tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84466423954989011792024-03-05T11:46:32.332+00:00Rae GeeHome of author Rae Gee.
Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.comBlogger271125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-18923068129833480552018-03-17T11:31:00.001+00:002018-03-17T11:31:25.978+00:00My Poor Brain: Spring Edition<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
March 2018
marks three of being drug free. Back in 2015, I stopped taking the
anti-psychotic medication that had been prescribed in the wake of an
overdose twelve years previously. It was a big step and one that was
far out of my comfort zone.</div>
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<br />
</div>
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The past
three years have disappeared in a blur of putting my life back
together and learning how to live. Emotions that I never knew existed
have surfaced and I've faced complications that I never thought that
I'd ever see. But they're all battles that are meant to be fought and
won. Giving up isn't an option and, even on the darkest of days, I've
tried to keep a positive attitude.</div>
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<br />
</div>
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It isn't
always easy, though, and there are two periods of the year when it
becomes even harder to maintain that balance that I've become so used
to. As autumn slides in to winter and winter slides in to spring,
I've discovered that my brain becomes a little more unbalanced. One
is from the days becoming shorter and the weather becoming colder and
the other is as we emerge from a long, cold winter.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx65WP1jAlKGEi83jsfEi-7iPv2Axq2tEtHTRJGOhUvclfeJdQdg0a5a7o08Fl6dBxK1PDbqiEkjG-vBfgnpphpHDclQdd9OHx9VaoIpkhLDZPvSN6wA6TwvdZdU6qeA36tMyA4zf2eFKV/s1600/flowers-3231089_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx65WP1jAlKGEi83jsfEi-7iPv2Axq2tEtHTRJGOhUvclfeJdQdg0a5a7o08Fl6dBxK1PDbqiEkjG-vBfgnpphpHDclQdd9OHx9VaoIpkhLDZPvSN6wA6TwvdZdU6qeA36tMyA4zf2eFKV/s320/flowers-3231089_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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As winter
becomes spring I find that I'm achy and tired. My body feels as
though it's run out of fuel and, no matter how much goodness I give
it, the exhaustion doesn't lift. There's aches and pains where I've
never known aches and pains and articulating myself suddenly becomes
a mountain that I can't climb. Anxiety burns through me and sleep is
a memory. It's as though everything has been asleep over winter and
is slowly waking up.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Which may be
what's happening. This is a situation that I've found myself in a few
times over the previous three years. As the seasons slide from one to
the next so the human body follows. It lives by nature's clock,
sleeping and awakening and sleeping again. The dark days of winter
make us want to sleep while the beginnings of spring makes us feel
lethargic and like we're emerging from a long hibernation.
</div>
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<br />
</div>
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Another
theory that I've heard is that, by the end of winter, the body is
running low on essential vitamins and minerals. Like squirrels, we'll
have spent the months before winter stocking up on the things that
will see us through the dark winter days. And, while we may take
supplements to get us through the cold months, they're not always
enough so, come March and April, we feel run down, tired, and grumpy.
Over the winter, I take a range of vitamins including C, D, and iron,
as well as using a daylight lamp in the mornings and evenings.
Hopefully, this year, I may be able to also get some tests done just
to see exactly what needs topping up throughout the year.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqAi2GySWn2HUwjEJAphtfmP0o4XUByvrzoCTak9OLWpmLHcnN8dUOgTyb7VZm7vRl8tnKW5ppFoTdzrGLRCAK6ycQMZ2e83YlkXiMFr5LMOfAUWqcEr9h7UhHDpCG85bNR_vCpYwcm8h/s1600/bagan-1137015_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqAi2GySWn2HUwjEJAphtfmP0o4XUByvrzoCTak9OLWpmLHcnN8dUOgTyb7VZm7vRl8tnKW5ppFoTdzrGLRCAK6ycQMZ2e83YlkXiMFr5LMOfAUWqcEr9h7UhHDpCG85bNR_vCpYwcm8h/s320/bagan-1137015_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Or it may
just be the way that my fabulously defective brain is wired!</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
So it's that
time of the year again. I'm a little bit grumpy, fairly achy, and
generally tired. Everything is taking longer than normal. But it's
getting there, and that's all that matters. Mountains can be climbed.
It just takes one step at a time.</div>
<br />Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-75706014081509732402018-02-23T13:52:00.000+00:002018-03-17T15:37:50.563+00:00Watch the Skies<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>Watch the skies.</i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Sky
watching is something that I've always done. Fascinated with what
lies beyond our own, meagre existence, I've spent hours with my eyes
turned heavenwards in the hopes that the questions that roll through
my mind will one day be answered.</div>
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<br /></div>
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And
spread across the velvety night, things have appeared. Stars,
satellites, aircraft, and a few objects that were never identified.
The red star that faded to away. The clouds that had been punctured
by something other than mere weather. The flicker of light that was
neither plane nor satellite. The metallic orb that lazily drifted
across the heavens only to disappear in the blink of an eye. The pair
of lights that spent three nights dancing above my house.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpWzyMBFeXaZxRKHfB7HjCT94JpQRRlhedtctc_sWGwEdYc5PX5ztFGh1hgjsqxMndYlVxpoCu01tBhc7uGuGrFTbclZ__Cu9xfUF672mL_zbD0MRFXAPiOW2FdGcW0q1eI6phLBHSpuD/s1600/ufo-1784349_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpWzyMBFeXaZxRKHfB7HjCT94JpQRRlhedtctc_sWGwEdYc5PX5ztFGh1hgjsqxMndYlVxpoCu01tBhc7uGuGrFTbclZ__Cu9xfUF672mL_zbD0MRFXAPiOW2FdGcW0q1eI6phLBHSpuD/s320/ufo-1784349_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
My
fascination with the skies started young. I found myself immersed in
the world of the extraterrestrial from the time that I was able to
wield a library card. Books that would be classed as out of my
reading range were sneaked in to the house and hidden under pillows
and behind toys. There was that burning desire to know whether we
were alone in the universe and what, if anything, was visiting us.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The
stories that were told in those early books were full of fascination,
wonder and, to some degree, a little bit of terror. They spoke of
incidents that had happened many years before my birth and had
photographs of crafts that were supposedly from other worlds.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As
I hit my teenage years, I lapped up episodes of the X-Files and
signed up to SETI. In more recent years, I've come in to contact with
people who, like myself, are also searching for answers but keeping a
healthy sense of skepticism in their lives (it's good to ask
questions but don't fall <i>too </i>far down the rabbit hole). One of
them treated me to a care package from Roswell and it's no accident
that I named my publishing company <a href="https://www.instagram.com/roswellpublishing/">Roswell Publishing</a>.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
A
few years ago, I wanted to go back to a prominent time in UFO lore.
During World War II, mysterious balls of light were seen flying
alongside fighter aircraft. This didn't just happen once; it happened
numerous times and, for me, is one of our biggest UFO incidents. The
balls of light appeared to be under intelligent control and were
believed to be either St Elmo's fire or one of the German army's many
wonder weapons. Yet there is very little information on the subject
and what literature there is has been buried because the term that
was given to these balls of light was lifted from a book and used.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Foo
fighters.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEK2RAtzzNOP9DEpb0aUg-qlabeWPA7QBy3rLCk335uNANFUZm3lj4qKSLQh1D0A2yOFgDTw2hYWEwc-m9oOHB5g5FwxSw0KNpMHerTb8A3T3Nn_z48siKDs6hnubGrwH-lUnsSWBUs5-/s1600/FF+4th+kind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="682" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEK2RAtzzNOP9DEpb0aUg-qlabeWPA7QBy3rLCk335uNANFUZm3lj4qKSLQh1D0A2yOFgDTw2hYWEwc-m9oOHB5g5FwxSw0KNpMHerTb8A3T3Nn_z48siKDs6hnubGrwH-lUnsSWBUs5-/s400/FF+4th+kind.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wonder how many articles begin with a variation of that paragraph?!<br />
<a href="http://fourthkind.com/foo-fighters-of-world-war-ii/">http://fourthkind.com/foo-fighters-of-world-war-ii/</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Tweaked
search terms yielded some results. But, sooner or later, you'd hit a
brick wall and find yourself reading about the band. It was
frustrating and eventually I found myself going down a different
road, one that I never imagined that I'd take.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
My
bookshelves are now lined with books on UFOlogy and my iPad has apps
to help me identify aircraft and satellites. Every night I still go
outside and take a look at the sky above me.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I
did write a book in the end. It just happens to be about Foo
Fighters, the band and not foo fighters, the aerial phenomenon. It'll
be out later this year.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Maybe,
just maybe, this is where the path that I started walking when I was
six years old was supposed to take me...</div>
<br />Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-61064557405262958742018-01-14T12:37:00.003+00:002018-01-14T12:37:59.912+00:00The Time That I Tried to Buy a Nuclear Bunker<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Let's talk about the
mania part of bipolar. It's interesting and, at times, can be useful.
I've written entire books while in the throes of a manic period. Once
harnessed, it can be a force for good, and a ride that you don't
particularly want to get off of.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Then there's the really
crazy times. I know people who've blown through money with nothing to
show at the end of it. Or who have gotten themselves into life
threatening situations. Thankfully I'm still here to tell the tale
but there was the time that I tried to buy a nuclear bunker. You
didn't misread that.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I tried to buy a
nuclear bunker.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-2RtDT0VszVtWZjJ4G2v947UgdkW1z_fkmsqQmrNoyP6Y514ZOFhDwGT0Sz2HXwtOW7bMmlNfOb8KMFCIuS2rzNhcZ0a89av8zBZ7uQMN_Mz_FNiisYzTmwHwAoomyvtGdc8EKuiNDaWy/s1600/nuclear-bunkers-for-sale-2-100643626-gallery.idge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="620" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-2RtDT0VszVtWZjJ4G2v947UgdkW1z_fkmsqQmrNoyP6Y514ZOFhDwGT0Sz2HXwtOW7bMmlNfOb8KMFCIuS2rzNhcZ0a89av8zBZ7uQMN_Mz_FNiisYzTmwHwAoomyvtGdc8EKuiNDaWy/s320/nuclear-bunkers-for-sale-2-100643626-gallery.idge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
They're not hard to get
hold of if you have buckets of cash and live in certain parts of the
world. The issue is that I don't have buckets of cash, nor do I have
the right to buy property in places like the US (and the other issue
is that I have no right to remain there, which kind of defeats the
object of such a lavish purchase).</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
But you can't tell that
to a manic brain. As far as it's concerned, it can have whatever it
wants and the consequences will be dealt with later. Why did it want
a nuclear bunker? Why not? It was one of the many supposedly rational
things that my brain told me that I needed.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Please laugh. Because I
do. I'd end up in hospital if I didn't laugh at some of the
completely ridiculous things that surround the bipolar.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The mania can be
amazing. But it also comes with its downsides. Like the aches and
pains as it wears off. There's no concrete reasoning for them and
theories range from the body tensing up during the period to lack of
sleep caused by an ever active brain to the body dumping the excess
chemicals that it's created during that period. All I know is that it
hurts. And you don't want to do a damn thing during it.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkjo0l2qdPB8VyuN1l1hoEJ5_L9LeWtKqE_JBd7kSJs5Rilc1DnebEjXFqPJdqMzhdgbLkXQxk685VxCPt2Z7aiuC5ulNyc45Bns9aS1IeIa8Z_Cm8C7L63KJhrMO2o4G4btrz9TkXV_N/s1600/how+it+sometimes+feels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="599" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkjo0l2qdPB8VyuN1l1hoEJ5_L9LeWtKqE_JBd7kSJs5Rilc1DnebEjXFqPJdqMzhdgbLkXQxk685VxCPt2Z7aiuC5ulNyc45Bns9aS1IeIa8Z_Cm8C7L63KJhrMO2o4G4btrz9TkXV_N/s320/how+it+sometimes+feels.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mania can feel like this!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Anxiety is another side
effect. Crippling, uncontrollable and unfounded anxiety. Because of
my reluctance to take any medication (I'll be off them 3 years this
year) I have to rely on talking myself out of it, reasoning, or using
natural over the counter products (<a href="http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-information/">Bach's Rescue Remedy</a> is a saviour
during these times). But the anxiety is something that can last for
months with no rhyme or reason to it, causing untold anguish and
additional physical pain.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
But I'm blessed.
Blessed to have family and friends who will go out of their way to
make sure that everything's okay and to talk me into situations that
are entirely safe but, to my brain, are life or death events. I know
that not everyone has such a support system so we need to look out
for one another. We need to take care of each other and make sure
that everyone has a place to feel safe and supported. Please don't go
through it alone.</div>
Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-6589221076417803252017-12-24T13:37:00.000+00:002017-12-24T13:37:51.875+00:00A Very Merry Christmas<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Christmas has rolled
around once more. Where have the past twelve months gone?! It only
feels like yesterday when we were all hanging decorations, writing
cards, and wrapping gifts for Christmas 2016.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
2017 has been a strange
year, one of ups and downs. Things that we thought would happen
haven't come to fruition while some far off dreams have become
reality. Some of us are still battling to get to where we want to be
while friends and family have far surpassed their dreams and are
heading for the stars. We sit and watch them, smiling as they achieve
all that their hearts desire.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Amid it all, we've
watched as the world has changed beyond our dreams and nightmares.
