A wee while ago, I knocked Daniel Kalder’s latest book, Strange Telescopes, off my “to read” pile.

Kalder is a Scottish writer who has lived, worked and travelled extensively in Russia, and I loved his first book.  Lost Cosmonaut (about which I have blogged) was packed full of very dry, very dark and very Scottish humour, and Strange Telescopes served up more of the same.

It is the account of his pursuit of alternative views of realities created by Russians - mindsets borne of religious extremism, the awkward conditions of rampant post-Communist capitalism, and the unique Russian psyche.  He meets a man who explores Moscow’s underground tunnels, a maker of documentaries about demonic possession, a former policeman-turned-Christ who lives in Siberia with his followers, and a man who built a huge wooden tower for no reason.

The book is brilliantly written, with Kalder’s inquisitive but non-judgemental voice guiding us through not only the strange worlds he encounters but the Russian nation which seems impenetrable in its own way to most westerners.  Kalder keeps us interested with his persistence, his ability to make people talk, and his keen eye for quirk, detail and imagery.

Informative, thought-provoking, and hilariously funny when you least expect it, Strange Telescopes will appeal to those with an interest in Russia or the off-beat side of life.

The way the world’s going, it’s a frequent thing to hear of the elderly generation complain about the terrible lack of respect among young folk in society.  Littering is a common source of these complaints - accompanied by disgust for the lack of environmental awareness or appreciation among today’s errant juveniles.

Today, however, things were the other way round.

I was out for a walk along the river earlier this afternoon, and up ahead, I saw an old man in a tweed suit with a dog on a leash.  He (the man, not the dog) picked up a box of empty beer bottles from the side of the path.  I presumed he’d walk them up to the bin that was a few paces in front of him.  How community-spirited of him, I thought to myself.

Until he tottered in the opposite direction and flung them over the railings, where they went crashing down into the river below!

I was utterly gobsmacked.  Looking around, I saw that the few folk near us were aghast too.  I shouted at him, saying he should have put it in the bin.  He was either deaf or ignoring me.  If I wasn’t so shocked at his disgusting act, I’d have confronted him a second time.

I suppose I should have done.  If he’d got aggressive, I’m sure I would have been more than a match for any fists or bad language he threw at me.  And his dog looked pathetically small and of no advantage in a combat situation.

Ah well.  If I ever see him again, I’ll mug him.  And perhaps use a broken beer bottle, just to add a bit of irony to the situation.

My blogging frequency seems to be on the slide of late.  Apologies.

Although better this than me thinking up something to say, just for the sake of it.

No huge news at the moment, other than hosting couchsurfers, working, enjoying the sunny weather, and doing bits and bobs in advance of the USA trip.

As you were.

We’re just days away from the start of the world’s greatest sporting tournament.  The glamour, the glory, the colour, the drama, the fierce competition, the blood, sweat, tears, highs and lows.

And Rangers have been knocked out of Europe before it’s even started.

Yes, the SPL season kicks off on Saturday, and it should prove to be an interesting season.

The first question has to be the effect on Rangers of being knocked out of the Champions’ League.  Last season’s UEFA Cup runners-up were humiliated by the Lithuanian champions in the qualifying rounds, and there are huge financial consequences for their unexpected defeat, which leaves them without any European football before the season has started.

I reckon, however, that this will do Rangers well in the long run - if Celtic put up a good show in the Champions’ League, Rangers’ league performances should have an edge in the latter half of the season.  So while Celtic perhaps are the better side on paper, Rangers’ lighter fixture schedule could give them an advantage.

Hearts should be interesting this season.  After a ridiculously long time looking for a permanent manager, the incompetent club have surprised many by appointing someone with some credibility, experience and, above all, independence.  He’s even got away with criticising Romanov’s past decisions, which is perhaps an indicator that the team will train and play according to the manager’s intentions only.  Now perhaps a squad that technically is very good will actually start delivering.

Not that I’d back them for third quite yet - my money would be on Dundee United for that, who were unlucky not to be third last year and who have dabbled cleverly in the transfer market this summer.  Meanwhile, I doubt Aberdeen will do anything particularly interesting this season - their squad is unimproved and it will not be long, I suspect, before their manager’s frustration at his mediocre squad leads to his departure.

At the bottom, I expect newbies Hamilton, St Mirren and Niculae-less ICT to battle against relegation.

Of course, the big news is the mighty Ross County’s return to division 1.  It looks like a good season in that division, which is always one of the more competitive in the league.  I can’t see Ross County finishing in the top half, but I doubt they’ll go down again.

Roll on Saturday.

I am in Edinburgh today for work, for the fifth time in as many weeks.

