giggirl

I used one of those audio thingys for the first time this year - it was for the Russian exhibition at the Royal Academy. I definitely got more out of the exhibition and it didn't stop me forming my own opinions. The bonus of audio guides is that you can listen whilst actually looking at the paintings, whereas you obviously need to look away from the painting to read something. I shared a guide with the guy I went with and so we ended up being a lot more touchy feely than we ordinarily would have been (that's another story). Bottlenecks at museums and galleries are caused by overcrowing. I rarely venture out to museums but would probably go a lot more often if it wasn't for the crowds. I just don't like big crowds of moving people. I liked the audio guide though (sorry Cassius).

Holly terror SMcG - that is truly deeply scary. Those people look so normal and they walk among us and they have the vote.

Tumbling Dice - Stones

You can actually buy those from Agent Provocatuer. Pricy though.

Oh dear BB - I'm shocked and saddened. But at least you had a true friend. Personally, I put all my underwear and nightwear through the GC test, and that does the trick for me. I take a long hard look at the item, and if I wouldn't want George Clooney to see me wearing it, out it goes. I'm ruthless.

Sarah Palin debate flow chart. Made me laugh... http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/3/43222/8057/718/618653

Grown women who wear pyjamas with pictures of cutesy teddy bears (or similar) on them. Give me a break - these shouldn't be seen on anyone over the age of 16. Either sleep on the raw or get some grown up lingere.

Ouch Keef - painful one

Well flounced Steve. Are you wearing high heels? You can only really truly flounce in heels.

Dulwich_ Park_ Fairy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- As an aside, has there ever been a worse word than gusset? Groin. I don't like groin. Yuk. Horrible word. Also, moist (and don't even think about putting the two together because that's just double yuk). I agree about gusset though.

But Steve - aren't you being a bit "sizeist"?

THE KILLERS - if anyone is online tonight and wants tickets for The Killers at 02 Arena on 23/24 Feb then PM me right now. The seats that I can get are in the lower blocks 103 and 110 - same blocks for both nights. 103 and 110 are NOT the best blocks but they are lower blocks so you won't be in the gods. You might want to check the Ticketmaster seating plan first if you are interested. You might do better if you wait until tomorrow morning for the on-sale but the tickets will go very fast tomorrow so it's a gamble. I can't send you the pre sale link I have because I've already posted it on here (see above) and it doesn't work for anyone but the person it was meant for (me). Apparently if I give you my log in information for the website I'm using to get the Killers link you can log in as me and the pre-sale link will work for you. I don't want to post that info on a public site but can PM it to anyone who is interested. You can buy up to 4 tickets (no more please, or your booking will be cancelled) You can log into the website as me, the link will work, and you can buy your own tickets tonight.

Thank you for nice comments - I blush. Will there be a ceremony? If so I'll need a new frock and an up-do. HB - yes I remember your movie. Sadly, George Clooney never materialised in SE22, which is his loss I feel.

Here is the Killers pre-sale link for Wednesday http://www.gigsandtours.com/thekillers/ EDITED - Really sorry guys - the above link doesn't work - it only works for the person who it was originally sent to (me). There is an 02 pre-sale tomorrow so if you're on the O2 network then text "Killers" to 2402 and you'll get a pre-sale code. If you're not with O2 then find someone who is and send the text from their phone!

Citizens of ED - here is some gig info: Depeche Mode doing one UK gig next year - it's at the O2 in May. There's a pre-sale this Thursday morning at www.livenation.co.uk - if you're interested please register at livenation now, don't wait until Thursday morning to do it as the site will be busy. Alternatively, O2 is doing it's own presale so if you're an O2 customer then text "Mode" to 2402. The Killers are also doing a couple of O2 dates in Feb. There's a presale tomorrow (Wednesday) morning at 9.00am but I don't have the link yet. It's a bit of a strange pre-sale though and it might be that I can't share the link. If you've got an O2 phone then try texting "Killers" to 2402 for an O2 presale code. The O2 presale is on Thursday morning. The Killers haven't really worked for me up until now but the new vinyl is sounding good. A word about seats at the O2 - go for Arena Floor or Level One seats. Don't even think about buying Level Four seats - seriously; don't. Nosebleed doesn't even begin to cover how high-up and far away from the stage you will be. If you stay home and listen to a CD on a very cheap CD player, put a photo of the band at the bottom of your garden so that you can just about see it from the house, then get your partner to overcharge you for a pint of lager, then that will give you the O2 Level Four experience. Bands for the Little Noise Acoustic Sessions have been announced - http://www.mencapmusic.org.uk/ - the tickets are expensive but all the money goes to charity. Tickets aren't on sale yet but you need to pre-register in order to buy and once registration closes you're stuck. The venue is the Union Chapel in Highbury, North London and it's a really special place. Great gigs at a great venue - for charity. Finally, Eddie Izzard is doing some London gigs in Nov/Dec. I know that Eddie doesn't really belong in the music room but I think he totally rocks and I'm in love with Eddie so there you are. Shoot me. Tickets went on sale on Friday and all the agents have sold out BUT if you go direct to the venue (Lyric Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue), they still have tickets left and you won't have to pay booking fees. Tickets are really expensive but I sort of forgive Eddie because (a) he's been doing tiny warm-up gigs for this tour for years and charging just ?10 for a seat; and (b) he's hot.

