Saturday 25 February 2012

Different Types Of Friendships

“Happiness is only real when shared” Alexander Supertramp

Everyone in the world, no matter how moody or inconsiderate, callous or sly they appear needs the comfort of other peoples company at least some of the time to fully enjoy life and be happy. Every person in your life gives you happiness of some form and really, if they don’t then ask yourself why they are part of your life. Each friend you have offers to you, and you to them something that neither of you have with anyone else. It is for this reason that, if we really think about it, everyone has a vast array of different friendships to suit each mood and need. Much like choosing what to eat for dinner or what to snack on or drink when the mood strikes, different friendships give you a small, or large dose of exactly what you need at that time.

After some thinking I have concocted a list of different flavours of friendships that we all need to have a healthy balanced lifestyle. I hope that anyone reading this has at least some of the foods and drinks that are most important if we wish to live a healthy and fulfilling life. Enjoy!

-          Celery; something you find on your plate on a rare occasion but that doesn’t really give you much in the sense of fulfilment:
People you are friends with on facebook but don’t go out of your way to speak to online or in real life.

-          That packet of multi coloured pasta that sits in the back of your cupboard: You don’t really use it all that often, and really you’re not sure why you bought it:
Friends you only see when you are out drunk, that you probably met when you were drunk and the only thing you know about them is what their drink order is.

-          Lettuce; great in a salad but a little bland and boring on its own:
Friends that are part of your friendship group but one day you suddenly realise that you don’t really know them as well as you imagined; in fact you only see them when other mutual friends are with you.

-          The Spice Rack; mostly sat in their glass containers at the back of a dark cupboard without a second thought, occasionally utilised when stumbled upon putting away new groceries, you always plan to use them again but inevitably forget.
Friends that you have known for years but don’t really keep in touch with regularly. Whenever you see them you always swap happy tales and plan to meet up…. Forgetting to arrange anything until the next time you see them, by chance, in the street.

-          Nutella and banana sandwiches; it’s a bit weird and sometimes people give you strange looks when they see what you’re eating but it’s so enjoyable you could never cut it out of your diet.
Nerd friends that share your passion for a certain subject; be it Dr.Who, Star Wars, superhero movies or unheard of TV Shows such as Eureka or Warehouse 13; this friendship mostly consists of quoting lines from TV shows and movies and talking about your thoughts on aforementioned subjects. The same kind of friendship may form with those who have your taste in music though in this case you speak as often as possible to ensure that you can talk about and discuss your favourite bands’ new album because none of your other friends would understand or appreciate how epic it really is.

-          Crackers: Simple, straightforward and hit the spot when you want to snack on something savoury.
Friends you go to when you just need a straight up, no nonsense, non sugar coated answer to an important life decision; “should I quit my job and go travelling” or “do you think I should go out drinking tonight for the third night in a row?”

-          Food you have at 4am; be it cheesy chips, a kebab or chicken wings; you always try to forget you caved into buying it the day after.
Friends that you accidently hook up with. This can go either way, ending with a relationship or awkward encounters whilst surrounded by other friends who don’t know of the event… though sometimes you can just go back to being friends and forget it even happened however this is rare.

-          Salt; sometimes forgotten but always to hand to make your dish seem that little bit more appetising and flavoursome.
Advice friends; the ones that are always there for you to rant at when you need them, usually these friends only speak to each other when they want advice, you know these friends because every time they get in touch you assume there has been a break up or some kind of emergency.

-          The unpopular vegetables like peas, sprouts or radish; the food you always really enjoy, much to the confusion of others.
Friends that you spend time with who don’t know any of your other friends; you hang out with them and have fun but other people think it’s strange that you are such good friends (usually because you are so different).

-          Potatoes; they may seem bland to others but they are delicious and versatile, always satisfying and also filling.
Friends that you are in a “relationship” with; these are the friends you text to tell them you just ate some amazing food, saw a hot guy, spent £40 on a single item or found a bargain at the shops. They will be the ones that come around to hang out but busy themselves doing something completely separate to what you are doing, talking occasionally if something amusing or shocking happens or is read about.

-          Chocolate brownies; always enjoyable and fills you with happiness. Ok, so maybe it’s a little bad for you but isn’t that half the enjoyment!?
Friends that you always without fail have a good time and a laugh with, these friends are the best when you are in a bad mood or down in the dumps as they will always cheer you up. It is with these friends that you discovered that sometimes you can laugh so much it physically hurts but you can’t stop. These may be the friends that you get into troublesome situations under the influence of but really, isn’t that half the fun?!

-          A good whiskey or a nice cup of coffee; simple, reliable, delicious and satisfying, always the go to when you need a pick me up or a moment of celebration.
Friends that always know exactly what to say and exactly how you are feeling without you having to say a word. These friends are extremely hard to come by but they will spot from the other side of the room if you’re not feeling good and try to cheer you up, they are also the first friend you think about when you get good news or something exciting or completely random happens. These are the best type of friends, they get to see the true “you” and you know that no matter what you say or do they won’t think you’re strange they will just laugh and join in.

So there we have it; everything you will ever need to ensure you have a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Have a think about your own diet… I hope that you all have plenty of whiskey, coffee and chocolate cake! If you’re lucky you may even have a good portion of potatoes too and please, never forget the importance of a good ole nutella and banana sandwich, trust me, they’re amazing!

Wednesday 1 February 2012

A ukulele is a thinking man's violin!

Everyone has their faults and as I sit listening to Eddie Vedder’s ukulele album I feel taunted by him, playing so well and so freely without a care in the world. What has that got to do with having faults I hear you cry?! Well in the meantime I sit staring at a screen listening to a computer playing the g string over and over and over again trying to tune my very own ukulele. You see, my fault, the one that Eddie Vedder so carelessly rubs in my face is that I’m really not good at being bad at things. I have sat trying to tune my fresh out the box ukulele for the past hour and I am getting nowhere. Whenever one string sounds perfect it knocks the others out of sync and means I have to start again. I really do not like this having to work at things angle to life. I like to be good at things, I like to immediately know and understand how to do things and this tuning business has knocked the wind out of me. I think the challenge I have set myself to play the wonderful little bundle of strings is going to be a slow and frustrating ride. I need to discover how to deal with the learning process a bit more; learn to enjoy it as opposed to getting ready to throw my ukulele out of the window. Of course I could never actually do such a scandalous thing and I know this for certain as I look to my side and see it sitting next to me. I realise how perfect and awesome it is and I’ve decided I need to spend a little more time getting to know my new friend before I judge us as incompatible. We need to get comfortable with each other, work out the kinks in our friendship and maybe we can go on to have a wonderful musical love affair in the future. For the moment however I glare at my new Uke, dubbed the “uke-hayley” (thanks Caitlin!) and wonder how compatible we really are. I mean, he looks good but I’ve never been the shallow type, I just have to see past the wonderful colours and beautifully cared for neck and body and see what we can give to each other. I will keep you posted on the outcome of my new love affair and hope to be truly besotted with my new friend before long. Now to go back to listening to the persistent strum of the g-string as I try to imitate the sound on my own uke… we could be here for a while I feel. 

I will leave you with this quote from none other than Krusty the Klown! 
"A ukulele is a thinking man's violin!"

And my new friend and future lover: