Bit busy at the moment but have realised that on twitter I mention lots of people who mean a lot to me but followers who don't really know much about me will not have a clue who I'm talking about. I will usually explain who people are but there are some names that I use so much, there's no point explaining every time and it would be a waste of my 140 characters anyway. So in these cases, you've either figured it out or have been thoroughly confused since you started following me. So here is a vague guide if anyone is wondering who I'm talking about. You may not really care but just in case...
Mum/Kate/@kateeroberts – my wonderful mother
Dad/Nick/@NickKRoberts – my amazing father
Ben/Benedict/brother – my lovely but occasionally difficult autistic 12-year-old brother
Granny – my Granny (obviously)
Harry – lovely ginger cat
Phoebe – mad black kitten
Emma/@emmadpearce – best friend
Izzy/@_izzyy – best friend since I was born
Most other people I talk about on twitter are on twitter themselves so I mention them with their @username. There are probably more but you are probably bored now and my back hurts and I need to go to bed. Bye bye x
Sunday 19 December 2010
Friday 26 November 2010
Education, Education, Education (Part 1)
On Wednesday, students all around the country walked out of their lessons protest at the rise in university tuition fees, the cutting of EMA and general cuts to education. I think these new policies are appalling. Yes, we are in a huge amount of debt and the government need to make serious cuts. But I think that they're cutting the wrong things. Why not cut the bankers' bonuses or reduce the enormous amount of money being spent on renewing Trident rather than the next generation's vital education? The government have no idea what they are doing. They help the rich and leave the poor and in this particular instance, they are leaving middle class people too. £9000 a year is not on. How do they expect us to make a life for ourselves with £27000 (for a 3 year course) debt to pay off.
People keeps saying, 'Do you have to go to Uni?' or 'Higher education is a privilege, not a right.' I understand that far too many people have been encouraged to go to university who aren't suited to it, just for the sake of getting a degree or because it now seems to be the 'done' thing. A huge number of people would be better suited to something more specialised like a vocational course. But this does not mean that all the people who can't afford to go to uni should have to do a vocational course or apprenticeship. Not just rich people are intelligent enough to get into university - people in all situations are capable of getting in and whether you go or not should depend on whether it is right for you and not your position in the British class system. This country needs educated people who have been to uni in order for this country to run. Education benefits everyone, not just the individual. A generation of well educated people will help the economy even more in the long run. We as a country have so much to gain from having the right balance of people who have a good general academic background and people who have specialised in a certain area. The two work hand in hand and we as a country should support both equally.
Addendum: This is part one of a couple of blogs I am going to write on the subject of education. The next one is about the actual student protests. I have half written it but it didn't sound right so I'm going to edit it and post it tomorrow. I might also extend this blog to include an exemplum ('exemplum, exemplum, an example from one's own life, etc, etc' - only Watsonians and Radio 4 listeners will understand this) involving myself and my good friend Emma. The relevance of this will become apparent tomorrow or whenever I post it. This has been rather a long addendum. I'm going to bed now. N'night x
EDIT: As you may have guessed, I never got round to the second blog and now I'm not in the right frame of mind to attempt it and my draft was pretty rubbish anyway. Actually this blog was a bit rubbish and angry and ranty too but it's less rubbish than the one I didn't post. So I'm not going to post it. Sorry everyone. And sorry Emma who was looking forward to being in a blog. She will be in one one day. Bye bye x
People keeps saying, 'Do you have to go to Uni?' or 'Higher education is a privilege, not a right.' I understand that far too many people have been encouraged to go to university who aren't suited to it, just for the sake of getting a degree or because it now seems to be the 'done' thing. A huge number of people would be better suited to something more specialised like a vocational course. But this does not mean that all the people who can't afford to go to uni should have to do a vocational course or apprenticeship. Not just rich people are intelligent enough to get into university - people in all situations are capable of getting in and whether you go or not should depend on whether it is right for you and not your position in the British class system. This country needs educated people who have been to uni in order for this country to run. Education benefits everyone, not just the individual. A generation of well educated people will help the economy even more in the long run. We as a country have so much to gain from having the right balance of people who have a good general academic background and people who have specialised in a certain area. The two work hand in hand and we as a country should support both equally.
Addendum: This is part one of a couple of blogs I am going to write on the subject of education. The next one is about the actual student protests. I have half written it but it didn't sound right so I'm going to edit it and post it tomorrow. I might also extend this blog to include an exemplum ('exemplum, exemplum, an example from one's own life, etc, etc' - only Watsonians and Radio 4 listeners will understand this) involving myself and my good friend Emma. The relevance of this will become apparent tomorrow or whenever I post it. This has been rather a long addendum. I'm going to bed now. N'night x
EDIT: As you may have guessed, I never got round to the second blog and now I'm not in the right frame of mind to attempt it and my draft was pretty rubbish anyway. Actually this blog was a bit rubbish and angry and ranty too but it's less rubbish than the one I didn't post. So I'm not going to post it. Sorry everyone. And sorry Emma who was looking forward to being in a blog. She will be in one one day. Bye bye x
Monday 13 September 2010
My nice thing
Last Friday, Mark Watson set a task on his daily blog. This was the task: "Help someone. Do it however you want and to whomever you want." This made me think about things. I made a list of all things I have done and will do in the next couple of weeks to help people. They are all quite trivial but I hope they make a few people's lives a tiny bit better. But then in an RS lesson at school today, I suddenly realised what I could do to, not so much help, but certainly make someone feel good about themselves. I wasn't really sure whether to go through with it because what I was thinking of doing could seem a bit odd and out of the blue. But I imagined how I'd feel if someone did the same thing to me and it made me feel all warm and happy so I decided to go for it.
So at the end of the lesson I went up to my teacher, who had taught me History in Years 7, 8 and 9 and had just started teaching me RS. I asked him whether he remembered the time when he told our class in Year 7 how he had gone into teaching history and religious studies because he had had a fantastic teacher who had completely inspired him. I remember how happy it made me to imagine myself telling people the same story, about how I too, had had a wonderfully inspiring history teacher who had fuelled my fascination of the past. But I never told him. It was only today that I realised the impact that this teacher had had on me and how all of my current ambitions are a result of my interest in history that he had stimulated and encouraged when I was 11.
He said he remembered, and I went on to say - slightly embarrassedly - how this was the same case for me and how I was now hoping to do A Levels in History and Politics and later a degree in history because of his amazing and inspirational teaching. I attempted to express the huge gratitude I felt towards him and when I had finished talking, he was nearly in tears. I suppose we teenagers tend to not think about how much better it makes a teacher feel when a student says thank you for teaching me. I think that if every now and then, a student did something as simple as thanking their teacher for their lesson, it would make teachers feel an awful lot happier. My teacher said that what I said to him really made his day and that made me so pleased that I'd actually said it. My friends commented on how I was smiling for the rest of the day and I hope that my teacher was too. Because I really owe a huge amount to him.
So thank you Mark Watson for giving me the guts to say something to him. And thank you to my teacher for my interest in history, for which I will always be grateful. x
So at the end of the lesson I went up to my teacher, who had taught me History in Years 7, 8 and 9 and had just started teaching me RS. I asked him whether he remembered the time when he told our class in Year 7 how he had gone into teaching history and religious studies because he had had a fantastic teacher who had completely inspired him. I remember how happy it made me to imagine myself telling people the same story, about how I too, had had a wonderfully inspiring history teacher who had fuelled my fascination of the past. But I never told him. It was only today that I realised the impact that this teacher had had on me and how all of my current ambitions are a result of my interest in history that he had stimulated and encouraged when I was 11.
He said he remembered, and I went on to say - slightly embarrassedly - how this was the same case for me and how I was now hoping to do A Levels in History and Politics and later a degree in history because of his amazing and inspirational teaching. I attempted to express the huge gratitude I felt towards him and when I had finished talking, he was nearly in tears. I suppose we teenagers tend to not think about how much better it makes a teacher feel when a student says thank you for teaching me. I think that if every now and then, a student did something as simple as thanking their teacher for their lesson, it would make teachers feel an awful lot happier. My teacher said that what I said to him really made his day and that made me so pleased that I'd actually said it. My friends commented on how I was smiling for the rest of the day and I hope that my teacher was too. Because I really owe a huge amount to him.
