spanglegluppet dot com

Okay, here's what you do. You pick a random episode of Firefly, and take a drink when any of the following occur:

- Mal bursts into a room with a snarky comment.
- River says something unintelligible and weird.
- Frustrating sexual tension between Kaylee and Simon.
- Bar brawl.
- Random, butchered Chinese.
- Wash plays with dinosaurs.
- An otherwise fearless Jayne nearly pisses his pants at the mention of Reavers.
- Wash flicks those three switches at the top of the console, which we all know do absolutely nothing.
- Someone gets shot.
- Absolutely unbearable sexual tension between Mal and Inara.
- Book shows knowledge or skills not generally encountered in preachers. Ie, knee capping.

If you think of any more, let me know.

Don't get me wrong. I adore this show.

Tim

(EDIT: adding a few more, thanks to a few people's suggestions)

Interested in words, literacy, and all that jazz? Then I think you should check out this list of links and tools for word lovers. Certainly some awesome stuff in there.

Also, thewordoftheday! Yeah, I know. Shameless plug. But I'm actually really surprised at the popularity it's received (3,255 followers as I post this, and more RTs than you can count)

See you around,

Tim

There's a few upcoming events that I want to talk to people in general about, so I thought it deserved a blog entry. Although this is really one of those entries that is really only posted so it will also appear as a Facebook note.

Right. First of all, I've booked my ticket for the Soundwave festival next year, which will be held in Melbourne on February 26, 2010. (and a bunch of other places around the country) I know of a few people who are going, but really want to get around to booking flights, accommodation (remember when you always struggled with how to spell the word "accommodation"? I've suddenly forgotten how to) and other rather essential things, so if anyone is considering going to the Melbourne show (presumably flying over on the Saturday (the show starts at 11am, so there's plenty of time) and flying back Sunday, probably after a day in Melbourne), and can put up with me and my friends, let me know?

Another thing. I'm currently involved with Exit Left's brilliant production of High School Musical. I have a tiny part (marching band), but it's fun nonetheless. I highly encourage everyone to see it (although tickets are expensive), as it's a fantastic show, even if you don't think it's your thing. It's got some of Tassie's best actors and I doubt you'll be disappointed. From when I post this (Friday night), there are three more shows - Saturday at 1pm, Saturday at 7pm, and Sunday at 2am.

Last thing - my band (Sploosh - please ignore the awful quality of songs on that page if you choose to listen to them) are playing a gig as part of Edge Radio's Medicine Show on Saturday the 26th of September. Come along if you've got nothing better to do!

That's all from me. Send me a message/email/text if you're considering coming along to any of these three events.

Tim

I strangely enjoyed writing the last one. So I thought I'd do another review of a film that I just watched.

Requiem for a Dream (2000)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0180093/

Director: Darren Aronofosky
Writer: Hubert Selby Jr, Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly

This tale of several lives ruined by drugs is certainly a depressing one. Burstyn delivers a great performance as Sara Goldfarb, a lonely elderly lady who is reduced to insanity by diet pills, and Leto and Connelly have wonderful chemistry together as Harry (Sara's son) and Marion, a young couple who both slowly fall apart due to drugs. The theme of this movie was obviously the trouble that drugs can cause, but I felt at times it was a little too obvious, and was drilled into the audience's minds with sledgehammer subtlety. There are some subthemes, but they were all overshadowed by the main theme, which is addiction (to drugs, television, sex, etc). Possibly this is a strong enough theme to carry the entire film, but at times the film felt a little empty without anything else to support it.

The direction was fantastic, with several recurring motifs such as fast cuts between different scenes, sharp montages whenever a drug-taking scene occured, repetition of scenes, and hallucinations. These all worked tremendously well, however, like with the plot, it seemed that there were points where these effects were overdone. In my opinion, Requiem would have benefited from a lot more subtlety. The film was also incredibly depressing, although of course there's nothing wrong with that as long as it was the writers' and director's intent.

Acting: 8
Direction: 8
Writing: 6
Effects: 7

Total: 7.3/10

I spontaneously wrote this as a forum post, and thought I'd repost it here.

My good friend Rob (@halfscottishguy) and I decided to have an MSN limerick battle, semi-inspired by this xkcdb quote. It's nowhere near as witty, of course, but I still thought that it was worth posting.

