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deborah_c... or an extended weekend, at least.
Film club on Thursday night once again introduced me to two films neither of which I'd seen before, as well as several people who I'd seen but not had a chance to speak to before. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was enormous fun; it belongs in a genre that I tend to enjoy a lot, had wonderful casting and a fun plot (given a certain amount of suspension of disbelief). One plot detail did seem a little telegraphed -- what would you expect to happen to an indestructible character whose sole weakness is that he mustn't see his enchanted picture of himself? -- but otherwise a film to be enjoyed, and probably rewatched. I felt slightly embarrassed not to know the literary origins of all the characters (notably Quatermain), but may at some point remedy those holes in my reading (although H. Rider Haggard may prove a little too irredeemably cheesy).
The second film was From Hell, another inspired by an Alan Moore graphic novel. (One, incidentally, that popped up in a list of 25 must-read graphic novels in![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nhw's journal the following day.) It wasn't quite so much to my taste, I'm afraid. Maybe it was just my state of mind, but it's such a dark film, and so full of graphically implied (if rarely explicit) gore that I found it very hard to watch. I ended up curled up in a corner of the sofa clutching a cushion; not good for my goth credentials, I fear :) Still, good to have seen once, despite that: seeing films that push the boundaries of what I might otherwise choose is definitely rewarding, but there are some that define places where I probably shouldn't go, and this was one.
Friday managed to become a fairly work-free day, slightly by accident. I had a hospital appointment (only routine, nothing to worry about) in the morning, and had the pleasure of tea and a long talk withlibellum on the way home. We didn't quite solve all the world's ills, but it certainly helped push me gently toward resolving some issues that I've been thinking about for a little while. Having the chance to get to know each other a little better was really nice; she's someone I feel very at-ease with, somehow.
Dashed home (via horrible Cambridge traffic, but I really should have expected that) to pick up children from school, and send them off to violin lessons with Liz. Shortly afterwards, one of my colleagues arrived to pick me and our barbeque up to go to our annual company (all seven of us :) barbeque at another colleague's rather palatial house; Liz and the children joined us later, having detoured to pick up cooking implements that we'd forgotten, slightly embarrassingly. A very pleasant evening ensued, with more than adequate supplies of food, Pimms, startlingly friendly cats, and excellent company. Two other colleagues also had children there, and they all had a whale of a time, too, particularly given the added entertainment of major building works going on. I think we came back with the right number, but since they spent a lot of time in the foundations, I've asked the friends who hosted to check before pouring concrete... Home at about 1am, after a small mis-communication resulted in Liz going home without me, clutching borrowed copies of the Goodies DVD (which the children love) and Buffy season 4 (I never did find out what the man with the cheese was meant to represent -- hurrah for commentaries!)
Saturday was more relaxation, and recovery from having too much fun on Friday... Generally a day of playing with children, watching Goodies episodes (Kitten Kong and The Goodies and the Beanstalk) and so forth. I did finally manage to write and send difficult letter that we've been struggling to get right for a little while, although I did then spend most of the evening fretting over how the person it was sent to would respond. Thankfully, he realised we might be on edge and answered straight away today, and we're reassured.
Sunday saw more of the same, plus a little bit of random domesticity and tidying up. I spent a fun hour or so experimenting with a borrowed corset (thanks,elise!) and being startled at how good it looks, despite the eccentricities of my figure. I still have to work out how to preserve some sense of modesty while wearing it, given that it's an underbust shape, but should have fun at the Calling on Tuesday... The children mostly amused themselves happily for a large chunk of the afternoon, giving Liz and me an opportunity for a long, relaxed, but productive talk. Following an absolutely torrential downpour (as forecast, but a day late), the road outside flooded completely, and the girls had great fun playing in an enormous puddle that was left behind, along with a bunch of their friends from further down the road. The water was deeper than their boots, so they'd have been pretty damp even had R not decided to sit down in the deepest part :) It's good that they can have an uncomplicated, fun childhood sometimes; I think children generally have to grow up far too fast.
And so to bed, distracted only by the lure of LJ, and a slight temptation to try and finish my bedtime reading, which is proving far too unputdownable...
