Pioneer Corporation today announced 1-14-09 that it will cease to manufacture its LaserDisc (LD) players upon completing the production of a total of approximately 3,000 more players. In 1980, Pioneer introduced its first consumer LD player. The company has seen worldwide sales of its LD players reach more than 9.5 million units to date in a market that saw worldwide sales top 16.8 million devices. However, under the market environment in which new media such as DVD and Blu-ray discs now dominate, it has become difficult for Pioneer to procure the parts required to produce LD players. The final models produced by Pioneer are the DVL-919 (DVD/LD compatible player), CLD-R5 (LD/CD player), DVK-900 (DVD/LD karaoke system), and DVL-K88 (DVD/LD compatible karaoke player).
This sucks because I love my LaserDisc player. I wonder if I should replace my current model with the DVL-919 while I can. Oh well. Sucks to be me :(
Friday, January 30, 2009
He Shoots, He Scores. Au revoir, Les Habs :)
Yeah, okay, let's start with a hockey post. Richard Zednik (he of the slashed throat) scored one of the most amazing goals seen since "The Goal" scored by Billy Lindsay.
View Zednik's Goal Here
It's been a long time since the Panthers fans have seen a complete, nearly perfect performance. And last night we dominated Les Habitants du Montreal. And it was good. Great. Fantastic. Just brilliant.
And now a brief word on Global Warming courtesy of The Christian Science Monitor* -- I am posting this because of the large number of idiots with whom I speak every day. Weather is not climate. Climate is not weather. They are two separate things. Please do not believe the utter horseshit uttered by mostly right-wing nutters that say "Look how cold it is! How can there possibly be global warming." The reason is simple: we are having cold weather. That is not the climate. It's the weather. It rains in the desert, it snows in Miami**, and it can reach 100 Fahrenheit in London***. Statistical anomalies always happen and the weather is full of them. Nine hurricanes hitting Florida in two years**** is another fine example. The fact is NASA themselves show the hottest 10 years ever were all recorded in the past 12 years.
To E: Condolences on the loss of your Uncle or congratulations. Whatever works best for you in this case.
To B: I still ain't telling you. Suffer. ::evil laugh::
To Mom: Feel better -- hope that flu goes away
*Thanks, Dave, for the Link.
** 19 January 1977 -- I remember it well
*** Sadly, I was there for that too.
**** Unfortunately, I was there for them too.
It's been a long time since the Panthers fans have seen a complete, nearly perfect performance. And last night we dominated Les Habitants du Montreal. And it was good. Great. Fantastic. Just brilliant.
And now a brief word on Global Warming courtesy of The Christian Science Monitor* -- I am posting this because of the large number of idiots with whom I speak every day. Weather is not climate. Climate is not weather. They are two separate things. Please do not believe the utter horseshit uttered by mostly right-wing nutters that say "Look how cold it is! How can there possibly be global warming." The reason is simple: we are having cold weather. That is not the climate. It's the weather. It rains in the desert, it snows in Miami**, and it can reach 100 Fahrenheit in London***. Statistical anomalies always happen and the weather is full of them. Nine hurricanes hitting Florida in two years**** is another fine example. The fact is NASA themselves show the hottest 10 years ever were all recorded in the past 12 years.
To E: Condolences on the loss of your Uncle or congratulations. Whatever works best for you in this case.
To B: I still ain't telling you. Suffer. ::evil laugh::
To Mom: Feel better -- hope that flu goes away
*Thanks, Dave, for the Link.
** 19 January 1977 -- I remember it well
*** Sadly, I was there for that too.
**** Unfortunately, I was there for them too.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
The Long Road Out of Eden (Eagles, Sunrise Florida, 26 Jan 2009)
Concert Review: As Frey called it, this was the "Assisted Living Tour" and it was funny, though after reading reviews posted elsewhere online, I now realize the entire show down to the jokes were scripted. It didn't feel scripted so I don't care. I think Frey's funniest comment was that "mother is only half a word in Detroit."
Their choice of attire was suit and tie, which was odd. They made several hard references to "buy our album" throughout the show. I didn't mind because that's why bands tour but this was pretty in your face. Schmidt couldn't quite hit those high notes but he sounded great nonetheless, and it was fun hearing him try. The vocals were all so crisp and clear, it was just awesome.
Joe Walsh clowned around quite a bit, and I enjoyed that. And more importantly, I didn't feel any tension from the stage unlike the "Hell Freezes Over" tour when there was some obvious disdain floating about. The set was a straight up no-frills stage with a half-moon under-utilized video screen.
All that aside, this was one of the better concerts of recent memory. It was a very long show starting at 815 give or take a few and running until about 1135pm (well past the arena's city-ordinance curfew). The band sounded great on almost every song. The vocals were good and the sound engineers did their job so you could actually hear the lyrics and the instruments without having one drowned out by the other.
The songs (even the classics) were re-orchestrated to have a slightly more twangy, country-like sound but that was good.
As always my set lists may not be perfect. I'm old and my memory is shot. And today, having got home late, showered, and in bed close to 130 and not asleep until close to 230 and up not long after 6, I am not in good shape.
Oh, and I'm going to buy the albums: as soon as I don't have to get it all WalMart.
Set List
1. How Long
2. Busy Being Fabulous
3. I Don't Want To Hear Anymore
4. Guilty of the Crime
5. Hotel California
6. Peaceful Easy Feeling
7. I Can't Tell You Why
8. Witchy Woman
9. Lyin' Eyes
10.Boys of Summer
11. In The City
12. The Long Run
INTERMISSION (Apx 20min)
13. No More Walks in the Woods
14. Waiting in the Weeds
15. Love Will Keep Us Alive
16. Take It To The Limit
17. Long Road Out Of Eden
18. Somebody
19. Walk Away
20. One of These Nights
BAND INTROS
21.Life's Been Good
22. Dirty Laundry
23. Funk #49
24. Heartache Tonight
25. Life In The Fast Lane
ENCORE
26. Take It Easy
27. Desperado
Special shout-outs to the following:
E: Sorry you're sick and having a rough patch at the same time.
B: Sorry you're having a rough time right now, too. You're not alone. Ask for help and your friends will come through.
M: Glad your party went ok.
Their choice of attire was suit and tie, which was odd. They made several hard references to "buy our album" throughout the show. I didn't mind because that's why bands tour but this was pretty in your face. Schmidt couldn't quite hit those high notes but he sounded great nonetheless, and it was fun hearing him try. The vocals were all so crisp and clear, it was just awesome.
