I AM OFFICIALLY BAFFLED

By the fact that, lately, the things that other people rave about only manage to elicit a lukewarm response from YT. Am I that different? Take f’rinstance the buzz surrounding The Office. Everyone goes on and on about how hilarious that show is, so brilliant, they just can’t contain themselves, blablabla. Meanwhile, I cannot for the life of me understand what is so funny about a bunch of people walking around deadpan in some ugly office acting like complete dorks! I mean, I get it and everything; it’s supposed to make fun of the banality of office life and certain smug self-satisfied types, and granted, it can occasionally elicit a brief chuckle, but I fail to become incapacitated by laughter as when I watch, f’rinstance, Ali G. I dunno. I keep giving it another chance, thinking this I might just have missed something last time, but I think it’s time to acknowledge that I simply will not ever find that show funny.

And, incidentally, it’s not the British humour that doesn’t appeal, because the Brits are at the top of my list when it comes to finding things funny. I love British humour. [See one very fine example here]. In fact, I’ve even found myself in stitches watching Ricky Gervais being himself on other shows. So it isn’t that!

Other things? The Alchemist, for one. I’ve just finished reading it and am completely mystified by what people find so remarkable. I mean, it’s okay, but to me it doesn’t come close to the pinnacle of world literature like, say, The Little Prince, of which it reminded me occasionally. I kept expecting epiphanies and bolts of lightning to strike, but sadly none of that was forthcoming. Sigh.

The same applies to the DaVinci Code. Boy, if there ever was buzz…! Meanwhile, YT took it on vacation last summer and, pah! Sure, it was an okay read, but it didn’t move me in the least. The characters did not get under my skin, the prose did not enthral. And the global obsession with all its supposedly highbrow theories and whatnot – give me a break! They’re just made up. They don’t even hold water.

Anyway. I shall turn rant mode to off now.

UNFORTUNATE EGG-ON-FACE SITUATION

Thankfully not on YT’s face, though, as had been predicted. Nope – YT takes no responsibility for this one, although am guilty of the – slightly lesser – blunder of passing on false information. Seems the two papers that reported the sighting of Kate Winslet here last weekend were well and truly duped. Or perhaps it was their source, who swore he had seen Kate partying it up down at trendy old Rex. Kate’s publicist, however, swears Kate was home with her hubby and kids, which is just as YT had surmised. So clearly Kate has an Icelandic double. Who might consider a career as a Kate decoy.

AND FINALLY, THE WEATHER

The rain we were promised arrived last night and washed away almost all the snow. We still have a bit left, though, to provide some daylight reflection and spare us all from sliding headlong into SAD. Moderate winds from the east, meaning not too much windchill (the bane of Icelandic living), and temps have crawled above the freezing mark for a change, now hovering at 4 degrees Celsius (39.2 Fahrenheit). Set to get colder again tomorrow. The sun came up at 10.56 and is currently shining brilliantly in the sky; it will set at 16.18.