PJ Hart's precious little life

So LJ then

2009-11-26T16:45:01Z

Just been having a bit of an ole think about LJ. Not really sure what I'm using it for these days. I've never been much of a diarist (as this blog clearly shows) and even if I was I don't have a overly interesting life. Or if I am doing something interesting I generally don't have time to write about it.

That's never really been a massive issue for me. I mostly come here to read stuff. I've just done a bit of FList trimming and I was wondering... there must be something on LJ worth reading except RSS feeds of comics I like and blogs of the people who write them.

SO! can people suggest me good journals to follow or groups to join?

(not that it will matter much come March since LJ is banned in China...)

Oh well.

2009-10-27T18:27:52Z

Whew. Thank god thats over. Spent all last week working on a television advertisment (or "commercial" if you are so inclined) so still haven't met my new nephew- THATS RIGHT BITCHES I'M AN UNCLE NOW - FEAR!!- but on the other hand am now £500 richer.

Had my weekend TEFL course last weekend (while said nephew was being born) and that was interesting/ terrifying.

Quit my job in the bookshop and now may have to consider going on the brew (or unemployment benefits if you are also so inclined).

Anything else? Oh yes, new Frank Turner album is just fucking great and the gig with Frank + beans on toast + oppenheimer was EXTREMELY fucking great and and and... oh my.

Oh yeah and thanks, Pepsi - what fucking cola am I supposed to drink now, you fucks?

Post Script

2009-09-30T20:30:09Z

And now for another grand entry in the long list of potentially disasterous, poorly thought out life decisions that chronicles much of my existence:

That's right folks, I'm going to china.

9/11

2009-09-12T00:44:29Z

[Pinochet] called for the arrest of every man, woman and child on the streets the morning of 11 September. Of these approximately 40,000 to 50,000 perfunctory arrests, several hundred individuals would later be detained, questioned, tortured, and in some cases murdered. While these deaths did not occur before the surrender of Allende's forces, they occurred as a direct result of arrests and round-ups during the coup's military action.

Who let ‘em overthrow Jacobo Arbenz
Who let ‘em overthrow Mohammad Mosaddeq
Who let ‘em assassinate Salvador Allende
I didn't let ‘em but they did it anyway!

Who let ‘em overthrow Kwame Nkrumah
Who let ‘em overthrow Aristide
Who let ‘em assassinate Oscar Romero
I didn't let ‘em but they did indeed!

Don't let them assassinate Hugo Chavez
Don't let them assassinate Evo Morales
And bring back Martin, Malcolm, Medgar,
Hampton, Schwerner, Goodman, Chaney

Regular transmission to resume shortly.

Mid twenties, here I come!

2009-05-17T23:34:37Z

Being 23:

Survived 5 years of legal alcohol consumption.

Gone 6 years without learning to drive.

Same age as Scott Pilgrim circa volumes 1-4.

Only voted once.

Lived in 4 (soon 5) different houses.

Visited more than 10 countries

Spent 17 years in full time education

Had more than 10 jobs

Been on LJ for four years

Should be old enough to know better

Still too young to care.

Tie ord...

2009-04-30T20:13:14Z

I should be doing some French or working out or something but blah. Meme.

1. First thing you wash in the shower?
Hair usually

2. What colour is your favourite hoodie?
Tough call. I'm liking my skinny black one a lot at the mo.

3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?
Absolutely.

4. Do you plan outfits?
Hahahahaha. hahaha. haha. ha. Have we met?

5. How are you feeling RIGHT now?
Tired.

6. What's the closest thing to you that is red?
A boo, entitled 'The Oxford Library of Words and Phrases Volume III: Word Origins"

I am a nerd.

7. What was the last dream you remember having?
Honestly can't remember.

8. Did you meet anybody new today?
Just customers. Fucking customers.

9. What are you craving right now?
I could maybe go for a cigarette or a glass of wine but I wouldn't say I'm craving.

10. Do you floss?
Na.

11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage
Eugh.

12. Are you emotional?
I can be pretty emotional at times.

13. Have you ever counted to 1,000?
Yeah I remember I counted for like a whole day once when I was a kid.

14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it?
You gotta do both.

15. Do you like your hair?
It's okay but I'm itching to shave it all off.

16. Do you like yourself?
I could be a whole lot worse.

17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush?
Only if he was buying.

18. What are you listening to right now?
King Blues B-sides on Spotify

19. Were your parents strict?
A bit.

20. Would you go sky diving?
Yup!

21. Do you like cottage cheese?
It's okay.

22. Have you ever met a celebrity?
A few - no one REALLY famous though.

23. Do you rent movies often?
Not anymore.

24. Is there anything sparkly in the room you're in?
Um...no.

25. How many countries have you visited?
England, Scotland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Holland, Romania, USA, Belgium Czech Republic... think thats it.

26. Have you made a prank phone call?
Yep

27. Ever been on a train?
Too many.

28. Brown or white eggs?
White, I guess? Does it matter?

29.Do you have a mobile phone?
Yes.

