And, of course, I went to see Thor today.
Wasn't quite sure what to expect, with Kenneth Branagh directing and both Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman slumming it in a Marvel superhero movie. On the upside, Marvel Studios have been doing an excellent job of adapting their comic book properties to the big screen, so how bad could it possibly be?
You know, it actually wasn't bad at all.
Leave aside, for a moment, the daft and overblown premise - the Norse Gods weren't gods at all, just aliens with "technology so advanced, it's indistinguishable from magic" (yes, Arthur Clarke is referenced), worshiped as gods because they saved the Norsefolk from Ice Giants (also aliens); Odin is lining up one of his sons to be his successor as king of Asgard: Thor is arrogant and warlike, Loki is a smaller, physically weaker but silver-tongued trickster, and things happen that lead to Thor being stripped of his powers and banished to Earth while Loki schemes to take over and destroy the Ice Giants once and for all to prove his worthiness to his father.
As these movies go, naturally it's just an introduction to the character... He grows as a person and ends the film as a better man... and, as they say at the end, Thor will return in The Avengers.
It's not as good as Iron Man because Thor just isn't as interesting and, frankly, a superhero based on Norse mythology is always going to look a bit hokey compared to the bigger names in Marvel's pantheon. As an action/adventure movie, however, it's pretty darned good. It remains reasonably consistent within itself, tells you all you need to know about the hero, and sets up coming events.
And, of course, being a Marvel Studios movie, they had a little teaser after the credits... And very ominous it was, too.
I saw it in mini-IMAX 3D and, to be honest, didn't see much reason for making it 3D. The effect added next to nothing to the movie in terms of immersion or spectacle and the smoke effects (of which there were many) just weren't convincing. 3D has only been common in the cinemas for a few months, and already I'm finding it passé.
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Driving Ambition part IV
You know, when I decided to update my provisional license, I wasn't really expecting it to be a more complicated thing than the old paper license. The old paper license was an all-in-one license and 'endorsement' record. Now, with the new photocard license, there's a separate paper document - the so-called 'Counterpart Driving License'. Both have to be kept together so, really, what's the point of making them separate in the first place?
Ah well... I guess I should go looking for lessons now...
Ah well... I guess I should go looking for lessons now...
Saturday, 23 April 2011
A Break in the Sun
By which I mean rain, obviously. Not a holiday.
It was quite heavy for about 20 minutes, but seems to have calmed down for the moment... apart from the lightning, which is still going on.
It wouldn't be quite so bad if it wasn't still so darned hot... Now it's become annoyingly muggy.
In other news... Season opening for Doctor Who. Matt Smith's second series begins... and so far, so good. Looks like we're in for thrills, spills and serious twists...
It was quite heavy for about 20 minutes, but seems to have calmed down for the moment... apart from the lightning, which is still going on.
It wouldn't be quite so bad if it wasn't still so darned hot... Now it's become annoyingly muggy.
In other news... Season opening for Doctor Who. Matt Smith's second series begins... and so far, so good. Looks like we're in for thrills, spills and serious twists...
Thursday, 21 April 2011
On Caffeine
Or rather, off it.
I must confess that I did have one glass of Diet Pepsi yesterday (possibly the day before) because, having drained an entire bottle of one of those 'own brand' flavoured fizzy water drinks, I felt I needed something with a bit more kick.
Overall, though, and barring that weekend illness I had, I'm feeling none the worse for steering clear of caffeine. I can't be certain whether it's helped my sleeping, as such - I'm still having some trouble getting to sleep in the first place - but it's certainly helping with the mornings.
Typically, when all is well, I'll wake up when there's enough sunlight filtering through my curtains. Since it's now Spring-heading-for-Summer, that tends to be anywhere between 6am and 7am... and, over the last few days, that's the sort of time I've been waking up. Since I don't need to get up that early at the moment, I'd not getting out of bed till I wake up the second time - around 9-10am.
But the point is, I could wake up and get up - quite naturally, and without the aid of an alarm clock - in the morning proper, rather than anywhere between 11am and 1pm, as had been the case while I was regularly downing 2 litres of caffeinated beverage inside of two days.
I'm also finding it slightly easier to motivate myself to do things around the house (putting the laundry on, hanging it out to dry, then actually putting it away; doing the dishes; tidying shelves... not much luck with writing or drawing yet, but hopefully that'll happen too) so I'm not living in a complete sty. I mean, it's not pristine - this is me I'm talking about, and I haven't had a complete change of personality when it comes to tidiness... but I don't have a kitchen full of dirty dishes and a bathroom full of dry washing that's still on the rack.
I suspect this means I should limit myself to one glass (two at most) of Diet-Doctor-Mountain-Pepsi--Pepper-Dew-Max-Zero a day... which will sure make the two-and-a-half bottles I have in my fridge last longer.
I must confess that I did have one glass of Diet Pepsi yesterday (possibly the day before) because, having drained an entire bottle of one of those 'own brand' flavoured fizzy water drinks, I felt I needed something with a bit more kick.
Overall, though, and barring that weekend illness I had, I'm feeling none the worse for steering clear of caffeine. I can't be certain whether it's helped my sleeping, as such - I'm still having some trouble getting to sleep in the first place - but it's certainly helping with the mornings.
Typically, when all is well, I'll wake up when there's enough sunlight filtering through my curtains. Since it's now Spring-heading-for-Summer, that tends to be anywhere between 6am and 7am... and, over the last few days, that's the sort of time I've been waking up. Since I don't need to get up that early at the moment, I'd not getting out of bed till I wake up the second time - around 9-10am.
But the point is, I could wake up and get up - quite naturally, and without the aid of an alarm clock - in the morning proper, rather than anywhere between 11am and 1pm, as had been the case while I was regularly downing 2 litres of caffeinated beverage inside of two days.
I'm also finding it slightly easier to motivate myself to do things around the house (putting the laundry on, hanging it out to dry, then actually putting it away; doing the dishes; tidying shelves... not much luck with writing or drawing yet, but hopefully that'll happen too) so I'm not living in a complete sty. I mean, it's not pristine - this is me I'm talking about, and I haven't had a complete change of personality when it comes to tidiness... but I don't have a kitchen full of dirty dishes and a bathroom full of dry washing that's still on the rack.
I suspect this means I should limit myself to one glass (two at most) of Diet-Doctor-Mountain-Pepsi--Pepper-Dew-Max-Zero a day... which will sure make the two-and-a-half bottles I have in my fridge last longer.
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
Niece News
I heard from my sister yesterday evening... Her birthday is coming up soon, and it seems no-one knows what to get her. The topic of 'shoes' came up during her last visit to our folks, but - last I heard - she hadn't actually made a selection.
She phoned me because she'd actually had an idea of what I could get her - or rather, what I could do for her - for her birthday. She's keen to see the movie 'Red Riding Hood', and her husband isn't. She's going to be around for the weekend soon and, assuming the movie is still playing, I'm going to take her to see that. It's not something I'd normally see but it seems to be a reasonable attempt at making a movie of the fairy tale... Albeit with added Twilight.
And since I'm not completely cheap, I'll take her to dinner as well.
