I read at bbc.news that they've closed down Megaupload. Now where will I get my Doctor Who? *wail!* The internet is turning more and more into the doomsday scenarios of a few years ago and I foresee we will soon return to regular snail mail and looking things up in RL books, since all that's left on the net is ads and inane blogs. Urgh.
safe and sound
Dec. 31st, 2011 11:54 pmI'm spending new-year's in #lexx, which seems the safest place to be right now. The fireworks schedule outside is like this: increasing strenght until 2000 when dinner is served. Renewed activity when dinner has been eaten, from about 2130 to 2300 when the kiddies have been sent to bed. The last lull while grown-ups fortify themselves with lots of alcohol and then the midnight storm breaks loose.
Just recently some jokers burnt off fireworks -- the sprakly, non-shooty-up-in-the-sky sort -- right below my window. This is scary since I live in a wooden house and also I don't want explosives going off inside my flat. Please desist. Fireworks should be enjoyed from a distance, like the annual G-P display at 1700, which this year looked like a cheap CG alien invasion battle, on account of the dense fog swallowing all the rockets. The underside of the knee-height cloud was lit up a bit, and there was an effect like the "Stargate" transporter rings. What a swindle! But the bangs were loud.
So, #lexx is the safest place to be right now.
(Did I just write that?!)
Just recently some jokers burnt off fireworks -- the sprakly, non-shooty-up-in-the-sky sort -- right below my window. This is scary since I live in a wooden house and also I don't want explosives going off inside my flat. Please desist. Fireworks should be enjoyed from a distance, like the annual G-P display at 1700, which this year looked like a cheap CG alien invasion battle, on account of the dense fog swallowing all the rockets. The underside of the knee-height cloud was lit up a bit, and there was an effect like the "Stargate" transporter rings. What a swindle! But the bangs were loud.
So, #lexx is the safest place to be right now.
(Did I just write that?!)
The Goodies
Dec. 22nd, 2011 02:41 pmWinter solstice! And I'm playing my xmas playlist all day long; it contains goodies like this one, "Scary Solstice" and... The Goodies. Thanks Tribs!
Last night I saw "Sherlock Holmes 2" again, whee. Anything I might say about it would be a spoiler so I won't. Soooo haaaaaard to keep mum! Next up: "Tinker, Tailor". I loved the Alec Guinness TV show though I don't remember much, other than this guy who turned up in another show that Swedish TV sent some time later: Albert in "Secret Army".
There's been so much work lately, all the deadlines piling up together. But then, after the holidays, there will be practically nothing. Our work load in a nutshell! Consultants can't plan ahead more than a month or two because of this ketchup effect. It's the same every year, and somehow we manage to keep ourselves occupied. At least there's no snow this year so we don't have to wait until March to go out and look at the ground.
Speaking of work, last week Mithlond went on a shikar, ie a book hunt. We go to a used book store and hoover it for goodies, and then go to a café or pub and gloat. This year I found an old book called "Bergslagernas Järnvägsaktiebolad 1872-1922", with many of the places I have visited when inspecting railroad rock cuts. Fantastic!
Ooh, and I just saw the "Hobbit" trailer. Also fantastic!
Last night I saw "Sherlock Holmes 2" again, whee. Anything I might say about it would be a spoiler so I won't. Soooo haaaaaard to keep mum! Next up: "Tinker, Tailor". I loved the Alec Guinness TV show though I don't remember much, other than this guy who turned up in another show that Swedish TV sent some time later: Albert in "Secret Army".
There's been so much work lately, all the deadlines piling up together. But then, after the holidays, there will be practically nothing. Our work load in a nutshell! Consultants can't plan ahead more than a month or two because of this ketchup effect. It's the same every year, and somehow we manage to keep ourselves occupied. At least there's no snow this year so we don't have to wait until March to go out and look at the ground.
Speaking of work, last week Mithlond went on a shikar, ie a book hunt. We go to a used book store and hoover it for goodies, and then go to a café or pub and gloat. This year I found an old book called "Bergslagernas Järnvägsaktiebolad 1872-1922", with many of the places I have visited when inspecting railroad rock cuts. Fantastic!
