I Think It Might Have Been Raining

• I woke up early the next morning,
  before time had been switched on, the hours still
  sleeping in my watch. Things weren't quite ready
  to happen chronologically.

  At some point, I was downstairs
  with a mug half-full of coffee.
  I was looking out the window, taking small sips of
  caffeine and sky and milk. I wasn't quite sober
  enough yet to tell the difference.

  But I could tell the difference between
  glass and water, when they exploded
  on the kitchen floor.

  I remember my socks were soaked through.
  I was sitting by the radiator, even though
  it wasn't on, still wrapped in a coat
  that was wetter than I was.

  And I definitely stumbled out of bed
  on feet that didn't feel like my own,
  trying to ignore a headache while
  opening the curtains in search of sunrise.

  I didn't find it. But I did find two Paracodol
  in the cupboard above the cooker
  so I decided they'd do for now; I dropped them
  in water, watched it eat away at them like acid.
  And I found a broom to sweep them up
  when they fell from my grasp.

  Then I remember standing in the hallway,
  deciding not to wear shoes in case I
  tripped over the laces.
  I didn't want to trip:

  when I walked downstairs, I hugged the banisters
  for balance, and closed my eyes
  so I could let myself believe that they were human.
  Because my arms wouldn't believe anything else,
  and my legs wouldn't move
  if they knew there was no-one there to catch them
  if they missed a step.

  I know I ended up in bed, pulling the sheets
  back over me, resting wet hair on a damp
  pillow, trying to work out
  if I was feeling lonely.

  But somewhere before that,
  I was outside, before the sky had been filled in.
  It was just the right shade of empty. I still wanted
  the sun to burn it down, but it could wait.
  I remember I listened to birdsong for a long time.
  And I think it might have been raining.

  
  

  
  

  By David Carey - Many thanks to David for letting me share this with you guys. I don't own any of the rights or anything (and he wrote it, obviously) but I thought it was so good that more people should read it.

  
  

  And now you have :)

OK, Now Let Me Explain This Too....

I know many of you (or not, it was probably just Lizzie) read my post pondering Hipsters the other week and I had several people (OK, that was just Lizzie. And then Chris, because he's mean) feedback saying that I came across as a hipster in the post.

This wasn't the point of the post.
And I will defend myself as the most unhipstery person in the world.
(See Lizzie, you made me paranoid now)

Hipsters choose to "like" things because they're unpopular or not particularly well known. I have never done this; I like things because they're good (or funny at least) and because I LIKE THEM, which was the whole point of my post. You should choose to like things which conform to the standards you set internally which make something good in your opinion, rather than those set externally by other people.

Wow, now I sound really weird.

My previous post mentioned several bands which aren't well known because I was proving that it shouldn't matter who you like. As long as you like them for the right reason and not to prove a point, you can like whatever you want. It's a free country!

Please, Let Me Explain...!

Ok, so many of you have seen this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJuuqxWwcNE  and it may have raised some questions in your heads. You may be pondering "Why on Earth would Emma subject herself to this level of humiliation?", "If she doesn't like the video, why has she put in on Facebook, YouTube and now her blog?" and some of you may even be thinking "How could she do this to me?"

Allow me to tell you what I was thinking.

The recording, as you can see, is from my twelfth Birthday party in 2007. It was a really fun day and the recording of the song itself is actually, in my obviously unbiased opinion, rather good. The video, however, is super-embarrassing, although it was quite fun to make at the time. The problem with Facebook is that I couldn't uplaod the audio recording without the video because of the formatting and the fact that I don't have/want Soundcloud.

The reason for putting the clip up in the first place should be fairly self-explanatory. Friday (19th July) was my last ever day at school and everyone else in the video is in a similar position; having just finished, or being about to finish, forever. Therefore, considering that the song is "School's Out", it seemed only logical that we should relive this amazing moment.

And anyway, it seems to have gained a highly positive (if sarcastic/ironic) response. Please don't kill me. Sorry again, but it was fun...

The Hipster Culture

Hello, today I have been painting a shed. This has given plenty of pondering time, which I have spent primarily on the concept of Hipsters. For anyone over the age of thirty, or who is not accustomed to the ways of Youth Culture and the Internet (congratulations on finding this if this is you) a hipster is a young person who deliberately goes against popular culture to stand out from the crowd. Usually, this involves wearing clothes which would look more appropriate on a pensioner and eschewing the ways of modern technology; using cassette tapes or records instead of CDs and MP3 Players.

Here is a brief educational video if you'd like to know more (be warned, it says it's clean, but it's not entirely free of rude language): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krsRqZ42lyE

Anyway, anyone who announces to others that they are a hipster is, by definition, not a hipster. Hipster culture has become an essential part of mainstream youth culture and therefore anyone who relishes the title of "hipster" is actually a mainstream try-hard.

