off to war

January 17, 2013

On the 17th of January 2013, i woke up to discover two unexpected gifts.
I didn't see this coming.
I didn't even think Armin Mersmann would have any knowledge of my blog - it's so little - let alone take the time to write me such a thoughtful, honest and above all, supportive message.
I think i forget sometimes that i'm not the only artist in the world.
That sounds incredibly narcissistic but it's the simple fact that i live with myself every day, i'm only capable of knowing how i feel at all times and i'm not one to share.
I'll put it all over the internet, however. 
More making of the sense that is not, my speciality.

I regret not talking to my university friends about the feelings of inadequacy that were debilitating me while i was still in education.
They were probably feeling just the same and would not have been able to fix my problems but perhaps then i wouldn't have felt so small and so alone in my situation.
To be a Fine artist in a contemporary art school is not easy, thus why i fled so spectacularly.
This year i'll be receiving my Ordinary Degree, after 4 years of the university kindly holding my space open so i could complete with my Honours.
Which i can do whenever i wish. 
Hopefully they'd reaccept me but i'm not entirely sure DOJ is the place for me.
I'm not even sure if art is the right choice for me and until i know that i won't be returning to any institution of art.
It's really rather hard for someone like myself, who's ultimate goal within university was to receive a 1st and couldn't even bring themselves to start their final year.
It's all i wanted but i was a mess and it shouldn't have been what being an artist at art school was about.
I should have just wanted to create, instead i wanted to win.
Unhealthy but understandable.
I still want that 1st, i think i always will but if i go back to complete my degree, i just want to produce something that touches people.
Something i'm proud of.
But not too proud! 

So, thank you Mr Mersmann
I can't tell you how much receiving your message meant to me and how much it's given me to think about.
Happy Birthday for tomorrow and please keep producing your sublime works of art.
They may leave me timid but they are truly wonderful things to behold.

Also, to anyone who is currently at art school or even doing it solo and finds themselves in the same situation as i, message me if you'd like.
I can't fix it but i can empathise.
With bells on.

My other gift of the day was from my Mum.
It's always nice to wake up to a present, especially when you are utterly undeserving because of the ungodly hour you've finally dragged yourself out of bed to attempt functioning like a normal human being.
I won't tell you the hour but it was pretty bad.
The sun was going back down.
Shame, shame on me.
Thanks Mum.
You may be the only one i have but i still kinda think you're the best one.

Feel free to make barfing noises behind your computer screens at my unabashed soppiness!
I care not!



Listening to: Seamonster 'Bed of Roses'

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Louise Boyd said...

Hah, it's wrong that i'm proud of you for that, isn't it?

Dex said...

I was a little bit proud of me too :)

But it was a long day. And loud. Lots of other people singing and drinking and dancing. I would much rather have spent it quietly with you.

Louise Boyd said...

Because i'm the boss and just as lazy. Yup yup.

Dex said...

And I'm another person who would bring you food :)

Louise Boyd said...

Everyone i come into contact feeds me. Every last one. Which is a struggle because i try not to eat everything in sight but ack, being the fed is tough 0_0

You catching this heatwave up in the north, m'dear? It's so warm i've actually bared my ankles and you know it's warm when that happens.

Dex said...

Our weather is strange. Summer on Monday, misty on Tuesday, summer again today. Too many midges though. They'd go straight for your ankles :)

Y'know, I don't really have any summer clothes. I wear my winter clothes all year long :)

Book in garden kind of day, Lilliputty? What do you drink to keep cool on a warm day?

Does summer weather mean it's nearly our birthday? Scary!

Louise Boyd said...

D'you know what's ridiculous? I'm freaking out about turning 30 and it's not even happening this year 0_0 Maybe i've got sympathy nerves for you? I love that you'll forever be older than me :)

Today could have been a book in the garden kinda day but alas i had shit to do. I caught some Vitamin D during lunch though whilst watch Charles cowering in under bushes from the heat - cute and amusing - should keep me ticking over for a while.
I run so much colder than the average human that even when it's majorly hot, i'll be drinking tea =/ I'm a backwards human. I am looking forward to my first Frappucino of the year though. And an ice cold Irn Bru. AND maybe, if i'm feeling weird, an almost frozen beer. Preferably Sol, because i'm the worst, with a wedge of lime shoved inside. That actually sounds really, really good right now...
What do you drink when it's hot? I'm gonna say chocolate milk because you're the king of cocoa, right?

Dex said...

I'm glad Charles is enjoying the sun :)

In Edinburgh it would have been a Frappuccino, no question. Fuck, I miss them so much. Frappuccinos and wanderings and bookshops and parks... :)

I'll drink tea on a warm day too :) I wish I went outside more on nice days. Even when I'm not working, I'll stay indoors. In Philippines they had this fizzy orange drink called Royal which was nice. I think they only sold Coca Cola, Sprite and Royal. Always in glass bottles. That's a happy memory :) Back home, maybe a Coca Cola in a glass full of ice. As much as I do love chocolate :) Actually, I only have chocolate milk when my cereal turns the milk all chocolaty :)

Maybe I should try an almost frozen beer with a wedge of lime. I don't think I've ever actually enjoyed a beer but that sounds nice :)

You enjoy still being in your 20s. I expect you to rub it in my face at every opportunity :) I keep thinking I should do something significant to mark turning 30. Any ideas?

Dex said...

I'm so glad it's the weekend, Lilliputty. And I don't have much to do, which is good :)

Dex said...

Today I was looking at places to rent/share in Edinburgh before the whole idea became too scary! Do you ever do stuff like that?

Dex said...

'Paul' by Big Thief

https://soundcloud.com/saddlecreek/big-thief-paul

Louise Boyd said...

Of course i do that and i too cower when it gets too real. My searches are usually for jobs though and i've yet to find one that doesn't require a fucking honours degree -_- Fuck. My. Life. And the educational system. Bunch of bastards.

Find any nice flats though?

Dex said...

Well, you're more qualified than me. You hold onto that :)

I don't know. I sometimes feel like moving to Edinburgh for a year and just figuring out what I want to do with my life. It's scary because I could actually do that if I had any belief in myself.

Or I could stay home, go to work and try to build a proper life for myself :) Talking of work (and seeing as you've been weaving your magic on dough again), we had a bake sale there today. And a cake competition. With entries and prizes. So many cakes! It was glorious. And sickening. I think you would have loved it :)

Louise Boyd said...

Having not seen it yet myself, i was wondering what you thought about this:

http://geektyrant.com/news/kevin-smith-is-trying-to-reboot-the-adventures-of-buckaroo-banzai-as-a-tv-show

Dex said...

I'm completely fine with that. It might even work better as a tv series :)

Louise Boyd said...

Don't you fear who they'll get to replace John Lithgow?

Dex said...

Nah. He'll always be Dick Solomon to me anyway. No one can take that away :)

Are you particularly looking forward to anything at the moment, Lilliputty? You're always so much more aware of what's happening :)

Louise Boyd said...

Hm, i'm mostly looking forward to stuff coming out on dvd. I shall compile a list!

Hail, Caesar!
11.22.63
Midnight Special
Deadpool
Ash vs Evil Dead
Blindspot
The Witch
The Knick season 2
High Rise


Cinema-wise?:

Captain America: Civil War
Warcraft (don't you judge me)
Assassin's Creed
X-Men: Apocalypse
The BFG (but i'm unutterably wary of it with Spielberg at the helm and the original cartoon being so close to my heart)
Star Trek Beyond
Jason Bourne (have you gotten around to watching any of them yet?)
Kubo and the Two Strings
The Magnificent Seven
A Monster Calls
Doctor Strange
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Rogue One (this one especially after losing my cool over The Force Awakens)
Gambit
Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children


And when they'll finally have a release date for Penny Dreadful season 3 on dvd.

I won't even start on the upcoming book releases =/

Dex said...

I really do love it when you make lists. I would watch all those things with you. Even Warcraft. Well, it is directed by Duncan Jones, who made Moon, so it might be okay :)

I take it you liked The Force Awakens :) I thought it was really good too. Especially the new characters.