30. Do you use chap stick?
No

31. Do you own a gun?
Hell no.

32. Can you use chop sticks?
yup

33. Who are you going to be with tonight?
Just my housemates (if they ever come home!)

34. Are you too forgiving?
Probably

35. Ever been in love?
Once or twice.

36. What is your best friend(s) doing tomorrow?
What am I, their biographer?

37. Ever have cream puffs?
Not sure what that is.

38. Last time you cried?
Long time ago.

39. What was the last question you asked?
Something to my sister about dogs probably.

40. Favourite time of the year?
Summer.

41. Do you have any tattoos?
Not Yet

42. Are you sarcastic?
Very much so.

43. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect?
No

44. Ever walked into a wall?
Yup. Sober and drunk.

45. Favourite colour?
Red and purple

46. Have you ever slapped someone?
Yup - Brendy, probably.

47. Is your hair curly?
Na, just a bit wavy

48. What was the last CD you bought
Fuck... Laura Viers probably. That was ages ago.

49. Do looks matter?
They do a bit, alas.

50. Could you ever forgive a cheater?
Dunno. Haven't yet, anyway.

51. Is your phone bill sky high?
Na. Tenner a month does me.

52. Do you like your life right now?
It could be a lot worse. I'm still white male and English-speaking after all!

53. Do you sleep with the TV on?
Na. Used to tho. When I had a sofa in my room.

54. Can you handle the truth?
I am the truth!!

55. Do you have good vision?
Yeah its pretty good.

56. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people?
Not really.

57. How often do you talk on the phone?
Not very often.

58. The last person you held hands with?
Niamh I would imagine.

59. What are you wearing?
Spray-painted Grinder boots, blue jeans (Seacht wardrobe sale) Machinae Supremacy T-shirt and A big grey jumper I knicked off a bloke in work.

60.What is your favourite animal?
I dunno. Penguins?

61. Where was your default picture taken at?
Auntie Annie's Porterhouse.

62. Can you hula hoop?
Been a while since I tried...

63. Do you have a job?
Just about.

64. What was the most recent thing you bought?
A kebab.

65. Have you ever crawled through a window?
You bet! In windows, out of windows! ground floor windows, second floor windows... I can't get enough of it.

Why why why why why.

2009-04-22T15:02:19Z

So today Jack Jones died, and the news is full of this kind of shit:

Hilarious. Somehow I don't recall Hitler burning too many American white anglo-saxon protestants, you ignorant pricks.

Here's what the always awesome Kris Kristofferson has to say to the likes of you:

Up from the basement came one of country music's brightest stars (who shall remain nameless). At that moment in time, the Star had a monster radio hit about bombing America's enemies back into the Stone Age.

"Happy birthday," the Star said to Willie, breezing by us. As he passed Kristofferson in one long, confident stride, out of the corner of his mouth came "None of that lefty shit out there tonight, Kris."

"What the fuck did you just say to me?" Kris growled, stepping forward.

"Oh, no," groaned Willie under his breath. "Don't get Kris all riled up."

"You heard me," the Star said, walking away in the darkness.

"Don't turn your back to me, boy," Kristofferson shouted, not giving a shit that basically the entire music industry seemed to be flanking him.

The Star turned around: "I don't want any problems, Kris — I just want you to tone it down."

"You ever worn your country's uniform?" Kris asked rhetorically.

"What?"

"Don't 'What?' me, boy! You heard the question. You just don't like the answer." He paused just long enough to get a full chest of air. "I asked, 'Have you ever served your country?' The answer is, no, you have not. Have you ever killed another man? Huh? Have you ever taken another man's life and then cashed the check your country gave you for doing it? No, you have not. So shut the fuck up!" I could feel his body pulsing with anger next to me. "You don't know what the hell you are talking about!"

- The Last Outlaw Poet by Ethan Hawke, Rolling Stone magazine 1076

(also - holiday pay next month, woo!)

Tributes to union stalwart (and Spanish Civil War vet) Jones

Sometimes people make me physically fucking ill.

The last outlaw poet

Holy Shit

2009-04-17T10:05:42Z

Welcome to the motherfucking free world.

Here's some (more) stuff.

2009-04-16T19:36:03Z

It's time to wallow in nerdery, since my better half returns to the country in under a month and I'll probably have to rein that sort of thing in a bit after that.

here's what I think about... (spoilers ensue)

Oh god why. why why why why why. The last few series of Red Dwarf really were lack lustre at best - there was no need for more. What there definetely wasn't any need for was a three part mini series that is essentially all about how great Red Dwarf is and how ham-fisted Blade Runner "Homages" really speed up the development process.
When you get right down to it, the main problem with the 3 parter is that it assumes it is awesome. The removal of the laugh track assumes that we are going to find rehashes of decade old jokes hilarious. Also, the humour in the show is still treated like traditional sit-com humour and could probably benefit from a laugh-track. It's not like the office or Arrested Development where you have a faux-documentary aesthetic and untraditional joke set-ups.

