October has been a quiet month for me. I've not really done all that much, but I have found myself watching a little too much Netflix so this monthly round-up could be a tad TV-heavy.

What I've been up to:

- Watching too much: Somehow this has been the month I've realised I actually love binge watching new things, it's probably a sign I've had too much time on my hands. I have discovered some great Netflix series though (more details on what in the watching section of this post).

- Moving Bedrooms - My sister recently moved out, so now her old bedroom has had a spruce up, I've moved my things across the corridor, into the bigger bedroom. I've spent a lot of time organising my belonging, trying my make my new space feel like mine.

- Going for dinner with my friend Jess: My friend Jess and I have been for dinner a couple of times this month to try out new menus and catch up, so I've eaten a lot of yummy food and had many lovely, and hilarious chats.

- Taking myself for coffee: It's been nice to get out of the house and type away while sipping a delicious latte. I'm always more productive in a coffee shop, so taking myself out for coffee has been a nice way to break up my days and ensure I'm getting the work done.

- Writing. Because that's what I do.

- A Spontaneous Night Out: Dancing in a gay club with my friends, having only decided hours before that we were going turned out to be one of the best alcohol infused nights I've had in a while

- Pumpkin Carving: After complaining to my friend Matt about my lack of Halloween plans we decided to spend a Friday night carving pumpkins and drinking hot chocolates. I was over ambitious with my pumpkin design and decided to go for, so naturally, one of the bats looked like it had a broken wing - but I had a great time doing it, nonetheless.

Watching:

Riverdale: Oh, so Riverdale... I'm a little obsessed. I'm utterly confused about the genre, sometimes it is crime investigation, sometimes it's teen romance, sometimes it's supernatural and sometimes it's musical, however, this weird mash-up seems to work. As it has gone on, my opinion of Cheryl Blossom has changed and she is now my idol. Also, I think Jughead is kind of wonderful. I'll be honest, I think the new session may have gone a little too far down the supernatural route, but it's only on the second episode as I write this, so things could change.

A Typical: I love this Netflix series a lot. It's about the life of a teenage boy and his family. Sam the main character is on the autistic spectrum. They a normal family dynamic, each character with their own issues and story. It's just quite wholesome. It's funny at times and sad at other times and all it feels very real.

The Mind of Jake Paul: This series was great, unlike anything I'd ever watched on Youtube before. I know people have been complaining that it humanised Jake Paul too much... but he is a human, so why should be not be seen as one? Yeah, I get that he's messed up before and can be seen as problematic, but it was interesting to see another side to him, to find out more of what's made him, how he is. I just thought this was great tbh.

You Me Her: I have never heard of this Netflix series before I watched it, but honestly it's great. The series is based around a married couple who both fall in love with a college student. It explores sexuality, polyamorous relationships, societies expectations of relationships, family dynamics. It's just really interesting, a lot more happens in the series that you'd expect.

All I See is You: This film is starring Blake Lively tells the story of a blind woman who regains her vision and how that impacts her marriage. This film is very beautifully shot, and very thought-provoking, but also a little confusing at times.

The Kissing Booth: I rewatched this and remember how much I love this film. The is the story of how a kissing booth brings a relationship to life. It's just a feel-good teen rom-com.

Reading

Articles:
Dolly Alderton on Personality Types in The Sunday Times Style.
Dolly Alderton on Confronting the Man Who Ghosted Her in The Sunday Times Style
Sir Philip Green named in Parliament as businessman at centre of Britain's #MeToo scandal in The Telegraph
Vera Papisova on Why Breaking Up and Being SIngle is Actually the Best in Teen Vogue


Books:
Playing Big by Tara Mohr
The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
Feminist Don't Wear Pink and Other Lies by Scarlett Curtis

Blogs:
Carly Rowena on Body Positivity
The Anna Edit: My Top Reads of 2018 so far
What Olivia Did: 5 Skincare Favourites

Listening:

Podcasts
Feminist Don't Wear Pink with Helen Fielding
On the Line with Eileen Kelly on Embracing Your Sexuality
Don't Panic on How to Host a Halloween Party


Follow

Hello,

Welcome to my new Sunday weekly blog post. I love reading newsletters (I get serious tinges of excitement when Emma Gannon weekly newsletter arrives in my inbox), so I thought a nice way to finish my week (and hopefully yours too) would be to write my own little blog newsletter  to reflect on my thoughts for the week and share all the internet things I've enjoyed reading and watching through the week to pass on that joy (just to warn you, these post will probably include a lot of Liv Purvis, Emma Gannon, Charly Cox and Lily Pebbles - because I have quite full-on internet crushes)


Before I go any further I think it's only right to touch on the horrible events which took place in London this week. It was heartbreaking to hear the news, and my thoughts go out to everyone affected. What a sad week for such a wonderful city - it's good to hear of everyone standing strong and together. I'm sure there is so much more I can say on the subject, but I think it's best to pay my respects and move forward, as this blog isn't the place for that.


My big sister turned 27, yesterday she is my best friends, a constant reminder of how uncool and not funny I am, and a bit pain in the ass - I can't believe she is 27. Crazy. And today, one of my closest friends turn Gina, turned 25, I'm looking forward to celebrating tomorrow evening with far too much food, laughter and chats.

