We learned that the very first sign of atherosclerosis is the so-called “fatty streak,” or the strip of fat that is laid down in your arteries and becomes the first building block of further irreversible damage. And unbelievably, the “fatty streak” starts to form in your 20′s! I immediately drew the connection, of course, that I am in the middle of my 20′s. And I knew that my genes were going to need all the help they could get to keep my arteries healthy.  I already eat pretty healthfully, so I decided immediately that I would start exercising regularly.

Of course, the intention is the first step. But for me, the second step was more of a slow dragging-of-feet. I did manage to somewhat get my rear in gear after my ACL surgery (an operation to fix my torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament), because rehab was necessary in order to walk properly… kind of an important thing. And during my clerkship year, I was able to get my exhausted body to the gym because my brain was often too tired to do any serious reading by the time I left work… particularly on my surgery rotation!

But eventually I really needed a discrete goal to strive for. So, since Katie agreed to run it with me, I signed up for the Broad Street Run. If you’re from Philly, you understand the hype and excitement that surrounds this 10-mile race! It seems like everyone I know has run it at some point. Eventually I thought to myself, well why can’t I do it too?! So for the first time in my life, I started running. Slowly, at first. I distinctly remember the first time I hit a mileage over 2 mi. I even saved a picture of it because I was so proud of myself! (This was actually an embarrassingly short period of time ago.)

 Then, one day on a run together, Katie forced me to go 3 miles. Three miles?!?!? I thought she must be insane. I could not keep running! But I could. I did! And a few weeks later, she helped me push myself to 4 miles. Race day was creeping ever closer, but our vacation to Nashville put a pause in my training. I was starting to wonder whether I would have what it takes to run the unimaginable 10 miles! But this past Sunday was the day of truth: I decided that I would just do the best I could, and that if I ended up finishing, great!

 The night before, we loaded up on carbohydrates: I made a pasta dish with roasted garlic olive oil, leeks, parsley, and parmesan, plus ginger ale with muddled mint. It was delish! And we came up with a few plans about how I would get through it: to start out, Katie was going to tell me the whole history of Haiti. Starting this summer, she’ll be returning to Haiti for a year, to work as a surgical sub-intern for Partners In Health and participate in global surgery research projects. And I wanted to understand more of the historical context  in order to get the most out of my experience when I go visit her there! So, she spent the first 6 miles- yes, that’s 60 minutes- telling me the entire history of the country and giving me historical and cultural context for the place that she loves so much! Then, I stuck it out til mile 8, because she promised to tell me a really funny story if I made it to 8 miles. And then, at 9 miles, the best thing happened: I saw Mayor Michael Nutter!!! This gave me incredible energy during the final mile when my body felt like it was pretty much ready to close up shop. He was standing along the sideline, giving high-fives to the runners, and by gosh I found energy from who knows where, and I made a beeline to him for my high five! I yelled “Hi Mayor Nutter!!” and he smiled and yelled hello back to me! He gave me a killer high five, and you can call me crazy, but that gave me the energy I needed to make it to the end!

I have to say, finishing that race– and running it at a solid 10 minute pace the entire way, which was my previous best pace that I could manage– ranks right up there with my other biggest accomplishments. I am incredibly proud of myself, and I’m immensely thankful to Katie for helping me through it, and I can’t wait to do it again next year!! Congrats also to everyone else who ran this epic race!!

Saturday I worked a the rescue, and then decided to join mom and dad for dinner with a friend of theirs’ at the Chateau in Dedham. They always play Keno and so I figured, “why not” and handed my dad $5.00 for my games.

5, 7-number games, no multiplier (though in hindsight I wish I had played the multiplier!).

And then to my surprise I had 6 numbers, and was winning $100. Then wait…I have all the numbers? I think I do? I hand the ticket to my dad to verify, and yes! I did win all 7 numbers!

Pretty cool! I am going tomorrow to the Lottery Office to file the paperwork (of course there is paperwork), and pay the taxes on it up front (as if I had a choice), and then maybe I am heading to the Apple Store to buy myself an iPad, and come home and pay off all my bills (except for the godforsaken student loan) – I didn’t win that much!