So thank you Mark Watson for giving me the guts to say something to him. And thank you to my teacher for my interest in history, for which I will always be grateful. x
Sunday 11 July 2010
Art
Yesterday my parents and I went to the Tate Modern in London. It is a fantastic building and most of the artwork is amazing. I really like modern art - especially art with bright colours. I don't really like boring art and going round boring art galleries can be horribly tedious. In an art gallery I went to in Venice, almost every other painting was of Jesus or Mary or some other religious person. And all the colours were really dull and dismal, like brown and grey and black. Even the reds and yellows were quite dark and faded. So I didn't like that.
But the Tate Modern is full of bright, bold modern art - the kind I do like! When we went round yesterday, I saw loads of stuff that was brilliant. I particularly liked the Pop Art section. We studied Andy Warhol's stuff when I was in year 4 and even then I loved the colours and style of painting. There was also a room of Russian propaganda. There were loads of posters of Stalin and Lenin (I recognised Lenin because I drew him in my English book last year - I was bored) There was also a huge amount of photography which was nice. Some of the pictures were absolutely mind-blowing! A lot of the sculptures were great, such as a large black felt thing that had squiggly bits coming off it. But there were a few which I really didn't like.
One piece of 'art' was an ordinary mirror, supposedly encouraging you to see yourself in a different way. The 'artist' who made that is probably making thousands from buying a cheap mirror and making up a nice, thought-provoking story to get it into the Tate Modern. That can't be real art! And some of the paintings - I could have done them when I was in nursery! There was one which was just a canvas painted white. On the little description next to it said that it was meant to make you think about how even things that are difficult to see are always present whether you want to see them or not. Or some rubbish like that. These pieces really annoyed me.
I don’t like art that looks like it took 5 minutes to make. Some modern artists are making thousands from ideas that are vaguely linked to the actual piece of art. It's not fair on hard-working artists who spend a lot of time on their work and give it a huge amount of care and attention. It seems that nowadays, some artists just make something easy and come up with a complicated meaning to explain it afterwards. Art shouldn't need words to explain itself. It should express itself in the actual artwork, not the hidden meaning.
Addendum (never thought I'd use that word!)
I don't actually know much about art. I just have very strong opinions about things that I don't think are fair. If in an art lesson, I presented a mirror with a description next to it saying was showing the 'real you', I would be told not to be so lazy. I don't see how people are making thousands of pounds from doing the same thing! However, that is just my opinion and I'm sure lots of people love mirrors. But I don't think it's art. But then I don't know anything about art. So really I shouldn't have an opinion. But I do. And you shouldn't have to know about art to have an opinion of certain paintings and sculptures. But again, that's just my opinion.
Anyway, this addendum is going on for too long so I will stop now. Bye bye.
But the Tate Modern is full of bright, bold modern art - the kind I do like! When we went round yesterday, I saw loads of stuff that was brilliant. I particularly liked the Pop Art section. We studied Andy Warhol's stuff when I was in year 4 and even then I loved the colours and style of painting. There was also a room of Russian propaganda. There were loads of posters of Stalin and Lenin (I recognised Lenin because I drew him in my English book last year - I was bored) There was also a huge amount of photography which was nice. Some of the pictures were absolutely mind-blowing! A lot of the sculptures were great, such as a large black felt thing that had squiggly bits coming off it. But there were a few which I really didn't like.
One piece of 'art' was an ordinary mirror, supposedly encouraging you to see yourself in a different way. The 'artist' who made that is probably making thousands from buying a cheap mirror and making up a nice, thought-provoking story to get it into the Tate Modern. That can't be real art! And some of the paintings - I could have done them when I was in nursery! There was one which was just a canvas painted white. On the little description next to it said that it was meant to make you think about how even things that are difficult to see are always present whether you want to see them or not. Or some rubbish like that. These pieces really annoyed me.
I don’t like art that looks like it took 5 minutes to make. Some modern artists are making thousands from ideas that are vaguely linked to the actual piece of art. It's not fair on hard-working artists who spend a lot of time on their work and give it a huge amount of care and attention. It seems that nowadays, some artists just make something easy and come up with a complicated meaning to explain it afterwards. Art shouldn't need words to explain itself. It should express itself in the actual artwork, not the hidden meaning.
Addendum (never thought I'd use that word!)
I don't actually know much about art. I just have very strong opinions about things that I don't think are fair. If in an art lesson, I presented a mirror with a description next to it saying was showing the 'real you', I would be told not to be so lazy. I don't see how people are making thousands of pounds from doing the same thing! However, that is just my opinion and I'm sure lots of people love mirrors. But I don't think it's art. But then I don't know anything about art. So really I shouldn't have an opinion. But I do. And you shouldn't have to know about art to have an opinion of certain paintings and sculptures. But again, that's just my opinion.
Anyway, this addendum is going on for too long so I will stop now. Bye bye.
Saturday 22 May 2010
My Saturday - (sort of) Live Blog
Hello all. Today is Saturday which is the day I've been looking forward to all week! Firstly, it's the weekend and that's always good. Secondly, we are getting two kittens today!!! And thirdly, IT'S DOCTOR WHO LATER!!!!!!!
So I am doing a live blog of today. It's just occured to me that Twitter basically is a live blog of your day, every day. So this isn't as exciting as i'd thought it would be. But oh well! I'll just have to keep the stuff I put on Twitter quite basic and put all the good stuff in here! Also, this isn't exactly live. It's live when I write it but it's quite a while after all the stuff's happened when I put it up. So there will be two parts. This is the first part of my day:
9:41 am
I am currently sitting on my bed, putting my socks on. We are meant to be going to collect Georgia in 10 minutes and I'm not dressed yet.
10.01
Yay! 10.01 is a palindrome! Well I'm dressed now and we are in the car. I am wearing nice trousers, my Royal Air Force t-shirt, stripy socks and my awesome red Converses! I have just had a banana muffin, a babybel and paracetamol for breakfast. Yes I am that cool.
10.16
We are now in Oxford. I like Oxford. My mum grew up in Oxford. I didn't. We lived in London (Chiswick) until I was about 4 and then we moved to Oxfordshire just after Ben's first birthday and just before Christmas. I still remember all the boxes! Anyway, Oxford is nice. They have good shops and good cookies. Ben's Cookies in the Covered Market are the best cookies IN THE WORLD!!!! Yum.
10.22
It's soooooooooooo hot in the car! We are playing 'Spot the Expensive House' - it's very easy to play in Oxford. Oooh we've just been past Granny's old road! That's brought back lots of good memories :-)
10.26
Okay we're here! Now to get Georgia!
10.44
Got her! She's terrified, poor thing. The lady that was looking after her (Niki) is lovely and has given us loads of advice and information. Ben is talking to Georgia in the back seat and she is trying to get out of the cat basket. It's fascinating to see Ben connecting with a new animal. He really wants her to like him and keeps saying 'Hello. Do you like me?' It's very sweet.
10.54
She's very chatty! She's meowing a lot and sticking her paw out of the cat basket which is adorable but also shows she is scared which is sad.
11:43
We're home and Georgia is getting to know the sitting room. She's very timid and scared but she seems okay. She's veeeery sweet! She likes going behind the sofa. Her head keeps bobbing up and down because she's sniffing everywhere she goes. Now I'm going to find old, staggering Molly in case she feels left out.
11:49
Molly is covered in muck, outside in the leaves. I thought she was dead at first but then I saw she was breathing. That would've been a real downer. When my dad has finished teaching, we are going to get Harry. We're a bit worried about Harry because he doesn't seem to have had a very good start to life. He's grown up on a farm without much attention so he may need to be house-trained and fed up a bit. But hopefully he'll be okay.
12:13
Georgia has just eaten some dry kitten food! Now she's washing! We're making progress! She almost went to sleep minute ago. She must be knackered! She likes the wand thing we bought. She loved playing with it when she was at Niki's house with her brothers and sister.
