Ohhh. Kings of Leon on Monday night, first row standing! It was amazingly good. The guys played for nearly two hours, including a 20-minute extra set. I have said this before, but I think they just might be the best live band in the world today - well at least I think so. Noticed I'm getting older though, it's taken me nearly two days to recover from Monday. Queuing from 1-7, standing in the first row being pushed at all sides for another 4 hours, and I didn't count on how loud everything is when you're exposed to the amps so close - my ears were all blocked up yesterday!
But the concert was amazing, they played a lot more of the older material this time, obviously last year the show was a lot more geared up to promoting the new material.
Feeling a little depressed again over the whole baby affair. The Royal College of Midwives recommends that women have their babies between the ages 21 and 35, after 35, fertility drops dramatically. Well that's all nice and good, but as my PCT refuses to treat me for being too overweight, what can I do? The consultant who wrote to me never even examined me, just looked at the stats. And I know for a fact that the nurse who took the measurements didnt know how to work the BMI calculator as the figures they came up with were overly high, even for me.
So, going back in a couple of weeks to request a new assessment and to find out if I can be treated at another PCT.
Soila is coming for a surprise visit this weekend, that is so lovely. And then, only two weeks til Sophi_e arrives!!!!!! Whoohoo.
I will get to peace for a month, I think. They will want to go everywhere and see everything and I have to arrange it! Should not complain, it will be fun, I'm sure.
Supernatular s4 ends next Sunday. Thank you ITV2, I have been watching it pretty religiously, and now it's ending... not nice.
But oh my word what a finale it promises to be! Sam is full-on demon-boy, Dean has been (we think) duped by Castiel and well, we'll see how it all ends NEXT WEEK!!!!
And I have just found out that s5 has been commissioned, and s6 is up in the air.
Squee!
Wednesday 17 June 2009
Friday 5 June 2009
Still here
..sorry about the delay! Just been a bit manic here, with the job and all.
Hm. Where to start... Well, Sons of Anarchy is brilliant, well into into it now.
Watched the last-ever episode of ER, it was OK though hoped it would have been more of a reunion but hey, still not bad.
Saw Star Trek - fucking awesome! It was just so brilliant. Next one to see will be Terminator - Salvation, it opened this week. Transformers 2 is due to open soon as well...
See what I got from my boss after a week off on holiday:
That's quite sweet actually :)
Next trip home is second week of August, Mila's wedding. Just booked the ticket, it's a minefield! On the face of it, Ryanair would be the cheapest - but then you see the taxes and the surcharges and it's not. They have started charging £5 when you check-in over the internet! It used to be free, to avoid queues at the airport...jeesh. Then there's of course the baggage handling fee (£10 per item per passenger one way, obviously doubled when return)and goodness knows what else. In the end, it's too much hassle so I spent £30 more to fly direct with SAS - although this means I have to go to Heathrow which I try to avoid like the plague...
Sims 3 is out today, I have ordered it, hope it arrived today/tomorrow. Cannot wait to play it, they seem to have redone a lot of it. It's more concentrated in the long-term goals now than in the itty-bitty stuff like comfort. Let you know how it goes when I got it.
Hm. Where to start... Well, Sons of Anarchy is brilliant, well into into it now.
Watched the last-ever episode of ER, it was OK though hoped it would have been more of a reunion but hey, still not bad.
Saw Star Trek - fucking awesome! It was just so brilliant. Next one to see will be Terminator - Salvation, it opened this week. Transformers 2 is due to open soon as well...
See what I got from my boss after a week off on holiday:
That's quite sweet actually :)
Next trip home is second week of August, Mila's wedding. Just booked the ticket, it's a minefield! On the face of it, Ryanair would be the cheapest - but then you see the taxes and the surcharges and it's not. They have started charging £5 when you check-in over the internet! It used to be free, to avoid queues at the airport...jeesh. Then there's of course the baggage handling fee (£10 per item per passenger one way, obviously doubled when return)and goodness knows what else. In the end, it's too much hassle so I spent £30 more to fly direct with SAS - although this means I have to go to Heathrow which I try to avoid like the plague...
Sims 3 is out today, I have ordered it, hope it arrived today/tomorrow. Cannot wait to play it, they seem to have redone a lot of it. It's more concentrated in the long-term goals now than in the itty-bitty stuff like comfort. Let you know how it goes when I got it.
Wednesday 13 May 2009
Sons of Anarchy
Hm. New Tuesday night series 'Sons of Anarchy' started last night. I like it, looks like there will be a lot of plot going on in the show, looking forward to next week already.
Charlie Hunnam, who would have thought it, eh? I vaguely remember him from Queer as Folk, though that was a long time ago - but was happily surprised to hear he's been working in the States for 10 years now - doesn't sound like he's from Newcastle any more, that's for sure.
Anyways. The series is about a motorcycle gang that in a sort of twisted way sees itself as the protector of their community. They want to keep drugs out of the streets of their town, but are happy to traffic guns. The main character is Jackson Teller (Hunnam), his father founded the club after his return from Vietnam. He finds himself caught in between loyalty to the club and the way of life and to what he feels is right. Looks to be an epic struggle to me. Oh and lovely to see Katey Sagal as Jax's mom (remember she used to be in Married... with Children) - I really really like her.
Saturday 9 May 2009
Rant! Rave! Complain!
I HATE password resets. Fucking twitter has locked me out as too many failed login attempts. Well the thing is, I type in the right username AND password and it still won't recognise it! I reset the stupid passowrd once already, not relishing doing it again, arghhhh!
And it's 7.30am on Saturday and I have been up for an hour already, I mean that's just not normal at all...
Hubby still sleeping, so may spend the morning wisely playing Sims...*smirk*
So there.
:)
And it's 7.30am on Saturday and I have been up for an hour already, I mean that's just not normal at all...
Hubby still sleeping, so may spend the morning wisely playing Sims...*smirk*
So there.
:)
Friday 8 May 2009
Sorry it's been too long
I know, shameful that it's taken me three weeks to get back in this - sorreee!
