My view of 2012

I have neglected my blog this year. In all my years blogging, which I think you'll agree are numerous, I have never blogged so little. But today, the last day of 2012, I would like to give you my view of 2012 (this is based on the joke my parents used to make when we were 'revising'..."more like vision" they'd say. You can imagine how well that went down.

Blogging so little makes it seem like 2012 wasn't a good year. And it was, it so was.


Let's (re)view, shall we?

1. I was a vegetarian. For a whole month. One of the highlights of this was definitely Spinach Pie. 

2. I made a spaceship and made a little boy's dreams come true by picturing him with his hero.

3. I saw the stupidest car that ever lived.

4. I visited Emma in Nashville and went back to North Carolina on a mammoth one day road trip.

5. I judged a singer/songwriter contest show in Franklin, TN. (All the restaurant guests did, this wasn't based on my previous experience of CHW's Got Talent 2008).

6. I went skiing in Colorado. I heart skiing. I heart Colorado.

7. I was skiing on St. Patrick's Day - for the third time in my life, quite an achievement I'm sure you'll agree.

8. I saw where the best burger in Denver is served. Unassuming I think you'll agree. They weren't open, otherwise I might have checked the veracity of their claim.

9. I was interviewed for local TV in Denver. I don't know if they ever showed it though.

10. I went to Mile High Stadium on the day Tim Tebow's future was unclear.

11. I had a cake decorated for me celebrating my dedication to CHW. Although, also accurately points out that I have been '1986-2012 minus some'.

12. I joined the rest of the smart phone world in playing Draw Something. These are two of my favourites. I though I really got the spirit of New York and covered Ringo's career highlights accurately.

13. I went to Serbia.

14. I did some Serbian dancing. Well, it seemed only polite.

15. I drank some Serbian rocket fuel. They don't market it as that though.

16. I made cake pops. They are the ultimate in bake-faffing.

17. I saw the Olympic flame. Lots, actually. But this photo is in Belfast.

18. I went to the Olympics. Oh my goodness! I went to the Olympics and had the time of my life! At some point I'd like to blog properly about the experience.

19. For now I will say this: being in the stadium on Super Saturday was one of the best nights of my life. (The Opening Ceremony would definitely be another.)

Jessica Ennis on her lap of honour with the other heptathletes. And, why yes that is the sandpit that Greg Rutherford had just jumped into on his way to Olympic Gold. (We were much closer than this picture would make it seem.)

20. I learnt that Rhythmic Gymnastics is a lifeskill. Granted this was from the commentator in arena; he may have been biased. (Yes, rhythmic gymnastics, it wasn't all about Team GB gold medals.)

21. I rode the London Underground with Becky Adlington and the Team GB swim team .

22. In other famous swimming news from 2012, I met Ian Thorpe. 

23. I got the plane with Austin O'Callaghan. He was on his way back from the Olympics too.

24. I got a fringe. And then I grew it out. 

25. I got to go to meetings where things like this are at your place. Yes! 

26. I made beer butt chicken. And proved that life is a Friends episode.

27. I moved out. Again. And into a house where these get made...and there's spares sometimes! Yes!

28. I spent way too long looking at these blue chairs when I was waiting to hear that I hadn't broken my jaw.

29. I carved an Ulster pumpkin. It was my first pumpkin carving so I was fairly chuffed with my efforts. 

30. I saw Ben Howard live. Keep your head up, keep your heart strong.

So that's 2012. I loved it!

But like Jed would say 'what's next?'

Saying happy Christmas!

I didn't send cards this year. Thanks very much for yours (if you sent me one). Sorry if you are thinking I'm extremely rude and struck you off my list. That's not true, I didn't even have a list. So please take this instead as my card.

Nothing says "Celebrate hope, joy and love!" like posing with a giant snowman. [Photo taken by Megan.]

While my card writing efforts were poor, I did make the effort for my present gift tags. Not just a present to show I cared, oh no! They got a hand-made, original, one of a kind Tina-made gift-tag. The lucky recipients got these bad boys.

Too bad my handwriting has deteriorated so badly that the inside of the tag wasn't as pretty as the outside. That said, if there was a world record for gift tag making and speed writing, I'd really pick up points in the speed writing element.

When I was making them I realised that gift tags such as these wouldn't really be the things for Johnny and Kiera. Kiera would probably try to eat the angel, which couldn't have many benefits (although who's to know what digesting a celestial being and their glad tidings might do for you?) Johnny, on the other hand, wouldn't care two hoots for an angel on a bit of sparkly card and nice ribbon. Furthermore, they can't read, so labelling any present with their names was pointless.

So I came up with a clever plan to show who the present was for and who it was from.

