Interdependence - surprising things that happen...

I just moved abode - from a house to a flat - (the reasons are incidental i guess but related to this idea of interdependence). Anyhoo. I don't have internet access at the new place - and setting it up is tricky cos i want the internet access at the old place to be kept on so people can keep their email addresses. The problem is that at the old place the internet account and the telephone are both in my name. So this creates double the amount of work for me - cancelling the old one and setting up a new one at the new place. I wonder if there isn't some simple service that can sort this sort of thing out for me - trying to get hold of BT is not exactly easy - well i can get through to a machine but i can't get through to someone to explain my problem.

The long and short of this is that i have not sorted out my phone or internet and am using local cafes with wireless access to go online in the evening.

My usual place for this is 'an outlet' on the corner of Dale Street but it wasn't open so i wandered, computer under arm to NEXUS cafe. Turns out there is a music event on tonight 'this is not a band' - people drop-in and play instruments together with a bit of audience participation as to what the 'not a band' might play. So far i am enjoying it. And actually it is providing me with a nice little state of interdependence - free wireless, music, social company in exchange for a coffee and home made almond cake. I am wondering whether i should bother contacting BT and staying phoneless and internet-less at home.

The peeps here are also about to launch a community garden project for their regulars to come and get involved in. This greatly appeals to me as - i don't have a garden (i now live in a flat) and city living is sorely lacking in green spaces. I have just been reading about how people need to be able to shape the spaces they inhabit - a garden is a pretty cool starting point. And if it attracts birds and bees - well that's a whole other sustainable living interdependence. Here's hoping...

Self-expression

I was at a gig in reading this weekend - not a big one but a little one - Gravenhurst - supported and arranged by a number of smaller reading based bands. One of the bands that was playing organised the gig. It was funny watching twenty something geeky guys express themselves on guitars and drums (and often no vocals) - none of them had a very engaging stage 'presence' but if you closed your eyes the music took you places. It was pretty well organised and you could buy self-produced t-shirts, CDs. As I watched I remembered a time when i used to do performance poetry - i would drag my work colleagues at University down to the open mic slots at the Frog and Bucket and me and a technician would get up and spout terrible poetry. Quite often my slot would evolve into banter with the audience, as i forgot my lines and made excuses for making them up. It was fun while it lasted. Reflecting back i remember having terrible nerves before going up on stage and wondering why the hell was i putting myself through this state of anxiety.

I am writing this from Edinburgh (about to attend a meeting up here) - i am at my sister's house staying with her two kids - part of the joy has been making up crazy stories with my niece and nephew - i give them some options at bed time for storytelling - made up story or book story or something else? My little niece opts for 'something else' and tells me that she is going to read to me and her little brother and that we are 'not to help her unless she is really stuck'.

At the end of reading the 'pig pants' story my niece tells me she wants to do it again but this time she will start from the back of the book, 'is that okay?'. So we have the story again, starting at the end and ending up at the beginning.

What i am realy enjoying is learning about how my little niece is learning about her learning - and engaging her audience in the process to get feedback.

Expression and engagement is a great way to learn and get feedback - i am thinking about where i can exercise this. In the past i haven't liked collaborative or group learning because the pace can feel really slow but actually - the wider benefit of everyone learning together is quite enjoyable and structured well can bind a group of people who don't know one another. With my friends, my nephew/ niece and strangers that shared experience has bound us - perhaps more tightly with family and friends. The possibilities are intriguing.

Grand Central 3, virgin trains 0

I was in a rush, as usual, to get to where I needed to get. Before I got distracted by anything else I thought it would make a lot of sense to look up train times for getting from A (Manchester) to B (London), particularly as its a Sunday. So – I check virgin trains website – no direct trains – the only route that comes up is to travel further North to York and then catch a train to Kings Cross.

I try another link a friend uses – thetrainline.com it proposes that I travel to Rugby, get a bus and then another train from somewhere else. I don't fancy the idea of getting a replacement bus. Much rather go for services that are just up and running than some replacement service that will be figuring itself out as it goes along and dealing with confused, frustrated, anxious passengers.

I get a taxi to the train station, and have 9 minutes to get a ticket. Stupidly I buy a virgin train ticket Manchester to London without thinking. I reassure myself that it came up on their website. There's time to pass by the virgin train desk before getting on the York train.

'Hi what's the fastest route to London today'. She tells me a third option I had not come across going via Nuneaton. 'Oh' I express surprise, 'your website proposed going to York and then King Cross'.

'That's not a valid route'. 'Oh' I say, 'What time does the valid route get me to London?' She tells me '18.04'. 'Oh', I say, that's not the fastest route. What if I want the fastest route and thats getting on that train to York? The robot lady (bless her) repeats 'its not a valid route'. 'But as a person, who is in a hurry, can I buy a single to York and get on that train leaving in 6 minutes. 'Yes, I suppose so'.

If you are willing to pay a bit extra, there are faster routes on a Sunday. Having all of these three options will, I would imagine, ease congestion on the 'valid' route for this Sunday. Presumably people can decide what they'd like – stick to the rules and get there slower or make their own rules and get there quicker. Am on the train to York and so far so good (touch wood).

Arrived in York on time with plenty of time to get a ticket from York to London on the Grand Central Train Network. I noticed there were two trains going to London, one leaving at 15.31 and another leaving at 15.34. Confusion. I went to the ticket office. The lady, who worked for the train running at 15.34 told me – her train gets in at 17.49 and cost 83 pounds, whereas the 15.31 on the grandcentral route gets in at 17.34 and costs 34 pounds. I buy a single for the 15.31 and am now wondering why the hell two trains are running to the same destination only three minutes apart. And , for a sustainability perspective – how bad is this for the planet? What is the pivotal event or series of events in history that enabled this to happen? My history is not so good so I will have to resort to the internet.

Between trains I had plenty of time to get a coffee (decay soya latte) and pick up a cous cous salad and bottle of water – virgin trains don't exactly sell health food on their trains, although the coffee is fairtrade.

To my joy aboard the Grand Central – not only do they have comfy, wide seats and games you can play en route (I am sat with a chess board in front of me and also Cluedo) – but there is also free wireless – this is not something I am familiar with on Virgin Trains – where you have to pay for wireless access (so of course people buy mobile wireless access – smart people always find a way round something). Something else occurs to me – competition for customers has probably led to Grand Central having wider seats and free wireless. Could a next level of train service be socially enterprising? Where every penny goes back into improving the service to the customer? If a train network had multiple benefits – what might that successful business look like to the traveller – faster, cheaper, reliable, healthier food options, entertainment?

Finally - the grand central train arrived ten minutes early... how often does that happen?