Dave Gorman @ Latitude
I just realised that I haven’t posted anything about our recent trips.
The first one, at the end of July was Latitude, a 3 year old festival which is really coming into its own. It was referred to on more than one occasion as “the middle class festival”, and it probably was. This festival had the feel of a village fete where you were welcome to pitch up your tent.
It rained, of course, but there were never the mud baths of Glastonbury. The cider was Aston’s and nice, but not nearly as good as Brothers.
The whole feel to the festival was wonderful, very laid back and cultured. I missed the only band I wanted to see (Black Kids), Blondie was the other big contender, but she was on at the same time as Dave Gorman, so for me it was a no brainer, Dave had it. He did an entertaining set promoting his book Unchained America. It’s a chronicle of trying to get from cost to coast without giving any money to “The Man” (corporations). He had to find all gas, food, lodgings and (many) car repairs from independent, “mom and pop” businesses. I didn’t buy the book, but got it from the library when I returned, but I’ve only managed half of it, I was a bit disappointed with the prose, it’s very flat compared to Dave’s live presenting style.
The other highlights for me were the readings done by Word Theatre. Gary Dourdan read Martin Luther Kings I Have A Dream, and it gave me goose bumps and Beatie Edney, who I had never heard of previously, but had an amazing presence. I wouldn’t have thought I’d be interested in this sort of thing (readings and stuff), but both me and my 15 year old daughter were very impressed and went for all of the readings, I’d definitely look them out again.
There’s no comparison to Glastonbury, it’s like apples and oranges. This one was very convenient as we had to be in Suffolk that weekend to pick up the littlies, and I hope it falls like this for us next year as well.
Goal setting, I decided on this topic because my wonderful son asked me what had I wanted to do when I was a child. I remember vividly that I wanted to be American. I expect I was swayed by the wonderful lives I saw that American kids had via our TV. Huge, plush bedrooms with walk-in closets, school with no uniform you could chew gum and play baseball. It was a magical place, and it wasn’t that I was growing up in poverty or destitution or in a developing country. I lived in the UK.
Now of course I see that it was idealistic but when my son asked me and after thinking for a while I responded. “As a kid I wanted to be American”, it is probably no wonder that the states feels like my spiritual home. I’ve been lucky enough to spend extended visits in Florida, and I never want to come home. When I do get back to the UK I yearn to be back in the states. When I visit, my homecoming starts when I step off the plane, that first interaction with the burly security guards, who call me “ma’am” how nice is that, how polite it sounds. Obviously I didn’t know what to expect on my first visit, but it surpassed my imagination. The vastness of it, no wonder there are walk in closets there is so much room everywhere. This is particularly noticeable on the roads, they are so big, the difference was highlighted on the movie “The Holiday” although not all of our roads are as tight as the one Cameron Diaz was filmed in, they are not unusual either. I love to drive in America. I drive an automatic at home, so I’m comfortable with that, but the idea that I could get on a road and drive for 10 hours and not see the sea, that I could drive for 20 hours and still be in the same country, that is spectacular to me.
My ambition as I got older (and still) is to do a road trip in the states, to spend 6 months driving around and meeting people in the different states, finding out about their lives. When this dream first started it was going to be motel to motel, then I thought I’d rent a motor home, but now I know I’d do it by couchsurfing and visit with people on my way, because for me, it’s much more about the people than the place.
We got a new Fridge/Freezer. It’s very nice all brushed stainless and really fits in with the kitchen. Something I said has obviously pricked Dave, because since then he has connected the oven properly, even going to buy the right screws to fit the socket to the wall, he would usually leave that hanging and changed a cupboard that we bought back in September to one that is the right size. Now he has started to nag me about the things I have hoarded and getting rid of them. I did list most of it on ebay last week and have sold some. The rest has gone on to freecycle and will hopefully be collected today or tomorrow.
I have to get it shifted as it is taking up space in Charlotte’s bedroom, and she is back from school this weekend. I am really looking forward to having her home, and planning my shopping with her favourite foods in mind. I bought a lovely leg of lamb yesterday and had my first organic delivery today, so that is going to make a wonderful Easter dinner, which we’ll have on Monday, as we’re traveling all of the weekend.
You’ll know from my posts that I love to read Zen Habits, and today I’m trying to keep in mind, that Dave is already perfect in every way. I am so not bothered about his doing DIY usually, and don’t mind the unfinished things, but with my daughter bringing a friend home and her parents are coming to pick her up, I really want the place to look nice. I have to remember we are nice people, we are welcoming her to our home which is clean, tidy and warm, we have good food and nice family times, and it really does not matter that our floor is a messy mix of carpet and tiles, most of which are split.
