There's nothing quite like a Stella Artois hangover. Drinking a reasonable quantity of any alcoholic beverage is almost certain to give you some kind of unpleasant side-effect, but the headache that Stella provides is nothing short of cataclysmic.
I woke up this morning feeling like somebody had taken an axe to my skull. The pain rapidly became so acute that I could only open one eye, and I spent much of the afternoon shuffling about in my dressing gown like a zombie.
On a different topic, I feel compelled to tell you about the rather wonderful Mysterious Cities of Gold boxset, now available as an HMV exclusive in a nicely packaged slip case. Postcards, a poster/map and booklet are all included, and all thirty-six episodes are presented on six disks with plenty of extras.
Anyone who remembers the series from their childhood (and the number of fanpages and forums on the net suggests that I'm not alone) will absolutely love this set; anyone else will more than likely wonder what the fuss is about. Viewed in 2008, MCOG's faults are rather glaring; some of the voice acting is less than top-notch, and the eighties animation is crude by modern standards (though personally I love old-school Japanese animation).
The story though, is still a great one - I'd almost forgotten just how epic it is, in fact. 16th century brats Esteban, Tao and Zia search for the eponymous golden cities and encounter all kinds of ancient technology along the way, including an Inca aeroplane called the Golden Condor.
I've also just found out that original writer Jean Chalopin (the French genius behind MCOG and other childhood favourites Ulysses 31, Inspector Gadget, to name a few) has penned a film version, currently in production. Details are sketchy, but Wikipedia says the film will be computer animated (no surprise there), and shows a reassuringly well-designed poster. Check it out:
