Rainbow

Maybe there's luck at the end of this at Rugby Park today, who knows!

If i could choose the life i'd please...

...then i would be a boatman

How...

Hunting for new flats makes me feel.

Spring skipped summer and went straight to Autumn...

Walking to the gym this evening i only just noticed that overnight all the leaves fell off the trees. I think i blinked and missed summer entirely! I don't mind, autumn makes Glasgow's west end look pretty. I will miss it when i move!

Today's purchases

Spending money i don't have but hey, it keeps me out of mischief :)

I'm in love

Cherry flavour, yum yum. I know, i'm a geek!

I heart...

Rainy Monday afternoon movies...

Prawn-tastic

A drama of epic proportions, it plays out like a Shakesperean tragedy. From start to finish, we were awe-struck. Go see it. Now.

500 minutes of Summer

Don't get me wrong... Zooey Deschanel is as quirky and gorgeous as always. JGL, great job growing up! I knew i should have snagged him when we were twelve, but i was worried he'd go the Feldman way. Anyway, its charming, its cute, its heartbreaking. Its real and it ticks all the right boxes. Both are convincing and there's real chemistry there. All the same i found it a bit long and dull at times. Am i a cynic? Worth a watch, expect to be charmed, but not gripped.

I have...

Too much time on my hands.

Rocky mountain oysters etc

Jamie's American Road Trip, the cowboy episode was the best piece of television i've seen in years. I want to cook steak on the end of a pitchfork.

What do you follow a day in the pub with?

You guessed it, like Mr Strong, we are...

So mature

The good people of glasgow never fail to impress...

Green streaks and green tats

Times in the Solid...

Hand me up...

Kicks i inherited from my 12 year old brother cos his feet are now bigger than mine!

Happy days...

Me and the beautiful Camilo. He's sweet like chocolate and awesome like spiderman!!

Last dance...

I am...

Ready for the storm...

My new camera

It's too sexy :)

Machines

'cause he's started falling apart, he's not savouring life
he's forgotten how good it could be, to feel alive

What...

...would the dude do?

Relationships are like balloons...

Just when you think you've put in the right amount and its starting to look like it should... BANG.
You're left with a limp piece of rubber and not much else.

We are...

the essence of cool.

I heart sunny days. With wine.

Meat and Bruce Willis

= elastoplast for even the brokenest of hearts

Clothes shortage hits new high

Benidorm, this afternoon. (Also known as Glasgow)

American Splendor

I watched American Splendor again today. I think it's one of my favourite comic book adaptations. I think Paul Giamatti does Harvey Pekar so well. Its such a beautiful comic, such a beautiful film. I highly recommend it!

Innocence

Innocence always calls mutely for protection when we would be so much wiser to guard ourselves against it: innocence is like a dumb leper who has lost his bell, wandering the world, meaning no harm.
- Graham Greene, 'The Quiet American'

Batman - Cacophony

I'm a bit late bringing my views on this Kevin Smith volume of the Batman story, featuring the illustrious and infamous Walt Flanagan (with or without dog). Another of the Arkham stories, it's another foray into the world of superheroes and villains who don't have superpowers, just mental illnesses, or at least that's how the forces of Gotham have made sense of it. In many ways this real world view of the streets of Gotham is welcome, bringing the fantasy a little closer to reality. As is the trend now, the lines of good and bad as blurred immensely, but the bat man is still the pillar of well-intentioned righteousness we know and love. As a volume this is interesting, dramatic and dense with plot, however as Kevin Smith is wont, it's a bit wordy and drawn-out, with just a few too many cells at least half filled with text. It doesn't cover the artwork, but doesn't always feel entirely necessary. Worth a read all the same.

Some days...

...are forgetting, and other days are for keeps.

Six minutes

It's amazing the time you can waste playing the simplest of games. It all started with the challenge to write down all the American states in six minutes. Then imaginations got going and we tried the same task with Bond films, European capital cities, Tom Cruise films, Arnie films, scottish whiskies, and many many more. Hours passed with only pen and paper and a stopwatch. Its like an Enid Blyton novel. Only, less camp. Unless you're wearing leatherette chaps and a codpiece at the time. Ahem.

The best laid plans of mice and me...

...are aft to fall foul of capcom. Damn addictive gaming!

Great film saturdays

Just because i love it.

You've seen the movie, now read the book.....

I only recently went back in time and read Planet Hulk from start to finish. I spend so much time reading graphic novels you need a bookmark for, sometimes I manage to forget the fast-paced plot mash-ups of the comics of my youth. When you needed action week to week, only the best superhero comics would do. Hulk is without doubt an ever-popular character, but like many Marvel heroes, has a melancholy story that gives him depth beyond the Hulk-smashing and generally being a big green grumpy dude. If that's all a bit too soppy for you, never fear, there is never time to linger long on Hulk's sad tale, as there is always someone to smash!
This war-story series is one of many that bring Hulk into his own right, proving that his green mass might be two-dimensional, but his presence is as 3D as IMAX can only hope for.
Solid, classic entertainment, fight scenes, imaginative characters for Hulk to try and kill and later befriend and even a love interest who might just be enough to match Hulk iron-fisted stubborness.

30 Days of Night

30 Days... was loaned to me by a friend who shares a dark and brooding past of over-enthusiastic enjoyment of all things zombie/vampire. I was skeptical about this book, having been unimpressed with the trailer for the film, and having become jaded about vampire comics in general. This book, however, reminds me of films like Near Dark, more than it does Nosferatu. Although gothic, it is heavy with plot and intrigue, not relying too heavily on the mythology itself. Story-wise, I particularly liked the deliberate play on the fact that those who become involved in the vampire activity are the same fringe-of-society conspiracy nuts that are written off for that self-same belief in vampires everywhere else in popular culture. An obvious ploy, you might agree, but effective all the same. The artwork looks like a nightmare might, dark and often shapeless, only hinting at what is in the darkness with flickers of light, often looking like it has been scrawled with crayon and only the sharpness of certain teeth stand out. Enough drama to keep even a non-vampire fan interested, this stands out among a tired genre that has long needed new life (or should that be new blood) injected into it.

Sponsor us!

The Kite Runner

Some books win prizes for good reason - this is one of them. This novel is un-put-down-able. Seriously, don't bother hunting for a bookmark to put in it; you won't need one.

The story is set in Afghanistan, and is the story of Amir. We start with his childhood - a friendship, status, decisions made that will turn out to send shockwaves right through to Amir's adult life. A great beauty of this book is the writer's love for his homeland of Afghanistan - a far cry from the pile of rubble we see on the news. Insightful, meaningful, informative and relevant - a true achievement.

Timely yet timeless. Read it.

We get the government we deserve....

London! If you don't stop messing about with your votes you'll have them taken off you and be sent to bed with no dinner.

Awww

Enough said. :)

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Reading this book was made all the more memorable an event due to the endless 'hype' I have heard about the film over the last few weeks. It seems I can't go to the pub, have anyone over for dinner or even conduct a phonecall without someone mentioning it to me. Not wanting to watch the film without having read the book, I went and bought it today. Since it's very short, reading it took roughly the time it would have taken to watch the film. I had no idea what to expect, and was surprised by what an intense, personal account it actually is.

Reading something like a letter to a friend, Bauby muses his life post-'accident', between learning to communicate through the blinking of one eye, and the emotional experience of experiencing personal care by a semi-stranger, the great achievement here is that this is an account of what it is like to have a massive stroke. Sadly, we rarely hear first-hand accounts of what it is like to suffer this catastrophic event.

Rather than feeling like neck-craning at a roadside accident, the book is an articulate man's view that he is unafraid to share with the world. Shunning sympathy, Bauby is honest in his resignatory acceptance of the life ahead of him since the stroke, and finding solace in both his imagination and in watching the endless energy of his young children keeps him on the Butterfly end of the scale, though, inevitably, the Diving Bell creeps up on him in his darker moments.

I am interested now to watch the film, to see how much it is dramatised, as this book is not embellished in this way, but rather kept simple and true, and remarkable.

Parents and other scapegoats: continued

Update: On finishing the book, i can now confirm it's good right up to the end. The twist is, yes, predictable but nonetheless shocking. Having forseen it is not unlike watching a crystal wine goblet fall from a table edge; in slow motion, you watch, knowing you can't stop what's coming. As I finished up the last few pages I realised this book started with the notion of a school shooting, where news coverage and speculation, psychoanalysis and rhetoric tell us only the tiniest part of a story that starts long before that same child is even a glint in their daddy's eye. From first nappy changes to teenage tantrums, what we don't see is that teenagers are not born so, and families don't emanate from the fiery pits of hell, but from the house down the road with the tree-swing out the back.
Sounds twee, I know, but maybe only to the cynic in us.

The book's ending is neat and satisfying, realist and stark. Bringing a story of extremes to a homely close, its hard to find fault with this story of a mother and son, and that unique relationship that exists beyond the surface.

Local Heroes

I thoroughly recommend the 'Local Heroes' exhibition, on display at the National Library in Edinburgh from now til June 1st. Showcasing work from comic contributors over the last hundred years, bringing us right up to date with the best of international talent, and highlighting the significant role Scottish artists and writers have played. During the exhibition there will be 'conversation' sessions with Alan Grant, Cam Kennedy, and Gary Erskine, not to mention plenty of other related events. Check it out, you talented Scottish bunch!

