Friday 20 February 2009

In These Horizons I Was Inspired

As well as ranting in this blog about things in the news and media industry that annoy me (I'd love to say something positive once in a while, really I would, but there's so many numpties out there it gets hard sometimes) I do a little bit of comic performing from time to time. This is pretty much entirely on an amateur basis - ie, I don't often get paid to do it and I still have a regular 9-5 job.

Last night I performed some of my comic rhymes at the iconic Welsh art centre, The Millennium Centre, in our nation's capital.

What an impressive and imposing building. I truly recommend that anyone visiting Cardiff takes a look inside as the upper levels and staircases are made of undulating wood, the whole building is made from a variety of natural Welsh materials (slate, timbers etc) and it's free to go into the huge main hall and coffee shop/bar and have a look around.
It has been nicknamed the 'armadillo', partly I think because of it's shape (see the picture link below) and partly because it is so organic, almost alive. I love it!

I feel honoured to have had a chance to perform in such an inspiring and breath-taking venue.

On the down side, I got a rejection letter from a literary agent this morning.

Ah well. You win some you loose some. Time for a coffee.

This link is for a pictures of the Millennium Centre:
http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=Millennium+Centre&gbv=2

This link is for an amusing story about an American who loved the Millennium Centre so much she got a tattoo of it - even though she's never been to Wales! (Sorry there's no picture with this one, the walesonline news website is a little more 1909 than 2009):
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/02/02/tat-s-the-way-to-do-it-kasey-91466-22831374/

Wednesday 18 February 2009

Not just any clueless consumer, but rich clueless consumers

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2009/feb/18/jam-sandwich-marks-and-spencer

As the recession settles in, starts unpacking it's stuff and taking up all the space in the wardrobe, even the more middle class brands are nodding in the direction of 'the help' and making sure they are being seen to 'do their bit' in this time of crisis. (See my earlier post about budget skiing holidays http://ew-coffeebreak.blogspot.com/2008/11/beat-credit-crunch-sack-servant.html).

The British totem that is Marks & Sparks has come up with a sandwich, but not just any sandwich, a cheap, credit crunch-beating, jam sandwich. For 75p.

"Yay," yell all the redundant Woolworths workers, "we were struggling a bit to afford those fois gras baps they do for £5.97 a pop."

My problem with M&S's nod to the credit crunch is not that people who shop there for their lunch snacks in the first place are hardly likely to be feeling the bitterest pinch from the recession, more that, well, I wouldn't expect to pay any more for a JAM SANDWICH! Two slices of bread, with Jam in the middle. You could buy a LOAF and pot of jam for that price.

If you are stupid enough to think that 75p is a good investment for a jam sandwich then you've obviously got more money than sense and don't really need to be watching the pennies in the first place.

Thursday 12 February 2009

What a piece of work is a man

I am sitting and sipping my mid-morning coffee wondering what to type.

I am totally flabbergasted by an article I've just read on the Telegraph newspaper's website.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/4592467/Romeo-and-Juliet-production-sparks-fears-over-knife-crime.html


Complaints about Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet because it "glamorises knife violence and gang violence". Shakespeare? Shakespeare?


Has the world finally gone totally and utterly mad? Was I abducted in the night while I slept quietly in my little Cardiff flat, transported half way around the Milky Way, to wake up on some strange, alien planet?


If only we could get the gang members off the streets and into our theatres and concert halls to appreciate the joys of Shakespeare and the arts.

If only we could expose them to a writer so passionate in his work, so audacious in his visions that he is still arousing tempers and making headlines nearly four hundred years after his death.


Such joy, such passion, such drama, might just inspire these forgotten teenagers and children of Britain and show them there is more to the world that the gang violence they get unavoidably caught up in.


This is a sad, sad day for the world.

Sunday 8 February 2009

Can you copy cool?

I was on facebook yesterday morning sipping my coffee and wishing away the hours until I could finish pretending to look busy (ie working).


Bored with all the 'status updates' and 'added new photos' I started reading through my mate's profiles.


For anyone reading this not on Facebook (I salute you) there is a profile page, a bit like on blogs, where you can fill in various sections with what films, books etc you like, favourite quotes, if you're single, if you are interested in men/women/friendship/networking etc. (You see why I envy you if you have managed to resist the facebook bug.)


Anyway, there is a bit near the top of your profile where you can put what political views you have and what religion you are (cue all the 'Jedi' comments - I told you non-Facebookers, you really are not missing much).


A friend of mine had put something down which I thought was quite unique, and the nearest thing to humour I think I've ever read on facebook. Having not seen this person for a while I messaged them a general hello, asked if they'd had any snow then said I liked their profile answers. (I think I used the words "very cool". Shudder.)


Later in the day I got a message back:


"Yay, it is gud isnt it! I saw it on someone elses profile n copied it."

Wednesday 4 February 2009

The internet is too big

That's it. The internet is officially too big now. No more please.

This time last year all I had was an email account. Back then my sporadic trips online involved going to interesting, informative and sometimes amusing sites to learn something new, read up about a subject, buy something or watch a funny video when there was naff all on the gogglebox.

Now, I have two facebook accounts (personal and professional) a myspace site, a website, three email accounts and this blog. Phew!

Trips online involve updating them all before I can get round to doing anything productive. Don't get me wrong, no-one is holding a gun to my head as I write this (but wouldn't that be a gripping blog idea, hmmmm) and I love keeping more up to date with my friends on facebook.

But when today, just as I was having my morning coffee, I heard them talking on the wireless about the new social networking craze called "twitter" I had to decide that enough is enough!

Tuesday 3 February 2009

Snow joke*

Having just trudged through two miles of Cardiff snow in my walking boots, waterproof, gloves and scarf, I arrived in work, made myself a big, steaming cup of coffee and sat down to write about how we all over-react (every year) to a few inches of snow as if martians had finally landed.

I was going to write something suggesting that most people have a very short memory as we have a dusting of snow somewhere in the country every year. I was going to moan about the stupid people who go out and get stuck in the snow when it's obviously really bad. If it's heavy where you are DON'T GO OUT in your car, stay home, stay safe. Have some common sense: if there's 15 inches of snow on the ground don't go out and become a stranded motorist.

I was going to tell everyone to grow up, it's just a bit of snow.

Then I saw some pictures of (grown up) people in London making snowmen, and sledging. And I watched a video on a Welsh news site about a snowboarder who was heading up to the Brecon Beacons with his board.

And as I sit here writing this it is snowing out of my window, and it is beautiful, and I feel five years old again and want to go out to the park across the road to make snow angels.
While I still think people should take care if there is heavy snow where you are (take the day off work, I'll write you a note if you want) it's so nice that while the country is gripped by a bitter recession, we can all forget about the credit crunch today and watch the snow for a bit.

*Sorry, I couldn't resist