A BBC list of books to read. I've read *these...

*1984, George Orwell
The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
*Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
*Animal Farm, George Orwell
Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
Anne Of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery
*Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
*The BFG, Roald Dahl
Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
Bleak House, Charles Dickens
*Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
*Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
Catch 22, Joseph Heller
*The Catcher In The Rye, JD Salinger
*Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
Dune, Frank Herbert
Emma, Jane Austen
Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
The Godfather, Mario Puzo
Gone With The Wind, Margaret Mitchell
Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
*Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
*Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, JK Rowling
*Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
*Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
*His Dark Materials trilogy, Philip Pullman
*The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, Douglas Adams
The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
Holes, Louis Sachar
I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
*Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
Katherine, Anya Seton
The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, CS Lewis
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
The Lord Of The Rings, JRR Tolkien
Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
*The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
Magician, Raymond E Feist
The Magus, John Fowles
*Matilda, Roald Dahl
Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
Middlemarch, George Eliot
Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
Mort, Terry Pratchett
Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
*Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
*On The Road, Jack Kerouac
One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Perfume, Patrick Suskind
Persuasion, Jane Austen
The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
Pride And Prejudice, Jane Austen
The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
The Ragged Trousered Philantrhopists, Robert Tressell
Rebecca, Daphne Du Maurier
The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Secret History, Donna Tartt
The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
*The Stand, Stephen King
The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
Tess Of The D'urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee
A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
*Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
*The Twits, Roald Dahl
Ulysses, James Joyce
Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
War And Peace, Leo Tolstoy
Watership Down, Richard Adams
The Wind In The Willows, Kenneth Grahame
Winnie-the-Pooh, AA Milne
The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte

Any thoughts, suggestions, reviews???

Survey Time

Me:
1. I call myself: rarely
2. I am this old: 26
5. My favorite thing to drink is: water
6. My favorite food is: chicken
7. I am this tall: 5'8"
8. When I get up in the morning the first thing I do is: turn on stereo (or as Vic Calls it, my penis extension)
9. The last thing I do before I go to bed is: turn off lamp

Shower Time:
1. I take baths or showers: both
2. My favorite soap to use is: whatever's cheapest - suave/ajax
3. I use this shampoo: pantene
5. I use a comb or a brush: comb
6. I blow dry my hair or let it air dry: air
7. My toothpaste is: crest
8. My toothbrush color is: green
9. I like hot or cold showers: hot
10. What I think about in the shower: futility of life
11. My least favorite thing about the shower is: getting water on the floor

Primary School:
1. My dad/mom drove me to school or I rode the bus: bus
3. My favorite teacher was: miss fitzpatrick
4. My least favorite teacher was: miss walsh
6. My favorite field trip was to: the plane'arium
7. What I remember most about primary school is: being shaken by a teacher

High School:
1. My favorite subject in high school is/was: english
5. My favorite activity in high school: reading
6: I was in the band and I played: no band
8. I was in this school play(s): no plays, though I once recited Patrick Kavanagh's A Christmas Childhood and sang Silent Night in 4 languages :)
9. I was in this crowd at school: none
10. I had detention this many times: lost count
11. I drove to school: no
12. I skipped class this many times: 3 or 4
13. I was always late for class: nope
16. I went to prom with: some hussy named Pauline
17. I went to this many football games: a few
18. My favorite trip was: no trips
19. I was in the principal's office this many times: 3 or 4

1. My first cassette I bought was: An Elvis greatest hits compilation
2. My first CD I bought was: an Elvis box set
3. I at one time owned records/or still do: yep, got a lot of 'em from an auction once, with a record player for about 20 quid.
4. My favorite band is: Doves
5. My favorite female singer is: Norah Jones
6. My favorite male singer is: Damien Rice

Okay then... time for another of those weekly update things. Chelle and Coble visited last weekend. We took them to breakfast and to stores and parks and home. We had pizza and subs and beer and wine. We watched Kissing Jessica Stein and Stealing Beauty. We sang and danced and some did more. But I'll never tell. Vic probably will though, since she's shameless. We had a jolly old time.

