Tuesday, 3rd February 2009

Twilight… and going back to the movies

Posted in Life, Movies, Pastimes at 19:48 by Rob

What to do with a couple of days off work? Well they were not a complete waste time off work… there was a reason but that was last night and today I was kicking my heels.

So it took me to chatting to a mate on messenger this morning that reminded me I wanted to go to the movies. I used to love going to the movies, even on my tod, but on the darker nights it is just easy to get into a habit of going home from work and doing very little.

So Twilight. I had read a bit out this teenage vampire flick and being a vamp flick it sparked my interest. Although I had never heard of the books before the film (there are 4 or 5 now I believe), I have since come to understand that they are better sellers in the US than the UK.

I was just going for a movie to watch really, but I found the whole thing very absorbing and was surprised by the fact. There were a couple of moments when I cringed back at a bad aspect or line, but for the most I was involved all the way.

There have been a rash of these types of movies ever since Harry Potter hit the screens, but here is the kicker; I found Twilight more interesting and captivating than Mr Potters adventures. Maybe he suffers from the movies not living up to the books (as in the majority I don’t believe they can) and I did not know the story of Bella and Edward.

I didn’t feel it fell into the trap of being too teenage; there were moments of Dawson’s Creek anguish but mostly it was a darkly played to a very good result.

My only question now is if I do take up Mr Borders offer of 3 for 2 on the book and the next one? The brief review of the book have read this afternoon suggests it can be wordy and verbose; may the book be too Dawson’s? That might spoil my enjoyment. Maybe just an afternoon in Mr Borders Emporium with a mug of coffee and a couple of chapters to test it out……

…. oh and I am going to go back to the movies more often…. I have Cineworld card for a reason!

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Thursday, 8th January 2009

There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.

Posted in Faith, Funnies, General, Life at 22:55 by Rob

Now, personally I do believe in something, but I adore the way this gets some Christians knickers in a twist.

The Atheist Bus Campaign; 800 buses feature the slogan: “There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.

“The evidential basis for God is the same as for believing there are fairies at the bottom of the garden, and if you don’t believe the latter, you shouldn’t believe the former,”
A C Grayling defending said campaign.

Two stories on politics.co.uk:

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Wednesday, 7th January 2009

Giving it up for New Year….

Posted in Grumps, Life at 23:59 by Rob

….. jeepers what is wrong with the above, in short everything! New Year and the holiday are one of the most frantic times we have in our calendar and, rightly so, we use some vices to help us get through it. Now that may be chocolate, booze, ciggies, sex or anything that helps you chill a bit…. but then we get to January first and bang, the guilt (or the scales) hit home and to go cold turkey.

January…. one of the bleakest darkest times of the year, nothing to look forward to except February (officially the direst month of the year, and the pay packet. So we decide to torture ourselves by giving up something that has probably been a major crutch in our lives, or worse still we start doing something that goes against our very grain of life in this dark month (anyone gone back to the gym in the last 7 days after an absence of many months?).

Yeah okay, we need to make changes in our lives; we are all getting fat, clogging up our arteries with fatty proccessed foods, doing the 1 mile school run in our SUVs and leaving the TV on standby every night. But for the love of goodness it is JANUARY! You don’t want to be heading to gym after work at 6:30 in the pitch black icy cold weather. Or giving up the wine or the ciggies when there is no where else to go or do that doesn’t involve a restaurant, bar or movie, and for goodness’ sake the kids don’t want to walk to school (and you sure as anything don’t want to have to walk with them!).

Giving stuff up is good for us, we are going to have to give a lot as the credit crunch bites and the sea levels rise. Buying that new car every three years or picking up that handy plastic bag in the supermarket are all things we are going to have to change as much as eating a bit more healthy and getting more active.

However, you have to give something up, or take something up, because you want to. Not because the year has click up one. Look at life, realise what is good and what is not so good, diagnose it first and work out why you do it, then do something about it.

For me, I will give nothing up on any January 1st; I may give something up in March, June or September but never in January….. and don’t get me started on Lent!

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Saturday, 3rd January 2009

Anatomy of a winter holibag….

Posted in Life, Pastimes at 23:31 by Rob

The winter holibag of 2008 has been one of the most relaxing winter holibags I have had in years. For once I wasn’t on the sofa with the duvet and a stinking cold and was able to enjoy the time off, even making a nice dinner and having my champagne on xmas day with little or no fuss!

The one shocking part of the time off though, was my complete laziness, in fact I must admit that (if I believed and cared) I firm adopted 2 of the seven deadly sins during the holidays; sloth and gluttony, to the extent that I have put on about 3/4 of a stone since the start of December.

I was also very much a recluse over the holiday, I ventured out on day to see the family and give the gifts, had some friends over for Hogmanay (which I still think is a bigger social and community event than xmas in Scotland), for drinks, laughs, Mario Cart and Wii Sports, and out of the house on New Year’s Day to a friends house for dinner.

This all may not sound very much like a social holiday that people expect it to be, but then I always think people expect too much from the winter holiday and are often disappointed and slightly aggrieved when it is over and they have spent a lot of time (and sometimes money) doing stuff and being places that they have not ultimately wanted to be……

I am not advocating selfishness, just a little care and consideration for yourself. How often do you get almost 2 weeks off without dashing off to the sunshine in some forgien climate? I do advocate fitting in some ‘down time’ in the winter holiday…. it works.

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