h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Today I overslept - that's the second time this week. I have set my phone to go off at just before 6 am with the opening riff to "Johnny B Goode" - I don't know how I manage to not hear that! I also sometimes use the opening riff to Gary Moore's Walking by Myself which is just as loud.

Anyway - back to the project I started a while back. Getting rid of old magazines. Today I am checking through New Woman from October 2003. The one with Billie Piper on the front in a very revealing dress. Well, you can hardly call it a dress really.

She is apparently also featured inside, talking about her sex life with Chris Evans who she was married to at the time. I can't think why. He's too mad about cars, isn't he?

So, let's leaf through these glossy pages and see what other nostalgic gems we can find. I hope you can bear all the celebrity talk:

- a picture of Atomic Kitten with their likenesses in Lego

- overknee boots with impossibly high heels and belts studded with rivets and eyelets are the thing for the coming autumn

- the Beckhams are moving from Manchester to Madrid

- The slimming page informs us that Ready Brek only has 3g of fat per portion and 142 Calories

- I can't believe that they recommend heels, skirts and boob tubes for a first date

- And "Clutch bags are this season's Must-Have" this is a back to the 50s campaign where women need someone to do everything for them. If you've got one of those silly clutch bags in your hand or under your arm, you are inhibited as soon as you get your first bag of shopping. Then try to hop on a bus - . A woman with only 2 hands is handicapped enough - why make it worse?

- Whilst in London, Sharon Stone spend 1500 pounds on a manicure? She is also tipped to play Hilary Clinton in a film. Did she ever do that?

- the latest in mobile phones is the Samsung P400. This was that short spell where it was fashionable to have phones that folded up like a compact - remember those?

- Sarah Jessica Parker was 38 then - that means she's 50 now!

- Pictures of celebs wearing very short skirts -OK! - and dresses with loads of what I would call volants (like in the 20s or the 60s) - not OK! - and carrying huge bags. Renee Zellweger before her terrible op, but it's still a very unflattering photo. Then there's a page where they're all wearing jeans. With flares!

- Heath Ledger is still alive and being feted by the girls

- "Down With Love" - the brilliant new film starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor (never heard of it!). At least it's a better picture of Renee.

- Kate Moss still advertising Rimmel.

I'm only half way through. I don't know if I can stand it, but I'll finish this tomorrow. Lunch break is over.

"I can't believe that they recommend heels, skirts and boob tubes for a first date..."

I'm sure 2Legs would differ.

I love these journals.

What would make them better would be scanned copies of the magazines so we could look at them ourselves

Deb

Chris Evans?

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0262635/?ref_=nv_sr_1

[I know there are other Chris Evanses in the world, but this is the first Chris Evans that comes up when I search at imdb. But apparently not the husband of the lady in question....]

[Amy P]

Good Lord, no! This Chris Evans:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00ztd6t/p00ztdp3

Deb - I'm sure everyone would find different things to mention if they leafed through these old magazines, and I am sorry, too, that I haven't scanned them. But that really would be too much effort, and I am trying to de-clutter, so I am ruthlessly throwing them out!

My phone alarm is a horrendously loud klaxon. It's the sort of noise you see in a movie when a nuclear power plant is about to explode, or someone is breaking into or out of a top security military facility.

And still, you'd be amazed how often I'm completely oblivious to it going off in the morning.

Actually if you're one of the ones who's met me, and kipped in the same place as me when we have to get up early the next morning, you might not be *that* amazed.

Sorry, TC, I should have stuck a in my previous post. I didn't really expect you to scan them

Deb

Every now and then I catch a bit of him presenting 'TFI Friday' - that's a real blast from the past...

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