Like any person whose mind is dulled by television, I forgot about my revelations;  Until one day a family member posted a photo of some fresh-from-the-store merchandise (on Facebook) with the caption “I got $36 worth of stuff for 20 cents.  #coupons #ifitsfreeitsforme”  to which I thought retorted, “Oh, it’s on!”

After browsing a few popular coupon websites, I eagerly awaited my family’s sunday newspaper delivery.  ”It will be brimming with coupon inserts,” they wrote.  When Sunday came and went, I remembered that my dad stopped getting the newspaper delivered to the house about 8 years ago…  ”No matter!” I thought.  We still had a complimentary “Sunday Saver” with the Smart Source insert and the Red Plum insert (SS and RP for all you coupon lingo-ers).  After combing through the pages for products and food I was interested in/stuff we use regularly I came up with two or three coupons.  Not a good start, I must admit.  But how was I going to save money if I bought things I didn’t need?

One find was a coupon for Tresemme “Buy one Get One Free.”  Plus, the Shoprite circular listed Tresemme was one sale for $2.99!  Two bottles of Tresemme for $3? Don’t mind if I do.  ”My first deal!” I thought. “That wasn’t too bad.”  Then I looked at the clock and realized I had been at it for about three hours and had to go to work.

“There has got to be an easier way,” I thought to myself.  I searched the websites and blogs again.  ”What is everyone’s secret?”  I came to the conclusion that the secret is… (drumroll please) Every person who successfully “coupons” is a genius.  Thats not even a joke! No, Seriously it’s not.  The couponing world is filled with, “this insert and that insert”, “this website and that website”, “Catalinas”, “MFR Coupons” and more.  Manufacturing coupons can only be combined with store coupons and store coupons can be methodically planned for with the previous purchase of products (but you better use coupons for those other products too or it won’t even be worth it).  Each store has their own membership cards and their own website where you can go to watch videos and redeem more deals.  CVS has something called “Extra Care bucks” which you receive when you buy a certain amount of an item or brand which can then be used as free money on future purchases at CVS.  Target runs coupons that can only be used at target.  Then there is the fine print.  This coupon gives you a $1 off of one item and this coupon gives you $3 off but only if you buy three of the item!  This coupon can only be applied once to one item but you use four of the same like coupons in one purchase.  This coupon is not subject to doubling.  This one says it can be redeemed at Walmart but since there is no Walmart logo, you can also use it at Cvs.  ”Like, seriously!?”   Can’t you just imagine me pouring over this information during my morning coffee and not understanding why I have a headache?  I have a college degree (granted I graduated a Radio/TV/Film major but I am smart dammit, I have a minor in PHILOSOPHY ok!?)  Oh geeze, maybe I am just over thinking!?

I won’t give up!  I stuck it out and carefully planned my next attack at CVS.  I would get $15 worth of Dove products and get $5 back.  Then I would use my existing deodorant coupons on two sticks of degree and end up getting them for about 50 cents each.  It was foolproof… and then I got to the store.  All of the sales were different!  I had been looking at the wrong circular.  Dove soap wasn’t on sale anymore and neither was the deodorant I planned on getting.  But I wasn’t about to back down.  I scanned the aisles.  The deal for spending $15 on dove and degree products and getting $5 back was still on.  I grabbed some dove shampoo and conditioner, which was 2 for $6 (already $2 off per bottle) plus I had a Buy one Get One for $1.50 coupon.  Then I got two sticks of degree for 2 for $8 (already $1.79 off per stick) plus my two coupons for 75 cents off of each one.  But I still needed to spend a couple dollars more to get the $5 back.  After exhausting all of the other options, I had to get two more bottles of dove hair products. (Because, of course the bars of soap weren’t included in the deal!)  I ended up spending $14.40 on $31.54 worth of stuff.  Plus I got the $5 off for my next purchase.

I used that $5 to strategically increase my “Extra Care Bucks.”  After scoping the sales, I got $25 worth of stuff for $19 after my $5 off plus I got $9 back to save on my next purchase.  Then, I went back to return a $10 tube of makeup that I ended up hating, which, I must say was pretty sneaky because I got to keep the $9 in extra bucks which means I got that whole order for free. Score!

