RIP Brittany (May a Lesson be Learned)

So, the inevitable news has come out today. Much as I wished it not to be the case, it seems that prescription drugs may have had a part to play in the premature death of the beautiful actress Brittany Murphy - a personal favourite of mine.

She may not have been the most well-known, adored or awarded actress, but she was diverse, beautiful, and pretty damn cool. Clueless was a cultural phenomenon of its time, the same can be be said about 8-Mile (apparently Eminem requested her personally), and - being a dance music fan - her vocal collaboration with Paul Oakenfold on Faster Kill Pussycat worked really well: not at all cheesy or predictable; it really gave her another edge.

I'm not the biggest fan of all things Americana, to say the least; much less the whole 'Hollywood' charade. I feel that a country as wealthy and powerful as the US has a certain responsibility to the rest of us, to lead by example. The apparent self-obsessed culture, intensified in 'glamourous' Hollywood circles, just doesn't sit right with me - it's unhealthy and it makes me feel uncomfortable. There are far more pressing issues to be thinking about (and spending all those dollars on) than how low your BMI can go, or which wrinkle-fillers last longest.

I hope that America has had a loud wake-up call to its unethical (and unnecessary) medical practices this year. It's ironic that the immense 'fame' that drives stars such as Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger and Brittany Murphy to use drugs in the first place, can also be used for good - to highlight the issues and improve the system.

Thank God for the NHS. Thank God for Obama and his healthcare overhaul bill. RIP Brittany.

Let It Snow

Being a self-confessed nature-nut, and meteorological fanatic, I totally appreciate the delicate balance of the changing seasons and the differing weather conditions they bring; especially in a highly changeable temperate climate like ours. We're lucky, really, to witness scorching hot summers AND freezing winters. Yes, really. But despite all my good intentions, I do prefer the feel of warm sunshine on my skin to the cold air; and I HATE the rain: it's just so damn miserable. 

But snow is different. Snow is a bloody good reason for it to be cold, and makes it all worthwhile (for me). It's a rare treat, that is beautiful to look at - whether you live in a picturesque village, like me, or not - and seems to bring out the child in everyone, not to mention creating a bond between strangers: who stop to discuss and admire the freak weather conditions in the street/shop/wherever. But this is the rose-tinted, romantic view, just like that of our 'long, hot summers'. In reality, of course, it's quite different. 

I woke up the other morning to a quiet, calm, and magical snow-covered world - much earlier than our usual February/March dusting. I had every intention of making a snowman (and blogging him, of course), but by the time I was up and warmly dressed, the sun was out and the snow melting, fast, along with my inclination. Over the course of the next day or two the cold weather remained, and the patches of snow left hardened and crystallised. Not so attractive. This morning brought patches of dangerous black ice, more freezing wind, then rain, then sleet, then great flakes of snow. I didn't dare hope it would settle again, not with the ground so wet, but it did. The world was once again covered in a soft, white blanket, full of promise and wonder... until it stopped snowing and started sleeting, then raining. 

The result? Our most common snow condition: slush. Grey, wet, no fun at all, and here to stay for a few more days. Very festive. 

Snap Happy

I'd just like to point out that most of the photos uploaded on here are taken with my phone. Fair enough, it's a decent 8.1 megapixel camera, but still no match for the real thing.
Unfortunately some 'orrible pikey gypsy stole all of our things in Spain this summer, for the Benicassim music festival in ... Benicassim. Despite the ensuing insurance payout, I've not so far managed to replace my trusty Olympus compact - partly because I am also looking to upgrade to a digital SLR, which costs (and I haven't got a real job). So I do my best with the phone, and The Wizard's standard Nikon Coolpix. Therefore, apologies for the quality of some; but you can imagine the genius that would be revealed through a more sophisticated lens...

A camera (of any sort) is high on my Christmas wish-list, and the only guess I had at my present from the Wiz; but I've since found out from a close friend that this is not what I shall be unwrapping on Christmas day. Damn my interfering questioning, that always threatens to ruin the surprise of Christmas/birthday presents! I just can't help myself! And now I'm even more concerned with that shape under the tree! 

Legless

Duvet cover by Primark; pyjamas by Gap:

The Foot's on the Other Foot

5.30am, Christmas Day, 2008: The Wizard is curled up on the sofa in his mum's front room. I am at this point nursing a hangover that can only have been sent by the devil himself. With a very limited amount of sleep under my belt I attempt to unwrap presents that I can barely even focus on.

As I make my way through the usual pile of socks, underwear and sweets, my young brother begins to snigger. Now, usually I would take this as a sign that something was afoot, but due to the fragile nature of my poor little head I overlooked this and continued to unwrap. I came to the penultimate present, small in size. 'Probably another bag of sweets', I thought. Oh, how I couldn't have been further from the truth! 

As I peeled back the layers of paper, I soon found sitting on my lap the most common of Christmas gifts: a goose's foot. Webbed, wet and grey, complete with tendons hanging from the end. My brother was doubled over in hysterics; the joke was lost on me. I was far too hungover to appreciate the comedy value of receiving a fowl foot for Christmas.

