It’s Time To Get The After Eights In
Seems Christmas is a-coming. We’ve been poring over the glut of Christmas catalogues spilling out of shop doors and thrust (with astonishing inexpertise) through our letter box. It has as always whipped round with frightening speed, especially since the last two months have gone by in molten Dali toffee loops anyway. I like Christmas. It’s a nice time of peace and quiet to me. We’ll have some family time, but I feel it as a freedom from everything I’m ordinarily required to. I have no religious association with the event, though I’m grateful that some people thought it was important enough to justify taking a fortnight off work in the middle of winter- ta.
We’ve also been popping out and stocking up on Christmas beers from lovely 4 for a fiver. We’ve been collecting such delights as Young’s Chocolate Stout, Old Crafty Hen, Fuller’s 1845, Old Peculier, London Pride, plus a couple of bottles of Pilsner Urquell and some Erdinger Weissbier. Oh, and some Buddy’s Bourbon Beer. It’s a fine cupboard full of strong ale. I must remember to top up the stack of alcohol free non-booze to stop myself from falling into an alcoholic coma over Christmas. There will be Lego to assemble and I can’t afford to be unconscious for that!
I have been burying myself in reading, which is always relaxing and satisfying. I’ve been highly remiss in keeping track of what I’ve read this year and I finally persuaded myself to plunge back into the book cupboard and Kindle to figure out what I’ve been enjoying. Turns out I’ve read 76 books so far this year (including graphic novels, or collected comics depending on your personal pretension or shame), which ain’t bad. It’s a little slower than usual, but I’ve had stuff to do! It does include re-reading the whole of Peter F Hamilton‘s Commonwealth Saga which is 5 giant tomes (and amazing).
Right now I seem to be on a paranormal fiction bender (not paranormal romance I urgently point out). I’ve just finished the second on Ben Aaronovitch‘s brilliant and hyper-readable Moon Over Soho which is basically Dresden Files vs The Bill. Then I hopped straight into the first of the Mercy Thompson series about werewolves and the Fae by Patricia Briggs, Moon Called. Or maybe it’s just books with ‘moon’ in the title. I wonder if I’ve got any more mooning books…
Writing
I’m still struggling to write. I still feel quite broken and my mind is not in my fingers where I need it to be. I’m trying to convince myself that this is okay. They are only promises to teh internets and it’s okay if I don’t do what I intend to. It does irritate me though. I didn’t manage to write the next Desert Crystals chapter, though not for want of trying. It just wouldn’t come. Instead I had a lovely rant and babbled about Lego and creativity: it’s not all bad. Perhaps I need to just not be so hard on myself and take it slightly easier. You’ll note that this post is two days overdue… bad Captain Pigheart.
I substituted reproduction for innovation over the weekend and recorded the Alex Trepan in ‘Midnight Shopping’ for my friends at Flash Pulp. That’s another really fun thing that has somehow slid for a few months and I’m really very happy to be able to contribute once more. Super folks.
♥ Scribbles of time and space
Things I Hate: What the fucking fuck is wrong with people? a small and justified rant about stupid sexism and stupid people.
Lego Blog: Making Stuff and Finding It Strange Lego can be gloriously therapeutic and has lots of creative overlaps with improv and writing.
Updates on my thrilling life
Improv Comedy
To continue briefly from last week’s raving about shortform, we had an especially fun shortform jam last Thursday which I enjoyed immensely. Many thanks to one of the current crop of students on the beginners course Parky and I are running, Chris, for endowing himself and me as having vagina monsters in a genre rollercoaster. A fine and strong choice sir. And it was very fun to do.
This week we’ve got Gorilla Burger and unless I chicken out I’m going to do some solo stuff which I’ve wanted to have a crack at for ages but not found an opportunity, so I’m making one for myself. Next Tuesday we’ll be doing a full show of Unspeakable Acts which is one of my favourite things in the whole world.
Here’s JAWS from the show in August – chaotic and silly:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXa3TyqGbfM&w=420&h=315]
Events and Excitement
Thursday 14th November 2013
Gorilla Burger: improv comedy carnage
Jam show – a chance for anyone to get on stage, plus special show slots!
The Corner
8 Stoney Street
(off Broad Street)
Nottingham
7.30pm – £4
https://www.facebook.com/events/174297189420385/
Saturday 16th November 2013
Knickerbocker Glorious
A sweet layered stack of free live Entertainment, an abundance of Acoustic Music, a generous measure of Performing Arts. Topped off with a liberal sprinkling of family friendly Comedy. I’m compering!
The Fountain
Derby Market Square
Cathedral Quarter
Derby
11am-3pm – FREE
Tuesday 19th November 2013
Unspeakable Acts
Nottingham’s longform improv troupe, will create a mutant hybrid of scripted drama and improvised comedy.
The players will begin performing a scripted play chosen by the audience; as the show progresses, the script is distorted, violated and abandoned. In its place we will create a new narrative, a squalid perversion of the playwright’s intentions or a beautiful butterfly made of broken dreams.
The Corner
8 Stoney Street
(off Broad Street)
Nottingham
7.30pm – £3
https://www.facebook.com/events/711364735543846/
