Summer of Sam

Last night I was watching the film Summer of Sam, a 1999 film directed by Spike Lee, and set in New York City during the summer of 1977. As the city swelters under a record-breaking heatwave, the streets are being stalked by the serial killer known as “Son of Sam”. The film focuses on a small Italian-American neighbourhood, in particular the popular hairdresser Vincent (played by John Leguizamo), who enjoys disco-dancing and constantly cheats on his wife (Mira Sorvino), and his friend Ritchie (Adrien Brody), a punk who loves The Who, wears his hair in spikes and sports a fake British accent. Ritchie’s outlandish appearance and unconventional lifestyle soon cause tension in the tight-knit neighbourhood community. As the heatwave increases, the crime rate in the city rises and the “Son of Sam” killings continue, causing increased paranoia and tension. It’s a very stylishly made film, using a variety of cinematic techniques. Spike Lee has a small role in the film as a TV reporter. I remember very clearly seeing it when it first came out at the cinema.

It was another fairly quiet day at work, as it usually is. On the way into work I happened to see my friend Joe going in the opposite direction. I hadn’t seen him around or heard from him for a week or so, but he said it was just because he was very busy, which is fair enough. It’ll be fun having a couple of days off at the end of the week. I don’t really know what I’ll be doing though.

I was listening to my iPod at work this afternoon. I was listening to the Juno soundtrack again, which is really great, but I have to remember to get the iPod updated sometime. I keep meaning to but I always forget.

I got home at around quarter to six and made myself a microwaved lasagne for my dinner, with a glass of apple juice. It was quite nice, if not particularly exciting. I ate while watching an episode of The Simpsons.

I’ve been listening to the original radio series of The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy on tape over the past few nights before getting to sleep. It’s still really funny, and has aged really well, better than many other comedies. I was actually worried that the tapes wouldn’t work, because I hadn’t listened to them in years, but so far they work fine.

It’s funny but I remember about a year ago when I used to go out drinking quite a lot, and because of various things I don’t do it any more, or I do occasionally but not nearly as much as I used to. I actually don’t really miss it. Most of the time I actually think I’m better off just staying at home, reading my books and watching TV. Besides, there are various things I’m probably better concentrating on, like my writing and other stuff, also I am still planning on emigrating at some point. I need to work out some kind of plan, especially because I’ve been feeling slightly down about my thirtieth birthday approaching, in many ways, like there was a stage I wanted to be at in my life by then, and I’m not there yet, and I am worried that soon it might turn out to be too late. maybe one thing I should try to do is relax more, have more fun and not get so stressed out about things.

The Faculty

Last night was pretty quiet. I was watching some of the film The Faculty on TV. It’s a 1998 film directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Kevin Williamson (who wrote Scream and created Dawson’s Creek) about a high school in Ohio where the teachers and most of the students become taken over by alien parasites. It’s up to a small group of students to stop the invasion. Basically it’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets The Breakfast Club. I’ve seen it a few times, and I remember seeing it at the cinema, but I didn’t watch it today. I can’t remember what I decided to see instead, but I think it might have been Father Ted. I also went on to the computer to start writing a horror movie script.

When I woke up this morning I had that moment where I forgot what day it was and thought that it was still the weekend, until I realised that I had set my alarm clock early so that must mean I had work. Worse, the fact that I had a second where I thought it was the weekend could only mean Monday morning.

However, I managed to get Friday and next Monday off on annual leave. I’ve got plenty of annual leave, so I thought it would be fun. Also I get paid this week, with backpay, hopefully, so it should be good. It was a pretty quiet day at work. I was listening to my iPod during the afternoon.

On my way home from work I got the latest issue of Empire magazine, which was listing the “500 Greatest Films of All Time”. Number one was The Godfather, which was a really good film. I’ve seen that one a few times as well.

When I got home I had a mushroom risotto microwave meal, which I hadn’t had before and was actually nicer than I had expected. When I switched my light on, the bulb blew out, so i went to change it. However, that didn’t work and it turned out that it was the fuse, but I managed to fix it.