Things start to take a turn towards the bad fan-fic when the crew arrive on earth. Self indulgent jokes and camera-winks are rife, culminating in an almost vomit-inducing scene in which two terrible child actors tell Lister how they watch him on TV all the time and how awesome they think he is. Eugh.
It's surprising that a plot like this has absolutely no originality. When the crew read the plot of their own episode off the back of a DVD box, it's basically the same joke the Muppets Movie did thirty years ago.
The first Blade Runner spoof is kind of amusing, but it really seems to come out of nowhere. I can see why in the pitch they thought it might be good - the crew are trying to find their creator to ask for more life, a la Blade Runner. The problem is that the design aesthetic of the 'real world' bits and the Blade Runner bits are so disperate that it makes the show look as if it's been cut-and-pasted together.
The script writing bit, which had a lot of potential (despite been 2 parts Grant Morrison and 1 part Death Note) was just predictable joke after predictable joke.

At the end, it's hard to decide which was worse; the unoriginal jokes; poorly written, poorly directed and poorly performed or the fact that the whole plot ends up being just a knock-off of Back to Reality - one of the best episodes of Red Dwarf there is. Only with Blade Runner 'homages.' Dreadful stuff, made all the more dreadful by the smug assumption that it is genius.

Sorry Andy.

Then there's...

Caprica.

I went in to this expecting it to be bad, but a full 5 minutes in I was beginning to think I had downloaded the wrong file! Virtual reality nightclubs, complete with nudity - it all seemed like a William Gibson adaptation. Which is no bad thing.
There's a lot to like about Caprica. There's definetely a strong cyber-punk vibe (in a Virtual Light trilogy kinda way), which is fun. Lots of good stuff about artificial intelligence, religious fanatacism, family feuds... a lot of the stuff that Battlestar dealt with really only handled in a very different way. The sense of grief and loss in the pilot is almost suffocating at times, and really helps the audience sympathise with Greystone and Adama.
The main problems with the show stem from it being a BSG tie in. First off, the young William Adama is as annoying as hell. The Greek pantheon vs One True God stuff seems a bit stale by now, and worse still - the first functioning Cylon turns out to be a teenage girl. All these things are fine in the context of Caprica but sort of riun bits of BSG that we already like.

The show would have benefited from being simply near-future earth. There would be no need for the above plot chicanery and there would also be less of a need for bad CGI overlays of Vancouver to make the place look more Colonial. Also, I bet the props guys are pretty sick of cutting the corners off books and pages by now.

In the end, I think I liked it. If/when they make more I'll definetely check it out. As it stands it's not bad, but it could have been a pretty good stand-alone series.

Whose streets?

2009-04-03T00:09:15Z

Everyone fighting the fight in London this week; forget the filth, forget Russel Brand and the poser brigade, forget the propaganda of the tabloid headlines, just remember...

The Streets Are Ours

We stood in front of tanks at Tiananmen Square,

From Berlin to Chiapas we are everywhere,

And over the sirens of the police cars,

You can hear us shout “The streets are ours!”

'69 Chicago ushered in a new age,

We brought the war home with the days of rage,

And over the sirens of the police cars,

You can hear us shout “The streets are ours!”

In Seattle we chased out the World Trade Organisation,

On Mayday we gave Winston Churchill a mohican,

Kept the water for the people in Cochabamba,

Demanded autonomy on the dawn of NAFTA,

So send in the clowns, someone send in the clowns,

The black bloc, the antiFA and the undergrounds,

A big, pink, marching samba band,

And we'll take our own route that ain't pre-planned,

From the social centres and the Brighton Schnews,

From Indymedia reporting our own news,

Over the sirens of the police cars,

You can hear us shout “The streets are ours!”

We threw the bomb at Haymarket Square,

We fly the black flag everywhere,

And over the sirens of the police cars,

You can hear us shout “The streets are ours!”

Too much culture.

2009-03-10T11:43:03Z

Friday night: Frank Turner - Fucking amazing.
Saturday night: Roddy Doyle - Fucking amazing.
Sunday Night: Watchmen - Very good indeed.

After all that, I think I'm going to go back to Queens and do an MA. This real life shit doesn't seem to be working out all that well for me. Here's a meme from spookysaint121

Where were you 3 hours ago? Bed.

Who are you in love with? Niamh.

If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Burnt Sienna.

Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you? Maybe but there's a lot of shit in here.

How many pillows do you sleep with? 2

Are you wearing socks right now? yes!

Have you ever been searched by the cops? A couple of times, including once by the Dutch/Belgian border police.

When is the last time you drove out of town? I don't drive.

Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days? Watchmen!!

Are you hot? I'm kinda cold.

What was the last thing you had to drink? Tea

What are you wearing right now? Rigger combats, Doom 3 t-shirt, purple jumper.

Do you wash your car or let the car wash do it? No car for me.

Where were you last week at this time? Probably at work.

How often do you remember your dreams? maybe 25-33% of the time.

When is the last time you ran? No idea. Too long ago.

What is the last sporting even you watched? Ireland vs England in the 6 nations. Worst rugby game ever.

What is your favorite animal? Cats maybe. I dunno.

What is your dream vacation? Massive long round the world trip. Preferably by train/boat.

Last persons house you were in? Eoin's.