Haha now she's on the Wii Fit Balance Board!
12:36
Now we're in the car again on the way to the farm to collect Harry. I'm eating Mini Chedders and they are tasty. I am also wearing Dad's Indiana Jones hat. I look very good in it (if I do say so myself) and it suits me much more than it suits him. He only got it because it was the only hat that would fit on his head! He has a very big head.
12:56
We're here! It's very farmy. Lots of pigs and horses and chickens. The kittens are all a bit dirty. Harry is very sweet though. A bit scared. His sister was VERY VERY LOUD!! The farmer was talking about them with the same terms you would use for horses and pigs and he said he's never had kittens before so I doubt Harry and his siblings have had much housetraining.
13.12
He's sitting quietly in the corner of the cat basket, staring out at Ben and the front of the car. I think he's going to need a lot of care and attention (or TLC as people seem to say.)
13:58
Harry was terrified to start with and cowered under the chair. But he seems okay now. Hahaha Phoebe just hissed at Harry! She is terrified of him but Harry isn't bothered! He's just tucking into his kitten food. He must be starving! Oooh Phoebe's very annoyed! He's just drunk HER cat milk! Her fur is standing on end and she's creeping around, staring at him.
14:12
He loves the litter tray! He doesn't seem to understand that it's where you're meant to pee. He's rolling around in the litter, purring!
14:14
Harry is absolutely tiny compared to Phoebe! He's only a week younger but I think he's slightly malnourished :-/
14:19
Harry is purring! He likes me! He doesn't run away anymore when I stroke him! This has made me very happy :-)
15:27
Phoebe is asleep on the top of the sofa, above Ben, where she had been watching him playing Zelda. Harry is asleep on mum's lap while she is on her laptop. I think we've worn them both out!
15:34
Ooh Ben's taken Phoebe off the sofa and has plonked her into the bed/scratching post we bought. Not sure if she wants to be there. I expect she'll jump off soon.
15:35
Yep she's jumped off!
15:37
Humph I'd better do some homework.
So I am doing a live blog of today. It's just occured to me that Twitter basically is a live blog of your day, every day. So this isn't as exciting as i'd thought it would be. But oh well! I'll just have to keep the stuff I put on Twitter quite basic and put all the good stuff in here! Also, this isn't exactly live. It's live when I write it but it's quite a while after all the stuff's happened when I put it up. So there will be two parts. This is the first part of my day:
9:41 am
I am currently sitting on my bed, putting my socks on. We are meant to be going to collect Georgia in 10 minutes and I'm not dressed yet.
10.01
Yay! 10.01 is a palindrome! Well I'm dressed now and we are in the car. I am wearing nice trousers, my Royal Air Force t-shirt, stripy socks and my awesome red Converses! I have just had a banana muffin, a babybel and paracetamol for breakfast. Yes I am that cool.
10.16
We are now in Oxford. I like Oxford. My mum grew up in Oxford. I didn't. We lived in London (Chiswick) until I was about 4 and then we moved to Oxfordshire just after Ben's first birthday and just before Christmas. I still remember all the boxes! Anyway, Oxford is nice. They have good shops and good cookies. Ben's Cookies in the Covered Market are the best cookies IN THE WORLD!!!! Yum.
10.22
It's soooooooooooo hot in the car! We are playing 'Spot the Expensive House' - it's very easy to play in Oxford. Oooh we've just been past Granny's old road! That's brought back lots of good memories :-)
10.26
Okay we're here! Now to get Georgia!
10.44
Got her! She's terrified, poor thing. The lady that was looking after her (Niki) is lovely and has given us loads of advice and information. Ben is talking to Georgia in the back seat and she is trying to get out of the cat basket. It's fascinating to see Ben connecting with a new animal. He really wants her to like him and keeps saying 'Hello. Do you like me?' It's very sweet.
10.54
She's very chatty! She's meowing a lot and sticking her paw out of the cat basket which is adorable but also shows she is scared which is sad.
11:43
We're home and Georgia is getting to know the sitting room. She's very timid and scared but she seems okay. She's veeeery sweet! She likes going behind the sofa. Her head keeps bobbing up and down because she's sniffing everywhere she goes. Now I'm going to find old, staggering Molly in case she feels left out.
11:49
Molly is covered in muck, outside in the leaves. I thought she was dead at first but then I saw she was breathing. That would've been a real downer. When my dad has finished teaching, we are going to get Harry. We're a bit worried about Harry because he doesn't seem to have had a very good start to life. He's grown up on a farm without much attention so he may need to be house-trained and fed up a bit. But hopefully he'll be okay.
12:13Georgia has just eaten some dry kitten food! Now she's washing! We're making progress! She almost went to sleep minute ago. She must be knackered! She likes the wand thing we bought. She loved playing with it when she was at Niki's house with her brothers and sister.
Haha now she's on the Wii Fit Balance Board!
12:36
Now we're in the car again on the way to the farm to collect Harry. I'm eating Mini Chedders and they are tasty. I am also wearing Dad's Indiana Jones hat. I look very good in it (if I do say so myself) and it suits me much more than it suits him. He only got it because it was the only hat that would fit on his head! He has a very big head.
12:56
We're here! It's very farmy. Lots of pigs and horses and chickens. The kittens are all a bit dirty. Harry is very sweet though. A bit scared. His sister was VERY VERY LOUD!! The farmer was talking about them with the same terms you would use for horses and pigs and he said he's never had kittens before so I doubt Harry and his siblings have had much housetraining.
13.12He's sitting quietly in the corner of the cat basket, staring out at Ben and the front of the car. I think he's going to need a lot of care and attention (or TLC as people seem to say.)
13:58
Harry was terrified to start with and cowered under the chair. But he seems okay now. Hahaha Phoebe just hissed at Harry! She is terrified of him but Harry isn't bothered! He's just tucking into his kitten food. He must be starving! Oooh Phoebe's very annoyed! He's just drunk HER cat milk! Her fur is standing on end and she's creeping around, staring at him.
14:12
He loves the litter tray! He doesn't seem to understand that it's where you're meant to pee. He's rolling around in the litter, purring!
14:14
Harry is absolutely tiny compared to Phoebe! He's only a week younger but I think he's slightly malnourished :-/
14:19
Harry is purring! He likes me! He doesn't run away anymore when I stroke him! This has made me very happy :-)
15:27
Phoebe is asleep on the top of the sofa, above Ben, where she had been watching him playing Zelda. Harry is asleep on mum's lap while she is on her laptop. I think we've worn them both out!
15:34
Ooh Ben's taken Phoebe off the sofa and has plonked her into the bed/scratching post we bought. Not sure if she wants to be there. I expect she'll jump off soon.
15:35
Yep she's jumped off!
15:37
Humph I'd better do some homework.
Friday 21 May 2010
The second last of the Time Lords
I think my dad is a Time Lord. I really do. He knows absolutely EVERYTHING!! The other day, we went round to some friends' house and we were talking about the election and things and he suddenly started talking about some political movement that happened in the 50's (or some other time - I wasn't really listening.) He talked about this thingy for about 5 minutes with huge passion and intelligence while the rest of us just sat there, nodding, completely bemused! But my dad has a brain like.... the opposite of a sieve. He reads long history books and remembers all of it! He literally knows everything there is to know about Oliver Cromwell and the Civil War and most of everything about the rest of history. He's also reeeeeeeally knowledgeable about science (probably mainly chemistry, although I have no proof of this.) And he knows everything there is to know about politics. Trouble is, he's very, very opinionated. Which is good but can get in the way sometimes. Like when he loudly tells Cameron to "Sod off" in the middle of his speeches. It is quite funny though!
For his job, my dad is a cellist so he knows all there is to know about music. This comes in useful when you do music related things at work all day. He got a scholorship for the Royal College of Music so he left school at 16. This really worked out for him, in a way that it doesn't for others because my dad is awesome at playing the cello. Mum says he is one of the best in the country. Which he probably is. When I have been to his concerts, I have noticed that he is very good. I never really notice that at home though because he's always practising rather than performing. And also I would rather listen to my own music than hear Schoenberg blasting out of the music room. Dad is now in a quartet which is nice. They have recently got a new viola player called Rose and she is very nice.
