Some stuff will still be open entries, but anything outwith random nothings will be friends locked. Just comment to be added. :)

( Toy Stories Reading Challenge Rules )

( Toy Stories List - 12/12 )

Tags: books, toy stories

Tags: read the world

( 30 days for 30 songs. )

The meme comes from here.

Day 18 - A Song You Wish You Heard On The Radio More?

Ben's Brother ft Joss Stone - Stalemate


I adore this song in both it's guises - both with Anastacia and with Joss as the female vocalist. I decided to go with Joss because I think her voice actually gives the lyrics more resonance as she portrays pain and desperation so easily whereas Anastacia gives it a slightly more bitter/angry edge to it. I have no idea why this song wasn't a hit tbh and why it never got played anywhere. Ben's Brother are one of those bands though who just routinely produce great music and no one ever hears it but what can you do.

I will say boo to You Tube though for having all the non live versions of this restricted. Not that they sound bad live, but for the US market it obviously was more Joss' song (not that that's a bad thing) but it just works better for me when she doesn't come in until the chorus and then the 2nd verse. Like this.

I've been listening to this obsessively the last few days (inspiration comes from weird places) and it just makes me wonder why I've never gone to a Joss Stone concert yet? Should have gone when she was at the Oran Mor a couple of years ago.

Tags: music meme
And It Sounds Like...: Ben's Brother & Joss Stone - Stalemate

( 30 days for 30 songs. )

The meme comes from here.

Day 17 - A Song You Hear On The Radio Often?

I get haunted by this song in the very best way. It seems that everytime I turn on the radio, or go into a shop that it plays. This started in December (when believe me, it was the last thing I needed to be haunted by) and has basically continued ever since and as I love the song I have decided to embrace the odd quirk of fate that has it following me constantly. I don't really mind although it is one of those songs that if you feel even a little down that it just makes you want to go cry in a corner...roll on being haunted by cheery, summer music at one point, I guess!

The Script - Nothing

Tags: music meme, the script
Today, I am mostly feeling -: peaceful
And It Sounds Like...: The Script - Nothing

( 30 days for 30 songs. )

The meme comes from here.

Day 16 - A Song I Used To Love, But Now Hate?

I generally love Live Lounge sessions - where else will you get The Artic Monkeys singing Love Machine from Girls Aloud, or maybe Adele singing Promise This by Cheryl Cole (she kills it incidentally - poor Cheryl must have been a sobbing mess when she heard it), then we could have Bruno Mars singing Katy Perry or The Wanted singing a Script song while dressed in Halloween make-up etc etc?

Genuinely, most of them are amazing. A few years ago Leona Lewis was on and did her generic stuff and for her cover song she decided to cover Run by Snow Patrol and I remember listening to it and thinking she did an amazing job with it.

The problem was she/Simon Cowell/whoever wasn't content with it being a really great Live Lounge cover and instead decided that she just had to release it and turn such a great song into another bland, over-produced, faceless power ballad that has none of the emotional resonance of the original. The really sad thing is that most people think it was her song. It's just a shame that they didn't leave it as a great cover and instead flogged a dead horse. Nothing about her version is as good as the original and it's a shame, because she's better than that.

Leona Lewis - Run


So - was out for dinner with friends today. It was great, so good to catch up. I had one of these -



Yes - it is tea, served in a wine glass and with a flower in the middle of it, because I am hardcore and that's clearly how I roll. I am ignoring the fact that it is borderline pretentious to a) order, and b) be excited about a drink that flowers as you drink it, but I swear it may be the coolest eating/drinking experience of my life.

Yeah, it was a good day today - it was beautiful weather wise, which always helps. It was the first day this year we got close to 20. If our whole summer could be the temperature it was today I would be a really happy person.

