A Couple Of Links For You

As I always do, I am going to put up a couple of plugs for people I like (or at least know) who are getting Internet Savvy.

Emily's mad blog has now moved URL address from Famous Last Words ( http://shirleynomates.blogspot.co.uk/ ) to : http://mirrorscantseeyourheart.blogspot.co.uk/
It is still amazing :) (I wonder where she gets her inspiration...)


Alice's literary blog is still going strong at: http://mingledyarns.wordpress.com/
It's fabulous. If you type mingled yarns into Google, it's the second one :)


Seb and Aidan's podcast - for anyone who has yet to discover this, it's a podcast dedicated to sharing unsigned bands with the world. It's quite nice and I know lots of my friends listen to it because it's very funny. This is a link to the first one, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlP8RdmB59U but I think there are about nine now?

Herries's fantastically daft/philosophical blog does actually get its own post on here in a few months' time (yeah, I know, Emma from the future! Woooooooooo scary!!!) but for anyone who is reading this through from the beginning (you strange, sad little people) you can find it here: http://thingsthatijustdontunderstand.blogspot.co.uk/

Thanks guys, much love

xx

An A-Z Of Beverages

Hey, OK. Well, stealing an idea from Emily I thought I'd ask for help with this; I wrote this a couple of years ago with help from a couple of friends (and the Crouts). This is an alphabet of drinks; it's not complete and I need help finishing it. But darling, it's fabulous!

A is for Alcohol

B is for Beverage, Booze, Baccardi, Beer, Bloody Mary, Bitter

C is for Champagne, Caraçao, Cocktail, Crystal Meths, Cider

D is for Drinkies

E is for Eggnog

F is for Fruit Juice

G is for Gin and Tonic, Ginger Beer

H is for Harvey Wallbanger

I is for Ice Cream Sundae, (Smirnoff) Ice

J is for Joooouice

K is for Koala?

L is for Lemon, Lime, Lager

M is for Martini, Malibu, Meths, Mulled Wine,

N is for 

O is for Orange Juice

P is for Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio, Pint, Punch, Perry

Q is for Quocodile?

R is for Red Wine

S is for Sambuca, Sex on the Beach, Sunrise, Slice of Lemon

T is for Tequila

U is for Umbrella (in the top of the drinkie)

V is for Vodka

W is for WKD, Wine, White Wine Spritzer, Whiskey

X is for

Y is for

Z is for

Christmas Fever

Today, my fellow internet nerds, I have done very little, yet again. This is because it's nearly Christmas and nobody can be bothered to do any work. (It does mean we'll have to work super hard at the beginning of next term, but that's a problem for future people, not us :-) )

Today I have:

• Worn a fabulous hat
• Turned up at 8:25am
• Wound up Ben, George,Tom, Ashley, Seb, Peter, Harry and Chris
• Cheered for Eduin (Captain Vegan)
• Played the bari sax (correctly, unlike some...)
• Got told off by Ben for dancing
• Had a driving lesson with Peter Andre
• Turned up late for Chemistry
• Learnt how not to deal with a chip fire in Chemistry
• Almost got blown up by Mr Archer in Chemistry
• Had a chat to Mr Archer about his Christmas plans in Chemistry
• Sold jewelery in the Lunch Hall with Martha, Maria, Misa, Anies, Emma, Beccy, Hannah and Charlotte
• Leila also turned up
• Danced with Anies, Hannah, Beccy and Leila
• Turned up at the Library
• Been called "Emma From Emmerdale" by Seb and Aidan

So, as you can see, Christmas is making me incredibly productive :)

Soul Band - Rehearsal 2011

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce...

THE DAME ALICE OWEN'S SOUL BAND!!!
(Complete with small Me, small Seb, small Peter and Others...)
This is almost two years ago now, but it's still one of the best things I've ever done (except this year's rehearsal - there were more baked potatoes this year!)

Martha's Irrational Fear Of Goats

What more can I say?
Martha told me to write about it. Vote Goat :)
Ross, be nice...

What I Really Do...

This basically covers my ponderings for today...

A Driving Ambition?

Welcome back, Internet Dwellers, to my cave of mystery. My name is Plato (not really) and I have many wonderful things to discuss with you. Or not. At all.
Today I am pondering driving, because I am terrified of it. And I thought I'd let y'all know.

So basically, whilst I am enjoying learning to drive and am looking forward to the day when it will be another skill I can claim I have, I am also worried that, every time I get behind the wheel of a car, I'm going to break/damage some poor, unsuspecting citizen. Or Jason.

Jason. No, sorry, that's Andre...

For those of you who don't know, Jason (Peter Andre) is my driving instructor. He is known as Peter Andre because that's who he reminds my parents of. (Sorry Jason, if you're reading this, but then again, I don't know why you would be. Actually, it's not exactly rude, so I'm not sure there's anything to apologise for apart from giving you/him a nickname that wasn't known about.)

Anyway. Driving is possibly the most scary thing I have ever done. Ever. Including Operation Saw which wasn't actually that scary, but involved beans. How can people do this on a daily basis? If you do it wrong, you die. Then you're dead. Forever.

Also, why did anyone ever invent the car? We would have no need for them if the buses and trains worked better; if we didn't have cars we'd be healthier because people would be more inclined to walk short journeys. Buses would run better because there'd be more need for them and less traffic and they'd cost less because there wouldn't be such a need to conserve petrol, lowering fuel prices.

Plus there would be far, far less pollution; cars produce more CO2 per person than any form of public transport, including planes and boats. Not having cars would reduce that, especially with things like commuting and school runs which often only have one or two people in the car anyway, whichis even worse.

Sorry, rant over. But basically, once I pass my test, I will not be driving very often if I can possibly help it.

P.S. I found out why Ashley's hair is now the colour of a banana wrapped in sunshine. If you don't know, then I'll leave the surprise for you to discover for yourselves.

A Brief Note

Dear All,

As you may be aware, Clive Dunn died on Tuesday.



For those of you who don't know (and you should be ashamed that you don't) Clive Dunn was an amazing actor who played Lance Corporal Jones in Dad's Army as well as gracing the musical charts with his song "Grandad", which is sublime. Really, it is. He also had a song called "I played the Spoons", but it's not as well-known. Although it is probably more epic than "Grandad".

Since I first watched Dad's Army, I really loved Clive Dunn; Jonesy is an amazing character and it must've taken a lot of skill to make it so believable. How could such an old character be played by such a young man? And, as everyone knows, his "DON'T PANIC!" approach to life was both practical and hilarious...

 

He has been an inspiration to many people of all ages and he will be dearly missed.



Choir, Singing and the Community of Music

Hey there, random folk of the Internet! Today, because it is a huge part of my life which I could not live without, I am pondering music. For those of you who don't know me, you should know how great my need for music is; if I don't go to band or choir or something, I'm usually singing. Or singing in my head. Or singing out loud and singing something else in my head (this, as I'm sure you can guess, has lead to some fantastic mash-ups...)

So, today I was at choir and, whilst Mr Werner was prancing about like a prancy thing (he is a beautiful man), I realised how much I love being there, in choir. We have all these little in-jokes, like the altos and their sexy E-flats and how diva-y the sopranos are meant to be (from experience, they're not really). Like many things, the Chamber Choir is like a kooky, awesome family and I'm really going to miss it when I leave next year.
By the way, that's true of all the other choirs too, but you really notice it in the Chamber Choir because it's so small and tight-knit.

