Monday, February 28, 2005

Expensive day

Mutterings continued.

but enjoyable. I went shopping this morning; bought a few props, a cd and a DVD. The CD is by a singer I'd never heard of - Michael Buble. I thought it was Harry Connick Jnr but was informed by the Sanity salesperson that it wasn't. Had to have it anyway - glorious stuff. And the DVD is a two disk The Professionals set, complete with a couple of audio commentaries by the creater, Brian Clement, that I found in K Mart.

Off to rehearsals tonight; could be a late night. Act 2 run through, scheduled to take 3 hours.

Sunday, February 27, 2005

No Work Tomorrow. Yay!

Mutterings continued.

Well, not work of the formalised, going-into-the-office kind. Work of a where-the-bloody-hell-am-I-going-to-get-one-of-those-from? kind.

I had quite a successful props hunt at the Railway Markets in Gosnells; ribbon of the right colour and width, flower leis; and Walker's Crisps. Hang on, the crisps were for me. I have a production meeting for the play tonight.

We had a nice evening last night; Jerk Chicken, apple strudle, strawberries and chocs, Rob and Alicia made coffee for Leece, Rob, Jocelyn and myself and BSG, SG:A and MST3K (Zombie Nightmare - a very, very bad mid-80s movie in which Adam "I should have played Batman in the movies" West played a cop.). And Bill Bailey's Kraftwerk 'tribute' went down a treat.

I saw a trailer for HHGttG on Sky yesterday. It was quite amusing, especially Stephen Fry as the Book explaining film trailers, commenting that they usually end with a rapid montage of scenes played over rock music. Which is how the HH trailer ended. Not sure what I thought of it - to me, Arthur Dent is Simon Jones. At least the theme music remained - Journey of the Sorcerer by the Eagles.

Saturday, February 26, 2005

Overcast and cool. Lovely.

Mutterings continued.

It's been raining! Not much but enough to be pleasant. And there was a thunderstorm overnight; lots of lovely thunder and lightning.

I've shopped, voted, vacuumed, washed the floors and dusted. Jocelyn is joining us for tea and Mystie tonight; L and R are doing Jerk chicken and I'm supplying the sweeeeets.

The Evil ABC Shop has heaps of Goons goodies in the window, including the Last Goon Show of All DVD. Very tempting. I discovered the Goons in the 70's during a driving lesson (my instructor insisted we pull over and listen) during a Saturday morning lesson. He didn't charge me for the extra half hour. On the following Monday, I bounced into the WAIT Psych students' common room and told everybody about this hysterical thing I'd heard on the radio. Nothing like being 20 years behind....

Petrol has gone up in price again. My favourite servo is charging over $1 a litre!

Friday, February 25, 2005

Well, that's me done

Mutterings continued.

for a couple of weeks. One lot of stress over, another just beginning. News Paws is finally at the stage where it goes to three of the managers to check and then to the printer's. Yay! And Zoo News was almost at the stage when I left. Double yay!

The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory preview (it's rated......green) is up. I haven't had a chance to look at it yet, it's still loading. Ah, the joys of dial up. I must get around to this new-fangled invention that the young people are talking about. I think it's called SADL or somesuch.

I watched some of the tracks on the Bill Bailey DVD I got for me birfday. Very funny stuff, especially for fans of Kraftwork.

I hope Rob's exams went well today. The first involved being given a 'broken' computer and having to fix it. I suggested he use duct tape but apparently that wasn't a helpful suggestion.

Sir Sean Connery and Dame Judi Dench are Britain's most popular screen legends, according to a new poll.

From Ananova: "The 74-year-old Scottish Bond star was voted the best British actor of all time, while Dame Judi, 70, stole best actress.

1 Sean Connery 2 Anthony Hopkins 3 Alec Guinness 4 Michael Caine 5 Laurence Olivier 6 Richard Burton 7 Cary Grant 8 John Mills 9 Richard Attenborough 10 Peter Sellers

The top ten British actresses were:

1 Judi Dench (yay!) 2 Julie Walters 3 Elizabeth Taylor 4 Helen Mirren 5 Julie Andrews 6 Maggie Smith 7 Thora Hird 8 Vanessa Redgrave 9 Kate Winslet 10 Emma Thompson (yay!!)" Exclamations mine.



