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October 6th, 2008
07:47 pm
We have some fabulously weird tutors. For a fine example, let me introduce Ms. S. A module leader for a course topic, and realising that a series of lecture notes had not made it up on our online resources before the session in question, she told us, straight-faced, (I kid you not) that “if you wish to whip me for negligence”- that we could do so.
Response: o_O
Well, what other tone of face would you use?
As if that wasn’t delightfully twisted enough, she then launched into her specialist subject.
Dermatology. Skins and their various eruptions.
Which is: “my passion.”
Us: o_O
Her: “A visual topic.”
Me: *thinks* No kidding, Sherlock! When I was young, while other kids grossed themselves out with creepy films and ookey-cookey urban myths, I was flipping through my medical parents’ medical text books. Their illustrated text books- looking for the particularly icky skin conditions photo plates.
Still, it’s rather sweet watching someone get all excited over rashe and flaky bits.
As well as faintly disturbing.
Current Location: The Flat, Southampton, UK
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/smile.gif) amused
Current Music: Dirk Gently's Long dark Tea Time of the Soul
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September 25th, 2008
09:17 pm - High Ho, High Ho, It's Back To School We Go
... and we all come trolling back to academia after the latest placement (practical nursing training). Now it's books for charts and pens for thermometers (cheeky)
And, in a perfect stroke of irony, if I have not shared this before... read carefully, this is the actual sign advertising my school...
Right, and after the somewhat VAST nursing school (there are around 900-1000 students per year- and that's just the undergrads) was built, they realised that none of its lecture theatres were big enough to hold us all for en mase lecturing. Genius.
So now we get to sit in the CAVERN O DOOM. Aka lecture room 1015, school of education. Just across the road from 'our' school buidling. Which is now full of medics.
Bleedin' musical campuses around here...
Anyway... GASP! at the size of our screen- in duplicate!!!
and go 'OOOH!' at the lengthy nature of the stairs we trumble up and down to get anywhere in lecture room 1015!!!
And go 'WOWSA LOOKIT THE SIZE OF THAT!!!!' and generally fall about in pleasure at the awesomeness of the sheer wonder that is, the size of room itself!!!
... and just how many enthusiastic nurses there are to learn at first sparrow's fart at stupid early o'clock in the morning...
It's a bit strange in there. No windows; no natural daylight. It descends into the ground from ground level, it's warm and the lights are dimmed to allow us to see the powerpoint presentations of particular passion and persuasiveness (pthwap-pthwap-pthwap). It's trail by snooze attack.
Yes, on more than one occassion we have suffered near-death by powerpoint; Microsoft's most lethal sneak attack weapon.
Now:
Pray silence, please, for possibly the worst, the cheesiest vampire film ever.... ladies and gents: Embrace of the Vampire
Behold, the (utter lack of) subtlty.. and, yes, that is Martin Kemp- aka Steve from Eastenders and the bassist from Spandau Ballet, and that is Alyssia Milano of Bewitched.
Oh
My
Goddess
I
have not
the words.
Simply:
o_O
And: I just missed 88 minutes of my life. Where did they go?!!
Current Location: The Flat, Southampton, UK
Current Mood: o_O
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September 20th, 2008
12:54 pm - *Snicker*
From Metro newspaper (the travellers' paper from London Underground), 12th September:
They may be great mates but Noel Fielding is annoyed that people mistake him for Russell Brand. 'All I will say is that I had this look first- and he just went out and stole it', he cofides.
Now, now- handbags at dawn, boys?
Since when do any public figures 'confide' in interviewers?! Tuch, tuch, Metro- your choice of verb lets you down!
This, however, is chuckle-worthy by virtue of being totally dead-pan presentation. Ok, Metro, you get points back for this:
Orlando Bloom wants to tread the boards again to boost his creadbility, although his last outing was less than well received. He muses: 'That way Hollywood takes you more seriously'.
I have a mental iamge of a star reclining on a sunlounger, surrounded by the acroutrements of fame, 'musing' and dispencing thusly nuggets of golden wisdom.
