Today's Happiness Experiment entry

Watching Spectre at the BFI Imax with D & U

Watching Rugby World Cup 2015 final in Trafalgar Square, heralded by the red arrows over Covent Garden

Looking at the Thames in a sunny mist

YHEE

Trolling about Pimlico/Victoria with D

Meeting up with Niall & Sabrina & girls from London 2012

Press release with Simon Baron-Cohen about Embarrassing Bodies and Autism research paper

Today's Happiness Experiment entry

Reading 'The Moor's Account' at lunchtime under an autumnal tree behind the Home Office

Watching the end of 'Henry Fool' by Hal Hartley

Chatting to N in Bournemouth about advertising and stuff

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry

Golden autumn leaves falling in St Pancras & Islington Cemetery as I ran down the far-point avenue

Visible rays of autumnal sunshine shining through the trees in St Pancras & Islington Cemetery as I ran down the home run

Drinking cocktails in the Bar Americain, Soho with Peter Curran

Creative Accounting #298

Simon (Henry Fool) / 1997 = Egon Schiele / 1914

Quotation: Brian Eno, John Peel Lecture 2015

Starspot #807

Alan Bennett - Fenton House, Hampstead (Apple Day) 3/10/15

Today's Happiness Experiment entry

Seats on the half-way line 6 rows back at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff to watch Ireland v Argentina quarter final of Rugby World Cup with N

Bumping into Deirdre Mulcahy and her sister on the train down

Crossing paths with James Rutherford at the corner where the Argentinian team bus pulled by with a crazed fan on the roof

THEE Bristol

Golden sunlight of autumn on Bath stone buildings

Indian Summer sun on Queen Square, Bristol

Travelling to & from Bristol with Lauren O & Steve J

THEE

Hearing N so enthusiastic about his studies - did his first presentation to a seminar class at uni today

Dinner at Cigala in Lsmbs Conduit St with D

Being "top of the class" for diversity in commissioning short form video

This weekend's HEEs

Sunday:

Reading Moonraker by the Regent's Canal at Rosemary Works (N1)

Walking through the backstreets of Canonbury

The record 89,000 crowd at Wembley for Ireland v Romania at Rugby World Cup

Saturday:

Reading Trigger Mortis in my white deckchair early in the morning of an Indian summer's day

Going to a screening of Steve Jobs attended by Danny Boyle, Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogan, Jeff Daniels and Aaron Sorkin

Sharing strachiatella soup with D

Friday:

Chatting with Oli Barratt in a pie cafe in Camden Town, including meeting a female drone operator from the old country

Spotting green parrots on the allotments

Reading in the back garden before work in Indian summer sunshine

THEE Belfast

Idea generating with Ryan Ralph at Estd in the Cathedral Quarter - incl. Total Fucking Bastards

Delivering a presentation on Short Form Video via Hangouts to an audience in Lodz at FilmInteraktiv

Lunch with Kerys, Pete and Stuart of Atto near the Mac

Late entry: The dusk view over the Thames delta from a propellor plane (Belfast George Best to London City)

YHEE Belfast

Buying comics (including Alan Moore) at Forbidden Planet, Belfast

Hanging out with photographer Tony Webster outside at The National

Seeing The Male Body Handbook and LA Vice at the Channel 4 presentation on the roof of the Merchants Hotel at sundown

Saturday's HEE

Walking from St Paul's to south side of London Bridge along the river on a bright sunny autumn afternoon on Day 2 of the Rugby World Cup (in evidence in shirts and big screen gathering)

Watching Ireland beat Canada in RWC2015 with an excited U

Walking home from a farewell Injun with N & D in the Injun Summer evening

Sunday's HEE - Bournemouth

A parting hug with N in his new room at Bournemouth Uni

Packing the small Carlingford notebook with paternal wisdom in his rucksack and placing it first on his bookshelf