Then there are bands... *Sigh* Where do I begin? Well, there's Bean Band (more formally known as Concert Band) which is, much as it pains me to say it, really good fun! Mr Bean doesn't realise how funny he is, and we often end up laughing at him being amazing. Then there's everyone else. They're all fabulous too, and (even if they do have tendencies to dye their hair canary yellow) I love them dearly. Some of them, like Hannah, Emma, Joanna, Lizzie etc. (that is by no means an extensive list) are far more used to my quirks and therefore pull faces at me during band, which is good for when it gets boring, or Ben has a solo... Like the choir, it's very close, especially after Belgium and we're sort of like the most dysfunctional (extended) family that has ever graced the Earth's surface. Apart from the Splorers, of course.

Finally, we come to Soul Band. Like every other musical activity I do, this is the highlight of my week. We are so close and, although there are meant to be only a few of us, there are twenty in the horns section alone. This makes us beautiful; even Ben. Even Tom. Even Ashley's hair.

Especially Ashley's hair. It's beautiful, despite its luminescent qualities.

Plus, Miss McNally is the most inspirational person I've ever met; she's actually taught me so much about life, entirely by accident and she lets me wear hats to rehearsals and concerts, which is awesome :) The Soul Band is a mad, laugh-a-minute comedy roadshow of a family and I love it more than anything I've ever done in my life. Ever.

Except perhaps Scouts. Although, nobody in the Scouts can play "Teddy Bear's Picnic" as an impromptu duet on trombones. That's gold.

So yeah, this is what I do with my life. It's beautiful and I wouldn't change it for the world, although next year I will have to. I'm going to miss it so much! If any of you are reading this, I love you guys!

Oh, and I finally found a vegan song (sort of). It's called "Save Me Now" and it's by Jeff Lynne. Give it a listen, it's beautiful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VChiKsQo534

Communication

Well, I'm back with a vengeance ladies and gentlemen!! I'd love to say it was because I've had nothing to do, but to be honest, I've had absolutely no time. So, whilst lots and lots of things have been happening, I haven't bothered to update y'all. I'm excited about my life at the moment and (although it is fairly standard, for me) I am very happy for my friends, whose lives are all picking up!

Anyway, there is something fairly major I'd like to whinge about/ponder today. Communication. There is one specific person, who will remain nameless, who does not reply to any message that I ever send him. Chances are, he won't read this, because I don't really matter. Thing is, he is a good friend and I see no reason why he wouldn't reply, he must just be lazy. Or I am bad at judging my friends. But it's sometimes quite important that we talk & organise things outside of school and he doesn't bother to reply, which is annoying.

On the other hand, there are some people who share every. Single. Detail of their lives with you. That gets annoying (oh, right). But seriously, those people who tweet or update Facebook every time they sneeze. It just gets really annoying. Really, really annoying. Yes, person I haven't seen for six years, it IS raining, well done!

Sorry, obviously I have a lot to moan about today and little interesting to say. I'll try and put something fun up in the next few days about Ross and his amazing, erm, hose. And our Death Match, that was epic. I came second! ;)
But seriously, Captain, if you read this (why would you?) It's be nice to actually be able to talk to you. Some of it's fairly important.

Useful Methodising Words And Addresses

GLOSSARY:
Methodising - The word my Dad uses for "Becoming a Member of the Church"

Minister - The person in charge in a Methodist church. In the Methodist Church system, the churches are joined up in circuits of about ten or so churches within a similar locality. Within a Methodist Circuit, each church has its own Minister, who would lead the service approximately once every month. The other weeks, we are visited by other ministers from within the circuit or by Lay-Preachers, who are volunteer preachers who maybe take one or two sevices a month at one or other of the churches. If this is still confusing, I'll draw you a diagram. (P.S. This is Inez)

Responsibilities of Chruch Members - Within the Methodist Church, there are people called Stewards, who are responsible for general maintainance of the Church's wellbeing. They greet everyone as they arrive and read out the notices and say a prayer before the Minister begins the real service. Another important role of the Steward is to say a quiet prayer with the Minister before the service in the Vestry*, thanking God that they are here and asking for guidance.

Vestry - A quiet room behind the main Church hall, kept for prayers and genarl organisation (in our Church it is where the photocopier is kept, plus anything we don't want to keep on public display [like the chocolate biscuits, and extra Bibles])


USEFUL WEBSITES:

www.methodist.org - The national website for the Methodist Chruch in Britain
http://www.goffsoakmethodistchurch.org.uk/Welcome.html - The website for Goffs' Oak Methodist Church; one of the most awesome places in the world ever.
http://www.springharvest.org/ - The Spring Harvest/Jesus Camp Homepage. If you have even an inkling that religion is not totally useless, you should definitely go to this at some point; it's such an amazing experience.
http://stuffiponder.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/jesus-camp-spring-harvest-2012.html - my Jesus Camp Blog post, from April 2012.

Becoming a Member

OK, today I have made a life decision, which I have been pondering for an astonishing, err, three days. (OK, I've been thinking about it for a while, but it became an actual idea a few Fridays ago - I should not be given free time.) I spoke to Inez, our Minister* at Church, over the summer and  have decided to become a Member of the Methodist Church, in a process my Dad has named "Methodising". Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am being Methodised*.

The Official Methodising Process (but not) goes something like this: (Information c/o The Methodist Church In Britain Website*)

• "The Service of Confirmation and Reception into Membership includes two questions asked as an Affirmation of Faith: 'Do you turn away from evil and all that denies God?' and 'Do you turn to God, trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and in the Holy Spirit as Helper and Guide?' The answer to both questions is 'By the grace of God I do.'"
• "After confirmation and the reception, the newly-confirmed are asked to make three promises: 'Will you commit yourself to the Christian life of worship and service, and be open to the renewing power of God?', 'Will you seek the strength of God's Spirit as you accept the cost of following Jesus Christ in your daily life?' and 'Will you witness, by word and deed, to the good news of God in Christ, and so bring glory to God?'. The response to each of these is 'With God's help I will.'"

After this, I have to shake the hand of the Minister (Inez) and am welcomed into the Church. OK, that's the difficult bit out of the way, but every time I've told people about this so far, I have been asked what the difference is between Conformation and Becoming a Member. So I looked it up, and the Methodist website explains it very well. Basically, Confirmation is exactly that; confirming your belief in God and publicly reaffirming the promises made for/by you at your Baptism/Christening. Becoming a Member makes you a member of a specific Church and allows you to take on certain responsibilities within that Church*. I am becoming a Member at Goff's Oak Methodist Church*, where I have been attending services and activities for a very long time.

*See next post, a glossary and "Useful Websites" index.

The Royal Family

OK, like many others throughout the country, I am currently pondering the Royal Family. In the news today (as I'm sure you've heard), there is a scandal about a French newspaper/magazine printing photos of Princess Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, topless whilst on a private holiday in Provence.

Seriously, why?