Yes it is normal for people to get ripped off with booking fees. Yours do seem exceptionally high though. Which agency did you buy from? Wherever possible, it is best to go to the theatre in person and buy your tickets; this usually cuts down on booking fees (or eliminates them all together), and at least your tickets are printed out there and then so that you actually have them in hand. Otherwise, for theatre, buy from www.seetickets.com, which I think has the lowest booking fees for West End theatre. I hesitate to recommend seetickets because from my experience their customer services are lousy, and for events other than theatre, their booking fees are extortionate. However, because seetickets is owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber, my best guess is that theatre booking fees are kept low so that nobody can point the finger at him and say that he is doing his bit to keep the West End theatres empty. Booking fees are a total rip off and I'm sorry you've had this experience.

I enjoyed Juno. Very under-played, which is how I like it. Has anyone else seen "I'm Not There" - the Dylan pic? I saw it about a month ago and didn't really get it. It was very thought provoking though so I wonder if anyone on the forum has an opinion.

TALKING HEADS anyone? Not really, but David Byrne with a promise to do all the Talking Heads hits. So what's not to like? Playing two nights at the Festival Hall next April and on sale tomorrow. I'm a member at the RFH so I bought my tickets this morning. Ticket sales just to members have been substantial - so if you want to go get on the phone tomorrow and book it. The RFH still takes returns so if can't plan this far ahead then book it anyway - if you can't go you can still get a refund.

Chav - your grammar is excellent. Your posts are always easy to read. That's as good as it gets with grammar.

Asset Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > What is a language snob? I was in a hurry when I wrote that and I should have expressed myself better. For me, language snobs are those who make language as difficult as possible just to get the point across that they are clever. The whole reason for grammar to exist is to make written words easy to read and understand (there is no other reason for it to exist, surely?). Conversely, it can be used to make text more difficult to understand. This is perverse, but I do know people who do that. Famously, James Joyce wrote a whole chapter in Ulysses with no punctuation except for a full-stop at the end. Clever, yes. Readable, absolutely not (God knows I've tried).

Wanting to preserve our beautiful language is no more or less anal than wanting to preserve a beautiful building or a painting. Our language has obviously evolved as otherwise we would all still be talking Latin. My fear is that language is becoming impoverished, not as a response to our changing society/needs, but because we are too lazy to be bothered to learn the rules (and they really aren?t that hard). The texting generation doesn?t help, but what about ?Toys ?r Us? and other such monstrous abuses? Vocabulary is shrinking and the non-existent apostrophe is just the thin end of the wedge. Language snobs don?t help matters because, like all snobs, they tend to alienate people and create an exclusive environment. Incidetnally, "exclusive" is one of my most hated words. Basic grammar is not difficult. I feel blessed that I had a great teacher who simplified everything. Picture Julie Andrews singing ?Doe Ray Me? ? that?s not far off my English teacher. It didn?t occur to me that I had lucked-out until I came across people who approached grammar in a ?there be dragons? fashion. It?s a shame.

BASEMENT JAXX - playing at the Roundhouse on Saturday 21 Feb. This is the perfect venue for them so should be a great gig. You can buy direct from 10.00am tomorrow at www.roundhouse.org.uk

I believe in life before death

JOAN BAEZ - I don't know much about her, other than she once shacked up with Bob Dylan. So she's probably quite folky then. I've been sent tickets for her gig tomorrow night (Thursday 2nd) at the Royal Albert Hall. They are really lovely stalls seats and I don't want them to go to waste. If anyone would like to go and can collect the tickets from me tonight in LL then please PM me and you can have them with my compliments.

You think it's bad now; there's a whole new generation coming along that has grown up texting.