What I did in my summer holidays: Part 1.

So it's back to work. And not coincidentally, my first real internet access since Christmas Eve. Did log in briefly during our 3 week sojourn to warmer climes & check a few favourite blogs (see links), but really, dialup is painful. Just having to listen to M's moaning about the speed of MSN while trying to keep up with her pals from out of town was enough to put me off.

Anyway... apparently, it is de rigeur for bloggers to mention what they read or watched over the festive break. So why not:

Read:

Bill Bryson's Short History of Nearly Everything. Fascinating stuff! And remarkably prescient, since I was just past the chilling bit about tsunamis by Boxing day... Spent the rest of the time worrying about what he had to say about meteors....

Nigel Cox's Tarzan Presley. I was drawn to this because of the reported legal action by the estate of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and publisher fergus barrowman's comment that if only 3000 copies are printed, then it will become a collectors' piece. I think I got the last copy on sale in the country. And it is brilliant. Imagine tarzan was brought up by a colony of gorillas in the wild jungles of the Wairarapa. Imagine he was discovered in his late teens by pretty blond scientist Janer Porter, and taken to California, and then Tenessee. Imagine Tarzan is "discovered" by Sam Phillips, managed by Colonel Tom Parker and adopted by Vernon & Gladys Presley, whose son Elvis died in a trucking accident a little while ago... A must for fans of either Tarzan, or Elvis, or both. I will be looking up the Memphis Mafia on the web shortly, to see how many of them from the book really exist.

Seen:

The extended Return of the King. Phwoar!

Life as a House. Damn me if we didn't all collectively sniffle at the end of this one about a terminally ill Kevin Kline reconnecting with his wayward teenage son (played by Anakin Skywalker).

Waiting for Guffman. Christopher Guest faux documentary (in the style of his Spinal tap, Best in Show, and Mighty Wind - with pretty much the same casts). OK, but was handicapped in that T really wanted a chick flick for Christmas, not this mildly amusing curiousity. Sigh. Note to self...

The Tracker. Gripping tale from the Ocker frontier about an aboriginal tracker (the awesome David Gulpilil from Rabbit Proof Fence) leading a mixed bag posse through the Outback in pursuit of an alleged killer. I worried this might be a bit art house for the crew, but afterwards even 12 year old M announced "That was a good one!"

Mean Girls. Er... Lindsay Lohan learns about life in an American high school... in my defence, this wasn't my choice.

The Last Samurai. Better than I expected by far. Ken Watanabe steals the show. Nice scenery...

The Sixth Sense. Fascinating th see this for a second time... M announced it is now her favourite movie & can she have it on DVD please.

Van Helsing. M's previous favourite movie. And since I'd heard it was utter crap I was pleasantly surprised to find it is merely mediocre. And anyway... it has Kate Beckinsale in it.

oh and of course... Shrek 2.

DVDs & taped movies still in the bag to see:

King Kong. The original, accept no substitutes

Blue. Krystof Keislowski's masterpiece. Won in a competition shortly before Xmas.

Unfaithful. Diane Lane naked, or so I am told.

Starship Troopers. This will have to wait until T is out I suspect. Extreme shooting is more frowned upon than watching porn. Or so I imagine. Actually, that's based on my experience of trying to watch the director's cut of Hard Boiled, we only got 10 minutes & 3 major shoot-outs into it before I was asked to turn it off & put a chick flick on.

Books in the bag still to read:

Changing Careers: How to make a successful career change, by Paul Goodhead. A hint if I'm not mistaken...

Happy New Year by the way.