The Artist

It's occurred to me, after offering to write this post, that I have incredibly talented friends. I've already written about my friend, Alasdair Cooper, who is an insanely talented musician (you can find him in the sidebar to the right) and now it's the turn of my friend, Rebecca Sydenham.

She moved down to Glasgow recently and, if I'm honest, I haven't been so happy in a long, long time. It was the first time in the best part of five years that we had lived in the same place, after I moved away half way through high school. We've known each other for around nine years and know each other inside out.

Also, her brother mooned at me the first time I went round to her house when I was only 11. If that doesn't cement a friendship, then nothing will.

There is a chance she may never speak to me again after posting
this picture, so I hope you appreciate my dedication here!

The Beautiful People?

This is a post I've wanted to do for a while, but it's taken a while for me to find a way to say it that I'm comfortable with. The other day, I found this article about Abercrombie and Fitch. You know them, you know you do. You know the shops that are really dark, really stuffy, and full of ridiculously skinny, beautiful people?

Of course you do.

How to be a London Tourist.

I was one of the luckiest people ever this weekend just past. I was taken to see Pink at the O2 in London.

I'll give you a minute just to let that sink in.

PINK.

At the O2.

In LONDON.

I'll treat you to some photos before I get to my point:

It's Like the Morning After.

So it occurred to me today that I made a promise a while back that I would keep you up to date on my writing endeavours and I completely haven't. In my "Game of Words" post, I told you that my next deadline for my novel-writing was the 14th of April, and that I was supposed to have my first three chapters written. Well good news!

I MANAGED IT!

CELEBRATE! YIPPEE! HUZZAH!

But now I'm experiencing somewhat of a problem. Have you ever been on a really great night out? The banter has been fantastic, the drinks were flowing, the music playing wherever you are is brilliant, and all you keep saying is "We have to do this again, we have to do this again!". Well, do you remember the morning after this stupendous evening?

That is what this feels like.

The Not-So Mature Student

I need to tell you a secret. I should really be revising right now.

I have exams quickly approaching, and have been cramming the past few days to try and prepare for them. Eventually though, Sense and Sensibility just got too much. I got up from my desk chair wandered through to my room and flumped on my bed. Just lay there, enjoying the quiet and the cool duvet. But then I realised that it wasn't actually made.

One thing that would be useful to know here, is that I love to have a perfectly made bed before I go to sleep, but rarely do it when I get up.

So it got me thinking - growing up absolutely stinks.

Gone are the days when your mum would come through to your room and wake you up, get your clothes ready and make your bed once you went downstairs.

Gone are the days when you'd come home to cupboards full of food and you'd be shouted through to the kitchen to find dinner ready made on the table. 

Now I have to do all this on my own, and I don't like it.

How to Live with Guys: PART TWO

I haven't posted for a while for two reasons, the first being funnier than the second. Reason number one: I managed to spill half a cup of tea all over my laptop's keyboard. Yes, it was tragic. Yes, I wanted to cry a little. And yes, I did get the mick taken out of me. Not that I learned from it, I'm drinking tea as we speak. Here I must say a big thank you to Kieran for helping me fulfil my computer needs.

The second reason is that I got to go home for two weeks, which was so great I can't even begin to explain. I got chocolate eggs up to my ears and got to spend over an hour in a car with a puppy. I can't ask for more than that.

It was while I was home that I got my first request for a blog post: "I really liked the How to Live with Guys post. Do another." So I thought - what the hell? I enjoyed writing it, and I definitely have enough material to write another!

The Land of the Free and Stuff

In a glorious email on my phone screen, I found out yesterday that I have been accepted into Williamette University in Salem, Oregon for a semester next year. Or, once I work out the credit system for the classes at least.

And you know, everything else like accomodation, costs and sorting out how my lovely roommates will ever cope without me...

The more I think about it though, the more I've realised I don't really know all that much about America. So I have decided to try, at least, to find out a bit about Oregon.

The Djentleman at Work

Djent: A heavy metal movement. Onomatopoeia for the distinctive high-gain, distorted palm-muted guitar.

I have a few comments to add to this. Generally, it's all pretty heavy. It can get pretty funky. And it usually consists of some really weird song names. "Inside What's Within Behind" for example. That just doesn't make any sense.

Luckily, I live with a man capable of explaining all of this to me. Alasdair Cooper (cue looking at the bar to the right to see the links I've put up already...) is, to put it bluntly, an INSANE GUITARIST.

A Game of Words

So it turns out that Game of Thrones is kind of awesome. I'm not ashamed to say that I'm pretty late to jump on the bandwagon. I haven't even finished the first season yet, but I'm completely hooked. It's exciting, well performed, and I can't deny that I'm happy that George R. R. Martin is both a writer and an executive producer on the show...

What really impresses me is the depth and believability of it all. Fantasy can be tricky to get right. You want to write something original without it sounding stupid, but that's more difficult than it sounds. Between Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, you can feel like everything's been done already.

That's the problem I'm now facing.

For some unfathomable reason (and I have a funny feeling I said this in my New Year post), I've decided to write a novel. Again. I couldn't tell you how many pieces of paper full of pointless scribblings I have in my flat. All them covered in good intentions but none of them really coming to anything. Sometimes I feel like tearing my hair out waiting for mystical inspiration to arrive.

But this week, something momentous happened. I began setting deadlines. I have deadlines that I'm really hoping will improve my productivity. I think what will make them still more effective is the fact that beside each date is a column headed: REWARDS. It almost glitters next to everything else. I've filled it with things like a new DVD, a girlie night in and even a bottle of bubbly when it's all finished. So far I've been doing well - nearly six thousand words over the past two days. It's the first time I've ever written so much, so quickly, which bodes well for the months ahead. 

However, I know that I'm very good at procrastinating. So to try and prevent this, I'm going to tell you my first deadline:

By the 14th of April, I'm aiming to have written the first three chapters. Not edited, just written.

There it is in big letters. I can't take it back now. So I'm hoping that this will prove to be the kick in the pants I need to get me through the next few weeks. 

I'll let you know how the plot thickens...

The Run Diaries #2

My friend Becca and I have been friends for a very long time. And when you're friends with someone for a long time, you realise just what makes them tick. You also know when it is the best time to duck for cover and pray to God that make it out alive.

Yesterday was one of those days.

I'm pretty certain that if I hadn't made it round to her house for our pre-jog cup of tea she would have torn her lovely boyfriend to shreds. Just before the final blow was struck, I pushed her out the door and made her jog round Glasgow Green with me. We ranted for a bit. She felt better. I still had the use of all my limbs and internal organs. 

So far, I've been sponsored £50, which is really, really great. It really makes a difference. I got my Race for Life pack in the post this morning and on one of the leaflets it explains just what all these sponsors are helping to achieve:

£10 will pay for scientists to examine 300 tumour samples under a microscope.

£50 will pay for 22 thermometers, which are really important for conducting certain experiments.

£94 pays for a woman to go through a clinical trial to improve the survival of breast cancer.

And £120 pays for training a nurse to help support patients over the phone, to give them someone to talk to.

I didn't know any of that before today, and that made me even happier at the £50 you guys have sponsored me so far!

So, here's the link to the JustGiving site, where you can donate online:

http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/eilidhstewart

Or if that's too much of a faff, then just send me a message or leave a comment, as I have a sponsor sheet now! I'm excited.

Please dig deep, if you can. If every person who had a look at my last post donated just £1, it would double what I've already raised, so it really does help!