Hi everyone!
Just got back from an awesome day out in London. We had to go up to see off the French lady who has been staying with us over Christmas, and decided to make a day of it. For Mum, Dad and Pete this meant "fun" art exhibitions, but for me - Independence! To be fair, it wasn't exactly that hard. Not once did the tube machines reject my card, not once did I have anything stolen, and not once did I have a chance to sit down and have a coffee. Ah well, you can't have everything, I guess.
Having said that, you wouldn't believe the number of Starbuck's Cafes there are in Central London. There is one on just about every street corner. And somehow, they were all full when I reached them. Drat. Despite this, I managed a fairly successful shopping trip, and would have enjoyed soaking up the ambience of that wonderful place called the Covent Garden market, but we had to go to Wagamama. Guess there just isn't enough time in the day.
But now that I can do this, what next? A weekend break somewhere, perhaps another country? It's only a matter of time before Mum and Dad'll let me off the lead for good, and the world had better be ready, 'cause I'm going to see it all!
Anyway, I suppose I'd better do something constructive now. having finished H G Wells' Time Machine, which was pretty awesome, it's time I got back to the excruciatingly boring companion texts for The Great Gatsby. There's still a lot more to go...
Au revoir!
Jack
Tuesday, 30 December 2008
Friday, 26 December 2008
And a LEFT! And a RIGHT! And a LEFT!...
Hi everyone!
That's right, it's Boxing Day! Allow me to reflect on what happened yesterday...
First, I got up and saw that Santa had been and left me a Jeremy Clarkson book, the Doctor Who 'Time Traveller's Almanack' and various other things (kinetic torch, anyone?), and spent the first hour or so of my day lying in bed and eating chocolate. Great.
Now, time to whizz downstairs. We'll be having brunch later, says Mum, so I munch on a banana, say Merry Christmas to the rest of the family, then dash back upstairs to get dressed - No gym today! Anyway, fast-forward about half an hour, and it's Brunch-time! Mum has made the most awesome fry-up selection ever (no eggs, though. never mind...), which everyone eagerly tucks into. There's plenty of leftovers, which is great. Means we'll be eating awesome food for the rest of the holidays.
So, after helping tidy up, we gather round to open up a few small presents. Among mine is a total of about £60, just enough to get my failing economy back on the go, a Terry's orange and some tree pencils from my brother! How cool is that?
Yawn, more sitting around and chatting whilst Dad cleans up his Mess. After that, my auntie and uncle are given the grand tour of the environs, whilst the rest of us sit at home and twiddle our thumbs.
Finally, we get down to the present opening! Among the many gifts I recieve, a digital camera! Brilliant! Also, some iTunes credit, a Borders gift card (no idea how much is on it), a hoodie and Hancock on DVD (might watch that tonight). Anyway, I have since spent my iTunes voucher.
The new Fall Out Boy album, Folie a Deux, is...well, different. In a good way, or a bad way? Well, hard to say at the moment, but it would appear they've effected a Panic-at-the-Disco-style turn around, dropping the exclamation and becoming a little more tame. Tame and, oddly for FOB, a little nostalgic. The end of one song is comprised of lines from their other songs. At the end of "What A Catch, Donnie", listen out for snippets of "Sugar, We're Going Down", "This Ain't A Scene" and a few others. They seem to have gone down the route explored by "Hum Halleluja", although there are still a couple of notable exceptions, such as the reputable "I Don't Care". Interestingly, you can also bag a remix of this on iTunes, but I've never really been a huge fan of remixes, and this one doesn't change anything.
Another purchase was the soundtrack for Series 4 of Doctor Who. Whilst not as memorable as the Series 3 tunes, this disc does still hold some hidden treasures. For example, "A Noble Girl About Town" is wonderfully jazzy, whilst the "Voyage of the Damned Suite", whilst perhaps being unneccesarily long (it weighs in at about 11 minutes), does hold within it the brilliant tension of the Titanic's re-entry and Max Capricorn's demise, as well as the Doctor's epic-ness. This same epic-ness continues through several other tracks on this disc, but by far the star of the show, a notably understated track, "A Dazzling End" is a simple yet breathtaking piece. There really is no word to describe, listen to it for yourself. It's like... It's like John Williams meets Muse, the best thing composer Murray Gold has dreamt up since the Series 3 theme, in my opinion.
And this brings me smoothly on to my next event. After yet another fantastic Christmas lunch courtesy of Mum, we all sat around the TV to watch The Next Doctor!! If you haven't seen it yet, don't read past this point, but to be honest, I'm so glad David M didn't turn out to be the next Doctor. Harry Lloyd's chances are on the up! I liked the ideas explored in the episode, I must admit, but ultimately I wasn't as impressed as I was last year. I mean, come on. The CyberKing: Just a humungous Cyberman?! It would have been really cool, but unless it becomes a properly-established bit of cyber-tech, it will always be just a bit too ridiculous for me. That said, the idea of the Doctor taking on a massively scary monster in just a hot air balloon does sound quite exciting. I guess it just didn't work out on the paper. So, overall, top marks for keeping secrets, BBC, but otherwise, I've seen you do much, much better.
