Walking home through sodium lit drizzle seemed strangely appropriate tonight.
My head is buzzing with adrenaline and I have major urges to listen to heavy industrial music (Stalker-boy, Lyle - any recommendations to keep me going until I manage to track down the soundrack?).
Why?
I've been dancing in the rain...
This year's Raindance Film Festival is now in full swing, and tonight saw Adrian and I parked in the sold out screen 1 at the Trocadero, surrounded by geekboys, film junkies and other creative types, every one of us eagerly waiting for the stupid music to stop, the lights to go down and the projectionist to start rolling Night Watch.
What is Night Watch?
Well, to steal Adrian's description - if you can imagine what it would have been like had Quentin Tarantino done Lord of the Rings instead of Peter Jackson... then that'd get you part way there, but that doesn't even begin to do it justice.
It's not even a hollywood film - it's Russian. In Russian. With subtitles.
...and it's quite simply just fucking brilliant.
It's the first part of a trilogy and I want to see parts 2 and 3 RIGHT NOW.
I won't spoil it for you too much, but if you liked the first part of the Matrix, went to see Underworld in the hope it'd not be as cheesy and shit as it was, and thought that Lord of the Rings was a bit tame then you really, seriously, need to go see this film when it comes out next weekend.
There are very few films that have given me such a buzz - even adding this to the list, I can still count them on one hand.
If you're still not convinced, check out the trailers and clips available to download from the official US site (UK site seems to be missing the clips).
Four years ago I was in the process of carting almost all my worldly possessions up four flights of stairs and dumping them in a big pile, to be unpacked once I'd had some sleep.
Four years ago my sister and I hurtled down the motorway from Lanarkshire to London (and her further south still) with our lives piled up behind us in a high sided transit van. 12 hours driving through the night just to get to London.
Four years ago I had no job, but a head full of plans of how I was going to make it in London as a freelance web designer.
Four years ago I started over.
Four years on I've lived in four different places.
Four years on I've got a career, not a job, and I love it.
Four years on I've got a life I could never possibly have imagined.
Four years on I can't imagine being anywhere else.
So, I was ambling through screenspire at the weekend, hoping for some inspiration to help my (curently blocked) reboot muscles get themselves going when I ambled across delicious: days.
It certainly inspired me, although more in the direction of the fridge than in the direction of the empty png file that was sitting in Fireworks.
Food porn at it's very finest all wrapped up in a delicious design.
Yummy!
What kind of freak starts a load of laundry at 1am? On a weeknight. When they have the noisiest washing machine in the known universe (sounds like a 747 taking off) located in a room right below my bedroom window.
Really. Any clues?
I'd just like to know what I'm going to have to face when I pitch up at their door in my dressing gown having gone utterly bat-shit postal from lack of sleep.
This is a really good candidate for my top ten best BBC news stories ever.
I did it.
I walked 17 miles in 9 hours, and then walked a bit more until I got home and collapsed into bed.
I still can't believe I did it, and I probably wouldn't have made it round if it wasn't for Helene - who very generously carried my bag for a while when the going got really tough and I was on the verge of giving up.
I'm still exhausted and in a lot of pain as a result of my stubborn refusal to be sensible and not push the limits of what my body can handle, and I'm also a bit emotional about the whole thing, so I'm having trouble marshalling my thoughts into anything approaching coherence.
In the meantime though, some selected (better than camera phone quality) photographic highlights (the full set of photos can be found and/or viewed as a slideshow on flickr).
A medal, a cheer and a glass of champagne mixed with orange juice and a scrambled egg roll and the most amazing feeling of "i can't believe i just did that". I don't think i have the vocabulary to describe how exhausted i feel.
Almost back where we started 8 and a half hours ago. I can't quite believe i'm still walking. What an amazing night. What an amazing city.
I love me some early morning gherkage.
How can anyone be tired of London when it offers views like this. Ken Livingstone has a nice living room.
Every aching joint and muscle is absolutely worth it to see this view. Absolutely breathtaking.
Yeah. I know it's cheesy but it had to be done.
Five hours in and we finally reach make it to rest stop number 3. Have covered 11 miles and it feels like 1100. Still, only 6 miles to go...
3 and a half hours in and we've hit the half way point. 2 and a half miles to the next rest stop. Quite tired and sore now, but determined to finish this..
6 miles in and we're at Whiteley's shopping centre an hour ahead of the estimated time. 11 miles til morning.
Corporate art at the Wellcome Trust.
Where the tube meets the bermuda triangle.
Three miles in. 14 to go. Feel ok so far. Thankfully we've paused for a rest and some refreshments.
Past the Barbican. Through Farringdon and heading towards King's Cross.
17 miles til morning...
