In the spirit of New Year, I have been reflecting on my blog
(and my inability to update it regularly). I think the posts I write are much
better when they are more focused and less like a long account of all the
frists I’ve fitted in during the ridiculous amount of time I have left it since
I last updated…. But here’s a nice long and waffly update for you anyway on all
the firsts I’ve fitted in since December…
Knit Something
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| George modelling the Mo |
The one phrase that keeps begging to be written is this:
Knitting is hard! Teaching myself to knit was much more difficult that I
expected. Being the kind of person that
I am, the less practically-gifted, more ‘I like reading about stuff’ kind of
person, I thought the two brief ebooks I downloaded would be enough to get me
on my way. It turns out you actually can’t learn practical skills like that.
Who knew? It takes patience and practise. And a few instructional Youtube
videos to give you a visual example of how your hands should move...
So, I did practise and I did try and stay patient. And,
despite numerous failed attempts which, as I did not know how to correct
mistakes, meant I had to start from scratch, I now have a lovely little
Movember Mo to show for my efforts. The only real downside was that it was well
into December by the time it got finished.
I have to say, even thought it was tricky at first, I did
really enjoy knitting. The first few times you knit a few lines, it just does
not seem logical that those movements you make with the wool and needles will
produce something that will not only stay together, but also take a
recognisable form. But seeing it all take shape, and grow with each stitch you
make, is very very satisfying.
I realise I just called knitting ‘satisfying’. But I’m
sticking to it.
Eat Something New
And so, onto another small pleasure I have gained from a
first.
Some years ago I happen to
pick up Amelie in a deal at HMV. If you haven’t ever seen it, I’d say it’s
definitely worth a watch, and one of my favourite parts is when Amelie talks
about the slightly odd things she, and others, take pleasure in. And one of
Amelie’s is cracking a crème brulee with a teaspoon.
Now, jump to 2012 and I am sat in a day-long training course
about the finer points of printing. I mean we actually went into details about
how the dots connect to the page, as well as the problems with Pantone colours
and all the different variables that can affect how you see colour (your
monitor settings, the programme used, the time of day…. Yes, apparently you
have to take this into consideration when checking proofs…)
The saving grace of the day was the setting… an upmarket but
slightly eccentric hotel in Kensington. Lunch was served in a little
conservatory, and included mini hamburgers, tempura, and smoked salmon. And,
for dessert, crème brulee.
It was a mini crème brulee, but in that second, the memory
of Amelie came flooding back to me and I got the chance to experience the small
pleasure of cracking the top of a crème brulee with a teaspoon. And, of course,
then eating it. And very lovely it was too.
And so another first, of eating something new, was
completed.
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| This first was not the only time I've enjoyed pretending I'm Amelie... Cafe des 2 Moulins in Paris is the cafe where she works in the film. |
Spend a day watching film 'greats' I have not seen
The last first I picked out of the Hat was this… to spend a
day watching film ‘greats’ that I have not seen.
I wasn’t sure how to go about picking these ‘greats’. My
brothers and boyfriend Glenn often came out with films that they said I really
should have watched (the list still includes Terminator and Die Hard among
others) so I thought I would ask them to help me pick out some to watch.
Despite being so forthcoming in the past, they struggled to come up with films
off the top of their head. Luckily, the imdb top 250 films was at hand and,
never ones to miss out on the chance to be competitive, we spent an evening
totting up all the films on the list we had seen. (I won).
Despite winning, there were actually quite a few films on
the list that I hadn’t seen... which meant I had my list of film greats and now
I just had to get hold of them. And, as luck would have it, many of them were
sitting on my brother’s DVD shelf.
Here’s a summary of that Sunday’s viewing:
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| The Godfather.... long but worth a watch |
The Godfather – I'm glad I watched it, and I can see why some of it is considered well made, iconic and 'great' but I think it's over-rated. And I was in
no hurry to put the second one on anytime soon…
Stand By Me – A little bit sad, a little bit sweet, I can
see why it’s a cult classic.
City of God – Gripping, and all the more interesting when
you realise it’s based on true events.
The Elephant Man – Felt like it was made earlier than it
actually was, thanks to the black and white effect.
So that brings the grand total of Firsts for 2012 up to 18. Which
is nearly on track… I should be up to 25 by now. But I’ve got a few more firsts
already in the pipeline and, in the spirit of New Year’s resolutions, I will
make sure I hit 52 by the 12 July 2013. And tell everybody about them much more regularly.
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