Today at writing we were doing list exercises from this book, writing list poems.
I love the idea of this book, a diary consisting of lists. We were told to chose one & it took me forever to make a decision. I poured over it. I need to buy this and try to find the time to fill it all in.
I opted for Famous People I've encountered & came up with the following.
1. Paul McCartney squeezed past me in a crowded Green room. As he passed me he winked at me. Not my sister standing next to me. It was at me.
2. Richard Herring paid for my chicken korma & boiled rice when a group of us went out to eat. He emptied his pockets of change when I refused the £20 for my cab home but gave me all the shrapnel from his pockets
3. Gordan Ramsey, Michael Rosen, several Tory MPs & Paul from Big Brother 2 signed release forms for me
4. I spoke to Davina McColl to check that a fax I'd sent her husband to be had arrived at their house.
5. I queued for hours with my sister at HMV to get Buck Fizz's autographs
6. I fetched Armando Iannucci Yop from the BBC tea bar
7. I showed Germaine Greer the way to the loo and then heard her pee as I waited for her
8. I said hello to Yvette Fielding, mistaking her for someone I knew & then giggled in the lift for 5 floors when I realised who she was
9. Saw Miranda Hart across the BBC bar. Was too embarrassed & afraid that I'd morph into her character if I tried to approach her.
10. The bloke from Brookie who I bored senseless droning on & on about how much I loved Barry Grant. Knowing he was wishing he hadn't mentioned he'd been in Brookside but not being able to help myself.
11. Edd the duck who was a girl
12. Gordan the Gopher who was a man so shy he couldn't look me in the eye when he spoke to me
13. Wilson the Butler who was gorgeous & funny & apparently gay.
14. Countless people I ignored in reception at work being too cool for school
15. Terry Hall who no one in my office had heard of & then I felt about 100.
16. The girl from Press Gang, Kelda something, on the tube reading her book.
17. Bloke that used to be in The Bill drinking tea in my sister's kitchen.
18. Peter Duncan ran past me in a green & white suite when we went to watch The London Marathon
19. Nigella Lawson signing in at security. Beautiful & tiny. Like a doll.
20. Media scrum in NYC which had Madonna on the other side. I didn't even see her. I've just started to compile a 40 things to do before I'm 40 list. I'd better get a wriggle on as I've only got until September. Any suggestions would be gratefully received xx
I realised tonight that
this list is by no means exhaustive as just in my head I added Katie
Price, Peter Andre, Nicky Campbell, Alastair Stewart, Kerry Katona, Andy Crane, Andi Peters, Simon Parkin (remember him?), Mick Brown at Capital FM & my sister's friend Vicky who has been in Eastenders (twice) who's pony, Mr Tweedy, I had a ride on when I was about 10.
Before Christmas I got a car. The first ever car of my very own, a 12 year old Ford Focus which may be a little tired & the electric window may not currently be working on the driver's side (my husband swears it was working at time of purchase). It also now sports a bit of a scuff to the bumper since a run in with a wall at my mum's house last week (but lets skirt over that shall we) Despite all those things I love love it. I cannot believe it has taken until my 39th year for me to own a car. The glove box is now full of cds, because, oh yes it has a cd player (the current family car does not). It also has speakers in the back & so my children keep asking me to 'turn it down!'. We travel everywhere with a soundtrack. Florence + The Machine has featured heavily and last week I started to educate my girls with the early works of Madonna. After we purchased my car I found a CD in the glove box labelled 'Housework CD'. This made me smile, partly because I avoid housework like the plague and also it's a little bit of the previous owner has been passed on to me. Today on the way home from work I stuck it in the cd player to have a little listen. I was a little excited if I must admit (I know I should get out more), just wondering what delights might be on it. Well it's a mixture, I thought. The Bangles, Ronan Keating, Wings and ah, The Foundations, one of my favourite songs ever (although I was never entirely sure who sang it, until now)
and Blondie's Sunday Girl which will always have a little corner in my heart But who was this woman who loves Blondie & Ronan Keating, Hot Chocolate & The Bangles. I was day dreaming of a woman house proud but a bit put upon hence the inclusion of I Want to Break Free & I Will Survive....and then I realised it has written on it CD 1. Perhaps she made a series of compilations for household chores? Tunes to Change the Bed To, Ditties for Scrubbing the Bathroom?
But alas no, just a quick search on Amazon & I found this
not only that but there is a plethora of other housework music cds. Now my imaginary housewife isn't trying to express herself through a handpicked selection of tunes, no it was probably just a crap Mother's Day present.
Was thinking just now whether buying one of these CDs would make me more inclined to hoover? (actually I have hoovered, twice this week)...
Nah, not really. I am off to buy that Foundations track now though.
I have been pondering the art of reinvention. Madonna is the expert of course.
Love loved her and am kind of irritated by her now in equal measures. I mean really how embarrassing must it have been for Lordes et al when she flashed her bossom the other week - talk about embarrassing mother. It made me think of Shirley McCleans character in Postcards from the Edge.
Yes Madonna you look great and your breasts are magnificient for a 54 year olds but put them away love.
There are few times in life where you are free to reinvent yourself. I've never been one for cone bras or bosom flashing but when I went to university I reinvented myself. I became the kind of person that wore hats.
I know, I know hardly Madonna but you get what I mean. In life you don't really get many chances to make a change. I was always a bit nervous about having the piss taken out of me then (I am less so now) but with that fresh slate I just became the girl with the hats. I don't wear hats so much these days (but I still love them). I more the mum who wear birks and no make up.
