Some events are just ill-fated. This was obviously one - when I saw Eat Zagi advertised, I thought - this looks interesting, was at something like it on Broadway once. Theatre centred around a dinner, where you're one of the guests - maybe the food isn't anything to shout about, but the conversation is guaranteed to be interesting!
So was the booking process, when the bank saw my transaction and thought - hey, that looks odd! So they blocked my card. I called them, at 2am, to compliment them on their sharp-sightedness, and assure them that this was a valid transaction. Handily enough, in the meantime, I found a £5 discount code - "EnjoyFunzing5". They also have "EnjoyFunzing10", which gives a £10 discount. And so I was all set for tonight.
So anyway, I was back at Ireland for the weekend - and sure enough, with the cold, the damp, and the draughtiness of my mother's house, I've come back with an inconvenient cold. Surviving, but not up to making witty dinner conversation with actors tonight. I've had to cancel. Hey, it's the thing I was least bothered about going to, this week!
Tomorrow, cold permitting, I'm headed for Sex with Strangers at Hampstead Theatre. First Meetup of the year with London Dramatic Arts. Dunno, I think it was that she had seats at both levels of the theatre, so it would've been too hard to avoid them..
On Wednesday, the Man with the Hat is starting the month again. Let's Do London - for less! is off to the Opera House for La Traviata.
On Thursday, he's taking both that group and London for Less Than a Tenner to Cadogan Hall for a concert involving the works of Brahms and Elgar, among others.
Friday promises to be unusual.. it's that late-night storytelling event at the Wellcome Collection. Tickets were all free, and are now all gone. I was too late to get a ticket for Ben Haggerty's storytelling performance, but I've booked the second, as well as the first and third talks. Anyway, there's tons of non-ticketed stuff on.
And finally, on Saturday, I'm finally going to the much-advertised British Museum Tour - Ideas That Made our World. A Funzing event, as advertised by two of their Meetup groups - London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @ Night. So I booked with both..
Monday, 30 January 2017
Friday, 27 January 2017
Storytelling: Rebranding Beelzebub
Wow, it's ages since I booked Rebranding Beelzebub. October, in fact, when I'd only just handed in my notice, and didn't yet have another job to go to. So this was quite optimistic, since I didn't know at the time whether I'd still be in London. But hey, it was the Crick Crack Club, and if I were to stay, I was pretty much guaranteed to go to this.
And so the night finally rolled around, last night. Crouch End, again - one of four events they scheduled up there, and only advertised on Meetup this week! I live closer now, which was reassuring, cold as the weather has been - I was to discover that although my journey was quicker, it still wasn't quick; it used to be train, Tube, and bus - now it's just Tube and bus, or a combination of buses - almost as fast, and of course cheaper. So that's what I did.
For the free WiFi, I stayed in the office until it was time to leave, then wended my way around to Charing Cross Road to catch the 29. Pretty damn cold, again, and although I'd left early, the bus was a bit delayed, and I became worried about making it on time. However, Google Maps proved pessimistic for both my buses, both arriving before Google's estimate. I changed for the 91, in the bitter cold - noticeably worse, now. And got talking to an elderly gent, who clocked straight away that I was Irish. They can always tell!
Happily, the stop was right across the road from the Arthouse, and I made it with just five minutes to spare, following the crowd, who were just starting to go in. Although I'd printed out my email confirmation - having given myself palpitations when at first I couldn't find it - there wasn't anyone there to check, just Ben Haggerty darting about. I'd booked a good seat, on the aisle, and quite close - second row though, not the front, which is too close to the stage so that you get a stiff neck, staring up at people.
The storyteller on this occasion was a new one to me - Tim Ralphs is from Sheffield, it turns out, and managed to work into his convoluted story of the devil that he runs a storyteling group there, and was very excited when Ben invited him to London. Now, from my inexpert position as a fan of storytelling, I can say that he has an excellent technique. And in his set, which lasted just over an hour, he told us the most rambling, interconnected story of the devil that I've yet heard. I think he has a particular talent for comedy, and sure enough, there were many hilarious moments. Original, too - have you heard of the devil being trapped in a washing machine? or winning a soul over a game of Facebook scrabble?
It was a delightful performance. And at the end, excitingly, Ben alerted us to a pile of fliers by the door - all about the special night they have next Friday, which I'm going to. Really, they don't advertise these things well enough: anyway, tickets are now onsale - and you can get further details - on the Wellcome Collection site. As for last night - I was hungry, and Tim had said something about hot chocolate in the bar - but they were cleaning around the machine, I figured it was probably too late, and I headed.
My bus stop home was just up the road, where I had to catch the 91 again - imagine my dismay (and that of another couple waiting with me) when we could see none advertised on the arrivals board within the next half hour! Odd, because one happened along just a couple of minutes later. I swear though, when the time came for me to change buses, it was so cold I thought I'd surely die.. literally couldn't stand still for the cold. And then the name of the bus stop where I had to get off was slightly different from what Google had said.. and there was no WiFi.. and I was trying to configure my phone.. so I finally got off two stops further on. Worked out well though - it turned out that it dropped me near my local Sainsbury's, and I bought something for a late dinner. Damn, was I glad to get in out of the cold!