(19:12:25) Rob Cameron: the limerick fight there is so pwn
(19:12:30) Rob Cameron: i'd like to have one of my own
(19:12:34) Rob Cameron: but if it's you who I fight
(19:12:40) Rob Cameron: you will not beat my might
(19:12:54) Rob Cameron: you will not kick me from my thrown

(19:17:55) Tim: a limerick battle? well, we can see
(19:17:59) Tim: it worked for the guys at #xkcd
(19:18:02) Tim: sure, you've got wit
(19:18:06) Tim: and your lines seem to fit
(19:18:13) Tim: but you've never battled the likes of me

(19:18:37) Rob Cameron: I realise I now must confess
(19:18:42) Rob Cameron: my past spelling was not at its best
(19:18:48) Rob Cameron: It is personally known
(19:18:54) Rob Cameron: I misspelt the word throne
(19:19:20) Rob Cameron: but at least my limericks have zest!

(19:30:44) Tim: i admit i saw your little mistake
(19:30:49) Tim: no one would make such an error while awake
(19:30:51) Tim: but it's easy to tell
(19:30:54) Tim: you've gotta learn to spell
(19:30:57) Tim: if in a limerick fight you partake

(19:31:23) Rob Cameron: you try oh so hard little tim
(19:31:30) Rob Cameron: but I'm sure your rhymes soon will run thin
(19:31:36) Rob Cameron: I shall toss you aside
(19:31:41) Rob Cameron: kick you out on your hide
(19:31:46) Rob Cameron: and I shall remain limerick king

(19:35:35) Tim: poor rob tries to write limericks in vain
(19:35:39) Tim: the effort drives the poor man insane
(19:35:42) Tim: for as he types with glee
(19:35:45) Tim: he just fails to see
(19:35:50) Tim: that limericks remain tim's domain

(19:45:15) Rob Cameron: Is this is really the best you can do?
(19:45:21) Rob Cameron: then this battle soon will be through
(19:45:25) Rob Cameron: you won't beat my bite
(19:45:30) Rob Cameron: so give up on this fight
(19:45:37) Rob Cameron: and leave me the rhymes left to do

(19:45:56) Rob Cameron: if you wish to be limerick king
(19:46:01) Rob Cameron: you must follow the rules of my kin
(19:46:06) Rob Cameron: through your attempts do amuse
(19:46:14) Rob Cameron: too many syllables are used
(19:46:19) Rob Cameron: and we cannot allow such a thing

(19:46:51) Tim: i admit that i'd started to dread
(19:46:56) Tim: that you'd abandoned our fight and fled
(19:46:58) Tim: but then, in a tick
(19:47:04) Tim: you replied - "that was quick!"
(19:47:08) Tim: but the last line is sadly what she said

(19:49:58) Rob Cameron: What she says to YOU my dear friend
(19:50:02) Rob Cameron: when your escapades quickly do end
(19:50:06) Rob Cameron: you leave women disappointed
(19:50:11) Rob Cameron: while I leave them exhausted
(19:50:20) Rob Cameron: and to the doctors it's them I do send

(19:53:28) Tim: you seem to have got it quite wrong
(19:53:32) Tim: you'll find that i last for quite long
(19:53:35) Tim: my prowess in bed
(19:53:38) Tim: DESPITE what she said
(19:53:45) Tim: has women queuing all day long

(20:01:52) Rob Cameron: for now may we call this a draw
for dinner, I'm being called for
we can continue this later
so don't get all hater
or I will rhyme you to the floor

(20:02:17) Tim: your departure seems to be a sign
(20:02:21) Tim: of your secret desire to resign
(20:02:24) Tim: just as you've shivered
(20:02:27) Tim: from a reply i've delivered,
(20:02:32) Tim: "rob cameron is [sadly] offline"

Tim

I noticed this paragraph as an answer for a Facebook quiz entitled "Which Teenage Stereotype Do You Fill?":

Having grown up with some of the most lax and intelligent parents, the Introspective Musical Word Lover has liked everything cool... before you did. You liked Neutral Milk Hotel before ITAOTS, you know where to put the exclamation point in Godspeed You! Black Emperor, you call The Smiths Morrissey, you have a band under every letter in your Ipod Touch, and you've even listened to Radiohead's Pablo Honey album. Your recent favorite authors include Chuck Palahniuk, David Sedaris, Isaac Asimov, and you just love talking about how good Ender's Game is. You would prefer just to stay home and sip on your Earl Grey while reading Perks Of Being A Wallflower for the third time and listening to Animal Collective's Hollinndagain album than to hang out with your so called friends. Oh how disappointed you are that Hagrid has never taken you to Hogwarts on any of your birthdays!.

And here was me thinking that I was a unique snowflake.

It seems that this style of individuality has become just as much a stereotype as anything else. But goddammit, it's a stereotype that I'm proud to (partially) belong to. (at this moment, I am, in fact, reading Chuck Palahniuk and listening to Animal Collective)

So if anyone asks about what sort of person I am, just say that I'm an introspective musical word lover. I'll take it as a compliment.

Tim