Why is that queue over there moving faster than the queue I'm in?

HI there

I was ruminating the other day, standing in line at PostShop, that whichever queue I stand in, it's always the other queue that moves the fastest.   I speak to loads of people and they say the same thing happens to them.  Is there a bunch of us folk who are forever destined to Get It Wrong?  Did the Angel of Good-Fortune tick my name off her list as baby-me, all bundled up and about to be handed over to the stork, was sent off to live my life?

At the supermarket yesterday, I decided to try out my theory.  I stood examining the queues at the various checkout counters.  Mmmm, which was the shortest?  Which customer in which queue had the least items?  And which small-purchase customer did I think would ask the operator for cigarettes requiring the supervisor to be called, along with the all-precious key to the locked cabinet.  All of this kerfuffle would add minutes to any queue-time.  (Oops, am I cigarette-profiling?  Sorry.)

In the end, I decided to go with the new-fangled check-it-out-yourself option.

Alas, it took me much longer doing this than if I'd queued up waiting for an operator.  It was probably my own fault.  Silly me, I had bought a camisole at Farmers just prior to my Countdown Supermarket visit and I had plonked the bagged camisole into my supermarket basket for ease of carrying as I rambled the aisles.  The self-check-out machine automatically registered the camisole's weight as I checked in and then got in a real filthy mood when I didn't run it across the bar-scanner. 

By the time, the supervisor had slowly rolled up and sorted out the problem, all the operator-checkout queues had  become devoid of customers, and-I-should-have-gone-that-way-to-begin-with.  Sigh.

xx

I was wandering around the Wellington Botanical Gardens earlier in the year and found this cute duck family hanging around the small fountain in the rose garden.  I go so gooey over puppies, kittens, ducklings, chicks....

Second swim for July at Hataitai Beach, Wellington, New Zealand

Hi there
Yesterday, we had our second swim for July at Hataitai Beach, and this time we got much (much) further than the previous day.  We are hoping for four swims this month.  I hope we can manage it.  But once we make up our minds to do something,  both J and myself get ultra-upset if we can't reach our goal.  So, excluding extreme storms, illnesses, holidays, locust infestations, and alien attacks, we intend to let nothing stand in our way with this month's 4-swim-minimum.  Oops, at this late date in the month have we committed ourselves...?

Most of the steps and surroundings that broke away from the deck during The Big Storm have been cleared away by Wellington City Council, but there were still, maybe, half a dozen bits of woods floating in the water around the shoreline.  Some of these scraps of wood had vicious-looking nails attached.  Yesterday, I forgot my swimming booties (aside:  I only wear them in the winter) and I was so scared trekking out into the sea from the shore.  Without my glasses, I'm as blind as a bat.  Who knew what nailed atrocity I might step on.

Here's a pic that J's fearless pet photographer took of us in the water.  As you can see, we have the moves down perfectly.  Esther Williams, eat your heart out!

There was a sort of rolling earthquake (tremor) this morning in Wellington.  I was talking to my friend, A.J., on the phone.  She fearlessly kept on talking as I hared into the dining room and cowered under the table. 

swimming, Hataitai Beach

Hi there

Well, J and I have had a little bit of a glitch re our swimming, but we're now happily back on track.  Today we went to Hataitai Beach.  It was weird having to do the long wade (trudge?) into the water instead of plunging straight down from the steps.  The steps leading from the changing shed deck down into the water are no longer at Hataitai Beach because of The Storm. I hope Wellington City Council will rebuild them before summer. Wouldn't it be awful if they decided swimmers didn't need them any longer?  We didn't stay all that long in the sea because I think I have a bit of a cold coming on.  Usually, after my swim, my hands and feet usually turn into ice blocks for, at least, two hours.  Today, though, not at all.  Maybe we should look seriously at cutting down on the length of our swims at this time of the year?   Or not....   The trouble is, J and I are so competitive. Neither of us can bear (bare?) to be outdone by the other one.  It only needs one of us to wonder aloud about doing another width of the bay, and the other shouts something like "You're on!" and is off like flying fish.,

One of the regulars was there.  But he's not a swimmer.  He washes his clothes in plastic bags from the tap on the deck, then hangs the clothes somewhere to dry.

I went to the New Zealand annual science fiction convention last weekend.  I was roped in to sitting on a panel and when I agreed to do this I didn't realise that, time-wise,  the one session I wanted to see was  directly opposite my panel:  this was the session given by the guys at Weta!   Drat....  So, I was grumpy the whole weekend.  Especially when it also meant that because of the convention, I missed on hoofing down to see the NZ premiere of "At the World's End", with guests Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, Martin Freeman, and Benedict ('Sherlock' and 'Star Trek') Cumberbatch .

Here's a pic I took of  a a guy from The Shire of Darton, the Medieval and Renaissance Society.

.

Books - Great first lines

Hi there

"I am Ishmael" from the book "Moby Dick" has always been considered just about the best first line ever.  However, if I was to pick up a book that started something like "I am Brian ... " or Bob, or Shirley, I don't think I would consider it a marvellous beginning.

The bible of course has "In the Beginning God created the heavens and the earth", a line that even today would be considered a great opening in any science fiction novel.

About forty years ago I came across the best beginning ever..   It was from the book "Lady Sings the Blues", the biography of blues singer, Billie Holliday:  "Mom and Pop were just a couple of kids when they got married.  He was eighteen, she was sixteen, and I was three."    But it just doesn't seem to have an impact nowadays when illegitimacy and under-age mothers barely rate an eyebrow raise.

However, I have a new Great Beginning.  It's from the book "Vampyres of Hollywood" by Adrienne Barbeau and Michael Scott.  It reads: 

"It took an x-ray and an autopsy to confirm that Jason Eddings had been killed with the Oscar he'd won for Best Actor just six hours earlier."

What a first line!  Short, to the point.  A murder for mystery buffs... an Oscar for entertainment fans ... an x-ray and autopsy for medical officianados.  And the title of the book betrays the fact it's about vampyres. (yes, the classy 'vampyres', not the over-used pedestrian 'vampires').  Nothing else is needed in my opinion.  I took the first line to the writers' group that I belong to, and we marvelled over it for hours.

Now, as my four readers know, I will be holidaying in America later this year.  By sheer amazing  coincidence I note that Vampyres of Hollywood co-writer and ex-'Maude' actress Adrienne Barbeau will be selling her books exactly where I'm going to be. I will try to stalk-er-sorry-talk to her.

Here's the cover of the book "Vampyres of Hollywood"  Don't bother to click on the words "Click to look inside" - though I know you will, it will be like trying not to finger a 'wet paint' notice, yes? - because it only works when you're on an Amazon website, sorry.

Martin Freeman Q & A session at Roxy Theatre, Miramar, Wellington

Hi there

Yesterday I attended a movie screening of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy".  I prefer the original tv series where the story, because of length, was explored more leisurely.   I also love the audio version which I still listen to on long car journeys.  Having Martin Freeman (Bilbo, "The Hobbit"), however, in the film version was great casting.  I don't think anyone else could have done filmdom's Arthur Dent better

We were not allowed to talk to Freeman about "The Hobbit" or take photos of him during the Q & A session, sorry.  I did have a chance as he walked in the door, but by the time I dithered, he had taken a seat two rows in front of me.  During the Q & A session, surprise was expressed to Freeman that he would want to sit through the movie yet again but he admitted, with a grin, that he never passed up a chance to watch himself on tv or movies whenever he could.   He told us he hadn't seen "Hitchhiker" in a few years and before that occasion, not since the London premiere.  

Freeman told the audience that the only job he had ever had was acting, He went into the theatre straight from drama school, and was seriously thrown by lots of stagey directions, eg."banana the table" and "favour the wall".

There is a scene in "Hitchhiker" where he and others are running toward the "Heart of Gold" spaceship, and this was all before the days of CGI.  Pyrotechics were being used and, for some reason, the cast were being shot at with hard pellets .  Zooey Deschanel (New Girl) got shot in the back and yelled out to stop filming.  It was so highly dangerous.

Freeman said he so admired the scenery in the south Island, and he loved Stone Street Studios. 

He told how he loved working with Ricky Gervais, and that filming with the guy was hilarious.  Gervais had the cast in fits of laughter so much it was surprising they put out as much work as they had.

One (silly?) audience member asked Freeman who would he go for if he was gay.  Answer (tongue in cheek) : Bill Nighy!

He was also asked how a young person could make it in the business.  "You must love it  Love it!", Freeman shouted   He said a person must seriously want to act, and not just want to be famous.

I'm Singin' in the Rain, lah-de-dah-dah ....

Hi there

This week, I went to The Roxy picture theatre in Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand to see "Singin' in the Rain".  This is such a well-known picture to me that I was mentally chanting all the dialogue with the actors.   I couldn't get over the fact that the picture was in pristine condition.  Wonderful colours, so vibrant-looking.  "An American in Paris" will be on later this month.

I went to the matinee and, goodness, there couldn't have been one audience member under the age of 60!  Ah, nostalgia, it's a wonderful thing.  We were obviously all reliving earlier days.  I do believe the 20-somethings went to the night-time session.

The Roxy put on a devonshire tea before-hand for us.  Movie and devonshire tea came to only $12.50.   Good on ya, Roxy.

This coming Sunday, there will be a matinee of "Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy", another movie I know almost intimately.  And with the added bonus that Martin Freeman, the star of that picture and also Bilbo in "The Hobbit" movies will be doing a Question and Answer session afterwards.  I hope the audience will be given five or so minutes before the discussion to take photos.  And I mustn't forget to take my towel!

Here are two pictures.  1)  our devonshire tea.  2)  a small portion of the Roxy's 1st floor ceiling (2nd floor, for the benefit of my one American reader).  

The Roxy decor is art deco mixed with robotic!  If you want to go upstairs and see the ceiling, just ask the kind folk at the box office or in the cafe.  The ceiling is definitely worth a look.  The Roxy often have Weta staff exhibits on the 1st floor, too.  A 'Thunderbirds' exhibit will be featured soon.

Edwin: My Life as a Koont

Hi there

I went last night to the Wellington, NZ, premiere of the movie, "Edwin: My Life as a Koont".  Four of my friends had bit parts in it.  See, there you are, senior citizens are, indeed, needed occasionally

The movie was taken recently to a comedy festival in Los Angeles and it won its lead actor, Bryce Campbell, the 2013 Best Actor Award.  He was presented with the award last night.

What a nice evening I had, sitting by my friends and seeing a movie that had some very funny lines in it.  I recognised so many of the places, both in New Zealand and in Los Angeles.  There was much nudging going on as a friend's living room, artistic painting endeavour, and acting skills were shown to, well, if not the world, at least the packed house at the Paramount Theatre.  Ah, you're a real triple threat there, girl!

The foyer was thronged with the glitterati.  The mayor, Celia Wade-Brown  was there - she has a small role in the film.  I also spotted Jamie Selkirk oscar winner-film editor-and co owner of the Roxy Theatre in Miramar (another triple-threater?).

A good time was had by all.  So, congrats on making the movie, guys.

http://www.spookypictures.co.nz/FeatureFilms/Edwin/Edwin.html