Worst injury you have ever had? Fractured skull.

Have you narrowly avoided a fatal accident? A few times.

Do you miss anyone right now? Always.

What do yo wear to bed? Sweat pants and t-shirt usually. Sometimes jumper if its cold. Sometimes nothing if its warm.

What is your secret weapon to lure in the opposite sex? Self-depricating wit.

What are your plans for tonight? dunno yet. working on my MA application probably.

Who is the last person you sent a message or comment to? Commented on Niamh's photos on bebo.

Next trip you are going to take? No idea. I'm not long back from the states.

Were you on the honor roll student in school? I came first in Single Science and Second (out of 2) in Drama!

What do you want to know about the future? When/where I can get my fucking flying car.

Are you wearing any perfume or cologne? Heck no.

Do you sing in front of the mirror? Maybe...

Where is your best friend? Probably at uni. Or bed.

How is your best friend? doing fine I hope.

Do you have a tan? Quite the opposite.

What are you listening to right now? The Specials!

Do you collect anything? Not really.

Who is the biggest gossiper you know? Nikki

Last time you were stopped by a cop or pulled over? bout a year anda half ago.

Have you ever drank your soda from a straw? yes... at the cinema.

What does your last text message say? Something about going to Eoin's house.

Do you like hot sauce? Depends how hot.

Last time you took a shower? yesterday

Do you need to do laundry? all the freakin' time.

What heritage are you? Irish.

Are you someones best friend? I hope so

Are you rich? Fuck. No.

What were you doing at 12 AM last night? Pissing myself laughing at Mike.

First thing you do if you hit powerball? Go travelling.

Do you wear your seat belt? yep. I don't trust drivers.

Patriotic Vigilance

2009-02-10T01:58:09Z

The reason why my country has been so plagued with terrorism for the past 40 years has now become clear. We do not ask the same sensible questions that the U.S Department of Homeland Security asks holiday-makers when they visit the country:

Have you ever been or are you now involved in espionage or sabotage; or in terrorist activities; or genocide; or between 1933 and 1945 were you involved , in any way, in persecutions associated with Nazi Germany or its allies?

Some thoughts:

It may seem silly to you or I - but a lot of people visit America. maybe once in a while this catches a guy out -
"Well after I left the SS I worked for the Stasi for a number of years as part of the espionage and sabotage department and - wait. Shit. I mean... I'm visiting my Aunt Muriel in Topeka. Seriously this time."

What if you say "yes, I was the minister of Propoganda for the German National Socialist Party from 1933 until my death in 1945."
Answer: The next days Daily Mail headline reads "GOEBBELS CAUGHT AT O'HARE INTL. AIRPORT MASQUERADING AS 22 YEAR OLD IRISHMAN."

Sadly, I can actually see why they have to ask. Lets say they do let a genocidal Nazi super-spy terrorist sabateur in to the country, s/he will just be like, "well no one asked me if that's what I did. I just assumed you guys were cool with it."

Note to any DHS staff reading this: I am not a genocidal Nazi super-spy terrorist sabateur. Honestly.

God Fucking Damnit.

2009-02-05T19:33:11Z

The discovery of http://www.dasouth.com and http://www.p4cm.com has pretty much ruined my day.

It's not that I get overly upset about these kinds of things... it's just that I'm having kind of a slow day.

Seriously though - what the fuck is wrong with you people? Why can't you just live your life with some degree of moderation without having to paint the world in black and white?

This is all warren Ellis' fault for linking this:

Which is at least somewhat funny to look at, if somewhat disturbing.

Oh yeah and Thather's daughter called someone a Golliwog and then refused to apologise. My word.

Anyway. That's enough of that nonsense. New music for today!

The King Blues - Save The World, Get The Girl.
This is a fun album. I literally just finished listening to it for the first time. It's kind of like... Gogol Bordello via The Streets and Billy Bragg. Weird. But good weird. I think.

Rolo Tomassi - Hysterics
Hysterics is an excellent title for this album. I'm only four tracks in at the moment and oh my god it is insane. Rolo are another one of these hardcoresque bands that seem to be hip right now that I just can't seem to get in to at all. Maybe I'm getting old or something. Maybe it'll grow on me. Gallows grew on me, after all.

Holocaust memorial day.

2009-01-27T19:51:32Z

I don't care who knows it!

2009-01-24T16:03:49Z

Important announcement:

I am officially gay for Frank Turner. Officially.

That is all.

Blargh!

2009-01-21T00:59:00Z

I don't know why this just annoyed me all of a sudden, but I just saw a thing on someones blog and it pisses me off when people pretend that all the old classic landmark films like Birth of a Nation or Battleship Ptempkin are as good or actually better than most modern cinema.

Yes I have a film degree - yes I stand by this.

These films were revolutionary for their time; that's true. The idea of feature length narrative film, the use of visual montage, recreating history on screen - these things were all giant leaps forward in cinema, but we've leapt so much further since then!

Lets look at it this way - The Ford Model-T was a revolutionary car design. It was cheap, reliable (for its time) and easy to produce. The Bugatti race cars of the 1930s were technical marvels compared to anything else available at the time.