Reading: Parents and other scapegoats

Reading for pleasure takes on a whole new level of delight when you are deprived of it for any length of time. The chance to read a non-academic text almost seems arduous at first thought - such is the dreariness of poring over once-interesting texts attempting to extrapolate something resembling a cogent argument in the process. What am I saying? I'm sure you all know...
Anyway, once you have come to your senses and shut down the computer for the first time in a month and a half, you may even venture out of the house and into a bookshop. When browsing, what is always a good bet is buying a prize-winning book. Booker prize, Orange prize for fiction - I figure it's usually worth a go. So I finally got around to picking up a copy of Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin.

I'm cheating right now because I haven't even finished it yet, I'm just over half way through, but that says a fair bit when you know that I bought it four days ago.

I will say more about it when I am finished, but for now I want to say how enjoyably engrossing a read this book is.

The device is that the book is entirely a set of letters from the central character, Eva to her absent husband Franklin(we don't yet know his whereabouts or even if he is still alive). The crux of the story is that they have a child, a boy who is in Juvie for having shot and killed some of his fellow school students (and a teacher). Because the book is made up of these letters, it was always going to be a great way of providing an intense experience of accessing the central character's innermost thoughts. The way that people reveal themselves through the honesty of the pen is felt which each new revelation or development. These developments are not told to you/me (dear reader), but referred to as insider knowledge usually is, for the outsider to eavesdrop and piece it together.

The book is described by the Telegraph as "fearless". I wasn't sure what that might mean when reading the blurb, but I now see exactly what their reviewer was getting at. Shriver "pulls no punches" - she is not afraid to get down to the reality of the thoughts and feelings humans experience behind a face of adhering to social norms and doing what is expected. As we humans are capable of feelings we would be ashamed to ever admit to ourselves, including those we can hardly even comprehend, this seems to be all the more true in times of crisis or stress.

Perhaps my favourite thing so far is the way the central character's honesty challenges the perception of what it is to be a parent, and begs questions about what happens when you don't feel the things you are supposed to?
While school shootings become old news, it is satisfying to read a truly adventurous, creative and expressive book, that so efficiently and truthfully deals with the reality of every day before and after that one day no parent can even begin to comprehend or anticipate.

New phone!

My new phone has photo blogging so i'm trying it out

Guitar hero 3

I was about to write a blog about Guitar Hero 3, but as the song goes; "nobody does it better", so here's Yahtzee :-)

(explicit language)

Dr Robotnik and his mean bean machine

There's a significant chance I won't graduate because of Dr. Robotnik. I wonder if I could sue Sega for excessively addictive gameplay.
I had planned an evening of studying and writing. But there were beans that needed liberating and I'm the girl to do it....

"Henry Rollins is like a gerbil"

Further to the last post, I was wrong. There is something I can say about Henry Rollins that hasn't been said before. I didn't realise this until 5 minutes ago when I conversationally referred to his inquisitive nature as "like a gerbil".

Although if he was actually a gerbil his snake might eat him. :-O

I know, I know. Bed.

Henry Rollins

There isn't a great deal I can say about Henry Rollins that hasn't been said many, many times before. He is clearly a big kid, a truly friendly and intelligent fellow with a profound interest in discovering everything he can about the world....and if he ever comes across patronising or preachy it is out of innocence rather than arrogance.

But one thing a lot of people don't realise about Henry Rollins is , he does the frickin' best Dave Lee Roth impression I've ever heard. Seriously, its worth the ticket price alone. You crazy cats... Owwww!






goddamn that's a nice picture (says this girl)

Presidential primaries- Fox news coverage

You have to love the way Fox play it fast and loose with the term 'news'....

Enough said.

Highland International Comics Expo!

I woke up at 8am on the morning of Saturday 2nd Feb, looked out the window and had two thoughts.
Thought 1: Wow! My hometown looks so beautiful with this thick blanket of untouched snow covering it.
Thought 2: $%*&^%$"£T&)(**&(%$"£""!"!£¬$£"£ How am I going to get to Inverness for the Highland International Comics Expo which starts at 10am?!

Thankfully the gritters were out by 10, and by 11 we were on our way! The usual half hour journey took quite a bit longer but eventually we made it, with two 10 year olds in tow, both in full costumes. We had a Dennis the Menace and a Superman type character. The day was going to be extra special since it was "Dennis'" birthday the next day.
The first treat was the moment we stepped out of the car, a local photographer asked for some pictures of "Dennis" for the local news, as his costume was a great one with a crazy black comedy spiky wig.

Entrance was only £5 each for adults, and free for anyone in costume! This £5 paid for most of the goodie bag each entrant recieved, which contained a full length graphic novel (mine was a Mark Millar one) and a comic book as well.

Inside we found we hadnt missed too much due to the snow, although we sadly did miss the chance for the boys to have a workshop wth Kev Sutherland from the Beano. This was made up for when he kindly agreed to sketch the boys anyway. They were delighted with their Bash Street Kids style portraits.

Elsewhere we found a stage make up area, where you could get a gory, realistic wound applied for only a quid or so!

The exhibitor areas were the highlight - lots and lots of books, old and new on sale, with friendly folk behind each stall who were all more than happy to warm up the cold day with a good gab. The second of the exhibitor areas housed artists who were happy to sketch pictures for a small fee - much smaller than you might pay for just an autograph at other event.

There were also workshops on but unfortunately we only made it to one, which was supposed to be hosted by Alan Grant, but sadly he was snowed in. I didnt see David Lloyd anywhere either so I don't know if he succumbed to the cold or was just hiding.

The event was a great achievement for those who contributed so much time and effort to organise it, and I don't know how much was raised, but since it was in aid of Children 1st I hope people felt a sense of doing something good as well as enjoying themselves.

This inaugural event is a great start, and its so good to see the Highlands becoming a place people will travel to from down south for events like this. I would have liked to see more items on sale that might be rarer or more exclusive - a lot of the stuff is available in most good shops or online. I would also have liked to see more displays, talks, workshops etc. However, if Hi-Ex goes on to get bigger and better, like Bristol, I also hope it is not to the detriment of the experience of meeting artists and writers like the one we had this weekend. Every single exhibitor/artist/writer that I met was warm, friendly, professional and gentlemanly, and seemed altogether committed to raising the profile of comics, meeting fans and generally loving what they do. It was an altogether heartening and pleasant experience to see how devoted the fans are, and how comic book artists, unlike many other "celebs" do not appear to sit in ivory towers!

If you are reading this because you were there, remember it is easy for people to complain but when people have a good time they are less likely to write letters! In light of this, write to the organisers and tell them what a great time you had! If you do, they can use that to take to the 'powers that be' and ensure that next years is bigger, better and even more fun!

A week in a weekend

Groo....do I really have to go to work today?

This weekend we enjoyed Hi-Ex, Henry Rollins and Superbowl Sunday!

More on each later!

Runnin with the Devil, a capella

Dave Lee Roth singing Runnin' with the Devil



Highly amusing.

Scruffchild

Check out Scruffchild.

The lo-fi vocals are so fit for purpose. Hope you enjoy.

Suburban Glamour art

Here is a rather gorgeous piece of artwork - Astrid of Suburban Glamour done by Emma Vieceli, I hope she doesn't mind me linking to it. I just liked it.

I have only read a little of SG so far, a good review is here

Costumes for Hi-Ex...

Kid 1 - Dennis the Menace (i tried to make him go as Thor but he was insistent)
Kid 2 - Superman

Gandalf and the eagles.

I wonder if, in hindsight, Gandalf could have summoned the eagles to take Frodo and Sam to Mount Doom and back again, saving them roughly 13 months of hell?

Would have made quite a short book though, I suppose.

Gravel and BPRD

I read Gravel, issue 0, and was a little underwhelmed. It was contemporary with a hint of political, as you might expect, nice and scratchy looking, but seemed awfully short and didn't really leave me feeling very excited about the next issue. It wasn't awful, I probably will buy the next issue. It takes a lot for me to write something off straight away. Magic vs military is an interesting concept.
If Transmetropolitan is comic book heaven, could this be comic book purgatory? We'll see.

I also read B.P.R.D which I really really really liked. I'll be buying the next issue of that sharpish.

I'm not waxing lyrical today - an annoying hour spent on the phone to a call centre regarding a stupidly over-complicated issue, attempting to glean something resembling customer service from the incompetent, dispassionate and disaffected ingrates on the other end of the line, who equally spend their time on the phone to me daydreaming frustratedly at all the things they wish they were doing instead has left me grumpy.

Bah, think i'll go read some comics.

Pan's Labyrinth

I'm not going to be the first to say this, and I won't be the last, I'm quite sure.

I finally got around to watching Pan's Labyrinth the other night, which was a wonderful experience. This film has a plotline of Shakespearean proportions. The young heroine is noble yet troubled, and her greatest love becomes her greatest weakness. Her bravery is her downfall, and her innocence and integrity is her saving grace. Connecting reality and fantasy in post civil-war Spain, and not skimping on the grim realities of the same, an escape is found, not just for our lead character but for the viewer as well.
I liked this film so much, in the same way I liked Spirited Away. I can't talk about it without giving kudos to Doug Jones, who, both in and out of prosthetics, has personified the creations of many directors, together bringing drawings on the page into 3D life.

Watch it. (but watch out for the scary bits)

Highland International Comics Expo!

In 13 days myself and the big man are going to Hi-Ex - the Highland International Comics Expo! I want to take my little brother along as it's his birthday. If we all dress up as comic book characters we get in free! (Costume planning has begun...)

