Old, so terribly old...

I continued to pack stuff last night and found an old photo album (remember those?) with some pictures of my trip to Oz with my brother in 1986 and some pictures of my first year at Uni.

Ouch! I may scan some samples if I am feeling suitably maschochistic. This was long before I started hanging around Fandom and about 20kgs. Scary stuff - it's hard to believe how much you actually do age in 20 years. It also makes me wonder what a similar comparison would hold in 2025 as I approach my 60th birthday. Generally my family age "well" but in distinct stages and even now my mother could probably pass for somebody in her late 50s, even at 74. But it is interesting to see your mortality in print like that.

I suppose we are among the first generations who really have snapshots of themselves taken throughout their lives compared to staged or infrequent photos. I wonder what impact that will have on general vanity as we move into the digital age where pictures are more or less constantly being taken?

I have voted...

This afternoon I have: been to Pickfords and bought more book boxes, walked to the Polling Station and voted, walked to the garage near work and bought a sandwich, come back to work. Time elapsed 30 minutes.

Really I don't know what the problem is with these Americans ;)

I voted for my MP - only his party have bothered to canvass me or put leaflets through my door which given this used to be a safe Tory seat speaks volumes for the local Tory machine.

The strangest feeling...

I actually feel proud to vote - there's something solid and reassuring about it that, regardless of the naffness of the British FPTP system and general problems with the results, this is something important that, in the past people have fought for and even now people are literally dying just to be able to do.

I think people who don't want to vote ought to think about that.

I also like the simplicity of the system and I don't think we should move away from it. A cross in a paper is straight forward, it's visable and I am particularly proud of our ability to generally get a result on the night.

Good for us!

Random Things...

I quite like election night. I've got some nice drink in, and some snacks and am looking forward to the close of polls.

I am also quite enjoying the Sky News Weather forecast at the moment. Who is that woman? She seems over dressed?

Another thing for our American cousins to learn from. An election has been postponed because one of the candidates has died. Go figure.

EDIT: Barbara Flynn is in a repeat of the Beiderbecke Affair. I'd forgotten how good looking she was.