Wednesday 8th June 2011 and the computer is playing up causing frustration.
6-15-7.30 I had along hot sauna this morning and two good swims but there was no newspaper and I left my best pair of trunks behind but they had been handed in when I phoned on return from the supermarket, where I special offer of two large baguettes for £1 took my fancy. I have enjoyed a large chunk with three pieces of bacon and then a small portion on its own with a spread. I have had one large glass of orange juice and need a Pepsi now from the bacon salt.
Yesterday at 18.00 I commented that it had been a strange day in that the weather changed quickly from sun to showers to a gloom which required the lights on around 17.00.
I have completed the work assignment for the day, finishing the first Diary notes and 15 artwork sets. I watched the cricket which always had the look of a draw and it continuing in that direction, but the crowd had their money’s worth with children allowed in free and elders having to pay £10 and a long day of play which went onto seven.
Looking back over the day I enjoyed my sausage and mash breakfast but not as much as hoped, the lunch of one fishcake, some scampi and baked beans. I did cook two fish cakes but decided I had sufficient with one which I followed with the second half of the butterscotch whip. This evening I have so far I had some noodles to be followed by a prawn salad and cherries. I have enjoyed two glasses of orange on the rocks and one Pepsi and may have a second. I had one cup of tea and one of coffee close to bedtime around 22.30
Late evening after the work schedule for day was completed I watched The Edge a survival film in a wilderness with Anthony Hopkins. The film has various themes with the intended most important that strength of character and knowledge will enable one to prevail regardless fo age wealth power etc. it also covers how well we know our partners, maleness, male competitiveness and bonding and the value of life and the limitations of wealth. Hopkins decides to accompany his young wife on a modelling enterprise, in part because he suspects a relationship between her and the photographer.
The location is remote North American where they are the only visitors in a lakeside residence and are warned not leave food uncovered because this is man attacking and man eating wild bear country. There is truth in the tale but is it part of a ploy to get Hopkins to go down stairs at night armed with a flashlight to make his wife a sandwich where he encounters what appears to be a bear but is only a head jape before revealing a room filled with the other members of the group surprising him on the birthday he thought the others had forgotten. His wife give shim a valuable watch with an inscription and the photographer an expensive knife.
The owner of the property tries to interest Hopkins in an investment proposal to develop the site to attract more visitors. Hopkins who has been reading a book on survival agrees to go with the photographer and his assistant on the short plane ride up river to the lodge of an Indian hunter whose photographer impresses and who he wants to use in the photo shoot. When they arrive the find the man has go out hunting and they take the plane to land where they were told he might be only to run into a flock of birds which downs the plane in the water with the pilot killed the other three just about surviving in the cold
Hopkins says that because they were not expected to have travelled this far north the search planes and helicopters will not come so they will have to travel south to be rescued. He shows that if you place a magnetised watch hand on a leaf on water it will show North and the direction to be taken .However this does not work and they travel in a circle after encountering a bear which begins to track them and does for the Assistant who demonstrates that he is the weakest minded of the trio.
Despite a denial and the opinion that the photographer will attempt to kill Hopkins to gain his wife and the money, and after managing to overcome the bear, eat its flesh and use its fur against the elements, finding a deserted cabin and useable canoe to travel further south using the night stars and the day sun as their compass, Hopkins works out that the photographer and his wife have been lovers and that she although cares for him has been after his money, the photographer does attempt to kill Hopkins but falls into a bear trap and dies when at the point of rescue.
Hopkins returns to the lodge where his wife and the media are waiting and he gives her the engraved watch she gave to the photographer signalling the end of their relationship and his serious intention to remain in the wilderness perhaps putting into effect the development plan shown to him on the first night. There are therefore many stock characters, issue as well as well established themes. Hopkins is always watchable and one wants him to survive because of his commitment to mind over matter.
Music yesterday was a free Daily Express disk of Female Legends with Lulu-Shout, Dusty Springfield- I don’t know what to do with myself, Diana Ross-Love Hangover, Shirley Bassey- As I love you, Dionne Warwick-Loving you is just like an old Habit, Tommy Wynette- Stand by your Man, Tina Turner Crazy about you baby plus 8 tracks of unknown artists unknown songs best not remembered.
11.15 Two episodes from the first series of Spartacus Blood and Sand. Spartacus joins forces with the number one gladiator to defeat an unconquered beats of a man and becomes the toast of the town as well as number one as his recently made friend remains dangerously ill from his wounds.
Spartacus is to be rewarded with the arrival of his wife but the Gladiator master is persuaded to kill her by his wife in the misguided notion that this will keep Spartacus a willing fighter rather than the contrary. The bad judgement of the Gladiator school master knows no bounds because having arranged for the man who tried to have him killed to be murdered along with his family and household he turns of the assassin after believing the reports that the boy lives, put about by a bookmaker not wishing to pay out to the assassin for having put money on Spartacus winning.
There are a lot of shots of cut bodies and blood splattering as well as naked bodies and animal thrustings.
11.25 music for the morning session is a free Mail on Sunday disk of 20 sexiest hits. Elton John- Your Song, Marvin Gaye- Lets get it on, Paul Weller-You do something to me, Boyz II –I‘ll make love to you, 10CC -I’m not in Love, Joes Cocker Up where we belong with Jenifer Warnes, Diana Ross- Touch me in the morning, Robert Palmer-Addicted to love, INXS- Need you tonight, The Cure- Friday I’m in Love, Etta James- I just wanna make love to you, James Brown-It’s a mans mans world, Boyzone- Baby can I hold you tonight, Lionel Ritchie with Diana Ross- Endless Love, Marti Pellow-Love is all around, The Mamas and the Papas – Dream a Little Dream of me, The Jackson 5, I’ll be there, Dodgy-It you’re Thinking of me, Extreme-More than Words, The Commitments-In the Midnight Hour.