Oh, the cynicism! ;-)
Current Mood: amused
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September 16th, 2008
09:07 pm - Apocalyptica Fic: What Could Go Wrong? Part 10: Epilogue (Relief)
( IN HERE- CLICKERTY CLICK )
Current Location: The Flat, Southampton, UK
Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: Apocalyptica- Worlds Collide
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09:06 pm - Apocalyptica Fic: What Could Go Wrong? Part 9
( IN HERE- CLICKERTY CLICK )
Current Location: The Flat, Southampton, UK
Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: Apocalyptica- Worlds Collide
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09:05 pm - Apocalyptica Fic: What Could Go Wrong? Part 8
( IN HERE- CLICKERTY CLICK )
Current Location: The Flat, Southampton, UK
Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: Apocalyptica- Worlds Collide
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09:04 pm - Apocalyptica Fic: What Could Go Wrong? Part 7
( IN HERE- CLICKERTY CLICK )
Current Location: The Flat, Southampton, UK
Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: Apocalyptica- Worlds Collide
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09:02 pm - Apocalyptica Fic: What Could Go Wrong? Part 6
( IN HERE- CLICKERTY CLICK )
Current Location: The Flat, Southampton, UK
Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: Apocalyptica- Stroke
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September 15th, 2008
11:05 pm - Apocalyptica Fanfic: What Could Go Wrong? Part 5
( IN HERE- CLICKERTY CLICK )
Current Location: The Flat, Southampton, UK
Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: OSTs
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11:04 pm - Apocalyptica Fanfic: What Could Go Wrong? Part 4
( IN HERE- CLICKERTY CLICK )
Current Location: The Flat, Southampton, UK
Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: OSTs
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11:03 pm - Apocalyptica Fanfic: What Could Go Wrong? Part 3
( IN HERE- CLICKERTY CLICK )
Current Location: The Flat, Southampton, UK
Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: OTSs
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11:01 pm - Apocalyptica Fanfic: What Could Go Wrong? Part 2
( IN HERE- CLICKERTY CLICK )
Current Location: The Flat, Southampton, UK
Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: OSTs
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10:58 pm - Apocalyptica Fanfic: What Could Go Wrong? Part 1
Title: What Could Go Wrong
Fandom: Apocalyptica
Rating: PG-13 maximum to be on the safe side; this is suitable for all: some comedy slapstick violence. Bad language has been bleeped. Warnings: None Disclaimer: No infringement of personal copyright intended; this is just a bit of fun by a fan for fans. No implication is intended on any person mentioned within, and any actual resemblance to any real person is a blinding coincidence! Don’t sue me- I’ve got so much to give!
( IN HERE- CLICKERTY CLICK )
Current Location: The Flat, Southampton, UK
Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: OSTs
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10:45 pm - Introducing Apocalyptica
Right, so I've been busy writing. I tend to write mostly in fanfiction; that is, tales constructed around other ideas/ scenarios/ characters presented in films, TV, books, etc. I write a fair deal around the characters of The Mighty Boosh, but of late I've been working on a silly tale fantastic for a rock band.
I got into these guys pretty recently, but I really like what they do, the fact that they aren't so HUGE that things have got daft; I admire their skill (they are all Sibelius Academy trained musicians), their sense of humour and good spirit. They come from Finland and they are called Apocalyptica.
They stared as a Metallica tribute band while still studying; playing gigs on the side. They decided to finish studying, and while at least two of them have contracts with national orchestras, they decided to make a go of the band. They play rock and roll and heavy metal as well as sweet ballads; and they make this amazing metal sound on cellos. I kid you not.
I never realsied you could headbang while playing a cello.
So, to give a taster as further background to presenting this tale, here are some clips of them in action:
And early Metallica cover; Nothing Else Matters
A fine example oif their own rock work: Somewhere Around Nothing
Proving you can rock the classics In The Hall Of The Mountain King
Another original composition; Path
And one of my favourites; Farewell
Ok, introductions: The chap with long blonde hair is Eicca, the guy with very short cropped dark hair and goatee is Paavo. The dude who plays with them sometimes in dark glasses is Antero and the long, dark haired chappie (in some videos from a few years back shoulder-length blond-ish hair) is Perttu (and he wrote Farewell). Oh! And I forgot to add orginally, poor lad! The drummer is Mikko!