So this year the foot is on the other foot! This Christmas morn my young brother shall peel back the layers of wrapping on his very own animals foot - a pig's trotter. Available from your local butcher for around 50 pence...

 

Winter Wonderland

Another article published on www.wideworldmag.co.uk - I'm on the front page this time!

This is a list feature of 10 snow-bound activities you can do right here in the UK - including skiing, snowboarding, dog-sledding, bobsleigh and ice swimming. Better for the economy than jetting off abroad; better for the environment.
And perfectly timed to coincide with next week's weather forecasts. (Snow? In the south of England? In December? Bring it on!)

Read it here: http://www.wideworldmag.co.uk/features/winter-wonderland-uk

Baby's First Christmas

mFinished the last of my Christmas shopping today with Lorna, Gemma and baby Thomas. I ended up last-minute late-night shopping with the Wizard last night, as we both got let down by friends for other plans, so I got a lot of my shopping out of the way then as I wasn't sure how Thomas would cope today; but he was great! Fast asleep all day, only waking up twice to be fed. What a life!
He's going to be a good little boy I can tell. He's a really happy baby and doesn't really cry much - when he does it's more of a squeak than a scream. He knows when he's hungry, and he's hungry right on cue, so it's great that Gemma can plan things around that.
No wonder he was asleep all day wearing this cosy reindeer outfit. I want one.

Pre-Historic

My 'Jurassic Coast' article has just been published on www.wideworldmag.co.uk; all about our very own Devon and Dorset coastline - a UNESCO world heritage site and very important stockpile of historical evidence. I'm really proud of this one; it took me the best part of a day to write, after speaking to various paleontologists and historians, and it was well worth it.

Read it here: http://www.wideworldmag.co.uk/features/the-dinosaur-coast

Basically the reason this 95-mile stretch of our coastline is so important is because 185 million years of rock layers are available here, spanning the entire Mesozoic era. In other important paleontological areas, such as South America, one must travel sometimes hundreds of miles to reach the next rock layer. Because the British Isles are tipping towards the East, as the Atlantic continues to expand, older layers of rock are pushing up along this western shore all the time, and then also being eroded by the widening English Channel, exposing priceless exhibits which hold the key to the Earth's 4.5 billion-year past.

I found this tool really beneficial in getting my head around the huge timescale we are looking at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geologic_time_scale

It is interesting to note that during the Jurassic period, the Earth was much warmer. There were no ice caps whatsoever, and atmospheric carbon was at 5 times today's levels. Interesting when trying to attribute a measly 50 years of human industrial action to climate change, huh? Disatrous consequences for the human race perhaps, but I'm sure the planet will survive and evolve as it has for 4.5 billion years...

Climate Demo - The Wave

I've literally just got back from the middle of the 50,000 strong crowd in London today; creating 'The Wave' in support of measures to reduce human-influenced climate change, being discussed at the Copenhagen talks next week.

I'm still fired up. It was something I've never experienced before, and the atmosphere was immense.

For all the bad press the climate change data has received this week, the overall trend is strongly aimed at a hotter, more volatile and pressing future. Whether that's human-related or not, now is the time to take a step back and review at our consumer habits. We need to think fairly and sustainably for the long term success of our unique and diverse world.
That's what I think.

Watch out for the The Wave on the news later, and find out more here:

www.stopclimatechaos.org/the-wave

www.the-wave.org.uk

Check out the rest of my photos at:

www.flickr.com/photos/pinchypinchy/

Ahh... Employed at Last...

I swear I'm a little bit psychic. Sometimes weird things happen, like I know what someone's going to say next, and I'm always having dejá vu.
Anyway, I dreamt the other night that I worked at the local convenience store/corner shop; and it's come true! After that dream, I handed in my CV and they told me they had nothing available, but would call if anything came up. I pretty much wrote it off there and then as I've heard similar things so many times now. But the owner called me yesterday as an opening had come up; I went for a trial shift today, and now have 24 hours a week in paid employment!
I'm so relieved. I know its only working in a crummy shop (actually I've been going there all my life, which is weird, and it's a great shop! It's just had a huge extension, and is a real lifeline to some people who can't get to the town centre) but the timing couldn't be better for Christmas spending money, and it's not exactly hard work. I reckon it's gonna be quite fun. I've already surprised some well-known locals by being there, and there's many more to come.
Funnily enough, I've just received a survey from the University about my employment status. I'll be sure to fill it in truthfully!

Nutty as a Fruitcake

This year's Christmas cake?..... Done!
Ever since I got interested in cooking, about age 11, I've made the family Christmas cake every year (minus the few years at uni, where I had much more 'important' things to be doing).
It should be done this early, a month or two in advance, to allow the flavours to settle and develop. This year I went for a really sticky version, with black treacle and plenty of brandy. It's a BBC recipe this time, amended slightly according to taste, of course (meaning more brandy and no mixed peel - I hate it).
So, after nearly four hours in the oven (the house smelled amazing), it's all wrapped up in greaseproof paper and foil, only to be opened to top up with brandy, and to be decorated. Which is where I've come unstuck.
Annual cakes means annual designs. I've done stars, snowflakes, presents, snowmen, angels, even penguin! You name it, I've done it, so I'm keeping my eyes peeled for inspiration. The Wizard thinks a snowman version of his halloween Jack-O-Lantern (see previous post) would be cool, but he thinks it should have a 3D carrot nose, which I'm a little dubious of! Anything symmetrical would be good, as the cake is to travel between various family members at Christmas, so wouldn't look as good if half the picture disappeared.

