May's been very much a month of two halves - or more a case of it started ok, hit a bump in the middle, but got back up again towards the end.
On the negative side of things - the fruitless search for a job goes on, same old story there, and being made to attend a pointless session by a certain nameless place really hasn't helped, I've realised for a long time now that such things are only designed to help them, definitely not me or anyone in my position, and I'm sure there will be more where that came from. I'm just fed up of being under that thumb, being treated like a statistic instead of a person - but at the end of the day, I need the money, so I have no choice.
I've mentioned before about my anxiety, especially in social situations - it flared up quite badly during this month, because of my livestreams that I do weekly - I enjoy them, but only if I feel like it's fun and not a chore, and if there's hardly anyone there, or they're there but not saying much, or if there's trolls gatecrashing to ruin everything, then I don't enjoy them, and lately I haven't been enjoying doing my livestreams, they've just been making me stressed, so for the forseeable future I've decided to take a break from doing them, because I get the impression that no-one's really interested anymore - which may not be true, because I know some of my friends have been busy, and everyone has their own lives to be getting on with, so I apologise if that is the case, it's just that my nature always has me assuming the worst.
Then of course, there's the whole immigration process - still no word on that, though the lawyer did tell me and Nicole that it could take two months before we hear anything, so if nothing has been heard by the end of June, some serious poking will need to be done.
On the positive side, I've been having a bit of a nostalgia trip - a recent picture I made for JWthaMajestic's "Jurassic Times" art jam on DA reignited my interest in a film I went crazy about as a kid - "Jurassic Park", of course. Me and my brother were hooked on it, we kept watching it over and over, played the SNES game and had the toys, too. What's also set this off is of course the new film in the series, "Jurassic World", coming out at the cinemas in a couple of weeks, I'm very, very tempted to go and see it.
It hasn't just been Jurassic Park, though - there's been travel too. This month me and my brother decided to revisit an old place from our childhood, the small countryside hamlet of Hill End, up in Weardale. It was a place where our grandparents would bring us and our sisters during school holidays in the spring and summer, and we would spend hours sitting by the River Wear having a picnic, splashing around in the river under and over the bridge there, climbing up the hillside and exploring the small wood there.
It honestly hasn't changed at all, me and my brother were taken right back to those days. We were still able to climb that hill and get a great view of the area, we took plenty of photos, had a race up a hill, and heard the pins drop and our voices echo in my favourite place in the area, an old quarry. We even had a 99 each from the ice cream van, for old time's sake.
One of our reasons for going there were because of watching the latest series of "Inspector George Gently", a BBC crime drama set in north east England in the 1960s, one of the scenes in an episode was shot in Hill End, and me and my brother made a point of checking out that same spot. It's a really good drama, not just because of its setting (how many programmes on telly are set in County Durham? Exactly.), but also because of the great acting too, definitely worth watching. The other reason we went there? Because it had been too long since either of us were there last, and I'm glad we did go.
The travelling's not done there, either - something me and my brother have had planned for a while is now happening in July, we will be travelling down to another place from out childhood, the seaside town of Scarborough in North Yorkshire. You'll hear all about it in my July blog, of course.
Last but not least, here's my art jam entry that I mentioned above, and also the video from me and my brother's Hill End trip. Here's hoping it'll be a flaming June, and only in the weather sense.
31/05/2015
30/04/2015
April 2015
I can safely say that this April was far better than last month -
I think I needed this month to happen after all of what happened in March.
The main reason it was better was because my time on a certain scheme finally ended on the 15th, I'd been on it since the middle of October, with a break in between for my Christmas trip to the US, and I am honestly just glad that it's over and done with. As it stands I'm now back to simply looking for a job, the cycle has pretty much started over, so I guess that's all I can do for the time being.
I've found that since I finished I've been feeling a lot better mood-wise - when I was on my work placement I was feeling very stressed and downbeat because I felt like I was doing a lot for very little, and it was also having an effect on how I interacted with friends online and in person, but since it ended it hasn't been so bad - and again, I apologise to any of my online or offline friends who I might've upset because of that.
