Alphabet Soup

A. Attached or Single? Attached, which I still haven't got used to. I haven't had a girlfriend since I was fourteen, so I'm not sure what to do with them. I've just been brushing her hair and making sure I smell nice, because that seems to work.
B. Best Friend? I have no one best friend.There are people I like to talk to about different things at different times. It's like picking a favourite film or song, it just depends on my mood. And theirs.
C. Cake or pie? Pie. It's a better word (just) and there are so many options: steak and kidney, fruit, mince, etc, etc. I think it is my second favourite foodstuff; sandwiches are clearly the best. D. Day of choice? I have a thing for Thursdays. Don't know why. Perhaps it's because I usually go to the cinema then.
E. Essential item? Pants. It's the only thing you need beyond food.
F. Favourite colour? Yellow. It's bright and sunny; a very uplifting colour.
G. Gummy bears or worms? Bears. Gummy Worms bring up too many horrible childhood memories.
H. Hometown? Leeds technically, but Bracknell unofficially.
I. Favourite indulgence? Duck a'la Orange with potato rosti. Phish Food Ice Cream for dessert.
J. January or July? July. Warmer and lighter.
K. Kids? Now? At 21?! I think I'll wait a bit longer. I plan on being a father (and a damn good one, I might add) at some point, but that is a long way off. I can hardly take care of myself!
L. Life isn’t complete without? Late-night conversations, late-afternoon lie-ins and parties that end in the early morning.
M. Marriage date? I point you pack to my answer to 'K'. I'm way too young to be thinking such things. But I must once again point out I'd have an awesome wedding and be a damn good husband.
N. Number of brothers and sisters? A younger brother and a younger sister. Also, to make things complicated; an older step-brother and a younger step-sister on one side, and another younger step-sister on the other side.
O. Oranges or Apples? Apples, for ease of use.
P. Phobias? I don't know when it all began, but in the past few years I have found myself fearing pigeons flying into me when I walk past them. Strange, I know, but they fly upwards quickly!
Q. Quotes? Anything I type hear will not be as funny as it is in the original context. For that, watch West Wing or How I Met Your Mother.
R. Reasons to smile? Because. Just because. Does there have to be a reason to smile?
S. Season of choice? Summer. BBQs, warm evenings and sunshine are my idea of heaven.
T. Tag 5 people: Tag! You're it! Four more to go.
U. Unknown fact about me? In my life I have collected stamps, bird-watched and read comics, and yet I can still survive in a non-geek world. It's like magic!
V. Vegetable? I'm not a vegetable person. It's peas and carrots. That is all.
W. Worst habit? Procrastination. I know I should do something, but decide that the indulgent thing I'm currently doing is more important. Has led to many a late deadline.
X. X-ray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound. It's safer and might mean I was the first pregnant man. (Where would it come out?!)
Y. Your favourite food? Sandwiches
Z. Zodiac sign? Aries, but on the cusp. I fall between the two personalities.

:D

http://abbarich.deviantart.com/art/The-Alphabet-8743507

Plans

As this post comes online, the following events should have happened.

Emma should have closed her eyes before stepping into my house. She should have then opened her eyes again to see a cuddly elephant toy next to two wine glasses.

She'll love it of course, because it is cute and it is an elephant. She will then proceed to hug either it or me. Possibly both.

From the fridge, I'll remove some rose wine and pour two glasses. We'll drink as the oven heats up.

When it is at the suitable temperature, I will proceed to try and cook 'Duck a la Orange' with little knowledge of the actual process needed. Oh, and with noodles and stir-fry vegetables.

We'll eat, drink more wine, and the elephant toy will have none because he is inanimate.

For dessert, strawberry tarts are in order. Also, more wine. When we are both suitably drunk, I will show her this very post and marvel at how much everything went to plan.

Or how good intentions oft go astray or however the phrase goes. We'd be too drunk to care anyway.

:D

http://annekat.deviantart.com/art/Blueprints-74378723

Word of the Week...

