Corrie, The X Factor, Ironing, Ballet, Christmas work do..... interesting month?

It's been a funny old month.  (70s flashback....hmmm)

I still can't shift the X Factor obsession.  I keep trying to convince myself I'm not at all bothered about watching the main show, and really....what's the results show but a repeat of the main show? But I keep getting drawn into it.  Who will make it? I'm expecting Mr Cardle to win, but what do I know.  I always liked Diane Vickers until they gave her the wierd popstar-forgot-to-buy-any-trousers-try-these-hotpants-instead makeover after the show.

This week I'm desperately trying to avoid Corrie at all costs.  Controversially I don't do soaps.  Never watched them.  Oh O.K., don't shout...maybe a few episodes of Neighbours when Kylie was still in it.  But the English soaps, Eastenders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, are not, and never have been, for me.  If I ever went on "Who wants to be a Millionaire", they'd ask me a question on one of those soaps for the £500 and I'd have to use a lifeline for it.  I much prefer my TV entertainment to be less depressing.  Unfortunately I occasionally listen to the News and so am struggling to avoid the current story that apparently there will be a major Corrie accident this week involving killing off some of the main characters.  It's fairly safe to assume I couldn't care less.

I'm also struggling to look yummy when I've got a huge.  No, gigantic.  No, enormous - pile of ironing as usual.  It's definitely bigger than I suspect most people's ironing piles are.  I imagine you've all got one little basket, that is only ever an ironing basket for 24 hours, and then, when the ironing is done, lives an empty life.  Go on; tell me it's not true!  I've got four baskets.  Very rarely are any of them empty. Currently the ironing takes up two, washing takes up the other two.  To be fair I can't complain.  They are full because we've been to Center Parcs to see Santa and, what with the two feet of snow we had during our stay, turned out to be a fantastic winter wonderland break.  Hat's off to the staff there.  Absolutely brilliant.  Taking shifts to grit the site all through the night.  Much better than our local North Derbyshire Council, who can't appear to keep a dual carriageway clear of snow, let alone a hilly school road.

Finally, November involved a re-introduction to the joys of Ballet in an attempt to continue to exercise despite a disillusionment with Pilates classes.  Yes, I got bored.  One Ballet class, and my calves were screaming every time I so much as twitched a leg.... for a week.  The joys of being unfit.  Enjoyed it though, and the second class was an improvement. (screaming for about 48 hours).  Pity I can't go now that life has been almost driven to a halt by a few flurries of snow.  I do so wonder how people living in Norway ever get anything done?  Perhaps if we put the Center Parcs management in charge of snow clearing across the whole county, we'd be getting about a whole lot easier!

Now I'm gearing up for the work Christmas do.  I haven't been for four years and have no clue what to wear.  Typically I've left myself plenty of time for purchasing something should the contents of my wardrobe not suffice.  The do is on Friday!  Any outfit suggestions - let me know!

X Factor 2010 Style Madness!

Simon Cowell has spent a lot of time during the many series of X factor wittering on about whether contestants have 'their own style' and chastising those that he deems 'overstyled'.  Well forgive me for having to pull him up on this now; but has he seen what the X factor styling team have done to the final 12 contestants this year!?

Storm.  Now there's a character.  He can certain hold a tune.  And he definitely has his own style.  But whose idea was it to die his hair primary red for the live shows?  He now looks like any other wannabee trying to look different.  He's in the over 28 category, and I've now idea how old he is, but he is most certainly not 14 years old - the only age I feel that a male can get away with that hair colour.  If he had his own 'style' in the first place; why did they feel the need to turn him into something else?  Had he auditioned with that hair colour originally, our impression of him would have been completely different.  People do, after all, judge on looks before anything else.

And then there's Rebecca Ferguson.  She has, indeed, the most gorgeous voice.  A beautiful recording voice.  One of those voices that you know, regardless of the results of the show, that we'll hear again.  And she is pretty, vulnerable, shy and seems genuinely nice.  I love her look.  Or at least, I did.  What have they done to her!?  She suddenly looks bland and boring.....    

I get the feeling that the X Factor stylists think they are turning these 'rough around the edges' contestants into 'glamarous performers'.  Pity that's not what the show's about.  It's about finding something special.  Something different.  And, you would hope, nurturing that.  Seems that's not what it's about anymore.  It appears to be about finding something special, and then stamping it out and turning it into something that they 'think' is popular.  I'm annoyed about this because I feel that they are trying to tell me what I like by restyling them in this way.  What was wrong with the way they looked before?

And don't get me started on Matt Cardle.  The reason we all liked him was that, despite his claims to hate being a painter, he looked like one - you know - a little rough around the edges, and we liked that.  Why, oh why, did they need to cut off his hair?

OK, I'm done.  Honest. 

Tip for the day.... don't spend time, like me, watching these shows.  They just get annoying.  I'm sure it's an addiction.  To echo the words of the early 80s, ' turn off the television set, go out and do something less boring instead'.