Episodes Watched: March 2013

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So, March has now been and gone. This time of year tends to be where some series end and others begin. For instance those cosy end of winter (although winter is doing its damn best to stick around) programmes, Mr Selfridge and Call the Midwife ended this month (though they’ll both be back) and Doctor Who and Game of Thrones have started up again at the end of the month, to put a spring in our television viewing (see what I did there? Yeah, sorry…) Also this month, I got on with watching more of the US version of The Office, which is far too easy to whizz through as its only 21 minutes an episode. More seriously, I finally switched on to Broadchurch and it is actually really good, good writing from Chris Chibnall, who was also in charge of my favourite season of Torchwood. That’s season 2 in case you are wondering.

Total episodes watched this month: 118 (avg 3.8 eps per day)
Total for the year so far: 340 (3.77 eps per day)

  1. Waterloo Road S08E19

  2. Community S04E04

  3. Funny Business S01E03

  4. Casualty S27E25

  5. Pointless Celebrities – Comic Relief Special

  6. Mr Selfridge S01E08

  7. The Big Reunion S01E05

  8. Being Human S05E04

  9. One Born Every Minute S04E09

  10. Mr Selfridge S01E09

  11. Being Human S05E05

  12. Call the Midwife S02E07

  13. The Railway: Keeping Britain on Track S01E03

  14. Switched at Birth S02E09

  15. Girls S02E08

  16. Black Mirror S02E03

  17. 16 Kids and Counting S01E01

  18. Heading Out S01E02

  19. The West Wing S03E17

  20. The Railway: Keeping Britain on Track S01E04

  21. The Crash S01E01

  22. One Born Every Minute S04E10

  23. This World: America’s Poor Kids

  24. Graham Norton’s Big Chat

  25. Waterloo Road S08E20

  26. The Big Reunion S01E06

  27. How to Get to Heaven with the Hutterites

  28. Glee S04E15

  29. The Planners S01E06

  30. The Big Bang Theory S06E18

  31. Community S04E05

  32. Casualty S27E26

  33. Call the Midwife S02E08

  34. Being Human S05E06

  35. Big Love S01E01

  36. The West Wing S03E18

  37. The West Wing Special Episode

  38. The West Wing S03E19

  39. Mr Selfridge S01E10

  40. Girls S01E09

  41. Switched at Birth S02E10

  42. The Railway – Keeping Britain on Track S01E05

  43. Big Love S01E02

  44. The Crash S01E02

  45. Eastenders 13/03/13

  46. Eastenders 12/3/13

  47. Masterchef S09E01

  48. A Very British Wedding S01E01

  49. Grey’s Anatomy S09E17

  50. Glee S04E16

  51. Community S04E06

  52. The Big Bang Theory S06E19

  53. Red Nose Day 2013

  54. Casualty S27E27

  55. The Big Reunion S01E07

  56. The Planners S01E07

  57. Prisoners’ Wives S02E01

  58. Masterchef S09E02

  59. One Born Every Minute S04E11

  60. The West Wing S03E20

  61. The West Wing S03E21

  62. Girls S02E10

  63. The West Wing S02E22

  64. Educating Essex S01E01

  65. The Railway: Keeping Britain on Track S01E06

  66. Motorway Cops S04E01

  67. In the Flesh S01E01

  68. The Challenger

  69. 16 Kids and Counting S01E02

  70. Born to be Different S08E01

  71. Glee S04E17

  72. Grey’s Anatomy S09E18

  73. Community S04E07

  74. The Planners S01E08

  75. The Big Reunion S01E08

  76. Prisoners’ Wives S02E02

  77. MasterChef S09E03

  78. MasterChef S09E04

  79. Casualty S27E284

  80. Mrs Brown’s Boys S02E03

  81. In The Flesh S01E02

  82. Boris Johnson: The Irresistible Rise

  83. Our Girl

  84. 16 Kids and Counting S01E03

  85. Keeping Britain Alive: The NHS In One Day S01E01

  86. Revolution S01E11

  87. 16 Kids and Counting S01E04

  88. One Born Every Minute S04E12

  89. See Hear S32E38

  90. The Big Reunion S01E09

  91. Horizon 2013-2014 – Mend Me: A Horizon Guide to Transplants

  92. Passover: Why Is This Night Different?

  93. Are You Having A Laugh? – Comedy and Christianity

  94. MasterChef S09E06

  95. MasterChef S09E07

  96. Grey’s Anatomy S09E19

  97. Saturday Night Live S36E22

  98. Saturday Night Live S37E22

  99. Goodbye Television Centre

  100. The Office S07E02

  101. The Office S07E03