The model-T is so much shittier than the shittiest car that is made anywhere in the world, by anyone, today. There's 18 wheel trucks that go faster than any Bugatti.

God damnit people, you don't actually go driving around in these cars these days and try to tell people it's better than driving a Ford Focus, do you?

One film I think is an exception to this rule is Citizen Kane. You know why? Because Citizen Kane actually tells a good fucking story. The problem with all these early classics is that they might have been miles ahead of the competition in form or technique but they couldn't tell a story for dick.

I find it very difficult to give a shit about any of the characters in Nation or Ptempkin - and that's why they're boring to watch. Come on - it's okay - lets just admit it - they're boring to watch.

Look, fair enough - that bit with the pram falling down the stairs is groundbreaking - but I liked it better in The Untouchables when I actually cared about what else was going on in the film.

These films are interesting but they're not very entertaining. It's not that i'm even down on silent films - The General and Gold Rush are both awesome. I'm just down on films that are too long, have poor pacing, poor narrative structure, poor character development and yet are still supposedly better than say, Ghostbusters II.

Yes, they were revolutionary for their day, but their day was nearly a hundred years ago and I swear to god I'd rather watch the spongebob movie.

Sorry - I don't know where all that came from!

That Friday Feeling!

2009-01-16T11:08:21Z

Hey kids! You just know it's going to be a good day when you send your girlfriend packing back to the other side of the planet and then hurry home just in time to cough up some blood and discover that there's a right wing tv station named after you! Good times!

Actually, i feel a lot better after coughing up all that gack, and I'm going to Chicago and Madison in like 4 weeks anyway so I guess things aren't all that bad.

That remidns me, does anyone on my flist live in Illinois or Wisconsin? And if not, why not? Except for the obvious fact that it seems to be ball-freezing like... all the time.

In other news...food!

What's the last thing you ate?
Some Irish Stew at Niamh's house.

What's your favorite cheese?
I dunno, man. I really like cheese. Maybe wensleydale with onion and chive?

What's your favorite fish?
I guess Prawns, they count as fish... right? (that's shrimp to you yanks)

What's your favorite fruit?
Maybe pineapple or honeydue melon. OR grapefruit. I used to work on a juice bar - go figure.

When, if ever, did you start liking olives?
Maybe like 5 or 6 years ago. I totally love them now.

When, if ever, did you start liking beer?
I guess when I was about 16? I didn't like any beer except shitty Miller before that.

When, if ever, did you start liking shellfish?
I guess about 6 or 7 years ago when I first tried sushi.

What was the best thing your parent/s used to make?
My mum made great stew.

What's the native specialty of your home town?
I guess there's the Ulster Fry which is kind of like a full English breakfast only with soda bread and potato bread and no black budding or any of that stuff. There's also the Belfast Bap which is just like a really big burger bun only kind of crusty and kind of doughier.

What's your comfort food?
Pizza

What's your favorite type of chocolate?
White/ vanilla.

How do you like your steak?
Still whimpering on the plate.

How do you like your burger?
with a little tomato, onion and garlic in the patty - bacon, cheese and fried onion on top and smokey ketchup or bbq sauce. Maybe some salad if i'm feeling healthy. I have recently started making my own burgers. Does it show? :P

How do you like your eggs?
Scrambled.

How do you like your potatoes?
Most ways - except baked or boiled; too plain. I love roast potatoes and good proper chips ('fries') and CHAMP! and garlic potatoes and lattice fries and potato bread and om nom nom nom...

How do you take your coffee?
Filter/Americano - white, 2 sugars
Latté - With caramel syrup
Espresso - double, with brown sugar.

How do you take your tea?
White, one sugar.

What's your favorite mug?
My big ass book club mug that holds a WHOLE FUCKING PINT OF TEA.

What's your cookie of choice?
White chocoalte from Marks and Spencers.

What's your ideal breakfast?
Sometimes you just cant beat a good fry.

What's your ideal sandwich?
Just like... shitloads of meat and some pickle and maybe some tomato and lettuce and cheese and either some bbq sauce or some salad cream or something like that.

What's your ideal pizza (topping and base)?
Thin base with thick crusts (Domino's style) but with a less sweet tomato sauce, at least 2 types of cheese, and a shitload of meat (yes, i like meat) and maybe some onions on top.

What's your ideal pie (sweet or savory)?
Savory: Steak and Guiness Pie. Sweet: Mince Pie or maybe Pecan Pie.

What's your ideal salad?
cherry tomato, croutons, lettuce, carrot, cucumber, red onion, feta cheese with ceasar dressing or balsamic vinegar.

What food do you always like to have in the fridge?
Milk. Bacon.

What food do you always like to have in the freezer?
Mince meat. Ice cream :D

What food do you always like to have in the cupboard?
Noodles, Pasta, pasta sauce, tinned tuna.

What spices can you not live without?
Ginger. Garlic Salt.

What sauces can you not live without?
BBQ, HP sauce, sweet n sour sauce.

Where do you buy most of your food?
Tesco

How often do you go food shopping?
Once every couple of weeks.

