I got Soul, but I’m Not a Soldier

Its been too long, much too long, since my last post, and at this point I feel like a lazy sod, every post begins with the acknowledgement that it has been ages since I have written. I am going to try to update this more frequently, but I am not making any promises. I did make it to Oxegen, two weeks ago I was sitting in a tent in Punchestown, and now I am home. It was good. It was goodish. I mean, some of the music was fabulous, but everyone was drunk all of the time, and it was wet, and there was mud, and people peed on our tent (while we were inside, shouting at them to stop) and the toilets were disgusting. The atmosphere on the Friday night during The Script and Snow Patrol was electric, I mean, they were brilliant. Danny O’Donoghue brought a tricolour onto the stage and wore it around his shoulders during the end of their set, and as well as nearly crying himself, he almost made everyone else cry. And then came Snow Patrol- bloody unreal. To be one of 80000 people singing the words of Set the Fire to the Third Bar is a remarkable feeling- everyone was so excited and revved up, I didn’t even mind that there were mini beer showers occuring every 20 minutes, such was my happiness at hearing Gary Lightbody live. They did all their best songs, and we all tried to sing along- it was fantastico.

On the other hand, some of the acts just didn’t impress- The Kings of Leon is the outstanding example. They didn’t seem to want to engage with the fans at all. I mean, half of what was so great about the two Irish acts that I have talked about is that they really interacted with us, whereas all yer man from Kings of Leon said was something about breaking his guitar in a fit of rage the previous evening and thinking that we were the perfect crowd to break in a new one to. Admittedly, I felt myself dozing off at several points, and I may have missed some of his chattier moments. Lady GaGa didn’t impress me either, her main aim seemed to be showing the crowd her hindquarters, and she had several outfit changes, each rig more revealing than the last. She sounded alright, and she did talk alot, but I didn’t enjoy her performance at all.

The biggest surprise of the whole lot, for me, was The Killers. I didn’t think I liked them, I mean, I was a fan of that ‘When You Were Young’ song, but apart from that, I didn’t really know any of their songs. And then they started singing. Brandon Flowers, for a shy man, was great. He told us the story of how the band formed, and introduced most of the songs with some kind of wee anecdote or comment. I couldn’t believe how many of their songs I found myself singing along to- I didn’t realise that I knew ‘Human’, ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’, ‘Mr Brightside’, ‘Read My Mind’ etc.

I promise to write again soon. Or at least I promise to write again,

emma

Two down, one to go

It has been for-e-verr since I last wrote something on this, so today, to celebrate that the fact that I only have one AS Level left, I am updating my blog. I did my Geography exam today, it didn’t really go well but I am hoping that I did better than I think. I am not going to analyse it, I never do, that would drive ye crazy, and even though I overthink everything else that I say or do after I have done/said it, I always seem to naturally be able to not think about exams afterwards. I have been busy in my non-blogging time, doing a variety of uninteresting things such as getting addicted to Greys Anatomy and Gilmore Girls. Since I last talked to the computer via my magic keyboard, I have achieved alot:

• I got a job
• I got nearly half-way decent at driving (the car no longer swerves all over the road when I am in control …most of the time) 
• I did like, a whole pile of coursework
• I mastered two chords, which I have now forgotten, on the guitar
• I got a Youtube account (I have not put up any videos yet…I might never)
• I got an addiction to hula hoops

So, that has been the last six months of my life, in a nutshell. I also made the important decision of whether or not to go to Oxegen- I’m going! Wey Hey!!! I am very excited, even though I only like Snow Patrol out of the four headline acts of  Snow Patrol, the ‘Kings Of Leon’, someone else and someone else.

I promise to yap soon!!

Don’t be a stranger-leave a comment!!

Bye!! (I’m gonna try to improve my Irish, so ‘Slan!’)

Good driver??? ‘Different’ according to my instructor…..

Yesterday I had my first driving lesson, and I have to say it was great craic. The standard of driving was poor, but I enjoyed myself!

