theregoestheday

MAY OR MAY NOT...

2011-06-01T15:27:00.000+01:00

Yes, it's been an age - but I've had so many things on the back-burner that the back-burner was starting to look like a nuclear barbeque and so things needed to be attended to and anyway, look... over there... a distraction. Those of you looking at this on the actual blogsite will notice a radical new look for the page. As usual, it's a work in progress and will be tweaked and rolled-out across the various ThereGoesTheDay pages in the next couple of weeks.

So, where was I? Well, the month of May was a radically bad month for me and just about everyone I know. My brother's and sister-in-law's house was broken into (the burglars not only stealing some electronic stuff but sparing the time to go out of their way to trash my nephew's toys - which takes a special kind of bastard to want to do), my girlfriend's cars seriously broke down twice (her recent car specatcularly dying en route to us getting a new netbook on my birthday  and the subsequent newest car - purchased a week ago - having its brakes fail yesterday (Jilly unharmed but very unimpressed. Both cars checked in advance, so much gnashing of teeth but what can you do?) .

Earlier in the month Jilly and I had our eyes on a local house going for a massively reduced price in the current market and yet JUST out of our reach. On the day that we finally worked out enough algebra and wish-making to have purchased it, it was sold. Ah, how would we measure the heights of joy without the depths of the bog of eternal-stench of bad-timing? Peh.

The end of the month brought other news which didn't exactly send me spinning into dances of joy (which wouldn't have been pretty anyway) and I'm awaiting specifics and confirmation of those details which I'll mention here if and when they solidify. However, despite everything Jilly and remain resolutely sane and determined - which probably means we're insane, completely misunderstand everything and should just go cry in a corner somewhere.

On the good news front, the trip to Iowa was great (I took on a battle with a shed and it came out as a tie), a new netbook was a must given the performance of my laptop (which will go in for repair shortly due to irritable vowel key syndrome, dodgy sound and a malevolent DVD-drive) and though I couldn't get a cheaper US version, the UK variant I got on my return was reasonably cheap and does what it says on the tin. (If the tin says 'HP' on it). I went down for the X-Men: First Class press stuff and was very impressed with the finished film, not to mention an early, EARLY morning visit to Marble Arch where I spotted the jelly-babies in the photo above).

Anyway, May is done with and June promises sunshine.  I'd like that in writing, please. Preferably in triplicate and on the back of a $100 bill.

~ John
(PS: I'm ebaying a ton of rare movie stuff, so please check that out! - http://shop.ebay.co.uk/johnmoz1/m.html?_trksid=p4340.l2562   )

FLUID MORALITY - TSUNAMI POLITICS...

2011-03-21T20:47:00.002+01:00

So, I don't blog for a while... tons to do and a reshaping of this blog presence going on behind the scenes... did I miss *anything*?

But seriously... so... Libya.

A week ago I was arguing with others that whatever was or wasn't done in regards to Libya would have consequences. It was simply too flippant or naive to say there was a definitive answer to either option. Doing *something* clearly had consequences, but NOT doing something was equivalent to doing something - ie: inaction being an action itself (like standing by and watching a car-crash if you could stop it). To be fair, I thought there were some valid points on all sides. it had all the receipes of giant clusterfuck and, let's be honest, we've had quite enough of those in recent memory.

So these are my basic questions and I think they're the ones we need answers to as soon as possible...

1) Why are we there? Officially to prevent attacks against sections of the Libyan populace who were facing defeat at the hands of the governmental supporters. The UN resolution allows for a no-fly zone to prevent attacks by planes and also a clause that adds the prevention of activities likely to cause such death and destruction. However it seems that the 'necessary' missions to take out anti-aircraft gunsd etc as part of the 'no-fly' zone has been expanded to use missiles on other facilities.

2) Is the aim regime change? The official position says no, it's just to stop atrocities, though it seems to defy any element of common sense that you can attack one side's forces and still claim you aren't taking sides? Currently Cameron refuses to answer whether the anti-aggression rules apply to both sides and whether the rebels are effectively moving forward under Coalition protection.

3) Is Gaddafi a legitimate target? The official position says "absolutely not, the UN Resolution forbids it "(as per Head of Defence Gen, Sir David Richard's response when asked that). When the likes of PM David Cameron and Hague are asked they say they aren't deliberately targetting him but the UN Resolution wouldn't disallow it. Gaddafi's personal compound was hit last night and apparently again tonight.

4) Isn't this a moral imperative to stop ordinary people being killed? Arguably so, but it's clear it's gone from what was perceived as a popular uprising by the majority against the minority government, to something that is essentially a civil war in which Gaddafi's forces clearly had the upper hand until 48hrs ago. Cameron says it is not a civil war and say they are there to protect the rights of the average Libyan citizen against opression. No news so far whether any of the other countries in the area, also oppresisng their citizens and shooting them down in crowds are perceived as being worthy of a simialr response. Worth noting, of course, that until a few months ago, he was still considered a tyrant, but one we were actively trading arms with and so the righteous indignation etc is a whole new thing...

5) Why isn't the Middle East policing its own area? There has been a promise of co-operation from countries in the region and tactile approval for a no-fly zone, but within 24hrs of the bombing strarting, there were complaints that the US, UK etc had over-stepped the boundaries of the Resolution. While it's fair to say that the Resolution's remit seems to be widely open to interpreation, it also isn't possible to have a no-fly zone WITHOUT taking out some anti-aircraft. The coalition has refused to name specific Middle-East countries which may be helping more directly and it's also worth noting that some of the key Arab figures will be playing to their domestic audience as they look for votes in forth-coming elections.. and therefore will probably avoid any direct approval of any military action.

6) What's the exit strategy? It doesn't seem there is one. Several politicians are saying Gadaffi's postion is compeltely unviable, but if they won't call for his removal then legitimately everything could continue indefinitely, including ongoing civil warfare, a stand-off. Indeed, the only way the situation COULD improve is if one side triumphs definitively over the other. At this point the coalition seems to eb supporting the rebels... therefore....do the maths.

7) This is Obama's fault isn't it? Clearly so. He waited too long and then made America look weak by not being decisive or taking the international lead, nor acting aggressively enough and.... no wait, it's his fault because he's committed too much, taken too much of a lead and being too aggressive when he should have done nothing, wait... I....look, over there, isn't that David Cameron?

8) Most importantly, how do you spell Gaddafi? Sometimes with one D, with one F, possibly with a Q and a U depending what news service, channel or country you look at. It appears the name isn't important when you go to war.

9) Have we learned nothing? On the contrary, we've continued to refine the art of selling arms to keep the peace and arming one side and then the other depending on how long we can pinch our nose and which way the winds blow.

WHO'S GONNA DRIVE YOU HOME, TONIGHT?

2011-01-10T19:51:00.000+01:00

Ah, so... we enter a new year full of hope, of resolution that it will be the best of times, celebrating life and.... what, excuse me? What channel? Oh, right, THAT didn't take long to screw up, now did it?

Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, her entourage - and members of the public in the vicinity of the mall they were speaking at - were shot at around 11:00am local time on Saturday. The attempt at assassianting a public figure is understanably news-worthy and after the immdiate facts were known it took less than an hour for the blame game began in earnest - the minute that news networks had air-time to fill, there was an accumulation of speculation with only a few reporters actually brave enough to say 'We think we know 'X', but until we're absolutely sure we're not giving the information out'. The person accused of doing it was was one Jared Lee Loughner who, by default, was clearly mentally lacking in the self-control department (let's not get into amateur-hour diagnosis on specifics because that way lies badly defined madness - see the worthy http://www.slate.com/id/2280619/ ). It was also clear that Giffords had survived the initial attack and her condition was better than expected with the understated caveat of 'given the circumstances'. Those who died at the scene included a district judge, John Roll and a nine year old girl called Christina Greene, who was there because she interested in politics and taken to the mall as a treat to meet Gifford. If the story needed any more poignancy - and it arguably doesn't - the press noted that Giffords is the wife of a veteran, serving astronaut and that Christina Greene was born on 11th September 2001. You can almost smell a Lifetime Movie of the Week being prepped.

Here's another scenario: If a man regularly takes his friend out, gets him unfeasibly drunk on cheap alcohol, tells him stuff that gets him angry and then, at the end of the night tells him about the moral right to drive a car under whatever conditions he likes... who do you hold responsible if the man's friend subsequently drives home blind-drunk and angry one night, skids on the ice, loses control and runs over and kills a child en route?

Legally and pragmatically it's the driver because, when all is said and done, said moron has to accept a personal responsibility that each of us retains whenever we do anything. No deposit and no return... no-one tied him to the wheel, no-one forced those last bottles down his throat. Slam - and as they say - dunk. But more broadly speaking there are other factors at play. There's obviously a massive culpability to the friend who created a situation in which tragedy was somehow (by the laws of averages and Darwin) eventually inevitable. There's the cheap drink factor: hmmmm, too readly available? And, hey, did the area have sufficent funds and resources to grit properly?

In the Giffords case, it's easy to see who the 'driver' is (even if we're not sure yet if he had a 'passenger' or 'navigator' onboard to help). The cheap drink, the ungritted road and the 'friend'... well, those are the factors open to debate. Is it Sarah Palin who specifically picked out a group of her opposition in the political arena and placed a literal target emblem over each area on her map telling supporters to 'reload' on her behalf? Is it Sharron Angle's quote about 'second ammendment remedies' if goverment wasn't careful and 'taking Harry Reid out'...'? Maybe Glenn Beck's hushed whispers of conspiracies and an upcoming revolution in the making... or Fox News seeing no problems with - indeed arguably promoting citizens bringing fire-arms to town meetings in a blatant display of both civil rights and machismo?

And lest this sounds like an anti-Right tirade, was Loughner leaning towards extreme ideas in either direction (Left or Right?) Tea-Party members and anti Tea Party members lined up to cast doubt on motives, speculate and, let's be brutally honest here, make their own capital out of it before any bodies were cold. Some anti-Palin sites have been as horribly extreme as some of her own extreme fanbase. Though this site kinda destroys ANY faith in humanity: http://viletweets.com/

We don't know.

But here's the thing. Sooner or later the subtext becomes the text. The argument used to be that violence or sexual imagry on television and games would innately corrupt you. I never bought into that thinking unless it ever became the sole over-powering output of any such media. There was an argument (which perhaps holds just a little more water) that extreme content desensitises us to the horrendous, though even that is open to debate. Nowadays...it's not TV or games, it's real life. Or at least the blogosphere where everyone can be infamous for fifteen minutes. More inexcusably, it's also the news outlets who should know better.

Today in Britain it's perfectly possible to be arrested near Downing Street for wearing a t-shirt saying 'Fuck Blair' (though, point of fact, that's SO last decade!) merely because it could incite public disorder and it's not much better in the US. However, bizarely you can go on (inter)national television or stage and use almost whatever inflammatory language you want under freedom of speech/the First Amendment (that, irony-alert, Congresswoman Giffords read out at the Constitution ~~time-waster~~ show of patriotism earlier in the week) as long as you bracket it in metaphor . Who needs proof when you have an ISP and encouragement?

To take us full circle, it's possible to make a case that an individual acts alone and is solely responsible for their actions and isn't influenced by rhetoric or spin. If so then there's no need for election campaigns or any type of gun control and there's no absolutely need for representatves and public figures to make any call for more subtle language or for those compeltely co-incidental 'targets' to be removed from Palin's website. Yet, thy've already been removed, so clearly people think they might.

As was duly noted by a colleague: (New House Speaker) Boehner faced criticism last year for saying that Rep. Dreihaus (D-Ohio) 'may be a dead man' for voting for the health-care bill.

'These comments made by Republican leaders can serve as... an excuse or perhaps permission for people who may be unbalanced,' Dreihaus said in March 2010. 'It doesn't really matter the way you meant it, nor the way I accept it. It's how the least sane person in my district accepts it.'"

You can't always cater for the least sane person, but you don't need to effectively send them recruitement forms, either. If the last sane person isn't saying 'enough is enough', could they at least, please, turn the TV off?

ONWARDS...

2011-01-02T19:13:00.000+01:00

So, that was the year that was, so it was. As I start typing this it's still technically 1st January 2011 here (1.1.11, rejoice binary fans!) in Iowa. I'm always wary of this day as it feels like a new volume when the old one never seems quite finished or perhaps not fully read, but I guess that's the nature of life.

2010 was an up and down year. I had a lot more - and varied - work to keep me busy, but I also had to spend far too much time chasing monies owed to me and reminding people that 'the cheque is in the post' is the second oldest promise in the world and was getting even older by the nature of month-on-month repetition. Having said that, some of the jobs were interesting and educational and with all £ now finally received, it's a level playing field once more. Once again, I'm open to any design work if anyone wants to alk about projects/rates etc...

Travel-wise I got to spend some quality time with my lovely Jilly and I intend to start spending even more time here in the future (after all, they already have a Civil War hero already named after me). I also managed a break in Paris with the ladies of Highlander WorldWide and the likes of the ever-brilliant David Abramowitz, Peter Wingfield, Lizzie Gracen, Jim Byrnes and Adrian Paul. It was mostly a con-coverage jaunt, but I also managed to squeeze in some evening sight-seeing in the almost tropical climate, got prezzies for the parentals (and Jilly) and also found myself a dab hand at entertaining kids by default. Much thanks needs to go to Carmel, Victoria and Annie who have been responsible for some of my most marvellous international opportunities over the last decade. Though it's often a reciprocal arrangement with both sides doing well ( I hope), I've never forgotten the immense generosity I've gotten in return for my work and it bears putting that down in print/type/pixels etc and repeating how much I value them.

P365 (the photograph-a-day assignment at http://www.p365.org/), was huge fun to be part of. It began as a vague idea and one I wondered if any of us would actually complete, but thanks to the tech efforts of Simon and Steve and the support of other members, it feels really good to have had the discipline to get through it all. If only I had the same discipline for chocolate. (Another thing, I need to diet a bit more successfully in 2011).

I nearly got arrested in Roundhay Park for being in a possession of an offensive camera - actually merely escorted from the premises by a phallanx of bouncer-types - and then subsequently got a very humble apology and a meerkat experience from Leeds City Council to make up or it. I think Charles Darwin has a theory which covers that.

Evolution-wise, I now have a perfectly adorable baby nephew, Zack, so the Mosby generation will continue thanks to Steve and Lynn. If the gene pool is strong, I fully expect he'll be getting tattoos and writing for money before kindergarten. :)

No real resolutions or 2011 except to blog more, get more of my own novel done, get a bit more cash coming in on a predictable monthly basis, do something about my unreliable keyboard (the 'e' is unreliable) and to worry less about the mornonic bleatings of Palin and Beck.

Until then, as it's now the 2nd January, I raise a glass or few to you all.

The HMS Vaguely Optimistic is underway...

TUNE IN, FACE OFF...

2010-12-07T20:49:00.005+01:00

Since David Fury recommended it a couple of years ago I finally dragged myself onto Facebook and now often post (or respond to one) a few times a day. But though it's a notable socialising site to keep in touch with friends, I've actively avoided most of the various trends and memes that come along out of the blue. Posting the colour of your bra-strap or extolling the graceful virtues of your invisible deity of choice is all well and good if it floats your boat, but they aren't partiular carts to which I'd attach my virtual horse, so to mix metaphors. It's not that I look down on such activity, I just find it largely irrelevent and occasionally like virtual debris on my Wall. Don't even get me started on many of the personal details-grabbing 'games'. (As someone pointed out...can you grow dope on Farmville to sell on the streets of Mafia Wars?)

Despite that, once in a while, I'll forward on a good cause or show my 'Like' for others' efforts. So when, a few days ago, several friends decided to follow the trend of changing their icons to their childhood cartoon character of choice (showing some abstract support for anti-child abuse charities) I figured what the heck and changed mine to a Clanger (Yes, I'm aware that Freud would have a field-day!). It didn't require any real effort and I didn't anticipate any controversy. I was amused when challenged as to whether a woolly clanger was suitable for a 'cartoon' choice (my argument: it's stop-animation!) but that was it. But, of course, things are never quite that simple, are they?

NOW comes a new message, spreading even faster than the original idea, proclaiming that we've all been hoodwinked and the original meme was all the work of dastardly paedophiles and we've been shamedly roped into spreading their peversion. SHOCK! HORROR! SHAME! I... Wait. Really? I mean... SERIOUSLY? Actually, no. Could we perhaps stop to think for a moment before we spread that kind of accusation?

In what POSSIBLE way could this benefit a paedophile? The general stereotype is a dirty old man trawling the 'Net for kids to abuse by pretending to be younger and the argument seems to be that if a huge amount of people suddenly change their icon to reflect cartoon characters, then it'll be harder for people to judge ages. Which makes no sense at all, if thought about for more than a indignant minute, because...

a) If everyone's doing it then a paedophile has no way of working out if he's communicating with a child or not. I'm pretty sure a dirty old man would be horrified to find out he's actually grooming another dirty old man rather than a school-kid, so murking the waters surely works against their peversion to begin with.

b) This isn't pretending to be kids, it's remembering your childhood. Surely people using icons of characters that were popular TWO or THREE decades ago gives a bit of a clue to their pop culture demographic. If you're featuring Noggin the Nog, Trumpton, Bagpuss, Danger Mouse and - yes - a Clanger, dammit - I'd feel safe in betting you weren't born yesterday. So unless the nefarious plan is to target all those who DON'T feature Barnaby the Bear, Babar the Elephant or the original Wombles, then it all seems somewhat self-defeating.

c) Dear Parents. If you're allowing your children to surf ANY massive social-networking sites without observation and safety measures and which has a 'poke' option, YOU'RE the ones putting your kids at risk. Now, put that nice TV remote down and come meet your offspring...

d) The NSPCC reports that though it has no idea who started the idea and that it has no official backing, they HAVE seen a marked increase in traffic to their website. So - while I wouldn't have actually ever believed my Clanger would really affect things one way or another - it appears something positive has been generated. So even if the original plan WAS conceived by the love-child of Hitler and Osama Bin Laden, turnaround is fair play and it has acheived something positive. *Yay*, no?

So what have we learned today, kids?

Firstly, I don't wear bra-straps and while I kinda like your invisible deity of choice, I don't appreciate cold-calls on his behalf. AND - perhaps - that Facebook can be a valued communication tool and a cause for good...but with a little mixture of apathy and armchair alarm, also has all the power and indiscrimate damage-control of a ballistic chain letter or a copy of the Daily Mail.

And, dammit, a Clanger IS an animated character.

TALKING, WALKING DEAD...

2010-11-30T22:21:00.000+01:00

Almost a month since my last blog post. I will have to add better scheduling to any new year's resolutions I'm strong-armed into making...

November has been an interesting and pretty busy month. The major event was the Thought Bubble weekend at which I hosted a panel with the likes of John Romita Jnr, Andy Diggle and Richard Hastings - with all of us discussing the growing relationship between comics and the movie/tv industry. The Walking Dead once again came up as a favourite viewing exprience and seems to have been a major international success (Don't hate me because I've now seen the entire first season!) :) Managed to imbibe some alcohol with the likes of Paul Cornell and Mr JR JR and assorted MillarWorlders and might even have been able to help kick-start a casting process.

The following day Sabrina Peyton had asked me to come and do some official photography for the Zombie Aid charity walk. Despite quite cold tmpratures (but nothing like THIS week's cold spell). There was a good turn out with at least fifty people in different levels of decomposition - and good to se Glenn Hewitt joining in in fine form. The evening finished off at the FAB Cafe, where our quiz team won first prize with special note given to my required concept doodle. Various books are now mine!

Also had a good chat with Mark Millar about his current workload and the big UK con he's organising next April. Have sorted press pass and access, so should be good.

December looks busier than November. Tomorrow I head off to the Showcase event in London until Friday where there will be various press screnings and press conferences. It's turned into something of an obstacle course rather than a marathon, but hopefully it will all work out. Monday 6th: I have an unfeasibly early start to get back to London for Tron and True Grit press activities. On the 11th Simon, Sheryl, Jake and I will head to the Tropical Gardens (courtesy of a very apologetic Leeds City Council - see last post!). The 17th is the Impact 'do' and on 21st I head to Iowa...

Where, like here, it may decide to snow. Brrrr.

...LET THERE BE FIREWORKS.

2010-11-06T01:22:00.001+01:00

*

I occasionally have a good moan here on my blog. Rarely does it reach a rant status.

Buckle up.

Tonight there were... fireworks. Each year Roundhay Park in Leeds (famous for being a public park and also a venue for open-air rock concerts and the like) holds a big bonfire and firework display. Whizzz! Bang! Flash! Etc. It's free and attracts a few thousand people into its vast expanse. It's a good enough venue that there's not tight crowding but merely people standing around and watching everything from a safe distance. Hence my friends Simon, Sheryl, her son Jake and I decided we'd head up there again this year and perhaps meet up with another old friend, Karen.

Finding a clear area we took up a postion where we could overlook the park and proceedings and Simon put his camera on a tripod he'd brought with him. Ten minutes later we were approached by a council official who said tripods were banned. We politely scoffed as the website makes no mention of that, it was hardly in anyone's way but they insisted it was on health-and-safety grounds. We indicated there were no issues as there was no-one around us, we could surround the tripod and no-one could possibly trip over it any more than they could over the no-problem backpacks we were carrying. Simon said, quite rightly, that he wasn't sure this rule was actually real and asked the officials to bring across someone further up the food-chain to explain the precise rule and give him details before he put it away.

They left and a few minutes later slightly higher-ranking securty officials came across and told us to put the tripod away. Again, Simon and I politely but firmly questioned the logic - after all, for a shot of fireworks you're best finding a way to keep the camera still to avoid basic blur (ie: need a tripod!). We'd been there last year with no problem. No rules against tripods had been posted and we'd seen others tonight using them without being harrassed - again, this wasn't a packed stadium or the like. Then, suddenly.... ah, the problem WASN'T the tripod but the fact that... our cameras suddenly have... detachable lenses!!! Apparently we needed... a PERMIT for those. Simon and I looked at each and rolled our eyes. Since when? The security people said as professional photographers we had to get permission to take profssional photos. We pointed out we weren't profssional photographers, we were just normal membrs of the public who just had a certain type of very popular camera - not unlike many other attendees we could see. They pointed that we COULD have used smaller cameras - like on the iPhone - but not cameras with any type of other lenses. Again, Simon asked to see ANY reference to that bizarre rule in formal form. Had things changed since last year? We insisted that none of these rules were posted anywhere for the free, public event and that we weren't creating any problems or breaking any known rules. Then then changed their story AGAIN for the second time in a few minutes... now the new reason we couldn't use our cameras was because " ...there are kids in the park and there are laws that forbid pictures of children..." I quickly pointed out that they'd just said pictures WERE permitted from other types of cameras so their latest generic reason made absolutely no sense - and as a journalist I knew they weren't even quoting the correct law in the correct way and it couldn't be implemented that way in this situation. To which - and I kid you not - one of the security people pointed at me and said to his colleague with a smile...

"He's just admitted he's a journalist - I told you he WAS a professional photographer..."

I explained, incredulously, that a journalist WRITES, not takes photographs and I wasn't here to do either officially, but the security people said it was too late and we were now being banned from the park and they would escort us out. I commented on the distance we'd travelled to be there and that - again - we were just members of the public with basic cameras. I didn't even have time to find Karen before we were literally frog-marched out. When I stopped briefly to dial Karen and leave a message on her phone before we left, I was told to "KEEP WALKING!" Seriously. I kept my temper, but the security people were in no doubt how frustrated we were an I didn't start walking again until I was good and ready.

Once outside the park we talked with the local REAL police who were hugely sympathetic and admitted the way the rules were being enforced was bizarre and arbitrary, but as - technically - this was a private Council event for the public they couldn't interfere on Council property (ie: the actual park).

Sheryl and Jake - sans cameras - still had their evening out spoiled. Simon who'd come all the way from Haworth was rightly livid and I'm... still steaming. And wondering how many other people were literally manhandled out of a public, tax-payer funded event by jobsworth security guys exercising an inaccurate or unfeasible remit. I even heard later that a party of schoolkids/students with cameras were asked to leave as well.

Sometimes I think the word is populated by fuckwits. Formal complaint on its way tomorrow.

*Still managed to take a decent photo (see above). Ha!

CENTS & SENSIBILITY...

2010-10-31T01:10:00.000+01:00

So, the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear just took place in Washington DC. I've seen people passionate about this and also pouring scorn on it. But whether it's a genuinely wise move for a comedian/commentator to run something as extensive like this or not (and if it's not why can Glenn Beck claim any kind of right ot triumph?) then I admire the spirit in which it has been organised.

Because right now 'fact' seems to be a dirty word and 'patriot' seems like carte-blanche. Far too often I'm seeing those prsonal insults flying at those with othr opinions before any real debate can start... and the best case scenario now seems to be merely agreeing to disagree. Even that carries with it a lightness and dilution that remain worrying... because the one thing we all forget is that there is a difference between the right to have and express an opinion and how much that opinion is actually worth. Net access is available to many and blog entries (such as this one) are little more than a click away... but that equal access doesn't give your opinion equal weight in any argument. I've been told "Well, you say this and I say that, so who is to say who's right?' Well, the facts are.

Because facts don't change. Interpretation and extrapolation are the things that change. We all know that statistics can be both true and wholly unreliable and distorted given on how you choose to use them, but our opinions don't change the specific facts at the heart of it. For instance: I can believe the moon is made of cheese and preach its cheddaryness to all and sundry; I can have 100,000 people with placards claiming how right I am and how goshdran tasty it is. But if a guy who has studied lunar science for decades, been to the moon, picked up a sample, brought it home, analysed and can present it to me saying it's NOT made of cheese, then it's NOT a case of 50/50. I have every right to hold true to my stiltonesque belief system - but all evidence to the contrary suggests to the truly impartial that I'm DEMONSTRABLY wrong. My opinion isn't as valid as a fact.

