University of Limerick PhD Alumni Reunion and Tour & Films: The Menu & Triangle of Sadness

Spent the weekend in Ireland again. On Saturday, UL hosted a PhD reunion, with a tour of the campus and, crucially, free lunch. And I intended to use the occasion to catch up with an old friend and, hopefully, find out what finally prompted him to quit lecturing at last, more than 10 years after I did, considering he was bullied even worse than I was! The event started in one of the newer buildings, which I looked up on the campus map - and shared with my friend. Not easy to find - I had to Google it!

Well, I found it - something of a trek across the far side of the campus: they certainly have loads of space! Parked behind the building, only to get a message from my friend to say all he could find were changing rooms - yes, that's on the ground floor. I had seen this one before, knew the cafe was on the first floor. So, I decided to go straight up, figuring he might have found his way in by now - and he had. I found him in the lunch room, gazing at the slideshow of PhD conferrings. I don't think he came across either of ours - he'd have said.

We chatted for a bit, and then people started to queue up for lunch, so up we went. There was rice, and a choice of chicken or beef - I enquired as to the sauces, and was told it was chicken curry or beef stroganoff. I love a stroganoff, so had that - was just sorry the portions weren't larger! To drink, we had water - tea and coffee were brought around after a bit, but I don't drink either. After lunch, we were brought out plates of biscuits. The place wasn't overcrowded - the event was free, and as we discovered afterwards, 70 had registered, but only 40 showed up. Which the organisers thought was a pretty good turnout, for a free event! At the end, we were introduced to our volunteer guides - who, I must say, were friendly and professional all day - and in what was a well-organised move, we were told that we'd be led to our next stop, but then, if we had cars, we should park them at the Kemmy Business School, where a bus would take us around the rest of the campus.

Walking to our next point of interest, I remarked to my friend how all these buildings were new since I'd last been here - UL is sure expanding massively! We identified what we thought was a new student residence, beside which stands the Graduate Medical School - a brilliant UL innovation, entry to this is restricted to people who already have a degree. It's designed to avoid the tremendous pressure of coming to medicine straight from the school system, with so much competition, and teenagers not even sure whether this is truly what they want to do. It's also a secondary route into medicine for those who are not successful straight out of school. And crucially, the students are more mature than the regular medical student intake - making for a better experience all round, methinks!

Anyway, across from that, UL now has the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance. This used to be housed in another building, and itself was a new innovation when I was here - established by the late, great pianist and composer, Micheál Ó' Suilleabháin. Well, it now has its own building! and we were sat in one of its theatres to listen to a speech about the academy, and watch a presentation on the music therapy programme - another UL initiative that's unique in Ireland.

Most impressive. We then drove our cars down - I wasn't sure of the parking around the Business School, so parked in front of the Computer Science building instead and walked across - fortunately, not a long walk, as the weather was dreadful! And we piled onto the bus, and were taken the short distance to the Bernal Institute. You guessed it - another completely new development since my time. Someone asked the presenter what was there before that building - he had a think, and came up with - a bus stop. Figures. And the most enthralled of our group were the people who'd graduated the longest time ago - the place certainly has come on by leaps and bounds. This instute, FYI, concerns itself with material science - the development of composite materials, ever lighter, ever stronger: for use in aeroplanes, for example. And it was great to hear about their collaboration with other university institutes around the country, each of which specialises in a different area.

And so on to the library - the organiser was wondering about the wisdom of taking the bus, when it's only a short walk, but as I pointed out, people do have a tendency to wander off if unsupervised! So instead of the short walk, we drove out of the university by the back gate, in the main one again, and around. Then straight up to the top floor (happily, there's a lift), where we were led into the Law School (never been up here before, myself):

And while sat here, we were given a fascinating presentation on research that UL is doing into rugby injuries! Apparently, they're the only ones in the world conducting research into injuries sustained by female rugby players - it was interesting to see the differences in types of injury. And the crowd was never so animated as in this talk, firing questions - plenty of rugby fans! (Well, Limerick is the home of Munster rugby..)

On our way out, we happened past the space-age book retrieval system. As someone said, hey, who's going to order a book, so we can see it in action..?