Same with Wallace and Gromit. It just didn't seem to be in the same league as the others, and the fact that it didn' open with the theme tune knocks it back yet again. Whilst it did have its moments of brilliance (Take the wheel!), I would rather have watched A Close Shave or Wrong Trousers. Besides, I thought it was Wallace AND Gromit; in the past two adventures, it seems to have been Gromit doing all the work, whilst Wallace falls for anything on two legs, rabbits included. Come on, let's see the old duo working together on a project, just like in Grand Day Out.
Phew. That seems to have wrapped everything up again...
Oh yeah. We got a Wii, as well.
See ya 'round!
Jack
That's right, it's Boxing Day! Allow me to reflect on what happened yesterday...
First, I got up and saw that Santa had been and left me a Jeremy Clarkson book, the Doctor Who 'Time Traveller's Almanack' and various other things (kinetic torch, anyone?), and spent the first hour or so of my day lying in bed and eating chocolate. Great.
Now, time to whizz downstairs. We'll be having brunch later, says Mum, so I munch on a banana, say Merry Christmas to the rest of the family, then dash back upstairs to get dressed - No gym today! Anyway, fast-forward about half an hour, and it's Brunch-time! Mum has made the most awesome fry-up selection ever (no eggs, though. never mind...), which everyone eagerly tucks into. There's plenty of leftovers, which is great. Means we'll be eating awesome food for the rest of the holidays.
So, after helping tidy up, we gather round to open up a few small presents. Among mine is a total of about £60, just enough to get my failing economy back on the go, a Terry's orange and some tree pencils from my brother! How cool is that?
Yawn, more sitting around and chatting whilst Dad cleans up his Mess. After that, my auntie and uncle are given the grand tour of the environs, whilst the rest of us sit at home and twiddle our thumbs.
Finally, we get down to the present opening! Among the many gifts I recieve, a digital camera! Brilliant! Also, some iTunes credit, a Borders gift card (no idea how much is on it), a hoodie and Hancock on DVD (might watch that tonight). Anyway, I have since spent my iTunes voucher.
The new Fall Out Boy album, Folie a Deux, is...well, different. In a good way, or a bad way? Well, hard to say at the moment, but it would appear they've effected a Panic-at-the-Disco-style turn around, dropping the exclamation and becoming a little more tame. Tame and, oddly for FOB, a little nostalgic. The end of one song is comprised of lines from their other songs. At the end of "What A Catch, Donnie", listen out for snippets of "Sugar, We're Going Down", "This Ain't A Scene" and a few others. They seem to have gone down the route explored by "Hum Halleluja", although there are still a couple of notable exceptions, such as the reputable "I Don't Care". Interestingly, you can also bag a remix of this on iTunes, but I've never really been a huge fan of remixes, and this one doesn't change anything.
Another purchase was the soundtrack for Series 4 of Doctor Who. Whilst not as memorable as the Series 3 tunes, this disc does still hold some hidden treasures. For example, "A Noble Girl About Town" is wonderfully jazzy, whilst the "Voyage of the Damned Suite", whilst perhaps being unneccesarily long (it weighs in at about 11 minutes), does hold within it the brilliant tension of the Titanic's re-entry and Max Capricorn's demise, as well as the Doctor's epic-ness. This same epic-ness continues through several other tracks on this disc, but by far the star of the show, a notably understated track, "A Dazzling End" is a simple yet breathtaking piece. There really is no word to describe, listen to it for yourself. It's like... It's like John Williams meets Muse, the best thing composer Murray Gold has dreamt up since the Series 3 theme, in my opinion.
And this brings me smoothly on to my next event. After yet another fantastic Christmas lunch courtesy of Mum, we all sat around the TV to watch The Next Doctor!! If you haven't seen it yet, don't read past this point, but to be honest, I'm so glad David M didn't turn out to be the next Doctor. Harry Lloyd's chances are on the up! I liked the ideas explored in the episode, I must admit, but ultimately I wasn't as impressed as I was last year. I mean, come on. The CyberKing: Just a humungous Cyberman?! It would have been really cool, but unless it becomes a properly-established bit of cyber-tech, it will always be just a bit too ridiculous for me. That said, the idea of the Doctor taking on a massively scary monster in just a hot air balloon does sound quite exciting. I guess it just didn't work out on the paper. So, overall, top marks for keeping secrets, BBC, but otherwise, I've seen you do much, much better.
Same with Wallace and Gromit. It just didn't seem to be in the same league as the others, and the fact that it didn' open with the theme tune knocks it back yet again. Whilst it did have its moments of brilliance (Take the wheel!), I would rather have watched A Close Shave or Wrong Trousers. Besides, I thought it was Wallace AND Gromit; in the past two adventures, it seems to have been Gromit doing all the work, whilst Wallace falls for anything on two legs, rabbits included. Come on, let's see the old duo working together on a project, just like in Grand Day Out.
Phew. That seems to have wrapped everything up again...
Oh yeah. We got a Wii, as well.
See ya 'round!
Jack
Thursday, 25 December 2008
So Here It Is...
...MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!
Yes, a very merry Christmas to one and all! Today has been so manic I can't even decide where to begin, so I'll get back to you tomorrow, when things are calming down. But in brief:
Wake up...Stocking...Clarkson...Almanack...Brunch...Money...Waiting...More waiting...Presents...Uncle and fiance...More Presents...Camera...Wii (!)...Playing...Late lunch...More playing...THE NEXT DOCTOR!...Cyberking: Really cool, or totally ridiculous...and Wallace and Gromit still to come......
