Things That Make You Go "Ooh"...

So now the festive season has been and gone and another new year is upon us. I'm still trying to fathom where the last twelve months went, to be honest, and now I find another twelve looming large before me...I always used to laugh when The Parents said that time went quicker the older you got but, as it turns out, they were right. Who knew? But now Ye Olde Festive Merriment is no more and now we're all left surveying the leftover turkey, stale Christmas cake (seriously, why do we all bother making/buying one? No one ever eats it) and dying Christmas tree and wondering how it all went by so fast. I hope you and yours had a suitably jolly festive season; personally I err on the Grinchy side of all things Christmassy, but even I managed to raise a smile or two in the spirit of the season this year, which is surprisingly shocking. But then again I managed to get myself into the festive spirit a tad early this year by doing A Good Deed (http://www.amnesty.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=10673&gclid=CO-grpuHuq0CFVQLfAoduBR4AA) and this made me realise that, even though I am technically Katy Grinch, I have plenty to be thankful for at this time of year...

First there was Yule, which of course necessitated the yearly 'tah-dah!' present from the GBF. This year it was an education for a young girl in Africa, giving her a head start in life and hopefully going someway to help her break out of poverty by getting an education. From such tiny acorns great forests grow and, as always, I thank Lee from the bottom of my jaded heart for not only knowing me inside out but for also being there whenever the dung hits the whirly thing. Even though you have left me for Scouseland, I am terminally grateful for having you in my life. You do, in fact, Rule. (Now please come back from Scouseland because I miss our Duvet Day DVD Marathons!! :P)

Secondly, there was Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. This necessitated being en famille, and I am deeply and profoundly grateful for the whole bloody lot of them. I know full well that I can be the world's biggest pain sometimes, but they are always on my side, always supportive and always there for me no matter what; they say you can't choose your family and frankly I don't want to. There was a slight emotional hiccup, as there always is, but the family I did have around me are too wonderful for words and I love them all deeply. Words can never be enough. It was also wonderful having new family around, as we went to my brothers for Christmas Day; it was great to spend the day with him and his girlfriend, as well as her family, and hopefully this will be the first of many.

Thirdly, there were my friends. I am blessed to have some incredible people in my life who actively choose to associate with me - I keep waiting for them to see the error of their ways but so far common sense seems to have eluded them. I won't force the issue as I adore them all too much to lose them and remain humbled, honoured and incredibly lucky to be the recipient of their friendship. If I only make one resolution this new year (which I tend not to do as I fail miserably at keeping them), it will be to do my utmost to be there for my friends whenever they need me. I'm rubbish at keeping in touch and I can go for days without touching technology, but my friends are often the reason I keep going when the world looks too bleak and, without sounding too much like a Hallmark card (I hope), each and every one of them has touched me and changed me in a number of ways. I have laughed with them, cried with them, screamed at half-naked cellists with them and not a day goes by when I don't think of them.

So yes, there were many reasons to be thankful during the Winter Festivities. And perhaps that pre-Christmas letter-writing spree to try and bring a little hope and solidarity to the lives of others not as fortunate as I am was the catalyst I needed to remind myself that, no matter how dark I think the road ahead may be, I have an incredible family and wonderful friends to support me, a roof over my head and a bed to sleep in, and food and medical treatment to keep me alive. There are dark days out there, and there are emotional wounds that may never heal, but maybe I'm learning to become better at seeing the good instead of the bad; at finding the light instead of the dark. The people I wrote to offering my solidarity have witnessed the most unspeakable acts of man's inhumanity and cruelty to man and they have done so with a strength and a courage I can only imagine. Their struggles serve to remind me how fortunate I am, and so I make them all - the AWN, Fatima Hussein Badi, Natalia Estemirova, WOZA, Inés Fernández Ortega and Valentina Rosendo Cantú - my last reason to be cheerful. Their stories gave me perspective when I would usually be immersed in a sea of selfishness and Grinchyness, and for that I will be forever grateful...

*shuffles on, stage left*

So according to the ol' stats on this thing, I haven't posted since March. Well, THAT was a spectacular success, was it not? So much for writing every day...although in my defence there was a lot of hospital time and health *things* going on, so I got out of the loop a bit. That's still no real excuse though, because that was sorted (hopefully finally) back in the summer and it's now almost Christmas. So basically I just suck and must be shot at dawn for dereliction of blogging duties.

