17.9.01
I let out a big sigh over the weekend ... it's nice to be reminded that there's still happiness and love and sanity in the world. My old high school chum Kyla married her long-time beau Elliot on Saturday at the Westminster Registry office - and she wore orange! And looked absolutely stunning and fantastic, as she always does. A small ceremony (with the mums who had flown over especially), with the promise of a larger do on their eventual return to New Zealand.

The "breakfast" was at The Quiet Revolution in Marylebone - a small, organic cafe with a great range of food at really good prices. Check it out sometime. So much tasty nosh was gobbled and much tasty champagne quaffed. And then a brisk stroll around Regent's Park. The happy couple went for a bit of a row. Or rather, convinced one of the other guests to row them round in the middle of the pond for a bit. Cue photo opportunity.

Tracy and Mike had a farewell bash later that evening: they're back home to New Zealand for a few months before coming back to Ireland for a bit more working. New York was on the itinerary. The bright lights of Las Vegas have taken its place. The beer and chatter flowed freely and late into the night: how invigorating it was to be around a lot of people again! And what a release to let go for a while ... to reverse your recent lifestyle of relative solitude, hunched over a keyboard until the small hours of each morning, desperate to stop filling your brain with still more information yet feeling powerless to cease.

So, a weekend of fine food, fine wine and fine company. There's little more I can ask for really.
12:09 PM

16.9.01
Today is a Day Of Silence.
3:11 AM

13.9.01
"The chief weapon of the sea pirates, however, was their capacity to astonish. Nobody else could believe, until it was much too late, how heartless and greedy they were."
Kurt Vonnegut, Breakfast of Champions.
12:38 AM

12.9.01
Still in a state of unrequited disbelief. This picture says it all. That's from the excellent ongoing MetaFilter thread - go read it now. Further incredible pictures at Yahoo.
2:25 AM

11.9.01
Absolutely unbelievable. I am quite dumbfounded over the events which have just transpired in New York, Washington and along the States' eastern seaboard - what can you say about something like that that doesn't sound trite? Best wishes and support to Ralph and the American crew for the inevitable tough times ahead - we're thinking of you. Andy/Bertie/Choire/Dan also report.
4:52 PM

While I was in post-holiday laze mode late last week, Tom and I went to see Moulin Rouge. It's an enjoyable frenetic sensory rollercoaster ride to be sure (sometimes a little too so), but by the end I hadn't been convinced about the whole reworking contemporary songs into nineteenth century Paris thing. The novelty worked for a while but it wore off pretty fast (with the notable exception of "Like A Virgin" which was utterly hilarious). The leads sung competently but I really don't buy Nicole Kidman in romantic roles: she'd do better sticking to the edgier stuff (Dead Calm, To Die For, BMX Bandits). A spectacular spectacular most defintely but one that left me feeling a little hollow by the end.
1:36 PM

Things we like about Barcelona #2: Antoni Gaudí

Señor Gaudí's modernist influence is felt everywhere in Barcelona, but two specific buildings stood out for me - the Sagrada Familia and La Pedrera. The former is quite simply the coolest church ever created. Well, ever half created. It won't be finished until long after most of us have shuffled off this mortal coil I'd imagine: a central spire at least half as tall as the existing ones is still to be built. Topped by a search beam emitting cross.

La Pedrera has to be the coolest apartment building ever created (people tend to use superlatives when talking about this man) - like some deity took a large sheet of clay and wrapped and folded it around a regular block of flats. Two large atria dominate the centre of the building but the real focus is the roof: fantastic totems dominate the skyline and a winding path takes you up, down, around and between them.

They're trying making him a saint you know. Too bloody right.
1:14 PM

10.9.01
Some people having amusing surnames. Journalists like these people because they allow them to write amusing yet legitimate headlines. I will never be a journalist's friend: the worst surname-related thing anyone ever called me was Peanut and that's not really so bad.
4:13 PM

Run, don't walk, to your nearest picture house and catch the fantastic Hedwig And The Angry Inch (audio shunners beware) while you can. It's one of the very few movies that's been released this year that I'd like to see again [excellent review by David here]. You will learn a lot from this movie. You will learn that one can play in household cooking appliances. You will learn creative trail-finding uses for confectionery. You will learn the timeless beauty of Farrah Fawcett's windswept do. You will learn that East German tranny rock stars look remarkably like Juliette Lewis. And while we're on her (metaphorically, thank goodness), what's up with that Gap ad?
3:34 PM

ickle.org: It's French for crack (oh, you'd best be checking the Archive too for recent tasty tidbits you may have missed).
3:11 PM

Things we like about Barcelona #1: The Metro

Fast, cheap, efficient public transport is always a boon to city strangers and the Metro had all of those things. And roomy carriages (which were vaguely box-like in a freight train fashion, but no matter). And a little LED display above the doors that ticked off the stations as you passed through them. Oh, and funky station names like Urquinaona (voweltastico!), Pubilla Cases (STI clinic?) and Alfons X (Malcom's cousin?). And the best thing of all? Air conditioning as standard. God bless our sensible Spanish cousins.
3:05 PM

Honey, I'm home! Barcelona was fantastic ... the ensuing delay in posting was due to a state of abject sloth, and a very enjoyable one at that. More on the trip to follow shortly.
1:17 AM