All the hashtags: Update

Well hello there lovely readers!

You may remember I did a few blog posts at the beginning of the year around the hashtags #100happydays and #readwomen2014. And then, in true Naomi style, I got bored of them. Well, actually, that's a little unfair. I had technical issues with the #100happydays one that meant it was just too annoying to try and post everyday, so I decided to do '1 Happy Month' instead, then gave up. And I'm still doing the #readwomen2014 thing, I just haven't posted about it.

Check/connect with my Goodreads for more on this, but to sum up - I've still been reading women this year! 

My 'to read' Bookshelf.

So far all the books I've read have been by women. I've managed to get through:

Jojo Moyes - The Girl You Left Behind

Audrey Niffenegger - Her Fearful Symmetry

Dorris Lessing - The Grass Is Singing

Sarah Langan - The Keeper

Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre

Sylvia Townsend-Warner - Lolly Willowes

Philippa Gregory - The Kingmaker's Daughter.

I'm also currently reading The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton. The Kate Morton and Jojo Moyes books were books I borrowed from friends, and were both the 'Richard and Judy' type books I'd probably normally avoid. They've been quite good though, and this is actually the second Kate Morton book I've read, having finished The Forgotten Garden after leaving uni last year. The rest were a mixture of things on my to-read list based on recommendations from other books or articles I've read, all of varying genres and subject matters. I'm very interested in issues of diversity, and my bookshelf is no exception! I also have a few books on my 'to read' shelf (my actual, physical shelf) that I picked up in Sainsbury's, which were among the bestseller types. Again, I would normally avoid these, but I know Joanne Harris is readable, and the others were Scandinavian and therefore automatically get 5 star ratings from me. (My sole ambitions in life are to become a superhero, and to be Swedish. They're both tricky, hence why I have a whole blog dedicated to being lost in life). The moral of the story is: so far, books with flowery covers are not always bad, although I'm still a total book snob and am yet to even attempt reading anything by Katie Price* or which looks like it might be of the same shocking quality.

*Actually, this is a lie. I did once read a Katie Price novel that I got free in a magazine out of pure curiosity, and it was the most predictable, unimaginative, ridiculous yet utterly compelling thing I've ever read. It was like a car crash: I hated every second of it but somehow I had to keep reading!! But now I have suffered through this for your sake and I can tell you it's not worth it. Ditto for 50 Shades of Grey. And the sequels. Don't look at me like that I'll read whatever I damn well please! 

*smiley halo face*

I do intend to add some more reviews, but they're quite time consuming so I'm not making any promises. I enjoy writing them though, so if I do get a spare few hours, or if I feel particularly strongly about a book I read, I will definitely write one. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, please do feel free to interact in the comments if you've anything to add :)

Don't forget to read women!

Love love love,

Naomi

English Language Assistant (ELA), Amiens

Well hello there lovely readers!

AHHHH! I told you I would have some exciting news soon!

Although, the exciting news I have is not the exciting news I thought I might have. Basically, I've been applying to do a year abroad via the European Voluntary Scheme. This is essentially a load of do-gooding organisations througout Europe, who do valuable work with lots of different kinds of people, animals, and environments, who advertise for long-term volunteers to come and help them in their work. It's essentially a funded place, costs paid by the volunteer are limited, and it's a great chance to get lots of fabulous experience. I've been applying for placements within gender equality, refugee work, and, in one case, with the European Movement Latvia, who work to encourage participation in European political arenas. Not long ago I had a Skype interview with the EML, which was terrifying as it was very last minute, and I've not had any responses to my applications so far. I did the interview (I HATE INTERVIEWS), and it actually went quite well. Moreover, they told me I was one of only 5 interviewees out of over 50 applications - so already I think its a success. Anyway, I got an email about a week later to say I hadn't been selected for the post, but I was fairly certain of this beforehand anyway, as they were looking for someone who could be competent in Latvian within 3 months. Pah, I'm British. We don't do languages. So anyway, in general the interview was a positive experience, and it's left me feeling a bit better about the dreaded 'I' word. Yeugh. 

(Also, my interviewer said I had a "wonderful" blog. Woop!)

SO, I hear you say, WHAT IS THE NEWS?

Well, I had also applied to be an English Language Assistant for a year through the British Council. Last Friday I got an email to say I'd been put on the waiting list for a place, as all available posts had gone to French students who are required to do a placement as part of their course. They explained how things worked and also said that I'd find out by the end of September. Then, a mere few days later, I got a phone call to tell me that someone had dropped out, and I'd been selected as the replacement! So, long story short, I now have to apply for an International Child Protection Certificate, and then I shall be working as a Language Assistant in a Secondary School in Amiens from October! :D 

This is my 'OMG it's cool but now I have to try and remember how to speak French!' face.