It seems my niece is developing a fondness for cars and motorcycles (their neighbours have scramblers!), and I opined that such fondness should make it easier for me to corrupt her into liking TransFormers. My sister gasped, and recounted a tale which put a big grin on my face...
I donated my Plushie 'Slumblebee' to my niece shortly after she got out of the hospital (keeping Softimus Prime for myself because I'm not that generous) and, so the story goes, she had only ever seen it in one form or the other. One day recently, in an effort to distract her from a tantrum, my sister transformed it in front of her. At first, I'm told, she looked distressed... after all, to turn robot Slumblebee into car Slumblebee, you basically rip his back open and stuff him into himself... but, once she realised what she had witnessed, she was entranced.
Oh, yes.
Score one for the TransFormers geek.
I mean, considering how she goes through the folks' cupboards, removing Russian dolls and wooden bobbins and hundred year old miniature china teapots, I figure it's only a matter of time before she starts raiding my cupboards on the rare occasion that she visits me...
And I do have such wonderful toys on display...
She phoned me because she'd actually had an idea of what I could get her - or rather, what I could do for her - for her birthday. She's keen to see the movie 'Red Riding Hood', and her husband isn't. She's going to be around for the weekend soon and, assuming the movie is still playing, I'm going to take her to see that. It's not something I'd normally see but it seems to be a reasonable attempt at making a movie of the fairy tale... Albeit with added Twilight.
And since I'm not completely cheap, I'll take her to dinner as well.
It seems my niece is developing a fondness for cars and motorcycles (their neighbours have scramblers!), and I opined that such fondness should make it easier for me to corrupt her into liking TransFormers. My sister gasped, and recounted a tale which put a big grin on my face...
I donated my Plushie 'Slumblebee' to my niece shortly after she got out of the hospital (keeping Softimus Prime for myself because I'm not that generous) and, so the story goes, she had only ever seen it in one form or the other. One day recently, in an effort to distract her from a tantrum, my sister transformed it in front of her. At first, I'm told, she looked distressed... after all, to turn robot Slumblebee into car Slumblebee, you basically rip his back open and stuff him into himself... but, once she realised what she had witnessed, she was entranced.
Oh, yes.
Score one for the TransFormers geek.
I mean, considering how she goes through the folks' cupboards, removing Russian dolls and wooden bobbins and hundred year old miniature china teapots, I figure it's only a matter of time before she starts raiding my cupboards on the rare occasion that she visits me...
And I do have such wonderful toys on display...
Exceedingly Warm
OK, it's half past eight in the evening. The sun has set. It really shouldn't be this hot...
Played a bit more Metroid: Other M and reached a point where I need to take down a rather difficult mini-boss while swarms of flies keep throwing icicles at me. Dashed unsporting, I say. The mechanic whereby you jump on your opponent's head with your weapon fully charged to deliver a more powerful blow is all very well if you can actually jump on your opponent's head before it jumps on yours.
Repeatedly.
The bastage.
I should probably do some washing up right about now...
Played a bit more Metroid: Other M and reached a point where I need to take down a rather difficult mini-boss while swarms of flies keep throwing icicles at me. Dashed unsporting, I say. The mechanic whereby you jump on your opponent's head with your weapon fully charged to deliver a more powerful blow is all very well if you can actually jump on your opponent's head before it jumps on yours.
Repeatedly.
The bastage.
I should probably do some washing up right about now...
The Unexpected
I had a visit today from a representative of my Managing Agents, who had popped round to look at the damp patches on my hall and bathroom ceilings. Not my usual contact, and she seemed a little surprised that no-one had thought to inform me of her intention to visit, but she announced herself as 'the surveyor'.
I gave her a potted history of the place, we discussed the 'ongoing situation' with the roof, and she suggested that all they really need is (a) enough people to complain about leaks and (b) for those same people to fund the refit, if they haven't paid up already.
Which is the usual state of play.
She did seem very concerned that some of the signs of damp are particularly close to my fusebox, but whether that will have any effect on the alacrity with which any action is taken, I have no idea. They can't afford to get the roof redone until the ground floor businesses have paid their share of the maintenance charge, or until the landlord decides to pay the not inconsiderable sum himself. As she departed, she handed me her card "just to prove I've been here".
It's one of those things, though... once it's done, it will either solve or avoid so many of the other problems in this building, it should reduce other costs for quite some time... But it is a huge outlay in the short term.
After she'd gone, I took a quick trip down to my local Sainsbury's to restock on other stuff... only to find upon my return that I'd forgotten something reasonably important.
But, hey, I got some hot cross buns.
I've got a fair bit further in Metroid: Other M recently, having been playing on and off over the last week or so. Many bits still fox me, but it's really just a case of keeping an eye out for alternate routes, and remembering all the best moves for each situation. I'm in the icy section right now and, aside from reaching a point where my path is blocked in a way that I cannot fix right now, I seem to be doing pretty well. A quick glance at a Let's Play video, and I'll be back on track soon.
I gave her a potted history of the place, we discussed the 'ongoing situation' with the roof, and she suggested that all they really need is (a) enough people to complain about leaks and (b) for those same people to fund the refit, if they haven't paid up already.
Which is the usual state of play.
She did seem very concerned that some of the signs of damp are particularly close to my fusebox, but whether that will have any effect on the alacrity with which any action is taken, I have no idea. They can't afford to get the roof redone until the ground floor businesses have paid their share of the maintenance charge, or until the landlord decides to pay the not inconsiderable sum himself. As she departed, she handed me her card "just to prove I've been here".
It's one of those things, though... once it's done, it will either solve or avoid so many of the other problems in this building, it should reduce other costs for quite some time... But it is a huge outlay in the short term.
After she'd gone, I took a quick trip down to my local Sainsbury's to restock on other stuff... only to find upon my return that I'd forgotten something reasonably important.
But, hey, I got some hot cross buns.
I've got a fair bit further in Metroid: Other M recently, having been playing on and off over the last week or so. Many bits still fox me, but it's really just a case of keeping an eye out for alternate routes, and remembering all the best moves for each situation. I'm in the icy section right now and, aside from reaching a point where my path is blocked in a way that I cannot fix right now, I seem to be doing pretty well. A quick glance at a Let's Play video, and I'll be back on track soon.
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
First Antihistamine of the Year
Partly because it was suggested to me that my weekend illness almost sounded like extreme hayfever, partly because I've noticed myself sneezing a lot more while I've had my windows open during the warmer, sunnier spells. I can't actually remember if the one I took was one that normally works for me, or if it's just 'what I had lying around', but we shall soon see...
Currently sitting in one of those 'plenty to do, not sure what to do first, can't really focus anyway' situations, with some photography that needs doing, two t-shirts that need designing (and one other idea that needs refining), and several bits of writing (that are not Blog-related) trying to break free of my head.
Choices, choices...
Currently sitting in one of those 'plenty to do, not sure what to do first, can't really focus anyway' situations, with some photography that needs doing, two t-shirts that need designing (and one other idea that needs refining), and several bits of writing (that are not Blog-related) trying to break free of my head.
Choices, choices...
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Background/Foreground
For most of today, even while I was out a-wandering, I've had a slight headache. Right now, it's very much not slight... part of me is wondering if I'm coming down with something, part of me is wondering if it's nothing more than caffeine withdrawal. I read something during the week that mentioned the effect caffeine can have on sleep, and I know I've been burning through 2 litres of diet Pepsi every couple of days now I'm at home all day, so it's just possible I've not been helping myself with my intermittent insomnia...
