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Doctor Who: Series 5, Episode 4 - Time of Angels

Published April 29, 2010

Doctor Who: Series 5, Episode 4 - Time of Angels

With about five minutes to go, I glanced at the clock and realised that the episode would be over soon and our heroes were all still in mortal danger. Either they were going to wrap this up quickly or it was going to be a two-parter. Thankfully, it was the latter, although no one I have spoken to knew it was going to be over two weeks. A bit of …

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

Published April 29, 2010

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

I was bemused for a lot of this film, but that's not to say I didn't enjoy it. The style is so unusual that it was quite captivating and even though the story is bordering on ridiculous, and the characters are not even slightly sympathetic, it was short enough to keep my attention throughout.

Stick It

Published April 28, 2010

Stick It

So, yeah, it was pretty cringeworthy but I also kinda liked it. There's something about it being so unashamedly about gymnastics that I like. It's not pretending to be smart or clever, it's just something colourful, bright and pretty (and flexible!) to watch for an hour or so.

Life in the Fast Lane II - Part 3

Published April 27, 2010

Life in the Fast Lane II - Part 3

Oh, wow, I have wrestled with this next section. I wrote it. Then I wrote it again with about six different endings. Then I went back to the original ending. It may still not be right yet. But let's go with it. "This is nice," Melissa said, as the waiter offered her a menu. Bruno smiled. "Wine?" he asked. "No, no, just a sparkling water for me. Can't drink on …

Couples Retreat

Published April 27, 2010

Couples Retreat

I really enjoyed this. It was clearly not meant to be taken at all seriously, and was essentially some pretty people running around a tropical island - falling out and making up. It was funny, though, more than I'd expected, and it wasn't really too slushy either. Win-win!

The Invention of Lying

Published April 26, 2010

The Invention of Lying

It's fair to say that Ricky Gervais basically plays one character - someone who is pretty smart and generally quite bemused by everyone around him. When he's doing that, he does it well. The premise of the film is good, the religious part of it was a bit much for me, but it was pretty amusing.

Header 1 - Experimenting with brushes

Published April 25, 2010

Header 1 - Experimenting with brushes

Instead of a page with a long list of the header images created, I thought it might be more useful to give each it's own blog post - with notes for future reference on what I did, the tools used, and whether it was a success or a failure. The first of my brand new header images was really just a big ball of experimentation. I had never worked with …

Franck takes to the streets

Published April 25, 2010

Franck takes to the streets

Franck tests out a new Peugeot Coupe and a scooter. It's fair to say that he looks a lot more comfortable in the car than on the scooter, but I wouldn't say the same about his companion. The video is entirely in French, so I can't tell you anything about it except the scooter looks quite expensive!

A LOST app please

Published April 24, 2010

A LOST app please

This week's episode of LOST (don't worry, no spoilers here) wasn't the rip-roaring ride we've had recently with Richard and Desmond. It was good, but it was more of a transitional piece to get all the characters in the right place for whatever is to come in the final episodes. That is fine by me. Sometimes you need a break from the mind-blowing awesomeness - a breather to gather your …

Life in the Fast Lane II - Part 2

Published April 23, 2010

Life in the Fast Lane II - Part 2

Yay for the return of Mitch and Friends. If anyone wants a quick catchup on everything that has happened so far, or wants a reminder of which character was which, I created a Life in the Fast Lane page with all you need to know. Now, the results of the vote for Part 1: I am glad that everyone on the list got some votes, I thought it might be …

Silly old buffer

Published April 23, 2010

Silly old buffer

There's a great post from Steven Moffat on the BBC TV blog, and whilst a little bit spoilerific in terms of the next Weeping Angels episode (no major plot points but some behind the scenes notes), Mr M's thoughts on Matt Smith are fascinating. I think the thing that has come back with Matt is the idea that The Doctor is a bit silly at times. He's a slightly silly …

Baby Panda Thursday #54

Published April 22, 2010

Baby Panda Thursday #54

My goodness, there are some really fabulous photos of Yun Zi available thanks to the San Diego Shooter. Relaxing Peekaboo! Sitting How adorable is that big ball of fluff? And how soon can I get to San Diego??

Girondins de Bordeaux team launch

Published April 22, 2010

Girondins de Bordeaux team launch

The team have launched, and so this is just a note to make sure you check out the photos on the Superleague Formula Facebook album. As you might expect, there are loads of Franck pictures! FKM has also written about his first weekend with the team on his site, available to read (in French) here.

