Month: July 2012

  • Five Reasons I Don’t Hate the Olympics (Yet)

    This morning on the bus to work, a loud voice boomed out across the speakers.

    “Blimey” I thought, “This bus driver’s posh”

    Alas, not content with spreading the Olympic Message on London’s tube and trains (summary: you will be late, deal with it or walk), Boris Johnson is now helpfully warning us about delays we’re already stuck in on the 76 to Waterloo.

    Anyway – despite the travel disruption, threat of rain, 1 million extra people churning up the pavements, and the fact that most Londoners are being squeezed out of the Games, in terms of cost and literally on the tube each morning, I’m finding it hard to completely resign myself to completely hating the Olympics.

    Here are five reasons why.

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  • FOUND: Ambiguous Lost and Found Note

    “I have lost my phone. Has there been a phone handed in?”

    “No.”

    “Ok then. I have also lost £100. Has £100 been handed in?”

    “No.”

    “Oh. Ok then. I have lost expensive jewellery. Has any expensive jewellery been handed in?”

    “No. Please leave the police station.”

    A lost and found note

     

  • Highly Recommended: A Film about Over 80s Playing Ping Pong (stick with me)

    Highly Recommended: A Film about Over 80s Playing Ping Pong (stick with me)

    I’d never been to the ICA before Monday. It’s on the Mall, home to el Queenie’s gaff, and on this particular Monday night, the entire population of the Territorial Army – berets and all – all doing squats and lunges in preparation for the Olympics.

    Ok, there were no squats and lunges. But there were berets, and the rest was in my mind.

    Point is, I went to the ICA because at the moment they’re showing a film called Ping Pong, which is a documentary about eight competitors taking part in the over 80s World Table Tennis Championships held in Inner Mongolia.

    Les D'Arcy, World Over 80s Ping Pong Champion
    Image credit: Ping Pong, Dir. Hugh Hartford, UK 2012

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