Never one to avoid the risk of seeming geeky, the title to this post references Pit-Fighter, one of the first arcade beat-'em-ups to use digitised video of people for in-game graphics (long before Mortal Kombat), which would use the above phrase to describe any victory.
But why choose this phrase to begin a post?
For no other reason that to lead into a brief review of Zack Snyder's cinematic interpretation of Frank Miller's 300, which I saw at London's IMAX cinema this last weekend.
The movie has had its share of bad press. Some folks have described it - bizarrely - as 'Fascist propaganda'... quite how they reach this conclusion is anyone's guess. Most likely (a) they have no idea what Fascism is, (b) they have no idea what propaganda is and/or (c) they didn't actually bother watching the film. Nevertheless, it stormed the US box office.
It's not hard to see why... Mr Snyder executes (pun intended) the movie with aplomb. Sure, he rips off 'bullet time', but he does so to frame a moment, and to display it as it was in the graphic novel. Yes, it's graphically ultra-violent, but it tells the story of a war where superior numbers were battered back time and time again by a small but very determined force. That said, I preferred Snyder's Sin City as a movie and 300 does, on occasion, veer dangerously close to style-over-substance. Xerxes was portrayed as more than a little camp and one of his dialogues with Leonidas is basically a long stream of double entendres which would have been perfectly innocent if he didn't look like a seven foot tall drag queen. The experience was summed up for me when, as I was leaving the theatre, a father said to his son "It's probably more of a boys movie than a grown-ups movie."
OK - just to get it out of the way, you understand - other things that must be said about 300:
Beeeeeeeeefcaaaaaaaaaaaake (not that I ever watched South Park if I could avoid it)
Manboobs
"Pass the baby oil"
In other news, I have a new watch. Yes, WatchCam has been usurped. The bloody thing kept crashing and, frankly, until Casio come out with a version of their software that bypasses XP's nasty habit of commandeering the IR port and not letting go, it's next to useless to me anyway.
So, what manner of gadget-laden watch do I sport now? Erm, actually it's just a watch. It tells the time. With hands. It does show the date, and it does glow at the touch of a button, but that's it. And it has a leather strap which is so darned comfortable, I can almost forget I'm wearing it... a huge improvement on the implement of torture that was the second-hand metal strap that went onto WatchCam after the original broke.
I managed to get through the rest of Saturday without buying anything (other than dinner). Curious, considering my mate Paul and I went around Forbidden Planet and two branches of Orbital Comics. At some point between now and my last visit, they split into Orbital Comics, which deals with US and UK stuff, and Orbital Manga, which deals with the Japanese stuff, including the TransFormers. This new branch was, on Saturday at least, staffed by a young woman dressed as Go-go from Kill Bill. Bonkers...
They actually had a couple of things I wouldn't mind bagging, but since I'm off to Memorabilia this coming weekend, I figured it could wait until after... Might even get a better price at the show.
On another note, some time ago - hopefully before I started this blog because I don't believe I've written about it, and it would be silly to have forgotten to write it up - I had a dream where I was running around 'Ealing' (actually more like a mirror image of a particular part of Acton, but with an added enclosed shopping centre) looking for toy shops. At one point I learned of a new one that had opened outside the shopping centre, but it had closed before I got there...
...Well, last night, I was back there. As it turned out, the place I'd thought was the toy shop was actually something else entirely (I didn't bother getting a close look in the original dream because the place was shuttered up). The toy shop was next door and, as of last night, still being fitted. I saw several people putting up shelves and bits of scenery, but the shop itself was locked up and without stock. Something tells me I'll be dreaming myself back there soon.
Work is still pretty silly, but at least I got my bonus this month. An extra 500 quid (less tax)... perfect for taking to Memorabilia.
This time, my friend and I are staying at a hotel at the NEC complex, rather than the usual nice, comfy, somewhat extravagant place, so we can actually make use of our 'early bird entry' tickets. Kinda makes the parking ticket I bought redundant but, hey. While it was rumoured that Hasbro UK would be turning events like Memorabilia into 'TransFormers Events' in the run-up to the movie, it so far seems as though the spring show is too early in the year for them. That, or Hasbro UK are a bit useless, as there's no sign of this happening so far. I'm prepared to be pleasantly surprised though.
