...the new Maria: Absolutely brilliant! The best choice won, by far. She was the only one who could sing in key and did so persistently. She is also already a trained musical artist and an all-round likeable person. Well, that is before all this commotion possibly inflates her ego. Here's to Connie!

...the most annoying things on the tube: At first, I thought it must be people who try to squeeze themselves into the carriage before letting people off, but that is just a momentary annoyance, isn't it? (Unless you're a person who broods ill-will for months) However, people who sit down next to you and SMELL, really badly, are the most annoying to me. Because you can bet they are going the exact same route as yourself, so you cannot get rid of them either. How about a wash? How about NOT eating a ton of garlic the night before you go to work? How about brushing you teeth and making sure you eat food you can actually digest properly?

...the new series of Spooks: I am very eagerly awaiting every new episode. I love this show and have been aware of the...uhm...tension between Harry and Ruth since series two, so my romantic self would like to see something happening there. Seems like the writers may finally be caving in to what the actors have been treating us to for a long time.

...online grocery shopping: Fabulous when it actually works! Must post pictures of my first attempt. A little bit afraid when the guy brought four boxes of groceries to my door and all the carrier bags filled our kitchen floor. Oops.

Labels: Lloyd-Webber, musicals, nicola walker, online shopping, peter firth, Spooks, theatre, tube, TV

Last night I played poker, which was nice. I came fourth out of eleven. Not bad for someone who's never played poker 'live' before. Then again, I only won one hand and basically sat out most of the rest. :-)

I have started working real shifts, which is also nice, because it means I've become more of a 'real' employee. Unfortunately it means I will have to work six days in a row. Actually, I don't really mind. Working Sundays, however, is a bit strange because the tube isn't as active and it sort of feels like you pop by work on your day off. Which makes the day fly by, of course.

I am thinking of getting a satellite dish. When I have the money. Far off into the distant future, in other words. I would like to be able to watch Norwegian telly here. There are a few things I miss about that, you see. But it'll cost me, so it's definitely a project for the future.

Considering going to see MI:III tomorrow and possibly X3 during the weekend, although I have a feeling I will wait until after the Bank Holiday. I am really looking forward to the latter and since I heard from a very reliable source (hi, Cato!) that the former is a must-see, I really have no choice. Darn. *winks*

Current track: The theme tune for the Paul O'Grady Show

Labels: film, personal, tube, TV

I know there are so many other things going on in this world that it's very silly being annoyed at little things, but I have a sore throat and will have one for two more days and then it'll turn into a full-blown cold and I'm not looking forward to that.

As I was walking to the tube after work today, I very quickly realised I was walking behind one very sweaty man indeed. I walked briskly past him and aimed for the front carriage as I was pretty sure I would get rid of him that way.

Well, guess what. Of all the seats on all of the six or seven carriages, he sat down right next to me. Luckily he got off at the next station. Unfortunately he was replaced by a man with very bad breath.

I think people who have bad breath should be banned from public places if they can't learn to keep their mouths shut. I mean, seriously, smelling something very much like dog shit coming out of someone's mouth is really disgusting. I dread having bad breath myself and would rather cover my mouth or turn my head when laughing or talking to people, and I truly hope that if it turns out my breath is horrible, someone would tell me.

And I just had a long chat on the phone with a friend whom I haven't seen for a couple of years, so all is well. Feels good!

Another thing which feels good, is the prickly feeling of glee when I see the posters for the new X-Men film popping up on my way to work. And someone said something about the first Evita posters being put up these days! Eeeeek! How will I survive the show itself? I will probably have a seizure and be carried out of there within the first three minutes.

Current track: Some Motown-sounding piece of music.

Labels: evita, film, musicals, personal, theatre, tube

As a tourist in London, you are probably bound to use the tube quite a lot. As I'm kind of past the "tourist" stage (a few visits back, I'd say), I've developed into one of those who should start to know their way around the LU (London Underground). However, there is this small problem in the way - I'm sort of rubbish at orienting myself. (Whether it be towards the east or not *winks*) Mix that with the usual stubborn determination I have to seem like a veteran Londoner (falls through every time, believe me - I have no clue as to where or even who I am at the end of the day) (ooh, reminds me of Les Mis) and I often get lost when trying to find my bearings. I choose the wrong exit most of the time (Piccadilly Circus is fun) but it has brought me to some interesting places I would have missed otherwise. Also, I've got the time of the world when I'm visiting London - I usually just pass time until the next show.