Another part of what's helped my mood was the middle part of this month, some glorious weather arrived in my neck of the woods for a week or so, which meant I was able to get out walking to my favourite place to walk, the Deerness Valley Way, as well as one trip to the beach at Tynemouth. I really want to be able to see as much of those places as I can before the inevitable.
Speaking of the inevitable, me and Nicole have had some great news on that front - the immigration process is now under way, the payment has been made, so that means all we can do now is wait for them to contact us with the next step, which will involve me having to go for a medical check-up, and travelling down to London for an interview at the US Embassy, along with anything else that might crop up that we don't know about. Obviously, I'll keep you posted on how that goes.
Last but not least, this month had one clear highlight, and this was something that had been planned for a couple of months (why I didn't mention it, I have no idea) - on the 18th, I travelled down to York in North Yorkshire to meet up with not one, but four friends from DeviantArt, two of whom I'd met previously (Granitoons and Dracorum-Order), and two I was meeting for the first time (TopperHay and LaptopGeek). It was also my first time visiting York, so it was like killing two birds with one stone, as the saying goes.
York was a very interesting city, very similar to Durham with its oldy-worldly architecture, and it was very busy too with buskers, markets, performers and stag/hen parties (Hey, it was a Saturday.) We had a couple of meals at a traditional English pub and a wine/cheese bar; checked out a bric-a-brac shop packed with lots of assorted furniture, toys and treasures from the past; walked along York's distinctive city walls; paid a visit to York's most famous landmark York Minster, and most importantly of all, we had some quality drawing time. Three of us also brought some mascots for the occasion as well (LaptopGeek's Humphrey the train, Dracorum-Order's dragonvelope, and my own character Flyer of course). Aside from a momentary blip later on in the day, it was for the absolute most part a fun time had by all, I only wish we could rewind and do it all over again. If you'd like to see what we got up to, you can watch my video of the whole thing right here.
As always, I'll leave you with a bit of artwork from this month - a little cartoon/real-life crossover I put together, inspired by a place in York (I'm sure you can guess why.) Hopefully there'll be no Mayday calls in May.
I think I needed this month to happen after all of what happened in March.
The main reason it was better was because my time on a certain scheme finally ended on the 15th, I'd been on it since the middle of October, with a break in between for my Christmas trip to the US, and I am honestly just glad that it's over and done with. As it stands I'm now back to simply looking for a job, the cycle has pretty much started over, so I guess that's all I can do for the time being.
I've found that since I finished I've been feeling a lot better mood-wise - when I was on my work placement I was feeling very stressed and downbeat because I felt like I was doing a lot for very little, and it was also having an effect on how I interacted with friends online and in person, but since it ended it hasn't been so bad - and again, I apologise to any of my online or offline friends who I might've upset because of that.
Another part of what's helped my mood was the middle part of this month, some glorious weather arrived in my neck of the woods for a week or so, which meant I was able to get out walking to my favourite place to walk, the Deerness Valley Way, as well as one trip to the beach at Tynemouth. I really want to be able to see as much of those places as I can before the inevitable.
Speaking of the inevitable, me and Nicole have had some great news on that front - the immigration process is now under way, the payment has been made, so that means all we can do now is wait for them to contact us with the next step, which will involve me having to go for a medical check-up, and travelling down to London for an interview at the US Embassy, along with anything else that might crop up that we don't know about. Obviously, I'll keep you posted on how that goes.
Last but not least, this month had one clear highlight, and this was something that had been planned for a couple of months (why I didn't mention it, I have no idea) - on the 18th, I travelled down to York in North Yorkshire to meet up with not one, but four friends from DeviantArt, two of whom I'd met previously (Granitoons and Dracorum-Order), and two I was meeting for the first time (TopperHay and LaptopGeek). It was also my first time visiting York, so it was like killing two birds with one stone, as the saying goes.
