LIFE MOVES PRETTY FAST...

This is not going to become an Alpha Mummy blog

But given that this is a space where I can write about stuff that interests and excites me and that I would like to share, it does feel right that I mention that in 6 months time there might be some baby-related posts sneaking into the blog....

It's incredibly exciting, very scary and despite having photographic and physical evidence it doesn't quite feel real.

I am talking at various things over the next few months (IPA Social, Media 140, Battle of Big Thinking) and I'd rather say here publically "I'm not fat, I'm pregnant."

I have to go into hospital...

Not a huge amount of fun, but in a weeks time I have to go into hospital for an operation. Then they have said that I will be off work for at least 4 weeks.

Its a nasty operation as opposed to anything life-threatening, but those of you who know me IRL will understand how much the idea of a month stuck at home with nothing much to do (I'm not supposed to be exercising either!) fills me with fear.

That's where I could really use your suggestions: What DVDs (movies, but probably more interested in TV box sets) should I be catching up on? Are there any books that you have read recently that you thought were brilliant? Any new sites that might have passed me by?

All suggestions and recommendations gratefully received...

Thank you!

The official "Amelia" Typeface

Ill at home today, suffering horribly from this flu thing that I had convinced myself my daily Actimel had protected me from. I'd exhausted all my Netvibes, iPlayer and YouTube options and then for some reason I started to think about fonts. I get quite obsessed by fonts, there is nothing worse than a powerpoint presentation with a really ugly font. Anyway, on my near-death bed this afternoon I discovered my own personal Amelia typeface:

Yes, it's the Moon Boot logo! Very cool. Will have to start using that in my documents.

Love the fact that there is an Amelia font.

The paradox of PLEASE

This is great.

From the ever-excellent Logic+Emotion.

You know that it's a recession when...

1. The  early morning Starbucks queue that usually adds 10 minutes to a commute now consists of you and just one other person
2. Three times the number of clients as last year show up at the agency-client xmas party
3.Cabbies are delighted to take you back home south of the river at 1am

Just three observations in the last 24 hours...

Would love to add to this list. Can you help get this moving? Calling on the likes of: Dan. Colin. Neil. Asi.  Nick.

Winnie The Pooh - personality test

Thanks to Gemma, I am now know I am more of a Winnie than a Tiger or a Kanga or a Roo (am I really "a bit slow sometimes"??)

Perfect time-wasting on a cold winter afternoon.

Take the test here.

The Muppets sing the praises of London

Miserable day but this made me smile.

Flickr - telling stories through pictures

 
I remember Johnny Vulkan chatting with me about the way that I used my blog and the way that he used his Flickr account. His was more of a sharing stories through pictures and mine was more through words, but the essential motivation wa the same for both of us: Upload, Share, Create.

So in the spirit of that thought, have a look at his Flickr stream - it's brilliant, I can lose myself for hours in the pictures. 

This is probably my fav - I love trying to workout the backstory...

BTW, Johnny assures me that this is NOT his salary from Anomaly!

The power of words

Roast Beef flavoured crisps seems fine.

Roast Ox flavoured crisps on the other-hand sounds faintly repulsive...

Worker's Plea

Thanks to Adliterate's dad for this.

Simple and common-sense, which always gets my vote.

Also something beautiful about old typewriter font.

I think that when new Planners come and work with me, I should give them this as part of the VCCP joining gumpf (spelling??) This is really how I should be held accountable as a manager.

Campaign for a new Bank Holiday

I read recently that the UK has the lowest number of Bank Holidays in Europe; we only have 8 a year, compared to 12 in Italy, 13 in Austria and 14 in Spain. They have so many in France that they have lost count!

This is a petition to campaign for a new Bank Holiday on the Monday after Remembrance Sunday in November.
Add your name, and lets see whether Democracy 2.0 actually works! The idea of having a long holiday in the middle of cold, dark Autumn is certainly something that makes me smile.

The joy of being in an Anglo-French relationship this weekend...

Odd shopping habits exist in Peckham

I wonder if the Christian Shop is annoyed that they are next to a sexy undies shop?