Ooh, and I just saw the "Hobbit" trailer. Also fantastic!
wet blankets
Dec. 12th, 2011 08:47 amJust read my latest entry... hm, where did all the line breaks go? Impossible to read! Sorry, it wasn't meant to be an exercise in joycianism.
Anyway, after a week of relative rest it was back on the track last week! This time we went to Oskarshamn on the other side of Sweden, for a look at a short bit of track with very few trains. Only they'll be resuming passenger services now, today in fact, which is very unusual. Otherwise the norm is to cancel services.
Anyway, this last bit of inspection we got to use what we have always wanted to use: a railbike. Awesome! You get along quickly and easily and can even do mapping/inspecting without getting off it. When trains are due, you can easily lift it off the track. Plus it's fun! We even got some good publicity shots of us, posing under a gibbous moon.
Not quite as fun driving home through a blizzard at night, though... At times it was like driving through foam, in some 2nd Doctor adventure. Really nasty. We were doing something like 50 on a 120 km/hr motorway...
And now I have finally made Christmas cookies and watched "Sällskapsresan". The Yule season is thus officially inaugurated. But mostly I just watch and read various versions of Sherlock Holmes. Oh yes, and "Captain Alatriste" and another book by Pérez-Reverte, called "Dumasklubben" in Swedish. That was a really good book. Hopefully we will be able to find some more good books at the shikar on Saturday. You know, hunting the book in its natural habitat.
Oh yes, and we had a Christmas dinner thingy with Club Cosmos last week. Cold but nice. But here's a fun thing: at that meeting in Stockholm two Saturdays ago we discussed the possibility of a SF convention in Umeå and everyone got really excited about it. What a brilliant idea! Let's make it so right away! Then I came home and told the active members in Club Cosmos and was met by a unanimous and immediate "No!" Hm, seems we aren't very keen to broaden our horizons here... What a bunch of wet blankets!
Anyway, after a week of relative rest it was back on the track last week! This time we went to Oskarshamn on the other side of Sweden, for a look at a short bit of track with very few trains. Only they'll be resuming passenger services now, today in fact, which is very unusual. Otherwise the norm is to cancel services.
Anyway, this last bit of inspection we got to use what we have always wanted to use: a railbike. Awesome! You get along quickly and easily and can even do mapping/inspecting without getting off it. When trains are due, you can easily lift it off the track. Plus it's fun! We even got some good publicity shots of us, posing under a gibbous moon.
Not quite as fun driving home through a blizzard at night, though... At times it was like driving through foam, in some 2nd Doctor adventure. Really nasty. We were doing something like 50 on a 120 km/hr motorway...
And now I have finally made Christmas cookies and watched "Sällskapsresan". The Yule season is thus officially inaugurated. But mostly I just watch and read various versions of Sherlock Holmes. Oh yes, and "Captain Alatriste" and another book by Pérez-Reverte, called "Dumasklubben" in Swedish. That was a really good book. Hopefully we will be able to find some more good books at the shikar on Saturday. You know, hunting the book in its natural habitat.
Oh yes, and we had a Christmas dinner thingy with Club Cosmos last week. Cold but nice. But here's a fun thing: at that meeting in Stockholm two Saturdays ago we discussed the possibility of a SF convention in Umeå and everyone got really excited about it. What a brilliant idea! Let's make it so right away! Then I came home and told the active members in Club Cosmos and was met by a unanimous and immediate "No!" Hm, seems we aren't very keen to broaden our horizons here... What a bunch of wet blankets!