Life in the Fast Lane II - Part 1

Published April 21, 2010

Life in the Fast Lane II - Part 1

So, here it is. The return of Mitch and his friends. I wanted to write a ten-step story on a different topic but I wasn't inspired by anything else, and I missed Mitch. Marilene sent me a tweet and suddenly the sequel was there in my head, as though it had always been there. So thanks to Marilene, and thanks to you for reading. I hope it's okay! Melissa took …

A stream of consciousness

Published April 20, 2010

A stream of consciousness

(Note: I really wanted to call this post 'Don't Cross the Streams' but I knew people would be mad it wasn't about Ghostbusters.) I am so very up to date with TWiT podcasts now that I have even impressed myself! I was just listening to this weekend's episode of This Week in Google, and there was a section of it I found really interesting. About half an hour in, they …

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Published April 19, 2010

The Picture of Dorian Gray

I surprised myself with this film and really enjoyed it. With such strong characters, the black and white didn't confuse me like the last one. The story was quite slow, and the acting very '40s, but I was engrossed. I really would like to see the remake now.

Spruced up

Published April 18, 2010

Spruced up

Following the revelations of Whittled Down, I now have information about things I'm adding to Smarter Than Your Average. If you visit the site, rather than a feed reader, you might notice that I've reverted to the old Vigilance theme. I used to use this one in the good ol' days of self-hosting, and I got a familiar sense of wellbeing when I selected it from the Wordpress options. (Incidentally, …

Snatch

Published April 18, 2010

Snatch

I wasn't really a fan of the story. I was mostly quite confused throughout, and as mentioned above, I mixed up two of the characters which didn't help. I did like some of the characters though and the format of the film appealed.

Doctor Who: Series 5, Episode 3 - Victory of the Daleks

Published April 17, 2010

Doctor Who: Series 5, Episode 3 - Victory of the Daleks

Ah, I know plenty of people have said it before, but it is so good to have regular episodes again. All that waiting to find out what the Doctor was going to do in his next special was not fun. I really didn't think much of this week's story. It had tons of potential, Winston Churchill, a war room, Daleks on our side for once. It all got a bit …

Whittled down

Published April 16, 2010

Whittled down

With a little bit more time on my hands, I've had the chance to think about some of my other blogs - and I quite quickly came to the conclusion that I had too many. Who really needs seven blogs? Really? A couple of them were on hiatus, never to be added to again. Some of them have an unknown future, but whatever future they do have, it will take …

Of weights and scales

Published April 15, 2010

Of weights and scales

Here is what I don't understand. They say that exercise is good for you. "Get moving," they say. So I did. I got and I moved. And now, two days later, I can't move. My legs hurt. I don't think that's quite what they had in mind. (Who's they, anyway?) On the subject of diet and exercise, a new way of using the internet is to humiliate yourself thin. The …

Sunny days, chasing the clouds away (part one)

Published April 13, 2010

Sunny days, chasing the clouds away (part one)

In the midst of deciding the future of Sidepodcast, we needed to get out of the house. We drove round and round and round and ended up in the country - green fields, yellow daffodils, sun shining. I feel like perhaps we have skipped a season here in the UK and summer has come early. Either that or this is all the summer we are going to get! However, it …

Dear diary and more

Published April 13, 2010

Dear diary and more

I found Journler a while ago, downloaded it and then never really used it. When I started tinkering around with writing again, I sort of opened it up, but when I went to the site I discovered that development on it has stopped. Support is still there, and it's still available to download, but there is nothing in the pipeline. It's a shame, because whilst I haven't used it extensively, …

Doctor Who: Series 5, Episode 2 - The Beast Below

Published April 11, 2010

Doctor Who: Series 5, Episode 2 - The Beast Below

I didn't manage to catch this live, which means I've already let myself down a little bit, however, it was worth waiting for. A few thoughts on the latest episode of Doctor Who. It very much reminded me of Gridlock - the episode where there were all those car type things stuck on a motorway type thing. The idea of the human race stuck inside, trying to find a way …

Enhanced Editions

Published April 10, 2010

Enhanced Editions

With the invention of the iPad pretty much scrapping any chance of me getting a Kindle any time soon, I've been starting to look at the concept of reading books on the iPod Touch. My first experience came only from seeing the words Doctor Who on an app in a top ten list somewhere. The Enhanced Editions, er, edition of Code of the Krillitanes by Justin Richards. It's one of …

