soichi noguchi photographs

Soichi Noguchi is a Japanese astronaut who had been snapping away while training and floating around in the space station. Stone me - what a life.
His subject matter puts my crappy pictures of the idiot rabbit, the garden and Corfu (to mention some recent ones) to shame.
His Twitter account (with more photographs) is here.
Jammy Git.

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romanzo criminale (2005 film) - michael placido

The Romanzo Criminale film, although highly praised and award winning, was a bit of a disappointment for me, as l felt it did not have the same impact as the series of the same name, which was outstanding.
The story is still based on the real life exploits of the Magliana gang and the book by Giancarlo De Cataldo, but it is also different in places as to what is depicted in the series, and in the series, the events and characters have more time to develop so the tension slowly gathers as a result of that. It has however, made the FPO want to watch the series now, which, fortunately for her, has just started to be repeated on Sky.
A good film, but it would have been better if l hadn't seen the series first.

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the long walk - slavomir rawicz

The Long Walk is supposedly true story of an escape from the Russian Gulags, by walking to India via Mongolia, the Gobi desert and the Himalayas. On the way, some of the escapes die, and they also get to view a pair of Abominable snowmen for a couple of hours.
While reading the book, l had my doubts about some of the episodes and the books validity generally, and on researching it a bit afterwards, it seems l am not the only one.
That's not to say the book isn't interesting, as a lot of it would no doubt have been based on true events, and probably other peoples tales. Slavomir Rawicz still tells an amazing (if somewhat repetitive) tale, and l know a lot more about the Mongols and the Russian / Polish hatred of each other than l did before.
Interesting, but certainly to be taken with a large pinch of salt.

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just kids - patti smith

I read this Patti Smith autobiography while lazing in the sun last week, (amongst other books).  It mainly tells the story of Patti's relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe, and their support for each other as they tried to produce art that would be of significance.  Plenty of name dropping and reverence for past artists, and an enjoyable read if you like music, art, or even just want to know what the New York City scene was like back in the day.
It also makes you want to go out and listen to some of the songs mentioned, or explore some of the artists she name checks, and that is definitely a good thing.


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back to the home routine

Oh yes, l'm back home alright.
Myself and the FPO ate all of the Ruffles, and drank all the wine (and Ouzo) l bought back from Corfu last night, and the idiot rabbit is back in his usual place, sitting between my legs watching TV (watching Punk Britannia).

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bee sting photograph

This great award winning photograph of a Bee sting was taken by Kathy Garvey and shows the bee, the sting,  plus the bee's abdominal tissue.
Very good indeed - more information here.

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amy winehouse's house is up for sale

Got a bit of spare cash floating about? How about making a bid on Amy Winehouse's old house in Camden Square, London. It's only £2.7 million.
I might have a look for some spare change down the back of the sofa and make an offer myself.
More details and photographs are here.

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back from corfu

It's a hard life and all of that, but l am now back from the work trip to Corfu, where it was blazing sunshine every day, and l got to do a lot of reading (and some work).
I also managed to catch the football and get a great tan, but l got bitten by mosquitos (which was not so good) as there were swarms of them on a couple of nights (the little spitty blood sucking bastards).
Pretty pleased it has been pissing down in England while l have been away, as l don't want other people enjoying themselves, but it could do with stopping now that l am back. The bloody grass in the garden will be 10 feet tall soon.

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off to corfu later tonight

It's going to be a long night, as l am getting picked up at 2.30 am to head to work, then off to Newcastle Airport for a trip to Corfu for a week. I've just been packing my gear, and no doubt l will have left something behind, but as long as l've got everyone's passports, tickets and money, things will be fine (they foolishly entrust me to take care of everything).
I think l may be a bit hot in the outfit above, so l may have to re jig the old suitcase and stick in something more suitable.
(It's actually Oscar Wilde, aged 46,  in 1900).
See you suckers in a week - l'll be back before you know it (and in time for England's second game).