Maybe I'll just get loads of edible glitter and go crazy.

The Shepherdess

It's been ultra-quiet on the job front, even with my newfangled job-hunting spreadsheet to keep track of things, so I booked myself in on a careers fair down in Brighton. It's specifically media-related, with lots of big companies to talk to about finding a way in to the industry. I also paid a fiver to get my portfolio checked out by the media professionals.
I was quite looking forward to a constructive afternoon on the seafront, so I was pretty surprised yesterday when a London agency phoned me to come to London and register, as they wanted to put me in for two interviews today!
I have been considering working in London lately, and have always wanted to give it a bash. I'm lucky enough to have family there who I could stay with until I got on my feet; failing that, it's about a 90 minute commute. So I dropped everything, borrowed the train fare, warned my Nan I was coming to stay, and bolted up to Oxford Street to be 'prepped' for interview.
I didn't get either job; even after being called back this afternoon for a second interview. I got the call on the train home. Hey, at least they're efficient with the feedback!

So I missed out on Brighton, and on the job, but broadened my horizons somewhat today. I'll put it all down to experience and keep thinking positively!

The best part of this exhausting day? Finding the gem that is The Shepherdess cafe on City Road. Proper grub, proper cheap, proper cuppa, proper caff. All newspapers available for your perusal, and I even charged my phone. Recommended.

Jubilation Graduation

What a weekend. What a graduation! I can barely see the screen... I slept 14 hours last night and I'm still tired - and feeling a mixture of emotions at the same time.
I'm happy that I had a great weekend and it all went smoothly, a little bit proud of myself, relieved that the ceremony's over, sad that this chapter is all over, nostalgic, hungover, drained, brain-dead, and looking forward to the future (STILL, even though it's been five months looking for work now. Just proves my positive persona I guess). And I wouldn't change a second of it.

What really got my nerves going wasn't getting up in front of 400-or-so peers, and their nearest and dearest, to receive my degree. I was more worried about my Mum and Dad being in the same room for the first time after 5 years of divorce. First-born daughter in the middle or what! But as it turns out, they were fine (well, polite and civil) and my tummy was churning all morning at the thought of that stage. Somehow when you're up there, queuing, it seems about three miles wide.

The ceremony provides the university with the ultimate opportunity to show off. I've never seen, or heard of, the Chancellor in my life, and can only vaguely recall the name of the Vice Chancellor. Yet they gave prolific speeches, gushing about how proud they are of us - when really all they're proud of is the amount of cold hard cash going into their pockets and the 'targets' they are achieving. Although they were quite convincing, they've given the same speeches all week at the other ceremonies, so us students could see right through their flimsy disguise. All the parents were impressed though, so they just about pulled it off.

So then we all went and got horribly drunk - spending a lot of money in the process, seeing as we don't live in town anymore so had to fork out for hotels, and pay full price for drinks instead of Tuesday night specials like £1-a-pint. The 'graduate discount card' provided by the uni was useless, only allowing 10% off 'selected' drinks at 'selected' places (not at 'fun' places).

The Graduation Ball was OK, but not worth the £30 ticket price. Freddie and the Freeloaders were good, in a predictable, easy-listening kind of way, but Does It Offend You, Yeah! were absolutely awful - not party music at all! Mistajam mashed together a good mix of old and new, and the Infamous Request Junkies have never failed to please our ears at student nights all through uni. At least the DJs gave us lot the chance to rave away at the front together for one last time... If it wasn't for all our friends (including The Wiz's rowdy lot), it wouldn't have been half as good.

Sunday saw a late breakfast at an indie bar in town. Breakfast club there lasts until 2pm, but had never been experienced by any of us. Not really surprising that you don't consider an indie bar when considering breakfast. Anyway, for £4 it was bloody good. Even if it took a while as the barman cooked it all from scratch (we left him a good tip).

The rest of the day was spent lazing around in pubs watching football, and the rest, as they say, is history...

Your Suite in Nature

I've been busy writing articles for www.wideworldmag.co.uk - an online outdoor sports/adventure magazine.
It's unpaid work, but great to see my writing in print (on screen!).  At the moment most pieces are short and newsy, but I hope to be writing longer features for them soon.

Here's the best so far (well, certainly the most interesting):

This is the "Opera" trailer tent, designed by Axel Enthoven of the Academy of Industrial Design in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. It boasts two luxury beds, that slide together at the touch of a button, hot and cold running water, warm air heating, a mobile cooker and an espresso bar. All finished in luxury stainless steel, leather and hardwood, yet it still comes with the unbeatable feeling of sleeping under canvas. Available 2010.

Read my article here:  http://www.wideworldmag.co.uk/news/trailer-tent-that-sings

Jack-O-Lantern

Haven't done one of these bad boys for many a year, but when a woman from work asked each of us attending her halloween shindig to carve up a pumpkin, it was only right that I show off a bit. After a little internet research for ideas I settled on Jack Skellington from Tim Burton's Disney film The Nightmare Before Christmas. Being as Jack is the Pumpkin King of Halloween it seemed a fitting honor.

