Things that make you go mmm...

I hate January and February. The post-Christmas lull when everything seems more dull, more grey. Mostly those 2 months just pass in a hazy blur and I finally come to in mid March when the weather starts looking brighter and the world starts to come out of hibernation. However, this last January I discovered something that gave me a little artificial Spring in my step. This revelation came from www.americansweets.co.uk. When I first ordered a package of long forgotten goodness such as Lucky Charms, Tootsie Rolls and copious amounts of Wonka sweets (runts, nerds and the like) it was like lifting a dreary fog. Irrational excitement to taste all those artificial flavours and colours! I actually thought while eating my first bowl of Charms that they were Joy. In a dish.

I am much more of a sweet than a chocolate person- parma violets, drumstick lollies, sherbert dips...love anything like that. I've also gone on to make a few orders since and have enjoyed such delectations I've never had before such as Twinkies, Oreo Cakes, Junior Mints. And a lot more. Which is unfortunate for my waistline. But the good thing with the multipack bags of Tootsie and Wonka is that each pack is only treat size and easy to limit. I'm actually counting calories at the moment to try and get rid of some excess baggage, I've struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember.

Besides my sweet tooth, I love to cook. Baking is very therapeutic for me, I find it a great relaxant. Especially when I was at uni...it was nice to come home and do something practical, to make something other than words on a page. All straight forward things like cookies, scones and cakes. I've also started cooking more seriously in the last few years, experimenting with things I've never cooked with before. I found out I can't stand goat's cheese too. It just tastes a bit...goaty? I have many cook books and have made some very delicious meals. My bible for everyday food is Jamie's Ministry of Food. I also think some of the recipes featured on Masterchef and Come Dine with Me are very innovative and great to try if you're an amateur. Even though I have a love-hate relationship with food, it will probably always fascinate me. Unless it's celery.

Life on film

After my last post I thought I'd talk a bit about films (finding myself fighting the use of 'movies'...I'm not keen on Americanisms). As I said I plan to look up The Golden Compass which is the film adaptation of His Dark Materials. I'm glad I read the book first, I usually find the films of books poor in comparison. The films of Twilight are good, but not great. Unfortunately t's just too watered down. You lose so much and a lot of it is so relevant to the story. I fell in love with Ed Cullen in the books but was fairly indifferent to Robert Pattinson's portrayal *shields head*. I was especially disappointed by Memoirs of a Geisha which was a fabulous book but a mediocre film. Kubrick's interpretation of a Clockwork Orange, while interesting in some ways, was so bizarre as to detract from so many important aspects fo the book. American Psycho is one of the films that made the switch more smoothly.

I don't tend to go see new cinema releases as I'd rather watch things at home (I get irrationally annoyed at spending 30 quid to be seated in front of 6 gossiping teens while eating stale popcorn and getting cramp). The last film I watched was Funny People, I'd expected it to be amazing. I think Adam Sandler is very talented but for me this film was too mind numbingly dull to even pretend there was some important message or that perhaps the humour was hidden. Seeing as how it was almost 2 and a half hours long, I'd hoped that the last half hour might present some kind of revelation or even point to the film. Not the case. Hmph.

I still love older films from the 80s or early 90s. I grew up enjoying films and treasuring those small black slabs of plastic. I loved videos so much I still have a massive collection of them and still have a video player in pride of place on my TV stand. My favourites include: Beetlejuice, Weird Science, Short Circuit, The Navigator, Flatliners, Tremors (actually a terrible film but I have a thing for Kevin Bacon!), Poltergeist, Batteries Not Included, Drop Dead Fred, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Dirty Dancing, Grease, Big, Alive, Dumb & Dumber, Edward Scissorhands, California Man, Back to the Future...the list is probably endless but I think these are films EVERYONE should have watched at least once. In fact, if you know me, I will MAKE you watch them!

As for my very most favouritest films of all time, I'd go with:

1. Alive. This is a painful true story of a young groups' experience of a life changing disaster. How that can change people and how they cope in this adversity is hard to watch but I adore this film.

2. Dude, where's my car? Hilarious, dumb, crazy, juvenile comedy. This is one of the few films I can watch over and over and still it makes me laugh. Just watch it!

3. The Stand or The Green Mile- both Stephen King adaptations and both outstanding!

Right I think that's me done for now. Except to sign off with the fact that I'm fighting against the urge to do a Lush order. I'm sitting next to a virtual basket that is up to £50 already. I told myself I will just get a few bits I want to try and a couple of the poor soon-to-be-discontinued flosty gritter. But if I continue the temptation my basket will be double that by the end. All essentials you understand?! But I just can't afford it at the moment without spending virtual money. If it's on my credit card it's not real surely?

Material Girl

I don't know whether I should be ashamed by this but at the moment I'm reading the new Sophie Kinsella book called Mini Shopaholic. I fell in love with the series when I read the 1st book which has been turned into the pretty lame film called Confessions of a Shopaholic. I think a lot of women would be able to identify with the protagonist, well those who like shopping anyways (*hands up* me! ME!). I remember requesting my first overdraft and thanking the stars for 'Becky Bloomwood' who was responsible for the idea. I do not thank her so kindly for it now! But I adore the way in which Kinsella captures the shopping instinct- if you've ever experienced the 'rush' of retail therapy I seriously recommend these books, easy if sometimes predictable reads but laugh out loud funny. She's good at suspense and little twists too.

Other books I would wholeheartedly recommend are

1. The Clockwork Orange - appeal for all adult readerships, so many facets to this story. Legendary Literature!

2. The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King -I would describe the genre as fantasy but even though I'm not a fan of those kinds of books these are mind blowingly fabulous!

3. Hannah's Gift - factual 'life story' type book which is achingly sad and above and beyond other books in the genre. Extra poignant if you have children. Certainly made me re-evaluate a few things

4. Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials have also been surprisingly enjoyable. I'd been putting off reading them and did take a little while to capture my attention but they are great! Very unusual and captivating. Not seen the film yet but I will look it up when I get chance...