New Year's Resolutions:
1. Get a new fucking job.
2. Get to a point where I've done enough reading about writing that I can actually start writing.
3. Start writing, and carry it on without expecting it to be right and perfect first time.
There are probably others... but these are the most important.
Thursday 31 December 2009
Dave ja vu?
Something I've noticed, while I've been home and idle so much recently, is the startling level of repeats currently running on TV.
Some channels run nothing but repeats.
I'm currently watching the same episode of QI that I watched sometime before Christmas, and have had to miss out on Mythbusters this week because they're running the same shows as last week.
The same movies run in the same week on several different channels.
WTF? Seriously.
OK, so obviously there are too many channels for the miniscule amount of new televisual programming that is generated these days, but if the money generated by advertising on these channels doesn't allow them to create something new once in a while, why bother? Why not cut their losses and ditch the channel?
Can it really be all about turning people into zombies whose memory span is so short that they don't realise they're watching the same shit over and and over again.
I've just seen a trialer for This Is Spinal Tap... how many times has that been on TV this year?
Some channels run nothing but repeats.
I'm currently watching the same episode of QI that I watched sometime before Christmas, and have had to miss out on Mythbusters this week because they're running the same shows as last week.
The same movies run in the same week on several different channels.
WTF? Seriously.
OK, so obviously there are too many channels for the miniscule amount of new televisual programming that is generated these days, but if the money generated by advertising on these channels doesn't allow them to create something new once in a while, why bother? Why not cut their losses and ditch the channel?
Can it really be all about turning people into zombies whose memory span is so short that they don't realise they're watching the same shit over and and over again.
I've just seen a trialer for This Is Spinal Tap... how many times has that been on TV this year?
A Change To Your Scheduled Programming
I had intended, while staying with my folks over Christmas, to jot down a few bloggable notes and put them online when I got back home...
...But then, I also intended to leave on Boxing Day.
In the end, I stayed till the morning of the 27th, and there really wasn't much of anything to report. My main present - the new PC - was at home, unattended for the duration, and I only got two other presents: from my sister (etc.) I got the DVD of Arsène Lupin (a French action film - of all things - starring the excellent Romain Duris, Kristen Scott Thomas and - gasp - a pre-Bond Eva Green), from my Grandmother, the latest Terry Pratchett, Unseen Academicals.
My hamper was well-received, though it shed a sticky mess on my jacket (and, I later discovered, onto my old Microwave, where it had sat since I brought it all home). The mixture of sweets, cheese and booze went down well (though, thankfully, not all on Christmas Day) but, by sheer coincidence, my sister had bought a case of three types of cider from the same maker as mine. Not the same type - hers were a selection of normal ciders, the bottle I added to the hamper was mulled cider - but it was interesting that we'd both picked up the same kind of cider.
The Shirley Bassey CD was also well-received... and ended up getting played via the TV/DVD player sometime on Boxing Day.
Out visit to my grandmother was challenging... Her Alzheimers leaves her repeating conversations (or remarks, at least) several times over. I did start counting the number of times a certain theme cropped up, but suffice it to say we were in no doubt that it was quiet in her block, because almost everyone had gone away, and the flats opposite hers were empty because no-one would buy them... When night fell, it was certainly "almost black out there" (and the reasons for the lack of obvious light were explained several times)... And I should hope she now knows what day I go back to work.
As long as the conversation kept going, she was OK... but she felt the need to fill any and all extended silences, and couldn't remember the attempts she'd already made. It tended to be the utterly inane thing she forgot, as she was quite capable of remembering her first job (and her mother's reaction to it), though she did come out with a complete flight of fancy about an uncle who moved somewhere foreign. The closest factual thing we knew about was a cousin who moved to South Africa, then came back.
Dinner was OK, as far as Turkey and Gammon go. Cocktail sausages wrapped in bacon are a bit of a Christmas staple with my mother. Christmas Pud was served with custard rather than cream which, to be honest, I think I preferred. Shortly after finishing the washing up, we left to head back to the house and carry on with that other Christmas Tradition, the Doctor Who special.
What can I say?
It made very little sense. From the Master's bizarre resurrection (Did Russell T. think he was writing an episode of Merlin?!) through the Doctor's teary-eyed reminisence with Wilf, to the improbable resurrection of all of Gallifrey, punctuated by David Tennant's grimacing jogs around the quarries and docks of Wales, I found nothing of any merit in the story so far. It concludes tomorrow evening but, with Russell T. still at the helm, the glimpses offered by the trailer do not bode well.
I look forward to the new series, despite the new Doctor being even younger than Tennant, because the guy at the helm has created some of the best episodes in the series so far.
Not a great deal has happened since I got home. I've larked about on the new PC a little more, installed a couple of games - Neverwinter Nights, it seems, does not require an internet connection to validate, after all. It relies instead on some completely bonkers code printed on a sticker in the box.
I spent Tuesday pottering about the flat with a splitting headache that would not shift till the evening, and yesterday had a brief visit from a friend, finally able to trade Christmas presents with me, having been snowbound before Christmas, and whisked off due to a family emergency afterward.
I now have a telescope, and am hoping for clearer skies this weekend to give it a try. She now has the Revenge of the Fallen version of Ultimate Bumblebee... who's just about cool enough that I might pick one up for myself... if I can figure out where to put him. He is rather large.
Right now, I'm debating whether or not to watch Jools Holland's annual Hootenanny... Not sure I've ever watched one before, but it always sounds like a cool show.
...But then, I also intended to leave on Boxing Day.
In the end, I stayed till the morning of the 27th, and there really wasn't much of anything to report. My main present - the new PC - was at home, unattended for the duration, and I only got two other presents: from my sister (etc.) I got the DVD of Arsène Lupin (a French action film - of all things - starring the excellent Romain Duris, Kristen Scott Thomas and - gasp - a pre-Bond Eva Green), from my Grandmother, the latest Terry Pratchett, Unseen Academicals.
My hamper was well-received, though it shed a sticky mess on my jacket (and, I later discovered, onto my old Microwave, where it had sat since I brought it all home). The mixture of sweets, cheese and booze went down well (though, thankfully, not all on Christmas Day) but, by sheer coincidence, my sister had bought a case of three types of cider from the same maker as mine. Not the same type - hers were a selection of normal ciders, the bottle I added to the hamper was mulled cider - but it was interesting that we'd both picked up the same kind of cider.
The Shirley Bassey CD was also well-received... and ended up getting played via the TV/DVD player sometime on Boxing Day.
Out visit to my grandmother was challenging... Her Alzheimers leaves her repeating conversations (or remarks, at least) several times over. I did start counting the number of times a certain theme cropped up, but suffice it to say we were in no doubt that it was quiet in her block, because almost everyone had gone away, and the flats opposite hers were empty because no-one would buy them... When night fell, it was certainly "almost black out there" (and the reasons for the lack of obvious light were explained several times)... And I should hope she now knows what day I go back to work.
As long as the conversation kept going, she was OK... but she felt the need to fill any and all extended silences, and couldn't remember the attempts she'd already made. It tended to be the utterly inane thing she forgot, as she was quite capable of remembering her first job (and her mother's reaction to it), though she did come out with a complete flight of fancy about an uncle who moved somewhere foreign. The closest factual thing we knew about was a cousin who moved to South Africa, then came back.
Dinner was OK, as far as Turkey and Gammon go. Cocktail sausages wrapped in bacon are a bit of a Christmas staple with my mother. Christmas Pud was served with custard rather than cream which, to be honest, I think I preferred. Shortly after finishing the washing up, we left to head back to the house and carry on with that other Christmas Tradition, the Doctor Who special.
