Well that's my New Year's Resolution Down the Pan
Literally! My New Year's resolution was to be more positive about work and to get on with it with a bit more good grace than I have been. I haven't even made it in today due to being up most the night with a dodgy stomach. I'm not quite sure if this is due to a) a bug b) my cooking c) a bizarre hormone thing as my period is due d) psychosomatic due to really not wanting to have to go back to that job. Oh well. I shall try again tomorrow!
Christmas and New Year were quite good although both were much quieter than usual. I have doubled my epic book pile. I did knock one off the pile during the holidays by reading Dangerous Days in the Roman Empire: Terrors, Torments, Diseases and Death by Terry Deary of Horrible Histories fame. Deary, or his publisher, seems to have twigged that there's an adult market for his stuff and this seems to be a new line exploiting that fact. While it's mostly an entertaining read when Deary is reigning it in it's spoiled by him frequently ranting about his various pet issues. Such as the subjectivity of historians. He seems completely unable to see he himself is guilty of exactly that. While I bow to no one in my love of Horrible Histories (which is in fact riddled with inaccuracies and myths) I don't think I will be reading anymore of his Dangerous Days series.
I finished off my holiday at home with a trip to see American Hustle on Friday. It's one of the most enjoyable films I've recently seen with a great sense of fun, heart and the cast are all excellent. I highly recommend it. I'm in two minds about seeing 12 Years A Slave next weekend. Despite the rave reviews the trailer looks very hokey and while Shame had a great central performance from Michael Fassbender on the whole I didn't think it was nearly as good as it was meant to be. I do wonder though if the trailer is misleading as 'hokey' sells more tickets that 'harrowing' so we shall see how I feel next weekend about it.
Christmas and New Year were quite good although both were much quieter than usual. I have doubled my epic book pile. I did knock one off the pile during the holidays by reading Dangerous Days in the Roman Empire: Terrors, Torments, Diseases and Death by Terry Deary of Horrible Histories fame. Deary, or his publisher, seems to have twigged that there's an adult market for his stuff and this seems to be a new line exploiting that fact. While it's mostly an entertaining read when Deary is reigning it in it's spoiled by him frequently ranting about his various pet issues. Such as the subjectivity of historians. He seems completely unable to see he himself is guilty of exactly that. While I bow to no one in my love of Horrible Histories (which is in fact riddled with inaccuracies and myths) I don't think I will be reading anymore of his Dangerous Days series.
I finished off my holiday at home with a trip to see American Hustle on Friday. It's one of the most enjoyable films I've recently seen with a great sense of fun, heart and the cast are all excellent. I highly recommend it. I'm in two minds about seeing 12 Years A Slave next weekend. Despite the rave reviews the trailer looks very hokey and while Shame had a great central performance from Michael Fassbender on the whole I didn't think it was nearly as good as it was meant to be. I do wonder though if the trailer is misleading as 'hokey' sells more tickets that 'harrowing' so we shall see how I feel next weekend about it.