So what everyone needs to do is work out how much of their belief system is their opinion and what is an immutable fact . What is rhetoric and spin and what is an impartial observation based on study of every single source available on the subject. And don't ask someone else to be fair and balanced on your behalf, don't merely cite a tv show or a single newspaper report, otherwise you're abdicating your responsibility to be called a rational thinking human being rather than a sheep. If you aren't interested in doing the by-definition extensive footwork and the mindwork then it's easy... simply don't express an opinion - whatever it is - because if you don't know why you think something, then yelling randomly anyway means you are (and liable to look) stupid. You don't have to be Olympic-level articulate... but you need to be able to speak in coherent sentences and join the dots without getting abstractly disorientated with either.

It doesn't mean we all have to agree, but it does mean we should know why we don't.

Or as someone much more eloquently put it at the rally:

TERROR FIRMA.

2010-10-30T12:33:00.000+01:00

Well, it's Hallowe'en - or technically the day before, but if our friends in the US can make a season out of it, then I think we can claim a weekend.

Most years I've headed down to th FAB Cafe in Leeds or elsewhere to join MillarWorlders for some spooking and frivolity, but this year it's looking as if veryone is spread out and there'll be no significant partying. Curses!

But taking a break from the incessant article writing, I played with my camera and PhotoShop to create the image to the left and I'm pretty pleased with the result.

FAR too much real death and pain in the world at the moment and my thoughts go out to those friends and their families touched by it recently - but not enough fictional zombies and the like. The Walking Dead starts in the US tomorrow and in the UK next Friday 5th. I've already seen Eps 1-4 of the first six-parter (don't ~~eat~~ hate me because I'm lucky) and I can report it's quality stuff.

In the meantime, I'm determined to earn as many pennies as possible in the run to up to Christmas and my return to Iowa. I will be shamelessly ebaying and touting my t-shirt designs (ideal for presents!). You read it here first...

QUITE SAFE FOR WORK

2010-10-23T15:29:00.000+01:00

Yes, yes, fine. I know. Lack of posts. Duly noted. I'd planned to blog a lot more while in Iowa, but deadlines and relaxing etc got in the way and in the end it all got away from me.

I got back from Iowa last week and went from 75 degrees + to a maximum of about 50 as we touched down in Manchester. The flights back were impressively on time and largely free of any drama or misfortune. The planes took off on time and arrived early in each case. Baggage also arrived in time and intact - which is always a bonus.

But I haven't been able to completely shake the pains, aches and genrally 'meh' associated with jet-lag. It usually takes me the rest of the week, but now, even ten days later I'm all achey, my sleep-patterns are all over the place. Not happy. But working through it.

I was also straight back into IMPACT deadlines and other duties. Suddenly there were more pages of Impact to fill than originally planned (so much scurrying to get sorted), then down to a rain-swept London to talk with Bruce Willis. That went pretty well - he's a confident but not cocky guy and knows how to work a room, something still lost on many other A-Listers. His newest film release RED is perfectly good fun and escapism and has Helen Mirren with automatic weapons (really, what else do you need to know?).

I was due to run a talk as part of NSFW (which, for the uninitiated isn't Not Safe For Work but actually National Schools Film Week) but it was cancelled at the last minute. As it was likely to revolve around the Twilight: Eclipse film, this was probably no great loss to anyone! However, I should still be running a movie/comics panel of the Thought Bubble day at the upcoming Leeds International Film Festival in November.

Right now, with some due monies paid for design work and still a little left to come in, I'm going to be pushing ahead on the design front, so any spreading of the word is gratefully received!

And, yes, I'll try to blog more before I return to Iowa.

FIELD OF STREAMS...

2010-09-27T22:10:00.000+01:00

Back in Iowa for a few weeks and at first the promised heatwave failed to materialise. In fact, when I arrived it was positively... nippy. The first few days were very up and down temperature-wise, ranging from early 60s to late 80s - as all-over-the-place as British weather but without the sunny respites between the rain.

And at the end of last week, the rain did indeed fall... with massive night-long thunderstorms and a huge surge in the water-table. The Big Sioux River floods at 15ft... by today (Monday) it was cresting at 23ft or more. Two of the major roads into town are closed, several farms are under water and I can now just about see the river from the house (never a good sign unless you *usually* have a water-front property). Jilly's house has avoided direct flooding, but it would probably have only taken another four or five feet to push our way.

Walking out to the bridge out of town, it's like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie... with people leaving cars and walking up the centre of the road the edge of the water. Birds circle overhead and - though you'd never think about it until you see it - the tarmac has loads of dead worms who tried to make it to higher ground. I know. Bizarre!

Hopefully the rest of the coming week will be dry and sunny, at least that's the forecast. The water has curtailed some of our plans, but we should be able to get further afield by mid-week or so with a little ffort and re-navigation. Flooding happens here, but even the locals are saying this is the biggest in many years...

Impact work is getting done, a significant portion of due monies for design work has arrived and my only real complaints are a range of bug bites, a few cat scratches and a passing argument with a low ceiling. Otherwise, it's good to be back in the land of the free and the home of the ~~free,~~ ~~corn,~~ fish. Now, where's my Ark manual?

ADDING FOOL TO THE IRE...

2010-09-08T15:31:00.000+01:00

I wanted to lighten the regular postings up a bit, but watching the news about Pastor Terry Jones, a Florida man who will, with his congregation, be conducting a public Qu'ran burning is one of tose things begging for comment. Jones says he's sick and tired of the Bible being disrespected and wants to show those pesky muslims that he can dish it out too. He's been told by Hillary Clinton, the Pope and other religious leaders of the disrespect he's showing to an entire faith and General Petraeus has said that the act is bound to be seized upon and used as anti-American propganda. The Pastor had decided that despite all that he's going to goddam go ahead anyway because what are a few more soldier deaths when Christinaity's good name is beign beshmirshed? It's enough to make a deity proud, no?

It is truly sad that Americans may find themselves branded as a whole collective evil entity and enemy of a whole culture because of the way that the coverage of one needlessly provocative act - by the smallest minority members of a faith - is mercilessly propagandised and used to push a certain militant mindest back in the likes of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Because that would never happen the other way around, would it?

For me book-burners (of any faith or following) rank somewhere between Paris Hilton, kiddie-fiddlers, Hitler and people who talk at the theatre. Hell, I wouldn't even burn Tony Blair's magnum pompous.

So, I'll just leave you with the words in the image above, from a writer so wise that you may want to do something special to him.

Next time, lighter posts. I promise.

FEAR ITSELF...

2010-08-24T22:53:00.001+01:00

I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing that over the last few weeks I've felt more poltically aware than ever before. Actually, I think 'socially-aware' is the more accurate description. It's not so much the subjects themselves as the way that people (news stations and the greater populace) have reacted to the subjects; the way that events and attitudes have almost grown out of proportion to each other, feeding themsleves like an ourboros snake of vitriolic proportions.

It's like mainlining a Big Brother marathon presented by Paris Hilton in at an attempt to understand War & Peace - yet unfeasibly more eye-bleedingly painful.

As before, the whole 'mosque' debate seems to be the touch-paper. I mentioned in the last blog entry about the way that certain lies have been perpetuated to make the points when the facts themselves didn't quite do justice to the passion behind them. That such misinformation doesn't do the cause they attempt to justify any favours... that if an argument can't be made with facts (or at least vaguely supported opinions), then Celene Dion is singing and the ship is already sinking. Iceberg, Ho.

But what are the ACTUAL effects of that? One one hand you could argue that people's belief systems just get a little skewed - that if they don't seek out the bigger picture, they'll merely snuggle up in the apathetic armchair and parrot the latest pundit's words of wit. Let Glenn Beck do the pudgy little leg-work.

Which would be a bad enough kind of self-harm in itself. Unless you judge it against THIS. Watch as a few seconds into some video footage, this happens:

The man in question was a worker at Ground Zero and walking through the crowd merely looking at what was going on. Within seconds there are degrading comments about 'his religion' and shouts of 'Run, coward!' as he makes his way out. A big guy in a faux worker's hat barrels through to try and physically confront him and it's only the intervention of the the pedestrian's friend and a savvy event organiser that stops this getting any more uglier than it is. All the while, the crowd continues chanting and trying to surround him.

And you just know that even when the pedestrian's story is revealed later and - guess what - that he's not even of that faith, that the excuse from the masses will be 'Well, he LOOKED muslim!' You want to stop there for a second and read that excuse again? Please. Your fallback postion and defence is going to be that you were acting aggressively to someone because you THOUGHT he was of a certian religion? "Honestly, officer, what's the problem...I was only picking on him because I thought he was a faggot.... Sorry, my mistake, I'm a God-fearing Christian my wrath was only meant to be directed at real niggers..." Ouch? Yes, some of those words still sting, because socially we're supposed to be past that. We're supposed to be... what was it again, ah yes... civilised.

And I'm afraid that when news networks put out inflammatory bulletins that don't reflect the bigger picture, that breed fear and panic and distrust of someone you never met simply because someone THEY never met did something bad, then THIS is what happens... and justified indignation isuddenly sn't just reserved for those who commit crimes but for those that, y'know, MIGHT, for those that, well, COULD and for those who make a very convenient scapegoat for other agendas. Look.. watch my left hand and don't ask what my right hand is doing (though, I think we can guess).

The likes of the Anti-Park 51 demonstrators and the Tea Party events may well have certain issues that they feel justified in raising. More power to them. Nothing bad can come from a truly good debate and the world is better for those discussions. March if you must, but be careful of the zombie cheerleaders.

But until the networks stop throwing poisoned scraps to the masses and until those more honest and intelligent demonstrators demand that the fringe elements - who utterly discredit them with epiphets, violence, bigotry and truly horrible spelling - be exorcised from their midst, then you will have been hijacked all over again.

But with words not box-cutters.

ZERO POINT AVERAGE...

2010-08-22T20:25:00.000+01:00

Unless you've been hiding under a stone for the last few weeks, you're obviously aware that one of the biggest issues is the 'Ground Zero Mosque' debate. Depending on your point of view and attitude to the situation it's been a bad time to be an American patriot, a muslim or a property developer. (Delete as appropriate). But it's sure as hell been a bad time to be a journalist, if the standard of reporting is anything to judge by.

Firstly, let me say that I totally get and can respect the right of anyone in that immediate area of New York to be sensitive to the issue. IF I had relatives or friends die in a huge tragedy linked specifically to a cause or religion and IF someone told me that anyone remotely connected with that was planning something official nearby, my ears would be pricked and my righteous indignAtion primed. That in itself is human instinct and needs no apology. But, equally, as we became civilised, we learned not to JUST act instinctively. (If we hadn't this laptop would have been thrown out the window more times than I care to mention).

Contrary to convenient packaging or commentary which may no doubt follow, this blog entry doesn't really seek to say whether the mosque should be there or not. It's about the appalling way that accuracy has been jettisoned in the race to win that argument. It's not what the conclusion should be but a rather damning overview of the methods used to win hearts, minds and front pages. To misquote the Evita musical (and, when all else fails, can't people of all faiths all turn to a Madonna?) 'they didn't say much, but they said it LOUD...'

So, balance. Firstly, what have many outlets and pundits got wrong?

Ground Zero. Mosque: Well, it's not there and it's arguably not a mosque. (Kind of important, to get those bits right at least if you want anyone to take you seriously). Calling it that to stir up passions is convenient but is equivalent to looking at The House of Commons and calling it The Groucho Club. I mean, fairly close to each other, both populated by people desperate to get to the bar and talking about their past trumphs and latest deals.. so, what's the real difference? But factually? Even by the most kindest estimates the proposed building is over two blocks away from the topper-most corner of Ground Zero. Not even in sight of it. And though it contains a designated area for praying, it's not specifically a mosque, it's a study centre. Again, it's like saying a library that has a children's play area is a nursery... hardly a big point - unless you're campaigning against fundamental nurseries. However if you consider a prayer-area acts in the same way as a mosque, it's possibly fair to make some sort of a basic comparison between the two.

It's on 'Hallowed Ground': Again, putting the emotional aspect to one side for a second... has the local strip-joint, closer to the Ground Zero site, actually put a complaint that the islamic building might cast the area into disrepute... because, hey, y'know... there are standards?' No. Should the long-standing muslim restaurants and businesses - for which there doesn't seem to have been a single complaint - be told to close up and leave as their presence is insulting or perhaps they hide covert converts? And what will that guy selling ~~tacky~~ unique collectors' 9/11 keyrings do for a living?

Opening on 9/11: Well, no, actually it isn't. Indeed, if you look at any reputable news-sources, you can quite easily trace it back to a misquote in which 'breaking ground' was mentioned and 'opening' was the word reported and for which most sources have now begrudgingly corrected themselves. Anyone who doesn't know the difference really shouldn't be quoting it. There's a chance that actual building could commence around that time (certainly not this year, unlikley to be next year), but no solid day has been decided upon. Given that the funds needed to construct the building aren't anywhere near ready yet, the most ambitious proposals put the start date in around eighteen months time. Incidentally, it's also worth noting that prayer services have been available on the site for over a year with little controversy until recently.

The Iman openly supports terrororism: And again, it takes all of five minutes to find the supposedly offending text cited by certain news-channels in which Rauf 'supports' Hamas. Except he doesn't.

"I'm not a politician. I try to avoid the issues. The issue of terrorism is a very complex question...I'm a bridge builder. I define my work as a bridge builder. I do not want to be placed, nor do I accept to be placed in a position of being put in a position where I am the target of one side or another... The targeting of civilians is wrong. It is a sin in our religion. Whoever does it, targeting civilians is wrong. I am a supporter of the state of Israel. ... I will not allow anybody to put me in a position where I am seen by any party in the world as an adversary."

... subsequently reported by the likes of Fox News as basically 'Rauf supports Hamas'. Which is a bit like me being asked which is worse rape or murder and when replying that I refuse to put them on a scale of badness, being quoted as saying 'John refuses to condemn rapists'.

The centre will be partially-funded by Iran:   Well, it's debatable. Technically at this point, it's not being inherently funded by anyone of note as funding is still being sort. The claim comes from a quote several months ago when - before the hoo-hah, one of the committee was asked whether all the monies would be collected domestically. It was said that, primarilly, that would be the first cause of action and then possibly internationally if needed. When asked specifically whether Iran might be sought to contribute, the answer was that no-one could comment as the decision either way had not been made. So most accurately, at this point, NO Iran has not put any money into the project. (Iran *offering* to put money up isn't the same thing either...) Also, it you apply the Glenn Beck rule of line-drawing, it's also possible to squint and link Fox News to its potential funding as well. You probably won't hear that on Bill O'Reilly's no-spin zone.

It will attract fundamentalists!: While not provably impossible, the press doesn't suggest that the very, very few abortion-clinic bombers in a country attack in the name of God, should lead to the shutting down or banning of churches.

Christians don't support the Mosque: On the eve of Ramadan on 11 August 2010, the National Council of Churches, its Interfaith Relations Commission and Christian participants in the National Muslim-Christian Initiative, issued a strong call for respect and said the proposed structure was ' a community centre dedicated to learning, compassion, and respect for all people. Christ calls us to ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ (Matthew 22:39). It is this commandment, more than the simple bonds of our common humanity, which is the basis for our relationship with Muslims around the world.”

What the press got right / fair questions:
Mosque at the Pentagon? One pro-commentator pointed out that if there's a mosque at the Pentgaon, why shouldn't there be one anywhere near Ground Zero? After all, both were hit. Elements of the press did subsequently point out that there actually isn't a mosque at the Pentagon. Some did point out that there IS a specifically designated worship area where people of any religion can come to pray according to their faith. Muslims and Christians are equally welcome and regular services for each of the faiths are held. It has been in operation since the Pentagon's reconstruction in 2002 (Source: http://www.factcheck.org/). So it's one of those pesky perspective issues.

Public opinion is against the mosque. This is undeniably true, though this has risen hugely since different aspects of the media started running their own campaigns. Before this, even Fox News was supporting it. Large crowds have gathered outside the mosque to protest. Few otherwise verbal politicians - of either ilk - have actually gone there. Public opinion doesn't say where they WOULD find any mosque acceptable.

Why should a mosque go up when a Greek Orthodox church hasn't been allowed nearby?   At first glance this is a wholly fair point. If there's so much support for an Islamic building, why hasn't the St Nicholas Greek Orthadox church received just as much in its efforts to be rebuilt even closer to the site? Some say it smacks of favourtism and it certainly seems not enough efforts have been made. Closer inspection indicates that while there does seem to have been some inequality, the delays and funding have also been the effect of bad communication between the church and the Port Authority and disagreements over specific needs and arguments from both sides as to where that misscommunication began. Learn more at: http://www.projo.com/news/content/GROUND_ZERO_SIDEBAR_08-22-10_VNJJB79_v17.20ec8b2.html which has quotes from all sides.

Cordoba is an inappropriate name for the centre: Well, historically, that’s also the name of the Spanish city conquered by Muslims in 700 A.D. So, yeah, maybe not concillatory, people! It's worth noting  this original, traditional name appears to only have been an option not a definite name and has reportedly been discounted. It will now be called Park51. (Futher Q&A information via: http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2010/08/qa_on_the_proposed_islamic_cen.html )

If churches aren't allowed in muslim countries, why shouldn't we restrict mosques here? A completely fair observation if you want to hold such muslim countries as the paragon and standard of how religious culture should be operated.

Being against the 'mosque' doesn't mean you're a racist. No, of course it doesn't. There are plenty of people with legitimate questions and who may come to a conclusion that has nothing to do with race. It would only be racism if you began to see every muslim as a potential terrorist-in-waiting and discriminated against a person/project simply on that reasoning - or if you stood against the building mosques at all. Then, by simplt definition, it becomes a race issue.
~
So there you go. The basics.  I know I've learned more than I knew...

Whatever conclusions you may wish to come to on this specific issue, it must always be important to know what is an opinion and what is a demonstrable fact.   Whether they are ultimately right or wrong, citing one as the other is likely to make a debater look compromised and rather foolish. Yes, there are grey areas of contention, but we should never go with the thinking that 'everything is a grey area because every opinion is valid and worth the same'.

It's not. If it WAS, then knowledge and research would be a dirty words. (I'm totally willing to be proven wrong on anything. But there's the rub, to do so I need you to give me opposing facts, not your opinions on mine). Perhaps in a world where we demand instant soundbytes and emotional punditry rather than accurate invesitgations and demonstrable facts, they already are.

JULY NOTED...

2010-07-31T22:58:00.001+01:00

According to several of my friends I really have to remember to blog more. Of course they also say I should design more, come out for drinks more and write ~~more~~ novels. I have no real excuse for my tardiness except to say that you can usually find me on Facebook and after a day of writing, sometimes the last thing I want to do is sit down and write more. However.

So, what's new? Nothing spectacularly different on Planet Moz. I'm still doing a ton of work and spending a significant proportion of my time reminding people that while I love doing it, I'm not doing it for the love. Cold hard cash is always appreciated and I'm determined to make inroads into that even if sometimes have to be more forthright than I want to be. In that regard, I'm still available for textual healing and designated drawing. You know where to find me.

I have relaunched the ThereGoesTheDay Store with a new look, expanded products and an evolving, streamlined navigation system. It's all in the presentation and in the next few weeks all the peripheral links and imagery should be fully finished. At the moment all the main bits are looking better and working as they should. So, I'd appreciate any and all spreading the word about the Store, as it genuinely has some great ideas for birthday and christmas presents. New designs will also be forthcoming on a regular basis. You can follow the links elsewhere on this page or go directly to www.cafepress.co.uk/theregoestheday or www.cafepress.com/theregoestheday (depending on where you live).
I had invites to do some A-Team and Expendables stuff, but timings and other considerations put a damper on those and there's no immediate travel plans before September, when I'll be back in Iowa.

However, I will be blogging more. Probably.

IN SEINE, LE HOT!

2010-07-07T16:08:00.001+01:00

I spent most of the last week in Paris, which - let's face it - is not bad work if you can get it. Primarily it was to meet up with Carmel, Annie and Victoria who are on HLWW duty and lend a hand as we looked after the likes of Adrian, Peter, Lizzie, Jim and David Abramowitz who were doing panels at the Paris Comic Con.

I arrived on Wed afternoon and made my way to the apartment which was just around the corner from the Louvre. The ladies were out but after about thirty minutes of 'uh-oh, they did remember I was coming today, right?' they returned from shopping and I got to look around inside the place we were staying. Very nice and a good locale - a few minutes away from the Metro and any number of sites to take in. Later in the evening we took a walk down through the Louvre gardens and down towards the Seine and the Quai de la Tournelle where much of the Highlander series was shot. As always my camera was surgically attached and I managed to get some great shots.

The actual Comic-Con event was interesting. Imagine two Wembleys full of people who looked as if they'd been caught in an explosion between Twilight, Pokemon and a Klingon war party. I haven't seen that much rubber and fur since... well, I'm not saying. I've spent years telling people cons are are more subdued, intelligent and snae than the press often promotes, however this event flies in the face of those denials. Over 160,000 people over four days and with outside temperatures regularly hitting 90+ made for... interesting times.

The HL gang were all on good form and did signings and panels for much of the four days - generally all in good spirits. At some points they had to battle against some poorly-thought-out scheduling from the organisers/schedulers ( I mean, who puts a talking panel next to a weird Japanese musical outfit shouting to their crowd and playing instruments at top volume?) but the Highlander talks and War of the Worlds anime panel proved a success. I also managed to spend some time with Leinil Francis Yu, who is illustrating Mark Millar's new Superior project and we'll be sorting some coverage of that in the near future. He also gave me a limited edition sketchbook of his designs which is now autographed and being kept safe. Thanks to Mark who puts us in contact.

On Friday night we all went out for dinner (secretly to surprise Carmel with a birthday meal) and somehow I ended up being the one entertaining Lizzie's little daughter and friend the most. Is there no beginning to my talents?

Paris isn't cheap, but I love the city. Everyone looks as if they're deeply in love and not afraid to show it and while I'm usually happy to shlub around in whatever I have to wear, there's also something to be said for dressing up and feeling great. I'd hoped I could get Jilly across for her birthday this summer, but hope to take her there when she can get across early next year.

But for now - after flying home on Monday - it's just back to deadlines and chasing the cheques and plotting for HLWW. ;)

C'est la vie.

WORK, REST & PAY...

2010-06-21T12:25:00.000+01:00

Well, so far the two projects and possibilities that might each have brought in a pretty (useful) penny have proven somewhat unuseful. The work is there, the money not so much. Looks like I'll have to be more creative and more forthright in the future.That is the way of the world, I guess, but it would be nice to have some nice financial surprises for a change instead of the usual bad-surprise bills.

However, I've kept out of trouble by stepping in to help with a couple of article designs for the next Impact... (sneaky peek opposite)

On the television there's been a ton of wibbl-wobbly football and we're helter-skeltering towards the end of the current season of Doctor Who which has been far more entertaining. It must be summer. At least the weather outside seems to realise that - at last.

Odd moment of the week - getting off the bus into Horsforth when I get stopped by a woman who says:

"You're that hairdresser who was on telly last night aren't you?"

"errr. no, I'm not."

"Oh, you look like him..."

" 'fraid it wasn't me!"

"Oh," Pause. "But you are a hairdresser aren't you?"

This is God's way of telling me to never watch Glee again, isn't it?

NOISE FROM THE BLACK STUFF...

2010-06-15T00:14:00.000+01:00

Firstly, what’s happening in the Gulf is an environmental disaster. Man's eagerness to maximise profits trumping risk to the environment. On that we're all mostly agreed. Another 9/11 as President Obama equated it to, today? Well, that's debatable but there's no doubt people are angry and it may affect attitudes on the country's domestic attitiude. Quite right too.

Oil and water don’t mix and when they do it’s never a good thing. When they don’t mix on the scale they are (aren’t) at the moment, it’s even more significant. While BP’s chairman Tony Hayward may well have been technically right in his analysis about the less dramatic ratio of sea to actual oil over-all, Hayward did himself nor his company any favours by stating he ‘wanted this to be over so he could get his life back’ in the middle of a crisis that started with significant ACTUAL loss of life. That’s like a politician bemoaning the state of the traffic in the city on the way to catch his private plane to his third home - it maybe not be technically wrong, but it’s hardly likely to garner one iota of sympathy in proper context. A chairman must not only help run a company but is often the public face of it and in most ways Hayward has proven himself to have all the grace of an oil-soaked sea-bird so often seen on the nightly news.

However, as the beaches and faces darken, the finger-pointing begins in earnest and there’s some points that seemingly do need highlighting more than they have.

BP, as the lead company, may well shoulder some of the blame, but with no clear formal investigation over exactly who IS to blame, it’s wholly inappropriate at this point to ONLY hold BP solely responsible. As pointed out in UK newspapers - eager to be patriotic, maybe, but still factually correct - the rig in question is actually owned and managed by Transocean (an American company), the sub-contractor responsible for securing it was Halliburton (an American company) and the piece of equipment that most believed ultimately failed - the blow-out preventer - and failed to stop the disaster was manufactured by Cameron International (you’ve guessed it - American). At this point, BP’s name is at the forefront of every news report and there seems to have been problems with oversight, but most US news networks have barely mentioned the other companies that must surely be investigated for equal negligence or complicity as well.

Equally let’s stop calling this company British Petroleum. As a modern international conglomerate, it hasn’t gone by that moniker for a decade and at this point has an equal amount of US and UK members on the board with a huge amount of American shareholders. Despite the ‘British’ part of the name originally, it’s now arguably just as American as it is European. Perhaps it’s time to embrace that aspect in the same way that the New York Post marvellously claimed (hopefully with irony) that US BEATS UK 1-1, on its sporty front page a few days ago.

BP has been criticised for not handing out compensation fast enough, which may well be justified criticism but it has initiated such procedures without being asked and the amounts - when actually delivered - are not insubstantial. In some cases this clearly hasn’t been fast enough, in other cases some locals were more than satisfied with the amount.

