The Day The Earth DIDN'T Stay Still...

Hey everyone!
Well, well, well. Today I went on a small excursion to my local cinema. What I really wanted to see was New Moon, mainly because I'm fed up of people going on about it and thought that after I went to see it, it would stop being cool, as usually happens. Alas, the showings were at really awkawrd times, and the only other good thing showing was 2012, so I went for that instead. And actually, it was a good decision. This film will amaze you. Fact.
Plot-wise, I'll admit it was pretty rubbish. Dubious science aside, half the characters seemed to exist just to feel sorry for themselves, and the other half were too stuck up and arrogant to care about the ordinary people. On top of this, I got the impression that throughout the movie essentially every disaster movie for the past ten years had been plagiarised - There were elements of Knowing, elements of Titanic, Day After Tomorrow, Sky Captain, not to mention plenty of Biblical references. The two things that stand out to me were, firstly, the fact that two people, of dubious experience, could fly a completely un-prepped Antonov (that's the largest aeroplane in the world, for those not in the know) off a rapidly shortening runway and get it all the way from America to China without any mishaps until the last minute. I mean, come on! Forget neutrino particles, or whatever, it's little things like that which ruin it for me. The other thing was the fact that the whole make-or-break relies on the lead character pulling some guy's leg out from between too giant cogs. You'd have thought they'd have had a backup system or something.
Despite this, the movie left me with an impression of brilliance, and that brilliance was due, for the most part, to the incredible graphics employed throughout the movie. Ultimately, that is the movie's Unique Selling Point - the fact that it depicts the end of the world in greater detain and realism than ever before. And it delivers, easily! There isn't a building left standing by the end of it. The Yellowstone volcano was breathtaking, but that was only the start! Admittedly, it was a little more sinister in my opinion because one of my few real fears is... well, inevitability. Like, when you know something really bad is going to happen, but can't stop it. So that bit with the aircraft carrier was a bit distressting, and likewise the many bottomless pit of doom incidents. That's what makes this movie so great though - it ramps up the fear factor to make the end seem ever more victorious. That guy must be gutted about his leg, though.
Those who know me well will have recognised that I'm a sucker for inspiring epic-ness, and 2012 delivered this both in the single 2-hour-ish dose and also through a lasting impression - I've just downloaded the credits song - Time For Miracles by Adam Lambert, which has some awesome chords and has got be thinking, as many things do these days. Quite what'll become of this inspiration remains to be seen - I've got far too much schoolwork to be doing to spend time projects that are actually fun and creative, clearly! But until life clears up a little,

See ya 'round!

Jack

Rogue 4, Standing By...

HEY! Surprise!
Anyway, I'm in a particular good mood today because of some very exciting developments in the world of the Rogue Traders! That'll have to wait, though, because I've recently gotten my mitts on Empire At War. As Star Wars games go, it's.... pretty definitive. It captures perfectly the whole spirit of the original Star Wars movies, something I think is quite important. Now that the "real" Star Wars movies are over (At least until someone does a remake - "The Star Wars", anyone?), it's an increasing worry that all the next generation will remember is Jedi, battle droids and Obi-Wan with a wooden beard. Gone, in general, are the days of chasing TIE Fighters down the Death Star trench, unless it's in LEGO. Gone are the days when faceless drones would provoke humorous responses without an air of desparation. Gone are the days when Boba Fett stalked his quarry through the smoky chambers of Jabba's Palace. the Star Wars ethos was practically obliterated with just two words: Clone Wars.
But there is a glimmer of hope. A few years ago, Empire At War blasted onto computer screens. It's esentially a strategy game; you command the Rebel Alliance or the evil but cool Empire (No wishy-washy Separatists here) and attempt to conquer the galaxy, through the medium of map-based, land-based AND space-based RTS. And it is all done in real-time as well, even the Galactic Map sections. Where this game differs from others of its type, however, is in the ingenious little button known as the "BattleCam." Essentially, when war is in full swing, the player can switch to BattleCam and watch the fight unfold before his/her eyes in cinematics which put him/her right in the thick of the battle - Just like in a Star Wars movie!
And there's more. Whilst there are echoes of the Clone Wars in here (Geonosis crops up; The clone Assault Cruisers still have a presence), the game is at heart a return to the 'golden years' of Star Wars videogames. Back in the days of Rogue Squadron and X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter. Wow, those were good times. Sometimes it is easy to forget the older Star Wars movies - After all, our generation was one whose final impression of the universe was Anakin being burnt to a crisp and Padme giving birth in a hospital run by faceless CGI spacemen. But then things like this turn up, and remind you that, while episodes I-III may have been good movies (more or less), they weren't really Star Wars. So I guess what I'm saying is, more than being a good game, which it is, Empire At War could get by purely as a nostalgia tour for those who saw the last three first.
Anyway, in other news... I know you're bored of me going down this road, so I'll keep schtum about it afterwards, but let me first make a reccomendation. If you've taken my former advice and listened to any music by Frank Turner, (A) Good on ya, and (B) Now I suggest you try Ben Folds. Genre-wise, he's a little different, mainly piano ballads and such but with a bit of rock in there as well, but thematically the two are quite similar, both clearly students of the Larkin school. In terms of albums... Rockin' The Suburbs is probably the best, because of its variety and its memorable tunes. So yeah, there's that.
But now the moment you've all been waiting for... The Rogue Traders are back!! Yes, Today (or yesterday) the video for their latest song, "Love Is A War" went live. In this blogger's humble opinion, I have yet to like Mindi, the new singer, as much as I liked Nathalie, purely because her voice is so squeaky! She's like a mouse! To be fair, with only one song to go on, I can't really judge, so I'll wait and see when the rest of the album comes out. Other than that, awesome as usual! The Rogues are definitely back on form. Not necessarily better than Voodoo Child, but definitely better than most of the other stuff in the charts currently. If they release over here, I'll definitely download it ASAP!
Speaking of which... They've also finally released Better In The Dark (that's the third album) on the UK iTunes! Wahey!! Needless to say, I downloaded it the moment I saw it, and after one listen, I'm impressed. It doesn't quite have the same variety or originality as Here Come The Drums, but it is definitely a disc choca-block with party anthems! So yeah, download that too.
I think that's all I need to talk about today, so until next time, think of me on your way to the disco...

...on your way to the disco!

Jack

Fighting the Vampires

Hey everyone.
The thing that's bugging me most at the moment is Twilight. Yes, I know, I've extolled its virtues many times before, but after much thought I am sure of one thing: Every guy in the world must hate the Twilight films. Think about it. Back in 2007, it was perfectly acceptable to be normal. To be imperfect. To be human. I mean, there was Daniel Craig for the dads to aspire to, but Harry and Ron never had a fan-girl following, did they??
And then Twilight comes along. Suddenly being average is not okay. Suddenly the female gender starts to compare everyone they see to the supposed demigods Rob Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. Even Mike Newton looked quite handsome. Suddenly you have to be an Edward Cullen clone just to have any chance of getting a girl to notice you. And those who know me will know that I'm the least Cullen-est of potential Cullens. I mean, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's not a problem. Maybe out there in the real world every man is the very image of perfection, and when you leave school all your faults just evaporate and you become another generic model.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the books and I could see why the film was good... sort of... but you can't deny that the romantic livelihoods of the male gender collectively went into a tailspin the moment Pattinson stepped onscreen. Any slim chance I may have had of getting someone to love me has officially been obliterated for the next ten years or so. I know girls have had the same issue for many, many more years, and I don't want to seem insensitive. On the contrary, I'm only just realising how extreme the pressure is. It's like, everywhere I go, Pattinson's cold eyes are staring back at me, saying "I am the best. You are nothing. Just try and be like me."

So yeah, I guess what I'm saying is: Body image has become a guy problem too.

And I hate Vampires.

Jack

Ood Days And Bad Days...

Well...