York was a very interesting city, very similar to Durham with its oldy-worldly architecture, and it was very busy too with buskers, markets, performers and stag/hen parties (Hey, it was a Saturday.) We had a couple of meals at a traditional English pub and a wine/cheese bar; checked out a bric-a-brac shop packed with lots of assorted furniture, toys and treasures from the past; walked along York's distinctive city walls; paid a visit to York's most famous landmark York Minster, and most importantly of all, we had some quality drawing time. Three of us also brought some mascots for the occasion as well (LaptopGeek's Humphrey the train, Dracorum-Order's dragonvelope, and my own character Flyer of course). Aside from a momentary blip later on in the day, it was for the absolute most part a fun time had by all, I only wish we could rewind and do it all over again. If you'd like to see what we got up to, you can watch my video of the whole thing right here.
As always, I'll leave you with a bit of artwork from this month - a little cartoon/real-life crossover I put together, inspired by a place in York (I'm sure you can guess why.) Hopefully there'll be no Mayday calls in May.
31/03/2015
March 2015
I wish I could start this blog off on a positive note, I really do - but I'm not gonna sugarcoat anything.
All the anxiety of February has still been there, and it's caused things to come to head with my work placement - over the last few weeks I've felt invisible except when I'm needed to do something, and one of my managers in the shop was really making me feel that way more than others, which resulted in me being stressed almost every day I was in the shop. I ended up telling her that I had a problem with her attitude, and she seemed very surprised by that. We did clear the air though and sorted those differences - except we didn't, because just right at the end of this month, with two weeks left to go on the placement, they gave me (and my sister, who hadn't done anything wrong) the sack, apparently because of my stress issues, however I found out that the assistant manager had gone behind my back and as good as reported me for speaking my mind. Well you know what, I was getting sick of being there anyway, so as far as I'm concerned they can take that job and shove it - I've already said my feelings on this whole "community work placement" BS, it's designed to help everyone but us employed "losers", and I'm sick to death of being under the thumb of these piece of crap schemes. I just pray for the day that I don't have to deal with that anymore.
This is why I've been very moody lately, and I feel like I've alienated my online friends with the way I've been. I don't mean to be that way, but at the end of the day I can't just simply turn off the way I'm feeling - but I'm sorry if I have hurt anyone in any way because of this.
The process of applying for my move to the US has hit a delay, which hasn't helped things, and I know it's not how either me or Nicole wanted things to turn out, and I think that the wait is starting to get to us both, to be honest - but what happens will happen, and we both have to keep on with this, knowing that the wait will be worth it in the end.
All in all, I'm just trying to keep on going, because that's all I can do - it's all anyone can do when they're not 100%.
This month hasn't been without its good moments though - today marks the 10th anniversary of the day I stumbled upon a little website called DeviantArt, and made the decision to join up and show my cartoon creations to the world, and it's safe to say that a lot has happened since then. If I hadn't joined, I might never have met so many of the people on DA that I now call my friends, and I might never have gotten to to certain things that I've done in the last 10 years - in other words, artwork wasn't the only thing joining DA helped me with.
I'll leave you with a group shot of my creations that I made to mark the occasion - here's to another decade of deviousness, and here's to keeping calm and carrying on as best as possible,
All the anxiety of February has still been there, and it's caused things to come to head with my work placement - over the last few weeks I've felt invisible except when I'm needed to do something, and one of my managers in the shop was really making me feel that way more than others, which resulted in me being stressed almost every day I was in the shop. I ended up telling her that I had a problem with her attitude, and she seemed very surprised by that. We did clear the air though and sorted those differences - except we didn't, because just right at the end of this month, with two weeks left to go on the placement, they gave me (and my sister, who hadn't done anything wrong) the sack, apparently because of my stress issues, however I found out that the assistant manager had gone behind my back and as good as reported me for speaking my mind. Well you know what, I was getting sick of being there anyway, so as far as I'm concerned they can take that job and shove it - I've already said my feelings on this whole "community work placement" BS, it's designed to help everyone but us employed "losers", and I'm sick to death of being under the thumb of these piece of crap schemes. I just pray for the day that I don't have to deal with that anymore.
This is why I've been very moody lately, and I feel like I've alienated my online friends with the way I've been. I don't mean to be that way, but at the end of the day I can't just simply turn off the way I'm feeling - but I'm sorry if I have hurt anyone in any way because of this.
The process of applying for my move to the US has hit a delay, which hasn't helped things, and I know it's not how either me or Nicole wanted things to turn out, and I think that the wait is starting to get to us both, to be honest - but what happens will happen, and we both have to keep on with this, knowing that the wait will be worth it in the end.
All in all, I'm just trying to keep on going, because that's all I can do - it's all anyone can do when they're not 100%.
This month hasn't been without its good moments though - today marks the 10th anniversary of the day I stumbled upon a little website called DeviantArt, and made the decision to join up and show my cartoon creations to the world, and it's safe to say that a lot has happened since then. If I hadn't joined, I might never have met so many of the people on DA that I now call my friends, and I might never have gotten to to certain things that I've done in the last 10 years - in other words, artwork wasn't the only thing joining DA helped me with.
I'll leave you with a group shot of my creations that I made to mark the occasion - here's to another decade of deviousness, and here's to keeping calm and carrying on as best as possible,
28/02/2015
February 2015
Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters once sang about "February Stars" - I think for the best part of this month I felt like I was seeing stars, and not in a good way - so I'll get the bad stuff out of the way first.
I feel like my work placement has been starting to grate on me a lot more, and it's ever since I got back from my US trip back in January - I've had too many moments where I've been stood in the shop thinking to myself, "Why am I here? I wish I was doing something more worthwhile than this." The feeling that I'm constantly being reminded of "my place" in society by stuff in the news or what some have said, as it were, hasn't helped.
I've been having issues online as well - and I've talked about this before, the whole group situation, feeling like I'm invisible to people, that reared its ugly head again this month, to the point where I was doing my weekly livestreams and pretty much taking it out on everyone who attended those stream, in my own way. I wish I could handle this stuff better than I do, but it's the way I am, and I can't help that.
On the plus side, things are moving along with me and Nicole's immigration process - the first payment to the lawyer has been made, I've posted off my birth certificate, and we're in the process of getting personal statements from ourselves, our friends and family, so the ball is well and truly rolling now. I say this as a plus point, because it's exciting, but at the same time it hasn't truly sunk in for me yet, and I don't believe it will until the day that I actually take that flight over there to start this new life - and it's still both exciting and scaring me in equal measure.
Another thing I've been doing a lot recently is looking back to what I was doing a decade ago - where I was, the music I was listening to, the people I knew, and it's crazy to see how much hasn't changed (still having to go to a jobsearch session once a week, still in my hometown) and how much has changed (technology, my artwork, and of course the fact that I'm engaged). A lot can change in a decade.
Speaking of looking back, me and Nicole celebrated Valentine's Day via Skype, and one of the presents that she sent me was a scrapbook she made herself, containing pictures of us and memories of how we met, places we've been and when we finally declared our love for each other - and it's the sweetest gift anyone's ever made for me, so thank you again, lovely. <3
I'll leave you on that mushy note with my Valentine's Day artwork for this year - and even though I'm glad to see the back of this month on the whole, it wasn't without its good moments.
I feel like my work placement has been starting to grate on me a lot more, and it's ever since I got back from my US trip back in January - I've had too many moments where I've been stood in the shop thinking to myself, "Why am I here? I wish I was doing something more worthwhile than this." The feeling that I'm constantly being reminded of "my place" in society by stuff in the news or what some have said, as it were, hasn't helped.
I've been having issues online as well - and I've talked about this before, the whole group situation, feeling like I'm invisible to people, that reared its ugly head again this month, to the point where I was doing my weekly livestreams and pretty much taking it out on everyone who attended those stream, in my own way. I wish I could handle this stuff better than I do, but it's the way I am, and I can't help that.
On the plus side, things are moving along with me and Nicole's immigration process - the first payment to the lawyer has been made, I've posted off my birth certificate, and we're in the process of getting personal statements from ourselves, our friends and family, so the ball is well and truly rolling now. I say this as a plus point, because it's exciting, but at the same time it hasn't truly sunk in for me yet, and I don't believe it will until the day that I actually take that flight over there to start this new life - and it's still both exciting and scaring me in equal measure.
