mrschristine.com

Home

Blog · July 7, 2011

30 day song challenge - The complete list

30 day song challenge - The complete list

I thought that now the 30 day music challenge is complete, it would be worth rounding up the highs and lows of what we've seen over the past month with a list of links. It will also be helpful when in future, any videos that I've linked or embedded may disappear (not the most reliable of formats, is it?) so it'll be good to have the definitive list all in …

Blog · July 5, 2011

The Archers - June 2011

The Archers - June 2011

This month in Ambridge seems to have been another where the storylines tick along nicely, but there were no major outbursts to dominate. There were a few talking points, though, so let's see what's been happening. Just tripping Adam and Brian agreed to take over Farm Sunday to take some of the weight off David. It was a nice gesture from them, although clearly they were all quite competitive about …

Blog · July 5, 2011

Not so much of a 10k after all... yet

Not so much of a 10k after all... yet

I ran this final run of the 10K class before finally admitting defeat. Week 5. Day 29. The long run of the week, and I felt good going out there. I'd lost my TuneBelt armband and was all ready to use that as an excuse not to go. But then I changed my mind and went anyway, and I'm glad I did. I thought I might be able to get …

Blog · July 2, 2011

30 day song challenge - Your favourite song

30 day song challenge - Your favourite song

I have a lot of favourite songs. Picking one should be hard, but I kept coming back to this, and really... there can be only one. It reminds me of lots of things. The many times I've seen We Will Rock You. The first time I saw and loved Highlander. (Not so much now.) My brothers. The awesomeness of Queen. The awesomeness of life, however fleeting it may be.

Blog · July 2, 2011

July 2011 header - Not quite a black hole

July 2011 header - Not quite a black hole

I went back to good old Abduzeedo for this one, the tutorial for Abstract Wallpaper. I tweaked the colours a little and made it my own, following the tutorial exactly made it too dark for my tastes. As ever, I have used Anivers for the font, as it matches the text on the blog. You'll notice that there is no month in the header this time out. I've been quite …

Blog · June 30, 2011

Baby Panda Thursday #91

Baby Panda Thursday #91

I'm aware that content on this here blog has been a bit thin on the ground recently. Thank goodness for the music challenge for being something of a stopgap. I'm burrowed under calendar dates and F1 facts, getting towards the end of the second part of 365 F1 Stories. The finish line is close now and it's hard to think of anything else. I'm pushing myself too hard, but it's …

Blog · June 26, 2011

30 day song challenge - Your least favourite song

30 day song challenge - Your least favourite song

Just two more to go, and the challenge is at an end. It's been an interesting run through the highs and lows of my musical taste. I've discovered songs I thought I'd forgotten and I've managed to expand my knowledge at the same time. Good stuff. My least favourite song could be one of a few, but there's only one that springs to mind at the moment. I had this …

Blog · June 24, 2011

30 day song challenge - A song that makes you happy

30 day song challenge - A song that makes you happy

Unlike the last subject, where there are few songs that really make me sad, there are plenty of songs that make me happy. Narrowing it down to one is kinda hard, but I'll go with this one for now. They're specifically generating the music to make you feel better. I hadn't seen the video before today. Not so keen on the clown thing.

Blog · June 23, 2011

30 day song challenge - A song that makes you sad

30 day song challenge - A song that makes you sad

There aren't a lot of songs that make me sad, although I did already mention that if I'm in a particularly melancholy mood, the song that reminds me of a certain event might do it. The only songs that are particularly emotional for me are all of those on the first Coldplay album. Those teenage years were tricky, and unfortunately for Coldplay, they were the ones who helped me wallow …

Blog · June 22, 2011

10k Sub 60, Week 4 - At least I can still do a 5k!

10k Sub 60, Week 4 - At least I can still do a 5k!

So, after my mini breakdown at the end of Week 3, I wasn't really sure what to do. I knew I wasn't about to give up, and I sort of knew that Gavin was right when he said that I shouldn't force myself to stick to this Runkeeper schedule when I clearly can't do it. Remember we are all different shapes and sizes and you will get to 10k – …

Blog · June 22, 2011

30 day song challenge - A song that reminds you of someone

30 day song challenge - A song that reminds you of someone

This song reminds me of my mum, because we used to have this exact concert on, well, VHS probably, and we'd watch it over and over. The mullets, the high pitched voices, and the guy's weird eye movements. What's not to like? I don't know if it's just me, but the video goes out of sync halfway through which is a shame, but you get the general idea. Every part …

Blog · June 22, 2011

Taste Twenty Trial - 7. Strawberries & Cream Sandwich

Taste Twenty Trial - 7. Strawberries & Cream Sandwich

I love sandwiches. They are one of my favourite foods. I love perusing the new and exciting fillings that shops and bakeries come out with. I'm not all that adventurous though. I tend to stick to chicken, tuna or cheese, with the odd extra ingredient here or there to make a change. As it is Wimbledon week, Tesco came out with a celebratory Strawberries and Cream sandwich. Amy pointed it …

