Last week, Bandit, The Cat Who Ought Know Better, freaked out during our watching of Rogue 1. He literally fled when Darth Vader turned up. Today? He stuck around, barely, for Ridley Scott's Prometheus.  But was photographed like this during the scary bits. Still Wuss. ...Puss. = Stillwusspuss.

Rogue One on the TV. Bandit, previously asleep on the sofa, woke up just as Darth Vader made his appearance, seemed genuinely concerned, while staring at the TV for a minute, and has slunk off into the kitchen. It's clearly too scary for him. Wuss. Puss. ...Wusspuss.

Today? I couldn't find a book I *know* I have. In the attic I found myself surrounded by twenty+ years of accumulated junk. I know it must be there. Dear readers, in my upcoming week off, I shall be tidying up the attic-dump. Last time? It was Covid days, I was on furlough, and I hired a skip.

It's "Tidy The Shed" Saturday... Me, having speed-dialled Heracles: 'Remember the Augean Stables?' Heracles: 'NEVER AGAIN. That was a tough one, by Zeus! 3000 magic cattle crapping themselves in a shed for 30 years.' Me: 'So...you're not up for a re-run?' Heracles: 'βάλλ' εἰς κόρακας, Andy.'

Two days off coming up. And the Shed of Woodwork is calling for a blitzing, with Project X in need of work. Project X, along with Y, will be vastly aided by a week's leave starting on the 24th. Yes! Need My Shed Time.

Just replied to a poster on a forum who was aghast at the 60% mortality rate for the Black Death. Edward 1st* lost 50% of his 17+ children /without/ the Black Death. *That's Edward "Rich, warm, well-fed, best of 13th century medicine available" the 1st. #timeswerehard

It is five months since I sailed a boat. It is at least three months until I can sail again. The dark is interminable. The ice is thick. The ennui is palpable. #sickofwinter

Back from The Thursday Late Shift. Got two hours to eat and turn in before sleep and tomorrow's shift. Checking the fridge for edible stuff: Twenty veggie no-pig in blankets! ...I shall attempt to scoff the lot!

Third 8-5 in a row, and it's becoming a bit tedious: "7.15 - scrape the car windows for ten minutes". Only -1°C, today though. Virtually tropical!

Day, uh, 22 with but two days off. Another 5 working days before my next scheduled day off. I'm at work; cold, knackered, surrounded by some twattish customers, and vaguely aware that this is really rather unsustainable. Bleugh.

Mark Jenkins's "Enys Men", a retro-Cornish-folk-horror was the TV choice last night: and I enjoyed it. Slow, repetitive (except when it isn't) and multi-layered. A slow, creepy, burn. ...More like this, please.

Nobody #2. "Never bring a machete to a katana fight" was moderately funny. The rest? Not really so. Is this cinema for the current generation? ...if so, please count me out.

Oh no! Whilst recently immersed in The Orbital tracks from the 90s, the YouTube demon has somehow flung me into the KLF's... "It's Grim Up North." ...like I didn't know.

1992? ...I had a dream. In it, in my kitchen in a house in Derbyshire, I was talking to my daughter, aged about three. She asked a question, and I realised (in my dream) that it would take a long and detailed answer that a three-year-old might just be able to understand. 1/3

'tis the night before Christmas. And I'm oh-so-ready for the *ghost story* in an hour-forty-five. Thank you, BBC. Do not let me down. This is the highlight of my TV/time off year!

(Checks rota) My shift tomorrow is 0800-1900. At which point the shops are basically shut. So I suspect no-one's getting nowt from me for Chrimbo. I'll be knackered anyway. Hard luck, everyone. (Checks rota, part 2) Just 38 hours between shifts, to sleep (x2) and guzzle sprouts. #RetailSucks

Got just seventeen hours of working Retail Hell before (hallelujah!) Christmas Day. A short evening of ghost stories on the 24th, then a day of sprouts...and then back to work for an eleven hour shift on Boxing Day. #NeedABetterJob

Ooh! It's nearly almost Christmas, as we slide towards the solstice. My Xmas Cheer is, however, not present: got an 18-23 shift today. (Who goes Xmas shopping at eleven PM on a Sunday?) So to try to ignite any sort of Festive Mood, I'm revisiting the rather lovely: www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...

I am a Retail Worker. Today I'm expecting a Christmastsunami. Be nice, if you're shopping. We try our best!

I'm sixty-two. The Orb's UFORB's 'O.O.B.E.' track is the third best piece of music, quite ever.

Christmas in Retail! ...Got 19 hours of shifts over the next 29 hours. Jeez.

Late night film. 'The Blue Lamp'. Jack Warner. The UK in 1950 was a very weird & distant land.

At about 5am this morning, my brain decided that privately-owned islands in films and TV were only bought by: 1/ Criminal masterminds intent on world domination. 2/ Wealthy businessmen eager to tinker with dinosaur DNA. 3/ Rescue organisations with an international scope.