FLAMBE

–adjective

1.	/flɑmˈbeɪd/ Pronunciation- (of food) served in flaming liquor, esp. brandy: steak flambé.

2.	Ceramics. a. (of a glaze) dense and streaked with contrasting colors, usually red and blue. b. (of a ceramic object) covered with a flambé glaze.

–verb (used with object)

3.	to pour liquor over and ignite.

Tropic Thunder

What’s It About?
Ben Stiller, Robert Downy Jr, and Jack Black are all shooting a terrible war film in Vietnam. In a bid to make the film work, the director takes them into the jungle to shoot guerilla-style.

But they go too far and encroach on a drug lord's territory. They're lives are in danger and the actors just think it's all a film. Hilarity ensues.

My Thoughts Going In…
With a cast of Downey Jr, Stiller, Black, Coogan and Cruise, who wouldn't be excited by this film? No-one, that's who. You know, if you couldn't guess the answer.

Looks Like…
Since it is never in the film rulebook that comedies have to look good, it's quite refreshing to see one that does. No expense has been spared and we're treated to big explosions and some nice filmic shots.

Some ropey CGI let the film down every now and then, but only in brief blip form.

Sounds Like…
Like the visuals, the music here was BIG. War movie big. Epic, even.

Actual songs fit well into the plot, interweaving the story well. At least, until a certain song and a certain celebrity dressed on a fat suit dancing. Then the music is ill-advised. In fact, the whole scene is.

Feels Like…
Night at the Museum should have been funnier. With a cast of Stiller, Wilson, Coogan, Williams and Dick Van Dyke(!), comedy gold should have been pouring out of the screen and into your eye sockets.

And since the review is about Tropic Thunder, that film should have been funnier too. Ben Stiller is playing Zoolander again, which means playing the same jokes. Jack Black, and actor who relies mostly on charisma, is lacking that very charm for most of the film. Steve Coogan is removed, rather forcefully, too soon to have any real comedic impact.

So it should have been funnier, but doesn't mean there aren't laughs to be have.

Robert Downey Jr proves once again that he could play any role ever created by playing an Austrailian who is playing a black sergant. Any scene with him is guarenteed to put a smile on your face. His banter with the other black actor is a highlight.

Danny McBride, the comedy face-to-watch, gets the same kind of role as he had in Pineapple Express. Basically, he gets beat up and plays stupid for laughs.

Matthew McConaughey pulls an amazing comedy talent out of the bag. His tough agent, with an innocent view of friendship, is the films second best character. And he only loses out because Downey is awesome.

And Ben Stiller, even when repeating himself, is still one of the best comedic talents we have.

So yes, it's still funny. The plot is smarter than it lets on, with subtle references to the film industry that flew over a lot of heads. It also sails perilously close to some offensive material, so credit has to be given for getting away with it.

I feel that if the film was looser, and the actors able to riff more, the whole thing would be funnier. But maybe I'm just tainted by Judd Apatow films now.

Verdict…
Good, but not as good as it could have been. Funny, but not as funny as it could have been. Almost a wasted opportunity, saved by the strength of the performers and a wonderfully funny cameo by Tobey Maguire.

Unoriginal Heroes

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS!

First, let me state conclusively that I like Heroes. It is an entertaining show that keeps me coming back week after week. It is nice to see something so geeky affect the public as much as it does. Whatever negative words follow, are valid points but not deal breakers.

Begin rant:

Heroes has never been the most original of shows. In essence, it is just X-Men done for television. This premise has even been televised before, via The 4400 to name one example.

But what really annoys be is just how fragrantly and obviously they steal, and how much they get away with. They're bringing comic book stories to the mainstream audience, but because that audience have no idea about the original source material, they seem to be cutting and pasting entire plots.

The characters themselves are sub-par versions of the X-Men. The healing power was explored better with Wolverine, Jean Grey was always a better psychic than Matt could ever be, the stealing of powers was Rogue's to begin with and Peter Petrelli is Peter Parker without the spider powers. They didn't even bother changing first names.

Jessica's split-personality, which seems original enough, is just a sexed up version of Moonknight.

