Hey, remember me?
I keep saying I'm going to write a summary of everything I've been up to over these past few months but I'm always too knackered, too lazy or just too boring to get round to it. Well no more!
I actually had to check my LJ to see what the last entry I'd posted was on. It's been a while.
None of this will be new to anyone who follows me on twitter, although I don't blame you if you don't since I'm an exceptionally prolific and extremely annoying tweeter who rants constantly about my hatred for David Cameron, live-tweets the Democratic National Convention until 5am and I think I'm funnier than I really am.
The last place I left everyone was on my graduation. As you can tell, it was a joyously awkward event. Not as awkward as the official portrait photographs my parents paid £65 for and insists on displaying around the house. I can't even escape them when I go to my grandparents' houses! I get family pride, I'm very proud of myself and I looked swish in those robes but my god, I look like the smuggest nerd on the planet in those photos. I've never been able to properly smile in photographs. I'm just not photogenic at all. I always end up either looking like a smug jerk or a serial killer. My sister's the photogenic one, and doesn't she know it?!
Once graduation and moving back home was out of the way, I had about a solid month of lounging around, which I heartily took advantage of. I put together a list of things to do for the next year before September 2013, the date when I'll hopefully be returning to university to do my Masters. Yep, I've applied to do my Masters! It had always been a possible course for me to pursue after I'd graduated but given the difficult time I had in my final semester and the horrible stress I put myself through thinking I wouldn't get the needed grade, I just put those plans on the pile since they didn't seem like a possibility for me any more. Luckily, I pulled through and my parents are extremely supportive of my plans. My mum even said if I couldn't get a job I should just go back to university to do another degree. "You like politics, don't you? Do that!" I thought parents were supposed to discourage their kids from delaying entering the real world. Not that I'm complaining! So I've applied to do my Masters at Edinburgh (of course) and Dundee (advisor suggested I put in another application just so I don't get my hopes up for my first choice, and Dundee would be the most convenient outside of Edinburgh), hopefully to do an MLitt in Theatre and Performance studies! I'm really keen to continue studying political drama after my dissertation and would love to focus on the evolution of political drama in theatre, film and TV in the 21st century. If I must live under a coalition government then I should at least get some good nights out at the Lyceum out of it!
August came quickly and I was back down to Edinburgh to work for the Fringe Festival. Nat, my lovely best friend, was off saving the world or something in India so let me use his flat for the month rent free. The work was long - 10 hours a day from 7am, six days a week - and pretty menial - lots of litter picking, costumer liaising, wiping down tables, etc - but I really enjoyed myself. When you've got good co-workers you can make anything fun, even emptying bins. Well, almost everything. I had a pass to get into every show in a EUSA venue for free as long as it wasn't sold out but usually by the end of the day I was so exhausted and just wanted to go to the flat, lounge around and watch the Olympics (which I got really into, much to my surprise). I did see a few shows and had a great time. I also got to do a bit of celeb spotting and chatted briefly and awkwardly to Victoria Coren and David Mitchell! Best couple ever!
Of course, the best bit of Fringe was getting to see ah_betty for the first time in 2 and a half freaking years! Seriously, far too long.
Every year I try and get a photo by the poster walls in Bristo Square so here is this year's, with added friend! See what I mean about the smile?
We went for drinks, and ah_betty's sister came as well, and we went to see Stewart Lee live, a real highlight, especially since it included getting books signed by him! I love that he was selling his own merchandise after the show, and beforehand, he was giving out flyers for his wife's show. It was too cute. Before we could get our books signed, we had to rush to find a cash machine to get money to buy them, which was exhausting. I'm awkward and can't run to save myself. It's a curse.
Other highlights of the festival include meeting and chatting with Meg Rosoff after briefly gushing about how much I loved her books, seeing Sean Biggarstaff's arse in An Appointment With the Wicker Man (I am happy to confirm that Oliver Wood is packing!), getting drenched in fake blood and guts at Re-Animator: The Musical (luckily, ponchos were provided), introducing one of my friends to The Room at a midnight screening (yes, we brought spoons), seeing Greg Proops live in the front row, seeing katriona_lou for the first time in years and having a drink with her and her brother, and getting tipsy with another friend and laughing at politicians's Desert Island Discs choices (seriously Clegg, even I felt sorry for you when you picked Shakira). I hate to think how much money I spent that month but luckily I made quite a bit as well.
No sooner had I returned home from Fringe, to an empty house thanks to holidaying parents, before I got an interview and acceptance to my current internship! As I've mentioned on Twitter and Goodreads, I'm currently interning at the Wigtown Book Festival! I get to help organise a book festival! How cool is that? Wigtown is this tiny town by the coast in Dumfries & Galloway and it's known as Scotland's national book town thanks to its numerous second hand book shops. One of the things I'm helping with is a fringe book festival event for the local high school, and I'm looking for YA authors to help out for half an hour or so on Saturday 6th October. I know a couple of you follow me so please check out details here. I'd seriously appreciate it. These high schoolers are so passionate and really working hard to get this event off the ground.
I'm not sure what I'll do once this internship's over. I've sent in my Masters applications so will just need to wait and see on that front, but not before hunting down some funding. I'm hoping to get a job down in Edinburgh to earn some extra cash for the interim year, or even one back home which would mean I could save on rent. My best mate Nat's going to be appearing on an episode of Pointless (British quiz show where you have to get an answer with no points) and since he refuses to tell us how well he did on it, we need to wait for the episode to air so we can judge him. All in good jest, I assure you. It's a bit weird not being at uni while all my friends are still there but hopefully that won't be for long!
I actually had to check my LJ to see what the last entry I'd posted was on. It's been a while.
None of this will be new to anyone who follows me on twitter, although I don't blame you if you don't since I'm an exceptionally prolific and extremely annoying tweeter who rants constantly about my hatred for David Cameron, live-tweets the Democratic National Convention until 5am and I think I'm funnier than I really am.
The last place I left everyone was on my graduation. As you can tell, it was a joyously awkward event. Not as awkward as the official portrait photographs my parents paid £65 for and insists on displaying around the house. I can't even escape them when I go to my grandparents' houses! I get family pride, I'm very proud of myself and I looked swish in those robes but my god, I look like the smuggest nerd on the planet in those photos. I've never been able to properly smile in photographs. I'm just not photogenic at all. I always end up either looking like a smug jerk or a serial killer. My sister's the photogenic one, and doesn't she know it?!
Once graduation and moving back home was out of the way, I had about a solid month of lounging around, which I heartily took advantage of. I put together a list of things to do for the next year before September 2013, the date when I'll hopefully be returning to university to do my Masters. Yep, I've applied to do my Masters! It had always been a possible course for me to pursue after I'd graduated but given the difficult time I had in my final semester and the horrible stress I put myself through thinking I wouldn't get the needed grade, I just put those plans on the pile since they didn't seem like a possibility for me any more. Luckily, I pulled through and my parents are extremely supportive of my plans. My mum even said if I couldn't get a job I should just go back to university to do another degree. "You like politics, don't you? Do that!" I thought parents were supposed to discourage their kids from delaying entering the real world. Not that I'm complaining! So I've applied to do my Masters at Edinburgh (of course) and Dundee (advisor suggested I put in another application just so I don't get my hopes up for my first choice, and Dundee would be the most convenient outside of Edinburgh), hopefully to do an MLitt in Theatre and Performance studies! I'm really keen to continue studying political drama after my dissertation and would love to focus on the evolution of political drama in theatre, film and TV in the 21st century. If I must live under a coalition government then I should at least get some good nights out at the Lyceum out of it!
August came quickly and I was back down to Edinburgh to work for the Fringe Festival. Nat, my lovely best friend, was off saving the world or something in India so let me use his flat for the month rent free. The work was long - 10 hours a day from 7am, six days a week - and pretty menial - lots of litter picking, costumer liaising, wiping down tables, etc - but I really enjoyed myself. When you've got good co-workers you can make anything fun, even emptying bins. Well, almost everything. I had a pass to get into every show in a EUSA venue for free as long as it wasn't sold out but usually by the end of the day I was so exhausted and just wanted to go to the flat, lounge around and watch the Olympics (which I got really into, much to my surprise). I did see a few shows and had a great time. I also got to do a bit of celeb spotting and chatted briefly and awkwardly to Victoria Coren and David Mitchell! Best couple ever!
Of course, the best bit of Fringe was getting to see ah_betty for the first time in 2 and a half freaking years! Seriously, far too long.
Every year I try and get a photo by the poster walls in Bristo Square so here is this year's, with added friend! See what I mean about the smile?
We went for drinks, and ah_betty's sister came as well, and we went to see Stewart Lee live, a real highlight, especially since it included getting books signed by him! I love that he was selling his own merchandise after the show, and beforehand, he was giving out flyers for his wife's show. It was too cute. Before we could get our books signed, we had to rush to find a cash machine to get money to buy them, which was exhausting. I'm awkward and can't run to save myself. It's a curse.
Other highlights of the festival include meeting and chatting with Meg Rosoff after briefly gushing about how much I loved her books, seeing Sean Biggarstaff's arse in An Appointment With the Wicker Man (I am happy to confirm that Oliver Wood is packing!), getting drenched in fake blood and guts at Re-Animator: The Musical (luckily, ponchos were provided), introducing one of my friends to The Room at a midnight screening (yes, we brought spoons), seeing Greg Proops live in the front row, seeing katriona_lou for the first time in years and having a drink with her and her brother, and getting tipsy with another friend and laughing at politicians's Desert Island Discs choices (seriously Clegg, even I felt sorry for you when you picked Shakira). I hate to think how much money I spent that month but luckily I made quite a bit as well.
No sooner had I returned home from Fringe, to an empty house thanks to holidaying parents, before I got an interview and acceptance to my current internship! As I've mentioned on Twitter and Goodreads, I'm currently interning at the Wigtown Book Festival! I get to help organise a book festival! How cool is that? Wigtown is this tiny town by the coast in Dumfries & Galloway and it's known as Scotland's national book town thanks to its numerous second hand book shops. One of the things I'm helping with is a fringe book festival event for the local high school, and I'm looking for YA authors to help out for half an hour or so on Saturday 6th October. I know a couple of you follow me so please check out details here. I'd seriously appreciate it. These high schoolers are so passionate and really working hard to get this event off the ground.
I'm not sure what I'll do once this internship's over. I've sent in my Masters applications so will just need to wait and see on that front, but not before hunting down some funding. I'm hoping to get a job down in Edinburgh to earn some extra cash for the interim year, or even one back home which would mean I could save on rent. My best mate Nat's going to be appearing on an episode of Pointless (British quiz show where you have to get an answer with no points) and since he refuses to tell us how well he did on it, we need to wait for the episode to air so we can judge him. All in good jest, I assure you. It's a bit weird not being at uni while all my friends are still there but hopefully that won't be for long!