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Posts Tagged ‘comment’

  1. All change

    January 3, 2012 by Amy Hansford

    You may notice that ye olde blog looks a little different. I thought it was time for a little update and change of colour, plus changing to a theme that gives me a little more breathing space on the blog side of the panel compared to the last one. You like?

    According to Google Analytics, someone came to my website last month using possibly the most amusing phrase ever as a search term. “how to touch a girls butt without her finding out while she is awaket”. Brilliant. Certainly tickled me. The answer is here for you kiddo: don’t. You’ll get the most amazing slap if you do.

    And finally, I did say that I would make a hat to go with the washing-up themed pantomime dame dress below. That I did. Using baubles hotglued to a base and kept on with elastic, it’s meant to look like washing up bubbles. Unfortunately, given the rigorous nature of the dance routine involved, the hat had to be retired to the dressing room. Mind you, it still looked bloody good up to that point!


  2. You know what grinds my gears?

    October 13, 2011 by Amy Hansford

    The next time I want to sign up to something where I’m locked into a contract, just tell me to walk away. It is my life’s path that things always get in the way and I end up losing out.

    This week’s victim is the gym. Here’s my problem:

    ~ They have a great creche for Little L, open five mornings a week. It’s why I chose them over any other gym. The problem? Monday/Wednesday/Friday mornings get booked up instantly. Thursday morning I take Little L swimming, so that’s a write off. Saturday mornings we’re not allowed in (we have an off-peak membership). Can I get Little L booked in to said creche? Can I heck. Maybe once a fortnight. That’s a whole two visits to the gym a month.

    ~ This Bursitis means that even if I can get Little L in the creche, there’s little I can do that doesn’t cause me pain later in the day. After a session in a pool (the gentlest exercise), standing in the shower then twiddling around in the changing rooms, I need to sit down for a few hours. Irritating the inflamed leg is not the best course of action.

    ~ It also means that I have trouble getting in and out of the pool (ladder is the only way out), especially with Little L. She was meant to be at swimming today (something else we’ve paid out for that we can’t attend) but the gym won’t let a friend in to help me as it’s ““against policy”. It was fine and dandy a fortnight ago. They want a doctor’s letter (which the surgery will charge me for), then they will assess whether or not I need a carer. Oh for goodness sake.

    In short, I’m* currently paying through the nose for a gym membership that I physically cannot use. This irritates me immeasurably. Thanks to signing a dreaded piece of paper, I can look forward to paying for a parking space and little else for another eight months.

    Grr, arg!

    *Alex is. Because he is brilliant.

    Picture is from Nathan Sawaya’s brilliant Lego art site. Go see.


  3. Other bloggers: WBOACM

    February 7, 2011 by Amy Hansford

    Thanks to the power of Google Reader, I have lots of other blogs and websites that I keep an eye on, mainly for entertainment value. One such blog is Wedding Blog Of A Clueless Man. With Bridezilla, Don’t Tell the Bride and Four Weddings being big pullers on the telly these days, it’s nice to see things naturally bloom with a wedding rather than have it all thrust at you. Plus he has a great style of writing which makes me laugh. Especially the bottom of this post.

    So, go see.


  4. Say cheese

    January 20, 2011 by Amy Hansford

    This tickled me this morning.

    Apparently, “Bishop Porfyrios of Neapolis expressed “joy and gratitude” as the singer handed over the icon at the St Anagyre church in north London.”
    And a heck of a lot of restraint, apparently…


  5. PATS goes the weasel

    September 9, 2010 by Amy Hansford

    This is a bit of a test rather than a proper blog post. But I’m aware that of all the many PATS trainers there are in the UK, it’s bloody difficult to track any of them down. It’s like no-one out there says ‘Hello, I’m a PATS trainer’. So that’s partly why I’m doing this blog post.

    Yes, I know that in the grand scheme of things,? I don’t rate that highly in the world of Google search results. But wouldn’t it be interesting if just by stating ‘Hello, I’m a PATS trainer’ openly and honestly on the internet, I was the only one?

    So, this is my experiment. I am a PATS trainer, trained in the not very sacred art of Passenger Assistance. Pleased to meet you.


  6. Top Five for June

    June 30, 2010 by Amy Hansford

    Monthly, I analyze my website statistics thanks to Google Analytics. The most entertaining stat by far is the collection of keywords typed into search engines that have led people here to awakey.com. Below I answer the top five queries, followed by my award for the Most Random Keyword.

    awakey
    Yep, you found me. It’s a good little handle. I’ve had it for about 15 years now, so I’ve become quite attached to it, and it me.

    sequin top hat and tails gold
    You’re looking for Columbia stuff, right? There’s three things you can do.
    i) Get a bog standard one-size-fits-all jobbie from the interwebs.
    ii) Get a ‘Columbia In A Bag‘ – we like to see people have made the effort buy investing in a costume, but we like you more if you add to the costume, i.e. sew some proper ribbons on the shorts, reinforce the top etc.
    iii) Get As If By Magic to make you one.