Back to Ireland today for the weekend, and on Monday, I'm back with Funzing UK for Eat Zagi - an immersive dining & theatre experience. I had some fun booking it, when the bank thought it was a fraud and kindly stopped my card, so I had to ring them at 2am.. in the meantime, I did find a discount code, so it wasn't all bad. Try "EnjoyFunzing5". Actually, why not try "EnjoyFunzing10"? That's a code too. Anyway, again, I'm closer to this venue in Finsbury Park than I was before..
On Tuesday, I'm headed for Sex with Strangers at Hampstead Theatre. First Meetup of the year with London Dramatic Arts. Dunno, I think it was that she had seats at both levels of the theatre, so it would've been too hard to avoid them..
On Wednesday, the Man with the Hat is starting the month again. Let's Do London - for less! is off to the Opera House for La Traviata.
On Thursday, he's taking both that group and London for Less Than a Tenner to Cadogan Hall for a concert involving the works of Brahms and Elgar, among others.
Next Friday promises to be unusual.. it's that late-night storytelling event at the Wellcome Collection. Tickets now booking - they're all free, but man, are they going fast! I was too late to get a ticket for Ben Haggerty's storytelling performance, but I've booked the second, as well as the first and third talks. Anyway, there's tons of non-ticketed stuff on.
And finally, on Saturday 4, I'm finally going to the much-advertised British Museum Tour - Ideas That Made our World. A Funzing event, as advertised by two of their Meetup groups - London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @ Night. So I booked with both..
And so the night finally rolled around, last night. Crouch End, again - one of four events they scheduled up there, and only advertised on Meetup this week! I live closer now, which was reassuring, cold as the weather has been - I was to discover that although my journey was quicker, it still wasn't quick; it used to be train, Tube, and bus - now it's just Tube and bus, or a combination of buses - almost as fast, and of course cheaper. So that's what I did.
For the free WiFi, I stayed in the office until it was time to leave, then wended my way around to Charing Cross Road to catch the 29. Pretty damn cold, again, and although I'd left early, the bus was a bit delayed, and I became worried about making it on time. However, Google Maps proved pessimistic for both my buses, both arriving before Google's estimate. I changed for the 91, in the bitter cold - noticeably worse, now. And got talking to an elderly gent, who clocked straight away that I was Irish. They can always tell!
Happily, the stop was right across the road from the Arthouse, and I made it with just five minutes to spare, following the crowd, who were just starting to go in. Although I'd printed out my email confirmation - having given myself palpitations when at first I couldn't find it - there wasn't anyone there to check, just Ben Haggerty darting about. I'd booked a good seat, on the aisle, and quite close - second row though, not the front, which is too close to the stage so that you get a stiff neck, staring up at people.
The storyteller on this occasion was a new one to me - Tim Ralphs is from Sheffield, it turns out, and managed to work into his convoluted story of the devil that he runs a storyteling group there, and was very excited when Ben invited him to London. Now, from my inexpert position as a fan of storytelling, I can say that he has an excellent technique. And in his set, which lasted just over an hour, he told us the most rambling, interconnected story of the devil that I've yet heard. I think he has a particular talent for comedy, and sure enough, there were many hilarious moments. Original, too - have you heard of the devil being trapped in a washing machine? or winning a soul over a game of Facebook scrabble?
It was a delightful performance. And at the end, excitingly, Ben alerted us to a pile of fliers by the door - all about the special night they have next Friday, which I'm going to. Really, they don't advertise these things well enough: anyway, tickets are now onsale - and you can get further details - on the Wellcome Collection site. As for last night - I was hungry, and Tim had said something about hot chocolate in the bar - but they were cleaning around the machine, I figured it was probably too late, and I headed.
My bus stop home was just up the road, where I had to catch the 91 again - imagine my dismay (and that of another couple waiting with me) when we could see none advertised on the arrivals board within the next half hour! Odd, because one happened along just a couple of minutes later. I swear though, when the time came for me to change buses, it was so cold I thought I'd surely die.. literally couldn't stand still for the cold. And then the name of the bus stop where I had to get off was slightly different from what Google had said.. and there was no WiFi.. and I was trying to configure my phone.. so I finally got off two stops further on. Worked out well though - it turned out that it dropped me near my local Sainsbury's, and I bought something for a late dinner. Damn, was I glad to get in out of the cold!
Back to Ireland today for the weekend, and on Monday, I'm back with Funzing UK for Eat Zagi - an immersive dining & theatre experience. I had some fun booking it, when the bank thought it was a fraud and kindly stopped my card, so I had to ring them at 2am.. in the meantime, I did find a discount code, so it wasn't all bad. Try "EnjoyFunzing5". Actually, why not try "EnjoyFunzing10"? That's a code too. Anyway, again, I'm closer to this venue in Finsbury Park than I was before..
On Tuesday, I'm headed for Sex with Strangers at Hampstead Theatre. First Meetup of the year with London Dramatic Arts. Dunno, I think it was that she had seats at both levels of the theatre, so it would've been too hard to avoid them..
On Wednesday, the Man with the Hat is starting the month again. Let's Do London - for less! is off to the Opera House for La Traviata.
On Thursday, he's taking both that group and London for Less Than a Tenner to Cadogan Hall for a concert involving the works of Brahms and Elgar, among others.
