tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83086672024-03-15T07:53:12.545+00:00Rullsenberg RulesRandom reflections on culture, life and the Universe.
Warning: will regularly include Scottish actors.Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.comBlogger2996125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-54339197777905224782016-09-22T15:12:00.001+00:002016-09-22T15:12:21.614+00:00Back from the dead blog (because I feel the need to say this even if to
myself)The Labour Party of the U.K. is in disarray.This is not a good thing. Last year there was a lot of heated discussion between and towards Labour moderates (as they defined themselves) who were furious, outraged and despairing at the thought of letting Jeremy Corbyn on the ballot for leader. They felt this was A Bad Thing. They felt he shouldn't get on the ballot because it would be the route back Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com199tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-43595522816087003602015-02-16T14:22:00.002+00:002015-07-03T08:37:34.276+00:00"All is well": The Decemberists, O2 Academy, Leeds - Valentine's Day 14 February 2015The last time we saw The Decemberists was back during endtimes of The Crane Wife tour in 2007 in Wolverhampton (in the Wulfrun Hall). It was a pleasure to see them, but marred somewhat by a poorly Colin Meloy - I expect he hasn't risked a dodgy balti again in a hurry since then.
So my level of excited anticipation at getting the chance to see The Decemberists again was tempered by an awareness Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-41560304277445450572014-11-10T20:42:00.001+00:002014-11-10T20:42:28.447+00:00Finishing season 8 Doctor Who - dark, dark CyberdeathsUm, well that was DARK...And pretty disturbing.Anyone else deeply uncomfortable with some of the places that the finale took us to?This is really just a holding place for some random thoughts that I will fill out as and when. For starters though:1) still confused if consciousness continues beyond death in the Missy Nethersphere and exactly how she captured these 'dead souls'. Part of me Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-32382769649643824052014-09-29T08:36:00.000+00:002014-09-29T14:38:32.958+00:00Doctor Who - reaching the halfway season point with Peter Capaldi
Well, this HAS been a bit of a turn hasn’t it? The first episode of the new series – Deep Breath – suggested some shifts, but they’ve been reinforced by the subsequent episodes in ways I hadn’t necessarily fully anticipated. It feels like there have been more deaths (certainly on-screen), even if there aren’t. The humour is still there but it is definitely different in tone. Moff also seems Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-1422008051501905022014-08-24T16:28:00.002+00:002014-08-24T16:28:36.766+00:00And exhale... the wait is over - long live the new Doctor!New Doctor Who: yes, I'm back!
Knock, knock? Anybody here?
No? Someone? Anyone? *DOCTOR WHO IS BACK!!! SO AM I!!!*
Ah well. That is the downside of getting lost on Facebook, with its snappy quick response mechanisms. If it was possible to post from FB to here (as it is from Twitter to FB; and oh that it was as easy to post in reverse), then this place Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-9429022397104240992014-05-30T13:10:00.000+00:002014-05-30T13:57:48.484+00:00The first time as tragedy; the second as farce: time-shifting 'Arden of Faversham' - Swan Theatre, RSC Friday 23 May 2014Polly Findlay's new RSC production of the anonymous Renaissance play 'Arden of Faversham' shifts it from its usual 16th Century setting to a loosely 'modern' period. Certainly, both Findlay (as director) and Zoe Svendsen (as dramaturg) are keen to emphasise contemporary parallels between the commodification of land, people and property then and now, and the shift of housewives from Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-39232934091723591372014-05-02T13:45:00.000+00:002014-05-02T15:49:11.344+00:00"Make vile things precious": psychotic laughter, villainy and ageing - King Lear @ NTLive, National Theatre broadcast 1 May 2014
In recent years I've seen three pretty big productions of King Lear - the first was Jacobi's at the intimate Donmar Warehouse (with the 'restart the scene' moment on the NTLive Broadcast); the second was the electric live experience of seeing Pryce's version at the Almeida; and then there's this BIG production starring the incredible Simon Russell Beale on the Olivier theatre stage from Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-846356267535010152014-04-08T08:54:00.000+00:002014-04-08T11:56:38.660+00:00100 Heroes of the University of Nottingham - centenary of the Students' UnionSaturday night was the exhibition opening event to celebrate 100 Heroes - the centenary of Nottingham's Student Union.
