I Tawt I Taw A Busy Cat

My mistake – now I am busy! Last week was filled with the stressful misunderstandings that employment seems intended for. As such – not a lot of fun. Boo and tits to that. Next week looks to be far more full of activity, in addition to whatever diurnal nonsense transpires. I start teaching the next MissImp Improv Beginners course on Monday (with m’pal Parky) which will be ace but does further compress the week’s free time. I shall maintain my schedule!

What with all that marvellousness I’m saddened to say that I am already returning to a largely zero alcohol existence in order to remain sane and healthy. I am disappointed by this, not least because I adore the bottle of Singleton I opened this week. Oh well, at least the Bavaria 0.0% alternative I’ve settled on is only 25p per can…

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhgCDLmMuqI&w=560&h=315]

Something that did sadden me this week was news of Ray Harryhausen’s death. It’s rare that I use the word tragedy, but that’s how his death feels. Although I have not one skill in common with the great man, his films have always inspired me and when I think of monsters, they are his.

♥ This week’s scribbles

Tuesday Shankicide: Shivving with Death Poetry

Back to a few poems of gentle frustration.

Wednesday Lego Blog: Lunchtime Building

Some people relax at work by going outside; I have a travelling Lego case.

Thursday The Desert Crystals – Part Eight: Running Blind

Darkness has swallowed the crew of The Dove’s Eye

Friday Film Review: Iron Man 3 (2013)

Ron’s back! And he has friends as well as splendid new enemies.

Updates on my thrilling life

Writing

I like a good old rant and normally I turn to Shankanalia to achieve that, but the week before last some stuff happened that really crawled up my urethra. What I found pleasing about ranting in this case was how diverse the subject felt. Before I knew it I’d banged out a thousand words on the stuff – hence last Tuesday’s sort-of-essay on Interpretation. I’m concerned that continuing to find space even for the little writing I’m doing at the moment is going to get harder – how do other people keep it up?! (And why is there no interrobang key on my keyboard?)

This week I hope to steer The Desert Crystals more or less back on course. This nasty skywards turn was never part of the story! I guess that’s why people plan ahead. My stories always feel to me much more like the stuff I do on stage with MissImp.

Last week’s scribbles

Tuesday Autofiction: Accusation and Prejudice Context and judgement afflict us all, how should we make decisions?

Wednesday Live Storytelling: A Story from MissImp in Action When I get to monologise on stage it gets weird, quickly.

Thursday The Desert Crystals – Part Seven: This Hellish Hole Darkness has swallowed the crew of The Dove’s Eye.

Friday Film Review: Olympus Has Fallen (2013) It’s Die Hard in the White House!

Lego

As I mentioned last week I’ve been mostly fingering my bricks at lunchtime. Well, that and having a jolly good re-sort over the weekend when I found another suitable box. Categorising your Lego really does bring out the OCD in a person.It’s insanely satisfying to sift through the boxes, removing colours and shapes to whatever insane demands your organising brain screams at you. I go mainly by colour, or utility of colour. I’m very fond of woodland stuff, so greens and browns all get mixed in together. Blacks and greys (all 20 shades) get separated out, as do white and tan. I also segregate little fiddly bits that I think might come in useful, and when I’m building that can become rather full. Primary colours I use least of all and am least fond of so they get heaped up together.

I have much more time for the pastel stuff of Lego Friends, but I don’t have enough to justify a separate box. What shall I do?! Oh, there’s a missing box as well – I keep oddments of minifig accessories, transparent parts and well, things I like in another box. I’m limited to what I can stuff under the sofas, although a worrying amount is currently in models at present. And Jabba’s Palace and a LoTR set remain unopened upstairs…

Improv Comedy

Due to rage last week I missed Fisticuffs – probably for the best as I wasn’t fit for company. We did have Gorilla Burger though which seemed to go well. It’s evidence of my broken mind that I couldn’t tell whether it was going well at the time. I am now better. Excitingly we begin the Improv Beginners course this week. We have a dinky group of 7 so far, and it would be nice to get 8 or 9 but if not, those delightful 7 will have a lot of attention lavished on them. Woop. I’ve taught lots of introductory workshops and endless weekly jams but I’ve never had this particular intensity of time with a group. I’m looking forwards to it.

Media Intake

Books

I could resist no longer. I tried to, but I could not. I finally succumbed to the allure of The Air War. I’m so glad I did, Adrian Tchaikovsky’s eighth book in the Shadows of The Apt series is heartbreakingly awesome. The battles are magnificent and the emerging weaponry is terrifying. I’m very afraid even more of my favourite characters will die. I’m also afraid that I’ll read it too quickly, so I am absurdly limiting myself to only reading it in the evening. I recently acquired the first book Empire in Black and Gold on Kindle (I have all of them in paper) so I can re-read that at my leisure.

Films

I saw Avatar again on TV this weekend. God, it’s awful. Not only did its effects appear to have dated really badly, but it was quickly evident just how shallow and weakly done the story is. The characters are of almost no interest and it’s so predictable and so much a muted rip off of many other films – Pocahontas being the most notorious comparison. Personally I think Ferngully was better.

A much better rewatch was X-Men First Class. I loved it at the cinema (in quality it managed to achieve somewhere between X-Men 1 and X-Men 2 – we shall not speak of X-Men 3), and I think it’s maybe even more enjoyable at home. It was very pleasing to see young Professor X and Magneto hanging out in bars. It’s shot like a ’70s movie but with modern pace and sensibilities, which really makes it pack a punch. I believe the next one is just around the corner.

Events and Excitement

Knickerbocker Glorious – Saturday 18th May

11:00am – 3:00pm at The Fountain, Cathedral Quarter, Derby.
Music, pirate tales and more. All free, all outdoors.

MissImp in Action – Friday 31st May

8.30pm at The Glee Club, Nottingham.
High energy improvised comedy show.

Weeks That Have Come Before

• This week, Monday 22nd April 2013 (captainpigheart.com)
• This week, Monday 29th April 2013 (captainpigheart.com)
• This week, Monday 6th May 2013 (captainpigheart.com)