It

Last night I went out and saw It, based on the Stephen King novel.  I saw the two part miniseries adaptation from 1990 when I was about 15, and it was really my introduction to Stephen King, and I saw it several times.  I also read the book when I was 15, and I was on this massive King kick and buying pretty much everything I could find from him.  It is still one of my favorite Stephen King works.  The movie is good, and sticks fairly close to the book, although the setting is updated to 1989.  It's set in a small town in Maine (where else?), which is being terrorised by a string of mysterious disappearances of children.  Seven outcast kids band together to find out what is going on.  They soon learn that the culprit is a weird clown called Pennywise, which is just one manifestation of a hugely powerful, evil, shape-shifting entity, that the kids just call "It".

I saw the show with my friends Alan and Jackie, and we went out afterwards to Five Guys for some food.  I had a bacon cheeseburger and fries.  Then we had some drinks before heading home.

I went along to my parent's house today for lunch, which was fun.  When I got home I got the book I Am Behind You by John Ajvide Lindqvist delivered.  I had pre-ordered it a few weeks ago.  Lindqvist is a Swedish horror writer, who is probably best known for Let the Right One In which was turned into a hugely successful Swedish movie, and was re-made in the US as Let Me In. 

I also got some writing done.

Jason Bourne

Last night was pretty quiet. I did some reading (I'm currently reading The Fireman by Joe Hill). I also did some writing, and downloaded a Mary Chapin Carpenter album,State of the Heart.

This afternoon I went out and saw Jason Bourne, directed by Paul Greengrass. It's the fifth in the Bourne franchise and the fourth to actually feature the character Jason Bourne (played by Matt Damon). In this movie a hacker investigating secret CIA operations, runs across documents revealing secrets about Bourne's past. Soon Bourne finds himself on a globe trotting quest for the truth, pursued by the CIA and a brutal hired killer. It's a good thriller and pretty exciting. Although I would warn you, it's filmed in this fast cutting, constantly shaking, moving camera, which kind of gave me a headache by the end of it.

End of Watch

Last night I finished reading the novel End of Watch by Stephen King. It's the concluding part of the trilogy that began with Mr. Mercedes and continued with Finders Keepers. In this one retired detective turned private investigator Bill Hodges investigates a number of apparent suicides connected by an old handheld games console, and apparently linked to a serial killer who has been lying comatose in hospital for the past six years. However there are rumours of bizarre paranormal phenomenon surrounding the killer, and Hodges soon realises that he is not as dormant as he appears. It's a good book, a real page turning thriller with supernatural overtones.

I went to the dentist today for my six month check up. It all went fine though. I was only there for a few minutes. I went straight on to work afterwards. I went along to the comic store afterwards and got Black Panther issue 3 and 4, Harrow County issue 14, Batgirl issue 1, Action Comics issue 960, Ms. Marvel issue 9 and Civil War II issue 4.

I started a new comic this evening, but I haven't finished it yet.

Myths and Legends

Last night I did some reading (currently End of Watch by Stephen King, which is really good so far).

It was fairly quiet at work today, it always is at this time of year with a lot of people being away on vacation or training and so on. I listened to an episode of The Myths and Legends Podcast which was about the creation myth in Norse Mythology, an amusing story about Thor and Loki being challenged by giants to an eating and drinking contest, and having to wrestle an old lady and lift a cat. I also listened to an episode of Make It Then Tell Everybody interviewing cartoonist Erika Moen. I managed to get away quite sharp today as well, which made a change.

Dark Night

Last night I read a couple of short stories by Ray Bradbury: "There Was an Old Woman" was about an elderly woman who is tricked into dying and heads off to the mortuary to get her body back so she can come back to life, it was pretty funny, and "There Will Come Soft Rains" about a fully automated house, that still keeps running even after the family that lived in it have been obliterated in a nuclear war.

It was another long day at work. I listened to an interesting episode of the Short Cuts podcast, hosted by comedian Josie Long, about rivalries about the time Canada almost went to war with Denmark and a genuinely hilarious letter of complaint to a laundromat. I also heard a really good Nerdist podcast interview with comics and animation TV writer Paul Dini. 

This evening I downloaded onto my Kindle, the graphic novel Dark Night: A True Batman Story written by Paul Dini with art by Eduardo Rosso, an autobiographical comic about a time when he was mugged and savagely beaten to within an inch of his life and as he recuperates imagines conversations between Batman and the Joker (Dini wrote for Batman: The Animated Series for which he created the character Harley Quinn, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs and many others, as well as writing the scripts for the Batman: Arkham series of video games).

