Hours of fun this video....make sure you have the sound on.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
I'm a Superhero....I'm am
Your Score: Peter Petrelli
You scored 50 Idealism, 58 Nonconformity, 29 Nerdiness
| Link: The Heroes Personality Test written by freedomdegrees on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test |
My Day Out in London
This is actually an entry for last Monday, as I have been, oh so, terribly busy in the library this week studying hard for my last essay.....honest guvnor.Anyhoo, a while back Megan had got hold of free tickets to a recording of the New Paul O'Grady show, which is filmed up in London. We originally in the pre-recorded show filmed at midday but then we got bumped to the live show filmed at 5pm. This was good for a couple of reasons a.) it meant we could explore London for a while before going to the studio and b.) we didn't have to get up at some ungodly hour, for example 9am, to catch the train.
After much discussion of places to visit, it was decided to find Pollock's Toy Museum. The museum is contained within two buildings one dating back to the 17th Century and has a wonderful collection of dolls, play theatres, trains, puppets, board games and various toy related items....even the unbelievably un-pc Gollywog doll (if you don't know ask your parents).
After much discussion of places to visit, it was decided to find Pollock's Toy Museum. The museum is contained within two buildings one dating back to the 17th Century and has a wonderful collection of dolls, play theatres, trains, puppets, board games and various toy related items....even the unbelievably un-pc Gollywog doll (if you don't know ask your parents).
My favourite area had to be the one filled with the old mechanical tin toys, hours of fun and no need for batteries. Another was an upper room of the house (which had incredibly low ceilings) which contained a huge collection of dolls from all eras and all over the world. This room was also just a tad creepy.....must be all the glass eyes just staring at you and the fixed smiles and the one doll (which Meg pointed out) had blond hair and brown eyebrows...you just know after the lights go out that one in particular would try to kill you.
We still had a couple of hours to kill before needing to be at the studio and as we were a short walk from the British museum we headed there. Now this place is amazing and certainly needs much more time dedicated to it than we had. We checked out the Egyptian display which houses the Rosetta stone (basically a dictionary for Hieroglyphics) and a few mummies. I also took much glee explaining the process of mummification to Megan who nothing of the pulling brains out of the nostrils thing.
Time ticked by rapidly and we soon for ourselves out front of the television studios...that's the BBC television studios...that is mecca for Emma. Now don't be fooled by the 'Priority' sticker which is shown on the ticket. As we arrived there was quite the queue and we had thought our ticket meant we skipped to the front, we learned however that everyone is this particular queue also had 'priority' tickets and were all in front of us.....so we joined the queue (it is what us Britons do best after all).
We had been standing in the queue for only a matter of minutes when I noticed a couple of young blokes crossing the road next to us, one of them happened to turn his head in our direction and I recognised him to be Dom from Dick 'n' Dom fame (Saturday Morning TV for the O.A.P's reading) Dick was walking alongside and it took all my resolve not to yell out 'Bogie's' ...because I bet they've never heard that before.
Soon T.P.T.B. started herding....I mean guiding us towards the studio area. On route a mutter went through the crowd and walking past a window of a reception area Sven Goran Erickson stood (ex England manager). So three stars already spotted and we hadn't even watched the taping yet.
We had a brief stop in a 'holding area' before we were let into the studio in groups. Megs and I ended up somewhere in the middle on the right side (so much for our 15 seconds of fame). There was a warm up guy called Andy who encouraged much whooping and hollering and to laugh even if the guest isn't funny.
The taping of the show was fun. The studio was bloody hot from all the lights, Paul O'Grady really knows how to work the audience, Shelia Hancock was pleasant and likes a proper cup of tea, the band Pink Martini were excellent, we rocked during the organ game with a jolly sing song and Buster was a real star.
The show went incredibly quickly and it was very interesting to see a real working studio, I'd love to go again.....if it didn't cost so much to get up to London.
FYI whilst mooching around looking for a place to eat Megan and I popped into HMV and spotted Erasure signing autographs...unfortunately we had missed joining the queue for this but I did manged get a sneaky piccie (from afar and ever so slightly blurry)
Friday, May 18, 2007
Another Deadline Bites the Dust
Has been a busy week or so....deadline for my scriptwriting assignment. I'm always my toughest critic so I'll probably never be completely happy with what I wrote but it's finished and readable so that's good enough for now. If you're curious as to what the whole thing was about here's a summary:
A Tandem story exploring the dark, secretive and murderous world of smuggling along the South Coast in 1801. Flashing back events leading to the demise of the most notorious gang along 5 English Counties. Juxtaposed against a Londoner from the modern rat race immersed in a quest for his birthright in gold.