But what have I really come away from my days as a “couponer” thinking… That I have enough hair products to wash my hair for two years.

But seriously, coupons are a very valuable resource.  Now I won’t go on any big shopping trips without looking for coupons first.  However, buying things just because there are coupons for them is the fault of most extreme couponers because the question is begged, “Would I even have bought that if I didn’t have a coupon?”  Sure, there are ways to rig the system by getting things for free but there is also that fake feeling of savings when a box of crackers is 25 cents off when you buy two! (You don’t need two boxes of Ritz, they last literally forever.) Are the coupons really savings or are companies profiting from that false sense of savings?  It isn’t an easy line to walk. On one hand you have a lifetime supply of shampoo and on the other you might be, “Getting swindled and pimped- Getting tricked by business.” Yeah I just quoted Macklemore, deal with it.

I am someone on the outside reflecting on the Shebangs through my own lens and in this case, second hand reading of the experience…..What I feel so strongly from these writings and reflections is the opportunity to be with each other in a different way and how that resonates still with the artists involved.

It’s a bit like travel that way. A chance to experience the world in another way.  Having just returned from a tour in france myself I feel that change. that openness as well.

I look forward to sharing some of these reflections with you over the next few days…

-Kate Holden

paris in spring. photo by Kate Holden

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago we went to the City Museum in St. Louis, MO  and we had a blast!

Calling it a museum is not exactly correct it’s more of a work of art that you climb, explore, squeeze, and slide through. Some of the highlights are: the Ten Story Slide, the big Whale, the Caves, and the Skateless Skate Park .

The Ten Story Slide: To get there you have to go in the basement (the Caves) then take every section of stairs and keep going up for about eleven stories. Then you wait in line for a bit, and then you get to go all the way down. It’s pretty tiring to get up there so we only went up once, also consider your strength before attempting to go up, it’s not too hard but I don’t think a six year old could do it.

The Whale: The Whale is the easiest portal into the upper realm. (there are others but you can discover them for yourselves.) It’s basically a giant whale that you can climb in.

The Caves: This is where we spent a lot of our time, (we were there for about five hours.) They are a HUGE matrix of small caves and pathways big enough to walk upright, but there are plenty of tiny little caves that you really have to squirm through. The smallest one we found took me a good five minutes to get through.

The Skateless Skate Park: It’s just that, a skate park but you can’t bring any wheels. It can be found on the third floor, using the BIG staircase near the lobby .

That’s pretty much all, but there is a GIANT outdoor section that looks pretty awesome, but while we were there it was too snowy so we couldn’t go out there.

If your looking for some place to go while in St. Louis you should consider it, but bring some kneepads because you do A LOT of crawling.

Here’s a a link to their website. They have a lot of good pictures.  http://www.citymuseum.org/site/

Have fun, AZC

Yep… after that margarita I’m going to make like one of those jalapenos and grab my sombrero for a siesta… no shoes though!  :)

and no copy/trans so you can give them to friends.

all free, 0L, no cost!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/MeltingDots/130/44/27

Kiss Me Deadly (Robert Aldrich, 1955)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048261/

Thrilling and surreal, Kiss Me Deadly is a unique film noir. All of the elements natural to the genre collide with a supernatural plot. Mike Hammer, played by Ralph Meeker, is as much cunning as he is a fool. He’s after vengeance – a pretty blond dead while in his care. But what he ends up after is over his head. The ending is something to behold, the film bordering on genius.

When a female hitchhiker pulls Mike into her curious predicament, events unfold in strange and dangerous ways. The woman is killed and Mike is beaten senseless – her shrieks send shivers up the neck. Centered on a mysterious and missing box, Mike is on the hunt for answers.

Meeker has the type of bad guy presence few good guys have embodied. Lee Marvin comes to mind, his deranged role from The Big Heat (1953) more comparable than Glenn Ford’s relentless routine in the same film. Mike Hammer, who we can trust to seek the truth, hits first and asks questions later. He’s clever enough, but there’s a mean streak in him – a desire to slap a guy around. He is the loner we expect, but less huggable than a Humphrey Bogart. His quest for the mysterious box is obsessive – he must succeed, because he’s been told to stay away. The bodies left dead in his wake sour the chase.

