Plinky, Inc. http://www.plinky.com/people/allfivehorizons.xml All Rights Reserved Kate Bythell - Plinky Answers 2011-01-02T09:14:41-06:00 http://www.plinky.com/answers/123312 My Greatest Accomplishment of 2010 2011-01-02T09:14:41-06:00 In a year where I achieved more than average, it will come as no surprise that I feel my greatest accomplishment of 2010 was having Evelina. However, I am not really sure that having a baby is really an accomplishment. It's just nature doing its thing. Ask this question again at the end of this year and, all being well, i will be able to name my single most important accomplishment was being a mama for a year. Still, for 35 days of 2010 I fed, cared for and loved our baby and this was more important than any literature degree or house move.

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/123311 My Greatest Accomplishment of 2010 2011-01-02T09:14:40-06:00 In a year where I achieved more than average, it will come as no surprise that I feel my greatest accomplishment of 2010 was having Evelina. However, I am not really sure that having a baby is really an accomplishment. It's just nature doing its thing. Ask this question again at the end of this year and, all being well, i will be able to name my single most important accomplishment was being a mama for a year. Still, for 35 days of 2010 I fed, cared for and loved our baby and this was more important than any literature degree or house move.

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/105778 Lipstick Jungle = Meh 2010-08-24T14:06:23-06:00 I watched the (fairly short-lived) TV show and enjoyed watching these intelligent, successful ladies so when I was going for a week in the sun with my brother in January 2009, I thought the book would make a perfect companion. I was wrong.

The first problem with this book is a rather basic one: the writing. It was atrocious. It made me cringe. That is not a good sign. Secondly, the characters that I had grown to love on the TV show were not a bit like their original conception. The characters in the book were selfish, immature, spiteful and I just did not like them at all. The TV show characters had their flaws, for sure. But they were likeable which is kind of key when you are trying to get behind them. I persevered and finished the book but was glad when it was over. I won't bother reading anything else by Bushnell.

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/85516 Every day, I drink tea 2010-03-16T11:45:53-06:00 I don't really consider myself a creature of habit: I choose different shampoo and shower gel every time; I have no set routine around the house or at work; I don't go food shopping at the same time each week. And yet, inevitably, there are some things I do everyday. Here are just three:


Drink tea
Tea is a part of my morning routine, my lunchtime routine and my evening routine. Tea makes everything better. Tea makes the world a better place. A good cup of tea can lift me, comfort me and make me smile.


Kiss my man
Unless I am physically apart from ricardo, I will kiss him at least once a day. This might be first thing in the morning, while he is still tucked up in bed. It might be when I get home from work, when he is still working away in the office (aka playing on the computer), this might be when we are snuggled up in bed at night. It might be all three and more!


Watch teevee
Rarely a day goes by without me watching some kind of television. Whilst I am aware that a lot of what I watch is pretty mindless, I still get a lot of enjoyment, comfort, entertainment, education and enlightenment from watching television. I think people are very quick to dismiss it.


]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/84851 Where I will be when the asteroid is about to hit. 2010-03-04T10:09:54-06:00 Where would you go to ring in the apocalypse? These are the sorts of things that Plinky makes me consider!

Rich and I stayed in a yurt on the Treebones Resort in May 2007 and I promptly fell in love with the California coast. There is something so special about staying in a yurt, being able to hear the sea lions, the waves, looking up at that big ole sky, marvelling at the countless stars, the winding road and the peaceful breeze. I yearn to be there now. So for me, if I knew it was all going to end, I would like my last few moments to be spent on the deck of the yurt, with a glass of wine, watching the ocean with ricardo by my side.

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/84028 Leading vs Following 2010-02-16T10:16:40-06:00 It is not so much that I prefer to pave the path rather than walk it, it's just my innate bossiness does not allow me to allow others to lead the way. I get frustrated when people dither and it means that I can quite quickly take control of a situation even if I really should keep my beak out of it. My friends joke that I am the organiser, the planner, which I can't help but be pleased about. That said, I am also quite a disorganised organiser so things don't always go as smoothly as I hope. Since the Brownies when I was sixer of the Imps (mind you, who wasn't a sixer?) and in school when I was class captain twice in a row (the only years I chose to run), I have always been the one to take charge, to coach people, to try to inspire myself and others to be the best we can be. At 23, I was the manager at a call centre responsible for 63 employees. I revelled in the responsibility and it was only the shockingly bad pay that eventually drove me from the job. Now I have no team to manage, no children to boss around and no pets to call to heel so my poor husband takes the brunt of it and my sew make believe girls get the rest!

