August 26, 2008 at 4:14 pm (fillums, interest, people)
Sometimes films make me want to look at IMDB to see what others think of it. The Squid And The Whale was one of these. I hated this film, it was hugely pretentious and certain parts (you’ll know which parts if you’ve seen it) made me feel almost like a paedophile, which is never a good thing. Everyone who reviewed it on IMDB seemed to be just as pretentious as the film and the whole thing really irked me.
One thing I really don’t get about IMDB reviewers however, is that they say films aren’t true to life. Isn’t that one of the points about films?? That they are a bit of escapism from real life? Last night I watched Lars And The Real Girl which I loved. Just a story of a few months in the life of the people in a small town somewhere in America (or possibly Canada). Obviously this isn’t a normal few months otherwise it would probably make a slightly boring film. This morning I went onto IMDB to see what others thought about it and they said it was silly and not true to life. Of course it wasn’t true to life you idiots!!! The human race probably isn’t that nice!!! There is a tiny little part of me that likes to think it could, or possibly has happened. I’m sure it has, not unnecessarily with exactly the same subject matter (doll), but I’m sure there are towns and villages everywhere that have helped a person through some horrible time in their life like they did in this film.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about then I suggest you watch this film, it was great.
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June 9, 2008 at 12:19 pm (interest, life, moaning, people, summer, wow)
Summer has arrived and this can only mean one thing! Too much bare flesh! As I walked round town (with a full length skirt and long line vest on I hasten to add) I saw many blindingly white, scrawny men with no tops on and far too many size 18+ girls with teeny weeny skirts and crop tops on. Surely there should be a law against such things. I’m wondering if they think that by wearing ginormous jewellery we will not see their second arse and spare tyre lolloping over their far too tight skirts/shorts.
The sight of such atrocities cannot dampen my spirits though as i have found wonderous new beauty products from Hand Made Naturals. I have been suffering from quite bad skin for some time now (one of the many reasons I try not to show too much of it) and it seems that there is an ingredient in a lot of beauty products that is BAD. This ingredient is Sodium Laurel Sulphate and it is in everything, even things that claim to be gentle on the skin. So I did a search for SLS free stuff and found the afore mentioned site. I have been using the facial wash, toner and moisturiser for about 3 weeks and the skin on my face is so lovely now, no redness or soreness. But today I tried their shampoo and conditioner. I was actually quite nervous about this, because I really wanted it to work. Thing is that I have waist length hair that knots VERY easily so normally I can go through 3 times as much conditioner than shampoo. I washed my hair, not too many bubbles but apparently that’s to be expected from natural shampoo. Then I nervously put on the conditioner which is more of a lotion than a cream. I put it on little by little as suggested and I have to say that I didn’t think much of it to begin with. Then I washed it out (after 5 mins) and my fingers just ran straight through my hair!!! This has never happened before so I was seriously happy, and I didn’t use that much of it. Funny thing is that my face and hair have never actually felt so clean. None of the products smell ‘pretty’ but they do smell nice and my skin loves me for using them right now. I’m going to try the shower gel next!
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July 31, 2007 at 8:08 pm (emergencies, life, people, water, work)
I JUST HAD A BATH!!
It was pure bliss. Stand up scrub downs are good when needed, but they don’t beat a bath. We still don’t have the luxury of being able to drink, clean our teeth or do washing up in the water coming out of our taps though, that will come soon hopefully. I think we have all learnt something about ourselves and others from this crisis.
1) You can wee in a toilet quite a few times before it becomes absolutely disgusting.
2) You can boil veggies, use the water to do washing up and then use it again to flush the toilet.
3) Hair still needs to be washed once every 3 days (at least) or I go nuts!
4) Moist toilet paper is ace, I will still use it after this crisis has finished.
5) In a crisis such as this 99% of people will work together and it will make you feel great about the human race.
6) In a crisis such as this 1% of people will need to be shot for being utter pricks.
Many thanks go to:
The Army.
For getting water to us in bowsers and bottles.
The Army and Navy
For keeping my electricity on.
Severn Trent Water
For getting the water supply back on.
The Gloucestershire Echo
For keeping us well and truly informed.