Political powers have risen and are battling it out with one another,
putting our safety at risk. Companies have fallen because of corrupt
and unethical ways. New ways of living are being developed and we
find ourselves staring at the beginning of a new, technological
revolution.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
What will 2018 bring?
More of the same instability? Or something a little more settled? The
past three or four years have felt as though we've been in a
snowglobe that is randomly picked up and shaken. None of us know
where we're going to land nor what is going to happen next. We just
hold on and hope that whatever is coming will be better, happier, and
bring peace to the world around us. The pain for many people has been
unimaginable and the hardships tougher than anything we could have
dreamed off. In the end, we have to believe that maybe these events
are occurring in order to teach us something about ourselves and the
world that we live in.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2f-C7kBSsU1U-zhDHV9n63noDXs7WU1vCh53AlLaubbgV-rhEFeb71nc5d8crrxVLyqygm843fbtJB-4hvoKuRXvcMQbGtcSmwZk8AMf-d4fq_mQuVhYzGN_5kqlfaOM34eALWmg3v5oU/s1600/positive+outlooks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2f-C7kBSsU1U-zhDHV9n63noDXs7WU1vCh53AlLaubbgV-rhEFeb71nc5d8crrxVLyqygm843fbtJB-4hvoKuRXvcMQbGtcSmwZk8AMf-d4fq_mQuVhYzGN_5kqlfaOM34eALWmg3v5oU/s320/positive+outlooks.jpg" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/positiveoutlooks/">www.facebook.com/positiveoutlooks/</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
What kind of world do
we want? Do we want one where the power is in the hands of a few
unstable and megalomanic people? Or one where worry doesn't
perpetually live in our hearts?</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This Christmas may be
harder for some people because of the impact that the world is having
on them. They may not feel like being around people, nor be in a
particularly festive mood. They may be tired, or just feeling the
strain of the past year. If there's someone you think of over the
festive period, drop the message, even to just say hello.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Hopefully 2018 will see
us in a much better place. Hopefully the wrongs will right themselves
and the rights will become reality. Whatever you're doing over the
coming days, may your days be merry and bright and may your 2018 be
filled with all the joys that you wish for!</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Lc_n-n70saA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Lc_n-n70saA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-71779591020028688442017-12-05T16:40:00.000+00:002017-12-05T16:40:13.488+00:00What Makes a Fan?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjMdvOiaSLVuTco1q3WnUbbOlS6_QTbfaYRqGRwwxjho2n5yD38gPeGDc5tC0RzQ4Tw_RQfEyF7RMBV1TMBvnkWeZdqapBb-B-0SStEh_ivyN_d6HhX0Irv3GqszAkNht0mh8E7CjXAVj/s1600/fan+post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjMdvOiaSLVuTco1q3WnUbbOlS6_QTbfaYRqGRwwxjho2n5yD38gPeGDc5tC0RzQ4Tw_RQfEyF7RMBV1TMBvnkWeZdqapBb-B-0SStEh_ivyN_d6HhX0Irv3GqszAkNht0mh8E7CjXAVj/s640/fan+post.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Sarah: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sarah.turrell/">https://www.instagram.com/sarah.turrell/</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
What makes a fan? Is it
someone who spends thousands of pounds a year on their favourite band
and goes to see twenty shows? Or is it someone who never sees a live
show yet quietly appreciates an artist? Is it someone who is actively
involved in a band's fandoms? Or someone who sits somewhere in the
middle, never really participating but wanting to be a part of it all
the same?</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
There's no definite
answer to what makes a fan, nor should there be. As anyone who loves
an artist knows, circumstances differ from one person to the next.
Some people have the energy and resources to spend several weeks
following a band. For others, anxiety, lack of money, or their
location may stop them from attending live shows.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVEsuxTubvuJiCWxPPdpN9R_DjJ0Kt9xB4veHG7dHJPvjR6u5CnNGygSiMXOfNEY_K0yf58R3ZEtVo9cnjqjZIFt12t9nZWTF8LG_4Ofz0231KwNATNPNNMuX8lb9Bl5wbulyNnqpuUkX/s1600/fan+post+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="1024" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVEsuxTubvuJiCWxPPdpN9R_DjJ0Kt9xB4veHG7dHJPvjR6u5CnNGygSiMXOfNEY_K0yf58R3ZEtVo9cnjqjZIFt12t9nZWTF8LG_4Ofz0231KwNATNPNNMuX8lb9Bl5wbulyNnqpuUkX/s320/fan+post+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bantam10/with/6947226867/">Bantam10</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />One of the reasons that
I wrote the fan book was to explore the sense of community that
springs up around bands. From the local guys playing bars on a
Saturday night to the bands hammering away at sold out stadium shows,
someone, somewhere will love what they do. And the communities that
spring up around them are incredibly important. Not just for sharing
news but for the support that they bring to those who reside within
them. Support that includes shoulders to lean on during the tougher
times of life as well as love and laughter for when things are going
well.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
People gravitate
towards these communities for a variety of reasons, and the internet
has made it far easier for us to find those who resonate with us no
matter what our circumstances. Our own, local, communities may hold
nothing for us and finding a support network can be hard at the best
of times. The internet allows us to remain anonymous while also
building up friendships with those who share our interests and
passions.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As for the communities
that surround the Foo Fighters, a quick search of somewhere like
Facebook throws up a myriad of meeting areas from the large Foo
Family groups to smaller, more niche ones which focus on everything
from hotel shares to dating to news pages. All of them are
interconnected, not just physically by the people who are in them but
also by their love of the same band. It's a world that can, on one
hand seem very tiny but, on the other, feel as though it goes on
forever. And, like any community, it's moving from being an online
village to a sprawling digital city with an ever-growing population.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_DIAdH4y2NVk1tByd1TTtkYuPT9ShgvyCPNd1m8h5esn1k_SOB3dWi8KOpvOtmA9PmwuLy48OyUNM9sHn688YMwTivKTpsDMOdi4h-zEdo_1rjV1Jrmon8k1VwemGMtmiYPl_6LNb3V9/s1600/computer-2930704_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="640" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_DIAdH4y2NVk1tByd1TTtkYuPT9ShgvyCPNd1m8h5esn1k_SOB3dWi8KOpvOtmA9PmwuLy48OyUNM9sHn688YMwTivKTpsDMOdi4h-zEdo_1rjV1Jrmon8k1VwemGMtmiYPl_6LNb3V9/s320/computer-2930704_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
For me, I found a home
among the Foos community. At the time, it was a home that I didn't
realise that I needed, nor wanted, and from which I'd constantly try
and leave. But it was one that drew me in, one that was filled with
the kind of fun, laughter, and love that I'd spent a good deal of
time looking for. And, while I might not be the most active, or most
talkative, of members I still enjoy the company and camaraderie of
those that I meet. In an age where the internet can bring about a
great deal of loneliness, these pockets of music fans have proved
that they can also be a haven for those who are seeking a place to
call home. </div>
Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-54552916420606910812017-11-16T11:18:00.001+00:002017-11-16T11:18:19.503+00:00The Waves of Inspiration<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Where does inspiration
come from?</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
It's one of those
questions that so many people ask themselves. Inspiration is a
strange creature, one that comes and goes in the depths of the night
or the wee hours of the morning. A sudden flicker of an image can
spark an entire novel. The sound of a long forgotten song can trigger
a wave of frenzied creativity.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1gR0QxvOQduoJFWpfOz7A5vtlWGtgcIeyxZtiFendljnVR3sUGApT7gnc9cogLh2aGMbq7EAqek1rzKwklRPHe0yvWHoSoYDhrJD0SpKOkQZBF56Cb8_WixuZiOdcVnycXarkC324Y2X/s1600/aurora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="736" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1gR0QxvOQduoJFWpfOz7A5vtlWGtgcIeyxZtiFendljnVR3sUGApT7gnc9cogLh2aGMbq7EAqek1rzKwklRPHe0yvWHoSoYDhrJD0SpKOkQZBF56Cb8_WixuZiOdcVnycXarkC324Y2X/s320/aurora.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Inspiration is all
around us. From the brilliantly bright colours of autumn to the dull
moments when we allow our mind to drift off to unseen worlds.
Catching that inspiration doesn't take any kind of knack. There's no
tricks to finding it. The only thing you need to engage are your
senses.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Look around yourself.
What do you see? What do you smell? What do you hear? What's sitting
beneath your fingers?
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
What do you have
hanging on your walls? What do you see out of the window? What does
the sky look like?</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
All are questions that
we can ask ourselves in the eternal question for that (sometimes)
elusive spark of inspiration. In those moments of darkness when
nothing seems possible, it can be a simple questions which triggers
the outpouring of words on to paper, or art on to canvas, or music on
to tape.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
For me, it's
photographs that get my creative juices flowing. I can spend hours
searching through archives for that one perfect image that will help
me to express what I want to say. Social media, Imgur, Getty Images,
Shutterstock, and a host of other sites can transport you to anywhere
in the world (or off it) and to any kind of situation require. It's
like piecing together a giant puzzle, one that will eventually tell a
story.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
For others, music does
the trick. Scanning through liner notes, hearing the crackle of a
needle against a record, or taking in the smell of a used record
store can trigger what they need in order to delve in to the depths
of their minds and retrieve the emotions that they need to create.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcpZ7Lx-33U_KnNrfv0F_Whv6sJXw54fzGMS9aqCQrt5lAsikG_pXDck5oViqwBX1z9ltu8EIflX_cKlqAoe2kBFyWqIs9GziymSySHphPr0lIrFnOR_Jmsicpnw19Y66dEpAmB2eWrD0/s1600/fall-autumn-red-season.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcpZ7Lx-33U_KnNrfv0F_Whv6sJXw54fzGMS9aqCQrt5lAsikG_pXDck5oViqwBX1z9ltu8EIflX_cKlqAoe2kBFyWqIs9GziymSySHphPr0lIrFnOR_Jmsicpnw19Y66dEpAmB2eWrD0/s320/fall-autumn-red-season.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
For those of us who are
currently experiencing winter, inspiration can be hard to find. The
long nights and the cold, sometimes sunless, days can drain an energy
that we have. Yet it's important to continue creating, even when we
don't feel up to it. Creativity is a way to push through some of the
more sombre, and often depressing, feelings that we encounter during
winter. Losing yourself in another world, even for a few moments, can
help to alleviate cold, dark months.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Whatever you use to
inspire you, use it well. Spread it around like glitter and make the
world a better place one piece of art at a time.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
If you're stuck for
inspiration, please feel free to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thequeenofsteam/">visit my page</a>. There you'll find
posts that will hopefully help you to find the spark of creativity
that you need.</div>
Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-18455755454664939512017-10-29T11:23:00.000+00:002017-10-29T11:24:50.033+00:00#MeToo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Watching the #MeToo campaign over the past few weeks has been painful. Seeing the stories of sexual harassment from so many other people makes you realise that you're not alone in this world and just how widespread the issue is.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
#MeToo was started over ten years ago by actress Tarana Burke and has gained traction in the past month due to the ongoing confessions of celebrities who've been attacked or assaulted. Those two words have spread like wildfire, opening a can of worms that no one thought existed.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsroIYtlioJfy8kFCd9il8MkZ-Trio5oQTUNZ6DahFFxq_nbp0LqwS_vsigi_s_TjVhTEULzQwdupIronfrZtJqEW3mtdk73SypWe7e95xXpqMhQBvfIL4lzAS0GJhcAjEm0sF6H3MCJNW/s1600/Metoo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="800" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsroIYtlioJfy8kFCd9il8MkZ-Trio5oQTUNZ6DahFFxq_nbp0LqwS_vsigi_s_TjVhTEULzQwdupIronfrZtJqEW3mtdk73SypWe7e95xXpqMhQBvfIL4lzAS0GJhcAjEm0sF6H3MCJNW/s320/Metoo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Except that we, deep down, we knew that the unopened can was there. We knew that buried deep within the confines of every industry there's a black hole of sexual assaults, rapes, and misogynistic behaviour. For so long we've chosen not to speak its name for fear of being ridiculed, shamed, or fired. We've feared for our lives, our families, and our security. Speaking out doesn't pay the bills. Staying silent does.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
#MeToo – I've been followed through towns and cities more times than I can count.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
#MeToo – I had a stalker for 6 years. He would travel hundreds of miles to stand outside my house and follow me. Wouldn't take no for an answer. The police didn't want to know until he hurt me. Yet if I lashed out at him I'd be the one getting arrested. My family eventually had to tell him that I was dead in order to get him to leave me alone.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
#MeToo – The man who insisted on grabbing me every day on my way to work. The police took me seriously and the man was arrested.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
#MeToo – The complete stranger who grabbed and choked me at a concert.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
#MeToo – I was drugged and raped when I was 19.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There are so many people who are hurting right now. There are so many people who are still scared to step forward. Wherever you are, don't be afraid. Everyone is here for you. They will support you and love you and hold your pain. They will be there for you during your darkest moments. They will encourage you to step forward and tell your story. They will walk with you through whatever comes next. We are there for one another. We have to be because without an army of brave women and men nothing will change.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The time for change has come. This change has been brewing for many years and it's now time to storm the castle and drag these people from their ivory towers to face the justice that's long been denied to the victims. For so long they've threatened to blacklist and finish those that they've abused, using the power that they know they wield in order to keep the victims quiet.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
No more. This can no longer happen. It's time for that power to be removed from them and returned to those who've lived through decades of pain. It's time for them to fear for all that they've accumulated through intimidation and threats. It's time for changes to sweep through these industries and for transparency and morals to take over. It's time for the climate of fear to become a climate of hope. No more should anyone have to fear for their security, life, or family because they were wronged by someone else.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Stand strong, my friends, for you are helping others to do the same. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFG4IQFj_k5N_Ho-7azXtjRdMYWqtGMNOJda_pE4jix5NEprvxMusRmNUUyYZ7_9nNsQzxzQa_1AkEocVgS1uHW4ybSrPvWCGXhL3xnk20vhfry2G2qQlulzRDDQB5UGjr3Q9_ZPLM6yEJ/s1600/only-in-the-darkness-can-you-see-the-stars-quote-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="447" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFG4IQFj_k5N_Ho-7azXtjRdMYWqtGMNOJda_pE4jix5NEprvxMusRmNUUyYZ7_9nNsQzxzQa_1AkEocVgS1uHW4ybSrPvWCGXhL3xnk20vhfry2G2qQlulzRDDQB5UGjr3Q9_ZPLM6yEJ/s400/only-in-the-darkness-can-you-see-the-stars-quote-1.jpg" width="272" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-9945386215000000422017-10-23T18:44:00.000+01:002017-10-23T18:44:02.874+01:00Halloween Fiction - Brandy's Battle<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Brandy Snaps
stared at the glowing screen of her phone. It cast the only light in
her neatly decorated apartment, the glow harsh and blue. Every now
and then, she tapped a painted fingernail against the plastic screen
and either accepted or rejected one of the many requests that she
received every day.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As her name
implied, Brandy was a woman of the night. With her long bleached hair
and narrow waist, she was the plaything that many desired. Yet those
who wanted her never got her. Instead, they paid by the month to leer
at her through their own electronic devices, sending her lewd
comments whenever she dared to bare herself on their screens.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The lights
in her apartment were out for a very good reason for even ladies of
the night had their fears. Everything from losing their looks to
their lives ran through their heads and Brandy was no exception.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
She'd been a
good girl. Raised by a God-fearing family in Iowa, like many other
young women, she'd been lured to Hollywood by the promise of fame and
fortune. She'd tried to keep her morals, scared that the slightest
violation would send her to Hell. The fear of disappointing her
parents had also snapped at her heels, their gentle judgement and her
mother's soft words forever burned in to her psyche.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
But the
casting couch had called even for the tiniest of parts. Did she want
to be Background Girl Number Three? Then she'd best pay her dues on
her knees or back. She'd shamefully lost her virginity to a sleazoid
director in a dirty motel room somewhere in the valley in return for
a walk on part in pilot that had never aired. From there it had been
a slippery slope until she had realised that there was more money in
taking her clothes off for a global audience.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The time on
her phone flicked closer to 1am and Brandy felt her body tighten. She
sat with her back to the lounge window. The blinds were drawn against
the sight of the street below. But it was still there, lingering like
an old memory.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
On the
street outside her building sat an old air raid siren. Left over from
the days of World War 2 and the subsequent Cold War, the mustard
coloured cake shaped device peered in to her window from the top of a
tall pole. The sirens had long since been decommissioned, modern
technology having given the authorities an easier, and quicker, way
to contact people if an emergency were to sweep the area.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Brandy
remembered the night with the same clarity as one remembers every
significant event in their lives. She had been sitting on the same,
grey couch and staring at the screen of her phone. Every few hours
another request had come in, begging her to take her clothes off and
bare her body, and her soul, to the anonymous user at the other end.
