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Minor Strangeness (IHTM)

My dad appeared in many different Dr Who episodes during the 70s.
He was a crowd-scene actor as variously a soldier, ambulanceman, fireman, postman, policeman....etc etc
My uncle also appeared in an episode of Dr Who as a forklift driver, he worked for Lansing as a demonstrator at the time, when the bbc sold the rights to the US he got a royalty cheque for £5 which he had framed :)
 
This reminds me of a friend who worked as an extra. He was in the background of a department store scene in Crocodile Dundee II, and told me there were, in fact, very few extras: they simply walked to the end of an aisle, rounded the corner, and walked back. He became friendly with a woman who was walking in the opposite direction, as they greeted each other when they passed in the middle.

Another person I knew was in an office scene in Tootsie. Unfortunately, when the film was cropped for TV and VHS (as was common back then) she was totally eliminated.

I fear we're straying way off topic. Oh, well.
 
Bagpuss, the social commentary on communism and the subjugation of the prolatariate :p
Bagpuss moved to my home town and can still be seen in a window above a shop here.

acromershop05.jpg
 
As some of you know, I am working in a call centre.
The company has about 1 million customer accounts in it's database.
Until today I had yet to work on an account of anyone I know, or anyone famous etc.

Today I happened to see not one but two names of people I know in the database, both old friends.
A couple I used to know in Burton On Trent used to run an online and telephone escort agency for men wanting to hook up with transsexual/pre ops .. I was round theirs one day and someone very famous in the UK phoned up because he wanted to hook up with his favourite date, a pre op called Kylie. I saw the celebrity's credit card details and everything :) .. he's still on TV almost every day but I'm not going to name him out of respect for his privacy .. he's someone almost everyone likes anyway.
 
The last discussions here are strange, if nothing else... :yellowc:
 
A couple I used to know in Burton On Trent used to run an online and telephone escort agency for men wanting to hook up with transsexual/pre ops .. I was round theirs one day and someone very famous in the UK phoned up because he wanted to hook up with his favourite date, a pre op called Kylie. I saw the celebrity's credit card details and everything :) .. he's still on TV almost every day but I'm not going to name him out of respect for his privacy .. he's someone almost everyone likes anyway.
Okay, I'm not going to press you for the celeb's name - which kinda takes the fun out of it - but I get confused by transsexual terminology: was Kylie a biological male (a "shemale") or a biological female?
 
A couple I used to know in Burton On Trent used to run an online and telephone escort agency for men wanting to hook up with transsexual/pre ops .. I was round theirs one day and someone very famous in the UK phoned up because he wanted to hook up with his favourite date, a pre op called Kylie. I saw the celebrity's credit card details and everything :) .. he's still on TV almost every day but I'm not going to name him out of respect for his privacy .. he's someone almost everyone likes anyway.
It's nice to be reminded of how respectful and honest people can be in handling other people's social needs and personal information. :)
That doesn't have to be any kind of strangeness.
 
Okay, I'm not going to press you for the celeb's name - which kinda takes the fun out of it - but I get confused by transsexual terminology: was Kylie a biological male (a "shemale") or a biological female?
Kylie was a biological male who was taking hormones to grow breasts and on the game so he could eventually afford the gender reassignment surgery to become a woman I was told. Some of them only took the hormones for 6 months a year because men would pay large amounts of money to sleep with them and they also had to plans to have the surgery. I was told one of 'the girls' did this and had bought a Swiss chalet with the earnings. The website (pre-op.com) was a safe place for everyone to meet up and my mate's wife was admin. She said what had been happening in the past was that these 'girls' had been leaving their business cards in the phone boxes in London, had been called for sex, turned up at someone's house and sadly instead been beaten up by groups of blokes. So the website was a vetting process.
 
I saw the celebrity's credit card details and everything :) .. he's still on TV almost every day but I'm not going to name him out of respect for his privacy ..

Privacy in such places is a nightmare.
But I find the callers often volunteer masses of information about themseves, families, pets, neighbours etc.
Especially the elderly callers, they love to chat and are definitely lonely in the current climate, probably before lockdown too.
I listen and chat...I much prefer that to some rude caller swearing at me.
But usually I do not let the conversation go on for an excess length of time, because there are other callers trying to get through and some of them do have emergency situations which can affect their health if not sorted quickly.
So it's a balancing act between me being polite, genuinely wanting a chat myself, and doing my job description.
 
Optical illusion minor strangeness . In summer last year my husband and I were walking one morning. We walked past a car parked in a driveway in front of a house, and a young man was sat in the driver’s seat looking at his phone. Except he wasn’t. I had a clear impression of his white t-shirt and dark hair but there was no one there. My eyesight isn’t brilliant but I thought I could still differentiate between another human being and the pattern on a car seat.
 
Today I drove my wife to Voorschoten, a place near Leiden. While she was doing her thing I took a walk along the parks and country villa's built by rich families, dating back to the 1580's. All was private property and I couldn't get in. Then I saw this weird but wonderful post-modern architectural gem. It may not be obvious for you, but this echoes medieval Dutch architecture: Trapgevel - Wikipedia. I like it. It is for sale and you can look around here: Van Beethovenlaan 100: a luxury Estate for sale in Voorschoten, South Holland Property ID:5e8b708a8e307f0eb8f91146 | Christie's International Real Estate (christiesrealestate.com)
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We recently got a little puppy - cross Jack Russell/Chihuahua (wife's choice!), called Pippi.
Pippi sleeps in my daughter's bedroom and gets fed basically as soon as we all wake up in the morning. Today, my son came in with me and my wife and we were all talking about a game on his tablet when I heard Pippi's food being poured into her plastic bowl in my daughter's room.
I got up a few minutes later and looked in. Puppy happy to see me, food in bowl, daughter fast asleep in her bed.
After I had a shower my daughter came down and asked if I'd fed Pippi, to which I replied, "No, you did. I heard you doing it." She looked baffled and denied it, saying she'd been asleep all morning. I didn't think much more of it although she was quite adamant she hadn't fed the dog (there's no one else in the house).
Then, when everyone left for the day and I was home alone with Pippi she was lying sleeping in her bed, covered right over by her blanket in the dining room. I went to the toilet and heard one of her little toys jangling, a green ring she likes us to throw for her with a bell in it. Came back out the toilet a minute later, green ring now right beside my chair, Pippi fast asleep and tucked under her blanket...

You can see her in the top photo as she is right now, still asleep. Then a couple of other photos of her being the boss.
 

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In our family a birthday cake gets three candles for past, present, and future no matter the age.

With the family gathered around for our last birthday, the candles were lit ready to sing Happy Birthday and all three candles went out at the same time in an instant.

We all joked about spirits in the room, then lit candles and “ stayed calm and carried on “.
 
In our family a birthday cake gets three candles for past, present, and future no matter the age.

With the family gathered around for our last birthday, the candles were lit ready to sing Happy Birthday and all three candles went out at the same time in an instant.

We all joked about spirits in the room, then lit candles and “ stayed calm and carried on “.

I like this idea. I may steal it.
 
We recently got a little puppy - cross Jack Russell/Chihuahua (wife's choice!), called Pippi.
Pippi sleeps in my daughter's bedroom and gets fed basically as soon as we all wake up in the morning. Today, my son came in with me and my wife and we were all talking about a game on his tablet when I heard Pippi's food being poured into her plastic bowl in my daughter's room.
I got up a few minutes later and looked in. Puppy happy to see me, food in bowl, daughter fast asleep in her bed.
After I had a shower my daughter came down and asked if I'd fed Pippi, to which I replied, "No, you did. I heard you doing it." She looked baffled and denied it, saying she'd been asleep all morning. I didn't think much more of it although she was quite adamant she hadn't fed the dog (there's no one else in the house).
Then, when everyone left for the day and I was home alone with Pippi she was lying sleeping in her bed, covered right over by her blanket in the dining room. I went to the toilet and heard one of her little toys jangling, a green ring she likes us to throw for her with a bell in it. Came back out the toilet a minute later, green ring now right beside my chair, Pippi fast asleep and tucked under her blanket...

You can see her in the top photo as she is right now, still asleep. Then a couple of other photos of her being the boss.
That is adorable. A killer (of small things) but adorable.
 
Not remotely Fortean, but...

Is it just me, or has the taste of marzipan changed?
I've just had a mini Battenberg cake and the other day I had a Bakewell slice. Both tasted just weird to me. They're not how I remember marzipan used to taste.
AFAIK, I haven't had the Covid, so my taste buds haven't changed.

Anybody else notice this?
 
Not remotely Fortean, but...

Is it just me, or has the taste of marzipan changed?
I've just had a mini Battenberg cake and the other day I had a Bakewell slice. Both tasted just weird to me. They're not how I remember marzipan used to taste.
AFAIK, I haven't had the Covid, so my taste buds haven't changed.

Anybody else notice this?

Did you buy a cheaper brand, maybe? Though I don't know what they'd bulk out the almonds and sugar with as an alternative.
 
Did you buy a cheaper brand, maybe? Though I don't know what they'd bulk out the almonds and sugar with as an alternative.
Mr Kipling.
 
He's usually so exceedingly good, too!
Yes.
I have also noticed a change in other products, too (e.g. Shloer). I wonder if the sugar content has been significantly reduced?
 
Fine by me, I don't like too-sweet food and drink, except in moderation (I couldn't drink cola every day, but I like a Dr Pepper once in a while). I do know Scots were up in arms when Irn Bru reduced their sugar content and were convinced it had ruined the taste. I didn't notice any difference, but I'm more coffee and fruit juice drinker.
 
Fine by me, I don't like too-sweet food and drink, except in moderation (I couldn't drink cola every day, but I like a Dr Pepper once in a while). I do know Scots were up in arms when Irn Bru reduced their sugar content and were convinced it had ruined the taste. I didn't notice any difference, but I'm more coffee and fruit juice drinker.
I do like a can of Dr. Pepper :D
 
Not remotely Fortean, but...

Is it just me, or has the taste of marzipan changed?
I've just had a mini Battenberg cake and the other day I had a Bakewell slice. Both tasted just weird to me. They're not how I remember marzipan used to taste.
AFAIK, I haven't had the Covid, so my taste buds haven't changed.

Anybody else notice this?

I had Kipling's Bakewell slices last week, tasted fine. I don't like the marzipan coated Battenbergs. I prefer the Cork version - triangular cross sectio, coated in chocolate.

batt.jpg
 
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