Tuesday, January 30, 2007
So, there I was, walking along Shepherd's Bush Green, and saw Donny Tourette and Peaches Geldof walking hand in hand in the street. And I couldn't help thinking to myself, "that's the secret granddaughter of Hughie Green. She's a thoroughbred entertainment machine." It's like she was bred to be on a celebrity reality show.
Don't you remember? The last thing Paula found out before she shuffled off this mortal coil, was that Hughie was her dad. Talk about opportunity knocks*.
*Wow. I just read the wikipedia entry. I mean, Lena Zavaroni. Talk about a blast from the past. Lot of anorexia stories, recently. Ana Carolina Reston, that was a tragedy.
Don't you remember? The last thing Paula found out before she shuffled off this mortal coil, was that Hughie was her dad. Talk about opportunity knocks*.
*Wow. I just read the wikipedia entry. I mean, Lena Zavaroni. Talk about a blast from the past. Lot of anorexia stories, recently. Ana Carolina Reston, that was a tragedy.
Monday, January 29, 2007
A little pre-Paschal, I realise, but just came across the Internet Haggadah. No warranties blah blah blah. And they are still spelling Internet with a Capital Letter.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
I just saw the segment on Jewish music on the Heaven & Earth show.
They name checked the Burning Bush, Sophie Solomon, Oi Va Voi, Mattisyahu.
It wasn't bad, it really wasn't bad, honest. But they could have just done some research. Like all the "types" of Jewish music? Sefardic, Yiddish Klezmer, Cantorial? Not exactly. YY Rubinstein describing Hasidic Jews (in relation to Mattisyahu) as really orthodox? He should know better.
I know TV is soundbite driven, but all these things are nuanced. And, as Jews, we're nuance driven. The subtle difference between your seemingly identical shul and mine, the apparently similarity of where we came from. All these things need a little debate. And bagels.
Of course there was mention of bagels. Sophie Solomon saying that before she got into klezmer, being Jewish was just her dad bringing home bagels and smoked salmon on a Sunday morning. Hey, that makes me Jewish, too. Ad everyone in Waitrose.
I've noticed - who hasn't - this massive Jewish cultural revival, and Yiddish and klezmer are part of it. I am developing ideas, but I have to go to a pidyon haben. Really. I've never been to one.
They name checked the Burning Bush, Sophie Solomon, Oi Va Voi, Mattisyahu.
It wasn't bad, it really wasn't bad, honest. But they could have just done some research. Like all the "types" of Jewish music? Sefardic, Yiddish Klezmer, Cantorial? Not exactly. YY Rubinstein describing Hasidic Jews (in relation to Mattisyahu) as really orthodox? He should know better.
I know TV is soundbite driven, but all these things are nuanced. And, as Jews, we're nuance driven. The subtle difference between your seemingly identical shul and mine, the apparently similarity of where we came from. All these things need a little debate. And bagels.
Of course there was mention of bagels. Sophie Solomon saying that before she got into klezmer, being Jewish was just her dad bringing home bagels and smoked salmon on a Sunday morning. Hey, that makes me Jewish, too. Ad everyone in Waitrose.
I've noticed - who hasn't - this massive Jewish cultural revival, and Yiddish and klezmer are part of it. I am developing ideas, but I have to go to a pidyon haben. Really. I've never been to one.
Over a lunch, I heard a banker and an FT journalist chatting.
The journalist says, in response to whether they can cover silly stories, what the litmus test is, "we have a test for that. How would we feel if it the story was reported in Private Eye."
To which the bulge bracket banker responded: "we have a test, too. How would we feel if it the story was reported in the FT."
The journalist says, in response to whether they can cover silly stories, what the litmus test is, "we have a test for that. How would we feel if it the story was reported in Private Eye."
To which the bulge bracket banker responded: "we have a test, too. How would we feel if it the story was reported in the FT."
A friend told me this story tonight... her friend was in Argos, wanting to buy an MP3 player. They checked out a few, then made a decision, and said to the sales assistant, "can I have a quick look at this one?" So she took it out, he takes a look, and says to her, "I can't see where it's made."
She takes it off him, gives the MP3 player a detailed look, turning it over in her hand and says to him, "look, here it is. It says "Built in Antenna."
She takes it off him, gives the MP3 player a detailed look, turning it over in her hand and says to him, "look, here it is. It says "Built in Antenna."
Friday, January 26, 2007
Did you hear the Davos report on Second Life on yesterday's Today programme? You can here it again here.
And you can watch Zefrank on SecondLife here.
And you can watch Zefrank on SecondLife here.
Me and a friend always meet in a Costbucks, even though my anti-globalisation gene doesn't totally/really approve of them.
I don't actually drink coffee: I only drink coffee out. I'm a social coffee-drinker. Coffeeist.
But there's a lot of coffee out there. In the hairdresser they offer me coffee. And every single meeting I go to, people have high-end coffee kit and do the business. It's almost as if work's the side-issue. Coffee is the main issue. Like, I often "have coffee" with people who are not friends; work colleagues, ex colleagues, possible clients, friends of friends. Having coffee is big.
So you need a place to do it.
Thoughtful piece in today's Guardian on cafefication culture.
I don't actually drink coffee: I only drink coffee out. I'm a social coffee-drinker. Coffeeist.
But there's a lot of coffee out there. In the hairdresser they offer me coffee. And every single meeting I go to, people have high-end coffee kit and do the business. It's almost as if work's the side-issue. Coffee is the main issue. Like, I often "have coffee" with people who are not friends; work colleagues, ex colleagues, possible clients, friends of friends. Having coffee is big.
So you need a place to do it.
Thoughtful piece in today's Guardian on cafefication culture.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
It's just crossed my mind that Oyster Cards are probably called that because the world is your oyster. Look: 60 other people have kinda thought about this in some way.
Although, really, the city is your oyster.
And then again, maybe not.
Although, really, the city is your oyster.
And then again, maybe not.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Look. I'm numbers one and two on google for 34sp.com lousy company blog - presumably because they've fallen over again.
