bukowski

I watched Bukowski Born Into This while working last night. It's an awesome insight into the important writer. It certainly doesn't paint him out to be anything more than a talented and flawed human being and it's just brilliant. Historically these biopic films painted these amazing people as greater than they actually were which was a shame as it's thee flaws in someone's character that makes them who they are in my opionion. Prime examples of this lately has been Ray and Walk The Line about Ray Charles and Johnny Cash which certainly pulled no punches but at the same time show their growth against their own demons as the truely great thing about them. Bukowski didn't really beat his it seems (alcohol and women) but he at least found a servicable balance through it all. Granted it wasn't a balance that would work for most-in fact would be self-destructive to most-but worked for him.

I've only read Post Office by him so far. They'll be more in the future but there's only so many hours in a year. It's an awesome book and I can't really say why. It's a small story with a simple but engaging writing style. I didn't realise it was his first novel so it was a good place to start I guess.

Bono had a few words to say and is obviously very touched by Bukowski's writing. It's great to watch someone talk so openly about something that means so much to him. He talks of being a fan of the beats and from their rich, prosaic style the new direct style of Bukowski was so fresh. One of his quotes really summed 'Hanks' writing style so well:

...i discovered a new kind of writing that had a directness...here was guy like "look i've no time for metaphor, can we get down to the bone, to the marrow of the bone"...

quote for the day:
"Some people never go crazy, What truly horrible lives they must live"
- Charles Bukowski (1920 - 1994)

coffee anyone?

To my severe detriment NesCafe have made an instant short black. Bad, bad, bad news brother. I've slowed the intake a tad but the first week of my new favourite drink I was averaging 16 a day. Wicked flavour but the after effects 'aint so nice. I bought the first one with a nice little short black cup/mug/thimble (what the hell do you call it?!) as you can see in my average photo.

While we're on about coffee, get out Jim Jarmusch's Coffee and Cigarettes. It's not great but there are a few sections that make it worth the journey. Just watching Iggy Pop and Tom Waits uncomfortably crap along is awesome, they're both on the money.

quote for the day:
"Cigarettes and coffee, man, that's a combination."
- Iggy Pop Coffee and Cigarettes

ahh, did you get the number of that bus?!?

My attempt at keeping life in this 'ol gal blog every single day has quite obviously fallen away. Failed. Wow. I thought I was a day behind at worst but alas, the date-stamp proves me wrong. Where'd the time go? I have fuck all idea what happened to the last few days?! The workload has picked up exponentially along with a plethora of meetings. It'd be all 5-by-5 were it not my sole responsibility to do both. Both at the same time? That'd be cool. Well, not so much cool but handy. Maybe if I can skill-set my clients up I could get them working for me while we're meeting? Surely if I could get a handle on that ability I'd be able to talk 'em round from realising my self-imposed obsolescence.

Anyways, a few points of no-interest from me:

:: Thom Yorke's solo album The Eraser. If you like Radiohead get it. 'Nuff said.

:: I saw Just Friends last night and loved it. It's b-grade, light comedy and if you're a fan of Ryan Reynolds you'll enjoy it. I'm not saying it's great but I laughed most of the way and would watch it again. Anna Faris plays a nut-job brilliantly. Have a feew beers, kick back and try not to think too hard. Raynolds style of physical comedy cracks me up.

That's about that for me. Again, nothing thrilling here!

quote for the day:
"I have named the destroyers of nations: comfort, plenty, and security - out of which grow a bored and slothful cynicism, in which rebellion against the world as it is, and myself as I am, are submerged in listless self-satisfaction"
- John Steinbeck (1902 - 1968)

movies

I went and saw Superman Returns tonight. It rocks. Granted it's a tad long but it's a great start to a great little franchise for a new generation. The reviews seem to be pretty positive + which is great news for the school of thought that a movie should be the star before the actors. The movie should have the budget to tell itself rather than be a vehicle for whoever's hot right now to parade through almost every shot. At least it shows that there should be a healthy dose of all types of film. Bryan Singer deserves all the kudos he gets I think.

Another director who I like, although he has mede and stared in a few pieces of shite, is Ed Burns. His first film The Brothers McMullen was a personal favourite. He made it for fuck all straight out of film school and now after a few films with the big-boys bankrolling he's going back to making his small, excellent films. There's a great little article at Apple's site:

:: Ed Burns: Risky Business

quote for the day:
"We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will."
- Chuck Palahniuk

new camera

Well I couldn't afford it but got it anyways. A new camera. The first SLR I've had in 13 years. My last camera was a Pentax P50, a learner's camera but a great tool. It got stolen in the UK along with 4 lenses, 6 close-up rings and all my film. Joy. Bastards. Anyways, here's my new camera and expect some random photos on this blog:

:: Canon EOS 350D

Nothing else to speak of. Busy as and lovin' it. Well, I would were I not so tired and strung-out. I'd complain but who'd listen?!? I've said it before and it's paraphrased (read: stolen) from Alien but, with this blog no-one can read me complain. no-one reads the fucker!

quote for the day:
Ed: Do you own a video camera?
Renee Madison: No. Fred hates them.
Fred Madison: I like to remember things my own way.
Ed: What do you mean by that?
Fred Madison: How I remembered them. Not necessarily the way they happened.
- Lost Highway co-written and directed by David Lynch

open source

I love the whole world of open source. The latest thing I've stubled across is Sun Microsystems open source DTP apps called Open Office. It's basically a free series of tools to rival Microsoft's Office tools: Word, Excel, etc etc. Seems pretty good from what I've heard.

