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Thursday 20 November 2008
Trailer Park
Thought I'd do a round up of some trailers for the first time in a while:
Check out Troy - that shot of all the ships is pretty damn impressive.
I'm somewhat intrigued by The Day After Tomorrow, having heard very little about it.
Annoyingly, having opened in the States last week, Gothika isn't opening here until April next year, and I'd actually like to see it - It's been a while since I've seen Halle Berry in much that she could get her teeth into - Monster's Ball, in fact.
The comic fan in me wants Hellboy to be good - but I'm a little uncertain.
And Runaway Jury looks....interesting. It's one of the few Grisham novels I've quite enjoyed, but the film looks nothing like the book.
Long Week
Obviously, no longer than any other really, but it's felt long. Between a significantly increased commute and a generally busier schedule, there's little time for stopping and thinking. My weekend is officially one of hermit-mode. Andreas, who we've visited in Germany a couple of times in the life of this blog, is in town, so I'm meeting him this evening with Alison and Chris, then I'm going home to do *nothing*. I'm knackered.
'Bye Dave
Just wanted to wish Dave and Mike a great holiday - two weeks in Thailand doesn't sound too shabby, plus they get to see their dad in his new native surroundings. This is Dave's first proper holiday in *years*, so I suspect he'll be makong the most of.
Move Over, Trinny And The Other One
Longterm readers will be familiar with my attitude to the horrors that present BBC Two's What Not To Wear, but I think I can safely say that they've finally been ousted as the two most arrogantly objectionable non-entities ever to con a BBC executive into giving them airtime.
Because I've now seen The Million Pound Property Experiment.
For anyone not in the know (you fortunate buggers), this is two blokes who have embarked on an experiment in buying, doing up and selling a series of properties with the aim of making a million pounds. In the latest installment, they decided to do up a place in Harrogate for a family to live in, and went about it in the most unpleasantly arrogant manner imaginable. They disregarded all the advice of the property developing expert the BBC had partnered them with, including over minor matters such as the advisability of an open fire and a hob open at two sides in a 'family home', they responded to potential buyer complaints that there was insufficient storage space in the bedrooms (i.e. none) with comments like "I hate wardrobes" (yes, but you're not going to be living in this place, are you?), and generally defended their every crap choice with the fatuously patronising comment that there's no reason why "a housewife or househusband shouldn't be entitled to a beautifully-designed home".
Every time one of this pair opened his mouth I wanted to see him smacked in it.
Colour Me Stunned
So, after what was looking a lot like a fairly well-developed attempt to sideline him completely, Brian Paddick has been promoted. I'm both impressed and surprised. Is it possible that at least one major public body in this country is not completely at the mercy of hysterical knee-jerkers? It's beginning to look like it.
Busy Busy Busy
Just so everyone knows the reason for yet another period of semi-silence, I'm lacking a machine I can use at home for a few days, so blogging time is limited to work, and there's not much of that spare.
In the meantime, as weeks go, it's proving to be very interesting indeed. Being an employee again isn't really feeling much different so far. I can only assume that this will change over time....
Gearing Up For The First
I'll be linking to this again next week as part of Link and Think, but I wanted to draw attention to the fact that once again, and as always, the BBC is leading the way in informing and reporting in a Have Your Say Special which includes a wealth of extra material.
Long Days....
....start here I guess.
New company....new way of doing things.
The opportunities here are huge, but the challenge is equally significant. All being well, we have a real chance to make a significant impact and continue to do the things we've been trying to do for the last few years. I'm uncharacteristically optimistic :-)
Moments Of Transition
So, this weekend is the pause between one job and the next, between being my own boss and being an employee, between the known and, frankly, the unknown and slightly daunting.
Everything has happened so fast for us all lately that I think that on some level we're all still waiting for the other shoe to drop. But, new challenges are always good, and there's a lot to be said for the stability and continuity that this represents.
Watch this space.
