Cinema Mismanagement
So, on Friday night, Lorna and I went to the cinema. Boy, that was a mistake.
The cinema, the Odeon Greenwich, had decided to go back to back for the opening of Transformers either to "meet customer demand" or "make more money". Well, they may have succeeded in the latter, but they failed badly in the former. By the time we arrived at the cinema to collect our pre-booked 9.30pm showing tickets, the queue to get up to the screens was looped right around the circular building. Staff were surly and evasive when asked what was going on, and it took us three separate attempts to discover the back-to-back thing wasn't working very well for them, and all the screenings had fallen behind.
We finally got into the cinema well after 10pm, to find dirty seats and an unpleasantly aromatic cinema. And when the film started, 10% of it was on the side wall, not the screen itself. Several members of the audience had to go and complain before this was sorted out.
Oh, and when we emerged, the women's loo had run out of toilet paper.
Congratulations Odeon. We, after half a decade of using your cinema regularly, will never be darkening your doors again. If that's how you treat paying customers, I won't be a customer of yours any more.
They Broke The Internets!
In honour of the power outage in San Fransisco last night which too down numerous sites, including Vox:
Mind The (Culture) Gap
OK - can anyone really imagine this happening in the UK?
QotD: Heartbreaking
How many times have you had your heart broken?
Submitted by BullDogg.
1.5 times.
It seems bizarre to have your heart broken half a time but really, it does get easier.
Random Phone Photography
Vox Hunt: Cityscape
Show us a cityscape.
It's Truro. And it counts as a city because it has a cathedral. You might just be able to spot it in the pic…
Baking Daleks
Last Saturday, my morning of indolence was disturbed by the unexpected arrival of a parcel. Inside was a kit for baking Dalek biscuits from Vanessa & Raz. I'd left a comment on Vanessa's Flickr stream a few weeks back, saying how much I fancied the biscuits. And she presented me with the chance to bake my own.
Thanks, Vanessa!
That evening, while Lorna was on the 'phone, I baked 'em up. It was somewhat challenging, as much of my kitchen equipment is packed away prior to us putting the flat on the market. No mixing bowl (I used a measuring jug) and no baking tray (I used a roasting dish). Not even a rolling pin.
It was a lot more fun than I expected, though, even if the biscuits themselves were slightly disappointing. I've cleaned the mould, though, and I'll have another go with my own cookie recipe, oh yes. Nothing can stop me now!
Graveside Reflections
It really doesn't get much more easy with time.
It's funny, but few events in my life have defined it so completely as Dad's death nearly six years ago did. It changed everything. How I view myself. How I view my future. How I view my priorities.
It's very easy to live in a bubble of unreality when you're young, unaware of how short time really is. Losing an immediate family member (relatively) young bursts that bubble.
Would I have taken my current job if Dad hadn't died? Possibly not. But if there's one thing that death teaches you, it's that opportunities are limited and every one you pass up is one less that you'll have.
Miss you, Dad.
A Real-Life Hobbit Hole
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Razor Clams
Listen While You Work
Why? Well, I wanted to catch some Gershwin being played on Radio 3, and the sound quality of the radio-accessory beats streamed internet radio hands down.
I'm hugely impressed by the interface, as one would expect. It makes hopping around between stations so very easy.
And yes, I'm aware that listening to Radio 3 makes me middle-aged. Thanks for pointing that out.