What more can I say?? Maya and I went to see this on Thursday night and it was superb! So terrible it was good - anyone else aside from Samuel L. Jackson and it would have just bombed, but he carried it. How many films can you hear him say "Great news. Snakes on crack"??
Enough jumps as well to keep me happy :-).
Check out the entry on Wikipedia - gives a good history - and has one of the best clips from the movie on it as well... Snakes
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Friday, August 25, 2006
Me and Jackie at The Horse
Me and Jackie at The Horse
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.
Saying hello and goodbye to Nadine, a friend from Australia who has been over here at Oxford Summer School. Spent a very entertaining and enjoyable night at The Horse, as Nadine regaled us with shaggy dog stories about Portuguese nuclear physicists and Oxford Dons!
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Interesting exhibition
Kevin and I went to see the Che Guevara: Revolutionary & Icon exhibition at the V&A last night - in the nick of time as it finishes on Saturday!
Really interesting - just to read about how the photo of him was just luck really with the photographer being in the right place at the right time, and also to realise just how mass produced the image really is. When Korda was still alive he protected the image, suing the camera makers Leica and also Smirnoff Vodka for using the image in adverts, so I hope someone else is still doing that.
Interesting collection of film and video at the end, including genuine footage as well as scenes from movies. My favourite bit was 'Che' with Omar Sharif playing Che and Jack Palance as Fidel Castro!! That just looked weird...
And I'm learning to pronounce his name properly and not call him 'Che Guava' which slips out occasionally much to Kevin's horror...
Really interesting - just to read about how the photo of him was just luck really with the photographer being in the right place at the right time, and also to realise just how mass produced the image really is. When Korda was still alive he protected the image, suing the camera makers Leica and also Smirnoff Vodka for using the image in adverts, so I hope someone else is still doing that.
Interesting collection of film and video at the end, including genuine footage as well as scenes from movies. My favourite bit was 'Che' with Omar Sharif playing Che and Jack Palance as Fidel Castro!! That just looked weird...
And I'm learning to pronounce his name properly and not call him 'Che Guava' which slips out occasionally much to Kevin's horror...
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
The Vegemite Tales
Yes you did read that correctly!
A bunch of Antipodeans (2 Kiwis and 2 Aussies) went to see this play the other night - the story of Australian flatmates living in a flat in London. It wasn't quite as good as I was expecting it to be - some of the stereotypes were a bit over-egged, but it was in some of the other lines that it really hit home and made you think 'Oh yes - I've thought that'. The second half had one scene where one of the characters is incredibly miserable, hating London and wanting her Mother, and talking about it afterwards we all agreed that we'd had that moment!
It also left us debating on the tube on the way home - how do we ever know when its the 'right time' to go home...
A bunch of Antipodeans (2 Kiwis and 2 Aussies) went to see this play the other night - the story of Australian flatmates living in a flat in London. It wasn't quite as good as I was expecting it to be - some of the stereotypes were a bit over-egged, but it was in some of the other lines that it really hit home and made you think 'Oh yes - I've thought that'. The second half had one scene where one of the characters is incredibly miserable, hating London and wanting her Mother, and talking about it afterwards we all agreed that we'd had that moment!
It also left us debating on the tube on the way home - how do we ever know when its the 'right time' to go home...
Sunday, August 20, 2006
And how could I not mention...
that the mighty Villa not only scored the first goal in the new Arsenal stadium but also almost won! And kept them to a draw - no mean feat when they haven't beaten Arsenal for a huge number of seasons (something like 13 - or maybe 8. Anyhow a lot!).
But of course the papers were only full of Arsenal this morning, rather than the fact the Villa played really well, and almost beat the Gunners!
Pah!
But of course the papers were only full of Arsenal this morning, rather than the fact the Villa played really well, and almost beat the Gunners!
Pah!
Saturday, August 19, 2006
V Festival 2006
So off we headed to V Festival 2006 - well for Saturday anyhow. Had been a bit worried as the forecast was a bit dodgy and I'm a bit of a fair weather festival go-er - eg I don't fancy standing in the rain listening to music! But fortunately the gods smiled on us and we didn't get any rain :-). But there had been some rain and bits of it were verrrryyy muddy - and gumboots are the footwear de riguer (sp?) for the hardened festival goer! Saw some very cool, very funky gumboots! Kevin and I went for the walking gear option - figuring our walking shoes would be waterproof and our walking trou would dry quickly if it was wet. So not the most stylish couple there I don't think!
