September 2004 Archives

On Thursday, I went to the Lord of the Rings concert in Albert Hall - conducted by Howard Shore with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The concert was inspiring and the music was powerful; I've never been to anything like that before. Thanks to Alistair for inviting me along. Books: I have finished Atkinson's Greyfriar's Bobby about a week ago. I found it a difficult read and not terribly interesting. News: I am off to Wales this week to visit Portmeirion. I've been wanting to go here for a while now; it's where the series, The Prisoner, was filmed. I wish I had time to re-watch the series before leaving.

Ahoy there! Welcome to me pirate-speak edition of almostafternoon.com on International Talk Like A Pirate Day. Aye, let's look for treasure and sail the Internet in search of adventure and fun. Maybe after I get me project done.

Career news: I have accepted a position at a company in Ringwood, and I'll be starting in two or three weeks. Yay! Movie news: On Monday, I watched The Terminal. An average film, starring a typical Mr. Hanks in his usual role as underdog-hero. Though, setting the film at an airport was original, and they managed to include conflict, evil villans, unsung allies, beautiful/smart women in distress, and humor. Book news: I've just finished Chocolat by Harris. Overall, an engaging read and original idea highlighting the different viewpoints between a French village's religious leader and a pagan chocolate-store owner and their conflicting ideas within the community. Project news: I've received some feedback from the first half of the writing and will make revisions this week. Development is slow.

The sunshine seems to have returned since my last post. It's been nice and HOT. I've now written around 4,500 words for my dissertation. A deadline is set for Saturday. Development work will be carried out for the remainder of the month. I've just started on a new book this week, Chocolat, after finishing Only Dad by Doug Titchmarsh. I have read at least nine fiction books this year. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens: a disappointment. Little Women - Alcott: A good book about character. Sense and Sensibility - Austen: I enjoyed it. North and South - Gaskell: Although bits of the book were engaging, I felt that it was too long and the ending did not meet up to my expectations. Pompeii - Harris: It had potential. The End of the Affair: Greene: Started well but lost direction. Father Brown Stories - Chesterton: I enjoyed a handful of them, but the majority were dull. Only Dad - Tidwell: Easy read but not engaging and fairly ordinary. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Haddon: Memorable/original because of it's point of view told from an autistic child.