...Perhaps cutting it out entirely was a bad idea but, hey, it's only been a couple of days...
...Perhaps cutting it out entirely was a bad idea but, hey, it's only been a couple of days...
Perambulations
It's ever so slightly embarrassing that, in just over two years of living where I am, I have yet to really explore the area. Back when I lived with my folks, I knew the walking route from their home to three different town centres. Where I am now, I've walked into one a couple of times, but haven't even glanced down the other walking routes I could take.
I've been driven to several nearby locations but, even on the more direct routes, it's often difficult me to connect the dots that would be each stage of the route on foot. I know there's a park down one end of the road, and there's another somewhere nearby in a different direction. That's the direction my feet took me today.
I'd been to the park before (by car, and by a different route) so, when I arrived at the closest entrance, I wasn't completely sure I'd arrived at the same park. Turns out it's quite a sprawl, and very irregularly shaped. What first looks like a fairly small, rectangular park then leads off at an angle to a separate block of grassland which, in turn, leads into a nature reserve (who knew there was one of those nearby?). To be honest, that looked a bit grotty, and the only nature I saw was one couple walking around and one bloke possibly sleeping near what might have been a pond... it was completely opaque and very orange... but definitely liquid.
Turning tail, I intended to walk around the continuation of the first open space in the park, but ended up taking a rather more circuitous route through a lightly wooded area around a litter-strewn stream, in between the second block of grassland and a third, long thin strip which was being used for a kickabout between a group of kids.
This oh-so-nearly picturesque path came out right by the entrance I'd arrived at and, since I'd been walking for about an hour already, I decided to head home rather than complete my circuit of the first block of the park by wandering round to what looks like a Cricket pavillion. Of course, when I got close to home again, I still felt like walking, so I took a short wander down the road to the next nearest station before returning to my flat.
It was quite a pleasant stroll, ending up at nigh on two hours... and I'm not even that tired afterward. Blistered, yes, but not tired. Let's see how it affects my sleep tonight...
I've been driven to several nearby locations but, even on the more direct routes, it's often difficult me to connect the dots that would be each stage of the route on foot. I know there's a park down one end of the road, and there's another somewhere nearby in a different direction. That's the direction my feet took me today.
I'd been to the park before (by car, and by a different route) so, when I arrived at the closest entrance, I wasn't completely sure I'd arrived at the same park. Turns out it's quite a sprawl, and very irregularly shaped. What first looks like a fairly small, rectangular park then leads off at an angle to a separate block of grassland which, in turn, leads into a nature reserve (who knew there was one of those nearby?). To be honest, that looked a bit grotty, and the only nature I saw was one couple walking around and one bloke possibly sleeping near what might have been a pond... it was completely opaque and very orange... but definitely liquid.
Turning tail, I intended to walk around the continuation of the first open space in the park, but ended up taking a rather more circuitous route through a lightly wooded area around a litter-strewn stream, in between the second block of grassland and a third, long thin strip which was being used for a kickabout between a group of kids.
This oh-so-nearly picturesque path came out right by the entrance I'd arrived at and, since I'd been walking for about an hour already, I decided to head home rather than complete my circuit of the first block of the park by wandering round to what looks like a Cricket pavillion. Of course, when I got close to home again, I still felt like walking, so I took a short wander down the road to the next nearest station before returning to my flat.
It was quite a pleasant stroll, ending up at nigh on two hours... and I'm not even that tired afterward. Blistered, yes, but not tired. Let's see how it affects my sleep tonight...
Friday, 15 April 2011
Driving Ambition part III
A small flurry of activity today has resulted in:
On the practical front, I think that's about all I really needed to accomplish this week, so I'm pretty happy. Now I can get down to the serious business of playing videogames, listening to music, and wasting time on the interwebs.
Or drawing. Or writing.
Y'know... whichever happens...
- A new set of passport photos
- One of which has been attached to my Drivers License update form
- Said form, signed and dated, going into the post with my old paper license
On the practical front, I think that's about all I really needed to accomplish this week, so I'm pretty happy. Now I can get down to the serious business of playing videogames, listening to music, and wasting time on the interwebs.
Or drawing. Or writing.
Y'know... whichever happens...
Thursday, 14 April 2011
Driving Ambition part II
I did find my old Provisional Drivers License, pretty much exactly where I had expected it to be... and it was even in one piece (surprising, considering how folded up it was), unlike my father's when he came to update his earlier in the year. Still, when I return it, I'm supposed to cut it in half, ensuring it's completely unusable, so it'll end up like that anyway.
Having dealt with the application to update online, I was nevertheless surprised to receive in this morning's post the form I need to sign and date to complete the application. Even more surprising was that, while I asked them to take the photo and signature from my up-to-date passport, I'm required to supply both again anyway. I guess this adds another level of identity protection, but it seems a little daft.
My first thought was that I should have a couple of photos - of the physical kind - left over from my passport update, but a quick call to my folks revealed that they're not stored in their files, so I've either disposed of them (which wouldn't be a surprise, as they're not exactly flattering) or stashed them away somewhere sensible at home. There are only a couple of locations I might have used, so determining their availability shouldn't be too hard... and if I don't have them, I can just pop down the road and get a new set done.
In other news, I've not been up to much of late, but have started getting back into the idea of playing games on the Wii when I have nothing better to do. I recently completed Kisuke's game in Muramasa: The Demon Blade and, earlier today, tried to do the same with Momohime... Sadly, while the former only has to do battle with an aged Shogun, his awesome sword, and the flocks of ghostly warriors at his command, Momohime has to do battle with a god and its two guards. None of them have life bars (at least to begin with) so I was unsure of the plan of attack. Eventually, the game fills you in, and instructs you to knock out the two guards. This removes the ward from one of the god's limbs, allowing you to attack that while the guards recover. I managed to slice up three of the many parts... but the floating platforms you have to negotiate are way too small and fiddly, and I was virtually dead before I figured out what to do, so I didn't get much further.
After that, I turned my attention to Metroid: Other M, which I found very awkward when I first picked it up. The controls aren't that intuitive (for me), but I think I'm getting the hang of it. I've also looked into Epic Mickey, to see how one defeats one of the bosses in Future World and, in doing so, discovered that I've missed a whole load of other stuff... Oh well. I'm getting pretty fed up with the camera angles in that game, as they become glitchy rather more frequently as one progresses through the game, and slip into fixed perspective just when I don't want it.
Ah well...
Having dealt with the application to update online, I was nevertheless surprised to receive in this morning's post the form I need to sign and date to complete the application. Even more surprising was that, while I asked them to take the photo and signature from my up-to-date passport, I'm required to supply both again anyway. I guess this adds another level of identity protection, but it seems a little daft.
My first thought was that I should have a couple of photos - of the physical kind - left over from my passport update, but a quick call to my folks revealed that they're not stored in their files, so I've either disposed of them (which wouldn't be a surprise, as they're not exactly flattering) or stashed them away somewhere sensible at home. There are only a couple of locations I might have used, so determining their availability shouldn't be too hard... and if I don't have them, I can just pop down the road and get a new set done.
