The name's Nadhaswaram?

I had a solid week there of not doing very much. I've fallen in the trap of thinking I don't have very much to do, when actually when I think about it there's loads to do. But instead of working through my to-do list, I worked through The Good Wife.

I've started working through my iTunes because it was in a state. I don't really know why. It started because I was at the points of not having the music I wanted on there because I was running out of space. Then I discovered that the genres were all over the show. [One of my last days in uni I saw this flyer for student elections. This girl wanted different band nights in the Union.

She was also proposing a different spelling of genre. Not really surprised, different spelling has clearly been in Johanna's breeding.]

Anyway, back to my iTunes genres. I discovered I had Electronica & Dance and Electronica/Dance. Now, I don't really know much about the Electronica and/or Dance world, but I think I could safely say they could be put under the same genre. Also, with Hip hop/Rap and Hip-hop/Rap, I didn't think the Hip hop fraternity would mind if I amalgamated them with their hyphened counterparts. I did struggle over Pop/Rock and Rock/Pop, but haven't changed it just yet because a track might just be more rock than pop, but have important pop undertones which must be recognised, or indeed vice versa. But is it too much to ask for a consistent spelling of Soundtrack. One or two words I'm sure is fine, consistency is the key.

iTunes seems to choose genres all by itself too. Like, Coldplay seem to straddle a lot of different genres. That's ok, I get that. I can see how a band might produce albums that are Rock, Pop, Live, Christmas, Alternative & Punk, and just plain Alternative. Biffy Clyro are the same: Indie, Alternative Rock, Alternative & Punk and Alternative. That's fine, I can see that. Far be it from me to confine your musical greatness to one genre. I did get the biggest laugh of all though when I got to Savage Garden (oh come on, what girl growing up in the late 1990s didn't love a bit of 'I Knew I Loved You'?!). A pop classic surely? No, iTunes put them firmly in the Rock camp. I think not. But then iTunes had also marked Abba and a-Ha as Rock, so if that's your yardstick, then Savage Garden would also come under that umbrella.

Then there are times when iTunes just got lazy and marked an artist as 'Other'. Like the Foo Fighters. Really iTunes? And Gwen Stefani? Yeah, ok, fair enough, if ever an artist was to be labelled 'other' it's probably her. I did find iTunes' definition of the MTV Unplugged album as '0' interesting. But then it was clear to me: zero plugs, therefore the genre zero. Duh.

And of course I had the same problem my mum had back in the summer of iTunes finding album artwork. Just look at this one.

I didn't even know there was a Best Of.

I'm back!

As you might have gathered from my previous post a few weeks ago I took a little break from technology. It was nice actually. So nice that I still haven't tweeted anything since I started reading tweets again. I kind of feel like I have nothing to say now. I think once I tweet something though, that'll be it, the flood gates will have opened and I'll be back tweeting all the time again! But for now it's Twitter silence from Tinaarena22.

I found it too hard to be at my computer most of the day and not to check all those sorts of things. So I went cold turkey for a while. Why was I at my computer most of the day? Well, I finishing off my dissertation, silly! It was long. 75,000 words long. 180 pages long. See, long. Now, don't get too impressed there, only 20,000 words were mine, the rest were interviews and appendices and what not. 

According to my supervisor they 'added weight to my argument'. Yeah, no kidding.

As is the rule with anything to do with Methodism and their relation with anyone else I was obliged to use the 'Friends of all' motto in my title. No, seriously, it's a rule. 

There'll be more of my research findings in the coming blogs. Oh, not serious stuff! Stuff that might make you laugh!

Since I finished it I have:

1. Got my hair cut. This was an important part of my week of celebration.

2. Started back to walking, with a view to starting to run again. In the latter half of last year I ran twice. Twice! What with getting a bike and then a knee injury (doesn't that make me sound sporty?!) I didn't do any real exercise towards the end of last year. In 2011, unless we're counting skiing, I have done nothing. The infamous 'Golden Steps' currently have me beat. Honestly I sound like a smoker going up them. Not for long, I will beat you Golden Steps!

