Photos and updates of the work we have put in to developing our Victorian home

Monday, January 31, 2005

Sex laws

OMG

I was stunned this morning about the story of the 25-year-old waitress who turned down a job providing "sexual services" at a brothel in Berlin, who faces possible cuts to her unemployment benefit under laws introduced this year.
W.T.F. is that all about. Surely, they can not be serious.
I can honestly say here and now that i am not a violent person, but if anyone tried to force me into the sex industry i would thump them so hard that they wouldn't be able to say it, let alone sample it.
I honestly can not believe that the story is true. It is doubly wrong because most women wouldn't dream of visiting a prostitute for sex, so why should they be forced to be one.
Does this mean that if there was a demand for male prostitues, men would be pressured to work in the same way?

I think i might go to Berlin and start-up the biggest gay brothel for men ever and head to the job centre looking for new employees. Let's see how they like that one!

Sunlight

I woke up this morning to daylight. I'd almost forgotten what that feels like. I haven't seen my home in daylight for weeks. Not that i live in the arctic circle or anything, rather i work long days and spend my weekends at my boyfriend's house.
It has made a huge difference to my day already.
I didn't have to leave the house in darkness, have to scrape ice off my windscreen, shuffle through dingy Croydon to join the ranks of people trying to get somewhere before 9 a.m all in an overhanging gloom.
No, the days are definitely getting longer and the reality of tangoing home with the light fantastic isn't far away.

Yay!

/paints toe nails ready for flip-flops

Thursday, January 27, 2005

Radio shows

I listen to XFM every day.
I particularly enjoy the breakfast show with Christian O'Connell and Chris Smith. The amount of effort that they put into their shows as well as the obvious enjoyment they get from doing them never fails to impress me. From their 'Rock School' gigs to rewriting of theme tunes of popular television shows and their sexline rodeo feature, they always make me laugh.
Just recently however, i was slated for listening to OC and told that 'Wogan is best'. Being broadminded, i decided last week to tune into a few of his breakfast shows to see what the fuss is about. What a HUGE disappointment it was. I am a lover of music and prefer listening to a station that offers 'new' music rather than regurgitating the same old stuff that i didn't like when it was first released.
With XFM i get to listen to the likes of Queens Of The Stone Age, Kaiser Chiefs and Athlete. Wogan's offering this morning was The Lighthouse Family. No contest in my book.
Maybe i just need some rock in the mornings to get me in the mood for the day.

I also love Lauren Laverne who does the drive time show in the evenings. Utmost respect to her for being not only very funny and very beautiful but also for possessing a large music knowledge.

On her playlist this week has been: Roots Manuva - 'Colossal Insight'.
What a tune that is! It has to be my single of the week. I love the way he writes and approaches his lyrics, allowing his truly unique British sound to come out.
Excellent stuff.

Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Board meetings

The best thing about board meetings at work is the food that comes out of them. I am sitting here eating the remains of a bowl of crisps and it is anyones guess what flavour they all started life as.
Mmmmmm, vinegary-bacony-cheesy potato goodness :)

Tuesday, January 25, 2005

Anatomy for beginners

Last night i watched the first installment of 'Anatomy for beginners' on Channel Four. It was quite unnerving. Seeing a human body being skinned from head to toe is probably one of the strangest things i have ever witnessed as accompanying the shedding of the skin, the life and soul were stripped also. The body transgressed from human to 'meat' before my eyes and all that was left was a large piece of young leather in the shape of a leotard. Very odd.
It was one of those programs that made me want to watch and yet turn off at the same time but i am glad i sat through it.

I always remember as a child the day i found out i had a skeleton inside me. It freaked me right out and i remember sitting in front of the mirror and pulling my mouth apart to expose my gums and teeth to help me imagine what was inside. I am sure everyone remembers equal fascination with their own bodies in youth and probably not just involving their skeletons ;)

I appreciate that there is alot of resistance to Dr Gunther von Hagens work, (or Herr Cutt as he is known in my house). I personally struggle to call him an artist as strategically placing an umbrella on a cadaver, (as seen in the 'Body Worlds' exhibition), hardly constitues art to me.
I felt that the 'art' of the exhibition was in him challenging the way you 'see' (John Berger), by revealing something that is usually hidden, rather than the work itself. There is obviously an art to surgery but does that make every surgeon an artist?

However, the debate as to whether the TV program 'Anatomy for Beginners' should have been made public, seems redundant to me. We all have a body and in a world where we are clandestine about very little, it seems to be strange to try and shelter the general public from learning more about 'themselves'.



Monday, January 24, 2005

DVDs

I love buying DVDs, in fact, it has become a side of myself that i need to 'watch' a little. For this reason, i always love a good DVD freebie, something that seems to be prevalent in the Sunday newspapers at the moment.

This weeks offer was 'A River Runs Through It', directed by Robert Redford. It is the story of two fly-fishing sons of a Presbyterian minister, one of whom is well educated, the other who is wild and rebellious, who grow up in rural Montana. When i got my copy this week i was elated as it is a film i would have bought at some point anyway, having seen it and enjoyed it a few times before.

Last night, when i got in, i didn't wait to put the film on and get lost in the gentle flow of life by the river. What makes the film so memorable (and magical in my opinion), is the natural beauty it depicts and the way it manages to communicate a deep sense of spirituality and connection to the landscape in which it is set. As the title suggests, the (Blackfoot) river really does flow through not only the home of our heroes but also their hearts and souls. A priceless legacy from their father. The film ends on a less joyous note but for the most part it is satisfyingly relaxing.