Thursday, February 24, 2005

One day to go.

Mutterings continued.

Eeek! Worked late tonight, will probably do the same tomorrow.

Review of the Disney dub of Ghibli's The Cat Returns by scifi.com - "Compared to epics like Nausicaä and Mononoke, The Cat Returns is a pretty minor Ghibli project; it's only 75 minutes long, and it keeps its stakes low and its spirits high. It's closer to a lightweight kids' comedy than most of Ghibli's movies" They give it an A-. They also review Porco Rosso (A-) and Nausicaä (A+).

The weather in the UK is getting worse - lots of schools in Scotland have been closed. A bit of a worry when an RAC man gets trapped in his van for 8 hours. Apparently a helicopter was sent but couldn't land. Middlesbrough tomorrow is going to be 3c.

And now something I agree with completely. "'Free chocolate on NHS'

Chocolate should be free on the NHS because of its health benefits for women.

According to scientists chocolate helps cut symptoms of PMT and depression reports The Sun."




Wednesday, February 23, 2005

What a day!

Mutterings continued.

Didn't stop today. Had lunch at my desk and the only breaks I got were when I went to the Cafe to get some sarnies and a walk to the Savannah to Cinema N'dutu, which took all of five minutes.

Off to Retro Betty's tonight; I feel the need for nachos. Mmmm.....nachos....

I've just discovered Wikipedia. I found it by accident at work while searching for info on Wolf Spiders (urg) and it was mentioned yesterday on Newsradio.

More interesting stuff from Newsradio:
Blogging About Blogs
The French Foreign Legion
Horn: the movie - "The agony and ecstacy! The first fleet meets Alvin purple, it's Al Grasby on the beach"

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Another busy work day

Mutterings continued.

Trying to get the magazine into shape, editing, rewriting, looking for more photos. Editing animal fact sheets. Answering calls from dads looking for Tiger Snake info for their kids. I'm really looking forward to Retro Betty's tomorrow!!

Some amusements from the Toxic Custard site - http://www.toxiccustard.com/australia/.

A flock of Carnaby's cockatoos is flying over the tree tops. Noisy buggers but I love 'em.

My Yorkshire mate, Ashley. emailed me the other day about the snow they've been having. Lucky them. I think.

Monday, February 21, 2005

The start of another week.

Mutterings continued.

Well, that was the weekend over. I had a production meeting last night and was given some last minute props - the director promises that this is the last of them. My Dick Whittington prop - large round cloth bundle on the end of a stick - proved successful. The innards of the bundle is........ a beachball! Nice and light and guaranteed not to knock the lovely Stephen Whiley off his feet when he's clobbered about the bonce with it.

Lalo Schifrin, composer of the Mission:Impossible theme and hundreds of others, was in Oz recently. I caught an item on his concert with the Sydney Symph. Orch. at the Opera House on the Sunday program yesterday. A very cool, full orchestral, plus jazz trumpeter James Morrison, version of the M:I theme.

Electioneering rubbish update: full colour glossy from the Liberal(ie Conservative) candidate, complete with endorsement from the Independent (ie Conservative) retiring member.

More reasons why 'nanas are good for you: "Bananas contain vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. Many of these nutrients help regulate heartbeat. Bananas also are high in polyphenols -- antioxidants that neutralize disease-causing free radicals. Slightly unripe bananas probably contain the most polyphenols, which produce a slightly bitter taste in the fruit. In addition to eating bananas, another way to protect your kidneys is to avoid smoking. Approximately 31,000 new cases of kidney cancer are diagnosed each year in the U.S. and 12,000 people die annually from the disease. Signs of kidney cancer include blood in the urine, unintentional weight loss, back pain, and abdominal pain. If you have any of these symptoms, see your healthcare practitioner." So there.

Sunday, February 20, 2005

Busy Sunday

Mutterings continued.