Next Friday promises to be unusual.. it's that late-night storytelling event at the Wellcome Collection. Tickets now booking - they're all free, but man, are they going fast! I was too late to get a ticket for Ben Haggerty's storytelling performance, but I've booked the second, as well as the first and third talks. Anyway, there's tons of non-ticketed stuff on.
And finally, on Saturday 4, I'm finally going to the much-advertised British Museum Tour - Ideas That Made our World. A Funzing event, as advertised by two of their Meetup groups - London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @ Night. So I booked with both..
Thursday, 26 January 2017
Top Secret Comedy Club
Always happy to follow the Man with the Hat, and some of his best events are when he takes London for Less Than a Tenner to Top Secret. So when he announced it, I postponed the Funzing event I'd booked; you can cancel up to 48 hours beforehand, and most of their events run on several dates, so I just booked a later date for it.
How gloriously close my office is to Top Secret! No more than about 10 minutes' walk - the Man had suggested we arrive at 6:40, so I left about 6:30 and had a short stroll through Seven Dials and down Short's Gardens to Drury Lane. Arrived just after 6:40, and found myself in a whole queue of people getting their names ticked off the Meetup list! I bet they don't often see such a crowd, so early.. we were there for the free, early show before the main attraction, and I suspect we pretty much comprised the whole audience.
Got a drink - the barman recognised me - and wandered over to where the Man with the Hat was holding court, to the side. I didn't see any of the people who'd been in the queue in front of me.. anyway, we had a fine old chat there, being joined by some others as time went on, and the Man with the Hat promised some upcoming events in Southwark Playhouse. We'll hold him to that - it's been a while, and it's a great venue.
After a bit, I did start to wonder where the comedian was. Leo Kearse was to perform, and as someone said, he was sitting over the side. Was he waiting for us to sit down? As I remarked to someone when we did sit down, he'd better start - coming up to 8 o' clock, people start to arrive for the main show, and it gets very noisy, to the detriment of the performer. They should really finish the free show at 7:45 - it's almost impossible to enjoy it after that. Anyway, Leo did eventually take the stage - a funny guy, I think, although I've never seen him before. However, on this occasion he was woefully, and obviously, under-prepared, constantly stuck for something to say, starting jokes that didn't go anywhere, resorting to the lowest common denominator - I'd like to see him when he's better prepared, I suspect he can be quite good.
An interval followed, during which the place filled up so much that they sat people in the ex-restaurant upstairs. I'd never seen this done before, but apparently what they do is send comedians upstairs to entertain them, in rotation, so that they end up performing on both levels. I'd taken the precaution of buying a second drink, specifically so I wouldn't have to queue once the place got crowded. And the Man with the Hat was to be seen, prowling the venue for seats for his members who'd just arrived for the second show.
Two people started the main show - first up was Jamali Maddix, less confrontational than last time: but then, he had less opportunity than last time, when a lady in the audience started an argument with him and got thrown out. He was followed by Ian Smith, who gave a salutary lesson in what not to do when sitting in the front row at a comedy show. Pity the poor girl who was discussing with her friend a text she'd just received from a guy she fancied. Unwise, with Ian performing just in front of her at that moment! He asked to see the text. He responded to the text, texted a picture of himself, then confiscated the phone, returning it at the end of his set. No response by that time - jeez, I hope the guy on the other end of the phone had a sense of humour..
At the next interval, I made a dash for the toilet, beating the queue. Pity the tap had only a trickle of water and there was no soap.. Anyway, after the mc, Mark's tired joke about everyone having had a nice wee-wee (yes, thanks), we had Fiona Ridgewell, who complained about still living with her family, and the bonkers Olaf Falafel, who confirmed that yes, he had been performing upstairs. And then described our characters on the basis of biscuitology.
I'm afraid I did less well in identifying the comedians in the final section - predictably, they were quite different from the advertised set, which there's rarely any point in taking notice of - apart from whoever's doing the free hour at the start. First up was an American called Sean (Shaun?), who was a Scorpio (as he told us). I think he came as something of a relief to some of the several Americans sitting at the side. Then there was quite a funny guy, German, whose name sounded like Christian Short-n-low? Usefully, he told us just to Google German comedian - and now I know he's called Christian Shulte-Loh! Recommended - he came as a pleasant surprise.
Ending the night was Robert White. Now, I've seen him a few times at this stage, and on one of those occasions, he was very funny. He'll happily describe himself as autistic - he's also obviously clever, and with a talent for piano, his technique (at least the first time I saw him) was to compose little ditties on the spot, generally mocking audience members. Unfortunately, I don't know what's gone wrong, but the last couple of times I've seen him he's seemed a bit lost. Problems with setting up his piano didn't help, and he's seemed a bit stuck for material on stage. I do hope that this isn't a permanent obstacle to him, because when he's on form, he's really very good.
Mark stood by the door with a bucket again as we were leaving, and again I didn't give anything. Thought I caught a sarcastic remark, too. Well, sorry, but I'm actually still quite broke - yes, I got paid yesterday, and immediately used pretty much all my disposable income on stuff that needed paying for. Give it another few months and I should be flush, and prepared to give. Kudos to the girl I saw tipping by card, too, as he'd suggested..