Whether that happens or not, Memorabilia weekend is going to be a lot of fun. The only question is how early we get out of the office. The magazine going to press on Friday isn't one of mine, and the Property salesman is notorious for fucking things up at the last minute...
We shall see.
Tuesday, 27 March 2007
Sunday, 11 March 2007
Hot with a capital HOT!
Not too long ago, comedy writers Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright came up with the blindingly brilliant idea of marrying Zombie movies with Romantic Comedies. The end result was Shaun of the Dead, the world's first ever RomZomCom. It won several awards, and deservedly so. Well written, well played, and British to boot, Shaun of the Dead was a loving send-up of all the Zombie movie clichés, not to mention various sitcoms.
Now, that same winning team have brought the world Hot Fuzz. It's a Cop Movie and a Buddy Movie, but it's also a send up of both genres, and more. While SotD's swipes at particular movies were rare and subtle (apart from the very swift dig at 28 Days Later, right at the end), Hot Fuzz is very clearly going after the tired, clichéd American Blockbuster Cop Movies, naming (and occasionally aping) two in particular - Point Break and Bad Boys 2. Without wanting to give too much away, the story revolves around Sergeant Nicholas Angel, a decorated and very successful officer of the London Metropolitan Police. He's so successful, in fact, that his jealous superiors package him off to a small, quiet country town. This town isn't as quiet as it first appears, though, and Sergeant Angel's keen senses are soon on the trail of a conspiracy...
The craziest part of the film - aside from the copious bloodletting in the 'accidents' and the climactic shootouts - is that Angel puts together a very clever conspiracy theory connecting all the deaths in a 'grand plan'... but the reality is much smaller. That's not to say he's wrong... just that he was overthinking... Which is kind of the whole point about Angel - he can't switch off. Now who does that remind me of?
I really loved the film and, to be honest, found it much funnier than Shaun of the Dead because it pulled no punches, and was completely over the top. I mean, how many supermarkets have bulletproof Plexiglas over their deli counters? (I wonder if Somerfield really knew what they were getting into when they allowed their store to be used in this film. One would hope so, and that they were tickled pink to be involved) Some of the deaths were completely horrific (the annoying journalist in particular), and computer-generated blood (which reminded me of Beat Takeshi's take on Zatoichi) sprayed and splattered everywhere. Definitely one to pick up on DVD... and I'm really looking forward to Pegg and Wright's next movie. What will they think of next?
This weekend, I went off down to Brixton to see Nine Inch Nails performing at the Academy. As usual, I was going with my old mate Paul, but we set out far later than usual because he was at a football match earlier in the day. It worked out quite well for us, though, because although we arrived long after doors' open, that just meant we only had to sit through two songs from the support act (Ladytron - a kind of lacklustre Industrial/Goff mix with a female vocalist) and about half an hour of stage setup (including a curious tableau involving what appeared to be a large cardboard tube marked with fluorescent pink lines and a post-it note, which I - correctly - guessed to be for calibrating some of the lights to Trent's eye level) before Reznor and co took the stage.
I picked up last year's tour DVD quite recently, so I was eager to see what they were offering up this time round. Considering their last album - With Teeth - came out not too long ago, it seemed strange that the vast majority of their set came from Pretty Hate Machine, The Downward Spiral and the Broken EP, with a dash of The Fragile thrown in every so often. Towards the end of their main set, Trent announced that they'd play a few more recent tracks and, promptly launched into Survivalism, from the upcoming album Year Zero. There was one jaw-dropping "Is This What I Think It Is?"-type highlight to the evening, when they played their cover of Joy Division's Dead Souls (which appeared on the soundtrack to The Crow), and there were a couple of occasions when it took me a while to figure out what I was listening to. Only, in particular, sounded like some strange generic Rawk song when they first started playing.
