Rah Goddess' Guide to Life

Mad school day, packed loads in, worked hard when home, watched glee, ate chinese, missed the husband muchly. Deep breath, here are my tunes of the day.

I know I’m so not cool but I love Tinie Tempah’s Pass Out, so here it is!

Now for some Valentine’s Day smoochy tunes

One of my absolute favourites - Faith Hill - The Way You Love Me
I like the sentiment

This one too while we’re on a country theme

And because love isn’t tidy - why not

TLC - I Miss You So Much

Best till last - for D

Love and all that comes with it! xxx

“Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being “in love” which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two.”
-St. Augustine (Taken from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin)

Tis my plan to start this year doing stuff not observing life - well maybe a bit of looking as I am nosey! So I plan to get the bucket list arocking and hopefully 30 things crossed off by the time I get to 31 - 7 September 2011!

So I am planning to do fun things every week, go to new places, etc etc

Compiling my list for January as we speak, will share tomorrow on a break from planning!

Any suggestions? xxx

Reading.

The feel of a new book, the weight of the hardback, the crisp linen that is the newly printed page. I miss reading for pleasure, so with the New Year approaching, I have decided to read 100 books in 2011. Cheer me on, join in, hopefully this will see me crossing off that 100 book reading list in my bucket list also. I love reading, I just need a push to start the wheels turning again!

Writing.

Pen in hand, creatively stirring up an imaginative storm of loveliness. My aim to write some everyday, I plan on buying a new notebook for this very purpose. I hope to have explored some new writing ideas by this time next year and have taken one idea on a journey right to its end.

xxx

Reintroducing myself.

Danielle.

30 years old.

Teacher.

Wife.

Friend.

Traveller.

Writer.

Lover of all things creative.

Now yet again failing blogger

So a few of my favourite things…

INPO

Victoria Wood, her piano, comedy, impeccable writing and timing.

Still makes me giggle like a mad ‘un!

Antropologie, gorgeous fabrics, stunningly cut, quite pricey - don’t yet own anything but I like window licking

Dresses
I love, nay adore, dresses. Maxi, mini, cocktail, swishy. sleek, fussy, minimalist, plunging, demure, backless etc, I aspire to be a girlie dress kinda girl. Occasionally this dream comes a little true.
There’s nothing quite as lovely as a night out in a fabulous for you dress. I own a couple A few I am aiming to wear soon (something else about me is I am working on losing weight). So I thought I would share a couple of mine that I will wear minus a couple of pounds or ten

1. Is a peach/tangerine coloured batik oriental style dress by Bill Keith, Malaysia . see some pictures of it in this post.

2. Is a gorgeous silver number by Prophecy - you need great legs, wishful thinking is what possessed me.

Image belongs to ASOS, where I bought the dress ages ago!

3. and 4. Are both Coast dresses, one black cut to the knew, a swishy cocktail number; the other a sleek cream silk fitted number with a cerise flower in the pattern of the fabric. Mmmm, lovely

I do love dresses and fabrics and all things clothes related, apart from leggings.

Some of my currents wants are -

This Mango full skirt from ASOS (picture belongs to them), very 70s chic, think Love Story…

These very goth inspired short pirate boots from M&S (picture belongs to them)

Damsel in a Dress Kayleigh Maxi Dress via John Lewis (picture belongs to them), the line and the back are amazing, and a bargain to boot (splutters).

Carvela Wolfe boot, knee high, well over the knee, suede wedge boot, too expensive for me, maybe if I save up my pennies! Seen here (picture via Kurt Geiger, where you can buy em).

Enough salivating for one day, will continue this post next Wednesday for more Wednesday Wants.

Peace x

Just felt the need to write some words, break up the abyss.

There.

Am done.