Richard Stern uncovers the clues left by his estranged Grandfather which takes him on an historical journey through Sussex and enlightens him on his elusive and unfortunate heritage.
This mystery adventure culminates in a dramatic finale where past and present collide and Richard’s future is sealed.
What I really hate is the self reflective analysis that your have to write...why you wrote the story you did, the process, influences (The Goonies....well duh), whether is all went accordingly, what you would change....blah, blah, blah. Right load of old tosh, completely annoying to write and generally I just put in a right load of waffle...but the type of waffle that the lecturers seem to like...it would be so much easier if I could just write.....I like stuff so I wrote about it....simple.
A Tandem story exploring the dark, secretive and murderous world of smuggling along the South Coast in 1801. Flashing back events leading to the demise of the most notorious gang along 5 English Counties. Juxtaposed against a Londoner from the modern rat race immersed in a quest for his birthright in gold.
Richard Stern uncovers the clues left by his estranged Grandfather which takes him on an historical journey through Sussex and enlightens him on his elusive and unfortunate heritage.
This mystery adventure culminates in a dramatic finale where past and present collide and Richard’s future is sealed.
What I really hate is the self reflective analysis that your have to write...why you wrote the story you did, the process, influences (The Goonies....well duh), whether is all went accordingly, what you would change....blah, blah, blah. Right load of old tosh, completely annoying to write and generally I just put in a right load of waffle...but the type of waffle that the lecturers seem to like...it would be so much easier if I could just write.....I like stuff so I wrote about it....simple.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
The Worst Movies Ever
Loving the horse stunt...pure quality that one!
Oh, and nice to see that John Barrowman once sucked big time (excuse the pun) ;-)
Friday, May 11, 2007
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Great Truths
GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:
1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.
2) When your Mum is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap.
GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:
1) Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree.
2) Wrinkles don't hurt.
3) Families are like fudge, mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fibre, not the toy.
GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD
1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
3) When you bend down to tie your shoe laces you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.
7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.
THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:
1) You believe in Santa Claus.
2) You don't believe in Santa Claus.
3) You are Santa Claus.
4) You look like Santa Claus.
SUCCESS:
At age 4 success is . . . not piddling in your pants.
At age 12 success is . . . having friends.
At age 17 success is . . having a drivers license.
At age 35 success is . . having money.
At age 50 success is . . . having money.
At age 70 success is . .. having a drivers license.
At age 75 success is . . . having friends.
At age 80 success is . . . not piddling in your pants.
1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.
2) When your Mum is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap.
GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:
1) Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree.
2) Wrinkles don't hurt.
3) Families are like fudge, mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fibre, not the toy.
GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD
1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
3) When you bend down to tie your shoe laces you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.
7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.
THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:
1) You believe in Santa Claus.
2) You don't believe in Santa Claus.
3) You are Santa Claus.
4) You look like Santa Claus.
SUCCESS:
At age 4 success is . . . not piddling in your pants.
At age 12 success is . . . having friends.
At age 17 success is . . having a drivers license.
At age 35 success is . . having money.
At age 50 success is . . . having money.
At age 70 success is . .. having a drivers license.
At age 75 success is . . . having friends.
At age 80 success is . . . not piddling in your pants.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Re-visiting Eartham
Well, today was far too nice to stay indoors so dad and I took a drive up to Eartham woods for a little exploring.
The last time I remember going to these woods was way back in the day. As a child we would walk the tracks in the autumn with the eye spy (possible ladybird) books looking for different kinds of bugs, plants and birds. I would patrol the tracks armed with a stick larger than I was, looking for the perfect place to build a hide-a-way and jumping in puddles and banks of leaves in my red wellington boots, perfectly snugglesome inside my retro, red body warmer (circa 1986)Dad would suggest that for my sister and I to see any wildlife, such as deer, we should be as quiet as a mouse...in retrospect I can see that it was possibly a cunning plan by the adults to keep the sprogs from making too much noise.
On one occasion, still a puzzle to me, we returned to the car park to find a row of smarties laid out on a nearby tree stump. Dad assured us children that the 'fairies' of the woods had left us a treat...I wasn't aware of him disappearing to plant the sweeties himself and am still a tad flummoxed as to how he carried out the gesture (theories? make a comment).
