tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44924714028806637702024-02-21T01:49:42.677-08:00Seaside ScribblerHe who binds to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy;
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity's sun rise.
- William BlakeSeaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-59907800695251173462010-04-19T11:44:00.000-07:002010-04-19T12:13:30.800-07:00The Easiest, Tastiest Muffins in the World...Ever!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpwKvXQHuGKsz12IQS9fQxvn5l73HmeZTrgpK3C08KfPAh_ShGv2xJEi3z_Hc8zQRX5tgwovIQZod0zsJ24FgEWeKFyvAKSnDLfGpsEAT-Fe3HA55nC4xOUSN593qbM0wOIOO4EuO4kt0x/s1600/P1010460.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpwKvXQHuGKsz12IQS9fQxvn5l73HmeZTrgpK3C08KfPAh_ShGv2xJEi3z_Hc8zQRX5tgwovIQZod0zsJ24FgEWeKFyvAKSnDLfGpsEAT-Fe3HA55nC4xOUSN593qbM0wOIOO4EuO4kt0x/s200/P1010460.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461928827387718050" border="0" /></a>I recently made these gorgeous vegan apricot and almond muffins, which were such a huge success - something of a miracle for me - that people keep asking me for the recipe. So I thought I'd let the world (or at least my few loyal readers) know, by posting the recipe on my blog.<br /><br />I have to admit, it's not actually my recipe. How honest of me! I came across it via the <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.bucfp.org/">BUCFP</a> (Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project), who in turn apparently adapted it from <a style="color: rgb(102, 255, 255);" href="http://www.danlepard.com/">Dan Lepard</a>'s recipe for Chocolate Passion Cake (although I don't quite see the connection personally). So, thanks Dan and the BUCFP. Here goes:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ingredients (makes about 12)<br /></span>100g dried apricots<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span>150ml sunflower oil<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span>1tbsp cider vinegar<br />150g grated carrots (about 2 small ones)<br />75g chopped almonds<br />150g unrefined sugar<br />175g strong white bread flour<br />3tbsp ground almonds<br />3tsp baking powder <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Method<br /></span>1. Heat the oven to 170C<span style="font-weight: bold;">/</span>Gas Mark 3. Put 12 paper cases into a muffin tray or, better still, use one of those silicone muffin trays which are totally non-stick and so easy to use.<br /><br />2. Pour 200ml boiling water on the apricots. Leave for 10 minutes to soften, then tip the apricots and water into a blender with the oil and vinegar.<br /><br />3. Puree until completely smooth, tip the mixture into a large bowl and stir in the chopped almonds, grated carrots and sugar until evenly combined.<br /><br />4. Sift together the flour, ground almonds and baking powder and beat this in.<br /><br />5. Divide the mixture between the muffin cases/tray and back for 25 minutes or until a skewer removes cleanly.<br /><br />Et voila! The easiest, tastiest muffins ever - I've even got the photo to prove it! <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-29174810433529823892010-04-09T07:11:00.000-07:002010-04-09T08:51:40.646-07:00Cigarettes & Alcohol<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispdSiBRqb64urH0YzuDbv-xzCdfzXTmaCBaBONFb3Ns9Lp4S5D6Y89NqyWtSXqyaMuYliWEqcZDWC14Ea0f3u_8Qz93utHFqjrHYi0kR8xYFzWNh-ES9SyUs0KawtRr5BN8MXfUvJGnUZ/s1600/alcohol_and_cigarettes.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispdSiBRqb64urH0YzuDbv-xzCdfzXTmaCBaBONFb3Ns9Lp4S5D6Y89NqyWtSXqyaMuYliWEqcZDWC14Ea0f3u_8Qz93utHFqjrHYi0kR8xYFzWNh-ES9SyUs0KawtRr5BN8MXfUvJGnUZ/s200/alcohol_and_cigarettes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458165228272526098" border="0" /></a>Oh ye Gads! Has it really been nearly a month since I last posted? My, how time flies when you're, err.... broke and stressed out!! One of my favourite pastimes to chill out and escape from it all is watching TV. Well, watching TV series on my laptop to be precise, as I don't actually have a TV per se.<br /><br />My current viewing tipple is <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.amctv.com/originals/madmen/">Mad Men</a>. It's fantastic! It's set in 1960s Manhattan and follows the lives of the employees of Sterling Cooper, one of New York's most prestigious ad agencies, with particular emphasis on the dashing and extremely talented ad executive, <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0031457/">Don Draper</a>. The 'Mad Men' work hard and play hard, drinking and smoking like there's no tomorrow. In fact, I can almost guarantee that not a frame goes by without a cigarette or a glass of bourbon in sight.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDxU12cOwhQl3_DLEOawiYeoiEXJFcGPKyU5BR-dPyXOx0jzPk__Z1pEG2m1f20YyY2iNzCQe7ug2kft3-sd9QsUh7nZlMoO9xWKrSlsXP3Pyr2bp6XXB32h8EpwIfdbXj5oi1HgbYf7p/s1600/mad-men-774578.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDxU12cOwhQl3_DLEOawiYeoiEXJFcGPKyU5BR-dPyXOx0jzPk__Z1pEG2m1f20YyY2iNzCQe7ug2kft3-sd9QsUh7nZlMoO9xWKrSlsXP3Pyr2bp6XXB32h8EpwIfdbXj5oi1HgbYf7p/s200/mad-men-774578.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458165422391460882" border="0" /></a>In the light of today's healthier, <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.smokefreeengland.co.uk/">smoke-free environments</a>, witnessing the sheer frequency with which the characters light up is extremely noticeable and downright scary. They smoke in the office, in their cars, in restaurants, during dinner with their kids, even in bed at night when everything else around them seems so pristine. Of course, the health officials are just beginning to cotton on to the idea that it might not actually be very good for you, but for now it's definitely the height of fashion.<br /><br />It struck me that, although the level of smoking seems so shocking in the series, I wasn't nearly as affected by the level of drinking. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I didn't really notice it at all. I mean, OK, so the ad execs have a plentiful supply of liquor in their desk drawers and do tend to glug back the potent brown stuff like it's coca-cola, but doesn't that sort of thing still go on nowadays? It certainly wouldn't surprise me.<br /><br />And then it struck me that our ideas about drinking don't seem to have changed much over the years. We've realised the damage smoking does and have drastically altered our habits because of it, but what about alcohol? Doesn't that do just as much damage? In fact you could argue it does more, seeing as it can potentially have adverse emotional and psychological effects as well as simply physical. But drinking alcohol still seems to be the height of fashion, particularly in the UK.<br /><br />How many people do you know who don't drink? And I mean don't drink at all? Nothing? Not one drop? Not many I'll bet. Britain is a country of boozers. Where do we do most of our socializing? Down the pub. What do we do to celebrate? Drink. What do we do with our sorrows? Drown them. What usually accompanies a nice meal? Alcohol. We seem to turn to booze whenever we want to relax or whenever we feel we've done something good: soaking in the bath with a glass of wine; cracking open a beer after a hard week's work.<br /><br />It's astonishing when you stop to think about it. If you look around you, wherever you are, there's always someone somewhere having a drink. I seem to notice it more and more since severely cutting down myself. My daily early morning cycle into town invariably takes me past a group of drunks, still out from the night before; or a solitary individual clutching a can of Stella or Strongbow on his way to... well, who knows where?<br /><br />If you've ever been the only sober one on a night out, you'll see how both funny and alarming it is (or sometimes downright boring) to watch other people get more and more rat arsed. I remember one such occasion last Hallowe'en in a nightclub with some friends. I suddenly noticed everyone around me acting very strangely and asked another sober friend "Are they all on drugs?" She laughed and replied "No, they're just pissed!" I was convinced they were all off their faces and it made me realise how strongly alcohol can affect us: our minds, our perception, our emotions, our reflexes, our bodily functions, in fact there doesn't seem to be a single part of us that isn't affected when we drink. <br /><br />The front page of my local paper, <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.theargus.co.uk/">The Argus</a>, yesterday declared "CITY HAS A DRINKING PROBLEM". Apparently <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/">Brighton & Hove</a> is drinking itself to death and I'm sure it's not the only city in Britain. But, unlike smoking, I can't see the government doing anything to curb our drinking habits any time soon. Well, how could they when it's such an ingrained part of our society, our upbringing even? It's part of what makes us British, what makes us human. But at what cost?<br /><br />Well, I'll leave you to ponder over those issues for a while. I'm off down the pub to get shitfaced. Come on, it is Friday after all... ;0)Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-69217366436305298272010-03-15T13:30:00.000-07:002010-03-18T14:22:30.217-07:00Sex, Lies & Girls with Dragon Tattoos<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRN6y76DgNj4tzucvakk7PjKtIH7Ln3ogax_hkWgKJUxuwx13VGEgKhaDUz9f-bTAnE0ib3KB8DBk7Pncn3_060geZyZbvAEmvbQSwmI-r7wot5Y5RBJrMqE2KPwPAHIOF3nBTmeb6pba0/s1600-h/Lisbeth+Salander.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRN6y76DgNj4tzucvakk7PjKtIH7Ln3ogax_hkWgKJUxuwx13VGEgKhaDUz9f-bTAnE0ib3KB8DBk7Pncn3_060geZyZbvAEmvbQSwmI-r7wot5Y5RBJrMqE2KPwPAHIOF3nBTmeb6pba0/s200/Lisbeth+Salander.