13.00 Prime Minister’s Question continues to appeal to the lowest media headlines and has nothing to do with serious discussion of policy issues and political differences. I completed and registered 12 sets Child Care media files re Newcastle and National with another 12 sets to undertake after a lunch of more baguette with salad and a small carton of raspberries purchased for £1 earlier in the morning and more iced Pepsi.
Then a free disk from the Sunday People with Bobby Vinton-Blue Velvet, Aretha Franklin Unforgettable, the name of the Album; Billy Paul Mr and Mrs Jones which always reminds me of Mrs Robinson! Harold Melvin –If you Don’t Know me by Now, Mary Wells My Guy, Cyndi Lauper -Time After Time, Paul Young-Everytime you Go Away, Billy Ocean-Love Really Hurts without You and 8 other tracks of unknown performers and songs.
15.30 After completing the next 13 artwork sets I viewed the latest episode of Blue Bloods the subject of which remains one of my detestations namely the fashion industry and its impact on culture. Some dies and another is seriously ill at a fashion show. The culprit appears to be a rock star boyfriend seen on film grating what looks like a mushroom over a plate of food. The rock star subsequently admits to attempting to flush psychedelic mushrooms down the loo but at the reception he was filmed giving the young woman a taste of a truffle he had purchased for $2000. The girl friend is not a girl friend but a cover to protect his image as his interest is not with the biological female. It emerges that a fading model who is finding is difficult to get new assignments was the culprit. The other story is that the local vicar announces he is moving to a new post much to the consternation of the Reagan family so the Commissioner makes inquiries and finds that the Bishop is being pressed to move the priest on following allegations from a female parishioner of a sexual approach. In fact before a failed marriage elsewhere she has pursued the priest who had delicately dealt with the situation for which the woman now felt guilt and sought his removal. Given the recent history of the Catholic Church in the USA and elsewhere the Bishop had chosen the easiest solution but is persuaded to the contrary by the intervention of the family. The youngest son is discovered searching a data base by his senior partner.
The Garage door people arrived with the additional remote and were here with the latest new model and an invoice. The visit took all of five minutes.
Later I watched an engaging Armageddon type film, Knowing, obviously finance by some religious force in the USA. The film stars the excellent Nicolas Cage as scientist and University teacher who holds a class on the issue of determinism and randomness. His father is a Christian Minister but Nicholas has become estranged since his wife died in a fire and having believed in determinism now holds the view that nothing can be predicted and all is random and chaos.
Fifty years ago a time capsule was placed in the grounds of the school when it was first built and to be opened at a ceremony at which the son of Cage is participating and expects his father to attend. The idea of the time capsule is of one child who we observe hears voices and who instead of making a picture as requested by the teacher writing a series of number son both sides of her paper and is prevented from completing the numbers by the teacher as time runs outs. The girl is then found scratching the remaining numbers with her bare hands in the basement. At the ceremony Cage’s son is handed the envelope with the numbers and instead of handing it back to the school takes homes and tries to work out what they mean.
Later his father studied the numbers and realises that first set is 9.11.2011 and then that all the other numbers refers to accidents and disasters since then except for the last three, with the first of these to happen in a days time. There are other numbers associated with the dates which he does not understand and which add to the disbelief of a colleague who he consults. The following day he is caught in a traffic jam and witnesses the crashing of a civilian aircraft where the death toll is that forecast and he realises that the unknown numbers are map references.
He interviews the teacher at the ceremony from 50 years ago and learns that the girl was strange and a loner and that she had died but he then discovers that her grand daughter attends the same school and is a friend of his son. He attempts to get to know the girl’s mother to ask about her mother but the woman is afraid and refuses to have anything to do with him. He then follows up the next prediction which is for a location in New York and because the media talk of a terrorist attack in the region he assume this is the impeding disaster when in fact the deaths are causes by a subway train derailment.
Meanwhile his son appears to be tracked by a strange man who Cage also sees and where the boy also has a vision of a terrible catastrophe in which his home area appears consumed by fire. When Cage returns home he finds the mother and daughter at his home willing to try and assist him solving the mystery of the remaining event. They go to a place used by the family and there Cage is able to work out that the last event covers the whole world and then that a sun spot explosion forecast for that day will have such intensity that it will destroy the earth world. The first reaction of Cage is to take the three to a deep cave in the hope that they will be able to survive the radiation impact of the sunspot. He tries to warn his father who takes he view that if it is Gods will it is Gods will and he and his wife and their daughter are a peace with themselves and therefore ready.
Nicholas belatedly then works out that they should not go to this cave but to a location revealed by the girl of 50 years beforehand. However the mother disagrees and takes the two children with her towards the cave stopping at a gas station from where the two children are taken off by the mysterious men and attempting to follow them the mother is involved in an accident and when Nicholas find her she had died and cannot be resuscitated. He follows the map reference and finds the children about to be whisked off in a wondrous alien craft by the men who could be said to represent angels. Understandably the boy does not want to leave his father but father understands that only the two children have been invited (Close Encounters theme) and that the boy must decide to go of his own accord.
In the final scenes the earth is engulfed by fire before it explodes as Nicholas rejoins his family expressing that this is not the end of everything but a new beginning. We then see that the space craft taking away the two children is only one of several and that these two arrive in a plentiful new land with a large tree in the middle of a field (that the tree of knowledge) and they are of course playing the roles of Adam and Eve
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