Selfie Welfare

Alrighty then! This might be a bit of long one but today I'm in the mood to chat about selfies!  In my experience, most people have one of two opinions when it comes to selfies.  Either you like taking them and do it fairly frequently, or you don't and view those that do as narcissistic arseholes.

I have some friends who take many selfies, others who I have never seen take one image of themselves the whole time I've known them.  Throughout my journey as a blogger and photographer I too, have dabbled in the taking of selfies.  Not as many as some, more than others and the thing I found most interesting is how those that don't admit to taking selfies viewed me. I say don't admit as in a study by Sarah Diefenbach* the 'selfie paradox is exposed. This states that while 82% of people say they do not wish to see so many selfies on social media 77% of people regularly take the damn things! I'm neither a psychologist nor a mathematician but even I can see there is some sort of Venn diagram of hypocritical twattery going on here. 

So why is so much shame being plastered onto selfie takers if most of us are doing it?  I was called a 'selfie queen' once, and while I'm certain there was no malice intended from the person that said this, it did feel quite 'judgey'.  Like it was something I should be at least little bit ashamed of.  As this comment was passed by someone I'm extremely fond of I felt somewhat chastised, but needed to see if they were right. And where else would you go when investigating your own image but the temple of the selfie taker... Instagram.  Its here you'll see the most images of me and I'm sure its my account (Theemiddlesis in case you're wondering) that earned me the title in this persons eye's.  

There I am with Christmas and Autumn, Two of my all time favourite things!

And this is the interesting bit. I went through each and every one of my instagram images, took away the number that were selfies and worked out that percentage. It was 18%. Yep 18 percent! In other words, 4/5th of the images I posted were of coffee, nature, fashion, events, books or the gazillion other things I am into, but it seems that 18% was much more evident than the other 82%.  And this is before Facebook took over so we can't blame the God awful algorithms**

Although this was some time ago the selfie is still a phenomenon that provokes discussion as the recent Intelligence Squared pod cast 'Me My selfie and I: Self expression in the Digital Age shows. While it highlighted that, yes in 2015 more people died taking selfies than were killed by sharks, it also pointed out that some anthropologists believe the self portrait is critical to human development and evolution.

There I am again, twice in this set.  A narcissist or someone that is comfortable in their own skin?

I really enjoy seeing my friends images and love that their selfies are included in blog and instagram posts. Furthermore, as I know more about them than the few images I see on my phone, I know these people are not overly self involved.  The thing is just because a particularly affluent, attention seeking Armenian family are the poster people of selfies, doesn't mean that anyone that takes a selfie is the same.

So next time you see someone with a camera held aloft at the perfect flattering angle, think about not judging them. Not all selfie takers are the same.  We don't all go to truly beautiful areas of natural beauty and miss the scenery because we are taking 137 pictures of our own face.  We don't all think that we invented the very act we are partaking in only 11 years ago #EyerollHilton.

Some of us are capturing a time in our lives we want to remember, a thought that's particularly important or yes having a moment of self expression.  If that makes you feel uncomfortable then maybe you should try it, you might be surprised at the outcome. 

*Professor of market and consumer psychology at the Ludwig Maximilian's University  ** Oh My God I hate it I hate it when will we wake from this nightmare***
** sorry FWP I know!

Review: The Locker

So its been a while since I've done one of these - a full time job will do that to a blogger! But today I'm adding to my 'Coffee shops of Cambridge' series.  Why you ask? Well because the town that needs a coffee shop like Santa needs another cookie has - you guessed it - got another coffee shop.  The Locker on Kings Street opened in August 2017 and so its my duty and desire to review it for you lovely lot.  In we go!

The Cool
First off each member of staff is achingly hip with at least one or more of the required attributes of the truly trendy.  A rainbow of hair colours and ear adornments grace the personage of each gorgeous young thing that greets you with a smile and fetches your beverage.  Talking of the coffee its obvious The Locker means business when it comes to the black stuff and the barista takes a great deal of pride in both brewing and beautifying his creations.

The food also gets top marks. Simple yet wholesome their cheese toasties - and I do not say this lightly - rivals that of Urban Larder for the best in Cambridge.* It comes with a fresh salad and balsamic glaze which not only cuts through the pleasing stodge of the tangy cheese but also works as a visual aid for other hungry customers to salivate over. Vegan and gluten free choices are also available as you'd expect from a post 2015 diner.

The decor and design is a well thought out masterpiece. Low hanging light bulbs are placed strategically so as not to interrupt your dining experience** adding that inviting glow required for any self respecting eatery.  Multicoloured structural beams and pottery used as water cups are splatter painted as if by a genius toddler.*** Everything else is sleek, inviting and perfectly functional, no wobbly tables displacing your chosen drink here! 

The Quirks
Reportedly named after the owner's dog (Davy Jones so Davy Jones 'Locker') the moniker of this establishment is a little odd. Davy Jones Locker is regarded as the grave of those who died at sea.  So it seems a little strange to name a bustling, friendly cafe after something so morbid.

The Que? 
Onto the balanced part of this review, what wasn't 'quite perfect'. 
The soup: I heard the server advise the 'soup of the day' flavour no fewer than 25 times in the hour I was there.  Why it wasn't added to the completely erasable chalk board behind the counter, therefore speeding up the process is beyond me.

The coat stand: With the copious amounts of people coming and going, the current coat stand is not sufficient for its needs.  Something I demonstrated when I knocked the overly laden thing over after breathing near it.  Having to replace each coat and accessory with the delicacy required for the game of bucking bronco, I'd ask the owners get a bigger sturdier stand, two even!

Seating: Such is its popularity the cafe was full the whole time I was there with many customers asking staff if there was room upstairs.  The addition of a camera showing the availability would have shortened the disappointment felt by those that didn't arrive at a lucky time. 

But who am I kidding, as complaints go these are pretty lame.  The soup's not named, the coat stand is wobbly and the staff can't see through walls isn't much of a drawback and neither should it be.

Get yourself to The Locker if you're looking for home made foodstuff, well brewed coffee and posts for instagram.  Just get there early and be sure not to wear a heavy coat! 

*the place I declared served the best cheese toasties a couple years back)
**take note Bould Brothers
*** that's a compliment, not a criticism