The Dharma Bums

Last night I finished reading the book The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac, which was first published in 1958. The novel opens in October 1955 and concerns aspiring writer Ray Smith who makes his way to San Francisco where he meets poet and Zen Buddhist Japhy Ryder. Enthused by Ryder's beliefs and philosophies, Smith joins him on his mountain-climbing expeditions in the High Sierras. However, Ray soon finds his devotions to the simple life sorely tested by the marathon poetry readings, wine-fuelled orgies and wild, three-day parties that make up bohemian life in San Francisco. It is an autobiographical book. All the characters are loosely disguised real people. Kerouac himself is Ray Smith and Japhy Ryder is poet Gary Snyder. Kerouac's friend and fellow "Beat Generation" luminary Allen Ginsberg appears as Alvah Goldbook, and an early scene describes the famous Six Gallery poetry reading at which Ginsberg first performed his classic poem Howl (which is named "Wail" in the book). There's not much of a story to it but the book does contain some truely beautiful writing, and there are some amusing anecdotes of Kerouac's adventures hitch-hiking across America. The book is reviewed at Permanently Weird.

I was back at work today, and it was pretty much an average dull day. I was doing an "Environmental Awareness" test that apparently everyone has to do at work, and I got 92%. It really wasn't a difficult test at all. I also have all of next week off work! I've got a lot of annual leave left and I'll lose a lot of it if I don't use it by the end of March, so that should be fun.

I got home at around quarter past six and had a microwaved chicken and bacon pasta bake ready meal, which was quite nice. I've seen the main Oscar results. The King's Speech got four awards. I've not seen that movie. Although I was glad that Natalie Portman got the Best Actress nomination for Black Swan. I think she deserved it.

The Fear Machine

Last night I was watching an episode of Spaced which I thought was really funny. I also finished reading the graphic novel John Constantine, Hellblazer: The Fear Machine written by Jamie Delano and illustrated by Mark Buckingham, Richard Piers Rayner, Mike Hoffman and Alfredo Alcala. The story was originally published in nine monthly installments in the Hellblazer comic-book between 1988 and 1989. In the book occult detective and amateur magician John Constantine is on the run in the English countryside after being falsely accused of murder and joins up with a group of New Age travellers. However, before long he finds himself caught up in a bizarre conspiracy involving a sinister corporation who intend to use ancient magic and a psychic little girl in a devestating new weapon called "The Fear Machine". However this itself is part of an even greater conspiracy which reaches to the upper echelons of power. As an ancient and evil supernatural force awakens, even Constantine believes that it is too late to stop them. It was a good story, perhaps not the best Hellblazer story, but not bad at all. The artwork is slightly crude by the standards of modern comics but it isn't bad at all. I've reviewed it over at Permanently Weird. Fans of The Sandman would also recognise a very brief appearance from Morpheus, the main character in Sandman.

Today has been fairly quiet. I went out to get my groceries for the coming week and watched a couple of episodes of The Big Bang Theory, and also part of a show called Into the West (mainly because Rachael Leigh Cook was in it). I've started reading a book called The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac which so far looks like it should be pretty good.

I think it's the Oscars tomorrow night. I've never understood why there's so much attention paid to what the people are wearing on the red carpet, because it's not a fashion show it's a movie awards show. Also it must be stressful enough for people being nominated without the worry that if you pick the wrong outfit it would be all over newspapers magazines, the internet and TV shows. One of the things that I like about the Oscars is that there are certain things which are completely inevitable. For example at several points there will be shots of Jack Nicholson in the audience with a massive grin on his face wearing his shades indoors.

Oscar Nominations

Last night was another really quiet one which was spent mainly watching TV.

It was another really dull day at work again, and pretty much the same as usual.

The Oscar nominations were announced today, and interestingly there are ten Best Picture nominees instead of the usual five. To be honest I would be very surprised if Avatar wasn't the big winner this year.

Also I am busy getting organised for my holiday. I have three weeks of annual leave to use up before the end of March, or I'll lose them, and so I am planning on taking three weeks off work for what will hopefully be a pretty major holiday.

After the Oscars

The Oscar results made interesting reading. Eight awards for Slumdog Millionaire, which has had very good reviews, but I've not seen it yet, so I can't really comment on it. I was really surprised that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Frost/Nixon didn't do better though. I thought they were both fantastic films.

Today I went along for my last week of work before my holidays! I was still working in the old office, instead of the regular one. No-one said which office to go to, but I've been in the old one for six weeks now and no-one told me anything different, so if they want me they know where I am, I suppose.

I got back home at around quarter past six and had some microwave spaghetti and meatballs which I ate while listening to Just a Minute, a comedy word game, on the radio.