Back of the net

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Sunday, September 25, 2005

Procrastination

A list of things I have done today instead of tidying my room:

Read my book
Thought about my childhood
Thought about what to do with the next six months
Considered doing an open university course, briefly researched it and sent an email for advice
Smoked a heap of cigarettes and drunk coffee
Chatted on msn with Ashley
Danced around my room to the Pogues
Tried on a dress and experimented with hairstyles while dancing around my room to the Velvet Undergroud
Danced around and exercised to Jimi Hendrix, Beck and the Prodigy (the latter being rather exhausting)
Explored the digital radio stations on itunes including 60s hits and a psychadelic station which sounded like BBC sound effects
Watched Grosse Point Blank
Plucked my Eyebrows
Showered for a ridiculously long time with occasional musical interludes including 'Moon River'
Read an article about sloganeering in politics
Ate cottage cheese on toast even though I don't like it and wasn't hungry
Paid attention to the dog

With only two hours to go until Kill Bill 2 I am thinking face mask, leg shaving and maybe some washing up. This room really is a mess.

Saturday, September 24, 2005

More Old Work




These are entries I made to a calendar competition which I didn't win. It could have been kind of irritating to have to revive them for my portfolio but the little pride I have is getting easier to swallow with age.

8 pieces down, 2 to go. Of course the ones remaining are the ones needing the most work, but I'll get there some time this week I'm sure.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Collecting Old Work




Having to get together my old work and put it into a portfolio for a mid-year presentation (for which my presence is thankfully not required) is leading me to realise just how much I have and haven't learned. I'm able to use programmes and design things I could never have done six months ago, and yet I look at my stuff and it still seems so studenty. I wonder when my portfolio will become something I can show to prospective employers with pride. Possibly after our industry applications later in the year.

I've gotten far too serious there with the prospective employers malarky. As someone wonderful reminded me earlier in the week, its not all about the nine to five boring career-making corporate life. It's about everything else, in fact.

This week I have been mostly overexcited about the holidays, but I hate to jinx things so you'll hear about them later.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Queen Street, Auckland

is where I am spending most of my time, working away. Very very very busy.

Earlier this week I was gobsmacked by the playing field in Victoria Park. Don't look at grass for too long if you're considering the enormity of the universe. It had recently been cut and its scent was heavenly and warm. There were so many gorgeous juicy blades repeating over and over beneath my flip-flopped feet. The summery dusk light made it feel like those heartstopping moments of peace you get when you're alone on holiday and the world is so beautiful and you've no-one to tell but yourself. A braver girl with less people around would have thrown herself on to it, but I just slipped off a shoe for a bit. Maybe next time.

I will probably be far too busy to continue the doodles that have littered this page in recent weeks, so I will be grateful to anyone kind enough to submit a 'factspert' to keep this page jumping.

As you can see below my t-shirt design is up for voting on the threadless site. The site has been fixed and you can reach it by clicking on the picture below so do get on there and give me a 5 and an 'I'd Buy It' if you're a member or if you want to become one (and buy the t-shirt if and when it gets made - you know it makes sense).

Life is a lot of fun right now. Work is challenging, the weather is improving again and I am having one of those weeks when ideas pour out of me like I'm a broken bottle. Dan and I are conspiring to do something marvellous, Jon and I are conspiring to do something marvellous, Dave's nearly here and Chris is hopefully on his way. Finally and very importantly...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH CARTER!

Friday, September 09, 2005

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Factspert: Classification of the Undead

Resident Expert: Daniel Roberts of East London

The term “undead” covers a plethora of creatures. The purpose of this article is to classify them for easy recognition and sensible, well informed discussion.

