Perks of a Staycation

Last week, I was on a wee staycation in County Sligo with my family. This was my summer holiday of the year, because in case you forgot, there’s a pandemic on. I’ve seen loads of photos and stories on my Instagram and Facebook newsfeeds of people I know going abroad, and even to countries that aren’t on the ‘green list’, and I just think, are you mad?

Obviously, going abroad to a sunny and warm country is the dream, but I’d rather stay safe and cold, to be honest. There’s loads of perks to going on staycation, besides reducing the risk of contracting coronavirus, spreading it and living in a constant state of fear and paranoia (because that’s apparently not enough of an incentive for some people), so here’s a few of ‘em.

No Planes or Trains, just an Automobile

We didn’t have to go to an airport and face crowds and queues; we didn’t have to sit beside strangers and breathe in recycled air and the smell of those horrible cheese toasties for 2 hours; we didn’t have to sit on a packed train, bus or tram; all we did was get into our car and drive.  

We could stop when we wanted for fresh air, to stretch our legs and for a much-needed cup of tea picnic. The car wasn’t cramped, stuffy or filled with the air of paranoia. We were travelling alone, so we were only surrounded with each other; people from the same household and people who actually follow social distancing and health regulations (yes, we do exist). We didn’t have to worry about being near strangers, or people getting in our personal space and breaking the “stay as far away from everyone as physically possible” rule that so many like to.     

Also: we could pack whatever the hell we wanted. Liquids? Brought 6 litres of milk, 500ml of hand sanitiser and a litre of SPF 50 sun cream (I was trying to manifest the sun). Instead of only being able to bring a wee tiny suitcase, we had the whole car boot to play with. Yeah, I only filled a back pack, but we brought picnic flasks, food (mostly pineapples), winter coats, tea bags and A LASAGNE. Try sneaking one of ‘em on your Ryanair. Pffft.

Understanding the Language

One thing I don’t really like about being on holiday abroad is not having a baldy what anything means and having to Google Translate every single menu item, sign and notice. Staying in Ireland meant that I could read things and understand people.

This is especially important in the middle of a pandemic; where signs and notices about the COVID-19 restrictions, rules and requirements for shops, hotels, toilets and venues are all over the place and you kinda need to know what they say. I could read how many customers were allowed in a shop at once, whether you had to book in advance, whether places were open, closed or working reduced hours. Yeah, sure, most signs and notices have wee diagrams to help you out, but I still found it really reassuring to actually know what was going on and what I was meant to do.

Being Familiar with the COVID-19 Regulations

Because I live here, I know what the current coronavirus situation is. I’m familiar with the restrictions and regulations in place, what I can and can’t do and what sort of places are open. I also know how bad things are. If I went abroad, I’d be panicking about not knowing how the country’s coped with coronavirus, how many cases and deaths there’ve been and what their plan is for overcoming the whole shenanigans. I know what the Irish government’s done, what they’re doing and what they’re planning to do (well, roughly, like, does anyone really know what the government’s at?).

I also didn’t have to worry about not being able to get home, my flight being cancelled or being left stranded if something went wrong and lockdown was imposed again. I knew I could easily get home (as easy as a four hour drive from one end of the country to another is), because I was home. And I didn’t have to quarantine. Yay.

We were in Control

We chose when we left the house, where we went; when we got there and how many picnics we had on the way. Well, my parents did.

There was no waking up at 5am for a 10am flight, delays with no explanation or apology, missing buses or getting on the wrong one and just going to wherever the driver is taking you. I didn’t have to worry about sitting beside strangers or being trapped at the window seat and desperately needing the bathroom.

On the way home, we called at a beach, went for coffee, stopped off in some villages for a quick leg-stretch and toilet break and had some picnics. We left the house at 9:15am and didn’t get home until 5:30pm, but that’s what we chose to do. We chose to take those detours and pit-stops. Well, my ma did, because she was driving so was kinda in control there.  

No Public Transport

Pretty much the same as the above; no soul-destroying paranoia, recycled air, people REFUSING to wear masks, standing beside people and being too afraid to breathe or touch anything.

Having Space

Sligo is a decent sized county, like. And the nature of Ireland is that it’s full of small towns and villages with even smaller populations. We went for walks on beaches, piers, mountains, around lakes and in forests. We didn’t go to any busy tourist attractions like museums, statues, aquariums or anything like you do when you go abroad. Well, I don’t go to any of those things anyway, but you get the picture. We were out in the open air and could stay well away from people. It was a very social holiday, as you can see.

We travelled in our own car, stayed in a house with just us, and didn’t have social gatherings with other people. We obviously interacted with people like servers and shop assistants, and said “Hiya” to pretty much everyone we walked past because that’s just what you do in the country. But, it was very much a family holiday and was “just us” in our wee bubble. And I loved it.

I love going abroad and seeing different countries and cultures, being warm, seeing the SUN, going somewhere where you don’t know anyone, visiting new places and trying new things. But, I don’t love being paranoid, anxious and scared. Surprise!