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450087335307188338" border="0" /></a>This week I saw the film <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1132620/">"The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo"</a> (Man Som Hatar Kvinnor) at <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Duke_Of_Yorks/">The Duke of York's</a> Picturehouse in Brighton. I'd heard little about the film and didn't even realise that it's based on the first part of a trilogy of books written by <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.stieglarsson.com/">Stieg Larsson</a>, the other two being "The Girl Who Played With Fire" and "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest". The trilogy is known as "The Millenium Series" and was published posthumously after Larsson died of a sudden heart attack in 2004.<br /><br />The girl in the title roles is Lisbeth Salander, played by <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0636426/">Noomi Rapace</a>, a feisty young punk-goth computer hacker with piercings in her nose and a fierce look of defiant disinterest in her eyes. The main thread of the story involves Lisbeth's unlikely pairing with a disgraced financial journalist (who works for the publication 'Millenium', hence the trilogy title), Mikael Blomkvist, played by <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0638824/">Michael Nyqvist</a>, as they try to solve the 40-year mystery of the disappearance of a member of the powerful Vanger family.<br /><br />The film is dark, violent and deeply engaging. The acting is fantastic and, as we learn more and more about the lives of the lead characters, we're pulled deeper into their stories and their sufferings. Although some parts were perhaps a little predictable, others were downright shocking and this is certainly not a film for the faint hearted. I found much of the film visually stunning and was gripped to my seat for the duration.<br /><br />It seems to be one of those films so full of subplots that it feels like several stories in one. Just as you get to the end of one subplot you realise there's another loose end to tie up... and another... and another... which makes the ending drag on a bit. But nothing like the never-ending climaxes of <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381061/">Casino Royale</a>! And in many ways it reminded me of <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0773262/">Dexter</a>. But that's all I'm saying on that matter. You'll have to watch it to see if you agree.<br /><br />I would highly recommend this film and can't wait for the next part of the trilogy.Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-78158394059002007002010-03-11T12:14:00.001-08:002010-03-11T12:42:17.603-08:00Wired Sussex Saved My Sanity!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRkyNMM_tR671asG-ubYGQKGYyASIAWVyKxDZzt1OJ6dwGZs8jkn1wm9n43rWjhPzpHr38h-1YJLVADjAVd5WG2IR1aJS8EUSDEWr2FTnYadbTest4ai1RISqwRDgHfJ70zMK90W9laXc/s1600-h/miim.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 87px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRkyNMM_tR671asG-ubYGQKGYyASIAWVyKxDZzt1OJ6dwGZs8jkn1wm9n43rWjhPzpHr38h-1YJLVADjAVd5WG2IR1aJS8EUSDEWr2FTnYadbTest4ai1RISqwRDgHfJ70zMK90W9laXc/s200/miim.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447479018186796994" border="0" /></a>I'd been feeling a bit disheartened by the whole copywriting thing. Hell, even the whole freelance thing. All those niggling little doubts were getting louder and louder in my head: Is this really what I want? Can I really do it? Wouldn't it be easier (and less stressful) to just go and get another job somewhere?<br /><br />But then, like a shining beacon of light and hope, along came the <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://brightonjobfair.co.uk/index.php">Wired Sussex Media Jobs & Skills Fair</a>. The small, quiet, all-knowing part of me managed to force the larger, grumpy, all-resisting part of me to go along to the event and I have to say I'm so glad it did! Not only did I find that I already knew a lot of the people there, I also knew the entire panel giving talks about making it as a freelancer (even if they didn't know me). And suddenly I felt a part of something. A part of this amazing community. And I realised I'm already on the right path. This is the direction I'm meant to be going. I AM a writer!<br /><br />So, feeling all inspired and invigorated, I also made it to my first <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.brightonfarm.com/">Brighton Farm</a> meet-up, prompted by one of the speakers at the Media Fair. For those of you not in Brighton or just not in the know, this is a casual weekly meet-up in a pub for anyone in media. I'd heard it was a bit techy and, yes, I did mostly meet web designers and developers, but they were all jolly nice. And I realised I could tell them anything about me and they'd believe it. Well, why wouldn't they? So I told them all I'm a copywriter. And they believed me. Ha!<br /><br />In the words of <a style="color: rgb(102, 255, 255);" href="http://www.wupadupa.com/artists/martha/biog.html">Martha Tilston</a>, if we say it over and over again it will manifest somehow. So... I am a writer! I am a writer! I am a writer!Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-76926269808202448732010-02-23T04:13:00.001-08:002010-03-06T07:19:30.289-08:00The Answer To Everything<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdYCzNQEcCu0yJ4fk1CW0ddXeTXRbrLgkcx8mcZszxgBJdbcnSnZ8k00BKzFSt5AG8XszGloU3W2vHsJxTYx1r4AyT27YoponLkQvn5buXBJJUTxxRecqO74Off43ntFaf3afC4MP_0Ck/s1600-h/When+Everything+Changes.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdYCzNQEcCu0yJ4fk1CW0ddXeTXRbrLgkcx8mcZszxgBJdbcnSnZ8k00BKzFSt5AG8XszGloU3W2vHsJxTYx1r4AyT27YoponLkQvn5buXBJJUTxxRecqO74Off43ntFaf3afC4MP_0Ck/s200/When+Everything+Changes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445540664569666674" border="0" /></a>Ok so I'm now halfway through <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Everything-Changes-Change/dp/0340998474">When Everything Changes Change Everything</a> by <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.nealedonaldwalsch.com/">Neale Donald Walsch</a>, which I started talking about in <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://theseasidescribbler.blogspot.com/2010/02/room-for-change.html">Room for Change</a>. Well, things are hotting up and I feel compelled to share some of the wisdom I've learned so far.<br /><br />The book is about changing the way you experience change and I find it so fascinating. One of the important techniques he talks about is Noticing The Moment. This seems to be a philosophy that crops up in so many different approaches, i.e. living in the present, being in the now, etc., but it's so much easier to say than do!<br /><br />The core of the book focuses on the Line of Causality:<br /><br />event + data + truth + thought + emotion = experience = reality<br /><br />So, an event happens, you add to it your past data (judged or factual), then your inner truth (either Imagined Truth, Apparent Truth or Actual Truth), which produces a thought which leads to an emotion which creates your experience which gives you your reality (either Distorted Reality, Observed Reality or Ultimate Reality depending on which inner truth you apply).<br /><br />So, basically, if you can change your inner truth, you can change your thought and therefore your emotion. Which means - we choose our emotions!! And that's hard enough to get your head around but I think it's true. And of course the line is actually a circle because your reality feeds into events and it just keeps going round and round.<br /><br />All of this information is looked at in great detail within Part 1 of the book, The Mechanics of the Mind. I've just started reading Part 2, The System of the Soul, which will apparently give me the tools to put these techniques in place. I've also just discovered the 2 most important sentences of the book (apparently), which are The Life-Altering Question and The Answer to Everything. But I'm not going to tell you what they are, as you should read the rest of the book if you want to find out! I'm not on commission (honest), I just don't think they'll have quite the same effect unless you've read the book first. So, get reading!Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-19583877996475969632010-02-14T06:59:00.000-08:002010-02-14T07:54:17.227-08:00Social Media Freakout!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgycrOt9f4k8hP6ujuZt_-sj9_bbAZWtUwRPmqaJOqkj5GKeCen8F-7FAnNwKxk_Hu8P3HietQCrHBj8I8XH6-I6aKRq5s-yWgk1m85qxh_XAu3TLM73fqEhsZ7CeRDH5PCe_G0qMpJpA42/s1600-h/cc_matt_hamm_social_media.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgycrOt9f4k8hP6ujuZt_-sj9_bbAZWtUwRPmqaJOqkj5GKeCen8F-7FAnNwKxk_Hu8P3HietQCrHBj8I8XH6-I6aKRq5s-yWgk1m85qxh_XAu3TLM73fqEhsZ7CeRDH5PCe_G0qMpJpA42/s320/cc_matt_hamm_social_media.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438127562408947458" border="0" /></a>A couple of days ago I was watching social networking in action. There and then. Actually seeing it happen. Let me explain.<br /><br />I log on to <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://twitter.com/">Twitter</a> and notice a tweet by a friend and fellow copywriter, <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://kendallcopywriting.co.uk/">Leif Kendall</a>. Well, many tweets by him in fact, but one in particular that catches my beady eye. He mentions something about <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.copify.com/">Copify</a>. Something not too polite. And a couple of other copywriters seem to have posted not-too-polite comments too. I'm intrigued. What is this Copify and why is it ruffling so many feathers in the writing world?<br /><br />So I go to their website and it turns out they offer a service introducing publishers to writers. But most professional copywriters are offended by this scheme, arguing that it's nothing more than a "sweat shop" of writers churning out low grade copy for peanuts. It seems this debate has got so heated that <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://blog.copify.com/2010/02/09/an-open-letter-to-copywriters/">Copify's latest blog post</a> is a letter to all the copywriters they've offended, defending themselves and trying to explain their position. Which, unsurprisingly sparks a whole new thread of the debate and fills their blog with comment after argument after comment.