Completing the purple diary I started on the day of his birth

YHEE

Sorting out bookshelves and hard-back books

Refining The Male Body Handbook

Spotting green parrots on the allotments in the early morning

YHEE

Watching Mike Brown do his explosive thing in the first match of the Rugby World Cup 2015 at PJE's place (Eng v Fiji)

Early morning jog

Editing The Male Body Handbook

YHEE

sorting out new LPs (listening to What's Going On)

Watching 40 Spitfires and Hurricanes flying to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain

Casting Cooking for Cash (w/t)

YHEE

Chopped herring beigel (at Richard Sotnck)

Talking history with Richard (and being given his books)

Mentoring Ibrahim in Freetown, Sierra Leone via Skype

Thought

People are on a lifelong journey home

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry - hot London

Sleeping in a tent in the garden

Watching the graffiti artists finish their pieces in Leake St tunnel for Battle of Waterloo

Sunset by City Hall with Annie & Dan watching Tower Bridge open & close and the sun sink in the City

Moments Perdus

David Ashton - wedding ring

Moment perdu

Eden Vale Banana yoghurt
Eden Vale Chocolate yoghurt

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry

Digging out my old glasses (the French ones)

Watching Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl in the wake of Amy

Picking raspberries, blackberries and blackcurrants at dusk on the allotments

Creative Accounting #387

Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl / Amy Winehouse in Amy = unconventional Jewish beauty with extraordinary musical talent

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry

• San Francisco
• Bernal Heights
• Mission / Valencia
• SFO - LHR

1. Playing bridge in Boogaloo Cafe on Valencia (and talking comics to the waiter)
2. Walking en famille in the sunshine (around Valencia / Dolores)
3. Playing chess on my dad's old set with D

Today's Happiness Experiment Entry - Frisco

• San Francisco
• Bernal Hill
• Bernal Heights
• Embarcadero
• Golden Gate Bridge (by bicycle)
• Sausalito
• Mission

1. Cycling over the Golden Gate Bridge with N including down by Fort Point where Vertigo was shot
2. "most authentic meal" of the trip with N at Baby Blues BBQ - with two great BBQ sauces
3. listening to Roger Graef's Desert Island Discs and Giles Andreae's Inheritance Tracks on top of Bernal Hill

Today's Happiness Experiment entry - San Francisco

• San Francisco
• Alcatraz & Embarcadero
• Russian Hill & Nob Hill (cable car)

1. finding out about the Red Power occupation of Alcatraz
2. walking up Russian Hill for the views in the late afternoon - and cable-carring down again
3. reading The Subterraneans on the front balcony and in the sheltered back garden at sundown with the smoke of the recent bushfires (100 miles) to the north of SF drifting across the hills

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry - The Beat goes on

• San Francisco
• Bernal Heights
• North Beach

1. Listening to live jazz in North Beach at Washington Square while reading The Subterraneans
2. Recreating the recreation of the Jack Kerouac-Neal Cassady photo after 11 years with N & D
3. Playing bridge over brunch on our local high street (Bernal Heights)

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry - San Francisco

• Monterey
• San Francisco - Bernal Heights
• Oakland 

1. walking around Oakland First Fridays festival with Richard Hart (including some top hummus)
2. sitting reading on the balcony of 117 Prospect Ave, Bernal Heights, SF (finishing Laurel Canyon by Michael Walker - third book of the trip) in the windy sunshine overlooking the city
3. being driven through San Francisco out of Downtown to Mission into its low-rise European style vibe

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry - Monterey CA

• Monterey (incl. Aquarium)
• Monterey Bay

1. Watching whales, sea otters, a shark, dolphins and other animals in Monterey Bay with N & U
2. Looking at jellyfish, all kinds of fish and other sea-life in Monterey Aquarium with D & U
3. Walking home at night in a lightening storm with N & D

Recent Happiness Experiment entries

2/8/15

• San Luis Obispo
• Cayucos
• San Simeon
• Big Sur

1. D lighting fire in Lower Creek House, Deetjen's, Big Sur
2. Unearthing the history of Cayucos - Capt. Carr's landing to Western street
3. View of Hearst Castle and surrounding landscape from San Simeon, in particular the smooth hills