THE ZOMBIE
First generation undead. The most basic form of reanimated dead tissue. Survives on pure instinct and cannot be reasoned with.
LIKES: Brains, flesh, moaning, walking badly.
DISLIKES: Impacts to the cranium, decapitation and fire.
TO DESPATCH: The traditional method of zombie-termination is to cause a major head wound by gunshot, axe or similar tool. In voodoo, salt was typically used as a defensive measure. By forcing salt into the mouth of the zombie the human side would immediately gain control and consciousness would be returned. Traditionally Haitian zombies weren’t actually dead people and often the zombie was merely a human in deep hypnosis. Fire and decapitation are useful in defense though removal of the head or destruction of the brain is the most effective.
CREATED BY: Zombies originate from Haiti and are created by Voodoo Witchdoctors (I Walked With A Zombie). They have also been seen to be created through chemical spills (Return Of The Living Dead), bio virus (Resident Evil, 28 Days Later), scientific interference (ReAnimator, Shockwaves, Plan 9 From Outer Space), supernatural literature (The Beyond, City Of The Living Dead) as well as unknown sources (Night Of The Living dead, Shaun Of The Dead).
Most zombies are lumbering slow moving, passive cretins and are often slaves under the control of a higher intelligence (Plague Of The Zombies). The Italian variety are especially slow moving and cumbersome. Since the early '90s zombies have become far more animated and appear to be less pissed off.
Recent films such as 28 Days Later and Dawn of The Dead have shown zombies to be physically adept and strong. However this trend is not a new invention. The 1980 film Nightmare City had zombies armed with weapons and able to move with pace.

THE ZOMBOID
Where the reanimated dead (zombic) tissue has been aided with cyborg attachments. This genus is underused despite enormous potential. Notable examples include Robocop.

THE NAZI ZOMBIE (NOMBIE?)
Featured mainly in the low budget film “Shockwaves”, these super soldiers are in fact reanimated Nazis. Seemingly unstoppable, these far-right fiends possess incredible swimming and frowning powers.

THE 'HORROR EXPRESS' ZOMBIE
The film features a bizarre climax in which Kosaks are killed by having their minds sucked out of their eyes by an alien. The Alien, in the throes of death, reanimates all the corpses to march on the survivors in the last compartment. Notable purely because Telly Savalas is one of the zombies.

THE VAMPIRE
The first truly cinematic vampire was Nosferatu (1922). The word actually means “undead”.
The vampire is by tradition a blood sucking supernatural creature that sleeps by day and stalks by night. They also have the power to turn into animals such as bats and wolves as well as mist. Although the legend is that they only bite young buxom virgins this is inconsistent with the treatment of vampirism as a disease. Certainly the burning of corpses and the isolation of victims implies this, though the link to sexuality and menstruation is there for all to see.
The bald Max Schreck Nosferatu-style vampire has made several appearances and his rat like face supports the link with disease. First seen in 1922, then in the 1979 remake and then loosely in Salem’s Lot as “The Master”, the bald ugly Vampire bares a closer resembelance to the intended supernatural creature than the handsome interpretations of Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee and Frank Langella.
LIKES: blood, night, most animals
DISLIKES: holy/running water, stakes in the heart, silver, sun, garlic, hawthorn, crucifix/crosses, fire
TO DESPATCH: The most effective method is hammering a stake through the heart of the vampire. Though there have been several other solutions, burning the vampire is the most effective alternative. Tools such as the crucifix , garlic and hawthorns are used as defense rather than destruction.
In some European villages the practice of burying the dead in such a way as to stop relatives returning as vampires was performed. This involved burying the corpse face down, mouth filled with garlic and a crucifix around the neck. Whether this actually works is debatable.
As far as the dead community is concerned the vampire is sexist of all the undead. Whereas the traditional stumbling zombie can be anyone and any shape the vampire is often reserved to slim attractive males or buxom, long haired women. When was the last time you heard of a fat vampire?
A recent fad for vampires is to adopt black leather clothes and greasy hair. They also appear to be well off yet desire secrecy, though a homeless street life would doubtless provide ample cover and food for the discerning vampire.

THE VAMPOID
Sadly under-used cyborg-aided blood suckers.

September? Already?

I'm quite pleased with those last few pictures. Then again, I'm always pleased with new projects before I've had time to get bored of them and gradually start to hate them. Coming soon; Factsperts... essential information on all sorts of things you never knew you needed to know. Basicly, I'll be compiling information from various experts and editing it into a userfriendly glob of trivia.