I have discovered that turning, breaking, accellerating gently to a low speed, changing gears and starting the car are all weaknesses that I have, which means that I have alot to improve on, but I’m taking comfort from the fact that I check my mirrors really well. Just not at the same time as actually moving the car….oops! Keeping the car straight was my biggest issue, I just could not keep her out of the ditch, the instructor kept having to grab the wheel to make sure that I didn’t drive into a hedge or 10.  He thought my habit of elbowing his hand out of the way when he tried to do this was funny, but I literally couldn’t help it, years of elbowing Louise when she leans on me have improved my reflexes!

My driving instructor continuously made jokes about my lack of driving ability, telling me that I had the personality of a blonde! I, as a brunette, laughed my head of at this, which does not make keeping the car straight easy! He suggested that I dye it blonde, saying it would suit me, which shows how much I lack sense when I am behind the wheel- no other road user is safe! (No offence to blondes- I do not believe all that ‘dumb blonde’ rubbish!)

I am confident that in no time I will be sucking diesal, but I have a few things to achieve first:

• Change gears and manage the art of turning
• Keep the car at a steady speed
• Stop veering into the hedge
• Pass my theory test
• Pass the driving test (bribes may be used)
• Buy a car (On my budget, I’m not picky, all she has to do is move!)

Until next time, goodbye- Keep her between the hedges!!

I will self-teach. Paul McCartney was self-taught!

Happy New Year Folks!!!

I understand that, since it now the fifteenth of January, my ‘Happy New Year’ is a bit late on it, but I have been busy recently, and finding the time to update my online diary has been difficult. I have been revising flat out, because I have AS modules in January. I had the first of two today, RE, and boy am I glad it’s over! It was tight going for a while there, but it’s all over now! (I am currently singing those words…who sang that song??) Anyway, I will have Geography in a week and two days, and then I am free as a bird in the sky.Well not quite, I will then begin a two new exam units, the exams for which will be in May/June-Yay!

So, What has changed since my last update? Well, you may recall my post about Christmas and how I wanted alot of things and how my list was reallly long. I did get Christmas presents, most notably a … wait for it…guitar!! An acoustic one! I can’t actually play it yet, but I am going to learn (self-teach) (via the magic that is Youtube) and I just cannot wait!! I also had my seventeeth birthday over the Holiday season, so the driving lessons will soon commence. Considering that I have never, ever, ever been behind the wheel of a moving car, I am really nervous about the lessons, but hopefully I’ll be a natural. What are the chances?

Till we meet again, rather till I write and you read again….Keep her lit!!

I Am a PC….Hold On…What’s a PC Again?

Everytime I go on to my hotmail account I am greeted with an advertisement for something which comprises of a range of people telling me that they are PCs. That is great- but I have a few questions. Firstly- a PC in my lingo always stood for Personal Computer- how can any human being be a computer? Secondly- what is this advertising? It features Bill Gates, so I’m assuming Microsoft is involved, but to be honest I do not know, and I would like to know. The last thing I want to know is how I can become a PC. Or does having a computer already make me a PC? Confusing stuff- you should see me trying to figure out what the Guinness advertisments mean!!

Santa? Santa I promise I have been good!

When I was younger writing my Christmas list was such a big deal for me. I would carefully plan the wording so as to present myself as a modest wee girl who was not going to ask for alot. I thanked the bearded one for all the previous year’s gifts and ensured to include a please and thank you. I only ever asked for one or two things, and they were always accompanied by a request for a surprise. I asked my mum for help to make sure the wording was not cheeky. My mum! Then, Santa stopped visiting me, and you know what, I think I have became greedier for it. Christmas is just not the same. The excitement and tension  I used to feel in case he would not come is no longer there. I used to spend Christmas Eve shaking with nerves, in case Santa decided not to give me anything, and I would be overjoyed when I did get a gift. Now, I know I will get things from my folks and it’s just not as good any more. Santa not visiting is a big downer. My wishlist has been compiled though, and it is long. Not that I am a greedy person, but when I began thinking about the amount of things I want I found that I couldn’t stop writing. CDs seems to be the over-ruling factor.

