Tag: NML

bookmark_borderFive things

Posted on

I haz been tagged. In fact I’ve two meme duties to fulfill, so let me get this one out of the road first (it was way easier than the next one).

The idea of the meme is to list five things in your life now that you would have never thought would be in your life when you were 25.

1. A cat
Louise and I both grew up with dogs. That is we both had dogs in our families, we weren’t raised, Mowgli-like, by packs of wild canines. However as we both have full-time jobs, and are out of the house during the day time, we knew it wouldn’t be fair to get a puppy. However we both like cats, entertaining a neighbourhood white persian on occasion, and the possibility of getting Ollie came up we jumped at it.

Last night I fell asleep with toasty warm feet, and the soft purring lullaby of our little black kitten (he’s not even 5 months old yet, even though I think he’s older).

2. A posh car
Having spent a fair number of years commuting by train, I switched jobs and needed a new car. Something reliable and functional, and bigger than our previous car (a great wee Peugeot 206). The Honda Civic wasn’t the first choice but other than a few minor niggles I have to admit that it’s been brilliant. Yes it is a little more expensive to run but I gain on fuel economy (it’s a diesel and I’m fairly economic when I drive, most of the time).

Note: it’s not THAT posh but it’s the first time I’ve had cruise control, A/C and other ‘nice to have’ stuff. Plus it’s easily the most expensive car we’ve owned, and by FAR the fastest… er… allegedly…

3. A Mac
Well I HAD to have a techie thing in here, didn’t I.

Nine years ago, Apple were a bit of a laughing stock, and whilst I’d always been impressed with their software, I wouldn’t have gone near it with someone else’s bargepole. Roll back to last year and I was positively itching to get a MacBook. I’ve been loving it ever since. I only wish I’d decided earlier and gotten a MacBook Pro to replace my previous PC. Still, there is always next year…

4. Jogging
I hesitate to list this one but the long-term aim is to get back out there and, considering I’ve been through various spells of trying ways to lose weight and get fit, jogging is the one that I’ve enjoyed the most. To be fair that is all down to jogScotland as I still don’t really enjoy going out alone but twice weekly sessions with a group of people sharing the same desires and abilities (plod on!) made a huge difference.

God I really need to get back to it, come on knee, get with the programme!!

5. All of you
OK OK, it’s a little twee but I spend so much of my time writing this blog, and reading yours, that I have to list you guys and gals that take the time to read what I write as I waffle on. It amazes me that, as I head for my tenth year of online publishing (that CAN’T be right!) I still have people willing to read what spews from my head. Thank you. Sincerely.

And, being a meme I now get to tag 5 people. How about Lyle, NML, Jane, Cat, and Bob. And yes, that is a very carefully chosen list!

bookmark_borderWhy I like reading blogs

Posted on

I mentioned this at the blogmeet at the weekend, early on, and thought I’d expand on my thoughts here.

Whilst I can’t remember how we got onto the topic and admittedly I might have leaped from something completely unrelated, I do recall mentioning that now and again I’m still taken aback when I read something on a blog that I hadn’t previously considered. I don’t mean a radical new political stance, or a wonderful way of getting ink stains out of shirt pockets or anything like that. I mean when someone, as part of a post, mentions something specific about themselves that I hadn’t previously noted.

The example I gave on Saturday was NML who writes Tired of Men. I’ve read her site for a while now, although I don’t comment very often, and recently, in the middle of a post, she mentioned how you “didn’t often hear that kinda thing from a black girl..”*.

Similarly, despite having read Clare’s blog for some time now and having bought and enjoyed her book, (which I do recommend) her recent mention of an ex-girlfriend had the same effect.

THIS is what I love about blogs. As you read you start to build mental pictures of people, their opinions and their pet peeves, yet we don’t know the person at all. Now I know this isn’t a startling exclamation, and know that I’ve KNOWN this all along, but it’s one of those things that you start to forget as you aren’t constantly remind about it. This is probably because my regular reads haven’t changed for quite a while, so I’ve had less exposure to new blogs where this kind of “revelation” is expected as you gradually learn about the person behind the blog.

Obviously, the two examples I’ve cited weren’t (and shouldn’t feel any need to) hiding these facets of their life. Rightly so, it’s part of who they are, and I’m not… ohh look.. I could lose myself in a statement assuring you of my political correctness, so let me cut to the chase and say that it is NOT the details that NML and Clare posted but the fact that they are so fundamental to them and to who they are, and yet so startlingly new to me especially, and this is the crucial bit, as I’ve been reading their sites for quite a while. It’s a most odd situation, and I don’t think you get the same kind of thing happening in real life.

Or maybe it is just me. Again.

I’m quite sure that someone much smarter than I will have dissected and examined this behaviour, and I’m certain that one of you will know of the correct anthropological term. Regardless it forms one of the key reasons I enjoy reading blogs. It’s a constant reminder of a larger world, a place to experience differing viewpoints, to try and better understand my own take on the world through the eyes of others.

So to everyone I read, thank you. Thank you for posting about your day, your experiences and your thoughts. Probably without realising it you’ve made my life and my experiences all the richer.

* My memory is awful, so when I say recently, I could be referring to any post in the last six months or so. In a similar vein, she may not have used those exact words, but it was the fact that she had mentioned her colour that stuck in my head.

Post post update: I’ve swithered about even posting this, for fear it would taken the wrong way. I have contacted both Clare and NML to assure them this is not meant in any derogatory way. I guess it’s a lack of confidence in my writing ability that has me slightly wary. This post may be edited based on feedback.