working at Edinburgh Fringe: exhaustion, vivacity and gin.

I can't say I have much of an excuse for not posting for a good... 6 months. However I have been inspired and also finally blessed with the free time to write a little blog around the experience of my latest job opportunity... 1 month bar work at the busy Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

  I'll start off with a solid truth I learned about the people of Edinburgh that I probably should have already known, but my do they love their Gin! I worked in popup bars for a company called C Venues which ran several venues throughout Edinburgh hosting many many shows. I can safely say that from the massive stock arrival at the beginning of the festival, around one third of the gin was consumed on the first night.. Every second order or more was definitely a G&T.  Safe to say from then on management never skimped out on the gin orders! 

    Working the festival was partly a favour for my flatmate, as she was given the wonderful opportunity to manage a few of these bars in order to gain experience for her Business honours degree and I previously had (some) bar experience. Watching all the stress and work she was under I would say she has gained some valuable skills and did a great job in such a fast paced and stressful environment which is constantly about people pleasing and keeping everything at peace. Big respect to the girl, who at only 20 like myself, survived the whole month! I also know working there, some staff were a handful to say the least, so well done for keeping your cool... Although I like to believe me providing pizza some nights helped...


     Experience with myself ranged from the good, bad and the ugly. First few nights I honestly had a ball! Yeah, shift patterns were ugly, you would start at 6/7pm and finish around 5/6am and on top of that was my 1 hour commute which almost undoubtedly ended up with me falling asleep on a morning train. The first few nights I quickly realised the main bar turned basically into a club and I kind of enjoyed working in a mobbed bar where I could have a little dance behind the bar and no one would bat an eyelid. A lot of my colleagues were similar age to me to so I made some great friends.  
    Of course there were a few downsides, drunk people are often impatient when it comes to drinks. However take this good or bad, but if you're rude to me, Im sure as hell not gonna serve you next, even if you HAVE been there for ages :) it was also a popup bar so occasionally a certain kinda drink does run out, get over it, theres nothing I can do. Perhaps the worst night of all was my last night where I was working a bar alone when one guy was so plastered I refused him service, he got so aggressively angry towards me and threatened me with violence and religious slurs. Worst part was that it was only 9pm and way to early for security to be on. I think in a way I found a bit of confidence in myself that night as I would normally shy away but I found the courage to throw him out. Woohoo?

    But enough of the bad, like I said there were great perks! I can now say i've got some pretty high up bar experience for future reference. I also met most of the actors throughout the course of the month and got some pretty awesome stories and advice, everyone was so interesting and electic!
     Dare I mention the discounted drink and free shows as a staff member, which in expensive life of Edinburgh Fringe is a godsend. 
     I only wish I had more time off to experience the festival. I think next year I will visit it instead and get a better day out of it. Although now I'll know to be nice to my bartender and remember they're probably working long shifts on minimum wage too - and that a nice customer with some friendly and interesting chat is what makes it all worth it.

However I am now excited to be settling down with a new and quieter cafe job in Stirling at the end of the week.

Until next time
xxxx 

drinking wine in edinburgh doesnt always mean class (a Johnson Hen-Do)

    First off, I'll start off with a heartfelt apology. Although I know only a couple of you read my blog at the moment, I'm sorry for being MIA .. but without sounding cliché, the last couple of months have been super busy! University, having a small part-time job, dancing and generally socialising took over a little. I also discovered Gossip Girl, need I explain more? 

     I have decided to write a little fun post about an amazing weekend I had at the end of January. Finally! It was my big sisters hen-do, with all 4 of my sisters and a couple of her mates hitting the big city of Edinburgh. After a small shift in the office I could not wait to hop on the train and join the rest in our rented apartment, have an excuse to wear a "Hen Do" sash and get our wine on. Also.. let's just appreciate how lovely the place was (considering how little we paid and the perfect location).
 

So... our first night it was just my sisters and I. A few glasses of wine they said, a civilised dinner out they said. OH HOW WRONG WERE WE? Amy-Beth, (figures, she's the wild one) had secretly ordered a buff butler to come and entertain us and last minute he decides to bring along his friend. So.. two buff butlers. Not only were they pleasing on the eye, wow they knew how to get us drunk. 7 bottles of wine, prosecco, strange drinking games, spin the bottle and about 50 shots later we were all 10 times more drunk than anticipated and knew a lot more intimate details about each other than probably needed.
     Bear in mind, we had reservations at a fancy restaurant/cocktail bar which we were far too drunk for. We made it anyway, although not much was eaten, we were in no way classy and possessions were lost. I won't say much more, but inevitably the night ended with me waking up with a mouth like the Sahara desert spooning my sister in our underwear. Great first night!!