I'm not sure how I feel about Doctor Strange. I wasn't completely blown away by the trailer. It looks like they've gone down the broody, serious route and I've always pictured it in my head as a fun, adventure film with lots of bright colours and weird dimensions :)

I haven't got around to the Bourne films yet, but I will. I promise! Ugh, I've been so lazy these last few months. I've hardly been looking at anything new. Although I did watch The Omen for the first time last week :)

Dex said...

Watching 'Heat' tonight. I just love how well put together it is :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqRyngrXlXw

Dex said...

The first of your birthday presents arrived today :)

Dex said...

Did you ever re-decorate your room, Lilliputty? I'm thinking that a complete overhaul of my living space may a more sensible option compared to, say, moving away. Y'know, not too scary a change to my life :)

Louise Boyd said...

a) Presents?! Already?!

b) It's Bendyball playing Doc Strange so all shall be well. You can't go wrong with a cast of Cumberbatch, Ejiofor and Swinton. You just can't.

c) My room remains in a state of untouched disarray. One day i'll paint the fucker. Or burn it to the ground but i'm not sure how well that'd go down with the parentals. What you thinking of doing with the Dexcave?

Dex said...

Well, I was super unprepared for our birthday last year, so I want to make up for it this time around :)

I think I'd like your room :) My room doesn't always feel very 'me', if that makes sense. There's a lot of stuff I'd like to get rid of, so I think that's the first step.

Tone issues aside, my feelings on the casting of Doctor Strange can be summed up by paraphrasing Bowfinger - 'when I think of Benedict Cumberbatch in this superhero movie, I get very comfortable' :)

Louise Boyd said...

What you got against old Bendyball, mister? He's a fine specimen of actorship. Did you not watch him as Richard III in this year's Hollow Crown? Or behold him as the almighty Sherlock? The only other time i've even given the faintest fuck about Sherlock Holmes is Basil the Great Mouse Detective =/

More often than not other people's bedrooms are far more interesting than your own. Usually for the simple fact that your room is your own and you forget the interesting parts of it because you spend a huge percentage of your life in it. Although saying that, because there's SO much junk in my room i forget certain things are there so there's a new surprise every day! You're right, my room's awesome 0_0
I think dejunking your room is the best way to start though, get rid of the unnecessary and rebuild! Also choose a colour to paint with. A huge sensory change like that can make all the difference.

Dex said...

No, Lilliputty. I'm sorry, I meant it as a good thing. I think Bendyball is good casting :) That said, I don't think I've ever seen him in anything as I tend to avoid watching anything worthwhile :)

"there's SO much junk in my room i forget certain things are there so there's a new surprise every day!"

That's how I imagined it in my head and one of the reasons that I think I'd love it :) I think one of the problems is that my room doesn't always feel like my own. There's a lot of stuff in it that doesn't belong to me (one of the problems with being away at university is that your room gets used as a store) and it drives me crazy how much mess there is. Okay, so maybe I couldn't live in your room, but it would be a nice place to hang out :)

Hmm, I'll definitely have to think about a colour to choose. Ugh, I wish I was more like you and knew my own mind a bit more.

Talking of things found in bedrooms, I found a Zoids annual recently. I think I bought it at a school jumble sale when I was in primary. I used to find some of my favourite things at those sales. Have you ever heard of Zoids? They're a toyline like Transformers. Basically robot animals piloted by androids. If you're very bored, you can read the storyline from the annual here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man_and_Zoids

Ps. Basil the Great Mouse Detective was awesome! :)

Dex said...

Last night at work, I tried to get a malteser bar from the vending machine, but it got stuck. So I tried to get a second malteser bar to dislodge the first malteser bar, but it got stuck. So I tried to get a third malteser bar to dislodge the first and second malteser bars, but it got stuck. So, I finally tried to get a cream soda to dislodge all the malteser bars, but it got stuck. It was fun explaining that to reception this morning :)

Louise Boyd said...

By the end of that story i was really hoping the vending machine would have finally given up the goods and you'd be drowning in sugar. Did you get to keep it all in the end? Ughhhh now i want a Malteser Bunny and they don't reappear until the winter in the guise of reindeer :( Booooooo.

Bedroom colour. Start with whether you want the room to feel warm or cool/bright or dark. Also take into account the size of your room because that matters too. I've always wanted to paint my room a midnight blue but you really need a very large room with high ceilings for that.

I have a new demand! I'm re-watching Utopia and i need you to watch it, it's just fucking spectacular and well, i'm the boss so do it, minion :)

Dex said...

Yeah, they gave me my chocolate and soda in the morning :)

Also, I had a chocolate and caramel tart for lunch today. It had Rolos in it :)

Thanks for the advice, Lilliputty. My room is quite cold (it's at the back of the house and doesn't get the sun) so I'm not sure if should I paint it a colour to make it feel warmer or a colour to suit its coolness. Anyway, it's probably going to take me a while to clear everything out, so plenty of time to think about it :)

Utopia. Okay, I'll buy the dvd next week. Because you said so :) I always remember you watching Utopia because it was the last thing you blogged before we started this long conversation :)

Dex said...

It's starting to feel like summer up here, Maggot :) I think I got more excited about it when I was a kid though. I used to love going outside, up the hill, on adventures. Now I stay at home and do pretty much the same things I do all year round :)

Dex said...

I really need to start planning my holidays. Even if it's just doing stuff at home. Instead of booking random days to do nothing.

Louise Boyd said...

Don't put too much stress on yourself to "do something". I don't know how people can do so much on their holidays and not go back to work exhausted =/
What are you thinking of doing though? I feel like you haven't been to the cinema in ages, or at least you haven't told me about it.

Dex said...

I'm not sure, Lilliputty. It doesn't even need to be something particularly productive. It just seems that when I wake up in the morning at the moment, I'm already waiting for the day to end. I guess the problem is I don't really know what I want to do, or what I like doing. I mean, you know what you like doing, don't you? :)

Don't worry, I'd always tell you if I went to the cinema. Because then I could tell you about something I'd done rather than something I haven't done :) I think the last thing I went to see was Star Wars in January :S What about you, Lilliputty? Seen anything recently?

Ps. I've decided, I really need to watch Penny Dreadful. It totally looks like my kind of thing :)

Louise Boyd said...

"I've decided, I really need to watch Penny Dreadful. It totally looks like my kind of thing :)"

I knew you'd see sense eventually! Watch out, you're in for some awesome stuff.

The cinema and i have not seen each other since The Martian. So. Freaking. Long. I miss it so :( Damn my idiot brain and lack of people to go with. Hrumph. I really want to see Civil War as well =/ And Rogue One! If only i was a Lerwickian? I'd make you live in the cinema with me. You can survive on popcorn and coke alone, right?

"...you know what you like doing, don't you?"

It might surprise you but i actually don't =/ I'm quite feckless really. I do love reading, at any time of day, in any weather but it's my comfort choice, the thing to do that i know i'll enjoy. I have no idea outside of that what i'd use my time for. I do miss being in the countryside but i don't like going alone into the countryside because, well, i've watched too many horror movies 0_0 And the last time i was in a wood alone i came across some very creepy people camping. My overactive imagination marched my 'fraidy cat butt back home almost immediately.

Okay, let's think about this methodically. Take laziness out of the equation and consider what you have in your general vicinity. What's there to do? Or to see? Or what have you been putting off doing for ages? Like your room! Make a list. I think you might be like me in that i have to physically make a list of things to do or they'll stay unfinished or not even started for the rest of fucking time. Yeah? So, make a list, check it twice, yada yada. It doesn't even have to be big stuff, it could just be getting a frame for that print i bought you (if you haven't already) and hanging it. Orrrrr watching a movie you've always meant to. Any of this helping?

Dex said...

It always makes me happy to know how much you love books, Lilliputty :)

Of course you're helping. You always help :) I think I will make a list of films to watch. Also, with my room, I've decided that I'm going to spend the next couple of months clearing a section at a time. That doesn't seem quite so daunting :)

I'd live with you in the cinema, Maggot. We could be creatures of the night, watching films when the doors are locked and everyone has gone home.