And on that subject, when exactly did Trent Reznor turn into Mr Rock'n'Roll Exclamations? Both on the DVD and live this weekend, he peppered just about every song with words such as "Hey!" and "Huh!" and "Yeah!". It was very strange to listen to...
The whole gig was - as usual - a lot of fun... apart from the occasional crazy girl gyrating all over the place and really not paying attention to where her cigarette ended up, and one or two incredibly rude guys who'd just barge past everyone, evidently trying to knock people over. One such Neanderthal kept pushing me even after I moved out of his way.
Many of my favourite songs got played, but it was a bit disappointing that so little new stuff was in the playlist, especially strange considering one would expect them to take the opportunity to promote the upcoming album. Also, compared to the DVD of last year's tour, the light show was very basic - none of the projection effects at all.
The weirdest thing that happened was that someone inflated a condom, and sent it bouncing around the crowds like a balloon. Now, my experience with inflated condoms is quite slim... but I have to say that one looked as if it had been used.
Ick.
Not much else to report this weekend... Before the gig yesterday, I fired up my new second-hand Sega Saturn and played a bit of Burning Rangers. Strange to be playing it again after so many years without (my holiday in Auckland was, what, four years ago?) but it's good to know I can start playing those old games again... whenever I have time. It's also odd to note that, despite the leaps and bounds in graphics technology, these old games look as good as ever. Can't wait to get my teeth into Panzer Dragoon Saga again! Spent today taking photos of my collection - some of which may eventually wind up on my website, when I finally update it - and dropping in on my usual internet haunts.
Some rather terrible news on the TF front - one of the most widely known kitbashers died recently, at the tender age of 31. See here for more...
It really is quite sad to hear of people dying when they're younger than me... I mean, it happens... but it's still very sad.
Now, that same winning team have brought the world Hot Fuzz. It's a Cop Movie and a Buddy Movie, but it's also a send up of both genres, and more. While SotD's swipes at particular movies were rare and subtle (apart from the very swift dig at 28 Days Later, right at the end), Hot Fuzz is very clearly going after the tired, clichéd American Blockbuster Cop Movies, naming (and occasionally aping) two in particular - Point Break and Bad Boys 2. Without wanting to give too much away, the story revolves around Sergeant Nicholas Angel, a decorated and very successful officer of the London Metropolitan Police. He's so successful, in fact, that his jealous superiors package him off to a small, quiet country town. This town isn't as quiet as it first appears, though, and Sergeant Angel's keen senses are soon on the trail of a conspiracy...
The craziest part of the film - aside from the copious bloodletting in the 'accidents' and the climactic shootouts - is that Angel puts together a very clever conspiracy theory connecting all the deaths in a 'grand plan'... but the reality is much smaller. That's not to say he's wrong... just that he was overthinking... Which is kind of the whole point about Angel - he can't switch off. Now who does that remind me of?
I really loved the film and, to be honest, found it much funnier than Shaun of the Dead because it pulled no punches, and was completely over the top. I mean, how many supermarkets have bulletproof Plexiglas over their deli counters? (I wonder if Somerfield really knew what they were getting into when they allowed their store to be used in this film. One would hope so, and that they were tickled pink to be involved) Some of the deaths were completely horrific (the annoying journalist in particular), and computer-generated blood (which reminded me of Beat Takeshi's take on Zatoichi) sprayed and splattered everywhere. Definitely one to pick up on DVD... and I'm really looking forward to Pegg and Wright's next movie. What will they think of next?
This weekend, I went off down to Brixton to see Nine Inch Nails performing at the Academy. As usual, I was going with my old mate Paul, but we set out far later than usual because he was at a football match earlier in the day. It worked out quite well for us, though, because although we arrived long after doors' open, that just meant we only had to sit through two songs from the support act (Ladytron - a kind of lacklustre Industrial/Goff mix with a female vocalist) and about half an hour of stage setup (including a curious tableau involving what appeared to be a large cardboard tube marked with fluorescent pink lines and a post-it note, which I - correctly - guessed to be for calibrating some of the lights to Trent's eye level) before Reznor and co took the stage.