There are other things about the tube as well. They're called passengers. Some of them are weird. Quite a lot, if not most, in the Central London area are tourists. They look as bewildered as a newborn baby, although not crying as much. Yesterday, as I was heading for Paddington in order to catch the Heathrow Express, this ordinary looking man in his mid-twenties sat down next to me and started reading a magazine. Soon after his index finger found its way to one of his nostrils. It dug. Then it dug some more. I was watching all of this in the mirror image in the opposite window. I was getting nervous as to where the finger was heading next. The whole trip became ridiculous, as this repeated itself several times. He also picked his ears and by the time he started digging into the corner of his left eye I decided it was time for me to leave.

Travelling itself is just a whole lot of waiting around. Waiting for trains, buses, planes, lifts, check-in time etc. I bet about two fifths of my trip was spent waiting for something (that includes sleep; sometimes it's just passing time, waiting to wake up). But it was ok; lots of time to think and relax. Unfortunately the only channel I could receive well enough in my hotel room was Channel Five, which is kind of boring to watch. I don't know how I did it, but I managed to watch the same episode of Home and Away twice. I have to admit I was very bored at that point. I don't even know where in the series they are; last time I watched that show I was staying in Belgium for the summer and was only watching it because the others in the house were watching it religiously and there was nothing else to do. There was one show I just had to watch on BBC1, though, even though the reception was bad, and that was Friday Night with Jonathan Ross - I listen to his radio show every Saturday but I obviously don't get to see his TV show over here, so whenever I can (which is about once a year) I watch that show. Anyway, I didn't go there to watch a lot of telly but it's nice to have something to do when "lounging" after a long day of walking.

Because, yes - I couldn't avoid my usual long walks this time either. I don't know what it is, but every time I go somewhere I always end up walking a lot. That way I get to see a lot of whatever town I'm in, but my feet and back are killing me by the end of the day and I usually get sleepy at around nine, which is a drag if you're going to actually do something during the evening.

Current track: Fatboy Slim - Song for Chesh

Labels: holiday, tube

Crazy old bat upstairs has made her alarm go off. The security alarm. She refuses to open the door, silly sod. Until the security people come, after more than half an hour (which is VERY alarming, pun intended), and start threatening her about forcing the door open. She must be deaf by now.

Some lady in a watch shop downtown talked about me today: "...and give it to the woman over there." I was thinking "woman? Where?" I've just not got used to the fact that some people, especially children and those in posh watch shops, call me a woman, not a girl. Oh, well. Guess the anti-wrinkle daycream doesn't work. *winks*

I was fixing my watch, that's why I was there. I've been without a working watch for two years now, and most people, including myself, don't understand how I can manage without. So finally I went to the shop and bought a black leather strap (not an original brand strap, because I don't like wearing the metal kind) and got them to change batteries. And voilà! I know what time it is wherever I go, without having to rely on my mobile or the VCR. I am free at last!

On the tube back home two teenage girls were talking about what courses they're going to take next year (school's out as of today), of which one was "older history". Clearly they're going to the same kind of sixth form as I did. Older history is a subject covering "everything" up to 1850. Newer history is covered the following year. Anyway, one of the girls said, apparently being serious, "not a damn thing happened before 1850 anyway!" I couldn't help but laugh. Being teenagers, they didn't even notice as they were too busy in their own little world. Which reminds me. You know when "grown-ups" (i.e. those who've been through hell and back, AKA "their teens") complain about teenagers and how incredibly annoying they are and "at least we behaved when I was a teenager." Bull. I'm sorry to say this, but it seems like we all forget all the bad times when we grow up (like, wasn't summer always sunny when you were a child?) I bet if you speak to your parents/uncles/friends from when you were a teenager yourself, you'd be told that you weren't as sensible and well-behaved as you'd like to believe. I know I wasn't. I think I wasn't as bad as the teens of today (puh-leeze, we're talking ten years ago), but I'm wrong. I threw lots of tantrums. I called my parents names. I was awfully self-absorbed, as were all of my friends. We like to think we made more sense than today's teens, that we were actually discussing "deeper issues", but most of them weren't as deep as we'd like them to have been. Also, I distinctly remember talking about these things privately, not on the bus or in class, meaning there's a strong possibility that the brats youngsters you hear chatting about clothes, parties and the opposite sex (yes, most gay teenagers are too scared to come out, it's a confusing enough time as it is, and so they too discuss the opposite sex) actually are able to discuss more serious matters. Remember that you're the uncoolest of the uncool and there's no way you could possibly understand what they're going through. You disagree with me, don't you? Well, if you've been there, done that, don't you think that means you've actually gone through the exact same thing? I know I have, so I desperately try to shrug it off when a bunch of them enter the train and start shouting and laughing and pretending they own the place and think that the rest of us are useless adults who don't know anything because we're so lame. I find watching documentaries about teenagers help understanding them. And understanding me, when I was at that age. I just wish they'd listen to us when we tell them "don't do that. You will regret it, believe me." But hey, most of us found out by ourselves and got through it all right, didn't we? The funny thing is, you'll go through this all your life, or at least until you're so old there are hardly anyone left that's older than you and who can say "I remember when I was your age; if I knew then what I know now..."