There’re so many places I’ve never been to or haven’t properly explored in Ireland, but going on staycation never would’ve appealed to me because I’m always focussed on getting as far away from here as I can. But, this was the perfect excuse and motivation to go see some of ‘em. And, you know what? Ireland’s actually a really pretty country, who’d have thought?

Don’t get me wrong, like, as soon as I feel safe going abroad, I’m jumping on a plane to Copenhagen or Italy or somewhere (roll on 2022!!) but in the mean time, I’m happy to stay in Ireland and be able to bring as many pineapples with me as I please.  

My Summer as a Graduate

Well, in case you didn’t know, ya gal is officially not a student anymore (don’t tell Student Beans). I’d say “has graduated” because it’s snappier, but I didn’t have a graduation so maybe that’s a loophole for me?

Anyway, I made the rookie mistake of telling God my plans for my “last ever summer” before I work until I die (a cheerful thought) and well, he laughed and then COVID happened. So, instead of going on as many holidays as possible and seeing friends as much as I could – like I hoped – what did I do for three months?

Worked Part-Time

I’m really lucky that I 1) have a job and 2) really like it – who knew it was possible? Since April, I’ve been working from home two days a week. It’s been so good for me, because I’m one of those people who NEEDS to be doing something all the time and I’ve worked since I was 16, so I can’t imagine not doing it?

I started a new role in digital advertising – something I’ve never done before, so I’ve gained some really good experience, developed my skills AND retained some of my sanity. Plus, the money doesn’t hurt either, but it’s not like I’ve any holidays to spend it on, is there?

I really enjoy working part-time, because it gives me the structure, routine and challenge of working, but gives me a two –day week and five-day weekend, instead of the other way round. Happy days. So, I still had time to enjoy myself and have an almost-summer (weather and pandemic aside), without getting bored and feeling unproductive.

Blogged

Not to state the obvious, like. I’ve been writing like one blog post a week, and I know I really should be doing more, but here we are. The thing is, because I write about so many different topics and things, it’s actually harder to come up with ideas. Like, if I had’ve done what most people do and just chose a theme and stuck with it, then I’d have some guardrails and would always kind of have an idea of the direction I’d be going in. But now I’m in too deep and I’ve made my indecisive bed so in it I shall lie. Hoisted by my own petard.

Plus, I really enjoy blogging, so I’d rather write when I have something I want to write about, rather than forcing myself to come up with ideas and write – takes the fun out of it, you know?

Tried to Figure out What on Earth I Want to Do in Life

Emphasis on the “tried”. I think we’ve all had those wee freak-out moments where we go, “No but like, actually, what am I gonna do?” A lot of us non-graduating graduates have had a lot of time on our hands, and the realisation that summer is ending and we haven’t “done” anything is hitting us.

Even though it doesn’t matter if we didn’t do anything apart from sit at home watching TV and just paddling about – because give us a BREAK there was a pandemic and we’re going to be working for the next 40 years so don’t we deserve some pre-work retirement? – we’re still panicking because we didn’t apply for jobs (because well, there are none), we didn’t do those online courses, webinars or experience-building opportunities we told ourselves we would after we “just took some time for ourselves and recovered from uni”. Oops.

So, last Friday, I decided to have a wee brain-storm “thought shower” and have a crack at this life-planning-goal-setting thing.

Completed an Online Course

The result of my thought shower. I decided to do a Content Marketing Course with HubSpot Academy, because content marketing and creation are things I want to do, but didn’t know how or where to even start. It was actually really helpful and I learned things that I can actually put to use in my blog – you mightn’t notice a difference but trust me, I did some things.

I’ve always wanted to turn my blogging into more than just a hobby, but instead of diving head-first into my little action-plan, I thought I should probably learn how to actually market my content, you know? If I’m going to pursue this, I want to make sure I’m doing it right; plus, doing the course give me an extra week before I have to start doing-the-major-work-involved in said action plan. Clever, eh?

Socialised (a bit)

Went on a few outdoor-socially-distanced coffee dates, sat in a few times when the British government decided to go halfers, you know how it is.

Read (a lot)

Since lockdown started, I’ve read 34 books. That’s probably more than I read in my life up ‘til then. I read a few feminism books (which just made me angrier than before); read a lot of predictable and cliché rom-coms (which pretty much undid all the work of the feminist authors); and read some “classics” to see what the fuss was about. Side note: What’s the craic with thirty year-old men fancying children in all the Jane Austen and Bronte sisters’ books?  Not a fan.

But yeah, passed the time, expanded my mind and made the most of the “Free” section on the Kindle store.

Nothing

Perhaps the most important one. I took time to myself*. I sat on my bed, went on my phone, watched the beautiful trash that is ‘Married at First Sight: Australia’ and went for a hell of a lot of walks. I actually know the workers and “regulars” in my local park; I’m like one of those ghosts that just roam the same places constantly.