Cripes, where to start? I'd better say hello: Hello! Where I'm sure you were all expecting a deep insightful reflection on my life, I'm afraid you've come across something far worse: That's right, it's the Who Review!! Yes, the Great Doctor Who Famine is now officially over, with the Waters of Mars airing... literally, just now! And boy, do we have a lot to talk about!!
Okay, first things first.... plot. Internally, as a stand-alone story, I must admit the plot is not that great - The alien virus doesn't even have a name, we never find out what they're up to with the ice, not to mention the fact that a robot covered in Martian water has just been left lying around in the street! I mean, I loved the premise, I loved the ideas, but given that it was predicted to be the scariest episode ever, I wasn't really that satisfied. Nevertheless, it was almost worth it just for that feel-good, grin-spreading glorious moment when the Doctor springs back into action! Even if it was a bit short-lived.
This brings me smoothly on to the "contextual" plot. Namely, the Doctor going through his grumpy teenager phase. No, wait, that's clearly an understatement. I think what surprised me most is the Doctor's arrogance - He's never been so overtly full of himself. I mean, he's been mischeivously so sometimes (quote: "I'm very good!"), but never as extreme as "The Time Lord victorious" before! I mean, that's Master talk! Or worse!! Just because he knows he can't die until he meets the Master again, and because there's no-one else to keep him under control, he suddenly thinks he can go around changing time willy-nilly. Isn't that going against everything else you've already said? Isn't that contradicting five years of well-established ethos? Rose would be ashamed of you! But maybe that's just it: He doesn't have a companion any more, there's no-one to be his conscience. I mean, if any of us were in his position, I'm sure we would do the same, but his whole belief is that certain events can never be contradicted. He ought to know better! Y'know... just for once, I don't like the Doctor. The Final word is "No." But it's the kind of "No" that sends shivers down your spine...
Okay, boring bit now. Non-Lit students skip this paragraph. But I couldn't help making comparisons, especially towards the end, between Who and Oedipus. The idea that no matter what you do, fate always catches up with you. Nobody outwits the Oooood... It's not just that, it's the whole idea that the higher you climb, the greater your fall. They spent five years establishing that the Doctor has this code of what you can and can't do in Time, and the whole "aren't-I-good-I-follow-the-rules" concept, and the moment he realises that, actually, there shouldn't be anyone to care if he does break the rules, everything goes completely wrong. I guess you're supposed to feel sorry for him, but like Oedipus, I really don't. Does that make me a bad viewer? Possibly. C'mon Doctor Who, I dare you to make me cry again!
Anyway, Oedipus analogies over, Setting! Honestly, how amazing was that Mars base?! I know maybe it wasn't as 'tangible' as the desert of the last one, but all the same - The fact that you can go from barren rubble one moment, to lush rainforest the next, to grimy maintenance corridors, to pristine labs and computers, and the middle of it all, the TARDIS... actually, thinking about it, the TARDIS hasn't had a proper look in for aeons, it seems. I mean, it was vaguely important in this one, I guess, but considering the Doctor is pretty useless if he can't actually do any travelling, you'd expect it to be more important. I dunno, maybe they're preparing it for some massively pivotal role in the final story. It deserves that much. But yeah, back to what I was saying, just the sheer contrast in settings was beautiful, even if the glacier room was just Warehouse 15 from Series 4... hehehe... Good use of the Eden project though, or wherever it was they filmed.
This brings me on to the graphics and effects. Um... actually, not convinced. I mean, at face value, they were okay, but little things annoyed me. Like, the monsters, when they squirted water out of their mouths, it was clearly just some squeezy pouch that forced water out a tiny hole when they bit down, or something. That's why they couldn't talk! And the external shots of the base weren't quite as refined as, say, the Ood planet, or the Library for instance. Matte paintings, that's the key! Also, when Gadget was doing his turbo-charged thing - Great for little kids, and quite funny, but when the rest of the episode is trying to be professional and deal with actually quite serious deep thoughts, the idea of a cute robot whizzing cheesily across the desert kind of undermines the whole effect.
So, cast. Remember that darker side of the Doctor I was craving after last episode? I should never have doubted them. A bad day for the Doctor is a good day for David Tennant, and he played his role amazingly. Even the last lines - You might worry that, having been the character for four years, he would turn around and say, "hang on a minute, the Doc would never say this! Ever!" But instead he launches himself into every second, cramming the emotion in there. It's almost a pantomime: The fear, the mourning, the arrogance, the... control-freak-ness. The others were... alright. I mean, clearly, the spotlight was on the Doctor, but even then, the others maybe didn't get as much exposure as they should have. I think the most poignant thing about Adelaide was her suicide at the end; to have come through all that, to have been told you're "supposed" to die, and then to have been told, "actually, don't die, otherwise the Doctor won't like it." It's almost as though she understood Time better than he does.
Okay... it's time to talk... MUSIC! And, well, once again, Murray Gold has done what only he can do - made us feel every emotion on the scale. Everything from the militaristic drumbeat of them running down the corridor the first time, to the haunting choral numbers which foreshadow death - the crew's and his own. Yes, that's right, note similarities between the score of TWoM and the Ood Songs of Captivity and Freedom. And there at the head of it all, that iconic action tune, undoubtedly stolen from Pirates but every bit as recognisable as the theme tune itself. When that comes on, no matter how big-headed the Doctor may seem, you can't resist grinning and thinking "Yay, he's saving the day again!". Mr Gold, I salute you.
Now, let's get down to the serious part. What can all this mean for the future? The Ood are... back? Ish? Maybe? Or maybe the Doc's just hallucinating. Darn it, I said I wouldn't talk about the trailer, but YES, they are back! and sporting a nice enlarged cranium there, if I may say so myself. And purple. Definitely their colour. I have a hunch there's a connection between the Ood and the Time Lords. I think the Ood have summoned the Doctor to bring him to justice regarding his time manipulation. Not just that, I think the Ood ARE Time Lords in hiding... maybe that's stretching it too far. But the Ood clearly have some control over the strands of Fate. What if they manipulated (somehow) the Master to come back because only another Time Lord could make the Doctor recognise what's wrong with him. After all, there's been a recurring theme of people who are "almost" the Doctor. But maybe they brought the master back with that intention, only once he's achieved his goal, he starts wreaking havoc, and it's up to the Doctor to go back and stop him. Or something. So yeah, what I'm saying is that maybe the Master is initially the good guy, but the Doctor doesn't recognise that until it's too late... just trying to be dramatic here.
And Catherine Tate's back. Groan. I mean, come on! Doesn't she burst into flames if she remembers, or something? Or maybe the whole idea is she doesn't recognise the Master, and they become friends, which essentially makes him invulnerable, because the Doctor can't do anything when she's around. I dunno, my head is far too full of ideas. Maybe I should just wait and see what happens. That's never successfully happened before, but still! Anyway, leave a comment or somesuch if this has piqued your interest, and if not, well, I'm happy to have wasted your time yet again! To misquote Panic at the Disco, "Things are shaping up to be pretty Ood!"

See ya 'round!

Jack

Second Thoughts

Hello folks!

I've got another confession to make. And no, no-one's getting the best, the best, the best, the best of me. Having considered what I wrote yesterday, but in the cold light and fresh air of day, I've decided that it's really not bugging me that much. It was late last night and History homework had been frustrating me. Can you forgive me? I mean, the same things I said still annoy me, but maybe I'm not quite as fed up with them as I made out. So yeah, I'm not infallible, and the whole purpose of this blog is for me to be able to write what I think as I think it. So, sorry anyone who was expecting drama, but passivity has won out yet again.

In other news, I'm just debating whether to watch the latest FlashForward episode or a film I've been given to watch for French. On the one hand, my conscience tells me to do the former because that way I can hand it back in tomorrow, but on the other, I can't get enough of Jack Davenport in that series. I mean, considering he's a villain, albeit a reluctant one, I find myself oddly sympathetic to him, and oddly apathetic to the alcoholic police guy who's supposed to be the hero. He just seems much more suited to his role here than in Pirates, but he doesn't get nearly enough time on camera.

Darn it, my conscience is too good. FlashForward tomorrow!

See ya 'round!

Jack

Weep Is For The Sleek

Hello friends and relations!
Much as I'm trying to keep up my cheery disposition, certain things are getting me down at the moment. Firstly, a friend lent me Frank Turner's first-ish album, 'Sleep is for the Week'. It's not bad musically, surprisingly similar to 'Poetry of the Deed', and I can't say it's beaten 'Love Ire and Song', but it would be bearable from a sound point of view. The thing that's set me off is that currently, whenever I listen to Turner's music, it reminds me too much of other people cramming their own opinions down my throat and not giving me a chance to get a word in edgeways. If that makes sense. I mean, I hate having to talk over people, because I just don't do it, but I'm fed up with having my own views drowned out. I don't want to be taught a lesson, I want to have a conversation. My opinions are worth as much as yours.
I know this isn't directly linked to Frank Turner. After all, expressing his views is practically his staple food, if his lyrical content is anything to go on. And the whole thing with his music, as with all artists' work, is that you can't stop them mid-flow and say, "hang on a sec, I disagree with you there.". That I understand. But just because an artist can't have a conversation with their audience, doesn't mean a normal person shouldn't. Next time we try to have a conversation, I don't want to recieve a soliloquy, and then be smiled at patronisingly when I say what I think. I want you to know who I am just as much as you want me to know who you are. I'd rather not go through life never saying anything of value, always having to submit to the other person.
I know it seems really cowardly me writing this here, but I'm going to say this to the face of those concerned tomorrow. This is just streaming live from my brain - literally, the entirety of the argument is still forming from a jumbled up blob of feeling. But I guess what it boils down to is: I take you seriously. So take me seriously too.
Anyway, let's move on. You'll be shocked to hear that I've decided I officially don't fancy anyone at the moment. So yeah, contrary to what my usual tune is, I am currently quite happy being single. Maybe it's work driving all other thoughts from my brain, or maybe it's just time for a fresh start. Maybe I'm just fed up with everyone! Bah, humbug! Six months from now I'll be in a new house, in a new University, with new people to meet and new things to experience, and then we'll see. But even a girl I chased after for three years, I looked at her today and thought: Her nose looks huge. No offense - I used to find it attractive. Now, I don't know what kind of planetary alignment must have been completed for this phenomenon to occur, but I'm happy knowing that I can reset now at zero and see what happens next year.
Cripes, it's another post full of deep thoughts. But on a brighter note, I'm going to treat myself to some Paloma Faith tickets for March next year! No idea who I'm going to invite - any takers? But yeah, that should be awesome; she strikes me as the sort of artist who would be good on stage. After all, she's also an actor and a former magician's apprentice. And I love her accent. I really do. On top of that, I need to write my Christmas List soon, and start thinking about what to buy people!
Finally, I can barely contain my excitement because next Sunday is the EVENT that is the next Doctor Who special: 'The Waters of Mars'!! I won't get my hopes up, but it could potentially be as scary as the Ood or the Stephen Moffat episodes of the previous serieses. Imagine being scared of water! Is there nothing they haven't tried to terrify us with?? So yeah, expect a full review of that once I've watched it, and until then, keep smiling!

Jack

Fail.

Hello, folks!
I've done a few light-hearted, laid-back posts lately, but I'm afraid today I'm going to put you through the grinder of another deep, emotional one. Sorry. But yeah, I'm having a few problems, and I wondered if you could help. It's a long shot, and chances are none of this will make sense to you, but if you can get your brain around what's going on here, I'd appreciate your comments. Thanks!

