Elstro

Chronophobia is the fear of time, or more specifically, time passing. Apparently it is most prevalent in prison inamtes with long sentences. Basically, it generates feelings of fear, anxiety and short breathing at the prospect of time passing. Otherwise known as going ‘stir-crazy’. I think I developed a slight case of this in the summer of 2008, after a seedy event in my life cause me to have a Getrude from Hamlet moment – it forced me to look totally into myself and I saw the “black and grained spots”  i.e was absolutely horrified by what I saw.  Even an episode of Jonathan Creek delved into this curious phobia – a chronophobic character played by Dermot Crowley in a 1998 episode (“Time Waits For Norman”) actually removes hands off clocks and concocted an elaborate scheme in order to give himself “more time.” Even David Renwick’s brilliant dialogue perfectly encapsulated the concept of the phobia:

“Time? It’s slipping through out fingers…faster than ever….time can never be reclaimed. What is the past..where does it go?” (paraphrased-ish)

Which is obvious – time can indeed be never reclaimed.

“No point raking over the past.”

“Stop living in the past”

“You can’t change the past!”

“Get over it.”

All of the above may be true, so these all being the case, why are we all guilty of doing them? You can’t go back in time. Yet people always look to the past almost out of desperation when their world comes crashing down around them. Like inEastenders or any soap, say some character has an affair, one of the first lines they are guaranteed to utter is “If I could turn the clock back, I would.” Wouldn’t it be the answer to so many of our problems if we could? We’d all love to have a time turner like in Harry Potter. I know I would.

I myself spend, and have spent a great many years with my head buried in a sandpit of “What If”s. What if I’d got off my backside sooner and realised that at 16, most other gays go out and fuck everything in trousers for example? What if I’d realised that not everyone at school was out to get me? What if I had done this? Then this would have happened…the list just goes on and on. For me, hindsight is a curse and frankly I’d be better off forgetting everything. One thing I’ve always been guilty of is judging people on their own pasts and usually flying into a jealous rage because they have a more interesting past than me. All I have to show for my 21 years on this earth is a string of missed oppertunities, failed auditions and jobs, and a sexual past even the most repressed gay would sneer at. But does this really matter in the here and now?

I know damn well I can’t turn the clock back. I can’t go back five years, bleach my hair and start advertising myself as the newest boi/chicken on the gay scene. Nor could I go back fifteen years and realise that kids make friends when they start school, not running around the playground in their own little world. Not just that far back  - I even fume at recent events such as “what if I’d put my camera in my pocket, least it wouldn’t be sitting on my table with a buggered screen”. But the sad fact is, yes, the past does matter. Because the past has shaped me into who I am today. And I don’t like what I am today. So I almost explode with frustration at my past self because it could have been a whole new kettle of fish had I stopped and realised what was happening in the REAL world, not just my own.

But yet, I don’t get people firing 20 questions at me for what I did six months ago, nor do they tell me they can’t have anything to do with me because of what I did on 22 October 2004. (Nothing noteworthy probably – knowing me probablpy another wasted day in front of a screen. YAWN.)

So to conclude another day’s innate ramblings. Yes, the past does have a meaning. You only have one shot at life. Therefore you should get the most out of it. Otherwise you will end up a sad and bitter old grouch. Just like me.

I really enjoy photography, and am proud to call myself an amateur photographer. Admittedly I can’t see my photos ending up in art galleries any time soon but its still a hell of a lot of fun! Plus, I am only armed with a Samsung L210 (10.2 Mpxls) which is designed for Facebook snaps and my Nokia 6110 Navigator (a paltry 2.0MPXL). For those who regularly consult my Flickr, there is a bit a key theme emerging.

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Old Cars. Cars are my lifeblood and always have been. I love glamorous classics, but I also have a lot of love for the unloved cars, partiuclarly anything pre-M-prefix (1995). Every journey I take I’m on the lookout for anything pre-1995 (unless its interesting or rare) and it’s been amazing what I have found lurking on the roads round my way. MKII Volkswagen Golfs are the most prevalent, perhaps so much so that I wonder whether it’s even worth snapping them! I have a soft spot for what are mostly dismissed as ‘old bangers’ because these 1980s and early 1990s cars are what I grew up with and I guess it saddens me to think of them as rare when I remember them being so common. I have loved meeting fellow Flickrers who also share my passion for the unloved, so if you have time, check out the photostreams of bramm77, Mick Travis, SpottedLaurel and mark.mitchell.brown. Bramm77 (AKA Sam) in particular has found some beautiful examples of old 1980s street scenery round his parts. Of course, there’s all my VSCC race meeting photos up too, but they were the stepping stones towards carving out a Flickr identity.

Buses – I’ve discovered my inner anorak bus spotter. I can’t help but be interested in the big old boxes that we rely on. I know my bus photos aren’t the best, but where I live, there is not offer of a diverse usage of interesting stuff, even after you wade through the sea of Dennis Tridents and MAN 18.220s. I have discovered that my hometown’s bus fleet has an Alexander Dennis/Transbus monopoly. At leasy they are British.

I eagerly took up the challenge of Project 365, mainly because I knew it would be a toughie. One Photo Per Day, Every Day, for one whole year. As I write this, I am up-to-date with 90 taken so far. Project 365 has presented me with such a plethora of challenges, though. For starters, the photos don’t always sum up my day,  some have been taken for the sake of it, whilst several  tend to be the same (you can tell a slow photo day when A] old VSCC photos appear on my photostream and B] the 365 for that day tends to be an item of food or a car!) I have tried to make my Project 365 reasonably diverse as well as being a yearbook of 2010 for me – I guess I fear it shows my life is very boring. There have been times when I’ve fallen behind and uploaded none for as long as 8 days as well. Project 365 is bloody hard!