I picked up last year's tour DVD quite recently, so I was eager to see what they were offering up this time round. Considering their last album - With Teeth - came out not too long ago, it seemed strange that the vast majority of their set came from Pretty Hate Machine, The Downward Spiral and the Broken EP, with a dash of The Fragile thrown in every so often. Towards the end of their main set, Trent announced that they'd play a few more recent tracks and, promptly launched into Survivalism, from the upcoming album Year Zero. There was one jaw-dropping "Is This What I Think It Is?"-type highlight to the evening, when they played their cover of Joy Division's Dead Souls (which appeared on the soundtrack to The Crow), and there were a couple of occasions when it took me a while to figure out what I was listening to. Only, in particular, sounded like some strange generic Rawk song when they first started playing.
And on that subject, when exactly did Trent Reznor turn into Mr Rock'n'Roll Exclamations? Both on the DVD and live this weekend, he peppered just about every song with words such as "Hey!" and "Huh!" and "Yeah!". It was very strange to listen to...
The whole gig was - as usual - a lot of fun... apart from the occasional crazy girl gyrating all over the place and really not paying attention to where her cigarette ended up, and one or two incredibly rude guys who'd just barge past everyone, evidently trying to knock people over. One such Neanderthal kept pushing me even after I moved out of his way.
Many of my favourite songs got played, but it was a bit disappointing that so little new stuff was in the playlist, especially strange considering one would expect them to take the opportunity to promote the upcoming album. Also, compared to the DVD of last year's tour, the light show was very basic - none of the projection effects at all.
The weirdest thing that happened was that someone inflated a condom, and sent it bouncing around the crowds like a balloon. Now, my experience with inflated condoms is quite slim... but I have to say that one looked as if it had been used.
Ick.
Not much else to report this weekend... Before the gig yesterday, I fired up my new second-hand Sega Saturn and played a bit of Burning Rangers. Strange to be playing it again after so many years without (my holiday in Auckland was, what, four years ago?) but it's good to know I can start playing those old games again... whenever I have time. It's also odd to note that, despite the leaps and bounds in graphics technology, these old games look as good as ever. Can't wait to get my teeth into Panzer Dragoon Saga again! Spent today taking photos of my collection - some of which may eventually wind up on my website, when I finally update it - and dropping in on my usual internet haunts.
Some rather terrible news on the TF front - one of the most widely known kitbashers died recently, at the tender age of 31. See here for more...
It really is quite sad to hear of people dying when they're younger than me... I mean, it happens... but it's still very sad.
Sunday, 4 March 2007
And because I'd forget my head if it wasn't screwed on...
Um. Yeah. While I was doing the 'shopping' part of today's outing, there were three additional things I picked up which also were not watches.
First and foremost, Halo 22 - NIN Live: Beside You In Time. Hurrah! 24 ear-blistering songs from the 2006 With Teeth tour which, as always, is a fantastic mixture of old and new. Extras include music videos for The Hand That Feeds and Only, with rehearsal footage on a couple of other songs. It's formatted far better than the last live DVD, which somehow found itself spread unevenly between two discs, despite having much the same level of content. Strange... Different company handling it, I guess.
Next, two more DVDs: Over The Hedge, a surprisingly good computer animated comedy about a bunch of animals trying to get enough food to see them through the winter when the forest they lived in has become a suburb full of humans, their houses, and their enormous cars. Open Season is... a surprisingly good computer animated comedy about a tame bear being dragged back into the wild by a mule deer. It also features blatant abuse of bunny rabbits. Ashton Kutcher proves that he's way better as a voice actor than a 'pretty boy screen actor'... He really is good.
Project: Bunny Sketch is thoroughly roughed out, but I think I need to find a thicker, less accurate pen to ink the image, so it'll scan better. Also, this thing is for a colouring competition, so I think clean, bold lines are more appropriate than the very thin lines I tend to use when inking.
Conveniently, there is a stationary shop near the office.