  102. The Office S07E04

  103. The Office S07E05

  104. The Office S07E06

  105. The Office S07E07

  106. The Office S07E08

  107. The Office S07E09

  108. Doctor Who S07E06

  109. Prisoners’ Wives

  110. The Office S07E10

  111. The Office S07E11

  112. The Office S07E12

  113. The Lock Up S02E06

  114. Casualty S27E29

  115. Richard Briers: A Tribute

  116. Motorway Cops S04E03

  117. Broadchurch S01E01

  118. Broadchurch S01E02

Farewell BBC Television Centre

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With all this blogging about television, it’s probably no surprise to you to hear that I would like to work in the industry and make television programmes. However, it now looks like even if my plan goes well, I won’t get to work in the Mecca of British TV, BBC Television Centre in West London.

Why? The BBC took the decision some time ago to sell Television Centre, and after a while found a buyer. The building is listed, so it won’t all be going, but it will be turned into shops, cinema, flats and still have a few studios for future filming, but nothing like what has been going on there for the last 53 years.

That bums me out a bit. I can remember so many things that went on in the middle of that question mark, people dancing, Children in Need starting, fireworks… The decor is getting a bit dated, granted, but the whole thing is such an icon of television.

The BBC, slightly strangely in retrospect, broadcasted a 2 hour programme to say farewell to TV Centre on BBC4 hosted by Michael Grade. Strange because 1) it’s a rather quiet place to say farewell to such a significant piece of your company and 2) the programme had more than few people disagreeing with the BBC’s decision to sell TV Centre.

The programme was also 2 hours of mostly talking, with subtitles on iPlayer, so shame on you BBC for that. It also had an awful of people on the sofa at one time, eight at one point! It went through all the different types of programming that had been made at TVC. As you can imagine, that’s pretty much every type going: talk, comedy, children’s, drama, sport, news and so on.

Parts of the show were quite funny. There was archived footage that showed how not to get a job at the BBC: demonstrate how terrorists could plant bombs in television centre. I kid you not! Also, Michael Grade threw Sooty on the floor, which drew gasps from more than a few audience members (and me!) and Philip Schofield almost went scrambling after him.

One thing that many people spoke of was how inspiring the place was, and also that having everyone around in one place meant ideas could just spark off at any time, and the right people to speak to were right there. That just sounds like heaven!

However, production of television has changed a lot in recent times as cameras have gotten lighter and thus more mobile and less equipment and people are needed to produce a programme from start to finish. There isn’t as much need now for a ‘tv factory’ with purpose built studios. If you go on YouTube for instance, amongst all the rather rubbish stuff does still exists, there is some pretty good quality stuff going on there. These days with a bit of nuance and courage, anyone can pick up a camera and create a story on video, edit it on their pc, and have it up for everyone to see within a day. I know this, I’ve done it myself.

So this does seem to be the end of one of the greatest stories in television, a place of dreams and inspiration for many people like myself. I guess I am like many others wishing it wasn’t closing, if only for the purely selfish reason that reduces my chances of ever stepping foot in there when it was TV Centre down to zero.

Learning BSL and feeling closer to my own deaf identity

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Well, something exciting happened… I’ve been published elsewhere, namely The Limping Chicken, which is fast becoming a big news and views site for the Deaf and hard of hearing in the UK, and elsewhere. I’ve put the first bit here, if you want to read the rest, follow the link at the bottom.