So...what exciting things have I gotten into? Not an awful lot.
Finished my Supernatural(*sniff*)but discovered that there are still some episodes left of s4 on TV, so am still getting my fix. But I try not to pay too much attention, cause I want to wait til I have the whole new series at home, but on the other hand, I cannot help myself.
I have made some new friends over at Last.fm, mainly cause of this new band I told you about, Awestruck. They are a bit strange, not in any kind of a bad way, but it takes more than one listen to get one's head around them. They are beginning to grow on me, will report back later with stats!
I've seen a few films since the last time we spoke, firstly I saw Monsters vs Aliens. It was HILARIOUS! Visually stunning, of course, but I just loved all the gags and stuff, I haven't laughed that much in a while.
What else... oh, also saw Happy Feet, you know the penguin movie. It was soo cute, very heartwarming and just lovely, I would recommend it to anyone.
And then, we went to see Wolverine. I was really looking forward to it, cause I quite liked the X-men movies. I wasn't disappointed, it was spectacular. I can see why the critics' comments were somewhat negative, I mean it's not going to make cinematic history, the story was maybe a little forced and it dragged a bit between the action scenes - but what action scenes they were! I liked the Gambler guy, though it was never really clear to me whether he will become a permanent fixture in the x-men universe later or if he's just a one-off guy. And, c'mon, any movie that features Hugh Jackman half-clad the entire movie, gotta be good!
Going to see Star Trek in two weeks' time, can hardly wait for that - trying not to read any reviews on it so as not to spoil it.
Got my first glimpse of Final Fantasy XIII the other day - oooooohhh! It's released in Japan in December, so at the moment the UK launch date is in January 2010 - I so will be first in line to buy it! For me, it will justify the buying of the PS3, otherwise it's just a very expensive DVD player...
So...what exciting things have I gotten into? Not an awful lot.
Finished my Supernatural(*sniff*)but discovered that there are still some episodes left of s4 on TV, so am still getting my fix. But I try not to pay too much attention, cause I want to wait til I have the whole new series at home, but on the other hand, I cannot help myself.
I have made some new friends over at Last.fm, mainly cause of this new band I told you about, Awestruck. They are a bit strange, not in any kind of a bad way, but it takes more than one listen to get one's head around them. They are beginning to grow on me, will report back later with stats!
I've seen a few films since the last time we spoke, firstly I saw Monsters vs Aliens. It was HILARIOUS! Visually stunning, of course, but I just loved all the gags and stuff, I haven't laughed that much in a while.
What else... oh, also saw Happy Feet, you know the penguin movie. It was soo cute, very heartwarming and just lovely, I would recommend it to anyone.
And then, we went to see Wolverine. I was really looking forward to it, cause I quite liked the X-men movies. I wasn't disappointed, it was spectacular. I can see why the critics' comments were somewhat negative, I mean it's not going to make cinematic history, the story was maybe a little forced and it dragged a bit between the action scenes - but what action scenes they were! I liked the Gambler guy, though it was never really clear to me whether he will become a permanent fixture in the x-men universe later or if he's just a one-off guy. And, c'mon, any movie that features Hugh Jackman half-clad the entire movie, gotta be good!
Going to see Star Trek in two weeks' time, can hardly wait for that - trying not to read any reviews on it so as not to spoil it.
Got my first glimpse of Final Fantasy XIII the other day - oooooohhh! It's released in Japan in December, so at the moment the UK launch date is in January 2010 - I so will be first in line to buy it! For me, it will justify the buying of the PS3, otherwise it's just a very expensive DVD player...
Monday 27 April 2009
Only three episodes left!
...on my Supernatural collection. Then I have to wait til much later in the year before I can watch s4 on DVD. And here we are hoping of course that they are going to make s5!
I was watching some interviews on YouTube the other day, it was on some Con or other (forgot) but it was pretty fun. The guys not only work well together, they are very funny individually too. They were happy to share funny anecdotes, like how Jared takes forever to get ready in the morning or how Jensen keeps a straight face while egging his buddy on trying to make him crak.
All in all, very pleasant way to spend an afternoon...only wish I would live somewhere I could go to all these Con's etc. Oh well..*sigh* at least we have the lovely people who take time to video these for us poor souls not able to attend in person :)
Oh.
First day at new job, it's going very well actually. I'm surprised how easy it seems to be to understand what I'm supposed to do - of course this could all be deceptive and I could turn out to be very bad at this - but somehow I don't think so.
The client meeting is tomorrow, excited about that as not only do I get a day out of the office, it's a day out in a difference city! Obviously would have been nice if this would have been somewhere like Edinburgh or Belfast, where we'd had to stay overnight - but Manchester is not so bad.
I have a new desk, new computer etc, and all of us in the team have also moved to a different office. The new guy starts on Wednesday, be interesting to see how he turns out. We are very short on men here, only three in the entire office!!!
I was watching some interviews on YouTube the other day, it was on some Con or other (forgot) but it was pretty fun. The guys not only work well together, they are very funny individually too. They were happy to share funny anecdotes, like how Jared takes forever to get ready in the morning or how Jensen keeps a straight face while egging his buddy on trying to make him crak.
All in all, very pleasant way to spend an afternoon...only wish I would live somewhere I could go to all these Con's etc. Oh well..*sigh* at least we have the lovely people who take time to video these for us poor souls not able to attend in person :)
Oh.
First day at new job, it's going very well actually. I'm surprised how easy it seems to be to understand what I'm supposed to do - of course this could all be deceptive and I could turn out to be very bad at this - but somehow I don't think so.
The client meeting is tomorrow, excited about that as not only do I get a day out of the office, it's a day out in a difference city! Obviously would have been nice if this would have been somewhere like Edinburgh or Belfast, where we'd had to stay overnight - but Manchester is not so bad.
I have a new desk, new computer etc, and all of us in the team have also moved to a different office. The new guy starts on Wednesday, be interesting to see how he turns out. We are very short on men here, only three in the entire office!!!
Saturday 25 April 2009
OMG
OMFG!