Kiss Me Deadly is mysterious even after we learn of the box, because we remain blind to its contents. The Maltese Falcon (1941) has clear stakes – a gem-encrusted statue of a bird. The ambiguity of the black box is intoxicating. When Mike finds the box, tucked in a men’s room locker, we get our first glimpse inside. It recalls memory of the buzzing box from Bunuel’s Belle De Jour (1967), or the suitcase filled with golden light in Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994). But the end of Kiss Me Deadly reveals its closer relationship to Pandora’s – an unholy terror unleashed. Like many film noirs, the ending is definitive. Unique to Kiss Me Deadly is the magnitude of the climax. As Mike and his lady hold each other on the beach, the darkness of night eliminated by the evil light leaping from the box, we are all left bewildered – what has been unearthed?

The opening credits scroll backwards across the screen – the mood eerie. We, too, have been picked up on the side of the road, but the ride we’re going on is nothing we’ve experienced before.

See It? YES

Top 100? Yes

I am a short and fat woman, but I rock that maxi dress like I’m nine feet tall.

2) The Swedish Chef.

Seriously, how can you not love this guy?

3) Pretending a $10,000 bag is both an affordable and reasonable purchase.

Window-shopping for the win!

4) Gravity Falls.

Mabel is my hero.

5) Yorkshire pudding.

Yum, enough said.

This scarf from Chapters/Indigo. SO CUTE.

Good old fashioned pair of brogues. These are mens, but I think I could pull ‘em off.

Maxi skirt! This one is from Old Navy.

Finally, some RayBans. I could look like Rashida Jones or Ryan Gosling!

]]> http://girlsinreallife.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/wise-words-from-harry-potter/ Thu, 02 May 2013 18:47:10 +0000 girlsinreallife http://girlsinreallife.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/wise-words-from-harry-potter/

I sat down by the river at lunch and got a sunburn, in typical fashion. The first nice day always catches me off guard and without sunscreen. I’m a fairly pale person here, let’s be honest with ourselves. I’ve got two grandparents of fair, easily sunburnt complexion, and two grandparents of brown, easily tanned complexion, and through the magic of genetics, I ended up with a sort of blend. A pale complexion that doesn’t repel the sun, like some pale skin does, but, no, attracts the sun like a magnet. Not in the way that my skin soaks it up and turns golden brown, but in the way that the sun seeks me out and destroys me. So I burn in approximately three minutes on a day with high UV, but with SPF 60, reapplied every half hour, I can get a bit of tan. It’s better this way, with the sunscreen and all. Damn holy ozone.

oh hi sunny backyard

In any case, the sunburn has already faded, but the vitamin D high has not. I feel all fuzzy. Welcome back sunshine, freckles, and glasses tan-lines, my old friends! It’s been a while.

~ Julia

Photo from Best Diving

Seahorses dance as the female inserts her oviduct into the male’s brooding pouch several times, while the male contorts himself to try to get the new eggs in place. Once the female is done inserting her share into the male, she swims away and leaves the male to attach himself to some seaweed or coral.

Photo from MOTE

The male is preggers for a few weeks before they give birth. They give birth by contorting themselves as their brood pouch expands then, in an explosive action the brood leaves the pouch. The pouch will return to normal in about an hour, and the male is ready to do it all over again!

Photo from Berkeley Nature

… every garden should have it!   Another 85 degree day today, so had to turn on the air conditioner this evening.  ahhhh… maybe there is some sleep in my future!!

The downside of living high? Our Municipality decided we don’t need streetlights or road markings. If you translate this into day to day living it means you will find yourself in a ditch if you get side tracked by deer, coyote or be(e)ar.

Furthermore, our power supplier wanted to save a few bucks and put our power lines above, instead of into the ground. Up here, this causes a problem during stormy weather.

Can you see the lines? Photo by C. Waschko

We had one of these days yesterday: At 5.15pm some of the tree branches hit  a power line and just like this, time stood still!

Our boys were in shock when all of a sudden their juice was cut off during their mind craft game. When they realized it wasn’t their mother and one of her tricks to get them outside, they came up with their own, fun alternatives:

Hockey fun during black-out!
C.Waschko

Mindcraft guys C.Waschko

We had no idea when the power would be back on. Faced with either a one or 10 hour black-out, I wrecked my brain what to do with our half cooked dinner in the oven.

