Misfits Mid-Life Crisis Adventures In East London & Surrey.
This week I have had a major urge for food I enjoyed when I was young. A time when everything on TV was black & White and smoking was allowed in one half of the cinema or the top deck of a London bus. The ingredients purchased this week were cheap white sliced bread, low-cost nutty butter, and jam with very little fruit content but crammed full of yummy artificial additives and sugar. These sarnies really were the best, within 20 minutes I had eaten three that’s six slices of bread.
From now on I am going to treat myself to something like this every now and then, this is comfort food taken to the next level. The sandwiches got me thinking about other treats/food I loved as a child, maybe this is my chance to produce a unique cookbook. Other recipes/meals I have fond memories of include cheese on toast a simple warm treat made of cheap cheddar on white sliced bread of course. As a kid our grill was gas run so a lot of the time the food was burnt, but that made the flavour ever nicer. In the early 90s this classic recipe would have been enhanced with a slice tomato and onion on top. Today the 21st century version would have garlic added with a drizzle of brown sauce over it. Another favourite treat was a sausages sandwich. Today the filling would be veggie or vegan covered in onion and garlic smothered in either brown or red sauce.
As you can tell I love bread, it is a down fall of mine. Cheap white sliced bread is not something I have eaten in decades picking it up in the supermarket this week made me feel happy and slightly grubby, if honest.
Instead of struggling to find work, maybe I should produce a cookbook of ridiculously simple recipes that people who grew up in the 70s and 80s enjoyed, a time when life really was a lot simpler. Before our taste buds became more sophisticated in the 90s. All that weight I lost since Oct 23 will pile on now if I start eating all these retro comfort treats.
And Now For Something Completely Different……
I do enjoy a quiz show, my programme of choice these last few years is The Chase. I don’t purposely seek it out, if I am changing channels and it’s on, I will play along. It’s one of the few TV quiz shows I would consider applying for (many years ago I attended a recording of a celebrity edition which was fun) but I really am not clever enough.
This week I saw an advert for contestants for the classic quiz Mastermind, another show I enjoy if I catch it. For a few moments I considered applying and started to fill in my details. The issue is they want a choice of five specialist subjects, mine were all TV and film related with Doctor Who at number one. There are subjects such as Astronomy and science in general that I have a good (maybe very good for an unqualified numpty) knowledge of. I can certainly talk about them all night but answer real questions that’s another thing.
The reason they ask for multiple specialist subjects is just in case a contestant goes further through the process. A different subject would be needed for each new episode. It goes without saying that I won’t be applying for a future series of the popular BBC quiz.
When I worked for the BBC, I took part in a demonstration test run of the general knowledge/snooker quiz show Big Break. Don’t panic I was answering questions and not attempting the snooker part. This was a very basic proof of concept that took place in an office at Television Centre. The presenter was not Jim Davidson (not a name I ever thought I would mention in this ramble) I really cannot remember who they dragged in for this demo. I did some shadowing on several episodes of Blankety Blank hosted by Les Dawson. Two memories, the unpleasant one seeing a very famous celebrity sitting in there dressing room with only a flannel covering certain bits. The other, my panic and shock when I dropped a cue card during the recording. I was terrified that they might have to stop and start again (they didn’t, all was ok). I do enjoy a quiz, maybe one day I might have a go.
And Finally……
While watching a weather bulletin I became distracted by the mention of the jet stream. I thought it was a good description for those occasions when several farts escape quickly in short succession.
My Mid-Life Crisis Conts……
This Week I Watched……
“Angel”, (S3, ep 7 to ep 22). “Any Old Port”, (1932). “Beyond Paradise”, (S2, ep 4 & ep 5). “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”, (S6, ep 7 to ep 22). “Chris And Meg’s Wild Summer”, (S1, ep 6, TX: 03/10/21). “Doing Money”, (2018). “For All Mankind”, (S4, ep 1). “Gardeners’ World”, (2024, ep 2, TX: 22/03/24). “Have I Got News for You”, (S67, ep 2, TX: 12/04/24). “Journey To The Centre Of The Earth”, (1959). “Late Night Lycett”, (S2, ep 1, TX: 12/04/24)(ep 2, TX: 19/04/24). “Love, Lies And Records”, (S1, ep 1). “Passenger”, (S1, ep 1 to ep 6). “Parkinson: Parkinson Meets Shirley MacLaine”, (TX: 04/09/71). “Renegade Nell”, (S1, ep 4 to ep 8). “State Of The Union”, (S2, ep 1 to ep 10). “Taskmaster”, (S13 (S8 on C4) ep 3, TX: 11/04/24)(ep 4, TX: 18/04/24). “The Apprentice & You’re Hired!”, (2024, S18 ep 12, TX: 18/04/24). “The Dropout”, (S1, ep 6 to ep 8). “The Great Celebrity Bake Off For SU2C”, (S7, ep 5, TX: 14/04/24). “The Last Leg”, (S30, ep 5, TX: 15/03/24)(ep 6, TX: 22/03/24). “The Mask Of Zorro”, (1998). “Top Of The Pops”, (TX: 16/04/81).
