April 2021

Well, April feels like it's passed by in something of a whirlwind, mainly work related, but I guess on balance that's probably a good thing. (Though somehow my invoicing is not reflecting this 😑)

Over the last year this has happened much more frequently, and I always get scared that I'm losing my ability to visual diary, but the truth of it is I BARELY DO ANYTHING ANY MORE and it's a miracle there aren't more days that are just me saying 'I don't know what to draw'

As part of my MA research I am thinking a lot about trains (and train stations), and that's a real treat for Emma y'know

I went somewhere!! I did something!! I saw some people!!

Nearing the end of our Bond movie marathon now, I feel quite emotional! Quantum of Solace is the only one of the Daniel Craig Bond movies that's anything less than an 8/10. It's still fine but just feels a bit weak, plot-wise.

As a birthday present to myself I treated myself to one of my all time favourite boardgames, Dead of Winter. I can't wait to invite more people over to play boardgames with us!

I should say, normally Chase is a very clean dog, but sometimes, well, you know how it is. 

I feel like I should probably improve my diet or get some probiotics or something, but instead I'm just going to draw complainy drawings and buy more stretchy trousers.

I literally could not give a fuck about Prince Phillip dying. But I do find use of ad/digital media spaces in public spaces interesting...

So ever since we lived in this house there have been these two massive vases of, I guess, decorative twigs, in the living room. They're taller than a person, spiky, ugly and annoying. But they belonged to the landlord, so we just put up with them, perpetually shifting them around to try and put them in the least obtrusive/most out of the way place. However, I finally got so sick of them that I texted the landlord and was like 'look, can we get rid of these?' and he was like 'oh yeah sure I don't even know where they came from', and I was simultaneously delighted, and livid that I hadn't done it months ago. Anyway, me and Tabitha wrestled them into her very small car and she drove them to the tip, GOOD RIDDANCE HORRIBLE TWIGS

Skyfall is REALLY REALLY GOOD and if you have even a passing interest in action movies, it's probably one of my favourites of all time.

Me: Obviously I am going to be very cautious about re-entering the world when businesses re-open, you won't see me meeting my friends at a pub or restaurant until we've all been vaccinated

Also me: Obviously I will be getting a manicure on the first day salons re-open

Also me: SHOPPING!!!

First day back on site at uni since before Christmas. Even before that, our entire course cohort (48 people) had never all been in the same room together, so our knowledge of each other was mostly based on video lectures and fleeting hallway glimpses. Technically we still couldn't all be in the same room together, but we all came on site and mingled between two rooms and it was really really nice.

The perpetual struggle

My truths

Last one! Spectre is really good, though not as good as Skyfall IMO.

My worst COVID fear (aside from, obviously, dying or long COVID) is doing the tests. I have emetophobia, and a very strong gag reflex, and absolutely CANNOT tolerate someone rubbin' around my tonsils for 10-second a side with a long stick. I decided to try and do a test myself at home, but couldn't stand it for more than about a second a side, and had to take a long gap between sides. The nose bit is hell too. Massive respect to people who are just like, doing these all the time. It's the worst. (I was trying because I live in Wandsworth which was one of the boroughs telling everyone to test because of the South African variant)

wHO gEts YouR vOTe

Trying to make the most of uni facilities while still juggling work commitments. Booked a morning of riso room which I used to print some long procrastinated 'thank you' slips for my etsy orders. This is one of the background test sheets with multiple layers just slightly offset.

PERPETUAL BIG MOOD, two seperate bra fittings this month, both hell, nothing is tolerable, what's happened to me? I'm not exactly new to this rodeo, I know how bras are meant to fit but I'm increasingly finding I can't tolerate any fit or style of bra for more than a couple of hours at a time. But I can't just go without, because the muscles at the top of my breasts start to ache after just a few minutes walking outside without one, and I get chafing and rashes. It is LOSE LOSE and I have pretty much decided to say fuck saving for a house deposit, I want these things gone. Yeah, owning a house would be nice, but I have to live in this body every day, and breasts are a hell I can't escape without major and expensive top surgery, surgery which increasingly feels like something I desperately want to do. 

Having a very fun time with the Witcher 3 computer game, and now also watching the TV show for bonus context. It's pretty silly and I wouldn't be enjoying it at all if it weren't for the game, but as it is, it's a nice thing.

So now our Bond marathon is over, we're undertaking the slightly shorter marathon of watching all the Star Wars movies, several of which I've never seen, and those which I have seen, I haven't seen since childhood. I figured I'd draw them too, but taking a slightly different approach... because with most of the Bond movies I was super familiar with them, it was quite easy to draw along as I watched... With these, I'm gonna watch the whole film then do some slightly more shoddy scribbles based on everything I remember afterwards. Sorry if this is sacrilege to any hardcore star wars fans out there. Anyway, I am willing to concede that the first movie is a pretty fun time. I like Chewbacca and his angry friend, and the jazz band.

 

I'm still pretty convinced everyone was just being really annoying.

Chase doesn't like the groomers, but she needed a toenail clip, and some tending to her, as they call it 'hygiene area', which had been a little grubby/matted since her spay (there's some uh, oozing). It was all very undignified, but she's back to her sweet clean self now, and she smells amazing and has a cute new little bowtie to boot.

Due to aforementioned work 'aaagh' and ongoing uni 'aaagh', I've got really into google calendar's 'week to view' mode. SO EFFICIENT! 

Relatedly

Once I'm actually DOING the night shifts I'm always fine, but I find I have this massive sense of looming dread and anxiety and pre-emptive tiredness in the run up to them. (Nothing to do with the content of the shifts, literally just my ability to function and not feel gross).

And then HERE WE ARE, I forgot April only has 30 days, so May came as a bit of a shock this time...