Anyway, apparently my Grandpa Joe used to say that if my dad had gone to university, he would have almost certainly got a 'first.' And I agree with him (although I'm not entirely sure what getting a 'first' means.)
And therefore, I think my dad is a Time Lord because he is the cleverest person I know and he is brilliant and he has a magical cello case which is very light because it is made of carbon fibre or something so it could also be a TARDIS. And he could be a retired Time Lord because he enjoys being with my mum and me and Ben more than he loves travelling the universe so he has decided to stay on earth. Or he could have just seen all of the universe already so he thinks it's time to settle down. Which is nice of him.
However, you may be thinking, "Ah, but why hasn't he regenerated?" Well, silly, if there are no alien threats or monsters around to get involved in (he leaves all them to David Tennant and Matt Smith), he won't necessarily get killed so he won't regenerate. Unless he gets hit by a bus, in which case he will have to tell us that he is a Time Lord and prove he is still my dad in order for us to trust him again. What with him being in a different body an' all.
And so, there we are. He is a Time Lord.
For his job, my dad is a cellist so he knows all there is to know about music. This comes in useful when you do music related things at work all day. He got a scholorship for the Royal College of Music so he left school at 16. This really worked out for him, in a way that it doesn't for others because my dad is awesome at playing the cello. Mum says he is one of the best in the country. Which he probably is. When I have been to his concerts, I have noticed that he is very good. I never really notice that at home though because he's always practising rather than performing. And also I would rather listen to my own music than hear Schoenberg blasting out of the music room. Dad is now in a quartet which is nice. They have recently got a new viola player called Rose and she is very nice.
Anyway, apparently my Grandpa Joe used to say that if my dad had gone to university, he would have almost certainly got a 'first.' And I agree with him (although I'm not entirely sure what getting a 'first' means.)
And therefore, I think my dad is a Time Lord because he is the cleverest person I know and he is brilliant and he has a magical cello case which is very light because it is made of carbon fibre or something so it could also be a TARDIS. And he could be a retired Time Lord because he enjoys being with my mum and me and Ben more than he loves travelling the universe so he has decided to stay on earth. Or he could have just seen all of the universe already so he thinks it's time to settle down. Which is nice of him.
However, you may be thinking, "Ah, but why hasn't he regenerated?" Well, silly, if there are no alien threats or monsters around to get involved in (he leaves all them to David Tennant and Matt Smith), he won't necessarily get killed so he won't regenerate. Unless he gets hit by a bus, in which case he will have to tell us that he is a Time Lord and prove he is still my dad in order for us to trust him again. What with him being in a different body an' all.
And so, there we are. He is a Time Lord.
Wednesday 21 April 2010
The Lovely Bones
Hello. I apologise for the lack of blog for so long. I have been very busy with one thing and another, e.g. cat, granny, friends, Tweenies, Doctor Who, twitter, Easter, London, homework, Ben and various other things. In the last few months, I have been to 2 films which is a record for me. Before I went to The Lovely Bones about 3 months ago, the last film I had been to see was Harry Potter 6 (which incidentally, I really enjoyed and rank it lower than HP 3 and 5 but higher than 1, 2 and 4. I didn't like the beginning because I thought it was unnecessarily confusing but I loved the end which I thought was a fitting tribute and had a great soundtrack - which my dad played the cello in!) anyway...
I went to see The Lovely Bones with my friends Emma and Amy. I was looking forward to it because:
a) I like Emma and Amy,
b) I hadn't been to the cinema for ages,
c) I wanted to be able to be smug because I don't have to pay full price for cinema tickets whereas they do because they're 15 and I'm 14,
and d) we have a family friend with the same name as the main character so I could chuckle all the way through, happily pondering the hilarity of this coincidence.
We went into the film with plenty of time to spare so I read an article about Alistair Darling on the Guardian app on my iPod while Emma and Amy talked about things like pop music. Or something similar. I wasn't really listening. Then the film began....
Unfortunately, some annoying people at the back of the cinema chose that moment to start giggling and shouting about something or other. It was very tedious and I was agitated by the quality of their grammar. It was appalling! Then a woman turned around and started shouting at them and saying that she wanted to watch the film because she had paid for it. This provoked more giggling but they eventually settled down. Good.
Now the main problem I have with this film is its creepy-ness all the way through!!! It started off with the main character going on and on about her death and trying to make you suspect certain people before saying that actually it wasn't them, it was this person - no actually it was this person... or was it THIS person? No it wasn't. These attempts did not succeed and just left me feeling rather confused which is not the best way to start a film in my humble opinion. We then had to endure the boring, wet, annoying scenes of adolescent love. Yes - the main character fancied a boy and oh no, he doesn't know she exists! Oh yes he does. Now they're talking to each other and he's going all lovey-dovey and quiet and - ooh they're almost kissing! Oh dear, someone's burst in and broken the moment. I felt myself thinking, 'who cares?' while everyone on screen was looking sad and awkward as though it was the end of the world. Those sort of moments have been done over and over again in films and on television. Its got so boring!
Then there was a spooky bit with a big field and a scary man and an underground den. Then it cut to the protagonist's family wondering where she had got to. Again, that's been done so many times. Then lots of other things happen and the police decide she is dead while the murderer consoles the
family and then goes back to playing with a dolls house. I didn't really see the point of the dolls house. It didn't seem to serve any purpose other than allowing the film makers to do some clever camera shots through the miniature windows and doors.
And then some other stuff happens (I wont specify because I can't be bothered and some people might still want to see this film so I don't want to give to much away. But my advice to them is: Don't.) Then we get to see the afterlife. As my favourite film critic Mark Kermode said, it looks like something from Super Mario Galaxy. It actually does. There are spherical fields and seas and enormous ships in bottles, (oh yeah, the main character's dad has an obsession with making ships in bottles. Don't ask me why. He just does.) there's even a magical tree.
In my opinion, no one should even attempt to put the afterlife on screen because everyone has a different idea of what it is. Personally, I don't think the afterlife exists - just like God doesn't exist. I believe that when you die, you just stop. Your brain shuts down and that's it. It's fine for other people to believe in heaven and paradise and stuff and I wish them well but this is how I see things and I am confident enough of my opinion that death doesn't really worry me. Not my death anyway. Hmm, this review has got rather morbid. But I suppose that sums up The Lovely Bones. It is a horribly morbid film.
But the thing I really hated about this film was that I was allowed to watch it. I shouldn't have been allowed in, it should have been a 15. Not a 12A - a 15. I am 2 years above the recommended age limit and I have been completely traumatised by this creepy film. There's one scene where the evil guy is in a bath, cleaning up after murdering the girl, and there's blood and mud everywhere. First of all, it is disgusting! Now that would be okay if the scene was justified, but there doesn't seem to be any point to it. It doesn't add anything to the film, it just doesn't fit. All three of us were confused by that one scene. It's not explained properly and it just adds unnecessary gore and confusion. And the fact that this film scared me certainly doesn't make it a good film! It's a rubbish film with a stupid set-up, a very confusing storyline and a rubbish script. The actors did their best, the creepy man (played by Stanley Tucci I think) was brilliant - he alone is the reason I can no longer feed the rabbit in my garden in the dark without someone next to me or watching from a window. But even exemplary actors could not make up for the poor camera work, lack of interesting plot and stupid film cliches. And I talk about exemplary acting, but the main actress was awful! She was wingey, boring and wet. The voiceover all the way through the film was agonising! I was literally cringing in my seat!
So as you may have gathered, I didn't like this film. I am told that the book is good but creepy, however I have no intention of reading it because I'm only just about getting over my fear of evil child murderers - 3 months after I saw the film (very, very late review - I apologise) As I have said, the one good thing about this film is the spectacular performance by the guy who plays the evil murderer guy. His performance really freaked me out which from an acting point of view, can only be a good thing. Except he's not the one having to feed the rabbit in the dark every night, convinced that there is an axe-murderer hiding in the shadows of the bushes *shiver*.