I realise shit happens etc, technology yadda yadda, but it just seems to happen a lot with them. Coupled with last week's 1and1 issues (which I didn't even blog because reading about other people's technical hitches can get a tad dull, I realise), I'm stuck.
Here's the deal. I have 163 email addresses (slight exaggeration: five) spread over two ISPs - 1and1 and 34sp. This way, I can always work even if one goes down - I just use the other. It costs me a little more, but given that everything I do is email based, it works on a low-stress basis.
Except now. I sent out a bunch of mails on my 34sp address, because 1and1 was flaky last week. Now, 34sp is flaky and people are trying to respond but can't.
Aaargh.
And I know 34sp are a bit slow on the uptake, and I've been meaning to move, but I need someone who does IMAP and multiple domains, and that's not so many people.
Modernity can get very annoying. Yes it's fabulous that I can communicate with people all over the known universe and do things at the speed of light and blah blah blah. But I've got used to it. I expect a minimum level of service, and even though I'm calm, I'm just slightly narked that I can't do stuff. Now.
Some (naysayers and doom-prophets, to be sure) say we live in a technology twilight zone - the last few years of when everything works properly before spam and outages and the energy roll over mean we're all wandering around with candles and wifi is but a distant (fond) memory.
Who knows. But right now: I just want things to work.
Also, Flickr is flaky, so I can't blog my photos. Gah.
I realise shit happens etc, technology yadda yadda, but it just seems to happen a lot with them. Coupled with last week's 1and1 issues (which I didn't even blog because reading about other people's technical hitches can get a tad dull, I realise), I'm stuck.
Here's the deal. I have 163 email addresses (slight exaggeration: five) spread over two ISPs - 1and1 and 34sp. This way, I can always work even if one goes down - I just use the other. It costs me a little more, but given that everything I do is email based, it works on a low-stress basis.
Except now. I sent out a bunch of mails on my 34sp address, because 1and1 was flaky last week. Now, 34sp is flaky and people are trying to respond but can't.
Aaargh.
And I know 34sp are a bit slow on the uptake, and I've been meaning to move, but I need someone who does IMAP and multiple domains, and that's not so many people.
Modernity can get very annoying. Yes it's fabulous that I can communicate with people all over the known universe and do things at the speed of light and blah blah blah. But I've got used to it. I expect a minimum level of service, and even though I'm calm, I'm just slightly narked that I can't do stuff. Now.
Some (naysayers and doom-prophets, to be sure) say we live in a technology twilight zone - the last few years of when everything works properly before spam and outages and the energy roll over mean we're all wandering around with candles and wifi is but a distant (fond) memory.
Who knows. But right now: I just want things to work.
Also, Flickr is flaky, so I can't blog my photos. Gah.
Y'know, I kinda get a little ticked off when people say a blog is just an "online diary" but I never have a succinct, easy answer to what else it is.
So here's a piece from the Sunday Times that kinda wound me up (although interesting) about the couple who make the big time in blogs (Ben and Mena to you and me).
So here's a piece from the Sunday Times that kinda wound me up (although interesting) about the couple who make the big time in blogs (Ben and Mena to you and me).
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
I saw that India Knight/Neris Thomas book, and kinda even flicked through it. Every woman's secret, right?
But Zoe Williams is spot on - you can't really be taken seriously if you go on and on about you weight.
But Zoe Williams is spot on - you can't really be taken seriously if you go on and on about you weight.
Anyone ever been to Beautiful and Damned at Boogaloo? I have nineteen twenties clothes. I'm thinking about it.
So, I finally got into bed (long day) and Leon the Pig Farmer is showing on BBC2.
Made by fellow Mancunian Gary Sinyor in 1993, I have to say, it's not aged that well. The Jewish stereotypes feel... well, stereotypical, and while back in the early nineties it was kinda cool to see a "Jewish film" but... beer for the non-Jewish workman? Regional accents? Works for his parents in a net curtain business? Camp gay farmer's son?You like to think life would be more... nuanced.
Anyway, back in 1993, I was working abroad in my first job, and I came back for the weekend, and everyone I knew - and I do mean everyone - was an extra in the wedding scene and it was too late for me to do it and also I didn't have any party clothes in my weekend bag, and I had to spend the weekend on my own.
I've got over it. But still. I saw Gary in the summer, we were on a panel together about Jewish identity, but we didn't discuss the film. Or our.. shared history (landsleit, stuff happens.)
Made by fellow Mancunian Gary Sinyor in 1993, I have to say, it's not aged that well. The Jewish stereotypes feel... well, stereotypical, and while back in the early nineties it was kinda cool to see a "Jewish film" but... beer for the non-Jewish workman? Regional accents? Works for his parents in a net curtain business? Camp gay farmer's son?You like to think life would be more... nuanced.
Anyway, back in 1993, I was working abroad in my first job, and I came back for the weekend, and everyone I knew - and I do mean everyone - was an extra in the wedding scene and it was too late for me to do it and also I didn't have any party clothes in my weekend bag, and I had to spend the weekend on my own.
I've got over it. But still. I saw Gary in the summer, we were on a panel together about Jewish identity, but we didn't discuss the film. Or our.. shared history (landsleit, stuff happens.)
Monday, January 22, 2007
Diaspora Blues or Insider Trading?
There were two articles in last week's (11 Jan) Economist; one a leader entitled Diaspora Blues, the other in the international section entitle Second thoughts about the Promised land. I can't like either, as the Economist is seriously pay-for-play.
Both covered the same ground; Jewish identity is changing because as Israel is no longer a focal point of Jewish identity. Jewish identity doesn't need to be predicated on "my country right or wrong."
Now, I'm not going to argue for or against these positions. But I will say this: while I don't subscribe to the keep-it-in-the-family approach to Jewish politics and community, and I'm happy to say in public (online, here) whatever I'd say around a friday night dinner table, and I don't talk quietly when non-Jews (I know, I know..) are listening, some subjects are just insiderish.
So my first thought was: there's somebody totally insiderish on the Economist staff. Unzerer in high places are not uncommon, but this argument, this position comes from a Jewish/left/post-Habonim position. It wouldn't surprise me if some short, balding bespecated future editor of the Guardian (my stereotype, my bad) had pitched a story to John Micklethwait and he'd bought it.