But Anyway I digress....we haven't been back to the woods since after the 'Great Storm' of 1987. Much to our disappointment, at the time, many of the well trodden paths had been completely demolished and the area was virtually unrecognizable. Twenty years later and the area is still unrecognizable for the most part, but the trees have had a chance to grow back to a respectable wood and we couldn't have picked a better day. I'm a bit schmaltzy as to what I find interesting on a walk in the country and like nothing more than seeing wildlife in its natural habitat.
In order (ish) we came across a lizard, had lunch with a Robin (who wasn't quite brave enough to take our offering of sausage roll in our presence) a hare (rather the back end of a hare), a couple of mice and, the result of the day, a young male deer. The deer was obliviously to my dad and I since we were downwind of him and he was concentrating on a couple of walkers on a different path who, in turn were, completely oblivious of the deer. I guess dad's tactic of keeping quiet works after all....Quite amazing!
I'm guessing most people had gone down the beach...itself having a unique form of wildlife. Namely white, middle aged men sporting a lily white....soon to be bright red....complexion (the odd fella sporting the half tanned/half 'never seen daylight' look so favoured by the British)...oh and of course there's the protruding...ever-so-slightly hairy (not in a good way) and ever-so-slightly sweating (completely in a 'just lost my lunch' way)....belly wobbling over top the ill fitting swimming trunks or in worse case scenario........speedos.
Roll on the summer.....I'll be in the countryside.
Roll on the summer.....I'll be in the countryside.
Friday, April 27, 2007
My Travels
http://www.travbuddy.com/widget_map_display.php?id=322181
6% huh.....boy have I got some catching up to do.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
The Wanderer Returns
So, I was minding my own business yesterday when during a seminar my phone starts buzzing in my pocket...lucky for me no-one noticed...I thought 'who'd be silly enough to ring me when everybody knows that Tuesday is my lecture day' (in fact the only day I have to attend uni classes...who'd be a student eh?). I received a text from the same, unknown number later and then it dawned on me....the great Natty had returned from her travels and was about to venture back to our own humble Mercury Point.
Her timing however was a little off, as Josh, Ally and Elin have jetted off the NYC for a few days (as you do, apparently it's essential for their studies....chinny rack on I say). Nat still happened to think that me on my lonesome was worth a visit so I allowed an audience with.
If at all possible the girl has gotton taller, her hair has a few more blond streaks and her hamster grin timelessly adorable. We had a brief chat about jumping out of planes, white water rafting and Maori life in New Zealand and the utter gorgeousness which is the Whitsunday's area of Australia via a tall ship.
She was, oh so, successful at her knee boarding escapades in the US of A, so much so that the girl has some random people offering her sponsorship in competitions from now on!!! (Be rubbing noses with the hoity-toity of the surfing world from now on then...now there's an image for consideration).
Alas it was but a fleeting visit....I, obviously, can grant but a few moments with passing visitors in the midst of my cramming of Internet useage before returning to the house of unconnectivity......It had nothing to do with Natty having to catch up with virtually every person in Southampton in one evening.
(A brief note to Ally, Elin and Josh upon your return...Natty was immensely annoyed at your lack of being during her visit and will now only tolerate my presence...because I'm her favourite, nah, nah, nanah, nah....she may be back to snarl at you for a bit however)
Her timing however was a little off, as Josh, Ally and Elin have jetted off the NYC for a few days (as you do, apparently it's essential for their studies....chinny rack on I say). Nat still happened to think that me on my lonesome was worth a visit so I allowed an audience with.
If at all possible the girl has gotton taller, her hair has a few more blond streaks and her hamster grin timelessly adorable. We had a brief chat about jumping out of planes, white water rafting and Maori life in New Zealand and the utter gorgeousness which is the Whitsunday's area of Australia via a tall ship.
She was, oh so, successful at her knee boarding escapades in the US of A, so much so that the girl has some random people offering her sponsorship in competitions from now on!!! (Be rubbing noses with the hoity-toity of the surfing world from now on then...now there's an image for consideration).
Alas it was but a fleeting visit....I, obviously, can grant but a few moments with passing visitors in the midst of my cramming of Internet useage before returning to the house of unconnectivity......It had nothing to do with Natty having to catch up with virtually every person in Southampton in one evening.
