Policeman or Train Conductor?

(From an email with minor alterations.)

So I was catching the train back from Tonbridge and as I got onto the platform, I overheard a member of the station staff talking to a random guy about how there was a problem and the train currently at the platform couldn't leave until it was resolved. Random guy said "I'm a policeman, can I help?" and the station guy was obviously relieved. They went to the other end of the platform and within a couple of minutes, the train left. I don't know what was going on as I stayed up the safe end of the platform. Two uniformed policemen (is there a new word for policemen that covers both genders?) turned up but my train came before any more of the story. Anyway, my point is that this random guy, obviously just catching a train himself, said "I'm a policeman, never fear, I can save the day." Now, it is nigh unto impossible that I will ever have cause to cry "I'm a physicist, stand aside!".

Trains always get me thinking anyway. I am in awe of train conductors. They are usually men with tatoos and piercings and pony tails (or at least on the South Eastern service they are, I notice elsewhere they are not...) and I see them and I think... they are not train conductors. That just happens to be something they do. And then the policeman... he was a policeman. It wasn't something he did- it was what he was whether in uniform or out.

These are just things that came together for me over Monday and Tuesday with no coherence at all. I want to be the metaphorical policeman but perhaps I should just be the train conductor.

Christmas and 2007

Board post:
As always, I post asking people what their highlights of 2007 were.

Book

I can only think of two books this year that deserve a mention. One of which actually came out this year: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows of course. It was kind of poor in places (the long period of nothingness, camping and the worst final chapter in the history of final chapters) though. But still, it was a fitting climax to a long journey for this reader. But the award for my favourite book that I read this year (it was published yonks ago though) goes to Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. It is possibly the best book I have ever read actually. Such wonderful humour and vibrant characters. The author paints people and places with such precise strokes. Having been to some of the locations he describes, I can vouch for his incredible accuracy. A picture wouldn't have done half as well. Whoever said a picture was worth a thousand words had never read Neal Stephenson. But more than that, he educated me. I learnt a lot about encryption and espionage and it excited me.

Film

I saw three films last year that I think merit mention. Hot Fuzz was a perfect comedy film. The set up of gags and their eventual execution was sheer genius. Stardust was also superb. I felt fully transported to a magical fairytale. It may have been simplistic in many ways but that was what I longed for really. Something simple. And also funny and energetic. Of course, the only film that had me going back for more and thinking about it for weeks was Spider-man 3 but that is very predictable of me so I don't need to explain why, I hope.

Television

Well, it's hard to call this one. It should be Heroes. The second half of the first season contained Company Man and Five Years Gone both of which were exceptional hours (well, 42 minutes) of television. But the finale and the second season have conspired to leave a bitter taste in my mouth. Doctor Who had four amazing episodes in an otherwise pretty poor series. Life on Mars series 2 was a shadow of series 1 with one stand-out episode. I highly enjoyed other shows like Journeyman, Kyle XY and Dexter but the best of the year for me Battlestar Galactica. BSG was my top show last year too. In 2007, it continued to be amazing and protray the hard decisions and the cost that came with fighting for survival. Razor managed to add a layer of understanding and horror to one of the more shocking arcs in season 2. Plus the second half of season 3 ended with such a perfect scene, I still feel it lingering in the darker recesses of my mind.

Personal Event

Every year this becomes a list of Hobbmeets/holidays. I think the number one moment was a fulfilment of an ambition I have had for a couple of years: listening to the Spin the Bottle (Angel) commentary with skit. In my mind, this event was going to be accompanied by alcohol but we did not need it.

Another highlight of the year was having acrobatics performed about a metre away from me with two of the best people to come out of California by my side.