And before anyone even so much as whispers the 'T' word: I still have no intentions of being a teacher.

So there we have it. No closer to having a plan for life, but at least the period from October 2014 to June 2015 is sorted. Just got to earn enough money to make it possible beforehand, and then deal with having nothing to come back to at the end...!

I'd still really like to volunteer with the EVS (mentioned above) though, so maybe I'll just never come back! 

Hah, how often do I say that?

Also, I'm now not sure where this leaves me on the New Years Resolution front, where I vowed to get an actual graduate job this year.This isn't a graduate job - however, I am once again doubting whether I actually even really want a graduate job. I mean, BLEEEEUUUGH!! They mostly sound so boring!! I just don't think I'm a real job kind of person! I still secretly harbour hopes of running away with my Latino lover and learning to Flamenco. Who, for the record, looks like Antonio Banderas in The Addams Family/Interview with the Vampire. 

This is probably so inappropriate. 

Ha, I'll leave you thinking about that as I go and try to re-learn French!

Au revoir mes amis!

Love love love,

Naomi

Commonwealth Games Audition

Well hello there lovely readers!

On Saturday 26th I attended an audition to be part of the cast for the Opening/Closing ceremonies of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

I applied a few weeks ago on a whim (and because I need no excuse to dance!) and got an email inviting me to audition, so I packed my bags and headed off to Glasgow to see if I've got what it takes! ;) 

Now, for those of you who know me, you'll know that traveling isn't my strong suit. I know it's only a short distance from Aberdeen to Glasgow, but I've been stranded, penniless and phoneless, in Australia, I've watched buses drive off without me en route to Paris, made it no further than Edinburgh for what was meant to be a weeks' holiday in Magaluf, got my best friend really quite lost during Freshers Week by taking her the wrong way into town (5 years later she's still not let me forget that one), and just the other week it took me 1.5 hours to find the bus station from Sauchiehall street, which, for those who are not familiar with Glasgow, is a distance of about a hop, skip and a jump. Oh, and on that same occasion I booked the hostel for the wrong weekend and only noticed at 10.30 at night about 10 minutes before I arrived.

So needless to say I was *a little* nervous to see what level of failure this trip would be!! I had my thousands (ok, not thousands) of Facebook followers tuned in to my newsfeed to observe the likely catastrophe, and I will now share it with you.

Step 1: book, locate, and board correct bus.

8am start = coffee

Nailed it! This is the 3rd time I've gotten a bus out of Abz with no problems and no confusion and no missing the bus and no thinking the bus is on its' way when its actually gone. Think I've finally got this step down.

Step 2: arrive in Glasgow and locate hostel (on correct date)

Check! This is the exact same route which took me 2 hours last time (in the opposite direction), when I got totally, completely and hopelessly lost and walked in circles for about 6 miles until I somehow, and by accident, stumbled upon the bus station. I'm glad that this time I seemed to somehow know the exact route without the blink of an eye and with barely the use of a map, but 1) HOW?? and 2) WHY??? was it so hard last time?!?!

Step 3: identify audition location

It was all going so well at this point that I stopped to brag about it on Facebook, as you do. I then headed off to find Mitchell Library, and at about 90% of the way there, I realised...

Yup. My volunteer agreement, my ID number, my bus times and reservation numbers, the maps I'd printed, all sitting on the steps outside the hostel. Fortunately, I'd left myself quadrillions of time because I JUST KNEW I WOULD DO SOMETHING SILLY, so I was able to run back and get them. Pretty lucky they were still there after about 30 minutes but I don't even want to think about that. 

*shudders*

The audition was at Mitchell Library

 Now, from conversation I'd had and the fact that we all had to sign volunteer agreements as well as have our photos taken for ID badges and our measurements done for a costume, I was under the impression the audition was more or less a formality. 

It was not. 7000 people were auditioned, and 3500 people are needed to perform. That gives me a 50% chance.

To be honest though, that's OK. I had a lot of fun doing the audition (and conquering Glasgow!) so I'm just feeling really happy!! There were no disasters on the day and I did as well as anyone else - with the possible exception of the girl in front of me who was doing some fine looking breakdancing moves!! Go girl!

This seems like a good point to thank Steve and his team for leading the audition - they were so good at getting everyone energised and inspired, the bubbly atmosphere was contagious and I think I'm still feeling it today!!

This is my "OMG you gaiz that audition was for realz!" face

I then decided to keep the lucky-memento going and go to a restaurant ALONE. Because yes, I find that quite weird. It was totally a success though, unless you count one or two little sticking points, but I don't. I got fed, I was alone - I call that success!