I'm getting the Complete Nemesis the Warlock vols 1-3 for my birthday. I'm quite excited about that.

I still haven't read enough of Gravel to say anything about it yet, I just finished exams so last night I watched Fellowship of the Ring and Two Towers and today I'm off to watch Return of the King (study-guilt free). Everyone has their vices....

Oot.

Counting the number of steps between two points

source: http://www.theonion.com/content/statshot/most_popular_suspicious_0

Pop-punk pish

Time for a rant....

I just heard Good Charlotte's "The Anthem" on the music channel and it made me angry.

The message seems to be "don't bother getting an education". I'm not sure Strummer would agree. Also, bitter irony in the sentiment about not wanting to be "part of a trend/one of the crowd".

They should be thankful they live in a country where a good education is available.

I don't think they have any concept of what punk means, it's all about image to them. I think it's more political than that - it's not about rebelling against society per se, but against oppression and discrimination, traditions that are unfair and contribute to inequality. It's about making the voice of the proletariat heard and upholding socialist principles of equality. Is it?

Eidos, CNet, capitalism vs Jeff Gerstmann?

Everyone's been talking about this all winter... Is it a case of the organisation (CNet) kowtowing to the sponsor? Should Jeff have been fired for this review? The known details of the story are easy enough to find online, as is a lot of speculation and opinion. What are the implications in terms of reviewer integrity?



"In the wake of Jeff Gerstmann's abrupt departure from GameSpot another one of their Freelance writers has now called time on his GameSpot career

Frank Provo has contributed over 700 reviews since he joined GameSpot in 2000

Frank Provo had this to say ::

"I believe CNet management let Jeff go for all the wrong reasons," said Provo in his blog. "I believe CNet intends to soften the site's tone and push for higher scores to make advertisers happy."

"I feel sorry for the GameSpot staff that have to continue to work there because they have no choice if they want to be able to pay bills and feed their families," he continues. "For such upstanding people, the CNet overloads have created the ultimate soul-crushing work environment."

He later defended the GameSpot staff in a post berating the CNet management :

"The GameSpot staff did not fire Jeff. The GameSpot staff are NOT corrupt. GameSpot itself is NOT the problem. CNet is. CNet's management is. The problem lies with the puppet masters. Unfortunately, those masters have RUINED GameSpot's credibility and reputation... a reputation built up for more than a decade.""
(source: http://www.xboxliveaddicts.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=24630)

Today's purchases

I bought not one but TWO Warren Ellis publications today. That's a pint on me, Warren, mate!
I haven't read them yet though so can't tell you anything for now.

Also got Mike Mignola's B.P.R.D #1 and Frank Miller's Batman - Year One graphic novel.

Why not, eh?

Lastly I got TopSpin for the Xbox. Because I have no life. And I should be studying for my exams so need any distraction going.

Summer reading - Half of a Yellow Sun

I read a few books over the summer, but one that stood out was Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Now I don't say this often, but....I loved this book. The book is a fictional account of life in Nigeria before and during the Biafran war/ Nigerian Civil War. It centres around three main characters whose lives intertwine in the course of the story. The author writes with a voice that echoes the great storytellers - it reads like a gritty and real sort of a fable. I felt completely engrossed in the book and very much transported to 1960s Nigeria. While successfully delivering a motivating account of the wider causes and implications of the conflict, relations with the United Kingdom and the realities of life during the war, it is also a very personal and engaging character piece. The development of each character's scenario is tenderly executed. I would thoroughly recommend this wonderful, beautiful read, and can't wait to read more by this author.

Recent reads

Been reading this, it's really good. Not for the faint-hearted though, as you might imagine. Intense, violent, dramatic...full of wild-west action without the cliches. Lenbot recommends.



I also read this, which is very different. It's alright, there are a few laughs in it (usually in the last panel on each double page) so it does feel like a collection of one-liners about people who like comics etc. Good junk reading, if you like that sort of thing. (The girl-on-a-mission-for-womanhood female character is a bit annoying though.)

[1 3 3 7]

Gamers, stoners, noobs alike: your perfect movie has been made....

Cheered me up yesterday after I went to work only to find out I wasn't working yesterday. Bah.

Miserable lenbot

Art fart

click on pic to enlarge (if you so wish)


me
















my gerbils










I know what you're thinking. And the answer is no. There is no end to my talent.

Films and Books

Warning - possible spoilers!
The film 'Stranger Than Fiction' is centred around a simple yet surreal idea, which presents itself as a gimmicky device in the first few minutes of the film. At this early point I wondered if it would tail off into a drawn-out beating-to-death of that same device, and felt I had the ending predicted from the time I'd finished my cup of tea. Well, I was right, it unfolded largely as you might expect. However, like an excellent love song, it was far from dreary in the process. The tale was beautifully, expertly executed, with enough development of the somewhat oddball central characters to really evoke sympathetic emotion. At times it was a little twee; at some moments I feared a toothache might ensue, but by the time the credits rolled, I felt satisfied by this exploration of the complicated relationship between a writer and his/her character. Altogether an engaging film that I would recommend to my parents and friends, mainly for the wholesome nature of the film, and for the welcome focus on the adjoining worlds of literature and the 'everyman'.





My reading around university work is currently either biographies or funny books, because I need the release. Having been given Bill Bryson's book - The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid for Christmas, I began reading it straight away. I finished it in about three days, a timescale which can be attributed in part to me having the 'flu, and in part to Bryson's well-established, easily flowing descriptive prose. This book is a personal account of Bryson's childhood, growing up in the 50s/60s American mid-west, with the fear of nuclear war, evil-eyed communists and neighbourhood dogs ready to maul you as you innocently try to deliver newspapers. As with his travelogs, Bryson again demonstrates his finely honed ability to describe his own experiences in such depth that the reader can visualise the events in glorious technicolour. He expertly leaves out the boring parts in favour of the ironic, daft, surreal or provocative moments. The effect of this is two-fold: not only does the reader enjoy the vivid images in their own mind, but may also identify with many aspects of Bryson's account. Perhaps because Bryson sees his surroundings (in this case, his childhood) from such an observational standpoint, he and the reader are side by side in their experience of his stories. Altogether a great escape to read, the only drawback is that it is over too quickly and this reader was all too quickly transported back to the cold, rainy winter of 2007.

Time-lapse

Another personal blog entry...

Good grief - last post was in May 2007. It's now Jan 2008. What happened?
Have I been bumming around India, sunning myself on the beach in Australia or even interning at NASA?
Nope, none of the above.

I did do well at college, passed my course and go on to university. I'm studying for my first university exams now. I've been a little caught up with it, hence my absence. Not that the world ended through my not blogging. Thankfully.

I moved house, got gerbils, watched a lot of films, had Christmas, got the flu, saved up for a holiday, spent the money over Christmas and never went on holiday. Blast.

My brother flew from the other side of the world for 2 weeks, we had fun. Glasgow Airport almost got set on fire. We have Alex Salmond and Gordon Brown at our nation's helm. My other half published his first magazine. The Liberal Democrats finally have a new leader. The NHS is going through the slow process of self-assessment and change (nothing new there). Immigration has been a hot topic over the summer, and a nasty stomach flu hit lots of people over the winter. Hillary Clinton looked like she would be the next president of the USA. We're still in Iraq, it's become some kind of tiresome old story now, people don't talk about it nearly as much, except to say that we are finally in the last stages of it, or to blithely mention 'the illegal war' when referring to fiscal matters. Pete Docherty is finally not on the front of every damn newspaper, thank goodness. Amy Winehouse has lots of problems. So does Britney Spears. Paris Hilton is an international joke and Russell Brand is the most annoying man on the planet.
The new South Park is amazing. Mitchell and Webb are having a break from working together. David Mitchell, former Footlighter, is one of the smartest guys I've never had the pleasure of meeting. David Cameron grinds my gears almost every time he opens his mouth, thankfully he's on the front of the papers less and less as well. Oh and yes, that guy from Harry Potter is gay.... (Who gives a flying duck?)

Back to revision.

John Sweeney, jet engine or exploding tomato?

Poor JohnSweeney. I dunno, a man loses his temper (a little bit) just once and the next thing he knows he's public enemy number one. The barrage of heavily edited anti-Sweeney footage on Youtube and everywhere else has been nothing short of hilarious. He's allegedly a lunatic (really, his moods are affected by the movements of the moon? For real?), an embarrassment, a nut-job blah blah blah...
I'm not the most patient person in the world, I've got a wee temper on me when caught by the right thing at the wrong time...It would take some goading to get me to shout like that, but goddamn it that Tommy Davis appeared to be doing a good job of it.

John, like many people, finds it rather frustrating when persistently talked over, contradicted, interrupted and generally when subject to a frustrating and infuriating incorrect accusation, and isn't allowed to defend himself.

It's all a storm in a teacup - the two of them had a go at each other, it was quickly over and reconciled, and should have passed into nothingness along with the zillions of other arguments people have over silly things. And don't tell me his professional context changes things, arguments happen at work too.

As the other half of a journo-type, I'm well aware that entering that profession is entering a lion's den of misunderstanding, misinterpretation and, well, saying the wrong thing to the wrong person.

Can't we just see that he's an investigative journalist and a man beyond it all, there's no need to demonise the guy - it's not like he killed anyone!

John has my full support....