We didn't get there until about 3 by the time we'd queued for the buses to the site but we didn't miss anyone we were really keen to see. We wandered into the Virgin tent and saw The Upper Room who we hadn't planned to see, but they were really good. I've already been out today and bought their cd! Then it was back to the mainstage for The Magic Numbers - well Kevin saw them. I went and found the beer tent. I decided that I would live with the queues for the loos and have a drink... So I missed most of The Magic Numbers but Kevin assures me they were good! Next up were Bloc Party - always a firm fave with us and they didn't disappoint. Then it was Keane - who I liked, but I think Kev was a bit unsure. It doesn't help that the lead singer looks incredibly like a guy off Soccer AM which is a timewasting Saturday morning football show that gets a bit addictive!
After Keane I headed off to queue for half an hour to go to the loo... sigh. Then it was off to the Virgin tent again where we caught the end of Regina Spektor who was fab. I also went out and bought her cd today! Then we watched My Morning Jacket who were just amazing. Not at all what I was expecting - 70s guitar rock maybe? Kevin can correct that in a comment if it is wrong! But my brother Adrian would have loved them!! The only thing they said was 'Thank you' at the end - phenomenal.
To be honest after that Radiohead were a bit of an anti-climax. Not a huge Radiohead fan anyhow, but felt we should watch them (after all - it was Radiohead!). But we left early to make our trip home a bit easier, and upon reflection would probably rather have gone and watched Kasabian who were headlining the other main stage. Probably a sacriligious statement for many of my readers but never mind!
So we went home feeling very tired, but very pleased with our day!
(check out Mhairi's blog for a similar but different analysis of her day - she is more of a Radiohead fan than me I think!
We didn't get there until about 3 by the time we'd queued for the buses to the site but we didn't miss anyone we were really keen to see. We wandered into the Virgin tent and saw The Upper Room who we hadn't planned to see, but they were really good. I've already been out today and bought their cd! Then it was back to the mainstage for The Magic Numbers - well Kevin saw them. I went and found the beer tent. I decided that I would live with the queues for the loos and have a drink... So I missed most of The Magic Numbers but Kevin assures me they were good! Next up were Bloc Party - always a firm fave with us and they didn't disappoint. Then it was Keane - who I liked, but I think Kev was a bit unsure. It doesn't help that the lead singer looks incredibly like a guy off Soccer AM which is a timewasting Saturday morning football show that gets a bit addictive!
After Keane I headed off to queue for half an hour to go to the loo... sigh. Then it was off to the Virgin tent again where we caught the end of Regina Spektor who was fab. I also went out and bought her cd today! Then we watched My Morning Jacket who were just amazing. Not at all what I was expecting - 70s guitar rock maybe? Kevin can correct that in a comment if it is wrong! But my brother Adrian would have loved them!! The only thing they said was 'Thank you' at the end - phenomenal.
To be honest after that Radiohead were a bit of an anti-climax. Not a huge Radiohead fan anyhow, but felt we should watch them (after all - it was Radiohead!). But we left early to make our trip home a bit easier, and upon reflection would probably rather have gone and watched Kasabian who were headlining the other main stage. Probably a sacriligious statement for many of my readers but never mind!
So we went home feeling very tired, but very pleased with our day!
(check out Mhairi's blog for a similar but different analysis of her day - she is more of a Radiohead fan than me I think!
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
I'm a slacker
or so my nephew tells me as I haven't updated for a while... I do have some updates to do but my internet isn't working at home so its a bit more difficult at the mo.
Soon tho!
Soon tho!
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Telford bound
On Sunday we headed over to Telford to catch up with Kevin's sister Julie and family. Currently 3, but soon to be 4 as she is pregnant with child number 2. She is looking very pregnant - and has been told that she could be looking at a 10lber!
Luke couldn't wait to show off his cycling skills to Uncle Kevin so here is the photographic proof of Luke, aged 4, cycling without his stablisers!
