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Review of the Year
There are some great blog posts around at the moment but I'm afraid I don't have the brain power to match up to these high standards as I am still in "holiday" mode, despite not actually being on holiday. Still, now is the time to sit back and look over the chaos of 2003 and pick out what I would consider to be the best bits and I don't suppose that will involve much in the way of thought processes, so here goes. Engage memory...
Best film: This is a tricky one. I have watched and reviewed a lot of movies this year - some eagerly anticipated but bitterly disappointing, and some pleasantly surprising - so it is difficult to work out which one deserves the title of 'best'. A quick glance at Empire's top 25 (as I tend to agree with their reviewers more than most and my memory needed refreshing), gave me ten to choose from - Igby Goes Down, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Secretary, Spirited Away, X2, Finding Nemo, 8 Mile, Intolerable Cruelty, Pirates of the Caribbean and Kill Bill Vol 1. For the sheer exhilaration I felt during and straight afterwards, I think I have to say that my favourite was Kill Bill. So good, I didn't even get round to reviewing it!
Best album: I'm not into music as much as I was, but have been listening to a few new albums on repeat this year from The Darkness, Justin Timberlake, Norah Jones and Har Mar Superstar. I'd say my favourite is You Can Feel Me from the new Vladivar Vodka frontman, but that's only because I think JT's Justified was actually a 2002 release. Poor reasoning, but this is my list.
Best tv show: I have many television programmes on my list of unmissables - including Six Feet Under, CSI, Angel, Dead Like Me, 24, Scrubs, The Simpsons and Malcolm in the Middle - but the one I get into a strop about if they play with the time slot is Top Gear. Anyone who doesn't find Jeremy Clarkson funny is just wrong.
Best gig: No question about it... The Darkness, Manchester Apollo.
Best event: The second Manchester blogmeet. Better than the first because we met more people, but both were very enjoyable.
Best blog awards: The Ubies... and not just because I won!
Most productive use of my spare time: Writing for The F-Word.
Honourable mentions: Best surprise was Topper moving my entire site over to MT. Best car was mine, for passing its MoT again. Best addiction goes to lomography, and worst addiction to Whole Earth's Cocoa Crunch cereal (only because it's caused me grief when Topper wants some and I've eaten it all).
This has taken longer than I thought so I'll quit while I'm ahead, but I'm sure there will be more to follow when I think of it. (Warning... shameless plug ahead.) If you fancy sharing your highs and lows of 2003, you could always pop across to my forums and start a thread. If you like. Not that you have to. I'm just saying you could.
Posted on December 30, 2003 | Comments (8)
Introspection
I wrote another weblog review today and, once it was finished, started to think again about the purpose of my own site. There's no particular theme to my posts, no amusing tales, no well-formed opinions on subjects that matter and, crucially, nothing that people can't get (probably better written) elsewhere. I think the problem is that my site is actually just for me and, by considering it as an external reviewer might, I am perhaps missing the point. When I wrote the article 'Going Nowhere' for this site I actually touched on the reason for its existance without even realising - I still don't know who I really am or what I'm supposed to be doing with my life, but my writing is a way of finding out a little more about myself every day. Maybe I'll try a different approach in 2004 or parhaps I'll just plod along like this... just prod me if I get too self-indulgent!
Posted on December 28, 2003 | Comments (1)
2004 draws closer
BBCi have an awful lot of 'end of year' gubbins going on at the moment, including an awful lot of quiz-type-thingies. The best part was, however, a story including David Blunkett's excuse for losing to Barry from Eastenders on the Mastermind quiz-type-thingy: "When it was my turn, I was so nervous, I began to feel as if the chair had almost become an electric one". I don't usually watch it but may tune in later to recover from the bit of celebrity 'Millionaire' that I caught last night. Either that, or I might just go to the pub.
Posted on December 26, 2003 | Comments (2)
Season's Greetings
I was going to create a lovely festive holiday something for all you lovely people but then, after taking long enough to change my cam pic, realised that it was far better to sit back and let other more talented people come up with something instead. Take your pick from these gems, and have a great couple of days off work. Make sure you eat and drink far too much, OK?