40 Years Young
Well, as noted recently, Dr Who's 40th anniversary has been looming, and today is the day. Forty years - slightly longer than I've been alive; I can't ever remember not watching it or being aware of it, or indeed being a fan of it. So:
Favourite Doctor: Patrick Troughton - though poor old Sylv McCoy never got the credit he should have.
Favourite Companion: Well, obviously Sarah Jane Smith.
Favourite Story: Tough one to call, but I think I'm going to go for the obvious one; Pyramids of Mars.
Favourite Line: There's loads of good ones - Tegan's "I'm just a mouth on legs" is a bit of a classic, and there are many to choose from, but I'm going to go with the First Doctor's "Your ideas are too narrow, too crippled. I am a citizen of the Universe, and a gentleman to boot."
Gosh I Feel Secure
Sitting in the office this morning, a pair of helicopter gunships kept circling overheard - they came round seven or eight times in an hour. Given the unfortunate habit that helicopters have of falling out of the sky as soon as anyone on board leans slightly too far one way, I wasn't exactly reassured by their protracted presence over a busy part of central London.
Plus Ca Change
I haven't been keeping things up to date here for a couple of reasons - one is that I've actually been a bit occupied with the winding up the company stuff. But as of this morning, the company officially doesn't exist anymore. Which hit me emotionally rather more than I was expecting, but which is at least now done with.
The other reason is that I didn't want to jinx the other thing that's been preoccupying me since Monday. And that is the deal that suddenly took shape to move the team wholly into another company, to be the in-house new media team there. Things have moved extremely quickly, to the point that here we are, lined up to start on Monday.
It's difficult to put into words the mixture of sentiments that are running around in me at the moment - surprise, anticipation, excitement and a little bit of worry are all in the mix, with a fair few others besides.
Things are certainly going to be different.
Various Bits And Pieces
First off, thanks for all the friendly thoughts regarding the work situation.
Next up, longtime readers will know that each year it's my habit to take part in the Link and Think initiative for World AIDS Day. Given that this year's event is only a couple of weeks away I thought it was time to start plugging it and encouraging anyone with a site of their own to join in too. If anyone's interested, you can review my 2001 and 2002 contributions to get a sense of what it's all about, though the Link and Think site itself obviously offers a broader perspective.
Elsewhere, having come over all Doctor Who fan at Mostly Wanted, I can't not point out that the first episode of BBCi's new online Ninth Doctor story, Scream Of The Shalka is now online, with the remaining five released between now and the end of the year. The gaps between individual parts of the episode could be handled better (the repetition of the mini-title sequence each time gets annoying), but overall, I think it's pretty well done. Hint - do not watch with crappy laptop speakers alone.
One more thing - the 2 DVD set version of X2? Stonking.
Flaming Hell!
Bad pun, sorry.
Having been rather preoccupied for the last few weeks, I've neglected to catch up on any blogs for ages. So I totally missed Gert's appalling encounter with a firework, and now she's probably thinking I don't care.
But I do - Gert, I'm so sorry to hear about what happened, and I really, really wasn't being callous about it - I just didn't know.
An Odd Kind Of Failure
So the thing that I've *not* been discussing:
We're shutting down the company.
There: I've said it.
It was an extremely difficult stage to come to, but once we reached a certain point in time and perspective, the decision-making took on a life of its own. We've given it a bloody good go, mind you - two and a half years is more than many companies manage, and most importantly, we did at least try, which many don't.
In the end though, reality intrudes, and you have to acknowledge that things aren't going as well as they might, or growing the way they ideally would. It's utterly heart-breaking in many ways - the 'put your heart and soul into something for two years' way especially, and definitely a curious kind of failure: How many businesses can legitimately say that they've got clients who are genuinely happy with them, who,without exception and unprompted, keep coming back for more, have services and products that are tested and respected, and a well-established team capable and willing to continue delivering outstanding service? Not one that I've worked for previously, that I do know.
So I've had to make a group of people I like and respect, and who did their jobs brilliantly well, unemployed, which is one of the worst things I've ever had to do in my professional life. Letting down the clients comes second.
