I have decided I need a new hobby.
Having devoted myself to journalism these past few years my original hobby, writing, has been slowly taken over and turned into a professional endeavour meaning I have no real answer for the question 'what do you do in your spare time?'
Of course, I do all the normal 21 year old girl things like watching TV, listening to music and drinking too much but what I need is a cool and interesting hobby, like sky diving, or painting, or photography. Or at least something I can use Instagram to document (as this seems to be the go to move for all those achingly cool types I see on Twitter).
Because, in 2012, if you can't take a slightly grainy looking picture of yourself doing it, holding an Iphone afloat and pouting then its probably not worth doing.
I remember back when I still had a reasonable amount of money and my life wasn't completely occupied with work/my career/escape plans I used to be reasonably fun (I've never been cool). I used to listen to good (ish) music and while I was never one of those annoying people who go find unsigned bands (who are normally unsigned for a reason) and act superior to those who listen to 'mainstream music' I knew my arse from my elbow when it came to the slightly under the radar musicians and artists.
Since the heady days of my youth (aka during my GCSEs when I never did any work) I've become too utilitarian about everything. As I do not what to be a music journalist so why bother spending too much time with it? I may love fashion but I don't have the money for clothes and I lack that certain type of creativity to make new ones. Although I can sew even if that's mainly sewing buttons back on the cardigans and shirts I've had for about five years.
I wouldn't say I've been more boring, just perhaps a bit more two dimensional and I've lost a lot of what I once loved in life. That is probably contributing to my unhappiness at the moment (other than being unemployed).
My career has to remain my priority, and whilst I'm still poor, I can't afford to adopt a home that involved spending money. So that leaves me doing something indoors and probably in the house.
Which, given the idea was originally designed to stop me going stir crazy, may not be ideal.
Damn, how on earth can I become a cool and important twenty something without one?
Of course, I don't even have an Iphone or Android phone so I can't use Instagram anyway.
My life is over.
Saturday 8 September 2012
Saturday 1 September 2012
Leeds Fest: I'm Not Cut Out For This Sort of Thing
(NB: Yeah, I haven't updated this in forever. My bad. Being unemployed is busy work apparently.)
Last week I went to my very first music festival. In this day and age and in my circle of friends, this is seen as bizarre and abnormal that a girl of almost 22 could have gone through life without attending at least one festival, especially as Leeds Festival is (sort of) on my doorstep. However, despite having a blast, I can confirm that festivals really aren't for me and it likely I will never go again for the following reasons:
1. Cost. Leeds Fest is approximately £200 per person for a weekend ticket. I went on a day ticket which cost nearly £100. Now, that was the upper limit of my entire weekly budget including food, bills and fun when I lived in Birmingham. Now that I'm on the dole, it would take me two weeks to save up for a one day ticket. Luckily, my parents bought two one day tickets for my sister's birthday and she need an over 18 with her to get her into the park. Looking around, wearing the clothes I've had for a couple of years I saw a lot of perfectly manicured, with artfully messy blonde hair decorated with the overpriced floral headbands you could buy on the way in and clothes that have been painstakingly put together in a way to suggest they'd just thrown them on this morning. And loads of hipsters. I have never been one of those girls, nor will I ever be able to take them seriously. I realise the reason I feel like everyone goes to festivals is because everyone I know has overindulgent parents. For the vast majority of people in the UK, the idea of going to a festival rather than just watching it on TV is a laughable expense. Even if they could scrap together the money for the ticket (and the overpriced food and drink inside), they could go on a mini break somewhere warm for that amount of money.
2.Cleanliness. I don't like mud OK. I don't like public toilets. I don't like not being able to wash my hands over a sink with soap and hot water. I don't like communal showers.
