Life is what you make of it

This week I have made a realisation about life. The scariest thing about life is not what happens, but what could happen.

Let me explain what I mean. If you were to be made unemployed then you wouldn't be scared, you would be busy with sorting out what new jobs you can get, whether you can afford the rent so you have something to focus your attention on.

Whereas before that you would be worrying about if you are going to lose your job, whether it is something you need to worry about at all, where can you get a new job from. Essentially you have all the same questions but there is absolutely nothing you can do so much so that is a relief when you get the news, good or bad, so that you can actually do something to sort it all out.

The same thing can be applied to illness, exams or relationships. We may have an inkling about what will happen or plan what to do but it all comes back to this fear of the unknown. And as far as I know there is nothing to stop it apart from listening to the snowballing panic stricken thoughts your brain creates.

Photo: Sarah Faulwetter via Flickr

What does television mean to you?

Television gets some tough press. It gets the blame for people wanting to become famous, dumbing down the nation and seen as a poor babysitter. But hopefully people will start to see the good that television can do as well, especially as the BBC's most recent success Call The Midwife has apparently got more interested in training to become midwives, as well as people wanting to become the next pop sensation.

Even without television people would have wanted to become pop stars or midwives, but it is a medium that will get people learning more about the world around them. So yes it is good to read to learn more about life and history but television can have a similar effect - and I am an avid fan of both.

This particularly struck me when watching the documentary Being Elmo which follows the life and career so far of Elmo's puppeteer, Kevin Clash. He learnt all about The Muppets and the work of Jim Henson through the TV and his appreciation extended to watching everything available to him to learn more. And this is where he was different to everyone else he created his own Muppets, puppets and characters all by himself of an amazing quality. This led to him working with his hero Henson and with The Muppets and responsible for Elmo. The remarkable thing though is he is not the only one to have done this as he gets calls from kids doing similar things. Now that wouldn't have been achievable without television and who doesn't love Elmo?

I have to say that my own educational and career choices are down to television too as Jon Snow and Jeremy Paxman led me into journalism. Now television may have started that, but other things helped to continue it.

Photo: Constance Marks/Being Elmo

World Book Day should be for one and all

The annual event, World Book Day, is coming up on March 1st. It is usually associated with children's books, those little vouchers you get given as a kid and dressing up as your favourite character from a book. As the World Book Day's website explains the day is a chance to get children and young adults reading.

Now, undeniable, this is a good idea. I vividly remember one year dressing up as Mary Lennox, the little girl from the Secret Garden. We photocopied my Grampy's dramatic front door key and I carried around a plush robin all day at school. My costume only lost out to a girl dressed as Mary Poppins, whose family made costumes for a living and happened to have a Mary Poppinsesque carpet bag. 

I also enjoyed the opportunity to get more books and to read more, but being somebody who already loved reading not much was needed to convince me. I mean one of my ambitions in life is to have a library room in a house - although made out to be cool and homely of course.

However, there are also a great number of adults who just don't read as well. Not because they can't but because finding the time to sit down and enjoy the written word seems hard to do. But we should. Through a book you get to live vicariously through other people, learn about things and people you never would in normal life or just enjoy yourself. 

If it is important to children then it is important to adults too and it would be sad to miss out on a simple pleasure in life.

Photo: jonathanpberger via Flickr

Clarkson cleared

So Jeremy Clarkson was cleared by Ofcom for what he said on The One Show. Yes, unbelievably, it turns out that what Clarkson said was stupid but nothing more than that. Ofcom cleared him because viewers should know by now that the presenter has a "provocative and outspoken nature". I think that is a technical way of sighing and then saying "Who cares? It is Jeremy Clarkson, ignore it".

The Top Gear presenter does like to say a lot of things to cause a reaction, but I don't think he expected over 30,000 people to complain when he said that protesters should be shot in front of their families. Especially when that wasn't really what he said. It was a joke. Perhaps in poor taste, but again the words were coming out of Clarkson's mouth.

So the next time that people decide to have a hissy fit make sure you understand what you are complaining about. Or the best piece of advice I can think of just before midnight is - stop watching The One Show.

Dressing up war

The new series of period drama, Upstairs, Downstairs started tonight. Despite it all being terribly posh and now with Alex Kingston, who I can't stand, I felt compelled to watch it.