But I can ignore this. There are only a certain amount of powers available in the world, and it was sort of inevitable that X-Men would get there first.

But then some very similar plots start coming to a screen near you. Mutants held in cells because a company thinks they are a danger to mankind. Weapon X or 'The Company'? Teenage angst about not being normal from Claire "Spiderman" Bennet. A nightmare man that haunts a young girl is just the Phoenix Saga all over again.

The first two episodes of the third season have taken the biscuit though. In 80 minutes we've had a character from a nightmarish future in which mutants are hunted travel back in time to stop it all happening (Bishop from X-Men), a scientist that tests a serum on himself to gain powers, only for it to go disastrously wrong (The Green Goblin from Spiderman), that same man sticking to and climbing a wall (So obviously Spiderman that I want to cry), characters coming inexplicable back from the dead with no explanation (Any Marvel title you care to mention), and even manages to stick in a character with magnetic powers (Magneto!).

In two episodes they don't manage to come up with one original idea. But because people don't read comics, the same people are hooked to these "wonderful" storylines.

They've even taken to stealing from themselves by once again travelling to the future, seeing everything go horribly wrong, then keeping the audience guessing until the end.

They aren't even answering the important questions on everyone's lips: Does Mohinder's power of voice-over go away when he has super-strength, does Sylar's power not work through wicker cupboard doors, and why does future Peter still have a scar when he has a) the power to heal and b) the power to change his appearance?

Heroes is an over-rated, clichéd piece of television. And a damned guilty pleasure.

I know it's rubbish and I know it is plagiarising every comic under the sun, but it is done in such a way that I just don't care. I can see where they are manipulating my curiosity, but for forty minutes I'll let myself be manipulated for the pure adrenaline thrill.

It is not the best programme on TV, or even remotely close. But it is stylish and entertaining enough to keep watching.

For now.

[/Rant]

:D

http://wanderlustlove.deviantart.com/art/Superhero-14208376

Groban's Musical Tour Through TV

Obama Meets Bartlet

I'm a HUGE West Wing fan, and a bigger fan of the West Wing dialogue.

So let me share with you this.

Proof once again that Bartlet needs to be a real person and run for president.

:D

Dreaming of Ice Cream?

I'm currently sitting in my kitchen and watching Bones in the early hours of the morning.

My dog is asleep in a basket next to me. Yet, every so often, he begins to lick his pillow. He'll lick for about a minute before, I'm assuming, he begins to dream of something else.

I don't know what he is dreaming about, but in a misquote from When Harry Met Sally: "I'll have what he's having!"

:D

http://capjohnny-ii.deviantart.com/art/sleeping-dog-I-76090344

Pants!

Let us all talk about underwear. The joy of fabric on bums, elastic around waizts, or lace on rude bits. Boxers, knickers, briefs, thongs. Let's talk about pants!

I like pants. As an item of clothing, they manage a rare feat of being intrinsically funny and sexy at the same time.

For proof of funny, the word pants itself can be used. There are not many words that would have small children laughing when shouted at loud volume across a crowded room. Pants can.

For sexy, I point all boys upwards and all girls to this picture. In a way, the underwear is sexier than what is underneath. They are the tease, the allure.

They are also our secrets. We only show our underwear to a trusted few. Without alcohol or ill-fitting trousers involved, we would never consider showing strangers the colour of our pants. It's the reason for changing rooms in clothes shops. Seeing someone in pants is not a right, it's a privilege.

We all wear them. They come in all shapes and sizes. You can even buy them in supermarkets now. Pants are a way of life!

So why, when I was wandering around clothes shops with Emma, did I feel embarrassed when looking at the selection of knickers? It felt naughty, like I was a dirty boy who was witnessing the forbidden. What kind of society encourages this behaviour?!

I say we stand up and throw off our shackles! Pants should not be a dirty word (It can still stay funny)! We need to embrace our pants and proclaim our love!

Viva Pants!

