There's an Italian restaurant in the city I reside (I can't remember its name - the restaurant, not the city) where you can see your food being made. The only off putting thing about this is that there are so many people working there!
It seems that there are around 64 chefs to make one pizza. The first guy makes the dough for the base passes it on to another guy who spins it out into the base. He then gives it to someone else who slaps some tomato puree on, this is his job. He passes it to another guy who's in charge of sprinkling cheese... I could go on.
It's quite a sight, and I can imagine that there's a need for them on extremely busy days, but generally most of the "chefs" there are sat on their arse most of the night until some olives need strategically placing or something.
Imagine being the guy in charge of anchovies! What's the point?!
March 2004 Archives
Interesting is the new boring, so I'm trying something new. Presenting the world's most boring article. It's called "Chalking Proposal Approved" and it comes courtesy of The Tack, the Buena Vista University newspaper. It's impossibly tedious yet endlessly entertaining.
The article describes the new BVU policy on chalking, a popular form of radical anarchism as practiced at liberal arts colleges (graffiti to you and me...). Specifically designed to protect free speech, the policy is a work of art that took two years to develop. Of course, there hasn't been a single campus chalking in that entire time, but if it ever happens the Buena Vista University community will be prepared. Here are the basics: chalking is now allowed in only a few designated areas; chalkings must be signed by their chalkers; and chalkings will be washed away every week. If you find a chalking offensive you may submit a complaint, and a three-person committee will be formed to decide whether the chalking is inappropriate. Thank goodness this is all settled and we can get back to our lives.
If you feel the need, read the full article.
In the 19 years since George Michael asked us to "pray for the other ones" on the Band Aid single Do They Know It's Christmas?, he has released just four albums. By comparison Sting has been responsible for nine; Boy George seven; and even Bono, who was back then concerned about the "bitter sting of tears", has steered U2 through seven, too. Of the class of 1984, even Paul Young has been more prolific. A greatest hits package and a cover versions collection aside, this is Michael's first album of new material since Older eight years ago. Patience? It's a miracle we still know who he is!
The most pivotal moment of Michael's life in the last eight years had nothing to do with music. On 7 April 1998 he was arrested for engaging in "lewd behaviour" in front of a police officer in the public toilets of the Will Rogers Memorial Park in Beverly Hills, California (motto beneath a statue at the park's entrance: "I never met a man I didn't like"). Rather than be ashamed by the incident, he treated it with good humour and a splurge of confessions. He told CNN about his boyfriend, the Mirror about his mother's death and Graham Norton about wanking. He made a video featuring a urinal, a glitter ball and snogging cops. He wasn't sorry. The American tabloids have never forgiven him: when he was mentioned in the New York Post in 2002, it was with the prefix "washed-up pervert".
I haven't really ever been a fan of George's but I think the way he's dealt with all the uproar about the aforementioned incident has shown that he's a man who's down to Earth and more than happy with where he is in life. It seems to me that he emerged from the drama with a strangely modern kind of dignity. Even without these revelations, the world would not have forgotten him. His career has seemed to have always been about proving people wrong to me. From the legal dispute with Sony (who he claimed were treating him "like a pop slave"), to this day, where the battle is to prove that a "washed-up pervert" can still be a major league star. Also this current record is being released by Epic, a branch of Sony... if winning the battle means being a pop slave then so be it.
Normally I prefer to swear at whatever reality TV cobblers is on of an evening, but when John Lydon appeared on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! I watched in rapt silence instead. How I belly-laughed when he said how thick Jordan was, or insulting the viewing public for not voting him off! He was going to win! But, of course, disappointment followed: the old turd deserted the camp and went to a hotel instead. His defenders have said that Johnny's all about anarchy, and how him leaving was a two fingers to everyone, and how he wasn't there for our benefit, etc, etc. I am not buying it. Put simply, Johnny Rotten chickened out and proved that, actually, Kerry McFadden, Peter Andre and Jordan have more balls than he does. Who'd have thunk it?
A lot has happened in the past two or three months - as I'm sure you can imagine.
The purpose of this update is really just to give you a little overview of the things you can expect to find on the 2004 version of HSX.me.uk.
I'm sure you've spotted the new design - I like it, I hope you do too. Please let me know if you can think of any way to improve it, my email address is at the bottom of the page or you can navigate to the contact page using the drop down menu system at the top of the screen.
[This has since changed - Feb 2005]
Over the next few updates, I'll update you as to what I've been up to and give you a little tour of the new place; point out a few things you might miss! Quite a lot has been added - a few new concepts - hopefully you'll use them to their fullest.
If you have any ideas about how to improve things here then let me know by emailing me at webmaster (at) hsx.me.uk or blog (at) thomasjpitts.co.uk.