(no subject)
Oct. 26th, 2011 11:02 amOh dear, it's far too long since I last updated this. I mean, I haven't even been out travelling for almost a month so I can't blame being busy for being non-updatey. Bianca is still MIA. There were reports of a cat like her down in the village, or even down by the beach, but it hasn't been possible to intercept it. Ever tried catching a cat that doesn't want to be found? Cannot be done! Although, the county exterminator was hired a year or two ago to cull the large population of feral cats down in the village. They used some sort of trap and caught 64 cats... Sixty-four! And these are the ultra-wary cats that you never see. Well anyway. When I say I haven't travelled much that was after we had been in Fagersta, that oh-so-boring place between Frövi and Avesta. My colleague almost got stuck in a beaver pond but nothing exciting happened to me. Well, we did pass through old mining communities around Norberg, which [info]nazgman knows all about. There's mu h to see and explore in Sweden! Until last Thursday there wasn't much happening in my calendar but then suddenly bam! I went to Kristinehamn on Tuesday and spent two days looking at the railroad going to Filipstad and Persberg. Hardly any trains on it at all but they're electrifying the first part of it anyway. Brand new posts for electic current ("kontaktledningsstolpar"). The new ones are best, they're labelled "kilometre-sequential", eg "147-12". That would be a post near kilometre 147.5, since they're spaced about 60m apart. Older posts are just labelled with a sequential number, so ypu really have no idea where you are. Especially as the sequences start over at some stations. Pretty geology there, though. Mostly granites with big, rectangular feldspar augen, and then near Persberg and its mines there were vulcanites and weird stuff I'm not sure what it was. But it had big magnetite crystals in it. Right now I'm on the train to Stockholm, about to attend the annualmeeting of SAAM, the foundation that among other things awards the Alvar to deserving members of Swedish science fiction fandom. It will be fun to meet tje others again, haven't seen them since Eurocon in June. Oh and next year's Swecon will be on 5-7 October, don't miss is. It's in Uppsala. I'll be going back to Stockholm on Monday, at oh-too-early o'clock, for a two-hour meeting with a colleague... Why not stay the weekend in that city? - Because there is a tolkienist event near Götevorg on Sunday I want to attend. We'll discuss East European genre literature and ingest food and drinks inspired by that subject. I bought some tins of herring and a bottle of vodka yesterday. That's all you need, right? Also, in this period I've indulged in the Fine Arts: no less than two live broadcast performances from the Met in New York. First Wagner's "Siegfried" which was awesome, and then Philip Glass's "Satyagraha" which was... well awesome too. Glass himself was there too, wow. OK, I'm writing this on my iPad so before I accidentally delete everything I'll post it, typos and all, and go back to reading my "Independence Day" novel. Seeyas!
RIP Bianca
Oct. 19th, 2011 09:49 amWhoa, seasick. I have to wear glasses today on account of me going completely dry on Monday. Ack. Not just eyes but nose and throat too. Probably because indoor air is going desert-like when the heating systems kick in.
On Monday I visited G-g and Fim and their new kitten Tesla who was absolutely adorable. I got to be a chew toy for a while. But then I came home and learned that little Bianca is missing, and she still is, probably eaten by a fox, poor little thing. Such an exceptionally friendly little cat, also adorable, but far too naive and non-afraid to survive long in the wild. She didn't know to fear things like cars, foxes or lawn-mowers. She is sorely missed, not least by Arvid, the other cat.
:(
Now time for course in rock mechanics, followed by a five-hour-plus drive to Borlänge, and then two days of looking at railroads. I'm going towards Malung on a diesel track (non-electrified). Then home and then Dr Who home con, what I call a Dr Whom con on Saturday. Whee!
Which reminds me, I should probably get down to watching the last episodes of the season some time...
On Monday I visited G-g and Fim and their new kitten Tesla who was absolutely adorable. I got to be a chew toy for a while. But then I came home and learned that little Bianca is missing, and she still is, probably eaten by a fox, poor little thing. Such an exceptionally friendly little cat, also adorable, but far too naive and non-afraid to survive long in the wild. She didn't know to fear things like cars, foxes or lawn-mowers. She is sorely missed, not least by Arvid, the other cat.
:(
Now time for course in rock mechanics, followed by a five-hour-plus drive to Borlänge, and then two days of looking at railroads. I'm going towards Malung on a diesel track (non-electrified). Then home and then Dr Who home con, what I call a Dr Whom con on Saturday. Whee!