For today anyway.

x

Gotta love a bit of Paolo. I am not sleeping at night but likewise am not tripping the bar crawl fantastic Several reasons for this lack of zzzzzz. I’m away from home and my own bed. It’s oppressively hot in Paris at the moment. And I cannot shut my talkative brain up. Blah blah and then you should, what about this, you could, should, hope, blah blah blahdity bleurgh. Honestly shut it brain for one second with all your creative yearnings, worries, thoughts, feelings and dissecting every aspect of my life. It also gets worse with every night I don’t sleep, hopefully my own bed should help heal this. Also making lists should help, hopefully, won’t it?

Key operative word. Hopefully.

So scientists pitch sleep as an important part of leading a fairly sane healthy life, it figures! Thoughts are actually hurting me a bit, starting to feel like I’m heading on a vaguely bumpy unused path towards weird ideas and sleep deprived emotions. Beginning to understand part of what my other half has been going through, being away from home, exploring on your own, coming back after work to an empty abode and all you can hear is other people living their lives in the distance. A medley of words in a different language, city chatter and oh my god, the traffic.

I will be happy to be at home, relieve the housesitters of the duty and reclaim my dog, I miss being there and have only a short time to enjoy it before work starts again. The sad thing is, I love this city and being here with the man has been fantastic but. I’m over it now. Want home and the man to back with me in it. Roll on Thursday peeps Saying that, I am set to blog ten times about Paris. If you hate the French, dislike cities or just are grumpy, avert your eyes over the next few weeks

I am back x

Why is it when I try to write poetry it ends up morphing into a rhyme to make a stand up comedian blush? Is it just me that can’t write poetry? I’m an angsty teenager style poet, all 15, heavy mascara and self loathing. No matter my opening line, I falter. End up lost in a sea of broken hearts, broken dreams, and broken lines. Oh why can’t I rhyme like sunny days? Or drape words professionally like literacy ribbon on the page? Why can’t I be taught by the inspiring words of others? Why can’t I find truth in beauty and beauty in truth? I think that a poet’s career is not upon me, a wordsmith or artist am I not, I long for the deep caress of twilight melodies, a page full of power and wonder, not bereft.

What is your current obsession?

Surveys I keep joining online reader panels for things, it’s bad I tell you I’m also working through my bejewelled 2 at night addiction. It’s going well, for now!

What is your weirdest obsession?

I buy lots of books, ermm I am not sure I have any really weird obsessions… please correct me if I’m wrong of course!

What are you wearing

My pjs, they are blue and have penguins on them (I like penguins). What! It’s not afternoon yet!

What’s for dinner?

Not sure, I’ve only just had breakfast. MIght go out and get something healthy and yummy later.

What would you eat for your last meal?

Lasagne mmmm I love pasta Ooh and Champagne - I love the bubbles!

What’s the last thing you bought?

Books and tapes on The Secret Garden. I’m just about to start the topic with my class.

What are you listening to right now?

A noisy house at peace, it is bank holiday sleeping in silence, yummy.

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?

Ooh that’s hard, maybe Hong Kong, Japan, India or Australia - or then again probably Italy

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?

Paris to persuade Dan to take a lunch break

Which language do you want to learn?

Japanese - I know little bits of French, Russian and Spanish - oooh or maybe Chinese.

What’s your favourite quote (for now)?

My favourite quote for now comes an article on Richworks

What is your favourite colour?

Today, it’s turquoise

What is your favourite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?

My wedding dress - see here -

Picture courtesy of Jenny Packham and it is called Papillion which is quite funny as I absolutely hate butterflies.

What is your dream job?

Film director, fashion designer, writer, actress, oooh singer - although I can’t sing

Describe your personal style?

A work in progress, what I wear at the moment isn’t extremely me. I am overweight and working on it, my wardrobe is home to many beautiful dresses, I want to be that girl from my wardrobe.

What’s your favourite tree?

Oak

What are you going to do after this?

Get showered, dressed, work for a couple of hours, then go out with my sister, home again and more work before bed.

What’s your favourite fruit?

Strawberries - and white nectarines.

What inspires you?

People, sharing thoughts and ideas, talking, travel, pictures, creative outputs - lots of things.

