Manchester

is beautiful.

Since I spend so much of my time writing about London, I wanted to return to the motherland for a moment, just to even things out.

Over that apparently religious holiday called Christmas I managed to spend two weeks back in the north, which is really the love of my life.

Here are a select few things about Manchester

1. We can make good Spanish food



See El Rincon, hidden away around the back of Deansgate, por ejemplo

2. We like the idea of being business-like and modern. Kind of like London, except obviously nobody would put it like that...



(Spinningfields)

3. Architechts love this city

2010

So, I've made it to the end of the year, and at the end of this year, I get to say that I liked it. I would never go as far as to say that I loved it - that's extreme. But, it really was very good. Good things happened. Less bad things happened than the year before the year before. It's true, I look back on 2008 and think it was a bad year for me. The first half of 2009 wasn't so peachy either, but only by my rather middle class, spoiled, cynical standards.

The good things for me this year were:

1. Reaching gainful employment, and avoiding being unemployed, like far too many brilliant graduates out there

2. Watching the student protests on Millbank. Shameful as some people may think this is, I quite enjoyed it



- as an aside point to that, I think reactionary comments condemning the violence of that day are over exaggerated. It was wrong of one individual to throw a fire extinguisher off the top of a building. But that was just one individual. I think it is perfectly acceptable for people to feel virulently angry towards what is happened, and it is only right that in a democracy that anger is expressed.

3. Reading Laurie Penny's blogs, which I suppose is related to the other points

4. Living in London and watching how Londoners live. It is such a love hate thing. The transport system is an absolute nightmare, probably not much short of hell of earth, but yet it is extremely fascinating. The living conditions also leave much to be desired, but again, this is an interesting experience to have

5. Going on holiday to Rome and eating really good pasta. And laughing at the rudeness of foreigners - thank God for this green and pleasant land

A new start

I've moved again. I've moved a fair few times in the past few years. I think that location is probably the most important thing in a person's psychology. Places matter. Place means everything.

- East Dulwich ..........








I'm a grown up now. Grown up. Hence the photos.

I actually miss all the places that I've lived in. Even Nottingham, for its rain, grey skies and the Lenton tower blocks. Even Hackney, because it will always be the first home I ever had in London.

But what everyone is really talking about at the moment is Shane Meadows' four part series This is England 86. I think that's what makes me miss Nottingham. Shane Meadows is so Nottingham. Actually, it was filmed in Sheffield, but I think Sheffield is better than that now.

Snipping Tool

I've recently discovered it.

May 6th

POSH

At the Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, now.

Also:

Contrary to its media depiction as a fashionable artists' quarter, Hoxton has a largely working-class population with the majority of residents living on post-war council housing estates.

You know how sometimes, someone says something you've always known, but have never been able to put into words?

6music

There is only one important thing to be talking about this week.



And why am I telling you this?
. . . . . . . Because you need to know.

Location...

...is very important.



Where I live is beautiful.

January

I didn't say a word.

For today, let's just say that I've now lived in London long enough to deteste the Underground.

Yesterday, I was in a rush (like the rest of the city). A load of tourists piled on at St. Pancras. The tourists proceeded to block all the gangways and the exit (can't underline in HTML here, apparently) with their ludicrous suitcases. It was a violation of human rights. It was.

However, I have found some really good things here.

1. Chris Ofili. Even though he is from Manchester.



2. Wahaca



3. Prestige lager

(will have to explain that later...)

4. Caprioska's at Guanabara (despite the exceptional price tag)



I admit that the things I have enjoyed are mostly related to gorging myself. So, to mix it up...

5. My new running route past the Rosemary Branch and down Regent's Canal






This is what it looks like in Hoxton. But, I've stopped going after five because I'm a bit scared of someone pushing me in.

Warsi on Griffin

I love the time of year between Christmas and New Year. I'm still lazing about, and I'm at my parents house which means there is loads of food, wine and newspapers.

And, I love the review of the year sections which come in all the papers, which we get aplenty. The Observer says it well, and Baroness Warsi's look back on that famed episode of Question Time this year is worth your time.

The Bookseller

Normally I'm a fan, but this annoys me.

'The Guardian went as far as Islington for its report'...

The snobs. I've never seen any out of London coverage from them.

But they go to Oxford and Cambridge sometimes you say.

Of course, I forgot about that...how provincial!



Jealously amongst the journos.

