Month: September 2002

Ryan Adam’s Gold is actually a pretty good album. It had a lot of talk behind it and I picked it up a couple of weeks ago. First listen was ok, nothing special to it but a solid album. A couple of more listens and I’m getting behind it a lot more. Still nothing special just a nice little album.

Got some movies to watch tonight (Royal Tenenbaums and Mullholand Drive), picked up my comics including ten back issues of Lucifer so I don’t have to wait for trades. Also bought the newly released Monsters Inc collectors edition DVD so I’ll watch that at some stage over the weekend.

I’m feeling bored despite all that. I don’t have an urge to watch any of the above or to read any of the above at the moment. I don’t have much of an urge to do anything so I’m fucking around online in that hope someone will sign on before I decided to bother to do something.

So I slept in late as planned today and now I have no idea what to do for the rest of the day. I’ve two options springing to mind right now: stay local and go food and comic shopping or head into town and do some comic shopping / other shopping.

I think the former is more likely and considering hitting blockbuster on the way back and having a quiet night in. Not sure if there is anything on in the cinema I want to see. Please hold while I quickly hit Keyword Film, hmm does not seem to be all that much. Checking the Prince Charles. Please hold again. Damn nothing much there either.

I guess I’m gonna stay local then. Grab some breakfast in the place across the road, head up into Clapham Junction, go to Avalon then onto ASDA and lastly Blockbuster. I’m not sure if there is anything out to rent that I really want to see but I can always browse I guess. Only thing with that is it means I have to go back tomorrow and return whatever I get. Still not that much hassle I guess.

Spent last night online talking with a friend after the movie and that was all good. Hoping to get an email from her later today, but could be Monday at this stage.

I’ve been using Waterstones “3 for 2” on books a lot recently. I’ve been buying stuff for a rainy day I guess. I have a stack of about 12 crime novels all by different writers which were in the recommended section for crime. Will start on them at some stage soon, just seemed to be a good opportunity. Monday night I’m gonna be spending some money on books. Raymond Fiest is signing in London and Dave and I are going along. I’m really hoping he has some advance copies of the Special Edition Anniversary edition of Magician, it’s one of my favourite books.
I also have to go and pick up the new book by Chuck Fight Club Palahniuk, Choke I wasn’t too sure on this other books but I’ve heard good things about this one, including from a guy in work who has very similar reading tastes to mine (we swop comics a lot).

Quietish Friday night. Went for a couple of drinks and dinner with some of the guys from work and then onto the cinema to see The Bourne Identity which was pretty good. Fairly solid spy thriller well executed. It was a good evening with some good laughs. More later maybe.

So I’m officially not going to be spending the extended period in the US which had been planned. I had a meeting earlier in the week and pulled out of the trip for personal reasons. Those being I’m going back to college in about 3 weeks time. I even get to study what I want to study and two nights a week (plus a week full work in a lab) will get me a decent Diploma in it in less than 18 months.

I’m annoyed I’ve gone and left The Rising in my cd-rom drive in work so I have to do without for the weekend.

Also, not going climbing tomorrow for various reasons. Looks like it will be Saturday week now.

I don’t remember how I felt
I never thought I’d live
To read about myself
In my hometown paper
How my brave young life
Was forever changed
I a misty cloud of pink vapor

Darlin’ give me your kiss
Only understand
I am, the nothing man

Around here, everybody acts the same
Around here, everybody acts like nothing’s changed
Friday night, the club meets at Al’s Barbecue
The sky’s still, the same unbelievable blue

Darlin’ give me your kiss
Come and take my hand
I am, the nothing man

You can call me Joe
Buy me a drink and shake my hand
You want courage
I’ll show you courage you can understand
The pearl and silver
Restin’ on my night table
It’s just me Lord, pray I’m able

Darlin, with this kiss
Say you understand
I am, the nothing man
I am, the nothing man

I should have been in at 9. Tickets are sold out 🙁

Mike Carey’s Lucifer is quite simply one of the best comics out there these days. I’m quite sorry I’m only getting it in collected editions. I want more. As its a Sandman spin-off it always had the potential to be really good, but most other spin-offs have not managed this.