But before anyone gets too heavy-handed and paranoid and instinctively patriotic, Obama’s recent tone is largely for his domestic market and to placate the people who were/are saying he hasn’t done enough. However, he HAS been critical of the other companies involved, even if it’s not been that widely reported in that same market. Equally, it seems silly to label this as Obama’s ‘Katrina’. In this oil-spill case Obama waited for advice, allowed the supposedly responsible parties to hopefully start behaving pro-actively, allowed BP to try a number of tactics that all failed before he started ‘kicking ass’ and saying that the situation was ballooning too far and needed more affirmative action rather than just talk and ill-fated efforts. As any politician will tell you, progress isn’t always really measured publicly, but lack of progress certainly is. In the case of Katrina’s flooding of New Orleans, it seemed that administration was ineffectual in doing anything AT ALL to begin with - to the extent that they said they weren’t helping people because they couldn’t reach them, four days AFTER the ABC and other networks started flying their own guys in and reporting live from the stadium where many survivors had gathered. The Katrina controversy grew out of a President seemingly out of touch and praising organisations like FEMA who failed to respond quickly enough… the oil spill situation is rather born out of the many unsuccessful attempts to cure an escalating problem - rather than merely ignoring it completely. That’s not to say serious criticism of the response can’t be made, but it’s a different complaint and context.

I never thought I’d stand up for an oil company in ANY way and I still believe that the inherent dangers are often glossed over by companies wanting to make money and who are reduced to finger-pointing when things DO go wrong. And this isn’t meant to be a defence of BP (who clearly seem inept on several levels and the evidence keeps a'rolling in), it's merely a plea for a wider, broader context before the blame card is finally thrown in any one direction. When anyone is found to be truly and provably negligent for such disasters and subsequent loss of life and damage, they must accept the responsibilities that they are well paid for and be prosecuted under the full weight of the law and made to puniatively pay for that as well as making things right on a practical level. If BP are ultimately the guilty party, throw the book at them, but doing so too early merely makes the other oil companies hover like vultures.

And in a week when it was revealed that Union Carbide Corporation’s former chairman Warren Anderson, has *refused* to even co-operate, never mind stand trial for what appears to be a complicit role in the company’s Bophal disaster in 1984 (the Indian chemical disaster that killed many and affected the health of over 100,000 people) and is happy to be roam free in the US without any fear of extradition… the blame game and the acceptance of accountability issues seem as unpredictably blunt, opportunistic and buoyant as ever…

Troubled waters, indeed. This time pouring more oil may not help.

HOLDING PATTERNS...

2010-06-13T15:18:00.000+01:00

The last week or so has felt very much like a holding-pattern on many fronts - there's plenty of things to be done but several decisions to be made before most of them go forward at any pace. In some cases the ball's in my court, but in most I'm waiting on others for the nod or shake. As any reasonably creative person will tell you, that means an air of frustration... it tends to lead to the feast or famine situation where there's not a lot to do and then suddenly a lot to fit into a short period of time. Actually there IS a ton to be done, but the specifics and momentum is stalled so I can't plan more than a few days ahead. Hopefully some of the various projects and situations will resolve themselves in a way that means good use of whatever talents I have and a little more money in the bank-account so I can get more done down the road. Yup, Catch 22,vicious circles and all that!

I'm now confirmed to be heading off the Paris Comic-Con 30th June - 5th July and will be seeing Carmel Macpherson and the Highlander guys and hopefully chatting with some actual comic peeps as well. It's a relatively brief trip and done on a budget to match but it means that I can head up the road to LBA and be at CDG airport within an hour or so - which makes an easy and direct trip for once. I'm hoping there'll be a few good photographic opportunities as well (This is Paris, after all, dammit!).

I've found time to make some tweaks to the look of this blog and website. Nothing fundamental, but a bit more of a dynamic design and pattern to the banner above this entry and some of the links will be getting corrected in the days to come.

Other than that... ever onward.

BARN STORMIN'...

2010-06-05T20:02:00.001+01:00

I spent last weekend up in the Yorkshire Dales with Simon Hopkinson, Glenn Hewitt, Sally Warr and other P365ers. The reason was a chance to do some landscape photography, but it was just as good a reason to have a change of scene and socialise a bit more. We all stayed at the Ecobarn which was a great base of operations - it's a fully-converted barn near Dent which was originally started by entertainer Mike Harding as a recording studio and more lately as a place that can sleep and entertain up to ten people.

We managed to garner the full ten persons and with fingers crossed that we'd all get on with other depsite some having never met others before, went up there for four days. Thankfully, everyone seemed easy to get along with and it seems likely I've got some new poker buddies (I haven't really played Texas Hold 'Em in a few years but somehow managed to win out on the Saturday night - though for a good thirty minutes it was a battle of cards, wits and double entendres with newcomer Arianna McCann which entertained everyone). Arianna won out the Sunday night, but Simon and Cate were strong opposition and Glenn proved a great dealer (and folder). There was much meriment, wine, beer and even a bit of Doctor Who. Hoorah!

The weather was changeable but survivable, with rain on the Saturday but sun enough the rest of the time. There was much walking, but I still managed to put on a few lbs that I'll need to lose. The owners of the Ecobarn were friendly and supplied fresh bread and breakfast rolls every morning and we cooked some impressive spaghetti bolognese. I think we all agreed that we'd go back there again - and recommend it to others. Consider it done.

It was sad and shocking to hear about the shooting-spree that dominated headlines later in the week (taking place less than an hour form where we stayed), but thankfully, that kind of event is a huge rarity. The rest of the week was back to the realities, trials and tribulations of magazine editing and article writing. But any deadline you can get behind you is a good one.

Still contemplating Paris at the start of July for the Comic-Con there. I'd rather be in Iowa for Jilly's birthday, but bank-balance and holiday accumulation notwithstanding, a brief, shorter trip to France might have to do until September...

BACK TO BASICS...

2010-05-21T14:24:00.000+01:00

It was completely my intention to keep regular blog postings coming while I was away in Iowa, but amid some urgent DVD sleeve designing and tearing my hair out over Impact stuff (you'd think I'd learn) and wanting to make the most of what was generally *supposed* to be a break, I just never got around to sitting down and creating more entries.

I know. You're devastated. You can recall the search parties now...

The trip was a good one. Three weeks instead of four and starting a week later due to the ash cloud, but at least I got to Iowa intact - my luggage arriving about 36hrs behind me, at least it wasn't lost forever. Jilly had less working hours this time and so while she had course work to do (solid As) and still enjoyed breaking up her siestas with 40 wink naps, we had much more time together. I finally talked her into letting me do some formal portrait shots of her and I'm very happy with the results, as is she and all other people with good taste.

We saw several films, ate and drank (Jilly is still trying to get me on a healthier diet and she's starting to succeed) and generally chilled out. We let out a few 'awwwws' over her new kittens and yelled at Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh. The weather was fair to middling - but I just missed the really good heatwave that started as I left.

Back in the UK and I'm back into the thick of it. Plenty of work to get done and plenty of more work and cheques to pursue. I intend to be in Iowa as much as possible in the future, so need to get a solid base of work and schedule to enable that.

No rest for the wickedly tired.

IT'S GOOD TO TALK...

2010-04-22T19:38:00.000+01:00

So. Hopefully - after hours on the phone, I'll now be on my way to Iowa on Sunday. Technically I'll leave here Saturday night and train across to Manchester and wait through the early hours until my flight leaves (first via Paris CDG) just after 6:00am Sunday. Right now, it all looks good with 95% + of all flights now back in operation, but given recent events I'm not counting on anything until I'm en route to Iowa. Even then I'll be keeping an eye out for mavericky plumes and getting all hopey that there's no changey.

I've managed to get a big chunk of Impact work out of the way, so that'll all be in the hands of the designer. As long as I get regular PDFs of the pages sent through, I think we'll all be okay. There will be some reviews to get done before the end of the month, but I should be able to manage that.

On the rant front, I couldn't help noticing the news-story about an employee of communications giant Geico and the US Tea Party that's currently circulating. You can get a more specific run-down of at least one side of the argument from the blog of the man involved D C Douglas (http://www.myvoiceoverguy.com/voice-over/freedomworks-geico-tortious-interference/ ) but essentially - even according to Fox News - what happened was that Douglas, perhaps inadvisedly left a pointed message on the voice-mail of Tea Party party FreedomWorks USA. Annoyed at some of their own attitudes he casually enquired how many mentally-retarded worked there and how long before someone got killed because of their actions. The wording may have been stupid and perhaps leaving his phone-number was even more ill-advised. But what FreedomWorks did next is... troublesome.

They called him back, established his identity, found his Facebook page, realised he was involved in doing voice-work for Geico and then put Douglas' message on their own website, published his contact details and told people to ring Douglas AND his employee and to complain about his attitude. A lot of people did. Subsequently, Geico decided to not employ Douglas any more. Douglas is suing for what is called Tortious Interference (essentially his professional life being hit unfairly).

A top FreedomWorks rep just appeared on Fox News (with bright and breezy Megyn Kelly burbling that Douglas must have some nerve to sue people he insulted) and the rep refuted that Douglas has any case he can bring. The rep also says that they make no apologies for publicising Douglas's details and that future employers have a right to know about the leanings of a person they want to hire.

Really? Because... no. The the last time I checked, this the selfsame Tea Party that complains that they are being unfairly targetted by the media, that say they have a right to express their opinions and believe its unAmerican to be penalised, harrassed or brow-beaten for doing so. Douglas may have proven himself a bit of an idiot for doing what he did - but unless Douglas called from Geico's building or he himself explicitly brought them into the complaint against FreedomWorks, then as far as I can see Douglas has an excellent case for harrassment. FreedomWorks, on the other hand, looks like hate other people going after them personally, but are more than happy to release the hounds to destroy someone's unconnected career when it suits.

It's good to talk. It's good to fly. Both should be done without a great big honkin' shadow hanging over your head because of what you do in your spare time.

JM Vs. THE VOLCANO

2010-04-18T14:47:00.001+01:00

After accumulating around 2hrs on a 10p a minute line to Expedia, I tried the old fallback postion of simply hitting the unmentioned '0' at every option and almost instantly got through to someone. Take that, Mount St Unpronouncable...

The news is not great - and as expected, no flights for the next few days at least, though they say conditions are slowly improving ever so slightly (So....I guess BBC, SKY, CNN and NATS are wrong that it's actually getting worse and could last months...). So it's pretty sure I won't be going anywhere until at least next weekend. The volcano probably won't stop spewing its guts, but we simply need the winds to change direction and at the moment they're simply not.

However, the woman I spoke to did say that once people who are stuck abroad are dealt with, people like myself will be prioritised ahea dof any 'new' bookings. Essentially, if flights were to be re-instated around Friday/Saturday, I could feasibly be onboard an aircraft by this time next week. Hmmmm. But right now, they can't take a new booking so I have to sit tight and keep an eye on the helpful BBC website.

I'm not the only one with locations problems. Paul Simpson and Andy Diggle are supposed to be in LA, Dina is stuck in Madeira, Molly's still in Crotia and I'm pretty sure several hundred thousand people are in Birmingham.

In the meantime, Jilly and Tasha have agreed to blow up Iceland on my behalf if it helps. Ain't love grand?

IRRITABLE VOWEL SYNDROME...

2010-04-16T15:40:00.000+01:00

On what is, ironically, an absolutely lovely sunny day in Leeds, what really irks is that my long-laid travel plans have actually been scuppered by a smouldering mountain with a name that's halfway between a great hand at Scrablle and a particularly bad Bjork lyric ( Eyjafjallajoekull - say it fast three times).

Yes, as some of you know I'm supposed to be flying off to the US early next week - however that's all in flux at the moment due to... and I can't believe I'm actually typing this... a volcano. Yes, Iceland is getting its own back for the financial crisis by billowing tons of smoke and ash into the atmosphere. Apparently there's more hot air hitting the northern hemisphere than a Glenn Beck love-in. And there's another image I could live without.

The annoying thing is that at the moment I have a ton of writing work to get out of the way and simultaneously there's no way to assess what the next few days will bring with regards to the travel situation changing and what the actual obligations of the airline to my travel thereafter will be. I preume if the actual flight is cancelled they are obliged under terms to put me on another flight, however with an extensive back-log to deal with I'm not sure quite how much this could impact how long I'm away. Right now the air restructions are at least in palce until tomorrow and all phone lines are either down or busy, so there's no real information except what comes through the TV.

Everything is in the lap of the gods - most expecially Vulcan.

Most illogical.

TOLERATE THIS!

2010-04-05T01:00:00.001+01:00

Wow. Is it me or are we all getting just a bit angrier, just a bit more literally outraged, a little less tolerant? Or too tolerant? Or less tolerant at more tolerance or... well... there you are. It's that kind of time. Doesn't it make you want to scream?

In recent months there's been a ton of controversies in the press. Some relatively small scale stoies, some decidedly bigger, some totally manufactured, some more organic. But in a lot of cases it feels like rather than the issues being debated, discussed and any common ground even being attempted, it's more like a boxing ring or school playground where particpants call each other names and then return to the corners bloody and unbowed. It's not what you say, it's how loud you shout. It's telling people what to think rather than giving ALL the information with which to do so. No discussions... more pre-emptive strikes, snarks, indignancy and buzzwords designed not to engage but to carve a niche for those already convinced. We just seem to all be more... angry and more inclined to rage rather than engage.

For example.....

In the US the health bill has created the kind of fervour that defies logic. Wherever you are on the actual issue itself, it's almost impossible to have missed the fact that any dicussion comes down to some ridiculous accusations. If you're for the Health Bill, then be prepared to be a socialist, marxist, baby-killing nigger-loving progressive liberal who should move to Russia. If you think the Bill shouldn't have been passed you're an Ivy-League elitist, gun-hording, CEO, bank-bonus hogging TEA-partying redneck whoring yourself to the insurance companies. I'm sure there are plenty of people in the middle who think there are flaws and successes in the Bill, but they are all too often drowned out by the loud, more rabid voices. It has to be said, those voices have mainly been Republican... the likes of Rush (' I'm not being racist, but what race will the President be putting on his census?') Limbaugh, Glenn ('It's all the fault of the Progressives who are trying to DESTROY this country with their secret agenda!') Beck and Sarah ('Hopey-Changey') Palin. The Left isn't guiltless, but the average person is finding harder and harder to separate fact from sound-bytes that are repeated across the air-waves that want a controversy, not a compromise. To hell with rationality, let's strike fear into people!

The latest UK headlines today are screaming about Chris Grayling (Conservative MP) and the "disgraceful" opinions he has over another recent story. Background: A couple of weeks ago a gay couple arrived at a Brighton B&B and when the owner found they were homosexual she said that as a devout Christian she felt she couldn't let them stay in the same bed under her roof. The owner was immediately called a bigot and has been the subject of a hate-campaign. Now Grayling has said - in an audio tape secretly recorded by a Sunday paper without his knowledge - that he has some sympathies with the B&B owners as, while he has no problem with gay marriages etc, he does think a person has the right to decide what happens in their home without government interference.

Personally, I'm conflicted on this one. Certainly this story does demonstrate an anti-gay prejudice and clear homophobia. Denying someone a room simply because they were black would be astonishing in this day and age and I'd hoped that the subject of someone's sexuality behind a closed door would be just as non-issue. I feel sympathy for the two men who had done nothing wrong and had their holiday ruined by someone who, I feel, is probably rather selective about what they take away from the Bible. ( I love Christians but even with the 'devout' variety there does seem to a big pick-and-choose when it comes to its literal meaning, lessons and teachings when its in/convenient). I don't think they should have been turned away and if I was them I'd be rightly furious. THEN AGAIN, I also value highly the notion that goverment has NO place in the privacy of one's home and that should stay out of the kitchen, bedroom, hallway or closet when only consenting adults are involved. Like anyone I have the right to decide what I want under my own roof. I might criticise others extreme or stupid choices or lack of tolerance, but its their house and their rules.

The problem here is that the private home was ALSO a small place of business. I think when you open a business, you have to abide by the laws of the land - including those relating to discrimination. However, this incident does create an inherrent conflict and I think Chris Grayling, rather than being stunningly vilified, has simply put his finger on the nub of the problem. It's clear from his record and interviews that he has no 'anti gay' agenda and has been happy to vote for same-sex marriage etc, but sees this particular issue as a layered one given both the faith/rights angle. Instead, SKY and the likes are talking about the other parties howling for his resignation and about his innate bigotry. C'mon guys... he isn't a stupid BNP supporter out to cause trouble...he's a politician who - and this is a rarity - is stating this can't be reduced to a simple sound-byte or headline, so let's discuss that rather than merely lynch the messenger. Equally, the woman who runs the B&B isn't a rabid Klu Klux Klan or BNP member, she apparently she just felt the one-bed arrangement conflicted with her religious beliefs and felt she'd bea hypocrite to allow it under hr own roof. Debatable logic aside, to polarise it even more actually does more to help the bigots rather than the devout.

These are just two examples of where the media is alsmost dictating the rules of engagement rather than the argument. Both situations would benefit from people acknowleding the real conflicts involved even if they can't agree.

So, perhaps here's a rule of thumb: just for a second, however passionate you are about where you already stand and how confident you are in that... don't merely trash those who disagree with you. Disagree the position but don't disrespect the person. Convince, rather than annihilate. The world is not black and white. The truth about anything is never as brief as a sound-byte and there's no point of view that can't be strengthened by questioning it, accepting not everyone thinks the same and genuinely enagaging those who disagree.

And anyone who disagrees with that is an idiot.

HEALTHY, WEALTHY & WISE

2010-03-22T11:40:00.005+01:00

Last night Amerca voted and - with a few votes to spare - passed the Health Care bill. It's been a controversial issue but I have to say I think this is a hugely important and significant change for the better.

Here's the thing. I know there's a rational debate to be had on health and perhaps a solid argument that the current bill is flawed. But that rational debate has not been happening. In fact, it's not been happening for about seventy years.

I'm told by Fox News etc that most Americans don't want it, but almost everyone I know, DID want it passed. Certainly my girlfriend who had to go into hospital for an immediate and serious operation and then had to leave after two days (when the doctor said she should be in for more), still in huge pain, because her insurance didn't extend any further. Certainly the people who've lost house, home and family after years of careful and responsible living, solely because they had the nerve to get ill and some small print pointed out that the insurance companies only wanted to help well people.

No, instead of a debate, we've had Palin, Beck,O'Reilly, Coulter etc running what goes beyond merely skewed reporting into blatant propaganda and misinformation for the GOP. I say that not as someone who's a 'Leftie' but as a journalist. On that level alone, what passes for 'journalism' was shameful. We've had a slew of buzzwords and sound-bites that are designed to misinterpret the facts and create an almost hysteria in the process. Reasonable points and genuine disagreements have been lost under the slew of 'DEATH-CAMPS FOR GRANNY!', 'SOCIALIST NAZIS ARE AFTER YOUR ORGANS!' and 'OBAMA IS HITLER!'. (Seriously, a week or so ago on Facebook, a fairly right-wing actor posted an anti-Bill thread and talked how it was against the spirit that made America great. Tens of people immediately agreed with him and yet when a regular replier started talking about 'Omama and his gorrila wife' and I called them out on it as going beyond fair debate, I was told she wasn't being racist and had a right to be genuinely upset!). Not one person called them out - and this in a 'Tea-Partiers should be taken seriously' thread????????)

If the more rational Republicans - and there obviously are some - believe in elements of the bill and that giving a basic level of care to everyone isn't somehow equivalent to Stalin, but not enough of it to support it, they've had more than enough time in the last administration to do something. Not just talk, but DO. No-one did.

So last night, it looks like someone finally has. It's fine to disagree with it and explain why in coherent, well-researched sentences, but instead of the buzzwords, let's continue a genuine debate. Here's the chance to say 'THIS is how WE'd do it and this is WHY our way is better'. Instead? I'm already hearing pundits telling me that they blame the would-be 1960s radicals and those actors out of Hollywood and San Francisco for what's happened today and that he will do anything he can to reverse this or bring it down. Sack the speaker! Call Stupak a baby-killer! That poor people regularly abuse the ER by going there when they get ILL. (Shock!) That America just took a step towards its own destruction. That this bill will explicitly help fund abortion. Etc etc etc..

The facts? The immediate benefits?

New help for some uninsured: People with a medical condition that has left them uninsurable may be able to enroll in a new federally subsidized insurance program that is to be established within 90 days. The legislation appropriates $5 billion for this, although that may not be enough to cover all who apply; it's not clear how much consumers would pay as their share of the cost. About 200,000 people are covered in similar state programs currently, at an estimated cost of $1 billion a year, says Karen Pollitz, a research professor at Georgetown University.

Discounts and free care in Medicare: The approximately 4 million Medicare beneficiaries who hit the so-called "doughnut hole" in the program's drug plan will get a $250 rebate this year. Next year, their cost of drugs in the coverage gap will go down by 50 percent. Preventive care, such as some types of cancer screening, will be free of co-payments or deductibles starting in 2010.

Coverage of kids: Parents will be allowed to keep their children on their health insurance plan until age 26, unless the child is eligible for coverage through a job. Insurance plans cannot exclude pre-existing medical conditions from coverage for children under age 19, although insurers could still reject those children outright for coverage in the individual market until 2014.

Tax credits for businesses: Businesses with fewer than 25 employees and average wages of less than $50,000 could qualify for a tax credit of up to 35 percent of the cost of their premiums.

Changes to insurance: All existing insurance plans will be barred from imposing lifetime caps on coverage. Restrictions will also be placed on annual limits on coverage. Insurers can no longer cancel insurance retroactively for things other than outright fraud.

Government oversight: Insurers must report how much they spend on medical care versus administrative costs, a step that later will be followed by tighter government review of premium increases.

Want to convince me the Bill shouldn't have passed. That there's a better way? Fine. Perhaps we could start from a place that doesn't refuse cover because they consider rape a pre-existing condition.

Be well.

THE HURT LOOKER...

2010-03-21T02:43:00.002+01:00

As always, it's feast or famine when it comes to work. Actually, more accurately it's always a feast on the work side and a famine on the bank details, but such is the way of the freelancer and as long as I hit my own personal deadlines and I can afford my outgoings, then all should be adequate with the world.

Over the last few days I've been hard at work on the next DVD sleeve for BritFilms and though they didn't go with the design variation I expected, the finished sleeve should satisfy them nicely. I'll post it when it's due to hit the shelves, which is sometime in May, I believe. I've also slightly tweaked their poster for Crying with Laughter which should be hititng cinemas next month.

Today I headed over to Bradford to interview actor John Hurt - who depending on your age is the guy from Alien, The Elephant Man, Shooting Dogs or Harry Potter. In truth, he's all of the above and an interesting guy to talk to. I also got the chance to do some portrait shots of him and I'm quite happy with the results. The interview with him will be divided between imminent issues The Leeds Guide and Impact.

Feeling kinda 'blah' at the mo, with unusually sore eyes, irregular sleep and still a month to go before Iowa. A lottery win would not go amiss... but not tonight it seems.

Someone... amuse me.

SPRING CLEANING...

2010-03-16T17:08:00.001+01:00

Yes, proving that I'm at heart an artist, I just had the full ThereGoesTheDay pages sorted and realised they didn't project the right information and look for what was needed. Hence a major overhaul.

With more possible traffic coming to the site from publicity connected with the launch of Millarworld's new look and credits on the CUT DVD, it was important that the site had a more functional look and over the next few days, all the pevious pages will be changed to reflect the new format - it may take a bit longer for all the links to work properly, but fingers crossed.

More to follow...

BRAND NEW DAY...

2010-02-22T14:01:00.006+01:00

I 've not been posting as much as I should, but as mentioned before, the start of the year has been a busy one. Thankfully, it also seems to be a rewarding one...

I've been hired by BritFilms to design their new branding and several of their DVD releases. Their new logo will debut soon. The first of the releases is 'CUT' which hits high street movie shelves at the start of March. (Tell 'em I sent you). The designing went really well, wth everyone happy with the finished result. It's been a learning curve with barcodes as those little strips of black and white require more care than the rest of the project put together.

I've also had my design selected as the winning logo in a contest created by award-winning comic-book writer Mark Millar. He's the man behind the original Wanted and Kick-Ass comic books (as well as acclaimed runs on Wolverine, the Fantastic Four, 1985, Civil War etc). With Kick-Ass's movie adaptation hititng cinemas in early April, his site - MillarWorld - will be one of the busiest in the industry, so it's great be associated with it. The new-look also debuts shortly.

The best news of the day, though, comes with the fact that I'm an Uncle. My brother (and prolific crime author) Steve, his wife Lynn and bouncing baby boy (81b 9oz) are all doing fine and I now have to make plans to be the nefarious bad-influence. Looking forward to spoiling rotten without having to face the nappies!

THERE GOES JANUARY...

2010-01-31T15:58:00.003+01:00

A s you might be able to tell from the length of time between posts since I got back, it has been a pretty busy time. Hopefully that will translate into profitable, interesting and fun...January was always going to busy and it's lived up to that. Cinema Days was an interesting mix of films - a somewhat lukewarm list at first look, but which proved to at least have some minor gems in there. I was surprised to like The Blind Side so much and surprised to find Invictus (which after all had Mandela, sport and Clint Eastwood going for it) to be depressingly formulaic. MicMacs was endearing, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was a great Swedish thriller and one I'd highly recommend(based on the best-selling novel) and though Battle for Terra 3D felt like a kiddies' version of Avatar, it was engaging enough.

The day after Cinema Days I was away to London to see an almost-finished version of Kick-Ass, the cinema adaptation of Mark Milar's comic. Fuller reviews have to wait until closer to release. However...as someone said, it's the sort of film that will have The Daily Mail and Fox News 'shitting kittens...' but when it's actually seen in its entirety it's a wonderfully executed guilty pleasure. Controversy over violence and language aside it's got a great story at its heart (kid tries to be a superhero and as well as inspiring others, pays the consequences). Think Pulp Fiction meets Clerks meets John Woo. I fully expect it to feature on my Top 5 films of the year.

