More Temporary Secretary & Love Hearts and Crosses

I love jewellery. The quirkier the better. I hardly ever go to a high street retailer for it because they all seem to be stocked by companies that produce near identical pieces. In fact, in some cases I'm sure it's the same supplier. Most of my jewellery comes from local independent stores such as Peccadillos in Stafford, who fuel my love of precious stones.

In October I wrote about Temporary Secretary, who were suggested to me by the lovely Rose over Twitter. Now I finally own my own little piece of TempSec thanks to the boy... he had a parcel sent my house over the weekend that enclosed the TAB typewriter ring I had been lusting over.  It came complete with a wonderful little note from Sarah thanking him for his purchase. What a lovely graduation present! (I officially graduate a week on Wednesday.)

My new found love for TempSec has had me looking elsewhere online for gorgeous costume jewellery. I came across Love Hearts and Crosses on Twitter as well... but this time I wasn't thinking just of myself but of others too. I can think of one friend in particular that would love one of these pieces in their Christmas stocking. In fact, she has her very own karma circle tattooed onto her inner arm. Maybe she'll get the necklace to match.

Sing Dance Live Love Stacking Bracelets £25

Can I Be Your Friend?

Whilst doing my usual Sunday morning perusal of blogs I came across the video 'Can I be your friend?' on Slash/Slash.  The video brings the actions we use online into the real world and demonstrates just how strange a concept poking people, liking things and announcing our relationship to the world really is. What's stranger still is that the video is to promote a new opera, not the first medium you'd expect to exposure the dangers associated with living our lives online.

"Ever thought how odd your online life is?  Ever thought what could go wrong?  This film looks forward to ENO's production of Nico Muhly's new opera 'Two Boys'."  If that sounds like your kind of thing the opera premieres on the 24th June at the London Coliseum.

Cannabis Over Breakfast

I don't know why I've started appreciating the amusement in little things that happen at home...maybe it's because I might be leaving...but over breakfast lately I seem to laugh a lot.  I don't know why as there are very few things that can make me smile in the morning.

As I was making coffee I noticed that there was a bag of green stuff in a plastic food bag.  Surely not...no it must be...nah not cannabis.  Not in my house.  Then I notice it's sat on top of a tub of flour.  Oh God, someone is going to make cannabis cakes.  My dad.  My dad cannot be doing weed in our house.

Turns out I wasn't the only one to consider it.  My friend arrived for breakfast (she was early for work and decided to pop in) and my dad joined us.  Only for them both to stare at the "cannabis" oddly and us to have to work out what it actually is.  It was basil.  My sister had decided to make a pizza at school using dried basil from a tub.  (I said no and gave her fresh basil leaves.)

What I found most amusing about this though was that not only did three grown adults decide that cannabis was a more likely thing than herbs to find in my kitchen but that my dad then went into a detailed description of his cannabis consumption.  Then my friend joined in, not thinking that it was odd breakfast conversation to be having with your friends father over Weetabix and a rather strong cup of Carte Noir instant. 

Yes he'd tried it, no it wasn't always successful, skunk in fact sent him paranoid and gave him hallucinations.  One of which involved hitting his ex-girlfriend over the head repeatedly with a spade.  "One of those big flat ones like they have in America for the snow and stuff."  I pictured the old guy brandishing his shovel in Home Alone automatically.  This kind of violence must have stuck in my mind because in a recent dream I started banging a girls head repeatedly off hard surfaces (floors, walls etc).  This is not healthy.  Clearly people should be talking to me about happy, fluffy kittens and things.  And not ones that have been shoved in a bin.

On an additional note my sister made the pizza.  The dough base was actually made from a scone recipe because according to her teacher "pizza dough takes too long".  The resulting cake pizza provided only added amusement to the entire situation.

Friends: "It works both ways"

Whilst reminiscing with my friend at work today we suddenly started reenacting/quoting a scene from Friends...the bit before Chandelor and Ross discuss the Hug and Roll technique...you know the bit about instant reactions?

Rachel: "Does my bum look big in this?"
Ross: "Noooo. Does size matter?"
Rachel: "Nooo."
Ross: "See it works both ways."

We laughed about this because for our generation Friends has been with us for a very long time.  In fact, for many years E4 has simply played every season over and over, starting again when they're done and tagging on new seasons.  (Shockingly they recently decided to stop doing this.  About time really.)

Do you remember that scene?  It's the bit that comes right before this:



YouTube completely let me down and didn't actually have the bit I wanted.  Sad huh?  Though, in the suggestions box that did come up I had a variety of things, from How to Hug and Roll video to How to Seduce Yourself.

Yeah, you read that right: How to Seduce Yourself.  (Embedding is disabled to click the link.)

I really hope that this video is a piss take but I really can't be sure.  Seductive videos surely shouldn't include Closer?!  I've seen that film and don't remember being turned on at any point.  Sometimes going off on a tangent provides the most amusing results.  And remember guys..."It's the safest sex there is."

"I did something bad."

I am not an angel, my love life is dire at the best of times and I can strop like a small child when I don't get my own way.  I know this.  My friends know this.  I don't then understand really why they listen to a bloody thing I say....Twice within four days I have been told "I did something bad.  Please don't shout at me."