In to rehearsals at 10am to drop a couple of props off for Autolycus and the Clown, out to Dad's for lunch and a visit from my sis-in-law, home and then back to Nedlands for a production meeting at 5.30pm.

In the meantime I've just got to do some housework!!

I used Rob and Leece (ie coffee grinder and espresso machine) yesterday for the first time. I bought some very nice decaffeinated coffee beans and have made a couple of tasty capuccinos.

Happy birthday Joel Hodgson! And here's the MST3K Battlebots game - http://www.rhino.com/flashcards/mst3k/.

Saturday, February 19, 2005

Sat-hair-day

Mutterings continued.

Sorry. Had a haircut.

The usual Saturday things, went shopping, did washing. Tonight will be spent making props.

Last night I watched the Crusade episode, Well of Forever, complete with commentary from Peter Woodward and Carrie Dobro. Funny stuff and lots of banter between PW and CD. PW made the comment he was glad Daniel Dae Kim didn't have too many bare chest scenes as he has an incredible body which put others to shame.

Speaking of the Woodward family, Clearvision has a Callan DVD that I'm very tempted to buy. It's called the Complete Series 1 - it is in fact series 3; series 1 and 2 are mostly missing. It's 15 quid, pity they only deliver to the UK and Europe. Amazon and Sendit have it for 33 pounds!

Friday, February 18, 2005

Tired

Mutterings continued.

It's Friday. Only seems like yesterday it was Monday and the start of another week. A busy, stressful day today, broken up by Earl Grey tea with friends and a staff meeting which featured interesting reports from staff. A report on moving a sun bear to NZ, walking the Bibbulman Track and the rescue work being done in the region to save the Tasmanian Devil.

My zebra cushions, a birthday prez from Leece and Rob, arrived today. They are stunning! I realise now that black and white probably aren't the best colours to have with cats around however I don't care. They look lovely.

There must be an election looming - the amount of junk electioneering mail has ramped up. Three yesterday, one today. Glossies from the conservative candidates, recycled paper and monochrome print from the Greens and Labor.

It seems that a contestant on UK Mastermind last year had as her specialist subject Babylon 5. I think I feel the need to watch some B5 tonight.

A great episode of Catalyst on the telly last night - it was about the trip to Titan by Cassini-Huygens and the resulting pics. Very exciting stuff. "Bashar Rizk
"It's a very cold, a very forbidding place, but when you see it, it looks just like the Earth and you want to go back, I mean I've talked to several people now and they had the same reaction, you know, they-they didn't anticipate liking the place."

Thursday, February 17, 2005

A nice birthday

Mutterings continued.

I had a nice day yesterday. Lunch, cake in the afternoon and then dinner at the Himalayan Gerkin with TUS. Thanks guys! The weather cooled down for me too. And I received another nice Nepalese bag from the restaurant - I plan to collect the whole set. Provided, of course, I don't close this restaurant like I have so many others.

I discovered yesterday that the espresso coffee maker I've just bought is called Alicia. Seems appropriate somehow. I'll name the coffee grinder Rob.

We were talking about Beowulf at dinner last night; today Leece sent me this:

Meanehwael, baccat meaddehaele, monstaer lurccen;
Fulle few too many drincce, hie luccen for fyht.
[D]en Hreorfneorht[d]hwr, son of Hrwaerow[p]heororthwl,
AEsccen aewful jeork to steop outsyd.
[P]hud! Bashe! Crasch! Beoom! [D]e bigge gye
Eallum his bon brak, byt his nose offe;
Wicced Godsylla waeld on his asse.
Monstaer moppe fleor wy[p] eallum men in haelle.
Beowulf in bacceroome fonecall bemaccen waes;
Hearen sond of ruccus saed, "Hwaet [d]e helle?"
Graben sheold strang ond swich-blaed scharp
Sond feorth to fyht [d]e grimlic foe.
"Me," Godsylla saed, "mac [d]e minsemete."
Heoro cwyc geten heold wi[p] faemed half-nelson
Ond flyng him lic frisbe bac to fen.
Beowulf belly up to meaddehaele bar,
Saed, "Ne foe beaten mie faersom cung-fu."
Eorderen cocca-colha yce-coeld, [d]e reol [p]yng.
-- Not Chaucer, for certain


"Star Wars director George Lucas is a bit sick of being behind the camera apparently and so has decided to make a cameo appearance in the new and supposedly last film." If it's ok for Peter Jackson.....

