A brave proposal

My friend posted me a message on how to write better last night and it made me do the scariest thing I have ever done: I proposed to someone.
 
He has already dumped me, so it's kind of a strange place to be proposing from.

Hi, you know how you've decided you don't want to be with me anymore, let's get married.

Wait, this doesn't make sense

What has this got to do with the message from my friend?

It said to be a good writer you had to say things that were difficult, take chances and you had to reveal things about you.

The proposal was just written on a piece of paper.

True romantic

I'd meant to make something for him to show him how I felt, but the way that panned out that didn't seem possible.

I also wanted to take him to the place where we first kissed.

But marriage like everything else isn't a fairy tale.

Here goes nothing

I'm going to propose like the true mad feminist writer that I am.

I'm being brave.

You can say no.

But at least I was brave enough to ask finally.

He doesn't want me back, but I'm going to leave this up, because I'm going to stay brave.

Awesome factoids

I found this.

I have been watching loads of Americans, mainly, going on about a-maz-ing facts.

Not only is there V Sauce, but SciShow.

The best kind of geeks, the passionate kind.

They make everything sound exciting, or rather they find the most exciting information.

Have a watch.

Frustrating fasting

So, I did a fast yesterday.

I called my friend up in a dim moment yesterday to ask him to lunch, to be politely reminded that he was fasting for Ramadan, which my slightly clearer mind knew all along.

This led us into a discussion about fasting in general.

Wary

He suggested that I complete a fast as well.

I aired my concern that this would overly affect my mood in a dangerous way and declined.

Then after hanging up the phone I still had not eaten anything and it was already two o'clock.

Challenge accepted

So I accepted his challenge and decided to do a fast, allowing myself liquids until sunset.

I was finding things quite easy having little to do that day.

However, when confronted wit human interaction I was markedly shorter than usual and got a bit tearful.

Challenge achieved

However, I did make it to the end of the day without eating, but I won't be doing it again.

I don't think being moody and tearful is a positive thing for me to offer up to the world, so I don't see myself fasting like this again.

"I'm just a girl"

So I made a swipe at the Royal baby, I'm sorry.

Not because I am not still frustrated by the inequality that is being rubbed in my face.

But because of the cover of Elle and a comment from another woman.

Picking us apart

The first thing I clocked when I picked up this £4 glossy was one line.

Why you are still single.

My response, how dare you charge me to destroy me.

The woman trap

I seek to be a self-assured, kind and loving person, but honestly what chance do any of us have against all this rubbish.

10 ways to lose your pregnancy fat.

10 reasons guys don't like you.

10 reasons why you're really down by now.

I will never measure up

Just a thought: maybe it's all this self-esteem draining rubbish that you are throwing at me.

Then, on the same day a woman remarks on me looking good with: "You make me sick."

My inner voice wanted to scream at her that I wasn't as self assured as she thought.

Then I thought of Kate

This made me think of Ms Middleton, she may appear to have it all.

But she is being barraged by the same rubbish that seems to turn even the sanest and most amazing of women against each other.

So, I won't be sending flowers to this woman that I don't know, but I will wish her child the best of health and encourage her to eat as much chocolate as she pleases, until she feels like she wants to go to the gym. 




 

Shock, a baby!

So that woman, that famous royal pregnant one, well she's had a baby and it's a male heir.

The BBC of course are all over the affair.

Royal love in

There are levels of sycophantic behaviour that seem embarrassing for trained media professionals.

Births are great, but I can't help be irritated that this very rich very able woman is being raved about, as every day people are losing all they have to support their much less well-off families.

The country has no money, but let's have a media circus around a woman who will probably never be out of clothes and toys for a potential King of this beleaguered land.

Witchcraft

My naughty muscle is thinking quietly, full moon on the night of the birth, werewolf in the making...

Now that would be a King to be in awe of, turns into a wolf once a month and goes raving round London in the style of An American Werewolf in London.

Sorry, that was my first thought when I clocked the moon.

Keeping fun free

A petition has been launched to prevent the charging of sports activities on Hyde Park.

A charity group that uses the park for team bonding sporting events have discovered that there are moves to charge for playing sport on Hyde Park.

Charging through the nose

A private company (called Will to Win) approached the charity demanding they pay to continue playing.

The company not only wanted an up front fee, but also wanted to charge per game.

The charity campaign

The charity "were shocked and have had lots of discussions with Royal Parks and Will to Win to try and resolve the situation, but they’re not budging".

Thus, they have resorted to a Change.org petition to try and ensure that free sport on Hyde Park remains a reality.

Malala to submit education petition to the UN

Women's education campaigner Malala Yousafzai is to make a speech to the UN today at 2.30pm while delivering the petition alongside former British Prime Minister and UN Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown.

Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by the Taliban for campaigning for the education of girls in Pakistan. 

She was only 11 when she started campaigning and stands as an inspiration for women around the world. 

The petition she is submitting to the UN is asking for the UN to campaign for women's education around the world.

The link to the speech can be found here.

Promoting other people's journalism

So, as you may have guessed, I am not a sports journalist.

The person who wrote this article might be.

I now want some one to dig out footage of this match.

I will be there with popcorn.

Andy Murray sportswear?

Murray did it!

Andy Murray won in straight sets yesterday.

After so many years in the solitary certitude that a British man would not win Wimbledon, I had given up hope.

Thanks for bringing the hope back Murray and the smiles and the belief.

A new line of sports fashion?

So, if Fred Perry spawned a sports brand...


Does that mean that Andy Murray will be the next name emblazoned on sports t-shirts?

I wait to see.

Oh yes, the match

It did seem that Andy was going to walk through the match as Novak Djokovic didn't seem at his best.

If I was being biased I would say that Andy trounced him at his best, but I must admit that Djokovic didn't seem to be playing his best match.

Sorry, Andy.

The final moments

However, the last part of the match had me screaming at the TV as the chance of Murray winning Wimbledon seemed to be so close and yet so far.

He seemed painfully close to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Thankfully, victory won out.

Well done Murray, you deserve it, and I hope you get that Knighthood.

Rock on Bartolli

Bartoli blasted her way to Wimbledon victory today.

Marion Bartoli owned the first part of the Wimbledon final.

Sabine Lisicki fought back valiantly and it looked like there might be a last minute turn around.

Dignified in defeat

Sadly it was not to be and now Marion Bartoli stands before us as Wimbledon champion.

Sabine Lisicki could not hide her disappointment but she humbly paid homage to her opponent and wished to come back next year.

Hats off

Well done Bartoli, well deserved.

Now you can go and have another nap...

Murray's on tomorrow, I'll be staying up for him.

Djokovic marches on

Wow, what a match.

Del Potro and and Djokovic had me on the edge of my seat.

I really thought Del Potro might throw Djokovic.

Why is it that Novak has to keep knocking out all the good looking tennis totty?

Summer, tennis and feminism

You can tell it's summer I've emersed myself in Wimbledon, broken out the strawberries and started doing yoga in the living room.

And suddenly I'm obsessing over the accomplishments of the Williams sisters and Billy Jean King.

Somehow the female tennis stars of today don't seem quite as imposing as the Kingster.

Venus, you fancy going up against one of today's male tennis stars...

Protesting for BBC health balance

A demonstration outside the BBC building today called for more balanced reporting of health matters.

Protesters began to assemble at 11am outside the BBC Broadcasting House, Portland Place.

The group did not amass to a large number, but three of the protesters entered the building to give a letter of complaint to the BBC.

They continued to hand out leaflets highlighting two areas of news that they felt the BBC had failed to report.

One that on Monday the 24th of June the British Medical Association passed an overwhelming vote of no confidence in the health secretary Jeremy Hunt.

They also complained that on the 10th of January 2012 two Oncology Consultants Clive Peedell and David Williams ran six marathons in six days from Aneurin Bevan's Statue in Cardiff to 10 Downing Street to present a petition to request the withdrawal of the controversial Health and Social Care Bill 2012.

The protest was part of an ongoing campaign by Keep Our NHS Public against what they view a the gradual privatization of the health service.

Magnificent Murray

Happy to see that Andrew Murray is still in Wimbledon.

Maybe one day I will match your success.

Shocked to see Serena Williams knocked out.

Good luck to Sabine Lisicki.

Superman's slipping

I skipped off to the cinema to see Man of Steel with memories of Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder in my head.

Yes, I know it was a long time ago, but that is still my bar.

The trailer blew me away, I was excited, pretty foolish at my age

Back to the beginning

So we're winding back to the origin story, again, you'd think they would have moved on from there.

The planet Krypton faces imminent destruction due to its unstable core.

Jor-El (Russel Crowe) faces general Zod and launches his son Kal-El off Krypton to save his life, sound familiar..?

Kal-El (Henry Cavill) then has to forge his new destiny on earth, where the past comes calling...

Entertaining but earnest

The plot is paper thin and I miss all the knowing nods and slightly camp humour of the first Superman adventure, I'm sorry, I'm a bit old... 

Amy Adams makes for a far too flirty Lois Lane.

I expect Lois to be hard bitten and sassy, not to go bouncing around in crisis situations with her hair falling in her eyes.

I'm sorry but I really wish I hadn't gone to the cinema for this one, your kids might like it though.