Thought I'd pop in and say hello

Hi old friends,

Vesp here

I was clearing out an old email account and realised quite some time had passed since I last visited.

Cheerio all. What have I missed?

I'd ask who is alive but I'm afraid it might be a bit too morbid these days - then again, given his penchant from surviving transmissible diseases Ambler couldn't possibly have given it up to this one?

Hello Vesp, welcome back ... Ambler took his leave of us long before the pandemic kicked in, citing new employment which he claimed required him to delete his presence from any and all social media sites. Hmm.

We have a charming young Canadian lady (Sarai) who is a relatively new member. A chap called Silvertoe joined last year but left in anger at the start of this one, claiming that the few regular posters at the time were in 'a sad little clique' and were not engaging with him enough. Awww.

We've had some of the 'old guard' popping in of late. We cross our fingers that the autumn will finally see the release of No Time To Die, either because we welcome new onscreen Bond or because we can't wait for the Craig era to be done and dusted.

Good to see you, Vesper!

Few of us still kicking as BI mentioned. Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (formerly FieldsMan) and I are still flying the flag for Australia, albeit from perpetual house arrest. Not COVID-related, mind you, I just had a bit of a misunderstanding and, yadda yadda yadda, ankle monitors are a bitch.

How's things with you?

Hey, Vesper. How are you doing, me ol' mucker? I assume you've gradgeeated koledge?

As BI said, NTtD remains in its sarcophagus, merely awaiting the proper incantation to animate it and send it shambling into our midst. I have no hope for it, and have no plans to actually see it unless the bludgers hereabouts tell me I should. I'm actually more interested in the reaction to the film than the film itself.

Don't be a stranger, bud. It would be great for you to return to the fold on a regular basis.

Vesp you legend, good to see you.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

Hello Vesp, welcome back ... Ambler took his leave of us long before the pandemic kicked in, citing new employment which he claimed required him to delete his presence from any and all social media sites. Hmm.

Have we confirmed his real name wasn't Dominic Cummings?

CJB wrote:

Good to see you, Vesper!

Few of us still kicking as BI mentioned. Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (formerly FieldsMan) and I are still flying the flag for Australia, albeit from perpetual house arrest. Not COVID-related, mind you, I just had a bit of a misunderstanding and, yadda yadda yadda, ankle monitors are a bitch.

How's things with you?

I too am in the Australian gulag, as of yesterday at 5pm. Which we'd been begging for at work but now all are a little miffed about.

Perilagu Khan wrote:

Hey, Vesper. How are you doing, me ol' mucker? I assume you've gradgeeated koledge?

As BI said, NTtD remains in its sarcophagus, merely awaiting the proper incantation to animate it and send it shambling into our midst. I have no hope for it, and have no plans to actually see it unless the bludgers hereabouts tell me I should. I'm actually more interested in the reaction to the film than the film itself.

Don't be a stranger, bud. It would be great for you to return to the fold on a regular basis.

University I am afraid has been on hold probably since I last visited, due to a great employment opportunity that I can't disclose - patriotic duty and fighting the left and all that - I am back at it full force now that I've adjusted to working 24/7 and functioning on 4 hours sleep a night.

Studying classical rhetoric, creative writing, modern political theory, and statistics which is an actual blast compared to real work.

I can't say I'm too optimistic about this film but it will be nice to have a blockbuster action film whose target audience is adults, not teenagers, for a change.

Besides the pandemic and Trump and all that jazz, what is the two minute summary of everyone else's lives? Have been wondering what you've all been up to offline!

Vesper wrote:

Blunt Instrument wrote:

Hello Vesp, welcome back ... Ambler took his leave of us long before the pandemic kicked in, citing new employment which he claimed required him to delete his presence from any and all social media sites. Hmm.

Have we confirmed his real name wasn't Dominic Cummings?

I think Ambler's autobiography is titled Cummings and Goings.

Vesper wrote:

Besides the pandemic and Trump and all that jazz, what is the two minute summary of everyone else's lives? Have been wondering what you've all been up to offline!

Corporate job. Fiancée. Enough whisky to refuel an A380.

Nothing too exciting as of late, though hoping international travel will be back sooner rather than later. I'll probably be revisiting NYC and Paris before I'm ever allowed into McGowangrad, but somehow I don't mind.

Vesper wrote:

Perilagu Khan wrote:

Hey, Vesper. How are you doing, me ol' mucker? I assume you've gradgeeated koledge?

As BI said, NTtD remains in its sarcophagus, merely awaiting the proper incantation to animate it and send it shambling into our midst. I have no hope for it, and have no plans to actually see it unless the bludgers hereabouts tell me I should. I'm actually more interested in the reaction to the film than the film itself.

Don't be a stranger, bud. It would be great for you to return to the fold on a regular basis.

University I am afraid has been on hold probably since I last visited, due to a great employment opportunity that I can't disclose - patriotic duty and fighting the left and all that - I am back at it full force now that I've adjusted to working 24/7 and functioning on 4 hours sleep a night.

Studying classical rhetoric, creative writing, modern political theory, and statistics which is an actual blast compared to real work.

I can't say I'm too optimistic about this film but it will be nice to have a blockbuster action film whose target audience is adults, not teenagers, for a change.

Well, that's quite a course of study!

Four hours of sleep only, I could not handle. If I don't get close to seven, I'm not worth a dam' at all. Not that I'm a scintillating dynamo under the best of conditions, wot...

Vesper wrote:

Besides the pandemic and Trump and all that jazz, what is the two minute summary of everyone else's lives? Have been wondering what you've all been up to offline!

Still working my academic/basketball writing gigs. Working on a book about how postmodern theory is the author of all our pain.

Collecting watches is my latest mania. I've got 17 with an 18th on the way from Barcelona. Will top out at 20 and call it a day.