As the weather has been extremely lovely this weekend, and friend and I went on a walk around the City of London yesterday. This is my tourist tip, non Londoners - the City empties at the weekend and apart from a few streets around St. Paul's you can have the place to yourself. I realise I should follow this with a lecture on why there's a bit of the city called The City but just think 'Wall St with added Roman walls, medieval road structure and Georgian churches' or read some Wikipedia.
I did what I always do which is wear wholly inappropriate shoes. It's summer! Those sandals were okay when I wore them to the shops! Accessories make or break an outfit!
As I made my sorry, slow way home I rued the next few days of bathtime pain and comedy workplace hobbling.
You know it's summer when you can't see your feet for the Elastoplast.
Sunday 3 June 2007
A Family of Blood.
Last night's Doctor Who was fantastic - I'd say my favourite Ten story by a country mile, and up there with The Parting of the Ways and The Doctor Dances as my favourite new Who episodes.
The best of this series is always a love song to humanity at its most flawed, which is always when we show our best. John Smith was a great human - filled with doubt and fear, but in the end he sacrificed all of that - that warm loving future he could almost grasp, that precious single shot at life - so that those he had truly loved could go on. The biggest recipient was someone who knows all about love and loss but has to steel himself, forever and ever, against it. The Doctor. He was his most astonishing and most terrible in this.
Loved the use of the Oncoming Storm of WW1, the Doctor and Time itself. The macabre beauty and horror of both modern warfare and the family's fate. Everybody acted their pants off, but Tennant really was terrific.
In other news - Big Brother is not reinvigorated by the arrival of z list celebrity in a melted Patrick Bateman mask. Must Do Better.
Also Lee must beat dark forces of Lewis to win final of "Musical Reality Show La G will never go and see yet becomes inextricably sucked into vortex of". Luckily he's got better odds than Dettori but I'm still scared of a massed teen/Scottish voter upset.
The best of this series is always a love song to humanity at its most flawed, which is always when we show our best. John Smith was a great human - filled with doubt and fear, but in the end he sacrificed all of that - that warm loving future he could almost grasp, that precious single shot at life - so that those he had truly loved could go on. The biggest recipient was someone who knows all about love and loss but has to steel himself, forever and ever, against it. The Doctor. He was his most astonishing and most terrible in this.
Loved the use of the Oncoming Storm of WW1, the Doctor and Time itself. The macabre beauty and horror of both modern warfare and the family's fate. Everybody acted their pants off, but Tennant really was terrific.
In other news - Big Brother is not reinvigorated by the arrival of z list celebrity in a melted Patrick Bateman mask. Must Do Better.
Also Lee must beat dark forces of Lewis to win final of "Musical Reality Show La G will never go and see yet becomes inextricably sucked into vortex of". Luckily he's got better odds than Dettori but I'm still scared of a massed teen/Scottish voter upset.
Friday 1 June 2007
It's Raining.....
No Men Whatsoever. In a genuinely interesting twist, Big Brother started on Wednesday and the House contains - initially - 11 female housemates. I have no idea why this should be a cause for complaint (beyond the acres of outdated misogynist humour this will provide the odious Chris Fucking Moyles on Big Mouth - why him? It would seem there isn't a single vaguely original stand up without an Edinburgh show in Britain). I'm slightly biased when it comes to all-female environments - I went to an all-girl's school from 12 to 16 and thoroughly enjoyed it, emerging completely psychologically unscathed and still capable of relationships with people with Y chromosones. Unbelievable huh? This is why I think it's fun;
1/ From a gameplay point of view, it will be interesting to see how contestants such as Charley - who clearly was basing her gameplay around her heterosexuality and 'gold digger' persona, adapt to these circumstances (beyond scowling, and telling Chanel "I've got the size zero figure you want").
2/ As Laura pointed out, the women will get to know one another as personalities more than they might have otherwise, before the inevitable introduction of male housemates.
