Back to YouTube

Posted by Kirsty on

I’m planning on starting posting videos again. I have a number of topics, ideas and a few requests, and I’m really looking forward to it.

However, I know this video posting will have to be a YouTube-based project. And that causes me to hesitate a little. I don’t have an issue with the website itself, of course. But to provide content invites response, and nowadays it is nigh impossible to get that response without aggression.

You guys know what I mean – trolls! The bane of the internet. The anger-fueled poison of people who take pure delight in pushing buttons to create heated conversations. And I don’t mean debates here. I think people who push to debate do so with some degree (usually) of respect for the opposing side.

I am a woman. I do no want to post videos because I want people to tell me I’m attractive. I do not want to be complimented OR ridiculed for my appearance. I will, of course, be “making an effort” to some extent because heaven forbid a woman do anything, anywhere without being presentable!

I’m using it an an excuse to experiment a little with make-up, hair and other girly things. Having dyspraxia means I’m not naturally very good at all that, and getting made up for the camera should be fun. But it’s for me that I am choosing to do that. Nobody else.

Finally, until I have gotten to grips with the moderation techniques and possibly even after I have, I will be blocking all comments on YouTube. Anyone who really wants to have a discussion can do so right here, where I am more comfortable with the site and commenting system. And I am always open to being contacted, via Facebook, Twitter or anywhere else I have an online self. But if you cannot be respectful, I will not engage you.

For those of you who do kind-of want to see my videos, just be patient. It’ll come soon enough.

Thanks for reading folks!

Kirsty

Everything

Posted by Kirsty on

There isn’t even a sensible name for this post!

So we’re on the first day in September, and my brain is frazzled! I feel like there’s so much to do, and I’ve no idea where to start.

I’m still in the poorly camp, and that’s probably why everything feels so overwhelming. I went to visit Durham for a week to take my mind off the approaching medical assessment (stayed with the boyfriend, was much more relaxing than staying home and freaking out). But, after waiting in the room for an hour to be called, they told us they didn’t have time to see me and sent us home. New appointment is at the end of the month.

What else… I have a tumblr now, with hardly anything on it because I can’t figure out what to use it for. I’ve had a few ideas, but we’ll see if any of them take off. I am tempted to start vlogging again, as well as connecting my accounts up because, right now, they’re all very separate and independent – Facebook, Twitter, DeviantArt, Google+, Youtube, Pinterest… we’ll see what happens.

I think I’ll leave it there, I just felt like sharing. I’m off to check on the Sheeny-bop. She’s ready for shedding again!

Kirsty

Tumblr

Posted by Kirsty on

I’ve just made a new account on Tumblr. As if Facebook, Twitter, DeviantArt, WordPress, Pinterest and LinkedIn weren’t enough already…

 

I’ve been really lame about blogging, so I’ll give you all a recent picture of Sheena to enjoy:

My little girl checking out one of her new toys - 6 months old.

My little girl checking out one of her new toys – 6 months old.

 

Hope you’re all having a lovely summer!

Kirsty

100 Happy Days 9 – drawing princesses

Posted by Kirsty on

I know I’m late by a day, but I couldn’t find my SD card yesterday and I’d rather take the photographs myself than find images online.

So here’s my sketch of Rapunzel – it looks wonky on the photograph, but I promise it’s not THAT bad in real life:

One of my favourite princesses

I’ve been pinning a lot of game and film characters on my Pinterest, but I have found a particular interest in princess stories at the moment. I still remember the film “A Little Princes” (haven’t had the pleasure of reading the book) when she says all girls are princesses deep down. I do think the idea is rather romantic, and I do accept that a lot of the princess character portrayals in Disney films kinda fail a little at times. But I like to look at the strengths of the girls instead of the negatives.

Snow White, for her time, is quite assertive. Aurora does do a whole bunny-in-headlights vanishing act but, to be fair to her, she’s lied to her whole life, told she’s forbidden to marry the guy she likes, and the bombshell is dropped that she’s a betrothed princess who now has a tonne of expectation on her, not to mention the imminent meeting of the parents she’s not seen since she was a baby. And she’s only 16 in the film! While Snow White is only 14. Cinderella takes her life of servitude with a level of grace and good-humour that I find quite inspiring. She takes so much stick, and just keeps taking it, while still finding the inner strength to keep her spirits up right until she’s pushed too far. Everyone has a limit, after all.

