redfiona99

(some mention of dress sizes if anyone needs a trigger warning)

1 - I live in hope that the UK government are expecting a third wave around about Twelfth Night. I doubt it, but that's what I am expecting.

What I fear will happen is that the government won't plan for this, will dither for two weeks after and then have to introduce yet another national lockdown.

I also feel odd about the way they've singled out Christmas as the one festival that everyone gets to have with their family. I mean Eid and Diwali are just as important but no-one was allowed to go home for them. It makes me feel selfish for enjoying Christmas.

2 - I do wish the government would be clearer that this is a two-part vaccine, and that it's likely that this will be like the flu where regular injections are needed.

3 - The mass shutting of chain stores is starting, and it's starting with the clothes shops. So that's 20,000 people out of work, in a job market that is about to suffer another serious contraction due to Brexit. More selfishly,

a - I hate online clothes shopping. I am an odd shape and need to try clothes on to see if they fit.
b - Two of the big chains that have closed are ones that make clothes that fit me. Given that I am an odd shape, their lack of sales might be explained by this. On the other hand, it leaves me with a clothes-related problem.

The major issue is that I am 5 foot 3 (160 cm) but a size 16 (size 14 US, 18 Australia, 44 Europe). The petite ranges seem to think parts are proportional to height, and they are not. Imagine the Willendorf Venus with less frontage (wrestling fans, imagine Sami Callihan but female - I find his on-going struggles to keep his trousers up in matches to be relatable, as the youth say). Clothes, they do not fit, trousers they do not get past my thighs, dresses, they plunge unfortunately.

I have no idea what I am going to do for clothes without Mantaray, Debenhams Collection and Maine in particular. Because the next best option are much more expensive, or are Marks and Sparks and therefore very hit and miss in their sizing.

Does anyone know what the parts of this outfit



Because both google and wiki are failing me (or I am asking the wrong questions).

Because HMV had a foreign films sale, I managed to get Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, Oldboy and Lady Vengeance for £7.99 ($13.55/ 14.41 AusD). Which is totally for the win because 1 - I <3 Park Chan-wook's directing and 2) Lady Vengeance is his best film. I would recommend it thorough, with the caveat of read the warnings.

On top of that, while I was on Amazon looking to buy 'Rewind The Film' and 'Futurology', I spotted Rome, seasons 1 & 2, on sale for £17 ($29/ 31 AusD), so I snapped that up, because that's been £60 within the last two years and therefore totally counts as a bargain.

That was about it as far as successful shopping missions go. It turns out I didn't need a new phone, I'd just accidentally blocked my Mum's phone (which I will hear the end of some time after doomsday), Next hadn't shipped the dress I wanted to try on to all their shops yet and I still can't fit into a size 14. Actually, it's possible that my waist can but my thighs definitely can't so I am left with the fencer's problem of trying to find nice belts because our waists and thighs are out of proportion. That or menswear and I suspect New Look are having a sale ...

Saw Trance and Welcome To The Punch

But first some shopping stories:

1) The man at Waterstone's wants you all to know Reaper Man is wonderful.

2) I was wrong to be optimistic about jeans. It seems to be all skinny for anything even vaguely colourful. Also, even the not skinny jeans are giving me holster-hips. Again. Also, sadly pastel appears to be making a comeback. Bah! I mean, if you look good in pastels, more power to your elbow, but they make me look like death warmed over.

Shopping done, and Reaper Man bought, I went to the cinema.

Trailers:

I can see why one_more_cherry doesn't like the Evil Dead remake trailer. I seriously thought it was just another Cabin Fever variant until I saw the book. Also, it's just not scary. The Dark Skies trailer on the other hand is creepy as.

Dead Man Down looks suitably action thrillery, but I'm mostly intrigued by Noomi Rapace's character. Olympus Has Fallen looks generic action movie-ish and I feel really bad about having no interest in The Heat.

I don't plan on watching Spring Breakers, at least not at the cinema, but it seems like Harmony Korine is doing his thing again.

Next on the to be watched list are All Things To All Men and GI Joe: Retaliation

( Trance. Which ought to have been an 18. And needs ginormous trigger warnings. More than the BBFC gave it anyway. Spoilers underneath. )

( Welcome To The Punch, easier to explain, but that's because it's pretty much a by the numbers thriller )

angstbunny might be amused to know that there are people out there who think James McAvoy and Mark Strong aren't British and are just putting it on.

Only not, because, as I said, my bit of Brum was fine. I went into town yesterday, because I needed some new shoes for a conference (I ended up getting these http://tinyurl.com/3vwl8ex) and a couple of shirts for the same thing. In case other women are looking to dress smartly in the UK, advanced warning, there are no decent shirts to be had in the high street stores. I know by not wanting to wear see-through material I am impinging on the designers imaginations, but you know, work related conference.

Most vexing.