Because this piece is not a broadsheet leader. It's not a think-piece in the New Statesman. It's involved-Jew shabbes-table fayre, or post-social-action drink, pure and simple. It cites concepts (social action, tikkun olam, Jewish cultural revivals) so accurately, so specifically, it has to be an inside-job.
And then, I get to the end of the non-leader piece. Tony Lerman if the JPR (Jewish Policy Research Institute), a man about whom there has been a certain degree of controversy over his views on Israel recently, is quoted extensively under the "don't worry, be Jewish" heading.
So, it seems to me, and it's an opinion, that's all, that both these articles are the result of Tony Lerman, or his press people, if he has them, pitching the idea to the Economist. Because however good a journalist you are, you can't know this much stuff, this accurately.
Whether this is good or bad, I don't know. It's just interesting.
NB: I realise I'm a little late to the party on this, last week and all, hardly internet time, but I've been busy. Forgive me.
There were two articles in last week's (11 Jan) Economist; one a leader entitled Diaspora Blues, the other in the international section entitle Second thoughts about the Promised land. I can't like either, as the Economist is seriously pay-for-play.
Both covered the same ground; Jewish identity is changing because as Israel is no longer a focal point of Jewish identity. Jewish identity doesn't need to be predicated on "my country right or wrong."
Now, I'm not going to argue for or against these positions. But I will say this: while I don't subscribe to the keep-it-in-the-family approach to Jewish politics and community, and I'm happy to say in public (online, here) whatever I'd say around a friday night dinner table, and I don't talk quietly when non-Jews (I know, I know..) are listening, some subjects are just insiderish.
So my first thought was: there's somebody totally insiderish on the Economist staff. Unzerer in high places are not uncommon, but this argument, this position comes from a Jewish/left/post-Habonim position. It wouldn't surprise me if some short, balding bespecated future editor of the Guardian (my stereotype, my bad) had pitched a story to John Micklethwait and he'd bought it.
Because this piece is not a broadsheet leader. It's not a think-piece in the New Statesman. It's involved-Jew shabbes-table fayre, or post-social-action drink, pure and simple. It cites concepts (social action, tikkun olam, Jewish cultural revivals) so accurately, so specifically, it has to be an inside-job.
And then, I get to the end of the non-leader piece. Tony Lerman if the JPR (Jewish Policy Research Institute), a man about whom there has been a certain degree of controversy over his views on Israel recently, is quoted extensively under the "don't worry, be Jewish" heading.
So, it seems to me, and it's an opinion, that's all, that both these articles are the result of Tony Lerman, or his press people, if he has them, pitching the idea to the Economist. Because however good a journalist you are, you can't know this much stuff, this accurately.
Whether this is good or bad, I don't know. It's just interesting.
NB: I realise I'm a little late to the party on this, last week and all, hardly internet time, but I've been busy. Forgive me.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
DJ Tan getting on down...
My friend J wanted to start a Rosh Chodesh group, and then there was a bit of debate, and our nascent group ended up going to The Blessed Beat at the Spitz, to see the Ghettoplotz crew (I saw crew ironically: a twentysomething bloke with a clipboard asked me and my crew to, er, "hang" while we were at the door. Now, as you all know, Jews wait impatiently, argue, demand, but hang they do not. But then, he's a guy who grew up in the generation who want to be Ali G.)
But anyway, they played a great set, with new visuals and an excellent vibe. I danced, took photos, saw people I hadn't seen in a while. Hey, it's a Jew Do, that's what you do.
But anyway, they played a great set, with new visuals and an excellent vibe. I danced, took photos, saw people I hadn't seen in a while. Hey, it's a Jew Do, that's what you do.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Hey, I have just imported all the Jewish holidays and candle lighting times and everything into Outlook from hebcal.com. I love them.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Comment to Andy Duncan in response to his "racism is a complex issue" statement: "when someone fails to pronounce your name properly, makes fun of the way you eat, because your culture is different, makes fun of your accent, that's racism."
Andy responded that they have intervened twice, once with Daniella last night, and once with Jade, as we can see tonight. But it's subjective. Rigorous process in C4 to deal with complaints they've received. Key concern to deal with what's gone on in the house appropriately. (The OFCOM guy's first question this morning was about this, and they said they had 24,000 complaints, easily a record for them).
Andy was asked whether essentially it's an issue of C4 complaince lawyers deciding whether stipulations of the programme code have been met.
Andy said that they've checked with Shilpa, she doesn't think it's racism.
Andy responded that they have intervened twice, once with Daniella last night, and once with Jade, as we can see tonight. But it's subjective. Rigorous process in C4 to deal with complaints they've received. Key concern to deal with what's gone on in the house appropriately. (The OFCOM guy's first question this morning was about this, and they said they had 24,000 complaints, easily a record for them).
Andy was asked whether essentially it's an issue of C4 complaince lawyers deciding whether stipulations of the programme code have been met.
Andy said that they've checked with Shilpa, she doesn't think it's racism.
Summary of Andy Duncan's keynote:
We know the British people. We get diverse. We have a new website. Shameless is an iconic British programme. Regional, based in Manchester. Next year, sisxteen Shamelesses. We want to be like America. Paul Abbot's a genius. Skins average writer age is 22. We are yoof. It's all about innovation. Social networks. Commitment. Innovation. Outstanding. Dig at Panorama-lite. On-stream and off-stream contributions. Nurturing the independent sector. Economic impact of Channel4 is £2bn. Plurality of sources, suppliers, regionality. Money money money. Talent policy. We are people people. You wouldn't believe how much we spend on training. Creative economy, we make a huge contribution. PSP. Don't be complacent. Policy issues of the decade; BBC; switchover; newmedia/UGC; acheiving plurality of public service. It's our twentyfifth anniversary year, we wear t-shirts and do good stuff for the people.