Some nine years ago, at the tender age of 15, I decided to look into learning British Sign Language.

I was raised orally, probably because once I had hearing aids in, and had some speech therapy, I was able to cope with normal life in a hearing family and hearing school. Yet there was always a curiosity – a what if?

So at the same time as doing my standard grades, I did my Introduction and Level 1 in BSL, popping up to the headquarters every Friday afternoon.

It was great to learn something, however it was very rare that I had to use it outside the classroom.

Link: Limping Chicken

 

Episodes watched: February 2013

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Much as I predicted last time, partly because I’ve been working full time all month, and partly because I didn’t go racing through a new series, this month has a more normal amount of episodes. I’ve also pretty much only been watching new episodes of series I was already watching, the DVDs have been very neglected this month. It has also been awards season, and somehow I sat through the BAFTAs, the BRITs, and The Oscars. Total watched: 92 (Avg: 3 a day)

Year total so far: 221

  1. Grey’s Anatomy S09E13
  2. Glee S04E12
  3. The Big Bang Theory S06E14
  4. Waterloo Road S08E14
  5. Waterloo Road S08E15
  6. One Born Every Minute S04E05
  7. Casualty S27E21
  8. Ripper Street S01E05
  9. Mr Selfridge S01E04
  10. The Planners S01E01
  11. Girls S02E04
  12. Being Human S05E01
  13. Switched At Birth S02E05
  14. Call the Midwife S02E03
  15. Pramface S02E05
  16. Out of Jail and on the Streets
  17. Climbing Everest with a Mountain on my Back: The Sherpa’s Story
  18. Community S04E01
  19. The Big Bang Theory S06E15
  20. Glee S04E13
  21. Grey’s Anatomy S09E14
  22. The Planners S01E02
  23. Brain Doctors S01E01
  24. Black Mirror S01E01
  25. Black Mirror S01E02
  26. Ripper Street S01E06
  27. Black Mirror S01E03
  28. Casualty S27E22
  29. BAFTA Film Awards 2013
  30. Being Human S05E02
  31. Call the Midwife S02E04
  32. Girls S02E05
  33. Mr. Selfridge S01E05
  34. Mr. Selfridge S01E06
  35. Switched at Birth S02E06
  36. One Born Every Minute S01E06
  37. Pramface S02E06
  38. Black Mirror S02E01
  39. One Born Every Minute S04E07
  40. Tonight 13/02/13
  41. Brain Doctors S01E02
  42. Waterloo Road S08E16
  43. Waterloo Road S08E17
  44. The Big Reunion S01E03
  45. Glee S04E14
  46. The Big Bang Theory S06E16
  47. Grey’s Anatomy S09E15
  48. The Big Reunion S01E01
  49. The Big Reunion S01E02
  50. The Planners S01E03
  51. My Mad Fat Diary S01E01
  52. My Mad Fat Diary S01E02
  53. My Mad Fat Diary S01E03
  54. Community S04E02
  55. My Mad Fat Diary S01E04
  56. My Mad Fat Diary S01E05
  57. My Parents are Aliens S07E19
  58. Once Upon A Time S01E03
  59. Funny Business S01E02
  60. Once Upon A Time S01E04
  61. Mr Selfridge S01E07
  62. Being Human S05E03
  63. Call the Midwife S02E05
  64. The Year of Making Love S01E03
  65. My Mad Fat Diary S01E06
  66. Girls S02E06
  67. Switched at Birth S02E07
  68. Pramface S02E07
  69. Black Mirror S02E02
  70. The Brit Awards 2013
  71. Brain Doctors S01E03
  72. Waterloo Road
  73. Grey’s Anatomy S09E16
  74. The Big Bang Theory S06E17
  75. Community S04E03
  76. The Railway: Keeping Britain on Track S01E02
  77. Casualty S27E23
  78. The Planners S01E04
  79. The Big Reunion S01E04
  80. One Born Every Minute S04E08
  81. Casualty S27E24
  82. Ripper Street S01E07
  83. Call the Midwife S02E06
  84. Ripper Street S01E08
  85. Switched at Birth S02E08
  86. The Oscars 2013
  87. Girls S02E07
  88. Child of Our Time S10E01
  89. Heading Out S01E01
  90. Masterchef: The Professionals Uncovered
  91. The Planners S01E05
  92. Child of Our Time S10E01