Students and alumni were invited alongside staff to nominate students, staff, and societies who they felt had made a significant contribution to the 100 years of the University and to its students. Somewhere between 700-800 individuals and groups were nominated.
Porters, Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-38184148629193415482014-03-25T18:45:00.000+00:002014-03-28T11:49:34.617+00:00"Anon, anon" - reflections and reminiscences on Henry IV Part I (RSC, Stratford upon Avon Thursday 20th March 2014)Framing comment: My O level Shakespeare text was "Henry IV part I", which means it has a special place in my heart and memories (even though the tape recording we were regularly subjected to at school was less than wonderful, with a Hotspur who had more accents than Russell Crowe was accused of having in Robin Hood).
We'll be seeing Part II later in the season, but for now I wanted toLisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-51531055591615513442014-01-16T13:54:00.000+00:002014-01-16T17:01:40.160+00:00Apologies and something sweetGah - I had such plans.
Then Sherlock took over.
And there was Richard II at the Barbican (along with a backstage tour and a gloriously unexpected if fleeting collision with a certain cast member and his plaited hair on the stairwell).
And then there is life, and work, and choir, and all the usual.
So as recompense, here is a sweet video from The Big Bang Theory. I know it's a bit Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-4222720833319146432014-01-04T09:00:00.000+00:002014-01-04T09:00:02.094+00:00TV review: Sherlock Series 3 'The Empty Hearse'
They sure know how to make us wait. After Sherlock series one positively snuck onto the radar in summer 2010 leaving everyone breathless in front of Moriarty in the swimming pool (no, not for those reasons fan-ficcers), it took til January 2012 before it came back and brought us Irene Adler and THAT FALL (not the one Eddie Mair so wittily tormented us about on Thursday*), and then they Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-35155059084138899222014-01-03T08:51:00.003+00:002014-01-03T08:52:10.927+00:00The Vault: Doctor Who book reviewIt is pretty beautiful it has to be said. I had been picking this up and considering it since it was released and resisted admirably.
Very glad I did, as it turned up as a very delightful Christmas present and as soon as I picked it up - wrapped - I felt the heft, the shape, and just KNEW what it was even before opening it!
The Vault is like a treasure trove of Doctor Who memorabilia and Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-76803310641235131102014-01-02T13:27:00.000+00:002014-01-02T13:27:00.629+00:00A song for the day - Meditative Music
How apt that there should be a meditative journey to illustrate this meditative song - Micah P Hinson's "The Day Texas Sank to the Bottom of the Sea". A soaring organ this time rather than strings, but the same effect.Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-10160148277696739152014-01-01T15:40:00.002+00:002014-01-01T15:43:45.838+00:00Tonight I shall be mostly watching...Sherlock!
Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-73154139360571147762013-12-31T12:28:00.001+00:002014-01-01T15:44:13.654+00:00That end of Christmas TV review (2013)Let's take these in order of broadcast even though they weren't necessarily watched in order.
Raised by Wolves
Caitlin Moran is awesome and always has been. Her book 'How to be a Woman' is by turns hilarious, painful and angry. If you can cope with the language (typically Moran-esque) then do read it. It sits on the shelf alongside the equally wonderful Hadley Freeman's 'Be Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-80071776480911265382013-12-31T11:55:00.001+00:002014-01-01T15:44:37.498+00:00Doctor Who | Goodbye Raggedy Man | Matt Smith 2010 - 2013Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-36066792842612999192013-12-22T15:13:00.000+00:002013-12-22T15:13:09.213+00:00Nearly, nearly Neily Christmas: some seasonal songs
Ah Bellowhead at Christmas! Christmas Bells for Number one!
When the Thames Froze by Smith and Burrows - still one of my favourite recent Christmas songs
Just like Christmas by Low - their Christmas EP still tingles
Snow angel by Ron Sexsmith - rather fond of this songster
Christmas TV by Slow Club - rather charming
New York City by They Might be Giants - "Three days from Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-85756392258697411522013-12-13T14:24:00.002+00:002013-12-13T14:24:37.469+00:00I blinked and it was nearly Christmas...Apologies: I have tried - honest. But work has been demented (as FB readers will know, Neil especially has been working stupid hours) and things just ran away from me.