Right after getting back from LeicesteR and London I was into some new design work for a film DVD/film distributor and which based on my experiences so far - and their very positive reaction - should prove fun and rewarding over the months to come. Equally the PEACE Fund auctions go on, so I encourage you to visit (and spread word about) the various items up there which are beiNG sold to raise money to help with coping with the horrendous situation out there. (See previous blog post for more info).

And so, into February... where does the year go?

LOVE & HAITI

2010-01-17T20:07:00.000+01:00

A ttention all! To help in the PEACE Fund's money-raising for Haiti, the charity will be auctioning off a number of exclusively-signed photographs I've been taking over the last two years with various people I've interviewed. Most are approximately 10x8 shots, each with the phrase 'There can be only one....' followed by the star's signature. These are unique items, in many cases, even the photo hasn't been seen in public before.

The first of these, Lord of the Rings star David Wenham is already up and will be followed by more over the next few hours and days. Please visit: http://stores.ebay.com/thepeacefund for more information and help PEACE.

*Note: the HLWW watermark that appears on the thumbnail is NOT on the actual photo...

Please feel free to spread the word...

YOU CAN'T GET THERE FROM HERE...

2010-01-16T23:50:00.000+01:00

U sually people make resolutions in the dying days of a year - and all too often break them in the opening moments of the new. It's only human... we aspire to greatness and then inevitably stumble a bit as we lurch towards them down the road of good intentions. I really didn't make any at the turn of 2009, in fact I never even really thought about making them or not. Barely crossed what passes for my mind. Perhaps I was too busy digging out snow-drifts, making the most of the out-of-the-UK down-time or somehow finding I was being more frightingly domesticated in a month than I am for the other days of the year entirely. Seriously, most of the time I can burn water. If I could find the kettle. What's a kettle?

But as January ticks through, I guess I am thinking more about what I am doing, what I should be doing and what I should be doing next. Maybe even after that. Oh, it's not as if I don't have enough to do on the practical side: before the end of the month there's far too many things to sort through and all of them howling for my attention and bellowing at the consequences if I don't put them at the top of the list.

This year I'll be 42. (Real 'meaning of life' territory, ya think?). But 30 came and went without any of the prophesised fanfare and 40 was a mere blip on the radar until it became the blip on the machine at LGI. Then 2009 was a year of constant transition, I guess... near dirt-naps being very effective wake-up calls.

But what should 2010 be? What do I need and want out of it in the long run? The frustrating answer is I'm not sure. I'm used to making myself set small goals as I find even minor accomplishments keep up the momentum and lead to bigger ones. Finishing an article, tidying something, getting something posted out in the mail or being able to mentally tick something off a list means I can go to bed and think the day wasn't entirely wasted. Little victories. But what of the long game?

Sure, there's that novel to keep writing/start again (if Steve can manage five or more and sell the film rights to Europe, surely I can manage one and get an edorsement from Channel Five?); I'd like to be able to spend more time socialising outside of four very familiar walls which somehow contain more of my flotsam and jetsam than 1/4 of a relative mansion once did; I'd like to earn the kind of money that my work IS actually worth- 1/2 would be acceptable - or be acknowledged more vigorously when it's often done as a favour.

I guess as we get older that we spot that pragmatic dividing line between making stuff happen for ourselves and merely relying on others to not get in the way- that so much of our lives revolves around the decisions that others make (or don't), that we might blink and miss the things we need to make happen ourselves, if only we had the energy and time at the end of the day. We need to remind ourselves that bad things happen but really good things happen too, to recognise them and not to forget to smile and breathe out a bit when they do.

So technically, I actually DO know where I need to be by the end of the year... better financially, more even social life, knowing if I can balance my own needs and wants in all aspects of life with those of others. Effectively, it's just the need for a few more street signs, some reliable directions from the people I come across who are interested in the same route...and, yes, considerable gas money for the fuel it'll take.

I'm just not sure God's quite the reliable co-pilot I'm always hearing about.

SNOW RETREAT, SNOW SURRENDER

2010-01-13T20:20:00.001+01:00

W ell, I'm back from Iowa and I've traded one lot of snow for another. Usually when I arrive back in the UK, it's raining, but it's rare that the climate is so similar.

I guess I should have been a tad more specific when I hoped for a White Christmas... (the careless vagueness in wish has proven the same as saying 'More David Tennant on the telly would be okay this year...') But weather-wise, though there's still snow on the ground in both countries, the English kind is infinitely more depressing.

The snow and ice in America might be biting cold, the kind that stops the feeling in your hands minutes before you notice it, but it feels clean and fresh. England on the other hand is just damp, miserable, grey mass. If Iowegian landscapes are either christmas card perfect or as brittle and sharp as a cleanly-cut knife, then the Leeds variety is like being slowly smothered by an apathetic, hungover and deeply mottled penguin.

Ironically after four weeks of TRULY severe weather, it was the unsalted and ungriited pavements in Horsforth that nearly did me in. The local council, like many, have almost (shamefully) run out and so it's every person and A&E department for themselves. No mail, fewer buses and trains... all after a few inches of snow and ice. Iowa had twenty inches in a day and still the mail got through. Doesn't it make you proud?

I'm not sure when I'll be back in Iowa. It will largely depend on finances and work. However there's potential to get Jilly over here, maybe around the time of her birthday, so we'll see how things go in the next few months.

But life goes on. Despite feeling as out-of-it as I always do after a long trip away, there's much to be done. Impact should go to bed on Friday (though it will most likely be Monday), I have to sort details for next week's Cinema Days event that I'm attending; I should be doing some DVD design work shortly and then there's my accounts-filing on which to ruminate. In short, January will be a busy month.

365 DEGREES OF PREPARATION

2010-01-02T02:37:00.001+01:00

Something, something Dark Side....

Simon Hopkinson and a few of us will be taking part in the Project 365 Initiative where we'll all be posting a photo each day for the next year - circumstances permitting. As there are a few hiccups with getting the formal site up, I've started by posting my pix on a new page of my own site, which you can find here: http://john-mosby-media.blogspot.com/

(On the photo page you can find a caption for the photo and more info by clicking each DATE rather than the picture itself).

Like most of the TGTD pages, there'll be some more tweaks around here over the next week, but it's a start.

THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS...

2010-01-01T00:55:00.003+01:00

W ell, here in Iowa, it's not even 6:00pm, but back home in Leeds it's rapidly approaching the end of a day, week, month, year and decade. It's been a mixed year in many ways...

Certainly, it was a distinct personal improvement over 2008. A year ago I was here in Iowa again, but very much still feeling the effects of the brain-splodey and hospital stay. I hadn't felt older when I hit 40, but I've kinda felt my age over the last twelve months or so.

Professionally, it's been more of the same: a huge amount of interesting and rewarding work, though hardly a reflecting income to show for it. However, once again it's taken me to London, Los Angeles and many points inbetween. Impact is still going, Verbatim's fallen by the wayside for the moment. I've also started the ThereGoesTheDay Store with a full rnage of t-shirts (link at the top of the blog page!) and hope to expand that out in the months to come.

The last six months has been quite quiet on the Highlander front, but there may be more news to come on that soon. It usually manages to keep me on my toes.

Outside the weather is freezing. It all looks picture postcard, but more than 5 minutes out without gloves and you start to feel the severe chill on any expose flesh. Fortunately I have the swishy coat and the clompy boots to keep me safe.

After ten years of knowing each other, Jilly and I finally got together. The geography factor means not the ideal situation and there's a huge amount of time, financial and other factors that come into play with that, so we're taking it one step ata time. Unfortunately, Jilly's ende dup working more hours than she wanted to over the holidays as well as handling a nasty cold, so I'm not sure the NYE celebrations will be particularly loud or intense. Right now I'm just letting her sleep.

I'm not sure of what of 2010 will bring, personally or professionally. The last year's felt like one of transition on all levels and I get the feeling that's a work in progress and will continue. So, in the next few days watch out for some visual tweaks to this whole TGTD blog site and I'll also be taking part in the Project 365 Initiative - posting a photo every single day for a year. I'll be providing a link to that an to my own expanding photography part of the blog in the next day or so.

So, for the moment, that's it. Exit stage right, 2009. 2010, we're ready for your close up.

Try not to screw up your lines.

GOING BLUE IN THE FACE

2009-12-17T01:13:00.000+01:00

I t's been a busy week or so. I'd intended to enthrall you loyal readers (almost into double figures now, surely) with updates before, but last week was packed to the proverbial brim with things 'what needed doing'. As well as getting Impact to bed (sweet-talker that I am), I got the chance to see Avatar ahead of its world premiere...

The full review will appear in the next Impact, but now the embargo is done I can at least say that's it's an astonishing piece of cinema - one of those films where you can watch it and thoroughly enjoy certain aspects, acknowledging a thoroughly amazing acheievement as it happens, but not being oblivious to some things that maybe could have been done just a bit better (or differently).

The good points: the cinematography and use of CGI IS amazing. You know that landmark that they said would come where you honestly couldn't tell the difference between a 'real' human and a CGI creation - it's here. Cameron and his team have created not just a cast of characters and story, but a universe. It's almost impossible to think that the wider landscape of Pandora, depsite all it's fantasy trappings, isn't a real place. The characters inhabit this world and Pandora absolutely convinces.

The 3D elements are an interesting factor and it's a compliment to say the film would probably have worked just as well without any of them. These aren't the 3D gimmicks of the past - there's very few 'duck' moments - just a consistent sense of depth. Aguably, the 3D elements are more acceptable and less noticeable on Pandora where those fantasy elements allow us to make the creative leap a little more easily. Back on the 'real' military base, the viewer might find themselves lifted out of the moment by camerawork and focus that TELLS you where to look rather lets you decide for yourself. There's the odd moment in that steel environment where it's just unecessary. But otherwise, the Pandora 3D is like a good score - it enhances the esperience without you being aware of it.

The story is a hugely simplistic tale of good and evil (bad humans ravaging the land, good hippy natives fighting for their spiritual home). Cameron tends to push the ecological agenda down your throat and there isn't room for a lot of subtlety but that doesn't mean that aren't several huge emotional punches amid the devastation. But again, he visually excels himself in creating both sides and their way of fighting/living etc. The actors are good, but the characters somewhat limiting. Away from our central cast (Worthington, Weaver, Saldana etc), a lot of the supporting cast are archetypes - taking actions because the script demands it rather than naturally flowing. Don't look for a lot of depth in - say - Ribisi and Rodriguez and even bad guy Stephen Lang is fairly simplistic in execution.

Avatar is Dances with Wolves meets Pern meets Apocalypse Now... starting like a space epic, continuing like a fairy-tale and ending like a war story. It takes you about 20 minutes to get past annoying exposition and to establish the right tone, but once you're in, it envelops you nicely.

Review done, I finished packing and took the flights out to Iowa on Sunday. All in all they went well, despite only being able to take one checked piece of baggage. Got into Detroit early, but left it to head to Sioux Falls a little late. I arrived in SF at about 9:00pm, so not too bad, and was met by Jilly and Tasha. Temperatures were pretty bad, but survivable. There'd been snow, but no new falls to worry about yet. However I'm already using several layers whenever I go out - with the wind chill factor, it feels even colder than it is.

Having a decent time so far, but need to get on with the wrappings...

CAUGHT IN THE NET... (grrrrr....)

2009-12-06T13:23:00.000+01:00

O h, there are some days that make you want to spit, scream and say inappropriate words at a very loud volume. Days when bureacracy, red tape and non-sensical stuff seems designed to slow you down and raise your temperature. Witness my dealings this week with Ebay and Opodo.

At a time when you'd presume that Ebay would be doing all it can to hold onto its members (if you'll pardon that expression), they seem to be instigating a series of rules and regulations designed to piss off a lot of its customers. A while back they put in place a rule that said while buyers could criticise sellers if they felt they hadn't got the service/goods required, that sellers would no longer have the same right. They said this was to avoid the tit-for-tat feuds that sometimes arose. Of course, that logic is a little like saying that a court should get rid of the prosecution because it was irritating to the defence. Idiotic. NOW, ebay have said that certain categories must only include items where the seller cannot charge any postage. Nil. Zip. Nada. Again, this is deemed 'fair'. The categories 'media/memorabilia etc fall under the new remit and so basically EVERYTHING I want to sell now would have to be posted for free. My only choices are to up the cost of the item to cover this or to not use ebay at all. Given I need some profit but need to remain viable, it won't work. So, ta-ta ebay, don't let the fucking opportunistic door hit you on the way out. I'm done.

Yesterday I decided I'd better check if my two bag allowance for my upcoming flights was actually 20KG or 23KG per bag (this could be important, one needs to know how many socks to pack for -10 weather etc). I printed out my electronic ticket for my flights next week and noted that on one of the three-legs of my journey out to Sioux Falls (*probably* no problem on the way back), one of the planes only allowed one piece of baggage, rather than the 'two bag allowance' allowed on every other part - as per my normal travel). Now, normally, if flights are all on one booking/ticket the 'two' is honoured, especially as this is only a 1/6 of the journey, but I thought I'd better check this as well.

I phoned Opodo and was directed to KLM who directed me back to Opodo (You see where this is not/going, right?). At this moment people seem to think that I'll only be allowed to take ONE bag on the whole trip (for a month to the States?) UNLESS I pay what could be $50 extra for that short final leg (possibly in both directions given NorthWest's internal changes). Opodo don't seem to be in any hurry to sort out or clarify ('We need to check with KLM/NorthWest again and that office isn't open today and I won't be in tomorrow myself, could I maybe call you back Tuesday?' Answer: 'NO. You can't. I want this sorted!'). But I probably won't know either way until later tomorrow. I tend to think significant additional costs should be pointed out at the time of booking, how about you?

So basically, this last week I've lost a potential £50-£100 worth of ebaying potential and may be charged $50-$100 extra for existing flightage. Good job I'm hugely wealthy and there's not a recession, right?

In other news, my laptop's working okay. Good job, really. Can you imagine how I'd be venting at PC World about now if it wasn't?

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS...

2009-11-28T22:44:00.004+01:00

I t's been a busy week or so since the last post. Last weekend was the Thought Bubble event which formed the last weekend of the Leeds International Film Festival and I was asked to moderate a panel on Comics-to-Movies.

Much fun was had at the Leeds City Hotel (with the impressive view from the bar there to the right) and the Savile Hall's actual con venue. On the panel wre Doctor Who and Marvel writer Paul Cornell, Iron Man designer Adi Granov, The Losers and Daredevil writer Andy Diggle and we were joined later by Losers artist Jock.

The Movie panel was great fun and it's always made easier when the panellists are conversational and fun. Though there wasn't any great news to break, it proved to be a good analysis of where the industry is and the way that those in the comics field are responding to it. It easily lasted the allotted full hour and I think we could have gone on a bit too - so that's always good.

The week before had seemed packed to the brim, so I went into the weekend already suffering from a lack of sleep. However I was well looked after during and after by Mark and Sabrina Peyton and Lisa Wood and I should thank them here for the good company and two very tasty meals with the guests and the party at the casino on Saturday evening. You'll be reading more about the day in the Impacts coming out around Christmas and January.

Come Sunday afternoon I was on the train down to London for the early Monday am press for The Lovely Bones. I have to say I wasn't that impressed with the Euston accomodation I got, but it was central enough to get to the screening for 9:00am and then head to Claridges for the press conference. Peter Jackson was in good form and the room was packed out and so all went well. Had to race to get the train back and was back to Leeds by about 6:00pm after writing as much as I could on the train.

The rest of the week has been general hurry-up-and-wait style writing. I'm trying to pull ahead a little on the work so that I have it easier over Christmas and New Year. Got a few small presents sorted and got the bag ready for packing. Jilly seems busier and more tired than I am, but hoping we get some quality time together over the holidays where we can put the chores, works and deadlines aside for a little while. We'll see how that works out.

Friendly reminder to all that the T-shirt store is up and running at www.cafepress.com/theregoestheday and anyone wanting the ideal Christmas present should hurry up and order soon. They are good at the delivery side, but as we head into December, it always pays to sort the post earlier rather than later.

I DON'T LIKE MEH-NDAYS

2009-11-19T00:11:00.001+01:00

I t's been a busy week or so. Lots to do and just the hard slog of getting through it I did get to go to the 'Horsforth' with Glenn, Simon, Sheryl, Sally and Co last Friday and it was good to take a few hours off for once. But generally, Impact is taking up a lot of time, the TGTD Store is looking better but it takes time to do all the tweaking behind the scenes and I haven't been able to get to sleep until way after 2:00am most nights, which makes mornings come annoyingly quickly.

The laptop is in for repair, so currently using the parentals' spare laptop. I hope to have mine back in about a week, but who knows with my history with electronics? For the moment, I also need to prep for the Thought Bubble event at the weekend, which should be a fun opportunity to meet old friends and moderate an interesting panel.

I just feeli a bit at a loose end. Need to generate some more $ coming in for the amount of work I'm doing or at least make it pay in some way, shape or form. I guess I also need to work out basic aims and objectives and intents for 2010 so that I can start putting my energies and efforts where they need to be to keep momentum up.

All fine... but today, it's all a bit... 'meh'.

FIRE WORKS. LAPTOP, NOT SO MUCH...

2009-11-07T23:47:00.007+01:00

S o, the parentals are off in Vegas, playing at being bankers (spending my inheritance). That means I'm house-sitting by default once again. I worked out recently that between now and the middle of March, we'll probably be like ships in the night with me or them out of the country at any given point. However, on this occasion, I think they've certainly got the best of the weather. 70-80 in Nevada and distinctly colder and wetter here. It's been dreary all week and more typical November weather after the a-typical warmer weather of a week ago. At this rate, we'll have snow before December. Or at least horribly grey and damp ('British').

On Thursday I went up to Roundhay Park with Simon, Sheryl and her son for November 5th celebrations. The last time I went up there for the big bonfire and firework display was with Karen and her parents - probably well over a decade ago now. Apparently, according to her Facebook, she was up there on Thursday too with her sons - I should probably have checked ahead of time.

Tonight there's a lot of fireworks going off locally as well, it appears a lot of people waited until Saturday, in the hope of better weather (ha!) to throw their parties. Someone just up the road is really putting a lot into it and giving Roundhay a run for their money.

Sadly, I'm having laptop problems again. Yeah, I know... whodathunkit? For some reason the bloody thing keeps freezing and requiring me to shut it down and start it up again. It's happened about seven times today already, at different times - this post is rushed out between them. I've beem meaning to put the laptop in for repair for a while as the DVD drive and webcam mic are on the blink, but I guess this means I need to arrange it next week so there's a cat in heck's chance of me getting back before Iowa. Fortunately all my design and writing is on the external hard disk, so I can just unplug that and not lose anything.

I can use the parental laptop or desktop in an emergency, but could do without it. So I can only hope that PC World fix it all quickly... or lose it/destroy it again and have to give me a new one. Such is life.

THE MEANING OF LIFE... AND UNDEATH.

2009-11-01T23:07:00.002+01:00

W ell, year ago today I was lying in a hospital bed and seriously wondering if I was going to make it through the night. It was a day after Hallowe'en and - even then - the irony wasn't lost on me.

Perhaps on purpose I was back at the FAB Cafe's Hallowe'en party again yesterday. I was meeting Mark, Sabrina, Adi and Tamsin for a few drinks and several hours before heading there I still hadn't decided what (if anything) I was going to get dressed up as/in. Last year I smothered my face in cheap and heavy skull make-up and though there's probably no viable connection to what happened later, I decided that I wasn't going to go quite as mad with it all this year. I had a cheap mask, just in case, but in the end decided to apply a little visceration latex and fake blood to give myself a small but convincing scar.

I got to the Cafe for 8:00 as arranged, only to find the opening was running late and then was sent to the back of the queue by the bouncer on the door because I was queueing on the 'wrong side of the door' (bizarrely there were two queues by that point, so... go figure). Mark, Sabrina, Tamsin and Adi were delayed, so it was considerably after 9:00 when they got there, however I had fun watching the various Lara Crofts, vampires and things that defy description . But it was a good evening with Mark and putting together our theories on the upcoming Who specials (we think we have it all solved, including KEY plot aspects that go ping when there's stuff... :)

Took it easy today and breathed a quiet sigh of relief when 5:00 passed and I'm into another, hopefully normally healthy, year without any 'splodeyness!

42 days until Iowa. The meaning of life, indeed.

WE COME IN PEACE...

2009-10-27T18:10:00.000+01:00

Just a quick view of the latest three designs to go up at the TGTD store (www.cafepress.co.uk/theregoestheday)... Enjoy.

TIME LAPSE...

2009-10-26T04:27:00.000+01:00

Ye gods (or goddesseses), we're almost at November. Where do the days go and has it really been almost a year since my head exploded?

Another weekend bites the dust in unremarkable fashion. I've managed to get some writing done, some more t-shirt designs up - with more to follow. Bills paid. Expenses sent. Of course, there's a list longer than a long arm of things I need to do. I didn't get around to putting ebay stuff up, but that's to come this week. I will, no doubt, be trumpeting the links to the various bits of movie merchandise etc that are going up. I'll probably do that on the website itself, so if you're reading this in your e-mail rather than on the actual blog page, bookmark the real site and check back often!

In the weeks to come I'm hoping to generate some more work - on both writing and design front. While I'm not exactly bread and watering it, the past year has had its unforseen expenses (aren't they always?) and I've needed to juggle a bit in the latter half of it - so I need to get things back on an even keel before too long.

And there's now less than fifty days until I head back to Iowa. That means I'm in that frustrating lull-period in which the trip is just in sight, but far enough away in the distance that there's almost everything to do or be prioritised ahead of it. At least two isues of Impact to get done before I go - and I'm writing more pages than ever. I'll also be moderating a panel at the Thought Bubble event, which should be fun but for which I'll need a bit of prep. Meanwhile, I'm often talking to Jill every few days on Skype - the webcam doesn't seem to like my wifi link - but it's hard to have any kind of naturally-flowing conversation when at least one of you is tired/working and the net frequently hiccups and you end up typing across each other's replies. Technology. Cheaper than phone-calls, but Peh. Not quite the same as being there. If all goes well, I'd like to be spending more time in Iowa next year as well, but the only way to see if that's realistically workable (financially, pragmatically, emotionally and geographysically) is to balance it all out and actually be there to discuss it and sort it. So, time will tell and, like I said, 49 days and counting - actually, almost to the minute. I better start packing my thermals.

And yes, it's 3:25am now. Yes, I should be asleep. But apparently I now do my best work/thinking at night and the clocks went back last night. And I'm prioritising.

Dream on.

...AND WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT? (IT FIGURES)

2009-10-23T22:55:00.000+01:00

S ooooooooooo.... if you were in the UK last night and you're a glutton for punishment, you were probably watching the BBC's Question Time. The regular panel disussion programme had a line-up that largely came down to, at least according to the papers: Nick Griffin, lead of the the far-right BNP and some other people. The results were pretty much as expected...

I don't know anyone in the UK who likes Nick Griffin. Even his wife, one of the 'high-brow' *cough* tabloids tells us, doesn't like him very much either. But he is the leader of an extremist party that ~~remarkably~~ shamefully managed to get a couple of their people voted in as Euro-MPs. Therefore, the BBC pointed out, he's technically as 'worthy' of inclusion on a topical discussion show as, say, the Green Party and UKIP, both of which have been represented there before. Thanks to those political votes, the BBC was put in the unenviable position of not having to have him on, but would have had to justify never having him on if they went that route. The BBC Director General made the fair point that they would gladly not have Griffin on if the government made the BNP party illegal, but until they did so, it was wrong to pass the buck to the Beeb. They opted to include him under the reasoning that if he's so loathsome, stupid and opportunistic (and I think most of us can agree that the sneering little creep is) that he and his party would be exposed to the harsh spotlight and crumble.    Well, that was the plan.

Even before the show, huge amounts of protestors gathered outside the studios to show their hatred of the BNP. However some 'stormed' the BBC reception area (and let's be clear, that storming isn't the word I'd use, it indicates a somewhat misleading visual that is akin to saying '...the BBC switchboard was jammed with complaints!' which - for the record - only takes four calls coming in simultaneously. The same number now apparently applies to protestors.). Some protestors demonstrated a lack of understanding of the word 'irony' (equivalent to a whole Alannis Morresette concert) by trying to stop the recording of a show that puts all its panelists on an level playing field because they thought Griffin was a man who, shamefully, doesn't put everyone else on a level playing field and therefore didn't deserve to be included on a level playing field himself. ( I swear, it's like raaaain on your wedding day, isn't it?)   Others, more understandably and rationally, simply noted any publicity for the BNP was regrettable. The recording went ahead as planned.

So, how was it for you? (And if you didn't see it it's on BBC iPlayer - and probably YouTube, by now)

Griffin was typically odious and shot himself in the foot several times on things he had said, things he said but denied saying, things he might have said previously but possibly changed his mind on and genrally squirmed through semantics and innuendo. Jack Straw, Justice Secretary, (once a hugely miltant communist himself) was also rather embrassing to watch and lost a lot of people's respect when he refused to answer a fairly straight-forward question about whether immigration rules were working or not. Baroness Varsi seemed mostly rational and considerate in her responses (though one suspects any evaluation would have to be scored on whether she actually follows through on any promises hereafter). American Bonnie Greer was pithy, witty and nailed Griffin several times with intelligent sarcasm and rational facts. Liberal representative Huhne was okay but ultimately inconsequential - he'll never be in power, either.

My take on it: Everyone but an embarassingly unprepared and excrutiatingly vascilating Jack Straw seemed to understand that the BNP's rise is largely attributable to governmental/european manhandling of the Immigration issue - a current fairweather, loose-knit set of polices that might have been well-intentioned but simply don't work. I'm totally fine with stricter border controls when people enter the UK and greater enforcement/checks on when and how people leave (to the extent that it limits potential abuse). If you can lose 40,000 people in the system, the system isn't working, end of story. That seems common-sense as long as it's not implemented on a race/colour/creed directive and applied fairly and pragmatically.   Griffin made another basic comment that sudden and fast cultural changes scare people and maybe that IS a fair observation (If I'm being honest when I walked into our local supermarket a while back and literally everyone within earshot was speaking a foreign language, I did feel a little wrong-footed for a moment, but maybe that's MY problem. However I don't think that makes me 'racist'). I don't mind his observation of noting how things change around us and how that can be disconcerting, I do despise his methods and rationale for dealing with that.