In other news, I've not been up to much of late, but have started getting back into the idea of playing games on the Wii when I have nothing better to do. I recently completed Kisuke's game in Muramasa: The Demon Blade and, earlier today, tried to do the same with Momohime... Sadly, while the former only has to do battle with an aged Shogun, his awesome sword, and the flocks of ghostly warriors at his command, Momohime has to do battle with a god and its two guards. None of them have life bars (at least to begin with) so I was unsure of the plan of attack. Eventually, the game fills you in, and instructs you to knock out the two guards. This removes the ward from one of the god's limbs, allowing you to attack that while the guards recover. I managed to slice up three of the many parts... but the floating platforms you have to negotiate are way too small and fiddly, and I was virtually dead before I figured out what to do, so I didn't get much further.
After that, I turned my attention to Metroid: Other M, which I found very awkward when I first picked it up. The controls aren't that intuitive (for me), but I think I'm getting the hang of it. I've also looked into Epic Mickey, to see how one defeats one of the bosses in Future World and, in doing so, discovered that I've missed a whole load of other stuff... Oh well. I'm getting pretty fed up with the camera angles in that game, as they become glitchy rather more frequently as one progresses through the game, and slip into fixed perspective just when I don't want it.
Ah well...
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
On Internet Dating, Generally
I have probably mentioned before that I tried internet dating some years ago. By and large, it was rubbish. I got two first dates, one of which (briefly) became a semi-regular dating thing. Other than that, there were plenty of false starts, non-responses and general disappointments.
eHarmony claims to be different.
I have probably mentioned before that it is different, to begin with, requiring one to focus on themselves over a series of questions, some of which seem quite abstract, from which it derives a (scarily accurate) picture of who you are. It then makes a mockery of this by requiring the user to input their own 'display profile' in their own words. The system then matches you to people it deems 'compatible', based on the questionnaire, and only allows the user to see their (self-written) profiles.
Here's where it becomes exactly the same as any other internet dating service.
Because the profiles people write for themselves are either hopelessly inadequate (some can't be bothered to write anything for some sections, others will settle for single-word answers), hopelessly ill-judged ("no-one has influenced me in my life", "I can't live without my phone"), or just plain hopelessly riddled with spelling mistakes.
And since one is expected to decide to contact someone based on the profile they see, it's disappointing how few bother to complete them.
eHarmony recommends that one should not base their judgement on the photos (while accepting that physical attraction is important), but then allows for up to 12 photos to be uploaded... And you just know, going in, that however many times they remind you that looks aren't everything, you're only going to get a response from someone who likes the look of you... because you're only going to respond to someone you like the look of, right? The whole point of eHarmony, as they describe themselves, is that you're already matched on 'deep compatibility', so surely you can raise your standards in the looks department?
But responses are what it's all about. One way or another, you have to get into a dialogue - be it email (to begin with) or in person (eventually) - and that's the difficult part.
Why? Well, here's a selection of Internet Dating Truisms for Blokes, courtesy of Yours Truly:
Now, I'll be honest here... I tend to write my profiles in such a way that they do not paint me in a 100% positive light. It's as much a warning as an encouragement. I know I can be thoughtless, irritating and tend to dominate early conversations through sheer nervousness. I'm a good man rather than a nice one. Even in person (or should that be especially in person) I will often actively resist people's attempts to get to know me, and will frequently miss important queues from them.
In my personal experience, internet dating is the fastest, most convenient way to meet hundreds of people you'd never want to meet, and I know my experiences are not uncommon... and yet there are success stories out there.
eHarmony claims to be different.
I have probably mentioned before that it is different, to begin with, requiring one to focus on themselves over a series of questions, some of which seem quite abstract, from which it derives a (scarily accurate) picture of who you are. It then makes a mockery of this by requiring the user to input their own 'display profile' in their own words. The system then matches you to people it deems 'compatible', based on the questionnaire, and only allows the user to see their (self-written) profiles.
Here's where it becomes exactly the same as any other internet dating service.
Because the profiles people write for themselves are either hopelessly inadequate (some can't be bothered to write anything for some sections, others will settle for single-word answers), hopelessly ill-judged ("no-one has influenced me in my life", "I can't live without my phone"), or just plain hopelessly riddled with spelling mistakes.
And since one is expected to decide to contact someone based on the profile they see, it's disappointing how few bother to complete them.
eHarmony recommends that one should not base their judgement on the photos (while accepting that physical attraction is important), but then allows for up to 12 photos to be uploaded... And you just know, going in, that however many times they remind you that looks aren't everything, you're only going to get a response from someone who likes the look of you... because you're only going to respond to someone you like the look of, right? The whole point of eHarmony, as they describe themselves, is that you're already matched on 'deep compatibility', so surely you can raise your standards in the looks department?
But responses are what it's all about. One way or another, you have to get into a dialogue - be it email (to begin with) or in person (eventually) - and that's the difficult part.
Why? Well, here's a selection of Internet Dating Truisms for Blokes, courtesy of Yours Truly:
- If there's a free/'icebreaker' contact option, women will use that to make initial contact almost all the time
- If you use the free/'icebreaker' contact option, women are highly unlikely to respond
- Some women will intimate (or state categorically) that they are waiting to be contacted. This means they aren't going to make any first moves. Even if they don't say so, they're probably expecting you to make the first move, because that's how it works, right? Men have to make the first move
- Even those women who decline to upload a single photo will not respond to any man's profile that has no photos
- eHarmony's 'Guided Communication' consists of a great long list of largely boring and inconsequential questions. You choose five and, even if you're responding in kind to a woman who has made a first move via the 'Guided Communication' route, be prepared to have your questions completely ignored if your answers to her questions were in some way unsatisfactory
- If you're choosing 'Guided Communication' as a first contact, be prepared to have your questions completely ignored
- Your baggage in unimportant. Theirs will be a deciding factor in how far any communication goes, up to the first date. From that point on, it becomes increasingly true for every subsequent date until they decide you're worth hanging on to
- Actually, your baggage is very important. At the first hint of an alarm bell, pay close attention. It may lead to one of those utterly dubious "It's Not You, It's Me..."-type farewells, but better than that putting up with the same old shit all over again
- It's important to be as open and honest as possible... but be astute about it. Don't share your innermost thoughts and dreams with someone you've only just met, even if you've been emailing for a while. If they decide not to continue, it's going to seem very insincere (not to say insulting) when they wish you well on something that personal
- The problem with this approach is that they may begin to feel you're hiding something from them. Baggage, remember?
Now, I'll be honest here... I tend to write my profiles in such a way that they do not paint me in a 100% positive light. It's as much a warning as an encouragement. I know I can be thoughtless, irritating and tend to dominate early conversations through sheer nervousness. I'm a good man rather than a nice one. Even in person (or should that be especially in person) I will often actively resist people's attempts to get to know me, and will frequently miss important queues from them.
In my personal experience, internet dating is the fastest, most convenient way to meet hundreds of people you'd never want to meet, and I know my experiences are not uncommon... and yet there are success stories out there.
Friday, 8 April 2011
Driving Ambition (And Bills)
I recently decided to update my gas/electricity provider with readings from my meters, since they are wont to estimate somewhat crazily if I don't, and have not been sending people round to do the reading (as they claimed when I signed up) over the last year or so.