Yep, that's about it. There's probably more, but I'll fill you in tomorrow. To everyone around the world:
Merry Christmas, get stuffed (in the most literal sense), and I'll see you all on the Planet of the Dead...
Jack (Ho ho ho)
Yes, a very merry Christmas to one and all! Today has been so manic I can't even decide where to begin, so I'll get back to you tomorrow, when things are calming down. But in brief:
Wake up...Stocking...Clarkson...Almanack...Brunch...Money...Waiting...More waiting...Presents...Uncle and fiance...More Presents...Camera...Wii (!)...Playing...Late lunch...More playing...THE NEXT DOCTOR!...Cyberking: Really cool, or totally ridiculous...and Wallace and Gromit still to come......
Yep, that's about it. There's probably more, but I'll fill you in tomorrow. To everyone around the world:
Merry Christmas, get stuffed (in the most literal sense), and I'll see you all on the Planet of the Dead...
Jack (Ho ho ho)
Wednesday, 24 December 2008
'Twas the Night Before Christmas...
'Twas the night before Christmas,
And all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring,
Not even a mouse.
Asleep on his desk,
But awake in his mind,
Jack dreamed of the presents
He might soon wake to find.
.
He dreamed of a table,
Covered with food,
And all the family
In a festive mood.
He dreamed of the TARDIS,
Its doors open wide,
And the Doctor, preparing
for his next fun-filled ride.
.
He dreamed of a bakery
where, so it is said,
Wallace and Gromit
were busy making bread.
He dreamed of new music,
Of DVDs, too,
Of books and computer games,
So much stuff to do!
.
He dreamed of the happiness,
The smiles and the fun.
His family together,
Each and every one.
He dreamed of his lover,
Many miles far away,
And wondered how she'd celebrate
2008's Christmas day.
.
And as Jack was dreaming,
He thought he could hear
Footsteps, and jingling bells,
A sound of festive cheer.
And there, what was that?
A friendly shout in the night?
"Merry Christmas to all...
...And to all, a good night!"
Jack
And all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring,
Not even a mouse.
Asleep on his desk,
But awake in his mind,
Jack dreamed of the presents
He might soon wake to find.
.
He dreamed of a table,
Covered with food,
And all the family
In a festive mood.
He dreamed of the TARDIS,
Its doors open wide,
And the Doctor, preparing
for his next fun-filled ride.
.
He dreamed of a bakery
where, so it is said,
Wallace and Gromit
were busy making bread.
He dreamed of new music,
Of DVDs, too,
Of books and computer games,
So much stuff to do!
.
He dreamed of the happiness,
The smiles and the fun.
His family together,
Each and every one.
He dreamed of his lover,
Many miles far away,
And wondered how she'd celebrate
2008's Christmas day.
.
And as Jack was dreaming,
He thought he could hear
Footsteps, and jingling bells,
A sound of festive cheer.
And there, what was that?
A friendly shout in the night?
"Merry Christmas to all...
...And to all, a good night!"
Jack
Monday, 22 December 2008
These Are Not Just Any Cybermen...
Hi all.
Today I had a revelation. The actress who plays the red lady from the next Doctor Who...I think her mane is Kirwan, or something...Well, anyway, she used to do the voice for the Marks and Spencer advert! How cool is that? Yeah...
In other news..."Leave this man alone! The Doctor is ME!" Great quote from Thursday's "event", and OMG the Doctor has a sword again...This is very bad. Is David Morrisey from the future? He has a fob watch! Also, I hear the CyberKing can scale walls and that the Easter special will be a 2-parter. No! No more spoilers! Please! They might as well tell us who the next Doctor is at this rate. No, I didn't say that. That was SO tempting fate.
What else is going on...well, not much, just a general feeling of anticipation. Bring on Thursday!!
Jack
Today I had a revelation. The actress who plays the red lady from the next Doctor Who...I think her mane is Kirwan, or something...Well, anyway, she used to do the voice for the Marks and Spencer advert! How cool is that? Yeah...
In other news..."Leave this man alone! The Doctor is ME!" Great quote from Thursday's "event", and OMG the Doctor has a sword again...This is very bad. Is David Morrisey from the future? He has a fob watch! Also, I hear the CyberKing can scale walls and that the Easter special will be a 2-parter. No! No more spoilers! Please! They might as well tell us who the next Doctor is at this rate. No, I didn't say that. That was SO tempting fate.
What else is going on...well, not much, just a general feeling of anticipation. Bring on Thursday!!
Jack
Sunday, 21 December 2008
Teaser Trailer...
Hey everybody!
Just who is the mysterious "CyberKing"? Will Wallace ever find true loaf? Is Bob the Builder this year's Christmas Number 1? Will Yivvits and MrBubble complete their Holiday Extravaganza in time for the big day? Will there be enough wrapping paper to wrap everyone's presents? And, above all, WIlL WE HAVE A WHITE CHRISTMAS????? To find out, just join us in a few days for
CHRISTMAS 2008
Aren't we an imaginative bunch?
Jack
P.S. Who's Grant??