The numbers in her account had confirmed the lack of popularity in
her life; she had just a handful of users watching her and making the
rent was a struggle. Other bills were rapidly begin to form a snow
drift on her otherwise spotless dining table.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
“I'll do
anything,” she'd murmured. “Anything to get out of this fuckin'
hell hole.”</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>Anything?</i></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The voice had entered her brain like a lightening bolt. She had
looked around herself as she'd tried to determine where the voice had
come from.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Finally, she'd replied, “Anything.”</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>In that
case, go to bed and I shall take care of the rest.</i></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
She had done as the voice had instructed. The following morning,
Brandy had woken to find that her account had several hundred more
followers and that the money her videos had earned was enough to pay
the rent and the bills.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
That had been a month previously and, since then, her popularity had
only grown. Her bank account was comfortably in the black and there
was money for luxuries as well as the essentials. A few days after
the voice's appearance, she'd received the first call from a casting
agent in many months. They'd offered a speaking role in an
established TV drama and, no, she didn't have to spread her legs to
get it.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
It had started the night after the voice had spoken to her. The road
she lived on was, thankfully, fairly quiet. Her neighbours rarely
made noise and parties were events that happened in other
neighbourhoods. So her interest had been piqued when she had heard a
click and a whirr.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The sound had been low at first, rasping and asthmatic before it
wound up in to a high pitched whine. Brandy had slid to the floor,
cowering in a corner as the noise had risen and fallen. The windows
of her apartment had rattled and her hearing had dulled as the sound
screamed around the neighbourhood.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As the noise had finally died away, Brandy had struggled to her feet
and made for the window. Opening the blind, she had scanned the
darkened street for anything that could have caused the
spine-tingling whine. Yet there had been nothing.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Unable to settle and with the high-pitched sound still ringing in her
ears, Brandy had gone to bed. Sleep hadn't come easily and Brandy had
found herself playing over the previous days. She questioned where
the voice had come from and who it belonged to. Where had her new
subscribers come from? It had been months since she had contacted her
agency so who was bringing in the offers of film and television work?
And what had caused the sound that echoed around her skull?</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Her phone didn't stop ringing or beeping with offers of work or new
people signing up to her site. Each day had been the miracle she'd
asked for. Yet every night brought the haunting whine that sent
Brandy cowering for the corner farthest from the window.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
She'd asked the neighbours about the sound yet none of them had
heard. In the end, she had resorted to the internet and a post on
social media had informed Brandy that she was hearing the sound of a
long dead air raid siren. Sirens that had been disconnected from the
power supply many, many years before.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Desperate to find answers, Brandy had called everyone she could think
of; the police, the fire department, and the local government. All of
them had said the same thing. That the ageing air raid siren outside
of her apartment was no longer capable of sounding. She had begged
them to remove it but they had citied budget cuts as the reason for
it remaining in place.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
And every night, at 1am, the siren began to toll its painful,
mournful sound, a warning that something unpleasant was going to
happen.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Brandy's
phone changed to 1am and she closed her eyes. Sliding down the couch,
she pressed her hands over her ears as the now familiar click and
whirr started. Slowly the sound began to grow, aching through her gut
as it reached its pitch before it fell and began the cycle again.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>You can't
escape, Brandy.</i></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
“I can,” she hissed. “I can escape. I've got the money. I'm
getting the fuck outta here and somewhere better. I don't care where.
Anywhere but here!”</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>You
can't. You can never escape.</i></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
She dropped her hands from her ears and bawled, “Who the fuck are
you?!”</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>Why don't
you take a look?</i></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Brandy tossed the phone to one side and scrambled onto the couch.
Yanking the blind up, she peered in to the dark street. The siren
screamed from across the road, its shadow seeming longer and darker
than on previous nights. Beside the pole was another shadow, one that
appeared to be cut from the black skies above the city. Brandy could
make out slender arms and legs that were attached to an equally
skinny body. Mist or smoke, Brandy couldn't tell, seemed to radiate
from the shadow and seep out in to the street. When it lifted its
head, she found herself looking into a pair of blazing red eyes.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
She screamed and pushed herself away from the window. Landing heavily
on the floor, Brandy scrambled across the room. Her mind was whirling
as she pulled herself to her feet and grabbed for her purse. She
reached the door that would give her the freedom she craved only to
watch it melt into the wall and become nothing.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>You can't
escape, Brandy. You're mine now.</i></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>~~~</i></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
For more information on LA's current air raid sirens, please visit:</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://wirechief.com/sirens/map.htm">http://wirechief.com/sirens/map.htm</a></div>
Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-66984696861690171642017-10-08T12:29:00.002+01:002017-10-08T12:29:40.702+01:00The Sun Will Rise Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26s0yDHPxNTdxF-V9dnnzQ0f4dRQ8Boc9rYr8ecf7SN35a8dvyIX1xbO6XsQydh-fgYScZomcoF5lhbl1_tncpTCqTakS54PmlnUZurLlAFgE2fZB1ODSVLIiQqFdJ8xQJqK-fOX9Se2t/s1600/black+cloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="960" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26s0yDHPxNTdxF-V9dnnzQ0f4dRQ8Boc9rYr8ecf7SN35a8dvyIX1xbO6XsQydh-fgYScZomcoF5lhbl1_tncpTCqTakS54PmlnUZurLlAFgE2fZB1ODSVLIiQqFdJ8xQJqK-fOX9Se2t/s320/black+cloud.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Depression is a killer.
Literally. It's an all encompassing force which takes over your brain
and ravages every part of your life. Darkness that falls over your
eyes and clouds your vision, forcing you in to perpetual exhaustion
but refusing to let you sleep. Trying to fight it can leave you even
more tired and the will to live begins to fade.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
It's the least
wonderful time of the year again, a period when the days shorten and
the air cools. It's a time when we're supposed to rest and hibernate
in readiness for the coming spring. As much as you may want to sleep
away the winter, life dictates that you must continue.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Over the past few
weeks, I've been trying to yank myself away from the clutches of this
illness. I knew that it was coming so have taken the usual
precautions and stocked up on vitamin D and daylight bulbs. But it
still manages to creep in and wrap its hands around your soul. All of
the joy that you've been feeling all year slowly ebbs away and leaves
you as a blackened husk. You know that the changes are happening and
you try to fight them. But sooner or later, all you can do is give
in.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Depression changes
people. Their behaviours and mannerisms change. I end up isolating
myself because I know that I'm not the person I was a few weeks
previously. Something's changed inside of me. I'm bitter and angry,
sometimes from exhaustion, sometimes from the things that are
happening around us. We live in a world that doesn't changes in the
brain. These are illnesses that are still seen as a non-illness
because there's no physical evidence. Yet, if you asked the family
and friends of someone who lives with depression, they'd be able to
tell you every single physical change that they see in those who are
affected.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
In times like these,
the smallest thing can trigger a wave of grief. However, the smallest
thing can also help to alleviate the pain, if only for a moment.
Staying strong while life is threatening to drag you under is hard
and we have to constantly remind ourselves that calm returns once the
storm has passed. Fighting against it is one of the best things that
you can do.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
“No matter what
happens, the sun will rise in the morning.” - Barack Obama</div>
Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-58238444098623913042017-09-24T13:17:00.000+01:002017-09-24T13:30:12.708+01:00Ticket Touts Start to Get Their Comeuppance <div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Three years ago, <a href="http://www.foofightersuk.com/tag/no-more-touts/">a group of fans in the UK launched a Kickstarter campaign</a> in order to
raise awareness on the issues surrounding concert tickets. Primarily
they were going after the ticket touts, a business that had grown
from a man hawking second hand tickets outside a concert venue to a
multi-billion pound industry that involved sophisticated computer
programs.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
On September 19<sup>th</sup>
2017, they saw some results from their campaign when a Foo Fighters
concert at the O2 in London <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/41330399/foo-fighters-fans-gutted-after-being-turned-away-from-gig-at-londons-o2-arena">descended in to chaos.</a> The O2 have been criticized for partnering with a secondary ticket seller. The O2's website links with StubHub were <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41360089">disabled at the request of the band</a>. </div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWKUKWK1pKWBkoza9aj4IZBOb8Bkq0DLB2vtOxuhPE4kRQAZdO01oi-iwr_giq5vWk_c85dD4c-1yvVJPMuD855d-DGbtcYonBRhisS110sgmZE4LmpO2oXMIH6Ypm9CSidG_iImiU5QA/s1600/FF+O2+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="950" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWKUKWK1pKWBkoza9aj4IZBOb8Bkq0DLB2vtOxuhPE4kRQAZdO01oi-iwr_giq5vWk_c85dD4c-1yvVJPMuD855d-DGbtcYonBRhisS110sgmZE4LmpO2oXMIH6Ypm9CSidG_iImiU5QA/s400/FF+O2+2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
When tickets went on
sale in June 2017, official sellers warned buyers that they would
need to bring photo ID to the show. This is a warning that has been
issued for years and one which many venues have never instated. It's
also never stopped the secondary sellers from snapping up entire
blocks of tickets in the hopes of selling them on for a profit.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Foo Fighters, along
with the fans, have tried a number of ways in recent years to help
combat the issue of ticket touts. In 2014, they had <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/718662358227284">fans queue at local venues</a> to buy tickets. This year they've implemented the photo
ID policy and are having a release delay on tickets (Tickets can be
purchased on the day of release but they won't be posted or emailed
to buyers until several months later).
