The French Thing...

So on and off I've been listening to French on my I-pod as I walk to work. It isn't working. I'm okay with the first chapter or so, but then my mind starts to wander and before I know it I've missed sections. It doesn't help that the recording is full of stuff that I wouldn't probably ask for in English never mind a foreign language. I'm a little bored to say the least. So this afternoon I've written out 40 sentances, phrases, words and numbers that would be of the most use to me and I'm going to see how I get on with those. I'm hoping it won't take too long...

And for those who listen in, my next radio spot is this Wednesday, 16th March - around 08:30am.

Some Good News...

Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? Nearly a month since I last posted and probably one of the longest times I've gone without posting since I started this blog. So what's new, well... I have a job! I've started working for a charity as a Community Fundraiser, which is an area that I really wanted to get into but there never seemed to be the right roles, until now. I've just completed my first week and apart from the fact that I've started at their busiest times of year, I love it! I love being busy and it seems to have unearthed the old Janette that is highly motivated and wanting to be a success. Long may it continue!

Of course I'm still thinking about this blog and trying to at least plan some of the outstanding tasks into my busy working life (never thought I'd ever be saying that again!) In particular I'm also conscious that I started to learn French and then abandoned it half way through December and I hate leaving things half finished. Well, I now walk to work, so I've down loaded some French phrases on my I-pod and in the half an hour it takes me to walk in, I can listen to at least 5 sections of my French dialogue (it has 10 collectively). Here's hoping that it doesn't take me too long to learn them all and I can cross another task off my list!

And just before I go, I'm on BBC Radio Nottingham tomorrow (14th Feb) at 8:30am approx. Hope you can tune in!

Where I'm At

Well my first radio appearance of this year is done and dusted thank you very much and went okay. Unfortunately my good intentions of starting back learning French went slightly astray this week when my feeling grotty suddenly turned into gastric flu, not pleasant and I won't go in to any more detail about that!

So what beholds me in 2011? Well I'm going to try and enjoy life. A simple request you may feel, but the last six months of being unemployed have not been great and have had more downs then ups. I figured I could spend the rest of my time at home miserable or I could turn it into something positive (circa Field of Dreams; if I'm positive a job will come!) So I'm going to take each day as it comes and try and knock a few more tasks of my list in the meantime.

One final thought, a few people have started to ask what I'm going to do with this blog once I've hit 40. Well I've always been conscious that this blog is about my 40 things and that I don't stray too far from that, so unless it's task related then it won't be updated after November. However, after several failed attempts I have started another blog which will be continued after my 40th, which is here if you are interested my other blog. It's mostly about my writing but it will cover other aspects of my life as well.

Right back to the French me thinks...

Happy New Year

It's been a while since I posted here. I feel the need to apologise for my absence, but December ran away from me, as I guess it did for everyone. Well new year, new me or that's what I'm hoping! After I've finished with the old learning of French (hoping to complete Feb/March time) going to try and cram in as much as I can before I turn the big 4-0 in November (gulp, where did all the time go since starting this blog?)

Any ways, keep reading and following and hopefully I won't disappoint in the completion of tasks!

I'm also on BBC Radio Nottingham this Wednesday if you want to listen on at around 8:30am.

Happy Belated Birthday...

Another radio appearance today and a little different to the last ones, in the sense that I chose to cross a picket line in order to get into the building and record my paper reviews - staff are striking largely down to the pension cuts that the BBC are proposing. A very strange start to the morning and hopefully something I won't have to do again.

Due to my birthday on Wednesday, it's now just under a year to go on this blog and 19 tasks left to complete before I turn 40. Currently got 4.5 books left to read on the BBC Top 100 list before I can tick that one off and then I can start to progress on some of the others. Hopefully I can tick a few more off the list this year and then try and complete as many as I can in 2011. It will be interesting to see what opportunties I get to complete the other tasks still outstanding on my list. Not sure where life is taking me at the moment, but what ever happens, hopefully I'll have some more completed tasks to talk about.

Monday, Monday

Well, my radio appearance came and went faster than an English summer. I was on with Mark Dennison, whom I've never met before, but was very down to earth and quite funny. We were trying to decide what the twist was going to be on the X Factor. I decided that Sharon Osbourne was going to come back and then her and Danni would have a huge fight in the studio, but perhaps that should be on a pay per view channel?! We also managed to have a chat about the blog and I'm booked back in for November 5th.

I'm a little frustrated that I've not completed any more tasks at the moment. I've got a pile of books to read for the BBC Top 100 reads, but all of those are 600 pages +, so no quick wins there. I can't really see any more being completed at the moment, as I'm having to be a little careful with the old pennies - the job situation has not improved any. I'm praying for a miracle, I do hope you will join in...

My Task List

So another week beckons, another list of mini tasks for me to complete...

