well an exciting day!

[erastes]

We has DUST. Sadly not the Dust that denotes that we are all covered in original sin (or the opposite, I never really understood that, to be honest) but volcano dust and I am sure you all already know about it.

This is England and this Affects the Weather and grinds the country to a halt, so despite the fact that TV history is going to be made this evening with the first ever “prime ministerial debate” between the three main parties (Whigs, Tories and BlackAdder party I think) all the news has been about THE BIG DUST CLOUD OF DOOM and British Airspace being shut down for the first time evah.

Woot! Though… Big Cloud of Doom!  Very exciting.  Perhaps this will presage another Year Without A Summer – although being England, how would we tell?

People around Heathrow have been running into the garden to listen to the skylarks.  (although I have to say wtf did they want to live there in the first place…)

I watched the first episode of Spartacus: Blood and Sand yesterday and I’m sorry. It’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen, so far. 

1. First of all, how is everyone talking to each other? I'm pretty sure that Thracians (being eastern Bulgaria, Eastern Turkey and a bit of Greece) didn't speak either Latin or Gaulish.

2. How is it that “Spartacus” has all yukky matted greasy stringy hair and looks like Tarzan after a bad hippo day, and Mrs Spartacus has more slap on than Maid Marian and the most perfect coiffure EVER?

3. I couldn’t watch the blood. It’s a damned shame because I wanted to watch the balletic 300/Matrix stylee fights but the blood was TOO much. 

4. Surely someone must have compared the first Gladiator fight to this:

I mean – he CUT BOTH HIS LEGS OFF - (with a Roman Sword?  I doubt it very much) and he’s crawling towards his sword, and both legs are amazingly not bleeding.  I shall continue to watch it, because I love hot Australians in Rome – and hey – full frontal male nudity and gay gladiators are not to be sniffed at… (probably the wrong analogy) but still – SO FUNNY!  Please tell me it gets better?  Or worse… worse would be good too.

Comments

[gehayi.livejournal.com]

If it hadn't been for Miss Cam, I wouldn't have known you lot were bathed in volcanic dust, BTW.

"Spartacus" sounds spectacularly mad!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Miss Cam?

[gehayi.livejournal.com]

misscam, also known as Camilla Sandman, who talked about the volcanic ash here.

[alex-beecroft.livejournal.com]

I presume this is not the Spartacus with Kirk Douglas and that "I'm Brian!" scene at the end?

Also, dust = not having to worry any more about global warming?

[erastes.livejournal.com]

NO! It's a new mini series (new ish, started in january i think) - there are gay gladdies, which i'm looking forward to. And really!!! when was there full frontal nudity in Kirk's film. Sadly....

[beckyblack]

I know I laugh - laugh I tells ya - at 1816 now. Year without a summer? Just one? We've had three in a row now haven't we?

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Damn all those volcanos!!!

[beckyblack]

If all this disruption goes on for a few more days then the best way for one of the parties to win the general election will be to promise to declare war on Iceland. They already ticked us off over that money they owe us for the whole bank thingy, now they're dumping volcanic ash on us and stopping us going on holiday and getting exotic fruit. Send in the Paras!

[tiggothy.livejournal.com]

First thing I thought of when I heard about the dust on the radio this morning was "Oooh, I wonder if it will settle at all? And had this happened before? What would it be like if it happened before modern communication methods? i.e. people just woke up one morning, maybe, for example, in the 18th or early 19th century, and there was DUST everywhere? Or what about if it was earlier than that (as in previous centuries, not earlier than first thing in the morning)? Would people even realise it was a completely natural phenomenom, or would they think it was something like a judgement from God(s)? What would they do? And how would it all end?"
and then I thought "Shit, girl, keep your brain engaged, dammit, you're DRIVING a CAR and there are BENDS!"

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Hee hee!

You had DUST BUNNIES!!

[crawling-angel.livejournal.com]

We can haz no dust and we is more northerly than you ... why? LOL

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Well we don't ACTUALLY have physical dust that I can see, just in the air. Americans didn't even KNOW ...

[crawling-angel.livejournal.com]

Today we do have dust on the car. It's just as well we didn't go through the washer thingamy yesterday.

[aunty_marion]

Haven't noticed any dust here. *sob* Mind you, I was too busy watching The Museum of Life to look and see if we'd got a spectacular sunset à la Turner. I'll go out tomorrow morning to see if the car is covered in it.

I remember one morning at school while we were in assembly and the sky went DARK RED, we had to have the lights on to see, and when it cleared everything was covered in a thin layer of fine orange-red sand. Turned out (heard it on the news in the evening) that it was a sandstorm blown over from the Sahara!

What's a 'summer'?

[erastes.livejournal.com]

No, no actual dust here either, I just meant in general. There would have been a nice sunset too, if we'd had any sun.

[sithdreams.livejournal.com]

I thought the first episode or two of Spartacus were ridiculous. I'm not quite sure why I kept watching, but by the fourth episode I was completely hooked.

Yes, gay gladiators, and not shy about it either. Lots of penis in general, actually.

I don't want to spoil anything for you, but Spartacus does lose the hair. I was put off by it myself.

The language barrier is never resolved (but if they'd been accurate on that account, there wouldn't be much of a show), and the gore level stays high throughout, but neither of those bothered me personally.

Tomorrow is the season finale here in the states. I'm sad. Season 2 has been picked up, but production is on hold due to Andy Whitfield's health (he was diagnosed with a treatable form of non-hodgkins Lymphoma last month).

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Yes, I've got to the cut hair bit, he looks a bit too modern now, but I suppose short hair is more suitable for people trying to kill you. The thing is that fights to the death were actually very rare - people make such a big deal of it though - it's like fanon - or like every single person who comes to London during Shakespeare's time having met him. In books, anyway!

[rwday.livejournal.com]

I've only seen a couple of episodes of Spartacus because TV is really not on my agenda just now, but it seemed okay as long as you don't take it too seriously. Naked men go a long way towards making up for any lack of historical accuracy, IMO.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I agree!

[owldark.livejournal.com]

OMG DOOM DUST. And I am supposed to be flying to Australia on Sunday. I AM FREAKING OUT.

Putting that aside, your Spartacus points are hilarious. I saw two eps and OMG, funniest shit ever. Really. I couldn't really keep watching it... too awful... but maybe it does improve?

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Hmm. keep an eye on the travel plans I say. Take a boat.

I shall keep you informed re Sparklycuss.

[owldark.livejournal.com]

I kinda wish taking a boat was still an option. I like the idea of slowly putting southward, catching some sunshine, pervy on hot men in 1920s style outfits. Perhaps smoking a cigar. And never getting out of my fabulous silk dressing gown. And my hair would be in perfect curls, always.

D'think the travel authorities can arrange that for me?

Please do continue updates on Sparklycuss! (Hee).

[angelabenedetti.livejournal.com]

I haven't been watching Spartacus, so I can't help you. TV hasn't done a great job with historical series in the past -- a few carefully produced miniseries excepted -- and Spartacus in particular sounded like it was going to be pretty silly, so I just sort of shrugged and went about my business.

(Whigs, Tories and BlackAdder party I think)

Okay, gotta ask -- is this some kind of in joke, or do you really h ave a BlackAdder party over there? 'Cause if you do, it makes me want to pack up and become a British citizen just so I could vote for them. :D

Angie

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Er.. yes.

We don't have Whigs anymore either.

:)