Sites I like
Wednesday 28th May
I read today that an MP has called for bulky "off-road" vehicles to be banned from towns and cities. I can see his point as they can be very intimidating to other road users and aren't really being bought (or marketed, for that matter) for the purpose they were originally intended. How can you stop it though? OK, so you can attempt to get manufacturers to only sell to people who can prove thay they have a valid use for one, but what about the millions who already own them? Try telling them that they are banned from just about everywhere. The off-road areas would be churned up due to mums taking shortcuts faster than you can say 'bull bars'. Perhaps they're just planning to charge owners of 4x4 vehicles even more to enter city centres than the rest of us - that'd soon put them off.
Posted on May 28, 2003 | Comments (5)
Monday 26th May
In case you missed/avoided it, the Eurovision Song Contest took place in the Latvian capital, Riga, on Saturday night and the UK managed their worst score ever. The duo who performed our song, Jemini, were off key but apparently couldn't hear the music as the monitors weren't switched on. Then, after suffering the humiliation of scoring a big fat zero, they went back to their dressing room after interviews to find it had been vandalised. Now, I don't usually like to jump to conclusions, but I suspect this wouldn't have happened if our Tony hadn't sided with George. Hopefully people will forgive and forget otherwise our neighbours won't ask us out to play any more. Bah.
Still, the contest itself was as entertaining as always. Austria had the comedy entry, Germany's song will no doubt find it's way to the dance floor of many gay clubs, Russia had a terrible song but some famous scandal queens to 'sing' it, and Estonia's entry was by far my favourite (but didn't do so well). The costumes were great, the dancers were leggy, Wogan's commentary for the UK broadcast was legendary... I can't believe I missed all this last year.
Posted on May 26, 2003 | Comments (5)
Friday 23rd May
Staying on a bit of a movie theme today, I spotted this article on BBCi about Stelios Haji-Ioannou's latest venture, EasyCinema. A budget cinema with no popcorn stand or pick 'n' mix, just tickets that are cheaper the earlier you buy them. Sound like a good plan, but the big distributors aren't happy about the public getting to see their blockbusters for as little as 20p and so they are refusing rights to show them. Even if they get the go-ahead for bigger movies (perhaps by only allowing booking a week in advance of the opening), I'm not keen on the idea of no trailers. How can you plan your next visit without trailiers? And what happens when the machines goe wrong and there are no staff there? I'm all for the idea of cheaper cinema, just as long as they don't skimp on the seats as well.
Also, I have added a new artcle to the site today. There is a link to the left of the page, but click here for the full list.
Posted on May 23, 2003 | Comments (3)
Thursday 22nd May
I went to see The Matrix Reloaded last night at a preview showing and was a tad disappointed. It's a great film but, after a four year wait, I'd built it up in my mind to be so much better. Still, there is a third movie to come later in the year and the DVD extras will no doubt be worth getting excited about. Also, the original website was gorgeous and filled with lots of snippets to whet your appetite, and the updated version is no different giving me plenty to amuse myself while awaiting the arrival of our Animatrix DVD. Mind you, I might just go to see the film a few more times... just to make sure.
Posted on May 22, 2003 | Comments (1)
Tuesday 20th May
2003 has unusually been a year of popular contemporary theatre for me so far. First I booked to see the Northern Stage Ensemble's production of George Orwell's 1984, next was the famous translation of Yasmina Reza's French play, Art, and then last night I went to see the infamous nudity-fest, The Blue Room. I won't really attempt to review any of the three plays, as I'm not especially good at that kind of thing. I will comment (briefly) on last night's performance though.
Tracey Shaw had a hard act to follow after Nicole Kidman made the role famous in London's West End, but she did remarkably well considering she had to master five different characters and then convey them to the audience in ten very short acts. Mind you, it must have been made that bit easier by having Jason Connery as your co-star. I could really get into this theatre-going lark if it wasn't do damned expensive, but for now I'll stick to the cinema. Matrix Reloaded tomorrow...
Posted on May 20, 2003 | Comments (2)
Friday 16th May
I've a busy weekend ahead and so probably no time for updates. A lovely guy in my department at work was found alone in his home earlier this week; dead at 32. He suffered from sickle cell anaemia but you still don't really expect this sort of thing. So, in honour of Andrew, I'm going to enjoy my weekend and try not to worry about anything. Life is indeed too short. Now, why don't you switch off your pc and go out and do something less boring instead... not that I'm saying the internet's boring. I'm just quoting. Kind of.