I’m in that beautiful and scary gap between finishing 18 years of education, and 45 years of full-time work. Doing nothing is important, because God knows when I’ll have this free time again. Maybe when I’m retired, but sure the planet could be long gone or I could be too old to enjoy it (another cheerful thought).

*Reading could probably have gone under here, too, but I wanted my list to seem longer.

How Tampax Offended Ireland (Apparently)

Last week, a Tampax advert was banned in Ireland after the ASAI said it caused “widespread offence”. Imagine being offended by a TAMPON. Let’s watch, shall we?

As my ma would say, “Some people are while easily offended”.

Now, if this ad was banned for being corny, cheesy or for the bad acting, I wouldn’t really mind, because let’s be honest here, it’s not great is it? But, no, it was removed because of 150 complaints about the following:

The phrases, “You gotta get ’em up there girls” and, “not just the tip, up to the grip” were deemed “vulgar”; “disgusting” and “grotesque” – which is exactly the sort of language that’s creating the problem in the first place. How is explaining how to use a sanitary product “vulgar” or “disgusting”? And who even says “grotesque” anymore?

The thing is, we hear this language constantly (well, apart from ‘grotesque’). We’re told, “Periods are disgusting” or they’re “vile”. Referring to a NATURAL bodily process as in this way is a lot more disgusting than the actual process. Like, do you think people CHOOSE the pain, discomfort and hassle of periods?

We also hear things like, “No one needs to know about or hear about your periods” whenever they’re mentioned. But, there’s a reason it’s on the Biology and LLW syllabus, isn’t there? We’re taught about it in school when we’re like 10, like it’s not exactly a big secret that people menstruate. So, why are we expected to have to hide that we do? Sneaking pads and tampons into the toilets; trying to open the packaging quietly or wait until someone flushes the toilet and then use that to hide the sound; using “code words” like “the time of the month” or “I’m on my thing“. People shouldn’t have to feel embarrassed or like they’re doing something they shouldn’t be – bleeding.

Some complainants felt that the ad “belittled” those who menstruate and “implied that they may be ignorant when it came to the matter of using tampons”. But, I’m assuming that’s why Tampax made the ad? Like, I’m guessing they did market research and found that people were using tampons incorrectly? And that’s why they’re showing people how to insert them properly? The whole point of this ad is to show people how to use tampons so you can’t feel them and they aren’t uncomfortable; so people must think they’re uncomfortable; which means they’re not putting them in completely right.

A lot of ads ‘state the obvious’: you get shampoo ads showing you how to wash your hair, soap ads showing you how to wash your hands, toothpaste ads showing you how to brush your teeth – how is Tampax’s ad “belittling” and implying ignorance but these ads aren’t?

Basically, it all comes down to the fact that the comfort of 150 complainants is apparently more important than those who have to experience the discomfort of wearing tampons 🙂 Dead on.

The fact that periods are still a ‘taboo’ and ads which are more detailed or specific about menstruation or sanitary products are removed really just shows how we’re made to feel shamed or embarrassed about something we can’t control. Periods happen every single month for like 30 years for most people. So, stop pretending they don’t exist. I mean, people who experience periods probably wish they could, but not even ibuprofen does that.

This is an advert which is educational, which is potentially helpful to loads of tampon-users or pad-users who find tampons uncomfortable, but no, 150 people decided it wasn’t appropriate so it had to be removed. 150 people in a country with a population of 6.7 million. Compare that 150 to the number of people who actually need and use these sanitary products.

What about people starting to menstruate who haven’t a baldy what they’re doing and are too scundered to ask their mas? Would YOU ask your ma? Didn’t think so. What about people who use tampons incorrectly and end up getting Toxic Shock Syndrome? Sanitary hygiene and health is a BIT more important than some people’s nerves.

This ad is educational, informative and helpful. And even if it wasn’t, there was still nothing wrong with it. People shouldn’t have their bodies, body parts and natural processes shamed, called disgusting or be deemed too “inappropriate” for TV. Don’t like the ad? Switch over. Fast forward. Use an ad blocker like the rest of us. At the end of the day, you’re the problem, not the topic, and not the ad.

Diary of a Sober Student

Ask someone why they don’t eat or drink anything that they don’t, and the answer “I don’t like it” is a valid one. But, for some reason, “I don’t really like it” or, “I don’t want to” is suddenly COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE and MUST be a lie when it comes to drink.

I’m not a big drinker at all. For a 22 year old, that isn’t really the norm. Especially a student. In final year. It’s not because of religious or medical reasons, it’s because:

1. I can’t hack it.
2. I can’t hack hangovers.
3. I’m just as much of a GEG sober.
4. I saw something horrible happen to one of my bestmates when she was too drunk to function.
5. Because I  d o n ‘ t  w a n t  t o , o k a y ?  

But, I shouldn’t need a reason (let alone 5), should I?

