Good bye my silver-gloved friend

I was at Gwyneth Herbert's CD launch (it's amazing by the way - you should buy it now on www.gwynethherbert.com), when someone came up to me and said "Michael Jackson's dead." I was too shocked to believe it could be true. We both said, we'll wait until it's confirmed. It must be a cruel joke.

But it wasn't.

It's not the man now that I mourn for, but the boy who sang a love song to his frog. As a 6-year old music video addict, I watched countless MJ videos. I had a stylish shirt with that man and his silver glove. I wanted a flat cap when he dueted with McCartney. I even had a Thriller slide for my view finder.

I feel like I lost a friend. A touch of my childhood. Goodbye Micheal Jackson. I hope your duet with Presley is as good as I think it would be.

Many names, one me

Today I found out via my friend Becky that Ling is another word for the Heather plant. She has then asserted that means I should now be known as Ling. So I was curious about what other names could be related to mine. First off the girl's name Heather \he(a)-ther\ is pronounced HEH-ther. It is of Middle English origin. Flower name: an evergreen flowering plant that thrives on peaty barren lands, as in Scotland. Has an upper-class aura. Actress Heather Locklear. Heather has 2 variant forms: Heath and Hether.

Now there are three other names that also mean Heather that I didn't know about. The girl's name Hadley \ha(d)-ley\, also used as boy's name Hadley, is pronounced HAD-lee. It is of Old English origin, and its meaning is "heather meadow". Name of Ernest Hemingway's first wife. Hadley has 8 variant forms: Hadlea, Hadleigh, Hadly, Hedlea, Hedleigh, Hedley, Hedlie and Hedly.

The girl's name Erica \e-ri-ca\ is pronounced AIR-a-ka. It is of Old Norse origin, and its meaning is "forever or alone, ruler". Feminine form of Eric. Scandinavian name revived in the 19th century. The Latin word "erica" means "the heather plant". Writer Erica Jong; singer Rickie Lee Jones; actresses Ricki Lake, Erika Christensen; singer Erykah Badu. Erica has 28 variant forms: Aerica, Aericka, Airica, Airicka, Airika, Arica, Arika, Enrica, Enrika, Eraca, Ericka, Erika, Erike, Erricka, Erikka, Eryca, Erycka, Eryka, Eyrica, Rickee, Ricki, Rickie, Ricky, Rikke, Rikki, Rikky, Sherica and Terica.

The girl's name Brier \b-rier\ is of French origin, and its meaning is "heather". Uncommon botanical name. The English word also describes a wild rose with small, prickly thorns. Brier has 1 variant form: Briar.

Hmmm. Brier, Erica, Hadley...maybe those will be the names of my children. Or my cats. I’m vain that way.

Night to dawn

As dawn hits, I feel suddenly awake. It barely feels like night has come before the night is gone. Tonight was a random night - I like randomness. It's a gamble. Trekking halfway across London can result in hours of wasted time for little reward. Tonight could have ended that way. Left a house party of strangers to go to a Kareoke fundraiser piss up with licencing till 2. Got there to find it's now closing at 1 and it's 12:15.

As a pair totter off to a drug induced techo dance haze, I end up with a group of friends who got there as randomly as I have. I love old friends as much as I love other people's families - their interactions facinate me. Maybe make me miss my own a little more but I love them none the less. It's the inside jokes and quick fire banter. The ease of conversation. The quick looks that say everything. The worry when someone is millimetres off their normal selves.

I don't know if I'll ever see them again but if I do, I'll be another privy to inside moments - tea shots, Bendana, the pendulum-free clock sold for a dime. Or at least I hope this night will infiltrate their langauge like it will do mine.