- Not removing the stickers on the bottom of your shoes
- Rubbing your Oyster card on the reader
- Holding your mobile to your mouth, not your ear
- Not removing the tacking stitch in the vent on coats, jackets and skirts
- Licking your finger before even trying to turn the page
- Wearing Ugg boots, flip-flops or any other unsupportive footwear
- Slamming the lid of the photocopier
Things that annoy me
I keep getting amazingly annoyed by the things some people do, and so I started to list them in the hope it will release some of the frustration. Little things, eh?
Random thoughts
OK, so I've been seriously neglecting my blog. It also appears that I can now only write small snippets rather than long paragraphs, perhaps as a side effect of my Twitter addiction. However, as I was considering possible topics for my blog post of the week, I was saved by an amusing email that pinged into my inbox from the lovely Helen. Sure, it's a generic format, but these 'random thoughts from people 20-35 years old' really made me smile, so I thought I'd share the best ones with you.
- More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.
- Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realise you're wrong.
- Have you ever been walking down the street and realised that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions.
- Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know" feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?
- There is a great need for sarcasm font.
- Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realise I had no idea what the f*** was going on when I first saw it.
- How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
- I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
- LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".
- I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
- Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".
- How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?
- Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in... (10 second lapse)... ummm... Goonies".
- While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.
- I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind-of tired.
- Bad decisions make good stories.
- Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public, I feel like a kid on Christmas morning that just got the present that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!
- You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.
- Can we all just agree to ignore Blu-ray? I don't want to have to restart my DVD collection.
- I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
- "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.
- I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
- When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.
- I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.
- Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for paedophiles...
- Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
- I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
- The other night I ordered take away and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic cutlery. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fat b@stard before dinner.
I remember when...
I remember when real-word meetings of online communities were fun. When groups of users from a particular website would get together at someone's house, a coffee shop or in a pub and discuss the things they are passionate about. The things that brought them together.
About 6 years ago I met up with a group of lovely people I'd been chatting to via a website called The Lipstick Girls. We went to a little house in York and partied all night. That summer we all met up at a larger house in Derbyshire and partied all weekend. The people were fun, the discussions lively, and the people who couldn't be there in person were entertained by various party attendees popping in and out of the online chatroom all night. Our party music was streamed live to those transatlantic chums too thanks to our own internet 'radio station', Lipstick FM.
In the years that followed, I attended a great many blogmeets and lomomeets which, although they were much smaller than the LSG houseparties, were all very good fun. They were extremely friendly and welcoming, the discussions were lively and there'd always be a few people whose blog or lomohome you didn't already know, so you'd get to make some new friends too. Next came Facebook drinks which were bigger events and mostly full of people I'd never met before. I had fun there too, but not as much fun, perhaps due the the lack of online chatter with people before I'd met them in person. Although I met a few lovely people who I have remained friends with, it just wans't the same. Then I found Twitter...
I was extremely keen to get a ticket for Twestival as I'd perhaps get a chance to meet some of the interesting people I've been following on Twitter, plus I'd be donating to charity too. Unfortunately, instead of a friendly party atmosphere, what I experienced was akin to 'networking' at a work conference (which, incidentally, I hate). There was some fun to be had, from sewing a Twitter-style birdy brooch with The Make Lounge to great performances from Newton Faulkner and The Hours, but I think the one thing that really ruined it for me was the free bar. Not that no queues and realising that £15 is all you'll be paying for the evening wasn't great, because it was. No, it was having to share the event with the sort of people who just can't stop drinking when the supply is bottomless. There were so many drunken antics by the end of the evening, so many shoeless wenches, that I was sure I'd accidentally walked into a sixth-form disco. Why are people so damn dependent on the stuff these days? Why do they drink anything with alcohol content rather than sticking with the cola because there was nothing tastier on offer? As Frank Skinner said in today's Times, "anyone who is reluctant to face social gatherings without the aid of alcohol should be asking themselves why".
Then it dawned on me. It's not just the oceans of booze, messy though that was, it was the size of the event and who was 'invited'. "Twitter isn't just for nerds anymore, it is becoming mainstream." Bring back the nerds! I have far more in common with them.
About 6 years ago I met up with a group of lovely people I'd been chatting to via a website called The Lipstick Girls. We went to a little house in York and partied all night. That summer we all met up at a larger house in Derbyshire and partied all weekend. The people were fun, the discussions lively, and the people who couldn't be there in person were entertained by various party attendees popping in and out of the online chatroom all night. Our party music was streamed live to those transatlantic chums too thanks to our own internet 'radio station', Lipstick FM.
In the years that followed, I attended a great many blogmeets and lomomeets which, although they were much smaller than the LSG houseparties, were all very good fun. They were extremely friendly and welcoming, the discussions were lively and there'd always be a few people whose blog or lomohome you didn't already know, so you'd get to make some new friends too. Next came Facebook drinks which were bigger events and mostly full of people I'd never met before. I had fun there too, but not as much fun, perhaps due the the lack of online chatter with people before I'd met them in person. Although I met a few lovely people who I have remained friends with, it just wans't the same. Then I found Twitter...