I have been criticised for a lack of diversity in  my Flickr, so I make sure I capture anything that catches my eye rather than just looking for old 80s cars.  I also love urban decay as a photo subject, so another thing I am striving to endeavour is the side of Cambridge that the tourist brochures gloss over – in other words, taking snaps of the really rough bits of the revered Anglian city (there are loads of rank bits, Cambridge DOES have its own page on chavtowns.co.uk ). One of my snaps has been used in a Schmap online guide to the city, as well

I also realise that many of my pictures on Flickr have been retouched, but that’s only because the L210 sucks colour and soul out of the subject, because I don’t think it is meant to be a professional snapper’s tool. Hence why a lot of ym 365′s look better on Flickr than they do on their dedicated site.

First in a series of reviews as I test drive modern day small cars – seeing as I haven’t driven a car in so bloody long.

Volkswagen Urban Fox 1.2

My first victim was the Volkswagen Fox, built in Brazil, and replaced the tiny Lupo. VW have turned from being the “peoples car” into a premium brand, and this is reflected in their solidly-built model line-up. Volkswagen’s conventional water-cooled cars never had the same character as the Beetle, all possessing neat, solid yet somewhat generic styling. The Fox, bottom of the VW range, is no exception. While it is undoubtedly a nice looking car, the styling is somewhat anodyne and rather forgettable.

The interior of the Fox feels solidly screwed together, and unlike most modern cars, the visibility is pretty good. Back seat space looked adequate (after all, a cheapo city car can only do so much, right?), and seems to be a decent companion for single boi/gal-about town.  Dashboard is nice and easy to use, with a single multi-functional dial containing all the relevant information needed, rather remeniscient of the basic dash of the original Bug.  Seats are chunky but feel rather hard and  don’t really cosset, but what do you expect in an £8000 car? I also noted the backlights are no longer blue with red needles, but a more conventional white. I always liked the blue dials on VWs of not-so-long-ago, it injected a splash of pizzazz into their rather dull interiors. The Fox overall is a basic car, with manual mirrors and not much in the way of kit. As someone who enjoys driving cars rather than seeing them as a mechanical tools, less distractions to me are better. But some people like lots of toys to play with.

The 1.2 litre I3 engine is surprisingly noisy for a modern car. My 1.0 Corsa had a similar engine and even that wasn’t as loud inside as this. Press the accelerator hard on a B-road and a loud rasping fills the car, which sounds quite sporty (at a push, almost like a Porsche) but is coarse and wearing on A-roads or motorways. Not really great for a long journey. Other reviews have mentioned the 1.2 as being rather sluggish, yet, I found it to be quite a nippy little car. Not a patch on my 1.2 Nova, which had the same engine size and same power output, but was much lighter in weight. However, it may have only felt spritely because anything, to be honest is an upgrade from the downright gutless 1.0 Vauxhall EcoTec unit in my previous car. Handling-wise, the Fox is safe and stable, but doesn’t encourage enthusiastic driving….it feels somewhat dull and uninspiring. Competent round bends, but not one for the keen driver.

My verdict:

Solid, cheap and cheerful urban runabout. Plenty of space inside and an easy-to get on with dash. Easy to drive and to park. On the downside, it lacks character and razzamatazz, along with a crude and noisy engine. Overall, although there are more fun options out there for the city, for the cheap price, it does the job.

Car tested: Volkswagen Urban Fox 1.2
Engine: 1198cc, three cylinders
Power/Torque: 54bhp @ 4750rpm / 78 lb ft @ 3000rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel/CO2: 46.2mpg (combined cycle)
Performance: 0-62mph: 17.5sec / Top speed: 92mph
Price: £8,000-8,500
Verdict: Decent car for the money, but not the most exciting. No Beetle, except for the copious engine noise.
Rating: 3/5

I know, wrong section. Using my other laptop at the moment which doesn’t have the details, so for now it is presented here in the blog section. I made this recipe up on the spot when looking to use a broccoli. It’s warm, silky and comforting, a perfect winter’s lunch.

Spiced Broccoli Soup

1 Whole Broccoli, cut into small florets

1 large floury potato, roughly chopped (I did mine in the food processor for quickness)

1 onion, chopped finely

1 celery stick, sliced

3 small garlic cloves, minced

1 red c hilli, finely chopped (optionally deseeded)

2 tsp ground cumin

1tsp cayenne pepper

Generous amount ground fenugreek

Approx 1/2 nutmeg, grated.

1 pinch dried mixed herbs

750mls Vegetable Stock. (I used Marigold Swiss Vegetable Boullion vegan granules, approx 4 tsp)

Few spritzes Olive Oil spray

1) Peel onion and cut into quarters. Peel garlic skins off. Deseed and slice the chilli. Put all three into a food processor and chop into fine dice. Alternatively, do it the normal way.I just did it for quickness. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry flavouring vegetables with the spices (except the nutmeg) until soft.

2) Chop broccoli into small florets and add to the pan. Grate some nutmeg over it and cook for about 3 minutes until slightly softened. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

3)Peel and dice/process the potato. Add to the veg and continue to lightly fry. Be careful, do not have the heat too high or the spices and garlic will burn and go bitter. When they have softened, pour over stock.

4) Bring to boil and boil for about 1 minute. Turn heat to low and simmer for 8 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and cooked. Do not overcook the broccoli!

5) Serve into bowls chunky, or liquidise. Serve with a final sprinkling of cayenne pepper.

Notes: The spice measurements are merely given as guidelines. Adjust to your own personal tastes. This recipe is also vegan-friendly

Hi all, just to let people know I have uploaded my first two recipes, the first one being the vegan cake I mentioned in my last blog.

http://elstro.co.uk/recipes/

Hope you enjoy them