I'd go with you into creepy woods too :) Was that a long time ago? I don't like it when you think you're alone, and then it turns out you're not alone. That's one of the reasons I used to like going into the countryside. To be alone :)

I've got film quiz tonight. I wish you were coming with me. I don't really feel like it these days but I suppose it's better than nothing :) I hope you've had a nice day Maggot, that it's been sunny and that you've done some of the things you love.

Dex said...

Okay, don't laugh at me, Maggot, but I spent my day off watching episodes of Pinky & The Brain :)

Dex said...

Does it ever get misty in Blair, Lilliputty? Whenever it is warm and sunny here in Lerwick, it seems like the mist is not far behind. But that's okay because I quite like those days :)

Louise Boyd said...

It doesn't tend to get misty in Blair, i guess because we're in a valley? I dunno, it's just not something we experience much. Now if you want a sky blanketed with stormy grey clouds and an abundance of brain crushing low pressure, then Blair's the place to be. Do you ever get that? Headaches/migraines from low pressure? I get my ass kicked on a weekly basis by it. For fuck's sake, who gets bullied by clouds? Only me. 0_0

"Okay, don't laugh at me, Maggot, but I spent my day off watching episodes of Pinky & The Brain."

Do you not know me at all?!

The creepy wood escapade was in my 2nd year of uni, so i was... 20? 21? Something like that. It was for a briefed project on the intricacies and absurdities found in nature. I got my first A with that project :) Some of the work is still up on my old deviantart:

http://mycancerousbeloved.deviantart.com/gallery/672283/Anthropomorphia

I was always particularly fond of this guy:

http://mycancerousbeloved.deviantart.com/art/Shadow-Line-67825161

And there's an explanation of what i was up to, here:

http://mycancerousbeloved.deviantart.com/art/This-Is-War-67826636

The only project i enjoyed in uni and it started with a miserable trip up a hill in the humid pouring rain =/
Oh! And Norman was my tutor for it! You remember, the tutor you messaged on my behalf which totally didn't mortify me or anything *_*
So, i think it was worth a little terror in the woods, or that may just be my "I got an A!" brain talking.

Dex said...

I've always liked those drawings and the thoughts behind them. I'm glad you still have them up. I wish you'd found more to enjoy at university because it seems like it makes such a difference. And I'm so sorry I embarrassed you, Maggot. Just be glad I'm a million miles away because I'm always finding new and interesting ways to embarrass myself and everyone around me :)

I didn't realise Blair was in a valley. I'm trying to picture it in my head. I have images of mountains and deep valleys with towns at the bottom of them. Like the kind you see in Norway when you're driving along mountain roads :)

I didn't even know that low pressure could give people headaches! That sounds terrible, Lilliputty. Is there anything you can do for that so that it doesn't affect you so much or do you just need to go lie down in a darkened room whenever the weather gets like that?

Dex said...

Okay, I'm going to start watching Utopia this weekend :)

Louise Boyd said...

Beware, it'll melt your brain.

It's precious that you think Blair would be as quaint looking as that but i'll have to burst your bubble, it's a dump. Okay, not a dump but it's not one of those towns people go out of their way to visit, not unless they've got a fetish for charity shops and country bumpkins =/ We do have good berries though.

To prevent low pressure migraines please burrow further underneath the duvet with a pack of ibuprofen and hope for the best 0_0 Sleeping's the best cure but drugs are welcome. I don't know why i get so many headaches, maybe it's genetic or something, whatever it is, it sucks balls and if there was a cure i'd swallow it down without even asking if it's poisonous.

Are you getting this heat wave? Charlie's very grumpy about it but i guess it's hard being that fluffy and that colour of a black hole. I keeping finding him the undergrowth looking very perturbed.

Dex said...

3 episodes down :)

I liked thinking that you lived somewhere nice. At least your garden looks lovely in the sun, even if it turns Charlie into a grump :) At least Blair hasn't been quarantined due to an outbreak of some deadly virus. Can't believe we got a shout out on Utopia! :D

It was really nice here last weekend but it's been quite windy the last couple of days, so not particularly warm. It's 'simmer dim' (summer twilight) time of year again though, so it's light almost all the time. I really like this time of year so I suppose I can't be a vampire :) Is it like that in Blair? I know we're a bit further north but I'm guessing it's pretty much the same.

Dex said...

I'm feeling a little bit apprehensive about work tomorrow, Lilliputty. I think it's going to be a bad week.

Sorry for sharing these things with you. Aren't you glad you have such an optimistic friend? :)

'When You Sleep' by My Bloody Valentine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9-NOIalUYU

Louise Boyd said...

Hmm, your song choice says a lot about how you're feeling. Why's it gonna be a bad week?

It is on the bright side in ye olde Blair, drives me a little nuts, mostly because the birds are singing when i'm trying to sleep. Not cool. I have to basically burrow under my duvet to escape the little monsters but then i start to suffocate. It's not ideal =/ I am sooooo enjoying the weather though. So sunny. So warm. I'm not like other people though, when it hits 18C i don't strip down to light layers, oh no, not i, i'm still wandering around in a t shirt, a sweatshirt and jeans. The most skin being shown is my ankles 0_0 i wish i was a normal human being and not some blue-blooded mutant -_-

Dex said...

I don't even go outside. I stay in my room, where it's cool, and drink cups of tea :)

Ps. I'm glad you're not a normal human being :)

Louise Boyd said...

Your vitamin D levels must be shot to shit! Much like my own. Just call us the Stay Inside Club.

It's supposed to hit 23C tomorrow with an added bonus of afternoon showers >_> I might stay inside for that one.

Dex said...

I'm sure it's all absorbed through your ankles :)

Louise Boyd said...

You'd think i'd trip over less with my sunshine strong ankles but nope.

Freakish weather today, it hit 27C apparently - i was still cold, sunny as all hell and then the heavens let loose an almighty downpour and then all was still. Weird.

Dex said...

Have you ever read 'Z for Zacharia'?

From wikipedia - '...the story is in the form of a diary written from the first-person perspective of sixteen-year-old Ann Burden, who has survived a nuclear war and nerve gas through living in a small valley with a self-contained weather system.'

All this talk of valleys and strange weather suddenly reminded me. I haven't thought about it since school. I couldn't even remember the name. But typing in 'girl valley weather nuclear' into google brought it up straight away :)

Louise Boyd said...

I've heard of it but only because they recently adapted it for the movies. I liked the sound of it though, worth a read? I do love a good dystopia.

Dex said...

It was too long ago, Lilliputty. But I suppose it must have made an impression after all this time. Like a lot of things.

Dex said...

Been out enjoying the sun for once :)

Dex said...

Another sunny day. Where's the rain, Maggot?

Louise Boyd said...

I think Blair stole it all. It's been seriously depressing weather here the past few days. And it's only 12 degrees to add an extra sack punch =/ Scotland bugs me.

Dex said...

It rained here today...

We seem to spend an awful lot of time talking about the weather these days :)

Ps. It's always nice to see Candice Tripp making a re-appearance on your blog :)

Louise Boyd said...

We do but even though it's deemed "conversational filler", i enjoy talking about the weather =/ I guess when you check it obsessively and you visit sites like yr.no and metcheck then the weather becomes a valid talking point. Urk, i'm the worst, aren't i? No wonder i can bulldoze conversations in 5 seconds flat 0_0

Candice Tripp makes me furious.

Dex said...

I don't really care what we talk about. I just enjoy talking with you. You could be telling me about the weird sounds your belly makes and I'd still be happy you messaged me :)

Candice Tripp. I know. Still, we can hate and enjoy things at the same time, can't we?

Dex said...

Do you know what I something think I'd quite like to do for our birthday? Rent a small house somewhere picturesque for a week and just spend it alone with nice food, drink & films :)

Louise Boyd said...

You mean sloth out in lazy attire while the dishes pile up? HEAVEN. I would suggest adding a trampoline to the equation. For the fun.

Dex said...