However, since a shiny new year is almost approaching us (and 2012 is, of course, destined to be the end of the world because the Mayans apparently couldn't count any higher, so because of their ineptitude we are subsequently going to suffer The Apocalypse on 21st December), I figured I ought to have a new year's resolution to actually keep this thing going again. Plus I've been nagged by a couple of people...and nagging basically means "if you don't do it there'll be hell to pay young lady so I suggest you crack on" - voila! Le Blog Lives Again!

Well, I hear (no one) ask - what have you been up to since you left the Blogverse? Basically this: I was in hospital, I went to Munich, I went to several gigs, I laughed with my friends, I cried with my friends, I discovered A Song of Ice and Fire in all its glorious forms, I wrote a few poems, I half-wrote a few novels which need to be finished and I procrastinated wildly about things. I also sort of forgot I had a blog...which is a shocking admission for which I must be severely punished. However I fully expect the madness to resume again because I need to get back into the habit of writing every day, even if it's just randomness on here, so I feel I should give you all fair warning (those hardy souls who continue to brave the madness and actually read the crap I write): this blog will contain nuttiness. There will be moaning. There will be nonsensical things which even I will fail to understand when I read it back to myself. There will be political ranting and outrage about the fate of the world. There will be serious amounts of Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire love, as well as Criminal Minds adoration. There will be shoes, and vintage clothes, and friends and hopefully some travel. There will also be the big Three-Oh to contend with.

Buckle your seat belts, ladies and gentlemen. It's going to be a bumpy ride...

In Which I Suck...

Wow, I'm a terrible blogger! Write in this thing every day, she said. Got to keep the old brain ticking over, she said. The words 'epic' and 'fail' spring to mind here...thank whichever deity you believe in (today - Jeff, the God of Biscuits) that I don't actually get PAID for this shiz, otherwise I'd be broke and sponging off my parents. Oh, wait...

Well, thanks to a seriously crud case of Real Life having its wicked way with me (about time something did...) there hasn't been much happening in the world that is especially noteworthy. Well, lots and lots of terribly awfully bad horrible things, but really I don't want to bore you with the details of some of them and the others are not really for public consumption. However, it never fails to amaze me that just when I think things couldn't get any bleaker and maybe now's the time to start kicking arse, something happens to brighten my day. It doesn't have to be anything hugely majorly important, but there it is nonetheless.

So here's to the little things and seeing the bright side. Even if you have to use a magnifying glass to do so.

Inspiring Women...

I had an email today that made me stop and think (thanks, Oxfam). The 8th March is International Women's Day, a day to celebrate the achievements of 'the fairer sex' past and present, and they were asking people to tell them about the women who inspire them and who they will be celebrating come the big day. This happens to tie in very nicely with a book I'm reading at the moment (shockingly, not about serial killers, sex workers, vampires or scandalous artists and/or poets), so despite the fact it's a few weeks too early, I shall take advantage of the inspiration and write a blog entry on the women who inspire me the most.

The first is glaringly obvious. Clearly I and every other emancipated woman in the UK owe a HUGE debt of honour to Mrs Pankhurst and all the other women who fought, suffered and, in many cases, died in the struggle for women's suffrage. It sort of goes without saying that come the 8th March, I will pause for a moment and think of them, the pioneers; the women who refused to accept the status quo and stood up for what they believed to be right. They were often cruelly treated in the eyes of the law (hasn't that always been the Lot of Woman?) but they were utterly fearless in the face of oppression, imprisonment, assault (both physical and sexual) and force-feeding and for that I stand humbled and grateful before their collective greatness.