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
At the September show,
the band asked that the photo ID rule be implemented. O2 complied
with this and hundreds were turned away because their tickets had
been bought from secondary sites thus meaning that the names on the
tickets didn't match.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
However, it also seems
as though the ID rule was taken to the extreme. Initially it seemed
as though only the lead booker (person whose name appeared on the
tickets) needed identification. There was at least one story of a
group who were turned away because <i>only</i>
the lead booker had ID. They were told that everyone in their party
would need to have some form of photographic identification in order
for them to get in. Others were stopped because of minor spelling
mistakes in their names (Q being substituted for A etc).</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8Lrqj_SGUnCx8og3I_feQD_jfRgEB6CPM0iek1ExkZhvg617oTIP8qaic-ZOZ0NEEetGAC2FFBtpxU4YzNFEDP794IfA1GNBG_YvWTOV2VipZmbfSGWrxmLpLeFusa2aluP-g69Bf3qI/s1600/FF+O2+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="894" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8Lrqj_SGUnCx8og3I_feQD_jfRgEB6CPM0iek1ExkZhvg617oTIP8qaic-ZOZ0NEEetGAC2FFBtpxU4YzNFEDP794IfA1GNBG_YvWTOV2VipZmbfSGWrxmLpLeFusa2aluP-g69Bf3qI/s400/FF+O2+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The
tabloid media were quick to jump on the band and blame them for the
chaos. However, from reading news reports and fan stories, it looks
as though the venue's security were told to push the rule to the
limit.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Dave has now <a href="http://www.tmz.com/2017/09/23/dave-grohl-foo-fighters-identification-id-concerts-turned-away/">confirmed that the photo ID policy </a>will be in place at
all of their shows (apologies for the TMZ link).</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
If
you were affected on Tuesday, there's some fantastic advice over at
<a href="http://www.foofightersuk.com/2017/09/21/fans-experiences-of-o2-ticketing-problems-and-follow-up-advice/">FooFightersUK.com</a> on how to claim your money back.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
If
you are going to a Foo Fighters show this year, <b><u>make sure that
everyone in your party has their ID with them.</u></b> In the UK acceptable
forms of photo ID tend to be a driver's license or passport (make
sure that they're in date before you go.). If you don't have either
forms of ID, look at applying for a <a href="https://www.citizencard.com/">Citizen Card</a> which is a UK
photographic ID card. However, please check with the venue before you
use this as each venue's rules may be different (the website does say
that this card is endorsed by the Home Office and police and can be
used aboard domestic flights). You may also be able to use work IDs as long as they have a photo on them. Again, please check with the venue before you and, if you can, get their confirmation of your ID being valid for them in writing (and then take that email with you just in case).</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<u style="font-weight: bold;">Buy your tickets from official retailers only.</u> The bands will provide a list of these when they release their tour dates. If you find yourself on StubHub, Viagogo, or GetMeIn, you're not on an official retailer. Those are secondary ticket sites and those tickets run the risk of being turned away at the gate. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of secondary ticket sites out there with new ones appearing every day. If you're unsure whether you're on an official site or not, stop and check. Normally you can tell by the price of the tickets. If they have several different prices for the same section, chances are it's a secondary site.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
My original posts from three years ago can be found <a href="http://veetu-industries.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/no-more-touts-master-list.html">here</a>.</div>
Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-72172421040265432322017-09-02T11:26:00.001+01:002017-09-02T11:26:33.882+01:00Finding the Motivation to Write<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpN7sU9-dnCUJdPI9UZX_HsNpSSk7dtTlQYnqRXawtUYFSvEVb6O1nlYYeZ0Q53cEXpdKeXPKs0htIJ_JR8m7sAk7nBYsuye9nLtgPkCAcAu25CdsXYgn2NBfqiqU6rcnZBNBvODE_Job/s1600/writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpN7sU9-dnCUJdPI9UZX_HsNpSSk7dtTlQYnqRXawtUYFSvEVb6O1nlYYeZ0Q53cEXpdKeXPKs0htIJ_JR8m7sAk7nBYsuye9nLtgPkCAcAu25CdsXYgn2NBfqiqU6rcnZBNBvODE_Job/s320/writing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sometimes
it's not the lack of inspiration that can trip us up when it comes to
writing. Instead, a lack of motivation can stall us. Every day tasks
– cleaning, washing, cooking – can throw us for a loop and kill
that desire to want to sit down and create. We feel worse because of
it, as though there's a blockage deep inside of us that needs to be
cleared but can't because we're tired, or busy, or otherwise
obligated to do other things.</div>
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<br />
</div>
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Like any
kind of passion, writing is something that needs to be practised
frequently. Without it, those metaphorical muscles that we've spent
so long developing begin to weaken. One of the most important things
is to just write. Something as small as writing a shopping list or
<a href="https://zenhabits.net/journal/">keeping some kind of journal </a>can help to keep the writing muscles
strong.</div>
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMU1v-ofzztHxTSl54m1RVKRm7eEcJpLr4isKe_mc3D9Jyc9Ud_njc5EyFmtufnEQYtQRX2Fr68IsUeq6ro4q5iqlHH-vOe1j6ko0vp2PlKd0AI3qqiRTjeA8Yl_4NV14yUv_ma0cbgL9/s1600/notebooks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMU1v-ofzztHxTSl54m1RVKRm7eEcJpLr4isKe_mc3D9Jyc9Ud_njc5EyFmtufnEQYtQRX2Fr68IsUeq6ro4q5iqlHH-vOe1j6ko0vp2PlKd0AI3qqiRTjeA8Yl_4NV14yUv_ma0cbgL9/s320/notebooks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A change of
location can also be a key factor in kickstarting your motivation.
Often, when we're at home, we can find a million and one reasons to
not sit down and concentrate. The laundry needs doing, the cat needs
feeding, the dog wants walking, the dishes in the sink aren't going
to wash themselves, email needs checking. We become overwhelmed and
the easiest thing to do is to ignore that grinding desire in our soul
to create. So we do the other things (Or not, depending on your
mood). Try going somewhere and sitting for a while. A local coffee
shop, a nearby church, the park up the road. Even the local train
station is a good place to just sit and wait. Hopefully it won't be
long before the desire to pull out a notebook hits.
</div>
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<br />
</div>
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Carry a
notebook and pen wherever you go. Or leave one beside the bed and jot
down ideas just before you go to sleep. Often the motivation will hit
just as we're relaxing. When we're in a constant state of looking for
what to do next, our brain finds it more difficult to settle and do
what we love the most.</div>
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<br />
</div>
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Sometimes
finding creative ways to work writing in to your day may also help. A
laundry cycle can take over an hour so make a drink, sit down, and
let your brain wander to those far away places. Finding a few minutes
in an otherwise busy day to sit and write can seem like a challenge
but it can be done. Ten minutes here and there is all it needs before
something finally <i>clicks</i> and
you find that spark to power you along.</div>
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When
your motivation is lacking it can feel like an uphill struggle to
regain it. But you can. It's just finding that one thing, or that one
block of time, when it'll just click back in to place for you. But
don't give up and keep on trying. You've got this!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-17898663620563556092017-08-12T09:37:00.000+01:002017-08-12T09:37:10.775+01:00The Desire to Create<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPbi8jcby1832ULHS1oRjhAcI7LhJkQMZyuEZDQXES2efTsu0-Ru1_bd_ilswLWLbOwfIQPZlSN6Rxr01GqHzrXEmw84RSEI-qfx-PvcPoWEoLrSeZQASzvNk0GMR0EVdCK_qwPCa6aDJe/s1600/creativity+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPbi8jcby1832ULHS1oRjhAcI7LhJkQMZyuEZDQXES2efTsu0-Ru1_bd_ilswLWLbOwfIQPZlSN6Rxr01GqHzrXEmw84RSEI-qfx-PvcPoWEoLrSeZQASzvNk0GMR0EVdCK_qwPCa6aDJe/s400/creativity+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The desire
to create lives within the souls of millions of people. From
photographs to music to paintings to literature, and a wealth of
beauty in between, that need to do <i>something</i>
can be painful. It's a pain that lives deep within a person, a knot
that won't go away <i>until something is done</i>.
Once the paintbrush is picked up, or the pen is put to paper, the
ache begins to dull, fading to a dull throb. The ache remains like
that while the creator is doing what they need to do. Once they leave
that beautiful place, they find the pain returning, only to die down
once they're back doing what they're called to do.</div>
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I felt like that for a long time. This summer has been the first one
in four or five years that I've been able to sit back and enjoy. I
haven't been desperately trying to get something started. I haven't
felt like I'm racing against a mythical countdown that I only I can
sense. For the first time in a long time, I feel a sense of peace and
completion, as though that clock has, for the moment, either stopped
or paused. To be able to relax and breathe has been a blessing this
summer.</div>
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<br />
</div>
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I've enjoyed the sun. I've spent time in the garden. I've delighted
in walking among the trees. I've explored new places and drank in the
warm air of a summer's evening. For now, it's nice to rest and relax
and not have to worry about creating. While the sun still burns high
in the sky, creating can take a back seat.</div>
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</div>
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And
it's been good for me on a creative level, too. Seeing the world
through fresh eyes has allowed me to see old projects through fresh
eyes, too. It's allowed me to make notes on other projects that I'd
like to begin, or to branch out and start dabbling on those projects
that I swear I'll do if only I had the time. But, for the past three
years, my mind has been focused on that perpetually ticking clock,
the clock which has pushed and pushed me to do <i>something</i>.
Now I feel that I have done that <i>something</i>
and I can do other things while publishers decide where its new home
will be.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<br />
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Whenever that urge hits, follow it. Create something beautiful and
don't stop until it's finished. Put it out in to the world and see
what happens. You never know what will happen when you pick up a pen,
or a paintbrush, or a guitar, and do something amazing.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-11495928532908859132017-07-21T20:43:00.004+01:002017-07-21T20:43:55.026+01:00Light Up The Darkness<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Another bright left has
been extinguished. Chester Bennington, singer for Linkin Park, passed
away on 20<sup>th</sup> July 2017. Cause of death – Depression.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uzQfbU7mOebQ3k95xFU4Gjc7ni8sZ54tM8NDQPvUWK39pgYb8yolrkHE4X3cwWgYMeXy3j0p9vVFEeKHxyuobP8QblYyEgTCG6-0H3FJoSbmXSuU_AgCQy2WObjpW_94Yy3bZGFvxljX/s1600/chester+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="594" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uzQfbU7mOebQ3k95xFU4Gjc7ni8sZ54tM8NDQPvUWK39pgYb8yolrkHE4X3cwWgYMeXy3j0p9vVFEeKHxyuobP8QblYyEgTCG6-0H3FJoSbmXSuU_AgCQy2WObjpW_94Yy3bZGFvxljX/s320/chester+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
We need to start being
more open about mental health. For some reason we keep it a secret as
though we must not speak of an illness that only shows its face in
those final, painful moments.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Why do we keep mental
health hidden? Why do we fear it? Because it cannot be seen? Yet
there are many invisible illnesses that are accepted and spoken about
without the level of Victorian-esque fear that mental health seems to
inspire. It almost feels as though we still live in an age where any
of us may become a spectacle in an asylum.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
But mental health has
come so far since those dark days of Bedlam. No longer must we live
in fear that we're going to be a person who is scorned or ridiculed.
No longer are we going to be paraded for the entertainment of others.
Those days are gone. Finished. Over.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Yes, mental health care
is still lacking in so many parts of the world. But there is help.
And there is hope. We may look at social media as a burden yet, in
this day and age, we are only a few key strokes away from asking for
help. No one knows who they're linked to until they ask. No one knows
what the hive mind of the internet can turn up. You don't have to
suffer alone any more.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You don't have to
suffer.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You don't have to
suffer.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You don't have to
suffer.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
We are all here for one
another, here to support, and to love, and to care. These illnesses,
the ones that drive us to the depths of wanting to end our lives,
don't need to hide in the darkness any more. It's time for them to be
visible. It's time for them to speak their names. It's time for them
to stop pushing people in to the shadows for fear that others will
humiliate them for daring to say, “I don't feel well.”.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You are not alone. And
you are precious. You are loved. You are beautiful. We live in a
world that wants to push us in to those shadows, that wants us to
hate ourselves because we're not “perfect”, that wants us to
disappear because we don't fit into a mould.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Every one of us was
born to be different. We weren't born to all look the same, or act
the same, or think the same. You are amazing just the way you are.
It's time for us to start accepting ourselves as we are and to stop
beating ourselves up because we're different from what the world
expects us to be. You, and your brain, are exactly where you're
supposed to be right now. Time flies and, two years from now, all
could be different. Hang on. Keep breathing. Keep living. Don't give
up.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Don't ever give up.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Don't ever give up.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Don't ever give up.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You are worth so much
more than deciding to step away now. Your thoughts, your ideas, your
beauty, everything that makes you <i>you</i>
is destined to be here right now. You are destined to be here.
There's a reason for you living in this moment and it's not to step
away. You are not a burden. You are not worthless. You are not
useless. You are not <i>nothing</i>.
