oh dear

Wearing jeans - check
Wearing obscure band t-shirt - check
Band known for obsessive fandom - check
Wearing sneakers - check
iPod - check
Large headphones - check
Laptop in backpack - check
Carrying OS backup disc - check
Firewire cable in bag - check
Listening to intense/emo music - NOPE (Mountain Goats)

Not painting a good picture. Gets worse when I say I was heading off to go hack someone's computer. Turned out to be nice and simple, their recently deceased (ex?) partner had a mac and they didn't know how to turn it on. Was running OS9 so security wasn't hard to bypass. All I really had to do was rename files and add suffixes so they could use them on a PC.

And in an attempt to claw back karma kudos, I said no to money. She kept insisting, so I pointed out people were nice to me at a similar time, so it was nice to pay them back in kind. Which made me feel all warm n fuzzy. She kept insisting so I suggested a donation to charity, Kidney Foundation. I'm a fuckin' saint.

B.

Links

The US has just recalled a bollox load of beef. Apparently one of the major processing plants were not really doing cattle inspections properly, in addition accusations of animal cruelty and using downer animals were levelled. Read the BBC report here. Has the USDA woken up? Or is this a token gesture? Having read about their processing and growth systems, I wouldn't eat American beef. Ever. The one thing Oprah and I agree on :)

I could rant more. But most of you lot have read the same stuff as me.

b

back again!

Back in town, gradually sorting the flat out. Trademe is getting a bit of a hit as we speak (sales, not purchase!).

Quick movie review time I think:
30 days of night.
Seemed to be loosely based on John Carpenter's The thing. Unlike The Thing, 30 days of night is crap. The bad acting is only beaten by the bad script. Sure it's a monster movie, but by god did it drag or what. The script and directing is about as subtle as a sledgehammer. But interestingly some points, which are not developed in the script (like asthma) are also slammed home. I cannot stress how bored I was during this, I sat through it hoping it would improve. It didn't.
Recommendation: in all honesty you might enjoy 27 dresses more (I switched off and watched te Big Fat Quiz 2007 instead on that one).

Juno
It's nice. It's fun. It's well written and directed, and the music is great. I know everyone has been raving about it, and yes its very very good, but I preferred Little Miss Sunshine. But Juno is one of the best movies of the year. The acting by the lead is brilliant, and it is very funny.
Recommendation: go see it.4/5

Sweeney Todd
It's Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, there's a 3/5 right there. I loved this movie - although after all the comments, I wanted more graphic violence. It isn't that violent, and it isn't that graphic. If you've coped with The Soprano's, then Sweeney Todd will be a breeze. I can count the musicals I like on one hand, and this is one of them (must be Mr Sondheim...). Sure the ending is ambiguous, but it works. the movie is fun, light-hearted and has some wonderfully black humour. Typical of Burton there is a specific look and feel to the movie, and (oddly) it's clean. London is shown as very very clean, which has the affect of focussing on the dirty deeds of Todd. Interesting tool that. Depp is, as usual, wonderful.
Recommendation: go see it, 4/5.

Beer: I've just sipped a Mata "Artesian", the ale is wonderful. Very drinkable, like it disappears so quickly and with such a gorgeous taste (and after taste), quite hoppy - but not too much. Go drink it. I picked it up, at all places, Pak'n'Save for about $12 for a 4 pack.

me xx

A strange evening

While walking to find some dinner (roadkill), I saw an elderly woman holding a blowup dragon.

That struck me as odd. So odd in fact I stopped and said to her 'You don't see that everyday', she started giggling and said 'No, but i've made yours'.
The fact I said anything was possibly even odder, given my usual reticence in talking to strangers.

And now I'm watching Louis Thereaux. I love Louis. I'm almost as much fanboy as I am of Stephen Fry. He's talking to America's most hated family (god hates fags, and thats why American's are dying in Iraq). He reminds me of a more hands-on Parky.

Strange night.

B.

One for the meat eaters

Or as it's advertised in the video, give peas a chance. My itunes randomly threw up this gem from Dr Demento's 2000 collection, and a quick youtube later I have a video for you lot. I present to you, the Arrogant Worms with "Carrot Juice is murder"



me.

Another one bit the dust

Amphibians are a good indicator of environmental health - as they absorb a number of things through their skin. Sadly our environment isn't working out too well for them. Add to that the chytrid disease, and I wouldn't recommend reincarnation as an amphibian.
the BBC site has a video of the wild golden frog and its mating system before it went extinct. It waves, it beats up other males, and it's a lovely golden colour!! And now it's extinct in Panama, the only remaining animals are in captivity. Go little froggies!

There's a video at the link, I like it.

B

The movie page

of the Dompost. I don't know why, but I read it. I seem to be drawn to it, I know they only interview idiots and yet I still read it.

