So here's the thing... Kick-Ass 2 is mired in controversy over its violence, to the point where, in the wake of yet another shooting spree in yet another US school, Jim Carrey decided to publicly distance himself from the film and all promotion of it.
Yes the movie is violent... but the guns are the least of its worries. I guess the specific problem could be that Mindy Macready (aka Hit Girl) takes up a gun while only a high school freshman (approximately 14, it seems) because, other than that, there's nothing unusual about the gunplay in the movie... There's far more focus on blades and bludgeons, in fact.
But there's more to Kick-Ass 2 than the violence. It's probably the first superhero movie in history to even begin to deal with the topic of escalation ('super heroes' begat 'super villains' who are, naturally, even more extreme than the heroes). It also deals remarkably well with Mindy's journey of self-discovery following the death of her father in the first film. I'm a huge fan of Chloë Grace Moretz, so I may be biased, but I'd say Mindy's first kiss was one of the best first kisses I've ever seen: she's lecturing Dave about what it means to be a superhero, and you see something click in her head - connecting the dots between her remarks about bravery and her recently-awakened sexuality - just before she kisses him. Given the character, and given how she developed through the movie, that moment was perfect.
Also, Jim Carrey's character, Colonel Stars and Stripes - the mob henchman turned born-again Christian - was more than the sum of his violence. Sure, his methods were extreme, and the line "try to have a little fun because, otherwise, what's the point?" came across more like something the mobster might say, rather than the reformed man... but you can't fault him for trying the best way he knew how. Beating criminals and instructing his dog to bite into their groins one minute, reminding his team-mates not to take the Lord's name in vain the next. He's a very charismatic character, who clearly believes in what he's doing... it's no surprise the other heroes flock around him so readily. His self-confidence (or was it Faith?) make him seem immortal.
Even the horrifically OTT 'Motherfucker', played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse, is comparatively well-rounded for a comic book supervillain. He's the spoilt but lonely rich kid out to avenge the death of his father... almost the Anti-Batman. He even tells his bodyguard/confidant "you're, like, my Alfred". He captures the self-absorption and misdirected anger of a teenager very well, and the moment Chris D'Amico realises he's about to die as a result of his alter-ego's vendetta was brilliantly done. Likewise his very muted response to the lesson in his bodyguard's sudden and savage murder.
Funny how a couple of actors best known for silly comedies put in some of the best dramatic performances in the movie...
Personally, I'd say Kick-Ass 2 is every bit as good as the first movie and perhaps, what with the themes explored, just a little bit better.
Of course, the introduction of Iain Glen as 'Uncle Ralph' is obvious foreshadowing... Just like when he first turned up in the Resident Evil franchise...
On another note... Just how many British actors were in Kick-Ass 2, for crying out loud?
Wednesday 28 August 2013
Monday 26 August 2013
The Perils of Optimism
So... Wow... was hoping I'd have pleasant things to write about my holiday, was I?
Actually, let's not be overly dramatic... The only bad part of the holiday, in fact, was that my four year old niece is currently a selfish, vicious diva who can get quite violent if she doesn't get her way. Most of the time, all we got were screams and tears ("I don't wanna [take part in the day's excursion]", often preceded by the lie "I told you...") but, at her worst, she decided to wreck a sand sculpture I has been attempting, simply because I refused to give her a small collection of flat pebbles which I'd collected from Weymouth beach (and the idea behind that was that I would have tried to show her how to skip them on the waterfront).
Even when playing, she can turn violent - she'll punch, kick and swing toys around (I got a plushy unicorn hobby-horse head in the balls!) and throw things. She'll grab and pull at anything she can get her hands on, be it clothing, body parts or hair. She'll demand attention, and insist that it's given just so...
...and there, I suspect, is the problem.
I've observed before that, when there are other adults present, her parents will effectively switch off, focussing their attention on their phones, laptops, books, television... anything but their daughter. At that age, kids just don't understand that there are other things, equally important, that need doing... but they should never be allowed to come to believe that Mummy and Daddy's phones, laptops, books and TV shows are more important.