This suggests that I am a fountation of knowledge.  At university a lovely friend would say all too often "you're so wiiise."  With a 'why' to the wise.  I can give out the best advice.  I definitely cannot follow it. 

So, whether you want to confuse a previously platonic relationship or risk dodgy post-relationship awkwardness at work then that's fine.  I've warned you to the best of my abilities.  Yes, you have been bad...but haven't we all.  Just don't forget what Stefenie Meyer wrote...and please forgive me for quoting Twilight!..."love and lust don't always keep the same company."

“Board games bring out the worst in me."

Every Christmas in my family the board games get dusted off and we indulge in really long games such as Monopoly.  Today, in attempt to get all my friends together in the daytime…rather than huddled together at the pub on a night when it’s freezing cold and we all have to walk home moaning…I hosted what I called ‘Christmas Game Day’.

This consisted of six friends eating junk food, drinking tea and ploughing through a various board games.  We started with Pop-up Pirate, moved to Mouse Trap, then Scattergories and finally…the big one…Monopoly.

The first few were fine, kids games after all, but then it got serious.  After Scattergories we actually had to break for lunch to, in my friends words, “calm down a bit before Monopoly”.  I guess she needed it because after a full on sulk and a period of continuously shouting at her boyfriend because he was “cheating” she announced “board games bring out the worst in me…I hate Monopoly.”  She quite promptly lost all of her money and properties and was out…though not before me, by the time I’d made it once round the board everybody else had lapped me at least twice and brought all the properties.  I really stood no chance.

It was funny, however, that when I logged onto Facebook afterwards I read a status that said: “Lauren finds it funny that a game of Payday with her sisters can turn into a war.”  Not just us then…so why on Earth do we all turn to board games at Christmas when they are never used any other time of the year? 

I suppose it’s because it’s cold and nobody can be bothered to go out, the television is rubbish and there is something so uniting and rustic about sitting down with your friends and family and just spending time together.  No need for alcohol (though it always makes game day funnier), no need for a treacherous icy walk home in the pitch black and no need for electricity really.  If you ignore the fact we had the radio on and by 3pm the lights were required to see the games…stupid clocks going back!

Since we finished every one of my guests has text to say thank you for a wonderful time.  Don’t think I’ve ever had that when I’ve hosted a party…looks like I’ve found a niche with which to entertain people in their early twenties.  Some feat really.

Absence does not make the heart grow fonder...

Absence does not make the heart grow fonder...in fact I'm pretty convinced it just pisses it off.  The concept sounds all romantic and lovely but actually for any relationship...apart maybe from your parents...it's just inpractical.

During the summer my friends and I were discussing one particular rather disasterous 21st (not mine) and decided to redo it.  I suggested us all redoing our 21st's and disregarding the fact we will actually be turning 22 in this next academic year.  My theory behind this was that everyone had problems regarding time/money/distance that prevented proper celebrations. 

I was shunned by one particular friend who said "well you didn't bother coming home for anyones 21st.  Considering I worked 24/7 (it paid off I got a first!) and had no money really I think this is a ridiculous thing to be annoyed by.  It just makes me think bollocks, I won't be making an effort on your 22nd.  Now I find my relationships with uni friends rather lacklustre and it's sad.

I recall my relationship with one particular man (though it's odd calling him that as he was a boy when I met him four years ago) that struggled ridiculously.  Now we're apart, I'm single and we speak more than ever.  When we see each other it means even more.  We're doing it not out of duty but because we care and we want to.  Some days I wonder maybe we'll ever get the chance to give it another go.  Then he tells me he's going glacier skiing for a month during his meager six week summer break.

Some things just aren't meant to work out.  Absence inevitably just leaves you pining.  I live in hope one day someone will prove worthy enough and we will close the gap.  Live within the same city.  Or even the same county.  More than anything I hope my lovely Prestonian friends will still be my friends when I next see them despite weeks/months/years of time apart.

I may be a bit shit with contact but that doesn't mean I don't care....it just means that one particular man has meant I now have no free text messages left.  Bugger.

You've Changed...

The other day I gave a last attempt at making a university friend actually reply to my messages.  This may sound rather psychotic but it's pretty simple...things were weird with us when we left university and we buried our heads in the sand.  I didn't want to lose her forever for no bloody good reason.

Turns out she thought I'd changed when I thought she had... stress of university?  Addition of a new boyfriend taking up more time?  Maybe it was actual change?  The last worries me most because that we can't really fix.  They say a leapard can't change it's spots but I definitely believe they can evolve to look slightly different.  If this is the case maybe if/when we finally meet again it'll just be odd still.

God I hope not.  In my mind we'll go for buffalo chicken wings, a cocktail or maybe a strawberry milkshake...dependent on where we are.  A leapard can't change it's spots but with all this cosmetic surgery around I'm sure someone could.  If we can change maybe we can change back.  Maybe we'll evolve together to fit once more.

Relationships of all kinds are stressful but relationships with friends are the most important.  You don't break up with friends.  Maybe I should send her flowers and chocolates...boyfriends get away with that as apologies right?

I'm sorry if I changed, I didn't mean to, I still love you...as always xxx