Everyone has to wear a glow band. Some people are wearing them as necklaces. Some as headbands. Some are being boring and attaching them to backpacks. We've chosen to wear them as bracelets.
This might be a crappy camera phone but the actual colour of the t-shirts isn't so far away from how it looks. I'm not sure what the real name for this colours is but the closest comparison i have is baby puke.
Everyone else starts to get stuck in to the free food too.
The lovely people from maggie's have provided dinner for us. Course, it'd be lovelier if the chicken pasta didn't have mushrooms in it, but still, it's free so mustn't grumble.
Suitably socked and ready to go. Well, almost...
Have pro plus and plasters. I'll be fine.
Those who couldn't care less about my latest obsession (the one with the yarn and the needles) can safely skip this post.
Given that I answered this three months ago, there are some answers which haven't changed, so the only questions I'm going to answer here are the ones that have.
1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
Three months on from the last time I answered this question and I'm still all about the feel of the yarn. I've also seriously got over my early obsession with eyelash yarn and can barely stand to look at the stash of the stuff I have.
Not a fan of the hideously artificial, but mostly, if it's got a nice texture, feels soft and looks nice, it's fine.
2. Do you spin? Crochet?
I still don't do either, but I'm growing more and more curious about spinning and I'd like to get to know more about crochet for edgings and stuff.
4. How long have you been knitting?
Since the beginning of May this year.
13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
The Debbie Bliss yarns I've used so far (Cotton Cashmere, Cashmerino Aran and Cathay) have been an absolute dream.
I also love the two skeins of Colinette Giotto that I got. The trouble is that they're a bit flighty and can't make up their mind what they want to be. It's a bit of a nuisance, but they're so beautiful I guess they can be a bit fussy about how they want to be shown off to the world.
14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Stuff that feels cheap and/or scratchy. Stuff that splits the second you put a needle near it.
15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
I can't seem to stop knitting Clapotis'. I'm currently on my fourth (this one for Lori).
16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I still love me some Clapotis action. I'm also finding using dpn's quite fun right now. Mostly, I'm more into accessories rather than garments as the sheer amount of yarn and knitting time required to create something that will complement and cover what mother nature generously handed me makes me want to go cry in a corner.
17. What are you knitting right now?
mostly Lori's Clapotis (in Noro Silk Garden #8) which is taking me longer than usual because I'm being ultra careful not to massively cock it up.
Other things on the needles include:
A sock (in the multicoloured sock yarn my previous Secret Pal sent)
Lacey (in heathery purple Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere)
River from the latest Rowan book (in deep blue Kidsilk Haze (which feels like knitting with cobwebs)
My first Clapotis (in Debbie Bliss Cathay in a really bright purple)
19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
I'm developing a very definite preference for circular needles, because they're easier to use when commuting, and because all the weight is in the middle rather than the end of a straight needle.
20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I might not be too much of a yarn snob, but I think I'm in serious danger of becoming a needle snob.
I started off with some plastic pony needles and my grannie's cast offs... now I almost exclusively use either bamboo (or other wooden) needles or addi turbos.
21. Are you a sock knitter?
Just starting. Previous secret pal very sneakily sent me a sock knitting kit with a tube sock pattern so no heel shaping to terrify me.
23. How old is your oldest UFO?
About three months - my original Clapotis.
28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
Loads. I'm currently particularly obsessed with the two latest books from the Interweave Knits folk - Scarf Style and Wrap Style. Being a hardy Scot who hasn't acclimatised to the London weather yet (despite four years down here), I don't own a proper warm winter coat because it's pointless, so my plan is to knit wraps and things (but not ponchos, oh no) to keep me warm during the winter without being a nuisance to cart around for when I'm on the tube and have to take it off because I'm sweltering.
29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven't bought for one reason or another??
Nope, just the books above.
30. What are your foot measurements, and what kind of socks do you like?
I'm a size 5 in shoes, but I don't tend to wear socks, and I certainly wouldn't wear hand knitted socks outside under shoes. I am thinking of knitting myself a pair of house socks for the winter months when even with the heating on, my toes get a little chilly.
So, I'm walking 17 miles overnight tomorrow night.
You might think that I'd be doing some sort of serious preparation.
Training even. Eating sensibly and getting lots of sleep.
That'd be sensible, right?
Sod that.
My preparation thus far has involved going to the Forum in Kentish Town last night, drinking several bottles of Smirnoff Ice (only because they ran out of diet coke) and dancing like a maniac at yet another Hayseed Dixie gig.
Which was brilliant, and exactly what I needed.
So now I'm entirely psyched up and ready to walk.
On a more serious note, I want to say a really big thank you to everyone who's sponsored me. It's very much appreciated.
For those who haven't yet, I may have passed the minimum sponsorship amount now, but I'd like to raise as much as I can, so if you still want to sponsor me, there's still time.
