Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Home Town Mentioned

My hometown gets a mention on one of the blogs I read regularly, Diagnosis? N.F.I.

I also read Random Acts of Reality - that was the first UK medical blog I started reading. I'm also partial to Nee Naw, NHS Blog Doctor, and The Policeman's Blog.

The Littlest Mermaid

On Saturday I was at the Halloween-O-Rama, which is held in the Legislature Grounds. Two of us were providing first aid services for everyone there, and we wandered around inside the Interpretive Centre because the snows had come and it was cold outside. We had an ambulance parked outside, free hot chocolate, and lots to see.

Whilst we were wandering around, we saw a lovely girl of about 4, dressed as a mermaid and using a walker to help her get about. She was with her family, they were all having fun, and she was smiling as she moved along with them. Something about her really touched my heart as I watched her enjoy the event.

My partner turned to me and said that she was impressed by the little girl, and thought she was strong for using her walker so well, so young. I said that of course she needed a walker, because mermaids feet hurt when they walk on land.

It was at that point I had to move on and do something else, because some dust had got into my eyes or something.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Photos

I don't have a camera at the moment. I have a camera phone, which I use now and again. I publish pictures I take on my Moblog. I also have a Flickr account. There aren't many pictures there, though.

I used to take loads of pictures. Then something happened. I stopped. I think it is related to various things that happened fairly recently in my life. I stopped caring. I stopped feeling. Nowadays, I don't take many pictures. I never really take pictures of me. I don't like the way I look on camera, or sound when recorded. I think this is true of most people, though.


There was a creepy-good movie a while ago. It was called One Hour Photo. There were a number of interesting quotes in it.

"And if these pictures have anything important to say to future generations, it's this: I was here. I existed. I was young, I was happy, and someone cared enough about me in this world to take my picture."

It's the last bit that resonantes most deeply. It was pointed out to me one time by someone that not taking pictures of them meant I didn't care about them. Looking back, I think that my subconcious had finally acknowledged the fact that they never really cared about me as deeply as I did about them, and my subconcious just gave up. Plus, the statement was made during a very traumatic time. So I don't know - I'm still thinking about this.


"Nobody takes a picture of something they want to forget. "

This is thought provoking too. Within the framework of 'family pictures', it's true - just happy memories. But we record moments as they happen, especially these days with the proliferation of digital media. We take pictures of anything and everything. There are still moments in time that we want to freeze forever though.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Questions

One time I was at a 'meet the author' session arranged by Greenwoods, the book shop, to see Terry Pratchett. He opened the floor for questions and I managed to ask him one:

"Do you find that any of your characters take on a life of their own, and become more than what you had planned for them?"

He thought that was a really good question. Just wanted to share that with you.