The Chin, the King and Bubba Ho-tep 07/08/2006
Saw the misery this morning when I took the short cut again. Unfortunately she was approaching from a different direction and hence I caught her as I was forced to accelerate up and out of the village. She was still looking lovely with a nice short sleeve blouse and a black skirt. I think I saw trainers which I must confess didn't really compliment the outfit but are more than understandable if she has a lot of walking to do.
She looked like she was carrying an overnight bag so had probably stayed round her boyfriends for the weekend. Come to think of it the last time I saw her was a Monday and again she was carrying an overnight bag, although she was coming from a different direction. Naturally in an ideal world she would have been staying round a friend's house but I think it highly unlikely that a woman that good looking wouldn't have a boyfriend. She's probably hard work, high maintenance and I clearly wouldn't have a chance so what's the point.
Sometimes it's more fun and easier to deal with when the chances are non existent. Charging in regardless almost has the futile romance of the light brigade. I'll doubt I'll see her again in that bar and if I did I've probably built it up so much now that I wouldn't have the courage to say anything. I think a card is the only option. Pointless maybe but like playing the lottery it has that air of 'well you just don't know, catch her at the right moment and if she's bored one night trawling the web she might discover the real me'. We will see.
Raced home that evening for half an hour in the swimming pool though I brilliantly managed to forget my goggles leading to the chlorine playing havoc with my eyes despite my best efforts to swim with them closed. The contender was excellent that night. It seems they've dropped the team games which is a shame as they were good for revealing characters but they have added a twist by allowing the winners in this round to put themselves on a board to determine who and when they fight in the second round. As for the fight it was an unstoppable frenzy. Both fighters went for it hammer and tongs. Compared to the lumbering fight of last week, which probably only generated about three minutes of decent editable footage, this one must have delivered about three times that amount. There were times when they were just standing toe to toe mashing the shit out of each other. Incredible and it certainly had me on the edge of my seat. Norberto Bravo won which makes it another for the blue team. Another excellent episode.
Turned over to catch the last episode of Saxondale, Steve Coogan's latest show. Although not delivering regular, out loud laughs it was very well played and extremely insightful. At one point he enters the house (plays a rentakil kind of guy) of a bloke that has recently passed away. He notices a tin of new potatoes and questions 'when the moment comes that a man loses the will to peel some spuds and put them in a pan of boiling water'. I'm not at this stage but as a statement and an image it shot me straight to my core and was one that I would think over the course of the coming week. For me this was the beginning of a very reflective, melancholic and almost depressed week.
Over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday I went onto iTunes music store to download a few tunes that I'd heard on streaming soundtracks. I'd heard the tune they play in Crash when the little girl runs out to protect her dad and also the main tune. I'd also been humming, or at least trying to hum, the lovely piano piece from Lost. I got them both and then made the mistake of starting to listen to them which had the effect on me which I've discussed in my music section. Whilst listening to this music, later complimented by a tune by Brian Eno which was used in the Nasa film 'For all mankind', I began to slip into melancholy. I wasn't depressed but I felt deflated, old, unattractive and a little sorry for myself. Ok it's pathetic but I can't be the happy go lucky, self deprecating clown all the time. The main reason I am this person is because I normally push all the things which have the power to upset me to the back of my mind. Whereas maybe I used to fret and worry I realised it was simply easier if I didn't think about things. Yet listen to the right music and it seems to act like a direct conduit into those repressed thoughts. I confess that the music from Lost and Crash combined with my musings over why I hadn't found someone special, why I hadn't had any real interaction or dates with girls for well over a year, whether I could be a better son, a more inspirational brother, a better friend, a more hardworking employee all seemed to overcome me and I shed the odd tear.
Maybe it was a form of release. I think maybe you need these things to help release the feelings and tensions. I also think to have highs, which I regularly do so I'm not feeling suicidal, you have to have lows and this was just a phase that you have to go through. You could say that I shouldn't listen to the music or have started working on creating a playlist of such tunes but the music is really beautiful and maybe one day I'll be able to burn it to CD and listen to it when I have my arms round someone special.
It's funny how when you are feeling down you just want to make yourself more miserable. You listen to music which are proven misery or deep thinking triggers in an attempt to push yourself deeper like an out of control submarine. It's not necessarily self pity but more a feeling that at your lowest ebb you will find salvation, encounter a turning point or a moment of clarity when everything makes sense and clicks right into place. Whether it's there I don't know because one always finds that as the answer is tantalizingly close you are pulled back to the surface like an out of air swimmer. You return to normal and try to push those dark and soul searching thoughts to the back of your mind until they are needed or re-examined again.
