RANDOM JOTTINGS

Phew!

Busy day yesterday, my boss off on a trip to Russia and I sounded like a character out of Three Sisters rushing around the office all day saying Moscow, Moscow and getting everything ready he needed, papers, tables, information, checking his itinerary, making sure he had somewhere to stay, someone to collect him from the airport, somebody to take him to the airport, somebody to pick him up at home and take him to his outward flight blah blah blah

It was all too much to bear so was very glad to get on the train home and happily sleep and dribble all the way to Colchester.  I then had my supper, assumed a semi-recumbent posture upon the sofa and decided just to chill out for the evening, I had no thoughts worth communicating to anybody out there in blogdom, so did even attempt to write.

When I posted about my Second Blogday I received many congratulatory comments, both on and off blog, which I was delighted tor receive and what was wonderful for me to contemplate is the fact that many of these messages said they read my blog every day, could not manage the day without their ‘fix’, loved reading my reviews and also hearing all about my life and adventures, and it suddenly struck me what a huge responsibility this all is.  While not an author in any sense, it gave me an inkling of how a writer must feel when they have to produce a book for their publishers, or an article for a paper, all under pressure and what if they have a day well, gosh I just don’t feel like it? 

This is, essentially, a book blog though the tag line says I am a book and operaholic, but opera is rather expensive and books are cheaper and more portable as well.  Publishers send me lots of books now, but I have yet to receive a free ticket to an opera house and a letter saying ‘Elaine we read your blog every day and am delighted to hear you love Bryn Terfel/Placido Domingo/Rolando Villazon and we are SO looking forward to your review of this performance, pair of tickets enclosed".  That ain’t gonna happen any time soon, or ever so I write mainly about books with the odd bit of Verdi and Wagner thrown in.

I do like to meander off down byways of odd thoughts and also have the occasional rant when I am in GOW mode, which I thoroughly enjoy (makes me feel better when visitors write and agree with me as I am so used to my two darling offspring rolling their eyes up to heaven with ‘O God here she goes again’ expressions on their faces) and also to write about my holidays and visits and trips. 

I have yet to have any bad experiences on blogging, have not had anybody write to me in an unpleasant way or any disaster (though I did have some odd comments on a post I did some time ago now about a visit to Bravissimo {a bra shop for larger ladies} in Cambridge, followed by driving home to watch Beckham play in the last World Cup – I foolishly called it ‘Boobs and Beckham’ and I leave you to imagine the kind of visitors who logged in and the shock I got when I clicked onto their links…..).

I felt a bit guilty about not writing yesterday but was feeling pretty flat out so you will have to forgive me.  I was punished however, as I decided to watch the final film in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy which DVD had been languishing on my shelves for some time, and it was totally and utterly DIRE.  I adore Depp and think his portrayal of Jack Sparrow is a hoot, but the director made no attempt to keep him in line and he was totally over the top, rambling and unfunny.  Keira Knightley was equally awful giving an excruciatingly hammy and acutely embarrassing speech to the crew about going off to fight or die, and gorgeously yummy Orland Bloom (check out pic and see if you agree with me…), was more or less delegated to the side lines.  Story totally incomprehensible and I stuck with it more out of apathy than anything else as I really did want to see how this farrago was wound up. 

I have now taken the three DVDs off my shelves as I think it highly unlikely I will ever watch them again (though the first one was excellent) and will seek out a child or a charity shop who would like them.

I would have been far better off posting and writing and it would have been more fun so it serves me right.