Esplanaded
Well joined in the (virtual) crowd to get tickets, but only picked up Cesaria Evora for now. A lot of the opera stuff is gone, I believe.

The Top Ten Local Songs
Get them here! Funny to hear Patrick sing So Happy!

To our great teachers
Great article. It shows the failure of tests.
...[G]enuinely great teaching -- the sort of thing that Socrates and his spiritual descendants have delivered -- is exactly what the American education establishment is now working to discourage. Many of us are being told that our primary task is to prepare students for fact-based tests, to stuff our charges with information, like Christmas birds. We are also being pressured to act as uncritical supporters, sometimes even cheerleaders, for our students. We are encouraged to inflate our grades, pushed to turn our recommendations into exercises in Madison Ave. puffery, urged never to say or even imply a critical word about students. More and more, the culture is asking us to be part of the service economy, providing our customers with what they think they want rather than what we believe they actually need.

Dave McKean site
Nice. Very, very nice.

Why we're fortunate Leonard Nimoy didn't direct The Lord of the Rings
It's a... music video!

Bills Bills Bills
PUB bill this month is kinda high. Glad I'll be out of the house more next month. Hope that'll cut down on some of the bills.

Out of the house
Well going to do some reading at some fast-food joint while waiting for a treat from my 'replacement'. ;) I guess it's work since it's a paid book review. Received the offer from some guys but some things are a little fishy. Will definitely need to iron them out before I do start work for them. I'm not SUPER-ENTHUSIASTIC about it, and there are one or two things I definitely want taken out. I guess it's a personal stand issue.

Moving a blindfolded rhinoceros out of the zoo in Prague.

Been asked to review this book. Not a bad read so far.

Back to the Grind
Looks like I'll have something for the next three months until December at least. Not a great project but one where I can learn and see if I fit into this new company. I'm quite fed up with the people doing the animation. The costs are way out of line and I'll probably have to ditch the animation they did for somebody else's. I think the greed is clouding their minds, and they talk about 'other clients' when frankly I'm their first, and they're a month late. I don't think they're going to get any better with delivery considering the mother hen is pregnant and delivering in february or so. Ah well.. live and learn.

Work from Home
Surely... a 30 minute nap won't hurt? ;)
It is DAMN hard to work from home, I can tell you.

Yesterday went for a briefing for a corporate video script I'm doing. Budget is DAMN tight, and the producer is being squeezed. I think this is going to have a LOT of back and forth and research. Also met a recent widow. Her husband suddenly had a heart attack and she's just in her mid-late thirties; just moved into her condo. You really never know what hand life is going to deal you. It's always best to try to play it then hope for some magic.

Nature photographer Galen Rowell and wife dies in plane crash. A great loss.

Fierce rain
A fierce storm is on it's way, slamming doors and shoving leaves in it's wake. Time to shut things down and go back to sleep. In it's arms you can feel coccooned.

Conversations
Well I learnt some stuff I didnt' know today, and don't think I really needed to know. But... it was interesting I can say that!

Orton
Man when she sings I Love How You Love Me it sends chills. Antarctic/Ice Age/Windfreeze chills. Her imperfect voice makes it even more endearing.

Plans for the week
Being pulled in several directions again. Ok have put up a list of personal deadlines to meet this week in front of my computer. No more procrastinating. Time to kick my own butt and get round to it. Got someone urging me own for the short film; business plan proposal; a freelance thing; registering my company; meeting up with people and so on. Got to get things in order!

Yawner of a Sunday
Ok time to put Starcraft away. I also decided not to swim in the afternoon because it just drains me for the rest of the day. No more naps either! Eat bread at home! Eat less outside! Not going to be easy...