Film club on Thursday night once again introduced me to two films neither of which I'd seen before, as well as several people who I'd seen but not had a chance to speak to before. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was enormous fun; it belongs in a genre that I tend to enjoy a lot, had wonderful casting and a fun plot (given a certain amount of suspension of disbelief). One plot detail did seem a little telegraphed -- what would you expect to happen to an indestructible character whose sole weakness is that he mustn't see his enchanted picture of himself? -- but otherwise a film to be enjoyed, and probably rewatched. I felt slightly embarrassed not to know the literary origins of all the characters (notably Quatermain), but may at some point remedy those holes in my reading (although H. Rider Haggard may prove a little too irredeemably cheesy).
The second film was From Hell, another inspired by an Alan Moore graphic novel. (One, incidentally, that popped up in a list of 25 must-read graphic novels in
nhw's journal the following day.) It wasn't quite so much to my taste, I'm afraid. Maybe it was just my state of mind, but it's such a dark film, and so full of graphically implied (if rarely explicit) gore that I found it very hard to watch. I ended up curled up in a corner of the sofa clutching a cushion; not good for my goth credentials, I fear :) Still, good to have seen once, despite that: seeing films that push the boundaries of what I might otherwise choose is definitely rewarding, but there are some that define places where I probably shouldn't go, and this was one.Friday managed to become a fairly work-free day, slightly by accident. I had a hospital appointment (only routine, nothing to worry about) in the morning, and had the pleasure of tea and a long talk with
libellum on the way home. We didn't quite solve all the world's ills, but it certainly helped push me gently toward resolving some issues that I've been thinking about for a little while. Having the chance to get to know each other a little better was really nice; she's someone I feel very at-ease with, somehow.Dashed home (via horrible Cambridge traffic, but I really should have expected that) to pick up children from school, and send them off to violin lessons with Liz. Shortly afterwards, one of my colleagues arrived to pick me and our barbeque up to go to our annual company (all seven of us :) barbeque at another colleague's rather palatial house; Liz and the children joined us later, having detoured to pick up cooking implements that we'd forgotten, slightly embarrassingly. A very pleasant evening ensued, with more than adequate supplies of food, Pimms, startlingly friendly cats, and excellent company. Two other colleagues also had children there, and they all had a whale of a time, too, particularly given the added entertainment of major building works going on. I think we came back with the right number, but since they spent a lot of time in the foundations, I've asked the friends who hosted to check before pouring concrete... Home at about 1am, after a small mis-communication resulted in Liz going home without me, clutching borrowed copies of the Goodies DVD (which the children love) and Buffy season 4 (I never did find out what the man with the cheese was meant to represent -- hurrah for commentaries!)
Saturday was more relaxation, and recovery from having too much fun on Friday... Generally a day of playing with children, watching Goodies episodes (Kitten Kong and The Goodies and the Beanstalk) and so forth. I did finally manage to write and send difficult letter that we've been struggling to get right for a little while, although I did then spend most of the evening fretting over how the person it was sent to would respond. Thankfully, he realised we might be on edge and answered straight away today, and we're reassured.
Sunday saw more of the same, plus a little bit of random domesticity and tidying up. I spent a fun hour or so experimenting with a borrowed corset (thanks,
elise!) and being startled at how good it looks, despite the eccentricities of my figure. I still have to work out how to preserve some sense of modesty while wearing it, given that it's an underbust shape, but should have fun at the Calling on Tuesday... The children mostly amused themselves happily for a large chunk of the afternoon, giving Liz and me an opportunity for a long, relaxed, but productive talk. Following an absolutely torrential downpour (as forecast, but a day late), the road outside flooded completely, and the girls had great fun playing in an enormous puddle that was left behind, along with a bunch of their friends from further down the road. The water was deeper than their boots, so they'd have been pretty damp even had R not decided to sit down in the deepest part :) It's good that they can have an uncomplicated, fun childhood sometimes; I think children generally have to grow up far too fast.And so to bed, distracted only by the lure of LJ, and a slight temptation to try and finish my bedtime reading, which is proving far too unputdownable...
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Date: 2004-07-19 04:34 am (UTC)