Which reminds me, I should probably get down to watching the last episodes of the season some time...
more a sort of an apres-vie
Oct. 17th, 2011 05:00 pmBoy, it's long since I wrote here! Indeed, it's long since I read my friends-page too, not since I visited [info]tommdroid last month, I think. Too much to do, too much laziness when not working -- or having fun.
There's been railroad inspections around Falun, and last week between Frövi and Skinnskatteberg (pronounced "Skinnsberg" by the locals). On Wednesday we go to Borlänge to inspect railroads around Mora and Malung and whatnot. Next week it's back to Skinnsberg-Fagersta-Avesta.
Inbetween there has been the ambulating Sci-Fi Fair, at which I represented Mithlond (at WCT's table), right next to Robert Englund in fact, although he was separated from us by a big partition. If there had been a whole in it I could have poked him. Two days of being friendly and representative, and buying two Daleks, one of them remote controlled. Yes, I now have a toy that can roll up to you and shout "Exterminate!" and several other offensive phrases!
Also there was Mithlond's big Autumn Feast, with lots of packing, washing-up and drinks. The Saturday started with delicious breakfast, immediately followed by chocolate tasting, whisky tasting and beer tasting. After that, time to be official, ha ha.
Finally some rest this weekend, with cats and parents. I slept till 1100hr on Saturday, I think I was very sleepy.
***
Skinnskatteberg -- I'm certain it was frequently on TV in my childhood. Something to do with workers' rights or women's lib or something generally sociological, probably. I've been meaning to look it up on the 'net but neglected it. Too much Wordfeud. Can anyone else remember?
***
While waiting for pizza in Falun I bought a copy of "Scientific American" to read, and I'm still reading it almost 3 weeks later... But in it there was an article about why bio-fuels won't supplant fossil fuels any time soon, or at all. Fr'instance, replacing fossil fuels consumed in America with corn fuels would take a farm 3 times the size of continental USA. Not feasible.
But I see a flaw in the reasoning: all estimates posit a level of consumption equal to today's. We must _not_, ever ever ever, cut down on our consuming and our spending! The very thought is blasphemous! All economic theories and prognoses need continued growth which equals increasing consumption of, well, everything.
Might it not be better to try to wean ourselves off oil, before the oil-based economy crashes and burns? Explodes, like the fireballs in a Roland Emmerich movie!
There's been railroad inspections around Falun, and last week between Frövi and Skinnskatteberg (pronounced "Skinnsberg" by the locals). On Wednesday we go to Borlänge to inspect railroads around Mora and Malung and whatnot. Next week it's back to Skinnsberg-Fagersta-Avesta.
Inbetween there has been the ambulating Sci-Fi Fair, at which I represented Mithlond (at WCT's table), right next to Robert Englund in fact, although he was separated from us by a big partition. If there had been a whole in it I could have poked him. Two days of being friendly and representative, and buying two Daleks, one of them remote controlled. Yes, I now have a toy that can roll up to you and shout "Exterminate!" and several other offensive phrases!
Also there was Mithlond's big Autumn Feast, with lots of packing, washing-up and drinks. The Saturday started with delicious breakfast, immediately followed by chocolate tasting, whisky tasting and beer tasting. After that, time to be official, ha ha.
Finally some rest this weekend, with cats and parents. I slept till 1100hr on Saturday, I think I was very sleepy.
***
Skinnskatteberg -- I'm certain it was frequently on TV in my childhood. Something to do with workers' rights or women's lib or something generally sociological, probably. I've been meaning to look it up on the 'net but neglected it. Too much Wordfeud. Can anyone else remember?
***
While waiting for pizza in Falun I bought a copy of "Scientific American" to read, and I'm still reading it almost 3 weeks later... But in it there was an article about why bio-fuels won't supplant fossil fuels any time soon, or at all. Fr'instance, replacing fossil fuels consumed in America with corn fuels would take a farm 3 times the size of continental USA. Not feasible.
But I see a flaw in the reasoning: all estimates posit a level of consumption equal to today's. We must _not_, ever ever ever, cut down on our consuming and our spending! The very thought is blasphemous! All economic theories and prognoses need continued growth which equals increasing consumption of, well, everything.