3/ The least interesting aspect of the past two BBs has been the bloody relationships. Grace/Mikey = Spite meets Lego. Maxwell/Saskia= Weeks of gastropod lapping at one another, only interrupted by occassional flashes of bigotry. The interesting stuff is always the friendships, alliances, and general pissing about.
It seems there'll be a man going in on Friday - in the least shocking twist there would ever be, who else is fairly convinced they'll ship in the gay male contestants first?
My thoughts so far:
1/ Sam/Amanda. The newest additions to the "Can you imagine being stuck in a house with THAT" BB hall of infamy. They're twins, they like pink, they love a good scream, they make up little 'raps' about their cuteness, they enjoy leaping round furniture in circles endlessly like the world's largest hamsters. I think they are hamsters. Oh, I can't hate them, they don't appear to have a single hateful or negative bone in their weirdly psychologically connected bodies. We're all just waiting to see what happens when one of them get evicted. Have you read The Silent Twins?
2/ Lesley. An addition to the "Why are they there?" BB hall of infamy. She's upper class, clearly used to not compromising, dislikes music and noise, and spent much of the Launch Night with a facial expression reminiscent of soldiers on D Day. Is at least aware of her white elephant status. We'll see.
3/ Charley. Has anyone misjudged the voting mood so spectacularly? Charley might have done ok for a few weeks in BB6 or 7. But everyone's fed up with contestants whose game plan in life appears to be to get their bazookas out, shag Calum Best and then hopefully get hugely famous. All this whilst telling us that she's a free loader. May have some work to do on charm.
4/ Tracey. Positives: Is an antidone to the preponderance of uber made up lovelies. Does possess the openess of mind and relentless positivity of those who spent the past two decades leaping about to hardcore in a field in Sussex.
Negatives: GHB and Ketamine are not widely available in the BB house. We'll see.
5/ Chanel. A Victoria Beckham lookalike named after a brand of perfume. All you need to know? I suspect that rather like her idol, there's an intelligence and sense of humour in this lady which is often overlooked. I am often wrong.
6/ Shabnam. I wanted to like Shabnam. I liked her dress a lot, and found her nervousness endearing. Have distinct horrible feeling she may be Charley in indie (have you heard of it? It's a knew type of music which is going to TAKE OVER) guise. Please don't do it to me Shabnam.
7/ Emily. The indie comment made me laugh a lot. She's the Shelley of this series. Ho-hum.
8/ Laura. My favourite. Funny (and about her self as well as others), aware of her limitations, interested in the other housemates, far more intelligent and perceptive than she initially lets on. Talks too much and wants to be an embalmer. What's not to love so far?
9/ Nicky. Dramatically normal. Seemed very pleasant. Don't disappear Nicky.
10/ Carol. I must admit a bias against people with perfectly decent liberal left wing beliefs who join the Respect Party - I usually assume this indicates a brain of warm cottage cheese. But she (like Tracey) is a fabulous change from the average BB character and does seem warm, affable and up for a laugh. So she has my affections so far.
And now begins several months of trying, and failing, to drag myself away from the Internet and TV. Hurrah!
1/ From a gameplay point of view, it will be interesting to see how contestants such as Charley - who clearly was basing her gameplay around her heterosexuality and 'gold digger' persona, adapt to these circumstances (beyond scowling, and telling Chanel "I've got the size zero figure you want").
2/ As Laura pointed out, the women will get to know one another as personalities more than they might have otherwise, before the inevitable introduction of male housemates.
3/ The least interesting aspect of the past two BBs has been the bloody relationships. Grace/Mikey = Spite meets Lego. Maxwell/Saskia= Weeks of gastropod lapping at one another, only interrupted by occassional flashes of bigotry. The interesting stuff is always the friendships, alliances, and general pissing about.
It seems there'll be a man going in on Friday - in the least shocking twist there would ever be, who else is fairly convinced they'll ship in the gay male contestants first?
