Practically Alice

The last time I had a retail job I was sixteen years old. I had just started my AS Levels, I'd just got into my first ever relationship and had pretty much just  started socialising. My first shift was on 3 December 2011 and I went to one of my nearest and dearest's Christmas parties, where I met my ex's mum (she's lovely!) and had a good old chuckle with her. I remember how achey and tired I was but how thrilling it was; I felt grown up.  I left that job in April 2012 due to health problems and today, nearly three years down the line, I'm about to start at Waterstones. I'm really excited to see what it'll be like and to see what the customers are like too! It's rather poignant because I'm beginning to think about third year and beyond, my sister has just turned 18 so she's an adult too now, this Christmas holidays I may only be home for Christmas Eve, Day and Boxing Day. Do I feel grown up, though? Not so much. I still feel like I'm feeli...

When I was 12/13 years old I fell in love with a musician. Her music is everywhere and her followers are large, she's an icon. This woman's name is Lady Gaga. My relationship with her and her music wavered in 2011 because I was going through a time in my life that I subconsciously thought I had to change myself for other people. So from 2008-2011 Gaga sustained me. I was a scared, sad, lost girl with a wonderful family and a handful of friends and her music. I remember sitting in Design Tech on my own and everyone else was singing Boys, Boys, Boys and I just mouthed the words along. Stumbling across Gaga on a music channel was one of the best things I could have done. I joined twitter because of her, to join in with a trending hashtag ('#gagahasmyheart'). As a girl with no confidence I found something to feel confident about through her music; she didn't fit in, I didn't fit in. She was confident and hot and hella fierce and through her I learned to be that, o...

I've been thinking a lot recently about jumping; the leap of faith, the leap into the unknown, 'not all those who wander are lost', all that stuff. Tomorrow I begin second year and quite frankly I'm quite scared about it. The workload is daunting, the fact that it counts for so much is daunting, and the whole 'need to sort work experience out right now this exact second' thing is daunting. That's not to say I'm not excited, because I really am. I can't wait to get back into the routine of lectures and learning and seeing the people on my course again (they're SUPER lovely people). This year is a big'un because all my grades go towards my degree, I'm hopefully getting a job and it just feels like an important  year. The people I mingle with, the people I'm living with, the people I meet and have met are all so impressionable and I feel like I'm shaping myself into who I want to be, finally. (Not to be all deep or anything.) A w...

I've now moved into my second year house. House . What makes it even more bizarre for such an occurrence to, well, occur is that this house has nearly the same address as the house I was born into. Not only this but it resembles it to some extent with the high ceilings and three floors. I have, wonderfully, bargained the attic room. I get the morning sun (which, as Jack pointed out, is great because I hopefully won't miss morning stuff as the sun will wake me up) and a lovely little view of some aspens and the church. I feel rather settled here but it's still new; these people are my friends whom I saw a lot of last year but now they get to see me in all my morning and nightly glory. (I apologise, you poor people) We have so far embarked on a marvel lous adventure, watching all of the Marvel films ever (that's a lie) and we're going to see Guardians  tomorrow (that's a truth). I feel like the fact I'm living with film and media students means I will be clu...

July and August have allowed for muchos reflection due to a) lots of time on my own and b) lots and nothing has simultaneously happened. Two particular and very recent events have made me realise how, well, adult  I am. One occasion being totally and completely happy (yay, happiness!) and has just generally given me a grand old boost. Without going into it too much this even has given me a lot to smile about (I think I scare people I walk past in the street with my smiling antics... but that's nothing new) and I hope it will continue to have an impact on my life in some way or another. The other event is somewhat sad; it has made me realise that I'm the certain person who now knows adult people as friends and sometimes crappy, awful, sad things happen to them. (I'm so coherent and not vague, aren't I?) This person had a role in my primary school years and he was just a joy, a complete joy. I guess sometimes you have a shock like that to ground you a little bit and a...

As well as the release of the new Potter short story on Pottermore, Thursday 26 June 2014 marked the 17th anniversary of the publication of JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone . These books have imprinted on a generation of people and I myself, though not entirely or soulfully, include myself in that. Though I didn't read the series until about 2009/2010, Harry Potter has indeed had a profound impact on my life and will continue to do so for years to come; it's only on reflection that I realise the extent of which it has influenced my childhood. I certainly remember my friends talking about the books, even at year 1/2 their parents had read them to them so they knew what was going on. I also distinctly remember wanting to read them; I bought the first book at my school book fair back in 2003/4 (I think) and the first Harry Potter book I picked up was at my Grandmother's house in - it was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and, though it was...

My blog has hit over 4,000 views. In the two years that I've been writing here I never actually reckoned anyone would read it. I don't actually know what people think when they read these really odd words from my head but *waves*. It's nice to see you here. If you ever actually want to say hey then I have a twitter on which you can contact me:  http://www.twitter.com/paperbookmarks This summer seems to be all about the big numbers; I'm tackling the legend that is Ulysses  by James Joyce. Well, I say I am tackling, I haven't actually started it yet but these are my feelings about it: [ x ] I've heard it's rather a challenge but hey ho, I'm going to try. Among the sea of Ulysses I will be dabbling in many a-book over summer; page after page tumbling into my head. I'm hoping to get back into the mode of devouring books - it's been a while. Since finishing university for the year I've been wiped and am currently in a bit ...