Funky Zebra August 16, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Media, TV & Film, Photos.Tags: Marketing, promotional, zebra
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Thought I would show you our latest funky promotional item for one of our products at work. Isn’t he cool!
The Little Dahlings! August 2, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Life, Chatter & Politics, Media, TV & Film.Tags: Life, living, teenagers
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I am sat here, watching a programme called “Young, dumb, and living off mum”. Look it up, it is a terribly glimpse of the pathetic lives that some of these kids live. Unable to cook, unable to clean, completely and utterly incapable!
Interestingly, I am getting so wound up and ranty about the state of these utter wasters, that I have caught myself feeling quite aggressive! Some of them just need a damn good slap, and possibly to have an unfortunate little fall directly face-first into the pig poo that they are attempting to clean up.
Gawd!! Makes me feel proud of myself and everyone I know… we can all live without screwing it all up!
Minchy Munchy July 23, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Media, TV & Film.Tags: comedy, live, television, tim minchin
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Sat watching Tim Minchin at the moment. It is always such great fun a) enjoying the music, and b) enjoying the waxing lyrical (no pun intended) about every absurd and obscene topic under the sun. We are going to see him live this September for Cie’s birthday, and I can’t wait!
If you haven’t heard of Tim Minchin before, you are in for a treat. Just don’t dive in naively – watching a couple on Youtube first so that you know the level of swearing, blasphemy and brilliant jokes you can expect! Plenty of political statements, atheist conclusions and witty one-liners.
He reminds me somewhat (particularly between songs) of the hilarious Eddie Izzard. And what better compliment could there be than that?!
(Image from here)
Advertising Standards… June 20, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Media, TV & Film, Rants.Tags: advertising standards, cars, Credit Crunch, vauxhall
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A rant today guys! I promise a bit of a more interesting post tomorrow!
As I mentioned yesterday, Ben’s car was conking out. Not much of a technical term that one, but essentially his clutch died and costs more to replace than the car itself is worth. Great, eh?! Anyway, we popped into the Vauxhall garage this morning armed with a full page advert of offers printed in yesterday’s local Newspaper, the Leamington Courier. Keep that in mind – it was from yesterdays newspaper!
Anyway, amongst the expensive new and expensive cars were a few offers that would have meant Ben could have actually afforded a decent car. Offers like “Half Price on a Used car”, or “New Cars at Cost Price”.
Anyway, long story short, but the garage were useless. Upon arriving at the garage, the young sales rep explained that he didn’t know what any of those offers meant. After all, for example, why would they sell cars at cost price? It seemed “ridiculous” to him. I thought about explaining about stagnating markets etc etc, but thought it may not do any good! Even showing them the advert repeatedly simply didn’t work!
Next we tried to push them on what offers they actually did, and what cars were available for each of the offers. “Oh no” he said “we only have those offers to get people through the door”. How absurd, we responded – after all, I don’t think that is actually legal. Upon pressing further, he checked with his “business manager” – who agreed that the advert was only “to get people in”. Essentially, they don’t actually do any of the offers that were advertised. They have done them in the past, but for single occasional cars that sold up to two weeks ago. Considering this was yesterdays advert, this was quite impressive!
I, with my cute little marketing hat on, very concisely and very politely gave the salesman a little lecture on the Advertising Standards Rules, as well as on Ethics and Compliance. Being that this young man had already boasted about making a woman cry last week about deals that weren’t available, however, I doubt he listened to me.
Grrrrrr! Sorry, I couldn’t keep it in!
A little teary June 10, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Books, Depression, Media, TV & Film.Tags: Books, Depression, film, Movies, self-help, sobbing, tears
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Last night I sobbed and gasped my way through the final episode of Sex and the City. I clearly haven’t learnt from my initial viewing which was spent in what I assumed was a hormonal and emotion driven fug! Being that last night I was totally compusmentos before the DVD went in, I can now conclude that this is merely and undesirable but oddly enjoyable consequence of this SATC episode! You should have heard me as I hiccuped out “His name is John!” in awed wonder, and preempted particularly touching bits with cat-like wails and tears in advance!
