Old books, new books, words...and chocolate.

I've been reading quite a great deal recently. Everything from Enid Blyton to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and very much in between. Yesterday, for example, I read a book (cover to cover) entitled "Rhoda - a Tale for Girls". It was written in 1905 by an authoress, Eleanor Louisa Haverfield, who was born around 1870, in England. She, according to the title page of my 1905 copy of Rhoda, is also the authoress of various other books, though a Google search on her produced very little except books up for sale and auction on eBay. Given the book was written in 1905 (or at least, published then), it is typical of the time, in that the women of the story need to be rescued by gallant men as they are unable to succeed without "manly intervention". That said, it's a nice little story, though rather sad at times, and yet, to my somewhat trained eye, also lacking in certain places as far as storyline and attention to detail goes. But that's me being me, I guess.

I also had the pleasure of reading a book entitled "The Mystery of Maybury Manor". This time, it's an adventure book for boys, and written a little more recently (1920, though my copy dates from 1929). It's a rousing little adventure, set in a typically English boy's school (not that I've seen many of those, you understand), and is quite good to begin with, though it has a rather rushed feel towards the end, as though the writer suddenly considered the fact that he had only a chapter to wind everything up in, and yet found himself still barely halfway through the set up to the story.

Of course, for old books, there is no beating Robin Hood, in any of its varied forms. One of the copies I own, and I will admit to being a fan of anything Robin Hood, dates to 1928, and is by S. Percy, and being of the title "Tales of Robin Hood". At the very end of the book are a few other little stories by other authors that have nothing at all to do with Robin Hood, and are rather curious in their inclusion in this little book. However, they all make for a good read. In perusing yet another book I own, I came across a story at the very end of the book (it being a Hamlyn Story Library book called "Exciting Stories From The Past", published in 1977) that made me laugh a little, as it was a story about Robin Hood. I have no idea who the author of the story is, as the book only lists Editors, but the story (The Phantom Archer), was quite a good read.

Books are amazing creatures, though, when you sit down to consider them. Since I started reading regularly again - I'm in the process of painting my newly-built (and purpose-installed) library in my garden shed, so while I should be cataloguing all my thousands of books, I am instead, getting waylaid by various titles and covers, and so I spend an inordinate amount of time going "ooohhhhh....gotta read that!", and not really getting much painting...or cataloguing...done - I find that my vocabulary has improved greatly. Not, perhaps, that it shows much in the above italic bit :-)

I do find, however, that the more I read, the more I love this language that we speak almost the world over now. English is, apparently, the hardest of all languages to learn, and so I am very glad indeed that I was born in an English-speaking country, as I have had enough hassles learning it in English, without learning it in another language. Having learnt other languages besides dear old English, I know how hard it can be to have to mentally translate things between English and the other language, and I have a fairly good grasp on English (I hope!), yet I still find it easier sometimes to think in one of the foreign languages I speak, than to try and translate it into English, and I'm a native! That said, I DO love English. It is a rich and varied language. It has a way of making me think of chocolate and good coffee when I read a well-written thing, of days spent at the university coffee shop with good friends, discussing everything from Philosophy, to God, to Mechanical Engineering, to Music and Art, to Physics and Maths. Even to Winnie the Pooh and the Hundred Acre Wood. What I mean, I guess, is that it sends tingles down my spine and I get all excited and overly joyous and I just want to take pen to paper and set my own words down for all the world (or at least, my sister) to see. Just as a visit to the university at which I am a sometimes-student awakens in me a desire to get back to my studies, so does a well-written book awaken in me a desire to return to my writing.

A Very Dally Welcome to all and sundry....

And so I do my normal trick, and write two blog entries very close to one another, and then not post again for months. Bad me, I know. However, I am attempting to update my blog regularly I guess, at least for the moment.

Now, who, might you ask, is the silly bugger in the picture? That's my boy, that is! Silly little twerp that he is. But I felt like playing with some picture software I have on my computer, and that's what I came up with. Much better than an average normal every day kind of piccie, don't you think?

He's a mad dog though. We're in the process of getting new neighbours in the rent-a-house next door, and he's determined to "meet and greet" with every person that comes to look at the place! Damn annoying at times!

He's learnt to bark recently too. Or howl, to be more exact. Think bloodhounds on the Yorkshire Moors in the dead of night on a dark and stormy evening, worthy of Mr Sherlock Holmes, in fact, and you're getting close to the sound he makes when he lets loose. I was recently bailed up by him one night last week, when I snuck out to spy on him in his sleep as he was making very loud happy puppy whimperings (and little paws going all asunder), and I wanted to catch him in the act, but instead he woke up before I got to him, and bailed me up on my back deck with a blood-curdling howling that would make any would-be burgler run for them-thar-hills....

He's still madly digging up the place, and shredding everything in sight, and bailing me up every single bloody time I go out the door (did I mention he's an excitable pup?), but he's slowly learning where he fits into the fabric of things, which is good.

He still hates storms, rain, and fireworks, and I often find him looking very sulky and sooky at me through my door when there are pretty flashy lights in the sky that go "bing", and yet I wouldn't be without him, I guess. He's even learning to let me drink my coffee in the morning when I go and sit on the back deck with him (though this time at a table and chairs, rather than on the steps).

He has a habit of "praying" before dinner too. It's very funny, because the pose he gets into looks very much like he is saying grace! Up on his back legs, with his front paws clasped together on the table, head bowed....

:-)

Such is the life of the dalmatian, I guess....

Angst and the world we live in...or the quill is mightier than the sword...

Okay, so it's been awhile....again! But I've been busy saving the world. Surely you can understand that, right? It's not like saving the world is something that can be done overnight, afterall...it's a long-term project; something once set to simmer gently over a low heat, while the correct ingredients are procured, diced, sliced, sautee'd and added slowly to the whole conglomeration of smells and textures in the mixing pot of life. That said..... :-)

Life has been busy recently. And cold. I've noticed, after re-reading the entire listing of posts that I've made since I started this blog, the large amount of mentions of the weather, primarily of the cold sort. Now either, I am ONLY posting in the winter months (which is a distinct possibility with me, given how slack I am these days in my blogging), or else Australia is in a state of continual cold weather, never ending, hard to endure, and always worthy of a good bitch.

So where do I stand in the state of things just currently? What am I doing with my life? What are my dreams, my hopes, my plans? Hmmm... the basic answer, the easy answer in fact, is "not a whole lot", though it would both be true and untrue to say that. In some ways I've been exceedingly busy, in other ways, I've sat on my hands and twiddled my thumbs (now THERE'S an image!).

But I expect that the truth of it is that I am living my life for the NOW. I have things planned for the future, sure - lots of things - but for now, I am laying the path for what will come. Saving the world, in a way. :-)

Or at least....attempting to make my little mark on the world as I see it. Perhaps I will manage to change this orb, hanging in space, that we, as a whole, call "home". Perhaps I will just add to its angst. Gotta love that angst! But just perhaps I will leave an indelible mark on this beautiful blue ball known as EARTH, and 200 years from now, some lonely little sod, (all full of angst, as I am sure teenagers will continue to be for aeons to come) will find something I have written, and feel changed by it. Or at least, will stop and consider, if only for a minute, that they aren't the first person on Earth to feel the way they do. And perhaps (most probably), they will forget I ever existed 10 seconds later, when they move onto the next topic, but if they only remember for the brief time it takes to read, ingest, digest, and consider something, then those of us who take up the mighty quill have done our jobs correctly.

That said, for now, I am happy to fill these pages with my words, and to fill my ledgers with even more words, one day to be gone over, picked through, considered, reworked, thrown out, recovered from the trash, considered again, laughed at, and then put aside for a rainy day so I can go through the whole merry process again.

I have other things to say, but they can, perhaps, wait for another day and another blog.

Toodles.

Unresolved New Years Resolutions....

A funny thing about New Years Resolutions is that they rarely ever seem to be kept. I've found that it's often better to wait until the year's been started, and all the rough edges have been smoothed over a bit, before making the ubiquitous resolutions. At least that way, they don't seem quite so much like NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS, but rather like RESOLUTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT FEEL LIKE KEEPING.

