Weekly Summary #39

Burrito, Rain City Tattoo, Reece's finished tattoo - Bill Murray from A Life Aquatic..

Dissertation reading (each post-it is colour themed), Lovely print by Gre Hale from Reece, New trainers,

And bag, More dissertation reading, Going home.

1. Last week was a busy one. Reece came to get tattooed in Manchester on Tuesday, so I accompanied him (and watched him squirm) as he got a portrait of Bill Murray tattooed on his leg by Matt Cooley - who, by the way, is the nicest guy ever. I also go treated to the lovely print in the fifth photo. It's two mice entwined, with banners reading 'To Be Alone With You'. The cutest thing ever.
2. My packages came this week, which was probably the most exciting thing to happen all week. Wild, I know. The trainers are so comfortable, and the bag is worth every single penny. I love them both.
3. I also got worried about my dissertation progress, or lack of, so started reading. I have on novel to read and one left to mark up and then I get to seriously get stuck in. Hopefully by the start of next week.
4. This coming week I am working every single day. I have 3 days work experience at Manchester University Press, which I am ridiculously excited about. I really want to get in to publishing once I finish my degree (dreams of doing a Masters will have to be put on hold) so these three days are going to be so helpful. I can't wait!
5. I also bagged myself a month-long editorial internship with Moonproject.co.uk where I'll be working from home, proof-reading and publishing articles onto the website. I start mid-December. I'm proud of the way I am a bit like a dog with a bone when it comes to getting work experience - I won't take no for an answer. My CV is filling up nicely, even though my social life may be dwindling.
6. I need to start Christmas shopping. Now. ARGH.

A busy week for me! And this one shows no sign of slowing down!

I hope you all had a nice week. Must dash, I have 50 pages to read before I can call it a night.

Thanks for reading xx

Weekly Summary #38

£50 Domino's, Coffee date, American sweeties,

Ootd, Again, Purchases,

Ootd, ALEXISONFIRE TICKETS ARRIVED, Buy one get one free gingerbread lattes

1. This week was my reading week from uni; safe to say absolutely no reading was done. I am actually starting to panic about how little dissertation work I've done to be honest. Kick up the arse is needed!
2. Reece stayed in Manchester this week, you can see what we got up to in this post :) It was lovely to have him here for longer than a day.
3. We came home on Wednesday evening and I have been working every day since - helpful for Christmas present-buying money, but a bit crap otherwise. 
4. I also managed to get into a huge fight with a taxi driver. He turned up 20 minutes late,  making me late for work, so I refused to pay. He tried to follow me into work and threatened to phone the police. Luckily, the lovely managers at work stuck up for me and got rid of him. Very hectic, and scary.
5. MY ALEXISONFIRE TICKETS CAME. Definitely one of the highlights of a rubbishy weekend; Reece and I are off to London the first weekend in December to attend the farewell gig. I can't wait!

Definitely a week of two halves, but some cheeky (and cheap) purchases have helped sooth the wounds of a crap weekend!

I hope you are all well!

Thanks for reading x

My Work Experience - Publishing

So I am currently sat at my desk at my work experience placement taking a break (ahem) from doing a bit of events promotion, so I thought I would write a quick post about my time here.

I am working at a small independent publishing house, called Comma Press, located in the Northern Quarter in Manchester. This particular publishing house specialises in publishing collections and anthologies of short stories. I've known for a couple of years that working in publishing is something I wanted to do after I left university, but had little knowledge of the industry. After looking around and applying for a handful of internships in London, I decided to try contacting independent publishers back up north.

I mailed around, with a concise covering letter and my CV attached, explaining what I wanted to gain from a work experience placement with each publisher. Comma were extremely friendly and helpful and arranged a start date for me.

I have been working here since the beginning of September, mainly helping with events promotion (using social networking - Twitter, Facebook etc) and sending out email invitations.

I have also been proof-reading material for upcoming publications. This may sound dull, but it is my favourite part of the job! 

I am overjoyed to be a part of Comma, as they have been extremely accommodating and flexible. I currently work here one day a week.

Tips when looking for work experience:

• If/when emailing a company you want to work for be clear and concise. No waffling (a bit rich coming from me, I know). State your case and availability.
• Have a decent CV ready to send out - I highly doubt my CV is anywhere near as good as it should be, but it has all the necessities on there. Also explain in your email why a placement at the particular company would be beneficial to you - tailor each email to each particular company - make it personal and professional.
• Be flexible - I know this can sometimes be tough, but the company has no obligation to offer you any placement, so if possible, work when is best for the company. I am extremely lucky that my current placement is very flexible and take into account the fact I am a third year student, and therefore cannot work as often as I would like.
• Be persistent. I emailed a different publishing house in February looking for work experience, however, they were booked up until the end of July. Instead of accepting this, I emailed again in June and got myself a few days work experience in November.

I hope this has been interesting/informative (if not I have a couple of beauty posts due later this week so keep an eye out for them!)