(A brief note to Ally, Elin and Josh upon your return...Natty was immensely annoyed at your lack of being during her visit and will now only tolerate my presence...because I'm her favourite, nah, nah, nanah, nah....she may be back to snarl at you for a bit however)
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Life on Southampdiff
Apologies for the massive gaps in entries recently (to be fair the only people which read my blog are family and friends who I see virtually everyday and our internet connection at home has been cut off, so I say meh to my tardiness)
Well then, what have I been up to since my last post....making some important decisions about life, essays and the universe (the answers to which currently stand at huh, meh and doh)
Took a visit to Welsh Wales with the rents over the Easter....by some universal conspiracy and an untimely freak weather paradox, we managed to pick the only sun-less day over the entire holiday. In true Brit style we sat munching ice cream under an overcast sky, ignoring the cold sea breeze over the bay and finally retiring indoors when the spits and spots of rain in the air threatened to increase to light rain.
Anyhoo, Cardiff is a lovely place, seems like much development is going on and it could be a great place to settle down....still, plenty of time to worry about relocating, getting a job, responsibility, bills etc
Ooh, did you see the finale of Life on Mars? now there's a show I'm going to miss, truly awesome television. Excellent writing, excellent acting, excellent 'keep you guessing' narrative, Gene Hunt's one liners particularly: "He's got fingers in more pies than a leper on a cookery course", "As opposed to one of those "I really really like you" kind of murders?", "I'm Gene Hunt your DCI and it's 1973. Nearly dinner time ... I'm 'avin hoops", " You're surrounded by armed bastards" and, my all time favourite "You great soft, sissy, girly, nancy, French bender, Man Utd supporting POOF!"....complete and utter genius!....seriously 1973 has never looked so good. Roll on Ashes to Ashes!
As an after thought I'd better say a happy 30th birthday to my sister, so Happy Birthday and where's my cream cake! (by the by Sarah you're priviledged in sharing your birthday with David Hewlett, that's THE David Hewlett!)
Well then, what have I been up to since my last post....making some important decisions about life, essays and the universe (the answers to which currently stand at huh, meh and doh)
Took a visit to Welsh Wales with the rents over the Easter....by some universal conspiracy and an untimely freak weather paradox, we managed to pick the only sun-less day over the entire holiday. In true Brit style we sat munching ice cream under an overcast sky, ignoring the cold sea breeze over the bay and finally retiring indoors when the spits and spots of rain in the air threatened to increase to light rain.
Anyhoo, Cardiff is a lovely place, seems like much development is going on and it could be a great place to settle down....still, plenty of time to worry about relocating, getting a job, responsibility, bills etc
Ooh, did you see the finale of Life on Mars? now there's a show I'm going to miss, truly awesome television. Excellent writing, excellent acting, excellent 'keep you guessing' narrative, Gene Hunt's one liners particularly: "He's got fingers in more pies than a leper on a cookery course", "As opposed to one of those "I really really like you" kind of murders?", "I'm Gene Hunt your DCI and it's 1973. Nearly dinner time ... I'm 'avin hoops", " You're surrounded by armed bastards" and, my all time favourite "You great soft, sissy, girly, nancy, French bender, Man Utd supporting POOF!"....complete and utter genius!....seriously 1973 has never looked so good. Roll on Ashes to Ashes!
As an after thought I'd better say a happy 30th birthday to my sister, so Happy Birthday and where's my cream cake! (by the by Sarah you're priviledged in sharing your birthday with David Hewlett, that's THE David Hewlett!)
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Save Carson Event
How funny is this!!
For those unfamiliar check an earlier post.
Martin Gero is the guy interviewing attendees and he is also the bloke responsible for the death of Carson Beckett on Stargate Atlantis. (Booo! Hiss!) Though Gero has also been responsible for some of the best Atlantis scripts also, so...meh.
There were a few familiar faces in the crowd who I met at Peg 2 in Feb....one is carrying a large blue brolly...;-)
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
19th April....10,000 words....la,la,la I'm Not Listening
April already! whoa the year's flying by....more importantly the weeks until my major dissertation is due is flying by....which is a little over two weeks. *Bites nails nervously*
So, at present I'm ignoring all the work which I have to do, maybe if I shut my eyes tightly enough the essay writing fairies will visit and produce an award winning piece of work overnight...hmmm, perhaps not.
