Sorry for not posting for ages. Very busy, my sister’s back in Glasgow and we’re trying to sort our lives out – it’s not easy, really it’s tough, just trying to remain positive but I’m trying hard and so’s Kirst. It’s like we have this goal which once we achieve, all the hard work and anguish will be worth it but we’ve got nothing set in stone yet. I suppose it’s our real first test, a real go at adulthood where we have to employ all of our experience and skills and resources, what little we have, into acheiving this goal. On the one side there’s so much against us but on the other we’ve got positivity, friends and family (and rats) – so go team!
Anyway, aside from all that, it’s the usual diet of the cinema and reading. Just finished reading Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert, his sequel to the epic Dune. If you haven’t read the original then you’ve almost certainly encountered it in some form as it’s been routinely plundered for sci-fi movies, books and video games since it’s inception. The most noticeable being Star Wars and recently James Cameron’s Avatar (check out the trailer here) has borrowed heavily. Like Dune, his film is set on an exotic other planet which contains an extremely precious resource and the only think in the way are the native inhabitants who are otherworldly and primal. It also appears to feature some incredible technology another feature of Dune. If you haven’t read it and you enjoy sci-fi, it’s an absolute must – deep as the outer reaches of space yet remains sheer unadulterated entertainment.
Regarding the sequel, well, it’s pretty good but unlike the first novel which is completely standalone, this continues much like a soap opera. It’s a bit like a TV spin-off of a great movie. All the characters are there but it no longer inspires. So if you do read Dune, don’t feel you have to read the sequels. I will of course because i can’t leave a good thing alone.
Cinemawise, the last thing I saw was Jeniffer’s Body which I saw on Saturday with my friends Joanna and Stuart. There’s no denying this was a quality movie, funny, scary, beautifully produced and clever. The only gripe is that it’s more suitable for teenagers, fine if you’re a teen – and the audience was full of them, I actually felt old, they were all baying for Megan Fox and yeah, she is a fox but come on! A gaggle of girls behind me kept squealing and declaring undying love everytime she apeared onscreen and some guy cheered (which was actually quite funny and the cinema erupted in giggles) during the infamously gratuitous girl on girl snog scene – but ultimately it was insubstantial. It’s also by the director of ‘Juno’ and although it’s MUCH flashier, it’s not as engaging. I suppose that’s why I would recommend Let the Right One In first for school-based monster shenanigans.
Gratuitous? Moi?
Earlier last month I saw Zombieland which was fabulous pop-corn munching entertainment with a fantastic cameo – have I mentioned that already?. I also caught Up in 3D – which I’m not convinced by, it’s a novelty – which was very good but I don’t know, it was too safe – Wall-E was far more interesting in my opinion.
Not caught any shows but despite a niggling cold, i’m still cycling to and from work despite the dropping temperatures. Tip for annoying aggressive drivers who beep at you for occupying a lane and not squeezing into the kerb to let them pass so they can get to the traffic lights first: when they angrily beep their horn at you, first of all resist falling of the bike in shock, simply raise your hand and wave as if they were merely being human and beeping a friendly hello. This is guaranteed to piss them off.
This morning I was listening to 6music at work and the DJ, Shaun Kevagny, asked for details of things we believed when we were children with no evidence so I emailed them and told them how I believed (and convinced my sister also) that electric bar heaters were fueled with lava which poured into the electric tube from the back – where it was stored obviously – when you switched it on and they read it out on air.
PS Happy Birthday Gran!
Glasgow Fields 
