Blogging again??!!
Last year’s resolution to blog more failed! No time, blah blah blah.
But I have so much to say!
Not making any promises but I shall try.
New habits and all that.
Peace.
Stace’s TV Review of the week 5th-11th January
5th-11th January 2014
Sherlock
The second of this second series didn’t disappoint me although it divided Twitter. John got married to lovely Mary. Sherlock did a long long speech and solved a murder and an attempted murder at the same time. The series’ are too short though! The next one is the third and final of series 3. It needs to be every week. Great for comfy Sunday viewing.
Criminal Minds
Whilst avoiding watching the divisive propaganda Benefits Street on Channel 4 we watched the first in a new series of Criminal Minds. ‘Twas a grim one. A man killing women and then eating them, put me right of my dinner. Amusingly (even though I didn’t watch it) I somehow managed to get 18 retweets on Twitter and 37 Facebook Likes on this status I put up about Benefits Street and ended up with a mass debate going on long after I had gone to slumber. Brilliant.
*Slow claps everyone falling for the #BenefitsStreet propaganda like obedient sheep* Well done. — Stacey Smith (@StaceInspire) January 6, 2014
Eastenders
Last year Eastenders just irritated me. Now we have Danny Dyer. If only they’d kill off bloody Ronnie all would be well. I’m enjoying Kellie Bright in it too. She’s a lot like Angie but to me she’ll always be Sally in T-Bag *shows my age*. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-wMY6fH_gI
I’m waiting for the return of Sonia ready for Carol’s jolly cancer storyline and Stacey’s coming back too with the bloke from Busted.
The Voice
Kylie! Image via Digital Spy.
I wasn’t going to watch it! Honestly. Then I flicked over and saw Kylie and well, it’s Kylie! There were too many sob stories that weren’t actually very good sob stories but I think I can tolerate it more than the X Factor. Man can also tolerate it because, well, it’s Kylie!
I would also review The Magaluf Weekender and Sunny Beach but that would mean admitting we watched them and of course, we didn’t.
Stace
Follow me on Twitter @StaceInspire
Gingerbread House
Gingerbread House!
Check out the gingerbread house the man and I made from scratch! pic.twitter.com/rvWF4EkxFQ
— Stacey Smith (@StaceInspire) December 29, 2013
We made this using Mary Berry’s Gingerbread House recipe just after Christmas. It took us ages but it was worth it. Our nephews had fun demolishing it.
Book Review: Addition
Addition by Toni Jordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I thought it was going to be too chick-litty for me but it was most enjoyable. I think the test of a a book is whether it is memorable or stands out in some way and this was and did. Grace was an interesting character and although there was a romantic element to the book there was enough humour and seriousness in the subject matter to give it balance.
Fill in the blank: Whenever I ________, I ________. . . . .
A fill in the blank challenge: Whenever I ________, I ________.
Here goes, it’s my worst habit. Please don’t judge me ; )
Whenever I am TIRED, I SUCK MY THUMB.
Absolutely no likeness to me at all but you get the gist.
My name is Stacey Smith and I am a Thumbsucker.
I need it to sleep and as I get tired, as long as my hands are clean, in it goes. I’ve tried lot of things to stop but when it comes to it, apart from the way it messes my teeth up there isn’t enough reason to stop. There are worse habits! My sucky thumb is fatter and flatter than my other one.
I only suck my right thumb, sucking my left would be REALLY weird.
Stace
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Books I read in 2013
In 2013 I read 51 books. Less than the 65 I read last year but still, not too shabby.
Here are 7 that I remember the most or were more notable for some reason or other.
How To Be A Woman – Caitlin Moran
Marmite Moran, loved and hated on Twitter. I loved this book and wasn’t really expecting to. I’ve not read much about feminism before I admit and there’s a lot more I could venture into I’m sure. I would like to be her friend. In a ‘she seems cool’ way not an ‘I haven’t any friends I’m going to stalk her’ way.
Unbroken A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption – Laura Hillenbrand
Amazing book. Wikipedia Louis Zamperini the real man behind the true story. Incredible.
Coraline, The Graveyard Book, Neverwhere, Stardust, Good Omens – Neil Gaiman
I discovered Neil Gaiman! How I hadn’t before I don’t know and I felt late to a freaky party (Yes, yes, I know 5 at once makes more than 7, it’s sort of cheating but this is my blog and I can do what I like). I think my favourite was Neverwhere. I watched Coraline over the Christmas holidays and I don’t know what disturbed me more, the book or the film. Just weird. It’s those button eyes. Arrggh! My favourite was Neverwhere or Stardust, I can’t decide.
American Psycho – Bret Easton Ellis
The majority of the books I read tend to be thrillers or horrific in some way but American Psycho is bloody horrible. Also ace. I need to watch the film but haven’t got round to finding it. One day I’ll use that thing they call ‘The Internet’ and maybe order it online.
The Magicians – Lev Grossman
This was a strange one for me to read but it was different to other books and kept my interest all the way through.
My Mad, Fat Teenage Diary – Rae Earl
A fun book but with a serious topic of mental health. It was made into a Channel 4 programme and series 2 starts soon. Worth a read and a watch.