Posted on December 23, 2003 | Comments (7)
Miss L H Smith BSc(hons)
After Benjamin Zephaniah publicly explained why he turned down an OBE, it started me thinking whether I would accept such a thing if it were ever offered. Should I ever do anything in my life that would warrant a nomination, I would be torn between thinking it's all a big pile of nonsense and secretly wanting to attend a ceremony at the palace just out of curiosity. I suspect the former would win over the latter, as I could always pay tourist rates to see inside the palace and the ceremony would no doubt be similar in pomp to my graduation, but this made me wonder who else has turned down honours (and what their reasons were). There is an article in today's Guardian about a list of such people that has been leaked. The reasons are just as interesting as the names, varying from being against the Monarchy to not wanting letters after their name. A world away from Arnold J Rimmer BSC SSC.
BLOGMEET 3: Even though we're not at Christmas yet, my photos have stirred up some interest in a January blogmeet already. I have started a thread in the forum for discussing details. You have to register before you can post but it won't take long. Thanks.
Posted on December 22, 2003 | Comments (10)
More photos
I went to Topper's work Xmas bash last night - a rather good affair with a James Bond theme - and, as I have now (finally) bought a digital camera, I figured that it might be a good idea to finish off the film in my 35mm compact before I put it to bed. Turns out that the photos from the last blogmeet were on there, so you can now see what we got up to there too. I'm off to see Return of the King now. Mmm.
UPDATE: Ooh... I've won an award! How cool is that? *Pokes tongue out at Adrian* The prize should help me with my coding.
Posted on December 20, 2003 | Comments (9)
'Tis the season to stuff one's face with grub
Thanks in part to large quantities of chocolate, Meg and Anna's festive project and The Darkness, I am now feeling quite Christmassy. Some people still aren't, however. Is Lyle writing for the BBC now?
Posted on December 19, 2003 | Comments (1)
Blog Awards Results
Well, the results are out and it's a very mixed bag indeed. I'm thrilled that Belle de Jour has won the best written category. I really enjoy her blog as the writing style is wonderfuly entertaining, and that's even before you consider the subject matter. To be honest, this was the only category that I was interested in, but now I will also be checking out the photography winner when I have some time to go through it as the taster on the Guardian's page looks interesting. Was quite surprised with their choice for best design though as, no offence to the winner, but I have seen far better. Perhaps none of the well designed sites I have come across entered the competition. I think they should have some technical categories next year, like best use of CSS!
Posted on December 18, 2003 | Comments (3)
Feminists + Pornography = Minefield
Oh dear. Catherine Redfern has published my (possibly controversial) article about porn on the f-word, but has included the URL of this site at the bottom. I wonder if I'll get any hatemail. I think I'd be disappointed if I didn't get at least one comment alluding to the fact that the author thinks I'm more wrong than the Pop Idol finalists' Christmas single but, knowing my luck, now I've posted this it'll probably be greeted with a stony silence.
Posted on December 17, 2003 | Comments (16)
Sexie Eddie
I have been alive for a few weeks short of 29 years now. I like to think of myself as a reasonably intelligent human being - well educated, maybe even a tad cultured - so why is it that, when I went to see the world's greatest action transvestite strut his stuff last night, the joke that got my biggest laugh was the one about poo?
Posted on December 16, 2003 | Comments (9)
Ouch!
In today's Guardian, there is a rather frightening piece on an emerging new Chinese trend in cosmetic surgery. I can totally understand a desire to be taller as I think that my own legs could benefit from an extra couple of inches, but cannot quite understand why anyone would undergo an intrusive and painful procedure like leg lengthening simply for their own vanity. The article describes what one young woman is putting herself through in order to increase her opportunities in life:
"The pretty college graduate is now lying in bed, clearly still in considerable pain three days after a doctor sawed through the flesh and bone below her knee to insert what looks an awful lot like knitting needles through the length of her tibiae. These giant steel pins are connected by eight screws punched horizontally through her ankle and calf to a steel cage surrounding each leg. Once the bone starts to heal, these cages will act like a medieval torture device - each day over the next few months Kong will turn the screws a fraction and stretch her limbs more and more until she has grown by 8cm."
