Don’t Dream It’s Over
It has been a day of upheaval here in Britain. Gordon Brown resigned as Prime Minister and then Britain finally got its new government five days after the election.
And Neil Finn sported a moustache on BBC's Later With Jools Holland. Sadly, I'm all a-Twittering about that bit rather than the other bits..
.. I told my Other Half that I did not feel like breaking up my long-term relationship with Neil Finn (after all, it's been nearly twenty years - that is commitment, I'll have you know) but more like entering couples' therapy. My Other Half did not answer me. He is also not going with me to see The Crowdies next week. I wonder why?
Despite the upheaval and emotional turmoil (in more than one way - I am not that shallow), today has been a nice day. I was given a big box of posh chocolate because I did someone a favour. It was unexpected, but very lovely. I also have a finished object to show off (if I can decide whether it is a fascinator or a corsage).
Why Neil Gaiman is Like a Toffee-Coated Banana
Want to feel jealous in a bookish manner? Go look at Neil Gaiman's library. The colours, the layout, the view from the windows and the mind-boggling amount of books.. I hardly ever covet anybody else's possessions but I do covet that room.
On the topic of Neil Gaiman, people tend to assume that he is one of my favourite authors and I am at loss to explain why this is so. I have received emails from dear friends with subject lines like "Neil in Edinburgh!!!" (at which point I flailed happily around the house until Other Half pointed out that the email referred to Neil Gaiman and not Neil (yes, in Casa Bookish there is only one Neil and he needs no surname)). Other friends have assured me that if I run out of reading material, they have plenty of Gaiman books they'll put at my disposal. And yet other friends approach me asking if I've read the latest Gaiman novel?
I've read two and three-quarters Gaiman books: American Gods, Neverwhere, Good Omens (co-written with Terry Prachett) and Odd and Frost Giants. None of these clicked with me - Neverwhere came closest, I think. American Gods is said to be Gaiman's finest and most complex work so far and it left me completely cold. I did like the film adaptation of Stardust.
I understand that people are passionate about their favourite author and I get that people want to share their passion, but once I have read a couple of books by an author I am able to make my mind up about an author and decide that, nah, that guy isn't really for me. In that respect, Neil Gaiman is a bit like Ian McEwan. I read Amsterdam (still the worst Booker prize winner, in my opinion) and Atonement (horrid), listened to people going into raptures over McEwan, read a chapter of Black Dogs, and decided to choose Life over reading another page.
I suspect the "you must love Neil Gaiman' thing has to do with demography: I am in my early thirties, like geekery, am a Firefly and Doctor Who affectionado - and Gaiman just sort of goes with that territory. I still consider Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials one of my favourite reads this past decade, so sometimes I do find books within that niche that I really like. Gaiman just doesn't do it, though.
Have you ever experienced something similar? Have you read, listened to or watched something you knew you were meant to be Just Your Thing, but you just couldn't get into it? Other examples of mine include Bjørk, Tori Amos, Jonathan Safran Foer, and, well .. banoffee pie.
“Are You Sure It Isn’t Just Some Fanboy Thing..?”
I saw this* and then I started missing academia once more and also really, really wanted to move to London. But, you know, life isn't so bad. Thursday I'll be baby-sitting the Old Maiden Aunt studio as Lilith's away, so do pop by West Kilbride if you fancy buying some lovely handpainted yarn and a chat over some tea and knitting.
Via John (and presumably everybody else on the interwebs): Buffy Summers meets Edward Cullen.
"It's an example of transformative storytelling serving as a visual critique of Edward's character and generally creepy behavior. Seen through Buffy's eyes some of the more patriarchal gender roles and sexist Hollywood tropes embedded in the Twilight saga are exposed in hilarious ways."
As John says, "..I have a sneaking feeling that a Spike meets Edward Cullen remix would [also] be a thing of beauty and a joy forever."
* I nearly fainted when I saw Jewel Spears Brooker was speaking on “The Fire and the Rose: Eliot and Julian of Norwich”. Phoawr!
Geek Overload
Today we went to the Doctor Who exhibition at Kelvingrove. I had my photo taken with a rather short reincarantion of the Fourth Doctor (and Other Half rather worryingly said he fancied a Doctor Who scarf clearly not knowing how long it takes to make) as well as a very cute K-9. Loads of things to see, touch, go "woooh!" over and all that.
It’s Almost That Time Of Year
Denmark is the oldest kingdom in Europe with a rich history of conquest, trade and culture. Regrettably, being lower even than the Netherlands, Denmark will be the first to disappear as the waters rise.
