September

[1] Game of Thrones   [2] NaNoWriMo   [3] Jam Drops

It's almost that time of year again when I shut everything out and try and get 50,000 words out in a month. I thought I would actually be more prepared this time around and purchased Ready. Set. Novel! a while ago. I thought I would get bored of it if I'm going to be honest but the quirky little exercises have managed to keep my attention so far. It really is helping me to delve a lot deeper and flesh out scenarios that I wouldn't have bothered with before. Looking forward to, though also slightly dreading, NaNoWriMo this year - we'll just have to see how it goes. At least it'll keep me busy.

I finally got around to making Jam Drops last week! Finally! Ever since I saw Retro Mummy's recipe it's something I've been meaning to get around to. Mine might not have ended up as perfectly shaped as her's but they still tasted damn good; they barely lasted 48 hours in this house so I'll take that as a good sign. Thinking about making Brownie Cookies this afternoon, they looked bloody good last time, it's a shame I didn't get one.

'Some chick actually got you off hunting, huh? That's one rare creature. How did you meet this unicorn? You fell in love with a unicorn. It was beautiful, then sad, then sadder. I laughed, I cried, I puked in my mouth a little. And honestly, I kind of get it. Go. Save your brother... and my unicorn.' - Meg Masters

[1] ArdentArgent   [2] Halloween   [3] Castiel

I finally found a replacement ring that I absolutely love thanks to Etsy. It says 'HEY ASS BUTT!' on the inside - definitely perfect. I can't recommend this seller enough; considering all of the rings are made to order I still received it way before the estimated delivery date and it's such good quality. It would be nice to have Cas watching over me but I suppose this'll have to do until I find my Unicorn.

And on that note I really hope Meg comes back in Season 9. I would like to think she is in Purgatory just living it up with Benny, that would be a crazy friendship. Though my love of Meg is always then tainted by the fact that she was the one that killed Jo and Ellen. But then you have to look at the fact that she actually applied for the Nurse job to look after Cas - she was the only one that actually had patience with him as well. He saw her in her truest form and didn't care. Fangirling over.

I was torn between being Abaddon or Harley Quinn for Halloween but I finally decided on the latter. I can't wait. I've bought the costume and played around with makeup, I just can't wait. Any excuse for fancy dress and I'm in. Abaddon would have been fun to do but it was just too much faffing around with makeup... plus the top she wears I could only find for £20 so that wasn't going to happen; I refuse to spend that on a top that I'll only wear to cosplay her and cover in fake blood. I've wanted this Harley costume for an incredibly long time as well so I guess it did make sense to just go with that one seeing as I could actually kind of afford it right now.

I think Boondock Saints is what I need right now - a bit of Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Connolly and Norman Reedus always manages to cheer me up.

Big Kids

I'm currently panicking about an interview so I'm distracting myself with this instead. It's about time I posted again anyway. I would like to say I've been super busy over the past month but that would be a lie. I've barely had any overtime which has just been depressing as I'm trying to save as much as I can right now for Asylum 12 so for the most part I've been trying to resist buying rubbish (with the exception of Alton Towers, I put money aside for that). I'm a impulse buyer which is why my room is filled with so many trinkets and jewelry - I think I need to get on Ebay and start selling bits and bobs.

Went to Alton Towers with Amy and Toria on Tuesday. She had tickets for £10 each so it was such a cheap day out - any more money and I wouldn't have been willing to pay! It was such a fantastic day if you forget the few mishaps - ripped tights, lost sunglasses, a broken Iphone - I would definitely have loved to do another day of it. First time I've driven far on the motorway as well so I'm proud that I didn't panic too much!

I actually went on Nemesis and Air as well! Nemesis I may have screamed my lungs out all the way around on and Toria just laughed at me the whole time. I was shaking when I got off. Air however was fantastic, laughing the whole way around, I love that ride!

We had one voucher left on the fourphotographs for £25 card at the end of the day so we decided to go on The Flume again... I may have also suggested we buy props. We were wetting ourselves laughing. We got absolutely soaked just in time for the car ride home but it was so worth it. I just hope the people queuing didn't think we were mental when we went down the last drop with our swords lifted (not to mention the poor girl on the security cameras watching as we practiced on the first drop... We are adults, we swear...

Excitable!

[1] Watermelon   [2] Beach days   [3] Sunbathing

I'm absolutely loving this weather! I'm definitely happiest when it's beautiful and hot outside. It's been nice just being able to enjoy it to be honest - though my bank account won't be as happy come payday. And considering I've been sunbathing for what, two weeks straight? I've barely got a tan just very sore legs instead. Cleethorpes really is wonderful in this weather.