Outside, it was frigid. I saw another member and went to join him - unusually, no sign of the Man with the Hat. Anyway, another couple of ladies from the group happened along, but weren't inclined to stay, and frankly, it was way too cold to be hanging around, so they left pretty quickly. The Man with the Hat eventually appeared, another lady dropped by to say goodbye, the guy I'd joined decided he needed to be up in the morning, there was no sign of anyone else from the group.. and behold, although I'd have gone for a drink, not one person wanted to accompany me! The Man with the Hat walked a bit of the way up the road with me, to where his bike was parked - and from there I made my chilly way home, stopping in to Sainsbury's on the way (nice it was still open) for a Chocolate Orange to ease my disappointment. With the London European Club never letting me know where they ended up on Tuesday, I'm not having a great week socialising with Meetups, am I?!
Hey-ho. Tonight's group isn't known for its socialising either, but I'll definitely enjoy the event. I'm back with the Crick Crack Club at last, at the Art House Crouch End. First meeting of the year, and finally, on Tuesday, advertised on Meetup! I saw it on their flier for Crouch End, and booked ages ago. Anyway, the title is Rebranding Beelzebub, which is certainly enough to get me there! And I now live closer to it than I did the last time I was there. Be interesting to see how I'm supposed to get there - it'll be a late one in the office (for the free WiFi), as they don't start till 8:30!
Back to Ireland at the weekend, and on Monday, I'm back with Funzing UK for Eat Zagi - an immersive dining & theatre experience. I had some fun booking it, when the bank thought it was a fraud and kindly stopped my card, so I had to ring them at 2am.. in the meantime, I did find a discount code, so it wasn't all bad. Try "EnjoyFunzing5". Actually, why not try "EnjoyFunzing10"? That's a code too. Anyway, again, I'm closer to this venue in Finsbury Park than I was before..
On Tuesday, I'm headed for Sex with Strangers at Hampstead Theatre. First Meetup of the year with London Dramatic Arts. Dunno, I think it was that she had seats at both levels of the theatre, so it would've been too hard to avoid them..
On Wednesday, the Man with the Hat is starting the month again. Let's Do London - for less! is off to the Opera House for La Traviata.
On Thursday, he's taking both groups to Cadogan Hall for a concert involving the works of Brahms and Elgar, among others.
Friday 3 promises to be unusual.. the Crick Crack Club is hosting a late-night storytelling event at the Wellcome Collection. Mustn't forget to book tickets for the actual storytelling - they go on sale tomorrow.
And finally, Saturday 4, I'm finally going to the much-advertised British Museum Tour - Ideas That Made our World. A Funzing event, as advertised by two of their Meetup groups - London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @ Night. So I booked with both..
How gloriously close my office is to Top Secret! No more than about 10 minutes' walk - the Man had suggested we arrive at 6:40, so I left about 6:30 and had a short stroll through Seven Dials and down Short's Gardens to Drury Lane. Arrived just after 6:40, and found myself in a whole queue of people getting their names ticked off the Meetup list! I bet they don't often see such a crowd, so early.. we were there for the free, early show before the main attraction, and I suspect we pretty much comprised the whole audience.
Got a drink - the barman recognised me - and wandered over to where the Man with the Hat was holding court, to the side. I didn't see any of the people who'd been in the queue in front of me.. anyway, we had a fine old chat there, being joined by some others as time went on, and the Man with the Hat promised some upcoming events in Southwark Playhouse. We'll hold him to that - it's been a while, and it's a great venue.
After a bit, I did start to wonder where the comedian was. Leo Kearse was to perform, and as someone said, he was sitting over the side. Was he waiting for us to sit down? As I remarked to someone when we did sit down, he'd better start - coming up to 8 o' clock, people start to arrive for the main show, and it gets very noisy, to the detriment of the performer. They should really finish the free show at 7:45 - it's almost impossible to enjoy it after that. Anyway, Leo did eventually take the stage - a funny guy, I think, although I've never seen him before. However, on this occasion he was woefully, and obviously, under-prepared, constantly stuck for something to say, starting jokes that didn't go anywhere, resorting to the lowest common denominator - I'd like to see him when he's better prepared, I suspect he can be quite good.
An interval followed, during which the place filled up so much that they sat people in the ex-restaurant upstairs. I'd never seen this done before, but apparently what they do is send comedians upstairs to entertain them, in rotation, so that they end up performing on both levels. I'd taken the precaution of buying a second drink, specifically so I wouldn't have to queue once the place got crowded. And the Man with the Hat was to be seen, prowling the venue for seats for his members who'd just arrived for the second show.
Two people started the main show - first up was Jamali Maddix, less confrontational than last time: but then, he had less opportunity than last time, when a lady in the audience started an argument with him and got thrown out. He was followed by Ian Smith, who gave a salutary lesson in what not to do when sitting in the front row at a comedy show. Pity the poor girl who was discussing with her friend a text she'd just received from a guy she fancied. Unwise, with Ian performing just in front of her at that moment! He asked to see the text. He responded to the text, texted a picture of himself, then confiscated the phone, returning it at the end of his set. No response by that time - jeez, I hope the guy on the other end of the phone had a sense of humour..