For me it is the beginning of the end, for others it is the start of trying to get their lives back together. Going to their homes to see what devastation has occurred, insurance claims, cleaning and throwing ruined things away. For a few people there will be funerals to go to. This is a story that will be told for generations to come.
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July 25, 2007 at 5:05 pm (emergencies, life, people, t.v., weather, weird)
I have just been watching Richard and Judy and included on the guest list were Lembit Opik and his ‘Cheeky Girls’ girlfriend. This was a strange sight in itself. But then Lembit got out his harmonica and started playing the blues, at which point Richard decided to show us all his blues singing skills. My sister and I were left open mouthed, especially as Richard improvised the song and was singing about Judy waking up in some kind of mood. You can imagine how this was greeted by Miss Finnigan. Then Lembit had to prove that he could tell the difference between the Cheeky Girls, the final test was to see a picture of the bottom of one of them and he got it wrong. Lembit then asked if Richard would recognise Judy’s bottom (fully clothed I hasten to add, phew!) Richard said no. Judy said she would recognise Richard’s, so I can see this being a part of the show in the next few days. Am I full of anticipation, or is it just the dodgy water I may have been drinking recently?
Talking of which, there have been reports of kids weeing in the bowsers put out for us all and the one over the road from me was stabbed last night! I can’t believe how selfish and stupid some people can be. Apparently the Chief Constable of Gloucestershire has said there is to be a zero tolerance approach to these imbeciles. At work our addicts are having to forgo their luxury of a cup of water with their methadone and they are having to drink it straight from the bottle. We are running out of baby wipes and anti-bacterial hand gel is being kept behind the counter and given out one per person. The dry shampoo comes in tomorrow! We are due to be in this position for about another week and a half, I have put some buckets out in the garden as it is due to rain (again) tonight and tomorrow. As my sister said, when the water comes back on the national grid will get a shock. Showers and washing machines will be in full use! I can’t wait!
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July 23, 2007 at 6:06 pm (life, people, weather)
On the 19th July I was looking forward to going to Berkeley Castle for the medieval festival. It was a beautiful sunny day, so hot that I had to have all the windows open and the fan on. When I went to bed though everything changed. The skies turned black and the wind came up. By midnight the rain had started. It was torrential. I woke up at 6am (as always) and the rain was still there and still as powerful. I realised that Berkeley wouldn’t be happening, so I went to work. All day it rained and rained. One delivery man said, ‘this isn’t rain, this is biblical. There will be a swarm of locusts tomorrow.’ We laughed, as at that time we thought it would end. By the time I had finished work it still hadn’t ended though.
My sister and I had arranged to see the new Harry Potter film and then go to Waterstone’s to pick up the new book. When my sister came to pick me up it was still raining and the main road into town was at a standstill as the M5 had been closed. Luckily we used a different road to get into town which wasn’t that wet at all. It was still spitting a little but nothing terrible. Instead of going to Waterstone’s in summer clothes though I was carrying an umbrella and wearing a scarf.
The next morning was interesting. I went to work and expected a normal day. The first thing that happened that made us think something wrong had happened was when an addict from Tewkesbury came in (just so you know, I work in a pharmacy that is part of the methadone scheme) He told us that he couldn’t get into Tewkesbury to get his script, we told him the best thing to do was to go to the out of hours surgery at A&E. Then we found out that the chemist round the corner was closed as the pharmacist couldn’t get in and another pharmacy in town was closed because the pharmacist had had a heart attack. We ended up with the main substance mis-use doctor in the pharmacy writing out scripts for all the addicts who should have been elsewhere. Thankfully we closed only 5 minutes late. Billy came to pick me up with Maisie, we went into town, had lunch, did a bit of shopping and went home. The rest of the evening was very calm and relaxing.
All of us had a nice lie-in Sunday morning. We got up at about 9.30, which for me is very late, had brekkie and watched tv. Then my mobile started ringing. It was Maisie’s friend’s mum, she told me to watch the news. When I did I found that the rain had caused so much more damage than any of us had thought. Tewkesbury was completely cut off from anyone and the water treatment centre that supplied Tewkesbury, Gloucester and Cheltenham had been flooded. This meant that once the clean, treated water had run out that was it, no more water.
