Oh Bligey Blige

The sun is shining, I've had a cheese and pickle sandwich and I’m listening to my favourite Mary J Blige. What more could I want? I'm actually enjoying my assignment! This is the golden nugget in my coal mine of a life. Christ, what a terrible metaphor! I didn't think I'd ever enjoy academic writing. And I think that's the difference, it aint academic folks! I'm writing a biography on Marian Keyes <3 who I absolutely love. Not only does she write some of most engaging, hilarious literature for women (and men who are inclined that way, lets not discriminate Becky...) but she is also a long term sufferer of alcoholism and bi-polar depression. Poor little Irish imp! It seems that most writers are a bit nutty (in the nicest possible way). Maybe it's something about being the kind of person that can sit at a computer in a dark room for days writing that means you've got to be a bit loopy lou to cope in those conditions. I'd love to be a writer but I feel like I'm not interesting enough! I've not had a 'traumatic childhood incident' or an eating disorder, alcoholism or depression. Well I know I’m just shy of 21 so there is always time I suppose! In fact I'm kind of waiting for something to happen which turns me into the introvert, scholarly, interesting type I yearn to be. Mind you, no one likes those kinds of people do they? How on earth do they sell books when all they do is drink coffee and smoke cigarettes and look interesting in Starbucks with their shiny new edition of a novel translated from a very French ‘Avant Garde’ writer? I know people love to act academic but inside their copy of the Independent is this month’s latest instalment of Cosmopolitan. Or is that just me?

Maybe it's a rumour. I think maybe people think that writers have to be pretentious and into the silliest things, but i know a couple of writers and they are anything but. They're some of the lovliest people I've met and so down to earth. They must be, otherwise no one would like them, then no one would buy their books surely? I've come to the conclusion that it is only 'wannabe writers' who behave in such an irritating manner and that the people out there writing and selling the kind of book I enjoy are normal people with their feet firmly planted onto Earth.

I don’t see anything wrong with not being into ‘high art’ or the latest trend. If you genuinely enjoy it then of course, that is okay (just). But why pretend you’re so into cool old rock bands when really you go home and listen to Rhianna and the Dreamgirls soundtrack (again, probably just me). I went through that phase at school. I nodded along at how cool bands were and went to silly little gigs and pretended to enjoy the noise raping my ear drums with a cactus but when I went home, all I wanted was Christina Aguilera! After leaving school, being honest about my tastes was a lot easier. Now, as an adult, people’s cute little quirks like loving David Attenborough’s documentaries and being into Neil Diamond is acceptable and sweet. It’s almost gone crazy and the other extreme with people, they try to be interesting by being into ‘unusual’ things. But I’m really not going to pretend enjoy Attenborough or show an overenthusiastic love for post war jazz because it makes me look quirky.

Cliché as it is, you’ve just got to do what you like and be who you are. I get annoyed because I float through life pretty carelessly not really analysing myself too much and just doing ‘what I feel’. I’m pretty happy so if you find yourself pretending or laughing along with a knob as they talk about the obvious humour behind the latest film about Hitler ‘Gosh it’s just so post-modern, pre humanistic ironically hilarious don’t you think?!” There’s nothing wrong with not getting it. In fact there’s nowt wrong with not laughing. It might be funnier if you didn’t!
Not quite sure how I ended up giving a lecture of how to live your life. How peculiar. Well don’t listen to me, I’m currently listening Dizzy Rascal in a tea-stained hoodie whilst picking my toe nails what the hell do I know??!
Ciao Bellas!