We know the British people. We get diverse. We have a new website. Shameless is an iconic British programme. Regional, based in Manchester. Next year, sisxteen Shamelesses. We want to be like America. Paul Abbot's a genius. Skins average writer age is 22. We are yoof. It's all about innovation. Social networks. Commitment. Innovation. Outstanding. Dig at Panorama-lite. On-stream and off-stream contributions. Nurturing the independent sector. Economic impact of Channel4 is £2bn. Plurality of sources, suppliers, regionality. Money money money. Talent policy. We are people people. You wouldn't believe how much we spend on training. Creative economy, we make a huge contribution. PSP. Don't be complacent. Policy issues of the decade; BBC; switchover; newmedia/UGC; acheiving plurality of public service. It's our twentyfifth anniversary year, we wear t-shirts and do good stuff for the people.
Andy Duncan
I know this is terribly old media of me, but I really feel that Andy Duncan should have dressed up a bit: he's just wearing a t-shirt.
He's just read out the press statement about Big Brother and the "apparently racist" comments. Also, he says that Big Brother "goes to the heart of who we are". So any press is good press?
Now he's going on to his keynote, covering, bigger picture digital, the vision for Channel 4 2012 and beyond, remarks on the OFCOM review of Channel 4, and the delivery of the Channel 4 remit, and the wider and positive impact Channel 4 has on wider UK society.
And now he's showing an advert. His. For Channel4OD (which I'm quite excited about).
Everyone's just itching to ask about Big Brother. You can tell.
He looks a little... hassled. It's been a busy day. That's what they pay him the big bucks for.
Update: I just read this profile and now I know being informal is Andy's "thing". And he sounds like a great guy.
He's just read out the press statement about Big Brother and the "apparently racist" comments. Also, he says that Big Brother "goes to the heart of who we are". So any press is good press?
Now he's going on to his keynote, covering, bigger picture digital, the vision for Channel 4 2012 and beyond, remarks on the OFCOM review of Channel 4, and the delivery of the Channel 4 remit, and the wider and positive impact Channel 4 has on wider UK society.
And now he's showing an advert. His. For Channel4OD (which I'm quite excited about).
Everyone's just itching to ask about Big Brother. You can tell.
He looks a little... hassled. It's been a busy day. That's what they pay him the big bucks for.
Update: I just read this profile and now I know being informal is Andy's "thing". And he sounds like a great guy.
Andy Duncan from Channel 4 is just about to give his keynote, and it's only 44 minutes since Carphone Warehouse dropped its Big Brother sponsorship over racism row.
The internet, it's great, isn't it?
The internet, it's great, isn't it?
I'm at the Oxford Media Convention in Oxford (of course: trains were totally crap this morning, took two hours to get here). Jemima Kiss is live blogging across the room from me, so there's not a lot for me to say about content. One person's notes are much like another's.
Here's a weird thing. There are very few people here with laptops, and a lot of people writing notes in notebooks. Which is OK, but a little retro, no? A guy sitting behind me asked who "these people" are with laptops. Are we journalists? I looked round the room, and thought, we're the online-folk.
Here's a weird thing. There are very few people here with laptops, and a lot of people writing notes in notebooks. Which is OK, but a little retro, no? A guy sitting behind me asked who "these people" are with laptops. Are we journalists? I looked round the room, and thought, we're the online-folk.
I just heard someone use websensed as a verb. As in, "we couldn't acces those sites, they were just websensed out."
Did you know that Brits love google more than micro$oft?
It's the pre-Paschal season, so I'm delighted to discover that I'm still on the Google front page for coconut pyramids.
And While London Burns A (green) operatic audio tour across the City. Download it to your MP3 player now, you know you want to.
Great piece on the economics and logistics of why people don't repair things anymore. Like I have a kettle I've had for fifteen years (shhhh, don't talk too loud, it might hear me and break), and I know when it dies it'll be over. I like the olden days of household husbandry, or whatever you call it.
Did you know that, according to Time magazine, you are the person of the year?
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
TODAY IS A BIG DAY
Blogwise, I mean. Today, five years ago (well, at 3.22 in the afternoon) I decided to blog, because I met Luke and he'd been doing it since May 2000, and had an eighteen month head-start on me.
Through him, I found other blogs (there were not so many then; Meg, Tom, Shauna)and realised there was this... thing out there, blogging, which was about writing (to me) and the internet and that was my bag.
My style's changed in five years. I don't recommend you go back and read the early stuff because (a) it's not that interesting, because (b) the really interesting stuff has all been taken down. It took me a while to get my blogging feet, and I went straight on hiatus in February, but by April I was writing regularly, and I haven't really stopped since.
I feel fairly sure I've written a lot of words (maybe a million) in that time, and although most of them are not so great, some of them are good, and all of them have let me write and that's what I love doing. Sure, I've had my ups and downs (who wouldn't in five years) and I haven't stopped using brackets too often, and have developed my own idiosyncratic writing style, which includes slightly odd punctuation and extremely rare usage of exclamation marks. That's the joy of not having an editor.
So, what've I learned in five years?
I like writing
I really like writing
How and where to draw the line
Red tops will do anything for a story
Other bloggers are really nice people
The world moves fast - I can write what I think quicker than someone on a newspaper can get it subbed, and I can pick up the phone and ask questions the same as anyone
And what's... happened in that five years? Well, without being too personal, which I try not to be nowadays, I think I've grown and changed quite a bit. Whether it's down to blogging, I don't know, but I think blogging is partly responsible for my improved state, although I guess I could have just had a word document on my laptop, but (a) I have one anyway, and (b) what fun would that be?
Blogging is really about the conversation. Sometimes it's a conversation I'm having with myself, sometimes I hit a nerve and people join me. Quite often, actually. I get a lot of mail. Blogging is iterative. Blogging is something I hate describing to people at dinner parties (it's just a website, right? Or a diary.) Blogging - or writing this regularly - helps me process, sort, all the stuff going on in my head, perform without leaving my house, it's even helped me earn a living.
That's the main thing. When I started, I was wannabe writer with broadband and a laptop. I remember being really angry about the first Guardian blogging competition, because Tom seemed to think I was a professional writer, and started saying it was unfair that I might win. And now... I make a chunk of my living from writing. I still haven't finished my novel (although it's a different novel from the one I started back in 2002), but I'm way closer to getting to where I want to be, even if I'm not exactly moving at internet time. Before my blog, I'd done push-marketing: sent stuff out to editors and agents, sat and waited. PB (post blog) it's pull-marketing: the people really do come to me. It's not why I blog, or started blogging, but it's helped me get closer to what I want, and sometimes it's the journey not the destination.