However, when it comes to ideas and creativity, for the longest time, I was a follower. I copied my brother when we were young enough to play together and then all through my school years, I followed my friends. Whilst I still chose my own music, films, and other entertainment, I never really allowed myself to pursue interests which went against the grain of the friendship group. Looking back, I would have loved to have been involved with the theatre at school or carried on learning to dance but I chose the path of least resistance. And so there you have yet another example of the paradox of me! I love to lead yet I follow the crowd. I hope that I may have broken this pattern now that I am pursuing an interest that is all about what I want to do and in doing so, I have met some very special people.

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/83457 I used to play 'Block' and 'Barrels' as a kid 2010-02-04T10:01:40-06:00 Block
'Home' was a spot on the corner of our garage which was also the corner of the street. One person guarded home while everyone else hid. The aim was to get 'home' without being tagged. The guard had to try to tag people before they got home. The most successful guards just stayed put but kids have a lot of time on their hands so the hiders would stay put until the guard got bored and tried to find them, thus leaving his post. This was the time to strike. Running for 'home' with the guard in hot pursuit was such a thrill.


Barrels
We moved to a new housing estate when I was about twelve and though our section had been completed a few years before, a new tranche of building started on the green behind our house. We spent a happy summer playing the trenches (the dug out foundations of houses) and the barrels (huge wooden empty bobbins which used to carry wire). These bobbins had a square hole which gave access to the hollow centre and the space inside was a perfect fit for a kid. We used to climb in with just a jumper for protection and then get pushed along teh ground spnning upside down (not nearly fast enough to schieve any kind of g-force). Such (dangerous!) fun.


]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/78208 My advice: 'There are plenty more fish in the sea.' 2009-11-13T08:36:59-06:00 Plinky asked the question 'List the advice you give to a friend getting over a bad breakup.' I couldn't think of anything worse given the banality of anything I could say in such a sitation. Still I gave it a try:


There are plenty more fish in the sea.
It helps teach the use of metaphor. Which is always helpful when you are heartbroken.


Time heals all wounds.
So vague, so unreassuring. Time can be really long.


Everything happens for a reason.
Just try not the obssess about how the reason is because you are a loser.


You are so young, you have time to find the right one.
Of course, if you aren't young then, yikes...


You are too nice for him.
And let's hope you don't get back together now I have said this as that would be awkward.


]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/77980 Color me black 2009-11-10T16:38:26-06:00 If I had to wear one color for the entire next year, which would I pick? Easy.


safety outfit 2

Black, black and more black. I know it's not revolutionary or trend-setting but black is kind. Black is exciting. Black is dangerous. Black makes it easy to hide dirt.

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/74306 Bacon makes it better? True. 2009-09-29T07:27:38-06:00 You wake up in the morning, feeling queasy. The room has stopped spinning like it was the night before but your mouth feels mossy and your head is pounding. You crawl out of bed, gingerly climb down the stairs, blink at the fridge light as you reach for the orange juice. You are certain that the vitamin C will sort you out. You are wrong. The only thing that will work is bacon. It's the miracle hangover cure.

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/69629 Take me out to Angel Stadium 2009-08-12T06:06:34-06:00 I cannot believe this is true but the last sporting event I attended in person was a baseball game in 2007. In the US. We must get to see some football matches this year. And I mean real football. Not rugby with shoulder pads. BAM!

LA Angels vs LA Dodgers. We had a great time - it was baking hot and there were some real characters in the spectators. Angels won which I suppose I was pleased about since we were at their home stadium although we were not particularly rooting for either side seeing as we were mere tourists! NY Mets are my team, such as I have one.

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/67512 I'll read 'The Chronicles of Narnia' one day 2009-07-23T07:58:41-06:00 Somehow, the books and even the BBC television series passed me by when I was young. Now I feel like I am really missing out.

I am hoping to read this soon - I have the full set of books on my bedside table.

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/67408 I'll bring Journal and pen to the slammer 2009-07-22T08:22:17-06:00 The idea of prison terrifies me. The brutality, the other inmates, the stigma and the loneliness. And yet, one year, away from all the horror of war and the world, away from interruptions and complications. A year off, to thinkn and dream and create. I suppose even a year in prison could have it's upsides (especially some pretty little low-security farm prison). These are the things I couldn't live without:


Journal and pen
I would love to say that my journal is an essential because I write every day but alas, this is not he case. But a year with no commitments? No interruptions? DVD player or TV? Surely I would get writing. And then maybe the daily habit will finally stick.


Pride and Prejudice
It may be a cliché but I can read this over and over and never get bored. I don't know many other books that would last like this.