Either way, I've decided to make my NYRs in February this year, just to be different. So therefore, I guess they really are RTYMFLK. Okay, so rather than going on about them, I should probably mention what they are :-)

Right, well, I've joined a gym for one. It's a women's gym. All of sudden, I feel like one of the "Exclusive" set. I'm not at all doing the "team player" thing, just being part of a "group". It's weird, because I've never believed in "group" anything! I've always much prefered to leave that to the general populace of sheep. I've always prided myself on my ability to think for myself, rather than jump on the bandwagon and do what everyone else does (thereby, being a sheep). But this time around, I guess I have motivation. I want to get slim. I want to fit my wardrobe from 15 years ago that I STILL HAVE, mostly because I'm too broke to afford new stuff, but also because I'm a bit of a hoarder, and besides, the clothes I wore when I was 17-20 are back in fashion now, and are still in really good condition. Okay, so maybe I'm just stingy, too :-)

Going to the gym is a new experience for me though. I go to one of those places that do the 29 minute "workout". When I originally joined, I thought (probably like everyone else) that 29 minutes doesn't sound very long, and that it probably wouldn't do much good, but when you're in there and doing it, 29 minutes suddenly becomes a good hour and a half workout. I'm only into my second week now, so I doubt I'm doing my workout in 29 minutes yet, because I'm still learning how to use the machines and such, but this week is the first week I've been able to do the circuit twice, as you're supposed to. And boy do you sweat! I have to admit that right now my main reason for going is because I'm also learning to box there, and I'm thoroughly enjoying that! But the machines are great. I'm going up in weights each time I use the machines at the moment too, which makes me feel great, knowing I can lift or push heavier weights than I could the last time I used that particular machine. It's very good for the ego, I think, and even after a week, I already feel less flabby :-)

One of my other resolutions this year is to get back into my writing. Not necessarily just blogging, but all kinds of writing, and to that end, I've been making myself sit and write most days. Because I haven't written anything useful in years, I'm finding it really hard to finish things. I can write a page of something, but looking at it again, I find it generally has no beginning or end. I'm one of these people that tends to start in the middle of a story, and go from there. I've always been like that though. I did, however, start a play recently. I've written the first Act, and will get onto the second and third acts when I get inspired again. Ideally, I'd like it to be a three-act play, but given what I have planned for it, it will probably be longer than that - perhaps a five-act play.

Oh well. All things considered, it's been a fairly busy two months so far.

King of the Monsters.....Godzilla, Gamera, or King Kong?

Happy Christmas to all, firstly. It's been a fun time for me, being my first Christmas in my new house, and the very first one in my memory that my immediate family hasn't all been in the same room at the same time to do the present-giving thing we do every year.

Mum and Dad came up last Friday, and after we'd been up to see Grandma, we came back here and did our family thing. But it was the very first time that my sister wasn't there. She'll get here eventually though, and we'll have fun doing our Christmas thing, albeit a bit late :-)

My boyfriend came and spent the Christmas period with me, and will be back for New Years, which should be fun.

We mostly spent our time over Christmas watching DVDs, which is where the title of this post comes from.

It started with SBS playing "Godzilla - Final Wars" on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day (can't remember right now). Both of us have seen it before, but it's a fun little movie to watch if you're into Giant Monster Movies from the Asiatic countries (and sometimes not from there, but more on that in a bit). After that we thought we'd give my box set of Gamera films a go. My boyfriend had given them to me for my birthday this year, so it was nice to be able to sit down and actually watch them.

I have a couple of the old Gamera films from the 1960s on various Sci-Fi disc collections, so I know him as "Gamera - the Children's Guardian". But in the box set, a trilogy that was made in the 1990s, he's become "Gamera - Guardian of the Universe". He's still got the old ties to the children, but he's meaner and bigger and tougher now. And he's got bigger tusks :-)

If you have access to the second of the trilogy on DVD - "Gamera: Attack of Legion", check out the OUTTAKES. The voice-over people had a field day doing those outtakes :-) Some are just very very silly, some are a bit rude, others are incredibly funny. But very well worth watching.