Last month everyone was all excited because Prince Harry got his kit off at a party in Vegas. (Kelly says he was especially excited about this.) The papparazzi had a total field day saying things like "it's a disgrace that royals can act like this in public!" He's now back out in Afghanistan, serving for his country. Something much more noble and respectable than most journalists have ever done. Get some perspective people! That party, which you so rudely exposed (if you'll pardon the pun) was probably the last one he attended before going out to risk his life for his country. He's just a normal guy; he does deserve some down-time now and again without the fear of ridicule.

And as for this apparent stalking of Kate and Will, it's ridiculous! You saw what happened to Diana when the press followed her around (as Prince William apparently said to The Sun); just get over it already! No other royal family on the PLANET has this much underserved bad press. Not even the Scandawegians. And whether or not Prince William and Princess Catherine are having a baby or not, is it really our problem? (P.S. Chances are that they're not) The only reason we should care if Kate gets pregnant is if the baby ends up ginger. And they should totally call it Emma if it's a girl. Just saying.

So yeah, just leave off the Royals, please. They've done nothing to deserve this except be born/marry into a particular family. That's no reason to follow them around.

Scout Group Family BBQ

Howdy folks! As a true Brit, I was hoping to open this blog post with a polite comment about the weather, but it's so changeable at the moment that whatever I write will be wrong. Plus, I'm not sure what I would write anyway, as it is both sunny and cold at the moment. Anyhoo. Today I am pondering the Group Family BBQ on Sunday; it should be fun, if the weather holds up (or at least, doesn't chuck down).

There are several reasons for me pondering this topic. The first is the number of people who appear to be going without their families. Whilst I understand that some people's families are embarrassing (mine more than most), that's no reason not to drag them along to a Scout event. And if you've got a big family, even better! There'll be more people to laugh at/with. It is a FAMILY event and thus you should at least ASK your family if they want to come! (If your brother is hot, you should make him come. Of course, I'm not thinking about anyone in particular... *cough* Pip *cough*)

Secondly, I'm hoping that Gabi and Markus, our German friends (from Germany, because they're just totally awesome like that) will still be in the country on Sunday (I can't remember when they go home) so as to part-take in our "fantastic" British Grillfest. Except that it will be nowhere near as good as a Grillfest, and we're probably more likely to call it a "sausagefest", which gives entirely the wrong idea.

Finally, the Bro Code. I'm not sure how many of my one reader actually know about the Bro Code, so I'll explain. TBC is based on a legen(wait for it)dary tome which is frequently cited in the American Sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" and is (by all accounts except his own) written by Barney Stintson, an infamous (fictional) playboy. I recently bought a copy of this book for myself and one for a friend for her Birthday, and we and the rest of the 'Splorers are planning to live by it for as long as we possibly can (we're all terrible at it, none of us can drive and we all get topless in front of each other sometimes, but only when camping). But we will be upholding this code at Sunday's festivities.

So, that's why I'm excited/pondering the Scout BBQ on Sunday. Not particularly interesting I know, but hey - you didn't have to read it :)

As always, you can follow me on Twitter at @EmPernilla for more random wafflings.
Much love xx

Fridgey Fridgey Fridge Fridge

Hallo zusammen, as they say in Germany (yes, it does mean "hello together", but try not to be so literal, it's just a general greeting) My ponderances today are on the madness and determined-ness of the human spirit. It really is a fantastic thing.

This morning, I heard an amazing interview on the radio (BBC Radio 2, Chris Evans' Breakfast Show - possibly the best show on the radio) with a man named Tony "The Fridge" Morrison who has set himself the challenge of running thirty half marathons - the equivalent of fifteen actual marathons- with a fridge strapped to his back! It is simply amazing; I could do anything with a fridge strapped to my back, except for lying on top of a fridge...

Anyway, it turns out he's trying to raise money for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, which work to diagnose and treat cancer in its early stages. The fridge he's carrying weighs about 6 stone and he's now on day 26 of 30, cumulating in the Great North Run (whenever that is, presumably soon). The best bit about this is that he's running the same course 30 times, instead of visiting 30 different organised half marathons in order to (I assume) raise the money quicker.

This has really shown me how amazing humnas are as a race (no pun intended); why would anyone feel the need to run 633 kilometres (393.3 miles) with a fridge strapped to their back? Because they want to raise awareness for a fantastic cause and help others. This is one of the most wonderful things I've ever heard of someone doing, as well as one of the most mad, so if you're interested in following Tony's excapades, please look him up on Twitter: @tony_the_fridge or check out his Just Giving account here if you want to donate some money.

This really is a great cause, so please check it out and add your support.
Much love xx

Passing The Time Between Sleeping

Hey, sorry it's been so long - yet again - since I last posted (not that anyone reads this anyway, unless I put a link on Facebook). Anyway, I've been all over the place recently, doing all sorts of stuff for various motives. What I thought would be an easy way to ease myself back into this would be to briefly outline everything I've been pondering (well, everything relevant) and maybe revisit them at a later time if I feel the need.

SUBJECT: University Entry
REASON FOR PONDERING (RFP): Education
EXPAND? Basically, by October 15th, I have to have decided the next apart of my future. Hazzah(!) Anyway, it's a lot of stress, because I have no idea what to think/do and, even though I know what I want to study, I'm worried I won't get into the place(s) I want to get into. And filling out the UCAS form continues to be a pain (ask my Dad...)

SUBJECT: School
RFP: Education
EXPAND? Once again, I have my nose thoughtlessly shoved up against the grindstone of the everyday system. Once again, I am having to wake up at 7.15 (yes, I know that lots of people have to wake up a lot earlier than I do, but I'm really not a morning person) and get into school, but this time I am adorned with more responsibilities and even more work, most I which I asked for (obviously not the work).

SUBJECT: EPQ
RFP: Education (again)
EXPAND: OK, for those who don't know, the EPQ (which stands for Extended Project Qualification) is exactly that. I have to do a long and interesting project on the removal of the prisoners' right to vote; it's actually really interesting (well, for me at least) and I'm really enjoying the work I'm doing, but I'm finding that I don't know what to research and I'm constantly worried that I've not done enough, even though I have done a lot of work for it. I also don't seem to have the time to get as much done as I want.

That in mind, I'm going to stop writing this now and actually get on with something useful, probably the EPQ. I'm sorry this turned into a rant about education, but that seems to be what's dominating my life at the moment. Much love xx

Testimony - For the Goffs Oak Methodist Church Holiday Club

Hey, people of the internet (whether or not you are reading is your choice). I'm sorry that I haven't written on here for a while, but I've been busy and away; mostly at the same time. So, this week I am helping at the Church Holiday Club. I have, therefore, been pondering my faith. (At this point, I'd like to apologise to any Atheists out there who are offended, but I'd hope that if you're reading this you'd at least respect other people's views). This sounds odd, but please bear with it...

There are many different ways to experience God; some people can see a beautiful sunset or a night sky and see His hand at work, whereas others can see God’s presence in the good deeds of others. For me, I experienced God the most when I visited Spring Harvest, a meeting of thousands of Christians in the convenient location of Skegness (Butlins...). Being with so many other people who all believe the same as me and were happy to talk openly about it was fantastic.

