I’ve been tagged.  I hate it when that happens.  But seeing as on this occasion it’s El Pincenzo and he had the good grace to put me and the family up (and show us a magnificent time, to boot) over New Year, I feel I ought to respond.  So here goes: FYI, it’s all part of the Seventy Seven My Month In The Media gubbins.

What I’ve read.
I’m reading Shantaram at the moment - recommended to me by Darren who runs our Shanghai office and is Australian, while walking past a Delhi shanty town at night (the significance of which will be lost on you unless you’ve read it).  It’s fantastic, beautifully written and an amazing story.  I can’t put it down - which makes typing a chore, frankly.  I also read Alex James’s autobiography which was just wonderful.  The man is a national treasure.  Am also reading a book about Winston Churchill’s witicisms.  Very fine.

What I’ve watched.
Sweet Fanny Adams on TV, to be honest.  The Christmas special of Extras was on while I was cooking and the little of it I did see was very good (the George Michael monologue tickled me in particular “It was bloody Stewart Copeland’s skip - before we knew it the Police had turned up…”).  Some football (top of the league, ithangyo).  That was about it though.  Chitty Chitty Bang Bang enthralled the kids.  Cars too.  Away from TV, I’ve been mucking about with the BBC iPlayer - although seven hours to download The Best of Top Gear last night was a little steep, I thought.  Oh and I can highly recommend Ratatouille at the cinema - the best Disney film for years.

What I’ve listened to.
Again, very little.  As a whole 2007 was a bad, bad year for music.  December just awful.  High School Musical 2 was on most in our house, which tells you all you need to know.  The first Harry Potter book, read by the excellent Mr Fry, accompanied the family on our drive down and then back up France.  On the eve of my birthday I tried listening to The (eponymous) Stone Roses and, as my Twitter followers will have discovered, didn’t enjoy it - for the first time evah.  A sad, sad day.   The beloved bought me a portable DAB for said birthday, but I can’t get no reception (no, no, no) at home and it doesn’t work on the train, so it’s going back.  Shame.  I really must listen to more music in 2008.  In fact, I think I’ll review an album a week here - there, I’ve said it in front of both of you, so I’ll have to do it now.  Quick caveat, for the bank manager: the albums may not necessarily be new ones.

Where I’ve surfed.
I hugely enjoyed not opening my laptop for almost two weeks over Chrimbo.  I’ve realised I don’t really surf anymore - in fact, I appear to have disappeared up my own RSS.  Which may or may not be a good thing.  However, I dearly hope that someone somewhere works out how to better aggregate the news I want to read and presents it to me in a more convenient format than is currently the case.  By the way, I seem to ’surf’ more on my mobile than on my PC.  The mobile internet is becoming almost bearable, and is, as any fule kno, the future of everything.

Merry new year.

It’s that time of year again, when I try (and generally fail) not to get hooked on Channel 4’s Big Brother.  This year they’re making it more difficult, as all the house updates (24 hrs a day) will be available via RSS.  Plus, each week the nominated evictees will be recording a ten minute podcast (The Housemates Radio Show) every Friday morning.  And the evicted housemate will then be encouraged to blog about their experiences once they’ve left the house.  Sigh…. I’m hooked already, and it’s not even begun.