Received a present from a student the other day. It was a plastic rat, on the end of some string. "It's a necklace, and rat is very lucky. It bring happiness!" she explained enthusiastically.

A happy rat. Just what I needed.

Finally saw Volver, which is sweetly bizarre and which I recommend highly. Even with my short attention span, I didn't tire of reading the subtitles, which is always a good sign. "Little Miss Sunshine" also has its moments, and is odd enough and dark enough to suit my tastes...

Having decorated my office, fans of any of the following might like to know I have a row of pictures in my office of: Jesus (Dali's Crucifixion), Morrissey and Alan Bennett. I'm not sure what any of them would make of it.