I am a fan of classic literature and learning about the past through fiction, but as some pointed out whilst I was watching the show. There was a focus on Nazis and Hitler, and this seems to be a theme when thinking about making a period drama. Foyle's War and Land Girls just two recent shows that come to mind now.

I suppose it is an attractive time to write about because it is so well documented with millions of stories to tell. Also as an educational benefit more people should know what happened during the Second World War and what Hitler did. A television show about posh people showing the hardship of war is easier going in comparison to a documentary about Hitler.

But this is not why I was drawn to it. I was drawn to it for the same reason that I love watching shows like Poirot. The dressing up. Marvelling at the amount of costume changes a well to do person can make, especially when they have been told to stay in bed. Then comparing this to what the ordinary folk are wearing, and realising that you would prefer to wear what the ordinary folk are wearing because it takes less effort.

It might be dealing with something serious but it has something beautiful for the eyes too.

Photo: BBC

Bring back...?

Finally the UK can see The Muppets movie in the cinema. It feels like, and probably has been, promotion for the film has been going on for about six months. This is because not only do they want to make a lot of money out of the film, but they want to bring The Muppets back. Everyone must know who The Muppets are now, no matter how old or where you come from.

So this made me think about what shows I would like to be brought back.

My first television revival would be Mongrels. Yes, it was only on the television just before Christmas but that is the last we will see of it. BBC Three cancelled the show because it wasn't getting enough viewers, and the BBC is axing anything they can at the moment. This has genuinely annoyed me - I have even deleted BBC Three from the television.

The show is also puppet based, but it is for adults. It followed the lives of a fox, a cat, a dog and a pigeon all living behind a pub. There are jokes about the usual adult things; sex, violence and obscure references. Half the time I was amazed that the show was even on the BBC, but exceptionally grateful.

Much like The Muppets, Mongrels have a musical number each week. It produced such classics as Middleclass is Magical, Die Evil Zombies and Breaking Up is Such a Faff.

Essentially I miss it and I want a series three.

Next up I would like to see Buffy the Vampire Slayer back on the small screen. It does continue as a comic book, and it is down properly with Joss Whedon in charge of it, but it is not the same.

They do get to do story lines that could never be done on the telly well - for example one character, called Dawn, suddenly became a giant overnight. It is still confronting hard hitting issues too. Buffy isn't coping with being an adult (still) and became pregnant from a one night stand. Whedon has decided that the character is going to have an abortion. A bold choice, and if it was on the television it would have become watered down and less meaningful.

It also helps that seeing as most of the characters in the Buffy universe are immortal or don't age. So drawing your main characters means that you can make them look however you want. Whereas actors have an annoying habit of ageing.

And my final choice is decent Saturday morning children's television.

When I was growing up we had Live & Kicking and SM:TV, just to mention a few. They were daft and funny and now all we have is bland cookery programmes. Now I know that I am 22, so technically should not have an interest in kid's TV, but I would appreciate if early morning weekend television had something creative on. Rather than just the usual dross that you can film easily and make cheaply.

Photo: Disney

How to get yourself noticed in advertising

Advertisers are supposed to be able to sell you anything. Even if you don't need what they are selling. But at the moment you would think that they have run out of things to sell.

I am referring to the abysmal Andrex Washlets adverts. During the adverts now you can cringe as Dawn Porter repeatedly asks unsuspecting members of the public how they wipe their bottom.

This is all to convince people that for years we have been cleaning up after ourselves incorrectly because we 'dry wipe', as Porter crudely refers to it. Instead we should be using wet wipes. It seems Porter will not rest until everybody knows this. So far she has paced high streets, walked into gyms and disturbed shopping centres in order to tell people about the merits of wet wipes.

Originally the adverts started with people shunning Porter, thinking that she was a mad stranger asking too many questions. Gradually people have started warming to her and are now getting sucked into this absurd belief that we just aren't going to the loo correctly unless we have some wet wipes nearby.

I mean what next? Adult nappies for the busy lifestyle and you don't have time for the loo.

It is also ridiculous because people will always need to buy toiletries, so you have a head start. Toilet paper is not a luxury item that people constantly think about if it is worth buying.

In fact it reminds me of a That Mitchell and Webb Look sketch. The advertisers have run out ways to sell a toothbrush. So they come up with an idea that even they are sceptical about.


