James Moran Gets an Undeserved Kicking

James Moran, for those who don't know, wrote Severance and currently writes for Torchwood. I haven't met him personally, but many of my friends have, and they say he's a top bloke.

He's also got a blog, on which he gave commentary and behind-the-scenes information about last week's Torchwood: Children of Earth serial.

He's unlikely to do that again, because the wanker section of Torchwood fandom went and ruined it.

I know it's not nice to call people wankers, but they went onto James's blog and left comments that would make you think James had slept with their partners, burned down their houses, and murdered their cats. All because something happened on a TV show, and they didn't like it.

I know how easy it is to love a TV show so much you take it personally. I loved The X-Files that much in the 90s, and I took it very personally indeed when my favourite smart paranormal drama turned into an incoherent pile of cliches unworthy of the worst soap opera writer in Christendom.

I'm not saying that's what happened to Torchwood, by the way. I haven't actually seen the serial in question. But even if I did see it and hate it with an intensity usually reserved for paedophiles and the BNP, that wouldn't give me licence to hurl personal insults at the writers on their own blogs.

Play fair kids, or the other kids will take their ball and go home.

Two! Two radio credits! Ah-ah-ah-ah!

(Apologies to readers who didn't grow up watching Sesame Street.)

I got a one-liner into this week's episode of Newsjack. It wasn't the one-liner I thought was funniest out of my submissions, but I have it on good authority I'm wrong about that.

Between that and getting a sketch into Tilt last year, I've been on the radio twice now.

It seems taking a week off and petting the llama (see previous post, I'm not making rude innuendo) did the trick.

Screw It, I'm on Holiday

Greetings from Staffordshire, where I've been spending a lovely weekend communing with nature. Tomorrow we move on to Cornwall, where I'm told the nature at the place we're staying includes a llama.

The weekly sketch deadline for Newsjack is tomorrow, but have I written anything? Nope. Will I write anything? Only if I feel motivated.

Life's been pretty hectic recently, for reasons not to do with writing. It's been busy at my day job, there have been builders in and out of the house, we have a new puppy, and we've had a series of expensive camper van-related mishaps (first van written off, second van turned out to be a rust bucket with a dodgy past, third van came home last week and damn well better be lucky). I've not had a lot of spare energy, and my submissions for the first two weeks of Newsjack were pretty sparse. I was reasonably pleased with them quality-wise, but there should have been more of them. If any of them had got in I wouldn't be so worried about the volume, but they didn't.

At this point, I think the best solution to the problem is to be properly on holiday, forget about everything for a week, and pet the llama.

Nice llama.

Stick It to the Man, If You Can Bear

The Guardian have posted 457,153 pages of MPs' expense documents here. What's more, they're interactive. You can pick a particular MP's claims to review, and if you find any duck islands you can flag them for further investigation.

Me, I haven't got the stomach for it. I pulled up my MP, got through about three pages of stationery orders, and lost the will to live.

Newsjack

If you sketchify like I do, there's an open-door opportunity at BBC Radio 7 from next week. You can read all about it here.

Seven Songs I'm Into Right Now

Thanks to a tag from Piers, I have to tell you about seven songs I'm into right now. I warn you, this list is rather dull. I am most certainly very old now, and in no way Down With the Kids.

Don't Fear the Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult - I unlocked this on Rock Band a couple of weeks ago and remembered how much I liked it.
Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division - No, I'm not depressed or suicidal or anything, I just like depressing music.
Waly Waly - traditional English folk song - Why? Why not?
Hear My Prayer - Mendelssohn - The link goes to a recording from 1928, by arguably the finest boy soprano of the 20th century.
Sound the Trumpet - Purcell - We used this at my wedding. I defy you not to tap your foot.
Suo Gan - traditional Welsh lullaby - Call me an old sap, but I often tear up when I hear this one.
Spem in Alium - Tallis - Quite simply the most mind-blowing piece of music I've ever heard. Listen to it with headphones if you can.

Now With Added Twitter

If you're on Twitter and you're interested in the mundane goings-on in my everyday life, feel free to stick a follow on me. I'm christinepatton.