Luke couldn't wait to show off his cycling skills to Uncle Kevin so here is the photographic proof of Luke, aged 4, cycling without his stablisers!
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Walking around the meres - and a real bull!
Kevin and I headed off on a 6.5 mile walk around the Meres on Saturday afternoon which was really lovely - check out the photos below as proof (but there are more on Flickr as well so check those out too!). The Meres and Mosses are a series of water- or peat-filled hollows in the glacial drift which covers the Shropshire-Cheshire Plain.
The first part of the walk was along the Shropshire Union Canal which was pretty cool. Lots of canal boats going up and down - it is a very popular holiday where you can hire the boats and cruise up and down the canals. Although I remember my friend Raewyn saying it is a lot harder work than it looks when you get to the locks...
So after the canal path it got a bit more tricky. One wrong turn (NOT our fault!) probably added on an extra mile to the walk but we did eventually get back on track again. Then it was over some farm land - and the colours were just stunning. The deep gold of the hay contrasting with the green of the trees. Beautiful. Slightly scary walking through a field of very stary cows - then I noticed one that I thought looked a bit different. Said to Kevin 'That's not a bull is it?' who assured me it wasn't - for about 3 minutes before saying 'Actually that is a bull' - we sped up slightly but it seemed to be completely uninterested in us luckily.
Then it was a walk around Ellesmere which is the largest of the meres (I think) back to the car. A very good afternoons walking - although it did mean I went to bed again at about 10am absolutely exhausted!
The first part of the walk was along the Shropshire Union Canal which was pretty cool. Lots of canal boats going up and down - it is a very popular holiday where you can hire the boats and cruise up and down the canals. Although I remember my friend Raewyn saying it is a lot harder work than it looks when you get to the locks...
So after the canal path it got a bit more tricky. One wrong turn (NOT our fault!) probably added on an extra mile to the walk but we did eventually get back on track again. Then it was over some farm land - and the colours were just stunning. The deep gold of the hay contrasting with the green of the trees. Beautiful. Slightly scary walking through a field of very stary cows - then I noticed one that I thought looked a bit different. Said to Kevin 'That's not a bull is it?' who assured me it wasn't - for about 3 minutes before saying 'Actually that is a bull' - we sped up slightly but it seemed to be completely uninterested in us luckily.
Then it was a walk around Ellesmere which is the largest of the meres (I think) back to the car. A very good afternoons walking - although it did mean I went to bed again at about 10am absolutely exhausted!
Canal boats, Shropshire Union Canal
Canal boats, Shropshire Union Canal
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.
We thought these two were going to collide as the one on the left hand side of the photo (furtherest away) wasn't making much effort to move to make way for the green one!
Friday, August 11, 2006
Heading to Wem
So on Friday I headed up to Wem on the train - feeling very pleased that I wasn't having to fly anywhere soon as Heathrow was in the midst of its craziness... You can read about Wem on Wikipedia here or check out Wem's very own website here (which I must admit I didn't know about!).
Kevin had gone up earlier in the week, so I had an easy trip up on one of Virgin train's new tilting trains. Their trains used to be absolutely dire so it was nice to get on the new ones - for the train spotters amongst you check out Virgin's trains detailed website here :-). Worst thing about the trip up was that I had just nodded off when the conductor came along to check tickets, woke me up and then didn't bother to check it anyhow!
Kevin had gone up earlier in the week, so I had an easy trip up on one of Virgin train's new tilting trains. Their trains used to be absolutely dire so it was nice to get on the new ones - for the train spotters amongst you check out Virgin's trains detailed website here :-). Worst thing about the trip up was that I had just nodded off when the conductor came along to check tickets, woke me up and then didn't bother to check it anyhow!
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Nettle Alley, a mythical bull and a BIG hill...
aka as walking from Pulborough to Amberley - 10.7miles...
Craig, Julia and I headed off on a walk yesterday - a new one that had only been checked once by the person who submitted it to the Time Out website. We normally do our walks from the published books, but had been struggling to find one that we fancied then I saw this one...
After fighting through a large patch of bracken, avoiding the gorse we had felt quite proud of ourselves (see photo below). There was a path somewhere through it but we couldn't find one! It wasn't too bad until we got to the path forever known as Nettle Alley - accompanied by a loudly barking dog the only way was through the nettles - cue much screaming and swearing. And lots of stinging legs and arms for the rest of the day... Craig rezipped the legs of his walking trou back on - while I stupidly neglected to realise that I could have pulled up my socks which would have afforded my poor wee shins some protection.