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Happy birthday to moi.

Mutterings continued.

Much amusements at work. I sent an email to some co-workers inviting them to help commiserate my being dragged kicking and screaming ever closer to the dread half century. One took this to mean I actually was turning 50 (I'm not, just closer to 50 than 45) and was telling people that today was a special birthday. She was most embarrassed and I was highly amused. We went for lunch at Secret Garden in South Perth. Very pleasant.

From the Radio Times: "Knights on Broadway

All the surviving members of Monty Python will reunite to support Eric Idle's new musical Spamalot. The team will all attend the show's opening night on Broadway on 17 March. The lavish musical, based on the Pythons' Holy Grail movie and featuring an all-star cast including Frasier's David Hyde Pierce and Hank Azaria from The Simpsons, has been previewing to rave notices. Monty Python is the first subject of a new series of Comedy Connections, beginning on BBC1 on 21 February." They don't mention the wonderful Tim Curry!

"ET VOTED THE SADDEST SCENE

The moment in ET when the extra terrestrial leaves ELLIOTT to return to his
spaceship has been voted the most emotional scene in movie history.

A poll of 70,000 voters for British TV network CHANNEL 4 show THE 100
GREATEST TEARJERKERS placed ET above sad scenes in THE GREEN MILE, TITANIC
and BAMBI.

The top ten is as follows:

1: ET
2: THE GREEN MILE
3: TITANIC
4: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
5: GHOST
6: BAMBI
7: THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
8: THE CHAMP
9: FIELD OF DREAMS
10: MY GIRL." I have only seen three of these and can only admit to crying at one. Which one would probably surprise. The movie that gets the most sobs out of me is Branagh's Henry V.

Off to Himali Gurkha tonight - I have a new frock. Sort of a frock because I'm not a frock wearing girl.

According to the Goodies Clarion and Globe, the second DVD is due out on March 2. Can I wait? Yeah, probably.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Even Yuckier.

Mutterings continued.

It was 41c at 4pm when I left work. It's still in the high 30's. Tomorrow will be cooler, humid but cooler.

Some friends and I are getting together for lunch for my birthday and then TUS will be doing it again for dinner. Steveg and Maureen - 7pm at Himali!

Iinet was having serious problems this evening. They were off the air from 4pm, if not earlier, until about 8pm. Router problems apparently.

I slept very badly last night - I'm trying to stay off the sleeping pills as I've been experiencing unpleasant side effects. Last Friday was spent convinced I was having a number of heart attacks. Very odd feeling of palpitations that went away on Saturday and haven't returned. Haven't taken any sleepers in that time either.

I had some very odd dreams, including one that involved poor Manfred being gouged all down one side.

Did some research today on what makes chimpanzees Pan (their genus) and came across an interesting forum - Creation Vs Evolution. Not a debate I want to get into but there was an interesting discussion on taxonomic nomenclature. An amusing sub forum - "Dates and Dating Single and looking? Too bad, you've come to the wrong place. But if you want to discuss the Rock and Ages and the ages of rocks then this is the forum for you!"

For the pedants (and I am one) among us - Fight the Bull - Why Managers Talk Like Idiots.

Monday, February 14, 2005

Yucky poos!

From Monday - Blogger wasn't working again last night.

What a hideous day, weather-wise! 38c and very, very humid. That's why I simply HAD to have an icecream at 3pmish.

There was a parcel on the doorstep when I got home - I couldn't think what it was as I'm sure everything I've ordered on line recently has arrived. It was my birthday present from Ashley in Midds. Thanks Ash!!

