Tuesday 26 April 2011

Doors to Manual by Friday

Whenever I am flying anywhere (not very often these days), I always feel better when I hear those three little words, 'Doors to Manual'. I think it means we have landed and that, until the next time, we have been transported safely through the weather and turbulence all around us. We have arrived at our destination in one piece and can now carry on with the next stage of our life; whether that mean work or pleasure.

The phrase 'Doors to Manual'  has  been sneeringly used throughout the courtship of  HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton, as a snide reference to the fact that Catherine's parents both worked as cabin crew.

However, the phrase could never be more apt as a metaphor of the current situation.

Not only the couple themselves and their extended families, but the entire nation; which is in a state of in-flight limbo at the moment, will perhaps be mouthing those magic words after Friday.

Happy Landings everyone!

Friday 15 April 2011

Catherine Zeta-Jones may not be such a Happy Bunny this Easter

Recent news reports say that Hollywood movie star, Catherine Zeta-Jones, is suffering from Bi-Polar Disorder (allegedly the 'number 2' variety, which is less 'pronounced').

No doubt she's had a lot to contend with. Her husband's illness must have taken it's toll on her. Not to mention looking after her two kids, keeping up with her glittering career and the various homes the couple own throughout the globe.

Maybe it makes us ordinary folk a little bit smug to know that these kinds of illnesses are no respecter of persons, wealth or class. We can find ourselves thinking that with all that money, fame and superstar lifestyle, there is no immunity from the kind of trials lesser mortals experience.

Part of me thinks that. But then part of me feels a little bit of sympathy for the Mrs Michael Douglas. Maybe if she'd stayed in the Gower (a lovely part of Wales); and married a Welsh rugby player like, say, Charlotte Church, everything would have been lovely. Or maybe not.

Still, there's always a silver lining to these things. Stephen Fry's very public battle with Depression seems to have given a whole new dimension to his career. Maybe Miss Zeta-Jones will claim a different piece of the limelight now. All the images I found on Google show her looking lovely as usual. There are none of her falling out of a 'rehab' clinic or coming out of club in a drunken or drugged state; or showing their underwear (unless in very tasteful poses). Witness celebrity 'sufferers' of other conditions, who have often been 'papped' in such compromising situations. Maybe the ever-tasteful, serene Catherine is a prime candidate to front a new campaign for this nasty illness. Certainly this timely reporting makes sure that the other Catherine doesn't get all the attention over Easter.

Tuesday 12 April 2011

Happy? Fill in another form for the Government to tell them so!

Not content with asking the population to fill in extremely tiresome census forms, the Government now wants us to fill in a form to tell them how happy we are. (Today programme, radio 4 this morning).

This is surely a devious way of taking our mind off the misery of the failing economy, falling house prices, unemployment, student loans and the many other causes of discontent in our society.

By attempting to measure things which are really difficult to measure; and by making it look as if we are a lot of 'moaning minnies', the politicians are neatly setting aside those things which they do not want to measure (or don't want to publicise). Things which make us very unhappy indeed.

Tuesday 5 April 2011

Blondie - Live at the Hammersmith Odeon (1980)

There's a video on Facebook at the moment featuring the Iconic 'Blondie', performing 'Atomic Kitten' at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1980. I wasn't at the live performance, sadly, but the song still affects me physically. This was Blondie at her incredible best. As if daring people to think otherwise at the time,she is wearing a long T-shirt/short T-shirt dress printed with the word 'BAD', designed by Andy Warhol.  Fantastic. And to think she can still have an effect on the Facebook generation.

Marilyn Monroe is famously associated with the saying 'Gentlemen prefer blondes'; and maybe the jury is still out on that. But Blondie is the only person who ever convinced me that blonde could be, not only beautiful, but dynamic, serious, artistic and 'earthy', rather than ethereal and delicate. Legend.