    Columbia Rocky Horror pyjamas
    Do yourself a favour – don’t go mad on trying to get film accurate ones. If they’re blue and white stripe, or even blue and white in some sort of basic pattern, it’s absolutely fine! Besides, no-one will even notice once your nipple’s popped out.

    Rocky Horror costume guide
    You’re looking for one of two things.
    Either Ruth’s Anal Retentive Costume List, or the Student’s Guide to Rocky Horror Costumes. The latter, I created back when I was at university. Shamefully, not updated much past the girls, but the basic ideas of how to whip together your own costumes are there.

    Vyvyan Young Ones
    It continually entertains me that this search term brings people to my site regularly. This site has summed up the components of the outfit marvellously, but don’t forget the stars!

    And the award for Most Random Keyword for June is…
    9 1/2 toes


  7. Quickie

    September 18, 2009 by Amy Hansford

    I went to see the opening night of the new tour of The Rocky Horror Show last night. Possibly more on that in a later post.

    But for now, I just wanted to share this photo with you. It gives me a sense of relief that someone in charge of the USA is an actual human being who is a bit like me in their geekiness, not just a politics bot.


  8. September update

    September 13, 2009 by Amy Hansford

    I thought I’d just write a quick update on me, myself and I.

    I still haven’t worked out exactly what this site should be. If it were devoted to costumes, the updates would be sporadic. If it were devoted to me, it would become a job and would rarely be updated with anything interesting. Besides, I’m better at funny stuff in 140 characters or less now than swathes of text. So in the meantime, it’s a mish mash of everything; costume lists, things about me and The Student’s Guide to Rocky Horror Costumes. For now, a bit of an actually-about-Amy post.

    I got me a job! It’s only temporary for now, but I’m working for Bedford Borough Council. It’s really good for me, getting back into the 9-5 way of things and being able to do something I can do well. Fingers crossed it goes permanent.

    I got me some kittens! They’re called Echo and Max, are black and white short hair crossed with Siamese so they’ve very talkative, and they are great fun. I try not to witter on about them, but it’s hard not to.

    I got me a show! After the debacle of Rent (there’s a secret sacred code of am dram that says ‘you go with what you’ve got’), I ran to the welcoming arms of the Griffin Players and am delighted to have been cast in the comedy role of Barbie (Jack’s bratty little sister) in their 2009 pantomime, ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. More info on that along in time, I’m sure.


  9. Rent Rent Rent Rent Rent

    July 30, 2009 by Amy Hansford

    As you know, I’ve been auditioning for Rent these past few days. It’s been pretty much cast since Tuesday – it’s been a bit of a long roundabout way of saying “we’re not sure who we want yet, but we know it’s not you” since then. Either way, here are my predictions on casting alongside the actual casting.

    Angel ? ? ??? Nick
    Benny?? ?? ? Mark
    Collins ? ? ? JJ Dale
    Joanne ?? ? Kate J Emma
    Mark ? ? ? ? Dale Matt (the director)
    Maureen? Georgina
    Mimi???????? Caroline
    Roger ? ? ?? Justin
    Chorus???? Everyone else

    Edit: The director has cast himself in the principal role of Mark. Not sure how I feel about this. Will comment further later.

    Later edit: I couldn’t work exactly how I felt about the above circumstances, only that I was a little uncomfortable with the siuation. I decided against taking part in this production but wish it plenty of success. It’s Rent – of course it’ll be a success!

    In the meantime, to keep me busy, I’m on the look out for informal tap classes. I don’t want to pass an exam or get to grading point; I want to learn a routine and have a giggle in the evening! Which such classes being notoriously internet shy, do drop me a line at hello@ this domain name to tell me if you know of one.


  10. Location, location, location

    July 22, 2009 by Amy Hansford

    It’s all been a bit quiet on the Awakey front, or so you would think. I’ve actually moved up from London to Milton Keynes to our new house, which is very exciting! Four days after we moved in, all the boxes are now unpacked and we’re back to normal life, which is lovely. My other half is testing the new route to work – a little different from changing tube stations – while I’m free to job hunt and give a bit more time to the As If By Magic Costumes orders. My colleague Ilona has made some truly beautiful things of late, so I’m looking forward to publishing pictures of the latest pieces soon.

    I’ve also been working on the costumes for the New Expressions production of We Will Rock You. I wouldn’t say it’s been too much of a challenge, just tricky when the cast swear they’re one size when they’re actually another. Such are the stigmas attached to size labels! Much kudos to Maggie for the loan of her amazing purple furry boots.

    Keeping with the amateur dramatics side of things, I’m looking forward to auditioning for Rent with Luton Light this weekend. I’ve not auditioned for what seems like years, and am well aware that my singing peak was back in Anything Goes in 2007, so I’m a little nervous. But excited!

    So, not a huge update. Just a little update to let you know I’m still kicking about.