Pick Two Words

Have you ever been sat in an interview and been asked,

"What two words best describe you?"

That one question has always filled me with horror and utter panic. I have never been able to articulate myself enough to package me neatly into to two tiny little words. Until now. "I've had an apostrophe" (Smee in Hook) or rather an epiphany.

Listening to my Ipod on shuffle, thinking over the things I like and what they say about me, I suddenly discovered the two words that best describe me. Funnily they also happen to be among my favourite words too.

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Maybe this is just a polite way of saying I'm random? That would be pretty accurate. Anyone who has had a conversation with me for more than ten minutes can testify to the fact that I can come out with some of the most random things known to man, for those of you that don't know me that well I guess more concrete evidence is better.

I would describe my reading tastes as varied (it sounds better than random when I'm at work). I could pick a favourite book (well more than one) from a number of genres and it would be like choosing between my children if you asked me to choose between them.

Classic - Dracular by Bram Stoker
Adult Fiction - Brida by Paulo Coelho
Crime (true) - Paul Britton's Biographies
Crime - The Sculptress by Minette Walters
Biography - Wild Swans by Jung Chang

Fantasy - Laurel K Hailton Merry Gentry Series (ok so cheating a little)
Teen Fiction - sorry too many to choose from *shrugs* its my favourite genre everyone has their weakness!!
Junior Fiction - JK Rowling Harry Potter Series

Ok so my favourites may be weighted towards the paranormal but I could bend your ear for some considerable time about why you should read Wild Swans if you haven't already. On the flip side I also don't mind the odd easy reading multi-million copy selling, titillating paperback if the fancy so takes me...if you catch my drift!

My DVD collection is equally eclectic, I range from Disney animations (the collection started way before children entered the house I must admit), through superhero's, past soppy chick flicks and gritty drama's to the odd comedy along the way ending with the classic action movie. The only genre not to grace my collection is horror, mainly because they irritate me (I spend the entire film shouting at the screen 'WHY WOULD YOU? THAT'S JUST STUPID'  and end up turning it off).

Where my eclecticness really excels is with music, oh boy my Ipod on shuffle is a DJ heading for his P45 (in the US I believe you call this a pink slip?) in a heartbeat! To demonstrate and for your entertainment while you continue reading have a listen to some of the more varied tracks on my Ipod.

There is the occasional classical tune in my music collection, this is by far my favourite for a variety of reasons!!

A number of cheesy pop tunes do make their way onto my Ipod, I would like to blame my children, and in certain company do...but in reality I love to have a dance to them when the mood sees me 'sexy and knowing it'

Yes, I am a soppy sod and have a silly number of tear inducing songs in my music library and yes I hide them among an equally silly number of quirky, alternative and rock songs so no-one will notice (oops!)

Phew, Marilyn does pop up a couple of times, just to balance things out as does the odd heavy metal track too. Plus I had to share this, Johnny Depp playing guitar!

 

Then I go and punctuate all of that with a few pumping dance tunes, however...

Alternative and rock tunes are the ones that dominate in amongst the eclectic mix, every girl has to have a place where heart truly lies. All in all you can find nearly anything in my music library (except Abba, not an Abba fan...sorry folks).

So there you have a couple of examples of my eclectic reading, viewing and musical tastes....and I haven't even touched on how I have skulls, butterflies and tie-dies in the same wardrobe. Like I said, eclectic.

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Yep, if one person could be the personification of 'oxymoron' it would probably be me. Most parts of my personality, if given a few seconds, I could probably find a contradictory part of myself.

For example, I consider myself to at least be moderately 'green' and I try to care for the environment, I recycle...yet I am also a petrol head. I love fast cars, I follow Formula 1 and one of my favourite series of films are the Fast and Furious movies. At work I always try to be as tidy as possible, yet at home random stacking abounds.

And as every mum I love my babies but love my time away from them. So many parts of my life seem to be in contradiction with each other but I guess that just makes me complicated and I guess that just makes me, me!