The second goodies DVD has been released, in the UK and US anyway. I'll have to check out the ABC shop this Saturday. The extras sound very cool indeed. From The Mausoleum Club: "There is a very healthy portion of extras - or “Goodies” - on At Last A Second Helping, with a good mix of archive items, documentation and newly recorded audio interviews and commentaries.

The latter are, I feel, an improvement on those on the first set, which were a little lifeless, with occasional pregnant pauses. The new audio tracks are informative and entertaining, as is the twenty-minute The Goodies In Conversation – The Goodies are definitely on form here.

The archive extras are invaluable: The Gym extra, originally from Engelbert With The Young Generation, is a short ‘silent movie’ to music, and hugely entertaining to boot.

Even better is The Goodies' Travelling Instant Five-Minute Christmas, the team’s entry in the 1972 Christmas Night with the Stars anthology. Unseen in its unedited form since the original broadcast, and quite possibly the jewel of the whole collection, it’s fast, it’s furious and it’s very, very funny indeed, not to mention remarkably inventive. The musical performance of A Man’s Best Friend Is His Duck from the long-running Crackerjack series represents a change of pace and is great to see, even if the single itself was one of the weaker Goodies recordings. Hopefully we can expect Funky Gibbon on Top of the Pops next time round?

The other extra is a Restoration Featurette, which, as usual, causes the jaw to drop. The work performed on this title is impressive to say the least and those responsible deserve a massive vote of thanks. The episodes look better than ever, and even though the film inserts will never look incredible due to the appalling standard of the original telecine transfers, they do look considerably improved and are much, much easier on the eye than ever before. Detail is improved and the colour is corrected. Most impressive of all is the amount of clean-up performed on the Christmas Night with the Stars sketch, which has always looked diabolical in the clips that have appeared in TV programmes over the years. The version on the disc is a huge improvement. The videotaped studio sequences on all episodes (with the obvious exception of Come Dancing) look breathtaking, too.

Readers will also be pleased to hear that the authoring appears to be of a good standard throughout, with only a few isolated instances of very minor artifacting. So minor in fact, that you have to be looking out for it to notice it. The only other minor authoring issue is with The Goodies In Conversation, which features an audio track recorded at a considerably lower level than the other extras, meaning that after cranking up the volume for this extra, the next has me lunging, panicked, for the volume control - I’m sure someone is conspiring to blow my speakers! Last but most definitely not least is the booklet – a guide to the disc contents by the indispensable Andrew Pixley that is simply bursting with what Peter Cook might have termed ‘interesting facts’ about the series. Researched with the dexterity one has come to expect and rely upon from Andrew, this booklet is a valuable addition to the set. Rob White’s gloriously appropriate design for it and Graeme Garden’s amusing sketches are simply the icing on the cake. Top notch! " Can't wait!

Sendit.com has got the 2 disk 'collectors edition' Sky Captain for 15 quid, that's about A$45. Amazon.com have it for US$21. More of the BBC Shakespeares are being released next month - Othello, Richard III, R and J, the Tempest. And the only version of Bedazzled worth speaking of is out in May.

Sunday, February 13, 2005

Overcast

Mutterings continued.

Strange weather - blue skies, clouds, no rain, humid.

Visited Dad for lunch and then took a trip to the garden centre and greengrocer's.

Had a picnic tea and then much laughter at St George's College last night. The Real Inspector Hound was a hoot. I love coarse acting and this was CA at its absolute best. The play within the play, that is. The real play was beautifully (over) acted by all.

Favourite lines: "Don't be a madman! Give yourself up!" the police as they tramp the fog-ridden moors with megaphones.

"The same, half an hour later." Mrs Drudge, expositionist extraordinaire, on the telephone.

"The man is wearing a darkish suit with a lightish shirt. He is of medium height and build and youngish. Anyone seeing a man answering to this description and acting suspiciously, is advised to phone the nearest police station."

I've just discovered that Sir Ian McKellen directed a production of Hound in 1972 with Derek Jacobi playing one of the critics. Stellar! He also played the role of Hound in a 1985/86 season with the wonderful Eleanor Bron and Jonathon Hyde.