And since when does an lingerie shop sell African CDs & DVDs?

When you're in Peckham I suppose.

A range odd mix of shops to say the least...

Dear Future Me...

I read a survey last week. It was about "The Nation's Top Regrets." Apparently the three biggest regrets that Brits harbour are:

1. Not learning to play a musical instrument
2. Not going to university
3. Not following a different career path

It got me thinking about stuff that I regret. I don't know much about therapy, but I imagine that once you face up and admit what you really regret you can sort it out. All of my major regrets centre on my time in the States, I was there from 24 - 30 so pretty formative years really.

1. Not travelling around odd bits of non-coastal America more.
I did quite a lot of exploring "real" America, but as I was single for a lot of my time in the States I was really nervous, not about travelling alone, but actually about driving a car alone and having to do things like map-read and park without moral and physical support.
2. Not dating more in New York.
I met Francois my lovely French husband in a bar on Avenue B so New York had its up-sides for me romantically, but for the first couple of years I was enjoying myself so much that I somehow forgot to date. The rules of dating all seemed so complex that it out me off a bit (in fact I wrote about this in a feature for FT) and anyway I was happy getting drunk with friends, staying out late and eating in grotty all-night diners.
3. Not writing more, or recording my time better
I wish that I had done more journalism about my time in New York, being part of the Internet boom and bust and being there for  9/11. I think that I was probably too busy living life to record life, I probably thought that  it wouldn't be interesting to anyone else.

I really like the site Future Me and think that this could help dealing with and learning from past regrets. Future Me allows you to write and then send your Future You an email - you pick the date, it could be 1 year, 10 years, 20 years or more. You can send yourself an email about anything you like. I think that I need to send my Future Me an email to remind myself to not to worry so much - about map-reading, or understanding the rules of dating or about whether my thoughts and observations were interesting enough. Maybe it's a good lesson for Present Me as well as Future Me.

The Banksy of Suburbia

All over SE22, on every single street I walk down!!

Someone has trod in one turd too many...

Is this treason?

Lucy was handed this £5 note at the weekend. The Queen has become a bearded nazi.
We think that drawing on the Queen might be a treasonable offence (like eating swans), is that right??

Arse

What IS he standing on?? Sometimes it can be hard to concentrate in meetings...

Messing around on the river

Out by the Thames last night - beautiful sight as 20 canoeists (is that spelt right right??) came silently down the river. My brother the photographer in pic asked them where they came come from, Shadwell they replied.  Looking on Google this morning found their site, the Tower Hamlets Canoe Club who explore the Thames together every Tuesday evening.  Think that I might have to sign up - what a fantastic way to see the city from a different vantage point.

Homer and Bisexual Brazilians

A new Simpsons episode on Monday featured Brazilian football star Ronaldo, apparently in a bid to apologize to Brazilians who are fed up with the depiction of their country in the show. There is particular anger over an episode in which The Simpsons go to Rio only to discover that all men are bisexual, monkeys roam the streets and tourists are kidnapped by taxi drivers.

Brilliant.

From "Don't Drink and Dial" to "Don't Booze and Blog"

Years ago we presented to Orange what we thought was a great idea. We said, what if Orange were to offer a service that allowed you to block the ability to text certain numbers at specific key "danger times," for example Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 10pm-2am.

The entire team could remember people that they had drunkenly texted after a large night out and the resulting cringe factor was often worse than the hangover itself.

But now there's a new tech worry...

I got a bit drunk on Thursday night, so when I got home and fell through the door, in addition to eating large amounts of toast and cheese and some random Roses chocolates that were in the kitchen, I also went online (I knew that I shouldn't keep my laptop on the kitchen table, but I like having a cup of tea in the morning as I surf)

I spent a good hour on various blogs, happily leaving badly spelt comments and random thoughts on hundreds of sites.

I am wondering if I should invent a gate-way system that at certain key danger times, bans me from boozing and blogging?

Maybe just a Breathalyzer attached to the computer?

This is the closest thing that I have found, they say it is their online breathalyzer: Drunk Browsing Test.