My degree is relevant

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I got to visit the BBC Scotland news floor last November rather excitingly, and sit in the gallery watching Reporting Scotland go out live. The woman who showed me round, an old friend of my aunt’s, asked me what degree I did at university. When I told her, “Religious Studies”, she said “What use does that have these days?”. She may have said this jokingly by all means, and she’s not completely wrong, it isn’t the most practical of subjects.

However…

You know what happened that same day, right behind us on the screen, BBC News 24’s big headline? “Justin Welby announced as new Archbishop of Canterbury”. I had a complete Kate fail, forgot to add 2 and 2 together and just had a zero. I think I said something about how I enjoyed it. I failed to point out the headline, or realise the relevance until later.

So I’m saying it now, my degree is relevant.

Especially on days when the Pope resigns. Days where 100 million people look to bathe in a river. More personally when I’m in church and the topic of Religious Education comes up, and the difference between this and teaching a faith. To gain a certain appreciation of society, history, philosophy, literature, politics. It was all there in my degree, that’s why I picked it. That’s why I did it.

Perhaps I should have done something more practical, but I made up in that part later with my postgraduate studies. There’s nothing wrong with learning for the sake of learning. In the end, it often ends up having more practical implications than you could have imagined.

If my job were in The West Wing

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I could regale you with tales every day of what I’m doing, like my friend Jonathan, but it would generally be dreadfully dull, unless you have a thing for filing and archiving. So instead I have been dreaming. What if my job were in an Aaron Sorkin universe, specifically, my favourite:

If my job was The West Wing I would…

Walk and talk: In order to make the moving around the office more interesting, and less of the usual activities in offices around the world where somebody visits somebody in their office, The West Wing became known for major conversations taking place in the corridors. Leo would often say ‘walk with me’, and funnily enough, no one ever said ‘no’, and no one ever got up and had a limp, or  Cerebral Palsy. Whether Josh, Toby or Sam actually needed to go where Leo was going is very questionable. It is good exercise to get out your chair every so often though. I have to force myself out of my chair after a couple of hours of data entry, and also we don’t have miles of corridors in my office, we have one corridor, in a ‘u’ shape. It’s a tiny building. In fact, building is possibly too strong a word, it’s a large portakabin. It’s very nice for a portakabin though. Just no room for walk and talk sadly.

Leave every day feeling like I had done something to change the world: Well, I cannot claim to be working for the leader of the free world, or even in the UK. I am doing something to change the council though, and my workplace, and this is what I have to keep reminding myself. The actual work I’m doing is pretty monotonous and time-consuming, but it has an important part to play in enabling the staff to move out the portakabin and back into the main building. Once all these files are gone, there will space for people to get work done, and also there won’t be any files lying around that shouldn’t be.

Have rousing music whenever I hit another filing or archiving milestone: such as when I finished the Gs. The biggest problem with reality is the lack of background music. I do listen to my iPod when I want to power through something, it’s the only way to keep going and get there sometimes.

Not be looking for another job: Admittedly, the staffers in the West Wing are living at the mercy of elections, but at least they have four years. Sadly, my contract is only for three months. Like so many people these days, I have found it very hard to find a job, any job, let alone one that is permanent and pays well. It does seem that work begets work though, and it is often easier to find a job when you have a job, which is a strange paradox really.

Be Donna: She is the person I feel closest to in character, and I really hope that my life does in some way mirror the way she grew in her job. Don’t think I’ll be having a relationship with my boss in the end though, don’t think that is her thing, what with her being married, 20 years older, etc.

So what have I actually done?