Okay, so... Recently, I haven't been myself. I've been getting more and more frustrated more and more frequently, at pretty much everyone and everything. Even my friends. I dunno, maybe it's some kind of overdue "grumpy teenager" phase, but I'm not proud of it. I try not to let it show, but if you do happen to be on the recieving end of my anger, I'm sorry - It's not your fault, it's me. Basically, after much thought and consideration, I've deduced that however much I've always wanted to be a hero and save the day, the truth is that I'm becoming a villain.
I guess knowing it's happening counts for something. Essentially, I just increasingly feel like I'm being upstaged, being forced to take a back seat. I'm just a drop in the ocean. For some people that's fine, and everyone's entitled to their own views. This is where the villainous part comes in though - I'm not happy with being normal. I want to be significant, I want to be the centre of attention, I want people to listen to me. I want to be the one who comes first, I want to get my way. It's not big, and it's not clever. Nevertheless, it's how I feel.
Sometimes, I'll hear people having a conversation, and maybe I'll join in, maybe I'll decide to express my view. But more often than not, I'm just talked over or given the cold shoulder. And fair enough; what gives me the right to butt into someone else's conversation? For some reason, no matter how much the little good bit of me says that, the villainous part never listens, always wants people to pay attention and hang on my every word. To use a good old Star Wars analogy, I guess I have a fear of becoming irrelevant and unimportant. Fear, as I've experienced myself, has led to anger. Anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering... and that's the way of the Dark Side. I don't want to go that way, I don't want people to suffer because of my own selfishness, but whenever I agree with myself that it's OK to be unimportant, it's OK to be in the background, the Dark Side comes back with - "But who wants to be an extra, with no backstory? Who wants to be that random guy who walks down a street and is never seen again?" And so my reasoning achieves nothing.
Led me use an example. Say, for instance, there was a girl that I liked (theoretically speaking). And I'd dreamed up a whole future for her and I, travelling round the world, having kids, settling down in Canada, or wherever. But then, when I actually get round to talking to said girl, she turns round and says no, for whatever reason. The Dark Side would say "No, look, I've made a whole future for us. Let me show you my mind. You're more important to me than anything else, so it's only fair that you think the same of me." Of course, that would be completely the wrong thing to say, at least I can still identify that much. But I'm worried that one day the Dark Side will get completely out of control - what then? I don't want people to get hurt.
At least I know I'm going bad, that's a start. But knowing the problem and fixing the problem are two very different things. Short of becoming a monk or locking myself away for the rest of my life, I'm not sure how I can keep the Dark Side under control. I obviously could do it at some point in the past, because I was quiet, I didn't mind that I didn't talk to people. But whatever happened over the past five years or so (I'm still working it out myself), I've become more confident, and now I think I deserve to have everything my way. Which isn't good. So what do I do??

On a brighter note, It's half term soon and I'm going to France! Yay! First time travelling on my own - It'll be pretty nervewracking, but it'll be fun as well! I'm also glad I've got some extra time for my extended project; that was really bugging me. The teachers are certainly piling on the work for the break though; they wouldn't want me to actually have some free time now, would they? FlashForward continues to be brilliant. Last week's Sarah Jane was pretty awesome but this week's is a bit naf, to tell the truth. I think that's all I have to talk about this time, so until another flash of inspiration,

See ya 'round!

Jack

I'm Still Here!

Hey everyone!
Someone seems to have locked my imagination away ina dark cellar and forced it to do homework for a fortnight, because (as you've probably noticed) I haven't posted for a while. But fear not! Half Term's on its way, which means an alleviation (Gotta stop using these big words) of the homework, and more time for me to do stuff I enjoy, including writing for you! Anyway, in the meantime, I had to watch a movie for French and review it, and whilst it seems very unlikely that I'll be able to translate my review into French (you know what they're like!), it has provided me with some unexpected blog content. And for once, I wouldn't reccomend you see this movie. I'm assuming everyone here is of the group who have seen any or all of Star Trek, District 9 and the recently-released Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus which got really bad write-ups - Shame, 'cause the trailer looked brilliant. I can deduce that because anyone from the "cool" demographic would be out getting drunk with their homies... or something. Not reading this, that's for sure.

I know. I'm waffling again. The point is, those who follow this will not enjoy the movie, but those who like period dramas (They're dramas. Period.) probably will. I'll stop rambling and cue the review (Hey, that rhymes...)

Today I finished watching a French movie, Jean de Florette. It’s not quite as action-packed as I’m used to, and considering the last film I saw was District 9, seemed generally quite pathetic. However, after enduring an hour or so of preamble (Like the start of Iron Man, only longer… And they were building a farm, instead of a super-advanced battlesuit… And there were no terrorists… But other than that…), my weak mind succumbed to whatever Jedi mind trick they were pulling, and I actually started to find myself rooting for that poor guy and his family. And there was an explosion, I guess. That’s better than nothing.
So, let’s get to the heart of the matter. Plot-wise, The first half was fairly intriguing, and it had the potential to cultivate so many other ideas – The war, for example. That creepy chap from the start (the names weren’t very memorable) just came back from a military campaign – and it seems it hasn’t affected him at all! Surely a phobia of blood could be worked in there, or a greater explanation of his guilty conscience? Then there’s the flowers – this motif could have been used a lot more without a loss of plot, I’m sure. Clear proof that you should never send a Berri to do an Almodóvar’s job. About halfway through, the story became a lot more predictable – Inevitably it was all going to go wrong, and inevitably someone would die somehow, and inevitably the necklace would be fake, etc… On the whole, however, Claude Berri is not to blame for this as much as Marcel Pagnol, who wrote the book on which this movie is based. Besides, book-film adaptations are a debate for another day.
Cast-wise, I didn’t explicitly recognise any of the actors or actresses, although Depardieu does ring a faint bell somewhere in the back of my mind. Regardless of their renown, I felt all were well-suited to their roles, and all were comfortable playing their respective characters, unlike some other cringe-fests I’ve witnessed (Twilight, anyone?). Incidentally, Gerard Depardieu sometimes bears a disturbing likeness to Mark Gatiss, although that’s probably just a coincidence… Particularly, I liked Daniel Auteuil as the creepy chap (his name is Ugolin, the blurb on the back of the box informs me); he was very good at getting me not to like him, which is a good thing in a villain. I found myself constantly making comparisons between him and Mackenzie Crook from Pirates. Minus the glass eye, of course!
At about this point, I would usually talk about the special effects of a movie, although generally speaking there are none in Jean de Florette, minus the aforementioned explosion. But considering the film was a creation of 1986, we’ll let it off the hook and move right on to the soundtrack. As in most pre-90s movies (or at least, this is what I find) the music was relatively sparse, which I guess could be deliberate, but it did feel quite awkward in long periods of silence. What soundtrack there was, however, was not bad. Particularly, I liked the music where he was describing his plans for a well – It’s no Star Wars, but considering soundtrack has only recently managed to untangle itself from the genres it draws on to become one in its own right, this film does well. Not significantly so, but it does well.
Setting is evidently important to Jean de Florette, and it is generally well-presented. The houses are undoubtedly Provence, and the constant chirping of the cicadas, whilst quite off-putting (Was that the phone…?) help to reaffirm this setting. I did feel, however, that the film was a little too confined. It was limited to the two houses, their surrounding fields, and a few short trips to town. And maybe that’s deliberate, but I got the feeling it just wanted to spread itself out a little more. Maybe a flashback or two of Jean’s family in the city, or even just a couple of overhead shots, just to reassure viewers that there is still an outside world.
Ultimately, I can’t make up my mind whether this really is a good movie or not. For its time and budget, it has certainly done well, but in a modern context I do feel slightly underwhelmed. If nothing else, the fact that I kept watching is worth some credit, although that may just have been out of a Truman Show-esque desire to know what happens after all. I wouldn’t watch it again, but I have a hunch (hehehe…) that anyone into period dramas like Cranford and its various wannabes where everyone wears hats, Jean de Florette should be right up your street!

Well, that was a gap-fill and a half. I really don't know what else to say, other than that "You must gather your party before venturing forth." Hehehe, that's such a random quote. It's a KotOR reference, for those still wondering. Don't ask. Really don't.

See ya 'round!

Jack

The District Sleeps Alone Tonight

Hey everyone!
Having said my posts may become less regular, here I am with the third entry in a week! Today's top story is this: District 9!!!! Yep, that's right, I've been to the cinema again, for the first time in about two months... I guess that's the price of working weekends! But let's save the personal stuff for later - It's review time!

Overall, I was truly amazed by this movie. I mean..... You remember my Star Trek review, right? Those who've just started following (I know you're out there!!) may want to flick back a few months. Well, District 9 was every bit as good as that. Not necessarily better, but certainly on a par with Trek.
The premise is that an alien mothership comes to rest over Johannesburg, and the creatures, known disrespectfully as "Prawns" by the locals, were sent into a slum area of the city, the eponymous District 9. The mothership, meanwhile, hovers ominously overhead. The film itself starts 20 years later, when the government have decided to relocate the aliens to the imaginatively-named District 10, which is essentially a Concentration Camp. The main character, whose name I forget, is in charge of moving them, but things soon.... well, go awry, to say the least! In my opinion, the ideas behind it are brilliant, refreshingly original and very different to bogstandard Sci-Fi. For a start, the whole movie is played out as a sort of documentary or news feature - There are CCTV videos, interviews, the whole lot! Secondly, and I'm sure someone else will highlight this if I don't, with it being Johannesburg, there are obvious parallels between the alien segregation and the real-world apartheid between white and black people. In this way, what could easily be, and does become to an extent, an all-out blow-'em-up, is also a comment on human society and the way we cope with new and unknown concepts.
Whilst we're on the subject of plot, it's worth highlighting a few shortcomings. The story itself isn't especially challenging. If you were expecting some time-travel, everything-fits-together-in-the-end mystery, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed for the most part. On top of that, I found that certain elements were quite underdeveloped, and this made them irrelevant to the plot. The whole storyline between him and his wife, for instance. From my own point of view, these details didn't really contribute anything to the plot, apart from making his sadness even more complete. I expected the propaganda and censorship elements to play a more important role as well, but there are obviously quite a few bits and pieces which ended up on the cutting room floor. With regards to the showdown at the end, I felt it dragged on a little to long. I mean, it was cool, quite Iron-Man-esque (more than you'd expect... but forget I said that!), but after so many explosions and deaths, you started thinking, "I get the idea, but what is this doing for the plot?" Nevertheless, it was still quite an epic duel, as epic duels go.
Effects wise, I have no qualms whatsoever. The aliens seem to blend perfectly into the real-world surroundings, and the mothership was suitably ominous as well. The fact that they managed to do all this and make it look like it was on the news, CCTV, etc. is quite incredible, in my opinion.
The Fear Factor is also quite high in District 9. Fear and distress. I can see why it's a fifteen - quite a bit of blood, weird experimenting, stuff like that. And I tell you, that guy's hand... When he took the bandage off... I must have jumed about ten feet off the ground! Some of the themes dealt with are quite discomforting, I found as well, and it's good that they are, because I think it helps people become more aware of what actually is happening to some people now. Just... the whole "plight of the aliens" thing, and how they were obviously refugees of some kind so we should show them more consideration, and whatever.
All in all, I know I've skimmed over a lot of stuff, but this really is a must-see movie. Not quite the movie of the year, in my opinion, but definitely worth paying money to see it on the big screen!

