Friday, April 30
Money Goes Up, Money Goes Down
I received a very pleasant envelope through the post this morning. It contained a ?100 cheque from the Observer for the excerpts from this blog that were used in the article that I was a part of. Finally, someone has recognised that my writing here deserves payment!!! This makes up for those dark days and nights when I wondered why I even bothered to carry on writing here, because no-one read it, and it was becoming a chore.
Of course, 'tis not so any more. I thoroughly enjoy writing here, and it is appreciated (I think) by those of you who take the time to make return visits. Of course, there are those who dislike and mock what I write here, but yet they keep returning... Each to your own, I guess.
I have to admit that when I read the blogs that I do (in the handy list on the immediate left), I am a non-responsive reader in the most cases. It's kind of voyeuristic to read someone's writing and gain insight into their lives without them knowing who you are, and basically without them even knowing you're reading.
It's here that I draw comparisons to "proper" reality TV programmes such as Big Brother. To me, that is exactly the same as reading a blog: you know all about the person, but they know nothing of you; you can see / read their most intimate moments and feelings, but they don't even know you're there; there is an opportunity to pass judgement on the person, either by leaving a small comment on their blog, or by voting for / against them on TV (the latter is obviously even more anonymous).
I say "proper" reality TV because the phrase "reality TV" has been over-used in recent years. Proper reality TV is (in my opinion) when the TV show is just reality, in its entirety. Of course, I completely understand that the Big Brother house is anything but normal in the true sense, but we get to see the housemates as a whole, from waking to retiring to bed. We get to see them interact, react and act for the entire time that they are on screen. Yes, some of it is inconsequential (most of it, to be honest), but that is what makes it so addictive.
We all have lives, we all know that they are not one exciting event after another, that they contain long periods of boredom or melancholy. It is because of this that we are fascinated by watching other people go about their lives, especially as we know that they do not know that we (as a particular individual) are watching, and also that they do not know our opinions of them, until after the event. This is "proper" reality TV, because it is an entire life, a "real" life, not just the period that someone has chosen to be filmed.
Reality TV now encompasses any programme that doesn't feature actors or celebrities. These aren't reality TV, they are minor episodes or events in people's lives. I want to see a person's life in its entirety, as they move from one day to the next, with all of the supposedly boring and uneventful times in between. The Truman Show pretty much sums it up, especially with the wholly unknowingness of the title character. Perhaps I just want to view the world through someone else's eyes, to escape my own reality and experience someone else's.
But yeah, reality TV. Can you tell that I heard something about the forthcoming new series of Big Brother on the radio today? I get easily inspired to write random things.
Returning to the subject of money, as that was what I was originally going to write about, I paid that cheque into my account, and promptly rediscovered Ebay.
Well, that's a slight lie, because I rediscovered Ebay two days ago, when I was hunting for a cable to connect my shiny new phone to my computer, so that I can upload all of the random pictures I've taken to the photo blog. And no, before you ask / go check, I haven't updated that blog just yet, even though I keep promising to. Meh, the snooker's been on TV all week. I found the cable I was looking for, for a very good price, direct from Hong Kong, and thought that was that.
But, of course, it wasn't to be. Ebay always seems to pull me ever closer and deeper into its murkier depths. Hence, I have today bought About Schmidt and Training Day on DVD, as well as some new printer cartridges. I managed to lose three or four auctions as well, for other cool DVDs that I've been hunting down (Event Horizon, Vanilla Sky, Reservoir Dogs). They were so very, very cheap, so I don't feel too bad in buying them, but they're still something I can and should do without. Never mind, it'll just be cheese on toast for a couple of weeks.
That's a joke, by the way, I actually manage to eat very well for a student. I'm a half-decent cook, and can throw together a very tasty meal from bits and bobs left in the cupboard / fridge. That's not to say that there aren't packets of Super Noodles in my cupboard, because there are. They're soooo tasty and easy!
Jesus Christ, do I ever fucking ramble when I write?! I guess it comes from never planning a post before I sit down and write it. Sometimes there's a vague theme running through it, but quite often it becomes a stream of consciousness. Well, maybe not a perfect stream of consciousness, because I bother to use punctuation, but it's pretty much as I think. And yes, this is yet another occasion where I am writing about how and why I write. So what? Stream of consciousness...
Another ?4 went on the new issue of DVD Review, my new favourite magazine. I need to stop buying it though, not just because of its prohibitive cover price. Every time I pick it up, I end up creating a mental list of DVDs, not just that I want, but that I need to own. This is where Ebay could come in handy, I feel.
The most important news from this issue is that there is a special edition of Reservoir Dogs being released very soon. This is a DVD that is most definitely on the "need" list, along with the special edition of There's Something About Mary (one of my favourite comedies, nay films ever) and The Alien Quadrilogy (have you seen the packaging? It looks so fucking cool!). Add to this a whole host of films that have made it onto my "want" list, and I can see all of my future money being tied up in a huge DVD collection.
Apart, that is, from the final ?23 that I spent this evening. This went on a ticket for the testimonial game for Martin Keown (the Arsenal defender). It's at the end of the season, and features and Arsenal XI against and England XI. Two names confirmed so far are Ian Wright and Paul Gascoigne, 2 legends of recent footballing history. I'm very pleased that I managed to get a ticket for this, very pleased indeed. Ticketmaster.co.uk still has some available, if you're interested. If you are, email me and I'll see about meeting you for a pint before / after the game. I'm sure I'd be a complete and utter letdown in the flesh, but meh, you'll get to see the legend that is
There's only one Keown!
There's only one Keown!
There's ony one Keown!
There's only one Keown!
Revision? Pah, that can wait.
Exams? I'm so unbelievably screwed. But yet I can't find that motivation to start revising. It's times like these that I wish the internet had never been created, because it distracts me so much from what I should be doing.
Oh, who am I kidding, I LOVE THE INTERNET!!! The best thing ever invented, without a doubt. Well, the second best, after football. Better make it third, actually, because alcohol is right up there too. Let's just say that the internet is in the Top 5, shall we?
And so ends yet another ill-prepared and random post. I think they're much more fun to write, since I keep getting inspired by a single word / phrase to go off on a tangent and to eventuall return to the subject matter at hand. I hope they make for just as interesting a time to read. Let me know if they do or don't, unless you're a voyeuristic, anonymous reader in the same way as me.
Have you ever noticed how I find it so very difficult to end a post? I keep thinking of more and more stuff to write about, even after I've written the supposedly closing paragraph. Ahh, hell to it, this is the way I think, and hence the way I write. Love it or loathe it, I write like this. Meh.