So far the water hasn’t run out in Cheltenham (where I am) but it’s run out in Gloucester and Tewkesbury, it’ll be us tonight. A lot of Gloucester also has no electricity, the navy and the army stopped more electric from being cut off. I am stocked up for a while, but it may not come back on for a week or so. At work one of our delivery drivers said he has been given a stock of water for any pharmacy that needs it and that it will be on his van for the next week.
We are due to have some sun tomorrow, but then Wednesday it will rain again. I just feel so thankful that Cheltenham has been spared the terrible floods that have sunk Tewkesbury, that we have drinkable water for a little longer and that we have electricity. It all feels a little surreal when I see the pictures on tv, but then it feels so very real when my friends call to tell me how it is in Gloucester and my nephew had to be evacuated from Tewkesbury. Any more rain will be just tragic.
*Edit* It is now 7.40pm and we have no water either.
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July 11, 2007 at 11:41 am (interest, life, people)
Us Brits. Not the most sociable of people most of the time. You sit at a bus stop or stand in a queue and everyone’s in their own little bubble. But sometimes someone breaks through the wall of the bubble and comes into your world. Sometimes that person is more likely care in the community, but sometimes, just sometimes you get a nugget of gold. I had that today at my daughter’s sport’s day. I was sat next to a lady of an older generation (it turned out that she was 76 but she looked no older than 55) and she was a talker. It was good though as she had some great tales to tell, whether they were true or not is beside the point, she was interesting. She told me of how she did the javelin when she was 13, took in needy children when she was 18, looked after her mum throughout her life and battled with the local council in her 70’s. She told me all about her kids and her grand kids, one of which she had come to see do his stuff on the field. It made what could have been a day of a lot of waiting go by so much faster. Still don’t know the woman’s name though! And when it was Maisie’s go to race she cheered her along.
Sometimes it’s best to keep inside your little bubble as there are nutcases out there. Sometimes it’s nice to burst it and let people in as you can learn and have a very interesting time. And I know you need to know, Maisie came 2nd in the 50 meters sprint and in the obstacle course but she came 1st in the 50 meters skip! Well done Maisie and thank you to the woman who told great stories.
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July 9, 2007 at 7:08 am (camping, children, friends, life, people, re-enactment)
I am shattered. This being after I spent the weekend at Tewkesbury under canvas for the Medieval Festival. My fiancé has been doing medieval re-enactment (War of the Roses) for 16 years now and I am about to join him. Not as a soldier though, just as a water wench re-hydrating the troops. All the people involved in such things are really nice, and it’s one of the few places I feel that Maisie is safe to go off and do things by herself as everyone knows she’s mine. Anyway I bought shed loads of fabric and this week I will be making mine and Maisie’s dresses. There is a white linen under dress and a navy/royal blue linen over dress. Arms have to be completely covered as do legs and hair. We just need pouches to go on our belts and I need a helmet as everyone on the field needs one. At least when I’m wearing that I shan’t get burnt, which I most certainly did this weekend, and I put loads of sun cream on too! Maisie helped some of the re-enactors put on their armour so it really made her feel part of it. It’s not often people treat her like a person rather than a child, but when people do they find that she’s a very helpful and witty person. Billy’s off to work with a fat lip and a swollen elbow and Maisie off to school full of excitement. I’m just glad I have today off as I ache all over.
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June 18, 2007 at 9:27 am (Music, concerts, friends, life, people, relationships, t.v., work, wow)
On Saturday I turned 35 and I thought that I would just be having a normal birthday, going to the pub with my friends and having a jolly good laugh. Well the craziness of this week started on Wednesday when I was out for another friend’s birthday. My boyfriend decided to propose to me and I very gladly accepted. We were both incredibly drunk so in the morning I thought I should check that he did actually mean it, which he did. Thursday was a day of excited texting. In the evening I had to go to a work’s do which included ‘entertainment and education’. It was at the Queen’s Hotel, a very swish affair with yummy food and really nice wine. After this my boss thought she should buy me a proper drink (a pint of ale for me please) to celebrate my birthday and engagement. We were all having a very pleasant time when my colleague falls over in a very spectacular fashion. It was so funny. Another late night home.
