Oh god the sun – it burns!.
It’s like a fire in the damned sky. I am of course the only person I know complaining about the weather. Apparently it is wonderful. I’m a snow and gloom kinda guy though and this heat really wipes me out. So far I have evaded sunburn despite spending more time out in the sun than in the last year over this last two weekends. I’m not really looking forwards to a week in our greenhouse office (where we routinely consider 28 degrees to be normal). I may even wear shorts. Even if I’m too hot at least others will be frightened by my knees.
Still, despite the weather vile it’s looking like a fine week – I have my other half back, since she’s been getting people killed by zombies again with 2.8 Hours Later‘s Asylum game in Leeds. But she’s back and not stained too badly red this time. It sounds like amazing fun – this time she’s been playing a dying van driver (who dies in front of the audience) who sends the survivors into the back of a van full of zombies. I cannot wait for it to return to Nottingham.
We also have Gorilla Burger this week (see way below for time and place), being run by the marvellous Dr Findell. The recent feature of three specific performance slots emerged out of last month’s superb show with Shannon O’Neal. This month I’ve got the privilege of being in two slots – Eddie’s Top Story team and playing in bromantic duo Bitchcock Kerfuffle with David. There should also be a third team emerging out of new play/show jam night Up and Coming Improv on Monday. Exciting.
Then I get to dick about all day in Derby for Furthest From The Sea and The Cathedral Quarter‘s Knickerbocker Glorious. I’m compering four hours of free live music, comedy and other awesomeness at The Fountain in the Market Place 11-3. Hurray!
- This Week’s Scribbles
- My Thrilling Life
- Writing
- Last Week’s Scribbles
- Lego Blog
- Musings on Improvised Comedy
- Media Intake
- Books
- Films
- Events and Excitement
♥ This week’s scribbles
Tuesday Shanktart: Toasted Sugar Rage Poetry Ah poetry, such sweet release.
Wednesday Lego Blog: Abandoned Castle I have successfully made a thing.
Thursday The Desert Crystals Part 13 “A Chamber of Horrors” Trapped in the dark tunnels of a flying mountain…
Friday Something Review: Oh God What Will It Be? I haven’t decided yet…
Updates on my thrilling life
Writing
Back in da house. Oh yeah. I’m finally back in the swing again – I have slightly more time and I was very happy to hit my writing targets. It’s the first time in a couple of months I’ve had the time to scribble a random short story and it felt good. I’m even more pleased to finally put in part 12 of The Desert Crystals. Being slightly out of sorts with where I’d gotten to I made the dubious decision to add another story thread. Yay for weaving. Or possibly knitting…
The multi film review got a bit challenging, but then I remembered I only have to say what I want to about a film. They seem to get read, which is nice. Personally I never do read reviews for films – I haven’t found anyone who I trust – so often they’re just really wanky and pretentious. I tend to enjoy fairly trashy action and sci-fi stuff – pulp films I suppose and reviewers seem to be unnecessarily mean without considering that they were going to hate it anyway. I realise I also fall into that latter camp (but After Earth really is fucking terrible)… I am finding myself increasingly aware of the lack of a female presence in films. I noticed it when I started writing reviews and in a brief review I can’t get into all the characters so I usually cover the ones I remember or who seem important to the story – and the ladies aren’t getting a look in. It’s disappointing – I like variety, especially in performance and film is sorely lacking (especially the genres I favour) – poor show film makers, poor show.
Hayfevered Dreams: A Brain-Scrambled Story #1 The pollen! The pollen!
Lego Blog: Disordered Fun and joy fiddling with bricks.
The Desert Crystals – Part 12: Hark, The Wings We’re back! The adventure continues with pursuit.
Film Review Round Up: Man of Steel, Despicable Me 2, Snitch, World War Z (2013) Lots of films, short reviews.
Lego
I consider this week to be a Lego success. I have drooled over Lego online at The Brothers Brick and elsewhere and been continuously taunted with Lego rumours by my other half while she messed about at the Lego Store in Leeds. I have also had a ‘Lego playdate’, finished sorting my Lego by colour – only to doubt myself and begun exploring sorting by shape (thanks Doc!). Not only that but I’ve actually finished a thing! No, not the steampunkery stuff, but the odd little castle diorama I was tinkering at last week. You may see it in full on Wednesday. It’s not large, but I’m quite proud of it.
Improv Comedy
Well it’s all the week ahead really, though I’m also excited beyond that point to soon be getting some training avec le team by Susan Messing (she of US improv mastery), and be sharing the stage with her too, though probably not at exactly the same time. It’s all to play for folks! And then of course we have the show at The Glee Club at the end of the month. In excellent news, we’re booked there until well into next year already.
Media Intake
Books
I finished Peter F Hamilton’s second collection of shorter stories Manhattan In Reverse which were consistently excellent and satisfying. I was especially pleased that several of the tales are based in the Commonwealth timeline with some of my favourite characters like Inspector Myo. Then I started on Ben Goldacre’s book Bad Science. It’s a frequently hilarious and deeply worrying assault and expose on the bullshit of “alternative” medicine, nutrition and other deceitful scams and science failures. I’m enjoying it very much- it’s nice to have confirmed the things I see and find myself suspicious of. Critical thinking and scepticism of any kind are horribly neglected.
Last week I downloaded the latest Humble Bundle pay what you want set of books – if you pay over the average you get an extra two books as well. I paid over the average. A splendid set, including two that I already have on paper (Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother and Cherie Priest’s Boneshaker) and four others – Spin by Robert Charles Wilson, Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold (which I’ve just started) and the two extras The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle and Wil Wheaton’s Just A Geek. Buy now – the average is just $9.52 (or fuck all). It’s a great website – you see how much has been paid in total, average and get to choose how the money you pay is split (authors/charity/tip). Very cool.
Films
Well, after massively overdosing last week I’ve taken it a bit easier and just watched most of the episodes season one of Star Wars The Clone Wars. I’m rather enjoying it – lots of battle, and the anime styling is nice. They keep almost inadvertently hinting at the massive ethical problems of mass-producing clones to be butchered by semi-sentient disposable droids. That’s a bit odd. Anyway, I tend to forget that the prequels (including this) have anything to do with the real Star Wars films or my brain might explode, so they’re proving rather fun. Unless of course that racist mockery Jar-Jar Binks shows up and ruins everything in total absence of humour. Worse, he ends up the hero. I wish he would be killed.
Oh no – did watch one film: Hummingbird with Jason Statham. Yeah, I’m actually going to leave it there.
Events and Excitement
Gorilla Burger – Thursday 11th July
7.30pm at The Corner, Nottingham.
Live improvised lunacy from anyone willing to get up on the stage. Bring your own booze!
Knickerbocker Glorious – Saturday 13th July
11-3 at The Fountain, Market Place, Derby.
I’m compering a day of free music, comedy and spoken word entertainment.
MissImp and Friends and Messing With A Friend – Wednesday 24th July
Time and place to be confirmed, but will feature the Fisticuffs team, London’s sci-fi twoprov Project 2 and Susan Messing.
MissImp in Action – Friday 26th July
8.30pm at The Glee Club, Nottingham.
High energy improvised comedy show.