I wasn’t always like this. I used to drink a lot, like. In first year of uni, we went out a hell of a lot, and I think it just ruined it for myself. Going out like 3/4 nights a week, feeling like complete crap 3/4 days a week and not actually remembering what the hell even happened 3/4  nights a week just got a bit, well, meh.

Now, I hardly drink so I hardly drink. Because I don’t drink that often, when I do, I it hits me really hard (2-pints Murray makes her appearance) and I wake up feeling HORRIBLE no matter what I do. Eat dinner before you go out, drink about 10 litres of water, eat when you get home, take paracetamol and STILL feel like crap in the morning. And, you know what? It’s not worth it. It’s genuinely not. So, because I’m not RUSHING to make this a weekly feeling, I hardly drink. It’s a weird sobriety cycle.

That’s Ms Sober Party Queen to you.

Some people think that not drinking makes you somehow “boring”. Because liver disease, regret, blackouts, hangovers and accidentally “WHOOPS I spent £80” is super exciting, of course. But, surely, you’re life is more boring if you need to be absolutely steamin to make it fun? I’m a geg and my life’s a geg, with or without Magners.

I do drink every now and then, but only when I want to and only when I feel like it. Not for the sake of it, like. I’ll go to nightclubs sober and I’ll dance sober and I’ll have an amazing time. Sober. Downside is, I have to be the ma of the group and look after the people who never seem to learn they CAN’T hack it, but at least it means that at least someone’s looking after them. Someone who isn’t creepy, drunk and predatory, that is.

Me.

I get to go to out, dance, sing, actually remember all the words and NAIL that rap song, don’t have to worry about queuing for about an hour for a drink, having my drink spiked (been there, done that, not a fan I must say), spilling my drink or having it knocked out of my hand by that ONE PERSON WHO INSISTS ON WEARING A BACKPACK TO A CLUB. I don’t have to worry about creepy guys trying to take advantage of me (which is a really sad reality for girls) or waking up feeling like pure death.

So, why are you trying to convert me? What is wrong with any of the above? (Apart from the backpack bloon). Why wouldn’t I be happy? (Apart from the backpack bloon).

Basically: stop peer pressuring people to wreck their livers if they don’t want to. Stop asking “why not?” when people say they’re not drinking. What if they’re pregnant or ill? It’s none of your business.  Stop judging people, buying them drinks, making them uncomfortable, calling them ‘boring’, or asking them if they’re drinking even when you know that they aren’t.

Rant over. Cheers.

Beans are Beans – Why Buy Brands?

Okay, this has something which always confused me. What’s the craic with people buying branded food? I don’t get why people pay so much more for a branded food item, when there are loads of cheaper options available. Like why would you want to spend more?

Y’all at Tesco

I’m a student, yes, but that’s irrelevant. Even if I had the money to buy branded foods, I still wouldn’t, because I really don’t see the point. “The branded ones are nicer”, well okay but I really don’t think having a “nicer” tin of sweetcorn is going to seriously improve my life to be honest. But thank you anyway.

I’ve always wondered how big brands still do so well, because supermarket own brands are available left, right and centre. I know back in the day, that this wasn’t the case; it was either buy the big brand or buy nothing. Brands were the only real option when doing your shopping. But nowadays, pretty much every food item comes in a cheaper version. There’s even several TV Shows like Eat Well for Less, which encourage people to switch from expensive brands and try cheaper alternatives to save money. 

Right, maybe I’m missing something here, but why would you pay £1.50 for a loaf of bread when you can literally get one for 36p? I buy it. I’m not dead yet, it’s decent bread like. It’s not really salty, makes a nice wee sandwich, and is UNREAL toasted. So why would you pay £1.14 more for BREAD? Like, I seriously don’t get that.

People buy branded products for the assumed better quality. But how important is it? How important is the quality of a tin of chopped tomatoes? Is the 28p tin going to absolutely destroy your precious spaghetti bolognese? Is the 80p tin going to make it taste like Gordon Ramsay made it himself?

That’s the thing, people assume. “You get what you pay for”. That’s a brilliant wee line, which brand’s marketing department came up with that one? It’s not true like. How many times have you bought something that wasn’t worth what you paid for it? Probably a lot more times than the price was justified. “You get what you pay for”, that, that is the thing keeping big brands in business. That’s their mantra. They depend on people thinking that to justify them charging more.  

Some people don’t “need” to save money and can “afford to buy the big brands”. Good for you, congrats on your financial situation. But surely there’s something you’d rather spend your money on? Something that’ll last longer than the 5 minutes it takes to eat?

Maybe it’s for some kind of self-fulfilment or something, I don’t know. Maybe it makes people feel good in a way because they feel like they’re giving themselves the best that they can? “I’m treating myself to the finest baked beans money can buy” or something like that.

I mean, it has to be to impress and please yourself, right? Who else cares? Unless you want the sales assistant to think, “Wow, he’s living the high life. I wish I paid £4 for a box of corn flakes. I aspire to be that man” as they beep your shopping through.

