Crazy good times, St. Jude, and Bulmers. A Winning Combination.

I have time to write a blogpost! Yay!

Okay, so I’m doing great! 

I am really enjoying my time and meeting all kinds of different people.
I have a “local” pub now, which is a big British thing. 

An explanation of it is that drinking (day or night, weekend or weekday) is awesome. Having a pint is a social thing, it’s meant to help you have a great day with a bunch of mates and enhance the experience. Sometimes your aim is to get wasted but most of the time it’s just to relax.

So, after class we (sometimes a big group and sometimes in a small one) head over to a pub and just hang out and talk shop. This week the topic of conversation I had with two guys from my course was about Indie Writers and how they take their genres and make them readable again. It was great just hanging out informally with everyone.

The course director also came and talked to me and another friend about how horrible the Mexican food is here (it really isn’t good… at all). He gave us a place in Central London to go to and best believe we’ll be going there. And to Chipotle, which is also in Central London. NOM NOM NOM. I need my Mexican fix.

The main difference in food here is the taste. Everything tastes less artificial. They use all natural ingredients in everything which means no MSG or Corn Syrup for me. The drawback, though, is I can’t really do the sweet drinks here. I got these delicious pitchers at a pub in town. This is called the Purple Rain. Yeah. I know. I know. 

While I loved the taste of the first one it was mostly all Sprite. Sprite here is so freaking sweet I felt like I was licking sugar cubes.

So I think I’ll stick with my delicious ciders instead. This cider, seen below, is AMAZING. It takes like apples, hopes and dreams. They have a pear one that is also yummy. The berry one? Not so much. It’s kind of like a pack of berry Trident and it’s soooo not my cup of tea.

I also had this berry and lime and a sip of this toffee apple one and they are MAGNIFICENT. They’re like dessert wine so they’re amazing to have every once in a while but you can’t drink too much or you’ll feel like you’ve been downing C&H  for hours on end.

Protip about ciders: Just because they taste amazing doesn’t mean that they don’t have alcohol in them. And like beer the drunk hits you slowly. Especially if you’re sitting down. If you drink 4 and have a shot of vodka chances are you will be walking home TOASTED. Personal experience here. 

Great thing was EVERYONE in the pub by this time was drunk. The landlord/owner, the drunk crossdresser that our group bonded with (pictured left), the guy who did a masterful and supremely original cover of Purple Rain, and the three of us (obviously). What started off as our weekly small critique group became an open mic night that spiraled in to a great night out.  

After the pub closed a group of us were still sitting around the piano and singing renditions of Amazing Grace, Sweet Caroline, and Piano Man.

I, of course, allowed my horrible stage fright to keep me away from the microphone but next time Amanda will be singing at The Swan. For sure.

I am hoping that my stage fright will get better, though. I think it’s the worst when I’m in the company of strangers. If I know the people after one line I feel a lot better and am more comfortable, but in a room of strangers it’s really bad.

One thing that will help me with that is my NEW JOB. Yep yep. You read that right. Girlfriend got a job and I haven’t even been here two months. Competition was fierce but my ease with the material and my previous experience helped me a lot! I was super honest about everything that I went through while I was working The Island Fox 2012 and it really helped me get the position of (drumroll here, please. Thanks.)

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF of the Kingston University Literary Magazine RiPPLE.

So I’m making, essentially, all the decisions from what goes in it to where the reading will be held at the end of the year. I’m really excited and yet I’m super nervous. Anyone who has worked The Island Fox knows that it’s crazy work but it’s totes worth it because you get to see all the writers have their moment in time where the attention and praise is on them and their hard work. It’s a lot of stress put on me, though, since I’m like solely responsible for everything this term and I get my design team next term but I love a challenge ;) let’s be honest here.

So on top of all that I need to promote the journal. Yes, that means that I have to talk in front of large groups of people and get them to want to submit their pieces to the magazine (see! I can make my stories come full circle!). We’ll see how I handle that bit. I have at least three courses, professors willing, that I have to give the “Win one for the Gipper” speech to. I would imagine them naked but methinks that would make the situation worse. 

I also have to manage all the social media. I have a horrid time of keeping my facebook (and this blog) up to date but I guess that means I must charge forward on all fronts! Tally-ho, my good man! I’ve already begun receiving submissions so I’m already like, holy poopsickles. But I got this. I also have some sexy flyers made up.

Yeah. That’s right. I’m a jack-of-all-trades. Get off me ladies! Don’t love me like you do! (Please tell me you got this reference. It’s okay, I know you didn’t… Mrs. Peaches! )

Like I said though, things are going great! My foray into Lit Theory is painful but bearable, I think. We’re taking a more practical angle on everything and looking at what it means to our writing specifically. It makes things a bit easier to understand since it limits the depths with which you need to understand it. The professors are really great about making sure that you’re getting the material and they reiterate that their door is always open, should you need help in making things make sense. So that’s great.