Smallville season 4 started. I've been expecting it a bit ever since I found out Jensen Ackles was gonna be on it but the reality is even better! Oh he is sooo sweet as the assistant football coach. Only downside is that he's romancing Lana but I can live with it :)
Roll on 22 episodes of bliss...
Smallville season 4 started. I've been expecting it a bit ever since I found out Jensen Ackles was gonna be on it but the reality is even better! Oh he is sooo sweet as the assistant football coach. Only downside is that he's romancing Lana but I can live with it :)
Roll on 22 episodes of bliss...
Thursday 23 April 2009
New Shoes
Ooohh.. I have new shoes. Raspberry/pink Converse trainers - mmmmmm pretty!
They just might be the prettiest shoes I have ever owned. Almost too scared to wear them...
Still not well, this fracking cold just does not want to go away! So Kleenex is my best friend this week, I reckon they make good money out of me this week.
*sigh*
Whenever I'm unwell I seem to buy stuff, splashed out on some stuff from thinkgeek.com, all good though, you can never have too much stuff!
Sorry for the ramble by the way, but my head's just not really organised and all that today...
Found a new band, they are called Awestruck. Only just started listening them, so not a lot to report, but they are interesting enough to warrant a mention. I'll put them on the iPod and listen tomorrow, will come back and let you know what I think.
Oh, went to the movies yesterday, Monsters vs. Aliens - hilarious! Utterly lovable and funny and moving and whatnot... I haven't laughed that much in a long time. It was just.. so delightful.
Twitter is becoming so very addictive. It's strange, I didn't think much of it at the beginning, but boy, does one get seriously addicted to it!
Trying to slow down on the Supernatural front, simply because I will run out of episodes to watch soon! S4 is coming out on DVD soon though, but they are releasing it in two parts, so hmm - not too pleased about that. Means I have to wait to buy BOTH parts. Hm. Not fun.
Watched an episode of Smallville today, still the same, *sigh*. Oh, but I discovered something: In Smallville, season 4 we are introduced to Jason Teague - played none other than Mr Jensen Ackles! Now, I bet it's not as mouth-watering an experience as watching him in SN, but hey, I'm not one to turn down eyecandy! He actually graces my desktop at work and [finally] my colleagues seem to appreciate my taste in men! I mean in the 4 months I have worked there, I have had numerous fine specimens on my desktop but Jensen as Dean Winchester is the first one to warrant a second glance! I reckon I'll keep him there for a bit then :)
Oh and back to Smallville, I just don't like Lana! I keep saying this I know, but I just do not see the point in her. She's a whinging and sniveling little minx, stringing Clark along. Not nice. I'm told she gets awesome in the later series, but I don't think I'll ever warm up to her.
Ho hum.
Jumping all over the place tonight... :)
I love statistics. Take Last.fm for example. you can get almost any kind of stats about your music! You can list them by artist (Anberlin 1015 plays); song (Sex on fire 92 plays) or even album (CiWWAF Rotation 359 plays)! Then you can do weekly, monthly or overall statistics. It compares your taste in music to other users. And so on.
I like it - makes me exponentially happy!
Tuesday 21 April 2009
Thursday 16 April 2009
Hm. This is what i'm listening to right now:
Well I've got a gut, gut feeling that you
Have made plans to take me home tonight
Well come on baby, come on let's ride
I doubt if you can take me
Well it's a sad way to make it right
But it's a good way to break the ice
I've never looked at you the same way ever again, no
And you're so crazy
You're keeping all my fingers so, Rock n' roll, whoa
You're the captain when we're lost at sea
Drop the anchor down, make sure no ones around
We'll ride this boat baby you and me
Baby you and me, whoa baby you and me
Well I've got a sick, sick feeling that you
Have got the urge to shake my bones tonight
We'll place your bets on me tonight
And buckle up for safety
We'll turn it out on the radio
We'll cause a motion sickness episode that we
oh we will get it on, we'll get it on, get it on, oh!
You're keeping all my fingers so, Rock n' roll, whoa
You're the captain when we're lost at sea
Drop the anchor down, make sure no ones around
We'll ride this boat baby you and me
Come on, come on, I feel it coming on
There's never been a better time to get it on
And if I die before I wake
I pray there are girls like you we'll meet another day
Come on, come on, I feel it coming on
There's never been a better time to get it on
And if I die before I wake
I pray there are girls like you we'll meet another day
You're keeping all my fingers so, Rock n' roll, whoa
You're the captain when we're lost at sea
Drop the anchor down, make sure no ones around
We'll ride this boat baby you and me
You and me, well baby you and me
You and me, well baby you and me
Shiver Me Timbers - Mercy Mercedes
Somewhat...suggestive? I like it - I mean these guys are barely out of highschool and this what they come up with? I have no complaints...
:)
Well I've got a gut, gut feeling that you
Have made plans to take me home tonight
Well come on baby, come on let's ride
I doubt if you can take me
Well it's a sad way to make it right
But it's a good way to break the ice
I've never looked at you the same way ever again, no
And you're so crazy
You're keeping all my fingers so, Rock n' roll, whoa
You're the captain when we're lost at sea
Drop the anchor down, make sure no ones around
We'll ride this boat baby you and me
Baby you and me, whoa baby you and me
Well I've got a sick, sick feeling that you
Have got the urge to shake my bones tonight
We'll place your bets on me tonight
And buckle up for safety
We'll turn it out on the radio
We'll cause a motion sickness episode that we
oh we will get it on, we'll get it on, get it on, oh!
You're keeping all my fingers so, Rock n' roll, whoa
You're the captain when we're lost at sea
Drop the anchor down, make sure no ones around
We'll ride this boat baby you and me
Come on, come on, I feel it coming on
There's never been a better time to get it on
And if I die before I wake
I pray there are girls like you we'll meet another day
Come on, come on, I feel it coming on
There's never been a better time to get it on
And if I die before I wake
I pray there are girls like you we'll meet another day
You're keeping all my fingers so, Rock n' roll, whoa
You're the captain when we're lost at sea
Drop the anchor down, make sure no ones around
We'll ride this boat baby you and me
You and me, well baby you and me
You and me, well baby you and me
Shiver Me Timbers - Mercy Mercedes
Somewhat...suggestive? I like it - I mean these guys are barely out of highschool and this what they come up with? I have no complaints...
:)
Yep. Two episodes of SN this morning and I'm all wired up! Boy. So there. I kinda liked the Sam-as-demonpossessed character, man he was a sweet when mean! Whew. And Dean. What can I say...
:D
Annywayss...
Otherwise a crappy day, it rains, I had too much to drink last night and as a result I could not sleep. So woke up super early but missed breakfast (cos of Supernatural)and my leg hurts like nothing. I wish I knew what was wrong with it. I mean of course I can tell that it's a muscle pull but I want it to go away now please, thank you.
The new girl will start on Monday and my first client visit is in two weeks, so it's all good there. Kinda nervous too, I haven't really got a clue what I'm supposed to be doing, but I'm sure it'll all come to me eventually.
Oh, 5 years tomorrow! Gee, on one hand, it seems like yesterday and on the other...man, it feels like a forever ago. Was looking at the photos the other day, the girls were so small, 6 and 7 respectively. Also (and this is the part hubby is not pleased about), I am going to see TAI in concert tomorrow night!!! Whee. Too bad Sisky's hurt his hand and can't come along, though I'm sure The Butcher will do a cracking job covering for him. I hope my present will make up for my absence for the evening, and then we're going to dinner on Sat night so that will be nice.
Feel for Sophi_e. It's hard enough being 17, and then you get your heart messed up with by a stupid boy. I try to be a bit supportive you know, but not a lot I can do, being so far away. Sent a Taylor Swift song yesterday, that seemed to help a bit.
So, if you're reading this sweetie, *squeeze*.
Thursday 9 April 2009
Back to the fold
Sorry, been a while... I have been so caught up with reading lately.
Funnily enough, this post deals with my current reading - Wheel of Time series. Now, those of you in the know, it's 11 published books with no 12 due to be a three-parter starting later this year.
Lots to read then.
I used to have all the books but I gave them away to someone more needy - obviously I regret it now that I have to buy them all over again!
I read no 10 when it came out - 6 years ago now, never read no 11 yet and it must be more than 15 years since I last read the early books in the series...
Annywayyy...
Just finished the first one, and have been following Leigh Butler's brilliant re-read blog over at Tor.com (http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=13372)- currently on book 4 there so I'm ITCHING to get back into it properly! I just have to figure out how to smuggle in a further 10 books without the husband noticing (I'm on a strict diet when it comes to books - no more than 3 a month; although I have doubled that already in two weeks into April!)...
Also reading the new series from Russell Kirkpatrick, interesting so far, especially nice is how Stella is a main character in this series, which ties it very smoothly to the previous series.
Not doing so good with my eating lately, been awfully naughty and had crisps for lunch nearly every day this week! Very bad.
What else... yeah, caught up with Sophi_e over the weekend, which was lovely - will be nice to see her properly over the summer. :)
Oh and I was so happy about The Wire being on BBC2, thought 'yeah, finally get to watch it all!'. Went away for 4 days, dutifully set the Sky+ to record it all while I'm away and bam - the whole shebang goes bust. So in order to reset the system to be able to watch TV again, we had to wipe the whole entire memory. Fucking brilliant yes. Well done Sky.
Funnily enough, this post deals with my current reading - Wheel of Time series. Now, those of you in the know, it's 11 published books with no 12 due to be a three-parter starting later this year.
Lots to read then.
I used to have all the books but I gave them away to someone more needy - obviously I regret it now that I have to buy them all over again!
I read no 10 when it came out - 6 years ago now, never read no 11 yet and it must be more than 15 years since I last read the early books in the series...
Annywayyy...
Just finished the first one, and have been following Leigh Butler's brilliant re-read blog over at Tor.com (http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=13372)- currently on book 4 there so I'm ITCHING to get back into it properly! I just have to figure out how to smuggle in a further 10 books without the husband noticing (I'm on a strict diet when it comes to books - no more than 3 a month; although I have doubled that already in two weeks into April!)...
Also reading the new series from Russell Kirkpatrick, interesting so far, especially nice is how Stella is a main character in this series, which ties it very smoothly to the previous series.
Not doing so good with my eating lately, been awfully naughty and had crisps for lunch nearly every day this week! Very bad.
What else... yeah, caught up with Sophi_e over the weekend, which was lovely - will be nice to see her properly over the summer. :)
Oh and I was so happy about The Wire being on BBC2, thought 'yeah, finally get to watch it all!'. Went away for 4 days, dutifully set the Sky+ to record it all while I'm away and bam - the whole shebang goes bust. So in order to reset the system to be able to watch TV again, we had to wipe the whole entire memory. Fucking brilliant yes. Well done Sky.
Friday 27 March 2009
blah
Well, still not sleeping. Not a wink last night. On average 3 hours a night for the last week, and it's beginning to take its toll on me. i look like a fucking panda!
This latest bout may actually be due to me watching Dark Angel til late at night- and it was somewhat disturbing. I finished on season 1 finale, where Max & Zack are captured by Manticore. Max is shot and Zack sacrifices himself to save her life. Ooh. It was disturbing, I was so not expecting it, but sad too. I like the character Zack, I mean other than for the blindingly obvious reason :) - he's a complex guy. We know that as another X-5, he is Max's brother, but in a way he's not, if you know what I mean. They certainly have a chemistry and tension between them that sort of hints at turmoil under the surface.
Further adventures in Smallville-land: Adam is help captive and is unlikely to ever get any better. Shame really, Ian Somerhalder is a real dish - was hoping to see more of him :)
Oh but I found out that he is in Lost (s1 only though), have added that to my Lovefilm list. Which by the way currently holds 50 titles, mostly TV series that I never get around to seeing otherwise. ER, Lost, CSI (all three versions, Grey's Anatomy, One Tree Hill etc.
I'm just a TV addict, I know. But in a good way :)
Other news, had a meeting with the boss yesterday, I am being offered a promotion! I get to be Public Services Manager (fancy eh?), AND (the best bit), I get an assistant!!!!! Whoohooo.
This latest bout may actually be due to me watching Dark Angel til late at night- and it was somewhat disturbing. I finished on season 1 finale, where Max & Zack are captured by Manticore. Max is shot and Zack sacrifices himself to save her life. Ooh. It was disturbing, I was so not expecting it, but sad too. I like the character Zack, I mean other than for the blindingly obvious reason :) - he's a complex guy. We know that as another X-5, he is Max's brother, but in a way he's not, if you know what I mean. They certainly have a chemistry and tension between them that sort of hints at turmoil under the surface.
Further adventures in Smallville-land: Adam is help captive and is unlikely to ever get any better. Shame really, Ian Somerhalder is a real dish - was hoping to see more of him :)
Oh but I found out that he is in Lost (s1 only though), have added that to my Lovefilm list. Which by the way currently holds 50 titles, mostly TV series that I never get around to seeing otherwise. ER, Lost, CSI (all three versions, Grey's Anatomy, One Tree Hill etc.
I'm just a TV addict, I know. But in a good way :)
Other news, had a meeting with the boss yesterday, I am being offered a promotion! I get to be Public Services Manager (fancy eh?), AND (the best bit), I get an assistant!!!!! Whoohooo.
Tuesday 24 March 2009
Fall Out Boy
I'm a latecomer to FOB, I didn't really pay any attention to them until 20007, after Infinity on High came out. They are a difficult band to like. Patrick is the lead singer and frontman, but it's really Pete Wentz's band - he is the most visible member of the quartet and the only one who regualry gives interviews.
The early stuff suffers from overly convoluted and pseudo-satirical song titles (see Our Lawyer Made Us Change The Name Of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued)with lyrics that don't seem to connect to reality at all.
But they are very clever, just look at the viral marketing campaign that led to FaD's release - it was a veritable masterstroke. I was a little worried when the release date was out forward by a month, but it was well worth the wait. Folie A Deux may simply be the best album of recent years, and as FOB goes, the best they have ever been. I'm not sure they will be able to surpass that, it will be a very tough act to follow.
So, what's so special about Folie a Deux?
Well, first single released 'I don't care' showed a more 'rock' FOB, it was unbearably catchy and the lyrics were ironic without being patronizing. Rest of the album is actually nothing like it.
The song titles are just as non-sensical as before, but at least they are shorter and catchier (Well, ok we still have 'Headfirst into Cooperstown on a bad bet', but that can be excused).
There's been a lot of criticism about the number of collaborators and guest artists on the album, as if that would be a bad thing somehow. Well, I personally think that FBR (and by extension, Decaydance)is the hottest label around at the moment, and if their biggest selling artist thinks the other artists are worth showcasing, more kudos to them! Genius collaborations are Pharrell (in w.a.m.s) and Brendon Urie of PATD (in 20 dollar nosebleed) - especially Urie's voice and style complement Stump's very well.
Living outside the US means that you don't get to see these bands very often. So, understandably, I jumped at the chance to see them in London a few months back, just before the record came out. The screaming teenage fans apart, it was a cracking show. The band interacted with the audience and the set struck just the right chord. But the second show I saw, only a couple of weeks ago could have been performed by a completely different band. The FOB I saw this time around seemed ill at ease with itself, I was left with the feeling that they were going through the motions more than anything else. I mean of course, technically they were brilliant, not a wrong chord anywhere, the new songs sound great live and there was a good balance between brand new songs and the old favourites. But still, something was missing, I was just...left cold I guess. They played an amazingly short set - 16 songs + 2 encores. Maybe it was a case of tour fatigue?
The early stuff suffers from overly convoluted and pseudo-satirical song titles (see Our Lawyer Made Us Change The Name Of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued)with lyrics that don't seem to connect to reality at all.
But they are very clever, just look at the viral marketing campaign that led to FaD's release - it was a veritable masterstroke. I was a little worried when the release date was out forward by a month, but it was well worth the wait. Folie A Deux may simply be the best album of recent years, and as FOB goes, the best they have ever been. I'm not sure they will be able to surpass that, it will be a very tough act to follow.
So, what's so special about Folie a Deux?
Well, first single released 'I don't care' showed a more 'rock' FOB, it was unbearably catchy and the lyrics were ironic without being patronizing. Rest of the album is actually nothing like it.
The song titles are just as non-sensical as before, but at least they are shorter and catchier (Well, ok we still have 'Headfirst into Cooperstown on a bad bet', but that can be excused).
There's been a lot of criticism about the number of collaborators and guest artists on the album, as if that would be a bad thing somehow. Well, I personally think that FBR (and by extension, Decaydance)is the hottest label around at the moment, and if their biggest selling artist thinks the other artists are worth showcasing, more kudos to them! Genius collaborations are Pharrell (in w.a.m.s) and Brendon Urie of PATD (in 20 dollar nosebleed) - especially Urie's voice and style complement Stump's very well.
Living outside the US means that you don't get to see these bands very often. So, understandably, I jumped at the chance to see them in London a few months back, just before the record came out. The screaming teenage fans apart, it was a cracking show. The band interacted with the audience and the set struck just the right chord. But the second show I saw, only a couple of weeks ago could have been performed by a completely different band. The FOB I saw this time around seemed ill at ease with itself, I was left with the feeling that they were going through the motions more than anything else. I mean of course, technically they were brilliant, not a wrong chord anywhere, the new songs sound great live and there was a good balance between brand new songs and the old favourites. But still, something was missing, I was just...left cold I guess. They played an amazingly short set - 16 songs + 2 encores. Maybe it was a case of tour fatigue?
Monday 23 March 2009
April showers (well, March - same difference)
Well, the only time I go out today and I get caught in the rain. We are not talking about any drizzle here, it was like someone turned on the shower! I was out in it for... I don't know, maybe 2 minutes and I'm soaked through. The jeans are wet up to the knees, hoodie is soaked and so's the tshirt. I pretty much look like I took a shower with my clothes on - not funny at all. Wanna bet that it won't rain now for the rest of the fucking day, just that one time that I was out. Talk about fucking karma...
*sigh*
*sigh*
Sleepless in Seattle (well, in London really, but anyway)
Sleeping has been a problem lately for me. Well, not the sleeping bit, but the part where I wake up wayyy too early in the morning. For the last four days I have woken up around 7am with no alarm, this morning I was up at 5.30!That's just not nice. Strangely though, I feel fine today, although I suspect I will be dog tired come 6 o'clock and time to go home...
Sunday 22 March 2009
Smallville
Back to Smallville - on s3 at the moment. I find it hard to concentrate on it, only manage a couple of episodes in one go. It's frustrating really, for the first two seasons seemed that the story never really moves forward, some improvement here already, but still - it's too open-ended for my liking. Too many characters to follow, Clark and Lana, Pete, Chloe, not to mention Lex and his dad and all the other people, hard to keep track cause there's just never enough explained about their involvement.
But I admit, it is very entertaining, I do find myself strangely drawn to it. I can't help but to compare this to Roswell (of course..), which has a fixed story arc, a complete storyline to follow start to end and a very strong team of characters. Each character has been written as complete, we don't see one-episode-only villains, come to think of it, we see no one-episode charaters at all in Roswell. Smallville is full of this, every single episode sees a new character to follow, then they go away and you forget about them.
And why it is that I can quote lines verbatim from Roswell, but none from Smallville?
Well, we will see - I have 5 seasons to see yet, and who knows, maybe they make more?
But I can't watch it all back to back, so I have to find something else to watch in between...
But I admit, it is very entertaining, I do find myself strangely drawn to it. I can't help but to compare this to Roswell (of course..), which has a fixed story arc, a complete storyline to follow start to end and a very strong team of characters. Each character has been written as complete, we don't see one-episode-only villains, come to think of it, we see no one-episode charaters at all in Roswell. Smallville is full of this, every single episode sees a new character to follow, then they go away and you forget about them.
And why it is that I can quote lines verbatim from Roswell, but none from Smallville?
Well, we will see - I have 5 seasons to see yet, and who knows, maybe they make more?
But I can't watch it all back to back, so I have to find something else to watch in between...
Thursday 19 March 2009
Didn't like The Watchmen
Saw it last night, 162 minutes wasted in my opinion. I just really did not like it, I couldn't make any sense of the story, the action was chaotic and the characters were not very well thought out at all. Visually yes, it was stunning and the choreography in the fight scenes was beautiful, but not my cup of tea at all.
Wednesday 18 March 2009
Stole the idea from Sophi_e :) xoxox
YOUR CURRENT:
1. Location
Work
2. School/Workplace
Pearl Linguistics
3. Attire
Tee shirt, grey combats, nearly worn-through All Stars
4. Feeling
Homesick
5. Music
Mercy Mercedes
6. Irritation
Email server down
7. Feel-good factor
Sophi_e
8. Crush
mmm... Michael from Roswell :D
9. Thought
Hungry
10. Guilty pleasure
populating my computer desktop with pictures of pretty boys
YOUR LAST:
1. Drunken night
not that long ago, maybe... 3 weeks?
2. Car journey
Sunday, to the in-laws' house
3. Calendar entry
I don't keep a calendar
4. Movie
Fantastic 4
5. Text message
From Tracy
6. Doctor/dentist visit
3 weeks ago I think
7. Piece of clothing bought
Don't remember...
8. Disappointment
too many to count
YOUR NEXT
1. Concert
Cobra Starship in May
2. Shopping
Likely to be a book or two
3. Source of money
Tony gets paid next week!
4. Friend to meet
Neil & Juliet tonight
5. Phonecall to make
Iina, need to tell her about her surprise birthday present!
6. Reason to celebrate
Iina's birthday 6.4
7. Food/drink
Dinner when I get home
YOUR FAVOURITE:
1. Cigarettes
Camel filter
2. Drink
Malibu rum & coke
3. Cartoon
Old Disney ones
4. Homemade meal
Anything I cook really :)
5. Song
Sophomore Slump Or Comeback Of The Year - FOB
6. Bar/Restaurant
Santa Maria der Buen Ayre
7. Car
I'd like a tangerine-coloured VW Beetle
8. TV Show
ROSWELL
DO YOU HAVE
1. Tattoos
one
2. Piercings
two in each ear
3. Pets
Fishes
1. Location
Work
2. School/Workplace
Pearl Linguistics
3. Attire
Tee shirt, grey combats, nearly worn-through All Stars
4. Feeling
Homesick
5. Music
Mercy Mercedes
6. Irritation
Email server down
7. Feel-good factor
Sophi_e
8. Crush
mmm... Michael from Roswell :D
9. Thought
Hungry
10. Guilty pleasure
populating my computer desktop with pictures of pretty boys
YOUR LAST:
1. Drunken night
not that long ago, maybe... 3 weeks?
2. Car journey
Sunday, to the in-laws' house
3. Calendar entry
I don't keep a calendar
4. Movie
Fantastic 4
5. Text message
From Tracy
6. Doctor/dentist visit
3 weeks ago I think
7. Piece of clothing bought
Don't remember...
8. Disappointment
too many to count
YOUR NEXT
1. Concert
Cobra Starship in May
2. Shopping
Likely to be a book or two
3. Source of money
Tony gets paid next week!
4. Friend to meet
Neil & Juliet tonight
5. Phonecall to make
Iina, need to tell her about her surprise birthday present!
6. Reason to celebrate
Iina's birthday 6.4
7. Food/drink
Dinner when I get home
YOUR FAVOURITE:
1. Cigarettes
Camel filter
2. Drink
Malibu rum & coke
3. Cartoon
Old Disney ones
4. Homemade meal
Anything I cook really :)
5. Song
Sophomore Slump Or Comeback Of The Year - FOB
6. Bar/Restaurant
Santa Maria der Buen Ayre
7. Car
I'd like a tangerine-coloured VW Beetle
8. TV Show
ROSWELL
DO YOU HAVE
1. Tattoos
one
2. Piercings
two in each ear
3. Pets
Fishes
Finished!
