The Year is Full of Days
I’ve spent most of this week anxiously looking out of the window and willing it to snow. I consider this a week well-spent. It would be nice to have more snow though. We’ve had a few inches, which proved sufficient when slushed and refrozen to toss me off my bike and thoroughly smash my wrist up again. Not good. So now I’m having to endure the train for my morning commute instead of the aggressive peace of cycling. If it’s less icy this week I’ll probably go back to cycling… because I’m an idiot.
Most of the best things have happened between leaving work and going to bed this week.
This week’s scribbles
Tuesday Shankaz’eroth: The Dead God of Bitter Verse
Time for a little more bitching and whining in poetical format.
Wednesday The Magical Space Engine
A dinky little flash fiction story of magic and science.
Thursday The War Alone: The Beta-Haris, part Three
The final part of one man’s story of survival in The War Alone. Part 1 and part 2 here.
Friday Film Review: Wreck-It Ralph
A short review of the new Disney film.
Updates on my thrilling life
Writing
Another good week for le scrawl. I’m sticking more or less to my routine (ooh, for a whole two weeks…!) so that feels pretty darn good. I have an idea to write more The War Alone stuff as super-short tales of death in the early stages of Day One. Y’know, cheery stuff like that. I’ve also been neglecting the good Captain Pigheart as well (this coming week is no exception) and that needs to be addressed. Maybe a new pirate story a week? I don’t know – would that be a good thing? I think perhaps I need some feedback… hint. Anyway, some friends have said some nice things about the current Beta-Hari three-parter for which I’m grateful, and also some gentle pats on the head for still playing with Lego at my age.
Last week’s scribbles
Tuesday Lego Creations: Woodland Whimsy – pictures and jabber about my first reacquaintance with Lego.
Wednesday Pulp Pirate 14 – The Selachian Damsel Adventure was included in last week’s Flash Pulp podcast.
Thursday The War Alone: The Beta-Haris, part Two – continuing one man’s story of survival in The War Alone.
Friday Book Review: Subspace Encounters by E.E. Doc Smith – a dinky short review of a Doc Smith’s last book.
Saturday Pirate Hot Chocolate – a fine, whiskefied way to do hot chocolate, shipshape style.
Lego
I hope you enjoyed seeing the Woodland Whimsy last week! I’ve taken some pictures of the Christmas Eve Hoth diorama but I haven’t yet done anything with it. The Pirate Hot Chocolate (with a lot of alcohol in it) was very useful over the weekend in both banishing the cold and assisting in applying finishing touches to the Castle of Hopeless Indulgence (which I might call it). It has many minifigures in it now, but I’m still sure there are further touches required. Have you seen the new Lego Chima stuff?
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwCGxJFMGOc&w=560&h=315]
Crazy. I may need some of the awesome beast-headed figures even though it’s all very expensive. They remind me of the Fabuland characters from the ’80s. Merly (our beloved feline princess) has taken to playing in the Lego with me. This troubles me, despite the sweetness of it, as she kicks bricks around rather like in a litter tray…
Improv
I am back on my game, which is inordinately satisfying and exciting. Also timely, since I’ve got three shows in the next few weeks. I think what fixed me was going to Fisticuffs (or just “fisting” as it’s known colloquially, much to other folks’ confusion) and rehearsing for Unspeakable Acts. A ludicrously good time was had crafting three new plays out of the shattered ruins of the old. The middle tale is unrepeatable for vileness. I enjoy attempting a Scottish accent, but holding it for thirty seconds, much less thirty minutes is beyond me. I had to feign a stroke to account for its wandering. The last scene we did alternated between Man and Woman (I can’t recall the names of any of the base plays) who were in the middle of a siege and having weird (possibly fake) premonitions, and a frustrated musical director with two performers who could not stick to Les Mis for love nor money. As I said, I enjoyed it!
Gorilla Burger (an anyone can play show last Thursday) needs tightening up badly with a firm hand running it before anyone will really benefit from it. No one got to do more than a handful of scenes in quite a long (and chilly) evening. Fun often requires a degree of control and focus (and organisation) to make it more fun for everyone. However, the scenes I did, especially a nice one with Eddie at a lost property dept and with Marilyn and Lloydie discussing the destruction of Peterborough, were very enjoyable. Oh well, the next one’s on 14th February so we might be off Valentining anyway.
Events and Excitement
Improv shows
Friday 25/01/13 MissImp in Action: Improvised Comedy Show – The Glee Club, Nottingham.
Wednesday 06/02/13 MissImp Presents… Fisticuffs in: Unspeakable Acts – The City Gallery, Nottingham.
Friday 08/02/13 Mission Improbable – Create Theatre, Mansfield.
Pirate stuff
Still few plans. Maybe I need to get some. I will do some recording next weekend in any case and bung some more snippets on Reverbnation.