You are someone.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You
are a relative, a lover, a friend, a colleague, an internet chat
friend, a social media commentator, a video creator, a blogger, an
artist, a friendly face on a dark day. To someone, somewhere, you are
<i>something</i>. You may not
know it right now, but you are.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You
are more than the darkness.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-76362133661877023862017-06-17T18:43:00.000+01:002017-06-17T18:43:07.484+01:00In Time of Pain and Grief<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Today I wanted to write
about positive thinking. But I can't. Not today.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
For those living in the
UK, it's been a hard month. On 22<sup>nd</sup> May, a suicide bomber
entered the Manchester Evening News Arena and killed twenty two
people. Less than two weeks later, attackers killed eight people on
and around London Bridge. And less than two weeks after that came the
horrifying and unforgivable fire at Grenfell Tower in London which
has left countless dead and many more homeless and displaced. Amid it
all is a tinder-dry political situation, a situation that, with the
current climate in the UK, is threatening to become an unstoppable
wave of rage and anger.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
In times like these, we
often wonder what's happening to us and the world that we live in. As
we endure the pain of loss and grief we know that, elsewhere in the
world, similar horrors are occurring and our hearts ache for those
caught up in these global atrocities.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbLC725rjJoviDcif_-TVSCGuzOzE83HI-A06SVDkJ7mTQVaTUNeiSWUYl7bi8JZAZgMuLxHnSilg29wYLkgbPm5x1Z0nE7jjPA4XEggYOkB8TIOxc8nut-CXuObG4tWEaJ9fNrU63IUv/s1600/blue-and-white-rose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="615" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbLC725rjJoviDcif_-TVSCGuzOzE83HI-A06SVDkJ7mTQVaTUNeiSWUYl7bi8JZAZgMuLxHnSilg29wYLkgbPm5x1Z0nE7jjPA4XEggYOkB8TIOxc8nut-CXuObG4tWEaJ9fNrU63IUv/s320/blue-and-white-rose.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As we grieve we look to
those round us for comfort. Family, friends, co-workers, and
strangers in the street become sounding boards for the pain that
we're feeling. Communities come together to support those who are
suffering and to provide a central place for those who can lend a
helping hand.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Often, in the wake of
such events, life can seem fragile and meaningless. We can debate why
we're here and whether our efforts to improve life, whether for
ourselves or others, is worth it. Why continue when the heartache is
so great? Why carry on when someone will come and tear it apart? Why
carry on when no one is listening?</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Why should we carry on?
Because it's what we need to do. We need to help to rebuild the lives
of those affected. We need to be there to support one another. We
need to come up with solutions to stop such incidents from happening
again. We need to help strengthen each other's voices. We need to
carry on and create that beautiful and peaceful world that so many of
us so desperately want, a world that is filled with compassion,
empathy, love, and peace.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Grieve for those who
have passed and support those who are left behind. Lay flowers.
Light candles. Cry. Grieve. Get angry. Be with the people that
you love. Give your time to those who need your help. If you need
help, find someone to talk to. Create. Connect. Rebuild.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Like a phoenix, great
things can come from the ashes of devastation. </div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRl-FUtxKpySUQlTpozxD8NcnGVeWSGOPt-h-8cxLiKkX6ehvfWEIu5SpawLQHRongwjtzb9Hhhh3fRkcljKQqclQdXi9A1IVJDQh7lkSfSR6yq9SXM44xbuOfLhMh8hx-l4Doo_PoIRAd/s1600/candles-209157_960_720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRl-FUtxKpySUQlTpozxD8NcnGVeWSGOPt-h-8cxLiKkX6ehvfWEIu5SpawLQHRongwjtzb9Hhhh3fRkcljKQqclQdXi9A1IVJDQh7lkSfSR6yq9SXM44xbuOfLhMh8hx-l4Doo_PoIRAd/s320/candles-209157_960_720.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-37191055587722781542017-05-20T11:14:00.000+01:002017-05-20T11:14:55.936+01:00Dear Beautiful You<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRNtoVZglmoS986PkrH5T6UeOB6QD3bzW_l3dSVsoNKSw7DGyHwdLmYdH7WZz7eoUYsOJHl6FLlETtb_R6ABhy1EtQ1_mgP_ux2Uvaimu4GfsjqNR5ga5hH8M8OuuDunoXfdzTZjURKo6/s1600/beautiful+you.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRNtoVZglmoS986PkrH5T6UeOB6QD3bzW_l3dSVsoNKSw7DGyHwdLmYdH7WZz7eoUYsOJHl6FLlETtb_R6ABhy1EtQ1_mgP_ux2Uvaimu4GfsjqNR5ga5hH8M8OuuDunoXfdzTZjURKo6/s320/beautiful+you.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lel4nd/">Leland Francisco</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Dear Beautiful You,<br />
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Life may
seem hard at the moment but please know that it isn't always like
this.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You are here
for a reason. You are here to do amazing things and to see a world
that is as beautiful as you are.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You are
worth more than what your brain, or your environment, is telling you
that you are. The things that you have to offer the world are far
greater than you can imagine.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You, and
your flaws, are beautiful, and always have been. Don't let anyone
tell you any differently.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Reach out to
those around you; your friends, your family, strangers on Facebook,
someone on the end of the phone. There is someone, out there in the
great ether, who is ready to listen and to take some of the burden
from you.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You may feel
as though life is crushing you to the point of no return but don't
allow it to do that. There is more to this world than the darkness
that encompasses you. Many before you have passed through those dark
moments and gone on to live great and wonderful lives. You're here,
in the now, and able to join them.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Join them on
amazing journeys. Create incredible art. Sing like no one's
listening. Dance like no one's watching. Laugh until your body aches.
Sleep for as long as you so wish. Watch that movie you've been
intending to watch. Read the book that's been sitting by your bedside
for the past six months. Eat the chocolate that's in your fridge.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
There is
more to life than what you're seeing and feeling right now. The
darkness may be trying to drag you under. But once the storm has
passed, you will be free once more.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Help is
there for you. Help is always there. If you're too tired to reach for
it yourself, ask someone to do it for you. There will be someone,
maybe a friend, maybe a stranger, who will do what you are too tired
to do and help to put you on to a path of healing.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You are not
alone in this world. There are so many others who, just like you,
think that the darkness will never lift. Find one another. Embrace
each other. Talk. Work through the darkness together and banish the
loneliness that encompasses your soul.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Don't listen
to the naysayers. Don't listen to those who tell you that there is
only one way of healing. There are many ways and you will find one
that works for you. Maybe it'll be on the first attempt. Maybe it'll
be on the tenth attempt. But you'll find a way to ease the aches and
pains of an unforgiving mind.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You, my
darling, are so very brave. For every day you wake up to battle the
demons that left you so very tired the night before. Keep on
fighting, for your battle is an inspiration to so many people around
you.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Life does
get better. It may not seem like it now but it will. Rest your weary
soul and look through the darkness to find the light of hope.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Because there is always hope.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
There is always hope.</div>
Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-11892970241441211232017-05-01T12:06:00.000+01:002017-05-01T12:06:24.631+01:00Be Like The Cat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqf4m1Tx06VqbMIB4Zuh8ldFdcxv6yZbGxMaS4Qmy9fXeO9Z65HLJ1eD2YuGe8sSwf3u2XFlFI3yLG-_EXgCe_-lCm-i0wN67DrMmR22q_MqhyphenhyphenxC479Vbv_pu2yZmWEOiXBIrVLrEL6uZX/s1600/Crumpet+sassy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqf4m1Tx06VqbMIB4Zuh8ldFdcxv6yZbGxMaS4Qmy9fXeO9Z65HLJ1eD2YuGe8sSwf3u2XFlFI3yLG-_EXgCe_-lCm-i0wN67DrMmR22q_MqhyphenhyphenxC479Vbv_pu2yZmWEOiXBIrVLrEL6uZX/s320/Crumpet+sassy.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This is
Crumpet. She's about two and a half years old and lives with my
brother. Other than her Mum and Dad, there's several other things
that she loves.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Sleeping</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQYZhdTwluWYfiXovjN-Cptownc6vDS3FrdXmQjQ9pFdTAJ9zInkYhng8GPxHEanWzdsYjIOHMN8fF0j98JiRZPGVjaz5rgrGFZtP0bWXGieD3QYRR3DQvKoHIfBcHT50YpKN8Ad6E5AN/s1600/Crumpet+sleeping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQYZhdTwluWYfiXovjN-Cptownc6vDS3FrdXmQjQ9pFdTAJ9zInkYhng8GPxHEanWzdsYjIOHMN8fF0j98JiRZPGVjaz5rgrGFZtP0bWXGieD3QYRR3DQvKoHIfBcHT50YpKN8Ad6E5AN/s320/Crumpet+sleeping.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Eating</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35XU_mJMhK_xODmg2kOg1LnSG749qAUAVKoegq4NDrAYB3-A8s5S4SQ_zjLhWmcMHPYHPTyDKTPDqxxlmAiFr4oDPZNJ_8c7vWnZVXZrfHat_RjH57sePs6RzFn5NEKkrYcxk7Szb1XAK/s1600/Crumpet+eating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35XU_mJMhK_xODmg2kOg1LnSG749qAUAVKoegq4NDrAYB3-A8s5S4SQ_zjLhWmcMHPYHPTyDKTPDqxxlmAiFr4oDPZNJ_8c7vWnZVXZrfHat_RjH57sePs6RzFn5NEKkrYcxk7Szb1XAK/s320/Crumpet+eating.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
And
occasionally helping me to write.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_Y_8EkCulrJtd6uormLaI7RbJ11LgmkV2kiS2nScrHppIq3JJtM5uZWs-KAhMG-SMgupYhHkwJQeaM1ZuZNWrCAs2B8zBpdpvHcptZRLQaoK_-vRoe8QC7PpKqfQd3ve6sXjuwoC-kLg/s1600/Crumpet+writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_Y_8EkCulrJtd6uormLaI7RbJ11LgmkV2kiS2nScrHppIq3JJtM5uZWs-KAhMG-SMgupYhHkwJQeaM1ZuZNWrCAs2B8zBpdpvHcptZRLQaoK_-vRoe8QC7PpKqfQd3ve6sXjuwoC-kLg/s320/Crumpet+writing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
She's sassy,
classy, and a little bit bad assy. And we love her to the ends of the
Earth.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Unlike us,
she generally doesn't care about the little things in life. As long
as her food bowl is full, the cat flap is unlocked, and the bed is
warm, she's happy. She doesn't care what you think of her. She
doesn't the sweat the big things in life like whether it's too cold
to go out hunting. If it makes her happy, she'll go and do it.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
So what can
we, as humans, learn from cats in order to make us happier?</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Love Yourself First</b></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
It's been said a million times but
cats love themselves more than the love us. They were once worshipped
as gods and have never forgotten this. Putting yourself first is a
priority. If you don't then you can quickly become run down, sick,
overloaded, and stressed. Take time out for yourself. Read a book
(with or without a cat trying to read it with you). Take a long bath.
Sleep for however long you want to sleep.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Sleep is Beautiful</b></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Crumpet loves a good sleep, and so
should you. Cats will rest whenever they wish, and there's a valuable
lesson in that. When you're tired, sleep. Don't force yourself to
stay awake because it's not “bed time”. Cats teach us that every
minute is a potential time to have a sleep. If your body is exhausted
then it's trying to tell you something. Hop in to bed and have a
snooze no matter what the hour is.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Conquer Your Fears</b></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
When winter rolls around, one of
Crumpet's favourite places is on top of the boiler. It's not an easy
area to access yet she's worked out how to reach it. If your fears
are holding you back there's no way that you'll reach the places you
want to go. Facing whatever scares you is one of the most important
things you can do to help yourself progress in life. And if at first
you don't succeed then keep on trying. Just because it didn't work
out the first time doesn't mean that it won't work out on the second,
third, or fourth time.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Bury It</b></div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
If something is getting you down, take a leaf from the Book of Cat
and bury it. Bury it and walk away. Sure, our emotional and
psychological pain is far greater than whatever the cat's burying but
the principle is the same. They're getting rid of the waste in the
lives and walking away, forgetting about it in the process. We can do
the same, whether it's mentally or physically. On the physical plane,
you can can write a letter of the things that you wish to eject from
your life and then bury it in your garden. If you don't have a
garden, tearing it up and tossing it in the rubbish also works. The
physical task of letting these things out and disposing of them is a
great relief.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Be like Crumpet. Be sassy, classy, and a little bit badassy. And fill your life with warm sunbeams, deep beds, and good food.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
Posted in memory of Crumpet's sister, Pickle (aka Little Picklelilly).</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTnFcWZqwXX48HyrSCO6-CXzxRbuaVVsSwnRSfW7FShWPYlkBFufEiuWKwHY8S6U1qEF7xQod6Mtnh9vfn9IVUDKI4BidT3T7EcI3z3mT9xlBNDE3AInKeKtfxBfbhyXmGJCANxpeGguN/s1600/Pickle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTnFcWZqwXX48HyrSCO6-CXzxRbuaVVsSwnRSfW7FShWPYlkBFufEiuWKwHY8S6U1qEF7xQod6Mtnh9vfn9IVUDKI4BidT3T7EcI3z3mT9xlBNDE3AInKeKtfxBfbhyXmGJCANxpeGguN/s320/Pickle.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-86845277482077158452017-04-21T19:49:00.001+01:002017-04-21T19:49:12.738+01:00The Wish is Drawn Inside<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3yM6_JewT5jAmpaTJinIyKom2yNFWzqE-dMDJ1gFsr2ZyGvYRTVZqM0E2qXTjcbEemFFmgmzoN4Ny48tsv_7TM0Fm5t5mcfc6M_ioGsyWzPY9Cwy8uPfFQ39LZm8Mc9_HqFsf1DD_buS8/s1600/the+wish+is+drawn+inside+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3yM6_JewT5jAmpaTJinIyKom2yNFWzqE-dMDJ1gFsr2ZyGvYRTVZqM0E2qXTjcbEemFFmgmzoN4Ny48tsv_7TM0Fm5t5mcfc6M_ioGsyWzPY9Cwy8uPfFQ39LZm8Mc9_HqFsf1DD_buS8/s640/the+wish+is+drawn+inside+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
On my left wrist is a
black rubber bracelet that a friend gave to me. It looks like any
number of the different designs that you can buy. This particular one
is printed with the name of a band and acts as a semi-permanent
reminder that life only happens when you get up and do something
about it.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Like any musician, the
person who the band belongs to is desperate to get their music out
there. However, despite numerous offers of help, they refuse to do
anything, instead leaving the band to linger through a slow and
painful death.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
My friend, who had the
wristbands printed for the band, has helped this person on a number
of occasions. Yet, despite the financial help, late night phone
calls, early morning text messages, and everything in between, the
only thing this person remembers is the one thing that my friend
hasn't done for them as opposed to the wealth of jobs that she's
already undertaken for them.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
No matter how much
advice and help that was offered, this person continued to complain
about the things that people hadn't done for them. They complained
about their life, their lack of money, the competition from other
bands, the lack of interaction on their social media accounts, and
venues that wouldn't call them back. At no point, did they look at
themselves and say, “Okay, what can <i>I</i>
do to get where <i>I</i> want
to be?”. Instead, they relied purely on their looks to help them
get through life. Sadly, that isn't enough.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The people around you
aren't always going to help you get to where you want to be. They're
not going to help you achieve your dreams. Sure, they'll walk the
path with you. They'll share your highs and your lows. If you support
them in their endeavours, they'll support you in yours. But the only
person who can make anything happen in your life is you. Only you
have the power to stand up and start working on what will get you to
the top of your game.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
It takes real grit, and
a lot of heart, to keep following your dreams especially when the
going gets tough. Sitting back on your heels and complaining about
the life that you currently have isn't going to help you to change anything.