But in my opinion, a hipster is just as bad as someone who only likes things because they're popular. Trying to stand out by liking things that nobody else cares about is ridiculous. You should like things (and listen to them, wear them, whatever) because YOU LIKE THEM!!!! What other people think of them should have no bearing on your opinion.

I mean, I like bands that I don't think people have heard of, such as Sixpence None The Richer, Violinski, AlternativA, the Flashcubes and Voice Of The Beehive or individual artists, such as Parthenon Huxley (P Hux) and Juliana Raye (I may be wrong, those bands may be quite famous. Does it matter? No!) but I don't like them because nobody else does, I like them because they're god musicians with music that makes me happy. Usually. I also like people like ELO, Queen and the Darts for the same reason, even though a large portion of their members have, sadly, now died.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that hipsters are really silly. In the same way that people who change their lifestyle to be like everyone else are silly. You should like what you like because of your personal tastes, whether that be modern, old, alternative, cheesy, popular, underground, reggae, jazz, soul, dubstep (please God no), or even Math Rock. What actually is Math Rock?

[SIDEBAR:] Thanks to Dad for reminding me of all the weird bands I like that nobody else has heard of/cares about.

Drinkies With Bernard...?

So, as you've no doubt seen from my last post, my week has been manic. But today I've been pondering why I'll miss the Concert Band so much; I mean, I go along every week and lug the bari with me. Then when I get there I get laughed at by other players, ignored by Mr Bean and angry with myself for not being better at what I do.

It's not even that hard. Especially the bari part.

And seriously, Mr Bean doesn't actually acknowledge my existence about 98% of the time. Not that I want him to turn up every week, make a beeline for me and start to talk to me like an old friend, but during rehearsals, it would be nice if I was classed as an instrument. Most of the time, I'm actually a trombone or a euphonium, occasionally I'm a saxophone and very rarely I'm just a bass, but most of the time I'm just not mentioned when he asks the part I play to practice a particular bar.

But I've been thinking, I'm really going to miss that band next year; they may be insufferable idiots at times, but they're my insufferable idiots. Even though I am quite possible the most dispensible person in the band, and everyone knows it, it's been a big part of my life to turn up for an hour and a half every Monday to sit there next to Hannah, bored out of my brains. Any other band that I'm ever in, no matter how mind-numbingly boring and tedious, will never quite be as fun without being fun, if you know what I mean. Which you probably don't.

At Concert Band, there was always the potential for a laugh, whether it be at the expense of Ben, Mr Bean or the entire percussion section. Like the time Mr Bean was losing his voice and every time he said the number "three" (which was quite a lot) he sounded like a creaky door. Or when Mr Bean spent ten minutes lecturing whoever was drumming about a rhythm which should've gone "rum dum dugga dugga dum!" but didn't. Or a couple of weeks ago when Mr Bean asked the band which famous piece of music was famous for the particular cadence we were playing and Ashley answered "Dynamite by Taio Cruz."

Nothing will be quite the same as the time we had the conversations with the rest of the band out of the windows at the back of the hotel on tour either. We must've spent about an hour with our heads out of various windows shouting the odds at each other because the teachers were patrolling the corridors. That was an excellent evening, although probably not for the teacher who found us...

So, I guess what I'm saying is that I'm going to miss all these people, although why I have no idea. It's not perfect, but it's my band. And I'll miss them. Especially my girls (and Seb.)

All That Free Time I Have

So, many a thing has happened in the last few days. Here is a brief round up:

Monday:

• Concert Band

Tuesday:

• Gardening at the church (saw George)
• Went shopping
• Choir rehearsal#1
• Choir rehearsal#2
• Job interview
• Wide Game (wore trousers on my head - why not?)

Wednesday:

• Painted Scout Hut (Annexe, indoors)
• Didn't find the dead badger, left it for Becky and Jess
• Got ready for the ball
• Went to the ball
• Calmed down Jacqueline and Beccy

Thursday:

• Explained to Jacqueline and Beccy what happened Wednesday night
• Choir rehearsal#3
• Hung out with Martha
• Choir concert
• Sung for Wernykins

Friday:

• Went shopping
• Booked Doctor's appointment
• Photos with Becky (around Cuffley)
• Saw "ABBA" - they weren't fantastic, to be honest

Saturday:

• Bike
• Bought some medicine for my eye
• Saxophone
• Went to Charlotte's party

Sunday:

• Went to church
• Wandered around the school fete with my "peeps"
• Got sunburn (yes, I'm so white I burn that easily)
• Went to Leo's concert, which was fabulous by the way (saw Ben, Ashley and George - I think they may be following me)
• Laughed at Ben, Ashley and George's "dancing"

Monday:

• Sorted out things sold on eBay
• Became involved in multiple Scout crises
• Went to the Doctors, nothing is wrong
• Went to Concert Band
• Drinkies with Bernard and the gang 

So, as you see, my enormous amount of free time has been somewhat eaten up; maybe next week will be slightly less manic?