My brother-in-law had a few stern words for me over playing with his daughter in the evenings, insisting that she needed to "calm down before bedtime". I don't what what planet he's on, but it can hardly be a coincidence that my niece was in bed and out like a light by about 6.30pm on our one 'lazy day' (where we stayed at home all day apart from a walk in the morning, a shopping trip and a visit to the cinema in the evening) after I'd spent most of the afternoon playing with her.
The other downside to the holiday came on our first day out, to the Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre. It was, by necessity, a short day out... it was a Sunday, after all... but, while trying to supervise my precocious little niece, I had to follow her up to the observation tower next to the Orang-utan pens and, right as I got to the top, a long-haired, angst-rock t-shirt wearing teenager blocked the way. It's a small cabin up there but, with other folks milling around and this guy giving the impression that he wanted to walk through me to get downstairs, I lost sight of my niece, so I pushed past. Cue some mutterings with his friends, before he said, out loud, "that jackass just barged past me" (or something similar). Had I not been intent on my niece, lifting her up to the window for a view of the Orang-utans below, I would have been just as loud in pointing out that looking after a four-year-old took precedence over any thought for the self-centred moron who thought that the best way to get down quickly was to block the staircase for those coming up. That pretty much spoilt the day for me, as I spent the rest of our time there on the lookout for the aforementioned moron, and didn't get many photos...
On the whole, the holiday was awesome. We went out almost every day once the whole family was assembled (as per last year, my folks and I arrived at the holiday home on the Friday, my sister and family arrived the following afternoon), visited some amazing places, saw some wonderful animals (a range of simians, horses, sea life, etc.) and had some delicious - and very reasonably-priced - food. My abiding memories of the whole experience are pretty positive, and the best day was, without a doubt, the day we spent at Weymouth, which just happened to be the day of their annual carnival. It was the second time I've spent any significant amount of time at the seaside in about the last 25 years (the first being Skegness last month, when I visited my girlfriend), it was a lovely warm day with a nice breeze, we had a picnic on the beach, ice creams, and a visit to the Sea Life centre. We viewed the gallery of sand sculptures (sci-fi was this year's theme), saw parts of a display by the Red Arrows and, aside from the small-but-destructive tantrum and a fall which prompted much crying (until remedied by a Mini Milk lolly!) the niece was very well behaved.
The funniest part of the day was when my niece basically ran off in the direction of a fairground ride in the sea life cente. I think I was the only one who noticed her dashing in that direction, and I ended up queuing with her, during which time she pleaded with me to ride with her (a necessity anyway, since she's under 1.2m tall!). In a fit of common sense, I phoned my sister to let her know where we were (she didn't sound especially worried), which brought mummy running back to the ride... and instantly the uncle was ousted. The staff on the ride did offer to let me go on the ride by myself (um... nah), or to let niece have a second ride with me (one ride was enough, as the niece got soaked!), which was pretty cool of them.
The most adventurous day by far was the day we went to Poole and picked up the ferry tour to Brownsea Island. Niece was most uncooperative on the way out, but settled down once we got to the island - the site of Baden-Powell's first ever Scout Camp, and home to one of the last refuges for native British red squirrels. Most of the adults in the group took a fairly long walk around the island, visiting views and gift shops along the way, while the niece made a kite in the kids' centre. Sadly, we didn't have time to explore Poole itself but, since I saw at least one amusement arcade on the promenade, that's probably a good thing for my wallet...
And now I'm back, I need to prepare for another weekend away, visiting my girlfriend again before she comes back to town at the end of next month.
On that note, and referring back to the family holiday, it's a bit of a turnaround for me for my abiding memories of anything to be positive. I'm basically an optimistic guy, but generally, I'll remember more of the bad than the good of my experiences... at least, until I met my girlfriend. Perhaps there's just that much more positive stuff to think about now (ignoring my continued lack of gainful employment), or perhaps meeting her and spending all this time with her has had a dramatic and positive impact on my perception of my experiences in the world at large... Food for thought, anyway...