As for the Church of Scientology - the whole religion/cult argument aside, there are a few things that I find baffling about it. Firstly, using the e-meter during counselling, they locate areas of 'torment' within the person and talk those out until the person is no longer tormented by them. This sounds like a therapeutic process, which is probably very satisfying, however it doesn't, to me, warrant an indoctrinated following, it's something you might pay for then go home and get on with your life. Why is it being called anything more than a hobby? Is it because they request that you dedicate your life to it, and why?
Secondly, these people scare me. I dislike their accusatory nature. They seem to be focused on other people's crimes and wrongs. Are they using their metered form of counselling as a way to 'atone' for their own 'sins', thereofre achieving a sense of inner peace and the self-gratification that goes along with that? That sounds very inviting (not to me) but disturbing and frightening. it seems to me the people who would be attracted to that may have problems and this financially-led pursuit of enlightenment might be more damaging than helpful?

They have people-power - they have the numbers and the determination to put whatever spin they like on to whatever they like...

As a relative of a former member of another organisation which surfs the religion/cult line, I am forever wary of these things, and would prefer to find answers within myself, and keep my bank balance at the meagre figure it is now, no lower!

cutting up books for the sake of art? surely not....

I LOVE this...


http://www.sublackwell.co.uk/bookcut/index.htm

im the student

It's crazy how life changes so fast....I quit my part-time office job to concentrate on studying and everything seems very career-focused now. I'm learning at a rate previously unknown to Lenny-dom, and every day it seems there is a new situation to analyse and assismilate.

College is all falling into place, and I've applied for something else after it finishes, but I'm too scared to talk about it to anyone. I've only told a few people. I don't know why. It doesnt really matter if I'm accepted or not. I realise now that if I dont make it, it just means I'm not suitable or that it's not right for me. Would be nice though :-)

My work placement is the big focus this term. Last term it was all theory - a lot of R&R. That's, er, Reading & Regurgitation to those not fortunate enough to possess a copy of the Rhyming Len-tionary.

This term I've spent a lot of hours at my placement, getting hands-on experience. It's constantly challenging and never black & white.

The purpose of this placement is to support people with learning difficulties who live in their own home. The practical side of this involves a team of staff with varying degrees of experience and qualifications, on a rotational shift pattern, supporting the individuals 24-hours a day.
The apparent result of this resembles a certain degree of chaos (is chaos quantifiable?).
There are constant battles between staff, including differences of opinion which are settled in a way George W Bush would approve of. The relationships between staff can affect the support that's given, which is painful to watch. I'm lucky enough to be able to stay out of that, as a student and not a 'real' member of staff.

That's a negative aspect, but of those, there are few. There are days you realise you have done something which has truly improved another person's life. That sounds very self-gratifying, but it's not like that.
There are moments which move you to tears. There are moments when you realise something you have believed your entire life is completely wrong. There are times when you have to say "I thought I was right, but I couldnt have been more wrong". You go home questioning your own ideals, morals and values. But mostly, you just really CARE. You care so much about the people you work with that you can't NOT do your best. You develop a person-to-person relationship based on respect and if you don't, it's probably not the right line of work for you.

There's a continual analysis of social care values, which is necessary to maintain self-awareness and objectivity, which in turn help to avoid getting stuck in an unhelpful routine.

The idea is to promote individual's rights and freedoms, and to do as much as is possible to tear down the barriers presented by a disability. For example, when a person cannot communicate verbally, this will prevent them from the normal interaction we take part in every day. I'm not referring to a mute, I'm referring to a person who's disability may impact their ability to formulate the sentences required to communicate their desires. Or, it may prevent them from making the association between what they want and what they need to say to get it. Travelling on buses, going into shops, every-day activities are impossible for this person without support. The role of the worker is to be an advocate, and to take the time to achieve communication using other methods. They then assist the person in those situations I mentioned. The individual therefore gets out within the community, meets neighbours, experiences all the things we take for granted, and experiences the freedoms we expect as human beings.

be careful what you wish for

So...you spend a few months feeling bored and frustrated.

This is what happens when something is coming, but not quite yet. Waiting for something big to arrive, there's all this apprehension and antici.......pation......
You do a lot of filling up time and trying to prepare yourself for this 'new beginning'....

Then it arrives and you forget to write to your blog for ages :-)

For your intense enjoyment and amusement

Two of Ewan's very silly creations. (double click to enlarge if they're a bit small on your browser)



and

Mohawks galore

aaah....
Went to see Rancid last night, at the greatest venue I've ever been to - the Glasgow Barrowlands. They've been talking about demolishing it for a long time and if they do it's a venue that will be sorely missed. It's been around for years, and is one of the great landmarks of the city. It was a ballroom for many years where all the young folk went to 'the dancin'...
It has the greatest atmosphere, with it's surprisingly cavernous small space, the star-studded ceiling, and the walls that are falling to bits. The back stairwell is plastered with giant posters of bands who've played there, such as the Ramones, Sepultura, Megadeth, The Lemonheads and many more.
It's Anthrax's favourite venue, and easily the best place to see your favourite band when/if they come to Scotland!

The show was awesome - a crazy, bouncy experience - a room full of punk kids, newbies, rockers, skinheads and old dudes in bomber jackets jumping around together and generally sweating a lot....

The band are relative veterans - in an age of baby-faced fashion-punks, Rancid have been at it for a few years, and capture the spirit of punk. It's original music, with a heavy ska influence. The band - working class kids with guitars and not much else. They clearly love nothing in the world more than each other and what they do, and make a point of showing it - for me it's easily their most admirable trait. I like bands who have fun doing what they do!

The entire set was flawless - snapped guitar strings, a drummer who fell out of time a few times, and even a collapsed PA only added to the fun of the night. From Tim's opening lyrics to 'Radio' right through to the sweaty, smelly end of the night - it all seemed to go by far too quickly.

A few eyebrows were raised by the acoustic encore! Yes, a punk band came on for an encore with acoustic guitars in hand - but then played one of their best songs "Fall Back Down". The entire front half of the auditorium sang along with all their might - a classic and memorable rock and roll moment, indeed a memorable night all round, for this punk kid!


Us at the gig (the flash on ewan's camera phone didnt work)

Look at the pretties

This is quite amusing...The old Mentos and Diet Coke trick. Only better.

Further reading

Now I'm reading The Invisibles.














and Doom Patrol














and I'm still working my way through the many volumes of Oldboy















...when I really should be studying!



I also have a cool coffee table book in this...














Loadsa fun.

Bowling Alone

I've just finished reading this book




by this guy.



It's very good, and very interesting.
I'd recommend. :-)
Read about it here.

Holidays!

You know that smile people have when they are exhausted? That tired-eyed, red-cheeked, half sleepy grin they get from having loads of fun, so much that they don't even feel the tiredness? Well, I have that right now...

I've been working like a dog, as anyone who knows me will know...and I kept saying how much I needed a holiday...Well, I got one!

Have just returned from a whirlwind weekend in Edinburgh (not very exotic, I know, but I'm a poor student!) Went to the Hard Rock cafe on Friday night - food was rubbish but they were playing Faith No More when we walked in which redeemed the whole evening! Saturday, we window-shopped and walked and looked at the sights and had a lovely time - went to the Southern Cross Cafe on Coburn street for lunch which was so nice - they were also playing Faith No More, followed by Johnny Cash when we went in. More window-shopping, then an AMAZING meal at Creelers.
Tim and Fran (the proprieters) are very very nice people, and very knowledgeable about wine and seafood! I'm sure I made a total prat of myself trying to sound like I knew what I was talking about when it comes to wine. Nothing new there, then.

Got a free breakfast this morning and by the time we hit Glasgow again, we had to get ready to go out to the fireworks...which were beautiful!! I have a predictable fascination with pretty flashy lights, and I was denied fireworks last year, so this year I got my fill of them...

It was lovely, but I'm exhausted...so I'm off to bed with a big smile on...right up until the alarm goes off for work in the morning. ;-)

We're all dudes

I weeely weely weeely like this video....Less Than Jake's "We're all dudes" set against Full Metal Alchemist....cool uh?




I like that song. If you're my friend, the song is for you :-)

More comic book shenanigans

Ewan saw Spiderman walking along hand in hand with Catwoman yesterday. (ie, Halloween).
That's one Marvel/DC crossover I wouldn't have seen happening...ever...until i googled and found this picture.


Very silly.

Schadenfreude

There is a German proverb that goes: "Schadenfreude is the most superb kind of joy (since it comes directly from the heart)"...but I like the Finnish variation better. It goes: "Schadenfreude is the purest joy, since it doesn't include a bit of envy". Too true.

Have you ever bumped into someone you hadn't seen in a while and they asked, "So, have they fired you yet?"...or "Has she dumped you yet then?"
Perhaps that's a mild form, easily up for misinterpretation by the more defensive and paranoid among us.

What about those times when someone rushes up to you and says "Did you hear who got fired/dumped/injured/laughed at/internal parasites/mauled by a leopard/experienced some other unfortunate mishap?!" and the giddy schoolkid look in their eyes is only somewhat less frightening than the fact that they are literally falling over themselves with glee.

It's horrible, isn't it? Yet, most of us do it. Some more than others, but I think most people are capable of the "Ha, up yours, I'm doing better than you" feeling. Just attend your next high school reunion and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Maybe we're just glad NOT to be envying someone else for once (sometimes seems that's all folk do), or maybe we feel so crap about our own lives we need to cheer ourselves up by revelling in the misfortune of others. Whatever the reason is, its pretty pathetic.