One day, during a prayer of devotion (everyone offering their lives to promote the love of God) I suddenly felt this amazing bond, as though I realised now what I’d never realised before. I had always been told that God loved me; that He had sent His son Jesus, who had died for me, and that one day I would understand His big plan for myself. But now, after this amazing experience I realised how true this was, and how much it meant that God wanted me to be part of his team*. This may all sound ridiculous to you, but being with so many other people who were all worshipping together made me realise how important I was to God, and how much He loves me. It has helped me to see live in a completely different way.

*The Holiday Club is based on the Olympics.

Musical Education - Seriously, you should know this by now

As Jeff Lynne has two new albums coming out later this year, I have been pondering the awesome world of music. And by music I mean proper music, not that rubbish that passes for music nowadays (golly, I sound at least sixty)...

OK, so, a brief lesson on Rock Family Trees:

• So, Jeff Lynne was in a band called "The Idle Race", who were alright.
• Then he got bored of them and moved to a band called "The Move" (so called, because all their members moved about a lot).
• Also in "The Move" at that time were Roy Wood, Bev Bevan and Rick Price (previous members include Ace Kefford, Carl Wayne, Trevor Burton and Richard Tandy).
• Roy Wood had moved to "The Move" from "Mike Sheridan and the Nightriders", where he was constantly fighting for supremacy with (surprise surprise) Mike Sheridan.
• After "The Move" Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood and Bev Bevan rejoined forces with Richard Tandy to form "The Electric Light Orchestra" ("ELO"), who are one of the best bands ever to have existed. "ELO" also included about six or seven other members, most of whom played strings (and Bill Hunt, who played keyboard and french horn).
• The incredibly talented Roy eventually left "ELO" to pursue a more lucrative career where he wasn't fighting for supremacy against other incredibly talented musicians (Lynne). Roy then went on to become the lead singer of "Wizzard", one of the other best bands of all time, along with Charlie Grimma, Nick Pentalow, Mike Burney and Rick Price (from "The Move"), amongst others.
• "ELO", in Roy's absence, picked up several new members, including Kelly Groucutt and Mik Kaminski, and became extremely successful. Eventually, somewhere in the midst of the eighties, Jeff Lynne got bored and left, after writing a song about it (as you do). 
• After this, "ELO" picked up an excellent new singer called Eric Troyer and formed "ELO Part II", "Orkestra" and "The Orchestra" in quick succession (Jeff Lynne had the rights to the "ELO" name).
• Both Kelly Groucutt and Jeff Lynne took up solo careers at various points during the nineties and two thousands. Jeff Lynne also "reformed" the "ELO", still having the name rights, but with girls, and very few of the actual original members. They did a tour called "Zoom" in 2001, but everyone seems to agree that the less said about that, the better.
• Jeff Lynne was also in the supergroup with the best lineup ever (Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, George Harrison and Bob Dylan - I know, right?!?!) - The Traveling Wilburys.
• Roy Wood, in the meantime, has been in several bands since Wizzard; firstly there was "The Wizzo Band", which was weird and experimental, "Roy Wood's Helicopter", "Roy Wood's Army", "The Roy Wood Big Band" and, now, "The Roy Wood Rock and Roll Band". ("Roy Wood's Army" and "The Roy Wood Big Band" were both mostly, if not all, female apart from Roy. This makes them doubly awesome. "The Roy Wood Rock And Roll Band" is not all female, as the majority of the musicians from "The Roy Wood Rock And Roll Band" all went off to have families and babies.)
• Roy was also part of a supergroup called "The Rockers", who were the House Band on the TV show "OTT" (which Roy wrote the theme tune for). This band comprised of Phil Lynot, Chas Hodges and John Coghlan.

OK, that's a family tree which is practically horizontal. But awesome. For more information, check out this video, which is the best thing on the web:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRDqpaDEG3k <-- Watch it, or be forever shunned...

Olympic Fever 2012

As I cannot escape it, I've decided to ponder it. Olympic fever is, of course, sweeping the nation (as well as many other nations). How unsurprising is it that Britain has only won two golds so far? The answer is: not very. I am, however, very pleased to announce that Germany (my favourite country in the world ever, except perhaps Armenia) is sixth in the medal tables with three gold, seven silver and two bronze medals so far. Armenia, unfortunately, has won nothing so far, but seeing as their only athletes are Garo and his mother, this is hardly surprising.

Surprisingly enough, North Korea is currently beating South Korea, having won twice as many medals as the latter. Unsurprisingly, both of them are beating Team GB. Who are quite useless. Apart from the women's rowing pair (Helen Glover and Heather Stanning) and to Bradley Wiggins - well done you! :)

And, amazingly, France is third in the tables - wow!

And all that gubbins about "Having the Olympics in London will be really good for the economy and it'll more than cancel out all the spending the country's done in making the Olympics happen" is absolute rubbish! Spending in London has actually decreased since the Olympics started because the Government and TFL have been telling people not to travel into London because of the enormous strain on the public transport all these extra people will have. And as for those extra people in London, well, they're not doing things like going to shows because, well, think about it. They've been out all day in the East End of London watching sport; they're not really going to want to travel to the West End in the evening and spend several more hours sitting down, just to watch a show, are they?

Germany just won another silver, showing how quickly all this could change. So, before I'm shown to be hideously wrong about how bad Team GB are, I'm going to shut up.

By the way, here's some shameless plugging:

http://lorolocuaz.wordpress.com/ --> The best language-related blog written by one of my teachers I've ever read (seriously though, food for thought; it's awesome)

http://mingledyarns.wordpress.com/ --> If you like literary blogs, and who doesn't, then this is definitely worth a read. Or several. My amazing friend Alice has written this blog detailing books she's read and her opinions. Both of which (the books and the opinions) are well-written and fascinating (usually - some of the books are questionable)

http://shirleynomates.blogspot.com -->This blog is probably about as pointful as mine (i.e. not very) but it's still interesting to know what goes on inside Emily's tiny head. Some of it makes no sense, but the interpreting is part of the fun (see first link, above)

Much love xx

Thought of... Ever.

Peter Hurrell should not, NOT be allowed to wear a mankini. Ever.

Please?

(No offence, we love you and all, but there are limits...)

Team Saxophone!

OK, this time, at the request of Hannah, I have been pondering Team Saxophone. I have to keep it civil, just in case any of them read it (just kidding) - but to be honest, I don't see why they would. Team Saxophone, for those of you who don't know, is a group of seven "epic" people, who all play the saxophone in Concert Band (probably as a punishment for something bad they did in a former life...). It's pretty cool, we've all become some sort of warped and confused family over the last two years, since Hannah, Ben Vize and I joined.

Over the years, we've had several "wonderful ideas" of things we could do as team bonding activities; these have included, but aren't limited to, a team trip to Legoland, a team trip to Cadbury World, a team Christmas Dinner and a Team Saxophone room on the Concert Band tour (this last one was Hannah's idea - unfortunately, because Ben is a boy, we couldn't make this work :-( ).

It occurs to me that I should probably introduce the members of the team at this stage; well, there's Holly and Ben, who plays first alto (I think), Rosalind and Ellen who play second alto (again, I think - I can't see who's playing what from where I sit on the end of the row). Then there's Bethan and Hannah who play tenor; recently though, this seems to have diminished to just Hannah as Bethan has been on study leave and so hasn't been to many rehearsals. And then there's me, stuck on the end (almost falling off the stage) with my Bari. So, all in all, not too bad.