Workshop is always great. We get deadlines and I’ve joined a little side group that meets weekly to workshop pieces so things are super smooth on that front. There’s also tons of side lectures and stuff we can go to so they’ve been added to my calendar for when I have the time and energy to attend them.

We also had an amazing night out last weekend. We went to a showing of SpyMonkey’s Oedipussy (Say Eedapussy in a British accent and you’ll get the gist of the show in five seconds. 

If not, here is a trailer for it!

It was amazing. We had Italian at Jaime’s (they had a freaking disco ball!! Who has a giant disco ball in a classy Italian resturant?), sat on the pit cushions (yes, we were center stage on the floor with pillows for three hours. Apparently it’s a thing here), and had a MARVELOUS NIGHT. The show was amazing. It made me remember that I need to find time for performing.

The pure joy and happiness on their faces when they came out for their three bows during our standing ovation reminded me how amazing it is to be on stage. How exhilarating it is when you suck people in while doing something that makes you so freaking happy. There is nothing like performing. Nothing that can even come close to the adrenaline spike you get when people stand on their feet to thank you for doing something you just can’t not do.

Also, it would probably curb the amount of time I spend singing Broadway at the top of my lungs while wandering around our flat. I’m sure that would make my flatmates really happy.

I don’t really think there is much else to report… I got a gnarly burn from the two tier oven we have (the main part is on the bottom and I reached a bit too high when moving something).

Besides that, I’m going to hunker down for this crazy storm that’s supposed to be coming our way while enjoying the steak I found on sale at Sainsbury’s that has been marinating in the rub my mommy mailed me all day.

Until next time, friends!

Hello Rain! Glad We Could Finally Reunite.

Hello faithful readers!

I have been so busy that I haven't had a spare moment to write to you all! Since we last spoke I've become an old fart (well, 24 isn't technically old fart status but it's inching closer), I went to an Indie film festival, wandered around the West End and Trafalgar Square, gotten soaked because I forgot my new trusty pocket size umbrella, sat on the the river and came up with a fantastic new story, found a new live for Bulmer ciders, cooked my nommmy chili for friends and have been having a blast of a time.

Pictures have of course been updated because you know me and my love of photography.

Gotta keep this short since I have a ton of reading to do for Tuesday and it's all theory so I'll need all the time I can muster.

I'm officially on the short list of people in the running for the position of Managing Editor of the literary magazine Ripple. Yay yay yay! No I haven't forgotten how hard running a lit mag is but I love it so that's what I like to focus on. It's like being in a production. You have absolutely miserable days but once you set foot in front of your opening night audience all of that simply melts away. *I just got an email saying I'm in the final 2 and she would like to interview me. Say whaaaaaaaaattttttttttttttttttttttttttt?*

I have also deciphered why the British go to pubs so often: it's because all the bloody shops close before 7. I see the need to get drunk and have dinner at the pub when most places, save a few, are are Rarely open past 5:30.

Except on Thursdays. This is a late night shopping day and some shops stay open til 9, most til about 7:30. Why? Because of some weird tradition no one really knows knows the origin of hahaha.

In even better news I got a giant care package from my parents. Everything was covered in Disney stickers and every single item was really thoughtful. I now have plenty of m&ms, Oreos and kitchen towels and potholders to last me for a while. I also got really great present from friends including a Tigger stuffed animal, who now has a home next to Garfield and Curious George, a Beauty and the Beast mug (did you know that the Beast was a Ginger!? I think that's how my obsession started), silly straws, beautiful birthday cards, and of course an unbelievably fabulous night. Sushi and a pub. Good, good times.

I've got an awesome set of 1,000 piece puzzles for 10 pounds. It really helps when I need to unwind and just listen to some Ray Lamontagne and make my brain calm down.

Writing is coming along and I have my first legitimate workshop on Wednesday so that will be cool.

Did you KNOW:

-All swans are the Queen's personal property. There is a dude in jail for life for cooking one of the Queen's swans. Okay, maybe they don't get life but they get 6 months and a 5,000 pound fine! Carazy.
-Irish Car Bombs is an offensive name. It refers to the Baileys exploding in the Guinness, yes, but it is also a reference to the IRA and all of the explosions that took place in the 70's, killing hundreds of innocent people. Super rude. And the drink was invented by some dude from Connecticut . It's not even IRISH!  

Other than that, everything is going really really well. Thanks for all the well wishes and for reading, of course. I didn't realize how many of you were keeping up with my tale across the sea and that makes me feel really happy. And warm and fuzzy. Warm and fuzzy is good because it's been really cold and rainy for the past three days...

Until next time, guys. <3

** Don't worry about the Pictures page formatting. I'll come up with something different for it. For now, the Pg Dn button should be your friend. **