We've just received some really exciting news. "The Library of Burned Books" has been nominated for a Student Academy Award. Of the nine films in the foreign section, three will win awards of some ...
Student Oscar Nod for The Library of Burned Books!
After a second overquota problem from Portland, I've decided to cut my losses and change web hosts. I now have a ridiculous amount of webspace, and bandwidth limits I'm in no danger of exceeding.And ...
Migration
Rev. Rehash on www.rehashinate.com has a little banner in support of two Iranian bloggers whose government has denied their right to freedom of expression and detained them without trial. Reading the ...
Death Watch
Hunter S. Thompson shot himself to death last night. Was it suicide? Was it a joke? Was it the drugs? Was it an accident? Who knows?But looking at this picture it's hard to be surprised by the method ...
Out with a Bang
I've been kind-of a fan for years, ever since I saw them in support of Radiohead in Oxford, but recently I've been getting more into Sigur Rós. Yes, yes, I know I've come to them fairly late, but ...
Don’t squeeze my udders, smack me up!
Picture this:Sexy all-American girl (white skin, blonde hair, wide mouth) sitting astride a supersized bucking bronco machine, holding supersized burger. A bluesy rawk riff chugs and stomps in the ...
“Super” bowl
This photo, from Norwich's 3-2 victory over West Brom (only our third win this season) struck me as being very strange indeed. I love the way photography can make everyday life look utterly ...
Ostranenie
Welcome back, everyone! After about three weeks of downtime I'm able to post again. Bad news is, Portland have completely erased the contents of my website. And while Blogger (the thing which keeps ...
Do Not Adjust Your Set
Vertigo (1958) is a film about a man who attempts to turn the clock back in pursuit of an image of a woman he loves. The Madeline he loves is not the Madeline who is Elster's wife. Nor is she Judy, ...
Re-make-Re-model
Today, thanks to Courtney's Mum's Christmas generosity, I was reunited with one of my favourite films, Chris. Marker's Sans Soleil. After five viewings and a very bad undergraduate thesis on time, ...
Sunless
The Human Clock is a lovely little project which anyone can contribute to. It displays a different photo of the current time every minute of the day. Many of the photos, which are sent in from all ...
Sixty Second Snaps
Forgive me for quoting George Monbiot again, but:The US government has so far pledged $350m to the victims of the tsunami, and the UK government £50m ($96m). The US has spent $148 billion on the ...
Mathematics
Courtney's been marking end-of-term Shakespeare exams. She has one student who consistently takes very difficult buzzword theories which s/he doesn't understand and tries to cram them into essays ...
One Thing Looks Like Another, But Actually Isn’t
Here is the ingredients list from a carton of Crystal Eggnog:
Milk, nonfat milk, nonfat milk solids, cream, high fructose corn syrup, egg yolks, sugar, corn syrup, nutmeg, natural and artificial ...
What is Eggnog?
I used to think that Absinthe was a pretty deadly drink - Baudelaire (and other artistically inclined Frenchies) destroyed themselves with it for years until the French authorities banned it. But I ...
A Junkopia Health Warning
Working in a coffee shop isn't too bad. I get to eat and drink almost anything there for free. In the run up to Christmas we've been serving eggnog lattes. These are alright, but nowhere near as good ...
Festive Recipe
Dave has a weblog. It's here. I'd have noted this phenomenon earlier, had I been paying attention to anything at all in the last couple of weeks/months.Dave is remarkably likeable. Even I like ...
Bloody ‘ell, Dave!
I returned to the empty apartment after my morning shift to find it dim and empty. A small black box sat in the corner of the kitchen. Leads trailed from it into the wall. There were vents along ...
The Black Box
This completely boggles my mind. When I moved over to this side of the pond I thought long and hard about what to do with my mobile. It doesn't work in the US, but it's still dead handy when I'm back ...
World of the Strange
It's taken fourteen games. I'd almost given up. Funny how quickly things can look up in football. My fingers are already crossed for next week.Norwich 2 - 1 ...
