Anyway, watching it again, it's amazing to see how well it's stood up to the test of time. The sets may have been made of marbled canvas and\or MDF and all the scenes may have been filmed indoors which makes the whole thing a bit claustrofobic; but the costumes and hairdos don't scream 70s at you the way earlier films like Cleopatra or Spartacus bear witness to the fashions of the 50s and 60s in which they were made. Jack Pulman's script stays very close to Robert Graves's novels and the acting is simply outstanding, so no wonder that even 30 years on I'm again falling under its spell.
Other than that, I don't really have any news to impart. I've been feeling a bit uninspired lately, as well as under the weather and unhappy with the way I've allowed myself to become bigger and bigger over the last couple of years and kidding myself that I was fine with that as it's what happens when you get older, isn't it? No, it isn't. That's just an excuse. And I'm right when I moan that it's not because I eat too much, because I don't; and exercise too little (well, maybe) but it's because I eat the wrong things. The realisation hit some time last week: most days, I skip breakfast, have a quick bite in the canteen around lunchtime if I can manage it, and because I'm usually late home, and I'm on my own, I don't cook for myself in the evenings. Instead, I'll have a takeaway or a TV dinner, or a sandwich. So most of what I eat is processed rubbish; no wonder I've gone up a size since October and no wonder I'm feeling tired all the time. Sure, I could go on a diet and lose some weight that way, but unless I change my whole lifestyle if you will, it's not going to do me any good in the long run. I will have to start eating regular meals at regular intervals, and some of those meals will have to be properly cooked, too...but by Jove! it's hard to turn these habits around. For instance, did you know that aduki beans need to soak for a minimum of 8 hours at least, and then take an additional 40 minutes to cook? And I don't even like beans very much!
Oh, and the Depeche Mode-cd's arrived, at last.