At the next interval, I made a dash for the toilet, beating the queue. Pity the tap had only a trickle of water and there was no soap.. Anyway, after the mc, Mark's tired joke about everyone having had a nice wee-wee (yes, thanks), we had Fiona Ridgewell, who complained about still living with her family, and the bonkers Olaf Falafel, who confirmed that yes, he had been performing upstairs. And then described our characters on the basis of biscuitology.
I'm afraid I did less well in identifying the comedians in the final section - predictably, they were quite different from the advertised set, which there's rarely any point in taking notice of - apart from whoever's doing the free hour at the start. First up was an American called Sean (Shaun?), who was a Scorpio (as he told us). I think he came as something of a relief to some of the several Americans sitting at the side. Then there was quite a funny guy, German, whose name sounded like Christian Short-n-low? Usefully, he told us just to Google German comedian - and now I know he's called Christian Shulte-Loh! Recommended - he came as a pleasant surprise.
Ending the night was Robert White. Now, I've seen him a few times at this stage, and on one of those occasions, he was very funny. He'll happily describe himself as autistic - he's also obviously clever, and with a talent for piano, his technique (at least the first time I saw him) was to compose little ditties on the spot, generally mocking audience members. Unfortunately, I don't know what's gone wrong, but the last couple of times I've seen him he's seemed a bit lost. Problems with setting up his piano didn't help, and he's seemed a bit stuck for material on stage. I do hope that this isn't a permanent obstacle to him, because when he's on form, he's really very good.
Mark stood by the door with a bucket again as we were leaving, and again I didn't give anything. Thought I caught a sarcastic remark, too. Well, sorry, but I'm actually still quite broke - yes, I got paid yesterday, and immediately used pretty much all my disposable income on stuff that needed paying for. Give it another few months and I should be flush, and prepared to give. Kudos to the girl I saw tipping by card, too, as he'd suggested..
Outside, it was frigid. I saw another member and went to join him - unusually, no sign of the Man with the Hat. Anyway, another couple of ladies from the group happened along, but weren't inclined to stay, and frankly, it was way too cold to be hanging around, so they left pretty quickly. The Man with the Hat eventually appeared, another lady dropped by to say goodbye, the guy I'd joined decided he needed to be up in the morning, there was no sign of anyone else from the group.. and behold, although I'd have gone for a drink, not one person wanted to accompany me! The Man with the Hat walked a bit of the way up the road with me, to where his bike was parked - and from there I made my chilly way home, stopping in to Sainsbury's on the way (nice it was still open) for a Chocolate Orange to ease my disappointment. With the London European Club never letting me know where they ended up on Tuesday, I'm not having a great week socialising with Meetups, am I?!
Hey-ho. Tonight's group isn't known for its socialising either, but I'll definitely enjoy the event. I'm back with the Crick Crack Club at last, at the Art House Crouch End. First meeting of the year, and finally, on Tuesday, advertised on Meetup! I saw it on their flier for Crouch End, and booked ages ago. Anyway, the title is Rebranding Beelzebub, which is certainly enough to get me there! And I now live closer to it than I did the last time I was there. Be interesting to see how I'm supposed to get there - it'll be a late one in the office (for the free WiFi), as they don't start till 8:30!
Back to Ireland at the weekend, and on Monday, I'm back with Funzing UK for Eat Zagi - an immersive dining & theatre experience. I had some fun booking it, when the bank thought it was a fraud and kindly stopped my card, so I had to ring them at 2am.. in the meantime, I did find a discount code, so it wasn't all bad. Try "EnjoyFunzing5". Actually, why not try "EnjoyFunzing10"? That's a code too. Anyway, again, I'm closer to this venue in Finsbury Park than I was before..
On Tuesday, I'm headed for Sex with Strangers at Hampstead Theatre. First Meetup of the year with London Dramatic Arts. Dunno, I think it was that she had seats at both levels of the theatre, so it would've been too hard to avoid them..
On Wednesday, the Man with the Hat is starting the month again. Let's Do London - for less! is off to the Opera House for La Traviata.
On Thursday, he's taking both groups to Cadogan Hall for a concert involving the works of Brahms and Elgar, among others.
Friday 3 promises to be unusual.. the Crick Crack Club is hosting a late-night storytelling event at the Wellcome Collection. Mustn't forget to book tickets for the actual storytelling - they go on sale tomorrow.
And finally, Saturday 4, I'm finally going to the much-advertised British Museum Tour - Ideas That Made our World. A Funzing event, as advertised by two of their Meetup groups - London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @ Night. So I booked with both..
Tuesday, 24 January 2017
Talk: Can Our Immune Systems Fight Cancer?
Tonight was a talk at the Royal Society - one of their Cafes Scientifiques, talks in an informal atmosphere, by a scientist, with a Q+A afterwards. The subject of this evening's discussion was Can Our Immune Systems Fight Cancer? And with the Royal Society being just a 15-minute walk from the office, naturally I left from there.
Now, this had been advertised by London European Club, and the organiser had advised us to get there by 6 for a good seat (the talk was to start at half past). I left a little later than intended, and got a little lost - never been there before. Anyway, I finally figured out which of the grand old buildings at the south end of Regent Street it was, and passed through the gate. Seeing a cluster of people waiting outside the door, I figured this was a queue, and joined it.
