Birthday Slink

I am so tired right now.

Friday was, as many of you know, my 22nd birthday. I had lots of loverly pressies including some fab clothes, a dvd, a katatonia cd, a bop it, money, a bracelet and some photography stuff that should really help the finished look of my work. Niall got me membership to the AOI (Association of Illustrators) which was pretty amazing and totally unexpected. I had a cool chilled out kinda day with a phonecall from Ktp in india and one from my bro in japan which was a nice suprise. In the evening myself, Niall, my sister and the folks went to TGI Fridays for a slap up meal, but it was full of loud shouting kids that should have been strapped to their seats rather than being left to run wildly around the restaurant. I hate it when parents allow kids to do that, fair enough in a park or something but not in a crowded busy room where people are trying to enjoy a meal. Bastards. However, the food was pretty nice and I even got through half my dessert! We shared a platter between us all to start with, then I had a steak in peppercorn sauce with veggies and cheesy mash, with a "cookie madness" for afters. They even stuck a candle in it for me. Aah.

On saturday morning I drove Niall and Sarah B to our uni house, and met up with Dave, Jonjon, Rfa, and the ladybug. I got even more pressies which was cool. The ladybug got me a nice bracelet, I got choccies and enough drink to last me a whole year, plus Dave got me tickets to see Martin Gretch who I've been desperately waiting to go and see again for ages. He rocks like a bitch. Roll on May 12th!.... After scoffing pizza as best we could, we got all dressed up and set off for a supposedly quick train journey into Notty. Though there was actually a train this time (last time we had to go by coach), this so called 'high speed' service turned a fifteen minute ride into a fifty minute journey, half of which was spent sitting still in the middle of nowhere only to go back in the same direction we came ...... but of course, Mr Blair would much rather we used public transport despite wether or not the so called services actually work. Anyways, we made it into Notty and headed straight for the Pit where I was treated to lots of drinks, including some cocktails of Envy. mmmm mmmm mmmmmmm. At about half ten we went up to Rock City where Mark and Loz joined us a little later on. It was a good night. I was a bit worried about keeping everyone entertained and happy with music and so on, but at the end of the day everyone seemed to find something they enjoyed. I danced around like a maniac for a while which meant I was on bottled water for the rest of the night trying to stay hydrated and cool. We got an hour less in Rock City because of the clocks going forward which was a bit pants but to be honest I was getting pretty tired from all the mad bouncing around so it seemed to work out nicely. Towards the end of the night, I managed to sit in a huge puddle of an unkown liquid substance that soaked through my mini skirt leaving me with a nice wet bum for the taxi journey home. That wasn't very nice, but I think by that point I was so tired I didn't really notice.

So now everyones back home and it's not my birthday anymore. :( I don't feel any older which is good, and I still got I.D'd last night so I obviously still look nice and young. Woohoo. I'm not doing any more work tomorrow either, we're off to see grandparents and things for easter monday so I'll probably catch up on some sleep. I also have to prepare myself mentally for starting work at the end of the week. It's a school holiday club for kids at the school my mum works at. There's plenty of decent kids there who behave okay but there's also some complete wankers that I'm pretty sure have come straight from hell, but I need the money and I'm only working three full days (8-6!!!!) so thats not tooo bad.

Right, I need a good nap... think I'll go cuddle up to Niall and my hoard of easter eggs and sleep for a while. Thanks to all my buddies for making my birthday feel really special. xxxx

Back in Brum

I have bruises. Three on one leg, two on another and a monster of one on my grazed arm. No ribena stains though... both carpet and sofa survived un-purple-ized, as did my nose. Though I could taste it for a fair few hours afterwards.

So after that day from hell, I made up with Niall. He finally gave me a hug and we were all fine and dandy again. My report was re-jiggled so it looked the same size as everyone elses and sucessfully bound and handed in on time. My doctor told me on friday that my constant headaches and nasty migraines are most likely due to being a great big stresshead and that I should relax over easter. So, following doctors orders like the good girl I am, on friday night I got picked up to come back home to brum.

It's nice to be home, though without my computer I'm getting bored quicker than usual. So bored that I actually did loads of work today. I cut loads of wood... well I say cut but it was more... supervising. I actually stood around while Niall used a loud and menacing jigsaw. But yeah I now have a proper carpeted base for my latest model called 'The Board Room', carrying on the insect theme.

It's also now four days til my birthday. I'm driving back up to Uni house on saturday, meeting some buddies then off to celebrate in Notty. First stop- Pit and the Pendulum of course for a few pitchers of sloth, then on to Rock City. Should be fun, as long as people turn up.