3/8/15

• Big Sur
• Andrew Molena Beach

1. hummingbird (my 3rd?) in red-flower tree above Deetjen's outdoor breakfast
2. swimming where Big Sur river meets Andrew Molena Beach
3. watching surfers at Andrew Molena Beach with N after a walk past eucalyptus grove

4/8/15

• Big Sur
• Castro Canyon
• Pfeiffer Beach

1. fertility rite in Castro Canyon
2. the 4 of us playing bridge at Riverside Inn
3. walking Pfeiffer Beach with D

5/8/15

• Big Sur
• Carmel
• Monterey

1. listening to the stream up Castro Canyon - an orchestra of nature
2. re-visiting Old Capitol Books, Monterey 11 years on - picked up 60s edition of Kerouac's The Subterraneans and Yael Dayan's June 1967 diary
3.  re-creating map of USA with N

Recent Happiness Experiment entries - California

30/7/15

• Venice

1. Jog to pier at Venice 
2. Listening to The Doors at the Jim mural (Speedway & 18th) with N&D
3. Wander along Rose Ave, Venice and back-streets

31/7/15

·      Venice

·      Pismo Beach

·      San Luis Obispo

1.     Finding out that, as well as staying on Jim Morrison’s street, we were by the location of the first Chaplin Tramp film (Kid Auto Races at Venice) – 1302 Pacific & Westminster Av

2.     Dylan spotting a cute movie star over breakfast at Gjusta – Cody Horn (from Magic Mike)

3.     Watching surfers at sunset from a cliff at Pismo

1/8/15

·      San Luis Obispo

·      Morro Bay

1.     Seeing seals while out kayaking as sundown at Morro Bay

2.     Buying vinyl at Boo Boo record store est. 1974
3. Reading To Kill a Mockingbird with U by the river in San Luis Obispo under the trees and in the cloisters of the nearby Mission

Today's Happiness Experiment entry - Hollywood

• Venice
• Paramount Studios
• West Hollywood (Canter's)
• Glendale, Griffith park - Quixote Studios

1. Attending a read-through of Criminal Minds with Thomas (Gibson) at Quixote Studios
2. Chatting with Joe Mantegna (Joey Zasa)
3. Walking around the New York and Chicago sets on Paramount backlot as a tree was driven up the street (thanks to Scott Martin)

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry - Hollywood

• Venice
• Sunset strip (Chateau Marmont)
• Burbank (Warner Bros.)

1. Reunion with Ash BC at Chateau Marmont (respect to John Belushi/Bluto)
2. Tour of Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank including shades of Blazing Saddles
3. Visit to BookSoup, Sunset - picking up a thriller for N (plus a book on Laurel Canyon set for me)

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry

• Venice - Venice Canals

1. listening to Strange Days in our Venice apartment on the same street as Jim's place
2. walking around the Venice Canals in the afternoon
3. first family breakfast in California 2015 (organicy healthy bakery in in-land Venice)

Today's Happiness Experiment entry - Venice Beach

• Anaheim
• LAX
• Venice

1. A Doors tribute act (Peace Frog) on Venice Beach with N
2. A Soul Sacrifice drumming gathering on the beach at Venice at sunset with U
3. Watching scratching on Venice Beach boardwalk with N

Creative Accounting #408 - eyebrows

Cara Delevigne in Paper Towns / Mariel Hemingway in Manhattan = eyebrows

California - Today's Happiness Experiment entry

• Anaheim
• Newport Beach

1. Reading To Kill a Mockingbird on Newport Beach at sundown after an evening swim
2. Watching John Green's Paper Towns in the week of watching John and Hank Green at VidCon 2015
3. Women of YouTube including Felicia Day's contribution to the Creators Keynotes session at Vidcon and catching up with Rosie & Lex

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry

* Anaheim

Watching AntMan at IMAX cinema

Dozing to Kind of Blue

Listening to interesting stuff at VidCon including Hank Green interviewing Jason Kilar of Vessel

