A hazy but wonderful weekend...

I went to see Laura Marling on Friday, she was amazing.  Absolutely amazing.  The whole night was.  We missed the first support due to a need to feed ourselves at Wagamama's but were suitably impressed by Alessi's Ark.  Alessi was astoundingly good and didn't seem to know it, telling little in-jokes from the tour, making fun of Pete Roe (who joined her on stage) and giggling to herself.  Cocktails and wine ensued, along with some healthy cupcake eating (for the good of Oxfam of course) and me falling asleep in the car with Mumford and Sons blasting.

Saturday was sunny.  Therefore there was only one option: BBQ, strawberries and cider with the family followed by vodka with the boys.  At a dirty bar.  Yuck.  Alcohol has won this weekend.  I once read about an iPhone app that forced you to complete a simple maths test before you could send a text.  If you were incapable to pass the test you are clearly too drunk and texting is taken away.  I need that.  Was this actually made or just hypothesised?  If anyone knows please tell me.

Ernest Hemingway once said: "Always do sover what you said you'd do drunk.  That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."  This may have to become a new rule for me.  After trotting round in everything from shorts to sailor trousers I have collapsed.  For now though Alessi's Ark (thank you Myspace) will get me through this painful hangover day.  I'm too old for this.



I wanted to share this with you as it's my favourite Alessi's Ark song.  This is all YouTube had to offer.  Go to her Myspace to hear it better! :o)

Glamour

I love Glamour magazine, always have, so last week I decided to follow Jo Elvin on Twitter.  Last night she went for dinner with Chace Crawford who I am pretty much in love with.  In fact the other day I told the closest thing I've had to a boyfriend in as-long-as-I've-been-an-adult that I want to marry him.  Him being Chace Crawford.  He, being my friend, laughed and said he was sure that it was only distance and the fact we'd never met that prevented us from getting engaged.  I'm sure that's true.

 What made me really smile was when i congratulated Jo Elvin on having such a splending job and being able to have dinner with him she actually Tweeted back!  "Hey, I'm not so bad to have dinner with either, you know! x"  I tried to tell her she was the opposite, in fact, probably a better dinner guest because I could speak to her without my knees collapsing from underneath me.  Now, I'm far from the only one she's replied to...and isn't that lovely?

Watching her Twitter updates I have pined more and more for a job in the magazine job.  That job actually would be amazing.  What's great about Glamour is the fact that not only does it give you the best of high fashion but also affordable fashion, gossip and interesting features.  As much as I hold Vogue dear to me, having collected them for years, Glamour is my secret addiction.  The one I actually go to the shop to buy.

Lately I've really got into the Glamour website, with the snippet sized info.  I absolutely love their "Cheap High Street Spring Outfits" article....9 amazing outfits for under £100 each.  I could really see me in the first one, complete with lace gloves (ASOS, £4) and wicker bag (Topshop, £30).  In fact, I almost brought both the other day.  Maybe it's time to give in.

Ellie Goulding: Every time you go

I finally got round to putting Ellie Goulding's album onto my iPhone and I'm so glad I did because it's amazing.  I absolutely love it!  Oddly, rather than being drawn to the songs that they play on the radio I have shunned them in favour of some of her other tracks.  She truely deserves that Brit.  My favourite: Every time you go.  Enjoy.

Election Overload

We all knew it was coming but now we've finally had the a-ok on the general election for May.  As a first time voter I definitely plan on voting so I have several things I need to do:

1. Double check I'm registered.
2. Read the manifesto's and other rubbish they say to convince us.
3. Decide who to vote for.
4. Vote

However, after deciding I want to vote I'm not getting very annoyed with politics as a whole.  I don't really believe any of the partys will fix things because at the minute the UK is in too much of a mess to be honest.  I cannot moan whilst I don't vote though.  Really, I would love an unbiased idiots guide.  "This is what they say they'll do, this is what they'll probably do."  Someone should make this.  In a week please so I can peruse it in leisure.

Nice to see that advertising is jumping on the bandwagon and fuelling my annoying with politics in the media.  I say this whilst watching a 30 minute show on David Cameron on ITV...apparently it's 1/3 and they're going to cover all the main leaders.  May be useful, suppose it's nice to like the PM though it doesn't mean they'll be good at it.)  From E4 to Marmite they're jumping on the 'party political broadcasts.  BORED!!



Definitely prefer E4 though...they are at least honest.  I'd vote for them.  I would love for every first time voter (and the older generations) to scrub out all the party options, write E4, draw a box and tick it.  That'd make a mockery of the politics like they have made a mockery of us.

Wicked

So I FINALLY got to see Wicked the Musical yesterday.  It was fantastic.  I absolutely loved it.  Rachel Tucker's tomboy, tormented Elphaba (wonderful with her slightly gruff voice) was perfectly balanced with Louise Dearman's girly, "toss, toss" of the hair Glinda.  I was told Kerry Ellis was the best Elphaba ever but as I didn't get the chance to see her I can't really compare.

