You've picked your seat, now sit in it
So, on Monday I went to see Toy Story 3 in 3D with Paula and Donna. I booked the tickets online, not knowing how busy it would be, but also so we could get decent seats. While nothing new at a lot of cinemas, Vue in Inverness has only just started the system of picking where you want to sit when you buy your tickets, instead of the free-for-all when you get to the actual screen.
While booking online I'd picked L13-15. Up the steps to the midway point and on your right. Awesome.
We picked up the tickets, got drinks, snacks and picked up our 3D glasses and headed to Screen 1. When we got in, it was already pretty busy. We headed up to L and... There were people in our seats. We checked the tickets. We checked the screen number on the tickets. Making sure we were in the right one. Once that was confirmed, I spoke to the people in the seats.
"uh, these are our seats..?"
Not gonna lie, I expected them to be apologetic and get up and move. An honest mistake an' all that. However, in return, I got a look of disgust and was told
"Well, someone's sat in our seats -- No-one pays attention to it."
A couple rows down, there were seats available (though, for all we knew, they could be meant for someone else) instead of causing a scene and pressuring the people to move, we went and sat down. Hoping that no-one else had booked those seats -- If they had, they didn't come and bother us to move.
Seriously though, what's the point in actually picking out where you want to sit (the seats aren't randomly assigned to anyone, you have to tell the person you buy your tickets from which seat you want) if you're not going to pay any attention to it when you get into the actual cinema?
What cunts.
An American & A German
On Thursday, Paula, Allan, Donna and me went into town and got some lunch before meeting Kara at the bus station. She was hungry, so we then went to Scribbles so she could get some food and then to the pub at night.
Friday, we all (minus Allan) went to Cullen, had some ice cream and then later, with Allan, we went Bowling, followed by another night in the pub.
Saturday, after a pretty late night, we were up again early, to meet Amelie from the train station, after which we went to the pancake place and then to the pub. Where we met Jon. We had planned to go camping at the Cove, but eventually that planned was changed to a visit to Roseisle. Which I'm thankful for. Followed by a night in the pub (sensing a theme?).
Sunday, up again early, to put Amelie back on the train. Which, it turned out, was actually an hour after she thought it was. So, we went to ASDA cafe for breakfast/lunch.
Photos
Cullen, Roseisle & Duffus Castle.
Quiz
Team Name: We had an American on our team, so it's not our fault we did badly
Score: 43
Not a bad score overall this week, A lot of people still did better than us though.
A Beard & A Trucker Hat
Zombies
Last blog, I ended the "zombies" section with "we'll see if it works".
I spoke to Logan, and asked him
That led to us planning out each minute of the 'film', figuring out a basic storyline to go throughout and even using time-shifts, while trying not to get too "Lost".
Over the next couple of days, I spoke to some people, got a cast together and on the 13th, we went into the woods to film. Just like that!
Well, not quite like that. That happened. But because of the two-day turnover in terms of 'writing' and 'filming' we weren't entirely sure of what we wanted. We spent a good deal of time working out shots, location scouting on location. Waiting for people to show up, who didn't and collecting people who we didn't expect to show up at all.
The cast is made up of Tain, Allan, Debbie, Logan and myself. I hadn't planned on being in it, but due to circumstances, that's how it worked out. Tain's been in just about everything I've done, so it's nice to have him along for the ride again. Allan was in the failed BMR, as was Debbie, so it's nice to have them in something that should, all things going to plan, see the light of day. Logan's Logan.
In the end though, I think we've definitely got something good and we'll hopefully complete filming soon. Editing will take a while. With a score being created, as well as special effects being added.
I'm exited. Romeo/Romeo may not be a masterpiece, but I'm still proud of what we were able to scrape together with very little time/preparation (there were many times that I didn't think we'd get it finished) and I'm still annoyed that we didn't get Black Man Red finished.
Photos
Taken in the Oakwoods, while filming.
Quiz
Team Name: Will Smith was wrong, with just the two of us, we failed. LOL.
Score: 20.5 (I think)
The quiz this week was stupidly hard. The entirely picture round was pictures of paintings/sculptures, from which you had to name the artist and the actual questions weren't much better. The last round being acronyms. How am I meant to know what QANGO means?
Last blog, I ended the "zombies" section with "we'll see if it works".
I spoke to Logan, and asked him
"How possible do you think it'd be to write (probably just scene outlines), plan and film a series of short-short films (i'm thinking like 5mins total, split into 5). Zombie related. Make up an' all."
That led to us planning out each minute of the 'film', figuring out a basic storyline to go throughout and even using time-shifts, while trying not to get too "Lost".