Right now I'm in the middle of the wind-up process, while simultaneously trying to work out what happens next, both for myself and for the others. Somehow being able to continue to do the good stuff we do would be the dream of course, but practicalities inevitably remain an issue, and the ways of achieving that are severely limited. I'm not giving up on the possibility, but I'm not putting it at the top of my 'most likely outcome' list either.
So hence all the down lately. It's not the worst news in the world. No one died, we're all able to pick ourselves up and move on, so perhaps I've been overdramatic about it recently. But it's felt pretty devastating. When you put everything into something over a period of years and it ends up dying despite your efforts, it's a blow. When it has an adverse effect on other people, it's that much worse.
But thanks for all the messages of support; they've really meant a lot. Anyone who's emailed and I haven't had a chance to reply to yet, many apologies - I *will* write back as soon as I can.
Being In The Know
I completely forgot to mention, and it's probably of interest to about three of my beloved regular readership anyway, but:
I've mentioned occasionally Grant Morrison's sterling work as the author of Marvel's X-Men for the last few years. It's well-known that he's leaving after the next story, but Marvel have been keeping the identity of his permanent replacement quiet, leading to much speculation in the fan press as to who it will be.
As of Friday evening, I know who it is.
And I'm very excited.
Cured
Following on from barking mad old religious freak* and his assertion at the weekend that gay people should seek psychiatric help, the BBC have run a very interesting article on the history of medical 'cure' attempts. It's necessarily superficial, but worth reading.
* What? I'm in no mood to be tolerant at the moment,
I *Heart* Patrick Stewart
I've been passed a transcript of a sequence in a Conan O'Brien programme in which various actors sit in a semi-darkened room and confess secrets of their life and careers.
Patrick Stewart, a man not known for taking himself unnecessarily seriously, did the one from which I've been given extracts, and they're simply awesome (and I'm totally hearing the following lines delivered in my friend Simon's voice, so when we finally catch up on the phone you *are* going to say these to me):
1:
"Whenever I am considering a role I always ask two questions. Does the story contain a strong female character, and will my character at some point nail that ass."
2:
"When people ask me if I think American or British actors are better... (drags on cigarette)...I always pee on their shoes."
3:
"Back in the seventies some people thought I was related to Rod Stewart. They gave us some very dirty looks when we started dating."
4:
"My favorite animal? The bald eagle. Not because it's bald...because it tastes good."
Thanks
To anyone and everyone who has offered comments of support about what's going on in my life at the moment. I'm only being oblique (or obfuscating, thank you Gert), because other people are involved, and there are therefore sensitivities in the mix that have to be borne in mind.
I'm hoping to be able to come clean about things in the not-too-distant.
But thanks again.
Bloody Hell!
After more months than I can count, I stopped looking at the London Bloggers Tube Map with the specific aim of seeing if I developed any local bloggers, because I just assumed none were ever going to show up.
But I just stopped by for the first time in ages, and discovered that there are TWO.
And one of them even links here. Hi Charlotte!
Ripped Off
Oh look - someone's using my stylesheet. And I do mean, using mine. At least until I get a chance to fuck with it, that is.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbang.....
Ever been woken by the sound of your neighbours indulging in the kind of headboard-banging sex that connotes a wealth of enthusasm, but not a huge amount of finesse?
5.45 this morning. Along with several alarms going off because the power had gone off in my neighbourhood.
What A Gay Day!
Dave pointed me in the direction of this latest indication that the Anglican Church is populated by tolerant, forward-thinking senior clergy.
Then this afternoon, while the two of us were grabbing some lunch in a bar which was largely populated by a combination of elderly ex-servicepeople and rampaging squaddies (getting pissed, singing songs, and taking your shirt off being such well-respected ways of marking Remembrance Day), I overheard two of the former group at the table next to us:
"Actually, he's a bit of a woman-hater."
"What, woofter, is he?"
"Woofter"????? I haven't heard that one in a long time.
Well....
...the best-laid plans.