Photo: Andrex

Til the shine comes off

This week I have my house inspection. The only real difference you feel from owning your home to renting your home is when some parental figures comes in to tell you that you need to vacuum and clothes aren't stored on the floor.

Just in case I fail the inspection I have been scrubbing the house from top to bottom, I mean they might stop taking my money as payment if they know that sometimes there are blotches of toothpaste in my sink.

But this comes to a funny point of the human condition is a funny old thing. When we first moved into our house we tidied up after ourselves as we went along, washed the plates on the same day that they were made dirty. About two months later it became less appealing when there was television to be watched and we could walk round the house as long as we made paths through the dirty plates.

But why does this always happen with everything we have?

Its like when you start school again. You have a genuine enthusiasm for your course and shiny new stationary but about two weeks later those feelings have gone. Until you are tested and you have to learn everything you have only been partially paying attention to, but because you care you do it and you do it well.

So even though sometimes I feel like I could do anything, within the law, and no one would care if it was good or bad. So random little tests, like a house inspection, make you want to show off what you can do best. Just sometimes the tests can be more interesting or dramatic than an inspection.

Photo: rudenoon via Flickr

I heard it on the radio

Despite studying radio for the past three years it is a medium I rarely listened to, until recently.

First of all it started with my boyfriend making us listen to Radio 4 comedy shows. To begin with this experiment did not go well. We had started with I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue which I have listened to several times and it is still a show that somehow goes completely over my head.

Thankfully not all was lost as I found a love for shows like Just a Minute, Another Case of Milton Jones and Museum of Everything and many more. It's silly really seeing as they all involved comedians that I already liked and found funny but had missed half their life's work just because it was on the radio.

Then I listened to Chris Moyles for 52 hours. Well most of it. When Moyles and Comedy Dave decided to do the longest show ever as part of Red Nose Day it was initially interesting to see how long the duo would last on air before sleep deprivation started to get them better of them. Although Moyles can be a bit annoying he has the rest of the team around him to counteract that. Plus of late I have developed a fondness for Car Park Catchphrase and hearing Roy Walker say silly things.

This is why this whole new experience has been great for when I am at work. Although I work in a newsroom for most of the day it is quiet as we focus on writing. Although this should be helpful I find it really awkward, always have. For every exam I have revised for and essay I have written I needed to have some sort of background noise. Even when I am going to sleep there needs to be some sound there otherwise it all just feels too eerie.

So I started listening to the radio at work. It is great getting to pick and choose throughout the day. At the moment I have a regime of Moyles and then Radio 2, which has charmed its way into my life because of the music it plays. Each day I get amazed when it plays a song I love - the other day Steve Wright started his show with a double bill of The Monkees - not joking one of my favourite bands ever.

Also I like to hear what morbidly depressing topics Jeremy Vine can conjure up each day. Once he genuinely discussed people seeing their family members commit suicide in front of them.

But Radio 4 has also earned a special place in my heart - I should listen to The Today Programme really but I am far more interested in Woman's Hour. Before Christmas they tried out cooking along on air which became a bit innuendo filled, as my friend Tim Johns pointed out.



I was also obsessed with comedy shows Giles Wemmbley-Hogg Goes Off - if you ever get the chance to listen to the episode the Festival of Yumsk do. I had to work hard to suppress my laughter when that episode was in fear of sounding like a lunatic in the office.

And so I started to find my own radio shows that I could tell my boyfriend about to listen to. And along the way I have learnt more about radio as well. When even semi-serious documentaries on Radio 4 can use songs like Banana Phone to illustrate their point then frankly you can do whatever you want.

  Photo: Philedmonds via Flickr

The Reichenbach Fail

Well I have just finished watching the series finale of Sherlock series two. And now I am about to become very angry.

Not at the adaptation, it was brilliant, or at Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. Why would I? They are a genius combination.

No, it is just the usual rant at people.

In the run up to this week’s episode people were worried that this would be the end of Sherlock. Would there be a series three?

And then when Sherlock did fall to his death people went to Twitter (sorry to go all Daily Mail sourcing here) to complain that “how dare Sherlock do this?” and “MOFFFFFAAATTTTT”.

The very same people then seemed genuinely shocked that Sherlock wasn’t dead after all.

Goodness me, what a shocker? Not to age myself by several years but for the love of God, read a book. As with all characters there are a few things that everyone should know. So Sherlock has Watson, Baker Street, the hat, Mrs Hudson, Lestrade, Moriarty and dying but then inexplicably coming back to life.