Blog · June 21, 2011

30 day song challenge - A song that reminds you of somewhere

30 day song challenge - A song that reminds you of somewhere

This song reminds me so much of my ill-fated attempts to go to the gym. I stuck at it for a while, but the gym was never a particularly comfortable place for me. Just hearing the beginning of this, and particularly seeing the video - which was often played on those weirdly silent TV screens - puts me right back to that place. I can even smell the odd gym …

Film · June 20, 2011

Paul

Blog · June 20, 2011

30 day song challenge - A song that reminds you of a certain event

30 day song challenge - A song that reminds you of a certain event

Does an entire year count as an event? When I saw this was one of the criteria for the thirty days, I immediately thought of Welcome to the Black Parade. F1 fans will know that it was used in the ITV video montage they played on their final race before coverage moved to the Beeb. It was the last race of 2008 and it was brilliant. The months leading up …

Blog · June 18, 2011

30 day song challenge - A song you know all the words to

30 day song challenge - A song you know all the words to

I'm afraid there's going to be two Will Smith songs in a row. I'm terrible with lyrics. I always think I know all the words, and then only find out halfway through that I don't. For some reason, I genuinely do know all the words to this, and I have no idea why.

Blog · June 17, 2011

The Wombles at Glastonbury

The Wombles at Glastonbury

I'm not that interested in Glastonbury, really, except for the bits and pieces I get to see on TV, and the excellent Big Picture features that appear afterwards. Live music is not really my thing, and when you throw in massive crowds, mud and camping, you can count me out. However, it's hard to ignore the headlines when they scream that the Wombles are going to appear on stage at …

Blog · June 17, 2011

The busy world of Peter Langenhahn

The busy world of Peter Langenhahn

I've just finished watching this video (via Kottke) of a photographer who collects the best moments of sporting events and collates them all into one image. That's oversimplifying it somewhat, why not take a look? I love the concept. A picture captures a snapshot in time, but why not extend that idea to bring in lots of singular moments into the one image. It also reminds me very much of …

Blog · June 16, 2011

A brand new book, and written by me too

A brand new book, and written by me too

Recently, I have talked a lot about writing. I talked about the process of doing it: I’m quite lucky in that what I’m doing has specific sections so I know how far I am through it. Seeing the percentage creep up each day is really motivating, although the days when it stays the same is less so. It’s also good to say, when I get to this percentage then I …

Blog · June 16, 2011

30 day song challenge - A song that makes you fall asleep

30 day song challenge - A song that makes you fall asleep

If I'd actually given this any thought, I would have planned it better so that I could have posted the Backstreet Boys video today, my birthday. But I didn't, so never mind, we shall move straight on to the land of nod. I can't really listen to music to fall asleep, although I know I used to when I was much younger. These days it's all about the podcasts. Nevertheless, …

Blog · June 16, 2011

Baby Panda Thursday #90

Baby Panda Thursday #90

This week, I got my update from the WWF about their work with pandas. When I first sponsored a panda, they sent over information about Zhu Xiong, suggesting this was the specific panda that my money was going towards. I doubted that very much, but either way, that has come to an end anyway. From the newsletter: ...it's been a while since our team in China have spotted her. We …

Blog · June 15, 2011

30 day song challenge - A song from your favourite band

30 day song challenge - A song from your favourite band

The Backstreet Boys, obviously. I can't help it, those years as an obsessed teenager are pretty hard to break. This is an album track, pretty popular in live shows, but not yet a single. Silly boys. I even chose this one for my blog version of Desert Island Discs a while back. And hey, if you don't like the song, there are bonus subtitles to learn a foreign language with. …

Blog · June 14, 2011

Those were the days of our lives

Those were the days of our lives

This evening, I finished watching the second part of a two-part Queen documentary called: Queen - Days of Our Lives. I'm slightly late to this, as I missed it first time round. I captured it to watch, as something of a Queen fan, but Mr C and I started to view it and realised it would require a lot more of our attention than we had to give it. It …

Blog · June 14, 2011

30 day song challenge - A song from a band you hate

30 day song challenge - A song from a band you hate

There's no one I really hate, but there are people that make me roll my eyes when I hear them on the radio or see them on TV. This category seems odd, because if I hate them, why would I want to embed a video of theirs in my site? Oh well. This isn't a band, just one person. I can just about put up with this video because it …

Blog · June 14, 2011

Life is a rollercoaster, and everything's a remix

Life is a rollercoaster, and everything's a remix

A recent post on Kottke linked to the first part of a four-part video series on Vimeo called Everything's a Remix. It is amazing. There are only two parts so far, one covering music and one covering films. Mr C and I watched them together and it's fair to say that both of the videos blew our minds just a little bit. I've never actually seen Star Wars, but nevertheless, …