My electricity consumption seems to have gone down somehow, despite being around all day and using electrical appliances such as my computer (desktop, large flatscreen monitor, powered speakers, broadband hub/modem), TV (large CRT-type, Freeview box, DVD player) and sometimes even the Wii at all hours of the day.
Gas, however, has inexplicably increased.
And I mean, like, virtually doubled.
I know it was a cold winter, but it wasn't much worse than the previous one, so this increase was unexpected, to say the least. Checking previous bills and meter readings didn't inspire me with confidence either, so I called up my provider to discuss it.
They were able to break down far more data, far more reliably, and also put it into the context of a single bedroom flat with five radiators, so now I'm feeling much more comfortable... Part of the reason for the whopping £100 shortfall in my payments is the price increase (9% as of December!), but part of it is that it is expected for customers to fall behind over winter. I know I did last year... but could have sworn it was nowhere near this much.
Still, the Customer Services representative I spoke to assured me that, while my usage has increase, it has been in line with expectations and not, as I feared, exponential. The amount of gas I have used is perfectly in line with expectations for a single bedroom flat with five radiators, but it was suggested that I check the meter again in five days, divide the difference in readings by five, and confirm that my daily usage is now substantially less than the 4.6 units per day I was using over winter. Having checked it again this morning, I can state that it's currently looking like about 1 unit per day, and that's with the boiler on timer. I've now switched it off completely (well, it's now 'on demand' rather than heating water at specific times), so hopefully that's the most it'll be for a while...
Who knew owning your own home could be this stressful?
In other news, it appears that the expired Provisional Driving License I have has not, in fact, expired. I tried to apply for a Provisional, online today, and was told I am not eligible... Having spoken to the licensing people, it transpires that this is because I already have a valid one, and just need to update it.
And... um... find it.
It's probably somewhere at my parents' place, stuck in one of my drawers, folded up horribly if I remember correctly... and that's assuming I didn't throw it away when I decided (arbitrarily, it seems) that it had expired, or wreck it by leaving it in the pocket of something that got washed.
Once I dig it out, I can apply for an update online... and that'll take about 2 weeks to arrive. If I cannot find the paper license, I can still apply for an update, but it'll cost me about £20.
Since I'm normally useless at saving myself money, I can see myself forking out £20 sometime soon...
My electricity consumption seems to have gone down somehow, despite being around all day and using electrical appliances such as my computer (desktop, large flatscreen monitor, powered speakers, broadband hub/modem), TV (large CRT-type, Freeview box, DVD player) and sometimes even the Wii at all hours of the day.
Gas, however, has inexplicably increased.
And I mean, like, virtually doubled.
I know it was a cold winter, but it wasn't much worse than the previous one, so this increase was unexpected, to say the least. Checking previous bills and meter readings didn't inspire me with confidence either, so I called up my provider to discuss it.
They were able to break down far more data, far more reliably, and also put it into the context of a single bedroom flat with five radiators, so now I'm feeling much more comfortable... Part of the reason for the whopping £100 shortfall in my payments is the price increase (9% as of December!), but part of it is that it is expected for customers to fall behind over winter. I know I did last year... but could have sworn it was nowhere near this much.
Still, the Customer Services representative I spoke to assured me that, while my usage has increase, it has been in line with expectations and not, as I feared, exponential. The amount of gas I have used is perfectly in line with expectations for a single bedroom flat with five radiators, but it was suggested that I check the meter again in five days, divide the difference in readings by five, and confirm that my daily usage is now substantially less than the 4.6 units per day I was using over winter. Having checked it again this morning, I can state that it's currently looking like about 1 unit per day, and that's with the boiler on timer. I've now switched it off completely (well, it's now 'on demand' rather than heating water at specific times), so hopefully that's the most it'll be for a while...
Who knew owning your own home could be this stressful?
In other news, it appears that the expired Provisional Driving License I have has not, in fact, expired. I tried to apply for a Provisional, online today, and was told I am not eligible... Having spoken to the licensing people, it transpires that this is because I already have a valid one, and just need to update it.
And... um... find it.
It's probably somewhere at my parents' place, stuck in one of my drawers, folded up horribly if I remember correctly... and that's assuming I didn't throw it away when I decided (arbitrarily, it seems) that it had expired, or wreck it by leaving it in the pocket of something that got washed.
Once I dig it out, I can apply for an update online... and that'll take about 2 weeks to arrive. If I cannot find the paper license, I can still apply for an update, but it'll cost me about £20.
Since I'm normally useless at saving myself money, I can see myself forking out £20 sometime soon...
Monday, 4 April 2011
Pedestrian Developments
More work progresses on the pavements outside my flat. The little island on the outside of the sliproad is still not finished, but the subtle re-sculpting/repaving of the main pavement is complete at one end. This morning, they have started taking up the pavement directly outside, rendering the ground floor shopfronts temporarily inaccessible...
They appear to have sunk the pavement more or less in line with the crossing, so perhaps this has been an exercise in improving wheelchair accessibility? This would make sense if it weren't for the fact that the re-sculpted parts have not been sunk - there is still a raised kerb.
Hoping to make a bit of headway today in a couple of new T-shirt ideas... Depending on noise levels from outside, and whether or not I get round to the shopping... I'm currently debating which is more important. Sketching is best done in daylight, but I really should restock and empty my bins.
They appear to have sunk the pavement more or less in line with the crossing, so perhaps this has been an exercise in improving wheelchair accessibility? This would make sense if it weren't for the fact that the re-sculpted parts have not been sunk - there is still a raised kerb.
Hoping to make a bit of headway today in a couple of new T-shirt ideas... Depending on noise levels from outside, and whether or not I get round to the shopping... I'm currently debating which is more important. Sketching is best done in daylight, but I really should restock and empty my bins.
Sunday, 3 April 2011
Be Careful What You Wish For
Consider a hypothetical situation, where a person joins a business networking website, then (somewhat reluctantly) a certain well-know social networking website. This person, with few enough true friends in the real world is then stupid and/or naive enough to complain that very few of their former colleagues (who went on and on about how much they would miss this person after they were made redundant) had bothered to connect via either of these sites, thereby avoiding the necessity to 'miss' anyone.
In a scene that wouldn't be out of place in one of the Wishmaster movies (more on that later), their inbox suddenly has invitations from three people they really wouldn't want to keep in touch with.
Hypothetically.
But anyway. It seems I have been remiss in documenting some of the films I've seen recently... and, since I can't remember what they all were, or what order I saw them in, I'll just babble about some of them as they occur to me.
First off, then, Sucker Punch... which I saw at the BfI IMAX cinema uptown yesterday, with my old mate Paul. We'd arranged to meet up fairly early, eat out, then wander round our usual haunts (HMV, Forbidden Planet, Computer Exchange, etc) before finally hoofing it over the river to the cinema near Waterloo station.
Let's face it, I needed the exercise.