I suppose the only solace we can find is that our neighbours over on the mainland have so much of it they had to make a word for it, and we don't, so we must be better. *gleeful grin*


(tongue firmly in cheek, before anyone tries to arrest me)

Hello my little pretty - don't we look....YUK!

This week oi have been mostly listening to Mercyful Fate, King Diamond and Alice Cooper's Raise Your Fist and Yell.
After the initial horror of becoming the owner of one of those steam-powered pocket-gramophone-ombinator ipod thingies, at least three weeks of wrestling in the desert with my identity (it was a close fight) I accepted the fact that I'm a total sell-out and Apple have produced a rather fantastic piece of gadgetry. Yep, I hate to say it but it's user friendly, good value for money (mine was got for me 'oan the cheap' as we say in Glas Vegas), and yes its very nice to look at, and the whole button system is totally ingenious. Ok maybe not ingenious but pretty nifty. So, once I'd got over the trauma of walking around with evil 3"x4" in my pocket, I started to embrace the dark side, so to speak....Now my lovely ipod is more than half-way to full up and i've got all these fabulously entertaining playlists going too. Cleverly and obscurely named, of course, cos I'm so trendy and random and crazy and unpredictable, dontcha know...

So, yeh, Mercyful Fate and King Diamond. Awesome.
Raise your fist and yell....ah its the Coop at his finest....It really is an astoundingly good album. I've been to see the old hag twice now and she's great (I mean he's great)....

Boys with girls names confuse me. You wanna see how long I wondered why all my male friends had turned gay over some guy called Cameron in some dress in some Jim Carrey film where he wears a mask and the mask changes his personality and when he wears the mask he gets the girl (or boy) but he cant get her (or him) when he doesnt have the mask on...At one point his dog even wears the mask....
Anyway I can't for the life of me remember the name of the movie.

Moral of this story.....King Diamond is cool, Alice Cooper has a girls name (duh) and I am byproxially gender-confused.

Au revoir, ladies!

The rhythm is going to get you

In my last two posts I've made reference to songs that have been significant to me. Well I can't talk about songs in that way without mentioning Safe Home... Always makes me think of Ewan, and I always listen to it when I miss him.

Cheesy, huh?

The 'F' word

Obviously, studying psychology turns any student into an expert within a matter of two months (heh), but I must admit that some elements of the course have caused me to re-assess certain things with regard to my own life.

The other day my lecturer speculated we are the first generation to really have a whole lot of 80 and 90 year-old family members, and that we have no idea how to relate them. Certainly, statistically, there's indisputable truth here - we have more octogenarians (and above) on the planet now than we've ever had.

However, the area I've found myself thinking about relates to another familial statistic.
Most of my friends' parents are divorced. Most of their grandparents stayed together 'til death. Certainly, again, statistically there are many more divorces than there were 30 years ago.
When I first met a 'certain person', whom I've now become very close to, we talked about our parents' divorces. This was at a really early stage of getting to know each other. It was probably the first time I'd really spoken to someone in a grown-up way about the ways it had affected me. Sure, when I was younger I blamed everyone around me and spent my fair share of time feeling sorry for myself about it. Now I'm older than my parents were when they married, and I'm almost the age they were when they first talked about divorce, and I'd like to think my viewpoint is a little fairer. Perhaps it isn't, but I hope it is.

I certainly don't blame them any more, nor do I bear any resentment about their actions at the time. I hope they don't bear any resentment about my reactions at the time!

The thing is, I do see the ways in which it has affected me. What I've learned is that when people say "Things will be better soon", you can't really trust that. That you can't really believe in people always being around, as you just don't know what circumstances might take them away from you.

The 'certain person' I mentioned once played a song (Wonderful) to me. He liked it because, although it's not a great song musically speaking, it rings true with him. He felt that he understood the song as he'd felt all the feelings the singer was singing about. I felt the same when I heard it, and we have since been able to talk about the fears for the future we have.

For me, I'm afraid of marriage, as I'm so scared of it all falling apart. I'm scared of not being able to focus on giving my children the upbringing I want to, because I am distracted by marital struggles. I'm not as afraid of commitment as I once was, but the fear does rear its head from time to time. Some say you have to know your partner for a long time before you get married, but I know couples who knew each other for over ten years before marrying and are now divorced. I also know at least one couple who were married after 6 months and are still together 20 years later. I wouldn't begin to speculate as to other people's level of marital bliss, in fact that's a whole other question in itself. If it does all go wrong, at what point to you decide to leave? Would I be able to stay in a loveless marriage for the sake of the children? Would that be more, or less damaging to them? Would I be able, or even willing to hide my unhappiness? Would my partner?

Sometimes I still feel afraid, in the same way I did when I was small. I lose hope, and think that I can't trust myself, or anyone. I don't believe promises, although I want to. Maybe part of me is still stuck at that point. I can't see myself ever not being afraid of that, but then, I guess everyone is afraid of things not working out the way they hope.

I'm the kind of person who tries very hard not to let fear govern my life. Fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of possibilities....I try to see the line between just being afraid, and genuinely taking a risk. It's not always easy though.

So, in conclusion, are we the first generation where divorce is not strange, or out of the ordinary? Where the restructured family is in the majority, and the standard nuclear family is a thing of the past? How can we adjust to this when we are socialised into thinking that 'mum, dad and kids' is the thing to aspire to? I want my kids to have the same surname as me. I want the person I love to be the person whose personality is carried on through my children. The only thing I know how to do is to try as hard as I can, and try not to let my fear get the best of me.

Home

Coming to the end of a visit to my hometown always leaves me with a certain sentimental feeling. Always being a hopeless romantic, I find lyrics of a certain Bruce Springsteen song lingering in my mind. (“My Hometown”, for those who don’t know.)

When I first left home, I couldn’t get out fast enough. I saw my hometown as a dead end – a place to fester and never really do anything with my life. So, I went to the big city and did exactly that. As the years pass, I enjoy visits home more and more. Increasingly, I see the attraction of living in a quiet town, where life moves slowly and faces are almost always familiar. Yes, ‘sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name.’

I find myself worrying about my family, and feeling sad and regretful to leave them behind. I start to wonder, how close do I want to live to my folks (not next door, anyway!) but how far could I be happy with?

I’m torn, right down the middle, part of me still loves the fast pace and the freedoms of city life. The whole ‘do anything, be anything’ sentiment still attracts me. There was a time when I was hiding in the city. It’s easy to be anonymous among 750,000 people. But I’m not afraid or ashamed of who I am, neither am I bored of my life here in the city.

For the future, I hope I can find the right balance, between being close to family and embracing the city-kid attitudes I’ve adopted.

Since I was nine, I’ve always had a feeling of not quite knowing where home was. I’m looking forward to the day when I know for sure.

Disapple-ointment

A few days ago I bought 3 lovely shiny Pink Lady apples. But when I went to eat one tonight, it was bad. All three were.

Presumably it started with one bad apple in the group. You know how these things go.

Comic book movies

I just can't believe that in order to see the Silver surfer, we're gonna have to sit through another Fantastic Four. I only hope that its heavy with Mr. Fantastic, The Thing and, of course, Norrin Radd/Silver Surfer, and light on 'eye-candy x2'. Am I the only one who wished Invisible Woman had spent more time being Invisible (or at least used her powers to sneak into some acting classes) and The Human Torch had spent more time engulfed in flames, and not talking?!

I've been really excited about Silver Surfer. I'm glad it's Doug Jones. He was great in Hellboy and is well-known for his work in costumes/prosthetics. He's got experience now of working on a comic-book movie and, coming from a theatre/performance background, he has shown himself to be a very professional and committed performer. I know he's going to be very cool, if given the chance to show what he's made of.
Unlike X-Men 3: The Last Stand, there's no new brain in the director's chair - it's Tim Story again. I'm not saying he's a bad director, but I was so disappointed with Fantastic Four - please get it right this time!!
I don't know about you, but I've got everything crossed in anticipation of The Rise of the Silver Surfer - as I said about Iron Man - please be good!!.

Comic book movies are en vogue just now, with Ant-Man, Thor, Iron Man, Captain America and Ghost Rider all in the pipeline, albeit at varying stages of pre-production; only Ghost Rider has begun filming as yet. If any of them turn out to be half as good as V for Vendetta was, then I'll be delighted.

I'm extremely attracted to the ideas behind V for Vendetta. Although boycotted by Alan Moore himself (as he has done with all the movie adaptations of his books), I think this is one that perhaps he should take a peek at. It's certainly not as distant from the original text as, say, From Hell. Hugo Weaving provides a wonderfully deep and complex character in V. The script and delivery brings his static mask to life, and at times it almost feels as though the mask has changed with V's mood. His character's motivation is sound, and his logic completely understandable. His drive to make changes to the social issues he sees around him are easy to sympathise with, even if his violent methods raise more questions than they answer.
However, my love of the movie can be summed up in one quotation.

"People shouldn't be afraid of their governments; governments should be afraid of their people."

I like the idea of true democracy. Democracy that works. A fair vote for all and a government that is a tool of the people, rather than the other way around.

I can't mention V for Vendetta without reminding people that this amazing novel was written in the early 80s, in Thatcherite England, when I was only a baby. Surprising to some, then, how accurate a portrayal of our society it is, and how applicable it is today.

It's official, Alan Moore is a literary hero, whether you like it or not.

Please be good

Please be good please be good please be good please be good please be good please be good.....