What's the most you've spent on a single food item?
Maybe around £5?

What's the most expensive piece of kitchen equipment you own?
I don't own much. I used to have a coffee maker but I think some Bulgarian guys maybe stole it.

What's the last piece of equipment you bought for your kitchen?
I don't buy kitchen equipment. I take it home from film shoots :D

What piece of kitchen equipment could you not live without?
If I really had to I'm sure I could live without any - Ray Mears style!

Seriously though. I need a stove.

How many times a week/month do you cook from raw ingredients?
Once a week, give or take.

What's the last thing you cooked from raw ingredients?
I made a 3 course meal of vegetable soup, burgers with winter veg and garlic potato wedges and Praline and coffee cheesecake for dessert.
I don't do this all the time, it was a leaving dinner type thing for Niamh.

What's your favorite thing to make for yourself?
Sweet and Sour chicken (my own recipe)

What meats have you eaten besides cow, pig, chicken and turkey?
Venison, lamb, veal, swordfish (and loads of other fish), ostrich, kangeroo, springbok, goose, boar and um... human. Not really.

What's the last time you ate something that had fallen on the floor?
I guess Wednesday, probably.

What's the last time you ate something you'd picked in the wild?
I guess maybe... 8 years ago?

Place the following cuisines in order of preference (greatest to least):
Chinese
Italian
French
Thai
Indian

Place the following boozes in order of preference (greatest to least):
Kahlua Bailey's Irish Creme Vodka (that could be a nice drink... kind of like a white Russian with even more booze!)

Place the following flavors in order of preference (greatest to least):

Ginger
Garlic
Lime
Basil
Aniseed - jsut reminds me of absinthe!

Place the following fruits in order of preference (greatest to least):
Pineapple
Melon
Banana
Orange
Apple
Cherry

Bread and spread:
White or wholegrain with nutella!

What's your fast food restaurant of choice, and what do you usually order?
KFC is a guilty pleasure. A few of us go maybe once a year and get a big ole bucket.

What are three of the best dining-out experiences you've had?

1. L'Etoille (Best. Steak. Ever.)
2. Zen (great sushi and so much other great food)
3. Chelle's in Paris. More for the atmosphere than the food!

Favorite cookbook/s?
I use the internet mostly.

Got any favorite food blogs?
Only Jane Espenson's... which is actually a writing blog but she talks about food sometimes too!

What's the next thing you'll eat?
Maybe some soup before I go to work.

Moozak.

2009-01-09T14:59:58Z

It's time for my musical rundown of 2008! It wont be as detailed as last years, as I have to go back to work soon.

I don't know about this album. Ani can be a bit hit and miss, but her last album, Reprieve, was almost entirely hit. Red Letter Year lacks the consistent quality and is a disapointing return to the meandering inconsistency of her earlier work. This doesn't mean it's bad - far from it - it just lacks any truly stand out tracks

The first Flogging Molly album recorded on Irish soil, Float has an energy and cleanness of production that is lacking in some of Molly's other work. The new version of a previously live only recording, Between a Man and Woman, shows just how far the band have come. The new songs are of a consistently high quality and the first three tracks of the album are up there with the best of the band's work. Live at Oxegen 2008: Awesome

Ah, Machinae. Their first album after signing to Spinefarm Records (Sony) did as much as it could to sooth the screams of "Sellout!" The changes to the recording set-up seem to have alienated some fans, and it does take a little getting used to, but a new depth and richness has definetely been added to the Machinae sound. The sid-metal cover of Brtiney's Gimme More is as good as their Freestyler and I Turn To You covers while tracks like Edge and Pearl, Skin and Converyor still give me goosebumps!

This. Is. Rap music. Smart, angry rhymes about how fucked up everything is. I-Tech has corporate America, the war on terror, record labels and shallow rappers in his sights and he rarely misses. The production comes from a variety of sources but the work of DJ Green Lantern and Scram Jones really stands out. Some of the tracks suffer from the bravado of the contemporary rapper and it seems unneccessary for an instrumental track to feature on a hip-hop album. Bonus points for rapping an entire track in Spanish, though! Live at Skye: Drunk, but awesome. (It was me that was drunk, not I-Tech - as far as I know)

I was so psyched when this album came out on my birthday. It's difficult to describe as a hip-hop album. It's more like slam poetry mixed with indie-electro backing tracks. If that sounds terrible (which, to be fair, it does) then I'm not doing it justice. It's funny, poignant, interesting, honest and catchy. Everything the last Saul Williams album should have been but wasn't. Live at the Limelight: Awesome

Well, this came out of nowhere; Norwegian pop-punk with genuine attitude. I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked is one of the best pop singles of the year, while quality tracks like Louie, Stella and Oh My God keep the album nicely ticking over. Live at the Limelight: Drunken but enjoyable (It was Ida that was drunk, not me.)

I still can't really believe that Amanda pulled this off; a solo album that doesn't jsut sound exactly like the Dresden Dolls but is still extremely rocking! It still sounds about 50% Dresden DOlls, which is fair considering Amanda is fifty percent of the Dresden Dolls. The music is a bit more experimental, and even though every track isn't a winner, this album never gets boring! Live at Auntie Annies: Blissful Insanity!

