Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Where does the time go?

Where does the time go? I can’t believe it’s been so long since I last posted a blog. Yesterday, while I was writing an article that I needed to finish for the Wednesday posting on my ‘Jax writers spot’ blog (see my links), I checked in with my space, as I often do whenever I feel like a quick break. The only problem was I got the most attention I had ever received on ‘my space’. I had loads of messages from people I didn’t know, including a fair few declarations of love which I now just delete, and I had around 20 friend requests. I couldn’t understand it.

The article I was writing about hyperactivity in children and diet involved writing up studies etc, in an interesting readable fashion, and it needed a lot of my energy. In retrospect I should not have looked at my space, as in the end it became quite overwhelming.

Of all the requests I only added three friends. I’ve only been on ‘my space’ about 6 months and although I do want to make friends on my space, I don’t want to have pages of friends that are difficult for me and other people to wade through. I’m not the typical my spacer. A lot of the requests were from Music profiles and although I love music and have a fair few music friends, I don’t add too much music. I prefer to add music friends if I know them, or have seen them or have the opportunity to see them (i.e they are from my part of the country), or I really really like the music.

I also had a friend request from the Ingrams and I looked at their profile. Charles and Diane share the profile and I saw he was an author, however I recognised the name, and couldn’t remember from where. So I googled him and found they were the couple who had cheated on 'Who wants to be a millionaire'.

I also had requests from people/music groups, who had lots of friends who are young girls scantily clad in underwear. I am quite a political person and believe being constantly bombarded by ‘tits and arse’ does a lot to create problems with body image for women, causing low self esteem and possibly contributing to developing eating disorders. Not everyone is a size 10 (or should I say 0 now), women who may be a bit older, who don’t have such smooth skin, or have a bit of a fuller figure than these girls are still beautiful women. It’s what’s inside that counts, not how someone looks.

I feel the friends I have on ‘my space’ reflect me. So forgive me for being a bit selective. On a positive side I have met some lovely people on my space, and write regularly to a couple of women friends I have made. A fair few of my friends also log in each week and read my ‘Jax writers spot’ article and it quite often develops into a discussion about what I have written about. Although yesterday was a little overwhelming, it was also very amusing, and the positives of ‘my space’, for me, outweigh the negatives.

Friday, October 12, 2007

Jack of all trades Master of none

Why do people say they are a jack of all trades and master of none as if it’s a negative quality? Being a jack of all trades, and not being particularly brilliant at any one thing, has a very negative press in today’s meritocratic competitive society, which demands we are the best at what we do, and doesn’t allow for second best.

However what being a jack of all trades means for me is that I’m interested in so many things. So I’m not going to be the best at anything, but I will enjoy everything I put my mind to. It’s not negative!

I sing at the open mic, I have a good voice and don’t sing out of tune, but I’m never going to make a living out of singing, I just enjoy it. I can also turn my hand to crafts and sewing, when my children were little I made their clothes. Recently I was passed a bag of corduroy trousers (in too big a size to wear) but I couldn’t throw them away, and ended up making a patchwork bag with them. I make my beady models, which I can never make a living out of, because they take so many hours to make but being creative with beads feeds my soul. I am a jack of all trades but a master of none and I’m proud of that.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Free Burma

Troops in Rangoon opened fire on monks and their supporters on the bloodiest days of week long protests last week. Soldiers fired automatic weapons at protesters; the deaths came as thousands of protesters defied an increasingly violent government crackdown on public protests.

Burma is ruled by one of the most brutal military dictatorships in the world; a dictatorship charged by the United Nations with a “crime against humanity” for its systematic abuses of human rights, and condemned internationally for refusing to transfer power to the legally elected Government of the country – the party led by Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Aung San Suu Kyi is now serving her third term of house arrest. She was arrested on 30 May, 2003 after the regime's militia attacked her convoy and killed up to 100 of her supporters.

Please show your support today. Sign a petition, write a blog, and get your voice heard. Log onto http://www2.free-burma.org/index.php?view=1

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Writing is in my blood.

I went out the other night and I had great friends around me, but I felt so alone. It was a fancy dress night for a friend’s birthday and I went as a tree, I had brought a dress which was too short, and I ended up sewing loads of leaves onto it for a festival fancy dress night in the summer, so I thought I’d wear it again (you can see a photo of my tree outfit on my ‘my space’ link on the right). I had a fair few drinks but it didn’t loosen me up. Even though the people around me included me so much, and I chatted with loads of people I felt so alone. The night illustrates where my head has been at for some time.

I’ve wanted to post a blog before, but I haven’t had much positive to say, I’ve not been in a good frame of mind for many weeks. I worry that maybe prospective publishers will read my ‘planet ug’ blog and think I might not manage to keep up and deliver. However suffering from depression doesn’t mean I can’t be a valuable member of society and deliver work when I need too. Truth is I do keep up and deliver. Even though I’ve been feeling life is hopeless, not worth the effort, and if it wasn’t for my kids and the fact I’m a coward (in that way) I could have given up, I have kept writing. I have done a lot of writing the past few weeks helping a friend with a media project, and I’ve delivered. I’ve made contacts for future articles, and I’ve carried on posting an article a week on my ‘Jax writers spot’ blog. Writing is in my blood and I believe I am good at it.

I wanted to be a journalist when I was at school, which an old friend of mine reminded me of the other day, and I didn’t follow it because I didn’t believe in myself, I didn’t believe I could do it. I was steered by my parents and careers advisors (of which I was one for many years) to go towards a less ambitious caring type of job. As much as I love my Mum and Dad, when I suggested I wanted to do an Open University degree at 20something, my Mum said she didn’t think I was clever enough, so instead I did some GCSE’s. 10 years later I went to University and got a first. I know I can do it. I got a first because I am a good researcher, I can tune in with what people want me to produce, and I am motivated and interested in what I’m researching, which enables me to produce the goods. Put your trust in me and I will deliver.