embellina

Your song - Elton John

Agreed, Sean. Do they not abide by their mission statement, then? Maybe I'm too naive. I do feel it's better to go with a so-called ethical bank though as surely they do more than a high street bank built on the profits of slavery (and enslaving us to their bank charges and wicked ways!)

I bank with Smile, who are part of the Co-Operative and they say this: We have a strict ethical policy, which means your money stays squeaky clean. We do work to help the environment such as sourcing 98% of our electricity from renewable sources. And, we work in our local communities. We don't do this at the expense of our rates though, so you can enjoy a warm feeling inside as we take care of your heart and your wallet. There are also banks like Triodos, but they are more for saving.

What about Co-Op or their interent branch Smile? I bank with Smile as it's ethical and online. They seem very nice and helpful and it was a swift and easy changeover from leaving HSBC. I'm sure like all banks they're not perfect, but I've never had any problems and I do feel better knowing my money is ethically invested, and with a company that delivers good customer service.

ditto Kel

Anything with lentils. Mmmmmm Spinach and feta omlette and salad for a nice quick easy one

I would definitely give them a list of what you want and more importantly a list of what you DON"T want. My best friend did this and it worked well. She also asked each guest to RSVP with a song to be played - although I guess you need to screen these (unless you have mates with exceptionally good music taste!)

?2K! Jeez! Sorry Keef. Nice one though, bet that made a difference. And well done for getting in while the going was good

Can I have Cool for Cats - Squeeze? Technically the same artist...

This is the funniest thread I've read in a long time

Especially for you - Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan *cringes at choice*

I didn't say hello either - and I think I posted wanting something. Even ruder!

Where do you work? I like the outdoor pool near Covent Garden but it's a bit on the manky side...

Ant, you surprise me. Who wouldn't want to come to Lecicester Sq? What a marvellous place it is, full of great bars and restaurants. Fills me with joy and a swell of love for humankind everytime I set foot in it. Ranks high on my list of favourite places, along with Picadilly Circus and the junction of Oxford St and TCR/Charing Cross Road... Thank heavens for short term contracts. Back on topic to the lunch thing, going out at lunchtime and smelling crispy duck, knowing I was coming back to crudites was disheartening to say the least.

Bridge over troubled water - Simon and Garfunkel

Teardrops - Womack and Womack

All I can offer you is an oatcake Ant... and you have to come to Leicester Sq to pick it up

And I'm hungry again already

Space Oddity - David Bowie

I think you're doing a great thing for your body Brendan and if you view it that way, it's much better. I once managed 6 weeks (out of 12) of no wheat, dairy, sugar, nicotine, alcohol, meat or caffeine. It was an interesting experiment. At first I felt really annoyed at all I was missing out on but after a week or two the benefits I felt were so huge they really took over. Clear skin, bright eys, weight loss, I slept brilliantly, everywhere I went people complimented me on how great I looked (ego massage can never be a bad thing!) and I had so much energy. Although this is an unsustainable lifestyle, i do think it teaches you to be kinder to your body on an everyday basis. It helped me cut down on eating sugar, caffeine and drinking (for a while at least) and more to the point I began to notice what happened to me if I ate or drank a certain thing. That has helped me make better choices from now on. That's not to say I don't eat all those things again now. I just have a balanced diet and don't feel bad for anything I eat. If I eat badly, i eat extra well afterwards to make up for it. I did a mini detox last jan too, and it saved me so much money. It is a bit of miserable time of year to do it though. i think having had so much over-indulgence at Christmas can make it harder to give it up in Jan. Lots of luck - it'll go quickly once you're into it x

Veg sticks and miso soup - not exactly what I'd meant to have but the boy made the crudites for me and I spent too long shopping to buy anything but v cheap Pret miso

I enjoyed it - found it quite odd most of the way but really watchable. Quirky is a bad word to use but it was a bit quirky (in a good way, not an inaccessible one). I had heard mixed reviews of it beforehand so maybe it was my stubborn streak liking things other people hated! All in all, I'd say give it a go

I saw Black Book last week (set in nazi-occupied Netherlands). Just before a trip to Berlin which was possibly an ill-timed screening, but really enjoyed it. Well, I say 'enjoyed' but it's kind of hard to enjoy something about genocide. Was gripping, though, lots of twists and turns. Definitely worth watching. Other foreign language films I thought were great have been Goodbye Lenin and a Spanish film Nine Queens. That one's really clever. I surprisingly enjoyed Atonement too, even though Keira Knightley and her pout can be extremely irritating. Plus: The Departed Little Miss Sunshine Hotel Rwanda (bit Hollywood though, as I think someone may have already said) Match Point Eternal Sunshine Lost in translation Anchorman And what's the Will Ferrell one where he's being written as a character in Emma Thompson's novel? Hilarious, in a downbeat way. Although I think it's unlikely he and Maggie Gyllenhaal would hook up

"At the end of the day" "I'm not being funny, but" "Coolio" instead of cool "Pacific" instead of specific "Peeved off" instead of just peeved "Obligated" instead of obliged "Should of" instead of should have "Finickety" it should be finicky or pernickity, no? Although I'm being particularly pernickity in saying that one....

A personal one here but: my toothache and complete inability to write the article I'm supposed to be doing In fact, writing any feature that requires so much research you become completely unable to sort your head out and write it coherently once the info is collected. Gah. Writing sucks sometimes. More generally: Reality TV stars and the general British celebration of utter stupidity The culture of fame and celebrity for celebrity's sake rather than having done anything worthwhile to warrant it Back to Keef's bar etiquette one, when you say "he was next" and then the bar person doesn't serve you immediately afterwards, going all the way to the other end to start serving again People who make themselves feel better by putting other people down