You have to be the proactive one. You have to assess the situation
and see what you can do in order to achieve your goals. There are so
many tools out there to help you. All you have to do is look (or ask
someone. But don't rely on them too heavily to help you reach your
dreams. If they give you a helping hand, turn around and offer them
one in return).</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
To paraphrase my
friend, unless you get off your arse and work on your dreams you'll
forever be stuck with the life that you don't want.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The moral of this
story? Get up. Work hard. And keep on going. Because you don't know
what's going to be at the top of the mountain.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhENPFoPXH5hpHX8TIKujTg_yExoOEjnjFSh_B3mg8Gx6_YXVWqSeeUhyphenhyphenpvPfwplGxXc4inAlN1yrpqEvzFVhpZf3uAL9qSjLmXtPbogB_OPri92QKkpay0uGqgvp5MLFEAIjlD5w4w4qFS/s1600/positive_quotes_good_things_come_to_those_who_106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhENPFoPXH5hpHX8TIKujTg_yExoOEjnjFSh_B3mg8Gx6_YXVWqSeeUhyphenhyphenpvPfwplGxXc4inAlN1yrpqEvzFVhpZf3uAL9qSjLmXtPbogB_OPri92QKkpay0uGqgvp5MLFEAIjlD5w4w4qFS/s320/positive_quotes_good_things_come_to_those_who_106.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-50573631985074190282017-04-02T09:54:00.000+01:002017-04-02T09:54:06.781+01:00New Beginnings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYT7J84Cn1ZCdde87Af4sETQLkp_1QN5UR6KkBhTx1r3gNRkPH-iAas3sylihgzXFK5fG6yT5FAcDsYG5CmNoqABDhxDoFucSgyQt8QSPz-aK-KGVpMtnrjC2NxLpkpYnUCKWhghfVXzVu/s1600/spring+blog+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYT7J84Cn1ZCdde87Af4sETQLkp_1QN5UR6KkBhTx1r3gNRkPH-iAas3sylihgzXFK5fG6yT5FAcDsYG5CmNoqABDhxDoFucSgyQt8QSPz-aK-KGVpMtnrjC2NxLpkpYnUCKWhghfVXzVu/s320/spring+blog+2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Spring is a beautiful
time of the year. The days get longer and the weather becomes warmer
as the world eases its way out of another winter. Around us, plants
and flowers begin to grow again, new leaves and petals unfurling from
branches and stems. Parks and gardens become a riot of colour and we
begin to feel better.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This fresh, new season
can also be seen as a time for ourselves to be reborn. Often we
struggle with ourselves. We see ourselves as unchangeable, as people
who must stay the same from one day to the next. We carry baggage
from years previously, refusing to let it go because it's the only
thing we know. That baggage, whether its the ghosts of past
relationships or the hooks of a previous job that have become buried
beneath our skin, feels like it defines us. It feels like that's all
that we have to offer to the world and that nothing we can do will
change that.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
But, like the flowers
that are starting to sprout, we too can decide to shed the darkness
of winter and leave our old lives behind. We can become new people,
reborn in to a brand new world.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
There are so many
quotes that relate to this evolution:</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>Every day is a new
day.</i></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>Every day is a new
chapter.</i></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>Every day is a
chance to start over</i>.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>Every morning starts
with a new page.</i></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>Each morning we are
born again.</i></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
That's
because every day is a chance to start over. It's a chance to shed
the skin of the person that you once were and become the person that
you want to be. You're not confined by your job title, relationship
status, social media profile, or medical issues. You are a person who
can choose to change their life. Your life probably won't change over
night but, like the coming of spring, you go through the slow process
of changing a little something every day. Finally, at some point in
the future, you will find yourself in the place that you want to be.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Don't
allow yourself to become inhibited by the person you believe that you
are (or the person that you believe you should be). Don't allow
yourself to be imprisoned by the thinking of others whether that's
friends, family, or the media. Don't allow yourself to believe what
people tell you about living your life. Most importantly, don't give
up, no matter how hard the process may seem.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Instead,
allow yourself to grow and flourish. Let the petals of your life
uncurl and live your life your way.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgKE9ei6h6kc_JppqH3USv0-8-716sU1IpcDpF7rwWFDvKWrT3d34lrXDyGd3cjenH4tj37Yt0WrqlpTAOn4i80ElCJhul10Xk2o4cmfW8Cv9avmUZ1Owje57WOjO94z0vu4LZex1Gd1p/s1600/spring+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgKE9ei6h6kc_JppqH3USv0-8-716sU1IpcDpF7rwWFDvKWrT3d34lrXDyGd3cjenH4tj37Yt0WrqlpTAOn4i80ElCJhul10Xk2o4cmfW8Cv9avmUZ1Owje57WOjO94z0vu4LZex1Gd1p/s400/spring+blog.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-41583869241908120472017-03-04T10:14:00.000+00:002017-03-04T10:23:39.030+00:00Inspirational Interview - Tommy Odetto<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe50Z5502upAf7QL6a3HHmb7nqDc_WB3VyLUeRu-ytr_4lk3mt7N7xsArr9lfBc1KrtOSCGpu1vsOjVHjHZeMeqcz3nlsn9YbYPcaB4xQAxvLj7B1bAVWmhoe_w9t5lXC1XeKwTw8jL16z/s1600/tommy+odetto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe50Z5502upAf7QL6a3HHmb7nqDc_WB3VyLUeRu-ytr_4lk3mt7N7xsArr9lfBc1KrtOSCGpu1vsOjVHjHZeMeqcz3nlsn9YbYPcaB4xQAxvLj7B1bAVWmhoe_w9t5lXC1XeKwTw8jL16z/s400/tommy+odetto.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Chasing
your dreams is an act of bravery that so many people take. Staring
them in the face and not knowing whether the outcome will be what you
see in your mind is the risk that you have to take. Every day, people
around the world take that deep breath and whisper to themselves,
<i>“I'm going to do this.”</i>.
Those voices that speak to your soul can become so overwhelming that
they're painful. And they keep talking and talking until you have no
option but to listen.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I've
been blessed to meet some incredible people over the years. Dreamers
and risk takers, people who've given up everything to listen to their
heart and <i>go for it</i>.
They serve as an inspiration for when the fear of failure begins to
rise.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Tommy
Odetto is one of those people, a man whose music is so beautiful that
it makes you wonder if it's created in a place that's not of this
Earth. Like so many others, he's chasing his dreams and knitting them
into a wonderful reality.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Hi, Tommy! Please
introduce yourself and tell us a little about who you are and where
you're from.</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Hello! My name is Tommy
Odetto. I'm 28 years old, and I'm born and raised in beautiful
Northern California. Little about me? I'm a music freak. I love
music. I live to play guitar, write songs, and sing. As well as
listening and just enjoying music in a daily basis! I like meeting
new people, good food, and good movies.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4BWJqn2USxPAsCLCMlVBisPe1jhfSCeunK6Mbxl9aZbmzER4D4Gu4a3iXxXctpnndfY45IDJHi7i4vMpuOx3BHSNOxZ_xrySXAI92ttFzEJp_fFwu8yyqgj6AUMmS4_3ud4rBkJI7hVB/s1600/Tommy+young.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4BWJqn2USxPAsCLCMlVBisPe1jhfSCeunK6Mbxl9aZbmzER4D4Gu4a3iXxXctpnndfY45IDJHi7i4vMpuOx3BHSNOxZ_xrySXAI92ttFzEJp_fFwu8yyqgj6AUMmS4_3ud4rBkJI7hVB/s320/Tommy+young.png" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Young Tommy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>What first prompted
you to pick up a guitar and start playing?</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
My best friend Pat, and
some older family members of friends I was introduced to the music of
Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Eric Cream, and it literally felt like a
beautiful spell was cast on me. I knew I was going to dedicate the
rest of my life playing music upon hearing that.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Who are your musical
influences?</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I'm a Beatles freak.
They're my all time favorite. I have and do, study their music a lot.
Their music is the tapestry to my life pretty much!</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The first time ever in
my life where music really hit me was watching early footage of Elvis
Presley on The Ed Sullivan Show. It just gave me the chills as a kid,
and I immediately started dressing and combing my hair like Elvis
from age 8-10 years old about. That opened the door to all 50's Rock
and Roll. I loved Buddy Holly, Gene Vincent, and guys like that. I
also loved all Pop from late 50's early 60's. My dad always listened
to The Everly Brothers, British Invasion groups, Motown, Bobby
Darin. Great stuff like that was my first exposure to music that
really moved me.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Now I love so much
stuff. I love all music. I love Blues, Jazz, Indian music, Classical,
60s Pop, Rock and Roll from every period. Anything heartfelt and
good!</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Creative people
don't tend to have “typical” days. Some have set routines while
others just go with the flow. What's a day in the life of a musician
like? Do you stick to a routine? Or do you see what happens?</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Haha! Yes I'm all over
the place. I'm a total night owl. Always have been. I love writing
and creating at night and into the wee hours. I'm sure other
professional musicians are a lot more organized. I'd forget my guitar
if I actually put it down once in a while.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtS_gY965vi6H9W8yLAquGjc9Dc4-wFy1zxRdjVsOmgbFloNLe6MkTs1erxrBRk1tbiZE4wCGcy9Fg9l9FyH3uwEmxyUaUW4eF24afD1-UeEZNImdAaAOMhPMoFUjd1IMXa7rjAiuGETV8/s1600/Tommy+CVD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtS_gY965vi6H9W8yLAquGjc9Dc4-wFy1zxRdjVsOmgbFloNLe6MkTs1erxrBRk1tbiZE4wCGcy9Fg9l9FyH3uwEmxyUaUW4eF24afD1-UeEZNImdAaAOMhPMoFUjd1IMXa7rjAiuGETV8/s320/Tommy+CVD.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Conejo Valley Days 2016</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Your life story, as
documented on <a href="http://www.tommyodettomusic.com/bio/">your website</a>, is one that
so many creative people can relate to. How do you feel that your life
has set you up for the road that you're on now? At what point did you
know the exact path that you wanted to take in life?</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Wow good question. Well
first I have to say I'm beyond blessed to have parents that believed
in me, and knew music was my destiny as much as I did. Secondly,
growing up in Fairfax, California with some of the most talented
musicians around. Fairfax has really courted me as a community, and
help me develop my skills as a musician no doubt.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
With all of that said,
There's also been a lot of trying times, and still are challenges. I
mean, I really believe music chose me. I didn't have a choice. The
passion was so strong, is so strong, that my heart would never let me
veer off that track, even for a second. That doesn't always fit in
with day to day realities, but I knew, and know that it's what I need
to do on this earth, so you figure it out! I took a leap of faith,
and never turned back from day one, and I've been lucky to get some
really great opportunities so far.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Music is your
passion and your life. Do you find that there's anything in
particular that inspires you? Are there any particular themes or
lyrical images that you find yourself returning to?</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Yes! Anything that
moves me. Whether it's a song that gets my juices going, or just
life occurrences, and going through the things that you experience in
life. It's all about real emotion thought. If something moves me,
that's all I need.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4S79bwpjqWU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4S79bwpjqWU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Your songs are
beautiful and I implore anyone to go and <a href="http://www.tommyodettomusic.com/music/">listen</a>. How do you feel about the 21st Century music
industry? Is there a big difference between good and bad days?</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Thank you so much.