Anyway, enjoyed the glorious weather yesterday with a walk around Binstead Woods (unfortunately no pics again as I have a feeling I left my camera back at the flat in S'ton....rats). We wandered across open fields, seeing a deer pottering around, and ate sausage rolls on the trunk of a fallen tree while listening to the dozens of birds flitting around the trees.
It was all perfectly pleasant and in keeping with my Enid Blyton tinted view on good old fashion fun. The forecast for the Easter weekend seems to be good, at the moment, so here's to more walks in the sunshine.
In other news it's the penultimate part of Life on Mars this evening. If you haven't been glued to the new series....why the hell not? Gene puts in an appearance dressed as Tufty! (if you have no idea who Tufty is then watch the clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY8MR0ssk7c )
It has been another corker of an example of what the BBC can produce if they put their minds to it....unfortunately it seems that they have burnt out for the time being, since this will be the last season of the series...16 episodes of pure greatness IMO. There is however some hope with the possible spin off Ashes to Ashes (rumour has it that this will have an 80's flavour, my childhood era is officially 'nostalgic'...I think that means I'm getting old...neh)
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Winter? Spring? Summer? I'm Confused
The British weather tradition of confusing flora and wildlife continued yesterday by switching the recent arctic winter conditions to a gloriously sunny and warm spring/summer type day.
As animals and flowers pondered on whether they should been hibernating or reproducing, I decided that the 10,000 words which I need to write by mid-April could wait another day.
The 'rents were amusing themselves by decorating my sibling's flat over in Porchester and my bicycle probably needs a bit of TLC (not to mention a de-spidering) so an outing involving either was out of the question. Instead I wandered along the length of Bognor seafront...much as I did a couple of weeks ago (this time the storm blown debris had been cleaned away by the seafront cleaning fairies).
I forgot my camera but imagine if you will...clear blue skies with a slight sea mist haze on the horizon, a gentle calming breeze coming from a mill pond flat ocean, in which one or two brave/slightly demented (deleted as appropriate) individuals splashed around.
Jolly walkers strolled past categorized in several groups....
The young mums plus toddlers brood, at least three abreast with the sound of 'screaming child' carried on the wind.
The dog walker; mainly middle aged and in pairs, playing second fiddle to the dog's wishes of thundering towards anything of moderate interest (aka a rock) before coming to a complete halt to sniff and then pee on it....and repeat.
The teens bunking off school, due to the sudden emergence of the sun, brazenly ignoring the no cycling/skateboarding/rollerblading motifs on the prom (bah humbug to British establishment) and generally converging in areas of skateboarding interest, usually in close proximity of a ice cream/fish & chips stand.
Lastly the coachloads of cotton tops, down from London, tottering (and in some cases teetering) along the prom, dressed in several layers of insulation due to the biting 'wind chill' and reminiscing about the 'good ole days' when Bognor's beach actually had beach, brass bands played, donkeys and punch and judy provided simple entertainment, kids had manners, dinosaurs roamed freely etc, etc.
Content in my own little observational world, I meandered along taking in the smells of the ocean, fresh air, vinegar on chips and donuts....mmmmm, donuts!
Promising my inner moppet something sweet & sickly on the way back, I gave the fresh donut stand a wide birth and walked the extra mile past the dated and mildly garish chalets which belong to Butlins holiday camp juxtaposed against the outlandishly garish new hotel accommodation which, if you squint, supposedly resembles a cruise liner...hmmm, classy?!
Lunch, a pre-packed half white roll of Turkey, cheese, lettuce and mayo....prepared and arranged by the wonderful staff at Subway, was spent on a wall near the Lobster Pot cafe. I was once again entertained by the friendship rituals of dogs (which mainly involves sniffing each others toosh)and a group of young'uns who found a fascination not in the beach, sea or rockery garden, but the contents of a nearby dustbin....nice.
It was on my return journey that I realised a couple of things...1.) Given a little unexpected sunshine the population of Great Britain firmly believe that seaside resorts become the med, and dress appropriately....2.) the Lobster Pot to my house is much, much further away than my house to the Lobster Pot....and 3.) too much lettuce in a sarnie makes me belch.
We live and learn.
As animals and flowers pondered on whether they should been hibernating or reproducing, I decided that the 10,000 words which I need to write by mid-April could wait another day.
