I was just re-reading a very old post about conversations with strangers, and it got me to thinking about the number of times I've sat on a bus or a train and had some of the most amazing conversations of my life with people who's names I didn't even know. I remember once, about 4 or 5 years ago now, I was getting on a train, and I walked past a friendly looking guy at a table, but I didn't sit with him, I just wanted to sit on my own and read my book. Well, after a while we learnt that there were engineering works on the train lines, so we were going to have to get a bus for a few hours. When I got onto the bus I found a nice quiet seat by the window and settled down for the journey. A few minutes later, this same guy got on and sat next to me, and within minutes we were chatting away. It was just so easy, and we had so much in common that the conversation just flowed back and forth without any awkward pauses. For the 3 or 4 hours we were on the bus we learnt so much about each other, he was a teacher at a secondary school, I was an office temp (at that point!), he liked skiing and snowboarding, I liked travelling and living out of a rucksack, he liked science fiction books, I liked rock music... When we had reached Birmingham, where we then had to get different trains, we waited whilst the other retrieved their bags. Our next trains were departing from different stations, so we said our goodbyes, (almost going in for a hug after all that chat, but neither of us really wanted to be the one to make a move!) and went our separate ways. It was only as I entered the station that I realised I had never asked him what his name was, and to this day, one of my biggest regrets in life is not asking him if he wanted to have a cup of coffee with me until my train arrived. And who knows what would have happened if I had sat at his table on the train to begin with? And even now, all this time later, I think about the stranger on the bus, and what he might be doing, and whether or not he thinks about me?
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Thursday, February 10, 2011
As it always seems to be...
Well, as always, it's been forever since I last wrote anything. Now, once again, I am unemployed...therefore I have the time to write! I have spent the last few months doing exactly what I wanted to do! I was working on the next series of The Apprentice over here in the UK. Granted I was mainly a runner, and then on studio days, I was the Assistant Floor Manager, but it was a production job, and looking back on it now, through those wonderful rose tinted glasses, I enjoyed every minute of it! Oh, there were those moment where we all just wanted to curl up and cry, what with the 4.30am start times and 3.00am finish times, and the moody, self-important directors, and the 'think they're amazing', dare I say it, "talent"!!! Those who demanded Soup for every meal, no matter where you were, or those who for the past 6 years have demanded Kit Kats, only to reveal that, actually, they hate Kit Kats...But on the whole it was an absolute blast. I can't reveal a whole lot about it yet, as it's all very confidential. As soon as it goes on air, I may come back and tell you all about the stresses and fun times we had.
After that, I was working on a studio based show for Channel 4, called Four Rooms (at least, I think it will go out as that?!) It was a sort of a cross between The Antiques Roadshow, Dragon's Den and Deal or No Deal. I was the Floor Manager for this one, which meant that I was basically the Director's voice on the studio floor. I had to do a lot of shouting, which I've never really had to do before, but it was so much fun! I had to call for silence on the floor, and make sure that the contributors were in the right place at the right time, and that everyone knew what they were doing. It has sort of made me rethink what it is that I want to do. I now know that I definitely want to go down the studio based route, as supposed to the more office based roles. However, this is proving difficult, as Floor Manager jobs are quite hard to come by! I just keep sending my CV out to as many production companies as I can find, in the hope that something will come up! In the mean time, I'm also applying for restaurant and bar jobs, which I know I don't really want, but let's face it...money's money right!?
So, as I'm sure I've said a thousand times, now that I have the time, I may write a few more posts about my mini London adventures!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Winnings
Last week I was informed that I had won a competition through the great Love Film. It consisted of 2 tickets to the performance of Six Degrees of Separation at the Old Vic theatre, and a night in The Cavendish Hotel just near Piccadilly Circus. I enter as many of the competitions on Love Film as I can, and I never win! So i was amazed!
I decided that I owed my lovely Sister a great deal, so i would take her along. We met just outside the tube station and made our way down to the hotel to check in. Walking into the very swanky hotel lobby we both felt a little out place with our rucksacks and flip flops! However, we checked in and were given the keys to our room...on the 14th floor (of a 15 storey building)!!! As we came out of the lift, our room was directly in front of us, just down from the entrance to the Penthouse Floor!
