Thursday 4 December 2008

TV

No Little Dorrit today, because the BBC decided to show some tosh about Shannon bloody Matthews instead. It'll now be shown for the first time in Sunday's omnibus. Seems odd for such a big primetime drama -- maybe no one's been watching? Don't imagine they'd've done the same to East-bloody-Enders.

Lead Balloon
3x04 Karma

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
22x10 (4/12/08 edition)

Last week I summarised the appalling amount of TV I had to catch up on. How are things one week on? One Sarah Jane Adventures, one Survivors, one Wallander, one Heroes... four Apparitionses and five Heroes Unmaskeds. At least some have improved.

Poetry

Fall of the Rebel Angels: Poems 1996-2006 by Andy Brown
Part II (pages 49-59)

The Trust Territory by Andy Brown
(from Fall of the Rebel Angels: Poems 1996-2006 pages 37-46)
[a few reads now]

Poem of the Day: December

by Helen Hunt Jackson

This week Poem of the Day is celebrating the start of December, with a poem each day somehow related to the month. On Monday and Tuesday we had a pair of English poets, and yesterday was the first in a pair of Americans.

Jackson's December is the final piece in a book of poetry entitled A Calendar of Sonnets, originally published in 1886. I'm sure you can guess the subject of the eleven preceding pieces. If you're interested, you can read the whole book for free at Project Gutenberg.

The lakes of ice gleam bluer than the lakes
Of water 'neath the summer sunshine gleamed:
Far fairer than when placidly it streamed,
The brook its frozen architecture makes,
And under bridges white its swift way takes.
Snow comes and goes as messenger who dreamed
Might linger on the road; or one who deemed
His message hostile gently for their sakes
Who listened might reveal it by degrees.
We gird against the cold of winter wind
Our loins now with mighty bands of sleep,
In longest, darkest nights take rest and ease,
And every shortening day, as shadows creep
O'er the brief noontide, fresh surprises find.

As usual, it concentrates primarily on nature. I suppose it's no surprise that all the poetry found easily online is quite old -- it's a copyright thing, I should imagine -- and therefore obviously not concerned with aspects of modern experience

Tomorrow, we end the week with a December-themed Funny Friday.

Alec Baldwin is very funny

Normally I don't bother watching videos people post on blogs unless they're under a minute. This one's nearly three, but I bothered, and so should you -- it's hilarious.