P.P.S. YOU WILL ALL BE DELETED! DELETE! DELETE! DELETE!
Just who is the mysterious "CyberKing"? Will Wallace ever find true loaf? Is Bob the Builder this year's Christmas Number 1? Will Yivvits and MrBubble complete their Holiday Extravaganza in time for the big day? Will there be enough wrapping paper to wrap everyone's presents? And, above all, WIlL WE HAVE A WHITE CHRISTMAS????? To find out, just join us in a few days for
CHRISTMAS 2008
Aren't we an imaginative bunch?
Jack
P.S. Who's Grant??
P.P.S. YOU WILL ALL BE DELETED! DELETE! DELETE! DELETE!
Friday, 19 December 2008
Schooooooooooooooooool's Out For Christmas!
Hey gang.
I've just got back from a half day at school, with two weeks of semi-relaxation ahead of me. Obviously, I'll do revision and stuff, if just to keep Mrs R happy, but the pressure can't get any greater for a whole 14 days or so.
Anyway, what to report...? On Wednesday I went to my grandparents' and we watched Iron Man - I am now even more convinced what a cool movie it is. Bring on Christmas!
But by far the highlight of the week has to be the 6th Form Dinner/Dance yesterday evening. Getting all dressed up in the dinner jacket was great fun; I felt like James Bond! All my fears about not being able to fit were proven unfounded, and I managed to get away without any real fuss...much...*cough* ticket *cough*. I honestly don't think I've ever been that smart in my life...
So we turned up at the venue, me and some mates. I was expectinga better turn out from some of the lads, I must say. I dunno, letting the side down. Ah well, we got by. The room was nothing incredible, just your bogstandard higher-class conference room or the average wedding reception dining room. The food wasn't bad. We had the traditional Christmas lunch: Turkey, stuffing, sprouts, carrots... cauliflower cheese...well, semi-traditional, then. It'll never be as good as Mum's, but I guess it was passable. Pudding...or should one say 'Dessert'...was a selection, of which I chose a treacle tart. Very tasty, very sweet. Almost too sweet. So that was food out the way, after a while, the music began, and we all got onto the dancefloor and started throwing some shapes.
That continued, on and off...for about two and a half hours, I think...
All in all, it was an amazing evening. I had such a good time, and from the sounds of it so did everyone else. Shame I couldn't take my girlfriend along. Mr M wouldn't have liked it. But next year, when we're both in 6th Form, it'll be so much better. I had quite a late night last night though, so to ight I'm going to curl up on the sofa and watch Indiana Jones. Or the last Heroes. My conscience tells me I should wait for Mum...I might do...
Merry Christmas everyone!
Jack
I've just got back from a half day at school, with two weeks of semi-relaxation ahead of me. Obviously, I'll do revision and stuff, if just to keep Mrs R happy, but the pressure can't get any greater for a whole 14 days or so.
Anyway, what to report...? On Wednesday I went to my grandparents' and we watched Iron Man - I am now even more convinced what a cool movie it is. Bring on Christmas!
But by far the highlight of the week has to be the 6th Form Dinner/Dance yesterday evening. Getting all dressed up in the dinner jacket was great fun; I felt like James Bond! All my fears about not being able to fit were proven unfounded, and I managed to get away without any real fuss...much...*cough* ticket *cough*. I honestly don't think I've ever been that smart in my life...
So we turned up at the venue, me and some mates. I was expectinga better turn out from some of the lads, I must say. I dunno, letting the side down. Ah well, we got by. The room was nothing incredible, just your bogstandard higher-class conference room or the average wedding reception dining room. The food wasn't bad. We had the traditional Christmas lunch: Turkey, stuffing, sprouts, carrots... cauliflower cheese...well, semi-traditional, then. It'll never be as good as Mum's, but I guess it was passable. Pudding...or should one say 'Dessert'...was a selection, of which I chose a treacle tart. Very tasty, very sweet. Almost too sweet. So that was food out the way, after a while, the music began, and we all got onto the dancefloor and started throwing some shapes.
That continued, on and off...for about two and a half hours, I think...
All in all, it was an amazing evening. I had such a good time, and from the sounds of it so did everyone else. Shame I couldn't take my girlfriend along. Mr M wouldn't have liked it. But next year, when we're both in 6th Form, it'll be so much better. I had quite a late night last night though, so to ight I'm going to curl up on the sofa and watch Indiana Jones. Or the last Heroes. My conscience tells me I should wait for Mum...I might do...
Merry Christmas everyone!
Jack
Wednesday, 17 December 2008
El Red! Or was it La?
Hi folks.
My life is so busy at the moment. But hey, school holidays soon. And Christmas! And the last Heroes! and...lots of other stuff! Can't think what to write either, I need to get everything into some semblance of order first. Just letting you know, I haven't abandoned you, I still love you all, and chances are I'll catch up with a super-big entry at the end of the week. See you then!
Jack
My life is so busy at the moment. But hey, school holidays soon. And Christmas! And the last Heroes! and...lots of other stuff! Can't think what to write either, I need to get everything into some semblance of order first. Just letting you know, I haven't abandoned you, I still love you all, and chances are I'll catch up with a super-big entry at the end of the week. See you then!
Jack
Thursday, 11 December 2008
'Twas a Long and Dark December...
