Can't I procrastinate some other time?

After the jump is a list of things that I did before starting my homework today.

"We've been burgled."

My elation of an afternoon off work, and my excitement of going out for the evening with the lovely Laura, were both sadly truncated by finding out that we’d been burgled.

A power cut at work? Early departure? Jackpot! Well, so I thought. Arriving home at 2pm, I settled into bed to read The Dark Knight Strikes Again. Something that I read recently inspired me to pick it up and to appreciate it again. It really is a daring and exciting book, both with its plot and its style. What bliss!

Pirate Batman - the last word.

The cool picture of Pirate Batman, it seems, might just be concept art, rather than an indication of what's to come. That's according to an interview with Grant Morrison on Comic Book Resources here.

If you look behind the six covers Andy's done – they all join up into one big image – Bruce is mostly wearing sort of conventional period clothes, dictated by the in-story logic. In the first story, Bruce is actually stripped to the waist, as we saw him on the last page of "Final Crisis." All he has is his utility belt. So we don't necessarily get to see him as Bat- Pirate with the flowing beard of dreadlocks and the mask, which genuinely breaks my heart [laughs].

Gifts and curry

Amazon has been my life-line this Christmas. Most of my shopping has been delivered in brown boxes to my desk at work. The last of them, for Pippa, arrived today. It’s an amazingly tacky Dizzee Rascal necklace that’s shaped like a guitar pick (picture after the jump). I wrapped it at my desk, and arranged to meet Pip at her work to exchange gifts.

Pirate Batman - sketch

This is Pirate Batman. Oh yes!

via Pop Culture Zoo

OMG! Pirate Batman!

Some very interesting Batman news, about the Grant Morrison's Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne (expected April 2010):

(news via Examiner.com)

It will chronicle the Caped Crusader's journey through history, and set the stage for his greatest adventures according to Morrison. Some early artwork reveals a pirate version of Batman and a caveman version as well with more to be revealed. Why Bruce feels the need to don various versions of his costume in times when he doesn't exist is also to be revealed.

That's right...

...a pirate version of Batman...

Caveman Batman picture after the jump:

Yes, I shall become a bat.

The journey north felt like a journey deeper into the autumn. Trees near London seemed greener, those nearer Macclesfield more brown. I love this time of year.

The 85 came before the 86, so I slipped into Oddest to touch base with Kate. “I’ve pinned a note to your door,” said Kate, “which says that we’re going to a party. A fancy dress party. Can you find yourself a costume?”

Costume ideas had been floating around my head since the Pemberton Towers party announcement. The theme for that party is Literature, and I’d flirted with the idea of going as a raven, after the Poe poem. Could I do something related?

Yes, I shall become a bat.

I cut wing shapes out of one old black shirt, and sewed them onto the undersides of the arms of another. The bat-shirt will serve me well as the base of my raven shirt –a few feathers and I’m away. With a little help from Dunk, I became a top-hatted, long-eared, wing-tipped, armpit-flapped bat.

We went to Whalley Range with Paulina, to a party where we knew barely a soul. I think I was pissed enough (or short-circuited enough through sleep deprivation and hangovers) to mumble on through various inane conversations before I started to enjoy myself. Little Laura and Roisin were there, and it was nice to talk to Kate Bell too. I met some interesting people, and some very drunk people too.

Kate and I rolled in at about 6am. A heavy night, but a good one.

Down in the tube station at midnight

I avoided a noisy drunk as I wandered through the bus station after college. He had a bunch of flowers and a bad attitude, slumped at a bus stop and swearing. I wriggled inside my duffel coat, kept my head down, and walked on to my stop.

Buses on the hour and half hour meant I was in for a wait. The drunk showed up, and started hassling two young girls waiting for my bus. He eased his way in. To start with, resting his flowers on the empty bench near them, then trying to engage them in conversation, and then increasing his volume until he was almost shouting at them. I caught the eye of one of the girls. "Come here," I mouthed to her silently, "come on."

They stood, came to me. I put my hand on one girls shoulder, and moved them on to one side of me, with the drunk on the other. And he came over, growling at them. I put my body between the girls and the drunk. He growled at me too. I didn't say anything, but I didn't move either. He shouted. I didn't move. He shouted some more. I still didn't move.

Then he went.

"Thank you."

I wondered how Batman would reply, but realised I could never be that cool, so I just smiled.

Dream car

From here, via here.

Costc-OMG!

Excuse the understatement: Costco is a big place. Vast. Easy to lose a hundred pounds in a bulk-buy frenzy. Red wine. Toilet paper. Toothbrushes. Mackerel.