And speaking of Sir Eee, the Magic Roundabout has been released in the UK.

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Sticky Saturday

Mutterings continued.

Did the usual grocery shopping this morning and then took a trip to WA Salvage and Spotlight for props. Some success but I'm still looking for jugs and mugs. I bought some Playdough for modelling things out of. I love the smell of Playdough! I also love the smell of freshly sharpened pencils.

Friend Fiona wrote in her blog about a very useful forum called Booksleuth. "Is there a special book that you read, or perhaps had read to you, at some point in your life but you can't remember the author and title? Perhaps you know the plot, or a character, or maybe even what the front cover looks like. BookSleuth is here to help you find that book!" I posted a query about a book I remember from my childhood (this was before the introduction of moveable type).

Love this: "A German zoo's plans to tempt its gay penguins to go straight by importing more females has been declared a failure.

The female penguins were flown in especially from Sweden in an effort to encourage the Humboldt penguins at the Bremerhaven Zoo to reproduce.

But the six homosexual penguins showed no interest in their new female companions and remained faithful to each other.

Zoo Director Heike Kueck said: "The relationships were apparently too strong."

A keeper confirmed that the male couples had adopted rocks which they were guarding like eggs in their caves.

The zoo has said that it will try again in Spring 2006, because the penguins are an endangered species and need to be encouraged to breed."

Scunthorpe United is back on top of the League Two table. Yay! Go the Iron!

Friday, February 11, 2005

It IS the weekend!

Mutterings continued.

Week 2 of the new job over. Did some research, answered some emails from the public, drafted a questionnaire, updated the website, etc etc. And had time for a cup of Earl Grey at the cafe.

From the Official London Theatre Guide: "Anyone interested in taking a peak (sic) behind the scenes of hit shows could do worse than heading down to the Theatre Museum, where new exhibition The Dressing Room has recently opened. A selection of photographs of around 50 theatrical stars, taken by Simon Annand during the half hour before the actors were due on stage, present an insight into backstage life not normally apparent to the public. The exhibition runs at the Theatre Museum, Covent Garden until May 1. Entrance is free." I do like the sound of that! Apparently some famous thesps spend it throwing up (hope there aren't any pics of that) and some sucking in as much tar and nicotine as they can.

More excitements in the UK: "Pontefract Liquorice Festival
Pontefract Liquorice Festival is a two day arts and heritage festival celebrating the town of Pontefract and its unique association with liquorice. Subject to confirmation of funding, the festival will take place on 16th and 17th July 2005. It comprises Historic Pontefract (16th July), a day of living history, traditional arts and crafts in Pontefract Castle, and Liquorice Day (17th July), a day of contemporary art, craft and music in Pontefract Town Centre. This year's festival has an international flavour with an emphasis on food. " I thought the festival would have a liquorice flavour....

Gods but IInet is slow tonight!

Off to see Inspector Hound tomorrow night. More good reviews on the ITA website.


Thursday, February 10, 2005

Nearly the weekend

Mutterings continued.

Put the finishing touches to the magazines and sent them to the boss for editing today. Whew!! I'm still sourcing graphics for the articles, which is quite fun.

Dad's home from hospital after having two bags of blood pumped into him. It took 8 hours - he wasn't happy. Still, at least the meals were nice.

Some nice pics of Saturn on the NASA website.

One of the downsides of the new job is the number of vending machines that surround the office. There's even one full of ice cream. Mmmmm......cafe late Choc Wedge.... At least lunch was reasonably healthy - vegetable noodles.



Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Busy Wednesday

Mutterings continued.

I got two of my magazine articles back from editing today. My first articles. One of them had a 'Very good' comment and only a couple of corrections on it. The other was covered in red pen. Ah well, win some, lose some.

Visited Dad in hospital - his ulcers are gone but his blood count is down so he's having a couple of bags of blood pumped into him. He should be home tomorrow.

And then on to rehearsals to drop off some props. The Dick Whittington swag needs work!