3.Crowds. I've never been a big fan of large crowds as they need to bring out the claustrophobia in me. However this is ten times worse at a festival because you are constantly having to watch out for weird people trying to crowd surf on your head and people throwing their own urine around. Incidentally, throwing urine at someone is classed as assault but doesn't seem to stop people at festival who, despite being able to buy a £100-200 ticket, seem to prefer to act as they were raised by wolves. That and when you are frequently getting knocked over by people suddenly frantically moshing and/or fighting nearby its never easy to avoid bruising.
4.Tiredness. By the end of the day, my feet really, really hurt. And the next morning I could barely get out of bed I was so tired. Bear in mind I only went for a day and I am 21. There is something so exhaustingly about listening to bands play all day and never sitting down (though I assume its worse for the performers). I clearly don't have the stamina.
However, one thing I will say about my experiment with Leeds Fest is that the live music is unbeatable. Having been a fan of the Foo Fighters for several years, I was really only there for them and whilst I wasn't particularly interested in some of the line up on the Main Stage, getting the Kaiser Chiefs and Foo Fighters in a 2 for 1 deal was pretty awesome. There is a great atmosphere at a festival (when you're not being squashed or assaulted) that its always good to experience once in your life. But maybe not every year.
Last week I went to my very first music festival. In this day and age and in my circle of friends, this is seen as bizarre and abnormal that a girl of almost 22 could have gone through life without attending at least one festival, especially as Leeds Festival is (sort of) on my doorstep. However, despite having a blast, I can confirm that festivals really aren't for me and it likely I will never go again for the following reasons:
1. Cost. Leeds Fest is approximately £200 per person for a weekend ticket. I went on a day ticket which cost nearly £100. Now, that was the upper limit of my entire weekly budget including food, bills and fun when I lived in Birmingham. Now that I'm on the dole, it would take me two weeks to save up for a one day ticket. Luckily, my parents bought two one day tickets for my sister's birthday and she need an over 18 with her to get her into the park. Looking around, wearing the clothes I've had for a couple of years I saw a lot of perfectly manicured, with artfully messy blonde hair decorated with the overpriced floral headbands you could buy on the way in and clothes that have been painstakingly put together in a way to suggest they'd just thrown them on this morning. And loads of hipsters. I have never been one of those girls, nor will I ever be able to take them seriously. I realise the reason I feel like everyone goes to festivals is because everyone I know has overindulgent parents. For the vast majority of people in the UK, the idea of going to a festival rather than just watching it on TV is a laughable expense. Even if they could scrap together the money for the ticket (and the overpriced food and drink inside), they could go on a mini break somewhere warm for that amount of money.
2.Cleanliness. I don't like mud OK. I don't like public toilets. I don't like not being able to wash my hands over a sink with soap and hot water. I don't like communal showers.
3.Crowds. I've never been a big fan of large crowds as they need to bring out the claustrophobia in me. However this is ten times worse at a festival because you are constantly having to watch out for weird people trying to crowd surf on your head and people throwing their own urine around. Incidentally, throwing urine at someone is classed as assault but doesn't seem to stop people at festival who, despite being able to buy a £100-200 ticket, seem to prefer to act as they were raised by wolves. That and when you are frequently getting knocked over by people suddenly frantically moshing and/or fighting nearby its never easy to avoid bruising.
4.Tiredness. By the end of the day, my feet really, really hurt. And the next morning I could barely get out of bed I was so tired. Bear in mind I only went for a day and I am 21. There is something so exhaustingly about listening to bands play all day and never sitting down (though I assume its worse for the performers). I clearly don't have the stamina.
However, one thing I will say about my experiment with Leeds Fest is that the live music is unbeatable. Having been a fan of the Foo Fighters for several years, I was really only there for them and whilst I wasn't particularly interested in some of the line up on the Main Stage, getting the Kaiser Chiefs and Foo Fighters in a 2 for 1 deal was pretty awesome. There is a great atmosphere at a festival (when you're not being squashed or assaulted) that its always good to experience once in your life. But maybe not every year.
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