The last laugh of it all was made by Moffat who tweeted straight after the show: “Yes of course there’s going to be a third series – it was commissioned at the same time as the second. Gotcha.”

And also all the people trying to figure out how in the original series of books there is no reason. You just have to go with something every now and again.

Photo: BBC

I want to be able Ctrl + F in real life

Whenever I am researching articles for work I use the Ctrl+F function. The minute you realise that a computer likes to help you and prevent you from having to read 126 pages in order to find one sentence, you are incredibly grateful

I have now realised that this is a principal that I want to use in real life.

Let me explain. This week I came back to Lincoln after spending Christmas at home with my family. I crammed everything into my bag and managed to position everything so the bag closed and everything.

Then five minutes before I was due to leave the panic started to sink in.

Is my phone charger in the bag?

Remove everything from bag to find that the phone charger was in a side pocket. Manage to cram everything back in. Sign of relief, everything is fine.

Wait. Did I remember to pack those library books?

Remove everything from bag to find that you had taken the library books out in the first flurry of throwing stuff out of my bag in a hurry. Put everything back, sigh, you have packed everything.

No, wait my keys?

And so on.

What would solve this tricky little problem? Being able to open the bag and just press Ctrl+F to be able to type and search easily for the item that you think you have forgotten. No throwing all your neatly packed goods out of the bag onto the floor and then having to cram them back in.

I mean there would need to be some sort of technological advancement to make people half computer and half human, which could cause some problems and some anxieties. But that's only a small problem.

Starting a new year

Last year was my first attempt at a one a day blog. It was a photography blog to encourage me to take more photos. It worked and I gained, I like to think, respect for my pictures of Sackboys.

Sackboy pretending to be the Doctor

I lasted until October which was when two of my grandparents died and although I had found it fun to take pictures of my everyday life, pictures of funerals didn't seem to fit into that well. So I stopped.

But for 2012 I am taking up the task of a daily blog again, but seeing as I am no longer a student focusing on my dissertation I am free to do whatever I want so I have made this as complicated as I can. Each day will be a different task.

• Sunday - a blog, about anything I want. More than likely a rant.
• Monday - picture of a duck, I have a growing collection of rubber ducks and I was told a blog with pictures of ducks would be popular.
• Tuesday - a newsy rant - linking to a story I have found interesting or has annoyed me.
• Wednesday - a picture
• Thursday - review, either a book review or television show review
• Friday - what I food I made, plus recipe
• Saturday - and I haven't really thought this through but a sound, I did radio at university and haven't managed to find something to allow me to mess around with editing and sounds yet so I shall think of something creative to do.

It should be fun and hopefully I can do it for the year. 

So to start of 2012 with a blog.

2011 was a bit of an up and down year for me. As I have said two grandparents died in one month, plus there was a lot of other family issues happening. Regardless me, and my family, have got through it.

But reflecting on nicer things I became the editor of my student newspaper The Linc, which was a brilliant experience. I had two print issues that I was in charge of and I was extremely proud of them.

I also graduated from university.

Me in my gown outside Lincoln Cathedral. Photo: Emma Dearsley

It was a great three years of my life, but in a way was glad to get it over with and just start the real world.

I got a part-time internship at The Lincolnite and my second day at work involved an encounter with Jeremy Clarkson and James May from Top Gear.

Unfortunately the real world did lead to unemployment and fun dealings with the Job Centre. But it also led to me and my boyfriend living together in our lovely little house.

I filled my summer by starting up a television review site, called TV Talk Blog, with my friend Emma. I began driving lessons passing my theory test in September.

I also decided to teach myself some cheap skill which is when the baking began. Since the summer I have made gingerbread, a French apple tart, scones and a variety of cupcakes. Most recently I made an unconventional Christmas cake which was chocolate cake covered in white chocolate buttercream.

Eventually a full time job came along in October, but the baking hasn't stopped as I was given many recipe books for my birthday and Christmas and I am going to show my weekly treats off here.

With any luck 2012 should be a good year, my boyfriend will graduate from university and, although we have nothing planned, it feels exciting that come the summer we will be able to do anything we fancy.

So one blog down, just 365 to go. And good luck to you if you are starting a one a day blog as well.