#subtlechemistry

[subtlechemistry]

q&a

Tag game rules: tag 20 spectacular followers you’d like to get to know better.

I’ve been tagged by the lovely gentleman, @random99musings :)  Thank you!  I do enjoy having some questions to answer.

Name: Sara.

Nicknames:  Squirrel, Martian, Dove.

Gender: Female.

Star Sign: Scorpio.

Height: 5ft 6.5in

Sexual Orientation: Mostly straight.

Hogwarts House: I’ve not read the books, but I’ve seen a couple of the films and my niece and nephew are fans.  Somehow at some point in my life I decided I was Ravenclaw.

Favorite Color: I have a few favourites; I love a splash of colour!  (Burnt) orange, (royal) blue, (emerald) green, (raspberry) red… 

Favorite animal: I’m particularly drawn to and fond of cats, both domestic and wild.  Tigers are stunning and majestic. 

Average Hours of Sleep: About 6 during the week, which isn’t enough for me really.  I’m naughty (and stupid) and like to make my evenings last for as long as possible. I make up for it at the weekends though, fear not ;)

Cat or dog person: Both.  I ADORED dogs as a child, but my parents were never keen. We had cats instead and I grew to love them more.  My love for dogs resurfaced a little while ago when my sister’s family came to stay with us for a month or so, together with their cavachon - was so lovely coming home each day and having an excited doggy greet you like you’re the best thing ever!

Favorite Fictional Characters: I’m genuinely struggling with this.  I’ll say Sarah Woodruff from The French Lieutenant’s Woman, not because I particularly like her, but because I’m intrigued by her character and what she represents. And because my mind is blank. 

Number of Blankets I Sleep With: Just a duvet. Sometimes I’ll snuggle up in a throw, too, if it’s particularly cold :)

Favorite Singer/Band: Simon & Garfunkel/Paul Simon and The Carpenters have a special place in my heart.  Dad was a BIG fan and their songs formed the soundtrack to my childhood.  Other favourites:  The Kinks, Lady Gaga, Port Isaac’s Fisherman’s Friends, and Kirsty MacColl. I’m crap at choosing just the one favourite!

Dream Trip:  A pony trekking holiday anywhere (within reason!),  a trip to India, or a trek across America. 

Dream Job: Designing things - adverts, packaging, clothing. / Writing and reporting. / Being in musicals! Y'know, if I could sing or dance.

When Was The Blog Created: November 2012.

Current Number of Followers: 105.

What Made You Decide to Make a Tumblr: Curiosity.  I knew people on Livejournal were using it, so I had a peek.  Couldn’t really see the point at the time tbh, but I decided to give it a try and here I am still!

Won’t tag 20 - but I’d like to hear from: @vaguevagrant / @ministryoftruth @allmyinhibitions @deartruelovepsitsme @shotbungullets @silvestriste @thisyearsgirlxo @paganroots @jainz 

[allmyinhibitions]

[subtlechemistry]

Sara, Queen of Brits!

There were a few occasions back when I was a child that I pretended I was something other than English. I was American, German, even Cypriot at one stage. There was a sense of fun in this, setting myself a part with a claim to alternative heritage, even if it was a blatant lie. And yet I was fiercely proud to be English. I couldn’t bear to hear a bad word said against us. I was aware of our murky past - ahem, and present - but I also felt personally affronted if the country I called home was faced with criticism. Although this sense of pride has remained, it has been tested on countless occasions. It has been tinged with shame, and frequently topped up with the seemingly endless supply of negativity that flows from the English people themselves. A possible idea for a renewable resource, perhaps? There’s plenty on offer, showing no signs of shortage. It’s hardwired in our DNA, cynicism. This is something I love and loathe about us in equal measure. A few months ago now I decided to get my DNA tested. I was curious to know what it might reveal about my ancestry. It’s all estimated of course, cross-referenced against the DNA results of various groups of people across the globe. The results weren’t overly surprising. I’m 100% European, largely British. In fact, from the results it would seem that I am considerably more native than the average native, which is quite cool, and leads me to believe that I am eligible for queenship, almost certainly more so than the actual queen herself. Some day I might contend this, though I suspect I shan’t get far. The rest of me is Scandinavian, apparently. A smaller portion of my DNA shows signs of ancestry from the Iberian Peninsula region, as well as Italy and Greece. I’ve taken to watching episodes of 3rd Rock from the Sun most evenings as of late. I like it a lot. I like the way the characters, as aliens, are viewing our world with new eyes. Dick in particular is frequently filled with a sense of wonder for what he discovers. One I watched the other day was about his first encounter with American football and support for teams. At first he is sceptical. He views the game as pointless, and struggles to understand the passion it generates, in this instance for the football team representing the university he works for. They are reportedly known for losing a fair bit, yet the support and excitement is widespread. This is something he just cannot fathom. As it builds up to an important match, Dick himself is soon caught up in the excitement, openly taunting the opposite team and passionately rooting for his own. When the day of the match arrives, he even goes so far as to paint his face, hair, and torso in the team’s colours. This is when he realises just how powerful supporting a team can truly be, how infectious and stimulating. How necessary it is, almost, to the human condition to root for something, and how, when you collectively support something or someone, it can provide us with a sense of belonging. My reason for that tangent?  Countries are like teams - we have this desire to root for them, however flawed, however ridiculous, and however much they might disappoint us, that desire remains.

[Originally written and published on my Livejournal account, essiemartin.livejournal.com]

[forbronwen]

Hello, Bronwen! A birdy tells me you're not feeling so good, so I'm sending lots of get well wishes your way! :) Sara M xx

[subtlechemistry]

My great-grandmother was just 15 years old when Jack the Ripper stalked the streets of East London, living a few mere miles away from where it all took place! I wonder what that would have felt like for a young girl, having that terror lurking over you? I can only imagine! They weren’t to know that the Ripper was going to confine his/her killings to the East End, or indeed that only a certain sort of vulnerable woman would be targeted ... I would love to know her thoughts about it - or about anything at all, for that matter! .. Oh, if only!

[subtlechemistry]