One of our most long-lived rituals as a section is "The Saxophone Shotgun". This involves the entire Team saying "Shotgun" really quickly after we've finished playing the last piece and the last one to say it has to put away all the chairs, stands and music. Unfortunately, as I am on the end, it is not always registered when I say it, because nobody can hear. Oh well, Ben's always last anyway. (N.B. Ben seems to be of the opinion that normal rules do not apply to him and he doesn't have to bother. They do and he does...)


So yeah, that's Team Saxophone, they're pretty cool. So, further reading time! As I've already said, my friend Emily now has a blog. It seems to be getting more and more like mine whenever I read it, so if you like this, you'll like that...
http://shirleynomates.blogspot.com
Also, my German teacher (and possibly favourite person in the whole world) Mr Robinson now also has a blog. It is really interesting and I highly reccomend it to anyone who... Well, just to anyone!!
http://lorolocuaz.wordpress.com/
And, as always, if you like this, you can follow me on Twitter; @EmPernilla, probably.

Life Ambition

So, I woke up the other day and had what can only be described as an epiphany; I realised that the only thing I want to achieve in life is a happy ending. I know this sounds like a big ask, but think about it. I have, I've been pondering it...

There are only really a few ingredients to a happy ending; traditionally, you have to have a handsome Prince but, to be honest, I'm closer to expecting a reasonable-looking, vaguely articulate/educated man. Secondly, I think health is of the utmost importance; not necessarily meaning I want to be stick-thin and exercise a lot, just that I want to still be able to do all the regular things I do at the moment without needing a stairlift or whatever. And still understand what an apple is for, not in the William Tell sense. Thirdly, I just want to be happy; not in a superficial way, just happy. Able to do things that I want/like to do without persecution and just generally able to enjoy life as much as I have the chance to at the moment.

Finally, it's just the fairy story appeal, isn't it? To be brutally honest, my parents ruined me when they let me constantly watch Snow White when I was younger; I grew up believing that good things happened to good people and that everyone eventually found their perfect match, their handsome prince, and everything would turn out perfectly in the end. Unfortunately, the real world isn't actually as ideal as fairy stories made it seem, and sometimes horrible things happen to normal people who try to be good. That's just the way it is.

But I stand by my beliefs; some day my Prince will come. And I probably won't even notice when he does...

Tom And Jerry: The Night Before Christmas

"Tom and Jerry: the Night Before Christmas" is one of my favourite Tom and Jerry episodes of all time. It is, of course, set on Christmas Eve (duh) and it starts with a choir singing snippets of various Christmas carols over the opening titles.

The action starts with Jerry, appearing from his hole in the skirting board, skirting round a mouse trap and running up to the Christmas tree to play with all the presents. This he does, finding interesting Christmas decorations which show him reflected, like funhouse mirrors, candycanes, dolls and a toy lion. This is all well and good, until he accidentally jumps on Tom's stomach, mistaking him for a cuddly toy.

As is to be expected, chaos ensues. Tom, highly annoyed at being woken form dreams of Sugar Plum mice (or whatever it is Christmassy cats dream about), begins to chase Jerry around a (wonderfully decorated) Christmas tree. This is perhaps one of the more elaborate T&J sets, involving jack in the boxes, boxing gloves, a string of Christmas lights, toy soldiers and a remote control train track...

After a final peace offering involving mistletoe, Jerry is forced to escape into the cruel, dark, snowy (why does it always snow at Christmas on TV?) night. Tom, of course, is very happy with this arrangement. He blocks the door (and the letterbox) with an umbrella stand, a piano stool and (just in case) a walking stick, settles himself by the fire and tries to sleep.

Unfortunately, his peace is disturbed by the howling wind and a sense of guilt for what he did to Jerry, which overpowers him. He removes the barricade from the door and props the letterbox open with the walking stick, hoping Jerry will make his own way back inside and all will be forgiven. Sadly this is not the case. As the viewer, we have also been seeing clips of Jerry, slowly freezing to a mousicle outside in the snow, so we know he can't possibly come back in, even if he wanted to.

Realising there's a problem, Tom rushes outside to try and find Jerry who, but his time, is only a tiny bump in the otherwise perfect snow drift which has (miraculously) formed int he last thirty seconds. Tom picks out Jerry but the tail, roughly shakes off the worst of the snow (which had formed around him in a perfect cube) and carries the solid, stiff Jerry inside. There, Tom thaws Jerry out by the fire, casuing him to stop resembling a frozen snack and start resembling a mouse, lays him on his pillow and helps revive him.

Awaking from this sleep, Jerry is terrified and shocked to find Tom standing over him and begins to run away, but Tom stops him and presents him with a candy cane. As this peace offering is accepted, Tom turns away to drink from his saucer of milk when Jerry, suddenly stops him.Jerry then dips the end of his candy cane into the milk, splashing an outraged Tom, and brings out a mousetrap. Tom is both relieved and a little annoyed, but glad Jerry stopped him.

Suddenly, Jerry has a brainwave. He rescues his candy cane from the mousetrap he'd left in Tom's bowl and runs back to the mousetrap left outside his door. He uses the hook on the end of the candy cane to snag the bow on the cheesy bait, rescuing the cheese for himself without gettign caught in the trap. However, as the snap is sprung, it closes very slowly, playing "Jingle Bells" as it does so, which then leads into the choir singing again and the end credits.

This is, as I have said, one of my favourite Tom and Jerry episodes and it is part of Christmas tradition in my house to watch it before bed every Christmas Eve. It's so sweet and whenever I see it, I'm always reminded of my childhood and of the great Christmases we always had.

Rain

Hey guys, I don't know how many people are still reading this, it seems to have been a bit of a five-minute wonder. But, in true Scoutist fashion, I shall continue regardless. As the weather has been (as Peter Andre/Jason described it) "hormonal" recently, it has been raining patchily for the last several months. Some much for summer! And therefore my ponderances have been mostly water-based.

Rain may not be the first choice of weather for fishermen, campers, festival goers, lovers of shorts, naturists etc. however, I have come to believe that it is wonderfully good for the natural world (flora, not fauna - obviously it has affected the migration patterns and breeding seasons for loads of animals). I am convinced that this summer there is even more plant growth than normal; trees are greener, grass is higher and thicker (and less dead) and because of the rain, there is a lot less pollen around, which means that hay fever sufferers such as myself are free to explore and discover nature without exploding every three seconds.

Secondly, there's the Gemütlichkeit of it all. Sorry, but there really isn't a word in English that's suitable; if you type it into Google Translate, it'll come up as "cosy", but I think it's more than that. To me, Gemütlichkeit is more like that feeling you have when you're inside (probably snuggled up in bed, or by a fire with a blanket) and it's chucking it down with rain outside and you feel so snug, like you never want to move again. That's the wonderful thing about rain, you feel safe (as long as your not out in it). This still happens at camp, because the rain is really loud on the tent (as long as your tent doesn't leak, it's fine), but it's colder in the morning. And, as anyone who was at Gilwell24 last weekend will testify (Pencil Guy, Liz, Sammi, MatT, Josh, Ollie, Martha etc), the actual participating in activities, unless that activity is mud-sliding, becomes a lot less possible...
You just don't get the same feeling of snug-cosiness when it's boiling hot in the summer - lying on top of your duvet, failing to sleep and needing to get up for a drink every twenty minutes doesn't exactly give you that same experience...