Another thing I've been doing a lot recently is looking back to what I was doing a decade ago - where I was, the music I was listening to, the people I knew, and it's crazy to see how much hasn't changed (still having to go to a jobsearch session once a week, still in my hometown) and how much has changed (technology, my artwork, and of course the fact that I'm engaged). A lot can change in a decade.
Speaking of looking back, me and Nicole celebrated Valentine's Day via Skype, and one of the presents that she sent me was a scrapbook she made herself, containing pictures of us and memories of how we met, places we've been and when we finally declared our love for each other - and it's the sweetest gift anyone's ever made for me, so thank you again, lovely. <3
I'll leave you on that mushy note with my Valentine's Day artwork for this year - and even though I'm glad to see the back of this month on the whole, it wasn't without its good moments.
31/01/2015
January 2015
New Year, old routines, old gripes, but new memories to cherish too - that's what sums up this month for me - I'll get the bad stuff out of the way first.
Obviously, I'm back in the UK now, my winter US trip came to an end on the 11th, and it was a very bittersweet moment indeed, perhaps more bitter than sweet. With all the jetlag it felt really weird coming back home and barely recognising the place, and it took me about a week to completely recover.
Being back home meant getting back into old routines, namely that of my work placement, and that was fine, it was pretty much like I'd never been away, really. What I didn't enjoy coming back to was the jobsearch and pressure side of it, from that certain place I won't name. It's just making me realise how much I need to sever my ties with them, because they just seem to get worse as every year passes. I wasn't put on this earth to be a pawn in their stupid game.
This month was also my birthday of course (29 already?), and while I enjoyed the day very much (more on that in a bit), I just found myself feeling let down by a few people on DeviantArt - you see, every year I make birthday giftarts for friends on DA, I put a lot of time and thought into them, and I don't ask for any giftart in return, just a somple greeting when my birthday comes round - however I end up feeling frustrated year in year out because there are always some of these "friends" who fail to give me a greeting in return. Now some of them may have a genuine reason that they forgot, but unless told otherwise, I have to assume that they just want free art from me and that they couldn't give a crap about my own birthday. It sounds harsh and selfish, but that's how I feel about it. So if I draw you birthday giftart and you don't give me a greeting in return, you won't be getting any more giftart from me, simple as that.
And finally with the bad stuff, I feel like this last week of January I've had a slight touch of the January blues, and possibly post-holiday blues by extension. The cold weather and the snow that we've had (no snow-free winter this time, unlike last winter) haven't helped either, but it'll pass.
Now onto the good stuff, and back to my US trip - again, I just can't put into words how much of a brilliant time I had. I got to ring in the New Year with my lovely Nicole and her family, as well as celebrate my birthday with a stay at a very nice hotel and bowling at a very fancy bowling alley - and on both occasion a lot of drinks were involved too. However, there was one little thing that happened right before New Year that I deliberately forgot to mention - you see, I wanted to get back home and tell my family in person before going viral with it.
On 30 December, I took Nicole to our favourite spot in Branford Point - a hill overlooking the beach and coastline. It was freezing cold, but there was a beautiful sunset in the background, and it just felt like the right moment to finally do something that I'd been plucking up the courage to do for quite a long time (I can hear you saying "Get on with it Mark!" at the back there...)...
I got down on one knee and asked Nicole to be my fiancée...and I think you can guess what her answer was. :)
So there it is - we're engaged. And right now, it's still very much sinking in for me, because this is without a doubt a huge step to make. This also means that 2015, if all works out, will be my last year living in the UK - me and Nicole are going to apply for a fiancée visa, and are hoping to have me move over to the US in October, with a view to signing our marriage licence in early 2016 (it's just signing a bit of paper, we plan to have a proper ceremony at a later date). This has all been in the works for months, and I've been chomping at the bit to let you all know - well, now you know.
It's not going to be easy - saying goodbye to my family, when that day comes, will be one of the hardest things that I will ever have to do in my life, and I'll miss all the familiar places that I know - but unless I do this, I'll spend the rest of my life regretting what could've been. I feel like I'm stuck in a rut in my current situation, and something, for the longest time, has needed to change, and maybe starting a new life in the States with the girl I love is that change that needs to be made.
