The First Lines Game

In the interests of sheer good fun, let's play a game.

This is a meme that used to do the rounds on facebook and myspace (yes, myspace!) back in the day, as well as being featured on this here blog a few times and it's just good fun.  Who doesn't love a pub quiz moment where you get to show off your knowledge?

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The rules:

Step 1: Put your music player on shuffle.
Step 2: Post the first line (or a few ;)) from the first 30 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing.
Step 3: Italicise the lyrics and post the details when someone guesses both artist and track correctly*
Step 4: For those who are guessing -- looking the lyrics up on a search engine is CHEATING!
Step 5: If you like the game post your own


*I'll even add a YouTube link, because music is for sharing :)

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1. It’s okay, I’m good. Let’s go.

2. What an amazing time

    What a family

    How did the years go by?

    Now it's only me

What You Waiting For? - Gwen Stefani (Laura - way to go!)

3. Don't you know

    So many things they come and go?

4. I gotta take a little time

   A little time to think things over

5. She was a fast machine she kept her motor clean

    She was the best damn woman that I ever seen

6. I been livin for the weekend

    But no not anymore

7. The world was on fire and no one could save me but you.

     It's strange what desire will make foolish people do.

8. I ain't the kind you take home to mama 

    I ain't the kind to wear no ring 

9. Hello, hello, baby, you called?

    I can't hear a thing

Telephone - Lady Gaga and Beyoncé  (well done Jenny K!)

10. Oceans apart day after day

      And I slowly go insane

Right Here Waiting - Richard Marx (well done, Laura!)

11. It doesn't hurt me.

      Do you want to feel how it feels?

12. Don't be so quick to walk away

      Dance with me

13. People like you always want back the love they gave away

      And people like me wanna believe you when you say you've changed

14. Popping bottles in the ice, like a blizzard

      When we drink we do it right gettin slizzard

Like a G6 - Far East Movement (Laura)

15. I hopped off the plane at L.A.X.

     With a dream and my cardigan

Party in the USA - Miley Cyrus (Laura)

16. I would take the stars

     Out of the sky for you

17. Worn and haggard, weathered and torn

      Drug through the keyhole of that back door

Making Me Look Good Again - Drake White (Laura)

18. Oh, well, imagine,

      As I'm pacing the pews in a church corridor,

19. It was a theme she had

     On a scheme he had

     Told in a foreign land

20. I wanna walk that line a little crooked

      And live my life a little on the rocks

21. What if I told you about my little nothing town

       The two room house where I came from

If I Told You - Darius Rucker (Laura)

22. To the left, to the left

      To the left, to the left, 

      Everything you own in a box to the left

Irreplaceable - Beyoncé (Jenny K)

23. There's nothing like summer in the city

      Someone under stress meets someone looking pretty

24. Bet you think I'm sitting at home. No.

      Bet you think that I'm all alone. No.

Somewhere On A Beach - Dierks Bentley (Laura)

25. I'm busy throwing hints that he keeps missing 

      Don't have to think about it 

Push The Button - Sugababes (Jenny K)

26. Right now you are down and out and feeling really crappy

     And when I see how sad you are it sort of makes me...

     Happy!

27. On a boat, on a beach

      In the water, in the sand

      In the back of a bar

      Cold beer in your hand

You Look Good - Lady Antebellum (Laura)

28. Her hair is Harlow gold

      Her lips sweet surprise

29. Dry lightning cracks across the skies

      Those storm clouds gather in her eyes

Blown Away - Carrie Underwood (Laura)

30. There is freedom within

      There is freedom without

      Try to catch a deluge in a paper cup

Don't Dream It's Over - Crowded House (Laura)

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Good luck, quizzers!

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Life Lately, According to Instagram

It's been too long since I've done one of these little write ups.  I like doing them as they are a fun way to share a few little things that I've been up to - if I blogged everything separately I'd never get away from the computer!

If you'd like to follow me on instagram (below are just a few of my recent shares) I'm @cmclaire over there.  I'm also getting more and more active on snapchat (where I'm @cmclaire12) - turns out it's the ideal venue for chatter and silliness, particularly when your work life has you chained to the computer or a notepad solo for most of the day.... 

I'm really enjoying playing with my Olympus PEN and getting more and more used to how to get clearer, crisper shots.  There will always be space for an iPhone shot, of course, but I am enjoying spending a little more time taking and/or editing my shots!  This picture makes me smile, as it's the first shot I got once I was feeling perkier after my recent dip in spirits.

Plenty of posts documenting the joy of writing, planning, editing....and staring at the page!

Fun with friends such as these Bangarange lovelies.  This was such a fun evening with Katy, Milly, Ashleigh & Erica! #ballers  We were invited along to Cabana in Brixton to try out the new menu and it was absolutely delicious - fresh, tasty starters, amazing meats and salads, and nutella balls for dessert?  So wonderful.  It was actually my second Cabana event in as many weeks - a week beforehand Erica, Ashleigh and I had been invited along for a wine tasting at the Islington branch.  I now know 100% more about Brasilian/Brazilian wine (and Brasilian/Brazilian geography!).

