Monday 30 July 2007

money

I need some. Not much, just more.

A gift would be nice and slothful.

Please give generously.

Saturday 28 July 2007

A completely self absorbed note

Well, I expect this is pointless, I doubt anyone's interested, but just in case... Those who are, please pass it on to anyone else who cares/wants a laugh..

I have recently had a series of hissy fits and have mostly deleted my presence on the internet. There are two reasons for this 1) I don't feel very interesting and do feel entirely inadequate and boring next to pretty much every one I speak to; 2) I don't want to share space with the sort of person that revels in spoiling things for other people, be it a book or a group.

As far as email is concerned, I could do with deleting a few contacts because I don't like being nothing but strife, but as that would be like removing a limb, I hope they either have huge levels of tolerance or the sense to block.

I'm being a sap, I know, I'm not in a good place. Normal service resumed as soon as this is posted.

Just now...

I am reading:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I am about 3/4 of the way through and I'm rather enjoying it. I have been much ridiculed for reading this, but I care not, it's jolly nice to read something I like.

I am playing:
Wii. Incessantly. We got the Wii a few weeks ago and it's great. I spend my time trying to improve my fitness with Wii Sports (57 yesterday, I am terrible at baseball), improving my brain with Big Brain Academy and spending many hours playing the simple games of Wii Play. We also have Mario Power Football, but haven't got into that yet. Most fun is making Miis of everyone I know, I just need to work out how to get a screenshot...

So, my leisure pursuits are that of a 16 year old, except I don't feel the need to go and drink cider in the park.

I am listening to:
I'm not. I have The Enemy album to listen to, I haven't got round to it yet. But! Sabotage: Live by John Cale comes out on Monday, I think that'll be one for the purchasing.

I am eating:
Salmon. Almost exclusively. I don't think I can afford this.

Anyway, I am now off to maximise the benefit of naptime and do all of the above. Happy day.

Thursday 19 July 2007

Bernard Butler

Well, having been to see Bernard Butler as a guest alongside Bert Jansch on Friday, I feel I really ought to write something about it. I shall endeavour to get past "my, doesn't he have nice legs."

But...

Bert Jansch is lovely. He really is. He sounds ace and his songs are really pleasant, but largely indistinguishable. His other guests, Paul Wassif (who I have just had to look up) and Beth Orton were perfectly competent but I don't care for Ms Orton's voice. So I feel unqualified to comment on the performance generally.

Bernard Butler, on the other hand, is sublime. He really is. He plays guitar like noone else I have ever seen. This may be a reflection on my limited experience, but still... His fingers are magical and his distinct style just sounds amazing.

Any more I can say on the subject would just be further gushing of the same, so I'll leave it at that. The man is a God and I can't review him.

Sha.

Wednesday 18 July 2007

Failing resources

I forgot to have breakfast this morning. I do this a lot. It's not like I'm not hungry, or there's nothing to eat or I don't have time. I just forget.

It's not normal. I think I need to make notes for myself and pin them up so I remember what I'm supposed to be doing.

Next to bed:
Get up, that noise is children, it can't be snoozed from there

Next to children:
Change nappies, feed, dress, amuse

On fridge:
While getting food for children, eat something

On TV:
Have you eaten yet?

On front door:
Seriously, go back and eat something

Next to pillow:
Sleep.

Tuesday 17 July 2007

Why?

Why do some people really really overstate their own importance? Why can't they be humble?

Why do Sony seem intent on making TVs that have more colours than the human eye can see? How will they know?

Why is nothing ever simple?



These three things are not connected in any way.

Monday 16 July 2007

In...

Insane... Insomniac... Indescribable... Indecisive... Intolerant... Infatuated... Insecure... Inevitable... Insufferable...

Thursday 12 July 2007

"Bad" weather, beautiful skies





Clouds from the motorway

























Here comes the sun














A thunderous sky











Nearly midnight on the longest day

Frothing

Today I am in a state of excitement and am thus incapable of more than frivolity.


For one, it would seem that Nintendo are to bring out a Wii version of Mariokart, complete with wireless steering wheel. I LOVE Mariokart. I don't get the point of driving in circles games, but Mariokart is just so very playable.



I am largely in love with our Wii. I am currently hooked on a game on Wii play called Find Mii which is simple and ridiculous, but highly addictive. The kids like watching it :-)

But even more importantly, tomorrow I am to see Mr Butler perform. This is just like, wow.

Tomorrow I tell you, tomorrow. Like the day after today. Like really soon.

And I get to go on a train to get there, and see a jolly nice friend, so it couldn't be better really.

Wheeeeeeee!

Tuesday 10 July 2007

Marriage

It's hard when you want to rant about something but you know it's going to cause offence even if it's not meant to be.

Now, I obviously believe in marriage, because I did it. We got married for the extremely romantic reason that if we hadn't and something had happened to my then boyfriend, I would have had nothing more than squatter's rights in our house. As his wife, it would become mine. The easiest way to do this was to sign this thing called a marriage contract and it quite nicely laid down all sorts of rights for both of us in the events of bad things and children. We didn't do it for the wedding, we did it to be married. And the relationship improved, because we both finally accepted that the other wasn't going to leave any day.