Books, mostly

Hello.

It's been a while.

There are many things to share, but let's begin with this: books to look out for in 2010, courtesy of The Independent.

I've got to say, I haven't been overly impressed by the books I've read recently. My last read was Sarah Waters' The Little Stranger, which was fine, good even, until the end, which was bitterly disappointing. Perhaps my views were slightly marred by the 'Horror' sticker carefully placed on the text by the excellent librarians at Shoreditch library. If we are never going to find out who the ghost is, indeed if it even exists at all, then that is disappointing for a 'horror' story in my view.

So, I hope this list will yield something cool.

I shall wander to Shoreditch library to take out Yann Martel's new venture, certainly.



I'll read McEwan if I have time. I probably won't have time, unless it gets really good reviews. Like, rave reviews, that come on the TV and everything.

I have read one of Carlos Ruiz Zafón's books - I must make an effort to finish this new one. I got half way through The Shadow of the Wind, but my problem with reading books set in Barcelona (I've only read this one) is that they remind me of the time that those Spanish pickpockets stole my money and my pride.



European holidays are good though.

I have been to see a film recently, but only the one. Paranormal Activity, which has been on in most large cinemas across the country. I don't go to see scary films that often, and after seeing this I still can't understand why people do.

There was nothing wrong with the film, I quite enjoyed the film, it did what it meant to do very well, but I wouldn't do this sort of thing very often. I think the fact that I don't do it very often makes it better when I do.

The last real scary film I watched was Saw, and whilst it makes a lot of money, and I can see the point, it does feel pretty wrong to get off on something that you are only watching because it is more depraved and gross than anything else you've ever seen. Johann Harri's story is better than mine, also courtesy of The Indepdent.

Not done anything else interesting this month at all. I've been making presentations and writing essays. Dull. Must make a note to do more interesting things in the future, for the purposes of the blog only.



And I went to see this woman, it's all coming back to me now.

This is good too:



And this:



But Drowned in Sound says it better than I do.

Last.fm

What a great invention.



I haven't been using it for a couple of years, so this list is a bit outdated. Thankfully, I had some taste when I was 18.

Hoxton

I have already become attached to this quirky area of town in which I am living. Whenever people ask where I am living, the response I give them in 'Hoxton' (not Hackney, Shoreditch or Islington).

To this I get a response of, ooo, trendy. I find this simply bizarre. Not because I misunderstand why people consider this area to be trendy, it is simple to see. Banksy has paid a visit (shouldn't we feel grateful) and we share a postcode with the beautiful people wearing Christian Louboutin shoes in swanky Islington offices.



But really, Hoxton is Hackney. It's a bit scary at night, and most of the population lives in high rise blocks that don't have proper addresses. It is the side of London tourists don't really see. Capitalism at its absolute nexus - the best and the worst.

This is what I find most upsetting but also captivating about London - everything is a flipside. London is a rich city, so rich, sickeningly rich - too rich. Walk down to Liverpool Street, just ten minutes from here, and people bathe in money. They have tailors, 'City of London' parking permits and twenty minute haircuts in your lunch hour for £60.

Walk outside that tightly controlled, marble, clinical area and the money evaporates. There are so many homeless people. More homeless people than you can even bear to think about. There is one that sits just outside the door of Somerfield by Old Street tube. I have come out of that shop so many times with a bag of food and he just sits there.

(No image available)

If I'm going to advertise anything, it would be the George and Vulture pub. An Aussie behind the bar, six pound pizzas (a bit salty but let's not be foodies about this) and a really old quaint globe in the corner just waiting to drop off its hinges.



I made a visit to London Fashion Weekend about a month ago. I simply must complain about the 'presenter' that was there to bridge the gap between the fee paying public and the fashion folk. She was awful. I detest the phrase 'love it'. She loved everything.

Charlie Brooker on Jan Moir

Charlie Brooker's responce to Jan Moir's homophobic article in the Daily Mail has been causing a stir in the 'bloggosphere' today (good word, or bad word?..I just can't decide).



The Mail published a pretty abhorrent piece pinning the causes of Stephen Gately's death down to his homosexual lifestyle. I won't say much more about the content of the article becasuse Brooker is better with words than I am.

My responce to this however is, why is everyone so surprised?

That being said, I do hope that the Mail gets sanctioned by the Press Complaints Commission about this. The Guardian really should set up a political party, what a conundrum that would be.