Captain's Log (well it had to happen eventually)

Since I finished working on the radio I’ve cut right down on buying CDs. A good job too as I seem to be spending money I haven’t got on space related items now, particularly books. A couple of recent trips to the shops to buy essentials like bread and milk resulted in the acquisition of the following wonderful things.

Two top buys here, the first is “Manned Spaceflight Log” by Tim Furniss which lists all the US and Soviet spaceflights from Yuri Gagarin’s trip to space in 1961 up to the early shuttle launches in the early 1980s. Fantastic, what a great resource. The photos are all black and white but there are some really good ones and frankly, I couldn’t resist having all that information in one book right at my finger tips. Even with the world wide web, I think there’s still a place for a decent reference book, as even I don’t have the computer on all the time.

In the same Oxfam book shop was “Into That Silent Sea” by Francis French and Colin Burgess. Coincidentally, I mentioned this book quite recently when I wrote a blog about Valentina Tereshkova. It too documents the early spaceflights but goes into much more biographical detail on each of the early space pioneers, both cosmonauts and astronauts. I wish I could read two books at the same time, one in each hand. I have so many books that I can’t wait to read.

However, it not just books I’ve been getting. I also bought more old National Geographics and another Spaceflight magazine. These Nat Geo’s have articles on the US Mercury and Gemini programmes, so how could I not get them? I plan on doing some more space related paintings so you could say it was research. Or you could call it space porn. I mean, look at the thrusters on that!

I also bought this Mexican lottery game in a fantastic shop in Clifton called Otomi which sells loads of fair trade Mexican crafts, food and Dia de los Muertos related items too. What’s not to like?

You play it like bingo apparently, but I got it for inspiration for my art work. I love the pictures, there’s something about naive art which really appeals to me. I hope it appeals to other people too as my stuff is very naive!

Anyway, I may well have got myself a job, so that will help pay for all this stuff. I’m off for a chat about it tomorrow, so I’ll know more about it after that. It’s something to do with streaming boxing matches, gigs, pub quizzes and maybe a new radio show over the internet. Paid work, well there’s a novelty, but one I could get used to. I hope it works out.

Suggested listening: “Keys” by The Keys