I was tagged, or rather Not Tagged for this meme, by Jay at thedeppeffect.

Jay tells of how she is a prim and proper, ultra-polite English lady, and that because of this, she just had to accept the meme. She left me no choice! How could I, also being a typical English lady, say no? I had to accept. My arm was well and truly twisted up my back!

Well, this is how this meme works.

If you had to select celebrities/actors to play the parts in the story of your life today (including yourself!), who would it be and why - this can be based on looks or personality.

Crikey, this is a lot harder than I thought it would be. How do you choose actresses to play the part of two fat, post menopausal ladies? Well you don’t, do you?

Sooooooo, I decided that…

Mo would be played by Bet Davis (as in, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?) because she lives constantly in PMT mode, and is often seen amongst flying debris when searching for something that she has tidied away.

I would be played by Bette Midler as she typifies my scatterbrain sense of humour and face pulling. Plus she’s a bit of a midget.

In both of the above, the wearing of padding would be required.

This movie would obviously involve a scene at one of our church outings. The church members would be played by the full cast of the ‘Carry On’ movies - maybe we’d better leave Barbara Windsor out though ;O)

This movie would be full of laughter. Betty Davis (Mo) would not be able to resist Bette Midler’s (my) contorted expressions and would, undoubtedly, collapse in a rolling, heap of laughter throughout.

The Rules:

1. List the people who would play you, and the key people in your life.
2. Give credit to the person who tagged you.
3. Link your answers to the original blog, that’s here at iRamble.
4. Tag four new people to participate.

As this is a ‘Not Tag’ meme, I hope you will forgive me if I don’t tag anyone. However, if any of you want to do it, feel free ;O)

I lied again…..I tag Drowsey Monkey!

Photo links:
Bette Davis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bette_Davis
Bette Midler: http://www.nervepop.com/NerveBlog/Images/Entry/14452_bettemidler.jpg
Carry On: http://webzoom.freewebs.com/rebeccagarrard/Carry On/Site Decorations/Carry On Abroad 01.JPG

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I don’t usually do posts on this sort of thing, but I am so pleased that I’ve discovered something - all by myself!

Most of you Entrecard users, that use Firefox, will probably be using the Entrebar by now. It’s something I would have loved to use, but I don’t use Firefox. I decided to download it and give it a try as I wanted to use the toolbar.

I installed it and spent a whole heap of time trying to get it to function, somewhere close to my existing browser. I have to say I was disappointed, but thought I would persevere and try out the Entrebar anyway - It didn’t work! I discovered that it was an issue with quite a few users, so, although disappointed that I couldn’t have the toolbar, I gladly went back to my favourite Browser, which I might add, is powered by Mozilla Firefox 3.

The ‘Flock’ browser is a fantastic social browser with lots of services built in to the sidebar. These are just some, and I stress some, of the services that are integrated:

Wordpress, Blogger, Typepad, Twitter, Pounce, YouTube, Digg, Facebook, Flickr, Photobucket, del.icio.us , Gmail, Yahoo Mail - the list goes on.

It also houses a brilliantly easy feed reader. All of this without a single Add-on, although you can download most of Firefox’s addon’s should you want to. There are many more benefits that I won’t go into as this isn’t a review of Flock!

Today, while in the Entrecard forum, I found that they had an unofficial update to their toolbar, for those having problems. Even though the Entrecard people say that it only works in Firefox 3, I found a Flock beta upgrade, installed it, downloaded the Entrebar and it works like a dream.

So all you Flock users out there, who feel cheated out of the Entrebar, download it into the Flock 2 beta now, and all you Firefox users, check out Flock 2. It’s basically Firefox 3 with a lot, lot more!

I’m off to drop some cards! I’m a very happy bunny?

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I got my new carpet laid today. It was the final stage in a very long and very messy job.

Anyway, about a week after it was all finished we got a phone call from the insurance company, asking if we wanted our carpet cleaned in the leaky bedroom … er … the bedroom leaky … no … oh you know what I mean. It was a long time after we made the insurance claim, and I thought it was finished with. I said yes please, and was very glad that it was after the filthy workmen had been. At least this would be one carpet they couldn’t ruin again!

The upshot of it all is, they didn’t clean the carpet, they handed us a £400 voucher to go and choose a new one. Oh my! Are we glad that they were late finishing the claim off!

All’s well that ends well - or is it? You know that it wouldn’t be right to finish this post without another moan. So here goes….