There has been plenty of reading - I'm looking forward to reviewing Under The Paw soon!

Speaking of under the paw, the trio of trouble are loving having me home more often and are being very co-operative with my using the new camera to take their pictures!  This wee girl *loves* the camera.  I've actually set up an instagram just for the kits (to prevent my feed being all kitties, all the time....): for your fix of furry cuteness, their account is @thebadgerkits.

Another great book....another review to come!

I was craving mac and cheese a couple of weeks ago.  It's a food I love, but one I'd never made before.  I fixed this!

We had our last Little Black Dress Initiative meeting of the Junior League year; we went for happy hour at Facebook's HQ UK.  Always fun to catch up with my fellow committee members (and the Queen ;)), and to toast a year of working together!

Fighting the yo-yo, with fresh, healthy, happy breakfasts.

And always making time to celebrate!

What have you been up to lately?

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Because...kitties

I love that whenever I get the camera out, they all assume it's for them....

"Laundry?  Blogging?  Really, Claire?  Surely you could be making some chicken?"

BLUE STEEL

 "Whatchoo doing down there?"

"No, I'm not up on the side.  Again.  Nope."

*sniffs bowl, looks on disparagingly as human lifts her down and then cleans side*

Wee cutie.

Extreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeme close up.

Man I love our very silly furbabies!

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Our Christmas

Our Christmas was cosy and homely and sweet and lovely.  A calm day full of good food, sweet memories, brilliant winter sunshine, far too many presents and a pile of kitty snuggles.  From first awaking (late) to dropping off after a few cocktails, it was wall to wall festive fun.  A truly special Christmas.  Here's a few glimpses of our day.

Poor Matthew has not been well for a while, so a big Christmas lie-in was definitely required.  Leela-paws came to join us for a snuggle - she loves solo time!

 Fry and Poppet were very interested in the happenings occurring in the kitchen!

Requisite Christmas selfie - as we don't spend the season with our families we like to send a few goofy pics to make them smile.

We went for a walk to the QE2 park before dinner - such a lovely way to work up an appetite.  Olympic level Christmas fun!

Loved sharing our first married Christmas together.

All ready for Christmas dinner a deux!

I concocted this cocktail, which I would compel you to try....

Christmas Yumminess

Add a healthy amount of ice to a shaker.

Add 1/4 cup gin (I used Tanqueray 10), 2 tbsp Chambord and 1/2 tsp vanilla.

Shake in a way that I would describe as vigorous, and the cats would describe as too darn loud.

Pour into a glass and top with chilled tonic water.

Delish!  

After watching a lot of very silly stuff (Community, Modern Family, Community, The Office) we had a late night snack (M: trifle.  C: leftover sandwich for the win, my friends!) and then headed up to bed.  Poppet decided our bed was her bed too.  Well, it was Christmas.

How was your day?

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Dancing Poppet

Because it made me laugh like a drain....

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Pre-wedding fatigue

#mylife

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Wedding stuff...

After the months of planning and anticipation and conversations....it's all happening!  Is it okay to get really, seriously excited now?

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Lazy Sunday?

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Okay, so this made me giggle far too much:

I am trying to work our more, but dang this made me laugh!

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Cornwall, part 3

A last batch of photos from our adventures out west with the family.  I can't wait until the clan gets back together again!

Daniels and Suthers (my sister's dogs) enjoying some playing outside!

Daniels decided to give me a "kiss".  Ewwwwwww!

She then composed herself for a proper snap.  Such a quirky little dog!

My sister's view - a little different to mind her in East London!

As we hadn't been north for Christmas, Peter had brought my birthday and Matthew and my Christmas presents with him.  He knows how much I loathe the whole '50 shades...' phenom, so this gift made me laugh and laugh!  Good shout, bro.

What a view!  Our chalet was so nice - plenty of space, light and comfy.  The perfect base for a family holiday!

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Cornwall, part 2

A few more pictures from a lovely long weekend away.

Matthew and I set off for a couple of hours on our own, and decided to visit Port Isaac.  The route there was crazy, involving lots of winding roads, an unexpected ford and more than one pheasant attempting to 'make friends' with our rental car!

Big hand or teeny tiny pint?

While we wandered around Wadebridge we saw all kinds of cute and quirky little shops...and this utterly bizarre shop window.  Matthew spotted the parachuting baby first!

Those views....

Sian's dog Sutherland was very pleased to have some extra visitors to play with!

By our chalet there was a small pond with five funny little ducks.  Here they are, captured mid-conversation!

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Cornwall, part 1

After the rush of term and the loveliness of a weekend in Cornwall, now the very chilled part of the holiday has begun.  Today has been almost stationary - reading, writing, cleaning, ironing and playing with cats.  Just what the doctor ordered.  And giving me plenty of time to recap our adventures in Cornwall.

It was so nice to spend time with the family!  It had been years since all of us were together in the same space and place, and the chance to spend time together reconnecting was wonderful.  We played Uno, went for walks, gossiped, cooked together, and generally logged some high quality family time.  Despite the cold weather and the chilly winds, it was a heartwarming long weekend!

Mummy and Daddy (I disturbed his ironing to snap this, ha!).