Fettucine bolognese, which I ate by chopping it up and I'm not even sorry.

And now I'm home safe and sound in one piece! I'll be hearing about the success of my audition in the next few weeks so I'll keep you updated. I had such a good time though, I'm riding high this week!

[PS a secret other thing happened which I will hopefully be able to write about next week. SO.  EXCITING.]

Much love everyone!

Naomi x


Update 17th May!
I got an email last week telling me I'd been offered a place in the reserve cast for the opening audition :)
 I'm sure had I taken up the offer I may well have been able to land myself a spot, however the post involved a lot of trips to Glasgow for rehearsals, and it's just not something I can afford to do, financially or time-wise, with no guarantee of actually being involved in the performance itself. So, no Commonwealth for me this summer! However I do have tickets for Belladrum in August, and I can tell you now there will be much dancing at that! Swings and roundabouts, eh?

I did however have a lovely weekend conquering Glasgow and taking part in the audition, so no regrets.

Je regret rien ;)

Much love (again)
Naomi 

Scotland Activist Training with UK Feminista

Well hello there lovely readers!

Last week I attended Scotland Activist Training in Glasgow with UK Feminista, an organisation that encourages and supports activism in the field of gender equality.

I had an amazing time and met the best people, and I now feel totally fired up and ready to campaign!! The day was split into two "breakout" sessions (a bit like mini-seminars) and an "open space" session, where participants can set the agenda.

The first breakout session I attended was run by Claire Black, columnist and writer for The Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday, who talked about how to reach the right people within a newspaper and get coverage for your campaign or issue. We discussed the need to target the right publication as well as journalist - for example, writing to The Sun asking for coverage for your Lose the Lads Mags flashmob is not going to get you very far!! Writing to The Guardian, however...
We also talked about the DIY approach: blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc - and how today's newspapers tend to "follow" stories rather than lead them. This means that while, in days gone by, no newspaper coverage for your story meant, well, exactly that - today, if you can create enough buzz about your campaign via social media, then the newspapers are likely to come to you. Claire was a wonderful, open and inspiring speaker, and we all liked that she allowed us to influence the discussion so we could get from it what was important to us. After Claire had led the discussion for a while, we split into groups to plan a "pretend" campaign addressing the issue of the shocking lack of female statues in Edinburgh - there are only 2, meaning that there are the same number of lady statues as there are dog statues in the entire Scottish capital! Truth be told, we planned our pretend campaign so successfully there was even talk of turning the campaign into a reality! So don't be surprised if you start seeing brassieres on statues around Edinburgh ;)
Search #BrasOn on twitter or have a look at some of the existing literature on the topic here and here.

The afternoon breakout session was led by Liz from Zero Tolerance. This was particularly interesting for me because it looked at ways to talk about gender stereotyping with children and young people, which is something I try to do in my job. Liz and her colleagues have been working on a series of activities to broach these subjects with under 18s, and she wanted to try out some of the activities on us and get some feedback. While I thought these activities were good, they were also largely aimed at secondary aged children, and were not really appropriate for the ages of children I work with. That said, Liz's second activity, Numbered Jenga, was really interesting! In Liz's version, you stick numbers on Jenga blocks and then build your tower and play as normal. However, you also have a "Question Master," and whenever a player selects a brick with a number on it, they have to answer a question. I can really see this working in my setting, and I can see how the activity can be adapted for all different kinds of ages and topics. I found that so exiting that I'm currently working on a game of Children's Rights Jenga as part of my Children's Participation project for work, and if it's successful I'd love to look at gender stereotyping and other issues in the same way. It can be difficult to engage children to think about serious issues in an After School setting, especially as they've been working hard all day at school and often just want to chill out. At the same time though (very conversely!), they do enjoy a certain level of stimulation, and I think Numbered Jenga hits the right balance of stimulation and straight-forwardness. 

The final session was an "open space" session, where anyone who wanted to open a discussion about something of interest to them could, and participants were encouraged to move around conversations and contribute what they were able. Topics ranged from how to promote intersectionality in campaigns, to how to create specific goals that can be applied in real life, to how activists and feminist organisations can work more closely together. While I initially thought this would be quite a scary thing, perhaps beyond my level of ability, actually it was not. Once a few people had suggested topics (and thereby volunteered to lead discussions), I began to think of a few possible discussions myself, and after taking part, I think I could have managed to lead a conversation had the need arisen. This was partly due to the lovely, passionate and open people who attended the day - we were a small but not too small group of really cool people, and I've really enjoyed staying in touch!