The next day we dragged ourselves out of our pits and cured all with a fry-up from a cafe on the Royal Mile and headed to a Spa. No spa experience complete without a fluffy robe and unlimited use of the pool, sauna and jacuzzi. Treatments were a given, I chose a hot stone massage which worked wonders on my back pain and could have honestly sent me to sleep. 
   At around 4 we all got dressed to head to the adjacent restaurant for champagne afternoon tea... who knew the Johnson's (and friends) could be classy?! Macaroons, scones, chocolate fondue and fruit. mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

   Saturday night then proceeded with dressing to the nine (because its Edinburgh and we can) and headed out to Vodka Revolution where we had a booth booked with yet more prosecco, cocktail and shooters. I definitely recommend Vodka Revs, the cocktails are amazing.. I can say this with confidence.. I had many. Sweet Shop, Daiquiri and Peanut Butter Martinis were a few of the favourite. As for the night, music on point with the classics, banter on point, company also on point. And the chippy on the way home (class gone downhill?) hit all the right spots.

   It was so sad to go home on the Sunday and know I had Uni on the Monday. It was without a doubt one of the best, funniest and memorable weekend I've ever had. So much could not be mentioned here alone. I cannot wait for the Wedding in less than two weeks now. I may post some pictures about that too, because its, you know, the main event...

I hope you had a fabulous weekend Jenni! I love you lots and lots and neverrrr stops

(it's a family known quote of mine haha)

Until next time 

xxxx

finally, some sense

    Is this real? Some news articles in the beginning of 2015 concerning the causes of cancer may be showing a glimmer of sense. I recently saw on the news, and also read on the Guardian website that “most types of cancer are down to bad luck rather than lifestyle or genes” Well hallelujah, a journalist finally said something sensible rather than vigorously researching a definitive cause and exploiting some small piece of evidence into a direct correlation. The Daily Mail for example over the years have come up with a laughable amount of trivial things that can “cause cancer” from biscuits, cereal and being pregnant to being left handed and giving blowjobs. Yes, really. If you don’t believe me and have a few minutes to spare, check out this link, there are so many more.           http://www.anorak.co.uk/288298/scare-stories/the-daily-mails-list-of-things-that-give-you-cancer-from-a-to-z.html/

    Don’t get me wrong, I fully understand that an unhealthy lifestyle WILL have an effect on our health and well being, but it is not the sole cause of cancer. The article quite rightly read that “random mutations that occur in DNA when cells divide are largely responsible for two thirds of adult cancers”, in other words, unfortunate, but completely random formations of cancerous tissues. It follows to say that the remaining third are a result of environmental factors and inherited genes, also factors that can’t really be helped.

  The point in this blog post really is just to express my happiness for a genuine piece of news that recognises that cancer really is down to awful and horrible luck. While unhealthy habits like overeating and smoking certainly do not help and will essentially speed up the process, it acknowledges a combination of factors. Factors which are largely not the fault of the individual. This theory has already been applied to mental health illness, so why only just to this?!

   I write this for the few people that may be affected by all the bias in the news over the last decade or so. Telling of how “we can avoid cancer” and how to eat, behave and live our lives. I know from my own experience when I was younger, my mum was diagnosed with a kidney cancer. Something I am almost sure did not come about because of her choice of lifestyle but rather these “bad luck” genes. Even after a full recovery however, I have noticed over the years she has been affected by the mass media that is plastered all over papers and media platforms that x or y can be the cause. There is no reason to be affected by it, and we shouldn't have to be.

    By all means, please live a healthy lifestyle, not too much fat and try not to smoke. But also, live your life through rose tinted glasses, there is no need to stress! (I’m sure The Daily Mail says that causes cancer too ha ha)

For the full article, read here - http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/01/two-thirds-cancer-cases-caused-bad-luck-lifestyle-genes

Until next time

xxxx

Goodbye 2014, hello 2015

So, tomorrow night it New Year’s Eve and we’ll be sailing on through to 2015. I’m probably the last one to have said this, but this year really has flown by. All in all, it’s been a pretty good year… though it still hasn’t overcame 2013, which aside a few minor complications in the first couple of months… was amazing! (I basically realised men sucked and went on to have an awesome finish to sixth year, had the best friends’ holiday to Magaluf and started University and made a bunch of remarkable friends). 