Is it just the graphic designer in me or, if you were laying a carpet with a very definite line running through it, wouldn’t you line it up with the main wall? Is this crooked or what? Or do you think I’m too picky?

You need to click on the photo.

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Look what I got …. a nice shiny award!

This ‘Kick Ass Blogger’ award was presented to me by Janice of Midlife Misfit.  I feel honoured.  Thank you so much.

I will pass this on to some of the bloggers that have truly inspired me, as well as entertain me no end!  There are many others, but five is the rules, and I always follow rules.

Have I told you before that I lie?  I’m going to give it to six people, who have regularly kicked my……..

Kathy - The Junk Drawer
Drowsey Monkey
JD - I Do Things
Barb - Will Think 4 Wine
The Depp Effect
Ana - chica-pumuckl

What you have to do is pass it on by. . . .

* Choosing 5 other bloggers that you feel are “Kick Ass Bloggers”
* Let them know on your  post, and either an email, on Twitter or blog comments, that they have recieved an award.
* Link back to both the person who awarded you and also  www.mammadawg.com
* Visit the Kick Ass Blogger Club HQ , to get codes click here and it will take you to KABC HQ,  sign Mr. Linky then pass it on!

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What you don’t know about me, is that I spend every Sunday morning at church.  Mo sings and I play guitar in the band.  We always alternate because only Mo and I know anything about mixing the sound and the lighting.  Funky eh? Yes, we have a very modern church and we are, basically a ‘Christian Rock Band’   That said, here’s what happened today.

Mo’s was singing in the band this morning.

I am getting really ‘into’ the music and tapping on the side of the mixing desk cabinet, when I get a prod in my side, which jolts me back to reality.  I turn and there’s this chap sitting at the computer.  He hasn’t been coming to our church very long.  He says “Every time you tap you shake the computer”  Can you believe that? Was I using a sledge hammer? No!  I was tapping with my fingers on a very solid, heavy wooden cabinet that the computer sits on.  How much shaking can that cause?  I was not happy,

You have to realize that I consider that area of the church all mine!   I advised our church on the computer set up.  I purchased it, I set all the system and software up, I take it home periodically and overhaul it.  I am in charge of the mixer desk and Mo the lights.  How dare some whippersnapper come along and tell me not to tap to the music, because I am shaking the monitor!!  I am not pleased at this point … but, as a good Christian lady, I stop tapping.

Music over, Mo comes and sits next to me at the mixer desk, as we do every week.  She turns to me and whispers “How did it go this morning?”  I say  “Good”  she says  “That’s good, I tried to make it different this week.”  I said “Oh….”   A few moments later I tap her and whisper  “What did you do different?”

Well!  The look on her face just had to be seen!  Shocked indignance!   Her mouth shot open, her eyebrows met her hairline.  That was it!  There we were trying not to giggle, but finding it impossible.  Mo has a fan sitting on the top of the stand, about a foot from her face.  She’s OK she can hide behind her fan.  On the other hand, I am in direct line of sight of our pastor, and only about 15 ft away!  I am giggling like mad and every time I think I have it under control, my face just falls apart again and uncontrollable giggling rises up.  I raise something in front of my mouth and try, desperately to stop my my shoulders from bouncing up and down, and my eyes from laughing.  Can you do that? Stop your eyes from laughing when you are giggling uncontrollably?

Slowly we regained our composure.  I was glad about that, now I could get all indignant and tell Mo about the whippersnapper!

A “whippersnapper” is an impertinent young person, usually a young man, who lacks proper respect for the older generation.

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Who is this strange Canadian girl
Who tried to drown her mother?
Then tried to wash her insides out
With upholstery cleaner, and other

Who is this giant ‘freak head’
Who gets hit by passing birds?
Who’s tongue got stuck to a window ledge
And Talbot Smith, and worms?

Who is this crazy female
With arms that don’t hang right?
Who’s happy to be single
And stays up half the night?

She’s the widget freak. The penguin girl
With a voice that’s full of laughter
Once you’ve visited her blog,
You will again, thereafter

Just check the third verse out again
Read the fourth, then second line
Her name should leap out from the page
It did? you got it? fine!

Happy 1st Blogoversary Drowsey Monkey!

Drowsey, you are such a talented, and very funny lady, and I am glad to have found you…or did you find me? Either way, I’m glad.

If you haven’t already visited Drowsey’s blog, you should!

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I feel suitably stupid!  I told everyone that I had missed my first blogoversary a few days ago.  Well I hadn’t!

With all these 1st year birthdays around at the moment, it started me thinking.  How could I have been blogging as long as these people, who are my blogging mentors?   A search of my archives soon showed up the error.