Doctor Who Watched This Week……
“Flux – Chapter Five – Survivors Of The Flux”, (S13 (S39 Since 1963) ep 5, TX: 28/11/21). “Flux – Chapter Six – The Vanquishers”, (S13 (S39 Since 1963) ep 6, TX: 05/12/21). “Eve Of The Daleks”, (TX: 01/01/22). “Legend Of The Sea Devils”, (TX: 17/02/22). “The Power Of The Doctor”, (TX: 23/10/22). “Destination Skaro”, (“Children In Need”, Mini – Episode)(TX: 17/11/24). “The Star Beast”, (60th Anniversary Special – 1)(TX: 25/11/23). “Wild Blue Yonder”, (60th Anniversary Special – 2)(TX: 02/12/23). “Doctor Who’s Ncuti Gatwa Breaks Down Every Doctor In The Show’s History – Entertainment Weekly”, (Entertainment Weekly/YouTube)(TX: 16/04/24).
This Week I Listened To……
“Braving Babylon 5”, (ep 50, 04/06/17). “Brian And Roger”, (19/04/24). “Broadcasting House (With Paddy O’Connell)”, (BBC Radio 4/Sounds)(14/04/24). “Clinton Baptiste’s All-New Paranormal Podcast – Spooky Stories Archive”, (#017 & #18, 19/04/24). “Doctor Who – Toby Hadoke’s Time Travels – Happy Times And Places”, (78.3, “The Celestial Toymaker”, 15/04/24)(78.4, 19/04/24). “Doctor Who Target Book Club”, (ep 17, “The Time Meddler”, 09/09/17). “Exocast”, (ep 48-b, 25/01/21). “Hard Boiled Eggs And Nuts: A Laurel And Hardy Podcast”, (ep 44, 01/07/18). “Liza Tarbuck”, (BBC Radio 2/Sound)(13/04/24). “NASA Curious Universe”, (S7, ep 5, 06/04/2)(ep 6, 16/04/24). “NASA Houston, We Have A Podcast”, (ep 331, 13/04/24)(ep 332, 19/04/24). “Nick Abbot Whole Show”, (LBC)(13/04/24)(14/04/24)(19/04/24). “Now Playing Presents – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”, (24/08/12). “Pale Blue Pod”, (28/11/22)(15/04/24). “Radio Astronomy (Sky At Night Magazine)”, (19/04/24). “Random Movie Generator With David Earl And David Edward’s”, (S3, ep 16, 17/04/24). “Random Trek”, (ep 11, TNG – “Conspiracy”, 07/08/14). “Robot Or Not?”, (The Incomparable)(ep 134, 25/06/18)(ep 285, 15/04/24). “Sicker Sadder World – Rewatching Daria”, (S1, ep 8, “Pinch Sitter”, 25/04/17). “Smersh Pod – The Forth Protocol”, (Pt 1, 19/10/20)(Pt 2, 20/10/20). “Space And Things Podcast”, (STP190, 18/04/24). “Space Rocket History Podcast”, (ep 197, 15/02/17)(ep 198, 22/02/17)(ep 199, 01/03/17)(ep 200, 08/03/17)(ep 201, 15/03/17). “Star Trek Universe Podcast”, (12/04/24)(15/04/24). “The Drop Out”, (“Trailer”, 15/01/19) (ep 1, 23/01/19)(ep 2, 30/01//19)(ep 3, 06/02/19)(ep 4, 13/02/19). “The Laurel And Hardy Podcast”, (ep 18,“There Purple Moment (1928)”, 20/11/21). “The Marx Brothers Council Podcast”, (ep 11, 30/01/19). “The Mystery Hour With James O’Brien”, (LBC)(18/04/24). “The Nick Abbot Habit”, (LBC)(15/04/24). “The Space Above Us”, (ep 187, 14/04/24). “The Space Shot”, (ep 325, 04/04/18)(ep 326, 05/04/18)(ep 327, 06/04/18)(ep 328, 08/04/18)(ep 329 & ep 330, 09/04/18). “The Vicars Watch”, (ep 56, “Doctor Who”, 19/04/24). “Two Watch Who”, (S23, Story 3, “Trial Of A Timelord – Terror Of The Vervoids”, 15/04/24). “Universe Today Podcast”, (ep 325, 11/04/17)(ep 326, 12/04/17)(ep 327, 16/04/17)(ep 328, 18/04/17)(ep 329, 21/04/17)(ep 330, 26/04/17)(ep 331, 03/05/17)(13/04/24)(19/04/24). “Very Nearly An Armful – A Tony Hancock Podcast”, (S7, ep 1, “The Unexploded Bomb”, 13/04/24). “What’s Your Problem With Nick Abbot And Carol Mcgiffin”, (LBC)(12/04/24)(15/04/24)(19/04/24).
This Week I Enjoyed Music By……
“Morrissey”, “Buffy The Vampire Slayer – Once More With Feeling (OST)”, “Catatonia”, “Coolio”, “David Bowie”, “Gorillaz “, “Kesha”, “Nirvana”, “Ocean Colour Scene”, “Pet Shop Boys”, “Shakespeare Sister”, “Simple Minds”, “Soho”, “The Beatles”, “The Chemical Brothers”, “U2″, “Voice Of The Beehive”.
MisFits Mid-Life Crisis.... 