Always watch the audience

If you're not quite in touch with a talk, or too tired to be an active enjoyer of a movie or play then watch the audience and observe. It's often very instructive. I employ this tactic at conferences sometimes, and it is strangely reassuring to see the spectrum of interest and understanding across the people attending. Look, over there in the front right are the organisers desperately trying to get enough to be able to ask questions, and over there is the chair dreading an awkward silence at the questioning time or eager to ask something of the speaker. Further back are the ones who are moderately interested or waiting for the next talk and at the back are the ones using their laptops or messing about with phones. Who's that looking fidgety in the third row next to the aisle? The next speaker of course! There's much more subtle information to be gathered but it's less than relevant.

In my role as mathematician I have just returned from the 2013 colloquium at Gregynog, a beautiful stately house that played host to many of us Welsh maths researchers and invited speakers from - gasp -- outside the Principality of Wales. It's a lovely building. I only wish there could have been more time for exploration and enjoyment but injuries continue to prevail, blast them. Blast and drat to all injuries! I think I've been sick or injured ever since returning from Hungary, which is annoying. Obviously the Universe has declared me a damage zone. Thank you, Universe, and next time I have an opportunity to help you I'll... still do it. There's a giant conscience hanging over me, reminding me to be nice and wear warm slippers and perhaps go to sleep at sane times of night. I'm just a fogey with a mad imagination.

fogey: a boring old-fashioned person

I'm hoping there's a place for new fogies in the world, a place for people who can't stand swearing in movies and often stare blankly at the corner of the room as they try to work out what on Earth they were doing ('I came in to get something...'), a place for the most resolute of smart idiots. Essentially I hope there's a place for me! Well, it's looking certain that there isn't but one can only hope. Things can turn around. Even the weakest of fools can gnaw away at a problem until it eventually succumbs. Unless they die first of course. Now, there's an optimistic/morbid thought. Swearing is really getting to me in movies at the moment as I try to get through a mini-season of Ron Howard movies. He's a great and solid director but he has never shied away from foul language where it would be fitting in a film, except for some of his early movies of course. 'Swearing in movies' is an interesting topic, representative of many others, in that the question is whether film-makers should try to reflect reality or inspire a change? Any ideas?

The weekend lies ahead and I hope to make up for the recent cessation of Quirky Muffins once everything has settled down properly post-Gregynog. Job hunting is now in full swing and taking up the expected amount of time but I think it may well come out alright as I have a cardboard box to sleep in and some swimming shorts. That's all anyone needs really, especially if there's chocolate cake in the works. Hmm... chocolate cake...

O.

PS Deja vu continues as I am convinced I've written 'watch the audience' before. It's really very interesting to see humans when they're distracted by something. Such a lovely/disgusting species are we.