People who might be a good Iron Man:

Christian Bale (but that wont happen cos he's Batman)
Harvey Keitel
Robert Downey Jr (?)
Brad Pitt (sorry, but he might be quite cool - think Fight Club/ Snatch)
Ray Liotta (ccooomee ooon he'd be awesome!)
Alan Tudyk (who's Steve the Pirate?)
and this one's for my benefit only
Ron Livingstone :-D

Ok, before you say it, yes they are all big hollywood names, and yes I do think a Brandon Routh would be great.
To be honest I'd like to see and older Hollywood hero in the role, like Max Von Sydow (think about it!) but that won't happen...so my list above prevails!

Sex & sensationalism

I don't know if I'm the only one who feels this way, but I'm getting increasingly tired of the way our newspapers present news stories which have a sexual element. We know that most tabloid newspapers have always had a history of "sexing-up", but it seems that these days, they are not the only ones. Even our more 'respectable' news papers seem to be following suit. I'm not going to name publications, but only highlight one story, which has been covered by every UK and US newspaper.
My example is the story of Charles Roberts, who was of course, the man who shot five young girls in an Amish school, in recent weeks. As the story unravelled, we found out that Mr Roberts had, at the age of 12, behaved inappropriately with younger female children. We also heard an element of the story which was perhaps much more relevant, but much less publicised - 9 years ago, he lost his young daughter. Wouldn't any parent question why God had allowed that to happen? Wouldn't any parent struggle with the unbearable pain of losing their own child? This had obviously left Mr Roberts with deep emotional scars, which, unfortunately, he did not feel he was able to tackle. In 20 years, these things became so insurmountable to him, that they took over his mind. He lost rationality, and did the unthinkable.
Yes, he confessed having been haunted by dreams of molestation. But what does that mean? That could mean anything from being tortured by the horrible memories of what happened when he was younger, or having nightmares every time he saw a news story on the topic - right through to him having desires and thoughts of doing it again. But he *didnt* act on it. We don't know what went on in his mind up until that final day, and speculation needs to be fair. We can't assume the worst through fear.
The next thing that happens, the news stories are detailing items found in his vehicle after he died. Speculation abounds and we see headlines like "pervert kills young girls".
There is no evidence to indicate that Charles Roberts has shown himself to be a "pervert" at any point in his adult life. His wife was quoted as referring to him as a model husband and father. The language used within the articles is inflammatory and sexually provocative. This scares people - they get images of pervy monsters stalking their children down dark alleys.
People ask "who will protect our kids?" Good question, but I've got another for you.
Who, also will help our adults to KNOW they can seek help, without unfair judgement or reprisal, BEFORE they commit a crime? Who will educate and support our children through the experiences of youth so they do NOT grow up with profound emotional scars, and without the resources to recognise and seek help for thoughts and urges which are against the morality we hold dear?
Please, media, can we stop sensationalising sex-offences? I, as much as anyone, find it extremely difficult to reconcile behaviour such as child abuse and paedophilia with a human being with the same rights as anyone else....
However, when we continue to alienate members of our society who do have problems, all we do is increase their potential to further distance themselves, with horrifying consequences.
What if we could support each other, from a younger age, and make the effort to interact with our peers in love and understanding, rather than fear and judgementalism?
There is huge evidence to support the idea that feelings of being distrusted, disliked and unwanted contribute to negative behaviours, and the irresponsible way in which this kind of news is reported only results in further marginalisation within society.

Let's protect our kids, and our grown-ups too...

Will Ferrell is over-rated (and other opinions)

I'm not sure how I feel about the remaking of Infernal Affairs into The Departed. Not only do we have Leonardo 'I have a face like a 4 year old' DiCaprio "playing tough" but we have the own-name-repeater himself, Matt Damon...Now I'm not saying Matt hasn't been in any good movies. I like the Bourne movies, and I'm looking forward to Ultimatum. Syriana was an excellent film (although NOT improved in any way by his presence). Also to Matt's credit, he had the joy of delivering what is probably the only funny line ever to be found in a Will & Grace script. The line was funny enough to almost cancel out the idiocy of his cameo on that embarrassing excuse for a modern sitcom. (Seriously, it's not a hideous, unfunny exercise in stereotyping at all).
But let's not forget Matt's many crimes against cinema-goers everywhere....
Jersey Girl has to take the crown. (What were ANY of you thinking?!) but the horror doesnt stop there....Eurotrip, anyone? How about Stuck on You? And the only thing that stopped me gnawing my own elbows off during Good Will Hunting was the lovely Minnie Driver. That girl can do no wrong. Just don't mention W&G again.

Aside from Leo and Matt, the lineup is pretty awesome. Jack, a Baldwin, Martin (oops, lets just forget about Marky Mark) and Ray Winstone. Not to mention Scorsese himself being at the helm. That's enough to whet the appetites of most any film-goer that I know.
Alec Baldwin was great in the Cooler. Well, he's always cool. Incidentally, Martin Sheen is allegedly in my friend's friend's Philosophy class.

Someone just please explain to me what was wrong with Infernal Affairs in the first place? Who in their right mind decided to substitute Tony Leung and Andy Lau with Matt and Leo? I expect the on-screen chemistry between those two to be about as convincing as that between Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx in the delightfully crappy gun-fest that was Miami Vice.

I just hope they have that Nissan Skyline. You know the one I mean. Mmmmmm.

Apocalypse is here!!!

This is Apocalypse. A certain (not-so-young-any-more) guy I know has been wanting this for a long time, but it's really rare and a bit pricey too!! Well, after a bit of help from my mummy and the quick shipping of the kind people at Toywiz.com , he finally got it! I also got him some other cool things, a Preacher novel, some other graphic novels, a Punisher t-shirt and a game for the 360...

I got balloons and a banner and even a cake (he got a bit teary-eyed, although he'll deny it, when he saw the cake cos he was moved by the effort I'd made!)
I got him a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles card and wrapped his presents rather, uh, inventively, shall we say....
Then he and his brother and I and a few other people sat around, had a wee drink together and some nice conversation, and he was a happy boy altogether!! I'm so pleased for him as he was a little bit miserable on his last birthday!

Anyway, it's a year today since we met. Feels like much longer! (teehee - just kidding)....
I'd better go before I say something very cheesy. Cheers!

Ben Sliney

After watching the film 'United 93', I enjoyed reading this interview.


60 SECONDS: Ben Sliney | Metro.co.uk

Things

Things I like this week

Cajun chicken with rice, the 1^st season of 24, Amazon’s used & new section, Diamond-patterned tights, wellies, Edwina Currie, John Simpson, Psycho-analysing weird celebrities, Singapore Slings, my new ipod, Rancid, concert tickets you bought months ago and are glad you did because you couldn’t afford them this month, the Dispatches documentary about Burma, Freecyclers, walking in shoes that don't hurt, free wireless internet in bars, and things that keep me warm in this cold wintery weather!

Things I don’t like this week!

Men with open shirts and bare chests, People who ask loaded questions at work e.g. “are you busy just now?” (don’t pretend it’s just a casual enquiry – I’m onto you, you cheeky monkey), the fact that I wish I had more money to spoil Ewan on his birthday, People who state the obvious too much, People who miss the point in conversation because they have a rehearsed script in their mind that they’re desperate to put to use, Conflicting schedules with people you want to see, When smokers lean to close to you and don’t realise just how smelly their breath is! (Sorry!), Ordering stuff off the net and the wrong thing arriving, Cold mornings, and not being able to find newly-released music that’s really any good....

A sad reunion

Yesterday I got the news that an old friend passed away. I was quite close to him for a short period of time, but many of my friends were much closer to him, and his family.

The friend was a school-pal, and last night was a night of many phonecalls with old school-friends whom I haven't spoken to in ages. We talked a long while about the guy who died, and then tended to drift onto talking about our own lives and catching up, but not forgetting the sad circumstances that had prompted us to talk again.

I realise I'm dreadful at keeping in touch with old friends, particularly school-friends. I feel ashamed of myself for having been too caught up in my own life to keep in touch better. But, as one of my friends said, you have to be caught up in your own life, in order to live it...

Anyway, the news brought many memories back, and obviously I felt an enormous amount of that sympathy for his family that feels so futile. Like, there's nothing you can say, and anything you do say sounds so stupid... I feel so angry at this desperate waste, and confusion, frustration, wishing we could turn back time and change things...

There aren't any words of comfort you can offer...but I once lost a good friend by NOT saying what I should have...and if it was my family member, I would hope that people would pay tribute....

So, raise a glass to the memory of a great guy, and shed a tear on behalf of his family.
I'm sorry.

RE: Down the back of the sofa....

I found it


(i couldnt find any pictures of happy women, only happy men....but i assure you, im a girl)

A History Of......

Here's another weird thing about me...

I avoid Nestle products. It's actually more of a habit now, and I never really think much about it - I don't do any campaigning or anything, but it comes up from time to time when people ask me if I want a coffee at work, for example....

I don't normally say anything, just "no thanks" but then they're confused when I mention how much I love coffee and come in with takeaway coffee from other places!

I know the whole Nestle thing was years and years ago. I suppose the question is, How long should we hold big businesses responsible for past crimes?

I'm quite happy not eating/drinking Nestle or Nescafe, and I'm not totally anal about it - if it can't really be avoided, I will from time to time....I'd just rather buy better coffee anyway!

People look at me funny when they question me about it...but is there anything wrong with avoiding companies you see as unethical? I dunno...