The movies themselves, though, give Gamera a much needed boost in popularity. He's stopped being just a giant flying turtle who goes around rescuing small (and very annoying) children, while his really pathetic theme song plays in the background (and the children sing it). Nowadays he's mean and nasty, and bleeds heaps and heaps of green paint...umm...blood....okay so it's still hokey as shit, but very very fun. You can't help but spend most of the movies going "yay! it's Gamera to the rescue! Go Gamera!"

Alright, so maybe it's just me that does that....*blush*.....

I grew up on the old Godzilla films with my Dad. Dad seemed to like that kind of stuff a lot, so every time Godzilla was on, we'd watch it. I don't know that we watched more than just the original Japanese one, and the US remake a couple of years later though, but I guess it's possible that we might have seen a few of the 1970s releases.

That said, I know that I always got a chill when Godzilla would stomp across the screen, but then I was a kid, and I guess it was kind of like watching JAWS when you're a kid, or Jurassic Park these days. Scary as shit when you're little.

Tonight I watched a bit of Godzilla vs King Ghidorah. Things to do when watching this film:

1. Turn on the English subtitles.
2. Turn on the English audio (and read the subtitles while listening - they are so far from being the same, that it's actually very very funny)
3. Watch out for Godzilla's *ahem*.....you know...that thing :-) He has one, and it's rather impressive, and it kind of arrives before he does, if you get my drift, which is how I noticed it in the first place.....

Oh and try not to be drinking any kind of liquid when you are watching the scene where Godzilla comes to the aid of the Japanese troops and literally squishes the Yanks....because liquid squirts out your nose rather impressively when you are laughing and not at all ready for the pissed off Gojira attack :-)

My boyfriend and I are looking at doing a Godzilla/Gojira marathon this New Years weekend/break, so I'm getting my DVDs ready, and making sure that they all work.

Now that I have my friend's "new-fangled" audio-visual stuff here, we at least get to watch it all on a big screen with 6.1 surround sound. And when I remember to put the sub woofer on, Godzilla really stomps!

But while I've got some time to myself, I've been catching up on my other favourite giant monster - KING KONG. I am probably the ONLY person on this planet who hasn't seen the Peter Jackson remake of this film, but I have to admit that I still prefer the old 1933 classic. Another present from my boyfriend. And it's that film that I've been watching today. Apparently it was re-released in 1989 in colour. I'm sort of interested in seeing a colourised version of the original, but then again, I've never been that keen on colourising the old classics, so I'll have to see how I go as to whether I will bother tracking it down or not.

Add to that, I finally got around to watching "Zarkorr!", which is apparently Britain's answer to Godzilla.....yes, well...the monster is cool, but there is too much thinking going on in that film. Too much talk, not enough monster stomping :-)

So it's been an interesting week or so. Makes a change from the Silent films I've been watching recently though.

I've also been busy catching up on my Phantom and Mandrake comic collections. I found a website or six that has indian Phantoms, Mandrakes, and Flash Gordon comics up for free downloads, so I've been collecting them as well. Some of the Phatoms at the very least have been released here in Australia, by Frew Publishing, who do our Phantoms, but I don't think Frew did more than a handful of Mandrakes, and I can't remember any Flash Gordon comics, so it's been good getting these and reading them. And even better, they are in English (mostly). It's especially interesting seeing what bits have been cut from either the Australian releases or the Indian releases of various Phantom stories.

We've also got a cyclone off the north coast, apparently, which explains the constant rain :-)

Anyway, stuff to do (more collecting, dvd watching, and general fun!)

Happy New Year!

70s men, aliens, and sexy doctors....

Okay, so perhaps it HAS been a while since I regularly blogged, and perhaps blogging twice in one day does absolutely nothing to fix that situation, but at least I am trying...... :-)

We had a massive storm earlier tonight, so loud that I had to turn my tv all the way up just so I could hear it over the rain. At my old place, I had a sloping tiled roof. Here I have a flat tin one, so the difference when it rains is quite noticeable. The sound is a welcome one, though between it and the diesel trains that go past on a regular basis, it also makes for LOUD.

Did I mention that my new place is rather close to the train line? It's good if I need to go anywhere on the train, because, like my old place, it's within walking distance of the station, but at my old place I didn't hear the trains quite so much as I do here.

