Ahhh ... you haven't read widely about Tanuki have you Poss. When they form large objects the males inflate their scrotums to form the object ( like the "lucky ship" near the end of Pom Poko ).

Oh, yes, as Steveg points out, I apparently got the director wrong for Pom Poko. Thanks, Stev, and, Sorry Mr Takahata!

The Mission has been going quite well today, but my eyes are a bit sore, so I'm going to take a break from it now and dromble around a bit. My nose is nearly clear. Nearly.

Oooh, sepia manticores!

One of my very favourites. :-)

Edited by author 29-08-2004 13:57
Well, moved Dad out on Friday, then sat and read The Dam Busters, having just watched a documentary where they challenge a modern crew to replicate the Dam Buster's achievments in the same amount of time. Very well done. We then played Brittannia, which, I had forgotten how to play and I now stand self convicted of the Gaming Sin of Dithering. It was just unfortunate I drew the Romans, good because they're purple, but bad because they have to move first. But after a couple of flustered, panicked moves on my part we settled down to a good game.

King Arthur came out, did a mild amount of snotting Saxons and then was killed by Saxon king Steveg...
Anyway, I enjoyed it thoroughly. We didn't get to finish, but it's a fun game along the way.

On Saturday, we did a bit of shopping and then went to visit my grandmother (who has just visited Whistler's Chocolates, and unloaded most of the booty on to us, yum!) and then on to Poss's where we were treated to a delicious taste treat, that chicken curry and special rice Poss has described earlier in her blog.

We watched the Vincent Price episode of the Muppet Show, and also watched the Fearnot show of Storyteller, both of which we enjoyed immensly. We then watched Fire Maidens from Space which is an interesting episode of MST3K, as it has Crow generating a Dark Spectre, Timmy! This is a Significant Episode.

After that, and our hot fruit pies, we tried to watch something which I won't even give the benefit of describing, after half an hour we were angry enough to turn it off, we'll just say that it was obvious that Heinlein was involved. We then tried the other movie on that DVD and were pleasantly suprised by "Voyage to the End of the Universe"

It's an Eastern European effort I think, and some of the concepts and visuals remind me strongly of Stanislaw Lem's work. It's like Solaris in some ways only a lot more accessible, if that can be believed. Very nice model work, a convincing 0-G sequence, cute design and interesting subplot and visuals. Good as an introduction to this style of SF. Sort of the Pi of 60's SF. I think it was made in 1964.

This morning slept in very heavily. Moved the engine from the back of the Suzuki and righted some blown over stuff in the garden. Our oakleaf lettuce and goldrush lettuce have come up everywhere and are harvestable. Yum!

Rob's gone off to a committee meeting for Genghiscon. When he's done with that, we're going to the cinema with Poss, so Rob can finally get to see Hellboy. Yay!

I've just czeched on the IMDB and they say that the film was Czech, and originally titled Ikarie XB1. It was apparently filmed in colour, and there is a full colour version with subtitles floating around out there, which I'd be quite keen to see. Apparently it is based on one of Lem's books, according to a Czech poster to the entry, but which one, I don't know.

SPOILER WHOPPING BIG HUGE SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER for Journey to the end of the Universe AKA Ikarie XB1

Interestingly most of the people giving reviews of the movie in the entry appear to have assumed that the (apparently tacked on US ending a la Brazil) means that these people ORIGINALLY left from Earth. I didn't get that impression. I think these people left from somewhere else, and had nothing to do with the planet we call earth, so I think it was actually quite a cute twist.

Just back from seeing Hellboy again, which was cool, and having dinner at a local restaraunt. Sizzling king prawn with mango was delicious!

The Mission is becoming something of a death march, I have to really make myself continue with it, but fear not, it will end soon. It isn't looking too bad, I'll be happy enough to put it up in the shop. I'll be even happier when the jolly thing is finished.

