Where does it go? Where does it stop? February 24, 2008

Watch for the sign of the lollipop…. #Do do do do doo do do do do do do doo, do do do do doo do do do do do dooo!#

There’s a memory for all you Playdays watching late 80s & early 90s kids Oh and a quick question: which was the best stop? I think the Tent Stop was probably my favourite, although the Dot Stop was the more memorable. I never used to like the Playground Stop… I think watching all those other kids having fun just made me jealous! They were running round and going down slides while I was stuck indoors - where’s the justice in that?!

It’s another one of those times when I’m starting to write a blog entry with no idea where it’s headed. They’re a bit hit and miss I know, so apologies if it turns out to be lame! I had more weird dreams last night… I guess my mind is very active right now. Maybe it has to do with my watching episodes of Alias before I go to sleep. My dreams almost always feature people that I know too - it’s really rare for strangers to crop up. I wonder if that’s the same for everyone. My friends do seem to pop up in the most unlikely places and scenarios though. It can be a bit disconcerting!

I played on a Wii today! It was a lot of fun, but it made me want to go and play actual real-life tennis. It’s not quite the time of year for it though. Anyone up for a game in the summer, let me know! I think it must’ve been quite amusing for anyone walking down our road, since our tv is right by the window, so I was leaping about in full view of any passing strangers.

I’m flying out to the States in just 3 days now. Nearly 2. I can’t wait to see all my friends out there again! There will be many fun times   My box of stuff which I couldn’t fit in my suitcase when I returned home at the start of November finally arrived here on Saturday! It was amazing – there was stuff in there I’d actually forgotten I possess! Including my Ohio State baseball cap. Go Buckeyes!

I mentioned Alias earlier… in case you’re one of maybe 5 people on the planet to whom I haven’t already told this: Alias is the best tv show ever. It was created by J.J. Abrams before he made Lost. However don’t hold that against it as it is in many ways a polar opposite to Lost, in that LOADS of stuff happens in every single episode.  It ran for 5 seasons, though the last one was cut short due to the travesty that was it being cancelled. If you’ve never watched it go and rent/buy the box sets NOW!

A bear, a Scot, some strangers and the soundtrack February 20, 2008

At 6:25am this morning I awoke very suddenly from an exceedingly weird dream, in which my father was being mauled by a grizzly bear. It was all his own fault though, since he went out into the garden to look at the animal instead of staying indoors like we told him to. Honestly, you’d think at his age his dream-self would have a little more common sense.

In other happenings today, Andy Murray followed up winning his 5th ATP title in Marseille last week by going out in the first round of the tournament in Rotterdam. Big losing loser (kidding… mainly). He’s so inconsistent! At least when Henman was going through a bad patch he had the decency to go out in the first round of every tournament and not get our hopes up too much.

I went out to dinner tonight with some of my sister’s friends. I’d not even met most of them before but a fun time was had. I like meeting new people. Almost as much as I like catching up with old friends. I think I just like people! I’m a sociable creature, most of the time.

Lately I have been mostly listening to:

• Thnks Fr Th Mmrs – Fall Out Boy
• Them – Jem
• Sir Duke – Stevie Wonder
• Over You – Daughtry
• Place Your Hands – Reef
• James Bond Theme (From Tomorrow Never Dies) – Moby
• The Prayer – Bloc Party
• Ain’t No Party – Orson
• Highroyds – Kaiser Chiefs
• Skeleton Key – The Coral
• What A Little Moonlight Can Do – Steve Tyrell

In exactly one weeks time a plane will be landing in Ohio and I will be on it!

They don’t make ‘em like they used to February 19, 2008

Movie stars. They don’t make ‘em like they used to. Check out these true legends of the silver screen…

 

Carey Grant. Arguably the best comedic actor of his generation, or (in this waffler’s opinion) of all time. If you’ve never yet witnessed him at work, then go to Blockbuster right now and rent His Girl Friday. Or better yet, Bringing Up Baby, because then you can also marvel at…

 

Katharine Hepburn.

She has no equal for sheer screen presence and the ability to banter. I am in a constant state of awe and delight whenever I watch her! She also appeared alongside Carey Grant in the very superb The Philadelphia Story where they are joined by our next legend…

 

 

James (Jimmy) Stewart. He actually won the Best Actor Oscar in 1940 for his performance in this film – which so happens to be one of my all time favourites. It orginated as a Broadway play, written especially for Katharine Hepburn and was so successful that she bought the film rights, sold them to MGM and was then allowed to choose her own co-stars. Jimmy Stewart has been in a ridiculous number of brilliant films, including Mr Smith Goes To Washington, It’s A Wonderful Life and Rear Window.

Moving on now to a different Hepburn…

 

 

 

 Audrey Hepburn. The epitome of elegance – easily defined in one word: class. I would normally dislike her for her petite figure, perfect bone structure, flawless skin and big brown eyes and yet I think she’s so charming that even my envy is kept at bay! Breakfast at Tiffany’s is obviously her most famous success, playing the role of Holly Golightly, but I have to say I watched Sabrina yesterday and it was every bit as wonderful, if not better. My opinion could of course have been swayed by the presence of my final and favourite old movie star…

 

Humphrey Bogart. In 1999 The AFI named him the Greatest Male Star of All Time and honestly, you’d be hard pushed to argue. Second to none when it comes to screen presence, intensity, charm, timing, and the ability to deliver acerbic lines as if they just popped into his head… whether in a romantic drama or a noir thriller, Bogart can do it all. Whilst Grant is undoubtedly the king of comedy, Bogart is often unfairly under-rated in this area, with his dead-pan humour seemingly as natural as breathing. The Big Sleep, Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, The African Queen (with Katharine Hepburn)… all bona fide classics and all starring Bogie. Born on Christmas day 1899, Humphrey was reputedly expelled from school for throwing the head-teacher into a duck pond. He was married 4 times, including finally to Lauren Bacall. Along with Sinatra he was a founding member of the Rat Pack, and once bought two stuffed pandas whilst on a night out and ended up in court facing an assult charge as a result. He died from cancer at the age of just 57, but his life and films are unlikely to ever be forgotten. Humphrey Bogart – we salute you!

Still standing! February 17, 2008

First up, I would like to announce something very very rare that happened this week. In fact, I think it has never happened before…

I was impressed by a government-related organisation.

Shocking, I know. But the Identity and Passport Services are ace! I discovered this week that, like an idiot, I had mislaid my passport, and no amount of searching in every conceivable location yielded any result. So I called their emergency phone line to cancel it and arrange an appointment to get a new one within 7 days. The guy on the phone was brilliant (although I think he may have worked part-time for the Irish tourist board, because I somehow ended up promising him that yes, once I get my passport I will visit Ireland), and I was booked in to see someone the following afternoon. All the staff at the passport office were really friendly, it took like 15 minutes and that was it… I paid the fee, handed in my forms and by yesterday I had my shiny new passport! Hurrah! Gold stars all round.

Secondly, I’d just like to get a little sentimental for a moment, and say thank you to everyone who has been so awesome to me lately. Being around other people has cheered me up so much more than I could ever cheer myself up on my own! I am blessed with some very wonderful friends