What to do in 2010

It's well into the new year before my first post. I am not ashamed, however because my time has been spent constructively taking lots of soil out of my back garden and hulking it into a skip. The unusually frosty weather has meant that the soil comes out in handy chunks, and the frozen-solid ground has allowed me to get my way to the skip without falling flat on my arse and breaking something.

And that is basically my background task this year, get my damn garden sorted since its been in a state of limbo since about 2005. I have to dig a big trench, put in a reinforced wall before the sides of the trench fall in on themselves and bury me alive, hoik all the remaining soil over the wall, and then lay a crapload of paving where currently there is mud. concrete, piping and heavily established trees. It is for this reason that I have had little chance to type and may not get the chance to do other things in my increasingly busy life.

So, assuming I can find some time to do other things, what events have pricked up my ears for this year? Here are a few:

Bradford Film Festival 2010 (18-28 March)

Bradford has always had an inferior fest to the Leeds one, (compare the site contents with the Leeds 09 output for comparison) and consequently I've glossed over it in recent years. I'm guessing Bradford council's budget is mostly taken up by their enormous white elephant redesign of the town centre into a lovely lake that chavs can drive stolen cars into, and there's little left for cultural pursuits.

Anyways, what is there includes not only some output that I missed at Leeds (the saucy Modern Love is Automatic, historical retelling Bluebeard and the claustrophobic Dogtooth, plus Crying with Laughter, which I managed to see at Leeds and can easily recommend.) but also some international films that have appeared since. It doesn't include the new version of Metropolis with extra scenes reinstated, or the new Michael Moore film Capitalism: A Love Story, but I'm sure they will come around in time.

Fuse Leeds 2010 (???? May)

Hopefully this will be running, the website is still all 2009-ed up, and the last one before that was 2006, so its a maybe at the moment, but myself and Ms. Plants enjoyed the tail-end of last years and hope to see more this time.

Edinburgh/Cambridge Film Festivals 2010 (16-27 Jun, ??? September)

Currently packed in ice and snow (or at least slush), Edinburgh was the first of last year's festivals I went to, and if there is time, maybe I can manage a weekend or so up there. Ditto Cambridge, which is usually lovely at its slot of September-ish.

Bingley Music Festival 2010 (??? August/September)

Hopefully in the middle of a warm, dry British summer, the Bingley Music Festival sounds like fun, with past years showing some surprisingly recognisable names over the three day weekend. The first day is free as a taster, and the other two will be about 20 quid. Bargain.

Japan 2010 (??? September/October)

Yes, this year will include another trip to the far east. Probably another 3 weeks, and almost certainly in a modified version of my freeform backpacking stint that this blog was created for in 2008. It's all up in the air at the moment, but I want to do at least:
  • Visit an Onsen - something it is a crime not to do when over there.
  • Return to K's Backpack Hostel, and maybe visit some others dotted around the island.
  • Converse more in the native tongue (thanks in part to my purchase of My Japanese Coach, now all I need is a DS :) )
  • Try more of the food. I was too squeamish last time and relied on the Japanese love of Italian food.
  • Visit Kyushu - The furthest west I managed last time was Mt. Misen, so the more tropical climes were largely ignored.
  • See some of the autumn festivals.
And of course, it'll be blogged.

Leeds Film Festival 2010 (??? November)

The big one (as far as film festivals go), Leeds always delivers in terms of location, size and variety, and although I've promised myself and others that last year's film count will not (and for my health's sake) be topped) I will try to see between 50 and 100 films while its on.

If I can fit all that in, and get a decent-looking garden out of it too, I'll consider that a good year.