I finally drifted off to sleep at around 2.30am, only to be woken by my doorbell being leaned on at 3.40. Circumstances had conspired to cause one of my friends to be bereft of money, phone and coat, and I was the nearest place to which his tired legs could get him.
I'm so well-known for taking in waifs and strays.
Anyway, I also managed to get to the Sorting Office to collect a package that was held up in the postal strike, and found two CDs which constitute a birthday present from Brazil, and are much appreciated.
Drinky Drinking
Been out with the work team and assorted MillarWorlders this evening. I only meant to have a brief session due to having to set off early in the morning to drive north, but it didn't work out that way.
Plus I'm trying to get out of the trip north for personal reasons anyway.
A good night, generally, though a somewhat emotionally-charged one.
Hopefully I'm about wiped out enough that I'll be able to get a decent might's sleep.
Some People Are Just....
....fucking evil.
Today, I had to tell someone something that I at least consider to be bad news. This person is someone I've known for a long time. The last few months, she's turned into a bit of a nightmare, becoming aggressive, confrontational, disrespectful, bullying and thoroughly unpleasant to deal with. It's not just me that thinks so - a whole bunch of people have all noted that she's turned into a ravening monster.
But behind all that, there's the thought that we've been friendly, social, had a laugh on many more than odd occasions. So I thought that when I told her my bad news, she might at least offer one single line of sympathy. Even a perfunctory "Oh I'm sorry to hear that Jon" would have been something.
But nothing. Not one word about the situation in general, its effect on people, no sympathy, no feeling, no human reaction at all.
And people think I shouldn't be surprised given what a Queen Bitch she's become. And I suppose I'm not really surprised.
I'm just fucking angry.
Suffice It To Say....
.... I didn't clean the bathroom.
Horrible day. Nightmarish things to deal with, and nothing in particular to relieve the gloom.
I think I need to hit things.
Desperately Seeking Mundanity
It's a strange thing. The last few weeks have been difficult, depressing, emotionally rollercoasting, and generally time I wouldn't care to see repeated in a hurry.
In many ways today is going to represent a culmination of the worst of it (until a new peak that will happen in a couple of weeks time), and the thing I'm most focusing on is going home this evening and doing something totally, domestically, un-emotionally involving. Like cleaning the bathroom. I'm actually looking forward to it.
Oooh! Ahhhh!
Good lord. The sheer tonnage of fireworks being launched in my neighbourhood this evening is monstrous. As near as I can tell walking along the road to the flat, at least three quite serious 'proper' displays seem to be happening within about a quarter of a mile radius of me, quite aside from all the personal sets. It's absolutely deafening, apart from anything else.
Addendum: It's ten past midnight and a new full-on display seems to be underway. I've never heard anything like tonight.
AWOL
Sorry for the gaps in posting lately - it's not that I don't have plenty I could talk about, it's just that I mostly can't talk about any of it.
A quick round-up of some bits and pieces though:
I see Autumn has properly arrived - It's been a while coming, but I looked out of the bedroom window this morning and saw the wet, leaf-covered pavement and the people hurrying by in their overcoats, and I thought to myself, "This'll be Autumn then."
I've had a pretty dull weekend. I took Friday off with the intention of de-stressing myself somewhat, and succeeding in that only insofar as I did nothing of consequence whatsoever. I even couldn't dredge up the energy to go to an afternoon showing of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, despite it apparently being the very epitome of inconsequence.
The rest of the weekend was mostly spent on introspective contemplation, with an enjoyable interlude dining with Alison and Chris, and the waving around of sparklers.
In the midst of all my general malaise and overall distraction, I did find time over the last month to get involved in a new online venture. Mark Millar's website, much-mentioned here previously, MillarWorld, has launched a new enterprise - originated content in the form of a new online magazine called Mostly Wanted. Hopefully it's going to prove a regular source of interesting material, and aren't the layouts spiffy? Check out the article on Doctor Who's 40th Anniversary if you feel like indulging an old man's craving for attention....
More proper blogging again soon.