I've got the B5 movie "In the Beginning" on in the background. As soon as the theme started I realised how much I missed Babylon 5. Setting the VCR every Thursday night, making sure the finish time was 90 minutes later than scheduled because the stupid Footy Show would always run over. The standing order of tapes at Planet Hollywood. Worshipping with Leece at the Shrine of the Narnly Nightie. Galactica is good and Atlantis is good but nothing today matches, for me, the anticipation of and satisfaction with B5.

I got a present from our IT guy today - a tin of "Curiously strong cinnamon" Altoids. Yum! Geeks lurve cinnamon.



Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Toosdee

Mutterings continued.

25.3c today, very respectable. Heating up for the weekend. And that's the weather report.

My latest purchase from Amazon was on the doorstep when I got home - the Crusade and B5 movies box sets.

Shoebox Zoo, a classy kids series from the UK, is screening on the ABC at 5pm on Tuesdays.

I got a good review for The Real Inspector Hound from a friend at work; very enjoyable she said.

On the way home from work I called into Good Sammies, the largest op-shop in the neighbourhood. I didn't find the mugs or jugs I was looking for but did get some bread baskets and material for the large bundle some poor thesp has to carry on a stick, a la Dick Wittington.

Interesting, but unenlightening, comment from Alan Cumming about Bryan Singer. " Alan Cumming, who played the blue-skinned Nightcrawler in the X-Men sequel, X2, revealed to SCI FI Wire that he's not disappointed Bryan Singer won't be directing the third installment in the comic-book franchise. "I'm not, and I can't deny it," Cumming said in an interview. "I think he's really talented, and I'm really proud of the film—I think it's a great film—but I didn't enjoy working with him on it." Cumming declined to elaborate. " From scifi.com.

Dad's heading back into hospital tonight. His blood count still isn't the best and his gastroenterologist wants to see what's up with his ulcers.




Monday, February 07, 2005

Back to work.

Mutterings continued.

Another Monday over.

The meeting with Messrs Milson and Beckett re props for Winters Tale went well. The list I have isn't complete, of course, but apparently it's 80% there.

It looks as though the RSC is 'doing' the comedies this season. Greg Doran is directing some interesting productions, including Sejanus: His Fall by Ben Johnson.

Amusing Windows features from Something Awful.

I saw, but didn't hear, a preview of Tim Burton's latest - The Corpse Bride I think it's called. Very Nightmare Before Christmas, looked wonderful. The Superbowl telly commercial for the latest Batman movie is up on the WB site. I think I'm four Batmans (Batmen??) behind.




Sunday, February 06, 2005

An even cooler day

Mutterings continued.

I know I may seem a little preoccupied with the weather at times - it's just that I hate summer, can't stand the heat, and wilt like the tender flower I am in temps over 25c. Today was 26c, not too bad given this is the hottest month of the year. Of course, it's only the 6th today and there's a lot of February left.

No Mystie last night however we did watch the second Kolchack movie, which was very creepy, atmospheric and cool, and Stargate Atlantis and Battlestar Galactica. Much fun was had by all parties with the laser pointer and the rubber ringie rocket shootie things. Rob makes a very good target.

This morning was spent tidying up after last night's revels and then to Dad's for lunch. On the way home I called into Gosnells markets to see if they had any earthenware jugs or similar for sale. No luck. I did managed to satisfy my Anglophilic cravings by buying a Yorkie bar ("They're not for girls." Oh, really??!! In the UK, Yorkie bars are advertised as being truck driver fodder and not suitable for girlies.).

I spotted a lovely silver art deco tea strainer and stand on Ebay for $14.26 (odd number). I don't know what the standing highest bid is but I was outbid a couple of times straight way. After the second time it gets really boring so I've decided not to fight for it.




Saturday, February 05, 2005

Coolday Saturday

Mutterings continued.

Lovely cool morning, overcast, Baudins cockatoos overhead - almost winter. It's a little humid but there's a nice breeze coming through the window.

I've been props purchasing today. Director Milson wants check tablecloths - unfortunately they're out of fashion this season so I've had to buy material to make some up. Cheaper but less convenient.

Amusement from the New Scientist - winners of the wackiest warning label competition.