Finished Roswell last night.
It was just so good - Max & Liz finally getting married, Michael admitting he can never love another girl but Maria, that he has never wanted anyone else, despite all the stupid stuff he's said and done. And Maria finally making up her mind to stay with Michael. I just love the whole Michael/Maria storyline, they are my absolute favourite characters (well him more than her, but they come as a package, lol). Although, I have to admit I was thawing towards Max the end :)
And the surprise factor that it's Kyle, not Jesse who goes with them to exile.
Brilliant stuff.
So, now I got that out of the way, I can watch other stuff again, like Smallville :)
will keep you posted
It was just so good - Max & Liz finally getting married, Michael admitting he can never love another girl but Maria, that he has never wanted anyone else, despite all the stupid stuff he's said and done. And Maria finally making up her mind to stay with Michael. I just love the whole Michael/Maria storyline, they are my absolute favourite characters (well him more than her, but they come as a package, lol). Although, I have to admit I was thawing towards Max the end :)
And the surprise factor that it's Kyle, not Jesse who goes with them to exile.
Brilliant stuff.
So, now I got that out of the way, I can watch other stuff again, like Smallville :)
will keep you posted
Tuesday 17 March 2009
You guessed it - Roswell!
This is from s3 ep12, when Maria starts to pursue her music career, and sings the song she wrote about Michael. A bit earlier she runs off to tell Michael the good news that a talent scout wants her to sing a demo. They end up sleeping together and Michael thinks this means they are back as before, and is hurt when Maria brushes it off as 'just a spontaneous thing'. Ah, the drama... anyways, Maria goes into the studio and records the song below, when the A&R people decide to remix the track into a more dance-y one, she gets upset as she has clearly written the song from the heart and well, it is about Michael after all...
I like it, Ms Delfino wrote the song herself for the series, I believe it has been released on record as well.
You're like an angel with the sweetest smile
But when you use it you're one evil child
Oh oh, that's what brings me back again
We get along but only half the time
The other half you ain't no friend of mine
No oh, that's what brings me back again
I love you on your best behavior
I love you more when you are doing something wrong
But that's what wrong with me
You said you liked it yesterday
And now you're telling me I can't stay
It's all your crazy messed up ways
That bring me back
That bring me back
That bring me back
You bring me back
I like it, Ms Delfino wrote the song herself for the series, I believe it has been released on record as well.
You're like an angel with the sweetest smile
But when you use it you're one evil child
Oh oh, that's what brings me back again
We get along but only half the time
The other half you ain't no friend of mine
No oh, that's what brings me back again
I love you on your best behavior
I love you more when you are doing something wrong
But that's what wrong with me
You said you liked it yesterday
And now you're telling me I can't stay
It's all your crazy messed up ways
That bring me back
That bring me back
That bring me back
You bring me back
Photocopiers are evil
I hate photocopiers, that's official. I just wanted to copy 2 pages, no double-sided or zoom or anything, just plain old photocopies. But apparently this is not good.
First, the idiot machine thinks that my originals are A3 sized, and keeps asking me to insert the correct paper in the appropriate tray to start with. So, I select A4 size instead and hit 'start'. *sigh* not working. I get 3 empty pages instead! What the hell is that supposed to mean? And why does the thing have a feeder tray if you cannot feed papers through it? Only by placing each page individually on the glass and selecting the appropriate size manually for each such page do I get the photocopies I need.
Not fun. I will go on strike. I will refuse to work until I get a photocopier that is willing to at least compromise!!!
First, the idiot machine thinks that my originals are A3 sized, and keeps asking me to insert the correct paper in the appropriate tray to start with. So, I select A4 size instead and hit 'start'. *sigh* not working. I get 3 empty pages instead! What the hell is that supposed to mean? And why does the thing have a feeder tray if you cannot feed papers through it? Only by placing each page individually on the glass and selecting the appropriate size manually for each such page do I get the photocopies I need.
Not fun. I will go on strike. I will refuse to work until I get a photocopier that is willing to at least compromise!!!
Monday 16 March 2009
Roswell - again!
You just have to bear with me until I'm finished watching it!
I'm on season 3 now. It's a bit weird, I can see that they are consciously trying to veer the story away from school, but it lacks the same drama as the first two series. There's less Michael & Maria stuff, Max & Liz are just a bit strange, Isabel is almost a different person altogether!
But, the ones I finished this morning seem to get back in the swing of things. Isabel gets married, rejects Kivar's affections and sends him back home alone, she decides not to tell Jesse she's an alien and *shock* Maria breaks up with Michael!!!!!!!
It was cute watching Michael get completely off whack with jealousy over Maria's old flame, Billy. It's heartbreaking when he sees them together at her house and she's singing! The last time she did any music was at Alex's funeral, so this was a big deal.
Then Billy goes away, and he's all happy again, except that she wants to talk. And then she drops the bombshell: 'I wanna break up'. Oh, I nearly cried... She says (and this is where is gets sooo achingly beautiful) 'I want out because I love you so much. I love you more than you will ever know'. And he asks: 'Will you come back to me?', to which Maria says 'I don't know.'
The people who write this stuff are freaking geniuses, talk about leaving the audience hanging!
*Sigh*
I am such a hopeless romantic, this stuff just melts my heart... OK, I know it's only fictional and everything, but still...
I'm on season 3 now. It's a bit weird, I can see that they are consciously trying to veer the story away from school, but it lacks the same drama as the first two series. There's less Michael & Maria stuff, Max & Liz are just a bit strange, Isabel is almost a different person altogether!
But, the ones I finished this morning seem to get back in the swing of things. Isabel gets married, rejects Kivar's affections and sends him back home alone, she decides not to tell Jesse she's an alien and *shock* Maria breaks up with Michael!!!!!!!
It was cute watching Michael get completely off whack with jealousy over Maria's old flame, Billy. It's heartbreaking when he sees them together at her house and she's singing! The last time she did any music was at Alex's funeral, so this was a big deal.
