What you missed, what I did
Well, I know the past week has been very quiet in many offices and businesses around the world, as people took leave between Christmas and New Year's Day. I know that for many today is a case of "back to reality." You may still however be in a less than enthusiastic mood for work, so in case you need any procrastination material, here's a rundown of the most important pop culture blog posts that appeared here over the past fortnight - please check them out and comment:
The Best and Worst Films of 2009
Q&A with writer Steven Pressfield - with a book giveaway (Entry closes this Friday)
Girlz 'N' Games web comic #59: Have yourself a sparkly Christmas!
Avatar film review
Paranormal Activity film review
Trailer Tuesday: The Hurt Locker
Trailer Tuesday: Iron Man 2
Anyway, in terms of my activities this past long weekend I saw in the New Year at Inanda Dam with my sister and her friends. Apart from some cruising around on a ski boat and leaping off a cliff into the dam water, it was an otherwise very relaxed way to kick off 2010. We popped champagne at midnight and watched the fireworks on the far hillside of rural dwellings, while The Black Eyed Peas' I Got A Feeling blared on the radio.
The only downside is that hangovers and camping really do not mix. Going to bed at 2am and waking before 6 because of your tent's transformation into a sauna does not make for a fun morning-after experience. Also, the ablution facilities for campers at Inanda are shocking - especially when you compare them to the well-maintained bathrooms at Royal Natal Park. Just 2 unisex toilets (which do not flush!) in a little prefabricated hut that has no running water in its taps. You can imagine what things looked like after an evening of 100+ campers boozing and partying. I feel queasy just thinking about it.
This weekend I also attended my first ever tweetup at the KZNSA Gallery coffee shop, where I had drinks with a number of Durban Twitter users I follow (and had never met before in real life), as well as a couple of Gauteng tweeple who were at the coast on holiday. Talk about an interesting, unexpected combination of people and personalities. Good fun.
Our weekly session of Dungeons & Dragons on Saturday evening was also fun. Although it was unusually combat-free, a lot of diplomacy was required as our band of heroes had to negotiate a treaty with an invading force of dragon-backed islanders... who then proceeded to break the ceasefire and set a number of drakes on us.
Otherwise, I rounded the weekend off by working on the next Girlz 'N' Games comic - which is due for online debut in the middle of this week. While working I ended up half-watching the decidedly unnerving Lakeview Terrace, as well as one of my favourite Vietnam movies Full Metal Jacket (which you always tend to forget is packed with delicious quotes) and the first 30 minutes or so of Lost Boys. The latter 2 were on TCM, which I admit is pretty disturbing seeing as they are both 80's films. The fact that they are now screening regularly on a channel associated with Hollywood's Golden Age makes me feel old. Then again, the 80's were 20 - 30 years ago, which is a hefty chunk of time by anyone's standards.
The Best and Worst Films of 2009
Q&A with writer Steven Pressfield - with a book giveaway (Entry closes this Friday)
Girlz 'N' Games web comic #59: Have yourself a sparkly Christmas!
Avatar film review
Paranormal Activity film review
Trailer Tuesday: The Hurt Locker
Trailer Tuesday: Iron Man 2
Anyway, in terms of my activities this past long weekend I saw in the New Year at Inanda Dam with my sister and her friends. Apart from some cruising around on a ski boat and leaping off a cliff into the dam water, it was an otherwise very relaxed way to kick off 2010. We popped champagne at midnight and watched the fireworks on the far hillside of rural dwellings, while The Black Eyed Peas' I Got A Feeling blared on the radio.
The only downside is that hangovers and camping really do not mix. Going to bed at 2am and waking before 6 because of your tent's transformation into a sauna does not make for a fun morning-after experience. Also, the ablution facilities for campers at Inanda are shocking - especially when you compare them to the well-maintained bathrooms at Royal Natal Park. Just 2 unisex toilets (which do not flush!) in a little prefabricated hut that has no running water in its taps. You can imagine what things looked like after an evening of 100+ campers boozing and partying. I feel queasy just thinking about it.
This weekend I also attended my first ever tweetup at the KZNSA Gallery coffee shop, where I had drinks with a number of Durban Twitter users I follow (and had never met before in real life), as well as a couple of Gauteng tweeple who were at the coast on holiday. Talk about an interesting, unexpected combination of people and personalities. Good fun.
Our weekly session of Dungeons & Dragons on Saturday evening was also fun. Although it was unusually combat-free, a lot of diplomacy was required as our band of heroes had to negotiate a treaty with an invading force of dragon-backed islanders... who then proceeded to break the ceasefire and set a number of drakes on us.
Otherwise, I rounded the weekend off by working on the next Girlz 'N' Games comic - which is due for online debut in the middle of this week. While working I ended up half-watching the decidedly unnerving Lakeview Terrace, as well as one of my favourite Vietnam movies Full Metal Jacket (which you always tend to forget is packed with delicious quotes) and the first 30 minutes or so of Lost Boys. The latter 2 were on TCM, which I admit is pretty disturbing seeing as they are both 80's films. The fact that they are now screening regularly on a channel associated with Hollywood's Golden Age makes me feel old. Then again, the 80's were 20 - 30 years ago, which is a hefty chunk of time by anyone's standards.
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