But if that wasn't horrific enough, the description of the society that is driving young men and women to take such drastic action was quite an unsettling read too. Height requirements regularly feature in job advertisements, personal ads, and even law school applications. In some areas you can't even take a driving test if you are under 5ft 3in! I've heard of all sorts of discrimination, but this is truly bizarre.
(By the way, if you want news on the "him" the Americans "got", I suggest you pop over to see Mr Scary Duck. Quality.)
Posted on December 15, 2003 | Comments (7)
Not a victim
It's amazing the number of talented people you can meet online. Recently I discovered that a member of the Lipstick Girls' community has recorded her own album, using her own money and (best of all), it's really quite good. Lipstick FM have been playing some of the tracks and are now having a competition to help promote the album further, so I've done my bit and designed a poster. Now you can do your bit - go and visit her website for more information and, if you like what you hear, buy the CD and/or print off my poster and stick it up somewhere. Thanks.
Posted on December 13, 2003 | Comments (3)
Tired and irritable
Despite having a lot of sleep over the last few days, I am becoming increasingly tired and irritable. It doesn't help when I encounter tripe like this before I've had a chance to awaken fully:
1) Tony Horne on Century FM going on about how no one has released a proper Xmas tune this year and no other radio stations are playing any Christmas songs yet (doesn't get out much, does he?), plus it's because they're not as 'family friendly'. "How can anyone still hate Christmas when they hear these kids?" he burbled before their nauseating piece where small children tell 'Santa' about something naughty they did and then win a prize for apologising. I thought the point was not to be naughty?
2) Robert Kilroy Silk starting his show yesterday with a tabloid-tastic, "you put up with prostitutes having sex on your doorstep and the police are telling you to be more tolerant?" before proceeding to vilify a very presentable and eloquent woman because of her chosen profession, despite the fact that she no longer worked on the streets and therefore had limited relevance to the 'theme' of the show! I turned over to ITV1 rather than watch the same dirge this morning.
Why do I torture myself with this crap?
Posted on December 12, 2003 | Comments (15)
n 1: the products of human creativity
Art. What's it all about, eh? It can stimulate debate (like this year's fascinating Turner Prize winner, Grayson Perry); decorate people's lives (as most of the works at last month's Manchester Art Show will); and encourage the viewing public to explore their own creativity (see Self Portrait UK). An awful lot of what's out there can seem pointless to a great deal of people, but if they only looked harder they'd probably discover a form of art that does appeal to them. I went to see the touring Self Portrait UK show recently and found it quite inspiring. Now all I need to do is turn that inspiration into something useful before it evaporates.
Posted on December 10, 2003 | Comments (1)
Apathy rules. Who cares?
A delightfully funny comment piece by Zoe Williams in The Guardian today started me thinking about suffrage. I can't see how lowering the voting age would do anyone any good, to be honest. I wasn't ready to vote at the age of 16, but then I wasn't really ready at 18 and would have never visited a polling station in my teenage years if it hadn't been for a friend of mine who pointed out that someone struggled to win me that vote and so I shouldn't waste it. My view was that I wouldn't vote until I could make an informed decision, which was fair enough, but I hadn't considered the option that I could do some research on the parties myself rather than waiting for them to come to me. Many people I lived with in halls at university were even more lazy than that and neglected to attend social events that their elected Residents' Association had arranged, even though these were the same students who complained if there was nothing to do! I was part of the newsletter team that came up with the above headline after that episode.
I still know adults today who refuse to vote. I don't see how these people can feel justified to complain about their local council or national government if they will not make an effort to select an alternative. Mind you, I suppose it's not apathy that's the enemy here but the faint possibility that, in Ms Williams' words, "the apathetic ones promise to vote BNP in return for a bag of strawberry bonbons". I can only hope that even that would be too much effort.
