Excuse me my moment of triumphalism (especially since it is at the expense of three other people), but we sent Elder Daughter to buy a newspaper this morning, and she came back with the Sunday Times. “YES!”, dance round the room, punching the air and saying “Must tell Tricia!!”. Remember this blog post earlier this week? About how la donna non e mobile?
Here is what India Knight wrote about Turandot:
“Air India has sacked some of its cabin staff for being too fat. The company is brilliantly unapologetic about it, pointing out that the fatties had been told to eat a bit less, or else, and had been given time to mend their ways. They chose not to, so they were fired.
I went to see Turandot at Covent Garden on Monday and was startled to find the three leads must have weighed 100 stone between them. They weren’t just opera fat; they were morbidly obese. Fair enough, you might think. I disagree. I began to find myself intensely annoyed by being asked to believe in the devastating beauty of Turandot, who looked like an egg in a wig. There were some City types behind us. “I wouldn’t risk death for her,” one said, to wild guffaws from his friends.
Calaf, meanwhile, was the fattest opera singer I’ve ever seen, a sort of anatomical curiosity. The exquisite slave girl, Liu, must have been a size 26. I’ve been a size 24 myself, so I have some sympathy, but not much.
Opera is among the most visual of mediums – the whole point is the combination of music and spectacle. People can suspend disbelief only so far. As it happens, the amazingly fat man had an amazingly beautiful voice, as did the amazingly fat slave girl . But it wasn’t enough, especially at £180 a ticket (birthday present). The Royal Opera House should take a leaf out of Air India’s book; I don’t think it would have many complaints.”
5th January. Too bad. If only she’d have been a day later…
Also completely agree with her about low energy lightbulbs (see the whole article, linked above). I’m sure the incidence of depression exactly mirrors the introduction of these energy sapping devices. Our house is a constant battleground, and their existence is the single most important reason for me taking it upon myself to change the lightbulbs. If I change the bulb, I get to choose the bulb, and it ain’t gonna be no low energy garbage. I hate them especially on the landing, and in the loo. By the time the light has actually come on sufficiently to see what you are doing, those of us with lives to live have been and gone. We have a compromise in the bedroom: one of each. If you don’t count the bedside lamps, which radiate beautiful high energy light .Until the IE reads this and realises that he needs to redress the balance of power pronto. Might even be enough provocation to get him off his sick bed. Flu has kept him in its grippe (Oh, what a pun) for eleven days.
Yesterday I cheered him up by showing him the fruits of my research on the internet. To whit. Thin, very fit people like him are much more prone to getting flu. The relationship between fitness and a compromised immune system is a “J” curve. Initially an increase in fitness boosts the immune system, but athletes suppress theirs with their level of fitness. The same goes for losing weight.
All is not lost. Consuming pro-biotic capsules has been scientifically shown to reduce the incidence of flu in athletes, as the healthy bacteria helps boost the weakened immune system.
“So”, said the IE , “I should basically be like you,”
As in so many things … Moderately fit and nicely padded. And consuming pro-biotic capsules. Especially in winter. But stopping short of Weebledom. I can still get up.
A low-energy bulb which would not be able to get up if it fell over
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January 11, 2009 at 12:04 pm
anon
There are ways to get around the low-energy problem.
1. Change your habit of turning lights off. Leaving them on costs very little and means you always have light.
2. Alter ceiling fittings to take two bulbs instead of one. A pair of 25W low-energy bulbs gives wonderful light, but because they only use 50W, the fitting will not overheat.
3. Use halogen bulbs. They are a little more energy efficient than normal bulbs, give bright white light, and are not toxic like the low-energy ones.
January 11, 2009 at 4:47 pm
a.c.
And what about travel accommodations for the Weeble cast? I seem to recall that there was a Weeble aeroplane for just this purpose. Too bad Air India hadn’t the same…
January 11, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Stavros
Congratulations on reaching a significant blogging milestone, 100,000 hits.
I don’t know what percentage of the millions of blogs achieve this milestone but I suspect it is in the single digits.
Light especially in our “energy efficient” homes does seem a rare commodity during this cold dark winter and lack of it definitely affects our mood, I think some people more than others. In some it can lead to serious depression and the diagnosis has an appropriate name: SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).