Might it not be better to try to wean ourselves off oil, before the oil-based economy crashes and burns? Explodes, like the fireballs in a Roland Emmerich movie!
was schrödinger's box blue?
Sep. 9th, 2011 09:39 amThis project sounds like it's soon going to get a visit from a strange man in a blue box... I'm currently on Orust, taking care of my mother while my father recovers from minor surgery in hospital. It's no vacation, I can tell you, even if that's how I'm billing it at work. But the cats are lots of fun! Chasing apples, for instance, or chasing me if I walk around on the lawn. Whoosh comes a cat suddenly, not quite attacking me but almost. Cute!
antique railroads with mushrooms
Sep. 5th, 2011 01:06 pm*shovel papers*
So-called "relationshandlingar" for some railway tunnels -- what has been made, where, how much and in what way. Papers papers papers.
Otherwise there will be a lot of walking around railroads in mid-Sweden this autumn. We were at Karlstad last week, looking at two cute tunnels and some railroad cuttings. Beautiful weather, lots of fresh air and exercise. And we get paid for it!
Too bad about the head-cold, though. And camping out this weekend didn't really help, nor the canoeing. But it was fun! Good company (yes, it was the company), good food, more beautiful weather and some mushrooms too.
Just two days of work this week, then I go back to Orust to help my Mother while my Father has minor surgery again. The operation he had in spring was a little too successful... And next week I'll be going to Ludvika for more railway work. There are several "bandelar" in Dalarna to look at; maybe I'll be able to say hello to [info]tommdroid too! I'd love that.
Plus I've been assigned to sell off my late uncle's collection of ironing irons (strykjärn) and scales (bessman). Any ideas? There are several auctioning firms, both RL and internet ones, as well as blocket.se and similar. Also Antikhallarna, but then we'd have to lug it all down to Gbg. We're not talking one or two irons here, or even five or six...
So-called "relationshandlingar" for some railway tunnels -- what has been made, where, how much and in what way. Papers papers papers.
Otherwise there will be a lot of walking around railroads in mid-Sweden this autumn. We were at Karlstad last week, looking at two cute tunnels and some railroad cuttings. Beautiful weather, lots of fresh air and exercise. And we get paid for it!
Too bad about the head-cold, though. And camping out this weekend didn't really help, nor the canoeing. But it was fun! Good company (yes, it was the company), good food, more beautiful weather and some mushrooms too.
Just two days of work this week, then I go back to Orust to help my Mother while my Father has minor surgery again. The operation he had in spring was a little too successful... And next week I'll be going to Ludvika for more railway work. There are several "bandelar" in Dalarna to look at; maybe I'll be able to say hello to [info]tommdroid too! I'd love that.
Plus I've been assigned to sell off my late uncle's collection of ironing irons (strykjärn) and scales (bessman). Any ideas? There are several auctioning firms, both RL and internet ones, as well as blocket.se and similar. Also Antikhallarna, but then we'd have to lug it all down to Gbg. We're not talking one or two irons here, or even five or six...
stars in my tv
Aug. 10th, 2011 08:59 amThe music goes very well with my wallpaper, which is... a lot of stars.
Not so outside my window. Once again I'm glad I have work clothes here at the office, so my civilian clothes can dry out. Sheesh what a lot of rain! Sudden downpours turning into up-splashes.
Now the old "Sherlock Holmes" TV series is finished, and I've turned back to "Green Wing". Haha, so funny! But the Special I watched last night was quite sad at the end, and even less connected to reality than the rest of the show. What should I watch next, then? "Hyperdrive"? The rest of "Nicholas Nickleby" (the old stage production from 1980)? Or something really good, "Secret Army"? These are just a few of the shows I've got waiting by my DVD player!
Or I could read a book.
Or possibly go back to Orust and pet cats.
Not so outside my window. Once again I'm glad I have work clothes here at the office, so my civilian clothes can dry out. Sheesh what a lot of rain! Sudden downpours turning into up-splashes.