Finally!
As a direct result of the US election today, the "Bring Liam Home" fund has opened for donations. All monies raised will be spent on a cheap, no-frills, lose-your-luggage, rudely hostessed ...
Donate Today!
Gosh, I'm getting behind with this blogging malarkey. We must get an internet connection at home soon.A couple of weeks ago Courtney's parents took us to San Francisco. What a city! We got a couple ...
A Taste of San Francisco
So what have I learnt from this 4000+ mile excursion across the USA? A multitude of things, to be sure, but one in particular keeps begging for attention, and now we're settled I've had time to ...
Road Trip: Epilogue
Day 15: Curry Village, Yosemite to Davis, CA.We wake at 7am, having slept for twelve hours straight, and head up to Glacier point. The air is crisp and sweet at this height and the view is ...
Road Trip: Day Fifteen
Day 14: Somewhere on Route 178, CA to Yosemite National Park, CA07.00amThe petrol station attendant arrives, we fill up, and off we go.11.00amSleep deprived, I dozed most of the drive this morning. I ...
Road Trip: Day Fourteen
Lake Havasu City, AZ to Red Rock Canyon, CA11.15amLake Havasu is waiting for a population explosion. We entered the town last night on a fresh new four lane road studded with junctions to avenues ...
Road Trip: Day Thirteen
Grand Canyon Village, AZ to Lake Havasu, AZ12.32pmMy sleep was interrupted twice last night by the deranged "yip yip-yip waaoohh!" cries of coyotes. Courtney woke me this morning with the question ...
Road Trip: Day Twelve
Grand Canyon Village, AZWe have the whole day at the canyon today so we sleep in a little later than normal. Most tourists restrain themselves to walking along the rim of the canyon, while some will ...
Road Trip: Day Eleven
Holbrook, AZ to Grand Canyon Village, AZ09.30amAfter catching a few snaps of the wigwams and the classic cars beside them we get back on the road. ...
Road Trip: Day Ten
Santa Rosa Lake State Park, NM to Holbrook, AZ06.15amCourtney wakes up early, desperate for the bathroom. She returns to the tent urging me to get up. The sun is about to rise over Santa Rosa lake. ...
Road Trip: Day Nine
Day Eight, Palo Duro Canyon, TX to Santa Rosa Lake State Park, NM08.00amCourtney finds a gobble of eleven wild turkeys outside the bathrooms. They're pecking about in the half-light because although ...
Road Trip: Day Eight
Day Seven, Dallas, TX to Palo Duro Canyon, TX10.00amDee's place - her Dad's place really - is addictively calm and quiet, but it's time to get back on the road. We've got a long drive ahead of us, ...
Road Trip: Day Seven
Day Six, Dallas, TXDee takes us on the commuter light railway to downtown Dallas. Like many American cities, downtown is a collection of tall office buildings and little else. We're headed for the ...
Road Trip: Day Six
Day Five: Hot Springs, AK to Dallas, TX09.30amWe leave the Comfort Inn, which we chose because it has wireless networking in the lobby, to find out exactly what it is about Hot Springs that brings ...
Road Trip: Day Five
Nashville, TN to Hot Springs, ARNashville is known locally for two things. Firstly, the publishing and printing of bibles and theological books. Secondly, its substantial number of "Gentleman's ...
Road Trip: Day Four
Cave City, KY to Nashville, TN10.45amAfter breakfast, ablutions, striking camp, that sort of thing, we went underground for a tour of the Mammoth Caves. As far as anyone knows, there have never been ...
Road Trip: Day Three
Cleveland OH to Cave City, KY10.34amWe survived the night at Delaware Lake state park, despite Courtney's fears. While checking in, a slow-talking local sparked up a conversation with us. Pat had ...
Road Trip: Day Two
Geneseo, NY to Delaware, OHThe car is packed, campgrounds have been reserved, our route is set. Today Courtney and I set off on our epic cross-country drive from Geneseo, NY to Davis, CA.Lots of ...
