Contents of house and head, going cheap

[altariel]

This week I threw out a ton of stuff from the upstairs bedroom, including the contents of a silver chest that went back to school and university days. Bam! Out! My version of the ‘name a date’ meme.

This is all part of Operation Decorate Kitchen: anyone who has seen our kitchen will know that since we moved in, er, ten years ago (surely not?), it has remained... in its natural state. Now that I no longer have academia sucking every ounce of joy from me, I appear to be able to do stuff again. Including taking down shelves, sorting through books, lugging stuff around the house, slapping paint on the walls... It’s quite extraordinary. The kitchen is currently in a state of total devastation, but the knock-on effect has been that the upstairs bedroom now looks gorgeous. I even washed curtains yesterday, like real people do.

While doing all this, I’ve been listening to Fairport Convention’s early stuff, from when Richard Thompson was still in the band. Well, not all of their early stuff, since Unhalfbricking is still at large somewhere in the house, but I’m assuming that Operation Take Pleasure In Existence will unearth it somewhere. Either that, or it’s lying in a hotel room somewhere in the US, offsetting the vibes emanating from the Gideon Bible.

All this ritual cleansing and electric folk has contributed to an extraordinary sense of well-being that’s suffused the entire week. Not quite the elusive peak experience, but sufficient for daily purposes. I have a suspicion I’m busily squirreling away a massive bank of positive feeling in order to be able to do the many unspeakable things I have planned for my imaginary friends.

The talk about podfic ended up doing mildly weird things to my head. The other night I dreamt I was flipping through the lunch-time telly (dream world being apparently very like real life). Eventually I found a 1970s period drama with the production values of an episode of Crown Court (i.e. it was all taking place in a single room). “Ohhh,” I thought, “this’ll be smashing...!” After a bit, everything started to seem terribly familiar, and all of a sudden I realized it was an adaptation of A Game of Chess! Of course, I realized in the next instant that the bastards weren’t paying me to do the script, and I immediately woke up enraged. All I really remember was that it had Tobias Menzies as Faramir (not bad casting, eh? – he was doing all the ring-twiddly gestures and everything) but, really, my subconscious might try to summon up a little more ambition on behalf of us both. Agent required, or talented producer.

Fairport Convention at the Corn Exchange tonight. Can a life get any better? (I suppose someone could run past me later in the street and shove a pile of ten pound notes in my hand no questions asked.) I’m excited about what the support act might deliver, given prior experiences (such as Tiny Tin Lady, and the-legendary-bass-mandolin).

PS Ashes to Ashes: Charmless.

Comments

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

How nice to read such a happy post. :) It made a pleasant change from the doom and gloom that seems all too common on my flist. Are you sure that real people wash curtains, though? It sounds to me like the sort of thing that only unreally capable and efficient people do.

[fallingtowers.livejournal.com]

So, you wouldn't recommend watching "Ashes to Ashes" at all?

[thanatos-kalos.livejournal.com]

PS Ashes to Ashes: Charmless.

Sadly, I'd agree. I'll give it a little longer, just in case the characters' deflation is better explained, but...

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I don't like reccing or not reccing because you never know what people will get from something - but, personally, I thought A2A was misogynist, self-congratulatory, and lazily written. A remake of all the least likeable aspects of LoM and none of the likeable aspects.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I'll keep watching too (it's only 8 eps after all), but they're going to have to pull something spectacular out of the big clown hat.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I am feeling happy, thank you! :-) And by god you're right about the curtains. "Real People Don't Wash Curtains." Much more like it.

[glitterboy1.livejournal.com]

Wow, well done! It really is hugely satisfying to get stuff like that done. So satisfying, in fact, that you wonder why you don't do it more often. (At least, you wonder that after you've finished. Before you start, it's perfectly obvious why.)

I'm glad it's gone so well. So is the kitchen next? Or will you spend time first doing those unspeakable things? After all, you deserve a reward. :-)

Have a great time tonight!

[oracne.livejournal.com]

I saw Fairport once. Only once, alas, but it was awesome!

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

I hope life will get even better! And you get twenty-pound notes!

PS But I was able to say "Ooh, look, altariel's puppet..." I'm beginning to suspect there were a lot of TV references that went right over my head (I've said elsewhere that I probably saw less television in the early 1980s than the mid-1970s) but I recognised that thanks to you.

[communicator.livejournal.com]

Have you read emeraldsedai's recent posts about de-cluttering her house? Very interesting the other changes it brings with it.

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

There goes my claim to be real -- if I wash curtains, they come out of the machine as lace, whatever material they were on entry.

[fallingtowers.livejournal.com]

Considering that I have been pretty much braindead lately and have thus started to regard MST3K-ing really cheesy telly as my sole intellectual achievement, I might even give it a try. On the other hand, I'm a little afraid that it might retroactively spoil my enjoyment of LoM...

