Second week under my belt at the Scottish Training Foundation. This was the first week with the stricter hours of course, but the improved service from Stagecoach buses means I'm not getting home too late. The Gestapo Managaress of the place started stopping us from getting into the building before 9.00 all of a sudden during the week! Grrr! A lot of us were left waiting outside two mornings in a row and even some of the people working there think it's unfair (but apparently she is the highest authority that can be complained to). For some of us, the next bus we could go for would get us in nearly an hour late, but chances are that she wouldn't like that and it would be our fault and affect our money. I was supposed to be put down for an office placement, but the people there don't think I have any chance at all of getting a job in an office as they're supposedly much harder to get now (doesn't stop me applying though) so I'm going to have to look at less desirable placements. A contact centre was supposed to call me back for a phone interview on Thursday. It's now Sunday with still no call back - why can't more people be like Queen Bitch and not make false claims? Whatever!

Not much went on during the second week of "induction" anyway. Just the one to one interview and a few puzzles and hand out sheets. Spent most of it reading, chatting or helping to answer crossword and quiz questions. Pretty engrossed reading James Ellroy's L.A. Confidential so far. Also quite a ways through Jean Stein's Edie: A Biography which is now well in swing onto the Warhol years. LOL, I can't read about Warhol, the Factory and all that without hearing Waiting For The Man in my head and having all the familiar images and associations from various books, films and documentaries (making me wish I was there or could feel free and artistic again instead of where I am).

Saw three versions of Sweeney Todd over the last week. The one on TV with Ray Winstone, the new Tim Burton musical on DVD and via Och Ya Tube the Tod Slaughter version. They're all good and worthwhile viewing in their own way.

Also saw Nine Lives which was my Paris's horror movie debut. It's by far the inferior of Paris's horror movies (or movies I've seen her in, in general). The plot and setting/set up reminds me of so many other movies (The Shining for isolation, The Haunting for the banging on the doors, The Evil Dead for the reading of a book having dire consequences, Dementia 13/various Mario Bava movies, British horror like The Company Of Wolves and Hellraiser, body jump movies like The Hidden and Shocker) and in just about every case the other movies would make far better viewing (even the dreadful remake of The Haunting!). The film just lacks any real atmosphere, tightness or pacing and the characters and situation lack the presence of involvement. Thankfully Paris is only in the first twenty minutes (one of her early roles) which means that I can easily get a quick Paris fix without bothering to watch or fast forward through the whole movie on subsequent viewings (a quick movie then and more Paris is always a good thing). Apart from it being an early Paris role, I really can't see any other reason at all for this undistinguished horror movie to have any kind of shelf life or interest to any viewers - glad she's been getting better movies since then.

Also been watching Doctor Who series three again. Gridlock improved on second viewing and the Daleks in Manhattan two parter was at least tolerable for the most part but 42 just felt so dull on second viewing that I had trouble getting through the whole episode. Needless to say: Shareen likes that one! *headdesk*