I’ve made an ‘executive toy’ out of all the staples I’ve pulled out of files so far. It’s surprisingly interesting (for an easily amused person like myself) what happens when you put hundreds of used staples in one box together.

I actually think I've doubled the size of this now...

I actually think I’ve doubled the size of this now…

Why use one staple where 5 could do?

The closest I get to it is this:

Unfortunately this doesn’t contain the line featured elsewhere in the episode, “Don’t touch that box!”, which is often how I feel. The boxes are my preciouses. (The episode is Series 3, number 3 by the way, or 4 if you think of Isaac and Ishmael as number 1 that season.).

Episodes Watched: January 2013

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The total of 130 probably wouldn’t have been so high if I hadn’t gone on a massive Switched at Birth binge, and watched every episode available in the space of a week. It’s not often (in fact never) that you find a programme with so many deaf people in it, so it’s a massive sort of role model of a show for me. Otherwise it’s been my usual viewing mixed up with the odd special one off.

  1. The Vampire Diaries S01E11
  2. The Vampire Diaries S01E12
  3. Miranda S03E02
  4. Screen Wipe 2012
  5. Monty Python’s Flying Circus S01E11
  6. Flight of the Conchords S02E07
  7. Flight of the Conchords S02E08
  8. Flight of the Conchords S02E09
  9. Flight of the Conchords S02E10
  10. Scots on the Box S01E01
  11. Scots on the Box S01E02
  12. Queen Victoria’s Children S01E01
  13. The Vampire Diaries S01E13
  14. The Vampire Diaries S01E14
  15. World’s Most Dangerous Roads S03E02
  16. One Born Every Minute S04E01
  17. Queen Victoria’s Children S01E02
  18. Ashes to Ashes S01E01
  19. Ashes to Ashes S01E02
  20. Ashes to Ashes S01E03
  21. Ashes to Ashes S01E04
  22. Climbed Every Mountain
  23. Ashes to Ashes S01E05
  24. Queen Victoria’s Children S01E03
  25. Ashes to Ashes S01E06
  26. The Big Bang Theory S06E12
  27. Ashes to Ashes S01E07
  28. Ashes to Ashes S01E08
  29. Waterloo Road S08E11
  30. The Vampire Diaries S01E15
  31. Casualty S27E17
  32. Ripper Street S01E01
  33. Ripper Street S01E02
  34. Les Miserables Movie Special
  35. Miranda S03E03
  36. The Truth About Magaluf: Stacey Dooley Investigates
  37. Watching Ourselves S02E03
  38. Baby Makers: The Fertility Clinic
  39. Mr Selfridge S01E01
  40. Pramface S02E01
  41. The Undateables S02E01
  42. Growing Up Poor S01E01
  43. Grey’s Anatomy S09E09
  44. Community S03E01
  45. Community S03E02
  46. Community S03E03
  47. Community S03E04
  48. Girls S01E01
  49. Girls S01E03
  50. Girls S01E04
  51. Waterloo Road S08E12
  52. Room 101 S02E01
  53. The Sky at Night: Reaching for the Stars
  54. 16 Kids and Counting
  55. Grey’s Anatomy S09E10
  56. The Big Bang Theory S06E12
  57. Fringe S05E11
  58. Mr. Selfridge S01E02
  59. World’s Most Dangerous Roads S03E03
  60. Miranda S03E04
  61. Community S03E05
  62. One Born Every Minute S04E02
  63. Young, Mormon and Single
  64. The Undateables S02E02
  65. Girls S02E01
  66. Pramface S02E02
  67. Ripper Street S01E03
  68. One Born Every Minute S04E03
  69. Fringe S05E12
  70. Fringe S05E13
  71. Growing Up Poor S01E02
  72. Casualty S27E18
  73. Grey’s Anatomy S09E11
  74. Married in Britain
  75. Casualty S27E19
  76. Funny Business S01E01
  77. Graham Norton Show S12E12
  78. Switched at Birth S01E01
  79. Switched at Birth S01E02
  80. Switched at Birth S01E03
  81. Switched at Birth S01E04
  82. Switched at Birth S01E05
  83. Switched at Birth S01E06
  84. Switched at Birth S01E07
  85. Switched at Birth S01E08
  86. Switched at Birth S01E09
  87. Switched at Birth S01E10
  88. Switched at Birth S01E11
  89. Switched at Birth S01E12
  90. Switched at Birth S01E13
  91. Switched at Birth S01E14
  92. Switched at Birth S01E15
  93. Switched at Birth S01E16
  94. Switched at Birth S01E17
  95. Switched at Birth S01E18
  96. Switched at Birth S01E19
  97. Switched at Birth S01E20
  98. Girls S02E02
  99. Switched at Birth S01E21
  100. Switched at Birth S01E21
  101. Switched at Birth S01E22
  102. Switched at Birth S01E23
  103. Switched at Birth S01E24
  104. Miranda S03E05
  105. Switched at Birth S01E25
  106. Switched at Birth S01E26
  107. Switched at Birth S01E27
  108. Switched at Birth S01E28
  109. Switched at Birth S01E29
  110. Switched at Birth S01E30
  111. Switched at Birth S02E01
  112. Switched at Birth S02E02
  113. Switched at Birth S03E03
  114. Glee S04E11
  115. Pramface S02E03
  116. Call the Midwife S02E01
  117. Ripper Street S01E04
  118. Grey’s Anatomy S09E12
  119. One Born Every Minute S04E04
  120. The Undateables S02E03
  121. Watching Ourselves S02E04
  122. Waterloo Road S08E13
  123. Call the Midwife S02E02
  124. Miranda S03E06
  125. Switched at Birth S02E04
  126. Girls S02E03
  127. Prince Harry: Frontline Afghanistan
  128. Pramface S02E04
  129. Mr Selfridge S02E03
  130. Casualty S27E20

