Home is Wherever I'm With You

This week is reading week. 

That means I have a lot of work to do and a week off university to do it in. And that's all well and good, except... I've come home. 

The call of Devon was far too strong and the offer of a free lift meant that I packed my little bag and came back to Devon for the week. I was supposed to be here until Monday... and then I extended it until Wednesday... and now I'm thinking I may stay here until Saturday. The thing is, although I know I should be doing more work than I am (I'm fooling myself that my open Word document is actually being used) but the lure of Devon life is a little too much. 

And so here is my top 3 things that I love about coming home. 

You're welcome, goddammit. 

1. The Calm 

For those of you who don't know, Devon is pretty much one large field. We have farms and we have country roads and we have cows. But you can't deny that it is beautiful. It's a place where nothing really goes on and it had absolutely nothing to offer young people but a terrible bus service, but it's bloody pretty. I never really realise how busy Bournemouth is until I come back home and I don't really think that I need that slow pace of life until I'm back here. It's safe to say I am a country girl through and through and the moment I see that 'Welcome to Devon' sign, I feel myself relaxing. Clique, right? Mhm. 

If you want a takeaway here, you have all of one option. If you want to catch a bus after 5pm, you can't. If you want to go to a club, that will be a 45 minute train ride. But you can go for as many country walks as you want! Hurrah! 

It's a slow life, but who doesn't need to just slow down and breathe sometimes? 

2. The Food 

My mum was never really one to have the cupboards piled high with sweets and goodies, but since I've moved to uni she's started having little treats absolutely everywhere. And it's like she wants me to eat them all. Every day is full of 'oh there's some milky ways in the kitchen' or 'I brought you some crisps' and boy is it delightful. I'm not one who eats 24/7 or anything, but when you're being told there is a kitchen full of everything you like? Yeah, I can get into that! 

Also, evening meals. Now, I love to cook and I do a lot of it in Bournemouth. I do nearly everything from scratch and I do really enjoy it, but there's nothing like home cooking! My mum is a brilliant cook and to have meals made for you which you don't have to pay for is simply heaven. I am fully aware that I am saying the exact same thing as every other student ever, but it is so true! When you're told that the highlight of your year is going to be when you're taken food shopping, you roll your eyes and nod and think that student life isn't really like that. It is, my friends. It really is. But no matter how much you enjoy the food shop, you'll enjoy the home cooking more. 

Delicious. 

3. Of course, the parents. 

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Tis true. 

Both my mum and dad are amazing. I really don't think I have to explain why seeing my 'rents is the best thing in the world. They may nag me that I should be doing work and they may buy the hell out of me by asking if I'm going out every. single. night but you know what? I'll let them off. 

My dad is my partner in snacks. We demolish bags of crisps and watch copious amounts of tv together. It's fantastic. I have to tell him every five seconds to stop jiggling his leg up and down because it drives me crazy and he apologises like it's the first time I've said it. But it's our thing. There is nothing he wouldn't do for me and to me, he keeps the world spinning. 

And of course, I absolutely love my mum. She's an incredible woman and my inspiration (yup, I said it) but we argued a lot when I was living at home. I don't think that's uncommon. Living away has made the time that I spend with my mum that little bit extra special. I feel like I have barely seen her at all this year, what with being away the entire summer, and so being able to come home and just chill around the house is awesome. At the risk of sounding the a complete sap, even making a cup of tea for her is pretty cool. I don't know how much I miss her until I know that I'll be coming home and then I need to see her then and there and it absolutely sucks to have to wait those extra couple of days.

I know this isn't exactly a revolutionary post. I will certainly win no awards for reporting. But that's okay because I'm home and I'm enjoying every second of it.

M x 

I Have Hope.

Wednesday. Ahhh, Wednesday. A day when I can drink copious amounts of tea and coffee, watch back to back episodes of RuPaul's Drag Race and not have a care in the world about my make-up free face. 

Boy, do I love Wednesdays. 

That is until I heard the words "Guys! We have a guest lecturer coming!". 

Now, don't get me wrong. I fully appreciate that very busy people are giving up their time to talk to us and they always turn out to be worthwhile and inspiring, but..... my lie in! My pyjamas!

So there I was, mustering up enthusiasm for a two hour guest lecture on my day off. Three guys are waiting to talk to us and I'm nursing my precious £2.30 Costa coffee.

Go on then, I think. Impress.  

And they really do. 

Over the next two hours, the three of them managed to give me hope that one day, I can be successful. They reaffirmed to public relations is an industry that is ever changing and needs people who can keep up. There is no one 'type' that they need - it really does take all sorts and if you have the determination and the drive, you can do it. 

I can do it. 

Tom Cheesewright, Richard Fogg and Samuel Hall were incredibly engaging and inspiring talkers. As three men, two of which are graduates of the BU PR course, who have achieved so much, we were all extremely privileged to hear their thoughts on the industry and receive some stellar advice. 

The main thing that I took away from all three speakers is that networking is crucial. There is no getting away from the fact that the phrase "it's not what you know, it's who you know" really does have some meaning behind it. If you don't work your ass off at getting to know people and getting yourself out there, you're going to find your job bloody difficult! There is always going to be an element of skill and knowledge, but that's not going to get you anywhere if you don't have the personality to match it. 

They mentioned that there is never any 'stalking' when it comes to PR. You can nag a person, you can like every single one of their tweets, you can interact with them for 6 months. Bug the hell out of them because you're not stalking, you're networking. Ha. They're all going to regret saying that.... 

 

I managed to have a quick chat with Tom after the session and it really hit home that BU provide us with some amazing guest lecturers. He told us a small amount about a couple of jobs he has going on at the moment and all I can say is... wow. The fact Hilary managed to get not one, not two, but three speakers for us that are so inspiring is beyond belief and it makes me so glad that I chose BU as my uni. There is nowhere else that could possibly set us up for a career in PR like BU do.

The #BUPride is strong over here. Can you feel it? 

I'd like to give one more huge 'thanks' to Tom, Sam and Richard for being so generous with their time. For those of you who know me, you may know my love of PR was waning a little and they have completely reignited it.

I can tell you right now, it's a bloody good feeling. 

So yes, my lazy Wednesday plans were shattered but hell, it was worth it. And besides... there's always next week! 

Until next time! 

M x  

A Blogger Without the Internet? Oh, My.

I, Megan Ruddy, am addicted to the internet. 

Once I finish a TV series on Netflix, I feel empty. I check Facebook before I go to bed and I check Instagram as soon as I wake up. If I'm in an awkward situation, I'm one of those who mindlessly looks through Twitter and I stay awake too late because BuzzFeed has pulled me into a list of the top 50 cat GIFs. 

I can't help it. 

Now, I know you don't want to know what I had for breakfast (nothing) or what film I'm currently watching (Pretty Woman), but I am a part of Generation Z and we are the generation of the Internet. There is nothing that we don't write about. We post about what we love and what we hate and every single detail in between. We know we seem absent and we hear the complaints about us 'always being on our phones' but you know what? The internet is here to stay folks and it's only going to get worse so you may as well embrace it.

I'm sure you're aware that the new term of university has officially started. I'm all moved into my new house with my new house mates and everything is going swimmingly. We've changed our address on everything that we have needed to and bills are slowly falling through the door. Splendid. We have a coffee machine, Sky TV, new beds and more Ikea candles than any house could ever need. 

 The one thing that we have been missing for four weeks? (This is where you might spot a theme).

Yup. The Internet. 

What we originally thought was going to be a ten day wait turned into three weeks and holy moses, it was a loooooooooong three weeks. 

But ... not as long as I thought it would be. 

The funny thing about having no internet is that you're forced to converse with the people that you are living with. As they say, 'the art of conversation is, like, dead and stuff' and it's strange to be suddenly without the lifeline that we are all so used to having. To actually sit in a room and talk to people without them checking their phones, without someone tapping a laptop, without any notifications or tweets or facebook chats. To play games and watch movies without any distractions. It is a wonderful thing.

We managed to get a TV and together, we have watched more Sex and the City than anyone should ever watch in 3 weeks but it was the only boxset that we had and we bloody well enjoyed it. We came up with random stories and made weird plans that have lead to some bloody good memories and I think that it has really helped us bond as a house. 

But it has also been an absolute pain in the arse. 

It's stopped us from being able to do our work or looking up information when we have needed it. You don't realise how much you rely on the world wide web until you don't have it. The amount of times I've heard 'Oh, I'll just look it up. Damn, I can't' is unbelievable. We're a generation that cannot live without our connection and maybe that's not a bad thing.

You can say that we're too reliant on the internet and our attention span is shorter than it has ever been before. We're absent from the here and now. We expect everything to be a google away. 

But we also build relationships that would never have been built before. There is information at our fingertips that allows us to learn and develop and become more understanding. 

There are, as with everything, pros and cons to being in a time that is so dedicated to something which you can't even really see and there is no denying it's nice to have it back. But I'm pretty certain that I'm going to miss the times we spent just chilling out and watching TV together without being connected to anyone on the outside of our little bubble. 

Sometimes it's just nice to disconnect. 

M x 

Twist really is the New Twerk

Nowadays, there seems to be nothing more admired and sought after than the past. Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr... you don't have to look too far or too hard for a #vintage or #retro. We all want the romance of the past but we just can't get it. Why? Because we're not in the past. We're right here right now. Fashion has changed. Technology has changed. Music has changed.

Or has it? 

For those of you who haven't heard of a band called Postmodern Jukebox, you're missing out. Big time. The concept is simple; take modern songs and redo them with a retro twist. They do everything from Nickleback in Motown style to Iggy Azaleas Fancy in a 20s swing style. It shouldn't work but it really, really does. Founder Scott Bradlee, who also plays the keyboard and guitar in the band, is a genius. Well done, Sir. 

I love listening to PMJ, especially on a Saturday morning whilst making breakfast with my sister. And you won't believe how much it improves the bedroom cleaning process. But when one of my good friends, Tim, asked me if I wanted to go and see them live, I'm not going to lie. I was dubious. I loved the band and listened to them incessantly, but the show was in Camden, I was beyond poor and I wasn't really sure that - dare I say it? - they would be a good band to see live. Quite a few of their numbers are kinda slow and although they have a huge niche fan base, I wasn't sure if the crowd would really be my kind of thing. But Tim, being the trooper that he is, had promised to come and see a Drag show with and so I figured that I owed him one. And what could be the worse thing to happen? I wouldn't have a good time. Whatever. So we brought our tickets, booked a hostel for the night and soon we were getting the coach up to London. 

After a couple of quick drinks at a (really bloody expensive) Wetherspoons, we made our way to Dingwalls, the venue. It turns out that PMJ had actually had such a high demand that they had played another show immediately before the one we were going to see and had allowed themselves a 20 minute or so break. Amazing. One of the band members was outside getting some air and chatting happily to a couple of the fans, calling one over by name which she seemed thrilled about. A lot of people were dressed up in 20s or 50s grab and there was a really cheery atmosphere. Okay, so maybe this wasn't going to be so bad. 

Tim and I managed to get to the very front of the stage (yay) and as soon as the band came on, I knew that it was going to be absolutely amazing. The entire band were so in synch and the singers voices were to die for. The three girls singing, Robyn Adele Anderson, Ashley Stroud and Cristina Gatti each have an individual sound, belting out the songs and really getting the audience involved. When they came together to sing a couple of songs such as Ellie Gouldings Burn, their vocals were out of this world. They sounded freaking beautiful together. 

I fell in love that night. PMJ have a 'tambourine guy', also known as Tim Kubart, who danced wildly around the stage through a number of the songs, waving a tambourine around. Now, I never really thought that there was much skill to playing a tambourine, but I was proved very wrong. When he knelt down and handed me a tambourine to play with him, I'm not going to lie, I considered running away with him. I really did. Anyone who can have so much enthusiasm and energy for the tambourine, jumping around the stage and having the time of his life, has my vote. 

There was also a tap dancer dancing directly in front of us on a small square. Alexander MacDonald is genuinely amazing.Dressed in the old school stuff, complete with braces, he gave everything, adding to the music with his tap dancing. I've always loved tap and to see someone so skilled right in front of me was brilliant. I wouldn't hesitate to run away with him either, to be honest.

Tim (my friend, not tambourine guy) and I were absolutely living the dream. I know his love for Ashley is real and it's deep. The girl cast a spell over him that night that will never be broken. The audience were really loving the music, but none of them seemed to be really dancing. They were throwing their hands in the air and cheering, really getting into it, but just not dancing. Now, I'm a dancer. I don't mean that in the way that I can dance, more that I love dancing. Badly. And so the fact that it didn't seem the 'done' thing to start dancing wildly didn't stop me from... well... dancing wildly. I may have elbowed a couple of people, but it got us a wider space and was so much fun. I loved it. 

After the show was over, the band, despite having to get a coach to Amsterdam or somewhere within the hour, stayed around and chatted to the fans. Tim and I were really lucky to actually be able to meet nearly all of them. Nearly every single one were like, 'hey! You were the guys dancing in the front!" which I'm not sure is a good or a bad thing but they seemed to be pretty happy that Tim and I had so much enthusiasm. Tambourine guy was especially nice, as was Robyn. She told us that we deserved extra time talking to her because of our dancing and that we should have elbowed more people out of the way (this was quickly followed by 'I didn't mean that! I love the fans! I don't wish harm on anyone!!!...*whispered* but elbow them out the way). 

All in all, it was an amazing night and I would really recommend that if you can get tickets, get tickets. You won't be disappointed. It makes for an unusualy night (where else could you hear (and enjoy) someone rapping in Yiddish?!), different from the usual gig that you would go to and I promise you will love every moment. Their music is individual and ridiculously catchy and the members are so humble and welcoming. 

They're touring again around September time and I promised that they would see me and my awful dance moves again. It's a promise I fully intend to fulfil. 

Definitely check out their youtube channel here and their website here. Go go go!

M x  

Tambourine guy, Tim Kubart.

Tap Dancing supreme, Alex MacDonald. 

She was so lovely to talk to and has a voice that has to be heard to be believed, Robyn Adele Anderson. 

Adam Kubota, upright and electric bass player who spent an age talking to us and was hilarious. 

Group founder, arranger, keyboard player and guitarist, Scott Bradlee. 

I'm Back! I Promise!

So again, it has been a while. 

I'm pretty sure that a large percentage of my readers have disappeared and abandoned me and hell, I don't blame them. I spent the best part of a year making myself sound interesting (trying to, at least) so I would have one or two followers and what did I then do? I mistreated them and pushed them away. It's the age old tale of the blogger who didn't blog. It always makes me sob. 

But I'm back and fully planning on keeping my page alive and kicking from now on. We had a health scare, but we're well and truly back to health. 

At least, here's hoping. 

So this is going to be the post that I have done once or twice before where I tell you, the readers I'm not sure exist, what has been going on with my life. 

University

So I finally finished my first year at Bournemouth and am no longer a fresher. It was an uppy downy time in which I didn't know if I were coming or going. Literally. So many times I was close to throwing in the towel and filling in my Tesco application form but the thought of £9000+ debt for jack all is actually a pretty good incentive to keep on truckin'. I know a lot of people who dropped out and I wish them all the luck in the world, but the thought of phoning my mum and telling her I'm coming home is one that will, more than likely, keep me in Bournemouth for the complete four years, come hell or high water. 

I really did enjoy it though, and now that I'm not there for the summer, I really do miss it. I made some incredible friends, four of which I am living with next year, and I'm looking forward to a huge night out when we're all back. It's already long overdue, 

I managed to pass my first year too! Which, you know, is a bonus. 

Work

So I am currently temping. In Devon, where I usually live when not at uni, there are precisely zero job opportunities. Your options there are one of two; 

1) Be a waitress in tiny cafe or restaurant. This involves working for the minimum wage and often having your tips taken away from you because the owners know that you can like it or lump it. This job, more often than not, includes the pleaser of being abused by holiday makers who think that your purpose in life is to serve them and you are an emotionless shell (read last years entries on the perils of the chip shop)

or 

2) Make a very strict budget for the summer accounting for every single penny that you can possibly scrape together and then stick to that budget very very firmly because there is no freaking way you're going to get a job which isn't option A. Devon is a beautiful place but it likes to stick to what it knows. And what it knows is holiday makers spending money in cafes. 

So I'm staying with my sister in Guildford which has significantly more summer job opportunities than at home. I've been working with an agency and have had a couple of random jobs doing different things. Variety is the spice of life, as they say. It's odd being in Guildford when I know that all my friends are at home in Devon doing summery things. The only people I know here are my sister and her boyfriend and they work all through the day whereas I mostly work during the evenings. I'd be lying if I said that it didn't get lonely some times, but it has been absolutely beautiful weather here so I've spent quite a lot of time out in the garden reading. 
Hopefully something a little more involved and permanent comes along soon though. 
But hey who. 
Mustn't grumble.

Play
For someone who has a ridiculous amount of minus money, I have been up to some pretty exciting things. 
Apart from the usual binging of TV series on Netflix (hello Orange is the New Black. I'm looking at you), I've actually been able to get out and do some things. 
My friend and I, Tim, went to see an absolutely amazing band called Post Modern Jukebox in Camden. I couldn't afford it and I shouldn't have gone but by jove am I glad I did. I won't say too much about them now because I fully intend on doing a blog post about them soon (see! more posts! Alive and healthy!) but I will say that they were incredible and such lovely people. They all took the time to hang around afterwards and meet the fans even though they were preparing to go to Amsterdam (I think) an hour after the show. They're one of my favourite bands at the moment and I'm really glad I got the chance to see them. 

I also managed to get back to Camden again and see Bianca Del Rio at the Black Cap. As mentioned in a previous post, I really love the american show Rupaul's Drag Race, a reality show that is kind of an "Americas Next Top Model" but searching for the next drag superstar. It's absolutely amazing, the campest thing you have ever seen and will give you real hope that if these men can look like gorgeous women, with a dash of make up you could be freaking gorgeous. The most recent series hasn't long been finished and I managed, after a long battle with the internet, to get tickets to go and see the (spoilers) winner. Bianca Del Rio, real name Roy Haylock, is more of stand up insult comic than the usual all lip synching, all dancing drag queen. She can read an audience like no other and it was so much fun to see her unleash her quick wit on the audience. I always love going to the Black Cap and the night was so much fun, even though I ended up spending way - and I mean WAY - more money than I intended to. Or have. 

I was home in Devon for a week or two too and managed to have a couple of really good nights out with people I haven't seen in months. It's always nice to see them and have a catch up, especially as a lot of them are at uni and not at home at the same time as me. Devon may not have the clubs and bars that Bournemouth does but it has some amazing people who keep me laughing all night and that, my friends, is priceless (which is good because, you know, you may have caught onto the fact that I am broke). 

So yes. I am very much missing my beautiful Bournemouth and am also longing for the rolling fields of Devon, but it's nice to be here with my sister making some of that dolllaaaa. I guess you can't really complain when there is nothing really to complain about. There is always going to be something else that you want to be doing or someone else that you want to be seeing, but I love my sister a lot and spending so much time with her is really nice. She's a good ol' gal. 

Here's to being back! 

I'll see you soon (and that's a promise!) 

M x 

January Blues Are Being Blown Away.... At Last.

The time? 7.30AM. And I'm yet to go to sleep. I have uni in 2 and a half hours. My room is clean, my itunes has been tidied, new music has been downloaded and coffee has been made. And I'm feeling particularly cheery. Don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting it to last. After doing an 'all-nighter', it's not common to remain so happy for the entire day but I have to say, I'm feeling good. 

The last couple weeks I've been, to put it in a word, grumpy. I think it's probably down to the fact that I have done very little except eat and sleep. It's not particularly good for the ol' energy levels and as a result, I've felt drained and sluggish. I can't imagine that I've been particularly charming to those around me (whoops) even though I've tried to paint the smile on my face and keep on truckin', but as I'm sure you know Reader (if you're out there) that sometimes that is easier said than done. 

January seems to have been a pretty tough month for everyone though so I can't lay claim to it. The amount of times I heard the words 'I can't wait for January to be over' is off the scale and I can't say that I was disagreeing. Having said that, I actually had a pretty amazing January.

As mentioned in a previous post, since moving to uni, I've developed another obsession. Yes. I have an obsessive personality. I accepted that a long time ago. Move on. 

There's a show in America called Rupauls Drag Race. I won't go into it now, mainly because I probably won't stop, but it's a competition to find Americans Next Drag Superstar. It's drag queens. It's the campest show you will ever see in your entire life, that I can gaurentee. It's incredible. So anyway, a couple of queens that were on the show have a band with another queen and they just so happened to be playing in Camden in January. I managed to get ahold of some tickets and so off I went with my friends for what really was one of the best weekends of my life. We managed to get to the very front of the stage (excluding the VIP area) and my favourite queen in the world ended up coming through the crowd and stopping right in front of me. Call me a Fangirl, but it was incredible to see her so close up. See kids...One Direction wouldn't be able to freely walk through the crowds. Always like the unusual stuff. I could talk about the show for hours which I'm sure nobody wants so I'll just throw a couple of pictures in here. 

Detox

Vicky Vox 

Willam Belli

I was also then taken to a cabaret show by my sister for my birthday present. Although I was dubious as to if the show could match up to the one that I had seen 2 days before, it really did. With burlesque dancers, fire eaters, acrobatic performers and a master of ceremonies who could only be described as fabulous, it really topped off an amazing week. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get any pictures but I have some gorgeous memories. That counts for something, right? 

 I then came home from London and was thrown straight into an exam which I hadn't revised at all for - organisation is still not a strong point. But we'll so how that went when I get the results back. 

So although I moaned and complained about January from start to finish, it actually brought me some of the very best times. I guess it shows that you have to focus on the good things and be positive. 

 I hope the cheeriness I'm feeling lasts. I've not felt this uplifted for a while so fingers crossed it's a sign of things to come. 

We'll just have to wait and see.... 

Until next time. 

M x 

Hey There, Old Gal.

The time is 1.13AM and it has been 2014 for exactly one week. I have been 20 for 3 days. Time flies, huh. 

A lot has already happened and I'm already feeling pretty positive about the year ahead of us. 

The first week of the year is always a pretty busy one for me. Within the first day or two, my family usually bugger off back to their various corners of the country and it's back to being just me and my mumma at home which is, frankly, accompanied by a big sigh of relief. It's lovely to see the famalam but having us all together in a house that is too small to fit us is just frustrating. So then the christmas decorations are taken down. I know that mum would rather take them down on the 6th of January when the 12 days are over but unfortunately I ruined that with my oh so inconvenient birth. Whoops. She likes to have the decorations down before my birthday so that celebrations don't overlap or aren't confused or something along those lines. I'm not really sure. But they're always down which means endless trips for me up three floors and then a ladder climb into the attic. Needless to say, this is not my favourite way to bring the new year in. It's a pain in the arse.

But then it's my birthday! Yay. 

Or not.

My birthday sucks. By the 4th, everyone is poor. Everyone is hungover. Everyone is preoccupied with other things. Everyone is going back to school/college/uni. Everyone bloody well forgets! 

How they forget about the great day that gave the world me is beyond me but, they do. 

So I never really have a great birthday but hey who. It just means that I've developed that 'I don't really care about birthdays' attitude that adults have... yuch. Old before my time, I'm telling you. 

However, this year I made my way back to Bournemouth during the day and went out with some of my uni friends. It was a really good evening actually so I guess the crap birthday streak managed to end after 20 years....Yay?? 

Anyway. It's back to uni tomorrow and I have a tonne of work that I need to get done because, you know, nothing got done over the holidays. They're holidays for gods sake. Stop judging me. 

So it's 'goodbye' to Christmas Laziness and a lukewarm 'hello' to Reality. Nice to see you again, I guess. 

M x