I could probably do that forever :) Then again, it probably wouldn't be good for me. Also, I get slightly obsessed about needing to wash dishes :S

Louise Boyd said...

Oh, OCD, you destroyer of worlds, you. Easy fix though: don't use any dishes?

I just voted. I feel dirty.

Dex said...

I hardly use them when I'm on my own so that would probably work :)

I don't like cleaning, but I feel so much better after cleaning. I'm hoping that's normal.

Louise Boyd said...

I think i feel much the same. Tidying up sucks but the mess is so much worse? I get told off for cleaning up after someone else has just done it. I don't mean to do it, i just have a certain routine and standard =/ Mess makes me anxious. My room's not exactly pristine but all my mess is neatly piled up. Orderly chaos.

Dex said...

I think I'd like your room. It looks nice and homely (if a little bit full). My room should be killing me, it's so untidy. It feels more like a storeroom :)

Dex said...

I found out today that my desk buddy at work watches anime. It's so weird the things you learn about people that you've spent most of the last 2 years sitting across from :)

Dex said...

There was a monster truck up here today, crushing cars and giving people rides. You get excited by these things when you live on an island.

Dex said...

The days when you go to work because you've got nothing better to do.

Louise Boyd said...

There should never be a day that dull, my friend, not when the internet and Netflix exists.

A monster truck? I fucking hate you sometimes :| Going to Monster Jam is one of my white trash goals!

Dex said...

Is Netflix one of the best things to ever happen to you? Or is it killing you slowly? Or both? :)

Louise Boyd said...

Definitely both. But as far as slowly committing suicide goes, Netflix ain't a bad way to go, my friend. When you gonna board this particular sinking televisual ship?

Dex said...

I hardly do anything at the moment and it still feels like there's not enough time in the day. Netflix would destroy me.

Louise Boyd said...

"Netflix would destroy me."

It's wrong how good that sounds.

Dex said...

Netflix is just another one of those things that makes me feel like an outdated computer :)

Louise Boyd said...

A Luddite, that's what you are but that's okay, i'm only slightly less of one than you are, i've just got sisters that are more up to date with technological shit so i get in on the good stuff occasionally. I'm looking at phones at the moment - fuck, they're so expensive - and honestly, my only concern is whether the camera is any good, i don't give a fuck about the rest of it =/ We are not technological people but i think we might be better off?

Dex said...

Well, we still buy dvds, cds and books. So I think we're better off :)

Oh, I ordered Penny Dreadful series 1 and 2 last night :)

Dex said...

Do you ever watch Red Letter Media? I always get slightly excited when they post a new Best of the Worst video.

Dex said...

I think I'll watch Penny Dreadful and eat junk food tonight :)

Louise Boyd said...

The best decision you've made this year so far.
I'm so jealous, you'll get to see all the awesome things they get up to for first time 0_0

Dex said...

I don't think anyone's ever been jealous of me before.

Louise Boyd said...

That you know of...

How many episodes have you watched? What do you think? If it's bad things then you have to lie or i'll hate you forever 0_0

Dex said...

An episode a night. I takes a lot of self-control.

I hardly ever watch tv series but when I do, I think I make the best decisions. Or you make them for me. One of the two.

Louise Boyd said...

Combined effort?

I don't know what i'm gonna do now it's over and the third season comes out in October but i'm going to have to stay strong and not watch it for at least 6 months+, that way i can keep it alive a little while longer :(

In love with Vanessa yet?

Dex said...

Actually, it's more like 90-10 in your favour. Everything I know about new series, I learn from your good self. So you have your uses :)

Vanessa and Penny Dreadful are definite keepers. I've been looking for a series to obsess over for a while now and I really think this may be the one.

Dex said...

Vimto Bon Bons. Nom.

And I hate Vimto the drink!

Louise Boyd said...

I either have stellar taste in tv or i'm a really effective bully. Bit of both?

Vimto Bon Bons? They exist? Why didn't i know this?! Ugh, being a hermit really has its drawbacks in the sugar department.

Dex said...

Definitely both :)

Louise Boyd said...

I live to serve and infect others with my tv addiction. I keep seeing this holiday advert with a couple tired of devouring tv box sets instead of adventuring.
...
That would never happen to me.

Dex said...

Adventuring is overrated. That's what I keep telling myself :)

Dex said...

Do you ever think that one of the biggest differences between real life and fiction is that, in fiction, things seem to just happen to stay-at-home people like us, without any kind of personal motivation? In real life, we're just waiting for things to happen and they never do because we don't do anything about it.

Louise Boyd said...

First of all: Fuck
Second of all: yup and that's why stories are dangerous things for young minds but i wouldn't trade them for anything. Okay, maybe for a healthy relationship with life and whatnot, instead of unrealistic expectations but... whatever, stories forever, fuck real life.
...
You should never listen to me.

Dex said...

Yes, I should.

Sometimes.

You definitely have your areas of expertise :)

Louise Boyd said...

I feel like that was a backhanded compliment, good sir!

You okay, matey? Your tone's seemed a bit sad of late and you keep having bursts of existential crises.

Dex said...

Maybe this is what happens when you're about to hit 30 :)

Louise Boyd said...

Oh dear, i keep forgetting it's your 30th, my brain thinks we'll become aged at the same time. We could do that though, i'll still send you presents but you can remain 29 for one year longer and we can suffer in synchronicity together next year! What do you say?

Dex said...

You're the best, Maggot. But I demand you rub it in my face at every possible opportunity, with every conceivable sarcastic putdown, the fact that I am 30 and you are not. Because it's what we do :)

Louise Boyd said...

Okay. But only because you insist. Behaving like a demanding geriatric already, honestly.

Dex said...

Thank you :)

Louise Boyd said...

You know meanness is where i draw my power from and if i call you an asshole it really means i adore you. It's tough being a jerk.

Dex said...

You have my sympathies :)

Anyway, what's new with you? I know I write to you everyday but I hardly ever ask how you are :S

Louise Boyd said...

I've noticed that as well, i do it too but whenever i do ask you how you are or what's going on in your day to day i always feel weird about it. I don't even know why! Maybe it's our social ineptitude rearing its ugly awkward head again.

There's absolutely nothing new with me, as per usual. I should get a very dull crown for how deeply uninteresting i am. What do you reckon? Gold or silver?

What's new with you? See, now that just feels weird.

Dex said...

I get confused. I don't ask about things like that because I think you'll just tell me anything you want to tell me. And I don't tell you about things like that because I think you'll ask if you want to know...

So, yeah, total social ineptitude :)

Dex said...

Slow, steady progress but that's Penny Dreadful season 1 finally consumed :)

Louise Boyd said...

Let's just agree that we both give a shit about each other but we're both awkward idiots?

I know i saw it coming but i was still stoked to see Ethan as The Wolfman at the end and that they went properly old school with the serious widow's peak and gnarly fang job. Awesome.

Dex said...

Agreed :)

I can't believe I didn't pick up on the clues. I mean, the scene at the zoo was pretty indicative!

But I totally called Brona as the Bride, right from the first blood cough :)

I thought I'd give iZombie a go before starting on season 2 of Penny Dreadful. Y'know, draw it out until season 3 becomes available :)

Louise Boyd said...

Isn't Billie awesome? Just you wait until you meet Lily, she's something to behold.

Watch iZombie. It gets rave reviews and has both Em and Sar's approval. No spoilers though, i haven't go around to watching it yet. I wait so long for these things and then i put off watching them months after i have access to them. What is wrong with me?

Dex said...

What's wrong is that there are too many things to watch. But you do a better job of handling it than anyone else I know :)

I've got Wednesday to Friday off this week so I can maybe watch a few more things. I also ended up buying Ash vs the Evil Dead :)

Louise Boyd said...

Aw man, now you've got the drop on me with two tv shows i wanna watch. This doesn't feel right.

Dex said...

I thought I'd try to be a normal human being for a while and watch a few tv shows. Maybe I can use them in conversation :)

What are you watching at the moment, Maggot?

Louise Boyd said...