Usually, I can just get on with dinner. I enjoy making the food for the family, and this week has been the easiest for a long time. For the last few months in accordance with my frugal ways I’ve made a monthly meal plan, and for the most part that has worked out. I work much better with lists and my life feels ordered if I know what we are having for dinner tonight and tomorrow night and next Thursday night. With the exception of a few items very little has been repeated over the last 2 months. We have similar themes: curry, fish, pasta, rice and something and soup night. This week has been better than others I have planned, and I can only assume that is because I haven’t stuck to the plan at all. I feel safe with the list, and always know I can cook what’s on it, but feel much more relaxed making what comes to hand. So for instance tonight was supposed to be sausage plait. Well, I bought sausage meat from my butcher last week and made some sausage rolls for packed lunches, and although they were nice I was fed up of sausage and didn’t buy any at the butchers this week. What I did get was 2lbs of beef mince.
That was on Monday. and everyday I’ve thought, we’ll have that mince tonight. I have been going to make burgers with it all week, but last night decided instead we’d have a mince curry made with it. Dave took me out to the post office when he got in from work. I had a quick skate around the supermarket for eggs, and saw some reduced organic turkey. So we had turkey curry instead.
Tonight we are going to have the burgers, I’ve bought buns, and we have to because the mince won’t last any longer. Normally I’d have had the burgers made and in the fridge ready to be cooked when everyone is home this evening. But, I’m putting it off, I know I am procrastinating on it, but not sure why. There is no way I will waste the meat, so it is going to be cooked, and I just have to get on with it. Zen Habits is great for help with procrastination, and reading from there I’ve learnt that it’s no good trying to rationalise or convince. I just have to do it, not think about just get on with it.
Therefore, I just have to finish this blog, um, better check my email, and er, sure there’s a program I want to catch up on, but then absolutely nothing will stop me making those yummy burgers.
Hard topped muffin for breakfast.
Not for everyone of course, Kate has fruit, Chris cereal, and Dave crumpets. I could have had any of those, but there was one stale shop bought muffin left, and even though it was made with eggs which aren’t free range, (bought by Dave of course) wasting food seems like a bigger crime. It sat on the end of the bench where things are relegated before the bin, and I had my eye on it as I went to and fro through the kitchen. First time was for my wake up coffee, and at that time I wouldn’t have cared if it had been put in the bin. Next was when I made the lunches, and even considered throwing it into Katie’s pack up, she wouldn’t mind, she’d be pleased to have something shop bought and full of sugar, but my parenting guilt kicked in and she had a pear instead. My final and fatal trip was for my 2nd (and last) coffee, which I can sit quietly in front of the PC with, as they’ve headed out to school and work. While making this regular morning treat, I am cleaning away the results of the packed lunches and wiping down the benches. Last chance for the muffin, if it wasn’t eaten then it would go into the bin.
Of course before my blogging, eating that muffin would not have had this level of scrutiny, but it’s crumpled, tired wrapper is next to me as I type, and has me wondering why I ate it. Waste of course is one of the options, but the possibly, more realistic reasons, are greed and laziness.
I have always been greedy, only the last year or so, since turning 40 does it seem to be abating. I always had a passion and hunger for life itself, but that too seems to be abating.
I’ve tried to start writing a blog and even have a few entries in cyberspace, but never managed to keep it up. Apparently this is a problem for many blog writers.
This time, it’s going to work. I feel positive about it.
Until recently I wasn’t into the whole blog thing. I never read them and my writing of them, well, that’s already been explained. Then a frugal forum I regularly read had a link to ‘The Years Are Short‘ it is a wonderful one minute movie about how quickly our children grow, and from there was a link to the movie producers blog, The Happiness Project. This truly inspired me, not to blog at first, but to read blogs. I loved the concept behind The Happiness Project. This was something myself and my daughter had discussed on a few occasions, could we ‘choose’ to be happy. Gretchen has gone through this subject with a fine tooth comb, and what she does not know about how to be happy, really is not worth knowing. From Gretchen’s blog, there were links to many other’s, some I read for a few days and some I’m subbing to and reading avidly. The most recent favourite is Zen Habits I’m definitely looking at ways to incorporate ideals from there. I’d already started decluttering, but it’s a slow process. The goal setting is the next thing on my agenda. Yesterday for a few minutes I sat with pen and paper and wrote the goals that came to mind. I want to spend more time on them and then share, but what surprised me was that finishing the kitchen was not one of them.