Reminds me of Star Wars! Our final stop was to be back at the Business School, where we were fed tea, coffee, water, and pastries - and when we'd had our fill, filed into a lecture room for a series of presentations by Limerick PhDs about the kind of thing they'd learned during their PhDs, and also how they'd used them afterwards. Last speaker of the evening - was Bill Whelan! A Limerick native, and recipient of an honorary doctorate from UL, he composed the music for what became the behemoth that is Riverdance! Plenty of other anecdotes from his career too.. mind you, his wife, sitting at the back, didn't look too impressed. Doubtless she's heard them too many times!

The evening ended with an interesting discussion with the organisers, and whoever wanted to stay - they were curious about whether people had ideas of how to reproduce the day! Well, it was an excellent event - kudos to them, and here's to more interesting events in the future. I won't be taking them up on any opportunities to describe how I used my PhD though - I don't think my story is quite what they're looking for!

And so, my friend and I repaired to the Kilmurry Lodge Hotel for dinner. Or at least, he did - I always have trouble finding that turnoff, and wouldn't you know it, got myself trapped in the Johnson & Johnson campus in the technology park! It's massive, it's one-way - and they don't seem to want to let you leave! Mercifully, I finally escaped and made my way to the hotel. Where, despite having left after I did, my friend had been waiting for me for 15 minutes. Well, he had got menus - it didn't take me long to order, and we were soon fed. I had the stuffed, breaded mushrooms - which were lovely - and the steak sandwich. Sadly, this was not lovely - a bit tasteless, mostly my problem with it was that the steak was far too thick for the sandwich, rendering the whole thing impossible to eat. I managed just over half, and won't be having it again.

Oh, and I might have guessed - he's timed his leaving of lecturing to ensure that his pension won't be curtailed. And will just put up with the atmosphere until then. Well, rather him than me.. Anyway, I was too tired to blog that night.

Planned a film yesterday.. and coming up was Aisha, just released at the weekend, which centres on a young woman in Direct Provision (Ireland's asylum processing system). Looks like a hard watch, focusing as it does on a severely criticised system, which can see asylum seekers stuck for years in limbo, while their claims are processed.. Ennis only.

But wouldn't you know it - I checked on Saturday night, and its ratings had plummeted! Right, recalculation - and the highest rated, showing in the afternoon, was The Menu. Also in Ennis. This has Ralph Fiennes as the head chef of an exclusive restaurant. Anna Taylor-Joy is a reluctant diner, invited along but not enthused by the excessive luxury and gourmet dining that the evening entails. And the trailer looked dark and interesting..

Well, here we go again, I thought as I meandered round and around Ennis, looking for a parking space. Another GAA match, dontcha know? At least this time, I got parking in the Dunnes multistorey - and only on the first level. And, being Sunday, it was free. I was a bit late though - but it's worth remembering that this is actually closer to the cinema. I'll think about it from that perspective in future.

I galloped along to the cinema - as I climbed the stairs to the box office, I overheard a couple of young ladies telling staff how one of them had just thrown up in Screen 1. Very sorry about it and all. And off they went. As I arrived, staff were just discussing how they could hardly do anything about it until the film finished - and this was the largest screen, too! Wow, was I glad I was in Screen 2..

Sadly, I did miss the start - but not too much, it seems. The restaurant is on an island, the customers are taken out there by boat - I missed that part. When I came in, they were being shown around the restaurant staff quarters, on the island - and the stern-looking maitre-d' was explaining how the long hours made it preferable for staff to live onsite. I did spend a little time wondering whether these people were to be expected to work there - but no, this was just an informational tour.

I'd also missed being introduced to the different characters, but that happens quite naturally through the film, so that's ok. So yes, this is the story of a very exclusive dinner - only 12 guests, each charged a fortune to be there. A famous chef, who runs his kitchen with more than military precision. Most diners are rather blasé about being there - either because they've been before, or because they're, well, jerks. Anna's companion is stoked - he's been trying for months to get a reservation, and here he is! And she just gets less and less enthusiastic as the night goes on.