Actually, let's not be overly dramatic... The only bad part of the holiday, in fact, was that my four year old niece is currently a selfish, vicious diva who can get quite violent if she doesn't get her way. Most of the time, all we got were screams and tears ("I don't wanna [take part in the day's excursion]", often preceded by the lie "I told you...") but, at her worst, she decided to wreck a sand sculpture I has been attempting, simply because I refused to give her a small collection of flat pebbles which I'd collected from Weymouth beach (and the idea behind that was that I would have tried to show her how to skip them on the waterfront).
Even when playing, she can turn violent - she'll punch, kick and swing toys around (I got a plushy unicorn hobby-horse head in the balls!) and throw things. She'll grab and pull at anything she can get her hands on, be it clothing, body parts or hair. She'll demand attention, and insist that it's given just so...
...and there, I suspect, is the problem.
I've observed before that, when there are other adults present, her parents will effectively switch off, focussing their attention on their phones, laptops, books, television... anything but their daughter. At that age, kids just don't understand that there are other things, equally important, that need doing... but they should never be allowed to come to believe that Mummy and Daddy's phones, laptops, books and TV shows are more important.
My brother-in-law had a few stern words for me over playing with his daughter in the evenings, insisting that she needed to "calm down before bedtime". I don't what what planet he's on, but it can hardly be a coincidence that my niece was in bed and out like a light by about 6.30pm on our one 'lazy day' (where we stayed at home all day apart from a walk in the morning, a shopping trip and a visit to the cinema in the evening) after I'd spent most of the afternoon playing with her.
The other downside to the holiday came on our first day out, to the Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre. It was, by necessity, a short day out... it was a Sunday, after all... but, while trying to supervise my precocious little niece, I had to follow her up to the observation tower next to the Orang-utan pens and, right as I got to the top, a long-haired, angst-rock t-shirt wearing teenager blocked the way. It's a small cabin up there but, with other folks milling around and this guy giving the impression that he wanted to walk through me to get downstairs, I lost sight of my niece, so I pushed past. Cue some mutterings with his friends, before he said, out loud, "that jackass just barged past me" (or something similar). Had I not been intent on my niece, lifting her up to the window for a view of the Orang-utans below, I would have been just as loud in pointing out that looking after a four-year-old took precedence over any thought for the self-centred moron who thought that the best way to get down quickly was to block the staircase for those coming up. That pretty much spoilt the day for me, as I spent the rest of our time there on the lookout for the aforementioned moron, and didn't get many photos...
On the whole, the holiday was awesome. We went out almost every day once the whole family was assembled (as per last year, my folks and I arrived at the holiday home on the Friday, my sister and family arrived the following afternoon), visited some amazing places, saw some wonderful animals (a range of simians, horses, sea life, etc.) and had some delicious - and very reasonably-priced - food. My abiding memories of the whole experience are pretty positive, and the best day was, without a doubt, the day we spent at Weymouth, which just happened to be the day of their annual carnival. It was the second time I've spent any significant amount of time at the seaside in about the last 25 years (the first being Skegness last month, when I visited my girlfriend), it was a lovely warm day with a nice breeze, we had a picnic on the beach, ice creams, and a visit to the Sea Life centre. We viewed the gallery of sand sculptures (sci-fi was this year's theme), saw parts of a display by the Red Arrows and, aside from the small-but-destructive tantrum and a fall which prompted much crying (until remedied by a Mini Milk lolly!) the niece was very well behaved.
The funniest part of the day was when my niece basically ran off in the direction of a fairground ride in the sea life cente. I think I was the only one who noticed her dashing in that direction, and I ended up queuing with her, during which time she pleaded with me to ride with her (a necessity anyway, since she's under 1.2m tall!). In a fit of common sense, I phoned my sister to let her know where we were (she didn't sound especially worried), which brought mummy running back to the ride... and instantly the uncle was ousted. The staff on the ride did offer to let me go on the ride by myself (um... nah), or to let niece have a second ride with me (one ride was enough, as the niece got soaked!), which was pretty cool of them.
