There was a film crew setting up in the street outside work today (Shad Thames, near to Tower Bridge - very pretty, cobbles, warehouse with walkways between them, etc…) At lunchtime we went out to observe the two minutes silence to remember the victims of those stupid asshat bombers and who should we walk past but Ms. Gwyneth Paltrow, sashaying exaggeratedly down the street, surrounded by burly minders wielding big black piece of polystyrene in an attempt to block the view of the lone paparazzo. I thought about getting my phone out and moblogging it, but felt it would be in poor taste considering the circumstances.
Saw her again five minutes ago, but again failed to snap a photo. This time I just couldn’t be arsed.
Maybe if it were, like, Scarlett Johansson I’d have made an effort…
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So last week’s events finally sank in at an emotional level over the weekend. I was so busy at work at the end of last week that I didn’t really have time or the mental capacity to process what had occurred. I have to say that the way people reacted during the attack and it its immediate aftermath has made me proud to be a Londoner (and I’m not generally the patriotic, flag-waving sort). It also made me realise how much I love living in London, despite all the hassles. One of the main reasons that I love it so much is the amazing cultural diversity of the city - this really sank in on Sunday as I sat on the Number 38 bus, which goes from Clapton through Hackney and on through Islington and into the centre of the city. The bus is always full of a babel of multilingual chatter - a mix of Polish, English, Chinese, various African languages I won’t pretend to know - you really do feel a citizen of a global community where live and let live is the prevailing mood. These attacks, I hope, will have the opposite of the intended effect - drawing people from different cultures together, rather than alienating them. I live in hope, anyway. At the moment we Londoners are certainly a bit more likely to engage in social interaction with one another. Sure, folks are a bit edgy, and things are quite back to normal, but life goes on amazingly unchanged for the most part.
On a personal note, although I rarely use the tube or bus (preferring to use my skates to commute), I’m well aware that it could quite easily have been one of my nearest and dearest in one of those tube trains - indeed, some friends were a few minutes away from being caught up in it. It has brought home to me how contingent life can be - how you can suddenly have everything you take for granted taken away from you. I’ll try to appreciate my marvellous friends and loved ones, my wonderful city and my great job a bit more, and worry less about the small stuff.
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It seems as if London has almost certainly suffered from a series of bomb attacks, although of course it is too early to be certain. Adrienne and I are okay, just so all our friends know. (mobile networks are down). More later.
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Hey AC, if you read this, would you mind reiterating "A=B" in the comments to this post? I deleted the last post by mistake and would like to clarify/rectify my misrepresentation. Can’t think how I remembered it so wrongly…apart from maybe being slightly lacking ‘focus’ when you told me. :D. Also, hi Sharon! Hope all is well with you both.
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