The rest of the holidays will be interspersed (that a word??) with work, trips to "edwards no. 8", getting birthday pressies, and being broke.

*%?(!& $£*@?< *&!£$?@~**

Today has been utter crap. So crap in fact that I require bullet points.

• Firstly my report's due in tomorrow but I've noticed mine is half the size of everyone elses so I'm panicking to death about this and toying with the possibility of messing with page margins, printing it out again, getting it bound ... all done before tomorrow morning
• I don't think many people will want/can afford to come out for my birthday next saturday
• I had to pay another £30 to our degree fund today, that means a)I've spent about £100 in a mere few days, b) I can't afford to buy any more materials for my projects and c) I'm screwed for paying my rent in a weeks time
• The Evil One, known as Rachel in my class, seems to be furthering her career already by getting interviews for various agencies etc. This sucks. Her work sucks.
• Niall got annoyed at me because I was rightly pissed off when I got back from Uni. All I wanted was a hug. All I got was a fight.
• To top it off, when carrying my dinner out the kitchen I managed to trip over, grazing my arm and spilling the contents of my plate AND a glass of ribena all over the carpet and sofa. Thanks to Dave for helping me clean this up, as I was way to busy trying not to cry and blow the ribena out of my nose. This isn't the first time I've had ribena in my eyes and up my nose.

Roll on tomorrow.

Down Down Deeper and Down...

Ah good ol' Status Quo...

And yeah it IS that bad.

I was feeling better about the whole illustration thing today. I was thinking 'yeah, it will be hard it, it will be VERY tough on the money side of things for a while but I just have to try it because it's what I want to do and I'm good at it, and if it all paid off it would be the best thing in the world '... blah blah blah. I also got my work put up on Graduate Art 2005 and my profile looks all swanky and stuff...

... then I saw my bank balance. And then it dawned on me that I'll be having this same sick feeling every time I see my statement for another x-many years!!!! It sucks starting out and already being in £10'000 worth of debt (thank you kindly Mr Blair. Pillock.).

I wish I was six again. Back then getting 50p was a bit of an occasion and saving up probably stretched to a few quid for some toy. Did you know Munchies now cost 52p?! I remember when they used to be 40p and even then they were the most overpriced chocolate bar in the shop. Boooooooooo for money or lack of, Boooooo for inflation, Booooooooooooooooo for the horrible illustration industry and being self employed, Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

Watched a good film the other night called Freeze Frame. It was about a man who had been wrongly accused of murder and as a consequence had taken to filming his every move and cataloging each tape so he always has an alibi. It's really good film and you really feel for the main character, played by standup comic Lee Evans, even though in parts you're not entirely sure if he's innocent or not. It was intriguing and really pulled you into the story. Highly recommended. Since then I haven't done a great deal other than get my hair tidied up, munch through my bulk box of happy hippos, start my next project and experience a complete mental block for an important illustration competition.

Boooooooooooooooo for mental block.

Slinkfectious

I'm spreading. Check out Ru-Isu's fab manga version of me on her blog. It's wicked, got my new boots on and everything. :)

You may or may not have noticed that I've also rejiggled slink's links because some people update more than others. There's a new addition too, in the form of flakester. If that wasn't enough I changed me profile pic AGAIN because ... well I felt like it and no one really cares.

Woohoo.

South Parkification

south park me and niall
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I was browsing some blogs today with the good old "next blog" button and came across this, so I pinched it to make my own south park version of myself and niall. I love them. I hope Mr Klink (whose blog I nicked it from) didn't mind me pinching it from his blog, but he does get a lovely link in return. The south park create-a-person thing can be found here.

Bad head.

I've had migraine problems since last night. After going to bed with a mild dull ache in my fore head, I woke up with a splitting headache concentrated on one side of my head and across the back of my eye. I usually get visual disturbances when I get migraine, but this time it just hurt. Alot. So I may be taking it easy the rest of the day, which means no rock night tonight. :( Still, think it's for the best. I probably shouldn't be sitting at the computer really. I skipped going into the studio this morning, but I'll have to pop in after lunch to discuss my next project with my tutor.

Yesterday was spent attending a full day seminar called "How to survive as an Illustrator". I came out of it with the conclusion that I actually probably won't. It was all scary stuff about taxes, self employment, negotiations and finance (thank god I did A level business studies as I'd have been even more lost about it all if I hadn't). On top of that we were told that it'll take years to get fully established so I'm not even likely to earn any proper money for many many years. It was very disheartening but it was nothing I didn't know already. I DO however have the determination to do this, or give it a bloody good shot at the very least. I'm just not sure how that determination will last after the usual endless rejections and years of waiting. On the plus side, I may never actually earn enough to pay off my student loan; on the downside that means I may not be able to actually eat. So, mix the "seminar of doom" with a healthy dose of monthly pain and bloatedness, stir in a good helping of anxiety for the future, simmer with the knowledge of being away from your loved one for as long as you can't afford to move in, and there you have it. Season with a sprinkling of migraine to taste.

