Big Oil in the family

Location Dad's house in the woods in Oxfordshire | Mood Hopeful | Date 23 July 2006
Filed in:
Author (full name): 
Franny Armstrong
Location: 
Dad's house in the woods in Oxfordshire
Mood: 
Hopeful
Soundtrack: 
Few remaining family members attacking Beatles songbook
Ailments: 
Too many strawberries
Date: 
23 July 2006
Current silver lining: 
All aboard the climate change campaign

One good thing about my sort-of-boyfriend's government killing hundreds of innocent Lebanese, is that I didn't have to blow out my dad and stepmum's 20th wedding party yesterday by being in Jordan. Not that I would've felt TOO guilty, as my dad scarred me for life by missing most of my childhood birthdays cos he was away filming important documentaries in difficult countries. Revenge is best served 25 years cold.

Speaking of revenge, not breaking cycles of violence etc, the most surprising people have been coming out with knee-jerk anti-Semitism when I mention The Boy. Am I surprised I'm surprised?

Had interesting discussion with my Cousin-In-Law at the party yesterday. He works on Make Poverty History and does great work raising money and awareness about 3000 kids dying a day of no-clean-water etc. But, I argued, what is the point of working on that when all those kids - and all the rest of them - are all going to be wiped out by climate change? Wouldn't his energy - and everyone else's - be put to better use trying to turn the ship round?

Then at football a few days ago a musician friend said he's just realised exactly that - everyone needs to stop what they're doing and work on nothing but climate change for the next 5 to 10 years. He's now going to work out exactly what he can most usefully do. Said that it was partly the Crude diaries (pals have been getting sneak previews) which convinced him. Aw.

Here's a funny thing: found out at the party that the ship my Granny launched in the '60s was an oil tanker! Ha ha ha, that has to go in the Making Of. And, there's more: my Grandad was an Executive Director at a big oil company too (amongst lots of other directorships). Why did I not know that? What was I saying about everything being interconnected and everyone being responsible? (My Grandad/Big Oil paid for my hated education at posh girls' school, which undoubtedly gave me the confidence/arrogance to think I can make Crude).