<br /><br />Anyway, 2 days after posting a very neutral tweet saying I'd just discovered the Copify debate and didn't know where I stood yet (I'm far too diplomatic), I get 5 new copywriters following me on <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://twitter.com/mosscopywriting">Twitter</a> from all over the world!<br /><br />Not only that, but then I get an email from <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.linkedin.com/">LinkedIn</a> saying I have a new follower, who just happens to be the director of the web design company who built the Copify website! Ok, so then I log on to <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://uk.linkedin.com/in/mosscopywriting">LinkedIn</a> and it starts telling me about People I May Know. And not only does it come up with connections of connections, which is fair enough, but suggests I may know my ex therapist, the guy who interviewed me for a job last week, one of my aunt's friends, one of my partner's colleagues and a load of faces from my past who I'd "Rather Not Connect With", thanks. How does it know?? I was feeling just a little freaked out by this point, I can tell you.<br /><br />I also find out during this process that lots of people I know from different circles are connected with each other on LinkedIn and I had no idea. It's such a small world. Oh and if that wasn't enough, my partner gets an email from one of the people I just linked with asking about any opportunities to work with him AND I get a random email inviting me to do business with a marketing and communications company. Woa!<br /><br />And all this after attending <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://write-club.net/">WriteClub</a>, a networking group for writers in Brighton and London, and discovering that at least 2 people at the table knew a very old friend of my Mum's who I used to babysit for. Now my head is positively spinning with online social media networking. Argh! But hey, at least I can say with confidence that it definitely, without a doubt, 100% works!Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-57488644896498315772010-02-06T03:52:00.000-08:002010-03-06T07:08:19.151-08:00Room for Change<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6jRefzP0-cM4UqcOlgbBmIsnRYDC17nQ3yq71QSs3KTEejnV-pm03P3_f2oVWC-p74eQV-PhMmSn8QbZjMmUA9WuA8xFwMXlU8cPuL3ltANNtuo0gwRBMiPvknVBLTLBG18S5gG1qyYd/s1600-h/change-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6jRefzP0-cM4UqcOlgbBmIsnRYDC17nQ3yq71QSs3KTEejnV-pm03P3_f2oVWC-p74eQV-PhMmSn8QbZjMmUA9WuA8xFwMXlU8cPuL3ltANNtuo0gwRBMiPvknVBLTLBG18S5gG1qyYd/s200/change-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435108505734326034" border="0" /></a>Change. It's such a simple word. Just one teeny tiny word. And yet it can mean so much. SO, SO much.<br /><br />Yes, it can mean little tiny changes, like changing your socks, changing your brand of breakfast cereal or changing which route you take to work. But it can also mean big, scary, life-altering changes, like losing your job, ending your relationship or becoming seriously ill. According to a book I've just started reading, "<a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.nealedonaldwalsch.com/index.php?p=Doc&c=changes" target="_blank">When Everything Changes Change Everything" by Neale Donald Walsch</a>, these are the Big Three: Relationship; Money; Health. "If one of these things is changing, it can be very challenging. If <span style="font-style: italic;">two</span> of these things are changing, it can be incredibly difficult. If <span style="font-style: italic;">all three</span> are changing at the same time, it can be utterly devastating."<br /><br />Whatever changes we are going through in our lives (and we are <span style="font-style: italic;">all </span>going through changes <span style="font-style: italic;">all</span> the time), it's worth remembering that it's simply change. And change can be positive. Neale Donald Walsch tells an interesting story about a woman going through huge turmoil in her life. She explains that she wouldn't have identifed what she was going through as 'change', because when everything around you is falling apart it just feels like The End and there is nothing after. But when you realise it's simply change, that means the end of one thing but the beginning of another. Although it's still scary, it can give you a whole new perspective, as it indicates that something new is coming.<br /><br />Neale warns that "The changes in your life are not going to stop....Change is <span style="font-style: italic;">what is</span> and there is no way to change that...What can be changed is the way you deal with change, and the way you're changed by change."<br /><br />So as I contemplate all the changes that have happened in my life over the last year or so... falling in love, moving house, leaving my job, losing my livelihood, changing my career, finding <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.kpjayi.org/" target="_blank">Ashtanga Yoga</a>, altering my entire lifestyle... I am comforted by the fact that these changes are not going to stop, that they are the natural order of life, and that change is the only thing we can really count on.Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-10395709538229350412010-01-20T03:50:00.000-08:002010-01-20T04:10:13.944-08:00Procrastinate? Nah, I'll Do It Tomorrow<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyGs0ngYMWTuNLSmYCdhMUOto7uQWaKpQEwuPbaV8zfvr1xUvZMxh9Mfzgn4rRv7d1T-j7mNJO-dIeX3pt_HNMNyktktTOe5IVQsp3qEljBbACqYCnlt2KVset2iYxwWkyhDLIdhi1FGKF/s1600-h/simpsons_procrastinate.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 139px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyGs0ngYMWTuNLSmYCdhMUOto7uQWaKpQEwuPbaV8zfvr1xUvZMxh9Mfzgn4rRv7d1T-j7mNJO-dIeX3pt_HNMNyktktTOe5IVQsp3qEljBbACqYCnlt2KVset2iYxwWkyhDLIdhi1FGKF/s200/simpsons_procrastinate.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428793167926699826" border="0" /></a>We all have stuff to do. If we’re asked at any given time what’s on our to-do-list, we’ll be able to reel off several, if not hundreds, of things that we need, should or ought to do. In fact, I suspect most of us have a much longer list of SHOULDS than NEEDS.<br /><br />But how do we prioritise these? It’s easy to prioritise the NEEDS because they’ll undoubtedly have time limits and deadlines – I need to finish this piece of work by Thursday lunchtime; I need to post this application to arrive by Monday morning; I need to renew my car insurance by the end of January; and so on.<br /><br />But the SHOULDS are a little trickier, especially when they’re combined with the WANTS – I really should go to the dentist for a check-up; I’ve been meaning to sort out all the junk in the garage/attic/spare room for ages; I’d like to find a knitting/singing/tai chi class in my area but I just haven’t got around to it yet.<br /><br />Take this morning for example. After waiting in for a <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/sol/index.jsp" target="_blank">Sainsbury’s</a> delivery (in an attempt to spend less than in our usual local <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.waitrose.com/" target="_blank">Waitrose</a>… hmm, not sure it really worked… better try <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.asda.co.uk/corp/home.html" target="_blank">Asda</a> next...), the rest of the day was free to do with as I please. Now, if I was one of these layabouts who could sit on my arse all day reading, watching TV, listening to music and generally being lazy, I probably wouldn’t have a problem. But I’m not. I’d feel far too guilty. And in any case, in order to become a <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.mosscopywriting.co.uk/" target="_blank">freelance copywriter</a>, I believe I need to act like one.<br /><br />So, on my NEED to-do-list today are all sorts of writing and self-employment related tasks – create a business plan and cash flow forecast; continue working on my <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.chapterhousepublishing.co.uk/proofreading-editorial-skills.shtml" target="_blank">Proofreading and Editorial Skills</a> course; come up with a pitch for my travel writing friend as per her suggestion; finish working on a life experience piece to send to <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend" target="_blank">The Guardian Weekend Magazine</a>. And have I done any of these? No. Of course not.<br /><br />You see, as I was putting away the shopping, I realised the vegetable drawer of the fridge was in a bit of a state and really NEEDED a good clean. After I’d done this, I noticed the draining board was also in NEED of a clean, not to mention all around the taps and the sink itself. And boy did I give it one! <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/products/earth-friendly/earth-friendly-parsley-plus-kleener-500ml/" target="_blank">Earth Friendly Parsley Plus</a> spray and a wire scourer does wonders on stainless steel, I can tell you. It’s so sparkly! And afterwards I felt so proud of myself because, judging by the results, it must have really NEEDED cleaning.<br /><br />Then I decided I NEEDED to write this blog post, which is at least related to my new career (sort of). Meanwhile, the lists of SHOULDS and WANTS grows ever longer and I wonder if I’ll ever get round to sorting through all those travel souvenirs from my ‘Big Trip’ 9 years ago or transferring my truckload of loose photos into those lovely organiser boxes I bought 3 years ago for that very purpose. But at least my vegetables are sitting in a clean tray and I have a sparkling clean sink. That’s a start isn’t it…?Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-31218938906824924402010-01-15T05:57:00.000-08:002010-01-15T06:18:09.429-08:00New Website for Moss Copywriting!