I am discovering new artisits on a regular basis, the internet feature of this laptop means that I spend time originally allocated to homework on youtube, (there is a pile of coursework waiting for me as I write) and I always end up looking up songs, and then the links on the side of the page show me more songs by new artists and before I know it I want the entire album for Christmas. Anyone (by the way, does anyone actually read this, is it, you know, ‘out there’ at all?) who has read previous posts on this blog will know that I like Country Music, so the newly-discovered-by-me artisits that I have been listening to in recent times include people like Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton. In fact, I think I first heard both of those artists on CMT. Ah well, I have heard more of their music through Youtube anyway! The new Blake Shelton cd, Startin’ Fires, sounds brilliant, especially the title (sort of) track, Good at Starting Fires!

On a completely different note, and this really is unrelated to the rest of this post, I was thinking about a type of sweet today that I would LOVE to see back on the market. When ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ was released, the Johnny Depp one that came out a few years ago, a range of chocolate bars and sweets came out along with it. Maybe they were only released in Ireland, I don’t know, but I was addicted to them for a while. There was one particular bag of sweets in it that I ate alot of, they were jelly tots covered in chocolate, and they were so chewy and delicious. If anyone who is reading this knows where these sweets can be god please, please, please leave me a comment with details, I have such a craving for those sweets.

One Tree Hill

I am fully aware of the fact that I have talked too much about the now defunct OC which I used to love. I have also said that, in relation to The OC, One Tree Hill was useless…But I’m starting to regret saying that. You see, over the summer I began watching old episodes and through the beautiful website that is Youtube, I have been watching other clips from the show. I have to say, it is brilliant. I used to really love Lucas and Peyton, and didn’t really care about Nathan and Haley, but now I think they are great. Well done makers of One Tree Hill!!

And on to more optimistic stuff….does such a thing exist? I have been hitting the aul homework hard this week, or slacking off if I’m honest. There are so many other ways of spending my time that I would actually enjoy, rather than doing flippin’ study! But I do need to start soon, I have exams in January…so buckle up.. thats at least 2 months of complaining!!!

Zavvi

I like to shop…..let me re-phrase that….I like to go shopping, I like to have things…but I don’t like opening my purse. I love going to Zavvi- the music store that has taken over from Virgin Megastores, but I rarely buy anything (the last thing I bought in there was a dvd- Ned Kelly- the one with Heath Ledger- which cost me £3)(the fact that I can remember £3 indicates just how much of a miser I actually am). Zavvi is the place where I bought my OC boxsets (well, 3 of them anyway, I got Season 1 in Tesco), and these are undoubtedly some of the best buys of my life, (the fact that less that a year ago I paid £25 for each season and they now cost £16 aside) and I always think of that fateful day when I walk through the doors of the Foyleside branch of Zavvi. But right now I am a little peeved with the shop. I have a number of interests, all of which can be accessed from my sofa, bed or any other type of chair, and one of them is Country Music. In Zavvi, Country artists are found in the section named ‘Alternative’. Alternative??? Alternative to what?? Music stores are supposed to know something about music, so why not call a very much loved genre it’s proper name?? Yes, this is all irrelevant in the great scheme of things but I hate to think that in the age of ‘Techno’ ‘House’ or whatever else they are calling the latest branch of computer manufactured, soul-less dance music these days, more meaningful types of music are being ignored. And no, I’m not 72, I’m sixteen, half the people of my age group listen to that stuff but I don’t care- Keep her country, that’s what I say!