Joe Walsh clowned around quite a bit, and I enjoyed that. And more importantly, I didn't feel any tension from the stage unlike the "Hell Freezes Over" tour when there was some obvious disdain floating about. The set was a straight up no-frills stage with a half-moon under-utilized video screen.
All that aside, this was one of the better concerts of recent memory. It was a very long show starting at 815 give or take a few and running until about 1135pm (well past the arena's city-ordinance curfew). The band sounded great on almost every song. The vocals were good and the sound engineers did their job so you could actually hear the lyrics and the instruments without having one drowned out by the other.
The songs (even the classics) were re-orchestrated to have a slightly more twangy, country-like sound but that was good.
As always my set lists may not be perfect. I'm old and my memory is shot. And today, having got home late, showered, and in bed close to 130 and not asleep until close to 230 and up not long after 6, I am not in good shape.
Oh, and I'm going to buy the albums: as soon as I don't have to get it all WalMart.
Set List
1. How Long
2. Busy Being Fabulous
3. I Don't Want To Hear Anymore
4. Guilty of the Crime
5. Hotel California
6. Peaceful Easy Feeling
7. I Can't Tell You Why
8. Witchy Woman
9. Lyin' Eyes
10.Boys of Summer
11. In The City
12. The Long Run
INTERMISSION (Apx 20min)
13. No More Walks in the Woods
14. Waiting in the Weeds
15. Love Will Keep Us Alive
16. Take It To The Limit
17. Long Road Out Of Eden
18. Somebody
19. Walk Away
20. One of These Nights
BAND INTROS
21.Life's Been Good
22. Dirty Laundry
23. Funk #49
24. Heartache Tonight
25. Life In The Fast Lane
ENCORE
26. Take It Easy
27. Desperado
Special shout-outs to the following:
E: Sorry you're sick and having a rough patch at the same time.
B: Sorry you're having a rough time right now, too. You're not alone. Ask for help and your friends will come through.
M: Glad your party went ok.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Crashing Airplanes and Obama
First, a little bit on the USAir crash into the Hudson. I had mentioned how fascinating the video of the actual crash was and many of my friends said "Video? There's VIDEO?" There is, indeed a video of the plane gliding in for a perfect landing in the river as well as the ferrys coming to rescue everyone. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7834853.stm
Second, I want to congratulate Barack Obama on becoming the newest president of the United States. And to Little Shrub I say, "Ding, dong, the wicked witch is dead. I hope the door hits you in the ass on the way out. And yes, there's plenty of hard feelings."
I took peeks at the proceedings but I was at work today and I was working so I didn't see a whole lot. The CNN website simply overloaded and was unable to feed video and kept saying "Try back later" or "Wait and we'll connect you" which never happened. MSNBC mostly worked though so that got me video on and off. I did watch Aretha sing and Obama swear in. Other than that just snippets here and there. I felt a sense of hope. Yay, hope.
A speedy recovery to Ted Kennedy who had a seizure during the innaguration. While he's not a perfect person, he's done a great deal to this country. He'll be remembered as a great American and he should.
Welcome to the Blogsphere Evan. Good luck. He joins a number of my other friends (many of whom can be found in the blog-roll to your right). I add/remove people based on how often they do (or don't) update. If you have a blog, please link back to mine. I'll give you, at the very least, a mention in my next post if you let me know you've done so. (Hey Evan, that means you!)
Second, I want to congratulate Barack Obama on becoming the newest president of the United States. And to Little Shrub I say, "Ding, dong, the wicked witch is dead. I hope the door hits you in the ass on the way out. And yes, there's plenty of hard feelings."
I took peeks at the proceedings but I was at work today and I was working so I didn't see a whole lot. The CNN website simply overloaded and was unable to feed video and kept saying "Try back later" or "Wait and we'll connect you" which never happened. MSNBC mostly worked though so that got me video on and off. I did watch Aretha sing and Obama swear in. Other than that just snippets here and there. I felt a sense of hope. Yay, hope.
A speedy recovery to Ted Kennedy who had a seizure during the innaguration. While he's not a perfect person, he's done a great deal to this country. He'll be remembered as a great American and he should.
Welcome to the Blogsphere Evan. Good luck. He joins a number of my other friends (many of whom can be found in the blog-roll to your right). I add/remove people based on how often they do (or don't) update. If you have a blog, please link back to mine. I'll give you, at the very least, a mention in my next post if you let me know you've done so. (Hey Evan, that means you!)
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Popcorn And Friends
I made microwave popcorn for breakfast. Thanks to Adrian for that. I dropped some and it got under my chair and now there's popcorn fluff everywhere. I have to vacuum.
Speaking of such things, I am looking for a reliable skating partner. I really need to skate almost every week and not randomly. If any of my friends and readers out there want to skate on a regular basis, please email me. I'm tired of the random and/or frequent failures to skate. I generally prefer to skate early in the morning (the 10am session) because they are far less crowded. Breakfast beforehand is an optional bonus. I'm willing to travel to Pines, Hammocks, for sure. I might negotiate other rinks but those two are both within a 60 minute radius of my house, the other rinks are further. I'm trying to get back to 3x or 4x a month.
I was going to make a post listing all my friends of ten or more years, and saying some random nice things about them. Then I realized doing this might alienate some friends I didn't mention. You know the people who think you're still good friends only you don't necessarily feel quite the same way about them. So I've scuttled the project.
I think that's part of the problem with blog-fame -- I gotta keep in mind lots of people I know read. I don't censor my posts really, but sometimes I opt not to make one. I do go back and add to old posts but I don't edit them (corrections are clearly marked withstrike out). I've only made undocumented edits to two posts: (1) One of my identity theft posts which was done at the request of the investigator and (2) one post in which I plead the fifth and removed something I decided wasn't for public knowledge. It was there for a week and then it was gone and was only a sentence.
A special shout-out to poor Murph and his damaged foot.
Anyway, that's it for today's entry. I'm off*!
* I'm always off, but that's a different story
Speaking of such things, I am looking for a reliable skating partner. I really need to skate almost every week and not randomly. If any of my friends and readers out there want to skate on a regular basis, please email me. I'm tired of the random and/or frequent failures to skate. I generally prefer to skate early in the morning (the 10am session) because they are far less crowded. Breakfast beforehand is an optional bonus. I'm willing to travel to Pines, Hammocks, for sure. I might negotiate other rinks but those two are both within a 60 minute radius of my house, the other rinks are further. I'm trying to get back to 3x or 4x a month.
