…the one problem with the Caesar in Gaul doco is that the dude speaking as Vercingetorix looks like Hugh Grant, but even more horsey; he has terrible teeth, but he talks in such a way as to keep showing them. Urgh.

I’m watching some docos this afternoon, which I’ve had on tape for a while now.

First, SBS’ “As it happened: Peasants and Nobles.” It wasn’t bad, although I have to say that it wasn’t as focussed as I would have liked. I was anticipating more discussion on the lives of the two groups, the cross-over and similiarities… and that was there, a bit. But, although I found the discussion of the Swiss v Hapsburgs stuff interesting, I didn’t really think it fit with the topic! I’ll still be able to use maybe half of it, though.

Right now, one on Caesar in Gaul. I quite the idea of the historian and archaeologist playing Vercingetorix (sp??) and Caesar, talking through the tactics and intent of each man – it’s something that could easily have become tacky, but I think they’ve managed to do it in an engaging and even proud way. It’s a really interesting doco, actually; I don’t know enough about his campaign in Gaul to be able to figure out whether it’s white-washed or airbrushed, but it seems to be reasonable.

I also have a doco on Carthage somewhere, but I don’t think I’ll get around to that today, since we’re off to see the opening night of Macbeth tonight, at a fundraiser for Antithesis, Melb Uni’s postgrad group. Should be fun!

So yes, we’re a bit sad, but we are watching “20 to 1” on the teev. An what I wonder, and what I’ve always wondered, is exactly who gets to decide what order these things appear in? Who decides that the story of scuba drivers getting left behind is lower in the rankings than the story of Bigfoot? Or that the question of Marilyn Monroe’s death is less intriguing than whether ghosts actually exist?

So there are a bunch of Greeks who have re-created the Argo, using only what they hope are original-type tools, who want to head for Colchis. They’re calling for volunteers to row the thing for 2.5 months, possibly up to 15 hours per day.

The problem I have with this is that Tim Severin did the Jason voyage (name of the book, just by the way) a number of years ago now. So it’s not a new idea in the slightest. Although, as the Ma points out, this time it’s the Greeks doing it, recreating some of their own culture.

House actually is Holmes, for a new generation:

1. Drug habit
2. Musical
3. Sidekicks
4. Obscure to the point of nonsense until all is revealed
5. Solving mysteries

Just what the world needs: yet another musical James Morrison. There was a poster up at Borders advertising some new dude who apparently went to #1 in the UK.

J could only think of the trumpeter. Of course. He also claims that Jim Morrison doesn’t count, because he wasn’t known as James. Pft.

That’s a bit of a spoiler – the title I mean – but it is the title of the book.

Finally, Catherine Jinks has released another book in her fabulous Pagan series (a fifth). This one is, I guess, an epilogue or coda, as (here’s another spoiler) Pagan himself isn’t actually in it. But Jinks is obviously a fan of the nature over nurture argument (although, now I think about it, there are similarities in the way both Pagan and his daughter have been brought up…), as Babylonne manages to be quite similar to Pagan without his influence.

School bought the book, and I snaffled it for the holidays. Sorry, whoever else might have wanted it… I could always take it back today, I guess: I read it in 4 hours last night. I love her style – present tense must get so difficult sometimes! No hindsight! But it does make for a wonderfully immediate story.

I will have to find and re-read the first four now.