New Home

Our new home overlooks St Bartholomew's Cemetery and Exeter Catacombs. Behind us is the Benedictine Priory of St Nicholas which is currently being restored. Each morning I come out of the arched doorway to a wonderful view of the graveyard and a huge holly tree. I'm adoring it.

More updates in a couple of weeks when the huge, unwieldy conference I'm project managing is out of the way. Roll on December.

WTF?


I really don't have the words to describe the thoughts and feelings that I have when looking at this...I must say if anyone I know buys one they will be hung, drawn and quartered the moment I hear about it!

So much going on but so little to say...

The move has been hectic as all moves are. Still looking for a flat to move into so in Lornie and Will's spare room for now (thank you, thank you, much love to you both!). There doesn't seem to be many 1 beds out there to rent but hopefully we'll find something soon and get on with the nesting.

We've spent a lot of the last few days stalking around Exeter and getting settled in to our new city.

Work is busy but managed to sort out a swanky vodafone modem so I can work anywhere at all...there are an other couple of jobs in the pipeline too so fingers crossed on that front.

I was in London for a meeting today and didn't feel like I've missed it at all.

Again, sorry...

Time has been against me what with the slow, plodding move to Exeter, going freelance, handovers and goodbyes to friends.

Notes to self:

• spend more time on the stuff that you enjoy
• take time to look at the things that surround you
• slow your heart rate down and try to breathe
  

Lunchtime Timewasting

New Laptop

Shiny, shiny new laptop - I'm reminded of my old new media lecturer who spent a large majority of his time rubbing his laptop in the most sensual way imaginable. I can't keep my hands off this beautiful thing...

Circus Showdown

Went to the Hackney Empire for the Circus Showdown - a selection of Circus Cabaret/contemporary circus acts competing to be the winner of the evening. I don't think I've had so much fun in ages; wonderful acts including Wrong Size's Airlight and Desiree Kongerod’s ‘Twist’ contortion.

Bye Bye Marcel Marceau

LIFE

Back from a wonderful weekend in Exeter. We've made the right decision. Undoubtedly.

Returned to London on Sunday evening - too hectic, sweaty and stressful.

Monday morning blues reached a new height...with stupid bitchy emails, boss pretty much telling me that I couldn't do parts of my job right (nothing to do with lack of information from him of course!), changed meeting times and general pissed off-ness.

Theatre Visits

Friday night
Reverence - A site-sympathetic tale of Abelard and Heloise
An indoor promenade performance, at the site of the new Southwark Playhouse under London Bridge Station.

We donned cowls as students entering an order as God's representatives on Earth. We were taken around the dark, damp spaces spying on Abelard and Heloise and the people around them. Glorious production. Scary. Emotional. Wonderfully dark imagery.

www.goatandmonkey.co.uk

Monday night
The Bacchae by Euripides, a new version of The Bacchae by David Greig

Ok, it starts with Alan Cummings* arse on show...can it get any better? Oh yes, it can! It goes from outrageously camp musical to dark Greek tragedy and gets away with it. The god of dance and wine, Dionysus as indulgent transvestite unleashing uncontrollable female sexuality and cruelty was just wonderful.

www.lyric.co.uk

* I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Alan Cumming since he wrote and played Sebastian Flight in The High Life (Pif, paf pof!).

Tarot Reading

Q: Is it worth taking the risk and moving to exeter with boyf?

Go to www.facade.com/tarot get your own.