What can I say?
It made very little sense. From the Master's bizarre resurrection (Did Russell T. think he was writing an episode of Merlin?!) through the Doctor's teary-eyed reminisence with Wilf, to the improbable resurrection of all of Gallifrey, punctuated by David Tennant's grimacing jogs around the quarries and docks of Wales, I found nothing of any merit in the story so far. It concludes tomorrow evening but, with Russell T. still at the helm, the glimpses offered by the trailer do not bode well.
I look forward to the new series, despite the new Doctor being even younger than Tennant, because the guy at the helm has created some of the best episodes in the series so far.
Not a great deal has happened since I got home. I've larked about on the new PC a little more, installed a couple of games - Neverwinter Nights, it seems, does not require an internet connection to validate, after all. It relies instead on some completely bonkers code printed on a sticker in the box.
I spent Tuesday pottering about the flat with a splitting headache that would not shift till the evening, and yesterday had a brief visit from a friend, finally able to trade Christmas presents with me, having been snowbound before Christmas, and whisked off due to a family emergency afterward.
I now have a telescope, and am hoping for clearer skies this weekend to give it a try. She now has the Revenge of the Fallen version of Ultimate Bumblebee... who's just about cool enough that I might pick one up for myself... if I can figure out where to put him. He is rather large.
Right now, I'm debating whether or not to watch Jools Holland's annual Hootenanny... Not sure I've ever watched one before, but it always sounds like a cool show.
Thursday 24 December 2009
So Far, So Good (With Caveats)
So here's the thing: The new PC is basically up and running, it's nice and fast, and the large monitor is wonderful (though, seriously, why are we stuck with the Widescreen aspect ratio these days? The salesman said they're very hard to find, and there certainly weren't any on display, that I saw).
But there's a 'but...'
And it's all the frickin' software.
The terms of the Windows license agreement border on the perverse. I'm sure it's all necessary and nothing to really worry about, but it basically says "Windows (or Microsoft) may periodically revalidate via the internet". Media Player now requires that you agree to have your usage of Media Player monitored (I've found a better alternative, though, so that's not really a problem).
And then there's the whole "Register/Validate/otherwise connect with the software vendor online" thing.
What is the obsession with having every computer in the world connected to the internet?
I've realised now that I can't even install most of the games I've got, because they require internet connections to validate the installations.
It's bizarre.
But, hey, it's working... Just need to transfer over some decent antivirus/firewall/etc software (the salesman recommended Kaspersky... I shall have to check on that, as it's another 'Internet Security Suite', and my experience of McAfee and Norton have put me off full suites.
The few things I've tested so far work nicely enough, but I'll have to check things like DVD writing before I'm completely happy...
But there's a 'but...'
And it's all the frickin' software.
The terms of the Windows license agreement border on the perverse. I'm sure it's all necessary and nothing to really worry about, but it basically says "Windows (or Microsoft) may periodically revalidate via the internet". Media Player now requires that you agree to have your usage of Media Player monitored (I've found a better alternative, though, so that's not really a problem).
And then there's the whole "Register/Validate/otherwise connect with the software vendor online" thing.
What is the obsession with having every computer in the world connected to the internet?
I've realised now that I can't even install most of the games I've got, because they require internet connections to validate the installations.
It's bizarre.
But, hey, it's working... Just need to transfer over some decent antivirus/firewall/etc software (the salesman recommended Kaspersky... I shall have to check on that, as it's another 'Internet Security Suite', and my experience of McAfee and Norton have put me off full suites.
The few things I've tested so far work nicely enough, but I'll have to check things like DVD writing before I'm completely happy...
Wednesday 23 December 2009
The More Plans Change, The More They Stay The Same
OK, so I went out laptop shopping, and came back with a mini tower.
Price was the obvious factor - for the same cost as a decent laptop (which, let's face it, is going to be pretty small and fairly limited in terms of what can be attacted), I got a mini tower with integrated card readers (SD, Sony Memory Stick, Compact Flash and xD), 6 USB ports (2 up front, 4 at the back, with proper keyboard and mouse ports, so I'm not wasting 2 USB ports straight away), and a decent integrated graphics card (though the guy in the shop reckoned it wouldn't necessarily be enough for gaming).
Oh, and a 23-inch widescreen monitor.
Yeah, that's 23-inch widescreen.
And, you know what? I might not even connect this sucker to the interwebs. How about keeping the laptop for internet and transferring files (when necessary) via USB memory things or DVD?
I'll probably get it online eventually but, till this laptop dies, I see no reason to retire it.
Christmas is now possibly moving to my Grandmother's flat, just to preserve some semblance of her routine. It has been observed that she doesn't do well if she's taken out of her familiar bubble, and that she doesn't like staying overnight with my parents. This will probably work out better all round, as it's less likely we'll be hanging around there too long after dinner.
I also picked up a cool card for a friend, but then left it in my mother's handbag when we brought the new computer to my place. Dur.
Price was the obvious factor - for the same cost as a decent laptop (which, let's face it, is going to be pretty small and fairly limited in terms of what can be attacted), I got a mini tower with integrated card readers (SD, Sony Memory Stick, Compact Flash and xD), 6 USB ports (2 up front, 4 at the back, with proper keyboard and mouse ports, so I'm not wasting 2 USB ports straight away), and a decent integrated graphics card (though the guy in the shop reckoned it wouldn't necessarily be enough for gaming).
Oh, and a 23-inch widescreen monitor.
Yeah, that's 23-inch widescreen.
And, you know what? I might not even connect this sucker to the interwebs. How about keeping the laptop for internet and transferring files (when necessary) via USB memory things or DVD?
I'll probably get it online eventually but, till this laptop dies, I see no reason to retire it.
Christmas is now possibly moving to my Grandmother's flat, just to preserve some semblance of her routine. It has been observed that she doesn't do well if she's taken out of her familiar bubble, and that she doesn't like staying overnight with my parents. This will probably work out better all round, as it's less likely we'll be hanging around there too long after dinner.
I also picked up a cool card for a friend, but then left it in my mother's handbag when we brought the new computer to my place. Dur.
It's either foggy or raining...
Hopefully the former (though the latter will help clear the snow if it stays as warm as it seems to be today), as my mother called a while back, asking if I felt like heading uptown to sort out my Christmas PC... I thought I heard some reluctance in her voice but, going by the way the conversation continued, it may just be that she was expecting reluctance on my part (when I was younger, I was not noted for my willingness to go out in bad weather, I think...) and that just came out in her voice.
Also had another call from my boss, who's still snowbound out in the sticks. She's hoping for a thaw, or her Christmas is likely to be a lean one. Also means we may not be exchanging Christmas presents till the New Year. She'd heard from my counterpart - who, I'd forgotten, is working till Christmas Eve - on a number of trivial matters that he should have been able to deal with himself. One of his team wanted to book holiday (needed to arrange flights), and didn't want to wait till the New Year. Deary me.
I've restocked my freezer, despite the fact that I'll be heading over the my folks tomorrow - I wanted to make sure there is stuff to eat when I return.
Not much else to report at this juncture... Need to get ready to head out again. At least the trains seem to be running well at the moment.
Also had another call from my boss, who's still snowbound out in the sticks. She's hoping for a thaw, or her Christmas is likely to be a lean one. Also means we may not be exchanging Christmas presents till the New Year. She'd heard from my counterpart - who, I'd forgotten, is working till Christmas Eve - on a number of trivial matters that he should have been able to deal with himself. One of his team wanted to book holiday (needed to arrange flights), and didn't want to wait till the New Year. Deary me.
