Get Him to the Greek is sometimes stupid, sometimes shocking but mostly absolutely hilarious. Russell Brand reminds me of a thin Ricky Gervais. Worth a watch, if only for the funny songs.
Get Him to the Greek
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Cosa Nostra
I finished reading Cosa Nostra tonight. Given my affection for mafia-based entertainment (The Sopranos, Scorcese’s films, The Godfather Trilogy etc.) I was very much looking forward to discovering the truth behind it. Although the content of the book was interesting, my enjoyment was marred for the following reasons:
1) I frequently had to look up the meanings of words, most of which don’t occur in everyday language. Every time this happened it disrupted my flow.
2) I had to keep looking up places that were mentioned on Google maps. There are maps at the front of the book but places aren’t easily located or even present on them, as far as I could tell.
3) There are so many people involved that it’s difficult to remember who they all are. Worse still – and this isn’t the author’s fault – everyone seems to be called Giuseppe or Antonino! I had to makes notes on who was who as I went along, otherwise I got utterly confused.
4) It isn’t in strict chronological order. Where stories overlap then it’s fair enough but the author sometimes goes back and forth over the same few years. I can see that this is necessary as there are so many interwined stories – the history of the mafia is complex – but again, I couldn’t make sense of it without making notes.
I have to admit that finishing the book is a relief. I got halfway through without making notes and then had to start again because I was too confused to continue! In summary, this book is a bit too much hard work if you’re after escapism or entertainment. If you want to think and learn then by all means read it, but not without a cup of tea and a notebook.
(4th in 2012)
A mad father
The American meaning of mad. This video made me laugh so much that I cried.
Super Smart Animals
I’ve enjoyed this series so far. I liked this dog in particular:
Also in this episode, during the cooperating elephants feature, there was a song that I recognised. It drove me mad trying to remember what it was. Finally something stirred in my brain: it was something to do with an Apple advertisement. Much later I realised it was from the ipad2 video. Bloody Apple, finding yet another way to drive me mad. Anyway, this is the song:
British identity
Inspired by the Guardian’s interactive article What Does Being British Mean to You? I pondered my own position.
Both my parents’ families are from the same little cluster of villages in Gujarat, India. My parents were among those who emigrated to England in the sixties and seventies. They met through the Gujarati community in England and married. I was born in England and my upbringing and education here has shaped the person I am today far more than my family’s background, in spite of them holding on very strongly on to their culture. I don’t feel Indian; I feel British. My husband is English, we don’t incorporate any Indian traditions into our lives and we work in his parents’ very traditional pub, that most British of institutions. To me, being British means promoting freedom and tolerance.
I’ve never been a victim of overt racism but I feel there is room for improvement. People need to be educated. For example, a few months ago I was talking to an English woman in her fifties. She used, harmlessly she believed, the word ‘Paki’ as a synonym for ‘Indian’. Leaving out the geographical error entirely, I tried to explain to her that she shouldn’t use the word ‘Paki’ because it was derogatory but she clearly didn’t know what derogatory meant. At that point I cut my losses and gave up.
A Serious Man
Paul
I always feel quite maudlin when I have a bad hangover. Paul was the perfect antidote.
Rango
I didn’t know what to expect but I knew it was supposed to be good. The film got off to a slightly slow start which didn’t quite hold my attention but I was drawn in as it went along. I was very impressed at how much was packed into this film: references to other films, thrilling action sequences, awesome villains, comedy (sometimes quite dark), morals, music and philosophy. There is plenty for adults. Not only that but you have to be sharp to catch everything as it is very fast paced after the beginning. One thing that no one can argue with is that the animation is absolutely stunning. I ended up watching it twice in the last couple of days because it’s just so delicious.
Pastels
I don’t care what they say on Woman’s Hour, I’m NOT going to be wearing pastels.
Balthasar’s Odyssey
I bought this book on a whim. It subsequently languished untouched on a bookshelf for years. I finally picked it up about two years ago and read almost to the end. But, for reasons I can’t recall, I abandoned that attempt, even though I remember enjoying it.
This time I read it from start to finish in four days. It’s very good indeed. The language is wonderful and, in contrast to When God Was a Rabbit, a great pleasure to read. It does contain many lesser known and old words so I was constantly looking things up. This did slightly detract from the pleasure, because it disrupted the flow but I was still glad of the opportunity to increase my vocabulary.
The book is set in 1666. ‘Balthasar Embriaco, a Levantine merchant, sets out on an adventure that will take him across the breadth of the civilised world..’ It is written in diary form. This gives the book a very human perspective but plenty of history is included, though not in an overt fashion. For a person such as myself, who knows very little history, it’s a fine way to be educated. There are lessons to be learnt about religion, fear, wars, racism and more which are relevant today. But it’s not all heavy; there are hilarious moments which made me laugh out loud such as when the protagonist scorns numerical values (p76) and when he says ‘I’ve been in business all these years and I still can’t tell a pimp from an outrages father!’ on p82.
Balthasar’s Odyssey is rather unique amongst the books I have read. It is erudite but not inaccessibly so. I would thoroughly recommend it.
(3rd in 2012)