My original plan this month was to take part in Camp NaNoWriMo but that sort of belly-flopped after a couple of days. I managed 1,183 words and then just kind of fell headfirst into a fanfiction I had been writing. This is where Becki would slap me and tell me that I need to finish Ripper first but you know, sometimes you just have to give in to your obsessions. In the time that I haven't been dabbling in writing I really just have been spending as much time as I can outside. 'Outside?!' I here you scream, I know - I think I've spent more time outside this year than I have in the past five years combined.

In June and the beginning of July I bought myself two disposable cameras and thought I'd take part in the Indisposable Concept. The idea is to take photographs over the period of a week of the world around you and what is important to you. And well, if it involves film I'm sold to be honest so I had a go and it was fun.

 

I've got so much to actually look forward to this autumn/winter which I'm glad for. I hate the cold months, they always leave me feeling so down but now I have tickets to see two of my favourite bands which is fantastic. Seeing The Airborne Toxic Event and Jason Manford in October and then Imagine Dragons and Panic! At The Disco in November and Russell Howard at the beginning of 2014. I'm so excited it's unbelievable. Especially for Panic; I've been fangirling over them for God knows how many years. I'll even whip out the ancient band fanfiction I have from when I was like 13, 14 years old if you ask really nicely - it's moments like this that I realise how much of a hardcore teenager I was...


Currently watching: Re-watching Firefly
Currently looking forward to: The how-ever-many-of days of sunshine we have left
Currently in my car: A wonderful mixed CD

Sunshine!

[1] Uglies - Scott Westerfeld   [2] Lunch dates   [3] The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien

I've been reading quite a bit recently. I finally finished The Hobbit sometime at the beginning of the month. It was a good book and I understand that it is essentially a kids book but [spoiler] you would've thought there would've been a bit more emotion when a couple of the characters died... and the Battle of Five Armies could've been written a bit more indepth. I guess I was expecting too much even though I knew what it essentially was. It's like the first Harry Potter book, it's clearly written for children but the rest of the books seem to mature. Maybe I'm rambling gobbledegoop right now, who knows. 

I started Uglies by Scott Westerfeld on Monday and finished it today. Again it was an okay book that took me until the meeting of Shay to get into. It was an easy read and quite predictable at times. I did like Westerfeld's future that he'd created though; the way that the Rusties had basically killed themselves off was cleverly done and believable however I couldn't find myself believing the romance at all - it was just too convenient. Maybe I'm just cynical but it was just a bit... weird. That's the only word that I can think of to describe it without giving too much away. I'll be reading the sequels at some point but I don't think I'll be rushing out to buy them tomorrow even though I am curious of what is to happen. I've got enough books to read as it is right now so one day I may buy Pretties and Specials but probably not anytime soon.

Definitely glad to be having more time off of my laptop and the sun has been shining the past few days so it's been nice just laying in the garden reading. 

[1] Hookah Pipe   [2] Applebys   [3] Sunshine!

Becki and I were saying to mum the other week how she's never actually had the water pipe out that we bought her for Christmas from Turkey - keep in mind how much she had said that she had wanted one so we snuck around and bought one whilst on holiday... that was two years ago. It was finally brought out at our nagging and we immediately broke it. Typical. Dad managed to get it back together after forty minutes of angry grunts whilst poking it with pliers. I'm glad that we have finally used it though. The tobacco free stuff we had smelt absolutely awful when we first got it out - keep in mind that it had been in the wardrobe for two years - but it smelt a little bit better when we put it in the little dish and it tasted alright so that's what matters I suppose! It was a fun experience though and nice to just chat around the table having a play with it after Sunday tea. Don't worry, we did have the door open right next to the table... we're not that silly.

The first day I proper sunshine I personally witnessed was the day Amy, Toria and I went to Applebys. It was absolutely gorgeous and well, nothing beats a girly chat, sunshine and the best mint choc chip icecream in the area. I would say the UK but I'd probably be lying... 

Currently watching: The Lord of The Rings
Currently looking forward to: Camp NaNoWriMo
Currently in my car: Fall Out Boy - Save Rock and Roll

Passion

We're six months into the year already and it's only just beginning to warm up. I wish Summer lasted longer, I hate the cold dreary weather and how it's dark at 5pm - it's just truly miserable and it makes me miserable in effect.