:D

http://venus2u.deviantart.com/art/underwear-97078453

To Pastures New

In less than twenty-four hours, my little sister, the youngest in the family, will have moved out and into her University home. Life is catching up with me and I’m feeling old.

It was only three years ago that I was taking the journey myself. I was marveling that my life could all be fit into a small amount of boxes, shopping at bargain supermarkets so I didn’t starve in my first week, and saying goodbyes to all I loved.

Boy, has my life changed!

My life can’t fit into my room, let alone boxes. I’ve lived more, loved more and learned more than all that combined. I’ve lived in three houses, fallen in and out of friendship groups, got drunk way too much, slept way too little and worked just enough to keep me from starvation.

And here’s my sister, preparing to take the same journey. They’ll be differences of course. She’s a girl so bound to fall in and out of friendships more than I did. She’ll also balance her money better. But her life is going to change in a big way.

I stand here and wave goodbye, looking forward to the stories she’ll tell at Christmas as a new person. But also, I’m a little sad.

I guess I might just miss my old sister.

:)

http://saintworksart.deviantart.com/art/She-s-Leaving-Home-83093321

Word of the Week...

ALBEIT
–conjunction
although; even if: "a peaceful, albeit brief retirement."

Five Syllable Hell

There used to be a time when I thought life was sweet and simple. In fact, I still do in my own little way. Good people win over villains, love conquers all, and if you are skilled and willing, people will give you a job.

But as I'm approaching my 13th week of job-seeking allowance, my belief is being worn down. Cruelty is one five-syllable word: Overqualified.

Let me take a moment from the point I have just made, to make a second, related point. Bare with me though, the transition won't make sense to start with.

I live in Bracknell. Don't apologise for not knowing where Bracknell is; no-one does. I spent all three of my uni years telling people that I lived 'near Reading', and the only reason that Reading is on people's radar is because an awesome music festival is held there every year.

Anyway. Bracknell is a shit-hole; a town so gloriously low-brow that the focal point is a complex with houses a cinema, a bowling alley, a bingo hall, and a pseudo-Italian/American restaurant. This is a town where the average mother is too young to drink in America. A town which has the award 'Chaviest place in Britain' as its only claim to fame.

Most of my friends don't even live in Bracknell, since I went to school in an adjacent village. Here, I have a girlfriend and a family, and in just over a week 50% of them are leaving.

So let us now examine the job choices available in the hell-town in which I reside. The current list runs like this: shop-assistant at a hair and beauty salon, bar-tender at a down-and-out pub, or a cleaner. All the other jobs are variations on this theme.

But none of these jobs are me. Trying hard to avoid snobbishness, I'm above them. I don't want a career in washing people clothes, and my messy appearance puts me out of the hair and beauty shop assistant parameters. What worries me is that I'll reach a point, very soon, in which I'll be forced to accept on of these jobs and I'll spend the rest of my life sobbing into dry-cleaning.

There are some jobs that seem alright. An IT assistant at a school, or working in a library. I like computers and books, so I'd be passionate. I'd turn up to work on time every day, work hard, and be good at my job. But, alas, I have a degree.

People with degrees can't work the little jobs apparently. They can't stack books on shelves or fix computers. They're too good for that. They must get big careers, in office buildings and with high wages. They have a degree, dammit! They deserve the best.

I refer you again to points three and four again. I live in Bracknell. Bracknell is a shit-hole.

The types of careers available to me are office jobs with companies I don't give a damn about. There is no creativity. Just pencil-pushing and paperwork. The types of dead-end careers that will have me trapped in purgatory forever.

In a perfect world, I could search for jobs in London, a mere hour's journey by train. But I'm stuck in the lame catch-22 in which to get a job in London I need money to live there, and to get money to live there, I need a job.

It's infuriating, soul-destroying and really quite rubbish.

What's an overqualified BA meant to do?

:(

http://photoboy66.deviantart.com/art/Will-Work-for-Food-54021660

The Game of Drinking

I like getting drunk.

This isn't a new statement, or something you won't find coming out of the mouth of most young people, but I have a degree so somehow my opinion counts more.