The 5.5 million people of Denmark speak a language they themselves do not understand, with a numbering system that contradicts all laws of Math. Its consonant-free nature did not stop Denmark from winning the Eurovision in 1963; they won again (in English) in 2000.
Facts
Capital: Copenhagen
Economy: Dairy products, beer, cookies, exploiting Greenland's natural resources and labour force, wind turbines
Famous landmarks: The Little Mermaid, Tivoli, Legoland, Birthe Kjær
I have found the essential guide to this year's Eurovision. The darlings at ESCnation has compiled a guide to every single competing nation (and Georgia). It is hysterically funny (and some bits are not safe for work - such as the description of Poland) even if you do not care a tuppence about Eurovision.
Speaking of which, I sat through a live-stream of the Swedish national final and sadly the best performance was a strange, beautiful version of last year's winner. I really didn't get the winning song, Malena's La Voix and, apart from a late 1990s-esque boyband and the ever discotastic Alcazar, didn't tap my feet at any stage. Hmph. Sweden, you disappoint me.
(And in case you are dying to know, Norway is emerging as the big favourite to win.)
Four Seasons in One Day
Yesterday we had snow, rain, thunder and sunshine .. and it looks like this pattern will continue today. Four seasons in one day.
Who am I to resist posting this:
Aye Write: The Aftermath
Jonathan Coe cancelled Aye Write, he bloody well did. I had even brought along my hardback copy of The Rain Before It Falls (not my favourite, but my nicest copy of a Coe book) and a big bucket of courage so I could ask him to sign my book.
Boo.
Still, I went to see Andrew Crumey (now offically a favourite author of mine) yesterday which was all sorts of interesting. He read an unpublished short story as did Gavin Esler (unsurprisingly punchy and smooth) and Rodge Glass (as always self-deprecating and humourous). Esler's story was the easiest to follow, Glass's story got the most instictive gasps from audience and Crumey .. well, I think he confused a few people there. Listening to him, I noticed that although he was an engaging reader, his prose is the sort which needs to be read in order to be fully unpacked. I continue to be intrigued.
Weirdness Ensues When I Take My Eye of the Ball
Don't you just hate when Real Life interferes with important things such as blogging? I have a multitude of things going on at the moment, alas. To paraphrase an old, old Alison Moyet song, my head is so full it is fit to burst.
So, obviously, this is the perfect time to revive my once-passionate love affair with Glasgow's finest foursome: Franz Ferdinand. I know. I cannot explain it either (although I do suspect a 'eyeliner worn at recent awards ceremony' element). I'm not sure about their new album - I wasn't even sure about their previous album - but I have had the new album on repeat all day. Weird.
Here's the first single off their new album. Discuss among yourself if they are referencing Tennyson, Joyce or Homer..
Shiny!
NASA needs your help to name Node 3 of the international space station. A short-list of names have been drawn up for your perusal .. and "Serenity" is one of the possible names.
(For the ones among you going bzuh: Serenity?)
Time for some thrilling heroics: go vote!
Things I Have Learned
In the past week I have learned that:
- The majority of my friends here in the UK are either bloggers who knit or knitters who blog. I had a really nice birthday lunch the other day and counted just three non-knitters (although all three are bloggers). Interesting.
- I really, really like edamame and it could very easily turn into an obsession (except my stomach aches today).
- My taste in books has become somewhat predictable. I finished reading Andrew Crumey's Sputnik Caledonia and thought it "freaking amazing" (yes, I've lost my critical vocabulary). I searched the net for reviews and came across The Guardian's review. It thought the book read like a cross between Alasdair Gray's Lanark and Jonathan Coe's What a Carve Up!. Those two novels happen to be two of my absolute favourite contemporary novels.. whoopsie.
- Sweden belongs to a parallel universe. How else can I account for the fact that I've met two Swedish women this past week - one of whom is me in another universe (she has long red hair; I don't) and the other a parallel universe version of my bestest friend back in Denmark (she has tattoos; bestest friend doesn't)? Very, very strange .. and fun.
- The world is a scary place. This past week has seen big smackdown drama on everybody's favourite knitting forum and me wising up to the fact that Twilight fans of a certain age enjoy making felted wombs (and the wombs apparently sparkle when you open them up!). You get nutters everywhere - especially among amateur goldfish enthusiasts, I've reliably been told - but who would have thought crafters could be that .. well, special?
- And who knew that foxes love playing on trampolines? I didn't but it makes life a little bit better.
I'm off to a hospital appointment this afternoon but hopefully I'll be able to join my knitting group tonight. I have yarn to show off and an almost completed cardigan (I swear: Forecast (rav link) has been the quickest project ever).
It's also nice to have ttime and energy to blog once more.