Monday, November 3rd, 2003
Station To Station
I’m about halfway through Iain Banks’ Whit, which is the last of his non-science fiction books I have to read. It was a little slow starting, mostly because as an author he vascillates between style and theme so radically from book to book it takes a bit to get in the proper mind-set to absorb it. Like, should I get attached to these characters or will they just befall some horrible grotesque fate in a half-dozen pages? I think Banks has left the shock and horror tactics that made his debut The Wasp Factory so memorable – instead, he’s become a better writer and his work is better for it. I’m only about halfway through Whit, though, so there’s still plenty of time for freakishness to occur.
One of the passages in Whit about the London Underground reminded me of an ad campaign I saw at Eglinton station yesterday. A travel company subway – I don’t recall which, so as advertising it was pretty ineffectual – has put up ads featuring maps of the Tube all over everything. I love maps, and was mesmerized by these giant colour-coded schematics. The London system is massive, and has such evocative station names. Blackfriars. Mile End. King’s Cross. Willesden Junction. Earl’s Court. Someday I will go to London and just ride the subway from one end to the other. Yes, I’m romanticizing mass transit, what of it?
I checked my chromewaves email account for the first time in, oh, EVER, this morning. Spam – my goodness. I didn’t think I’d ever actually provided that address to anyone as I don’t like the web interface provided and am too lazy to set up my Mozilla mail to use it. But there were a few legit messages, so if you ever mailed me there and never heard back, sorry.
Be the coolest kid on your block next Hallowe’en!
np – Superchunk / The Clambake Sessions Vol. 1 – In-Stores East And West
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11/3/03 1:22 pm
The ads are also IN the subway cars. Very confusing when you’re sleepy and tired and the stations on the map are suddenly not in Toronto anymore. It was for a company that starts with a "d" or an "n" I think. I don’t remember either.
11/15/03 8:44 am
The Tube/Underground is quite cool to ride compared to our lovely TTC. You get plush seats with arm rests – they even have plush seats against the walls for the standing patrons. But the best part is the lady’s voice.. "Mind the Gap" and "This train for.. Stanmore.."
Good times.
-R.