...From the rooftops, I remember: There was snow...and it was all yellow.
No! Wait! silly me, getting mixed up. Anyway, welcome one and all to the first entry since...what, Saturday? So, what is there to report? Well...not much.
I'm really loving the track Sao Paolo by Guillemots at the moment. It's fast on the way to becoming one of the ten best songs of all time. It's just...such a symphony, a beautiful piece of work. It's just...like, a journey. When the track starts off, you hardly expect it to end up as it does and...well, for those who haven't heard it I won't spoil the surprise, but suffice to say it is a truly epic piece of work.
Next! Heroes is SOOOOOOO amazing. The penultimate episode of this half is pretty awesome. Everything seems to be coming to a head - The catalyst, Mr Petrelli, The formula, Hiro, Hiro's dad, Claire, Claire's dad, Isaac's sketches, Sylar's allegiances, Ando's power (?)...and Pinehearst's army. No, wait! I've already said too much! But there are still more than enough questions left to be answered. For a start, if Claire gets a haircut, does it grow back immediately? Hmm...
Not much to talk about today, but stay tuned, and I'm sure things of interest will turn up sooner or later. To my lover, I love you; To everyone else...Well, I love you too, just not as much. Soldiers, you've got to soldier on. What do you mean, 'Was that a Heroes spoiler'? I dunno...
Jack
No! Wait! silly me, getting mixed up. Anyway, welcome one and all to the first entry since...what, Saturday? So, what is there to report? Well...not much.
I'm really loving the track Sao Paolo by Guillemots at the moment. It's fast on the way to becoming one of the ten best songs of all time. It's just...such a symphony, a beautiful piece of work. It's just...like, a journey. When the track starts off, you hardly expect it to end up as it does and...well, for those who haven't heard it I won't spoil the surprise, but suffice to say it is a truly epic piece of work.
Next! Heroes is SOOOOOOO amazing. The penultimate episode of this half is pretty awesome. Everything seems to be coming to a head - The catalyst, Mr Petrelli, The formula, Hiro, Hiro's dad, Claire, Claire's dad, Isaac's sketches, Sylar's allegiances, Ando's power (?)...and Pinehearst's army. No, wait! I've already said too much! But there are still more than enough questions left to be answered. For a start, if Claire gets a haircut, does it grow back immediately? Hmm...
Not much to talk about today, but stay tuned, and I'm sure things of interest will turn up sooner or later. To my lover, I love you; To everyone else...Well, I love you too, just not as much. Soldiers, you've got to soldier on. What do you mean, 'Was that a Heroes spoiler'? I dunno...
Jack
Saturday, 6 December 2008
The Perfect View
Hi everyone.
If it wasn't before, it's now official: I'm in love. I went round to my girlfriend's house today, and she's brilliant. Just her presence, her laughter, her big blue eyes. We went wandering around her fantastic cholocate-box village, just talking about whatever, having a great time. She took me up onto this hill, and we ended up just sitting there and admiring the pristine panorama. I wish I had a camera now - You should have seen us. And, the view wasn't really anything special. I've seen more breathtaking sights in Australia's Blue Mountains, or the Ardeche in France, but just having her there to appreciate it with me made it somehow better than any other views. So now I know what it feels like to be loved.
Wait, can I just say what a brilliant band Guillemots are. I know I'm probably a bit behind the times saying this now, but they're just so...theatrical, inspiring, and a little bit Christmassy as well. So yeah, I know I've had a habit of drifting from one love to another in the past. But I reckon I can honestly put all that behind me now. I'm comfortable with her and she seems to be OK with me, and I guess that's all I could ask for. I've always wanted someone to share all my daydreams and experiences with, someone who won't just go "Yeah, James, whatever". A Doctor's companion, I suppose, in the most basic sense. And I reckon I've found what I'm after now. We'll see...
Not sure what else I can say here. First of the Christmas parties tomorrow, even if it is full of old people! Apparently there's free champagne going around as well, which'll be...interesting. To be honest, I think I'll just stick on the juice. I'm not really a huge fan of the taste of alcohol. So, without further ado, goodnight World!
Jack
* A law passed by Oliver Cromwell declaring the eating of mince-pies on Christmas Day illegal was voted the fourth most ridiculous British law in 2007.
If it wasn't before, it's now official: I'm in love. I went round to my girlfriend's house today, and she's brilliant. Just her presence, her laughter, her big blue eyes. We went wandering around her fantastic cholocate-box village, just talking about whatever, having a great time. She took me up onto this hill, and we ended up just sitting there and admiring the pristine panorama. I wish I had a camera now - You should have seen us. And, the view wasn't really anything special. I've seen more breathtaking sights in Australia's Blue Mountains, or the Ardeche in France, but just having her there to appreciate it with me made it somehow better than any other views. So now I know what it feels like to be loved.
Wait, can I just say what a brilliant band Guillemots are. I know I'm probably a bit behind the times saying this now, but they're just so...theatrical, inspiring, and a little bit Christmassy as well. So yeah, I know I've had a habit of drifting from one love to another in the past. But I reckon I can honestly put all that behind me now. I'm comfortable with her and she seems to be OK with me, and I guess that's all I could ask for. I've always wanted someone to share all my daydreams and experiences with, someone who won't just go "Yeah, James, whatever". A Doctor's companion, I suppose, in the most basic sense. And I reckon I've found what I'm after now. We'll see...