That is all.
First and foremost, Halo 22 - NIN Live: Beside You In Time. Hurrah! 24 ear-blistering songs from the 2006 With Teeth tour which, as always, is a fantastic mixture of old and new. Extras include music videos for The Hand That Feeds and Only, with rehearsal footage on a couple of other songs. It's formatted far better than the last live DVD, which somehow found itself spread unevenly between two discs, despite having much the same level of content. Strange... Different company handling it, I guess.
Next, two more DVDs: Over The Hedge, a surprisingly good computer animated comedy about a bunch of animals trying to get enough food to see them through the winter when the forest they lived in has become a suburb full of humans, their houses, and their enormous cars. Open Season is... a surprisingly good computer animated comedy about a tame bear being dragged back into the wild by a mule deer. It also features blatant abuse of bunny rabbits. Ashton Kutcher proves that he's way better as a voice actor than a 'pretty boy screen actor'... He really is good.
Project: Bunny Sketch is thoroughly roughed out, but I think I need to find a thicker, less accurate pen to ink the image, so it'll scan better. Also, this thing is for a colouring competition, so I think clean, bold lines are more appropriate than the very thin lines I tend to use when inking.
Conveniently, there is a stationary shop near the office.
That is all.
Ghostly
So, Ghost Rider. Hardly the most impressively coherent of Marvel's many properties, is it?
Nic Cage starring, Eva Mendes as the love interest... so far, so blah. Peter Fonda playing Mephistopheles (aka the devil)? Oh, please no, just stick hot needles in my eyes right now.
Right?
Wrong.
Ghost Rider ain't Shakespeare. It was never going to be. It is a surprisingly entertaining, if utterly formulaic supernatural contemporary Western. Nic Cage plays Johnny Blaze somewhere between Castor Troy (Face/Off) and Elvis, with much posing and dramatic pointing at evildoers. He clearly enjoys the role (it's my understanding that he really wanted the part, being a great fan of the Ghost Rider comics), and goes some way to making it his own. The same can't really be said for Eva Mendes, but she's basically playing a part written for any actress - it's completely generic, and utterly secondary to the plot, so you can hardly blame her for playing on autopilot. Her one outstanding scene is thanks to a bit-part actor playing a waiter. Peter Fonda fares better, and looks bizarrely like Stan Lee... Intentional? I dunno... but all you'd have to do is add Stan's trademark 'tache and shades, and that's who the devil really is ;) Props also to Wes Bentley... Blackheart isn't a great part. It's Stereotypical Villain through and through. Reminded me a lot of Stephen Dorff in the original Blade (coincidentally, Donal Logue played Quinn, Deacon Frost's 'muscle' in Blade, and Mack, Johnny Blaze's friend and roadie in Ghost Rider!), particularly at the point where he becomes all-powerful thanks to the object he, his father, and the Ghost Rider are after. Sam Eliot was immediately predictably the previous Ghost Rider.
You wouldn't cast him as anything else, really, would you...
It's a good movie - reasonably exciting (more so if I wasn't still feeling very jaded about the whole Superhero Movie thing), occasionally quite funny (intentionally), and very, very watchable. The special effects are pretty decent, though even they seemed formulaic at times. All things considered, definitely worth seeing.
Before the movie, my mate Paul and I did the rounds of the shops - there aren't that many good ones in that area, to be honest, despite two shopping centres in very close proximity. They seem to cater to the Chav market more than anything else.
I was looking for a watch, because my old, faithful Casio Colour WatchCam just keeps on crashing. Just suddenly resetting itself for no obvious reason. Generally while I'm at lunch, so I have no idea what time it is, or when I need to think about getting back to the office.
Needless to say, the watches I saw were either silly, showy things (and I'm kinda thinking I need a sensible watch these days), or designer label watches, which I loathe on principle. Why pay an extra fifty to one hundred quid for a watch just because it carries a particular name? What kind of mug to they take me for?
Um... How about the kind of mug who goes shopping for a watch, and returns home with a second-hand Sega Saturn?