This crying-fest got me on to thinking about the importance of letting it all out once in a while. This holds particularly true to the female of the species, us gals. Men cry too (in fact, I can disclose that a could of tears escaped Ben last night, although this could just be tears of recognition at the fact that his girlfriend is in fact an insane crying machine!), but it seems to be a more vital part of woman-hood.
I don’t see it as weakness to have a sob at a touching seen, a devastating paragraph or a heart-wrenching soliloquy. Rather, I view this as being in touch with the deepest parts of myself, the bits that feel every emotion as a thousand needles. It is a healthy dose of reality or, equally, a true chance of escapism. Without a good (logical or illogical) cry once in a while, I know I would question my ability to feel.
This is not to say at all that people who don’t dry are emotionless. Instead, I mean that for me, a girl with emotions too close to the surface on occasion, not to cry would mean something more worrying than having a big tear-jerking moment would.
My biggest ever sob inducers? I sense a little list coming on. If anyone needs a good dry to clear the system and unblock emotional dams, then these ones are a sure bet for me!
- The Notebook – so sad, so happy… there is also a Nickleback and Notebook tribute on Youtube that makes me cry every time!
- Forrest Gump – the sadness of this comedy always overwhelms me
- SATC
- My Sisters Keeper – this book by Jodie Picoult slays me.
Obviously tons more can have this effect – these are the ones that spring to mind though!
Summer Fun May 14, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Fashion, Media, TV & Film, Thrifting.Tags: eBay, Fashion, Shoes, star trek, vintage, zachary quinto
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I saw Star Trek last night. I grew up on Star Trek – every wednesday night at 6 I would sit down with my family, and we would watch Jean Luc Picard charm his way out of every situation. I loved the humour, the silliness, the cast. So yesterday’s trip to the cinema (all be it to see the ST version I never really liked) was pretty important. After all, there I was watching it at 6 in the evening again!
It was odd. After watching the film (which I loved. Deeply) I felt odd. Kind of like some closure had been put on all those years of childhood. In a very very odd way (and I am happy to admit that this makes me the worlds biggest nerd, ever! Except, perhaps, for the people who believe Star Trek is real), I feel like this single film has completed a little bit of childish me still lurking underneath the oh-so-grownup exterior (I know, who am I kidding, grownup-shmownup). I really, really loved it. And I love Zachary Quinto in a completely shallow way, to, but that is no matter!
On other, less Trekkie topics, I have been given a dream features on Queens of Vintage. They have a new feature, Daily eBay (reminding me of one of my favorite fashion blogs, eBay fashion addict), and I get to find Friday’s item. The main problem is that I keep finding things I want! Currently I passed up on featuring these vintage (and pretty darn rare) cage shoes, so I could buy them. Eek, I am a bad person!! hehe
Ah, the joys of bullet-pointing May 2, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Media, TV & Film, Rants.Tags: alan sugar, business, organisation, television, the apprentice
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Sorry for the delays in posting guys, I am at home for the weekend and obviously that is my priority. I did get my first ever pay check though for my paid blogging, which I am chuffed about!
I thought I would pop on for a little rant about the Apprentice guys. Aside from insulting book people (with Cie was very irate about!), they generally really irritate me by being pretty much crap at any task that requires organisation! I am not going so far as to claim I could do better, I merely wish that they would remember a few general pieces of info and organise themselves properly.
Essentially, I wish they would bullet point at the beginning of the task! Instead of diving in enthusiastically and blindly, they should just set aside half an hour at the beginning to decide what needs to be done, and choose who needs to do it. I know I am an obsessed list-aficionado with a worrying addiction to spreadsheets and pretty things that set out what I need to do, but even so! A little time dedicated to organisation would make them soo much better.
Morons. Lol. Highly unfair and judgemental, but true all the same!
Note: And I have just read this back and realised a number of things. Firstly, how annoyingly judgemental I am, and second how much I currently sound like… well, not my mother, but someones mother. There is nothing as annoying as a novice lecturing a business expert!