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxoraQiP99sozbsBrs5bBI7WiazqNZ0rXVnAu7YL92zD35aCc2k96xeD3vRGN7Z8PXj1yb7D0KDVCWdEVabiSxaU3f7aRXd7Sv4e0O5fiI6nDtE6wXLSQasm9B5VBlJWn1lcQoZbsO5Hgx/s1600-h/moss-copwring-logo-100x60.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 100px; height: 60px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxoraQiP99sozbsBrs5bBI7WiazqNZ0rXVnAu7YL92zD35aCc2k96xeD3vRGN7Z8PXj1yb7D0KDVCWdEVabiSxaU3f7aRXd7Sv4e0O5fiI6nDtE6wXLSQasm9B5VBlJWn1lcQoZbsO5Hgx/s400/moss-copwring-logo-100x60.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426970232698207250" border="0" /></a>My brand spanking new website is now live!<br /><br />The site advertises my copywriting, copyediting and proofreading services and you can view it <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.mosscopywriting.co.uk/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><br />You can also follow me on <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://twitter.com/mosscopywriting" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://uk.linkedin.com/in/mosscopywriting" target="_blank">Linked In</a> and <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.xing.com/profile/Hannah_Moss2" target="_blank">Xing</a> if you're that way inclined.<br /><br />The site was designed and built by <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.zerogmedia.co.uk/" target="_blank">zero G media</a> and is hosted by 100% wind powered energy.Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-38470662480996562852010-01-14T03:18:00.000-08:002010-01-14T03:58:45.595-08:00Out With the Old… In With the New-to-You<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4eD-rAic205bVflaq-TkU4JVgI1ILjGruf3pRNPrp4s3Dts1C-c9zxDOmwZ8YzdhRAciVfgiW1nRmcNEKPrHuhV08XLS5RoDyEDJZ6C8RRMKYtCFZ7NuNPPJZPrYBMIF-kp0duePuwtq/s1600-h/clothing-swap-080226-de.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4eD-rAic205bVflaq-TkU4JVgI1ILjGruf3pRNPrp4s3Dts1C-c9zxDOmwZ8YzdhRAciVfgiW1nRmcNEKPrHuhV08XLS5RoDyEDJZ6C8RRMKYtCFZ7NuNPPJZPrYBMIF-kp0duePuwtq/s200/clothing-swap-080226-de.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426561978119244866" border="0" /></a><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:applybreakingrules/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:SimSun; panose-1:2 1 6 0 3 1 1 1 1 1; mso-font-alt:宋体; mso-font-charset:134; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 680460288 22 0 262145 0;} @font-face {font-family:"\@SimSun"; panose-1:2 1 6 0 3 1 1 1 1 1; mso-font-charset:134; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 680460288 22 0 262145 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Arial; mso-fareast-font-family:SimSun; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--><o:p></o:p>On New Year’s Eve we had a bit of a spring clean here in the Eagle’s Nest. Well, a lot of one actually. We cleaned out, sorted through, chucked away, reorganised, amalgamated, reallocated, merged and recalibrated just about every single one of our worldly possessions. There was joy, laughter, one or two arguments and even a few tears along the way! Someone recently said merging your belongings is the next logical step after moving in together. It’s all very well having your own domain within a shared space, but to actually integrate your books? Your stationery? Hell, your CDs? Now that’s commitment.<br /><br />Along with the sort-out came the ritual known as the annual cleansing of the wardrobe. In a constant effort to streamline my clothes (and an excuse to make space for new ones), I like to give The Partner a “fashion show” whereby I try on all my clothes while he calls out “Yuck”, “Chuck” or “I’ve never even seen that before”. Occasionally he agrees a garment can be kept, but mostly it’s down to a battle of the wills that enables an item to remain in wardrobe residence.<br /><br />I quite enjoy this process as it forces me to evaluate whether I’m keeping something purely for its sentimental value. And when it comes to clothing that’s a pretty dumb reason to keep something. If you’re never going to wear it again what’s the point of it sitting there gathering dust when someone else could be getting good use out of it? And that’s what spurred me into having a clothes swap party, or “<a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.swishing.org/" target="_blank">Swishing</a>” as it’s apparently now known.<br /><br />What better way to recycle all those items you never wear/you're saving for a special occasion that never seems to come/that no longer fit/that you're clinging onto for sentimental reasons? Instead of giving them away to a charity shop and inevitably spending more money while you’re in there (and half of them will probably end up in <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landfill" target="_blank">landfill</a> anyway), why not let your friends have first dibs on them? The great thing about giving those long-loved items of clothing to your friends is you get to see them being worn and enjoyed again by the people you love.<br /><br />Of course it doesn’t always work out that way. Your friends may not want any of your old tat and vice versa, but whatever’s left can still be given to charity and at least you’ve had a bit of fun in the meantime. Tomorrow's the big night so fingers crossed for a successful swish!Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-74582564511481207352010-01-07T04:23:00.000-08:002010-01-07T05:22:31.745-08:00Social Me<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIerNUmjCjcklD4Vqz7lHKCa9znNl8snYrm2rkDyXL3LSCXIyEXMrdzgjTamHJ77IkNKWLzVRweyabwdoVkYamZXCaE9F1Pf0FTjzZMICJ2acGJIeStHSJ9hjo_9jyCoU6RB9NlX48vPwE/s1600-h/twitter-hashclouds.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIerNUmjCjcklD4Vqz7lHKCa9znNl8snYrm2rkDyXL3LSCXIyEXMrdzgjTamHJ77IkNKWLzVRweyabwdoVkYamZXCaE9F1Pf0FTjzZMICJ2acGJIeStHSJ9hjo_9jyCoU6RB9NlX48vPwE/s200/twitter-hashclouds.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423986207200717442" border="0" /></a>I had a very exciting day yesterday designing my new website with the very talented Guy at <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.zerogmedia.co.uk/" target="_blank">zero G media</a> (yes The Partner himself). After a whole day in the office we completed the <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://tryit.adobe.com/uk/cs4/photoshopextended/?sdid=DPHOY" target="_blank">Photoshop</a> layout design for the grand total of 2 pages! It was fascinating to see the process in action and understand how time consuming it is making little adjustments, lining everything up and adding lovely little design features. In fact it was so enjoyable, I'm beginning to wonder if I'm pursuing the wrong career path (argh!)<br /><br />The next step in the process is the actual building of the site, which Guy is hopefully working on at this very moment (damn, turns out he was in a coffee shop - should have known). The web address is <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.mosscopywriting.co.uk/" target="_blank">mosscopywriting</a> but there's just a holding page there for now. <br /><br />I also finally succumbed to joining <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://twitter.com/" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. I think all the little tweeting noises constantly emitted by The Partner's <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://twitterrific.com/" target="_blank">Twitterific</a> iphone app have been gradually building up in my subconscious until I realised I was insanely jealous and needed to get in on the action! So you can now find me on Twitter under mosscopywriting. Come follow me!<br /><br />As soon as the website goes live you can guarantee I'll be blogging, Tweeting and <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="https://www.facebook.com/" target="_blank">Facebooking</a> about it like there's no tomorrow. So watch this space... and watch the Birdie...!Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-61953263496713147252010-01-04T05:22:00.000-08:002010-01-04T06:08:28.243-08:002010: A Roaring Success?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlf7e9eWjkQr58ZR_iaNnuSRasrOiuhDS2h1YQ4h5IdLBr94ZE16Os3azAet307Nn0uf8rkTmCvwUIytEy7h-JG88tI99A2aU0ASrKiCU93yTiNG8OSCrMSoh1uphrHoRqMSho_3QqN9-/s1600-h/tigerchinese.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlf7e9eWjkQr58ZR_iaNnuSRasrOiuhDS2h1YQ4h5IdLBr94ZE16Os3azAet307Nn0uf8rkTmCvwUIytEy7h-JG88tI99A2aU0ASrKiCU93yTiNG8OSCrMSoh1uphrHoRqMSho_3QqN9-/s200/tigerchinese.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422884353761498290" border="0" /></a>Happy New Year and welcome to the <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.springsgreetingcards.com/catalogs/store.asp?pid=250913">Year of the Tiger</a>. Well, according to the <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac">Chinese Zodiac</a> this doesn't officially start until Valentine's Day, but it's good to look ahead I think. The Tiger is apparently a sign of courage: This fearless and fiery fighter is revered by the ancient Chinese as the sign that wards off the three main disasters of a household: fire, thieves and ghosts. Phew, we can rest easy in our beds tonight.<br /><br />Monday 4th January is one of those dates I've always dreaded. It usually signifies the end of the Christmas break and the return to work, normality and real life. Boo! Hiss! In my oh-so-thrilling office job it was a date to pin future events to before Christmas: I promise to sort that out as soon as we're back in January; Sorry it'll have to wait until after Christmas now; Yes I'll deal with that in the New Year. It would always feel like aeons away at the time, but then Bam! it would be upon us and I'd actually have to keep all those promises I made.