I finished two things today

The first was this. I completed every level with three stars and a commendation report from my commanding officer. My weapon of choice is a Smith & Wesson (although I did had quite a lot of fun with the assault rifle and shotgun). Most of my enemies were disposed of with a clear shot to the head. The whole thing was no easy task - it took at least two dedicated hours a day for the past three weeks out of my time. I am now sporting an abnormally buff right thumb.

The second thing I finished today was "The Da Vinci Code". Will someone please tap me on the shoulder the next time something like "The Da Vinci Code" happens? I always get to these things too late. Crap really, when you consider that one of the key factors of my job is to not only have my finger on the pulse, but to have a central line to the aorta of the heart of popular culture.

(spoilers ahead)

While I thought that the basic storytelling in the book was sometimes a bit "blah" (how often does he repeat the same old ancient fable again and again?), I was just blown away by the big revelations in the book. I went online and checked out Da Vinci's "The Last Supper" and the figure to Christ's right is absolutely a woman! Look! How has no one written about this kinda stuff in a way that has captured the public imagination as well as this book has? If everything in the book even has a grain of truth in it, well then, wow!

I'm on a roll now. This is like when I watched "Elizabeth" and then obsessively read about four tomes on the Tudor dynasty. There is a documentary about the key claims from the book on Channel 4 next week. I am so watching that.

But the really cool thing?

I totally worked out three of the riddles in the book before they were revealed - the "O, Draconian Devil" anagram, the Alexander Pope / Knight reference and the weird handwriting. PR is obviously not for me, when I am clearly a potential Grail hunter.

I actually scared myself a bit with the weird handwriting - it was early this morning at about 2am and the TV was off and I was lying on the sofa with the fire burning away and I was completely absorbed in the book. I turn the page and see the weird handwriting and, well, if you have read the book you can imagine what I got up and did with the book next. I completely freaked myself out! So much so that I double locked the front door.

I've just learned that they are making the book into a film with Tom Hanks as Langdon and Audrey Tatou as Sophie. Audrey Tatou - cool. I loved her in "Amelie" and I can completely buy her as Sophie. But Tom Hanks?! I can't list the reasons why Tom Hanks is completely wrong for this part because they are infinite. Apparently Richard Attenborough is being groomed to play Teabing. Ok, yeah. I'll alllow that.

Incidentally, that name, Teabing - I kept reading it as "teabagging" and making myself giggle.

I'm 32.