Birmingham city centre wasn't much different, the only shop that had any damage that I could see was the H & M near the Golden Bull. There was more of a police and security presence than usual, and people were maybe a bit quieter than usual but that was about it.

Book Meme Day 9 - Book You Never Expected To Love

I am going to be telling this all the wrong way round, but, hey it's my meme answer and I can do what I want to.

Every other John le Carre book I have tried to read I have bounced straight off. And I mean every other, I've tried about 4 others, not counting the one I'm not going to read because the pharmaceutical industry is not actually evil.

And yet, I love and adore 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'. I think partly it's the cynical attitude, because no one really believes in any of the causes they're fighting for, it's become a matter of habit. There's a grubby realness about it.

( And also, (many, many spoilers) )

( I mean, the interesting thing is the structure of the book shouldn't work )

( One of the other things I love is how petty everything is )

It's as got great re-readability which given it's a thriller says something about how well it's written. Knowing whodunit doesn't damage the book, in fact, it gives several of the scenes a whole different spin.

( The Other Days )

Second Mandarin lesson went well, even if the word for week is going to give me problems.

My shopaholic heart has been claimed by this jacket - http://www.riverisland.com/Online/women/coats--jackets/coats/grey-military-style-denim-jacket-592876 but there's absolutely no way I can justify paying £60 for it, even if the size 16 does fit. But I want, oh how I want. Maybe if I get a job soon?

Other than that, my cousin continues to cause no end of problems, in between the brain tumour that wasn't and the being jumped last night (bruised ribs and a bit of a black eye). I am a lot less blase about those things than I sound.

Well, the dress (see this post - http://redfiona99.livejournal.com/530166.html) didn't fit. Which is annoying. Something even odder happened though, because it wasn't that it didn't fit because it was too small, it was that it was too big around my sides. And it's not like I'm a small 14, I'm stuck in size 15 limbo. I actually tried the 16 on first because, with it being made of elastane, and me being not that small. It was huge on me. So I tried the 14, which was tighter, but still madly baggy around the sides. I'm really confused as to who this dress was designed for and on.

I've still got my old standby dress, which is fine, I'll just have to get a blue wrap to keep my shoulders warm. And new shoes. Which will be done next week, and may require alcohol. I hate shoe shopping. Normally I just buy Hotter Shoes - http://www.hottershoes.com/HotterSite/pages/home/default.asp

which are the most comfortable shoes on the planet. And their size 5 1/2s are. But they don't really do heels and I refuse to wear this dress with flats. It makes me look even shorter than necessary.

~~~~

Other than that, I was home in time to watch the second half of the England v Italy game, and dudes, lay off Mauro Bergamasco, it's not like it's his fault his coach had 1) no scrum-halves and 2) played him wildly out of position.

Anyway, once Italy had an actual, if not brilliant scrum half on, they improved. England didn't. England victory but it was almost as empty a victory as the newspapers will have you believing tomorrow.

Ireland v France was better, a real hum-dinger with O'Driscoll and D'Arcy both scoring tries and the entire team looking happy and cheering each other on and, as a Munster fan I am biased, but Declan Kidney is a miracle worker. And also if I hear anyone say anything mean about BOD, I reserve the right to slap the taste out of their mouths.

Have torn trousers on a door. Again. Buggery!

Micky Higham is thankfully moving from Wigan. Not back home, sadly, but to Warrington. Oh well, anywhere is better than Wigan.

Del Piero, lovely darling wonderful man that he is, scored the winning goal for Juve against Zenit St. Petersburg.

Got to the final of the county foil. Lost to that 13 year old again (although she's now 14). Beat one of our girls in the semis. She may never forgive me, given that she beat me in the pools. I always said I was better at longer matches.

I spent most of the time trying to figure out where S got his jeans from, given that they were pretty much the perfect jeans. But then again S also has a BMW (a nice one, I didn't know BMW made nice cars) so I imagine they are far out of my price range.

My Nan was in hospital, or so I have been told, nothing major (well as unmajor as hospital treatment at the age of 86 can be) something to do with her bladder I think. Of course no one told me because they thought I'd worry. I do feel like turning round and pointing out that I actually spend most of my time worrying that the next phone call is them telling me Nan's dead and they didn't tell me she was ill.

Other than that, Phil walked out of another job, his Dad's threatening to throw him out, Mum's put her foot down and said we're not having him. Christmas may well be hell again. I'm probably escaping up to Cumbria for New Years which should prevent murder.

On to media/fandomy matters:

I presently have a copy of Q for the first time in years, just for the Manics. Oh what you do to me boys.

Have read the Survivor Series spoilers ( Am presently a-squee )

Also Robin Hood, in the last two episodes ( Might finally be getting good )

Also, how did I not know that Ridley Scott was a Sir?

Anyone know how I can pull off a vaguely Victorian look without paying a fortune? All suggestions welcomed.