Hey, give me a break, OK? My old one went horribly wrong having been packed up in the loft over winter while I was in Auckland several years ago. I came home and, while it worked as far as it was concerned, what it put up on screen was hopelessly garbled.
Now, at least, I can play the official UK games, even if I can't play the imports...
The annoying thing is that I already have a spare somewhere. The first one I bought - brand new, box and all - is knocking around at home, I just have no idea where I've put it. It came out of the box to accommodate the 'switched' one I picked up in Computer Exchange, but that's the last I remember of it.
Depending on how I feel (not to mention whether it's still possible) I may get this one 'switched', or I may try to find the original before I do anything drastic. Who knows...
One thing I forgot to mention about my haircut: It's really short. So short, in fact, that the barber was rather surprised I wanted so much chopped off. When he asked what I was after, I showed him how short the fringe should be, asked for number two at the back and side, and that I wanted to be rid of the parting.
He stood there for a couple of seconds, slack-jawed, then said "OK, that was unexpected."
But ain't that just me all round?
Now I must be off, to think of bunny rabbits...
Nic Cage starring, Eva Mendes as the love interest... so far, so blah. Peter Fonda playing Mephistopheles (aka the devil)? Oh, please no, just stick hot needles in my eyes right now.
Right?
Wrong.
Ghost Rider ain't Shakespeare. It was never going to be. It is a surprisingly entertaining, if utterly formulaic supernatural contemporary Western. Nic Cage plays Johnny Blaze somewhere between Castor Troy (Face/Off) and Elvis, with much posing and dramatic pointing at evildoers. He clearly enjoys the role (it's my understanding that he really wanted the part, being a great fan of the Ghost Rider comics), and goes some way to making it his own. The same can't really be said for Eva Mendes, but she's basically playing a part written for any actress - it's completely generic, and utterly secondary to the plot, so you can hardly blame her for playing on autopilot. Her one outstanding scene is thanks to a bit-part actor playing a waiter. Peter Fonda fares better, and looks bizarrely like Stan Lee... Intentional? I dunno... but all you'd have to do is add Stan's trademark 'tache and shades, and that's who the devil really is ;) Props also to Wes Bentley... Blackheart isn't a great part. It's Stereotypical Villain through and through. Reminded me a lot of Stephen Dorff in the original Blade (coincidentally, Donal Logue played Quinn, Deacon Frost's 'muscle' in Blade, and Mack, Johnny Blaze's friend and roadie in Ghost Rider!), particularly at the point where he becomes all-powerful thanks to the object he, his father, and the Ghost Rider are after. Sam Eliot was immediately predictably the previous Ghost Rider.
You wouldn't cast him as anything else, really, would you...
It's a good movie - reasonably exciting (more so if I wasn't still feeling very jaded about the whole Superhero Movie thing), occasionally quite funny (intentionally), and very, very watchable. The special effects are pretty decent, though even they seemed formulaic at times. All things considered, definitely worth seeing.
Before the movie, my mate Paul and I did the rounds of the shops - there aren't that many good ones in that area, to be honest, despite two shopping centres in very close proximity. They seem to cater to the Chav market more than anything else.
I was looking for a watch, because my old, faithful Casio Colour WatchCam just keeps on crashing. Just suddenly resetting itself for no obvious reason. Generally while I'm at lunch, so I have no idea what time it is, or when I need to think about getting back to the office.
Needless to say, the watches I saw were either silly, showy things (and I'm kinda thinking I need a sensible watch these days), or designer label watches, which I loathe on principle. Why pay an extra fifty to one hundred quid for a watch just because it carries a particular name? What kind of mug to they take me for?
Um... How about the kind of mug who goes shopping for a watch, and returns home with a second-hand Sega Saturn?
Hey, give me a break, OK? My old one went horribly wrong having been packed up in the loft over winter while I was in Auckland several years ago. I came home and, while it worked as far as it was concerned, what it put up on screen was hopelessly garbled.
Now, at least, I can play the official UK games, even if I can't play the imports...