The 'rents were amusing themselves by decorating my sibling's flat over in Porchester and my bicycle probably needs a bit of TLC (not to mention a de-spidering) so an outing involving either was out of the question. Instead I wandered along the length of Bognor seafront...much as I did a couple of weeks ago (this time the storm blown debris had been cleaned away by the seafront cleaning fairies).
I forgot my camera but imagine if you will...clear blue skies with a slight sea mist haze on the horizon, a gentle calming breeze coming from a mill pond flat ocean, in which one or two brave/slightly demented (deleted as appropriate) individuals splashed around.
Jolly walkers strolled past categorized in several groups....
The young mums plus toddlers brood, at least three abreast with the sound of 'screaming child' carried on the wind.
The dog walker; mainly middle aged and in pairs, playing second fiddle to the dog's wishes of thundering towards anything of moderate interest (aka a rock) before coming to a complete halt to sniff and then pee on it....and repeat.
The teens bunking off school, due to the sudden emergence of the sun, brazenly ignoring the no cycling/skateboarding/rollerblading motifs on the prom (bah humbug to British establishment) and generally converging in areas of skateboarding interest, usually in close proximity of a ice cream/fish & chips stand.
Lastly the coachloads of cotton tops, down from London, tottering (and in some cases teetering) along the prom, dressed in several layers of insulation due to the biting 'wind chill' and reminiscing about the 'good ole days' when Bognor's beach actually had beach, brass bands played, donkeys and punch and judy provided simple entertainment, kids had manners, dinosaurs roamed freely etc, etc.
Content in my own little observational world, I meandered along taking in the smells of the ocean, fresh air, vinegar on chips and donuts....mmmmm, donuts!
Promising my inner moppet something sweet & sickly on the way back, I gave the fresh donut stand a wide birth and walked the extra mile past the dated and mildly garish chalets which belong to Butlins holiday camp juxtaposed against the outlandishly garish new hotel accommodation which, if you squint, supposedly resembles a cruise liner...hmmm, classy?!
Lunch, a pre-packed half white roll of Turkey, cheese, lettuce and mayo....prepared and arranged by the wonderful staff at Subway, was spent on a wall near the Lobster Pot cafe. I was once again entertained by the friendship rituals of dogs (which mainly involves sniffing each others toosh)and a group of young'uns who found a fascination not in the beach, sea or rockery garden, but the contents of a nearby dustbin....nice.
It was on my return journey that I realised a couple of things...1.) Given a little unexpected sunshine the population of Great Britain firmly believe that seaside resorts become the med, and dress appropriately....2.) the Lobster Pot to my house is much, much further away than my house to the Lobster Pot....and 3.) too much lettuce in a sarnie makes me belch.
We live and learn.
Friday, March 23, 2007
The Mad Fans of SGA
For those with any interest whatsoever in my fascination with the Stargate: Atlantis world, I came across the blog of one of the producers Joseph Mallozzi a while ago. It's always an interesting read, sometimes with spoilers. This recent entry shows the dedication and complete bonkerness (?) that the fanbase has:
http://josephmallozzi.blogspot.com/index.html
have a read of March 22nd...and there's a picture of David Hewlett who, like many of the actors of the show, has a high regard, time and patience for the fans.
P.S. I probably would have been there too given half the chance.
http://josephmallozzi.blogspot.com/index.html
have a read of March 22nd...and there's a picture of David Hewlett who, like many of the actors of the show, has a high regard, time and patience for the fans.
P.S. I probably would have been there too given half the chance.
Thought of the Week?
If talking to yourself is the first sign of madness, then the world of Bloggers must surely be filled with complete loons.
So I've been absent for some time, trying to regain some sanity in my mixed up world, whether this has been successful is anyone's guess but I'm not looking for a one piece white ensemble which ties in the back just yet.....so there's still hope.
So what have I been up to, Uni stuff mainly...searching library for books, reading books, making notes from books, quoting from books....There's generally a whole big 'book' thing at Uni.
This week saw the deadline for my final, ever, presentation/student lead seminar. Alison and I put in three weeks of research and possible areas of exploration to discuss with our classmates on the TV show Cracker and other such crime dramas. We spent nearly an hour finding pictures for our powerpoint which would ease the wordy nature of the presentation and I produced a lighter aspect to encourage discussion which, would hopefully keep the guys in my class awake and interested.