C.Waschko

The boys refused to eat raw chicken and planned our meal instead:”Let’s have take-away.”

The plan itself was a good one until I wanted to hop into the car: my four wheeler was parked inside our garage. Obviously, our switch didn’t work. Could I have opened it manually? I don’t know. We have something dangling from the garage ceiling, but I ain’t pulling this one!

We had to wait for Dominic and his car. When I told my ever so clever husband about my cooking dilema, he only looked at me with raised eyebrows: “Why can’t you cook dinner? We have a gas stove!” I told you, he is a clever one. Instead of Dominos Pizza it was pan fried chicken with macaroni for us.

Good Gracious me! By force of habit I filled up our garborator with our left overs, like I always do. Again, Dominic watched me: “What did you do this for?. How will you turn it on?” Yukkies, don’t you just hate a smart ass? But again, he was right!

Luckily, I stopped myself in time before I loaded up our dishwasher with dirty, greasy plates- Who needs a machine if you can do it yourself?

The German housewife
C.Waschko

“Quickly boys, finish your homework before it gets too dark. Grab your candles on the way up.”  Last night, we could have been Mormones for all I know.

Candles for us! C.Waschko

Instead of our usual evening noises (freezer, TV, music, fridge) we heard laughter and animated chatter. Honestly, I forgot how much our Korean son can talk. I wonder what he will tell me when he discovers I used his chopsticks to light the candles….

All in all, the evening progressed smoothly. The only downside of not being powered up? I missed special agent Jack Bauer. Yes, believe it or not, after months of watching “24″ we are still on it.

Instead of dwelling on our missed evening entertainment I checked on the state of our ice cream in the freezer!  Why let a good thing melt away if I can eat it instead?  Sadly, vanilla ice cream is no real substitute for a man (aka, Jack Bauer) but for today it had to do the trick.

With my wonderful banana split in my bowl I starred into our pitch black, quiet neighbourhood – Oh Jack, I miss you so – and scooped myself a second helping!

10.05pm: When was the last time I went to bed this early? I have no idea when the power came back on; It was on when we woke up. But there is one thing I know for sure: magic happened during the black out:

Dominic decided to visit the Fountain of Youth during the night. In the morning he metamorphosed into a cute, soft skinned, blond haired, 10 year old school boy!

.

Twisted Nerve (Roy Boulting, 1968)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063729/

Twisted Nerve, a British psycho-killer-thriller following in the footsteps of the pivotal Peeping Tom (1959), is a triumph of B-movie magic. Unlike Peeping Tom, the mammoth Michael Powell had no hand in Twisted Nerve. Instead it was Roy Boulting, apparently as competent with the genre.

Martin, twenty-one, is a rich layabout living with his parents. After a botched attempt at stealing changes Martin into Georgie, a dimwitted dullard suffering from arrested development, the young woman naïve enough to help him, Susan Harper, becomes his newest obsession.

Hywel Bennett, the delightfully deranged Martin and sweetly pathetic Georgie, has screen presence comparable to Malcolm McDowell’s Alex from A Clockwork Orange (1971). Bennett brings strong psychology to what could have been a predictable character. His decisions are spontaneous and internalized, but all is told through his various expressions. This kind of acting is rare in a B-movie, even the ones at the top of the heap. Twisted Nerve is a testament to craft.

There are many characters in Twisted Nerve – all fully realized. Timothy West gives authenticity to Superintendent Dakin, the detective on Martin’s tail. West takes charge of his scenes as though the film is as much about police work as it is psychotic killing. Susan Harper, the sharp-tongued Hayley Mills, is every bit as clever as she is caring as she is young. Her character embodies the snarky naïvete of college-aged youth. Everyone from the desperate Joan Harper to drunken sexaholic Gerry to the dim-witted maid, Clarkie, is memorable and multidimensional. It gives the film richness, refusing superficiality.