My poor sooky puppy was utterly terrified though. It seems it isn't just fireworks that make him shake. I opened my front door to see if he was okay, and he got past me into the lounge room. That's the second time he's done that now. He got past me through the back door the last time there were fireworks (when Santa arrived at the shopping centre up the road a few weeks back).

Now, if I hadn't just paid a lot of money to get my old furniture recovered, I wouldn't mind so much having the dog in the house every so often, but as I chose pale blue for my lounge suite (bad choice, I know), I really don't want the dog anywhere near any of it. Especially a dog that sheds every second of every day.

But as I keep saying, he's a good dog, really :-)

Tonight on Foxtel, UKTV broadcast the Dr Who special of The Weakest Link. I was bad and got hold of a copy of it months ago, through nefarious means, so I had already seen it, but seeing it on a tv is totally different to seeing it on a computer screen. Oh that Doctor....what a spunk! And Captain Jack....ahem....yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Mum and I were actually talking about Englishmen and ages, actors and levels of cuteness tonight, and one name that came up in the conversation was that of John Simm. Mum referred to him as "a weasely little man, not at all leading role material". Now I wonder how Mr Simm would feel about that if he knew? Granted a lot of the time he looks a hell of a lot shorter than his 5 foot 10 inches, and his slender English build probably doesn't help to make people think of typical suave, sexy, tall, strongly built leading men (think John Barrowman, if you will...ah, Captain Jack.....if I said I was an alien, would you PROMISE to take me away? xxx), but that doesn't mean that he doesn't have what it takes to command the action when the need arises.

Certainly as The Master, in Doctor Who, he is just totally astonishing. He is evil, and dark, and not a little bit insane, and yet, at the same time, he is electrifying in his intensity, and charismatic and sexy, gorgeous and truly beautiful (and I don't necessarily mean his looks either). He sent chills up my spine just watching him personify the quintessential arch-rival of the Doctor, and then, just at the end, he also managed to bring tears to my eyes.

As Sam Tyler, in Life On Mars, you find yourself being dragged along for the ride. As a person born in 1973 (the year the show is set in), it's kind of funny watching it, because sadly enough, I actually get a lot of the references, and sadder still, I seriously did grow up with men around me (friends of my parents) who were very much like the police force that Sam finds himself dumped into back in the 70s. Men in general were a lot like that. Not totally, granted. I know that that show is stereotypical, but in order for something to be stereotypical, something must first be "typical". And there were men just like them back then. Perhaps that's why Dad loves the show so much. It reminds him of a time since gone.

But back to other things.

What else have I been up to in the past few months? Quick answer - not a hell of a lot. Long answer - something along the following:

1. getting around to fixing Mum's computer that's been here since July (I know, I've been SLACK....)

2. playing on my xbox (and getting games for it second hand).

3. unpacking the occasional box and trying to figure out where everything will go.

4. trying to ignore every single person who comes along and says "but you have TOO much stuff! Where are you going to put it all? Why don't you just sell it all?" (helpful little souls, I know, but what they seem to forget is that I have moved from a two story house, to a one story house, so of course I have less room now, but also, as opposed to before where everything lived in boxes 90% of the time, here I want to actually be able to use most of my stuff and read my books and the like, and until I have unpacked and sorted out and organised, OF COURSE the house is going to look like it's about to burst!)

5. raising a pup. He'll be 8 months old on the 13th of December.

6. getting over yet another bout of the flu (the second one I have had since I moved house, actually).

7. trying to find my way around a whole new town.

8. getting stuff done to the house that needed doing (including getting a fence built to keep my dog in)

9. enjoying not having the neighbours from hell living down the road anymore.

10. getting used to living in a whole new house after 14 years in the same one.

11. learning to sleep despite the sounds of the trains going through the front room.

12. going through my DVD collection and catching up on a lot of movies I have.

13. finding time to do some craft work every so often.

14. finding time to try and get some plants to grow.

Other things too, like reading books and looking stuff up on the net, watching Dr Who, Torchwood and Life On Mars, plus generally spending time with my boyfriend. You know, the usual stuff.