Our room was fairly basic, but comfortable. The key feature was the enormous window overlooking the greatest aspects of the London Skyline! We had the London Eye, Big Ben, The Gherkin, The BT Tower and The Center Point building all there in front of us. It was awesome! We dropped our bags off and tried to decide where to go for dinner before heading to the theatre. We realised that we should just stay at eat at the Hotel Restaurant, as when would we ever get that chance again?
So, we headed back down stairs to the restaurant on the first floor, where were seated by the window and handed a very posh menu! I went for Pan fried Chicken Livers wrapped in Bacon with some kind of red wine sauce for starters, followed by Roasted Leg of Pork with Potato Farls and Celeriac. My sister had the Broccoli Soup for Starters with a Salmon Fillet with purple sprouting broccoli and leek and potato puree as her choices. Having ordered our food, the waiter returned with 3 little homemade bread rolls - an olive roll, a Parmesan roll and a caramelized onion roll. Then a pre-appetiser of Pepper Bread with Parma Ham arrived. It was just a small mouthful of Delicious sweet red pepper wrapped in light and fluffy white bread topped with the salty parma ham. Both the starters and the main courses were delicious, and presented so beautifully, we almost didn't want to eat them. By the end of the mains we were contentedly full so declined the desserts and headed off to the Old Vic.
When we picked the tickets up we discovered that we were down in the stalls, and as we took our seats we realised that we were in the 5th row! Tony Head was so close! I enjoyed the play, even though it started out quite slowly, and it took a little while to get used to the slightly forced American accents, but once they got into the swing of things, and the audience relaxed a little, it was pretty good. The acting was amazing, as there are a fair amount of very impassioned speeches, which you forget, as an audience member, that they have to perform night after night. The story was quite good, but I felt it got a little lost at times, with many more characters than I was expecting. And considering it was free - I don't think I can complain at all!
After the play, we tried to find somewhere that sold coffee and desserts, with maybe a glass of wine or two! But we found ourselves back at the tube station heading towards the hotel. We passed a Cinabon shop, and the sweet sugary smell of the Cinnamon doughnuts was just too much - and we caved! So instead of coffee and desserts out, we bought a bottle of Pink Sparkling Wine to enjoy with our Cinabons in our room! It was a Delicious, gooey, fizzy way to end a brilliant night.
To round off the whole experience, we had breakfast to look forward to. We went back to the restaurant to see what delights awaited us. We took our seats and were promptly offered some tea or coffee - then we went to check out the hot buffet. I bacon, sausages, beans, mushrooms and scrambled eggs! It was a great way to start the day! I think my favourite bit of the whole experience was as were checking out! The lovely man behind the desk took our keys, and asked us for the room number. He then looked at the computer and said, "And you have......nothing to pay!" He seemed very surprised by that! We, on the other hand, loved it!
So...Thank you Love Film and thanks to my lovely Big Sis for the extras!!!!
I decided that I owed my lovely Sister a great deal, so i would take her along. We met just outside the tube station and made our way down to the hotel to check in. Walking into the very swanky hotel lobby we both felt a little out place with our rucksacks and flip flops! However, we checked in and were given the keys to our room...on the 14th floor (of a 15 storey building)!!! As we came out of the lift, our room was directly in front of us, just down from the entrance to the Penthouse Floor!
Our room was fairly basic, but comfortable. The key feature was the enormous window overlooking the greatest aspects of the London Skyline! We had the London Eye, Big Ben, The Gherkin, The BT Tower and The Center Point building all there in front of us. It was awesome! We dropped our bags off and tried to decide where to go for dinner before heading to the theatre. We realised that we should just stay at eat at the Hotel Restaurant, as when would we ever get that chance again?
So, we headed back down stairs to the restaurant on the first floor, where were seated by the window and handed a very posh menu! I went for Pan fried Chicken Livers wrapped in Bacon with some kind of red wine sauce for starters, followed by Roasted Leg of Pork with Potato Farls and Celeriac. My sister had the Broccoli Soup for Starters with a Salmon Fillet with purple sprouting broccoli and leek and potato puree as her choices. Having ordered our food, the waiter returned with 3 little homemade bread rolls - an olive roll, a Parmesan roll and a caramelized onion roll. Then a pre-appetiser of Pepper Bread with Parma Ham arrived. It was just a small mouthful of Delicious sweet red pepper wrapped in light and fluffy white bread topped with the salty parma ham. Both the starters and the main courses were delicious, and presented so beautifully, we almost didn't want to eat them. By the end of the mains we were contentedly full so declined the desserts and headed off to the Old Vic.
When we picked the tickets up we discovered that we were down in the stalls, and as we took our seats we realised that we were in the 5th row! Tony Head was so close! I enjoyed the play, even though it started out quite slowly, and it took a little while to get used to the slightly forced American accents, but once they got into the swing of things, and the audience relaxed a little, it was pretty good. The acting was amazing, as there are a fair amount of very impassioned speeches, which you forget, as an audience member, that they have to perform night after night. The story was quite good, but I felt it got a little lost at times, with many more characters than I was expecting. And considering it was free - I don't think I can complain at all!
After the play, we tried to find somewhere that sold coffee and desserts, with maybe a glass of wine or two! But we found ourselves back at the tube station heading towards the hotel. We passed a Cinabon shop, and the sweet sugary smell of the Cinnamon doughnuts was just too much - and we caved! So instead of coffee and desserts out, we bought a bottle of Pink Sparkling Wine to enjoy with our Cinabons in our room! It was a Delicious, gooey, fizzy way to end a brilliant night.
To round off the whole experience, we had breakfast to look forward to. We went back to the restaurant to see what delights awaited us. We took our seats and were promptly offered some tea or coffee - then we went to check out the hot buffet. I bacon, sausages, beans, mushrooms and scrambled eggs! It was a great way to start the day! I think my favourite bit of the whole experience was as were checking out! The lovely man behind the desk took our keys, and asked us for the room number. He then looked at the computer and said, "And you have......nothing to pay!" He seemed very surprised by that! We, on the other hand, loved it!
So...Thank you Love Film and thanks to my lovely Big Sis for the extras!!!!
Friday, August 21, 2009
Whatever Happened To Chivalry
So, I was on the tube this morning on my way into work, and this girl got on at the same time as me. She was walking with a crutch and a bit of a limp. By this time of the morning there are no seats left on the train, but there were about 6 guys sitting down, and 1 lady. Of all these people I would have expected any one of the men to offer up his seat, but no - it was the only lady. I was shocked! I'm a real stickler for a bit of chivalry in men, I mean - how hard is it to open a door, or just stand back and wait? I'm all for equal opportunities and what not, but a little tiny bit of common decency never went amiss. What is the world coming to?
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
OK - so I'm pretty sure that I've said this a thousand times before, but this time I'd really like to stick to it. I've neglected this outlet for far too long now. I really want to get back into the whole writing thing. I took it pretty seriously for some time, and then it just kinda faded into the background. I was thinking about this a little while ago, and I came up with the theory that when I first started this blog and updated it a lot, I was in a horrible dead-end job, living in a nasty damp house and all in all, was fairly unhappy. My main way of venting that unhappiness was write, however a couple of years later, I ended up in a job I enjoyed, living in a much nicer place and sort of got my life back on track - the downside was that I lost the inspiration to write. I just couldn't find anything worth putting down on paper that didn't sound like I was writing a day to day journal.
Now, though, I've had a total life change. I live in a totally different city, I have a job that I'm hoping will not only get me somewhere, but will take me one step closer to that DREAM job! So - maybe now I can find the words to get this up and running once more.
On a side note - to get me in the mood for writing, I thought I would check out some of the old blogs that I used to read all the time, and I came across a couple who are still going, and it was so nice, almost comforting, to know that they're still out there! So yey, and keep up the inspiration for me! Thank you!
Now, though, I've had a total life change. I live in a totally different city, I have a job that I'm hoping will not only get me somewhere, but will take me one step closer to that DREAM job! So - maybe now I can find the words to get this up and running once more.
