Can we all take a moment to appreciate how awesome Lego is?
I've had a really stressful morning at work and I was close to tears, when my boyfriend (yes, loyal blog readers: Sam is now my boyfriend) took me by the hand and led me to St. Davids 2.
Knowing that I had no money for retail therapy, he did the next best thing to calm me down, and led me around the Disney store and the Lego store. He knows me so well.
Just looking through all the awesome dolls and figures (Disney) and amazing new sets that were inspired by the Avengers and The Hobbit (Lego). It was really fun. I thoroughly believe the people working there must be the happiest people in the world.
How can you not love the immense colours and the way that they seem to build absolutely anything? Moving and fully-functional things. They have a figurine that looks like Wolverine! It's too amazing, I can't even put it into words, so I'm going to stop typing and go play with my old lego...
So I did something today I haven't done in a long time.
I went on a first date.
I've never really had many first dates. I tend to fall into relationships, without doing the whole dating business. I don't know whether that's better or not. Well, all those relationships ended so I guess not...
I felt sick with nerves to be honest as I got ready. I put on my 'Little Black Dress'. It's from H&M and has a zip right down the front. It also has 'Love is Hard' written all over it, which was going to be beautifully poetic or a disaster waiting to happen, I couldn't decide.
We were meeting at the pub that he worked in, where we first met a few weeks before. I'd gone down to visit my friend Jade who worked there too. He'd finished his shift and was having a drink so we chatted at the bar. I'd seen him occasionally since, when he'd serve me and my dad but not spoken too much.
It was Thursday when everything happened. I'd arranged a surprise birthday party for Jade in the pub. He was working the few hours while I set up, so I told him he had to come to the party, I was worried a lot of people weren't going to turn up as they hadn't messaged me back, so numbers counted. However, planning a party all day meant that I hadn't really eaten and I was on my second bottle of wine (sharing with one of the girls obviously!) by the time Jade came in for the 'surprise!' moment. It's safe to say my memory rapidly deteriorates from there on. I woke the next morning on the sofa to a text from Jade; "Do you remember kissing Sam?" Balls.
I remember him helping me to the car, and me asking if he had my number and to text me. Everything before that is a blur. So is everything after that. Anyway, he started texting me and asked me on a date. I thought he seemed nice, so what did I have to lose?
I got to the pub (in a taxi - didn't want to be all red-faced and sweaty!) and he was just finishing his shift so I sat and waited. We were making small talk because there were a few people around and obviously its first date nerves. It turned out that Jade was working the shift after him so she came in and broke the silence, chatting away and telling me that her ex boyfriend wasn't leaving her alone. The next thing I know, Sam and I are having our date in the pub, to make sure that Jade gets home okay!
Her ex-boyfriend was waiting outside the pub when we left and followed us up the road. We walked up a one way street so he sped off and met up with Jade further up the hill. He and Jade started having a huge argument whilst Sam and I watched at the bottom to make sure everything was allright. About half an hour later, Jade walked off and he got back into his car. We were glad that everything was okay and it had really broken the nerves as were both talking about how concerned we were for her.
We went to Wetherspoons to have a drink and get to know each other since they never play music in there that you have to shout over. He bought the drinks (bonus) and then sat next to me rather than opposite which I thought was really nice. After a while, we got a taxi to his house to watch a movie.
It was really nice and he made me feel comfortable, my nerves were completely forgotten. I walked home afterwards but we've set another date for tomorrow which can only be a good sign surely?
Wish me luck!
I am a woman perplexed. I don't understand people, or the way that their minds work. Or why they're so ridiculously stupid.
I'm sat at a bar with my workmate when she gets a phonecall from her boyfriend. I'm sat opposite her studying the menu, but I can clearly see something is wrong, she's frowning a lot and being really cautious.
"Okaaaay..." she drags out her words as if there's some doubt in them. It's weird, especially for her. She finally snaps as some information is told to her; "Right. Did you? Right. Mhmm. I'll call you later." The phone is slammed onto the table. (The only downside to a mobile; you can't just slam the receiver when you're done with the conversation. You've got to frantically press the end call button before dropping it to the table. Takes all the drama out of it.)
"He cheated," she tells me before I have chance to ask. I make her take a shot before telling me what happened.
Turns out, her devoted boyfriend who is always all over her, telling her how much he loves her and getting upset because she doesn't do the same back (she's not very lovey-dovey. Ever.) went on a night out with work and slept with some girl.
"I could deal with a kiss but that's too much." After some serious discussion, we reach the conclusion that if he wasn't so drunk that he could still get it up, it meant he was sober enough to know what he was doing, and therefore there was no excuse. Cheating is cheating.
To me, cheating is always cheating. Whether you're drunk, sober, bored, planned it or it was spur-of-the-moment. Cheating is cheating and there's just no need for it.
You're not happy in your relationship? End it. Not getting any at home? Talk about it or end it. She's coming onto you? Tell her to get lost, your woman is at home. There is simply no excuse.
Texting, picture messages and dirty messages count too. If there is intent it's cheating. I have no sympathy in this area.
Why do people do it? Why do they think they'll get away with it? And why do they always cry, apologise and beg for forgiveness? No. You chose to go there, you decided your relationship meant nothing and you threw it away. You deserve the unhappiness that follows, because the person that you cheated on feels a thousand times worse, and you had no right to make them feel that way at all.
So after 30 something more calls from her (now ex-) boyfriend, he seemed to finally get the hint that he should leave her alone, at least for the rest of the day. However, it was about 2am by this point (that boy is not bright at all.)
"There's no way I could forgive that. A few minutes worth of average sex was worth more to him that I was in that moment. That's a place I'm not prepared to be."
Hey guys, think about your woman, not your little man yeah?
Well it's day seven, and the end of my music challenge.
I woke up to my alarm again, and listened to the radio whilst I procrastinated from my essay with Facebook.
Other than that, all other music has been heard on TV whilst I caught up on some soaps.
This challenge has shocked me a little. I knew that I listened to music a lot, I love it - so why wouldn't I?
But it seems that music is an uncontrollable force, it is everywhere. In the background of shops, taxis, restaurants... blaring out of speakers at clubs, being mixed at events... slyly creeping around TV shows, as well as being purposely played via radio, Internet or iPod.
Personally, I can't concentrate without sound; my body genuinely reacts negatively to silence. I have had countless coughing fits during exams and funerals; my bodies way of breaking the silence.
So yes Tom, I listen to a lot of music, but unwittingly so do you. And with this discovery, I raise my iPod with pride and victoriously place my headphones on my head. I think this calls for a bit of Queen...
No. No music today. I can't face it.
Today started with my alarm clock singing at me (a bit of classic Ne-Yo). I carried on listening to his album as I got dressed and left the house. I listen to my iPod on the walk into uni where I sit down to edit the footage I got of the festival.
Side note: I'm really disappointed with the sound on the footage. It seems that the mic couldn't ignore the mixes that were playing or the general sound of background chatter, so the audio in the interviews isn't usable. However, I can't film it again, because we can't get hold of the guy who organised it (probably still hungover), and we have a deadline so I have to make the best of it.
Watching and listening to the footage over and over again builds my music intake and my appetite so I head to the Student's Union for lunch, where the TVs are playing one of the many music channels that are around.
After lunch I do a bit more editing, before heading home; iPod in hand. I'm rocking out to a bit of Kate Nash when I get in and start tidying my room. Once it's finished, I then trash it by throwing dresses, handbags and shoes around deciding what to wear tonight.
Once I'm (finally) dressed, I hang up my iPod for the day and walk to my friend's house for predrinks. There's music playing somewhere in the house, but it's faint in the background behind everyone talking and getting rowdy from a few too many jagerbombs. About 11, we all pile into numerous taxis and head into town.
The rest of the night is filled with a lot of very loud music and a few cheeky beverages. Plus all of us singing to each other in the kebab shop afterwards.
Music always brings everyone together.
Day Three - Saturday
It was rugby day in work Saturday, which means a delightful 15-17 hour shift. So this means my music intake was constant as we had a playlist going apart from when the games were actually on TV. Even when I went on break, there was music playing from other clubs and in the background of shops/restaurants. Today was definitely not my fault!
Day Four - Sunday
I'm halfway through the week already and I'm proving Tom right, it seems that I can't do anything without music, so I thought I'd try to avoid it a little today. I'm still so tired from yesterday's shift I decide not to go anywhere more than 20 metres from my sofa so that eliminates the risk of background music. I settle down to watch TV all day. The only issue is; there's background music in almost every scene!
There's also a jingle on nearly every advert and some of the trashy American shows that I watch have "live" singers or bands at their parties. I can't escape.
So I've indirectly listened to just as much music as I would've listening to the radio really.