With Christmas so close, I have a lot of things to do over the next few weeks, so I guess at least I will be busy :-)

The Joy of Technology, puppies, and all things vintage

I like to think that I am a somewhat up to date individual when it comes to technology, and that I can generally hold my own in a conversation at which technology in general is mentioned, but last night I was talking to a friend of mine about modern TVs and stereos and the like, and I found myself actually referring to them as "new-fangled".

All of a sudden, in a matter of seconds, no less, I went from being a girl of the modern era, to becoming my Grandma! "New-Fangled" indeed! :-)

But that said, I will be the first to admit that while I know more than enough about the inner workings of a computer, and have built a few in my time, not to mention repaired more than a few, when it comes to AV stuff - TVs, Stereos, video recorders, dvd players, and all this new....there I go again...almost called it "new-fangled"....all this new technology - HD recorders, Blue-Ray etc....well I have heard of them, but apart from that....

At a push I can program my video player to tape - pretty much - what I want. Mostly I just wait until a program is about to start and hit the Record button. But I've just about got the hang of setting up to tape for when I'm not there, and mostly I actually get what I set out to get, though sometimes I still get hours of blue screen, or the wrong channel.

But where am I going with this post? Not totally sure yet, actually :-)

Oh yes, as of this weekend, I get to look after some of this "new-fangled" stuff for a friend who is going overseas for two years. He trusts me, obviously, and seems to think I will have no troubles dealing with it all. Especially since he knows I know my way around a computer, so how hard can it be to program a video player? All I can say to that is - ask my mum. My dear old Mum is still having troubles figuring out how to set the clock on her video player, let alone set up to tape anything on it, and yet she has absolutely no problems whatsoever when it comes to her computer. I only have to show her once, and she's fine after that.

But on to other things......

The last time I posted, I was still looking for a house. Well needless to say, I found one, and have moved, and been living in the new place for three months now. It feels like a hell of a lot longer, but it's only been three months.

I also have a new dalmatian pup. I decided I couldn't live without a dog after my old girl died, but I couldn't face another girl, so this time I got a little boy. The most recent photo of him I seem to have is one from September. He's a bit bigger now, and I will try and get another photo of him soon, but for the moment, here he is:

And yes, they are my feet. He's a good boy though, mostly. When he isn't destroying everything in sight, anyway.

He's scared of fireworks, and none too plussed about the air conditioner I have, because he doesn't like the hot or cold air that comes out of the box outside. Also, he and Mr Vampire Teeth, my black cat, still don't see eye to eye. Both think they are boss. Both are wrong. :-)

Mr Vampire Teeth, plus my old girl, and the twins, are now confined to a wonderful cat enclosure. Not all that big, granted, but at least they are safe. And sometime soon, I'll get the run set up so they will have access to the house again. Or at least, to one room in the house anyway. I know they will love that.

Everyone seems to have settled down pretty well though, considering the ages of all my pets. I did lose my dear little guinea pig though. Sweet little thing he was, but I guess he was just unable to deal with the move as well as I had hoped. In the end, I had to have him put down. Not something I would ever recommend to anyone. It was a horrible experience for all concerned, and if at all possible, I would prefer the rest of my animals just to go to sleep one night and not wake up the next day. At least it is peaceful that way.

So what else have I been up to? Well finding my way around a new town for one. I finally made the move out of the big city, which is good in a way, but still odd.

I went up to visit my Grandma last week, and to my horror, discovered that moving a good hour or so out of the big city only shaved half an hour off my travel time to Grandma's, even though I actually moved closer to her. From where I used to live, to where Grandma lives, I moved to about half way in between, so really it should have shaved about an hour off the travel time, but because I moved to a town where the express train doesn't stop, it only shaved half an hour off my travel time, as the rest of the time is lost having to catch a train to the next town (where the express train stops), and then sitting and waiting around for the express to turn up, and then getting off four stations along the line and sitting and waiting for a bus to take me the rest of the way. And then doing all that on the return trip :-)

One thing I have noticed since I moved house is just how much it rains here. In the city, it didn't rain all that much, but where I live now, not a day goes by when it doesn't seem to rain. Yes, we get sunshine too, but every single day it rains at least a bit.

I have a lovely big garden here, but my beloved little half-grown dalmatian has taken it into his head to redecorate for me, and is busy digging up every single garden bed he can get his paws on, plus shredding all his bedding and dumping it all over the back yard. I know he's pedigree, or I would be questioning as to whether he has some terrier in his background! He's certainly acting like a typical terrier!