It was nice to have monday off to recover, though this week has been crazy and seemed longer than most. I've worked at my current job nearly 2 years, and next week I'll get to meet our so-called manager for the first time. She's based in NJ and in recent months has insulted 2 supervisors so much that they quit. I'm so looking forward to being tense (moreso) all week, and to potential unemployment cos she'll see just how little work we do these days. Maybe she'll take a Wrong Turn. I'm looking forward to that movie. I think, besides the Scream series, the only 'slasher' horror flick I'd seen in theaters was Halloween H20, and I expect this will be much more gory and scary. Plus it's got sexy chicks in it. And I shall feel such pride in my home state as the cannibalistic inbred West Virginian hillbillies eat people.

In related news, Topher Grace and Kate Bosworth may be filming in a neighboring county. Finally, a movie set in WV might actually film here!

We went to bed early last night. TV is so crappy these days, and Netflix is too slow. We mailed movies on Tuesday, the replacements won't ship till Monday. I got some videos from the library - Round Midnight, Buena Vista Social Club - but Vic's not interested in watching those. I hope the weekend isn't too boring or frustrating.

We're back to worrying about money again - we are, as they say, living beyond our means. And we haven't even heard from the tax people about our installment plans. We had been thinking about reducing our cable channels, but damn Showtime have a probably great show debuting tomorrow - Out of Order starring Eric Stoltz, William H Macy, Justine Bateman and Kim Dickens.

Heard about Meow TV yet? It was on Oxygen last night and we recorded it for our superkitty Ms Patches. A TV show for cats and the people they tolerate. Sounds like fun. Sheesh, can't believe I wrote that - I've fallen so far.

Books - I read Ridley Pearson's Beyond Recognition (good - I like his Lou Boldt series), most of the essays in Sarah Vowell's Take the Cannoli (funny stuff - highlights included her ramblings on goths, mix tapes and driving), skimmed Robert James Waller's A Thousand Country Roads (well written but the story was disappointing) and I'm approaching the end of Anna Burns' No Bones (a novel of madness, sex and violence - the craziest Irish book I've read). I'm listening to Michael Connelly's City of Bones which is really good. I'm continuing to pace myself through the 900+ page Swan Song, and next week I'm looking forward to reading Dan Bruen's White Trilogy.

My cds from the library this week were disappointing. The GRP artists performing jazz versions of the Beatles songs was disappointing - In My Life and Eleanor Rigby being the only stand-outs. I got In Blue and Collage by Karrin Allyson, both of which had a few good songs - Moanin', Angel Eyes, And So it goes - but overall didn't even approach the quality of her Ballads album. I also got some Irish piano music composed by John Fields and performed by Alison Hood, some jazz spiritual music by Bob Thompson, and some orchestral movie themes by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.

Movies watched this week include the nice but not quite as wonderful as expected Fucking Amal (aka Show Me Love), the often hilarious Monty Python's Life of Brian and the interesting but not quite compelling movie of a young Hitler, Max.

I spent very little time online this week - my evenings were spent gathering evidence for our upcoming petition to remove conditions on my permanent residency, which just sounds wrong. I think it's just beaurocratic crap but it's bringing back bad memories and stressing Vic out. And it costs $145 - more money to the US government. Speaking of money, thanks for the tax cut Dubya - I look forward to another notification that we didn't make enough money or have enough kids to benefit. Meanwhile, a headline from AP yesterday: "Halliburton's contracts in Iraq, Afghanistan at $600 million and growing."

Changes to this page: my friends list has changed to a list of journals. Livejournal is taking over. The mailing lists I'm on have dwindled to nothing - everyone's posting and interacting on LJ instead. And so, for me to keep up with what y'all are up to I've created the list over there somewhere <---. If you want to be removed to added to the list please let me know.

And finally, in local news, an elderly lady with the last name Gott (German for God) is one of many nationwide to be receiving calls meant for the great one. The makers of Bruce Almighty decided to dispense with the usual 555 prefix when Bruce was paged by God, and of course couldn't have foreseen the resulting free publicity.