Tv-wise: i just finished the 4th season of Orange Is The New Black - incredible, i'm mainlining the last few series of Dexter - fuck, it got so bad - while i'm getting ready in the morning... afternoon, i'm giving this new show Casual a shot at night - wonderfully cynical and messed up, i kinda love it, and i'm cannonballing the Gilmore Girls during the day in preparation for the new series starting in the Autumn.
...
Tv is my master, i must obey its siren call.
I just bought some new stuff in the Prime Day sale as well =/
I'm a bad, bad person.

Dex said...

How's Charles doing? Does he watch the Gilmore Girls with you? :)

Oh, and the weather. Summery? It's really cloudy here at the moment.

Louise Boyd said...

Charlie's usually asleep during the daytime, he saves all his adventuring for the evening. He is The Night after all.

The weather's been this annoying mix of sunny/rainy/warm and then inexplicably cold a few minutes later. Not great for a girl with Raynaud's Disease. I want Hawaii 0_0 I should not still be wearing fleece-lined sweatshirts in the middle of July. What the balls, Scotland? My hay fever's kicking my ass as well, my eyes sting like an itchy bitch. Do you suffer?

Oh, hey, you watch the trailer for the Westworld tv adap i posted? What do you think?

Dex said...

I'm not sure. I'm all for a tv remake of Westworld though and it could be really good. The film was something I liked, a good idea and simple story executed well and there was definitely room for world building. I just hope they don't suck the fun out of it by trying to make everything too meaningful.

Ugh, just call me a shallow douchebag :S

I can't think of anything I suffer from. Why do I have things so easy compared to you, Lilliputty? It doesn't seem fair. If it's any consolation, we seem to be experiencing one of our famous, mind numbing, seemingly eternal cloud covers.

Louise Boyd said...

I think it's just that i whine way more than you do. Way more. I'm the kind of person that gets teary over a papercut, puts a plaster on it and then waves it in everyone's faces so they know my pitiful pain.
...
Fuck, i hate myself 0_0

Eternal cloud cover you say? I sense a storm abrewing. Same here though, it was warm and sunny all day but pressurey, y'know? My brain's felt like it's been held in a vice since i woke up. And then the clouds came. I'm a human fucking barometer.

You're a shallow douchebag :) But i get it. They're make a tv adap of The Warriors and i'm just as douchey over it as you are over Westworld. They're fucking with something we love, agitation is to be expected. At least Westworld has a pretty decent cast behind it?

Dex said...

I'm not really that worried about Westworld :) I quite like the original but I don't feel particularly protective over it. There are plenty of other films that I'd feel way more douchey about if they ever did a remake. And yes, the cast seems pretty decent :) I'm more worried about The Warriors too!

I've been totally unproductive with my 3 days off work, you'll be completely unsurprised to learn. I keep thinking every day is going to be different but it never is. Things are never different. Like going out. I always promise myself when I'm walking somewhere, that when I get there and start talking to people, that I'm just going to be myself. But then I actually encounter people and I forget all that. I don't think my mind works quick enough to deal with people in real time :)

Did you ever feel that way? I don't know. I can actually imagine you being great in social situations :)

Ps. You've never seen me get a papercut, have you? I act like I've just been betrayed by my closest friend. Paper should not be dangerous!

Louise Boyd said...

I think there was a brief, and i mean brief, spell where i could handle socialising like a boss but mostly i need alcohol to behave like a regular human and when you hate alcohol it makes socialising... awkward. My ability to make even the most upbeat of people struggle to make conversation is downright majestic though.

"I don't think my mind works quick enough to deal with people in real time."

YES! That. Exactly. I always need at least a day to a) get my fucking strength back and b) digest everything that happened/was said to me in the midst of a social event. I can't process it at the time. It's exhausting =/
I wonder what it's like to actually enjoy all that "bonding". I don't even like to talk that much with people i'm comfortable with. Honestly, if we were hanging out i mostly wouldn't want to talk to you =/ I'd just want to watch a movie or something with tiny pauses to point out something funny or cry outrage at a plot hole etc. Y'know? Is that weird? Would you hate me if i did that to you?

Three days off isn't that much time, matey. I think if you had like... two weeks then i think you'd actually do something. For people like us, especially by ourselves, it takes more effort and planning to be adventurous, no matter how small that adventure is.
Jesus, extroverts have no fucking clue how lucky they are. This planet was not built for you and i.

Dex said...

"Honestly, if we were hanging out i mostly wouldn't want to talk to you =/ I'd just want to watch a movie or something with tiny pauses to point out something funny or cry outrage at a plot hole etc. Y'know? Is that weird? Would you hate me if i did that to you?"

I think that you may just have described the friend I've been looking for my whole life! Do you know how rare and precious you are? :)

Louise Boyd said...

Is it true? Am i really a unicorn?!

Dex said...

Maybe the last unicorn :)

So I finished the first season of iZombie. I liked it but I hear on good authority that season 2 is much better. Also, the soundtrack is pretty great :)

Heaven Sent by Mr Little Jeans (I've become slightly obsessed with this song the last few days)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTlf-XAM1pI

Taken by Young Summer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXRtx-unYdc

Your Past is a Blast by Okkervil River (from the season finale)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2XzkxJYCcM

Louise Boyd said...

I think i've listened to 'Black Sheep Boy' at least a dozen times in my life so far. Okkervil River are perfection. And they have a literary-based name which is always appealing to me.

iZombie is definitely gonna get watched in the next few weeks but i don't think it's my next watch. My gut is telling me it's not quite time. Does you gut tell you what tv to watch or is that just my particular brand of crazy?

Dex said...

Okkervil River. I did not know that. But I'm not surprised you did. I'm never surprised by how much you know :)

I like your kind of crazy. I wish I knew what I wanted to watch and when I wanted to watch it. I often think that about you, Maggot. That you know how you feel about something, your likes and dislikes, that you do things on your own terms. And I think that's pretty great. Also, it's probably one of the reasons that I love your blog so much.

Louise Boyd said...

It's my stubborn streak, it's inimitably powerful.
You just gotta think "fuck it", that's what i do. I used to give a shit about what people thought but i think having so much time away from the human race has made me more obnoxiously sure of myself, at least with my likes and dislikes.
In the end, anyone that judges you or what you like will do it for approximately a minute and then they'll move on. That's how little it matters to them, so why would i stop myself enjoying something because another person spent 60 seconds judging me for doing so? Makes no sense right? They win and they don't even care. Thus: "fuck it".
Try it sometime, it feels pretty good.

Dex said...

I'll try.

I still like it when you judge me though :)

Louise Boyd said...

Oh, well, i'm a totally different story, obviously. Those who rule you get special privileges.

It's so hottttttt here 0____0

Dex said...

Here, it's been a strange mix of mist and sun. Or maybe it's not strange. Maybe that's how weather works :)

I wasn't going to tell you this because it's so upsetting, but I've gotten a couple of grey hairs :(

Louise Boyd said...

Not to worry, dearest, grey hair's easier to pull off when you're a guy, some even look better with it:

George Clooney
Ted Danson
John Slattery
Joe Manganiello
Henry Czerny

Just don't dye your hair that bizarre auburn colour older men seem to be drawn to. Wtf even is that?

Very soon - i've been saying very soon for about 6 months now - the ends of my hair will be dyed a delightful shade of blue. Think gothic mermaid and you'll get an idea of what's about to befall my follicles. I'm scared.

It was stormy here today and there was a thunderclap so loud it woke both me and my sister up and scared the crap out of Charlie.
...
Awesome.
Also lightning hit the local bank. Prophetic, no?

Dex said...

Are you predicting the apocalypse? :)

You with gothic mermaid hair. I can totally picture that. You'd better post a photo when it gets done :)

Do you think you look young for your age, Lilliputty? It looks that way in photos. I'm slightly jealous :)

Louise Boyd said...

I think i look prepubescent for my age and i kinda like it that way. When i'm 40 - oh, holy jesus - i'll look 30 or younger, how awesome is that? The only thing i get a little concerned about, and it's wholly shallow, is whether or not it'll prevent potential future boyfriends. Will i only attract perverts looking for fresh meat? 0_0

I've seen pictures of you, you look just as young as i do, you moron.
This turning 30's really fucking with you, isn't it?

