AKA Vasquez’s Neighborhood

Wow what a busy week this is turning out to be. Fortunately it is a mixture of work and pleasure but I fully anticipate a lazy weekend, if I make it there in one piece.
The work stuff centres on end of year budgets and planning meetings.
Working on the budget transports me back to my teen years when I used to cry with frustration over my maths homework. Sadly I don't have my Dad around to sooth and help me work out.
We have our big end of year meeting on Friday so I'm in full preparation mode for that, part of which involves a bit of baking the goodies to keep us going. It's a bit of a tradition. Afterwards we all go out for a relaxed lunch and swap secret Santa presents (the only present I buy every year.)
But then there is the purely social side to this week.
Lunch with my best friend Jen, yesterday, for a good old catch up. She's been working so hard over the last month or so we've barely exchanged emails.
And I'm going to my first ever test screening tomorrow night with Kate. I always wondered how people go to go to such things and now I know: just be in the right cinema at the right time (Apollo, Saturday afternoon). I was approached by a man with a clipboard and a few questions and a phone call later, my name was on the list.

What I know of the film is that it's a British comedy based around the women who worked at Dagenham Ford in the 60s. It has a promising cast including the wonderful Sally Hawkins, Miranda Richardson and Bob Hoskins. s Dagenham Girls.
I hope it's good but even if it isn't, it will be fun to see something that is not yet in its final form.
Then there is my second trip to see the wonderful Ben Whishaw in Cock but this time it has a Q&A with the cast and director afterwards. I've come up with lots of questions but I know I will get stage fright. Am sooo excited about seeing it again though and it's spurring me on for Project NY (more on that sometime soon ;0)
And then finally, I'm going to see Eddie Izzard with a group of friends. Haven't got a clue where we are sitting and whether we will be close enough to see his facial expressions but it will be nice to finish of the week with a laugh even if.

• 07:03 Not only got a breakfast meeting but I'm on a discussion panel: I'm going to say my specialist subject is 'easy questions' as it's soo early #

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• 21:32 @swanny Yes he is. #
• 07:42 Going to a whiskey tasting tonight. I hate my job sometimes. #
• 08:30 Christmas tree is going up in trafalgar sq shame its such a miserable day #

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Went shopping for holiday stuff yesterday and took some pics along the way.
Carnaby Street has gone retro with its Christmas decorations this year. Not really doing it for me personally.

• 20:52 @sjc_home4tea It's described as about a group of women working at Ford Dagenham in the 1960's and in style of Calendar Girls and Full Monty #
• 20:55 @sjc_home4tea Just googled it's Nigel Cole film and (was?) called Dagenham Girls. Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins and Rosamund Pike #
• 21:20 #xfactor What is up with Louis tonight. He's being particularly obnoxious #
• 21:25 #xfactor I'm coming round to Joe. Which is worrying. #
• 21:33 #xfactor Am I the only one who doesn't 'get' Stacey. Simon just nailed it when he said she always sounds the same #
• 08:25 @sjc_home4tea Bloody hell. The cast is promising if nothing else. Thanks for that. #
• 08:31 Sorry @1yare but I'm really not enjoying the music you are playing this morning. #
• 08:46 @1yare That's a lot better! #
• 09:02 Right better go and get ready for yoga. Fingers crossed it rains during the class not while I'm walking there or back. #
• 18:34 Saw Glorious 39 this afternoon. Not Poliakoff's finest. All a bit too melodramatic. #

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Just found this lovely interview Newsweek did with actor friends Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna. It was just before their film Rudo y Cursi came out. Diego reveals why the put-him-in-your-pocket-sized Gael always wears a hat these days.

Love Skunk Anansie. Alongside Muse they are probably my favourite band so I was well chuffed when I heard they

were getting back together again, all former differences apparently set aside. (Coughs: need the money).
They are brilliant live. Skin has an amazingly powerful voice that is note perfect. She really goes for it and also has a penchant for jumping into the audience which, naturally, goes down a storm.
Thursday night was not only the final gig on their European tour but also, it being Brixton, Skin's home turf so it held a lot of promise.
And there was nothing to disappoint. Skin was on top form, dancing around with her usual verve in a gold sequined one-piece and jumping into the audience for a bit of crowd surfing, all the time maintaining a note perfect performance.
She was a chatty mood too and during the first encore persuaded security to let about six or seven people up on the stage to jump around with her. At the end of the song she climbed onto the drum stack beckoned the on stage audience to gather in close in front of her and then staged-dived into their arms.
Fab welcome back gig playing the best of their three albums and a handful of new tracks that appear on their new greatest hits album. They also play an as yet unrecorded track which Skin described as being about "f*cking". Indeed the f-word featured quite heavily in the lyrics in typical Skunk Anansie style.
Lets just see how long they can get on with each other this time.
Oh and the support band, which we caught the last few songs of were quite good to. Most unlike the usual supports. They were called The Chemists, see if you can spot their pic in the bunch below. Pics were taken by Melanie as I, in a rare moment of restraint, decided to leave my camera at home.

• 09:38 Off to buy snorkeling gear. As you do. #
• 18:25 Have been offered free tickets to a screening of an 'as yet unnamed British comedy'. Am intrigued enough to give it a go. (And it's free) #
• 18:43 @polyg Never been to one before. Am quite excited. #
• 18:44 @sjc_home4tea I did and the mask stuck which is a good sign. Apparently. #

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• 20:34 Support band is doing a really cool cover of britney's toxic #
• 21:56 Skin has climbed into the audience #
• 19:17 May have to rethink whole microwave on top of fridge/freezer thing. The beast is so tall cable for microwave doesn't reach plug. #
• 19:19 First Abel & Cole delivery. V. impressed. Venison + red wine stew doing nicely on the stove as I type. Right where's the rest of that Rioja #

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• 21:31 @Matthew_Lucas Good review. Twilight was a guilty pleasure New Moon just felt like it had money thrown at it. #
• 21:33 @trevfee Thanks will investigate #
• 18:39 Off to see Skunk Anansie. Their 'we don't hate each other any more and need the money' gig. It's going to be brilliant. #

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