I was going to make a post listing all my friends of ten or more years, and saying some random nice things about them. Then I realized doing this might alienate some friends I didn't mention. You know the people who think you're still good friends only you don't necessarily feel quite the same way about them. So I've scuttled the project.
I think that's part of the problem with blog-fame -- I gotta keep in mind lots of people I know read. I don't censor my posts really, but sometimes I opt not to make one. I do go back and add to old posts but I don't edit them (corrections are clearly marked with
A special shout-out to poor Murph and his damaged foot.
Anyway, that's it for today's entry. I'm off*!
* I'm always off, but that's a different story
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Fun With Spammers
I got fed up today with one particular spammer who just wouldn't leave me alone. Three to four emails per day from a few domains. I got mean, aggressive, and nasty after a few reasonable attempts to stop it. I did research and found the perpetrator. I sent off this email:
I've done all you work, you just need to cut her and ALL her domains off. Make it easy and avoid legal action.
(And for the record, we certify we do not know these scumbags, have never contacted or registered with or done business with them or any of their related scummy companies. They are the lowest form of life.)
Return-path: <streamsendbouncer@me36268.mailengine3.com>
Delivery-date: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:19:26 -0800
Received: from me36268.mailengine3.com ([66.59.5.90]:46193)
by DELETED with esmtp (Exim 4.69)
(envelope-from <streamsendbouncer@me36268.mailengine3.com>)
id 1LNVsC-0004np-8j
for DELETED Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:19:26 -0800
Received: by me36268.mailengine3.com (PowerMTA(TM) v3.2r23) id hdto1a0eutcj for DELETED. Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:12:31 -0800 (envelope-from <streamsendbouncer@me36268.mailengine3.com>)
X-Report-Abuse-At: abuse@streamsend.com
X-Report-Abuse-Info: It is important to please include full email headers in the report
X-Campaign-ID: 1102
X-Streamsendid: 41972+32+43281+1102+me36268.mailengine3.com
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:12:30 -0800
From: "Chris Stewart" <chris.stewart@fedgovanswers.com>
To: DELETED
Subject: Obama & Small Business: Understanding the Opportunity
(The "DELETED" notes in the headers are MY email address which I've removed because I am not an idiot.)
So, here's where it gets fun. I got a phone call from Ms. Long :) who says she got my e-mail on her Blackberry. Her first question was "is anyone listening on the line?" I kid you not; that is surely the sign of a fine, upstanding citizen. I told her no and she said she didn't have her lawyer on the line. As if I cared. I explained to her that her company ignored a nice unsubscribe request in violation of the CanSpam act, and that they also don't return nice phone calls. Indeed I left a firm but polite message as well as a far less polite one a day later. If it wasn't so petty, I'd leave a vulgar one. I'm sure she gets those too.
I kept calling her a spammer and she said I was being slanderous. The truth, lady, isn't slander. Sending unsolicited emails (spam) without valid contact information and valid unsusbcribe address is illegal. That makes you a criminal AND a spammer. She threatened me with her lawyer (bad move) because I shouted her down loudly enough that my fellow office mates came to my door to see what was going on. I did not resort to any name-calling though she richly deserved it. She kept calling herself a business woman and I did correct her to spammer each time. She then suggested I has asked to be included, which is, of course, laughable.
I told her to get me off her lists or this would get much worse for her. She really has no idea who she fucked with. No idea. I will use our company's very, very expensive lawyers to make her very, very poor. I am also going to continue to pursue her hosting company and her spam-server company. I am also filing a formal complaint with the FTC.
This is a challenge because she indicates she is a legitimate business doing business in a legitimate way. Legitimate businesses are not in repeated violation of the law, do not hide their contact information, do not participate in domain squatting (see e-mail above for case), return phone calls, do not lie, and say the things she did. Perhaps you wish to Google her and learn all about her. You can find all about her. Be careful, though there's more than one Sandra Long in Baltimore. She's the political one.
She will not be the first spammer I've brought down. When she spammed my well protected work e-mail address, she crossed a line. She was asked nicely to stop and she decided the law didn't apply to her. For the record, several people have been ARRESTED and INCARCERATED for violation of the CanSpam Act. One example: on January 16, 2006, Jeffrey Goodin, 45, from California was convicted by a jury in in Los Angeles in United States v. Goodin, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, and on June 11, 2007 he was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison. I hope she joins him. (Though the fact she did try to tangle with Mr. Trump, made me smile a little bit. Half-credit for at least being scummy towards a kindred spirit.)
Since she's threatened me with a lawyer, I wish to say "bring it on" and reiterate that -- as I said to her -- "I will run your ass up a tree." Because, honey*, I promise you, I will.
* This said in a deliberately condescending voice.
From: Eric A. Seiden
Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 13:24
To: 'ABUSE@GODADDY.COM'
Cc: 'abuse@streamsend.com', slong@abrmedia.com
Subject: MASSIVE SPAM ATTACK FROM YOUR USER: Obama & Small Business: Understanding the Opportunity
Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 13:24
To: 'ABUSE@GODADDY.COM'
Cc: 'abuse@streamsend.com', slong@abrmedia.com
Subject: MASSIVE SPAM ATTACK FROM YOUR USER: Obama & Small Business: Understanding the Opportunity
We're getting inundated and it's your user. Please stop them. They do not respond to voice mails or anything. Cancel their damn account. The ads are for and link to "www.fedgovbookstore.com" and we're getting tons of them here EVERY FEW HOURS. I've tried calling voice to resolve it, but they don't return calls at the number on the website. They've sent hundred from "Chris Stewart" at this stupid email. I got so frustrated I even tried their unsubscribe link which is a sham and (obviously) doesn't work. My real contact info is below. They also send the same ads from "fedgovanswers.com" -- the companies share a phone number and their emails refer to both domains.
This domain is registered to these people but this number is disconnected:
Sandra Long Consulting
509 S. Exeter Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
United States
410-659-7400 Fax -- (410) 659-7483
509 S. Exeter Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
United States
410-659-7400 Fax -- (410) 659-7483
If you want more, she's been involved in other possibly illegal activities (COURT DOCKET HERE): http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2007/d2007-1226.html
I've done all you work, you just need to cut her and ALL her domains off. Make it easy and avoid legal action.
(And for the record, we certify we do not know these scumbags, have never contacted or registered with or done business with them or any of their related scummy companies. They are the lowest form of life.)