Not sure what else I can say here. First of the Christmas parties tomorrow, even if it is full of old people! Apparently there's free champagne going around as well, which'll be...interesting. To be honest, I think I'll just stick on the juice. I'm not really a huge fan of the taste of alcohol. So, without further ado, goodnight World!
Jack
* A law passed by Oliver Cromwell declaring the eating of mince-pies on Christmas Day illegal was voted the fourth most ridiculous British law in 2007.
Friday, 5 December 2008
Yawn
Hi folks.
I'm so tired. Are you tired? I'm tired. It's been a long week. But finally I'm one week closer to Christmas. I can lie in tomorrow. And then I'll head over to my friend's house to give her a hand with stuff. And watch a movie. Probably. And then I'll come home and write in my new English Lit journal. Yeah. Tomorrow might be fun. Then the day after, the first Christmas party! Yay! Admittedly, it'll be full of old people, but it's still a party, I guess. Still a chance to make some connections.
Oh yeah, I never got round to posting yesterday because I was busy helping with putting the Christmas tree up! It looks fantastic, and was great fun to prepare. It'll look even better when there are presents underneath it! Then we watched Heroes, which brought yet more brilliant drama. What's going to happen? With only 2 episodes left, it's still hard to see how everything will wrap up. Similarly, Sarah Jane finishes on Sunday. I hope it picks itself up in the remaining half an hour, because I was a little disappointed with last week's episode. After the awesomeness that was the end of Doctor Who Series 4, Sarah Jane seems excruciatingly tame. Ah well, I guess they can't be brilliant all the time.
I'm really not sure what else to say here, other than "Bring on the holidays!"
Jack
I'm so tired. Are you tired? I'm tired. It's been a long week. But finally I'm one week closer to Christmas. I can lie in tomorrow. And then I'll head over to my friend's house to give her a hand with stuff. And watch a movie. Probably. And then I'll come home and write in my new English Lit journal. Yeah. Tomorrow might be fun. Then the day after, the first Christmas party! Yay! Admittedly, it'll be full of old people, but it's still a party, I guess. Still a chance to make some connections.
Oh yeah, I never got round to posting yesterday because I was busy helping with putting the Christmas tree up! It looks fantastic, and was great fun to prepare. It'll look even better when there are presents underneath it! Then we watched Heroes, which brought yet more brilliant drama. What's going to happen? With only 2 episodes left, it's still hard to see how everything will wrap up. Similarly, Sarah Jane finishes on Sunday. I hope it picks itself up in the remaining half an hour, because I was a little disappointed with last week's episode. After the awesomeness that was the end of Doctor Who Series 4, Sarah Jane seems excruciatingly tame. Ah well, I guess they can't be brilliant all the time.
I'm really not sure what else to say here, other than "Bring on the holidays!"
Jack
- The poem "The Night Before Christmas" was written in 1823.
- The custom of kissing underneath mistletoe was originally a Scandinavian tradition.
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
Life - Better than ever?
Hey everybody!
Life's pretty good at the moment. I mean, it's not like Christmas every day, but it's just a steady stream of goodness which makes me feel fine. I mean, I'm having awesome times with my friends, I'm more or less on top of my school work, I'm loved, it's Christmas, snow might be coming, we're starting Creative Writing in English Lit, Mrs R won't need to have a go at me next lesson, I have no theatre till next week, I have the mother of all weekends coming up, I'm going to the dinner and dance (bit worried I might not fit into the suit, though), and on top of all that, I have the second most awesome presentation to give in History next lesson. If you like that kind of thing.
Unfortunately, the downside to all this good stuff is that there's no drama! Well, I guess that massive argument in theatre last night was pretty dramatic, but apart from that nothing's really going down. There's no gossip, and if there is, it's not important enough to get to me. It's like everyone's cosied up for Christmas. Well, we'll see...The last week of term usually holds a few revelations. Which brings my onto the next point...
Heroes is almost over!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOO!!! Actually, I say 'over', I mean 'at the Xmas break' stage. We must have...let's see, two or three episodes left. Three at maximum. Then they take a break and come back in the spring with 12 more episodes, the "Fugitives" story arc, at around the same time as Doctor Who. It's likely I'll be in Russia for the premieres of both series! Just my luck...But back to the present, the end of "Villains" draws near. Who will live? Who will die? Will Nathan die again and then come back again? Will Bennet finally decide whether he's coming or going? Will Peter get his powers back? Will any of them, for that matter? Will Hiro's memory go back to normal? Will Matt and Daphne get married? So many questions!! And they're bound to end it on some whopping huge cliffhanger too huge to comprehend. I wish Doctor Who's series did that.
Anyway, not much else to report here, I guess I'd better get back to my brilliant life. Sorry if I've depressed anyone, but I just can't get over how good my life is at the moment. So yeah, keep on going, you'll get there in the end.