Viewsings in 140 Characters (or less): 20 January 2013

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Two posts in a weekend, you lucky lucky people!

I did indeed watch the whole two hours of Fringe last night, but I can’t write about that yet, I need to digest and work out my feelings on that one. In the meantime, here is the digest of the last week of viewing, which was a phenomenal amount of catch up as I missed a lot over my weekend away.

First of all, I’ve just realised I’ve watched 30 episodes of tv since I got back from London 7 days ago, and I’m really not sure how the heck I managed that. Am I the secret owner of a TARDIS? Oh if wishing made it true.

This is going to be really digested, tweet style, 140 characters or less. Let’s go!

Waterloo Road:

Part of me doesn’t know why I’m still watching this, the plot jumped shark donkeys ago.

16 Kids and Counting:
Best advert for contraceptives, ever. Seriously, way too expensive and time-consuming!

Grey’s Anatomy:
Sadness mixed with happy events. Usual story really.

The Big Bang Theory:
I’m feeling like the girls are getting stupider. Not happy about this.

Fringe:
Episode 11: Massive information dump of a treat for fans, I just love September/Donald.

Ripper Street:
Victorian crime drama, which I’m actually quite enjoying.

Mr. Selfridge:
Man makes shop. Man has a lot of debt. Man charms everyone, but does it charm the Downtonites? Probably.

World’s Most Dangerous Roads:
Phil Jupitus and Marcus Bridgestock go driving in Bolivia. Some cursing ensues, and a lot of petrol issues.

Miranda:
Not the best episode, and also obviously the bottle episode, because they stayed in one room the whole time.

Community:
Yeah, I’m rewatching it. Shoot me. Tis capital-Awesome, especially the one with 6 timelines.

One Born Every Minute:
Beginning to feel like the same story with minor variations, which to be fair it is. Spoiler: The women all give birth in the end.

Young, Mormon and Single:
No sex, no drink, but just as horny.

The Undateables:
Remarkably unpatronising show on the difficulties of looking for love when disabled in some way. Also has wonderful funny moments.

Girls:
It’s BACK! Hannah and pals continue to bumble through life in the Big Apple. Shoshanna is now my favourite.