<br /><br />But now, for the first time in my life, I've found myself feeling just an inkling of jealousy over all those people for whom real life has returned today. I mean, not massively jealous you understand. Not nearly enough to make me actually want to get another office job, oh no. But just a teensy weensy bit, just enough to wonder what on earth it is I'm supposed to be doing with my life. <br /><br />I've realised that I do sometimes miss that sense of belonging and of purpose that working in an office brings. But as I sit here gazing out to sea through the crisp, clear day, I also realise how free I am and feel a great sense of appreciation. For with freedom comes a sense of peace and what better way to start the year!Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-83744498767521149872009-12-23T10:01:00.000-08:002009-12-23T11:32:59.034-08:00A United (Cold) Front<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaHKbP7iCvpAaGzP1wEt4Q9KuzO29vw0Jtkjf5vBTg0mEuxA1QBwYhtAIvTBdIteb1fieZJCpY7HtTWNJT7JCoiYqXfSI0PJ68XJgxxn3XHGDymlBR4TT6ojtgz2M9mnenIbkHut7KC8ux/s1600-h/P1010326.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaHKbP7iCvpAaGzP1wEt4Q9KuzO29vw0Jtkjf5vBTg0mEuxA1QBwYhtAIvTBdIteb1fieZJCpY7HtTWNJT7JCoiYqXfSI0PJ68XJgxxn3XHGDymlBR4TT6ojtgz2M9mnenIbkHut7KC8ux/s200/P1010326.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418503618799557634" border="0" /></a>Today is Christmas Eve eve and it seems the festive season is well and truly upon us again. And that means the end of yet another year. I swear someone keeps pressing fast forward...<br /> <br />December always seems to be a time for reflections, reconnections and wrapping things up (quite literally). Last week I finally got around to responding to 2 emails from people I'd met travelling many years ago, one dated August 2008 and the other November 2006!!! Hmm, I guess 3 years is a rather excessive response time.<br /><br />This week I've received 1 e-newsletter and 3 e-cards, including a photo of my nephews stood by their first ever Christmas tree grinning from ear to ear, and another of a greyhound in a Santa hat signed from my 'fairy dogfather' - bless.<br /><br />Courses have come to an end, goodbyes have been expressed to people going off on their travels and loose ends are being securely tied up. I'm not usually one to make New Year's resolutions (for fear I won't be able to stick to them perhaps), but I am intrigued to see what the year has in store. I'm hoping that 2010 will be a good year, not just for myself but for all those around me. I hope that our burdens will become lighter, for we are all suffering in one way or another.<br /><br />A very Merry Christmas to you all and a peaceful and joyous New Year.Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-25469758779598989052009-12-12T13:02:00.001-08:002009-12-14T07:53:46.286-08:00Facebook Forever!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhriRwCvGoGruZ2zVE0UcMkYIp2XahVLj9w4YYv8B7h8bjjt8uqhBb-N7heQaMs6EzP26ghX_lFoCSf94Vwdc2B5r6WAu1SHC-vVCnC0xiDDTSvgseE0TGARRheZniZbb3_aW23_yXVIFqM/s1600-h/death-afterlife.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhriRwCvGoGruZ2zVE0UcMkYIp2XahVLj9w4YYv8B7h8bjjt8uqhBb-N7heQaMs6EzP26ghX_lFoCSf94Vwdc2B5r6WAu1SHC-vVCnC0xiDDTSvgseE0TGARRheZniZbb3_aW23_yXVIFqM/s200/death-afterlife.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414470678356076978" border="0" /></a>Things seem to have got a bit surreal for the Seaside Scribbler. Earlier this week I found myself having a conversation over a hot chocolate with a <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian" target="_blank">Christian</a> friend. There we were talking about life, death and the Universe, as you do, and the subject of the afterlife came up. She asked me what I believe happens to us when we die. I find this sort of question somewhat uncomfortable and, after squirming a little in my seat, told her I believe some part of us lives on, although I'm not sure exactly what: some part of our soul or spirit maybe. Two of my friends died in a car accident two and a half years ago and I can't quite bring myself to believe they're completely and utterly gone so, yes, I do believe that some part of them is still out there somewhere.<br /><br />I asked her the same question and she duly replied "I believe there's a heaven and a hell and if you're accepted into heaven then you live for eternity in the presence of God". I asked her if she believes her conscious mind will live on and be reincarnated into a different body. She said she doesn't believe in reincarnation but thinks we will be given a new body. I was rather confused by this apparent contradiction but let it go.<br /><br />A few days later I was checking <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.facebook.com/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> for the first time in weeks and, you know that little panel on the right where it kindly offers suggestions for who you might want to become friends with? Well, who should pop up, but one of the aforementioned late friends. I know I said his spirit is still out there somewhere, but in Facebook? Come on, what did he do to deserve that? Or maybe this is his idea of heaven, leaving his mark on the online networking world and making sure no-one forgets what he looked like.<br /><br />Which leads to an interesting question: how does Facebook deal with death? It can tell me all it likes that we have 6 mutual friends but I know my friend request will never be accepted. So his funny frowning face will continue to follow me as I go about my Facebook business, eternally trapped in the social media heaven and/or hell in which he now finds himself. Maybe I'll send him a hug.<br /><br />P.S. Woah, now I'm totally freaked out. I just finished writing this post, then decided to Google "How does Facebook deal with death?" and came across <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/aug/07/socialnetworking.myspace" target="_blank">this article</a> from The Guardian. It refers to an example of a profile which reads "Andrew has no recent activity" because he died last year. Yes, the friend was called Andrew and, yes, he died a year before the article was written. Nuff said.Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-83783016834880587452009-11-30T08:41:00.000-08:002009-11-30T09:32:42.323-08:00Apple Wednesday<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Z106pxxI6zcw8g_aAVzlZ_vy7yBrxC2C6Ancsq67kLH5fgp5cHPCOopQ5v-pQQwKdifvvPhVKGQq1y_MA-A44euMzq-FRJDJM1bkBkoISjO7EarDcZ7sPtRLOa_xuDBEzTS1zxlxOEMP/s1600/knitted+iphone.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 147px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Z106pxxI6zcw8g_aAVzlZ_vy7yBrxC2C6Ancsq67kLH5fgp5cHPCOopQ5v-pQQwKdifvvPhVKGQq1y_MA-A44euMzq-FRJDJM1bkBkoISjO7EarDcZ7sPtRLOa_xuDBEzTS1zxlxOEMP/s200/knitted+iphone.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409950873653105874" border="0" /></a>It's finally happened. I'm officially an <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.apple.com/uk/iphone/" target="_blank">iPhone</a> widow! After 2 years of patiently waiting for <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.apple.com/uk/" target="_blank">Apple </a>to release <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.o2.co.uk/" target="_blank">O2</a>'s greedy claws from their exclusive contract, The Partner has finally got his hands on the sleek black accessory of his dreams. You'd think there would be days, weeks, even months of planning how, when and where he was going to get hold of this gadget of beauty. But, no. We were wandering into town on Saturday, when he casually announced "I just want to pop into that <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.orange.co.uk/" target="_blank">Orange</a> shop on the way". Sure thing, I said, little realising that half an hour later he would be walking out of the shop, having signed on the dotted line, with an actual iPhone in his hand!<br /><br />One of The Partner's friends called while we were "doing the deed" and, on hearing what we were up to, immediately hotfooted it to the Orange shop so he could paw over the gadget of delight himself. I'd always thought The Friend's eyes were brown but on that day they had a definite tinge of green to them.<br /><br />For the last few days it seems every conversation has featured the words "wifi", "app", "iPhone" and "my baby". This latter term used to be reserved solely for me but it seems I have been replaced. In fact, yesterday, during a viewing of <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361748/" target="_blank">Inglourious Basterds</a> (fantastic film) at The Friend's house, The Partner had a near panic attack when he momentarily misplaced his baby. The relief on discovering said baby in his pocket was audible, if not deafening, and he spent the entire rest of the film with one arm round my shoulders and the other carefully protecting the sacred pocket.<br /><br />Although an iPhone widow I may be, it's somehow hard not to be impressed by the myriad features, functions and <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.apple.com/uk/iphone/apps-for-iphone/" target="_blank">apps</a> that this baby can handle. My grandparents' heads will surely explode if we try to demonstrate these over Christmas lunch. I can just imagine the confusion - "why on earth would you want to use your phone as a <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightsaber" target="_blank">lightsaber</a>?" So, a widow I may feel, but my eyes seem to be turning a little green with envy too, and only one question now remains: When will the baby, I mean the iPhone, be available on <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://online.vodafone.co.uk/" target="_blank">Vodafone</a>?Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-49747163038049101662009-11-22T08:57:00.000-08:002009-11-22T10:13:27.192-08:00Watch The Birdie!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrx-rHvHHaBs1hl5yQZcYtlI8i31nBkOrGyNMGnhya0M0lTRnZKyPZKCXJ6vCnkWbYi2EI9IRisqvFtYHeT7eZueGpeLVKPUGgRAIwH611aqCKsBn5Hqz5RzoN9f8Mt6CWYoYoMeGdioed/s1600/GD1519524@A-flock-of-starlings--9522.