The whole day turned out to be a roaring success - just for a change... I should take careful note of what happens when I actually go out once in a while. Lunch was a simple affair at KFC (probably my first in a couple of months... which is strange, considering they're usually my first port of call when I can't be bothered to cook dinner, but do need to eat), then we wandered off in search of the branch of Computer Exchange that's just off Oxford Street (used to have a cool Retro section in the basement, but now it's all DVDs). Not much of interest to either of us, as it turned out, but it's always worth a look. Getting there was somewhat hampered by that pesky Crossrail construction project at Tottenham Court Road, and we ended up backtracking, then widely circumnavigating the building site. Still... exercise, right?
Next up was Forbidden Planet... and, again, I was pleased to see TransFormers there, but disappointed by their selection - not even the current wave of things that are commonly available elsewhere. I was not remotely surprised to see that none of the Dead Space 2 Isaac Clarke action figures they'd had last time I was there were still around. Plenty of necromorphs, but no more Mr Stompy. I was very pleasantly surprised to see a single Kotobukiya DC Comics Bishoujo Catwoman statuette on their shelves... and so gladly relieved them of this terrible burden. I'd thought it would be necessary to preorder via the FP website, and almost decided to leave it and order when I got home. Then common sense and experience informed me that I'd probably forget all about it until it was too late and they were out of stock. Paul picked up a cool Doctor Who t-shirt (the Peter Davison version), and I very nearly grabbed a selection of '2 for £10' Sci-Fi DVDs (Soylent Green, Slaughterhouse 5 and several others looked interesting), but decided to save my cash, just in case.
By the time we were finished in FP, we had just enough time for a lightning raid on HMV, in search of a DVD of War Inc, which had been recommended to me months ago. I keep forgetting what I'm looking for when I go DVD shopping but, since that was my sole purpose for being in HMV yesterday (having already bought 5 Centimetres Per Second at Memorabilia), I was pleased to actually find it in their racks. Buying it took rather longer than I'd prefer, as the one cashier on duty was engaged in a lengthy return, but he was soon assisted by a second cashier.
The walk down to Waterloo was complicated slightly by my wonky sense of direction. There's a roundabout on the way, and I chose the wrong exit based on my recollection of a map of the area. The sight of the Westminster Clock Tower at once set me straight. From that point on, the only complications and delays came from dodging tourists on the bridge, and almost getting distracted by the little market on the streets behind the London Eye. When I saw one stall selling Turkish Delight, I resolved to return that way after the movie, and grab some as an impromptu Mothers' Day gift.
Oh, the movie? Right.
Well... I have to admit, I cannot understand why it's had such a critical mauling. OK, perhaps it was inadvisable for Mr Snyder to suggest the film was 'about' female empowerment... but there is an element of empowerment about it. It's basically a modern-day fairy tale, ostensibly set in the past, but with reference to things both futuristic and of alternate realities. Then again, alternate realities play a huge part in the presentation of the film.
The protagonist, known only as Babydoll, is thrown into an asylum by her stepfather, the asylum becomes a mob-owned burlesque club/brothel (think Moulin Rouge, only less classy), and Babydoll convinces four of her fellow 'dancers' - also only ever referred to by nicknames: Sweet Pea, Rocket, Blondie and Amber - to join her in a bizarre escape attempt. Their 'plan' is woefully vague, but that's part of the point... it's all fantasy, one way or another. The opening narration basically tells you what the film is really about, what it's really showing you... but then the film dedicates itself to distracting you from this with eye-popping battles, from a snowbound dojo through trenches infested with Steampunk Zombie Nazis, to a dragon's nest-castle and finally to a futuristic train that's delivering a bomb to a city.
Up until the final battle, the girls have the advantage of anachronistic high-powered ballistic weapons and incredible blade skills. They have a Mecha (with a pink bunny face painted on its cockpit) going up against biplanes, triplanes and zeppelins. They have a heavy WWII bomber going up against a dragon and its legion of orcs. Then, when trying to steal the bomb (codenamed 'Kitchen Knife', which gives you an idea of the way this fantasy works), they're up against merciless robots who are faster and better armed than they are.
When the first of them goes down - both metaphorically, on the train, and in the unreality of the burlesque club/brothel, there is a surprising sense of loss, considering how loosely the characters have been presented (or maybe that was just my White Knight Complex responding). I saw it coming only moments before it happened - and would have most likely predicted it happening the other way round - so that was shocking enough. The next two are so sudden and shocking that I was left numb for a few minutes.
This fairy tale has a happy ending, but it's not without its sadness and sacrifice... and Babydoll's fate is teased out for so long, I was half expecting (hoping for?) something very different. I loved the film, and will definitely pick it up on DVD, but may try to see it again in the cinema. Considering some of the comments made in reviews, I left the cinema wondering if the critics had even seen the same film. Perhaps it spoke to my imagination, and my appreciation for unrealities... it's hardly a competitor to Inception in the brain-blending catagory and, yes, it borrows heavily from the conventions of anime and videogames, but it's an enjoyable fantasy that barely lets up in its action, and serves as a reminder that we are each in control of our own destinies.
After the movie, I went over to my folks' place for dinner, and to visit my sister and niece (who was wearing the Genki Gear 'Sneaky Monster' t-shirt I bought her, and looked incredibly cute). While I'm sometimes a little concerned by the way everyone seems to talk down to the child (adults using babytalk are just creepy), it's good to see that her own speech is improving - gradually - and she has far less trouble making herself understood these days, even beyond the simple 'yes' or 'no' responses. I even had the opportunity to read her a bedtime story, although she proved reluctant to actually go to bed afterward...
Most of the other movies I've seen recently have been caught - quite serendipitously - on daytime television - Hitchcock's Rope being a prime example. Its stage origins were quite obvious from its simple set (only two rooms were ever used) but it translated well to the screen. A wonderful example of a 'perfect crime' that is anything but, Rope never presents its two main characters as anything other than a psychopath and his lapdog - even their 'friends' know some measure of the truth, without having any clue as to the full extent of the danger it presents. Considering the slow build-up of the film, I was expecting the finale to be... less quiet, shall we say? Nevertheless, it's an excellent film, but I suspect its impact would be that much greater when performed on stage.
I've also - finally - been able to see Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig's second outing as the new, less charming, more violent and driven Bond. I'd heard that it was lacking in the plot department but, while it does seem to be a continual stream of 'Bond finds informant, learns part of the plot, kills informant, then goes looking for the next one', I suspect the apparent relegation of the movie's main antagonist - the shadowy organisation know as Quantum - to the background was wholly intentional (effectively Bond only uncovers it by chance while pursuing revenge), and reasonably successful. SPECTRE was often all too obvious in the early Bond films, whereas this new threat so far seems to be a partially glimpsed shadow - a true spectre - of its full and terrible extent.
