Last month felt like a bit of a moan-fest work wise, so I made a very conscious effort to do a minimal number of visual diaries about 'I am very tired after a long day of big brain think work' (even though there has still been a lot of that this month). I am mostly annoyed because I let two clients pay me up front for work (bad, don't do this!!) which they then didn't send until this month. Meaning I've had a month of working very hard, to do both their work, and all the regular work I have on — and my end of month invoicing really does not reflect quite how many hours I've put in! Oh well, I think/hope this coming month will get slightly easier...
The teaching year has pretty much wrapped up now, which has freed up some time (helpful) — but I am sad about it because I love teaching, and also am on a zero hours contract which means they don't pay me in the summer! Boo! On June 1st I had to attend a marking meeting which I THOUGHT was online, but which was actually in person, on campus. OH NO (I raced over there and got there only 45 mins late into a 2.5 hour meeting so it was... okay?!)
A couple of people (and loads of ads on the tube) recommended Floradix for tiredness. The main catch with it is you have to take it 30 mins before eating, morning and evening. I literally never remember to take it in the evening, and in the morning I basically want to eat breakfast RIGHT AWAY as soon as I am awake, and having to wait half an hour is very annoying. I forlornly text my partner every morning while half asleep begging them to bring it to me so I can take my dose while I wake up (it also has to be kept in the fridge?! Hassle). Overall — I've been taking it for 3 or 4 months and am not sure I have seen that many effects?! AM I less tired? It is very hard to quantify. I quite like the taste though so I guess I'll persist.
Finally got a gang together to play one of my all time fav boardgames 'Dead of Winter'
It's ice cream truck time!! (I love summer)
A boardgame flurry in which I also got to play another fav: Galaxy Trucker!!
Warmer weather means it's time for Chase's annual haircut, where she goes from one kind of fuzzy to another kind of fuzzy. Both equally sweet, one decidedlylower maintainance.
The excitement of playing Tears of the Kingdom each night is still getting me through long work days
My partner has been sporadically making is tempura for a couple of years and they finally got it SPOT ON! (The secret was a really thin batter!)
Went to see Moki Cherry exhibition at the ICA with my friend Vicky — her work is really fun and made me want to paint (badly)
It is finally, at the age of 35, time for short shorts
Really enjoyed Kenny Segal and Billy Woods at Village Underground (even if I did miss playing Tears of the Kingdom for a night because I had to actually leave the house)
A mean dog in the park (A labrador!!!) bit Chase on the ear and I had to take her to the vet and get her bandaged up (she is fine but will probably always have a little nick in the edge of her ear now)
I barely watch any TV (so it's kinda funny I've done two visual diaries about TV this month — there's another later) but I do LOVE Springwatch. It's so brutal AND cheerful.
Went to the summer exhibition with mum and did these bad drawings about it
Summer is exhibiton season I guess because I also went to the UAL grad show and made this out of some students cut up business cards (thanks students for the cute free riso prints)
LET ME PLAY MY SILLY GAME (Tears of the Kingdom fan art)
Sometimes Mondays go on forever
When the weather gets hot, our house fills with flies — it has been particularly bad this year. We live on a grotty London street of shops and there is an alley behind our houses that some businesses leave trash in. There might also be standing water back there. I dunno, it's hard to see. Anywhere, wherever the flies come from, on hot days they love to come into our house and be annoying. I bought an electric fly swat and initially zapping them felt horrendously brutal, but but now I actually quite enjoy it, as a sport.
I have precisely zero interest in prestige netflix drama, just give me Springwatch and Gregg Wallace goes to the factory. I want his big gurning face yelling at me about how many millions of doritos come off the production line every hour. I also learned, from watching this show, what the UK's most popular flavour of Doritos is. (Feel free to email me with your guesses)
I went to Norwich to get a tattoo with artist Lacey Law. Had a very lovely overnight trip there in the glorious sunshine, and got to see my colleague/friend honor for dinner!
Before I got the train back the next day I walked through town a big more and got to see the arts space honor runs (the incredibly named 'Ambition's Graveyard'). Did some bad drawings on the rattly (but very nice) train home.
Justin was visiting from up North, and so his old school friend (also my friend) Harriet and her husband Tom and toddler Max came up to London, and we all met to go see the Crystal Palace dinosaurs. The highlight for me was actually the nearby petting zoo of REAL animals, including some extremely sweet alpacas! (Max still preferred the dinos though, I think)
My friend Jade invited me to go on a Bishopsgate Institute walking tour of London's port history. I am not especially interested in London's Port history but I really like Jade, and I do design work for the Bishopsgate, so figured it'd be good to actually engage with some of their content. The walking tour was actualy very interesting, though both Jade and I were very tired by the end as it was 30 degrees out that day! (Luckily Jade came prepared with icy water bottles for both of us, incredible).
As well as playing Tears of the Kingdom, I also get to have a mini magnum when the day is done. It's all worth it.
I'd been thinking for a while of getting little dot tattoos on my fingers just under my nails — I mentioned it to my tattoo artist earlier in the month and she offered to throw them in for free at the end of the session. I know my mother will very much disapprove. Hand tattoos!! You can never become a teacher or a cop or a lawyer or other upstanding careers now!! I consider these tattoos, as well as being decorative and extremely cute, my statement of confidence and intent to never have to get a sufficiently respectable job that these would be considered unnacceptable :) (They are very subtle)
Also, 10 years of doing this and drawing hands is still REALLY HARD
Did an extremely professional and convincing job on a difficult zoom call and I wish you could all have seen it.
The perpetual work stuggle — wait... where did you share that link with me again?
It's really grey today (and the last couple of days) — unacceptable! I demand sunshine! Hopefully more (within reason) during July...
Rest assured I will draw about how much I love the sunshine if we get it!