My feelings of glumness continued and on Wednesday night instead of hitting the gym, motivation being hard to find, I hired out the Weather Man. I knew it was more of a thinking Nic Cage film but had wanted to see it since it had come out. Nic plays a dysfunctional father, losing touch with his own kids and trying to find peace with his own dad (played by Michael Caine). It was very well played and although some could say that it didn't really go anywhere it's journey was indicative of how I was feeling and hence very right for that mood.
In addition to my weekly email to Texas Amy which I regularly enjoy, I've started to converse through email with a northern girl called Crazy Squirrel. To some extent she should be perfect for me as we got in contact through IMDB, meaning she's into films, and apparently, though I've not seen evidence or are aware of sizes, has a large natural chest. Before I, or anyone else, gets excited she is considerably younger than me at 19 which only leaves room for friendship. She is fun, intelligent and communicative beyond her years but the age is a factor and coming from different generations we are different people. I'm wary of mentioning her because it's always when you do that they then drop off the scene and make you feel foolish for ever having mentioned them.
Sleeping during the week became difficult again though I'm unsure whether this was either caused by or exaserbated by my mood. Even with the fan on, both windows open and sleeping in the buff bar a triangle of duvet to cover my modesty and prevent having my arse eaten out by the next door neighbours cat, which seems to make the occasional foray into my room through the window, I cannot seem to sleep.
I wasn't miserable for the entire week...........ok, okay I might not have been miserable but I was probably subdued. ASOT on Thursday night was good and certainly a lot punchier than I've heard of late. The tickets for the event at Brixton Academy came through and I'm beginning to look forward to it. I'm going with my bro and my friend/director who hasn't seen Armin live or been to a proper 'dance' club for some time. She shares my enjoyment of Armin and her take up of him helped get her into the trance scene. Friday was hot and muggy and I decided to go for a simple evening of DVD pleasure. Watched Two for the Money with Al Pacino and Matthew McConaughey which was good. It got pretty formulaic near the end but there was much to enjoy with some cool lines and an awesome apartment that Matthew was given to live in. It was pretty open plan in nature and had a dividing wall between the living room and bedroom. Inset into the wall was a plasma screen tv that rotated allowing you to see it in either room. How wickedly cool is that and that's another idea for when I win huge on the lottery.
Recouped some sleep on Saturday morning and then hit the swimming pool. After about half an hour swimming I realised that I was simply bored having to steer round annoying slow coaches and I just got out. Headed back home to watch the film Bubba Ho-tep. I had heard of this film as it starred Bruce Campbell who I really like but it's odd premise always acted as a bit of a stumbling block. "Elvis and JFK, both alive and in nursing homes, fight for the souls of their fellow residents as they battle an ancient Egyptian mummy". Would it be a horror film or a comedy or an uncomfortable mish mash of the two.
I've got to say that I thought it was brilliant. It may have been a B movie with a wild concept but once you'd embraced it, it was great. The script was funny and thought provoking. Yes it had killer lines for Campbell as the King to deliver but it did paint a darker, more thoughtful picture of the pitfalls of getting old and forgotten. I really engaged with the characters and thought Campbell was outstanding. The film had panache and style and although it didn't take itself seriously it still took the making of the film seriously. The music for the film was excellent and lifted it another notch, portraying very deftly the ageing of a rock star. As Warrior King had done the previous weekend it reminded me that films made outside of the restraints of big budget hollywood can still deliver a blast if handled well with originality and energy. A really good film that I enjoyed immensely, so much so that I bought the two disc special edition the following day.
Went out that evening but hit absolutely nothing. There were women around but none that seemed to notice us and we moved onto our regular bar. We considered heading downstairs but any pretty girls that were in there, and there weren't many to start with, seemed to leave and be replaced by short, fat, shaven headed twats who considered themselves hard. With an obvious lack of interaction or the possibility of any we blew the joint and headed to the cinema to check out Miami Vice.
