Has someone gifted you with some bear meat? Are you wondering what to do with it? Whatever you decide, be very, very careful to cook it till it’s completely done. Not medium rare. Done. Use a meat thermometer.

If you don’t, you might get trichinellosis (also known as trichinosis), a nasty infection formerly associated with eating undercooked pork. Just because the meat was frozen doesn’t mean it’s safe. At least one species of this parasitic roundworm can survive for a long time in a freezer.

There we were, finishing up a nice supper, when the two gentlemen (who arrived after we did, and got their food before us) headed toward the exit. One reached into the back of his pants with both hands and either rearranged his shorts or gave himself a good scratch, hard to tell which.

Let’s see. The Spanish Inquisition. Stellan Skarsgard. Javier Bardem. Natalie Portman. Natalie is tortured and raped. Some movies I’d just rather skip. But a quick glance or two told me the look of the film is riveting.

A family member has been told by his doctor to shed the extra weight. Since the South Beach diet worked in the past, and is easier to take with a fellow sufferer, I decided to go along. Day 2, Phase 1. It’s going to be a long 12 days. But I found a box of sugar-free popsicles in the freezer this afternoon. From last summer, I think, and they look edible through the wrappers. No no, I’m not hungry enough to eat the wrappers, at least not yet.

So it is with some irony that I find myself making tarts for photos. Actually, they aren’t so hard to resist because cheese makes me itch. I spent a large part of the weekend looking for raspberries, but had to be content with strawberries. These early berries seem more fragile, and at least one carton furred up with mold before I could use them.

Currently, there are three tarts stacked on top of one another in the fridge. I’m out of the bought glaze. I’m on the last roll of toilet paper again. My tax person is hounding me to make an appointment, but I’m not ready.

Time for one of those popsicles.

In which there is mention of the Holgaroid, the Holgarama and how to persuade a Holga to adapt to standard 35mm film.

A movie I’m kinda looking forward to, being a Gosling fan from Half Nelson and Fracture.

Breaking the monotony of daily prison life in a unique way that rewards the inmates. Televised tomorrow on the Beeb under the title, ‘Miss Gulag’.