So… after a dinner of chicken with rice pilaf and a mushroom sauce with a little roll and a zucchini salad in a vinaigrette with a little berry loaf thing… along with a gin and tonic… quite nice so far.

When checking in at the airport 4½ hours ago — though it seems far longer ago — the record for the tickets came up with a flag for the nice lady to contact the security people due to me… being passenger #200 or something… who knows… anyway, she called and was put on hold for an incredible length of time that seemed to drive her more insane than it did me. Apparently it’s common for the flag to show up but not to be on hold for more than about 90 seconds. She wanted to get going to make a show she was seeing at Gateway Theatre tonight.

What with me not doing anything other than being patient and not once complaining (what was the point?), suddenly I’m sat not in the middle seat which was scheduled but on the starboard window seat, right behind the bulkhead dividing us from 1^st /​Business Class. Quite nice, really.

The lady next to me loves books, has moved to Vancouver from Montréal a couple of years ago, and is visiting family in London. Seems nice, and is.

Up until a few minutes ago, the movie was Kung Fu Panda, with the impossibly flexible hero’s voice provided by the over-​rated Jack Black. Vancouver actor Peter New is twice as talented and even writes his own material. Mr. Black, however, doesn’t. Bleah.

I believe the other movie on call is Pirates of the Caribbean III, a film I saw on the flight returning from the UK last year, and with which I was generally under-​whelmed. Thankfully this beast has all of the First Series of Blake’s 7, the apparently brilliant Pan’s Labyrinth which I’m finally getting around to see, and Doctor Who; the Movie. Yes, it’s an anorak orgy, people!

And now, perhaps some sleep, as it’s 15 past midnight.

LATER: actually, it ended up being Doctor Who: The Movie, which was over-​played by most of the cast, with a few exceptions of decent work from the 8^th Doctor (who ought to haver been edited a bit tighter) and the other four principles, especially the young guy who discoveres the 7^th Doctor and then aides the 8^th one in his quest. Good minor players were few and far between, with the exception of Catherine Lough (Haggquist) as a nurse who was realist and well fleshed out. Her character was; not… never mind.