"1st prize
Do not use for personal hygiene - ­ on a toilet brush
2nd prize
This product moves when used ­ - from a child’s scooter
Previous winners have included:
* Remove child before folding - ­ on a baby’s buggy
* Once used rectally, the thermometer should not be used orally -
on a digital thermometer
* Never remove food or other items from the blades while the
product is operating - on an electric hand blender
* Harmful if swallowed - ­ on a three-pronged brass fishing lure.
* Do not use this product as a toy, pillow, or flotation device -
on a bag of air used as a packing material
* Do not use as a ladder ­ - on a 30cm tall CD rack
* Never iron clothes while they are being worn - on a household
iron
* Do not use the Silence Feature in emergency situations. It will
not extinguish a fire - on a smoke detector
* Do not eat toner - on a laser printer cartridge
* And on a pair of cyclist’s shin guards ­ Shin pads cannot protect
any part of the body they do not cover."

I'm making stir fry chicken noodles for dinner. Very quick and easy, with the added yum power of sesame oil.

Friday, February 04, 2005

Friday, at last!

Mutterings continued.

What a week! I survived, just.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is cool, very, deeply cool. Love the robots with the snakey arms. And look out for the newspaper from Japan reporting on the attack on Tokyo. Very funny. The projectionist was having some bizarre problems with the sound before the movie started - lots of very peculiar whizzes, pops and farting noises. A small but appreciative audience laughed.

There's some interesting telly coming up. I recorded the first episode of Lost last night; I'll watch it later. Foyle's War is back on Sundays (the episode features Sam West, son of Timothy and Prunella Scales) and Battlestar Galactica starts next week (I think).

"A Colombian mayor shot himself in the backside while he was on the toilet." *snigger*

Leece and Rob are coming for dins tomorrow night - I think we neglected to work out who is doing what. We've run out of Muppets and Storyteller but we do have Stargate Atlantis and B. Galactica. Whoo hoo.


Thursday, February 03, 2005

A cooler day

Mutterings continued.

It was only 37 instead of the 38 forecast. Cooler on the weekend, apparently.

Off to see Sky Captain tonight with TUS. I'm looking forward to it - have been since seeing the preview at SwanCon so long ago. Was it SwanCon?

Another busy day - two meetings about the Zoo magazine and lunch at a new(ish) noodle restaurant in South Perth. Satay chicken and fried rice, very nice indeed.

I watched the first three hours of the new Battlestar Galactica this week. It has sex! And naked people!! I'm not sure about the new Starbuck but I'm taken with the darker tone which shows the consequences of war. Captain Apollo is played by the guy who played Archie in Captain Hornblower. Seems he got a promotion.

What everybody needs - Vibrating Sponge Massager. " The Vibrating Sponge Massager is multi-speed, water-proof and intended for showering / bathing use. Please do not try using your sponge massager while swimming, diving etc.

Each Vibrating Sponge Massager requires 2 x AA sized batteries (not included).

Please note: To avoid injury or aggravation of pre-existing conditions, this device should not be used on swollen or inflamed areas or skin lacerations. Secure cap tightly closed during cleaning and while in use with water. " 8-0


Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Wednesday Warmday

Mutterings continued.

Hot tomorrow - 38c forecast.

I didn't blog yesterday as I came home from work with my head spinning. Everything that made sense on Monday deserted me yesterday and left me wondering what the hell I've taken on. Today was much better and I had a couple of wins against a recalcitrant web page. And made some useful suggestions for the Zoo's magazines, so I'm feeling a little better.

Interesting article on Derek Jacobi. Apparently he's playing a werewolf in the Underworld sequel, Underworld Evolution. Hmmmmm......

There's a very interesting event in the Festival of Perth program - Steven Berkoff playing Shakespeare's Villains. It runs from 22 - 27 Feb.

I had another rent inspection today. Twelve weeks certainly rush by, don't they?? All seemed in order and they didn't let the cats out.

Attic Theatre's production of The Real Inspector Hound (described as a play by Stoppard before he got too clever) opens tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to this one.