Tuesday 31 March 2009
Monday 30 March 2009
Easter plans
Was chatting on the phone to my mum last night. She still lives down in Kent and might not be able to get more than Good Friday and Bank Holiday Monday off over Easter. So it wouldn't be worth her while coming all the way up to Leeds. Furthermore, there are logistical reasons why I can't stay at hers. So we're thinking of maybe meeting each other (sort of) halfway and having a long weekend in London. See the sights, maybe take in a show.
Of course, as this is Easter, chances of getting decent accommodation in London for a reasonable price (i.e. less than £50 per person per night) are slim, but if anybody has any suggestions of nice places to stay then they'd be very welcome. Central is obviously best, but with the Tube it's not vital. Also, if anyone has any nice eateries they could recommend - clearly there's going to be no shortage in London, but the sheer overwhelming number makes the choice harder. Plus my mum is a vegan and doesn't eat wheat-based products, so that needs to be considered as well.
Chris
Of course, as this is Easter, chances of getting decent accommodation in London for a reasonable price (i.e. less than £50 per person per night) are slim, but if anybody has any suggestions of nice places to stay then they'd be very welcome. Central is obviously best, but with the Tube it's not vital. Also, if anyone has any nice eateries they could recommend - clearly there's going to be no shortage in London, but the sheer overwhelming number makes the choice harder. Plus my mum is a vegan and doesn't eat wheat-based products, so that needs to be considered as well.
Chris
Sunday 29 March 2009
Saturday 28 March 2009
I Heart Oxfam
I love books. I always have one on the go, whether for study (I'm part way through a BSc (Hons) in Social Sciences with the Open University) or simply for pleasure. The problem is that they ain't cheap. The standard price for a paperback these days seems to be £7.99, so unless some kindly soul gifts me Borders or Waterstones vouchers, my general supplier tends to be Oxfam.
There are several Oxfams dotted around Leeds. The one in Headingley has an excellent bookshop, but this morning I had a pretty successful stint in the modest little shop in Horsforth whilst dodging a particularly beefy shower (as Sian Lloyd might say). I managed to get Lady Oracle by Margaret Attwood, The Child in Time by Ian McEwan and The Accidental by Ali Smith, all for the princely sum of £5.97. One I keep looking out for is A Touch of Love by Jonathan Coe, as this is the only novel of his I haven't read - and, much as I love his work, I do rather object to paying eight quid for what is a fairly slim novel. So if anyone reading this has a copy that they don't need to hang on to, and they live in Leeds, then please feel free to pop along to your local Oxfam;-)
Chris
There are several Oxfams dotted around Leeds. The one in Headingley has an excellent bookshop, but this morning I had a pretty successful stint in the modest little shop in Horsforth whilst dodging a particularly beefy shower (as Sian Lloyd might say). I managed to get Lady Oracle by Margaret Attwood, The Child in Time by Ian McEwan and The Accidental by Ali Smith, all for the princely sum of £5.97. One I keep looking out for is A Touch of Love by Jonathan Coe, as this is the only novel of his I haven't read - and, much as I love his work, I do rather object to paying eight quid for what is a fairly slim novel. So if anyone reading this has a copy that they don't need to hang on to, and they live in Leeds, then please feel free to pop along to your local Oxfam;-)
Chris
A Project
It's good to set yourself a challenge, so at the start of this year I decided to set myself the challenge of seeing 100 films over the ensuing 12 months. The only rule I gave myself is that these have to be films I've never seen before. Doesn't matter if they're new releases or golden oldies, as long as I've never watched them then they count.
Now, this challenge seemed pretty straightforward back in January, as this was when loads of good stuff was coming out in the cinemas in the lead-up to Awards season (my friend Rob always gets unfeasibly excited about the procession through the Golden Globes, the Directors' Guild and the BAFTAs, all the way to the Oscars, and especially if Kate Winslet's involved). However, since the middle of February, things have tailed off a wee bit. Anyway, here's how I'm doing so far. They're listed in chronological order of viewing:
1 - The Reader
2 - Slumdog Millionaire
3 - Serial Mom
4 - Of Time and the City
5 - Milk
6 - I've Loved You So Long
7 - Waltz with Bashir
8 - Revolutionary Road
9 - Frost/Nixon
10 - Doubt
11 - Rachel Getting Married
12 - Vera Drake
13 - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
14 - Election
15 - Mean Girls
- and that's where it stops for now. Did buy 28 Weeks Later cheap on DVD this morning. And I'm still vacillating over whether or not to go and see The Damned United. It's another Peter Morgan/Michael Sheen collaboration, and for some reason the former's writing and the latter's acting just don't impress me like they seem to impress everyone else. Plus I'm still feeling a bit deflated by the rather sketchy attempt to bring David Peace's Red Riding books to TV. Still, I'm one of these people who tend to cast, direct and soundtrack the TV/film adaptation whilst they're reading the book - then, when somebody actually goes and does it, the results are invariably a bit disappointing. Or if you watch the film, then go and read the book, you revise your opinion of the film, usually downward.