Edited by author 30-08-2004 21:48
had my wallet stolen on Friday, had the month's rent in it, so am not too happy to say the least. poo.

hellboy was good. i really don't like the big silly horns. the stumps are way sexier :D

psych lab report on conformity .. well i had it down as memory conformity .. was due in today. had an extension but figured getting it in early would make me feel better.

am still bitter about the wallet episode. having horrible thoughts. i wouln't mind being a gypsy, think of all the wonderful curses I would gift-wrap and hand out.. just like at christmas.

i still blog once in a while, leave me a splot if i haven't been heard from http://cat_amused.blogspot.com

Hi Clara! Nice to see you! Very sorry to hear about your wallet being stolen...what a pain in the rear!

Are you sure that your link below works right? It doesn't do much when I click on it.

Hellboy doesn't like the horns either! In one of the novels it says he files them because he doesn't like the way they make him feel.

Aieeee. Owowowwowowowowow. The Mission, although it has advanced really, really well, has now kicked me in the arm. I think it's something to do with the Wacom Tabletopia tablet and the intensity with which I've been working. I'm experience moderate to severe pain in the area just, um, how would you put it? My lower arm, dorsal side, just below the elbow. I can feel the tendons moving there when I wriggle my fingers. So I'm taking an enforced break. Really annoying when finally, there's an end in sight! Ironic really, a few entries ago I was referring to it as a death march, having to force myself to keep going, and now I'm complaining at this small delay. Ah, human condition. :-) I can't even go off and do some 'really' drawing, I expect it'll annoy the same bit o' arm. So, phooey. :-/

On the plus side, I am now cautiously ready to state that it appears that my cold is now completely gone. Hooray! Huzzah! Yippee!

Went to see The Ladykillers last night. Hmm. I did laugh uproariously a couple of times, and I really enjoyed Tom Hanks's performance. But it is quite clear the original must have been heaps better.

Poor Leece-leece. I've heard of suffering for your art, but do you have to take it literally?

P.

If I wanted to suffer I'd keep right on doing what I was doing, instead of having the common sense to stop. :-)

Edited by author 01-09-2004 21:28
Well, I'm going off for my first bike ride since I got sick, I'll only go on an easy one for half an hour or so, and see how I go. My arm doesn't hurt this morning, but then I haven't engaged in any arm hurting exercises.

I might leave off the Mission today just in case. Rob has kindly prepared some designs for me ready to put up on the webshop, so I think I'll work on them after I get back from my ride. So soon a Wedgetailed Eagle, a Faery Dragon and Unicorn will join us!

See you back here, I'm off!
____________________________________________

And now I'm back. Went for a bit longer than I intended, but I feel pretty good. Lovely day out there, actually got a bit warm. I'm going to put my sun visor flappy thing back on my helmet before my next ride, because that sun was bright!

There's always a headwind.

_____________________________________

Went down to Scarborough to obtain Fish and Chips for the hordes at home, sat and had hot chocolate with the good Steveg and Maureen while they had their dinner. Very pleasant down there, it was almost warm. Lovely evening.

Came home and finished up the work I've been doing today, so now we've got the additions above, woohoo!
Mum has cooked self-saucing chocolate pudding so I am now a very, very full little leece indeed.

Tomorrow, back to The Mission. Maybe even (gasp!) finish it! FX: Dramatic chord.

Edited by author 02-09-2004 16:36
I got up early this morning. Well, early for me. :-) I've done the usual Thursday product change at the shop and now I'm all set to complete The Mission. Hopefully. My arm hurt a bit when I woke up this morning, so I'll rub some Voltaren gel into it, which I hope will decrease the chance of Bad Things.
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It's midday now, and I'm going to take a bit of a break. The Mission is going *really well* and there's a good chance it will be finished today! On the down side, I am starting to feel a bit of a twinge in my arm. We will see what a break can do for me. I really want to finish it today, but I'm not going to push it so that I get really hurt. Darn. It's my nethack arm as well. Phooey.
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I've finished The Mission.

Link below works. Check, check and double checked. It's still not broken.

I'm slightly broken, played u-frisbee yesterday. Am now convinced sport is.. mmm not sure what actually. Popped the ouchies on my feet, popssibly munted my ankle. But I suppose we won so limping around for the next week? is all worth it :D

pretty pictures on cafepress :D