The beauty of Open Source is that when something fucks up it'll get fixed by one of the million or so people out there using the tool. My Mac version of Microsoft Word crashes, shits itself, hangs up my systems and generally makes for an arsehole workflow. Don't even start me on the friggin paperclip bastard helper, yet there are never any updates or support worth anything at all. You pay for the pleasure of this poor-performance software. Yet if it were open source someone out there would create a patch and make it available, generally for free. Granted, with no revenue why or how would a company exist. It's the quandary. Still, if Word were made open source code-meaning the base application would need to be bought (could be peer-to-peer copied but so can every application)-then people, who weren't being paid an average wage and put under shite deadlines, shipping schedules-thanks to share holder commitments (Indesign version 1 was released faulty due to this very reason)-and stress, could solve the problems. Would solve the problems. So why not do it?

Anyway's, here's a good article at CNET-about the Open Office suite-to read:
:: Sun's open-source odyssey

quote for the day:
"Every piece of software written today is likely going to infringe on someone else's patent. "
- Miguel de Icaza

the man's got somethin' to say

Well, Ryan Reynold's (the actor, not the guy you know with the same name. If you know someone by this name that is. If you don't know someone by this name-not just personally either, i'm talking a bloke you may have heard of-then just ignore the previous sentence. Well two sentences if you're going to get particular) has got a myspace account including a blog.

Anyways, it's some funny shit. Funny and serious all at the same time. Some not-so-thinly-veiled social commentary. My favourite. You have to read his blog entries. Go on, I fuckin' dare ya! The blog's linked to the right.

Excerpt:

...Earlier today, while enjoying the everyday low-prices at Wal-Mart, I was working my way through the feather-duster/decommissioned Tomahawk Cruise Missile aisle, when I began to pick up speed, eventually bringing myself to a full sprint. In doing so, I allowed a dark look of mincing terror to cross my face as I began screaming to anyone who'd listen that I was being pursued by a horrible swarm of Africanized bees. In addition to the horrible swarm of Africanized bees, I told one Wal-Mart enthusiast that I was also experiencing stroke symptoms and early signs of Projectile Avian Flu. Because Wal-Mart's employee medical benefits rival that of an underground meth lab in Fresno, panic soon spread to the other aisles, including the one in which you buy guns, ammo and inflatable Dick Cheney action figures w/optional soul and notarized contract with Lucifer. Before long, all 35,000 hectares of shopping arena were enraptured with full-blown gonzo hysterics...

quote for the day:
"Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others..."
- Groucho Marx (1890 - 1977)

random comedian: 03

Denis. One of the first comedians I felt bonded too as an adult. His material at any rate. It was a glimmer of light in the often crap-filled world for me to discover people saying things I felt, just much improved in their writing. Yep, Denis and Bill Hicks certainly made me feel hope for the sorry state of things at times.

Anyway, Denis 'aint released much new comedy material in a long while but his acting seems to have taken off what with Rescue Me having gained a massive momentum in the States. Lately he's done an interview with Playboy magazine in which he's given Paris Hilton much needed knocking.

...He zaps Paris Hilton for making "not very good homemade porn. And I'm not talking about the way it was filmed. I'm talking about the actual sex." He rips Adam Sandler for doing "the same thing over and over . . . playing the retard-goofball crazy guy." Finally, Leary wants free sex for the president: "If he's doing a good job, Keira Knightley gets told, 'Part of your job is to [bleep] the president . . . then we'll put you in a big movie.' "... (nypost.com)


I'm a fan of his cd's which include the painful 'comedy song' which, on Denis' cd's I actually enjoy (who didn't love I'm an Arsehole.

Save This (Lock 'N Load)

I have no head for figures
My hands cannot explain
Endangered animals and acid rain

I see dead rivers running dry
I see activists who march and cry
How they cry singin'

Why must we desecrate this land
I'll tell you why
Because we can that's why

Save the whales, save the seals
Save the eagle, save the bison and the beach
Why not save your breath

Save the porpoise, save the dolphin
Save the gerbil, save the racoon and the rat
Why not save some stamps

I am a human, I'm a goddamn human being
I walk erect
See the cheetah, oh so supple, lean and quick
As he chases a gazelle
But he can't drive a car
At least not very far

I am a human, I'm a goddamn human being
I can pay for sex

"Hey, there's a great show on the Discovery Channel tonight,
the history of the badger."
"Hmm, I wonder what badger tastes like?"
"I don't know, probably tastes like ferret."
"Wow, you've had ferret?"
"Yeah."
"What's it taste like?"
"Chicken."

