Flaming Zinc

Day three in my new boots and all is well; no blisters or pinching. But because I keep admiring them I have strained a muscle in my leg. When I am in need of a little pick me up I look down at my feet and smile; then I push my chair back, straight my leg and then twist my foot about so I can take in fully the bodacious nature of the boot. Other than my material worship I am filling my time by reading The Line of Beauty, which so far is all shagging and Henry James (very BBC2), and working my way through the first season of Supernatural. I am surprised by how much I am enjoying it, a cross between X-Files and Quantum Leap with a generous sprinkling of Buffy. The premise is simply two brothers who tour the country hunting all things supernatural. They are a wise cracking duo with a taste for classic rock who make ends meet with a little light credit card fraud and hustling pool because this type of work does not pay. There is an overall arc to the series, but each episode is a self contained mystery and it is a relief to watch something with only two main characters rather than a battalion. I worry that with 24 and the like I will end up needing a spreadsheet to keep track of the goings on and subplots. There are plenty of flourishes to keep your interest, and worthy cameos from Angel and X-Files alumni.

During lunch yesterday I went out for a salad and came back with these boots. I am weak.

and I am trying to ignore it. If they are not going to nominate Battlestar Galactica in proper categories then I wont watch (other than quick peeks to snark at whoever is on screen). Instead we settle for a Nova documentary on the Mars rovers and design:e2 about sustainable architecture (need something to balance Snakes on a Plane). Both of which were of course more interesting and satisfying that a parade of tuxes, frocks and back slapping. Also this weekend have been wholly consumed by Zadie Smith’s On Beauty. For the first time in a long while I stayed up late reading and woke early the next morning to continue, by noon I was done. It is such a good book, her best yet. I was a little worried that I wouldn’t enjoy it because the plot is a homage to EM Forster and Howards End, but the concept is excellently executed.

A regular dose of nonsense is important so take a peek at Snakes on a Plane. Go in open minded, just wanting some mindless entertainment and you’ll leave happy. It’s a B-movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It is full of cliches and stereotypes, but seriously how can you not fail to enjoy snake action at 30,000 feet. There is Samuel L Jackson as the FBI agent, the all American surfer who is witness to a crime, the flight attendant on her last shift before starting life over as a lawyer, the prima donnas in first class, the honeymooning couple, etc, etc.

One minute it is Tuesday night the next Friday afternoon, and suddenly I’ve managed to go three days without posting. Time appears to get lost behind the back of the sofa or seeps down the plug hole.

Wednesday night we went to see Alan Bennett’s The History Boys. I saw it in London back in December, this production had the original cast and I was interested in seeing how it would play to an American audience considering how many of the jokes depend on knowledge of the British university cast system. It went over well, but there were a few times when it there were only a few of us chuckling over Loughborough or Hull. My favourite line is when the boys are grilling the new teacher, Irwin, and they ask him if he is on his gap year – genius. I am, I think, a bit of a Bennett-a-holic. I happily hang on his every word and find myself getting in touch with my Yorkshire roots. It’s an excellent play, Bennett’s verbal sparring is interspursed with black and white film footage and 80s tunes. It even managed to entertain Alex, and considering that he’s as into theatre as I am into golf that’s saying something.

Ooooh, just come across the trailer for the film version of The History Boys - enjoy!

Just finished re-watching the season finale of House. We had seen it back in May, but because our cable was out we had to rely on the kindness of strangers and they were noisy viewers. The first time round I didn’t think it was as strong as last seasons finale but on second viewing I enjoyed it even more.

The premise is that House gets shot (by Moriarty no less), is given a sneaky experimental treatment whilst being treated for the bullet wounds which may heal his leg but at the cost of his mind/intellect, or does it. However, everything from the initial shooting turns out to be a hallucination. This explains why everyone House interacts with responds like him (or behaves how he would like them to), and why his team has the same knowledge has him. What is possibly unfolding is House’s internal monologue regarding the potential treatment and perhaps some latent guilt over his behaviour in general and infidelity with Stacey. Or perhaps I am over analysing…

Who would have thought that Prison Break, a conspiratorial drama featuring a few tasty men in prison blues, would have been the sleeper hit of last year and it was so educational. We learnt all about faking diabetes, screws and the importance of marrying Holly Valance. . The boys are now out but not in the best of shape. Hot on their tail is an FBI agent played by William Fichtner, a worthy nemesis for Michael Scofield. It looks as if Scofield’s obsessive planning and body art might work against him, but then again there might be a twist or two along the way. It is excellent start to the sophomore season and my only quibble is the subbing of John Billingsley but love the deal with Terrence Steadman’s reverse prison house(he’ll be needing a structural engineer to help him get out).

In double quick time all my course material has arrived. Stacked up in the living room I have also sorts of goodies that once digested will allow me to cast an informed eye over the television series Rome. I am hoping to be more organised this year so that my social life doesn’t come to a grinding halt till the end of May ‘07, because we had such a nice Saturday hanging out with friends that it made me wish for more like them.

We had lunch in a really nice, yet empty, Thai place and then headed off to the flicks. I lone wolfed it to Conversations With Other Women leaving Alex to see the Al Gore climate documentary for a second time with our mates. Conversations was excellent and worth the schlep to an independent art house cinema. The film is a two hander between Helena Bonham Carter and Aaron Eckhart (both in top indy form) presented entirely in split screen (don’t think Pillow Talk). The two acerbic characters, who may or may not have a history together, and are meeting at the tale end of a wedding. At times it is raw and uncomfortable as you are thrown into their lives with little explanation or resolution. Needless to say I loved it.

Snakes Ants on in a plane dishwasher. (I swear I could not make this stuff up)

I knew as soon as I mentioned our ant-free status in a post that I would see a blinking ant (because they obviously read this blog and their aim in life is to annoy me). But, not in my wildest dreams did I think I would see the little f@#$ers in the dishwasher. The incident threw me so much that I forgot to put my jewellery on before going to work this morning. I was forced to muddle through the day with only a base level of adornment: LiveStrong wrist band and five silver hoops (three in the left ear and two in the right). No wedding rings, no watch, no funky pendant that my Mum brought back from Australia and only five earrings!

Back to the ants, they appear to be zombie ants because I ran the dishwasher first thing and when I got back this evening there were still a few ants milling around. Of course they might not have been the same ones from this morning… it is hard to tell the day and night crew apart.

I think I want to go live in a bubble (or a hotel).