Chapter 6: mopish morning, halation wiper
Standing in the middle of the shallow stream, wearing dark green waders and casting out his line, the Fisherman eyes me with a strange mixture of tired disdain and fatherly familiarity. “You should...
View ArticleChapter 7: winds with hands
The following week passed without incident. That is, without incident apart from the delivery of the music album I’d managed to win at auction and the quiet satisfaction I enjoyed in her attempts to...
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Home guitar build: Fender Mustang, part 1 (body, neck and hardware)
I wanted an interesting – but not too technically challenging – guitar project to give me an alternative to my trusty Jazzmaster when recording guitar overdubs. I liked the idea of a shortscale and...
View ArticleChapter 8: await rescue
I often wondered whether Mrs K genuinely had a cause for celebration whenever she invited her two children out for dinner or whether it formed some convenient excuse just to eat out and be a little...
View ArticleGoing postal: Royal Mail, Parcelforce and customs charging
Many of us shop online, and quite often the stuff comes from abroad and incurs certain customs charges. I don’t mean things like alcohol and tobacco: I mean ordinary consumer goods like DVDs, music CDs...
View ArticleUpdate: correspondances with Parcelforce
Since this particular case is now cut and dried, I figured there’s no harm in reproducing my complaint to PF and the reply I received. The ‘incoming links’ to my previous post made for depressing...
View ArticleShort story: The Unseen Harbour, part 1
I’m a regular commuter. You will find me on the 0712 from Low Central station or the 1836 back from Avalon Street East, on the second Cross Line that runs between the north-east and south-west reaches....
View ArticleShort story: The Unseen Harbour, part 2
It wasn’t until I had to attend a conference on ‘cinematic wireless’ several weeks later that I found myself on the early morning streamliner from Low Central. There had been a great deal of...
View ArticleNew track upload for December 2012: production notes
I recorded a new track as a sort-of christmas present to the internet. It seemed like an appropriate gesture, even if the end result was less than a hundred per cent satisfactory. It’s another...
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My RPM Challenge 2013 submission
How time flies. It’s been ages since I updated this place; one reason being, I’ve been hellishly busy during the last few weeks. I was on holiday for most of January, and for the whole of February I...
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Nadia, the Secret of Blue Water
Here’s a simple piece of advice for when the enthusiasm for one of your hobbies or interests starts to wane: seek out something that represents why you were a fan in the first place. The time I could...
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Kara no Kyoukai revisited, part 2: "undisclosed desires"
The second chapter of KnK may seem like one of the weaker sections since it’s so heavy on exposition and concepts that don’t gain much from the transition from print to screen; even in novel form it...
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My thoughts on Kalafina’s new album, ‘Consolation’
I realised I never said anything on here about Kalafina’s 2011 LP After Eden, despite going into the official shop in Shibuya and picking up a copy on release day. It’s a really nice record with some...
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Kara no Kyoukai revisited, part 3: "comfortably numb"
Although I was intrigued by the first two Kara no Kyoukai movie outings I wasn’t totally sold until I’d seen the third one. The brutal and shocking opening scene made me sit up and take notice, but the...
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Why Boris are relevant to my interests, and yours
If you are interested in ‘alternative’ Japanese contemporary music (as in, stuff that isn’t in the charts or a tie-in to an anime show) you may have heard of Boris. I heard their songs for the first...
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Aku no Hana, lily of the Uncanny Valley
Now that the initial controversy has subsided I finally feel able to form and voice an opinion on Aku no Hana. The art style didn’t put me off, surprisingly. I actually had reservations about whether...
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Kara no Kyoukai revisited, part 4: "The Hollow"
It’s interesting that, considering the numerous minor criticisms of the individual parts, I still cite Kara no Kyoukai as something special. There’s not the action and gore of earlier chapters, but I...
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An update for regular visitors and old friends
First, an introduction. I’m Martin and this is my blog. I thought I should point that out since, until now, I’ve had more than one. Back in the mid 2000s I had an anime blog called The End of the...
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I’m here to kick ass and eat potatoes. And I’m all out of potatoes
Out of all the reasons for watching something, this took some beating. I’m usually drawn in by the director, soundtrack composer or – shock, horror – other people’s opinions, but for Shingeki no Kyojin...
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