Dex said...

I don't know. I'll probably suit being 30 more than I did being in my 20s :) It took me a long time to get the hang of that.

18 was where it all started to go wrong.
19-22 it just got worse and worse (22 was the nadir)
23-24 was a strange state of limbo followed by slight signs of recovery
25 I finally got my life started again (which coincided with getting my first proper job)
26 = Maggot :)

Things are okay now, but I feel like I missed some of my life. That I missed the part of my life in between school and being where I am now, which was supposed to be the most exciting bit. And that makes me slightly sad.

I'm guessing we both think about the same things (jobs, relationships, moving out) but you have so much going for you, Lilliputty. You really do. So much more than your youthful countenance and ethereal attractiveness - you're sure to attract way more than the the perverts looking for fresh meat :)

Dex said...

There's only one word to describe Ash vs the Evil Dead...

Groovy :)

Dex said...

Do you know what I had for the first time today? Krave cereal :)

Louise Boyd said...

Amazing, right? More like dessert than breakfast. Did you go classic chocolate or a different flavour? Fuck, i want Krave now 0_0 All the flavours in one bowl. Yessum.

Couple of things:

1) If you spoil me for AvstED i will brain you.
2) Ethereal attractiveness? What the balls? I don't think you can be ethereal when you swear like a drunken sailor =/
3) We've known each for 4 years? Why does it not feel that long? 4 years?!
4) You're a special unicorn and i'm muchly glad the original Fright Night teamed us up to fight apathetic crime together. Muchly.

I don't know if you watch any tv online but if you do, check out 'Casual'. It's on Hulu and Amazon Prime and possibly elsewhere and totally worth a watch. I just mainlined the first two available seasons and i'm itching for more.

Also, Robot Wars is back! :D

Dex said...

Classic chocolate. I didn't even know there were different flavours!

Well, ethereal until you open your mouth :)

You remembered my first message :) I can't believe it has been nearly 4 years either. But I'd known about your pages since way before that. I think I was still living in Edinburgh when I first came across them. And that was a lifetime ago!

I was so glad when you started posting again after that break that I sent you a message because I didn't want you to disappear again.

I'll definitely check out 'Casual'. And I've still got 'Veep' to watch as well. And 'The Last Man on Earth'. Actually, I watched both iZombie and Ash vs the Evil Dead on Amazon Video. Is it weird (and a waste of money) to buy and watch things online, and then to buy a hard copy if you really like them?

Robot Wars! I hope they bring back Sir Killalot and Matilda :)

Ps. I know better than to spoil tv for you :)

Dex said...

Do you know what I really want to take back? Saying that Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours' was 'meh'. Is it okay to change my mind? :)

Louise Boyd said...

Hmm, okay, you can take it back but i'll never forget you said though i'm afraid. Some things cannot be unheard.
A particular song change your mind?

"Is it weird (and a waste of money) to buy and watch things online, and then to buy a hard copy if you really like them?"

Yes and no. I do it more often than not but it is kind of illogical when you think about it. I guess that's the trap! What really pisses me off is when a show doesn't get a dvd release e.g. Constantine, Crashing, Some Girls etc. I don't see why people who prefer to have a physical copy should be penalised =/

Sir Killalot and Matilda were present, correct and doubley dangerous. Matilda looks fucking awesome but i may biased, she was always my favourite. Why is it so satisfying watching clunky bits of metal decimate each other?

Dex said...

Matilda was my favourite too :)

I guess I'm just fickle. Unlike you and your stubborn ways :) You'll probably mock me, but 'You Make Loving Fun' is almost certainly my favourite track on the album :)

The things I really like, I'd always much prefer to have a physical copy. What if the internet is destroyed?! :)

Louise Boyd said...

You're kidding right? That's an awesome song. They're all awesome songs! Rumours is like a unicorn: perfect, magical and rarely seen.
Now listen to Tusk. It's the true test of a second generation Mac fan.

If the internet is destroyed then i may actually get my life back 0_0

Louise Boyd said...

Existential question: If you could have one pet dinosaur, would it be a T-Rex, Diplodocus or a Triceratops?

I don't know why but i feel this is very important.

Dex said...

A Triceratops :)

Dex said...

Ps. I love how that question was so important that you sent me a special message at half past midnight :)

Louise Boyd said...

It's quite possibly the most important question i've ever asked you and you answered well, my friend! I'm a Diplodocus kinda girl though, something about their necks i find comforting.

Dex said...

I had dinosaur top trumps when I was a kid and I used to be obsessed with dividing them into Triassic, Jurassic & Cretaceous :)

Louise Boyd said...

If you'd said that to me in person i would have patted you on the head and called you precious.

Dex said...

Do you like Caramacs, Lilliputty? I can't remember and it's one of those foodstuffs that people seem to have very strong feelings about one way or the other.

Louise Boyd said...

I would destroy you for a Caramac.

Dex said...

Did you know you can get Caramac buttons? :)

Louise Boyd said...

I did and i have greedily guarded a whole bag of them from the rest of my family because fuck the world, i need all the blessed Caramac!

Dex said...

One of my desk buddies came back from holiday today with a bag of Caramac buttons! And Percy Pigs. It's an unwritten rule that anyone who goes away down south, comes back with Percy Pigs.

Louise Boyd said...

And how did such a rule come into being?

Dex said...

Because when one person does something nice for us, the next time we all act like entitled little bastards.

What is summer like at your house, Lilliputty? I mean, do your folks take any time off, does anyone go away or come to visit? Stuff like that.

Dex said...

The new Doctor Strange trailer certainly looks promising :)

Dex said...

I hope the weather is nice in Blair, Lilliputty. I haven't seen the sun for about a week.

Dex said...

I had a raspberry mojito tonight. It was not unpleasant. Alcoholic drinks are so much nice when you can't taste the alcohol.

Dex said...

Finally, some sun :)

Louise Boyd said...

First my parents rubbing the Yorkshire sun in my face and now you with your Shetland sunshine! Rat. Bastards.

Dex said...

Did they go to Bettys?

Louise Boyd said...

They did. For breakfast, lunch and dinner. Two and half days in a row. Slutty bastards. I'm paralysed with jealousy.

Dex said...

Just a couple of trailers, Maggot, for no very good reason other than they're quite pretty, for films by Lucile Hadzihalilovic

Innocence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V05v-8MnNw0

Evolution

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5cmrW-Ej84

Dex said...

Do you really make noises like Fidget the Bat?

Dex said...

I've heard a rumour that we've got Caramacs to put in the vending machine at work :)

Dex said...

It's been raining. And the schools go back next week. It feels like summer is already over.

Louise Boyd said...

1) Caramacs at your fingertips? It's like you want me to hate you 0_0

2) I do in fact make noises like Fidget the Bat and just like him, i do it especially when on the move. He's also not the first cartoon character i've been compared to and surprisingly none of them are curmudgeonly little fucktards like my charming self.

3) I've seen Innocence, a long time ago though so i can't exactly remember if i enjoyed it or not. I do have this very clear image of two young girls walking down a surreally lit forest path though. There were lamps suspended from the sky? Hold on, google to the rescue... This!:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lWMIL-M5u4g/TURrJ0W4HvI/AAAAAAAAAFI/yuxVFfocpCE/s1600/Innocence.png

4) Don't give up on Summer just yet. It usually swings back around for one last attempt at sunshine and warmth in September.

5) How the birthday nerves doing, mister man? Suicidal yet? It's not even my 30th and i've got a constant stream of the classic Jaws theme tune playing in my brain =/

Dex said...

I think I can live with being 30. Just :) Did you have birthday parties when you were younger?

I remember that image too :) I've never actually seen Innocence but I've been meaning to for the last 10 years. I went through this phase in Edinburgh where I was really into foreign films. I used to spend ages looking at the foreign film section in HMV. Do you remember Tartan Asia Extreme? :) But I never had much money to buy anything, so most of what I remember is off the back of boxes. I get a slightly melancholic feeling when I remember films that I saw on those shelves that I really wanted to watch at the time :)

So, tell me, what other cartoon characters have you compared to? Besides Maggot :)

Dex said...