Ellis is actually now starring in Oliver so there's another chance to see her in London yet.  However, after assisting in a children's version of Oliver (lasting three weeks) and also appearing in it myself I'm afraid I wont' be going to see her as Nancy.  I have well and truely had enough of Oliver.  Please, no more!

There was one thing slightly wrong with Wicked.  (Shock horror with my raving so far?)  Fiyero.  A very attractive Prince I had pictured someone masculine yet amazing when it comes to singing and dancing.  Well...I got the good singing (though I wasn't as impressed by the dancing) but masculine?  NO WAY!  Lewis Bradley is currently playing Fiyero until Lee Mead takes over in the second week of May.  You only have to look at the pictures below (Mead and then Bradley) to realise Bradley is second best here.  Again...

I didn't realise most of the cast was sourced from Andrew Lloyd Webber's television shows, with Bradley and Mead from Any Dream Will Do (Bradley was third to Mead's win) and Tucker from I'd Do Anything, if I had I might have done some research and waited until May.  I would have known then that Bradley's camp tendencies do not lend to an attractive, gobstopping Prince.  Sorry Bradley, you just need to man up a bit.  Good performance, good voice, rather unbelievable love story.  Though I suppose that's the point...

London for mothers?

On Saturday I'll be having a mother daughter day (awww bless) journeying to London with my mom to see Wicked at the Apollo Victoria.  I love London, especially when I'm not there for meetings, and so I can't wait to go as a tourist again...it's been well over six months since I've done that.  Too long.

So I asked my mom today what she'd like to see/do before the show: Harrods, Buckingham Palace, Towers of London, London Eye?  "I could do with a new summer coat.  Can we go to a few shops and have lunch?  I don't really know what's there."

Everything mom!  Everything is there!  My usual haunts of Topshop, Portobello Road and various markets will not suffice.  Please someone advise me where you're supposed to take your mother, who is not rich, to find a summer coat.  "Oxford Street" is too broad an answer.

The Delicious Miss Dahl

I love Sophie Dahl, always have, and when I heard she was making an appearance on the BBC with her own cooking show I was delighted.  Any model that knows how to cook, enjoys what she eats and is as adorable as Miss Dahl has my support.  The only problem is I missed the first two programmes.  Thank God for BBC's iPlayer.

After declaring I wouldn't be hungry until about 6pm I decided to indulge in some time alone and watch The Delicious Miss Dahl's first episode: Selfish.  I loved it, just as I knew I would.  My favourite part was her quote of Dorothy Parker's martini rule: I love martinis, two at the most, three and I'm under the table, with four I'm under the host.  Grinning as she sipped Miss Dahl simply smirks and says: "Make sure you know your host well."

I am now ravenous!  Needless to say episode two, Romance, will have to go on hold whilst I go cook a now rather unsatisfying pasta bake.  I want halibut and sweet potato really.  Catch The Delicious Miss Dahl on BBC 2, on Tuesdays at 8:30 or on iPlayer right now.

Topshop Teen

Today my dad made me go and buy a lottery ticket.  He had a feeling I'd win on the Euro Millions and for that I had to go in the shop and purchase the ticket.  The man in the corner shop actually asked how old I was.  I laughed and told him 22, of course.  He was flabbergasted, so flabbergasted he didn't ask for proof just put the ticket through the machine astoundingly rambling "you look 16, 17 at most."

Ahhh to be 17 again.  In memory of that young age of innocence and to celebrate Topshop's NY stores first anniversary today (they celebrated with free tea and cake...what else for an English brand?) here's my perfect school girl outfit, made entirely of Topshop items.

The Birthing House

I'm trying to lose myself in a book.  This way I can forget all the bad shit and focus on something good...this other world.  I totally made the wrong choice.  The Birthing House by Christopher Ransom was in the supernatural section at the library (it's one of my favourite areas...apologies if you now think less of me) and so I was hoping for something leisurely but interesting.  People are so excited about this book, or at least Ransom's publishers are, that it has a website.

Oh no.  Now I find out it's supposed to be scarier than The Shining.  What now?  Stop that.  Scary dolls, mystery virgin pregnancies and all sorts of strange goings on leave me sat here, typing this, with the book next to me taunting me to open it.  Well I can't Mr Ransom or I won't sleep.  Again.  It could be scarier I think but nevertheless I carry on reading in an attempt to reach a point where it's alright to stop reading.  I think I reach it then something happens.

Dear Lord.  I'll let you know when I finish how good exactly it is.  If I ever finish it.

Oooooh and another point related to "birthing" or birth at least....today my wonderfully brave cousin, who is a soldier in the Army, became a dad today.  Congratulations.