It is also Mothers day in the UK today, like many other, my mum is my favourite person, she does more than I could ever ask for, she deals with my horrible moods and always knows the right thing to say.

Now, this post is definitely beginning to feel a little like some cringe dedication page, let's move on before we all vomit.


General life
This week I've felt myself moving out on a somewhat depressive state which I've been in the past few weeks. Not having the perfect job, and feeling as though I'm stepping backwards in my career, has left me feeling pretty down - but I'm picking myself up, and trying to see the beauty in not knowing what's next. There are so many things I want to do, personal plans, career plans, blog plans - they're all brewing. I feel a little like I might explode with inspiration, and trying to figure out how to execute all of my plans is always challenging, but something I'm finally feeling up to, rather than overwhelmed by.

I had a very long Skype chat with my friend Stacie from New Day Knitwear, which left me feeling very inspired and excited for what's to come from the brand. If you're into pretty knitwear and crochet, a creative person and keen to talk about mental health, seriously check them out!

I've been spending lots of time with my Mum, we went shopping and watched Beauty and the Beast (more on that later) - a day spent with my mum was just what I was in need of.


Blog and Youtube
I took a week off blogging because I just didn't feel like it. I felt a little full up with sadness, and demotivated, so rather than forcing it, I just didn't do it. A week away reminded me of everything I love about blogging, and why I started in the first place. I'm pleased to say enjoying being back at it and feeling very inspired. I'm being a little more relaxed with a schedule because I don't want blogging to feel like a chore, however, I will be a minim of two posts going up each week. This Sunday newsletter will continue each week, and hopefully, as I get into the swing of things it won't be so long, and as tedious as this one probably is.

I also have lots of plans for my Youtube channel, I definitely want to start making more 'arty' videos and expand my skills in that area, if you would like to see more from me please subscribe to my channel, it would be nice to occasionally feel as though somebody is watching. I'm also going to change my upload day, because I feel as though the everyone and their mother uploads Sunday, so my videos will be going live every Wednesday at 6 pm.


Reading
I haven't been reading so many novels recently, I just haven't got lost in a story for a while - if you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them.

I've been dipping in and out of Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, it's one of those books I love reading while I'm actually reading it, but I don't often feel the desire to pick it up. I'm coming to the end of it now, and I would say if you're a creative person, especially a writer, it's worth reading, it gives you a new way to look at your creativity.

As for articles and blog posts, I have a few I've really enjoyed over the past few weeks - obviously, there is a bit of backlog, but here are the articles which have stuck with me over the past few weeks:

Lily Pebbles' Tales of a Tomboy - Lily touches on the stigma behind wearing pink and being a 'tomboy'
Scarlett Curtis' Z Generation Hit List - Pink as a way of life - I love Scarlett Curtis' writing, so her weekly column will probably make more appearance in my Sunday blog letter. I loved this post about the colour pink. As you can probably tell from my first two articles to read - I also am obsessed with pink.
Zoe London's Finding Individual Style - I been at a complete loss with my wardrobe (which has turned out quite expensive), and reading this post by Zoe helped me to reflect on my personal style.
Dolly Alderton's Confessions of a Dating Columnist - This column by Dolly Alderton is great, it brings a lighthearted vibe back to dating - rather than the 'oh dear lord I'm mid-twenties so need to settle down and get married ASAP'.  This article is just good. The point about being a human Tamagotchi. I have been that human Tamagotchi and didn't really realise until I heard it describes so perfectly there. Don't be a Tamagotchi. 


Watching
I've been yet again making my way through Gilmore Girls (Gilmore girls related blog post coming your way tomorrow), I'm just coming to the end and watching the Year in the Life for the second time. This time around I liked Lorelai and Christoper together a lot more (I know, I'm sorry). I also found myself liking Logan's character more this time, but I will always be team Jess at heart. , I've gotta say, Rory isn't quite the sweetheart the town of Stars Hollow perceive her as, but I bloody love Lorelai and Emily.

As I mentioned earlier, I went to see Beauty and the Beast this week, and I've got say it lived up to my expectation and far beyond them. The filming and the sets were damn right incredible, the acting was great, and I love the way the story was portrayed, I felt like the audience found out a lot more back story. I thought Emma Watson was perfect as Belle - and her voice is far more stunning that I ever expected. Also probably the strangest thing I could ever say, but she definitely has the right eyebrows for the part (please tell me somebody else looked at her eyebrows and thought those are Belles' eyebrows are supposed to look?! Nope, just me? okay).

In the Youtube world, here are some videos which I've thought were great:
Lucy Moons Alternate guide to London
MyNamesisLaura Colour Face Recreation Chart
Liv Purvis inside the Wardrobe of Emma Gannon
Lily Pebbles How to Style a Leather Skirt


Listening
 If you know me, you know I'm not really a music person (if you don't, have a moment to take that news in, maybe be shocked and slightly disgusted by me), so I expect this section will be more podcast related. This week I've been catching up with Emma Gannon CTRL ALT DELETE, I listened to the hour-long live special with Alice Lowe which I found so inspiring - it really made me want to get into the filmmaking the world, and of course the much-anticipated episode with Lena Dunham was great as expected, and I reminder that I really need to start watching Girls.

If you made it to the end of this post, you deserve some sort of an award. Next week, hopefully, will be a little more short and sweet (well it at least has to be shorter than this!)

Happy Sunday.
C x