It usually takes a while for a Snow Patrol album to grow on me. It's only been a month or so and so far so good. The two singles, Crack The Shutters and Take Back The City are great tunes, but the rest of the album is still yet to leave an impression.

Good ol' Rise Against; like musical caffeine. It's hard not to like this new album, but it's hard to pick out more than one or two genuinely good tracks. The production is up to the quality of their last album but the songwriting unfortunately isn't. The stand-out tracks are the acoustic Hero Of War which is poignant if slightly ham-fisted. Savior is as good as anything off The Sufferer and the Witness, but it's really the only track that is. Slightly disapointing.

Hmm. Spose that was about as detailed as last years. And yes, before you ask, I should be writing. Shutup shutup shutup shutup!

It's Chriiiiisssttttmmmaaaasss! (/Slade voice)

2008-12-24T15:16:18Z

Well it's christmas eve, and I have to go back to my dads house in an hour and make a cheesecake. Wish me luck!

Here's the christmas meme:

1. Have you been naughty or nice this year?
Relatively nice. Relatively.

2. What do you want most for Christmas?
Flights to America

3. Do you believe in Father Christmas?
I am still not 8.

4. What is your favourite food at Christmass?
Mince pies!

5. Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?
All done! (it's christmas eve for chrissakes)

6. Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet?
Read up, stupid.

7. What is your favourite Christmas song?
Since I am a) Irish and b) kind of a bum it has to be Fairytale of New York.

8. What is your favourite Christmas movie?
Die Hard! or Ghostbusters II!

9. What is your best memory of Christmas?
Back when we had the foster kids and we all used to play Warhammer, we would all always get loads of warhammer shit for christmas and spend all day gluing them together and painting and generally having a good time.

God, I'm such a nerd.

10. What do you look forward to most at Christmas?
getting drunk with my family. This year I was also looking forward to Niamh coming home.

11. What are you doing for Christmas this year?
Going up to my brothers house for dinner and drinks then going back to Niamhs house in the evening so we can do the whole gift exchange thing.

12. Who do you want to kiss under the mistletoe?
Your ma.

13. What kind of Christmas tree do you have?
A tiny fibre optic one that isnt even mine.

14. Do you take part in a secret santa?
Not as such, no. We have a kind of secret santa gift arrangement in our family. Only it's not secret.

15. Do you go to any Christmas parties?
Students Union Shop Staff and Students Union general staff parties - good times :D

16. Have you ever had a white Christmas?
Not in recent years.

17. How early do you wake up on Christmas morning?
As late as possible.

18. Do you still get a stocking?
Up until recently.

19. How many Christmas cards do you normally send out?
zero!

20. What is your Christmas wish?
That everything turns out okay.

Jesus Fucking Christ!

2008-12-18T01:35:38Z

Dear Santa...

Dear Santa,

This year I've been busy!

Last Friday I broke warren_ellis's X-Box (-12 points). In February I bought porn for brianwood (-10 points). Last Wednesday I committed genocide... Sorry about that, hey_friend (-5000 points). In January I ruled Canada as a cruel and heartless dictator (-700 points). In August I ate my brussel sprouts (1 points).

Overall, I've been naughty (-5721 points). For Christmas I deserve a lump of coal!

Sincerely,
outboundlight

In my defence, Warren Ellis definetely had it coming. Also, if I had to buy porn for anyone - it would be Mr Wood. Randomly this app has chosen only comics related people from my flist and now I look like a huge nerd.

For a change.

Consumable Media

2008-12-17T01:44:54Z

So the two days I was expecting to work on the George Best film at the end of the week have fallen through. I'm kind of disapointed; I was really looking forward to catching up with some of the local freelancers before Christmas. I was also looking forward to 2 days pay at BBC daily rate. Alas.

I'll live.

I also got a lovely email from the chaps at Straandlooper, who had extremely nice things to say about the sample writing that I sent them. They want me to come in for a chat - but as far as I know the next commissioning rounds in this part of the world aren't for another few months (at least) so I'm not expecting much from them right away. It was still great to get such positive professional feedback. I'm almost starting to feel like a real writer!

Almost.

Still waiting to find out about penning an episode of Seacht. They've already postponed it once so I hope they're not fobbing me off...

Anyway - enough about me. Here's some thoughts about some media I consumed recently. Enjoy.
Or don't. I doubt anyone even reads these posts when they go over like... 10 lines.

Shh. Don't tell anyone, but I have a Film and English degree and I had never read any Easton Ellis until last week. I decided to start from the start and borrowed LTZ from my brother. My brother who, incidentally, only seems to own books by Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and John Niven; which is somewhat disturbing.
Anywho: What. The. Fuck. That book is totally deranged. At times I seriously considered stopping reading it. At first, the prose seems extremely disjointed but eventually it completely kicks your asss - like some kind of drunken master king-fu.
In a way, the excessive lives of these LA rich kids seem a million miles away from anything I (or you, I assume) have ever experienced but the awkwardness of teenage life just jumps off the page at you - the skin crawling agony of pretending to be an adult when you're not.
The fact that wealth and fame fuck you up is not a new revelation but in LTZ, just being around it seems to. Just living next door to it. Just being so close you can taste it. Taking it for granted and expecting more. That shit seems to really fuck you up. I'm sure you all read this years ago and you don't care what I think.