Another good question. Honestly, at least in what's big in the
mainstream, is garbage. Total garbage. Not everything, but most. The
biggest thing for me is a lot of it is ego based. How much swag they
have, how cool they are. It disgusts me. Artists like Jimi Hendrix,
Miles Davis, The Beatles and people like that, were about lifting
people up. Their music was real. Humanity poured out of them. Opened
people's hearts up. Changed people's lives. That's why great art, and
artists are all about. Real true emotion.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Today's artists I see
are no different then a Pepsi commercial. Not to mention, artist
originality, songwriting, production is pretty sophomoric. At least
to me. To be a major recording artist in the 30s 40s and 50s, you
truly had to have something really special to offer. You had to truly
be a great artist. That's the gold standard for me. All of the old
stuff. Whether it's Benny Goodman, or Brian Wilson.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>For anyone who
hasn't heard you before, how would you describe your music?</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Rock music that's
basically a combination of everything I like! Definitely some Blues,
and Funk in there too.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>At the 2016 Conejo
Valley Days you fulfilled one of your dreams. Please tell us about
that and how it made you feel.</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Zplib8XF-GLUx39oPs_fjsOLiK1Rccvo-xNZMQS5uhmC98JJbH1siFPs037yAz3lpC82j4tx-taa5VdXwW3sm4mf6Q_wcEq6sfggt49-BqwAPmZm15roT9ow0d4oe5RvXxtqBBUyzH8U/s1600/Tommy+and+Dave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Zplib8XF-GLUx39oPs_fjsOLiK1Rccvo-xNZMQS5uhmC98JJbH1siFPs037yAz3lpC82j4tx-taa5VdXwW3sm4mf6Q_wcEq6sfggt49-BqwAPmZm15roT9ow0d4oe5RvXxtqBBUyzH8U/s320/Tommy+and+Dave.jpg" width="320" /></a>What a day that was. I
still think about almost everyday. It was truly magical, and I'm so
grateful. For those that don't know, I made YouTube video that it
was my dream to jam with Dave Grohl. Luckily, and amazingly, it
reached his attention. Through a couple of very special people to me,
I was booked for CVD. We met backstage and he was really nice, really
complementary, and just such a gentleman. On stage, it was such a
rush, and it didn't fully hit me until after the performance. But in
a way, I felt like I was jamming with the big brother I never had. It
was one of the best days of my life.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>You're currently
running a crowdfunding campaign. What's it for? And what will the end
product be?</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuM2ok_BJU7msR1bOSBjBy6syKJl17myv4Mo41dZuN_B_slFVqCLiYuq-Krp6E0H4gis6ZVz58ex_ZA7UVkaj1VL0UtN6Hx0NCncpe7eCC1YHTKFeunCuIyNQqx0KYNrVTYmbU1mjxVYdO/s1600/Tommy+and+Dave+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuM2ok_BJU7msR1bOSBjBy6syKJl17myv4Mo41dZuN_B_slFVqCLiYuq-Krp6E0H4gis6ZVz58ex_ZA7UVkaj1VL0UtN6Hx0NCncpe7eCC1YHTKFeunCuIyNQqx0KYNrVTYmbU1mjxVYdO/s320/Tommy+and+Dave+2.jpg" width="313" /></a>Thank you for asking.
I've been given the opportunity to record an EP, at Foo Fighters'
private studio and Headquarters, Studio 606. Long time Grohl
collaborator, and Producer of Foo Fighters/Nirvana, Barrett Jones,
agreed to Produce the EP. We will be recording on the Neve Console
that was documented in the Grohl documentary, "Sound City".
Nirvana recorded "Nevermind" on this console, among
countless other landmark albums. We still have a ways to go, and you
can donate here! <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/tommy606">https://www.gofundme.com/tommy606</a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Some people find
crowdfunding to be very easy, while others struggle with it. How are
you finding the process?</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Interesting question. I
find it to be quite a challenge in a lot of ways. It's a daily thing.
Checking in with everyone, thanking everyone who's donated, making
sure you get rewards to those who are owed them. It's a complete leap of faith, but I'm constantly moved by how many have stepped up
to back me. So no, I don't find it easy!</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Every recording
studio is different, each having qualities that others don't. You've
chosen to record your next project at Studio 606. Is there a reason
for choosing that particular studio?</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Yes! The Neve recording
Console! Great room! Great engineers!
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Bar the project that
you're currently crowdfunding for, if you could have one other dream
come true, which one would it be and why?</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Be the opening act on
tour with Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Or Clapton!! On tour
with my heroes would be amazing!</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Do you have a
personal motto that you live by?</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The only thing standing
between you, and your dreams, is the bullshit story you keep telling
yourself.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrUUhf2kcx0CJjMVi1w_N_XJK7eAtDvpFuIrefEwFKA9dtHYEuGcRmuTRrT_Ix9gRpnrJQJjgI0CCvv44i8ABOBuwCPnRdB89zECMwn_PZ2cMgQTp4mrUP1ZSgcAzxoILdhVuDVA-rcUQ/s1600/Tommy+Current+photo+by+Rich+W+Chapman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrUUhf2kcx0CJjMVi1w_N_XJK7eAtDvpFuIrefEwFKA9dtHYEuGcRmuTRrT_Ix9gRpnrJQJjgI0CCvv44i8ABOBuwCPnRdB89zECMwn_PZ2cMgQTp4mrUP1ZSgcAzxoILdhVuDVA-rcUQ/s320/Tommy+Current+photo+by+Rich+W+Chapman.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2017 - Photo by Rich W Chapman</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>What advice would
you give to someone who's chasing their dreams?</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Giving up is not an
option.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Finally, where can find
you, and your music, online?</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://www.tommyodettomusic.com/">www.TommyOdettomusic.com</a>
<a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/515ZpAqlo8nnkVl1SRvYlS">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/euphoria-single/id1137055867">ITunes</a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You can donate to Tommy's 606 Recording Dream at:</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/tommy606">https://www.gofundme.com/tommy606</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eJ1enPhHUNo/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eJ1enPhHUNo?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br /></div>
Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-20519871636642289692017-02-25T11:27:00.001+00:002017-02-25T11:27:17.015+00:00Go With The Flow<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRCLgaTyQRC7WPgIKEQdIXdhUJxrKzmtTKTVC8YWyAtoelfYY7ZWUjgVofu14ZKrzjFIfOqdMGjQAnpUPnKIvbux_T3UZ9xNmfDHNhlm3retFoEwuVMS7z5AnP326SENJGWGRSBYWGZ89/s1600/go+with+the+flow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRCLgaTyQRC7WPgIKEQdIXdhUJxrKzmtTKTVC8YWyAtoelfYY7ZWUjgVofu14ZKrzjFIfOqdMGjQAnpUPnKIvbux_T3UZ9xNmfDHNhlm3retFoEwuVMS7z5AnP326SENJGWGRSBYWGZ89/s640/go+with+the+flow.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Life is like
an ocean with the waves of different emotions and situations coming
and going. There are things that we want to happen in our lives. And
things that we'd rather keep moored to the shore.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
2017 has,
for me, felt like it's started slowly. Yet there's already three
finished pieces of work ready to go and find new homes. The one that
I really want to work on has, for the moment, stalled. I've gone to
pick it up again only for road blocks to get in the way. Losing my
voice, cancellations, or a sudden back log of work mean that it's
been impossible to sit and talk to anyone.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
So I decided
to see where else the ocean of life would take me. And, surprisingly,
it guided me to several pieces that I'd started last year and never
had the chance to finish. The road blocks were just that – minor
inconveniences that meant my mind could wander elsewhere for a while.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
There may be
something that you want to happen in your life; a job change or
holiday, perhaps. You may find that getting to that point is a
struggle and that achieving that dream, no matter how small, is so
tantalisingly out of reach. You may feel like your fingers are
grazing the edges of your dream but, no matter how hard you try, you
just can't reel it in.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Telling
someone to let go of their dream feels like an awful thing to say. It
sounds as though you're telling that person that their dreams are not
worthy of being granted, that they don't deserve the happiness that
others enjoy.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You don't
have to let go. Instead, go with the ebb and flow of the world around
you. Keep working towards your dream, whether it's applying for a job
every week or putting away a little money towards your holiday.
Giving yourself in to the flow of the world can be hard. It can be a
struggle and you'll find yourself wanting to work on your dream 24/7.
But even doing a little a day is great. Seeds don't sprout overnight.
Great oaks don't suddenly go from an acorn to a fully matured tree in
an hour. In the same way, your dream may not happen overnight.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As someone
recently said to me, “Achieving your dreams is a marathon, not a
sprint. Take your time and enjoy the process.”</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
For me,
these quiet periods mean that, by the end of the year, I should have
several new projects ready to go out in to the world.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Relax, sit
back, and do what you can. Because you never know what's going to
happen two days, two months, or two years from now.</div>
Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-3643600217017459202017-01-21T12:51:00.000+00:002017-01-21T12:51:24.363+00:00This Is A Call<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The world needs healing
right now. People feel alone, lost, despondent. They feel like
they're drifting and forgotten, forsaken by a world that they thought
loved them.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXLwAyVrEO7tXs7WjlQgu_ojaRquXIBZlh2P9CQmcrT-Y8kpmGEzHxGsfjKpWFozCSGF6E50oNt2f3a-4wyujbc03WMGo9BNwpdRvdfCnCvujbJs_4tNxQpWLFgFCtnqummKVKU_iIAdC/s1600/healing-the-world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXLwAyVrEO7tXs7WjlQgu_ojaRquXIBZlh2P9CQmcrT-Y8kpmGEzHxGsfjKpWFozCSGF6E50oNt2f3a-4wyujbc03WMGo9BNwpdRvdfCnCvujbJs_4tNxQpWLFgFCtnqummKVKU_iIAdC/s320/healing-the-world.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This is a call. It's a
call to you, to me, to everyone, to stand up and draw closer those
who feel like the world is a cold, dark place right now.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
We're warriors in a
fight against the darkness, against the “ism”'s, and against the
threats that hang over all of us. We're here to love one another, not
to hate or fight. We've been divided for a purpose that we may not
see nor understand.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
But we can win. We can
learn to love and unite once more. We can speak words of kindness. We
can hug instead of fight. We can love instead of hate. We lay aside
the weapons that we use to fight and join hands.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Love those around you.
Bring them into your life and love them. Help them to heal, just as
you need time to heal yourself. Hug, cry, laugh, and love one
another. Show the world that no matter what is happening, you won't
give in to the darkness that is threatening to consume people. Don't
let the world drag you down. Don't give in to the hate, the evil, the
darkness, and the cruelty. Shine your light and show the world that
you won't accept what's happening.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHGwmbQSxTLfxlakok5cO_txeKoiqPKp9q2bnCDAxshWIWPx9ZcJyA3FbRtsBQd8LWhTwe5eR6paCzpAFcOg0Jz6fOTqKfhPVddl_YcdOcL1bQmHcwJWyJhrcS-VHpnFe7Lh_ECrz2B-6/s1600/shine-your-light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHGwmbQSxTLfxlakok5cO_txeKoiqPKp9q2bnCDAxshWIWPx9ZcJyA3FbRtsBQd8LWhTwe5eR6paCzpAFcOg0Jz6fOTqKfhPVddl_YcdOcL1bQmHcwJWyJhrcS-VHpnFe7Lh_ECrz2B-6/s320/shine-your-light.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Love will trump hate.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Kindness will trump
evil.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Peace will trump
cruelty.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Light will trump
darkness.</div>
Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-60869617757006841562017-01-14T09:47:00.000+00:002017-01-14T09:47:45.234+00:00Help Yourself<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
There's only
one person on this planet who can help you.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You are the
only person who can make the decision with what to do with your life.
