Back on the Wagon

A long time ago I challenged myself to read all the books on the Guardian 1000 books you should read list. Unfortunately, life got in the way and I had to put it on the back burner.

Lately, I've been thinking that I gave up too easily.

So I am re-dedicating myself to the challenge. I have filled a box with around 30 books and I am going to work through them. No schedule, no time limits, no pressure.

I am even starting with one of the only books I have ever started to read but gave up half way through... Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. This is a genre I love and usually enjoy reading but, for some reason, I have always struggled with this series. Let's see if this time I can make it to the end.

Here is a link to the Guardian list  http://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/jan/23/bestbooks-fiction
just in case you are interested in taking up the challenge yourself.

Further Adventures of a Squirrel

There is only a few days until our big Garage Sale. The garage is about as clean as it has ever been although there are still a few pesky spiders lurking about. We have moved all the stuff we are keeping down to the far end and we have rigged up a kind of false wall to keep it separate from the stuff we are selling. Although there were a lot of things already in the garage that we were planning on getting rid of, we still have a lot of items in the house to be moved out there.

As I am off work at the moment, I am having to do most of the work. It is keeping me active and taking my mind of all the shit at work so I don't mind. Plus it means I can get everything organised how I want it.

As the day draws nearer the nerves are starting to kick in. I have advertised on Facebook, FreeAds and Gumtree, and I have put up ads in a few of the local shops but I have no way of knowing if I have done enough. I keep thinking I should have leafleted neighbours and maybe put up a few posters on lamposts or something but it's a bit late now. I am going to put out signs on the day. I can only hope it will do.

I suppose the worse thing that can happen is that no-one turns up. On the bright side we will have cleared a lot of unwanted stuff out of the house which in itself is some achievement and long overdue.

One Man's Junk...



So sometimes I have these great ideas....

We have way too much stuff in this small two bedroom house. It's all my fault, of course. I have a tendancy to keep everything. I probably am a borderline hoarder (without the cats!). Clint hates it and if he had his way, would see everything loaded up on a trailer and taken to the dump. Not because it is all rubbish but because he would love to live a minimilist lifestyle. If he had his way, we would also be eating off disposal plates so he would never have to do the washing up again! Sometimes I have to reel him in a little and put my foot down.

The main reason I don't like to let anything go is because I have a selective memory. I can remember all kinds of trivia (I'm great at quizzes) but when it comes to personal stuff like birthdays and names of people I went to school with, I am hopeless. So my excuse is that I have kept this stuff to remind me. That isn't the only reason, I also don't want to just throw out things that someone else might have a use for. I'm big on recycling and saving the planet so it is important to me that we at least try and find new homes for most of it.  

Lately Clint and I have been talking about maybe making a fresh start somewhere else and so the incentive is there to finally make the effort to declutter our lives. At the beginning of the summer, we had every intention of doing some car boot sales. We were going to go through each room and sort everything into Keep or Go piles. As usual real life got in the way and box sets of Grey's Anatomy had to be watched and before I knew it summer was almost over and we hadn't even made it to one. I did find out that we have more stuff to get rid of than I first thought and that a lot of it is too big to fit in my little Peugeot 206 anyway.

 

So I had this great idea.... we'll have a garage sale!

 

We have a huge garage and a lot of the stuff we need to get rid of is already in there so it makes sense, right? Surprisingly Clint has been quite supportive, although I know he thinks no-one will turn up. I am not sure myself either but I am going to give it a go. The whole garage or yard sale idea is an American thing that hasn't really taken off over here. The Brits tend to load their stuff up in their cars and park up in a field with hundreds of other cars. We love a car boot sale. But with the amount of items we have, a garage sale makes much better sense.

With the decision made and a date chosen, I have begun the mammoth task of clearing the spider population from the garage and preparing everything for sale. I have two weeks until sale day and I am probably going to need every minute. I have set up an events page on Facebook and I will put ads in a couple of the local papers next week. After all the work I am putting in I hope people turn up or I am never going to hear the last of it.

