What's with today, today?

Well, it's been a fairly busy weekend, but overall a fun one. Friday I went ice-skating (in the morning! i had to wake up!), for the first time in years, and managed to skate around without holding on to the edge all the time, which felt like an achievement. Did not do so well at trying to teach others to skate, but started learning to skate backwards, which was exciting. Then Friday evening I went to watch 'Tales From Earthsea', which turned out to be an odd experience. It wasn't a bad movie, although the plot had many holes in it, but I was distracted from this by trying to match the movie to the books. Obviously there were elements of Tehanu in there, but I think this was blended with The Farthest Shore, and also bits that were unique to the movie itself. I found it hard to distinguish though since it's been so long since I read those books, my memory of what goes where is vague (apart from The Tombs of Atuan, which is pretty distinctive). I'd seen Pirates of...

As all of you are no doubt aware, Pirates of the Caribbean 3 comes out today/has come out today. And this is a very exciting event. I am going to see it tonight, dressed as a pirate. In preparation for this I have spent the whole day in the library, dressed as a pirate. Luckily my pirate costume is not too outstandingly piratical, but I did feel that I attracted some funny looks on the way in to uni. Maybe I am just being paranoid/self-centred. But my pirate costume is fabulous :p Anyway, that is very exciting and merits a post in itself. The rest of my day has also been exciting, if less so, and slightly less than ideally productive. I feel like I have been moving along on my thesis slowly but steadily until about a week ago, at which point my working practice broke down almost completely and I spent far too much time watching Rage. Now I am working on essays. My major distraction today came from the books on level 9, the story of which I started last blog post but left unfinished. Wh...

I have 6 minutes left to write a blog post, since somehow I got a computer which gives half as much internet time as the rest. I would have changed, but there was such a long line I just wanted any computer I could get. After this I am heading up to level 9 of the library because apparently they are still giving free books away. Which is very exciting, though they've been doing it for a while so there may be nothing good left. That wouldn't bother me too much as I already got Sweet's Anglo-Saxon Reader and another book on Old English the title of which has slipped my mind, courtesy of Sam and Bec. Thanks guys! Maybe I'll come back afterwards and write more... I like the library, despite the long computer queues, there's a sense of accomplishment in mastering the finding of things, especially when you talk to scientific people who come into contact with Fisher so rarely that their minds boggle when they do. Hehe. Anyhoo, sadly, that's my time for now...

Here is a link for all you bored and/or procrastinating blog readers, courtesy of my brother Jeremy. Thanks Jem, you make me laugh :)

Over the weekend I headed down to Canberra (for a whole night!) and while there I picked up a book that was lying around the house called 'Heart Songs' by Annie Proulx. It's a book of short stories about the farmers and country dwellers in a remote part of New England, America, in the (fictional?) Chopping County. The characters are all either very poor or rich, city dwelling intruders. It had alot of elements that resonated with my American Gothic class, all dark secrets and run-down houses and a pervasive past. It also made me think of country music. This was not particularly original thinking on my part, the eponymous story ('Heart Songs') was about a family of these country people ('hicks' if you will, or maybe hillbillies?) who played country music together and are infiltrated by a city dweller who is impressed by their music. All the music is very sad. And I suppose the point of the stories is that they are like country songs themselves, sad and dark b...

I saw 'Hot Fuzz' on Saturday night. I had heard good things, so I was expecting it to be enjoyable, but I was wrong. It wasn't merely enjoyable, it was really really great! Now that I've spoilt that un-hyped experience for you all (all of you that are still reading my blog) I guess I should elaborate a bit. It was hilarious, all of us laughed alot. It just got more and more surreal and over the top. But also very violent in surprisingly gruesome ways. It's about a highly talented, highly urban cop who gets transferred to a small country village (village of the year in fact) and is initially rather bored and out of place, until sinister things start happening. At which point he is still out of place, as the idea of 'sinister' seems to be completely alien to the village dwellers minds. Oh, and it's by the makers of 'Shaun of the Dead', which was also pretty good. Basically my main point is that you should all go out and watch this movie, because yo...