Some hazy 90s shoegaze :)

'Scenic' by Ozean (starts at 9:30)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvTNBbFkq4w

Louise Boyd said...

Lisa Baers has to hurry up already and get this on Bandcamp. I neeeeeed it.

Did i have birthday parties? I remember having one and then never again. I'm not the party type, i don't even like to see anyone on my birthday =/ Being the centre of attention has always made me kinda anxious. Did you have parties or did you succumb to your antisocial ways as early as i did?
do remember that Top Hats were essential birthday party food and goddammit, i want me some now! Maybe i'll force Em to make me some for the 27th.

Tartan Asia Extreme? That's the film company right? I don't remember it specifically but i must have seen it in HMV/FOPP all the time because like your good self, i used to hang around the foreign film section incessantly in late teens/early twenties. What else was i meant to do when i ran away from university every morning?
Favourite foreign movie you discovered in HMV/FOPP? Mine's 'Das Experiment'. Can't go wrong with a bit of german prison experimentation.

Cartoons i've been compared to:

Lilo (Lilo & Stitch)
Ducky (Land Before Time)
Baby Sinclair (Dinosaurs)
Louise Belcher (Bob's Burgers)
Gene Belcher (Bob's Burgers)
Tina Belcher (Bob's Burgers)
Thumper (Bambi)
Helga G. Pataki (Hey Arnold!)
Linus van Pelt (Peanuts)

I'm sure there've been others but i can't remember them just now. Apparently i'm just a walking, talking, in the flesh cartoon character.
...
I can live with it.

Dex said...

Yeah, I always had birthday parties. When I was in primary school. Everyone did. And they were all pretty much the same. A bunch of kids would go to the leisure centre to play something and then go to the birthday kid's house for food - which would usually include Top Hats :) I'll be super jealous if your sister makes those for our birthday! And opening presents. To be honest, that was the worst part. Opening presents while all your friends watched, or watching while you friend opens your present. Present opening is something to be done in private. But that's probably just me :)

By the end of primary school, they'd built the new swimming pool, and everyone had pool parties followed by burgers, fries and ice cream floats in the cafe afterwards. I would love an ice cream float right now!

But I became a bit anti-social by the end of high school. I think the last time I had a proper birthday party with a small group of friends, I was 14 or 15. I blame alcohol. As soon as people started going out to drink and I didn't, I turned into a bit of an outsider. I got it back a little the first year of university when I had a group of friends who always did things together because we were all from Shetland and probably scared shitless of being left alone in a strange city! But that was the last time.

Yeah, Tartan Asia Extreme was the distributor. I think Tartan used to distribute most of the Japanese and Korean films around about that time, and Asia Extreme was things of the 'Oldboy' variety. Did I tell you I watched Oldboy in the cinema when it first came out? That was a pretty great experience :) I've heard of Das Experiment but never seen it (I say that a lot, don't I?). According to the film, there's a lot that can go wrong with a bit of german prison experimentation :) Okay, remembering I was about 19 at the time, the foreign film I used to watch the most was Battle Royale. Even though I now know it's totally ridiculous, I can't help but still think it's some kind of awesome. I even bought the special uncut edition (although the original cut is better in my opinion).

Talking of cuts of films, did you ever watch the director's cut of Alien? The original theatrical cut is so much better. Sorry, but I had to get that off my chest :)

Ps. Helga from Hey Arnold! is one of the greatest characters ever conceived!

Pps. I hardly ever do enough to justify it, but I like being called a dream pop dealer :)

Dex said...

Do you ever sleepwalk, Lilliputty?

Dex said...

I thought of another Tartan Asia Extreme film I bought and watched during my time in Edinburgh. Audition. It's about a man who uses a fake casting session to audition for potential wives and the one he chooses turns out to be batshit insane. I seem to remember her sticking acupuncture needles in his eyelids.

Dex said...

You deserve all the nice summer days :)

Dex said...

I made an ice cream float the other day. It wasn't particularly good but I loved it all the same :)

Dex said...

Hi Lillyputty

Just so you know, you might receive 2 or 3 seperate packages next week. I'm totally unprepared as usual :)

Dex said...

I forgot to say, Maggot, that one of the presents is ridiculously impractical so apologies in advance :S

Louise Boyd said...

I am both scared and intrigued...

Dex said...

Don't worry. It's not a 20ft python.

Louise Boyd said...

...
Now i'm extra worried!

Dex said...

That's the parcel sent away, Lilliputty. You should hopefully get it tomorrow (although it was quite misty here today).

Louise Boyd said...

Jinx, m'dear, except yours will be with you on Thursday. Hopefully. You'd think after 4 years we'd be better at this =/

Dex said...

I know what you mean. Also, my packing reached new lows this year :S

Louise Boyd said...

Hah! I'll let you away with it. Not everyone's as gifted wrapper like myself :)

Okay, so you weren't kidding about impractical. Wtf? How am i meant to not open this until Saturday?! It's staring at me, Dex <_<

Dex said...

The presents you send me are always so neat and pretty. I hope you don't mind that I tear them open like a psychopath :)

Sorry, Lilliputty. Did you get 2 things? The ridiculously impractical thing that got sent directly and the normal box I sent from here on Monday?

I think your box came today but no one was in. I got a card so I'll pick it up tomorrow morning. I'll have to take it to work but it doesn't matter. Everyone saw my desperate last minute packing of your presents on Monday morning :)

Louise Boyd said...

It's kind of precious how appalling you are at wrapping presents, it reminds me of when i help my dad wrap gifts for my Mum at Christmas. He does it a mile a minute and gets sellotape everywhere =/ Boys.

Two presents indeed! My parents brought them home from work and were trying to coerce me into opening the tall one. It took all my willpower not to obey because goddammit what the hell is it?!

Of course i don't mind you ripping your gifts open with abandon, it's only brown paper after all.
Brown paper is my preferred paper to wrap with and it's all down to Emily. She's basically in charge of how we wrap our presents for everyone at Chrismas because she's a crafty fucker and good at everything -_- and she decided years ago that brown paper beats every other paper because you can decorate it any way you want. A few years ago she made rubber stamps in the shame of gems and we sat watching movies in the kitchen whilst stamping the surface of every gift. I wanted to kill her because it took ages but they looked good. Really good.
She drives me nuts being all designy and whatnot. She made herself a little shelf for her Apple speaker last week. Just made it. No instructions. No help. Made legs for it and everything. Painted them just for the hell of it. I can't even put up a shelf let alone make one 0_0 Is your brother like this? Because it's fucking annoying! Handy if you want something done though and she rarely makes me pay...

Louise Boyd said...

*shape not shame

-_-

Dex said...

It was your box :) I had to spend the whole day at work trying not to listen to my colleagues demanding that I open it. Part of me really wanted to just to show them the kind of awesome friend I have :) But it is now safe, sound and intact in my bedroom, ready for the weekend.

Emily sounds ridiculously talented. I wish I had her natural ability. I could never just make something. I imagine her room looks amazing. I imagine all of your rooms to look amazing but in very different ways. Like something out of a fantastical children's story. Also, I bet you have a very scary attic :)

The only one in my family who has any crafty abilities is my mum. She can't follow instructions to save herself but she'll just pick stuff up and do it. My dad's probably the opposite. But he's great with numbers and he knows a lot of things. My sibling and I pretty much suck at everything :)

Louise Boyd said...

Oh well, at least you're both sucky on an equal level :) No unnecessary sibling rivalry. I'd be jealous of his Blade of the Immortal collection though. The bastard.

Only one more day and then boxes can be flung open and wrapping paper strewn all over the floor. Happy, happy days.

What food are you craving right now? I'm angling for a croquette the size of my head. Is that weird?

Dex said...

Happy birthday, Maggot :)

Louise Boyd said...

Happy happy happy birthday, dearest Fungus!

Wish me luck surviving the the family invasion. Ugh.

