Weeknotes #128: hot, pride and a balcony scene

Hot week, great theatre, Pride celebrations, and connecting with friends.

Week commencing Monday, 30 June 2025

A scene from the revival of "Evita" at the London Palladium shows Rachel Zegler performing as Eva Perón, addressing the crowds from an ornate stone balcony in front of the theatre, to the public watching from below. She is wearing a white strapless gown with her blonde hair styled in a period-appropriate updo, surrounded by classical columns and architecture.
Rachel Zegler performing as Eva Perón

Quantified Self

  • This week: Stand 5/7; Exercise 6/7 and Move 6/7. (81%). Morning walks: 0/3 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 2/5. Total steps: 78,733

Life

  • Despite many things I have written about being – or not being – in the office for work, I did two days; my step count shows it.
  • It also helped, as the office is air-conditioned. This week has been very hot; the fan was needed in my home office, and lots of water was consumed.
  • We’ve had the government for a year. Has anybody noticed anything different? Where are the promised changes?
  • Robot update: the robot hoover ran on Monday, quite impressively mapped the room, and bumped into everything.
  • Tuesday, to Sohoplace to see The Fifth Step, a play about how people handle their demons in the context of alcoholism and recovery. It stars Martin Freeman and Jack Lowden. It’s good and thought-provoking. 3/5 stars from me.
  • Wednesday: divisional all-hands meetings. But drinks in the evening with Mark B. Very glad I was able to catch him while he was in the country.
  • Related: I was delighted that I kept an eye on the time and did not miss the last trains from Shepherd’s Bush.
  • Thursday was another office day. And more drinks in the evening with Andrew and Sarah. It was nice to sit outside. And now we know why A went to a Taylor Swift concert.
  • Friday to Central London. Dinner on Argyll Street was timed to finish just before Rachel Zegler appeared as Eva Perón on the balcony of The Palladium Theatre. Much more impressive than I thought. And they had to close the roads for the twenty minutes the crowd is there. It will be interesting to see it from inside the theatre next week.
  • Saturday, Pride. The Big Gay Brunch was fun, but too early for even non-alcoholic drinks. The breakfast buns were excellent.
  • Related: Phil found a route around the parade so we could get across to Piccadilly, avoiding crowds. It’s quite impressive how quiet London can be, even two streets back from a million people.
  • Dinner at Meson Don Felipe. Excellent food. We felt a bit ignored by the staff.
  • Sunday, Country on the Common. It rained on the way in, the bar staff managed to ignore me, and I was not feeling the vibe. Left and took a train to look at the river. Headliner Noah Reid had withdrawn from the event. I notice no refund was offered.

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