On a side note - to get me in the mood for writing, I thought I would check out some of the old blogs that I used to read all the time, and I came across a couple who are still going, and it was so nice, almost comforting, to know that they're still out there! So yey, and keep up the inspiration for me! Thank you!
Friday, February 06, 2009
25 Random Things
I was sent this through FaceBook, and thought I'd post it up here, just in case anyone is still reading this! I just thought it was a bit of fun!!!!
1) I used to have a goldfish named Wellington.
2) Pete Postlethwaite (the actor) has spat on me!
3) I own a genuine Montanan Cowboy hat.
4) I love trees.
5) I count stairs and I have to land on my right foot when going up or down stairs.
6) I guess this ties in with #5 - I know whether every flight of stairs in my place of employment (both current and past, and even way back to all my schools too!) is odd or even.
7) My favourite sandwich consists of - White Plastic Bread (you know, that real chap stuff), Cheese Slices, Plastic (see above) Ham, sliced tomato and that bright yellow American Mustard! I love it and could possibly eat it forever!
8) When I read books, I more than often imagine the story in my head as if I'm watching a movie - I'll even occasionally stop to ponder who I would cast in the roles/how I would shoot the scene!
9) If I could, I would actually worship whoever it was who invented, Beds, Duvets and Pillows!! It's one of my favourite places to be!!!
10) I love the smell of a freshly opened packet of Post-It notes - I think they smell like see-through Gummi Bears!
11) I spent ten years of my life at Boarding School.
12) I NEVER wear matching socks - it started out because I was too lazy to pair them up, but now it has turned into a minor obsession. If I have matching socks on, I start to twitch a little!!!
13) I can't eat Jelly (Jello) - mainly because I can't actually swallow it...it makes me gag! Bananas have the same effect - unless I'm walking around!
14) I'm allergic to loads of fruit - Pineapple, Melon, Tomato - but I eat them anyway becuase I love them!!!
15) I've known my oldest friend for longer than some of new friends have been alive!
16) I spend ages alphabetizing my DVD's and CD's, and then when I when I take them out to listen to them, I very rarely put them back in the right place - however, if someone else borrows one, I get twitchy that they're not put back correctly!!!
17) I am a book Nazi...I've been well trained by my sister. I can't STAND it when the spine gets broken, and when corners of the pages get turned down - GET A BOOKMARK!!!!! I wached a guy on the tube the other day with a brand new paper back, and as he opened it up, he just bent it back on itself...I was nearly sick on the train!!!!!! If I lend my books out, I make sure that they know how to treat it properly!
18) My favourite animals for many many years were Rabbits - in the last few years it has changed to Penguins! I love them. I can't look at them without laughing! They are just the most amazing creatures!!!! yey for Penguins! Also, tying in with this...I would LOVE to have a pet polar bear! I am yet to come to terms with the fact that this will never happen!
19) I often fall totally in love with fictional characters! For example, Pacey from Dawson's Creek - my PERFECT man...currently there is also Edward Cullen from the Twilight series, I would also add in Agent Seely Booth from Bones in there too!
20) I love taking photos of boardwalk paths through forests.
21) I firmly believe in faries.
22) Gordon Ramsey is the nicest celebrity I've met so far. He gave me a Quality Street.
23) I miss blogging - I kept a blog for a few years when I was working a rubbish job, living in a crappy house - now that I'm finally happy, I can't find the inspiration to write about anything!
24) When I have enough money, I'm going to spend a lot of it on a Steinway Grand Piano - and a house to put it in. I've wanted one for almost all of my life.
25) My life's ambition is to have my name on the credits of a film. In any role - preferably Script Supervisor, as that's what I've set my heart on - but anything will do! One Day Folks....Watch This Space!
Well - that has been fun, and time consuming!!
1) I used to have a goldfish named Wellington.
2) Pete Postlethwaite (the actor) has spat on me!
3) I own a genuine Montanan Cowboy hat.
4) I love trees.
5) I count stairs and I have to land on my right foot when going up or down stairs.
6) I guess this ties in with #5 - I know whether every flight of stairs in my place of employment (both current and past, and even way back to all my schools too!) is odd or even.