Photograph album
This may be cheating a little - and if I had to choose, the photo would be of my husband - but if I could take photos of my favourite people and favourite places, then I suppose it would help keep me connected to my world while I am away from it.


]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/59654 'The Way You Look Tonight' must be played at any good wedding 2009-06-07T16:15:15-06:00 I went to a wedding where the DJ played 'Young hearts, run free' by Candi Statton three times, a wholly inappropriate song given the lyric: "Young hearts, run free, Never be hung up, hung up like my man and me." The couple ended up divorcing. Any of these three would be much better.


The Way You Look Tonight by Ella Fitzgerald

This is a classic love song and particularly pertinent given the spiffy outfits of the bride and groom

At Last by Etta James

First fell in love with this song in the most unusual of places: it is played in American Pie 2, a favourite film of us and our good friends. It is a beautiful song, wonderfully sung.

Don't want to miss a thing by Aerosmith

This was our first dance at our wedding. Aerosmith rock.

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/48156 Dirty Dancing haiku 2009-04-15T08:50:38-06:00 It's a classic. I watched it on Blu-Ray at the weekend and I realised I know every line even though I haven't seen it for ages. It was the first film I watched with my husband.

Baby met Johnny
Carried a watermelon
Fell in love dancing

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/44615 I hate Agadoo 2009-04-07T10:37:57-06:00 If I could erase three song from my memory, it would be these. In fact I would erase them from history altogether.


Agadoo by Black Lace

I really don't think I need to explain this one. I liked it when I was ten but I could have lived without it then as well as now. I hear they are planning to re-release to celebrate 25 years of this soul-sucking rubbish. When I hear things like that, I die a little inside.

Barbie Girl by Aqua

So very irritating on so many levels which is a feat in itself given that this song is utterly superficial.

The Ketchup Song by Las Ketchup

Any song which has a compulsory dance involving various hand movements and a jump should be outlawed. This includes La Macerena but exclude The Timewarp and Black Lace's classic Superman (1980s Fourth Year Junior disco song/dance).

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/40682 My advice 2009-03-30T11:06:44-06:00 Love is a verb.


Loving someone takes effort. It imeans taking action. Don't be lazy or complacent or take your partner for granted. Communicate. Help. Support. Challenge. Laugh. Love.

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/36546 The breakup circa 1989 2009-03-23T12:04:18-06:00 When I was thirteen, I was going out with a lovely boy called Mike who was a year older than me. He was (until ricardo) literally the nicest boyfriend I ever had. Unfortunately, 13-year-old-Me had no idea what a good thing I had going and I dumped him for being too possessive which was a load of crap. It was really because my friend told me to. 13-year-old-Me was a complete douchebag. I think I didn't even tell him to his face. I think I told a mutual friend (his best friend) that it was over. So started my bad karma with men (again, until ricardo, thank god).

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/36543 A book to make you laugh 2009-03-23T11:57:00-06:00 Whilst I acknowledge that Bill Bryson is not everyone's cup of tea (humour is very subjectiove after all), he consistently write thigns that make me laugh out loud and in public. I have stopped reading his books on the train as I can't contain myself.

Some of his observations about our funny little country were so on the nose, it left me gasping for breath through the convulsive laughter.

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/36536 My bucket list starts with: Be a mum 2009-03-23T11:44:09-06:00 Be a mum
It is something I just know I am meant to do. It may sound naff but there it is. I hope this is sooner rather than later!


Visit all of the six main continents
Whilst I do not see myself making it to Antartica, I do love to travel and visit new places. I have already managed to hit three of the six with Asia, Australia and South America to go.


Master a new language
I initially put 'learn a new language' but decided that I would be happy to master one that I have already started to learn, like Italian or Spanish or even perfect my French which is adequate but by no means advanced.


Read War and Peace
It is one of those books that taunts me from the shelf. It seems insurmoutable. I will tackle it one day.


Make a difference
When my number is up, I would like to think that my time on this funny old planet was worthwhile.


]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/29323 My money's on the bear 2009-03-11T09:52:20-06:00 There are some questions in life that are so prfound that it hard to fathom. This is not such a question. Bear or shark, which is better? There's only one way to find out FIGHT!


Bears can swim. Sharks can't walk.

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/22436 I really am turning into my parents 2009-02-24T09:55:30-06:00 I suppose it's an inevitability. These are just a few of the things I have inherited: Bad knees. Fine hair. Green eyes. Bossiness. Love of good food. Love of stationery. Daring. Caring. I even found myself saying 'it's not a fashion show' the other day when someone was choosing style over funtion during some bad weather.

