The Simpsons Movie
It was with some trepidation that I saw The Simpsons Movie yesterday. Put simply, The Simpsons means a hell of a lot to me, as one of the defining experiences of the 90s. I grew up with the show, and in its day it was beyond brilliant. So good that Fridays on BBC2 at 6pm (yes, just before Robot Wars or The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air) became a ritual that even my dad enjoyed, and you can measure the amount of TV he watches in nanoseconds.
And, yeah, of course it lost its edge. If you’re geeky, Season 9 to be precise – that’s 1997 in the States. So I stopped watching the episodes, and savoured the memory. But the lure of the yellow family on the big screen is strong, and there’s no way I couldn’t see this movie. So I lowered my expectations and took a deep breath. The result was a film which is not amazingly brilliantly wonderful, but was supremely enjoyable and even brought back some of the serious emotions The Simpsons used to be famous for. There was some great visual gags, many clever lines and still the ‘wow’ sense of seeing the show in the cinema, surrounded by so many other people laughing with you. There was even a queue to get in: a nice reminder of the 90s when everyone loved The Simpsons, aside from the Bush family, naturally.
So, go see it! It put a new shine on your favourite memories from the past, and you even get to hear Maggie speak. Can’t say fairer than that, eh?
Incidentally, if you want to laugh until your throat is sore and your stomach feels weak, go see The Complete Works Of William Shakespeare (Abridged). Been around for ages, and when I saw it on Saturday I could see why. In fact, I’m going again! All hail the mighty Shakespeare, and the still-mighty Simpsons!
Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, thank you one and all for once again joining me on an exciting post of the blog. Please familiarise yourself with the safety procedures: a spoiler warning will appear later for those wishing to avoid plot details for the seventh and final Harry Potter book. Thank you.
Well well, this week has been slightly exhausting! Working on the Queens Park \ UCL summer school is tiring mostly because schoolchildren are biologically incapable of keeping together when walking in public. Even my voice is sore, which I blame on shouting so much – not to discipline – but just to make sure that those boys at the back don’t get hit by an incoming truck because they were so distracted by miming kicks at the sleeping homeless man outside Euston station and his dog. Poor sleeping homeless man. Though I reserve no such sympathy for his dog 
as those who know me best will appreciate, hehe.
Harry Potter
Anyway, it was good, and I think the kids got a lot out of it. For the first two days I was desperately avoiding accidentally overhearing any discussion of the plot of Harry Potter, which I was successfully able to do! Finished it on Tuesday night, and henceforth follows my thoughts…
Warning! The time has come… do not read on if you haven’t finished it yet.
Continue Reading
First of all, a big welcome to the summer holidays to everyone ending term today! Whether you’re jetting off to far-away places or sheltering from the freak British weather here at home, enjoy yourself. This even applies if you’re going to Cornwall
Secondly, it is of course less than an hour until the release of the final instalment of Harry Potter. Sorry, what’s that, a comment about my age? I’ve been with this saga since the beginning, spoilsport, so bugger off. Under normal circumstances the release would cause me to disappear for the weekend to read it, but Lucy is coming over, and sitting in opposite corners of a read immersed in a book would be rather antisocial. Therefore, my reading will probably start on Tuesday. But – and this is a big but – I’m working on the QPCS summer school that week!
If the chatty Year 6s and 7s manage to avoid totally ruining the novel for me, therefore, I won’t be online for a bit. Why bother when Harry Potter is waiting? So, ur, if you need to contact me try casting a spell or something.
Until Voldemort is sorted out, goodbye!
Just back from visiting Chesham, for the sole reason that I’ve always been curious about what lay at the very edge of London’s transport network. In fact, Chesham is the furthest station from Central London at the very end of the Metropolitan line.
So, um, what is Chesham?
… not home to the most congested route
… not very ‘Underground’ either
… a small town with a tube station plonked in it
… a bit behind the times
… a high street and some shops
Ah, tube geekery. Rivals Nic’s buses any day… 
A quick post – it’s been too long – to announce some things. In a breathless, overly-enthusiastic style! Yeah!
This holiday, I’m going to Wales, Brighton and Russia! Huzzah! I wonder where I get my penchant for holidays from, mother?
Tasha has just finished two weeks of work experience at a solicitors, and sounds like she’s had a great time – popping in and out of court, taking notes on dangerous criminals, etc etc. She’s also actually dressed properly for her placement in a nice shirt and everything, which I’m not sure I quite bothered to do Well done!
Katie got a merit on her clarinet exam! Hooray! Congratulations! 
And I am about to get a haircut! A divisive act, apparently, since I always get a severe telling-off from some people for not maintaining hippie hair whilst others seem genuinely relieved and delighted that I can see them again, and don’t keep bumping into walls. Cheerio!
(You should always beware of people who over-use exclamation marks. They are often struggling to maintain a failing front under the weight of great repression and deep seated anger. Beware, I say!)
Linda Moffitt on Colombia: “Such a sweet memory of the four of you meeting up in Colombia!” Dec 2, 07:42