    So what did 2014 have in store for me? Well, quite a bit of growing up really. Second semester and second year of university for me as someone who came straight from school was where everything finally sort of fell into place for me. I have to admit, first semester had some downfalls, I didn’t feel homesick per se, I just felt not everything was “right”. Sticking through it was the best option. I now come back to visit my parents and feel homesick for Stirling!

As I am not one to remember events from the top of my head, I flicked through some of the events of 2014 on my timeline. I went to London with my bestfriends and saw Taylor Swift in concert, saw Mama Mia live and did alllll the touristy things you should! Radio 1's big weekend with Kayti, Yasmin and Becky. I finally got to see You me at Six and Panic at the disco live and my young teen dreams were lived.

   Not forgetting my first Stirling University Dance Show, tonnes and tonnes of hours of work.. but sooooo worth it! It was this time of year that brought all the dancers together, I love my flatmates but I also love the dancers, we are like our own little family!

    Summer wasn’t overly fun this year, I wasn’t great at budgeting in first year so had some overdraft to pay off. However I am so grateful to my boss for all the shifts I received as I paid everything off and saved a lot for the next year, even if I truly did live at the Anchor Hotel in Summer 2014. Apart from Wickerman, where a bunch of people from Stirling came to visit my "narnia" and truly made it the best year of the festival I've ever experienced. Also, it was the first time EVER i'd been convinced to drink off a terrible hangover at 9.30am in the morning. Something very unlike me.

I also had so many great nights out this year, with the friend group now established and solid it made everything so much easier, and it obviously wasn't complete with our annual bonfire night "family" night, although not all of us live together anymore <3

    I also had some special nights with my friends back home, walks around the woods, drinking and bonfires by the beach and the Easter weekend to name a few.

   For me 2014 was much a year not clouded by boy trouble, but dedicated to friendship bonding.

   Partying aside I also got my head down in 2014 and have to say I have not been really disappointed in a grade so far, so here’s hoping something sticks. I am here for a degree ya know.

   Plans for 2015? Immediately I have a few things to look forward to, my sisters’ hen do at the end of January and the wedding on the 28^th February where I finally get to live out my childhood dream of being a bridesmaid. (I also don’t have to worry about what to wear – win win!) I will also be seeing McBusted for the second time in March with my flatmate Heather.. another highlight of 2014!

  Not much else planned so far, I will just see what the year brings me… for now, my immediate worry is about having a great time on NYE. I’m just going to a small house party in town, but I’m pretty excited to be spending the New Year with friends I grew up with like I do every year.

Happy New Year and I wish you happiness in 2015!

Until next time

xxxx

turn that frown upside down

  It's that time of the year. The days are short, the weather is bitter and the few hours of day we do have are touched by the fading winter light. The whole world appears to be asleep and spirits soften.
   It's easy and somewhat natural to feel exhausted and uninspired when Winter comes around. Seasonal Affective Disorder - "feeling periods of sadness in connection to the seasonal time". It is thought this is brought about by the reduced number of hours of sunlight. Sunlight can have an effect on some peoples hormones. One theory states that sunlight stimulates a part of the brain called the "hypothalamus" which controls mood appetite and sleep. Makes a bit of sense, I for one know my mood is drastically affected by a lack of food and/or sleep. So it definitely is a thing guys!

    If you start to feel a little down this Winter, there are plenty of really simple things that can uplift your mood, even if only for a few hours. 


 x Wear your thickest pyjamas and get a hot water bottle, being warm and comfortable is something that can sometimes make me feel instantly better. 
 x   If you like tea, even better, go get yourself a cup.
 x   Take a walk, preferably yourself, clear your head.. and not to the high street!
 x   Write down your thoughts in a notebook, because nothing beats handwriting things.
 x   Favourite music is obviously a given.
 x   Sing (this one works best for me)
 x  Turn your phone off, chances are the thing affecting your mood can be found on your phone.
 x  Wear the nicest outfit you have, because at least you look good.
 x If all else fails, find the account on Twitter @fuckablemen ...you're welcome.

