London Still Rocks!

This evening , no fewer than three Meetup groups (none of which I want to join) were headed to the Science Museum late for Star Trek 's 60th anniversary! Well, there was nothing to stop me going on my own - I booked a timeslot late enough to allow me to grab something to eat. HOWEVER, on Saturday , Movie Roadhouse London advertised the UK premiere of Le Pays d' Arto (In the Land of Arto) for this evening, in which a woman travels to Armenia to source her husband's birth certificate, only to discover he wasn't whom she thought at all.. showing in the Institute of Contemporary Arts , where I hadn't been in nearly a year ! Which made this the first of eight consecutive days of Meetups for me (as well as the second day in a row of films)! I got up early so I could finish work early, so I could eat beforehand. Decided on The Admiralty , which always has room - I found a table without trouble, ordered garlic roast chicken and a carafe of wine. The carafe, I...

Yesterday, my second Meetup in a row, back with Rewind Tours of London , for a Walking Westminster Tour . I nipped out the door to catch the bus .. of course, had to walk a bit to do that. And wouldn't you know it, a huge crowd again. But what I'd noticed on the way - was that Tower Bridge Road was blocked off. Which was where the buses were diverted by. So.. no buses. I made for the Tube instead.. second day in a row, there were severe delays on the Jubilee Line - this time, there'd apparently been a fire. Well, that was out, and I'd never make it in time on the bus now - but of course, there are alternatives on the Tube.. So I took the Northern Line - and what Google Maps recommended me was to change at Euston , for the Victoria Line . The Northern Line wasn't that well airconditioned - but neither was it that crowded. But O.M.G. what I faced on the Victoria Line..  It's a long and convoluted trek from the Northern to the Victoria Line in Euston - and w...

Last  night, finally back - for the first time in nearly a  year ! - with the  Horror Book Club ! Not a book club meeting per se - I never have time to read them - this was a  panel , in  Waterstone's  - of new horror writers, discussing what's current. I booked for   Prezzo , next door, beforehand - probably didn't need to, but why not? Well, despite the best efforts of my bus - delayed, stopped to "regulate the service", stopped for a change of driver - I was still in time for my booking. You see, I had to change to a bus going down Strand - but I only needed to travel two stops, so every single bus that passed would take me there! I actually arrived early for my booking - and it was as well I had booked, as I saw when I went in, because I might have had trouble getting a space.  Perusing the menu, I saw.. bottomless alcohol! Ooh.. now, this mightn't be for everyone - it only lasts for 90 minutes, for one thing - but the price charged was less...

A few more films coming up - tonight, decided on another  Palestinian  documentary; this one was  From Ground Zero , a collection of short films made by  Gazans . Produced by  Michael Moore . I saw the trailer when I was in the  Curzon Bloomsbury , but this week it's showing in the  ICA . It was on gloriously late - which gave me time to finish what I'd planned for work for the day, which had taken longer than anticipated. Got the bus in - no traffic immediately, this evening. Not until we got onto Tower Bridge Road.. where it was like treacle. It didn't come as a surprise when the driver announced a change of destination - just to Waterloo , this time: but that was fine, as I was to change to the #176 before that. And wouldn't you know it, we passed the #176 just before that - so I knew it'd be along shortly when I got off. Sure enough, I didn't have to wait 30 seconds.. and, of course, I also skipped having to wait for the change of drivers that w...

On Saturday evening , I was back with the  Crick Crack Club  at  King's Place , for  The Three Snake Leaves , with  Hugh Lupton ,  Ben Haggarty , and  Sally Pomme Clayton  - music by  Sheema Mukherjee . Accompanied by a sometime companion from Up in the Cheap Seats , who made suggestions about what we could do beforehand - we'd see.  Except, as it turned out, I was exhausted - Storm Éowyn , it turned out, cut power to my mother's house (among hundreds of thousands of others'), and after a late night, I was up early contacting people to make sure she was being looked after - which she was. But I was in no fit state to head out early - so we booked in the restaurant at King's Place, to meet there before the show. Except that we met earlier - funny that she messaged me that her bus was diverted, just as mine had announced a diversion too.. yup, we were on the same bus. Not only that, but she was actually sat right behind me.. we hadn't noti...