Asylum Matt Drabble
’13 Tales of Terror’. I don’t usually read short stories but this is 13 stories within a story and it ties together well. An ex-journalist goes to work in a mental hospital and the tales are of patients who reside there. Scary and freaky, just the way I like it. Matt Drabble’s other books are also well worth a read if you like horror fiction. You can also follow him on Twitter @MattDrabble01
So I suppose my aim for 2014 is to read even more book and try and be as varied in my genres as possible.
I’ve just started using Goodreads too so you can find me on there.
Not Sh*t Sherlock
He’s alive! Not that we really thought he was dead but still, hoorah.
I was most excited abut the return of Sherlock. It’s been two whole years. John Watson has a moustache to prove it. In his first scene back Sherlock is Jesus getting battered about and is then saved by his brother so he can return to Baker Street. He freaks out John (who is about to propose) in a posh restaurant with a drawn on Hitler moustache and a French accent. Martin Freeman is great, I still think of Tim and Dawn in The Office and well up. Aunt Sally was pleased Sherlock was back and eventually John came round in the end to make friends make friends never never break friends but not until he’d been nearly roasted on a bonfire and blown up under the Houses of Parliament.
Excellent stuff.
See? My deep observations and analysis confirm why I should blog more in 2014. I’m a genius. Just like Sherlock. Only not at all.
Stace
Follow me on Twitter @StaceInspire
Resurrecting my blog
It’s 2014! Happy new year and all that jazz. I used to like blogging. I forgot this in 2013.
One of my goals for this year is to blog more both on this, my revamped not so personal blog and my Inspire Health and Mind blog too.
Please hold me to this. This is post number one.
Stace
Follow me on Twitter @StaceInspire and @InspireHandM
First half marathon! DONE!
I did it! Yesterday I took part in the BUPA Great Birmingham Run. A whole half marathon. 13.1 miles. It wasn’t easy but it was pretty amazing. It was a personal challenge of course but I also raised some money for Kerrang Radio’s Cash for Kids. You can still donate here if you’d like to top me up!
Before the run. Nervous but ready.
The streets of Birmingham closed off to make way for over 18000 runners of all abilities. The crowds were so great and hearing strangers calling my name out and cheering me on was quite overwhelming. I had a few ‘moments’ as I was running around because there was just so much support. Small children holding their hands out to be high fived, students banging on saucepans, different bands all along the course of all ages. So many people! It made me very proud of Birmingham.
My first 10K (6miles) was pretty easy, I had metal in my ears to keep me going, in fact I could’ve probably run faster but after all the scare stories about the hill at 10 miles I wanted to conserve the energy in my legs. I told myself that once I got to Cannon Hill Park at 9 miles then I would be nearly done (I was wrong on that one!). As I ran through the park I had a packet of sport’s beans I had finished and even though there was all sorts of race litter like bottles of water everywhere I couldn’t bring myself to drop it so I ran over to a woman cheering me on and asked her to get rid of it for me. I hate litterbugs! Haha. My mother and father in law were in the park waiting for me to go past so it was pretty ace to see them.
Then things got a little more difficult. I was running through residential roads in an area I wasn’t familiar with, it was a little quieter and the impending hill made it bit more ominous. As I got onto the main road I could see an incline, I ran as much as my little legs could take and it was OK for a while although my language may not have been the most ladylike. Rounding another corner at about 10.5 miles it got steeper and although I kept my arms moving as if I was running my pace slowed right down and I started to feel the burn. I had to push myself to keep going and I was relieved to see the 11 mile marker. Even though I had run 11 miles I thought to myself, ‘I can run 2 miles easy’, so I went for it, down into the dip and up onto Broad Street, kept on going, then lo and behold in the distance I could see the finish line! A beautiful finish line.
200m from the finish line and the moment I saw my awesome man and family cheering me on. Amazing feeling.
At the 200m marker I heard familar voices shouting my name and I saw my man, my Mom, stepdad, brother, sister in law, Nan, Aunt, Uncle and cousin all cheering me. Best thing ever. I ran over the finish line and my eyes started leaking. I couldn’t believe it was over and I had done it, I so was overwhelmed by the whole experience. There was quite a walk to get my medal and goodie bag before I could find everyone to get some hugs and I broke down, it was all too much! I felt so chuffed but so knackered.
Walking back to the car park near Moor Street station was a challenge. When we got home the bath was most welcome. I made the mistake of lying on the bed afterwards and then it was game over for a couple of hours. I woke up tired and still quite emotional. Then I heard the news of the runner that passed away at the finish line and I felt very sad.
So that was yesterday. I woke up this morning after a long sleep and it all seems unreal now. I had so many messages of support on Facebook and Twitter too and there have been some brilliant photos taken to remind me of my day. If you’re reading this thinking ‘I could never do that’ then think again. Look back at my first running post when I could only run for 1 minute at a time. Anything is acheivable. Literally one step at a time.
Thanks for reading and for everyone who has wished me well.
Love & hugs,
Stace x
Follow me on Twitter @StaceInspire
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