Oh, this is surreal. You really have no idea, from course to course of this really long meal, what's going to happen next - and it's more outrageous than you can imagine. As Anna's companion says, each meal has a theme - it's not until the end that you figure out what it is. She provides our entry into this world, gaping in astonishment at what's going on around her - incredulous at the chef's pretentiousness, at the staff's superior attitude, at her companion's fawning adulation.

You could call it a scathing indictment of fine dining, and of those who indulge in it. Let's just say this - the chef has chosen this evening's guest list very carefully. He has a bone to pick with each of them. Except Anna - she wasn't on the original guestlist, doesn't appreciate what he's doing, and turns out to be a real thorn in his side. But - how she does it is a stroke of genius. This is very, very clever.. just be prepared for it to be very, very dark, too.

Now, last night, I flew back to London. Ryanair, as usual, flew an hour late - so we missed the train and had to take the bus. Which takes longer. And in London, I was obliged to wait on the never-present #205 for 35 minutes.. so it was after 3am when I got in. Hence the delay in the blog.

Headed to another film tonight - I wanted to see Triangle of Sadness last month, in the BFI Film Festival, but it was sold out. Well, it's made it to the mainstream - and I've just seen it in the Vue Islington, which is the closest venue to me that's showing it. It's a comedy in which Woody Harrelson is a cruise ship captain, cynically presiding over a group of scathingly depicted rich folk - and then they get shipwrecked on a desert island. Oh dear, how shall they fare?! ;-) Yet another scathing indictment of the rich - am I sensing a theme? Cheaper if you buy online, so I did.

Well, this being one of the longer blog posts, I didn't have time to get it finished before I left. Neither did I have time to grab a proper bite to eat - got some overpriced Maltesers at the cinema instead. The cinema was just open for us to take our seats - I had about 10 minutes before the programme started. And after a series of Christmas ads, and trailers of varying interest, off we went..

So, I'd been thinking about this as a film about a cruise - but it actually starts off with the model couple we see in the trailer, who are given the cruise tickets as a present. In fact, the first scene - which appears in the trailer - has the man, Harris Dickinson, at a modelling shoot. We discover that the "triangle of sadness" of the title is not some kind of reference to the Bermuda Triangle, as I thought - nope, it refers to the bit between your eyebrows - the bit that creases when you frown. We are then introduced to his girlfriend - Charlbi Dean, who in real life, tragically died suddenly in August.

Now, if the purpose of this film is indeed to send up the shallow culture of the rich and beautiful, it kind of batters us over the head with it - we see both taking part in vapid modelling shoots, we see her spending more time on her phone than talking to him, we see an intense argument about how she never, ever pays for dinner. Well, he's arguing intensely - she's staring at him as though he's lost his mind.

Cut to the cruise ship, where we have every variety of obnoxious passenger. The beleagured crew are instructed firmly by the steward always to give the passengers what they want! no matter how insane. The captain? He, rather sensibly, has retired to his cabin, where all you can hear is the clanking of bottles. The fun really starts when he decides to hold the captain's dinner - highlight of the ship's social calendar - on the one night when the weather is to be bad. You can imagine the chaos that ensues..

Not all the passengers are shipwrecked - I suppose most drown. Anyway, the motley crew that assembles on the beach of the desert island includes, initially, the model couple, a Russian oligarch, a guy nobody recognises who says he worked in the engine room, and a lady who's had a stroke, and has lost the use of both legs and one arm, and can only say "nein" and "in den Wolken" in German, although she does seem to understand everything that's happening. There's another guy who might be a painter - and one crew member, the steward. Until.. they come across a lifeboat (a proper one, with roof and such), which has a resourceful crew member in it: the toilet manager. Who turns out to be - the only one able to fish, the only one able to gut a fish, the only one able to build a fire, the only one able to cook..

Suffice to say, authority is turned on its head as she now discovers a respect she never had before. She becomes the de facto leader of the group - having previously been the least of them. And it is fascinating to see how their social group restructures itself in this new reality. I tell you though, hilarious as it is, this is also really poignant - particularly at the end. In fact, the actual ending is left really ambiguous.. Well, I do like to be kept guessing. Anyway, this is great fun.. highly recommended. Even with everyone throwing up once the weather hits.