There we stood - and as the queue got so long it stretched around the corner of the building and out of sight, I congratulated myself on being near the start of the queue. I'd got there about 10 past. We did wonder what the story was though, as the start time neared and they showed no sign of opening up. Finally, at around 25 past, a very softly spoken man came out, looked at the long queue in a worried manner, and whispered to the people at the front - which information was then relayed down the queue - that they only had seating for 10 more. So obviously, they had already let in a bunch of people who'd arrived earlier (probably including our organiser, whom I hadn't been able to see). Well, even if they allowed standing, I didn't want to do that. So I left, came back to the office, and messaged the group to let me know where they were headed for drinks, if that was happening. No word yet.. Moral of the story: arrive by 6!
Tomorrow, the Man with the Hat is taking London for Less Than a Tenner to Top Secret. Love those nights! And I doubt they'll fail to find me a seat.
On Thursday, I'm back with the Crick Crack Club at last, at the Art House Crouch End. First meeting of the year, and finally yesterday advertised on Meetup! I saw it on their flier for Crouch End, and booked ages ago. Anyway, the title is Rebranding Beelzebub, which is certainly enough to get me there! And I now live closer to it than I did the last time I was there.
Back to Ireland at the weekend, and on Monday, I'm back with Funzing UK for Eat Zagi - an immersive dining & theatre experience. I had some fun booking it, when the bank thought it was a fraud and kindly stopped my card, so I had to ring them at 2am.. in the meantime, I did find a discount code, so it wasn't all bad. Try "EnjoyFunzing5". Actually, why not try "EnjoyFunzing10"? That's a code too. Anyway, again, I'm closer to this venue in Finsbury Park than I was before..
Next Tuesday, I'm headed for Sex with Strangers at Hampstead Theatre. First Meetup of the year with London Dramatic Arts. Dunno, I think it was that she had seats at both levels of the theatre, so it would've been too hard to avoid them..
Wednesday 1, the Man with the Hat is starting the month again. Let's Do London - for less! is off to the Opera House for La Traviata.
Thursday 2, he's taking both groups to Cadogan Hall for a concert involving the works of Brahms and Elgar, among others.
Friday 3 promises to be unusual.. the Crick Crack Club is hosting a late-night storytelling event at the Wellcome Collection. Mustn't forget to book tickets for the actual storytelling - they go on sale on Friday.
And finally, Saturday 4, I'm finally going to the much-advertised British Museum Tour - Ideas That Made our World. A Funzing event, as advertised by two of their Meetup groups - London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @ Night. So I booked with both..
Now, this had been advertised by London European Club, and the organiser had advised us to get there by 6 for a good seat (the talk was to start at half past). I left a little later than intended, and got a little lost - never been there before. Anyway, I finally figured out which of the grand old buildings at the south end of Regent Street it was, and passed through the gate. Seeing a cluster of people waiting outside the door, I figured this was a queue, and joined it.
There we stood - and as the queue got so long it stretched around the corner of the building and out of sight, I congratulated myself on being near the start of the queue. I'd got there about 10 past. We did wonder what the story was though, as the start time neared and they showed no sign of opening up. Finally, at around 25 past, a very softly spoken man came out, looked at the long queue in a worried manner, and whispered to the people at the front - which information was then relayed down the queue - that they only had seating for 10 more. So obviously, they had already let in a bunch of people who'd arrived earlier (probably including our organiser, whom I hadn't been able to see). Well, even if they allowed standing, I didn't want to do that. So I left, came back to the office, and messaged the group to let me know where they were headed for drinks, if that was happening. No word yet.. Moral of the story: arrive by 6!
Tomorrow, the Man with the Hat is taking London for Less Than a Tenner to Top Secret. Love those nights! And I doubt they'll fail to find me a seat.
On Thursday, I'm back with the Crick Crack Club at last, at the Art House Crouch End. First meeting of the year, and finally yesterday advertised on Meetup! I saw it on their flier for Crouch End, and booked ages ago. Anyway, the title is Rebranding Beelzebub, which is certainly enough to get me there! And I now live closer to it than I did the last time I was there.
Back to Ireland at the weekend, and on Monday, I'm back with Funzing UK for Eat Zagi - an immersive dining & theatre experience. I had some fun booking it, when the bank thought it was a fraud and kindly stopped my card, so I had to ring them at 2am.. in the meantime, I did find a discount code, so it wasn't all bad. Try "EnjoyFunzing5". Actually, why not try "EnjoyFunzing10"? That's a code too. Anyway, again, I'm closer to this venue in Finsbury Park than I was before..
Next Tuesday, I'm headed for Sex with Strangers at Hampstead Theatre. First Meetup of the year with London Dramatic Arts. Dunno, I think it was that she had seats at both levels of the theatre, so it would've been too hard to avoid them..
Wednesday 1, the Man with the Hat is starting the month again. Let's Do London - for less! is off to the Opera House for La Traviata.
Thursday 2, he's taking both groups to Cadogan Hall for a concert involving the works of Brahms and Elgar, among others.