And yes, there is an element of Schadenfreude in there [for those of you who've never come across the most fantastic word Schadenfreude, it's the concept of "pleasure from the pain of others", the Germans have a word for it :-)] - the idea of being cacooned inside, wrapped up with your big thick book and a cup of tea whilst the rest of the world is experiencing this torrential downpour on their heads, makes you feel quite good (unless you have a Tom and Jerry Christmas moment...)

Don't tell me you've not seen "Tom and Jerry; The Night Before Christmas"?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Right! Next post...

Awesome Songs For Undisclosed Purposes

Hello, I have to choose a song for something and I have now pondered my way down to a shortlist. If anyone is out there in the big wide world of the internet and wishes to comment, please do.
My choices are:

Need You Now - Lady Antebellum What can I say? It's a beautiful tune which appears to basically sum up my life right now (yes, I'm that sad). It's about two people who've broken up or something and don't talk to each other any more. However, they both still love the other, meaning they sing this beautiful, supposedly accidental, duet. The instrumentation is really good and I highly recommend you listen to it. So here is a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OfsZyYPLoI Unfortunately, it may not be totally suitable for the purpose I need the music for as it's a duet and there's only one... Never mind. Volunteers for a mystery project?


It Should've Been Me - Yvonne Fair This, for those who don't know, is a beautiful soul song about a woman whose boyfriend/fiancee leaves her for someone else and she basically stands up at their wedding and says "You said we'd be together forever and now you're marrying this bint? Dude!" But not...
Anyway, it's a really nice song and I think it'd be suitable, but the instrumentation leaves something to be desired. Anyone who's not heard this, it can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v_QB56-d5w and yes, Dawn French did do a version in "The Vicar Of Dibley".


We Are Family - Sister Sledge This song, well... There's nothing I can say that you don't already know. It's awesome and it applies to every aspect of my life. it's really cool and I can't even be bothered to describe it to you.... but here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBpYgpF1bqQ If you don't know it, you don't deserve to be a mountain sheep. Hand in your membership badge at reception.


Midnight Blue - Electric Light Orchestra Ok, now the ELO section starts. But I've chosen two, don't worry, it's not exhaustive. Basically, this song is beautiful and sad and happy and emotional and all those wonderful things a song should be. It's about a man who's so in love with this woman that he can't imagine his life without her. I'm not sure I understand the colour reference, but it adds to the poetic imagery. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwBGBElJcuo Watch it. Now. This is the song (husband permitting) that I want as my first dance at my wedding.
There is another song called "Midnight Blue" by Melissa Manchester and it is also wonderful, but sadder. Please listen to that if you get the chance too... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WweQJCqOFyI

Getting To The Point - Electric Light Orchestra a hugely sad song, written by Jeff Lynne when he decided to leave the band, it can also be seen to be about basically anything life throws at you where you look and you say "I can't handle this, I have to stop". My Dad listened to it the night he decided to quit Scouting for the first time. It's a really sad (if slightly techno) song. Give it a listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfvYIwe6IJ4 If I ever needed a break-up song, it would be this.


As always, let me know what you think. I have Twitter, so come and find me if you're interested in my stupid thoughts and ponderings. Please check out my friend Emily's Blog at http://shirleynomates.blogspot.com too, she's a good writer, and she's almost as awesome as me. But awesomer.

Cubs - An Advancement Of Ponderances

OK, I have thought about this long and hard (yes, I am aware how funny you find the words "long" and "hard" to be when put together. Grow up) about the whole Cub Leader thing and I think I might like to be a Cub leader actually. Think about it; you get super powers (see previous post about Cub Camp), and Cubs always do exactly what you ask them to (unlike Scouts, who are total beaches once they reach about twelve). Plus, you get to do all sorts of awesome crafts and nature walks and schtuff which, if you tried that with Scouts, they'd get bored. But you can still do awesome games and activities such as Wide Games, because they're old enough to understand and appreciate them.

My other plan is to help with Explorers, because (let's face it) Explorers are the reason for living; they're practically adults when they get to that age and they've (normally) got over the argumentative, rude streak (well, OK, no. But they've learnt to control it by that time). Plus, you can be so much more adventurous with their activities, such as Gilwell24 and random nights away, which is awesome. Plus, you can treat them like people and become almost like proper friends with them.

And by that time I'll be living with the rest of the current Splorers, minus Andrew probably - he's not overly liberal - and I'll need something fun to do with them. Somehow I highly doubt that I will ever get married in this hypothetical world; who'd want to live with me when I spend all my free time Scouting, apart from other Scoutists? Unless I marry another Scout/Cub/Splorer/Beaver Leader, which would solve a lot of problems, as I hope that, if I get married, I can have children and raise them in the Scouting religion (I'm pretty sure this is what happened in my family; my parents married and "what happened in the tent (i.e. me) stayed in the tent"). This is a lovely image.

Plus, you know, I don't have a career plan at the moment, so doing something like this will make me feel good. Volunteering makes everyone happy, right?

Ross

Apparently, I have received some complaints from a certain goat-breaker that he was not included in yesterday's blog post. So here is a ponderance all about Ross (selfish person).

There's not really that much to say, Ross is awesome; he likes construction and has some weird obsession with triangles, which did help us win the pioneering challenge at Splorers recently but, apart from that, is just odd. He likes watching weird videos (no, not like that) on YouTube, mostly about crazy french men and llamas, and he likes Lego, because it's like big person bricks, but smaller and eaiser to manipulate.

Ross has become famous throughout the imaginary realm of Cuffley for his immense goat-breaking skillage (just, just don't ask) and for finding sand on the beach. He has affiliations with the wonderful Becky (BT) and Philip (Gorgeous, who doesn't read this, so I can get away with calling him Philip), who are both pretty cool.

When I was younger, we used to visit Ross and his family for Christmas, or they would come to us. This led to such events as "the Tutu Incident", which I don't remember, but Ross's parents have a video of. More recently, he has become one of our Splorers and has been involved in several camps, hikes and teapotting experiences, most of which involve him repeatedly saying "erm..."

So yeah, that's all there is to say about Ross, apart from that really awkward time he invited us to the cinema with his mates and then didn't talk to us for the ENTIRE TIME. But I already wrote about that. (Rude!)

Thanks for reading, guys. If you like my blog (or even if you don't) please try to read this blog:
http://shirleynomates.blogspot.co.uk/
It might be interestring, you never know! (more likely not though, because Emily writes it...)

And, if you feel like it, you can follow me on Twitter at @EmPernilla. Thanks :D

Cub Camp

So, as many of you may know, I have been helping at the District Cub Camp this weekend with a fantastic group of people. Therefore I have been pondering the joys of Cubs, camping and the general topic of Scoutists. So basically, I have decided that I really don't want to be a Cub Leader! I don't know how they do it! The first night, the majority of them were awake until two am chatting and generally being awesome, yet several of them were awake again at four thirty, yelling at the Cubs to shut up and go back to sleep (but more politely, obviously). How do they do it?!?!?! It's amazing. The second night was almost the same, we were up until at least quarter to two, and yet everyone was awake and functioning properly fairly early the next morning. I swear, Cub Leaders have super-human powers.