I thought it disappointing. It had the style and the look with it's requisite Ferraris and powerboats but it didn't seem to have a heart. You didn't get the impression that Crockett and Tubbs had history or even a liking of each other. The posters for the film show them looking in different directions and this was certainly true in the films. I never saw them share a joke, break into a smile, have anything to eat, go to sleep or any form of real interaction and hence when Tubbs says 'I never doubt you' I found it hard to attach anything to that statement. The gun battle at the end, which some apparently compared to the Heat firefight, was mucho disappointing. I know it was trying to be moody and cerebral but as that wasn't working they should have chucked in some more action. Farrell wasn't bad, which is tough to admit because I normally don't like him but Jamie Foxx needn't have been it. It wasn't his fault, it's just he didn't have any decent material to work with and thus his role wasn't worthy of an oscar winner. Some people were calling this Bad Boys 3 but if I'm honest I would have more preferred that for it would have been funnier, more action packed and more entertaining. What a shame and further indication that even with great actors, directors and more money you can't guarantee a film's success or quality. Don't get me wrong I didn't think it crap and enjoyed it while watching it, although I was conscious of my arse getting numb which is never a good sign, but it just wasn't as entertaining or involving as Bubba ho-tep.
We hit the tea hut afterwards and ordered a full animal. I wish we hadn't for it was very disappointing. They put this cheap, tastless frankfurter in the bap and it kind of ruined it. It felt cheap compared to everything else that had been cooked or fried. I think when I return I will go back to the classic double cheeseburger with fried egg.
Hit Bluewater on Sunday to get presents for a friend. I don't know if it's because I see limited amounts of women at work and even then when I go out at the weekends but Bluewater seemed to be rammed full of honeys. Jesus it was all I could do to keep walking in one direction as my eyes were darting around like a frightened gazelle. Man it was depressing. Lovely looking things in such varied clothing and most seemingly coupled with boyfriends. I consoled myself with a double quarterpounder from McDonalds, which I've got to say was one of the best burgers I've eaten from Mac's in some time. It was big and juicy and freshly cooked and helped remove the thought of women from my mind for at least five minutes. Considered some Sennheiser headphones as I managed to break my 'overhead' ones a few weeks ago when I through them on the floor in a silly moment of anger. Also bought Bubba Ho-tep as I said earlier. It was reduced to £7.99 which was excellent value considering the features. Even more impressive was the fact that it had an in pack leaflet. That sounds silly but the amount of DVD's you get where they have the clasp to hold something in place but are too cheap to print something is amazing. It only served to add to my purchase satisfaction.
She looked like she was carrying an overnight bag so had probably stayed round her boyfriends for the weekend. Come to think of it the last time I saw her was a Monday and again she was carrying an overnight bag, although she was coming from a different direction. Naturally in an ideal world she would have been staying round a friend's house but I think it highly unlikely that a woman that good looking wouldn't have a boyfriend. She's probably hard work, high maintenance and I clearly wouldn't have a chance so what's the point.
Sometimes it's more fun and easier to deal with when the chances are non existent. Charging in regardless almost has the futile romance of the light brigade. I'll doubt I'll see her again in that bar and if I did I've probably built it up so much now that I wouldn't have the courage to say anything. I think a card is the only option. Pointless maybe but like playing the lottery it has that air of 'well you just don't know, catch her at the right moment and if she's bored one night trawling the web she might discover the real me'. We will see.
Raced home that evening for half an hour in the swimming pool though I brilliantly managed to forget my goggles leading to the chlorine playing havoc with my eyes despite my best efforts to swim with them closed. The contender was excellent that night. It seems they've dropped the team games which is a shame as they were good for revealing characters but they have added a twist by allowing the winners in this round to put themselves on a board to determine who and when they fight in the second round. As for the fight it was an unstoppable frenzy. Both fighters went for it hammer and tongs. Compared to the lumbering fight of last week, which probably only generated about three minutes of decent editable footage, this one must have delivered about three times that amount. There were times when they were just standing toe to toe mashing the shit out of each other. Incredible and it certainly had me on the edge of my seat. Norberto Bravo won which makes it another for the blue team. Another excellent episode.
Turned over to catch the last episode of Saxondale, Steve Coogan's latest show. Although not delivering regular, out loud laughs it was very well played and extremely insightful. At one point he enters the house (plays a rentakil kind of guy) of a bloke that has recently passed away. He notices a tin of new potatoes and questions 'when the moment comes that a man loses the will to peel some spuds and put them in a pan of boiling water'. I'm not at this stage but as a statement and an image it shot me straight to my core and was one that I would think over the course of the coming week. For me this was the beginning of a very reflective, melancholic and almost depressed week.