So, I have the serious lurgy.
The kind of serious lurgy that involves the 7 dwaves of ick. You know - sneezy, cougy, wheezy, honky, snotty, earachy and insomnia.
That last one is a right bitch.
So much of a bitch that I'm still awake at past 5 am, despite not really having slept much last night. Mostly because if I lie down I have huge coughing fits and I can't sleep sitting up.
That's not what's bothering me most though.
Oh no.
What's bothering me is that for the last hour and a half, 3 5 8!!! large wasps have been banging themselves against the window, trying to get in.
They make a really creepy kind of tapping noise against the window.
Somehow, I think that having finally collected my Epi-pen prescription was a really good thing.
Update: Especially since one of the buzzy bastards got in, somehow. Despite all the windows being shut as tight as I could make them.
It's now dead.
A little over four years ago, my world exploded when my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer.
I didn't expect it. I wasn't prepared for it, and before I knew it, he was gone.
I wish I'd known more about what was going to happen. I wish I'd known a bit more about what to expect. I wish I didn't still feel like it was so fucking unfair, but I do.
I was apoplectic with rage earlier this year when I heard about the Maggie's Centres charity turning down a donation because of the actions of a certain "religious" group. It still makes me angry to think about it.
I decided then that I would find a way to raise money for the London centre that they're trying to build. I could have just given them a few quid from my salary and left it at that, but it didn't seem quite enough. When I saw they'd launched a beautiful bracelet instead of a cheap plastic wristband I thought I'd buy one, but that didn't seem quite enough either.
Then I heard about the Metro Life Hike.
So next Friday, the 16th of September, starting from 10pm, I'll be walking 17 miles, following the route of the circle line, and getting to see inside some of London's most fabulous buildings on the way. My camera will, of course, be going with me, spare batteries charged and compact flash cards packed.
I have no idea whether this is a really stupid thing for me to attempt to do. I have no idea whether my legs will hold out for 17 miles. I have no idea whether I'll be able to walk the next day if I do manage to last the course.
What I do know is that I'm determined to do it and I want to raise as much money as I possibly can, which is where you folks come in.
Please, sponsor me.
It doesn't have to be a lot, but whatever you can afford. I would appreciate it, but the people at Maggie's will appreciate it more, as will the people who, for whatever reason, come to find themselves in need of the very valuable service they'll provide when the centre is finally built.
My initial target is £250, which is what they ask each participant to raise, but I'd like to try and get more than that, so please, pass the link along.
Thank you.
Via Annie, who wants to know how much of a Londoner I've become.
1. You say "the City" and expect everyone to know which one.
Yes, but I'm usually referring to the square mile. I also tend to refer to going into the centre of London (anywhere from Kings Cross down) as "going into town".
Half a point.
2. You have never been to The Tower of London or Madame Tussauds but love Brighton
Went to the Tower of London once, to do a photoshoot. Never been to Tussauds. Went to Brighton once, and it pissed rain.
0 points.
3. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Shepherds Bush to Elephant & Castle at 3:30 on the Friday before a long weekend, but can't find Dorset on a map.
I don't tend to go south of the river, so that discussion is pretty much moot, cos I wouldn't have any real idea, but it's true I couldn't find Dorset on a map.
1 point.
4. Hookers and the homeless are invisible.
Yup. Unless they smell really bad, or shout at me.
1 point.
5. You step over people who collapse on the Tube.
I've never seen this happen.
0 points.
6. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multilingual.
Nope.
0 points.
7. You've considered stabbing someone.
Yes, but mostly not seriously.
1 point.
8. Your door has more than three locks.
2 doors with 2 locks each.
Half a point.
9. You consider eye contact an act of overt aggression.
No.
0 points.
10. You call an 8' x 10' plot of patchy grass a garden.
Nope. I'm fussy about my gardens. Also, I haven't had one since I moved to London. Terraces though, are a different matter.
0 points.
11. You consider Essex the "countryside".
No. I was brought up in Scotland. Essex is so not "countryside".
0 points.
12. You think Hyde Park is "nature".
Nope, too close to the centre of town. Hampstead Heath, yes.
0 points.
13. You're paying £1,200 a month for a studio the size of a walk-in wardrobe and you think it's a "bargain".
Nope. I work for a charity, that's the kind of bargain I just can't afford :)
However, for the same amount of rent I could live on my own in a 4 bedroom detatched house in my home town.
Half a point.
14. Shopping in suburban supermarkets and shopping malls gives you a severe attack of agoraphobia.
No, it just makes me feel like I'm back home, which tends to make me want to get away from there as quickly as possible.
Half a point (because they make me want to run away, just for different reasons).
15. You pay more each month to park your car than most people in the UK pay in rent.
Don't have a car.
0 points.