 

Ranting over, what am I getting up to these days? Well, I’m doing coursework- I can hardly contain the smile that’s spreading over my face as I think about it, and I’m doing coursework. I’m also doing normal homework, supposed to be studying, and becoming more and more addicted to msn. Social life??? You have got to be kidding!! The t.v consumption (that’s not really the right word) has decreased alot, it’s hard to get through an average of 5 hours a day when you have to go to school, but I’m making a pretty good stab at it at the weekend! I’ve also began reading The Deathly Hallows- the last Harry Potter book, and I really need to say that killing off Lupin, Tonks, Dobby, and especially Fred Weasly was a bit far. I’m not finished it yet, so I hope no-one else dies, because I just don’t know if I could accept it, it’s so sad!!

 

Yap later!!

Don’t Worry, Be Happy…And Another Thing- I’m No Longer a Braceface

Remember that ad with Gary Linekar and a pile of his clones eating crisps, while ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ played in the background? Well that just waltzed into my head today, during geography, for no apparant reason. I just remembered the advertisement, right between ecosystems and biomes (no, I don’t know what they are either) and it got me to thinking, not about Gary Linekar, or crisps, but about that song. It makes being happy sound so easy, you just don’t worry. But how can you not worry? Can you train yourself not to think about things that bother you? I know that I am a stressbag- I don’t let anything go- but surely no one can just stop thinking about everything and be constantly happy? And, I mean, it’s not as if we have nothing to worry about- financial crisis, credit crunch, wars,global warming, food shortages….. And then there’s that closer to home- exams, health, my hair (I wish I wasn’t half serious) etc. Poor wee Me!!!

A while ago I talked about my braces- I got them off- on the 20th August, so I’m well used to life without chunks of metal by now. I’m really glad I got them off- but they were replaced with retainers, which are nearly more of a pain in the hind, even though they have the advantage of not being seen from far off. They have to be taken off before each meal and it takes real effort to remember to put them back on again, because I am so flippin’ forgetful. They also have to be washed every hour, because they stink otherwise, so they are high maintenence, but sure if I didn’t have them I’d have something else to complain about!

TV addiction and Jane Austen

I watch too much t.v. This has been a fact since I was about 10. I am now 16, so I have been unhealthily addicted for too long. I have tried to do other things, but it keeps drawing me back, like pins to a magnet. OMG, I just made up a similie, I should so copyright that (do they copyright phrases?). Anyway, my addiction means that every day I tune in to E4 to watch old One Tree Hill. Although, the series’ are like 5 years old, it’s the first time I have seen them, and I have to say that OTH is giving my beloved OC a good run for it’s money. Yes, the OC is finished, but I own the boxsets so I still watch it alot . Actually, the first time I seen 2 of the series’ it was on box set. I started watching the OC during Season Four, the final season and thought it was brilliant. Then E4 ran the first season again, after the fourth season had finished, and I became so addicted that I bought the entire box set in order to see all the series’.

As well as being addicted to television and One Tree Hill and the OC and coffee and Brad Paisley’s music, I am also a major bookworm. I have watched too much tv since I was 10- I have read too many books since I was 5. As a three-year-old I asked my mum to buy me books instead of sweets or toys like a normal child. I couldn’t even read when I was 3!! Usually, I buy books and they are read within two days. A few weeks ago, I went shopping on a Thursday and bought 3 books, one written by Marian Keyes, one written by Sinead Moriarty and one by Claudia Carroll. The following Tuesday, I was looking for something to read. Last year, I went on a spree in Easons because there were alot of classics costing only 1.99. I bought Wuthering Heights, Emma, Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion. The only non-Austen book was Wuthering Heights. Of the four, Emma was the only one I completed. It took me about 2 months, and I predicted alot of it, making it less enjoyable. I started the other 3 and gave up half-way through (like, after 2 chapters). I cannot understand what it is about Jane Austen. I’m thinking that it must be the age of the books, the language can be hard for me to understand at times. Plus, I get mixed up with the characters because they are all Mr X and Miss Y. But I think the main problem is the predictability, they are all so similar in storyline (young woman, posh, but not incredibly rich, looking for a man) and it’s so easy to guess what happens next. I think that her books are over-rated, but that’s just my humble opinion.

I am so lazy, my 2 main hobbies are watching tv and reading.