Road Trip: Day One
In vino veritas? In Courtney's case, I hope not. This is one of the many results (the others being four full stomachs and an atmosphere of bonhomie) of our friend Amy's drunken dinner party last ...
Courtney’s Words of Wisdom
I'm checking out a new photo sharing service offered by flickr.com. Big Chill pictures are here, stored at full-size, and in full resolution, in case anyone wants proper ...
Chill Pictures Online
Courtney's laptop died just before we went to the UK. We're back, but the computer hasn't been resurrected. I'll be blogging again in full force (and some style) when our lovely new Mac iBook arrives ...
Lapse in Service
The other night Courtney and I were photographing her cat, Skunk, in the hope of capturing an image worthy of mycathatesyou.com. We think we've achieved it. All we need now is a caption. Use the ...
Caption Competition #1
Listen to this, then check out Nagl's site, where I stole the link from.It's nice to see Ben Folds has been keeping
The Fine Line Between Genius and Insanity
Even if you were for the war in Iraq, you have to admit this is definitely very shoddy behaviour. Next time someone tells me that they refuse to see Fahrenheit 9/11 because it wouldn't be showing ...
Support Your Troops?
It's a bright summer day and as I sit by the front window of the apartment reading "The Art of Dramatic Writing" I can hear a distant trumpeter practising the opening bars of the Godfather ...
Sounds Off
As you can see from this picture, the camping trip was no washout. A little thunder, a lot of insect bites, a spot of walking, plenty of good company and verdant countryside. On Saturday we ate ...
These Beauteous Forms
A couple of friends and Courtney and I are heading off into the Adirondack mountains tomorrow. Here's the weather forecast for the area. We're going have lots of fun this weekend. I must remember to ...
The Joys of Camping
I'd sworn off these things, but... well... it's Eddie. Which Eddie Izzard line are you? brought to you by Quizilla
Izzard Quiz
I just saw this article on boingboing, the directory of wonderful things. I must admit that if next time I enter the US I am treated with the same unmannerly way as last time, I'll be tempted to take ...
Next Time…
More animal oddity at the Eastman House. There are similar horses dotted around Rochester, including one with a buffalo mane. This is the best of the ...
George Eastman Horse
George Monbiot delivers a perceptive and persuasive article in the Guardian about a "scruffy comedian from Michigan." I think I'd like to borrow his words - because they're more eloquent ...
More Rumination on Fahrenheit 9/11 and the Media
As I was looking for information on Spike Lee's new movie, She Hate Me (the wonderful Chiwetel Ejiofor, who played Okwe in Dirty Pretty Things has a role) I was unfortunate enough to read the imdb ...
Most Amusing IMDB idiot… so far
Terror hit the formal gardens of the ex-residence of the ex-captain of industry, ex-founder of Kodak and general ex-eccentric, George Eastman this afternoon. Terrorist spores, which it is suspected ...
Triffids Attack American Landmark
The pictures of the Hopf family Independence Day turkey-fry are now online. I've given them their own gallery in the photos section. Click here to have a look at the scariest method of cooking a ...
Turkey!
...and very compelling. Nagl, over at Falling Sky points the way to some fantastic Polish movie posters. From the look of this one for David Cronenberg's the Fly, the artist who created it saw the ...
Darker, more grotesque…
I decided the old design of the weblog was starting to creak a bit - it was nearly two years old, dang it! So I tinkered a bit today. I hope it all works well and looks good. If you spot any ...
Renovation
Just a quick post to keep things bubbling while I work on the turkey frying pictures. Another Park Ave shot, the house across the road has dollar bills glued to the pavement (sidewalk) out front. ...
Dead President on the Sidewalk
The official period of mourning is now over, but everything was still at half-mast on Friday when Courtney and I visited the Port of Rochester Ferry Terminal. Everything that looks like a flag, at ...