Today on the news they were talking about incentives for marriage. I think this is great, obviously. But there are many people complaining that this is unfair on unmarried couples. That you can get married easily and quickly and that people who do that then benefit over couples who have been together a long time but haven't married.

Now, these are my ranty points:

1) It makes sense, it is just a piece of paper, but it's a useful one. It's not a trick. If you get incentives, then that's just another benefit. You don't have to have wank and circumstance, you can literally grab a couple of witnesses and do nothing more than sign.
2) Yes, it's unfair on civil partnerships, this is why they should be called marriages. A marriage should be between two people, regardless of their sex, and the church should get stuffed.
3) Why have children if you are not prepared to sign a contract of togetherness? If it doesn't work out, you can still divorce, but statistics show that couples who have children within marriage are far more likely to stay together than those who have children out of wedlock. Surely it's worth giving it a better chance. I don't think it is fair on the children to not at least intend to be together forever, and if you intend it, why not make it legal.
4) Being married isn't bad. It's nice. It's not like it's an awful situation to be in and you don't want to be trapped into it. If you feel like that, you picked the wrong spouse! The old fashioned concept of ownership is gone, you have equal rights, you don't have to change your name or title. It's simply a legal state that makes a lot of sense.

And you do get lots of presents :-)


Monday 9 July 2007

Time

Now they believe they have identified the beginning of the universe. The beginning of time. Before that there was nothing.

Er, wait. Nothing? How does that work? There must have been SOMETHING there, or the universe couldn't have formed. And if there was something, then that something had an existence, before time began.

What is time anyway? It is relative, it is somewhat arbitrary, it is inaccurate. It is a measurement placed by us to measure the passing of time itself. If we place it upon our surroundings, then how do we define when it began, surely it began when we learned to measure it? Which is considerably later than the beginning of the universe.

:-/

Sunday 8 July 2007

War and tears

Last night I watched Channel 4's 100 Greatest War Films. As I sat there thinking "That was such a great film", "Oh, I must watch that again" or "I'd really like to see that" it occurred to me that this seems to be a genre that either appeals to the part of my brain that likes violent computer games or that this is a genre that is very well done.

Saving Private Ryan was no. 1. The opening scenes are superb, but once that is over - 20 mins in or so - then there's two hours of perfectly well acted boredom. Tedious. Well overrated.

Dr Strangelove should quite possibly be the best, except I cannot abide Peter Sellers' overacting, that spoils it for me. George C. Scott and Slim Pickens almost redeem it, but not enough.

http://www.channel4.com/film/newsfeatures/microsites/W/greatest_warfilms/index.html.

Tuesday 3 July 2007

Fame and other hideousnesses

I do wonder at people sometimes. What exactly goes through people's mind when they apply to go on one of the makeover type reality TV shows?

The one that gets me is "How to Look Good Naked". Now, these women are supposedly so ashamed of their appearance that they won't strip off in front of their partners and hate their body completely. Yet they'll strip down to their underwear in front of tv cameras so everyone can see them????

Or the house ones. Not the ones where you go out and come back and the BBC have finished your DIY/added an extension, no, the ones where sniffy women come along and turn their noses up at just how disgusting peoples homes are and then show them how to clean. Like, is it really worth that level of embarrassment just to get your house tidied? They don't even do it for you!

Basically all these programmes do is get stupid people to get told off smugly on TV. Then you have the likes of Supernanny and House Doctor who come along and tell idiots to apply some common sense and tada! The problems are gone.

But WHY would you do that for 15 minutes of not really fame, because noone will remember you once the credits roll, apart from your mates who will never ever let you hear the end of it? Is it really worth it for a life/face/house/parenting makeover?

Monday 2 July 2007

Mini mutterings

The little guys are at the stage of learning to talk where they copy everything. So when I hear things being said repeatedly, it indicates that I say them a lot.

It would appear that my most common utterances are (in order):

"hiya"
"wow"
"oh dear"
"bye bye"
"1,2,3"
"bad"
"no"

(this is why I need to talk to grown up people)

Due to favourite songs, we also get "Baaaaab" and "Aaaayaaa".

Offended

Sigh. I hate when I think I've upset someone. I'm good at that, being mean when I intend to be funny.

I don't like offending though. What I can't understand is people who cause offence, then defend it as being the problem of the offended. It doesn't hurt to say "I didn't mean to be offensive, I didn't realise it would offend you and I won't do it again". I hate to see people being told they should get a life because they found something offensive. Who is anyone to decide for another what they deem acceptable?

But still, that's an aside. I think I need to issue a generic apology for when my sense of humour falls flat. Maybe it doesn't, but it's a worry.

Sunday 1 July 2007

Night time sharpens

It's a new month. I feel compelled to make rash promises of behaviour aimed towards the new improved me.

I think... this month I shall endeavour not to make statements of intent that I am clearly not going to keep to. I think that probably quarters what I have to say. Hmm.

I'm thinking, that always leads to trouble. This month I shall think less.

Black squares... black squares... black squares... nothing but black squares...
(I haven't hung the washing up. Drat.)
Black squares... black squares... squares of black
(Hang on, isn't it meant to be just the one square? Double drat.)
Black square... black square...
(Or is it white? What coloured square are we going to?)
(Aaargh)

I think (it's hard to stop, you know) I shall go and hang the washing up and worry about thinking later.