... Just make sure you go at the weekend! Bearing in mind it's been out for a month or so, and it was Wednesday today, so everyone else was at work, I was the only one in the cinema! Literally, there was 1 other guy who came in a third of the way through, expressed his displeasure and left about two thirds of the way through. Luckily, however, I was spared the sobering experience of eating alone (never doing that again!), as Mum had some tea plated up at home! She's great! I also managed to finally get my hands on Isabel Allende's version of Zorro, which i can get stuck into after Charlotte Grey... and Bond... and half a dozen other books, probably! Ah well, time for an early night, methinks!

See you all soon!

Jack

Flash! Aaaarrghhh!!!

Hello again!
Today I want to talk about TV. 'N' stuff. Let's start with the TV. Well, to cut a long story short, I failed epically at getting into Lost, but Heroes proved to me that American TV can actually be quite good, so I felt like jumping on the bandwagon for the latest creation - FlashForward! The premise, as you may already know, is that everyone (or supposedly everyone) in the world blacks out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds, in which time they all have visions of their respective futures. When they wake up, it's up to some random guy to piece all the visions together and decide how it happened. It stars Dominic Monhagan from LotR, Jack Davenport who was in Pirates and some other stuff, Alex Kingston who was in Doctor Who and looks set to return (more on this later) and the brilliant John Cho who was Sulu in the latest Star Trek. He's my favourite character, even if he does die in the future! Or is asleep, that would be anti-climactic.
Overall, I'm very impressed, although in my opinion the Future seems to be unfolding a little too fast. I've no idea how long this series is, but at the rate they're going, they'll struggle for content if they want to string it out beyond the Line of Acceptability at 13 episodes. And what about the second series? Do they blackout again? Does the future not happen? The effects were pretty awesome as well, clearly taking a leaf out of Heroes' book with the explosions etc. The bit at the start where he stood on the car reminds me of when Hiro sees the world splitting (BRAINWAVE!!! Stay tuned) at the start of Series 3. So no, this is not a rival to Heroes yet, although it's still early days.
Plot is something I'd like to focus on. Notice that all the plotlines and little references all tie together and crop up again and again. Recurring mentions of circus-related stuff? Check! Strange David-Tennant-kind-of-lookalike who doesn't know what a hamburger is but seems oddly pivotal? Check! Mysterious accomplices whose faces have yet to be revealed? Check! All the elements seem to be vital, although I fail to understand some things. Surely the "pigeon" references in Episode 2 relate to the one that flew into the window in Episode 1? Right? And I thought D. Gibbons was a jazz composer. I'm sure there's a Dave Gibbons Band out there somewhere!
What all this means is that I've started to view the Doctor Who scripts as a bit... naf, I guess. A prime example of this is the Bad Wolf plot. They spend a whole season building up this recurring theme, even give you TWO cheesy flashbacks for those who weren't listening the first time (And yes, I did get most of them!), and in the end it's just a "Meh, it's this... sort of... thing... which does... stuff." If that's honestly as clever as they can be, then they've got no chance of rivalling the likes of Heroes and FlashForward. Personally, I think the writers are the problem. Steve Moffat's episodes, I had no problem with. It would take a true genius to come up with the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey plot of Blink, and the two, seemingly parallel, worlds of Silence In The Library seriously baffled me, and had me speculating all week! THAT is good writing. THAT is Heroes writing. Unfortunately, the rest of it wasn't quite up to scratch.
And by means of something which in no way resembles a segway (technical term, not an actual Segway), I'll now say "It's a good job Moffat is becoming head writer for the next series!" which will lead me smoothly into my next point - The ALL NEW Doctor Who logo. If you haven't seen it, it's on the website. The first thing that springs to my mind is this: Retro. Far from being the sleek, new and easily recognisable logo of series 1 through 4 (plus specials), this TARDISy (that will have to be a new word for when the next Series comes in) logo will have customer peering ever more intently at merchandise which was once a vivid bright orange. Clearly, the Doctor Who team know when they've been Tangoed! With a logo which draws on the era of Sylvester McCoy (possibly?), a new sonic screwdriver much alike to the 4th Doctor's, and a more 'classic' Tardis design, could this mean a return to the Old Skool ways of the 20th Century? Will we start to see plastic rocks and aliens made of plasticine battling with increasingly boffiny Doctors? More importantly, has the Doctor fixed his Chameleon Circuit?? How else could he redesign the TARDIS?
With everything changing in Series 5 (Or do you have to call it Series 1 now? I'm confused!), I have to admit I'm becoming increasingly dubious about the fate of Doctor Who. But, if nothing else, at least Karen Gillan is looking good... as... a policewoman.... *blushes*. She'd better be clever as well, mind you. I'll trust the Doctor to choose the right ones.
Aaanyway. Sorry this is a very TV-oriented post, but for once I'm feeling passionate about TV. It doesn't happen a lot, but it would seem there is some entertainment to be gained from that mess of wires and boxes after all! So, Heroes-wise, I wasn't going to go over it today, but I've just had an Epithany.... Epiphany.... However it's spelt. And that is this: Anyone in the loop will have seen the Volume 5 trailer on YouTube (or the website, if you live Stateside), and it's very interesting and a lot of stuff happens. What matters is the last clip which shows a presumable villain, called Samuel, filling his brother's grave telekinetically. His power is moving the ground. Now, call me slow, but I didn't appreciate the full significance of this until just now. Surely, anyone who can move soil can split it apart as well. Hence, the Earth cracking in two! That future is still a possibility! Those amazing graphics could still reappear! En plus, now that we know Hiro's current instability with Time Travel, it's easier to understand why Ando was shooting him with the lightning - To enhance Hiro's power back to normal! Simples!
I know you're all completely lost, but that's my epiphany for today. On a completely different note, Avril Lavigne and her former husband Deryck (From Sum 41, apparently) have split up. It's sad, but maybe it means he won't have as much influence on her next album as he did the last. In theory that's a good thing, but we'll have to wait and see, I guess. Shame that even the entertainment industry, the ones we can usually look to to be cheered up, is going through a pretty tragic time at the moment. Or maybe it's always been like that. Ah well, celebrities everywhere, for one night only, you all have my condolences. Good night!

Jack

Rummage Rummage

Evening, troops.
First things first, I've decided to call off the Italy diary. There's not enough time these days to make the blog as regular as it was before, and if I carry on in this way you'll be constantly reading about my holidays and never getting any info on the jucier topics! Suffice to say, some time passed.... and some more time passed... And some exciting stuff happened which is doomed to remain trapped in my head, rather than on paper... and here I am! Wahey, time travel!
So anyway, where exactly is 'here'? "Here is unfenced existence: Facing the sun, untalkative, out of reach." Shut up, Larkin. You're dead and I'm not! Cripes, haven't said that for a while... I'm currently drowning under a mountain of homework - I don't see why; I'm not doing much more than last year - if anything I'm doing less. Hmm... maybe it was just one of those September things. I'm also earning plenty of money, FINALLY, and am still out of love and lacking in the Social Life department as well. So you haven't missed much!
Music-wise, I'd just like to gloss over what I've been listening to in the past month or so. Firstly, Frank Turner. His new album is.... Not quite on a par with Love, Ire & Song, but it's not bad. Tell you what, though - it wasn't so noticeable in his older albums, but he's become much more Larkin-esque in the latest collection. "I'll end my days in a house with High Windows." - Is that plaegarism? How do you even spell... plagearism? Having said that, there is a health sprinkling of optimism as well, so don't get too worried!
Let's move on to the ace in the pack, MUSE: The Resistance. As with all things that have hype attached, I did have reservations about this disc, because Black Holes & Revelations was exceptional. But this raises the bar yet again! I don't know if I've talked about Uprising before, but suffice to say it does not suffer from the "commercialised single misleads customer about content of album" syndrome. Mainly because no two songs on the disc are similar - Some people would hate this, but for me, variety is one of the most important criteria! I would definitely reccomend Unnatural Selection, because it is classic Muse, and United States of Eurasia, for its near-hilarious exaggeration. The Exogenesis Symphony, I must admit, was a disappointment, but I guess they are only human. Considering this, they did extremely well!
Paramore also popped up this month, with their latest album Brand New Eyes. I won't lie, of this month's set it is the weakest, and definitely not as good as Riot! Don't get me wrong, though. There are some excellent tracks - Brick By Boring Brick has its moments, and Misguided Ghosts is a bit different for them, but definitely a step in the right direction. Paloma Faith hit the scene with the extremely long-winded Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful? Well, what I wanted was a good album, and it was beautiful. Truthfully, though, in terms of the Funk I was expecting, the disc falls prey to the aforementioned sydrome, and Stone Cold Sober remains the best track.
Okay, that's music out the way for now. Movies-wise, I haven't been to the cinema a whole lot recently, due to work and living miles away from any decent entertainment facilities. I've got a free afternoon coming up, though, and I really want to see District 9. It's sci-fi, and it looks amazing, and it's had excellent reviews, plus there'll be hardly anyone there. I'd also like to see Toy Story in 3D, but it's not top of my list at the moment. What does look good is the upcoming "Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus". It stars Johnny Depp, Heath Ledger (yes, I know), some other famous people, and Paloma Faith, whose accent I love! But I think that's about it, until Star Trek comes out on DVD, Iron Man 2 and Sherlock Holmes are released, and I'm old enough to see Watchmen.
What else.... Heroes should be coming back soon; It's already started in America! I'm craving good TV at the moment - No Doctor Who and no Heroes! Crisis! At least Sarah Jane will be back soon. Let's hope it's even marginally better than last year! David Tennant should spice things up, anyway! Books.... Zorro has got lost somewhere in the post, which is a shame, 'cause Isabel Allende is quite good and the movie was amazing! The Mask, that is, not the Legend. There was too much snogging in the sequel. And I wasn't really convinced by the whole soap thing. Instead, I'm trying to find time to finish Charlotte Gray, for the sake of completion, so I can crack on with James Bond! That's more like it... Games-wise, I resurrected a copy of KotOR, in anticipation of the online version which looks PHENOMENAL. So there you go.
Hmm... I could really do with some live jazz at the moment. Where's Herbie Hancock when you need him? *Rummage, Rummage*. Ah, that'll do. I've always wanted a jukebox. How cool would that be? Hehehe.... Haven't you missed my tangents?
I'm also working on the thirteenth chapter of my book (unlucky for some, I know). In this gripping instalment, some cats die, some sailors have a chinwag and some guy looks through a telescope. Yes! With any luck on my part, however, I should be able to find a way of sticking what I've done so far on the net, for people to read for themselves. Never mind Tamar, I have my own moral quandaries to deal with. It's a bit complicated, I won't try to fry your brains here, but I want to sort it out by Friday. That's the plan. It's always good to have a vague plan. The rest you can make up!
Anyway, I guess that's just about it from me. I'll see y'all when I see y'all!

