Guilty Pleasures
One of the great things about being out here is how multicultural it is. I may be living in a desert, but the massive expat population means that everything from our groceries to the TV we watch plugs us in to the whole world. Which I like, a lot. Being married to an airline pilot has its downsides (this month he has been in Brazil, Tokyo - landing just after a #6 earthquake, New York ...), and I have been - well - here, working, changing the cat litter and doing the lunchboxes. A real plus is that the pilot always brings back magazines and newspapers from wherever he's been - so again, you get a global perspective on things.
This helps a lot. It's easy to feel cut off - the media is interesting here. Surreal at times. I'm yet to pick up the World Service, but the local station I listen to has one of the most extraordinary playlists I've ever heard. Everything from 80s pop to opera. Friday morning chores (our weekend is Friday/Saturday here), are done to Country & Western. Last Friday I heard today's clip 'Online' which made me laugh outloud. Then, when I saw William Shatner was in the video, it was a shoe in for today's post. Not a lot of people know this but C&W is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. What's not to love about the big hair, the heartbreak - and crucially the sense of humour. Are there any other musical genres that could have come up with:
- My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend, and I Sure Do Miss Him
- She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy
or even
Your Negligee Has Turned To a Flannel Nightgown
If you discount good ol' Shania Twain, I've never bought a C&W CD in my life, but I love it when I hear it. Maybe it reminds me of driving across America. I remember watching a bunch of OAPs line dancing in the 'Rock Lobster' near the Circle K liquor store outside Ocean City. They band was playing 'Just a Gigolo' and these people were having a blast. Maybe that's why I like Country - it's fun, pure and simple. There's not many things you can say that about.
TODAY'S PROMPT: So, what's your guilty pleasure? I was thinking about this in relation to building characters the other day. Why not take a look at the main characters in your story, and give them a surprising, guilty pleasure. I remember reading that Edward used to do tapestry in the evenings - imagine him sitting by the fireside chatting to Mrs Simpson, sewing away. Not an obvious hobby for man who would have been King, but a memorable one. What can you come up with today?
PS For those of you with Kindle, I noticed 'The Beauty Chorus' is up on Amazon, and can be pre-ordered here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Beauty-Chorus/dp/B004S7BBO0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1300703301&sr=8-3 Week and a half til publication day :) x