The second is perhaps just as obvious but many times more personal: my mum. There just aren't enough words in the dictionary to describe what an amazing woman my mum actually is, but I'm going to try...Not only did she give me life, but she has been there for me every single day since; for every illness; school performance; boy crisis; friend crisis; the good times and the bad, she is always there to support me and scold me when needed. After my parents divorced and we moved in with her parents, Mum raised the two of us while holding down a full-time job and, eventually, helping nurse my Grandad through his final illness. When I went through my own 'troubles' for a few years, she was always there to love me and let me know she was there for me; I didn't appreciate it at the time, and I'm fairly certain that if it were me I'd have booted me out of the house for being so unremittingly horrid to everyone, but now I appreciate just how much she actually did for me. And it's not just me - whenever any of the family or her many friends need her, she's there, even if things in her own life aren't going so swimmingly. Mum, if you read this, I know I don't tell you often enough just how much I love and appreciate you but you truly are one of my best friends and a total inspiration to me. xx

My third inspiring lady is the utterly fantabulous Sarah Jezebel Deva. Sarah inspires me because she knows exactly what she wants and she goes out and works bloody hard for it; when she was unceremoniously bumped from Cradle of Filth's tour, she didn't let it deter her ambitions and has moved from 'that bird who sings backing vocals' to a front-woman in her own right. And a bloody brilliant one at that. She's worked her arse off to get to where she is and in my own humble and very biased opinion, she deserves to have all the success in the world. Not only has she come a long way (and battled a fair few demons of her own, I understand) but she is one of the nicest people I have ever had the privilege of meeting and I wish her all the success in the world.

My fourth inspiring woman is Elizabeth Siddal. Lizzie is probably best known as either the tragic wife and muse of poet and artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti, or as the model for John Millais' beautiful painting of Ophelia in the Tate Britain gallery. What many people don't know is that Lizzie was a highly talented artist and painter in her own right, and the streak of melancholy which runs through her work strangely appeals to me. I admire Lizzie in a strange sort of way; some of her behaviour was frankly appalling, but I understand exactly why she did it and in those days women had to do whatever they could to ensure their survival. Lizzie was an individual when most women did as they were told; her work as an artist is incredible for someone who learnt so late in life and her poetry is just beautiful. It saddens me that more people don't know about her (perhaps that's another blog entry) but part of me is glad as well; it makes me feel like I know something the rest of the word doesn't.

Fifth, Hillary Rodham Clinton. Hillary is just so, so inspirational; it was her "women's rights are human rights" speech that first helped politicise me. She trained as a lawyer, was the first female partner in her law firm, and the first female chair of the Legal Services Corporation. As both Governor's wife and First Lady, she campaigned tirelessly for the rights of women and children and worked incredibly hard behind the scenes. When the Monica Lewinsky scandal hit, Hillary was dignified throughout the whole thing and as Secretary of State she's the most powerful and influential woman in America. She hasn't always been right and I haven't always agreed with her methods, her beliefs or her actions, but when it comes down to it I think she's an outstandingly powerful advocate for what women can achieve.

My last heroine is a relatively new discovery for me. I picked up a book called 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks' thinking it was a novel; turns out, it's a true story. Henrietta Lacks was a poor black woman who died of cervical cancer in the early 1950's. Before her treatment, such as it was in those days, began, doctors took a sample of the cells from the cancer (without her knowledge or consent) and sent them to a lab in attempt to grow them. Henrietta sadly passed away; her cells, however, kept right on growing and multiplying and developing, and are still growing to this day. He-La, as the chain is known, was right there at the forefront of genetic and cell research; they were the first ever cells to stay alive in culture since research had begun a few decades earlier, and they haven't stopped since. Henrietta's cells were used to develop the polio vaccine; they have been part of the research into the genes which cause cancer and those which suppress it; they helped develop drugs to treat Parkinson’s, influenza, leukaemia...Henrietta Lacks is one of THE most important woman in medical history and yet hardly anyone knows about her. It was absolutely dreadful that the cells were taken without her consent, and heartbreaking that she died, but Henrietta Lacks is one of those women who need to be celebrated on 8th March. Her cells, and therefore part of Henrietta herself, live on...

There are of course other women that have inspired and moved me, but this is my core 'pantheon' and I will celebrate them on International Women's Day with pride and gratitude...

So come on, guys 'n' gals...who are YOUR inspirational women?

THE best TV show ever...

Rastamouse!!

I don't care if it's a kids show. I don't care if it's not PC. I don't care that it's about a stop-motion animated mouse. It. Is. COOL!!