When I got off the train, we were about twenty people there, but this girl approached me (Bob knows why) and begged me to buy her a pack of fags. I said I was sorry, even though I wasn't, but I just couldn't help her. I was actually thinking I would be helping her more if I didn't buy her the smokes, but I was carrying a bag which obviously contained a couple of bottles of booze and so I thought I shouldn't give her a lecture after all. *smiles* It was just one more of those "I wish you'd actually listen to me" moments. I know she'll regret having even started smoking in a few years' time, but saying "I told you so" doesn't help at all. Reading The Runaway Jury made me realise Grisham has a very good point: No one starts smoking when they're grown-up. The whole peer pressure thing is very scary. Personally, I was even more stupid, because there was no one pressuring me into smoking, I was just bored and wanted to try something else, so I started smoking all on my own; none of my friends smoked regularly and I was the only one who after a while smoked out of parties. Silly git. In about eight and a half years my lungs and general health will be at the same point they would have been if I'd never lit that first cigarette. It actually takes ten years. Everyone tells us it's dangerous to smoke, yet since we apparently start during our teens, we think we're invincible and that cancer is something that happens to old people, other people. Good thing there's no law against sheer stupidity; about one third of this country would be in prison because of that, in addition to those stupid enough to already be imprisoned, of course. *gnashes her teeth*

Current track: Erasure - Voulez-vous (Brain Stem Death Test Mix)

Labels: history, humour, literature, personal, tube

(Ten points to those who know from which film I've taken that quote.)

I feel bad. I've bought my first pair of Levi's ever. Then I bought another pair of Nike shoes. Have I become obsessed by brands all of a sudden, I ask myself, and the reply I get is this: "They actually DO last a lot longer." So I guess it's ok after all.

I wish the drivers of the tube trains would stop giving us vital information in the middle of a tunnel - people hardly understand what they're saying when the trains have stopped, let alone when they're in motion! I fart in their general direction.

Ooh, that reminds me. I've got this mental list of expressions (most of them derived from Monty Python) that I use frequently. I fart in their/your general direction is one of those. Others include I can't believe it's not butter! Tastes just like a dead crab! and Ya-dee-bucket-y, ram-dim-dooh, ni-ni-ni, aroo! and Now don't do it again! (one of the Roman soldiers said that in Life of Brian) and He has a wife, you know. Do you know what she's called? Incontinentia. Incontinentia Buttocks. and Well, aren't we a little teapot. (from In & Out) and Look at my hand! (also from In & Out) and Start again! (followed by an impersonation of a clown waving his hand - from an obscure episode of Flying Circus) and Oh, darn. (Tim Allen says that at one point in Galaxy Quest) and Play nicely! (Jason Isaacs in the second Harry Potter film) and lots of others.

I was considering asking for the huge sign for La Cage as I went past the theatre earlier today, but then I got a grip and realised it would have looked really silly (and big) hanging from my balcony, AND the board probably wouldn't approve of my putting it there anyway. Bugger.

Current track: Listening to Le Placard on telly. Can't say I understand much of it.