Return-path: <streamsendbouncer@me36268.mailengine3.com>
Delivery-date: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:19:26 -0800
Received: from me36268.mailengine3.com ([66.59.5.90]:46193)
by DELETED with esmtp (Exim 4.69)
(envelope-from <streamsendbouncer@me36268.mailengine3.com>)
id 1LNVsC-0004np-8j
for DELETED Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:19:26 -0800
Received: by me36268.mailengine3.com (PowerMTA(TM) v3.2r23) id hdto1a0eutcj for DELETED. Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:12:31 -0800 (envelope-from <streamsendbouncer@me36268.mailengine3.com>)
X-Report-Abuse-At: abuse@streamsend.com
X-Report-Abuse-Info: It is important to please include full email headers in the report
X-Campaign-ID: 1102
X-Streamsendid: 41972+32+43281+1102+me36268.mailengine3.com
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:12:30 -0800
From: "Chris Stewart" <chris.stewart@fedgovanswers.com>
To: DELETED
Subject: Obama & Small Business: Understanding the Opportunity
So, here's where it gets fun. I got a phone call from Ms. Long :) who says she got my e-mail on her Blackberry. Her first question was "is anyone listening on the line?" I kid you not; that is surely the sign of a fine, upstanding citizen. I told her no and she said she didn't have her lawyer on the line. As if I cared. I explained to her that her company ignored a nice unsubscribe request in violation of the CanSpam act, and that they also don't return nice phone calls. Indeed I left a firm but polite message as well as a far less polite one a day later. If it wasn't so petty, I'd leave a vulgar one. I'm sure she gets those too.
I kept calling her a spammer and she said I was being slanderous. The truth, lady, isn't slander. Sending unsolicited emails (spam) without valid contact information and valid unsusbcribe address is illegal. That makes you a criminal AND a spammer. She threatened me with her lawyer (bad move) because I shouted her down loudly enough that my fellow office mates came to my door to see what was going on. I did not resort to any name-calling though she richly deserved it. She kept calling herself a business woman and I did correct her to spammer each time. She then suggested I has asked to be included, which is, of course, laughable.
I told her to get me off her lists or this would get much worse for her. She really has no idea who she fucked with. No idea. I will use our company's very, very expensive lawyers to make her very, very poor. I am also going to continue to pursue her hosting company and her spam-server company. I am also filing a formal complaint with the FTC.
This is a challenge because she indicates she is a legitimate business doing business in a legitimate way. Legitimate businesses are not in repeated violation of the law, do not hide their contact information, do not participate in domain squatting (see e-mail above for case), return phone calls, do not lie, and say the things she did. Perhaps you wish to Google her and learn all about her. You can find all about her. Be careful, though there's more than one Sandra Long in Baltimore. She's the political one.
She will not be the first spammer I've brought down. When she spammed my well protected work e-mail address, she crossed a line. She was asked nicely to stop and she decided the law didn't apply to her. For the record, several people have been ARRESTED and INCARCERATED for violation of the CanSpam Act. One example: on January 16, 2006, Jeffrey Goodin, 45, from California was convicted by a jury in in Los Angeles in United States v. Goodin, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, and on June 11, 2007 he was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison. I hope she joins him. (Though the fact she did try to tangle with Mr. Trump, made me smile a little bit. Half-credit for at least being scummy towards a kindred spirit.)
Since she's threatened me with a lawyer, I wish to say "bring it on" and reiterate that -- as I said to her -- "I will run your ass up a tree." Because, honey*, I promise you, I will.
* This said in a deliberately condescending voice.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Relatively Speaking
So Mom's been after me to go to this family picnic in Orlando on the 24th. I've kept the date open even though relatives are not way high on my list of things. I'm basically a loner and happily unapologetic for it. My list of reasons are long but they aren't for public discussion as they would piss off far too many people.
Anyway, if I was in better shape, I'd drive. But -- no thanks to Progressive Auto Insurance who are cheap, uncaring bastards who wouldn't do the right thing to save their own lives -- I'm just not able to do the drive. I've never been a fan of long drives, but when you can't turn your neck left, it's hard. And on top of that my bad knee (my driving knee no less) just makes the trip too painful. That leaves flying.
So, no big deal, after being nagged to death to do something I don't want, I called to check into plane reservations. Now, as everyone knows, the airlines all cut flights from their schedules. That's been in the papers repeatedly. By reducing seats available on a route, they increase the average ticket price. Popular routes such as Miami to New York are largely unaffected because when you have 3 or 4 flights an hour a few less planes don't matter. Other routes don't fare (PUN!) as well apparently.
So, rather than bother Karen about what I thought would be a $150 ticket (I remember $29 tickets), I went to Expedia (a site I am not enamored of) and all the matches it gave me were for connections via Atlanta and Charlotte. Really! Leave here, fly to ATL/CLT and then back to Orlando, putting me in Orlando around 2 in the afternoon. Pretty good for a 1130am event. So, I reloaded and asked for non-stops only. There used to be, if you recollect, one or two flights per hour. There are less than eight total now. If I take the one early flight out and come back one of the last two of the day, the roundtrip fare is, get this, $988. Really. I could buy two tickets to Paris, France for less, just as an example. I could go to Las Vegas FIRST CLASS for less. And the airlines wonder why they're always in financial trouble. More wrangling with complexities reduced the fare to around $685 -- but there is NO way in hell I'm paying that much to go to Orlando. I tried the websites of American and Continental (the only two airlines still serving MIA-MCO non-stop) and got fares that were over $1100 on American and $980 on Continental.
There's a few out of Fort Lauderdale, but the return options are complicated. I had asked Mom about one (requiring me to get up at 330am to get to FLL returning at 330pm from MCO which is a very tight schedule) but she never answered. Even that one was about $250 which is usurious. This concludes today's rant.
And, to top it all off, I'm in a bit of a funk (not over this by any means) since Monday night. I'm trying to shake it but I can't. Long story that I'm not willing to share. Blech.
Anyway, if I was in better shape, I'd drive. But -- no thanks to Progressive Auto Insurance who are cheap, uncaring bastards who wouldn't do the right thing to save their own lives -- I'm just not able to do the drive. I've never been a fan of long drives, but when you can't turn your neck left, it's hard. And on top of that my bad knee (my driving knee no less) just makes the trip too painful. That leaves flying.
So, no big deal, after being nagged to death to do something I don't want, I called to check into plane reservations. Now, as everyone knows, the airlines all cut flights from their schedules. That's been in the papers repeatedly. By reducing seats available on a route, they increase the average ticket price. Popular routes such as Miami to New York are largely unaffected because when you have 3 or 4 flights an hour a few less planes don't matter. Other routes don't fare (PUN!) as well apparently.
