Clown and Jiggler on Tour!

Well here I am playing catch up again. I really don’t know where the time goes. I think only a day or so has gone by and then I realise I haven’t updated for a week.

I have this weekend off from the pub (yippee!) and I’m finally going to do a bit of crafting for the first time in ages. With the exception of a few (generally late) birthday cards I have done nothing in the way of scrapbooking or the like since the last cyber crop. However, this weekend Shazzer and I (along with Missy and Fluzzie) are heading to Alexander Palace for the Big Stamp and Scrapbooking Show. I am expecting a laughter filled weekend, full of classes, drinking and shopping – not necessarily in that order (although I am NOT buying anything – I have FAR too much stash already!)

Unsurprisingly, Shazzer and I picked almost all the same classes, so on Saturday we’re doing Twinkle Twinkle (her) & Vintage Elegance (me) and a water colouring class. On Sunday we’re doing Festive Fun, My Favourite Thing, Christmas Pearl Delight and Hitting the Bottle. We had originally expected to do 3 classes each day but the one we wanted on Saturday was full so we had to switch to Sunday. I am really looking forward to the weekend especially as it’s been far too long since I last saw Shazzer.

UKS is 5 years old and is of course celebrating by holding a cyber crop (I haven’t checked the forum out properly yet but I’m sure it’s next weekend). The theme is (as if there could be any doubt) Birthday party and so the teams are related in some way. As usual there are 4 teams, the jiggly jellies, the clowns & balloons, the party puddings and the completely crackers. Also as usual Shazzer and I ended up on completely different teams – she’s a clown and I’m a jiggler, hence the title of today’s post.

I am sure cyber crop madness will follow shortly, although I may have to resort to some real life scrapping as I still haven’t managed to sort out Publisher since I tinkered with my computer a few weeks ago (I really MUST learn to stop doing that). I desperately want to do some digi scrapping as I now have hundreds (quite literally) of fantastic photos from my sisters wedding since she kindly sent me all of Gerard’s and the official photographers photos and I find it so much easier, quicker and tidier to do it digi. Of course if I go for the real life scrapping then I suppose at least I’ll use up some of that massive pile of stash which is threatening to completely engulf the lounge and have a chance to fill one of the many scrapbook albums I’ve been hoarding *LOL*

I want to recommend the film ‘Snow Cake’ starring (yep I bet you’d already guessed) Alan Rickman and Sigourney Weaver. So desperate was I to get my hands on this film I ended up with a Polish copy and it took me some 20 minutes to work out how to turn off the subtitles. It was definitely worth the trouble. Sigourney gives a fantastic performance as a high functioning autistic woman and Alan is lovely as Alex the traumatized driver of a car which killed her daughter. The film is by turns sad, funny, poignant and yet never overwhelms. Definitely a recommendation from me for what must be one of Rickman’s best films yet. I was also lucky enough to find on the internet Anthony Minghella’s ‘Play’ which was part of the ‘Beckett on Film’ set. This was an odd little piece also starring Juliet Stevenson and Kristen Scott Thomas as urn people, which I actually strangely rather enjoyed. I am now waiting for ‘Dark Harbor’ and ‘The Search for John Gissing’ which are both winging their way to me from the US and ‘Judas Kiss’ which is on it’s way from Holland.

Finally just wanted to say a quick Happy 40th Birthday to my mate Andrew. We’re off to the pub to celebrate later so I’m sure he’ll be having a good day!

More Films

So my week has again revolved around films. Lynne and I went to see 'Atonement' on Wednesday evening and I can honestly say I was disappointed. I found it a very tedious and worthy film, with very little plot and what there was of it was pretty confusing. Gratuitous WW2 scenes really didn't help and I found myself sighing several times throughout the evening, which did seem to go very slowly. The last time I saw a film this bad was 'Meet Joe Black' - I am pretty sure that Lynne would agree and knows where I'm coming from on that. Sorry I definitely wouldn't recommend this one.

Also VERY disappointing to me was seeing the trailer for the Dark is Rising film. I previously mentioned how I loved the Dark is Rising sequence books - in fact I think I would have to admit to loving them MORE than Harry Potter and have been a devoted follower for the last 30 odd years. Like HP, the books are quintessentially British stories, made up by wonderful mixture of modern storytelling interwoven with Arthurian, Merlin, Lost Land and other legends - a true battle of the dark and light. I and I am sure many thousands of other readers have always thought that they would make for a fantastic series of films on a par with HP or LOTR. Unfortunately, the film soon to be released is not it. Having completely ignored the first book in the series 'Under Sea and Over Stone' they have moved onto the second story 'The Dark Is Rising'. Of course in true Hollywood style they have renamed it 'The Seeker: Dark is Rising' and changed the setting from Britain to the US. They have completely changed the alliances of the characters, have completely changed the plot, and for some strange reason have (completely mis)cast Ian McShane as Merriman. From what I can see from the trailer very little of the original story appears to be intact. Obviously I should boycott the film as it is so different from the books I know and love. Of course in reality I am sure I will end up seeing it at some point, and will just have to try and forget that it is associated with some of the best children's fiction ever written and take it on face value as just a film.