I am a human, I'm a goddamn human being
I can wipe my ass

"What gives mankind the right to kill at will?"
"I'll tell you what, guns.
Big fuckin' guns with giant fuckin' bullets pal."

I am a human, I'm a goddamn human being
I can shave my balls

quote for the day:
"Did you ever notice they never take any fat hostages? You never see a guy coming out of Lebanon going: I was held hostage for seven months and I lost 175 pounds, I feel good and I look good and I learned self-discipline. That's the important thing."
- Denis Leary

random comedian: 02

Mitch Hedberg. I've mentioned him before but it seems the sales of his 2nd cd caused the release of his first cd (it was deemed not good enough before). As I've said before, it's a shame he's gone. You can buy the cd through iTunes or go to Emusic (link to the right) and join, both his cd's are there. Excerpt:


"You know how when you go to a restaurant, they call out your name?
Like "Dufrain, party of two... Dufrain, party of two." And if no one answers, they'll say it again "Dufrain, party of two, Dufrain, party of two." But then if no one answers, they'll just move on the next name: "Bush, party of three." What happened to the Dufrains? They're missing, and no one cares. Right now, they're tied up in the trunk of someone's car, with duct tape over their mouths, and they're hungry. That's a double whammy! They should say "Bush, search party of three!" "You can eat once you've found the Dufrains!"


quote for the day:
"I saw this girl once, and she was born without arms. I spoke with her parents, and they said she doesn't know the meaning of the word "can't." Poor girl, not only can she not wear bracelets, but she cannot embrace a simple contraction. Just take out some letters, put a comma in there, and move it up!"
- Mitch Hedberg (1968 - 2005)

random comedian: 01

Alrighty, here's a classic comedian. Daniel Tosh. Pretty damn hilarious. You can watch some live appearances of him on his website: www.danieltosh.com. I bought his album True Stories I Made Up from emusic a few months back and it's gold. Excerpt:


"I love the internet...
because now we have rappers who used to be gangsters
and thugs telling us not to download their music,
because it's *stealing*...
:: choke :: Ohh I'm sorry, I'm choking on irony."


quote for the day:
"President Bush...That's why you don't tell a retarded child they can be anything they want when they grow up."
- Daniel Tosh

robert palmer

I'm really loving iTunes. I got a voucher from a friend and his wife for my birthday and have bought a heap of old tunes I haven't heard in a donkeys. One artiste I hadn't listened to for a long time is Robert Palmer. I used to own both Riptide and Heavy Nova on casette and flogged them for a while (along with Mel and Kim's FLM, INXS Kick and Phil Collins No Jacket Required). Childhood memories. Funny though is that for all the sexual innuendo / content and apparent inappropriate video clips I was simply to far behind on the hormones to get any of it. One of my favourite tracks was I Didn't Mean To Turn You On yet didn't get what it was about. I just dug the sound. Palmer's voice is just so soothing and cool as fuck. I always wondered when I got older if he wasn't actually gay and taking the piss with all the videos and sexual predator lyrics. I don't think he was but it'd be classic if he were.

She Makes my Day (Riptide)

I feel so lucky loving her
Tell me what else is magic for
She thinks its better left unsaid

She makes her mind up at a glance
It really made a difference
I seem to be unconditionally hers

Shes like a new girl every day
And all the rest dont bother me
Im far too busy lovin her

Ill never be lonely now I know her
(she)
Now I know her
She fills my heart with joy
(thats in our best interest. she makes my day)
She just has to smile to blow my cares away
(she)
She just has to touch my hand to make me stay

Shes all good lovin at once
Shes all good lovin at once
Shes all good lovin at once
Shes all good lovin at once

Our love was unintentional
She says were not responsible
She thinks with her chin up

She always makes uncommon sense
Always knows just what to say
She always takes me unawares

In less time than it takes to fall down here
And there you are
We never fought it anyway

Ill never be lonely now I know her
(she)
She fills my heart with joy
(thats in our best interest. she makes my day)
She just has to smile to blow my cares away
(she)
She just has to touch my hand to make me stay

I feel so lucky loving her
Tell me what else is magic for
She thinks its better left unsaid

She makes her mind up at a glance
It really made a difference
I seem to be unconditionally hers

Shes like a new girl every day
And all the rest dont bother me
Im far too busy lovin her

Ill never be lonely now I know her
(she
She fills my heart with joy
(thats in our best interest. she makes my day)
She just has to smile to blow my cares away
(shw)
She just has to touch my hand to make me stay

Shes all good lovin at once
Shes all good lovin at once
Shes all good lovin at once
Shes all good lovin at once
Shes all good lovin at once
Shes all good lovin at once
Shes all good lovin at once
Shes all good lovin at once

- Robert Palmer

quote for the day:
"Trying to describe something musical is like dancing to architecture, it's really difficult."
- Robert Palmer (1949 - 2003)