I need a vacation.

My birthday was Thursday. 26. I'm an old man. It was a fairly uneventful day - dinner at Bob Evans where as always we talked about getting pie but felt too full after the main course. A friend sent me an Amazon gift certificate, and I ordered the new Lady Sings the Blues compilation. I also ordered some used Ridley Pearson books.

This week I read A Terrible Beauty by Graham Masterton. It was slightly amusing for it's use of Irish slang, but basically it was a gross horror novel, as was Breed by Owl Goingback. I don't like horror novels as much as I used to. One I am enjoying is Swan Song by Robert Mccammon - it's over 900 pages and I'm taking my time with it, but it seems very similar to The Stand. I'm approaching the end of Greg Isles' Sleep No More. He's another of my favorite mystery writers and this latest has me enthralled. Having read so much recently (and gotten some new books), I decided to update my bookshelf today.

Movies... I watched Shergar on HBO last night. It was yet another enjoyable little Irish movie. This one's based on the true story of a famous racehorse that went missing in the 80's, and stars David Warner, Ian Holm and Mickey Rourke. And tonight we watched Our Town - an important play, nicely adapted I thought. I've also been watching The Family Guy which is usually fun, sometimes hilarious.

Not much else to write about at this time. I'm looking forward to having an extra day off this weekend, and to spending time with friends Coble and Chelle.

We saw the Matrix Reloaded on Saturday. At the risk of being in the minority I must admit I was a little disappointed. It was a fun action movie, comparable to X2 and Spiderman, but it lacked the philosophical challenge of the original. Am I pretentious or what?!

This weekend I read The Guards by Dan Bruen. Why hadn't I heard of this guy before? Amazing detective fiction. I thought it was like a cross between James Lee Burke and Iain Rankin. Very funny, lots of pop culture references and fascinating quotes, interesting plot, great characterization. I hope he brings Taylor back for future adventures. I'll be picking up the author's White Trilogy this weekend.

I'm also approaching the end of Gone For Good by Harlan Coben. It lacks the humor and suspense of his previous books but it's still got me hooked - I'll probably finish it tonight.

I listened to Jeffery Deaver's The Vanished Man. He used to be one of my favorites - A Maiden's Grave, The Bone Collector, The Coffin Dancer. They're some of the books that got me hooked on the suspense genre. But his recent novels have all been mediocre. Like James Patterson, Deaver tries too hard to pack twists into his novels, sacrificing credibility.

I'm also reading Breed by Owl Goingback - yes, that's his given name. The book is a fairly formulaic horror novel, but it's set in St Augustine where we visited last year, and I like books with familiar settings. I plan to read A Terrible Beauty - Graham Masterton's first novel to be set in Ireland. He's what you might call a prolific writer - of mysteries, horror, sci-fi and even sex education books. He's been living in ireland for a few years and I'm looking forward to reading this one.

On Sunday we watched About a Boy (enjoyable, but crap when compared to the book) and 8 Mile (Top Gun for a new generation. Kinda).

I spoke too soon about work - had to talk to quite a few stupid people today. Will medication help me not to be affected so much by it? I mean, ignorance makes me angry and depressed, and that's not good living in WV.

I received my birthday shipment from BMG today. 5 cds for $30 - Johnny Cash, Dianne Reeves, Nat King Cole, Dizzy Gillespie and Joshua Redman. I like the Cash album even more than I expected and haven't listened to the others yet. I've been enjoying this week's library music - Mark O'Connor Trio's In Full Swing, featuring Jane Monheit on vocals. I love her voice - she's up there with Norah Jones and Diana Krall for me. I also got the Chieftains Down the Old Plank Road which has a couple of good tracks. I think my favorite CD of theirs is Fire in the Kitchen on which they collaborate with many Canadian artists. I'm happy to be frequenting the library again - there are so many books and cds I want but can't afford. Among the items on my holds list are books by Andrew Vachss, Sarahs Vowell and Waters, the latest Elizabeth Wurtzel drugfest, Monty Python videos, CDs by Karrin Allyson, Chet Baker and Otis Redding and Rabbit-Proof Fence on DVD.

