Brains

A little while I go I had a brain scan as part of some medical research. I just had the pictures of the scan emailed to me and thought they were so cool that I had to share them. I am fascinated and can't stop staring at my own brain!! Here are the pics.....

Bollocks to poverty at Reading '11

I survived Reading Festival 2011!!! 


I am however, currently suffering from a case of Festival Flu. Symptoms include spotty skin, loss of voice, extreme fatigue, aching feet, dehydration, and vitamin deficiency!! Symptoms occur due to lack of healthy food, sleep deprivation, inhaling of camp fire smoke, shouting BOLLOCKS at the top of your voice, and all water consumption being replaced with alcoholic beverages....!


I had a brilliant time but i cant say I was sorry to leave. After 5 nights sleeping on a floor in a field my bed was luxury indeed! And having unlimited water and electricity has never been so appreciated! Now I am trying to get the washing up straight and recover before going back to the reality of working life tomorrow! And uploading the photos of course!
xxx

READING, READING FESTIVAAAAAAL

It's that time of year once again.....READING FESTIVAL TIME!!! 


I think I am all packed and ready-at least I certainly hope so as I am leaving my house in 3 hours! I definitely have all the essentials: sleeping bag, tent, toilet roll, clothes, wellies... and lots more besides so I'm not too worried. Plus anything I have forgotten i am sure I can beg, steal or borrow, or buy on site. 


I am very excited now and hope the weather brightens up for the weekend!  This year, unlike previous years, I do not have a ticket. That is because this year I will be working there. I am volunteering for ActionAid and in return get my entry and meals. I also get to camp in the staff area with the luxury of toilets and hot showers-very posh indeed. 


I am most looking forward to Saturday night to see Pulp and The Strokes. So hopefully I won't be on shift then, otherwise I will have to do some begging and swap!


SO EXCITED!!!
xxx

Don't Call Me Baby

This month’s Shoreditch Sisters W.I. meeting was a follow on from June’s Anti-Street Harassment meeting. Unfortunately I was not able to attend the June meeting but I had read up on all the information that was discussed. The topic struck a particular chord with me, and whilst I was not brave enough to voice my experiences or opinions during the meeting, it did get me thinking.

Street harassment is often a subject that is taken very lightly, and in many cases dismissed as the norm but this should not be the case. It is a taboo subject which covers a broad variety of harassment situations not limited to physical or violent assault.

Wolf-whistling, comments in the street are all tantamount to harassment if the individual the comments are directed at is left feeling victimised. Comments from men passing by in their cars to women walking down the street that are supposedly complimentary can leave the woman feeling uncomfortable and lacking in self-esteem and should not be tolerated in society. Whilst these examples are seemingly harmless, they lead to a relaxed attitude towards street harassment which in turn makes women vulnerable to more serious attacks, including violent or sexual.

I was glad that as a group we could openly discuss this issue and hopefully by raising awareness the message will be spread that society should not just accept street harassment.

And, hopefully our anti-harassment banners will inspire other women to join the campaign

With great power, comes great responsibility...

That title has nothing whatsoever to do with anything I am going to write....but it catches the attention of those who are on my wavelength :-p






Today I have had a day of realisations.


The first is that although something didn't turn out the way I had hoped or planned it doesn't mean it was a disaster or a waste of my time. Every experience is a learning curve. Every learning curve creates a new adventure. And that is what life is- An adventure....and when did you hear of an adventure story than ran smoothly without a hiccup? 


The second is that being positive in negative situations really does make you feel better. That expression fake it 'til you make it really can work if you put in enough effort. Pretend to not care and eventually you won't. Pretend to smile and after a while you really will be smiling without having to try.


The third is that it is ok to be wrong sometimes and it is ok to make mistakes. Which is just as well because i think I have made a big mistake....its not too late to do something about it though and I shouldn't feel silly for at least trying.


The fourth is that when you find someone that loves you for who you are-mistakes, negativity, hiccups, failures, warts and all-that person is very special, and if sometimes you disagree....well maybe just agree to disagree because life is too short to argue. If someone really loves you for who you are and you love them back...make sure they know just how bloody much you do!


xxx

Home made scones and the count down to Reading!

It has been lovely to have a relaxing day today. I have spent the day reading, watching girlie films, baking scones, drinking tea and generally having a lovely off. No make up, hair on top of my head, pjs and glasses on. 


Tomorrow unfortunately won't be so relaxing, as the week begins again but I have Wednesday to look forward to when I will be off to Reading Festival! Hurray! 


I am not going as a party-goer this year though. I will be volunteering for ActionAid this year, spreading the Bollocks to Poverty message once again! Obviously it won't be all work and no play. In fact it will be a lot more play than work! 


Best get packing!!!xxxx

Money isn't everything...but it helps!

I HAVE A NEW JOB!!!!!!


I have been looking for one for a while, had an interview on Friday, a trial today, and I got the job! Hurray! I start tomorrow :) 


It is quite a pay drop from my current job but I feel that it is worth it. I hate my current job and dread going. I decided that whilst the money was really good, I was miserable and something needed to change. I would much rather earn less, or work more hours to make up the difference, rather than spend my days feeling sorry for myself. I am very excited to start as I really enjoyed my trial day today! 


Relaxing in front of some rather bad telly now before getting a good night sleep and getting stuck into my first proper day in the new job tomorrow! Hurray! Here's hoping it goes well!!


xxx

Design-a Vagina?!

Tonight I have spent the evening embroidering my vagina...... 

Yes you read that correctly.....I have been making a 'vagina patch' for the Embroideries campaign to create awareness, ad stop the practice of FGM (female Genital Mutilation). FGM is a common practice in many Afrian and Asian countries for cultural or religious reasons. The practice which is sometimes known as Female Genital Cutting involves the removal of the outer female genitals including the clitoris and labia.

 This brutal procedure can cause long term complications for the women including pain, difficulty with menstruation, infections and problems giving birth. In some cases it can even result in death through excessive bleeding or shock. This complete violation of women's rights is often carried out by the girl's own mother for fear her daughter will be socially rejected and ruin her chances of marriage. 

The embroideries campaign was started by Tara Scott and aims to raise awareness of this taboo subject. The patches are being embroidered with vaginas from the abstract to the accurate and will be joined together in the coming weeks to create a quilt that will be on display in the window of Coco de Mer to help raise awareness. For more information see the facebook page http://www.facebook.com/groups/259459107465/ or visit the website: http://embroideriescampaign.org.uk/Embroideries_About.htm.

xxx