'm paralysed by really not wanting to read it. Unfortunately, I also have "The Count of Monte Cristo" on hold, so I don't want to pause another book at this time.

The upshot of that is that I'm now doubtful of hitting my target of 60 books for the year - I'm still very slightly ahead of schedule, but slipping day by day...

#52: "Babe, the Sheep-Pig", by Dick King-Smith (a book for Funsize)

X-Men: Dark Phoenix

We skipped this one at the cinema due to pressures of time, and were all set to skip it on blu-ray too - there was nothing about it that particularly attracted our attention. However, a colleague of mine loaned us the DVD, and so we were able to sneak a watch.

It's okay, but the entire film can be summed up in a single line, delivered by Magneto about two-third through: "You're always sorry, Charles, and there's always a speech, but nobody cares anymore."

The film basically goes through all the beats, everything is present and correct... but it's all been done before, better. In fact, it's pretty much a remake of the pretty bad "X-Men 3: The Last Stand", and while it is indeed better on a technical level, the truth is that I enjoy the earlier film more. Frankly, that's all down to the cast.

In terms of my ratings, I'm placing this one third from the bottom - it's better than "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and "X-Men 3: The Last Stand", but not as good as "The Wolverine." And I can't see myself ever bothering to watch it again.

All of which is a shame, but not really a surprise. Turns out it's a good time to wrap this one up and reboot into the MCU. (Or, actually, not reboot - maybe give the X-Men a long rest, and have another crack at the Fantastic Four again?)

The Run to Christmas

Normally, I take the view that I'll start Christmas on the first Sunday of Advent or on the first of December, whichever comes first. However, this year I'm going to bring it forward, for two reasons:

• I'm crazy busy, and likely to remain crazy busy right through to the 20th of December. So I really need a bit more time to make sure everything gets done.
  
• I've heard there is a postal strike coming, and with so much of my Christmas shopping being done online, that's a bit of an issue

Fortunately, Christmas doesn't look too tough this year - by my count I have about a dozen presents to buy, I have a tree to put up (that will be in December), and my "one new thing" for this year is some Christmas baking, which should be a matter of a couple of afternoons.

Anyway, six weeks to go...

Breathing Space

Things have been rather quiet on the blog front lately, largely because they've been absolutely mental at work. That's the nature of the job - sometimes it's calm, sometimes it's busy, and sometimes it's just crazy (though hopefully not for too long).

The upshot has been that I haven't really had time to post about anything. Nor have I had much that has inspired me to post. The good news is that I seem to have a little time free, so I can maybe fill in some of the gaps...