I've restocked my freezer, despite the fact that I'll be heading over the my folks tomorrow - I wanted to make sure there is stuff to eat when I return.
Not much else to report at this juncture... Need to get ready to head out again. At least the trains seem to be running well at the moment.
Obviously not doing enough lately...
What is it with me and staying up into the early hours of the morning? Seriously, I should probably take a long walk somewhere tomorrow, because I'm just not getting tired, and I can't sleep.
It's OK if there's a late night horror movie or something but, lately, I'm just awake.
My only trip out was a brief sojourn into Harrow, where I went looking for an additional Christmas present, and a small, high table so I can have my phone in the hall, rather than the bedroom, making it rather more easily accessible wherever I am in the flat.
Since Argos had a suitable table, I was tempted to make use of some of their half-price TransFormers offers. Masterpiece Skywarp was a bit of a no-brainer - the MP F-15 mold is awesome... but does this mean I'll have to get MP Thundercracker if it becomes available over here?
The repaint is not bad, but it is rather heavy on undetailed black. I may have to refer to the cartoon and/or other artwork and add some more silver or white here and there. The very dark metallic colour is excellent, though sparse, and the so-dark-they're-almost-invisible Decepticon insignias on his wings are just perfect. What I don't understand is why they painted stripes on the undersides of his wings... I'm glad it's not as glossy as the promo shots of the Japanese version... but plain black plastic is pretty dull.
I managed to pass on RotF Supreme Devastator, even at half price - far more reasonable than the normal pricetag, but still not something I fancy buying. I don't have room for it, and it'd be far too tempting to start repaining it all.
Ultimate Bumblebee also got away from me this time. I may change my mind at a later date (I'm sure they'll reduce the price again) but, for now, it's another large TransFormer I can do without.
All this came about because the planned trip to PC World with my mother got cancelled in the morning. She have visited her mother as usual, and decided to stay for the afternoon. My grandmother has been unwell lately and, while it seems she's getting better, she's also become far less inclined to feed herself unless there's someone watching/joining her.
The PC hunt may be on today, depending on the weather... but I won't be surprised if it gets postponed again. Not a big deal, as my current machine is behaving itself as well as can be expected...
It's OK if there's a late night horror movie or something but, lately, I'm just awake.
My only trip out was a brief sojourn into Harrow, where I went looking for an additional Christmas present, and a small, high table so I can have my phone in the hall, rather than the bedroom, making it rather more easily accessible wherever I am in the flat.
Since Argos had a suitable table, I was tempted to make use of some of their half-price TransFormers offers. Masterpiece Skywarp was a bit of a no-brainer - the MP F-15 mold is awesome... but does this mean I'll have to get MP Thundercracker if it becomes available over here?
The repaint is not bad, but it is rather heavy on undetailed black. I may have to refer to the cartoon and/or other artwork and add some more silver or white here and there. The very dark metallic colour is excellent, though sparse, and the so-dark-they're-almost-invisible Decepticon insignias on his wings are just perfect. What I don't understand is why they painted stripes on the undersides of his wings... I'm glad it's not as glossy as the promo shots of the Japanese version... but plain black plastic is pretty dull.
I managed to pass on RotF Supreme Devastator, even at half price - far more reasonable than the normal pricetag, but still not something I fancy buying. I don't have room for it, and it'd be far too tempting to start repaining it all.
Ultimate Bumblebee also got away from me this time. I may change my mind at a later date (I'm sure they'll reduce the price again) but, for now, it's another large TransFormer I can do without.
All this came about because the planned trip to PC World with my mother got cancelled in the morning. She have visited her mother as usual, and decided to stay for the afternoon. My grandmother has been unwell lately and, while it seems she's getting better, she's also become far less inclined to feed herself unless there's someone watching/joining her.
The PC hunt may be on today, depending on the weather... but I won't be surprised if it gets postponed again. Not a big deal, as my current machine is behaving itself as well as can be expected...
Tuesday 22 December 2009
Inclement
The snow seems to be falling again... and water has again been dripping through my bathroom ceiling.
By the looks of it, right now, the snow is neither plentiful enough nor solid enough to pose much of a problem - it's falling way too fast and heavy to be anything other than slush. While there are some big clumps, there just isn't enough of it to settle.
We shall see what the morning brings...
By the looks of it, right now, the snow is neither plentiful enough nor solid enough to pose much of a problem - it's falling way too fast and heavy to be anything other than slush. While there are some big clumps, there just isn't enough of it to settle.
We shall see what the morning brings...
Monday 21 December 2009
Well, that went better than expected...
Bar transport, of course. Getting uptown was a chore thanks to the newly-reorganised 'Circle' line (which is now a short spiral, not a circle) and delays caused by a trespasser on the tracks near King's Cross Station but, once I got to High Street Kensington, the shopping couldn't have been simpler.
Well, that isn't entirely true either - thanks to the Wholefoods shop in the old Barkers building, I was rather spoiled for choice... but I managed to pick out some booze, cheese and sweeties suitable for my folks. Even managed to buy a hamper to store them in the same shop.
And there was me thinking I'd be dashing back and forth between Wholefoods, Marks & Sparks and some of the smaller shops along the parade.
Of course, the downside was that I was overburdened with Christmas shopping pretty much straight away, when I'd tentatively planned to pop into Waterstones and Argos to pick up supplementary presents, and a couple of things for myself.
Tomorrow, I shall probably be popping out shopping with my mother, who is buying me a new laptop, to replace my current, much-beleaguered Dell. It's either going to be a new Dell, or a Toshiba - both performance machines, either more than adequate for my purposes.
Whichever one I get, I shall not be getting anything by Symantec or McAfee pre-installed. Horrible, horrible suites of software that infest one's system with Bloatware.
Having trouble deciding whether or not I want to pick up the recent live action GI Joe movie... One the one hand, I preferred it to Revenge of the Fallen (which I have bought), while on the other, it was a far more blatant toy commercial, and seemed slower-paced.
I probably will... Sienna Miller as The Baroness, and all that...
Well, that isn't entirely true either - thanks to the Wholefoods shop in the old Barkers building, I was rather spoiled for choice... but I managed to pick out some booze, cheese and sweeties suitable for my folks. Even managed to buy a hamper to store them in the same shop.
And there was me thinking I'd be dashing back and forth between Wholefoods, Marks & Sparks and some of the smaller shops along the parade.
Of course, the downside was that I was overburdened with Christmas shopping pretty much straight away, when I'd tentatively planned to pop into Waterstones and Argos to pick up supplementary presents, and a couple of things for myself.
Tomorrow, I shall probably be popping out shopping with my mother, who is buying me a new laptop, to replace my current, much-beleaguered Dell. It's either going to be a new Dell, or a Toshiba - both performance machines, either more than adequate for my purposes.
Whichever one I get, I shall not be getting anything by Symantec or McAfee pre-installed. Horrible, horrible suites of software that infest one's system with Bloatware.
Having trouble deciding whether or not I want to pick up the recent live action GI Joe movie... One the one hand, I preferred it to Revenge of the Fallen (which I have bought), while on the other, it was a far more blatant toy commercial, and seemed slower-paced.
I probably will... Sienna Miller as The Baroness, and all that...
Lost and Found
Well, the trip to my folks' place didn't meet my expectations in any way, shape or form. I can see how depressed my brother-in-law is, but can't understand why. He's feeling isolated, and yet made no effort to interact with his tiny little daughter. I suspect that if he involved himself a little more, rather than just feeding when required, changing when required and otherwise pretending to nap on the sofa, he might feel a touch less isolated.