Anyway - Hurrah for fairly traded coffee!!!! (It tastes better anyway)

A bit all-over-the-place

I'm really tired...
I sleep ok and don't work THAT hard, I just feel exhausted...and when I'm not sleeping I just think about sleeping.
Or think about things I'd rather be doing. I bought loads of books recently that I really do want to read but I can't find the time. I seem to be switching between hyperactive and sleepy just now...
I'm feeling kinda, fragmented, like when you're so tired that things you look at don't match up properly - I keep half-forming thoughts in my head then they kinda stop, and I think "What was I just thinking?" but it doesn't really go anywhere....
Ah, I'm obviously losing my grip on reality, could be fun

(image source: Steve Pyke - steve@pyke-eye.com)

Inspiration, motivation, frustration (bleh)

I was just reading the blog of a friend of mine, where she was describing her state of mind just now. My friend had high hopes to do a lot of travelling this year, but finances didn't suit and now she is at home, musing about her future, her life, where she will be in 5 years, 10 years, etc...

Now, not being one prone to those sorts of thoughts, I was surprised to find myself asking similar questions. I'm not afraid of the future, but I must admit that's probably because I don't think about it that much. (classic case of Ostrich Syndrome)
However, it has got me thinking along similar lines, but more about the changes in my life in the last year. This time last year, I was in a horrible job that I hated, that I was turning up late for and generally making no effort - I'd been there almost 2 years and made virtually no advancement within the company, mainly because I could think of no future less desirable than one within this particular company, or indeed, any company in that particular field of work.

I wanted to leave and do something better, but I was always worried about money. I kept saying "just one more month" because the salary was nice, and it was difficult to leave behind. However, the opportunity to go and visit my brother in Australia arose, and I remember thinking that the last thing I wanted was to return from such a lovely trip and have to walk back into that workplace the following Monday morning!

So, I quit, and had a great holiday! When I returned, I had no job! I thought I might just have made a big mistake, but I found a job quickly, and fairly out of the blue - a lot of luck was involved, I think! So now here I am in a lovely new flat, doing a great college course and in a wee part-time job that keeps the wolf from the door (theoretically) and keeps me in the odd bottle of wine from time to time too! I've got a nice boyfriend, although I hate to hinge my future on other people.....Strangely though, I seem to hinge it all on work and employment. How capitalist of me.

I watched the astounding documentary by Evan Williams on Dispatches last night, entitled 'Burma's secret war' (note, Burma, not Myanmar....)
I was amazed by this chap - his commitment and drive to seek the truth excites me. Now that Ewan is on his way to becoming a roving reporter, I have such high hopes for him, but wish that I was not spending my days in a job which I don't enjoy, or at least a job where I feel I can use my skills or where I have a belief in the value of what I'm working on. I know it's only here to keep me afloat through college, but I can't help but feel I could be doing more with my time.

I sit there thinking about things I want to learn about, things I want to write about, places I want to go....
I'm studying Social Care but I have always known I don't want to end up wiping bottoms in some backward home in the back of beyond....I want to be doing something dynamic and new (even though I don't mind wiping those bottoms- they'll always need wiping!) I just want to use my skills and knowledge to bring new ideas to Care, and to take that worldwide. I want to use what I'm learning to help people, but I am politically-minded...

I really dream of linking my larger-scale political and sociological ideas with my commitment to the small-scale individual needs of human beings. I've never cared about animal rights, but human right means a lot to me and just now I can't read enough and think enough about how I want to educate myself and take that forward. I wish I had more time to do so, but the money has to come from somewhere!

Bah, 8 hours sleep a night - that's for losers!

How to keep your job

I found this funny - it's very tongue-in-cheek, but, to coin a phrase, it's funny because it's (scarily) true! Particularly points 3 and 7. (you know who you are)


If you've got a job working for someone else, and want to keep that job, here are ten essential techniques which you absolutely must follow in order to keep your job today:

1. Don't Excel
If you excel at your job, you'll get noticed. Your co-workers will notice that you are doing well and start talking to the boss about it. They'll gang up on you to try and take you down. They'll look for some evidence which poses you in some negative light, and use it as an excuse to get rid of you. Any excuse works in this climate. So don't excel. Excellence makes you different, and "difference" is a negative. Don't be different.

2. Don't Do Poorly
Don't let yourself slack off in any way either. They will use any excuse in a change in your job habits in order to red circle your position.
Don't give them any kind of excuse. However, make sure that you also always follow rule one: don't do any more or less that what is expected of you, if you do you'll stick out, and that's the last thing you need right now. Keep on steaming at that exact same clip; don't vary your speed in any way.

3. Don't Complain
This is a sure job buster. Management is strung tight: stress is at an all time high. Money is barely trickling in, if at all. Now is not the time to complain. Bottle it all up, and never say a SINGLE word to anyone at work, or anyone who knows anyone at work, no matter how unfair or wrong things are. Management doesn't want to hear problems OR solutions. They'd like to hear NOTHING. Nothing is king. Silence is queen. They do like to hear keys busily tapping though.
WARNING: Don't be fooled by an "open door policy" or your boss asking you "How Are Things?" or "What's wrong". Always respond to the former with "Fantastic" and never, never respond to the latter with anything other than "Nothing! Everything's just great". In fact, don't ever give him the reason to say "What's wrong": see point 7

4. Use the mantra "I'm just happy to have a job"
Every day, when you get up, in the shower, while you're shaving, on your way to work, just repeat, again and again. "I'm just happy to have a job, I'm just happy to be working". When your boss cuts your salary, just say "That's OK, I'm just happy to be working". When your boss gives that hot sales lead to another sales rep, just say to yourself "It's OK, because I still have a job". When your boss ask you to work the weekend, just say "No problem", and think to yourself. "I'm just happy to have a job." When your boss goes to Hawaii but you have to stay behind and work, remember the mantra.

5. Take a salary cut gracefully when offered
If your boss cuts your salary in order to keep the company afloat (or for his new minivan purchase) just smile and say "I know that its all for the good of the company, that's fine, we'll just get by with less". Even better, offer to take a salary cut, if you know that the company is in trouble.

6. Get politically neutral
Always good advice, but even more so now. If you ally yourself with the wrong crowd, you could be in trouble. If you ally yourself too closely with your boss, you could be in trouble if he goes. Be very aware of what's going on, but don't ally yourself with anyone. Remember your mission here is to keep your job at all costs. Look out for number one.

7. Wear a Mask
Every morning, before you go to work, put on your "work mask". Here are some key things to remember about your work mask. Keep a SMILE on that mask! It is never unhappy. At worst it's neutral, but never for long. Never, ever let down your work mask while you are at work, or while you are in the company of anyone from work, or anyone who knows anyone at work. Smile, be happy, and never give anyone a reason to say "What's Wrong".
That, my friend, is the beginning of the end. You may as well get your resume out.

8. Work longer hours
You may think that this point conflicts with point 1, but its how you do it, not what you do. Make sure that you actually spend more time working, but not do more work. This may sound confusing but it's actually quite simple. Your boss doesn't usually care how much you produce, but they do care when you come in and when you leave (sometimes, they are simple creatures). Always, always come in before the boss and leave after. If you do leave before the boss, make sure that you send email to "the team" but copying your boss at 1am (or even better) 2:00 a.m. in the morning, so that he gets the impression that you are hard at work, even at 2:00 a.m. Even though you're really only working hard at keeping your job, 2:00 a.m. emails are still pretty damn impressive to the boss.

9. Sacrifice everything for your job.
Now is the time to stay at work long hours, keep your head down and shut up. Don't miss your wife, don't miss your kids. Don't miss the karate lessons, soccer games and Little League games. What you are doing is way more important than that right now. You are focused on keeping your job. That is all that matters. That is all your boss cares about, and this is tricky, no matter how much he talks like he cares, he really doesn't. Don't let your guard down. Not for a second.

10. Be a work-bot
When you work for someone else, you are not yourself. You are a robot. A cog in a machine. Sure, some of us are bigger or smaller cogs, in bigger or smaller machines, but we are all cogs. Do your absolute best to be the best cog that you can be. A cog that doesn't fit always gets replaced.

Source: http://entrepreneurs.about.com/cs/humor/a/uc061103a.htm

Down the back of the sofa....

Recently I lost something very special to me. I lost something that I thought I'd always have, and that I saw as a part of me.
Losing something is perhaps the most frustrating thing that can happen to a person. You can search everywhere, turn you house upside down, and turn your mind upside down, wracking your brain as to how to get it back.
Eventually you come to a point where you think, Ok, its lost, I'm not getting it back. Yep, it's really gone. Forever....
Then you start sorta grieving the loss. You think, I'll never find another one the same....
Then you think - maybe I will - maybe I could even find one better!
Then you think, but I need it - I need *that* one.... a substitute just won't do.
Then comes a stage where you realise, maybe I don't need it....maybe I can just say goodbye and get on with things....
I'm not at that last stage yet. I need MY one, I need THAT one....I don't know what I'm going to do without it.

Spiderwebs

My mum has probably blogged this too...

She saw this out her window in the fog this morning. Quite beautiful.

(I'm such a hippy)

untitled

" Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth. I sat at a table where were rich food and wine in abundance, and obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not; and I went away hungry from the inhospitable board. The hospitality was as cold as the ices."
-Henry David Thoreau, "Walden"

" In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."
- George Orwell

Street Fighter cowboys

It's really annoying when you play Street Fighter with people and they just do Sonic Booms and no other moves at all....isnt it EWAN???!!!???

