21 THE BIG MOVE
Greetings! I trust this blog post reaches you in good health. However, word on the street is that there’s a bout of seasonal depression circulating, so be sure to indulge in nourishing soups and comforting hot chocolates, and cocoon yourself in layers of cozy blankets. Well, that’s my strategy anyway. Unfortunately I’m not quite sure if it’s working, because after my four months of blissful sun this summer, I have a feeling that this winter is going to be a real challenge.
Since I last wrote a couple of weeks ago, I have made the move to Bath and started adult life - properly! I have a job, a house (well…a room in a house) and a Costco card. I’m a qualified adult (ish). For obvious reasons, I’m not going to talk about my job on the blog, not because I’m a spy for MI5 or a Russian sleeper agent, but because it’s probably slightly more professional that I don’t rant on about clients/colleagues (not that I would because they’re lovely ;) ). Besides, I don’t think it would make for entertaining content.
Anyway… back to adulting! In addition to advancing my career and investing in property (not), I've recently acquired my first piece of furniture from Ikea; a common milestone in any young person’s journey. I even assembled my new “Flysta” shelving alone. The last time I ventured into the realm of flatpack engineering was with my mum and I got so frustrated I considered we have a temporary estrangement. This time round, I was calm and built the shelving in just under 25 minutes, which, if we imagine a Strava-esque tracking service but for Ikea flatpack building, is an excellent time, winning me many new achievements.
Now I know that some people have a real attachment to Ikea, but after years of contemplation, I’ve decided that Ikea is the TK Maxx of the furniture world (hint: I don’t like TK Maxx). TK Maxx is messy, cluttered and generally overwhelming and Ikea is the same - just replace the word messy with never-ending. Lets face it, Ikea is only fun if:
a) You know exactly what you want.
b) You have lots of money to spend on utensils that admittedly, are handy and likely would improve your quality of life but are ultimately quite unnecessary.
c) It’s raining and you have nothing better to do.
I’m sorry if I’ve upset anyone by saying this. I hope it helps that I didn’t make my decision lightly.
Moving on! My new housemates are lovely which is great. One of them, Ellie, took me for my inaugural night-out down south which was a real eye-opener. In a nutshell: I spent a fortune and ended up dancing with a group of middle-aged men from the Ministry of Defense whose “offices are opposite Whitehall” don’t you know. We ended up at a club called Komedia, which I can only describe as what I imagine the clubs in Oxford to be like. Being in Bath, I wasn’t expecting a warehouse rave, but a dance floor set up in a theater where the chairs had just been removed was not quite what I had in mind. Nevertheless, it was hilarious and I thoroughly enjoyed myself!
Other adulty-things that I’ve attempted to do in the past two weeks include: researching banks and savings accounts. My YouTube recommended has now become a curated selection of Martin Lewis videos, to the point where he's infiltrating my dreams. The issue is, I’m clueless when it comes to banks - how they operate, how they safeguard my money, and which accounts are optimal for saving. Frankly, the intricacies of banking don't pique my interest in the slightest. All I want is to save money, store it somewhere secure and know that the amount won’t mysteriously reduce or suddenly disappear altogether (I still imagine banks to be vaults of cash with everyone’s individual names engraved on gold plaques). Perhaps I just need to bite the bullet and arrange a virtual date night with the three of us: me, Martin and Google. Or if anyone else has any sound recommendations and POK (proof of knowledge) - or even better, qualifications - to support their advice, I’m all ears.
SIDE NOTE: I DON’T REALLY HAVE TIME TO WRITE ANY FILM REVIEWS THIS TIME, BUT I’VE RECENTLY WATCHED EMERALD FENNELL’S SALTBURN AND RIDLEY SCOTT’S NAPOLEON IN THE CINEMA, BOTH OF WHICH WERE INCREDIBLE AND LIKE THE REST OF THE INTERNET, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU GIVE THEM A WATCH!
BIWEEKLY JAMS
It’s now time for the Biweekly Jams. As per, the Biweekly Jams feature consists of me choosing three songs that I recommend you guys give a listen (even if you know them already!). This week, I'm suggesting some contemporary tunes to inject a bit of youth into the playlist because in its present form, it seems like it could use a modern touch. I've chosen three diverse songs, all released within the past three years. I suppose I'm aiming to demonstrate that there's still a wealth of talent out there, contrary to what the oldies might claim!
“Sticky” Grove (2020). Grove, a Bristolian, non-binary artist is definitely someone to keep an eye out for! Their music is really refreshing and massively energizing, but also a little difficult to describe, so, in their own words, Grove neatly summarises their work as “a combination of darker breaks and techno-influenced sound mixed with the traditionally more upbeat music of [their] Jamaican heritage”. It’s a welcome break from a lot of newly produced music and I would really recommend that you take the time to listen through their collection (in particular their collab with Saxophonist Pete Cunningham’s Ishmael Ensemble, titled “Wax Werk”).
“Anturage” Matthias (2021). Not only can I not find anything about Matthias, I don’t actually remember where I first heard this find. It’s quite a simplistic bit of techno with a recurring delicate Adhan-esque excerpt running through at times. You may think it’s a little basic - but I love it!
“For the Culture” - Sons of Kemet, D Double E (2021). Mercury Prize nominated Sons of Kemet were an incredible jazz group from London. Yes, I say were because unfortunately the group have split since the release of their 2021 album, Black to the Future, from which the song “For the Culture” belongs to. Known for their experimental jazz, this song builds on that by collaborating with famed grime MC D Double E - so you can’t get much better than that! Though it does hurt knowing that for the foreseeable future I have no hope of seeing them live, hearing their music always gets me in a good mood - I hope they do the same for you.
Once again, thank you for reading my silly little blog. I really appreciate your support! :)
Bath looking pretty :)