I was really tired when I got in this evening and made half of a comic (I'll finish it tomorrow).

Easter Decorations

Last night was pretty quiet. I stayed in and watched TV and read some of my books. Today I went along to my parent's house for lunch. We had spicy chicken fajitas for lunch, and in the afternoon I went out with my Mum and we got a small branch, which we do every year, because my Mum likes to decorate them for Easter. I'm listening to a radio play version of Torchwood (a spin-off from Doctor Who about a group in Cardiff fighting off alien threats) in this episode they are investigating a group in India who are using alien technology to live forever in "one perfect day" (140 years ago). It bears a passing similarity to an issue of The Sandman comic. It's pretty good though, and works well on te radio. It's the second episode of The Walking Dead on TV tonight, so I'll be watching that.

13 Pages

Last night was pretty quiet. I spent most of the time watching TV and reading. I was back at work today, and mostly it was another pretty quiet and dull day in the office. I got to 13 pages with the Script Frenzy script last night, so that was good.

Akira

Last night I finished reading the sixth and final volume of Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo. The story tells the story of a teenage biker gang member who finds himself developing devestating psychic powers in the futuristic world of Neo-Tokyo. As he begins to get lethally out of control, he becomes the target of both the military and violent anti-government fighters, as well as his one time best friend. However, it comes apparent that there is an even greater force in Neo-Tokyo: A mysterious super-being codenamed "Akira" who is being cryogenically stored in a top-secret subterranean stronghold and whose power is just beginning to awaken. It's basically one story told over a total of six volumes and 2,182 pages. The art-work is stunning and mostly it is a very well-written and entertaining comic. It was turned into an animated film in 1988. The books are reviewed over at Permanently Weird. It was another fairly quiet and uneventful day at work. I was really glad to get home again! It's really cold right now as well. I'm kind of looking forward to having a relaxing evening.

Reading and TV

Last night was pretty quiet. I spent most of my time reading and watching TV. There wasn't really much on, though.

Today was another fairly quiet day at work. There is apparently going to be some building work going on in the office over the next few weeks, so that will probably be a real headache. I got home at around quarter past six and had a microwave spaghetti bolognese meal. It wasn't bad.

I'm looking forward to having next week off! I really don't know what I'll be doing, except on the Wednesday when I'm going to the Dental Institute. Still, it should be fun and I usually manage to find something to do!

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.

Pattern Recognition

Last night I was watching the 2005 movie Sin City directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller with "Special Guest Director" Quentin Tarantino. The movie is based on a series of graphic novels by Frank Miller and tells four connected stories set in a violent city. It's all hugely stylised film-noir shot in black and white with occasional flashes of colour. It is a really good movie.

I went along to my parent's house today for lunch and in the afternoon I finished reading the novel Pattern Recognition by William Gibson. The book was published in 2003 and tells the story of Cayce Pollard, a woman who has a bizarre allergy to certain corporate logos and symbols and who earns money by testing the effectiveness of company's new logos. She is hired by an advertising agency to investigate the origin of a series of strangely addictive film clips which are being released onto the internet. It is a really good book and very well written.

Both Sin City and Pattern Recognition are reviewed on Permanently Weird.

EmiTown

Last night I was watching a few episodes of Red Dwarf from 1991. I could remember watching them when they were first broadcast. I can hardly believe that it was twenty years ago now.

I finished reading the book EmiTown by Emi Lenox. It's described as a "sketch diary" and basically covers a year in Emi Lenox's life, from May 2009 until April 2010, through text, comic strips, random song lyrics and sketches. It's a really fun book with some really enaging artwork.

Today I went along with my Dad to the Ocean Terminal shopping mall. We had a coffee at Starbucks and I bought some books: Gone Baby Gone by Dennis Lehane, Kraken by China Mieville and Black Hills by Dan Simmons. Then we went along to my parent's house where we had whiskey, and then a Burn's Supper of haggis, potatoes and peas. Burns Suppers are celebrations of the life and work of Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland, and are traditionally held on or near the 25 January, Burns' birthday. Traditionally, Burns Suppers include a recitation of some of his poems, and the haggis is cermonially brought in while someone plays the bagpipes and recites the poem "To a Haggis".I'm thinking of maybe stopping writing on here every single day, to give myself more time to do my own writing and so on. I'll still be on several times a week, but just maybe not every single day.

More Quiet

Last night was pretty quiet. Mostly I was watching TV. I also started reading the book Pattern Recongition by William Gibson, which I got for my birthday. I didn't get as much done as I would have liked.