Everything toda was good until dog sabotaged me earlier tonight when she left a bone on the stairs that I inevitably tripped and fell on. Thankfully, it wasn't too far and I'm not really injured, but thank God it's flats weather because there is no chance in hell I will be able to wear anything remotely resembling a boot or heel until my foot and leg stop throbbing. I'm not sure if I can confiscate her bone for nearly breaking my neck, but I may accidentally kick her care bear out my room where she's hidden it. ;) #petty

Tags: music meme, real life
Today, I am mostly feeling -: ouch

I'm lax with this, but what the hell...

( 30 days for 30 songs. )

The meme comes from here.

Day 15 - A Song That Describes You?

This was quite tough actually since I'm actually very boring tbh and therefore my life/personality doesn't easily lead itself to a musical accompaniment. I gave it some thought and decided to go with this, simply because although I don't smoke, it's very me. I tend to laugh things off/ignore people if they annoy me, I do do the whole 'I need to lose weight' and then go stuff my face and I make these wild proclamations and do something utterly contradictory to it seconds later because, really, I'm not that adventurous either. At the end of the day though - despite my flaws, I'm pretty happy that I can always look myself in the mirror afterwards minus any delusions and know that whatever mistakes I make, they're small, never malicious and I generally don't repeat the big ones...just a few of the smaller ones, like having that chocolate bar etc. ;)

Peppercorn - To Err Is Human


Incidentally I cannot recommend Peppercorn enough. I am beyond sad she's disappeared and not making music anymore.

Book - 15 of 52
Read The World - Country 29 & 30 (Uruguay & Argentina) (That's me completed this continent wise at long last (thankfully - I was cutting it close!!)

( Book 15 - The Invisible Mountain by Carolina De Robertis )

Trying to arrange a belated birthday dinner for a friend is like pulling teeth. I'm offering to arrange everything and he can't even give me a basic time, and/or type of food he would like to eat. Seriously - it will serve him right when I book some place and he hates it.

I started knitting!! Okay, admittedly I'm rubbish and even worse than a beginner but small steps and all that. I figured if I wanted to complete that part of my new year resolution I should start somewhere instead of putting it off. I have the basic stitch almost mastered (at an excruciatingly slow rate admittedly) and next I will be attempting the dreaded 'purl' (which is apparently prettier? IDK) and then it will be trying to combine them and then maybe actually attempting to make something. I'm going to try and convince some people to try and learn with me so I have a point of comparison (and I'm ngl, I thrive better with something pushing me) but if not, I'll just set a target for some piece of knitting once I have 'mastered' the stitches.

And I just realised how sad it is that I am talking about knitting on the internet...

Tags: 52 in 52 (2.0), music meme, read the world
Today, I am mostly feeling -: sleepy
And It Sounds Like...: Peppercorn - To Err Is Human

( 30 days for 30 songs. )

The meme comes from here.

Day 12 - A Song No One Would Expect You To Love?

I don't know if any of my musical choices would surprise anyone as I love all sorts of music. My musical loves range from musicals, to country, to alternative, to cheesy pop songs with the odd rock and rap song thrown in. I like all different eras - rat pack music is my love, but then again I love Motown almost as much. It's eclectic and I enjoy the fact that I'm not pigeon-holed music wise.

This was tough in that regard, so I figured I may as well go with something a bit embarrassing, but what the hell. I have a lot of good music that I love, and I try and play as much of it as possible when people are around, so some might be surprised with some of the stuff I kinda love. As I said above, I actually really love cheesy pop songs sometimes, even songs that I try really hard to hate. I happily sing along to some Britney, B*Witched, Westlife, Girls Aloud etc at times, just because no matter what else you say, it is almost natural. This goes in this category.

Baby - Justin Beiber



What can I say - I actually kinda like his stuff. I think it's partially because there is so much hate for him around. He is what he is - and his stuff is pretty damn catchy and if it's good enough for Usher (who is godly) then that's good enough for me... Don't judge me!!!

Why am I so late to the wordle party? I'm obviously not inserting random websites into it to see what it comes up with...

Tags: music meme, wordle
Today, I am mostly feeling -: amused