Birds on a wire outside my mum’s house
I have new addiction: Fonts. I have downloaded about 50 new of them and some of them you are about to catch a glimpse of (like the compass on the left), because they are not real fonts but collections of nice little drawings. I have another new addiction: Radio drama. I am hooked on it, especially BBC’s. And I also listen to the Woman’s Hour. It is very entertaining, I swear.
Another addiction is reading my horoscope from the Onion. Here’s why:
Pisces "Although Marlowe, Nick Carraway, and John Dowell are all fascinating men, more and more you find yourself wanting to be introduced to a narrator you can trust."
I signed up in the Hive, a service that allows you to bookmark things you like and present them on your page for others to see and for you to keep for reference. I mostly did this because I am such a shopaholic and some of my friends here are too, and we can’t really go shopping together at the moment. So I wanted to show you what I’d buy if we went shopping on a Saturday morning together. 
But my greatest addiction of all these days is the book I am reading: Sister of my Heart by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, the book my friend Dew sent me, along with a very beautiful picture frame. I read it wearing the black and white kimono she also sent me. The book is so exotic in its detail but it is not alienating. It is so close to my feelings about the lengths people have to go to protect the ones they love, and about friendship, especially between women. Here’s an excerpt: "There are other reasons why I can never hate Sudha. Once I made a list of them. Because she’s the most beautiful person I know, just like the princesses in the fairy tales Pishi tells us, with her skin that’s the warm brown of almond-milk, her hair soft like monsoon clouds all the way down her back, and her eyes that are the softest of all. Because she can put her hand on my arm when I’m ready to kick the world for its stupidity, and it’s like a drink of clean cold water on a hot day. Because she believes in magic, demons and gods and falling stars to wish on, the way I never could. Because she’s the best storyteller, better even than Pishi. She can take the old tales and make them new by putting us in them. Us, Anju and Sudha, right in there among the demon queens and fairy princes and talking beasts. Because I called her into the world and therefore must do all I can to make sure she is happy."
May 16th, 2006 at 4:49 am
The BBC web site is truly wonderful, lots of entertaining speech and music programmes you can listen to at any time (and for you it’s free, us Brits have to pay for it).
Hope you’re well Chloe, and thanks for the comments.
I’m putting together a stand alone .com site and will be leaving blogger soon but I’ll still keep in touch.
Ben
May 16th, 2006 at 5:20 am
Hey Ben! So glad you are back. What kind of site is this going to be? I’d like to visit.
xx
May 16th, 2006 at 6:32 am
Chloe,
I’m working with a web developer right now and we’re putting together an independent music review site, that will have new and old albums, live reviews, streaming audio and video, and maybe a music forum. We haven’t decided on the domain name yet, but I already have the host. It may be Bensdailyreview.com
May 16th, 2006 at 8:40 am
“because i called her into the
world and must do all i can to
make her happy…”
beautiful.
May 16th, 2006 at 8:53 am
Like a bird on a wire, like a drunk in some midnight choir, I have tried in my way to be free.
Ah Cohen.
May 16th, 2006 at 9:47 am
Sounds like you are having some fun with your addictions.
I like your new fonts. It is always exciting to try new things and play with them on our blogs.
Your photo of the flower is just wonderful. You really captured the detail and color very well.
Such a lovely gift you received. The book itself takes you to a garden of words. The kimono and frame match perfectly.
Lots of hugs,
Connie
May 16th, 2006 at 9:47 am
I still listen to recordings of an old radio show called, “The Shadow”. Granted they’re on mp3 format now, but even as an adult my imagination is fired up like a child listening to a bedtime story.
May 16th, 2006 at 12:09 pm
I love Radio 4 and I listen to the comedies, too! If you ever catch a Pam Ayre- that’s hilarious!
I met one of the producers for the Women’s Hour. I like that program, too!
Sounds like a good book!!
May 16th, 2006 at 2:32 pm
I used to love riding in the car at night listening to the radio dramas.
They are a lost art form. Very few other people besides you, I think, have the patience to sit and listen to them anymore. And you have to sit and listen. You can’t have it on in the background because you’ll lose track of what’s going on.
“Because I called her into the world and therefore must do all I can to make sure she is happy.”–sounds more like a mother and not a friend to me.
May 16th, 2006 at 2:36 pm
Radio dramas are a wonderful addiction…when I lived in London, I had Radio 4 on pretty much constantly, and heard all sorts of amazing tales. Even the news is fun there!
May 16th, 2006 at 4:27 pm
Those sound like fun addictions! I’ve never had to chance to listen to radio drama…it’s a little strange.
I’ve heard of the Hive…seems like these days there’s nothing we can’t share…
As I’ve said to Maddy, I’ve read that book and I liked it very much.
May 17th, 2006 at 4:10 am
focus is on the wrong character. Who’s Pishi? Im loving that one. We should hear more about Pishi. I may rename myself Pishi
May 17th, 2006 at 8:38 am
nice to be back at ur blog!
May 17th, 2006 at 11:08 am
I’m glad you’re enjoying the goodies, Chloe!
May 19th, 2006 at 6:39 am
Here is another one for you on fonts Chloe:
http://www.ironicsans.com/2006/05/random_acts_of_emphasis.html
Cheers