Perhaps I'm wrong... but if Fatherhood isn't what he was expecting, he should at least try to make the best of it. He'll be stuck with the girl for a good few years yet.
Meanwhile, with just a tiny hint of encouragement (for the third time) my mother finally got round to looking for my missing SAM Coupé. Having assured me that, if it was in the loft, it would have been carefully boxed up and put away, we found it entirely out in the open, upside down in a pile of junk, and with cobwebs in the open section where the hard disk is installed (I really wish I'd got around to having a hole drilled in the drive bay cover, so it could have been closed up to some degree).
Still missing in action are the power supply, SCART cable and the disks containing the DOS that'll work with the Atom and the hard disk... So I'm still unable to use it, or get at anything on there... Which is a real bugger.
On the upside, I remembered to collect my folders of sketches and things, to bring back to the flat. On the downside, I forgot to take over things like my camera (to take photos of my niece) and DVDs I might have suggested watching instead of the rubbish TV that was on later in the evening.
Dinner was a small, snack/finger food thing, but strangely filling... And I returned home with everything I was after (bar the SAM) and a few extras (such as a good chunk of my TransFormers comics from just over 20 years ago).
Tomorrow (make that later today... it's almost 2.30am!), unless I get snowed in, I'm aiming to (possibly) get my hair cut, go out to High Street Ken, and browse for Christmas Hamper gifts for my folks.
Perhaps I'm wrong... but if Fatherhood isn't what he was expecting, he should at least try to make the best of it. He'll be stuck with the girl for a good few years yet.
Meanwhile, with just a tiny hint of encouragement (for the third time) my mother finally got round to looking for my missing SAM Coupé. Having assured me that, if it was in the loft, it would have been carefully boxed up and put away, we found it entirely out in the open, upside down in a pile of junk, and with cobwebs in the open section where the hard disk is installed (I really wish I'd got around to having a hole drilled in the drive bay cover, so it could have been closed up to some degree).
Still missing in action are the power supply, SCART cable and the disks containing the DOS that'll work with the Atom and the hard disk... So I'm still unable to use it, or get at anything on there... Which is a real bugger.
On the upside, I remembered to collect my folders of sketches and things, to bring back to the flat. On the downside, I forgot to take over things like my camera (to take photos of my niece) and DVDs I might have suggested watching instead of the rubbish TV that was on later in the evening.
Dinner was a small, snack/finger food thing, but strangely filling... And I returned home with everything I was after (bar the SAM) and a few extras (such as a good chunk of my TransFormers comics from just over 20 years ago).
Tomorrow (make that later today... it's almost 2.30am!), unless I get snowed in, I'm aiming to (possibly) get my hair cut, go out to High Street Ken, and browse for Christmas Hamper gifts for my folks.
Sunday 20 December 2009
Some Slight Snowfall
Woke up to another incredibly bright, clear, sunny day, just like yesterday. The only difference is that it appears to have snowed ever so slightly overnight. The roads are still completely clear of snow, but the pavements have a very thin new coat.
Didn't do a great deal of anything yesterday... My mother called to say my sister and brother-in-law will be calling round today to do a pre-Christmas present swap. I got my presents to them wrapped, but consequently screwed up my timing for other things - I was thinking of heading to High Street Kensington to do some shopping/browsing, and had offered to run an errand for a friend at the nearby Notting Hill Gate Farmers' Market... but that closes at 1pm, and I wasn't ready to go out in time to get me there before that time.
There appears to be a Sherlock Holmes weekend on ITV3, possibly in honour of the upcoming Guy Ritchie movie starring Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law. There are repeats of the Jeremy Brett TV series, with rumours of 'documentaries'... not that I've seen any so far.
I'm not sure what to think of the new movie, based on what I've heard. They seem to have reinvented Holmes, taking particuler care to ignore some of his most important characteristics. I hope there's a less obvious, more sensible context for the scene in the trailer where he's tied to a bed and says something like "Don't worry, I'm a professional"... but I doubt it.
Jeremy Brett has basically ruined any subsequent attempt to portray Sherlock Holmes on screen by being utterly brilliant in that role. In the same way, Joan Hickson has ruined Miss Marple, Fry and Laurie have ruined Jeeves and Wooster. It's strange how persistently people try to remake Holmes and Marple while, thankfully, Jeeves and Wooster have been left alone after Fry and Laurie's wonderful turns.
I'll be heading over to my folks' place later - probably after lunch - and will either stay for dinner (maybe depending on what my sister and brother-in-law are doing) or rush back and do some late shopping to restock my fridge. That said, it might be better to leave that till tomorrow.
Didn't do a great deal of anything yesterday... My mother called to say my sister and brother-in-law will be calling round today to do a pre-Christmas present swap. I got my presents to them wrapped, but consequently screwed up my timing for other things - I was thinking of heading to High Street Kensington to do some shopping/browsing, and had offered to run an errand for a friend at the nearby Notting Hill Gate Farmers' Market... but that closes at 1pm, and I wasn't ready to go out in time to get me there before that time.
There appears to be a Sherlock Holmes weekend on ITV3, possibly in honour of the upcoming Guy Ritchie movie starring Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law. There are repeats of the Jeremy Brett TV series, with rumours of 'documentaries'... not that I've seen any so far.
I'm not sure what to think of the new movie, based on what I've heard. They seem to have reinvented Holmes, taking particuler care to ignore some of his most important characteristics. I hope there's a less obvious, more sensible context for the scene in the trailer where he's tied to a bed and says something like "Don't worry, I'm a professional"... but I doubt it.
Jeremy Brett has basically ruined any subsequent attempt to portray Sherlock Holmes on screen by being utterly brilliant in that role. In the same way, Joan Hickson has ruined Miss Marple, Fry and Laurie have ruined Jeeves and Wooster. It's strange how persistently people try to remake Holmes and Marple while, thankfully, Jeeves and Wooster have been left alone after Fry and Laurie's wonderful turns.
I'll be heading over to my folks' place later - probably after lunch - and will either stay for dinner (maybe depending on what my sister and brother-in-law are doing) or rush back and do some late shopping to restock my fridge. That said, it might be better to leave that till tomorrow.
Friday 18 December 2009
All Done For The Year
My last magazine of 2009 went to press with remarkably little fuss, at about 4.15pm today.
What little fuss there was came about because one of the idiot Salespeople cannot tell the difference between a 'Promised Position' and a 'Comment' when booking her ads. The former should be self-explanatory, and that's the information I see when working on the flatplan. The latter is merely what it implies.
Were it not for their stupidity (and if they could actually sell better) we might have been finished by about 3-3.30pm, which is when the last bit of Editorial got signed off. I estimated a finishing time of "just after 4pm", so we weren't too badly off.
I stayed behind a while to tidy my desk and start the process of making an online edition of the magazine, and had a nice, smooth journey home.
My boss, meanwhile, was snowed in at home and - going by the number of times she called - turning a little stir-crazy. Her last day is Monday, when the very last magazine of the year goes to press, but my counterpart on the other team is working till Christmas Eve. He's had the last few days off ever since our respective companies merged, so I figured it was about time I gave myself some extra time off.
What little fuss there was came about because one of the idiot Salespeople cannot tell the difference between a 'Promised Position' and a 'Comment' when booking her ads. The former should be self-explanatory, and that's the information I see when working on the flatplan. The latter is merely what it implies.
Were it not for their stupidity (and if they could actually sell better) we might have been finished by about 3-3.30pm, which is when the last bit of Editorial got signed off. I estimated a finishing time of "just after 4pm", so we weren't too badly off.