So... I'm rambling. But hey, if I can't ramble on my Blogiversary, who can?
In my new minimal lifestyle (less belongings, I wish), I don't actually need anything. And I don't really believe in asking for presents. Although, obviously, I like receiving gifts as much as the next person.
But if you've enjoyed my writing over the last five years, I'd invite you to make a donation or micro-donation (all sums help, I have to raise £5,500) to my humanitarian aid mission to Moldova in May. This is absolutely an invitation, not an imperative, and feel free to give or not give as you wish.
And thank you for reading. If you weren't reading, it would be a word document on my laptop. How retro.
Blogwise, I mean. Today, five years ago (well, at 3.22 in the afternoon) I decided to blog, because I met Luke and he'd been doing it since May 2000, and had an eighteen month head-start on me.
Through him, I found other blogs (there were not so many then; Meg, Tom, Shauna)and realised there was this... thing out there, blogging, which was about writing (to me) and the internet and that was my bag.
My style's changed in five years. I don't recommend you go back and read the early stuff because (a) it's not that interesting, because (b) the really interesting stuff has all been taken down. It took me a while to get my blogging feet, and I went straight on hiatus in February, but by April I was writing regularly, and I haven't really stopped since.
I feel fairly sure I've written a lot of words (maybe a million) in that time, and although most of them are not so great, some of them are good, and all of them have let me write and that's what I love doing. Sure, I've had my ups and downs (who wouldn't in five years) and I haven't stopped using brackets too often, and have developed my own idiosyncratic writing style, which includes slightly odd punctuation and extremely rare usage of exclamation marks. That's the joy of not having an editor.
So, what've I learned in five years?
And what's... happened in that five years? Well, without being too personal, which I try not to be nowadays, I think I've grown and changed quite a bit. Whether it's down to blogging, I don't know, but I think blogging is partly responsible for my improved state, although I guess I could have just had a word document on my laptop, but (a) I have one anyway, and (b) what fun would that be?
Blogging is really about the conversation. Sometimes it's a conversation I'm having with myself, sometimes I hit a nerve and people join me. Quite often, actually. I get a lot of mail. Blogging is iterative. Blogging is something I hate describing to people at dinner parties (it's just a website, right? Or a diary.) Blogging - or writing this regularly - helps me process, sort, all the stuff going on in my head, perform without leaving my house, it's even helped me earn a living.
That's the main thing. When I started, I was wannabe writer with broadband and a laptop. I remember being really angry about the first Guardian blogging competition, because Tom seemed to think I was a professional writer, and started saying it was unfair that I might win. And now... I make a chunk of my living from writing. I still haven't finished my novel (although it's a different novel from the one I started back in 2002), but I'm way closer to getting to where I want to be, even if I'm not exactly moving at internet time. Before my blog, I'd done push-marketing: sent stuff out to editors and agents, sat and waited. PB (post blog) it's pull-marketing: the people really do come to me. It's not why I blog, or started blogging, but it's helped me get closer to what I want, and sometimes it's the journey not the destination.
So... I'm rambling. But hey, if I can't ramble on my Blogiversary, who can?
In my new minimal lifestyle (less belongings, I wish), I don't actually need anything. And I don't really believe in asking for presents. Although, obviously, I like receiving gifts as much as the next person.
But if you've enjoyed my writing over the last five years, I'd invite you to make a donation or micro-donation (all sums help, I have to raise £5,500) to my humanitarian aid mission to Moldova in May. This is absolutely an invitation, not an imperative, and feel free to give or not give as you wish.
And thank you for reading. If you weren't reading, it would be a word document on my laptop. How retro.
Monday, January 15, 2007
This story: is both bizarre and disturbing. Disturbing in that a woman died for no good reason at all. But bizarre that a radio station (or anyone) would come up with a "hold your wee for a Wii" competition. The world is getting very, very scary.
I saw Happy Feet last week (not my natural choice, but I loved it and ended up in tears), and the soundtrack is fabulous.
Now I've read more chicklit novels than the average person I'm sure (all for science, I tellya), and I've seen a fair few movies, too - here's Emily Barr's piece on what makes the perfect chickflick.
Do you think we'll really be able to lose weight with an 'obesity-busting chewing gum'?
There are a bunch of websites that give you houseprice information - it's just the Land Registry data, with a nice front end, really. So you don't know if the place is gold-plated or a burned-out shell.
At the weekend, a conversation led to this idea - there should be comments on these sites. My preferred site is Houseprices.co.uk but they're all much of a muchness. What you really want is local colour, "did you see what the Levines did to their kitchen? Abortion." "I mean, they ripped out all the fitted furniture and carpets, and did wooden floors and fireplaces, can you believe?"
Comments, that's what would differentiate one set of houseprice data from another. A libel lawyer I'm not (although I don't know if you can libel a house, I suspect not), but it would be interesting, no?
At the weekend, a conversation led to this idea - there should be comments on these sites. My preferred site is Houseprices.co.uk but they're all much of a muchness. What you really want is local colour, "did you see what the Levines did to their kitchen? Abortion." "I mean, they ripped out all the fitted furniture and carpets, and did wooden floors and fireplaces, can you believe?"
Comments, that's what would differentiate one set of houseprice data from another. A libel lawyer I'm not (although I don't know if you can libel a house, I suspect not), but it would be interesting, no?
Friday, January 12, 2007
just click your heels...
I'm not on commission from Primark, honest, but I saw these yesterday and they're reduced from £12 to £6, and I took the photo because they have my flatmate's name written all over them.
Which reminds me of a Primark story overheard in the (long) queue: one woman says to another, "this is the only place you'd shoplift to save time, not money."
Of course that's not true. There's Matalan, as well.
Which reminds me of a Primark story overheard in the (long) queue: one woman says to another, "this is the only place you'd shoplift to save time, not money."
