The votes are in and ignored, the decision is final. Grapefruit(s) no longer, this website is now:

atypicalreview.com

An appropriate new design should eventuate within a week or two. Yes, I know that the site still says grapefruit in places but those little mentions should all be weeded out within a day or two (The main heading on every page counts as a “little mention” for those playing at home).

On an unrelated but important note, could someone get rid of that bald guy on Letterman? He’s not just garden-variety unfunny, he even tries to cut in and make noise when he’s not onscreen. I’m less inclined to laugh at Letterman himself when that nong is giggling loudly in an attempt to get his voice on TV a bit longer.

GNAH!! Stupid importing. The price of the DS lite was originally supposed to be $230. I have no problems paying that. It turns out that everyone wanted one, so the price was increased to $280. Australian customs taxes any imports worth more than $250. The tax for importing $280 worth of electronics is $95. The shipping cost is $30. I would have to pay $405 for my DS lite. I’ve seen PSPs for less. GNAH!!

Thought on Grapefruit’s new name continues apace, for the primary reason that if I’m to have any overlap at all where both urls work, it had better start soon. And I am glad to be able to tell you that we have made progress. The first world in the new name is almost certainly “atypical”. It’s an attractive word partly because it’s rarely used but mostly because it comes with a built-in double entendre.

Now, on to word number two.

• “atypicalreview” — very nice, very relevant, maybe just a shade dull? But probably the frontrunner.
• “atypicalworld” — a bit more abstract, but unfortunately there have been a lot of websites that end in “world” and I’m reluctant to join their ranks.
• “atypicaltime” — more abstract, maybe a bit awkward though.
• “atypicalx” — x’s are cool. Ahem.
• “atypicalshoe” — or any other random short word. If there was something that fitted in and sounded quite funny, it wouldn’t strictly have to be relevant.

Hopefully we’ll have decided on something by the end of the week. If people want to suggest things they’re only too welcome. Watch out for ‘conflated word syndrome’. I only just realised today that this Radiohead website isn’t A Tease Web, it’s At Ease Web.

The title for this entry should be read in a Strong Bad kind of voice.

So, City of Angels is finally over. I shall miss it a lot. It’s been absolutely fantastic, and I can only imagine that the number of white suits I get to wear in future will dive dramatically.

It also fuelled my new interest in noir, alongside modern re-interpretations like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Veronica Mars. Here’s hoping Doctor Who (April 15, by the way) does a noir episode some day.

You should see a lot more content here soon — now that I can’t avoid my lack of job-finding through musicals, Grapefruit will have to take the brunt of it.

Now, the extra-letter-police (also known as Andy and occasionally as Captain Sardonica) can lay off. What a thrilling ceremony. It was at least mercifully short. A quick checklist:

• Number of tickets I had to secrete beneath a nearby wheelie bin so that my folks could pick them up when they arrived late: 2.
• Number of mentions of Joss Whedon: 1.
• Number of bizarrely coincidental seatings next to cute ex-St Leonards students: 1. Oh, that Katharine Sarah Rachel Blaze.
• Number of mentions of Bob Dylan: 1.
• Number of people who slipped over on the way out because they stood on the long trails of my bag straps: 0. But it was close. I didn’t realise why everyone was standing back from me till I got to the end. It may of course have been my breath too.
• Number of people who adjusted my academic robes: 4. You’ve got to look your best.
• Number of DVDs of the night purchased afterwards: 0. I might have considered it if there was a Deputy Chancellor’s Commentary.

It’s been two weeks since I ordered you,
Dropped my arms to the keyboard
and said “Buy Now”
Five days since I laughed at you and said
“I’m gonna quit my job and just play you”
Three days since your release date
When you said to me that you would be shipping,
How long will I wait?
Tomorrow you might smile at me
But it’ll still be two days for international delivery.

The musical, City of Angels, is going brilliantly. Well, pretty good. We’re a little less than two weeks out and everything feels like it’s coming together. Good cast, good atmosphere, and most importantly quite a few of us seem talented too. Especially the orchestra who played with us for the first time last night. Last musical, we didn’t have drums — the difference is painfully obvious.

All this rehearsal is really cutting into my gaming and Battlestar-watching time. I’m only about 30% through Fahrenheit, and my insistence on only playing it at night is causing a slow progression. It’s worth it though — the game is more an interactive movie, and quite moody. Nothing cuts through the atmosphere quite like your mother asking you to do the dishes, and the spookier scenes are enhanced greatly by the slight paranoia that creeps into one’s head when you’re sitting in a dark room with huge windows by yourself at midnight.

It’d be a game worth trying the Alexia treatment with, but I’d feel so derivative. Should I, Andy?

The last Battlestar I watched was Black Market, which I felt was perhaps the most poor episode ever. Obviously, I’ve been spoiled, but having a poorer episode lingering in my mind is eroding my adoration for the show. I’m reliably informed we’re back to awesomeness again very soon. Given that only one episode earlier, it was tremendously awesome, it’s not really even worth complaining. But look, I have.