Now the old "Sherlock Holmes" TV series is finished, and I've turned back to "Green Wing". Haha, so funny! But the Special I watched last night was quite sad at the end, and even less connected to reality than the rest of the show. What should I watch next, then? "Hyperdrive"? The rest of "Nicholas Nickleby" (the old stage production from 1980)? Or something really good, "Secret Army"? These are just a few of the shows I've got waiting by my DVD player!
Or I could read a book.
Or possibly go back to Orust and pet cats.
idling away
Aug. 3rd, 2011 01:38 pmMarking time at the office, nothing much to do, all alone... I'm sitting in someone else's room so I can answer the phone if anyone should call...
... so I'm taking this opportunity to read up on [info]egghunter's Chernobyl project. Fascinating, scary and heart-breaking, all in one. Can't wait for the exhibition to start.
Also bbc world service on the speakers. Later, a meeting with Club Cosmos; hey, maybe I should check up on our finances so I have something to report! *checks internet bank services*
Otherwise it's Sherlock Holmes on TV, Sherlock Holmes on radio and Sherlock Holmes on the printed page. And I'm not even being obsessive!
... so I'm taking this opportunity to read up on [info]egghunter's Chernobyl project. Fascinating, scary and heart-breaking, all in one. Can't wait for the exhibition to start.
Also bbc world service on the speakers. Later, a meeting with Club Cosmos; hey, maybe I should check up on our finances so I have something to report! *checks internet bank services*
Otherwise it's Sherlock Holmes on TV, Sherlock Holmes on radio and Sherlock Holmes on the printed page. And I'm not even being obsessive!
good things:
Jul. 31st, 2011 04:45 pm"Torchwood" in the offing, tea and Charles Fort waiting to be enjoyed in the sofa (oh!), the full oeuvre of Gamma Ray in the music machine -- all that's missing is a cat or two, but since I'm back home now I'll have to survive on previously absorbed catamins.
The forest is full of berries -- because no one dares to pick them after the latest health scare: all berries in west sweden are full of pygmy tapeworms, eat one berry and your liver will explode and you will diiiiie!
So anyone wants to make raspberry jam, jelly or pie, in which process the parasites will be killed, now is your field day!
***
Still liking the latest "Torchwood", but there is something where both it and "Doctor Who" are less than good: both shows would benefit from _not_ having wall-to-wall music, especially not an easy listening beat during the most dramatic or deepest moments, like Oswald Danes' creepy speech in the latest episode. That sort of thing has bothered me more than once before. Especially in "Torchwood" which doesn't need to "soften" the scary parts for the kiddies.
***
Been petting two cats at the same time :) They spent their first night outdoors now; I thought they would have lost all trust in us then and not want to be with us anymore. Bianca doesn't want to come inside and has stopped being ultra-friendly. But hey, if they don't want to come inside at night, that's what happens!
So anyone wants to make raspberry jam, jelly or pie, in which process the parasites will be killed, now is your field day!
***
Still liking the latest "Torchwood", but there is something where both it and "Doctor Who" are less than good: both shows would benefit from _not_ having wall-to-wall music, especially not an easy listening beat during the most dramatic or deepest moments, like Oswald Danes' creepy speech in the latest episode. That sort of thing has bothered me more than once before. Especially in "Torchwood" which doesn't need to "soften" the scary parts for the kiddies.
***
Been petting two cats at the same time :) They spent their first night outdoors now; I thought they would have lost all trust in us then and not want to be with us anymore. Bianca doesn't want to come inside and has stopped being ultra-friendly. But hey, if they don't want to come inside at night, that's what happens!
too much reality
Jul. 24th, 2011 06:02 pmI'm literally sickened of the atrocities in Norway. Almost 100 ppl killed, too much to take in.
So it's a relief to talk to sane ppl, first at Bohus fästning and the medieval fair yesterday, and later at a pub downtown. It was extra fun that![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
therru was there, it's been far too long. Love the geeking-out.
More "Sherlock Holmes" from 1953-4 -- pundits in books claim it is a silly version and its Watson does not acquit himself well, but I like it. It has considerable charm and the two leads work very well together. So there! Pundits hardly ever agree with me, anyway.
