Painful festive fun

When I began writing this post it was with an apologetic intro because I didn't really have anything for you, then I remembered to look up some Facebook links I'd been meaning to watch and checked my google reader. As a result I've got a classic Christmas Friday Fun and something a little bit more educational - but still fun, if you're a geek.

The one thing that had been thrown my way this week was only funny in the rudest, crudest way and that's not really the style of humour I go for. [If you're even slightly intrigued just google 'Buffy swearing keyboard' & stick your headphones in - it's awful but possibly faintly amusing depending on your level of depravity.]

To counteract that, you can receive edification by heading over to Andy's blog where you can watch an amazing film that's awesome  (in the truest sense of the word) and educational.

And Christmas fun? This week O Holy Night was voted Britain's number one Christmas Carol, I just suspect that they weren't voting on the basis of this version. See how long you can bear listening to it - I'd recommend sticking with it till the end, but it might be painful...

May your day/weekend be snowy and muchly fun-filled!

Frosty fingers

I've been trying to make a decision over the last few days. Should I stick with the fingerless gloves (aka 'arm warmers') that have seen me through the last few weeks, or return to the boring regular gloves that keep all of my fingers warm?

It's arctic in London at the moment and my hands get cold at the best of times. But gloves are a faff - you can't use your iPod with them on; texting/using your phone is tricky; they harbour germs from all over London Transport; they don't cope well with turning the pages of books and generally, I find that I get holes in them very quickly.

For a while I had some of those gloves that are fingerless gloves with a flap that covers them, producing mittens. Seemed to be the ideal solution, except that the buttons would come off and the flaps would come loose, flapping around, being annoying.

And you know the problem with mittens? You can't point in them. Believe me, I've tried - you just end up gesturing wildly and looking faintly ridiculous. (You can't make other signs involving fingers while wearing them either, but then I wouldn't be knowing anything about that, would I?)

So, fingerless gloves were totally the way forward. I didn't even need to take them off to read on the tube and they looked good in rehearsals (I was trying to foster some kind of bohemian artiste look - there was a pencil holding up my hair too). Only problem is - stating the flipping obvious - they don't keep your fingers warm.

I learnt this the hard way the other evening, when I conducted a 20min phone call walking in circles round Baker Street station. (A friend rang just before I left work and not wanting the office to hear the latest dramas in my random life, I decided to talk to her on my way to the tube.) By the time the call finished I couldn't feel my fingers. Feeling didn't totally return until I got to my stop, at which point I faced a 15min walk home, hands thrust firmly into my coat, except for the hand clutching a roll of wrapping paper. Error.

The only solution? The layering of actual gloves beneath the fingerless ones.
Does this make the whole dilemma utterly redundant? Yes.
Is this the most pointless post I've ever written? Quite possibly.

In humility...

Remember how I mentioned the other day that I'd felt a tad self-conscious on Sunday when I realised that my position on the stage made me a prime candidate for being filmed? That I'm not a great dancer and that being in a gospel choir necessitates moves? That my face was apparently on screen a lot?

One commenter said he was disappointed that the post wasn't accompanied by a video. In reply, I stated that I would 'sacrifice my own dignity for the sake of highlighting a truly awesome performance', perhaps complacent in the knowledge that in the 4 years of being in this choir no such footage has ever emerged on YouTube. Another commenter mentioned how much they'd laugh if such a video showed up...

Well, it seems that this is the year my luck changed. I've just had an e-mail with a YouTube link in that showcases our final performance of Kirk Franklin's Hosanna. It was most definitely my favourite song of the night and, were it not for the fact that you can't get it on iTunes, I'd have listened to it countless times since Sunday. Instead there's Spotify and this video of him performing it live (watch ours first though, else we'll look bad in comparison!).

Enough procrastinating...here it is!
I'm in the centre, second row up - just opposite the conductor. When the mum filming it zooms in to capture her son in full flow, you also get a great view of my face. At around 4.36 you catch a glimpse of my head filling the ENTIRE screen above us, which of course happens just at the moment when I do my classic 'head toss' dance move. I had no idea the cameraman went in so close! Shocking.



The sound quality's not as good as it might have been, but hopefully you get the idea. I'm so proud to be part of such a lovely, passionate group of singing people. Love it!

Food glorious food

This is not one of my normal posts. 

In a fit of contemplation on Saturday night I wrote this essay and after a few days in the drafts folder I think it's ok to bring it out. My 'serious' writing always goes against the grain of my regular stuff, but it's the only forum I have to publish my work. Skip it you want, I won't hold it against you. Come back tomorrow - I've got driving updates and a treatise on mittens for you. 

