i was lucky enough to get tickets to see stereophonics on friday night - made a million times better by the fact that they were playing bristol… something that never happens. you see, bristol is a thriving city with an active music scene and yet still no decent gig venue… but i diverse…

here’s a clippet from the gig, i really hope that you enjoy!

if you get a chance, they’re well worth checking out live… a night that i’ll never forget

i thought that i’d break away from the posts you normally get from me, which tend to involve the loss of a mobile phone, the breaking of bones and the general embarrassment of being me. instead, there’s been a flurry of really cool websites recently, so i thought that i’d share some of my favorites with you.

for those who don’t live in my bubble, my favorite site, without doubt is twitter. depending on where you are and who you know that uses it, your experience of twitter can be very different, but for me it acts as a great tool for communicating with friends all over the world in a simple effective manner. if you want to see a more eloquent description, check out wtfistwitter.com. having said this, a number of my friends have now worked out it’s a good way of checking up on me - so don’t say i didn’t warn you!

if you love twitter, the chances are that you’ll also love these other sites…

• tweetscan.com - this is a great way of tracking any tweets that contain keywords or usernames that you specify

• quotably.com - a tool for tracking conversations revolving around tweets from or in response to usernames of your choice

• twittershare.com - a desktop widget that allows you to share files, music and video with your friends on twitter

• tweetburner.com - allows you to keep track of what happens to the links in tweets shared with you, by you, friends etc

• botanicalls.com - twitter put to a practical use - those poor plants will no longer feel neglected when you spend so much time at your computer!

here’s a random selection of some other sites i love (and when i say random, i mean random!)…

• sxswscurvy.com - following the flu epidemic at sxsw, this was enough to put a smile back on my face - there’s something about not suffering alone that makes me feel better - selfish i know

• postsecret.com - after the moving presentation by frank warren at sxsw, i’ve fallen in love with this site - it really makes you grateful for what you have in your life

• a.viary.com - quite possibly the most beautiful design tool i’ve seen to date

• http://producten.hema.nl - a really random site whose design never fails to make me smile

ok, random post complete, i hope there’s something new in there for you to discover. i’d love to hear from you with any sites that you’d recommend…

happy easter!

having chatted with a friend at the weekend after a number of drinks, the usual chestnut otherwise known as the super power conversation arose…. so this leads me to ask if you could have any super power, like ANY super power in the world, what would it be?

for me, the simple answer is that it would be to see into the future so that i could prepare for situations and always make the right choices. don’t get me wrong, i don’t believe in regrets and all situations are learning curves. However, if we applied this super power to the miami sleazy 65 year old guy telling me his wife was into open relationships, i could have avoided that bar at all costs… just a thought!!!

it was argued that perfect timing would actually beat this super power, but i beg to differ. so go on, do share… what would be yours?

happy monday x

i know i’m rather masculine (yeah right) but i’ve never understood why when i meet people for the first time, they’re surprised that i’m a girl. in uk it’s not as if mel is ever used for guys - however i don’t think that’s the case in the states. so now i’m walking around town with a guy’s name - great! it’s not even as though i can use my full name as i can’t pronounce melanie without sounding stupid and feeling like i’m in trouble with my mum.

to make matters worse, apparently i share my name with a drive in. i wanted to be incredibly touristy and get one of their t-shirts but they all said “why not drive into mel’s?” and i don’t know why but that kind of makes me feel dirty and want a shower…

so no random stories today (if i’m honest i’ve got a bit of a hangover and can’t remember all of the things that have happened - there are quite a few, trust me) but i’m having birthday celebrations tonight, so watch this space!

m x

p.s. thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes, although you may want to take note that by finishing your email telling me i’m now officially old makes me cry, every time, without fail.

p.p.s. not sure if you saw my post where i said that i have the face of an angel, but if you did, i totally revoke that statement as the people at heathrow would appear not to agree - i was searched 3 times on the way out - seriously have you ever heard of anyone using mascara to harm anyone?