Speedy's Cafe - General Chat about anything you like!

[Pseudonym]

LOL, ewwwwwwww!

And VBS, make sure no one nicks that gun off you. 

[Hikari]

4 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

 

MY RL now.

I'M STRESSEEEEEEEDDDD!!!

 

 

 

Benedict does Insane Eyes so incredibly well.  And the Jittery Hands of Insanity to go with them.

Meanwhile, Una is slopping the tea in that cup just the right amount.  Well done all round!

[Hikari]

On ‎4‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 5:02 AM, Pseudonym said:

And he's also adamant Sherlock will be back 'some day.'

I hope he informs his actors of this.  They seem to be under the impression that 'Sherlock' is over, though they were hesitant to say that definitively until some time had passed after season 4.  I read an interview with Martin Freeman the other day where he more or less said the show was done.

I'd love to see it back, of course, in any number of installments we can get.  Though I do not want to see the Club Boi hair back on MF.

[Sheerluck]

On 4/14/2018 at 4:30 PM, Pseudonym said:

Me too, I want to see a teenage/uni Moriarty being charmingly nefarious. With flashbacks of creepy lil Omen style Moriarty. 

 

I don't see Moriarty in uni formally. I see him sloping around the uni libraries, reading voraciously, attending lectures he fancies, bluffing his way into labs and such. Then before a degree ceremony kidnapping a likely graduate and nicking their diploma.

[Hikari]

1 hour ago, Sheerluck said:

I don't see Moriarty in uni formally. I see him sloping around the uni libraries, reading voraciously, attending lectures he fancies, bluffing his way into labs and such. Then before a degree ceremony kidnapping a likely graduate and nicking their diploma.

He would so totally do that.

Our BBC Sherlock is 'a graduate chemist'.  Guess the writers felt it highly unlikely that in the 21st century, a college dropout would not command the same level of success in a heavily scientific field without the credentials .. of course, Canon Sherlock *was* a college dropout--but a supreme autodidact.

And Moriarty was a maths professor.  Andrew Scott somewhat lacks the gravitas to project the abilities of someone who is a top-notch mathematical mind.  If his Moriarty graduated from anywhere, it was likely juvenile detention.

[Carol the Dabbler]

On 4/18/2018 at 8:51 AM, Hikari said:

I do not want to see the Club Boi hair back on MF.

On MF it's fine with me -- it's his hair.  On JW, though, no way!

[Arcadia]

I'm still trying to figure out how it's summer where JP is when it's barely spring here.....

[Pseudonym]

Oh deary me. Reading an article on BBC, that has nothing to do with Sherlock, and came across this:

An early use of the term comes from a 2014 post on the blogging site Tumblr, which discusses a pink-and-blue-washed scene in the BBC's Sherlock and speculates about the hidden desires of Dr John Watson.

Anything that started on Tumblr like that immediately makes me wary. There's now a thing called 'bisexual lighting' apparently. I don't believe it for a moment, film makers use neon pink and bright blue because it looks cool and retro, I highly doubt it's meant to immediately mean that the character being lit in such a way is bi.  Sure, occasionally I'm sure it is used to mean exactly that, the article says there's a music video where it's used deliberately, but not every time. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-43765856

People reading too much into things like lighting exhausts me.

 

[Hikari]

On ‎4‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 12:03 AM, Carol the Dabbler said:

On MF it's fine with me -- it's his hair.  On JW, though, no way!

Well, sure.  Kind of hard to separate the two, however.

With the benefit of hindsight in knowing that MF was going through a breakup at the time of his fateful Hair Decision for S4, I think we can safely diagnose that insistence on the Club Boi style as a mid-life crisis manifesting itself.  In promo shots for his new project Cargo, I note that it's short again . . .but if anything even blonder.  MF probably said, Fluck it, why should Benedict be the only one who gets to change up his hair?

[Sheerluck]

1 hour ago, Pseudonym said:

Oh deary me. Reading an article on BBC, that has nothing to do with Sherlock, and came across this:

An early use of the term comes from a 2014 post on the blogging site Tumblr, which discusses a pink-and-blue-washed scene in the BBC's Sherlock and speculates about the hidden desires of Dr John Watson.

Anything that started on Tumblr like that immediately makes me wary. There's now a thing called 'bisexual lighting' apparently. I don't believe it for a moment, film makers use neon pink and bright blue because it looks cool and retro, I highly doubt it's meant to immediately mean that the character being lit in such a way is bi.  Sure, occasionally I'm sure it is used to mean exactly that, the article says there's a music video where it's used deliberately, but not every time. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-43765856

People reading too much into things like lighting exhausts me.

 

Pure drivel. You're right to be exhausted. The fact that the BCC picked it up is more telling about the quality of BBC these days.