So, rather than bother Karen about what I thought would be a $150 ticket (I remember $29 tickets), I went to Expedia (a site I am not enamored of) and all the matches it gave me were for connections via Atlanta and Charlotte. Really! Leave here, fly to ATL/CLT and then back to Orlando, putting me in Orlando around 2 in the afternoon. Pretty good for a 1130am event. So, I reloaded and asked for non-stops only. There used to be, if you recollect, one or two flights per hour. There are less than eight total now. If I take the one early flight out and come back one of the last two of the day, the roundtrip fare is, get this, $988. Really. I could buy two tickets to Paris, France for less, just as an example. I could go to Las Vegas FIRST CLASS for less. And the airlines wonder why they're always in financial trouble. More wrangling with complexities reduced the fare to around $685 -- but there is NO way in hell I'm paying that much to go to Orlando. I tried the websites of American and Continental (the only two airlines still serving MIA-MCO non-stop) and got fares that were over $1100 on American and $980 on Continental.
There's a few out of Fort Lauderdale, but the return options are complicated. I had asked Mom about one (requiring me to get up at 330am to get to FLL returning at 330pm from MCO which is a very tight schedule) but she never answered. Even that one was about $250 which is usurious. This concludes today's rant.
And, to top it all off, I'm in a bit of a funk (not over this by any means) since Monday night. I'm trying to shake it but I can't. Long story that I'm not willing to share. Blech.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Restoring Faith In Humanity
Before I get to the main post, just a little shout out to my pharmacist Vinay at Walgreens (I hope I spelled that right). He's always been awesome. Everyone should have a pharmacist this good. About six months ago, I even wrote a nice letter to Walgreens corporate office to let them know. I always bitch about bad service I get (a rampant problem here in the USA), so thought it might be nice to let everyone know about good service.
Secondly, I am taking my mother on a surprise trip for her birthday. Her birthday is March 4th, but we're going to do it a few days late. We're leaving Thursday night. We'll be in the selected location Friday and Saturday -- with secret plans Saturday night -- and returning home Sunday. I will be out of touch for those two days (Friday and Saturday) but will be home around dinnertime Sunday. As always, at the mercy of the airlines.
Secondly, I am taking my mother on a surprise trip for her birthday. Her birthday is March 4th, but we're going to do it a few days late. We're leaving Thursday night. We'll be in the selected location Friday and Saturday -- with secret plans Saturday night -- and returning home Sunday. I will be out of touch for those two days (Friday and Saturday) but will be home around dinnertime Sunday. As always, at the mercy of the airlines.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Cats of All Kinds
Scooter has been in her final resting place, and here's a photo. I finally am posting what is the final picture of Scooter. Or, more accurately, her final resting place. Sorry that it took so long but this was a hard photo to take, edit, and upload. Harder still was the act of installing her ashes and sealing it with the screws.
I know the cat on top doesn't look quite like her, but it was as close as I could get. Anyway, it's still hard believe it or not. I still think of her especially when I come home and she's not here to greet me, when I go in the kitchen and see the empty spot where her food bowl belongs.
In other news, we have a running commentary about the cheerleaders at the BankAtlantic Center. We're not big fans. Nobody disputes that they are very attractive -- after all they are sponsored by a plastic surgeon. But they're just so trampy. They remind all of us of strippers at a strip club. Officially they're called the IceCats but Kathy Higgins dubbed them the PoleCats. It was a great nickname. Then, at the London Zoo, this Boxing Day, I snapped this photo which made me laugh:
I'm off to the mall to return oodles of holiday clothing items that don't fit. I hate this.
I know the cat on top doesn't look quite like her, but it was as close as I could get. Anyway, it's still hard believe it or not. I still think of her especially when I come home and she's not here to greet me, when I go in the kitchen and see the empty spot where her food bowl belongs.
In other news, we have a running commentary about the cheerleaders at the BankAtlantic Center. We're not big fans. Nobody disputes that they are very attractive -- after all they are sponsored by a plastic surgeon. But they're just so trampy. They remind all of us of strippers at a strip club. Officially they're called the IceCats but Kathy Higgins dubbed them the PoleCats. It was a great nickname. Then, at the London Zoo, this Boxing Day, I snapped this photo which made me laugh:
I'm off to the mall to return oodles of holiday clothing items that don't fit. I hate this.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Uglies: The Review
I rarely trust recommendations for reading from most of my friends because my tastes and theirs tend to not match up well. That's not to say there haven't been the occasional hits, but mostly it doesn't work well. There have been exceptions: Paul used to do pretty well in matching my tastes and Jose has had some good hits too.
Anyway, when a friend recommended a trilogy by Scott Westerfeld, I was highly sceptical. I read the reviews online and at Amazon and I decided to give it a try despite the fact it didn't quite seem something I'd be into. He was really enthusiastic about it, though, so I thought I'd give it a try even though last time someone did that (Christian said she loved Little Big and hasn't ever forgiven me for saying it was a horribly written tome of little interest. She made me send her my copy. Just because a book is popular, doesn't mean it's good.)
So I brought all three with me to London. I ended up not reading on the way over because I had so many magazines in my backlog. But on the way back, I completed the first book and the second book save for one chapter, which I just cleaned up today.
So, the book is well written. That's helps. I can't get past that part if it's not. So I got into the story pretty quickly, which surprised me. It's not really my "type" of book but lately I've been finding lots of those that I still like. I like this series so far. The first is Uglies, the second is Pretties, and the third (Specials) I haven't yet got to but will in the next few days.
It's the story of Tally, an "Ugly" who is about to become a "Pretty" and realizes maybe that's not where she should be. An ugly is someone who isn't yet 16. At 16 you are surgically altered to be perfect and then move to a new part of the city to be with all the beautiful people. You also become a vapid, mindless drone.
Tally escapes Uglyville into the Smoke -- where the outlaws are -- but she turns traitor before realizing she shouldn't have. She tries to make it up, but the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Her friend Shay ultimately turns against her. Then Tally turns away from David, falling in with Zane.
My complaints are twofold: one there needs to be more time spent developing the characters. I like well developed characters. The second, more substantial is I just don't like Tally. She's a great lead character but the way she can just discard people goes against what I believe is right. And the author clearly is trying to say it's okay. It's not okay. She loved David and then when she became a Pretty and got involved with Zane, it was like David didn't exist. She didn't handle it well and she's supposed to be mature. But I did like the books. I may amend this review when I read the third book.