Friday was the anniversary of myself and Billy meeting and yet again we were out with friends. They all got very excited about the engagement. We didn’t get too drunk this time as we had a long journey the next day which was my birthday. I was going to see Muse at Wembley Stadium.
I got up feeling very bouncy and made fried egg sandwiches for breakfast, oh they were so nice. We caught the bus into town but were rather a bit too early for the coach so we went to a jewellery shop just to have a look at rings. I saw one I loved so Billy said I should try it on. I tried it on, it was a little bit too small but it has been paid for and it’s being altered as we speak. Then we got on the coach and we were on our way to Wembley. My head was buzzing, too many things to think about! But then we were at Wembley Stadium, the journey was so quick and hassle free. I was quite excited to see the new Wembley arch and have decided that I really quite like the new Stadium. They have thought it through really well, and everything just seems to run very smoothly. We never had to wait in queues for anything as they have loads of bars and food halls. The prices were good too, £3.50 for a pint and £8.00 for fish, chips and a coke. We were in and out watching the bands, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Dirty Pretty Things and The Streets. I bought a t-shirt, hat and badges and was quite calm until The Streets finished.
Then we sat as we watched the roadies sort out the stage, it seemed like hours. It seemed to get darker just as Muse were to come on and then bang! The music started and Muse came up through the stage with dry ice and small foil pieces surrounding them. They walked onto the stage and went right into Knights Of Cydonia. The crowd exploded and I cried. They carried on being amazing, exciting, explosive, colourful and totally Muse for the next 1 1/2 hours and I sang my little heart out. Words really can’t describe it. Then it was home time.
Sunday I spent with my family as Billy went to his dad’s for fathers’ day. We had a really nice lunch and my mum actually came too which is something that has never happened, she doesn’t like to eat out for some reason. Then I came home and relaxed with Dr Who. Wow, how fantastic was that? I so can’t wait for next week. And Jekyll, I liked it but found the climbing up the wall thing a bit daft.
So now I have the day off to recharge my batteries, thank god! I’m still finding it all a bit weird but in a very good way. I shall be wanting very little excitement for the next few weeks I think.
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June 8, 2007 at 8:31 am (children, friends, people, rebellion)
My friend tender[hooligan] commented about the fact that my daughter is quite a responsible 9 year old, which she is. She always talks to me and tells me things that I think many other mothers aren’t told. But of course when she gets a few years older she will very likely want to rebel, as we all did when we were younger. I often wondered if her rebellion would lead to her become chav-like as I am quite hippy-like. Thankfully it seems this is not to be the case, phew! As I’ve said before we live in chav central so quite a few of Maisie’s friends are chav spawn, and they are lovely children. Maisie was talking to one of her friends about what she wanted to be when she was older, not what job they wanted to do, but which tribe they would belong to. Maisie’s friend said she wanted to be a chav because she ‘likes the way they walk’ Maisie turns to her and says ‘I want to be a goth because they get to wear great make-up and dye their hair’. I have to say the goth girls of today are not like those of my day and I would be happy for Maisie to be a part of that clan.
I have just 4 years to wait till the teenage years hit, it will be interesting to see if she still feels the same then. I do hope so, I’ve got the hair dye and make up ready!
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June 5, 2007 at 11:13 am (life, people)
…and when I say chavs here I don’t mean the ‘Posh and Becks’ type, they’re just people with too much money and no imagination. I mean proper chavs with their trackie bottoms tucked into their socks, wearing stripey jumpers even in the summer and those who wear the tacky ‘goad’ dancing clowns round their necks. The type who demand respect but have none for others, those who would totally steal from their mothers and probably their kids if they were of that age.
My question is, why is it that they can be talking for hours (outside my bedroom window at 2am) and everything they say is totally incomprehensible apart from the words ‘fock’ and ‘cunt’? Do they have an in-built volume control that makes these particular words so much louder than the others, or is it that they are the only words that they are truly happy using and sure of? Discuss.
P.S. You may have noticed that I have a slight dislike for such people. This comes from living in chav central and having to see these people all the time. Even the majority of the addicts who come into work are more eloquent.
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