So it's a relief to talk to sane ppl, first at Bohus fästning and the medieval fair yesterday, and later at a pub downtown. It was extra fun that
therru was there, it's been far too long. Love the geeking-out.More "Sherlock Holmes" from 1953-4 -- pundits in books claim it is a silly version and its Watson does not acquit himself well, but I like it. It has considerable charm and the two leads work very well together. So there! Pundits hardly ever agree with me, anyway.
mostly cats
Jul. 22nd, 2011 09:25 pmAfter two days with the new cats, it's very clear that it is cats who domesticate humans, not the other way around. Leaving them today, I went all *lump in throat*. They got their hooks and claws right under my skin!
Arvid is three years old, a bit of a bully and _solid_. When he first saw the Big Outdoors he took off with a speed I've never seen in a cat before. Bliss!
Bianca is two and the cutest, slimmest thing you ever had curling around your legs or purring on your stomach. The first thing she did when being let outdoors was hunt -- until she saw how big it all was and got very scared. Didn't take long for her to bring home her first prey, though: a butterfly, that she took into the kitchen and ate, noisily.
Today the discovered torrential rain, and expressed dislike, loudly.
And now I'm home again, catless. Well at least I don't have to worry, close-up as it were, about them not learning in time that Cars Are Dangerous, as are barrels full of rainwater, and that badgers should not be approached.
***
Weird stuff happening in Oslo. Why? How come? Who would want to blow up Norwegians, and shoot them?
Arvid is three years old, a bit of a bully and _solid_. When he first saw the Big Outdoors he took off with a speed I've never seen in a cat before. Bliss!
Bianca is two and the cutest, slimmest thing you ever had curling around your legs or purring on your stomach. The first thing she did when being let outdoors was hunt -- until she saw how big it all was and got very scared. Didn't take long for her to bring home her first prey, though: a butterfly, that she took into the kitchen and ate, noisily.
Today the discovered torrential rain, and expressed dislike, loudly.
And now I'm home again, catless. Well at least I don't have to worry, close-up as it were, about them not learning in time that Cars Are Dangerous, as are barrels full of rainwater, and that badgers should not be approached.
***
Weird stuff happening in Oslo. Why? How come? Who would want to blow up Norwegians, and shoot them?
live at the SF bookstore!
Jul. 11th, 2011 04:41 pmOur local watering-hole, SF-bokhandeln (science fiction bookstore), has this last week celebrated its ten-year anniversary in Gothenburg. (That means it was brand new during Lexx-o-Rama 2001!) There have been events at the store, including Skype interviews with famous writers. On Saturday, several dressing-up societies were invited to help create atmosphere; Mithlond and the 501st Legion answered the call. So there were Hobbits and Stormtroopers giving the holidaymakers embarrassed smiles as they passed by. Well, most of them wanted to be photographed with Lord Vader and various troopers, who must have sweated horribly in the sunshine...
But yesterday, wow, the main event for die-hard geeks! Ola had rented a plex at Biopalatset, where he showed the full Branney&Leman HPLHS oeuvre, from a not-too-embarrassing student film from 1988 based on "The Statement of Randolph Carter", via the mockumentary about a failed production of "A Shoggoth on the Roof", "The Call of Cthulhu" which still is fantastic given the non-budget -- and the secret bonus film!
This one mustn't be named, at least not until its offical Swedish release. We were given strict instructions to say we saw it in Copenhagen if we _must_ give the title. I'll just point to the HPLHS site and leave it nameless. It was slicker than "Cthulhu" but could have benefitted from its length, tightening the story. It was a Mythoscope talkie, but the action ending seemed more 1950s fright fest than 1930s noir. Still, it had Charles Fort in it! I'm reading Fort even as we speak... well not at this actual moment of typing, but you know what I mean.
Ola then hinted at the possibility of more Lovecraftian film horrors in the future. Excellent! I laughed maniacally all the way home through the sudden downpour.
***
And then I saw "Torchwood: Miracle Day" episode one, the American version. Yay, "Hanteringen av odöda" Russell Davies-style! I liked it.