The fateful day arrived last Tuesday. Alison and I were confident and ready....ish....for whatever our fellow 20-odd students could throw at us. As it turns out, we may have well just showed the episode of Cracker and told the three.....yes that's THREE....people who bothered to show up to talk about the episode. Grrr!!! (oh, and did I mention that dad and I drove through a full on blizzard to make it back to Southampton so I could do this seminar....now that's dedication)
The mild weather of recent weeks was gladly received...winter not really being my forte, I enjoyed a nice walk along the few miles of seafront with my father on a particularly sunny day a couple of weeks ago. It was soon after some gale type weather which meant most of the paved frontage was covered with sea shrapnel and some ingenious Krypton Factor style avoidance was needed in finding a path through.
As an advocate for the simple things dad an I spent a good few minutes watching the incoming tide crash over the sea defences near the Lobster Pot cafe. I was hoping to see some innocent soul get an unexpected soaking, alas I was disappointed...there's always next time.
Ally's birthday was last Monday.....HAPPY (belated) BIRTHDAY!.....and, as the girl was working til 10pm, a surprise cake was organised. At ten past ten Elin lit the 22 candles on the hedgehog inspired chocolate cake and we positioned ourselves in the dark to await the birthday girl who was imminent. At ten twenty five the decorative iced leaves were catching fire, the chocolate icing was turning into a mixture of melted wax and blackened icing and a Caterpillar made from icing had lost it's rump. Hurried and innovative redesign of the cake rescued the hedgehog which now had a 'roadkill' theme and a single candle was put onto the cake....shortly, and a second single candle later, the birthday girl put in an appearance. The cake, I can happily report, tasted none worse the wear for its trauma.
So I've been absent for some time, trying to regain some sanity in my mixed up world, whether this has been successful is anyone's guess but I'm not looking for a one piece white ensemble which ties in the back just yet.....so there's still hope.
So what have I been up to, Uni stuff mainly...searching library for books, reading books, making notes from books, quoting from books....There's generally a whole big 'book' thing at Uni.
This week saw the deadline for my final, ever, presentation/student lead seminar. Alison and I put in three weeks of research and possible areas of exploration to discuss with our classmates on the TV show Cracker and other such crime dramas. We spent nearly an hour finding pictures for our powerpoint which would ease the wordy nature of the presentation and I produced a lighter aspect to encourage discussion which, would hopefully keep the guys in my class awake and interested.
The fateful day arrived last Tuesday. Alison and I were confident and ready....ish....for whatever our fellow 20-odd students could throw at us. As it turns out, we may have well just showed the episode of Cracker and told the three.....yes that's THREE....people who bothered to show up to talk about the episode. Grrr!!! (oh, and did I mention that dad and I drove through a full on blizzard to make it back to Southampton so I could do this seminar....now that's dedication)
The mild weather of recent weeks was gladly received...winter not really being my forte, I enjoyed a nice walk along the few miles of seafront with my father on a particularly sunny day a couple of weeks ago. It was soon after some gale type weather which meant most of the paved frontage was covered with sea shrapnel and some ingenious Krypton Factor style avoidance was needed in finding a path through.
As an advocate for the simple things dad an I spent a good few minutes watching the incoming tide crash over the sea defences near the Lobster Pot cafe. I was hoping to see some innocent soul get an unexpected soaking, alas I was disappointed...there's always next time.
Ally's birthday was last Monday.....HAPPY (belated) BIRTHDAY!.....and, as the girl was working til 10pm, a surprise cake was organised. At ten past ten Elin lit the 22 candles on the hedgehog inspired chocolate cake and we positioned ourselves in the dark to await the birthday girl who was imminent. At ten twenty five the decorative iced leaves were catching fire, the chocolate icing was turning into a mixture of melted wax and blackened icing and a Caterpillar made from icing had lost it's rump. Hurried and innovative redesign of the cake rescued the hedgehog which now had a 'roadkill' theme and a single candle was put onto the cake....shortly, and a second single candle later, the birthday girl put in an appearance. The cake, I can happily report, tasted none worse the wear for its trauma.
Friday, March 02, 2007
That Friday Feelin'
I have a cold, my nose is both blocked and runny?! my throat is swollen, my brain is swimming in snot and I'm sure the chesty cough will kick in any day now. Not sure if I can take pills to stop the congestion as I'm already rattling with various other concoctions, which no doubt would leave me in a perpetual state of stupor if mixed. (not that anyone would actually be able to tell the difference)
The verdict on my laptop, which also seems a little under the weather, (winter blues all round then) is that my DVD drive has gone 'kaput' - that's the official and correct technical term - and I will need a new one. Great, now if I could only find that money tree which everyone keeps on about!