16. You pay £3 without blinking for a beer that cost the bar 28p.
Don't drink beer. Have got used to paying more than a tenner for a small round of drinks though.
Half a point.
17. You actually take fashion seriously.
Have you seen me in person?
0 points.
18. You have 27 different take-away menus next to your telephone.
Nope. There are 3, on a cork-board in the kitchen.
0 points.
19. The UK west of Heathrow is still theoretical to you.
It was, but then I started spending time in Reading. I even went to Wales (briefly) earlier this year.
0 points.
20. You're suspicious of strangers who are actually nice to you.
God yeah, but I had that before I came to London.
1 point.
21. Your idea of personal space is no one actually physically standing on you.
Yup. Not having my head in some blokes unwashed armpit counts too.
1 point.
22. £50 worth of groceries fit in one plastic bag.
Only if you shop in Waitrose.
Half a point.
23. You have a minimum of five "worst cab ride ever" stories.
Don't tend to take cabs, so I've got maybe 2.
Half a point.
24. You don't hear sirens anymore.
Mostly because I now live in the semi-burbs and they're not so common out here, so I hear them more. When I lived in Holloway though, I did find myself blocking them out.
Half a point.
25. You've mentally blocked out all thoughts of the city's air/water quality and what it's doing to your insides.
Never thought about it to start off with.
1 point.
26. You live in a building with a larger population than most towns.
Not now, but I used to.
Half a point.
27. Your cleaner is Portugese, your grocer is Somali, your butcher is Halal, your deli man is Israeli, your landlord is Italian, your laundry guy is Philippino, your bartender is Australian, your favourite diner owner is Greek, the watch seller on your corner is Senegalese, your last cabbie was African, your newsagent is Indian and your local English chippie owner is Turkish.
Ish. Cleaner is Polish (shush, it was Eva's idea), newsagent and grocer are both Indian/Pakistani, chippie owner is indeed Turkish, don't have a butcher, deli guys are eastern european or middle eastern, and the last regular bartenders I had were English and Polish.
1 point.
28. You wouldn't want to live anywhere else until you get married.
I have no plans to go back to "the provinces", and I have no plans to get married.
0 points.
29. You roll your eyes and say 'tsk' at the news that someone has thrown themselves under a tube train.
For half a second, yes, then I feel sad that they were so damaged that they would firstly, commit suicide, and secondly, do it in such a traumatic way for the train driver.
1 point (but I feel guilty for it)
30. Your day is ruined if you don't get a copy of Metro on the way to work.
Nah, I don't have a journey long enough really.
0 points.
Result:
12 and a half out of 30, but a lot of the questions didn't apply.
Just when you thought it was safe...
... along comes another knitting post (complete with photos). Deal with it, or take a deep breath and move on. Your choice :)
Firstly, a picture I should have (taken and) posted ages ago. The first pressie my Secret Pal sent me:
Lucky me - I got a copy of Debbie Stoller's Stitch n Bitch book, which is absolutely ace. Then I got 3 fabulously highly scented candles (currently on my mantlepiece and scenting my room, where they've been for the last x weeks). If that wasn't enough, I got a clear pencil case thing (pictured here with my bits and bobs in it) with two happy face chocs inside (now eaten) and some more chocolates besides (also now gone). All of this was packaged inside the a comedy bag with an old bloke bowling thinking "chicks dig jocks", which made me laugh out loud.
Now, I'd have been more than happy with just receiving that lot. Really.
But no, Lori, my fabulous secret pal is way more generous than that, because on Wednesday, just in time for my birthday, a huge box arrived at my house (one which the postman actually bothered to deliver, unlike today's parcel...).
Inside this magic box nestled:
A stunningly beautiful skein of Fiesta La Boheme yarn (yarn porn below)
A Koenig Farm Waterfall Scarf Kit (more yarn porn below)
A sock kit, containing not one, but two skeins of sock yarn, complete with 3mm double pointed bamboo needles and a pattern (yet more yarn porn below)
A really stunningly beautiful iridescent handmade button (which I'm going to turn into a brooch or clasp for a wrap, I think)
A neat little guage measuring strip, and, proving she's read my blog enough to know I've been whinging about not sleeping, she also thoughtfully sent some melatonin tablets, which are supposed to help you sleep better.
All of which were neatly wrapped up and enclosed with a cute card.
So, a HUGE thank you to Lori, my first secret pal, for being so very generous and sending me such fabulous stuff.
You're a postman.
You have a parcel to deliver to a house that has two doorbells.
You're not sure which doorbell to ring.
What do you do?
What do you do?
... the online home and (not very) alter(ed)-ego of Ann McMeekin, a recently freelance Web Accessibility Consultant.
... passionate about many things, most of which will turn up on this site at some time or other.
... contactable via email.
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