The most recent column includes such wonders as "Highlight: Julie Roberts" (movie: Charlie Wilson's War). Now I haven't seen this movie, but I will lay money on the fact that Julia Roberts is not the highlight. In fact anything else in the movie, be it the credits, the scenery, the script, the popcorn in your hand - even the fat guy wheezing in the seat behind you - is going to be more of a highlight.

Possibly topping that for sheer surprise value are reviews of Sweeney Todd. These includes gems such as "Lowlight: Too much gore" and "Creepy. You don't just cut people's throats like that." and "Too much singing...". Uhuh. Right and what exactly did you expect from a musical? Oh right, more sign language. It's also a musical about a 'demon butcher' who slits throats. That would, I'd respectively suggest, imply a level of violence, indeed throat slitting. Any knowledge of Tim Burton's oeuvre (ignoring Planet, as all good people should) reveals dark, sometimes twisted, humour. A level of violence is usually present. Nightmare before Xmas wasn't really a rom-com of the traditional form now, was it!

On the plus side reading these columns gives me a chance to point, laugh and rant. So it's not all bad.

Off for brekkie now, and coffee. Actually more coffee then brekkie.

Love and lozenges, B

Tired

It's been a hellish busy week. But managed to catch up with Andrew and Alex which was great, possibly drank a little more than was good for me last night. Thankfully the areas of my body that cope with that challenge were well up for it. Result!
Spent today flat hunting. It's been sometime since I did that (4-5 years I think, possibly 6). Things have changed.

In the olden days when Andrew and I or France and I were flat hunting, the maximum we ever looked at was four. And landlords were desperate, if you took your chequebook you got the flat. Simple.

Alas not so now. There are so many people looking for flats you leave names, need references, need to lie convincingly etc. So for the past couple of weeks I've been looking at flats and getting despondent.
But I've just had a phone call from one I liked today who wants me. Woohoo. In a strange turn of events it's next door to the flat I had as an undergrad/masters student in Sydenham St., Northland. I blame Andrew. Many of the readers will know various occupants of that flat, aside from most of our 3rd year Biochem class having the odd party there flatmates included: Nigel, Carmen, Mike Meads and the aforementioned Andrew. Ahhh memories. This was the place my legendary home brew and still inhabited the kitchen area - and that Karen and Rob were underneath.

So now I'm having a quiet 'me-time' night. I've watched the first three episodes of Jericho S2 which I can thoroughly recommend, they are running a conspiracy type story arc and it's great. The first season was good, but I got the feeling the writers weren't entirely sure where they were going. Not so in this series. Tight well written storyline so far.
I'm wandering through Rome S2 at the moment, not great, but not bad. And in the Stephen Fry FanBoy (TM) stocks, I'm watching my Complete Jeeves and Wooster.
Right at the moment I'm watching the Steel Mill from last night, which has been good - including Napalm Death, In Flames and Strapping Young Lad. I really liked the Strapping Young Lad, anyone recommend anything by them?

Music: my PF boxset turned up. Yeah ok cliche, wotever, the early stuff is gold. Pure gold. And I haven't heard Final Cut for years, mmm tasty.
I'm thoroughly enjoying James Dean Bradfields solo effort (of the Manic's fame), also up there new Oceansize. Reviews may, or may not turn up.

Highlight of my wardrobe is the new Marillion 'signature' series t-shirts. The Steve Rothery one appealed to me on many levels, religion, evolution and of course Marillion. You've probably seen the pic now (click here to buy it) the back slogan is "Even Richard Dawkins thinks Steve Rothery is God". Priceless.

I saw a PT tour t-shirt wandering around Wellington yesterday. That was exciting, given the only PT t-shirts I ever see are the ones I wear!

Feet up now, chilling, with spirulina. B xx

Mac-ery

With thanks to the adorable 'i agree with everything you said' fan-person, here's a link to 25 signs of mac geekdom.

Is it bad I want a mac keg dispenser? Other than that, I came through reasonably unscathed.

Tonight Matthew, I'm drinking...

I went for a wander to the supermarket, the Island Bay New World. A Mr Maurice Bennett owns this supermarket, which explains the particularly fine beer selection there.
Feeling inspired I decided I wanted a something nice and warm, a fish madras seemed perfect. And indeed after many hours of sitting in the sauce it was.
To wash this rather tasty meal down I had a Marston's Single Malt, the single malt referring to the beer being brewed with 100% Golden Promise malt - used by Scotch Whiskey distillers. I like it, a lot. Worked beautifully with the madras. It's a very clean taste, very dry with strong hops. There is a distinct scotch hint to it. Lovely aftertaste too.
Definitely recommend this beer - at least an 8.5/10 from me. Not too strong (4.2%) and comes in the standard 500ml bottle.

As an aside I heard that the microbrewery Islay Ales has brewed a strong (9%) beer with the wort from Bruichladdich. Any of my beer readers tried this? Psychochicken, I'm looking at you...

Had a productive day reading/writing stuff while chilling to ActiveFM's Jazz and Americana shows. Now finishing my beer and watching Antiques Roadshow.

me x