This weekend was good. Breakfast and a movie on Saturday, followed by a dance recital and free pizza. And on Sunday - books, music, movies, TV and the company of wife and kitty. Good times.

I think this is extremely distrurbing. You?

It's late and I should get to bed soon. I've spent 90 minutes browsing various health information sites. I'm so terrified of illness, yet I don't do much to avoid it. My uncle died of bowel cancer at 42, and recent symptoms have frightened me into considering a screening. I think I'm going to call the doctor's office and ask them to let me know if there are any cancellations. Don't want to be worrying until July 7th. It's probably nothing - I'm a Hypochondriac, and at the risk of giving too much information, I have other, less fatal problems in the relevant area.

Anyway, besides health problems, life is okay. Financial crisis seems to have been averted, or at least postponed. I've been reading about many online friends struggling to find employment, and am grateful to have my job, which has been incredibly easy of late. I guess the company finally stopped wasting advertising money, and only advertise in cities where there are vacancies instead of every city we have an office in, which had been the case. So basically, I'm taking about 4 calls an hour this week and reading a lot.

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane was amazing. I'm reluctant to write about it because I can't make it sound as good as it actually is. Just read it! Lehane is an amazing writer - I read his previous 6 books last year. I only wish there were more in his back catalogue. A movie adaptation of his Mystic River will be released in August starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and more.

I'm approaching the end of Dean Koontz's From the Corner of His Eye. It's the first of his books I've read in over 8 years, though I have enjoyed the audio versions of Fear Nothing, Intensity and Dark Rivers of the Heart in the interim. The reason I stopped reading his books then was his tendency for being too descriptive. He tries too hard to be a great writer which sometimes takes away from the suspense of his work. Anyway, this is an interesting, disturbing story. There are some interesting philosophical ideas about the ramifications of a single good deed, about the joy that often springs from sorrow. In my current mood I'm a little cynical about such ideas but anyway. One of the best aspect of Koontz's work is his characterization of the anti-hero. Usually, the bad guy is a minor character, but Koontz elevates them, often making them more fascinating than the heroes of his books. This is no exception.

Moving on, a little about the Dawson's Creek finale. I liked the idea, and the obvious involvement of creator Kevin Williamson, but it could have been much better. The second hour was barely tolerable, and by the time Joey made her final decision, I was sick of the three main characters. Again. Certain scenes were good. I admit, I almost cried as one character said good-bye, and enjoyed the appearance of another as Jack's boyfriend. And I'm sad that it's ending, for sentimental reasons I've written about before.

Sheesh, I'm rambling. Maybe I should write my weekly updates at the weekend in future.

Later today we'll be seeing The Matrix Reloaded. I can't remember the last time I anticipated a movie this much. What's it been - 5 years? Ah, if only I had some pot to enhance the paranoia :)

This weekend I'll be attending my first 'recital' - an invaluable American experience I'm sure. Vic's niece will of course be the star of the show, and there'll be free food afterwards.

And that's about it. My mood's been on the bleak side, perhaps because of all the rain we've had this week. I've been appreciating Vic more and more. I know I don't deserve her, but I'm very glad she puts up with me.
And I'm looking forward, to a visit from Chelle and Coble next weekend, to a vacation in to the beach (NC or FL), to concerts, to a possible increase in income following changes at Vic's workplace. And I've got my music and books and movies. And bed.

Just saw Free Enterprise. How had I not heard of this movie till now?! It was like Swingers for Trekkies! Starring Eric McCormack and William Shatner. Recommended.

The plot outline for a new movie set in WV starring Eliza Dushku and Jeremy Sisto...

A carload of six teens find themselves trapped in the woods of West Virginia, hunted down by "cannibalistic mountain men grossly disfigured through generations of in-breeding."

Go West Virginie!

Wrong Trun is to be released on May 30th.

