moratorium!

the grad school business is very unhappy, and since next up is columbia, which isn't due for another 6 days, i'm abandonning work and any reading material meant anyone over the age of twelve for the week... went to chengsan and read ralph s. mouse and fudge and great brain and even got hold of the last hero which i reserved last week. it was terribly disappointing - the excerpts were much funnier. it's probably because i don't like anything with cohen and the horde in, and neither carrot nor vetinari were at all their usual delightful selves. also i don't think i actually like the illustrations - carrot shouldn't look like the governor of california, i do think. i also found that philip pullman - at least, is it the same philip pullman of "his dark materials" fame? su-lin? - has written books for young readers too...i was a rat was very, very good, by the way, and it would be nice if you didn't read the reviews first...

and then my stereo came home, all repaired - so i'm blasting down the walls enthusiastically.

before that i went to see love actually with minyin, who just got back from melbourne last night. don't know what all the critics are complaining about, it was entertaining and sentimental and anyway, look at the cast! colin firth, good! alan rickman, very good! liam neeson, very, very good! hugh grant, could do without. emma thompson, nice, keira knightley, also fine. laura linney, very nice! of course one had to go watch it. so that was that...

oh and before that we went to max brenners for the praline rocher and cheesecake. decadence should be carried to great length....