Friday 3 promises to be unusual.. the Crick Crack Club is hosting a late-night storytelling event at the Wellcome Collection. Mustn't forget to book tickets for the actual storytelling - they go on sale on Friday.
And finally, Saturday 4, I'm finally going to the much-advertised British Museum Tour - Ideas That Made our World. A Funzing event, as advertised by two of their Meetup groups - London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @ Night. So I booked with both..
Film: La La Land
Well, there was Mary with complimentary passes to Cineworld that she'd won in a raffle. She very kindly offered me one - and last night was the first date I was free! So we provisionally decided on that date. When listings were out, I checked them for Cineworlds in the city centre - unusually, these passes were also valid for West End cinemas. Best choice was La La Land - so we decided on that and, despite there not being a major rush on it, she decided to book. As for eating, we decided to play it by ear.
Unfortunately, I had an evening meeting - which overran, of course - and there she was, waiting outside my building in the cold, me unable to text her because my phone was playing up (still is, in fact). Happily, she did actually wait, and when I finally emerged, we headed in the direction of the cinema. Casting my eyes around for somewhere to eat, I spotted an Indian up a side street. She agreed, and so we ended up in Chilli Shaker.
We were shown to a table by the window (naturally), and I ended up ordering my usuals. Well, I do love samosa, I do love butter chicken (or butter generally), I do love peshwari naan. Could maybe have skipped the rice - it's always a bit much, altogether. Mary is vegetarian, and chose a vegetarian mixed platter. A bottle of house white completed the meal. And you know, it was all delicious - perhaps not the cheapest, but decently priced for the area, and we left stuffed and happy.
And a little late. Coming into Piccadilly Circus, it was hard to figure out which street we needed - and with a number of road crossings to make, I lost her briefly. Eventually, with the aid of a helpful street map, we found Haymarket, and scuttled down the hill to the cinema. Which, helpfully, had a big sign overhead that read "CINEMA". She had email confirmations on her phone, which the usher scanned, and we trotted up the elaborate staircase to Screen 1. I haven't been here before, and have to say it's a really beautiful building. We were in time for the last of the trailers, and took our seats, near the front, in plush seats that were comfy enough, but for me, I lacked back support and was a bit sore by the time I left.
La La Land is a modern-day musical, very obviously created by people who love the genre and wanted to revive it. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone play star-crossed lovers in LA, both chasing dreams of showbiz, who hit it off - but can they make it work? And can they fulfil their dreams?
As so often reported in reviews, it starts with a traffic jam that turns into a song and dance (literally). Remember, this is a musical, and people are prone to breaking into song at all sorts of moments. Honestly, for me it grated a little, just at the start, and I found myself thinking that Ryan Gosling was both a weak singer and simply not macho enough to carry the role of a musical leading man.
I changed my mind, though. As the film progressed, I really started to care about the characters. As someone remarked, there's only one hit song in the film - City of Stars: but you know what? It's a cracker, and it's actually not that easy to come up with hits. (There are actually a few good songs, but as they're not great singers, they're not the best ones to showcase them, and City of Stars is the only one that carries well.) Kudos to them for it. And when they stopped singing for a bit in the middle, I missed it! It's a beautifully sweet film, it has a bright and cheerful colour palette, a great deal of style, and I loved the alternative ending sequence near the end, which is pure fantasy. I'd like to see it again. They're predicting it'll sweep the board at the Oscars, as it did at the Golden Globes - I think the reviewer in the Evening Standard got it spot on when he said "It's a good film, but is it as good as the others nominated for Best Picture? That's a different question." Quite.
The walk home wasn't as cold as sometimes recently, and took me through Chinatown, in the run-up to their New Year:
..and a busy morning, complete with meetings, delayed the blog a bit. Anyway, tonight sees me at the Royal Society, for a talk on "Can our immune systems fight cancer?", a Meetup organised by the London European Club. And I can walk there, again.
Tomorrow, the Man with the Hat is taking London for Less Than a Tenner, is back at Top Secret. Love those nights!
On Thursday, I'm back with the Crick Crack Club at last, at the Art House Crouch End. First meeting of the year, and finally today advertised on Meetup! I saw it on their flier for Crouch End, and booked ages ago. Anyway, the title is Rebranding Beelzebub, which is certainly enough to get me there! And I now live closer to it than I did the last time I was there.
Back to Ireland at the weekend, and on Monday, I'm back with Funzing UK for Eat Zagi - an immersive dining & theatre experience. I had some fun booking it, when the bank thought it was a fraud and kindly stopped my card, so I had to ring them at 2am.. in the meantime, I did find a discount code, so it wasn't all bad. Try "EnjoyFunzing5". Actually, why not try "EnjoyFunzing10"? That's a code too. Anyway, again, I'm closer to this venue in Finsbury Park than I was before..
Next Tuesday, I'm headed for Sex with Strangers at Hampstead Theatre. First Meetup of the year with London Dramatic Arts. Dunno, I think it was that she had seats at both levels of the theatre, so it would've been too hard to avoid them..
Wednesday 1, the Man with the Hat is starting the month again. Let's Do London - for less! is off to the Opera House for La Traviata.
Thursday 2, he's taking both groups to Cadogan Hall for a concert involving the works of Brahms and Elgar, among others.