After quickly sketching on the facial features here I am, moments before almost taking my hand clean off with the kitchen knife. Note: Just because your 24 doesn't mean you shouldn't have an adult present! Oh and check out the bargain jumper we found when clearing out Pinchy's loft, who needs to spend £30 in Topman when you can pick up dusty items like these right above your nose.

Luckily I escaped with only a small nick to the palm of my left hand, but it was well worth it. Feast your eyes on this beauty!

Lasagnarama

Following a recent drunken suggestion by my friend Biz, I had a few friends over for 'Lasagna Night' last night. I'm chuffed as I think that was my best lasagna yet! I think the secret was using real butter instead of crappy 'spread'... Biz brought a homemade salad that was gorgeously fresh and complemented the 'sagna perfectly, and we had Mars and Snickers ice cream bars for pudding! The couple of bottles of red I got bought went down rather well, too.
It made a nice change from going to the pub: it's cheaper, sociable, fun, and we all get a turn playing host(ess).

Dining in the Living Room

Day two of the exhibition, and what I hoped for, happened. We had dinner at The Living Room, an awesome restaurant off Regent Street that I went to a few years ago, and have always wanted to go back.
It ticks all the right boxes for me: atmosphere, price, food (of course), decor, portion size, staff, wine... all excellent here.
I had dauphinoise potatoes that were so good I could eat them forever, with pork medley: a fillet wrapped in cured ham, ham hock stew and sweet and sour pork belly, and The Wizard had roasted duck breast with fresh, spicy noodles and crisp mange-tout. Just the right sized portions that filled us up but left us wanting more at the same time.
I'm so glad we went; glad that the food is being claimed back on Wiz's expenses, and that it didn't disappoint. It remains high on my top restaurant list and I'll be looking forward to next time.

Meet and Greet

I'm in London, back working alongside The Wizard for a few days. We first met while working in the same pub at uni, and now he's got me a few days (paid!) work at a security technology exhibition that he has been busy organising at work.
I'm the first port of call: meeting and greeting clients, dishing out their name badges and goody bags and pointing them in the right direction. It was good today, at least three times more clients through the door than last year, but I got sick of printing name labels pretty quickly. How is it that I can work a computer in so many ways, but when it comes to printing there is so much that can go wrong?
I've got a gorgeous old desk to sit at, with an expensive vase of fresh lilies, and people keep coming out and offering me chocolate, so it's not all bad.
It's nice to just get away for a couple of days, even if the accommodation is this basic and the view uninspiring. At least the room, food and travel are paid for. And its always a laugh when travelling with my sidekick/partner in crime.

Old Bag

Another day, another 'green conference', this time at the Sustainability Centre in a rural village near home. It has it's own woodland burial site, a campsite with tee-pees and yurts, a coffee shop (that served us amazing organic chickpea and spinach curry for lunch) and a publishing office, from where several 'green' books are published as well as a quarterly magazine called 'Permaculture', all about living sustainably. Right up my street then, as that's pretty much the same content as Thrift - the magazine we created at university. I wandered in and showed my interest, offering my services for free should they ever need it, and have emailed my CV over...

Delegates received a goody bag at the end of the day, and I had to fight to get a spare one. It wasn't the contents I wanted, but the bag itself; beautifully crafted from recycled water bottles and scrap fabric by Paulina in Ghana, who pinned her name into the bag for me:

Graduation Official

I've just booked my mortar board, gown hire and official photographs for my graduation on 6th November - a grand total of £90! Not to mention the cost of Grad Ball tickets, hotel, dress, dinner, etc...
But it's going to be such a good weekend: everyone I ever met at uni, wrapping it up in style. The Wiz's football/next-door neighbour mates are all graduating the same day aswell so it's double the fun, and the Grad Ball line-up looks awesome: Freddie and the Freeloaders will be providing live, brassy motown and soul, and Does It Offend You, Yeah? are providing the grunge, before Mistajam takes over the decks with our local weekly favourites, the Infamous Request Junkies. (partypartypartypartyparty)

Maybe I'll be more employable once the degree's official... and with the new brunette hairdo I'm contemplating...

School Trip

Today I helped with an event at a nearby agricultural college, as part of my internship. Selected 'eco-warrior' pupils from local secondary schools came together for a day of activities aimed at raising awareness of their individual carbon footprints, particularly where food is concerned.
They had to work out the agricultural, transportation and manufacturing processes of a pre-packaged bacon sandwich, build a model hydrogen fuel cell car and work out their carbon footprint online; but of course their favourite part of the day was visiting the piglets!
It was exhausting, and the smell of the pigs really put me off eating my lunch; but the kids were so encouragingly positive, and had really sound ideas to put into practice when they got back to school. I still have the utmost respect for their teachers though, who gently steer 30 unruly children in the right direction all day, every day.

(Not a lot to do with my media-related internship really, but I guess that's just the nature of a charity organisation...)

It's a Boy!

Happy Birthday Gemma! And what better present to get than your very own BABY! Haha, I KNEW that today would be the day; I suppose if your due date is so close to your birthday you have to wonder...