I was extremely keen to get a ticket for Twestival as I'd perhaps get a chance to meet some of the interesting people I've been following on Twitter, plus I'd be donating to charity too. Unfortunately, instead of a friendly party atmosphere, what I experienced was akin to 'networking' at a work conference (which, incidentally, I hate). There was some fun to be had, from sewing a Twitter-style birdy brooch with The Make Lounge to great performances from Newton Faulkner and The Hours, but I think the one thing that really ruined it for me was the free bar. Not that no queues and realising that £15 is all you'll be paying for the evening wasn't great, because it was. No, it was having to share the event with the sort of people who just can't stop drinking when the supply is bottomless. There were so many drunken antics by the end of the evening, so many shoeless wenches, that I was sure I'd accidentally walked into a sixth-form disco. Why are people so damn dependent on the stuff these days? Why do they drink anything with alcohol content rather than sticking with the cola because there was nothing tastier on offer? As Frank Skinner said in today's Times, "anyone who is reluctant to face social gatherings without the aid of alcohol should be asking themselves why".
Then it dawned on me. It's not just the oceans of booze, messy though that was, it was the size of the event and who was 'invited'. "Twitter isn't just for nerds anymore, it is becoming mainstream." Bring back the nerds! I have far more in common with them.
Inspiration
I've been pondering something in the last few days. I wonder how many people have been inspired by the Rankin Live exhibition to take more photos, improve their studio skills, or even just to pick up a camera for the first time? I always find photography exhibitions both fascinating and inspiring, but Rankin's retrospective and live shoot combination really has been something else entirely. Being able to watch such a talented and influential professional photographer at work, and having the chance to be in front of his camera as he presses the shutter release, is such an amazing and rare opportunity and I'm sure thousands of people are, like me, incredibly grateful that Rankin came up with and executed such an ambitious idea. Seeing what camera, lenses, lights and reflectors he uses, how he directs his models and how he interacts with everyone around him gives us an insight into how he produces such stunning images.
If you haven't seen the exhibition (or even if you have) and can get to the Old Truman Brewary before 18th September, you really should go.
If you haven't seen the exhibition (or even if you have) and can get to the Old Truman Brewary before 18th September, you really should go.
Busy, busy, busy
Things have become rather crazy in Lori-land lately. For some reason my evenings and weekends have been booked up and so I'm having to do a lot of planning ahead, hoping that my friends don't think I'm just putting them off and making excuses. I tried to sum it all up in a message to someone earlier today:
Am planning a burlesque show with Cicci and some girls we met on our course. Have also been to see Muse live in Devon, been photographed by Rankin twice, had a style consultation, two more photoshoots, leaving drinks for a friend going back to Oz, several good meals and have visited a hell of a lot of museums/galleries/exhibitions!I almost forgot my sister and dad's birthdays too. Thanks to the power of the internet, all is not lost in these cases and gifts have been purchased. Can't believe my little sis is now 29 years old. Doesn't time fly?
Can we start again please?
Today started badly. After very little sleep for no apparent reason (the weather?), my alarm went off and then I promptly fell asleep. Woke up in a daze and did the necessary, but skipped breakfast in order to have a hope of catching my train... which I then missed by no more than two minutes. Six minutes later, whilst sat on a slower train that requires an additional change in my journey, I realised that it's my sister's birthday tomorrow and I haven't sorted out a gift or a card. Things didn't get much better once I got to work so I asked Twitter if anyone out there was having a good day as, personally, I'd like to exchange today for another Sunday. Or store credit.
Already, I'd seen tweets from @loveheartrose who reckoned she "must have had stupid for breakfast", @clairenelson who was having internet problems, @girlonetrack who had also slept badly, @CupCate who'd been having a rather bad day at work and @megpickard who was trying to stay calm after losing a morning's writing. On asking who else was having a bad day I had six replies from various people just as excited about 'fake Monday' as I am (i.e. not at all). Of course, I'm only telling you about this so that you know I haven't forgotten my blog exists. Going to spend the rest of the day hoping that tomorrow will be considerably better.
Already, I'd seen tweets from @loveheartrose who reckoned she "must have had stupid for breakfast", @clairenelson who was having internet problems, @girlonetrack who had also slept badly, @CupCate who'd been having a rather bad day at work and @megpickard who was trying to stay calm after losing a morning's writing. On asking who else was having a bad day I had six replies from various people just as excited about 'fake Monday' as I am (i.e. not at all). Of course, I'm only telling you about this so that you know I haven't forgotten my blog exists. Going to spend the rest of the day hoping that tomorrow will be considerably better.
