Hello dear reader, how’re you doing?
Feeling bored? Tired? Drained? Unmotivated? Life is pretty monotonous right now, and things are feeling tough for many. I’d give you the spiel about seeing the positives in each day but in all honesty, I just can’t be arsed this week!
For any of my readers into astrology, you’ll know full well that it’s Mercury Retrograde right now, so that’s helping the boredom situation about as much as a needle in the eye. Computer playing up? Having technical issues at work? Power outages, phones playing up, things generally going a bit haywire… you can thank Mercury Retrograde for that.
Mercury retrograde is when Mercury seemingly moves backwards in its orbit and generally causes chaos. The perceived backward motion means that things are out of sync, and the woo-woo among us (me!) believe that you shouldn’t do things like make life changing decisions, sign contracts, start new projects, buy houses etc. etc. Read more about it here.
So what do I do in the first few days of Mercury Retrograde? Start a brand spanking new project with a client. And what happens within an hour of starting? My laptop crashes and dies, none of the software I need works, and I eventually had to give in and purchase a new laptop because otherwise I won’t be able to pay my bills at the end of the month (I have really been long overdue purchasing a laptop – I should have got one when I went Freelance but I’ve been biding my time and using James’s with limited functionality because I didn’t want to invest, so you could say I deserve this). I had loads of issues trying to buy a bloody laptop, couldn’t get the one I wanted anytime soon because Curry’s are shit (but also the cheapest so, you know, priorities) and had to tell my client I couldn’t deliver that day, which thankfully, they were very gracious and understanding about. Honestly, if I didn’t need my laptop to earn my income, I’d have sacked it off altogether and watched feel-good films on the couch. Alas – it worked out in the end and after what felt like an entire waste of a day, I’m now up and running on my new laptop. Touch wood it’s smooth sailing from here on out!
Now then, I’ve actually got some really great stuff for you this week!
Reading
SKINCARE: THE ULTIMATE NO-NONSENSE GUIDE BY CAROLINE HIRONS
I mentioned this book recently in my second instalment of A Year of Self-Care (post here) but it’s what I’m gradually reading at the moment in an attempt to get lovely glowing skin that might lighten up these dark lockdown days. I find Caroline’s writing style perfectly encapsulates her personality, and this book is engaging, helpful and funny. It has become my bible for anything skincare.
Watching
Top of the Lake
Now, I might not have been reading but I have been watching a lot of TV. I watched season 2 of Top of the Lake this week, and honestly, it was probably one of the worst things I’ve seen in ages. I was hoping it might be better than season one, which was OK, but it wasn’t – it was worse.
I found all of the characters completely unrealistic and unrelatable and I found that I wanted to punch Mary, one of the main characters, in the face repeatedly. Acknowledging that a TV series shouldn’t evoke such an irrationally violent response, I figured this probably wasn’t the show for me. I stuck with it but found myself becoming increasingly bored and turned off by it. Nothing was explained properly, everything felt a bit thrown together and it was just a bit too incoherent for me. I think that both seasons were centred around the theme of misogyny and the relationship between men and women which are great themes to explore, but I think it all just went a bit wayward, to be honest. If you watch it, let me know what you think!
PENGUIN BLOOM
Now. We. Are. Talking. This film is right up my street! Penguin Bloom is based on the true story of Sam Bloom, a wife and mother of two who on a family trip to Thailand had a life-altering accident which left her disabled. The film is about her and her family’s journey in the aftermath of such a tragic accident, and how she found inspiration from an injured magpie adopted by the family. It was such an amazing watch and I really, really recommend it. I’d been feeling very bored and weary from the current circumstances in which we’re living, and this film was the perfect reminder for me to be grateful for all that I have. I loved it!
I searched for Sam Bloom as soon as the film was finished and think she’s remarkable. If you want to read more about her – I found this interview really interesting.
Listening
WELLERMAN – SEA SHANTY BY NATHAN EVANS
Oh my god I adore this song. So I don’t know if I’m late to the game here (probably) because I heard somewhere that this song is a TikTok trend or something? I only go on TikTok when I need to watch funny dog videos to cheer me up if I’m feeling a bit low, because I think TikTok is generally a melt marketplace (no offense if you’re on it, obviously). I’m not up to date with the new trends or dances etc. but I absolutely ADORE this song. I love the version linked up in the title, but I also love the remixed version here which is particularly great motivation to listen to when I’m out running.
It makes me feel like I’m on a pirate ship with a bottle of rum dancing about in beautiful clothing as per the below GIF. OK seriously – play the below gif along to the fast remixed version of the song above – this is EXACTLY how I feel when I listen to it. This has honestly entertained me far more than it should have – I think lockdown boredom is really getting to me now.
Before You Go…
I saw this tweet earlier this week and thought it was hilarious to read some of the responses. I can relate to SO many of them, but there was one that did particularly make me laugh out loud, because it was the story of my life as a kid. Mum – I loved your home-made tuna butties and still do, but my god it’s a treat when we’re allowed to have a Burger King at the services (even if it is one burger between four of us and NO chips, because we have chips at home!)
Enjoy weekend 9348920842 of lockdown 3.0 everybody, and to my readers in other parts of the world – I hope you have a little more freedom than we do here in the UK right now. It reassures me to know that life is not feeling monotonous everywhere right now, and that better days lie ahead!
See you next week!
Featured Image photo by Daniel Olah on Unsplash
Reflect and Introspect 