It was another fairly slow day at work. I got home at around six. On my way I stopped off and bought myself a meat pie for my dinner, which was quite nice.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest

Last night I finished reading The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest by Stieg Larsson, which concludes his Millennium Trilogy (the other volumes being The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire). The book takes off directly from the end of the second one, and contines a compex and involving conspiracy thriller. I really enjoyed the whole series and I thought that the second and third books were a lot better than the first, which was still good. They do have to be read in sequence though. I'd like to see the Swedish movie versions of the series that were out last year. Also there is an English-language version of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo coming out at the end of this year. Stieg Larsson died in November 2004 shortly after delivering the manuscripts of the three books to his publisher, however an unfinished manuscript for a further book is apparently still on his computer so it wouldn't surprise me if someone tried to completel it at some point. The book is reviewed over at Permanently Weird.

It was the start of another week at work and pretty much it was the same as usual. In the afternoon I had a meeting with the team leader about how I've been getting on with the training period and I was told I was actually doing very well so that was good. I alwasy get really nervous about these meeting things because I always expect to be told that I'm screwing up.

I had an idea for a comic book, actually about three comic books. One a kind of cyberpunk thing, another a kind of horror thing and the third something about someone wandering around a strange city looking for something they lost. They probably won't happen though.

Yesterday my parents were telling me to try on-line dating again, but to be honest I'm totally out of the whole dating thing and kind of see it as a bit of a waste of time. Maybe if I emigrate I'll get into the whole dating thing again, but not until then. I got fed up of it awhile ago and I just think that there are other things to do. Would I like a girlfriend? Of course I would, ideally, but I would also like to be a superhero living in a mansion in Beverley Hills, and one is about as likely to happen as the other.

Dangerous Habits

Last night was pretty quiet. I read the two Hellblazer graphic novels that I got on Friday. The first book, Original Sins, collected the first nine issues of the monthly comic-book from 1988, in which cynical, chain-smoking magician John Constantine faces off against a grotesque hunger demon, yuppies from Hell, the ghosts of a lost platoon from the Vietnam war, bizarre and deadly religious cults and life in 1980s Britain. It was a very good collection. In the second volume, Dangerous Habits, Constantine's smoking habit has given him terminal lung cancer. With time and options rapidly running out, Constantine has to make peace with his life and play one final desperate game against the Devil himself. That was a very good book and often genuinely affecting and moving. They are both reviewed over at Permanently Weird.

Today I went along to my parent's house for lunch. We had a kind of sausage bake with potatoes, onions and cherry tomatoes, followed by apple pie. After lunch we had a walk to a supermarket but I didn't buy anything. I got home at around half past five.

The Blood of a Poet

Last night I watched Inception on DVD. I had seen it before when it was first released. It is a really good movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page about a group of criminals who enter people's dreams to steal information.

I also finished reading the graphic novel Local by Brian Wood and illustrated by Ryan Kelly. It's a series of twelve stories set in twelve locations throughout North America and linked by the recurring character of Megan, a young woman who drifts around from place to place and job to job. It is really good. It's kind of a coming of age story and is really quite powerful. Each location is integral to the story, becoming like another character. The locations featured are: Portland, Oregon; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Richmond, Virginia; Missoula, Montana; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Brooklyn, New York; Tempe, Arizona; Wicker Park, Chicago; Norman, Oklahoma; Austin, Texas; Toronto, Ontario and Vermont.

Today I stayed in. This afternoon I saw The Blood of a Poet, directed by Jean Cocteau. It is a really surreal film in which a painter is startled when the mouth of a painting comes to life and erases it, only to find the mouth appearing on the palm of his hand. On the advice of a talking statue, he enters a mirror and finds himself in the "Hotel of Lunatic Desire", a bizarre dreamlike corridor where gravity doesn't apply. It gets stranger from there. It's reviewed at Permanently Weird.

The Green Monster

Last night was pretty quiet. I spent quite a lot of time writing and read a story called "The Green Monster" by Haruki Murakami from the book The Elephant Vanishes. The story is about a woman who is surprised when a small green mind-reading monster comes out of the ground in her backyard and declares that it loves her. It was a good story and pretty strange.

It was another really dull and annoying day at work today. On the way home I bought the latest issues of Total Film and Empire magazines.