xxxx

      

a dedication to the girls that aren't quite 90s girls

  Recently in a conversation with a few of my friends we came to reminiscing about our favourite toys when we were growing up. It all stemmed from a comment that an 11 year old had asked for Top Shop vouchers for Christmas and an 8 year old had asked for an iPad. Crazzzy! What can an 8 year old practically do with an iPads capabilities apart from play games.. and do Topshop even supply clothes for 11 year olds?
     We came to remember our favourite dolls, such as Bratz and Betty Spaghetti. Even the days of pushing our baby-borns around in pram. I myself may have been a little guilty of being overly attached to my doll Naomi. Feeling a little nostalgic, I began to think about all the small things that have changed since I entered my teen years (the time we thought we were super cool obviously). Since I don't think being up to 5 years old in the 90's, spending my life in nappies and crèches really gives me the right to say that I'm a real "90's kid".. So I had a bit of fun compiling a list of things that every girl born in 1995-1997 especially will awkwardly remember about truly growing up in the noughties.
I know this post is now sort of highly generic, but these all apply to myself strongly and it was a great way to pass the time!

Enjoy :-)

1.) You remember the Pop Party and Pop Princesses CDs, but the first editions! Away with your twelth edition! Sweet Dreams my LA Ex and Sk8r Boi on Pop Princess were my jam. Also, the free DVD with music videos on it was the best excuse for inviting friends, lets copy the dance? Better than Youtube.

2.) The Gameboy colour was the greatest handheld console in creation and the models came in loads of different cool colours! Many childhoods hours were spent playing Pokemon, Tetris or Crazy Castle when I should probably have been reading or doing something more academically stimulating. Dare I say Gameboys were indestructible? I'm almost sure mine is still at home somewhere.

3.) When people ditched their bikes and used those Razor Scooters to get around everywhere. I have no idea why, they were small and always collapsed in on each other. Thus adding a new shiner to your shin and making you look like an idiot in front of all your friends you were showing off your one wheel spin to.

4.) Most girls had a Rara skirt from Tammy Girl...
 
5.) All the cool kids had Heelies, those trainers that were also hidden roller skates. Well until school found out and held a school assembly saying they were banned, spielling off the generic student about how a student at another school fell and cracked their head.

6.) Your friend didn't really have a holiday abroad somewhere unless she came back with her hair like this, come on, you ALL know someone that put up with having their yanked in order to get this fetching look.

7.) Your first walkman cassette player, a trusty companion for long journeys and probably your mum's method of keeping you quiet. I don't know about anyone else but I used to buy blank tapes and record the top 40 off the radio, the excitement for new music every week was unreal. I know, I was young and a cheapskate.

8.) Remember that phase when everyone owned and wore ponchos? I think that one deserves to stay where it is. In the past. Hopefully a trend that will never be revived. What were we thinking??

Now, moving on to those things that affected those who entered their awkward teenage years in the noughties, especially in the first couple of years of high school...

9.)  MSN, every day after school nearly without fail. When the most important task was getting your crushes "addy" and subtly messaging hey, whilst showing off your cool as hell emoticons. Also, dont get me started on the cringy display names and the need to find that song lyric that REALLY described your tough life situations.

10.) Your top 16 on Bebo was extremely important. It could even be the source of fallouts. Enough said.

11.) Every girl either had the pink or the blue Britney Spears perfume, because the bottle was so fancy.

12.) Limewire and Bearshare were lifesavers, as you always wanted to be the first with a new song on your phone. "Pleaseeeee can you Bluetooth me Justin Timberlakes new song??"

13.) Getting blonde highlights in your hair made you instantly prettier. People were also secretly jealous that your mum either forked out £50 for you to get it done or you obviously had decent pocket money.

14.) You played the Sims 1, for hours on end, making your enemies and killing them in every way possible. Then making a male Sim and forcing them to fall in love with you.

15.) Everyone had a pay as you go phone and the phrase "sorry ive ran out of credit" doesn't have people hysterically laughing at you like it would today. Although not to worry, i'll just borrow a pound from o2...

16.) Remember that phase when everyone started to get trampolines? Yeah.. what was that about by the way? Was there some sort of major Argos clear-out?

17.) Every girl had secretly checked out Judy Blume's "Forever" out the library because it taught all our innocent minds everything we needed to know about sex. Also that Erica was a psycho.

18.) Jane Norman or River Island bags were the only acceptable plastic bags to keep your PE kit in. It meant you had style.

19.) Week nights were spent "street ratting"i.e walking about the streets/park in either a Helly Hansen or Mackenzie jacket and fake Uggs.
 

Sorry this post ended up being so long.. this is even the edited version! I just had far too much fun laughing at the stuff we used to do.
xxxx