Over the last few weeks since I last posted:
26 November - late drop-in session at Uni library, plus final choir rehearsal session for Nottingham
29 November - up at the crack of dawn pre-dawn for a day trip to London. Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-17733721836273624972013-11-24T20:22:00.000+00:002013-11-24T20:22:07.092+00:00And breathe.... overload in the realm of Doctor Who - anniversary weekend madnessI'm still feeling a bit giddy actually, like I've had the biggest sugar rush ever invented: a total overdose of Doctor Who-ness. Good for me? No idea. Probably not. Don't care.
I kept my promise (mostly): no spoilers pre-episode. I've been scarcely reading DWM for months (skipping with eyes closed over the news pages and even avoiding the covers on occasion). Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-71562028025230030252013-11-21T13:30:00.000+00:002013-11-21T13:30:39.838+00:00A week is a long time in culture: Thor - The Dark World; Richard II - Stratford final performance; the loveliness of David Tennant; and upcoming Doctor Who businessThis time last week I was getting myself mentally prepared for some Avengers nonsense - Thor: The Dark World was hardly going to set cinematic history alight, but it was entertaining and worth the price of admission for the response to Loki in manacles (Tom Hiddleston).
But in some respects, that was merely a prelude to the bigger event: by Thursday we had (finally!) got confirmation that ourLisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-39154898268123878662013-11-15T13:02:00.000+00:002013-11-15T14:04:18.917+00:00"I do acupuncture": theatre review of The Duck House @ Nottingham Theatre Royal Monday 11 November 2013
Farce is one of those beasts that potentially doesn't translate very well; what it has in its universal favour are of course the slapstick and visual elements. Mixing farce and politics might therefore seem to be limiting the success of the translatable elements for jokes specific to audience knowledge and understanding - and in the case of The Duck House, recall of political history.
Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-27950599138548692222013-11-10T17:29:00.002+00:002013-11-10T17:33:57.735+00:00Another Richard of a darker hue: "I am determined to prove a villain" - comedy and tragedy in Richard III, Nottingham Playhouse Saturday matinee 9th November 2013The rivalry between Nottingham and its local cousins is pretty formidable (ah, we're back to cousins again, following my previous Richard and Shakespeare review). We hate Derby - and they hate us; there are long-standing rows about ownership of Robin Hood with Doncaster; and the tension with Leicester is hardly much better in the wake of them finding Richard III in a car park (Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-57424803847975280132013-10-28T13:37:00.000+00:002013-10-28T19:22:00.555+00:00"Here, cousin": of divine kings destroyed and traitors risen higher than their worth - Richard II @RSC Stratford, matinee performance 26 October 2013 I wrote a less spoilery review from my first visit (on the first night) so I thought I would take the time to give a more revealing commentary here having seen the show a second time, from a physically different angle.
For the first visit, we were in the stalls; for this, as we were taking the sibling part of the Roberts' family (Mark, Sarah, Grace and James), we were on the Upper Circle, but Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-51748778852741558292013-10-27T17:45:00.000+00:002013-10-27T17:45:56.669+00:00Veggie cottage pie a la Rullsenberg and RobertsWhy it took us so long to cook this up is beyond me.
We love thick tomato based sauces and I especially love mashed potatoes.
So this is our recipe for veggie cottage pie.
Olive oil
Paprika
Garlic - crushed or lazy
One lemon juiced
Grated cheese (for topping)
Butter for mashing potatoes
Milk (or a splash of creme fraiche) to add to potatoes
Potatoes / sweet potatoes
Carrot
Onion
Pepper (Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308667.post-38247441945447973822013-10-25T07:33:00.000+00:002013-10-25T08:34:31.410+00:00In Praise of .... Educating YorkshireAt first I felt a little less of the emotional recognition that had accompanied the episodes of Educating Essex that I had watched two years ago. This time around, although Educating Yorkshire was clearly on the Thursday agenda, it didn't initially connect with me as much as had the earlier series.
All that changed as the series progressed, and the final three episodes were just Lisa Rullsenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02020425273742237299noreply@blogger.com3