Unfortunately the general Question Time format seemed to disintegrate into a 'let's trash the BNP' and much as though they deserve it, it did make the programme seem like a missed opportunity to expose the party's wider failings.

The only other things to add are that the final question was on Jan Moir's shameful Stephen Gately column and even the homophobic Griffin felt Moir's words had been ill-timed and inadvisable. When you're prejudices are taken to task by the BNP, you know you've reached rock-bottom! (It's like gooood advice, that you just can't take!)  And finally... that the Daily Mail's front-page (and indeed most of the UK papers) screamed that the BBC had given the BNP a platform and massive publicity that the heinous party didn't deserve... and they screamed that in the biggest blackest headline fonts they could fill their front-pages with. It's like a freeee ride, when you've already paid. Non?

And who would have thought.

It figures.

MOIR : LESS THAN MEETS THE EYE...

2009-10-16T20:52:00.003+01:00

E ntertainment journalists and columnists don't have the best reputation. Ye gods, on an average day we rank somewhere between Roman Polanski and Paris Hilton on the table of respect. Today, however, our stock must have plummeted even further. This is largely due to a column by one Jan Moir of the UK's Daily Mail... a person who manages in a few column inches to demonstrate all that is wrong in the profession and yet still maintain that SHE's the victim... it would be an impressive passive-aggressive art if it wasn't also so tedious.

Okay, firstly, some context. This is the article I'm talking about. Read it all if you can. (Here).   Okay, done?

I don't know what to say. Moir's diatribe is merely a series of bigotted holes knitted together by barely-contained bile. Her whole tack of 'There's nothing wrong with being gay, but why do these dead people have to be so... gay about it?' stinks of the worst kind of ignorant prejudice and gossip rather than anything resembling basic research and facts. Her inference (which couldn't have been more single-entendre'd if she'd typed nudge-nudge, wink-wink at the end of every sentence) is that three gay men must have been doing something sleazy because, well... they're GAY dammit and just echoes the moral righteous indignation of a newpaper that loves to roll around in the subjects it despises (only so YOU don't have to!). The day before Mrs Gately buries her son, Moir dances on the grave, spits a little and bitch-slaps the mother for being naive.

Now, I don't know what did or did not happen on the night of Gately's death. Unless there was criminal activity, I don't want to know or need to. Frankly, it's not YOUR business either.  What Moir does though is use every sentence that apprently bemoans the 'gay' angle, to do nothing less than hammer the 'gay' relevance into her paragraphs, whether it fits or not. The coroner, clearly not on a par with Moir's CSI level of expertise has given me enough information to presume this was a tragedy rather than a crime, merely a sad death not a tabloid's wet-homophobic dream. And apparently, again flying in the face of Moir's logic, people under 30 CAN actually die of natural causes. Sometimes, even in their pyjamas. (Fuck you, Quincy!)

After Twitter reacted like only Twitter can (look, even Stephen Fry tweeted on it - maybe it's not so inane and pointless after all!) and advertisers began pulling out with a speed normally reserved for Glen Beck,  Moir poured petrol on the ~~water~~ fire, and 'clarified' that  she actually thinks gay people are kind of sooooper (presumably when not dying) and that her comments have been deliberately twisted and misquoted to fit others' agendas. This must be true as she'd clearly know such an act when she sees it.

So... what next? Tomorrow will Moir asks why black people, some of whom are her friends so there's nothing personal, so love them watermelons? A career at FOX clearly beckons...

HACK ATTACK...

2009-10-11T01:33:00.003+01:00

I t has - once again - been a bit since my last entry. Since getting back from Iowa it's all been a bit fast-lane, except with no nice convertible cars involved. Last weekend (1st-4th Oct) I was attending Cinema Days and the line-up was pretty good. Sometimes the range of movies on offer can be a bit disappointing but this time there was a diverse bunch. Let's rattle through 'em...

Cirque Du Freak - probably best described as Twilight for the less pretty. It's got an anarchic edge, but the result is pretty average... '9' - Shane Acker's CGI adventure. Visually stunning and very Tim Burtonesque, but the story's all over the place... Jennifer's Body - saw this with Jilly in Iowa... it's been sold on Megan Fox and she's the least interesting thing in it, even when swimming naked...Cold Souls - Paul Giammatti in a kind of more cerebral take on Being John Malkovich. Giammatti's stored soul gets lost and then traded to the Russians (yeah - formulaic, much???)... Harry Brown - Michael Caine as a pensioner who takes the alw into his own hands when yobs on his estate kill his friend (not remotely as truly dreadful as it could ahve been, but a bit simplistic) The Informant - People seems to have been raving over this story of a bizarre but real tale of corporate deception. It's okay but way over long... The Merry Gentleman - nicely observed and not morbid tale tale with Clive Owen about recovering from grief... Nativity! - a comedy about a school putting on a Christmas play. Could ahve been god-awful, but you'd have to have a heart of stone to not note its heart is in the right place and Martin Freeman does raise a few good laughs... The Descent Part 2 - or 'I know Where You Pot-Holed Last Summer', averagely well-done horror and also Me &Orson Welles - a nice comedy based on real events and much better than a Zac Efron movie deserves to be.

The event itself was okay - decent guests but not as much time for socialising as previous events. Everyone was acutely tired and financially challenged so there wasn't any significant late-night drinkies etc.

On the way back from the event, near Birmingham New Street, my wallet vanished and I've since had to cancel and reorder all my credit and bank cards. After doing so I did get a message that someone had found the wallet in Birmingham and would send it back but it hasn't turned up yet (supposedly on its way by post, so hopeful!). Still unsure how it could have got lost/stolen to begin with, but will be glad to get the pix and business cards back, at least. Also, I seem to be one of several CD regulars who came down with the flu straight after the weekend. Not 100% sure if it was the dreaded swine flu or not, but left me feeling hugely tired, achey, blocked up and generally run-down for about three days and I'm still not quite right now. Just dosed myself up with Lemsip, Lucozade, Jaffa Cakes and quality-ish bed time.

I've also noticed that, somewhat miraculously, when I got back from Iowa was 5lbs lighter than when I set off! (...down to less than 14 stone, yay!) I seemed to put the lbs on again at Cinema Days, but once again they seem to have dropped off in the week since. I'd be very happy to lose another 1/2 stone in the month or so to come, so we'll see if that happens (highly unlikely and I've given up trying to work out exactly how my body responds to everything!) If only I had the inclination and time to work out more... but I still can't be too vigorous and jerky. So to speak.

Hoped to cover some George Clooney stuff this coming week as got invites to events, but unlikely to be able to fit in the time to get to and from London at short notice. Ah, well. In the meantime, here's the rogue's gallery of film types. Honestly, I have waaaay more hair than it looks like here...

THERE AND BACK AGAIN...

2009-09-28T01:35:00.001+01:00

S o, I haven't posted in over a week. Needless to say I made it back from Iowa - with luggage and myself intact. Despite that mad dash across Minneapolis airport, the flights went well and pretty much to time. As always, it's kind of a weird feeling to be back in Leeds, especially as I've been out of the normal stomping ground for a whole month... it's a neither here-nor-thereiness.

As always, Iowa was pretty relaxing. With Jilly working her unsociable hours and tending to fall asleep in mid sentenzzzzzzzzzzz..., there wasn't a lot on the regular daily menu, but we managed to sneak in the Akron Scarecrow Festival, a screening of Jennifer's Body (out in the UK at the end of next month), a relaxing day/night away in Sioux Falls (best. hotel. room. eva.) not to mention some serious rearranging of furniture (yay, Jilly's new computer, computer-desk etc which are now actually better than mine, dammit). The cats and dogs kept me on my toes and knees. I learned that the small, innocent Lilly could bring down a rabbit the size of a rhino (with help from Harry) and poor Big Gay Winston will never, ever be house-trained, but as I seem unfeasibly domesticated when I get to Iowa, it wasn't too bad.

I took a ton of photos, a reasonable proportion of which seemed to turn out well and the autumnal/fall landscape was a great backdrop. No haunted houses this time, but plenty of people and trees and I'm sure they'll be some spooky stuff on my next visit.

Between now and then (probably shortly before Christmas, but, hey, it's October next week, so what - 80 Days?) I have to generate some more work to finance everything and I'm seriously getting behind the theregoestheday-the store project. I'll be uploading more and more designs to the store over the coming weeks. There's already a range of t-shirts for Hallowe'en and I'll be introducing more. Please feel free to spread the word on this or ask after more. I don't make much on each, but all items are reasonably priced and it would be nice to get some regular turnover on the site before Christmas.

As for now, back into the swing of things at Impact and coming up at the end of the coming week is Cinema Days. Iowa, Minneapolis, Amsterdam, Leeds... and Birmingham - all in less than two weeks.

My, what a fast-lane I live in...

AHEAD ON POINTS...

2009-09-11T21:39:00.004+01:00

A picture is worth a thousand words, or so 'they' say. In that case I'll keep this short and let the pictures speak for themselves...

Had a headache yesterday that just wouldn't shift. I've been annoying careful with my head since the end of last year, but I've managed to lightly bump it a few times, despite ( or sometimes *because*) I'm being so bloody careful. However nothing has started to rattle yet.

Hopefully good news re: hot water and betetr Net connection over the weekend!

LABOR PAINS (AND PLEASURES)...

2009-09-09T19:06:00.000+01:00

I haven’t posted for about a week. In some ways that’s because Iowa is pleasantly peaceful and a slower-pace, so there’s been nothing hugely significant to post about. However, looking back, here’s the highlights:

- a week ago or so Senator Teddy Kennedy was buried. The last of the Kennedy brothers, it’s the closest thing the Americans have had to ‘royalty’. I was interested to see how it was covered as I remember the deeply flawed and troubled Diana being turned into a purest Saint in a matter of days. Ironically, it was reasonably fair, his many faults and scandals weren’t glossed over and like the other Kennedy’s his various biographies covered the highs and lows that defined him. It was eye-opening to see the energy and time he did put into many, many bills that helped the poor, the sick and the disenfranchised . It might not balance the scales, but there’s no denying that in his latter years he did do a lot of good - particularly in his hopes for health reform. I find it ironic that the Far Right is now saying that passing the Obama Health Care bill (that he fought for,)wouldn’t be a tribute to Kennedy at all, but making a mockery of his final days and playing politics. I mean…seriously?

- Big Gay Winston knows how to projectile slobber. It’s as impressive as it is disgusting and can only be fully appreciated with its stereo-soundtrack as well.

- demolition derbys are kinda cool. One of the Labor Day weekend celebrations was such a derby and there’s something therapeutic about watching cars smash into each other as long as no-one gets hurt. Got some nice pix of such with my zoom lens.

- the macro camera-lenses finally arrived from eBay. I’ve taken some pretty good close-up shots of the weird and wonderful insects that are around here. Spiders, grasshoppers, bees, locusts… strange yellow things. I feel like Darwin

- Fox News‘ Glen Beck. Never in the history of watching news channels have I so wanted to reach through a screen and knock the living crap out of anyone so much. It‘s one thing to have valid arguments about big issues, but he‘s an idiot with a big mouth, no sense of accuracy, a scare-mongered and clearly has a massive hole in his marble-bag. Worse… he seems to have an audience.

- Impact work done for me. Feeling sorry for Neal, our designer, who has so much to do this week, but I’ve also done a huge amount of work on the issue myself, chased everyone as much as I could and really couldn’t do much moe if I was in Leeds rather than Iowa. Work on the NEXT issue must begin soon..

- Jilly exhausted after punishing work schedule and house/pet stuff. Been happy to help as much as I can, but I can see how she gets even more tired when I’m not here.

- just less than two weeks left of my trip, which is nice as I don’t feel under the gun. Hope to go and see ‘9’, the new Tim Burton CGI movie today, which looks very interesting and Jilly has a day off on Thursday.

- one of Jilly's friends brought around and brought a less-than-week-year-old kitten for her to look after (or should I say arrived, handed to me, said Jilly knew about it and ran for the hills... Jilly didn't know anything about it!). Sadly it didn't survive the night, but we did all we could. But the already over-crowded ark still felt a bit empty the next morning...

- though it’s uneven, I’m actually getting a ton more sleep than I usually do. Sometimes in bed by 10:00pm and up not long after 7:00. I suppose this can only be good.

- NEW t-shirt designs have just gone up at the TGTD store, some especially for HalLowe'en.. I will be posting more about these in the next few days. PLEASE spread the word!

More later...

IT'S A MIST-STORY...

2009-08-28T22:11:00.002+01:00

I was up reasonably early today. Jilly had to be at work as dawn broke (7:00am) and I ended up being up and at 'em by just before 7:30. I looked outside to see the mist rising and the sun just trying to poke through.

Grabbing my camera I headed down across the tracks to see if I could grab any decent shots before brekafast. The mist was already rising, but I managed to get a few nice shots done and succeeded in worrying a rabbit (all this before lunch!). Ironically, if I'd been up earlier I think I could have got some even better ones but maybe that's a choice for another day. Here's a couple of the more moody ones for the time being... one of the railroad crossing which is just near the house and also of a shot of some sunflowers just beyond the fence surrounding one of the big ponds...

SLEEP, PERCHANCE TO PHOTOGRAPH...

2009-08-26T03:57:00.010+01:00

P erhaps underestimating the jet-lag I decided to take a nap at around 4:00pm on Sunday and ended up staying in bed until around 6:30am the following morning. Normally you can't get me out of bed before 9:00am as I stay up until late, but things have largely been reversed since I got here...

Jilly had to work on Sunday, but has had Monday and Tuesday off. Monday was largely a do-errands day, so nothing spectacular to report. At least... until the night-time. We were woken at about 2:00am Tues by both a storm revving up outside and also some pitiful barking. I can downstairs and opened the front door to find both Winston and Katie looking a bit damp and pathetic. They'd both somehow got out through the back-door but hadn't worked out they could get back in the same way at that point. By this time the lightning had started, so I got up for an hour and took some photos. I got some nice ones, but hoping for a drier version sometime during my stay as the rain started to come down quite fast.

Today (Tuesday as it still is here) we met up with Jilly's sister Mary and her freind Tasha and her husband and went into Canton (no sign of 'Jayne' - its hero) to look at antique stores. I kept my eyes open for any Royal Doulton but merely came away with a copy of Swamp Thing #1 - as written by Len Wein, but no complaints there. I now have my camera surgically attached and managed to get a photo of Tasha's daughter looking both innocent and guilty. It's originally in colour, but I think b/w works better.

Also took my obligatory first trip down near the river and got a nice image of a sunflower (I've selectively black/white'd the shot, but the actual colours are real) and the sunset.

Having a nice relaxing time so far, marred only by quite a lot of flies and bugs and the news that back in Blightly, the taxman is being a pain, but managing to avoid them, explain or swat as need be...

EMOTIONAL, BAGGAGE...

2009-08-23T20:10:00.002+01:00

I thought I might have jinxed myself, when sitting on the plane to Sioux Falls, the pilot announced there'd be a slight delay while one of the technicians examined a small possible fault. It had been going SO well....

Glancing out the window I saw all our bags being off-loaded - which I presumed would mean the worst. However about ten minutes later the pilot announced all was good and I saw the bags being reloaded. It's worthwhile mentioning that I saw my bags not so much being un/loaded as gamefully hurled/lobbed from conveyor belt to truck/plane as if it was an Olympic sport in danger of going out of fashion. So let that be a lesson to pack well and with buffers for the more fragile things. (Thankfully, everything seems intact).

Jilly, Tad and Anne were awaiting me at Sioux Falls when I arrived (only that ten minutes or so late) and after running a few errands at the mall (including me getting two rather nice t-shirts in Old Navy for a mere $3 each!) I finally got back into Iowa at around 9:00ish or so - just as the sun was setting. As I'd taken off just as it was rising UK-time, this meant I'd had the perfect thirty hour day I'd always needed.

Up early this morning as the usual body-clock problems kicked in, but that should sort itself out soon enough. Jill had to be up for work at 5:00am, so no sympathy from her. The weather is nice and toasty and just taking it easy today apart from stocking up on supplies!

EN ROUTE, EN VOGUE... (REDUX)

2009-08-22T20:08:00.001+01:00

So, I'm currently in Minneapolis airport and everything seems to be going swimmingly - if that's not the wrong description for air-travel.

I got some sleep last night - heading to bed early and managing to get about 4 on-off hours - which helped with subsequent travelling. The parentals, planning to head off early for a day at the coast, agreed to drop me off at about 4:45am at LBA (thanks to them both!). Baggage checked with no problems there and the Amsterdam flight went off on time. Lovely sunrise just before we took off - ALMOST worth getting up for!

BIG queue when I got to Amsterdam and heightened security at the gate, but though my eventual seat wasn't great, it was perfectly comfortable and I managed another hour or so of on-off sleep while reading my preview copy of Michael Connelly's new novel 9 Dragons and watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off (just 'cos).

Now just have to wait to board for Sioux Falls and that's only an hour trip, so fingers crossed. Weather outside looks hot and sunny and I understand Iowa is similar.

So... onwards, upwards and a bit more west.

UP, UP AND ETC ETC...

2009-08-22T05:30:00.000+01:00

So... after counting down the weeks then days the hours, I'm about 55 mins away from the first leg of my trip. Flying from LBA to Amsterdam and then onto Minn and Siox Falls. If the flights line-up as they're supposed to (IF) I should be there by 4:20 local time.

As always I'll try to keep the blog updated while I'm away and anyone needing to keep tabs or contact should be able to do so via Blackberry, text (probably better given time difference and charges) or on Facebook.

More soon...

WEAR GOES THE DAY...

2009-08-15T00:45:00.005+01:00

F or the last few weeks I've been developing a personal side-project which I'm finally launching into the public domain this weekend. What started as simply a fun way to keep my design skills sharpened - inbetween writing many, many, mannnnnny articles - needed to take on a life of its own if it was to warrant the time I was actually starting to spend on it. Therefore, with the barest imitation of a drum-roll, I now introduce you to THERE GOES THE DAY: THE STORE...

Yes. I know. Contain yourselves. But details, nevertheless... As part of the CafePress platform, I've created a raft of products/designs for the discerning fan of fun, irony and, in the case of the first wave of releases, cute animal characters in worrying situations (don't phone the papers). In addition to the main t-shirts, there's also other clothing, mugs, mouse-pads and even heaven help us, postcards, bottles and underwear. Over the next few weeks and months I'll be adding more designs and general themes, but so far there's been some very positive feedback from those who've seen them. The prices are reasonably low for the quality CafePress are known for and if there's any combination of item/design you can't see or would like to, feel free to contact and I should be able to sort it for you.

The site, which I'm about to add to the links at the top of this blog page can also be found here. This is unlikely to make me any kind of millionaire, but there's some good stuff available and I would appreciate people spreading the word to anyone they think might be interested.

After this blatant piece of self-advertising, I now return you to your scheduled blogging.... there'll be another opinionated rant insightful editorial or observational listing along shortly. Mind how you go...

QUE SARAH SERA... THE IMPLOSION OF PALIN.

2009-08-13T19:50:00.003+01:00

I try to balance fluffy, silly and purely 'what I did today' posts with observations that I feel strongly about. Buckle up, this is one of the latter variety and it's a doozy.

“The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.”
- Sarah Palin.

I can’t tell you how much that statement makes my blood boil. Really… on so many f*cking levels it’s one of the most offensive paragraphs I’ve seen this year and I think I need to at least try and explain why.

I’m Left of Centre… most people who know me know that. However those who know me WELL know I like a good debate and I actually enjoy having a rational discussion about important issues with all sides represented and having the ability to respect each other in the morning. I don’t always go into debates to try and change another’s opinion, so much as provide a check on my own opinion to see if it holds up under pressure. Sometimes I’ve had my mind changed, sometimes reinforced. The only times I’ve changed my opinion it’s been through someone else’s rational argument. It has never been - and NEVER will be - by someone standing on a street corner and brow-beating me into submission by using phrases, words or ill-informed arguments that are SPECIFICALLY designed to mislead, obfuscate and terrorise you into agreement. Such tactics may work on some cable news shows and British tabloids, but they aren’t worthy of a civilised society. That’s the fire and brimstone and snakeoilsmanship that never worked for me when yelled from a pulpit, never mind in civilised conversation.

Palin’s press release outburst is a dictionary-definition of that. She’s commenting on a controversial issue and to SCARE people into agreeing with her stance she describes a scenario heavily-laden with Nazi/WWII imagery that not only COULD NOT happen under the bill she’s protesting about, but is not even suggested in such bill. She’s not, for one second, debating the bill’s merits, specifics or problems, she’s gone straight for symbolic sound-bite imagery that couldn’t be more darkly and deliberately emotive if she’d shaved her head and visited Auschwitz with a tear in her eye to deliver it. ‘How DARE government step in and have the right to decide your life and death???’ is the rallying cry from a politician who came to personify the Far Right when not applying lipsticks to farm-yard animal metaphors. Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is the demographic who are adamantly Pro-Life and would gladly pass a bill making abortion illegal - which I presume would have to mean that the government has a lean-to on your womb and ovaries, no matter what your wishes. Sounds vaguely invasive of personal freedom to me. If I called ‘Pro-Lifers’ ‘Nazi foetus snatchers’ (and I wouldn't as I honestly believe it's an issue always worthy of debate), they’d rightly be up in the arms that they want the right to bear. I can’t help noticing the same courtesy isn’t being extended.

Also, the rallying cry is that people should not lambast her because she’s already been maimed by the obtuse way Sarah Palin’s family were spotlighted in the election run. Here there’s a tiny bit of credence - while most lambasted her obvious political inadequacies, a FEW people DID take a few unfair pot-shots at her family relationships. I admit to being somewhat surprised at the time that a parent of any newborn child (never mind one who would need greater care) would decide to run for an absurdly high-pressure job that would take them away from home for long periods so soon after delivery, but far from being sexist I would have made the same non-malicious, simply pragmatic observation if it had been her husband in the running too. But otherwise, I evaluated her run purely on her performance/ideas/plans and in that I don’t think she was generally treated any worse/better than other candidates. If FOX News said Hilary Clinton shouldn’t be treated any differently because of her sex, I see no reason why Sarah Palin should have been kid-gloved in the same area.

But in invoking her family and Down Syndrome child for this latest rant, I’m afraid Palin invalidates the ‘out of bounds’ nature. You can’t willingly use them as a political tool and then scream when others do the same against you. If they are out-of-bounds, then that must work and be respected in both directions. Just as you can’t celebrate your daughter’s DECISION to keep her child at the same time as campaigning for lack of choice in the matter for others. Whatever your political argument or stance, which I respect your right to have, the EXECUTION of it in that case was absurdly hypocritical.

Despite all of this, there’s huge merit in people saying ‘Hold on, this health reform is an important step and therefore I need to be convinced and have my concerns addressed’. No-one in their right mind should put their signature or support to a bill that isn’t scrutinised, debated and shaped accordingly. However there’s huge default weight put behind such a bill when the opposition to it is largely made up of the vague insinuations and lack of specifics that seemed to pepper any interview that Palin gave throughout her run. If people are genuinely concerned about their future and any significant changes, then ASK. Don’t take the pet-pundits word on either CNN or FOX, who set out to convince you of the stance they feel you should take. Take some PERSONAL responsibility and look for a break-down of what things will mean, rather than what someone says they might mean in a certain light. In a modern society, if we’re rational human beings, we can demand such assurances without hurling abuse or storming town-meetings… ENGAGE in the debate, don't listen to the most comforting sounds: Listen to all the answers. If the answers aren’t sufficient, ask more questions. Ask for diagrams if necessary. Get ’your’ guy to put your side of the debate in an equally sensible manner.

As my brother Steven so recently pointed out to me, don’t take a popular, widely distributed misconception as default proof you’re absolutely right. When something seems outlandish, then check if it’s actually true. It may be. It may not. Example: In its own rush to demonise health care reform, US paper Investor's Business Daily has said that Professor Stephen Hawking would have died under an set-up/arrangement similar to Britain’s National Health Service. Really? When actually ASKED, Stephen Hawking, one of the world’s most eminent minds and a qualified genius (who has lived in the UK for most of his life and is still VERY MUCH ALIVE), said he was furious with the comment because - quite the opposite - he feels he owes his LIFE to the NHS.

Anyone who believes that Obama has some genuinely nefarious moustache-twirling, Nazi attempt to sneak in legislation to spy on your life and create a dictatorship, reads too many comics or conspiracy novels (or lsitens to Rush Limbaugh make a similar comparison). On the other hand, if you believe he’s simply wrong and it needs better clarification or a different idea - get your own ducks in a row and DISCUSS it.

Fight your corner… convince me you‘re right with good, solid arguments based on facts, examples, official documents and experts. Good health care for ALL can’t possibly be evil and can ONLY be good as LONG as it is implemented well. I’m British. OUR system is far from perfect, but I know you shouldn’t have to cripple yourself to afford necessary surgery. Last year I had a brain haemorrhage and I can only speak in glowing terms of a medical team and the team at Leeds General Infrimary who didn’t ask to see my tax return before they treated me. (Actually, I tell a lie, the food was pretty bad…. But because of their skill, I’m happy to be able to live with that).

But anyone basing any of their arguments for preventing good health for all, merely on the ill-informed, ill-advised ramblings of a politician so inept that I never heard her speak of a single genuine specific, who barely mastered a sound-bite and for whom a mere transcription of one of her interviews gave SNL it’s biggest season-wide laugh really, really needs to find a better advocate, authority and a firmer foundation…

Don’t let someone who tells you what to think, tell you the spin stops with them. Today, you have to make it stop YOURSELF.

HEAVENS ABOVE...

