RSS Feed

Posts Tagged ‘ponderation’

  1. Tardiness will have to be tolerated

    March 13, 2011 by Amy Hansford

    It’s due day today! But no signs of baby arriving any time soon. I’m changing my due date to 28th March to avoid continually waiting and waiting and waiting…


  2. When things go bump in the night

    April 14, 2010 by Amy Hansford

    The time has come (the Walrus said) to speak of spooky things. To give you a little history about me and my family, The Lodge has been the family house since about 1994. From then until about 2006, it contained my mum, me (popping home from uni for four years of it) and my dad. Since 2006, my sister has lived there with her three kids. Prior to this it was owned by an old lady about whom little is known, and before that it was part of the nun’s estate next door. Before that it was part of the land owned by the Earl of the town, and before that… goodness only knows. Either way, it’s an old house.

    When we first moved in it really looked like a bomb had hit it. It was dilapidated – children were afraid to knock there on Halloween for fear of what was inside. We had a camper van at the time so some of the residents had assumed we were squatters to begin with. My dad redid the entire place, adding a big extension on to the kitchen (was was pantry sized) and an extra room. It was proper old – we were ripping off the wallpaper and found an additional door into the kitchen, previously hidden. Nothing exciting, no portal to another world, just a door between the hallway and the kitchen, but the plaster that was coming away contained horse hair and everything. So everyone understands it’s an old house with lots of history, right? Right.

    Some more backstory now – since I remember, the house has been haunted. Yep, I’m cutting straight to the chase here – there are dozens of anecdotes I could share, and I probably will in time, but the important thing here is that when everyone’s gone out for the day, the house is not empty. When you think you’re alone, something happens to prove that you most definitely are not. Depending on who you are and what’s going on, the house will either be welcoming or looming.

    What we do know is that we have evidence of this ghostery. The form of that evidence… well, you’ll have to stay tuned for that.


  3. Just a jump to the left

    February 17, 2010 by Amy Hansford

    After work yesterday I drove up to Leicester to meet with friends who were watching The Rocky Horror Show. I admit, I was anticipating to be a little bored by the show having seen it so many times. But once it got going, I remembered how beautifully it’s been restaged. The finale is so moving, the message now true having beaten the hen-night-mentality brought on by previous tours. And it may be the techie in me coming out, but the lighting in the last reprise especially was gorgeous.


  4. Am I missing something?

    February 9, 2010 by Amy Hansford

    If Will Smith is a Scientologist, and the general understanding of Scientology is that their routes are in alien life forms, why does he spend so many of his films going round and killing them?


  5. Swine Flu

    April 30, 2009 by Amy Hansford

    swinfluavatarbigThe BBC are toying with how severe the Swine Flu pandemic really is.

    The breaking news this morning is that the threat level has been turned up to Level 5 (of 6) [I find this a tremendous advert for Watchmen], how the Health Service have started up the helpline etc.
    The follow up news story on the same programme says how really, it’s *just* the flu. We’ll get Piggy Sniffles for a week and get better. It’s never nice to be ill, but that’s all it will be. Unless you’re an ‘at risk’ person (old, blood problems, respiritory problems, pregnant) in which case, well, yeah, we’ll sweep it under the carpet, but yeah, you could get really ill.

    However I have worked out how to truly gauge the severity of the pandemic.
    The more severe the pandemic, the wackier the ‘and finally’ story.
    Today it was about cross country skiers in their pants. From this guideline, we can assume that we’re all going to get a little woozy in the coming months.

    I work a mile or two down the road from Barnet where a case has been confirmed and this weekend we’re off to see my elderly grandparents in Paignton where another case has been confirmed. We’re not running away, just stocking upon Berocca.

    But well done Michael Jackson. He saw this coming from a mile off. He’s been wearing his mask for years.


  6. Film buffs unite

    February 8, 2009 by Amy Hansford

    You know when you remember the detail of a film but not the name of it or anything else about it. It drives you crazy, right? Well my friend is having just that problem.
    If you recognise any of the details below, please, for the love of all that is holy, comment or email on the title. Or even a ‘oh, that one, with the ______ thing where they _______ – nope, can’t remember the title’ is just as valid*. More information is a great help.

    Thanks!

    “Anyone remember this…

    Quite an old film about a family who have no father and then their mum dies and the kids have to learn how to live on their own. One of the brothers slowly gives away his other siblings to other families to look after. I remember the youngest sister being a toddler and he wraps her up loads of blankets and puts her in a sledge/toboggan and pulls her through the snow to another family.
    I think that boy dies at the end of the film or something.

    Heh, so if you recognise it, let me know because it’s driving my mum and me crazy!”

    *I’m not in any way suggesting by a ‘fill in the blanks’ statement that this was a porn flick.


  7. Travel etiquette

    September 25, 2008 by Amy Hansford

    During my daily commuting, once I?m done with reading the adverts, the free papers, and making up interesting stories on where the bizarrely dressed person sitting opposite is headed to that day, I get to pondering. You know pondering, those odd thoughts that everyone thinks about in probably more depth than they should, but that aren?t important enough to raise in normal conversation. And this ponderation is something I?ve been mulling over for a couple of weeks now.

    ?

    Bus etiquette. Train etiquette, whatever you’re on, so long as it?s public transport.

    We?ve all been there ? you get on the tube and the only spare seat is next to, well, someone. Anyone. But it?s there and you take it. And so the aisles fill up with other commuters and you all go off on your way.

    You get to Commuter Central and the bus/train/etc empties out, leaving a rather empty carriage. A guy listening to his music a bit too loud, a few people reading the newspaper, a woman who?s fallen asleep against the window, and you. Sitting next to Mr or Mrs Anonymous. Potentially trapping them against the window, unable to escape freely to the aisle.

    ?

    What do you do?

    Do you move, allowing both you and the other person more freedom? But how will that make Mr or Mrs Anonymous feel? Your movement may trigger all sorts of feelings and thoughts from them. ?Why did they do that? Do I smell? Is there something wrong with me? I feel so unloved – even someone I don’t know can’t stand me.? The simple action of moving away could possibly make them feel so rubbish they may end up getting off that train and, I don’t know… kick a puppy or something.

    So, do you stay? It keeps the norm, doesn?t it? But then again, what about Mr or Mrs Anonymous? Will they feel trapped? Will they think you fancy them? Will they start to wonder if indeed you?ll ever release them from their seat?

    ?

    So that?s my ponderation for the day. What?s the etiquette? Next time I?m in this position, what should I do? Advise me so that I may know better!