the bustling hub

I'm surprised that large, empty office spaces aren't rented out for parties at this time of year. Lots of space, no pillars to impede conversation or dancing, a short distance to the door for smokers, lots of nice pavements outside for people to be sick on... it probably wouldn't go far towards recouping the money the owners are failing to make from office-rental but it would be better than nothing. They could likewise rent out the large, airy, usually well-lit areas as gallery space, particularly handy when there's an art college just over the road.

There was a nice free-for-members double-bill of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight at the Cameo today which I thought would be nice for comparison purposes; I don't think I saw the first at the cinema though can't quite remember - this is why keeping ticket stubs from cinema visits is important. I haven't been to enough early-Sunday viewings to be able to see if the seeming increased biscuit-consumption is typical of the time but there was a lot of cellophane around, possibly because people may have felt it too early for popcorn. One particularly obstinately-rustling oaf-woman behind me didn;t seem to understand why I kept turning round and frowning at her so I eventually had to speak (politely) to request that she desist. Also, whilst waiting in the queue for a coffee between the two films a yah in front of me dropped his tea after over-estimating the amount of time he would be able to palpate the paper cup before the lid popped off and scalded his thumb. A few little splashes hit my leg but a slightly more significant amount splashed the front of my shorts, leaving what would have been a relatively embarrassing stain had I not been about to spend another two hours in a darkened cinema though what was more worrying was that it took more speaking to draw this to the attention of the spiller; I know that yahs have a certain inbuilt blindness to other people but it's a little cheeky to not apologise to someone over whom one spills one's tea.