Jack

P.S. It's spelt "plagiarism". There was no E in there after all...

Day 5 - Going To Town

Hi folks!
Today I give you the 5th day of my Italy diary. I expect you may be finding it a bit boring by now, but for all I know you could be loving it! You don't comment, so how am I to know?? Hehehe...

Today, after waking up and enjoying another breakfast of pancakes, we all clambered into the car and headed off for the town of Umbertide to get some much-needed supplies. Umbertide is the nearest substantial town to La Selva, and last year we spent a lot of our time shopping there, not least because there's a fantastic ice-cream place in the centre that supplies a whole rage of flavours.
So we started off by trying to find a bookshop in the centre so we could get a map for Dad, but it turned out to be closed on Monday mornings. Instead, we had to make do with anything we could get from the Tourist Info across the road. Luckily they managed to provide some quite useful maps and guidebooks, and we can always get some more at another time. Next Pete tried to top up his mobile, whilst I had a quick scan of a magazine stall, but nothing really caught my eye. With no other shopping to be done in the centre, we headed to the ice-cream place where I got a bowl of custard and cherry flavours, as well as some grape juice. Whilst I wasn't convinced the custard one was that accurate, both were very sweet and refreshing, even if it did attract the wasps!
After a brief look around the Italian version of the Really Useful Shop, we jumped back in the car and drove to the Co-Op supermarket on the outskirts. After a brief hunt for a nearby bike shop which ALSO turned out to be closed (even after I'd asked for directions in Italian!), the others began shopping in the supermarket while I, expecting to probably just get in the way otherwise, explored the shop on my own. I ended up looking for, among other things, some yeast and some dried porcini mushrooms which I had to ask one of the staff about. To be honest, there were so many Brits in the supermarket it probably wouldn't have mattered whether I spoke in English or Italian, but I made the effort to speak in the native language.
Eventually, we loaded our €200 worth of shopping into the car and made our way back to the house. I hepled unload and opened some windows in my room, and before I knew it salady lunch was on the table again! I tucked in eagerly, and helped to tidy the same. Once all was sorted, Dad showed us how he could put his cycling routes onto Google Earth, even without an Internet connection! How clever is that?! We also had a look through the photos we'd taken so far, including Pete pulling some funny faces, Mum's squirrel impression and some incredible panoramas. At about this time the biggest ten-minute storm in the history of everything everywhere ever (so far) broke out, thunder growling overhead, the driving rain soon becoming hailstones the size of large grapes! I hurried to close up the windows I'd just opened, and then watched from the safety of the kitchen.
The storm soon eased off and I sat in the loggia updating my diary. I was quite far behind, so this occupied most of my afternoon. At about half five, I walked out to the Tower again, but it wasn't very enjoyable, because the rain had obviously brought out even more flying insects of various sorts, which kept getting in my face the whole time! No matter how much I swatted them away, thousands more kept coming back! What is the point of flies? They hardly do anything apart from annoy us and feed spiders, and I'm sure the spiders could find something else to eat.
Anyway, once I'd got back, it was time to make dinner! It was only spaghetti, but with a home-made sauce. After a while, Pete joined in as well, which was a bit of a shame. Nothing against him, but I prefer cooking on my own. At least we could get it done quicker with two of us. Apart from forgetting the mince, I think we did pretty well. It wasn't the best pasta ever, but it wasn't bad. Mum followed this up with a bowl of fruit (yay, fruit again!), including some rock-solid peach, which didn't really seem edible to me, no matter how much Mum reassured us.
So, with dinner and clearing-up out of the way, we all settled down to watch The Matrix Reloaded. It's been a while since I saw the first film, so it took me a while to remember what happened and who everyone was, but the fight scenes were still incredibly well-choreographed and, considering it was made all the way back in 2002, the special effects were breathtaking. It was a lot stranger than the first one, and quite hard to get your head round what was real and what was a computer program, and why there were lots of Mr Smiths, and stuff. But as long as you don't think about it too much, it is definitely a must-see.
So, once it had finished, we all dispersed and got some sleep. Or tried to. Unfortunately the many bites on my feet and legs kept rubbing together, and as a result I didn't get to bed for a very long time.

Man, those bites were serious! It was as though something had been munching on me all day... Ah well, at least SOMEONE finds me tasty! Hehehe... Check back another time for more Italy antics!

See ya 'round!

Jack

Day 4 - New Words, Old Biscuits

Hi gang!
Fourth entry for the Italy diary today. Enjoy!

Today I woke at about nine, after the best night's sleep I've had for ages, and headed to the kitchen to see who was up. Sure enough, Mum and Dad were outside drinking tea, so I joined them in the already warm morning. Once we felt relaxed enough, Mum and I made ssome Scotch pancakes and these we ate with peach, cold meats, cheese and honey. Considering I hadn't made pancackesfor what seemed liked years, this lot came out surprisingly well. All thanks to Mum's guidance, no doubt!
Breakfast came and went, with Pete waking up surprisingly early, and soon we were all sat around the pool, swimming, reading or, in my case, writing. With my diary up to date and a few more chapters of Cold Mountain in the bag, I tried the pool for the first time. It was just the right temperature again and as a result I spent most of the morning in the water, playing with pete and generally trying to keep cool. As it was Sunday, even I decidded to have a break from doing anything too action-packed.
Eventually lunch came around, which was roast beef with thyme risotto and various salady bits. The risotto was brilliant, very filling, just like at the hotel, and we were also treated to more of Mum's home-made bread. Perfect! Considering all the shops have been shut, we're doing quite well! After having eaten, the others all went to have a snooze, I think, while I got a bit more of Cold Mountain out the way. It seems quite tedious in places, a fairly easy plot to follow, but you know what I mean: "Then she went out into the yard and caught some chickens for her dinner", or whatever. Why do I even need to know about that?? Once I was safely on page 140, I took some time to update my diary, and went out to walk the same route as yesterday.
By the time I returned, the others were ready to take dinner, another selection of salads and cold meats, up onto the terrace, so I leant a hand and within minutes we were enjoying our first outside dinner at La Selva! Everyone agreed that we were finally chilled out after a long day of doing nothing! We'd also dug out a bag of coffee biscuits seven months past their "best-before" date, which were stillsurprisingly more-ish, and these we enjoyed with the last of the melon and peach. As it grew darker, dinner blended into stargazing, and I managed, surprisingly, to spot quite a few shooting stars this time - how lucky! The night dragged on and once Dad had taken some clever photos of stars, it was time once again for bed.

Not a very exciting entry today, but next time we get to go shopping, so that might be interesting! For now though, I'll say goodnight and let you get on with your various lives.... Hehehe...

See ya 'round!

Jack

Day 3 - Here To There

Hi gang!
Sorry it's been a while since I updated this. Between schoolwork and a stupid virus infection thing (blood!), I really haven't been in the mood for writing for fun recently. It's shocking, I know, but sometimes even Shakespeare had off-days. Luckily for you, however, I'm back today with the next entry in the Italian diary, so without further ado, here it is!

Today, after waking up and doing some preliminary packing, we got breakfast, which was more or less the same as yesterday but with yoghurts as well. Once we'd finished, we returned to the room to make sure we had everything packed and then loaded all our bags into the soon-to-be-replaced car. After a few final goodbyes, we were on the road again!

An hour passed...

Eventually, we arrived at Florence airport, but only to find to our horror that the critical yellow wallet with all the paperwork in had been left at the hotel! I didn't really mind, as it's only an extra two hours out of a whole three weeks, and to be fair I would probably have done the same, but ten times worse. Mind you, I wasn't the one driving! Somehow, Dad managed to negotiate so that we could change cars without the documents, and eventually we all clambered into a Fiat and began the journey BACK to the hotel.

Another hour passed...

Luckily, the wallet was still at the hotel, so we picked it up and turned quickly around, finally bound for Casa La Selva!

Two hours passed...

Me and twisty mountain paths don't go well together, as I learned in France last year, so the route we took to the house this time wasn't great fun, but it was still far, far better than the track we used last year. Soon the scenery became more familiar and before we knew it we were rolling into the driveway of La Selva.
After unloading and making ourselves more comfortable, we immediately sprang into lunch-making activity. Lunch today was a variety of cold meats and salad elements, and I get the impression this will be our diet for the next few days, as all the shops are closed tomorrow. Hey, it's healthy; I don't mind! Once lunch was done, I unpacked and updated my diary whiile it cooled down outside. I also managed to read a little more of Cold Mountain, which I'm trying to get through as quickly as possible so I can crack on with the interesting travel magazines Mum got me.
At quarter to seven, I decided to go for a walk to get some fresh air. There were way too many insects flying around, and I'm surprised I didn't eat any! Eventually, I managed to get out to a tower I'd seen on my way in, despite almost taking a wrong turn halfway through!
By the time I got back, dinner was almost ready. Mum had prepared some sausages, along with home-made bread, mushroom and herb couscous and salad from lunchtime. It wasn't a massive feast, but I really enjoyed it, especially the sausages, which had been home-made by someone, I think. After tidying up we divided a melon between us and Mum and Dad pored over various maps, while Pete and I drunk our shandies and waited for it to get dark.
When the sun had finally gone down, we crept outside onto the terrace and sat down to do some stargazing. I spotted the first shooting star, but there were a whole load later that I missed. The sky was beautiful with no lights around, and I could have stayed there forever. Sadly, it was soon time to go to bed, so I clambered into the mosquito net, turned out the lights and got a good night's sleep.

