The main bit of this post centres around a very lovely evening out on Thursday! 
I'd missed Luce's birthday (was in Germany as opposed to just being rubbish!) so we did a belated surprise.. met on teh Jubiliee Line and then trucked down to Covent Garden. After a momentary distraction by all the shoe shops we went to Belgo for food.. joined at this point by Andy and his many stories of Ibiza!
Then off to the Theatre Royal for a bit of Rob and Aaron... you need to know at this point that we are all HUGE west Wing fans (apart from Luce strangely.. hmmm), so Kate, Sarah, Rob and Emma joined up for a little look at the stageplay of Sorkin's military story.
Was OK.. some rubbish casting (no chemistry with Rob and the slightly gauky girl).. some utterly superflous marching, climbing and hoisting going on (all in uniform!).. but its a good story and was enjoyed pretty much all round.
Anyway: to cut to the chase this story is mainly about the (very) Few Good Men I met on Wednesday and Thursday! First up was heading for cell, get to car, flat tyre. Start to change tyre.. drunk but very pleasant man comesa nd finishes the job.. Very lovely of him (it was raining!).. I need to point out that my cell boys did offer but the guys was already fixing by then. Gave him a lift to the "Offy" and was on my way! A good man!
On Thursday- less good. Got a late train back and was interrupted at about Mill Hill by some white dude accusing a black guy of kicking him (whilst putting feet on seat!). Now clealry the moral is about abiding by Thameslink's rules.. but..
Anyway the row escalates to the point where the guys are leaning into each other and fronting up.. three men sitting around shuffle behind their newspapers so guess who gets involved. Rightly or wrongly I thought that a little lighthearted intervention may ease the situation.. it did.. they backed off each other and were being a bit more reasonable. Then one of the passive newspaper readers (who happens to be an American, ironically sitting reading the Times under a camouflage baseball hat) comes to life and tells me to go away as I'm being annoying- that they are OK, but I'm annoying him!
Aforementioned white bloke takes the opportunity to shift blame onto me as he leaves the carriage (they all get off at St Albans.. clearly all antisocial behaviour is done by kids on poor estates!). The black guy looks apologetic and says thank you. American guy leaves the train looking smug. I try to hold it together for the rest of the journey. I fail.
Even two days on I cannot begin to describe my sense of injustice- I'm aware that we played out the nature of global affairs on that train- but I feel really personally affronted. To be chastised by some wimpish tosser for doing what surely he should have done... to be called annoying for sticking up for peace/ lack of fighting.. to be maligned for stopping some drunken racism... OK so I'm overreacting. I was just really disappointed... maybe it is the age of alternative beatitudes: "buggered are the peacemakers.... " you can insert your own thoughts about sons of God!
I'd missed Luce's birthday (was in Germany as opposed to just being rubbish!) so we did a belated surprise.. met on teh Jubiliee Line and then trucked down to Covent Garden. After a momentary distraction by all the shoe shops we went to Belgo for food.. joined at this point by Andy and his many stories of Ibiza!
Then off to the Theatre Royal for a bit of Rob and Aaron... you need to know at this point that we are all HUGE west Wing fans (apart from Luce strangely.. hmmm), so Kate, Sarah, Rob and Emma joined up for a little look at the stageplay of Sorkin's military story.
Was OK.. some rubbish casting (no chemistry with Rob and the slightly gauky girl).. some utterly superflous marching, climbing and hoisting going on (all in uniform!).. but its a good story and was enjoyed pretty much all round.
Anyway: to cut to the chase this story is mainly about the (very) Few Good Men I met on Wednesday and Thursday! First up was heading for cell, get to car, flat tyre. Start to change tyre.. drunk but very pleasant man comesa nd finishes the job.. Very lovely of him (it was raining!).. I need to point out that my cell boys did offer but the guys was already fixing by then. Gave him a lift to the "Offy" and was on my way! A good man!
On Thursday- less good. Got a late train back and was interrupted at about Mill Hill by some white dude accusing a black guy of kicking him (whilst putting feet on seat!). Now clealry the moral is about abiding by Thameslink's rules.. but..
Anyway the row escalates to the point where the guys are leaning into each other and fronting up.. three men sitting around shuffle behind their newspapers so guess who gets involved. Rightly or wrongly I thought that a little lighthearted intervention may ease the situation.. it did.. they backed off each other and were being a bit more reasonable. Then one of the passive newspaper readers (who happens to be an American, ironically sitting reading the Times under a camouflage baseball hat) comes to life and tells me to go away as I'm being annoying- that they are OK, but I'm annoying him!
Aforementioned white bloke takes the opportunity to shift blame onto me as he leaves the carriage (they all get off at St Albans.. clearly all antisocial behaviour is done by kids on poor estates!). The black guy looks apologetic and says thank you. American guy leaves the train looking smug. I try to hold it together for the rest of the journey. I fail.
Even two days on I cannot begin to describe my sense of injustice- I'm aware that we played out the nature of global affairs on that train- but I feel really personally affronted. To be chastised by some wimpish tosser for doing what surely he should have done... to be called annoying for sticking up for peace/ lack of fighting.. to be maligned for stopping some drunken racism... OK so I'm overreacting. I was just really disappointed... maybe it is the age of alternative beatitudes: "buggered are the peacemakers.... " you can insert your own thoughts about sons of God!
Comments
I really enjoyed the play. It was interesting to see how he used a lot of the script later in The West Wing.
Jude- you are entirely right to be annoyed. I am annoyed for you. I don't know though- it got me thinking- actually a lot of the time when we do the just/honest thing, we are rewarded (or at least respected) - but that's probably not being light in a dark place- more like being light in an ambiently lit place...anyone still with me?...prob not...wittering...