A Better Place, A Better Time - Streetlight Manifesto.

I suggest listening to this with better speakers than a laptop, because the start is just bass.

Also, I love this song. I once listened to it on repeat for four days.

I feel like I spent so much time looking at this view when I lived in Brighton. I’m sure it wasn’t that much time really, but I’ve got a bizarre nostalgia for all the time spent waiting for Mike at the station.

We’ve lived together for over a year now, and I really wouldn’t change that for the world and it’s not like I don’t get opportunities to miss him what with him being on tour a lot. Plus it’s not like we didn’t fight back then either.

I don’t know why I feel like I do. Does anyone though? Probably not.

Birthday stuff yay! My friends know me very well. Moustaches, muppest and sweets.

I’m 23 now.

Had a really nice day on Monday, Mike made me breakfast in bed, I had presents and watched Criminal Minds, then had a nice birthday bath and went into town to meet Jim and Field for coffee. It was lovely, we chatted and they bought me an Animal (muppets) purse.

Did pub in the evening…was a bit bummed by that. No-one really came out. Colemania and Chris Marshall came down, and Ross was there but there wasn’t a whole lot of effort made, no work folk came or anything. Still, some lovely regulars (including Brian!) bought me birthday drinks and I came home really drunk with a pizza. Beautiful.

Whatever, Mike bought me a pestle and mortar, Hark A Vagrant! and a mufucking BLOWTORCH (amongst other things). FYYAHHH.

Today was lovely!

Work, opened the shop, pottered about a bit, talked to people.

Went to see Inga, pumped ourselves full of caffeine, had cake and catch ups.

Got home, spaghetti bolognese, pub.

Hot bath, near death experience (seriously, dizzy, heart racing etc. My legs are very pink still).

Laura Marling on the stereo.

Super!

I just had the most almondy bath ever. Mike hates almonds so I figured I’d do it while he was out.

My last (I think? It’s hard to tell) Melting Snowman bath melt from Christmas, along with a Marzibain bubble bar and a nice chunk of Snowcake soap (also from Christmas).

I also had an Oatifix face mask for the first time. It’s not really for my skin (I’m pretty oily) but I like to try everything - I think it makes it easier to learn about the products. My face feels pretty damn soft at the moment though, I quite like that.

I’m either going to finish off with Peace or Strawberry Feels Forever massage bar. Strawberry Feels would mask the almondiness, but Peace is pretty low on scent and I LOVE it.

Oh decisions.

So there’s a pub in Southampton called The Hobbit. Smokey Bastard have played there a bunch of times, mostly because it’s an awesome place but also because Mike worked there throughout the end of Uni and the year or so he spent in Southampton after he graduated. It’s also awesome at live music and it’s got Lord of The Rings themed cocktails (which I have partaken of entirely in one fateful night). Similarly, LOTR themed shooters (which I have not partaken of). It’s also got awesome staff, former staff and regulars, is some of my favourite people’s local pub and serves Old Rosie on draught (although I’m not allowed to drink that anymore).

So y’know, it’s a pretty special place.

The guy who owns the rights to The Hobbit movie has been mildly snubbed by the production company who are actually making the film. Since then he/his lawyers have gone around anything Hobbit-themed or using the Hobbit name and attempted or succeeded to launch legal proceedings. I’m not saying he’s in the wrong necessarily, they are using LOTR pictures, names and whatnot BUT he is literally doing this so that it makes him look like the big shot and lets everyone know who ‘owns’ The Hobbit name. Ridiculous.

We should not let this childish man throw his toys out of the pram just because he’s feeling a bit pissed off. It’s bullying and it’s not happening to one of my favourite pubs.

Luckily, there is a HUGE campaign which has reached the ears of such lovely people as Frank Turner and Stephen Fry. I really, really hope that we can beat this. I believe we can.

So February came and went. I kind of missed it. It’s now March.

Whatevs.

• Planned the first Green Hero event of 2012, it’s on Saturday.
• Played Game of Thrones board game. It was awesome, I was Stark.
• Flitter got engaged!!
• Went round my mum’s for lunch because (and I quote) they had a ‘big bird’.
• Smokey Bastard went on tour for a weekish, and I was flipping les miserables.
• Boyf came home and I was sick.
• New manager interviews and appointments were made, hours were cut cos of bad budgets. Booo. 
• 18 month anniversary (and some ‘hilarious’ Leap Day proposal jokes) with boy. Lovely. We went out for a pie.

That’s it really. Nothing too eventful, new manager starts on Monday and I still don’t have any money.

There’s a woman I work with and she’s been with Lush since our shop opened (over 8 years), she’s awesome and has this amazing memory for ingredients and information. She’s also a massive note-taker and she’s gone on holiday this week. Before she left I was like “Naaaaat, do you need your bumper book of awesome Lush notes next week?” and obv, because she’s not a complete nerd she’s not taking it on holiday with her so I’ve basically got in my hand the daddy of Lush product, ingredient and effectiveness notes. Love it.

I let myself read it today, and tomorrow I’m going to let myself copy out the relevant notes (seriously, there’s stuff on Christmas products from 2 years ago, she’s a note taker!!)

I’m so excited. I’m really close to finishing my product info book this week as well.

Ran myself a lovely hot bath (Marzibain bubble bar, part of a retro box I got from work). Popped a facemask (Love Lettuce) and a hair mask (H’suan Wen Hua) on and sunk back into my almond-y bubbles. I had taken a book in but I thought I might prefer some radio instead - well wouldn’t you know there was a rather juicy debate on radio 4 about abortion! Awesome, just the kind of thing I like to listen to/shout at.

It was both very relaxing and mentally stimulating.

Oh, and my face feels AMAZING. I really cannot extol the virtues of Full of Grace enough. I wasn’t sold until I tried it but I cannot get enough.