what i did for love
Aug. 29th, 2024 11:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pensnestThis morning, we completed a tour of local supermarkets, in a quest to achieve Jude's Salted Caramel ice-cream for Beast. Sainsburys yesterday yielded only little pots, Tesco nothing, Lidl nothing (though we hadn't held out much hope for Lidl). This morning, after the Oxfam run (I had a clear-out), we tried Morrisons and the other Sainsburys, and eventually ran the stuff to ground in Waitrose (he bought four tubs). There are of course more supermarkets around the city, but, phew. If I were to include a map of where the supermarkets are and how long this took, you would think me mad be impressed. Possibly. It was like a complicated sort of dance.
*
Squirrel-wise, there has been much less action of late. Earlier this year there were as many as seven of the little blighters in the garden at one time, but it has been quite quiet recently. Perhaps the teenagers have been told to get jobs and move out. I haven't had the luck to see any of them attempting an assault on the peanut cylinder, but Beast has: apparently one leaped up onto the dustbin-lid baffle and thence to the peanuts, and one seems to have jumped from somewhere on the house, either window sill or roof, and thus achieved squirrel bliss.
Magpies continue to jump up, enbeak something, and then plummet to the ground. Ridiculous birds.
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Bun and I went to see A Chorus Line in the city on Tuesday. It's a good show, and it's interesting to compare it with the film and see what they managed to lose while committing the thing to celluloid. The 'star' character, Cassie, was so obviously not a 'star' that I was a bit thrown—I don't think the production was trying to say that The Director was so obsessive about her that he lost all objectivity, but maybe? I thought she and the woman cast as 'Sheila' should have swapped roles.
The worst thing was the sound. Why do theatres these days so often want to be rock venues, to which one needs to wear earplugs? Why does not some sensible person send feedback to the sound crew that (a) the band is so loud we cannot hear what the chorus are singing, and (b) some of the soloists' grandstand notes actually hurt my ears. This is unwelcome.
I did in fact send feedback, since the theatre were so kind as to email me asking for it.
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A link about chocolate! Always an interest of mine. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn47zg3xgxxo Using the whole of the chocolate fruit rather than having to involve sugar and to throw away the pulp. Looks worth a go, to my mind.
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Squirrel-wise, there has been much less action of late. Earlier this year there were as many as seven of the little blighters in the garden at one time, but it has been quite quiet recently. Perhaps the teenagers have been told to get jobs and move out. I haven't had the luck to see any of them attempting an assault on the peanut cylinder, but Beast has: apparently one leaped up onto the dustbin-lid baffle and thence to the peanuts, and one seems to have jumped from somewhere on the house, either window sill or roof, and thus achieved squirrel bliss.
Magpies continue to jump up, enbeak something, and then plummet to the ground. Ridiculous birds.
*
Bun and I went to see A Chorus Line in the city on Tuesday. It's a good show, and it's interesting to compare it with the film and see what they managed to lose while committing the thing to celluloid. The 'star' character, Cassie, was so obviously not a 'star' that I was a bit thrown—I don't think the production was trying to say that The Director was so obsessive about her that he lost all objectivity, but maybe? I thought she and the woman cast as 'Sheila' should have swapped roles.
The worst thing was the sound. Why do theatres these days so often want to be rock venues, to which one needs to wear earplugs? Why does not some sensible person send feedback to the sound crew that (a) the band is so loud we cannot hear what the chorus are singing, and (b) some of the soloists' grandstand notes actually hurt my ears. This is unwelcome.
I did in fact send feedback, since the theatre were so kind as to email me asking for it.
*
A link about chocolate! Always an interest of mine. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn47zg3xgxxo Using the whole of the chocolate fruit rather than having to involve sugar and to throw away the pulp. Looks worth a go, to my mind.
Thoughts
Date: 2024-08-30 03:55 am (UTC)It's a vicious circle. People listen to loud sounds and live in noisy cities, so they lose some of their hearing, so they turn up the sound. I agree, it's painfully loud. And theatre crews have pretty much forgotten even the most basic "don't harm the audience" rules like "don't turn up the sound too loud" and "don't shine lights directly into people's faces" and "don't jam chairs so close together that strangers sit upon each other." Since people can no longer be relied upon to provide a safe entertainment experience, I have largely quit going. They can do what they damn please, and my money can stay in my pocket.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2024-09-02 08:40 am (UTC)Re: Thoughts
Date: 2024-09-02 09:09 am (UTC)I agree.
>> My amateur group performed without microphones for many years, and it was fine, so I don't see why professionals can't get it right. <<
The technology and training have changed over time, mostly for the worse. Performers are rarely taught to project and enunciate the way they used to be, so the sound is mushier. Microphones and speakers on much modern technology are just awful -- not to mention people putting them on the back of some equipment. :/
>> However, I spoke to someone over the weekend who had seen the show on Friday, and they said the sound was not a problem - perhaps they learned! That'll teach me not to go to the touring company's first night at a venue in future.<<
That's encouraging.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2024-09-04 11:06 am (UTC)But I went to a performance of Into the Woods at the Donmar, a tiny little theatre, and the actor playing the Baker seemed to be entirely doughy and didn't seem to be acting at all. I suspected at the time that he was used to doing television. Ho hum.
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Date: 2024-08-30 07:33 pm (UTC)Oh that chocolate article sounds amazing! and now I am earwormed of course
Re: *
Date: 2024-09-02 08:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-08-31 07:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-09-02 08:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-09-01 07:04 pm (UTC)I've no idea how squirrel territories work but I can imagine autumn would be the time when the parents kick out any teenage offspring still hanging around.
Magpies are fun!
What a great pity a good show should be spoilt by too-loud sound. Sadly it seems to be the case everywhere these days. My aunt occasionally goes to the movies with a friend and she's forever complaining of the sound level.
Fascinating read! I hope they can mage a go of it.
no subject
Date: 2024-09-02 08:45 am (UTC)I try to figure out the ages of squirrels based on the magnificence of their tails, but I dunno.
The sound thing makes me sad... I know to wear earplugs when I go to see Queen, but the theatre ought to be at a more human level.