My sweet mummy and I - it was so lovely to have so many chats over cups of tea with her!

Sian and I.  She and Chris (her fiancé) are getting on so well in Cornwall and it was lovely to have a good old big sister nose around her new environs!

With my hilarious little brother.  Peter and I have just the same ridiculous sense of humour and he even consented to play Monopoly with me (I adore Monopoly far too much!).  He won the Game of Ones!

Matthew off adventuring!

And some sea based glee from me :)

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Things that make me giggle...

Wearing boxes as hats.

Watching ‘World’s Craziest Fools’ with Matthew.

 
Cats with shiny foil.

Brunch with my ladies.

Silly jokes about cheese (that’s a whole ‘nother post, people).

Conversations with Miss Shona.

Dramatic chipmunk.

Any opportunity to sing along with Bonnie Tyler, Heart, or any other eighties cheese.

Our class singing “I like bananas, I like cheese…”

How I Met Your Mother.

Catch up phone calls with Christy and Naomi.

The Big Bang Theory.

Community.

Liz Lemon.

Carlton dancing. 

How about you?

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Another week begins...

Bwahahahahahaha.
I love where Youtube pauses videos.
Behold my special Monday face.

Have a great week you glorious people!

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Five Minute Friday: Again

Linking up with the megastar who is Lisa-Jo, as always.  Join us?

The rules?

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

This week's prompt....is AGAIN.

GO.

Again, again, the jauntiness of the ringtone jars with the deep gloopy darkness of the January morning.  How can it be morning again?  How can the hours of peaceful slumbers have slipped by so quickly, like water through the hands, barely noticed?

I hit the snooze button and burrow a little deeper beneath the duvet.  I pull it up over my eyes.  Perhaps if I can't see the clock, it's not time to get up?  I push my head under the pillows, hoping to muffle what's coming next.

'da-da-da-dadada-da-da-daaaaaaaa.....da-da-da-dadada-da-da-daaaaaaaa.....da-da-da-dadada-da-da-daaaaaaaa.....'

I roll my eyes and slip an arm out, groping for my phone in the greyness.  Found, pressed, silenced.

With superhuman effort I push myself out of bed, regaled with words from the angel on one shoulder, the devil on the other.

"Well done, Claire!  Another 5.15 wakeup done!  Let's go watch TV and work out! You can do it!"

"Claire, you utter muppet.  WHY ARE YOU AWAKE???? Go back to bed!  The bed's still warm....."

I choose, quickly, rashly, snatching up water bottle and workout kit, and march myself to the bathroom.  The tiles are chilly on my feet as I change from cosy sleepwear into shorts and teeshirt.  And I walk downstairs, to start again."

STOP.

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In praise of Gilmore Girls

Image source

I came very late to the Gilmore Girls party.  I didn't really watch much TV or read many magazines from 2000-2005, so its heyday passed me by.  It wrapped in 2007, and was sporadic in its scheduling over here anyway, so the phenomenon pretty much passed me by!

This all changed about two years ago, when I bought the first season on DVD, and promptly fell in love with all the quirky inhabitants of Stars Hollow.  I love Lorelai and Rory (qualifier: I love them most of the time.  Sometimes they are so pigheaded and/ or capricious I just want to shake them), adore Sookie, and definitely want to be Emily Gilmore.  Seriously - those suits?  The pearls?  Amazing.  When I discovered she was a Junior League member I literally clapped with glee.  There's a very real danger if I ever procreate and it's a girl, then her name will probably be Emily Lorelai or Lorelai Emily!

Ha.

What can I say, after watching seven seasons in two years, I'm a little attached to the characters.

Don't you love when that happens with shows or characters?  I will always have a soft spot for Claire Danes and Joshua Jackson, primarily because of the 1990s based awesomeness of Angela Chase and Pacey Witter.

Do you have any characters you are inordinately fond of?  Let's geek out, friends.

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Zzzzzzzz

40 winks.

A catnap.

A snooze.

A brainbreak.

Whatever you call them (and I'd love to know what you do call them, by the way - when you like naps as much as I do, vocabulary is power), aren't they fab?

I can think of few things I enjoy more than a 15- or 30-minute drift off in the afternoon.  Whether it's a snooze after a few chapters of a challenging book, a powernap at your desk after the 18th essay on Henry II, a disconap between a long day at work and an evening out, or just a little top up sleep after a long walk in the cold, I just love the luxury of a few extra minutes of rest.  Maybe it's the hours I keep (up at 5, bed at 11), maybe it's my age, maybe it's my inner lazy person revelling in the sheer decadence of a half-hour not spent working, socialising, reading or improving oneself.  But I love it.

I think part of the joy is also because, in my new 'let's try and gain pounds (£) while losing pounds (lbs)' regime, it's the perfect kind of activity (right up there with walking & using our home gym) - doesn't cost a thing, and at worst doesn't cause weight gain, and according to some studies may even help with weight loss (hey, at the very least it's time away from snack temptations!).

So that's my little love letter to naps.  Do you nap?  Are you pro or anti?  Or are you of the school that thinks naps are for kids?

Nothing but the keenest debate here, friends. ;)

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