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sarcastic t-shirt

One of these days l'll have to get around to making or buying these.
This one would suit me down to the ground.

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destry rides again (1939) - george marshall

Take back what l said below about them not making films like 'Sheriff of Fractured Jaw' anymore, as 'Destry Rides Again' is pretty much the same (OK, l know it's an earlier film).
James Stewart (as Tom Destry jr) arrives in town to become the new sheriff, only with a twist - he's against using or carrying a gun. The baddies make fun of him until they realise he can draw fast, and the bad girl (Marlene Dietrich), falls for him (once again, pretty quickly).
Not predictable at all, but, as before, good to pass the time chilling out with.

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sheriff of fractured jaw (1958) - raoul walsh

A 'Classic' in very large inverted commas, 'The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw' features Kenneth More as the upper class Englishman who travels to the Wild West to sell some of his family's shops guns. Due to a mix up, he becomes sheriff, everyone thinks he is a fast draw and a cool customer, and the local bad girl (Jayne Mansfield) falls for him (and him for her). I can't see what makes her attractive to him, but each to their own.
It's a knockabout farce with lots of stereotypes and ridiculous situations, but pleasant enough for chilling out.
They don't make 'em like this anymore, that's for sure.


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in and out (1997) - frank oz

As myself and the FPO are still a a bit tired from the big push yesterday for Richmond Bank Holiday, we have been staying in, ignoring the street parties for Lizzie's anniversary, and either dossing about on the computer (mainly the FPO) or watching films (me).
We were certainly a bit behind with 'In and Out', as it was released in 1997, yet neither of us had seen it before. We knew that it was about English Literature teacher Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline) being outed by an old pupil at the Oscars, much to the teacher's surprise. Why? Only because he is about to get married, and says that he is a heterosexual.
Howard does then start to question his tastes and lifestyle choices, and gradually, with the help of a kiss by a gay news reporter (Tom Selleck), realises he may indeed, bat for the other side.
There's more to it than that, such as how pupils, family, and the community react to the news, but it is mainly about Kline's performance, which was brilliant.
Now l wish l hadn't left it so long to watch, and l am also a bit dubious about the FPO's comments that she can see some similarities between Howard's mannerisms and my own.
How very dare she - and she bleeding well meant it.
Fetch my divorce papers!

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we3 - grant morrison

From 2004/2005, We3 (written by Grant Morrison) features animals trained by the military to fight wars in place of humans, drawn in a 'Western Manga' type style, which made a pleasant change from the standard comic styling that l usually read. The dog, cat and rabbit (We3) are to be destroyed after a mission, but, with some assistance, manage to escape, only for the government to try and track them down. The animals have some limited speech, look great, and the story is pretty sound, but the only problem l have with it, is l am not too keen on too many small panels over a large one, but l will let that go. I'd rather the writers and artists experimented with the story, panels and speech, as, even though some of it may annoy or frustrate me, there's a chance something spectacular and unusual might astound me. This wasn't it, but it was still a good effort.
I can also still remember when our Jacko used to attack mice like the cat in the frame above (a long time ago). That will never happen again, that's for sure.


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meal at akebar for the birthday girl

It soon rolled round, but once again, it's the FPO's birthday weekend, and this year, we've been to Akebar for a meal with Louise, Dazzer, Lauren, Rookmeister, Deb, Kerry and Robbo. I promised l wouldn't put up any pictures of them, so the cakes and glasses will have to do.
It was a pretty limited selection of food that was available, but for those of us drinking, it helped that we had booze and fizzy to compensate, and l have a really long video of the occasion (which l will also not put up).
I was being an all round good lad (for a change) and had taken up flowers and a cake in advance, but l didn't know Dazzer had made one as well, so there was a feast of chocolate goodness for desert, and l will admit his was tastier.
Myself and the FPO got dropped off at White shops afterwards, where we had a few drinks in The Wine Bar and J.T's, but we were still home by about 8pm.
A splendid day for all the family.

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