Of course that's not true. There's Matalan, as well.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
In a surprising move (most City commentators expected rates to stay at 5% for a short while) the Bank of England raises interest rates to 5.25%. Not great news for un-fixed mortgages, but good news for savers and the next cash ISA season. Might even dampen property prices. They wish. It's all about lack of supply, in a macro sense.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
The Jewish Book Week 2007 programme is online. It's good. Book tickets quicky. Although not so quickly that I can't get any.
Two great pieces from the New York Times* from angst-ridden (but cool) writer Shalom Auslander** Celebrity Crazy and Love Child.
***
* Use login/password sashablog/sashablog.
* Also, isn't the internet great? I can read the New York Times in Kilburn. A few years back, I was a techheadhunter, and we were very high end and I had to wear a suit everyday and they made me tie my (slightly unruly) hair back and not wear chunky jewelry. It was a very silly, oak-panelled business. Kinda like being an estate agent for people, but without the intellectual stimulation. Anyway, me and my lead partner used to go to week-long lunches to "get the brief" for the new CTO, and we'd come out and look at each other and say "webbiness and globality" then, which was what most people wanted. And also, it doesn't matter what the brief is: usually people hire the person they like, even if they don't quite fit the brief.
** I heard Shalom Auslander speak on a panel at Jewish Book Week last year, with Naomi Alderman. He was so very angry that you could feel the tension in his life just from watching how he sat in his chair, even. I don't know if that much anger is good for a person. Even though he says in the Love Child story that he doesn't like anger anymore, so maybe the therapy's working.
** Also, in the Therapy short story, I don't really get why he keeps making a date with his therapist? Can you do next Tuesday? How's Thursday? It's not coffee with a friend, it's supposed to be a regular commitment. Like Woody Allen says; with strict Freudian therapy, if you die, they make you pay for the sessions you missed.
*** Yes, I'm rambling. My mojo went to Marbella, but it may have returned****.
**** Or may not have done. We'll see.
***
* Use login/password sashablog/sashablog.
* Also, isn't the internet great? I can read the New York Times in Kilburn. A few years back, I was a techheadhunter, and we were very high end and I had to wear a suit everyday and they made me tie my (slightly unruly) hair back and not wear chunky jewelry. It was a very silly, oak-panelled business. Kinda like being an estate agent for people, but without the intellectual stimulation. Anyway, me and my lead partner used to go to week-long lunches to "get the brief" for the new CTO, and we'd come out and look at each other and say "webbiness and globality" then, which was what most people wanted. And also, it doesn't matter what the brief is: usually people hire the person they like, even if they don't quite fit the brief.
** I heard Shalom Auslander speak on a panel at Jewish Book Week last year, with Naomi Alderman. He was so very angry that you could feel the tension in his life just from watching how he sat in his chair, even. I don't know if that much anger is good for a person. Even though he says in the Love Child story that he doesn't like anger anymore, so maybe the therapy's working.
** Also, in the Therapy short story, I don't really get why he keeps making a date with his therapist? Can you do next Tuesday? How's Thursday? It's not coffee with a friend, it's supposed to be a regular commitment. Like Woody Allen says; with strict Freudian therapy, if you die, they make you pay for the sessions you missed.
*** Yes, I'm rambling. My mojo went to Marbella, but it may have returned****.
**** Or may not have done. We'll see.
Five Things People Don't Know About Me
I am bad when people tag me for things, because I suspect I'm meme-resistant, but hey, Meg's my buddy, so, here goes...
1 I'm going to Moldova in May on a humanitarian mission
Yes, Moldova, a country immortalised by comedian Tony Hawk's book, Playing the Moldovans at Tennis, used to be part of Romania, and is next door to where my maternal great grandparents came from at the turn of the previous century. They left because of the pogroms in around 1897, which makes me third generation. There's a tiny Jewish community left there, and I'm going on a trip with a dozen or so other people, and we're buying four vans (which we leave there for them to use as minibuses/ambulances) filled with clothes, medicine, aid in general. I have to raise £5,500, and if you'd like to support me, you can do so here.
2 I was a charity trustee...
For a couple of years, a couple of years ago, and because I'm self-employed, it was only when I did my accounts I realised how much time it had taken, and I'd actually earned 40% less that year. And I'd felt really busy. Learn from this what you will. I don't - obviously - disagree with charity, I just learned that I have to learn where to drawn the line.
3 I have multiple names for various reasons
It's a long story, that I won't go into here (because I'm not that interested/don't want to bore you/it's late) but it ocassionally creates entertaining scenarios like "do you have a sister?" etc. The complex life is not worth living.
4 I wrote a book by accident
This can happen. As you know, I've been working on my novel for three years and blah blah blah. I got into a diversionary project by mistake this summer (and bear in mind that Google tells all its employees to spend Friday's on their interesting diversionary projects and it's a very creative/lucrative thing, viz gmail, froogle etc). And my diversionary project turned into kinda a book, and I wrote 75,000 words when I should have been doing something else. Washing my hair?
5 I used to be a telephone counsellor
I really enjoyed it, although I did feel slightly out of place. Like everyone else was a social worker/advice worker/nurse, and they spoke Public Sector and I spoke Bottom Line. So they were all really good at the "I'm wondering how you're feeling about the issue around the issue..." I'm a straight talker, and that's what people pay me for, mostly. I learned some good listening skills and how to reflect and be empathic and that was good. And it's stood me in good stead: I'm the sort of person if someone's having an affair/thinking of leaving their partner/done something terrible, I'm the person they call to talk to. It's happened to me a lot of times now, so there's not much left that can shock me. The human condition is: painful, sometimes. People have hard things to think about. And when I go on long train journeys I try quite hard not to sit next to someone who looks like they have a big secret, although, as we all know, most people have big secrets, especially the ones who look like they don't.
So there you go. It's tricky with my kinda blog, because a lot of what I write is personal, to a degree. And the stuff I choose not to say, there's a reason for. Also, I have a terrible memory, so it's possible I have said these things before and therefore you already know them... I hope not.
I am bad when people tag me for things, because I suspect I'm meme-resistant, but hey, Meg's my buddy, so, here goes...