UPDATE 1-9-09 As promised the third book addition: I liked the third book. There's a bit more action and it held my interest a bit more. Tally is still a self-centred twat right until the end, yet she's still likeable in her own little way. David's back and I still really like him. Doctor Cable is just a great character and I wish there was so much more of her. That's an issue with all of the books: the four GREAT characters: David, Tally, Zane, and Cable there's not nearly enough of. We need more character development, more details, just more. The books are a quick read, but they'd be better if they weren't. I feel like the characters blew through my life and I hardly knew them. Except I wanted to know them. But it's still enjoyable but in a superficial way.
Anyway, when a friend recommended a trilogy by Scott Westerfeld, I was highly sceptical. I read the reviews online and at Amazon and I decided to give it a try despite the fact it didn't quite seem something I'd be into. He was really enthusiastic about it, though, so I thought I'd give it a try even though last time someone did that (Christian said she loved Little Big and hasn't ever forgiven me for saying it was a horribly written tome of little interest. She made me send her my copy. Just because a book is popular, doesn't mean it's good.)
So I brought all three with me to London. I ended up not reading on the way over because I had so many magazines in my backlog. But on the way back, I completed the first book and the second book save for one chapter, which I just cleaned up today.
So, the book is well written. That's helps. I can't get past that part if it's not. So I got into the story pretty quickly, which surprised me. It's not really my "type" of book but lately I've been finding lots of those that I still like. I like this series so far. The first is Uglies, the second is Pretties, and the third (Specials) I haven't yet got to but will in the next few days.
It's the story of Tally, an "Ugly" who is about to become a "Pretty" and realizes maybe that's not where she should be. An ugly is someone who isn't yet 16. At 16 you are surgically altered to be perfect and then move to a new part of the city to be with all the beautiful people. You also become a vapid, mindless drone.
Tally escapes Uglyville into the Smoke -- where the outlaws are -- but she turns traitor before realizing she shouldn't have. She tries to make it up, but the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Her friend Shay ultimately turns against her. Then Tally turns away from David, falling in with Zane.
My complaints are twofold: one there needs to be more time spent developing the characters. I like well developed characters. The second, more substantial is I just don't like Tally. She's a great lead character but the way she can just discard people goes against what I believe is right. And the author clearly is trying to say it's okay. It's not okay. She loved David and then when she became a Pretty and got involved with Zane, it was like David didn't exist. She didn't handle it well and she's supposed to be mature. But I did like the books. I may amend this review when I read the third book.
UPDATE 1-9-09 As promised the third book addition: I liked the third book. There's a bit more action and it held my interest a bit more. Tally is still a self-centred twat right until the end, yet she's still likeable in her own little way. David's back and I still really like him. Doctor Cable is just a great character and I wish there was so much more of her. That's an issue with all of the books: the four GREAT characters: David, Tally, Zane, and Cable there's not nearly enough of. We need more character development, more details, just more. The books are a quick read, but they'd be better if they weren't. I feel like the characters blew through my life and I hardly knew them. Except I wanted to know them. But it's still enjoyable but in a superficial way.
Friday, January 2, 2009
O2 Venue Review (versus BankAtlantic Center)
Alright, this one's for my Panther Message Board friends.
In a previous post, I mentioned that The O2 venue was awesome. The O2 was formerly the Millennium Dome, which was a much maligned tourist attraction, though I must say I rather enjoyed the Dome as did everyone I know who visited. The problem was the locals hated it, and locals stayed away in droves and scared off the tourists. But everyone who actually went, loved it. It failed spectacularly.
(Picture of the arena part of The O2)
Many years of political wrangling passed and ultimately it was turned into The O2. It's a large entertainment district including an indoor arena, an indoor ski slope, music clubs, a multiplex cinema, exhibition space, and a large number of bars and restaurants built within a large dome-shaped building on the Isle of Dogs at the North Greenwich tube (subway) station on the Jubilee Line extension.The O2 was opened on 24 June 2007 to the public with an opening concert by Bon Jovi in the arena. In both 2007 and 2008 PollStar named The O2 the best arena in the world. (BAC is ranked 8th in the US only).
In my previous post I listed this set of facts as presented on the official O2 website:
Inside the dome, as I said, you have some dining options and then straight ahead is the arena and to the right next to the entrance to the arena is "Entertainment Avenue" which is about triple the width of the BAC concourse. It's laid out like a street. The whole thing is climate controlled. On both sides are millions of dining options from Pizza Express, Starbucks, to a rodizio, and even an American-style BBQ place. It's all pricey, and on event days the queues are well over an hour or more for most places. There's even a 7-11 style store. In the middle of it all is a Multi-Plex Cinema and an indoor ski-slope (fake ice) which was populated by kids in snowboards. The line for the toilets defies all explanation but if you gotta' go in a hurry you will be in trouble but most restaurants have toilets for their guests only -- the UK apparently doesn't require restaurants to have toilets for its patrons. At the very end is the exhibition area which on my visit had The Body exhibit that's been all over the states. A complete list of restaurants is here but this only what's on their website and some other stuff seemed to be there.
There are also plans to put a Las Vegas style super-casino here subject to (and unlikely to get) regulatory approval. I bet Yormark wish he could be so multi-purposed as AEG has been in developing this site.
Right, then, on to the Arena which has hosted the NBA and NHL games as well as the abominable WWE. It's also sold out *5* consecutive nights of Tina Turner -- rock on sweetheart! I wanted to go -- it's March 2009. It's also an official 2012 Gymnastics venue. The food at the stands, for the record, is comparably priced to what we pay when converted at the $1.50 to 1 pound. The big difference here is that there is a wide selection of choices -- way more than any arena I have ever visited. Being British there is, shall we say, an overabdundance of alcohol and no rules about how many you can buy or how late you can buy them. Most everyone takes public transit here, so it's not a real issue.
As you enter, you go up a trio of escalators to the main concourse (100 level) and a second set to the second concourse (400 level). The 200/300 levels (suites) are accessed by a seperate private VIP entrance off to the immediate left of the main entrance.
Doors open 15 minutes before an event, I guess they assume you'll be on the avenue. Security is tight. It works much like the BAC where all bags are searched only, keep in mind, in the US they're really looking for banned items such as food and all that crap. Over there, you can bring anything non-alchoholic in as long as it's still sealed. What is security looking for? Bombs and weapons. Over there it's not a joke, and it's not lip service. It's a way of life. The lines move relatively quickly.
