Paralympics and Drumsticks

I was privileged to attend the Athletics during the Paralympics, and can safely say it was one of the most surreal experiences in my life so far; as well as inspiring and strangely emotional.

I say 'strangely emotional' in the sense that I would never expect sport to have such an impact. This was so much more than purely 'sport' however, the paralympians were performing acts of heroism and were the true heroes of the Games.

The sound of thousands cheering in unison would envelop around you and was quite something to behold! Especially the positivity and support from our own nation which, I must admit, thought that patriotism had near enough died. I myself had not felt proud of my own country for some time but this, this displaced the negativity in such a way that it is rather sad to see it all end. I hope that the promised 'Legacy' continues.

Days like these, however, are so much better with good friends. It was mentioned in Lord Coe's speech how people would engage in spontaneous conversation during commuting, thanks to the Olympics/Paralympics, making the journeys less depressing and a much more friendly atmosphere. Normally it would be due to discussing the Games themselves, inquiring about what people were on their way to see, what they had seen, and discussing the TV coverage. Not for my friend, no, the burning question of the journey was this; 'How do you eat your drumsticks?' Yes, that's right, and no she did not mean chicken, she meant the sweets (you know the chewy gob shutters). A colleague of hers had insisted she ate them wrong, he concluded that the correct way was to rip the whole thing off of the stick, not nibble or *ahem* suck it...

She asked me, before explaining this, and I grinned at her-not sure what exactly she was asking me; innuendos flying around my brain. Eventually I said that I just chew it on the stick. To which she was happy that she had found someone 'normal' who didn't rip the whole thing off the stick. This was a surprise to me as I thought our way was the most common, but apparently everyone her colleague asked concurred with him!

Anyway, our other friend had joined us on the train who was unable to sit down as, at this point, we were now surrounded by commuters; she also agreed with our methods. We were in our Team GB gear, clearly heading for the Olympic Park so we already stuck out like a sore thumb and suddenly, the friend with the burning question, asked the commuter next to me, 'how do you eat your drumsticks?' Now i'm pretty sure a lot of people were listening to this as the carriage was fairly quiet and she asked rather bold and loud-catching even me by surprise. I was having trouble containing my laughter. He initially thought she was referring to chicken but she explained and he said he rips it off! His friend also said the same!

This strange conversation died down and we got back to travelling on the train and discussing the Olympics between ourselves until, by surprise, he spoke to us again. He asked, 'how do you eat your mayonnaise?' He produced a small sandwich bag with mayonnaise inside which he had put in from a tub at home rather than buying a sachet.

It was great to experience this kind of banter, the Olympics did have a fair bit to do with the willingness to listen to us three though I am sure. He did then ask us what we were going to see at the Olympics and all in all the journey was far more entertaining than it would have been on just a normal day.

So, how do you eat your drumsticks? : P

Memoirs of Sherlock

It is SERIOUSLY dangerous to leave me unattended, especially with my latest bout of obsessions; I feel sorry for my long, suffering boyfriend.

One of my close friends decided I should attempt a challenge. How hard can it be? It was to take a two day abstinence from Sherlock Holmes...

I think it is safe to say I failed in many areas quite quickly. I was not to look at anything to do with Sherlock (the show, pictures, the Reddit pages, anything featuring Benedict Cumberbatch/Martin Freeman, or read the books!) I even had to change my beautiful wallpaper

I refused to change my cover picture on Facebook as 1) I didn't want to, and 2) I don't look at my own page...much. As I didn't change it these were the grounds she failed me on after a day.

What she was unaware of, however, was the fact that I changed my Wallpaper back within an hour of accepting the challenge, when I charged my phone Sherlock magically appeared as my wallpaper there, and by the next evening I had watched fan videos and been on the Reddit...

At least I didn't fail my degree.

It seems the two day 'break' from Sherlock only rendered me more annoying and I have since become obsessed with 'Cabin Pressure', while watching and forever Googling Sherlock.

Sherlock Holmes-A Study in Scarlet/Pink

My, 'Memoirs', of Sherlock Holmes:

After thoroughly enjoying the BBC series 'Sherlock' (2010), alongside watching the recent films-I finally decided to fulfill one of my life-long desires; to read the works of Conan Doyle and traverse the colourful mysteries of our favourite 'consulting detective'. Back when he emerged from the page for the first time, capturing the nation in the 19th Century and who continues to do so even now.

With the re-emergence of the character it set me to reminisce of my youth in which the 'Basil Rathbone' films were bestowed upon me-passed down from grandparents to parents, and considered 'their' Sherlock Holmes. One memory that sticks out is that of the sinister man who had a club foot in;'Sherlock Holmes and the Pearl of Death', his sinister footsteps echoing out into the night. I will never forget the fear and intrigue that was instilled in my heart by the eerie black and white films which kept you hanging at every breath with it's subtlety. In the centre of it all was a man; Sherlock Holmes. He was an unusual fellow, lacking many 'normal' human qualities and yet carried a charm and piercing wit which audiences and readers alike fell in love with.

I must confess I never truly saw any others between those and the most recent bundle of adaptations-due to family bias-but I would probably agree that Jeremy Brett does not strike me as a perfect Sherlock, but is still simply brilliant to watch. Benedict Cumberbatch on the other hand, feels as if he could have been transported from the 19th century and fits both the modern and Victorian stereotype-with chiseled and piercing looks, very much fitting what I imagine in my mind when the description in the book is presented. The portrayal of his character in the most recent BBC series is also not far off the original characterization of Sherlock.

‘His very person and appearance were such as to strike the attention of the most casual observer. In height he was rather over six feet, and so excessively lean that he seemed to be considerably taller. His eyes were sharp and piercing, save during those intervals of torpor to which I have alluded; and his thin hawklike nose gave his whole expression an air of alertness and decision. His chin too, had the prominence and squareness which mark the man of determination.’-A Study in Scarlet.

This leads me on to a brief synopsis of 'A Study In Scarlet' to whet your appetite, with a study comparing modern and classic to follow:

A Study in Scarlet has everything to set off a successful set of novels, mystery, love, action, betrayal, revenge and even a little bit of controversy on the way. It proves to be so much more than a detective novel; Sherlock Holmes' 'powers' are almost other wordly to his new found companion Dr. Watson when a seemingly straightforward murder case results in an incredibly thrilling chain of events. We uncover the sinister 'Avenging Angels', a secret society among the early Mormons, in a shocking tale with twists at every turn. Truly a must read!

-Emma-