The annoying thing is that I already have a spare somewhere. The first one I bought - brand new, box and all - is knocking around at home, I just have no idea where I've put it. It came out of the box to accommodate the 'switched' one I picked up in Computer Exchange, but that's the last I remember of it.
Depending on how I feel (not to mention whether it's still possible) I may get this one 'switched', or I may try to find the original before I do anything drastic. Who knows...
One thing I forgot to mention about my haircut: It's really short. So short, in fact, that the barber was rather surprised I wanted so much chopped off. When he asked what I was after, I showed him how short the fringe should be, asked for number two at the back and side, and that I wanted to be rid of the parting.
He stood there for a couple of seconds, slack-jawed, then said "OK, that was unexpected."
But ain't that just me all round?
Now I must be off, to think of bunny rabbits...
Positivism
Feeling better about life in general at the moment... but then, it's quite rare for me to be truly 'down' for very long. I can be depressed for ages, but it rarely infringes on my inherent optimism for long.
So, what's brought about this change? Not work, certainly. That's as stupid as ever, what with the crazy new structure that's about to come in. Proposed to Publishing Director by silly, selfish Senior Designer, sold to both Group Production Manager and MD as A Rather Good Idea, but now no-one is quite so sure of that as they were. The new structure has even been described as 'controversial' by one of its greatest proponents. Hah.
It's not that I've finally got round to getting my hair cut, either. Shedding my winter coat - as it were - might signify grand change in terms of outward appearance but, facing facts, the only real change is that (a) it now takes 30 seconds to wash my hair, and 30 seconds to dry it and (b) it's no longer stabbing me in the eyes.
Don't get me wrong, that's all good and such... but it's hardly going to make me look at the world differently.
Really, this is just the natural ebb and flow of what is essentially me. Sometimes I'm happy, sometimes I'm down... and the right people with the right words at the right time (not to mention the occasional game of air-hockey) can do wonders for switching my mood. Hearing from someone by phone or email after a long quiet is good, too.
This is set to be a busy month for me. I've got my hospital appointment to get my ears checked out, I'm seeing Nine Inch Nails live (with earplugs, just to be safe), and the Spring Memorabilia show at the Birmingham NEC. OK, three 'big' events in one month may not sound like much, but that's fairly busy by my standards.
The NIN gig I'm looking forward to because they always put on a good show, and they have a new album out soon - a concept album, no less, with lots of political stuff going on. Does this mean... that... Trent Reznor has... got over himself... and seen that the outside world is just as bonkers as his whiny introspection?
Seriously, we're talking lyrics about American foreign policy here. Distrust of the Administration, and everything. The Hand That Feeds was just the first step in a road towards something more than Reznor's own self-hatred. Golly, but I'm proud of him ;)
Memorabilia should be fun for many reasons. Firstly, it always is, just because it's a great big geeky event full of collectables. It's as if a hall at the NEC is transformed into a department store, but almost all the departments are toys. And with the TransFormers live action movie coming up in the summer, rumour has it that Hasbro are looking to turn Memorabilia and its ilk into TransFormers events... whether that means this one or the summer one, I'm not sure... But I am sure I'll enjoy finding out.
These events are also an excuse to be out of the house for a good part of the weekend, staying in a nice hotel and having lots of fun. Oh yes.
The ear thing is still a worry. I'm sure my hearing isn't as good as it used to be. Occasionally, it still seems muffled, and my tinnitus is definitely far worse in my left ear, if not the right as well. Hopefully the ENT Specialist can shed light on that, and the reasons for my almost-constant congestion, and my susceptibility to throat problems.
Now I've literally just had one of those "Oh, shit" moments of remembrance... I'm supposed to draw an Easter Bunny for a colouring competition for one of the magazines at work... I was thinking about it during the week, but it got completely blanked this weekend. Nuts... and I'm off to the cinema soon...