Vampyr

Last night I was watching the 1932 movie Vampyr, directed by Carl Th. Dreyer, on DVD. The movie is very loosely based on the short story collection In a Glass Darkly by J. Sheridan Le Fanu, in particular the famous vampire story "Carmilla" which features in the collection. In the movie, a young man named Allan Gray (played by Julian West) arrives in a strange town where he percieves a disturbing and oppressive atmosphere. Wandering around the town he witnesses a variety of strange, supernatural occurances, and meets an elderly man (Maurice Schutz) who is terrified by the fact that his two daughters are apparently being targeted by a vampire. Despite being only about seventy minutes long, the movie is very slow and deliberately paced. The images have a hazy, dream-like quality to them, which apparently came about by accident after light hit the camera lens causing one of the takes to come out with a foggy look to it. Dreyer liked the result so much that he had the rest of the film shot through a sheet of gauze held about three feet from the camera lens in order to replicate the look. The movie was originally intended to be a silent film and, although it is a sound film, it retains many of the techniques of silent films, such as intertitles, and dialogue is kept to a minimum, partly because Dreyer had to shoot German, French and English language versions for different markets. The movie has now become acknowledged as one of the most important horror films ever made and it is a genuinely haunting and creepy film.

I went along to my parent's house for lunch today, as usual. In the afternoon we sat out in the garden for awhile, because the weather was good. I read a few more of the Haruki Murakami stories. In "The Kangaroo Communique" a reply to a letter of complaint to a department store becomes quite disturbing. In "On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning" a man tries to work out why he thinks a girl he sees on the street is so perfect for him. In "Sleep" a woman suffering from extreme insomnia starts to have strange experiences. In "The Fall of the Roman Empire, the 1881 Indian Uprising, Hitler's Invasion of Poland and the Realm of Raging Winds" a man tries to write his diary on a windy Sunday afternoon, and in "Lederhosen" a woman's trip to buy lederhosen for her husband as a souvenier of a trip to Germany proves a catalyst for divorce.

Mostly it's been an okay weekend.

Two in the Wave

Last night I started reading the book The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami. it's a collection of short stories. In the first one, "The Wind-Up Bird and Tuesday's Women" an unemployed man finds his dull morning routine disrupted by a series of increasingly explicit telephone calls from an unknown woman, and later, while looking for his missing cat, meets a strange girl in the garden of a deserted house. The story is actually the first thirty or so pages of Murakami's novel The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles. In the second story, "The Second Bakery Attack", a young couple who are suffering from late-night hunger pangs decide to hold up a McDonalds.

I was up early this morning, for the weekend, to book tickets for the Edinburgh Book Festival in August. I've got tickets booked to see the actor Simon Callow, comedian and author Will Self, and actor Andrew Sachs (all of whom my Mum wants to see so I got two tickets). I also got tickets for my parents to see Frederick Forsyth. Later on in the morning I went up to get my groceries.

This afternoon I went up to the Filmhouse cinema to see Two in the Wave, directed by Emmanuel Laurent. The film is a documentary about legendary French film directors Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut. The two both worked as film critics for the same magazines, and collaborated on each other's film projects, both becoming leading lights of the French New Wave movement. However in the seventies there was a bitter falling out between the two of them and they stopped talking. It was a pretty good documentary and very interesting. This is the final film that I'm seeing for this year's Film Festival. I also got the movie Vampyr on DVD while I was there. I've been really interested in seeing this movie for years.

Back home I saw the season finale of Doctor Who which I thought was really good.

Pygmy

Last night I finished reading the novel Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk. The novel is told in the form of reports written by an unnamed agent (who, due to his short stature, is nicknamed "Pygmy") who arrives in the USA from an unnamed totalitarian state posing as a high school exchange student. Taken in by an American family Pygmy is introduced to various aspects of American life which he views with total contempt, intermingled with flashbacks to his earlier life and training for his mission. It turns out that Pygmy and his fellow agents are planning a horrific attack upon America. This book, Palahniuk's tenth novel, is told in a dialect similar to what is known as "Engrish" (a kind of English originating in Japan and other East Asian countries). As usual with Palahniuk the book is kind of a satire of modern life and is very violent, rude and also extremely funny. It also has a level of heart that is quite unusual for Palahniuk.

Also, since I am determined to be successful I started writing a script for a TV show.

It was another very quiet and not particularly eventful day at work again. I am really looking forward to the weekend. On my way home I bought an issue of Total Film magazine which this month featured a list of 27 "mind-blowing" movies (2001: A Space Odyssey was number one), a big article about Inception, and a look at the life and work of Philip K. Dick (which was kind of a surprising coincidence for me because I'd been reading so much of his stuff over the past couple of weeks).