Twisted Nerve is funny in that unmistakably British way. It’s thrilling, stupid, and downright dark. The end becomes pedestrian, – Georgie dragged away by orderlies, suffering for Martin’s sins – patience having finally dissipated. It’s tempting to claim the ending is the mark of a B-movie – a silly finish conceived by incapable hands. But many films float to flimsy finishes – the most overrated aspect of storytelling is the ending. Nearly two-hours of enjoyment should not be marred by ten minutes of inevitability.

Twisted Nerve, like Peeping Tom, was hardly a factor in the British cinema scene. It offended every audience’s sensibilities in its use of the term mongoloid, by loosely connecting homicidal mania with chromosomal disorder, and with the bold choice of harnessing some mentally ill children to be extras. Perhaps this is where its B-movie roots show, but bravo for going full force into lunacy. Cringing is part of the experience.

There’s an unforgettable ditty whistled throughout. Gareth Williams is the man doing the whistling, and we are the ones nodding along, another reason to smile in a film full of crazy – and skill.

See It? YES

Top 100? Maybe

Sandton’s Typo store is nothing short of incredible. I love going in there, and I seldom walk out empty handed. They’re reasonable, and their sales are completely worth it. Here are a few things I picked out from their site that are the craziest, coolest things. I omitted the prices as it was in dollars and not Rands, so if you see something you like, visit their store! 

1. Correction “tape” 
2. Tea for one teapot and teacup in disguise
3. “Go Couture yourself” spiral notebook
4. Typewriter moneybox
5. Gold pop headphones
6. Rotating stamp “amazeballs”, “you’re an idiot!” “meh” and “I’m a genius!”
7. Tailor satchel- perfect for laptops
8. “Keep your Heels, Head, Standards High” floating thoughts journal
9. “Oh for fox sake” iPhone 5 case
10. Paris print “nice cushy”
11. “Today I will be happier than a bird with a french fry” ceramic take away mug
12. “my stache” coin purse

Photo from National Geographic

Jane began her journey at Gombe in July of 1960 accompanied by her mother. She was sent into the jungle as only of Louis Leakey’s ‘trimates,’ later to include Birute Galdikas and the late Diane Fossey. For weeks Jane trekked into the jungle, never seeing a single chimpanzee for more than a few fleeting seconds. Jane eventually learned that if she left out bananas the chimps would come to her. She has faced much scrutiny for what she did to help the wild chimps acclimate to her, but without her research we would have not known about the chimps meat-eating habits, and that they use tools. She was the first to discover this.

I have been harboring an anthro-crush on Jane Goodall for many years now, and am continually inspired by her work and those who follow in her footsteps.

Photo source unknown

I was unable to attach the slideshow of a day in the life of a chimpanzee researcher to this page, so here is a link to National Geographic’s page. I highly encourage you to check it out!

I am a single 22 year old working and living in Houston, enjoying all the city has to offer. I am a food aficionado, a bar diva, and a life explorer. Here, I hope to track my journeys and give you all some entertaining stories, reviews, and advice on things to do around this town!

Let’s get started!

Photo from World Tapir Day

Tapirs are found throughout Central and South America and Asia, mostly they live in rain forests and are quite adept at swimming. The exception is the mountain tapir, who, true to its name, lives in more mountainous habitats. Due to habitat loss all four species of tapirs are endangered.

Baby tapir at the Bristol Zoo

Tapirs are commonly hunted by humans for food and they are even domesticated in some areas.

Photo from Wikimeadia

Tapirs may be cute, but they also have a nasty bite.

Photo from Skoop102 on Flickr

Acrostic

F ish
I s
S wimming
H appily

Cinquain

A book
This strong presence
teaching many kids that
a greater world exists beyond
the text

Limerick

There once was a pug who ran blocks
Right around all of the docks
His poor feet were sore
But still he ran more
Until he had holes in his socks

Haiku

Yesterdays poem
Was forgotten like the sand
In memorium

Free Form

Life is a never-ending bombardment
Of random events that
Nulls all the time we spent
Cultivating Happiness
Until one day
We meet
Someone
And all of a sudden
Cultivating Happiness
Isn’t important
Only protecting
That one
Person

I will protect you
With my life
With my heart
With these hands
With this voice
To my worlds end
Until everything
Is dust and ash
I will protect you