3. Tried to sort out my iTunes. This was prompted by Ruth getting a new computer. She joined the Mac Club and so has now realised how much fun computers are! She's even started her own blog, with a nod towards her new addiction!

4. Watched The Good Wife. Well not all of it, but a lot of season 1. Bethem sent me a message when I was skiing asking if I'd ever seen Miranda. I said no, she said I would love it and she'd lend me the boxset. So ever keen for a new TV show I reminded her to lend me and I got given The Good Wife instead, something to do with her sister already lending to someone else or something, not that I'm complaining, I love it! And all of season 2 is 4OD. So once I finish this I'll be able to catch up on recent developments! Win.

Next I'm supposed to be doing the job that I put off last summer: tidying my roofspace. That'll be a major piece of work and it'll be a trip down memory lane because I have thrown nothing out. Since we moved, when I was ten, I have barely thrown out so much as a cardboard box. Everything in the eaves beside my room. Well not everything, the rest is in David's old room. It's going to be painful. 

Maybe I'll go for a run just to avoid it?

Breaking my technological silence...

to say that if you haven't watched Chris Moyles and Comedy Dave on their longest ever Radio 1 show ever then you are missing out. It has been brilliant. Brilliant.

I drove a lot yesterday and it was quite nice to drive home late at night and be able to listen to Radio 1, because, well we all know it, once Zane Lowe arrives at 7.00pm it gets a bit...rubbish (although I think the term they use is 'specialist'). I think I've lasted a maximum of 1.2 minutes on Radio 1 after 7.00pm. Not last night. Or tonight either for that matter.

My falling in love with the specialists started with Grimmy last night and has carried on tonight with MistaJam and Kissy Sell Out. Eh hello? That's someone who can't spell mister and doesn't value spaces between words and a guy called Kissy. Right.

Mind you, I think most of it has been because of Chris and Dave and their enthusiasm for what they're doing.

All throughout the show they've been reminding us to text so as to donate to Comic Relief. I can't believe they thought they would only raise £100,000 through this. Clearly they've captured our attention though - they passed £1,000,000 at the 37 hour mark. Brilliant stuff.

So my two recommendations tonight: go to iPlayer and donate if you enjoyed any part of it donate.

From the drafts: Done giving

This should have gone on here on 12 December 2009. Somehow it never made it. But now, now is its moment in the sun!


You know me, I like a laugh and this has been a recent favourite of mine of late.

Driving through Dungiven, you'll see this sign:

Dungiven is so not the place to shop. Any Christmas.

I don't know anyone who would think of doing their Christmas shopping in Dungiven. But as if to prove it just a short drive down the street you pass a shop with these outside.

Looks like something Sky Mall might have.

I'm not even sure where they're supposed to go.

As if they weren't bad enough there's the window display.

Quite a niche market I'd say.

From the drafts: Playlists

I stopped telling you my music ages ago. Maybe if I'd posted this the practice wouldn't have stopped. This should have gone out on October 26, 2009.


It's been a while since you heard what music I'm listening to so here is October's playlist:

1. The Road - Frank Turner

I'd heard this a few times on the radio but didn't know who sang it til I was driving home and Zane Lowe was on. I normally try to avoid him, he's a bit specialist. And "I'm on board" is just irritating but he was talking to Frank Turner and so I listened. Apparently Frank Turner loves what he does, going round gigging and that so wrote a song about it, which is quite refreshing from the usual artist moans of another hotel room etc etc. But I just thought the song was catchy.

2. Drumming - Florence + the Machine

Her and Paloma Faith are...unique. I've said before that I'd walk past many of the people on my iPod without recognising them. Not them. I'd notice them. But goodness they can belt it out. I love this song. She really captures the intensity of it all.

3. Wheels - Foo Fighters

I'm not a Foos fan. They are ones I'd definitely walk past them on the street. But this song is so catchy. Needs to be listened to driving on an interstate or something.

4. The Captain - Biffy Clyro

I think it's safe to say I have no notion what this song is about. Heck, I can't even determine one of the line, I'm pretty sure it's not what I sing, "I can't walk rat arsed".