Lost in time

Published April 6, 2010

Lost in time

After watching the latest episode of LOST (don't worry, no spoilers here), Mr C and I got into one of those conversations that goes something like - "Was Mr Widmore with Dharma? No, he wasn't there then. Yes he was, he just was with the others instead. But I thought he was in the army. He had an army uniform. But it wasn't his. When was that? Would he recognise …

Doctor Who: Series 5, Episode 1 - The Eleventh Hour

Published April 5, 2010

Doctor Who: Series 5, Episode 1 - The Eleventh Hour

It was good! I can't quite describe the relief. I think, really, I knew it would be. How could it be anything less than brilliant with Steven Moffat at the helm? So a few thoughts: The Doctor. He did everything right. From his very first words about apples, to his confident showdown with the alien eye thing at the end. I'm still not impressed with the clothes, but they do …

The Archers - March 2010

Published April 5, 2010

The Archers - March 2010

This month seems to have been about introducing new names, or at least bringing back returning faces. We've seen Lillian develop her relationship with Paul and we've seen Kate return... more on that later. I think I'll start where I left off, with Alan sleeping in a tent. The man got a wicked cough - I have no idea how you can act out something like that! I don't know …

Superleague Formula - Round 1

Published April 5, 2010

Superleague Formula - Round 1

The first race of the new season took place at Silverstone this past weekend, and it wasn't really a success for our Franck, although it could have been a lot worse. Things got started pretty well, with GD Bordeaux third in free practice - although the fastest car was up about two seconds on FKM. Qualifying was hit by some wet weather, but I don't know if that directly affected …

Card Week - Caterpillar Thank You

Published April 2, 2010

Card Week - Caterpillar Thank You

Thus, the first Card Week series draws to a close, and it's going back to animals, I'm afraid. These rather cute caterpillar thank you cards appealed to me and were actually the first one I found when searching for a week's worth of cards. Caterpillar Thank You Notes I hope this week of cards hasn't been too self-indulgent, although if I'm honest with myself, the entire premise of Stationery Corner …

Card Week - Mr and Mrs Pacman

Published April 1, 2010

Card Week - Mr and Mrs Pacman

The fourth entry for card week takes a completely different turn. It doesn't feature animals - I don't suppose the Pacman family are animals, are they? I love this card for when your geek friends get married. Mr and Mrs Pacman Wedding Card It's quirky, and only a certain type of couple would appreciate it but I know Mr C and I would have if we'd accepted cards for our …

Card week - Flying Geese

Published March 31, 2010

Card week - Flying Geese

Card Week number three, and we're continuing our animal theme but rather than pigs and cows, we're taking off into the skies. These flying geese look good, I love the colours, and the empty bench. Plus, the simplicity of writing hello in the bottom corner. A great way for a card to break the ice or just to simply say 'hello'. Flying Geese Hello Folded Note Cards It's just occurred …

Your Doctor Who spin off

Published March 30, 2010

Your Doctor Who spin off

Doctor Who is crazy popular, and has managed to create an entire universe of TV shows, books, comics, games, and much more. It even has a couple of spin-offs with Torchwood and the Sarah Jane Adventures. Thing is, both of those spin offs are all very well and good, but I can think of a couple of other characters who would be much more interesting. Here's the game. If you …

The road to Superleague

Published March 30, 2010

The road to Superleague

Words from the man himself about how he came to be racing in the Superleague Formula this year. The story begins thus: OK, I don’t know neither the car or the drivers who will be playing in the field with me... so let’s talk about what I actually know, it will be faster and probably much more interesting for you, guys! So once upon a time... Hehehe, bless. Girondins de …

The BBC and their enormous website

Published March 30, 2010

The BBC and their enormous website

Part of the BBC's review of what they're doing now and how they want to keep doing it in the future involves looking at their presence on the web. I found an interesting post on the Internet Blog regarding the use of direct URLs on the BBC, and how freaking many of them there are! The plan is to reduce the list and in doing so, it will help them …

Card week - Vintage Pig/Cow Postcards

Published March 30, 2010

Card week - Vintage Pig/Cow Postcards

The second entrant on our Card Week special is a postcard rather than a greetings card. I have never really been a big fan of sending postcards because I don't like the idea of anyone reading what is written there, and of course, if you send it from a holiday destination, you are likely to return before it does. However, I do like these vintage cards. Vintage Pig/Cow Carte Postale …

