And why not?

"On the erection of Cleopatra's needle in London in 1878, a time capsule was concealed in the front part of the pedestal. It contained: A set of 12 photographs of the best looking English women of the day, a box of hairpins, a box of cigars, several tobacco pipes, a set of imperial weights, a baby's bottle, some children's toys, a shilling razor, a hydraulic jack and some samples of the cable used in erection, a 3' bronze model of the monument, a complete set of British coins, a rupee, a portrait of Queen Victoria, a written history of the strange tale of the transport of the monument, plans on vellum, a translation of the inscriptions, copies of the bible in several languages, a copy of Whitaker's Almanack, a Bradshaw Railway Guide, a map of London and copies of 10 daily newspapers."

Currently reading...

The Joy of... Diaries

I'm taking part in a really interesting project at the moment - it's called The Sex Diaries Project. I heard about it on a BBC podcast where they interviewed Arianne Cohen, the woman who initiated it, and essentially it's a web-based way of documenting the sexual lives of lots of different people.

You register on the website and then each day for one week you make entries each time you have a sexual experience, or even think about sex (within reason, obviously - otherwise it would be a full-time job). I've been doing it for a few days, and it's really interesting to find out how strange and awkward it is to document it all! But kind of liberating and cathartic too. Oh, and needless to say - it's all strictly anonymous...

The collected diary entries have already been turned into a book, but the project continues - and I'd encourage you all to sign up. You'll be amazed what you find out about yourself just from writing things down!...

Currently reading...

A Place In The Sun

I just watched A Place In The Sun with my friend Alice.

Alice and I watch a lot of old movies together, and some are better than others. Of course the danger with films from the 30s, 40s or 50s especially is that the acting and storylines can seem very dated and clunky. While this can be avoided by seeking out trusted actors like Bette Davis or Marlon Brando, it's always satisfying to watch a movie that transcends the gap in years and stil holds up today. This was one of them, mainly due to George Stevens' exceptional directing - although the performances were also very good.

I'm a sucker for a melodrama when done well, and would heartily recommend this movie to anyone else of a similar persuasion.

Currently reading...

Requiem for Australian TV