And, once again, bearing in mind the times these films were made, the characters are actually fairly fleshed out. These days we demand more from our characters. And, before my fellow feminists jump on me – what EXACTLY does Prince Charming do, apart from dance, have a stupid name and carry shoes? Snow White’s prince doesn’t even have a name! Only Phillip really does anything much, bless him. I know the princes in Disney films aren’t “meant to be role models” in the same way society seems to want the princesses to be. but I also know the first thing you do to decide if something is sexist is compare men and women in the same context. And I can’t honestly say Charming did half as much as Cinderella. Nameless Snow White Prince doesn’t do anything! Apart from scare doves and kiss girls. How is that a role model? Most boys can do that at 7!

And I’m not just entranced by the princess characters from the franchise, or even from Disney itself. Look at Anastasia! That film’s stunning! And I don’t really like The hunchback of Notre Damme much as a film, but Esmeralda is amazing! I had a doll of her when I was a child. I had an Ariel doll too. Now, there’s a girl who isn’t afraid to fight for what she wants, even if it means leaving everything she knows behind.

I’m going to go watch Enchanted again. I do love that film, it’s silly but, at the same time, really romantic and touching. Bless him, Prince Edward is such a clueless little bobcat!

Kirsty

100 Happy Days 8 – a hand written letter

Posted by Kirsty on

Today I wrote a long-overdue letter to my friend in Portugal:

Got a long way to go

Apart from that I’ve been busy all day. Done a lot of walking, which is good. And I got my hair cut! The medication has killed my ends far too much. Now they’re gone, and I’ve dyed over the rest to make it one colour again.

I know I have a long way to go before everything’s back to normal, but every little step lights up my day.

Kirsty

100 Happy Days 7 – snake feeding day

Posted by Kirsty on

The idea of defrosting a frozen baby mouse might not seem like the perfect way to spend a day, but there’s good reason why it’s made me happy:

My equipment ready for feeding time

See, when a snake isn’t happy it wont eat. Whether it’s unwell, coming close to shedding and feeling uncomfortable, dislikes the temperature or environment it’s in… it’ll let you know by refusing to feed. Often it can be that the snake just isn’t hungry. They don’t eat much, lets be honest. But every time my sheena successfully eats it shows me I’m getting it right. And it makes me really content.

It’s also quite fascinating to watch. The first feed I was a bit mortified by the weird, pink monstrosity I was defrosting. It didn’t even look like a mouse, it was more like a really tiny alien. But all that weirdness vanished the second she grabbed it. Suddenly it was her food, and the rest didn’t matter.

The extra happy from today’s feed was she struck for it. This is natural for corn snakes but, being as she’s still a baby, Sheena’s only getting used to everything. So encouraging her to lunge for it this way was brilliant.

Now she gets peace for a day or two so she can digest her food, and I get to lose myself in Dungeon Keeper 2.

Kirsty

100 Happy Days 6 – pictures on the wall

Posted by Kirsty on

So this is one of my more DIY moments. I hung some string in lines on my wall the other week, and I finally got around to putting up pictures on them:

A line for artwork

The idea was to give myself the freedom to add as many of my art pieces as I wanted and move them around without damaging them. I’m just glad I got some work up there, I’ll be sure to keep adding to it. The line is in my bedroom, so not for “public viewing” as it were. But it brightens up an empty space above my bed, so I’m happy.

Also, on an unrelated note, I took Sheena (my 3-month-old pet corn snake) to visit Kerri today. She’s the one who let me hold her snake a year ago – and is, as a result, directly responsible for me buying me own. I fell in love with Linkin, and now I have Sheena I couldn’t be happier. I was so proud today with how she handled so many people.

Finally, I completed Professor Layton and the Lost Future today – cried at the end, finished all the puzzles, and now I’m waiting for the next one. Until then, I’m going to listen to Bill Bailey’s stand-up comedy show while I play Dungeon Keeper!

Kirsty