So, another day gone. I won't promise anything for tomorrow, but NEXT TIME, you can expect pancakes, risotto and more Cold Mountain. Yeah, it's not very exciting, the next one. But it is a Sunday, after all!
See ya 'round!

Jack

Day 2 - The Lights Of San Gimignano

Hey everyone!
Day 2 today, but before I do anything else, let me just point you in the direction of Sonya Kitchell's revamped blog at www.sonyakitchell.blogspot.com. You all know how brilliant I think Sonya is, and the blog showcases some of her great photography, showing just how multi-talented she is! And Sonya, if you HAPPEN to be reading after I said hello on Facebook (unlikely), when you can sing, play the guitar and take professional-standard photos, being able to spell isn't important! Hehehe.... Anyway, cracking on, enjoy the diary!

Today we woke up at around eight forty-five and got ready for the day ahead. Outside, the sky was a brilliant blue and the cicadas were already chirping like crazy. Breakfast was cereal and croissants, amongst other things, which was satisfying enough. With this finished and our coffee drunk, we returned to the flats to brush our teeth and get ready to go out. When everyone was ready, we set of down a nearby track towards the town of San Gimignano. The trees were every shade of green and we could hear the lizards dashing away in front of us. Out of the shade it was already boiling and the cars kicked up massive dust clouds behind them.
We passed a vineyard and a police office on our way into the town, and soon we could step through the ancient walls into the old quarter. Unfortunately it was already full of tourists, but Dad says that if I come back earlier tomorrow, I can get some good pictures without so many people. The story of this town is that, at some time in the past, rival factions tried to outdo each other by building the tallest tower. The result is a rather curious skyline and a fantastic view from the top of the tallest tower. This we climbed, after grabbing ice-cream (mine was cherry and "baccio", whatever that is!), a total of about 218 steps. It was worth it for the incredible view of the valley we uncovered, as well as a chance to see more of the other towers - some even had tables and chairs on top!
With this view added to our collection (Uttini!), we returned to street level and spent a while longer wandering among the picturesque alleys, before finding a restaurant for lunch. I ended up with some pear juice and a prosciutto ham and brie sandwich, both of which were very refreshing. We also stocked up on water for the journey back, and tried to locate a map shop, with little success! Instead we walked back to the hotel, grabbing pictures of a lizard and grape vines on the way.
Once back, Dad had a siesta and the rest of us changed into swimming gear and went to check out the pool. After getting in my thirty lengths as usual, I took the extra time to update my diary, and soon we were meeting up with the others for aperitifs. Mum had been shopping, so we ate crisps and drank coke under the canopy outside. Apparently the car had some problems with its tyres, so we had to take it to Florence airport to get another one - a long-winded detour meaning we won't get to Siena, but might see more of Florence than we were expecting!
So, when we were satisfied, we entered the restaurant upstairs and sat down at the same table as this morning. We were then presented with some antipasti - some crispy bruscetta, slices of melon wrapped in parma ham, and some kind of mixed up... stuff... with vegetables in which was really interesting, the tomatoes especially flavoursome. This was followed up by an extremely filling risotto (does anyone else find risotto just instantly fills you up?) for primo, and chicken and peas for secondo - I think this is probably one of the few times I've actually enjoyed peas! After a slight pause to let everything go down, we finished our home-cooked meal with some mini tiramisu, which, despite not having as much sponge as I was expecting, was still as rich and gooey as ever.
Having finished the dinner, we briefly stood outside and watched the lights of San Gimignano in the dark, but we were all too full and tired to do any real stargazing. Instead, we chose to return to the hotel and go pretty much straight to bed!

So, the first full day of action over. TOMORROW there's some drama, some travelling, and some new places to visit. You won't want to miss it!
See ya 'round!

Jack

Day 1 - Looking For Solace

Hey gang!
OK, now that I've finished salivating over all the epic new music coming out in the very near future, I guess I should hit you with the first of twenty (yes, TWENTY) diary entries from my Italy holiday diary. I know you hate it when I do waffly intros, but to give you a bit of premise to this adventure, the main part, as you'll see, is set in the same place we stayed last year, so this wasn't particularly new territory to me. Nevertheless, this let me look at everything in more detail than before, when I was trying to take in everything at once! So yeah, I give you Day 1!

Today our adventure began at about ten thirty, when we loaded our bags into the car and began the drive to Gatwick. Despite, several traffic jams, we arrived in the car park roughly on time and caught the coach to the airport itself. Gatwick seemed to me a lot different to other airports, in that we had to go up two storeys to hand over our luggage. Luckily Mum and Dad had checked in online, so the bag drop and security were both generally painless.
Once through to Departures, we went up a level to get a bite of lunch at Eat. I love Eat; they make the best sandwich combinations - today I had ham and some posh cheese, as well as a brilliantly sticky banana and walnut cake! Fueled up, we gave ourselves five more minutes to look around the shops - I tried to find the latest Heroes magazine, but to no avail. Instead, I topped up my phone credit.
Eventually, we made our way painlessly onto Flight BA2562 as we watched the EasyJet passengers getting messed about - that was me a few weeks ago! After a short wait it was our turn to fly, and we were tearing through the clouds once more. Safely in the air, I tucked into my cut-down lunch pack of two sandwiches (yes!), and began to watch Quantum of Solace! Long-term followers will remember that I breivly gave my first thoughts on the latest Bond movie in the very first post, and I can now safely say that it is not as good as Casino Royale. In QoS there's just too much going on at once: as well as the characters themselves suffering from this, you get the impression that they forgot halfway through what the movie was actually about and went off on some massive tangent to rival even my own. Then they realised "Cripes, guys, the whole premise of the movie was supposed to be Vesper's death" and bolted that extra Russia bit on the endto give her plot at least a little closure. In this way, I think it completely failed as a sequel, and the opening was also quite unfulfilling - too many men in suits and cars that all look the same! To a layperson like myself, the only way to tell Bond a part from the others is because 'the car has no door'! I'd like to have seen the car have more use - that's two he's trashed in five minutes of screen time! Even the Ford KA got more exposure!
Anyway, enough ranting, when I was about halfway through the movie, the plane began its descent and before long we were stepping into the terminal at Bologna airport. Sorting car hire is never simple, and today was no exception, as we had to pay extra money or something; I might have got completely the wrong end of the stick as usual! Either way, we eventually climbed into our Ford C-Max (similar to the S-Max at home), Mum and Dad did some car stuff, and I discovered (just my luck) that my door wouldn't open from the inside! Finally, however, we were on our way, taking in the views and trying to listen to the radio which kept going out of range every five minutes or so!
Typically enough, our hotel was hidden away up the second most obscure country lane ever (stay tuned for the first!), so parking was quite tricky, but somehow we found the hotel and unloaded the cases. Rather than having 'rooms' as such, we had individual flats, which was an interesting change. After settling in and dropping our bags, it was time for dinner! Getting the car out of the car park proved to be quite tricky, as the entrance was very tight and steep, but eventually we were heading down the lane to a quaint restaurant on the corner of two quiet roads. It was dark by now and the canopy was lit up around the edge, lending the whole scene a very relaxed feel.
I managed (somehow) to order some food and drink, and before long we were tucking into the first meal of the holiday! I had seafood pasta to begin with, which came with mussels, tasting of the sea as usual, and a garlic-buttery sauce, which is probably murdering my arteries but at least it tasted good! After this I went for the beef steak, which was quite rare, but full of expensive-tasting juices. This came with a traditional Tuscan sauce - cue a few amusing Tusken Raider impressions around the table - which, presumably, had anchovy as its main ingredient, which I wasn't a huge fan of; it had a strange texture, quite gravelly. There was also plenty of spinach - which was today's specialty - roast potatoes and various other roasted vegetables. Together, the whole combination was quite filling, and for once I was gald not to have any pudding.
The waiter unexpectedly offered me some kind of alcoholic drink (Someone better informed will tell me the correct name) and I accepted out of courtesy. We returned to the hotel and briefly stargazed, hoping to catch glimpses of the meteorites which were due to be visible tonight. Unfortunately we didn't see as much as a single sattelite! A while later, we decided it was definitely time for bed!

So there you go. If you thought that was good, firstly, are you feeling alright? And secondly, join me again TOMORROW, when I explore the legendary (ish) town of San Gimignano. Need I say more?
See you then!

Jack

Twenty-Four Seconds

I'm back!
Yep, I've returned from a great time in Italy and can't wait to tell you all about it!! I'll hopefully start posting my diary tomorrow, but for noww I'm gonna take a break to think about some other stuff.
First of all, those who know me well will know that I regard Avril Lavigne's second album, "Under My Skin", as possibly the best album in the world ever. It is a disc that traverses the whole emotional scale, with some of the most memorable tunes and the most epic harmonies, as well as classic pop rock at its heart. In my opinion, anyone not influenced by this album must have a heart of stone.
Anyway, the whole point of me bringing this up is to illustrate the obscure reasoning behind my musical tastes. I mean, yeah, the Funk has a lot to do with it, but that's a more universal concept. What drives me to try all kinds of music is a quest of sorts, to try and find more music as good as "Under My Skin". Some albums have come close, some have been way off, but it seems now that the only record with any hope of knocking Avril's second album off its plinth is... Avril's fourth album!
Yes, the rumours you've heard are all true! Avril Lavigne has a new album set to release in November, and I've been busy scrounging all the information I can find. In my scrounging, I happened across a supposed sample of an upcoming song. I don't know whether it's genuine, but if it is, the fate of my musical quest could soon be sealed. I'm hearing an intro quite Take-Me-Away-esque but with a My World funk to it, and a chord sequence to rival Slipped Away, which remains to date one of the best potential instrumentals in my music library. And.... wait... is that a PIANO in there??? Deep breaths, Jack, deep breaths.
Yeah, I know what you're saying. "How can you dedicate an entire post to 24 seconds of introduction??" Well, the truth is, it's the 24 seconds I've been waiting for ever since the epic fail that was the so-called "Best Damn Thing". I mean, don't get me wrong, by mainstream music standards it was alright, but after "Let Go" and "Under My Skin" it was such a letdown. If Girl-fiend hand't been so darn popular with all the chavs, we could probably have gotten away with brushing 2007 under the carpet, but as it happens the "pink era" will forever be a stain on an otherwise pristine career. With any luck Unnamed Album Number Four will cast all that into shadow aand remind me once again just why Avril Lavigne is my favourite artist. Please?

See ya 'round!

Jack

Wow, check this out!

Look! I'm in Italy! And you're reading abut it! How cool is that??

Not very, I know. But you should really be here. We've visited a town straight out of the medieval times with some of the tallest towers I can see from my window right now (hehehe...). We've seen lizards, counted stairs, eaten ice-creams, stargazed, swam, explored, and that's only the first day!! We've got a whole eighteen more of these to get through! The skies are completely cloudless and the pool is just the right temperature, and we're miles from any main roads - bliss!
Today we visited this amazing town where the rival factions in the town tried to get one up over each other by building towers taller than the others - Well, beats fighting, I guess! Tomorrow we hit Siena on our way to the villa where we'll spend the rest of the holiday, but for now I'm about to head outside and have a glass of coke under the canopy outside. Life doesn't get much better!
Can't promise I'll be able to update this as often in future, but stay tuned for more action and antics in the full diary when I return! Until then, arrivederci!

Jack

Day 6 - The Many Gates Of Tedium

Hey everyone!
So, after a long and excruciating wait, here it finally is. The conclusion to my Madrid work experience diary! I won't waffle on too much, as I'm sure you're eager to get this over and done with so things can return to normality. Enjoy!

Today, our final day in Madrid, was also one of our busiest. After waking and making sure absolutely everything was packed (the usual "check under the beds, check in the shower, check on the balcony" routine), I met up with Vanessa and the teachers, and together we grabbed a bite to eat. As Maddy and Emily didn't have to work today, we allowed them a little time to lie in, and set off for the shop ourselves.
Not much had changed since our last visit, and again we were required to stock up the food shelves from the secret underground base. On top of this, we were also on the hunt for some non-edible bric-a-brac amid the myriad boxes and shelves. Eventually, with the help of another lady whose name I can't remember, we managed to recover most of the things on the list, and these we took to the displays upstairs. Having sorted this, we engaged in a few regular organising tasks again, like re-stacking their T-shirts in size order (the 4-year-old ones were so tiny!) and arranging some more books. That was quite satisfying, if not particularly action-packed.
After a little while, we were let out for a tea break! So we left the store, went 'round the corner to a cool little cafe, ordered drinks and sat outside and people-watched, all on our own! How's that for independence?! We even got mini blue cheese sandwiches and crisps to go with the drinks! So yeah, that was an experience. Some random builders were unloading some kind of metal framework from a lorry, so that was quite funny to watch. Builders are always funny.
So, having enjoyed a glass of Fanta Limon (they don't have proper Lemonade here, it's Sprite or Lemon Fanta), we made our way slowly back to the shop, and set about the task of finding photos to fit in all the shop's picture frames! It was quite good fun going through all the random magazines and cutting stuff up. The little things! So time flew by remarkably fast, and before we knew it we were being collected for the final time. Vanessa made some last-minute purchases, and I was inclined to do the same, but by now I had made up my mind to get a CD from the Fnac, and I was starting to get low on cash.
So we headed back to Sol, and returned to the buffet restaurant from the fourth (Chroniclers will correct me!) night. It was the same old spread, and I filled up knowing that this would probably count for lunch AND dinner. Having done so, and contributed my share to la cuenta, I disappeared into the toilet and returned ina superhero-like manner in a completely different set of clothes! HaHA! With a more relaxed outfit, I rejoined the others, and said goodbye to the twins, who were going to spend even longer in Spain with their family! Lucky people...
Anyway, that left Vanessa and I with enough time to hit the shops again, and though Vanessa managed to get a CD for her Dad, the music I'd had my sights on had gone! As it happens, this was probably just as well, as I Spotified the group when I got back and they weren't all that great after all! Instead, I compromised in buying an Avril Lavigne DVD of her live in Seoul, which you can't get in the UK, I don't think. It has a load of stuff from her second album, which is awesome.
Having completed our final shopping spree, we jumped on the metro which took us right into the heart of the airport! Things were fairly straightofrward, we got into Departures without any problems and managed to spend the last few euros on something to drink, some sweets and a newsaper. Perfect! So we settled down to wait for the plane and soon enough they told us which gate to go to. Well, anyway, when we got there, it was normal enough, only quarter of an hour later, they were still not letting anyone in! It was then that the TV screen decided to tell us that the gate had been swapped with another plane which was going to... somewhere in Germany, I think. So we walked briskly to our new gate, frustrated but otherwise OK.
Another fifteen minutes or so later, it turns out we now had to go to a different gate AGAIN! Not only that, but the new gate was right the way down the other end of the terminal!! Ironically, they had defibrilators stationed at regular points in the new section of the terminal (I think Madrid is the first airport to have them), and I imagine you'd need one if you'd just walked all the way from one end of the building to the other! So, once there, we formed an orderly but disgruntled queue to board the plane... which wasn't even there yet! So more and more time passed, and we got more and more tired, and outside it got darker and darker, until EVENTUALLY, the plane pulled in, calm as you like, and the passengers strolled off at a leisurely pace, and only THEN were we finally allowed to board.
Once free of the melee of boarding, we waited another fifteen minutes while the crew got their act together, and then we were cruising out onto the runway again. Safely in the air, Vanessa and I started watching Indiana Jones, but to be fair I don't think either of us was that interested. In fact, maybe part of it was to do with tiredness, but the middle hour or so of that movie is excruciatingly boring. Everything from the mildly intriguing chase through the university up to when Indy is forced to stare into the skull is just a load of Harrison Ford muttering to himself about some random legends. I mean, in essence, that's what Indy is, and if you've got the patience to persevere then I suppose it's fairly interesting, but it's not as "intense" as Bond or Iron Man. It's more like a Smartie, all the hard, crispy action at the beginning and the end, and just soft chocolate in the middle.
Anyway, as I say, we were both dead on our feet by that stage, and somehow we managed to drag ourselves off the plane and through customs. Through bleary eyes we were finally reunited with the faces of our families. Though everyone had enjoyed the week, I think we were all grateful to finally get a proper night's sleep!

So, there you go! Another adventure over. But fear not, for in just 24 hours, I will be in the beautiful city (town?) of Siena, Italy, beginning yet another diary for you to enjoy! This be a big, juicy beast of two whole weeks, so if I don't lose the plot halfway through, you can look forward to a double-whammy of adventure when I return in September! In the meantime, you should all listen to Muse's new song "Uprising" and "New York" by Paloma Faith (both absolute epics). Keep smiling, and don't do anything I wouldn't do!
See ya 'round!

Jack

Day 5 - Don't Think, Just Buy AGAIN!

Hey gang!
I hope you haven't been too worried about my absence in the last few days... weeks... but I've been so busy with my new job, and various trips out, and just fun (ish) stuff like that. But panic not, I'm back now! So, in a last-ditch attempt to finish the current diary before I go off on my next adventure, AND have time to recap what else has been going on in my absence, here is Day 5 of my Madrid diary.

Today I managed to wake up earlier than the alarm, so I spent my extra time updating the diary, which was looking quite neglected and about two days behind (see, nothing changes!). Having made good progress, I got ready and met up with the others, as usual, Maddy and Emily were about five minutes out of sync with the rest of us, but eventually we got downstairs and had breakfast just outside. The menu was slightly different here, so I went for a toasted croissant (again, for lack of anything more Spanish!) and some orange juice.
No-one had to work today, as it was Sunday, so we all decided to hit the Rastro market. Unfortunately, the downside of being the only guy is that you have to (generally) do what the girls want to do, which I was mostly happy with, but we did pass a couple of interesting music stalls which I didn't get much chance to check out. However, I did get the chance to buy an interesting diary and a birthday present for Mum. The crowds proved to be too much for the girls, and I must admit even I was having a hard time negotiating the warren of stalls. At least in the Souk it was all organised into distinct corridors and passageways. As a result, we retreated to the safety of a nearby cafe, where we later met up with the teachers and one of Miss Tingle's friends from her Uni year abroad (I think). I didn't get much chance to talk to him myself, but it was good just to meet some more Spanish people.
Once he had left, we returned briefly to the Hostal to collect some extra gear, before heading out for lunch. The others, sticking with what they knew, grabbed a sandwich at Pan's, which is fair enough, but Miss Tingle and I, not content to eat at the same place twice, went across the road to the Museo de Jamon - not, in fact, a museum but a chain of shops selling absolutely every kind of ham imaginable! We were pushed for time so didn't have a proper look around, but we grabbed some cheese and ham sandwiches for the brilliant price of just one euro each! These we took away and ate on a random doorstep somewhere, before meeting back up with the others.
We next took a slightly less savory part of the Metro to an outdoor leisure centre where we had a chance to chill out... although perhaps that's not the right word, as even in the shade it was boiling! I didn't have my swimming kit with me, so I used the time to update the diary whilst Vanessa fell asleep sunbathing and the others played in the pool. This kept me occupied for the majority of our time there, although I did have to involve myself eventually in the Spanish revision that was (slowly) being done by the others.
The time whiled away and eventually we made our way back to the hostel. The others were going out shopping, but I decided it would be better for everyone if I stayed in. There are few things that make me feel uncomfortable, but going into posh girls' clothes shops like Zara is one of them. Instead, I began to sort my suitcase out and people-watched until it was time for dinner. One particular trumpeter did a round of the square; he was probably my favourite busker of the trip.
For dinner we headed out to a fairly posh restaurant specialising in Paella, and we also got a jug of Sangria to go with the meal. The paella was the usual mix of unusual flavours and quite filling rice. We managed to convince Vanessa to try her first mussel, while I enjoyed the new experience of crayfish. The conversation was great, everyone having a lot to say. Towards the end of the evening, a week's worth of late nights began to catch up with us and everyone (except for Vanessa, who was buzzing after her nap earlier!) felt exhausted!
Once we had paid la cuenta, we took a circuitous route back to see some of Madrid at night. We also passed a shrimp restaurant, whose popularity was shown by the number of reciepts on the floor - there were a lot, believe me! We also saw someone dancing the flamenco, but we were too tired to stop and watch. Instead, we plodded on to the Hostal, and (most of us!) made our way as quickly as possible to bed.