From all this positive discussion, one thing that was identified as being potentially useful was a way of linking feminists throughout Scotland. At the training day there were a lot of people from Glasgow and Edinburgh, and a few from further afield (Newcastle, Inverness-shire and myself representing Aberdeen). We realised that each city had its' own group or groups who held events or campaigns, but obviously there is strength in numbers, and a platform whereby we could connect, share ideas and information, would be great. So, we have started the Scotland Feminist Network on Facebook. Hopefully this will grow and evolve and provide a way of building momentum in feminism in Scotland. That said, it *is* just Facebook, so who knows! I would encourage anyone in Scotland reading this with an interest in equality to join and share though, it could potentially be really effective if used properly!

And that, ladies and gents, is all I have to say today! Please connect with me through the comments form below if you have anything to add, and other than that - have a lovely day!

Over and out,
Love love love,
Naomi

'Cultivate' Training Programme - My Experience

Well hello there lovely readers!

Today I want to give you a little update on my experiences as a supporting tutor for the Cultivate Training Programme.

I was made Supporting Tutor at the end of January, so I am now helping deliver the course as well as doing various admin bits and bobs. I am really, really enjoying it, and it's taught me a lot, but to be honest my overarching feeling about it is that it's hard! I think like a university student with 4+ years of intensive training to process things in a certain way and at a certain pace, and I'm now trying to get ideas across to a group of people who think in such a different way to the way I do. I do not in any way mean that as a bad thing - the stuff that comes out of these guys' minds is incredible! -  but it is nonetheless different. For weeks I've been about as much use as a chocolate teapot to Linsay (lead tutor), trying to make myself useful by supporting the candidates and helping them get the answers, just to discover that although I'm on the right track, my answers aren't in depth enough and my students still have more work to do. Boo! :(

 A Chocolate Teapot!

However, what more can I do? There is literally no point wallowing in the fact that I have now, for the first time in a while, got to actually try at something. I'm best just to keep going, to keep working with the students until both they and I get an idea of the level of answer required. I think (really hope!) I've started to make myself a bit more useful these last few sessions. Linsay and I sat and 'marked' a lot of the candidate's work over a couple of Fridays, and I found that really useful for getting used to the level of answers and evidence needed. I then felt much more capable of working with the group to get them to that point.

I've even come up with an activity which I'll be leading this coming week. I haven't lead an activity alone since week 3 of the course, where I got up in front of the group to explain something and opened my mouth, and a load of rubbish came out. I got the message home evennntuuaallly, with a little help, but that was the first point at which I realised I was going to need to learn some new skills! I am much more prepared this time though, so hopefully I can make myself worth my salt over the coming weeks and end on a positive note.

I am, however, really enjoying supporting the course. The students are cool and the work is challenging, which, you might remember, was something I felt was lacking in my life. My other job, as a Play Worker, is challenging in many ways, but in a frustrating and unpleasant kind of way. This is challenging in a good sense!!

And being in a creative environment motivates me to work on my own creative skills For example: I made some of these heart envelopes recently, and sent them to some of my friends for valentines day.

I also made this for my Dad's birthday last week, although I don't think he was all that impressed by my artistic ability!?

I thought it was pretty funny myself!

See you all next post

Lots of love,

Naomi

Read Women 2014 -'The Keeper' for Women In Horror Month

Well hello there lovely readers!

'Tis time for another book review, and also for me to introduce you to yet another hashtag campaign! 

So at some point in my general internet use, I stumbled upon Women in Horror month (#WIHM), which just so happens to be this current month of February. Since I am addicted to going against the grain, and since February is generally considered the month of love, I straight away decided to get involved in this, and after a little research I found and bought The Keeper by Sarah Langan. 

Now, I'm not going to lie, this has been a very difficult book to review. I can't quite even answer the question of whether I liked it or not. About half the book was interesting and believable, and the other half was a little, well, WTF. At first I thought the WTF-ness was because of me: firstly I'm a little bit of a book-snob, and I don't really get much from reading your average Good Housekeeping recommendation [not that GH recommended this. I wish they were so open minded]. I'm also not normally much of a pure horror reader, so I thought maybe that had something to do with why I just wasn't so sure about it.