Mister B. Gone

I read the book Mister B. Gone by Clive Barker over the past day or so. The story puports to be the autobiography of a minor demon, Jakabok Botch (also known as Mister B.), who is captured and brought to Earth in the fourteenth century, after joining forces with another, more powerful, demon named Quitoon. The two wander the Earth for about a hundred years killing and stealing at will, with Quitoon particularly fascinated by human inventions, especially inventions of war, execution and torture. However they learn of a revolutionary device being invented in a small German town which could change the world, and for which massed supernatural forces are converging on the town, fighting for control of the invention, and leading to Botch discovering a shocking secret about the nature of the battle between Good and Evil. The book constantly “breaks the fourth wall” by having the demon narrator trying to persuade the reader to burn the book and set him free (the idea being that the demon itself is trapped in the book itself) by alternately pleading, threatening, reasoning and insulting the reader. The idea being that the book itself is a dangerous object and that while the reader is reading the demon’s story, the demon is “reading” the reader. It’s a technique that can work really well, or just become ridiculous. In this book it actually does work well, and the book manages to be scary, gruesome, exciting and often very funny. It’s pretty brief, being only 248 pages long.

Last night was really quiet. I was drinking some wine and watching TV. I must have fallen asleep at some point on my couch during For Your Eyes Only. I do have this irrirtating habit of falling asleep on my couch while I’m trying to watch TV, especially if I’ve had a bit to drink.

I went to my parent’s house for lunch as usual. Lunch today was salmon parcels with ricotta cheese and spinach inside, mashed potato and peas, followed up with some profiteroles for dessert and a glass of Budweiser beer. So that was really nice. The afternoon was pretty quiet, I was mostly sitting around and reading my book.

Books and TV

Last night I was watching Russell Brand Live, basically it was Russell Brand performing his stand-up comedy. I’d never seen any of his stand-up stuff before and, although his style took a bit of getting used to, I thought it was very funny. Later on I was watching a repeat of the final episode of the first season of Life on Mars, in which Sam Tyler (John Simm) comes to believe that he may have be getting close to escaping his 1973 dreamworld and waking up in 2006, when an investigation into a vicious crime gang leads Sam to his own father and some disturbing secrets. It was a really entertaining show. I don’t know if they’ll be repeating the second season, but I hope that they do. I’ll probably try to get it on DVD at some point anyway.

Today I went out to the shops and bought some books in the sales: Mister B. Gone by Clive Barker (the back of the book claims that it marks Barker’s return to the “classic horror tale” and the plot of the book, apparently being the autobiography of a demon trapped inside a cursed book, sounds interesting), Duma Key by Stephen King (Stephen King’s later books don’t seem to be as good as his earlier ones, but I’ve been reading his stuff for a long time now so hopefully he’ll get back to form) and Miracles of Life: An Autobiography by JG Ballard.

It’s hard to believe it has been fourteen years since I first started reading Stephen King.  I got interested in his work after I saw It (the one with the scary clown) on TV, and the first book of his I read was The Tommyknockers.  I got interested in Clive Barker when I read Cabal at age twelve, while I was off school with a broken leg.  I’ve met Clive Barker a couple of times at book signings and he’s always come across as a very likeable guy.  I’ve been reading JG Ballard for awhile now as well.  His autobiography is likely to be his final book. 

It does seem odd when you think that even things that weren’t much fun at the time always seem a lot better when you look back on them after a few years. 

On my way home I stopped off and got my groceries for the week. I also got the latest issue of Total Film magazine, which came with a free mouse-mat featuring Quantum of Solace, the latest James Bond film.

The Stand

Last night was fairly quiet. I watched a couple of episodes of Peep Show on DVD and read some of a Stephen King novel called The Stand, a very long book in which most of humanity is wiped out by a deadly disease and the survivors find themselves being drawn into a supernatural battle between the forces of good and evil. It’s a pretty good book. I read it before about thirteen years ago. It was turned into a TV mini-series in 1994.