	The Cross and Triangle spread is a powerful means of understanding complex situations, developed by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. This spread is rich in occult and mystical symbolism, and one of our favorites here at Facade. The William Blake Tarot explores the mystical vision and artistry of the renowned English painter and poet. Through rich interpretations focused on creative undertakings, it has long been the deck of choice for artists, writers, musicians, and thinkers.
	The first card, the significator, is placed in the center of the cross. This card represents the prime energy manifest in your life. Woman of Poetry: "To go forth to the Great Harvest & Vintage of the Nations". Radiating confidence, pride, and self-assurance. Being unafraid to promote yourself or reach for what you really want. Being generous and open-hearted, but also dramatic and assertive. Wanting to inspire others. Creative self-fulfillment. Gathering a rich harvest from the situation. Expressing intuitive knowledge and leadership. Mastery of expression. In the creative process: With complete confidence in your expressive abilities, you serve as a guiding light to inspire growth and confidence in others.
	The second card, placed above the significator, represents Air. It describes your spirit, process of thought, and the influence of reason. Three of Music (Exuberance): "Exuberance is Beauty". Sense of emotional expansion. Something that makes you sing for joy. Intense desire for creative expression. A cause for lively celebration. Plunging into creative new territory. Getting people excited about your idea. Supportive alliances or relationships. Entertaining gatherings, performances, meetings, get-togethers. In the creative process: Exciting and joyous progress is taking place; blow your horn!
	The third card, placed to the right of the significator, represents Fire. It describes your motivations, creative energies, and the influence of passion. Angel of Painting: "The Graphic Muse". Visionary reverie. Coalescing plans and agendas in your imagination. Contemplation prior to action. Making use of appropriate tools. Getting an overview of the situation, particularly regarding its physical or material aspects. "Getting the feel" of things. In the creative process: Look for or contemplate a solid idea, a practical point of view that can instigate a whole new direction in your work or project.
	The fourth card, placed below the significator, represents Water. It describes your emotions, meditations, and the influence of love. Union: The successful coming-together of something vitally important to you. Getting your act together at last. The joining of male and female forces, or unification or inner and outer life. Not holding anything back. Being at the center. Completion. Spiritual self-sacrifice.
	The fifth card, placed to the left of the significator represents Earth. It describes your physical presence, position in life, and the influence of the material world. Child of Music, when reversed: The struggle to kindle your emotions. Being ruled by your own feelings. Emotional risks and instability. Disguising your vulnerability. Being shy and moody. Keeping your feelings to yourself. Self absorption clouding your empathy with others, and with animals. In the creative process: Go inside yourself to experience emotional innocence and primal voice. Don't be afraid to improvise in your own way.
	At this point the cross is complete and the triangle is formed. The sixth card, placed on the bottom left of the triangle represents one of two opposing forces. Seven of Science (Lamentation): Psychic energy restrained. Feeling burdened with heavy thoughts. Pushing yourself too hard. Wallowing over and refusing to accept the situation. Straining against something. In the creative process: When you are feeling stuck or blocked, push your imagination to find a way around the problem; rely on your energy and hard work.
	The seventh card, placed on the bottom right of the triangle represents the force that opposes the bottom left card. These forces may be external, but they are frequently one's own inner archetypes in conflict. Transformation, when reversed: Unwillingness to change old for new. Stagnation. Burning your bridges behind you. Facing the future unprepared. Failure to accept the inevitable.
	The eighth card, the reconciler, is placed below the cross in the third vertex of the triangle. This is the force that will resolve the conflict between the bottom left and bottom right cards. By meditating on this force and bringing more of it into your life, you can bring the matter at hand to a swifter conclusion than would naturally occur. Assessment, when reversed: Inattention to being fair and just. Lack of consideration of commitments, agreements, or negotiations. Refusal to weigh the pros and cons of a situation. Being blind to the needs of self versus others. Inability to transcend a situation or avoid a conflict of interest.
	The ninth and final card, placed in the center bottom of the triangle, represents the final outcome unless you change course. Reason: Using your head to get through a situation. A time to define or obey the rules. Yielding to or being the boss, or authority figure. Patriarchal or traditional approach is favored. Fathering issues.

Undecided

There's a young man in my front garden...topless...and gardening. I can't decide whether I should just enjoy my "diet coke moment" or continue to feel a little bit sick...

Let's play the Horatio Caine quote game!

It goes like this: take a famous quote and insert a pause to put on sunglasses. For example:

Because that is where (pause put on sunglasses) we will spend the rest of our lives.
Nobody expects (pause put on sunglasses) the Spanish Inquisition.

Who's first?

I don't know why I do these, they always upset me a little...

Advanced Global Personality Test Results Extraversion |||||||||| 33% Stability |||||||||| 33% Orderliness |||||||||||||||| 66% Accommodation |||||||||||| 50% Interdependence |||||||||||||| 56% Intellectual |||||||||||||||||| 76% Mystical |||||||||||||||||| 76% Artistic |||||||||||||||||| 76% Religious |||||||||| 36% Hedonism |||||||||| 36% Materialism |||||||||||| 43% Narcissism |||||||||||||||| 70% Adventurousness |||| 16% Work ethic |||||||||||||||||| 76% Self absorbed |||||||||||||||| 63% Conflict seeking |||||||||||||||||||| 83% Need to dominate |||||||||||||||||||| 83% Romantic |||||||||||||||||| 76% Avoidant |||||||||||||||| 70% Anti-authority |||||||||||||| 56% Wealth |||| 16% Dependency |||||||||||| 50% Change averse |||||||||||||||| 63% Cautiousness |||||||||||||||||| 76% Individuality |||||||||||||||| 70% Sexuality |||||||||||||||| 63% Peter pan complex |||||| 23% Physical security |||||||||||||||| 70% Physical Fitness || 10% Histrionic |||||||||||| 43% Paranoia |||||||||||||||| 63% Vanity |||||||||||||| 56% Hypersensitivity |||||||||||||||||| 76% Indie |||||||||||||||| 70%

Take Free Advanced Global Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Stability results were moderately low which suggests you are worrying, insecure, emotional, and anxious.