Kiera is even cuter as a little elf. I'm Sant-ina!

For Johnny's one, I tried to make one of us into a snowman, but the results were disappointing, and not in the least bit snowmany.  And besides, what goes with a snowman? Santa would have to be repeated and there didn't appear to be many more options than what I ended up with, but that meant I would have to be, well, a reindeer.

Although I'd prefer it if you called me Rutolphina.

I still printed the tags on sparkly paper.

Oh come on, what was I supposed to do? I couldn't abandon all my pretty crafting principles, could I?!

Dreaming big

Tonight, Karen Marathon* has her very first photography exhibit. It's based around her iPhone photographs, or iPhoneography, if you will. [You can see some of her work on her new website.]

I would like to take some credit for encouraging her along this photography route. Here's the proof. Not long after I wrote that we both started a GCSE in Photography. Although I didn't finish it, Karen did and will soon have a degree in Creative Imaging. Yeah, ok there's a limit to how much credit I can actually take.

Even walking down the street is like seeing inside her photography brain. She sees a class photo in something I (and let's face it, probably you) would walk right past.

Like this chair in a front yard in Studentland. I think you can see I walked past it.

Or these closed curtains. I know, really, closed curtains. But there was a great photo in that.

Yesterday I went with her to help set up the studio where the exhibit will be. It was so great to be there, it was another landmark in the journey. Karen got a lovely gift and card from someone she has inspired to follow her own adventure in photography. I nearly cried. Karen, for the record, held it together like a pro, like a pros tend to do.

Anyway, not to go all Martin Luther King on you, Karen has a dream and she's steadily working towards it.

I like it when people dream big. I like it even more when they start achieving those dreams. It's exciting!

*Tonight Karen Marathon will become Karen Photographer in my contacts. It seems only right.

Post match analysis

TinaLostInSpace took a small break last week, ok for most of last week. I'm back on task now though. I'm sure you're delighted. Most of the roof space is tidied and stuff has gone back in (I still need to do a few blog posts about other great finds) and I must be getting into it because I've started into the spare bedroom which houses everything from NC, Singapore and since. It was also in a pretty dire state. Sure, things were in boxes, largely according to time frame and genre but there was so much in there that you couldn't easily get to anything let alone find it. I think I just came home, piled the stuff in the room and closed the door.

Anyway, the purpose of this post was to write about the weekend. It started with Mexican food and ended with watching about five episodes of Mad Men! And in between David's birthday present finally came...international rugby at Lansdowne Road, sorry the Aviva. Whatever.

So, Ireland were playing England in their last warm-up match before the World Cup. And it seems they could have done with a little bit more time to warm-up. But they're off now to New Zealand. One hopes they get it together there instead.

The match started in the customary manner with the anthems. There was a lot of flag waving.

Oi! Get yo' flag out of my face. Ra ra Ireland though.

Things didn't get off to a good start for Ireland.

 At half time we (and by 'we' I mean me) messed about taking photos. This one was the best.

Happy birthday brother!

In the second half things didn't get much better for Ireland. Or any better at all. In fact, things got worse.

That's the one that hit the post. Dammit.

It seems I have taken a photo of Jonny Wilkinson's butt.

There had been a bit of drizzle during the game, it was nothing us hardened rugby fans couldn't take. At about sixty minutes the heavens opened. Like full on downpour. I know it was at sixty minutes because I remember thinking we'd only have twenty minutes to endure of the rain.

I didn't have wet look leggings on, I had the real deal.

I can't really explain how heavy the shower was. At one point David asked whether there was someone behind us with a bucket of water. That was a not altogether unreasonable question.

My seat mates all left. They're not hardcore like us, you see.

Here's a little known fact stadium architecture fans: that roof is painted on.

What's that you say, push the button halfway down to focus? That was nearly a super photo. Nearly.

 At home I watched the highlights of the match and was excited to see that made it to the TV.

It is us. Honestly.

So Ireland lost, but I'm still chalking the day up to a success. I didn't run down the street to get a free condom. Not that I would do that ever. Ok, once, once I did that. Shut up.

Travels with my mother (part 2)

I don't know, you wait years for a mother-daughter trip and then two come along at once. This trip was inspired by last year's Wimbledon trip. Mum has watched Wimbledon forever, well she doesn't remember Fred Perry or nowt, but a few years anyway. So this year it was my great pleasure to announce that once again I had tickets and mum was in! Way to score Daughter Points, Tina!