This week's books were The Tomb by F. Paul Wilson - an excellent blend of detective and horror fiction - and Haunted Past Reason by Richard Matheson - thought provoking and suspenseful but far from Matheson's best. Movie of the week was The Five Senses - an intriguing Canadian drama that reminded me of the work of Atom Egoyan. With the exception of Six Feet Under, nothing on TV this week was noteworthy.

I have the new Dennis Lehane book! I have rarely anticipated an author's new work as I have this. I'm very thankful for the local library - it's a brand new copy too. The library is great. I can go to their website, search for a subject/author/title, click 'hold' and they'll have the stuff waiting for me asap. And they have some pretty good music and movies too. Also, I can buy donated paperbacks in almost new condition for 75 cents each. This week's purchases included From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz and Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve. I'm also thankful for generous friends. The latest book donated to us from the library of Byron is In the Drink
by Kate Christensen.

Kudos also to audible.com, from where I can download audio versions of books by some of my favorite authors fairly inexpensively, especially compared to hardcover or actual audiobook format. This months selections - The Vanished Man by Jeffery Deaver and A Darkness More Than Night by Michael Connolly. I consider my monthly audible subscription the equivalent of Vic's web server costs. And I got a free mp3/audible player for committing to 18 months. Ah how we rationalize spending money on luxuries while barely having enough to pay bills.

I believe the best song I've heard so far this year is Hurt by Johnny Cash. His version is so melodic and erie and affecting. Vic kindly suggested the cd be my birthday present this year, so it is. I found it at BMG for $6 (+ S&H of course).

Damien Rice is playing in Pittsburgh tonight, and Louisville next weekend. Going to either would probably cost too much for even me to rationalize. However, for $10 a ticket, we're going to see Dar Williams and Kasey Chambers at a local Mountain Stage show next month. Kasey Chambers is a good songwriter with a great voice, one of the very few country artists I really like.

I have been anticipating my next order from amazon.co.uk for several months - the latest by John Connolly for me (released early June) and the latest Jasper Fforde for Vic (released early July). It should translate to around $20. Maybe we can skip lunch for a week or something.

Yesterday was great. We met Byron and dragged him to Charleston's premiere cafe where I had a delish mocha and chicken salad on croissant wif cheese. Then it was on to the Capitol where I got my annual workout by climbing steps and walking the grounds. It was nice - I hadn't seen some of the statues or been in the building before, and we got got a pic of Brownie Cow with Abraham Lincoln and Charleston's world-famous gold dome in the background. Then we went to the epicenter of local culture - Park Place Cinema - to see X2. How do they fit so many beautiful people in one movie?! Vic and I laughed at the parts where Alan Cumming and James Marsden looked like they wanted to to make it so with Patrick Stewart. Cor Blimey! We pondered why Iceman didn't turn the water to ice, why Rogue doesn't have red hair. Surprisingly, we didn't cry at all. But it was a jolly old time.

It was good to met Byron. He's been a ... benevolently looming presence since I got online in '99. From so-called to artislife to livejournal, Byron's always been there. He's been very generous to us, especially within the past year. I've lost count of the number of books and cds he's sent. In person, he was a genuinely nice guy, and I'm glad to have met him. And hey, now I'm one degree from Neil Gaiman!

Some choice selections from the 'Reader's Voice' column of our state capital's newspaper one day this week:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who in their right mind would support the Dixie Chicks? Not only did they run down America, they posed nude.

___________________________________________________

We keep hearing about the Republican guards in Iraq, but do they have any Democrats over there?

___________________________________________________

One would think that these foreign countries would show a little more appreciation that they do after we invade them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

See why I want out of this state? There's a sign outside a local church that states "three nails plus one cross equals love." And I'm not even going to start with the bumper stickers.

It's been a weird week. The prissy spoiled brat at work got written up for taking excessive breaks, and took her revenge by speaking to management by phone where everyone could hear, and basically telling tales. This lead to the no food at your cubicles rule being reinforced, and to the banning of my music. I had to take my tape player and the many tapes I'd been so happy to listen to. Thursday and Friday were so quiet and weird, with the exception of everyone bitching about the spoiled brat. Her mommy is assistant to the manager or something stupid like that.
So anyway, I had a few beers thursday night, felt like crap Friday, and now we're off to meet online legend Byron C Go!