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrx-rHvHHaBs1hl5yQZcYtlI8i31nBkOrGyNMGnhya0M0lTRnZKyPZKCXJ6vCnkWbYi2EI9IRisqvFtYHeT7eZueGpeLVKPUGgRAIwH611aqCKsBn5Hqz5RzoN9f8Mt6CWYoYoMeGdioed/s200/GD1519524@A-flock-of-starlings--9522.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406986736086208386" border="0" /></a>I've been struggling to decide what to write about this week, hence the slight delay. I could write about the painful experience of making myself go to my drawing class on Thursday, only to find halfway through that my inner critic had firmly taken over my brain, shouting obscenities about how rubbish I am and that I'll never be able to draw: I came home in tears. I could write about the led primary class that our yoga teacher gave on Sunday morning, complete with Q&A session about the traditional method of <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.kpjayi.org/" target="_blank">Mysore style Ashtanga</a>, which was very inspiring and really got me thinking about trust, surrender, dedication and our intrinsic search for meaning in our lives.<br /><br />I could write about all the bad news I've heard this week: people suffering from emphysema, lung cancer, a brain tumour; relationships on the rocks; people in pieces. Or about my job interview. Or about another song I wrote. Or I could write about a weekend away at my grandparents' which left me full of nostalgia, sadness and talk of wills. <br /><br />But I won't. Instead I'm going to write about birds. Starlings to be precise. Over the <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.westpier.co.uk/" target="_blank">West Pier</a> in Brighton. If you've never seen this <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.regencybrighton.com/pier/starlings/" target="_blank">incredible spectacle</a>, I urge you to take a walk along he promenade at dusk and just take a moment to observe what I can only describe as a stunning natural phenomenon. It really is a sight for sore eyes. Hundreds of tiny winged wonders dancing through the sky as a single, magical entity. They appear to glide effortlessly on the breeze, almost disappearing from view, then suddenly swoop off at top speed in a dark black cloud, as if someone's tugging an invisible string to which they're all attached. It rather reminds me of that scene in <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/animatedfilms/findingnemo/index2.html" target="_blank">Finding Nemo</a> when Nemo and Dory meet the shoal of fish. Any moment I expected the starlings to suddenly form themselves into an arrow or a grumpy face.<br /><br />And it's not just me who finds this winter <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/murmuration-of-starlings-signals-that-winter-is-here-1012500.html" target="_blank">murmuration</a> (ooh hark at me) so breathtaking. Hoards of people gather along the seafront to witness this acrobatic display and even the pigeons and seagulls know it's something of a special occasion and seem to want in on the action.<br /><br />So, another busy week in the life of the <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.theseasidescribbler.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Seaside Scribbler</a> then, but the avian beauties win the vote hands (or should that be wings?) down. These birdies really are worth watching....Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-51256166858277854442009-11-12T02:08:00.000-08:002009-11-22T10:18:03.788-08:00Remember My Name<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0y_2_zrc3STQ_lg5z9B9bBSZBxa9fu2MikSLafRLuNoG-gCn9zbjoGIOk2YmLDxTnGAv8ToQZwgeJhNi28EHjsjcDpZUl7HXk5SNUmKRDLbHZUK-t3plkIurXwlbIDXsO3onbpBY0tFhB/s1600-h/Fame_1985_pic_Rex_Features_414738809.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 178px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0y_2_zrc3STQ_lg5z9B9bBSZBxa9fu2MikSLafRLuNoG-gCn9zbjoGIOk2YmLDxTnGAv8ToQZwgeJhNi28EHjsjcDpZUl7HXk5SNUmKRDLbHZUK-t3plkIurXwlbIDXsO3onbpBY0tFhB/s200/Fame_1985_pic_Rex_Features_414738809.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403167508867149794" border="0" /></a>Oh ye gads (as they say in Oz)! I've just realised I completely omitted to title my last 2 blog posts, which is very sloppy work indeed and simply won't do. So I've gone back and given them shiny new titles - hope you like them. Now what to call this one....<br /><br />I don't mean to turn this into a blog about dancing but I do feel compelled to write about last night's <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.thetwowrongies.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);">class</span></a>. It was just Janine this time as Avis was away ("working" or some such excuse) and, to quote the <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.blockbuster.co.uk/" target="_blank">Blockbuster Video</a> jingle, Wow what a difference! Her teaching style is so much better, although I can't quite put my finger on why. I think it all comes down to confidence and good time management. Avis seems to want to put music to every warm-up exercise, which involves teaching us the move, practising it, then doing it with the music (just for warm-ups!), and she also says things like "Is that kind of ok with everyone? Have you sort of got that?" after every move. So the warm-ups take about 45 minutes leaving us only 15 minutes actual dance time.<br /><br />However, Janine seemed much more confident in her approach and got us doing completely different exercises, more in tune with what I consider the classic image of a dance class, i.e. leaping and jumping across the room in pairs as if we were in <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083412/" target="_blank">Fame</a>! One such exercise involved us imagining we were in a low tunnel, so we had to move across the floor in as many ways as we could think of without standing up. I felt like a swimmer, a gymnast and a slug all rolled into one. We also had more time to build on our little sequence, involving us all coming together in a big circle and doing some hokey cokeyesque moves, plus a great hip sliding floor move at the end which is definitely straight out of <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083412/" target="_blank">Fame</a>.<br /><br />In other news, my best achievement of the week, or rather month - I wrote a song! Yes, my first ever actual song. I'm so chuffed. I borrowed a friend's keyboard and to my great surprise I discovered I've actually retained some of the Grade 2 piano skills I learnt 20 years ago. Clever little brain. Yesterday I had a meeting with a guy I'm doing a skill swap with to work out what our 4 sessions of vocal and songwriting coaching should cover. So watch this space (or should that be listen to this space?) Anyway I'm dead excited. Yay! <br /><br />P.S. Did you see what I did there with the title? It's a lyric from the <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/i/irene_cara/fame.html" target="_blank">Fame theme tune</a> you see, but it's also a reference to forgetting to title my posts. See? Clever, huh?Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-26248917484752202632009-11-06T06:14:00.000-08:002010-03-09T06:48:54.714-08:00Sponge Me To Hell<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1upMI9igHkx9AEu_f3BbAI_3JbnLh2UNqri_axedFE_k8MoixTktImVF3i6ss1FYId5pcC0ZNQFF-PPATGuFDKQUsKEGr8msWbyMmRNbxVy5ObWPwctcmbXLYEBspyJAjgaWsGCIK9MN/s1600-h/drag-me-to-hell_l.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1upMI9igHkx9AEu_f3BbAI_3JbnLh2UNqri_axedFE_k8MoixTktImVF3i6ss1FYId5pcC0ZNQFF-PPATGuFDKQUsKEGr8msWbyMmRNbxVy5ObWPwctcmbXLYEBspyJAjgaWsGCIK9MN/s200/drag-me-to-hell_l.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401004156283651106" border="0" /></a>My last 7 days seem to have been rather action-packed: from cuddling a newborn baby; watching horror films on Hallowe'en (<a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000783/" target="_blank">Dario Argento</a>'s 1977 masterpiece <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076786/" target="_blank">Suspiria</a> & <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000600/" target="_blank">Sam Raimi</a>'s 2009 hilarious <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1127180/" target="_blank">Drag Me To Hell</a>); and venturing to the seafront, fully waterproofed, to frolic in a storm; to learning a new dance move (the Dame Judi); being deafened by bangers at <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewes#Lewes_Bonfire" target="_blank">Lewes Bonfire</a>; and signing on.<br /><br />Yes, that's right, signing on. I've finally succumbed to sponging off the government. I did attempt to do this back in February, but received some very confusing communications and mixed messages. The claim was denied but I never really knew if this was because I'd left my job voluntarily, was living with a partner or hadn't paid enough NI contributions (what, after 10 years of working my butt off in an office? Come on!) Anyway, for whatever reason, I wasn't given any help and felt somewhat let down by the system I'd been pouring money into for years. There was also a sense of relief, though, in not having to spend time and energy every fortnight trying to prove I was looking for a job I didn't want.<br /><br />However, now that I've tried again (well, 9 months is rather a long time to be "between jobs"), I've been pleasantly surprised. Not only has my claim for <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/Customers/WorkingAgeBenefits/Jobseekerallowance/index.html" target="_blank">Jobseeker's Allowance</a> gone through this time, but the friendly advisor I spoke to actually considered my desire to become a freelance writer/copyeditor/proofreader a valid career path. This means I can now spend my time and energy looking for work that I do want and get paid (a bit) for it in the process. Result!Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-61077629446834231062009-10-29T04:21:00.001-07:002009-11-22T10:20:09.982-08:00Two Wrongies Can Make A Right<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tjFNveYczUmj6_stnj7mjq6fQod1iYYa6Y-Kc1ubKdNOlWW0lxuLqLhxXj7Wc2ZF88I0HWwbmXU4m9ciEzWiYnYrVYfmssALuhyphenhyphen5BkeC9UZ8MCnbblHgrtKh_CSStSNeiO-j7OFHzfHC/s1600-h/wrongies.