Friday, September 30, 2011

beautiful things

Ever seen the first sequence in the film Amelie? I think it's one of my favourite parts of the film. I love the way they describe the characters by their little quirks and favourite past-times. Recently (by doing them) I've remembered how good doing some of my favourite things are incredibly refreshing. I was quite good at incorporating them into life as a student: it involved a lot of spontaneity and creativity and having people round as often as possible and appreciating beautiful things and going to the park a lot!
This working thing and trying to balance a timetable with an uber-busy husband makes it a bit more difficult. But I think it's just a mentality thing, I think I'd just forgotten that life wasn't all about being busy. I made myself a list of things (mostly creative) that I want to do on a regular basis/over the next few months. It includes going to a gig (not just one I'm playing at) at least once a month, perfecting a beautiful piece of classical music on both cello and piano as well as having fun with the band, having people round a lot, painting, learning to sew better, taking pictures on the theme of "rain" (thought it might be help me to appreciate Glasgow rain better, finish putting together our wedding photo albums (yes a year and a half later and we still haven't finished it!) So far I've managed to sew a book cover (a big achievement for me!) and take some rain photos.
Making beautiful things helps me to better appreciate the God-made beauty around me, in the things that he made directly like the rain, but also the beauty that flows out of the creativity he put in people.  (plus it will help me to watch less iplayer). I want to live life fully with wide-open eyes and an open heart.

On the subject of "Beautiful Things", here's a beautiful version of a song with that very name.


Tuesday, September 06, 2011

pure dead brilliant

I have to admit, I am very easily influenced when it comes to accents and slang. My accent changes a lot depending on who I'm talking to. But I have found that a year and a half of working in Maryhill is more than enough time for the teenage lingo there to infiltrate my every day vocab and not just when I'm at work.

I have been inadvertently using: 
- The classic adverbs "pure" and "dead", as illustrated below in Prestwick Airport's slogan "Pure dead Brilliant".

- "actual" used instead of "really" e.g. instead of "Are you really!?" in Maryhill you will hear "Areyeakchul?!"
- "stay" where the vowel is /aɪ/ as in the vowel in "bye"

I have yet to pick up such beauties as:
- the past tense of jump "jamp"
- "am ar" = I am

You've gotta love the peculiarities that sprout from the English language!