Over the next couple of days, I spoke to some people, got a cast together and on the 13th, we went into the woods to film. Just like that!
Well, not quite like that. That happened. But because of the two-day turnover in terms of 'writing' and 'filming' we weren't entirely sure of what we wanted. We spent a good deal of time working out shots, location scouting on location. Waiting for people to show up, who didn't and collecting people who we didn't expect to show up at all.
The cast is made up of Tain, Allan, Debbie, Logan and myself. I hadn't planned on being in it, but due to circumstances, that's how it worked out. Tain's been in just about everything I've done, so it's nice to have him along for the ride again. Allan was in the failed BMR, as was Debbie, so it's nice to have them in something that should, all things going to plan, see the light of day. Logan's Logan.
In the end though, I think we've definitely got something good and we'll hopefully complete filming soon. Editing will take a while. With a score being created, as well as special effects being added.
I'm exited. Romeo/Romeo may not be a masterpiece, but I'm still proud of what we were able to scrape together with very little time/preparation (there were many times that I didn't think we'd get it finished) and I'm still annoyed that we didn't get Black Man Red finished.
Photos
Taken in the Oakwoods, while filming.
Quiz
Team Name: Will Smith was wrong, with just the two of us, we failed. LOL.
Score: 20.5 (I think)
The quiz this week was stupidly hard. The entirely picture round was pictures of paintings/sculptures, from which you had to name the artist and the actual questions weren't much better. The last round being acronyms. How am I meant to know what QANGO means?
No Animals, No Ken!
No Animals, No Ken
The circus is in town this week and Allan asked if I wanted to go. My response was a fairly straight forward no, accompanied by the statement that without the animals, it's kind of shit.
For me, the circus was about the exotic. Seeing things you don't see every day and while, yeah, you don't see people flying about on trapeze down your local pub, it's not the same as seeing, for example, elephants up close and personal. When I was younger, I got to sit on an elephant and get my photo taken and I remember seeing the elephants in the river (right next to where the circus sets up shop in town) drinking, washing themselves, etc. That's the kind of thing that sticks in your head as a child, while an acrobat act might be impressive at the time, it's not something you'll remember for years to come.
Now, I'm not saying that they should bring back animals to the circus. I agree that keeping them captive is cruel and in the long run isn't good for the animals, but that doesn't mean the circus wasn't more exciting with them, better with them. It was.
Hell, I heard the circus that's currently in town doesn't even have clowns. What's the fucking point?
Photos
Lochindorb & Balvenie Castle
Zombies
I don't really have a lot to say on this one, this time around, but if all goes to plan, I'll write a lot more on it next week.
Basically, slightly fed up with the way things go. Putting them off, putting them off... Not doing them. I decided to go back to the days of Romeo/Romeo and When Mannequins Attack. Throw the script out the window or rather, just not write one at all. Go outline-only and just get to filming.
We'll see if it works.
Quiz
No quiz this week. Instead, we went to Allan's to watch the World Cup final. Can't say I was overly concerned about who won, but I still text Tain to say "Should have been Holland." just to annoy him -- It should be pointed out that Tain was sat right next to me when I said this.
The circus is in town this week and Allan asked if I wanted to go. My response was a fairly straight forward no, accompanied by the statement that without the animals, it's kind of shit.
For me, the circus was about the exotic. Seeing things you don't see every day and while, yeah, you don't see people flying about on trapeze down your local pub, it's not the same as seeing, for example, elephants up close and personal. When I was younger, I got to sit on an elephant and get my photo taken and I remember seeing the elephants in the river (right next to where the circus sets up shop in town) drinking, washing themselves, etc. That's the kind of thing that sticks in your head as a child, while an acrobat act might be impressive at the time, it's not something you'll remember for years to come.
Now, I'm not saying that they should bring back animals to the circus. I agree that keeping them captive is cruel and in the long run isn't good for the animals, but that doesn't mean the circus wasn't more exciting with them, better with them. It was.
Hell, I heard the circus that's currently in town doesn't even have clowns. What's the fucking point?
Photos
Lochindorb & Balvenie Castle
Zombies
I don't really have a lot to say on this one, this time around, but if all goes to plan, I'll write a lot more on it next week.
Basically, slightly fed up with the way things go. Putting them off, putting them off... Not doing them. I decided to go back to the days of Romeo/Romeo and When Mannequins Attack. Throw the script out the window or rather, just not write one at all. Go outline-only and just get to filming.
We'll see if it works.
Quiz
No quiz this week. Instead, we went to Allan's to watch the World Cup final. Can't say I was overly concerned about who won, but I still text Tain to say "Should have been Holland." just to annoy him -- It should be pointed out that Tain was sat right next to me when I said this.