The most adventurous day by far was the day we went to Poole and picked up the ferry tour to Brownsea Island. Niece was most uncooperative on the way out, but settled down once we got to the island - the site of Baden-Powell's first ever Scout Camp, and home to one of the last refuges for native British red squirrels. Most of the adults in the group took a fairly long walk around the island, visiting views and gift shops along the way, while the niece made a kite in the kids' centre. Sadly, we didn't have time to explore Poole itself but, since I saw at least one amusement arcade on the promenade, that's probably a good thing for my wallet...
And now I'm back, I need to prepare for another weekend away, visiting my girlfriend again before she comes back to town at the end of next month.
On that note, and referring back to the family holiday, it's a bit of a turnaround for me for my abiding memories of anything to be positive. I'm basically an optimistic guy, but generally, I'll remember more of the bad than the good of my experiences... at least, until I met my girlfriend. Perhaps there's just that much more positive stuff to think about now (ignoring my continued lack of gainful employment), or perhaps meeting her and spending all this time with her has had a dramatic and positive impact on my perception of my experiences in the world at large... Food for thought, anyway...
Friday 16 August 2013
Not That Anyone Will Notice At This Point...
...But I'm likely to be away from this blog for a week, due to another Great Family Exodus, like the one to Wales in November last year.
I'll be taking a notebook but, based on last year, I probably won't publish any of my scrawlings here. That said, the weather will supposedly be better, and we're heading toward the south coast, so perhaps there will be more pleasant stuff to write about.
The outward journey has me worried, since we weren't able to reserve seating. Supposedly there are seats available, they just closed reservations before we'd bought our tickets. Serves us right for taking so long to arrange it all, I guess. And, hey, on the upside, my stomach isn't turning somersaults anymore... I seem to have been clear of that problem for almost a full month now.
I've had three days' work this week, back with my most frequent and consistent employer, just ensuring that a report by one of their new departments got pushed through as far as possible while one of the Production team was on holiday. It was actually pretty good fun and, obviously, any increase to my bank balance is welcome at this point. One strange bit of news is that the magazine they canned last year - leading to the (temporary) end of my employment there - is being resurrected. Having been digital-only for the best part of a year, their print commitment is being extended from the three 'specials' to a full monthly magazine... though, since the member of staff who was on holiday was the one who handles that title, no-one was quite sure whether that meant two completely different magazines, or the same editorial content but different advertising. My guess is that it'll be the latter... It's no great surprise, except that it's taken them so long to do it.
Earlier this week, I had a very strange dream that involved, at one point, a kind of dance-off in Leicester Square (at least, that's what the location sort-of looked like - dream geography tends to be sketchy at best). I'm not sure if my opponent was just some random passer-by or someone I was supposed to know, but we were both doing 'The Robot'. Strange choice, but that's my subconscious for you.
Had dinner with a couple of friends earlier in the week, and probably learned more about one of them in that evening than I had during about five years of working with her... Specific to dating, since I'd been updating her on my wonderful change of circumstances, but interesting and very surprising.
While this personal blog of mine is the only one I use here, I do have several other blog projects on the go, including one very new addition. That could explain why this blog seems to be falling by the wayside - at least, so far, 2013 has the fewest posts in the long history of //ƒuƶƶy[løgic]. That, and there's just so much more going on in my life that I don't especially want to record here. While this is a personal blog, there is such a thing as 'too much information'.
On that note, about a week after I get back from this family holiday, I'll be heading back for another weekend visit to my girlfriend before she returns to London during September. Honestly, I'm more looking forward to that than this week-long family holiday...
I'll be taking a notebook but, based on last year, I probably won't publish any of my scrawlings here. That said, the weather will supposedly be better, and we're heading toward the south coast, so perhaps there will be more pleasant stuff to write about.
The outward journey has me worried, since we weren't able to reserve seating. Supposedly there are seats available, they just closed reservations before we'd bought our tickets. Serves us right for taking so long to arrange it all, I guess. And, hey, on the upside, my stomach isn't turning somersaults anymore... I seem to have been clear of that problem for almost a full month now.