So, there you have it - what a month indeed. After all that, I think I should probably leave you with some futuristic Flyer artwork. All the best for the rest of this New Year.
Obviously, I'm back in the UK now, my winter US trip came to an end on the 11th, and it was a very bittersweet moment indeed, perhaps more bitter than sweet. With all the jetlag it felt really weird coming back home and barely recognising the place, and it took me about a week to completely recover.
Being back home meant getting back into old routines, namely that of my work placement, and that was fine, it was pretty much like I'd never been away, really. What I didn't enjoy coming back to was the jobsearch and pressure side of it, from that certain place I won't name. It's just making me realise how much I need to sever my ties with them, because they just seem to get worse as every year passes. I wasn't put on this earth to be a pawn in their stupid game.
This month was also my birthday of course (29 already?), and while I enjoyed the day very much (more on that in a bit), I just found myself feeling let down by a few people on DeviantArt - you see, every year I make birthday giftarts for friends on DA, I put a lot of time and thought into them, and I don't ask for any giftart in return, just a somple greeting when my birthday comes round - however I end up feeling frustrated year in year out because there are always some of these "friends" who fail to give me a greeting in return. Now some of them may have a genuine reason that they forgot, but unless told otherwise, I have to assume that they just want free art from me and that they couldn't give a crap about my own birthday. It sounds harsh and selfish, but that's how I feel about it. So if I draw you birthday giftart and you don't give me a greeting in return, you won't be getting any more giftart from me, simple as that.
And finally with the bad stuff, I feel like this last week of January I've had a slight touch of the January blues, and possibly post-holiday blues by extension. The cold weather and the snow that we've had (no snow-free winter this time, unlike last winter) haven't helped either, but it'll pass.
Now onto the good stuff, and back to my US trip - again, I just can't put into words how much of a brilliant time I had. I got to ring in the New Year with my lovely Nicole and her family, as well as celebrate my birthday with a stay at a very nice hotel and bowling at a very fancy bowling alley - and on both occasion a lot of drinks were involved too. However, there was one little thing that happened right before New Year that I deliberately forgot to mention - you see, I wanted to get back home and tell my family in person before going viral with it.
On 30 December, I took Nicole to our favourite spot in Branford Point - a hill overlooking the beach and coastline. It was freezing cold, but there was a beautiful sunset in the background, and it just felt like the right moment to finally do something that I'd been plucking up the courage to do for quite a long time (I can hear you saying "Get on with it Mark!" at the back there...)...
I got down on one knee and asked Nicole to be my fiancée...and I think you can guess what her answer was. :)
So there it is - we're engaged. And right now, it's still very much sinking in for me, because this is without a doubt a huge step to make. This also means that 2015, if all works out, will be my last year living in the UK - me and Nicole are going to apply for a fiancée visa, and are hoping to have me move over to the US in October, with a view to signing our marriage licence in early 2016 (it's just signing a bit of paper, we plan to have a proper ceremony at a later date). This has all been in the works for months, and I've been chomping at the bit to let you all know - well, now you know.
It's not going to be easy - saying goodbye to my family, when that day comes, will be one of the hardest things that I will ever have to do in my life, and I'll miss all the familiar places that I know - but unless I do this, I'll spend the rest of my life regretting what could've been. I feel like I'm stuck in a rut in my current situation, and something, for the longest time, has needed to change, and maybe starting a new life in the States with the girl I love is that change that needs to be made.
So, there you have it - what a month indeed. After all that, I think I should probably leave you with some futuristic Flyer artwork. All the best for the rest of this New Year.
31/12/2014
December 2014
Where do I start...what a month this has been, and without a doubt it's been a month of two halves.
You know that feeling when the festive season slowly starts to creep in, even though you try so hard to try and resist the cheesiness of it all? I had that, but also a lot of nerves, which was pretty much how it was for the first half of this month, working at my charity shop placement and keeping busy with that, my artwork and buying Christmas presents for family and friends (as usual, I cut it fine).
