arkle *

I must be working, or something. There are three separate foot-high tottering piles of books, papers and CDs on my desk, two of which chose to topple, with a stately inevitability, onto me yesterday at various times. Nothing like being showered with multiple works on fan culture (shiny lightweight paperbacks), a couple of structuralist fairy tale analyses (dense, with sharp edges) and the Riverside Chaucer (a weighty tome suitable for shying at burglars, if you don't mind dislocating your elbow). I am thus feeling noble, and mildly bruised. Memo to self: must invent new ways of guilt-tripping the Evil Landlord into putting up more bookshelves. Must also acquire new desk, this one is simply not large enough for my evidently substantial purposes, and the piles of junk make me feel as though I'm trying to hack my way through a jungle with a blunt machete. Although, come to think of it, I suspect this thesis revision process would be causing that feeling even if my desk were an acre across and blissfully clear. Sigh.

Movie-watching plans yesterday utterly foiled by my sudden realisation of my suburban, colonialist duties, viz. to give the gardener lunch. Subsequent events suggest that the gardener is having some sort of crisis (he left very early after being very rude to the neighbour and refusing to work any more). I am completely unable to deal with this at the moment, and am heading off to see The Ineluctables, or whatever, by way of self-distraction. They've been pretty darn eluctable until now, I'm beginning to fear I am fated not to see the wretched film, so am seizing the moment, now, with decision.

Oh, saw The Talented Mr. Ripley last night, too, which in retrospect was not the best choice for self-distraction, other than by the lovely period Italian setting, jazz music, and the peculiarly glittering quality of Jude Law. What a creepy little movie. I found it at times almost too unbearably tense to watch. Although, in all fairness, that may simply be my ingrained dislike of Matt Damon. I seem to divide movie stars sharply into two categories, Can't Stand and Adore. Someone please ring a bell or wave a flag, or something, when you see any signs of me emerging from adolescence? I had rather enjoyable but slightly off-the-wall soft-focus romantic dreams about Viggo Mortensen all night...

* Arkle: the noise made by baby gargoyles. Thank you, Neil Gaiman.

the smell of rain

It's toying with us, that's what it is - toying. It's all clouded over, and starting to cool down, and vaguely moist and rain-smelling, but I doubt we'll get more than a few drops. *sulks* Claremont was like soup this morning - hot and steamy. The billboards declare that there are hopes for a good winter rainy season, but I'm not sanguine. Given the maddened climate changes we're experiencing, either all the promised rain will dry up and blow away, or we'll get floods. *Emigrates to Canada in a fit of pique*.

The Invincibles. Ah, yes. Rather fun way to waste a Thursday morning, I have to say, but I was not blown away. It was a slick film. I think that was the problem - slick, and rather superficial, and its emotional wossnames did not, in fact, grab me. My ploons were far more profoundly grooved by Sky Captain, which is interesting, because both films were very much aware of Golden Age sf style comic book gadget tech (and there's an adjectival phrase for you). However, I think Sky Captain had a genuine affection for its sources, whereas I felt Invincibles merely invoked them in order to ironically deconstruct them in the manner most calculated to sell movies. On the other hand, maybe it's personal experience: maybe I simply respond better to interactions based on problematic romantic relationships than I do to interactions based on problems raising a family. I dunno. Witterers are to feel free to take issue with any of the above.

Anyway, have to gird loins for official departmental bunfight thingy this evening, to invite me and other two new members of staff to the department. Of which I have been a contributing member for twelve years now. Am off to chill wine, sling together snacks and remember how to find the HoD's house. Go me.