Over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday I went onto iTunes music store to download a few tunes that I'd heard on streaming soundtracks. I'd heard the tune they play in Crash when the little girl runs out to protect her dad and also the main tune. I'd also been humming, or at least trying to hum, the lovely piano piece from Lost. I got them both and then made the mistake of starting to listen to them which had the effect on me which I've discussed in my music section. Whilst listening to this music, later complimented by a tune by Brian Eno which was used in the Nasa film 'For all mankind', I began to slip into melancholy. I wasn't depressed but I felt deflated, old, unattractive and a little sorry for myself. Ok it's pathetic but I can't be the happy go lucky, self deprecating clown all the time. The main reason I am this person is because I normally push all the things which have the power to upset me to the back of my mind. Whereas maybe I used to fret and worry I realised it was simply easier if I didn't think about things. Yet listen to the right music and it seems to act like a direct conduit into those repressed thoughts. I confess that the music from Lost and Crash combined with my musings over why I hadn't found someone special, why I hadn't had any real interaction or dates with girls for well over a year, whether I could be a better son, a more inspirational brother, a better friend, a more hardworking employee all seemed to overcome me and I shed the odd tear.
Maybe it was a form of release. I think maybe you need these things to help release the feelings and tensions. I also think to have highs, which I regularly do so I'm not feeling suicidal, you have to have lows and this was just a phase that you have to go through. You could say that I shouldn't listen to the music or have started working on creating a playlist of such tunes but the music is really beautiful and maybe one day I'll be able to burn it to CD and listen to it when I have my arms round someone special.
It's funny how when you are feeling down you just want to make yourself more miserable. You listen to music which are proven misery or deep thinking triggers in an attempt to push yourself deeper like an out of control submarine. It's not necessarily self pity but more a feeling that at your lowest ebb you will find salvation, encounter a turning point or a moment of clarity when everything makes sense and clicks right into place. Whether it's there I don't know because one always finds that as the answer is tantalizingly close you are pulled back to the surface like an out of air swimmer. You return to normal and try to push those dark and soul searching thoughts to the back of your mind until they are needed or re-examined again.
My feelings of glumness continued and on Wednesday night instead of hitting the gym, motivation being hard to find, I hired out the Weather Man. I knew it was more of a thinking Nic Cage film but had wanted to see it since it had come out. Nic plays a dysfunctional father, losing touch with his own kids and trying to find peace with his own dad (played by Michael Caine). It was very well played and although some could say that it didn't really go anywhere it's journey was indicative of how I was feeling and hence very right for that mood.
In addition to my weekly email to Texas Amy which I regularly enjoy, I've started to converse through email with a northern girl called Crazy Squirrel. To some extent she should be perfect for me as we got in contact through IMDB, meaning she's into films, and apparently, though I've not seen evidence or are aware of sizes, has a large natural chest. Before I, or anyone else, gets excited she is considerably younger than me at 19 which only leaves room for friendship. She is fun, intelligent and communicative beyond her years but the age is a factor and coming from different generations we are different people. I'm wary of mentioning her because it's always when you do that they then drop off the scene and make you feel foolish for ever having mentioned them.
Sleeping during the week became difficult again though I'm unsure whether this was either caused by or exaserbated by my mood. Even with the fan on, both windows open and sleeping in the buff bar a triangle of duvet to cover my modesty and prevent having my arse eaten out by the next door neighbours cat, which seems to make the occasional foray into my room through the window, I cannot seem to sleep.
I wasn't miserable for the entire week...........ok, okay I might not have been miserable but I was probably subdued. ASOT on Thursday night was good and certainly a lot punchier than I've heard of late. The tickets for the event at Brixton Academy came through and I'm beginning to look forward to it. I'm going with my bro and my friend/director who hasn't seen Armin live or been to a proper 'dance' club for some time. She shares my enjoyment of Armin and her take up of him helped get her into the trance scene. Friday was hot and muggy and I decided to go for a simple evening of DVD pleasure. Watched Two for the Money with Al Pacino and Matthew McConaughey which was good. It got pretty formulaic near the end but there was much to enjoy with some cool lines and an awesome apartment that Matthew was given to live in. It was pretty open plan in nature and had a dividing wall between the living room and bedroom. Inset into the wall was a plasma screen tv that rotated allowing you to see it in either room. How wickedly cool is that and that's another idea for when I win huge on the lottery.