So he's a beautiful baby boy, called Thomas, born at 8.50 this morning after just four hours labour with only gas and air for comfort! I'm so unbelievably proud of Gemma, and happy that everything went smoothly for her.
Little Thomas has got the best Mum in the world, a perfect Daddy (hello Jim!) and five amazing aunties - the rest of the Wilton Avenue student house clan: Katie, Lorna, Elizabeth, Natalie and myself.

Can't wait to meet him!

Fitness First

Yesterday was 15 weeks since I've had a cigarette. Not one Marlboro Light (or other well-known brand) has touched my lips, nor do I particularly miss it.
At first it was quite hard, but from previous attempts at giving up, several years ago, I knew that cravings are sneaky little beggars - lasting for only five minutes or so, although it can seem like an eternity. In that five minutes your patience will be tested again and again as the nicotine receptors in your poor, abused brain go a bit mental. So the trick is, I've found, to distract yourself. Go for a walk, make a cup of tea, talk to the cat, ANYTHING to take your mind off lighting up. The craving disappears, and you can pat yourself on the back repeatedly until the next one rears its ugly head. It gets easier, I promise.
Now, the occasional craving I get is purely psychological. For instance when I'm getting ready for a big night out: music blaring, wardrobe spewing out in all directions, hair straighteners, lipstick, cigarette..... not any more. But I smell nice, my hair and breath and car smell fresh, and I'd be rich if I was actually earning anything in the first place!
Downside? Half a stone magically appeared about eight weeks in. I thought I'd escaped the dreaded weight-gain scenario, even though I'd got my taste buds back three-fold (and I like food enough as it is). But all of a sudden, after never having to worry about where those Creme Eggs were going, there it was. Time to shift it, I thought.
I had a discount swim card as a student, at a swish swimming and diving centre in town. I made alright use of it, but never really appreciated it until I took it up again locally. The nearest council-run pool has lots of old people, babies in swim-nappies (are they really waterproof?), slackers holding up the lanes... and to top it off? Bits of coloured foam floating around from the various school swimming lessons. Somehow I didn't feel so refreshed afterwards. And it costs enough that I care about these things.
So I've been alternating my 64-length marathons (thats a whole mile - it's easier since quitting the fags!), with a Ministry of Sound workout DVD in the living room. Oh, I never thought I'd see the day. But its cheap and cheerful, and you can jump straight in the shower afterwards. I've even been trawling eBay for some different ones, to mix it up.
It's an uphill struggle, but one I've avoided for a long time.

Thrifty Picnic

As my search for an ever-elusive job continues, I've been gathering up bits and pieces for my portfolio.

My housemate and I made a beautiful magazine for our final project at university, called Thrift, all about saving money whilst saving the planet at the same time - "a modern magazine for making the most of what you've already got" was the tagline. Thrift contained: recipes, instructions for making your own clothes and growing your own food, features, eco-fashion, reader's tips, and 'crafty' entertainment for grown-ups and children - all with a home-made ethic and hand-drawn illustrations throughout.

I really want to make Thrift into a website. I've barely started but it's definitely on the agenda. I'm enrolling on a web design crash course as soon as I can afford it. Internet millionaire? Easy.

Here's our Thrifty Picnic: made of cardboard cut-outs, stuck in our student house's lawn with sticks, and a few teddy bears...

Prize Pig

Good job we're not vegetarians. But then, if we were, we wouldn't have won the meat draw at the pub.

I took the Wizard to a 'proper' independent pub in the next village, that I haven't paid a visit to in a couple of years. The same old manager was there, who happens to be the father of an old friend, and an intensely passionate Italian. As he flitted about behind the bar, shouting orders to staff and customers alike, he kept adding the words "118" to the end of every sentence, thinking he was hilarious.

We enquired about the meat draw, after spotting the long list of winners/prizes behind the bar. "Oh it's only for regulars, they always win 'cos they buy all the tickets," he said. So we left it.

After folding up all the little green raffle tickets, he came creeping back. "One pound per strip," he said.
We had two, the second of which contained the number, yep, 118. Hilarious, or so manager Tony thought.

Anyway off we went for a curry, thinking no more of it, when an unexpected phone call towards the end of the meal notified us of our victory: second prize. Two kilos of prime gammon joint, to be boiled for over an hour until tender!

I've already run out of inspiration as to how to eat the damn stuff, and we've hardly made a dent in it.

Getting Something for Nothing

Hello, The Wizard here, just thought I'd take some time to vent a little frustration thats been brewing for the past few weeks. 