The O2 is non-smoking. Woo-hoo! Period. No smoking decks either. If you want to smoke, you have to leave. And some events, like this New Year's Event, were "no readmission" so you had to tough it out. Like our arena, all bottle caps are taken. But most bottles are plastic. No glass of course. The restrooms are clean but they use the "trough" urinals -- I've never been a fan of those because you tend to get some "splash" from neighbours when it gets crowded there.
The concession stands have many lines, and they all move quickly. Except, of course, the one I am standing in. That line will never move quickly no matter where it is on the planet. (I gotta' tell you, Karen is great at picking the fast moving lines.)
The concouse is littered with individual vendors too, like we used to have at the old Miami Arena. Depending on the event they'll roam the stands too. But not at concerts. There are ushers at ever set of doors. Then you go through the doors and there are ushers at the top of ever staircase. They all know what to do and they do it. If you're lost, they help. If they see a seating issue, they will go deal with it. It just runs smoothly. There is a digital board around the ring between levels -- just like ours. And the second level has signage, just like ours. The signs are 1/2 the length of ours. All signage is turned off during the performance. There's advertising everywhere but it's just not so blugeoning as ours is. The concession stands are named "Beck's Vier" for instance sells Beck's Beer.
The upper decks are some of the steepest inclines I've ever seen anywhere in any arena. I'd be afraid to walk it. The chairs themselves are almost identical to our lower bowl seats with the same cupholders. But each step has, instead of a yellow stripe, a glow-in-the dark strip and also a glow-in-the-dark letter so you can find your row even when the lights are out. The accoustics are excellent -- and that's something that is absolutely HORRIFIC at the BAC. Our audio waves are distorted and destroyed and it's not normally the band because I've seen tons of concerts at BAC and they all sound shite. The sightlines at The O2 are similar to ours as well. There were even dasher boards up (but covered) because the night before it was High School Musical On Ice. So they handle the ice situation the same as we do too.
Anyway, that's my short review of The O2 Arena (and accompanying facilities) and some BAC comparisons.
In a previous post, I mentioned that The O2 venue was awesome. The O2 was formerly the Millennium Dome, which was a much maligned tourist attraction, though I must say I rather enjoyed the Dome as did everyone I know who visited. The problem was the locals hated it, and locals stayed away in droves and scared off the tourists. But everyone who actually went, loved it. It failed spectacularly.
(Picture of the arena part of The O2)
Many years of political wrangling passed and ultimately it was turned into The O2. It's a large entertainment district including an indoor arena, an indoor ski slope, music clubs, a multiplex cinema, exhibition space, and a large number of bars and restaurants built within a large dome-shaped building on the Isle of Dogs at the North Greenwich tube (subway) station on the Jubilee Line extension.The O2 was opened on 24 June 2007 to the public with an opening concert by Bon Jovi in the arena. In both 2007 and 2008 PollStar named The O2 the best arena in the world. (BAC is ranked 8th in the US only).
In my previous post I listed this set of facts as presented on the official O2 website:
- The O2 has an overall diameter of 365 metres, an internal diameter of 320 metres, a circumference of a kilometre, and is 50 metres high at its central point
- The twelve steel masts are 100 metres high
- If you turned The O2 upside down, it would take Niagara Falls 15 minutes to fill it
- Alternatively, you could fill it with 3.8 billion pints of beer or the contents of 1100 olympic-sized swimming pools
- The volume of The O2 is equal to thirteen Albert Halls, ten St Paul’s Cathedrals, or two old Wembley Stadiums
- 18,000 double-decker buses could fit into The O2
- The O2 is as high as Nelson’s Column
- The Eiffel Tower could fit inside The O2 lying on its side
- 12 football (soccer) pitches or 72 tennis courts could fit in The O2
- Entertainment Avenue is the same length & breadth as New Bond Street
Inside the dome, as I said, you have some dining options and then straight ahead is the arena and to the right next to the entrance to the arena is "Entertainment Avenue" which is about triple the width of the BAC concourse. It's laid out like a street. The whole thing is climate controlled. On both sides are millions of dining options from Pizza Express, Starbucks, to a rodizio, and even an American-style BBQ place. It's all pricey, and on event days the queues are well over an hour or more for most places. There's even a 7-11 style store. In the middle of it all is a Multi-Plex Cinema and an indoor ski-slope (fake ice) which was populated by kids in snowboards. The line for the toilets defies all explanation but if you gotta' go in a hurry you will be in trouble but most restaurants have toilets for their guests only -- the UK apparently doesn't require restaurants to have toilets for its patrons. At the very end is the exhibition area which on my visit had The Body exhibit that's been all over the states. A complete list of restaurants is here but this only what's on their website and some other stuff seemed to be there.
There are also plans to put a Las Vegas style super-casino here subject to (and unlikely to get) regulatory approval. I bet Yormark wish he could be so multi-purposed as AEG has been in developing this site.
Right, then, on to the Arena which has hosted the NBA and NHL games as well as the abominable WWE. It's also sold out *5* consecutive nights of Tina Turner -- rock on sweetheart! I wanted to go -- it's March 2009. It's also an official 2012 Gymnastics venue. The food at the stands, for the record, is comparably priced to what we pay when converted at the $1.50 to 1 pound. The big difference here is that there is a wide selection of choices -- way more than any arena I have ever visited. Being British there is, shall we say, an overabdundance of alcohol and no rules about how many you can buy or how late you can buy them. Most everyone takes public transit here, so it's not a real issue.
As you enter, you go up a trio of escalators to the main concourse (100 level) and a second set to the second concourse (400 level). The 200/300 levels (suites) are accessed by a seperate private VIP entrance off to the immediate left of the main entrance.
Doors open 15 minutes before an event, I guess they assume you'll be on the avenue. Security is tight. It works much like the BAC where all bags are searched only, keep in mind, in the US they're really looking for banned items such as food and all that crap. Over there, you can bring anything non-alchoholic in as long as it's still sealed. What is security looking for? Bombs and weapons. Over there it's not a joke, and it's not lip service. It's a way of life. The lines move relatively quickly.
The O2 is non-smoking. Woo-hoo! Period. No smoking decks either. If you want to smoke, you have to leave. And some events, like this New Year's Event, were "no readmission" so you had to tough it out. Like our arena, all bottle caps are taken. But most bottles are plastic. No glass of course. The restrooms are clean but they use the "trough" urinals -- I've never been a fan of those because you tend to get some "splash" from neighbours when it gets crowded there.