What is your favourite photo that you’ve taken?

What are you currently reading?

One Day by David Nicholls - “You can live your whole life not realising that what you’re looking for is right in front of you.” It’s good fun

Go to your bookshelf, take down the first book with a red spine you see, turn to page 26 and type out the first line:

“However, she could find nothing but a bottle of ink, and when she got back with it she found he had recovered, and he and the Queen were talking together in a frightened whisper - so low, that Alice could hardly hear what they said.” Alice Through The Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll.

What delighted you the most today?

The welcome I got from my dog this morning, all meaty kisses and following around.

By what criteria do you judge a person?

Manners, I dislike rude people. Next friendliness and humour.

What item could you not live without?

Laptop/PC/iPhone I need to be able to get online. NEED to.

Enough for now, back to work I go!

xxxx

This is a response to my good friend Laura over on her blog. She mentioned me in an article about exes recently and I felt compelled to write about it. Hope you don’t mind Laura!

So I begin earlier this week when I got contacted by an old boyfriend of mine wanting to catch up. This didn’t excite me or in fact disgust me, it surprised me. I spoke briefly over IM with him and it seemed to me that having just got back from a stint in a war zone, he was by his own admission, happy to be alive and had had some time to consider the past and all that goes with it. It was nice to hear from him, I felt no anger, mistrust or any really strong emotions about it. Other than we had shared a past time and I cared about him because we were once friends.

I shared this with both Laura and my husband. My husband, who is also no stranger to the wonderful world of relationships past, was as bemused as I was, particularly the method of my former boyfriend’s contact, but others are not that relaxed about it. I have been surprised by friends’ reaction to this experience, particularly Laura’s strong reaction on her blog, to the people who have contacted her. I guess I don’t agree that you can let things go, I’m opposed to that notion as it means not letting experiences, emotions, people etc shape you. Letting go is not moving on because there is no forgetting these people, these times, these emotions. You don’t let go to move on.

In my ever so humble opinion you make that step forward by letting yourself feel. You feel the hurt, the joy, the everything and then you concentrate on you. My letting go, was embracing myself, did I want to feel this way? No, then change it. It’s taken me ages, read almost seven years to realise that the way you move on from past regret - how you have behaved towards people, acted and lived your life - is to LIVE YOUR LIFE - how you want to (thank you Dan, as you have been telling me this now for what almost seven years! And for once I didn’t hear on television or read it ) Now I’ve hurt in the past, once I was with them, once I looked a certain way, once I accidentally hurt someone, once I definitely meant to hurt someone and I did. The way I see it is, when a relationship ends, be it a platonic or indeed romantic relationship, you need time out of that cosy and maybe hostile bubble to see yourself again. I say this now because I am with a man I can’t imagine being without, even though he’s far away. You learn from the people you share your life with, but ultimately you know yourself best, deal with pent up emotion and regret, don’t let it eat away at you. Don’t let go, move on. That way life is a journey, and people and feelings are not tidied away but felt and so worked through, to risk sounding like Oprah, it isn’t healthy to hang on to negative feelings, that’s when you find yourself in trouble and it does nothing to change the time, the person or their story, it just effects you and your living.

So a former friend of mine got in touch this week, it was nice but not newsworthy.

xxxx

So on Sunday my sister and I were meant to be going to go bluffing with our muffins down Sheffield to rock with Lady Gaga. *Wails at the injustice* It has been cancelled due to logistical problems. Husband reckons she couldn’t get her hair in the door, could be right. Either way am gutted, long time til June…

So I very stalkery went and tweeted her and… she didn’t even reply! I am shocked and saddened I mean it’s not like she has anything to do

Inspired by the Bloggess but not as wittily mad as Jenny, and also Laura’s campaign to be on TV , I am going to attempt to get a message from the little monster herself Wish me luck, I am a young adventurer with only flattery, wit and gumption to get me through this!

Just dance! xxx