fuzzyedges

Things I have done during reading week:

- Agreed to go to the Rio's Sunday double without even asking what was showing, because it always involves breakfast beforehand, vegan chocolate cake inbetween the films, and drinks afterwards. It turned out to be two 60s Pinter films: three hours of slow burning tension, covetable clothes and Dirk Bogarde's lovely face. Afterwards we went to the world's friendliest bar, and eventually had to move from our battered sofa so a jazz duo could set up. I'm not a jazz fan, but this made me think maybe I just need to learn more about it - just a saxophonist and a drummer, mostly improv, but it was so captivating. Halfway through I went to buy another drink and their card machine was broken, so the barman gave me a round "on account" and told me to pay when I had some cash. This was so unlike all my experiences of London that I thought I must have misunderstood him. Later I went back with cash and he gave me a free coffee and some cake "for my honesty". Must go east more.

- Watched the whole first season of Mad Men (I'm not the only person who gets halfway through a box set without noticing, right?). It is so stunning! Beautifully written, complex, stunning costumes. I've vowed I would watch season two on iplayer, one episode a week, but I'm not sure how strong my resolve is.

- Finally saw Revolutionary Road. I was apprehensive about the film because I loved the book so much. It's visually stunning - the bit at the end when K.Win stands in front of the window (I'm trying to be non-spoilery), with all the clean whites and creams and then the shock of red? Wow - but ultimately its failings made me realise why the book is such a masterpiece. The book is about the way that everyday things build up and up until they drown you, and it shows those thousands of boring things without being boring. A film doesn't have the time to show you those day-after-day repetitions - or if it could have time, this one didn't make it - so actually a lot of their sadness and the way they treat each other didn't make much sense to me. But it made me love the book even more than I did, and K.Win's face was worth the ticket price. Even when they were trying to make her look exhausted and miserable her genetic structure was saying fuck you, I'm gorgeous. 

- Spent all day in bed with a boy I might write some more about soon. He cycles everywhere, grows herbs (no, for cooking) and doesn't have facebook. He might be perfect.

- Finally got a new passport! That isn't really exclamation mark worthy - they're not that difficult to obtain - but I'd been dragging my feet, refusing to admit that I'd actually lost my old one (I had).  Presence of new passport meant I could finally book to go to Cuba at easter - I think that actually is exclamation mark worthy - !

- Decided to open an underground restaurant. Yes, this might just be a ploy to get Zoe Williams to be my friend. Would it be weird to email someone you don't know offering to babysit the child they write about in a weekly column in a national newspaper? I'd do it for free.

Things I have not done during week:

- Much reading.

A good week for 50s/60s clothing (all this period drama has started to affect how I dress, plus I am yearning for Joan Holloway hair, can you get that colour through dye? I'm thinking not really), a very bad one for my vague ambition of actually getting a degree some day.