7) My favourite sandwich consists of - White Plastic Bread (you know, that real chap stuff), Cheese Slices, Plastic (see above) Ham, sliced tomato and that bright yellow American Mustard! I love it and could possibly eat it forever!
8) When I read books, I more than often imagine the story in my head as if I'm watching a movie - I'll even occasionally stop to ponder who I would cast in the roles/how I would shoot the scene!
9) If I could, I would actually worship whoever it was who invented, Beds, Duvets and Pillows!! It's one of my favourite places to be!!!
10) I love the smell of a freshly opened packet of Post-It notes - I think they smell like see-through Gummi Bears!
11) I spent ten years of my life at Boarding School.
12) I NEVER wear matching socks - it started out because I was too lazy to pair them up, but now it has turned into a minor obsession. If I have matching socks on, I start to twitch a little!!!
13) I can't eat Jelly (Jello) - mainly because I can't actually swallow it...it makes me gag! Bananas have the same effect - unless I'm walking around!
14) I'm allergic to loads of fruit - Pineapple, Melon, Tomato - but I eat them anyway becuase I love them!!!
15) I've known my oldest friend for longer than some of new friends have been alive!
16) I spend ages alphabetizing my DVD's and CD's, and then when I when I take them out to listen to them, I very rarely put them back in the right place - however, if someone else borrows one, I get twitchy that they're not put back correctly!!!
17) I am a book Nazi...I've been well trained by my sister. I can't STAND it when the spine gets broken, and when corners of the pages get turned down - GET A BOOKMARK!!!!! I wached a guy on the tube the other day with a brand new paper back, and as he opened it up, he just bent it back on itself...I was nearly sick on the train!!!!!! If I lend my books out, I make sure that they know how to treat it properly!
18) My favourite animals for many many years were Rabbits - in the last few years it has changed to Penguins! I love them. I can't look at them without laughing! They are just the most amazing creatures!!!! yey for Penguins! Also, tying in with this...I would LOVE to have a pet polar bear! I am yet to come to terms with the fact that this will never happen!
19) I often fall totally in love with fictional characters! For example, Pacey from Dawson's Creek - my PERFECT man...currently there is also Edward Cullen from the Twilight series, I would also add in Agent Seely Booth from Bones in there too!
20) I love taking photos of boardwalk paths through forests.
21) I firmly believe in faries.
22) Gordon Ramsey is the nicest celebrity I've met so far. He gave me a Quality Street.
23) I miss blogging - I kept a blog for a few years when I was working a rubbish job, living in a crappy house - now that I'm finally happy, I can't find the inspiration to write about anything!
24) When I have enough money, I'm going to spend a lot of it on a Steinway Grand Piano - and a house to put it in. I've wanted one for almost all of my life.
25) My life's ambition is to have my name on the credits of a film. In any role - preferably Script Supervisor, as that's what I've set my heart on - but anything will do! One Day Folks....Watch This Space!
Well - that has been fun, and time consuming!!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Three is a magic number
So, seeing as I've had the worst writer's block in the world - for the past however many years - I thought I'd do something like this instead. Where I can post a new blog and slowly get back into the creative-ness!
3's about me
Three jobs I have had in my life: Waitress, Pasty Packer, Head Runner
Three shows that I watch: Dawson's Creek, The OC, Party of Five - see a theme going here?
Three places I have been: The USA, Romania, Australia
Three places I have been this week: Harrods, Wandsworth and Soho - All in London!!!
Three people who e-mail me regularly: My sister, Alan from Work, my Boss!
Three of my favourite foods: Roast Beef with all the trimmings, A good curry, Coldstone Creamery Cinnamon ice cream!
Three places I'd rather be: Boston (the American one!), At the cinema, In Bed,
Three friends I think will respond: No one to be honest!
Three Things I am looking forward to: Going home this evening, going to the movies on Tuesday, Seeing the boy I quite like on Thursday
So there we go...my magical 3's!
I'm going to try and get the creative juices flowing for a more exciting post soon!!! I'm sure I keep saying this! Maybe one day I'll actually do it!!
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