A day off. And so, after dusting, clothes' washing, and vacuuming, I turned to Wikipedia. Here? The War of the Beams - a totally fascinating and oft-undermentioned element of the air war in the early 40s. Some very clever Boffins absolutely pushing the boundaries of the barely-technically possible.

Most sequels suck. There are exceptions - 'The Godfather 2', 'Aliens', 'The Empire Strikes Back': each way better than the originals. Et år ago I reviewed the Norwegian monster film 'Troll' and declared it 'insane'. And so I naturally looked forward to the sequel, the admirably named 'Troll 2'.

Bad day, today... ... it's MOT day. I'm *awaiting the call*, and my wallet is worried. 😟

Day off! So I'm working, 8-5. What nonsense is this?

I have a tattoo. (Like the younger kids.) Plans are on for tattoo two. ...Tattwo, I suppose?

A dreadful 5/15 on the Guardian's Thursday Quiz. And Wordle in six. Awful.

Contemplating the Eppler 174 aerofoil for a slope-soaring glider. ...Clark-Y easier everytime. 🤷‍♂️

Day off. First of two in the next 16 days. Kitchen? Blitzed and spotless. Tumbly's on. Time for some weird corner of YouTube, I think!

#Space1999 continues. Ian McShane gets taken over by a weird alien coloured light. Steps into a nuclear reactor. The end. Quite enjoyed it, to be honest. 1/4

1/3 1#: I never saw episode #1 of Space 1999, first time 'round. My pal, Alasdair, had a birthday that week, and his Dad took he and I to the cinema, where we both agreed the figures in the Kublewagen crash in 'Where Eagles Dare' were, likely, mannequins. We were eleven. Good call.

Nine days since the two molars came out. The swelling's away, but I've still got a sore jaw, and have to think carefully when chomping. The gum is toughening up a bit, but my tongue generally refuses to visit the gaping void. Not good.

'Once Upon A Time In Space' justifies this year's BBC licence fee. Episode #2, in particular, is just wonderful TV.

Strange spooky thing. In the kitchen this morning I glanced at the smart meter, expecting it to read ~£15 on the Electric, and ready for a top-up. My glance turned into a Hard Stare. £229! E-on made three payments at midnight, last night, of £80, £80 and £55. /I do not know why./ 🧐

Not had a tooth pulled since, oh, about 1971. Today? Two molars out, including my 1990 gold crown, that I always rather liked. Now? Gum bleeding, I'm in agony, flipping hungry and can't eat. #bugger

Tonight? The Whisperer in Darkness. 2011 film. First fifteen minutes? Very lovely. #pizzabreak

"Creature". 1980. It's SO 1980. OMFG

Yesterday. 9-hour shift. Got home. Three hours' decorating. Only stopped when I fell off a chair while drilling holes for the new curtain pole. Landed on my bum and bounced a few times. Thought to myself, "This'll hurt tomorrow." ...Yes. Yes, it does. Exceedingly so. Today? Another 9-hour shift.

Halloween horror! A gluten-free cake, in the gluten-free aisle, has a use-by date of July. ...2024. The frightening thing is, it wasn't spotted for 15 months, and (other) people stock those shelves daily.

Next day off? 28/10/25. /12/ days of shifts in front of me. ...And only 'cos I've got a dental appointment that day, to get a tooth out. I suppose this molar's worked ok for 50+ years, so it's time for a rest? (Will bung it under the pillow and see what happens...Got to be worth a few quid.)

October! Tonight's audio entertainment following work: 'The Stolen Body' by H. G. Wells, followed by 'The Magic Shop'. ...Both excellent, both very different. Now? 'The Gateway of the Monster', by W. H. Hodgson. ☠️ 😁

Not good. At all. My wife has a virus. I have 100s of days of work this month, it's her birthday tomorrow (I'm working), our 20th wedding anniversary is on Tuesday (I'm working), and we're trying to decorate before a sofa arrives, and we're not done. Bad stuff. And ... I'm going to get this, yes?

Today's Ear@Work jewellery was this.

It's everso windy.

1/ The Universe is ~14 billion years old. 2/ It has rules governing the stuff that can form in it. 3/ This stuff enables (what may be) 'self-awareness' to evolve in a sack of common stuff. 4/ The best self-aware sacks on Earth last ~80 years. A blink. 5/ So /why not be nice to adjacent sacks/?

Made fudge. Those moments from a mere 80°C to 116°C are magic. Stir. Check temp. Stir. Check temp. Stir. Check temp. You're literally inches away from *broiling magma*, checking the temp. ...Results are in the fridge. Could go any way.

1/2 Diary entry for today's DAY OFF: 0/ Arose. 1/ Phoned up to follow-up a job application. No news. 2/ Tackle the weeds. Pump sprayer broken. Bought a new 'un. 'Cheap weedkiller at B&M!' my wife shouted. Went. Weedkiller aisle bedecked in Xmas shite. Same in Home Bargains. Same in Poundland.

"Having conceived Babel, yet unable to build it themselves, they hired thousands to build it for them." "But those who toiled knew nothing of the dreams of those who planned." Metropolis, the film, 1927. The US, 2025.