Pramface:
It’s not all that funny sometimes (trying too hard), but it is oddly sweet.

Growing Up Poor: Lads
Lads are much more aggressive! The girls got pregnant, the boys angry. Really hope that Frankie makes it though, such determination.

Casualty:
Unfeasible drama: doctor installs a pacing wire 10 mins after his girlfriend dies. Still oddly love it though.

Married in Britain:
Isn’t this a fantastic country if so many cultures can feel at home here? Shame the tories are trying to stop this.

Funny Business:
A look behind the curtain at the murkier side of comedy, and how the comedians make their money. Kind of scary stuff.

Graham Norton:
It takes some skill to interview three different people at once. GN pulls it off with aplomb, and Hoult nearly gave out his email address!

Switched At Birth:
New to me this. US family drama with deaf issues being prominent, which makes it interesting to me. 6 episodes in, enjoying it so far!

Whoo!! That was a whirlwind! Feel a bit more caught up now though. Will try to get my RIP Fringe post out in the next week.

Later folks!

*Whizzes past like road runner*

Les not so Miserables

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I have unfortunately already failed in one of my new year’s resolutions. I tried to make NYRs that were actually achievable things I want and need to do, but still, no resolve here. The resolution broken is to write this blog at least twice a week. Oh well. Here I am now.

I do have some excuse. I was in London for the weekend, from Thursday to Sunday, and then started work full time on Monday, so things have been rather jam packed and I’m still not entirely caught up on all the missed tv!

I am now biding my time until 1.10am BST, which is when the last two episodes of Fringe will be aired in the UK, at the same time (roughly) as they are broadcast across the pond. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stay up for it, work has knackered me out every other night, but I think I’m going to make it! So I figure I will update my little corner of the internet in the meantime.

So yes, I am no longer a tv-watching bum, I’m a tv-watching person with a job. The job is sorting files for the local council. Not the most exciting thing, but I’m good at it, it’s not stressful, can actually be quite satisfying and I don’t have to be on the phone at all. Also, weirdly, it pays better than the far more stressful job I had in Aberdeen. So no real complaints here.

Today I finally caught up with my mum, after work we went for dinner. Then afterwards I decided to go and see Les Miserables. My mum didn’t come with me, not so much her thing, but I think the cinema is quite an acceptable thing to do by yourself. It’s not like you can talk during the film anyway, and afterwards I’m usually quite quiet as I digest what I’ve seen and/or I wake up. So what did I think?

Well, based on the trailer, I was expecting and I got, the film in one wonderful word: sumptuous. The production values are high, and I felt like could swim in the colour. The cast are really good, with particular scene stealing from the ladies, Anne Hathaway and Samantha Barks shone in their solos, but I did feel that Russell Crowe was a bit of a weak link. I have watched the 25th Anniversary Concert, and the man who sung Javert in that, Norm Lewis, has a very strong voice, strong stance and presence, with the menace that is needed in the role. Crowe just didn’t match up so well, he seemed to lack a certain foundation in his character. He was not particularly bad, it’s just that this is a musical that is completely sung (as opposed to a bit of speaking, a bit of singing, like Sound of Music), so it’s worth having people who can really sing. But really, I’m nitpicking here, because the whole thing was amazing otherwise, and I love that it brings the musical out to the wider world beyond London’s West End, so that anyone can see it, and for cheaper than it would cost in London. I’m sure there will be awards for it, though in what I’m not sure, the fields it’s competing in are pretty strong this year.

And it will make you come out humming “Can you hear the people sing?”. Yes you can, they’ve all been to Les Mis.

When I came out the cinema, I found myself in the snow that I had begun to think would never come. We’d been waiting for it all week at my work.