Blog · June 13, 2011

30 day song challenge - A song that is a guilty pleasure

30 day song challenge - A song that is a guilty pleasure

A while back, I seem to recall telling off someone, it may have been Alex, for watching A Christmas Carol when it was nowhere near Christmas. I'm going to have to take that back, I think. Just recently, it suddenly occurred to me that I should start looking at soundtracks. I'm watching more films these days, and they have good music in them too. Who knew? Anyway, all of this …

Blog · June 12, 2011

30 day song challenge - A song that no one would expect you to love

30 day song challenge - A song that no one would expect you to love

My music tastes are quite eclectic really, and_ I_ never know what I'm going to like, let alone anyone else. However, this is a song I probably wouldn't normally enjoy - not a big rap fan, and although I do like a couple of Linkin Park songs, they're a bit angsty for me. This, I absolutely adore.

Blog · June 10, 2011

30 day song challenge - A song that describes you

30 day song challenge - A song that describes you

I've struggled with this one, probably because I took it a bit too seriously. I spent a good couple of hours agonising over lyrics and thinking, well, I do like this song and it is sort of me but that doesn't really fit. I don't want people to get the wrong impression... Then I got over myself, and decided this would do because a lot of the time I am …

Blog · June 10, 2011

10k Sub 60, Week 3 - I forgot what kind of effect the sun has

10k Sub 60, Week 3 - I forgot what kind of effect the sun has

Just in case there's any confusion, the subtitles here are obviously the week of the schedule and then the day of the schedule as well. There's no day 15 in a seven day week. But it's day 15 overall. Week 3. Day 15. Argh! And indeed, I repeat ARGH! Today's workout was a daunting one - taking on 8km when my best so far has been not quite 6.5km. It …

Blog · June 9, 2011

L is for Landguard Fort

L is for Landguard Fort

I only had a vague idea of a potential place to visit for this letter. I knew what K was, and I knew what M would be, so I needed to find something in between. My one idea seemed less appealing by the time I was ready to go, so I did a quick bit of googling and found this option instead - Landguard Fort in Felixstowe. I was curious …

Blog · June 7, 2011

Back to the Future Game, parts three and four

Back to the Future Game, parts three and four

Lukeh alerted me to the breaking news that Michael J Fox will be making a cameo voiceover appearance in the final part of this five-part game series, and that made me realise that I hadn't checked for new episodes on the iPad for a while. Imagine my surprise, then, to find out that both 3 and 4 had arrived without me noticing. I got right on and started playing - …

Blog · June 7, 2011

30 day song challenge - Song you used to love but now hate

30 day song challenge - Song you used to love but now hate

I wouldn't go so far as to say I loved this song, but it is an example of the Glee effect. I've talked about Glee before, and I'm still impressed with how it has opened up music of all kinds to a wider audience. But, and it's a pretty big but, it can also ruin songs for you. Now, I cannot hear Gives You Hell, without hearing Rachel Berry saying: …

Blog · June 6, 2011

The proof of the pudding

The proof of the pudding

With this writing lark, I'm sort of at a stage where proofreading comes into play. I'm pretty good at proofreading. I've spent the past several years sub-editing posts on Sidepodcast to check for spelling and grammar and that kind of thing. I've spent plenty of time reading and re-reading posts on here to make sure they at least flow, if not make some kind of sense. I even spent a …

Blog · June 4, 2011

Doctor Who: Series 6, Episode 7 - A Good Man Goes to War

Doctor Who: Series 6, Episode 7 - A Good Man Goes to War

I was seriously dreading this episode. Supposedly a big cliffhanger, a game-changer some have said. I don't know. So far I have not gelled with this series as I would have liked, so the normal trust I put in Moffat over big moments like this has been shaken. It started out well enough. I was glad we didn't have to see Amy in labour. She put her baby, Melody Pond, …

Blog · June 4, 2011

The Archers - May 2011

The Archers - May 2011

The big news this month is the fallout of David's confession to Elizabeth that it was his idea to take Nigel up on the roof. It was a great idea to make this happen on some random sunny afternoon, rather than at a high-pressure moment such as the inquest or the funeral. Rather, the tension bubbled up inside David, he couldn't take the praise anymore and he just burst. It …

Blog · June 3, 2011

30 day song challenge - Song you hear often on the radio

30 day song challenge - Song you hear often on the radio

This song has been following me around for the last month or so, and anytime I turn on a radio there it is. Funny, because it has radio in the title too. It gets stuck in my head, going round and round. "Nothing on but the radio, the RADIO!" Apologies if the same happens to you!

Blog · June 3, 2011

Tomb Raider's next step - almost real life!

Tomb Raider's next step - almost real life!

There's a new trailer out for the next Tomb Raider game and I have to say, at first glance, I thought it was real. Even if this is not gameplay, it's not live action and I was somewhat flabbergasted! Of course, all the comments I've seen everywhere focus on the most important thing - whether this Lara is more attractive than any of her predecessors. I'm gonna have to say …