Friday 3 promises to be unusual.. the Crick Crack Club is hosting a late-night storytelling event at the Wellcome Collection. Mustn't forget to book tickets for the actual storytelling - they go on sale on Friday.
And finally, Saturday 4, I'm finally going to the much-advertised British Museum Tour - Ideas That Made our World. A Funzing event, as advertised by two of their Meetup groups - London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @ Night. So I booked with both..
Unfortunately, I had an evening meeting - which overran, of course - and there she was, waiting outside my building in the cold, me unable to text her because my phone was playing up (still is, in fact). Happily, she did actually wait, and when I finally emerged, we headed in the direction of the cinema. Casting my eyes around for somewhere to eat, I spotted an Indian up a side street. She agreed, and so we ended up in Chilli Shaker.
We were shown to a table by the window (naturally), and I ended up ordering my usuals. Well, I do love samosa, I do love butter chicken (or butter generally), I do love peshwari naan. Could maybe have skipped the rice - it's always a bit much, altogether. Mary is vegetarian, and chose a vegetarian mixed platter. A bottle of house white completed the meal. And you know, it was all delicious - perhaps not the cheapest, but decently priced for the area, and we left stuffed and happy.
And a little late. Coming into Piccadilly Circus, it was hard to figure out which street we needed - and with a number of road crossings to make, I lost her briefly. Eventually, with the aid of a helpful street map, we found Haymarket, and scuttled down the hill to the cinema. Which, helpfully, had a big sign overhead that read "CINEMA". She had email confirmations on her phone, which the usher scanned, and we trotted up the elaborate staircase to Screen 1. I haven't been here before, and have to say it's a really beautiful building. We were in time for the last of the trailers, and took our seats, near the front, in plush seats that were comfy enough, but for me, I lacked back support and was a bit sore by the time I left.
La La Land is a modern-day musical, very obviously created by people who love the genre and wanted to revive it. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone play star-crossed lovers in LA, both chasing dreams of showbiz, who hit it off - but can they make it work? And can they fulfil their dreams?
As so often reported in reviews, it starts with a traffic jam that turns into a song and dance (literally). Remember, this is a musical, and people are prone to breaking into song at all sorts of moments. Honestly, for me it grated a little, just at the start, and I found myself thinking that Ryan Gosling was both a weak singer and simply not macho enough to carry the role of a musical leading man.
I changed my mind, though. As the film progressed, I really started to care about the characters. As someone remarked, there's only one hit song in the film - City of Stars: but you know what? It's a cracker, and it's actually not that easy to come up with hits. (There are actually a few good songs, but as they're not great singers, they're not the best ones to showcase them, and City of Stars is the only one that carries well.) Kudos to them for it. And when they stopped singing for a bit in the middle, I missed it! It's a beautifully sweet film, it has a bright and cheerful colour palette, a great deal of style, and I loved the alternative ending sequence near the end, which is pure fantasy. I'd like to see it again. They're predicting it'll sweep the board at the Oscars, as it did at the Golden Globes - I think the reviewer in the Evening Standard got it spot on when he said "It's a good film, but is it as good as the others nominated for Best Picture? That's a different question." Quite.
The walk home wasn't as cold as sometimes recently, and took me through Chinatown, in the run-up to their New Year:
..and a busy morning, complete with meetings, delayed the blog a bit. Anyway, tonight sees me at the Royal Society, for a talk on "Can our immune systems fight cancer?", a Meetup organised by the London European Club. And I can walk there, again.
Tomorrow, the Man with the Hat is taking London for Less Than a Tenner, is back at Top Secret. Love those nights!
On Thursday, I'm back with the Crick Crack Club at last, at the Art House Crouch End. First meeting of the year, and finally today advertised on Meetup! I saw it on their flier for Crouch End, and booked ages ago. Anyway, the title is Rebranding Beelzebub, which is certainly enough to get me there! And I now live closer to it than I did the last time I was there.
Back to Ireland at the weekend, and on Monday, I'm back with Funzing UK for Eat Zagi - an immersive dining & theatre experience. I had some fun booking it, when the bank thought it was a fraud and kindly stopped my card, so I had to ring them at 2am.. in the meantime, I did find a discount code, so it wasn't all bad. Try "EnjoyFunzing5". Actually, why not try "EnjoyFunzing10"? That's a code too. Anyway, again, I'm closer to this venue in Finsbury Park than I was before..
Next Tuesday, I'm headed for Sex with Strangers at Hampstead Theatre. First Meetup of the year with London Dramatic Arts. Dunno, I think it was that she had seats at both levels of the theatre, so it would've been too hard to avoid them..
Wednesday 1, the Man with the Hat is starting the month again. Let's Do London - for less! is off to the Opera House for La Traviata.
Thursday 2, he's taking both groups to Cadogan Hall for a concert involving the works of Brahms and Elgar, among others.
Friday 3 promises to be unusual.. the Crick Crack Club is hosting a late-night storytelling event at the Wellcome Collection. Mustn't forget to book tickets for the actual storytelling - they go on sale on Friday.
And finally, Saturday 4, I'm finally going to the much-advertised British Museum Tour - Ideas That Made our World. A Funzing event, as advertised by two of their Meetup groups - London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @ Night. So I booked with both..
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