It was one year ago that I started a private, family blog, purely for my sisters.  It wasn’t until February that I decided to blog seriously.  I joined Blog Catalog and, from there, made my first contacts.

So people,  It will be cakes all round when my 1st birthday really does arrive, and that won’t be until February!

I hope you can forgive this prize idiot  ;O)

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I was 15 and about to leave school and step out into the big wide world. It was usual for your mother or father to come to the school and meet with your ‘form’ teacher to discuss a job for you.

It was 1961 and very few people stayed on at school to take GCE’s, as they were called then - just a handful out of the ‘A’ stream class. I was in the A stream, but I hadn’t even thought about staying on, until one day a teacher bellowed out, “Leach! Why aren’t you staying on?” I, in my usual very shy way, just said “I don’t know sir” and cringed at the attention it bought me. No more was ever said on the subject.

Anyway, there I was with my mum and my favourite teacher, Miss Richardson. She was, in fact, the only decent teacher we had in the whole school! She made you feel important and she actually held a two way conversation with you, and listened to you! It was unheard of in our school. We were always bellowed at, and told to be quiet if we attempted to reply to a teacher. She was younger than any of the other teachers - a breath of fresh air. Needless to say she didn’t fit the mould, and didn’t stay very long. She left soon after I did. I count myself fortunate to have been in her class in her only year at our school.

With my mum at my side, Miss Richardson said “What sort of job did you have in mind?” “A hairdresser” I said. Well didn’t everybody want to be a hairdresser? She smiled. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather do something you have a talent for” she said. I looked at her and she smiled again. “What about your art? You have a real talent. Wouldn’t you like a job that used that talent?” “Ok” I said, not really seeing the importance of all this at that young age. She immediately fixed me up with an interview, and handed my mum the details.

You have to realize that a 15 year old, back then, was little more than a child, still wearing white ankle socks. I find it very strange that, as young as we were, the vast majority of us were soon to be holding down full time jobs, and accepted that responsibility easily and eagerly - one day wearing ankle socks and bushy eyebrows, the next, wrestling with suspender belts, high heels and make up. It really was that sudden a transformation. Yet we handled it.

Mum had taken me out and bought me my first set of ‘adult’ clothes. The image of my new coat makes me cringe now, but it was ‘hot’ when I chose it. It was a straight wrap over coat with a tie belt. Wait for it…. It was red plaid! Very fashionable in 1961, but EUUUGHHH!

The day came for my interview and, again, mum came with me. Parents always accompanied their child to their first interview. It was expected by the would be employer. I got the job, and was due to start one week after I left school. My salary would be five guineas, which was £5.5s. That was before we went decimal. That would be £5.25 pence now ($10.50 US). It was a very good salary in those days, and set a future trend for me. After all, this was the beginning of the sixties and everything was plentiful, including jobs.

I thank Miss Richardson, and often think about her. She made my last year at school a good year, and set my future up for me, because she cared. I hope she’s had a good life.

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Mark of worldwidetravelblog tagged me with this ‘Four Things’ meme.
Here I go, opening myself up to everyone - again. You’ll all end up knowing me better than I know myself!

My ‘four things’ answers are:-

Four jobs I’ve had

* Embroidery designer (for theatrical costumes)
* Office worker (Publishing)
* Hair dresser
* Graphic Designer - Self employed

Four movies I can watch over and over

* Cabaret
* Babe
* The Colour Purple
* Oliver

Four places I’ve lived

* London
* Stone/Greenhithe (Kent UK)
* Gillingham (Kent UK)
* Sheffield (South Yorkshire UK)

Four TV shows I love

I had to pick some old programmes as I don’t ‘love’ much on TV anymore.

* Darling Buds of May (old)
* Only Fools & Horses (old)
* X Factor (and similar)
* Doctor Who

Four places I’ve vacationed

* France
* Spain
* Isle of White (UK)
* Dorset (UK)

Four of my favorite dishes

* Chinese (most dishes)
* Macaroni Cheese
* Fried Rice (most types)
* Spaghetti Bolognese

Four sites I visit daily

* Entrecard
* The Junk Drawer here
* I Do Things here
* Drowsey Monkey heree
(and lots more)

Four places I would rather be right now

* Back in the 1960’s ;O)
* Where the sun is shining
* Any coastline (with sunshine)
* Where I live - Yorkshire (with sunshine)

Forgive me if I don’t tag anybody, but if you want to have a go, consider yourself tagged :O)

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