So yes, good evil guy, terrible film. That is all. Goodnight!
I went to see The Lovely Bones with my friends Emma and Amy. I was looking forward to it because:
a) I like Emma and Amy,
b) I hadn't been to the cinema for ages,
c) I wanted to be able to be smug because I don't have to pay full price for cinema tickets whereas they do because they're 15 and I'm 14,
and d) we have a family friend with the same name as the main character so I could chuckle all the way through, happily pondering the hilarity of this coincidence.
We went into the film with plenty of time to spare so I read an article about Alistair Darling on the Guardian app on my iPod while Emma and Amy talked about things like pop music. Or something similar. I wasn't really listening. Then the film began....
Unfortunately, some annoying people at the back of the cinema chose that moment to start giggling and shouting about something or other. It was very tedious and I was agitated by the quality of their grammar. It was appalling! Then a woman turned around and started shouting at them and saying that she wanted to watch the film because she had paid for it. This provoked more giggling but they eventually settled down. Good.
Now the main problem I have with this film is its creepy-ness all the way through!!! It started off with the main character going on and on about her death and trying to make you suspect certain people before saying that actually it wasn't them, it was this person - no actually it was this person... or was it THIS person? No it wasn't. These attempts did not succeed and just left me feeling rather confused which is not the best way to start a film in my humble opinion. We then had to endure the boring, wet, annoying scenes of adolescent love. Yes - the main character fancied a boy and oh no, he doesn't know she exists! Oh yes he does. Now they're talking to each other and he's going all lovey-dovey and quiet and - ooh they're almost kissing! Oh dear, someone's burst in and broken the moment. I felt myself thinking, 'who cares?' while everyone on screen was looking sad and awkward as though it was the end of the world. Those sort of moments have been done over and over again in films and on television. Its got so boring!
Then there was a spooky bit with a big field and a scary man and an underground den. Then it cut to the protagonist's family wondering where she had got to. Again, that's been done so many times. Then lots of other things happen and the police decide she is dead while the murderer consoles the
family and then goes back to playing with a dolls house. I didn't really see the point of the dolls house. It didn't seem to serve any purpose other than allowing the film makers to do some clever camera shots through the miniature windows and doors.
And then some other stuff happens (I wont specify because I can't be bothered and some people might still want to see this film so I don't want to give to much away. But my advice to them is: Don't.) Then we get to see the afterlife. As my favourite film critic Mark Kermode said, it looks like something from Super Mario Galaxy. It actually does. There are spherical fields and seas and enormous ships in bottles, (oh yeah, the main character's dad has an obsession with making ships in bottles. Don't ask me why. He just does.) there's even a magical tree.
In my opinion, no one should even attempt to put the afterlife on screen because everyone has a different idea of what it is. Personally, I don't think the afterlife exists - just like God doesn't exist. I believe that when you die, you just stop. Your brain shuts down and that's it. It's fine for other people to believe in heaven and paradise and stuff and I wish them well but this is how I see things and I am confident enough of my opinion that death doesn't really worry me. Not my death anyway. Hmm, this review has got rather morbid. But I suppose that sums up The Lovely Bones. It is a horribly morbid film.
But the thing I really hated about this film was that I was allowed to watch it. I shouldn't have been allowed in, it should have been a 15. Not a 12A - a 15. I am 2 years above the recommended age limit and I have been completely traumatised by this creepy film. There's one scene where the evil guy is in a bath, cleaning up after murdering the girl, and there's blood and mud everywhere. First of all, it is disgusting! Now that would be okay if the scene was justified, but there doesn't seem to be any point to it. It doesn't add anything to the film, it just doesn't fit. All three of us were confused by that one scene. It's not explained properly and it just adds unnecessary gore and confusion. And the fact that this film scared me certainly doesn't make it a good film! It's a rubbish film with a stupid set-up, a very confusing storyline and a rubbish script. The actors did their best, the creepy man (played by Stanley Tucci I think) was brilliant - he alone is the reason I can no longer feed the rabbit in my garden in the dark without someone next to me or watching from a window. But even exemplary actors could not make up for the poor camera work, lack of interesting plot and stupid film cliches. And I talk about exemplary acting, but the main actress was awful! She was wingey, boring and wet. The voiceover all the way through the film was agonising! I was literally cringing in my seat!
So as you may have gathered, I didn't like this film. I am told that the book is good but creepy, however I have no intention of reading it because I'm only just about getting over my fear of evil child murderers - 3 months after I saw the film (very, very late review - I apologise) As I have said, the one good thing about this film is the spectacular performance by the guy who plays the evil murderer guy. His performance really freaked me out which from an acting point of view, can only be a good thing. Except he's not the one having to feed the rabbit in the dark every night, convinced that there is an axe-murderer hiding in the shadows of the bushes *shiver*.
So yes, good evil guy, terrible film. That is all. Goodnight!
Wednesday 7 April 2010
Oops
Hello. Just a quick blog to explain why there haven't been any blogs recently. I've been horribly, horribly busy. And everything is pretty rubbish at the moment to be honest, despite the fact that its the easter holiday. Having said that, I do have a lot of really fun stuff planned - Billy Elliot (for the 6th time) tomorrow with Emma, sleepover with Izzy at the weekend (we will probably make some sort of film or song like we usually do! Our Silent Movie was legendary!), going to see Jackie Schneider and going to see Allie. Most people reading this blog probably won't have a clue who I'm talking about but as they say 'just go with the flow...' Hmmm. I don't like that phrase anymore. I shall never use it again.
Anyhoo, the reason I am so busy and things are rubbish is that granny is in hospital/care home and has been for weeks. Also one of the the cats died and we are all really upset (especially Ben) and we are looking for kittens to cheer us all up but being worried that kittens will finish off the other cat who is still just about alive, staggering around and smelling. Additionally, we went to Wales the other day to stay with our grandparents (not the granny in hospital - it's all very confusing) and my grandpa has alzhiemers and vascular dementia so is very forgetful and agitated which isn't very nice to watch and is awful for Caroline (my step-granny) because he is always getting at her. And its really hard for my dad too because he is seeing his dad deteriorating rapidly which is horrible. AND I have loads of work for the holidays but can't bring myself to do it because I want to stay as far away from school as I can. But I need to do it at some point. Grr. And most of all, all of this has made my mum really stressed and upset and I hate seeing her unhappy. I have been trying to help around the house and stuff and have lots of hugs but I'm not very good at things like this. So I'm really stuck and feeling really low. I apologize for the rambly-ness of this blog but I'm trying to do it quickly so I can get on with a work experience application form.
So if I don't do another blog for a while, I'm sorry. When I have a spare moment and I feel like writing, I will do another one but for now you will have to make do with my twitter account which I update a lot because it is quick and satisfying. So bye for now and again, I'm very sorry. :-)
Anyhoo, the reason I am so busy and things are rubbish is that granny is in hospital/care home and has been for weeks. Also one of the the cats died and we are all really upset (especially Ben) and we are looking for kittens to cheer us all up but being worried that kittens will finish off the other cat who is still just about alive, staggering around and smelling. Additionally, we went to Wales the other day to stay with our grandparents (not the granny in hospital - it's all very confusing) and my grandpa has alzhiemers and vascular dementia so is very forgetful and agitated which isn't very nice to watch and is awful for Caroline (my step-granny) because he is always getting at her. And its really hard for my dad too because he is seeing his dad deteriorating rapidly which is horrible. AND I have loads of work for the holidays but can't bring myself to do it because I want to stay as far away from school as I can. But I need to do it at some point. Grr. And most of all, all of this has made my mum really stressed and upset and I hate seeing her unhappy. I have been trying to help around the house and stuff and have lots of hugs but I'm not very good at things like this. So I'm really stuck and feeling really low. I apologize for the rambly-ness of this blog but I'm trying to do it quickly so I can get on with a work experience application form.
