5 March - Sheph Bush & LA art galleries

Going for dinner with old uni friends of Toph somewhere local to them in Sheph Bush. Regular thai place not that special food wise. He doesn't say much but he's nice, a good listener, though I can't rememer what he does, maybe writes for school type magazines? She's more interesting, does legal work with/for refugees so knows about foster parents and that gives somethign to talk about. They ahve a few kids, but the youngest at 7ish turned up just when they were ready to feel freer and now they're stuck for a few more years. So it's camping hols rather than freewheeling in Bali for them. Their daughter who doesn't want to go to uni. It's ok lots of people didn't but they are then the ones I know know who will somehow mention 'I left school at 15, I didn't go to uni' - subtext, but don't think you can patronise me as have since educated myself at the university of youtube etc. I mention anotehr friend who doesn't want hers to go to Uni for financial reasons/burden but it's hardly easier to come by a job and daughter wants gap year too, paid for by mother. I say let her go, maybe she'll find a job in Colombia or some such, see what happens, refuse to fund the trip beyond paying for half of it, if she really wants to go, she'll go sweep hairdresser floor for a year to get the money. for anyone with younger kids/babies/toddlers, I'd recommned reading the idle parent manifesto on the Idler Academy website. Great fun and I agree.

Back to the dinner above, wish I could meet her sister.. she runs an incredibly beautiful gallery in Santa Monica, the Louver? great pun on words. Took a look on the net and though how fab, spend the day with this art (all top notch) and wait for brangelina to drop by once in a while and get 2 of these and 2 of those and hey presto, that's your healthy lunch and juice paid for on the beach before you go to a yoga class at that great place P. took me too years ago before London had anything remotely comparable. They still don't.