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...