And before anyone posts a comments telling us to look for dock leaves as 'they always grow by nettles' we have decided that is an urban legend. We didn't see any dock leaves and boy did we need them!
Then we got to the field that was roped off because of the bull. Apparently it is illegal to keep bulls in fields that are public right of ways, but this farmer wasn't having any of it. According to some other walkers we met, they said there was no bull but Julia and I weren't prepared to risk it. So 1KM around the road instead and we picked up the walk route again.
Then it was straight up to the top of the South Downs (check out the view behind me and Julia below) which was a tough stretch but well worth it for the views at the top. Then it was along the South Downs Way and back into Amberley for a well deserved drink while we waited for our train back to London. Cracking day and not a bad walk - all things considered!
Craig, Julia and I headed off on a walk yesterday - a new one that had only been checked once by the person who submitted it to the Time Out website. We normally do our walks from the published books, but had been struggling to find one that we fancied then I saw this one...
After fighting through a large patch of bracken, avoiding the gorse we had felt quite proud of ourselves (see photo below). There was a path somewhere through it but we couldn't find one! It wasn't too bad until we got to the path forever known as Nettle Alley - accompanied by a loudly barking dog the only way was through the nettles - cue much screaming and swearing. And lots of stinging legs and arms for the rest of the day... Craig rezipped the legs of his walking trou back on - while I stupidly neglected to realise that I could have pulled up my socks which would have afforded my poor wee shins some protection.
And before anyone posts a comments telling us to look for dock leaves as 'they always grow by nettles' we have decided that is an urban legend. We didn't see any dock leaves and boy did we need them!
Then we got to the field that was roped off because of the bull. Apparently it is illegal to keep bulls in fields that are public right of ways, but this farmer wasn't having any of it. According to some other walkers we met, they said there was no bull but Julia and I weren't prepared to risk it. So 1KM around the road instead and we picked up the walk route again.
Then it was straight up to the top of the South Downs (check out the view behind me and Julia below) which was a tough stretch but well worth it for the views at the top. Then it was along the South Downs Way and back into Amberley for a well deserved drink while we waited for our train back to London. Cracking day and not a bad walk - all things considered!
Friday, August 04, 2006
Summer in Surbs
Summer in Surbs
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.
Kevin not being impressed by me taking his photo as he trys out his new hammock - perfect for those long summer days we're having!
The Ostrich approach to hammock life
The Ostrich approach to hammock life
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.
So he trys the ostrich approach - if he can't see me...
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Trailwalker anniversary dinner
Trailwalker anniversary dinner
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.
We finally went out for our Trailwalker anniversary dinner - we met for a drink at The Crown and then ate at Moro. There was even much talk of us doing the walk again next year...
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Not quiz team extraordinaire...
We had a pub quiz at work and I was one of the team leaders. This comes from the incorrect assumption by my colleagues at work that I am good at quiz's - no matter how much I say I just coast on the coat-tails of the really good quizzers they don't believe me. As well as a prize for coming first, there was also a prize for the best team name.
Needless-to-say we didn't win either. In fact we came last in the quiz - but I still think we should have won the team name. We were Ze Sanguine "D"vas - which I think was a bit too off the wall for our judges. It was made up from the first 3 letters of the various countries our team members came from - and D cos we were originally team D, and we were all girls, hence divas. Better than the 'We Thought It Was A Disco' which won I thought!
But our one claim to fame is that we did beat the winning team in the film round - we got 9/10 for that which was pretty cool. So I think we can take some credit for that!
Needless-to-say we didn't win either. In fact we came last in the quiz - but I still think we should have won the team name. We were Ze Sanguine "D"vas - which I think was a bit too off the wall for our judges. It was made up from the first 3 letters of the various countries our team members came from - and D cos we were originally team D, and we were all girls, hence divas. Better than the 'We Thought It Was A Disco' which won I thought!
But our one claim to fame is that we did beat the winning team in the film round - we got 9/10 for that which was pretty cool. So I think we can take some credit for that!
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