Recouped some sleep on Saturday morning and then hit the swimming pool. After about half an hour swimming I realised that I was simply bored having to steer round annoying slow coaches and I just got out. Headed back home to watch the film Bubba Ho-tep. I had heard of this film as it starred Bruce Campbell who I really like but it's odd premise always acted as a bit of a stumbling block. "Elvis and JFK, both alive and in nursing homes, fight for the souls of their fellow residents as they battle an ancient Egyptian mummy". Would it be a horror film or a comedy or an uncomfortable mish mash of the two.
I've got to say that I thought it was brilliant. It may have been a B movie with a wild concept but once you'd embraced it, it was great. The script was funny and thought provoking. Yes it had killer lines for Campbell as the King to deliver but it did paint a darker, more thoughtful picture of the pitfalls of getting old and forgotten. I really engaged with the characters and thought Campbell was outstanding. The film had panache and style and although it didn't take itself seriously it still took the making of the film seriously. The music for the film was excellent and lifted it another notch, portraying very deftly the ageing of a rock star. As Warrior King had done the previous weekend it reminded me that films made outside of the restraints of big budget hollywood can still deliver a blast if handled well with originality and energy. A really good film that I enjoyed immensely, so much so that I bought the two disc special edition the following day.
Went out that evening but hit absolutely nothing. There were women around but none that seemed to notice us and we moved onto our regular bar. We considered heading downstairs but any pretty girls that were in there, and there weren't many to start with, seemed to leave and be replaced by short, fat, shaven headed twats who considered themselves hard. With an obvious lack of interaction or the possibility of any we blew the joint and headed to the cinema to check out Miami Vice.
I thought it disappointing. It had the style and the look with it's requisite Ferraris and powerboats but it didn't seem to have a heart. You didn't get the impression that Crockett and Tubbs had history or even a liking of each other. The posters for the film show them looking in different directions and this was certainly true in the films. I never saw them share a joke, break into a smile, have anything to eat, go to sleep or any form of real interaction and hence when Tubbs says 'I never doubt you' I found it hard to attach anything to that statement. The gun battle at the end, which some apparently compared to the Heat firefight, was mucho disappointing. I know it was trying to be moody and cerebral but as that wasn't working they should have chucked in some more action. Farrell wasn't bad, which is tough to admit because I normally don't like him but Jamie Foxx needn't have been it. It wasn't his fault, it's just he didn't have any decent material to work with and thus his role wasn't worthy of an oscar winner. Some people were calling this Bad Boys 3 but if I'm honest I would have more preferred that for it would have been funnier, more action packed and more entertaining. What a shame and further indication that even with great actors, directors and more money you can't guarantee a film's success or quality. Don't get me wrong I didn't think it crap and enjoyed it while watching it, although I was conscious of my arse getting numb which is never a good sign, but it just wasn't as entertaining or involving as Bubba ho-tep.
We hit the tea hut afterwards and ordered a full animal. I wish we hadn't for it was very disappointing. They put this cheap, tastless frankfurter in the bap and it kind of ruined it. It felt cheap compared to everything else that had been cooked or fried. I think when I return I will go back to the classic double cheeseburger with fried egg.
Hit Bluewater on Sunday to get presents for a friend. I don't know if it's because I see limited amounts of women at work and even then when I go out at the weekends but Bluewater seemed to be rammed full of honeys. Jesus it was all I could do to keep walking in one direction as my eyes were darting around like a frightened gazelle. Man it was depressing. Lovely looking things in such varied clothing and most seemingly coupled with boyfriends. I consoled myself with a double quarterpounder from McDonalds, which I've got to say was one of the best burgers I've eaten from Mac's in some time. It was big and juicy and freshly cooked and helped remove the thought of women from my mind for at least five minutes. Considered some Sennheiser headphones as I managed to break my 'overhead' ones a few weeks ago when I through them on the floor in a silly moment of anger. Also bought Bubba Ho-tep as I said earlier. It was reduced to £7.99 which was excellent value considering the features. Even more impressive was the fact that it had an in pack leaflet. That sounds silly but the amount of DVD's you get where they have the clasp to hold something in place but are too cheap to print something is amazing. It only served to add to my purchase satisfaction.
posted by payne by name at 2:42 pm
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