And so we come to Wishmaster 2, which was on late night TV sometime last month. I caught the original ages ago, and somehow seem to have neglected to blog about it but, rubbish as it was, it was much better than this piece of crap. Here's how it works: The villain - 'the Wishmaster' - is a Djinn, sealed away in a large, red jewel (not a lamp) because his granting of wishes is somewhat dubious and because he collects the souls of those whose wishes he grants. When he collects a thousand, the Djinn race will take over the world. Sounds OK, and certainly has potential... but the Wishmaster is a charmless, gravelly-voiced yuppie who doesn't even seem to listen to the wish he's asked to grant. Take, for example, the policeman who encounters him right at the beginning of the sequel. "Freeze!" he says. Somehow, the Djinn takes this to mean "freeze me". It's made all the worse when someone says something completely ridiculous, and the grinning Djinn asks "is that your wish?" when it clearly isn't. The daftest wish was a prison inmate who wanted "to see [his] lawyer fuck himself". I don't know where the SFX people learned their biology, but I am sure it would have been simpler to just have a duplicate of the lawyer turn up... The first film was resolved quite well, but this one was just daft. Way too convenient, and utterly nonsensical. Somehow, two further entries were made in this franchise... though, thankfully, the last one was nine years ago. Hopefully, if some Hollywood moron sees fit to resurrect or reboot this franchise, they'll try to make better use of the concept.
Oh, and, just because I can...
In a scene that wouldn't be out of place in one of the Wishmaster movies (more on that later), their inbox suddenly has invitations from three people they really wouldn't want to keep in touch with.
Hypothetically.
But anyway. It seems I have been remiss in documenting some of the films I've seen recently... and, since I can't remember what they all were, or what order I saw them in, I'll just babble about some of them as they occur to me.
First off, then, Sucker Punch... which I saw at the BfI IMAX cinema uptown yesterday, with my old mate Paul. We'd arranged to meet up fairly early, eat out, then wander round our usual haunts (HMV, Forbidden Planet, Computer Exchange, etc) before finally hoofing it over the river to the cinema near Waterloo station.
Let's face it, I needed the exercise.
The whole day turned out to be a roaring success - just for a change... I should take careful note of what happens when I actually go out once in a while. Lunch was a simple affair at KFC (probably my first in a couple of months... which is strange, considering they're usually my first port of call when I can't be bothered to cook dinner, but do need to eat), then we wandered off in search of the branch of Computer Exchange that's just off Oxford Street (used to have a cool Retro section in the basement, but now it's all DVDs). Not much of interest to either of us, as it turned out, but it's always worth a look. Getting there was somewhat hampered by that pesky Crossrail construction project at Tottenham Court Road, and we ended up backtracking, then widely circumnavigating the building site. Still... exercise, right?
Next up was Forbidden Planet... and, again, I was pleased to see TransFormers there, but disappointed by their selection - not even the current wave of things that are commonly available elsewhere. I was not remotely surprised to see that none of the Dead Space 2 Isaac Clarke action figures they'd had last time I was there were still around. Plenty of necromorphs, but no more Mr Stompy. I was very pleasantly surprised to see a single Kotobukiya DC Comics Bishoujo Catwoman statuette on their shelves... and so gladly relieved them of this terrible burden. I'd thought it would be necessary to preorder via the FP website, and almost decided to leave it and order when I got home. Then common sense and experience informed me that I'd probably forget all about it until it was too late and they were out of stock. Paul picked up a cool Doctor Who t-shirt (the Peter Davison version), and I very nearly grabbed a selection of '2 for £10' Sci-Fi DVDs (Soylent Green, Slaughterhouse 5 and several others looked interesting), but decided to save my cash, just in case.
By the time we were finished in FP, we had just enough time for a lightning raid on HMV, in search of a DVD of War Inc, which had been recommended to me months ago. I keep forgetting what I'm looking for when I go DVD shopping but, since that was my sole purpose for being in HMV yesterday (having already bought 5 Centimetres Per Second at Memorabilia), I was pleased to actually find it in their racks. Buying it took rather longer than I'd prefer, as the one cashier on duty was engaged in a lengthy return, but he was soon assisted by a second cashier.
The walk down to Waterloo was complicated slightly by my wonky sense of direction. There's a roundabout on the way, and I chose the wrong exit based on my recollection of a map of the area. The sight of the Westminster Clock Tower at once set me straight. From that point on, the only complications and delays came from dodging tourists on the bridge, and almost getting distracted by the little market on the streets behind the London Eye. When I saw one stall selling Turkish Delight, I resolved to return that way after the movie, and grab some as an impromptu Mothers' Day gift.
Oh, the movie? Right.
Well... I have to admit, I cannot understand why it's had such a critical mauling. OK, perhaps it was inadvisable for Mr Snyder to suggest the film was 'about' female empowerment... but there is an element of empowerment about it. It's basically a modern-day fairy tale, ostensibly set in the past, but with reference to things both futuristic and of alternate realities. Then again, alternate realities play a huge part in the presentation of the film.
The protagonist, known only as Babydoll, is thrown into an asylum by her stepfather, the asylum becomes a mob-owned burlesque club/brothel (think Moulin Rouge, only less classy), and Babydoll convinces four of her fellow 'dancers' - also only ever referred to by nicknames: Sweet Pea, Rocket, Blondie and Amber - to join her in a bizarre escape attempt. Their 'plan' is woefully vague, but that's part of the point... it's all fantasy, one way or another. The opening narration basically tells you what the film is really about, what it's really showing you... but then the film dedicates itself to distracting you from this with eye-popping battles, from a snowbound dojo through trenches infested with Steampunk Zombie Nazis, to a dragon's nest-castle and finally to a futuristic train that's delivering a bomb to a city.
Up until the final battle, the girls have the advantage of anachronistic high-powered ballistic weapons and incredible blade skills. They have a Mecha (with a pink bunny face painted on its cockpit) going up against biplanes, triplanes and zeppelins. They have a heavy WWII bomber going up against a dragon and its legion of orcs. Then, when trying to steal the bomb (codenamed 'Kitchen Knife', which gives you an idea of the way this fantasy works), they're up against merciless robots who are faster and better armed than they are.
When the first of them goes down - both metaphorically, on the train, and in the unreality of the burlesque club/brothel, there is a surprising sense of loss, considering how loosely the characters have been presented (or maybe that was just my White Knight Complex responding). I saw it coming only moments before it happened - and would have most likely predicted it happening the other way round - so that was shocking enough. The next two are so sudden and shocking that I was left numb for a few minutes.
This fairy tale has a happy ending, but it's not without its sadness and sacrifice... and Babydoll's fate is teased out for so long, I was half expecting (hoping for?) something very different. I loved the film, and will definitely pick it up on DVD, but may try to see it again in the cinema. Considering some of the comments made in reviews, I left the cinema wondering if the critics had even seen the same film. Perhaps it spoke to my imagination, and my appreciation for unrealities... it's hardly a competitor to Inception in the brain-blending catagory and, yes, it borrows heavily from the conventions of anime and videogames, but it's an enjoyable fantasy that barely lets up in its action, and serves as a reminder that we are each in control of our own destinies.
After the movie, I went over to my folks' place for dinner, and to visit my sister and niece (who was wearing the Genki Gear 'Sneaky Monster' t-shirt I bought her, and looked incredibly cute). While I'm sometimes a little concerned by the way everyone seems to talk down to the child (adults using babytalk are just creepy), it's good to see that her own speech is improving - gradually - and she has far less trouble making herself understood these days, even beyond the simple 'yes' or 'no' responses. I even had the opportunity to read her a bedtime story, although she proved reluctant to actually go to bed afterward...