I am now an active member of a number of local 'Freecycle' groups. For those of you not familiar with Freecycle, here is a brief overview: Freecycle started out as a small number of people in America that decided, rather than throwing away perfectly re-usable items, they would offer them to people in the surrounding town for free. The idea grew and grew, and even made it across to little old England. Most larger towns now have a group available. All you need is a Yahoo e-mail account, then search Freecycle groups in your area via Yahoo groups. 
I thought this would be the perfect way to do my bit for the environment, and pick up a few little gems for myself at the same time. After all, one mans rubbish is another mans treasure...
Once I'd got through the strange 'acceptance' stage of application (whoever is running the group has to approve you for some reason), I began looking for items that would benefit myself and dear old Pinchy. Nothing major, but we could use a new chest of drawers....
You wouldn't believe some of the things that these people give away! A colleague picked up a full sized pool table - all that was wrong with it was a small tear in the cloth. Someone else was giving away two perfectly good mountain bikes. Living in a small village in between Freecycle groups, it is interesting to see how the surrounding areas differ in what they give away. The posher area to the north of us, where the house prices are astronomical, will give away three piece suites less than 5 years old, nearly new games consoles and full garden furniture sets. (Have these people never heard of Ebay??) The area to the south of us, however, where single mums wear velour tracksuits and pierce their kids ears, seem only to give away unwanted bricks, 'various baby equipment' and small portable TV's.


These are not the frustrations which have been brewing though. What has, is that it is near impossible to get a response from any of the people giving items away, let alone get an item. Fair enough if there's a 'first come/first served' ethic, but how hard is it to send a short reply, something like: 'thank you for your enquiry but the item has already been taken'? Its just bloody manners! Then there's the people that must sit refreshing their screens all day, that bag all the best bargains. Give a brother in need a chance! The only thing I have managed to acquire so far is a groovy old armchair, that was so badly in need of re-upholstering that I passed it on to the local junkyard anyway.


Which is why I am getting increasingly despondent with the whole process, and on the brink of saying UP YOURS FREECYCLE! 
(I will however be continuing to use these groups as I am skint)

Green Credentials

I've now officially started my 3-month internship with the local climate change action group. We are a registered charity, and also partly funded by the Council and partly by the local university, where our offices are based. (Actually, little more than a broom cupboard with two computers.)
The lady in charge - and only person on the payroll - is energetic to say the least: an intellectual who fires on all of her slightly skewed cylinders at once and flits from topic to topic before you've had time to draw breath, but with a heart of pure gold and a sharp sense of humour. You can imagine that its going to be an interesting ride. In fact, it has been already.
Last week I helped out at a screening of a film by Mark Edwards, called Hard Rain. Mark has travelled the world as a photojournalist since the 1960s, and in 1969 was rescued in the Sahara by a nomad after becoming lost. Back at base camp, tea was brewed for him by a fire made with sticks, and a cassette player was produced which played Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall". At that peaceful moment, Mark decided to put pictures together of 'our headlong collision with nature', inspired and accompanied by the words of the song, to send to every world leader in the hope of instigating a change in attitude to the pressing problems facing the environment. The film was certainly moving, and sparked fiery debate amongst the audience afterwards.
Today I attended the quarterly meeting of the action group's business members. A representative of the university discussed how they are cutting their carbon footprint by a third, by spending to accumulate and properly managing their stock of old buildings. It was interesting to see just how much energy they currently waste every day, and that this is just one organisation in a million, but this can only improve, surely. A very high-profile scientist, who we are lucky to have associated with the group, also presented the latest scientific data in greenhouse gas concentrations and temperature fluctuations (which didn't look good).
Interestingly for me, I am currently reading State of Fear by Michael Crichton, which attempts to discredit the scientific findings of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) by presenting opposing data showing 'global warming' as a myth. It is a very convincing book, but then climate change is a very complex science. The world is ever evolving and climate is always unpredictable, but our actions are undoubtedly influencing certain trends. We don't know for sure what will happen, even just 100 years into the future, but the time to start reversing the trend for excessive consumption is NOW, before it really is too late.

Kissy SOLD Out

Oh My Dayyyyyys... I'm more in love with Kissy Sell Out than ever!
I'll always be a huge fan of Kissy's 'rock n rave' mash-up DJ sets, but Kissy & Ko live really impressed me. It could have been the fact that Kissy, Cousin Dan and a bezzie girl-friend were literally two feet away from me, or it could have been their dynamic and energetic set, but there really was something special about seeing them rock it out on stage, that just doesn't come across on the album (for me). Maybe it was the sight of Kissy's toned self busting out of his shirt while playing his ultra-cool synth, or that trademark infectious grin of his, but I definitely have a renewed crush (sorry Wiz).

Cash in the Attic

We've been loosely discussing making our millions on Ebay for some time now. We had a couple of quite successful car boot sale sessions when we moved back home from uni, and we spotted some worthy-looking knick knacks while we were there. One man's junk is another man's treasure, and all that ...
Well we've had a couple of results now: a designer jacket that didn't fit (and was a present anyway) fetched a grand total of £22, and a dress I got in a sale, that also didn't fit, went for a fiver. So we've well and truly got the bug! Currently selling a lampshade found in a skip, my old personal minidisc player (they seem to sell for quite a bit) and an unusual board game. The beauty of PayPal is you have to physically withdraw the cash to your bank account, so it's working well as a Christmas savings scheme.
Back to the car boot on Sunday to scout out cool, quirky and easily postable items!

Enter The Wizard

Good afternoon all,

I thought it about time that I graced this budding blog with my presence. I am 'The Wizard', the reasoning behind my nickname I will leave up to your imagination, all you need to know is that I know a little about a lot and on occasions I will wish to share this wisdom with you.

