We danced (and jumped) to joy division...

I am completely exhausted but thought I would post whilst I'm still on a high from the gig.
Despite being bruised, achy, beer/cider soaked and extremely tired, The Wombats were incredible. There was seemingly endless EXTREMELY unnecessary mosh pits... At The Wombats? For the support acts? It was all a little bizarre and has resulted in my new covering of bruises, which may I add, were not intentionally inflicted. I was mosh pit dodging as best I could - unsuccessfully for the most part.

The average age was around 15, which made me feel a little older and is also a possible explanation for the over excitement. I spent the whole gig on my own after being dragged into and then out of a mosh pit and losing my brother (he is now found).
The atmosphere was amazing, everyone was on such a high, the long waits between acts got tensions up a little but subsequently just added to the excitement when the band finally appeared on stage. Hearing the rowdy crowd suddenly slip into an acoustic mass singing of lyrics was definitely something to remember. I always forget how big Guildhall is inside and The Wombats managed to captivate everyone in every inch of that room.
I only managed to take a few photos and part of one video, purely and simply because if I didn't have my hands at my sides ready to grab on to people, I would most likely be somewhere on a floor completely trampled by now after numerous people decided to run at me. I unfortunately chose safety over photos (boring I know!)
In my last post about this gig, I mentioned the mad rush at the end and the being trapped between people you would rather not be trapped between. Ironically I was the person who was trapped today, between two people who, shall we say.. Have not quite come to realise the uses of deodorant. That was a situation I was quick to escape from.
One of the best gigs I have been to in a long while and I would definitely recommend going to see them if you ever get a chance.
I'm having trouble uploading the video, but I'll get it posted asap (:

Jodie x

Promises.

I know they say you learn something new everyday, usually that's a good thing, but sometimes it's a revelation that is maybe better left hidden. I'm feeling pretty reflective today as I've realised that I am capable of keeping promises to everyone but myself. If I make a promise it remains unbroken, but apparently that is not myself included.

Can we ever make promises to ourselves when it comes to emotions, or are they completely beyond our control?

Jodie x

Lucy Rose - Place

Lets dance to joy division.

Tomorrow my brother is coming to Southampton for the night as we have tickets to see The Wombats at Southampton Guildhall. I haven't been to a gig since I saw Ed Sheeran in June, for someone who loves live music as much as I do, 3 months is far too long. I'm having slight withdrawal symptoms so as you can imagine, I'm a little bit excited, I feel like a child. I'm looking forward to seeing my brother too (not that I will inform him of this, although we both know he secretly misses me too).
I'll make sure I take my camera and fill it with ridiculous amounts of photos and a select few video recordings. I'll post some photos and videos on here at the weekend, we're planning on getting there really early - can't be dealing with standing at the back - so hopefully there'll be some good photos to show off. Although if the weather is anything like it was today, I'm not looking forward to standing in a room full of hundreds of people which will effectively feel like a sauna...
Aside from the live music, the atmosphere is what gets me most excited. That feeling of tension and electricity in a room full of people all there for one reason. The pure excitement and anticipation of hearing the lyrics ring out around the room, the bass that you can feel vibrating through the whole of you and the euphoric feeling when the crowd sing the lyrics back to the artists in a moment of complete unity. Personally, I don't think there is a better experience.
This 'magic' is lost however, as soon as the lights come on at the end. Then all you're faced with is a room of tired, but still buzzing, hot, and unfortunately sweaty people. That image removes some of the glamour from the experience, as the mad rush for the door to get that suddenly precious fresh air results in being crushed between people who you would quite happily suggest should go and take a shower, immediately.