But sometime soon, probably when he's a big bigger and has settled down a bit more, I will get the gardens weeded and planted again, and just maybe he will leave them be long enough to actually grow something.

One of the things about moving house is discovering all kinds of things you thought you had lost. Oh and finally finding time to enjoy all those things.

I've been going through my dvd collection of late. I thought I was an oddity until I spoke to my friend last night and found out he's just about as odd as I am, but younger!

Last week I started on a mission to find silent films. A lot of them are public domain now so they are free to download online, which is where I have been getting a fair few of them. Some I manage to pick up second hand on dvd at my local Cash Converters and general thrift shops, and others I am discovering on my multi-pack dvd collections. Over the last couple of years, I have been picking up those 20-pack boxes. You know the type?

"20 Great Sci-Fi Movies - INVADERS FROM SPACE"
"20 Great Adventure Movies - SWASHBUCKLING ADVENTURE"

And the like. Only problem is, most of the movies are so bad, no one has ever heard of them. :-)

Some aren't too bad though, and occasionally, you get a real gem in the collection. Like the other day, in my "20 Great Comedy Movies - GOLDEN COMEDY" I discovered a very old Charlie Chaplin film called "The Kid". It's from 1921, and is, of course, silent, just as most of Chaplin's films were.

I can't say I remember ever having seen "The Kid" before, though it is entirely likely that I did see it as a child, with my parents. But either way, it's a damn good film. It got me into looking through my collection for more, and to seeing what I could find online. I found a few Buster Keaton movies in my dvd collection, including a classic one of his called "The General", which was made in 1927, and is also a silent film.

What got me about that film was a scene where Buster is riding the cow scoop thingy at the front of the steam train, and using a lump of timber to dislodge another lump of timber that is in the way on the rails in front of him (okay, so maybe you had to be there...), but all the while in the background is "Teddy Bear's Picnic" playing.

I didn't know that piece of music had even been written by then, so I was very surprised to recognise it! Of course, I had to go look it up and find out when it came out. Around 1923, I think. From there, I got on to the death of a famous director of the very early 1920s, and how his murder is still unsolved even today. So that took up most of a day researching on the net :-)

But where am I going with all this?

Oh yes, I'm a 34 year old female, who is seriously into silent movies, Gerry Anderson & Jim Henson productions (think Thunderbirds and Muppets), plus old 1930s and 1940s movies, and yet will attest to also being mad about M*A*S*H* and pretty much anything put out by the BBC in the British Isles.

I don't think that makes me ordinary, somehow. I think most people (including my family) would shudder if they knew the reality of my dvd collection (did I mention I have about half of the movies John Wayne made on dvd now? And am aiming for a full set - all 200 or so?), but I like it, and I guess that's all that matters.

Talking of the BBC though, my current favourite is "Life On Mars". This weekend just gone, I finally managed to track down Season 1 on DVD. It's got a gag-reel, sure, but it also has some nice documentaries on the four discs, plus the standard audio commentaries. I think you miss all that when you just watch it on tv, and don't bother to get a hold of the actual dvd - even if all you do is rent it from the video shop and watch it.

I got into Life On Mars, from having seen John Simm as the Master on Doctor Who. No offense to the man, but I had never even heard of him until he popped up as a cute, young, sexy Master. But oh my god, what a performance. After having watched about half of LOM on Foxtel, I had to go back and watch the "Master" eps of Doctor Who, just to see his performance again, and truthfully, second time around he was even better! Probably because he is so incredibly different as Sam Tyler on LOM.

I did a little research on the man, (not as easy as it sounds - he's a very private person, and there isn't much out there about him), but it seems he's younger than I first thought (he's born in 1970), and I have to admit I was surprised to find out he's a yorkshire lad. Actually, where he comes from isn't all that far away from where my father's family comes from in yorkshire.

So now, I am looking forward to seeing Series 2 of LOM, and I will have to keep an eye out to see what else he turns up in.

Anyway, I think I've waffled on for long enough. Stuff to do, and I will try and post a bit more often.