Labels: comedy, film, jason isaacs, Monty Python, musicals, theatre, tube

Why we didn't wait another five minutes, I don't know, but we got off the tube train downtown and went outside, where it was pouring kittens and mittens. We walked to the cinema (one of us couldn't run in her high heels...and it wasn't me) to pick up some tickets (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, June 16 - yes, it's late but bear in mind it opens just five days prior to that over here, for some twisted reason.) By the time we went out of there again it had stopped raining and we were soaked. Well, just about, because I actually dried up pretty soon, even my leather jacket showed no sign of having been rained on a few minutes later. Maybe it wasn't too bad after all. Anyway, after a bit of shopping (long weekend) we went to have some wine and mineral water (yep, I was the soda person today) in the sun. Had a terrific time being completely silly and making up worst-case scenarios for this and that ("what's the most embarrassing thing that could happen to you while watching a play from first row" was very much discussed and we came up with a lot of very ingenious and disgusting answers to that one), slagging other people's clothes (even though I myself looked like something that had been dragged behind a lorry transporting fresh manure), commenting on world events and basically relaxing after a...not very productive week at work, coming to think of it, but then again...we had fun. :-) Summer could have arrived, so we're enjoying every glimpse of the sun before wanting to hide indoors from all the heat. *rolls her eyes* Will we ever learn to enjoy the current weather instead of complaining all the time?

Saw a few more celebrities. One singer (Torhild Sivertsen) and then the Chief of Justice. Aww. Oh, and a few more actors from La Cage, but that was to be expected from where we were sitting, so once again; that doesn't count. Got home at 20:45, so had a very late dinner. At some point, a few years ago, I worked evenings and used to eat at around 23:00. Of course, I also got up at around noon (or even later), so my whole rhythm went askew. There's no way I could do that now. I'm thinking if I ever get a job where I'll be working evenings (I wish) I just have to get up at eight or nine in the morning or else I'll go mad. Well, perhaps not, but it would be annoying. I don't have to worry about that just yet, though. ;-) Have a great evening!

Current track: Last week's Jonathan Ross Radio 2 show

Labels: film, humour, name-dropping, personal, tube

Yay! I was actually going downtown to buy some shoes (or shoen - been reading Mother Tongue again) but then something happened with the Tube and I decided against going with the bus. Instead, I went back home after work and the weather was so nice (I know, just about 14 degrees centigrades, but that feels like a lot right now) that I bought some ice cream and some cloths and cleaned my balcony (using the cloths, not the ice cream.) After about half an hour it looked rather shiny and I could sit down and read while eating the ice cream. Beautiful weather; the birds were chirping, some dogs were barking, and I remembered how much I had enjoyed last summer - sitting on my balcony reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix all day long. Aww. I also remember how incredibly hot it was and especially the exceptional thunderstorms we had; I spent a few evenings in hiding, hoping for the best. The lightning never struck our house (even though it's the tallest building for miles around) but there were a couple of blackouts during those weeks. This year is going to be even hotter.

Oh, and we've booked tickets for another two performances of La Cage aux Folles. I bet I'll go at least once more on my own, just to make it an even...eight? Hmm. Anyway, there's something new about the show every time so I just can't afford to stay away. Sounds like a very bad reason, I know, but I don't care. It's bloody brilliant and it annoys me that they're not going to film it, so I have to remember it somehow.

I also booked tickets for a few shows in London in September; I'd love to see Les Misérables, at least as long as Michael McCarthy is with the show; but apart from that I have of course bought tickets for a couple of performances of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. There are a few other plays I'd like to see around that time, but I'm not sure about the dates just yet.

The point about going to London, though, is to buy lots of Polo mints. Naturally. :-)

Back to politics, of sorts: The Mullah Krekar, still living in Oslo even though he's suspected for all kinds of terrorism, has finally decided that he does not wish to speak to the media any longer. About time; the less media coverage he gets, the better. What made him tick? Why, the fact that the stand-up comedienne Shabana Rehman lifted him for about two seconds during a debate earlier this week. All he could say was "not good, not good."

On a happier note, owning a dog could save your life: This elk hound fended off a large bear in order to protect her owner. Well done!

Current track: Listening to the news.

