confessions of a southside catatonic chataholic

I apologise in advance, this was meant to be my infodoodads 'Top 13' post but I wanted to get this down while it was all in my head (as opposed to being where else I'm not sure). And anyway, I'm sure by now you all know I'm terrible at sticking to the plan! Also, this is a long post - so naff off if you want. You have been warned :-)


iTunes - Have recently started using iTunes again - mostly to purchase NZ music. In particular, Devolo's stuff from his solo album. Devolo is a local artist who is a part of Deceptikonz, and is signed to Dawn Raid Entertainment. He also went to school with my brothers/sisters. I am always very supportive of local music and really like 'Feels like magic' - which you can find on his MySpace profile, or in iTunes. Devolo celebrated the launch of his long awaited solo album 'Heaven n Hell' at Manurewa's Club 220 last week. YAY DEVOLO! (Photo from Devolo's MySpace page - where you can also check out his music).

Just this weekend I also used iTunes to rent movies. Yeah, apparently while my back was turned Apple offered customers the ability to buy or rent movies via iTunes. How come I didn't notice until now?? Makes me realise how long since I last used my iPod. So, to take it for a test spin, I rented 'Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie' for the 4 yr old nephew. Simple enough process: choose what you want, enter your credit (or debit) card details and then it downloads to your iTunes. If I had one issue with it, and it took the 4 yr old nephew to point it out - loudly and at full volume, I might add - it was that every 5 seconds or so it would freeze slightly. Like it was buffering. Almost unnoticeable, I thought, until the 4 yr old got disgusted and stomped off. When I checked the laptop screen, it appeared that the movie image had frozen and the sound was still going. It did this more than once. Would I do it again?
Unsure. Might try buying one next, see what that experience is like. Before now I had ripped dvds I own to my pc, converted them and then shoved them on to my iPod.


Guitar Hero on Nintendo DS - Gosh - my purchase this week is Guitar Hero for Nintendo DS. Almost caved in and bought the new Guitar Hero console with the game but decided not to be daft and merely purchased the game instead *sigh* Being a responsible adult is overrated! Stuck with buying the cartridge 'cause already have a console. Markie opened it today and I gave him oohh a good 2 mins before I conned a turn out of him - and promptly kept it to myself for the next half hour (much to his disgust). My opinion isn't worth the screen it's written on, but I have one thing to say: RSI. Probably not meant to stay on it as long as I did in one go but it's a game, so kids ARE going to stay on it for ages. I guess it won't hurt if I play the protective aunt (remember, I have his best interests at heart) and nick it off him every 10 mins or so. For safety reasons, of course . . . (Image taken from Wired Blogs : Gadget Lab).

Jaxin was given half of his present today (his birthday is a whole week away - they say patience is a virtue but you can't prove that by me) and he and I were jammin' on the PS2 playing Guitar Hero. He's absolutely stoked to have his own, and now he'll stop giving me those poor oprhan looks that he gives me when he tells me he HAS to play it online - and in Portuguese no less - because that's all there is. Boo hoo! What he doesn't know is that the other half of his present is still hidden away - it's the Guitar Hero : Aerosmith Bundle which includes: 'Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Wireless Guitar Hero III Guitar, exclusive Aerosmith faceplate, Aerosmith guitar sticker sheet, and Aerosmith Road Book with behind the scenes pictures and stories of their years on the road.' You can read all about it here. (Image taken from Video Games Blogger).

Persusasion - I have spent this last week watching, and re-watching, 'Persuasion'. In particular, the 2007 version with Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones. I enjoyed it a lot, probably because although the storyline never changes (obviously, hello, it's Jane Austen!) director visions do. It also never fails to make me snicker when I see Miss Anne Elliot running pell-mell around Bath, knocking into her intended, and gasping out that she accepts his proposal. Quelle horreur mais c'est tres amusant! A colleague and I have an ongoing discussion: she thinks Captain Wentworth is too good looking and I say nonsense, no such thing! I'm undecided on the running around Bath scene, and she's quite definite it's a no-go. I thought Anthony Head's performance as Sir Walter Elliot was great, but then I've always enjoyed his work from as far back as 'Howard's Way' to as recently as 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and 'Little Britain'. But I will always have a soft spot for Ciaran Hinds and Amanda Root's performances in the 1995 version. (Images for the 2007 and 1995 versions both taken from Amazon).

Smart Bitches, Trashy Books - I like this site, and have done since I came across them quite by accident while doing my Bloglines exercise. Their header did it for me 'Smart Bitches, Trashy Books : All of the romance, none of the bullshit'. I subscribe to their updates and one that has had me in stitches recently is their 'Smart bitch contest: What's he looking at?' It features a cover of a romance novel (click on the 'More, more, more!' link and the picture then displays) with a man in a towel looking down at . . . well, who knows what, really. And that's the point of the contest! Readers are then invited to write in with what they think he's looking at, and saying. Needless to say, the results are hilarious! In reading them I have laughed, blushed, chortled, blushed, snickered, blushed, choked, blushed and just outright had a good time. You might, too, so pop along and find out (although not if you blush too easily).

Technorati Tags: Devolo, iTunes, GuitarHero