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by yablon | January 10, 2015

refusing to resolve

Can I crawl out from under my rock? Have you all stopped yapping on about your dreary New Year’s resolutions? Or have I been hiding so long that you’ve already starting breaking them?

Let me tell you a secret: a resolution is the surest way to fail at whatever it is you are desperately trying hard to resolve. All those being ‘mindful’ while they juice like a ‘new year ninja’ are just setting themselves up to fail at the first hurdle (month) of the year.

Instead, I’m offering challenges for 2015. Mark Zuckerberg (aside from running the world’s largest social network) is challenging himself to read a new book every other week for the next 12 months. And we’re not talking Judy Blume here. Certainly not, each book chosen will have an emphasis on learning about different cultures, belief and histories. This man is even more of a rock star than I ever imagined.

And, just to clarify, none of my challenges will involve kale, liquid lunches or abstinence of any kind. So although I might try to eat less bread and butter, my instructions-to-self absolutely won’t be enforced in any way.

Infact, I’m challenging myself NOT to resolve this year. Other than trying to be less sensitive and to procrastinate a little more, I’m ready to coast vow-free and utterly flawed into the new year.

This column first appeared in The Lady where I am their Mum About Town.

at the end of our rainbows…

It’s New Year’s Eve (again) and I’m wondering how to sign off the year. It’s my favourite post of the year and yet the hardest to write.

My immediate thoughts turn to what we want, what we have and what we are striving for. Of course, we all have FAR too much but always tend to want more. And just occasionally I wonder – what is this all for?

So, about last week I started to think about rainbows, the colourful archway into a new world (or year) and that legendary pot of gold? Apparently right there at the end of the rainbow sits a leprechaun, hammering on a shoe, who will reveal the whereabouts of said gold but I’m honestly not convinced. As with most of my theories, I like to imagine a little more.

I mean, what is the relevance of the little multi-coloured streak of light that brightens darkly-covered skies? And what would I hope to find? On my list would absolutely be a Time-Go-Slow machine as I am a little disturbed as to why it always seems to be a new week, month or year. (How on earth I am 43 years old is simply beyond me.) But, instead of self-reflecting too much, I wondered what others hoped for and picked on some of my 2014 heroes to elaborate further as to what lies at the end of their rainbows…

Bryony from In Clover magazine tells me ‘a copy of Volume Two of In Clover along with a stack of old books and freshly brewed tea at my kitchen table.’ Stylonylon’s Julia lists ‘a published version of my YA fiction, a beautiful blog re-design, white floorboards, a tuneful piano, yoga-toned limbs, a 60mm macro-lens and a mini-me no.2! Plus hours, lots more hours in the day… Amanda from The Contented Lady mentions ‘George Clooney having got over his taste for the Middle East plus a giant never-ending supply of rose and violet creams.’ PUSH PR‘s Emma explains ‘at the end of my rainbow lies strength, unconditional love and no regrets.’ Clare of Clare Walsh Photography quickly responds: ‘waking up with no alarm, the magic hour, my own garden and village where everyone I know lives.’ Sunuva’s Emily comments ‘my kids and husband on a tropical beach while the sun is setting on a paddle board plus a Campari soda with a squeeze of orange…’ Liz from A Beautiful World can’t wait to inform me that ‘it’s a beautiful place, all pink, filled with friends, husband and let’s throw in a puppy for good measure, oh and that AMAZING Hermione de Paula dress. It’s a place that’s exciting, inspiring, and everyone who arrives, leaves feeling like they can rule the world….can I go there now please?’

Symbolically the rainbow is a sign of hope and optimism but perhaps the most poignant thought around our rainbow dreams is that there is – of course – nothing there. So don’t wait for the leprechaun’s directions but instead seize this new year, my friends, dream BIG and bring forward all those wishes to make them a reality. (A pot of gold would never really make you happy anyway.)

Wishing you ALL a magically Happy New Year from me at Life of Yablon. xxx

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by yablon | December 30, 2014

Serial

Are you hooked to Serial? Do you even know what it is?

Well, this is ALL I have been asking everyone who’ll listen over the last couple of weeks. I’ll give you a clue – it’s not on TV. But it does have more than 5 million listeners on iTunes. It’s a real MURDER investigation… released in weekly podcasts (12 installments in total) from the team at This American Life led by Sarah Koenig. And she is the key here – the super talented journalist/producer and draws us into this rather complicated 1999 Baltimore crime scene from the very first episode.

In short, high school student Hae Min Lee went missing and her strangled body was found in Leakin Park a few weeks later. Her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, was charged with her murder, convicted and sent to prison for life plus 30 years. But… he has always protested his innocence, the facts are shady and Koenig won’t let it lie.

I strongly advise you to download it now. I won’t publish any spoilers but just to say it has slightly blown my mind for the following reasons:

I had always thought that innocent and guilty were two very distinct camps. Swinging from one possible culprit to another as each episode provides additional information, I wondered how on earth those 1999 legal teams could have done such a sloppy job all those years ago. (and how often this perhaps happens in other inquries when the investigative team are keen to put the case to bed.)

Syed is a curious character which shrouds him in a vale of negativity. Koenig spends hours on the phone to him trying to make sense of his lack of memory and honesty. But then he has spent the last 15 years locked up, which may explain his control, hyperawareness and complacent manner. Most of my addiction to this serialisation is centred around this man and his motivations.

Serial manages to humanize the investigation behind this murder. How messy it all is. How easily someone innocent could be charged, simple for the sake of allocating blame or just because his time is unaccounted for.

And how thrilling and juicy a murder case can sound but – in reality – how desperately awful and scary (and expensive) it must prove.

This is a true story littered with time lines, phone records, alibies and evidence. It will test your listening skills, analytical aptitude and leave you wanting more, more, more.

Let me know when you’ve completed the 12^th episode so that we can continue discussions while waiting for Koenig’s second season.

fresh fish

Full apologies for the lack of blog posts but – like many of you – I have well and truly switched off for the end of year festivities. Those of you following my instagram feed will notice that we are hiding on the island of Longboat Key, just off Sarasota mainland, Florida.

With Yablon family (not all – weep weep) in tow and friends within arm’s reach, I have been relishing some REAL downtime with Him and the Smalls.

This morning I sprung out of bed obsessed with the idea that the Smalls needed to meet a fisherman, choose some fresh fish and hurry back to cook it. In short, a process that doesn’t include packaging, freezing, refrigerating… nor my friends at Ocado.

Cortez is one of the last remaining fishing villages on Florida’s southwest Gulf coast and only a 20-minute drive from where we’re based. Lord and Lady Y were more than happy to explore this fishing settlement (which dates back to 1890) and so I dragged those Smalls away from the pool before they had time to dive in.

The fish houses that date to the original founding families of this village still sell fresh grouper and shrimp to restaurants in the area. And, from what I read, all those original families still have representatives in the fishing business.

Randy, the fisherman

As we wandered around we met Randy, the fisherman who, having been out at sea since before dawn, was sorting his freshly caught mullet by gender.

We bought our lunch from Star Fish Company, which first opened its doors in the early 1920s. Two large grouper fillets speedily made their way into our kitchen and all of us agreed it was the freshest, most delicious fish we had EVER tasted!

These photographs (and those recently uploaded onto my instagram feed) were taken on the Olympus Pen E-P5 which I was generously loaned for our trip. My full review of the camera will appear when I am back in the UK.

lifeofyablon.com

refusing to resolve

at the end of our rainbows…

Serial

fresh fish

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