The Winter’s Reading: A New Year, A New Challenge
Posted: 5 March 2012 Filed under: Library, Literature, Opinions, Personal | Tags: 50 book challenge, Bettany Hughes, book review, George Mann, Ian Sansom, Jasper Fforde, Jesse Bullington, Kim Wilkins, library, Neil Gaiman, reading 2 Comments »
I hate to begin a post with a negative comment, but here it is: my attempt at the ’50 book challenge’ last year ended in tears. Tears as in the liquid kind, dear reader; after all, could you imagine a devotee such as me, defacing a book? Moving on swiftly… before I admit to the hundreds of condemned flyleaves torn out, date sheet still attached, or the inside covers stamped and scribbled upon for the purpose of book sale, or that one occasion I lost my temper with a so-called Christian book* which had ‘homosexuality’ marked as the opposite to ‘marriage’ in a neat little chart… I love and respect all books. Honestly.
However, after bravely beginning the year with Hans Christian Andersen (and realising I’d bitten off more than I could chew), I came to realise that not every book I may lay eyes upon will readily see me through until its last page. It is not with pride that I abandon a badly-chosen book, either for the nature or the SHEER AMOUNT of its content. Therefore in this year’s attempt I promise to avoid such books which threaten the average Bible girthwise.
The Cold Shoulder of Faith
Posted: 20 February 2012 Filed under: Current, Media, Opinions | Tags: Christianity, homophobia, homosexuality, LGBT, love, suicide 1 Comment »
As a human being, I feel that I know enough about love to speak about it with authority. My mantra has always been to show and give love, always. When I attended church I lived by it, and since I left, it remains with me. I wholeheartedly believe that there’s no situation in life which needs any other.
I’m not a parent. I’ve never been given the responsibility that comes with bringing new life into the world. Yet, I know what such a responsibility is, above all. To love your child deeply and unconditionally. All else falls into place. You feed them, clothe them and care for them, because to do otherwise would be unthinkable. You celebrate their successes more than you would your own. You cry with them when they fail. You protect them from the evils of the world. You are always there for them, no matter what. You will always love and accept them, whoever they grow up to be.
This is what we call unconditional love.
To be given it is to know the most precious gift in the world. I may not be a parent, but because I have a mother and had a father I know what one is.
You may wonder why I am going to such lengths to prove the above statement. Of course, I’m being as longwinded as always (<.<;;) but I wanted to create the solid foundations which my opinion needs to stand upon regarding an issue which has become so important to me lately.
The Noble Art of Procrastination
Posted: 22 January 2012 Filed under: Current, Discworld, Friendship, Library, Personal | Tags: Beth Hart, depression, Hogswatch, libraries, positivity, Terry Pratchett 1 Comment »
Hello! It’s me – the epic procrastinating blogger.
(Boy does she mean that)
Yesterday I left work in the best of moods; a light rain and a frosty wind had blown the clouds away, leaving the sun to shine down on me as I headed to the bus stop. The air smelled so clean and fresh. I thought, ‘Marie, you’re finally on the right track’. The last few months have been exciting, life changing and blessed; packed with good memories to replace the bad ones and personal fulfilment. It of course hasn’t been plain sailing (when could anyone say that about life?), but I feel stronger, more confident and more able to deal with the crap that life throws at me.
I’ve decided I no longer need to apologise for long gaps in between posting. It’s part of a whole new mindset for me. I’ve realised that my normal habit of apologising to everyone and about everything – from going through a doorway first to holding my bus pass the wrong way up – needs to stop. My friends would agree it’s possibly the most annoying characteristic I have, and the ironic thing is – it’s NOT part of me. It’s part of the ‘black dog’ which is, even as I type, being beaten into submission with the aid of Citalopram, job satisfaction and the company of the most amazing friends on the planet.
So – what have I been up to?
The Poem I Wrote In the Early Hours of the Morning
Posted: 11 November 2011 Filed under: Opinions, Personal, Poetry | Tags: books, England, libraries, poem, reading Leave a comment »
For a Library.
My soul is like a book;
woken in the morning by the Jolly Postman
and nurtured in the loving arms of Enid,
amid the snows of Narnia.
Looking out into cold reality it saw
hope and endless possibility;
because it found Charlie’s golden ticket and
saw the green world through the eyes of Mole
on that first Spring morning.
Like Bilbo it rushed out without a clean hanky
and made windows with Stig out of jam-jars,
but always came home for tea at Mister Tom’s
because it had a place to belong.
The Diary of a First Time LARPer II
Posted: 6 November 2011 Filed under: Friendship, Gaming, North-East, Personal | Tags: Durham, fantasy, LARP, roleplay, RP, Treasure Trap Leave a comment »
I’m back from another LARP adventure – bruised, mud-splattered, thorn-stung and still wiping various colours of face paint from my eyes; but guess what? I’m loving it.
This LARP business is fast becoming an obsession for me. When I first dipped my proverbial toe into the world of Durholme and its surrounding environs it was an incredibly strange experience. Though it was definitely entertaining I still felt overwhelmed by and separate from the action, like a cinema-goer who’s wandered through the invisible barrier of the screen. At first all I could do was gawp. Now I’m finding my feet and getting into it a little bit more, I can honestly say there’s nothing quite like LARP for filling your Saturdays.