My thoughts so far:
1/ Sam/Amanda. The newest additions to the "Can you imagine being stuck in a house with THAT" BB hall of infamy. They're twins, they like pink, they love a good scream, they make up little 'raps' about their cuteness, they enjoy leaping round furniture in circles endlessly like the world's largest hamsters. I think they are hamsters. Oh, I can't hate them, they don't appear to have a single hateful or negative bone in their weirdly psychologically connected bodies. We're all just waiting to see what happens when one of them get evicted. Have you read The Silent Twins?
2/ Lesley. An addition to the "Why are they there?" BB hall of infamy. She's upper class, clearly used to not compromising, dislikes music and noise, and spent much of the Launch Night with a facial expression reminiscent of soldiers on D Day. Is at least aware of her white elephant status. We'll see.
3/ Charley. Has anyone misjudged the voting mood so spectacularly? Charley might have done ok for a few weeks in BB6 or 7. But everyone's fed up with contestants whose game plan in life appears to be to get their bazookas out, shag Calum Best and then hopefully get hugely famous. All this whilst telling us that she's a free loader. May have some work to do on charm.
4/ Tracey. Positives: Is an antidone to the preponderance of uber made up lovelies. Does possess the openess of mind and relentless positivity of those who spent the past two decades leaping about to hardcore in a field in Sussex.
Negatives: GHB and Ketamine are not widely available in the BB house. We'll see.
5/ Chanel. A Victoria Beckham lookalike named after a brand of perfume. All you need to know? I suspect that rather like her idol, there's an intelligence and sense of humour in this lady which is often overlooked. I am often wrong.
6/ Shabnam. I wanted to like Shabnam. I liked her dress a lot, and found her nervousness endearing. Have distinct horrible feeling she may be Charley in indie (have you heard of it? It's a knew type of music which is going to TAKE OVER) guise. Please don't do it to me Shabnam.
7/ Emily. The indie comment made me laugh a lot. She's the Shelley of this series. Ho-hum.
8/ Laura. My favourite. Funny (and about her self as well as others), aware of her limitations, interested in the other housemates, far more intelligent and perceptive than she initially lets on. Talks too much and wants to be an embalmer. What's not to love so far?
9/ Nicky. Dramatically normal. Seemed very pleasant. Don't disappear Nicky.
10/ Carol. I must admit a bias against people with perfectly decent liberal left wing beliefs who join the Respect Party - I usually assume this indicates a brain of warm cottage cheese. But she (like Tracey) is a fabulous change from the average BB character and does seem warm, affable and up for a laugh. So she has my affections so far.
And now begins several months of trying, and failing, to drag myself away from the Internet and TV. Hurrah!
Monday 28 May 2007
Mostly liking...
1/ Not being in InterWebland recently. I had thought of weening myself off a little after all the InterDrama of recent months and also had shit to do. Have painted my kitchen a wondrous shade of orange not unlike this website and my balcony is now filled with pots of lilies, dahlias and lots of bird feeders. I will become the strange bird lady of SW4, which is not such a bad fate. Greenfinches are mean bastards, by the way, don't stand between them and a peanut.
2/ I have started having the odd fag again, but ridiculously, only in secret. I don't want to admit to anyone I've restarted, as that would be admitting failure. So I go to the pub, don't smoke all evening, then have three in the bus queue on the way home. I have regressed to being 15 again. Must get drugs...
3/ Half Nelson. Brilliant film. Ryan Gosling gives the best performance I've seen in years. Also enjoyed recommending it to friends as "a film about dialectical materialism and crack"
4/ Doctor Who. I wasn't enjoying the series so far - the writing just didn't seem as good as previously and I was starting to get annoyed by Tennant's hyper kinetic portrayal. But I loved the first episode of 'Human Nature'. It looked stunning, the baddies are very creepy indeed, Tennant gave a well judged performance - still and thoughtful with just the odd glimpse of Ten poking out from underneath. This story has all the questions DW does best; what does it mean to be human? Love, Death, running and posh boy jokes.
5/ Lost. I did sniffle when Charlie died. I am from the Shire after all.
2/ I have started having the odd fag again, but ridiculously, only in secret. I don't want to admit to anyone I've restarted, as that would be admitting failure. So I go to the pub, don't smoke all evening, then have three in the bus queue on the way home. I have regressed to being 15 again. Must get drugs...