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tjFNveYczUmj6_stnj7mjq6fQod1iYYa6Y-Kc1ubKdNOlWW0lxuLqLhxXj7Wc2ZF88I0HWwbmXU4m9ciEzWiYnYrVYfmssALuhyphenhyphen5BkeC9UZ8MCnbblHgrtKh_CSStSNeiO-j7OFHzfHC/s320/wrongies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397999210219920018" border="0" /></a>Last night I started a Contemporary Dance course run by <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.evolutionarts.co.uk/" target="_blank">Evolution Arts</a>. The course is led by dance duo Avis Cockbill and Janine Fletcher aka <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.thetwowrongies.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Two Wrongies</a> - the double act who dare to do the dirty! I've just checked out their website and there are some hilarious videos of them in action.<br /><br />Avis was doing it alone last night, as Janine was involved in some sort of contemporary dance/parcour performance - ooh, hark at her! I have to say that Avis did very well on her own, injecting a great deal of humour into the class and making me feel pretty relaxed really - no mean feat considering the rather intimidating dance studio we were in, complete with mirrored wall at one end. She started off the class with some simple warm ups and stretching exercises, but in true dance fashion these were all performed rythmically to music. We learnt a whole sequence of standing and lying warm ups, which we will apparently perform at the beginning of each class and which will be built upon as the weeks progress. In fact I already felt like I was dancing.<br /><br />Halfway through the rather hurried hour we moved on to the actual dance part itself and managed to learn a little choreographed sequence consisting mainly of jumps and hops with a rather awkward looking (well in my case anyway) floor sequence thrown in at the end. Two of the moves were affectionately nicknamed "The Dick Van Dyke" (a little side kick in the air) and "The Brucie" (a standing stance with one fist forward and one back). So when we performed the dance to music with Avis calling out the moves, it went something like this: "Right, left, right, Dick. Left, right, left, Dick. Brucie. Brucie. Brucie Brucie Brucie". Hilarious!<br /><br />And that's just what you need on an autumnal Wednesday night - a pair of legwarmers, some funky music and a room full of people doing Bruce Forsyth impressions. Good game, good game!Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-61032892956227705212009-10-19T07:46:00.000-07:002010-02-06T04:43:24.814-08:00Resistance Is Futile<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMUiPjTbCaLqLmhxT04cP9lv1Mx5llgvsskLeFWLq9s8eJ2sBjd-RsGG95Xe3Q6k0BLSi_BJsUHNIzeSkNMs_5E1zlaf7TruOk8yjsJfQY3r0tUOXK6gWkSxxpWU5jpQ0rG3HYDSNqF48/s1600-h/l_a886464518a268fd9a457a5ab655f2cd.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 172px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMUiPjTbCaLqLmhxT04cP9lv1Mx5llgvsskLeFWLq9s8eJ2sBjd-RsGG95Xe3Q6k0BLSi_BJsUHNIzeSkNMs_5E1zlaf7TruOk8yjsJfQY3r0tUOXK6gWkSxxpWU5jpQ0rG3HYDSNqF48/s200/l_a886464518a268fd9a457a5ab655f2cd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394335293591330194" border="0" /></a>Ah, resistance. Don't you just love it? You know, when that annoying little inner critic screams at you that you're no good, you can't do it and you may as well just give up? I experienced this twice last week and am still suffering the consequences.<br /><br />On Saturday I went to a yoga workshop in Brighton taught by a world-renowned yoga teacher, Bhavani Maki. She was giving 5 masterclasses over the weekend and I chose to attend just one of them, entitled "Becoming Grounded - Standing and Balancing Poses". Now, I've been practicing Mysore style Ashtanga yoga 5 mornings a week for 5 months now and, although I still consider myself a beginner, I do feel I've developed a certain amount of strength and flexibility in my practice. So I was looking forward to a nice 3-hour workshop concentrating on some of the standing postures and developing my practice in a new way.<br /><br />But oh my God! This was the most intense yoga I had ever done and right from the beginning those whiny inner voices were shouting "I can't do this", "You're going to make me hurt myself", "I'm doing it wrong and you haven't even noticed". Of course I was blaming the teacher entirely; her unending enthusiasm and playful energy coupled with annoying Americanisms ("awesome", "that's great guys") just didn't cut the mustard for me or my foul mood that day. After my thighs and hips had been crying out in pain for what seemed like an eternity, and tears had begun to roll down my face, I decided enough was enough and walked out. Yes, I actually walked out. I don't think I've ever done that before but boy did it feel good!<br /><br />I found out later that The Partner, who has been a practising Ashtangi for over 3 years now, also found the workshop incredibly demanding. That didn't stop him from attending all 5 of the masterclasses though - what a fool! My thighs and buttocks are still feeling the effects from Saturday so I can't imagine how his are feeling.<br /><br />Wind the clock back 2 days and you find me in my Learning To Draw evening class. And oh yes, the resistance bears its ugly head again. But this time I give it what for and actually win the battle. So I'm sitting there, charcoal in hand, trying to draw the objects I've composed through my (rather shoddy home-made) viewfinder. And for the life of me I just can't get it right. The proportions are all wrong, nothing seems to fit together properly and I just can't bloody draw! I'm screaming inside and <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> want to just throw the paper out the window and storm out. But somehow I manage to keep going. By some miracle I manage to bring my focus back to the lesson in hand - seeing the shapes of the negative spaces around the objects. And hey presto, it actually worked! Part of my brain was still going "look at that, it's pathetic, it doesn't look anything like it's supposed to, you're no good at this" but its self-assuredness was lessening as it knew it was gradually being proved wrong.<br /><br />And, ok, so I'm still sulking over the art class and my thighs are still killing me, but wow what a good lesson I've learnt: resistance really <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> futile - just give up or get over it!Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-80003686916600008772009-10-14T02:24:00.000-07:002009-10-14T03:15:02.082-07:00More Tea Vicar?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3AgBopTb_SzQMe_pUu5t2FZwQXUJyaAJAFh8X2LPHJOIlr5BRD_S-LaNWmOWsE727jd8PCyHHJA2dM7X9dyuNUtLiH9sL_6IGlZBiJUDyWs11-CU1mA8zyfUwDiiDRltfkd4JfxgjeiWQ/s1600-h/6a00e008dadb798834010536d1ea58970c-800wi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3AgBopTb_SzQMe_pUu5t2FZwQXUJyaAJAFh8X2LPHJOIlr5BRD_S-LaNWmOWsE727jd8PCyHHJA2dM7X9dyuNUtLiH9sL_6IGlZBiJUDyWs11-CU1mA8zyfUwDiiDRltfkd4JfxgjeiWQ/s320/6a00e008dadb798834010536d1ea58970c-800wi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392397093187982258" border="0" /></a>Last week, The Partner was chatting to his friend on the phone. They were obviously trying to make an arrangement for something, as he kept asking me when we were free (yes, I am the walking diary). A date was agreed and they hung up. The Friend and his wife had invited us over for tea on Sunday. How lovely.<br /><br />Now you might think being invited round for tea would be a fairly casual affair; sitting around drinking tea, maybe eating a slice of cake or two. But not so with this particular friend. The next day I discovered a hand delivered, beautifully designed invitation to High Tea on our doorstep. And as if that wasn't enough, with it came a very descriptive menu full of wonderfully exotic teas, like Silver Needle White Tea, Monkey Picked Green Tea and Pu Erh Tea, which apparently gets better with age like vintage wines. We were asked to mark our first and second choices on the menu and post it back to The Friend in time for Sunday. I asked The Partner if this was a joke and was told it most certainly was not and I should regard the event with the utmost sincerity.<br /><br />The day of the High Tea arrived and we were greeted at The Friend's house by a simply breathtaking sight: a large table laid with the most exquisite art deco tea set you can imagine, complete with vintage lace napkins and delicate 1930s butter knives and cake forks. Antique cake stands and serving platters were adorned with cucumber sandwiches, mini onion tartlets, fresh fruit scones and even a fruit cake made by The Friend himself (a rare feat according to his wife's aunt apparently: "Fancy that! A man who can make a fruit cake!") On a sideboard near the table stood a proud display of beautifully ornate teapots and an array of different teas in packets, each with comprehensive instructions on the optimum brewing times and even temperatures. Instructions which were, of course, meticulously followed by The Friend and his new little helper, The Partner, now affectionately known as Chai Wala (or Tea Boy to be perfectly English).<br /><br />Well, what a delightful afternoon we had, sipping our way through cup after cup of delicious tea and daintily nibbling on the delicious homemade treats. Now that's what I call a real High Tea. The only thing is, the next time someone invites me round for a cuppa they'll have some rather high (tea) standards to live up to. Simply spiffing dahling!Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-9167894553830985662009-10-05T11:45:00.000-07:002009-10-05T12:21:32.472-07:00Sorting My Life Out<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybcTweJ-qvUZ_NDG4TBaur7U918K8htsGJbxyk6CXjY2z3I4AcpLG9jj4RuMQam9sG31xfHjgI-go4JIE_oz8b8qvJ1uHWUBJAjN-YR3y3DMWsU84giduEEN6tgKA-yfuGzXiZViC4wid/s1600-h/Carrie+Tree+-+The+Kitchen+Table.