So there you have it, my two words and trust me its take me long enough to find them. What would your two words be?

Lost in the fire

So another post, the second in a couple of days, aren't you lucky! No seriously, my brain seems to have re-booted following my down time which is good and today I started to think about how to get my body back on-line.

I've started by dragging my sorry ass out of bed before lunch and getting dressed. Planning on three square meals a day sounds like a solid plan to back that up too. Next some simple chores and maybe even a daily walk could be in order, but lets take this one step at a time! I've had my hair done, tamed my eyebrows and generally dragging my body back into some reasonable female looking form...now all I need is to get back into my car and get my freedom back! All sounds so simple doesn't it, now if I could only get my legs to stop shaking after a few minutes stood up that would be great.

Listening to this song and making my get better plans I realised something though, I've changed. Not just changed as I mentioned in my deep and meaningful's before really being knocked off my feet, not the 'feeling lucky I'm alive' kind of changed (which I do, don't get me wrong). There has been a fire and its taken parts of me with it, parts of me I hadn't considered I would ever lose. I'd thought they were just me, those traits you can't change, well it turns out you can.

I mean sure, I've had surgery to remove a non-essential organ so I knew I was going to lose that and my appetite went so sure I lost some weight too. But the one to shock me has been the loss of my willingness to want to do everything, to please everyone. For a long, long time I have said 'yes' to everyone and everything. I have taken on so much; work-wise, volunteer-wise, all-sorts. Now my mindset has changed and although doing all those things was great it is time to concentrate on me, my family and the things that are truly important. Does this sound a little harsh? Probably! (and this is another loss to shock me) Do I care? No!

Sometimes there has to be a fire to clear the way for new life!

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So come on guys, catch me up. Have you lost anything to shock you recently, or has it just been your keys? What is everyone up to? Are you listening to any new tunes? I've missed you all tonnes!!

Hello........Is there anybody there?

I kind of feel like a stranger walking into a dusty old house. You know the kind; it feels really familiar as you climb the wooden steps to the front door, the creak for each slow and careful step you take never taking your eyes from the peeling duck egg paint on the door. Your breathing deep and heavy is the only thing you can hear as you reach for the cold brass of the door knob, drawing you to it with some unexplainable force. Your fingers barely touch the pitted metal when the door pops open and groans on the dusty dark hall way...

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"Hello, is there anyone there" you call out. You realise then you know this place, you loved this place once when it was full of words and friends. But you have been gone so long you aren't sure it can be the same again. There is no answer straight away, but that is ok the fear in the pit of your stomach has gone. This is your house, it just needs some tlc; a broom and a lick of paint, maybe a party with some cupcakes!!


So, I have been gone a while. I haven't blogged, I haven't read any blogs. What have I been doing you ask?? Um well, lets see. I have written a little; you know the ambitions I mentioned last time, the ones I was running head long at? I had this idea in my head that I might dive gracefully into them. Well I maybe bounced off them a little (think a big pile of jelly), but I have started my book, I have my idea and a couple of chapters as a start of my first draft, they will have to be re-written very soon but it's a start.

Other than that I have been doing a lot of reading, mainly because that is pretty much all you can do in bed. The last six weeks have seen me in and out of hospital like a yo-yo and books have been my refuge. Those and some amazing friends who have spent way too many hours on facebook and twitter keeping me sane!! It seems a bit pathetic that since the beginning of July I don't have more to report but I really don't, I guess that's why I haven't been blogging much; hospital food, an operation and the odd book really aren't that interesting!

I will say if you fancy a good read check out Marissa Meyer - Cinder and Laini Taylor - Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

Hopefully I will find time to get on here to blog a little more regularly, in the meantime be safe ;-)

A little taster of my latest musical obsession the Lost-who?!?! ;-) If you haven't heard of Imagine Dragons go listen to them now, this is my favourite song!!

Oh I nearly forgot, I did manage to submit a postcard short story that will hopefully be in an exhibition in October locally and then after that in India, I will keep you posted ;-)