This week's Friday 5:


1. Name one song you hate to admit you like.

Just one? I'll Never Break Your Heart - Backstreet Boys

2. Name two songs that always make you cry.

Not always, but Angel by Sarah McLachlan and Goodnight Irene by Odetta have had that effect on me.


3. Name three songs that turn you on.

Turn Me On - Norah Jones
Fever - Peggy Lee
One Night - Elvis Presley


4. Name four songs that always make you feel good.

I Feel Good - James Brown
If You Wanna Be Happy - Jimmy Soul
Boy From New York City - The Ad Libs
Down in the Valley - Otis Redding

5. Name five songs you couldn't ever do without.

The Blower's Daughter - Damien Rice
Spiritual - Charlie Haden & Pat Methany
I Need You So - Elvis Presley
Northern Lad - Tori Amos
I Will Remember You - Sarah McLachlan


And a life update ramble I recently sent to a mailing list:


Life has seemed pretty tough in recent months. January and February I was pretty depressed - I later learned more about Seasonal Affective Disorder and am fairly convinced it's my problem since Vic assures me I was hell to live with the previous winter also. I made an appointment to see a doctor about some medication for this problem, but then the sun came out and I felt okay. Like I couldn't even explain how bad I had been so there was no point in going to the doctor. Most of the time I feel okay, but I'm aware of how I try to lose myself in various obsessions or activities. I got obsessive about collecting jazz cds, about making mix tapes. I read at least 2 books a week. I watch TV and movies a lot too, like I'm trying not to think about life. I acknowledge that these are distractions. I'm pretty sure I'll end up on some mood altering medication eventually.

I get irrationally angry at work, when the people who call are really stupid, which is often. I'd been clenching my teeth a lot, and got in trouble recently for hanging up on one unbelievably dumb person.

At the same time, I am ... liked in my office. My manager recently said I should let her know when I'm willing to be flexible about working hours, that she would promote me to 'floor coach' if I was. I'm not sure I want to coach floors though.

Personal life has been affected by financial pressures. We had been doing okay until we received notification of owing $1400 in taxes. We've applied to make installments, but that messes up our monthly budget. Our 'entertainment' activities had been restricted enough already, but now I feel like we can't afford to do anything - see movies, eat out. I'm thinking of applying for debt consolidation on our credit card bills which would free up at least $100 a month and give us a little freedom. Does anyone have any experience/advice in this area?

Some of my fictional books have raised philisophical questions, from unlikely sources like Blatty's Exorcist sequel and Douglas Clegg's The Infinite, to Bagger Vance and Bach's Illusions. The questions are always in my head though most of the time I try to ignore them. Why are we here? Does God exist? How can a benevolent being allow so much suffering? Why does religion result in such evil? What is reality? What is outside this existance? I'm plagued with these kinds of questions all the time, in addition to being appalled at the small-mindedness that surrounds me at work. I think too much. Ignorance is bliss?

This week has been mostly okay. We're still dealing with the ramifications of my stupidity last week when I had the insane desire to be alone again, and told Vic I needed 'space.' There were times this week when I couldn't believe I'd be that stupid. Maybe I should just relent and see the doctor - dissatisfaction with life in general has caused me to consider giving up the one positive influence in my life.

I hope we get to Florida, at least for vacation, maybe to stay. I hope there's a lot more sunlight in my life, literally and metaphorically. I hope that lunch at the mother-in-law's tomorrow doesn't worsen our current fragile states of mind.