I've had three days' work this week, back with my most frequent and consistent employer, just ensuring that a report by one of their new departments got pushed through as far as possible while one of the Production team was on holiday. It was actually pretty good fun and, obviously, any increase to my bank balance is welcome at this point. One strange bit of news is that the magazine they canned last year - leading to the (temporary) end of my employment there - is being resurrected. Having been digital-only for the best part of a year, their print commitment is being extended from the three 'specials' to a full monthly magazine... though, since the member of staff who was on holiday was the one who handles that title, no-one was quite sure whether that meant two completely different magazines, or the same editorial content but different advertising. My guess is that it'll be the latter... It's no great surprise, except that it's taken them so long to do it.
Earlier this week, I had a very strange dream that involved, at one point, a kind of dance-off in Leicester Square (at least, that's what the location sort-of looked like - dream geography tends to be sketchy at best). I'm not sure if my opponent was just some random passer-by or someone I was supposed to know, but we were both doing 'The Robot'. Strange choice, but that's my subconscious for you.
Had dinner with a couple of friends earlier in the week, and probably learned more about one of them in that evening than I had during about five years of working with her... Specific to dating, since I'd been updating her on my wonderful change of circumstances, but interesting and very surprising.
While this personal blog of mine is the only one I use here, I do have several other blog projects on the go, including one very new addition. That could explain why this blog seems to be falling by the wayside - at least, so far, 2013 has the fewest posts in the long history of //ƒuƶƶy[løgic]. That, and there's just so much more going on in my life that I don't especially want to record here. While this is a personal blog, there is such a thing as 'too much information'.
On that note, about a week after I get back from this family holiday, I'll be heading back for another weekend visit to my girlfriend before she returns to London during September. Honestly, I'm more looking forward to that than this week-long family holiday...
Saturday 3 August 2013
Almighty Sugar Crash
Somehow I've let another full month slip by without comment. That means films I've not written about all kinds of fun that's been going on. Well, I say fun... and certainly some fun has been had... but, a couple of high points aside, this last month hasn't been great.
I'll get the crummy stuff out of the way first, because it's actually pretty brief: The biggest point is that I'm still out of work. The longer I'm out of work, the more worthless I feel, and it's now been almost two full months. This has led to the usual sense of apathy - I've left the flat probably only once this week despite needing to do some shopping, the washing up finally got some attention today (I found a fine bloom of mould in the set juices of a lamb joint I cooked earlier in the week... and haven't dealt with it yet), and all the phone calls I should have made this week were put off. Also, after a weekend away last week (more on which later), I found a couple of my shirts were quite badly stained by sun lotion... but only after they came out of the wash. Time to bring out the Vanish, I guess... but there's this creeping sense that they're ruined and that the effort would be wasted.
Similar feelings are aroused whenever I think about drawing or writing or - perhaps most strangely - playing videogames. Why start when it's going to go terribly wrong? Hell, I started this blog post first thing Friday morning, then gave up about two sentences in. I've got a cool idea for a sketch, but it's kind of only half-formed, and I just know I'll produce a shitty, scruffy scribble if I don't know exactly how I want to draw it... Or even if I do, for that matter.
And I've got a whole bunch of recorded TV that I wanted to get through... But I averaged about 15 minutes before putting anything on pause for anything between a couple of minutes and a couple of hours because none of the stuff actually interested me. Now, OK, part of that is because at least half of it turned out to be crap...
While it's been incredibly hot, the paper on my ceilings has been peeling in the lounge (about a third has come down already... and I'd pull down the rest if it weren't for the vacuuming I'd have to do afterwards), the hall (notably around the area where the ceiling was leaking) and the bedroom (strangely not just where there's evidence of water leaking in). I also had two rounds of baby spiders bursting forth from behind (above?) the paper on the ceiling, so I've been confining myself to a flat that seems intent on making me feel even worse than I already do.
Quite frankly, I've spent much of the last couple of days wishing I could just fade away, because I'm just not doing anything to justify the electricity/space/oxygen I'm using. I keep looking at my collection of stuff - toys, videogames, music - vacillating between wanting to sell it or just smash it.