The oddest night ever… April 15, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Media, TV & Film, Rants.Tags: antiques, snow queen, theatre, vintage, wedgwood
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Lat night we went to the theatre to see the Snow Queen. All geared up for a dramatic extravaganza, full of sparkles, costumes and acrobatics, we ended up completed shocked.
Let me give you a brief synopsis – this should explain why it was odd!
- Large man wearing the mirror stood on stage accompanied by large group of “accomplices” – all wearing masks on their bottoms. Lots of toilet humour in this one!
- Two friends, the boy gets iced and kidnapped by the snow queen. On the journey to find him and bring him back, Gerda encounters an number of people…
- A large woman with a rake in a garden of dancing flowers – wearing flower covered y-fronts. Gerda falls asleep in the big garden woman’s skirt, and is awoken by a rose.
- Gerda meets two people/crows – a woman (played by a man) and a man (played by a woman). After some flirting and horrible groping between the bird couple, they take gerda to the prince thinking he might be who she is looking for.
- The prince and princess are hanging from ribbons in the ceiling and dance for a bit.
- Later on in her journey Gerda meets a pack of robbers who are going to eat her. She becomes the toy of the daughter, along with a bird-creature and a fat reindeer.
- After telling her story to the horrible violent robber-girl, her and the reindeer are allowed to go to the north pole.
- At the north pole, they meet three midgets wearing thneedswho are fishing with a colander and a stick. They fish out three fish – a strawberry fish, a lemon fish, and a football fish.
- Eventually she finds the boy and they leave to go home.
Understand why it was odd?! I think, quite honestly, this was the Snow Queen on Acid! Absolutely absurd, acted for some reason in an Italian accent, and complete rubbish! Still, we went for free, so I am very glad we didn’t spend nearly 30 quid to see it!
On a completely different (and hopefully more normal!) note, have a look at some of the lovely little finds from a weekend in Stafford. First, this clock – it’s little and vintage, and still ticks. It isn’t all that great at keeping time, so I am planning to take it into a clock man for tightening! Oh, and it’s a travel clock, so slides closed. A bargain – only £3.50!
My other gem was a wedgewood teapot, to re-sell!
Knitting on a desert island March 23, 2009
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Crafting, Media, TV & Film, Meme.Tags: casting on, desert island, holiday, how to knit, knitting, quiz
2 comments
So I have shamelessly nicked this idea from Amber over at Forever Amber. The idea is to choose 5 things (based on the questions below) that you would take with you to a desert island. On which, I presume, you are totally and unavoidably stranded. Hey, look at it this way though – at least is sunny and hot!
- A food that can be planted and regrown.
Hmm… I think I would take fennel – I’d get the veg, the seeds, the leaves AND my breath would always smell sweet. Which comes in handy if Brad Pitt happens to be my rugged rescuer, appearing from the past when he was beautiful! Hmm, can’t believe I chose fennel… I really am odd!
2. A person you haven’t seen in a long time.
I would take Stephen in that case – I haven’t seen him in FAR too long, and together we should be able to swim to safety. And, he is with the NAVY (kinda) so will be (hopefully) able to get his navy pals looking for us. On a boat. Duh.
3. A book you (were) read as a child.
Hmm… how I wish I was read “how to escapefrom desert islands” as a child… I would take Enid Blyton’s “The Faraway Tree”, so I could live in a magical, imaginary world if the days get bad.
5. The entire episode run of a television show (it’s a very nice desert island).
It would have to be Sex and the City, mainly because I still haven’t watched the original series’. Also, I would get my dose of shopping, this is assuming that my desert island does not come with a shopping centre! A few weeks ago I would have said Buffy – but I have watched ALL of that now!!
Brill – what fun questions! On a compeltely different note, I have actually started to knit as I have been saying I would for ages! So far I can cast on as many stiches as I need (all based on internet based tutorials), but haven’t master the art of “the second row” (please insert ominous voice of your choice). It does look pretty though, and the wool is in my currenty favourite colour!
