7 Cool Things

When I was doing my last internship at a rather cracking advertising agency, one of my 'workie' tasks was to compile a list of '7 Cool Things' that I'm currently infatuated with and explain why.

ONE:            The new BMW 5 series - looks yum and is a

                           dreamy drive

TWO:           Monet’s 1899 ‘The Water-Lily Pond’ painting - in

                           room 43 of the National Gallery in case you need 

                           convincing

THREE:        Bubblegum - especially Bubbalicious or Anglo 

                           Bubbly

FOUR:           Scrunchies - yes they may be ‘back in fashion’ but I 

                           have been wearing mine continuously since 1996 

                           for simplicity’s sake / to avoid spilt ends. And I 

                           have endured the bullying.            

FIVE:              Podcasts - ideal for the Tube and there’s something 

                           for eeeeveryone

SIX:                 Jennifer Lawrence - her voice, her persona, her

                          dress sense...babe.

SEVEN:         Sarcasm - when will sarcasm ever not be cool. 

Vive le Podcast!

I’ve always been one of those terribly annoying people that answers the what music do you like? question with oh I like lots of things and really enjoy listening to a big range of bands and artists. What a hopeless case. But it’s true! I’d happily go and see Mozart’s The Magic Flute opera with mother on a Monday, accompany the BFF to The Scissor Sisters on a Tuesday, coo over Marina + the Diamonds with daddy dearest on a Wednesday, bop away to a Seth Troxler set on a Thursday… you get it. Also, playlists are my fave thing. Perhaps because they somewhat enable me to fulfill my control freak nature of organisation, but I’d like to say that it's more because then I can freely compose a biiig mixture of musica!

Recently though, I’ve been venturing more and more into the world of the Podcast. I went through a definite The Best of the Chris Moyles Show [Enhanched] phase when I was about 14, but since then my iPod hasn’t really made full use of it’s FREE Podcast capabilities!

Thankfully this has all changed. Allow me to make some (slightly geeky and lit-graduate-esque) podcast suggestions… I listen to these for the purposes of ‘entertainment’ but also to a certain degree some form of self education and cultural development. Paha.  

The Bookslam Podcast – a combination of literature, slam poetry and live music, this is literature but in bitesize, fun and approachable chunks. A personal favourite extract of mine is the poem about British motorway service stations!

The Literary Salon – Damian Barr’s Shoreditch House Literary salon... I get some crackin’ reading suggestions from this. Plus it’s always nice to know what’s actually going through an author’s head!

The Wired.co.uk Podcast – this satisfies the little tech nerd in me I guess. It also teaches me just about enough about the world of technology, so that when once again the office is discussing ‘the rise of google’, the latest apps or simply ANOTHER Facebook threat to our privacy, I can nod and contribute.

BBC R4’s Book Club (yes, really..) – I’ve always been more of a Radio 1 kinda gal, but this Book Club podcast is a real sweetie. Especially those recordings from the 1990s…JK Rowling discussing the release of her ‘unknown fourth Harry Potter’..!!

Short radio play with Alan Bennett & Judi Dench – a one-off podcast recording. Pure genius.