On the upside... Well, for starters, there are more movies to write up than I can remember... Pacific Rim was OK, if rather predictable. The World's End felt a little overlong and, while it was probably the most thoughtful and thought-provoking part of the Cornetto Trilogy, the thoughts it ultimately provoked weren't as positive as those from Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. I'm sure there have been other movies since Man of Steel... but, like I said, none that I remember.
During the last full week of July, I popped down to Ladbroke Grove and visited a kind of theatrical installation called Crashed, put on by Immercity (see also here). For about the first half, I was wondering if this 'alien crash site' experience was intended as a form of edutainment, since all the 'aliens' seemed to be very similar to terrestrial sea life. Some of it was quite clever (though the use of filler foam and silicon sealant for 'alien coral' didn't quite work for me) and the overall experience was certainly enjoyable... though I can't help but feel it was diminished somewhat by the insight into life as a jobbing actor given by my group's 'guide' before the tour officially started.
The aforementioned weekend away was an awesome trip into Lincolnshire, to stay with my girlfriend and her family. While I saw more of her parents when I first met them (when they came into London), and barely spoke to her sister and her boyfriend, it was a bizarrely comfortable experience. I don't sleep properly on the first couple of nights in any new location whenever I travel - this has been part of who I am as long as I've been doing any travelling - yet I slept incredibly well there. The outward journey was delayed by a series of faults (signals, track and locomotive!) that had me arriving almost two and a half hours late, so the first afternoon/evening was a write-off.
Saturday was spent at Skegness, the kind of cheesy seaside resort that I just love. We wandered along the seafront, through the funfair, down the pier... Visited the seal sanctuary, had some pub grub, bought lots of rock... Even sampled some Skegness slurpees (of the non-alcoholic variety, but the range on offer truly boggled the mind) and Choco Kebabs. That was the only full day, as I was due to return home on Sunday evening... Giving me just enough time to take in a small portion of the sights in Lincoln in the morning and early afternoon. This was largely a tour of the shopping centre (including lunch) and a trudge up Steep Hill taking in the traditional delights of the tea shop, the sweet shop, the ice cream shop and finally the cathedral.
While the day trips were amazing fun, just hanging around at my girlfriend's home was cool... not least because of the swings in the back garden. For a short trip involving a fair bit of travel, it was surprisingly relaxing, and I got back into town feeling ready to tackle the week I had planned...
...Which leads me to suspect that what I'm feeling is the crash after a sugar high brought on by my binging on sweets since Monday. A box of 1980s-themed sweets lasted me to Wednesday (and that was through rationing - I thought - quite harshly), so I've only got a few sticks of rock left. My fridge is basically empty, not just of healthy stuff, but of anything that isn't bread, pickles, or processed cheese.
If I'm right, then this low should clear itself pretty quickly... I've actually been feeling a bit better since reaching the conclusion that my state of mind is largely induced by sugar poisoning, so perhaps all I need is a good night's sleep... but I've been staying up to silly o'clock all week, and sleeping fitfully... Maybe I'll get back on track this weekend.
I'll get the crummy stuff out of the way first, because it's actually pretty brief: The biggest point is that I'm still out of work. The longer I'm out of work, the more worthless I feel, and it's now been almost two full months. This has led to the usual sense of apathy - I've left the flat probably only once this week despite needing to do some shopping, the washing up finally got some attention today (I found a fine bloom of mould in the set juices of a lamb joint I cooked earlier in the week... and haven't dealt with it yet), and all the phone calls I should have made this week were put off. Also, after a weekend away last week (more on which later), I found a couple of my shirts were quite badly stained by sun lotion... but only after they came out of the wash. Time to bring out the Vanish, I guess... but there's this creeping sense that they're ruined and that the effort would be wasted.
Similar feelings are aroused whenever I think about drawing or writing or - perhaps most strangely - playing videogames. Why start when it's going to go terribly wrong? Hell, I started this blog post first thing Friday morning, then gave up about two sentences in. I've got a cool idea for a sketch, but it's kind of only half-formed, and I just know I'll produce a shitty, scruffy scribble if I don't know exactly how I want to draw it... Or even if I do, for that matter.
