paranoidangel: PA (PA)

I say running because that's the sort of thing you do on a treadmill, but I didn't actually make it that far.

I went to my local independent sports shop, looking for a new pair of running shoes. I tried some on, walked around in them and when I found a pair, they offered for me to go on the treadmill they had.

Not only had I never been on a treadmill before, I'd never seen one in real life. But I've seen lots of people running on them in videos, so it must be easy. Turns out it wasn't.

I turned it on, it started, at a walking pace, and I struggled to walk. I constantly felt like I was going to fall off, even though I was right at the front (and the whole thing is surprisingly long). I had to hold on and could only really manage to walk properly for about two steps. There didn't seem to be much point in going up to a running speed.

When I got off I still felt like I was moving. It was unpleasant all round. Unexpectedly so. 0/10 never doing that again.

Mirrored from my blog.

paranoidangel: PA (PA)

I know, from reading Not Always Right, that drive-throughs are more popular in America, where they have drive-through pharmacies and drive-through banks. Here it's just fast food and coffees. Near me (in what turned out to be a 7 minute drive on quiet roads) I went to a Costa drive-through.

Judging from the car park, I was the only customer. I might have been less confused if there had been someone in front of me. As it was I drove along, noticed a big sign saying what you could buy and drove closer to read it. I then found out that it's not possible to read it from the car and also I'd driven past the speaker where you order things.

I'd already checked the menu in advance, so I just got a hot chocolate. Although that took a while because I struggled to hear the person at the other end because of the traffic (particularly the lorries) going past on the main road parallel to where I was.

I went round to the window where I waited for a while and realised the rain was coming in through my open window. I got my hot chocolate and paid. I had thought it through in advance and moved my stuff from the cup holder - it usually holds my keys (my car has keyless start, but not keyless entry) and the broken off parts of my wing mirror.

I was impressed that the hot chocolate was still slightly too hot to drink when I got home. However, although the cup was recyclable, you had to take it to Costa to recycle. I also couldn't tell if they had any vegan cakes and it was too much effort to ask. So all in all, it would have been a much better experience to have gone in to the place, rather than go to the drive through.

I'll give it a score of 2/10.

Mirrored from my blog.

paranoidangel: PA (PA)

I've known for a long time that eating cold pizza was a thing. But I've only had takeaway pizza once, at university, and it wasn't that exciting, so the opportunity hasn't really come up.

So I purposely did it: got a takeaway pizza that was two meals worth, ate half and then put the other half in the fridge.

It was a vegan pizza, so maybe it was different, but I really liked it. It tasted the same cold as it did hot, just cold. I don't know if the opportunity will come up again, but if I did, I would eat cold pizza again.

I'll give it 8/10 - if only because it takes longer and costs more than just bunging a frozen pizza in the oven.

Mirrored from my blog.

paranoidangel: PA (PA)

I listened to a podcast years ago where Susan Calman got friends of hers to introduce her to new hobbies. One of them involved going to an art gallery and appreciating paintings by looking at them from different angles.

And then an episode of Crowd Science (another podcast) also involved going to an art gallery and similarly the idea was to look at paintings from other angles. Including lying on the floor.

I recently went to an art gallery. I wondered round and if something took my fancy I read the description and looked at the painting for longer.

There was one with a group of people in a boat and the longer I looked at it the more details I noticed. It made it more interesting. I thought I've got the hang of this looking at paintings thing.

And then I looked at a horse. It was a horse. There wasn't a background, it was just a horse. It didn't matter how long I looked at it, it was still just a horse. And then I looked at Van Gogh's sunflowers and it looked like what I already knew it looked like because I've seen pictures. It was unexciting.

There were a lot of Jesus-y paintings. Where I learnt on the second one I saw that John the Baptist was Jesus's cousin. Which explained why he was in the first painting. And I also realised that the only thing I know about John the Baptist is his name. And then I thought how hard it must be to sleep if you have a halo - there's no way of getting your head on a pillow where the halo wouldn't get in the way.

Then I found my way back to non-Jesus-y paintings and there was one of Narcissus being distracted by his reflection. With a couple of women peering around a tree at him. And a random topless woman that is out in the open that no one has noticed. I thought maybe that's the point because Narcissus is being distracted by himself and the two women are marvelling at him. But then it still seemed like the topless woman was in there because the painter just fancied painting a topless woman. I felt like I was doing English Lit at school and ascribing meaning the author didn't put in just because the teacher told us it was there.

I found a painting with more detail, of a dockyard and some workers. In the snow. Although when I looked at the painting for longer I realised that perhaps the painter thinks that all water is white. And then realised that the painter also can't do faces. I mean, I can do faces better than that and I really can't do faces.

And then I got bored with looking at paintings because it's just looking at a load of pictures and I couldn't really see the point. So now I feel like I've tried that and don't have to do it again. So it's a 2/5, if only because in a choice between an art gallery and a sauna it's a very easy choice. And at least it was free.

Mirrored from my blog.

paranoidangel: PA (PA)

I went on holiday recently and did four things I've never done before, which plenty of other people have.

Sat in a car with tinted windows
I didn't plan to do this, but my taxi to the station turned out to have tinted windows. Which I didn't properly notice until I got in. I'd always wondered what it looked like from the inside. Now I know that it looks like I had my sunglasses on. Way less exciting than it looks when a car goes by and you can't tell who (if anyone) is in the back.

I'd give it a 2 out of 5.

Sat in a sauna
The hotel I stayed in had a small pool with a jacuzzi and sauna. I've already tried a jacuzzi (didn't like the bubbles), but I thought I'd try the sauna.

Before I went in I thought it would be a room where you sit and feel really hot. I found that it was in fact a room where you sit and feel really hot.

Although the 'really' bit depends on how long you sit there. I don't think I managed a whole minute. I couldn't see a reason to make myself as hot as it had been outside in the heatwave the week before. It was just as unpleasant.

It's getting 1 out of 5, and that one is entirely because it was exactly like I expected.

Got room service
I've never had room service before and really fancied it. It was quite nice. I sat in my hotel room in my pyjamas and ate dinner while watching TV. What's not to like? Despite that, now I've done it I don't feel the need to do it again. It costs extra and I am quite capable of sitting in a restaurant with a book.

I giving it a 4 out of 5.

Mirrored from my blog.