Hogmanay Obstacles

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For those of you not up with the Scottish lingo, Hogmanay is New Year’s Eve, and in Scotland it is just as celebrated, if not more so, as Christmas. I only found this out the other day, but Christmas Day wasn’t even a public holiday in Scotland until 1958, whereas New Year’s Day, and January 2nd, have been for longer. Yeah that’s right, we have two days off for new year! According to my cousin who lives in England, most shops will be open there on January 1st, and she had a hell of time trying to get the day off. Here in Edinburgh, and I assume the rest of Scotland as well, there would really be no point going into town to go shopping. At best there will be a few newsagents open. All this is just a way of saying when it comes to New Year celebrations, Scotland beats everywhere else hands down. As long as you’re doing it right. Which I managed this year.

This year I tagged on to my cousins’ plans, first at a flat party to warm up for the night, then into town and on the Royal Mile for the bells and great fireworks. We propped up the bar in the Mitre immediately before and after, and then went on to City Cafe near the Tron, a place of happy 2012 memories incidentally, as that’s where I went with Napier Drama Society after our very successful run of shows at Easter time.

Fireworks to bring in 2013

Fireworks to bring in 2013

But what got me laughing was the obstacle course that was naturally springing up around me, when I was trying to get to the loo while tipsy, and get to the bus at the end of night. To be honest, it’s probably not unique to this time of year, just amplified by the sheer numbers that are out. So here they are:

1) Snogging couples. Here I will reveal myself to be a hypocrite: I’m not keen on seeing PDA, but yet if it’s me that’s involved, I actually quite like it. The snogging couple is not too bad usually, they tend to stay in one place so you can get round them quite easily. It’s just they’re a bit like a car crash on the motorway, you can’t help but slow down and look. Or is that just me?

2) Dancers. This is bit more difficult, because generally they are moving around unpredictably, and depending on how much alcohol they’ve had, quite erratically. I find it’s generally best to sort of dance through them yourself, aiming in the right direction as best you can, and hoping that no one thinks it would be a good idea to suddenly twirl you, lest you lose control of your bladder.

3) Bar crowd. This is dependent on where the bar is, and how busy it is. For this it’s best just to be direct and have elbows out. At my height of 5ft 1’, it can be quite hard to cut through a crowd, because I’m not in a lot of people’s eyelines. I’ve probably scared the shit out of quite a few folks over the years shouting ‘excuse me’ as I appear at their elbow. Sorry about that, but needs must.

4) Drunk people who can’t walk in a straight line. We all know this one, we’ve probably all been that person at some point, wandering all over the pavement. At the end of the night, we were trying to get home, so we figured we’d just start walking in the right direction and see what happened. I had in the back of my mind that there were free night buses til 4am, which proved to be pretty handy at 3.50am, when we finally got to Elm Row and had walked passed not one, but two taxi queues miles long. However I had wondered if we’d ever get there, given the difficulty of overtaking all the wobbly drunks. I had sobered up pretty much, and had my walking head on, but even then it was difficult, as you think, ‘right, they’re going over to the right, I’ll head left, oh no wait, ah!’, as they inevitably wandered in front of you again. This was pretty much the case the whole way.

5) The door to the ladies toilet getting blocked. This one was unique to myself last night, but it did make me laugh at myself as well. After negotiating all of the above pretty much at City Cafe, and the stairs, while tipsy, no mean feat, I put my hands out to push open the door to the loos and found myself hitting resistance. And like a small child who isn’t learning, I kept pushing on it, and eventually said ‘I want in’ in the most pathetic voice ever. At that point, the door finally opened, and I was faced by a rather mean faced girl, almost as if I shouldn’t be there in a public toilet, and got to do my business. But afterwards I had to laugh at myself and my reaction to the whole door thing. It was an unexpected obstacle and not well overcome by myself really.

Thanks to that free night bus, we got home just after 4am (and saved the extortionate taxi fare), at the exact same time as my folks, which was a pleasant surprise. Today has consisted of mostly being lazy, and then steak pie dinner (I don’t eat beef though, so I had to have quiche) at my aunties, which was a great meal, and good company. A very Scottish new year really.

I’m sorry to hear my friend Jonathan didn’t have such a great night in Paris. He should come for an Edinburgh Hogmanay, we’d show him a good time.