Saturday 21 August 2010

Getting to know you...

Pinched from Alex...

* What was I doing 10 years ago?
I was 15, and around this time I was probably doing pretty much F all on summer holidays, might maybe have been away with my parents somewhere, quite possibly Scotland because it's the Festival in August (that's not why we went). I was also going out with a boy called Adam. Apart from Andy, he's the only boy (and trust me, he was a boy, definitely not a bloke or a man, or anything near, he was a runt!) I've been out with properly.

*What was I doing 1 year ago?
Working, at Kingston still, hating my job, bloody hating the people I work with, being constantly stressed about money and living in the bedroom upstairs because Andy's mum still lived here. I don't want to say Ugh, but that is how I feel about all this.

*What was I doing yesterday?
I was at work. I say work, but I didn't do much work, the bare minimum. It's not that I don't enjoy the job I'm doing now, but the last couple of weeks, I have been feeling more and more like I won't stay, that my opinion isn't valued and they just wanted someone to keep the other girl's seat warm. HMPH!

* 5 snacks I enjoy?
1. Popcorn
2. Chocolate, preferably Galaxy, also especially Twirls.
3. Toast, especially white bread, naughty. Also good with Marmite, jam and peanut butter, though obv not all at the same time!
4. Pop Tarts (I haven't had them in a while, but I was watching Spaced earlier, and Daisy cooks some in a Pulp Fiction spoof and had a sudden craving!)
5. Biscuits - pretty much any time apart from Ginger Nuts and Rich Teas.

* 5 things I would do if I won £100m
1. Pay off debts - mine, Andy's and my parents
2. Buy houses - London, Spain, Amsterdam, Country (Near coast would be nice, not TOO far from London...!)
3. Buy cars - Original Mini, Audi Q7, Ford Popular (Sit up and Beg), Vintage American car of some kind (Andy wants a Ferarri, BORING!)
4. Hire some people - Nanny, dressmaker, hairdresser, chef, personal trainer, beautician trained in Electrolysis, plastic surgeon...
5. Set up a screenprinting business, just for fun. A general frou frou business, with a shop front and workshop out back. Pocket money yknow!

* 5 locations I would like to run off to
1. Maldvies/Bahamas/You get the idea. With no one around, not even Andy or Scarlett. Just a solar powered iPod and a stack of books.
2. Japan - I have to go here at least once and live out my Lost in Translation fantasy. One day (I hope!)
3. America - I've never been, I must be the only person in the world who's never been, literally.
4. Amsterdam - duh.
5. My parents house - I miss my old duvet, and my dad showing us crap on YouTube, and the stinky pooch and my mum being weird. Not all the time, but sometimes.

* 5 habits I have
1. Sucking my thumb - I will probably never stop.
2. Being angry - is that a habit, I dunno.
3. Bitching - definitely a good past time, it will DEFINITELY get me in trouble one of these days. I have loose lips (keep it clean!)
4. Not brushing my teeth very often - gross I know, this shows how lazy I really am, I do it once a week usually, will come back and bite me in the arse I'm sure.
5. Drinking - I like a drink, I don't do it a lot, but when I do, I do. Love how it makes me feel after just a couple, all loose and warm and comical and confident.

* 5 things I like doing
1. Listening to music - til I die.
2. Playing with Scarlett - nutter.
3. Drinking - see above.
4. Sleeping - especially if I have a reunion with the duvet mentioned above.
5. Shopping - the reason I'm in debt...!

* 5 TV shows I like
1. Shooting Stars
2. EastEnders
3. Spaced
4. Peep Show/IT Crowd/Pete VS Life (General C4 Friday night...!)
5. Friends (god, how lame, but I totally grew up with it!)

* 5 things I hate
1. Inconsiderate smokers - I'd prefer it if you didn't blow it over your shoulder whilst I'm pushing my pushchair behind you, twat.
2. Smells - I'm quite bad with smells, if something smells and I don't like it, I go apeshit. Red onion chutney, fuck off.
3. Wet bread - My cousins once did this thing about a haunted house, "This is his hair" - Spaghetti, "This is his eye" - Pickled Onion, "This is his skin" - Wet bread (or something like that, but it FREAKS ME OUT and it was awful when Scarlett was weaning and just gummed on toast and I had to clear it up!)
4. Girls of a certain type - But I think I don't hate them, I envy them.
5. Myself - sob sob emo answer

* 5 biggest joys at the moment
1. Scarlett
2. Being alive
3. Being with Andy
4. Having the house to ourselves at last and not being invaded by carers all day long, lingering and making a mess!
5. That Andy has a good job and good career progression.

Right, on that note, I'm going to bed. Please, do sponsor me on the 7 seater bike ride tomorrow by way of donation via this link: http://myprojects.cancerresearchuk.org/group-giving/cobiuk PLEASE!

