The Times They Are A-Changing
For some reason the classic song by that guy who can’t really sing has been playing in my head quite a lot this week. Bob Dylan, that’s the feller. I’ve no real interest in his music and even that most famous song I only really know from the film adaptation of The Watchmen. There it provides the backing from the incredible opening scenes of the twentieth century with superheroes. It’s exciting and bleak and frightening all at the same time. I can’t hear it without seeing a blue guy blast Vietcong into bones. So I’m not sure why I’ve been hearing it all week. Strange.
I think things are slowly coming back together after Colin’s death. The eulogy has occupied my thoughts (as well as that song) for much of the week, it’s an honour to speak at someone’s funeral but ya wanna get it right, y’know? I can only do things the way that I do them. That’s Tuesday.
Despite all of that I may have achieved a few things at work, finally. Maybe the next few months won’t be absolute hell…
Writing
♥ This week’s scribbles
I’m still struggling to pit fingers against keys effectively, which is annoying me no end. It’s like a fog descends over my mind. I’ve had ideas but they evaporate when I try to write them down. I’m not even getting angry, just weary. That said, I did get a flash of scribbling inspiration on Saturday afternoon and so have finally written part 23 of The Desert Crystals! Hurray! I decided not to squeeze it into last weekend and I’ll shove it out into the world next Thursday as I begin to get my scribbles back on schedule.
The Desert Crystals – Part 23 “Vanishing Distance” It can be hard to get perspective high above the clouds.
Film Review Round Up: Prisoners & How We Live Now (2013) A terrible pair of films to watch while a family member is missing.
Last week’s scribbles
Stuff in the Post: The Monkey and The Mouse – Where’s the Cheese? Another fine Kickstarter project sends out their rewards.
Updates on my thrilling life
Lego
I’ve been really good at not indulging in Lego retail therapy and I’m unreasonably proud of myself. One of the things I’m looking forwards to in life returning to normal will be some building time. That same brain fug that fucks up writing also makes the bricks into incomprehensible plastic lumps.
I’ve also backed another of Guy Himber’s Kickstarter projects – Skulls. He’s the chap who did the awesome Pigs vs Cows which I still need to make good use of. His new project is delightfully detailed, well – skulls – as you might guess. There’s a mix of skulls with studs on top (to add hats!) and without. I’ve no idea what I want to do with them, but I love that they’re going to exist.
Improv Comedy
I’m very pleased with our new beginners. They are funny and fun. We have a nice number – eight – which means they get to play lots and we get to laugh and offer assistance. On Thursday we played with the ‘Living Room’ format. It’s fun but I’m not sure I’d be interested in watching it unless I knew the participants. One thing I did very much like though was having scenes that were possibly just one or two lines long without there being any pressure to extend them or take it anywhere. That was rather nice.
Books
I’ve had to half re-read the book I was struggling to recall last week because so little had been absorbed by the meat in my skull. It was Neal Asher’s The Engineer: reconditioned – a bunch of novellas from his Polity universe, which I adore. They were all strong and featured his trademark hideous alien creatures with horribly alien behaviour. Of the sci-fi authors I read he seems to have the best grasp of just how alien things can get – everything on Spatterjay (Hooper’s World) for example…
I’ve been spending my otherwise blankly staring lunchtimes by reading more of Atomic Robo‘s fantastic ‘Action Science’ adventures. I know I’m always late to the party but isn’t that what’s wonderful about this era of technology? Right now we have the potential to keep everything forever (or until we destroy the world properly anyway), so we can discover awesome things months and years after they were created. Since I don’t spend my hours browsing Gawker, YouTube and Reddit I am constantly decades behind the thrilling memes that Twitter twatters on about. I’ve not yet regretted that distance.
Events and Excitement
Friday 25th October 2013
MissImp in Action – live improv comedy show
Thrilling all-action end of the month show sporting the best of MissImp inventing scenes and playing games.
The Glee Club
The Waterfront
Canal Street
Nottingham
8.30pm (doors open at 8pm) – £4.50 in advance/£6 on the door (£3 students/MissImp)
https://www.facebook.com/events/630962766948498/
Saturday 26th October 2013
Knickerbocker Glorious
Live and free in-street entertainment from Furthest from the Sea‘s finest musicians, spoken word artists and whatever else we can jam on a stage.
The Fountain
Market Place
Derby
11am-3pm
https://www.facebook.com/events/531624910217919/
Thursday 31st October 2013
Cabaret XXXI
An evening of fine food, Prohibition cocktails and roaring Cabaret entertainment
The Lacehouse
Stoney Street
Nottingham
7pm-11pm