Belatedly. If you didn't get anything, or you feel all alone, don't worry, I love you. And I got you this (picture of a) flower. Feel the love, the love is in the air, and all around, and so on and so forth... I like being in love. :)

In the spirit of 'the year in review' (albeit a little late) here is my list of books I finished in 2006 for the first time. I'm just too lazy to think of an actual post, that's right... Although I've given you short reviews of most of these. So if you're stuck on what to read in 2007, maybe this will help. * for my pick of the year, the best of the best. There are a whole lot of new favourites on this list but the red star goes for the 5 star books, not just the 4 1/2 star ones. So enjoy, those of you who actually read this whole list :p Les Miserables- Victor Hugo Epically huge, but very classic and awesome. Many digressions, but Gavroche is the best. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell- Susanna Clark Original fantasy with flair and a sense of humour. The Big Over Easy- Jasper Fforde 44 Scotland Street- Alexander McCall Smith Light and engaging. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency- Alexander McCall Smith Like Water for Chocolate- Laura Esquivel Overly melodrama...

I know this is very late, but happy new year all the same! I spent my New Years Eve watching fireworks in Balmain, and then left almost straight away afterwards because I was so tired after LOTR :( What did you do with your New Years? This is another short blog post because it's late and I'm tired once again, also I am lazy. I will try to do better in the future :) Am in Cnaberra at the moment, but off to the South Coast tomorrow. Family fun!

addictive, very addictive. So, guess what I've been doing with my time? Spending alot of it on the internet is the right answer here. It's been a while since I had the time an internet access to get addicted, rather than hurrying through my mail and blogs and occasionally checking my web comics, and I am enjoying it. So here are some tidbits to share with you all. A christmassy game ! This is very cute, it has jumping bunnies and bells. The main site also has a game where you have to be santa delivering presents. A holiday calender ! Which is mean and nasty, in a fun way. Overheard in New York , which is an old site that I posted up on spampage but just rediscovered, and the usual webcomics, some of which I have links to on this blog. Oh, and Alex and Alan have a new blog ! Which I will put up a link to as well. Other than that, I will give a short description for Pun of some of the cooking that's been happening... Sylvia made lavender ice-cream from her mediterranean cook ...

I haven't been spending much time around computers with internet access, being either at home or at work. Which is probably not true. But near enough. Well I'm sure you're all on the edge of your seats as to whether I did actually get around to enjoying my day last Monday, and the answer is yes, yes I did. Andrew and I went and saw Children of Men, with one free movie ticket. What an awesome movie! Really, I recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it yet. If it's still out. If not, get it on DVD. Anyway, that kept me on the edge of my seat with the suspense and all. It was very real, but a good fictional story. Well made too, with the camerawork and the characters you cared about and all. It was absorbing, and I couldn't look away, and I was freaked out alot and they created this really believable world (which was kinda scary). This is not the best review, but the point I wanted to make was it that it's a good movie. And I think I've done that. The rest o...

So afraid In the spin of the world To fall into another's arms So hold me up Just hold me up And I'll be fine In just a little while I'll stand alone In a little while. The night is dark But I don't want to live By someone else's light So shine softly Guide me gently And I'll walk straight Until I shine In a minute I will shine. If I lose myself Where are we? So I don't need you Just stay here One minute more. I'm better off alone But stay A little longer In a minute I'll be fine.

What a creepy series of comics these do be. (Or graphic novels, whatever you prefer) I think that Neil Gaiman has a very twisted mind. But intriguing at the same time. I mean, he writes some good stories, particularly in comic book form. I think most of his novels seem a little unfinished somehow when you read them. Or the ones I've read anyway. There are some really great ideas though. 'Neverwhere' had a great premise, for example, based in a subterranean world below London, half real but mostly fantastical, populated by the disspossed and the forgotten of the past, present and myth. But I felt dissatisfied with it in the end. Ultimately it didn't feel whole, as though he'd left bits out, and I don't know how well he communicated the setting. As for the story, it was confusing, and I don't remember it all that well now, which must tell you something, right? I only read it at the end of last year. Not that my memory for details is very good... but my point i...

I had alot of time to kill on the bus trip back from Canberra, and so I was reading through my English textbook (The Norton Anthology of Poetry, 5th edition, so not too bad at all)for about three hours. This is just so that you understand the cotext in which I came up with the idea for this post. Why do people always associate poetry with rhyme? It doesn't have to be the case. And I think that most people would know that alot of poetry doens't rhyme, or is at least not in rhyming couplets. This is not even a new idea. It's not just these new-fangled poets who dispense with tradition and so rhyme. Old English poetry doesn't rhyme, it alliterates instead. Shakespeare often wrote in blank verse which means NO RHYMING. Robert Browning doesn't always write in rhyme. In short, poetry doesn't necessarily equal rhyme even before the 21st century. Now, I have to confess that I am a bit biased in this as I always thought that rhyming couplets tend to sound silly. And abab...

