I Think They Call It Folk...

L&Gs I thought you would be interested in knowing that my musical taste is narrowing again...though I am not quite sure what the genre would be/is called. it started off with popular things like Mumford & Sons and The Temper Trap. But now I also like Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan (although I don't think they work together anymore :/), Mick Flannery, The Avvet Brothers and James Vincent McMorrow.

Yes I know its a hell of a list...but this way I never forget these geniuses. And I genuinely think they should all do one humongous collaboration lol I know Mumford & Sons know The Temper Trap and Lisa Hannigan is 'mutual friends' with Damien (of course), Glen (and hopefully Marketa by extension) and Mick. So maybe they can get the rest together eventually :) Or maybe they all know each other. Yay! lol I know I know I am making it up in my head *sigh :/

But yeah you guys should check them out and tell me what you think. I hope you like them all because they are AWESOME!!!

Thank You

Yes. Yes, It is a book review...

I know! I don't think any of these entries have have ever had a clear cut purpose. But today is a new day! I recently decided to get back into reading books again. I have read two so far but the last one really was made for me :D

Catch me when I fall is a book about a manic depressive called Holly Krauss written by the ingenious duo that is Nicci French (i.e. Nicci Gerard and Sean French) It is, without a doubt, one of the best modern literary works I have read-on par with Strange fits of passion by Anita Shreeve. Though it is written by two people, it is seamless, and I am actually curious as to how they achieved this; how the workload was divided. However they managed it, it was beautifully done.

Like in the movies, the character of Holly Krauss plays the lead and her best friend Meg Summers is the best supporting female. The book is divided into two parts narrated by Holly and Meg respectively. Holly's manic depression isn't diagnosed from the start of the book, so she seems a little less than likeable when we watch her destroy her lives and everyone else's...But if you get passed that, you realise that she either had something seriously wrong with her or that someone needed to give her condition a name quickly so she could be sectioned. Of course you are more sympathetic to her plight as the narrative progresses, unlike most of her fellow characters who either wanted her as dead as road-kill or dangerously close. She also talks a lot about her father and the closer she gets to her diagnosis, the more you realise that it is hereditary.

The book is casually predictable with drops of proleptic irony here and there. But this makes it all the more interesting, like getting a taste and wanting more. To put it in perspective, after reading a handful of John Grisham books you know everything he could possibly ever write about again (until of course you arrive at Playing for pizza and the 'apparent' lack of lawyers temporarily knocks you off balance) But no matter how many Dean Koontz books you read, there is something forever enticing about his 'oh-so-familiar', supernaturally eccentric books. All of Dean Koontz predictable tension and excitement is squeezed neatly into this little Nicci French book, and for me, I couldn't be more grateful!

There was a lot about the main character that attracted and terrified me all at once. I think anyone who reads it will be able to see a lot of themselves in her or at least the potential to be like her. Don't get me wrong she is no 'Everyman' but she is very human. For possible hypochondriacs like myself, I think it is safe to warn you that you will temporarily freak out when you realise she is actually mentally unstable.

The Writing Hut!

http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/email/famous-writers-small-writing-sheds-and-offthegrid-huts-140587

I started following a blog of note called automatism today. Pretty awesome blog! I was reading some of the author's stuff and found an article that had the link featured in mine today....so you could say automatism was an inspiration.

Anyhu if you read the article you'll see that its about various well known writer's, like Mark Twain and Roald Dahl, and their 'writing huts.' Essentially a writing hut is a shed where some writers stay in when writing, like their own private world away from the world, where they can go crazy and have numerous writer's blocks LOL

The reason why this interested me is quite bizarre really. When I was much younger, the house we lived in Nigeria had a study. It was originally my dad's study, but when he passed away it became a personal and creative haven for me. So as a child my time was divided between excessive amounts of television and discovering my love for reading and writing in my dad's study. I had most of my meals in there...which weren't many as I was never a big eater :D Basically that study was MY 'writing hut.' You have no idea how important this makes me feel! LOL childish I know...You should have seen me last week when I realised that the actor, Neil McDermott who plays Ryan on EastEnders had two of my teddy bears! :O

Don't you just love Dylan Moran?

I can practically hear anyone who has bothered to read this say 'huh?' And I don't blame you. Everyone laughs at the funny guy but no one remembers his name.

But everyone SHOULD know Dylan Moran because he is a comic genius and an utter legend. Which is why Ii introduced one of my friends to his great works tonight.

Of all the ingenious things I have heard him say, the one that seems to stick is this: "The ultimate human shopping list: I'd like some illegal, some forbidden, some frowned upon and some downright disgusting, please. I'll have that to go, thank you!"I think its because it so true!!

Take the illegal stuff. There are many illegal things that seem to be just common now like under aged drinking. Speaking mostly for the west, you will be extremely lucky to find a young, sober teenager on a weekend, regardless of how old-or not-they may be. Many people start drinking at an unbelievably young age, and there seems to be a competition on how low the number can go for each candidate. And then there's the smoking and the drugs, and the list of commonly occurring illegalities just goes on and on and on...