The concession stands have many lines, and they all move quickly. Except, of course, the one I am standing in. That line will never move quickly no matter where it is on the planet. (I gotta' tell you, Karen is great at picking the fast moving lines.)
The concouse is littered with individual vendors too, like we used to have at the old Miami Arena. Depending on the event they'll roam the stands too. But not at concerts. There are ushers at ever set of doors. Then you go through the doors and there are ushers at the top of ever staircase. They all know what to do and they do it. If you're lost, they help. If they see a seating issue, they will go deal with it. It just runs smoothly. There is a digital board around the ring between levels -- just like ours. And the second level has signage, just like ours. The signs are 1/2 the length of ours. All signage is turned off during the performance. There's advertising everywhere but it's just not so blugeoning as ours is. The concession stands are named "Beck's Vier" for instance sells Beck's Beer.
The upper decks are some of the steepest inclines I've ever seen anywhere in any arena. I'd be afraid to walk it. The chairs themselves are almost identical to our lower bowl seats with the same cupholders. But each step has, instead of a yellow stripe, a glow-in-the dark strip and also a glow-in-the-dark letter so you can find your row even when the lights are out. The accoustics are excellent -- and that's something that is absolutely HORRIFIC at the BAC. Our audio waves are distorted and destroyed and it's not normally the band because I've seen tons of concerts at BAC and they all sound shite. The sightlines at The O2 are similar to ours as well. There were even dasher boards up (but covered) because the night before it was High School Musical On Ice. So they handle the ice situation the same as we do too.
Anyway, that's my short review of The O2 Arena (and accompanying facilities) and some BAC comparisons.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
England: The Rest
Went to the O2 Arena to see the special New Year's Eve programme (excerpts shown on NBC with Carson here in the USA via tape delay) which was broadcast live on ITV1.
The O2 is an amazing arena. It's been -- since it opened -- voted the best arena in the WORLD by Pollstar and I must agree. I've been there when it was the Millennium Dome but this was my first visit there since it became the O2 in 2007. I've stolen some facts from their website:
We got to the O2 early to eat and spent nearly an hour in queue to sit down at Pizza Express as it was the shortest queue there.
Anyway, SeaLife was the opening act at 820pm and we missed most of it whilst waiting in queue as the doors open at 8pm and you go through airport style security. SeaLife were followed by the Overtures who were a fantastic oldies cover band. Next up was Alexandra Burke, who just won X-Factory (UK American Idol type show) and wow, what a voice. She blew everyone away. Each interval was accompanied by a DJ from The Heart 106.2 radio station. Elton came on around 1030ish and did his Red Piano show. Will Young (first winner of Pop Idol -- American Idol for the Brits) came out and dueted with him on Daniel. Then at 1155pm GMT he stopped and some ITV lady came out along and we did the countdown with live video from Big Ben at Westminster. Then the concert resumed after Elton banged out Auld Lang Syne. Much hugging and kissing among strangers (no thanks).
The show was over around 1245pm and we ran like hell to the tube station. What a clusterfuck with nearly a two hour wait to get back towards our end of town. But, clever me, I know the tube, so we popped on the Jubilee (the only line calling at North Greenwich) and went to West Ham (not an area for the faint of heart) and then took the District from way the hell out there back -- against traffic most of the way -- towards our end of town. You should have seen the crowds and our train was empty until Monument. Westminster and Embankment were flat out closed with no trains stopping. We were only jammed from Monument to South Kensington. I was in bed by 240am. I was up at 645am thanks to the noisy Italians next door. And we arrived at Heathrow without any trouble to find a broken bag conveyor so the queue was jammed. Happily we were travelling Virgin Upper Class and bypassed the other lines and were boarded on time. A quick trip back to the gate when the APU failed (remember that Evan?). The trip home was uneventful. Here I am. Tired as hell.
More later.
PS: Congratulations to Terry Pratchett for getting an OBE.
The O2 is an amazing arena. It's been -- since it opened -- voted the best arena in the WORLD by Pollstar and I must agree. I've been there when it was the Millennium Dome but this was my first visit there since it became the O2 in 2007. I've stolen some facts from their website:
- The O2 has an overall diameter of 365 metres, an internal diameter of 320 metres, a circumference of a kilometre, and is 50 metres high at its central point
- The twelve steel masts are 100 metres high
- If you turned The O2 upside down, it would take Niagara Falls 15 minutes to fill it
- Alternatively, you could fill it with 3.8 billion pints of beer or the contents of 1100 olympic-sized swimming pools
- The volume of The O2 is equal to thirteen Albert Halls, ten St Paul’s Cathedrals, or two old Wembley Stadiums
- 18,000 double-decker buses could fit into The O2
- The Eiffel Tower could fit inside The O2 lying on its side
- 12 football (soccer) pitches or 72 tennis courts could fit in The O2
Anyway, SeaLife was the opening act at 820pm and we missed most of it whilst waiting in queue as the doors open at 8pm and you go through airport style security. SeaLife were followed by the Overtures who were a fantastic oldies cover band. Next up was Alexandra Burke, who just won X-Factory (UK American Idol type show) and wow, what a voice. She blew everyone away. Each interval was accompanied by a DJ from The Heart 106.2 radio station. Elton came on around 1030ish and did his Red Piano show. Will Young (first winner of Pop Idol -- American Idol for the Brits) came out and dueted with him on Daniel. Then at 1155pm GMT he stopped and some ITV lady came out along and we did the countdown with live video from Big Ben at Westminster. Then the concert resumed after Elton banged out Auld Lang Syne. Much hugging and kissing among strangers (no thanks).
The show was over around 1245pm and we ran like hell to the tube station. What a clusterfuck with nearly a two hour wait to get back towards our end of town. But, clever me, I know the tube, so we popped on the Jubilee (the only line calling at North Greenwich) and went to West Ham (not an area for the faint of heart) and then took the District from way the hell out there back -- against traffic most of the way -- towards our end of town. You should have seen the crowds and our train was empty until Monument. Westminster and Embankment were flat out closed with no trains stopping. We were only jammed from Monument to South Kensington. I was in bed by 240am. I was up at 645am thanks to the noisy Italians next door. And we arrived at Heathrow without any trouble to find a broken bag conveyor so the queue was jammed. Happily we were travelling Virgin Upper Class and bypassed the other lines and were boarded on time. A quick trip back to the gate when the APU failed (remember that Evan?). The trip home was uneventful. Here I am. Tired as hell.
More later.
PS: Congratulations to Terry Pratchett for getting an OBE.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
