Typecast

My final Pink Friday post is from T-J (mentioned fleetingly in Pink Friday 4 ).  T-J runs her own specialist bra fitting service which offers advice for women, specifically for mastectomy/post surgery patients and plus-size ladies.  You can find lots more information about T-J on her ' About Me ' page on her Bra-Blog . * * *

Editors note : This post was submitted to me within the ethos of Blognonymous .  The writer will explain who she is and her reasons for requesting that she post this here, semi-anonymously.  Please feel free to offer her your advice and thoughts in the comments section. oOoOoOoOoOoOo

I read this tweet from Mr Paparazzi this morning and had to laugh. Songs don't 'storm up the charts' any more.  They go straight in at number one or they are considered a 'flop'.  I had a quick check to see who she is up against this week and according to eli.com  the competition is in the form of Judy Collins and Tim Buckley ( can you hear that owl too?  Who? Who? ) so I think old Chezza is safe.

I'll never forget finding my dad, hiding out in the garage, respraying my old bike to give to my sister for her Christmas present.  I was about 8 years old.  I felt a mixture of emotions; sadness because I realised that she wouldn't have a 'new' bike and excitement because I was now 'grown up' and knew what my sister was getting for Christmas.

I was pointed in the direction of the practice version of the UK Citizenship Test online last night ( yes, I was bored and it was mentioned in one of the questions on Channel 4's "Million Pound Drop" ).  This test covers aspects of British history, society and culture and is a requirement when applying for settlement in the UK or full British citizenship.  The test took me just over 7 minutes but you have a full 45 minutes if you need it.

Typecast TV 1

Hello readers and welcome to the new look Typecast blog.  If you're reading this post in an RSS reader, please click through and have a look.  It has been the culmination of a throw-away comment on Twitter on Saturday night, kind-hearted help from a few fellow bloggers and tweeters and the donation of a free domain name.  Oh, yes... did you notice the new web address for the blog?  You are now reading " I Am Typecast " - how's that for fancy?  Also, you will possibly be wondering how on earth you ended up reading one of your favourite blogs on a new web address, without actually navigating to it.  That's because all of the hard work has been done for you.  Everything is automatically redirected so just carry on doing what you're doing as the old "typecast2000.blogspot.com" address sends you to here.  You can, of course, change your bookmarks if you really want to.

I don't know whether this is just Blackburn or if it's happening all over the country but I am DISTRAUGHT that there are no traditional chip shops open on a Saturday lunch time.  Kev wanted a portion of chips to go with some left-over curry, Michael and myself wanted a meat and potato pie (possibly with some peas on top) and Jake wanted a dab butty.

Everyone is always looking for something a little different to raise awareness and donations for charity and let's face it - sitting in a bath of cold baked beans is so 'last year'.  So when I found out that my fellow #FridayTwiz -er, the lovely Jane Fox of   Fired4U , had organised an evening of ' Painting By Nipples ' I was intrigued.  She tells me that is going to be very much like children's hand and foot printing but using * ahem * alternative body parts...

Fellow blogger Pippa (from over at "A Mother's Ramblings") asked me if I'd ever thought about my life as if it was a film .  Strangely, she wasn't the first person who had asked me this question so I have decided to elaborate on my original answer somewhat.  My life story HAS to be conducted in the style of a musical with a cast of thousands - each trial and tribulation fought through the medium of song.  And just like I mentioned in the original interview, I'd tap dance at some point too.

... as Mary Poppins once said. Today marks the day that I am exactly half way through my degree with the Open University.  I began well and steadily got better at lone study.  Today, I have sat my first official exam in 22 years ( apart from the Health & Safety course I did earlier this year ) and have spent the last few weeks worrying about it all .

Surely you should have known that I couldn't let a PINK FRIDAY during Breast Cancer awareness month go by without a mention of the beloved Filofax?  Here is a fantastic chance to make a donation to a worthwhile cause and pick up on the return of the retro organiser.

You see the theme this week?  "My Favourite Photo (and why)".  Do you think that is an easy or difficult prompt?  I don't mind admitting that it has left me pondering a-while.  Should I choose a picture of my family , my extended family , scenery ...?  But then I remembered a precious keepsake that I have...

Look what greeted me when I got home from work today.   Interflora had delivered a surprise* bunch of flowers with the attached note:

I am dreading this week.  Friday is exam day.  The first exam I have taken in 22 years.  I am crap at revising and retaining information so it is also an exam that I am convinced I am going to fail. Before I continue, I have to say that, in two years of lone study with the OU, this is my first negative experience.  Up until now I have championed the system and I have enjoyed studying for my degree.  This is my fourth module.  It is also the last presentation of this particular module.  The course has been updated and rewritten.  That doesn't excuse the lackadaisical attitude of my tutor.

When I took Jake out of school back in July for our family holiday , he missed his last week ever of primary school - and his presentation day.  A couple of weeks ago, I received a phone call from his old headmaster inviting him into a Friday assembly to receive his awards.  He had already cleared it with the Year 7 (high school) Head of Year and thought it would be a great opportunity for Jake.  I agreed.

Editors note :  This is Suzie's story and is the twelfth in the series.  Suzie contacted me and offered me her story after reading a previous " Cancer - Your Story " piece.   Her story is very appropriate  for this  Pink Friday  series and Breast Cancer Awareness month, as you will see.  You can read Suzie's blog over at No Wriggling Out Of Writing and she's on twitter as @keatsbabe . Suzie's story has also recently been featured on a six-web-page spread over at So Feminine so please take a look over there for more of her story. Related Links : Cancer Research UK All " Cancer - Your Story " posts BreastCancerCare.org.uk * * * Please note that this blog post contains graphic images All article images are  © Suzie Grogan and reproduced with kind permission

I have a massive image complex at the moment.  I used to be a stick-thin size 8-10 and now I am a " you carry your weight well " size 14-16.  Finding a diet to suit is a constant battle but I've found that the dog likes brisk walks at about 7pm so we go power-walking together. Anyway, there *is* a point to all this.  I just don't get it when a well-known national newspaper has decided that "fat" lies somewhere between Katy Perry and Beth Ditto using these images as examples:

Editors note :  This post was submitted to me to within the ethos of  Blognonymous .  The writer would like to remain completely anonymous and is grateful for this "get it all off your chest" opportunity.  Please feel free to comment on this post and offer your advice or thoughts. oOoOoOoOoOoOo

We're having a meme-tastic time on the blog at the moment but this is one that I knew I was going to enjoy  It gives me an opportunity to talk about my favourite subjects: Me and Twitter.  This is a fairly new meme, started by Kate at The Five F's  and, as usual, there are a few questions to answer but I think I've probably gone off at a bit of a tangent...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month in the United Kingdom .  Every year almost 46,000 people are given the devastating news that they have breast cancer - that's one person every 11 minutes. Over the next month I will be using my blog space on a Friday to coincide with Pink Friday from BreastCancerCare.org.uk  I will be posting some links that I hope you will find useful and some reader experiences in line with the Cancer - Your Story series.   PLEASE share these blog posts (there will be five in total) within your network.  You never know... someone may need this information. * * *