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a tunnel from my window to yours

About Me

I like...breathtaking views, action-packed days, talk-filled nights, peace, friends, family, meeting people, other countries, music, smiling, writing, walking, dancing, singing, conversing, laughing, the sea, flowers, mint tea, summer rain, people with ethical awareness and the gall to act upon it, reading pretty much anything but especially novels and poetry, dark rum, freedom.Right now Brighton is the only place in England I could live especially because of... Theatre Royal, Duke of York's, Bath Arms,Montezuma's, The Eagle, The Pub with No Name, Havana, The Setting Sun, Hanbury Ballroom, Hanover (the village within a city), the beach, Stanmer Park, University of Sussex library, Snooper's Paradise, Jazz Rooms, Kensington's, Brighton Bead Shop, and Pavilion Gardens in the summer when the jazz is playing.As for other countries I like Mwokoeni Children's Centre and Nyali Beach in Kenya, Djemaa el-Fna in Marrakech, Isla Mujeres in Mexico, Oonawatuna Beach in Sri Lanka, the castle in Cesky Krumlov in Czech Republic, the lovely beaches in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and many other places besides...I'm most happy when surrounded by books. I miss working in a bookshop. But I love teaching English.

My Interests

People! Travelling, reading, dancing, talking, dark rum, music (especially live), beaches, writing, dreaming, mint tea, flowers, charity shops, the meaning of life...

I'd like to meet:

Margaret Atwood, Elizabeth I, Thom Yorke, my grandmother, loads of people...

Music:

The Rapture, Arcade Fire, Bloc Party, Lemon Jelly, Black Keys, Yann Tiersen, Fourtet, Elliot Smith, Bright Eyes, Antony and the Johnsons, QOTSA, Sufjan Stevens, Nightmares on Wax, White Stripes, Bloc Party, Ben Kweller, Bjork, Mars Volta, DJ Shadow, Husky Rescue.....also classic Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Hole, ATDI, Supergrass, Sebadoh, REM.

Movies:

Stuff that makes me either laugh (properly) or think.

Television:

is mostly crap. prove me wrong if you can.

Books:

mmmmmmmmm, books...mainly fiction; anything by Margaret Atwood, Ian McEwan, Carol Shields, Clive Barker, Virginia Woolf, Jane Smiley... but also love non fiction stuff by Jonathan Glover, Roland Barthes, Leslie Cockburn, Carl Jung and classics like Wollstonecraft, Paine and Bloom...and poetry by the Romantics and lake poets. Currently loving Philippa Gregory's stuff too, makes me wish I was a Tudor. I have too many books...they're like my vice...hmm, along with the darkest rum I can find. Just finished 'Beloved'; the first book to actually make me cry in a long time...

Heroes:

Virginia Woolf, Margaret Atwood, Thom Yorke, William Shakespeare, Courtney Love, William Blake, Emmeline Pankhurst, Martin Luther King, Elizabeth I.....

My Blog

hidden depths (!)

01.) What's worse - Physical or Mental cheating?hmmm, weird first question, think I chose the wrong quiz!  It's got to be physical hasn't it? Like it's ok to dream you're spending the night with ...
Posted by Gem on Sat, 09 Jun 2007 03:07:00 PST

challenges...

is it important that we challenge ourselves in life in order to be fulfilled? I currently have a thirst for challenge, excitement and newness which feels vital to my ultimate happiness and contentment...
Posted by Gem on Sat, 02 Jun 2007 01:38:00 PST

The Truman Show

call me arrogant but today I've really felt like I might be the star of The Truman Show (except obviously it would be the The Gemma Show).  At school I kept being asked to do things that seemed r...
Posted by Gem on Wed, 25 Apr 2007 02:04:00 PST

secret joys...

current things that make me smile are... silver sandals, pink toenails, this weather, cherry blossom photos from Japan, playing cricket ineptly and aching the next day from all the exertion, cider (th...
Posted by Gem on Tue, 24 Apr 2007 01:21:00 PST

unhappy people

it makes me so sad when people I care about aren't happy. wish I could take the pain away.  I really do. I hope you know that. I love you (and you know who you are) xxxx...
Posted by Gem on Sun, 01 Apr 2007 09:52:00 PST

burn out

despite us there is only one universe, the sun burns itself slowly out no matter what you say, is that so?  Close your eyes now, see: red sun, black sun, ordinary sunshine.   Your language h...
Posted by Gem on Sun, 01 Apr 2007 09:50:00 PST

Faithless!!

tonight!!! oh yeah!!
Posted by Gem on Tue, 27 Mar 2007 10:20:00 PST

ouch

my face hurts. wish I knew what I'd done to it.... answers on a postcard....
Posted by Gem on Sun, 25 Mar 2007 01:23:00 PST

Lightbulb moment

Now, maybe everyone else knew this ages ago but I only found it out today (whilst I overheard some crap thing on TV). Please don't berate me if this is common knowledge to everyone except me and I'm b...
Posted by Gem on Tue, 20 Mar 2007 01:30:00 PST

Words of wisdom...

It is when we are at our least lovable that we are in most need of being loved.   so sad, so true.  remember this next time someone you care about is being difficult; they need your love at ...
Posted by Gem on Sun, 18 Mar 2007 01:48:00 PST