So if I don't do another blog for a while, I'm sorry. When I have a spare moment and I feel like writing, I will do another one but for now you will have to make do with my twitter account which I update a lot because it is quick and satisfying. So bye for now and again, I'm very sorry. :-)
Saturday 6 March 2010
iPod touch??
Hello. This is an experiment blog. I'm seeing if I can blog successfully on my Blogger app on my iPod touch. I am currently listening to a Harry Potter audiobook. I love Harry Potter! Soon there will be a HP Lego game! I'm really looking forward to it. I have a huge collection of HP Lego. It is under my bed at the moment in a big box. I have a Harry Potter phase every year or so, when I read/listen to all the books, play with all my lego, play all the computer games watch all the films and listen to the soundtracks. Tis fun.
Wednesday 3 March 2010
Goooood Evening!
Good evening! Due to popular demand, I have decided to do another blog! When I say 'popular demand' I mean a couple of people mentioning that they liked the last blogs - namely my good friend from Germany, Säbba! Säbba is great! He is a really nice friend, he helps me with my German homework and he likes my blog :-) :-) I'm not very good at german and most of our conversations are more in english than german because he is very good at english. He is also brilliant at making films! This is his website: http://jotes-studios.de/jotesfilms (not entirely sure how to do hyperlinks)- my favourite film is called 'Fast World' which is here: http://jotes-studios.de/jotesfilms-fastworld - The bit where he speeds up and reverses a rose wilting is amazing!!! (that bit starts about 1 minute, 40 seconds in.)
Anyway, onto the main subject of today's blog. I will eventually do one about the BBC and how much I love it but I shall wait until I have more time because that'll take me a long time. Today's blog is about my Granny.
My Granny is brilliant. She is always there for me and I love her to pieces! I have very happy memories of being at her house, going back to when I was 4 or 5. We made paper dolls and played imaginary games and board games such as Snakes and Ladders and The House That Jack Built. When I got older, we played Monopoly and Uno, but we always went back to the old classics. She had a lovely little stove which kept the whole house warm and a lovely Grandfather clock which now resides in our dining room because it was too big to fit in Granny's new house when she moved. I adored staying overnight at her house because the evenings were so cosy! We played with paper dolls all afternoon, then ate supper (she always cooks broccoli just how I like it), then had a choc ice (a tradition), then we got ready for bed. I loved that spare room - especially the duvet! I have one quite similar on my own bed, all these years later! We then talked for ages and ages. I always wanted to know about when she was younger or when my mum and aunt were growing up or how she and my grandpa met. These conversations were very special to me and still are! We have similar ones nowadays. I pop in on her almost every day after school because I walk past her house to get to and from school. We have a biscuit rule too - we are only allowed a biscuit on tuesdays, wednesdays and fridays. We very good about this rule! We only ignore it when i've had a rubbish day or an exam. It's lovely to be able to sit down and relax and talk to someone who understands everything I'm talking about. Granny remembers who all the people I'm talking about are and never disapproves of anything I say. Or if she does, she doesn't make it obvious. It is often hard to get up and prepare for the next half mile section of my journey. Sometimes we ring home to let them know that I am on my way - in case I die on the way. This is unlikely but it's better to be safe than sorry!
Anyhoo, I'd better stop. I can understand that this blog could have been a bit boring for anyone who isn't a member of my family.... which is most people. But writing about 'the good old times' has made me very nostalgic so it makes me want to write more and more! I just wanted to convey to everyone how much I love my Granny! I didn't even mention Hippo or brioche for breakfast! Oh well. Another time :-) need to go to sleep now. G'night everyone. G'night Granny. Xxxxxxxxx
Anyway, onto the main subject of today's blog. I will eventually do one about the BBC and how much I love it but I shall wait until I have more time because that'll take me a long time. Today's blog is about my Granny.
My Granny is brilliant. She is always there for me and I love her to pieces! I have very happy memories of being at her house, going back to when I was 4 or 5. We made paper dolls and played imaginary games and board games such as Snakes and Ladders and The House That Jack Built. When I got older, we played Monopoly and Uno, but we always went back to the old classics. She had a lovely little stove which kept the whole house warm and a lovely Grandfather clock which now resides in our dining room because it was too big to fit in Granny's new house when she moved. I adored staying overnight at her house because the evenings were so cosy! We played with paper dolls all afternoon, then ate supper (she always cooks broccoli just how I like it), then had a choc ice (a tradition), then we got ready for bed. I loved that spare room - especially the duvet! I have one quite similar on my own bed, all these years later! We then talked for ages and ages. I always wanted to know about when she was younger or when my mum and aunt were growing up or how she and my grandpa met. These conversations were very special to me and still are! We have similar ones nowadays. I pop in on her almost every day after school because I walk past her house to get to and from school. We have a biscuit rule too - we are only allowed a biscuit on tuesdays, wednesdays and fridays. We very good about this rule! We only ignore it when i've had a rubbish day or an exam. It's lovely to be able to sit down and relax and talk to someone who understands everything I'm talking about. Granny remembers who all the people I'm talking about are and never disapproves of anything I say. Or if she does, she doesn't make it obvious. It is often hard to get up and prepare for the next half mile section of my journey. Sometimes we ring home to let them know that I am on my way - in case I die on the way. This is unlikely but it's better to be safe than sorry!
Anyhoo, I'd better stop. I can understand that this blog could have been a bit boring for anyone who isn't a member of my family.... which is most people. But writing about 'the good old times' has made me very nostalgic so it makes me want to write more and more! I just wanted to convey to everyone how much I love my Granny! I didn't even mention Hippo or brioche for breakfast! Oh well. Another time :-) need to go to sleep now. G'night everyone. G'night Granny. Xxxxxxxxx
Friday 26 February 2010
Meg's Adventures At Didcot Power Station (Part Three)
Hello and welcome to: Meg's Adventures At Didcot Power Station (Part Three). I honestly did not envisage this story going on as long as it has done, so for that, I profusely apologise. I tend to ramble when I am writing. And talking for that matter. Luckily, I have got out of the habit of doing this at school. Well sort of. I do it a lot less than I used to anyway. But I still do it when writing, so sorry about that!
Anyhoo, back to my gripping story! Then we went to the massive boiler room so we had to put our earplugs in again. We were one level above the floor and it was quite a way down and there was only a railing stopping us plummeting to our deaths. I have to admit that I couldn't help thinking, "Oooh Health and Safety wouldn't approve!" I'm sorry but I couldn't stop myself. As we were walking round, Zoe slipped on some water and Emily had to catch her. That really freaked everybody out! We all noticeably slowed down and were more careful as we made our way to the staircase at the end of the platform. At this point, Fred decided to tell us that 2 men had fallen down the chimney things on the roof and had died. Everyone went very quiet and started to hold onto the railing. It took ages to get down the staircase because everyone was taking on step every 5 seconds. Again, I thought to myself, "Oooh those stairs don't look very safe! Have they had the Health and Safety checked?" I am still ashamed of those thoughts :-( Then we went back to the classroomy bit we went to at the begining. Oooh whoops! Forgot to mention the classroomy bit in MAADPS Part One!! Sorry!! Yeah, when we first got to the power station, we went into a classroomy place and got talked to about power stations for a bit. It was very boring but they gave us biscuits! And the diagram of the power station they showed us had lighty-uppy things so that was nice to look at. That was the point when they gave us luminous coats and bob the builder hats and yellow earplugs. Don't know how I managed to forget that! Anyway, so we went back to that place and then realised that 'Oh-my-gosh it's 2 o'clock already!' So we had to get back to the bus quickly and I never got a chance to say goodbye to Fred :-( On the bus, we had to fill in a questionaire about the trip. It was one of those 'strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree etc' questionaires. The questions were things like:
1. Did you learn a lot from this tour? (my answer: Strongly agree)
2. Did you find this tour useful? (my answer: Strongly agree)
3. Did you find this tour enjoyable? (my answer: Strongly agree)
4. Are you now considering becoming involved in any aspect of our production in the future (or something like that) - (my answer: agree)
5. Are you interested in taking part in future tours? (my answer: Strongly agree)
6. How could we improve the tour? (my answer: making the tour longer)
7. What are 3 things that you have learnt from this tour? (my answer: ummmm)
I think for no.7, I copied someone elses. I did learn something but it's quite hard to list. Looking back on those answers, I look like a real teacher's pet!! Oh well. I really enjoyed myself! Everyone was really suprised that I enjoyed it because from the sound of it, everyone found it boring and tedious. On the way home, I played Cubefield on my iPod touch and texted Emma while she was in German. I'd forgotten she was still in lessons. Oops. At least she didn't get into trouble. She seems to use her phone all the time at school. I'm rubbish at texting secretly. Well I'm rubbish at texting generally.