You're My Favourite Drug

Last night the Mother-in-Law-to-be and I triumphed over the tube strike and made it to The Borderline, Soho to see Jace Everett again. (I apologise for the photo but a lot of rum was being consumed and the camera on my phone is pretty shit!)

Lesley has become my concert buddy the last couple of years and she is such good company. She has been dragged along to see Tom McRae a couple of times and she also came with me to see Jace and the band at the Jazz Cafe in Camden in 2011. 

I have blogged a little about Jace before after I did a 5 hour round trip to see him and Dan Cohen perform in Bristol. That was back in 2010. The duo experience is, of course, totally different to seeing Jace perform with a band. As much as I enjoyed the unplugged show, it is with a band that Jace truly shines. 

Last night the set kept to more of the Blues-ier songs which personally I prefer. I love Jace's country songs but it is the darker, deeper songs (I call it Black 'n' Blues) that gives me the shivers. When he sings in his low register he has the sexiest damn singing voice I have ever heard.

There were a small number of people that had only really come to see the guy who sings the theme tune to that vampire show. A few of them called out "True Blood" after he had performed 3 or 4 songs. (Note to those rude twats - the name of the song is Bad Things. At least have the decency to get the title right!) The majority of the audience were proper fans though and there was a really good mix of young and old.

There was a good mix of new songs from the Terra Rosa album as well as the older favourites such as One of Them, Burn for You and Little Black Dress. We even got to hear a couple of songs from Dan Cohen's new record. 

We both had a great night and can't wait till the next time.

Stealing a line from I Gotta Have It...

Jace Everett - you're my favourite drug!

Plotting My Escape

I keep starting my blogs remarking how long it has been since I last blogged and end them promising that I will do this more. Then real life takes over and I find I am not making the time to write as much as I would like. So I am not going to make any promises any more. I'll write when I can and that's the end of it.

What has been happening? Same old, same old, mostly. The day job continues to get in the way of my dreams and plans; money is still tight and getting tighter; I still need to lose around thirty pounds and I waste whatever free time I have planning my escape rather than doing what I need to do to make that escape a reality.

So where is my sanctuary of choice at the moment.... well it's a bit of a toss up between Ocean Falls and Bella Coola. Both are small towns in British Colombia, Canada. I found Ocean Falls by accident when doing a random google search for remote properties for sale. I love the idea of living somewhere that can only be reached by boat, helicopter or float plane. How cool is that? There are no roads to this place. Okay, the community that still lives there is small and it is one of the rainiest places in Canada but it is also incredibly beautiful. There are abandoned buildings in various states of disrepair. Where the people have vacated, the rainforest is gradually reclaiming the land, creeping over buildings swallowing them whole. Around 300 miles north of Vancouver, it may be a bugger to get to but I think it may well be worth it.

There are a couple of websites dedicated to Ocean Falls. Here is a link to my favourite. There is loads on information on how the town came to be and what it is like now.
http://www.traveloceanfalls.com/
I have never been to Canada but the more I find out about it, the more I would like to go. BC especially piques my interest. The rugged, harsh beauty of the whole territory is amazing.

Bella Coola is also in BC but is a little more accessible as it has road access. Travelling by road makes the distance from Vancouver around 625 miles taking around 10 to 12 hours to get there. It is a drive I am more than willing to endure. Although it is relatively close to Ocean Falls, its location receives substantially less rainfall.
http://www.bellacoola.ca/

My dream is to make that drive someday. I don't expect I'll be doing it any time soon (unless the old numbers come up on the lottery) but you never know.