However, I will say that certain elements of the book struck a chord. The Keeper tells the tale of Susan and Liz Marley, two sisters living in the declining town of Bedford, USA. The town was once busy and prosperous due to the jobs created by its paper mill, but after this is closed down the town becomes an unpopulated wreck. This resonated with me because the small town I grew up in is facing a similar prospect. When the Dounreay nuclear power plant was built in Caithness in the 1950s, the population of the area sky rocketed to around 3 times what it had been previously. In recent years Dounreay have announced the decommissioning of the site, and the county looks set to lose on of its biggest employers. Some locals have begun to take action to grow other local industries before the site is closed down completely, but if these are not successful, it is entirely possible that my wee hometown will become another Bedford. Witnessing the immediate aftermath of the closure of such a site was intriguing, and I can totally believe that mutant dead people might also torment the town of Thurso, avenging the wrongs done to them and punishing the town for its inaction in the face of environmental and economic destruction.

In this sense, The Keeper is very clever. It looks at current environmental and financial issues in a fresh and approachable way, and ties it in wonderfully with the main horrific action of the story. However, something in Langan's writing style is not so 'tied in.' At times, her direct, matter-of-fact narrative voice diminishes the atmosphere of the novel, and sucks the reader back to reality, which lessens the fun of it all. If this had happened once or even twice it could be overlooked, but unfortunately The Keeper repeatedly breaks its own illusion and leaves the reader a little, well, WTF'd.

However, that said, I made it all the way to the end of the book without too much trouble. It is also worth noting that The Keeper is Langan's debut novel, and it's follow up, The Messenger, won Langan the Bram Stoker Award, which she has won a total of 3 times. All in all, I think if you're into horror stories you could do far worse than this one, however it did not blow my socks off.

Don't forget to follow me on goodreads as I take part in Read Women 2014, and leave your comments below if you have them because I <3 comments!

Love to everyone!
Naomi

Read Women 2014 - Her Fearful Symmetry

Well hello there lovely readers!

As promised, I am back with an update on my activities for #readwomen2014, and I've reviewed Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger for your brain pleasure. I've challenged myself to keep these book reviews to 500 words, otherwise I will write whole essays, so read below for my thoughts on the novel, and please feel free to 'friend' me on Goodreads if you would like to see or discuss my reads! 

The first book I’ve chosen to review for #readwomen2014 is Audrey Niffenegger’s 2009 Her Fearful Symmetry.  It tells the story of Julia and Valentina, two young twins who are spookily alike, who insist on dressing the same, and have the disturbing habit of holding hands a lot. Though brought up in Chicago, the twins inherit an ornate London flat from their aunt, Elspeth, who dies after battling with cancer at the opening of the novel, and who is also the estranged twin of their mother, Edie. The twins begin to inhabit the life of their aunt, occupying her flat, her clothes, and her belongings, and even begin to befriend her former lover and neighbour, Robert. 

Niffenegger’s in-depth characterisation of each player is pure mastery, and the first half of the novel is intensely compelling. The book is seductive from the beginning – the sexual tension between each couple, or potential couple, is just enough to be satisfyingly erotic without being tacky, and the mystery of what drove twins Elspeth and Edie apart quickly grips the reader. 

However, the introduction of the novel’s main ‘twist,’ Elpeth’s ghostly rescue of Valentina from the oppressive relationship with her sister, is woefully unsubstantiated. The pair, the ghost of Elpeth and her neice Valentina, plot to temporarily remove the young twins’ soul, to convince the outside world she is dead and allow her to escape and start life afresh. This strange, Frankenstein-esque plan is agreed to by Robert and Elspeth, who fear that Valentina will commit suicide if they refuse, a character trait which, as one contemporary reviewer pointed out, is “an impulse that is absent from Niffenegger’s characterisation up to this point.”(1)  

The dramatis personae themselves point out the obvious, human solution to Valentina’s problems (simply moving out the house they share), and this suggestion is never satisfyingly refuted. Thus, the strong sense that this scheme is futile makes the consequent supernatural action seem all too unrealistic – the preservation of Valentina’s lifeless body, its exhumation, the re-introduction of the soul, the ghost that’s left behind - they all seem unlikely. What began as a beautifully compelling examination of love, obsession, and human behaviour, remains so - but with the unfortunate caveat that this richly accomplished characterisation comes at the expense of the most basic plot line.

Additionally, for a novel so filled with vital, powerful female presences, Her Fearful Symmetry still falls into the old trap of women who must not take up space in the world. While Elspeth’s voice, thoughts, opinions and belongings permeate the novel and haunt all those who remain behind, she herself is ethereal, insubstantial, mostly invisible. The younger twins are similarly waif-like. Short, painfully thin, virginal, and incontrovertibly associated with the colour white – they are defined by their lack rather than their presence, they are blank, and they are, to a great extent, also uninteresting. 

All in all the novel has a lot to offer, not least in its breath-taking imagery and visualisation. However, the plot line itself is problematic, and Niffenegger has missed a trick with her female characters.

(1)   The Telegraph – Lorna Bradbury, 19^th October 2009