***
I'm also watching an old "Sherlock Holmes" TV series, with Ronald Howard as Holmes and H Marion Crawford as Watson (if "Marion" isn't embarrassing I wonder what horrible name "H" stand for, "Hilda"?). In the second episode I realised I've seen this before, probably when I was a kid in the 70s. Very familiar. The first three episodes were very good, Watson forceful and putting up with no nonsense from Holmes, but then the fourth episode was quite... bad. Hope that was an exception or the remaining 36 episodes will be just painful.
More Holmes in the offing, as the one glance at Amazon to buy an "ID4" novelisation about the early work of Dr Okun turned into quite a shopping binge. Yes, we gathered to see that classic movie, now 15 years old, on the fourth of July. Hamburgers, American beer and whisky, and some very harmless fireworks too. But we did _not_ go quietly at all!
Also, Bill Pullman is in the new "Torchwood", haha. Quite creepy he was too...
But yesterday, wow, the main event for die-hard geeks! Ola had rented a plex at Biopalatset, where he showed the full Branney&Leman HPLHS oeuvre, from a not-too-embarrassing student film from 1988 based on "The Statement of Randolph Carter", via the mockumentary about a failed production of "A Shoggoth on the Roof", "The Call of Cthulhu" which still is fantastic given the non-budget -- and the secret bonus film!
This one mustn't be named, at least not until its offical Swedish release. We were given strict instructions to say we saw it in Copenhagen if we _must_ give the title. I'll just point to the HPLHS site and leave it nameless. It was slicker than "Cthulhu" but could have benefitted from its length, tightening the story. It was a Mythoscope talkie, but the action ending seemed more 1950s fright fest than 1930s noir. Still, it had Charles Fort in it! I'm reading Fort even as we speak... well not at this actual moment of typing, but you know what I mean.
Ola then hinted at the possibility of more Lovecraftian film horrors in the future. Excellent! I laughed maniacally all the way home through the sudden downpour.
***
And then I saw "Torchwood: Miracle Day" episode one, the American version. Yay, "Hanteringen av odöda" Russell Davies-style! I liked it.
***
I'm also watching an old "Sherlock Holmes" TV series, with Ronald Howard as Holmes and H Marion Crawford as Watson (if "Marion" isn't embarrassing I wonder what horrible name "H" stand for, "Hilda"?). In the second episode I realised I've seen this before, probably when I was a kid in the 70s. Very familiar. The first three episodes were very good, Watson forceful and putting up with no nonsense from Holmes, but then the fourth episode was quite... bad. Hope that was an exception or the remaining 36 episodes will be just painful.
More Holmes in the offing, as the one glance at Amazon to buy an "ID4" novelisation about the early work of Dr Okun turned into quite a shopping binge. Yes, we gathered to see that classic movie, now 15 years old, on the fourth of July. Hamburgers, American beer and whisky, and some very harmless fireworks too. But we did _not_ go quietly at all!
Also, Bill Pullman is in the new "Torchwood", haha. Quite creepy he was too...
the dreaded phonecall
May. 29th, 2011 04:43 pmAnother death in the family: one of my uncles died yesterday. Not completely unexpected, he had been ill for several years, but still very unwelcome. Apparently he had a heart attack and keeled over, a good way to go I expect.
Both my father and I had thought about him the other day, strangely enough.
He was rather weird, a WWII-geek if you like, with grenades as special interest. He knew lots of stuff and was widely known in his areas of interest, but not at all formally schooled or anything like that. When I was young and visited my grandparents, we used to sit up late and talk about all sorts of things, and he took me to airshows and military events. Didn't see much of him in later years, though, the last time was in July last year. He was 75.
Both my father and I had thought about him the other day, strangely enough.
He was rather weird, a WWII-geek if you like, with grenades as special interest. He knew lots of stuff and was widely known in his areas of interest, but not at all formally schooled or anything like that. When I was young and visited my grandparents, we used to sit up late and talk about all sorts of things, and he took me to airshows and military events. Didn't see much of him in later years, though, the last time was in July last year. He was 75.