So that concludes the 'Meg's Adventures At Didcot Power Station' series! Hope you've enjoyed it! I have. I'll admit that it is full of irrelevant waffle. But it was fun to write and I hope fun to read :-) I shall certainly continue blogging because I like doing it and I think that's what matters. Although it is great to have lots of readers! I love you guys! Till next time :-) xxxx
Anyhoo, back to my gripping story! Then we went to the massive boiler room so we had to put our earplugs in again. We were one level above the floor and it was quite a way down and there was only a railing stopping us plummeting to our deaths. I have to admit that I couldn't help thinking, "Oooh Health and Safety wouldn't approve!" I'm sorry but I couldn't stop myself. As we were walking round, Zoe slipped on some water and Emily had to catch her. That really freaked everybody out! We all noticeably slowed down and were more careful as we made our way to the staircase at the end of the platform. At this point, Fred decided to tell us that 2 men had fallen down the chimney things on the roof and had died. Everyone went very quiet and started to hold onto the railing. It took ages to get down the staircase because everyone was taking on step every 5 seconds. Again, I thought to myself, "Oooh those stairs don't look very safe! Have they had the Health and Safety checked?" I am still ashamed of those thoughts :-( Then we went back to the classroomy bit we went to at the begining. Oooh whoops! Forgot to mention the classroomy bit in MAADPS Part One!! Sorry!! Yeah, when we first got to the power station, we went into a classroomy place and got talked to about power stations for a bit. It was very boring but they gave us biscuits! And the diagram of the power station they showed us had lighty-uppy things so that was nice to look at. That was the point when they gave us luminous coats and bob the builder hats and yellow earplugs. Don't know how I managed to forget that! Anyway, so we went back to that place and then realised that 'Oh-my-gosh it's 2 o'clock already!' So we had to get back to the bus quickly and I never got a chance to say goodbye to Fred :-( On the bus, we had to fill in a questionaire about the trip. It was one of those 'strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree etc' questionaires. The questions were things like:
1. Did you learn a lot from this tour? (my answer: Strongly agree)
2. Did you find this tour useful? (my answer: Strongly agree)
3. Did you find this tour enjoyable? (my answer: Strongly agree)
4. Are you now considering becoming involved in any aspect of our production in the future (or something like that) - (my answer: agree)
5. Are you interested in taking part in future tours? (my answer: Strongly agree)
6. How could we improve the tour? (my answer: making the tour longer)
7. What are 3 things that you have learnt from this tour? (my answer: ummmm)
I think for no.7, I copied someone elses. I did learn something but it's quite hard to list. Looking back on those answers, I look like a real teacher's pet!! Oh well. I really enjoyed myself! Everyone was really suprised that I enjoyed it because from the sound of it, everyone found it boring and tedious. On the way home, I played Cubefield on my iPod touch and texted Emma while she was in German. I'd forgotten she was still in lessons. Oops. At least she didn't get into trouble. She seems to use her phone all the time at school. I'm rubbish at texting secretly. Well I'm rubbish at texting generally.
So that concludes the 'Meg's Adventures At Didcot Power Station' series! Hope you've enjoyed it! I have. I'll admit that it is full of irrelevant waffle. But it was fun to write and I hope fun to read :-) I shall certainly continue blogging because I like doing it and I think that's what matters. Although it is great to have lots of readers! I love you guys! Till next time :-) xxxx
Thursday 25 February 2010
Meg's Adventures At Didcot Power Station (Part Two)
Hello again! Right, where did I get to? Ah yes! The cooling towers!
Then we went into a large building with masses and masses of machinery in it. It was deafening! We had to wear the earplugs we had been given. They were bright yellow. I have always been a bit apprehensive about earplugs. I just don't like the idea of sticking something in your ear. I've always been quite careful about my ears! I try not to go to discos (partly because I hate them - I hate dancing and I hate dressing up and I hate the music the rest of my year like and I hate social events like that) and I have a limit on the volume on my ipod. I think it's stupid having a roaring noise belting into your eardrums. That and numerous discos could completely ruin your hearing! I'm starting to sound like an old fart (excuse the phrase) so I shall go back to describing my 'Adventures At Didcot Power Station' as the title promised! Then we discovered that the lift that would take us up to the control room place was being used by another group being shown around so we had to take the stairs. I continued my enthusiasm, saying "Come on guys! It's good exercise!" Now, those of you who know me will know that a loath exercise so everyone in our party did a double take! Hannah said, " But you hate exersice." I said "Ah, no, I hate sport!" She did still look slightly confused, but I just carried on up the stairs! We got to a sort of viewing area that overlooked the main boiler thingys. There are 4 units apparently. The are all identical (he didn't know whether they were identical to the last pipe when I asked, but he said the plans were all the same) but they work completely separately so that if one breaks down, the others will still run. They do something to do with boiling something which makes something else happen. It all got a bit confusing but it was good to look at! Then Fred showed us the shifts of engineers. They work shifts of 12 hours but they get about 15 days off a month - 8 all in one go at one point! I was debating in my head whether I should consider being an engineer in later life because I loved the sound of 8 days off in a row! But then I decided that, no. It wasn't the right career path for me. BUT... then we went to see the control room. There are 4 areas of control panel desks and 9 MASSIVE screens - 3 for each unit. Apparently, the computer engineer staff people stay at their desks all day working the computers and making sure nothing goes wrong. Fred said "They even have their lunch in there!" At the word 'lunch', I decided that this was the job for me! Sitting at a computer all day, chatting and eating lunch! Sounds like my perfect job! Well, my perfect job would be doing something or other at the BBC, preferably radio and preferably Radio 4 or 5live! But being a computer person who eats lunch would be almost as good! I wonder if they have any pasta.... Anyway, I'd better go to bed now. But 'Meg's Adventures At Didcot Power Station Part Three' will be up some time tomorrow, probably about 10pm because that's when I seem to be doing most of my blogs - just before bed! Right then, G'night everyone! xxxxx
Then we went into a large building with masses and masses of machinery in it. It was deafening! We had to wear the earplugs we had been given. They were bright yellow. I have always been a bit apprehensive about earplugs. I just don't like the idea of sticking something in your ear. I've always been quite careful about my ears! I try not to go to discos (partly because I hate them - I hate dancing and I hate dressing up and I hate the music the rest of my year like and I hate social events like that) and I have a limit on the volume on my ipod. I think it's stupid having a roaring noise belting into your eardrums. That and numerous discos could completely ruin your hearing! I'm starting to sound like an old fart (excuse the phrase) so I shall go back to describing my 'Adventures At Didcot Power Station' as the title promised! Then we discovered that the lift that would take us up to the control room place was being used by another group being shown around so we had to take the stairs. I continued my enthusiasm, saying "Come on guys! It's good exercise!" Now, those of you who know me will know that a loath exercise so everyone in our party did a double take! Hannah said, " But you hate exersice." I said "Ah, no, I hate sport!" She did still look slightly confused, but I just carried on up the stairs! We got to a sort of viewing area that overlooked the main boiler thingys. There are 4 units apparently. The are all identical (he didn't know whether they were identical to the last pipe when I asked, but he said the plans were all the same) but they work completely separately so that if one breaks down, the others will still run. They do something to do with boiling something which makes something else happen. It all got a bit confusing but it was good to look at! Then Fred showed us the shifts of engineers. They work shifts of 12 hours but they get about 15 days off a month - 8 all in one go at one point! I was debating in my head whether I should consider being an engineer in later life because I loved the sound of 8 days off in a row! But then I decided that, no. It wasn't the right career path for me. BUT... then we went to see the control room. There are 4 areas of control panel desks and 9 MASSIVE screens - 3 for each unit. Apparently, the computer engineer staff people stay at their desks all day working the computers and making sure nothing goes wrong. Fred said "They even have their lunch in there!" At the word 'lunch', I decided that this was the job for me! Sitting at a computer all day, chatting and eating lunch! Sounds like my perfect job! Well, my perfect job would be doing something or other at the BBC, preferably radio and preferably Radio 4 or 5live! But being a computer person who eats lunch would be almost as good! I wonder if they have any pasta.... Anyway, I'd better go to bed now. But 'Meg's Adventures At Didcot Power Station Part Three' will be up some time tomorrow, probably about 10pm because that's when I seem to be doing most of my blogs - just before bed! Right then, G'night everyone! xxxxx