2009-08-12T22:49:00.007+01:00

L ast night was a time for a bit of navel / star gazing. I joined Simon Hopkinson and Paul Beck for several drinks at the Black Bull, probably our first 'local' when we barely old enough to drink (and, even then, not quite legally).

It used to be a real dive, but was a wonderful mix of all types - bikers, elderly gentlemen, businessmen and students all in dark, smokey rooms with more alcohol on the carpet than in the glasses. Yes, I know, I over-sell it. It shut down at one point and opened as (what it thought was) a more prestigious venue... cleaner, posher, with installed bouncers on the door and immediately lost any and all character, charm and our patronage. Glad to say that the modern version may be cleaner and prettier but seems much more inviting than its middle incarnation.

Paul had had three pints already when we got there and he managed to work his way through more. It was great to catch up and we worked out who of the old gang were around and what they'd been up to. Though he looks the same, Paul's now married with two kids which just made Simon and I feel even older. We then argued about life, love, politics and the existence of God. Simon used to be quite religious but has now gone over to the dark side. However Paul's job involves getting paid for sampling beer therefore proving the existence of a higher power.

We eventually ran Paul home and poured him into his driveway with promsies we'd do it all again soon. Then the main thrust of the evening began. The Perseids meteor shower was due to start giving a good celestial show and so Simon and I drove out into the Yorkshire Dales and up to Ribblehead viaduct (where there was no light pollution). There were several shooting stars seen over the next few hours and if it wasn't quite the lightshow promsied it was still quite powerful to be standing under a wide, dark and fairly clear sky. I didn't get many great shots (though check out Simon's blog for some really impressive exposures, so to speak) as I wasn't able to keep the camera shutter manually open for long enough, but I manged some effective shots of the landscape thanks to Simon's car headlights. The top shot is at around 3:00am, though in reality it was much, much darker than the shot suggests.

Around 4:00am we headed back and I managed to grab some shots of Chelker Reservoir as dawn broke. Always interesting to see the start of the day from the wrong side.

It definitely makes me want to head out and about and get some good, atmospheric photographs. The likes of Whitby, York and other old places spring to mind in the UK and I fully intend to make the most of my time in Iowa (now only ten days and counting!).

Right now, I'm ploughing through articles for Impact, readying to launch a little project I'll be telling you about shortly and next week I look set to head to London to talk to Kathryn Bigelow (director of The Hurt Locker)... and then finishing packing.

But now, I'm just going to check outside. I hear the lightshow continues... and as we three Yorkshiremen noted last night, what's life without a few fireworks?

KEEPING THAT MOMENTUM...

2009-08-02T18:39:00.001+01:00

J ust as the British summer seems to be swinging between gloriously sunny weather and torrential downpours on an almost equal basis, I'm finding that I'm caught in the 'Hurry up and wait...' event horizon where it's all feast or famine. Some days I'm rattling through several articles with a real sense of accomplishment and on other days - where there isn't such an imminent deadline - I'm lolling around bemoaning I haven't things to do.

Neither is quite accurate, of course. In some ways the enhanced workload is self-inflicted and to ensure I have less to do while I'm in Iowa (two months' worth of Impact work this month and little the next, if all goes well) and on days when I'm not surgically attached to the laptop, there's a ton of stuff I should be doing but haven't mustered up the energy to approach. Such is the way.

I've actually found I can even things out a bit and keep a sense of momentum up if I have some sort of regime:

1) Try not to go thirty-six hours without a shave and a shower - even if I'm not leaving the house. Sounds obvious. Sometimes there's no need to be tidy and spotless if I'm simply going to be at home, but there's few substitutes for the energising 'just got clean' feeling. Makes me feel I'm ready to do something...

2) Keep the desk tidy-ish. Okay. This isn't necessarily tidy by others' standards, but rule of thumb: I need to be able to see the colour of the wood and to be able to move things and find things without an avalanche of paperwork. Since I started boxing things up and designating certain shelves for certain things with a bit more of a draconian eye, I usually feel I'm ready to handle whatever lands in my lap. The bigger, wider room is a more lengthy, intimidating work in progress, but I'm working on it.

3) Snacks are good. Jaffa cakes are particularly good, dammit. However keeping some back as a reward for finishing a piece of work is very effective and also helpful to the diet plan. You HAVE to write about Transformers 2... you do it first and earn the Jaffas.

4) Watch television/listen to music. If I'm not listening to music or transcribinga disc, I have the news on in the background. At worst it's something to focus past, but at best: I'm a bit of a news-hound so my radar picks up any important news-flashes that come along. Every couple of hours, I take a break anyway and catch up on the newest headlines. Even if it's still just about Michael Jackson.

5) Have something to look forward to. If there's a particualrly tight or annoying deadline, focus past it with the 'Once I get this done, I'm one step closer to...' etc. Sometimes it works better than others, but with three weeks to go before Iowa, I'm trying to make little milestones along the way to break it down. If you can accomplish something every day it speeds things along...

6) Never spend more than two straight hours on any article. By that time, you're losing spontaneity. Stop, save and come back it. It will be better for it.

7) Keep a blog. It keeps you writing about things you want to write about.

8) I did mention the Jaff cakes, didn't I?

OWN GOALS?

2009-07-31T12:49:00.001+01:00

I 'm not really a huge football fan but I recognise the fact that the death of Bobby Robson, legendary and cantankerous English football/soccer manager IS a news story. He was a huge and controversial personality and many passionate sport fans wil be sad he's died - albeit not unexpectedly after a long fight with cancer. BUT... may I offer a little perspective that his death is still being consistently covered fifteen minutes into every station's headlines and this on a day when Gary Mckinnon, the British hacker has lost his fight to be extradited to the US - which is getting about five minutes coverage, tops.

For those who don't know...this in a young Asperger's Syndrome sufferer who hacked into the Pentagon computers in search of information about UFOs and left some messages that warned the security services that their defences were rather pitiful. There's no doubt that he did technically commit a criminal act, but anyone who has seen and heard the guy knows that he's no terrorist mastermind or massive threat to national security. He apparently 'admitted' the crime to police - without lawyers' representation - after he was told that he was liable to get a slap on the wrist if he did so. Instead the 'confession' has led to US demands for him to be extradited to face far more serious crimes linked to 'terrorism'. Sensible people feel he should serve some punishment/be fined for his 'crime', but that US government intent seems completely out of scale. Current thinking is that US prosecutors are seriously looking at sentencing which could be up to 70 years in a US jail. Equally it seems that though the crimes were committed in the UK and under British law he should be tried here, the British parliament has completely caved in to US demands and Mckinnon has lost his appeal.

Recently almost seventy politicians said they would support the fight to have Mckinnon tried here in the UK but when it came to formally putting their names to that motion, almost all buckled under government pressure to tow the party-line. This is one of those occasions where I (shock, horror) actually agree with a Daily Mail viewpoint that something is utterly 'disgraceful'. I'm afraid this probably says more about the current suicidal, complicit nature of our current Labour government to misjudge common-sense than it does about some US hawks looking to posture their security issues.

The Beautiful Game, a rathr ugly state of affairs... but if I was a serious news channel, I know which story I'd be spending more time on...

BOYS' NIGHT OUT...

2009-07-29T19:14:00.001+01:00

I had a few drinks with Glenn Hewitt and Jonny Parker last night (Tuesday) at The Black Bull, once my local pub, but an establishment I've barely been in recently. I haven't seen Glenn for a few years as our plans to meet up always seemed to end up with one of us having to cancel at the last minute, though we've always kept in touch. It's been over a decade since I saw Jonny P, but he hasn't changed much. Simon Hopkinson was supposed to make it down to Horsforth as well but his dad wouldn't let him have the car! (Parents!!!!)

Glenn's managed to nearly lose a finger in a train/ticket-machine/door interface, so is off the conducting schedules and is now the (remaining) fingers behind the screen ~~lies~~ announcements of delays you see while waiting at the smaller Leeds stations. He still never drinks alcohol nor swears like a trooper, but does have snakes named after the Nolan sisters. The first two of those statements are outright lies, the third is totally accurate and somewhat morally disturbing. Jonny, fresh-ish from a job as a career-advisor is now... unemployed and has learned the art of ordering half a coke and making it last ninety minutes. I'm sure there's an official eastern name for that unique and impressive martial-art.

Glenn politely informs me that we've all put weight on, so I guess I need to put more effort into the putting in of more effort. I'm determined to be a half a stone lighter by Christmas, as long as I don't have to give up Jaffa Cakes. We caught up on all the gossip - some of it positively soap-operatic - and decided we had to do these meetings more often now that we're all back in the same-ish area. It might be after I'm back from Iowa as that's only a few weeks away), but it'll be fun to do so.

Now... off to write articles and win the lottery...

REFLECTIVE...

2009-07-26T19:23:00.000+01:00

S itting with the group of journalists I mentioned last time, the observation was made that no-one knows you as well as yourself. I'm sure the profound comments were fuelled by tiredness and a few beers, but it raises some interesting points...

*user pauses for deep thinking mode*

I've been transcribing several recent interviews for upcoming articles and if I didn't already know that was me on the tape, I wouldn't recognise my own voice. The way I hear myself talking aloud 'live' is very much different than the way the playback sounds and, presumably, how others hear me. The words are mine - but the tone seems off. Equally, while taking a self-portrait like the one that you can see top left (if you're reading this on the blogsite itself) it's often easier to take the shot in the mirror, but then I have to remember to reverse it. The shot I originally get is the one I most easily recognise from seeing myself on a daily basis (contrary to popular belief I don't spend all day looking at myself, but , hey, some longful gazing at me is inevitable); the correctly reversed one allows me to see the version of my face that everyone else see, but it looks wrong to me. Again - there's that gap between what I know of me and what others do.

So with such differences, who knows the real me and do I know it any better? After all, I'm in a prominent minority of one. And if that's true, do we ever see others the 'right' way? Certainly their view of themselves will differ accordingly. I think the only real answer is that spending a lot of time around those you care about, you get to know the way they THINK, their personality and how they react to things. It's the reason that people become more attractive the more you get to know them (or the opposite, I suppose) . Those interactions with family, lovers, friends...are the things that probably define the bigger us more than our looks or voice - at least to those who matter. You get an insight into the 'who' of who they are. Equally, through experience, people may sometimes read us better than we read ourselves; subjective or objective, it's always a receipe for good drama. :)

The truth is that there's little you can do to change those physical factors, so you just have to trust in yourself and in the people whose opinions have come to matter and who seem to have our best interest at heart. You can but hope that the person you are and the person people perceive you to be are relatively close... and if in doubt, always go with the most positive version. You can spend too much time in your own head - and my head is a nice place to visit, but time-share is a big commitment.

In other terms... in the words of that great philosopher himself: 'I think therefore I yam what I yam....'

Everything else is noise.

PRESS FOR ACTION...

2009-07-25T11:28:00.003+01:00

W ell, the week flew by. The second trip to London was interesting. First, I watched the first UK press screening of GI Joe. I'd love to tell you what I thought of it, but contractually I'm not even allowed to review it on my blog until the start of April, never mind elsewhere - suffice to say it wasn't as bad as Transformers - but that's a given.

Sarah, from the film distributors, took a group of us for a meal in Soho where we discussed the merits of movies, basic tips to make events like Cinema Days work better and the woeful state of the business (no-one's doing well). Then a smaller group of us retired back to the hotel bar and set the world to rights, talking about life, love and laughter for an hour or so. The actual hotel itslf was quite plush and the bedrooms very relaxing. I was out like a light and up early for the press conference the following day.

That was aboard HMS Belfast, the warship moored just down from Tower Bridge. Nice idea, but not that practical. The publicity 'battle' beforehand was scuppered by health and safety rules, but the conference was light and frothy (a little like the Thames). Worth going down for, but not full of any great insights.

The new Impact is now back form the printers. I fought for a posteresque Inglourious Basterds cover and it looks good. Slightly annoyed I didn't catch the fact that we correctly wrote 'Inglorious' when it should have been incorrectly spelled Inglourious as per the title of the film, but I was concentrating more on Basterds not being the problem! Darn that Tarantino guy!

No more press trips next week - just can't afford them - but plenty of work to do to keep me off the streets. Need to write two issues of Impact work before heading to Iowa next month and so I doubt I'll have much time to go off gallavanting beforehand. However there seems to be lots of interesting news coming out Comic-Con in San Diego, so I'll have to live vicariously and just write about them, instead.

Other good news: Jilly's scoring consistent As in her college assignments so I fully expect her to be teaching me a thing or two about pen(wo)manship before I return...

(MORE) PROs & CONs.

2009-07-20T22:36:00.003+01:00

I t's been a busy few days. I spent Friday to Sunday covering the London Film & Comic Con. Given recent trips and outgoings it was a bit expsnsive for me, but I intended to get some good interviews which will ultimately be in Impact and perhaps other magazines in the near future and months to come.

The weather for the train trips in both directions was... interesting. We went through some fairly intense storms, only to keep emerging into much brightier, sunnier weather. Quite fun, when you don't have to go out in it all and watch it from a window as you speed by. (See photo taken from the train and remarkably clear!)

Got down into London and across to the Radisson Edwardian by around 7:00pm. The first thing I noticed was the little cameras on sticks at reception. They looked like the kind you see as you pass through US Customs at airports. I was assured by the check-in staff that they were only there to photograph regular/important guests to aid the hotel staff in catering for them. Personally, I have a very strong feeling that's complete and utter bullshit and it's yet another 'security' issue. Part of me wonders what information is kept, who it's passed to and I am seriously seeing if I can find out answers to that. Yes, bit of a militant, me when we get down to all this Big Brother tech stuff and lack of clarity/honesty across the board.

Annnnnnnyways... the actual event was fun. Met up with mucker Mark Ryan on Friday night and we also travelled into Earls Court for the LFCC in the morning. The event Green Room was as interesting mix as ever and some good/silly/serious conversations were to be had. Always interesting to see the mix of people, genuinely glad to meet their peers.

In the end I got time with the likes of Danny Trejo, Michael Ironside, Chris Sarandon, Michael Keating (Blake's Seven) and comic guys Phil Jiminez and Arthur Suydam. Scott Bakula was there too and seemed in good spirits. Personally, I've no interest in Twilight, but the actors themselves proved popular with the crowds.

Had a few drinks out with the crew on Saturday night and another one back at the hotel, but still avoiding hangovers where possible. I also caught up with 'Evil' who is now married, off to live in the States and will hopefully supply me with general US visa info for the future.

Got a late-ish train back on Sunday through more 'weather' and then an early night. Tomorrow (Tuesday) I'm back down to London for GI Joe and stuff - wish I was getting 'frequent flyer' miles for the train - but managed to get some articles done tonight and so should be able to keep to the schedule pre-Iowa.

Oh - and I just watched and reviewed Dead Snow (Out on DVD next month) which is about zombie nazis attacking horny norwegian trainee doctors. C'mon, what else do you need to know?

BEER, TRACKS POTTER

2009-07-14T21:09:00.002+01:00

I've had a busy few days. I went out for a drink with Simon Hopkinson (website) on Sunday night. Having finished some last minute Impacty things, he suggested I should have a drink in one of our old locals. It's been a number of years since our last catch-up and now he's permenantly back in the UK there was plenty of time to talk about America (where he lived for several years), England, beer, the Internet, mad women, politics and healthcare. Yes, indeed, never let it be said that ex-SNYG members don't know how to party! I should be getting together with Simon and Glenn Hewitt in the near future for more craziness.

On Monday morning I saw the new Harry Potter film. Now, I've never read a single line of the J K Rowling books, so I always go with what's on screen. However I get the feeling (apparently quite rightly) that there's a ton of stuff missing from the screen version of The Half-Blood Prince. The problem is, it shows. I was left sitting there at several points thinking 'Have I missed something?' While it's a fine-looking film and has some great photography with some impressive set-pieces, the plot jumps around and can't quite disguise the many holes. Dumbledore's missing! But, no, wait, here he is in the next scene, so he must be okay. At least for now! It all feels like a Equity-renewal line for British thesps and a teaser for the final book (separated into the next two films) which, hey, I suppose it always was.

This coming weekend it's off to London for the LFCC which is like the SDCC, but a) a tad smaller, b) a tad nearer and c) in London, not San Diego. (And they admit it's also about Films as well as Comics). Will hopefully catch up with Mark Ryan and chat with a few key people for upcoming Impact issues. Next week there's some G I Joeiness on the Thames. All fun, all accumulativly expensive, so will have to juggle a bit.

Tonight: last bits of Impact 'Coming Soon' text to do, more watching of the news (and the rather genuinely touching footage of the people of Wooten Basset lining the streets to pay tribute to the homecoming of fallen UK soliders - more worthwhile, genuine emotion there than in a whole tour of Michael Jackson tributes) and checking of ebay bits and pieces. Tomorrow, HLWW design stuff.

Feeling a tad under-the-weather, so, hopefully, a LITTLE bit of a lie-in though as well....

I RESTED, DEVELOPMENTS

2009-07-10T19:36:00.001+01:00

S o, TFI Friday. As in the aftermath of any transatlantic trip, there's a real lack of (correct) awareness of passing time. It doesn't actually feel like a Friday and it's weird that on Monday I was still in Iowa - or for that matter that in about six weeks time I'll be back. It's like I'm in Bizarro World - a place where Torchwood is actually proving to be rather good! Though the terminal jet-lag never kicked in, my body-clock is still off a bit, so I'm not so tired on an evening, but still have to drag my sorry ass out of bed with maximum effort on a morning. Generally feeling a bit run-down. Thankfully, there IS another week until Impact deadline, so it's not quite as manic as originally anticipated.

Came home to the credit-card bills, never a good thing and they've taken a bit of a hammering in the last month. Hopefully some of the rather nifty Highlander and genre items I've just put up on ebay will assist and some overdue expenses will/should be arriving soon, which will also help a bit, but there'll be more spent going down to the London Film and Comic Con next weekend. However I should enjoy meeting up with Mark Ryan again - and hoping to get a chance to chat with Danny Trejo and some of the other guests as well. Then there'll be a G I Joe press event aboard HMS Belfast a few days later.

There's some HLWW work to catch up on and I hope to make some progress on designing some new cartoon Cafe Press items that will be released in a couple of months. That and I REALLY have to do some work on the novel...

Back to the grindstone...

WENT FOURTH, CAME BACK...

2009-07-07T19:31:00.000+01:00

O nce again I spent the Fourth of July in the US with Jilly and after a stressful week it was nice to put that behind us with some genuine fireworks. We headed over to her brother's place where Jilly blew up sparklers, rockets and cars (so, no change there) and I took a lot of photos, some of which came out rather well.

Friday and Saturday were overcast and cooler, but the rain held off enough for the most part - though that meant more bug-bites - and for Sunday, my last full day in Iowa (well, at least for a few weeks) it was back up to the late 80s and gloriously sunny. I've left a drawer full of t-shirts etc for next time (so no overtly-heavy luggage to haul back). Yes, I'm going to miss waking up with a cat sat on my head or biting my toes, but I'll survive.

The flights home on Monday/Tuesday all went well and much easier than the outward trip. There was a dash across the airport at Minneapolis, but made it just in time and was allocated a bulkhead seat near the main exit, so managed to get sat down and eventually disembark very easily. Ha dplanned to watch some stuff on my laptop, but ended up watching Duplicity and then grabbing a little shut-eye.

I should also confess to a bit of two-timing on the side. Yes, I'm sorry, but having read all of Michael Connelly's novels, I had to cast my net further afield and been seen out with some Harlan Coben novels. Pretty good stuff with some genuine plot surprises in each of his books. Finished 'No Second Chance' as I headed in to land to Leeds Bradford Airport and will look for some more in the near future...

Right now I've grabbed a little more shut-eye and should be okay for a decent night's sleep tonight and then back into things at Impact tomorrow morning before we head to print on Friday. Okay - back to the routine for a while. Given this trip cut a bit into savings, I will be ebaying some more bits and pieces to finance the next one. But first some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzs

FAREWELL TO ARMS...

2009-07-03T15:50:00.000+01:00

T he weather has been really hot here for the last few days - it was about 93 degrees at at 5:00pm yesterday which apparently beats the hot spell that the UK is going through as well.

After a brief service (with some wry smiles as well as family memories) we laid Lyle to rest early yesterday morning and I'm glad to say these things went as well as they ever can. He was a military veteran, so as well as the kind words of Pastor Stuart, there were also members of the military there and he was given a send off with an impressive (and loud) round from their rifles and Jily's brother was presented with a flag and shells from the guns. Some of Jilly's relatives were up in the area for the first time in many years and there was much catching-up. Though I'm technically on the fringes and a newcomer, I was treated like one of the family and felt very proud to be one of the pallbearers.

Currently I'm looking after the animals (who are, strangely, rather behaving themselves for once!) while Jilly spends some quality time with her sister, but she'll be back later. It's looking a little cooler and a bit more overcast today, so it may not be quite as over-powering. Survived until yesterday without midge-bites but now have a couple of lumps - but nothing too dramatic. I'm here until Monday and July 4th should be okay for fireworks etc.

THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY

2009-07-01T15:45:00.000+01:00

S o, then. Quite a week on the life and death front. Ignoring the 'King of Pop' as most journos aren't wont to do, I've been in Iowa where Jilly's dad passed away this past weekend without the benefit of an army of helicopters, broadcasting vans, wall-to-wall network punditting and vox pop interviews.

I met Lyle a few times since my visits to see Jilly started last year and despite being quite frail, he was a brightly intelligent, observant man with a knack for building model planes and winning at card games (could never be quite sure whether he was cheating or not!). He was a man of great experience and taste - and hey, he liked me, so obviosuly a great judge of character.

While his passing wasn't unexpected after he suddenly fell ill in the last two weeks, the actual passing was much quicker than anticpated and naturally it's never easy when it happens. I'm really glad I made the decision to fly out immediately to be with Jilly - and her whole family have been great and welcoming. I feel like one of the family, I'm helping as best I can where I can and may well be one of the pallbearers at tomorrow's service.

It's not been an easy week by any stretch, but quite an experience on all fronts. This was an unscheduled trip - both a sad reason and a good excuse to be with Jilly - but I'll be back in the UK next week to meet magazine deadlines etc and out here again next month as originally planned for a longer stay. I discover more each time I'm here.

Rest in Peace, Lyle.

AMSTERDAMNED.

2009-06-24T02:37:00.000+01:00

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.... except one. Yup. *sigh*

Boarding for the flight from Amsterdamn to Minneapolis was going to be running around 90 minutes late, which the universe having a sense of humo(u)r was exactly the time I would have had to go through Customs and re-check my bags. I knew I had a reasonable seat booked (a bulkhead), but didn't anticpate sharing the row with two big Indian ladies, each with limited English skills and ankle-biter offspring and, it has to be said, little regard for personal space. They asked if I'd move to another seat so their mother could join the party, but I politely refused as I really needed to grab some extra leg-room and a bit of shut-eye. However after much accidental elbowing of me (a Mosby was never meant to be a sandwich) and the delights of seeing one of the kids scream and play with his food in a way I haven't seen since Richard Dreyfuss built a mountain in Close Encounters, I decided to swap with the mother several rows back (after all, she had an aisle row seat anyway). Or she HAD had an aisle row seat... I found out after I agreed to swap that she'd already changed to a middle-of-row seat, so for the rest of the flight I was still sandwiched between people - though thankfully not with the ~~screaming, food-throwing brats~~, lovely kiddie-winks.

Currently in Minneapolis airport, having missed the connecting flight and so waiting for the next one in about two hours. Tad will hopefully still be picking me up from Sioux Falls and so should be with Jill in around three-four hours depending...

NEARLY there...

I'LL BE BACK...

2009-06-23T01:46:00.001+01:00

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...

LONGEST DAZE...

2009-06-21T19:40:00.003+01:00

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 more work on that and, yes, yes, I WILL), making a list of the bills I have to pay tomorrow to avoid undoing unpleasant letterage and, of course, sending best thoughts towards Jilly's dad who's having surgery this week. Wish I was out there, but the next trip is getting ever closer, so won't be long.

In the meantime, I had to smile at some of the cellophane packaging on one of Sunday's newspapers today. The supplements usually come wrapped in basic plastic stuff that is merely discarded, but printed on it today (around a special FILM supplement) was...

SAFETY NOTICE: Please do not dispose of this plastic bag on the street where it could dance around among the leaves in front of red garage doors for fifteen minutes and make the son of a repressed United States Marine Corps Colonel want to video it and tell the girl next door that there's so much American beauty in the world he feels like he can't take it, like his heart is going to cave in...

:)

YOU SHOULD BE READING...

2009-06-19T23:54:00.003+01:00

...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 to be hitting screens, Transformers and critiques director Michael Bay's efforts. Also included a tribute to David Carradine, interviews with eastern stars Simon Lam and Anthony Wong, an overview of Burn Notice and regular Eastern/Western/DVD/Comic/Games action coverage. Click here to go to the official site (updated next week)

...the latest VERBATIM which looks at the biggest genre hits of the last year. From Watchmen to Iron Man to Battlestar Galactica and Leverage. As mentioned previously, support your local genre fanzine (clicky the link at the top of the web-page for more info).

... and, of course, the UK newspapers. Have you heard what all those bloody politicians are up to NOW???

LISTING WITH CONFIDENCE...

2009-06-17T21:43:00.000+01:00

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 littering the room. (Genuinely some good stuff and more to come each day - check out the list link, top right of the blog page!)

Article written. I got the Michael Bay piece finished and think I managed to balance it reasonably well between derison at the shallowness and loudness of his output and the pragmatic 'but nobody does shallow and loud better' more profitably angle. The feature will be in the issue of Impact out at the end of July.

Rescheduled interview. Supposed to be talking to Peter Briggs about upcoming project Mortis Rex tonight, but now moved to tomorrow.

Paid bills. Actually, I didn't. But I thought about it, which is nearly the same, right?

Facebook'd. Okay, don't look at me like that, I'm weak. It's not like I'm Twittering.

Outside the rain has turned into a not-that-cold-really evening and there's the promise of more heat to come next week. Today only feels like the longest day.