Those nerves were all for the anticipation of the second half of the month, as I knew I would be spending my first Christmas and New Year away from home (27 years though, quite a record) - on the 11th, I jetted off on my second trip across the Atlantic to the US this year, and my sixth US trip overall. It was very bittersweet leaving my family behind, but at the end of the day I know that they want me to be living my life and enjoying it - and when I travel, that's what I'm doing.
And now the trip itself - with only an annoying delay to my long haul flight and a customs office giving me the third degree, my travel to the US was pretty much fine, so once again all the nerves about the flying was for nothing. Since I arrived Stateside, so much has happened - I got to be with my lovely Nicole again, as well as her family and friends, we revisited places that we'd been to before, including Branford Point, Stony Creek, Mystic Village, and of course the Big Apple aka New York City, as well as also spending a couple of days over in Long Island revisiting a couple of close friends from DeviantArt, however I was seeing it all slightly differently, with it being my first trip to the US in Winter - my previous visits were all in either Spring or Summer, and while there were some unseasonally warm temaperatures and no blizzards, there were also some freezing days too - and as I type this, there's still every chance of one of those infamous wintry nor'easters to hit. I also discovered some new places previously unseen, including the beautiful Chatfield Hollow State Park with its forests and lake, and the impressive collection of planes on display at the New England Air Museum.
It was a little bit strange celebrating Christmas over 3,000 miles away from home, but I still enjoyed it, and I got to experience the occasion American style, and not that this is much of a big secret, but the Americans don't half make a bigger deal of Christmas than what we Brits do, that's for sure - every other house had elaborate lighting displays, Christmas music was all over the radio, and Nicole's family certainly weren't shy with the presents, not that I asked for anything - the only present I wanted was to be able to spend the festive season with Nicole, and I think that's the one present both of us truly asked for. (I apologise for the slushiness.)
I also got reacquainted with some old American food favourites, as well as giving some new ones a try - and there was also another first this trip, as myself and Nicole attended two of her friends' wedding, and we weren't just spectating, we were both in the wedding party, Nicole was the maid of honour, I was one of the groomsmen, and we were both dressed the part for it too. The ceremony went beautifully, the reception was blast, many congratulations to the happy couple, and I was glad that both me and Nicole got to be a part of it too.
As I type this, 2014 is into its last 24 hours, and I will be getting to see in the New Year over in the States, with Nicole, her family and friends. My final thoughts on this year? Like most years it's been up and down - there have been times where I've wanted to crawl into a hole, but also times where I feel like I've had the time of my life. No-one knows what 2015 will bring, or what'll be happening a year from now, but I will be celebrating on New Year's regardless. If there is definitely one thing I want to celebrate from this past year, it's all the memories that have been made.
To sign off, I'll leave you with this festive group shot I made for my DeviantArt friends. Wherever you are, and whoever you're with, all the best for 2015.
You know that feeling when the festive season slowly starts to creep in, even though you try so hard to try and resist the cheesiness of it all? I had that, but also a lot of nerves, which was pretty much how it was for the first half of this month, working at my charity shop placement and keeping busy with that, my artwork and buying Christmas presents for family and friends (as usual, I cut it fine).
Those nerves were all for the anticipation of the second half of the month, as I knew I would be spending my first Christmas and New Year away from home (27 years though, quite a record) - on the 11th, I jetted off on my second trip across the Atlantic to the US this year, and my sixth US trip overall. It was very bittersweet leaving my family behind, but at the end of the day I know that they want me to be living my life and enjoying it - and when I travel, that's what I'm doing.
And now the trip itself - with only an annoying delay to my long haul flight and a customs office giving me the third degree, my travel to the US was pretty much fine, so once again all the nerves about the flying was for nothing. Since I arrived Stateside, so much has happened - I got to be with my lovely Nicole again, as well as her family and friends, we revisited places that we'd been to before, including Branford Point, Stony Creek, Mystic Village, and of course the Big Apple aka New York City, as well as also spending a couple of days over in Long Island revisiting a couple of close friends from DeviantArt, however I was seeing it all slightly differently, with it being my first trip to the US in Winter - my previous visits were all in either Spring or Summer, and while there were some unseasonally warm temaperatures and no blizzards, there were also some freezing days too - and as I type this, there's still every chance of one of those infamous wintry nor'easters to hit. I also discovered some new places previously unseen, including the beautiful Chatfield Hollow State Park with its forests and lake, and the impressive collection of planes on display at the New England Air Museum.