So at the end of June we were off. In order to make it a real trip we, of course, scheduled a trip to the theatre. Mum wanted to see Billy Elliot. Happy with my points from obtaining tickets, I vetoed it. We settled instead on Pygmalion. Sure the dancing and songs aren't as good, but the acting and the writing?! Tip top. Rupert Everett and Kara Tointon were in it, and they were ace. I tweeted afterwards that it reminded me of being in Mrs. Brown's English Lit class only with better actors. Actually, I can't be absolutely sure we ever acted it out, all I remember from Mrs. Brown's English class is her furiously writing notes on the blackboard, us geeks at the front writing them down and girls at the back asking if we had any magazines to read. Active learning my ass.

The next day we were off to SW19. It was men's quarterfinals day. On Centre Roger Federer was playing against Jo-Wilfred Tsonga and then Andy Murray against Feliciano Lopez. If you know my tennis preferences at all, you'll know I'm not greatly fond of Federer. He seems a nice enough man, sure. Til there's a record to be beaten and out he comes with his specially made jacket with his big RF all over it to wear for the presentation. What a big head! You also might know that I love Rafa Nadal. A lot. But that's not important for this story, he was playing on Court 1.

We went to the same entrance that Ruth and I used last year so Mum could see what it's like courtside.

This man appeared through the door. I don't think he plays on the tour.

Then we hung around the Press Centre. Right beside Roger was warming up.

You can imagine my excitement.

Martina Navratilova and Jana Novotna were playing on Court 18 and so we waited for them to walk past. While we waited I got talking to a man in a shirt and tie. Throughout the course of our conversation it emerged he worked for the ATP as an announcer and used to umpire matches (including some of Navratilova's wins at Wimbledon and Stefan Edberg's win in the 1980s). He was a super nice man and we had a lovely chat.

All the while we were waiting there was a young fella walking around. Only later that evening we realised it was future British star Liam Broady. Should have taken a picture of him. But he hadn't beaten the world number 1 at that point!

Honestly, you hang around for twenty minutes and then a stupid woman with a ponytail walks infront of your photo of Martina and Jana. I'm shaking my fist at you Ponytail Lady!

 Before too long we were back to Centre Court, ready for play to start.

The royal box was getting full. It was exciting to get texts from Ruth watching at home, telling us who to look out for. Such celebs as Amanda Holden, Les Ferdinand, Greg Norman, Lewis Hamilton Michael Caine, and Sir Cliff. Then the exciting news came through that Pippa Middleton was there! It quickly became apparent she wasn't in the royal box, but with only a red dress to go on it took a while to find her. But find her I did!

I lent her that red dress.

Oh yes. There was tennis too. We didn't have a spectator meeting beforehand or anything, but there was definitely a feeling that the big match that day was going to be the Murray match. Well no one told Tsonga that. After coming out and losing his first service game and the first two sets he woke up. Bam. It was a brilliant match, and not just because he was beating Federer.

Please enjoy this video of match point. Whooping, hollering and shaky camera work included. But look at his little victory dance. Bless.

Like I said, no one really expected it to be as good a match as it was. Or that it would go to five sets. By the time Murray came on, there the court was about two-thirds full. I, myself, went out during the first set. After some crap directions to the bathrooms from an employee I chanced upon this view of Henman Hill.

Bunged.

Murray made short work of Lopez and was soon walking off, safely through to the semis. 

He passed by our old seats. Still, I'd have Rafa's autograph any day over Murray's. No offence, like.

To finish the day off with we had some doubles. Todd Woodbridge and Jonas Bjorkman against Cedric Pioline and Barry Cowan. Yes, no I'd never heard of him either. Apparently he was a doubles player back in the day.

Boom.

And so that was that.

A good day was had by all.

Except for possibly my mother, who got food poisoning from something that day. Though she'd probably prefer if I didn't tell that story I will say it's miserable to be that sick away from home.

The next day I went into London town by myself. I had about two hours to walk around. But I consider it quite successful as I found my dress for graduation (in about 5 minutes, I thank you), saw the Olympics countdown clock, bought a Krispy Kreme doughnut, and went to Covent Garden.

In Covent Garden Tube Station I just about lost it with a woman. I couldn't get through the barriers because my Oyster card needed more money on it. It had started to rain and the tiniest Tube Station in the world became rammed. I fought my way back to the window (the one window) and queued. Imagine my joy when the woman in front of me wanted to have discussion about how best to get her group of 17 to wherever and what sort of ticket was best to buy. I bit my tongue and said nothing.

However, when it came to paying I could not remain silent when she turned to the group of 17, scattered throughout the station (which was rammed, remember) and asked that each person bring her £1.50 to pay for their ticket. I might have told her that wasn't the best way to do things. She might have replied that she had no choice. Then I might have replied and said with great exasperation 'This is London'.

Two days in London and I became a huffy Londoner. Well, when in Rome...