Imposed Mourning
...that people do to celebrate American Independence Day, this deserves some kind of prize. Courtney's parents have decided to investigate the worrying trend that is sweeping the States: the ...
Of all the Unlikely Things…
During my last visit back to the Shire, Dom noted that I had changed from being plain-and-simple "Liam" to "Porky Liam." Much as I like the idea of this as my superhero alter-ego, I don't fancy it as ...
The Porkiness of the Long-Distance Runner
I took the camera out today on a little image-harvesting session. As Courtney and I are leaving the environs of Park Avenue and Rochester for good at the end of July, I thought I'd get a few snaps of ...
My Favourite Graffiti
There are movies that you love because of their bravado, their "Sod-you!" accomplishment; movies like Citizen Kane, A Clockwork Orange, The Royal Tenenbaums. There are movies you love because of ...
B-Movie Heaven!
When I created this webpage, way back whenever, I did it for two reasons:1) I was trying to find ways of keeping amused that weren't going out to the Cardinal's Hat, the Three Kings, the Apple Tree ...
Where’s the Point in Blogging?
Time for a correction and a clarification. After posting my diatribe against these silly Yanks and their appropriation of foreign national holidays, Meg and Kelvin sent me this link to information ...
Doing a Grauniad
Yesterday was apparently Mexican Independence Day. The first I knew about it was when the girl who does my hair asked me what I was doing for "Cinco de Mayo," which Americans celebrate as the day ...
Mexican Independence Day, Chips and Eggy Bread
For very little reason at all I've added to the music links on the left of the page. Now you too have the unique opportunity to find out what kinds of noise Courtney is subjected to when we're both ...
What the Missus Puts Up With
I've been catching up on my reading recently. At long last I've done what I've been promising myself for a good long while by picking up Courtney's copies of the His Dark Materials trilogy. Pullman ...
Dogs, Ducks and Daemons
I've really been neglecting this site for the last few weeks, but at least it's because I've been doing stuff. James' visit neatly co-incided with Courtney buying a digital camera, so here's a snap ...
Not quite Torvill & Dean
Today I read Kelvin's review of The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I saw the film a couple of weeks ago, loved chunks of it, admired the rest, and left feeling warm and happy inside - so I ...
They just don’t end ’em like they used to… or do they?
...and this happens in Somerset.Could the two events be related? I think we should be told.(Apologies to Kelvin and the bloke he nicked the link off before I nicked it off ...
The day after GM crops are given the go-ahead…
Last night Courtney and I took our first steps towards becoming twinkle-toed dancers for the inevitable season of weddings which loom on the calendar's horizon (sometime around June). Swing Dance for ...
Swingin’!
Courtney and I - in what must count as a shocking display of un-Americanism - went to see Bertolucci's The Dreamers last night. An intelligent and provocative film, the responses it squeezed out of ...
Nervous Cough
Britons 'spend more on alcohol than fruit and veg' claims the Money section of the Guardian. What terrible news! We must be a nation of dispomaniacs!1kg carrots = 60p, 1kg onions = 67p, 1 cucumber = ...
Eat Your Greens by the Hundredweight
I finally watched The King of Comedy by Martin Scorsese last night. At the beginning of the 80's he directed two black comedies: this and After Hours. Judging by the comments on the Internet Movie ...
Funny like a fucking clown
Up til now this immigration business has been pretty daunting, but this is surely one deterrent too far. I went to get my Social Security number from the City Hall the other day. There are some ...
Terrifying
David Kay, the recently resigned head of the US weapons inspections team in Iraq went in front of a Senate hearing yesterday.Mr Kay blamed a lack of human agents inside Iraq and inadequate ...
Great Big Invisible Weapons
Further proof that American comedy is in a bit of a hole right now. The last "all new" episode of Friends I saw was five minutes of new jokes and a long trawl through the archives. Will & Grace is ...
BBC Heaven!
I'm not allowed to get a job right now. So with all this wonderful free time I've been trying to do something worthwhile. A bunch of people I know quite fancy having their own blog, but don't think ...
How a reluctant slacker keeps amused
OK, I promised. I'll deliver.A great director once said (and I'm paraphrasing here) "All I've ever done is re-make the same film over and over." I can't remember who the director was, and I can't ...
21 Grams
These people have too much time on their hands. Scroll down to the "Weird Scoreboards" part of the article for walruses and turbots.Courtney called in sick today so we can go sledging, or sledding, ...
Nice Marmot
You are Jarvis Cocker from Pulp."I think people who think they're sexy havegot problems." What gloomy rock musician are you? brought to you by QuizillaI am Jarvis from Pulp. It must be all that time ...
Raised on a diet of broken biscuits…
Lovely little article on the Guardian website. More reasons to despise mainstream TV and tabloid journalism, if you ever needed ...
Just a quickie
Two weeks in and already we're settling into familiar routines. I've noticed that Courtney and I only really nag each other about two things (one each), apart from TV. I complain about her eating ...
Do you realise how bad your skin will look when you’re fifty?
This snow thing is still a novelty. It stopped snowing in the early hours of the morning and now the light breeze is knocking powdery flurries from the branches of the trees. It's distractingly ...
Pure as the driven…
I was glad to read today that Norwich fans are still the bunch of good eggs I always knew they were. Hopefully I shouldn't even need to cross my fingers for tomorrow's clash against 20th place ...
Goodison revisited
Main differences between US and UK supermarkets (that I've noticed so far):1) They sell beer, but not wine or spirits. In some states (Massachusetts) they don't sell any booze at all.2) There is a ...
Deli Counter-culture
...that's me!It looks like someone else has passed through immigration at JFK recently. The United States' relations with the rest of the world get stranger and ...
The Boy in the Bubble…
I hope this is just selective reporting of a minor incident. Norwich isn't exactly the most cosmopolitan of cities, but the fans did enthusiastically embrace the "Kick Racism Out of Football" ...
Racist chants at Goodison?
I've got a few days (weeks?) of idleness before my Social Security number comes through and I get a job. I'm planning to use them well. I chomped through most of the Filth today, which I have on loan ...
A Load of Rubbish
Top of the UK Pop Charts: Mad World (from the Donnie Darko soundtrack)Top of the First Division: Norwich City FCThis bodes well for the new ...
Two good Christmas number ones!
Yesterday I went to Grosvenor Square in London. There's a beautiful building there: Georgian neo-classical with lots of red brick and white stone. It's called the Canadian embassy. I didn't get to ...
Bureaucracy Overcome!
Apparently the keyword that has brought the most visitors to my site is "toddler". In these Michael Jackson obsessed times, I have to consider the sexual aspect of these searches, and ...
Any other business
Firstly, a disclaimer: I'm not normally this grotesque. Well, not always. OK, I'm quite often this grotesque but I'm normally very charming about it.The following is quite an everyday UK office ...
How to lose in style
On my bus route home from work tonight I spotted six prematurely festive houses. With a good six weeks still to go I think the most accurate way to gauge the growing Christmas mania will be to record ...
All in the best possible taste
Things people want today:Kelvin wants curry; having seen the re-released Alien, I want Courtney to wear Sigourney Weaver's knickers (or copies thereof); Frog wants me to dress up as an alien and take ...
Any Other Business
Dear Diary,I am sorry I have not written in you for many days now. In Winter I find that staving off the demons of despair cannot be achieved by sitting in an English country garden; for some reason ...
Coughing up Blood
This weekend Norwich's unbeaten home run (this season's longest string of home wins) was broken by Watford. And despite the title of the post above this one, I am not really coughing up blood. I am ...
Spitting feathers
Finally, after much persuasion from James and the rest of the world in general, I have bought myself a little minidisc walkman. It's a neat little thing. Tonight I am recording all my Wilco albums ...