Wednesday 24 February 2010
Meg's Adventures At Didcot Power Station (Part One)
Today I went to a power station for a school trip! I was expecting it to be really, really boring because other people who had been before said it was just walking round, trying to hear a boring man talking over the racket the generator thingys were making. But I was pleasantly surprised! I thoroughly enjoyed the visit and I really want to go again. We were all given yellow hard hats and luminous jackets, so I had a great time pretending to be Bob the Builder and Fireman Sam! I have to confess that I do have the theme tunes of both those programs on my ipod - along with Postman Pat, Noddy, William's Wish Wellingtons etc. The 90's was the best decade for children's telly. I'm sure many people would disagree with me but that's what I think. Anyhoo, we got into groups of about 5 or 6 and were assigned to a guide and off we went. Since everyone else looked bored and uninspired, I decided that we needed some enthusiasm to get us through the day so I started acting very enthusiastically, saying things like "Right! Lets go!" or "Come on guys!" and asking our guide lots of questions. Our guide was called Fred and he was lovely! First of all, we talked about the process of electricity generation at the power station, eg. burning coal, putting it through a turbine, doing something with a generator and a transformer and huge towers. This went on for a while and it was really interesting. Then I asked him about the implications the miners strike had had on the power station. This turned into a long political discussion about the effects of privatisation and the Tories *shudder* and the economy. I found this immensely enjoyable! Then we went somewhere else and Fred explained about the cooling towers (the massive chimneys like at the beginning of the simpsons) which was fascinating! Everyone thinks the smoke coming out of the top is a really dangerous pollutant but actually it's just condensated water! Its ironic because the really lethal gases are clear so you wouldn't be able to see them anyway!
Anyway, I need to go to sleep (in bed on my itouch again!) so I shall continue this story tomorrow in 'Meg's Adventures At Didcot Power Station Part 2!" I'm sure everyone is looking forward to it! And even if they aren't, I'll still write it because I'm really enjoying doing this blog!
N'night xxxxxxx
Anyway, I need to go to sleep (in bed on my itouch again!) so I shall continue this story tomorrow in 'Meg's Adventures At Didcot Power Station Part 2!" I'm sure everyone is looking forward to it! And even if they aren't, I'll still write it because I'm really enjoying doing this blog!
N'night xxxxxxx
Monday 22 February 2010
Books :-)
I received some 'constructive criticism' from my mum yesterday. She said not to start my blogs saying 'ummm.... not sure what to say...' etc because it gets boring. Which is perfectly true so I wont.
Back to school today and everything is pretty much the same. I've got 3 GCSE exams in the next 2 weeks - maths, history and science. Fun fun fun! Oh well, once they're done, I can forget about them.
Todays (short) blog is about books I have decided. I happen to be reading 5 books at the moment. They are all really interesting but it's quite hard to read 5 books at once. I am re-reading a book about how Russell T Davies wrote Doctor Who scripts. It's a very good book! I am also reading Mark Kermode's book about his life and films. I haven't got very far in that one. And I'm reading my great friend Allie's book which I am really enjoying. It is my school reading book because we have 10 mins at the start of each lesson to read because it's meant to boost our vocabulary - which it does. I am reading Allie's book most at the moment because I don't have a huge amount of time for reading at home at the moment what with work and stuff. I did more reading in half term. Umm... and I'm reading a book called English History 1914-1945 which is very interesting but the print is tiny and it uses very advanced language. It takes me 5 minutes to read every page! I'm only on page 25 or something. Anyway, I'm reading a book about money and banks too, so I can understand the recession and everything. I can proudly announce that I finally understand Interest!
Right, I'd better go to sleep. I have been writing this in my bed on my iPod touch! Ok then, nighty night! xxxx
Sunday 21 February 2010
Hello again
Right! Blog number 2! Err... not really sure what to say in this one. I'm not doing anything very interesting at the moment - english essay. Actually, I'm also eating a Thornton's chocolate santa which I have only just got round to eating. I got SO much chocolate for christmas! I'm gradually getting through it all. Just finished my massive slab of Hotel Chocolat Rocky Road - it was delicious!
There we go! Not a great quality picture, I took it on my webcam. Ah well :-)
Anyway, my good friend Emma gave me this santa as a present and she even got them to put my name on it! Awww :-) So now I need to work out how to post pictures.... ah, I see. There's a button saying 'Add Image.' I shall click that!
There we go! Not a great quality picture, I took it on my webcam. Ah well :-)Anyhoo, not sure why I'm going on about chocolate. I shall go on about Twitter instead.
I joined Twitter in January last year. It was just before Jonathan Ross came back to the BBC after being off for 3 months. I was googling him because I wanted to know when he was coming back. Then I came across his Twitter page. I had literally no idea what it was about - it took me a while to realised that the most recent post was at the top and past ones were below. Then I found Stephen Fry's account. I asked my mum if I could have an account like a good little girl and she said I could so I did! I quickly worked out how it worked and really started to enjoy it. Excited by my new discovery, I went straight on to MSN and asked all my friends to join. Most of them weren't as excited as me and did a couple of updates and left it at that. But a few months later, my good friends Emma and Izzy became as addicted as me! And I got my mum to sign up too! She loves it!
Since then, I have made loads of Twitter friends. Well... a few. But everyone is really nice! I don't have Facebook though. Not sure why. I suppose I see Twitter as a lot more sophisticated and adult which is what I prefer. I can tweet about politics and my views and Billy Elliot without being told I'm weird, which is nice :-) I really like the atmosphere. I have Twitter friends from all over the world - Germany, USA, Sweden, UK, umm think thats it. Well 4 countries is a good start. I'm begining to ramble so I think I should stop.
Thanks for reading!
Meg xx
Saturday 20 February 2010
Umm... hullo. I have finally decided to start a blog. Not sure whether I'll be very good at it but I'll give it a go! Should be fun! Please dismiss any spelling/grammar mistakes. :-)
I'm babysitting my brother tonight because my parents are having a meal at a friends house. The occasional cackle of laughter or excited shout can be heard through the wall that divides our rooms. This is normal for when he is playing a computer/wii/ds game. I sometimes hear, "Meg! Come and look at this!" which is the signal to go and observe what he is doing, make a comment and be told an interesting fact about Nintendo or Mario or game controls or something like that. These facts can go on for several minutes. Ben can memorise paragraphs and paragraphs of Wikipedia articles about his favourite subjects. This will probably serve him very well in future exams (although he is only in year 6) however, he is very selective of what he remembers. It is generally about Mario, Nintendo, Sonic the Hedgehog, stickmen or computers. He comes out with this stuff most meal times and, although we are very impressed, it can get a bit tiring.
I should probably stop writing this blog now because I need to do some maths homework. And then tomorrow I need to finish my english essay, write some stuff about poems and finish my review of a film I hated - from the point of view of a Christian. I have to say whether it represented Christianity well - which it did. So I have to write a positive review of it even though it was the worst film I have seen for ages! This blog has become quite negative now so I must stop.
Byebye :-)
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