I picked up the first collection a while ago and I will admit I was not overly impressed. I was happy enough to pick up the second trade. That impressed me. It is generally considered to be in the middle of that book where the series really takes off. The third collection is just fantastic. You’ve gotta read them all though. They are all tied together and if you stick with it, you will be rewarded. I am eagerly anticipating the fourth collection.

So I picked up the Lucifer: Nirvana 48 page painted one shot today. It was a pretty damn good read with some really great art. The art standard is generally pretty high and it really shows the character as he should be.

A bad motherfucker but sexy as all fuck at the same time. He is dangerous, manipulative, honourable in his own way and he just exudes confidence, power, charisma and supreme coolness. Ah the word I have been searching for, presence. The man has presence.

The Angel Michael is addressing Lucifer at the climax of the story and I just love his line
“As always brother, you confound conventional mortality. You casually slaughter seven thousand people…and thereby you save a thousand million.”

A couple of pages before, there is a fantastic image of Lucifer walking through fire an enemy has cast at him. Its not a very detailed picture, but the caption along with his face says it all.
“Fire? against me.”?

Its just really well done. It is a damn smart book with a lot going on and a huge amount of respect for the material and for the reader. If you liked Sandman you should read this, if you liked the character of Lucifer from Sandman you have no excuse not to be reading this.

So it went well. I have a lot more options than I thought. I’m thinking about stuff. No comment for now, once I’ve thought about it I will post.

I have to be in work early in the morning. Springsteen tickets go on sale at 9.30 and I want decent tickets.

And I fucking hate people. What in the hell gives ANYONE the right to stop someone in the street and give them grief. Sure you can take note of the pretty girl sitting at the bus stop, you can probably even stop and enjoy the view a little but what the fuck gives you the right to bother her? Fucking degenerate scum. And as for the “people” standing by and just watching it happen. I fucking hope you are ashamed of yourself. Ignorant pricks.

I’m heading off for the afternoon to this open day. Hopefully its gonna go well.

I don’t know. Three little words can say so much or so very little. I don’t like them in quite a few contexts, I often hate having to say them. Other times I don’t mind. Right now I think I could answer any question at all with them. I’m pretty tired, I’m not sure why. I’ve had more sleep than usual each night for the past five or six. I even managed to sleep in late this morning and was late for work…again.

Gotta really work on that. I’ve been doing a lot better recently, but can’t just take it as it comes if I want to adjust my working hours.

I feel restricted a lot more here these days. For various reasons I don’t talk about some stuff here. Ya know when it was just me and the world it was a little easier. Its not that I’m hiding anything (well of course I am but not in this case) but I can’t necessarily talk about a conversation I had with a friend or some thoughts I have about someone when mutual friends of ours are reading it. Its just limiting. I suspect I’d talk a lot more about work, in specific some “interpersonal relationships” (blahblahblah) going on but its just not gonna happen. I guess I’m back to the whole thing of where I want to use this as a diary and write my thoughts down but I can’t let anyone read them. Yes, damn it I know I’m hung up about this. Fuck you 🙂

All of you blog more. I need something to read.

Work is kinda strange. There isn’t much to do at the mo and it is really getting to me. There is also strange atmosphere at the moment, I have no idea what it is but something just feels out of place. There was an event yesterday afternoon which had me close to hysterics for a few minutes and indeed the people who I shared it with were in the same situation but not really that much laughter this week. Although it must be said that one item makes up for a hell of a lot.

Went out for a couple of drinks after work with some of the guys, grabbed some food as well but an early and quiet night in all. I’m going climbing with some people on Saturday afternoon and I’m starting to look forward to that a lot.

Found a package at my desk when I got in this morning, I had completely forgotten I pre-ordered Blade II, so another DVD to add to the must watch pile.

I’ve been listening to The Rising, Springsteen’s latest album a few times over the past couple of days. Everything I have heard about it has mentioned September 11 in some way, how much it influenced him or that it is his post 11/9 album. Listening last night I only realised how true it is. I have absolutely no idea how to explain this in words, but listen to it and listen to his words and you’ll hear it too. I like this lyric a lot, its delivered so very well. From Nothing Man:

Buy me a drink and shake my hand
You want courage
I’ll show you courage you can understand

In particular the last line, listen for it. Its delivered with this unmistakable “Don’t mess with me motherfucker” attitude but done so simply it doesn’t need anything else, you just believe it.