Right, next post begins my tale...
Current Location: The Flat, Southampton, UK
Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: Randomised Soundtracks On My Harddrive
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September 12th, 2008
11:46 pm - Genius
And then there's this- a staple of a generation's childhood memories...
I took my boots off in the train on the way home today. It was great. And refreshing. And a bit radical.
heh.
Current Location: The Flat, Southampton, UK
Current Mood: amused
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August 7th, 2008
01:52 pm - FanFiction Folly
There must be some sort of pst-modernist explanation for this... the 'merchandising' of a fanfiction based on a popular TV series? How... er... quite.
Anyway, for those who read- those in the know; drum roll please for:
I need a lie-down, now; my finely-tuned theorist's sensibilities have started gibbering.
Current Location: The Flat, Southampton, UK
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August 5th, 2008
11:44 pm
It’s been a while since I wrote in here; a bubbling up of thoughts. So much to say; so mundane, so absolutely… after all, for what reason to post on a public medium than to be ‘seen’. A weird grasp to ‘be’; not for money or power, but for recognition; a nebulous commodity exchangeable only as long as the public spotlight funds your cheques. But in that case, it has to be something pa-zazz- something special…
To dream about being adored by figures of adoration; to jump onto that glitter comet-tail; that, too, is false; ‘toyist’ (as Will Self coined from his Marxist learnings) - fake and not real: production line, not craftsman. It is to run away from facing oneself; what one is, and what one really doesn’t like about oneself. It saves you from having to look, but also from finding anything you like in others; the blindness of self delusion.
What is Hecuba to me, or I to Hecuba that she should weep for me?
So many things that could be said… should be said/ 1000, 1000 tiny details that go to make up a life, and are so important to the life they collage together, yet mean nothing at all to others; looking in on another life we want the big picture, the revelations; some hope of guidance for our own little mosaics. Because we’ll never see the whole picture- we’re adding piece by piece, coloured tiles grudgingly handed out by the tight-fisted master craftsman above us- the shadowy tool bag of fate providing no major changes, but a lot of little revelations that seem so important at the time, but mark merely another bit climbed onto the next plateau.
This year I have: almost drowned off a French beach, had a drunken learning experience in hate and manic mood swings, gone to a Gay pride parade, gone to Ireland and got into a battle of the bands on a VIP pass, learned about just how far I have my head up my arse, I’m going to even cooler gigs (Mighty Boosh and Apocalyptica) later on, Denmark to play with Vikings, a spot of rape and pillage of an evening, tried to work on neurotic cleaning quirk, got far too involved in fan fiction and attempted to get in with the familias.
That’s it in a nutshell.
Still looking for love- yes, to love and be loved, that never changes. Today I saw Hellboy 2, and one line stood out like a big, pulsating thingy of truth: “humans had a hole in their hearts that nothing filled… their eternal greed”. Greed can be need in different clothes, too; but it’s true. I heard it said that there’s a belief-shaped hole in everyone, and everyone finds their own way to stop-gap it; fill it if they are lucky. So I’m right up there with that; always looking, never satisfied to find; the chase rather than the catch. And love is right up there, I think- not content; need and greed becoming blurred together and confused.
Last night I dreamt of being held. I was saddened, times were confusing and not good in the dreamind scape, and I was held- by someone I know, and the history there made it even more interesting- but the feeling of forgiveness, of companionship of wanting to be there and share the kindness- it left me awaking happy. That- that I could do with in waking, too.
þæt wæs god cyning!
Current Location: The Flat, Southampton, UK
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July 27th, 2008
01:35 pm - The Mighty Boosh Fanfiction: Present Sailors Part 12
Title: Present Sailors part 12
Pairing: Howard/Vince
Summary: All good things must come to an end (I heard that ‘thank goodness for that’ coming from the back! *squints in an imposing fashion and ends up looking faintly constipated*)
Word Count: Part 12: 7505
Rating: 12 by British ratings. some bad language, but not much. More like a PG.