3/ Half Nelson. Brilliant film. Ryan Gosling gives the best performance I've seen in years. Also enjoyed recommending it to friends as "a film about dialectical materialism and crack"
4/ Doctor Who. I wasn't enjoying the series so far - the writing just didn't seem as good as previously and I was starting to get annoyed by Tennant's hyper kinetic portrayal. But I loved the first episode of 'Human Nature'. It looked stunning, the baddies are very creepy indeed, Tennant gave a well judged performance - still and thoughtful with just the odd glimpse of Ten poking out from underneath. This story has all the questions DW does best; what does it mean to be human? Love, Death, running and posh boy jokes.
5/ Lost. I did sniffle when Charlie died. I am from the Shire after all.
Thursday 10 May 2007
Forget..
Tony Blair's "SHOCK, HORROR except not really at all" resignation, the important news today is that I've decided on whom I want to win Eurovision - Georgia. It's actually not a bad song by competition standards at all, which means it's bound to die a quiet death whilst something gimmicky or truly awful wins. Judge for yourself;
The last time the UK won was in 1997, when our European brothers and sisters appeared to thank us for finally voting the Tories out (you doubt a song contest gets that petty and political? - you have never watched the Eurovision results). Oh, those happy days, back when expectations where so high and everyone thought we'd be getting on with Europe again. Even Tony himself couldn't help but sound terribly nostalgic for those pre-Iraq and pre-Bush days.
Maybe, as he said, the expectations were too high? I certainly remember drinking champagne outside the Festival Hall, watching the sun come up and really believing that this was the dawn of a better era - and it went pretty bloody well for a short period of time.
Then came Iraq, GP contracts, Iraq, the return of internal markets to the NHS, NASS, civil liberty disasters, Iraq and um...Iraq. And it strikes me that all the other cock ups and mismanagement would have been far better tolerated by the electorate - and better judged by history even - but for one foreign policy decision. Hague said today that Blair was the most formidable opponent the Tories had ever faced. Now, my friend J says I underestimate Cameron, but to me it seems that the only person who was ever able to defeat and discredit him was Blair.
The last time the UK won was in 1997, when our European brothers and sisters appeared to thank us for finally voting the Tories out (you doubt a song contest gets that petty and political? - you have never watched the Eurovision results). Oh, those happy days, back when expectations where so high and everyone thought we'd be getting on with Europe again. Even Tony himself couldn't help but sound terribly nostalgic for those pre-Iraq and pre-Bush days.
Maybe, as he said, the expectations were too high? I certainly remember drinking champagne outside the Festival Hall, watching the sun come up and really believing that this was the dawn of a better era - and it went pretty bloody well for a short period of time.
Then came Iraq, GP contracts, Iraq, the return of internal markets to the NHS, NASS, civil liberty disasters, Iraq and um...Iraq. And it strikes me that all the other cock ups and mismanagement would have been far better tolerated by the electorate - and better judged by history even - but for one foreign policy decision. Hague said today that Blair was the most formidable opponent the Tories had ever faced. Now, my friend J says I underestimate Cameron, but to me it seems that the only person who was ever able to defeat and discredit him was Blair.
Saturday 28 April 2007
Spiritualized..
Were excellent in a way I wasn't expecting. Had I not bought the tickets in a fit of "I'm bored at work - let's spend cash on the internet" pique I'd have noticed that rather than a standard gig it was actually Jason Pierce, a keyboardist, three gospel singers and a string quartet. This may well be because none of the band can stand to speak to one another anymore but it had an extremely pleasant result - it sounded hauntingly beautiful.
It's a strange thing, but drug addled junkies write all the sweetest love songs. Maybe they appreciate addiction? It was true of the Velvet Underground, and it's true of Spiritualized.