Going to see Ghost Rider, another Marvel Comics adaptation, and kind of the template for anti-Superheroes like Spawn. Could be good... More later ;)
Had a long, rambling chat with my sister yesterday, following her holiday to Egypt and Jordon. Sounds like it was fab, and some holiday snaps have made it up onto her own blog (she went LJ, the fool!). She sounds well and positive, and had just been in touch with an old friend who's now living in New Zealand. They'd been out of touch for a while, not least because the friend had been in hospital following the birth of her child (9lbs! It's a monster!). Later, they were off to visit another friend for his birthday, and then stay the weekend with another friend.
Anyway, I have to fix some lunch and get ready to go out...
So, what's brought about this change? Not work, certainly. That's as stupid as ever, what with the crazy new structure that's about to come in. Proposed to Publishing Director by silly, selfish Senior Designer, sold to both Group Production Manager and MD as A Rather Good Idea, but now no-one is quite so sure of that as they were. The new structure has even been described as 'controversial' by one of its greatest proponents. Hah.
It's not that I've finally got round to getting my hair cut, either. Shedding my winter coat - as it were - might signify grand change in terms of outward appearance but, facing facts, the only real change is that (a) it now takes 30 seconds to wash my hair, and 30 seconds to dry it and (b) it's no longer stabbing me in the eyes.
Don't get me wrong, that's all good and such... but it's hardly going to make me look at the world differently.
Really, this is just the natural ebb and flow of what is essentially me. Sometimes I'm happy, sometimes I'm down... and the right people with the right words at the right time (not to mention the occasional game of air-hockey) can do wonders for switching my mood. Hearing from someone by phone or email after a long quiet is good, too.
This is set to be a busy month for me. I've got my hospital appointment to get my ears checked out, I'm seeing Nine Inch Nails live (with earplugs, just to be safe), and the Spring Memorabilia show at the Birmingham NEC. OK, three 'big' events in one month may not sound like much, but that's fairly busy by my standards.
The NIN gig I'm looking forward to because they always put on a good show, and they have a new album out soon - a concept album, no less, with lots of political stuff going on. Does this mean... that... Trent Reznor has... got over himself... and seen that the outside world is just as bonkers as his whiny introspection?
Seriously, we're talking lyrics about American foreign policy here. Distrust of the Administration, and everything. The Hand That Feeds was just the first step in a road towards something more than Reznor's own self-hatred. Golly, but I'm proud of him ;)
Memorabilia should be fun for many reasons. Firstly, it always is, just because it's a great big geeky event full of collectables. It's as if a hall at the NEC is transformed into a department store, but almost all the departments are toys. And with the TransFormers live action movie coming up in the summer, rumour has it that Hasbro are looking to turn Memorabilia and its ilk into TransFormers events... whether that means this one or the summer one, I'm not sure... But I am sure I'll enjoy finding out.
These events are also an excuse to be out of the house for a good part of the weekend, staying in a nice hotel and having lots of fun. Oh yes.
The ear thing is still a worry. I'm sure my hearing isn't as good as it used to be. Occasionally, it still seems muffled, and my tinnitus is definitely far worse in my left ear, if not the right as well. Hopefully the ENT Specialist can shed light on that, and the reasons for my almost-constant congestion, and my susceptibility to throat problems.
Now I've literally just had one of those "Oh, shit" moments of remembrance... I'm supposed to draw an Easter Bunny for a colouring competition for one of the magazines at work... I was thinking about it during the week, but it got completely blanked this weekend. Nuts... and I'm off to the cinema soon...
Going to see Ghost Rider, another Marvel Comics adaptation, and kind of the template for anti-Superheroes like Spawn. Could be good... More later ;)
Had a long, rambling chat with my sister yesterday, following her holiday to Egypt and Jordon. Sounds like it was fab, and some holiday snaps have made it up onto her own blog (she went LJ, the fool!). She sounds well and positive, and had just been in touch with an old friend who's now living in New Zealand. They'd been out of touch for a while, not least because the friend had been in hospital following the birth of her child (9lbs! It's a monster!). Later, they were off to visit another friend for his birthday, and then stay the weekend with another friend.
Anyway, I have to fix some lunch and get ready to go out...
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