Wednesday's & Thursday's Happiness Experiment entry

22/7/15

• Hidden Hills
• LA
• Anaheim

1. Meeting the intriguing Olivia (new porn performer)
2. Reading Simple Twist of Fate in the California sun (in a porn star's home)
3. Conducting interviews for LA Hardcore

23/7/15

• Anaheim - VidCon

1. Dinner with Jody at a par-for-the-course US burger restaurant
2. Listening to Ze Frank (Buzzfeed Motion Pictures) and a couple of other industry experts at VidCon 2015
3. Watching all the young folk (some with their parents) having fun around Short Form Video

Yesterday's HEE - LA 2

21/7/15
Sunset Strip, Beverly Hills - Hidden Hills - House of Blues (shortly to close)

• A surreal afternoon spent with a porn star
• Finding good vinyl in a Sunset Strip bookstore - Back in Black and Fine Leaves Left
• People watching in Beverly Hills culminating with a paparazzi ambush (of Hilary Duff)

Yesterday's & Today's Happiness Experiment entry - LA 1

19/7/15 LHR-LAX, Sunset Marquis

20/7/15 Sunset-Hollywood&Vine, Culver City (YouTube Space), Marina del Rey beach

19/7/15

• Watching You're The One That I Want from Grease with D aka Sonny Lattiere
• Watching plane movies - Ex Machina & Kingsman
• Arriving to find the Sunset Marquis steeped in music, in the footsteps of Joe Strummer

20/7/15

• smoking on Marina del Rey beach at sunset
• iced tea at Mel's Diner, off Hollywood Blvd
• seeing CBGB's bar at YouTube Space

Barbara Hepworth (Tate)

Tate Britain 17/7/15

Infant *

1929 Burmese wood

Khmer style

Captures baby's arms up

Eyeless face powerful
 

Ben Nicholson 1933 oil 1933

Picasso Classical

Surgery drawings like Moore's bomb shelters 

Two Forms 1933 alabaster - sensual , truly erotic 

Self-Photogram

1933

Moholy-Nagy (London)

Surreal

Epstein - Doves 1914-15

Engraved lines for feet

All-time best gigs

The Clash / Mikey Dread / Joe Ely
The Electric Ballroom, Camden Town
1978

Van Morrison
Nell's, West Kensington
2014

Michael Franti
Bush Hall, Shepherd's Bush
c.2009

Bruce Springsteen
RTS Showgrounds, Dublin
2002

Siouxsie & The Banshees / The Cure / Marc Almond
Hammersmith Odeon
1979

THE entry

An unplanned Mr Holmes at The Phoenix

Being told she loves me by U

Gentle summer night rain

Creative Accounting #412

Ian McKellen = John Gielgud + Simon Schama / Mr Holmes

Today's Happiness Experiment entry - La Rochelle

Running along bank of estuary in evening sun - La Rochelle - past monument to the Free French & Resistance

Leisurely dinner in French restaurant, including fish soup

Listening to the evening sounds of the harbour square filtering up into my hotel room (Hotel St Jean d'Acre)

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry - Father's Day

Rolling Stones lips Father's Day card with accompanying playlist of classics of mainly 60s and 70s called The Enlightenment. Card included request to continue to educate the Enfants Terribles musically. Set up a 3-way playlist in response.

Breakfast made by D and dinner en famille in Highgate

Discovering the identity of the mysterious signature on the copy of Born To Run I bought yesterday - Stu knew of course, took him 9 minutes to figure it - Eric Meola, the photographer - turned out the LP came from the collection of Paul Young

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment - farewell Barcelona

D enjoying all the people on our epic journey home - from The Inbetweeners actor to Brighton woman

Reading on the balcony overlooking Sagrada Familia, the sea and all of Barcelona in the afternoon light

Picasso-Dali Dali-Picasso exhibition at Picasso Museum, Barcelona (bumping into Siobhan Sinnerton along the way)