And now, yay, distractions:


Music

My favorite cd this week was Michael Brecker's The Nearness of You on which he collaberates with Charlie Haden, Pat Methany and Herbie Hancock. James Taylor does vocals on two tracks and his version of the title song is wonderful. I've also been enjoying music from Robert Altman's Kansas City. If you like jazz even a little, I think you'll love this music. There's a video called Jazz '34, and 2 volumes of the soundtrack. Performers include James Carter, Joshua Redman, Don Byron, Christian McBride, Ron Carter, Nicholas Payton, Mark Whitfield, Cyrus Chestnut, Craig Handy, Ray Brown and Kevin Mahogany. This music embodies all that is good about jazz - it's fresh, sizzling, sweet, loud, soft, brash, fun, nostalgic, creative, spontaneous, inspiring, alive, sensational, splendid.

Other jazz artists I've been enjoying are Sidney Bechet and Count Basie.

Skipping genres, I love the Songcatcher soundtrack. I guess it's considered traditional music, but there are some great songs and great voices on this cd. Some highlights for me include Wayfarin' Stranger by Maria McKee, Pretty Saro by Iris DeMent, Mary of the Wild Moor by Sara Evans, Moonshiner by Allison Moorer, and Wind And Rain by Gillian Welch, David Rawlings & David Steele. The movie was pretty good too.

I'm allowed listen to music at work now, and dug out many of my old tapes from Ireland. Some made me cringe - everything from the Bee Gees to Boyzone - but some are really good, like one if my first mix tapes, which I called Life, and the 'hybrid' tapes I made by mixing movie clips with soundtrack music. The Twin Peaks tape is particularly effective, though I also like how Monty Python's Holy Grail mixed with music from the X Files :)

Movies

I believe the best movie we watched this week was Harold and Maude. It's as my second time, Vic's first. What an amazing unconventional, life-affirming wonderful movie!

Julien Donkey-Boy is the most original and disturbing movie I've seen since Eraserhead. From the writer of 'Kids' it's the story of a fucked up family starring Ewan Bremner (who played 'Spud' in Trainspotting) and Chloe Sevigny. It's difficult to watch, but ultimately very memorable. Ewan Bremner gives one of the best acting performances I've ever seen. He is absolute in this role.

Perfume had a great cast - Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Williams, Jared Harris, Peter Gallagher, Paul Sorvino. It had some good moments, but was mostly a waste of time. I later found out that the dialogue was all improvised.

Identity is difficult to write about without spoiling your viewing experience. It's a very enjoyable, suspenseful movie, unlike any you've seen before. Highly recommended.

And to watch in the near future:
Last night I recorded 'Naked' and 'The Five Senses.' From Netflix we've got The Badge starring Billy Bob & Sela Ward, Y Tu Mama Tambien, and an Irish documentary about an itinerant boxer called Southpaw.

TV

This seems to be my least favorite means of distraction these days. Highlights included Father Ted and The Office on BBC America, Six Feet Under and The Sopranos (we'd missed the end of the first season so they're new to us) on HBO, and Angel on WB which is now far better than Buffy. I am relieved that the latter show is coming to an end.

Books

Water Carry Me by Thomas Moran was great. It's the story of a young orphan in Cork, Ireland. A story of friendship and love, of conflict and betrayal. The writing was wonderful and reminded me of books Niall Williams, but didn't try quite so hard and was better for it!

I also finished Irish Girls About Town - 16 stories by Irish women authors. This book was so good, I devoured it in one day :)

I'm approaching the end of The Infinite by Douglas Clegg, which is essentially a haunted house story - it reminded me of the mini-series Rose Red. The characters and plot are espertly realised however, and the book is much better than I expected.

And I started Away by Jane Urquhart. Not much has happened yet, but the language is flowing and I know I'm going to love it. This is one of those few books that's a joy to read.


And thus is my life update. I shall hereby finish with a poem by W.B. Yeats.


Stream And Sun At Glendalough

THROUGH intricate motions ran
Stream and gliding sun
And all my heart seemed gay:
Some stupid thing that I had done
Made my attention stray.

Repentance keeps my heart impure;
But what am I that dare
Fancy that I can
Better conduct myself or have more
Sense than a common man?

What motion of the sun or stream
Or eyelid shot the gleam
That pierced my body through?
What made me live like these that seem
Self-born, born anew?