1 I'm going to Moldova in May on a humanitarian mission
Yes, Moldova, a country immortalised by comedian Tony Hawk's book, Playing the Moldovans at Tennis, used to be part of Romania, and is next door to where my maternal great grandparents came from at the turn of the previous century. They left because of the pogroms in around 1897, which makes me third generation. There's a tiny Jewish community left there, and I'm going on a trip with a dozen or so other people, and we're buying four vans (which we leave there for them to use as minibuses/ambulances) filled with clothes, medicine, aid in general. I have to raise £5,500, and if you'd like to support me, you can do so here.
2 I was a charity trustee...
For a couple of years, a couple of years ago, and because I'm self-employed, it was only when I did my accounts I realised how much time it had taken, and I'd actually earned 40% less that year. And I'd felt really busy. Learn from this what you will. I don't - obviously - disagree with charity, I just learned that I have to learn where to drawn the line.
3 I have multiple names for various reasons
It's a long story, that I won't go into here (because I'm not that interested/don't want to bore you/it's late) but it ocassionally creates entertaining scenarios like "do you have a sister?" etc. The complex life is not worth living.
4 I wrote a book by accident
This can happen. As you know, I've been working on my novel for three years and blah blah blah. I got into a diversionary project by mistake this summer (and bear in mind that Google tells all its employees to spend Friday's on their interesting diversionary projects and it's a very creative/lucrative thing, viz gmail, froogle etc). And my diversionary project turned into kinda a book, and I wrote 75,000 words when I should have been doing something else. Washing my hair?
5 I used to be a telephone counsellor
I really enjoyed it, although I did feel slightly out of place. Like everyone else was a social worker/advice worker/nurse, and they spoke Public Sector and I spoke Bottom Line. So they were all really good at the "I'm wondering how you're feeling about the issue around the issue..." I'm a straight talker, and that's what people pay me for, mostly. I learned some good listening skills and how to reflect and be empathic and that was good. And it's stood me in good stead: I'm the sort of person if someone's having an affair/thinking of leaving their partner/done something terrible, I'm the person they call to talk to. It's happened to me a lot of times now, so there's not much left that can shock me. The human condition is: painful, sometimes. People have hard things to think about. And when I go on long train journeys I try quite hard not to sit next to someone who looks like they have a big secret, although, as we all know, most people have big secrets, especially the ones who look like they don't.
So there you go. It's tricky with my kinda blog, because a lot of what I write is personal, to a degree. And the stuff I choose not to say, there's a reason for. Also, I have a terrible memory, so it's possible I have said these things before and therefore you already know them... I hope not.
Monday, January 08, 2007
So, State of Play IV is happening now in Singapore, and I didn't go because (partly, apart from eco-footprint etc) they're were putting videos live online. So, er, podcasts and recorded videos? Empty. Great, the on-demand age, isn't it.
I'm very sad that Magnus Magnusson died. For a reason I don't totally understand, I have a very warm spot for the Mastermind host. Maybe because one of my little catchphrases is "that'll be your specialist subject on Mastermind". Mine, of course, will be UK blogging 2001 - 2004.
Friday, January 05, 2007
I know it's five year's old, and I stumbled across it in a typical web way... (I was looking at the site of the artist Zoë Mendelson), when I happened on this brilliant piece she wrote when discovered she had type one diabetes at the age of twenty five.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
I am Angry of Kilburn when it comes to this year's round of fare rises.
In fact, I went out to lunch on new year's day, and think I bored a (potentially new) friend rigid with my mini-rant on fare rises and poor transport infrastructure. Frankly, the woman couldn't gather her handbag quickly enough and jump into her 4x4 (this is dramatic licence: I don't know what car she drove, or even if she drove a car.
But it's crap that they made us get Oyster cards because they're "cheaper" and now bus fares have risen 20% (£1 from 80p) and we're now the most expensive place to travel in the world.
Great.
Which is why I love this entertaining piece in the Guardian; An insider's guide to cheap railwaty tickets. Especiall this bit:
The most stylish and ridiculously brilliant fare-saving tactic, however, is this: do you travel around the country reasonably regularly after 10am but don't qualify for any discount cards? Wherever you live, march into your nearest station and demand a season ticket for the three-minute journey from Ryde St Johns Road to Ryde Esplanade on the Isle of Wight.
This, the cheapest season ticket in the UK, will set you back £116. Buying a season ticket automatically gives you a "Gold Card" - which entitles you to a third off almost all off-peak UK fares. You can also upgrade to first class for £5 return on most of your journeys if you want to give yourself a treat.
I am so thinking about getting an electric car. There's even an electric car hire company, although their pricing seems a little.... well, unclear. Anyway, here's TfL's green-y stuff. All well and good, but soon we'll all be spending so much on our travelcards we won't have a penny left for anything else anyway. Not even, say, Green & Blacks chocolate. Or Boden clothes. Darling.
In fact, I went out to lunch on new year's day, and think I bored a (potentially new) friend rigid with my mini-rant on fare rises and poor transport infrastructure. Frankly, the woman couldn't gather her handbag quickly enough and jump into her 4x4 (this is dramatic licence: I don't know what car she drove, or even if she drove a car.
But it's crap that they made us get Oyster cards because they're "cheaper" and now bus fares have risen 20% (£1 from 80p) and we're now the most expensive place to travel in the world.
Great.
Which is why I love this entertaining piece in the Guardian; An insider's guide to cheap railwaty tickets. Especiall this bit:
The most stylish and ridiculously brilliant fare-saving tactic, however, is this: do you travel around the country reasonably regularly after 10am but don't qualify for any discount cards? Wherever you live, march into your nearest station and demand a season ticket for the three-minute journey from Ryde St Johns Road to Ryde Esplanade on the Isle of Wight.
This, the cheapest season ticket in the UK, will set you back £116. Buying a season ticket automatically gives you a "Gold Card" - which entitles you to a third off almost all off-peak UK fares. You can also upgrade to first class for £5 return on most of your journeys if you want to give yourself a treat.