Men With Moustaches
Broadband Woes
On Sunday, I came home hoping to watch the latest episode of Top Gear on iPlayer, having been at quiz when it actually aired.
Imagine my dismay when I found that it wouldn't load. I'd noticed my internet was slower than normal, but I figured it was just due to throttling, which happens from like 5-12 usually. Given the extent of my bandwidth usage at time, I don't really mind the throttling.
However, it soon became apparent that it wasn't just throttling. I ran a speed test and found that I was getting a download speed of 0.13Mb/s. 130kb/s. Dial-up is 56kb/s. Fuck sake.
We're with AOL [cue laughter] - We have been for about 10 years, back during the dial-up age and installation CDs from ASDA. The reason we haven't switched is definitely laziness, but after a call to the technical support on Monday, I've been looking into other providers.
During the call, we were made to go through the router settings and change certain things and told after that "that should fix it." When asked just why, if the router settings were all wrong, we hadn't had any problems with speed up until now, the response we got was "Well, I don't know what happens in your home." Oh, thanks... That explains things.
I found an email form on the AOL website. I emailed them with the following:
A simple enough question, right? AOL didn't seem to think so, when they emailed back with the same automated bullshit about router settings, ending the email with:
"...I hope that is clear and has answered your query..." -- What? Seriously? If there's something I hate more than indian call centres, reading off a sheet of paper instead of being actually trained in the things that people are calling about, it's automated emails that feign personalisation.
As of July 1st, my speeds are back to normal. With no explanation as to why they were ever slow and without having touched the router settings. Thanks AOL. Thanks.
EDIT: I wrote this earlier in the week. Since writing it, AOL replied to my 'angry' email (sent to them after the one above came through) with the following...
Red Dead Redemption
As mentioned in the last blog, I got a copy of Red Dead Redemption for my birthday. I tried to get it when it first came out, but first of all it wasn't available in ASDA and then it was generally sold out.
One week later, I've finished it. The credits have rolled. There's still a heap of side-missions and stuff to finish off before the game is 100% complete, but the main story is over -- and that story? Is pretty damn awesome.
Grand Theft Auto is the obvious comparison, what with it being made by Rock Star Games and the general running around killing people thing it's got going on within the game.
However, I've played GTA a few times and I've never really felt overly invested in the story. I'm aware of it, but I've never felt the need to find out what happens next. When I play it, I've never continued with the missions to find out more about the characters or what happens to them. In GTA, I continue with the missions, to complete the game. It's a means to an end. With RDR though, it's the complete opposite. All the characters are incredibly fleshed out, with loads of back-story, told to you by the characters through cut-scenes and also while riding to various locations. They talk to each other, making even the journeys you can choose to skip worth sticking around for.
The only downside to the story would be that it peaks too early. You find yourself finishing what could be said to be the main part of the story and then go back to doing some mundane tasks, before the proper end of the game. However, this makes perfect sense once you play through the mundaneness.
It's the calm before the storm, in many ways. Once the credits start to roll, I felt satisfied with the game as a whole and intend to go back to it, to continue with all the side-missions. Treasure hunts, etc.
A lot of games have a filmic quality to them, but this is the first game I've played where I can picture it on a screen, not necessarily 'the big screen', perhaps as a mini-series or something. I still maintain that Zelda would make a good film, but it would need a lot of work to make the story work 'in real life' whereas RDR has everything there already.
Photos
Not a lot to say on this one, just some pictures from during the week.
Kingston
Quiz
Team name: Men With Moustaches
Score: 31.5
A low-as-fuck score, saved only by the picture round. The last round was a connections round and from the first question, we knew it was gonna go badly. It was a question about Dad's Army. Overall, we got 1.5 out of 10 in the last round. Crap.
Before quiz started, we broke out the money game. A game, i'm pretty sure we invented. You take some coins out of your wallet/purse and the others have to guess the year the coin was made based on clues you give them.
Examples of some clues.
"The year we started school..." (the people playing were all the same age) Answer: 1992.
"The year I got my first video camera..." Answer: 2003
"The year of my first T in the Park..." (from Tain) Answer: 2004
It was a good game, even causing us to push the picture round back until we'd finished.
On Sunday, I came home hoping to watch the latest episode of Top Gear on iPlayer, having been at quiz when it actually aired.
Imagine my dismay when I found that it wouldn't load. I'd noticed my internet was slower than normal, but I figured it was just due to throttling, which happens from like 5-12 usually. Given the extent of my bandwidth usage at time, I don't really mind the throttling.