Posted on May 16, 2003 | Comments (1)
Wednesday 14th May
Did anyone else see a programme on BBC2 last night called The Day Britain Stopped? It was a drama made to look like a documentary showing a day in the future when Britain's transport network ground to a halt after a number of every day incidents caused gridlock. It was fascinating stuff (especially the part about the plane crash), but will anyone who can make a difference pay any attention?
Posted on May 14, 2003 | Comments (3)
Sunday 11th May
Well, I managed it, and not all of the photos were dire. I was using film and so had to go and get one hour processing in order to get the pics scanned and onto the web before it became pointless. I will buy a digital camera but only when I can afford a nice one - I'll just be disappointed with the results if I go for a cheap option. My photos illustrating the unproductive Saturday I had are here (so I can't lie to Topper about what I was up to while he was away... like I would!), while everyone else's examples can be found here. It's quite interesting seeing how different people around the world spent the same day.
Posted on May 11, 2003 | Comments (3)
Saturday 10th May
It's the day of the May Day Project and I was going to take a photo an hour to illustrate my day. Unfortunately I have nothing of interest planned, so it will be really dull. Perhaps I should leave all the jobs I was going to do around the house and go out to do something more interesting and photogenic. Whenever I try to force inspiration, it never comes...
Posted on May 10, 2003 | Comments (4)
Friday 9th May
Today a colleague strangely referred to her friend's boyfriend of eight years as the girl's "significant other", which reminded me of a piece I read in Guardian Weekend last Saturday. In the article, the novelist Jenny Colgan goes through a few other suggestions: your "boyfriend" (too teenage?), your "partner" (too gay?) or your "other half" (too liable to make people throw up?). Surely someone can come up with a term that isn't cringe-worthy? One that's suitable for use in polite company too. I have no suggestions though, do you?
Posted on May 09, 2003 | Comments (10)
Thursday 8th May
OK, I get it now! Everything is bad for us! Not only should we not smoke, drink or take drugs, but every day we're steadily getting told of one more thing we can't eat... and now they're saying we can't have our vitamin supplements either. What a strange world we live in.
Posted on May 08, 2003 | Comments (4)
Tuesday 6th May
Does it show me up as a sad sci-fi freak that I'd really like this guy's story to be true? A bloke in the US has been busted for apparent insider trading but then claimed to be from the future. OK, so it sounds a little bit far fetched, but how else could he have made $350million in 2 weeks with the financial markets the way they are? Apparently, not only was there no record of him before last December, but he also jumped bail and hasn't been seen since. The authorities are currently checking out his claims that he said would prove his story was true. If we have news of a cure for AIDS and the whereabouts of Osama Bin Laden in the next few weeks then he's gonna be in so much trouble when he gets back to 2256!
Posted on May 06, 2003 | Comments (4)
Sunday 4th May
Recently I had to travel to my company's head office to deliver some training and decided to drive rather than take the train. This decision was made mainly because trains suck and my last experience on one was so bad that I arrived 2.5 hours later than planned. I also figured that I could factor in a visit to the parents as well if I went in the car, and I also wouldn't have to spend my journey listening to other people's brats/mobile phone conversations. A happy Lori then became an ecstatic Lori when I found out the going rate for mileage. Of course, the inflated amount is to cover wear-and-tear on your vehicle but, rather than save it for my next service as would be wise, I decided to spend it on a camera. Not just any camera though, a Lomo LC-A, which I've wanted for a while now. I'm quite excited really, even though I have no idea how long it will take to get here. I've always been more of a snapshot gal than a serious photographer so here's a way that even my snapshots can look funky!
Posted on May 04, 2003 | Comments (0)
Saturday 3rd May
Went to see X2 last night and was amazed. I wasn't too impressed with the first film and, even though I'd read some reviews of this movie that were very promising, I still wasn't too excited at the prospect. I mean, it's no Matrix now, is it? There was a trailer for Reloaded before the movie though, which got things off to a good start (I'm so sad), and it wasn't actually all downhill from there. X2 is a perfect example of a sequel that is far better than the original. The action was fantastic, the new characters were great, the storyline was interesting, and it looked amazing. Time for another review, methinks.
Posted on May 03, 2003 | Comments (3)
Friday 2nd May
I was disappointed to read today that Mohammed Al Fayed has decided to leave the UK. If someone like that gets frustrated after repeated attempts to become a British citizen, what hope is there for 'normal' people. Makes me wonder if there's more information on him that we just don't know, or do the people that matter just not like him? Maybe they all think it was his fault that Diana died, or some other rubbish.
Posted on May 02, 2003 | Comments (0)