For some, it’s a habit. They just buy whatever brand they grew up with. They didn’t have the supermarket own ones when they were younger, so they’ve just kept buying the same ones they always have. They grew to love that brand, and its food. They think “I’m not going to like any other ones as much as these ones”, but sure why not try others and see if there’s one you like just as much?

Of course, it’s your money, you can do what you want with it and you don’t need a 21 year old telling you which loaf to buy.  

Youse to me right now

I’m not saying ‘boycott all big brands’, I’m just saying, why not give cheaper ones a go? If you’ve tried the supermarket own brand version and you really hated it, fair enough. But I don’t see why people don’t even consider them. What have you got to lose? 36p? Sure what’s that compared to the £1.50 you were going to spend anyway?

Rant over. Sort of.

Another thing I don’t get, and which confuses me even more, is why people buy supermarket own brands, but buy the dearer version? Let me clarify, supermarkets normally have a few own brand ranges: the regular range and the value one. There’s the finest one too, but like, that’s for people who do stuff like host dinner parties and eat cheese as a dessert. Madness.

Grapes. Let’s talk about grapes (now you’re excited, aren’t you?) You can get a 500g packet for £1.06, or, you can get a 500g packet for £2. They’re both Tesco’s own. One is ‘Suntrail’ and one is ‘Tesco’.  Same colour, same weight, same use by date. Just dropped a nice wee rhyme there, hope someone noticed. So what’s the difference? The price.  

I mean, you can’t really say that one range tastes better because not all grapes are created equal. Some are nicer than others. Sometimes I get a packet which is UNREAL, and sometimes they’re just standard grapes. But does this only happen with the cheaper ones? Can you categorically say that every individual packet of Tesco grapes is nicer than every single packet of the Suntrail ones? Despite being a different variety, from a different supplier in a different country, picked at a different time of the year? Really? You sure?

Now, just going to throw this out there, but I reckon people buy the more expensive ones for the packaging, not the actual food.  Hear me out.

Tesco reinvented their value range. It’s no longer ‘Tesco Value’; the products don’t come in plain white packaging with Arial font. Instead, they’ve got ‘Suntrail Farms’, ‘Grower’s Own’, ‘Neville’s’, and ‘Stockwell’s.  They’re all Tesco’s own version, but different categories have different names and different branding. And they come in nice colourful packaging with a funky wee font and logo and all. Lovely.

• 

  Before

• 

  After

Why did Tesco do this? So people don’t feel like they’re buying the ‘cheap, budget option’. It gives the impression that they’re still buying a brand. Neville’s? That’s a brand. Grower’s Own? Also a brand. A cheaper one made by the supermarket, but a brand nonetheless.

This is because for some reason, people are embarrassed to buy own brands and value ranges. There’s this sort of stigma that if you buy own brands, you’ll be seen as cheap or stingy or poor. And to be honest, that’s a bit disgraceful like. People shouldn’t feel ashamed for buying cheaper food. It’s the same way people get embarrassed and hide the stickers when they buy ‘reduced’ items.

Did Tesco change the recipes? The food product inside? No. Just the packaging.  Because they know that the packaging changes how people view the product. From we’re no age, we’re told, “it’s what’s on the inside that counts”, so why isn’t this the case for food? If it tastes nice, what difference does it make if the packet looks ‘boring’ or ‘cheap’? Just gonna come out and say it, y’all are shallow.

P.S – This post was not sponsored by Tesco, I just shop there so know the prices. Although a wee giftcard wouldn’t be turned down.

Digital Detox

This weekend, I decided to do a wee ‘digital detox’ and take a break from social media. I had a bad day on Friday and was in STINKIN form (sorry Niamh and Amber), so I just felt like I needed to take a couple of days to myself and clear my head. Instead of looking at what everyone was having for breakfast or was doing with their day, I just wanted to focus on what I was having for breakfast, and what I was doing with my day.

The thing is, a lot of the time I’m on social media, it’s purely for the sake of it. It’s not because I particularly want to be, it’s just a wee distraction while I’m waiting on the microwave or when the ads come on. That’s why we go on social media, because we’re bored and want something to look at; we want a distraction but don’t want to have to distract ourselves. We pretty much rely on other people for entertainment when our lives aren’t entertaining enough.

It’s nothing new like, but people these days (yeah, not just us young ones) are pretty much addicted to our phones. We refresh our feeds to see what’s “new”, and if anything’s happened since we last checked 10 minutes ago. And then get a wee bit disappointed when there’s nothing to look at, like or reply to. It’s like we have this constant need to see what everyone else is doing, and show everyone what we’re doing. Or eating. Or watching. We’re obsessed. It’s almost like some sort of self-validation. Our lives aren’t enough for us, and we’re not satisfied or fulfilled by what we’re doing until we see what other people are.

That’s the thing, it’s about other people. We want to see what they’re up to and have a wee jook at what their lives are like. And then, we compare them to our own. And that’s a problem with social media, the constant comparisons. They can make you feel better about yourself, or a hell of a lot worse. We might be happy enough doing what we’re doing, eating what we’re eating, wearing what we’re wearing, but then as soon as we see someone else is doing it ‘better’, we’re not that happy anymore.