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry - Barcelona

Thanks yous from D

Vestiges of Barcelona Olympics 1992 around the stadium (in the aftermath of AC/DC)

Stumbling across 3 Gaudi buildings

Recent Happiness Experiment entries - Barcelona: from colours to black

Fri 29 May / Maig - Music day

Hearing Back in Black (AC/DC) drifting across the night-time city

Listening to sitar music at sunset near Arc de Triomf

A perfect lunch (with backgammon) in a hidden square dappled with sunlight accompanied by two real mccoy flamenco singers

Thurs 28

An old-school games shop where D bought Civil War playing cards and I bought a wooden mini backgammon set

Discovering atmospheric back streets of Barcelona near the cathedral

Photographing together with D and passing on tips

Wed 27

Pulling off a good talk (Docs Barcelona)

Afternoon coffee with D on a palm-lined avenue, rounding off initial explorations

Catalonian custard - Crema Catalana

Starspot #390

Andrew Neil

6.V.15 Great Peter St

Today's Happiness Experiment entry - Barcelona with D

Campari & soda on ice (on arrival at Docs Barcelona)

Being in D's dreams

Travelling with a son

Creative Accounting #409

Alan Ladd = Edward Norton

Starspots #389

4/5.15

Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall (HFR)
Alastair Campbell (Horseferry Road)
Ed Miliband (Broadway)
Trevor McDonald (New Scotland Yard)

Today's Happiness Experiment entry

Late afternoon walk around Kenwood with Adam Z

Lunch at Amicis with NG

Playing late-nite backgammon with DG

Creative Accounting #755

The 39 Steps / The Riddle of the Sands x opening = Boredom

More Boredom:
Marlowe (Chandler)
Holmes (Conan Doyle)
Willard (Coppola)

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry

Ma's reaction to her 75th birthday present - cut pearl earrings - she'd unusually left her earrings off by mistake coming to her party in Chandler's Cross, Herts. (The Grove) where the England football team's coach was in the car park, so Harry Kane was in the building somewhere

Sunday breakfast out (Golder's Green) with The Week

D discovering old school hiphop

Creative Accounting #764

Graham Parker = Elvis Costello + Bruce Springsteen

eg White Honey

Today's Happiness Experiment entry

Lunch with Jack Hazan at El Parador

Reading An Inspector Calls in the garden late on a sunny spring afternoon - and discussing it with D after

Tidying up my bookshelves and making space

Yesterday's HEE

Lunch at Amici with newspaper and amara drink

Watching Chappie with U to mark St Patrick's Day

Clearing my head with a run

Creative Accounting #763

Nick Hornby is to England what Roddy Doyle is to Ireland

Creative Accounting #762

Chappie = Robocop + Frankenstein + Star Wars plus

Today's Happiness Experiment entry

Walking to and laughing over dinner with the Enfants Terribles at Nahling

Coffee & chat with Martin Bright at Amici including tales of the Mitfords

Watching the beginning of Apocalypse Now with N

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry

Up on the Roof - a return visit to Beautiful with N

Getting a vinyl copy of A Love Supreme at Honest Jon's in Portobello Road

Reading a mystery (The Cambridge Theorem) by the Grand Union Canal in Kensal Green

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry

Driving beside a silver-grey Aston Martin DB6 at the foot of Highgate Hill northside

Sunset jog in St Pancras & Islington

Talking photography with D - got each of us three a new SD card for the G1

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment entry

Music and other chat with Des Shaw at The Vine

Mayo & Kermode podcast while jogging in St Pancras & Islington

Listening to In A Silent Way

Yesterday's Happiness Experiment Entry

Protesting outside the Town Hall to save our library

Meeting with Rick Edwards about election/politics - he sent a message of support during the protest

Book group at Paul's - The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

Today's Happiness Experiment Entry

The positive reaction to my unplanned talk on Don't Stop the Music at TV or Not TV at Somerset House

Reading about A Love Supreme in the sunshine

Listening to John Coltrane