The Critics Rave!

Ever one to jump on a bandwagon, here's what people have been saying about, or to, me (with added exclamation marks for emphasis!).

"Estimable!" -- Stephen O'Brien

"Dapper and erudite!" -- Patrick Hudson

"I really enjoyed Tom's adaptation!" -- author John Tynes, of raison d'etre

"Awesome!" -- Max Cairnduff

"Controversial!" -- 'Coriander'

"Your argument assumes that time is basically linear!" -- Nick Brownlow

Curses

I have just discovered that my old Hotmail account was deactivated through lack of use. Irritatingly, when reactivated, it still has my old inbox folders but none of the content. This means I have lost my correspondence and manuscript stuff on the Spaceship Compendium for Heavy Gear and "In Your Face Again" for Feng Shui. Not to mention all my emails in China. I just hope I saved them on my laptop.

Like I say, curses.

Clampdown

I got a reply email today, the first line of which was:

"I swear to God, you are the only person I know who would use the word 'corollary' in an email."



Maybe this is why I don't have a girlfriend.

The Last Samurai (abridged)

TOM CRUISE
Ken, I have developed a fondness
for your spirituality, honor, and
discipline. Most importantly, I
really like using swords, because
you can cut off heads with them.
Please train me in the ways of the
Samurai, even though I am white, so
that I may display cool fighting
moves in a nonthreatening way to the
white audience.

KEN WATANABE
It's like Kill Bill, but meant to
be taken seriously.

TOM CRUISE
And far less entertaining.

(courtesy of Rod Hilton @The Editing Room)

Very Short Review of It's All About Love

A gang of ideas thrown at the screen with some excellent tracking shots of vehicles in motion. Great Sean Penn cameo role. An assassin at the ice rink scene to rival RONIN. Slows down a bit too much at the end, but beautifully shot if nothing else. A film even I (me!) would describe as 'rather odd'. Achieved the rarity of ending and no one in the cinema speaking during the credits. It won't change your life, but it's definitely worth seeing.

This Is Way Cool

Animals On the Underground.

Uncanny

It's amazing how much easier it is to get up and go to work when it's daylight.
Thank heaven for the lengthening days. And other small mercies.

I took an online quiz today (I work in an office - what do you think I do all day?) designed to see if one's accent is "Yankee" or "Dixie". Naturally, it had some hiccups in it for the non-American. For example, when I say the word 'aunt', it rhymes neither with 'want' nor with 'ant'. Still, I came out 65% Dixie.

I am not sure what to make of this.