(no subject)
Oooh, there's a big continental market on in town this weekend. It smells funny but is nice to wander around. They sell large German sausages and paella and weird bread and sweets and all that strange foreign tasty stuff. Lots of exotic accents milling about the place too, which makes a pleasant change from the usual Middlesbrough 'twang'.
I mooched around it after work and spent a bit too much money. I both love and hate payday. It's always a case of 'yay, money!' swiftly followed by 'meh, skintness'. However, I did get some bargains, so can't complain too much.
There was a lovely little Chinese stall with lots of pretty clothes, bags and jewellery. I bought two handbags, one a satchel style in red and black and the other a pretty little girly bag in black silk with red flowers on it. I was seriously tempted by a neon blue clutch bag with butterflies but I thought I'd be good so walked away. If Alex phones from work though, I seriously am going to send him to buy it. Two for a tenner, bargain! He's already bought me a silky purple scarf from there today though so he might put up a fight :( The scarf is gorgeous but I'm not sure what to do with it, will have to experiment.
I also bought some giant spicy garlic prawns and garlic potatoes for my dinner. They were nice but now I stink.
In other news, am going to a par-tay tonight. My cousin is 18 so it's a big family do. Anyone who knows my family will know what this involves and will understand my mixed feelings! It'll be fun, but I think I'll be pushed to last more than a couple of hours. I love my family to bits, but god, there's a lot of them and they are all incredibly loud with terrible taste in music. I think I will sneak out early and go to a late show of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
There are two arguments raging on my last post. One of them is just DaveH being a leg wiggler and provoking people into wiggling back, so that's not so bad, just strange. The second revolves around my little sisters attacking someone for saying that kids at gigs are a Bad Thing.
My sisters are 14 and 15 and have been to more gigs than the average roadie. They're level headed and pretty cool. They like live music and want to see as many gigs as they can. However, because of their age, they are viewed in certain ways by people who should really know better.
Despite how it may seem, not all teenagers at gigs are pissed up annoyances just there to be cool. Some of them are actually in it for the music, too. I mean, I get just as wound up as anyone else when I have to fall over piles of horny, drunk, collapsed teenagers at gigs but I'm not going to turn round and say they represent everyone under 18 and out for the night.
I'm sick of seeing kids like my sisters demonised for having a good time purely because of their age. People sneer at them or patronise them and presume they're just little wannabe attention seekers. Yes, there are those kids out there who are deserving of that kind of reputation but we've got to be careful not to judge them all by the same standards. Besides, there are just as many pissed up adults who are just as, if not more, annoying when in a social situation.
I'd much rather my sisters were at a gig someplace, watching a decent band and having a good time in a safe environment than be out on the streets drinking White Lightening and scaring old people. I wish more gigs were all age as I don't think anybody should be denied access to live music because they're not old enough.
If there is a problem, it lies with the irresponsible venues who insist on selling alcohol to kids who are clearly underage. There's a reason there's an age limit with alcohol, I reckon. Not so much for health reasons but to stop teenage melodrama escalating to a level that is intolerable to all around.
In summary, kids have a right to be at gigs no matter what their age or how annoying they are. Just take away the alcohol before the drama starts and it'll all be ok.
If you don't like kids at gigs, there are plenty of over 18 things going on but chances are, there are annoying people there too. At the end of the day, it's about attitude, not age.
Anyway, rant over!
Well done Miss Frin for being brave. I'll give you a sticker next time I see you.
Am off in the bath now, with my Lush goodies which make me smell of jelly and bubblegum.
PS. Above rant was in no way directed at Miss Kelly Horrocks, despite arising from her comments :P So, no paranoia please.