What I did in November 2018

[squirmelia]

I went on holiday to Barcelona!

I visited a supercomputer in a chapel and marvelled at its power, and then at the lack of power of old supercomputers that were also shown in a display there, that are probably now less powerful than my phone.

I enjoyed seeing Gaudí's work – the way he takes advantage of light, the curves, the turning the mundane, such as chimneys, into something amazing, the colours. I visited Casa Batlló and admired the Block of Discord / Apple of Discord, and also went on the augmented reality tour, which made fish swim through the rooms, and showed what the rooms would once have looked like and added an extra layer of fun to the visit. I visited Casa Milà and peered into the different rooms and admired the chimneys on the roof. I wandered around squares staring up at interesting lamp posts designed by Gaudí. I wandered around the Sagrada Família enjoying the colours the light shining through the stained glass brought to the building. I liked the cave-like bits of Park Güell as well as the colours.

I ate sweet potato and honey ice-cream and really good dulce de leche ice-cream. I ate plenty of patatas bravas, and tried crema Catalana ice-cream. I ate paella in a vegetarian restaurant. I visited the Hash, Marijuana and Hemp Museum and tried cannabis flavoured ice-cream and Jack Daniels ice-cream at a restaurant opposite.

I went inside Columbus and admired the views. This was a monument of Christopher Columbus, that had a lift you could take inside it, then great views from the top.

One evening, I watched the magical fountain light up in different colours and whoosh as music played.

I wandered on the beach, laid on a concrete deck-chair for a bit, staring at the sea, and then went on the cable car.

I wandered around the Gothic Quarter, peering up at the cathedral and through small lanes.

I saw a wooden submarine.

Photos on Flickr: Barcelona.

Back in London:

"Is my narcissism for sale?" I wondered, at the Hayward Gallery, as I walked through the shiny glittery metal balls, which were part of Narcissus Garden, by Yayoi Kusama. They were once accompanied by a sign saying, "Your narcissism for sale," but that was in a previous incarnation of this exhibit.

I remember watching a spinning mirror, and a mirror that made it look like a rock was turning into gold as you walked by, and apart from mirrors, I remember the handrail which started off like a normal handrail, by the stairs, and then twisted and turned away. I remember looking at some kind of pipes on the wall, but then realised they were not real, they were art too. I remember obandsoller walking through the shiny beaded curtain. This was at the Space Shifters exhibition.

doseybat and I saw the anime, Mirai at the cinema in Hackney and then visited the Pembury Tavern.

One lunch time, I accompanied colleagues on a trip to Flipside, a new vegan place that had opened, and I ate a burger and fries. One evening, I went to a colleague's leaving do and another evening put on a long green dress and went to an awards party, in the same venue as where Slimelight happens, so that was odd, and I wondered why people weren't wearing much black.

I visited Sheffield on a work trip, but also wandered round the Winter Garden, did the Local Lunches Ingress banner, went for a swim at the hotel I stayed at, shot zombies and ate okonomiyaki fries at Church: Temple of Fun, a vegan videogames bar I found. I am going to be visiting Sheffield fairly regularly, so any Sheffield based friends who fancy meeting up or showing me good places to eat, let me know!

I had dinner with Berny one evening, when he visited London, and it was great to catch up with him.

I went to the Yayoi Kusuma exhibition at the Victoria Miro gallery and marvelled at the coloured dotted spheres and mirrors.

I had drinks with Frood.. It had been far too long!

I went to Japanese karaoke, organised by hikerspal, in a karaoke room behind a Japanese bookshop, that was once a launderette.

I went to doseybat's party and admired the strange objects collected from travels.

I went to a library and was handed a special kit, to become a Paper Traveller. I put on the gloves and headed off on an adventure. I listened to stories there and was asked if I wanted to see ghosts.

I ate black sesame halva ice cream at Chin Chin one evening and then ate dinner at Tibits.

I ate raindrop cake at Yamagoya and also went on the cable car.

I saw the lights at Chiswick House. I remember sitting in a deckchair, listening to Portishead, staring at the giant moon, and dancing next to a lonely tree that had music from the 1950s playing.

I went to the Video games disrupt exhibition at the V&A and played some unusual games, such as one where your parents left you alone for a while and you had two dolls to play with and could move their limbs and move them closer to each other.

One evening, I went to Ewell and ate Turkish food.

One Sunday, I visited Coventry and saw the naked woman riding a horse appear from the clock and then the peeping tom look on. I also saw various cathedrals and spires and wandered around the transport museum looking at bicycles and sewing machines and cars.

Ingress:

I went to Barcelona for an Anomaly - my 5th Anomaly. The Enlightened lost, but it was close, and I had fun there anyway.

I did the Colorful Barcelona banner starting at the Arc de Triomphe and wandered around the geeky quarter with lots of comic shops and shops that used to sell aliens and a church for exorcisms, and then ate churros and got a sugar high.

I did a few other banners: the Pedrera banner, the rainbow recursion banner and the cathedral banner.

I went on many escalators in a park, trying to find the Ingress registration point.

I spent some of the Anomaly on the roof terrace of a DIY/craft shop staring at the back of Casa Batlló, and towards the end of the Anomaly running, trying to get to unique portals. (I ended up 40th for hacking portals, which is pretty good really.)

I drank sangria, and ate bread dipped in sangria, and tomatoes in sangria, at the Barcelona Enl after party.

I went to the Enlightened London Monthly Social as well as drinks one Tuesday.

I did the Local Lunches banner in Sheffield, the Richmond Kitty Cats banner, part of the A day at the Museum banner, the View from Royal Victoria Dock banner, and the Covent Garden banner.

I also did missions in Barcelona and Coventry for Mission Days.

Comments

[laurenthemself]

I'm constantly amazed by the power that our phones have. They're teeny pocket computers! They do so much! We've come so far so fast with computers.