It was a strange night as one of the people in our gig group, we'll call her A, is a complete commitment-phobe and she brought her new bloke. However rather than introducing him as such, A spent the evening trying to make J and I come up with reasons why he was annoying and she should dump him. As scary other people's work stuff was mentioned (maths, share portfolios, accounting.......coma) I assumed he was a work colleague and caught on way too late. I don't think it was too bad in that;
- I did describe him as "relentlessly positive". I think I can dodge this one as he's from California and compared to most people from there, most Britons are clinically depressed.
- I did allow him to believe I was serious about 'Ebony and Ivory' being such a powerful song, it should have been played into the crowd to quell the LA riots for a bit too long. This was entirely J's fault, as he mentioned Heather McCartney first.
- When he stated "You can't buy food to eat on the Tube, that's what really drunk English people do" I did say "You haven't met many of A's friends, have you?" This is just factual.
It'll be fine, she'll either dump him or I'll enjoy the photos of the wedding.
It's a strange thing, but drug addled junkies write all the sweetest love songs. Maybe they appreciate addiction? It was true of the Velvet Underground, and it's true of Spiritualized.
It was a strange night as one of the people in our gig group, we'll call her A, is a complete commitment-phobe and she brought her new bloke. However rather than introducing him as such, A spent the evening trying to make J and I come up with reasons why he was annoying and she should dump him. As scary other people's work stuff was mentioned (maths, share portfolios, accounting.......coma) I assumed he was a work colleague and caught on way too late. I don't think it was too bad in that;
- I did describe him as "relentlessly positive". I think I can dodge this one as he's from California and compared to most people from there, most Britons are clinically depressed.
- I did allow him to believe I was serious about 'Ebony and Ivory' being such a powerful song, it should have been played into the crowd to quell the LA riots for a bit too long. This was entirely J's fault, as he mentioned Heather McCartney first.
- When he stated "You can't buy food to eat on the Tube, that's what really drunk English people do" I did say "You haven't met many of A's friends, have you?" This is just factual.
It'll be fine, she'll either dump him or I'll enjoy the photos of the wedding.
Thursday 26 April 2007
Likes and Dislikes
Inspired by Mr. Monk Seal (move eyes slightly to right for linkage) here is a list of my likes and dislikes, including some shamefully stolen from his good self (some agreeing - who prefers the Romans? - and some not). Reading through I'm not at all sure whether they give any deep psychological insight into my character or whether most are comprehensible if you're not from British. Still, I rather enjoyed matching them up.
Likes;
White wine, Indian Food, Spain, regional accents, Richmond Park, The seaside in autumn/winter, David Bowie, Sandalwood, Beyonce, Seafood, American Independant Films, Kylie, Tulips, Savoury, John Lewis, Steve Coogan, The Beckhams, Pub Quizzes, Hastings, Fresh Laundry, Ginger Beer, Showers, Doctor Who, Arched eyebrows, 20th Century Literature, owning up and taking responsibility, City Breaks, Julie Birchill, Mustard, Amy Winehouse, Prose, Wedge Heels, Rugs, Apples, Radio 4, Living Alone, Tattoos, Modern Art and Medieval Art, The mole on my upper lip, Science, Jake Gyllenhaal, Dogs and Cats, Sunset, Cautious Optimism, Trainspotting, The Greeks, Having my hair brushed, Chris Morris, History, Cellos, Shoes, Dust, Editorials, Battersea Power Station, Blur, Stilton, Flamenco, Simon Cowell, Tamsin Grieg, Cheese and Onion crisps, Clutter, Sarcasm, Sashimi, Toddlers, Boy pants, Football, "Lit", Mediocre customer service, Simon Amstell, Passports, The right side of the bed, Psychiatry, Battered Fish, walking there, Maps, Kate Winslet, The Initially Reticent, South of the River, Being a bit too cold, Cracking an awkward joke.