Posted on December 09, 2003 | Comments (14)
Time... to die
Oh dear. I found out, via d4d, this morning that it's the end of an era. But what a way to go.
Posted on December 08, 2003 | Comments (1)
Left to my own devices
Why is it that some music can take you back to the time and place you were when you first heard it? I recently bought the DVD of the Pet Shop Boys' Pop Art and have finally sat down to watch it today. I owned all of the early stuff on video but at some point the cassettes got lost so it's wonderful to see it all again, and I'm amazed at how good it's making me feel. I'm remembering Christmas times plugged into my walkman, school friends, sixth-form days, college projects... and the music doesn't appear to have dated either. So many glorious pop songs that I haven't listened to in an awful long time and still know all the words to. OK, so it's not all perfect (Go West is one that's probably best skipped over), but most of it comes close. I'm now up to 'How can you expect to be taken seriously' and am thinking back to Victoria Beckham on CD:UK yesterday. I wonder why?
Posted on December 07, 2003 | Comments (5)
Feast!
Spent the evening stuffing my face in rather classy surroundings after splashing out on a couple of tickets to the Observer Food Monthly sponsored event at Selfridges in Exchange Square. There was a rather faffy looking cooking demonstration, a string quartet, a handy cloakroom, a fountain of chocolate, some goodie bags and free samples of many of the tasty treats on sale. Not one to pass up the chance for free food and drink, I tasted the strawberry limes vodka (heavenly), the handmade chocolates (gorgeous), some cheese (not bad), some 'healthy' drink (flavourless muck), mulled wine (yummy), smoked salmon (delicious), fondue chocolate sauce from the fountain (pretty good), popcorn (pretty standard), and some Ben & Jerry's ice cream (mmm). The tickets were also vouchers to use against any purchases on the night but the plans for using them as payment for Christmas presents went out of the window once we sat down for sushi. Seeing several 'mature' couples having an introduction to the way of Yo! Sushi from the staff members was quite a sight to behold. Observer readers are an interesting bunch who, on this evidence, appear to be quite a diverse group of very friendly, laid-back and open-minded people. I wonder what a similar event for Guardian readers would be like.
Posted on December 04, 2003 | Comments (2)
Lomography
This evening I have done only one of the many things on my list of 'stuff to do in the near future', but the task I chose was a good one. I scanned all of the good photos from two wonderfully different films that came out of my Lomo Kompakt Automat (LCA) - one black and white, one cross-processed. The photos were better than I had hoped for, but forgetting to check the scanner settings means that I will have to do the B&W ones again as the on-screen quality is rather poor. Still, my LomoHome is fast shaping up to be a wonder of the lomographic world and I therefore urge you to visit it... especially if you haven't yet discovered the photographic place without rules that is lomography. Everyday things have never looked so unusual.
Posted on December 02, 2003 | Comments (5)
December's here
Another week begins, as does another month. At school we used to spend the day yelling either "pinch, punch, first day of the month", or "punch, kick, for being so quick" at our fellow classmates whilst making the specified pain-inducing contact. These days I just hear the occasional oddball mentioning white rabbits - why is that? At least ours was a fun childhood game, but what do albino bunnies have to do with the first day of the month? I suppose I could Google for an answer but I'm feeling lazy this morning.
In amongst all the stories on the ban on using mobile phones whilst driving that comes into force today, is another about a woman forcing an investigation into a late abortion. I found it strange because we rarely hear anti-abortion news in the UK unless the stories originate in the US. This, however, is a tricky case with a foetus being aborted after the legal 24th week of pregnancy purely because of a cleft palate. The law in this country does allow late abortions where a severe disability is detected but even I can't see how this would qualify. Even more odd is why a woman who is not directly involved and claims not to be an anti-abortion campaigner feels the need to take legal action.
On a lighter note, click here for a festive activity that does not involve festooning your current abode with an assortment of multicoloured lights and assorted tat. Future polls may include how long it will take for me to start using Lyle's phrase "Festering Season". Hmm... too late for that one now, I fear.
Posted on December 01, 2003 | Comments (5)