[Hikari]

13 minutes ago, Sheerluck said:

Pure drivel. You're right to be exhausted. The

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-43765856

Yes, what glorious drivel it is.  Gave me a laugh for the day, particularly the photo of 'Seamus the cat' in 'glorious bisexual lighting'.  The cat is striking a rather sexual pose by licking  his own nose.  Bwahahaha!

I also got a kick out of the part that referenced screen siren Marlene Dietrich who was probably the cinema's first bi-sexual icon.  Though back in the 1930s, lacking the access to color for suitably two-tonal lighting effects, movie makers had to resort to more blatant tricks like having Marlene wear tuxedos and kiss women.  Things dismissed by today's bi intelligentsia as "clichéd in today's contemporary culture."

So, filmmakers, take note:  in 2018 it's 'dated and cliched' to film exactly what you mean, rather than obfuscating your true intent behind pink and blue lights.  Obfuscation and mucking around with the lights in order to provide plenty of fodder for online blogs is now 'cool, hip, cutting edge.'  Check, check.

The Sherlock scene being referred to is neither described nor provided as a video clip, so I'm still in as much in the pink-and-blue dark as I was before I read the whole thing.  But that bit at least is drivel in the purest sense because Dr. John Watson does not fancy men in that way.  Not just the unrelenting coyness of the scripted lines to that effect . . but John Watson is not actually gay.  Not even on a part-time basis.  I can have some fun with JohnLock with the best of them--but I see it for what it is:  Just because legions of fans (mostly female, and a few guys) have the subliminal longing to knock boots with Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock mode, it doesn't mean that John Watson wants to.

[J.P.]

17 hours ago, Arcadia said:

I'm still trying to figure out how it's summer where JP is when it's barely spring here.....

We have outsourced springs. As well as autumns, btw. We just spring from winter to summer and back. We've got 30C/86F over the weekend. It's like 0 to 100 in two weeks.

[Pseudonym]

We had warmth last week, think we had winds from your neck of the woods and borrowed some of your early summer. Gone back to cold and rain now though.

[J.P.]

Today we've got a thunderstorm and it's cooler.

[J.P.]

My Mad Fat Diary is running on TV (I'm too lazy to change the channel) and who do I see? The punk girl from TEH!
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5287110/?ref_=tt_cl_t4

[Hikari]

Well, the wait is over . .

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have officially released the name of their newest little prince, born on Monday.

HRH Prince Louis Arthur Charles displaces his Uncle Harry as #5 in line to the British throne.

Bookmakers were  hot and heavy for 'Arthur' or 'Albert': 'Alice' or 'Mary' for a girl.

Dad's full name is William Arthur Philip Louis.  Reportedly, Charles wanted to name his firstborn son 'Arthur' but Diana nixed that idea.

I think I'm just as glad that the baby isn't an 'Albert', but Americans at least are going to be unsure how to pronounce the baby's name.  Is it said in the French style, Loo-ee, or is it Lou-is?

A wee bit of amusement to be had in the insistence of American journos (if Yahoo can remotely be considered 'journalism') to call Louis's Mum 'Kate Middleton', even though she's been married and future Queen Consort of Great Britain since 2011.  I don't think the British tabloids do this nearly as much.  The Yanks are getting better at it, but it's still very inconsistent.  'Duchess Kate' seems to be the most prevalent.  Even though William never refers to Kate in public.  Her title is Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge  and now Mum to three adorable kids.

Meghan Markle will doubtless be called this until at least her 25th wedding anniversary to Harry; I can see that coming.  When Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier, she became Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco, and I don't recall articles calling her Grace Kelly after she'd borne three children for the house of Grimaldi.  Times have changed.

George favors his paternal grandfather, Michael Middleton.  Charlotte is a dead ringer for her Nanny, the Queen.  Wonder who Louis will look like the most?

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/meet-prince-louis-kate-middleton-prince-william-name-royal-baby-101007311.html

[Hikari]

I'm amazed at what we can find on the Interwebs, and we don't even have to dig!

Presenting the official birth certificate of HRH Prince Louis Arthur Charles . . born in St. Mary's Hospital, Westminster.  Herlock Sholmes--check out the address of the hospital!

http://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/whats-hot/prince-louis-birth-certificate-lists-william-and-kates-very-cool-job-titles/ar-AAwB7KF?li=BBnbcA0

 

[HerlockSholmes]

1 hour ago, Hikari said:

I'm amazed at what we can find on the Interwebs, and we don't even have to dig!

Presenting the official birth certificate of HRH Prince Louis Arthur Charles . . born in St. Mary's Hospital, Westminster.  Herlock Sholmes--check out the address of the hospital!

http://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/whats-hot/prince-louis-birth-certificate-lists-william-and-kates-very-cool-job-titles/ar-AAwB7KF?li=BBnbcA0

 

Last year I stood next to that hospital due to my terrible sense of direction. I turned the wrong way out of Paddington tube. Found my hotel easily though at the heart of Pons territory.

