Tom Charman

See my face? No? This is my frustrated face. Not only did I lose two reviews a week ago, but I’ve been unable to get in to put them back. Shockingly, our very first, and probably very last Marilyn Manson review is lost in the ether. Sorry Chris. Its time will come again.

So I’m minus two reviews, we’re about to get to the Doctor Who finale and my dreams of catching up with the schedule have been dashed. I have films I want to talk about. Zodiac. Pirates of the Carribbean. Blades of Glory. I mean, I could just say, here, “Good but slow,” “Ugh but Keira,” and “Funny but a bit tepid.” But I want to waffle.

I can, however, still write blog posts, I think. So here is one.

I’ve been learning about financial stuff at work recently. All sorts of things that I knew nothing about are opening up to me. General ledgers, natural accounts, accruals, commitments, cost codes. I thought I had a handle on GST, but there are things about that I find I had no idea of. I’m somewhat embarrassed that I can actually find reconciling a monthly account interesting. I can’t decide whether my ability to be fascinated by the most apparently dull things is a skill or a curse.

And now, five things that are pissing me off:

1. This iPhone business. I can’t believe those ungrateful whingers in America are daring to complain that the thing has been overhyped. At least you can buy one! Spare a thought for the less fortunate than yourselves. No no no, not starving Africans. More fortunate than that. Closer to yourselves but not quite. Three months behind you in television, no iPhones. That’s us. Selfish buggers. Someone needs their priorities straightened out.

2. Drifters. Those pedestrians who start to gently drift across the pavement just as you’re trying to overtake them on that very side. One day I’ll snap and I shouldn’t be held accountable.

3. My inability to think of a third thing.

4. The stuff I mentioned in the very first paragraph of this post.

5. Point 3 again, but now with a more ‘five’ related theme.

This job thing is interesting. It raises all sorts of questions and issues, and has answered a few as well. The answers are almost all very relieving. It turns out that I had not, in fact, become painfully indolent as I was beginning to fear. I just didn’t have enough work, or enough responsibility.

Not that my responsibilities are particularly lofty now, but there’s something oddly satisfying about having them, regardless. Even getting shouted at for a failure of a system that I’m now responsible for (but wasn’t when the problem occurred) was vaguely enjoyable. I found that quite surprising. I also find that I get great satisfaction from finding better ways to do things, and fixing processes. In normal life, this urge has been manifested in a desire to switch everyone to Firefox, which hasn’t always been popular; but people are far more interested in your meddling when you’re offering to optimise something they’re paid to do every day.

Amongst the downsides to a proper, nine to five job are the trains. In the past, I’ve avoided peak hour, and now I find that peak hour is doing its darndest to avoid me. Cancellations, late trains, full trains, slow trains, trains with sick people on them, trains stopped because of suicidal gymnasts… Give me another month, and I shall be that horrid person writing incessantly to the Mx about how crap everything about our public transport is.

Meanwhile, my disturbing myspace dalliance has been all but supplanted by facebook. Draggable modules. Tagging photos. Interactions with ma.gnolia, last.fm and picnik. It appeals to almost every aspect of my web-nerd psyche. However, occasional reviewer (sob) Andy Cocker still scorns my interest in social websites.

In atypicalreview.com’s future, I see more Who reviews, a late Spider-Man 3 review, a brief rant on Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, and a new writer’s take on the best 10 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. When I find the time.

Oh, goodbye Urinetown. Never again will I throw a briefcase at Emile and shout at him. Never again will I spit in Jackson’s face. Never again will I be Kate’s father. Never again will I share a musical love sting with Rik.

Well, alright, all these are possible but unlikely. Looking at our lovely cast photo the other day, I was struck for the first time with sadness. This may overcome the delight at having an actual evening free to actually do stuff I want to do. But not yet. Soon, I imagine.

The end of the show has coincided with my first full-time job beginning, in the Human Resources department at AMES. Which means that I’m finally starting to repay my HECS debt. This is both nice (less debt) and irritating (less money). But the people are nice and I have my own desk. Ooooh. In fact, I have my own cubicle! Oooooooooh. Now comes the difficult task of interior decoration; I have no pictures of children or nephews so my task is more difficult than most.

Oh, and I’ve started a myspace page. Yes, I’m as ashamed of myself as you are scornful. I’m in the process of trying to pimp it up, atypicalreview style, as it’s somewhat embarassing having a page that looks as gross as a myspace one does by default. I shall then lose interest in the whole business.

Ye gods, I am tired. And behind on reviews. And behind on sleep.

There are traces of glue under my nose. It’s not a good look. The next time I see someone with what appears to be a horrid skin condition caused by excessive nose-blowing, I shall give them the benefit of the doubt and assume it instead to be the residue of a giant moustache.

For I have been running around all evening in a bright red suit with a big italian moustache. And yet; I am not Mario. I know, because I tried to smash some bricks with my head.

The Leonardian Players’ production of Urinetown is on this week. I encourage everyone and anyone to see it. It’s a post-modern, highly silly piece of comedy with a sprinkle of social commentary. And bunnies.

Oh, and I have a new job. At the same old place, but in a different department. I’m now in Human Resources and wondering how long I have to leave it before I steal the “this time it’s personnel” gag.