And I've got a whole bunch of recorded TV that I wanted to get through... But I averaged about 15 minutes before putting anything on pause for anything between a couple of minutes and a couple of hours because none of the stuff actually interested me. Now, OK, part of that is because at least half of it turned out to be crap...
While it's been incredibly hot, the paper on my ceilings has been peeling in the lounge (about a third has come down already... and I'd pull down the rest if it weren't for the vacuuming I'd have to do afterwards), the hall (notably around the area where the ceiling was leaking) and the bedroom (strangely not just where there's evidence of water leaking in). I also had two rounds of baby spiders bursting forth from behind (above?) the paper on the ceiling, so I've been confining myself to a flat that seems intent on making me feel even worse than I already do.
Quite frankly, I've spent much of the last couple of days wishing I could just fade away, because I'm just not doing anything to justify the electricity/space/oxygen I'm using. I keep looking at my collection of stuff - toys, videogames, music - vacillating between wanting to sell it or just smash it.
On the upside... Well, for starters, there are more movies to write up than I can remember... Pacific Rim was OK, if rather predictable. The World's End felt a little overlong and, while it was probably the most thoughtful and thought-provoking part of the Cornetto Trilogy, the thoughts it ultimately provoked weren't as positive as those from Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. I'm sure there have been other movies since Man of Steel... but, like I said, none that I remember.
During the last full week of July, I popped down to Ladbroke Grove and visited a kind of theatrical installation called Crashed, put on by Immercity (see also here). For about the first half, I was wondering if this 'alien crash site' experience was intended as a form of edutainment, since all the 'aliens' seemed to be very similar to terrestrial sea life. Some of it was quite clever (though the use of filler foam and silicon sealant for 'alien coral' didn't quite work for me) and the overall experience was certainly enjoyable... though I can't help but feel it was diminished somewhat by the insight into life as a jobbing actor given by my group's 'guide' before the tour officially started.
The aforementioned weekend away was an awesome trip into Lincolnshire, to stay with my girlfriend and her family. While I saw more of her parents when I first met them (when they came into London), and barely spoke to her sister and her boyfriend, it was a bizarrely comfortable experience. I don't sleep properly on the first couple of nights in any new location whenever I travel - this has been part of who I am as long as I've been doing any travelling - yet I slept incredibly well there. The outward journey was delayed by a series of faults (signals, track and locomotive!) that had me arriving almost two and a half hours late, so the first afternoon/evening was a write-off.
Saturday was spent at Skegness, the kind of cheesy seaside resort that I just love. We wandered along the seafront, through the funfair, down the pier... Visited the seal sanctuary, had some pub grub, bought lots of rock... Even sampled some Skegness slurpees (of the non-alcoholic variety, but the range on offer truly boggled the mind) and Choco Kebabs. That was the only full day, as I was due to return home on Sunday evening... Giving me just enough time to take in a small portion of the sights in Lincoln in the morning and early afternoon. This was largely a tour of the shopping centre (including lunch) and a trudge up Steep Hill taking in the traditional delights of the tea shop, the sweet shop, the ice cream shop and finally the cathedral.
While the day trips were amazing fun, just hanging around at my girlfriend's home was cool... not least because of the swings in the back garden. For a short trip involving a fair bit of travel, it was surprisingly relaxing, and I got back into town feeling ready to tackle the week I had planned...
...Which leads me to suspect that what I'm feeling is the crash after a sugar high brought on by my binging on sweets since Monday. A box of 1980s-themed sweets lasted me to Wednesday (and that was through rationing - I thought - quite harshly), so I've only got a few sticks of rock left. My fridge is basically empty, not just of healthy stuff, but of anything that isn't bread, pickles, or processed cheese.
If I'm right, then this low should clear itself pretty quickly... I've actually been feeling a bit better since reaching the conclusion that my state of mind is largely induced by sugar poisoning, so perhaps all I need is a good night's sleep... but I've been staying up to silly o'clock all week, and sleeping fitfully... Maybe I'll get back on track this weekend.
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