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybcTweJ-qvUZ_NDG4TBaur7U918K8htsGJbxyk6CXjY2z3I4AcpLG9jj4RuMQam9sG31xfHjgI-go4JIE_oz8b8qvJ1uHWUBJAjN-YR3y3DMWsU84giduEEN6tgKA-yfuGzXiZViC4wid/s200/Carrie+Tree+-+The+Kitchen+Table.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389197755669129122" border="0" /></a><br />I've just spent the weekend on a Life Coaching workshop at <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.evolutionarts.org.uk/">Evolution</a> in Brighton. It was a very interesting weekend that allowed me to take a closer look at myself and to re-evaluate my life and the direction it seems to be moving in. There were only 4 of us in the group (although there are usually 6-8 participants) who happened to be all female, so there was a very open, supportive atmosphere over the weekend - not that men aren't open or supportive, you understand, but I expect the energy would have been quite different if any had attended.<br /><br />The workshop was a mixture of writing exercises, visual exercises, role play and meditation via individual, partner and group work so it was very varied and interesting. We also read some Angel Cards and <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://peacefulrivers.homestead.com/thepowerofanimals.html">Medicine Cards</a> based on Native American wisdom - just for a bit of fun really, but I like stuff like that. At one point we had to think of a persona that embodies who we want to be or a type of personality that we can emanate to help us get through things in a different way. We had to walk like that person, then teach our partner how to walk like them too. I chose beautiful singer/songwriter <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.myspace.com/carrietree">Carrie Tree</a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);"> </span>so I was floating around the room, very calmly and rhythmically, with confidence and grace, softly smiling with my head held high - aah!<br /><br />Although much of the content and many of the exercises were very similar to what I'd been dealing with all through The Artist's Way, it was good to re-visit those issues and reaffirm where I'm at now. We also looked at some confidence boosting techniques and our coach, Christine Brown, recommended a book called <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Confidence-Booster-Workout-Beating-Self-doubt/dp/060060795X">Confidence Booster Workout</a> by Martin Perry, which I intend to buy as it's full of interesting exercises and has lots of brightly coloured pages (that's the real reason)! <br /><br />Chris also runs weekly courses, 1-to-1 sessions and a Saturday morning group in Life Coaching. See her website at <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.innerbalanceyoga.co.uk/lifecoaching/">Inner Balance</a> or the Evolution website for more info.Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-47321508562227249252009-09-24T04:43:00.000-07:002009-10-19T08:38:51.459-07:00Wild Hearts & Sweet Dreams<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV82826WSY1tjekZ03nAMGCvWmmBe7uKqfbch91OXMQLb-AKoAJgMx-rGJYKomzaa2-RS7po7eMetwBJ3M4dpiOQXzUxcRxavT-iiAC0gsEINhe3seLycpxjOGZKEMjESnZCyHBdYUroP4/s1600-h/P1010197.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV82826WSY1tjekZ03nAMGCvWmmBe7uKqfbch91OXMQLb-AKoAJgMx-rGJYKomzaa2-RS7po7eMetwBJ3M4dpiOQXzUxcRxavT-iiAC0gsEINhe3seLycpxjOGZKEMjESnZCyHBdYUroP4/s200/P1010197.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385000074315264450" border="0" /></a>My partner and I went to the <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.wildheartgathering.com/">Wild Heart Gathering</a> last weekend, an intimate camp-out in the heart of Sussex, where we took part in singing workshops, 5 Rhythms, <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.authenticself.co.uk/">Enlightenment Intensives</a>, ritual storytelling, listening to talks by very inspiring people and watching some great live music, such as <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.myspace.com/avalonrootsmusic">Avalon Roots</a>.<br /><br />The event is described as neither a festival nor a retreat and the emphasis is on a coming together and sense of community. There were a lot of raw food practitioners there and a strong shamanistic/Celtic influence, with the founders of <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.spirithorse.co.uk/">Spirit Horse</a> leading many of the workshops as well as the closing ceremony on the Sunday, the main focal event of the gathering.<br /><br />The site is beautiful, with enchanted woods, a lake to swim in and a cosy barn hosting the main events. My favourite bit was sitting in the sauna - a proper wooden sauna I might add - before running down the hill to jump in the freezing cold lake, having a tranquil swim whilst being serenaded with sweet guitar music, and then doing it all over again!<br /><br />Oh and if you're wondering what the "sweet dreams" refers to, a few days ago I apparently woke up in the middle of the night, said "cupcake" out loud and then went back to sleep again. Bizarre!Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-60500977409575049572009-09-17T03:10:00.000-07:002009-09-17T03:46:53.265-07:00Faces, Places, Bits 'n' Pieces<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNb1kq29HDxnVY3AVw6koHP0eVvJuJpr3Xc0REXQlqcsOWNDzP6BrOLCbLMsmXwTNheU_Xbezg1v5U-wjDrPzmqQp4dFC5ovbGzPWLAlmuTHGPKlJhQKOKG6O62SIVxftQcDGnsB9f4tJs/s1600-h/deckchair_may07_rex_350.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 143px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNb1kq29HDxnVY3AVw6koHP0eVvJuJpr3Xc0REXQlqcsOWNDzP6BrOLCbLMsmXwTNheU_Xbezg1v5U-wjDrPzmqQp4dFC5ovbGzPWLAlmuTHGPKlJhQKOKG6O62SIVxftQcDGnsB9f4tJs/s200/deckchair_may07_rex_350.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382385030302401490" border="0" /></a>I thought I'd tell you a nice summery story today, seeing as we're all desperately trying to avoid the inevitable onset of autumn. A couple of weeks ago I was on the beach with my partner - I know, actually sunbathing on the beach only a couple of weeks ago, can you believe it? Being a South African who's only used to dazzlingly white, babysoft sandy beaches, he usually rents one of those green foam mattresses when we go to Brighton beach (well, Hove actually), while I bravely endure the painful bed of pebbles like a true Brit.<br /><br />The way the mattress system works is that there's a pile of them on every beach, along with deckchairs, parasols and the elusive sunloungers. You help yourself to what you fancy, then a little while later a friendly man comes along and asks for your money. But the amazing thing is, no matter how many times we've done this, whether on a quiet Wednesday afternoon in spring or on a manically busy weekend at the height of summer, this man (yes, always the same one) never fails to approach us for the money and has never asked us twice. Not once. Ever.<br /><br />We've often wondered how on earth he keeps track of the hoards of people who constantly borrow his beachware throughout the day. So, finally, we asked him. And his answer was "Faces, places, bits 'n' pieces". Basically, he has a photographic memory and uses visual cues to remember who is sitting where on the beach, e.g. the tattooed man with the white baseball cap, the couple with the orange baby buggy, etc. But what if they move, we asked? Well, he assigns several cues to each person based on their location, appearance and who they're with. Fascinating, eh!<br /><br />And guess what cue he assigned to us? That's easy, he said, how could he forget the man lying on the nice comfortable mattress while his poor girlfriend suffered on the stones beside him?! Ha!Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4492471402880663770.post-53944817175759301022009-09-14T07:19:00.000-07:002009-10-19T08:39:53.237-07:00I'm Officially Published!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-naM13-yDDZXoEFUyAHy5schlWiDrNP2zgmyon1rbowaqensoiXAijaSOCA2NpHecw2p015RtUwx-mx_Pzy8tuJppAyYj8dQyKDtYqksnemUfIfDKotW94JljgmMvPUZQBPU-18TCx1M/s1600-h/letterwriting2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 132px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-naM13-yDDZXoEFUyAHy5schlWiDrNP2zgmyon1rbowaqensoiXAijaSOCA2NpHecw2p015RtUwx-mx_Pzy8tuJppAyYj8dQyKDtYqksnemUfIfDKotW94JljgmMvPUZQBPU-18TCx1M/s200/letterwriting2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381331231190830450" border="0" /></a><br />Well, ok, it's not an actual article (yet), but The Guardian Weekend Magazine did print my letter on Saturday 12th September. You can read the letter <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/sep/12/readers-letters-guardian-weekend">here</a>.<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/sep/12/readers-letters-guardian-weekend"></a><br /><br />Yes I know it's only 3 lines long, but they do edit them you know. The full letter (which was obviously a bit wordy/irrelevant/downright boring) went something like this:<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >I enjoyed reading about Jon Ronson's ordeal at the Beano offices until I got to his sexist comment about the "Beano boy". What about the Beano girls? I used to read The Beano religiously every week, even joined the Fan Club, and as far as I can tell I'm definitely female. Incidentally, my Granny also makes a version of Marmite toast (Family, p.7), but the buttered and Marmited slices are cooked in her Aga for a crispy, healthy and vegetarian (no beef dripping in sight) yummy treat. Oh and thanks to Robert Griffin for sending in the photo of a sunset lit promenade shelter in Hove - the very one at which my fiance recently proposed to me and which we've aptly named Betrothal Bench! </span><br /></span><br />So, it may only be a small hurdle I've crossed but I am officially published and it feels great! Well, you've got to start somewhere....Seaside Scribblerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06558855811042683557noreply@blogger.com0