Then Billy goes away, and he's all happy again, except that she wants to talk. And then she drops the bombshell: 'I wanna break up'. Oh, I nearly cried... She says (and this is where is gets sooo achingly beautiful) 'I want out because I love you so much. I love you more than you will ever know'. And he asks: 'Will you come back to me?', to which Maria says 'I don't know.'
The people who write this stuff are freaking geniuses, talk about leaving the audience hanging!
*Sigh*
I am such a hopeless romantic, this stuff just melts my heart... OK, I know it's only fictional and everything, but still...
Kings Of Leon
I first came across them back in 2003, but I didn't like the early stuff very much. Then they made another record, still not something that I would listen regularly. But then, as they released Because Of The Times, I started to take a bit more notice. This was getting better I thought, I might like these guys one day. And then - kaboom! Sex On Fire. OMG. It was like being hit by lightning, out of the blue. It's still easily my favourite song from KOL, maybe even the best individual song I have heard in a very long time. Oh and the video...*flush*
So here I thought, brilliant single, hot video - they're good but at the expense of any credibility as musicians, they're just gonna be marketed as another pretty-boy rockband. Boy, I have rarely been so glad to be proven wrong! Not only did SOF reach no 1 in the charts, the album did as well. And the follow-up single too. And so on.
Got the chance to see them live last December, it was the best live show I have seen. Usually, your average pop/rock concert's headliner plays for about an hour, maybe 15 songs or so. Not these guys. Full 90 minutes, 20 songs + 6 encores. Also, you could see that they actually enjoyed performing.
There was a balanced feel to the show, everyone has their own role and their chance to shine. Look at Jared for example, the guy is what - 23?, brilliant bass player and really does hold his own. Caleb of course being the frontman is by default the most extrovert of the bunch, but he does not steal the limelight from the others, quite the opposite - he purposefully recedes to give room to others. Nathan is an extraordinarily talented drummer, but he is also the eldest brother and a very commanding figure. I would go so far as to say that Nathan and Caleb seem to enjoy spurring each other on, and that makes them better performers. My favourite though is Matthew. Not only a cracking guitarist, he seems to be the balancing force in the band. Maybe it has to do with being a cousin rather than a brother to the others, I don't know.
I have the chance to see them again in June, simply cannot wait.Saturday 14 March 2009
Ah yes, Roswell... again.
So, I got the whole lot on DVD, right. It's what, 22 episodes in a season, and I have gone through 2 seasons in less than 2 weeks. That averages 3 episodes a day =)
Obessed, me? Never!
Difficult not to. I didn't really watch it the first time round on TV, so wasn't sure what to expect. The first couple of episodes were nice, but when I really got hooked was the one where Michael and Maria went on that roadtrip and you sort of knew that they were going to be together at some point. The whole Max-Liz romance is a little too sickly for my liking, I'm not a fan. And the whole Max-Tess scenario... well I always thought she was a bitch!
I can't help but compare this with Smallville, which I also have on DVD (seasons 1-7). Clark in Smallville is just a little too naive, he doesn't seem to have an actual life you know, whereas these teens are a lot more believable.
Last season to go now, a little apprehensive, as then there won't be any more! Well, guess I just have to watch it all over again then won't I :)
When Soph-ie comes round again in the summer, we can watch it together and compare notes!
Friday 13 March 2009
Moosic
Anberlin (McAlhaney is GOD!)
Acceptance (see above)
30STM - I really really want to see them live, that would so make my day/week/month/entire year probably
Panic at the Disco - Listen to 'I write sins, not tragedies' and you'll know why
Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire, baby!
The Academy is... - Well, William Beckett's hair has a lot to answer for! But I actually heard them before I ever saw a single picture, so there - not so shallow after all, eh?
Cute is what we aim for - one of the most dysfunctional bands going, but the music's good, so who cares?
The Killers - not wholly convinced with the new stuff so far, haven't heard anything to top 'When you were young' yet
Fall Out Boy - Folie a Deux is very good, I don't know if they will ever top that. The show last week was a disappointment though
Roswell etc
Why is everyone so superstitious about Fri 13th? It's just another day, right? I'm not really superstitious at all, you know the black cats and walking under ladders stuff - none of that. Just another day, honest.
What I have eaten today:
1 rasberry yogurt
2 cups of coffee (milk, one sugar)
one M&S prawn-layer-salad-thingy
1 Kinder egg
Not a lot actually, and have been doing super well with the coffee intake too!
I have spent exactly £12.35 today - bit more than usually, but this includes the train ticket. Speaking of which, it's a fucking disgrace that SE trains charges me £4 just for the trip between London Bridge and Lewisham - I mean what's that all about? Just because I'm on a schedule tonight I paid it, but next time I won't.
Trying to wean myself off carrying a bag around, simply cos I will fill it with crap anyway, so been carrying around just essential stuff - here's what's with me today (so far):
iPod
Oyster card
Keys
Book (Lord of the Isles 2: Queen of Demons)
Purse - contents of which are:
phone
Chapstick (apple flavour)
paperclip (wtf?)
rubber hairband
£12.86
stamps
train ticket
debit card, nectar card, body shop member card, GAME member card, Starbucks card, Borders giftcard
numerous receipts
My god woman, you call these essentials? Jeez, that's ... a bit much I think.
Oh and yes, I obviously don't have any work to do today :)
Finished Roswell season 2 last night, that was like the most tragically romantic episode ever! 'There's a lot about you Maria...but the best thing is you're so open. When I look in your eyes, I see you', ' Do you even love her? Not as much as I love you'.. oohhhh *swoon*.
Honest to god, I think I am regressing, I am so totally obsessed with these teenage-superheroes-but-still-highschool-kids type of shows (see Smallville). Michael is my favourite character, I think Max is just too... I don't know, too controlled maybe. Michael is the one who acts on impulse and messes stuff up because of it, but he's just oh so very nice! Oh and don't get me started on the whole Michael - Maria relationship - I mean Romeo and Juliet have nothing on those two!
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