At this point it may be useful to introduce the leaders, although we didn't actually learn their real names until the last night, as the Cubs tended to call them all by names such as "Akela". We invented our own nicknames, some of which I shall explain. Firstly, there was (of course) Jean (the Cuffley Akela) and Maureen (Hathi). Then there was Rolf Harris, who I think was really called Dave, who appeared to be the Akela-In-Charge, and his sons Beer Guy (Baloo - also Grant) and Steve-the-Two (not sure of his Cub name, but he was really Ian). Finally there was BeardyWeirdy (Miles, we also heard him called "Teenage Mutant Ginger Turtle") and Pencil Guy (Rikki Tikki Tavi - definitely pronounced Tar-vi, not Tay-vi - who was also known as Paul). I shan't go into the whole double-alias thing as it begins to get confusing.

There was also Other Ian, Bagheera (whose real name we don't know), Juan, Julio, GuythatlookslikePip and various people who didn't get nicknames as they didn't do anything awesome enough to warrant one. Or spend enough time with us for us to get to know them.

Anyway, these guys were cool.

Finally, this weekend, I have decided that, in the highly unlikely case that I actually become a Cub Leader, I would like to be Baloo, as he is awesome. Also, I think I would suit Baloo more than, for example, Bagheera or Kaa, and Rikki Tikki Tavi is just really really long...

Alice

Today for no apparent reason, apart from the fact she told me to, I am pondering Alice. She's really cool. She has, err, hair and a face. You know, a face. It's that lumpy thing that sits on the front of your head, next to the hairy bit....

Anyway, Alice.

She has quite a nice face, like a sort of white Cleopatra, but not as manipulative or evil, or with a really big nose. And she's got a really nice smile :-) And, errrr... It was fun to have her at the Bond Night last year, when she didn't get thrown in a paddling pool by a huge ginger. Unlike some people *ahem* Emily...

Martha thinks that Alice is "fantastical and incredibly clever and it's not fair"

Eduin thinks that Alice is "imaginative, cheery... Jonny Depp!!?!?!!?"

Leila thinks that Alice is "hot, good at English"

Alice thinks that Alice is "the pengalengalengalengalengiest". Ed disagrees...

Wer've just spent the last ten-twenty minutes, at Alice's request, trying to work out who we wanted to play us in the movie of our life. The list is as follows:

• Ed: Matt Damon, as he looks like him (and he's the pengalengalengalengalengiest)
• Eduin: Alan Rickman, or Hugh Laurie when Alice said he couldn't be Alan Rickman (as he was mean in "Love Actually"). I think Alan Rickman would be a wonderful Eduin. Hehehe, Eduin.
• Martha doesn't think Alan Rickman is vegan. If we are going by this criteria, we will be here forever trying to find someone who is an actor, and vegan, and awesome/hot enough to play Eduin.
• Martha suggests Paul McCartney.
• He is not an actor.
• Or hot enough to play Eduin.
• Alice: Probably Emma Stone, I don't know why.
• Martha: Kiera Knightley, as she has been told she looks like her. I think perhaps Jim Parsons, or even Morgan Freeman, would be a better choice.
• Martha suggests Miss Piggy.
• Leila: Jonny Depp, no questions asked :)
• Sophia: Probably... Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood, for those who [like me] weren't sure of the actor's name)
• As for me, we are torn between Whoopi Goldberg and Lisa Kudrow. Obviously neither of them look like me, but that is perhaps for the better.
• At a later date I have returned to this and I now suggest Neil Patrick Harris, as we have so much in common...

N.B. I think Liz should be played by Helena Bonham Carter in the movie of my life...

List Of Things One May Feel Inclined To Buy Cards For

• Birthdays
• Christmas
• Easter
• Eid
• Hannuhak
• Diwali
• Valentine's Day
• Mother's/Mothers' Day
• Father's/Fathers' Day
• Anniversary
• Engagement
• Wedding
• Wedding Acceptance (Sender)
• Sorry, We Can't Come To Your Wedding/Soiree (Sender)
• Grievances/With Sympathy
• New Baby
• Christening/Batism/Whatever
• Good Luck
• Passing Exams
• General Congratulations
• New Home
• Getting A New Address (Sender)
• We're Moving! (Sender)
• Apology
• Late Birthday
• Thank You
• New Job
• New School
• Leaving An Old Job
• Retirement
• Get Well Soon
• Justin Bieber Day. (It's actually a thing. Today. If you send me a card for this, I will disassociate myself from you permanently.)

Any I've missed, please feel free to add :-)

Birthdays

Today is Eduin's Birthday, so it is fairly obvious that I am pondering Birthdays. (duh, that's what the post title is...) Anyway, Birthdays are a quite ridiculous invention. I mean, a day to celebrate having been born x number of years ago. It's not like you've actually planned for it to happen, it just did. Well, obviously someone probably planned it, or at least allowed it, so it's not totally random. But you see my point.

So, why do we have all these traditions for Birthdays? Parties, for example. As a child (and still now) the party was the best bit of having a Birthday for me. It meant I could get all my friends together, who didn't necessarily know eachother, or who hadn't seen eachother for a long time, and we got to do something awesome for a couple of hours. Like caving, or swimming, or just playing pass the parcel (a totally normal 16th Birthday party - it surpassed the passing of any past parcel which had been passed in the past!) and the fact that it was your Birthday Party, that everyone was there to see you, made it even better. But why do we have parties to celebrate Birthdays? Why not have a special meal with family and/or friends, like we do at Christmas? Or decorate trees? Or have hunts around the garden (or park or whatever) for tiny chocolates? Obviously, depending on your inclination, you could do any of these things (except perhaps the tree) on your Birthday, but why isn't there something universal, like there are for other celebrations?

And what about presents? This has never made sense to me. Not that I'm complaining, everyone likes presents, but they don't really mean anything, do they? At Christmas, we give eachother presents to represent two things; firstly, God's gift of His son into the world and secondly the giving of the gifts from the Wise Men to Jesus. (N.B. If you're an atheist/non-Christian believer and you give presents at Christmas, it just makes you as nice person.) So why Birthdays? Is it meant to be a sort of prize? Congratulations on not having died since this time last year? Or is it an incentive to carry on living? It doesn't really represent anything, except for the fact that your birth is being celebrated several years too late by those who love you (or at least like you a bit).

Finally, cards. Whilst they are pretty and are given at many, many occasions (which I cannot be bothered to list here) they do appear to be a little bit silly. regardless of what pictures they have on them, or silly messages they have inside or whatever they are still a little piece of folded up paper containing a sentiment which would be more genuine if it was said out loud anyway.

I may never understand the logistics of Birthdays, but hopefully I shall continue to live to celebrate many more, not only of my own, but also everyone else, because you're all awesome people too.

As always, any comments (not too rude) are welcome and you can still follow me on Twitter - @EmPernilla (although why you would want to, I don't know)
:-)

Shout It To The World!

You peeps! I have a very serious, yet jokey ponderance today.

This evening I found out a very interesting fact about one of my best friends that, really, I should have found out about a year ago. It's nobody's fault, it's just how things happen to have turned out. But it got me thinking. When I asked my other friend (Alice) if she knew she said it was "knowledge" but that there "hadn't been a huge song and dance about it". This gave me an idea.

