Who'd have guessed?
Tuesday, July 31st, 2012 11:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
caddymanI have been working from home since Friday (including Friday) and I have to say that pace a few frustrating hiccups with the tech, it doesn't suck.
You've guessed: it's the fault of Voldesport, the Event That Cannot Be Named.
Ironically, the whole point of the exercise is to reduce the strain on London Transport and avoid the forecast doubling of commuting times, which would make it about six hours a day. And there we are: all reports for the two week-days of the games thus far and the day of the opening ceremony, central London has reportedly been a ghost town. That's not going to provide the boost to the city's economy that we were told to expect, whilst being warned not to join in on, because public transport would buckle if we got in the way of the much anticipated but as yet non-appearing tourist dollars, euros and yen and tried to get on with our own lives. Still, my silver lining is the fact that I get to stay in bed an extra couple of hours in a morning, work a little longer, if I wish and take extra breaks and so on. I have done at least as much as I would have done in the office without the hassle of the travel and without the soul crushing tedium of the office. It took me a couple of false starts to get my working space right and create a routine, but now I have it and I want to keep it. Hmm. I shall have to think over the possibilities.
So, the Olympic opening ceremony? Much to my surprise I watched the entire thing - all three hours and fifty minutes of it. Of course, having access to the banter on Twitter helped add gloss, but nonetheless, I was surprised. It was brilliant! Completely mad, utterly British. They had me at Elgar's Nimrod and it just went mental after that. They got the Queen to act. THE QUEEN ACTED. With James Bond, no less. Someone scribbled that idea down on a piece of paper and it wasn't over-ruled.
Some people seemed to be rather peeved that David Tennant didn't turn up to light the cauldron, because that's what happened on an episode of of Doctor Who what, four years ago. But the gave us a GIANT VOLDEMORT BEING BEATEN BY DOZENS OF MARY POPPINSES. What else do you want, Internet? GO TO YOUR ROOM.
All in all, bloody spectacular and it made me proud to be British, warts and all.
The cauldron was amazing; one flame for each competing nation (and independents!), coming together to make a single flame. Brilliant.
All this and the Undead Nation of Zombie! Of course I may have misheard the French pronunciation of that.
You've guessed: it's the fault of Voldesport, the Event That Cannot Be Named.
Ironically, the whole point of the exercise is to reduce the strain on London Transport and avoid the forecast doubling of commuting times, which would make it about six hours a day. And there we are: all reports for the two week-days of the games thus far and the day of the opening ceremony, central London has reportedly been a ghost town. That's not going to provide the boost to the city's economy that we were told to expect, whilst being warned not to join in on, because public transport would buckle if we got in the way of the much anticipated but as yet non-appearing tourist dollars, euros and yen and tried to get on with our own lives. Still, my silver lining is the fact that I get to stay in bed an extra couple of hours in a morning, work a little longer, if I wish and take extra breaks and so on. I have done at least as much as I would have done in the office without the hassle of the travel and without the soul crushing tedium of the office. It took me a couple of false starts to get my working space right and create a routine, but now I have it and I want to keep it. Hmm. I shall have to think over the possibilities.
So, the Olympic opening ceremony? Much to my surprise I watched the entire thing - all three hours and fifty minutes of it. Of course, having access to the banter on Twitter helped add gloss, but nonetheless, I was surprised. It was brilliant! Completely mad, utterly British. They had me at Elgar's Nimrod and it just went mental after that. They got the Queen to act. THE QUEEN ACTED. With James Bond, no less. Someone scribbled that idea down on a piece of paper and it wasn't over-ruled.
Some people seemed to be rather peeved that David Tennant didn't turn up to light the cauldron, because that's what happened on an episode of of Doctor Who what, four years ago. But the gave us a GIANT VOLDEMORT BEING BEATEN BY DOZENS OF MARY POPPINSES. What else do you want, Internet? GO TO YOUR ROOM.
All in all, bloody spectacular and it made me proud to be British, warts and all.
The cauldron was amazing; one flame for each competing nation (and independents!), coming together to make a single flame. Brilliant.
All this and the Undead Nation of Zombie! Of course I may have misheard the French pronunciation of that.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2012-07-31 10:50 pm (UTC)One tried one's humble best ;)
(no subject)
Date: 2012-07-31 11:09 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-08-01 12:36 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-08-01 09:32 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-08-01 10:22 am (UTC)Of course, I'm sure the novelty will wear off soon.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-08-01 11:33 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-08-01 02:40 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-08-01 11:49 am (UTC)What struck me about the James Bond film is the that the Queen is not very convincing actor, which is surprising really when one considers that she has spent her whole life playing a part.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-08-01 06:57 pm (UTC)I thought the queen was very good.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-08-01 10:59 pm (UTC)Restaurants and theatres as packed as they always where, weather very pleasant. Convinced that this "Olympics is bad for the Economy" may well be the Standard talking bollocks.
In other news, water is wet and fire is hot.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-08-02 02:22 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-08-03 12:17 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-08-03 04:13 pm (UTC)