So life intervened and I got busy travelling and working, and this side-project, much though I enjoy it, had to move to the back burner. What can I say except, sorry :-)
Hope you’re all warm and safe and healthy, and like me, looking forward to the end of this crappity year. The year that, at least for the Americans, seems to have been dubbed the Year of the Freezer.
Speaking of ice, gotta love the Scots for their sense of humour. The entire snowplough fleet (called gritters since they spread out grit and/or salt on iced-up roads) has been given the most awesome punny names. You can see them in real-time on this map. Check them out and tell me your favourite name! I can’t decide between For Your Ice Only, Spready Mercury, and Salty!
When it comes to names, some folks have it tougher than usual. This Austrian town has been dealing with more attention than they’d like, and have decided to change the spelling of their name, come the New Year. If you really want that funny picture, you could still aim to visit the neighbouring villages of Oberfucking and Unterfucking though.
While one European town wants to clean up its name, the EU wants to clean up space. The European Space Agency has just awarded a contract worth $105 Million to a private company to clean up space junk, starting in 2025. There are roughly 129 million pieces of debris orbiting around at the moment, including many that are big enough to impact existing or future space missions. We’ve managed to take pollution as far as outer space!
The aliens have landed…or so some believe. Followed the monolith stories? Since the first one was sighted in Utah in November (and lost soon after), these tall steel structures have popped up everywhere - California, Nevada, Romania, The Netherlands, Poland, and Colombia. There’s even one in the UK with the words “Not Banksy” etched on it! I wonder when we’ll get one… Where do you think they’d put it up if they had to do it in India? Send in your thoughts!
I’m Watching: A little bit of everything these days. A few that stayed with me were The Queen’s Gambit, Ludo and The Crown. And if you need a good laugh, you should watch The Death of Stalin.
We’re in the last fortnight of this crazy year. What are your plans for the NYE celebration? I’m thinking of taking a short road trip somewhere. Just the thought of travelling in this scenario feels so, I don’t know, defiant!
That’s it from me this time. Till next time, keep the faith!
Love
Neha