This was my hotel

https://www.instantstreetview.com/@51.515788,-0.173933,-56.86h,5p,1.29z

 

 

[Hikari]

24 minutes ago, HerlockSholmes said:

Last year I stood next to that hospital due to my terrible sense of direction. I turned the wrong way out of Paddington tube. Found my hotel easily though at the heart of Pons territory.

This was my hotel

https://www.instantstreetview.com/@51.515788,-0.173933,-56.86h,5p,1.29z

 

 

I think David Marcum would be jealous! 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Cozy looking place -- what's it called?

[HerlockSholmes]

It’s The Tudor Court Hotel. If I go again this year (dad’s health permitting) I might use the same place. It was something like £690 for 10 days. I’ve just checked Premier Inns and Travelodge’s near the centre of London and they are all between £1100 and £1200. Way too much. Cheaper ones are miles out of the centre of London and so you spend half the day on the Tube (which isnt good for your sanity.)

[Hikari]

2 hours ago, HerlockSholmes said:

It’s The Tudor Court Hotel. If I go again this year (dad’s health permitting) I might use the same place. It was something like £690 for 10 days. I’ve just checked Premier Inns and Travelodge’s near the centre of London and they are all between £1100 and £1200. Way to much. Cheaper ones are miles out of the centre of London and so you spend half the day on the Tube (which isnt good for your sanity.)

690 pounds = $940.95 for the Americans reading. That's a very good price, I should think.  Even the moderately-priced hotels here are $100 a night, after all the taxes and surcharges. I paid that for  recent stay in downtown Toledo, Ohio, which is certainly not like Central London for the amenities.

1200 pounds = $1696.44  Yowza.

[HerlockSholmes]

8 minutes ago, Hikari said:

690 pounds = $940.95 for the Americans reading. That's a very good price, I should think.  Even the moderately-priced hotels here are $100 a night, after all the taxes and surcharges. I paid that for  recent stay in downtown Toledo, Ohio, which is certainly not like Central London for the amenities.

1200 pounds = $1696.44  Yowza.

I have to say that my room was the absolute basic one. Prison cell size. One bed. One wardrobe. One bedside cabinet. One window. One sink. One TV. One mirror. No chair. Shared bathroom. Breakfast included. It was all that I needed though. Basically, a place to sleep. Clean and with friendly staff. A lot of stairs though which seemed even more after a heavy days walking.

The year before last I stayed in a Premier Inn in Wimbledon. It was great. I payed for a single room but wound up with a double. It was reasonably priced because it was way outside the centre of London and so for example when I went on the Sherlock Holmes Walking Tour I had to get to Embankment station (as you’d guess, next to the river) it was around 15 stops!

The year before that I was in an attic room in East Ham that I had to duck my head when I got two steps in due to the sloping roof. The bed could have been used by the Gestapo as an implement of torture. And during my whole stay I only saw a staff member on the day that I arrived.

I hope that I can get there this year. I love London. It can be maddening but if you like your history you can’t go wrong. 👍

[Hikari]

2 minutes ago, HerlockSholmes said:

I have to say that my room was the absolute basic one. Prison cell size. One bed. One wardrobe. One bedside cabinet. One window. One sink. One TV. One mirror. No chair. Shared bathroom. Breakfast included. It was all that I needed though. Basically, a place to sleep. Clean and with friendly staff. A lot of stairs though which seemed even more after a heavy days walking.

The year before last I stayed in a Premier Inn in Wimbledon. It was great. I payed for a single room but wound up with a double. It was reasonably priced because it was way outside the centre of London and so for example when I went on the Sherlock Holmes Walking Tour I had to get to Embankment station (as you’d guess, next to the river) it was around 15 stops!

The year before that I was in an attic room in East Ham that I had to duck my head when I got two steps in due to the sloping roof. The bed could have been used by the Gestapo as an implement of torture. And during my whole stay I only saw a staff member on the day that I arrived.

I hope that I can get there this year. I love London. It can be maddening but if you like your history you can’t go wrong. 👍

I was OK until you got to 'shared bathroom'.  It's one thing to share with the people you came with/family . . but I confess the idea of sharing, um, intimate areas with complete strangers skeeves me out.  We Americans take space/privacy for granted, and we have to majorly adjust our expectations when we go abroad.  Do you ever see Househunters International?  The show that features rich Yuppie Americans looking for homes in foreign countries?  Usually these are apartment properties--and they are dumps of the direst magnitude, though sometimes they are dumps with nice views.  What they charge in rent for these places . . 2, 3, 4 thousand dollars a month, for something that looks like a broom closet with a handheld shower . . . that makes me aghast.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Some friends of ours who live in Japan needed to be in Tokyo for a couple of years, so they rented an apartment. It was literally smaller than our (moderate size by American standards) walk-in closet.  Not sure where the bathroom was.

Herlock, when you say one bed, do you mean a one-person bed?  And was the bathroom kept clean?