I stayed behind a while to tidy my desk and start the process of making an online edition of the magazine, and had a nice, smooth journey home.
My boss, meanwhile, was snowed in at home and - going by the number of times she called - turning a little stir-crazy. Her last day is Monday, when the very last magazine of the year goes to press, but my counterpart on the other team is working till Christmas Eve. He's had the last few days off ever since our respective companies merged, so I figured it was about time I gave myself some extra time off.
Thursday 17 December 2009
And other things...
Also at Westfield, I managed to pick up TransFormers: Animated Shockwave... possibly the least Animated-looking TF:A toy of them all. Supposedly I'd declined to purchase him the last time I saw him, but I honestly don't remember seeing him before.
I can imagine why I turned him down, now I come to think about it: The predominantly blueish-grey and black colour scheme really doesn't say "Shockwave" to me. Even though my 'Generation 1 Shockwave' was actually the grey version sold by Tandy/Radio Shack - known to many as 'Shackwave' - rather than the purple, true Hasbro version, Shockwave will always be the purple of the Decepticon insignia. There is, supposedly, a purple version of TF:A Shockwave, and I'd kind of prefer to own that one... but he's not show accurate.
Not that I worry about that kind of thing.
So, in many ways, the choice of buying the original TF:A Shockwave or waiting and hoping the purple version gets a UK release could be made by tossing a coin... and, assuming I have seen him before and decided not to buy him then, only to pick him up today, tends to suggest it didn't really bother me that much.
He's actually pretty cool... but not exactly exciting. I'll eventually go into more detail in a more appropriate setting but, for now, suffice it to say that the toy has little in common with the Animated aesthetic. His dual vehicle modes are far too angular and his robot modes (Autobot Longarm and Decepticon Shockwave) are rather too blocky. Not to say it's a total failure, just not in keeping with the rest of the toy line. Also, how many H-Tanks are there in the many generations of TransFormers? At least the movie line didn't stoop to that.
Assuming I can find Wreck Gar... and possibly Waspinator... that'll be the end of my TF:A collection... And not a moment too soon, as the shelf is basically full.
I can imagine why I turned him down, now I come to think about it: The predominantly blueish-grey and black colour scheme really doesn't say "Shockwave" to me. Even though my 'Generation 1 Shockwave' was actually the grey version sold by Tandy/Radio Shack - known to many as 'Shackwave' - rather than the purple, true Hasbro version, Shockwave will always be the purple of the Decepticon insignia. There is, supposedly, a purple version of TF:A Shockwave, and I'd kind of prefer to own that one... but he's not show accurate.
Not that I worry about that kind of thing.
So, in many ways, the choice of buying the original TF:A Shockwave or waiting and hoping the purple version gets a UK release could be made by tossing a coin... and, assuming I have seen him before and decided not to buy him then, only to pick him up today, tends to suggest it didn't really bother me that much.
He's actually pretty cool... but not exactly exciting. I'll eventually go into more detail in a more appropriate setting but, for now, suffice it to say that the toy has little in common with the Animated aesthetic. His dual vehicle modes are far too angular and his robot modes (Autobot Longarm and Decepticon Shockwave) are rather too blocky. Not to say it's a total failure, just not in keeping with the rest of the toy line. Also, how many H-Tanks are there in the many generations of TransFormers? At least the movie line didn't stoop to that.
Assuming I can find Wreck Gar... and possibly Waspinator... that'll be the end of my TF:A collection... And not a moment too soon, as the shelf is basically full.
Snooooooooooooowwwwwww
Yep, it's snowing.
Not that much, by the looks of the world outside my window, but London doesn't need much snow to go horribly wrong.
My last press day of 2009 is due to be tomorrow, and things are looking pretty good - there was a concerted effort to get as much as possible signed off today (both Editorial and advertising), so we're in reasonably good shape even if the weather does muck everything up tomorrow and we have to push the deadline back to Monday.
Mind you, a little snow in town could easily mean a hell of a lot out where my boss lives... So there's a very large chance she won't make it in, even if the rest of us do. While the state of play is such that we're unlikely to need her heavy artillery, it's always good to have it around, in case of unforseen circumstances. And the forseen ones that just go terribly wrong, as late sales are wont to do.
I'm hoping it's actually not cold enough for the snow to settle well - that's certainly how it looks right now. The roads aren't even slushy, they're just wet.
Mind you, since the magazine going to press tomorrow is one from the South office, it may be that their staff can't make it to our office (possibly even their own), so even if my team and I can get to the office, there might well be very little for us to do.
On the way home tonight, I popped into Westfield. This was mainly to investigate getting a Mac for Christmas. Having looked over the options, and asked the advice of my Mac-phile boss, I'm starting to think that perhaps I might be better off with a new laptop after all. It really does look as though my brother-in-law isn't going to get round building the desktop PC I asked for as a birthday present, and a laptop would be suitable for my needs... I was just kinda hoping for something different.
Macs, meanwhile, may be sleek and stylish... but they are still ridiculously expensive for what you get. Shame, as I quite liked the idea of the generally-better-reliability offered by Apple's machines.
Not that much, by the looks of the world outside my window, but London doesn't need much snow to go horribly wrong.
My last press day of 2009 is due to be tomorrow, and things are looking pretty good - there was a concerted effort to get as much as possible signed off today (both Editorial and advertising), so we're in reasonably good shape even if the weather does muck everything up tomorrow and we have to push the deadline back to Monday.
Mind you, a little snow in town could easily mean a hell of a lot out where my boss lives... So there's a very large chance she won't make it in, even if the rest of us do. While the state of play is such that we're unlikely to need her heavy artillery, it's always good to have it around, in case of unforseen circumstances. And the forseen ones that just go terribly wrong, as late sales are wont to do.
I'm hoping it's actually not cold enough for the snow to settle well - that's certainly how it looks right now. The roads aren't even slushy, they're just wet.
Mind you, since the magazine going to press tomorrow is one from the South office, it may be that their staff can't make it to our office (possibly even their own), so even if my team and I can get to the office, there might well be very little for us to do.
On the way home tonight, I popped into Westfield. This was mainly to investigate getting a Mac for Christmas. Having looked over the options, and asked the advice of my Mac-phile boss, I'm starting to think that perhaps I might be better off with a new laptop after all. It really does look as though my brother-in-law isn't going to get round building the desktop PC I asked for as a birthday present, and a laptop would be suitable for my needs... I was just kinda hoping for something different.
Macs, meanwhile, may be sleek and stylish... but they are still ridiculously expensive for what you get. Shame, as I quite liked the idea of the generally-better-reliability offered by Apple's machines.
Wednesday 16 December 2009
Some Writing About Reading About Writing...
Many years ago, I bought myself a couple of books on the subject of writing Science Fiction - one by Orson Scott Card, the other by Ben Bova - and didn't really get into them at the time.
I suspect I bought them because I had the tiny seed of a Sci-Fi story or two in my mind (one was actually for a videogame I was supposedly helping to design and/or doing graphic artwork for at the time), and wanted to see if I could flesh it out. I suspect it didn't work because the main idea wasn't so much a Sci-Fi story as a terribly clichéd romance with Sci-Fi trappings. Boy Meets Android, if you will.
As has been mentioned a couple of times previously in this Blog, I started reading them again recently. Card's book was interesting, informative, potentially useful... Bova's almost lost me because of an offhand comment about Alien (also mentioned previously), but managed to hold my attention because, in many instances where he writes about the problems writers encounter, he could so very easily be speaking directly to me.
So, here's the thing: Quoting someone else, he notes that fledgling writers really need to ask themselves "Do you want to be a writer, or do you want to write?"
It's an important difference to note. The title 'writer' or 'author' carries with it a certain image and glamour. Who wouldn't want to be the next JK Rowling? Who wouldn't want that kind of book deal? Who wouldn't want to see their book being read by young and old (particularly when we're not noted for our literacy these days)?
But put it into perspective: All that glitz, all those parties and public appearances, means you're not going to be getting a whole lot of writing done. Time away from the keyboard is time wasted. And how many people write well hung over?
A writer must write... it's a compulsion, as much as anything, but that doesn't mean it's easy.
I really want to write, but I consistently come up with excuses not to. I'm out of ideas, I want to rest or watch TV, I need to restock the fridge... Mundane lies, for the most part.
The real problem, I suspect, is that I'm afraid to finish anything. I've got so much 'in progress' or 'on the back burner' (something like 16 short-ish stories for one character, with the potential for another book for each of two other related characters, then the 'new' stuff I'm 'working' on, based around an idea I had 16 years ago for an adventure game), but rarely devote any quality time to them, let alone do so regularly... which is what a writer really needs to do. I don't even regularly devote time to this bloody blog, and setting up that sort of structure with my time would be hugely beneficial.
I've never been any good at finishing things, even things I know I could finish. But the fact is that I can finish things, and I do finish things... but I've spent so much time telling myself and others that I'm no good at finishing things that, on some level, that has become the truth.
Because, much as I want to write these 'new' stories, I'm terrified about what would happen if I actually finished one. I'd want to try to get it published, but that's soul-crushingly difficult these days, with so few publishers willing to take risks with new writers (or so the story goes). I could go the self-publishing route but, having looked into it, that seems awfully complicated. And, either way, if I finished and published one, I'd have no excuses to avoid working on the follow-ups I already have planned.
And I spend so much time complicating these things (the protagonist in one of my stories is an author - har har - struggling with the latest book in his successful series... and I've started putting as much thought into his novels as the story I want to write!) that it's very difficult for me to plan what I want to do.
But this is where Bova's book - particularly the chapters on writing novels rather than short stories - have been incredibly useful. It seems I've been going about things more or less the right way (though I could do with being a bit more careful with my noting of ideas), and I shouldn't expect it all to come together quickly, or to be perfect on the first draft. In the words of Ernest Hemingway, "The first draft of anything is shit."
What I need to do is list my characters and figure out who they are (mostly done), then work out a sort of timeline, to show what they're all up to at what point in the story, and how/where their paths cross.
Though I have to admit I'm still troubled by the possibility that it might work better as a game than as a book...
Over the last week, I've ordered five more writing books from Amazon - had to collect most of them from a depot in Wembley one cold Saturday morning, and the other arrived by post this week - but haven't started reading them yet. Three of them are specific to certain elements of writing (character, setting, etc.) while the other two are basically writing exercises designed to keep my nose at the grindstone.
I also have a friend who occasionally challenges me to write short stories... The latest of which is a Christmas story as an extra Christmas present for her. I currently have no idea what I'm going to do (it's rather a broad canvas, but it's tempting to write something autobiographical), but that's pretty much what happened with the story she asked for as a birthday present, and that turned out to be one of the finest things I've written (if I do say so myself).
And since I finish work for the year this coming Friday, I'll have plenty of time for writing... So the only challenge will be sitting myself down at the keyboard rather than in front of the TV, and writing rather than surfing the interwebs.
I suspect I bought them because I had the tiny seed of a Sci-Fi story or two in my mind (one was actually for a videogame I was supposedly helping to design and/or doing graphic artwork for at the time), and wanted to see if I could flesh it out. I suspect it didn't work because the main idea wasn't so much a Sci-Fi story as a terribly clichéd romance with Sci-Fi trappings. Boy Meets Android, if you will.
As has been mentioned a couple of times previously in this Blog, I started reading them again recently. Card's book was interesting, informative, potentially useful... Bova's almost lost me because of an offhand comment about Alien (also mentioned previously), but managed to hold my attention because, in many instances where he writes about the problems writers encounter, he could so very easily be speaking directly to me.
So, here's the thing: Quoting someone else, he notes that fledgling writers really need to ask themselves "Do you want to be a writer, or do you want to write?"
It's an important difference to note. The title 'writer' or 'author' carries with it a certain image and glamour. Who wouldn't want to be the next JK Rowling? Who wouldn't want that kind of book deal? Who wouldn't want to see their book being read by young and old (particularly when we're not noted for our literacy these days)?
But put it into perspective: All that glitz, all those parties and public appearances, means you're not going to be getting a whole lot of writing done. Time away from the keyboard is time wasted. And how many people write well hung over?
A writer must write... it's a compulsion, as much as anything, but that doesn't mean it's easy.
I really want to write, but I consistently come up with excuses not to. I'm out of ideas, I want to rest or watch TV, I need to restock the fridge... Mundane lies, for the most part.
The real problem, I suspect, is that I'm afraid to finish anything. I've got so much 'in progress' or 'on the back burner' (something like 16 short-ish stories for one character, with the potential for another book for each of two other related characters, then the 'new' stuff I'm 'working' on, based around an idea I had 16 years ago for an adventure game), but rarely devote any quality time to them, let alone do so regularly... which is what a writer really needs to do. I don't even regularly devote time to this bloody blog, and setting up that sort of structure with my time would be hugely beneficial.
I've never been any good at finishing things, even things I know I could finish. But the fact is that I can finish things, and I do finish things... but I've spent so much time telling myself and others that I'm no good at finishing things that, on some level, that has become the truth.
Because, much as I want to write these 'new' stories, I'm terrified about what would happen if I actually finished one. I'd want to try to get it published, but that's soul-crushingly difficult these days, with so few publishers willing to take risks with new writers (or so the story goes). I could go the self-publishing route but, having looked into it, that seems awfully complicated. And, either way, if I finished and published one, I'd have no excuses to avoid working on the follow-ups I already have planned.
And I spend so much time complicating these things (the protagonist in one of my stories is an author - har har - struggling with the latest book in his successful series... and I've started putting as much thought into his novels as the story I want to write!) that it's very difficult for me to plan what I want to do.
But this is where Bova's book - particularly the chapters on writing novels rather than short stories - have been incredibly useful. It seems I've been going about things more or less the right way (though I could do with being a bit more careful with my noting of ideas), and I shouldn't expect it all to come together quickly, or to be perfect on the first draft. In the words of Ernest Hemingway, "The first draft of anything is shit."
What I need to do is list my characters and figure out who they are (mostly done), then work out a sort of timeline, to show what they're all up to at what point in the story, and how/where their paths cross.
Though I have to admit I'm still troubled by the possibility that it might work better as a game than as a book...
Over the last week, I've ordered five more writing books from Amazon - had to collect most of them from a depot in Wembley one cold Saturday morning, and the other arrived by post this week - but haven't started reading them yet. Three of them are specific to certain elements of writing (character, setting, etc.) while the other two are basically writing exercises designed to keep my nose at the grindstone.
I also have a friend who occasionally challenges me to write short stories... The latest of which is a Christmas story as an extra Christmas present for her. I currently have no idea what I'm going to do (it's rather a broad canvas, but it's tempting to write something autobiographical), but that's pretty much what happened with the story she asked for as a birthday present, and that turned out to be one of the finest things I've written (if I do say so myself).
And since I finish work for the year this coming Friday, I'll have plenty of time for writing... So the only challenge will be sitting myself down at the keyboard rather than in front of the TV, and writing rather than surfing the interwebs.
Sunday 6 December 2009
Of Sharks and Sequels
Carrying on my habit of watching crappy horror movies, I turned in to the execrable Shark Swarm. Several well known cast members - John Schneider, Daryll Hannah, F. Murray Abraham and Armanda Assante - were very much slumming it, running on autopilot through a dull, predictable script written around the scientifically dubious concept of sharks being turned into pack-hunting monsters by a Property Developer's deliberate chemical dump. His devious plan was that, by polluting the local sea and killing off the local fishing industry, he'd force the local yokels to sell their prime, beachfront properties so he could redevelop the area into posh condos.
Ignoring the flawed logic (that which kills the fish is liable to do more than just turn the sharks into aquatic zombies, and could prove harmful to humans, thereby rendering the prime, beachfront property a bit of a deathtrap on far too many levels), the film was basically crap. Everything ran by the numbers, dialogue was utterly trite, the introduction of a super weapon capable of fending off zombified sharks was just plain silly, and the lesser-known actors were terrible.
And the climax of the film, where the sharks - having devoured all the bad guys - take it upon themselves to disappear back out into the open ocean (actually quite a worrying thought, considering they had essentially become zombie sharks) rather than hang around the established larder, made no sense at all.
Far better was Deathwatch, a horror movie set in the trenches of World War I. War isn't enough of a horror anymore? Evidently not, as the German-occupied trenches the Tommies happen across is also inhabited by... Evil. Cue people getting pierced by barbed wire, dragged down into the mud, shooting each other due to hallucinations... So far, so accurate description of the realities of war back in those unenlightened times... But the barbed wire in Deathwatch is... Alive! And people get literally dragged below ground by... Malevolent Forces!
The ending was just a little bit clichéd - good-guy Tommy (played by Jamie Bell) is allowed to leave because he tried to rescue the German soldier/Embodiment of the Malevolent Force from his slightly unhinged compatriots. He disappears off into the mists, while the 'German soldier' remains in his trench, only to capture/be captured by another bunch of British soldiers, implying the whole thing is about to start over again.
I was quite impressed, overall... Not least by the genius line, spoken with the perfect tone of incredulity by Lawrence Fox as the Captain, when one of the soldiers pleads with him not to go after the nutter of the troop (played by a suspiciously typecast Andy Serkis): "I'm an officer." Deathwatch even features that guy from the current BT adverts. Though the less said about what he gets up to, the better.
On the subject of movies, I picked up TransFormers: Revenge of the Fallen recently, and also watched that yesterday... Gotta say, it doesn't stand up to repeat viewings. The plot was paper thin the first time, and the comedy fell quite flat most of the way through. I actually fell asleep through a fair portion of the Egypt section, from shortly after the heroes' arrival by Space Bridge, to the Decepticons' hunt for Sam and Mikaela in the ruins.
While I liked that the robots got more screen time in this one, they were playing second fiddle to the story of a boy striking out on his own... and it was particularly jarring watching the film at home. Worse still, having seen the early drafts of some CG scenes in the Extras, it's all the more obvious that Jolt was tacked in at the end to advertise a car.
Today, I popped over to Harrow to make a proper start on my Christmas shopping. It didn't go as well as I'd hoped and, to be honest, I could easily have come away with more presents for myself than for my family. Some presents require a little more research... More options are available than were first considered.
I did pick up a new watch (the strap on my old one was gradually being eroded) a new wallet (the coin section's zip broke on my old one - the new one doesn't have a zip!) - and a new bathmat, which came with a matching mat for the toilet.
Strangely, there were more clothes that caught my eye than there were last time I went out with the intention of buying some new clothes... but I did not pick anything up this time.
Not much else done this weekend... I got a fair bit done, all told, it just doesn't feel like much.
Oh well... Let's see how the week goes...
Ignoring the flawed logic (that which kills the fish is liable to do more than just turn the sharks into aquatic zombies, and could prove harmful to humans, thereby rendering the prime, beachfront property a bit of a deathtrap on far too many levels), the film was basically crap. Everything ran by the numbers, dialogue was utterly trite, the introduction of a super weapon capable of fending off zombified sharks was just plain silly, and the lesser-known actors were terrible.
And the climax of the film, where the sharks - having devoured all the bad guys - take it upon themselves to disappear back out into the open ocean (actually quite a worrying thought, considering they had essentially become zombie sharks) rather than hang around the established larder, made no sense at all.
Far better was Deathwatch, a horror movie set in the trenches of World War I. War isn't enough of a horror anymore? Evidently not, as the German-occupied trenches the Tommies happen across is also inhabited by... Evil. Cue people getting pierced by barbed wire, dragged down into the mud, shooting each other due to hallucinations... So far, so accurate description of the realities of war back in those unenlightened times... But the barbed wire in Deathwatch is... Alive! And people get literally dragged below ground by... Malevolent Forces!
The ending was just a little bit clichéd - good-guy Tommy (played by Jamie Bell) is allowed to leave because he tried to rescue the German soldier/Embodiment of the Malevolent Force from his slightly unhinged compatriots. He disappears off into the mists, while the 'German soldier' remains in his trench, only to capture/be captured by another bunch of British soldiers, implying the whole thing is about to start over again.
I was quite impressed, overall... Not least by the genius line, spoken with the perfect tone of incredulity by Lawrence Fox as the Captain, when one of the soldiers pleads with him not to go after the nutter of the troop (played by a suspiciously typecast Andy Serkis): "I'm an officer." Deathwatch even features that guy from the current BT adverts. Though the less said about what he gets up to, the better.
On the subject of movies, I picked up TransFormers: Revenge of the Fallen recently, and also watched that yesterday... Gotta say, it doesn't stand up to repeat viewings. The plot was paper thin the first time, and the comedy fell quite flat most of the way through. I actually fell asleep through a fair portion of the Egypt section, from shortly after the heroes' arrival by Space Bridge, to the Decepticons' hunt for Sam and Mikaela in the ruins.
While I liked that the robots got more screen time in this one, they were playing second fiddle to the story of a boy striking out on his own... and it was particularly jarring watching the film at home. Worse still, having seen the early drafts of some CG scenes in the Extras, it's all the more obvious that Jolt was tacked in at the end to advertise a car.
Today, I popped over to Harrow to make a proper start on my Christmas shopping. It didn't go as well as I'd hoped and, to be honest, I could easily have come away with more presents for myself than for my family. Some presents require a little more research... More options are available than were first considered.
I did pick up a new watch (the strap on my old one was gradually being eroded) a new wallet (the coin section's zip broke on my old one - the new one doesn't have a zip!) - and a new bathmat, which came with a matching mat for the toilet.
Strangely, there were more clothes that caught my eye than there were last time I went out with the intention of buying some new clothes... but I did not pick anything up this time.
Not much else done this weekend... I got a fair bit done, all told, it just doesn't feel like much.
Oh well... Let's see how the week goes...
Wednesday 2 December 2009
A Further Meditation on The Passing of Time
Seriously, where did the last 35 and a half years go?
I find it unfathomable that, back in my younger days, I felt that life moved slowly... and that I had time to be bored in.
Whether life has accelerated further now that I'm living on my own, I don't know... but it certainly takes quite a lot of structure out of my personal universe, and that makes it very difficult to accurately/adequately follow the passing of time. Things that happened months ago seem like just yesterday.
Half the time, at the moment, I'm not entirely sure what day it is, because the print schedule at work is so cock-eyed and compressed in an effort to close all the January magazines before we break for Christmas. Which magazine am I working on now?
Actually, right now, I'm not... I'm stuck dealing with web ads, in a new system that I saw a demo of back in March, with the assurance that it'd be launched within a couple of months. It was lauched mid-November.