(If that's not enticing, I don't know what is!!) 

Food (noun): any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb to maintain life and growth.

One word. Four letters.
Our need for it fuels our ealiest instincts.

The lack of it kills over 20,000 people per day.
The over-consumption of it contributes to the death of 300,000 people per year.

We love to talk about food - to share recipes, recommend restaurants, offer a taste of something new, different, exciting... But for so many people, food - whether it's the lack of it or the over abundance of it - is a major issue.

If food is essentially about nutrition - about 'maintaining life and growth' - then it should be a fairly simple equation. Calories consumed should roughly equal those used in activity. The major food groups should be accounted for, plus those providing vitamins, anti-oxidents and other nutrients.

But, because food (usually) tastes good, it becomes so much more than simple nutrition. It's about taste and texture, sensation, subtleties, sweetness, spice - even endorphins.

Food is something I find it hard to talk about. I realised some time ago that I'm quite categorically not a foodie. I very rarely find myself in ecstasies over a particular product or taste. Quite honestly, when I look at a menu I'm looking for the things that fall into both the 'food I will eat' category, and are preferably fairly low-fat.

Fussy eaters aren't uncommon. Everyone has their particular foibles when it comes to food. My father won't eat brocolli or cucumber; my sister wouldn't eat eggs for a very long time; I don't eat raw tomato... It's perfectly normal. But what about when fussiness gets out of control?

I'm a massive fan of the BBC3 show Freaky Eaters - where individuals who only eat cheese, or chips or who are scared of salad, are treated by a nutritionist and psychologist to find the root of their food issues. It makes total sense and raises awareness that idiosyncracies regarding food are actually a more serious issue than they first appear.

Not that I'm at that level, but I've been afraid of food. One of the main motivations for my mostly vegetarian diet was that I didn't trust myself to cook meat safely. Even now, I am incredibly suspicious of any meat that doesn't look 'quite right'. I don't eat fish, mostly owing to its taste, but also partly out of genuine fear regarding the bones. I'm generally not adventurous because I don't want to run the risk of not liking it, or feeling ill.

The other day I had my first ever mussels. (Well, I managed precisely three - at which point my dinner companion said I could stop as he could see my grimaces and knew I wasn't enjoying it!) But it put a dampner on the whole meal. I was so nervous about them - in terms of taste & horror stories I've heard of food poisoning from them - that I could barely eat my main course, which is a bit of a sad state of affairs.

In actual fact, I'm on a journey as far as food is concerned. After many years of abusing it, whether it was for comfort or simply a lack of understanding, I've gradually been altering my attitude towards it. I understand the nutritional element of it, but I'm still a way off reaching 'foodie' status. It's difficult to glory in food when you need to keep track of its calorific content in order to lose weight. Low-fat food doesn't taste that great either. (Chilli flakes are a great way of making low-fat pizza palatable.) But I'm improving and taking the time to experiment with cooking styles and flavours; embracing food rather than let it intimidate me.

Would I like to become a foodie? Maybe. In the mean time, foodie friends should have patience with me, perhaps introducing me slowly to this world they inhabit. And, maybe we should all think more carefully about the food we shove into our mouths...is it the best we could consume? Would something else taste better or be better for us? What are we eating for - basic nutrition or a pleasurable experience, or both?

When it comes down to it, surely it needs to be about so much more than 'maintaining life and growth', or else we're no better than animals...?

Christmas shopping: an appraisal of techniques

Yesterday was my post carol service 'recovery day'/day devoted to Christmas shopping. In the space of an afternoon I hit Covent Garden, Regent St and Oxford St in an attempt to cross as many people off my list as possible. It was well planned - I'd slept well (this is something of a novelty at the moment), was in a fabulous mood after a lovely weekend and it was a weekday, so the crowds weren't so bad.

In all, I achieved a total of 12 gifts (which leaves me with only three five six left to acquire) and only one purchase that was entirely for my benefit. (Well, if Fat Face will reduce lovely skirts by 50%...) I returned home utterly un-stressed and feeling highly organised. I even came up with a scheme to get my presents transported back to the shire without having to carry them on the train...

However, I realise that my technique is something of a contrast to those employed by others. Whilst I was out a friend rang and, although I mentioned that I was Christmas shopping near the start of the call, it wasn't until I nearly lost my signal in M&S that he realised that I was in town. He was doing all his shopping online because the crowds terrify him. (And this is someone who's generally not at work in daylight hours!)