1) I am going to try and read A Suitable Boy (honestly)

2) Go Surfing (booked for Saturday)

3) Submit my novel, you know the one that I tried to submit over a year ago and has sat on my hard drive ever since, to Penguin, who are accepting unsolicited manuscripts until the end of October

4) Order some more books from the library - just 10 more to read now on the BBC Top 100 list

5) Appear on the radio again on Friday

So quite an easy week really, but hopefully one that will result in me ticking another task off my list.

Friday Radio

Well Friday 13th came and went without too much mishap. I was on the radio again for the paper review and a quick chat about my blog. I'm not sure if I've ever done this before (apologies if I have!) but thought I would just run through what happens when I go to the BBC Studios, if anyone is interested out there of course.

7.15am Arrive at the BBC Studios in Nottingham, sign in at the security desk and then make my way upstairs.

7:15am-8am Sit down in the waiting area with all the days papers and try and pick 4 stories that I feel are interesting and worth discussing. Any that I do feel are worth mentioning, I will jot down the details in a notebook as well as a few notes on my views on the story (hate hearing the newspapers rustle on air, so never take the actual newspapers in with me!)

8am-8:20am - The producer will come out to discuss what stories I've chosen - asked me on this occasion to drop one of them as it was discussed at length yesterday. Also chatted about being available for other radio shows, should they need me.

8:20-8:30am Taken in to the studio and head for the far desk, make sure I'm positioned correctly in front of the mike and then wait for the introduction from the presenter. You have to be flexible in terms of how long you discuss the papers for, as depending on what's happening news wise in the area, is dependant on your time slot. Most times I usually get chance to have a quick chat about my blog as well, so I always jot down a few updates before I go in, just in case I go blank when he asks me!

8:30am All over! I then get booked in for my next appearance - 3rd September, just in case you are interested!

Very occasionally you see the odd famous person around the studio. When I came out there was a girl sitting in the waiting area, who I later found out played 'Smell' in This is England - looking nothing like her character but as I drove away and listened to the radio, sounding exactly the same as she did in the film!

BBC Radio Nottingham

Another reminder that I'm on BBC Radio Nottingham tomorrow at approx 8.30am - hope some of you manage to tune in!

The Coffee Shop

I can honestly say that I've never known an hour to go as quickly as it did this morning. I thoroughly enjoyed being on Richard Spurr's show - I think we shared the same sense of humour, but if you're reading this Richard, then I'd like it back please... Did a more in depth paper review with another guest, combined with listeners calls and music and managed to show my inner geek by announcing to the whole of Nottingham that I want my husband to build me a Tardis in our back yard. So all in all, quite a good morning and here's what I'm planning to do in the following week task wise:-

• Edit and load my short film onto You Tube
• Finish The Lord Of The Rings book
• Start A Suitable Boy book
• Order a few more books off the Top 100 list
• Go to a baseball match
• Possible skinny dipping although if the weather is anything like it is today, then that will be a definite no

Unfortunately the proposal for the column in my local newspaper went down like a lead balloon. The reporter fired rapid questions at me about my book club and didn't really give me a chance to expand any further, so I guess that's a no then! It's also looking unlikely that I will be able to go to the next England match. I'm fine going there by myself, but coming back the bus doesn't get into Nottingham until 1:15am and I don't fancy walking the streets looking for a taxi at that time of night. Hubbie understandably is a little worried about my safety, so I'll just have to wait until they do a Saturday match.

Right, really must start this editing - hope you all have good weekends!

The Saturday Shift

There was a time when I was a kid that Saturday mornings meant sitting in my pyjamas eating Texan bars and watching The Lone Ranger. Much as I would still like to do that, what can I say, I grew up and so tomorrow I'll be one of the two guests on the Richard Spurr show on BBC Radio Nottingham. So when you are having a lie in tomorrow, think of me in the studio and if they were still around then I would say have a Texan bar on me. Should be a good show, so do tune in!

What I did on Monday...

Radio appearance went very well. I was awake, alert and managed to find some interesting stories in the papers, well I thought they were anyway! I've also managed to do some more of the 'research' behind some up and coming tasks. I've now got a list of a local (well Sheffield!) baseball team and also the dates of when England next play at Wembley and I've even found the address of a possible (whispers) skinny dipping location, as well as writing to a celebrity chef to ask if I can appear on his show. I'm in the process of editing my short film, at least I will be when I can get the software to download and I'm also going to put forward a proposal for a column in the local newspaper, in the next day or so. So potentially I have a few tasks bubbling away, begging to be completed, let's just hope I can cross another few off my list pretty soon!

A Very Quick Update...

I'm on BBC Radio Nottingham tomorrow around 8:30am, which means another update on my blog and another paper review. I did (sort of) make a list of things I wanted to achieve by this date, so just to update you...

1) I've read three out of the five books I wanted to read - pesky Count of Monte Cristo threw that one out.

