Minimal

I’m pretty sure I said I would never go boarding again after the pain of Chamonix last year. Last night, however, I completed my fast-track lessons at Xscape Castleford and I’m totally buzzing. :)

Despite leaving nearly 2 months between my first and second lessons, I ended up breezing through it last night, hardly falling at all. I did manage to take out a fellow boarder, mind. Ooops. We kinda turned into each other, your honour. And a poncy skier took me out, but at least he ended up having a worse fall himself (he he). As Wilka observed, that’s karma for you.

All in all, it was a great night. I even began to conquer my fear of heel-to-toe-edge turns. Now, I just need to decide when to spend the free hour of slope time I’ve earned. :)

Stumbled across a great little film on Google Video tonight: Climb Dance.

It’s nothing more than the great Ari Vatanen launching himself and a frankly-ridiculous Peugeot 405 T16 up the Pikes Peak Hill Climb back in 1989 (he won the event, incidentally). You’ve just got to love the way he takes his hand off the wheel at times to shield his eyes from the sun. And this despite having to man-handle an incredibly lairy 600bhp beast while not dropping off the hillside. Unbelievable.

Last night, Gav’s afterbang site went live with a new look that he and I have put together over the last couple of weeks. There’s plenty more planned for v2.1, v2.2 and so on, but it’s always nice to get a first release out of the way. Hope you like it (if you’re into boarding or skating, that is!). :)

Went to the free showing of Battleship Potemkin down in Wallsend last night, along with 14000 or so other middle-class hippy liberals. At least, that’s how it felt. As one of the local chavs quipped to his mates, "What I want to know is, how much did they have to pay them to come to Wallsend?" I was actually quite impressed by the insight and wit, but he still got himself a police escort for it. ;)

As for the film, it hardly gripped me. Not in the way hypothermia did, anyway. I was impressed with the director’s cutting and camera angles — all very modern-looking and quite sophisticated for a 1920’s film — but it was more of a historical fascination than a genuine involvement in the story. The music did help, though, neatly building the momentum and tension at the relevant points. And I can now say I’ve seen the Pet Shop Boys live. Overall, it was an interesting night out rather than an unforgettable experience. Still, not bad for a £2.50 Metro fare.