I'm getting a wee bit fed up. We're having a few major strikes at the moment, all nationwide and quite annoying. For four and a half weeks, food transporters (the people, not the trucks) have been on strike. One store chain uses their own transporters and could still deliver food to their stores. Unfortunately, this led to everyone shopping in that chain's stores, emptying the shelves faster than their delivery people could fill them up. My local store is a member of that chain, and I've had problems finding more than half of my meagre shopping list on several occasions. Still, at least we've got toilet paper. When the journalists went on strike two weeks ago, some of us started joking about where we'd find toilet paper now. What annoys me about the food transporter strike is that lots more shop assistants have been temporarily laid off than the number of transporters on strike. What about the hospitals and prisons that rely on those transporters? And the fact that lots of farmers have to throw away perfectly good food worth millions every day is just appaling. Where's the solidarity in that? They're a bunch of idiots, especially since they obviously live in their own little world and still think they've got the people's support. Sod that! They should be really ashamed of themselves and stop behaving like children: "They wouldn't give us what we wanted, so we'll stay here crying for a while till mummy picks us up." You should have seen the queue I was standing in today. I didn't mind much; I had the day off and could spend hours there, but people were vicious, I tell you. Old ladies, who are used to cutting the line because...uhmm...well, because they've got pointy elbows and age on their side (apparently), had to wait like the rest of us, even be told that the queue started much further back into the store. It's turning into a sale at Harrod's. Only without the supreme stock. Or anything, really. The brewers went on a strike the other day, so the shops will have even less goods in about a week's time. No beer and no mineral water. Woo-hoo! People who live less than a few hours away from Sweden travel there to stock up on diapers and toilet paper, as opposed to the usual smuggling of cigarettes and booze. And the "every man for himself" mentality is taking over completely. All we need now (touch wood) is that the binmen go on strike, at around the same time the mass transit system breaks down (touch some more wood, please). What a wonderful spring.

Another thing: Why is it that I often end up buying films that haven't been shown on telly for many years, films that I thought was really hard to come by, just weeks or even days before they're shown on telly or rereleased on DVD in a super-duper-4-disc-special-edition? It happens more frequently that I'd like. Today it's The 13th Warrior; I bought it a few weeks ago and today they're showing it on telly. The DVD didn't have ANY bonus material, so now I'm thinking "that was a bit of a waste". Still, buying is better than taping. :-)

That leads me to something else about buying films, or more like collecting them. Some time during their teens, girls tend to become crazed fans of one or usually several people, be it pop idols, actors or athletes. For some reason, it becomes crucial to write their names or at least initials wherever possible. These girls start buying their idols' stuff (not personal belongings, more like films they've appeared in etc.) There also appears a certain need to have their idols' picture everywhere on the walls. This does not stop. It's just that when these girls grow up and start earning money on their own, they try to do it in a more "grown-up way". They're claiming that they've bought a certain top ten album because of "the lyrics", meaning "the singer looks hot." And if they're real fans, whatever that is (and let's not get into a catfight here, ladies! ;-)), they simply have to have everything their idol has ever appeared in/on. I am guilty of this, definitely, but then I'm thinking "do I really have to spend months hunting down a two-minute blurry clip of [insert idol's name here] that is sure to cost me more than I would have earned during those months?" It's a clip!!! It's not going to change anyone's world in any way whatsoever at any point in time! You'll end up sitting there, looking at all the stuff you bought on eBay, thinking "shite". Of course, I've come by a few jewels because of a few minor obsessions; films that I simple love now and that I wouldn't normally have given a second glance.

Yes, I'm raving as usual. I'm off to make supper. Play nicely!

Current track: A1 - Caught in the Middle

Labels: current affairs, film, online shopping