On a better note I also saw two new (for me) Alan Rickman films - 'Mesmer' which was a pretty good biography on Franz Anton Mesmer (just imagine how mesmerising Alan can be) and a fantastic film called 'Something the Lord Made' which was about the work of Dr Alfred Blalock and Dr Vivien Thomas on blue babies. This was a real tearjerker and so well acted, not just by Alan but also by Mos Def, the other main protagonist. I am now looking forward to getting 'The Search for John Gissing' which has finally made it onto international video release.

A filmic weekend

So my Alan Rickman appreciation continues. This weekend I have watched 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves', 'Love Actually' again (my excuse is that Andrea hadn't seen it), 'Barchester Chronicles', the fabulously funny 'Galaxy Quest' and a strange and unsettling (although rather good I thought) little film called 'Closet Land'. I've found out that the eagerly anticipated operatic version of 'Sweeney Todd' starring Johnny Depp, Alan Rickman and Helena Bonham Carter is due to be released on my birthday so at least I know what I'll be doing that day!

In fact there are several films out during the next few months that I am really looking forward to seeing - firstly 'Atonement' which is out this week. I am excitedly awaiting the release of the first of the 'Dark is Rising' films finally (I have loved these books for so many years and always thought they would make great films) on 12th October. This is followed by Neil Gaiman's 'Stardust' on the 19th October and finally the 'The Golden Compass' the first part of Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy (completely awesome books) on 7th December.

Kiefer vs Alan

Although Kiefer is obviously my first love (and I really enjoyed watcing him in 'The Sentinel' last weekend), at the moment he is having serious competition from Alan Rickman. I am still working through my Snape addiction with the fanfic on Occlumency and rewatching the Harry Potter films stirred up the need to see more of him. So I started with Love Actually. Then I dug out my well watched copy of 'Truly, Madly, Deeply' which is without doubt one of the finest love films ever made and sobbed my way through it (like I always do). I followed this up with 'Sense and Sensibility' which is always a pleasure to watch, as much for Hugh Grant looking uncomfortable in period costume as for the gorgeous Colonel Brandon. I also finally saw 'An Awfully Big Adventure' which was a strangely beautiful and tragic film (yes yet more tears). Tonight I watched 'Dogma' which is a truly funny film (no tears for a change).

Whilst checking out all things Rickman I found this video for the song 'In Demand' by Texas. I had never seen this before but then I'm not really a Texas fan. However, I can watch this video again and again. Just how sexy is that man?

Grrrr to the NHS

Feeling a bit cheesed off with the NHS today. Since the day I got back from holiday I have been having a problem with my right hand. The little finger has permanent pins and needles which stretch down the length of my hand, through my wrist and a pain runs up to my elbow. To begin with I assumed that I had somehow managed to trap a nerve whilst carrying my luggage and that it would soon get back to normal. A week or so passed and there was no sign of it getting better, in fact if anything it was getting worse to the stage where the part of my hand that tingles is also quite numb. Of course I kept convincing myself that it would improve but the pins and needles have started to spread to the next finger. On top of this I now find it hard to use the hand for many everyday things (a pain being right handed). Turning the key in the door or car is a major effort and even holding things is difficult. Add to that the fact that sometimes it is just downright achy and painful. It has got to the stage where I have to wear a wrist support to stop the pain and to give me a little extra help with things like opening doors. I even had to wear it to work at the pub as I was having trouble carrying glasses without it.

Finally I stopped being pig headed and decided to go and see the doctor. To be honest I kept putting it off because it seemed such a stupid thing to see him about, but the increase in pain and lack of mobility goaded me into action.

So yesterday morning I phoned the doctors to make an appointment. Now obviously i didn't expect to get to see my doctor as he is very popular and gets booked up well in advance, although sometimes one can get lucky. However, the receptionist immediately told me that there were no appointments for that day at all (apparently the child population of Walderslade all went sick on the first day back to school) and that the next routine appointment she could give me would be for Wednesday 12th September - yep you heard right a week away!

I did enquire about seeing my doctor but was told there was a 5 week wait to see him. So I have booked the appointment for the 12th and have to hope that it doesn't get any worse in the meantime. Of course I could always phone the doctors every morning at 8.30am between now and then and see if I can get an earlier appointment, but that seems like a lot of hard work for little reward.

Frustrating Times

I am currently very frustrated with my brain. For years I've had a great memory, I rarely needed a diary and had little trouble recalling events that had happened days, weeks, months or even years before. This is no longer the case. I don't know when it began (I've forgotten?) but I can no longer remember things. If they aren't written in my diary they don't happen. Worse still if I forget to look in my diary, then even if they're written down they still don't happen - I have missed hairdressing appointments, even a doctors appointment once and every single birthday that I should be celebrating.

I always mean to be organised and get the birthday cards sent and then something happens and I completely forget there are birthdays until its too late and I've missed them.

This week I've missed 3 - Anna, Am and my dad (I caught Fi's but only by a fluke). So happy belated birthday to all of you. Cards are on their way (or may have even arrived by now). The only solace I can offer is that you're not alone. Everyone else I know has received their cards late this year too.

Of course to add to the frustration technology is letting me down too. OK so I missed sending the birthday card on time - not a problem I can e-mail one. It's instant(ish) and will at least arrive on the birthday. Apparently not. From messages I have received the e-card never arrived, and now I find I am having huge problems with my e-mail account and can't send any replies to discover if the card has finally arrived.

Dad I really hope that you got your e-card, and hopefully Andrea will give you your real card soon too.