I like the tingle of tipsiness, and the skewed off-balance feeling when you stand up without realising just how much you have consumed. It's a game, a new way to look at life.

I'm a good drunk. When I drink, I don't get violent or miserable; I'm your best friend, and loud, and up for crazy misadventures.

I like the stories the day after. The cigarette burns or the failed wooing attempts or that friend who disappeared for half the night.

Alcohol is the spirit of adventure, the lubrication to have an awesome night. Play the game right, and have fun.

Play the game wrong, however...

I don't like feeling sick or being sick. I don't like when the drink catches up with you, and you realise at this point how much you consumed.

I'm a good drunk. When I drink, I know how much to drink most of the time. It's a fine line: lots is fun, loads is sickly. And I never drink alone.

I don't like not having stories to tell the next day; the black holes in your memory that are lost forever.

Alcohol is the devil. It infects your soul, plays your body like a banjo, makes you honest and deceitful and mean and ignorant. Play the game wrong and you spiral into destruction.

Play the game right, however...

[Return to beginning]

:P

http://tinoplex.deviantart.com/art/Drunk-20418403

I Think He Hates Sandcastles

Possibly one of the funniest pictures I have ever seen. Thought I'd share it with the world.

:D

A Story of Stolen Ideas

Back in the summer of 2006, when I was approaching the end of my first year, I sat in the bedroom of a guy called Ben. We had tea in our hands and jokes on our lips.

We were plotting a comedy film because we had time to kill and the inclination to make people laugh. We sat for a whole afternoon and evening, and by three the next morning we had written down the whole film.

It was about two friends, losers, whose lives became more and more like the films they watched. It had running jokes about going to the pub, one character who kept getting shot, and a brilliant finale in which the two characters face off against the villains in a barn. Except they don't really; a third group shows up, so the main characters just try and survive whilst the two parties kill each other.

We're proud of it.

Fast-forward to the spring of 2007 and the release of Hot Fuzz. We both saw it separately, since Ben had moved away from Leeds, and both came away with the same reaction: They stole our film!

They stole our pub running gag, the quaint English village setting, amongst several other things.

I'm bright enough to know that they didn't really steal anything from us. We aren't even on Edgar Wright's radar. But the fact that they managed to play the jokes first means that we'll be accused of plagiarism if and when our film gets made.

But you know what? Life sucks and you move on. So we did. We rewrote some jokes, and tried to step away from where Hot Fuzz walked.

Again, fast-forward, this time until you reach today: the end of summer 2008. I've just been to see Pineapple Express and you know what I saw? Our finale!

You have the two main characters in a barn, trying to desperately not die whilst two warring sides kill each other. The barn even looked like the one in my head. They even had a character who kept getting shot. That was our running joke!

Yes, our finale is slightly different, and yes, I can make it work, but the similarities are annoying. The last thing I want is to be accused of stealing, especially from two film-makers I adore and want to be one day.

Guess it's back to the outline for more changes.

:(

http://klaq.deviantart.com/art/Thief-52790911

Pineapple Express

What’s It About?
A stoner witnesses a corrupt cop and a drug lord shoot a guy. The corrupt cop and the drug lord witness him fleeing the scene.

The stoner, with his drug-dealer friend, try really hard not to get killed or get arrested, and instead get high.

My Thoughts Going In…
Knocked Up fights in my head for best film of 2007, so another film starring Seth Rogan has a lot to live up too.

Looks Like…
Oh come on! As if anyone is watching this film for cinematic beauty. Sharing a philosophy with Kevin Smith films, Pineapple Express pushes the comedy into the spotlight and hope nobody is looking closely at the visuals.

When it is need, things work. Wounds look suitably realistic and explosions go bang with explosive style. Just don't be expecting Oscars.

Sounds Like…
The film is laced with old cult songs, playing on car radios or in apartments. They're fun tunes, and add a nice atmosphere to the film. And when the heroic music kicks in at the end, it is epic!