On the horizon for myself is a weekend packed full of music. Friday sees the return of Radio1 DJ Kissy Sell Out to the south coast. With the release of his eagerly anticipated album 'Youth' Kissy will be entertaining the elektronic youth of the south with a live set, before moving onto an up and coming club night for a DJ set full of his self proclaimed 'rock and rave mash up'. Past experiences of a night full of Kissy leaves me to believe Friday will be full of great beats and even busier bass lines.

Check out kissysellout.podomatic.com for free tracks and DJ set downloads.

Saturday night takes me to darker pastures at a venue renowned for its rock and for its rum. Them:Youth, a West London five-piece, are set to entertain the Indie masses with their stirring stage presence and effortless anthems. These boys are well worth a listen, and if you happen to notice them playing at a venue near you, then I highly recommend taking the time to enjoy this little known gem.

Check out www.myspace.com/themyouth for everything them:youth related.

Well I guess you've had your fill of me for the time being so I'm going to have some dinner, I'll let you know how my weekend went soon (ish).

The Wizard

Countdown to Madness

Went to see my friend Gemma today, who's 8 1/2 months pregnant.

She's my ex-housemate from uni, only 21, and she's calmed down a hell of a lot since those days. There was a time, in halls, when she'd be asleep all day and down the casino all night! Always bouncing around like a crazy thing, taking the p*ss, being mouthy, but always loveable and always a right laugh.

She still is, of course, but there's a certain serenity to her now, a certain nurturing instinct maybe - making sure you put a jumper on if you're going out, drooling over cute puppies (ok, any ugly old dog we see), and trying to feed us up! She's going to be an awesome mum.

I took some other uni mates, who happened to be back down this way. Lorna is repeating her final year so sadly won't be graduating with us next month, but then I have her back for a year! And Elizabeth was visiting Nat, now that they finally got it together after 3 years!! (Such a huge love story, although neither of them will admit it.)

The baby's due in 2 weeks, Gemma's birthday is 5 days later... I think it's a girl and she's going to arrive on Gem's birthday - watch this space!

Blown into Orbital

Oh. My. God. Went to see Orbital last night. They were AMAZING. Even the Wizard was raving like a loony - and he's an indie kid!

A friend of mine has had the tickets for ages and I was ever so slightly envious; then at the last minute she decided she couldn't afford it, so Pinchy and the Wizard stepped in to help out! What a result!

On arrival at (the fabulous) Brixton Academy we were directed upstairs to the circle, as this was printed on our tickets - quite disappointing, but a good view of the supporting band Delphic, who were also top-notch. We were told to remain seated (?!) and if we wanted to dance to go to the back of the circle, but I was mostly just glad to be there so couldn't really protest about this! Anyway, the Wiz went off to get drinks, came back empty handed and said, "You want to be downstairs really, don't you?"

"Hell yeah," I said.

"Well there's a German couple by the bar [there were quite a few Germanic-looking folk there, crazy tech-heads!] who want to be up here, so I said we'd swap tickets."

Result number two! And the rest is history - raving away down the front for a good couple of hours, every other tune a hands-in-the-air moment, making friends with randoms... 'Chime' went down an absolute storm, and those truly blessed brothers looked like they were enjoying every moment too. Just like back in the day. I'm still floating.

Here's a couple of epic photos:

The Laws of Nature

Typical isn't it? I resign myself to signing on for Jobseeker's Allowance, and I get an offer for an interview! Not that I'm complaining, especially as it's a job I was really hoping to hear back from - selling advertising space for the local paper.

From what I remember of the advertisement for the job, it's quite well paid, not too far away, has a gym and staff canteen, and is 'a gateway to you media career' (or words to that effect). Perfect! I have masses of telephone sales experience - I used to sell mortgages over the phone - a good phone manner, I'm definitely enthusiastic... and it'll be so good to get to know the inner workings of the paper. Everything is crossed for next Tuesday...

Sign of the times

I've admitted defeat. I've just signed on. £64.50 per week in Job Seeker's Allowance could be mine pretty soon, providing I pass the interview. Not bad money at all, and just in time for Christmas... and it's not like I haven't been searching relentlessly for work - so I might as well get paid for it!

In the meantime, I'm being kept busy with my voluntary work for the local Action on Climate Change group. Went to an intense website meeting last week, where I learned some interesting background on the Internet. I was told to think of a job title to put on my CV, so I'm thinking.... Web Coordinator? Media Developer? Image Consultant???

No, I'll probably go with Media Developer, a good all-rounder without being too pretentious (I hope).

So now I'm off to write a privacy policy for their photos, sell some odds and ends on Ebay, and trawl the job sites again... after Malcolm In The Middle.

Mud Pie

I have been doing ad hoc work experience this year for a fashion forecasting company called Mudpie, based in the middle of the countryside not too far away from me. Basically they have a consultancy and a subscription-based website, with up-to-the-minute coverage of runway shows, retail displays, news and trade fairs. This is used as an important, forward-thinking tool by industry professionals. Good experience for Pinchy!

A couple of months ago I was offered to apply for a six-month temporary position with them, got excited, interviewed... and didn't get it. Sore subject. Anyway, with that little fiasco behind me, and not wanting to lose face, I have been back again this week.