But anyway, great book!

More LA related stuff. Interesting.
I like Californication. A lot. I understand why a lot of people don't, but I do. I was really worried that the second series would have nowhere to go after the first one seemed to wrap up so nicely.
Well the second series surprised me. A lot. In fact, if anything, too much stuff happened and there wasn't enough time to resolve everything properly.
It was good that they explored more of the myth and culture of LA like the music industry and the porn industry. It also helped that the characters they added to do this were played by Callum Kieth Rennie and Carlo Gallo. Who are awesome.
So yes, Californication is still a bit of a writers wet dream but it has a lot more depth than that. There's a lot of time spent dealing with good people who do things, or bad people who live good lives - depending on how you want to look at it. I can't get enough of that shit.

But secretely yes, I would like to be Scott Pilgrim when I'm 23 and Hank Moody when I'm 40.

Goddamn it janey_27, you need to watch that shit right now. Callum Kieth Rennie, for gods sake woman! CKR!!

.

There are no fucking words.

2008-12-01T15:21:38Z

From http://www.thefword.org.uk via Warren Ellis:

Incredibly cool and beautiful singer Amanda Palmer (of Dresden Dolls fame) has been forced to search for a new record label after Roadrunner refused to promote her latest single, video and album. Why? Because she refused to let them remove shots of her “fat” belly from the video for Leeds United, and is therefore “uncommercial”.

No. Fucking. Words.

Anthem For Doomed Youth

2008-11-11T12:24:36Z

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
Only the monstrous anger of the guns.
Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle
Can patter out their hasty orisons.
No mockeries for them; no prayers nor bells,
Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,--
The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires.

What candles may be held to speed them all?
Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes
Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes.
The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall;
Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,
And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.

A man fires a rifle for many years. and he goes to war. And afterwards he comes home, and he sees that whatever else he may do with his life - build a house, love a woman, change his son's diaper - he will always remain a jarhead. And all the jarheads killing and dying, they will always be me. We are still in the desert.

40 women.

2008-10-18T23:32:58Z

Just a little thing about the 40 woman protest... which I missed today because I waste all my time working on films that noone even watches.

tiptoeing through the used condoms
strewn on the piers
off the west side highway
sunset behind the skyline of jersey
walking towards the water
with a fetus holding court in my gut
my body highjacked
my tits swollen
I'm sore
the river has more colors
at sunset than my sock
drawer ever dreamed of
I could wake up screaming sometimes
but I don't
I could step off the end of this pier
but I've got shit to do
and I've an appointment on tuesday
to shed uninvited blood and tissue
I'll miss you I say to the river
to the water
to the son or
daughter I thought better of
I could fall in love with
jersey at sunset
but I leave
the view
to the rats
and tiptoe back

http://libcom.org/news/protests-belfast-support-womens-right-choose-15102008

outboundlight @ 2008-10-16T23:08:00

2008-10-16T22:09:15Z

Aaron Sorkin, writing as President Jed Bartlet (The West Wing) in the New York Times.

"GET ANGRIER! Call them liars, because that’s what they are. Sarah Palin didn’t say “thanks but no thanks” to the Bridge to Nowhere. She just said “Thanks.” You were raised by a single mother on food stamps — where does a guy with eight houses who was legacied into Annapolis get off calling you an elitist? And by the way, if you do nothing else, take that word back. Elite is a good word, it means well above average. I’d ask them what their problem is with excellence. While you’re at it, I want the word “patriot” back. McCain can say that the transcendent issue of our time is the spread of Islamic fanaticism or he can choose a running mate who doesn’t know the Bush doctrine from the Monroe Doctrine, but he can’t do both at the same time and call it patriotic. They have to lie — the truth isn’t their friend right now. Get angry. Mock them mercilessly; they’ve earned it. McCain decried agents of intolerance, then chose a running mate who had to ask if she was allowed to ban books from a public library. It’s not bad enough she thinks the planet Earth was created in six days 6,000 years ago complete with a man, a woman and a talking snake, she wants schools to teach the rest of our kids to deny geology, anthropology, archaeology and common sense too? It’s not bad enough she’s forcing her own daughter into a loveless marriage to a teenage hood, she wants the rest of us to guide our daughters in that direction too? It’s not enough that a woman shouldn’t have the right to choose, it should be the law of the land that she has to carry and deliver her rapist’s baby too? I don’t know whether or not Governor Palin has the tenacity of a pit bull, but I know for sure she’s got the qualifications of one. And you’re worried about seeming angry? You could eat their lunch, make them cry and tell their mamas about it and God himself would call it restrained. There are times when you are simply required to be impolite. There are times when condescension is called for!"

in full:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/opinion/21dowd-sorkin.html?_r=4&em&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin