Keeping Going (It’s My Blog And I’ll Cry If I Want To)

I’m going to be honest: I am probably the least practical person that I know. I shun pragmaticism like it’s the flu, opting for the less attractive traits like ‘emotional’ and ‘irrational’.

It can’t have always been like this. Sure, I am not naturally sunny-side up. The quote I remember most from childhood is my Dad constantly saying ‘you never find a disappointed pessimist’. But still, I remember calling and emailing my parents when I decided on moving to Manchester and telling them that if they covered my rent for a month or so, I was bound to find a job soon enough.

Saying Goodbye To Your Student Years

There are some stages in your life that don’t need revisiting. For me, one of these is university. Don’t get me wrong, the three years I spent doing “not a lot” whilst I attempted to grow as a person were enjoyable enough, but I just can’t get behind those people who can’t let go of their late teenage years. At twenty-four, I can no longer get shit-faced and get up the next morning without complaint. I need a day to recover; sleeping for the majority of the afternoon in-between shaky trips to the kitchen sink for hydration and the bathroom for embarrassed evacuation. Being “hungover as fuck” doesn’t feel like the badge of honour it once was.

The Top 5 Most Interesting University Chancellors In The UK

So I’m still working under the umbrella of market research, spending my less-than-full-time hours building databases full of contacts that might one day like to work with us. It’s not so bad I guess, but sometimes it gets terribly boring; all that googling and copying and pasting. I don’t like feeling like a robot so occasionally I take time to read about what I’m researching, and last week that happened to be Chancellors and Pro-Vice Chancellors of universities. Most of them are pretty dull. These guys are my favourites.

My Application To The Big Society

Dear Mr Cameron,

I am writing to you to request permission to join your Big Society. I know this might seem pushy or out-of-sorts, but I hope I can convey my passion and interest through this letter.

Quiet Rooms

Some people spend their lives in hotels, jetting around on a jigsaw of airplane and train journeys en route to important meetings. Me, I’ve been visiting universities trying to get students to fill out a survey on their union and I’ve stayed in a hotel twice in two weeks. So obviously this is my blog about how I basically live in hotels now.

Girls On Film: Three Shows You’re Supposed To Relate To

There are three television shows airing at the moment, all with the word “girl” in the title. People are suddenly talking about “girls on television”, forgetting that we’ve had women-led programmes like Sex and the City and Buffy for years now. I read this article today and am falling in line to comment on what it means to suddenly have a swell of femininity broadcast into our living rooms.

REVIEW: Cabin In The Woods

“Whedonverse” is a term used to describe and encompass the many worlds and creations of sci-fi lord and master Joss Whedon. Long bandied around on message boards and webpages by a dedicated decade-long fanbase, this month it felt like the ‘verse is taking physical form as it finally slides into the mainstream.

I waited for Cabin In The Woods for years. Ever since I found out Joss Whedon was making a horror movie, my mind swam with theories and expectations of what such a creation would look like. As a die-hard Buffy fan (and Angel, Dollhouse and Firefly enthusiast) I was already biased. I knew I’d like Cabin In The Woods, but I didn’t realise that I had underestimated how amusing and genre-butt-kickingly triumphant the film would be.

Someone Still Loves You, Samantha Brick

Good on Samantha Brick. Despite receiving thousands of hateful comments about her article yesterday, she’s sticking to her guns. Good. I’m late to the party and I’m only just reading about this Twitterstorm of a story now, but I cannot believe the hate this woman is getting.

This isn’t about Samantha Brick thinking she’s beautiful. If she wants to think that, so be it. I don’t care, in fact I’m happy for her. For the majority of us, the thought of telling other people that we think we’re gorgeous is unimaginable. Bizarrely, in a materialistic world that promotes physical attractiveness we are not allowed to loudly appreciate ourselves. Immodesty is gross. Beauty is an aggressive priority but to admit it invites insult.

Half A Day In The Life Of Someone Without A Job

8AM: Wake up, but only because of someone else’s alarm. Snooze until you hear the door slam and then immediately feel guilty for being in bed.

8.15AM: Watch Judge Judy whilst applying for jobs. Fix your CV and submit to nine different jobs. Experience a mixture of hope and pre-emptive defeat.

Can My Cat Get A Job Before Me?

“It’s just luck.” I was told yesterday. You check the websites every day and fill out application forms for hours each week, but chances are even if you’re a qualified gold-star candidate getting a job comes down to luck. The luck of an interviewer picking up your CV and reading it before others’, your email landing in their inbox at exactly the moment someone decides to read some more CVs. Luck. The word makes me want to pull my hair out.