nigeltde | bits and pieces

I always thought Jeeves and Wooster was some sort of Upstairs, Downstairs-type drama series, but I recently discovered that no! Not really, at all, you son of a silly person. When I saw that Fry & Laurie were in the TV series (I am desperate to get my hands on it, must go to the video store) I immediately ran out and borrowed me some Wodehouse . And heeeeee! It doesn't deliver the belly laughs of O'Brian (Stephen falling out the Great Cabin windows is one of the funniest things, ever, I cannot not laugh when I think about it) but, of course, it's not a drama series as well and for my money it's up there with classic humour novels like HGTTG. I can't wipe the smile off my face when reading it. I am a teensy tiny bit of an anglophile, as may be apparent, and I have never been able to pass up dialogue that ends in the word "what", and all the other linguistic gems. I feel such affection for Jeeves and Wooster, these two islands of sanity, and their squabbles over gaudy socks and stuff. Brilliant POV writing, and in such easy to read doses, I grab quickies all the time.

I am seeing Troy on Friday, and because I am a movie snob I'm also trying to finish the Pope translation of the Illiad so I can point out all the bits in the movie where they're so, like, totally wrong. Also it'll help me get a leg up on my readings for next semester which includes the hefty likes of The Brothers Karamazov, Paradise Lost (well, at least I've started that too), various Shakespeares, and Dante's Commedia. I'm enjoying Illiad, especially because Athene, my favourite in the Greek pantheon, is featured so prominently. I suspect it's gorier than the movie will be.

SBS is having some sort of Kubrick festival/marathon or something, so I'll have to buy a lot of blank tapes soon. The SBS website is, however, no help in determining exactly when this festival might happen.

There was a thing on Foreign Correspondent last night about Eritrea, a very new country in Africa that's having a few teething problems. My grandmother spent 12 years of her youth in Asmara, the capital, and I have often heard her stories of her life there. But in the documentary it was mentioned that sixty years ago it ceased being a colony of Italy, and I was quite surprised. It just never occurred to me that my grandmother might have been in Africa as part of an Evil Colonising Power.

Angel turned into a puppet last week, and it was rilly rilly funny.

I like Michael Turner's art in the latest couple Superman/Batmans, but I hate his women, they're all v. Top Cow etc, just to stereotype. Wonder Woman got a full page in #9 and looked mighty ugleh. I have been spoiled by Johnson and Snyder's art in the latest WWs (go read! They're fucking awesome! Although I was not pleased about Cale's motives for hating WW (v. done before), I have a much more interesting (and needless to say gayer) theory) where she's just so solid and large and a nice mix of butch and feminine and guh, and the whole Dini/Timm look in the Justice League cartoons (so hot!).

There are a few shows at the Cab Festival that I would like to see, but I think I am definitely going to see this one, if I can afford it. Sounds like the closest I'll get to seeing Nina Simone live, and it should be interesting to hear about her life, &c.

I can't believe WMC are trying to expand Olympic Dam and the Rann govt is begging for it. It was a bad idea the first time around, you greedy fuckwads. A representative said on the news, and I paraphrase: "Well, we know that everyone's really concerned about greenhouse gasses. So we figure nuclear power's much better and everyone will want that in the future!". Aren't we past this? Haven't we learnt our lessons?

Well, that's about it. More updates in a month if my life becomes more interesting.