Jack
Life's pretty good at the moment. I mean, it's not like Christmas every day, but it's just a steady stream of goodness which makes me feel fine. I mean, I'm having awesome times with my friends, I'm more or less on top of my school work, I'm loved, it's Christmas, snow might be coming, we're starting Creative Writing in English Lit, Mrs R won't need to have a go at me next lesson, I have no theatre till next week, I have the mother of all weekends coming up, I'm going to the dinner and dance (bit worried I might not fit into the suit, though), and on top of all that, I have the second most awesome presentation to give in History next lesson. If you like that kind of thing.
Unfortunately, the downside to all this good stuff is that there's no drama! Well, I guess that massive argument in theatre last night was pretty dramatic, but apart from that nothing's really going down. There's no gossip, and if there is, it's not important enough to get to me. It's like everyone's cosied up for Christmas. Well, we'll see...The last week of term usually holds a few revelations. Which brings my onto the next point...
Heroes is almost over!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOO!!! Actually, I say 'over', I mean 'at the Xmas break' stage. We must have...let's see, two or three episodes left. Three at maximum. Then they take a break and come back in the spring with 12 more episodes, the "Fugitives" story arc, at around the same time as Doctor Who. It's likely I'll be in Russia for the premieres of both series! Just my luck...But back to the present, the end of "Villains" draws near. Who will live? Who will die? Will Nathan die again and then come back again? Will Bennet finally decide whether he's coming or going? Will Peter get his powers back? Will any of them, for that matter? Will Hiro's memory go back to normal? Will Matt and Daphne get married? So many questions!! And they're bound to end it on some whopping huge cliffhanger too huge to comprehend. I wish Doctor Who's series did that.
Anyway, not much else to report here, I guess I'd better get back to my brilliant life. Sorry if I've depressed anyone, but I just can't get over how good my life is at the moment. So yeah, keep on going, you'll get there in the end.
Jack
- Hogswatchnight, the version of Christmas from Terry Pratchett's Discworld, occurs on the night of the 32nd of December.
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
I killed Santa (But I didn't kill no deputy)...
Ho ho hello everyone!
The festive season has finally arrived! That's right, the Advent Calendars are up, the wooly hats are on, the fires are being lit and the cheesy Christmas songs are on the raido. Even Dad, Scrooge that he usually is, has already got a Christmas tree! This year is shaping up to be the most festive of them all! It's only a matter of time before we're watching Wallace and Gromit, sipping mulled wine (or non-alcoholic mulled wine, perhaps) and enjoying warm mince pies. Yep, Christmas is one of my favourite times of year. Larkin would hate it. Larkin would moan about the consumerism. But I don't care about Larkin. In fact...does anyone? He was the Scrooge of his time...
Anyway, with reference to my title, I recently put together an uber-cool History presentation about "The March of the Blanketeers" (long story), in which MSN Santa gets shot by the local Yeomanry. Quite what he was doing there I'll never know, but any free guest appearances are warmly welcomed. It's funnier than it sounds, my brother and I had a massive laugh over it last night. But yeah, technically I killed Santa. Which is sort of like shooting the sherrif. See what I did there? No, maybe not.
On completely a different subject, I've rejigged the home page just a little to promote feedback a little more. You'll notice that instead of "comments" there are now "most interesting thoughts...", and you can let me know with extreme ease whether the post was good, bad, or annoyingly Mr Bennet (ugly). Heroes in-joke: Mr Bennet is a character who is deliberately ambiguous; it's hard to tell at any given moment whose side he's on. Now there's a clear company v Company thing going on, the "sides" are clearer, but when it goes back to just being one Company, you can be sure the moral vagueness will return. Anyway, you can also (scroll down...keep scrolling...) play the Heartbeat Challenge at the bottom of the page. I nabbed this addictive little SFG themed pac-man off of their MySpace page. It's quite good fun.
Last, but not least, I plan to leave some interesting Xmas facts at the bottom of each post in the run up to the big day. Sort of like an advent calendar. As I didn't do one yesterday, I'll do two today. Better start collecting! See you tomorrow...
Jack
The festive season has finally arrived! That's right, the Advent Calendars are up, the wooly hats are on, the fires are being lit and the cheesy Christmas songs are on the raido. Even Dad, Scrooge that he usually is, has already got a Christmas tree! This year is shaping up to be the most festive of them all! It's only a matter of time before we're watching Wallace and Gromit, sipping mulled wine (or non-alcoholic mulled wine, perhaps) and enjoying warm mince pies. Yep, Christmas is one of my favourite times of year. Larkin would hate it. Larkin would moan about the consumerism. But I don't care about Larkin. In fact...does anyone? He was the Scrooge of his time...
Anyway, with reference to my title, I recently put together an uber-cool History presentation about "The March of the Blanketeers" (long story), in which MSN Santa gets shot by the local Yeomanry. Quite what he was doing there I'll never know, but any free guest appearances are warmly welcomed. It's funnier than it sounds, my brother and I had a massive laugh over it last night. But yeah, technically I killed Santa. Which is sort of like shooting the sherrif. See what I did there? No, maybe not.
On completely a different subject, I've rejigged the home page just a little to promote feedback a little more. You'll notice that instead of "comments" there are now "most interesting thoughts...", and you can let me know with extreme ease whether the post was good, bad, or annoyingly Mr Bennet (ugly). Heroes in-joke: Mr Bennet is a character who is deliberately ambiguous; it's hard to tell at any given moment whose side he's on. Now there's a clear company v Company thing going on, the "sides" are clearer, but when it goes back to just being one Company, you can be sure the moral vagueness will return. Anyway, you can also (scroll down...keep scrolling...) play the Heartbeat Challenge at the bottom of the page. I nabbed this addictive little SFG themed pac-man off of their MySpace page. It's quite good fun.
