Andrew J. Lederer

Went to the King's Head in Crouch End to help Peter Grahame, who's captaining a comedians' team for the "University Challenge" show. They were shooting promos or something and they needed people to be audience.

At 10:45 in the morning.

Turned out the only people kind enough to help were me and Elise. So, the fuzzy audience shots also featured the comedians on the team -- in effect watching themselves -- Paul Sinha, Natalie Haynes and Simon-something (very funny and very nice).

I was quite personable during the session and perhaps created a bit of a new and better me in the mind of Ms. Haynes. (Feel free to search this blog for other references to La Haynes.) Elise mostly clammed up, although she said it was just that she couldn't get a word in edgewise. (Well, I was there.)

Naturally, everyone loved Elise and merely tolerated the new, better, personable me. The men (including Elise -- Natalie Haynes had theatre tickets, I think) all went out for eats and it was genuinely fun, except for when I gor offended 'cause I was pegged by Simon as a (proud) Brooklynite rather than a high-rise-dwelling Manhattan swell.

Boy, that Paul Sinha is smart. He's a veritable fact-accumulator and has the wit to interpret those facts as well (In a non-interpretive vein, he quizzed us on 20 or 30 years of Best Picture Oscar-winners -- he knows them going back to 1948.) All London can apparently breathe a sigh of relief as Mr. Sinha will be leaving medicine in a week or so to commit himself full-time to the healing art of comedy.

The £4.95 I spent on soup while with the gang was a source of inner agony in light of the $400 hit I took last week when that part-forgotten gym seemingly pulled all the plums from my financial pie. But the expense was part of what I call "living like a civilized person".

What am i gonna do, hide? When the rest of the money's gone, it's gone. (It's almost gone.)

Regardless, I shelled out for a full day's transit pass (service today was dreadful), went to a movie and generally lived like a human being.

I walked through charity shops with Elise. (Told a guy in one that I collected "old lady ash". You know -- from after a cremation.)

I lived (and now I'm having tea!.)

Could be worse.

I could be killing the night traveling back and forth on a New York City subway train. (Guess I'm homesick.)

I WANT MONEY!!!