I'm gonna open your gifts at the very end of the day. It's my favourite time to do it :)

Dex said...

You bought me way too much, Lilliputty. Way. Too. Much. And that's just the flying saucers. I think that was the foodstuff I was desperately craving :)

Thank you so much. You made turning 30 a little less painful :) I don't know where I'm going to find the time for all those books and tv series (and the colouring, of course) but I'll make time. I'm excited about it already :) Watching the first series of The Killing when it was originally broadcast was probably the last time I was really excited about watching something weekly, coming home and being desperate to find out what happened next. Did I tell you that before? If so, I can't believe you remembered and got me the dvd. Can't wait to do it all over again :)

And the t-shirt. You wouldn't believe how happy that made me! :D

I opened my presents quite late too (about 8pm). I've pretty much spent the whole day in my bedroom, by myself. I hope you survive today, Lilliputty. You'll get tomorrow to yourself, won't you? To enjoy watching films and eating cake. Be sure tell me what kind of cake your sisters made for you :)

Again, the happiest of happy birthdays to you. You'll always be my Maggot :)

Ps. Thank you for always taking the time to make me one of your awesome mixes. It means the world to me, it really does :)

Pps. How did you know I desperately needed a lamp?! Then again, everyone needs a dinosaur lamp :) Also, I'm totally intrigued by the egg! I'm sure I'll be able to find suitable equipment.

Pps. By the way, I'll be hanging onto the note for sentimental reasons :) (also, your handwriting is way better than mine!)

Louise Boyd said...

I bought you too much?! ME?! There's a Mort in this box, goddammit! Oh god, i almost sobbed, it's so freaking beautiful and i'd resigned myself to never owning one and then there it is, in my hands, forever. SOB! And as if that wasn't enough there was all the other monumentally awesome things.

"You can't take the sky from me."

SOBBBBB! I can't put it up though, no way, it needs a wall to itself (possibly surrounded by smaller awesome art) in a glorious frame in my very own house/flat/cardboard box. Otherwise it'll get covered in the copious amounts of dust i manage to create =/ Seriously, i'm some sort human-sized dust bunny.

I'm so glad you liked everything, my dear and i'm always happy to be the antidote to the sucky aspects of ageing of which there are many!

Ugh, i'm so tired, humans make me tired and all we did was sit and watch movies (The Martian and Deadpool), my favourite thing to do and yet i'm exhausteddddd. I'll still stay up until 4am though because i'm a moron.

Oh, and the cake Em made me wasn't technically cake but better. Tiramisu, my friend, the greatest dessert on the planet and damn, does my sister make it well. I went for two rounds. It ain't your birthday if you're not ready to puke :)

Ps. Top Trumps are everything and i need a Pet Smet but what do you actually do with them? Are they for trading? I'm so inadequately nerdy when it comes to this stuff.

Pps. I saw the dinosaur lamp early in the year and i spent months hemming and hawing over whether to get it or not but in the end i though, who doesn't want a dinosaur lamp? Thus why it was desperately important i know what kind of dinosaur you liked :)

Ppps. Those cookie bites will be gone by tomorrow. Guar-an-teed.

Dex said...

I told you it was impractical :)

That particular set of Top Trumps, I used to play all the time with my friends when I was a kid. I don't think I ever owned it, but someone must have, because playing it is a very vivid memory. Especially Pet Smet. Check out his numbers. I haven't seen it in about 20 years but I know he's the worst :) I don't know if people trade them (I'm so inadequately nerdy too). I just thought that maybe you could have a game with your sisters or something. Or is that too juvenile? :)

Fuck, I'm slow. When I saw the lamp, it didn't even twig in my brainpan that it was the reason you asked me about my favourite dinosaur. I probably just thought 'oh, that's frickin' spectacular coincidence' :)

I. Love. Tiramisu. In fact, it may be my favourite dessert. And I've only ever had crappy store bought stuff. I can only imagine how good Emily's must taste. Ugh, I'd hate you so much right now if I could. But I can't. Not even pretend. I'm too happy with my presents :D

I hope today was less exhausting, Maggot. But still full of food and films and presents :)

Ps. Please don't think your posts about Stranger Things have gone unnoticed in the last few weeks. I know I must watch it.

Dex said...

Started on the flying saucers today :)

Dex said...

I've been watching this web series called 'The Guild'. It's about a group of role-play gamers. I quite like it.

I'm so good at expressing myself :)

Dex said...

I love my new t-shirt. I've worn it to work the last 3 days. I like pretending that I'm a privileged young adult :)

Louise Boyd said...

:D

Best thing i've heard all week and it almost didn't arrive in time. Fucking Redbubble. If you ever order from there, be warned that their delivery system is maddening. An experience i will endure very soon because this girl needs something with Stranger Things emblazoned on it. Oh yes. You really don't get a choice in whether you watch Stranger Things or not, you're doing it and that's the end of it 0_0

The Guild! With Felicia Day? I've been after watching that for ages but it's always been expensive and you know me, i like a deal but 'lo and behold, season 1-3 for 23 quid. Consider it got.

Watching The Bake Off?

Ps. I'm still not over Mort. I haven't even dared to unwrap it yet.

Dex said...

I wear it over a long sleeved t-shirt so everyone can see it in all its majestic glory. I do that with my Cowboy Bebop t-shirt as well :)

That's the one. The Guild is lovely if you like watching socially awkward individuals trying to interact. Because, you know, those are my people :)

And Stranger Things looks so much like the kind of thing I love that you really should keep lecturing me until I finally give in and watch it! Please show me the t-shirt once you get it :)

The Bake Off? No, sorry. Although even I'm aware that it's on :) My desk buddies at work are obsessed with it though. I like to pretend that I don't know what it is just to annoy them :)

Ps. I just didn't like the idea of you not having that copy of Mort. It didn't seem fair somehow :)

Louise Boyd said...

I always wondered what kind of work attire you were forced to wear, i didn't think it'd be Bebop casual!
I don't think i could handle wearing a uniform. It wouldn't even matter how fancy you dressed me up anyway, i'd still manage to look like the scruffmonster i was born to be.

I don't get why you don't watch the Bake Off, it's a whole show about sugary goodness with the added bonus of Mel and Sue. What's not to like?!

There's this new show called Powerless with Alan Tudyk that i'm pretty excited about. It's basically about the clean up crew for all the destruction DC heroes leave behind. A job i would not want but will happily watching Tudyk sweep away.

It'll be Halloween soon :)

Dex said...

I think I dress too casually for some people's liking :)

I feel like I have so little time to myself already (I don't use my spare time wisely) that I don't think I could ever afford to watch the Bake Off. I'd probably get too obsessed. I reckon I'd invest some of it in Powerless though. That'd be a wise decision, right? I'm basing that purely on the fact that Firefly and Tucker & Dale were both amazing and two of my favourite things ever. Also, you introduced me to both of them :)

Ps. I bet you'd put me to shame with your awesome taste in clothes if we worked together :)

Pps. Did you get anything nice for your birthday, Lilliputty?

Dex said...

Are you planning your Halloween film season already? :)

I did something really ridiculous today. They have this site called ourscreen where you can choose a film to show in the cinema and if enough people buy tickets, they'll screen it (although your choices are pretty limited). So I went on the site today and arranged a screening of John Carpenter's The Thing on 29/09/16 (the dates you can choose are pretty limited too). Now all I have to do is sit back and watch no one book tickets so I can feel like an idiot :S You'd come and see it with me, wouldn't you?

Dex said...

You were right, Lilliputty. The nice weather did come around again :)

Louise Boyd said...

As if you could stop me. Who would pass up a chance to see Kurt Russell battle fucked up looking aliens on the big screen?
I think the only reason you might not sell tickets is that you live on an island inhabited by filmic miscreants =/

This Halloween i think i may finally crack open the Phantasm sphere you so kindly gifted me :) I'm feeling nostalgic.

Dex said...

I really do wish you lived nearby :)

Dex said...

I've decided to book annual leave for the whole of next week. I don't think I've had a full week away from work since last Christmas. I'm slightly excited :)

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