Work was really quiet today. As usual on a Friday most people left really early, at around lunchtime, or in the early afternoon. By the time I left, at five o’clock, there were seven people, in a room that seats about sixty. I was listening to my iPod again (the Juno soundtrack, Tom Waits, Cowboy Junkies, Sixpence None the Richer, Lucinda Williams, Trisha Yearwood and some Neil Gaiman short stories), however someone was playing a radio quite loudly that was kind of annoying.

I had some microwaved macaroni cheese for my dinner, which was okay. It’s the weekend now anyway so that should be fun, hopefully. although it always seems to pass far too quickly. It always seems weird that when you leave work on a Friday evening, it seems like a really long time before you have to go back and then, before you know it, it’s Monday morning again. Actually, that’s not weird, it’s just depressing.

I don’t have any plans for the weekend, besides the usual stuff.

A Slow Week

Last night was fairly quiet. I was watching a bunch of comedy shows on TV, namely Father Ted, That Mitchell and Webb Look and Red Dwarf, so that was fun.

Today was another fairly quiet day at work, pretty much the same as usual. There was the Union meeting today, but I didn’t go along. We weren’t getting any time credited, and I really didn’t feel like losing about an hour of my time. They are usually pretty much a waste of time anyway. I don’t know, but the chances are there is probably going to be yet another strike coming up. There have already been two this year.

I got home at around half past five and made a microwaved spaghetti carbonara ready meal. It’s felt like a really slow week this week, for whatever reason. It will soon be the weekend anyway, but I don’t have any plans, except the usual of getting groceries and watching TV.

I’ll need to get along with transcribing my old paper journals on to the computer.  Also I’ve not been doing much of my own writing recently. I really seem to be running low on ideas, which is quite aggravating.

Some Random Thoughts

Today at work there was an e-mail going around that there was to be another Union meeting tomorrow morning about the pay issue, despite the fact that this year’s pay deal has already gone through. The thing is that we’re not getting any time credited to attend the meeting, which would mean anyone attending would lose an about an hour at least. I’m not going to go along. I don’t want to lose the time. Also, to be honest, I’m getting kind of sick of the thing. They’ve been doing exactly the same things for the past four years, and never really make any progress. Also everyone is getting absolutely sick of the whole thing, especially after having two strikes inside of one month.

Aside from that it was a fairly quiet day. I was listening to my iPod in the afternoon again and eating extra-strong mints. I like them actually. They are quite refreshing.

The original version of The Omen was on TV last night, but I didn’t watch it. I’ve got it on DVD and I’ve seen it loads of times before anyway. I was reading an entertaining essay by Harlan Ellison a couple of weeks ago, heavily criticising the level of violence in horror movies of the late ’70s and early ’80s and The Omen was cited as the main example of gratuitous violence especially one particular scene (which I won’t mention in case anyone hasn’t seen it).

In our office there are some people who talk endlessly about pretty much anything that comes into their minds, even to complete strangers, or people who have absolutely no interest in what they are talking about. It was sound weird, but I really kind of envy people that can do that. I find it extremely to speak to people one on one, because I get extremely shy and kind of clam up, however I am very good at speaking in public. I just find it really difficult having a conversation, and I often wish I was better at it.

I’ve been trying to experiment recently in opening up more in this journal and writing more about thoughts, feelings and opinions and so on.

Juno

Last night I was watching the film Juno on DVD. I saw it at the cinema back in February and really liked it. It’s a really funny film, about a 16 year old girl, Juno McGuff (Ellen Page), who finds herself pregnant by her best friend (Michael Cera). Deciding to give the baby up for adoption, she tries to find the perfect adoptive parents through nwspaper adverts. The film features a witty and intelligent script, written by Diablo Cody who won an Academy Award for the film, and a very talented cast. It also features one of the best soundtracks I’ve heard in a long time. Even though it’s not been long since I first saw it, I enjoyed it just as much a second time around. I’ve also got the soundtrack on CD and it is a constant fixture on my iPod.

