Peter Hurrell should not, NOT be allowed to wear a mankini. Ever.
Please?
(No offence, we love you and all, but there are limits...)
Friday 27 July 2012
Tuesday 17 July 2012
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.
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.
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...
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...
Saturday 14 July 2012
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.
Friday 13 July 2012
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...
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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...)
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...
Wednesday 11 July 2012
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.
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.
Tuesday 10 July 2012
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?
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?
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