Full spectrum light is an effective treatment and there are lamps that are available at a price to treat the malady although Mr. Gore might not approve.
http://www.lighttherapyonline.com/
As for changing bulbs surely you wouldn’t drag a man from his sickbed to change bulbs. 🙂
Fitness does boost the immune system though I think bouts of very intense exercise especially in bad weather or harsh conditions might make one more vulnerable.
Keep in mind that someone like the IE who has a highly stressful job benefits immensely from a high level of fitness. Perhaps a jab next year might prevent another bout of the flu. Contrary to popular opinion you are not being vaccinated with a live virus.
No matter how hard we try we of the weaker sex can never hope to match the hardiness of women who were designed by God for childbirth and nursing the sick back to health.
Chicken soup, Greek yogurt, and turn up the lights.
January 11, 2009 at 7:17 pm
steeldust
Stavros, your support in matters of fitness is timely and much appreciated. Coping with the flu was bad enough: coping at the same time with the triumphantly-produced fruits of adifferentvoice’s research – which I was in no shape to rebut or even to assimilate – was a severe trial indeed.
Anyway, whether it was good nursing and chicken soup or the shock treatment of articles with which I needed to disagree, my health is back and I’ve never been more grateful for it – or to my wonderful wife.
January 11, 2009 at 8:43 pm
adifferentvoice
Ever heard the one about “How many bloggers does it take to change a lightbulb …?”.
Thank you to you all for your enlightening tips and for the very amusing image of the Weeblers warbling in their aeroplane. 🙂
And to Steeldust for his very kind acknowledgement of my nursing skills, thankfully not often used. You were a model patient; it was quite sobering to realise how much we take our good health for granted, and how fragile our comfortable life is, how easily ill health would turn over the apple cart. I’m very glad you’re better and back changing lightbulbs and that you snuck in a short spin round the gravel on your bike when I wasn’t looking!
Finally, Stavros, I am very touched that you noticed that I’ve passed the 100,000 milestone. I saw it approaching a few days ago, but it seemed slow coming and so I forgot all about it. I am very grateful to all those who have read my blog over the past year and a half, and I am especially grateful to those loyal readers who return often and have bumped the figures up greatly, and to those who have dared to comment, to stick their neck out publicly. I’ve only deleted two comments in all that time – which I decided were too meanspirited to publish – and I have treasured each interaction, often with people I’ll never meet, but also with my friends, like you, whom I know in my real everyday life. It never was about the statistics, but about the people that produced them. Always about the people.
I doubt I would have started a blog if it weren’t for the (usually) encouraging experience of commenting on yours, and for your encouragement to write my own. In the early days there were several occasions when I wanted nothing more to do with it, shut it down, backed away, but I’m glad that I’ve kept going, and that the mere act of writing continues to bring me as much pleasure as it does. Thank you.
January 12, 2009 at 9:23 pm
Tricia
Congratulations on the milestone – that is great news. Well done for sticking with it!
I saw the India Knight piece too – perfect timings. It will be good for the ROH to get the feedback in both its press cuttings and customer feedback.
January 14, 2009 at 9:21 pm
adifferentvoice
Thank you, Tricia! Socks haven’t been taken off since they arrived, and letters to say so in the post!
March 3, 2009 at 9:30 pm
Jennifer Wilson
You are truly a vicious person.
March 3, 2009 at 10:01 pm
adifferentvoice
Vicious? No. Just very disappointed, and we’d spent £400.00. And I obviously wasn’t the only person to have felt what I did. My only power as a small individual consumer in relation to the Royal Opera House is to write this – they didn’t even bother to acknowledge my feedback (which they requested).
I don’t blame you for feeling angry with me, but have I no right to complain about something that I’ve paid for? I’m sure you believe that you have a right to complain about something you have bought, whether it is goods or a service. The trouble with a performance at the opera is that you cannot send it back if you are not happy with it, you cannot ask for your money back, which makes you feel like you’ve been taken for a ride if the performance is not what you expected.
You, on the other hand, have chosen to put yourself on the stage. You’ve asked people to look at you. I would think that if I choose to do that, then I have to accept that people will judge me – my singing voice, my appearance, what I have brought to the role. Like politicians, film actors.
In the same way, I suppose, when I write something here, I am inviting people to read what I have written and to judge me, which is what you have done. Perhaps that makes us even.
I wonder if you’ve also taken this up with India Knight. Far more people read her column than will ever read my blog.