I want to start setting myself a daily word goal - one where it doesn't matter if it's fiction, a blog or a rant that I'm writing about. I need to set myself targets and then improve on them weekly and try and get myself into the habit of writing everyday even on those days that I'm fighting against a blockade. I want to focus on reading more and actually writing in notebooks again - sure it's a nightmare when it comes to editing but even if I just set a notebook aside specifically for 'Ripper' I'll get more out. I have ideas but right now they don't want to make that leap onto the screen. Also I need to overcome my fear of writing in front of others - if I'm in the mood just whip out a notebook whilst on lunch at work, why waste time that I could be jotting down, even if it's just notes of what is in my head.

I feel like I've passed the point of being able to write about my birthday. Dale took me away in short, the hotel was absolutely stunning and we had a lovely few days. I had the photographs developed a couple of days ago; using film will never grow old, I absolutely love it. I do wish I still had the use of a dark room though.

Regress

'That's how it is on this bitch of an Earth.' 

Samuel Beckett

I don't really know where to start; I know what I want to write but I feel discouraged. Though really, who reads this anyway? For sure, I'm not certain - all I have is statistics not names.

I feel tired. Tired of my job, of what I'm doing with myself, of my appearance, of people. I'm in one of those mindsets were I just want to sit down and drown myself in fictional writings but I can't - I don't seem to have the time nor the effort to actually do it. The last couple of days I have written ten thousand words for some little fun piece but now I can't bring myself to carry on even though I was addicted two days ago. I'm ill and it's just sucking the life out of me even more than usual. Tonight I got home with the intention of writing but time has just flown by and now I know I need to sleep soon if I'm going to be remotely anything like a nice person in the morning.

This was going to be all about my birthday and such things that have happened but I'm knackered now that it's come to it! I'm miserable and feeling sorry for myself so it can wait.

Currently watching: The Boondock Saints
Currently looking forward to: Payday... which is tomorrow! Yes!
Currently in my car: Green Day - International Superhits!, Green Day - American Idiot, Panic! At The Disco - A Fever You Can't Sweat Out. Currently trying to trick myself into thinking I'm not 20 but 13 again!

April

The past couple of weeks haven't been too exciting. I've been working on and off mostly whilst fangirling, sleeping and writing in any spare time that I have had. I'm just looking forward to the upcoming weeks and everything that is planned for them, it should keep me busy for the most part! At least the weather is finally warming up in England - I've actually been able to put away my thick scarf though I probably shouldn't speak too soon.

I feel like a cat recently, I just want to sleep all of the time. Haven't been feeling fantastic recently but I've had some wonderful people to chat to, distracting me with their crazy conversations. Started to get back into healthy eating again now though - it's only taken since Christmas for me to get my act together! I had been feeling absolutely rubbish and Becki suggested it could be a lack of iron in my diet. Being vegetarian I tend not to get it as regularly as others do and especially since the kitchen was being done and we had no cooker or hob I was just eating crap really. Feeling better already now though - I'd forgotten how much I love pistachios as well, it's just a shame how expensive they can be.

[1] Squirrel   [2] HairynScary   [3] Love Bird

Whipped out my sketch book and (literally) dusted it off last week. It felt so good getting my inks out and playing again. That's one of the things I've missed about college, just experimenting. I finally played with the set that Dale got me Christmas and had a go with the silver and gold. Winsor & Newton make such fantastic inks, I love them and can't fault them at all. I'm really proud of the squirrel, the love bird not so much but I still like it. I may have also given in to buying another one of Jake Schroeder's prints on Etsy called 'Sweet View 4.0'. It goes with my previous hot air balloon purchase from him and I just loved that one so much that I just couldn't resist. This ones smaller so I think they'll look quite nice on the wall together.

Currently watching: The Walking Dead
Currently looking forward to: Dale's Nanna's wedding, my birthday, BBQs
Currently in my car: Two Biffy Clyro albums and the following mixed CD;

Adventure Time - BriBry
I Knew You Were Trouble - Taylor Swift
Gasoline - The Airborne Toxic Event
Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men
Born On A Horse - Biffy Clyro
My Moves Are White (White Hot, That Is) - Cobra Starship
The City Is At War - Cobra Starship
Safe & Sound - Taylor Swift
Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye
Move Along - The All-American Rejects
I Know What I Am - Band of Skulls
Backstabber - The Dresden Dolls
Many Of Horror - Biffy Clyro