Taking a second flight

I've taken 2 flights in a row a few times, but this is the first time I've crossed the Atlantic and then immediately flown on. Not again in a hurry.

The buzz (or at least the need to stay sharp!) on landing and getting through immigration (a very friendly officer - southern hospitality? I was in Charlotte); and then getting your bags; then customs and agriculture; then (today only) rechecking your bags through; and then rushing to the gate...

Well in a normal trip that ends in the delight of arrival at your place of rest, leisure and sleep. Not today. I end up knackered and grumpy and so on; but in a plane at 30,000 still travelling on. And then you stop. And then you drift off a bit.
And then you have to wind up to get your bags, get a taxi, correct the driver when he ignores his SatNav and...

But I'm here, it's too warm, too humid but King Crimson play for the first time in 5 years and I'm going. Hurrah!

The Golden Compass

Is showing on the in flight entertainment. Stacked full of famous (some names forgotten) faces. Along with the (obligatory) CGI.

The Daemons (sp?) especially the morphing ones for kids are really well done, although a speaking animal is never convincing on screen - think Mr Ed to Aslant...

The oily scumbag from the Magisterium is very much like one of the late John Ryan's (of Captain Pugwash fame) Jesuit priests in the Vatican; only not so stick insect like :-).

I read the books a few years ago, and it's pretty faithful to the ideals and sentiment of them. I particularly like the brooding menace of Derek Jacobi (that's where his Master in Dr Who came from!) - such a contrast from his loveable fools like Mr Pie. His brief scene wit Christopher Lee was excellent!

I always do it!

I'm back!

Heading for the USA for a 4 city visit to follow King Crimson on their US only tour (Robert Fripp has declared he won't tour UK or Europe because of the audients/audience manners and behaviour). Anyway I'm flying Gatwick to Nashville via Charlotte, and it must be about 3 hours into the flight, so it's time to check the time left.

My error (again!) is to somehow drop 2 hours from the rmaining time and think it's only 3 ish hoursand not 5 to go!! Mut be something to do with 2pm being 14 hours, but I can't see where I dropped the 2. Must be the.combination of 4 hours sleep last night, dehydration, and a living space that is probably a) less (pro-rata) than many tortured egg laying chickens and b) the space a prisoner gets in a prison van.

Definition of a good children's fantasy novelty...

It all ends with a battle between many peoples:
* The Hobbit - the battle of the five armiesd
* Northern Lights aka Golden Compass, people, daemons, ice bears, witches, goodies and baddies
* The Lion, the Witche and the Wardrobe - bad creatures, bad creatures, humans, witch, Aslan, fauns
* Lord of the Rings - elves, men, hobbits, orcs, dwarves, wizard, Sauron, Nazgul

That's from memory, but you get the point...