Too often these days, films thrust us into dark, noisy worlds of violence and despair. 'A River Runs Through It' is more akin to taking a walk in the sun. By saying this i am not in anyway suggesting that i only watch 'gentle' films. I have my macabre side like everyone and probably enjoy dark films more so than most women i know. It's just that sometimes you need a bit of quiet.
It's a bit like opting to watch 'Countdown' at 4 a.m, when on every other channel there is some cop show.

Houses again!

I am currently waiting to hear whether the house i have made an offer on is mine. It's a large Victorian house in Leeds that needs a fair bit of work doing to it. My twin sister lives in Leeds, so we plan to move back in together, the first time in 17 years. I can't wait :) What makes the situation even better is that my boyfriend wants to come too. So all being well, we will all be in Leeds by the end of the summer.
As i said, the house needs some work doing to it before we can move in. The whole place is pristine, in the sense that it hasn't ever had much done to it so is almost totally original. As a result, i will have to get the whole thing rewired and central heating put in. Other jobs include taking out the floor joists from the galley kitchen and replacing them as they are rotten and then fitting a new kitchen. The good news is that the roof report came back with only £400 worth of damage. Result.
Fortunately, i have been saving for some time now to be able to afford to do this as has my sister, so we have the cash to perform most of the repairs as soon as we can get a builder in. Never-the-less, i find myself switching between feeling completely mad to even consider such a project and totally blown-away excited.
It is a big move that i am contemplating as i currently live and work in Croydon. Not only does this move involve buying and repairing this house but i will also need to find another job and coordinate all of that into my plans. I am fortunate in having alot of friends who are willing to help me out. Some who have said that i am welcome to stay with them rent free to help me save a bit of extra cash to provide a buffer to job hunt with.
The things worth having in life are those things that require some effort. The cliche 'Feel the fear and do it anyway' comes to mind.
Bring it on!

Saturday, January 22, 2005

Houses

I might be buying one....eeep!

Thursday, January 20, 2005

Today i am mostly loving:

Mogwai - Hunted by a freak.

Everytime i see that Film four advert i stop what i am doing and listen.
Absolutely brilliant.


Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Tsunami 'victim' safe in prison

Just to prove that there is a bright side to everything, the story of Mark Steven Doogue versus the South East Asian earthquake made me laugh heartily yesterday.

It seems that Mark told his friends and family that he was off to Phuket in Thailand on a three-month holiday. After saying his goodbyes to his family the tsunami struck and the family thought they had lost him. 'Fortunately', Mark had actually gone to prison on a three month stretch. Police had to issue a photograph of him to his sons when they thought he was missing, to prove his whereabouts.

Fantastic story.
What are the chances of that then?

It reminds me of the story of the guy who was meant to be in the twin towers of the World Trade Centre on 9/11. His wife thought she had lost him until it transpired that he was not in work at that time, rather he was in bed with his mistress instead. Unfortunately for him, the story didn't have such a happy ending - his wife left him shortly afterwards.

Still, it's interesting to think that with the current trend of regular 'acts of God', that the secret lives of many people will be disclosed. And with that, it is safe to think that even in the worst of tragedies, there will always be something to laugh about.



Monday, January 10, 2005

Tsunami ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Following the tsunami on boxing day in South East Asia, I have been watching the world react to the devastation it has caused. Most of us have contributed to the massive amount of money that has been pledged from around the world. I have been bowled-over by the generosity of everybody.
This past weekend, British terrestrial television aired a number of programmes addressing the issues of global warming and natural disasters illustrating the threat nature and the weather poses on us today.
I sat there pondering afterwards on what would happen if the majority of the 'developed' world had been hit by such a tragedy. Where would we get our aid from and could we be in a situation where in the aftermath of such a disaster, the only countries not affected, don't have the infrastructure or the resources to perform any emergency operation.
Surely, with the threat of natural disasters occurring more often, we need to organise a global contingency fund rather than rely on charitable donations.
I'm no politician and wouldn't even like to suggest how we could go about organising such a thing, but it seems like common sense to me.


Wednesday, January 05, 2005

New Years resolutions

Resolution #1: Despite receiving a new 'work' phone before Christmas that has an inbuilt camera, i haven't as yet managed to update my moblog. Best get on with that asap. I have been holding off buying a new digi-cam as i have been saving for a big purchase, which is...
Resolution #2: Buy a house! I have been looking to move 'north' to Leeds from London. I can't afford to buy around here as i am looking to buy on my own. I plan to buy one with my sister.
Resolution #3:Make some art. I've been real busy of late.
Resolution #4: Do more sport. I love yoga and love swimming but again have been finding less and less time to do these things recently.
Resolution #5: Re-address my work / life balance in order to facillitate actually doing some of the above. I have a fulltime job as well as providing support for a few small companies in the evenings. I work alot.

New Year!

Well, that is another Christmas over and very nice it was too. New Year was amusing also. It was the first time that i have stayed in since i have been old enough to go out.
I have been sad at my inability to blog as i have been in the boonies with my dad. He now has a computer which is quite a feat i can tell you, but 'dial-up hell' has prevented me from spending too much time online.
However, i am happy to report that on day two of the new working year, i am feeling rather groovy and positive and, dare i say it, optimistic for the year ahead.
Woo and a yay to me!
Two weeks off does you the power of good!