Proud

Perhaps too much already said about our Olympics - but all praise is good.  We did a great job.  Hopefully the lasting legacy from the whole summer is a belief by the British that British is good and we actually can really put on a show on a massive scale whilst the world looks on.  The best quote i've read is that "..we have seen the best of ourselves.." those few words sum it up really.  I'm very proudly British and a Londoner - never more so that the last few weeks.

I Love Fopp!

Here's a great idea.  Let's keep record shops.  Have them stocked with good cross section of catalogues.  Include the obscure at appropriate higher prices but overall be cheap.  Plenty of bargain basement stuff.  Offers for £3, £5, £8.  New (but not mainstream) releases for £10.  Special offers for local events - London Jazz Week - sell some old but classic Columbia jazz sets for £3 in cool vinyl cover copies.  Include books about music, film and anything ... well anything really.  Most of all have staff who want to help, know their stuff and like customers.  Fopp went bust a couple of years ago and was bought out (they say saved) by HMV.  Interesting as Fopp is what i'd like to have seen HMV become.  Ask most HMV staff a not too difficult music question and not only will they not know but will show you they don't really care (my experience granted but there you go).  Compare it to my Covent Garden Favourite and there is no contest.  I will support this store for as long as they support my record buying habit in this way.  Power to the Fopp!

Walk and Talk - PLEASE!

Another day another commuting moan. I understand that when you get off the tube you want to check your phone for that urgent message.  Why do it at the top of the escalator, in the middle (i.e. not to the side of )the platform, in the queue for the gates.  Either that or learn to walk and talk at the same time.

I'm getting concerned about this I usually think of myself as a pretty cool commuter - working on the basis that  I get there when I get there - I can't drive the bus, train, tube so I should leave it to the professionals.  Old moaner really isn't me - I hope.

Tube Etiquette

There we all are - trying to get to work - hating the tube - the heat, the overcrowding the repetitive messages from the driver, the guard (platform operative) and the various automated services telling you which station you are at/going to/which side the doors are/which line you can change to etc etc. Yep - we all face the same thing. So and But WILL YOU PLEASE MOVE DOWN. what are you afraid of? are you just selfish? think that you are the only one? need your own space? anyway - get the picture - you get on move down, we will get on, we move down the line and yippee - same time tomorrow!