Friday 20 August 2010

Conference bike ride in aid of Cancer Research UK

Just a final little reminder, not that anyone reads this blog anymore, but please, I'm taking part in the John O Groats to Lands End 7 seater "Conference Bike" ride, Leg 19 from London to Guildford, not the whole 30 miles, but at least some of it, and I would be so so so appreciative if at least one person who might happen to read this blog could donate a bit of money to the cause, it's all for Cancer Research UK and it'd mean a lot to me if someone were to donate/sponsor as I'm terrified about it on Sunday, not sure how I'm going to do 5 minutes on the damn thing!

So please, it would mean a lot, 1 in 3 people will suffer from Cancer in their lifetime with a new diagnosis made every 2 minutes in the UK. With your donation, Cancer Research UK can continue their work towards finding a cure, and supporting those affected in the meantime.

http://myprojects.cancerresearchuk.org/group-giving/cobiuk

Wednesday 18 August 2010

Vintage at Goodwood

So, I'm sure lots has happened since I last blogged (as always!) but here's one of my recent highlights:

Vintage at Goodwood

Well, there's been really mixed reviews of this. All I know is, I fucking hate rain and I fucking hate not having anything nice to wear to vintage-esque things. I wore a horrible dress from Next which was about the only relatively 40s - 50s thing I had gone but it was too fucking short and I laddered my cheating fake seamed stocking tights before I even left the house, so I was destined for failure. Really, I think I should just give up, because when you're a size 24, vintage don't work in your favour, unless you're doing Mama Cass or something (actually, I think I'd be a bloody good Mama Cass....)


I digress (although, I think I might totally go as her next year...) It was quite good, but I did feel like a total lemon and wished I'd had enough money to buy a swing dress (albeit, not a Vivien of Holloway one because I'm too fat and too poor). But I guess, this is all my own hang ups. Everyone looked the part, you could tell who was a proper vintager and who was a, pissing about with an afro wig and paisley kinda person. It was nice actually to see lots of different eras and styles represented, I think that was probably the big plus for me. So what if that means I'm not a 'purist'!

There was a lot to do, in terms of dances and bands and acts and stuff. We were lucky enough to be front of the queue for the Chap fashion show which was quite fun.



But then, that meant we kinda missed out on the Jive lesson (plus, it looked bloody packed up there) and likewise, it was rammed for the Tea Dance because by that point, the heaven's had well and truly opened!

I had my hair done, which was fun, but I'm still pretty crap at Victory Rolls (the more I type, the more I think I might give up and defect to the 70s, I can do a pretty mean beehive and I at least have TWO original 70s dresses at home!).

Then I went and had the biggest ever Peep Show moment with some people at the Chap Olympics, I literally wished the ground had opened up and swallowed me, literally, so embarrassing, plus my sister embarrassed me in front of some people which was nice of her, then I kinda didn't say anything so they just started having their own conversation and I was like, umm okay. Then went to talk to Fleur de Guerre, and probably looked like a right old stalker, because all I could think of to say was that I'd seen some photos of her on a mutual friends' Flickr photostream. Nice one Amy, you fucking stalker! Apologies to all and sundry who had to be involved in my excruciating shyness!

And it rained. And it didn't let up. And Fortnum and Mason wanted £4 for a tea. And there just wasn't anywhere to go to get away from the rain. Tried to take shelter in the 60s stage, whatever it was called, but it was rammed full of people watching Baby Loves Disco (I have a 2 year old, lets not forget, and that was the only point of the day I wished she was with me so I could at least get in to the bloody place and get dry under the pretences of being eligible to join in with my 2 year old!)

But in the bleak dampness there were a few bright sparks. The guys playing their bongos in a camper van,
The guys from the Mighty Booth (witness the fitness...)

and the lovely ladies (and cute tattooed lad) from the Marvellous Tea Dance Company for serving the best tea (I don't even drink tea, I do now thanks to them!) and cake,



I mean, I didn't buy any clothes, I hate rummaging and at this size, there's no point, they'll either charge a premium or it just won't exist. What I did buy was an Edwardian parasol in red, to replace my broken black one, a pop up 50s sun hat, and a hair clippy thing that I'm useless and getting to stay in my hair nice and tight.

Will I go again? Probably yes, but probably only as a hopeful helper when my sister hopefully has a stall there for Rockabetty Studios and if I go for the weekend, I will take the advice of my fussy side and stay in a B&B (or try to stay with my aunt in Boxgrove...) I think if you ignored the commercialism of it (which, yes, was hard, with it stabbing you in the eyes in the main high street) it wasn't a bad way to spend a day, I just wish I'd gotten to see some bands and the tea dance and stuff.

Anyway, you can see the photos from the day on my Flickr photostream (along with a set of Fleur de Guerre in her Able Grable Dream Girl, I'm really not a stalker, I promise, I was asked to take them...)