I am so thinking about getting an electric car. There's even an electric car hire company, although their pricing seems a little.... well, unclear. Anyway, here's TfL's green-y stuff. All well and good, but soon we'll all be spending so much on our travelcards we won't have a penny left for anything else anyway. Not even, say, Green & Blacks chocolate. Or Boden clothes. Darling.
Always late to the party, me (although it's apparently sometimes fashionable). Did anyone see Second Lives on Channel 4 in the summer? Thanks to the joy of Youtube, this looks like the Tim Guest segment.
Have I ever mentioned that I love Sunday morning's Heaven and Earth show? I think it's partially because I have a degree in comparative religion, and I never thought it could be TV. Sometimes, even, cool TV.
Anway, Sunday, I discovered that Fiddler on the Roof is on at the Crucible in Sheffield, and I really want to see it. Check out the Guardian review.
Anway, Sunday, I discovered that Fiddler on the Roof is on at the Crucible in Sheffield, and I really want to see it. Check out the Guardian review.
The last few years, I've been very taken with voluntary simplicity, and the slowness movement(cooking, life, travel) and all that jazz. Now I discoverLong Now.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
This Life (reprise)
So I had a group activity last night (watched with a bunch of buddies, having seen the end of the last series on video - how last century, I know). It left a lot of questions unanswered - what happened to Miles' first wife? How did Ferdy die? Why wasn't there an apostrophe in the Writers Week (sic) poster at the British Library talk?
Criticisms? Well, Amy Jenkins hasn't had any serious success since she first conceived the original series (despite her fulsome wikipedia entry), and last night felt a little formulaic. Almost like she wrote a list; war in Iraq, ipods, fertility, yummy-mummy angst. So there was some of the old magic, and the script was pretty good... but you can't help wondering about the meta-ness of the whole thing.
At the time, I remember Amy Jenkins being censured to some degree for basically writing about her own friends sharing a London house, and when she came to write about other things, they apparently were not so critically acclaimed. And now, that's what Egg's doing; it's kinda like Amy's writing about herself, and Egg comes out all OK in the end, even though you don't totally know what his and Milly's relationship is really like.
The great characters were still there, but they've turned into caricatures; Anna is a desperate single; Warren is a hippy life coach; Miles is a failed hotelier ... Hobotel just sounds like Habbohotel for grownups, right? (not everything is entirely clear, like a lot of Amy's stuff, too many loose ends. She prides herself on being "plotless" in a modern way, but it's slightly unsatisfying).
Amy's clearly been reading Malcolm; I so recognised Anna's little monologue about some scientist who can tell how long couples will stay together from analysing fifteen minutes of conversation... and then a friend texted to remind me it's from Blink.
There's a great Telegraph piece (commenting on Tony Garnett's ground breaking direction), and the music (apparently selected by Ricky Gervais) is brilliant, spot-on. And there's a whole BBC microsite (which N last night described as midrash) where you can find out everything about everyone... like, did you know that Egg and Miles are best friends in real life and really were best men at each other's weddings?
Like all modern TV, it's a commentary on everything that's gone before; there's shades of Friends (opening shot in the fountain), Peter's Friends, Big Brother and every other celebrity thang... but for a brief moment I felt like it was ten years ago, and that may or may not be a good thing. Although, even though they're in a £7m mansion, they still all wander around in their pajamas like there's only one bathroom. Some things never change.
So I had a group activity last night (watched with a bunch of buddies, having seen the end of the last series on video - how last century, I know). It left a lot of questions unanswered - what happened to Miles' first wife? How did Ferdy die? Why wasn't there an apostrophe in the Writers Week (sic) poster at the British Library talk?
Criticisms? Well, Amy Jenkins hasn't had any serious success since she first conceived the original series (despite her fulsome wikipedia entry), and last night felt a little formulaic. Almost like she wrote a list; war in Iraq, ipods, fertility, yummy-mummy angst. So there was some of the old magic, and the script was pretty good... but you can't help wondering about the meta-ness of the whole thing.
At the time, I remember Amy Jenkins being censured to some degree for basically writing about her own friends sharing a London house, and when she came to write about other things, they apparently were not so critically acclaimed. And now, that's what Egg's doing; it's kinda like Amy's writing about herself, and Egg comes out all OK in the end, even though you don't totally know what his and Milly's relationship is really like.
The great characters were still there, but they've turned into caricatures; Anna is a desperate single; Warren is a hippy life coach; Miles is a failed hotelier ... Hobotel just sounds like Habbohotel for grownups, right? (not everything is entirely clear, like a lot of Amy's stuff, too many loose ends. She prides herself on being "plotless" in a modern way, but it's slightly unsatisfying).
Amy's clearly been reading Malcolm; I so recognised Anna's little monologue about some scientist who can tell how long couples will stay together from analysing fifteen minutes of conversation... and then a friend texted to remind me it's from Blink.
There's a great Telegraph piece (commenting on Tony Garnett's ground breaking direction), and the music (apparently selected by Ricky Gervais) is brilliant, spot-on. And there's a whole BBC microsite (which N last night described as midrash) where you can find out everything about everyone... like, did you know that Egg and Miles are best friends in real life and really were best men at each other's weddings?
Like all modern TV, it's a commentary on everything that's gone before; there's shades of Friends (opening shot in the fountain), Peter's Friends, Big Brother and every other celebrity thang... but for a brief moment I felt like it was ten years ago, and that may or may not be a good thing. Although, even though they're in a £7m mansion, they still all wander around in their pajamas like there's only one bathroom. Some things never change.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
I just came acorss The Right Ingredients, who bill themselves as "food and drink delivery", although in market parlance, they're in the semi-cooked marketplace. You know the deal - you choose a menu, and they deliver all the weighed-and-measured ingredients. You have all the thrill of cooking without the hassle of shopping and preparing. Well, maybe a little chopping.
Reminds me of Leaping Salmon... but then they went out of business, apparently. Do you remember, they had a little shoplet on the forecourt at Victoria?
Reminds me of Leaping Salmon... but then they went out of business, apparently. Do you remember, they had a little shoplet on the forecourt at Victoria?
So are you watching the This Life ten year reunion? It's tonight at 9pm.
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