Two weeks ago Sable returned to Durholme and went on an expedition into the surrounding area of Rovac, in which she met the True Elves of the Hidden Valley, helped to free them from the tyranny of invading dwarves and tried her best not to get killed. Climbing up and down the wooded hills surrounding Durham, I must admit I was impressed by the system; a huge crowd of extras playing NPCs or ‘non-player characters’, who did their bit and then quickly ran on ahead to the next designated encounter spot, then changed character completely. The thought and depth which is ploughed into the game behind the scenes is staggering. Thus I was overjoyed when I arrived this morning to be told that I was to be part of the ‘monster’ crew and playing an NPC.
The Departure Lounge
Posted: 25 October 2011 Filed under: Personal | Tags: dream, dream diary Leave a comment »
I don’t see any planes. It’s funny, that. Every minute more people come through the doors marked ‘arrivals’, but the sun glares so fiercely on the windows that you can’t see how they got here. By screwing up my eyes I can just make out a patch of blue sky among all the endless white; but then, it could be my mind playing tricks on me. From a different spot on the concourse it looks almost grey. Maybe it’s snowing outside. Perhaps we’re snowed in, and the entire place is a giant airport-shaped igloo.
The airport’s boiling, as well. If the blinding white wasn’t already enough, the seemingly thousands of people wandering around in their business suits, kaftans and summer dresses aren’t helping. I’m one of them, of course. No idea where I’ve come from and none of where I’m going to. Above all the noise the tannoy system drones unintelligibly about arrivals and numbers and occasionally calling people by name to the arrivals desk. There’s nothing being said about departures, though. There’s probably been another volcano blowing its top in Iceland or another terrorist attack somewhere in America. It would explain why this place is so packed.
The Seamstress in Progress
Posted: 15 September 2011 Filed under: Costuming, Discworld, Harry Potter, Middle-earth, Personal | Tags: bustle, charity, costume, hobbit, painting, sewing, TARDIS Leave a comment »
If you’ve spoken to me at all recently you may have noticed the sudden and intense interest I’ve taken in sewing, dressmaking, card-making, painting and all things creative in general. I’ve made so many things in the past month or so that I decided to a) record what I’d done for posterity and b) share with you all what I’ve been up to.
I’ve named this post so as a little joke, as one of the costumes I’ve been working on recently is a seamstress (a la Discworld/Terry Pratchett) Victoriana corset and bustle skirt outfit for this year’s Hogswatch celebrations in November. Discworld aficionados will know all about the double entendre attached to the word ‘seamstress’. However I can assure any sniggering male Pratchett geeks out there (I *know* who you are) that the type of seamstress I am rapidly becoming is the type which wields a needle, thread and five pound sewing machine. Be warned.
The British Guide, or ‘How To Talk Like Harry Potter’
Posted: 7 September 2011 Filed under: Harry Potter, Literature | Tags: American, Britain, British, humour, insults, slang, vocabulary 2 Comments »
I began writing this as an instruction notecard for an online roleplay game set in the world of Harry Potter. It was intended as a guide for players who want to learn how to sound more authentically British in the things they say. However, it struck me that a list like this may be interesting and/or useful to a much wider audience; especially if they are of a stateside alliegance (If I’m wrong in this, bugger off).
~~~
This is written especially with American, European or other wordly players in mind! Here are some suggestions for improving the way your character speaks 
You should have worked out by now where your character is from within the British Isles, or Ireland. Where you are from makes a big difference to how your character will speak, beyond the accent. You might find it interesting to explore local slang information on the internet – the less understandable, the better!
That said there are a few general things you will want to include in your character’s vocabulary.
The Book I Couldn’t Put Down
Posted: 6 September 2011 Filed under: Discworld, Literature, Opinions, Personal | Tags: 50 book challenge, book review, depression, inspiration, Nation, Terry Pratchett 2 Comments »
I’ve just finished a book which really touched me. Although I love reading and adore books of all kinds, it is quite rare that one should embed itself so deep into my consciousness and leave me with the same deep satisfaction and calm. This one has done that.
If you’ve noticed the tags I’ve attributed to this post you may have already guessed the title of the book I’m about to praise up to the heavens. However I’m not going to go on the usual ‘Terry Pratchett is my hero’ spiel as I feel that is getting a little old now… and plus, you’ve probably seen it before*. The same with the melodramatic and overlong introductions which seem to dominate all descriptions of both the things I love and the wonderful new discoveries I make as I go along. Ooops.
Isn’t it wonderful, to have a personal blog?
The List of Things I Want (But Need Like a Chocolate Teapot) II
Posted: 3 September 2011 Filed under: Asia, Media | Tags: cute, food, giant sushi, Japan, Japanese, novelty, sushi 1 Comment »
Here’s a question for the more culinarily-inclined of you out there. Are you feeling hungry right now? Really hungry? So hungry you could eat an elephant? Try this out for size…
3. Mega Sushi Roll
Japan is well-known for its indulgence in ‘micro-cuisine’. Given the Japanese fascination for all things tiny, it is perhaps not surprising that the Japanese eat small too – from the lunchtime staple of the bento [弁当] boxed lunch to the dizzyingly diverse range of sushi dishes being produced in restaurants all over the world (and, so it seems, on every street in Greater London).
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