Labels: animals, current affairs, literature, musicals, personal, theatre, tube

Aah. So, what do you want to read? Talk about reading; I was supposed to be reading some books this week, but most of the week is gone and all I've done is coughing and shivering and sitting by this blasted machine. I'm in need of some serious slapping-about. I should have been writing something. I even bought a notepad and a pen the other night as I was waiting for the Tube, but it's for outdoor use only, so I haven't used it yet. Haven't even bothered to go downstairs and check the post today. Bob only knows what I've been doing. Watching some Black Books and My Family episodes, I guess. Oh, and a documentary on the National Geographic Channel. And, embarrassingly enough, this whole week I've been listening to the most popular soap opera in this country. Well, the only one, actually. :-) Listening, because I couldn't care less about the plot. I heard that one of the guys from La Cage is an irregular on the show, and he has popped up this week, so I sort of got stuck with watching a few episodes. When I first saw him on stage I thought "hmm, a young Alan Rickman," so naturally I liked him instantly. *grins* And about Mr. Rickman - I finally saw one of the trailers for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban today and it started out very well with Professor Snape striding into the classroom; always a winner, that one. The film looks as if it'll be a winner, too. I'm really looking forward to it, and the premiére has apparently been pushed forward to June 11 here (June 4 in the UK, previews during the last part of May), so this summer will be spent in the air-conditioned cinemas across town. Wa-hey the lads! (Ever watch Bottom?) Oh, and then the fourth episode of Seks som oss aired just an hour ago; it just keeps getting better. I read in the paper today that they're planning on filming another season. "Some" of the actors have agreed and will return. Betcha Dennis Storhøi isn't one of them. Bet his character does something in the last episode that will prevent him from ever returning to the show. Bastards. *always the optimist* I also meant to buy tickets for La Cage again this week, but I sort of haven't done that yet. What have I been doing, anyway? I told everyone this was what would happen when I had a week off with no plans. Oh well, at least I've been able to relax for a bit. Before going back to a job I really, really dislike at the moment. This wasn't what I was supposed to do, I keep telling myself, but to no avail. I wish I had that sign Dustin Hoffman and Bill Murray have got in Tootsie: That huge sign with lightbulbs all around its edge, that says "WORK". That's what I need. Now, where would I put it?

I guess I should just retreat immediately and go watch Signs. Which is rather crap, by the way, but there's this one scene I'd like to see again and I'm willing to give the film a second chance.

Current track: ABBA - The Name of the Game

Labels: Alan Rickman, comedy, dennis storhøi, film, illness, literature, personal, tube, TV, writing

So I went downtown to see the mystery premiére, but it was all sold out and I thought "well, I'm not going to waste an hour doing absolutely nothing but travelling," and went to one of the other cinemas to see what was on. Love Actually was showing at that exact time, so I bought a ticket and sat down with a big grin on my face, basically because I knew what was going to happen for the next two hours and ten minutes. It was as good as the first time I saw it, and thank Bob I had already seen it once, because someone sitting behind me kept telling his date what was going to happen next. Highly annoying, people like that. Another thing, and I'm trying not to sound snobbish here; people who just can't sit still and/or shut up during the dramatic scenes should probably just wait till the film is released on DVD, when they can fast forward through those scenes they so obviously don't understand anyway. *grr*

I think I'm attracting weird people. Lately, as I have used the Tube quite a lot, I have started noticing all the strange people onboard. Today I managed to share a seat with a really ugly man who apparently thought he was God's gift to women and just had to sit with his legs as far apart as he could. Then there was this nervous man who clung to his papers and kept making "ssst"-sounds. Last, but not least, the man opposite of me kept picking his nose and eating the contents when he thought no one could see him. Unfortunately for me, I have very good vision through the corner of my eye and saw the whole thing. When I tried to turn I just saw the same thing in the reflection in the window. Eww.

As I was watching Love Actually I started cringing. Why? Because I once again remembered the time I met Alan Rickman - I still think it's very embarrassing although I am pretty sure he forgot about the whole thing as soon as he turned around. I'm trying to say "oh, well" and actually mean it, but when it comes to meeting him I just can't. The other (more or less) stars that I have encountered I didn't have any problems talking to. Well, apart from when I just couldn't remember the name of Ibsen's most well-known plays as I was talking to Peter Gallagher and he started looking quite puzzled. And the encounter with Philip Quast was just a 100% embarrassing moment, so I try not to think about that one either. Or the time when Patti Lupone ran off with my pen (she later returned.) Then the meeting with the two Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith and my pen just wouldn't work very well. And then I told a bad joke to Michael Ball after which there was this big silence. OK, so most of my encounters have been quite embarrassing. I really should stop. :-)

Current track: Pet Shop Boys - It's a Sin

Labels: Alan Rickman, film, name-dropping, personal, philip quast, tube