Once again I should be doing something constructive in regards to my degree, but I'm yet to receive feedback from two out of four of my last assignments - the two most important; script treatment and dissertation chapter - and to be quite honest I couldn't give a flying duck about either right now......right, I'm off to drink a quart of OJ and have a nap.
The verdict on my laptop, which also seems a little under the weather, (winter blues all round then) is that my DVD drive has gone 'kaput' - that's the official and correct technical term - and I will need a new one. Great, now if I could only find that money tree which everyone keeps on about!
Once again I should be doing something constructive in regards to my degree, but I'm yet to receive feedback from two out of four of my last assignments - the two most important; script treatment and dissertation chapter - and to be quite honest I couldn't give a flying duck about either right now......right, I'm off to drink a quart of OJ and have a nap.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Freaking Duck.....Indeed
Spotted this cute little hiccup in nature in the papers recently. Born on a farm in the New Forest, Hampshire, the duckling was born with 'stablisers' aka an extra set of legs. The harbingers of doom, global warming, genetic modification and other such delights of modern life will obviously suggest it is another example of our world going to pot....The duckling I think would disagree as, normally, the male ducklings aren't kept alive due to them not being worth anything. So things worked out well for the new family pet 'Stumpy.' (well, seriously, what else)
Wolf Pegasus 2 Day 1 - Extra Guest 1
Okay...this is now officially a long time ago, but I'm determined to get the whole weekend up here.....since everyone round here is either a.) bored with my stories, b.) won't let me tell my stories or c.) doesn't know who or what the heck I'm talking about anyway!
Anyhoo, there was a couple of extra guests at the con and I can't really remember when they put in an appearance at the talks so I'm putting one here. Aaron Douglas, isn't actually on SGA, though he's been in a couple of SG1's, and stars in the new version of Battlestar Galactica. (personally I'm still a little bah humbug about the new imagining of BSG - mainly because the Cylons don't look anywhere near as cool - I also don't get to watch it because I don't have sky for most of the year)
He was called up by either Bryan - the organiser- or Dan who asked what Aaron was up to for the weekend and did he fancy doing a convention. He agreed and a flight was organised for him, he told us that it had been a choice between an early morning or a red eye and he'd gone for the early morning. Aaron claimed to be a very punctual fella, but for some reason only woke up after the taxi had been honking his horn outside his place for quite sometime. He missed his original flight, but being a trooper organised another and came along to the con....kudos to Aaron.
He is a very funny and entertaining guy and spent a lot of time with the fans and having fun with the other guest, invading the stage on more than one occasion to join in the ad-libbing, prank playing and frat style stories. Plus he was wearing a very cool Batman T-shirt (McKay's favourite superhero fact fans) which was later auctioned off.
One story which I particularly remember was one about his young son. He has ,apparently, been very unimpressed at his fathers' career choice as he was growing up, his friends father earning more cool points by driving a coca-cola truck....go figure. Recently, however, he'd been watching BSG and was impressed enough to ask his dad if he could visit the set.
Aaron, pleased that his son was taking an interest, obliged and took great pleasure showing him the set which contained the Viper Hanger. The kid was amazed but didn't quite understand the pretence of television. He asked his father if they could go up and fly in one. Aaron tried to persuade the kid that what he sees on TV isn't real (it isn't?) and his son wouldn't believe him (because let's face it parent's track record with the truth is questionable....exhibit a.) Father Christmas!) His son was getting quite angry shouting, as another member of the cast walked by, 'I know they fly, she flies them' Poor Katee Sackoff (who plays Starbuck) reacted as if to say 'what'd I do'.
Aaron's son, on closer inspection, discovered the reality of the Vipers is plastic dials, stuck on digital displays and an apparent dumping ground for coffee cups....He once again decided that the coca-cola guy was cooler....as did Aaron.
Another story he told was about the day that he was walking down the street in LA and walked past, non other than, Robin Williams. Not wanting to disturb his own acting hero he carried on walking in the opposite direction. Soon after he felt a tap on his shoulder to discover that Robin had chased after him and was a big fan of BSG. He spent a while chatting and Robin was commenting on how good he was in the show...all Aaron could think was that the people walking by were probably thinking 'Oh cool, it's Robin Williams, but who the heck is the guy he's patting on the back!'.
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