And gee, there's a lovely, big Sainsbury's across the road! Lovely big supermarkets they have up there. Finally, I got everything on my list.. And dragged it all the way home. And lo - our lift is finally working again! after five months. Well, not half soon enough.

Tomorrow, I'm with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) again, for a double-bill at the Park Theatre. Part of the Make Mine a Double series, where you get a discount for booking two or more, in the same transaction. This week sees a comedy double - Anything With a Pulse, about dating, and Pickle, a Jewish comedy. Some of us will meet there early, to eat.

Wednesday - oh dear, I'm just not sure. There are a few things coming up that I'm iffy about.. at the moment, I'm leaning towards Chess Community Wednesdays, with the London Chess Community (LCC). But I booked with them twice before and cancelled, so am reluctant to do it again - watch this space.

On Thursday, I'm back with TAC for Haunting Julia, at The Questors Theatre, a new one to me. A ghost story, goodee! Written by Alan Ayckbourn.

On Friday, back with the Crick Crack Club for The Beast in Me, by Daniel Morden. At King's Place. Fantastic!

On Saturday, I have my Christmas get-together with Helen! We're planning a Christmas bonanza - first to the Magical Ice Kingdom at Winter Wonderland, where we must also have a stroll around the Christmas markets, and get some alcoholic hot chocolate. Then food - then we're on a Tootbus night-time open-top bus tour. As booked on Wowcher. Now, there is a rail strike that day, but she says it's not yet affecting her - she'll keep an eye on it. Mind you, the Tube strike might - I had her asking me for bus directions this morning!

On Sunday, I'm back with Discover London, for a walk entitled Secrets of the Riverside Part 1: Tower Bridge to London Bridge. These events are good - I'm delighted to be back on one!

The next two days, back with UITCS - for some reason, I only just saw their advertised trip, next Monday, to see Austentatious: An Improvised Jane Austen Novel, at the Arts Theatre. Awesome! This should be good - title decided by the audience on the night.

On the 29th, we're back at the Park for the Make Mine a Double series - next week, it's Press, which examines the world of journalism, and Tunnels, about two cousins hoping to escape East Berlin. So, darker than tomorrow's.

On the 30th.. same problem as this Wednesday. Again, watch this space..

On the 1st - well, I might be unemployed, as my contract technically ends the day before. If I am, best thing on is an online talk, The Life and Times of Magnus Folk, from the Surrey History Meetup. One of the earliest electrical engineers in England, it seems. Anyway, it's free, if I want to cancel.

Then back to Ireland for the weekend again - flying Aer Lingus for a change! My passport is due to expire, you see - I don't technically need one to travel between Ireland and the UK, but Ryanair demands it. Aer Lingus doesn't.. so, I must get on to that renewal now!

On the 5th - yep, the LCC is again looking like the best option. Hmm.

On the 6th, well, Free Stuff and Free Events are holding another online singalong. Again, I cancelled my attendance at the last of these I booked for, so am reluctant to rush off and book again..

On the 7th, phew, a definite plan! I'm back with UITCS for Baghdaddy at the Royal Court. About a little girl, realising she's half Iraqi, just as the Gulf War is raging.

On the 8th, I've signed up for another Watkin's Bookshop talk! This is Colin Stanley on Colin Wilson's Introducing the Occult. Well, the last talk I was at here was interesting, so..

On the 9th, I'm heading to Lightopia, at Crystal Palace Park. As suggested by Over 40 Living the Life, who are not actually hosting a trip themselves, but just wanted to advertise it. 15% discount if you subscribe to Lightopia's mailing list, 20% discount for purchases of 10 or more tickets.

On the 10th - I've bravely scheduled another meeting of Those who Do Not Come. It's my last weekend in London before Christmas, you see. Well, so far Ivan and my first boss in London are probable attendees, the one person who came the last two times probably not, for once. We shall see - I asked them again today to confirm, and only the one who probably can't make it did so! Nowhere booked yet.

And on the 11th, I'm vaguely thinking of heading to see Carnaby Street's Christmas lights..