It was a little bit strange celebrating Christmas over 3,000 miles away from home, but I still enjoyed it, and I got to experience the occasion American style, and not that this is much of a big secret, but the Americans don't half make a bigger deal of Christmas than what we Brits do, that's for sure - every other house had elaborate lighting displays, Christmas music was all over the radio, and Nicole's family certainly weren't shy with the presents, not that I asked for anything - the only present I wanted was to be able to spend the festive season with Nicole, and I think that's the one present both of us truly asked for. (I apologise for the slushiness.)
I also got reacquainted with some old American food favourites, as well as giving some new ones a try - and there was also another first this trip, as myself and Nicole attended two of her friends' wedding, and we weren't just spectating, we were both in the wedding party, Nicole was the maid of honour, I was one of the groomsmen, and we were both dressed the part for it too. The ceremony went beautifully, the reception was blast, many congratulations to the happy couple, and I was glad that both me and Nicole got to be a part of it too.
As I type this, 2014 is into its last 24 hours, and I will be getting to see in the New Year over in the States, with Nicole, her family and friends. My final thoughts on this year? Like most years it's been up and down - there have been times where I've wanted to crawl into a hole, but also times where I feel like I've had the time of my life. No-one knows what 2015 will bring, or what'll be happening a year from now, but I will be celebrating on New Year's regardless. If there is definitely one thing I want to celebrate from this past year, it's all the memories that have been made.
To sign off, I'll leave you with this festive group shot I made for my DeviantArt friends. Wherever you are, and whoever you're with, all the best for 2015.
30/11/2014
November 2014
I can't say it much more plainly than this, really - for the most part, this November was more or less a carbon copy of October. As I write this I've now been at my work placement for 7 weeks, and while I'm used to the routine of it now, some days have been better than others, but on the whole I got lucky getting the placement that I did. I just can't help feeling that when I'm there sometimes I could be doing so many more things that I'd enjoy a lot more - but then again isn't that how everyone feels in a job?
Something that got my attention for the wrong reasons this month was the whole Black Friday mayhem - something that up until now I thought only happened in the US, but it seems that it's spread. I fail to see what's good about queuing up at insane hours just to buy something expensive that's been reduced when the reductions aren't even that massive, and when all it does is cause people to turn into crazed maniacs. I feel sorry for the frontline employees working in the participating shops who have to deal with the madness, and I hope I don't ever end up in that position myself, either.
Speaking of the US, the excitement and nerves are starting to kick in for me now - as I type this it's less than a fortnight till I fly back over there to see Nicole, her family and friends, and spend the festive season over there. It will be strange with it being my first Christmas away from home and my family, but hopefully it will still be very enjoyable.
That's pretty much all I have to day for this month - come next blog, if all goes to plan, it'll be from Stateside once again.
I'll leave you with a tribute picture that I made - dedicated to those who have fallen in combat.
Something that got my attention for the wrong reasons this month was the whole Black Friday mayhem - something that up until now I thought only happened in the US, but it seems that it's spread. I fail to see what's good about queuing up at insane hours just to buy something expensive that's been reduced when the reductions aren't even that massive, and when all it does is cause people to turn into crazed maniacs. I feel sorry for the frontline employees working in the participating shops who have to deal with the madness, and I hope I don't ever end up in that position myself, either.
Speaking of the US, the excitement and nerves are starting to kick in for me now - as I type this it's less than a fortnight till I fly back over there to see Nicole, her family and friends, and spend the festive season over there. It will be strange with it being my first Christmas away from home and my family, but hopefully it will still be very enjoyable.
That's pretty much all I have to day for this month - come next blog, if all goes to plan, it'll be from Stateside once again.
I'll leave you with a tribute picture that I made - dedicated to those who have fallen in combat.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)