Since i joined up to Screenselect a couple of months ago i’ve been consuming vastly more dvds than ever before. I’ve never really been into films and I find it completely pointless wasting 15 quid to buy a film that you may watch once or twice before a new technology comes along and you find that your “collection” has become obsolete. So this lets me watch films for 15 quid a month so even if you watch 4 it’s still cheaper than the video library. Plus you get a greater choice and all the benefits of a website where you can search by directors, actors, recommendations etc…. Think i’m averaging about 7 a month which isn’t too bad and I’m certainly not addicted as Jess seems to think. Also the train from Reading to Sheffield has turned into my own cinema – time passes much quicker when you have a film to watch (apart from the jealous looks this seems to attract)…

The film production course I’m currently taking has made me realise how much time and effort goes into making even a short film. We are currently “shooting” a 90-second story to music (no live sound) which is going to take about 7 hours to film in total! It’s most definitely not going to be an Oscar winner thats for sure…

On a forthcoming trip to the Lake District after Easter – we are hoping to get hold of a camera and shoot a 5 minute film along the theme of the Wicker man. This should be a lot of fun….

Unfortunately last weekend’s tranmission was cancelled due to licensing problems at the venue – we took a trip along to Headcharge instead which was good fun (despite a bad showing by Junglist Alliance) and then Saturday went to the Union and Bassic Standardz in the Raynor Lounge which is a quality little night showcasing the local talent – only downside of the night was the firealarm at 12.40am when we were evacuated to the same area as a rowdy alcohol-fuelled rugby crowd who had been to Poptarts…

This article is about how they have managed to allow the brain to control a computer game.

Once again time passes too quickly for me to sit infront of a desk and type something constructive for the masses to read (if anyone reads this trash…). Poland was pretty interesting. Spent 1/2 my time trapped in the “Lost in Translation” hotel (actually it was the Warsaw Westin – a very nice 5 star hotel surrounded by communist era apartment blocks which made me feel a little uneasy).. once I escaped the cleanliness I saw a little of the real Warsaw.

It was pretty much how I expected; pockets of rich western commerce/business/cars alongside the majority of the population still adjusting to the “capitalistic” free for all. Having said that, everyone seemed very friendly and I enjoyed the hospitality of the poles. Some things seem slightly dated – such as bars/clubs/university buildings but maybe this is not such a bad thing – you don’t have to look/be like everyone else.

So I flew back with my bag laden with cheap vodka (12zl for 1/2 litre – about £1.50!) and headed to London. Went via Balham to Traffic, a little drum n bass night held fortnightly at the Rhythm Factory on Whitechapel Road. Was a nice little night – although having fallen off a table after too many vodkas I felt rough on the Saturday. Had a cultural afternoon in the Duke of Devonshire, a walk on Clapham Common, a trip to hotel in the city and then a night out at 100% Dynamite in Islington – which was excellent.

Sunday did some touristy stuff with Jess. Went to Petticoat Lane market (wasnt very impressed but it was windy and raining), then walked over to Tower Bridge and went to the exhibition – quite informative but I thought you’d be exposed to the elements but it was all enclosed….

Week in work – weekend on the Wirral where the wind blew, the rain came and went and a few trees blew over. FIN.

Transmission II is taking place THIS Friday so you need to check out the website and get your name down.. or you are definitely not coming in.

this void i fool myself into.
i dare not expose the truth.
the lies, the insanity.
why would anyone want this.
victory.

these little suckled homes they live in,
why do they try to scare me?
for what, and why,
i cannot understand them.
freedom.

before i let myself fall,
i lift from what they preach,
what point, what need?
i chose all this anyway.
sinking.

i’m in poland this week 😉 Warsaw to be specific. To be perfectly honest I am completely ignorant about Eastern Europe, but I pulled out 5 pages from my 1998 edition of the Rough Guide before I left, so that should help. Anyway here on “business” (!) so I don’t know how much of the real-world I will be able to see, hopefully a little bit of the cheesy Europop nightlife I have heard so much about… mmm… Well so far (the one hour since 9.30pm when I arrived) it’s snowy, cold, full of rows of concrete skyrises – just as I expected. But I expect to find some hidden gems tucked away under this grey skyline. Now I’m “trapped” on the 8th floor of (a very nice actually) hotel, but it seriously reminds me of the hotel in Lost in Translation – I’m scared to go downstairs incase there is some cheesy jazz pianist ting gwarn’ with a female vocalist covering classic hits of the 60s…. actually, i think i’ll pass and finish my book and sink into the Heavenly (TM) bed.

in other events, here are some photos from the madrid experience last week. I don’t think any of them will get any of “them” into trouble. 😉 That is to be kept safely locked away when bribery is required and cash is no longer an option.

well anyway, it was a short but sweet visit. I like the place, but it’s no-way near as good as Barca. (and i was horrifically ill for most of Saturday and Sunday.. 🙁 – it wasn’t just me being a lightweight)

madrid in 15 events: Unkle Nick, SNOW, Long metro connections, Irish Bars, 21, Undrinkable melon shots, Caliente, winning at darts, red cards treatment, death stick higher or lower, phone calls and missed calls, unmissable tapas, meat in the fish restaurant, Lost tickets, Lost Sundays.