Dunk sent me a picture message. He has the demo for the new Batman game, do I want to come round and see it? Yes, please. I wasn't disappointed: stealth attacks, grappling, detective vision, batarang throwing - it's cool. Excuse the understatement, it's very cool.

Later, we watched The Hurt Locker. No spoilers here. Good film. Watch it, oh loyal army of readers, watch it and enjoy.

The Caped Moosader

Awesome Sunday

My day was three kinds of awesome today.

1. Milner awesome

I met Helen for lunch at Oddest. It’s been such a long time since I last saw her last for a one-to-one – since Easter, and the videos of the chimpanzees hunting; before Steve and Fordbank were evicted from Victoria Ave; before Steve moved in with Chubb and Helen; since before Helen got a job in London – and so much has happened since then with both of us. I talked about my new house, my housemates, the Moss Side move. She talked about London, living with a boy, optimism and change. “I’ve been in Manchester for three years now,” she said. Wow, I thought, it feels like less than that. This time last year we went to Gorton Monastery to see an orchestra. She’ll be fine – she’s a motivated and intelligent young woman, with a lot going for her. I’ll miss her. I’ll stay in touch.

2. Family Awesome

Caroline, Ashleigh and Izzy came up to see me today. I made a roast dinner using yesterday’s allotment vegetables – new potatoes, spring cabbage, spinach, courgettes – a ready-roasted supermarket chicken, and lashings of tasty gravy. Yum! Izzy and I pootled around the garden, when she wasn’t busy trying to eat rocks, and explored the spooky circle. The four of us strolled into Longford Park, and around the petting zoo. We’re off to the Isle of Wight next week. I’m very excited about it.

3. Batman awesome

In a quiet house, all by myself, I read the Dark Knight Returns and The Long Halloween. Bliss!

Remember that I'm still inside, but I'm dry, I'm dry…

My planned evening of peppermint tea and Batman didn't quite work out as I'd planned. Pippa was just back from her holiday, did I want to meet her for a drink? Antibiotics my foot, I thought, yes I do! Even if my drink is going to be alcohol-free! We went to Oddest, and got some food. It was still really busy, even on day two. We had a mexicana combination platter, which was ace. Once Kate finished work, she joined us, and Dunk soon followed. Pip's holiday sounds like it was amazing, especially the water park. As the bar busied up, ZBox and Chubb came in. "We're meeting Steph!" said Chub with a wink. Zbox and Ollie think I should pull Steph - we'd talked about it last week. I wonder if she likes me. The chance arises, and I'm not drinking - bah! Oh well, so it goes. Steph arrived, looking hot.

Shortly Paul, Louise and David showed up. Pippa, can you talk to Louise about Spain? Paul, can you talk to Dunk about Germany? Thanks! Wow, it's easy to introduce people to common conversation topics when you're stone cold sober and they're a little drunk! Is there a career in that? Probably not. In come David III, Amanda and Ruth. I tiptoed down the smalltalk tightrope with Ruth, who I don't know that well - in as much as I was talking to her about appropriate conversation topics for the hairdresser. If I'd overbalanced, it would have been clear that I was putting my smalltalk tips into practice there and then. Luckily, I had my sobriety to act as a balance bar and keep me stable. Phew! A little excursion over to Steph, Chubb and ZBox, a little bit of chit-chat, and then back. Sobriety is exhausting because you get bored much more quickly than if you're drunk. Especially when it comes to talking to drunks.

On my way home, I ran into Sam outside the Marble. She was wearing a red scarf on her shoulders, and was rather drunk. We're going for a beer on Tuesday night. That's payday eve, I thought, but this dry weekend will save me a bomb. As I passed by Fox Plaza, I found myself thinking that I'd had a really good night. And not a drop of booze. Hmmmm. Could I get used to this?

The Long Halloween

I think I just found a new favourite Batman book. Picking up some characters that Year One introduced, Carmine Falcone, Sal Moroni, and bringing in almost all of the supervillans in Gotham at some point, this book is a triumph. Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, I salute you.

My birthday, the daytime

I had cheesecake for breakfast, then headed into town. I figured I'd celebrate my birthday by checking out the Manchester Jewish Museum. It was ace. The building is very modest, and full of beautiful things. I was lucky enough to catch the back end of one school trip from downstairs, and then the front end of another from what used to be the ladies gallery. Working with schoolkids in that kind of setting must be very satisfying.









I was especially moved by an audio account of the Lithuanian pogroms. GO to this museum, if you get the chance.

Spending my Waterstone's vouchers wasn't going to be hard. I had a few things on my list. The Killing Joke, by Alan Moore, The Dark Knight Returns, by Frank Miller, and Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, by Grant Morrison. They had them all in Waterstone's. And guess who served me? Only that girl I had that crush on.

Lunch at Katsouris, yum!