From now, I am starting a campaign to get people Shouting their news from the rooftops!!! I think that the best thing we can do for our society and for ourselves is to be more open about our lives. So, if anyone had anything they'd like to share, they can comment here or message me and I will make it public (slightly) for them. This blog only reaches about forty people, but it's more than one person can tell at a time without a microphone or a soap box. You don't have to give a name, if you don't want to, but telling people will make you feel so much happier within yourself.

I'll start.

My name is Emma (we all know that) and I play the saxophone. I use the saxophone as a way to stop being sad and be awesome instead. I am a massive grammar nerd. I am a huge geek. I am both massive and huge. I have some friends, but no boyfriend, which is a shame. I study English (which I'm not as keen on as I used to be), German (which I love), Religious Studies (which I also love) and Chemistry (which is difficult, but worth it). I am a Methodist Christian (but not in a "you should all come to church with me" way. It'd be nice if you did, but I respect your right to choose, as long as it's not a danger to anyone else). I have recently discovered that I possess a power which makes people answer "yes" when really they should answer "no". This came back to bite me. I have the most supportive friends in the world!! I am an Explorer Scout and a Ranger (Guide Senior Section). I love playing the saxophone and it is a major part of my life. My saxophone is like the child I have yet to have (don't worry I'm not pregnant). My favourite film is Snow White. My favourite book is The Shell House.

Is there anything else? Ask me questions, I'll answer them. (Keep it clean please)

SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS!
Spread the word! Start telling people things!

You Know You're Sad When...

Shalom, as Phoebe would say, my darlings. My ponderances since I last write have been minimal, although my working-ness has been much. Today I have been pondering how very, very sad I am. I really am very, very sad.

I thought to myself, as I cleaned my saxophone, wearing a shirt with a colourful message about Jesus after finishing playing music nobody had listened to and thinking about Scouts.

Yes, I am about six walking stereotypes.

So, here is a list of things which I, the Queen of Sad, have deemed "You know you're sad when..." If more than half apply to you, then you need to take a serious look at your life.

• You have never looked at a wall and thought "I could run through that!"
• Your one true love is a saxophone named Alfonz
• One of your top goals in life is to achieve the Silver Acorn
• You know what the Silver Acorn is
• Your best friend is a dog called Bertrandt
• You wish you had a dog called Bertrandt
• You are part of a society or organisation in which you have less than three friends and you only turn up for the free food and/or drink.
• You can recite the first chapter of the first Artemis Fowl book
• You read this blog regularly
• You write this blog regularly
• You watch more than 1 hour worth of programmes on "Dave" per day
• You watch more than 1 hour worth of YouTube videos per day
• You are overly pernickety about both spelling and grammar, especially on social network sites and in Greetings cards
• You know all the words to The Garo Song
• You've never been camping. No, PGL doesn't count. I mean PROPER camping
• You don't know what proper camping is
• You broke a goat

Computer Games

Hello All (I got told off for writing "sexy beasts" last time). How are we today? Sorry I haven't updated in a while, real life took control :(
I have been pondering computer games today for a reason which will become apparent; this evening, James (my brother) and I are at a friend's house because my parents are "sociable" and the boys I am with are intent on playing computer games all night. Which is fascinating. Except that one of them thinks anything we do is boring (but can't come up with anything better to do - genius that).

Computer games were, it appears, invented by nerds for nerds without girlfriends or the entrepreneurial skills to invent their own computer games. Or those who are bored inventing computer games and just want a break. The are the most colossal waste of time and don't do anything for any form of personal skills. Just ask my brother.

This can also be said for most of the videos on YouTube (you tube). Who cares whether or not a cat can say "no no no no no no" for a minute and a half, or whether a baby looks scared at the camera? Apparently, Russell Howard and some more nerds, who got RSI from their computer games. Actually,  there are some pretty good videos out there, such as the "Urban Sports" series and the video I will be uploading later tonight, or tomorrow, of our neighbours singing "Sweet Caroline" very excitedly at yesterday's street party.
And little clips from film and TV can be funny too.

Comments?

Coping with Stress

Hey sexy beasts (and Stanley). Today, for obvious reasons, My ponderings (ponderances? Ponders? Ponderations?) have been on stress, anger and how people deal with such things. What do people do to "release" themselves? I have some friends who work best under stress and don't like bing too relaxed around exam time. I have another friend who combats stress by doing more work, to prove she can. I have yet other friends who relieve their anguish by baking which is lovely, but means everyone I know will have diabetes and heart disease by the time they're 20, including me, but I was going that way anyway.

 

Other people do other things, such as trolling, dancing, sex, self-harm, knitting and a myriad of other, more socially acceptable things as stress-busting techniques. I, as always, have my own take on this. Personally, I do five things:

 

• Exercise; walk, cycle or cross train all my anger and stress away whilst listening to some arse-kicking power rock.
• Mind puzzles; solitaire, Majong, crosswords (to which I today answered slut and moist in the same puzzle) and www.memrise.com whilst listening to some arse-kicking power rock.
• Kick-arse power rock; sing, play, listen, annoy family with...
• Cry, shout, scream & get massively angry verbally. Usually at myself.
• Sleep. A lot.

 

These are all, I find, incredibly useful. As is eating, but I'm not allowed to do that any more :(
Another thing I do to stop from stressing/exploding is to change the topic of discussion, or what I'm thinking about. If I'm Stressed about exams, I'll think about saxophone music, or normal music, or about how awesome my life will be when all my exams are finished and I can finally do what I want. If I'm stressed about the future, or relationships (hahahahaha) or whatever, then thinking about work and upcoming projects is incredibly useful, or again thinking about music nc playing the saxophone keeps me from melting or something similar. If the stress is caused by an argument, I sleep.

 

Again, eating is also useful, but bad.

 

Comments?

The Queen

Today I am pondering the Queen, she's a wonderful person, isn't she? I'm not exactly sure what her political job is, or why we have her in the first place, but to be honest, I don't really think it matters, she does so much for the country, including boosting morale. If you talk to someone about meeting the Queen, they always say how lovely she is and how much of an honour it was to meet her.

Over the next few weeks, we will be watching in awe as the Queen celebrates sixty years of doing... well, whatever it is that she does. This probably started about 18 months ago, because that's how we work in England - celebrate the diamond Jubilee year for at least a year and a half, but today it was the start for me when I saw the parading of the Armed Forces at Windsor on BBC1. It was fascinating and the fly-over was really cool. I always respect the way the Armed Forces are so disciplined and can march in time whilst staring in the other direction, and the bands are always amazing, even if the don't have a bari sax.

Anyway, back to the Queen. She is amazing, and probably a good role model. I'm not really sure what for, but there's got to be something. She never abuses her power and hasn't sold Greece, which a weaker monarch would've done. And she's a fashion icon. Just look at this....

This is a beautiful image of all the colourfully pictures of the Queen at various events. She's so pretty, like a rainbow and she's only worn beige once.

That's impressive. And she's never worn brown, well, not in the last year or so.

Having asked my family, I have discovered that the Queen is a good role model because of her devotion to her faith, her belief in family values and the fact that, and I quote, "She's old and people respect the elderly". And she's awesome :)


Isn't the Queen lovely?