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/22432 My eyebrow scar 2009-02-24T09:51:07-06:00 When I was about 10 years old, I was watching TV (not much changes) and was trying to reach for the remote control. I tilted my armchair and it tipped over, clunking my eyebrow on the radiator. It really hadn't hurt that much but the look on my mum's face when she saw me was enough to start the tears off.

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/19504 You'll find "Martha Stewart Living" atop my toilet 2009-02-14T09:57:42-06:00 I have a problem with magazines - I can't get enough. This list includes the magazines I subscribe to or have don within the last 12 months.


Martha Stewart Living
Apsirational nonsense which I love but which I will never live up to! I just can't help it though, I have to have it in my life.


Real Simple
Being an organisation junkie (the theory of it, at least), this title is great. I am not sure I will renew my subscription though since the prince to get it from the US is a bit steep.


Mixtape
Crafty, indie, Aussie - I love it.


Rolling Stone
I suspect that our subscription may have run out but we had this for a couple of years and it is worth getting for the iconic covers alone.


Sew Hip
The first youthful sewing magazine to hit the UK and it's superb. I hope it continues.


Vanity Fair
I love this magazine but I stopped the subscription because I was trying to cut down and this was one that I can read every few months but do not keep month on month. It had to go although I usually buy it if I am travelling anywhere and need a good read.


]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/18926 Watch "Steel Magnolias" next time you're home sick 2009-02-13T04:54:19-06:00

It has laughter, tears and women being really good to each other. Sally Field and Dolly Parton are my heros in this film. "Drink your juice, Shelby".

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/18488 A day without a cell phone 2009-02-12T07:12:14-06:00 Am I the only person in the world nowadays who does not feel emotionally and physically attached to her mobile phone? Do not get me wrong, I love my iPhone (most of the time). And I do like to use it, especially for accessing Twitter and Facebook when I am on the road. Despite this, I am quite happy to go without it for a day or two every now and then. This might have something to do with the fact that - and please do not feel too sorry for me - the main people who regularly contact me on my mobile are made up of my mum and/or dad (who I see every day as we work together) or my husband (who I see every day because we live together!). I do get the occasional text from friends but this is not a daily occurence so having a day off from my phone is completely achievable. Now ask me the same question about the internet...

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/15674 My favorite place to watch bands: Brixton Academy 2009-02-05T09:11:56-06:00

This place has the best atmosphere, it's the perfect size and the standing area is sloped and everything, all the better for the watching of the bands. I love it here. I have seen some of my favourite gigs here: The Levellers, Feeder, The Wonderstuff, Placebo to name just a few.

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/15183 Why I fear nothing 2009-02-04T09:29:35-06:00 Just earlier today, I completed one of those 'getting to know you' meme emails that come around every now and then and one of the questions was 'what do you fear'. I couldn't think of anything. I have no phobias and I am not a nervous person.


I suppose I consider myself to be pretty fearless. Public speaking? Piece of piss. Drowning? Pah. Spiders are cute. The youth of today is largely misunderstood. Nuclear war would be a bit of a bummer but I can't say it plays on my mind. The only things I fear are the big things that I think everybody fears: I fear being lonely; I fear never having children; I fear my loved ones dying. But all that other stuff, it doesn't really faze me.

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/14800 My road-trip mix tape 2009-02-03T12:36:13-06:00

DOA by Foo Fighters

If it's loud and rockin', then it's right for my road trip.

Cochise by Audioslave

Erm, let me see: can you crank it loud? Check. Does it rock? Check. Alrighty then.

Welcome to the Jungle by Guns n Roses

Loud. Rock. You get the picture.

]]> http://www.plinky.com/answers/14380 If you pay me enough, I'll sing these songs at a karaoke bar 2009-02-02T15:44:30-06:00

Crazy For You by Madonna

I love this song. I tried to sing this song with my best friend in an old man's pub while we were at university in Manchester but they put on Patsy Cline's 'Crazy' by mistake which I had to sing solo since my best friend did not know the song. The song is special because it reminds me of being 15 and crazy in love for a guy who didn't know I was alive... well not in *that* way.

Careless Whisper by George Michael

I sang this song with my best friend in a student pub in Manchester while we were at university and he machine broke ( or we broke the machine?) just as we got to the bridge. Shame, that's my favourite part 'Tonight the music seems so loud, I wish that we could lose this crowd...'. I went through a severe Wham/George Michael phase.. it's best not to speak of it.

Aint no sunshine by Bill Withers

This is my best achievement on Singstar so I am fairly confident I could nail it at a karaoke night.

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