Beck
While I’m at it I might as well rave that I also am really enjoying Beck’s new album, Guero (which I believe is Mexican slang for ‘white boy’, in a bit of a nasty way). It’s cool – has a range of different sounds in the songs, including some with awesome bass bits, which Beck apparently plays himself, along with the guitar. J thinks that he sounds a bit whiney, but I must disagree. I’ve always liked Beck, ever since he did the theme song for An Ordinary Life, which was a fantastic film that didn’t get the exposure I thought it deserved.
Anyway, so I am expanding my musical horizons.
Led Zeppelin
I just created a new category simply because I want to rave about Led Zeppelin. So, SO cool! I could listen to Led Zeppelin all day and not get bored. In fact, I think I could listen just to Kashmir all day and not get bored – well, not too bored.
How did someone who was barely born in the Led Zep era get so obsessive? Blame the show Dancing in the Streets that was shown on the ABC when I was in Year 12. I loved that show; sucked it up be the strawful; and was heavily influenced. As a consequence, I like Johnny Lee Hooker; I really like Cream; and I love Led Zep. I nearly staed home this weekend just to go to Let’s Zep, a Led Zeppelin tribute band, playing at a pub in Carlton.
I bought the DVD of Robert Plant and Jimmy Page doing MTV in 1995 a couple of weeks ago – I already had the album: wow. Amazing. Sad that Page got ugly, but Plant doesn’t look much different, only older. They did four new songs for the album, and they’re just about my favourites on the whole thing. I also got the Led Zep double DVD of them at 5 or 6 different concerts, plus some TV footage etc. I’ve only watched a little bit of that, since I haven’t really had 5 or so spare hours recently and I figure I should at least watch the entirety of each concert in one sitting, or if remotely possible the entire thing (chances?).
On top of those, I bought Robert Plant’s new album, which I actually haven’t got around to listening to yet; what an indictment. I like that he is still doing stuff – and quite different stuff, I think.
So. Yay. Led Zeppelin.
Deathstalker/Long weekend
Ok, so… in Lorne for the loong weekend, and I didn’t leave the house in about 48 hours. That’s not to say I didn’t go outside – I did, they have a perfectly lovely balcony. We dragged cushions out there and slept for a bit in the sun on Saturday afternoon; it was great.
Anyway, I started my third book of the weekend this morning. The first two were the Deathstalkers I mentioned. Really good. The book – even two books – before, I was getting a little bit distressed that maybe, just maybe, he was losing The Touch a bit; he was repeating stuff in the same book, whole phrases in fact (which is fine if it’s a character’s catch phrase, but when it’s the narrator describing something, I’m not such a fan), and I was getting a bit narked. But never fear – these were really well written, so it’s all good. Except… yes… I realised when I got home that I have not, as previously thought, bought all of the next books. I have Deathstalker Prelude, which I am looking forward to reading, but I don’t have the one after Deathstalker Legacy, which is making me a bit mad. But the Readers’ Feast night is coming up, so I’m not that fussed… they will soon be in my grubby little hands.
Bromeliads
I bought two new little ones at the Garden Show, which is exciting – they’re very hardy, so hopefully I won’t kill them. The one Kate gave me seems to like me – it now has its second shoot (I think they’re officially bracts), which is sooo cool. The first shoot still hasn’t had a flower; I’m hoping this will happen sometime. I’m also hoping that I have got three with completely different flowers, because that would be great.
Hitchhikers’ Guide
I liked it. I don’t really mind that much that they changed the story a bit – even putting in new bits – because the story is so completely flipped out that it would be impossible to film in the first place, and then no one would go and see even if it was filmed except for the really hard-core Adams fans, and most of them would be likely to be disappointed anyway. So, my thought is, at least this way they would have got a pretty good audience of both Adams-nuts and others, which might in turn get more people reading the books, which is all good.
I liked Jon Malkovitch is Harma Kavula. He was cool. And the guy who played Zaphod – so, so perfect.
Deathstalker issues
Well, I finally – finally! – found Deathstalker War, the third in the series, which it took me absolutely ages to find. I read it… and then realised that I did not, as previously thought, have the fourth. More frustrations, but thankfully this one was infinitely easier to find.
The Back Story: I read Deathstalker ages ago, maybe 18 months or something. I loved it, but I couldn’t find the second, Deathstalker Rebellion, for ages. Then I found it – and about 3 others in the series, which I figured I ought to get too – but couldn’t find the third. I tried the usual places… and then realised that I hadn’t been to Minotaur, because the only other time I had dared got there I nearly cried and had to tear myself away from the place before I lost all my money. Anyway, I braved that most dangerous of places, and it was there – hurrah! So I got it, and read it. Then the above saga happened.
Regular Programme: Anyway, I was reading another book when I found the fourth (which doesn’t usually stop me, but it was really good; I’llpost about it later when I remember the author’s name), soI get to start it this weekend – a long weekend – yippee! Much excitement. And I noticed, when I was at Reader’s Feast buying said fourth book, that there is another Deathstalker book, which I don’t have, that is still in large paperback! So I wonder if he is still pushing them out… he’ll have to run out of steam, though, just from what I’ve sneaked on the backs of the books I haven’t got up to yet (yes, I actually bought books I hadn’t read the blurb of; you can’t read the blurb of a story two books removed from where you’re up to, it’s immoral!)
The West Wing
As we were with 24, so we are now with The West Wing. We bought the first half of the first season for David for his birthday; we watched all 11 episodes in less than 24 hours (they are only 40 minutes each) and had to go and buy the full thing. Then J got the second and third seasons for his birthday. On Wednesday night, we reached the end of the third season. So yesterday, J bought series four and five. Hoorah! It’s such a great show – I had often thought it would be good to get into, but it was generally on so late at night here that I couldn’t be bothered. It’s got such clever characterisation, and the story lines are fantastic – it does make me even more worried that real life might actually be like that.
Anyway, we are now Bartlett for President people. And I see no problem in that.
Fish stories
Well, it has been a while…
It must have been a few weeks ago now that I got them, because 8 rainbow widows (a type of tetra) are now in the main tank; the 10 glowlight tetras could also be in there, but I’ve left them in the qt. I like the widows a lot; I think they’re quite a pretty pink. A couple are a bit runty, so I hope they come through all right.
On the weekend, we decided to get some more; it was exciting… the tank is still a bit bare, I feel. Got two itty-bitty bristlenoses, who are really cute; 10 more neons, because J is obsessed; and three expensive little cloaches, again because J is a bit obsessed. However… tonight, all of a sudden, there seems to be a dying cloach, which is a bit tragic. We wonder now whether the cloaches should have gone straight into the main tank, as being much more mature than the qt; too late to second guess ourselves now, although I have moved one of the healthier cloaches over tonight. The only reason I haven’t moved the other one is that I can’t actually find it when I want to! Weird. And slightly disturbing.
Here’s hoping that I have two cloaches left tomorrow, and that they last a long time.
CulturalAlex
I have been a very cultural girl the last two days.
Beowulf
Last night I went to see David Malikoff’s one-man performance of the poem, mostly using Raffell’s (I think that’s right) translation. It was very impressive; he was exceptioanlly good at changing voices and stances to indicate different characters. I have only ever read an abridged version of the poem, and it probably wasn’t a very good translation; I think I will have to remedy the situation. He really made it come alive.
Shakespeare’s Villains
I didn’t really know what this was going to be like, but I should have paid more attention to the subtitle and got an idea: “A Masterclass in Evil”. That’s what it was; rather simply doing various soliloquys, which I was worried would be boring, he also commentated on the villains and the plays and the nature of evil and villainy themselves. Stephen Berkoff was amazing. David M was good; he was brilliant. He did Iago (mediocre); Richard III (genius); Macbeth (wannabe) and his Lady; Shylock; Hamlet; Coriolanus; and finally Oberon. I think the highlight probably was the scene between Macbeth and Lady M plotting Duncan’s death (drifting in and out of a ridiculously strong Scottish accent), although Hamlet and Gertrude in the bedchamber came a close second. I will never look the same on some of these characters again.
And in between, I saw my Nana and two of her brothers, which was a very pleasant interlude indeed.
Randomly Yours, Alex 