by Augie March, I love that song! Sadly I listened to the album yesterday and decided it wasn't worth it, but that one song, man, I really like it. Not sure why but there you go, when was love meant to be logical? Actually I think the song talks about that... So there you go. Now my CD wishlist includes: Fallout Boy- From Under the Cork Tree Blanche- If You Can't Trust the Doctors Triple J Hottest 100 Volume 5 and possibly Live- Throwing Copper. Because all of these are good. Well, at least partially. You see I really feel like buying a new cd at the moment, but then you have to justify the expense and there's no reason really and I haven't even been listening much to the CDs I already have. So I'm just making lists in my mind... And waiting for the new Bright Eyes album to come out. Well, first I have to wait for them to record a new album, so it might be some time, but still I'm excited.

Now I want to say something that may stir up controversy but probably won't, knowing the readership of this blog, the general irrelevance to anything whatsoever and the fact that it is clearly and blatantly just my opinion against a world which is against me. But I want it to be known that I think that Chaucer is greater than Shakespeare. Yes indeedy. He wrote with wit and great characterization, he wrote huge amounts of stuff, and unlike Shakespeare his works are actually interesting to read all these years on, EVEN THOUGH Middle English is even harder to understand than Shakespeare. Not that Shakespeare is not good, but I think he's overhyped. Shakespeare is not the greatest thing since sliced bread, given the choice between Hamlet and being easily able to make a slice of toast I will go with the toast any day. Not a problem with Chaucer, whio although admired is alot less overhyped, although I may be going some way to tipping the balance here I think that in the scheme of th...

As those of you who have not been living under rocks will realise, the Football World Cup is on again. Started on Friday. And I have been hanging around whining because of my lack of SBS reception. Well today I caved and bought a digital set top box, the only problem being that the decent cheap ones were all sold out (apparently) because of the World Cup, and I felt I could only justify buying a dodgy cheap one. Which, alas, turned out to be incapable of picking up SBS. I'll have to return it tomorrow. Anyway, my hopes were all dashed, and were dashed even further when someone at church said that if I had no SBS reception at all (which I don't) a digital box won't fix the problem. I'm not sure if it's true, but if so then it is very, very sad. On the plus side, I managed to see most of the Serbia and Montenegro vs. Netherlands match tonight, by dint of being out with a group of people from church. It was in an RSL club, there were many tv screens, and some people w...

The sequel to '44 Scotland Street' by Alexander McCall Smith (author of the well-known 'No. 1 Ladie's Detective Agency' series). It is really a collection of stories based around a collection of characters, set in Edinburgh and centering on 44 Scotland St. They were both enjoyable books, nothing particularly momentous happens, relationships change, small but life-changing things occur, it is lightly humourous and mildly philosophical. Some of the characters, such as the central character, Pat, the gallery owner Matt, the coffee shop owner Big Lou and Bertie, a six year old boy, are quite likeable. Others, such as the narcisistic Bruce and pushy mother Irene are much less so. It's an effective mix. But there are problems. The sage Domenica, neighbour and friend to Pat, began to really irritate me about halfway through the book, through always being 'right', or apparently so, but since I didn't always agree with her it grated. Also she didn't let a...

So I'm sitting here in the library, and it's rainy and cold outside but soon I'll have to leave and go to work, and I have Norah Jones stuck in my head (hence the title of this post). But I am happy, because I have a new yellow umbrella! I love yellow umbrellas, they cheer me up when it is grey and wet outside. Also I saw friends today, which is always nice. On the downside, I have to work tonight. Yeah, it's pretty darn tragic I know. Nice weekend, with new pyjamas and Bollywood movies and library visiting. I'm reading 'Espresso Tales' now, the sequel to '44 Scotland Street' by Alexander McCall Smith, which is kind of nice and kind of annoying, but I'll try to write a review of that when I finish.

Today someone came into my work wearing a Scary Go Round t-shirt! I was so excited. It's nice to recognise a shared interest in someone, like feeling affinity with people reading Terry Pratchett on the train. Even more so with SGR, because a webcomic is a little more obscure. And I always wanted to buy something from there. Anyway, that just made my day. Apart from that, winter is making me a little morbid, bitter and cynical. Which is not a nice thing. Remind me of nice things in the world? Other than webcomics. And the killer sunset that I saw at the bus stop this afternoon. I am also looking forward to going back to uni next semester. :)