You are the only person who can make the decision on where to go,
what to see, and how to live. If you want to get treatment for
yourself, that's your decision. If you want to travel, that's your
decision. If you want to work, that's your decision.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
But the only
person who will help you get to where you want to go, whether that's
a physical or mental destination, is you. Of course, you can ask for
help along the way but no one is going to come up to you and offer it
all on a plate. You have to get out there and work for what you want,
be that better health, a better job, a better home, or a better life.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVNxpIBioMJeC6oOcDfKczXj54ud9RoBaEYKPB6y28s_tOPS8pF7v7SeD82-_4gcu24apJGD9bcNZA0wENg_0vu5TP_S9TkMejy2OwkEFQ2DnYN5Bm-DKuYk-svo7gcDXRm4CvoM1IPu7q/s1600/help+yourself+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVNxpIBioMJeC6oOcDfKczXj54ud9RoBaEYKPB6y28s_tOPS8pF7v7SeD82-_4gcu24apJGD9bcNZA0wENg_0vu5TP_S9TkMejy2OwkEFQ2DnYN5Bm-DKuYk-svo7gcDXRm4CvoM1IPu7q/s320/help+yourself+blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I had to
learn that and I learned it the hard way. I believe that the things I
wanted in life would fall in to my lap. I believed that I didn't have
to work to get somewhere and that just daydreaming about the life I
wanted would be enough.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Boy, was I
wrong.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Over the
past several years, I've had quite a few doses of reality be it tough love from family to trying to open
career doors that aren't yet ready to be opened. Each time has been a
painful learning experience and I've learned to stop and evaluate my
life. What do I want? How can I get there? Do I need new skills to
achieve it? How can I get out of the rut that I'm stuck in? How could
I change myself to become a better person?</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Because of
these experiences, I decided to move away from writing fiction and
turn to non-fiction. I realised that I had a talent for getting
people to talk and to being able to listen to what they had to say. I
decided to combine that with my writing and began working on two
books that documented the lives of the people around me. As I started
working on the books, I realised that I was the happiest I'd been. No
longer did I feel stressed. Nor did I feel like I was pushing at
doors that were locked.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8hHJQIU8201hhe05BuZcU3rUWsLJhM68nVa3ix_CnytA6AI8pbOEEUWwjCPEEIOWlMsl7uMOazMD6KFzpbIedJ5f7P6TmlqmT7Fb5KNbHbqfZXtYsIiL8hFg258A5oRxv-zdJZ1zXkfX/s1600/help+yourself+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8hHJQIU8201hhe05BuZcU3rUWsLJhM68nVa3ix_CnytA6AI8pbOEEUWwjCPEEIOWlMsl7uMOazMD6KFzpbIedJ5f7P6TmlqmT7Fb5KNbHbqfZXtYsIiL8hFg258A5oRxv-zdJZ1zXkfX/s400/help+yourself+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
If there's
something that you want to do, only you can get there. You need to
sit back and evaluate your life. Do you notice patterns of conflict
in your life? If so, how can you solve them? What do you need to
change about yourself? Are you too critical? Does your anger flare
too quickly? Do you need to gain new skills? Do you need to move
house? Do you need to change your career path? Do you need to stop
hanging out with certain people?</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Keep a
journal and see what pushes your buttons. You don't have to write in
it every day and, over time, you'll be able to begin working on
getting to the place that you want to be.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You can do
whatever you put your mind to but, in order to get there, you need to
give yourself a dose of tough love in order to get there.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Happiness
isn't a destination; it's a journey. </div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-85830689250948730812016-12-27T12:10:00.000+00:002016-12-27T12:10:18.461+00:00Staying Sane at Christmas......isn't easy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBcgofcm3Oc3TuNSHtvWH9U8lLy8Dj2uECzGuw7GB-ynnpWXg7-ZOW9hhCO2R1rbKktXgHJ_afQ0FaIkwzBM1cf4W6c7J3a7BFmDAdCTI45WJikLCKgbYD8TGLqboFivxLfBuvFNs58Hp/s1600/Christmas_decoration_for_sale_in_a_christmas_shop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBcgofcm3Oc3TuNSHtvWH9U8lLy8Dj2uECzGuw7GB-ynnpWXg7-ZOW9hhCO2R1rbKktXgHJ_afQ0FaIkwzBM1cf4W6c7J3a7BFmDAdCTI45WJikLCKgbYD8TGLqboFivxLfBuvFNs58Hp/s400/Christmas_decoration_for_sale_in_a_christmas_shop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'm bipolar.
It's something that I don't hide. Quite the contrary, in fact. I'm
loud and proud about this unusual brain of mine, a condition which
may, or may not, be the product of an overdose.</div>
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This year
was my first medication free Christmas. For over a decade, I took
anti-psychotic medication to balance my brain in the wake of the
overdose (I had come off my medication by Christmas 2015. But those
drugs had been replaced by ones to combat sinusitis so this time last
year I didn't know what planet I was on. It was actually quite
nice!).
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To say that
this December has been stressful has been an understatement. I felt
overwhelmed, tired, and sick. I could barely function but had to in
order to get everything done. Three days before Christmas, I was on
my hands and knees, sobbing with exhaustion and stress. I wasn't
sleeping. I wasn't eating. I was vomiting from the tiredness. I was
hallucinating. It was horrendous.
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My apartment
isn't decorated for Christmas. Not because I don't like Christmas but
because the addition of lights and decorations overwhelm my already
tired brain. Sure, I have a few ornaments that I put up. The cards
that people give me decorate the lounge door so that I can see them
every day. And I decorated the microphone stand that I use for
interviews (That might have to become permanent because it looks
really cool!). But there's no tree, no music, and no glittering
garlands.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxfzET7nPcU9YhteWKkI0GPBUWsUfp5xwIlbgcGEXfn3mbu8PhjmS4MxNotFquYppWIvYUtRxsTVNRzKQqyB_Ofb1MPJpnbdlrmLmTr8HBm-vV9qSTsR3Dh57H6IHnXBDZUN9UTo9xKSj/s1600/Christmas+mic+stand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxfzET7nPcU9YhteWKkI0GPBUWsUfp5xwIlbgcGEXfn3mbu8PhjmS4MxNotFquYppWIvYUtRxsTVNRzKQqyB_Ofb1MPJpnbdlrmLmTr8HBm-vV9qSTsR3Dh57H6IHnXBDZUN9UTo9xKSj/s400/Christmas+mic+stand.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Instead, I
appreciate the decorations at other peoples houses, at work, and in
the windows of shops. I <i>love</i>
looking at photos of London's Christmas windows. But the
abundance of bright lights, glittery decorations, and repeated
Christmas music tires me out. The same goes for large gatherings.
Anything over an hour spent in the company of a crowd of people makes
my brain ache and my body weary (It's not you, honestly, it's not!
Please don't take offence if I turn down an invitation. I really
appreciate your love and company and would never not want to spend
time with you.) And I realise that I need to have a space where I can
escape from it all and get some rest.</div>
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Christmas
can be a hard time for many people. There may be the feeling that
they have to take part in everything that's happening. Saying no to
an event or a party may be tough. They may feel that friends and
family will frown on them if they decide that they need time out from
the festivities.
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On the flip
side, they may despise Christmas and want nothing to do with it. Or
have no one to celebrate it with (Thankfully, this year, there seemed
to be many places that were hosting events for people who would be
alone on Christmas Day. If you're alone next year, be sure to check
local social media groups to see if there's anything happening).</div>
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Christmas
shouldn't be a stressful time yet we seem to turn ourselves in to
nervous wrecks for four weeks of the year. For some people, like
myself, we pick up on the stress of those around us. When others are
wound up, we get involved in those feelings, too, which only adds to
what we're already feeling.
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Christmas
doesn't have to be perfect. It shouldn't be all about whether
everyone is included. Or how many gifts are under the tree. Or how
many decorations we've put up. For many people, the chance to get
together with others on one day of the year and celebrate together is
enough.</div>
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Wishing all
of you a safe, prosperous, and healthy 2017!</div>
Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-88963389078059994072016-12-17T12:31:00.000+00:002016-12-17T12:31:17.850+00:00Merry Christmas 2016!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaC4CCIebU-757ymNPPavTiQYkEZyFXznQmR1A-4mfrMmxV93TyZytqFZ_LvUwutXp_Vsq3YD84GwFhTxSyET-NlwxRW8EmNdG-xj_AJCzehVqgCoSYNdImKeK26qnBIYj2uo3L2Hxp09Z/s1600/Christmas+tree+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaC4CCIebU-757ymNPPavTiQYkEZyFXznQmR1A-4mfrMmxV93TyZytqFZ_LvUwutXp_Vsq3YD84GwFhTxSyET-NlwxRW8EmNdG-xj_AJCzehVqgCoSYNdImKeK26qnBIYj2uo3L2Hxp09Z/s400/Christmas+tree+2016.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leadenhall Market Christmas tree, London by <a href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/13202">RMSones</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Christmas 2016 is
nearly upon us and, for many of us, this year has been one of great
highs and crushing lows. There have been moments when we wish that
the world around us would end. But, in contrast, there have been many
times when we couldn't have wished for a better time to be alive.
There is so much happening around us, both good and bad, and it's
what we make of those circumstances that counts. Do we let them crush
us? Or do we allow them to turn us into a better version of the
person we currently know?</div>
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At the end of every
year, we tend to pause and look back over the previous months. We
reflect on what's been lost and what's been gained. We say goodbye to
people who are no longer in our lives and thank those who are.
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For me, this has been a
year like no other. It's been a year of change and discovery. In
January, I believed that I was set for a certain path. Yet, as the
year draws to a close, I see that the paths have changed and I'm now
walking a different, and hopefully better, route. I'm excited to see
what 2017 brings.</div>
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This is the time of
year when I also say thank you to everyone who is a part of my life.
Thank you for being there through the ups and downs. Thank you for
all that you do and, most of all, thank you for being you.</div>
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Relax over the
Christmas period and, if there's change in your life, embrace it in
2017. Whatever direction life is nudging you in, welcome it with open
arms and run with it. Let it take you on its journey. The journey may
be rocky at first but, over time, it will smooth out and you'll be
glad that you made the decision to follow that little voice in your
heart.</div>
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Whatever you're doing
this Christmas season, I wish you a peaceful and happy one. May 2017
be an amazing year for you!</div>
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Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446642395498901179.post-16968921510755158462016-12-03T17:22:00.000+00:002016-12-03T17:22:28.170+00:00Following the Foo Family<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The first
time I heard the words “Foo Family”, I was standing in Sound City
Studios in Los Angeles. We were talking to the owners when they
happened to mention a global network of Foo Fighters fans who
referred to themselves as Family.</div>
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Those two
words were thrust to the back of my mind until November 2014 when I
started blogging about a Kickstarter that had recently launched. The
crowdfunder in question was aimed at taking action against the
secondary ticket market with the end goal of having the Foo Fighters
play a small show in Birmingham, England. Unbeknownst to me, that
Kickstater was being run by the UK Foo Family and suddenly I found
myself as a part of the network that I'd heard about so many months
before.</div>
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For the
world's biggest “I'm not a Foo Fighters fan, really I'm not”, it
was like landing on an alien planet. I barely knew the music and only
spoke a few words of their language. Yet music truly is an
international language and they took me in, welcoming me as one of
their own. Due to my own stubbornness, I left and rejoined the group
several times, my insecurities flaring because of the unfamiliar
territory. Yet they always coaxed me back until, earlier this year, I
settled down to write this book.</div>
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Getting a
writer (or anyone for that matter) to do something that they feel
uncomfortable with can be like trying to herd cats. We can be
stubborn and awkward. There are times when we don't want to face what
our life is calling us to do. And that was especially true with the
fan book. I was constantly finding myself redrawn back to the Family
and I couldn't explain why. That was until I was speaking to a friend
earlier this year and I mentioned an idea I'd had back around the
time of the Kickstarter.</div>
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The passion
that surrounded the Kickstarter made me want to write a book about
the fans. I wanted to tell their stories. I wanted to give them a
place in history, something to help dull the harshness of the
numerous negative entries that litter the record books. Wars, famine,
and genocide still happen and will be forever documented. But what
about everyone else? Don't they deserve to be able to have a moment
to talk about what's important to them?</div>
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Music is a
way to escape the horrors of the world around us. 2016, while it has
had many glorious moments, has also crushed the souls and spirits of
so many people. It would be great to think that, in a hundred years
from now, someone, somewhere, could pick up this book and read the
stories of friendship, happiness, and survival from a group of
dedicated and loving music fans.
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And so it
began. My friend (who shall remain nameless until they give me
permission to name them) put the wheels in motion by feeling out the
lay of the land. How would others feel about speaking to a complete
stranger? Did they want to talk about their love of the band?
</div>
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The
overwhelming answer was <i>Yes</i>.
For me, that was a breakthrough and, over the past months, I've told
the story of another project that I put to one side. I spent two
years hunting for funding for it and, while there was a lot of
positive feedback, there was little in the way of any other help.
Compared to that, the fan book has been a breeze and, in the past
five months, many of the pieces needed for it have fallen seamlessly
in to place.</div>
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</div>
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This book
wouldn't be possible without the help and support of the global Foo
Family and, for that, I am eternally grateful. To know that there are
so many kind and loving souls out there makes me feel so much better
about the current world we live in. Over the past year, I've been
lucky enough to make many new friends and rekindle old friendships.
While, in many ways, 2016 has been a harsh and unforgiving year,
finding so many beautiful friends has made it easier to bear. If I've
spoken to you over the past months, thank you so much. Thank you for
answering mine, a complete stranger's, email or phone call. Thank you
for your love, kindness, and time. Thank you for the emails, Facebook
posts, and Tweets. Thank you for including me in a world that, at
times, really does feel alien to me. Your acceptance and inclusion
means far more than you can imagine and it's something that this
world needs so much more of.</div>
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<br />
</div>
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While I'm
hoping to have the book in some kind of finished state in the next
few weeks, there's still time to get involved. If you'd like to be
interviewed, please send me a message over at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thequeenofsteam/?fref=ts">Facebook page</a> or email
me at:</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
rae@raegee.co.uk</div>
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Take care
and have a very Happy Christmas!</div>
Rae Geehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764144770336826030noreply@blogger.com0