Resoluting Anew

A whole year missed.
It's amazing to me how time slips through our fingers. There is never quite enough of it to go round. I have so many plans, so many things rattling around in my head and the list of things to do only gets longer.
It has taken me a long time to realise that when I am depressed, I close myself off. I withdraw from everyone including my loved ones and family. I haven't seen some of my family for almost a year and I haven't been visiting my mums or anyone for months. I made a promise to my Dad before he died that I would make more effort with the family and I am failing miserably. It's not because I don't like them, it's more because I just can't stand to be around people right now.
It has been a difficult year, C has been in and out of work and money has been tight. Due to new, but totally inadequate, computer systems at work I have been taking opportunity to work loads of overtime. This has been leaving little time for anything else. When I do have time, my head is so overloaded that I don't have the capacity to think so I fill the hours with mindless tv. I can't hold a decent conversation with anyone and when I try, my mind wanders and I end up standing there looking like an imbecile. My brain is so fried.
C is thinking of going back to school. I think this is a great idea but it scares me a little. The responsibility of earning the money to pay the bills is going to remain on my shoulders for quite a while longer and I don't know if I have it in me to continue working the hours I am. I want him to find a job that makes him happy though. I can't stand having two depressed people in the house.
A long time ago C made me a promise that he would make me smile every day. He has managed to maintain this for ten years. He has a wonderful playful nature, a childlike quality that I lost in myself a long long time ago. If not for him I would probably be reliant on medication.
I admit I am jealous. I would love to be able to go back to school. I would love to be doing a job I enjoy, whether it is writing, teaching or running a little second-hand book store. It's not because I am sick of accounts because I still enjoy the work. I just have become so jaded with the company I work for.
So what am I going to do to pull myself up? Well, I am not really one for New Year Resolutions but I need something to get me living again. There are so many things I loved to do that I don't get time to do anymore. So many hobbies that I have neglected in exchange for a paycheck. So I have signed up for a dance class! When I was little I dreamt of being a ballerina. I desperately wanted Ballet Lessons but we could not afford it. So Mum enrolled me in a Ballroom and Latin class instead. I was so disappointed I wanted to cry but Mum was so proud of herself for finding what she thought would be an affordable alternative that I didn't have the heart to tell her it was Ballet or nothing. So I went for her sake and soon found I loved it. It only lasted a couple of years until we moved away but I remember fondly my dance teacher Percy who was always impeccably dressed and smelled so strongly of breath mints.
I searched for dance classes in the area and found that there was a beginner's class due to start next week in the very hall where I used to go all those years ago. It seemed like fate. So I begin a ten week course next week. It might well be a fool's errand trying to recapture those happy moments from my past but I am hoping this will give me the kick I need to focus on the happy moments in my present and look towards the happy moments to come in the future.

January Top Ten - I Don't Get It!

Okay. I have become a little lazy with my blogging, mostly because I don't think I am writing about anything that is interesting. Mainly this blog is a free therapy session where I can't get things off my chest and out of my head and just forget about them.

A chance remark at work led to reminiscing about a weekly game I used to play at a previous company I had worked for. The office had a large white board at one end of the office that never really got used for anything. One day someone wrote a Top Ten topic at the top of the board and the rest of us would nominate entries. It soon became a simple stress reliever that spawned other conversations and heated debates and made the boring days go quickly. Each week someone would pick a new topic and we would begin again. So I thought I would resurrect this for my blog on a monthly basis. So here goes...

The first topic is "I Don't Get It".

TOP TEN I DON'T GET IT

10. UGG BOOTS

I am one of those people that think feet are the ugliest part of the body so why would you highlight your ugly feet with even uglier boots. Footwear should be functional even if its only function is to match your outfit. These boots though are bloody awful. Okay, they might be warm and comfortable but is that any excuse to clop around in these monstrosities. They are useless in British weather because after five minutes in the rain or snow your feet are soaking wet and no-one can walk in them without appearing like they have a chronic case of piles.

9. CAMPING OUT FOR THE LATEST GADGET

Why, why, why would you book time off work to go and live like a homeless person for a week. Does it really matter that you have THAT phone in your hand before anyone else you know? Is it really worth cold uncomfortable nights out just so you can say you got yours on the day of release? I happen to love camping but it should be reserved for fields and campsites not high streets. Where do they hammer in their tent pegs anyway?

8. GEORGE CLOONEY

He always appears on these lists of the world's most sexist men and women of all ages go mental for him. I can appreciate that even at 50 he is a good looking fella but I don't think he's anything to faint over. I always measure the talent of a good actor by how much you forget who is actually playing the character. If you see the character before the actor then the performer has done a good job. He has appeared in films with some of the sexiest women in the world and there is never any on-screen chemistry between them. According to his fans he oozes sex appeal but I just can't see it. I think he is very wooden and plays the same character in each of his films, namely himself!