Feels Like…
Seth Rogan is funny. This is fact. Put him in a room and let him riff, you get gold, my friend. Gold! James Franco is also funny, which comes as a surprise to those who know him as angsty Harry Osbourne. Put the two guys together in a room, you get something better than gold. Diamonds maybe?

When these two are allowed to riff, we get the funniest scenes. They bounce off one another with ease; setting up jokes and batting them for six (or 'out of the park' if you're American). They are the core of the film, and the reason you'll keep watching.

This is good because, I'll be honest, the film isn't that good. Subplots aren't wrapped up or properly delved into, and the main plot soon falls into an excuse to just push the characters from one comedy situation to the next. It doesn't flow, but stumbles like the drugged-up protagonists.

You won't realise though. I certainly didn't until I truly looked at it. You're laughing too much to care. Like the visuals, the plot is pushed to the back of the stage, to give the comedy room to tap-dance away.

And what a dance it is. When it is slapstick, the falls and punches hit the mark nearly every time. The dialogue slips jokes in that won't be caught until a second, third, or tenth viewing. The film isn't even trying; comedy comes naturally.

The film won't be remembered as the best film of the year, or even the best comedy, but it is hugely enjoyable. You'll laugh. You'll cry with laughter. You just might not think. It isn't that type of film.

Verdict…
Knocked Up's little stoner brother. Bit more simple, likely to fall over a lot, but still cut from the same cloth and worthy of your time.

And So It Begins

WARNING: Contains Spoilers!



As the weather gets worse, television gets better, as if to make us forget the fact that we've only had about a week of summer.

My list of awesome shows to watch keeps growing, and most are coming back for new seasons this month. The first back is House.

I'm honestly so excited. The last season broke the repetitive mold (a little) and the finale was heartbreaking and had me in tears (a lot). So here's to continued success and more of the brilliant Hugh Laurie.

Then we have Heroes back for a third season. We've been promised a quicker pace and any new characters introduced via current characters. Hopefully this means that season three will live up to the hype set by the first season.

To finish off the 'H' programmes, How I Met Your Mother is back for a forth season. Will Elliot from Scrubs accepts Ted's proposal? Will Barney win over Robin? I feel they could be surfing rather close to the shark by making Barney a one-woman man, but I have faith!

There are more shows, Entourage, Scrubs and Bones to name three, but I'm still in the process of catching up with them, so won't be enjoying the current series just yet.

Thank god for cold weather and good TV!

:D

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

What’s It About?
The elves, long ago, built lots of clockwork soldiers. These soldiers were ruthless and indestructible. But then the king became all angsty over the deaths of humans, locked the army away and separated the crown into three pieces.

At some point in the future, the elf prince is stealing the crown pieces in a bid to raise the army and purge human kind. It’s up to Hellboy, a girl who can set herself on fire, a really smart fish-type thing, and a German scientist made up of gas and voice by Peter Griffin, to save the day!

My Thoughts Going In…
I was one of the few people that didn’t mind the first film. Sure, it was a little-scattershot with its story-telling, and the ending dragged to infinity, but it had style and heart that many superhero films seem to lack.

Also, Del Toro had commercial and critical success with Pan’s Labyrinth (Good, but overrated) and this film was being made at a different studio, so surely the director would have more freedom with the sequel. Right?

Looks Like…
This was the first film’s strong point, and in the sequel it remains top of the list. The film is a marvelous combination of costumes and CGI. We’re introduced to so many odd creatures so seamlessly that they just seem like they’ve always belonged.

Seriously, look for the stitches here. Point to the screen and say conclusively “That’s CGI!”. Because, barring the obvious (e.g. the tooth fairies), I’d say you’d have quite a game in front of you.

Some of the creatures are truly majestic. The angel of death creature, with eyes in its wings and none on its face, was terrifying. And Hellboy is still as perfect a creature as he was in the first film. The young Hellboy, not so much.

Colour, creatures and the real world combine wonderfully to make this one of the best looking films of 2008.

Sounds Like…
Here I’m at an impasse. On one hand, the music suits the moment, underpinning the emotions going on and improving the scene. I’m thinking of the falling from the window, the ‘Beautiful Freak’ montage and a rather funny scene involving Hellboy and Abe singing.

