51 posts tagged “qotd”
What's the biggest leap of faith you've ever had to take?
Leaving my full-time job to try to live on what I can earn as a writer and occasional radio-type person. One day I might even make some money from comedy as well, but don't hold your breath.
So far, two years down the line, it seems to be going okay.
If you could add one feature - ANY feature - to your cell phone, what would it be?
I have an iPhone, which I love in many ways. BUT -- I'm also aware I was kind of seduced by the design. There are a couple of things that were on the Nokia N95, the phone I nearly chose, that I wish were on my iPhone.
They are:
- SatNav
- FM radio
- better camera
That said, the internet browser on the iPhone is the best I've ever used on a phone and I really have no complaints at all (not now that O2 have improved the contract details). BUT it's not the best value for money, and could definitely be improved with just a few tiny extras.
What are five words you really like?
Submitted by purplesque.
- meretricious
- saunter
- taramasalata
- Fauve
- mosey
What's the best book you read this year?
I answered this question in a recent post.
What was the best movie you saw this year?
The Lives of Others. Not just the best I've seen this year, but one of the best films I've ever seen.
What fragrance/cologne do you put on when it's your night out?
Submitted by noiq.
Guerlain's L'Heure Bleue.
It was created in 1912, and it refers to the "blue hour": the hour when the sun has gone from the sky but the stars haven't come out yet. Jacques Guerlain called it "the suspended hour".
It's deep and melancholic. It's kind of soft and powdery and velvety and floral. To me, it smells of a Paris boudoir, and a woman in a silk wrap putting on her make-up and her stockings as the sun starts to set. I love the history behind it, I love the bottle, and I love wearing a scent that has been around for nearly a century.
This is a nice review of the perfume.
There are a couple of other old, old perfumes that I wear sometimes. Chanel's Cuir de Russie was first created in 1924, and smells like a beautiful leather handbag with a hint of amber and just a whiff of tobacco. It's not remotely floral or fancy. And there's another Guerlain perfume I wear sometimes, called Vol de Nuit. It was created in 1933 for Air France, back when flying was glamorous. I believe small bottles were handed out to the wealthy passengers. It's quite a bold perfume, almost like a man's scent. It smells of sharp orange with spicy, woody tones - like a sandalwood jewellery box, or the smell of pencil sharpenings.
You may have gathered that I love perfume.
What was your major or field of study in college? Did you wind up working in that field or using that degree? If not, what field have you wound up in?
Submitted by sneuf.
My degree was in English. Mostly English Literature, a couple of courses in American Literature and a bit of Old English and Middle English Language.
I then did a postgraduate diploma in radio journalism and became a local radio journalist. You might think there's a direct correlation between English and journalism, but really local radio journalism is the anti-English. It's all about writing short, sharp sentences and using cliches as shorthand for getting across the point of complicated stories. It's a victory for common sense, it's too little too late, local residents say they're delighted, these people we spoke to have mixed views, a local MP is hitting out at plans to... you get the drift.
Now I write books and do stand-up comedy. I guess both of those are approximately in same field as my degree, in that they both involve trying to be creative with words. So, yeah.
What were your top 10 favorite songs or albums of 2007?
This was the year when I lost track of current pop music completely. I spent twenty years working in pop music radio, and thus my whole working life was lived to a soundtrack of pop. And this year, I barely listened to any pop radio. Therefore, while I know Rihanna had a song called "Umbrella" that drove everyone crazy, and I know Leona Lewis had a big hit called "Bleeding Love" and I know there were lots of wimpy blokes trying to be the new James Blunt (not that anyone wanted one) I couldn't hum a note from any of these artists and songs. Therefore my list of favourite albums is deeply old-fashioned and hairy and really show my age, and I don't care. These are in no particular order.
Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Live at the Fillmore East 1970
The first in a series of archive live recordings, my only - tiny - criticism of this album is that it's too short. Live at Massey Hall was also wonderful, but I prefer noisy Neil.
Lucinda Williams - West
A grower. Nothing particularly new from Lucinda, just more of the same good stuff. "Are You Alright", "Come On" and the title track were standouts for me. Tough and tender, as always.
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Another grower. I've loved watching Wilco move from alt country to become one of the most daring and exciting bands in the world. This was - in part - a return to mellower sounds. But what's wrong with that, I concluded after a few listens. And seeing them live at Shepherd's Bush Empire was a highlight of the year - even the mellow songs rocked. Nels Cline is a guitar god.
Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther
I've mentioned this one before, and I think it actually came out in 2006. Prog rocky in the best way - melodic and strange and a bit Fleetwood Mac-y. I know almost nothing about this band except apparently they're from small town Texas. They sound like they're from the olden days.
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raising Sand
Every middle-aged muso's favourite album of the year, I think. Way more daring and interesting than you'd imagine.
That's just five, and that's all you're getting unless I think of some more. An honourable mention to Neil Young's Chrome Dreams II, which was best mixed but does have the stand-out 18-minute epic song "Ordinary People".
By the way, none of these was my most-played album of the year. That honour is shared by two Josh Rouse albums, 1972 and Nashville, which proved perfect listening while writing Can't Let Go.
What's your musical horoscope? (Put your player on shuffle and write down the first 10 songs that come up.)
- Scott Walker - The War Is Over (Sleepers)
- Ian Shaw - A Case Of You
- Kathryn Williams - Easy & Me
- Paul Burch - Montreal
- Neil Young - Roll Another Number (For The Road)
- Wilco - Someone Else's Song
- Shirley Collins & Davy Graham - Proud Maisrie
- Bobby Womack - Where Do We Go From Here?
- Teenage Fanclub - Hardcore/Ballad
- Aimee Mann - You Do
When do you start your holiday shopping?
If you mean Christmas shopping (rather than shopping for summer holidays) then about now - although I have four or five birthdays to shop for first. Although we don't have Black Friday (because we don't have Thanksgiving) most of the major shopping centres are turning on their Christmas lights about now. This is an annual event in which a local radio DJ, the Australian ex-soap actor who's starring in the local panto and a member of the local football team officially switch on the Christmas lights, and everyone starts shopping. My city's main shopping centre has a "German Christmas Market" at the moment, which basically means a few wooden huts selling sausages. And late night shopping on Thursday evenings tends to start about now in the run-up to Christmas.