We give him a run for his money

It can be something as simple as dinner. Someone’s getting a Chinese and now you’re a bit melted because you want one but are stuck with pasta, AGAIN. Maybe other people are going out but you’re in bed, and then you think that you really should be going out but you’re not, so you must be a bore. And there’s nothing, NOTHIN like the panic you feel when you see one of your classmates has submitted their assignment and you haven’t even started yet. Help.

So, I thought “to hell with it, ya gal needs a break”.

Have I noticed anything since my detox? Well, the sky is bluer. The air is fresher. I can smell flowers. Birds are chirping. Children laugh in the distance. I am at peace.

I have absolutely no idea what is going on in the outside world or other people’s lives. And you know what? I don’t need to. I don’t care. No one knows what I’ve been doing. They don’t they need to. And they probably don’t care. Although my private stories are a GEG so I know people did miss me.

So, what did I do with all this free time that I’d usually spend on my phone you ask? I stared at the walls in my room. There are 459 bricks on next door’s extension. Nah. I didn’t do anything, because I was already doing other things. I went for wee danders, met friends for coffee, did shopping, did uni work (and ACTUALLY got stuff done?? Class), and watched First Dates Hotel. What a show.

me

So there was no real time that I needed to be on my phone. Well, I did to arrange meeting up with my friends like, but I did it retro-style and used TEXT. Yeah, people do still do that. To be fair, I did go online a few times (I’m a fraud, I know) to listen to music, check the weather (rain again, SHOCK) and check the Celtic score. Although I really wish I didn’t. The world’s revenge for me going online I guess.

But I didn’t go on social media. And I didn’t need or want to. So I didn’t miss it. I didn’t miss seeing selfies, coffee art or food. I didn’t miss seeing how people were at the gym, how drunk they were getting on Saturday and how much they were dying on Sunday. My thumbs weren’t twitching from lack of double tapping or scrolling, I didn’t get cabin fever and I didn’t start talking to inanimate objects. So, it was an overall success I’d say.

What about when the ads on iplayer came on? What I did do with all that free time? How did I distract myself from the marketing traps in front of me? Well, first set: made a cup of tea. Second set: washed my cup. Third set: Get this, I just watched the ads. *Gasp* That’s right, I watched them. Well, it was more ‘saw’ than ‘watched’ because I didn’t really pay attention like. But yeah, there actually are other things to do than sit on your phone when ads are on. Wild like. 

It was a short detox, but that’s all I needed. And sure, people only stick at those weird tea detoxes for like a day anyway so I didn’t do too bad like. I just needed a few wee days to myself. I was still busy, I still went out and I still met friends. I didn’t miss out on anything and it actually did help me clear my head. PLUS, did you know that I got uni work done? Unreal. Go me.

Now, I’m not trying to be condescending and tell everyone they should boycott social media and “live in the moment, man”. Because social media isn’t a bad thing. You can talk to your friends, stalk your exes and just have a wee nosey at what other people are doing. You can see where’s nice to go for coffee, or get dinner inspo. And that’s fine. It’s a good wee distraction for when we need one and it can give us a few minutes to just take a break from our lives. I just needed to focus on mine and take a break from other people’s.

So, yes, use social media, but make sure you give it all a rest as well. Just to take a wee bit of time for yourself and forget about everything else. We spend so much time focusing on what other people are doing, when we really should be focusing on ourselves.

But What REALLY Happened?

Before we get into anything, I’m gonna have to ask you to pop your wee tin foil hat on for me there, cheers. *Cue X Files theme tune*

Right, I don’t know if I just never really noticed or wasn’t aware of them, but have you noticed that conspiracy theories have become really popular recently? There’s documentaries, forums, websites and a LOT of YouTube videos about them. 

You have your standard “Bush did 9/11”, “the Kennedy’s had Marilyn Monroe killed”, “the royals had Diana killed” ones which have been around for years – although I don’t know if they count as conspiracy theories if they’re true ¿  

But nowadays, for every incident that happens in the world, there seems to be an “alternative theory” to explain it -and put the blame on powerful people, departments and organisations. Basically, “When all else fails, blame the government”. Not that they would ever, EVER do such scandalous things. Pffft.

Side note: does the big bang theory count as a conspiracy theory to creationists?

Now, for all you non-believers, prepare to have your world SHOOK with some of my personal favourite conspiracy theories explanations. Disclaimer: I’m not saying these are true, just saying they’re possible OKAY? So save your eye rolls and judgements and just play along for me. Cheers.

1. The earth could be flat – I know, I know, TYPICAL MILLENNIAL what are we LIKE. Of course the earth isn’t flat, a big floating ball in the sky makes a lot more sense. Seriously though, maybe it’s spherical, maybe it’s flat. Yes there’s “evidence” that it isn’t, like photos from very reliable sources like NASA. Who also share reports following Santa’s journey on Christmas Eve. Just saying.

– I’m not saying it’s actually flat don’t worry, I’m just saying we only know it’s a sphere because we’ve been told it’s one. How do you know that everything you’ve ever seen or been told about isn’t actually 100% dead on?  Think about it. T h i n k  a b o u t  i t .

If you’re still reading and haven’t given up on me based off that first one, another good wee one is:

2. The lottery is fake. No one actually wins the jackpot. People get paid a large amount (but still smaller than the jackpot) to go public and say that they won. Quick knock on the door, “Wanna make half a mill? All you’ve to do is go on TV saying you won 3 million” job. I’d do it, HINT HINT. Someone gets a nice wee paycheque and the lottery people save like 2.5 million. Win, win. And those mysterious people who win and don’t want to reveal their identities, maybe that’s because they don’t exist? Dun dun.  

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3. Modern art is a front for international money laundering. This one’s a pretty run of the mill, can’t really question it kind of one. Ever wonder why people pay millions for a squiggly line on a canvas? All those mad paintings that are just splodges and cost a bomb? Basically, art collectors (criminals, cartels, other rich people who make their fortune illegally) buy paintings (transfer illicit money) off dealers (to whoever they’re paying). Payments go under the radar and unnoticed; the only attention they receive is “Who in the right mind paid money for that?” There’s a more complicated explanation here.

Anyway, clearly I do love a good wee conspiracy theory as much as the next person (but not enough to watch videos and all on them like), but that’s it – why do we love them?

Are we just cynical? To be fair, we’ve been lied to about so much before that we’re bound to have some trust issues like. “Watching TV makes your eyes go square”, “Eating crusts makes your hair go curly”, and let’s not forget the whole Santa situation. We don’t know what or who to believe anymore, so we just take everything with a pinch of salt – and honestly like, can you blame us?

Maybe we’re just being contrary. Maybe we’re all big attention seekers who want to be different and go against the grain. A wee bit of non-conforming, “You can’t tell me what to think or believe, I’ll decide for myself” carry on.

Or maybe, it’s because we love to make the baddies badder. We don’t like certain groups or organisations and they’ve already done a hell of a lot of damage to the world, so what’s the harm in another lil cover up to add to their impressive collection? Standard anti-corporation, “stick it to the man” kinda vibes.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I do think that sometimes, SOMETIMES when something happens, it actually does just happen. But I think it’s good to consider the alternatives. I think we should question what we’re told and figure out for ourselves what we really believe.

The thing is, we’ll never know. No one can ever prove whether or not the story we’re told, or our own mad conspiracy theory version is actually the right one. The government can’t exactly be like “no lads here’s proof that Neil Armstrong actually did walk on the moon” (which he didn’t, by the way) because everyone will just be like “OK great ANOTHER lie, when will it end??” And trigger a conspiracy-theory-style catch 22 situation.

Plus, it’s more interesting to come up with alien-related explanations anyway, what else would we do during lectures?

The Rise of the Millennial

Millennials: we’re the generation of avocados, fancy coffee and brunch. We’re also the generation of being blamed for pretty much any issue in society. Lucky us!!!

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There’s constantly reports and headlines online about how millennials are ruining the economy (oh, the IRONY) because we’re spending all of our money on frivolous things and going out. We’re not saving. We’re not ‘contributing to society’. We’re not buying houses or diamonds (even though there’s a 5000% mark up and it’s not the most ethical industry @blood diamonds). And we aren’t buying those fancy cloth hankies (yes, apparently we’re killing that industry too). Basically, we’re not “investing our money”.

But we are. We’re investing it in ourselves. We’re paying like £4,000-9,000 a year for a uni degree which we then spend decades paying off and can’t get a job with anyway. That’s an investment. We spend our money socialising, to keep strong emotional connections and improve our mental health. That’s an investment.  We’re paying a bomb for gym memberships, dance and yoga classes (which we never go to, but the option’s there) to keep ourselves physically healthy so we’re around for longer. That’s an investment. We spend our money on things that make us happy, to help us have a better quality of life. That’s an, you’ve guessed it, i n v e s t m e n t.

Apparently we’re not buying enough houses. And we all know the housing market is a GREAT one, it’s never collapsed and there definitely isn’t a housing crisis on at the minute anywhere. Sounds very secure and low-risk. And sure, why get a house if you don’t know where you’re going to live?

Thanks to there being like 0 jobs and a lil disaster called Brexit (THANKS for that, by the way), we have no idea where we’re going to settle. We can put our foot on a plane and travel around the world in search of a job or a nicer place to live; and having no houses, mortgages, families or commitments tying us down means there’s nothing really stopping us. Apart from VISAs and emigration laws of course, but you get the picture.

We aren’t saving our money, but what would we be saving for? Let’s be real here, the planet is literally dying and thanks to past generations completely murdering it, we have no idea how long it – and we, will be around for. Like my granda always said, “You can’t take it with you, there’s no point being the richest in the graveyard.” Wouldn’t you be raging if you spent your life saving and deliberately not buying things you wanted, and then the planet kicked the bucket before you’d a chance to spend it?