Last, but not least, I plan to leave some interesting Xmas facts at the bottom of each post in the run up to the big day. Sort of like an advent calendar. As I didn't do one yesterday, I'll do two today. Better start collecting! See you tomorrow...
Jack
- Bono, Paul McCartney and George Michael were the only artists to sing on both the original Band Aid record and the 2004 edition. Bono sings the same line in both versions.
- The original species of tree used for Christmas trees was the Silver Fir.
Monday, 1 December 2008
Sarah Jane - Bane of the Bane Again?
Hi folks.
OK, so as it happens, I'm currently killing time before I go and watch the first part of the last story in the latest Series of Sarah Jane Adventures. Childish, I know, but it means I get some of the Doctor Who in-jokes. And at least I can say I watch TV of some kind.
And the plot revolves around possibly the third worst-kept secret in the Whoniverse. The first was Rose leaving at the end of Series 2 (I still cried, even when I knew it was coming), the second was Rose coming back at the end of Series 4 (I still cried, probably because I knew it was coming). The secret (or not) this time around is that Mrs Wormwood of Bane fame is back. And she's teaming up with the "last Sontaran", Commander Kaaaaaaagh. This annoys me, on two levels.
One, how come it is not in the BBC's capacity to keep secrets? This time around it was especially rubbish, as they actually announced it in a press release before the series had even started. But time and time again, the predictable plot has always been spelt out to us by the tabloids: The Master returning, Davros coming back, the Doctor regenerating... Don't get me wrong, they haven't been total letdowns. The Genesis Ark of Series 2's finale was kept brilliantly under-wraps until it was aired. I, in my naievety, never figured it out until those millions of Daleks were spat out all over London. So why can't the keep the spoilers that matter a secret?
Two, the end-of-series "Big Bad", or should that be "Big Bad(s)" this time around, are once again returning characters. Last year's Slitheen I could understand, because they're bound to be out causing mischief if left on their own. But I could swear Mrs Wormwood burst into particles or something in Invasion of the Bane. And Kaaaaaaagh? One Sontaran? I mean, don't get me wrong, they're cool and everything, but your average Sontaran is comparable to your average Cyberman, certainly not able to take on the world by themself. They're foot soldiers, not elite Daleks. And even if he is a Commander, they're clones. Surely they should all be just as good as each other? No, returning villains is a Russel T Davies thing, and it's his one weakness. When Steven Moffat takes over, will be A a lot more creeped out, and B a lot more interested. The aliens will likely be all-new. I hear there's plans to kill off the daleks within the first 6 episodes of Series 5. We'll see...
I could have talked about Christmas here as well, but I'll save it for tomorrow. Right now Mr Smith is calling from the attic, and I've got some Bane to battle! See you all next time!
Jack
OK, so as it happens, I'm currently killing time before I go and watch the first part of the last story in the latest Series of Sarah Jane Adventures. Childish, I know, but it means I get some of the Doctor Who in-jokes. And at least I can say I watch TV of some kind.
And the plot revolves around possibly the third worst-kept secret in the Whoniverse. The first was Rose leaving at the end of Series 2 (I still cried, even when I knew it was coming), the second was Rose coming back at the end of Series 4 (I still cried, probably because I knew it was coming). The secret (or not) this time around is that Mrs Wormwood of Bane fame is back. And she's teaming up with the "last Sontaran", Commander Kaaaaaaagh. This annoys me, on two levels.
One, how come it is not in the BBC's capacity to keep secrets? This time around it was especially rubbish, as they actually announced it in a press release before the series had even started. But time and time again, the predictable plot has always been spelt out to us by the tabloids: The Master returning, Davros coming back, the Doctor regenerating... Don't get me wrong, they haven't been total letdowns. The Genesis Ark of Series 2's finale was kept brilliantly under-wraps until it was aired. I, in my naievety, never figured it out until those millions of Daleks were spat out all over London. So why can't the keep the spoilers that matter a secret?
Two, the end-of-series "Big Bad", or should that be "Big Bad(s)" this time around, are once again returning characters. Last year's Slitheen I could understand, because they're bound to be out causing mischief if left on their own. But I could swear Mrs Wormwood burst into particles or something in Invasion of the Bane. And Kaaaaaaagh? One Sontaran? I mean, don't get me wrong, they're cool and everything, but your average Sontaran is comparable to your average Cyberman, certainly not able to take on the world by themself. They're foot soldiers, not elite Daleks. And even if he is a Commander, they're clones. Surely they should all be just as good as each other? No, returning villains is a Russel T Davies thing, and it's his one weakness. When Steven Moffat takes over, will be A a lot more creeped out, and B a lot more interested. The aliens will likely be all-new. I hear there's plans to kill off the daleks within the first 6 episodes of Series 5. We'll see...
I could have talked about Christmas here as well, but I'll save it for tomorrow. Right now Mr Smith is calling from the attic, and I've got some Bane to battle! See you all next time!
Jack
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