Typecast

This Infographic comes courtesy of Nintendo UK. Paper Mario: Sticker Star is one of the Mario games available on Nintendo 3DS     Please see my disclosure policy for more details.

Picture Credit  | Flickr Editor's note: I wanted to restart the Cancer - Your Story series whilst raising funds by doing the Race For Life but  it feels so intrusive asking people to write about this difficult time in their lives.  However, if you ever want a place to publish your story then please feel free to contact me . This is Linda 's story . We've been talking about her sharing her thoughts and feelings about Neil's illness for a while as we both know how cathartic , albeit difficult,    it can be to write about certain experiences.  As always with   Cancer - Your Story , this is a series to show that you are not on your own but it can seem like it for such a long time during and after. Linda is raising awareness for a trip to Africa in Neil's name.  There are more details at the bottom of the post.   =====00000===== As I waited for my hospital appointment, I could feel my stress level rising. But it had noth...

Now this is a story all about how The monarchy got turned upside down And I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there I'll tell you how a newborn became a Prince and an Heir In posh South London, born in bed With Kay Burley outside, voice going through my head. Will 'n' Kate expectin', acting all cool While Harry was paddlin' in the birthing pool Kate called for a midwife and when she came near She said, " Have I smudged my make-up? Fetch me a mirror! I gotta look my best, this moment is rare. I'm about to give birth to a Prince and an Heir! " The announcement came and just like a flood Onlookers made crazy in the neighbourhood. Town cryers and reporters with nowt else to say Repeated the announcement about a Prince and an Heir The world has gone mental, as it always does No name has been announced, maybe it should. Media frenzy with all of its flair Welcomes the Fresh Prince and our new He...

This picture of me was taken in 1975 in the through-front-room of our house in Freckleton.  I have a vivid memory of this picture being taken because I had just become a big sister. For me, what leaps out from the picture is not my huge smile or my tartan trousers (they were my favourites) but the cabinet which is behind me.   This was an integral piece of family furniture for many years.  The radio and record player sat on top, the records were stacked neatly inside the drop-leaf cupboard and the portable cassette player with microphone was stored on the bottom shelf.  This was the same cassette player that my Nana recorded "Kisses For Me" by Brotherhood of Man from the television so that she could write the lyrics out for me (as mentioned in the very first Soundtrack To My Life ). It wasn't an expensive piece of furniture or a family heirloom in the traditional sense - it was veneered; think Ikea-style furniture for the 1970s - but it was a central pa...

During my teenage years, I openly questioned my faith and the teachings of the Catholic Church.  I found it hard to take in the three ways in which my school taught about the 'beginning of the world'.  In physics we were told about The Big Bang, in biology we were taught about evolution and in religious studies we were taught about God creating man.  It's a lot for a teenager to take in. But, in the words of the Joan Osbourne song, what if God (or Jesus) was actually here on Earth at the moment?  You know, like in the way that Morgan Freeman appears as the hobo at the end of Bruce Almighty or Chris Ecclestone in (the aptly named) The Second Coming ?  If you saw today's  This Morning with AJ Miller and Mary Luck who proclaim to be Jesus and Mary Magdalene there is a certain gentleness that draws you in and makes you question that if the belief was there 2000 years ago then why can't it be here now?  Of course I think it's just another cult or cha...

After taking part in the Race For Life in Blackburn in June I was approached by Scottish Power who wanted to do the same at the Race For Life being held at Heaton Park in Manchester, in exchange for a £200 donation to my existing fund-raising pot (see the end of the post for donation details). I'd be stupid to say "no", right? So I negotiated an extra entry (my sister-in-law, Trish) and Team O'Hara was born.  I carried on with my training - I've been power walking a great 5K route near home with the dog and for anyone thinking about taking part in the Race For Life or just wanting to get fit, the 5K is a great distance - take it from one who is now hooked !  I also had a serious think about who I was going to "Race For Life for..." because I did it for Rachel last month and there are other family members (my father-in-law, Mick, for one) and friends that I could run for but I always come back to my own thoughts about my daughter's battle w...

I know, I know... it's a bit pathetic but I had to get it off my chest so my letter to the ladies of TOWIE has been published over on The High Tea Cast .  It might not be what you think so pop on over and have a read.  It's all about power, fame and a responsibility to others. Find all my articles on The High Tea Cast here 

It’s not often that the BBC manages to rile me with their style of reporting.   It is one of our national institutions and has become my go-to place to find an even-handed report after hearing snippets or rumours on social media channels.   However, after the last 24 hours, I have come to the conclusion that they have been taking lessons in the Daily Mail School of Journalism , i.e. create a blatantly biased article, wait for Twitter to explode with rage, experience high volumes of hits on website, get people talking. It’s a theory I think a lot of people will back me up on.   But... The choice of subject matters was those that I believed Auntie Beeb would have produced a more balanced approach due to the way in which our economy currently stands.   I’ll break it down for you. To start with we had The Great British Budget Menu .   Firstly, putting “Great British” in front of a programme name appears to be the current trend with the BBC because of th...

I never thought I'd see myself on a children's ward again and I am SO frigging tired that I don't think I'll catch up on my sleep for at least another week.  But it's weird how your body copes with what is thrown at it, how it reacts and then how it shuts down. Over the past year Jake (age 14) has had a lot of time off school due to illness.  I know he hasn't been faking it - you just know with your own child, don't you?  He has spent whole weekends hanging over the toilet, weak from repeated bouts of sickness and diarrhea.  He has been sent home from school with similar symptoms and has consistently been diagnosed with a 'virus', told to 'ride it out' and been told to take paracetamol and/or ibuprofen.  He was once treated for glandular fever and three sets of blood and stool samples have come back from testing marked 'clear'.  His attendance for the school year 2012/13 stands at 80%.  For those that know my child (or who ar...

Right, sshh!  You can't see this bit so don't tell Jay . This reminds me of another Silent Sunday pic  that I posted back in November last year.

Do you remember that scene in Annie where Daddy Warbucks heads off to a radio station to put a call out for Annie's real parents to get in touch and he reads everything on the script literally, including all the studio and speech direction?  I love that scene. Image Credit |   Riemer Palstra, Flickr There's something about the medium of radio that fascinates me.  Probably because it fits in well with my love of writing.  Anything without a visual prompt means that you have to provide extra description or put more emphasis on words to ensure that the meaning in interpreted as intended.  It's like when reading to children and you inject feeling into the story and use different voices for each character; you are moulding the use of their imagination. From time to time I have a huge yearning for my theatre days even though I wasn't very old when performing.  The call of the stage is strong but AmDram isn't really for me as I can't sing very well ....