Yes, I know I'm behind. It was on one of the ITV channels last night so I watched it.
Mostly harmless, I think. One or two nice homage to other films, but on the whole simply a brainless way to spend a pleasant hour and a half or so. Impressive animation.
I really do enjoy autopope's Laundry novels. Probably because he ties together a number of different fields which either interest me or of which I have a certain amount of professional experience. Yes, I've read too many spy thrillers, played too many Call of Chthulu games and given too many computer science lectures not to appreciate them. In particular this time I did appreciate the NecronomiPod and the reactions it provoked in a number of characters.
Now I'm back in the UK I'll be picking up a copy of the Laundry RPG. I ran something very similar way back when (using the Call of Chthulu ruleset just for the sanity rules) so it'll be interesting to see how a 'legit' version measures up.
Another UU book - hurrah! I know that most people seem to prefer the Watch novels, or the Witches novels, but I'm an academic and I like the Wizards novels because I can relate to the internal workings of what is clearly only a slightly exaggerated academic institution. Unsurprisingly I relate to Ponder Stibbons quite a bit too.
I'm now looking forward to picking up a new copy of the mythology volume just to read the extra bits on orcs and football, although I admit to a certain smugness on knowing some of the early source material (as it were) already.
It's a Discworld novel so it'll certainly go into the re-read pile.
I picked this one up several years ago but never quite got around to reading it - probably due to it being a trade paperback and thus too large to comfortably carry around and insufficiently self-lit to read in bed in this eReader age.
It's a completely different setting to all of his previous books that I've read, and is (as far as I know) a stand-alone instead of being part of a series. Which is fine, as it is properly self-contained and doesn't need a sequel.Beyond that, though, it was a bit run-of-the-mill, to be honest. An entertaining enough way to kill some time but it didn't grab me the way PFH's other works have in the past. Perhaps it's not sufficiently large scale for me, I don't know. The ending was a bit abrupt too, although nowhere near as bad as the deus ex machina at the end of the Neutronium Alchemist series.
Passable, but probably not in line for a re-read at any point.
This was a bit odd. As with most of autopope's books I can appreciate the logical extrapolation of current technolgy to generate the premise and the setting, but I think that the timing is a bit off. Having said that, it's an interesting approach to the problem of unwinding a long-timescale plot without having to introduce new sets of characters every so often.
Okay, so I went into town this morning to buy a new battery for the car and, while I was there, impressed even myself by polishing off a number of other essential tasks:
Cancelling the internet. I was going to leave it active for M until the end of the month but I have to return the router tomorrow (I could ask M to return it but it would be one more thing to worry about.
Cancelling the mobile phone from the end of the month. No point in paying roaming charges when I can get me a nice new UK smartphone instead.
Cancelling the landline.
Registering a change of address with the government. They do like to keep tabs on you - what's the point of having a national database if you don't update it?
Telling my bank that I was moving to the UK for six months. The assistant seemed very surprised and happy that I would think to do this. I, meanwhile, don't fancy having them suddenly block my access to it because they think someone in the UK is masquerading as me.
Checking with the tax office to see if there was anything I needed to do because I'm going abroad on research leave. It turns out that I don't have to worry until next year's tax return goes in in March (which I've logged on my phone calendar).
Acquired several illustrated story books for E - after all, you don't tend to see Icelandic storybooks in British bookshops.
And, of course, bought a new battery. But there opens up a new problem...
You see, I put the new battery in and the car started without a murmur (don't you just love Toyota engineering?) but it appears that I have an alarm on the car that goes off every couple of minutes until you deactivate it. And disconnects the accelerator (I hope it does that and that the lack of response to the pedal isn't something else). And I don't have a clicky thing with which to disarm the system. Bah.
So I'm now in house-cleaning mode and wondering what to try next with the car (beyond disconnecting the battery again). I shall ponder while I polish.
With the exception of some clothing currently in the washing machine, the cargo packing is done. 25 plastic boxes of assorted sizes, 3 plastic packs, 12 small boxes and 23 assorted other things (bags, bows, ice skates, sewing machine, angle-poise magnifying light and the like) totalling something less than 4 m3, plus cargo manifest, ready to be collected tomorrow.
I am now getting acquainted with a very stiff gin. The tonic is flat, but the gin is providing plenty of structural integrity.
You know that your tastes in reading matter might be a little eclectic when you pack a bag full of books with titles such as:
The Complete Goodies Terraforming: Engineering Planetary Environments The Bayeux Tapestry Physics and Philosophy The Dummies' Guide to Management Full Moon (photos from the Apollo missions) The Drachenwald Rapier Rules (2002 edition - signed by the author) Open GL Programming Íslensk Sjónabók: Ornaments and patterns found in Iceland Herra Subbi (trans.Mister Messy) Hobbitinn (trans.The Hobbit).
Yes, this is the set of books that were just lying around the place.
This afternoon I have been going through the Room Of Doom - also known as the storage bedroom - dividing things into pack, chuck and give away piles. There are things I still haven't located (which happens every time I move, sadly) but amongst this afternoon's highlights are:
My degree certificates (and there was much rejoicing, because it means I don't have to shell out nearly £100 for a new set).
My Panache scroll (in the same envelope as the degree certificates).
An Ollivanders wand (holly and phoenix feather, ideal for creating insanely overpowered fireballs - anyone got a small child of an appropriate age who'd like it?)
The power supply for my DSLite.
My small cotton veil (I found the big silk veil yesterday).
My large and needlessly ornate epee cup hilt.
My make-up bag (stop laughing - I do own warpaint, I just don't use it often).
It looks like there'll be another trip to the Red Cross donation boxes tomorrow, but I'm hoping to have downstairs cleared by dinner and upstairs cleared by lunch tomorrow.