Phew, that was a busy day. TOMORROW is the end of the trip, but don't think it'll be any less action-packed! More work, more food and the trip home on the (not so) EasyJet! PLUS, will I ever make my mind up about what to buy from the Fnac?? Tune in to find out!

Jack

Day 4 - Loving Every Minute

Hey all!
Just, first things first, the Lighthouse Family reference in the title does have some relevance, and yes, I did have to use Wikipedia to find it. Just so no-one thinks I've started liking Lighthouse Family. Good. OK, no treading water today. You know what this is. Here it comes...

Today it was Maddy and Emily's turn to work, so after breakfast Vanessa and I stayed with Mrs Kelman to pay the bill. With this done, and our hydration levels sufficiently topped up, we headed down the Gran Via to the palace nearby. The walk was quite relaxing, and definitely a wise choice over the frantic Metro. As always, the people-watching was fascinating, especially watching all the tourists making fools of themselves!
The palace itself, whilst not quite as spectacular as the Hermitage, was nevertheless an incredible building, and its gardens were also quite interesting. Strangely, all the shaped hedges had bits sticking out of them - if I was the King, that would annoy me no end! Also, there was a lack of any real colour - it was all greenery and no flowers. However, despite this, it was quite peaceful, and we felt relaxed as we waited for Miss Tingle.
A short whil later she appeared out of the blue, and together we got some ice-cream from the royal heladeria! (That's ice-cream shop, for all you english-speakers). I got 'chocolate truffle' flavour which, to be honest, was just chocolate by any other name. Vanessa's, white chocolate, sounded much tastier, as she described it as "like melthed Milkybar buttons". She'll be a food critic yet! Anyway, as we worked our way through the ice-creams, we walked down past the palace and its neighbouring cathedral, both looking suitably elaborate, but we couldn't tell whether the King was in or not.
So after this, we headed back in the general direction of the shops. Vanessa was in the mood for fashion shopping again, and I didn't have anything better to do, having already hit the Fnac, so I tagged along, and actually () it was quite good fun. We killed some time doing this, and then headed briefly back to the hostel to sort out a few bits and bobs, including giving Vanessa her birthday present! It's a bit early, I know, but I'm not sure I'm going to make her party in the holidays. I don't know if she's opened it yet, but I hope she likes it!
Eventually we met up with the teachers and went to collect Maddy and Emily from the shop. On the way I managed to bore Vanessa to death trying unsuccessfully to find some cheap sunglasses in El Corte Ingles. In the end, we all assembled and went for lunch in the usual place. We managed to eat up most of our provisions, but then got attacked by a pair of wasps who had decided to steal our yoghurts!
With (most of) lunch safely on its way to our tummies, we headed to the bernabeu stadium, home of Real Madrid FC, officially the best football team of the 20th century. And you can see why - rows upon rows upon rows of trophies, of every shape and form! They even had a Real Madrid bible! Half the pitch was being relaid when we were there, so no-one was doing any warm-up exercises. You'll probably know by now that I'm not the biggest football fan in the world, but even I was amazed by the scale of the building and its contents. I couldn't really tell you what was significant and what wasn't, as I wasn't quite sure what to look for, but there was an exhibition about Mr Bernabeu, who designed the stadium. That was quite interesting.
Anyway, it was then back to Gran Via for some retail therapy for the girls. Unfortunately, after some kind of kerfuffle in which I managed to lose Emily along with all faith in my until-now invincible mobile, I ended up at the Hostal and the others ended up in some nice cafe somewhere. Woah, what happened there?? Luckily, after a short wait, we all managed to meet up and my phone started working again, reluctantly (must be going through the grumpy teenager phase). Buildings in the way, that must have been it. So for the rest of the day I was randomly recieving backlogged texts from Vanessa. That was confusing, to say the least!
So, whith the group back together, we left for another local tapas place. This seemed much more traditional than the last one, despite Lighthouse Family murmuring away in the background - cripes, that was a blast from the past! We ordered five or six dishes between us, as well as a jug (or a carafe, whatever) of sangria, which was actually quite enjoyable, considering it was alcohol! I should add it to the list of alcoholic drinks that I like.
It didn't take us long to dismantle the selection. My favourite was the three cheese salad, because it had an curious mix of flavours, but to be honest I could quite happily have eaten more of any of them. Unfortunately, however, it was soon time to pay the bill, and we were moving on. Our next stop was a restaurant specialising in churros! (Pay attention, Mum!) It was relatively quiet when we entered, but apparently it gets busier very late at night. The waiter brough over a plate of churros and a couple of cups of what looked like molten chocolate. This made me grin, as (you may have read!) we saw this sort of "churros chocolate" being made last time I was in Spain. What surprised me was that the churros themselves were straight, whereas I expected them to be more knot-shaped, like a pretzel, I guess. Four things were for sure: They were very rich, very sweet, very fattening - and very tasty!
It took us even less time to devour the pastries, and before we knew it we were retracing our steps to the hostel. As tomorrow was Sunday, we were allowed a lie in, and I adjusted my alarm clock accordingly, before turning out the lights once more.

Wahey, that was quite a fun (and food) filled day, but I'm sure it'll be even better TOMORROW, when we hit the Rastro, Zaraphobia sets in, and (shock horror!) some actual Spaish revision gets done! Don't believe me? Tune in tomorrow!

Jack

P.S. Live, Massa! LIVE!!

Day 3 - Metro, Boulot, Dodo.

Me again, gang!
Sorry about the lack of post yesterday; I was busy failing epically at Wii golf. But it doesn't matter, 'cause I'm back now, and I've brought with me the next instalment in the Madrid diary! I know I promised to stop treading water before each one, but for some reason I can't help it. Never mind, I'll let past me speak for himself.

Today was the day Vanessa and I started work! I woke fairly early and slipped on my smart work kit, before accompanying the otehrs to the same restaurant as yesterday, where I chose to have a pain au chocolat for lack of something more Spanish (they had Churros, but I figured they were more of a desert than a breakfast). The orange juice with it was freshly-squeezed, making it all the more enjoyable! Afterwards, we left the others to pay the bills and took the same Metro line as we had taken yesterday to meet the twins, only this time, there was no chance to dawdle in El Corte Ingles, as we had a job to do! After the short walk up the street, we stepped inside the shop again and were introduced to Susana, the shop manager. Mer and another lady whose name I have forgotten showed us around the various products on sale. The idea of the shop is to promote fair trade by selling products from all over the world, from South America to Saudi Arabia, and of all different shapes and sizes, from jewellery to children's books, which I was tempted to buy and read myself!
Anyway, having been shown briefly around the shop itself, our first job was to bring up more stock from the secret underground base (there really was a secret underground base, honest!), and between Vanessa's brilliant organisational skills and my... um... muscles, perhaps?... we had the job done in no time! Having done that, we were tasked with tidying the various bags on display to look more inviting to customers, and putting the kids' books in a better order (I think Vanessa may have got a little annoyed at my fastidiousness!"No, that one's a different size to that one, so it can't be from the same series...")
Throughout the course of the day, we were introduced to many more names and faces which didn't neccessarily go together. We had tea with maria and discussed school, learnt about what happens to donations with Alicia on reception, and found out more about their various campaigns with tthe important lady whose name I also can't remember! With so many people, it was hard to know what to say to each, but as far as the Spanish was concerned, I managed to understand most of what was being said.
So after we'd met all these people, we were shown how to use the till, which was faairly straightforward, although I've got to remember that when someone buys multiples of an item, it is not enough to simply scan each one individually! I also helped to ensure that the jewellery display was as complete as possible, which took quite a while as there were a lot of boxes! Surprisingly quickly, however, the time had gone, and Miss Tingle was here to collect us.
We said our goodbyes and walked back down the street, meeting up with Maddy, Emily and Mrs Kelman outside El Corte Ingles. We all headed on to the park where we had had lunch yesterday. Lunch today was generally the same as yesterday, some sandwiched, some yoghurt, some fruit and some crisps. When everyone was happy that they'd eaten enough, we metroed (there you go, invented a new word! "To metro". Tick!) up to a fairly nearby swimming pool. It was too busy there to get much done, but I managed to rack up a few lengths before I decided to get out of harm's way and people-watch with Vanessa instead. That was quite relaxing.
So, after a lazy afternoon at the pool, we headed back to the Hostal to freshen up for the evening. At about eight-ish we assembled again and headed out to the cinema to watch Ice Age in Spanish! Having already seen the English version (VO, version original... I think LOVG did a song about that once...), I found it quite easy to follow what was being said. Unfortunately, the Spanish dub for Simon Pegg was rubbish, but apart from that, I'd say they got the voices about right. Sid's was a little deep perhaps, but not noticeably so. One interesting thing was that the movie - which was due to start at quarter past - actually began at half past! More evidence for the mysterious phenomenon that is Spanish Time!
We ended the day in a buffet restaurant, where I enjoyed, among other things, the first squid rings of the trip! I must admit, nothing yet has beaten the Australian ones, but these came close. Once everyone was finished and happy, we took a slow walk back to the hostel, and turned in for the night, well and truly exhausted!

Another day, another..... something beginning with d? Never mind, that was quite an interesting day. If you thought that was it, though, don't get your hopes up, because we're only just halfway through! TOMORROW you can look forward to the royal treatment (again), more retail therapy and a gargantuan gastronomical gamut! Hehehe... I love that word, gamut. I don't use it often enough. Yeah, I know, treading water! 'Night, gang!

Jack