OH, FOR FLICKS SAKE...

2009-06-16T00:10:00.006+01:00

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 chronological order. Quite brilliant.

THE HURT LOCKER: Kathryn Bigelow, the director who made the great vampire movie Near Dark and the seriously weird Strange Days, delivers one of the most tense movies I've seen in ages: It tells the story of a bomb-disposal unit in Iraq and features appearances by Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes and David Morse. Literally edge of your seat stuff and only just a bit over-long. Not a film you 'enjoy', so much as 'experience' but one that shows a director at the top of ehr game and one that will or should win awards.

SUNSHINE CLEANING: Amy Adams and Emily Blunt as two frustrated sisters that set up a cleaning service that clears crime-scenes. Quirky, gentle character dramedy that's nicely, amusingly poignant rather than being hilarious.

THE PROPOSAL: Sandra Bullock in rom-com about an marriage-of-convenience. She can do this sort of thing in her sleep. I think she just did. Consider this a... limited engagement.

And, okay, since you really insist...

TRANSFORMERS - REVENGE OF THE FALLEN: You know you're in trouble when one of the most 'amusing' scenes thrown at the audience in this robotic sequel is a small gremlin-like Decepticon dry-humping Megan Fox's leg. Oh, the hilarity. Then again, this is a Michael Bay outing and it's as subtle with a capital B, painted in such stupifyingly broad strokes that some seventeen years olds who think NUTS is the height of cultural magazines are going to feel their intelligence has been insulted. Bay trawls through his back catalogue and homages his own work with ideas from Pearl Harbor, Armageddon and Bad Boys thrown in between shots of Megan Fox's cleavage and derriere (admittedly not awful) and up-skirt shots of a Decepticon creation that can only be described as a cyberslut. I kid you not.

Yes, the CGI battles are all very impressive, the backdrops nicely utilised (the pyramids may never be the same) and Mark Ryan gets a much broader voice-role this time around which is always good. But the dialogue is hardly the film's strong point and it feels that when Bay isn't letting the camera lust after female flesh, he's positively salivating over military hardware instead of driving the plot. Then again, anyone expecting Shakespeare in Love is in the wrong cinema. Ironically, crude, bland and by-the-numbers though it may be, it could be the most honest film of the year, doing exactly what it says on the tin. Silly, stupid, undemanding, low-brow. Could be worse. Possibly.

HERE COMES THE DAYS...

2009-06-11T11:34:00.000+01:00

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, which I'll rush-email up on Monday pm, this issue of Impact is done and dusted, but of course there's another issue to start from next week and another one after that before I'm travelling again. Life in the fastlane, huh?

BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT...

2009-06-08T19:58:00.000+01:00

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 one of the main reasons I do this job is for days like this weekend...

Where else could I sit and watch Spock talk with Mal Reynolds, Jimmy Olsen, John Crichton, one of the Goonies and boxing legend Henry Cooper? Being the unrepentant geek that I am, I still get gobsmacked at these meetings that seem more like a cosmic crossroads of realities than a Green Room at a convention in Milton Keynes for (http://www.collectormania.com/) It's like seeing Barack Obama shopping at your local store while he's chatting with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and your teacher from school... it's the kind of bizarre colliding that tunnel-building scientists in Switzerland would consider TOO scary. And yet it's both satisfying and weird to see actors actually mingling and each being gently and genuinely intimidated in the presence of their peers. At one point, Nathan Fillion sees a photo that's been taken of him with Leonard Nimoy. 'Legend!' he smiles. No argument there.

It was a reasonably successful weekend. The only interview done was with Mr Fillion, who was the charmer he always is and also obliged with a photo-shoot for the forthcoming article, but I also got to have a chinwag with Ben Browder and sort out a proper chat with him in the near future. Mr Nimoy wasn't doing interviews (understandly burned out after two months of Trek promotion) but was a huge and courteous presence for the whole weekend. It all took place at the DONS Stadium in Milton Keynes which will be nice when it's fully finished! I'll be attending another of Showmasters events, the London Film and Comic Con in July and hope to see a whole slew of people there as time allows.

Right. Enough name-dropping and inner-geekiness for now. Articles to write, deadlines to meet and much shaking of head in shame that the BNP managed to spin their way into a European seat representing part of my region. Not sure who I hate more: The BNP fascist leader bully-boys who ran a superbly distracting campaign, the people who voted for them (out of loyalty or idiotically blind protest) or the government for creating a climate in this country where the BNP could ever seem like any alternative.

Then again, in this climate 'Live Long and Prosper...' sounds more like an MP's redict than a Vulcan maxim.

MINISTRY OF UNSOUND...

2009-06-04T23:08:00.000+01:00

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 today in the UK, I'm sure I've joined a lot of people in NOT voting in the local elections. Because right now, it's hard to think of any politician I actually trust. In the last month or so, Westminster has been turned upside down by the revelations regarding hundreds of MPs' expenses and opportunistic fiddling of accounts etc. The 'crimes' actually fall into three categories... 1) the genuine possible oversights where an MP has put something so silly on expenses that it CAN only have happened by carelessness/lack of attention because if it was done deliberately they'd be laughed out of town (example: the guy who put in a chit for the donation made at a church service)... 2) the wholly opportunistic claims where the rules of claiming haven't actually been technically broken but the spirit of them has been bent out of any reasonable understanding (example: those who have used holes in the system to claim thousands of pounds for extra homes - closer to parliament than they need - or have abused flight allowances or fudged household needs...or built a sodding house for their ducks! 3) the ones who in ANY other profession would have had been walked out of their place of work for 'conduct unbecoming' , kicked in the arse and dumped on the pavement or even had the police on the doorstep with handcuffs (example: those who claimed for non-existent mortgages, or went for years excepting payments they weren't entitled to, ie: FRAUD).

In the last few weeks, the MPs have been dropping like flies, usually jumping rather than being pushed, but only doing so when a newspaper is about to blow their cover, rather than out of some genuine 'I'm correcting this before anyone even thinks it was deliberate!' In many ways you'd think that would be just fine. Get rid of 'em. Isn't the government better if all the welathy opportunists leave? Ah yes, but in this job, you don't just leave. (In fact, I genuinely can't remember the last time a politician was fired? Can you?) No, you gallantly say that you've actually done nothing wrong but after due consideration you've decided to step down at the NEXT GENERAL ELECTION (ie: sometime next year) to spend more time with your family... but only AFTER after you pick up lots more expenses and grants for holding out for another twelve months. (It's like a waiter spitting in your food and then demanding you negotiate the tip anyway while promsising he'll be back to do it again tomorrow!)

All this disconnect from the public and the general consideration that whatever you're caught doing as an MP, there's a fair to middling chance you can get forgiven by your colleagues and back into government after a few years in the ~~directorship of several prominent firms~~ wilderness anyway (Yes, Peter Mandelson, I'm looking at you! Oi, David Blunkett, don't even think about it!) means that this country has lost almost all its faith in its leaders. Change we can believe in? Not so much over here, mate.

I don't fall into the easy trap of thinking ALL MPs are crooks. I'm sure most are reasonably fair or no more opportunistic than the average person. But if the only way to force all MPs to open their books and show if they've bucked the system is to have a General Election, then so be it. It's dramatic, but it gives the public a voice and a line they can draw in the sand and at least START to regain a mutual trust. (Simon's done a great opinion/ blog about this too) I doubt merely losing Gordon Brown as leader of the Labour Party (surely now a possibility after the day's and evening's events and the mass resignations and mea culpas) will solve anything, but a forced changing of the attitude as much as the guard in general, just might.

If not, I'm afraid that nothing changes. Or worse than that, it'll cause people to buy into the like of the BNP's savvy spin-cycle campaign (that their BNP leaders are no longer a bunch of nasty right-wing nazi-sympathisers but actually cuddly-wuddly misunderstood and honest, non-book-fiddling patriots) and give them more power in a protest vote against the main parties. The BNP has tapped into a mood of genuine anger and frustration and a need to believe in the best for/of our country (and offered questions that, yes, actually DO need addressing/answers...) in a way that few other parties have dared. Yes, it's bait and switch of the most insidiously bigotted kind, but when the BNP starts looking remotely more credible than the government, you KNOW you have a problem.

It's a dirty time in politics. The question is, more than ever, just what else will need to come out in the spin cycle? I wash my hands of it.

DAZED OF FUTURE PAST...

2009-06-02T23:39:00.000+01:00

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 day and the crowds of other inevitable fellow holiday-makers and it was as if the world was breathing in, just for a while. There'd be tons to do later, but right at that moment, my comic and my dad were the world and the only reason to rush would be to have the breakfast that my mum was rustling up back at the ~~ranch~~ bungalow/flat/etc. I can almost taste it now.

Yesterday was one of those rare days when a) Britain was hot, cloudless and balmy and b) I was up early enough for the world to be on the starting blocks rather than racing headlong into oblivion. Leaving the house and not yet onto the noisy New Road Side, I suddenly flashed back to those calmer, early days. Lots of water under the sandcastles since then. But whether it was the less-than-typical weather or the hour, I couldn't help smiling at the memory. I'm sure I worried a few people doing that. (Good, it'll keep 'em on their toes ;))

Never mind, though, we could soon wipe that smile off my face with a preview screening of the slightly less than monsterly fun and terribly angsty new TERMINATOR film. Now, I didn't hate it half as much as some critics have done. I've seen much, much worse and in many ways there's a fair amount of enjoy in a formulaic summer-blockbuster way. But it IS one of those films that the further you get away from it, the more you have trouble with it. As an adrenaline rush it has certain obvious steroid-induced qualities, pumped up and chest puffed out and daring you to walk across its line of sight. But ultimately, once you notice the casual plotting at work (and admit it feels like a plot that has had other stuff shoe-horned in there rather than naturally evolved) it clearly becomes less than the sum of its cybernetic parts. It starts like Black Hawk Down, turns into Mad Max, takes a turn into Transformers and then decides it better nab some past Terminator lines and sequences to keep the die-hards happy... and, oh, yes, we need to remember that John Connor was supposed to be the star. Or not. A little like the character of robo-bait John Connor over the years, there's a lack of continuity and momentum and though it's a perfectly okay rollercoaster ride which I'd recommend for the quick fix, it's not going to have the longevity of the first two films. There's much potential in there - even if not always realised - and one hopes they build on it if another sequel comes about.

Today's been cooler and the weather will be positively bracing by the end of the week. Holidays are now taken further afield. I no longer hold my dad's hand when he gets the paper (it's one thing to keep people on their toes, but let's not get silly...) and I think Monster Fun went out of circulation around three decades ago. Come to think of it, so did most summer specials entirely.

Sarah Connor told her son John that the future is what you make it. But as long as it doesn't involve robotic assassins, I'd like to think the past is too.

I HAVE ISSUES...

2009-05-29T17:06:00.001+01:00

O kay. For the last few days, while dancing between deadlines and duties, I've also been getting more of the whole ThereGoesTheDay pages sorted. If you're reading this on the blog page itself (and that's the best way!) then you'll note the links at the top are mostly sorted and the pages more aligned. It's all coming together nicely... now to get to the Photography pages!)

Which means I can mention that it's time for an unashamed plug for the latest issue of VERBATIM. Issue 13! And they said it'd never last. This was supposed to be done at the tail-end of last year, but health reasons put it on the back burner and was only finished the day before the HLWW event I attended last month (where I had a few early copies with me).

However here we are with over fifty pages on a DVD disc - pages viewable on screen or ideal for printing out at 300dpi - looking at the last six months of genre entertainment. There's conversations with George A Romero about his feelings on modern horror outings, the cast and crew discuss the creation of the controversial WATCHMEN movie (plus, there's an extensive interview with Alan Moore on his distate for Hollywood and why HE wouldnt be seeing it); Jamie Bamber and Mark Sheppard discuss the success of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA and their latest projects; there's a look behind the sceens of TNT's hit show Leverage (and talks with Dean Devlin and Gina Bellman); Jon Favreau talks about the success of IRON MAN and Peter Wingfield discusses his roles in 24, SANCTUARY and the upcoming WAR OF THE WORLDS and 10,000 DAYS.

All that can be yours for a measley £10.00 which includes postage and packing. Equally, a lot of the older issues are now on CD-disc too. Issues 3-4,5-6 and 7-8 are all available on two-disc sets and are also £10.00 per each set! Tons of good stuff in there and twice as good value... Simply follow the Verbatim link at the top of the page, or go here and click on the respective 'Cart' buttons' for the PayPal option (contact me for anything else). Thank you, kindly! :)

I should also note that the latest issue of the UK's top-selling Empire Magazine has an extensive overview of the HIGHLANDER franchise - seven pages, written in a very well-researched and fair manner by Owen Williams. As well as the stars etc, Owen got some quotes from me and I'm referenced as HLWW's 'PR Guru'. Which makes me very, very good, or merely Max Clifford with less pocket-money. You decide.

I now return to you to your commercial-free blogging... :)

TICKS AND BALANCES...

2009-05-28T14:57:00.002+01:00

O kay, I'm not particularly squeamish, but the only word I can think of is 'Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew!' Was just heading to bed on Tuesday night when I noticed something tucked right in under my left knee. Turned out it wasn't a bit of fluff but a bloody tick sucking at my royal blue blood - most likely the same kind as the long-grass variety that Jill and I found we'd brought back into the house the day before I left Iowa. In a 'what's worse?' thought, it was either gorging itself there in the nook of my knee for well over a week, or it wasn't and it rode home with my clothes etc and then found me later. Now, I've showered etc regularly, so the first would seem unlikely, but these are pesky little suckers (literally) who find hard-to-reach areas and numb their host, so it's not impossible. Tick now removed and thrown to the fishes. Doctor says probably no ill-effects (unless I can attribute some really vivid, lucid dreaming about Iowa to it?). But, again, Ewwwwwwwww. TMI?

On other notes I'm once again ebaying a fair amount of my genre merchandise - from CDs, t-shirts and comics through to press packs and the like. See my link on the top right of my blog page for a full list of Highlander, Primeval, Matrix and Doctor Who bits and bobs. Or clicky here >>> EBAY All this will greatly help make space and in funding future trips abroad (or, at this rate, bus-fare into Leeds City Centre...)

And just found out that the ever-reliable Cinema Days I've attended for twenty years has now been down-sized to a two-day event in June, in a couple of weeks' time. This a few days after I booked accommodation already to cover a four-day event to get a really good deal. Peh. I'm ticked off!

THAT WAS VENN, THIS IS NOW...

2009-05-25T02:54:00.002+01:00

W hen I commented to my parents the other day that - barring blood relatives - I have more close ties in the States, than I do over here, my mum sagely noted that very few of the groups of friends I'd had over the years seemed to overlap with into each other much. It was a telling observation and though I'm not sure how I feel about that in hindsight, there's no denying that on close examination, it's quite true. I'm like a human Venn Diagram!

After school my social group was a solid 'gang' of friends who did almost everything together for several years. Relationships came and went and some of the members changed, but for a long while it was a cohesive core of people. People like Simon, Karen, John R, Jenny, Miff, Glenn, Paul, Phil, the Peters etc. Life being what it is, work, careers, changes of address, circumstances and girlfriend/boyfriend issues eventually fractured the group in ways that probably happen every day in every part of the world. For better or worse, people at that age (and older) naturally outgrow the situations and move on in differing directions. Evolution and a case of good/bad timings always do their work.

I tried to maintain contact with those I could or wanted to, but within a few years my social life was quite different. A few girlfriends came and went as did the people I worked with. Jobs changed and though I was still in Leeds, I'd end up frequenting different parts and events than I had before. I'd bump into people from time to time, but mostly the world was just too big for that to happen too often - though when it happened it was in the most unlikely ways. My closest friends over the next ten years or more were a fellow journo (Tony) and a comic-book artist (Mike) but , if memory serves me right, they probably never met each other more than a once or twice in a whole decade - totallly different people with completely social groups and different outlooks whom I usually divided my time between.

The Highlander franchise changed my life in completely profound, positive, personal and professional ways in the late 90s. What initially started out as coverage of just another bog-standard genre show brought me into contact with some fascinating people I'd never have met otherwise. In itself it was a great leveller - I remember sitting at a table in Anaheim, Los Angeles in 1998 and talking with someone who worked for NASA, a school-teacher, a Vicksburg history-buff, a government officer, a quite stunning redhead from the Mid-West... and thinking that one common thread had brought these different people together to that one table and how interested I was. What were the odds that brought us together? It was a strong enough thread that it's kept me attached to some of them in a variety of ways ever since.

Yet back in the UK those different friendships I had remained quite separate. Perhaps it's a factor that the way I gelled in with each group was often different and the different roles weren't compatible outside those groups. Oh, who knows? Some friendships grew or blew out depending on a range of factors - some for reasons I don't even understand to this day but rarely did they cross path in the interims. Sometimes my US friends/girlfriends would meet my UK friends, but usually only briefly during rare visits. Kerry probably bridged the gap more than most but probably only met Tony and his girlfriend two or three times in total. Several friendships grew out of the journalists I attended press events with, but scattered across the country or further afield, it was often a case of downing as much alcohol as we could when we all got together (how's that for a cliche!) :).

Meeting the likes of HLDU's Carmel Macpherson and the organisation that would become Highlander WorldWide created a whole new professional avenue and another strong friendship as well, something that has allowed more travel and experiences than I could have dreamed of.

Ironically, while being particular about the friendships and relationships I have, I'm more and more in contact with that original group from my teenage years. Karen, after travelling the world, still lives in Leeds with two strapping kids, Simon is back in Yorkshire from the States. I haven't physically met up with them in some time, but at the risk of sounding 'woolly', the original threads - somewhat unwound though they might have been over time - never unravelled completely.

And ten years on from chatting with that wise-beyond-her-years redheaded girl in Anaheim, I'm hoping she'll want me to spend increasingly more time with her in Iowa... and her own group of local friends - some of which I'd like to think are now mine too or will be soon.

So, yes, it's true that I seem to have closer ties in the US and that some of my friends will probably never meet other friends, but in a modern electronic world geography is becoming less and less of an obstacle - there's less and less reason to be 'here' when you can be 'there' or 'anywhere'. Though not ideal, I CAN edit Impact purely by sitting at a connected laptop on ANY continent in any time-zone. I can travel around the world only limited by money and not by time (I could be in mid-America in 12hrs, Australia in less than 24). The Net is no substitute - for the reality of 'being there', especially - but it has opened up that world of 'there' no end.

I used to think the world was big. It so IS. But for better or worse - usually in the end for the better...the Net makes it seem almost welcomingly manageable and full of possibilities.

*Note: if replying to this blog entry - can you do so via the actual blog site and not via e-mail as otherwise it may not show up. :)

THE SON ALSO RISES...

2009-05-24T18:21:00.000+01:00

I woke up this morning... okay, fine, technically I got up at 12:00, midday on the dot... to find it a gloriously sunny Sunday. However I don't feel remotely guilty as it is a long weekend (bank holiday tomorrow in the UK and I think it's Memorial Day in the US?), there were no inhumanely pressing deadlines and it seems to have ultimately kicked away the last of the annoying jet-lag cobwebs. In fact, the only downside is to have half the day gone before I can thoroughly enjoy it.

Just had a nice long shower, heard the tootlin' of an ice-cream van (can't remember HOW long it's been since one of those has been in the neighbourhood - must be a decade or so...) and cooked some soya-soaked chicken. In short, 'tis a good day, if a short one.

However, there are things that I'm aware I needed I make progress on. In the last few days I've managed to get some tech stuff sorted on this site, a couple of Impact articles done, paid money towards urgent bills that needed to be paid/placated and started setting up some general things for next week. (Tomorrow there'll be some ebay stuff going up again as part of my efforts to continue the financial momentum towards the next trip). Equally I'm trying to keep my desk and work area fairly tidy, if only because there's lots of things I need to keep sorted, within arm's reach and not have fall down on my head. Hey, these things have happened...

Tonight, maybe a bit more writing, a call to Jilly and then some playing of the Wolverine X-Box game my brother bought me for my birthday. Nothing too demanding stressful.

Tomorrow, probably back to the grind

THE VIEW FROM A BROAD'

2009-05-22T14:00:00.005+01:00

I guess I can understand how Jill and others feel (starting work so early in the morning and having another job to go to later) because even though I've shaken off most of the jet-lag, I'm still at the point of getting very tired in the late afternoon and wishing I could collapse for an hour or so to feel right. The get up and go is got up and gone. It's caught me out a bit in both directions this time which means I'm either getitng old or time is an illusion (lunchtime doubly so). I'm betting on the latter.

And deciding that I'm spending £90 a quarter on a service I don't really use at the moment, I went the full hog and I'm dumping BT Broadband for the forseeable. One way or another I've been with BT since I strated on the 'Net over a decade ago. But I already have access to a wi-fi account and so BT's Broadband service has largely been an unused box on the side of the desk since late last year. In this current climate and wanting to save a few pennies, this should work out well. I've upgraded the Network Solutions domain package (which had already sorted me the www.theregoestheday.com name) to a full hosting package, which means I should be able to have files to download from this site in the near future. This should help with Verbatim - the new info on that is in the process of being put up and should be fully orderable after the weekend. It will also possibly mean a change of e-mail address (though the existing btinternet.com one should be okay for at least couple of weeks... or so they tell me!)

It's bizarre that a week ago I was still in Iowa - in fact I wasn't even awake yet. It seems ages. However I'm planning the next trip already and the next few weeks will be busy ones. I'm sure time will fly, broadly speaking...

ISSUES ARISING...

2009-05-19T14:31:00.001+01:00

Y awn! It always takes a few days to shake off the jet-lag and my sleep patterns are still buggered up. From deep sleep to wide-awake at the drop of a Zzzz. But hopefully by mid-week, I should be all realigned!

As those of you who frequent Facebook (and let's face it, ALL the cool kids are doing it!) will know, there'll be a new Impact on the UK shelves in just over a week. #210. This is the cover we sorted out yesterday. Covers are always a bit interesting as the publisher, designer and myself usually disagree on the initial plan and then work towards a common goal. Sometimes that works out for the best, sometimes not, but interestingly this is probably the cover I would like to have gone with anyway, while at the same time suspecting I'd be out-voted. Originally it would have been a more Eastern look and a female variant on the 'Tough Guys' cover from last month, but the publisher wanted a strong public awareness (something I frequently point out brings in new readers) and this Terminator cover IS noticeable. As we enter the summer sales period, that's always important - as these issues often point us towards the style and coverage we'll seek out in the Autumn. Thus, please spread the word as every sale will count towards future decisions made. Contents include Terminator, the recent Highlander convention, Blood: The Last Vampire, a review of Michael Connelly's new novel The Scarecrow and a sneak preview of The Expendables...

In the next few days I'll also be updating the Verbatim page here as I've repackaged the earlier print editions onto CD/DVD discs as PDF pages and they'll be for sale at a very respectable price (all monies will help towards my next US trip which I'd like to be sometime around September if everything goes well!)

I'll also be updating and bringing into the 'There Goes The Day' pages, some photography pages. I intend to spend a bit of serious time on design and photography during the later half of the year and see if I can bring in some more cash for those efforts. Journalism is fine, but in the current climate it's more competetive than ever and I need to diversify.

In the immediate future is probable Transformers press and also Cinema Days where I'll sit and watch 15 films or so over four days . I tell you, my work is never done...

HOME & A WEIGH...

2009-05-17T16:50:00.003+01:00

Back in the UK. It's raining. Peh. As always I'm suffering from jet-lag, being both so tired I could drop and yet so awake I could spit. Which I won't because that would be rude.

Iowa went pretty well. It was really nice to slow down the pace after LA and it's becoming a comfortably familiar place. During the last week of the trip I ventured down to that river/railway bridge several times and also decided to walk through the woods that line the Sioux River. It instantly felt like a place I can only define as one of magic and power (sounds utterly corny, but there's a real atmosphere down there, a real sense of both anticpation and calm). There's a smaller lake behind the obvious one and it looks like a combination of both wild undergrowth and dumping ground for cars. Ancient vehicles and branches poke out from both the riverbank and it's a meeting of worlds. Photographic paradise as well. Hope to take more there next time.

Jill had to work a lot of the last week I was there, but the plan was always to stay local and there was time to take the car out exploring some of the nearby counties (and hey I managed to put put my lottery win - $14, count it $14!!!! - towards ~~petrol~~ gas) and for me to win her a soft plush toy in one of those grabby-craney amusement-arcade style things that I always swore were a total fix and a waste of money. She utterly failed to win me one. Peh.

Due to leaving some DVDs/CDs in LA and claiming a clothing drawer at Jill's, I had less to bring back, so there wasn't the weight problems with luggage there could have been - I'd actually managed to consolidate two cases down to one! Jill and her sister took me across to Sioux Falls airport on Friday afternoon and due to incoming weather conditions, the check-in guy took my case and then suggested he put me on an earlier flight. It worked well as due to rolling delays I didn't get into Chicago long before I would have done anyway (and my actual flight would have been way too late to make the Heathrow connection). Sat next to a Republican on the plane and ended up politely debating the merits of ~~Bill O'Reilly~~ politics, but as I managed to wangle extra leg-room on an exit row and also managed to watch the week's Bones and Numb3rs it all evens out ;)

Into Heathrow by about 8:20am, King's Cross by about 9:45am and in Leeds around 12:30pm ish. Asleep by 3:00pm-ish for a couple of hours and then a decent 8hrs through the night.

I'll just take it easy through today and plan to get an early night. Then I should really start planning my next visit. Or rather financing it. On that note, details on the new issue of Verbatim following shortly...

For the moment.... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

PICTURES OF NOTE...

2009-05-11T21:48:00.002+01:00

It's Monday, which leaves me less than a week in Iowa for this trip (though I hope to be back again soon). I leave Friday, though not at the ridiculously early hours I ahd to be up in London and LA to catch flights! Home via Chicago and Heathrow

Again, there is still much of a taking-it-easy pace, spent between finishing some bits and peices for Impact (now largely done), helping around the house (and outside, doing some mowing today! Whoohoo!), eating of the delicious cosmic brownies (not as illegal as they sound)and some more opportunistic photography when and where I can.