Let’s be optimists and say that we are going to be around for like 100 more years. Being realistic, the retirement age is probably going to be around 75 for us, so we’ve loads of time (in theory) to make more money. Is that £7 brunch really going to affect my financial situation so much that there is no chance in hell that I can earn it back in the future? That’s literally an hour’s wage, so unless I never work another hour in my life, I think I got this one covered.

Plus, a very important lil note. It’s our money. We earned it, and we spend it. We can do whatever we want with it, and it’s nobody’s business.

All the focus seems to be on millennials ‘destroying’ current industries, but what about the new ones we’re creating and supporting? Vegan products, those weird stick on handles for the back of your phone, Dragon Soop and succulents – how are they any less important than cloth hankies?? Other generations aren’t supporting these industries as much as us, so why is no one saying “baby boomers are trying to destroy the avocado industry”? We aren’t ‘ruining’ the economy, we’re simply changing it. Lifestyles have changed, needs have changed, money has changed – and the economy should reflect that.

Millennials:  we’re a “live in the moment” kind of generation – and we spend accordingly; because thanks to previous generations, we’ve no idea how many moments we’re going to have.

Week 0

Well lads, I’m back without popular demand.

I took a wee 6 month break from blogging which I’m sure you noticed. To be honest, I was just flat out doing other things. I had placement, a placement report *shudders*, holidays, starting a new job, getting a new house and Money Heist to watch; but I’m back (yay). I was writing down wee blog ideas on my phone as I came up with them, just never made it much further @comittment issues. But, since I had my uni induction this week, I thought it just made sense to get back into the swing of things again now.

So on Tuesday I had my final year induction. I went because well 1) I’m paying 4 and half grand a year for uni so I’m determined to get my money’s worth and 2) it’s been like 18 months since I’ve been in uni so I needed a wee refresher course on what it actually is. Plus, I wanted to go for coffee with uni friends after (to reward ourselves for that one hour of actually thinking).

How did it go? Well, remember my previous blog post ‘Reasons I’m Excited for Final Year’ ? This induction was more like ‘Reasons I’m Scared of Final Year’. Firstly, I completely forgot the most terrifying thing about uni – the roll call. Deadly. Voice broke, knew it would. Not the best impression of me after not seeing me for over a year- that girl who talks like terminator.

Also, dissertation? Yeah that wee gem. We were told we have to submit a wee proposal of what we want to do it on by week 2. As in, 2 weeks from now. Not going to lie lads, I thought that was like Christmas-time carry on, but no. But it’s okay, I’ve got a page and just written down a lot of random words of stuff I’m interested in and I just know that I’ll have an epiphany. I can just sense it.

Apart from that it was actually grand like, it was just going over the timetable and modules etc, and of course having a wee nosey at who all came back to uni.

But, all scary biscuits aside, I’m still excited for the year ahead. This is going to be my year. But like, for real this time. I’m in a lovely wee student house with two amazing girls (although one of our neighbours stole our food bin?? Still not over it), I’m doing a job that I really, really like and I have a fresh set of coloured pens just waiting to be taken out on a spin. I am gonna need to practice writing neatly again because I’m a bit out of practise after mostly typing for a year, but I’ll get there. So yeah, I had my fab post-placement summer and now I’m ready to getmy head down and have a wee go at this final year thing.

I’m also planning to keep blogging during the year because I do really enjoy it and missed doing it; but sure, as my ma always says, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans”, so we’ll just have to see how it goes.

Fáilte (Welcome)

Bonjour, Aloha and Ciao.

Don’t worry, even I cringed at that.

Anyway, welcome to my blog, Freckles and Thoughts. As the name suggests, I have freckles, boy do I have freckles, I’m basically a walking ‘connect the dots’ game.  And, I have thoughts- imagine that!

I’ve wanted to write a blog for some time now, but never really had the confidence or knew what to write about. I always thought, “What if I run out of things to say?” Then I realised a) as my good man Drake taught me, life’s too short to sit about and play it safe; and b) I could talk to a brick wall so will most likely never run out of things to say.

I started off writing posts for my university’s PR Student Blog, but after some really positive feedback and advice, finally got the courage to start my own. That, and a ‘eureka’ moment in which I ~finally~ came up with a name (Niamh’s Blog didn’t quite cut it, you see).

I write about LOADS of different things, because it’s important not to limit yourself (I also take notions and have a lot of thoughts and opinions on very random topics). I’m not sure if it’s come across so far but I generally don’t really consider myself a very serious person, so I try to let my style reflect that- after all, if you’re not going to read the terms and conditions for literally anything ever, why would you listen to me monotonously rambling on?

Well, I hope you enjoy reading what I have to say, and please please feel free to leave any comments or feedback because I’m still new to this and so appreciate any opinions!