Month: February 2003

Ev talks about Google & Pyra.

Congestion charging starts in the morning. I wonder how it will affect me getting to work. I am allowing more time and going to bed now. Hopefully it will be ok. I’m in training with Iain all day. And thats enough said on that.

Harsh, but fair

Its just after two on Sunday afternoon, and I’m just out of bed. That’s two nights in a row I’ve not been in bed until after 4am. Got out to Iain’s around seven with the intent of helping him set up to find it was all done. Nicely timed on my part or what! Anyway the party kicked off and there was lots of laughing, joking and drinking (déjà vu much?), perhaps a little too much laughing but *shrug*.

So to go off in some tangents. I realised something really clearly on Friday night and had it reinforced even more last night. I enjoy writing here and I often look forward to it. When I was out on Friday night at one stage in the night I was thinking about what I would blog about it and when I thought of the title I was going to use, it all fell into place. Same again last night, thinking about what I was going to say well in beforehand and having the title come up. So yeah, I like writing here a lot.

I sent an email during the week to a lot of people who are suppose to be helping. Well, they were quite prepared to help but with some prerequisites. I wasn’t happy and we sent back an email saying no, then they asked why not. Well, it fell to me to reply to that one and I typed up an email. I knew the first draft of it was too aggressive and I had Dave read over it before I sent it. There was one line which I knew would have to be changed and it was. I was kinda surprised the rest was not. So I changed the line and sent the mail. I was so caught up in it I forgot to sign the mail and I’m pretty pissed off with myself about that. It ends now on a very harsh note without anything after that, which was not what I wanted. Well, it was, but I wanted to be a little more subtle. I was however quite gratified to get a private reply to it from Iain quoting my list line with the comment ‘Harsh, but fair’. That’s really been the theme of the week.

I’m listening to Zwan’s Mary Star of The Sea and it isn’t bad but it is lacking. Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin seem to be covering the same ground as the early Smashing Pumpkins albums and not even coming near to the glory of their later stuff. I am enjoying it (but then again I’ve always like Billy Corgan’s voice) but I’m hoping they can take it to the next level.

I remember having a conversation with Iain a while ago where I told him he had taken something way too seriously and it was certainly nothing that significant. At the time it was not a lie or at least I didn’t think it was. These days it would be a complete lie.

I had the strangest dreams last night. I know where some of them came in from and that’s a little worrying. I hadn’t realised it was as much a concern as to enter my dreams like that.

Somewhat in a direct connection from the last couple of lines, this blog would be far more complete if you were not reading it. Interesting huh? If there was no-one reading, then there would be nothing to hide and the typing would have so much more details in some cases. You have only yourself to blame for this.

Gah. Going to watch Buffy. More after.

Lonely Hearts Club.

Yesterday was St. Valentine’s day, so of course around the world people did everything that comes with that. This meant a somewhat dwindled presence down the pub last night…or so I expected. Well, things would turn out a little differently. Headed to the Firkin after work for some drinks with a couple of the guys. Got there to find three groupings of people from work there already. By the end of the night, this turned into one large grouping around the pool table, laughing joking and drinking. It was a hell of a lot of fun along side an added bonus.

As the night was beginning to draw to a close a certain person who shall remain nameless made a suggestion that we continue on in the Hilton bar. At first I was going to give this a miss, but he managed to round up a couple of other people and well I just had to go along. The night only got better from that point on. We stayed there until sometime after 2am chatting away. I had a really really good night and one that could perhaps reverberate for a while. I’m going to see Donnie Darko in the PCC on Tuesday night and I guess I shall just have to see how that is affected.

Today I had planned on joining the Peace march through London with my camera. Unfortunately I slept straight through until half one and by that stage there was no way to get into the city centre to join the march. Tube stations were closed and buses were not running so I wandered along King’s Road instead, picked up a couple of books and a birthday present for Iain.

Which leads us nicely into plans for tonight. I’m going around to Iain’s for his birthday party. I’ve been the past couple of years and had fun nights both times. So going to pack some beer and vodka into a bag and head out there at 6ish. Our bathroom flooded yesterday, not badly but I’m at home waiting on the plumber now. The kitchen is almost done. Its completly useable, but it is going to be another two weeks before they can come back to finish off the last bits and pieces. So it’s not ideal but soon it will all be over.

I am now left wondering about the possibilities of parole.

DareDevil.

Headed out to Streatham in the wilderness last night with Iain and Nick to see Daredevil. Had a quick drink and some food before hand and then a quickmarch to the cinema to just make it on time. The movie itself was ok. Overall it was very underwhealming. There were too many characters. Elektra just didn’t fit in. They could have nicely set up the next movie with her in mind. Affleck was not great and never fully convinced me he was Matt Murdock / Daredevil. Ditto for Jennifer Garner, she came across as very wooden and completely lack in charisma. Perhaps that was spot on, but it didn’t work in the movie context. Michael Clarke Duncan was excellent. Spot on in every way. He was Kingpin with absolutely no doubt and a scary motherfucker too.

Colin Farrell however steals the movie and every single scene he is in. Completely over the top insane and fun! He kills with a peanut for fuck sake. The glass in the church is excellent and a real nice touch. That alongside the flotation tank were lovely little add ons which worked perfectly. The other thing which worked amazingly well was DD’s ‘sight’. It was really well done and conveyed his sense really well.

Overall it was too much and too little at the same time. There was no need for Elektra in the movie, and it could have lived without Bullseye too. For a kick off franchise movie, Daredevil vs Kingpin running alongside Matt Murdock vs. Wilson Fisk would have been far better. Then the next move introduce Elektra and Bullseye and build up to her death (and she better be fucking dead) in the third one. But then again what do I know? I did feel that at times there wasn’t all that much story to it, it felt kinda forced but I guess it works from the source.

One thing I have to note and praise is that every single time someone got the chance to unmask Daredevil, they DID! It was a nice change from many another movie. Overall, enjoyable and worth seeing but perhaps a lost opportunity.

I’m going to see Daredevil with Iain and Nick tonight. I had been looking forward to the movie a lot, and indeed I still am, but right now I’m just not in the mood. I could take a few guesses why but probably best not to. Just got access to the official Sigur Ros FTP where I am grabbing an entire gig from late last year. I wonder if they’ll have last nights up there at anytime. I would love to have a copy of that.

There is only one thing keeping me sane today; music. I was in a foul mood when I left work last night. I was angry and upset, really angry. All that passed when I got to the Apollo and for the rest of the night it was all out of my mind. Today I’m in work and well things are not ideal, but I’m listening to Sigur Ros and it makes everything so much better.

Today I find I have a much greater appreciation for ( ). It holds so much more meaning, power and emotion behind it. It’s beautiful and I’m sitting here listening to it and that alone makes things better.

There are times when confidence is called for. There are some things which everyone has to be confident about, they may only be small things but you know you can do them. Anyways it worked out and while it was not a piece of cake..well it pretty much was actually. Some things I know and I understand and they come to me pretty easily.

It is good to know there are things like that, it kinda helps add a little balance to the scale.

I’m reading Lucky Man, Michael J. Fox’s autobiography. I’m about 100 pages in and I’m really enjoying it. Angel continues to rock, 24 was ok, the trailer for next weeks looks better.

And lastly on the good news front deadline pressure has passed…for now.