Then there's the forbidden stuff. I mean that goes way back to Adam and Eve (if you're a creationist) God specifically said to the dastardly duo; "DO NOT touch the fruit of the tree in the middle of this beautiful garden, overflowing with food to eat. Everything in this incredibly spacious oasis belongs to you, except THAT TREE"-maybe not in so many words...but you get the general idea don't you?? Well that makes-oh-everyone BUT Adam and Eve, the two people who needed to understand the idea behind the forbidden fruit the most.

The frowned upon. OK it's FROWNED UPON for an 80-ish year old man to date 20 year old identical twin girls while being engaged to another woman but hey look at Hugh Hefner now! He seems to be doing well for himself. Now can you blame anyone for thinking, "Screw it! I am going to add a dash of frowned upon into my life. What's the worst that can happen?" Well apparently you could end up loaded and living in a house KNOWN for housing promiscuous 'sexy' single women for the rest of your life. Now that isn't so bad...is it??

And then there was the disgusting. I will try to make this simple. My nephew spent the whole of February wearing the same pair of blue football socks. He wore them day in day out for the whole month regardless of my protests. They stunk like mouldy cheese and sweaty sumo wrestlers and he took pride in them!! It was beyond disgusting, It was revolting! I actually dry-heaved every time he walked passed-no joke. Yet he did it. And he had a great time too, bless his cheesy footed cotton socks :/ Admittedly it was mostly at my expense.

Don't get me wrong I don't WANT the ultimate human shopping list. I just wanted to rant really and now I am done so I will leave you with another slice of comic genius from the man of the moment: "I'm not a fighter, I'm a bleeder. The best I could hope for would be to drown somebody else in my own blood. If I don't drown myself before."

hahaha classic.

Life Isn't Fair

Remember when you were younger and something would happen and you'd be like "its not fair!" And some smart ass would remind you that "life isn't fair."

I think on some minute level we all agreed that that was true then. But as you grow older this fact seems to reiterate and prove itself. Most of us can deal with life being unfair to us. We're OK with it because it's us, we can take any amount of crap the world throws at us. We might moan and groan while it's happening but deep down we know we wouldn't have it any other way. Because ultimately if it isn't happening to you, chances are it is happening to someone else. And it is more likely than you realise for 'someone else' to be someone you know.

Nothing is more painful to watch than when life is being unfair to someone you know. It doesnt really matter most of the time how well you know the person and sometimes you even wish you could take their place.

I found out today that a woman I met less than a year ago has, in that time, lost her husband and an unborn child she was carrying. She lost her husband first and although they already had a little girl, the new baby was supposed to be a happy reminder; her little dollop of joy in her current tragedy. But it was not to be.

I was so upset to hear it. She is such a lovely person and although I wasn't fortunate enough to meet her husband, no one ever had a bad word to say about him. And what did the kids ever do to deserve this? But I guess life just isn't fair.

Writers Block!!! :'(

No, no, the irony doesn't escape. Yes I am writing about being unable to write, right.

A couple of years ago I went to a literary workshop where the woman suggested a mental exercise to help you past the point of writer's block. Of course I was 'young and naive' and I hadn't fully experienced the frustration of having nothing to write when all you want to do is write. However after my random out pour of 'literary works' I seem to be going thru a dry spell :/ It is no fun, I assure you.

It's still ironic tho that I have so much to write bout it but have nothing to write, in reality. Sad really. I think I'm just having an angry day in general and need a 'pen of rage' moment (as Russell Howard describes it)

so this was mainly a pointless rant but humour me and read it anyways :(

(she tells you now...at the end...lol)

A couple of Majorly unrelated things....

Thing 1

My sister is gorgeous!!!

Its not like I didn't know this before... I mean we are related :P but that's not the point at all haha

It suddenly hit early this morning when she was leaving for work. She had no make up on, was wearing really unflattering clothes, her hair was not in its best state and I know she still looked better than I do. She is older than me by a significant but undisclosable amount of years, married with three kids yet she is still the same size as I am and much better looking!

So if I look half as good as her later in life I'll be grateful haha

Thing 2

Steve Jobs (I told you! grossly unrelated)

I dunno if anyone has seen a recent pic of him but he doesn't look great (OK maybe slightly related)

I know he previously had a battle with his health since his liver transplant in 2009 but the general media is speculating that he might be ill again as he has lost a lot of weight, is looking very ill and I think I heard thru the grapevine that he is taking some more time off. He did this during his last battle with cancer. I hope he is OK personally, because although I am a MASSIVE technophobe (story for another day) he is an entreprenuering legend and would be a grave unfortunate loss to the business community....so if the rumours are true, get well soon Stevie and if not I am so sowi :D

PS

a link for u :)

http://www.techdigest.tv/2011/03/steve_jobs_defi.html