*ponders*

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Who played Éowyn? *g*

[toft-froggy.livejournal.com]

Ohh, reading about houses being tidied and cleaned makes me almost as happy as if I were doing it myself, especially when I can picture said house. Hooray for cleansing of one's immediate environment and hence one's own soul! Have fun at the Corn Exchange, don't exchange any corn without checking it hasn't been cut with chaff or something first.

[sugoll.livejournal.com]

I even washed curtains yesterday, like real people do.

They fucking do not. They give up, and move, instead.

And, sadly, imaginary people don't wash curtains, either. At least, ours never have.

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

So glad you had such a happy week! It's amazing how good decluttering can make you feel (I'm, er, told).

I hope you get some quality time with your imaginary friends.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I woke up before seeing! Gah! I realized what it was, saw Tobias Menzies, and then got so enraged about not getting to do the script that it woke me up!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Oh, now I have to write something in which the imaginary friends wash curtains!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

No idea what I might have done: I just shoved them in the washing machine and they came out fine.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

And it was awesome last night too, particularly 'Reynardine', which I've never heard them do before, and was magical.

Although every time Peggy did one of his little jumps, we'd both wince and mutter, "Don't do that, Peggy, your hip might go!"

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Those posts are what inspired me to really start chucking stuff out: I'd been planning to clear the kitchen to paint since before Xmas, but not to do so much whittling down of stuff. Getting the iPod has helped to: sorting through all the CDs and then boxing them up.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

No £20s yet, alas, but I'll keep right on hoping.

Zippy! And the pink hippo is his friend George. 'Rainbow' was an important part of my life when I was tiny.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Well, I saw a clip from episode 2 last night, and thought it looked better. So perhaps wait a while till more reviews come in. I sympathize with that braindead feeling.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Understandable. How did they dare *not* giving you the script assignment?

I googled the male star. Just out of curiosity, whom would *you* cast for Éowyn?

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

Yay for house and head clearances. I hope you had a fabulous time at the gig, and the music's stil wound all about you.

And long may the feeling of well-being suffuse you!

*happy dances you*

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

I thought A2A was misogynist, self-congratulatory, and lazily written.

Exactly!

A remake of all the least likeable aspects of LoM and none of the likeable aspects.

*nods* That is an excellent and succinct summation. I just got cross and stomped off.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I saw him first as Brutus in Rome.

I honestly don't know who'd I cast as Eowyn. I haven't yet seen an actress that's made me go, "Yes! That's her!" Miranda Otto did a nice enough job, but she didn't quite capture Eowyn for me.... Actually, there is one scene in which she's very much how I imagine Eowyn, and that's in the extended edition of The Two Towers, and she sings at Theodred's funeral.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Oh, he's the one who played Derrick in The Relief of Belsen!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Ah! That's what I saw him in recently that wasn't Rome!

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

I am positively reveling in your house clearing description. Kindred spirits!

I did some further clearing today myself, while listening to "Solomon's Seal" by The Pentangle, which arrived in today's mail. Don't know if it could offset the vibes of a Gideon's Bible, but it has held up well over the years since I wore out the vinyl version (and that was a very funny line).

Hope the concert was grand.

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I'm so proud!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I just offloaded 100 - count 'em - one hundred books onto a charity shop. Which should make the whole Library Thing project a bit easier.

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

That's excellent decluttering! I bet the charity was delighted to get them.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I hope so: there was a pile of hardback Pratchetts which I'd hope would have a good turnover rate, also some nice paperback travel books.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I only know Pentangle from sideways, as it were: I've got some Bert Jansch and various other bits and pieces (and Gerry Conway drums with Fairport now). I should definitely listen to more, her voice is gorgeous. (More clearing today turned up the missing copy of 'Unhalfbricking', btw!)

The concert was great, thank you. They absolutely nailed 'Reynardine', it transported you from this place to another place.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

*dances with you!* The music has definitely stayed wound around me. And the house gets clearer and clearer: I sent 100 books (yes, one hundred) off to a charity shop this morning.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I've been doing unspeakable things to imaginary friends in the mornings, and then turning on the house and doing unspeakable things to it in the afternoons. Kitchen is this weekend: I still have to put some things in boxes first.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

You will notice a big difference next time you're here - at least, I hope so! I packed off 100 - yes, one hundred - books to a charity shop this morning.

The Corn Exchange was great, and no chaff was accidentally received. When we first started seeing Fairport - fifteen years ago - they didn't put seating in the main hall. Now they do. I assume it's because they think the audience is getting older, but I know for a fact that people take their newborn babies along. Perhaps it's that we are not the kind of audience that will rip the chairs up and throw them around.

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

It's like finding buried treausre, isn't it? I have no idea what "unhalfbricking" means, but it's a wonderful word and a great title for an album.

I recently watched "Driving Lessons," a little coming-of-age movie that caught my attention because it stars Rupert Grint. It had wonderful music, and the main soundtrack is by John Renbourn. That's what sent me on the trip down musical memory lane.

Nice to know these incredibly talented people are still out there making good music.

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

Whoo! You are de-cluttering fireball! 100 books forsooth!
I should do something similar myself.