The score, however, is loud and obnoxious. It plays its beats without tact or subtlety, and takes away from the action happening.

Feels Like…
I’ll answer the important question first: Yes, it is better than the first film, but only just. It hasn’t become a whole new film. The plot is more linear, but this time out the film introduces too many themes, leaving most of them hanging.

And again, the ending is drawn out, with a scene interrupting the big finale purely to set up a sequel.

But things have improved. The characters are more drawn out this time. Liz gets to be funnier and feistier, a vast improvement on the whiney emo Liz from film one. Abe gets a sub-plot too, falling in love with the elf princess.

It’s a shame to see Hellboy and the FBI chief (Maybe. I forget his actual role) hate each other once again, after the conclusion to Hellboy, but it provided nice comic relief. And Hellboy gets some nice moments too, especially following his “Public perception story”.

The fights are the highlight though. Rich and kinetic, I haven’t seen fights this energized since…well, ‘Wanted’. They are the reason the finale worked better than the first. This time we get a whirlwind battle between demon and elf, instead of the pulling of a grenade pin.

Luke Goss, and I hate myself for saying this considering his boy-band background, makes a good villain. He stands with authority and fights with skill. Its just a shame about the American accent.

The film deals more with the demon world too, which was a strong move for a director that finds his strength in demons and clockwork. The troll market is a visual feat, the tooth fairies both cute and horrifying.

Here’s hoping he can bring the same magic to ‘The Hobbit’

Verdict…
A slight, but crucial, improvement to the first film. In any other year, this would be the superhero film of the year, but a certain Dark Knight and a womanizing billionaire stop Hellboy reaching greatness.

Word of the Week...

PONTIFICATE
–noun

1.	the office or term of office of a pontiff.

–verb (used without object)

2.	to perform the office or duties of a pontiff.

3.	to speak in a pompous or dogmatic manner: Did he pontificate about the responsibilities of a good citizen?

4.	to serve as a bishop, esp. in a Pontifical Mass.

Happy News

Okay, where to begin.

First, the world hasn't ended. As far as good news goes, this is right up there. It means I can keep breathing and living, two of my favourite things to do in the world. The experiment didn't go wrong, and we weren't sucked into nothingness. Which is awesome, since nothingness gets dull after a few hours.

For those that don't know what I'm talking about, read a paper sometime!

In more localized, personal news: Jessica is back from the dead. She's had new parts stuck in and has spent several hours this evening having new drivers installed so she can do more than just sit here and look pretty, but she is now good as new, with the exception of a slightly sticky spacebar (And yes, you DO have a sick mind!).

What this means, hopefully, is that severe lack of me on this site should be remedied in the very near future. I've got posts written, I really have, but they remain stuck on my internet-free desktop out of sheer laziness on my part. They're really good though. Honest.

I have, however, been unable to recover the documents from the old Jessica, so am now script-less. But the reason (or one of them) I haven't been updating is because I've been writing other things. Like a short script and a treatment for the pilot that I lost.

Oh, I also have a girlfriend, something I realized the other day that I haven't mentioned here yet. So I'm going out with Emma now, which I'm sure is interesting to the one person who reads this that doesn't know me personally. I'm sure she'll get a kick out of seeing her name again, if she ever gets time off work to read this.

The story of our get-together is quite interesting, but also long and I'll probably need permission to tell it. Post for another day, methinks.

Oh, and the American television season is starting up again. Which means new 'House', new 'Bones' and new 'Heroes' (In order of importance). I've also become addicted to 'How I Met Your Mother' too, and the new season brings more episodes of that. I'm a little in love with Neil Patrick Harris, since he is both Dr Horrible and Spiderman rolled into one.

Anyway, I'm running out of good news right now, it's late, and I'm up early in the morning. This was mostly just to say, I'm back! Sorta. Maybe. Here's hoping!

:D

http://bayb-kiedis.deviantart.com/art/Smile-38226114