However, it soon became apparent that it wasn't just throttling. I ran a speed test and found that I was getting a download speed of 0.13Mb/s. 130kb/s. Dial-up is 56kb/s. Fuck sake.
We're with AOL [cue laughter] - We have been for about 10 years, back during the dial-up age and installation CDs from ASDA. The reason we haven't switched is definitely laziness, but after a call to the technical support on Monday, I've been looking into other providers.
During the call, we were made to go through the router settings and change certain things and told after that "that should fix it." When asked just why, if the router settings were all wrong, we hadn't had any problems with speed up until now, the response we got was "Well, I don't know what happens in your home." Oh, thanks... That explains things.
I found an email form on the AOL website. I emailed them with the following:
I want to know if I've been capped, my internet speeds have gone from 'normal' to near dial-up speeds.
A simple enough question, right? AOL didn't seem to think so, when they emailed back with the same automated bullshit about router settings, ending the email with:
I hope that is clear and has answered your query, but if you do have any further queries or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us again.
As a result of your contact you may receive a survey about the interaction you had with myself. I hope you will fill this out positively as this survey will relate to myself and not any other agent that you may have dealt with in previous interactions.
Thank you again Martin for contacting AOL Technical Support via e-mail, and enjoy the rest of your morning.
"...I hope that is clear and has answered your query..." -- What? Seriously? If there's something I hate more than indian call centres, reading off a sheet of paper instead of being actually trained in the things that people are calling about, it's automated emails that feign personalisation.
As of July 1st, my speeds are back to normal. With no explanation as to why they were ever slow and without having touched the router settings. Thanks AOL. Thanks.
EDIT: I wrote this earlier in the week. Since writing it, AOL replied to my 'angry' email (sent to them after the one above came through) with the following...
Good morning and thank you for your reply. Your not being capped by AOL whatsoever which is why I sent on the instructions in the last email. You weren't connecting to the correct AOL network which is why the router settings need to be updated to the correct information.
If you were in breach of the fair usage policy you would be notified about it I can assure you by email from AOL. Your connection might be back to what it is normally is but your still not experiencing the full impact of the connection to the correct AOL network.
Red Dead Redemption
As mentioned in the last blog, I got a copy of Red Dead Redemption for my birthday. I tried to get it when it first came out, but first of all it wasn't available in ASDA and then it was generally sold out.
One week later, I've finished it. The credits have rolled. There's still a heap of side-missions and stuff to finish off before the game is 100% complete, but the main story is over -- and that story? Is pretty damn awesome.
Grand Theft Auto is the obvious comparison, what with it being made by Rock Star Games and the general running around killing people thing it's got going on within the game.
However, I've played GTA a few times and I've never really felt overly invested in the story. I'm aware of it, but I've never felt the need to find out what happens next. When I play it, I've never continued with the missions to find out more about the characters or what happens to them. In GTA, I continue with the missions, to complete the game. It's a means to an end. With RDR though, it's the complete opposite. All the characters are incredibly fleshed out, with loads of back-story, told to you by the characters through cut-scenes and also while riding to various locations. They talk to each other, making even the journeys you can choose to skip worth sticking around for.
The only downside to the story would be that it peaks too early. You find yourself finishing what could be said to be the main part of the story and then go back to doing some mundane tasks, before the proper end of the game. However, this makes perfect sense once you play through the mundaneness.
It's the calm before the storm, in many ways. Once the credits start to roll, I felt satisfied with the game as a whole and intend to go back to it, to continue with all the side-missions. Treasure hunts, etc.
A lot of games have a filmic quality to them, but this is the first game I've played where I can picture it on a screen, not necessarily 'the big screen', perhaps as a mini-series or something. I still maintain that Zelda would make a good film, but it would need a lot of work to make the story work 'in real life' whereas RDR has everything there already.
Photos
Not a lot to say on this one, just some pictures from during the week.
Kingston
Quiz
Team name: Men With Moustaches
Score: 31.5
A low-as-fuck score, saved only by the picture round. The last round was a connections round and from the first question, we knew it was gonna go badly. It was a question about Dad's Army. Overall, we got 1.5 out of 10 in the last round. Crap.
Before quiz started, we broke out the money game. A game, i'm pretty sure we invented. You take some coins out of your wallet/purse and the others have to guess the year the coin was made based on clues you give them.
Examples of some clues.
"The year we started school..." (the people playing were all the same age) Answer: 1992.
"The year I got my first video camera..." Answer: 2003
"The year of my first T in the Park..." (from Tain) Answer: 2004
It was a good game, even causing us to push the picture round back until we'd finished.
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