Then there's my Dad's technique of waiting until pretty much the last minute and then panicking when every shop in the city has sold out of Bendicks Mint Chocolate Collection (the one thing my mother expects to receive every year - we expect them now too, they're yummy). [I should point out that this isn't the only thing he gives her. In the end, he usually comes up with the goods.]

And what about the person whose way of coping with gift buying is simply to head to Waterstones, buy books for one and all and then smugly announce that their Christmas shopping is over a full two weeks before the day itself? I'll admit, this is an excellent technique - though more suited to small present lists and those with literate friends and relatives...

I love shopping and I love giving presents, so I really don't mind this whole process. I'd love to have more money to spend on them and more time in which to do it, or aeons of time and actual crafting talent. (Though I do realise that not everyone appreciates a home made gift, no matter how high quality it is!) Whatever your particular technique is, good luck with it. If you happen to be related to me and are still in the process of present buying, good luck with that too - we want Christmas day to be a fun and joyous day, don't we?!

Of handbags and gladrags

Yesterday, my handbag (of the huge variety) told quite a story. Its contents (usual handbag stuff plus: folder of music, spare tights, make-up, glittery shoes & a bottle of red wine) spoke of performance, glamour and possible alcoholism - especially when a second bottle was added later on.

And what of my clothes?

At 8am, hurrying to the tube station the dressed-upness of my carol service outfit seemed totally out of place. In fact, the glances I got made me realise that I looked as though I was doing the walk of shame - albeit with fresher make-up and hair. It's like when you have to leave early to get to a wedding and the rest of the world is in jeans whilst you're clad in a pink cocktail dress...

Lunch was an amazing example of how to do Christmas dinner for 25 (and brilliant organisational skills in delegating tasks to the guests), but quite frankly, I was over-dressed. I'm self-conscious at the best of times, but put me in a dress (and blue tights - what was I thinking??), much sparkly eye make-up with curled hair and place me in a room full of people in 'normal' clothes - awkward. Do I want the people I met for the first time to think I'm the kind of girl who regularly wears a diamante headband in her hair? [Because I'm not - honest!]

In context, the clothes were perfect. It's the rule for the carol services that you dress up, put on the bling - to quote the e-mail instructions: "And of course girls, bling bling bling - either silver, gold, blue or green!". So dress up we did, and got our groove on...

As an aside, do you know what else makes me feel self-conscious?
Dancing.
Being filmed.

What happens when the two things happen to coincide?
One rather uncomfortable Liz, who grins and bears it for over four hours. Think I got away with it though - apparently I was one very smiley alto and the restricted stage space perhaps concealed my lack of moves. I'm going to try not to think about my face, on a large screen, for a long period of time...

Oh Christmas tree...

Yes, it's still fairly pathetic, but now bedecked with beautiful decorations it's rather pretty and a cheering addition to the living room. Long-term readers of the blog will be familiar with my family's tradition of having 'meaningful' decorations and ones that come from trips overseas, as I mentioned last year and the year before. (I'm nothing if not original!)

It therefore only seems fair that I detail the latest additions - the majority of which are North American thanks to this year's travels. There's also one that I'm unsure about, whether it's tacky or kitsch (in a good way) so if any one has particularly strong feelings about it, do let me know.

From New York we have pretty paper stars from the Museum of Folk Art (I confess I only visited the shop, not the actual museum) and a shiny red apple complete with bell (this is the potentially tacky decoration):

From Montreal (courtesy of the parents) a Father Christmas with a bell. (What's with North American decorations and bells??) Incidentally, it's also the heaviest decoration in the collection and required very careful positioning:

And finally, from Enniskillen a gorgeous enamelled tree. (I confess that I'm not sure if this was new this year. I think it was a Christmas present last year, so this is the first time it's made it onto the tree.):

Tree decorating is a complex business, simultaneously uniting and dividing families across the world. Earlier this week the Guardian had an amusing article on the various styles of tree decorating employed by different cultures - very revealing...

As an aside, I really wish that I had some time to spend indulging in Christmas crafting, but sadly the 9-5 & the amount of time I'm spending singing prohibits it. However, if you have time/inclination/talent in that direction, I highly recommend heading over to Jill's blog, where there are many (mostly glittery) ideas to try out. Oh for a glue gun and some sparkles...

Something lovely for Friday

I've not got anything that will make you roll on the floor laughing this week, but I did come across this video a couple of days ago which made me smile and I thought I'd share...

It's by a friend of mine from church and features some great shots of London life as well as lots of church friends (which I realise isn't particularly relevant to you people), but I think it does a good job of reminding us what's actually important in life - especially at this consumer driven time of the year.