7. FIFTY SHADES OF GREY

I won't go on about this one because I already wrote a blog on it. This series is proof that it doesn't matter about the quality of a product - hype sells.

6. ART

Maybe I should say I don't get modern art. Most people can appreciate a fine painting or a beautiful sculpture. It is the huge art installations that I don't understand. I am sure it is no easy task to cut an animal in half and pickle it in formaldehyde but it is certainly not something I would like to look at everyday. It is not just the art of Damien Hirst I can't appreciate, every year the Turner Prize awards thousands of pounds to the artist of the year. Every year I look at the winning entry and wonder if I am just too stupid to appreciate the creation or if the judges are sitting back laughing their heads off at us all.

5. THE ROYLE FAMILY

I know a lot of people find this series funny but I think it's just depressing. I have tried a few times to watch it but I'd rather do the washing up. All they do is whinge and whine. Whenever people talk about a comedy show they always mention their favourite episode or favourite character but with The Royle Family the episodes blur into one and the characters don't do much. Give me Mrs Brown's Boys instead or even a good and trusty episode of Friends or Only Fools and Horses.

4. PRETENTIOUS COFFEE

I make no secret of the fact I am a bit tight with money. In this ecomony it is prudent to cut back on extravagences and save that money for the essentials. Is it little wonder that the trend of coffee houses which have appeared in every town and city in the UK seriously pisses me off. The idea of paying £3 for a cup of coffee makes my blood boil. I don't know what half the things on the menu mean and there's nothing more intimidating when you queue up to order and then hear the person in front order their "non-fat grande soy chai latte with a double shot of espresso and no foam!" It takes five minutes to prepare your order even when it's just a plain black coffee, then it's so scorching hot that you can't drink it for 10 minutes and when you do, it tastes like shit! Do the math - one cup of £3 coffee every weekday for a year adds up to £780. Buy a thermal cup and make your own, people.

3. FEMALE BODYBUILDING

I know these women are dedicated and work extremely hard to achieve these results but I think this is just ugly. Take care of yourself and tone up by all means but these pictures always remind me of that anatomy manequin where the skin removed to reveal all the muscles and blood vessels underneath. I don't even like this much muscle on a man!

2. SOAP OPERAS

Ooh did you watch Eastenders last night? Did you see what happened on Corrie? No because I don't organise my life around the scheduling of any tv programme. It's not that I don't like soaps, it's the people that get so engrossed in them they can't talk about anything else. This condition isn't limited to the more mature woman, of course, even kids are into these shows. I know people that arrange meeting up for a night out late just so they can watch Corrie before they leave! Get a Sky+ box, get a Tivo box - better still, get a life!

1. WEDDINGS

 Specifically OUTDOOR WEDDINGS. I do not understand why this government (and every government before) refuses to allow outdoor weddings in this country. I would really like to see the law changed from licenced premises to licenced persons. The average wedding in the UK costs between £15K and £20K - over half of that is spent on the venue/reception. Of course, you could always save a few thou by getting a quickie down the local register office and then going for a couple of drinks down your local! (Been there - done that!) I'd like to do it properly this time. Despite the weather, I think we should have the choice of getting married anywhere. A church is a lovely place for your ceremony if you are religious but register offices can be a bit hit and miss depending on where you live. At the moment if you want an outdoor ceremony, you can have one but you would still have to go through a second ceremony at a register office just to make it legal, this is madness. If you want an outdoor ceremony, you can always go overseas but then you are talking megabucks as well. It could be a nice little earner for the government; they could charge for the marriage licence and also charge for the officiant's licence; the licenced officiants would have to pay tax on their earnings; more marriages would take place because it would be easier and cheaper for couples to marry. Add this to the fact that the state pension for a married couple is less than for single people and I think my proposal could go a long way to reducing that deficit everyone keeps going on about.