Smells.

I have a new job. I'm officially a commuter now- working in the city and travelling in by train every day.

This morning was quite an assault on the senses; or more specifically the nose.

First of all, the usual train smell is enough to be contending with- that musty, warm, burnt-fuel smell that sets you up for a full days work.

Next, a slightly-more-than-middle aged man gets on the train and sits behind me. Accompanying him is a wafty smell that comes and goes. I wasted a good few minutes trying to work out if it was parsnips, a cheap cologne- or what I prefer to call Man-Perfume- or possibly an expensive cologne that unfortunately smells of parsnips.

Off the train, and at New Street station is where the real onslaught begins. Straight away the smells of big, dirty trains, and probably plenty of big, dirty commuters too. Through the kiosks, passed the odd waft of various perfumes from passers by and up the escalators to the main shopping precinct, and now the nose goes into hyperdrive. First up is the warm smell of Subway. All subways smell the same, and it's never all that pleasant; not necessarily a bad smell but it certainly does NOT smell fresh. Next door is the fruit juice stand. Smells from here are far more interesting- varied, tangy, sweet and bitter all mixed into one strange smell, but you don't get chance to revel in it because right next door to that is the pretzel shop. This actually smells rather nice- it's a smell that reminds me of breakfast in New York and it makes me feel happily hungry. Out on the street, and it's full of fumes and traffic smells, dirt and unescapable nicotine clouds.

Even reaching my office building and I'm greeted by the smell of newly cleaned floors, photo copyer ink and heat, new paper, the odd coffee and bacon sandwhich, then finally, after it all... the comfort of slowly burning computer dust.

Thank you Mr Darwin.

It's been Darwin week on the BBC recently... and geez was THAT needed. In recent weeks I've noticed crazy christian beliefs sneeking into normal tv programs and it's pissed me off enormously. Now, I don't mind there being christian tv programs, I have no objection to Songs of Praise being on TV and advertised clearly so that I can avoid it like the plague, but I don't necessarily like it being not-so-subtly implanted into storylines and plots in regular tv programs like Eastenders and Holby city. The latter has obviously taken on some Church-going script writers in recent months and it became increasingly more comical and blatant by the week. Similarly, I can cope with Christian characters in TV land. What I object to are these "subtle" undertones of Faith and higher-self messages in plot lines. It's not big, it's not clever, it's down right irritating and not what I pay £135 a year for.

However, last week, the Beeb redeemed itself with a week of programs about the genius of Darwin (a fellow Midlander of course) and a man who we should ALL be grateful for bringing sense and reason to the world through science and fact. Ah sweet sweet fact and evidence.

I cannot even imagine how different the world would be if Darwin hadn't devoted his life to these studies... though I would have hoped that if he hadn't, someone else would have. How brave of him though, to actually come forward with his studies and present them to a world where free-thinking was considered dangerous and evil. Amazing man.

Snow Haiku

I went for a walk
Snow cushioned each step I took
still crunchy and soft.