I t was all going so well. Well, no, it wasn't, but it was reasonably okay for a last-minute, designed by the seat-of-its-pants flight schedule.In something of a surreal state, I got to Leeds/Bradford Airport in plenty of time and even managed to check-in online to avoid the crowds. The plane took off around on-time and got to Amsterdamn with little fuss. The first scene that meets me after arriving in the airport is a big screen of all arrivals and departures - every flight running to time.......

I may not post for a few days. Jilly's dad is seriously ill and I've been busy all evening sorting out a flight tomorrow (Tues) to get me to Iowa asap to be useful or a distraction as needed. Glad I can be out there sooner than expected, but hate the reason. As always, Net access will likely be possible, but limited, but anyone needing to speak to me urgently can always e-mail me or text me, as I will be checking when I can. Thanks...

S o, it's the longest day of the year - and remarkably it's pretty sunny and pleasant so far. Go figure! (What's more there should be some nice toastiness by the end of the week too, so the parentals - who are holidaying in Scotland - should have a break from the rain too!)  Plenty of stuff to keep me occupied today. More articles to write and top 'n' tail, more stuff to ebay and also some ruthless 'chucking out' of stuff I don't really absolutely need.  All going reasonably well. Dividing thoughts between musings on the great unpublished novel (Kerry recently prodded me to do...

...Steve's latest novel. Why... because his fifth book, STILL BLEEDING has just arrived on the UK shelves and follows four other novels that have all been critically-acclaimed by the mainstream press. Also because my own novel is 1/4 done and if Steve's latest does well it will encourage me to finally return to that unfinished manuscript of my own before he gets TOO far ahead. Then again, buy it anyway! ...the latest IMPACT. Out later this coming week it looks at the latest blockbuster...

O ne of those unexceptional days when I had a list of things to do as long as my not very short arm and I managed to get a fair amount of them done... Posted parcels. There was an ebay item to go to Sweden, a care package to go to Jilly and an expenses claim to go to Paramount - all sent and all hopefully arriving within a few days/a week depending on distance. Shopping done. Food and drink purchased and lottery tickets scribbled in ever-hopeful desperation. Somebody has to win, right? Ebay items uploaded. Because I must be able to make a little profit from the fine as-new promotional debris...

W ell, that was a fun-packed few days. Two Cinema Days days of movies and also a brief foray into London for today's Transformers press activities. Let's have an overview of the best and worst, shall we: 500 DAYS OF SUMMER: High Fidelity is one of my favourite movies (if women have the 'rom-com', then this is the guy's version: the 'dick-flick') and this film should appeal to anyone who loved that one. Funny, poignant and full of recognisable 'moments', it's a boy-meets-girl story told out of...

W ell I'll be away for a few days, so this blog may be quieter than usual, not that it's Grand Central Station at the best of times. Firstly I'll be at a 50%-reduced Cinema Days (Fri-Sat, rather than Thurs-Sun and with only the one press conference)in tropical Nuneaton. There's a convenient Days Inn next to the Cinema, so that's good. I'll stay over until Sunday, travel down to Andover where my friend Dina's found a B&B for me overnight and then head back up to London on Monday for a preview of the new Transformers movie and press with Michael, Shia and Co. Excepting the Transformers bit,...

S ome people think I became a journalist for the fame, fortune and adoring women that inevitably come with the profession and hang on my every word. No, wait. My sides are splitting. There, that's better. Yes, it's given me a few perks (though not as many as people think) huge opportunities to travel (okay, granted) and certainly resulted in meetings that have changed all parts of my life for the better. In reality, it's outrageously tedious and dazzlingly fun in far less than equal measure.  I'm hardly set up for life (or even June) and the hours are just plain silly. But...

A nother serious blog. (I promise more trivial pursuits will be along shortly! ) But a few years ago, a friend of mine - Paul Redhead - told me that one of the conditions of being able to live in in a democracy was the absolute responsibility to vote. I argued that living in a democracy also gave me the right not to vote if I so wished, as that also exercised my right to use my vote in a certain capacity too. Having said that, I've always tended to believe that you SHOULD vote when you can, as otherwise it does limit your right to bitch and moan with any degree of righteousness thereafter. Usually. But...

W hen I was really young, we went on holiday to the East Coast (Reighton Gap, Filey and the like) and I'd always wake up early and on most days I would take my dad's hand and (leaving the car wherever it was parked) we'd walk through the quiet sun-rising morning to get a newspaper and if I was really lucky one of the comic summer specials (Monster Fun, Whizzer and Chips, anyone?) which I'd read and reread again and again later. Wherever we were, it would be long before the hustle and bustle of the...