(teehee)

An Inconvenient Truth

Recommendation of the week - Al Gore's lecture...

" With wit, smarts and hope, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH ultimately brings home Gore's persuasive argument that we can no longer afford to view global warming as a political issue - rather, it is the biggest moral challenges facing our global civilization. "



AL GORE

Former Vice President Al Gore is Chairman of Current TV. He also serves as Chairman of Generation Investment Management. Al Gore is a member of the Board of Directors of Apple Computer, Inc. and a Senior Advisor to Google, Inc. Al Gore is a Visiting Professor at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Al Gore was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976 and served four terms. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1984 and 1990, and was inaugurated as the 45th Vice President of the United States on January 20, 1993. During the Administration, Al Gore was a central member of President Clinton's economic team. He served as President of the Senate, a Cabinet member, a member of the National Security Council, and as the leader of a wide range of Administration initiatives.

Al Gore led the Clinton Administration's efforts to protect the global environment and authored a best selling book on the topic, Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit (1992).

Carrots, fire engines and a funny australian

Ewan managed to get a Friday night and a Saturday off work together, for the first time, like, ever, so we went out for a lovely night of hilarity... for Mexican at Pancho Villas (just off Candleriggs in the Merchant City, try it next time you're in Glasgow!) then round the corner to the old fruitmarket (SUCH a beautiful venue) to see Aussie comedian Adam Hills. I saw him 2 years ago at the Stand, and I liked his relaxed, matey approach to comic delivery. Adam reminds you of a little kid, the way he finds very silly things funny and giggles like a schoolboy...Like a lot of comedians, he likes to chat to the audience, do some piss-taking and build it all into a silly crescendo. His finale, involving a huge, blown up picture of a carrot resembling the lower-half of the female anatomy was very very funny, but reminded me of giggling at dirty words in the dictionary when i was ten!

Ewan and I had haplessly sat in the front row, and, towards the end of the show, Mr Hills turned the audience's attention to us, slating us for our public dislay of affection, and we ended up on the stage taking part in his routine! It was silly, and fun, but the weirdest part was the recognition we got whilst attempting to leave, from our fellow audience members. It seemed to follow us for ages - we were even recgonised getting on the number 40 bus back to the west end! So, that was our night of becoming minor celebrities, very temporarily! Although Mr Hills seemed very much to be off-form last night, perhaps tired, or just distracted..it was a good show all round with some very funny moments. The media love him. No doubt you'll see him sometime. Hopefully no videos of last nights show exist!

Social Care for beginners

It's only been 3 weeks since I started my course. My classes are: Psychology for Social Care Practice, Sociology for Social Care Practice, Social Care Theory for Practice, and Social Policy. Social Policy is one of my favourites, although, as you might expect, they tread on each other's toes a lot.

I'm lucky as my lecturers both appear to be very articulate, educated, down-to-earth people. They teach a range of students of all abilities, and it's quite a skill to be able to adapt one's lecturing style to suit such a variety of audiences. The classes are also set up as small, fairly informal groups, rather than 200 people in a lecture theatre. My classmates (if that's the right word) are a diverse bunch. I was nervous about fitting in with them - I'm a super-geek and am probably a little bit too weird to settle into every environment, so I wasn't all that confident at first. However, my mummy always told me to just be myself and obviously I cant be anyone else so that's the current modus operandi - it seems to be working alright.
I think we are all aware that we're all there for the same reason, and that our differences only make things more interesting. We have already seen a little of the inevitable conflict rear its head, but thankfully I wasn't involved, and, as far as I could see, it was quickly resolved. Conflict is one of my great weaknesses - I'm great at it when I know for sure that I'm right, but when I'm unsure or, as Piaget would say, in a state of 'disequilibrium', I become cowed and awkward and can get too easily upset. Not in a crying way, but in a confused kind of way.

One of the tasks that was set before us was to create a new piece of legislation. My group settled on a restructuring of the education system, to increase mainstreaming and increase the resources available to all pupils, also decreasing class sizes. That was our starting point. As I got more and more into depth, I was thinking about our current classes building little future workers for our capitalist society, and how if you went really far into the idea, you could say, what if we educated pupils in order to build future citizens of a different sort of society? Ok, so that's quite in depth and I'm not sure I'm ready to get so far into it, but I did find it very interested, and thought-provoking. I also thought about how the family structure is designed so that it is a very convenient tool for capitalism - we create new workers - so a resource necessary for labour is created naturally within the home. The process of parents looking after the children is free worker maintenance. Even the wife cooking and cleaning for the husband, and vice versa, is very convenient for the employer!

That might seem like a strange thought process, or even something that could lead to what is known as an inflammatory idea, so let me take this opportunity to assure you that there is no proposition for change behind my statements here, I'm just writing about the way I've been thinking about these things in a lot of depth since starting the course!

I am looking forward to becoming more educated on such matters, as the topic is so interesting.

Of course, this is all related to a future in Social Care, and I don't know about you, but I like the idea of the people who care for our most vulnerable citizens being well-educated with a good understanding of social issues and human behaviour.

I start my placement on 23rd October, and I'm excited about it, as the placement was recommended to me by my lecturer, and the Project Leader is a former student of my course. More about that, later :-)

The proverbial headless chicken

I don't write to my blog (is that the correct turn of phrase?) very often, as lately I've felt like I have nothing much to say except to do some complaining - and no-one wants to read that now do they?
You do? Oh, ok then, here goes....

What's happening just now is that I'm working in an office Mon, Tues and Weds - its quite an ordinary office and the thing that I like best is that I get left alone to do my work a fair bit. This makes me happy. I don't like being supervised too much, not one little bit. I like the fact that I'm now totally familiar with my job and I tend to know what needs done, so I just do it at my own pace and I'm not accountable for any of the in-between parts - just the finished product. That's also good because it means that I can do things in my own, often unorthodox way! I suspect that I actually have some form of impairment when it comes to changes in process...I really am one of those people who has their general way of doing things, and fair enough, I'll change it when proved wrong, but otherwise, leave me to it and let me do it my own way, and I assure you, you'll be happy with the end product!
Any prospective employers, ignore the last few sentences :-)

I'm also at college on Thurs and Fri each week. I wish I was solely at college, as when Thursday comes around, I have forgotten lots of what I learned the previous week. If I could focus on my coursework all the time, that'd be brilliant, as I'm so interested in the subject matter. I've definitely been over-reading - I stayed in all weekend and read books that I've bought that are related to my course, but definitely not compulsory reading.

I've not been doing that much volunteer work recently - even though it may seem that I have not much else to do of an evening, that couldnt be further from the truth. Every evening there seems to be something to do from when I finish work until bed-time! This is really just because of the transistion between working full time, and part time work around student-hood.

I'm not even thinking about the F word (no, I mean finances you potty-mouthed people) because I've only just posted off my application for funding and I finish up at work in a month, so I'm on the verge of deciding to just have a nervous breakdown instead.

Not really.

Things I have learnt this week.....

It's hard to order stuff from America without a credit card.
It costs a lot to post stuff to Australia
Chocolate covered Brazil nuts are not as tasty as they sound.

The Crystal Maze

Have you ever thought about what a perfect game show The Crystal Maze was? The sardonic slaggings Richard o'Brien used to give the contestants, while actually being more helpful with his handy hints than their colleagues....The moral dilemma of leaving your friend behind over trading a crystal, which was ultimately selfish anyway because if you lose a team member your team might not be as good... the way he made them run around at full pelt and risk their limbs in between challenges, even when no clock was ticking, just to add to the excitement factor, and lastly, the lack of fixed cash prize - you just had to jump around and catch tokens, some of which cancelled out others...the cut-off for winning was ridiculously high so no-one ever won the mystery prize...and of course the way O'Brieny liked to act kinda weird, in a Willy Wonka sort of way (him and his golden tickets), just to freak those star-trek suited yuppies out. I love it. Even though I watched it for the first time in years today.

Latest bits and bobs (mainly graphic novels)

Well, things are all changing with me just now - I'm moving house soon and I'm going back to further education in August too...
I'm going to study Social Care, which I'm pretty excited about. I'm moving back to the West End of Glasgow too, which is making me happy! I'm temping in a recruitment agency and it's ok...I don't hate it, but I don't love it!
I've been going out with Ewan for 8 and a half months now (but who's counting???!!! hehe) You can see some more of Ewan if you want to by clicking on his name there! For another enthralling link, try my bebo site (click here), which has some silly pics on it.

I've got quite into reading graphic novels lately - I guess I always liked comics (obviously) but it wasnt until I read V for Vendetta that I was really grabbed by them! I've really enjoyed Preacher
and then I got hold of some of the Garth Ennis Punisher stuff, which I also love! Now I'm on Watchmen which won a Hugo Award...and a few famous names have been talking about the film adaptation. I also really love Hellboy, and I can't wait to get stuck into more stories.
I'm sure I have lots more to say, but right now I'm visiting my mum and brother so I'll leave it for now and say something much more philosophical next time.

Hayseed Dixie

My band of the moment are most definitely Hayseed Dixie
Check 'em out - I'm sooo going to see them on the current tour...
They funny....

Noob

I'm a noob to this whole thing...

I just got my new laptop though, so this is my excuse to touch it a lot. (hehe)

I guess i'll do more later on, once I've got all this jazz worked out...