Still Not Enough Rice Pudding

Eastercon happened, and for the most part it was immensely pleasurable. However, during the weekend I started feeling pretty ropey. Hotels, aeroplanes... with all the travelling I've been doing lately, I must have been exposed to loads to evil germs - and one of them got me.

Hence, a lot of stuff has gone on in the world, but I've been in my sick bed, too tired most of the time to even put a film on, but not getting much sleep either for all that.

And things went on in the Black Mirror. I saw some of them and in my sickened state I wondered if some of it was actually real. Some incidents involved me... and caused me great upset and confusion, because I had to deal with them when I really should have been resting. I've also seen discussion of things that are nothing to do with me; other people are looking at their monitor and asking themselves why they were being subjected to stupid rubbish when all they have done is tried to help, to promote the things they are passionate about. I'm being deliberately cryptic here, but I've been told about one person being upset about something today and what I wanted to say is that it doesn't matter who it is or what it's about... it's not a huge thing and I don't want to contribute to the snowball. I want to see this sort of thing stop.

I want to see positive things. I want to see real things. I live in a great town, with some wonderful, creative people. In all likeliness, so do you.

So, I probably have stuff to say about my supermarket challenge... just know it is going well. I'm leaving this screen alone for a bit and getting out into the garden. The birds are singing, the weeds are growing. Also, I need the exercise.

I got back from SFX Weekender on Sunday strangely tired. Weird - my distinct memory of the weekend was getting loads of sleep and not drinking anything at all . More on that later.

Anyhoo - I had to go out and get cat fud. Cats need fudding.

ASDA round the corner happened to be open. I picked up the tins and some reduced chillies and went to queue.

Nice chappy came over and asked if I wanted to use the self-service till. I said not really - was there no one going to be on the proper till? He asked if I need cigarettes - I said no - I just didn't like the self-service till. He took that as me being a technophobe and offered to help. I said it wasn't that, I'd use it if there was nothing else available and explained that it was political... that ASDA choose to use robots instead of employing people. I started using the self-service till and he continued talking to me. Nice chappy tried to say it wasn't taking away jobs as he was being employed. I pointed out how many tills he was looking after. He said - yes, but it freed him up to go and do other things round the store. I pointed out that he was running round doing more than one job and only being paid for one and he reasoned it was a cost-cutting measure. I agreed and said it was probably money that was going to the fifteen-strong board of Walmart directors and various fiscally interested parties at the top. I didn't mention the wider impact that corporations like ASDA/Walmart have on the supply chain (farmers) and the state of independant retailers in towns, employment etc etc... my cats were hungry.

So, I carried on. Nice chappy went off to do one of his many other jobs covered by his singular wage. I loaded my bags and started to leave. Security guard who'd been listening to the whole conversation stopped me and pointed out that I hadn't actually paid yet. Embarrassing!!

They were fine - I was clearly no Ant Woz Toz. An intentional thief wouldn't have gone for reduced chillies or drawn attention to themselves chatting about the lack of people on tills. But it brought home that my weekend-weakened brain was not up to using such a machine. I also know that N has enormous difficulty with using these machines due to his dyslexia - he can work with any system if he gets to know it, but he gets frustrated and embarrassed as it takes him a while to work out where he is supposed to be pushing, especially in his bank where the machines all look identical apart from one word at the top - Cash, cheque, card... all short words beginning with C. Trying to use them he uses another small word that begins with C. A lot.

Nice Chappy in ASDA had said it was inevitable, the machines would take over (sounds menacingly like Skynet). He was young, he didn't mind. But I'm here to tell you that people are going to be disenfranchised by the reduction of the service industry and reliance on machines. Not even the library can achieve their visitors using more than 76% self-service, and if there's a better example of machines being brought in to save employing people and save money I don't know. The elderly, visually impaired and dyslexics are just the most obvious ones.

The thing is, there are so many political organisations out there that are anti-capitalist/anti-supermarket, but I've noticed that the ones who have the greatest effect concentrate their efforts locally, so I think this is something I need to do. I'm fine with using these things when not hungover, really I am... but they do pain the man I love which makes the machines my enemy.

I want to give up supermarkets, or at least just use those I can be assured of being served at by a real person.

I know that Sally anne Blaise of the Bells and Whistles Project is at work compiling a list of places that fit the MO 'Indie Street', do check that out: http://thebellsandwhistlesproject.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/shuffle-the-decks/

What I would like to do is compile a typical shopping list and find out where I can get things from on a typical not-too-taxing shopping trip in town that is better for the soul and not that much slower than a trip to the supermarket, and then maybe add a couple of notes on each like 'small independent', 'small chain', 'locally sourced' etc. But help is required - cat food! Oh, and milk. Flour. That kind of stuff. Where can I get these in town? Heeelpp!!