Anyway, I digress (I do a lot of that, so I apologise now for this and all future instances). I need a splurge as I've fallen badly behind schedule - should be up to about 25 by now. If anyone wants to make suggestions as to what else I could watch, old or new, they'd be greatly welcome.
Cheers!
Chris
Now, this challenge seemed pretty straightforward back in January, as this was when loads of good stuff was coming out in the cinemas in the lead-up to Awards season (my friend Rob always gets unfeasibly excited about the procession through the Golden Globes, the Directors' Guild and the BAFTAs, all the way to the Oscars, and especially if Kate Winslet's involved). However, since the middle of February, things have tailed off a wee bit. Anyway, here's how I'm doing so far. They're listed in chronological order of viewing:
1 - The Reader
2 - Slumdog Millionaire
3 - Serial Mom
4 - Of Time and the City
5 - Milk
6 - I've Loved You So Long
7 - Waltz with Bashir
8 - Revolutionary Road
9 - Frost/Nixon
10 - Doubt
11 - Rachel Getting Married
12 - Vera Drake
13 - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
14 - Election
15 - Mean Girls
- and that's where it stops for now. Did buy 28 Weeks Later cheap on DVD this morning. And I'm still vacillating over whether or not to go and see The Damned United. It's another Peter Morgan/Michael Sheen collaboration, and for some reason the former's writing and the latter's acting just don't impress me like they seem to impress everyone else. Plus I'm still feeling a bit deflated by the rather sketchy attempt to bring David Peace's Red Riding books to TV. Still, I'm one of these people who tend to cast, direct and soundtrack the TV/film adaptation whilst they're reading the book - then, when somebody actually goes and does it, the results are invariably a bit disappointing. Or if you watch the film, then go and read the book, you revise your opinion of the film, usually downward.
Anyway, I digress (I do a lot of that, so I apologise now for this and all future instances). I need a splurge as I've fallen badly behind schedule - should be up to about 25 by now. If anyone wants to make suggestions as to what else I could watch, old or new, they'd be greatly welcome.
Cheers!
Chris
Friday 27 March 2009
First post
Hello
After much nagging from a dearly beloved friend, I've finally decided to set up a blog. I tend to be a late adopter where these things are concerned, and did try one a couple of years ago, only for it to die from neglect like an unwatered plant. So I'm trying again...
A bit about myself. I passed the age of social death last year and still feel alive. I know too much about, variously, Doctor Who, the Smiths and the Eurovision Song Contest (and almost too much about one or two other things). Therefore, expect blog posts on one or two of the above as and when they happen. I work with students by day, then become one myself by night. I've been on one or two quiz shows, the most recent of which, A Question of Genius, is currently running at the moment (weekday afternoons at 4.30 on BBC2; it's quite neat). More of all this anon. I don't want to dwell on the introductory stuff, as it always reads rather indigestibly and can feel a bit awkward. Rather like trying to make small talk with a complete stranger and getting a slighly tense feeling as you worry that you're boring them or that you have nothing in common (or maybe that's just me).
So instead, I'll head off to bed now - and hopefully I'll be putting some randomness up over the weekend...
Chris
After much nagging from a dearly beloved friend, I've finally decided to set up a blog. I tend to be a late adopter where these things are concerned, and did try one a couple of years ago, only for it to die from neglect like an unwatered plant. So I'm trying again...
A bit about myself. I passed the age of social death last year and still feel alive. I know too much about, variously, Doctor Who, the Smiths and the Eurovision Song Contest (and almost too much about one or two other things). Therefore, expect blog posts on one or two of the above as and when they happen. I work with students by day, then become one myself by night. I've been on one or two quiz shows, the most recent of which, A Question of Genius, is currently running at the moment (weekday afternoons at 4.30 on BBC2; it's quite neat). More of all this anon. I don't want to dwell on the introductory stuff, as it always reads rather indigestibly and can feel a bit awkward. Rather like trying to make small talk with a complete stranger and getting a slighly tense feeling as you worry that you're boring them or that you have nothing in common (or maybe that's just me).
So instead, I'll head off to bed now - and hopefully I'll be putting some randomness up over the weekend...
Chris
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