It was another very ordinary day at work (are there any other kinds?) I had enough change for candy and coffee today, so I had my sugar intake for the day. I was listening to my iPod during the afternoon (the Juno soundtrack, Tom Waits and Sixpence None the Richer) and in the breaks I alternated between going on the internet and reading my book, which was My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith, which is very funny, and surprisingly affecting at times as well.

I got back from work at half past five and made myself a microwaved lasagne. The advantage of microwaved meals is that they are very quick and cheap.

Day at Work

It has been another fairly quiet day today. It was really bright and sunny today, and surprisingly warm as well. There was hardly anyone in the office today, which is rarely full these days anyway since the reorganisation a month ago when they shifted people to different rooms, some rooms are almost in danger of overcrowding, while others are practically deserted. I have a theory that there are people who paid to think up new ideas at work, and they occasionally start panicking and so they think up pointless reorganisations and schemes to remind people that they actually do exist, and so that they won’t get fired. I don’t really mind though, because I can just sit and listen to my iPod (today I was listening to Leonard Cohen, Sarah McLachlan, Lucinda Williams, Trisha Yearwood, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Tom Waits, Cowboy Junkies, Sixpence None the Richer and most of the Juno soundtrack).

I was completely short of change for the vending machines, I usually have several cups of coffee and chocolate bars throughout the day for nutrition (and to keep me awake), so I had a small jug of milk and a cup of water instead of the vaguely-coffee-flavoured stuff that looks like dirty water from the vending machine. I also bought a copy of The List, an events listing magazine, on my way home in order to get some change for tomorrow.

When I got back home I had a microwaved spaghetti bolognese pre-packaged meal, which was okay.

Distorted DVDs

Last night I was watching my new Peep Show DVDs, but halfway through the fifth season DVD the picture was completely wrecked by distortion, which I was really annoyed about.

Later on last night I was watching a 1971 “Hammer Horror” film called Countess Dracula, directed by Peter Sasdy. In seventeenth century Hungary, an elderly countess (played by Ingrid Pitt) discovers that bathing in the blood of young women can temporarily restore her youth and beauty. She ends up becoming a serial killer, murdering countless victims so she can romance a young soldier, by pretending to be her own daughter (who she arranges to have kidnapped by bandits). The film was loosely based on the legends surrounding real life Countess Elizabeth Bathory (the so-called “Blood Countess”) who was one of the inspirations for the story of Dracula. Like most of the Hammer Studios films it was very lavishly designed, if on a low-budget. It was quite fun.

I was up quite sharp this morning because, before going to my parent’s house (as usual for a Sunday), I went along to the Cameo Cinema with my mum to see a preview of a French film called I’ve Loved You So Long, directed by Philippe Claudel. The film stars Kristen Scott Thomas as a woman who is released after fifteen years in prison for murder, and moves in with her younger sister and her family, as she tries to start a new life. It’s very well-made, if not hugely original, and is very well-acted.

I stopped off afterwards and exchanged the Peep Show DVDs, before heading back to my parent’s house. Sunday lunch was chicken, peas, potatoes and white wine sauce, followed by rhubarb and gooseberry crumble. The new issue of Fortean Times (the Journal of Strange Phenomena) had arrived during the week, and it was pretty entertaining. It was warm and dry enough to sit outside, which made a nice change.

When I got home I checked the Peep Show DVDs, and this time there was distortion on the fourth season disc! Luckily it seemed to only be effecting the main menus rather than the episodes, but I won’t know until I’ve checked them all the way through. I was really, really annoyed! It’s not the first time I’ve had to replace Peep Show DVDs, I don’t know if there is a problem with the company that manufactures them or something.

One thing I noticed while transcribing my old paper journals onto the computer, is how little things have changed since 1999. If you substitute “college” for “work” it’s pretty much exactly the same. Things never really seem to change that much. I suppose they can, but it’s very difficult. I’ve got about thirty-seven volumes of diaries and journals that I’ve been keeping for about nineteen years. There is probably something very odd about my need to document every aspect of my pointless, dull life.