I'm finding that my dreams lately are tending to mirror the ebb and flow of my challenging (but rewarding) week at work.

The other night I dreamt I was causally walking around a nondescript but local town centre with Madonna, as she looked in the Into The Groove video from back in the day - but even sexier, with denim shorts that barely covered her hips and made her legs look better than I'd ever seen in my life.

We were walking arm in arm down a shopping precinct like teenagers, constantly kissing and clinging to each other, which of course in my dream was a massive ego trip - I had pulled one of the sexiest female icons of the eighties.

As soon as I was "aware" of my extraordinary luck the dream ended.  But it was quite nice while it lasted.

Official hour-long YouTube vid of Geddy's book tour show at Massey Hall - starring Alex Lifeson.

Very annoyingly it's punctuated by minute-long ad-breaks you can't skip past, but the conversation between the two is absolute gold.

I watched all of the ceremony, conveniently having today off.

There were no major surprises, though while Lily Gladstone was favourite to win Best Leading Actress for Killers Of The Flower Moon (which I haven't yet seen), she was pipped at the post by Emma Stone for her remarkable performance in Poor Things.

It was a good night for British talent in major and technical categories and a not so good night for Barbie (a single Oscar for Best Song).

As to the ceremony: well, that was a mixed bag - host Jimmy Kimmel was very hit and miss, with gags ranging from semi-decent to toe-curling, with an early gentle "roast" of Robert Downey Jnr particularly mis-judged and cringeworthy.

However, there were no moments of real controversy and they rattled through the twenty-plus awards with little fuss.

I must see Killers Of The Flower Moon, The Holdovers and Godzilla Minus One, which won Best Special Effects despite a relatively modest budget.

It was all just about worth staying up for.

"Chemtrails" 🤦🏻�♂️

The output from passenger jets is actually getting more benevolent, not less.

Quote from: dom on March 07, 2024, 01:25:39 PMSaltburn.  Quite a disturbing watch with depraved Oliver!  So many turns as it reached its conclusion.   The turns were unexpected to begin with but became more and more predictable as the story wore on.  Beautifully filmed and set and I enjoyed it.

Must watch Promising Young Woman as my daughter raves about it!

Promising Young Woman is superb - it possibly raised my expectations of Saltburn far too high, as I found that very underwhelming.

My best wishes to everyone affected, do hope things get better.

Yes, on the occasions I get a phone call from my mum's care home I always prepare myself for what I might be about to hear; usually of course it's some routine admin matter.

I have had that call where I was told, "You need to get here now", when end of life care procedures were applied and I thought that was it - but that was over two years ago and somehow she's still with us.

"The hypocrisy of the BBC's misinformation war - Marianna Spring is as dogmatic as her trolls"

Criminologist, senior lecturer and writer Simon Cottee - whose astute, insightful articles I've always found well worth reading - is on top form here.

Quote from: The Picnic Wasp on March 03, 2024, 05:55:33 PMOrdered a nice little guitar amp to enjoy on my birthday yesterday. Paid for Saturday delivery, no show, then text to tell me not even arriving today. Now cancelled. Thank you Guitar Guitar and not for the first time. Andertons from now on in. Would always prefer to support a local store but more fool me. I really hope I don't have to prise the refund out of them as I'm not in the mood.

Shame that.  Last Friday I ordered a Gator guitar case from Sheffield-based Richtone Music for a Saturday delivery and it turned up well before lunch time.  They've always been very good for items large and small.

The next time sunset is before 6.00pm is in late October.

Well, that sort of cheesy Eurodance stuff takes me back about 30 years; I was expecting to hear the lady from 2Unlimited pipe up at any time in that.

Quote from: David L on February 28, 2024, 07:30:23 AMPharmaceutical interests or patient safety

https://appgpandemic.org/news/mhra-letter-health-select-committee


All party parliamentary group conclude that the MHRA "continues to put patients at serious risk"

One minute parliamentarians are almost all incompetent or corrupt, the next minute they're the most authoritative voice on medical matters on the planet.

BTW, where are we up to with serious adverse reactions: 0.001%?

Quote from: pxr5 on March 02, 2024, 06:15:07 PMAI is woke:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68364690

I love the Viking pics lol

Indeed; I reckon that "self-awareness" that's been touted as an existential Terminator-esque threat to humanity needs some work.

Village road resurfacing update: work in front of my dive has been completed to my satisfaction. I'll think twice before any NIMBY knee-jerking next time...

Really lovely sunrise this morning - at about 7.10am I was making my way to the train station on the bus; as it descended into Shibden valley the sun was sitting on the horizon, a soft pinky-orange in colour and overlooking the mist at the bottom of the valley.

On the south horizon about 12 miles away as the crow flies, Emley Moor's transmitter (the tallest free-standing structure in the U.K.) looked like a dark apparition set amongst the morning haze.

It all had the quality of an oil painting.

Despite infrequent and inconvenient show times for this seemingly within a 20-mile radius, I managed to catch a late screening at the nearest Showcase Lux, with three other punters.

Whatever awards this receives - and it seems there'll be many - it thoroughly deserves them.

This is a profoundly affecting and disturbing portrayal of the callous nonchalance of which humans can be capable toward those suffering incomprehensible cruelty, set of course during the Holocaust.

The horrors are not portrayed visually, but through sound - and the effect is as devastating as anything you actually see in, say, Schindler's List.

There is only one scene that appears to take place inside the concentration camp, and it is very brief, and visually innocuous - however, what can be heard, from just out of shot, makes it unforgettably harrowing.

Highly recommended - but prepare for an ordeal.

Rating: ****