It's a NICE fish¹

Thanks to the lovely Barbara, out in the West End tonight to see Tim Burton's latest opus, Big Fish, instead of moping at home as I was coming to fear. Good film. Atypical for Burton; the framing narrative is a down-to-earth, real-world story; it is the dying father's stories which are vintage Loopy Tim. More emotional that I'd like; I wept at the end. But then, I cry a lot these days, and very easily. I am slowly losing my shame at doing so.

Recommended, though. Nothing by Burton has really disappointed. This is a new direction for him, and not one I hugely like, but it undeniably works. Maudlin, sentimental and emotional, but worth it.

Of the 5 of us gathered, one left early, and another 2 chose to go watch Paycheck instead. I'd like to see that too - anyone game? Might go in Dublin...

In other news, my MP3 jukebox isn't dead - merely its headphones are. I'm on a pair of ancient uncomfortable Sony in-ear ones instead. Surely you can buy replacement rubbers for Fontopias somewhere? Anyone? I'm desperate here!

In other other news, the wonderful dbPowerAmp Music Convertor can drive a Creative Labs Zen directly! This really is The Best MP3 ripper out there. My flirtation with iTunes was brief, alas; I have no iPod and it won't talk to a Zen. It also takes 25MB+ of RAM and skips when the CPU is under load, even on an effectively 4GHz machine. Not Good Enough. Current suite of choice is dbPowerAmp Music Convertor for ripping and WinAmp 5 for playback. They're great and they're free. Go find your own sodding links, that's what Google's for. It's gone 3am already.

Anyway. Have loaded the Zen with the complete ZZ Top. Deep joy.

Which leads me neatly onto tonight's Mopey Songlyric of the Day! Hurrah!

More of an angry one, though, this time, and not of any great subtlety, but WTF. I give you:

( Pincushion )

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¹ Bob Wildcat in Police Academy. Probably the film's single best line and mostly ignored.

[blog] And another thing

I was but a day or two ago considering assembling a list of the deviations of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings from the original work, but what should I discover but that someone's done it for me?

Good page, though.

The Lord of the Rings: A Nit-Pickers Guide to Deviations Between the Books and the Films

[meme] Interview time

guybles asked me:

1) Imagine you are a damsel in distress. Who has put you in distress, and who will be coming to rescue you in the nick of time?

2) What deserving cause would get a chunk of your lottery winnings?

3) It's been a hard day's night. Have you been working like a dog?

4) Name your top-five favourite flavours of crisps, with a one-word description of why.

5) If you were Liam WINOLJ, who would you miss the most from your friends list?

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1. Aaaargh. Too hard not to get personal on this. Pass.

2. Um. Once I'd have said Greenpeace or Friends of the Earth like a shot, but now I'm not so sure. Maybe my local hunt saboteurs? Or the RSPCA or IFAW. But I have never bought a ticket for the greed-tax.

3. Alas, no. Seldom am, these days.

4. Salt'n'vinegar AND ready salted, eaten in 50:50 handsful. The plain ones cut down the pleasant astringency of the chemical-infused S&Vs. And I quite like Marmite ones, in moderation. All else is heresy, for crisps. But in terms of cripsy comestibles, then onion flavour Monster Munch and Wotsits, now that they've declared veggie-friendly. :¬) I would have voted for Chipstix or Hulahoops, but they're sort of covered by the first 2... I used to like the Isle of Man's own Kelp Krunchies, but inexplicably, they failed to catch on. Who wouldn't like a packet of delicious seaweed-flavoured corn snacks? Honestly!

5. Ooooh. Hard one. Have deleted some I much enjoyed. Will not pick favourites among my real-life friends, so... jwz is almost unfailingly interesting and stimulating.


Soooo. Since I suppose I now must: post below if you would have me interrogate you...