Well, I was supposed to be writing my thesis today, but blogs and thoughts of blogs got in the way. I look after the artist and writer Alasdair Gray's website and I got an email from him saying:
"Joe, someone has told me about blogs, can you set one up for me here is some stuff to put on it".
An attachment had four pieces to become blogs. The first is a letter to Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer which he sent before the budget. The second was a short one act play, which he had abandoned earlier in the month.
Well, I set up a blog for him and it can be found here: http://alasdairgray.blogspot.com/
Setting Alasdair's plays for the web has not been without problems. Mainly because they are pretty long documents with quite a lot of formatting on them.
Anyone who knows Alasdair's work will understand that being an artist, things just have to look the way he wants. I also produce Alasdair's books, so, lot's of debate to get him to understand that publishing to the web is not the same as hard copy publishing. I think he is catching on.
There's a link to Alasdair's website on my side panel for anyone who would like to read more of his work. He's pretty bloody good by the way!
I've been trying to write a chapter on transport issues in the NHS and nothing seems to want to come out. Picked a great time to get a writer's block, eh? There's not a lot I can contribute to the subject anyway as NHS has already created it's transport policy, so even though it will be a short chapter I still can't get my head around it. I am a committed pedestrian anyway so I think we should just close all the car parks down. Joking, honest!
I suppose there are lots of exceptions for NHS as many community health professionals find it difficult to carshare as they travel around the community a lot of the time while they are working, and people visiting hospitals are usually fretting about loved ones so there's not much sense in arsing them about. However, frequent, affordable and comfortable public transport services would help other staff and visitors to leave their cars at home or at park and ride places.
Addenbrooke Hospital in Cambridge has set up it's own regular bus service, not heard how successful it has been, though.
Till next time
Joe