Lets dance to joy division, probably my favorite Wombats song, enjoy! (:

Jodie x

Freshers! (Take 3)

This week is Freshers week for Southampton Solent university and despite the fact it's my third year of experiencing freshers week, it never loses the excitement. New people, a new year, new plans and of course, cheap alcohol...
However, I was surprised slightly by the mood within our group of friends, mixed in with the excitement of being back after the summer and the excitement of freshers was an obvious feeling of something less positive. It's starting to dawn on everyone that this is our last year of uni, our last year of freshers, our last year of spending time with some of the most amazing people we will ever meet. The people we have spent the last two years of our lives with. In less than a year we will be leaving it all behind, keeping hold of the memories and moving out into what will eventually become our careers. Our lives.
That in itself starts a whole other discussion, what to do next? I'm not entirely sure I'll be able to answer that question even after this year, I know what I want ideally. Knowing how to achieve it in the real world is still at this moment in time, beyond me.
I was unsure as to whether to go to university a couple of years ago, I wasn't sure it was what I wanted but I took a chance and on a personal level it is the best thing I have ever done. Yes I'll be gutted to leave it all behind, but I have gained so much more than I will lose. I discovered my passion, I've made some of the best friends and I've grown more as a person than I would ever have done without this experience.
This last year will be hard, but I plan to work hard, hold on to every memory, take ridiculous amounts of photos and be able to leave next July with no regrets or 'what if's'.. Bring on third (and final) year!

Jodie x

Clothes, clothes, clothes...

Before...

After...

Today I managed to successfully pack my life into a series of boxes and cases. Possibly the most stressful few hours I've had in a long time, especially seeing as it's all coming out again tomorrow! I think my constant packing and unpacking from home to uni has transformed me into an expert suitcase packer (either that or I really don't have many clothes)..
I'm currently lists galore as I'm determined not to leave anything behind this time. Being sent a pair of jeans and a bra in the post isn't the most convenient thing as I know all too well!
I'm excited to be going back, but the prospect of unpacking everything and organising it all again in around 13 hours isn't so appealing.. The other revelation of today (other than being an expert suitcase packer of course) is that I've realised that around 70% of my wardrobe consists of stripes... I wasn't aware of my apparent love for stripes, but seeing as stripes are currently filling the highstreet stores, I guess it's not a bad thing to discover.
Fingers crossed that I haven't forgotten anything! Early morning and life unpacking, here I come...


OH, and I think it's highly important to stress the fact that I had to miss out on a free ticket to see Alan Carr live today with my friends so that I could pack for tomorrow. ALAN CARR! Just a little disappointed....

Jodie x

Just thought I'd share with you the reason I've not found time to start packing today - doodling. Definitely the more entertaining option.

Jodie x

Oh student discount, how I love thee <3

My summer is officially almost at an end, I'm travelling back to Southampton for uni on Sunday - I don't start back until 3rd October - but 2 weeks of catching up, going out and finishing projects is definitely needed.

To mark the start of a new uni year I decided yesterday that I needed some new additions to my wardrobe... My small shopping trip to get some jeans and maybe a new top however, turned into a £160 spend (oops). Everything was so nice though! All shops seem to have decided that as soon as August is finished no woman in the country wears t-shirts, so naturally I bought mens tops, personally I prefer them... I've convinced myself that all this spending is perfectly acceptable though because I saved over £30 with student discount. Yay for being a student!

All my work is coming to an end, just finishing up the final things. I've been studying articles in ELLE magazine closely this week in order to produce analyses, and I've developed a love for the work of Alice Wignall - a Freelance Journalist who recent wrote a piece for ELLE. The way she writes so relaxed and personal, it's captivating and really draws you in, so for once, I enjoyed writing the analysis.

I've been putting off packing all week, I seem to convince myself that it won't take long, then I remember the car load of stuff I managed to bring home with me back in May... So I'll be tackling that tomorrow - no doubt it will be utter chaos, I think I'll do photo updates as I slowly re-pack my life into boxes and cases for the LAST TIME. I can't believe this is my final year! I'm starting to hear the question "So, what do you plan on doing after uni?" In all honesty, I currently have no idea. I want to write but what I'm going to do exactly is beyond me, so I'll get back to you on that one...

I thought I'd leave you with one of my 'end of summer' favorites, Helena Beat by Foster the People.. It brings back all the memories of summer and is also upbeat enough to get me excited about starting back at uni, going out, catching up with friends. It has also provided motivation for work over the last 2 weeks, so it's doing pretty well on my list of current favorite songs.

Jodie x