2) I made a short film - just got to edit it and load it onto You Tube
3) I haven't booked the surfing yet, just need to organise a date with hubbie and then it's done (may do that today!)

4) Haven't written to the tv show yet re the celebrity chef, but may also do that today.

5) Haven't looked into baseball yet (must do that soon before the season ends).

6) Have located a spot for the (ho, hum!) skinny dipping, just need to check it out.

7) Haven't started to learn French as yet.

So pretty dismal month but then again, I have been busy doing the old job search and sometimes I found it quite hard to concentrate fully on more than one thing, so I'm not going to beat myself up too much! Here's to the next month and hopefully August will bring a few more task completions!

Another Appearance - Another Challenge

Had another appearance on BBC Radio Nottingham this morning which went okay. I thought it was perhaps a little disjointed. For some reason when I've not been on for a while I don't think it flows as well as when I'm on more regular - I guess I just needed to practice more and the early starts don't help, especially when I've got used to not fully functioning until midday!

My next appearance will be on Monday July 26th and I've decided to set myself a little challenge. I've written down what I want to achieve by my next appearance, so I thought I'd share it with you as follows:-

1) Read 5 books from the BBC Top 100 Reads

2) Go or at least book surfing in Scarborough

3) Make a short film

4) Write to a well known cookery programme to see if I can cook with a celebrity chef

5) Investigate baseball (still haven't heard back from the Nottingham team, so I guess it may have disbanded)

6) Investigate skinny dipping (ooh la la!)

7) Start to learn French

I'm itching to get into the twenties with tasks completed, so I will report back over the next couple of weeks on how I get on!

Radio Nottingham

Just a quick note to let you know that I'm on BBC Radio Nottingham tomorrow from approx. 8:30am. I'll be doing the normal paper review and updating listeners on my blog.

Election Free Zone

Well another radio appearance came and went so quickly. Appearance went fine and I managed to find three stories that at least didn't mention the election that happened only the previous day. The BBC was the busiest that I had ever seen it, with most of the presenters having worked for most of the night and then having to do their day job. Not sure when my next appearance will be, but I'm hoping it won't be for another month to at least give me chance to complete a few more tasks.

Motivation is the key, I guess, to get this list completed and I feel that I at least have some of that back for the time being, so best get on with things. Hope to report on completing another task soon!

Scor-zay-zee at the BBC

I was on the Radio yesterday, so it meant an early start, even though it was my day off from work. I also had to negotiate a different route into Nottingham - now we've moved further out, it's no longer a quick 10 minute ride into the studio. I was quite looking forward to updating listeners on my trapeze lessons when on the stair well at the BBC I bumped into this guy.

Scor-zay-zee is a local Nottingham rapper and he also happens to be in one of my favourite films of last year 'Le Donk'. So favourite, that me and my work colleague constantly quote from it at work - a cult classic. He looked a little over whelmed when I bounded up to him and told him I was such a fan, but he was really cool and told us what he was up to.

So the rest of my time was overshadowed by meeting this guy, we even discussed the fact that I'd met him live on air, which left no time to talk about flying the trapeze. Back on the radio on May 7th, so will update listeners then, but for now I met Scor-zay-zee - how cool is that?

I'm Back

I know it's been a while and all that and no I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, just incredibly busy with our house move and currently living in a sea of boxes. You will be pleased to know that I've still had time to chip away at my list. I've been reading some more books of my Top 100 list, as well as learning a new task (more details to come) and planning a few more activities to do once I complete my next set of tasks. I'm also on BBC Radio Nottingham this Friday (19th March) so I will be updating listeners to what I've managed to complete since my last appearance.

Update on a new task coming soon!

I'm Back!

Sorry, it’s been a while since I was last here. Blame my impending house move, it seems to have wormed it’s way into every aspect of my life, taking over my brain and all of my time. They say it’s one of the top ten stressful things to do in your life, I think right now it’s number one on my list…

Anyway, I digress – Chess! Blinkin’ hard to learn this one. I started to read the Chess for beginners book and promptly gave up, halfway through the first chapter. It reminded me of the time I tried to crack the Rubik’s Cube, I couldn’t understand the ‘how to’ book on that either! I went on BBC Radio Nottingham again today and Andy Whittaker has set me a task of learning to play Chess by my next appearance (March 19th) so the challenge is on – best dust off my Chess board this weekend!

Radio Nottingham

Radio appearance was a bit pants today. For some reason I got a bit tongue tied during the initial run up to the paper review (God know why I've done it so many times before!) and was really cross with myself afterwards for doing it. Thankfully they didn't cancel my next appearance, so I guess they are probably used to it (to be honest I've been in the studio when the presenters and newsreaders have been a bit pants too) Hopefully my next appearance will mean I would have completed at least another task by then. Guess that's my cue to go and read some more of my Learn to play Chess book...