Only a week and one day til my birthday. I'll be a whopping 22! I neither look nor feel 22 and refuse point blank to act it until completely necessary.

OOh OOh!

ooh oooh everyone has to rate my kitty cat Oscar because he's beautiful.... and I am, apparantly a sadcase for putting him on there in the first place.

www.ratemykitten.com/ratemy/kitten?image=189208

One of the lovely Phoebe will follow when she sits still long enough to have a decent picture taken.

Aaaaaaaaaaaah.

Right I'm REALLY off to bed this time. night. x

Shattered.

Long time, no post.

I'm starting to feel better, my appetite still comes and goes and I'm still getting the odd twinge but all in all I feel okay. My mood's been lifted a little more and my developing cold has been fought off by my fantastic super strength anti-bodies. Bring it on germs...

I've been a social butterfly this week. Thursday I had my tutorial during the day and Andy was thrilled with my bug piece. So thrilled in fact that he wants to see even more along the same theme. I've been given another piece of work to do too for our degree show book so I've got quite alot of work to do this week coming. However, that didn't stop me going out to Subversion (rock night) on thursday night. It was a really good night even though we didn't stay right til the end.

Friday was spent bumming around in preparation for our illustration course mini-social at the infamously crap 'fnd' at our student union. This night is usually reserved for slappers and complete twats to come together, drink themselves stupid, dance to rubbish 'music', puke everywhere, and "pull". Yeah, not my kind of night. Nevertheless it's Linzi's favorite night out at the union and I told her I'd make an appearance, dragging Niall along for protection against the molesting, lecherous drunkards. It actually wasn't too bad. We only stayed till twelve and it wasn't as packed as it has been in the past. Niall and I spent the time counting Mullets on the fnd-ers, but I think we abandoned the count at 50 as there were just way too many.

Saturday, I'd been waiting for for ages. I didn't do much during the day, perhaps a pop into town then a bit of work in the afternoon, but in the evening I got dressed up for Mark's birthday outing at Nottingham's Rock City. We got there at about half ten and it was pretty empty, but the music was, as anticipated, good. It was a really good night, hanging out with some great buddies of mine, with some decent music... just great. And although it got busy towards the end of the night, we moved down to the basement where they played some scarey heavy hardcore stuff which was exactly what Mark loves. Him and Niall donned the dance floor for a fair few songs and came back absolutely knackered. Hehe. We also got 36crazyfists played for Mark which came with a call out wishing him happy birthday courtesy of myself and Niall. :) aaaah. A good night was had by all. We got a taxi home, and at 3 am we were just home in time to see the start of the Australian Grand Prix. I think I managed to watch about two laps before I fell asleep! Was a shame considering how much I love my motor racing but I was godamn tired after three nights worth of going out-ness.

I would have loved a lie in this morning but I had to get up in time for my folks picking me up to go see my grandparents in Nottingham for mothers day. Still, I had a nice typical Sunday seeing the folks, my sister, both sets of grandparents and eating as much as possible. I even had a posh meal of Pheasant in a gorgeous creamy sauce, while Niall had Hare in a red wine sauce. Yaaay for my grandads cooking. My other Nana baked me some cakes too; and mom had picked me up a bulk pack of kinder Happy Hippos. Not bad for a days work.

Which brings me riiiight up to now. I'm really tired. I think an early night's in order tonight. I've got lots of work to do this week so I need to catch up on some sleep before I attempt anything. *yawn*

Long post, no time.

Night night me lovelies.

Bugs

Ooh it's turning out to be a tough week. I can tell from my craving of cocktails, which is going to be monitered over the week. Today I think on a scale of one to ten (one being-not craving cocktails, ten being- absolutely HAVE to have a pitcher NOW), I would say I'm at a 6. It doesn't help that Niall and I went into Nottingham yesterday to guage prices for flats, and he bought me a Sloth for being good. mmmmm. It was so so cold out yesterday, snowing and everything. I bought nothing but some stripey tights and some red nail varnish. Good Slink.

I've been dealing with alot of wierd emotions this week, and I can't even work out what alot of them are. My disease isn't developing at a fast enough speed for me to be properly ill, which is irritating, so I'm still kind of half ill. Apparently there's a flu epidemic on the way too, bloody virus's.

Other than that my "bugs in an office" model is complete so I'm on target for my tutorial on thursday. :)

bug model
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