Mostly I upload images, tag them and write short overviews on the apparent trends, but today I went into town to take photos of current graphics - found in-store on t-shirts, hoodies etc.

I used my mobile phone as it has an 8.1 megapixel camera, and for this assignment you have to be discreet! Stores generally won't let you take photos of the merchandise, even though it would be acknowledged on the website. I was lucky enough not to get caught by shop assistants, although I attracted a few strange looks! Another good reason to use a phone: I could always have pretended that my brother's/boyfriend's/mate's birthday was coming up and was texting them a photo of the item to see if they'd like it, before apologising profusely.

Want to know the trends out there this week? Skulls/skeletons, floral patterns, illustration sketches, Ghostbusters and comedic cartoons.

It was great to have this opportunity for such an exciting, unique company. Earlier this year I went to Graduate Fashion Week and took photos of the show from the 'press pit' at the end of the runway. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, not to mention jostling with the big shot photographers for the best spot! Let's just hope all this worldly experience leads somewhere soon... I'm getting bored, and poorer by the second. Can't even think about Christmas...

Adventure Unplanned

You know when things unexpectedly turn out really well? Good isn't it?

I had my heart set on a cinema trip Saturday night, to see the new Tarantino film, Inglorious Basterds. All dressed and ready to go, I decide to check cinema times (probably should have done it earlier, Pinchy) ... we'd missed the only showing at my favourite cinema. And at my second choice venue. There was no listing for it at all at the most local cinema, so we decided to chance it anyway - nowt better to do after all, and all geared up for the action.
But no, they had stopped screening Tarantino's 'masterpiece' on Saturdays too. It's only been out a couple of weeks! Either it got a really poor reception, or the cinema got it horribly wrong. Either way, we had just paid £3 parking so asked what else was on offer. Apart from some kid's CGI films was one we had briefly seen advertised - Adventureland.

                                                      

Directed by the same guy who did Superbad - Greg Mottola - we were expecting a typical American high-school comedy, but in fact were treated to a couple of hours of real feel-good, moving stuff. One boy's struggle towards Grad School sees him getting a summer job at a local theme park, where he makes good friends and inevitably falls in love with a tough cookie. Although it's much better than it sounds. Seeing is believing.

Subtle, effective and quietly funny, this left an impression on the two of us, who floated happily home... aaaah...

Wasted Trip?

An eventful night in London Town last night!

We had our first tickets come through from ApplauseStore.com, to be in the studio audience of The Big Food Fight Quiz, with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (who is a personal favourite of Pinchy's... more on that in later posts I'm sure...). For anyone unfamiliar with this website, tickets are free but you're not guaranteed to get in unless you get there early, which we didn't.

We made it to the London Studios, on the South Bank, just in time to have missed the reserve queue by about three people, who had probably been queuing half the afternoon anyway. These poor souls only had a 50/50 chance of getting in, according to the very stressed, and very camp, 'studio assistant' who turned us away. Gutted, but we were half-expecting this result so had devised a brilliant back-up plan - dinner.

No more than 200 yards from the studios is Gabriel's Wharf, and The Gourmet Pizza Co. It was buzzing with city-types, and smelled too good to pass up. We sat outside on this unbelievably warm evening, with a perfect view of the river, and leisurely made our way through a couple of fresh stone-baked pizzas. Cheap too -highly recommended.

After a couple more 'after dinner' drinks in a traditional boozer on the Strand, we slowly ambled back to the station. We were casually perusing the window of a small art gallery, when a voice behind me - definitely not the Wizard's - proclaimed: "Grim, isn't it?". A small, middle-aged man, in a woolly hat, clutching a stack of unidentifiable brochures, had stopped close behind us. Startled, I replied - therefore giving him license to strike up a deep, meaningful, and extremely one-sided conversation.

What a nutter! He started off by moaning about the grimness of the pictures, and went on to cover: war (past and present), the oil crisis, godlessness, Mrs Thatcher's regime, the miners, the lap of luxury we live in today, poverty, the gay community, and AIDS - in a preaching and intensely condescending manner. He also mentioned that he is banned from the local theatre (no surprise there, mate). All this while following us to the station, where we left him still talking at us as we walked through the barrier.

And we were having such a relaxing evening.

Beware of nutters.

Reading Festival 2009

Last weekend we went to Reading Festival with several friends, after luckily acquiring some last minute tickets (and dipping into my savings...)

The Wiz has been a few years running, but it was the first time for me. I'm more of a dance music fan myself, but it was good to see such a lot of live music.

Thought we would share a couple of photos with you:

The NME tent

Deadmau5 was awesome - much more up Pinchy's street!

It was really hot and sunny the first day!

Where we're at so far

So, tomorrow The Wizard starts another week of marketing CCTV systems, a graduate position that is relatively new. Roll on payday!

I, Pinchy, am embarking on another unpaid work-experience placement, that promises to enhance my (rather scarce) CV. Actually, it could be really interesting - helping an organisation promote action against climate change in the city, a cause that is particularly close to my heart.

Tomorrow I'll be stuffing envelopes while having a more 'in-depth chat' about the position, but I'm expecting to help out with the Web side of things, plus PR.

Here goes nothing...