Orderliness results were moderately high which suggests you are, at times, overly organized, reliable, neat, and hard working at the expense of flexibility, efficiency, spontaneity, and fun.

Extraversion results were moderately low which suggests you are reclusive, quiet, unassertive, and secretive.

trait snapshot:
depressed, introverted, neat, needs things to be extremely clean, observer, perfectionist, not self revealing, does not make friends easily, suspicious, irritable, hates large parties, follows the rules, worrying, does not like to stand out, fragile, phobic, submissive, dislikes leadership, cautious, takes precautions, focuses on hidden motives, good at saving money, solitary, familiar with the dark side of life, hard working, emotionally sensitive, prudent, altruistic, heart over mind, unadventurous

Post-Reading

Highlights

• Catching up with my lovely mates.
• Making some lovely new friends.
• Gossip - boy, does Beth Ditto rock. That voice is just breathtaking.
• Watching Interpol with Jess in fold out seats, a couple of cans each and rubbing our thighs intermittently.
• Discussing in great detail the merits of various bass players.
• Shiny Toy Guns rocking out mid-afternoon.
• Carla going AWOL after dragging a punter away from the stall into the dark of the campsite and then returning some time later having named all their planned children.
• "Angry Mob" dancing outside our stall and going insane when we played something they didn't like.
• NIN, a fucking brilliant set. A semi mystical/semi erotic experience.
• Smashing Pumpkins were amazing too. Billy's growling voice gives me goose bumps.
• Turtle being accused of being in the Kaiser Chiefs followed quickly with Az being asked if he was from YMCA.
  
• Late night hot chocolate.
  

Lowlights

• Being so hungover on Friday morning that I had to be put into Jess and Turtle's tent for kip before starting work. Thanks guys and thank you to Kat for the life saving egg bap!
• Salvation Army complaining about the level of noise from our stereo. Next time I see them playing in a town centre I will have to complain about them...
• Sunburn.

All in all a great weekend. However, I think that it is undoubtedly time to pass the baton onto the young 'uns. There is no way that I can work as a trader at a festival again - it's too tiring and I just can't drink/drug like I used to...

Reading Festival

Edited highlights from website info page:

"Dear Reading Festival Goer,

It has been a very difficult month. When we got on site on July 25th, Green Camps ABC and D were waist high in water from the floods, yellow camp FGH and I were over 3’ deep in water, all of brown was over my knees, purple I couldn’t get to and White was just part of the river...In summary it has been a challenge. The summer has been bloody awful but thanks to great support from Reading Borough Council and the Environment Agency who have managed to drop the level of the river adjacent to the site and therefore reduce the level of the water table on site, as well as the amazing efforts of a key number of my site crew...we will be able to stage the world’s greatest rock festival despite what climate change and the weather have thrown at us...

Best regards

Melvin Benn

Managing Director Festival Republic – Promoter of Carling Weekend: Reading & Leeds Festivals"

We were meant to be working in fancy dress but I have removed my big silly dress and have packed wellies, inflatable canoe and emergency flares instead. Oh, and enough gin to block out the horror of it all.

Too cute for words...

My young man is away for a whole week. We've spent a lot of this summer apart with me away on various work projects but being in another bed/tent seems to be much easier than being in our bed alone. I went to bed alone and woke up alone; feeling rather sorry for myself. Then, this morning this CD arrived:With a lovely note "for you to listen to when you is snugglez in bed x"

I'm really looking forward to going to bed tonight now!

Ch-ch-changes

Notice that I just threw that in without thinking "moving to Devon". Yep, me and the young man are moving to Exeter sometime in October. It's both very exciting and absolutely terrifying.

Twin Peaks

I've just worked out that Lucy and I have only got to episode 13 of our Twin Peaks marathon...only 16 to go. We both leave London in October. There is no way we're going to do it all before then.

Good job we're both moving to Devon.

Nicest email that I've received in a while:

"Boudicca is amazing

Boudicca is the best

Boudicca deserves a Nobel peace prize"