Most of the other movies I've seen recently have been caught - quite serendipitously - on daytime television - Hitchcock's Rope being a prime example. Its stage origins were quite obvious from its simple set (only two rooms were ever used) but it translated well to the screen. A wonderful example of a 'perfect crime' that is anything but, Rope never presents its two main characters as anything other than a psychopath and his lapdog - even their 'friends' know some measure of the truth, without having any clue as to the full extent of the danger it presents. Considering the slow build-up of the film, I was expecting the finale to be... less quiet, shall we say? Nevertheless, it's an excellent film, but I suspect its impact would be that much greater when performed on stage.
I've also - finally - been able to see Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig's second outing as the new, less charming, more violent and driven Bond. I'd heard that it was lacking in the plot department but, while it does seem to be a continual stream of 'Bond finds informant, learns part of the plot, kills informant, then goes looking for the next one', I suspect the apparent relegation of the movie's main antagonist - the shadowy organisation know as Quantum - to the background was wholly intentional (effectively Bond only uncovers it by chance while pursuing revenge), and reasonably successful. SPECTRE was often all too obvious in the early Bond films, whereas this new threat so far seems to be a partially glimpsed shadow - a true spectre - of its full and terrible extent.
And so we come to Wishmaster 2, which was on late night TV sometime last month. I caught the original ages ago, and somehow seem to have neglected to blog about it but, rubbish as it was, it was much better than this piece of crap. Here's how it works: The villain - 'the Wishmaster' - is a Djinn, sealed away in a large, red jewel (not a lamp) because his granting of wishes is somewhat dubious and because he collects the souls of those whose wishes he grants. When he collects a thousand, the Djinn race will take over the world. Sounds OK, and certainly has potential... but the Wishmaster is a charmless, gravelly-voiced yuppie who doesn't even seem to listen to the wish he's asked to grant. Take, for example, the policeman who encounters him right at the beginning of the sequel. "Freeze!" he says. Somehow, the Djinn takes this to mean "freeze me". It's made all the worse when someone says something completely ridiculous, and the grinning Djinn asks "is that your wish?" when it clearly isn't. The daftest wish was a prison inmate who wanted "to see [his] lawyer fuck himself". I don't know where the SFX people learned their biology, but I am sure it would have been simpler to just have a duplicate of the lawyer turn up... The first film was resolved quite well, but this one was just daft. Way too convenient, and utterly nonsensical. Somehow, two further entries were made in this franchise... though, thankfully, the last one was nine years ago. Hopefully, if some Hollywood moron sees fit to resurrect or reboot this franchise, they'll try to make better use of the concept.
Oh, and, just because I can...
OMG. BEWBS!
Friday, 1 April 2011
Landscaping
Got woken up about two hours ago by the sound of a pneumatic drill being used pretty much on my doorstep. Looking out at the works now - drill still going every now and then - I cannot be sure whether they're widening the pavement, or just moving it about 6" inward in preparation to widen the road. Either way, they've got a whole bunch of bollards to move (or, as appears more likely right now, remove entirely).
On the 'inside' of the little sliproad outside the flat, they're certainly moving the kerb in by 6"... and also rotating the kerbstones so the shorter edge is up... But now they're completely breaking up the end of this little paved island... and, where they've finished digging and breaking and levelling out the earth underneath, they seem to have laid concrete up to about an inch from the rest of the pavement. Who knows what they'll do with it, but I have a ringside seat for whatever it is. I'm beginning to suspect a cycle path...
I've been very up-and-down this week... Not getting much of anything at all done. Nothing particularly useful, anyway.
Except even that's not true, I guess... I've 'completed' (that is to say, until I decide to make changes) another two t-shirt designs, and done a fair bit of photography. The light is pretty crummy at the moment, though, so it's unlikely I'll be doing much more today... having realised yesterday, by trawling through my Photobucket accounts, that there's a fair bit of old stuff I missed somehow. That, or I just lost the photos...
Anyway, point being, I really feel like the last few months have been a complete waste. I've been doing my usual thing of blythely assuming everything will come together, and not making any contingency plans. I'm still out of work, my skill set is out of date (again - just like when I left school), and, while part of me is desperate to get back into a bustling office environment, another (louder, typically) part of me is terrified at the prospect. I've spent most of the last 10 years being the hot-shit, go-to guy for everything... and in any normal, contemporary office environment (in my 'normal' line of work, that is) I'd be so far behind everyone else, I wonder if I'd be worth employing.
But how much of this is just my ingrained sense of worthlessness and inadequacy? I've always been able to learn quickly - if I'm sufficiently interested/motivated - and, when it comes to troubleshooting, much of my talent is innate, to the point where I cannot actually explain how I go about it... it just happens.
The other side to this trouble is that I'm still very much... uncertain... that I want to carry on in that line. Sure, it'd be great to hammer out the series of novels I have running around in my head, and never have to work again but, frankly, these last few months have been depressing because I've not been occupied with work (or much writing, because I can't focus). I can only keep myself busy so far (that said, I still haven't done the vaccuuming!) and, after that, I just go stir crazy. And if I don't want to carry on in my established career... what the hell do I want to do? What else could I do?
I know it's a circular argument, but it's one I keep returning to because I have no satisfactory answer.
More later... possibly...
On the 'inside' of the little sliproad outside the flat, they're certainly moving the kerb in by 6"... and also rotating the kerbstones so the shorter edge is up... But now they're completely breaking up the end of this little paved island... and, where they've finished digging and breaking and levelling out the earth underneath, they seem to have laid concrete up to about an inch from the rest of the pavement. Who knows what they'll do with it, but I have a ringside seat for whatever it is. I'm beginning to suspect a cycle path...
I've been very up-and-down this week... Not getting much of anything at all done. Nothing particularly useful, anyway.
Except even that's not true, I guess... I've 'completed' (that is to say, until I decide to make changes) another two t-shirt designs, and done a fair bit of photography. The light is pretty crummy at the moment, though, so it's unlikely I'll be doing much more today... having realised yesterday, by trawling through my Photobucket accounts, that there's a fair bit of old stuff I missed somehow. That, or I just lost the photos...
Anyway, point being, I really feel like the last few months have been a complete waste. I've been doing my usual thing of blythely assuming everything will come together, and not making any contingency plans. I'm still out of work, my skill set is out of date (again - just like when I left school), and, while part of me is desperate to get back into a bustling office environment, another (louder, typically) part of me is terrified at the prospect. I've spent most of the last 10 years being the hot-shit, go-to guy for everything... and in any normal, contemporary office environment (in my 'normal' line of work, that is) I'd be so far behind everyone else, I wonder if I'd be worth employing.
But how much of this is just my ingrained sense of worthlessness and inadequacy? I've always been able to learn quickly - if I'm sufficiently interested/motivated - and, when it comes to troubleshooting, much of my talent is innate, to the point where I cannot actually explain how I go about it... it just happens.
The other side to this trouble is that I'm still very much... uncertain... that I want to carry on in that line. Sure, it'd be great to hammer out the series of novels I have running around in my head, and never have to work again but, frankly, these last few months have been depressing because I've not been occupied with work (or much writing, because I can't focus). I can only keep myself busy so far (that said, I still haven't done the vaccuuming!) and, after that, I just go stir crazy. And if I don't want to carry on in my established career... what the hell do I want to do? What else could I do?
I know it's a circular argument, but it's one I keep returning to because I have no satisfactory answer.
More later... possibly...
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