Hands that (don't) do dishes

Published March 30, 2010

Hands that (don't) do dishes

A few weeks ago I discovered I had the world's smallest problem. A tiny patch of skin between the knuckles of my little finger and the next one up on my left hand had got a bit dry. Panic! Now, you may remember, if you ever watched the video from my attempt at making mince pies, that I'm not really a fan of putting things on my hands. When it …

Card week - Penguins in Love

Published March 29, 2010

Card week - Penguins in Love

Greetings cards and note cards are very personal things. What works for one person may be considered hideous by someone else, and it's all a matter of taste. This week, for five days, I'll post a different card each day, making this the first ever Card Week. They're all from Etsy, and I love them all for very different reasons. Today - Penguins in Love. The first of many cards …

Purple visitor book

Published March 28, 2010

Purple visitor book

If you are involved in a business, or just have a lot of visitors, then you might require a book to keep track of who has been to see you and when. If I was in charge of choosing such a book, I might be keen on this one from Noble Macmillan. Now, granted, I'm happy that it's purple, but other colours are available. I like how simple it is …

Magnifying Glass letter opener

Published March 27, 2010

Magnifying Glass letter opener

I've never been a huge fan of letter openers, as I am more than likely to injure myself with them. However, I have used them before and they do make life a little bit easier. This one has dual purpose! You open the letter, someone has scrawled some tiny fine print at the bottom of your letter, and thus you flip the opener round and lo and behold - a …

Nkuku Tiny Journals

Published March 26, 2010

Nkuku Tiny Journals

How cute are these? 6cm x 7cm. Nkuku Tiny Journals They've got about 50 pages inside and are so tiny you could carry them anywhere. Equally, they are so tiny, that you could lose them anywhere.

Hard to imagine

Published March 25, 2010

Hard to imagine

I was talking to my mother today about the fact that both Rob and Felipe both now know about the Felipe Baby song and how I really am quite embarrassed about the whole thing. (If you don't know about the Felipe Baby song, it's not really important to the story.) This conversation followed: Me: I'm flattered, obviously, but it's really embarrassing. Mum: Yea, but imagine if there were people doing …

Baby Panda Thursday #52

Published March 25, 2010

Baby Panda Thursday #52

I think it's time we had another Etsy edition of Baby Panda Thursday, starting with this rather cute note card: 5x5 baby panda note card I never really have any need for note cards but there are some really nice ones available. Lupe This is similar to the Mr Panda that I bought a while ago, but there's something about the lack of detail on this one that I like. …

Franck gets a teammate - maybe?

Published March 25, 2010

Franck gets a teammate - maybe?

There's more news about Franck today, although not directly relating to him, and it has me even more confused about this Superleague thing. The story suggests that FKM is getting a French teammate, but actually, he's not in the same "football team" as he is, but they are the same race team. My investigations reveal that the race team is Barazi-Epsilon, and they provide the means for two football clubs …

Online fountain pen

Published March 25, 2010

Online fountain pen

I think Online is an unfortunate name for a pen, which is anything but digital, but this one is nice enough to make up for it. I like the three coloured sections, and it's also available in various other shades, so if blue is not your thing, there's plenty of choice. It's also a lot cheaper than the last pen I featured, a bargain at about £20.

3:10 to Yuma

Published March 25, 2010

3:10 to Yuma

I wasn't really expecting to like the film at all, but it was pretty interesting throughout. I did struggle to tell the characters apart, but when it got to being just about the two, particularly once they got to that room, it was good. Interested to see the remake now, too.

Handmade paper

Published March 24, 2010

Handmade paper

Mm, look how delicious this handmade paper is! And from the description: This paper is made from 100% cardboard, paperboard, and scraps of magazine pages that I have collected and recycled myself. I was SO excited when I discovered how to recycle cereal boxes, the clippings from making my paper beads, and the cardboard snippets left over from making journal covers. I'm thrilled to be able to make them into …

More film stuff than you can shake a stick at

Published March 24, 2010

More film stuff than you can shake a stick at

I apologise for the multitude of Film Watch posts recently. I've been trying to catch up and sometimes it's just easier to sit down and schedule a load of posts for the following few days. One of my New Year Resolutions was to reach Film Watch 50, and I think that is going to be achieved fairly soon. Perhaps after that I can work on the going outside thing. I …