Thanks for reading x

Weekly Summary #30

Day One of work experience, Malteaser tart after lunch, Reece instagramming his burrito,

Taco Bell lovin', Purchases, Lunch with Lydia,

Night in, OOTD, CV,

Finally got around to starting this - I'm a fan, Going home, Rude not to,

Midnight purchase, Window shopping, Dog nicked the ice cream tub,

Night out, Doggy cuddles, NEW BOOTS ARRIVED! (H&M)

1. Yet again: long time, no speak. However, this time it was not due to laziness; my laptop went and decided to break - highly inconvenient as it disrupted my work experience placement - but it is all fixed now!
2. Saying that, I managed one day of work experience! It is a lovely little place to work, I'm enjoying it a lot. I haven't really stuck my teeth into it yet, but I'm back tomorrow for a few days, so we'll see how it goes! I'll definitely do a post after this week to let you know how it went!
3. Due to the lack of laptop and lack of work experience, my boyfriend came to stay the night. I went home on Monday evening as I had a driving test on Tuesday (failed, but nevermind). I met Reece on the train to Leeds as we went to pay off his tattoo. We then hopped on another train to Manchester. We spent most of the time eating - Yo! Sushi, Taco Bell and a takeaway in the space of 24 hours - and shopping. He is such an enabler it's ridiculous. I had a lovely time showing him a few of my favourite places, I'm sure there'll be plenty more of that to come.
4. Lydia also came back to Manchester for a couple of days so we had lunch at Bella Italia. It's so nice when she comes back, it feels so much more like home with Lydia around, she truly is one of my best friends. I can't wait till we're all back in the house together, although a third Fresher's Week doesn't seem a joyous prospect I must say.
5. Last night I went out with my work friends to celebrate a few people leaving (sob). A couple are going off to start uni, and one left to go to another (better) job. It was bittersweet, but still lovely; especially after a horrible shift at work.

So there we go, another busy, eventful week. I spent the rest of the evening watching X Factor and My Sister's Keeper with Lauren. It's great to be back in Manchester.

Tomorrow I'm back at Comma and then home on Wednesday to attend a memorial service for the lovely teacher who sadly passed away a couple of months ago. A visit to Reece will be squeezed in at some point too. 

More posts are coming! Including a University Experience post (as they seem to be the most popular) and a post all about my first 'proper' week at my work experience placement.

Thank you all for reading, it is truly appreciated, you lovely lot :) xxx

Weekly Summary #29

Outfit, Arthur, Henry Snuggles,

Cheeky Arthur, Jam tart, Reece was a cute child,

Treated us to pizza and chips, To-do listing my life away, Closer,

Starey dog, Aesthetic arrived! - post to come, Bagged a boyfriend,

Hangover train to Manc, Red velvet hangover cure, Crossroads is still an ace film,

More red velvet, Poached eggs love, Fall Out Boy = car soundtrack

1. An eventful and busy week! I am blogging to you from my bedroom in Manchester. I moved the rest of my stuff in tonight! I'm so happy to be back, it truly feels like home here!
2. As you can see, I am not longer a single lady (sorry Beyonce). I'm extremely happy and completely smitten. It is a bit rubbish that I will now be in Manchester most of the time, whilst Reece in back in Yorkshire, but he's coming to stay in just over a week, so all is not lost!
3. I start work experience tomorrow! I will be working at an independent book publishers situated in the Northern Quarter, I went for a wander to find it the other day, and it is situated almost directly behind my favourite cafe (which happens to sell that red velvet cake - oh dear) so I predict I shall be getting a bit tubbier! I cannot wait to start and see what this new experience brings; I have been continuously emailing the lovely people who work there and they have been extremely accommodating - I can't wait!
4. One downside is my laptop is breaking; the charger connection is a bit loose, and I have to take my laptop to work experience so it may all go a bit Only Fools and Horses. I think I'll take it home with me and try to get it fixed as soon as possible!
5. Aesthetic Magazine arrived! I am so impressed with the final product, Michelle and all the other contributors have worked incredibly hard and it shows. It is a tremendous little magazine and I am ridiculously proud to have been able to contribute. I adore the way my article turned out, (I wrote the book review, if any of you ladies have read it).

So there we go, a very busy week indeed. I think I may have my blogging mojo back - I have ideas for a couple of posts; there will definitely be a few work experience posts, and a full post dedicated to Aesthetic.

I hope all of your weeks have been equally as lovely as mine,

Talk soon and thank you for reading x

Weekly Summary #28

This was a disappointment, Team name - 'You're a quizard, Harry', Packing for uni,

To do list is long - and getting longer, Friday's outfit, Curry for tea with my favourite,

Eating my feelings, Today's outfit, Tonight's plans.

