This week I will mostly be ...

... reading 'Don Quixote'
... dieting again :(
... enjoying my last free Friday for a while
... hoping my sore wrist recovers soon becuse the one-handed life is not for me
... preparing to go back to doing the washing up again once hubby is back at school

250 word review: 'Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure' by Dave Gorman

I watched the DVD of this story before I read the book, and at first I was a bit worried because it seemed to be an almost direct transcript of the live stand-up show. However, if you’ve seen the show, this book is great for filling in the gaps, although the comedy doesn’t always come through quite as well as on the DVD.

The story is too complicated to summarise: let’s just say that instead of Dave Gorman growing up and writing a novel, he’s travelling the world meeting strangers. Anyone who read ‘Are You Dave Gorman?’ may think this is just a rehash of that caper, but the humour in this is far different despite the similarity of content. It has some surprisingly dark moments and is written with a lot of emotion, which seems unusual for a comedy book. I genuinely felt worried for him; this wasn’t an adventure he was doing with the idea of making money or furthering his career, in fact it’s the total opposite. Reading it feels akin to watching a car crash, but strangely enough it still manages to be funny and fascinating. He meets some bizarre people on his journey and a lot of the interest lies in his reactions towards them.

It’s a hard book to review (can you tell?) but definitely a good one to read. Still, text on paper could never be as funny as the live show. So get both!!*

*No commission was earned on this review. Honest.

Generous Journal - why charity shops rock

OK I've been a bit slack recently - what with going on holiday I didn't do my journal for two Sundays running. Terrible! I've also been too shattered to blog this week, let alone do much generous stuff. (I did however sign up to a new action on the Generous website - Sign up online to become an organ donor, which I did when I was 13 but I've been on to change my details at long last!) So I thought I'd do a feature on one generous thing I love doing - charity shopping!!

To demonstrate why I love it, take a look at the picture above. OK it's a holiday snap and not great for showing off the clothes, but in it I am wearing a fantastically comfortable cardigan which I think was about £4 from Cancer Research UK in Otley, a cute Mickey Mouse t-shirt which was £2.99 from Cancer Research UK in Ilkley, a very flattering (if a bit big) pair of jeans which were £4 from Mind in Otley and a belt to hold them up (you can't see it but it's grey with sequins on) which was 99pm from Oxfam in Otley. The picture encapsulates the three reasons I love charity shops: it's cheap (less than £12 for an outfit in this case), it benefits charity (I've technically donated to three charities in this picture alone!) and it means you get things that are a bit different because they're not currently on the high street. Add in the fact that it's also a form of recycling, and I think that proves that charity shopping rocks!!

If you're not convinced from the fashion point of view, check out my friend Fi's blog because she's a fellow charity shop addict but is far more stylish than me!!

This week I will mostly be ...

... back at work (booooo)
... reading 'Don Quixote' (get used to it, this could take me til Christmas!!)
... finding time to post a review of 'Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure', a promotion for charity shop clothing and very possibly a big old rant about something or other (I feel it brewing!)
... looking forward to my former roomie Jo visiting this weekend
... taming the beast on my head (trans: getting a haircut)
... trying to eat healthily and exercise in a diet-avoidance plan having larded up good over my holiday

Next week I will mostly be ...

... in Wales! So no posts for a while. Byeeeeeeeeeee!

Jobs I've thought about doing so far this week

Florist
Cake decorator
Book shop owner
Puppeteer
Counsellor
Dressmaker
Craft shop owner
Author
Teacher
Greengrocer
Knitting writer
Singer
Librarian
Nurse (that one didn't last long)
Wedding planner
Cattery owner
Youth worker

Oh and I've also pondered doing an MA and having a baby earlier than planned! Anyone think I'm bored in my job?!

250 word review: 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen

Persuasion is one of Austen’s lesser known novels – everyone knows Lizzie Bennett, and most have heard of Emma Woodhouse and Margaret Dashwood. But what about Anne Elliot? I can see why this novel is less popular than others; it’s very difficult to get into and it takes a long time for anything in particular to happen. Nor is it a very well developed plot – a hint of intrigue fails to go anywhere and even the main love story is a bit rushed. Despite this, I loved it.

The plot is well suited to a modern chick-lit reader; Anne Elliot, past the first bloom of youth and unmarried, is brought into contact (through rambling circumstances) with Captain Wentworth, an old flame she was persuaded to abandon by her friend years before because he had no money. He’s now rich and still handsome, but resentful about the ‘break up’, so it looks like the flame has died. I read most of it wondering why Helen Fielding had chosen Pride and Prejudice as the model for Bridget Jones’s Diary when this story of an older singleton seems far more suited than that of some desirable teenager. It wasn’t until the end that I realised that The Edge of Reason is almost entirely based on Persuasion. Although at least poor Anne doesn’t get banged up in Thailand.

It’s not an easy read, but I’d recommend Persuasion for both lovers of the classics and of the chick-lit movement. Go on, try the original lit chick!

Proof that it is a crazy world

I just read this news article:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/6929615.stm

The thing that really concerns me is this line: 'Dandy editor Craig Graham said: "Following extensive research, we discovered The Dandy readers were struggling to schedule a weekly comic into their hectic lives. They just didn't have enough time. "'

The Dandy readers? Aren't they about six years old? And they're already too busy?? What hope is there for the rest of us?!!!

This week I will mostly be ...

... Reading 'Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure' and trying to find time to review 'Persuasion
... Watching programmes on the biggest TV I've ever owned (our old one went capput. The new one is truly enormous!)
... Exercising. Or at least thinking about it.
... Enjoying the last few days of being a colleague of the mighty Grievo
... Looking forward to my holiday in Wales with my family

Generous Journal 30/7/07 - 05/8/07

Not been particularly generous this week (other than avoiding carrier bags and recycling as usual) so I thought for this journal entry I'd reflect on the good things I already do without thinking about it. Let's see ...
- I drink only Fairtrade tea and eat only Fairtrade bananas. I'm also a huge fan of Divine and Green and Blacks chocolate
- I support public transport by taking the train to work
- I don't drive! While I know it's often necessary, cars do cause a lot of pollution so I decided it was best not to start driving until I really need to. It's a choice of ethics, not laziness, honest!
- I avoid holidays abroad. OK I went to Kefalonia last year, but that was my honeymoon! Planes = carbon emissions, so taking holidays in Britain is the greener option
- My husband and I give money to charity monthly
- I volunteer as a youth worker. I think this is very important as it gives the young people who come to our club on a Friday night a safe, dry, fairly warm place to meet up, so they're not out on the street worrying residents and putting themselves at risk
- I don't leave my phone charger plugged in when not in use. I do however overcharge my phone, need to work on that ...

So I was pretty generous already.But I always want to do better and be better, so hopefully I'll gradually add more habits to the list.

No journal next week as I'm off to Wales (see? No flights there!)