Writing, Reading and Listening
If there were a biography about you, what would the title be?
Does everybody feel like this or is it just me? I’m a teacher and one of my roles is to support students with their plans after school. When I discuss all these exciting things they can be doing I often wish I had done more when I was their age. I feel like I have more to offer this world but no idea how to go about doing it. Incredibly frustrating – any insights anyone?
What were your parents doing at your age?
Married, had 2 children and owned a hotel.
I have a house, a job, a boyfriend and a dog.
Write about your dream home.
It was a house we lived in briefly when I was younger.
I loved it. My parents tell me I’m remembering it through rose tinted glasses but I don’t think so. I remember dropping an entire plate of spaghetti bolognese on the floor. It was the best.
You get some great, amazingly fantastic news. What’s the first thing you do?
Tell my boyfriend, call my dad and hug the dog.
Are there any activities or hobbies you’ve outgrown or lost interest in over time?
During the pandemic I bought a cheap pottery wheel, a bag of clay, watched 1000 YouTube videos and taught myself how to make pots.
I have since bought a house, and thus a kiln and a better wheel and I have a pottery studio.
I love it, I’ve started a very small business, sold pots, made pots for friends, decorated my house with pots.
Butttt, pottery is fickle and is subject to perfect timing for drying and turning and firing. So finding time in a full time job is hard. I’m not complaining, it is what it is, and if anything I’m grateful I have something creative that I enjoy, even if I have to wait until retirement to do it!
I actually really like this book. Sure, there are things about it that are screwed up but isn’t that the point?
I’ve read reviews saying, ‘this is mad wtf?’ And I’ve read reviews saying, ‘Is that it? I was expecting more madness’ so it goes to show you can’t really keep everyone happy.
I think there’s obvious darkness, but humour in it too, and creating empathy for a character who casually admits to killing 3 children is just good writing and character development. What do I know eh? I’m certainly not book editor but I won’t give spoilers, mainly because I’m desperate for my boyfriend to read this book so I’ve gotten good at keeping the spoilers in.
Has anyone read any other Iain Banks? I want to give them a go.
What’s your favorite candy?
The sugar paper filled with sherbert space invader/UFOs/space ships sweets are the best!
Partly because I love breaking them in half and filling my mouth with sherbert and partly because nobody else i know likes them so I get them all to myself!
I decided to kick off my ascent out of the romantic pit that I have fallen into I am doing some rereads.
I heard on the radio an interview with the director of a bbc adaptation of Lord of the Flies and remembered I had it on my bookshelf so thought I would start there.
And ohh emm gee, i know it’s short but I read it in less than 48 hours. I also decided to read an analysis of it so I can actually appreciate what the author was trying to do. Turns out I didn’t need that because I got it, the message does punch you in the face.
Also, with my mindless reading of romantasy I’ve realised I skim read alot and am often thinking about other stuff whilst I’m reading. To combat this I’ve started annotating, I can’t physically bring myself to write in my book but have started sticking tabs with random thoughts. My thoughts are most likely bullshit but it did force me to be less passive. See book tabs below. What are people’s thoughts on this tabbing stuff? Helpful or gimmick?
Do you need a break? From what?
Thoughts, thoughts, thoughts. Always so many thoughts.
The most important invention in your lifetime is…
I point blank refuse to say the Internet because whilst it is important and does a lot of good it has done a lot of harm as well.
So, I’m going to say the reading light I can read my book without the overhead light on without straining my eyes. It’s great and brings joy and I would deem anything that brings joy as the most important.
It’s occurred to me that may have been invented before I was born so if not that then any invention that helps women feel safe.
FYI tim berners lee invented the world wide Web
Sarah Hargreaves 