The Very British Authors Tour 2013

“AUTHOR’S WANTED” the Tweet, caught my eye, I click on the link and it takes me to Clive’s blog page. Just one of the founders of the tour, Clive and his fellow author have created a plan to spend a year celebrating British authors through a sophisticated type of chain letter. I usually shudder at the thought of chain mail, it gives me bad vibes, but this one intrigued me. Each author will be a “Host” to ten other authors and each will have a link between them to promote each other, my intuition gave me a nudge. I read the article through again, my inner voice shouts at me to join the tour. So I follow the instructions, take up the invite to join and press “Submit”. The prospect excites me, it feels right to be a part of this homage to British writers. The “Spirit of Britain”, which engulfed the country last year with the Queen’s Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympics, rolls over my shoulders and tickles the hairs on the back of my neck. We were so proud to be British and I want to feel that again.

Within hours my request is accepted, advice given, downloads sent and contact with my “Host” author made. We’d been around the world and back in just a few clicks; my “Host” is British, but now lives in Australia!

Now I need to create an “Imaginative unique post”, to promote myself and the tour. The world is limitless, my brain explodes with ideas which all need considering. In the last seven months my learning curve in social media has been steep; from zero to blog and Twitter with major lessons in the technology. Turning the lessons into success on the internet gives me an ultimate thrill of satisfaction for someone who grew up without computers. It’s contagious, the more that I can achieve, then the more I want to learn.

I have a great friend and advisor who helps me with the technical side. She is now on holiday and her parting words to me were;

“Don’t get into any trouble while I’m away!”

I really want to write a great post with pictures and links, it drives me on and is my only desire, but I need a little assistance;

“Trouble, trouble, trouble” I title the cheeky e-mail that I eventually write to her, praying that she will at least read it out of curiosity and hoping that she will reply. Hyped by my excitement to get on the tour, I have asked if they can take some “Very British” photographs for me and send them on.

Time ticks slowly by and I itch to publish my post, to jump on the band wagon as early as possible. Five hours later, e-mails arrive full of photos and downloads from their phones, plus laughter at my manic enthusiasm and stories of their own about a broken boiler and a smashed fence. Crazy times! I am guilty of taking up their time whilst being psyched by the photos which I upload to my post.

Nearly completed, just a form to add as a “Contact me” to the post. Not to be flawed I search Google for help, but the best answer appears to be a “Plug- in”. What’s that? Dare I e-mail my friend once more? It’s Sunday evening at 10pm. This is a test of friendship surely?

Another twenty-four hours passes by in trial and tribulation, e-mails and tests, learning curves rising again, problems occurring. This is consuming my life and all of my thoughts, I am determined to succeed.

Tuesday; my friend telephones our first verbal conversation. It’s easy not to “Talk” anymore with modern social media. We agree to try a test run where I will add a form which we think will work, I will then publish the article and she will take a look. We have the option to delete it if the form is wrong. But it is a mad twist because I need to leave for work immediately and she has a new fence to build. So we agree to rendezvous on the internet later. I drive to work too fast, deal with paperwork that I can’t recall and exceed the speed limits on the return journey. I can not remember the morning my thoughts are consumed with the blog.

“R U free yet?” I send a text message to my friend.

“10 mins? Holding a fence panel can’t let go!” She replies.

I decide to start making the lunch; the fridge door is open and my arms are full of salad and cold meat when her next text message comes.

“Go, go, go! I’m free now!”

“2 mins” I reply.

I hit the “Publish” button and send a text message which says “Done” and I wait.

“Form ok, have sent it back, don’t know where the h*** it’s gone to though!”

 Rushing now, I open new tabs and accounts, this is ridiculous! But I’m laughing and can picture my friend laughing too! I find her reply sat in my e-mail “Inbox”, it all worked, what a relief! I phone to thank her but have no mobile phone signal Grrr! I wave my phone around and the signal gains strength, I can make my call. We laugh at the chaos and realise that we could have used the land-line telephones to make the calls, and then I tell her that I could have used my lap-top computer for the test if I’d really thought it through. We laugh some more at ourselves but we’d done it and I felt like I’d won Olympic gold, it meant so much to make it all happen.

Now all that is needed is one finishing touch…..

“AUTHORS WANTED” I tweet!

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