I’ve noticed the crowds get more and more sizeable and touristy as the city builds up to the annual hellish bedlam that is the Festival.  I’m sure I’ve vented my spleen on this blog as to how much I hate the Edinburgh festival and its pretentious mediocrity, so am glad that the trips down here are going to ease off in the coming couple of months.

Yet another expedition on the 0645 today was no easier thanks to a late night last night, but it was worth it - I went to see Wall·E at the cinema.

Wall·E is an animated film set in the future about a robot whose job is to tidy the planet up, after humankind made a mess of the place before retreating to a giant spaceship.  Wall·E is the last robot on the planet, and continues his work until…  well, I’ll not ruin the plot.  Just go and see it.

The film is most remarkable for its first half hour, where we simply get to know Wall·E, his work and his routines.  That sounds dull, but it - like the rest of the film - is gorgeously animated, with engaging characterisation, humour and even romance.  There is a real sense of “humanity” about Wall·E the robot, more than you get in many films’ human characters.

With nods to both early silent films and later epics like 2001, the story relies so much on music, subtle action and physical expression.  It’s an unusual watch, but a beautiful one.

And moreover, thanks to the film’s Wikipedia page, I have now discovered the excellent word ”interpunct“.

I hope I now get to use it as much as possible in conversation.

I’m not long back from Aberdeen, where among other things I was doing some planning with Justin for September’s mullet adventure to the west coast of the USA.

We’ve pin-pointed the mullets, and have a vague route lined up, taking us from southern California almost to the Canadian border.  It will be a packed fortnight.

I must confess, however, that apart from the mullets (and seeing a few friends out there) I’m really quite ambivalent about visiting the USA, and am not too bothered about many of the sights.

Justin, on the other hand, is very enthusiastic about the trip, and is keen to track down things like Death Valley, Apple HQ, the Space Needle in Seattle, and much more.  Whether or not we will visit Las Vegas is something of a moot point between us.

He’s also set on the idea of driving through the mean streets of Los Angeles, playing “Straight Outta Compton” full-blast on the car stereo.

I’ve said I’m fine with that, just as long as it’s the Nina Gordon cover version.

Oh, here are some photos from this past weekend.

I got back last night from my work trip, and have had this evening to catch up with myself.

One of the main tasks has been uploading photos from the weekend, plus a few from the last couple of days.

You can see them here.

I’m off to Aberdeen tomorrow, for a mixture of birthday commiseration and mullet planning.

More photos from that trip, no doubt, next week.

Over a week with no blog entry.   My reassurances to those already engaging in wailing, gnashing of teeth, and ripping of sackcloth: fear not, I have returned.

My absence has been partly down to very little to report and partly down to being busy at work.

This weekend was a fun exception though.  I had Australian travel writer Peter Moore staying with me for the weekend, taking up an invitation I sent him in response to his latest project, a tour of the UK to prepare for his forthcoming citizenship test.  You can follow his progress on his project site and on his blog.

(Talking of Peter’s blog, a recent post brought this to my attention.  Very, very funny for anyone who’s been to New Zealand.)

Highlights of this past weekend included the Inverness Highland Games, a trip to Applecross and some great (and some not so great) live music in town.  Sunday night, thanks to Peter, involved seeing The Proclaimers close the Games with a gig at Bught Park.

Photos of all the above and more to follow later on this week.  For now, though, work has spirited me away again on my own adventures - Edinburgh and Aberdeen for work until Wednesday night.

To my shame, I had not been inside the newly-expanded Eden Court Theatre until last night.  It’s quite impressive inside, but still ugly and a sadly lost opportunity from the outside.

I went to see Mongol, a multi-nationally produced film about the life of Genghis Khan.  Filmed in China and Kazakhstan, but in the Mongol language, and directed by a Russian, the film looks, feels and sounds like no “western” film, so required a certain suspension of preconceptions of how films should be.  Not that it was a difficult watch - the plot jogged along nicely, the acting was excellent, the scenery outstanding, and the battle sequences spectacular.

And it’s not a part of history I know much about, and it’s amazing to think that a relatively unknown part of the world, today at least, gave birth to the largest contiguous empire ever.  And according to the Wikipedia links above, it seems the film had some substantial historical accuracy.  Hollywood take note.

Easily the best Mongolian film I’ve seen this year.

Not a lot to report, other than the above photo I took in between meetings in Edinburgh last week, part of my latest upload.

Oh yes, and the bluebottle invasion seems to have died down, just as I have located the source as being behind the blocked up fireplace.  I will investigate what’s behind there tomorrow evening.  Wish me luck.

And before I go, a text conversation that recently took place:

Me: What’s brown and rhymes with snoop?  Jay Z!
Justin: You’ve just made a hip hop joke!  Are you feeling ok?
Me: Fo’ shizzle.

Get me with my street lingo.