18 RETURNING TO REALITY: TIME TO FACE THE MUSIC
I’m back! This time I’m not travelling around Europe - or anywhere for that matter. Thus, I have no doubt that the quality and content of this blog will be far less entertaining than my previous.
So now that expectations are low, I’ll start with some positive news. My brother is buying Bert! It won’t be a forever goodbye after all. Thank God, because I don’t know if I’ll have that bond with any vehicle ever again - it would feel adulterous now. My attachment to Bert really became apparent last week when I broke down in tears whilst emptying the glove compartment of all the tatt we had accumulated over the past four months. Later, I assessed my outburst. Was I upset parting with Bert? Or was it a realisation that my adventure was suddenly over and it was time to face the horrible tune of adult life? I ultimately concluded that it was a combination of both things and that really, I ought to get a grip.
I was pleased to hear that Bert was staying in the family so that I needn’t worry about him getting mistreated. On the other hand however, Adrian did ask my permission to renovate Bert entirely. Initially I was sceptical, but after some thought I realised that although Bert was perfect for my budget adventure, perhaps a rearrange would mean that the space would get more efficient use. Therefore, I was happy to offer my support for gentrification. The other bonus of Adrian buying Bert is that if Bert is harmed in any way I see unfit, I’ll know where to find him so that I can retaliate on Bert’s behalf somehow, like steal a floor mat, or leave bananas in the fridge to rot, or cover the reversing camera with duck tape. Bert and I will always have that bond.
Anyway, now to the bad news (admittedly this has nothing on the Middle East at the moment). As I said earlier, I’m currently unemployed. I am job searching, intensively, so no suggestions that I’m being lazy please. It’s just such a slow process. Over the past month, I’ve found that when saying you’re unemployed, people often respond with a falsely positive reaction such as “oh, just having a break are you?” or “giving yourself time to stretch your legs?” To which my internal thoughts respond with:
“HOW, AS A GRADUATE WHO HAS JUST SPENT EVERY PENNY THEY’VE EVER EARNED TRAVELLING FOR FOUR MONTHS, WOULD IT BE FINANCIALLY VIABLE TO JUST ‘HAVE A BREAK’ IN THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CLIMATE WHERE A TEA, WHICH IS LITERALLY JUST A TEABAG, WATER, AND MILK, COSTS MORE THAN £3 FROM A CAFÉ?”
So yes, as I said, the job searching is going slowly. The stats currently lie at: 20 applied, 8 rejections, 2 interviews, 2 rejection post-interview. The jobs vary, some I’ll admit I can’t even picture myself doing. Like last week, I had a bit of a breakdown and applied for a job as a trainee landscaper. Surprisingly, rock garden design was not featured as a module in my Communication and Media degree so shockingly, I did in fact get rejected. All jokes aside, there are several realistic ones relevant to media, press work etc. that I am really keen for that don’t involve installing water features. Unfortunately these jobs appear to be the most competitive, so whether they even respond is another matter entirely. Therefore I apply and wait eagerly, refreshing my emails every hour…
The Biweekly Jams
Changing the subject to something somewhat lighter, I’ve decided to include an incredibly unique feature in these blogs called the Biweekly Jams. Now that I have some spare time in between writing job applications and pondering whether anyone will ever employ me again, I’m back doing my Spotify binges which took a bit of a hiatus during my travels. The Biweekly Jams feature consists of me choosing three songs that I’ve discovered or particularly enjoyed over the last two weeks that I think you may or may not like. Furthermore, depending on how much background knowledge I have, I may write a little bit about them. The feature is titled the Biweekly Jams because I cannot guarantee a blog each week. The reason for the choice of specifically three songs is because biblically, the number three symbolizes divine wholeness, completeness, and perfection since the resurrection of Jesus Christ occurred three days following his death. Honestly at this point, I’m just praying that people understand my humour… Anyhow, let’s just get into the songs:
“Gimmie Danger” - The Stooges. I recently watched Velvet Goldmine (1998) which covers the fictional story of a journalist (Christian Bale) hunting down former British pop-star Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys Myers) who had faked his own death live on stage years earlier. Now whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the film, I wasn’t always certain that I knew exactly what was going on at all times. During one of these moments, Ewan McGregor featured in the film as pop-star Curt Wild, who’s character is quite evidently based on Iggy Pop. In this particular scene, McGregor sings “Gimmie Danger” and I was genuinely mesmerised by his performance, especially upon finding out he was actually singing live during the recording. It’s an incredible song and I would definitely recommend that you watch Velvet Goldmine, even if it’s just to see an excellent Iggy Pop impersonation.
“The Trench Coat Museum” - Yard Act. Prior to this song, I wasn’t convinced by Yard Act. Personally, I often find that layering music with speak-singing, or ‘sprechgesang’ as it’s more commonly referred to, can be pretty awful to listen to. However, this song has been sufficient in changing my mind about Yard Act and the sprechgesang style more generally. It’s got a catchy guitar riff and its lyrics slot in perfectly. A transformative tune.
“Y Cariad Cyntaf” - Meredydd Evans. I expect that a lot of my Welsh friends will be aware of Meredydd Evans. From poetry to politics, Merêd was an incredibly important figure in shaping Welsh culture and history on an international scale. This particular song, arguably his most popular from his album Welsh Folk Songs, was recorded in Pennsylvania in 1954. Evans was studying at Princeton University undertaking a PHD in philosophy and had been contacted by Moses Asch, of Folkways Records, who was in the process of collecting folk music from around the world. Literally meaning The First Love, “Y Cariad Cyntaf” is a beautiful traditional Welsh folk song performed in a cappella. I get goosebumps every time I hear it.
Click below to access the Biweekly Jams playlist on spotify:
Please forgive me if this blog is a little chaotic. I’m still trying to figure out the best way to arrange my thoughts and ideas. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed and I’m looking forward to the next one (even if you’re not).
P.S. Any feedback would be appreciated :)
