Another day, another nothing

Big news! I’m considering turning my refrigerator off. Exciting, huh?! The thing is, all that’s in there at the moment are some condiment sauces and half a tub of margarine. I’m sure it’s chewing up a lot of electricity, and my meter credit is now down to £23. It generally equates to about £1 a day, give or take. I’ll probably be okay for another couple of weeks, but I’m sure I’ll start getting anxious about it soon. I’ll have to actually go out to get a credit top-up, but I’m really not keen to go into any shops at the moment. I’m not fused about catching anything, it’s just not knowing how I’m supposed to act when I’m in there is what’s getting me worked up. I just want things back to normal. If I do turn off my fridge, then I won’t be able to store takeaway leftovers (should I order enough for a few days, as usual). Hmmm, is it worth it? Three day old pizza is pretty good eating. I’ll have a think.

Maybe all this will be over by the time my meter dries up and the lights go out. Or I’ll find I can survive on just cold water baths and staring out the window at nothing for entertainment. Sounds fun.

I managed to put an order in a for a few cases of beer earlier today. I was quite surprised I was able to. I don’t know why I was so surprised, as beer is hardly an essential. Well, maybe for some. The cases are from a place I’ve ordered from before (who do mixed bottle gift boxes). I ordered three. I’m wondering whether to drink them once they arrive or wait until my birthday next month. It’s a big round number, so I should celebrate. I guess I could order more cases should these arrive quick enough.

I made a curry yesterday out of tinned vegetables and meat. Very posh. It’s kinda what I do anyway, so it was no big change. I ran out of rice last week though, so I had it with pasta. It actually wasn’t too bad. There’s something in rice that makes me happy though, so running out is very bothersome. I need my fix! Today I stirred in a tin of new potatoes as I heated it up. It was fine. Rice would have been better. Just saying.

I watched a couple of films directed by Karel Reisz and lensed by Freddie Francis this week – The French Lieutenant’s Woman and Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. They’re both films I’ve been meaning to catch for years but, for some reason, have just never gotten around to it. Freddie Francis is my favourite cinematographer, having worked on The Elephant Man, Dune and Cape Fear, so I was keen to check out more of his work. He seems to like creating layers of similar colours, which gives a pastel-quality to his scenes. He was quite a genius.

The French Lieutenant’s Woman is rather an oddity, as it jumps back and forth through time from the Victorian era to modern day, where Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons play actors working on a film version of the Victorian scenes. It’s a rather pointless device, to be honest. I think they did it to fit in the multiple endings that the source material has, but they could have done it a better way. The film Clue did it best, I’d say. Regardless, The French Lieutenant’s Woman is a very moving study of depression, a subject which is close to my heart. Streep’s character is in a very confused state throughout most of the film, and just wants to isolate herself in order to recover. I can relate to this. She emotionally wounds people, but not on purpose. Depression creates so much doubt in one’s mind, and can make the sufferer see the world not for what it really is. Sometimes people around them inadvertently get caught up in that. It’s really nobody’s fault. Just the illnesses.

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning was very interesting. It’s fascinating seeing English life as it was sixty years ago. I think it’s a film that helped kick-off the British new wave, adding grit to motion pictures, rather than the soft fantasy world of films from and before the 1950s. Albert Finney is very compelling as the loutish main character, although his loud line delivery gets a bit irritating after a while. Rachel Roberts gives a very moving performance as the married woman Finney’s character is having an affair with. I nearly teared up myself as she broke down while confiding she was pregnant. I need to check out more British films from this period. Let me know if you have any recommendations!

The rest of that bulk Amazon order I put in hasn’t even been dispatched yet. Apparently they’re prioritising essential items, which is fine. I wonder which will come first – my beer cases or box of DVDs. We shall see.

I’m still doing a lot of solo video gaming at the moment, although I did have a catch-up session with my once-a-week gaming buddy. I’ve been venturing into playing with randoms on certain titles, with mixed results. Still, it’s nice to have some company, even if they never turn their mic on.

I’ve started fantasy house hunting again, which is a nice bit of escapism. I looked for houses around Lyme Regis last night, which is a town on the south coast. It was featured prominently in The French Lieutenant’s Woman and looked rather pleasant. I didn’t find much though. I’m searching for properties under the assumption that I’ll win the lottery next week so, basically, plenty of bedrooms and a big garden are a must! I’m sure I’ll be packing my bags by the end of the week. Just when I’ll be able to actually move is another thing. Your guess is as good as mine.

Well, I must dash. I have a whole lot of nothing to be getting on with. Hopefully I’ll be writing my next post from the bottom of a bottle. Good times.

Do stay in touch, darlings.

Toodles!