OK, so I didn’t write a book review on Friday. I don’t think anyone really noticed, but in case someone did there are two reasons behind it: London & an attack of topgearitis.

I have of course spent most of Friday night watching Sky News and I must say that Britons did behave with all the stiff upper lip spirit they have been known for. There was a huge terrorist attack, there are 50 dead and six times more injured and yet it looks like it wasn’t a big deal. I’m surprised that I even use this expression, but frankly, I can’t find anything more fitting. The emergency services and the police acted perfectly – the low number of dead is attributed partly to the fact that injured were transported to hospitals without unnecessary delay. In fact, it looked like the well organized emergency machine was prepared to handle even more injured than were present.

And next day the London just lived on. No mass demonstrations, no cowardly cries for withdrawal from Iraq, no hate against Muslims in London – the city continued with business as usual. The Tube functioning again, the stock exchange hardly noticing, even the news broadcasts back to normal schedules. That’s the kind of British spirit I respect and admire. That’s also what those terrorist bastards fear most. They hoped to spawn terror and fear, but instead they face determination, courage – indifference even.

But, I didn’t write about a book even though I had one in mind that would be even appropriate for the occasion because I had an acute attack of topgearitis. Now, topgearitis is a kind of addiction to the best motoring TV show in the world – BBC’s Top Gear. Recently a new season opened, but I haven’t seen it yet. Since I can’t get it on television here (I don’t have BBC Prime in my cable) I have to haul it over the net from some shady sites. And on Friday I managed to download last three episodes and I spent the rest of the evening and night watching them. In my case topgearitis symptoms are that as soon as I get a new episode I have to watch it in its entirety no matter what.

Those new episodes are as great as usual, with Jeremy, James and Richard in top form. Their attitude to motoring, very sensible in my opinion, different personalities, great sense of humour and mad ideas (like jumping in a limmo over a wedding scene) create a cocktail that is irresistible. I hope that by Monday I would have watched all the new episodes at least twice and I would be back to my normal, mentally stable self.