It's far easier to get everything done in this new system, but porting over information from our old Copy Control system to the new is a real chore. It's basically duplicating work just so I can upload ads. It's rather silly.
It would help if the Copy Controller operating this system had two brain cells to rub together, and could comprehend that a list of ads missing critical information like... ooh, just of the top of my head, the web address the ad is supposed to link to, is an utterly useless list of ads. It also lists ALL of the ads, individually, as being 'for December'.
I fucking know they're December ads... that's the month they're booked IN. I need to know what month they're booked TILL.
A small fraction of them list what state the ad is in... and I know they're not all done because some of them are missing.
Rocket Science, anyone?
This went so much more smoothly when I did everything, but I have been instructed that continuing with that method is not an option.
Nor is my proposed alternative, that that whole thing is operated by A.N. Other single person, working 2 days a week (if that, with the new system) for the same money I'm getting for 'managing'... Which I can't adequately do because I'm already 'managing' 5 magazines per month, and I'm not even managing them because I'm dealing with everyone else's critical lack of common sense and the capacity to use it.
There is something very wrong with a company that cannot take the best option presented to them for efficiently dealing with the work they do.
But, hey, that's my employers through and through.
I never even considered a career in this sort of thing, back when I first started in that little Pre-Press Bureau in Acton 16 years ago. It was just a way of getting out of the Dole queues, making a bit of money to squirrel away towards eventually buying a place of my own, or taking holidays.
Now I seem to be stuck with this career, because I haven't the faintest idea what else to do. Plenty of people tell me I have a good, transferrable skill set... but, seriously, whatever I do, I'm going to end up spending more time solving other people's problems than doing my own bloody job.
Wow... That could be an angsty whine worthy of Spider-Man.
Back when I was in school, all I wanted was to get involved in videogames... but then videogaming technology moved on to the point where I couldn't do what was needed, so that dream fizzled out...
I fell into a job that I could do very well... and that, frankly, I still enjoy doing... but I don't get the opportunity to do 'my job' because the people I work with are incompetent and brainless.
Am I repeating myself?
I watched Monsters Versus Aliens when I got in this evening - punctuated by a rather l o n g conversation with my mother about the state of my roof. Apparently it's quite obvious from Google Maps that something is very wrong with it. I spoke to the Managing Agents again today, and they were deeply apologetic that they cannot do anything yet because most of the flats haven't paid their service charge in a couple of years, and the fund is down to about £14.
Most of the flats are let, of course... so the occupants feel no obligation to pay. That'll be the Leaseholder's problem.
I may try to get the source of my leak fixed privately - with the Managing Agents'/Landlord's permission, of course - but it could easily be that the external source of the leak is nowhere near the hole in my bathroom ceiling...
Of course, it now turns out that several of the commercial units on the ground floor are complaining about leaks. The Managing Agent as replied by bluntly asking if that means they're now going to pay their share of the refit cost. Who knows, that might just work.
Erm. Back to Monsters Versus Aliens after that little sidetrack...
It's good... It had me giggling most of the way through, despite being full of clichéd characters and situations. Some of it was a little weak, but the voice acting was more than adequate. Unlike Shrek, there wasn't quite so much for the grown-ups in the audience, but it's an enjoyable enough yarn for the kids.
And I can't tell you how much I needed a giggle today...
More web ads tomorrow. Oh, the joy.
I find it unfathomable that, back in my younger days, I felt that life moved slowly... and that I had time to be bored in.
Whether life has accelerated further now that I'm living on my own, I don't know... but it certainly takes quite a lot of structure out of my personal universe, and that makes it very difficult to accurately/adequately follow the passing of time. Things that happened months ago seem like just yesterday.
Half the time, at the moment, I'm not entirely sure what day it is, because the print schedule at work is so cock-eyed and compressed in an effort to close all the January magazines before we break for Christmas. Which magazine am I working on now?
Actually, right now, I'm not... I'm stuck dealing with web ads, in a new system that I saw a demo of back in March, with the assurance that it'd be launched within a couple of months. It was lauched mid-November.
It's far easier to get everything done in this new system, but porting over information from our old Copy Control system to the new is a real chore. It's basically duplicating work just so I can upload ads. It's rather silly.
It would help if the Copy Controller operating this system had two brain cells to rub together, and could comprehend that a list of ads missing critical information like... ooh, just of the top of my head, the web address the ad is supposed to link to, is an utterly useless list of ads. It also lists ALL of the ads, individually, as being 'for December'.
I fucking know they're December ads... that's the month they're booked IN. I need to know what month they're booked TILL.
A small fraction of them list what state the ad is in... and I know they're not all done because some of them are missing.
Rocket Science, anyone?
This went so much more smoothly when I did everything, but I have been instructed that continuing with that method is not an option.
Nor is my proposed alternative, that that whole thing is operated by A.N. Other single person, working 2 days a week (if that, with the new system) for the same money I'm getting for 'managing'... Which I can't adequately do because I'm already 'managing' 5 magazines per month, and I'm not even managing them because I'm dealing with everyone else's critical lack of common sense and the capacity to use it.
There is something very wrong with a company that cannot take the best option presented to them for efficiently dealing with the work they do.
But, hey, that's my employers through and through.
I never even considered a career in this sort of thing, back when I first started in that little Pre-Press Bureau in Acton 16 years ago. It was just a way of getting out of the Dole queues, making a bit of money to squirrel away towards eventually buying a place of my own, or taking holidays.
Now I seem to be stuck with this career, because I haven't the faintest idea what else to do. Plenty of people tell me I have a good, transferrable skill set... but, seriously, whatever I do, I'm going to end up spending more time solving other people's problems than doing my own bloody job.
Wow... That could be an angsty whine worthy of Spider-Man.
Back when I was in school, all I wanted was to get involved in videogames... but then videogaming technology moved on to the point where I couldn't do what was needed, so that dream fizzled out...
I fell into a job that I could do very well... and that, frankly, I still enjoy doing... but I don't get the opportunity to do 'my job' because the people I work with are incompetent and brainless.
Am I repeating myself?
I watched Monsters Versus Aliens when I got in this evening - punctuated by a rather l o n g conversation with my mother about the state of my roof. Apparently it's quite obvious from Google Maps that something is very wrong with it. I spoke to the Managing Agents again today, and they were deeply apologetic that they cannot do anything yet because most of the flats haven't paid their service charge in a couple of years, and the fund is down to about £14.
Most of the flats are let, of course... so the occupants feel no obligation to pay. That'll be the Leaseholder's problem.
I may try to get the source of my leak fixed privately - with the Managing Agents'/Landlord's permission, of course - but it could easily be that the external source of the leak is nowhere near the hole in my bathroom ceiling...
Of course, it now turns out that several of the commercial units on the ground floor are complaining about leaks. The Managing Agent as replied by bluntly asking if that means they're now going to pay their share of the refit cost. Who knows, that might just work.
Erm. Back to Monsters Versus Aliens after that little sidetrack...
It's good... It had me giggling most of the way through, despite being full of clichéd characters and situations. Some of it was a little weak, but the voice acting was more than adequate. Unlike Shrek, there wasn't quite so much for the grown-ups in the audience, but it's an enjoyable enough yarn for the kids.
And I can't tell you how much I needed a giggle today...
More web ads tomorrow. Oh, the joy.
A Meditation on The Passing of Time
Fuck.
It's December.
Already.
In just over 29 days, it'll be 2010.
Fuck.
It's December.
Already.
In just over 29 days, it'll be 2010.
Fuck.
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