1. Another week passes without any new blog posts. I am going to stop making lame excuses, but I will say this - I move back to Manchester this time next week and will have much more spare time so do expect more blog posts! I start work experience on the 3rd, so I may do some posts relating to that - outfits etc. It's all exciting stuff!
2. Like I said, I move back to Manchester next weekend, so I've been busy compiling lists and sorting through my mountains of crap. I went to my house yesterday, taking 3 suitcases worth of stuff, and organised everything. My room is my favourite place ever, and I'm very lucky as I've been given a small tv for my room. I've never had a tv of my own in my room before so I can't wait to get it set up.
3. Lydia is currently at Leeds Fest and she texted me yesterday saying she was watching two of my favourite bands - Coheed and Cambria and Deaf Havana. I grumbled and Dad bought me a McDonalds so I could drown (?) my sorrows. I am massively jealous, but definitely not a festival-goer, I've been to one (Reggae Sundance in Amsterdam when I was 17) and definitely didn't enjoy it so I don't bother nowadays. I wish I could have gone to Leeds Fest for the day though.
4. This week promises to be another busy one: I'm going over to Lancashire to see my nephews and older sister tomorrow, going to Huddersfield on Tuesday and possibly York on Wednesday. In between all this I'm packing everything up for uni, doing the last few washes, buying the last few bits and transferring money all over the place. It's very hectic! Exciting though, I cannot describe how excited I am to be moving out again!

So there we go, my week. Like I said, don't expect too much from me in the upcoming week, but I promise I will try to get a few blog posts written once I'm back in Manchester! I miss writing regularly. 

Thank you for reading, and for sticking with me! I appreciate every single reader :) xxx

Weekly Summary #12

Derby Day in Manchester, Before going to meet Lottie, RENT,

The Imperial War Museum in Salford from the Lowry, Bye bye Manchester, Shifts at work,

Wasting time on Pottermore, Before work, Ben drinks only the classiest stuff.

1. Hi everyone! I feel as though I haven't posted much at all this week, but I've probably posted more than usual. It's odd. I'll say what I always say: this week has been busy. I've been back and forth from Manchester, but it has been very productive.
2. Exciting news #1 I have more work experience! It may not be exciting for anyone else, but I'm over the moon. I get to work from home and just have to be online 9-1 Tuesday and Wednesdays. I'll be proof-reading and writing small articles for a website.  I'm spending this summer building up my CV, so every little helps.
3. Exciting news #2 I am planning another tattoo. Again, probably not exciting for anyone else. Literally every single one of my friends are far from impressed, because it's pretty big and they think I get them too often (my last one was in July last year). Abbey is coming with me on Tuesday to price up my design to see if I can afford it. I won't reveal the design I have in mind, but it includes a line from this poem, 'As I Walked Out One Evening' by W.H Auden. It isn't the line 'you shall love your crooked neighbour with your crooked heart' either. It's one of my favourite poems.
4. I went to see RENT at the Lowry with my friend Lottie on Tuesday. I got to take my first tram out of Manchester. The performance was really, really good. There were some fantastic voices. 
5. I also had a night out with my uni friends on Tuesday night, got pretty drunk and revealed my gymnastic capabilities. It's embarrassing. It was such a great night and I hate that it's probably our last till September :( I miss living in Manchester so much.
6. Tonight it's the work party. It's fancy dress. The theme is 1980's. I hate fancy dress. I'm kind of channeling Madonna by wearing a black lace dress, a hair tie, neon beads and lace gloves. It's as far as I'm prepared to go. I really hate fancy dress. 

I hope your weeks were fun-filled and interesting!

I have a few posts planned for this week, so keep an eye out :)

Thanks for reading x

Weekly Summary #9

Driving back to Manchester

Lent is over - first bag of Skittles

Maya Angelou autobiography (see previous post)

All alone in the office

1. I'm writing this post from my room in Manchester! I've been a bit down recently, missing Manchester and getting bored of being home, so seeing as I have an essay due in on Tuesday (eek!) I decided to come home and stay for a few days. I'm so happy to be back. Lydia also comes back on Tuesday, it'll be so good to see her again!
2. I finished my work experience at The Press on Wednesday. It was good fun, but definitely cemented that I do not want to work in journalism. I spent my time writing up small pieces, and as fun as it was for the three days I was there, and even though the team were amazing, I can't imagine doing it full time. It's spurred me on into applying for internships though; I heard back from one place, where I had to do a test, but I don't think I've got it. 
3. I've been working more at Ikea too, so I can build up my savings over the Summer, seeing as I currently have £0 in a savings account, which isn't good. I've been there for near enough 4 years and it is really grating. I know I complain about it all the time, and I'm lucky to have a job that is so accommodating, but I just want to concentrate on uni now.
4. Tomorrow is a day full of essay planning and writing. Abbey is going to come pick me up and take me to Asda once she's finished uni, which I'm sure will be a welcome break. Tonight I'm waiting for my chips to cook, and am going to settle down in bed with a book, catch up on blogs and have an early night. We're also going shopping into town on Wednesday to try and find outfits for her birthday night out in a couple of weeks. Agh I love Manchester. (#mancophile ?)
5. This week I'm going to brave it and do an 'everyday make-up' post, possibly with my mug in it. Maybe. If I feel brave enough. I'm also going to try and review Wicked seeing as I should finish that tonight, so that should be up after my essay has been handed in.