Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Je Ne Regrette Rien or Whatever

The Freedom to Read a Book Called 'Freedom'.
I'm now on holidays. For two weeks. And I'm doing what I believe Other English Teachers do in their spare time.
Read.
Yes, that's right. I've bought a book & I'm reading it. I quite like it. In fact, I like it so much that I'm starting to get a bit sour that I haven't written it myself.
Although I've only read a couple of chapters, like maybe I'm up to Page 68, I can thoroughly recommend it. And others recommend it too. They call it, 'remarkable'.

Do We Need Role Models, I Wonder?
I'm also reading another book by John Waters. Its called 'Role Models'. In each chapter, John, of Drawn-On-Pencil-Moustache & Divine fame, walks us through why someone is his role model.
So far, I've read the first chapter which was about the singer Johnny Mathis who I absolutely loathed as a child because I thought his big song, 'The Twelfth of Never' was stupid. How could there ever be a 'twelfth of Never' ?, I pondered. That's preposterous.
Besides, his voice was a little too fruity for my tastes. Thank God The Beatles & Gerry & the Pacemakers came along a few years later. That stopped my Johnny Mathis Ennui.
Anyway, I also thoroughly recommend 'Role Model's even though I haven't got past the first chapter.
Before closing this section, I would like to make a Neat Segue into asking myself Who Exactly Are My Role Models?
Winston Churchill is always my Number One even though every morning he drank a bottle of champagne at breakfast which he ate in bed on a tray provided by his Manservant. I am a terrible Wowser & so it is amazing that he is a role model. And I don't like cigars or boiler suits either.
OMG I can't think of any more. I'm completely stumped. Perhaps you could make some suggestions. But absolutely NO sporting people except for perhaps Seabiscuit, the racehorse, who I am immensely in awe of after watching the film with Toby Maguire many times.



Anus Horribilus.
Have just been watching yet another documentary on The Queen, which must be about the hundredth this year. Go ahead, ask me any question about her & I'm bound to know the answer & even if I didn't know, I'd make it up & I bet you wouldn't know the difference.
You'd think I was her biggest fan. I'm not. I quite like her, although I certainly don't like the way that she's thickened up over the years. But, its tuesday nite & there was nothing else on & I'm absolutely determined to get my money's worth out of Cable TV since I'm now paying for it. What a strain. Every nite I have to trawl through all the listings in the TV guide to desperately find Something Suitable.
Of course the documentary showed the 'Annus Horribilus' speech that Queen gave in 1992 after Windsor Castle burned down & no one was sympathetic about it & three out of four of her children got divorced which made everyone think what a lousy mother she'd been because she went off on a six month world tour when they were v. young & left them back home in the Palace. And when she finally bothered to return, Prince Charles had completely forgotten who she was & shook her hand instead of kissing her.
I must say that I do love the term 'Annus Horribilus' & would love to use it to describe my year & perhaps the year before that & part of the year before that.
But I won't. I don't want to sound too much like a Whiner. Not that Queen sounded like one. Never.

Here's a couple of End of Term 3 Photos that I'm totally gagging to Walk you Through.
Oh dear, I hope I'm not being too 'Vulgar'!
Look look look at the one above. It's yet another 'Toy Chanel' outfit complete with pearls & a roguishly tied Toy Chanel scarf. But the stand out is the Belt. I have worn this belt many times this term & in fact unsuccessfully attempted to wear it every day one whole week but didn't quite make it.
I'll just have to keep trying.

Grey Power.
I just love how I have Embraced Grey all of a sudden. I used to boast that I would never wear it because Grey was the colour of Fear. Where the hell I got that idea, I have no idea.
I just Spontaneously Rhymed.
I am pointing to the words, 'being a bitch' which is what one of my Senior Class said was her biggest regret about High School on their second last lesson with me.
I said that my biggest regret was not doing push ups for my entire adult life.


A Festival of the Outfit Postscript:
On the last day of term, Ken our school's Magical Maintenance Man, wheeled up a giant laundry basket from the Boarding House which was full of leftover clothes from our Op Shop Parade & Stall, to 'BednobsEtc'. Gabe, The Wardrobe Mistress, received them with Open Arms.

6 comments:

Paola said...

I had Freedom and Anna Karenina lined up on my bedside table ready to read these hols, and went for Anna first. Did I make a mistake? Will unhappy Russian families ruin me for unhappy American ones?

Della Street Dreaming said...

Good question, Paola. I'm not sure..... but I must say that 'Freedom' is a compelling read. But Why not read them both together - a chapter of one, followed by a chapter of the other?

Darla said...

I'm putting Freedom on my reading list. Always looking for a good book recommendation.

That's quite a laundry basket of clothes.

Happy vacation!

Darla

Paola said...

That's a great idea - I've just read 100 pages of Anna , so I'll follow that with 100 pages of Freedom.

Linda Brytak said...

I too will have a lookout for FREEDOM, is it akin to the Book of Negros? Anna Karenina left me as cold as a Russian winter. A good read is Secret Daughter, if you're interested. I trust you don't mind my two cents worth

Paola said...

Della, tell us your verdict on Freedom! Did you manage to finish before Term 4 starts?