Disclaimer: Mighty Boosh, its characters and situations belong heart, mind and soul to Noel Fielding and Julian Barrett- and for their meeting and conceiving of such a world we forever more heartily thank them. I own nothing; I’m just playing with the pieces for a space.
Later same day: Having had a break from the computer and having scanned the chapter, I realise how awful the grammer, etc, is, so I have been through and straightened it out! Thanks for bearing with me :-)
P.S: The Dark Knight is fab! :-D
A/N: And so it finally ends! Thank you for bearing with me, and thanks to everyone who encouraged, bullied, aided and abetted.
One request: if you have read this and not commented much, or even if you have, I would very much appreciate a comment. With this tale I have taken some leaps and made some gambles, and I would very much like to know if, as a whole, it worked or if I have overstretched the idea of working fiction with fanfiction. It was always my intention to make a story first, and work on ‘fan’ bits second- this one wanted to fly into crazy levels of originality vis a vis the ‘fanfiction’ remit.
Did it work?
I hope it’s anything like you hoped.
( Deus ex Machina, Dude )
Current Location: The Flat, Southampton, UK
Current Mood: relieved
Current Music: Bittersweet- Apocalyptica feat. HIM & The Rasmus
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July 21st, 2008
04:10 pm - Mighty Boosh Fanfiction: Present Sailors Part 11
Title: Present Sailors part 11
Pairing: Howard/Vince
Summary: Towards the End Of Things
Word Count: Part 11: 6893
Rating: 12 by British ratings. There is some violence and stronger language at the end, but nothing very gratuitous.
Disclaimer: Mighty Boosh, its characters and situations belong heart, mind and soul to Noel Fielding and Julian Barrett- and for their meeting and conceiving of such a world we forever more heartily thank them. I own nothing; I’m just playing with the pieces for a space.
Big thanks especially to: ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) leonleif and smaychel (although she's going to claim she's had no influence, I cannot dis-clude her, because she has!) for their kind comments and support.
( Once More Unto The Breeches )
Current Location: The Flat, Southampton, UK
Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: Portugese Irregular Verbs- Alexander McCall Smithh
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July 13th, 2008
06:59 am - The Old Ones Are Best
This makes me snigger every time- an oldie, but a goodie...
if you receive an e-mail entitled 'Bedtimes,' delete it IMMEDIATELY. Do not
open it. Apparently this one is pretty nasty. It will not only erase everything
on your hard drive, but it will also delete anything on disks within 20 feet of
your computer. It demagnet izes the strips on ALL of your credit cards. It
reprograms your ATM access code, screws up the tracking on your VCR, and uses
subspace field harmonics to scratch any CD's you attempt to play. It will
program your phone auto dial to call only 0898 numbers. This virus will mix
antifreeze into your fish tank.
IT WILL CAUSE YOUR TOILET TO FLUSH WHILE YOU ARE SHOWERING.
It will drink ALL your beer.
FOR GOD'S SAKE, ARE YOU LISTENING? ?
It will leave dirty underwear on the coffee table when you are expecting
company.
It will replace your shampoo with Nair and your Nair with Rogaine If the
'Bedtimes' message is opened in a Windows 95/98 environment, it will leave the
toilet seat up and leave your hair dryer plugged in dangerously close to a full
bathtub of water. It will not only remove the forbidden tags from your
mattresses and pillows, it will also refill your skim milk with whole milk.
***
WARN AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN.
***
And if you don't send this to 5000 people in 20 seconds, you'll fart so hard
that your right leg will spasm and shoot straight out in front of you, sending
sparks that will ignite the person nearest you.
Send this warning to everyone!!!
THERE'S A LOT OF SADNESS IN THE WORLD! Right now, as you read this, 17 Million people are having SEX!!!
And look at you -- you're on the computer!!!!
Current Location: The Flat, Southampton, UK
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