Dislikes;
Red Wine, Chinese Food, France, ok, I'm not fond of high pitched Scouse or West Country, Hyde Park, The seaside in summer, Mick Jagger, Florals, Nelly Furtado, Chicken, American Action Films, Madonna, Roses, Sweet, Harvey Nichols, Peter Kay, The Windsors, Nightclubs, Brighton, Perfume, Coke, Baths, Eastenders, Not being able to arch my eyebrows, 19th Century Literature, victim culture, Beach holidays, Tony Parsons, Ketchup, Lily Allen, Poetry, Stilettos, Carpets, Citrus Fruit, Radio 1, Eating Alone, Piercings, Renaissance Art, The mole on my upper lip, Alternative Therapies, Jude Law, Rabbits and Hamsters, Sunrise, Blind Pessimism, Everything else Irvine Welsh ever wrote and every other film Ewan McGregor was in, The Romans, Having my feet touched, David Walliams, Nostalgia, Clarinets, Sandals, Antibacterial Spray, Headlines, Tate Modern, Oasis, Edam, Ballet, this need to be untruthfully pleasant to everyone on reality shows, French and Saunders, Prawn Cocktail crisps, Minimalism, Earnestness, Sushi rolls, Newborns, Thongs, Rugby, "Chick-Lit", Falsely enthusiastic customer service, Steve Jones, ID cards, The left side of the bed, Psychoanalysis, Chips, driving there, Nicole Kidman, The Overly Friendly, North of The River, Being a bit too hot, Continuing to frown.
Likes;
White wine, Indian Food, Spain, regional accents, Richmond Park, The seaside in autumn/winter, David Bowie, Sandalwood, Beyonce, Seafood, American Independant Films, Kylie, Tulips, Savoury, John Lewis, Steve Coogan, The Beckhams, Pub Quizzes, Hastings, Fresh Laundry, Ginger Beer, Showers, Doctor Who, Arched eyebrows, 20th Century Literature, owning up and taking responsibility, City Breaks, Julie Birchill, Mustard, Amy Winehouse, Prose, Wedge Heels, Rugs, Apples, Radio 4, Living Alone, Tattoos, Modern Art and Medieval Art, The mole on my upper lip, Science, Jake Gyllenhaal, Dogs and Cats, Sunset, Cautious Optimism, Trainspotting, The Greeks, Having my hair brushed, Chris Morris, History, Cellos, Shoes, Dust, Editorials, Battersea Power Station, Blur, Stilton, Flamenco, Simon Cowell, Tamsin Grieg, Cheese and Onion crisps, Clutter, Sarcasm, Sashimi, Toddlers, Boy pants, Football, "Lit", Mediocre customer service, Simon Amstell, Passports, The right side of the bed, Psychiatry, Battered Fish, walking there, Maps, Kate Winslet, The Initially Reticent, South of the River, Being a bit too cold, Cracking an awkward joke.
Dislikes;
Red Wine, Chinese Food, France, ok, I'm not fond of high pitched Scouse or West Country, Hyde Park, The seaside in summer, Mick Jagger, Florals, Nelly Furtado, Chicken, American Action Films, Madonna, Roses, Sweet, Harvey Nichols, Peter Kay, The Windsors, Nightclubs, Brighton, Perfume, Coke, Baths, Eastenders, Not being able to arch my eyebrows, 19th Century Literature, victim culture, Beach holidays, Tony Parsons, Ketchup, Lily Allen, Poetry, Stilettos, Carpets, Citrus Fruit, Radio 1, Eating Alone, Piercings, Renaissance Art, The mole on my upper lip, Alternative Therapies, Jude Law, Rabbits and Hamsters, Sunrise, Blind Pessimism, Everything else Irvine Welsh ever wrote and every other film Ewan McGregor was in, The Romans, Having my feet touched, David Walliams, Nostalgia, Clarinets, Sandals, Antibacterial Spray, Headlines, Tate Modern, Oasis, Edam, Ballet, this need to be untruthfully pleasant to everyone on reality shows, French and Saunders, Prawn Cocktail crisps, Minimalism, Earnestness, Sushi rolls, Newborns, Thongs, Rugby, "Chick-Lit", Falsely enthusiastic customer service, Steve Jones, ID cards, The left side of the bed, Psychoanalysis, Chips, driving there, Nicole Kidman, The Overly Friendly, North of The River, Being a bit too hot, Continuing to frown.
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