A fan of old houses, Jill knew of some long, long abandoned properites on the edge of town, so we went to take some photos. Just inside the used-to-be-a doorway of one such derelict abode was this old piano, half the keys falling away and the ones that left only capable of a valiantly-attempted single note before giving up the ghost. A more colourful opportunity shot came with Ambrose, one of Jilly's cats, patrolling the garden. Most of Jill's pets are compelte hams for the camera and I'll probably post more pix later.

Mixed weather for the rest of the week, but should be warm, dry and sunny enough for those of us with only English rain to otherwise look forward to... oh, sweet Horsfordian rain how I've missed thee. NOT.

MAKING TRACKS...

2009-05-07T20:28:00.005+01:00

So, I've been ensconsed here in Iowa for about a week now and once again enjoying the slower pace and the lack of urgency that was the order of the day in LA during the great but tiring convention. The weather's been good here and despite a brief shower this morning, it's generallly been sunny and/or warm.

Jilly is once again juggling her considerable workload (two jobs and a menagerie of animals to support) and I'm mucking in with the housework and indulging my inner domestic godness (and doing surprisingly well). I've fixed her televsion, fixed my own video camera (which let me down royally at HLWW), planted some flowers, helped clean the house and hope to help her get a virus off her computer in the next few days. For the moment Jilly's done a dog-swap with friends and so Big Gay Winston has been replaced by the smaller and more manageable 'Tater'. He's just as giddy, but less of a handful and apart from a few small 'accidents', he's a lot easier to clean up after. Katie, Jilly's other dog, is a bit jealous of the little one's attention, but seems to be pal-ing up fine. Right now, Katie, Tater and Jilly are all sparked out. They've all earned it.

Once again, I'm getting the chance to do some more photography and with the train track that runs by the side of Jill's house being empty and used much less than normal, I've been able to take some nice track shots across the Sioux bridge a hundred yards or so away. All I need now is a nice lightning storm to roll through and the shots would be truly amazing!

Being careful about not banging my head, but managed to have a door close on it and a shelf get in the way already. Thankfully both were the most lightweight of bumpsand not liable to cause any harm. The more careful I am, the more I have to watch out, it seems!

No big plans for the next few days as Jilly has early starts, but that will allow me to get some Impact articles sorted and maybe catch up with a few TV shows.

May treat myself to having another Zen Hotdog at some point. They make me one with everything...

LA: Mirror, Signal, Manoevre

2009-05-02T17:12:00.000+01:00

While I suppose I should have spent some time post-con doing the interviews I didn't have time for, it proved heard to nail people down (gotta buy a nail gun), so I decided to set more up for later and just chill out after the con. Apart from writing some stuff for Impact and helping Kerry photograph some items she'll be ebaying (some nice geek stuff - I'll alert the masses when they're up), the rest was mainly 'me' time.

We went to Gillian's on the Monday night where GH had a lovely table of Thai food to entice. Kerry warned me not to eat too quickly otherwise she's have to use the Alzheimer's manoevre on me. I asked her to repeat what she'd said. She looked quizzically at me and said "I said I'd have to administer the Alzheimer's manoevre".. You mean Heimlich? Pause. Rolling of eyes. "Yes, I absolutely do..." (This comes as sweet revenge for me searching my hotel room for half an hour for my passport, only to have her walk in and point to it!)

Walked up to the Golden Apple store on Thursday and then we had some good takeaway in the evening after Kerry had spent the whol week Leverage-ing scripts. Thanks again to her for letting me stay.

Fri-am was an early start (up at 5:00am to get ready for shuttle to the airport) and was on my flight by 8:30am. Despite nearly leaving my Visa card in the check-in machine, all went well and I wa sin Iowa by 3:45pm local time where I was introduced to the Olympic Rummage Dash. Now it's Saturday morning, the sun is shining and I must go hunting for chocolate...

FAR FLUNG...

2009-04-30T05:23:00.004+01:00

Okay, time to play catch up after a week too busy for blogging. So, I arrived in LA on 21st after a relatively speedy and trouble-free flight. I decided to take the optional and very good-value upgrade to Premium Economy and so got some space to stretch. No-one else was on my row, so I also managed to lay down and get some sleep. Arrived safely and was through customs and to the Westin less than an hour after landing. Met up with Carmel and the gang thereafter and started the prep for the con.

It had been 100 degrees the day before but it was a more managebale 80 when I got there and continued to srop to about 60 during the week - then again, we were inside most of the time. On Wednesday Valoise Armstrong offered to take me along to share a private tour of the LA Times, courtesy of one of the senior editorial staff. Fascinating trip and a ton of history! (And only days after reading the Michael Connelly novel which has a large section of the story set in there). Thursday evening I headed over to catch up with Kerry, locate the Leverage offices. Kerry had tickets to the Palin Festival's Fringe showing/panel which was fun. (Two lots of J J Abrams viewings in a week). We swung by Kerry's palce on the way back and I reminded Wesley and Willow who I was!The con got underway on Friday after lunch. I still felt a little jet-lagged, but Carmel had kindly arranged for me to have my own room, so I'd managed to get enough sleep. As well as Gillian and Donna, it was good to catch up with Brandon Jerwa (Highlander comic writer), Adrian, Valentine, James Horan and, David Abramowitz, of course. The first panels went well with only minor blips and we even *almost* ran to time. The huge line-up meant early starts, so I was up each day before 7:00am for around an 8:30 start. Grabbed food when I could and frequently had to run with the microphone, so all in all the HLWW workout worked well :) The Eyeborgs screening on Friday night went really well and I finally met Michelle, the film's publicist after a ton of e-mails! Saturday night was the cabaret and the guests excelled themselves. Kerry took part in Donna's 'HL scene' compelte with the legendary dolls. MUCH hilarity ensued. All the cast and crew were on fine form over the next two days. I did the best I could to keep things running smoothly and the general consenses seems to be a did a decent job of it. Richard Ridings was his usual fun self and with his daughter accompanying him, he was also the proud dad (and has every right to be, his daughter's got a great singing voice).The con finished Sunday. We decided to scrap my planned quiz as the auction ran over, but that was fine as I hadn't managed to formulate all the qiestions in the time I had anyway. A few hours later we all collapsed into the bar and I finally managed to stay up a bit and grab SOME alcohol after a 'dry' weekend. All in all it was a huge success and people (guests and con-goers) eem to be singing our praises.

Currently I'm at Kerry's and will be until Fri am when I leave on an early flight to Iowa. Grabbed a drink with fellow journo Abbie Bernstein and then later with Elizabeth Neff who's in town doing PR for Deborah Gibson this week and it was good to catch up with them both. Now I'm balancing writing more for Impact, taking photos and grabbing some RnR and repacking for the onward journey.

In the meantime, I got some photography time in and nice shots of the birds outside Kerry's house...

BOLDY GONE...

2009-04-21T08:37:00.002+01:00

Yesterday was interesting. Dragged my bags across from Covent Garden to Golden Square where I was able to leave them at the Paramount offices. Saw Star Trek in the morning - complete with a security guard standing next to me with night goggles-machine to make sure that as a veteran of twenty years I didn't pull out a massive VCR an dstart recording the movie in the screneing room (he dropped them in the dark, irony's a bitch, isn't it?) The film is a good sci-fi romp. All the cast do well (gotta love Simon Pegg as Scotty) and the CGI explosions burst forth in just the right resolution and quantity. As with almost every J J Abrams production (think everything from Alias and Lost through to Mission Impossible) there are plot holes you could fly a whole Battlestar Galactica through and he's more interested in questions than delivering specific answers but he keeps things zipping along at a merry pace and with a big geeky grin, so much you'll hardly notice. It'll live long enough at the cinema and Hollywood will prosper etc etc.

The press conference was an unmitigated mess. For some reason it appears SKY had turned the event into a programme for their movie channel and therefore we had a 'not-as-hip-as-he-thinks-he-is' host who fluffed the sound-schecks and started with a rather unprofessional 'Here's J J Abrams with... some of the cast...'. Equally we were told that Sky viewers had sent in questions and so it would be split 50/50 between our questions and theirs. Silly me, I thought this was a PRESS conference. After a false start, we began again with questions and answers being repeated word for word and the table we put our tape recorders on had a speaker that didn't work. It wasn't Paramount's fault per se, (PRs Debbie, Jenny and Sarah usually do us proud) but I get the feeling that after the press had gone (and our mobile phones were returned to us) J J probably unleashed some vulcanic nerve-pinches for the embarassment caused.

After having a drink with Paul Simpson, Johnny and Molly and managing to get a splinter down the nail of my finger (annoying rather than excrutiating), I picked up my bags and made my way to Yotel at Heathrow's Terminal 4 with relative ease and grabbed some dinner. Typed up as much as I could of the press conference, watched Ashes to Ashes (meh) then grabbed about 4-5hrs sleep before waking up around 4:00am and deciding to finish the article.

Now in Terminal 1, having checked in for the United flight pretty easily. The flight is ontime for a 10:35 departure and I hopefully have a bulkhead seat, so will be able to stretch out just a little bit.

I have my ritual Michael Connelly novel to read on the flight (an advance copy of his latest: The Scarecrow) and so all is good. However hoping the next 11 or so hours pass quickly and the real fun begins...

BOLDY GOING...

2009-04-19T16:19:00.000+01:00

So... on my way. Left the house at about 1:45 this afternoon and I'm currently on a pretty crowded train to London. Good job I reserved a seat as there'll be a fair amount of people standing for the rest of the journey. As that doesn't include little old ladies, I'm holding onto my seat for all its worth :) Just hope my luggage isn't squIshed before I even get to Heathrow.

Should get into London around 5:20 and will be at the Travelodge around 6:00. Will take it relatively easy tonight and just get some Impact writing done. Up bright and breezy in the am to do the early Trek screening and join in the fun of the press conference in the pm. The lovely ladies at Paramount are letting me store my luggage at Golden Square, so I won't have to haul it all over London tomorrow during the day.

Reasonably sure I haven't forgotten anything too drastic (except the Jaffa Cakes on the counter, dammit). I have my passport, ticket, ESTA, wallet, schedule/reservations info and a ton of Verbatim/Cutting Edge/Verbatim stuff with me. Hoping to have reduced the considerable weight by about half when I travel onwards from LA in about 11 days time.

A lovely sunny day to be travelling on... in fact, if it's like this in LA when I eventually get there, there'll be no complaints (though, yes, a few degrees warmer so I can grab a dip in the pool would be, like, TOTALLY awesome!).

More later...

PACKING THEM IN...

2009-04-16T00:37:00.001+01:00

No London or Wolverine on Thursday, then. But I may get the chance to meet up with Val in Leeds for a quick drink prior to us heading out to LA. The absence of the trip to the Great Smoke means I have to do a bit of re-organising about my departure (now definitely heading to London on Sunday rather than Monday before flying Tuesday) but it also frees up some of my time tomorrow to get other necessaries out of the way.

I'm already 3/4 packed with just the basics to add. I'm also taking some copies of The Cutting Edge to the con. Slowly but surely I'm getting through everything I need to do on my List.

And, catching up with the masses I FINALLY saw the clip of Britain's Got Talent that everyone's been talking about. Wow. I know I sometimes like to fly in the face of public opinion, but... I won't forget THAT in a hurry: Click Here

WAITING FOR GO.DOT

2009-04-14T18:43:00.001+01:00

I can see it now... it's going to be one of those weeks where everything is going to be hurry up and wait. A week from now I should be well on the way to LA - possibly somewhere over the mid-west at this point - and fretting that I've forgotten something like a toothbrush...but in the meantime I'm at the mercy of an electronic communication system and, more accurately, the people using it.

I was supposed to be going down to do press with Hugh Jackman and director Gavin Hood for the upcoming Wolverine film on Thursday. Perfect timing as there's a possible screening of the new Star Trek movie that evening and I could have stayed down a few more hours on Thursday (to avoid having to get a hotel on Sunday night or be up ridiculously early on Monday to travel down for the Trek press then and then onto the airport). However Fox cannot confirm any timings at the moment and less than 36hrs before I'd have to be en route and train costs growing by the second, I've ahd to call time on the trip unless things change. I'm the best there is at what I do, but even I need some sleep and time to pack!

Equally, with my old MiniDVcamcorder now broken, I purchased one on ebay for a very reasonable amount (the auction ending last Friday). Noting that the seller indicates it can take four days to receive the item and Easter might affect that I message'd them and asked if it was going of any later than today (Tuesday) could they let me know as I'd be prepared to pay a little extra to ensure it arrived in time for my trip. As of now there's been no response to three e-mails requesting info. I can see the camera arriving the day after I leave and the seller just shrugging. Peh. Fingers crossed it's already on the way!

In between packing and writing - including writing a piece to fill a gap left by another writer with his own deadlines - I'm also waiting on news of a few interviews and a design project.

In the meantime, I must cut down on the chocolate. But right now, it's a whoooole different wait problem.

MIND OVER MATTERS...

2009-04-08T09:50:00.000+01:00

Sitting waiting to be seen by the doctor, I noticed Elvis standing silently in the corner. He wasn't saying much but it occured to me that in an area where doctors evaluate how your head is doing, this was a somewhat cruel and unusual situation. Thankfully it was a cardboard cut-out and he and the four-foot bunny-rabbit in a nurse's outfit a few chairs down were not hallucinations. Possibly. Uh-huh.

The doc's given me a clean bill of health, technically. He told me in specific detail what had happened back in November ( the brain: imagine a main river with lots of side-streams... it was a side-stream that got swollen at one crucial point and momentarily threatened to break its bank. If it had, or if it had been the main river, Celene Dion would have been warbling as I sank... and let's be honest, no-one wants that. He told me that forty is a young age for this have happened and while there was no serious chance of it happening again - same chance now as the average person in the street - it's still a case of being in the 20% or so where they have no explanation for why it happened at all (I don't smoke or have high blood pressure which are key contributary factors). So that doesn't quite put my mind at ease. Literally.

However, asking about regular exercise, it appears I have a Get out of Jail Free card in that he simply doesn't advise I do any regime for a while. So I'm trying to do more walking and I need to cut down on the chocolate that has been my crutch since the end of last year, but if I can lose weight without actually having to work up a daily sweat then that's fine by me. Mayhaps I should start after Easter. It also should mean that if I go with the Post Office's annual travel insurance, I should be fully covered - Thomas Cook's more complex policy would have seen me pay over £350 for just one trip and wouldn't have insured anything above the neck.

So, ladies and gentlepersons....Mosby has left the Neurology Building. Thankyouverymuch.

HARD DWAYNE

2009-04-06T22:48:00.000+01:00

Well, just on my way back from doing press for Race to Witch Mountain in which a certain Mr Rock (Dwayne Johnson) gets the star-billing. And a nice guy he is too... he enjoys the promotional side and never seems to take himself too seriously and had some pretty good pragmatic insights into making the transition from arena to silver screen. He's a genuinely good actor and while Witch is strictly for the ankle-biter brigade and demographic, it'll do no harm to his résumé . And he's certainly a nicer guy than the security-guard who greeted me on arrival and quite literally strode up towards me saying "You'll have to..." and gave his wrists a literal 'shoo-ing' motion to indicate that he didn't want me sharing the same public corridor as the advancing Mr Johnson as they headed towards the lifts. Still, I guess the ~~aloof, jobsworthy idiot~~ bodyguard was just doing his job. Mr J himself probably wouldn't dream of it.

Spent the rest of the day in London. I passed the time by helping out friend and colleague Dina at the Daily Mail National Home Exhibition by taking some shots of her with interviewee, Rusty Lee (Rusty and the Rock... sounds like a 70s show, no?) . For non-UKers she's a celebrity cook of old, a big bouncy lady with an infectious laugh and seemed very pleasant. Grabbed some quick drinks and a chinese with Dina later and then headed for the station, the train and an hour or so of transcribing.

Tomorrow I have my non-obligatory but hopefully non-eventful check-up at the Neurology Department at the hospital and that should underline the fact I'm fit and fine to travel without being waylaid with any obscenely high and unnecessary insurance premiums. Two weeks today I'll hopefully be settling in at Yotel ready to fly off to LA. Betwixt now and then there's some Wolverineing and some Star Trekking to fit in. And packing.

Hopefully not in that order.

DEALING WITH MY ABANDONMENT ISSUES...

2009-03-30T01:16:00.001+01:00

Spring cleaning and streamlining can be heart-warming and soul destroying. I have literally thousands of magazines that I rarely use, but have built up quite a library (albeit not always ordered) of reference that was there if I needed it. But then I started running out of room and had to do that whole evaluation thing of 'is it worth the space I'm losing it to and could I make a little money off clearing it at the same time?' The answer to the first bit is yes as I've always been a hoarder and though I invariably need something as soon as I chuck it out, I have too much clutter for anything short of a Tardis. The answer to the latter is more likely to be 'no' as magazines are bulky, impossible to ebay without paying a huge amount for postage and even a dealer isn't going to offer you a lot for them because he won't be able to sell them all himself even if you can get them all to him.

So I'm left with the fact that there's a good chance some of my collection will end up simply in the bin. That's a last resort as there's nothing quite like seeing a symbol of twenty years of your life being shovelled off into the garbage to bring an obvious metaphor to the surface. When I left 'Claremont' I binned a lot of the 'un-necessaries' which was hard enough at the time, only to return the following day to find someone had gone through the bins and scattered rubbish and belongings everywhere. Truly broke my heart. So to bin stuff voluntarily now is pretty annoying and frustrating if it's coming to that.

So, if anyone is in the Leeds area and wants Total Films, Premieres. Flicks, Entertainment Weeklies and maybe some SFXs, feel free to contact. Otherwise it's the charity shop or if they don't have the room (which is quite likely)... the bin.

Peh.

WORKING ORDERS...

2009-03-27T01:38:00.000+01:00

Back when I had the health BLIP at the end of 2008, the doctors said I'd probably have good days and bad days in the months to follow. To be fair, most of my days have been exceptionally good and I know I've been very lucky. However the last 36hrs or so weren't quite as 'chipper' with some light dizziness and aches and just feeling a bit off my game. It's nothing I'm too worried about, partly to be expected, but it was annoying and distracting as I had to limit my time at a computer screen when there's a strong need for me to be at it a lot (Cause and Effect, I guess). But feeling better today, albeit with some neck ache and I have a final doctor's appointment in about two weeks which should be nothing but a formality. However it does remind me that once the convention and current round of deadlines are over, I'm looking forward to some serious R'n'R in LA and then in Iowa.

Minor tech annoyances too...because as well as my laptop's DVD drive no longer recording properly, the webcam now appears to 'not exist' according to the machine. A bit of pain to discover when I was setting up a Skype chat earlier to catch up with Shaleah and Kit/Ariel's bouncing baby girl (cute as a button... checks buttons... okay, cuter than...). This leads me to think I may have to put this machine in for repair while I go away and so borrow my parentals' laptop to travel with to America. This would be frustrating for several reasons - 1) all my e-mails are on this machine and while I can back up programs and files, the Inbox and sub-folders are much more tricky to save and 2) any long term readers of this blog know that PC World are ~~the spawns of satan and couldn't find their ass with two hands, a map and a torch~~ lost my last laptop and left me out of pocket even after compensation and a replacement. Though I'm loathe to risk that again, I may have no choice - especially as there's only three weeks to go before I go.

Annnnnnnyway. Press with Mr Nic Cage: done (The film, ,Knowing is not half as interesting as he is). Several articles from that meeting written up. HLWW brochure designs: done (ready to send). HLWW DVD sleeves (ditto). Some articles to do. More designing to do. However for now, a catch-up on TV eps I've missed and some late-night chocolate.

Then sleep. Then perhaps PAID work. Then...

TALES TO ACCOMPLISH...

2009-03-23T17:34:00.002+01:00

I've recently decided that every single day I should acheive something. I fully admit that on certain days, getting up will fall into that category, but if I write something, design something, clean something, sort something or just something something then I can look back and say the day wasn't a washout. This weekend there was a lot of somethings done. I managed to design six DVD sleeves for HLWW, work on the design for another possible project that I hope to hear more about this week, finish an article for Impact, get things packaged for ebay and also sort some more stuff for the local auction house. Go, me! Let's put it this way, this weekend I earned my bloody Jaffa Cakes (and what would I do without them?)

And watching the news, Jade Goody has died. Don't get me wrong, her story is tragic and stripped down to the story basics, any young mother who dies of cervical cancer in her mid-Twenties and leaves behind a grief-stricken family is heart-breaking in that respect. But in broader strokes, she was an uneducated, casually racist non-entity who was made a celebrity by an attention-seeking reality show (twice-over) and the angle-searching fickle tabloids celebrating the very things about her which were once to be derided. ("Roll up, roll up, see her demonstrate her lack of understanding, hear her insult ethnic minorities, laugh as she cries... yes, REAL tears!"). They laughed with, not at her and she barely noticed. She became famous for being famous and famously thick. She was the media's plaything to be prodded out on slow news days and the only savvy thing she ever did was let her advisors play to those weaknesses to make sure she at least got some of the profit the papers made from her. She chose to die publicly and in a way that would ensure the blood money went to her children to support them when she was gone. But before she's even buried, everyone's picking over the corpse. Listening to Radio Five Live's fluffy navel-gazing coverage this morning they asked the public what they thought of their Goody coverage. Tellingly, around 45% said they didn't like Goody, 40% said the BBC coverage had been out of proportion and 15% said they liked her a lot. They then interupted the tepid defence by the head of programming and his excuse that Goody was a valid news-story for millions of ~~vultures~~ listeners (and 'hey hadn't people appreciated the coverage of Natasha Richardson earlier in the week, dammit!'), to go over to the *breaking news* from a reporter outside the Goody residence that....yes, flowers being left for Jade outside her house and let's take the chance to talk to a fan.

This afternoon, reports are being readied for tomorrow's tabloids that confirm that Jade Goody will remain dead for the forseeable future (barring reruns). Irony on the other hand is alive and well and already after a finders fee.

ANGLO-FILING

2009-03-15T20:40:00.000+01:00

Today was almost spring-like, which for those of you not in England, means it didn't actually quite rain.

There are times when I feel like the show-runner of my own life. Like Joss Whedon but with no vampires, less death, fractionally less angst and just a bit less interesting when viewed from the outside (So, Dollhouse, I guess?). I kinda look back (or ocassionally forward) and spot the themes of the year. 2008 was definitely nick-named 'Watershed' and I had the feeling well in advance that certain stuff would come to a head and if not a tectonic shift, then certainly an alphabetising of priorities. Which for anyone who knows me, is SO not me.

That's certainly continuing on into 2009. Both literally and metaphorically I'm cleaning house. Maybe it's down to hitting the signifcant age (29 is still significant, right?) when you have to make jokes about still being 29 (see?) or maybe being Mr Splodey head last year and feeling mortal or perhaps simply the downside of being a hoarder is that sooner or later you run out of place to hoard... but I'm getting rid of a lot of stuff that however much I'd love to keep, it's just not essential. Two big boxes of cinematic books went to the local auction house last week and brought in a few pounds, I'm doing something similar to my vast magazine collections, there's a ton of merchandise going on ebay at the moment and some stuff is just heading for the bin. My DVD collection and soundtracks are actually dimishing to the titles I may actually watch/listen to again and IF I illegally downloaded, which I surely DON'T - then I'd be of the mind to organise them into files and discs for easy referencing when I review them for the magazines. Rhetorically, of course.

I'm streamlining and organising. That's not to say, the workspace is looking remotely tidy at the moment - in fact, it looks like it's being hit by something whirling, maybe a dervish - but to the well trained eye, there's actually significant progress. By the time I head off to the US, I'll have downsized a fair bit - if only my waist was included in that.

However, mucho HLWW to finish off, Impact to do, tax to sort out and Verbatim to get done and dusted. Then more work to seek out - design or writing - for which payment would be good. And I still found time to wash and brush up this blog a bit. The colour-scheme was a bit sterile, so hopefully now a bit warmer and inviting with a touch of style. Not unlike my good self.

In short, for the moment...all work, no play. But hopefully only in the short-term.

FRIED DAY.

2009-03-14T02:21:00.002+01:00

I'm sure it's not down to Comic Relief, (hence the nose to the left of this blog entry) but I've been in a funny mood all day. Funny as in strange, rather than in 'Ha-ha... Mosby, you're so HI-larious!'

Pretty sure I was dreaming about chilling out with Jill, her pets, chocolate and for some strange reason, the art of Facebooking, when the cell-phone alarm woke me up. Got up early ready for my tried and trusted accountant to come around and pick up my financials. He got lost on the way to my house. Thank God I don't believe in metaphors. Had a long chat about the nefarious Tax Woman and I'm hopeful we can get something sorted, though it may take a few weeks. Hit the laptop again early to sort and send off some final images to Impact, helped redesign Shaleah's blog and THEN thought about breakfast.

But then didn't get much done except try to sort out my health check-up at the Nuerology Dept at the LGI and then put some more stuff on ebay (check out the link in the blog's left column). I had picked up several copies of last Friday's edition of the Metro that had the Watchmen additional cover and have had quite a bit of interest on ebay - wish I'd picked up a lot more! Then had a shower, then did odd chores that left no real sense of accomplishment but needed to be got out of the way. Ho, as they say, hum.

Then spoke with Jill on the phone this evening and babbled like some sort of idiot. When even *I* know my voice is getting meanderingly ahead of my brain, it's time to call it a day, so I made my farewells and vegged out on the Comic Relief telethon for a while. David Tennant was excellent as the host for the first few hours, French & Saunders' version of Mamma Mia was pretty good but later Claudia Winkleman looked like a cross between a poster for heroin chic and a myopic bullimic panda... seriously bizarre looking woman.

I think I'll write-off this Friday as done and dusted and file it under 'Other'. Tomorrow is another day, thankfully the Satur' version. I sense a lie-in coming on. To sleep perchance to...